SOLICITATION_QA_POSTING_100312(2).pdf

1 FEMA – Q/A Solicitation HSFE80‐12‐R‐0033 – 10/3/2012(2) posting

HOUSING INSPECTION SERVICES

Questions and Responses

Solicitation HSFE80‐12‐R‐0033

1. RFP, Paragraph H.3, page H‐2: “The Contractor shall furnish all personnel, facilities, equipment, material, supplies, and services, data connection devices such as air cards…” If the government is providing the tablet computers to be used on this contract, will they also purchase the required peripherals associated with the tablets (e.g., power cords, air cards, cases, etc.)?

Response: Section H.3, has been changed to reflect “The Contractor shall furnish all personnel, facilities, equipment, material and supplies, and do all things necessary to, or incident to, performing and providing the following items of work identified in Section C.1, Performance Work Statement.

What is the response to the question? Peripherals/maintenance agreements are purchased for the GFE

2. RFP, Paragraph H.5, page H‐2: The Generalist 3 category is defined to include “Damaged

Dwelling Inspector” and “Damaged Dwelling Quality Control Inspector.” CLIN 0002, INSPECTIONS (Fixed Rate), is defined in Paragraph B.8, page B‐5 to include “inspector wages, administrative support, quality control and profit.” Further, Attachment 17, OPERATIONS COSTS

MODEL, defines Inspections to include “Initial, Appeal, Site, Withdrawn, Sweep, and QC.” How does the Generalist 3 category differ from inspector wages since the INSPECTION line item appears to cover all categories of inspections that would be conducted by an inspector or QC inspector?

Response: Generalist 3 Damaged Dwelling Inspector and or QC Inspector are expected to be trained in all aspects of the inspection processes for the ability to perform all types of damaged assessments.

3. RFP, Section I.1, page I‐1: “This is a FP‐I/CR type contract.” The Fixed Price Incentive (FP‐I) and the Cost Reimbursable (CR) contract types for the task orders that will be awarded under this contract are not defined sufficiently to enable the contractor to fully evaluate the high level of risk due to uncertainty of costs associated with the nature of the work for this program and

Performance Work Statement (PWS). Will the Government add Cost Plus Award Fee (CPAF) and

Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) contract types to the resulting IDIQ contract.

Response: No, the Government will not add CPAF and CPFF contract types to the resulting IDIQ contracts.

4. RFP, Section L.11, page L‐6, Paragraph 6; Q&A #539from Aug 30 posting: “Adjudication plan is not included in the page count and will not be part of the evaluation criteria.” The response to

Question #539 states, “Adjudication event plan should be included in the page count.”

Attachment 4 (Deliverables), item C.6.4.1 states, “Contractor Adjudication Plan for staff and events” is due Prior to first Task Order award.” Please clarify: Is the Adjudication Plan to be

2 FEMA – Q/A Solicitation HSFE80‐12‐R‐0033 – 10/3/2012(2) posting included in the proposal? If so, where should it be placed, Volume and Factor/Sub‐Factor? Is it included in the page count? Will it be evaluated?

Response: Contractors shall provide an Adjudication Event plan including days they would need to build into their bid to register their Housing Inspectors and ongoing turnover. Refer to Mobile

Adjudication Events (MAE). Contractors shall be responsible for providing a suitable location for each

Adjudication Events. Adjudication Event location must be able to seat at least 15 people or the number of expected registrants, whichever is less. The Adjudication Event plan is not included in the page count and will not be part of the evaluation criteria. The Adjudication Event plan is to be included in Volume 2 and will be approved or disapproved by FEMA.

5. RFP, page L‐13 Factor 5: Please clarify whether information necessary for response to Business

Criteria (i.e. Executive Summary information, Company description information, and pertinent business credential information) is required from subcontractors.

Response: Information necessary for response to Business Criteria is not required from subcontractors.

6. RFP, page L‐14, Business Credentials: What “licenses” will FEMA need to meet the requirement listed in (a)? For larger companies having multiple offices and licenses, will you accept a business license in the State of our corporate headquarters?

Response: FEMA will accept a business license in the State of the corporation headquarters

7. RFP, page L‐14, Section 5.1: Please clarify whether offerors can provide labor categories in addition to or different from the Generalist labor categories identified in the RFP. If yes, please clarify how the cost information for these labor categories will be evaluated as the number of labor categories and proposed number of hours would vary among offerors.

Response: Offerors may not provide labor categories in addition to or different from the Generalist labor category.

8. RFP, page L‐15, Section 5.2.4.3: Please clarify the intent of this paragraph. Is it FEMA’s desire that each subcontractor submit a separate Attachment 17 for it’s proposed subcontract costs as well as responses to all information required in sections 5.2.1 through 5.2.4?

Response: Yes, the intent is that each subcontractor submit a separate Attachment 17, as well as all the information required in sections 5.2.1 through 5.2.4

9. Is it the intent to have all task orders competed under this contract or will work be evenly distributed among all contractors as in the past?

Response: The Government will provide all awardees a fair opportunity for consideration. In accordance with FAR 16.505(b), the Contracting Officer will give each awardee a “fair opportunity” to

3 FEMA – Q/A Solicitation HSFE80‐12‐R‐0033 – 10/3/2012(2) posting be considered for each order in excess of $3,000 unless one of the Exceptions to Fair Opportunity for

Consideration conditions applies.

10. PWS, page 13, Paragraph C.6.2.1 (Phase In): Will FEMA provide user guide documentation on the NEMIS System (e.g., how to use the system, what users can accomplish on the system, etc.)?

Response: Yes, FEMA will provide user guide documentation on the NEMIS System.

11. PWS, page 13, Paragraph C.6.2.1 (Phase In): The second paragraph references “fraud awareness and detection.” Will FEMA allow contractors to use third party fraud detection measures to flag potential applicants?

Response: Yes, but only if they are an adjudicated sub of the Prime Contractor

12. PWS, pages 13‐14, Section C.6.2.2: The last sentence of this section refers to Phase In. However, the section is titled Phase Out. Please clarify the intent of this last sentence in the context of a

Phase Out period.

Response: The incumbent will need to become familiar with the testing requirements during the 90 days of Phase Out process.

13. PWS, page 14, Paragraph C.6.4; Q&A #55 from Aug 30 posting: FEMA references following the

“Workforce Enhancement Initiative for Employee Readiness, Recruiting, Retention” and the

“Logistics Cadre Management Directorate for managing temporary personnel.” We have been unable to locate these documents on line at the referenced websites dhs.gov and fema.gov.

Please provide electronic versions of these documents.

Response: The link has been removed as it not accessible to the public. It was intended for reference only. The link is not referencing any "Workforce Initiatives" for Contractors.

14. PWS, page 15, Section C.6.4 Mission Readiness: Please clarify whether the Mission Readiness training provided by the FEMA Program Office of Recovery is different than and in addition to any training provided by FEMA during the Phase In? If this training is in addition, please clarify how many contractor SMEs are to be trained.

Response: They’re one in the same ‐ The Mission Readiness training provided by the FEMA Program office of Recovery is not different and not in addition to any training provided by FEMA during the

Phase in.

15. PWS, page 17, Section C.6.4.1 Staffing/Employment Eligibility: Will the HIS contractor will be responsible for providing adequate space, internet connectivity, and electrical circuits for all of its registration events?

Response: Yes, the HIS contractor will be responsible for providing adequate space, internet connectivity, and electrical circuits for all of its registration events

4 FEMA – Q/A Solicitation HSFE80‐12‐R‐0033 – 10/3/2012(2) posting

16. PWS, page 18, Section C.6.4.1 Staffing/Employment Eligibility: Please confirm that all costs of services of the PIV‐1 contractor—with the exception of securing event registration space, internet connectivity, and electrical circuits—will be the responsibility of the government and is not to be considered as an ODC for the HIS contractor?

Response: The contractor shall provide this capability and will be considered an ODC

17. PWS, page 22, Section C.6.8 Inspection Task Order Performance: There appears to be a missing sentence at the beginning of the 3rd paragraph on this page. The Jul 13 PWS included, “The

Government reserves the right to disable Contractor Review of returned work in large disasters.”

Response: Change revised and reflected in PWS. (Appended)

18. PWS, page 26, Section C.6.8.5.3 Ownership Verification: Please provide further information or historical data that indicates how often ownership verification is not available at the time of inspection? Since this circumstance will require the inspector to initiate other efforts to verify ownership, it is a cost consideration for this fixed price element.

Response: This information is not tracked by FEMA.

19. PWS, page 26, Section C.6.8.5.3 Ownership Verification: Is it correct to assume that the last sentence, with language “as an owner”, means that when a Survivor is unable to verify ownership, the inspector shall proceed to conduct an inspection, and the inspection shall be recorded as an owner inspection rather than a renter?

Response: Yes, it is correct to assume that the last sentence, with language “as an owner”, means that when a Survivor is unable to verify ownership, the inspector shall proceed to conduct an inspection, and the inspection shall be recorded as an owner inspection rather than a renter.

20. PWS, page 26, Section C.6.8.5.3 Ownership Verification: Will FEMA allow for automated verification of ownership versus manual onsite verification?

Response: Automated verification has not been approved at this time.

21. PWS, page 26, Section C.6.8.5.4 Occupancy Verification: Please provide further information or historical data that indicates how often occupancy verification is not available at the time of inspection? Since this circumstance requires the inspector to initiate other efforts to verify ownership, it is a cost consideration for this fixed price element.

Response: This information is not tracked by FEMA.

22. PWS, page 26, Section C.6.8.5.4 Occupancy Verification: Will FEMA allow for automated verification of occupancy versus manual onsite verification?

Response: Automated verification has not been approved at this time.

5 FEMA – Q/A Solicitation HSFE80‐12‐R‐0033 – 10/3/2012(2) posting

23. PWS, page 27, Paragraph C.6.8.5.5 (Photographs): This requires “…a method for FEMA to access the photographs electronically 24 hours following the completion of the inspection.” Will FEMA request photographs when needed, or will the contractor be responsible for providing online access to all photos within 24 hours of inspection?

Response: FEMA will request photographs when needed

24. PWS, page 28, Section C.6.9 Quality Control: Please clarify if total damage estimates, aggregated in total dollars, based on initial inspection results will be available to the contractor for QC inspection scoring?

Response: Yes.

If yes, will this data be available for the contractor to pull from NEMIS or through other means?

Response: Yes, it is available through NEMIS.

25. It is not clear whether the annual pricing file provided to contractors is the basis for determining variations in dollar amounts, and whether the contractor is responsible to determine the aggregated amount or whether that amount comes from FEMA?

Response: The pricing file used to calculate changes from the initial inspection and the QC inspector is provided by a line item pricing contractor using the national average price for the line items used by the contractors.

26. PWS, page 28, Section C.6.9 Quality Control: Is FEMA requiring the contractor to establish two

(2) thresholds for scoring quality of inspection work, one score for each inspection QC’d and another score for each inspector?

Response: The score by inspection is required. The results of the aggregate scores by the inspectors work Cued is to be addressed within your Quality Management System under corrective and preventative action procedures.

27. PWS, page 28, Section C.6.9 Quality Control: Will FEMA implement a QC inspection score threshold of 90 for determining pass/fail inspections as implied by the first full paragraph?

Response: Refer to Paragraph 5 of PWS. The contractor will receive an average price file for use in quantifying personal and real property for each line item used by FEMA.

28. PWS, page 35, Paragraph C.6.14: Disaster specific cost estimates are required for the completion of the bid package. Since pricing varies so much for office space, etc. across the US, will FEMA provide a specific location for disaster specific pricing as it relates to the submittal of this proposal?

6 FEMA – Q/A Solicitation HSFE80‐12‐R‐0033 – 10/3/2012(2) posting

Response: FEMA will not provide a specific location for disaster specific pricing at it relates to the submittal of this proposal.

29. PWS, page 36, Paragraph C.6.15: Will FEMA allow both modem and direct‐to‐internet connections when software applications are installed on the tablet to communicate with the server?

Response: If the contractor proposes this, FEMA will review and obtain approval at time of proposal submission.

30. Attachment 13: Will FEMA provide integration or API documentation for communicating with

NEMIS for the purpose of automating inspection assignment and reassignment?

Response: As the NEMIS tool must be utilized, FEMA will provide what is necessary for the vendor to perform work in accordance with requirements.

31. Q&A response: FEMA has responded saying the document process for background investigations is electronic. Can FEMA clarify which, if any, required forms for adjudication need to be sent in hardcopy to the FEMA Security Office? What steps must be completed before e‐

QIP application can be initiated?

Response: Two FD‐258 Hard cards are required as part of the investigation packet. FEMA’s third party Service Provider will initiate E‐QIP following a favorable adjudication. The individual will be notified to complete the e‐QIP process.

32. Q&A response ‐ question #510: Do currently adjudicated inspectors need to be re‐adjudicated?

Do currently adjudicated inspectors have to submit to re‐adjudication if they can show a favorably adjudicated background investigation is on file at or above the MBI requirement?

Response: Everyone will be processed through the service provider however any contractor/contractor employee currently performing on one of the FEMA HIS contracts who has a completed background investigation, even if processed at a level below the OPM requirement, will be allowed to continue performing with the understanding that there will come a point in time where the individual will have to participate in the process to bring them into a full compliance status at the appropriate level. This will facilitate continued service in the event of a Disaster Declaration as well as allowing FEMA Inspections Service and the Service Provider to concentrate on the vetting of new contract employees upon award of the new contract.