HSFE40-14-Q-0005_A00001(Final).pdf

5. PROJECT NO.

CODE 7. ADMINISTERED BY

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO.

CODE

6. ISSUED BY

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

9B. DATED

PAGE OF PAGES

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

10B. DATED

BPA NO. 1. CONTRACT ID CODE

FACILITY CODE CODE

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

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

E. IMPORTANT:

is extended,

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning __________ copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR AC- KNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY is not extended.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

(REV. 10-83)

is required to sign this document and return ___________ copies to the issuing office. is not, A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

15C. DATE SIGNED

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

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

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

D. OTHER

BY

Contractor

16C. DATE SIGNED

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

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

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER 16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

STANDARD FORM 30 NSN 7540-01-152-8070

PREVIOUS EDITION NOT USABLE Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

(Type or print) (Type or print)

(Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

(No., street, county, State and ZIP Code)

(If other than Item 6)

(Specify type of modification and authority)

(such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.)

(If required)

(If applicable)

(SEE ITEM 11)

(SEE ITEM 13)

(X)

(X)

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

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

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

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

A00001

Federal Emergency Management Agency Office of the Chief Procurement Officer

500 C Street, S.W., PP 5th Floor Washington DC 20472

To all Offerors/Bidders HSFE40-14-Q-0005

X cjenson Typewritten Text cjenson Typewritten Text cjenson Typewritten Text x cjenson Typewritten Text x cjenson Typewritten Text cjenson Typewritten Text The purpose of the subject amendment is to provide responses to contractor questions. Questions and answers are included via Attachment 1.

ATTACHMENT 1: Questions and Answers for Solicitation HSFE40-14-Q-0005

Question 1: I had a quick question regarding the Combined Synopsis/Solicitation posted on FBO on August 14, 2014 for Human Resources Support Services (HSFE40-14-Q-0005). Is there an incumbent contractor associated with this work? If so, are you able to provide the name of the contractor and the contract #? Or, is this considered a brand new requirement?

Answer: There is not a combined incumbent performing this work.

Question 2: Is this a new requirement?

Answer: This is a new requirement.

Question 3: Is there an incumbent(s) currently providing this or similar HR services at FEMA?

a. If so, who?

b. If so, what is their current level of effort?

c. If so, does FEMA wish to retain incumbent staff?

Answer: There is not a combined incumbent performing this work.

Question 4: Does FEMA anticipate/expect all 17 FTEs to start on October 1st?

Answer: The Government seeks to establish a Blanket Purchase Agreement. This agreement makes no guarantees in terms of quantity or type of work. Potential call orders may include any combination of tasks listed in the Statement of Work. The duration of each call order shall be stated in its respective solicitation.

Question 5: Would FEMA prefer we provide a full-time onsite PM to oversee the contract staff?

Answer: It is incumbent upon the contractor to propose a technical approach the meets the requirements set forth in the solicitation.

Question 6: The RFQ list seventeen (17) separate and distinct tasks, however under Section 3.1 Qualified Personnel you do not list the qualifications, years of experience, etc. required under these tasks. Can you provide such information, or at a minimum, indicate the equivalent GS level of personnel you anticipate for contractor’s to provide?

Answer: It is incumbent upon the contractor to propose personnel with appropriate background and expertise.

Question 7: 4.4, Period of Performance, this BPSA is only one (1) year. In the of contract administration efficiency and continuity of service of personnel assigned to this critical program, would FEMA consider adding several Options Years?

Answer: The current solicitation is for one 12-month period.

Question 8: 4.5, Place of Performance: What percentage of work is performed in Washington, DC?

What percentage of work is performed in Winchester, VA?

Answer: The work will be performed in Washington, DC. Work performed in Winchester will be incidental.

Question 9: 4.5, Place of Performance: Primary place of performance is said to be a combination of the Contractor’s facilities and FEMA in DC. There is mention of a second location in Winchester, VA as well.

Could FEMA request full-time support onsite in Winchester, VA even though it requires additional travel to this location? Should we include a non-direct labor cost for travel?

Answer: If travel to the Winchester facility is required, FEMA will pay non-direct labor cost for travel.

Question 10: 4.5, Place of Performance: Can you clarify if work is being performed in a contractor facility approved by FEMA, may we allow employees using contractor secure connections and equipment with FEMA issued laptops to work from their homes?

Answer: Working from a contractor’s facility or teleworking may be allowed in very specific instances.

Such instances will be identified on individual call orders.

Question 11: Attachment 3: Evaluation Criteria/Past Performance, indicates Offerors are to provide Past Performance examples. How many examples does DHS/FEMA require? Are contract information and points of contact required? Do Past Performance examples count against the 15 page limit?

Answer: The contractor shall provide sufficient information to allow for evaluation of Past Performance per the evaluation criteria. The page limitation is inclusive of past performance information. Please note, Government reserves the right to collect and utilize additional past performance information based on FAR 13.106-2(b)(3)(ii).

Question 12: Attachment 1: Terms and Conditions/Small Business Subcontracting Plan and Attachment 3, Personnel. “Each quotation should specify intent and approach for using subcontractors.” Are offerors required to submit a formal Small Business Subcontracting Plan? If so, in which volume should it appear?

If in the Technical Quotation, will it count against the 15 page limit?

Answer: If required, small business subcontracting plan will be requested by the contracting officer immediately after award. See FAR 52.219-9.

Question 13: Task 2.2, Recruiting and Hiring has performance requirements for work that does not appear to be directly performed by the contractor:

a. Meet all DEU and merit principles, excepted service appointments…

b. Document and meet OPM/FEMA Time to Hire Metrics

c. Document and report cost to Hire Metrics monthly Could you please clarify the expectation?

Answer: The contractor is performing work on the recruiting and hiring task to ensure that all their work meets the Agency and OPM metrics on time and cost to hire, while ensuring their work meets all regulatory requirements.

Question 14: The scope of the solicitation covers 17 task areas. The government has eluded that multiple awards will be made. Will the government allow bidders to respond to a subset of the 17 Task Areas.

Answer: The contractor must propose on the entire Statement of Work.

Question 15: In Attachment 2: Quotation Requirements, under Requirements for Price Quotation, FEMA provided: “The total estimated price shall reflect a reasonable mix of labor categories and level of effort required to perform the services described in the statement of work. The contractor may assume work will be equally distributed throughout the 12 month performance period and all tasks in the Statement of Work, unless specified otherwise.”

We divided the 30,890 total labor hours by 1,860, which totals approximately 16.6 people. FEMA has 17 tasks. Can you please detail your anticipated labor distribution of 16.6 FTEs across 17 tasks?

Alternatively we divided 30,890 hours by 17 (Assuming one person per task) which comes to 1,817.06 Hours. Is 1 FTE = 1,817.06 Hr?

Answer: It was not intended for the level of effort to be converted into FTE. The resulting call orders may or may not require personnel who would be considered FTE.

Question 16: In Section 4.6 HOURS OF OPERATION - "Contractor employees shall generally perform all work between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday (except Federal holidays). However, there may be occasions when Contractor employees shall be required to work other than normal business hours, including weekends and holidays, to fulfill requirements under this SOW."

Will the government allow for an Overtime Rate for hours worked outside the 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM EST window?

Answer: The contractor should expect for all work to be performed within the hours of operation.

Question 17: In Section 4.7 CONTINUITY OF SERVICE - "Contractor employees may be granted permission to telework during government emergency events provided all security access measures are met and tested prior to execution. Approval must to obtained from the COR in each instance."

Once Telework is authorized will the government allow for an Overtime Rate for hours worked outside the 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM EST window for work performed remotely?

Answer: The contractor should expect for all work to be performed within the hours of operation.

Question 18: Are past performances included in the 15 page count?

Answer: Yes.

Question 19: Does the government expect to issue this BPA with 12 month base plus four 12-month option periods?

Answer: The current solicitation is for one 12-month period.

Question 20: Will FEMA provide work space and computers for the team?

Answer: For any work that needs to be completed onsite, yes FEMA will provide work space and computers.

Question 21: Can the font size for graphics be smaller (e.g. 8 or 9 pt)?

Answer: No

Question 22: Is it allowable to use ½ inch margins throughout the document?

Answer: No

Question 23: Given that the small business size standard is 15 million, does the government intend to limit this to small businesses that meet this threshold?

Answer: This procurement is unrestricted.

Question 24: Could you provide additional details regarding the structure of the BPA and will the companies selected (if multiple awards are made) have to bid on every future call released under the

BPA?

Answer: Contractor will not be required to bid on every order.

Question 25: Do you have a sense for how frequently calls will be issued under the BPA or what calls would be issued first? Do you anticipate that calls for all 17 tasks described will be issued over the course of the 12 months?

Answer: The Government seeks to establish a Blanket Purchase Agreement. This agreement makes no guarantees in terms of quantity or type of work. Potential call orders may include any combination of tasks listed in the Statement of Work. Call order can be issue through BPA expiration.

Question 26: Is the hourly estimate included for pricing purposes the government’s actual estimated level of effort for the 12 month period of performance, or is that estimate being used primarily for the purposes of price comparison between vendors?

Answer: The total estimated price shall be used for proposal purposes only, the embedded labor rates will be used to price resulting call orders.

Question 27: Is there an incumbent performing any of the 17 tasks?

Answer: There is not a combined incumbent performing this work.

Question 28: Is this a new requirement or is there an existing incumbent? If there is an existing incumbent who is the incumbent?

Answer: There is not a combined incumbent performing this work.

Question 29: If there is an existing incumbent, are all task orders currently filled?

Answer: Not applicable.

Question 30: Is there a past performance requirement to be included in the technical response?

Answer: See solicitation.

Question 31: Are resumes required to be submitted with the proposal for the Human Resources Program Manager?

Answer: The contractor shall provide sufficient information to allow for evaluation of personnel per the evaluation criteria.

Question 32: Are resumes required to be submitted for the Alternate Human Resources Program Manager?

Answer: The contractor shall provide sufficient information to allow for evaluation of personnel per the evaluation criteria.

Question 33: Are resumes required for any of the labor categories the Contractor may propose?

Answer: The contractor shall provide sufficient information to allow for evaluation of personnel per the evaluation criteria.

Question 34: Will the Human Resources Program Manager be a billable labor category?

Answer: The contractor shall determine which labor category to propose.

Question 35: How soon after award does the Government expect to issue the first Task Order?

Answer: Call orders can be placed any time before BPA expiration.

Question 36: Are the positions for the Task Orders expected to be fulltime?

Answer: Level of effort will vary depending on individual requirements.

Question 37: What ODCs does the Government anticipate since $40,000 is estimated for ODCs?

Answer: Travel expenses.

Question 38: What is the basis of the estimated level of effort? Using a standard 1920 hours equals

16.0885 FTEs. What is the expected level of effort in FTEs?

Answer: It was not intended for the level of effort to be converted into FTE. The resulting call orders may or may not require personnel who would be considered FTE.

Question 39: What is the expected split of government site hours versus contractor site hours?

Answer: The majority of the work will likely be at a government site.

Question 40: Does FEMA have desks, computers, phones, etc. for all contractor personnel at the government site?

Answer: FEMA will provide the necessary equipment for the work that is required to be performed at the government site.

Question 41: What is the estimated amount of time over the 12 months that the contractor is expected to be at the Winchester facility and for what tasks of the SOW?

Answer: The work will be performed in Washington, DC. Work performed in Winchester will be incidental.

Question 42: What level of personnel experience description is expected in the technical proposal?

With no resumes required, what information does the government require in order to evaluate “expertise needed to accomplish the tasks outlined in the SOW”?

Answer: The contractor shall provide sufficient information to allow for evaluation of personnel per the evaluation criteria. The solicitation does not preclude the contractor for submitting resumes. As stated in the solicitation, resumes are excluded from the page limitation.

Question 43: Is the BPA expected to be fully staffed on October 1? Will there be multiple Task Orders under the BPA over time?

Answer: The Government seeks to establish a Blanket Purchase Agreement. This agreement makes no guarantees in terms of quantity or type of work. Potential call orders may include any combination of tasks listed in the Statement of Work. Call order can be issue through BPA expiration.

Question 44: What past performance information is required? Does past performance references count in the 15 page limit? The contractor shall provide sufficient information to allow for evaluation.

Answer: The page limitation is inclusive of past performance information.

Question 45: Is there currently an incumbent performing these tasks?

Answer: There is not a combined incumbent performing this work.

Question 46: Is there an incumbent supporting the services to be provided under this BPA? If there is an incumbent, can the Government identify who the incumbent is?

Answer: There is not a combined incumbent performing this work.

Question 47: Are bidders permitted to bid on some, but not all tasks outlined in the Statement of Work under Section 2.0? If bidding on only some tasks is possible, should bidders address only those task areas they wish to support in their response?

Answer: The contractor must propose on the entire Statement of Work.

Question 48: Will the Government allow FFP task orders under the resultant BPA?

Answer: All call orders shall be firm fixed price.

Question 49: Can the Government confirm that FAR 52.215-2 - Audit and Records - Negotiation will be included in the resultant BPA?

Answer: The referenced clause is not applicable to the subject procurement.

Question 50: What systems is FEMA utilizing from the National Finance Center? Such as, are you utilizing the full suite of EmPowHR, FPPS, etc.?

Answer: FEMA utilizes a wide range of systems for the task areas included in this BPA. Required knowledge of any of the relevant systems would be included in each Task Order.

Question 51: How many Federal employees are these positions/FTEs supporting?

Answer: Across all the task areas there are approximately 150 federal employees.

Question 52: Does HQ support FEMA worldwide? If not, could you identify the components supported?

Answer: FEMA’s Office of the Chief Component Human Capital Officer supports all human resources requirements across the entire Agency.

Question 53: How many Federal employees are involved in each of these 17 tasks?

Answer: Across all the task areas there are approximately 150 federal employees.

Question 54: “The solicitation is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ) in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 13. The incorporated provisions and clauses within the solicitation document are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 05-76. The NAICS Code and small business size standard for procurement are 541612 and $15 million, respectively. This action is unrestricted; all responsible and responsive businesses may submit an offer for consideration. It is anticipated that one or more BPAs will be award as a result of this solicitation. The award of the BPAs will be made on a best value basis, using the procedures prescribed in the attached evaluation criteria” Can the Government please clarify if this solicitation is unrestricted?

Answer: This action is unrestricted.

Question 55: Per 4.5 of the Statement of Work – Place of Performance, the requirement states:

“The primary place of performance will be a combination of the Contractor’s facilities and the Federal Emergency Management Agency at 500 C St. SW, Washington, DC. There is a secondary FEMA facilities in Winchester, VA to which contractors may need to travel to complete additional work.”

Some of the labor that is required under a few of the tasks requested in the SOW entails contractor work product done on contractor work site. May we propose in our solution the labor categories for on-and off-site work at the BPA level?

Answer: The contractor shall determine and propose labor categories necessary to accomplish work.

Question 56: Under Task Five: Position Management and Classification, would FEMA allow classifiers to work in a telework environment some of the time?

Answer: The ability to telework in support of any task areas will be dependent on the Task Order.

Question 57: Due to this requirement in Attachment 3: Evaluation Criteria, Personnel (“Each quotation should specify intent and approach for using subcontractors.”) in addition to the Past Performance requirements, we respectfully request that Past Performances be excluded from the page count due to the limited space to provide a solution in line with the evaluation factors set forth.

Answer: The page limitation is inclusive of past performance.

Question 58: Can you please tell us how many task orders are anticipated to be released under this

BPA?

Answer: FEMA expects to issue multiple task orders under the BPA over time.

Question 59: In Attachment 1: Terms and Conditions, Statement #8: Pricing reads as follows:

”Only rates incorporated into the schedule of services are authorized for billing. The prices or rates shall not escalate and is not subject to the upward adjustment during the term of the BPA or any resulting call order unless required by statute. The Service Contract Act is applicable to this requirement. Applicable wage determinations can be found at http://www.wdol.gov/. “

Pursuant to this requirement, none of the anticipated proposed labor categories would apply to DOL Wage Determination. Will FEMA allow respondents to provide a waiver statement in the Pricing Volume stating that wage determination does not apply because the positions are professional in nature and not administrative?

Answer: Yes

Question 60: Due to the following clause: (iii) 52.222-17, Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers (May 2014) (E.O. 13495). Flow down required in accordance with paragraph (l) of FAR clause 52.222-17.

Can you please tell us if there is an incumbent and can you identify the incumbent?

Answer: There is not a combined incumbent performing this work.

Question 61: Under Attachment 2: Quotation Requirements, Requirements for Technical Quotation, you request “FAR provision 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications–Commercial Items.”

Since there was no instruction as to where to put this, can we assume that you want this located in the Price Quotation Volume? Also, since this FAR clause is 18 pages, would it be acceptable to include our SAM certification in lieu of the full FAR provision? Solicitation states FAR 52.212-3 shall be included in technical quotation.

Answer: No.

Question 62: It is indicated on Page 30 of the solicitation that the only Key Personnel is the Human Resources Program Manager/Alternate. Does FEMA only require resumes for Key Personnel or for all FTEs proposed within our labor mix?

Answer: The term key personnel in the evaluation criteria shall be interpreted as essential personnel as determined by the contractor.

Question 63: Give the number of tasks (17) and the number of pages allocated to address these tasks (15), we respectfully request that FEMA consider expanding its page allocation for the Technical Quotation to 20 pages so that we may provide a more wholesome response to FEMA’s solicitation.

Answer: The page limit on the technical quotation will remain as stated in the solicitation package.