Questions and Answers 7MAR2012.docx

Questions and Answers for HSCG32-12-R-R00003

1. Question: While developing our response to the subject solicitation, we have found an apparent conflict in the specifications for the Technical Volume regarding page limits. In the table on p 56, the solicitation appears to limit Section III, Corporate Experience, to 4 pages. However, on p 58, in Section iii (D), the solicitation says "The offeror shall provide a summary (limit of 4 pages)..." where the singular is used, implying that the page count is 4 per summary, not 4 for the whole section. Please advise

Answer: The table on page 56 of the RFP, Section III Corporate Experience, “Summaries” is changed to read “Summary”.

2. General Question Since the offeror is instructed to sign the SF33 and submit with its proposal, is offeror expected to “fill-in-the-blanks” in the model subcontract? An example would be on Page 9 of 67, G.7 Cognizant Defense Contract Audit Agency, which states, “Offeror shall fill in the above information.” Or, is it the Government’s intent that the blanks will be completed upon award to the successful offeror?

Answer: As stated in the RFP, the Offeror shall fill in the blanks where it states “Offeror shall fill in the above information.” The Government will fill in the blanks where it states “To be filled in at time of award.”

3. RFP Section G Page 9 of 67, Section G.9 (a) – Invoice Payments The Contractor shall submit invoices on an individual task order basis; not more frequently than biweekly, for costs incurred. The lapse between performance and the submission of invoices shall not exceed thirty (30) days.

Question – Please clarify. Will work performed on March 1st, but not invoiced until April 3rd, be considered delinquent, since that equals 33 days, provided a company invoices monthly.

Answer: As stated in Section G.9 (i) (4), since “…the performance period covered by invoices shall be the same as the performance period for the corresponding monthly progress reports…”, the lapse between performance and the submission of invoices shall not exceed thirty (30) days.

4. RFP Section F Page 5 of 67, Section F.3 – Place of Performance Work shall be performed at the Contractor’s facility or as set forth in individual task orders under this contract.

Question – Shall offeror bid for 100% contractor site work or a portion on government site? If government site as well, please provide a percentage breakdown for accurate bidding purposes.

Answer: Since the RFP states that work shall be performed at the Contractor’s facility or as set forth in individual task orders, there is no percentage breakdown for Government site work.

5. RFP Section H – Technical Page 16 of 67, H.6 Security Requirements Subparagraph c states – The contractor shall possess and maintain a TOP SECRET Facility Clearance (FCL) with the ability to store classified material at the Secret level in accordance with the Industrial Security Regulation (DOD 5220.22R)…….

The DD 254 1a states that the required facility clearance is SECRET and 1b states level of safeguarding required is SECRET.

Question – Is it the government’s intent that the contractor possesses a facility clearance of TOP SECRET or SECRET?

Answer: Section H.6 Security Requirements of the RFP is changed to read as follows:

H.6 Security Requirements

(a) Some task orders may require access to and handling of classified information and material including SECRET (S), Confidential (C) and sensitive information including FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY/SENSITIVE SECURITY INFORMATION (FOUO/SSI) classifications.

(b) When the task order requires access to classified material and/or information, the Contractor shall:

(1) Assign lead personnel who hold appropriate clearances as required in the task order. These individuals must maintain the level of security required for the life of the task order.

(2) Be expected to attend classified briefings and discussions at Government and Contractor facilities within CONUS and the National Capital Region.

(3) Have the ability to courier SECRET level materials to and from briefings, meetings, and workspaces.

(c) The Contractor shall possess and maintain a Secret Facility Clearance (FCL) with the ability to store classified material at the Secret level in accordance with the Industrial Security Regulation (DOD 5220.22R) for the receipt, generation, storage and destruction of SECRET classified material. The Contractor shall possess the clearance at time of task order award.

(d) The Contractor shall be responsible for safeguarding all Government equipment, information and property provided for Contractor use. At the close of each work period, Government facilities, equipment, and materials shall be secured.

(e) The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring compliance by its employees and subcontractors with the security regulations of the Government installation or other facility where work is to be performed. The Contractor shall remove from the Government site any individual whose presence is deemed by the Commanding Officer of that site to be contrary to the public interest or inconsistent with the best interests of national security.

(f) The Contractor shall comply with DD Form 254, Contract Security Classification Specification, Attachment #5 and any documents such as Classification Guidelines attached thereto or referenced thereon.

6. RFP Section K Page 47 of 67, Section K(a)(2) – Size Standard The small business size standard is 4.50Mil.

Question – In order to foster competition and attain small business subcontracting goals, would the government consider changing the small business size standard to $27.0Mil for Military and Aerospace Equipment and Military Weapons (Exception a) or $18.5Mil for Marine Engineering and Naval Architecture (Exception c) under NAICS code 541330?

Answer: No. The RFP small business size standard for NAICS code 541330 remains 4.50Mil.

7. RFP Section L – Technical and Cost/Business Page 55 of 67, L.5 Proposal Submission Instructions – Volume 1 – Technical Proposal – 6 copies, Volume II – Cost/Business Proposal – 4 copies.

SF 33 Item 9 states 1 original and 2 copies.

a. Question – There is a conflict between the Section L instructions and the SF 33 regarding the number of copies for proposal submission. What are the correct requirements?

Answer: Block 9 of the SF 33 of the RFP, “2” is changed to read “See Section L.5 Proposal Submission Instructions”.

b. Question – No electronic copy, correct?

Answer: Correct. The RFP requires no electronic copy of the proposal.

c. Question – Is the requirement one (1) CDROM for the cost spreadsheets per proposal submission or one (1) copy per hardcopy required for proposal submission? (1 vs. 3 or 4 copies depending on clarification of Section L and SF 33) Answer: To clarify Section L.5 (a) (1) of the RFP, Offerors are requested to submit one (1) CDROM for the cost spreadsheets per proposal submission.

8. RFP Section L – Technical Page 57 of 67, Section L.5(b)(ii)(D) – Resume Format – Resumes for the proposed Program Manager and the Principal Investigators shall show demonstrated experience in the areas relevant to the requirements of the SOW and identify the appropriate labor category in accordance with the Labor Category Qualifications, Attachment #2.

Attachment #2, Labor Category Qualifications provides qualifications ranging from Senior Staff to Technicians.

Question – Which level of qualification is the government requiring for the Principal Investigators and the Program Manager?

Answer: Section L.5 (b) (ii) Section II - Staffing and Attachment #2 Labor Category Qualifications of the RFP state the qualifications required of the Offeror’s proposed personnel.

9. RFP Section L - Staffing Page 57 of 67, Section L.5(b)(ii)(A) – Labor Category Qualifications Certification Offerors shall also submit a signed certification that proposed staff meet their appropriate labor category qualifications as defined in Attachment #2, Labor Category Qualifications.

Question – Does the government have a template for the Labor Category Qualifications Certification it would prefer offerors to use?

Answer: No. The Government does not have a preferred template for the Labor Category Qualifications Certification.

10. RFP Section L - Staffing Page 57 of 67, Section L.5(b)(ii)(D) – Resume Format For all personnel proposed to be hired/relocated, the offeror shall provide a statement signed by the proposed person indicating willingness to be hired/relocated if the contract is awarded to the offeror.

Question – Does the government have a template for the Hire/Relocate Statement it would prefer offerors use?

Answer: No. The Government does not have a preferred template for the Hire/Relocate Statement.

11. RFP Section L – Corporate Experience Page 57 of 67, Section L.5 (b)(iii)(B) – Prime Contracts The offeror shall provide information on no more than four prime contracts/task orders with the Federal Government that are most relevant to the SOW and cover as much of the scope of the SOW as possible.

a. Question – In this case, does the “Offeror” refer only to the prime contractor providing information on no more than four prime contracts/task orders or can the offeror include major subcontractors’ as defined in Section L.5(b)(iii)(A) (over 25% of the hours in the cost proposal) contract/task order information?

Answer: To clarify Section L.5 (b) (1) (iii) Section III – Corporate Experience of the RFP, the Offeror, which refers to the prime contractor, shall provide information on no more than four prime contracts/task orders for the prime contractor and may include any major proposed subcontractor (over 25% of the hours in the cost proposal).

b. Question – Experience with the nature, scope, and complexity of the tasks described in the SOW could be attained through significant work as a subcontractor on a Federal Government contract. In addition, this is a full and open solicitation, with the government encouraging offerors to partner with various categories of small businesses which may not have prime contract experience. Therefore, would the government consider changing the criteria for the Corporate Experience section to “no more than four contracts/task orders” (i.e., remove the “prime” requirement), allowing relevant experience gained as a subcontractor to be submitted for evaluation? If the intent is to determine whether the (prime) offeror has sufficient experience as a prime contractor, an evaluation of the contracts/task orders could take into consideration whether the citation is for a prime or subcontract. If the inclusion of relevant non-Federal contracts allows for subcontracts, please specify.

Answer: See the Answer in response to Question 11.a.

12. RFP Section L – Past Performance Page 58 of 67, Section L.5 (b) (iv) (A) – Past Performance Evaluations The offeror shall submit completed Past Performance evaluations for each contract/task order (federal/non-federal) submitted under Corporate Experience. If the offeror does not possess a copy of a completed performance evaluation then it is the offeror’s responsibility for making all reasonable efforts to ensure that a completed performance evaluation report is provided directly to the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center’s Contract Specialist by the appropriate customer no later than the proposal submission date.

Question – Since Past Performance Evaluations are not traditionally returned to the contractor, will a status report of submission dates by the customer to Ms. Overton suffice in this section?

Answer: No. As stated in Section L.5 (b) (1) (iv) (A) of the RFP, “The Offeror shall submit completed Past Performance evaluations . . .”

13. RFP Section L– Cost/Business Page 60 of 67, Section (c) (2) (ii) (B) Volume II Cost/Business Proposal – Hours should be apportioned between the prime and its subcontractors and consultants in a manner consistent with the offeror’s technical proposal.

a. Question – Do the labor hours stated represent one year or the full five years of the contract?

Answer: The labor hours provided in the RFP represent the full five years of the contract.

b. Question - If contract total, could the government provide a yearly breakdown for the hours shown? Since this is a five year contract and can have orders extend into year six, we believe this is necessary to provide realistic pricing, including escalation.

Answer: The RFP does not provide a yearly breakdown for the hours shown.

c. Question – Will the cost provided for the hours shown on page 60 of 67 be the basis for completing Section B CLIN 00001 on page 2 of 67?

Answer: Yes.

d. Question – Does the government define/prescribe a standard FTE man-year (e.g., 1880 hours) or is it contractor determined?

Answer: As stated in Section L.5 (c) (2) (ii) (B) “Offerors are required to propose estimated labor costs using the labor hours provided below (see exception for Administration Staff hours).” The RFP does not prescribe a standard FTE man-year.

14. Question: Ref para (2) (ii) (B) on page 60 of HSCG32-12-R-R00003, Are the hours listed for the entire 5 year contract, or a single year?

Answer: The labor hours provided in the RFP represent the full five years of the contract.

15. Question: In document HSCG32-12-R-R00003[1].docx, section B on page 60, could you please clarify if the estimated labor costs are for the base year or if the hours reflex the five-year total for the entire contract?

Answer: The labor hours provided in the RFP represent the full five years of the contract.

16. Question: Are the hours described on page 60 exact, or are bidders allowed to propose different hours based on their interpretation of the Statement of Work (SOW) and their knowledge of similar work efforts instead?

Answer: As stated in Section L.5 (c) (2) (ii) (B) “Offerors are required to propose estimated labor costs using the labor hours provided below (see exception for Administration Staff hours).”

17. Question: Are the hours listed on page 60 for the Technician (540) and Senior Technician (540) accurate? Please confirm that this is not a typo.

Answer: The hours listed for the Technician and Senior Technician are accurate.

18. Question: In document HSCG32-12-R-R00003[1].docx, section C starting on page 60, are the cost estimates a total amount for the five-year period, or a estimate for the base year?

Answer: The cost estimates are a total amount for the full five years of the contract.

19. Question: Could you please indicate the locations for travel over the five-year period?

Answer: At this time we cannot indicate the locations for travel over the five-year period.

20. Question: Could you please elaborate on the meeting facilitation listed on page 61 in document HSCG32-12-R-R00003[1].docx under non-incidental ODCs? What will be required of the contractor?

Answer: To clarify “meeting facilitation” under Non-Incidental ODCs on page 61 of the RFP, the Contractor may need to facilitate meetings to support model development or analysis efforts. These meetings will bring together individuals with various perspectives and subject-matter expertise to aid the Contractor in developing appropriate and valid models/analyses.

21. Question: Can you clarify who is considered Key Personnel in the ORMMSS solicitation. It would appear that only the Program Manager is considered Key Personnel but you are asking for resumes for the Principal Investigator.

Answer: Only the Offeror’s proposed Program Manager will be identified as key personnel under this contract.

22. Question: L.5 Proposal Submission Instructions, Para/ (b), pg 56 In order to demonstrate understanding of the requirements and describe a detailed technical approach to meeting the SOW requirements and the hypothetical analysis scenario, in addition to all the other requirements which must be met in Section I Technical Understanding and Management Approach, we request that the government allow additional page count. We recommend an additional 20 pages for a total of 30.

Answer: The page limit for Technical Understanding and Management Approach remains 10 pages.

23. Question: F.3, page 5 of 67 and DD Form 254 Item 13.

Paragraph F.3 Place of Performance states “Work shall be performed at the contractor’s facility or as set forth in individual task orders under this contract”. DD Form 254 Item 13 states “The contractor shall also perform classified work at USCG designated facilities and/or other approved facility. The primary location is listed below: USCG R&D Center……” Can the government provide an estimated/expected breakdown of the level of work performed at Contractors facilities vs. work performed at Government facilities? This breakdown will help in both pricing and allocating resources.

Answer: Since the RFP states that work shall be performed at the Contractor’s facility or as set forth in individual task orders, there is no percentage breakdown for Government site work.

24. Question: Sect. L Volume II Cost/Business Proposal, Para. 2(c), page 61 The government provides a travel estimate of $284,200 and non-incidental ODC of $126,355.

Are these estimates per year or for the 5 year life of the contract?

Answer: The Travel and Non-Incidental ODCs estimates on page 61 of the RFP are for the full five years of the contract.

25. DD Form 254 Item 13 and Sect. H6 para. (a) and (b) Page 15

Question: DD Form 254 Item 13 states “Specifically designated personnel assigned to this contract shall possess up-to a Secret clearance…….”

Sect. H6 Page 15 States (a) “Some task orders may require access to and handling of classified information including Top Secret/SCI… (b)….the contractor shall: Assign lead personnel who hold appropriate clearances as required by the task order.

Could the government clarify the contract start Security Clearance requirements for Key Personnel/Personnel?

Answer: See the Answer in response to Question 5.

26. Question: In RFP Attachment 1, Page 3 of 6, the titles for C.3.5 and C.3.6 are identical. We have assumed that the correct title for Section C.3.6 is “Analysis of Human Factors” as it was listed in the Pre-Solicitation Announcement of 12 January 2012. Is this assumption correct?

Answer: Statement of Work Section C.3.6, the title is changed to read “Analysis of Human Factors”.

27. Question: Paragraph (B) on RFP Page 60 of 67 lists the labor categories and associated labor hours to use in the Cost/Business Proposal volume. Should we assume that the labor hours listed are to be equally apportioned across the 5 year contract period? Or are these values for a single contract year? Please clarify.

Answer: The labor hours provided in the RFP represent the full five years of the contract.

28. Question: Paragraph (iii)(B) at the bottom of RFP page 57 of 67 discusses the selection criteria for four (4) prime contracts/task orders for purposes of discussing Corporate Experience in the proposal. Consider an example of a Contractor working under a large IDIQ contract – and the case where the government elects to divide a single large project into distinct phases under two or more task orders. For such situations, will it be acceptable in an Offeror’s proposal to combine such task orders and have the set of task orders count as only one of the four examples of Corporate Experience? If yes – please provide instructions on how to assemble the CPARs or other evaluation reports to be submitted in the Past Performance section.

Answer: To clarify Section L.5 (b) (iii), Section III Corporate Experience, contracts/task orders cannot be combined as one of the four examples submitted.

29. Question: What is the deadline for additional questions and requests for clarification?

Answer: Although there is no deadline stated in the RFP, we encourage that you allow us a reasonable time to respond to any question/request for clarification prior to the RFP closing date.

30. Question: Ref para (2) (ii) (B) on page 60 of HSCG32-12-R-R00003, Are the hours listed for the entire 5 year contract, or a single year?

Answer: The labor hours provided in the RFP represent the full five years of the contract.

31. Question: Will the Coast Guard please clarify the Place of Performance?

Answer: As stated in Section F.3 Place of Performance of the RFP “Work shall be performed at the Contractor’s facility or as set forth in individual task orders under this contract.”

32. Question: What is the ceiling value on the ORMMSS Contract Vehicle?

Answer: As stated in the Acquisition Planning Forecast System (APFS) AAP Report, the total value for this acquisition is $9,000,000.

33. Question: When does the Government expect the first Task Order to be issued?

Answer: As stated in Section L.5 (c) (1) (v) of the RFP, Offerors shall assume a start date of 1 August 2012.

34. Question: What positions are designated for New London vs. other contractor locations?

Answer: As stated in Section F.3 Place of Performance of the RFP “Work shall be performed at the Contractor’s facility or as set forth in individual task orders under this contract.”

35. Question: Does the Labor Category hours listed represent estimated yearly labor cost or 5-year labor costs?

Answer: The labor hours provided in the RFP represent the full five years of the contract.

36. Question: Does the travel estimate listed represent estimated yearly travel costs or 5 year travel costs?

Answer: The Travel estimate on page 61 of the RFP represents the full five years of the contract.

37. Question: Does the Non-Incidental ODCs estimate listed represent estimated yearly Non-Incidental ODCs or 5-year Non-Incidental ODC costs?

Answer: The Non-Incidental ODCs estimate on page 61 of the RFP represents the full five years of the contract.