SD_HSHQW9-13-R-00002_Q As.pdf

San Diego Questions and Answers

HSHQW9‐13‐R‐00002

Questions Answers

1 Is the contractor required to provide a cell phone to each site? Per Exhibit 8E, the contractor must provide, maintain, and supplement communication equipment to “each security officer on post”.

2 Exhibit 8E does not list radios as a contractor provided item, is this correct? That is correct.

3 Is the contractor required to provide a cell phone to each “post” at each site?

See answer to question 1 above.

4 Does the contractor only provide shoulder mics, batteries and chargers for government provided radios? If yes, what brand/type of battery is required?

IAW Exhibit 9B, there is no Government provided equipment, to include government provided radios.

5 What brand/type of radio is utilized? Radios are not required.

6 Is the 40 cal firearm currently in use contract wide? If so, is 3 hours the correct time required by the contractor to provide weapons transition training to incumbent guards?

Incumbent contractor personnel are presently using a Glock, .40 Caliber, which is one of the recommended weapons listed on the Exhibit 8C under Specifications: Item 3, .40 S&W, see page 88 of SOW Exhibits. If offeror chooses to use the same weapon, neither Transitional nor Weapons Platform Training is required of incumbent personnel during transition. If the offer chooses one of the other recommended pistols indicated on Exhibit 8C, Paragraph 3, Transitional Weapons Training shall be required.

7 Have incumbent guards received government provided screener training? Yes.

8 Which sites specifically require a secret clearance? See Amendment A00002, which corrects the clearance requirements for all posts. None of the posts locations require a secret clearance (Minimum Background Investigation or MBI). Sites at CA6731 and 0013CA require Top Secret clearance (Single Scope Background investigation or SSBI).

9 Are current contractor employees considered qualified in terms of training completion?

Incumbent contractor personnel meet all requirements under the current contract. The RFP requirements differ from the current contract requirements. All PSOs are required to complete all of the required training that is set forth in this RFP, which may vary from the type and quantity of training required under the expiring contract.

10 Do current contractor employees require a new physical during transition to meet the physical requirements?

Yes, unless they have already been medically screened IAW the requirements of this RFP and have the required documentation of such.

However, it is noted that the medical/physical requirements of this RFP differ from those contained in the current/expiring contract and all PSOs must meet all of the medical and physical requirements prior to standing post.

11 If a new physical is required, is a new drug test required during transition as well (per the RFP standards)?

The physical screening and the drug screening are two separate requirements. the contractor shall be responsible for ensuring all PSOs are in compliance with the requirements. IAW Paragraph 5.2.4.1, PSOs must submit to urine drug screening as part of initial pre‐employment process and during recurring medical examination, every three years.

Accordingly, the successful awardee must conduct a pre‐employment drug screen of all individuals it intends to hire to perform as PSO.

12 Are new respirator fit tests required during transition for previous contractor employees transitioning to the new contract?

No, the contractor is only responsible for employee fit testing, at such time a public health authority declares use of respirators to be mandatory (see

SOW 14.5.3).

13 Are any office spaces or furnishings provided by the government at any locations for a Project Manager and/or supervisors?

No, the successful offeror is required to provide its own office space and furnishings.

14 Are clearing barrels authorized on‐site at any locations? No.

15 Are clearing barrels provided by the government at any locations? No.

16 Are fresh contractor‐provided background checks required for previous contractor employees transitioned to this contract?

No, new background checks are not required for incumbent employees that already have a current, valid suitability (background investigation). IAW SOW 5.3.1.7, Contractor is responsible for renewing employees’ suitability clearance prior to expiration (every 5 years).

17 Are supervisors allowed to provide breaks (if breaks are required) as long as they have signed out as a supervisor and signed in as a guard (and removed their rank devices)?

Supervisors cannot provide relief while working in a supervisory capacity. An employee designated as a Supervisor working in non‐supervisory capacity would be permitted to provide relief and/or stand post, provided they meet all contractual requirements for standing post. In order to provide break and relief, a supervisor must sign‐off as a supervisor and sign‐on as a productive PSO. A supervisor shall not perform supervisory and productive PSO services simultaneously. If using supervisory personnel to serve in a non‐supervisory capacity the Contractor should have a plan in place to ensure it is able maintain the level of supervision it proposed within its Management Approach.

18 Are there any specific training courses (other than firearms training) required during transition that all previous contractor PSO’s would need to attend? If so, what course(s) would be required? (Such as OC, Screener, etc.)

Refer to Exhibit 4.

19 Contract Clauses, Subsection E‐2, Technical Proposal (Non‐price factors), #3 Socio Economic Factor presents a chart that requires the bidder to provide the overall price of the contract as bid. Question: Since this is a “technical” factor, how does the entry of the price data in the chart reconcile with the prohibition against placing price data in the technical proposal? Does the Government want a dollar value in the first block, or just a percentage value in the subsequent blocks of this chart? (One possible solution would be to put the chart with the dollar values in the price proposal, with a chart with the percentage values in the Technical Proposal.)

Subsection E‐2, page 9 of 343 will be removed by the Contracting Officer before the proposals are evaluated by the Technical Evaluation Team (TET).

Yes, offeror should enter a dollar value in the first block. Subsequent blocks should also be dollar values.

20 Will the government provide a list showing which posts have a full‐time supervisor?

No. Current contractor staffing is not relevant to this RFP. The amount and location of supervisory effort is at the discretion of offerors

21 What is the current wage rate for guards and supervisors? The minimum wage rates are listed in the wage determination contained in the RFP.

22 What is the current Health & Welfare rate for guards and supervisors?

The minimum H&W rates are listed in the wage determination contained in the RFP.

23 Are there any roving patrols required? If yes, please list.

Yes, there are roving patrols, however, this information is considered sensitive security information and not necessary for proposal preparation.

24 Section E‐2 Addendum to FAR 52.212‐1, Instructions to Offerors, Proposal Submission Requirements, Subpart 4 provides in relevant part, “Page Limitation ‐ Excluding the cover page and past performance forms and questionnaires, the technical proposal (covering all non‐price factors) is limited to twenty (20) pages in at least 11pt. font and 1” margins.” Will the inclusion of a Table of Contents count against the 20‐page limit?

The instructions to offerors specifically exempts only the cover page and past performance forms, however the Table of Contents may be included on the cover page.

25 RFP page 280 ‐ Proposal Submission Requirements "In addition to the hard copies, vendor shall submit an electronic version of the pricing schedule, the detailed breakdown, and technical proposal on Compact Disk (CD).

Electronic version must be readable with Microsoft Office 2007" To clarify, the 1) pricing schedule, 2) the pricing breakdowns and 3) the entire technical proposal are the only things that should be included on the CD, not the entirety of the pricing as well as the technical proposal?

The pricing schedule as shown on page 3 of the RFP, the pricing breakdown, also referred to as the Price Element Breakdown, and the entire, un‐ redacted version of the technical proposal should included be on the CD.

26 RFP page 280 ‐ Proposal Submission Requirements "Please note that three

(3) of the five (5) copies of the technical submission (specifically the Management Approach) shall be redacted to remove any reference to the company name, logo, key personnel, etc. This includes pages, covers, headers, footers, pictures, etc. of the technical submission. Past Performance shall be provided under a separate cover and should not be redacted." How shall offerors handle the presentation of redacted information on the CD? Should all information contained on the CD be non‐ redacted?

The CD should contain the complete version of the proposal with no redactions.

27 Sub‐Section C‐2: Addendum to FAR 52.212‐4, Section 4.B.3"For cost/price factors that are subject to variation, but are not subject to adjustment under the provisions above, contractors may factor in contingency allowances. Note: Increases to Supervisor wages and benefits are not subject to contract price adjustment in the subsequent ordering periods under FAR 52.222‐43(d), unless the Supervisory position is expressly covered under a Collective Bargaining Agreement or DOL Wage Determination. For Supervisory positions that are not subject to contract adjustment under FAR 52.222‐43(d), the contractor is permitted to include a reasonable escalation in subsequent option periods based on the labor market in the geographical area that the effort will be performed.” Is it permissible to price Supervisory and overhead positions at a 5 year average instead of escalating wages each period?

Pricing strategy is at the discretion of the offeror.

28 The provided CBA does not appear to provide any mention of allowance for gear‐up/gear‐down time. What is the current practice regarding, and time allotted for how PSOs gear‐up, travel to and from post, and gear‐down?

How are the PSOs compensated for this time presently?

Gear‐up or Guard Mount is not required by this RFP. The contractor is responsible for scheduling work in a manner consistent with effective contract management and Collective Bargaining Agreement requirements, if applicable.

29 SOW 1.1.1 “Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) consider PSO positions as First Responders Awareness Level. OSHA defines First Responders Awareness Level: First responders at the awareness level are individuals who are likely to witness or discover a hazardous substance release and who have been trained to initiate an emergency response sequence by notifying the proper authorities of the release. They would take no further action beyond notifying the authorities of the release. First responders at the awareness level shall have sufficient training or have had sufficient experience to objectively demonstrate competency in the following areas: ‐ An understanding of what hazardous substances are, and the risks associated with them in an incident. An understanding of the potential outcomes associated with an emergency created when hazardous substances are present. ‐ The ability to recognize the presence of hazardous substances in an emergency. The ability to identify the hazardous substances, if possible.” Given that OSHA’s definition of first responders at the awareness level requires an intimate knowledge of hazardous material, is any additional training required for uniformed contract employees to qualify as first responders at the awareness level?

The contractor must comply with all OSHA training requirements. IAW SOW Section 12.2.1 the Contractor is responsible for compliance with workplace regulations, including but not limited to OSHA regulations.

30 SOW 5.2.4.1 “PSOs must submit to urine drug screening as part of initial pre‐ employment process and during recurring medical examination, every three years.” A) Are the drug screening standards in this RFP different from the drug screening standards currently applied to incumbent personnel? B) If the answer is yes, will incumbent PSOs with drug screening records that meet the requirements of the current contract be required to undergo drug screening during transition?

No, drug screening standards in the RFP are not different from the current requirement; however, the contractor shall be responsible for ensuring all PSOs are in compliance with the requirements. IAW Paragraph 5.2.4.1, PSOs must submit to urine drug screening as part of initial pre‐employment process and during recurring medical examination, every three years.

Accordingly, the successful awardee must conduct a pre‐employment drug screen of all individuals it intends to hire to perform as PSO.

31 SOW 5.3.1.15 “Contractor is responsible for all costs associated with obtaining and renewing suitability clearances for employee associated with this contract.” Does this paragraph mean that contractors bear only the administrative costs of requesting the suitability and the employee’s time spent completing the process online, and that the Government bears responsibility for the costs related to the suitability review? Generally this is our experience working under federal contracts.

While the Government will cover any of its costs related to the suitability review itself, the contractor will bear all other costs associated with the suitability process.

32 SOW 6.6.4.1 “Contractor shall complete Transitional Weapon and Weapon Platform Change training in accordance with Exhibit 4C.”

Also, Exhibit 8C Contractor Provided Firearms and Ammunition provides in relevant part “The contractor will provide PSOs, including part‐time and reserve PSOs, with their own pistol. Select the firearm that will be used: 38 Special, 9mm, .40 S/W, .357 SIG.” The Exhibit specifies the .40 S/W as the type of firearm required for performance on this RFP. Our questions presume that the government has determined the specific needs so that it can properly evaluate offerors management approach and price. Is the specified .40 S/W considered a change from the current platform? Please identify which specific requirements of Exhibit 4C are applicable for incumbent PSOs:

• 3 hours of Transitional Weapon training (revolver to revolver; semi‐ automatic to semi‐automatic)

• 8 hours of Weapons Platform Change training (revolver to semi‐automatic pistol) Please confirm that the 40 hour course identified in Exhibit 4C (4 hours Use of OC Spray, 4 hours Use of Baton, 8 hours Firearms Maintenance, Safety and Handling, and 24 hours Initial Firearms Familiarization Fire) is required for both incumbent and new employees.

See Question 6 above.

33 SOW 11.3.2 “Under no circumstances shall Supervisors perform productive hours while working in supervisory capacity.” Are supervisors permitted to work in any capacity other than a supervisory capacity? If yes, are supervisors working in non‐supervisory capacity permitted to provide relief and/or stand post?

See answer to question 17 above.

34 SOW 14.5.3 “Contractor shall follow OSHA standards for respiratory protection including Appendix D to 29 C.F.R. § 1910.134. FPS will require Contractor to medically evaluate and clear contract PSOs for the use of respirators, at least every three years, in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.134.

Contractor is responsible for employee fit testing at such time a public health authority declares the use of respirators to be mandatory.” A) Is the requirement for employee respirator fit testing in this RFP different from the employee respirator fit testing requirement in the current contract? B) Are incumbent PSOs with current respiratory protection clearances required to take a respiratory protection examination during transition?

The current contract does not require respiratory protection clearances.

Refer to Section 14.5.3. This section contains two distinct requirements.

First, the Contractor shall “medically evaluate and clear contract PSOs for use of respirators, at least every three years IAW 29 CFR 1910.134.” The requirement at 5.2.2.3.5 (Chest and Respiratory System) addresses the required medical evaluation. The second requirement which is independent of the first requirement, is that the “Contractor is responsible for employee fit testing, at such time a public health authority declares use of respirators to be mandatory.

35 Exhibit 8D: Contractor Provided Personal Protective Equipment “Contractor shall maintain a stock of the following personal protective equipment items for each officer, post, and location covered by this contract in quantities sufficient to furnish all productive and supervisory security officers performing on Contract with equipment for a two‐week period. Contractor shall maintain all equipment in a ready and usable condition and replenish stock as necessary to ensure a two‐week supply is available at all times.”

Please clarify whether the initial two week supply noted in Exhibit 8D PPE is included in unit hourly rates or if it will be reimbursed under the separate Not‐to‐Exceed CLIN.

Cost should be included in the hourly rate.

36 SOW 13.5Statement of Work Paragraph 13.5 addresses Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Cards.

A) Do incumbent personnel have active PIV Cards B) Do incumbent personnel need to repeat the process if a new Contractor is selected?

C) Please confirm that the amount of time required per PSO to complete the issuance process for a PIV card is 20 minutes as indicated in section C.5 of Exhibit 9E, Government‐Provided Property HSPD‐12 Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Card Employee Application Process.

D) Please identify the enrollment station for this contract and provide the physical address. Also, will the Government provide reimbursement for any travel required?

Incumbent personnel do not have Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Cards.

Cards shall be renewed every 3 years from issuance. 20 minutes as indicated in Section C.5 of Exhibit 9E is representative of estimated processing time at the enrollment station. It does not include any travel time to and from the enrollment station (if travel time is necessary). See Amendment A00002, which amended Exhibit 9E to provide enrollment station locations.

37 Please provide the current bill rates being paid under the incumbent's contract.

Current billing rates are based on the requirements of the current contract and not the requirements of this RFP. Proposed rates are at the discretion of the offeror as long as it is in accordance with the minimum wages and fringe benefits set forth in the applicable Area WD or Collective Bargaining Agreement.

38 Are all post exhibit locations governed by the provided International Union, Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America CBA?

Yes.

39 SOW 9.21 FPS utilizes a PTS as an electronic validation of post staffing. Is the electronic PTS operational/available and in use for PSO services on this contract?

PTS is not operational at this time. The contractor will be notified if/when PTS is implemented.

40 SOW 6.6.4.1 RFP Section 6.6.4.1 provides: "Contractor shall complete Transitional Weapon and Weapon Platform Change training in accordance with Exhibit 4C." What is the make and model of the firearm currently being used?

See Question 6 above.

41 SOW 6.4 RFP Section 6.4 identified all training elements. Are all incumbent personnel trained and certified to meet the stated training elements in Section 6.4. Is the training current? Will the training be grandfathered?

The current contract personnel meet all requirements under the current contract. Note that the RFP requirements differ from the current contract requirements. All PSOs are required to complete all of the required training that is set forth in this RFP, which may vary from the type and quantity of training required under the expiring contract. IAW SOW 6.1.1, the COR has discretion to accept or deny proposed exemptions for previous training and /or certification obtained under another FPS contract. Previous training and certification documentation and/or credentials must be valid and meet requirements of this contract to be considered. All PSOs must meet all contractual requirements to perform on the resultant contract. There will be no “grandfathering”. All PSOs must meet the requirements of this RFP and resulting contract prior to standing post.

42 RFP Exhibit 4 requires the contractor to conduct required training. Will incumbent personnel be required to attend orientation training?

The current contract personnel meet all requirements under the current contract. Note that the RFP requirements differ from the current contract requirements. All PSOs are required to complete all of the required training that is set forth in this RFP, which may vary from the type and quantity of training required under the expiring contract. IAW SOW 6.1.1, the COR has discretion to accept or deny proposed exemptions for previous training and /or certification obtained under another FPS contract. Previous training and certification documentation and/or credentials must be valid and meet requirements of this contract to be considered. All PSOs must meet all contractual requirements to perform on the resultant contract. IAW paragraph 6.4.1.2, Required training includes both, recurring and “one‐time only” courses. If completed successfully, one‐time only courses are not required to be repeated during contract period. Onetime only courses are:

Contractor‐Provided Basic Training (Exhibit 4B) Contractor‐Provided Initial Weapon Training and Qualifications

(Exhibit 4C) Government‐Provided Orientation Training (Exhibit 4G) Government‐Administered Written Exam (Section 6.5)

43 RFP Section 6.4.1.2 requires one of the training elements to consist of:

"Government‐Provided Orientation Training” Is this training conducted while on‐duty? If not, is this training billable?

Government Provided Orientation Training is not conducted while on “duty”. The contractor is responsible for including all training costs into its price. This training is not separately billable.

44 RFP Exhibit 8E requires the contractor to provide cellular telephones to "All facilities and PSO's covered by this contract." Are cellular telephones required for individual posts or personnel? For posts with multiple PSOs, is the contractor to provide (1) cellular telephone for the post or each individual PSO? If, for example, three PSOs work together in a lobby post, does each PSO require his/her own cellular telephone or should one be provided for the post?

See answer to question 1 above.

45 Post Exhibit 1 Will a post exhibit be provided which identifies specific duties of each PSO; i.e. lobby screening, loading dock, patrol.

No. A complete post exhibit including duties of each post will be provided to the successful offeror.

46 RFP Section 11.3 requires the Contractor to "maintain no less than the amount of supervision described in the Management Approach…" Are current Supervisors comprised of more than one rank? Please provide the rank structure.

The incumbent’s current rank structure is not relevant to this RFP as supervisory strategy is at the discretion of the offeror.

47 SOW 12.1.2 Breaks Do all facilities have break rooms where PSOs are authorized to take breaks?

No.

48 Section 5.4.1.2 stipulates that "DHS determined that performance of this contract requires Contractor, subcontractor(s), vendor(s), etc., to access sensitive DHS information and may require access to classified National Security Information up to and including Top Secret classification level" A) What percentage of the guard force is required to have a Top Secret clearance? What percentage of incumbent personnel maintain a Top Secret clearance? B) Section 5.4.1.2 identifies that the contractor may require a clearance level of Top Secret. Sub‐section E‐2 however, within the "Proposal Submission Requirements" stipulates that the offeror shall posses only a Secret facility clearance. Please confirm the level of clearance required.

It is not necessary for all PSOs to have a secret clearance, nor is there a requirement to have any particular percentage of the guard force cleared at the secret level. The percentage of cleared incumbent personnel is not relevant. The awardee shall maintain a sufficient number of cleared PSOs to adequately and reliably staff posts as specified in the Post Exhibit as requiring a clearance. See Amendment A00002 to the RFP which amends page 280 of 310 to change “Secret Facility Clearance” to “Top Secret Facility Clearance.”

49 SOW 14.4.6 Weapon Storage How are weapons currently being stored? Is the contractor or FPS providing the safe? Is the contractor or FPS providing the clearing barrel?

The offeror is responsible for weapon storage. FPS will provide neither storage nor clearing barrels.

50 If weapons are stored on site in a provided safe, there must be time allocated to provide off‐duty time to each PSO for four primary purposes: 1) gearing‐up; i.e. drawing the firearm from the location they are stored and loading the weapon, 2) traveling to the post from the location where the gear‐up is conducted, 3) following the conclusion of duty, returning back to the location where the firearm must be stored, & 4) gearing‐down; i.e.

making the firearm safe and storing it inside the weapon’s safe. Please clarify.

Weapons storage is not provided on site. Gear‐up or Guard Mount is not required by this RFP. The contractor is responsible for scheduling work in a manner consistent with effective contract management and Collective Bargaining Agreement requirements, if applicable.

51 Attachment 8 Section 1 of the Field Level Supervision spreadsheet, Attachment 8, requires the contractor to “provide the number of full‐time equivalent field level supervisors that will be assigned to this effort”. A) It is our understanding that in section 1 of Attachment 8 we should state the number of personnel in each category. Please confirm if this is correct. B) Can a fraction be used to represent the accurate number of personnel or should numbers be rounded up? For example, a 24x7 post represents 4.2 for a Full Time Equivalent (FTE). Conversely, a staffing number could reflect 5

FTE.

Yes, offeror should state the number of proposed personnel in each category: Area Supervisor, Site Supervisor, and Roving Supervisor. Fractions may be used.

52 SOW 11.2 Key Personnel Will office space be provided at an FPS facility for the Contract Manager (CM) and is there a preferred location? If the government provides office space, which of the following will also be provided:

• Office furniture?

• Computing equipment?

• Printer?

• Copier?

• Internet access?

• Phone service?

If the government provides office space, what is the building address where the space will be provided?

No, the successful offeror is required to provide any necessary office space and furnishings as well as any equipment.

53 SOW 5.2 Medical and Physical Qualifications Are the medical and physical standards listed within the SOW the same for the incumbent personnel? Are all incumbent personnel fully compliant with the RFP medical and physical requirements? Will all incumbent personnel be grandfathered or will they require new medical and physical testing?

The RFP requirements differ from the current contract requirements. All incumbent personnel meet the requirements contained in the current contract, but not necessarily those contained in this RFP. Incumbent personnel will be required to meet the new requirements.

54 Post Exhibit In the table below, we have found discrepancies between the total days listed in the post exhibit and the total days calculated based on the provided operating days. Please verify that the total days listed in the post exhibit are correct for the referenced posts.

See Amendment A00002, which makes several changes to the post exhibit.

55 REF: Exhibit 8C, Contractor‐Provided Firearms and Ammunition: The RFP requires additional training hours if there is a weapons platform change or a weapons transition. Question: What is the current weapon being used on the contract? Is this considered a weapons platform change or transition from the previous contract?

See Question 6 above.

56 REF: SF 1449 Continuation Page, Pricing Schedule and Post Exhibit 1: The hours on Post Exhibit 1 total 268,480.50, but the yearly post hours on the SF 1449 Continuation Page, Pricing Schedule is 267,200.50. Question: How many yearly hours will be required on this contract?

See Amendment A00002, which amended Post Exhibit 1. The contract resulting from the RFP will be an IDIQ contract; the hours sited in the Schedule represent maximum quantities. The maximum quantities are based on a reasonable estimate that is in‐line with or takes into consideration historical information.

57 REF: Section E, Proposal Submission Requirements, page 280: The RFP states that the “Vendor shall submit an electronic version of the pricing schedule, the detailed breakdown, and the technical proposal on CD.”

Question: How many electronic copies (CDs) should the offeror submit with

Just one CD.

Building Number Address Post ID Operating Days Total Days RFP Total Days Calculated CA7843 509 Industry Way 2 (Sat., ‐H) 10 52 CA7843 509 Industry Way 3 (Sun., ‐H) 10 52

CA6925

2409 La Breucherie Rd, Imperial

1 (M‐Thu, ‐H) 199 200

CA6925

2409 La Breucherie Rd, Imperial

2 (F, ‐H) 52.00 51.00 CA0167 880 Front Street,San Diego 10 (M‐F, +H) 216.00 261.00 CA0167 880 Front Street,San Diego 11 (M‐F, ‐H) 209.00 251.00 CA0316 333 W Broadway 1 (M‐F, ‐H) 209.00 251.00 the proposal?

58 Sub Section E‐2 on page 278 of 310 shows a due date of 2/21/13 @1400 hrs.

and the SF 1449 block 8 shows 2/28/12 @1300 hrs. Can you please clarify which is correct and when the proposal is due for submission?

See Amendment A00001, which amended page 278 of 310 to correctly state offer due date of 02/28/2013 @1300.