Questions and Answers.pdf

Questions and Answers

Solicitation HSFE90-12-R-0040

1. Question: Please update the NAICS 541990 Size Standard to $14 million in accordance with the SBA March 26, 2012 revised size standards (See attached PDF, page 34).

Answer: The Standard Form 1449 has been updated to reflect the revised Size Standard as $14 million.

2. Question: Under Part 3.2 Factor Definitions, 2. Personnel, the second paragraph references “offeror’s proposed compensation of personnel … and assessment of actual salary comparison’s for similar work under other FEMA contracts and comparable civil services employee compensation.” Since this solicitation’s labor hour pricing is based on FAR 52.216-31 Time and Materials/Labor Hour-Proposal Requirements – Commercial Item Acquisition (FEB

2007), the above Factor Definition evaluation criteria is inappropriate for commercial time and materials labor hour pricing.

Answer: Paragraph 2 under 2. Personnel of Section 3.2 Factor Definitions has been removed.

3. Question: Labor hour pricing provided under FAR 52.216-31, such as GSA multiple award schedules, typically do not bifurcate between on-site and off-site labor rates. Additionally, establishing time and material (T&M) labor category on-site and off-site CLINS contradicts the intent of T&M pricing (as opposed to Cost Plus Fixed Fee) and will create internal control problems in accounting for personnel time incurred attending on-site meetings and then continuing work at off-site facilities. We recommend that the Government eliminate the on-site and off-site labor rate bifurcation and aggregate the Level of Effort under a single Labor Category CLIN.

Answer: The requirement for proposing on-site and off-site labor rates shall remain in the solicitation.

4. Question: If a prime offeror is a qualified small business under NAICS 541990, must it still submit a small business subcontracting plan under FAR 52.219-8?

Answer: In accordance with FAR 52.219-9(a) the requirement for a small business subcontracting plan does not apply to small business concerns.

5. Question: Please clarify which position(s) must be identified and considered “Key”. On page 50 of 58 under HSAR

3052.215-70 the Key Personnel is identified as the Project Manager only (with additional key personnel to be identified at the Task Order level). However, on page 13 of 58 the headers for both the PM and the Senior Emergency

Management Exercise Planning Specialist are labeled “Key Personnel”.

Answer: Both the Project Manager (PM) and the Senior Emergency Management Exercise Planning Specialist positions are “Key Personnel”. 3052.215-70 has been revised to add the Senior Emergency Management

Exercise Planning Specialist. Additional key personnel may be designated on a task order level.

6. Question: The evaluation factors for the Personnel on page 56 of 58 describe that an analysis of “whether an offeror’s proposed compensation of personnel is realistic for the work…” and continues that the analysis may include “actual salary comparisons for similar work under other FEMA contracts”. As this evaluation factor is included in the

Personnel section and not the pricing evaluation, please clarify what we must include in the Personnel section of the technical proposal in order for the government to perform this analysis. Additionally, when the term “salary” is used, is it correct to assume that to mean “labor rate”?

Answer: See the answer for question 2.

7. Question: Task 6.2 “Exercise Suite of Tools” on page 9 of 58 states that “The tool will require an information technology solution for developers and eventually the end user to access and employ the content.” Please further define this requirement, explain how the tool would differ from current exercise design and control tools currently used by the National Exercise Division, and the anticipated level of software development activity.

Answer: No new “software development activity” is anticipated by TED-EX. The Exercise Suite of Tools is a product from FEMA Response Directorate; Training, Exercise and Doctrine—Exercise Unit. The player stakeholders for first phase of development, or version, are FEMA National and Regional Incident Management

Assistance Teams (IMATs), including all the various positions rostered and augmented to FEMA’s IMATs.

Future Suite of Tools stakeholder entities may include the FEMA Regional Response Coordination Centers, and the National Response Coordination Center, along with other, emergent stakeholder entities.

The Suite is composed of a full set of developed materials (example: SitMan, Player Brief, Control & Evaluator

Brief, MSEL and injects, etc.) used to conduct both discussion- and operations-based exercises (typically: table-top, drills, functional). Current format during development includes all exercise products developed with the

MS Office suite of applications, including Word, Excel, Power Point formats, etc. Example: MSEL injects as currently developed are typically individual forms (example: ICS-205 form) that may be e-mailed or hand-delivered to an IMAT exercise player. These products are tailored but still customizable, to fully exercise

IMATs including each individual position and/or up to a complete team or even blended teams. The Suite of

Tools provides current capability evaluations through exercising, and also can be used for training, such as when self-employed by a National/Regional IMAT, a regional offices’ training unit, etc.

Thus TED-EX requires a technology solution that does not rely specifically on TED-EXs’ continuous and active management of materials and their distribution, but instead will allow authorized Response units to access and self-employ a set (or sub-set) of products, either self-selection or through TED-EX’s or another other designated exercise specialist’s guidance, in a manner that maintains integrity of the Tools as an integrated suite with objective and replicable results; but also allows customizable training capabilities such as those that help prepare IMATs for FEMA’s annual Operational Readiness Evaluations (ORE), and to also provide unit leaders with indicators of when individual or unit training may be required.

8. Question: Please clarify the number of past performance references and questionnaires to be submitted. Pages 54 and

56 both state that we shall include Past Performance information, and have a client questionnaire submitted, for ALL relevant (similar in services and scope) contracts and subcontracts in the last 5 years. As this could be dozens of contracts, we respectfully ask that an expectation be set on the number of these references (typically 3 to 5).

Answer: Section V, Part 2.0 Volume I Technical Proposal b) has been revised to reflect a requirement for 3 past performance references.

9. Question: Is the past performance narrative and the contract information for each (contract number, value, client points of contact, etc.) to be included in the 30 page limitation of Volume 1?

Answer: Section V, Part 2.0 Volume I Technical Proposal b) has been revised to reflect a 5 page limit for the past performance narrative.

10. Question: Please clarify the number of resumes to be included in the proposal. Page 55 states that the “technical proposal must include the resumes for the personnel required in the sample labor mix under Attachment 1: Sample

Level of Effort.” Does the Government require a resume for each of the 6 labor categories? Or does the Government require a resume for each of 9 or 11 (alternates year over year) positions?

Answer: Section V Part 2 Volume I Technical Proposal c) has been revised to require resumes only for key personnel.

11. Question: Please confirm that the size standard identified in Box 10 of SF1449 should be raised to $14 million from $7

Million for NAICS CODE 541990 pursuant to the change effective March 26, 2012 by the SBA (see http://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/files/Size_Standards_Table.pdf ). This distinction effects the subcontracting plan requirements.

Answer: See the answer to question 1.

12. Question: Attachment 2, Past Performance Questionnaire:

Page 54 of the Request for Proposals (RFP) states that the technical proposal shall include a narrative of past performance information on all relevant contracts or subcontracts performed in the last five years and that offerors shall forward a copy of the Past Performance Questionnaire attached to this solicitation to each of the references described in the past performance list. Please confirm that it is FEMA’s intent for offerors to request all of their references to submit Past Performance Questionnaires. For context, we expect that our team alone would be required to request for up to 20 Past Performance Questionnaires to be submitted on our behalf. This would an unprecedented number of Past Performance Questionnaires in our experience for a single bid for any agency. Would

FEMA consider limiting the number of required Past Performance Questionnaires?

Due to the very compressed response window for this bid and the time required for our customers to complete the Past

Performance Questionnaires, it will be necessary for us to send the forms out very soon. Therefore, an expedited response to this issue would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: See answer to question 8.

13. Question: Standard Form 1449 (pg. 1), Size Standard:

Box 10 states that this acquisition is designated for NAICS code 541990 with a size standard of $7 million. The U. S.

Small Business Administration (SBA) Table of Small Business Size Standards Matched to North American Industry

Classification System Codes (March 26, 2012) updated code 541990 from $7 million to $14 million. Please clarify the small business size standard of this procurement.

Answer: See the answer to question 1.

14. Question: RFP Section I, Subsection 6.0 (pgs. 8–9), Specific Tasks:

The specific tasks enumerated in the Statement of Work (SOW) include support of FEMA-only no-notice thunderbolt

(TB) exercises and support for other interagency exercises, but do not address support of FEMA-only exercises that are not TBs. Please confirm that it is FEMA’s intent for the contractor to support all FEMA-only exercises, including both

TBs and standard exercises.

Answer: The contractor will support all exercises that FEMA is involved in and which TED-EX is either leading, managing, facilitating, or otherwise supporting some level of FEMA participation, such as those either wholly exercised within FEMA or as a participant in other federal, State, Territorial, Tribal, or Local (STTL) exercises to which FEMA is a party to, through the various inter-agency and /or STTL processes FEMA TED-

EX participates in.

15. Question: RFP Section I, Subsection 6.2 (pg. 9), Exercise Suite of Tools:

This task directs the contractor to develop an exportable FEMA Exercise Suite of Tools. Are these tools intended to replace the standard tools that make up the HSEEP toolkit, or are these tools to be developed to supplement those provided in the HSEEP toolkit?

Answer: See the answer to Question #7. The Exercise Suite of Tools is a separate set of products from the

HSEEP toolkit.

16. Question: RFP Section I, Subsection 11.0 (pg. 12), Place of Performance:

Subsection 11.0 establishes that the official place of performance is FEMA Headquarters (HQ) in Washington, D.C.

Subsection 14.0 subsequently states, “The government will not approve travel status within 50 miles of the established place of performance.”

i. Should contractors interpret the statement in Subsection 14.0 to mean that each employee working on a task order will not be in travel status when working within 50 miles of that individual’s customary place of work?

Answer: Yes. However, Subsection 14.0 has been revised to state that approved local travel less than 50 miles shall be reimbursed at cost.

ii. Conversely, should contractors interpret the statement in Subsection 14.0 to mean that, should an off-site employee travel to the National Capital Region (NCR) to support a task order, the trip would not be reimbursable?

Answer: If the off-site location was determined to be the place of performance for the task order, travel will be reimbursed based on distance from that location.

17. Question: RFP Section I, Subsection 12.0 (pg. 13), Period of Performance:

Subsection 12.0 states that the period of performance will consist of a one-year Base Period followed by four one-year

Option Periods, but FAR 52.217-9 included on page 46 appears to limit the total duration of this contract to 18 months.

Please clarify the duration of the total period of performance, including all option years.

Answer: FAR 52.217-9 has been revised to reflect a total period of performance not to exceed 60 months.

18. Question: RFP Section I, Subsection 13, Personnel Requirements:

i. Page 13 labels both the Program/Project Manager and the Senior Emergency Management Exercise

Planning Specialist as key personnel. However, HSAR 3052.215-70 on page 50 indicates that only the

Project Manager is designated as key personnel. Please clarify if the Senior Emergency Management

Exercise Planning Specialist is designated as a key personnel position.

Answer: See the answer to Question #5.

ii. On pages 14–15, the Minimum/General Experience specifications for several positions include a requirement for years of “emergency management experience at the federal level.” Please confirm that employees’ experience supporting federal emergency management projects while being employed by private-sector contractors is applicable to these requirements.

Answer: Yes, experience supporting federal emergency management projects while employed by private-sector entities, including contractors, is applicable to these requirements.

19. Question: RFP Section III, Subsection 9.0 (pg. 25), Telework:

i. Paragraph (4) states, “The labor hours invoiced for telework must be invoiced at the applicable on-site labor rates established in the specific Task Order.” Does this apply to contractor employees who are assigned to Government and contractor offices outside of the NCR, or should contractors interpret this to mean that telework will only be approved for employees in the NCR?

Answer: Paragraph (4) referenced above shall apply to contractor employees who are assigned to Government and contractor offices in or outside of the National Capital Regions. Approval for telework shall be determined on a task order basis.

20. Question: RFP Section IV, Subsection 1.0 (pg. 26), Clauses Incorporated by Reference:

i. The section refers to FAR clauses available at www.arnet.gov/far, which appears to be a non-functioning URL. Please confirm that the address www.acquisition.gov/far should be substituted.

Answer: Section IV Subsection 1.0 Clauses Incorporated by Reference has been revised to replace www.arnet.gov/far with www.acquisition.gov/far.

21. Question: Section V, Subsection 1.0 (pg. 51), FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors:

i. Paragraph (4) under (b) states that offerors must include a technical description of the items being offered in sufficient detail to evaluate compliance with the requirements of the solicitation. We intend to provide a compliance matrix table in the front matter to assist with this evaluation. Please confirm that the compliance matrix will not count against the 30-page limit for the technical proposal.

Answer: If a matrix is included it will count against the 30-page limit for the technical proposal.

22. Question: Section V, Subsection 2.0, Volume I Technical Proposal:

i. Paragraph (b) on page 54 states that the technical proposal volume shall include a narrative of relevant past performance from the prior five years, to be supported by Past Performance Questionnaires sent to the references. If we choose to engage subcontractors in our proposal, is it permissible to include past performance narratives and questionnaires from our subcontractors for particularly relevant projects?

Answer: No.

ii. Paragraph (c) at the top of page 55 states that the technical proposal must include resumes for the personnel required in the sample labor mix under Attachment 1, but the description of the Subject

Matter Expert (SME) position on pages 15–16 seems to imply that numerous SMEs may be required to address the various disciplines that may be encountered in any given task order. Should contractors submit multiple SME resumes to demonstrate the ability to address the complete spectrum of emergency management and homeland security disciplines, or should contractors only submit a single

SME resume, as indicated by Attachment 1?

Answer: Section V Part 2 Volume I Technical Proposal c) has been revised to require resumes only for key personnel.

23. Question: Page 51 paragraph 11(e) of the RFP states: “Multiple offers. Offerors are encouraged to submit multiple offers presenting alternative terms and conditions or commercial items for satisfying the requirements of this solicitation. Each offer submitted will be evaluated separately.” What does TED-EX mean by “multiple offers?” Is

TED-EX expecting more than one labor mix, i.e., different hours than were provided in the government sample LOE?

Is TED-EX allowing for more than one set of LCATs, different than those listed in the government sample LOE?

Answer: The sample level of effort is for evaluation purposes only and shall not be revised. However, offerors may submit labor categories and rates in addition to the labor categories specified in Section 13 of the Statement of Work.