Solicitation Questions and Answers.pdf

HSCG23-10-R-DBT000

Questions and Answers

1. Q: Is there a document or statement that gives more specifics as to what type of training services this presolicitation is for?

A: Solicitation HSCG23-10-R-DBT000 was posted on 21 JUN 2010. This information is found within.

2. Q: Is there suppose to be a PWS (performance work statement) that corresponds with this posting on FedBizOpps?

A: Solicitation HSCG23-10-R-DBT000 was posted on 21 JUN 2010. This information is found within.

3. Q: It is my understanding that there are two (2) parts to this solicitation – Training and Technical. Is it possible to only submit a proposal for one (1) part of the RFP (example: Technical Support Services)?

A: Yes, an offeror is permitted to submit a proposal for only one CLIN. Please see Amendment 000001 to the Solicitation.

4. Q: Reference Supplementary Instructions paragraph 3.4.4 on page 17 of the solicitation.

Referenced paragraph limits proposals to 50 pages, less reps & certs. Please confirm that the 50 pages includes the three required past performance references, the four labor rate sheets (attachments III, IV, V, & VI), and the small business subcontracting plan required by FAR 52- 219-9. If these items are not part of the 50 pages, please specify how they are to be submitted.

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the Solicitation.

5. Q: Is an offeror permitted to submit a bid for only one CLIN or must the contractor’s quote include both CLINs?

A: Yes, an offeror is permitted to submit a proposal for only one CLIN. Please see Amendment 000001 to the Solicitation.

6. Q: Item 10 on the SF1449 is marked as “unrestricted.” On the TSS_FBO solicitation, the language indicates there is going to be a small business requirement based on the inclusion of NAICS code 611430. In addition, the solicitation includes FAR 52.219.8 (small business). Will the Government please clarify if there a Small Business Requirement on this solicitation?

A: The 1449 requires the inputting of the NAICS code and Size standard. The inclusion of FAR 52.219-8 is required by the FAR as prescribed in FAR 19.708(a). The solicitation is unrestricted.

7. Q: What is the required validity period for offers?

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the federal business opportunities website.

8. Q: Ref RFP Paragraph 3.2, the proposal is limited to 50 pages for both CLINs. If only one CLIN is proposed will the page limitation be 25 pages in order to ensure a fair evaluation, correct?

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the Solicitation.

9. Q: Ref RFP Paragraph 3.2.2 regarding Attachments III, IV, V, and VI, are these to be submitted only in electronic format, as separate files (i.e., separate from the main body of the proposal) and excluded from the page limits?

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the Solicitation.

10. Q: Ref RFP Paragraph 3.2, it appears that the three past performance citations is the limit for both CLINs (versus three citations for each CLIN, for a total of six citations), correct?

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the federal business opportunities website.

11. Q: Ref RFP Paragraph 3.2, we assume the 11 point font limitation excludes graphics and tables. Please advise if this is not the case.

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the federal business opportunities website.

12. Q: We assume the Wage Determination positions include the Program Managers and Site Leads (i.e., the Key Personnel). Please confirm.

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the federal business opportunities website.

13. Q: Attachment 1, Paragraph 1.5 and Attachment 2, Paragraph 1.6 state that “The primary place of performance shall be at the contractors facility.” It is our understanding that all training and support under the current contract is performed on site at the USCG facilities, by contractor personnel working embedded with USCG staff. Please describe the change in concept of operations under the new contract or otherwise clarify the facilities requirements for each CLIN.

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the Solicitation, Item 6, Section 1.5 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE and Item 8, Section 1.6 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE.

14. Q: We assume that offerors are to use the most recent Revision Number (noted in the table below) for each of the Wage Determinations. Please confirm. Also, should the WD for Alameda, CA (WD 2005-2051) listed in RFP Attachment VIII as Napa County, be Alameda County?

Location State County WD Sequence No.

Latest

Rev No. Rev Date Petaluma CA Napa 2005-2069 9 6/15/2010 Cape May NJ Cape May 2005-2345 11 6/15/2010

Camp Lejeune NC Beaufort 2005-2393 11 6/15/2010 Alameda CA Napa 2005-2051 9 6/15/2010

Washington DC District of Columbia 2005-2103 10 6/15/2010 Elizabeth City NC Pasquotank 2005-2543 12 6/15/2010

Oklahoma OK Alfalfa 2005-2431 12 6/15/2010 New London CT New London 2005-3023 11 6/15/2010 Charleston SC Charleston 2005-2473 12 6/15/2010 Chesapeake VA Chesapeake 2005-2543 12 6/15/2010 Yorktown VA York 2005-2543 12 6/15/2010

Mobile AL Baldwin 2005-2009 14 6/15/2010

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the federal business opportunities website.

15. Q: For the Aviation C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, & Reconnaissance) Instructor position the RFP indicates that candidates “Must possess a Bachelor’s degree with 24 semester hours in education related studies.” The second bullet states that they must also “possess a combination of education and experience consisting of: Courses equivalent to an Associate’s degree.” Is the intent of the Government to require a Bachelor's degree or an Associate’s Degree for this position?

A: This response is pending and will be submitted under separate cover.

16. Q: Is it allowable to bid on one CLIN line or must the bid include both CLIN lines for solicitation HSCG23-11-I-DBT000 U.S Coast Guard Training and Technical Support Services?

A: Yes, It is allowable to submit a proposal for one CLIN line. Please see Amendment 000001 to the Solicitation.

17. Q: Prospective Offeror has a Corporate Small Business Subcontracting Plan which has been reviewed by DCMA and is in accordance with FAR 52.219-9. Would this plan provide a compliant response for the Coast Guard? I have attached the approval page of the plan, and can provide the full plan if required.

A: Yes, a Corporate Small Business Subcontracting Plan which has been reviewed by DCMA and is in accordance with FAR 52.219-9 would provide a compliant response for the Coast Guard.

18.Q: Page 16 of the solicitation, Section 3.2.1 “Supplementary Instructions to Offerors” indicates that the solicitation consists of two Contract Line Item Numbers (CLIN), and that there is a possibility of two awards, one for each CLIN. Both CLINs may be awarded to one contractor or the CLINs may be awarded to different contractors. Are bidders required to respond to the requirements for both CLINS under this solicitation, or may they choose to submit a proposal for only one of the CLINs and remain compliant (for that CLIN)?

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the Solicitation.

19. Q: If it is permissible to bid on only one of the CLINS as opposed to both, does the page count limitation change for response to only a single CLIN?

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the Solicitation.

20. Q: In Section B CLIN 00001 AP calls for travel, will the government provide a travel estimate for each contract period?

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the Solicitation.

21. Q: Page 17 of the solicitation, Section 3.4.4 indicates that proposals are limited to 50 pages and Section 3.3 “Evaluation” outlines the factors and sub factors that will be considered to determine the most advantageous proposal. Given the limited page count and structure of the evaluation criteria:

a) Is the government expecting separate proposals for each CLIN?

b) If yes, what is the page count limitation for each CLIN?

c) Q: Is the government expecting significant differences in the management, staffing, and transition plans for each CLIN?

A: The estimated level of effort has been set forth in the solicitation.

d) Q: For ease of evaluation purposes, does the Government want evaluation factors addressed separately for each CLIN, or would you prefer integrated sections that have commonality across CLINS and address whatever CLIN-specific information is appropriate as determined by respective RFP requirements? Are the questionnaires (Attachment VII) and cost tables (Attachments III, IV, V and VI) excluded from the 50 page limit?

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the solicitation. Additionally, it is up to the Offeror to define their management approach if they plan to submit an offer for both CLINs.

22. Page 17 of the solicitation, Section 3.2 “Instructions to Offerors” indicates that contractors shall include three references, utilizing the Relevant Past Performance Questionnaire.

a) Q: Since the evaluation criteria in Section 3.3 outlines Factor 2 - Relevant Past Performance for each CLIN and the type of work is significantly different for each CLIN. Therefore we assume that it is the Government’s intent to have offerors submit three references for each CLIN (six total). Is this assumption correct?

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the federal business opportunities website.

23. Page 17 of the solicitation, Section 3.3 “Evaluation”, outlines the factors and sub factors that will be considered to determine the most advantageous proposal. Beyond the statement that “Technical Approach and Past Performance, when combined, are equal to Price,” there is no apparent difference in weighting/importance between the CLINs or the subfactors outlined in each CLIN.

a) Q: Considering the requirements outlined in each of the PWS, the level of effort appears to be significantly greater in CLIN 1 than CLIN 2. Is there a difference in relative weighting with regard to importance between CLIN 1 and CLIN 2?

A: No, there is not a difference in relative weighting with regard to importance between CLIN 00001 and CLIN 00002.

b) Are the subfactors outlined for each equal in importance?

A: Yes, the subfactors outlined for each are equal in importance.

c) If they are not of equal importance, what is the relative weighting for each subfactor in each CLIN?

A: Please see above.

24. Q: Section 3.3 (Page 18) provides proposal evaluation criteria To provide offerors with the ability to adequately and compliantly cover the topics that comprise the evaluation detail, as well as to provide the Government with submissions that are easily scored against those topics, we recommend that the RFP be augmented with a traditional Section L-like detail. We recommend that the Government clearly articulates how the page space should be organized relative to the topics being evaluated (i.e. the 10 non-cost evaluation subfactors (5 for each for CLINs 1 and 2).

If every offeror addresses these topics in an order and structure without further guidance from the Government, it will materially complicate the Government’s evaluation process.

A: Thank you for your recommendation, but the solicitation remains unchanged. Commercial Acquisitions are not typically formatted using Uniform Contract Format.

25. Q: Page 18 of the solicitation, Section 3.3 “Evaluation.” In addition, we would ask the Government to expand on or provide additional specification on the PWS technical requirements referenced in the Technical Capability subfactor. Perhaps these will become more apparent if the Government provides a set of technical objectives that would permit offerors to demonstrate how they would achieve them. There is a similar need for detail in terms of understanding the Government’s Requirements as referenced in the two Transition Planning subfactors.

A: Thank you for your recommendation, but the solicitation remains unchanged.

26. Page 18 of the solicitation, Section 3.3 CLIN 1 and 2, Subfactor 4 “Transition Planning” indicates that offeror must provide a Transition Plan describing its approach to transition and demonstrate the degree to which the offeror’s proposed approach meets or exceeds the Government’s requirements.

a) Q: What metric or other qualitative factors or standards will the Government use to gauge whether the contractor meets or exceeds the requirement?

A: The evaluation criteria is set forth in the solicitation, Amendment 000001: Item 3, Section 3.3.

27. Page 35 of the solicitation, Section 3.6 “Contract Terms and Conditions,” indicates that the Service Contract Act (SCA) applies to this contract.

a) Q: Executive Order (EO), Non-displacement of Qualified Workers Under Service Contracts (dated January 30, 2009) is not referenced in the solicitation are we to assume that none of the positions are subject to the EO?

b) Q: If the EO is applicable please provide offerors a list of what specific positions are covered by the EO and what positions are not covered.

A: Executive Order 13495 is not included in this solicitation; the corresponding FAR clause has not been finalized. The FAR Council is awaiting the final Department of Labor regulations. The SCA matter will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the Federal business Opportunities website.

28. Q: Without additional detail from the Government on SCA and EO applicability, offerors are not able to adequately factor into proposed Plans the constraints that may exist related to qualified workers as well as worker compensation for staff defined as being covered under SCA for this contract.

A: Executive Order 13495 is not included in this solicitation; the corresponding FAR clause has not been finalized. The FAR Council is awaiting the final Department of Labor regulations. The SCA matter will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the Federal business Opportunities website.

29. Page 15 of Attachment 1, Section 1.5 Key Personnel defines key personnel with no corresponding evaluation criteria.

a) Q: What criteria or evaluation standards will the Government use to evaluate the quality of proposed personnel?

A: Personnel Qualifications are detailed in the PWSs for each CLIN; additionally, please see Amendment 00001 to the solicitation.

30. Page 15 of Attachment 1, Section 1.5 “Place of Performance” indicates that the primary place of performance shall be at the contractor’s facility, yet the labor category rate sheets align all performers to Coast Guard facilities. In addition, Section 3.1 makes reference to the “on-site portion of Contractor services.”

a) Q: For proposal purposes, which positions are government site and which positions on contractor site?

31. Page 4 of Attachment 2, Section 1.6 “Place of Performance” indicates that the primary place of performance shall be at the contractor’s facility, yet the labor category rate sheets align all performers to Coast Guard facilities. In addition, Section 3.1 makes reference to the “on-site portion of Contractor services.”

a) Q: For proposal purposes, which positions are on government site and which positions are on contractor site?

32. Attachment III – Labor Category Rate Sheet CLIN 00001 Training Support Services . The Site Lead position is defined as a key role in the CLIN 1 PWS, however no time has been allotted in the labor category rate sheet for the Site Leads.

a) Q: Is this an oversight?

b) Q: If not, what is the Government’s intent for how offerors should include Site Lead labor in the category rate sheets?

Attachment IV – Labor Category Rate Sheet CLIN 00002 Technical Support Services

33. Page 3 of Attachment 2, Section 1.3.2.1.3 and 1.3.2.1.6 list Graphic Designers and Programmers respectively, as a specific Personnel Requirement yet the roles are not listed in the labor category rate sheet.

a) Should an additional labor category and time be added for the Graphic Designer and Programmer positions?

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the federal business opportunities website.

34. Attachment V – Transition Labor Category Rate Sheet. Project Coordinator is listed in the labor category rate sheet, but it is not a defined role in the PWS?

a) Is this an error?

b) If yes, what should be changed in the PWS or labor category rate sheet?

35. Attachment VIII – Wage Determination The county listed for the location Mobile AL is Baldwin.

a) Q: Is this an error? Should the county be Mobile County?

A. The Wage determination area is correct, the first county listed is Baldwin, however the area includes Mobile.

36. Q: Is this a new contract opportunity?

A: No, this is a re-procurement, but the services are different than those procured in the past.

37.Q: Is there an incumbent currently on this contract? If so, does it look like they will be re-awarded this RFP?

A: This is a competitive unrestricted commercial acquisition.

38. Q: Are we able to speak to the incumbent?

A: The government has no position on this matter.

39. Q: On Page 10 of the RFP the solicitation number is different than what is documented on Page 1. Page 1 shows HSCG23-10-R-DBT000 and on page 10 HSCG38-10-R-DBT000 is listed.

Which solicitation number is the correct one?

40. Q: Is it possible for your office to provide an excel version of Attachments III & IV to use for pricing purposes?

A: Yes, excel spreadsheet of Attachments III, IV, V and VI will be posted.

41. Q: The SOW for both CLINs 0001 & 0002 specifies Key Personnel yet there is no requirement to provide resumes for evaluation. Request clarification on whether there is a requirement to provide resumes for the key personnel.

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the Solicitation, Item 4.

42. Q: The SOW includes key positions for site leads, yet no line item is included in Attachments III, or IV for these positions (like the Program Manager). Can you please identify where you would like the site leads priced?

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the federal business opportunities website.

43. Q: How does Attachment III or IV correlate to the Line Items in the Schedule? For instance, should offerors combine all the labor categories in Attachment III for Yorktown for the base year, add them up, and divide the total by 12 to come up with a monthly price for CLIN 0001AA?

A: Yes that is correct.

44. Q: The evaluation factors for both CLINs 0001 & 0002 indicate that Technical Approach and Past Performance, when combined, are equal to price. Typically in a best value procurement, price is weighted less than technical to allow the government the maximum discretion in potentially awarding a contract to a higher priced offeror when the “value” of a superior tech proposal can support paying the higher price. Would the Government consider revising the Best Value weightings so as to give Technical and Past Performance a higher weighting than Cost?

A: No, at this time the solicitation as written remains unchanged.

45. Q: The RFP instructs offerors to submit Attachments III, IV, V, & VI with our proposal documentation yet the evaluation criteria indicate that the government will evaluate the overall price to determine price reasonableness. If that is the case, please explain the need to provide detailed pricing if only the bottom line price will be evaluated

A: Some of the positions are SCA covered and therefore the government must ensure that Offeror’s are basing their prices on labor rates that meet or exceed DOL Wage determinations.

46. Q: Can the government confirm if offerors should submit a completed Schedule of Supplies/Services, SECTION B, with their offer? And if that is affirmative, should the schedule be completed at the CLIN (0001) or the SUB-CLIN (0001AA, AB, etc) level?

A: Both shall be completed. The 1449 will need to be completed. There should be no pricing associated with the CLIN, the USCG system requires a number to be entered there. Pricing is to be entered on the sub CLINs.

47. The Schedule in the RFP shows line items for Travel at 1 LO. Can the government assign a value ceiling in the RFP for overall bidding purposes, since travel will most likely be bid on a delivery order basis?

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the Solicitation, Item 1, CLINs 00001AN and 00002AN.

48. The RFP calls for a proposal of no more than 50 pages. With CLIN 0001 and 0002 potentially being evaluated and awarded separately, does the Government want two separate proposals, each 50 pages or just one 50 page proposal to include both CLINS. Also, is the cost proposal and cost tables to be included in the 50 page limit?

A: Please see amendment 000001 to the solicitation.

49. PWS Section Number: Solicitation Section 3.2 / Subsections 3.2.1, 3.3.3, 3.4.4 & Section 3.3 CLIN 00001 and CLIN 00002 PWS Section Title: INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS – COMMERICAL ITEMS Complete Question Description: On pages 16 and 17 of 46, the solicitation states that the acquisition includes two separate requirements under one solicitation (3.2.1). It further states that three past performance references shall be included (3.3.3) and that the overall page limitation for the proposal is 50 pages, excluding the Representations and Certifications (3.4.4).

On pages 17-19 of 46, the solicitation lists evaluation criteria for each CLIN by Factor, including Factor 1 – Technical Approach, Factor 2 – Relevant Past Performance, and Factor 3 – Pricing.

We recommend that a separate volume be included for each Factor, i.e., Executive Summary (3 pages separated from Volume I content); VOLUME I Factor 1 – Technical Approach to CLIN 00001 and CLIN 0002 (50 pages, exclusive of Table of Contents, Table of Figures, Table of Acronyms, and Cross-Reference Matrix); VOLUME II Factor 2 – Relevant Past Performance (6 pages); and VOLUME III Factor 3 – Pricing (not page limited.)

A: Thank you for your recommendation, but the solicitation remains unchanged.

50. Q:PWS Section Number: Solicitation 3.4.4

PWS Section Title: Instructions Complete Question Description: The solicitation states that the minimum font size is 11 point.

The contractor assumes that this is the minimum size font for text portions of the proposal. We recommend that the minimum font size allowed for graphic elements of the proposal be 8 points.

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the Federal Business Opportunities website.

51. Q: PWS Section Number: Attachment VII PWS Section Title: Wage Determinations Complete Question Description: In Attachment VIII, the Wage Determination table shows that Alameda is listed in Napa County; however, the Wage Determination sequence number is not correct for Napa County. Please clarify if we should use Wage Determination for the correct sequence number or county.

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the Federal Business Opportunities website.

52. Q: PWS Section Number: Attachment VII PWS Section Title: Wage Determinations Complete Question Description: Which labor categories does the USCG determine to be SCA?

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the Federal Business Opportunities website.

53. Q: PWS Section Number: Evaluation Criteria PWS Section Title: Evaluation Criteria Complete Question Description: The evaluation criteria for Factor 1 Subfactor 4 of each CLIN mentions the transition of IT services; however, the PWWS appears not to include IT services.

Would the Government clarify the types of IT services that should be transitioned?

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the solicitation.

54. Q: PWS Section Number: CLIN 00001 Paragraphs 5.5 and 5.6, page 19 of 20 PWS Section Title: Instructional Systems Development (ISD) Services Complete Question Description: Paragraphs 5.5 and 5.6 are related to ISD services and state the same requirements. Could the USCG clarify the intent?

A: This response is pending and will be submitted under separate cover.

55. Q: PWS Section Number: CLIN 00001 paragraph 1.3.1.2 (page 3 of 20) and Attachment III PWS Section Title: Site Team Leads Complete Question Description: In the PWS CLIN 00001 (page 3 of 20), six Site Team Leads are required as key personnel; however, they are not included in the Attachment III tables. Are the Site Team Leads a separate labor category and should they be included in Attachment III?

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the Federal Business Opportunities website.

56. Q: PWS Section Number: Attachment III and CLIN 00001 paragraph 1.3 (page 3 of 20) PWS Section Title: FLETA Accreditation Manager Complete Question Description: FLETA Accreditation Manager is included in pricing information, but not in descriptions of personnel in the PWS. Please reconcile this difference in requirements.

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the Federal Business Opportunities website.

57. PWS Section Number: Attachment IV and CLIN 00002 paragraph 1.3.2.1.2 (page 3 of 10) PWS Section Title: Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Specialist Complete Question Description: Attachment IV identifies the labor category “E-learning Specialist.” Is this labor category the same as the “ADL Specialist” described in paragraph 1.3.2.1.2?

A: This response is pending and will be submitted under separate cover.

58. Q: PWS Section Number: Attachment IV and CLIN 00002 paragraph 1.3.2.13 (page 4 of 10) PWS Section Title: Programmer Complete Question Description: Graphic Designer is missing from attachment IV.

Should the “Graphic Designer” labor category be included in attachment IV?

59. Q: PWS Section Number: Attachment IV and CLIN 00002 paragraph 1.3.2.1.6 (page 4 of 10) PWS Section Title: Programmer Complete Question Description: Programmer is missing from attachment IV.

Should the “Programmer” labor category be included in attachment IV?

60. Q: PWS Section Number: CLIN 00001 paragraph 5.8 PWS Section Title: Administrative Support Services Complete Question Description: This paragraph states, “The Contractor shall provide general training administrative services in support of the activities outlined in each task order under this contract.”

Should the administrative labor category be included in Attachment #3?

A: No, only the labor categories listed are those that should be included in Attachment III and IV of this solicitation

61. Q: PWS Section Number: Attachments V and VI PWS Section Title: Transition Labor Category Price Sheets Complete Question Description: Please clarify the intent of these attachments and how they will be used in the evaluation. There does not appear to be a reference to them in t he PWS or in Sections L and M of the solicitation instructions.

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the Federal

62. Q: PWS Section Number: Attachment III and IV

PWS Section Title: Labor Category Rate Sheets Complete Question Description: The Program Manager labor category estimated hours are 1,920 hours each for CLIN 00001 and CLIN 00002 and are required to be priced separately. It is understood that the USCG may elect to make separate awards by CLIN or one award for both CLINs. In the event of one award for both CLINs, is it the USCG’s intent to negotiate the proposed price for these line items with the offeror in the event their proposed Program Manager is qualified for both CLINs and can be shown to be capable of managing both CLINs under a single award? We believe this approach would be in the best interest of the USCG in terms of obtaining the lowest cost for the proposed services.

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the Solicitation.

63. Q: PWS Section Number: Section B PWS Section Title: Supplies/Services, Line Items 0001AN, 100001AN through 40001AN, and 400002AN, Travel Complete Question Description: In the absence of a USCG-furnished basis of estimate for travel in the PWS, offerors’ estimates for this line item could vary widely without foundation in fact.

We recommend that the USCG insert a “plug number” for these line items for price evaluation purposes. This will enable the USCG to level set price proposals for evaluation purposes and simplify the determination of best value.

A: Please see amendment 000001 to the Solicitation.

64. Q: What is included in the 50 page count limit? It is unclear if price and past performance is included in the 50 page count. Additionally it is unclear if the 50 page limit includes a total of 50 pages for CLIN 1&2 or if the limit is 50 pages per CLIN. Please clarify.

A: Please see amendment 000001 to the Solicitation.

65. Q: The place of performance is listed as "contractor site", but Attachments III and IV lists "Location of personnel" as the 12 training centers. Please clarify.

A: Please see amendment 000001 to the Solicitation.

66. Q: The transition period in Section B is listed as "2 Months"; the hours in Attachment V and VI are listed as 480 hours which is more like a 3-month period. Please clarify.

67. Q: Does the government require that each proposal provide pricing for the stated number of FTE’s in each labor category, at the locations indicated for each year of the contract as stated in Attachments III, IV, V, and VI?

A: Yes, the government does require that each proposal provide pricing for the stated number of FTE’s in each labor category, at the locations indicated for each year of the contract as stated in Attachments III, IV, V, and VI.

68. Q: Are emailed proposal files to be in PDF format, other than Attachments III, IV, V, and VI, which are to be submitted in Excel format. What version of Excel (2000, 2003, 2007, etc)?

Proposals can be submitted in PDF or perhaps protected word format. USCG standard work stations have Microsoft Office 2007.

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the Federal Business Opportunities website.

69. Q: Can tables and illustrations be in combinations of 8 to 10 point type? (11-point type in figures, illustrations, and tables makes them very hard to read because there is no distinction between different categories of information.)

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the Federal Business Opportunities website.

70. Para. 3.2.1 of the solicitation states that “both CLINs may be awarded to one contractor or the CLINs may be awarded to different contractors”.

a. Q: Are contractors required to bid on both CLINs?

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the Solicitation.

b. Q: If bidding only one CLIN is acceptable, what are the proposal page limits for each

CLIN?

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the Solicitation.

71. On CLIN 2, Para 1.6 states that “the primary place of performance shall be at the contractors facility and may be at various training sites throughout the USCG”. Second column of Attachment IV is labeled “Location of Personnel” and includes only the TRACENs and FORCECOM sites.

a. Q: Should CLIN 2 pricing be provided for work performed from the contractor facility (with travel to TRACENs as required) or should pricing be for on-site Government support?

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the Solicitation.

72. Solicitation Document, Paragraph 3.3.3, describes the Relevant Past Performance Questionnaire requirements.

a. Q: If questionnaires are to be returned to the Government, please provide a submittal deadline and Government point of contact.

A: Past performance is part of an Offerors proposal package and there for it is due when proposals are due.

b. Q: If questionnaires are to be included in contractor’s proposal, we recommend that the completed questionnaires be excluded from the proposal page count.

A: They will not be excluded, please see Amendment 000001 to the solicitation.

73. Solicitation Document, Para 3.4.4, states that there is a 50 page proposal limit.

a. Q: Is front matter (e.g., Cover, Title Page, Table of Contents, List of Figures and Tables, Compliance Matrix) included in the 50 page limit?

A: Yes, the total page count as detailed in Amendment 000001 to the solicitation.

b. Q: Are all pricing data included in the page limit?

A: Yes, the total page count is detailed in Amendment 000001 to the solicitation.

c. Q: Are completed past performance questionnaires included in the page limit?

A: Yes, the total page count is detailed in Amendment 000001 to the solicitation.

We recommend that front matter, pricing, and any required past performance questionnaires be excluded from the 50-page limit.

A: They are included in the total page count as detailed in Amendment 000001 to the solicitation.

74. Q: Are three past performance citations required for each CLIN (six total) or three citations total for both CLINs combined?

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the Federal Business Opportunities website.

75. Q: TO’s are expected to be performance based (p. 1 of 20, CLIN 1; p. 1 of 10, CLIN 2), but there is no opportunity to show value of a performance based approach in our response. To achieve this goal, we recommend that a priced, 10-page sample TO be included in the RFP.

A: A sample TO will not be provided.

76. Due to recent revisions in WDs for some sites, can the Government please provide the latest WD revision numbers?

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the Federal Business Opportunities website.

77. Q: Based on current support, can the Government provide NTE travel estimates included in the Schedule for Supplies and Services?

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the solicitation.

78. Q: Solicitation Document Paragraphs 3.3.3 and 3.4.4 appear to be mis-numbered. We recommend renumbering to 3.2.3 and 3.2.4 respectively.

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the solicitation.

79. Q: Solicitation Document Para 3.3, CLIN 1, Staffing subfactor appears to be mis-numbered as Subfactor 2. We recommend that it be renumbered to Subfactor 3.

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the solicitation.

80. Q: Will contractor provide training and technical services to foreign nationals?

A: Per information provided during the industry day the TRACENs train a limited number of foreign nationals.

81. Q: Besides training, what other services will contractor provide to foreign nationals?

A: The contractor will have to perform IAW the PWSs.

82. Q: Which countries participate in USCG training and technical services?

A: There is not a set list of nations that can be provided at this time.

83. Q: Will optional proposed prices be accepted and evaluated, i.e. optional labor hour totals and categories that offer efficiencies?

A: No, optional proposed prices will not be accepted and evaluated.

84. Q: Are proposed prices to be submitted on attachment forms III, IV, V and VI only? Does Sec B need to be completed and submitted?

A: Labor rates and their totals are to be entered on the spreadsheet, and the 1449 will also need to be completed.

85. Q: Reference Page 11 of 46, Paragraph 2.4 ORDERING (INDEFINITE DELIVERY TYPE CONTRACTS) This paragraph specifically states that “This award will be made on a firm-fixed price basis and all subsequent task orders shall be firm-fixed price.” However, the invoicing instructions pursuant to Paragraph 2.6 on Pages 11-15 are indicative of a cost-reimbursable type contract (T&M, Labor Hour or Cost Plus). Further, the pricing attachments appear to be for T&M or Labor-Hour pricing.

Please clarify and validate the contract type(s) for this solicitation.

A: The invoicing clause is a local USCG 912 clause which covers three contract types. As stated, the government anticipates awarding firm-fixed-price contract(s).

86. Q: Please confirm that the Small Business Subcontracting Plan required by FAR 52.219-9 is excluded from the fifty (50) page proposal limitation.

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the solicitation.

87. REFERENCE: RFP Attachments III, IV, V & VI and Section 3.2.2, pg 17

QUESTION: Section 3.2.2 requires offerors to complete these Attachments and submit electronically as unprotected Excel spreadsheets. The Government has posted Attachments III – VI to the web site in “pdf” format. Will the Government post these Attachments in Excel format to facilitate the ease of completion & the standardization of content & submittal of these documents in a consistent manner by all offerors?

88. REFERENCE: RFP Section 3.6, 52.212-5 Contract Terms & Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders – Commercial Items (2009), (b) (11)(i) 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan (APR 2008) (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(4), pg 32 and Section 3.2 Supplementary Instructions to Offerors, pgs 16—17 and 3.3 Evaluation – Commercial Items pgs 17—19.

QUESTION:

a)The above clause for 52.219-9 Small Business Subcontracting Plan was check-marked as required for this solicitation. However, Section 3.2 Supplementary Instructions to Offerors does not contain any instructions for submittal of a Small Business Plan or describe the data that should be submitted (if any) regarding subcontracts by the Prime or by subcontractors. Will the Government provide instructions on the type of Small Business Plan required, i.e. Master Plan or Master Plan and Individual Plan? Also, what data is required to be provided for Subcontractors?

Should Subcontractors’ proprietary rate build-up data be submitted directly by the Subcontractors to the Government – if the Government wants this data?

A: Part of this answer is in Amendment 000001; however, the government will accept sealed subcontractor data should sub-contractors wish to submit it.

b) Q: Section 3.3 Evaluation – Commercial Items does not specify how the Subcontracting Plan(s) would be evaluated and does not specify Subcontracting percentage targets/goals. Please specify how the Subcontracting Plan(s) will be evaluated and the Subcontracting targets/goals expected to be achieved?

A: The evaluation criteria is set-forth in Section 3 of the solicitation.

c) Q: If a Small Business Plan is required, is it included as part of the fifty (50) page count submittal?

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the solicitation.

89. REFERENCE: RFP Attachments III, IV, V & VI

QUESTION:

a) Please clarify the terminology for “Proposed Hourly Rate”. Does the Government expect a “direct” / unburdened rate or a “fully burdened” rate including the application of Labor Fringe &/or Overhead, G&A and other applicable burdens? Should the “Proposed Hourly Rate” also include fee?

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the solicitation.

b) Q: Please clarify the terminology for “Proposed Total Cost”. Does the Government expect a “direct” / unburdened cost or “fully burdened” cost, which includes the application of Labor Fringe &/or Overhead, G&A and other applicable burdens? Should the “Proposed Total Cost” also include fee?

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the solicitation.

c) Q: Is it correct to assume that the Government does not expect the Attachments to be modified by offerors to include the rate build-up and calculation of fully burdened rates or costs?

d) Q: Are these Attachments included in the fifty (50) page count submittal?

A: Yes, please see Amendment 000001 to the solicitation.

e) Q: Is there a requirement to provide backup to the Pricing Attachments III, IV, V & VI? Is so, what type of detail is requested? If so, are the proposed subcontractors required to provide detailed backup packages? If required, is the pricing backup included in the fifty

(50) page count submittal?

A: The Government anticipates adequate competition, if needed to determine price reasonableness; the government may request other than price information.

90. REFERENCE: RFP Section 3.3 Evaluation CLINs 00001 & 00002, Factor 3 – Price, pgs 18 & 19 and Attachments III, IV, V & VI

QUESTION: Is the term “Price” used in general terms or does it denote the inclusion of profit or fee? If Offerors are not supposed to include “fee” in the hourly rates &/or total cost in Attachments III – IV – where should offerors include fee in their proposals?

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the solicitation.

91. REFERENCE: SF1449 & 336, Schedule of Prices, pgs 2 – 9

QUESTION: Is it correct to assume that since this is an IDIQ proposal, are the offerors required to complete the CLIN prices on these documents for submittal?

A: Yes, both the labor rate table and the 1449 shall be completed by Offerors.

92. REFERENCE: Attachment VII and Paragraph 3.4.4.

Q: Are the Past Performance Evaluation Documents, Attachment VII, part of the fifty (50) page count submittal?

A: Yes, please see Amendment 000001 to the solicitation.

93. Q: PWS Section Number: Attachment VII PWS Section Title: Past Performance Questionnaire Complete Question Description: When filling out the past performance questionnaire, should the offeror fill out all sections of the form (top and bottom), or are there sections that are reserved for the customer evaluation?

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the Federal Business Opportunities website.

94. Q: Reference RFP Attachments I through IV. Please confirm, as indicated in Industry Day, that the contractors can repurpose the Labor Category Rate Sheets in RFP Attachments III and IV for both hours and skills to provide efficiencies, such as offering job sharing and fractional Full Time Equivalents, as long as the hours and skills meet the PWS requirements in Attachments I and II.

A: Please see Amendment 000001. The question asked during industry day was related to the program manger and the site team leads.

95. Q: There are positions such as administrative, logistics and IT, that do not appear in this procurement, but are active on the current contract that expires in December 2010. Will these positions become part of this procurement? If so, will they be included in Attachments III and

IV?

A: No, they are not a part of this acquisition.

96. To ensure the contractor clearly understands the Transition requirements, please clarify the following:

a) Q: In RFP Section 3.3, the Subfactor 4 evaluation criteria states that “The offeror must demonstrate the capability to transition existing IT services...” However, neither PWS defines any IT scope. In the Q&A session of Industry Day, the Customer indicated this sentence will be removed because there are no existing IT services expected to be transitioned. Please confirm.

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the solicitation.

b) Q: In RFP Section 3.3, the Subfactor 4 evaluation criteria states that “The offeror must… demonstrate the degree to which the offeror’s proposed approach meets or exceeds the Government’s requirements.” However, the PWS identifies no requirements for Transition. Please clarify.

c) Q: RFP pages 3-4 under Sub-CLINs 00001AP and 00002AP and Attachments V and VI indicate the Transition labor starts at contract award and continues for 2 months. RFP pages 2-4 and Attachments III and IV show CLINs 00001 and 00002 are limited to 12 months with a full-time staff for those 12 months.

d) Q: Please confirm (as indicated at Industry Day) that Attachments V and VI are only indicators and it is up to the contractor to determine the transition skills, hours, and locations needed for transition. i.e., please confirm the contractor’s approach will be captured in an updated Attachments V and VI labor hours and skills, with a supporting description in the Price and Transition sections of the proposal. For example, RFP Attachments V and VI stipulate 5 persons each for 480 hours (3 months) for Transition.

However, the Transition CLINs in Section B specify 2 months for this effort. Please confirm that it is up to the contractor to establish the skills, labor and time requirements for Transition.

e) Q: Please confirm that the RFP describes a transition period that starts at contract award and overlaps with the current contractor for 2 months, at which time the new contractor will be fully operational. Please clarify if the customer is making any changes to the legacy contractor performance requirements during the transition period.

(1) The transition labor skills in Attachments V and VI include additional performance analysts, instructional designers, e-learning specialists and technical writers as well as Project Coordinators. What requirements will they be performing prior to going operational?

f) Q: Reference RFP page 18, CLIN 00001 and CLIN 00002, Factor 3 Price. There is a concern about fair evaluation of all offerors’ proposals if Transition costs are included in the TEP. Please confirm that the Transition CLIN costs will be excluded from the Total Evaluated Price (TEP).

A: As this requirement is different from the current one, it is expected that whomever the awardee(s) is/are that there will be a transition.

97. Q: Reference RFP page 18, CLIN 00001 and CLIN 00002, Factor 3 Price. Please clarify how the TEP will be evaluated. Will it be based only on the Attachments or will there be other considerations (such as travel)?

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the solicitation.

98. Q: Reference RFP page 17, Section 3.2.2. This reference indicates that the proposal response to the Price evaluation criteria shall be to complete the tables provided in the Attachments III through VI. If any other form, such as a CLIN-oriented table and/or inclusion of more than labor (e.g., travel, materials or other pricing) is needed in the pricing response, please indicate the format in which the contractor should respond.

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the solicitation.

99. Q: Reference RFP page 37, Section 3.11, CG-9121-3.11.2. Please confirm, as indicated at Industry Day, that there will not be any Government or Contractor furnished equipment, property, facilities, software, information, etc. for which the incoming contractor is required to assume accountability and management under the contract or that will depart with the incumbent contractor and need to be replaced by the incoming contractor.

A: Government Furnished Resources and Contractor Furnished property is stated in the Solicitation.

100. Q: RFP Attachment I, 1.3.2.1 and Attachment II describe the qualification requirements for the Program Manager position which appears restrictive as minimum requirements with respect to selecting an individual with the best ability to actually manage the program. Will the Government clarify that the Program Manager qualifications are objectives as opposed to mandatory requirements?

101.Q: In Attachment I, paragraph 1.3.2.1, we see that there is an “Equivalent educational credentials and professional experience” alternative to the “Certified Master Training Specialist and Curriculum Development Expert” requirement for the Program Manager, but not for the Site Team Leads in 1.3.2.2. Can “Equivalent educational credentials and professional experience” be added as an alternative for the Site Team Lead position as well?

A: This response is pending and will be submitted under separate cover.

102. Q: Reference Attachment II, Sections 1.3.2.1.3, 1.3.2.1.6, 5.5, and 5.6 and Attachment IV.

Attachment II / CLIN 00002 identifies position descriptions for a Graphic Designer and a Programmer, but there are no such positions in the labor rate tables for either CLIN in Attachment IV. If these are required, please update the labor rate table(s) as appropriate with the desired headcount and location to enable pricing for the positions.

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the Federal Business Opportunities website.

103.Q: Reference RFP Attachment VIII. Please confirm that the Wage Determination revisions will be the latest revision available as of the date of the release of the RFP (June 21, 2010), as indicated at Industry Day.

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the Federal Business Opportunities website.

104. Q: Reference RFP Attachments I, II and VIII. In industry day, it was indicated that the customer had already mapped the Positions described in the RFP Attachments I and II to the specific WD job categories referenced in Attachment VIII with the indication of which job categories will NOT be WD. Please provide this WD job category mapping to the RFP job descriptions with an indication of non-WD job positions (such as Program Manager).

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the Federal Business Opportunities website.

105. Q: Reference RFP Attachment I, Sections 1.3.1.1.1, 1.3.1.2.1 and Attachment II, 1.3.1.

Please clarify which resumes are needed for the response to the RFP. Currently, we believe the RFP states that:

a.) For CLIN 00001, the Program Manager and the 12 Site Team Leads are needed plus all Alternates for these 13 positions.

b.) For CLIN 00002, the Program Manager plus the Alternate is needed

A: Please see Amendment 000001 to the solicitation.

106. Q: Reference RFP page 17 and page 19, Section 3.4. Please clarify the page count limit for the proposals, as discussed at Industry Day. We believe the current RFP indicates a limit of 50 pages when responding to both CLINs and must include the response (resumes, past performance, price, transition and subcontracting plans and the training and technical responses), but that page count does not include the representations and certifications. We can meet this maximum page count requirement if the Customer accepts our prior request to reference our company subcontracting plan, but suggest, in the interest of fairness, that contractors responding to only one CLIN should do so in 25 pages.

107. Q: Reference RFP page 43, 3.12 Clauses and Provisions: Security and page 38, CG-

9121.3.11.6 Sensitive Information. Please confirm any security clearance requirements. We believe the current RFP indicates all personnel must be able to handle Official Use Only (OUO) information and be eligible for Secret clearance, but there are no positions that require a clearance at this time.

A: This will need to be addressed by amending the solicitation, please monitor the Federal Business Opportunities website.

108. Q: Reference RFP Attachment I, 1.9.2 and Attachments V and VI.