Questions.docx

Questions/Answers Answers are in bold text.

1. Is there any mobilization or transition period contemplated and documented, or will the new contractor be expected to be fully operational by July 1, 2011?

Fully Operational

1. Please provide instructions for completing Attachment 7 and explain how information in that Attachment is evaluated.

The “Unit-Price” in Section B is what is placed in Attachment 7 (Price Template) and Attachment 8. Price will be evaluated as follows: Hourly rates for each labor category are multiplied by a thousand eighty-eight (1088) hours per employee per six month base period in Attachment 8, which will give a price figure for each category. These price figures for all labor categories are then added up to come up with a total price. This total price is the number used to evaluate price proposals.

1. Please explain the following footnote on Attachment 8, “Please provide equivalent titles of labor categories where applicable.”

For example, we have used labor categories like “Material Handler” or “Heavy Equipment Operator.”However, a Contractor may use different titles for the above labor categories. That is what is meant by “equivalent titles of labor categories.”

1. Are contractors expected to propose only Service Contract Act Job Descriptions, or are they allowed to provide “other equivalent” descriptions?

Please view the answer for the above question.

1. Please explain how prices are going to be evaluated. Since the quantity is “0” on all CLINs, the Amount column and grand total will always be “$0”.

Please review the answer for question #2.

1. Please provide the physical location for obtaining FEMA security badges for both Selma and Cumberland.

Selma: 221 Popps Ferry Road Cumberland: 500 C Street SW, pp 5TH Floor Biloxi, Mississippi 39501 Washington, DC 20472

1. Will FEMA reimburse contractors for the expenses associated with travel to obtain security badges?

No, FEMA will not reimburse any expenses associated with security badges for Contractors.

1. Is FEMA open to follow-up site visits for recruitment purposes, a contractor expense of course?

No. Contractors are not authorized to be in the site until they are awarded the contract.

1. Do we use the Wage Determination rates that were provided in the RFP as a minimum rate for each position?

YES or equivalent position.

1. Do we need to provide vehicle maintenance at either site?

No vehicle maintenance or vehicle equipment support services are required under this contract. This solicitation has been amended to reflect this change.

1. When we do the inspections of the FEMA trailers and find problems on a home, do we just make a note and give it to FEMA or do we fix the problems as well?

YES, Contractors will be responsible for fixing those problems in addition to inspecting them if the problems fall under the scope of the contract. That is clearly explained in Section C (Statement of Work) of the Solicitation under “Physical Plant Services” and “General Labor Support Services.”

1. Are there any materials in Selma, AL. to account or be responsible for?

YES. Three of the four Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) Attachments are GFE Equipments at Selma, Alabama. Contractors are responsible for the GFEs they receive for the duration the task at hand until it is inventoried back to the COTR or the Authorized Property Officer (APO).

1. How many homes are in Selma, AL. and in Cumberland, MD.?

Selma: approximately 3500 units of THUs Cumberland: approximately 800 units of THUs However, these numbers adjust drastically as requirements change as the missions of FEMA adjust.

1. Do we do yard maintenance at either site?

NO

1. In the Sol: HSFEHQ-11-R-0027 there are different numbers of employees on the CLIN and on the Attachment. Could you clarify how many current employees are at each site?

We are not authorized to disclose the number of current employees at each site.

1. Has there been any clarification on the verification of SDVOSB through vetbiz.gov?

Contractors have to be registered and be verified by The Department of Veterans Affairs. The registration confirmation by itself is not good enough for award as SDVOSB; the verification has to show in the Vendor Information Page Database as a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business.

1. Do we perform monthly inspections on the THU's in Cumberland?

YES

1. Will we be required to hook up power and water during the monthly inspections?

The contractor on this THU Workforce contract will not be required to hook up power or water.

1. In the event of a disaster operations surge, who contracts drivers for over-the-road THU movement – the Government, or this Contractor?

The Government

1. What information management tools to track inventory and maintenance requirements (i.e., CIMMS, Repair Data, etc.) are used by the sites now?

Microsoft Excel and VMIS.

1. To meet the solicitations IT standards and IT Security Plan requirements (re. Para H(e) of the RFP) will FEMA provide a copy of their operating procedures, list of communications equipment, radio frequencies for field operations, etc.?

The awarded contractor will be given, when they report to the site, IT communication devices including radios for field operation along with their operating procedures.

1. Reference: Section Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors. Section L does not contain instructions as to the content of the proposal (Management, Past Performance, Technical, and Price.) Please provide these instructions.

The First Proposal is the Management, Technical, and Past Performance Proposal. All the evaluation criterias that were listed under Technical, Management/Staffing, and Past Performance of Section M have to be addressed in this first proposal.

The Second Proposal is the Price Proposal, which is provided separately from the above proposal and addresses the criterias under the price proposal of Section M. The price Proposal should include Section B, Attachment 7 and Attachment 8.

1. Due to the Service Contract Act and Executive Orders which requires incumbent workers on the contract to be offered a right of first refusal, how should offerors respond to this requirement? Will offerors be allowed to reconcile or modify their labor rates?

YES. The contractor must comply with Executive Order 13495 dated 01-30-2009; the regulation does not mention rates.

1. Could we get a readable copy (PDF) of the SCA Wage Rates for Cumberland and Selma? The current one is text and it is unreadable.

Wage Rates are directly accessible through the DOL website (http://www.wdol.gov/)

1. Will FEMA provide a site orientation and define standards of performance during transition example: Inspection/Inventory-expected production rate, per person, per day, of how many trailers they can reasonably inspect, in pursuit of meeting the monthly inspection and repair requirements?

YES

1. What are the duties of the site lead, i.e. parameters? Will he/she be directing our workforce via a defined (historical use) FEMA production schedule/work flow, or will the Site lead be required to take broad direction and turn those into specific tasks/actions?

The contractor site lead will get direction from the COTR (Contracting Officer Technical Monitor). The FEMA Site Manager will provide to the COTR the task that needs to be performed by the contractor.

1. Confirm the CLIN for Site Lead? Can we provide an additional CLIN for Deputy Site Lead Based on the size of the work force?

Contract Support Administration Services is Site Lead only. Deputy Site Lead is not required under this solicitation.

1. What is the lead (days) notification for surge (estimate, i.e. 3 day notification) ?

72 HOURS

1. What are the current manning levels for Selma and Cumberland, by position, in respect to the spreadsheet issued for the RFP, understanding that the spreadsheet represents and pricing base line to allow equitable evaluation for all contractors, and is not indicative of what is being utilized at each location?

Not relevant

1. Should we provide a CLIN for grounds maintenance, as this is an add on task that involves separate CLINs for Grounds Maintenance Laborer and equipment operators, which may differ considerably if Task Ordered to execute?

Ground Maintenance Services are not a part of this solicitation.

1. Further define Drivers off site, give a brief predictive employment scenario of employment that is expected?

The only time we should have a driver off site on duty is if we have to use a CDL qualified drivers to go from one THU Site to another THU Site such as going from Selma, Alabama to Cumberland, Maryland to retrieve a load of jack stands that is need for the RFD units in Selma.

1. Are there any uniform requirements for the employee work force?

Except for carrying a FEMA Contractor identification ID, there is no specific uniform requirements except of Personal Property and Equipment (PP&E) such as safety shoes and safety vests.

1. Is there a FEMA Text Reference or Family of Manuals for operating a THU Site that we could become familiar with to ensure compliance, predictive employment?

Upon award of contract, the contractor will be given orientation of the site and operation of the site.

1. Number of CDLs required by site?

Two CDL drivers for day to day operation

1. What is the probability of a MATOC award?

The government intends to do a multiple award but reserve the right to do a single award.

1. What is the Projected Award Date?

Projected award date is no later than 06/20/2011

1. GOV holidays: Does the awardees pay their employees for the authorized GOV holidays, and as we interpret, FEMA is not paying for this? How do we recover these costs?

That’s a responsibility of the contractor.

1. Is Communications access provided? Cell Phone? Internet? Hard Line? FAX, radio, etc….

The contractor site lead will be given a computer with access to the internet, FAX and radio but no Cell Phone is provided.

1. Could we get an indication of the current Long Range Plans for the Cumberland and Selma Sites? Specifically, the probability of having no requirements at Cumberland in 12 months, and a reduced requirement at Selma in 18 Months?

This information will be provided in the appropriate time as requirements change. THU requirement at the Cumberland, MD site will not be necessary after 12 months.

1. During the site walk in Cumberland, the Government indicated that the Base Contract Period for the Cumberland facility would be a 6-month period as would be each option period. Are we to assume that pricing for Item Nos. 0012-0022 are for the first 6 months of the contract; Item Nos. 1012-1022 are for the next 6 months of the contract (assuming the option is awarded); Item Nos. 2012-2022 would be for the subsequent 6 months; etc.?

For Cumberland, Item Nos. 0016-0030 is for the first 6 month base period. The option period for Cumberland, MD will only be for a 6-month period. So 1016-1030 will be only for 6 month, and there will be no more Option period for Cumberland, MD. The Option periods for Selma, MD will remain the same as listed under “Section B “of the Solicitation.

1. Will the Base Contract Period for these line items be for a 12-month period? Will each Option Period for these line items (if awarded) be a 12-month period?

The base contract period for the line items on the solicitation for both sites is for a 6-month period. Please refer to “Section F” of the solicitation for a detailed information on the Option Periods for both sites.

1. Will the Government be modifying the description detailed in “Vehicle and Equipment Support Services” to reflect discussions held at the Selma site walk?

The CLIN “Vehicle and Equipment Support Services” has been removed. Please see updated “Section B” and “Section C” of the Solicitation.

1. The RFP states, “The Offeror should be willing to re-submit, prior to contract award, recently updated version of their SBA approved Certification that shows contractor’s eligibility to receive contracting opportunities under the classification stated on the certificate.” Since it states “re-submit”, is the Offeror required to include in the original proposal their SBA or VA-approved certification? This would establish a firm date for all Offerors submitting on the contract.

YES. The contractor has to include a letter from the VA stating that their registration has been verified and added to the verified veteran business database at www.VetBiz.gov.

1. Can the Offeror provide more than three relevant references?

Three is the required maximum number of references.

1. Can the Offeror’s Sub-Contractors provide more than three relevant references?

Not relevant.

1. Can we include project descriptions associated with each of these references?

The project descriptions are to be provided with the names of the references.

1. The RFN states, “Please provide documentation from the IRS that shows that Contractor is not delinquent I payment of taxes to the Government.”

What type of documentation will serve to adequately respond to this requirement?

Any certified documentation from the IRS for such purposes would be appropriate.

1. Will there be a requirement to perform live testing/inspection of the THU’s? i.e. hook up power and water in order to diagnose problems with the electrical and water/sewer systems

NO

1. The Cumberland site seems to be more of a warehouse facility. Will Contractor be required to provide personnel to operate the warehouse? Can the Government provide detailed scope of warehousing activities that will be required?

The contractor might be required to provide those services. They are defined under the “Material Handling Support Services.”

1. Will the Contractor be required to provide its own office space?

No. Office spaces are provided by the site.

1. Will Contractor be responsible for procurement of any materials?

Under this contract, the contractor is not required to provide any sort of materials with the exception of Personal Property and Equipment (PP&E) for its employees in accordance with OSHEA.

1. Will the Government release the attendee list of the site visit?

YES.

1. Will Contractor be required to transport THU’s into the field when they are deployed for a mission or will that be handled under the IA TAC III contracts?

NO.

1. In the RFP it states: “tasks will be established through issue of task order”. Does this mean we will give you a price for each position listed and then you will tell us how many people we need to complete the task and we will provide people at that price?

YES. We will give you a task and you tell us how many people are required to complete the task. So we will not tell you how many people you need. The prices for each position will be estimated in your proposal.

1. Concerning damaged equipment by the contractor, does this refer to damage caused by normal everyday use or just damage caused by contractor negligence and/or accidents?

Please refer to the “Government Furnished Property Clause”, FAR Clause 52.245-1.

1. Excluding disaster situations, how much does the number of personnel on site change/fluctuate?

That is a fluctuating situation. It cannot be answered with certainty.

1. Will the contractor be using DHS computers or provide their own?

It depends. It will be a combination of both cases.

1. What vehicles will the contractor required to maintain?

None

1. How is inventory kept on MD site? Using computers, barcodes, ect…?

Not relevant, Contractor is not required to keep inventory.

1. There is no position for an OSHA certified safety officer listed. Is that FEMA’s responsibility?

Yes, it is FEMA’s responsibility.

1. With the addition of attachment #8 (labor mix), please explain how you would like pricing to be submitted?

Attachment #8 is simply explaining the labor-mix and the total number of hours per employee at each site per labor category. In addition, price is submitted using “Section B” of the solicitation as well as Attachment 7 , “Price Template” and Attachment 8.

1. How much of a notice will be given when an increase of staff is needed? How many days will the contractor have to provide the staff?

72 HOURS

1. Will the contractor be able to use this IT equipment? If the contractor is able to use existing IT equipment, will they be responsible for upkeep and supplies on the equipment?

Yes, the contractor will be able to use IT Equipment at the site. The Government provides the upkeep of equipment.

1. In a ramp up situation, is overtime pay considered or is the contractor expected to provide as many additional people as required at regular pay? What if site operated 24/7?

Contractor will not face over time work under this contract.

1. What positions are considered key personnel (sec H, sub category G)?

Site Lead is the only Key Personnel

1. For proposal purposes, what positions should have specific resumes included?

Key Personnel and any other personnel that the contractor would like to provide.

1. The RFP states that the contractor is responsible for IT security. Would FEMA consider adding a CLIN for implementing and maintaining IT security?

NO

1. Are personnel designated for each location required to be on site each day? Can one person hold a position at MD & AL sites?

There must be a designated site lead for each site each day. Any other employee except for the site lead could be rotated.

1. How many personnel does the incumbent have on site at this time in Cumberland, and Selma?

The objective of the previous work force and the new work force has changed and therefore the number of personnel of the incumbent is not relevant.

1. There are more labor categories listed in Section B than on the cost volume spreadsheet, and they do not match Attachment #8 (Labor Mix) descriptions (i.e., Administrative Clerk, Heavy Equipment Operator, Contract Administration Support, Electrician, Carpenter, Plumber). Please clarify the differences between the lists.

Attachment #8 shows the mix of the labor force at both sites. However; the labor categories which are on “Section B” and Attachment 7 (Price Template) and Attachment 8 have been amended to match perfectly with each other.

1. We understand an IDIQ contract will be awarded. Will this be a single- or multiple-award IDIQ? What contract type(s) will be used for task orders written against the base IDIQ contract? Firm fixed price? Time and materials?

See Answer 35, See Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 16.501-1-2

1. What equipment and facilities will the successful offeror be responsible for maintaining? To what standard?

None

1. During the site visits we observed HVAC units with most THUs. Our understanding of the PWS, it is ambiguous on maintenance/repair of HVAC units on THU trailers. Does the base contract include maintenance/repair on these HVAC units?

NO

1. We saw many generators during both site visits. Will the successful offeror be responsible for maintaining the generators at one or both sites? If so, to what standard?

NO

1. While the VA works to verify all registered SDVOSB companies, various agencies are taking different approaches to compliance. Most are accepting registration on the VetBiz.gov site as adequate during this transition process. For this procurement, does registration on VetBiz.gov suffice?

No, see Answer 43.

1. Will badges be valid for the entire period of performance to include all options, or will the contractor be required to obtain new badges upon execution of each option period?

Issued Badges will have matching dates with the period of performance of the Task-Order.

1. If overtime is required, who is the approving authority and what is the source of funding?

No over-time is required.

1. The bid schedule provided in section B does not have any estimated hours provided. Are you only expecting an hourly rate for each of the CLIN's on the bid schedule?

You are only required to put for the “Unit Price” under Section B.

1. Section C Vehicle Equipment Support Services paragraph indicates that the contractor is to acquire and maintain an inventory of repair and service parts for equipment as directed by the COTR. Will these repair parts be reimbursed to the contractor on a separate Clin or will they be purchased from the vendor by the government and the contract employee facilitates purchase and maintains inventory?

The CLIN (Vehicle Equipment Support Services) has been removed from the solicitation.

1. On Attachment #8 it indicates that the Clerk III will be the Site Lead for the two sites covered on this solicitation. This indicates that the site lead required in section C would be a clerk covered under the Service Contract Act and not be a project manager that would be exempt from SCA. Is this a correct assumption that the Clerk III will fulfill the requirement stated in statement of work for Contractor Lead/Liaison?

The site lead is one category of its own, separate from Clerk III. The information has been adjusted on Attachment #8 and an Amendment have been done to reflect the change.

1. Is the Contractor Lead/Liaison to be paid for by the hour in CLIN 0007 Provide Contract Administration Support? If so since this is a requirement to have this person on duty throughout the contract should it have an estimate of hours on the bid schedule?

Attachment #8 has been adjusted to add site lead separately. This will be posted to FedBizOps along with these answers.

1. Section C indicates that all personnel should be ready to report for duty no later than 7/1/11 with badges? What is the process for acquiring these badges and what information must be provided for each employee? Will there be a background check that must be conducted?

There will be a status check on each employee before the badging process. If they pass the status check, they will get a temporary badge until they get their permanent FEMA badges.

1. Will all work conducted on the contract be covered under the SCA wage determination provided? Will the employees provided on this contract have to perform their duties in areas outside the area covered on these wage determinations and then be subject to another wage determination?

All work conducted under this contract are covered by SCA wage rates except for the “Contract Administration Support Position” (Site Lead). All employees will be conducting their work within the areas covered under the wage determination.

1. Will there be a CLIN added to the contract to allow for reimbursement of travel expenses incurred while contractor employees are traveling?

Yes. All authorized travel by the Contracting Officer will be reimbursed. This travel is limited to CDL drivers only. Please refer to Question 31.

1. It was indicated at the site visit that the process for security badges would take 30 days to process. Will the employees be allowed to work during this process on a temporary badge?

YES

1. Clin 0007 Provide Contact Administration Support Services indicates this is the CLIN where the project lead will be billed. Will this CLIN be funded with full time hours for the project lead throughout the life of the contract? Do you anticipate periods of time where the Site Lead will not be funded full time?

The CLIN for Contract Administration Support Services will be fully funded

1. Clin 0003 Provide Heavy Equipment Operators indicates that it will require the contractor to provide several different types of operators under this category. Can we be provided with information on the different types of operators that will be required at different times and an estimate of the mix of these types of operators since the wages vary?

We will provide the contractor with the task and the contractor will inform us with the best labor category that fit the task.

1. When employees are deployed during emergency situations there is the possibility of incurring overtime. Since there is no way of predicting the needs ahead of time on these situations, will these costs be added to any subsequent task orders issued or is this to be included in the loaded rate in the bid schedule?

No over-time work required.

1. Given that the scope of the contract is to provide “temporary manpower,” who is responsible for providing day-to-day direction of the contractor’s employees?

The contractor will have a Site-Lead who will provide the day-to-day instruction to the contractor’s employees. The Site Lead will get his task from the COTR

1. Please explain the purpose of Attachment 8. Is this the anticipated first task order?

Attachment #8 is simply included is this solicitation to show possible proposers the labor mix at the two sites for each labor category as well as the total number of hours per employee per base period. This will be used to evaluate the price proposal.

1. The attachment specifies a Clerk III as the site lead. If the site lead is suppose to provide direction to contractor employees, please explain how this is in compliance with the duties of a Clerk III in the SCA Directory off Occupations (Fifth Edition). It appears that compliance with the intent of the Labor Mix would put the contractor in violation of the Department of Labor.

We have Amended Attachment #8 to reflect that “Clerk III” labor category is separate from the “site lead” labor category.

1. At the Selma site visit, it was mentioned that the contractor is required to inspect the 3550 plus trailers every 30 days and that it is up to the contractor to determine how and what labor to use to do this. This is inconsistent with the terms of the contract that states that this is a temporary labor contract where the Government will order the specific labor quantities and skill mix desired. Please clarify.

There is no statement of such kind in the solicitation. The Government will inform the contractor the tasks to be performed and the contractor provides the necessary labor to perform the task.

1. If discrepancies are found during trailer inspections, what is the extent of repairs the contractor is expected to complete?

Repairs of damaged trailers are first documented and submitted to the COTR. If the Government determines that the damaged trailer needs to be repaired then the repairs will be delegated by the COTR to the Contractor in accordance with the Statement of Work.

1. Does Executive Order 13495 of January 30, 2009 “Non-displacement of Qualified Workers under Service Contracts” apply to this effort? If so, what position at both locations does it apply to?

YES. All positions that are covered under the Service Contract Act.

1. Transportation/Equipment Operator Services (pages C-2 & C-3). Request clarification of the Services to be provided, to with: “over-the-road tractor trailers.” Aside from use of the Tractor Trailers repositioning THUs on the physical site location, it is unclear as to responsibilities regarding over-the-road “line haul” movements, if any.

The possibility of such a responsibility exists under this contract.

1. Please clarify Travel requirements associated with on-site maintenance mission.

NONE

1. Please clarify L.7 PROCEDURES FOR SUBMITTING PROPOSAL.

There will be four (4) paper Copies as well and an electronic submission of the delivery tracking number of the First Volume (Technical, Management and past performance), and there will be two (2) paper copies as well as an electronic submission (e-mail attachment) of the Second Volume (Price – Section B, Attachment 7 and Attachment 8)

The delivery tracking number for Proposal Volume one should be e-mailed before 10 pm Eastern Time on 05/10/11.