Response to amendment 5 quetions.pdf

The following are questions raised to the combined Solicitation Number NIHCL2010076 Specialized Housekeeping Services and the respective Government Responses.

Question Number 1 – Regarding CLIN0006 Administrative Cost: The items generally included in our Administrative section are listed in the rows, (i.e. #13), but there is also a column for Administration cost. Is the total to be listed in the rows and then allocated to all the FTE’s on the admin and summary pages? Same question regarding profit?

Governments Response – The pricing sheets have been revised and the administrative column in the pricing sheets has been removed with the exception of the sheets six and seven. Sheet 6 has been added and it is the breakout sheet for all the administration cost. Sheet seven is the summary sheet and the administration cost column is the total column that relates to sheet six.

The pricing tables have been revised and all the calculations for the cells have been done and are linked to the appropriate pages (sheets). The information that needs to be inputted by the contractors is the number of FTE’s, cost per FTE and the profit per FTE.

Question Number 2 – There are several departments on the pricing sheet that do not appear at all on attachment #12 (the detailed room by room break down of square footage).. Can we get the room by room data for these areas?

a. 2nd Floor Cafeteria

b. Information Systems

c. 1st Floor Admin

d. LDRR Radiology B1

e. B1 Cafeteria

f. NIH School

g. B1 CRC Hallway

h. Cyclotron

i. Material Management

j. Central Hospital Supply

k. B3 Molecular Imaging Radiation

l. Transfusion Medicine

m. Aphaeresis 2J

n. Dental Clinic

o. Radiation Oncology

p. Radiology Special Procedure

These total about 190,000 square feet, according to the pricing sheet.

Similarly, there are a few areas on attachment 12 that do not match to anything on the pricing sheet.

They are as follows:

q. B2 SE

r. 2B Nursing Office

s. B2 Rad

t. B2 NE

u. B2 NW

v. B2 SW

These total about 32000 square feet. I suspect that all the "B2" locations may correspond to "Radiation Oncology" on the first list, the largest area I couldn't match to attachment 12, and the only major area in the CRC that's missing. Can you please confirm this?

Government’s Response – The room inventory and the area names listed on the pricing sheets do not always match up. The pricing sheets for example list Radiology; this would include Special Procedures and other areas that are listed on the room inventory separately.

Room Data for areas listed in Question Number 2:

a. 2nd Floor Cafeteria Carpet/VCT

b. Information Systems Carpet

c. 1st Floor Admin Carpet

d. LDRR Radiology B1Carpet

e. B1 Cafeteria ½ Carpet ½ VCT

f. NIH School Carpet

g. B1 CRC Hallway VCT

h. Cyclotron VCT

i. Material Management VCT

j. Central Hospital Supply VCT

k. B3 Molecular Imaging Radiation VCT

l. Transfusion Medicine VCT

m. Aphaeresis 2J VCT

n. Dental Clinic VCT Carpet

o. Radiation Oncology VCT

p. Radiology Special Procedure VCT

q. B2 SE Is B2 Hallway

r. 2B Nursing Office Carpet

s. B2 Rad Is Radiation Oncology

t. B2 NE Is B2 Hallway

u. B2 NW Is B2 Hallway

v. B2 SW Is B2 Hallway

Question Number 3 – Under your wage determination the minimum wage to be paid is $11.83, yet the current contractor is paying $11.55. How and why is your current contractor allowed to pay a rate lower than the minimum wage of $11.83? Are you simply saying that all bids be bid at $11.83?

Government's Response – The current wage was determined by the collective bargaining agreement between the current contractor and the union. The minimum wage that is allowable under this requirement is $11.83. It is solely up t the individual contractors what they pay the employees as long as the minimum wage is $11.83.

Question Number 4 – If the current contractor is paying $11.55, will all those employees be given a retroactive amount of money that would cover the difference for the length of the contract as covered under FAR 52.222-43?

Governments Response – That is between the current contractor and their employees, that has no effect on any new contractor and the new contractor employees.

Question Number 5 – Since we are not privy to current contract negotiations, can we rely on FAR 52.22-43 to repay the contractor the difference between the bid price and the actual union contract, assuming the union contract calls for wages and benefits that are higher than those the contractors bid?

Government Response – The current contract and any subsequent contract is between the current contractor, their employees and the union.

Question Number 6 – Can you clarify how you arrived at the number of $14,744.00 for a per day penalty?

Government Response – The liquidated damages was calculated on the average daily cost for the department.

Question Number 7 – Attachment #9, your performance bonus program states that you will pay the contractor the full invoice for 6 months, then you will take the profit out of the contractors invoice and out it into a pool. Then based on the contractors performance, the contractor can earn back his original profit, if not he will be paid only a percentage of his original profit. There does not seem to be any bonus here at all, there is only a down side, the only bonus is a good contractor gets to keep his original profit, please explain where the bonus is?

Government Response – Attachment number 9 is titled Incentive and Disincentive Plan, this was not meant to be a bonus program. This program will be used in conjunction with the quality assurance program (both the Governments and the contractors) to ensure that the Government is receiving the performance levels as outlined in the Performance Work Statement.

Attachment Number 9 has been revised to include quality assurances percentages as they relate to the payout of the profit pool.

Question Number 8 – I noticed that in the amendments the contract number for the incumbent is not mentioned. I cannot FOIA for the incumbent contract unless I have the contract number. I have searched the FPDS for it and I have been unable to locate it. Could you please provide the contract number?

Government Response – Current contract number is HHSN269999900246I.

Question Number 10 – Is the quality scoring done every quarter or every six months?

Government Response – The quality scoring is a daily occurrence, however, the reporting is done on a monthly basis. Please refer to Section F, Article F&, Deliverables for further information.

Question Number 11 – Is the government bar coding system, currently used for quality measures, going to remain in place and be provided for the new contractor? Or is it equipment that the contractor will have to provide?

Government Response – The bar coding system in place is used by the Government Quality Assurance staff. The contractor can incorporate the bar coding system into the system they plan to utilize for their quality assurance program.

Question Number 12 – The Family Lodge is listed in the square footage as in scope, however, the only reference to the lodge in the Task section is regarding blood spills. Does the contractor have any daily routine cleaning responsibilities in the Family Lodge?

Government Response – The contractor will be responsible for blood spills and any checkouts after 4PM daily.

Question Number 12 – There are 12 operating rooms and the Government’s response to caseloads was “Currently the average daily case load of the operating room is nine”. Question is that nine per each operating room, or is that nine cases per day in total for all the operating rooms combined? The same question for the Cath Lab, is three cases per day per room or three cases per day in total for all rooms combined?

Government Response – The totals given for the operating rooms as well as any other area is the total for the day for the entire area.

Question Number 13 – Please provide some degree of guidance on what the Government is looking for on the Pricing Table Clin’s sheets for the base and option years…in particular as to the last three columns; i.e. the “cost per FTE”, is that just the SF x the days x the hourly cost…and is the “extended cost” the fully burdened cost and is the “Percent of Profit per FTE” in dollars or just a percentage???

Additionally on the CLIN 6 sheets where we have supervisors that are paid at different rates…do we just blend those cost to produce a “Cost per FTE”???

Government Response – The pricing sheets have been revised to reflect the following:

The cost per FTE as well as the price per supervisor is the average cost per FTE. An explanation of the cost should be included with your pricing tables to explain the average cost (example the contractor plans to have more than one classification for housekeeping aides, that cost would be the average hourly rate of all the classifications).

Only the hourly rate is too entered in the cost lines for FTE’s, all the administrative items are broken out in CLIN Number 7.

In addition all the pricing sheets have been formatted so the contractor only has to input the number of FTE’s, cost per FTE and the profit percentage or dollars whichever the contractor chooses to enter for the profit column.

Other changes include:

1. CLIN0006 has been revised to include all the management staff and clerical staff only.

2. CLIN0007 has been added and this cost sheet includes all the administrative cost

(detailed in line items).

3. The summary sheet has been revised to capture the change in CLIN0006 and the addition of CLIN0007.

4. CLIN0001 through CLIN0007 have been formatted so all the Contractor needs to do is insert the FTE numbers and the cost per FTE. The cost per FTE is only the hourly wage it does not include any shift differential that will be inputted in CLIN0007 line number four.

5. The summary sheet has been formatted and linked to CLIN0001 through CLIN0007; all the totals from these sheets are automatically inserted in the summary sheet.