HSFE50-15-R-0018_A00001FINALQA.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)

1 17

A00001 See block 16c

FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

MT. WEATHER EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER

ATTN:

19844 BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAIN ROAD

MT WEATHER VA 20135

To all Offerors/Bidders HSFE50-15-R-0018

05-29-2015 X x x

THE PURPOSE OF THIS AMENDMENT IS AS FOLLOWS:

1. THE DUE DATE FOR PROPOSALS HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO JULY 2, 2015, 1 PM LOCAL TIME (BLUEMONT VA)

2. TO INCORPORATE THE QUESTIONS AND AND ANSWERS THAT WERE RECEIVED. THE RFP HAS BEEN AMENDED BASED ON THE Q&As.

MATTHEW A. RAIBLE

CONTRACTING OFFICER

A00001 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR HSFE50‐15‐R‐0018, DATED 6/22/2015 VERSION 1

Q.1 The solicitation requires that “in order to be awarded a contract, offerors must certify that it currently has an ACTIVE TS FACILITY CLEARANCE WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.” Would a TS facility clearance with DOE be acceptable?

A.1 In order be eligible for contract award, the offeror must have an ACTIVE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TS CLEARANCE. DOE clearances will be acceptable as well.

Q2. The solicitation requires that the contractor “have all personnel who will be performing work under this SOW cleared to a minimum Secret level, with a majority of the staff cleared at the Top Secret (TS) level.” Would DOE Q clearances be acceptable?

A2. DOE Q clearances will be acceptable

Q3. To inquire about the Security Requirement portion of this RFP. Pg 78 Section L10 Documentation of Security Requirements requires contractors to have an active TS Facility and further states "it is anticipated that some contractor proposed ...will be required to have an active TS with SCI." I would like to know if the intent of the section is that all contractors, prime and subs, are required to have the clearance with SCI? Or, can the prime have contractors with the clearance and the subs be in the process of getting said clearances? Or, if possible, can the Solicitation be amended to reflect that at the time of submittal only the prime is required to have the TS with SCI as long as the subs are in the process of obtaining the clearances?

A3. No, some task areas will require TS with the ability to obtain SCI. The awardee(s) are expected to be able to perform the tasks and the SOW at the time of the award. Therefore contractor personnel should have TS clearances at the time of award.

Q4. Pursuant to the last sentence of L.10 Documentation of Security Requirements. How many positions require TS SCI at start of contract?

A4. None, all personnel must have a minimum of secret and some TS at the start of award.

Q5. Which positions will require this at start of contract?

Section 6.0 of the PWS does not state TS SCI, it only states TS. Contractor has many qualified personnel with Secret with CBRN operational and first response experience. Clarification of the TS requirement is requested.

A5. A minimum of secret is required for all contractor personnel on this contract. Some personnel will be required to have a TS in order to perform task.

Q6. The subject solicitation lists 5/1/15 as the due date for past performance questionnaires; we assume that this is an error. Can the Government please provide the due date for PPQ’s submitted in response to the subject requirement?

A6. This is an error. The date for submission is for 7/2/2015 1 pm local time

Q7. Section L.9.A.3 states that Courier 12 point font or equivalent is the minimum to be used. Does “equivalent” mean that Times New Roman 12 point font would be acceptable?

A7. Yes

Q8. Section L.9.A.3 states that organization charts, diagrams, tables or other graphic illustrations can have a font as small as 10 point “printed in landscape orientation or folded to eliminate oversize pages.” Can 10 point font be used for organization charts, diagrams, tables, and other graphics that remain in portrait orientation?

A8. Yes

Q9. Section L.9.B, Factor 2, states that the offeror shall demonstrate in the staffing plan that its proposed personnel have education and experience to perform the tasks. Is it intended that all of the information required to show this should be provided in the table provided in the RFP (and thus part of the 30-page limit) or are resumes for these nonkey people also desired?

A9. Resumes for non key personnel are not required. Nonkey personnel should have the minimum education and experience proposed by the offeror.

Q10. Section L.9.B, Factor 2, provides a list of labor categories with minimum education and experience requirements and suggested titles. The RFP states that “Offerors may reclassify stated positions and add additional labor categories as necessary to complete the work.” By “reclassify” does that mean that we can establish our own categories, education, and experience requirements, or do we use these as a minimum and have flexibility to add others?

A10. Offerors may complete the labor table based on their company’s minimum education and experience requirements. The table will be part of the evaluation.

Q11. Section L.9.B, Factor 3, says that the offeror shall submit information regarding past performance and provide a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 5 references for relevant services. It also states that all subcontractors listed by the prime shall provide the same detailed information as listed above. Does this mean that the prime and each subcontractor should each provide 3 to 5 references, or that the team as a whole should provide 3 to 5 references total for the team?

A11. 3 to 5 references from the team or offeror.

Q12. Section L.9.B, Factor 3, item (1) asks for a narrative that provides an overview of the relevant contracts, including dates, locations, scope of work, contract type, contract value, types and numbers of workers, problems encountered and their solutions, and noteworthy successes or accomplishments. Is it intended that this narrative is where the information listed at the beginning of Factor 3 is provided?

Otherwise it seems like it would repeat much of that same information.

A12. Information should be provided in both areas

Q13. Section L.9.A.3 excludes past performance questionnaires from the page limitation for the technical proposal. Are the information on past performance requested in Section L.9.B, Factor 3, and the “narrative” included in the page limitation?

A13. Yes, it is included in the limitation

Q14. Section L.9.B, Factor 3, item (2) states that “the government will contact the past performance references listed by the offeror and complete the questionnaire with information obtained from the references.” This implies that the questionnaire in Attachment C is provided for contractor reference only and is not to be distributed. However, the Part 1 Instructions for Attachment C state that “the offeror shall complete Part 1 before sending the questionnaire to the government” and the Part 2 Instructions state that the customer respondent should complete the questionnaire and email it to FEMA by May 1, 2015. Please clarify how offerors should handle Attachment C

– (1) use Attachment C only as a reference, (2) complete Part 1 and include the otherwise blank questionnaires as an appendix to the proposal, or (3) complete Part 1 and provide to customer references to complete and return to FEMA by June 29?

A14. Offeror shall complete part 1 information and the government will contact that name POCs to complete the evaluation. The information should be submitted by June 29th or due date of the proposal should it be extended.

Q15. Section L.9.B, Factor 2, provides suggested labor categories of Project Manager, Subject Matter Experts, Analyst, Meeting Facilitator, and Technical Writer/Editor:

A.15 Not a question.

Q16. Section L.9.C.2.c seems to imply that Subject Matter Experts are considered to be consultants (i.e., not regular company staff). Is this correct?

A16. No this not correct, they may be in house staff or subcontractors.

Q17. In Section L.9.C.2, offerors are to complete the Table for Cost Evaluation Purposes using the hours given for each category. However, the labor categories are Program Manager/Task Lead, Subject Matter Expert, Meeting Facilitator, and Analyst:

– The instructions indicate that we can allot hours between senior, mid, and junior level categories (within the given categories, we assume). Does this mean that the hours given for each main category (Subject Matter Expert, Meeting Facilitator, etc.) must be kept as provided in the RFP?

A. Yes, for cost estimating purposes utilize hours as stated. During actual performance, senior, mid, and junior level will be utilized.

– If the answer to the above question is yes, if we reclassify stated positions or add additional labor categories, as is provided for under Factor 2, how should we assign hours to those categories?

A. For cost evaluation purposes under L.9, table should be completed with the hours given.

– How many hours should we designate for Technical Writer Editor and Project Manager, who are not presently included in the table?

A. Hours for these categories will be determined during issuance of task order requests.

– What are the minimum education and experience requirements for the Program Manager/Task Lead?

Since 5,500 hours are assigned for the base year, we assume this is different from the contract Project Manager and that FEMA is looking for multiple individuals in this category.

A. Minimum education and experience should be determined by the offeror for proposed labor categories.

Q18. Is Attachment D, DHS Nondisclosure Agreement, to be completed and returned with the proposal, or is it just included for information? If so, is it to be completed for each individual or a representative of the prime or each firm on the team?

A18. It should be completed and returned with the proposal, VOLUME II

Q19. Section B.4 states that “indirects on ODCs will be paid in accordance with firm’s CAS.” However, since this is set aside for small business (Section I, FAR 52.219-6), most firms bidding will not likely be subject to CAS. In the absence of a CAS disclosure statement, will FEMA accept negotiated rate agreements with other agencies?

A19. YES

Q20. Section G.11 states that “travel outside the local commuting area is not anticipated” and requires advance written approval for all non-local travel, while Section B.2 includes $42,000 each year for travel.

This would seem to indicate that significant non-local travel is anticipated. Which is correct, and if significant travel is anticipated will it still be subject to the requirement for advance written approval?

A20. Yes travel outside the local commuting area will need advance approval.

Q21. Section M.6 requires that offerors “provide a copy of the Industrial Security Facilities Database (ISFD) facility verification for their own company” and “individual security clearances required” “at the time the proposal is submitted.” If an offeror has a TS FCL through DOE (we may have only one cognizant agency, and therefore the clearances are to be reciprocal between DOE and DoD) and therefore does not have access to the ISFD, what documentation should we provide in lieu of this?

A21. Offeror will need to provide some form of documentation and a POC to confirm DOE Clearance.

Q22. Paragraph G4 states one or more Task Orders will be issued during the performance of this contract.

Paragraph L.5 states the Government may elect to award a single delivery order contract or task order contract or to award multiple delivery order contracts or task order contracts for the same or similar supplies or services to two or more sources under this solicitation.

Paragraph L.11 states the Government anticipates the competition will result in two contract awards.

Question: Assuming the Government does make two or more contract awards but only releases one task order; is it possible that a company could be awarded a contract at the IDIQ level and have only one opportunity to bid on and be awarded a task order. How many task orders were released under the existing contract?

A22. After contract award, firms selected for award under this solicitation will be given a Fair Opportunity to compete for future tasks orders.

Q23 L.9 PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

Factor 3-Past Performance

(2) Reference Questionnaires. A copy of the questionnaire is listed in Attachment C, the Government will contact the past performance references listed by the offeror and complete the questionnaire with information obtained from references.

Question: As we read this it seems like the Government will be completing the questionnaire and there is no requirement for the offeror to forward the questionnaire to our existing or former customer. Is this correct?

A23. See previous answers

Q24. 5 M.5 TECHNICAL EVALUATION FACTORS/CRITERIA

Factor 3- Past Performance

Past Performance: Evaluation of Past Performance information may be based on information presented in the offeror’s proposal, information obtained from the offeror’s supplied references through telephone interviews, the PPIRS database, and information obtained by the Government from other sources.

The proposal page limitation does not apply to the following: title pages, table of contents; index pages;

blank/divider tabs; certifications; position descriptions; past performance questionnaires; the business proposal; cover letter; resumes (individual resumes limited to 2 pages); and letters of intent.

Question: Are we suppose to include the entire 7 page past performance questionnaire in our proposal or just Part 1?

A24. Only include Part 1, see previous answers.

Q25. Attachment C: Past Performance Questionnaire

PART 2 INSTRUCTIONS:

Customer respondent, please complete this questionnaire and e-mail to christine.todd@fema.dhs.gov, no later than 2:00 P.M. Local Time (Virginia), on 05/01/2015.

Question: We can see that this date is no longer applicable, but it is still unclear to us if we are suppose to be sending the questionnaire to our customer asking them to complete it and return it to the Government or if we are just suppose to complete Part 1 and include that information only in our technical proposal?

A25. See previous answers

Q26. Are we correct to assume that there is no requirement for us to respond to the Sample Tasks and that they are only included for information purposes only as stated in the RFP?

A26. Yes, they are for information purposes only.

Q27. Section L.9-3 states “The following page limitations are established below for the proposals submitted in response to this solicitation: Technical Proposal: 30 single sided or 15 double sided pages.

The proposal page limitation does not apply to the following: title pages, table of contents, index pages, blank/divider tabs, certifications, position descriptions, past performance questionnaires, etc.” Do cross-reference matrices and acronym lists count towards page limits?

A2. No they do not count.

Q28. The Past Performance Questionnaire- Part 2 Instructions states “Customer respondent, please complete this questionnaire and e-mail to Christine.todd@fema.dhs.gov, no later than 2:00 P.M. Local Time (Virginia) on 5/01/2015. Is there an updated Past Performance Questionnaire due date?

A28. See previous answers.

Q29. Section L.10 states, “some contractor proposed to perform under the resultant award will be required to have a CURRENT TS CLEARANCE WITH SCI.” Several other references in the RFP discuss clearances at the TOP SECRET level. Does the Government anticipate performing work at the TS/SCI level, and if so, how many people will be needed at that level?

A29. If required, max of 3-5 people would require TS/SCI.

Q30. 4.0 under the SOW states "Work to be performed at client sites within the National Capital Region."

Will all work be performed at client site, and if so, will government facilities and equipment be provided?

A30. Majority of work is expected to be at client sites. The government will not provide equipment or facilities.

Q31. Can the government share how many FTE currently support the incumbent contracts? Are all of these FTE on client site, or is work also performed at contractor facilities?

A31. Multiple FTE’s support the current contracts. All contractors work at contractor facilities.

Q32. On page G-9, section G.11, the RFP notes that, “Travel outside the local commuting area is not anticipated.” However, the RFP also includes a substantial budget for travel (pages B-1 and B-2, $42,000 per year). Can the government clarify if travel outside the local commuting area is anticipated?

A32. Some Task orders will experience episodic travel outside the local commuting area. That will be determined at task order award.

Q33. On page L-6, paragraph 6, the RFP states that the “solicitation will result in awards FP/Time& Material/IDIQ contracts.” For the work in the SOW at Attachment A, does the government envision awarding a Fixed Price or Time and Materials contract? If a mix of both, is the intent for the Labor CLIN(s) to be Fixed Price and other CLIN(s)? If yes, which CLINS will be Time and Materials? If no, could the government explain how it envisions the hybrid CLIN structure to be?

A33. A majority of the task orders will be Time and Materials. In event a task order will be fixed price, the government will utilize the loaded rates in the clin schedule. Offeror shall proposed loaded labor rates.

Q34. On page L-6, paragraph 2, there is reference to “bookmarks are encouraged.” What is a bookmark in this context?

A34. That term will be deleted.

Q35. On page L-12, Section L.10, the RFP states, “offerors must certify that it currently has an ACTIVE TS FACILITY CLEARANCE WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.” Does the government require all proposed subcontractors to have an active TS Facility Clearance as well?

A35. Subcontractors that will be utilized on Task Orders requiring TS clearance will need a TS clearance.

Q36. On page 4 of the SOW, Section 4.0 Location, the SOW states that work will be performed at client sites throughout the National Capital Region. Can the government clarify at which/how many client site locations work will be performed? Does the government intend for all work under this contract to be performed at client sites?

A36. Client sites, refers to contractors sites. The government will not provide facilities.

Q37. On page 5 of the SOW, Section 6.0 Security, paragraph 2a, Personal Security Clearances, the SOW states that “the highest level of work to be performed at the contractor’s facility is Secret.” Can the government confirm that the locations where work will be performed will be both at client site locations and contractor facilities?

A37. Client sites refers to contractor sites

Q38. Does the government envision needing reach-back support to fulfill the requirements in the SOW?

A38. No.

Q39. Does the government expect the Program Manager position to be full-time? Does the government envision the Program Manager to be at client site, contractor site or is that at the discretion of the offeror?

A39. It is possible that the program manager position is full time. It will depend on the task orders that have been awarded. Client site refers to the contractor sites.

Q40. On page 5 of the SOW, Section 6.0 Security, paragraph 1 states that “the work performed under this effort will be at the respected classification levels.” Could the government identify the expected clearance requirements aligned to the task areas in Section 3 in the SOW (3.1 CBRNE Response and Recovery, 3.2 Domestic Emergency Support Team Program, 3.3 Nuclear Incident Radiological Team Program, 3.4 Nuclear/Radiological Incident Protection Program, and 3.5 Interagency Modeling and Atmospheric Assessment Center)?

A40. 3.1/3.2 Secret and TS,3.3 Secret, 3.4 TS/SCI, 3.5 Secret

Q41.On page 5 of the SOW, Section 6.0 Security, paragraph 3 makes reference to the DD-254, but a DD- 254 was not attached to the RFP. Could the government provide the DD-254?

A.41. DD-254 will be provided upon award.

Q42. Can the government provide an estimate of how many contractors will require SCI access?

A42. See previous answers.

Q43. What is the government’s specific process for onboarding TS-SCI cleared contractors and activating their SCI access?

A43. If required for, SCI applications will be processed through FEMA security upon award.

Q44. Will all TS/SCI related information will be held solely at Government site?

A44. Yes

Q45. On page L-9 of the RFP, Factor 3 Past Performance, paragraph 2, Reference Questionnaires states “A copy of the questionnaire is listed in Attachment C, the government will contact the past performance references listed by the offeror and complete the questionnaire with information obtained from references.” And then Attachment C (Past Performance Questionnaire) states that “the offeror shall complete Part 1 before sending the questionnaire to the government.”

� Is it the government’s intent to gather the feedback from offerors’ past performance references directly? Or does the government want the offeror to coordinate with the references to ensure they complete Part 2 of the questionnaire and email their response to christine.todd@fema.dhs.gov?

A45. It is the intent of the government to receive feedback from the referenced sources. In addition, the government will contact the POCs listed.

Q46. In Attachment C (Past Performance Questionnaire), the Part 2 instructions state that the past performance questionnaires are to be completed and emailed to christine.todd@fema.dhs.gov no later than 2:00 P.M. local time (Virginia) on 05/01/15. Since the RFP came out at the end of May and proposals are due 06/29/15, are the past performance questionnaires also due 06/29/15?

A46. See previous answers

Q47. Solicitation, page L-9, Factor 3 – Past Performance states that “All subcontractors listed by the prime shall provide the same detailed information as listed above.” Does the Government intend the offeror to submit this information only if a subcontractor’s contract overview is included in the proposal’s past performance section?

A47. YES.

Q48. Would the Government please clarify the instructions in the Solicitation, page L-9, Factor 3 – Past Performance, (2) Reference Questionnaires, and in the Solicitation, Attachment C, Part 1 Instructions?

Does the Government intend for the offeror to complete Part 1 of each Reference Questionnaire and submit those questionnaires as part of its proposal on June 29th after which point the Government, not the offeror, will contact each reference provided for completion of Part 2 of the questionnaire?

A48. See previous answers

Q49. Which active facility clearance level, Secret or Top Secret, are offerors required to hold for this work? The Solicitation, Attachment A, Statement of Work page 5, Section 6.0 Security #2b. states that “the highest level of work to be performed at the contractor’s facility will be Secret”, however, on page L- 12 Section L.10 Documentation of Security Requirements of the Solicitation it states that “offerors must certify that it currently has an Active TS Facility Clearance with the Department of Defense”.

A49. Secret- The awardee will not store and/or possess any TS documentation at its facility. All TS material will be accessed and maintain at a Government Controlled Facility.

Q50. On Page 2 of Attachment C, Past Performance Questionnaire, a due date of 05/01/2015 is indicated.

Could you please provide the correct due date and time?

A50. See previous answers

Q51.Solicitation, Attachment A, Statement of Work page 4, Section 4.0 Location states that the place of performance is “client sites within the National Capital Region” but page F-1, Section F.4 Principal Place of Performance states “the effort required under this contract shall be performed at the contractor’s facility and DHS/FEMA 500 C St”. What is the correct place of performance for this work?

A51. Client sites refers to contractors sites

Q52. Would the Government please clarify whether the minimum clearance requirement for proposed personnel is Secret for all personnel, Top Secret for some personnel, and that active TS SCI is not required for proposed personnel at this time? (Please refer to statements made in Solicitation, Attachment A, Statement of Work page 5, Section 6.0 Security, #2a. and #2b., and in the Solicitation, page L-12, Section L.10 Documentation of Security Requirements).

A52. See previous answers

Q53. Would the Government provide either the Microsoft Word or fillable PDF version of the Past Performance Questionnaire for ease of form?

A53. Offerors may submit a similar version with all information included.

Q54. A DD254 is referenced in the Statement of Work, Section 6.0, paragraph 3.c. Will the DD254 be provided as a part of the solicitation?

A54. See previous answers

Q55. Please clarify or differentiate the role/duties for the Ombudsman listed in Section G.4, (h) and L.8, paragraph C. (1) a.

A55. G.4 Ombudsman will be in effect after solicitation is awarded. Section L Ombudsman will not be applicable after award.

Q56. The Government uses the nomenclature of a “$” and a “&” to identify FFP and Time and Materials line items, respectively. It is recommended the following solicitation clauses listed below be designated as follows:

a. & (T&M) - paragraphs F.7, 1.1, (b), 1., 2., and 3. (This requirement is for reporting hours and dollars which is only appropriate for T&M work.)

b. & (T&M) - paragraph I.6, 52.216-7 Allowable Cost and Payment. (This clause is only appropriate for T&M or Cost Reimbursable work.)

c. & (T&M) - paragraph I.18, Payments Under Time-and-Materials and Labor-Hour Contracts.

(This clause applies only to T&M work.)

A56. A majority of Task Orders will be Time and Materials under this contract.

Q57. Section L, paragraph C.2. allows for labor categories to be differentiated by levels of experience (Senior, Mid, and Junior). Is it correct to assume that the labor category descriptions in L.9, paragraph B.

for the Project Manager, Subject Matter Experts, Analyst, Meeting Facilitator and Technical Writer/Editor describe the Junior level as the minimum qualification?

A57. Yes

Q58. Given that the Section L, “Table For Cost Evaluation Purposes” does not contain a column label for total amounts and Section M-4 states that the Government will only evaluate fully burdened labor rates.

Is it a correct interpretation that an extension of total amounts applying the number of hours provided in the solicitation against the proposed hourly rates is not required?

a. If the extension of total amounts is required and if the offeror differentiates the labor categories by Senior, Mid and Junior, what is the mix of labor hours that should be associated with each level?

A58. For cost evaluation purposes, offerors shall complete the table with fully extended rates multiplied by the hours stated for each labor category. Offerors shall utilize Mid level rates for each category.

Q59. Since FAR Clause 52.216-29, “Time-and-Materials/Labor-Hour Proposal Requirements—Non- Commercial Item Acquisition with Adequate Price Competition” is included in the solicitation Section L- 2, which only requires the submission of labor category price data on an hourly basis and excludes any requirement for cost data, should the instruction for cost data in Section L, paragraph C.2.a., b., and e. not be required?

A59. YES

Q60. If the Government’s response is that cost data is required, please clarify the requirement in Section L, paragraph C.2.e. Specifically, is the Government requesting the names of the cost elements that compose the Overhead and General and Administrative pools or does the Government also require the budget dollars within each cost element for each indirect overhead pool?

If cost data is still required will the Government accept sealed cost packages directly from Non- Commercial Item Subcontractors?

A60. G&A data is not required.

Q61. Given that FAR Clause 52.244-6, “Subcontracts with Commercial Items”, is included in Section I and the regulation encourages the prime contractor to subcontract, to the maximum extent practicable, with Commercial Item Subcontractors, please confirm that Commercial Item Subcontractors will only be required to provide price data consistent with commercial acquisition practices.

A61. Correct

Q62.Will the Government consider making three or more awards?

A62. No

Q63. Do contractors supporting any functional areas of the FEMA CBRNE Office need to be prepared to deploy, or actually deploy, as part of the work under an award of a task order?

A63. No

Q64. In Section L.9, page L-6, the requirement states, "The font color shall be black." Please confirm this does not apply to Section Headers and Table of Contents.

A64. Correct

Q65. Is this a new requirement? If not, who is the incumbent?

A65. No this is not a new requirement. The two current IDIQ contract holders are Dynamis Inc. and Gryphon Scientific

Q66. Reference: Section F.7, Reports of Work, Part 2.1.f, Task Order Statement of Work (page F-3).

A66. Not a question

Q67. Discussion: Language is as follows “…stated in terms of man-years.”

Question: Should that read “…stated in terms of man-hours”?

A67. Yes

Q68. Reference: Section L.9.A, Factor 1, Technical Approach and Technical Experience (page L-7).

Discussion: The RFP includes two Sample Task Orders as attachments. The RFP states that “Sample Task Orders are provided as information only & will not be evaluated.”

Question: Will the Government please clarify to what level it would like vendors to address these specific technical requirements in their technical response? Is it the government’s intent that vendors leverage these TO’s as the metric to address “projects similar in nature, size and complexity to the requirement”.

A68. The task orders are a sample of the work that will be ordered. Offerors shall use the info to address their technical response

Q69. Reference: Section L.9.C, Business Proposal Instructions (Volume 2), paragraph 2.b, Subcontractor Labor (page L-10).

Discussion: The RFP states that cost information for each subcontractor shall be furnished in the same format and level of detail as prescribed for the prime offeror.

Question: Will the Government allow the subcontractor to submit the proprietary cost detail directly to the Government?

A69. Yes, subcontractors may submit proprietary cost information separately to the Government

Q70. Reference: Section L.10, Documentation of Security Requirements (page L-12).

Discussion: “In addition, it is anticipated that some contractor proposed to perform under the resultant award will be required to have a CURRENT TS CLEARANCE WITH SCI. Due to the need for contractor support immediately after award, pending clearances waiting approval are NOT acceptable.”

SOW Section 6.0, Security states “…all personnel who will be performing work under this SOW cleared to a minimum Secret level, with a majority of the staff cleared at the Top Secret (TS) level.”

Question: Our understanding is that SCI is granted by the government activity on an as needed basis per effort. Will the government accept current TS clearances with SCI capability?

a. Question: Will the Government please identify which positions will require TS SCI?

b. Question: Will FEMA facilitate the DHS SCI read in after award?

A70. Yes

A70a. TS/SCI requirement is based on the task not the position.

A70b. Yes, contractors will be required to complete required paperwork from FEMA Security and will be read in once approved.

Q71. Reference: Attachment C, Past Performance Questionnaire.

Question: Should a separate questionnaire be completed for each of the past performances referenced in the Technical Proposal?

A71. See previous answer(s)

Q72. Reference: Factor 2- Past Performance (2) p. L9, Reference Questionnaires. A copy of the questionnaire is listed in Attachment C, the Government will contact the past performance references listed by the offeror and complete the questionnaire with information obtained from references.

A72. See previous answer(s)

Q73. Since the Government will contact the past performance references to complete the questionnaires, how is the offeror to address them in the proposal. Are the partially filled out forms included in the proposal as a tab or attachment? Do they count against the 30-page technical volume limitation? Are the partially-filled out forms submitted to Ms. Todd in advance of the proposal submission?

A73. They will not count toward page limitation.

Q74.

Reference:

Statement of Work, paragraph 4, Location- Work to be performed at client sites within the National Capital Region.

A74. Not a question

Q75. Business Proposal Instructions (Volume 2), page L-10- “Contractor Off-site Loaded Rate” is defined as the loaded rate for labor incurred in any location other than a Government Facility.

A75. Not a question

Q76. The Government states in the PWS that work is to be performed at client sites but, the business proposal calls for a loaded rate for other than Government Facility. This begs the following questions-

a. Does the offeror provide any on-site support at any facilities inside/ outside the National Capital Region?

b. How much of the effort is performed at government sites verses contractor facility?

c. Can the contractor propose SME/ reachback support from contractor facilities inside/ outside of the National Capital Region?

d. Is the Contractor Program Manager (Key Personnel) located on or off site? If the PM is off-site can he/she be outside of the National Capital Region?

A76.

a. No

b. Majority of work will be at contractor sites within the NCR

c. Yes, inside of the NCR

d. The government will not provide facilities. No

Q77. Reference: IDIQ Contract – Base Year, Table for Cost Evaluation Purposes, p. L 10-11, CLIN Column. There is no CLIN or hours proposed for the Technical Writer/ Editor as described in paragraph 5, page L-8.

Question: Can the Government project the minimum hours for the Technical Writer/ Editor Labor Category and add them to the CLIN table?

A77. There are no hours projected at this time.

Q78. Reference: Section L, Factor 2- Key Personnel/ Staffing Plan, page L-7.

Key Personnel- The offeror shall identify and present resumes and position descriptions of proposed key personnel, including Program Manager and other key personnel proposed by the offeror, which may include consultants and other professionals.

Staffing Plan- The staffing plan shall include a description of how the offeror will recruit, train, retain and otherwise maintain a qualified work force for this requirement, as well as the proposed plan to supervise and coordinate its staff. The plan shall include the number, skill mix, levels of expertise and qualification for the proposed positions. Include the duties and responsibilities for each position proposed. In the description of the proposed labor mix, demonstrate that the proposed staff will have the necessary skills and expertise necessary for successful contract performance. The offeror shall demonstrate its proposed personnel have education and experience to perform the tasks.

Question:

Can the contractor propose personnel and submit resumes to demonstrate their compliance with the Staffing Plan and not propose them as key personnel as denoted in the Key Personnel paragraph in Factor 2?

A78. The Offeror will submit its proposed Key Personnel for evaluation by the Government.

Q79. Section F.4 indicates that the principal place of performance is at the contractor’s facility and the CBRNE Branch in Washington, DC. However, Attachment A (Statement of Work), Section 4.0, states that work is to be performed at client sites within the National Capital Region (the sample tasks also indicate that the majority of work would be at client sites and the CBRNE Branch). Which is correct?

A79: Client sites, refers to contractor sites, language should reflect CBRNE Office

Q80. Section F, Page F-1, Clause F.4

Principal place of performance is stated to be contractor’s facility AND FEMA CBRNE Branch in Washington DC.

How many employees are expected to be housed in the contractor facility?

For pricing purposes, an offeror will need to know office space and equipment needed for local personnel.

A80. All contractors are expected to work at contractor sites, classified work above secret will in government facilities.