RESPONSES_TO_QUESTIONS_1-5.docx

RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS #1-5

SOLICITATION # HTC711-15-R-W004

DEDICATED FUEL BARGE IN GULF REGION

QUESTION # 1: Am I understanding correctly that all the material to be included in Volume III is limited in its entirety to 20 pages or are we allowed to have attachments to items referenced in the narrative or would this count against the 20 page count?

RESPONSE: The technical volume Cover page, Table of Contents, and Attachments referenced in the technical volume do not count against the designated page limits.

QUESTION # 2: I don’t see any security requirements for the barge crew. Is that correct?

RESPONSE: Security clearance is not required; however, the vessel crews must possess a valid Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC).

QUESTION # 3: Is TRANSCOM considering hosting an industry day?

RESPONSE: No. There will not be a pre-proposal conference or an industry day for this acquisition. Based upon the non-complex technical requirements, commerciality and best value acquisition strategy (Lowest Priced Technically Acceptable); the Government determined a pre-proposal conference/industry day was not merited.

QUESTION # 4: Considering the new stringent barge age requirement, how many bids must TRANSCOM receive to consider this a viable tender?

RESPONSE: This is not a tender; rather this is a Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) based acquisition. Accordingly, since this is a competitive acquisition in a competitive market, if only 1 offer were received the government could make an award so long as the offer complied with all required elements of the solicitation as specified in the evaluation criteria.

QUESTION # 5: Question: Section 3.1.1. (Barge) states an age limit of no more than 8 years for barges used under this contract. This age requirement was not in the draft PWS, and it’s much lower than the industry average (including ours, which is below industry average). Can you explain the rationale for this change? If industry can’t meet the age requirement, will TRANSCOM consider revising the RFP and/or accept non-conforming submissions?

RESPONSE: The equipment age requirement was added post draft PWS to meet the current operations, capabilities, future demand and challenges as older vessels tend to have more frequent safety, quality, maintenance, and certification issues. The PWS equipment age requirement has been changed from “no older than 8 years old” to “no older than 12 years old” at any time during the life of the contract (Amendment 01) to coincide with industry averages identified from market research. As stated in PWS paragraph 3.3., the Contractor shall provide tug and barge requirements that conforms to the specifications of this contract. The Government will not accept non-conforming submissions or technical offerings that do not adequately address barge age and replacement plans for age.