HDEC05-21-Q-0010-0001 - SOL Amendment - With Questions and Answers.pdf

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

30-105-04EXCEPTION TO SF 30

APPROVED BY OIRM 11-84

STANDARD FORM 30 (Rev. 10-83) Prescribed by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

Solicitation HDEC05-21-Q-0010 for Manual Price shopping Services for DeCA Commissaries

POC: Daniel Lindsey, Contract Specialist Email: daniel.lindsey@deca.mil Phone: 804-734-8000 x 48774

POC: Kristine N. Poltrick, Contracting Officer Email: Kristine.poltrick@deca.mil Phone: 804-734-8000 x 86057

See SF 30 – Block 14 CONTINUATION SHEET

1. CONTRACT ID CODE PAGE OF PAGES

J 1 9

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

16C. DATE SIGNED

BY 17-Aug-2021

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA15C. DATE SIGNED15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

(Signature of Contracting Officer)(Signature of person authorized to sign)

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., Street, County, State and Zip Code) X HDEC0521Q0010

X 9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

22-Jul-2021

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

X The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offer X is extended, is not extended.

Offer must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended by one of the following methods:

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning 1 copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted;

or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN

REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required)

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS.

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE

CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(B).

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not, is required to sign this document and return copies to the issuing office.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

10A. MOD. OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 5. PROJECT NO.(If applicable)

6. ISSUED BY

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

17-Aug-2021

CODE

DEFENSE COMMISSARY AGENCY

ENTERPRISE ACQUISITION DIVISION

1300 E AVENUE

FORT LEE VA 23801-1800

HDEC05 7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than item 6)

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.

CODE

See Item 6

FACILITY CODECODE

EMAIL:TEL:

HDEC0521Q0010

SECTION SF 30 BLOCK 14 CONTINUATION PAGE

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

SECTION SF 30 - BLOCK 14 CONTINUATION PAGE

The following have been added by full text:

SOLICITATION AMENDMENT

The following items are applicable to this Amendment:

Solicitation HDEC05-21-Q-0010 for the Manual Price Shopping Services for various Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) Commissaries is amended as follows:

1. As a result of this Amendment the closing date has been extended until Wednesday, August 25, 2021 at 3:00pm EST.

2. Incorporate a Question and Answer Section at Enclosure 1. Responses to questions received are provided.

3. Statement of Work (SOW) has been updated to reflect the correct solicitation number of HDEC05-21-Q-0010.

ATTENTION PROSPECTIVE QUOTERS:

A copy of this amendment shall be signed and returned with all required documents for Quote submission.

ENCLOSURE 1:

QUESTION 1:

Section SF 1449 - Can you define the data report deliverable? For example, an excel file deliverable.

ANSWER 1:

The quarterly data report deliverable is an excel file deliverable with column headers provided for subsequent upload.

QUESTION 2:

Section 4.1.1 - The RFQ states, "the final data report is due 45 days after contract start date, for the initial price shop" but then states "Each quarterly shop will be comprised of approximately 25 percent of the total amount". Will there be an initial price shop wave across all commissaries and competitors at the outset of the deployment or does "initial price shop" refer to the first quarterly wave (25%)?

ANSWER 2:

Initial price shop refers to the first quarterly (25%) wave. There is no instance where all commissaries and competitors will be shopped at one point in time.

QUESTION 3:

Section 5.6.1 -Can you clarify what you mean by "The contractor will not be permitted to utilize a web or database method of data collection"?

ANSWER 3:

The contractor may not use a web or database method to collect data, and must physically collect the prices at the store location.

QUESTION 4:

Section SOW Vol III Sec 6- Can you expand on this requirement: Who will be required to link the national and private brands (meaning finding equivalent items in commercial centers, down to the grade and cut of the meat). Is this file supplied to the vendor?

ANSWER 4:

DeCA is responsible for identifying the national brand items for scannable items. The contractor is responsible for finding the private label equivalent item in a commercial supermarket for scannable items. DeCA will provide the grade and cut of fresh meat to collect with no requirement to collect a private label fresh meat item. DeCA will provide the list of fresh produce items to collect with no requirement to collect a private label fresh produce item.

QUESTION 5:

Section SOW 5.5 - From the current program, would you be able to share what is the frequency of items not found, and thus having to contact the store manager?

ANSWER 5:

The contractor will be provided with a not found list of items (never out) requiring the price collector to contact the store manager. The never out list is comprised of produce and meat items. There are approximately 20 items.

QUESTION 6:

General - Are there any data file feed requirements (API, sFTP)?

ANSWER 6:

There are no data file feed requirements. DeCA provides a DoD safe site link for file upload.

QUESTION 7:

General - To help in continually forecasting shopper eligibility, can we assume ongoing commissary access requirements will remain the same through period of contract (i.e., as defined by Department of Defense Instruction 1330.17, DOD Commissary Program)?

ANSWER 7:

The term forecasting shopper eligibility is not applicable to this solicitation as there is no requirement to forecast. If the reference is to the contractor responsible for collecting the commissary prices, access to the commissary will be contingent upon the global pandemic. The data collector will not be required to have commissary shopping privileges. However, each shopper must be able to successfully pass a background check to enter the installation where the Commissary is located.

QUESTION 8:

General - Does the data-collection platform require any specific reviews/approvals?

ANSWER 8:

The contractor must provide the description of how the prices will be collected to ensure compliance with the Statement of Work. The contractor must utilize an efficient and accurate automated data collection process.

QUESTION 9:

General - Apart from the security requirements that were outlined, may we assume there are no unique data storage requirements?

ANSWER 9:

There is no requirement for the contractor to store the data beyond 60 days after the data collection period ends.

QUESTION 10:

General - To ensure a new vendor meets the required timelines of this program, can you provide any indication as to when the vendor will be selected/notified of selection?

ANSWER 10:

An Award Selection will be estimated to be made by September 29, 2021.

QUESTION 11:

General – How do we submit a response to this Solicitation?

ANSWER 11:

Under Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to offerors; it states how to submit quotes and all information requested under the guidance in Section I Submission of Quotes.

QUESTION 12:

General - Is a subcontracting plan required as part of the proposal submission?

ANSWER 12:

A Subcontracting Plan will not be required as part of the Quote Submission.

SECTION SF 1449 - CONTINUATION SHEET

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM

The required response date/time has changed from 23-Aug-2021 03:00 PM to 25-Aug-2001 03:00 PM.

The following have been modified:

STATEMENT OF WORK

ATTACHMENT A - STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW)

MANUAL PRICE SHOPPING

HDEC05-21-Q-0010

The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) Headquarters (HQ) has a requirement for collection of data via manual price shops and reporting of data collected to DeCA.

1. BACKGROUND

DeCA is a Department of Defense (DoD) agency that operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to authorized patrons in a safe and secure shopping environment. The organization is comprised of 236 stores, of which 177 are located within the United States. As a core military family support element and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America's military and their families and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.

2. DESCRIPTION

2.1. DeCA requires the support of a contractor with specialized expertise and experience physically conducting manual price shopping collections comprised of items in all departments (fresh and scannable). Manual price shopping (price collecting) is the physical process used for Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) and Product Look-Up (PLU) price verification. This manual price shopping collection will consist of approximately 708 locations comprised of the 177 DoD Commissaries located within the Contiguous United States, plus Alaska and Hawaii, as well as approximately 531 designated commercial grocery stores or supercenters which are mostly located within 20 miles of each DoD Commissary, with each quarterly shop comprised of 25% of the total.

3. PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

3.1. The contractor shall dispatch contract employees to stores in designated areas to physically conduct the manual price shops and deliver the resulting data to DeCA within the timelines outlined in this Statement of Work (SOW).

3.2. The contractor shall have a clearly outlined process for auditing and certifying the statistical accuracy of each data collection and report to ensure accuracy and consistency in data collections across all locations within each quarterly shop.

3.3. The contractor is responsible for all of the following: supervision of price shops conducted, labor hired, tools used, travel (not reimbursed) to accomplish the tasks defined in this SOW.

3.4. The Contractor will notify DeCA immediately when a designated commercial grocery store or supercenter has been closed so a replacement location can be identified.

3.5. SKU’s & PLU’s & Item Descriptions.

3.5.1. To conduct the manual price shops; DeCA will provide the individual SKUs and PLUs contractor employees will use to collect both the regular and sale price when the item is on sale data on at DeCA commissaries and commercial grocery store outlets or supercenters (only United States DeCA locations to include Alaska and Hawaii) identified by DeCA, and the contractor will deliver the price collection data in the required format to DeCA within a specific period of time.

3.5.2. In addition, for each national brand item on the SKU listing, DeCA requires that prices (regular and sale) be captured for any private label SKUs with equivalent in quality; attributes; and size as the national brand item when the private label product is available at designated commercial grocery stores or supercenters. DeCA requires the captured private label SKUs to be specifically flagged as private label items and linked to the national brand SKUs by an Item ID provided by DeCA.

3.5.3. The contractor shall closely coordinate with DeCA for SKU/PLU lists, private label requests and data formatting requirements.

3.5.4. Where an item on the list of SKU/PLUs is on sale at either the commercial grocery store or the commissary, the contractor will record both the regular and sale price for each item.

3.5.5. For each national brand item on the SKU listing, the contractor is responsible for capturing the prices of any private label SKU with equivalent quality, attributes, and size – when the private label product is available at designated commercial grocery stores or supercenters location.

3.5.6. The captured private label SKUs will be linked to national brand SKUs by an Item ID provided by

DeCA.

3.5.7. Auditors will collect and identify fresh items with a per-pound price (lb.) or an each price (ea.) for all items based on how the product is sold at a given store, unless the item’s description states otherwise.

DeCA requires the prices (regular and sale) to be clearly identified as lb. or ea. for all fresh items.

3.5.8. When collecting meat prices, auditors should pay close attention to the “cut of meat” and grade of meat listed in the description and ensure prices collected for the cut of meat where the grade of meat matches the grade of meat listed on the item file provided by DeCA.

4. MANUAL PRICE SHOPPING PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION

4.1.1. Task 1 – PLAN OF ACTION.

The contract start date is expected to be September 30, 2021.

DeCA will provide the list of commissaries, designated commercial grocery stores or supercenters, and the specific list of approximately 1,100 SKU/PLUs to price shop at each location within 3 business days of the award.

This price shopping collection will consist of approximately 708 locations comprised of 177 DoD Commissaries as well as approximately 531 designated commercial grocery stores or supercenters which are mostly located within 20 miles of each DoD Commissary. Each quarterly shop will be comprised of approximately 25 percent of the total amount.

At a kickoff meeting, the contractor shall present a plan detailing its process for conducting the manual price shopping program within 5 business days of the above information provided by DeCA.

Thereafter, they shall meet as deemed necessary by either party. The plan shall include a schedule for execution and completion of the initial price shop within 30 days of contract start date, and a completion of the initial report delivered to DeCA within 45 days of contract start date.

DeCA has agreed to provide the contractor both the list of stores and the SKU/PLUs on NLT 3 business days after contract award. DeCA has also agreed to allow for the contractor to have the kick-off meeting NLT 5 business days of the above information provided by DeCA.

Thereafter, the item and store files will be provided at least 30 days in advance of each quarter start date.*

4.2. SCHEDULE AND DELIVERY OF THE DATA

4.2.1. Task 2 – QUARTERLY SHOPS.

DeCA and associated competitor (see Paragraph 2.1, above) locations will be identified by a DoDAAC with each location assigned a store ID. Each quarterly shop will be comprised of 25 percent of the total (approximately 45 Commissaries and approximately 133 designated commercial grocery stores or supercenters. DeCA will provide the Contractor with both the locations and the SKU/PLU listing at least 30 days prior to the start of each quarterly shop. The quarterly shops shall be performed within the first 30 days of the quarter, to allow for scheduling adjustments in a timely manner, if needed.

4.2.2. Task 3 – DATA REPORT.

The Contractor shall establish a quality control inspection system that covers all the services to be performed under this contract. The inspection system shall identify the areas and items to be inspected, methods of inspection, inspection frequency, and the name(s) and title(s) of the person(s) who shall perform the inspection of all data fields to include store information and competitor IDs.

The contractor will deliver to DeCA a data report showing the results of the manual price collection shops. The data report will be in Microsoft Excel format as per the attachment.

The final data report is due 45 days after contract start date, for the initial price shop, and then 45 days after the approved start date of each quarterly shop. At least 7 days before the submission of the final report, the contractor will deliver to DeCA a draft copy of the manual shop price collection data report for review. DeCA will review and, if applicable, provide feedback to the contractor within 2 business days.

If the match rate for any location (DeCA and designated commercial grocery store or supercenter) is significantly below the quarterly average, the contractor may be required to perform an additional manual shop at either (both) location(s).

The data report must include a description showing how the contractor audited the data and its performance of the process (i.e., % of data verified as accurate or other benchmark that speaks to the quality of the data provided to DeCA).

The final data report will be certified in accordance with the contractor’s proposed auditing process.

5. OTHER REQUIREMENTS

5.1. The Contractor shall track deliverables and provide progress reports during quarterly data collection, and task schedules to Government personnel upon request, to insure requirements are met for short term and long term for the tasks outlined above.

5.2. In addition to the other requirements and deliverable identified herin, the Contractor shall prepare the following deliverables upon request:

Explanation of Data: Provide definitions, support, or assistance to address questions concerning the data. The contractor will be available via email, teleconference, or VTC.

Master Data Output: Provide raw data collected upon request.

Status of Shops: Provide a status of all stores shopped and not shopped during the quarterly shop and the reason why.

Status of Competitors: The contractor will inform DeCA of closed competitor locations or other hindrances as soon as possible so a replacement can be determined.

5.3. The Contractor must be able to access U.S. military installations based on individual installation security requirements. The Contractor is solely responsible for contacting each installation to determine their specific entry access requirements. The Contractor will be required to sign in upon arrival and then sign out upon departure of the Commissary. The Contractor will access commissaries.com to determine Commissary hours of operation as price collections will occur during normal hours of operation.

5.4. The Contractor shall establish and forward to the Contracting Officer complete quality control plans. The

Contracting Officer will advise the Contractor of the required date for submission. The Contractor shall provide an updated copy of the quality control plan to the Contracting Officer as changes occur.

5.5. In the event the Contractor is unable to locate fresh items, the Contractor will contact store management for assistance.

5.6. PRIVACY REQUIREMENTS

5.6.1 The contractor will not be permitted to utilize a web or database method of data collection.

5.6.2 All Commissary pricing information is strictly proprietary and shall not be published or released to the public. Any pricing data obtained for the purpose of this requirement shall NOT be kept on any contractor’s servers, laptops, or any location where data cannot be kept secured. Any information shall be destroyed or deleted on command by DeCA Contracting, or Program Manager.

6 DELIVERABLES AND DELIVERY SCHEDULE

Description of Task Completion/Due Date Kickoff Meeting/Contractor Plan of Action

NLT 5 business days of the initial information provided by DeCA

Data Report For quarterly price shops, the Contractor has 30 days to complete the quarterly shop after the approved start date of each quarterly shop and submit the final data report to DeCA within 45 after the approved start date of each quarterly shop.

At least 7 days before the submission of the final data report, the contractor will deliver to DeCA a draft copy of the data report for review.

Explanation of the data Upon request Master Data Output Upon request

7 OTHER

7.1 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The performance period consists of a one (1) year base period and four

(4) one year option periods.

7.2 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: The majority of this SOW will be performed within a 20 mile radius of all

DeCA locations in the United States to include Alaska and Hawaii. For a limited number of remote store locations, commercial grocery store and supercenter locations requiring price shopping may be in excess of 20 miles from a DeCA commissary. See ATTACHMENT 2- DECA COMMISSARY LOCATIONS & ADDRESSES for Commissary Locations.

7.3 HOLIDAYS: Services may be performed on holidays for commercial grocery store locations as the contractor sees fit, however, services in DeCA Commissaries will not be performed on the following Federal Holidays:

New Year’s Day Labor Day Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday Columbus Day President’s Day Veteran’s Day Memorial Day Thanksgiving Day Independence Day Christmas Day

(End of Summary of Changes)