RMACC Q A FOR AMENDMENT 0001

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ARISING UNDER SOLICITATION HSCG88-09-R-623066,

3/4/2009

ERRG QUESTIONS:

1. Section L Instructions on the Technical proposal refer to “Section J.1 paragraph 4 - Contractor’s Past Performance Instructions and Form (embedded in Section J)”. Can you clarify what this is referring to given that Section J only consists of attachments?

Answer:

Section J contains the Ordering Guide, the Past Performance Questionnaire, the Sample Task, and the Map of RMACC Districts. The Past Performance Questionnaire (i.e., Form) is provide in Section J. Once this form is completed by past customers it should be submitted before the proposal closing date.

2. Section L instructions indicate that 2 copies of the price proposal are required to be submitted. How many copies of the technical proposal are required to be submitted?

Answer:

The Solicitation, Offer, and Award (SF 1442) requires and original and one copy of the technical and price proposal.

3. Section L, Relevant Experience identifies seven (7) areas for relevant experience. However, the paragraph following the list of seven areas states: "Note: As stated in Section M of the solicitation in order to be considered for award the offeror shall have demonstrated experience in at least three (3) of the six (6) areas listed above." Do you mean six areas or seven areas? We suggest that design by itself should be the seventh rated item and encourage you to add design to the Section M criteria to match the list of areas in Section L, Relevant Experience.

Answer:

I agree, design should be added, and Clauses L.11 and M.1.b. will be changed by amendment.

4. Do Letters of Commendation, Outstanding Performance Ratings or Awards count against the 20 page limitation of Relevant Experience?

Answer:

Yes.

5. Is a design or concept design required to be submitted along with the price proposal for the sample task?

Answer:

No.

6. Are the projects identified for past performance questionnaires supposed to be the same projects discussed under Relevant Experience?

Answer:

No.

7. Page 95, Past Performance states, “In evaluation past performance the Government will consider contracts performed during the last 3 years.” If the projects identified for Past Performance are not directly tied to the Relevant Experience, is there a time limit on projects for relevant experience?

Answer:

No.

ERRG Questions:

1. The proposal submittal instructions indicate “The instructions permit the inclusion of data or information an offeror deems pertinent”. In the technical proposal, is the Past Performance section strictly limited to copies of the past performance questionnaire or is other relevant past performance information allowed to be included in this section?

Answer:

No. The past performance questionnaires will be used for past performance information, federal websites containing past evaluations may be used, or information provided by the proposer may be used.

2. If a contractor is submitting proposals for multiple RMACC regions and would like to use the same project references for multiple submittals, is the client reference required to submit multiple copies of the past performance evaluation?

Answer:

The contractor is to provide a proposal package for each region they are proposing on, and they should identify on their proposal the applicable region.

3. If the government does not receive responses for all of the past performance questionnaires included by the offeror, will the offeror’s resulting past performance score be downgraded in any way?

Answer:

A proposer should not submit a past performance questionnaire unless it is completed. It is the proposer’s responsibility to ensure all past performance questionnaires are submitted. The technical evaluation team will evaluate information received prior to the closing date.

4. Are the projects presented under Relevant Experience intended to be the same as those selected for past performance evaluations?

Answer:

That is up to the proposer’s discretion.

5. Relevant experience in Section L includes “(7) Design” but this is not included in Section M. Is (7) Design included as relevant experience?

Answer:

I agree, design should be added, and Clauses L.11 and M.1.b. will be changed by amendment.

6. Section L indicates that an offeror needs to demonstrate experience in only 3 of the 6 (or 7) relevant experience areas in order to be considered for award. All else being equal, would an offeror who submitted relevant experience for more than 3 areas be rated higher than an offer submitting on only 3 areas? In other words, is there a benefit to submitting experience in more than 3 of the areas listed?

Answer:

In the amendment after “design” is added to Clause M.1.b, Offerors will need to demonstrate experience in 4 of the 7 areas in order to be considered for award. Relevant experience is worth approximately one third of the overall evaluation. If offerors demonstrate relevant experience in design-build construction, performance-based construction, general construction, marine construction, demolition, historical restoration, and design then they would be rated higher than an offeror who did not have relevant experience in those seven areas.

7. If, through the proposal evaluation process, the top ranked offerors all submitted proposals limited to a subset of the relevant experience areas and all of the top ranked offerors focused on the same subset of experience areas, would the government consider lower ranked offerors in order to have a pool of contractors that cover the complete range of services expected to be needed on this contract?

Answer:

There is too much conjecture in the question. The Government evaluators will use the selection criteria in the solicitation.

8. If an offeror only submits relevant experience on a subset of the 6 (or 7) experience areas and is successful being awarded a contract, would that offerer be included in requests for task order proposals for all task orders or only those task orders whose scope of work align with the experience areas that the offeror included in their proposal?

Answer:

Yes. See Clause H.18 entitled “Fair Opportunity for Consideration of Subsequent Task Orders.”

9. The relevant experience section indicates that an offer can submit “Letters of Commendation, Outstanding Performance Ratings, or Awards (no more than three (3))”. Does this limit refer to the number of Awards or to the total of Letters of Commendation + Outstanding Performance Ratings + Awards?

Answer:

No more than three Letters of Commendation, three Outstanding Performance Ratings, or three Awards may be submitted by each offeror.

10. The relevant experience section indicates that an offer can submit “Letters of Commendation, Outstanding Performance Ratings, or Awards (no more than three (3))”. Is this limit 3 submittals total for the proposal or 3 per project presented?

Answer:

No more than three Letters of Commendation, three Outstanding Performance Ratings, or three Awards may be submitted by each offeror.

11. Section H (SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS) makes extensive reference to key personnel but no mention of key personnel is included in the proposal submittal. Is the intent of the government to award this contract based solely on past performance, experience, and price with no consideration for offeror organization or key personnel?

Answer:

The three evaluation criteria are price, past performance, or relevant experience. Key personnel (e.g., subcontractor, joint venture partner, superintendent, or project managers) may have relevant experience germaine to the seven areas being evaluated.

12. What is the maximum annual value for each contract? This information is necessary in order to evaluate the contract value against size standards which determine the socio-economic status of joint ventures.

Answer:

$5 million.

13. How does the DHS define the difference between Design-Build construction and Performance-Based construction?

Answer:

Performance-based construction” means a construction acquisition structured around the results to be achieved as opposed to the manner by which the work is to be performed. Design-build” means combining design and construction in a single contract with one contractor.

14. How does the DHS define Historical Restoration? Does this only apply to structures officially listed as historic or does it apply to renovation or restoration of any existing structure?

Answer:

The term Historical Restoration covers work that applies to existing structures owned by the Coast Guard that are either listed on the National Register of Historic Places, or eligible for the National Register (structures over 50 years old and designated as eligible by State Historic Preservation Officers). It applies to restoration and renovation of a large number of structures owned by the Coast Guard - the majority of structures over 50 years old are eligible. Historical Restoration for any Federal-government owned structure must comply with the Secretary of Interior's Standards. These are standards that deal with the treatment and restoration of historic building materials. The Standards can be found online on the National Park Service website, and specific guidance is found online in Park Service Preservation Briefs and Technical Notes. Prior to actual construction work, the construction documents for the work must be reviewed by the State Historic Preservation Officer for compliance with the Secretary's Standards. This is a requirement of Federal law - the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.

15. In providing detail for the basis an offerer’s price, is the offerer expected to provide a complete breakdown of how their overhead and G&A costs are derived? If so, how will this requirement be applied to Joint Ventures?

Answer:

Yes. The joint venture contractors will have to determine the best method to determine the overhead for conjoined firms.

16. The sample task in the pricing volume is construction of an office building in Norfolk Virginia. Are offerors expected to utilize subcontractor and material pricing from Virginia vendors or is regional pricing acceptable? Obviously, offerors not located in Virginia will not have established relationships with Virginia vendors and subcontractors and may suffer from this deficiency.

Answer:

Contractors are to prepare their pricing as if they were constructing an office building in Norfolk, Virginia.

DataTek questions:

The RMACC REVISED.doc file posted to fbo.gov indicates that there should be 10 drawings associated with this solicitation, however, I have been unable to locate them. Do I need to request them separately or will they be posted to fbo.gov at a later time?

Answer:

There are no drawings with this solicitation.

Also, are the files posted at the listing HSCG88-09-R-623066(B), the correct files to use for this solicitation? I see that it is also posted under HSCG88-09-R-623066 and HSCG88-09-R-623066(A) and I want to be sure I have the correct set.

Answer:

FEDBIZOPS will not let you advertise the same solicitation number more than once. This solicitation is set-aside for Hubzones, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, and 8(a) certified Small Disadvantaged Businesses. In order to advertise under each of the three socio-economic groups we had to employ separate numbers, hence the A and the B. Notwithstanding, all three advertisements are for the same solicitation, HSCG88-09-R-623066.

J. George Services questions:

Check this through FBO:

I am unable to access the embedded SF 1442 on page three of this solicitation. It is a word document labeled RMACC_REVISED.doc. and I think it is supposed to open SF 1442 for this solicitation in Acrobat.

Answer:

The embedded Standard Form 1442 “Solicitation Offer and Award” is an Adobe Acrobat document. We were able to open the embedded document in FedBizOps.

KGCI Inc. Question:

We are an 8 (A) Company that operates in New England and mid-Atlantic area. We noticed that this region is set aside for Hub-zone. What if there are less than 5 contractors in the Hub-Zone area? Would you accept our proposal? Also we are SDB/8 (A) Certified and are in the process of applying for hub-zone certification.

Answer:

That area is set-aside for only HubZones. If you submitted a proposal and you were not a HubZone your proposal would be determined non-responsive.

1. Modify the project location to match the Solicitor's Region (in our case this would be Puerto Rico).

Answer:

Regional set-asides will not be modified before the closing date. Regional set-asides were determined by extensive market research and response to the nationwide “Industry Days.”

ARGA Question:

This would allow to conform pricing and cost estimating in accordance to the regional market (sub-contractors, material, equipment, etc.), design codes and State Government requirements (providing a real case scenario proposal within the specific region). This would allow to review the design parameters for recommending best-value alternatives on Government design requirements (as examples: The Sample Task established Window requirements are for locations with extreme cold winters, which are not present in our Region. The specified Roof does not conform to our Regional Hurricane Code.

HVAC will not require Heat Pump with electrical resistance heaters and other insulating established requirements and required Landscaping would be suggested to comply with our tropical environment).

Answer:

Contractors are to prepare their pricing as if they were constructing an office building in Norfolk, Virginia.

ERRG Question:

Given that the proposal requirements make no mention of team organization, there appears to be no place to discuss strategic teaming relationships for this contract. Is it the Coast Guard’s intent to only evaluate past performance and relevant experience of the prime contractor or is past performance and relevant experience of a team subcontractor also considered?

Answer:

The three evaluation criteria are price, past performance, or relevant experience.

ERRG Question:

The sample task identifies some basic information about the small office building to be constructed. It does not indicate if we are to consider this to be 1) a pure construction proposal (design drawings already done by a third party), 2) design-build with 30/60/100% design documents provided, or 3) performance based construction with a conceptual design provided to the Coast Guard for approval. Which way should we bid this?

Answer:

This is a construction proposal.

Custom Mechanical Systems, Corporation Question:

1. May we also use the experience of our Teaming Partners to fulfill the requirements of Section L.11 Relevant Experience?

Answer:

Yes.

2. For Section L.11 Past Performance, can we cite projects that are near completion (80% or greater)?

Answer:

Yes.

3. Section L.11 Relevant Experience lists seven (7) sub-factors, while Section M lists only six (6). Please define the correct set of sub-factors to be used for this section.

Answer:

I agree, design should be added, and Clauses L.11 and M.1.b. will be changed by amendment.

4. Can the completed Past Performance Questionnaires be submitted via email?

Answer:

No. They are not to be telefaxed or emailed. It makes document control too difficult. The must be sent by regular mail before the closing date.

5. Section L.11 Relevant Experience states, "The offeror is invited to submit Letters of Commendation, Outstanding Performance Ratings, or Awards (no more than three)." Please clarify if this is three per referenced project or a total of three.

Answer:

No more than three Letters of Commendation, three Outstanding Performance Ratings, or three Awards may be submitted by each offeror.

6. Are the Letters of Commendation, Outstanding Performance Ratings and Awards being counted as part of the 20-page limit for this section?

Answer:

Yes.

Epsilon Construction Question:

From the Project Synopsis I see that the Puerto Rico Region is set aside for HubZones. After the recently SBA's map review there is only a few construction companies left HubZone certified in PR. Is there a change to modified the set aside in order that the SDVO companies can bid?

Answer:

No. Puerto Rico will remain a HubZone set-aside. During Industry Days in Puerto Rico we were told by SBA representatives that the entire Island, except for six cities, was a HubZone. This led to the decision to make Puerto Rico a HubZone.

Government Programs Utility Construction Company:

Hi Janice and Jeffery. I'm Andrea, and I'm from Utility Construction Company in Arizona. We are very interested in submitting a bid on the above-referenced solicitation as it appears on the Federal Business Opportunities website.

I can't seem to find a difference between the three different postings on FedBizOpps, HSCG88-09-R-623066, HSCG88-09-R-623066(A) and HSCG88-09-R-623066(B). Is there a difference, or is the information the same under each posting? Should we submit three separate bids for the three separate postings?

Answer:

FEDBIZOPS will not let you advertise the same solicitation number more than once. This solicitation is set-aside for Hubzones, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, and 8(a) certified Small Disadvantaged Businesses. In order to advertise under each of the three socio-economic groups we had to employ separate numbers, hence the A and the B. Notwithstanding, all three advertisements are for the same solicitation, HSCG88-09-R-623066.

Journey Construction Question:

Paragraph L.12 of the solicitation states: Region 7 will have two sets of awards -one for 8(a) contractors and one for Hubzones"

Does this mean that (2) contracts will be issued for Georgia, South Carolina and Florida with (5) 8a awardees and (5) Hubzone awardees?

Answer:

Coast Guard District 7 has been divided into Regions 7 and 7.5. A map of the regions in shown in Section J. Region 7.5 consists of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Clause L.12 states that Region 7 is set-aside for 8(a) certified Small Disadvantaged Businesses and Region 7.5 (i.e., Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands) is set-aside for HubZones. Each region can have a minimum of 5 awardees.

Donald W. Thompson, Inc. Question

We are a small family owned HUB-Zone business, that has been in business for 55 years. We are 50% veteran owned and employ veterans in our top two supervisory positions. We have completed numerous USCG projects over the years, mainly within Group (Sector) North Bend, and some within Group Astoria. We have always had excellent working relationships with the COR's, as well as the CO's.

It is our understanding that the above RMACC contract for district 13 excludes any firm that is not a SDVOSB. We believe that this is unfair to our firm, to be excluded from contracting opportunities that we would otherwise be able to compete for. We request that District 13 contracts be open to HUB-Zone entities, as well as SDVOSB entities.

Answer:

Regional set-asides will not be modified before the closing date. Regional set-asides were determined by extensive market research and response to the nationwide “Industry Days.”

AECOM Design Question

Per our discussion moments ago, I would like to submit the following RFIs in response to Solicitation HSCG88-09-R-623066, REGIONAL MULTIPLE AWARD CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS (RMACC):

1.

How should contractors designate in their proposals the district/region for which they are pursuing a contract?

Answer:

Each proposal should be annotated with the contractor name, the applicable region, and the type of firm (i.e., 8(a), HubZone, or SDVOSB).

2.

No mention is made in the RFP of a requirement for Designer quals or past performance. If a contractor teams with a Design firm to pursue an RMACC award, what input regarding designer quals should be included in the proposal? In what format? How will Designer quals be evaluated?

Answer:

Section L describes requirements for technical and price proposals. It also lists the three evaluation factors which are past performance, relevant experience, and price. Design is to be evaluated as part of the technical proposal.

3.

In pricing the “Sample Task,” should design work, if required, be included in the “subcontracts” line item?

Answer:

This is a construction proposal.

POWER ENGINEERING CONTRACTORS, INC QUESTION:

What is our bonding obligation for this proposal? Is it for 1 year and $5M or 7 years and $35M? Or is the bonding obligation by work order?

Answer:

Maximum task order threshold is $5 million. Annual contract amount is $5 million. Offerors should provide their bonding limit in the technical proposal (see Clause L.3).

Polu Kai Services, LLC, QUESTION:

On FedBizOpps, there are 3 RMACCs listed: HSCG88-09-R-623066, HSCG88-09-R-623066(A) and HSCG88-09-R-623066(B). As I look through each individual RFP and SF1442, all of the solicitation numbers are identical and I do not see any (A) or (B).

Are the different ones for HUBzone, 8(a) and SDVOSB? If so, how do we know which solicitation is for the corresponding designations so we submit for the proper solicitation?

Answer:

FEDBIZOPS will not let you advertise the same solicitation number more than once. This solicitation is set-aside for Hubzones, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, and 8(a) certified Small Disadvantaged Businesses. In order to advertise under each of the three socio-economic groups we had to employ separate numbers, hence the A and the B. Notwithstanding, all three advertisements are for the same solicitation, HSCG88-09-R-623066.

KGCI INC. QUESTION

We are an 8 (A) Company that operates in New England and mid-Atlantic area. We noticed that this region is set aside for Hub-zone. What if there are less than 5 contractors in the Hub-Zone area? Would you accept our proposal? Also we are SDB/8 (A) Certified and are in the process of applying for hub-zone certification.

Answer:

That area is set-aside for only HubZones. If you submitted a proposal and you were not a HubZone your proposal would be determined non-responsive.

My company intends to respond to the RFP for this Solicitation. Are you requesting that the entire RFP package be returned, or only the pertinent parts such as the 1442, Sample Task pricing, company information and references, etc?

Answer:

Offerors must follow the directions in the solicitation. An executed SF1442 must be completed, Section K must be completed (unless the Offeror has completed representations and certifications in ORCA), and the offeror must provide the information required by clause L.11.

Are Design/Stamped drawings required for the Sample Project?

Answer:

No.

If yes, what percent design are required?

Answer:

Not applicable.

MCC Construction Corporation Question:

Will there be a pre-bid meeting scheduled?

Answer:

No.

If so, do you have the date and location?

Answer:

Not applicable

Far East Construction Corporation Question:

we are interested in bidding on these and was wondering how the RFPs will be structured. Based on the information listed in FebBiz Opps the RFPs are:

HSCG88-09-R-623066(B) = 8a Competitive (will cover Regions 7, 9, 17)

HSCG88-09-R-623066(A) = SDVO ( will cover Regions 5, 11, 13)

HSCG88-09-R-623066 = HUBZone (will cover Regions 1, 7.5 (Puerto Rico & US Virgin), 8, 14) does this mean that if we decide to bid on the 8a Competitive solicitation that we automatically are bidding Regions 7, 9, and 17. Or can we pick which regions from the 10 we wish to bid on. For instance say we wanted to bid only Regions 1, 5, 7, and 9 is that possible.

Answer:

No. Offerors must provide a separate proposal for each region they intend to propose on.

Truston Inc. Question:

Can you tell me if competition is going to be restricted to 8a and HUBZone firms with bona fide offices in the various USCG RMACC Districts? Or will competition in each region only be restricted to 8a, HUBZone, and SDVOSB firms regardless of their office locations in the geographic regions?

My firm is both 8a and HUBZone certified and we are interested in bidding various regions.

Answer:

Offerors must have bona fide offices within the region they are proposing on. Offerors must provide a separate proposal for each region they intend to propose on.

The McIntosh Group, LLC Question:

We are a HUBZone Small Business Concern, and I wanted to verify the regions for this presolicitation. For HUBZone, you list Regions of the US as well as Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands. We are licensed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. I wanted to verify what licensing would be necessary, and if we were licensed in part of the regions and you are doing multiple contracts; would we qualify.

Regions are listed in Clause L.12. There are no licensing requirement in the solicitation.

Patriot Construction, LLC. Questions:

1) Is there a site plan available for use in pricing the Sample Task?

Answer:

No.

2) Section L.11 Specific Instructions for the Preparation of the Proposal: Should the Price Proposal and Technical Proposal be submitted in separate notebooks/binders?

Answer:

Yes.

2) Section L.11 Specific Instructions for the Preparation of the Proposal: How many copies of each proposal (Price and Technical) should be submitted?

Answer:

Two.

Boshears, Kevin Question:

In reviewing the map of the proposed IDIQ contracts for around the country, will there only be SDVOSB for the western US states, or can 8a firms also submit proposals?

Answer:

Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, California, Nevada, Utah, Mew Mexico, and Arizona are set-aside for Services Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB). Hawaii and Guam are set-aside for HubZone. Alaska is set-aside for 8(a) certified Small Disadvantaged Businesses.

Castle-Rose, Inc. QUESTION

Should the sample project price estimate include design costs for solicitation HSCG88-09-R-623066? (perhaps as an option?)

Answer:

No. This is a construction proposal.

ARGO Systems, LLC Question:

1) Do you want to see the Price Proposal and Technical Proposal submitted together in one binder or do you prefer that they be submitted in separate binders? Often, the Technical Evaluation Boards are not permitted to see pricing.

Answer:

Submit them in separate binders.

Ortega Group LLC Questions:

1.

Price proposal and Technical proposal are to be submitted in one or two separate binders.

Answer:

Submit them in separate binders.

2.

Fold out pages, 11 x 17 –inches, is this to be considered as one or two pages.

11 x 17 inch pages when used for diagrams, charts, or graphic material will be considered one page. If the 11 x 17 inch page is used for proposal text it will be considered two pages.

3.

Technical Proposal: The Offeror will have 5-10 past customers complete and submit the past performance questionnaire.

Past performance questionnaire are to be submitted only by the offeror or can the offeror also include past performance questionnaire from the team members, not to exceed the requirement of 10 past performances between the offeror and team members.

Answer:

The offeror can provide past performance questionnaires for their firm and their team members’ firms.

4.

According to the RFP the government intends to award three HUBzone contract. Understanding the contract award is 28 million and duration of the contract is one base year with 6 one-year option periods.

Is the 28 million the total award for the 7 years or is it 28 million each year?

Answer:

There are ten regions. Clause L.12 states that Regions 1,7.5, 8, and 14 are Hubzone. Regions 5, 11, and 13 are Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (Regions 11 & 13 are administered by Civil Engineering Unit Oakland so they have been combined to increase award opportunities for SDVOSB’s receiving contracts, and to simplify post-award administration). Regions 7, 9, and 17 are 8(a) certified Small Disadvantaged Businesses. The Government may award a minimum of five contracts in each region. The minimum order and maximum order thresholds per contract each year are $10,000 and $5 million, respectively. The contract has one base year and six option periods.

Will there be a schedule site visit for the sample project "Office Building located in Norfolk, VA"?

Answer:

No.

Donald W. Thompson, Inc. Question:

It is our understanding that the above RMACC contract for district 13 excludes any firm that is not a SDVOSB. We believe that this is unfair to our firm, to be excluded from contracting opportunities that we would otherwise be able to compete for. We request that District 13 contracts be open to HUB-Zone entities, as well as SDVOSB entities.

Answer:

Regional set-asides will not be modified before the closing date. Regional set-asides were determined by extensive market research and response to the nationwide “Industry Days.”

Castle-Rose, Inc. Question:

Should the sample project price estimate include design costs for solicitation HSCG88-09-R-623066? (perhaps as an option?)

Answer:

No. This is a construction proposal.

Journey Construction Inc. Questions:

Paragraph L.12 of the solicitation states: Region 7 will have two sets of awards -one for 8(a) contractors and one for Hubzones"

Does this mean that (2) contracts will be issued for Georgia, South Carolina and Florida with (5) 8a awardees and (5) Hubzone awardees?

Answer:

Coast Guard District 7 has been divided into Regions 7 and 7.5. A map of the regions in shown in Section J. Region 7.5 consists of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Clause L.12 states that Region 7 is set-aside for 8(a) certified Small Disadvantaged Businesses and Region 7.5 (i.e., Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands) is set-aside for HubZones. Each region can have a minimum of 5 awardees.

Joyjac10@bellsouth.net Questions:

If you wanted to pursue the contract as a prime and as a subcontractor with another teaming partner is there anything that would preclude you from doing that. If you do choose to do that would it be looked upon unfavorably?

Answer:

There is nothing in the solicitation to preclude a firm from pursuing the contract as either a prime contractor or a subcontractor. It would not be looked on unfavorably.

Also, the RFP gives a list of NAICS codes that will be used for the contract, are we required to qualify for the entire list or any combination there of prior to the award? Does the list provided reflect the different codes that the task orders will be awarded under?

Answer:

The NAIC code applicable to this contract is 236210. However, the past performance and relevant experience will evaluate a number of subfactors (see Clause L.11).

The sample task RMACC for price evaluation purposes only included in RFP is different from Appendix D sample task order request for proposals sample 1 & 2. Also is there a site visit scheduled as there is a reference to one in the package Appendix D.

Answer:

The sample task is Section J is to be used for price evaluation purposes.

Burton Construction, Inc. Questions:

In reviewing the solicitation documents, I find that the sample project is located in Virginia. In order for me properly prepare a realistic cost proposal for this exercise, I need to know how to treat the mobilization elements of the estimate.

Answer:

Contractors are to prepare their pricing as if they were constructing an office building in Norfolk, Virginia.

We are competing for work in CGD 11 and 13, and the evaluation project is some 2800 miles away. This implies significant travel cost and per diem for management and supervision, increased costs for renting otherwise owned equipment, and some significant estimating risk in extremely long distance project management.

Answer:

Contractors are to prepare their pricing as if they were constructing an office building in Norfolk, Virginia.

I would appreciate advise on the evaluation board’s thoughts of how it will adjust the proposals from the West Coast to account for this added cost.

Answer:

Each region will be evaluated separately. Offerors from each region will experience similar costs for the sample project.

Patriot Construction, LLC. Questions:

1) Is there a site plan available for use in pricing the Sample Task?

Answer:

No.

2) Section L.11 Specific Instructions for the Preparation of the Proposal: Should the Price Proposal and Technical Proposal be submitted in separate notebooks/binders?

Answer:

Yes.

2) Section L.11 Specific Instructions for the Preparation of the Proposal: How many copies of each proposal (Price and Technical) should be submitted?

Answer:

The Solicitation, Offer, and Award (SF 1442) requires and original and one copy of the technical and price proposal.

FBi Construction, Inc. QUESTION

In section L.11, "Specific Instructions for the Perparation of the Proposal", I present the following question:

1.

What are the instructions for "Technical Proposal"? There is a colon after this title, with no following instruction. Please clarify.

Answer:

All information after “Technical Proposal:” covers information required in the technical proposal.

2.

FedBizOpps lists three similarily named projects, being in order as HSCG88-09-R-623066, HSCG88-09-R-623066(A), and HSCG88-09-R-623066(B). Are these all the same project, and which number should be referenced?

Answer:

FEDBIZOPS will not let you advertise the same solicitation number more than once. This solicitation is set-aside for Hubzones, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, and 8(a) certified Small Disadvantaged Businesses. In order to advertise under each of the three socio-economic groups we had to employ separate numbers, hence the A and the B. Notwithstanding, all three advertisements are for the same solicitation, HSCG88-09-R-623066.

3.

Please confirm that Region 7 is 8A set aside.

Answer:

Clause L.12 shows Region 7 is an 8(a) set aside.

4.

Do I need to "add to interested vendors" on the FedBizOpps website for this project, or is this unnecessary?

Answer:

Yes.

Thomas Maron Question:

We are in the final process of getting our hubzone certification. We are also a brand new entity with no past performance resume. However the three principals of the new corporation have an extensive resume with IDIQ contracts and can provide numerous projects to utilize to prove that the new corporation is capable of performing the work outlined in your solicitation. So the question is……………is it acceptable to utilize the past performance of the principal’s if the offerer is a brand new entity with no past performance?

Answer:

Yes, it is acceptable to use your principals’ past performance information in your firm is a new entity without past performance information.

Ahtna Government Services Corporation Question:

I am writing to you in regards to the IDIQ Design/Build RMACC solicitation that was recently issued. It appears the SF1442 form will not open in the solicitation package that is posted. Do you have any suggestions of how this document can be accessed or could you please send me a copy of the form?

Answer:

The embedded Standard Form 1442 “Solicitation Offer and Award” is an Adobe Acrobat document. We were able to open the embedded document in FedBizOps.

Frank Rodriguez of American Pride General Engineering Inc., Usage of the term "Small Disadvantaged Veteran Owned Small Business" for SDVOSB that was used in this solicitation.

Answer:

This was a typo. We meant Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB).

Thomco Enterprises Questions:

1.

Are Design/Stamped drawings required for the Sample Project?

Answer:

No.

2.

If yes, what percent design are required?

Answer:

Not applicable.

In addition, are the Solicitation numbers going to change on the SF1442 to show A and B? We are going to do a proposal for all three and they all have the same Solicitation number.

Answer:

FEDBIZOPS will not let you advertise the same solicitation number more than once. This solicitation is set-aside for Hubzones, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, and 8(a) certified Small Disadvantaged Businesses. In order to advertise under each of the three socio-economic groups we had to employ separate numbers, hence the A and the B. Notwithstanding, all three advertisements are for the same solicitation, HSCG88-09-R-623066.

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