QA HTC71125RC006_QA responses 18Feb25.pdf

HTC71125RC006 Ft. Irwin Q&A List – 30Jan25

1. Who is the current Incumbent Contractor?

Answer: The current incumbent contractor for this service is Hillsboro Aviation and their CAGE code is 0ZG15.

2. What type of aircraft did they provide?

Answer: The intent is for offerors to provide their own solution to the requirement based on the requirement outlined in the PWS. The make/model of the incumbent contractor’s aircraft were not specifically stated by the contract to ensure that potential offerors had the flexiliby to provide their own solutions to the requirement at a price that is realistic for them.

3. What was the total award amount for the incumbent?

Answer: The total life-cycle value of the current contract is about $4.6M with a 22 month period of performance.

4. What is the NIST SP 800-171 DoD Assessment?

Answer: See the DFARS Provisions/Clauses 252.204-7019 and 252.204-7020 at www.Acquisition.gov. Navigate to the Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS) module within the Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE) website at https://piee.eb.mil/ to begin the NIST SP 800-171 DoD Assessment process.

5. What is the CARB?

Answer: IAW the US CFR 861.5, DOD Commercial Airlift Review Board Procedures, CARB approval is required for all Air Carrier service providers prior to providing air transportation services for Department of Defense personnel while performing on contracts issued by the United States Transportation Command (USTC). (For the full entry on CFR 861.5, see https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-32/subtitle-A/chapter-VII/subchapter-F/part-861/section-861.5.

Also, see DODI 4500.53 for more information regarding USTC’s use of the CARB at https://safe.menlosecurity.com/doc/docview/viewer/docN9C27831F4F7A0b76c2769c34278da64 22bfb4964a9481f7b623d10d8bcfa1e794c67cbad45fc)

6. The RFP states that offerors must be CARB approved at the time of proposal submission, but a contractor will only be (sic) investigated by CARB for approval upon being identified as a potential awardee, which can only be done after proposal evaluations.

In addition, the CARB approval guidance states that it takes up to 120 days for approval.

Is it the intent of the government to only accept proposals from vendors who were previously CARB approved?

Answer: Per the solicitation (52.212-2(c)(v)), only vendors approved by the CARB at the time of proposal submission will be eligible for contract award. This is to mitigate potential lapses in service caused by an unforseen disapproval by the CARB after selection for award that would result in a need to completely resolicit the requirement and select a new awardee.

http://www.acquisition.gov/ https://piee.eb.mil/ https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-32/subtitle-A/chapter-VII/subchapter-F/part-861/section-861.5 https://safe.menlosecurity.com/doc/docview/viewer/docN9C27831F4F7A0b76c2769c34278da6422bfb4964a9481f7b623d10d8bcfa1e794c67cbad45fc https://safe.menlosecurity.com/doc/docview/viewer/docN9C27831F4F7A0b76c2769c34278da6422bfb4964a9481f7b623d10d8bcfa1e794c67cbad45fc

The CARB has stated that the guidance on their website is outdated. The CARB has recently begun revising their processes in an attempt to approve more contractors. The website will be updated once the CARB has a solidified their new processes. Interested vendors may contact the CARB at any time to attempt to schedule their approval process.

7. What is the anticipated start date following contract award?

Answer: The anticipated start date is, as of this posting, 1 April 2025. Due to constrained timelines, this date is subject to change based the actual contract award date with an intent to provide adequate time for positioning.

8. Will the government provide lodging on base for crew members? If so, will there be a cost associated with this provision?

Answer: The government will not be providing any lodging for crew.

9. If housing is not required, is there a requirement regarding distance from army base in which the crew must remain within?

Answer: There’s no requirement regarding distance from the army base. Regardless of their distance from the base, it is the crew’s responsibility to arrive on location in time to provide services in accordance with the PWS.

10. Will the government provide indoor hangar space on base for aircraft? If so, will there be an associated cost?

Answer: No. If required, the aircraft is taken to another nearby airport.

11. If indoor space is not provided, will outdoor space be provided?

Answer: Yes, the CA Bicycle Lake Army Airfield is designated for the “Ridge Runner” Rotary Wing Air Transportation Service aircraft.

12. And if outdoor space is only provided would inside space be provided in the event of an hazardous weather event?

Answer: No. In the event of hazardous weather the aircraft will be moved to nearby airport to be secured.

13. Will the government provide designated parking spaces on base for a fuel truck, support/crew trucks and aircraft support trailer? If so, will there be a cost?

Answer: No. Parking spaces for the above addressed equipment are not necessary as the government provides fuel at no cost to the contractor. The government buys fuel in bulk, and it is made available for all official air-related operations at that facility.

14. Does the requirement specify two pilots actively flying the aircraft, or is single-pilot operation permitted with the second pilot intended as a backup/alternate?

Answer: The two pilots are rotational (2 weeks on/2 weeks off). Only one pilot is required to be in the aircraft per mission.

15. IAW Section 3.1 of PWS, please confirm that ALL fuel will be provided at no cost to the contractor.

Answer: All fuel will be provided at no cost to the contractor. At that specific location, the government pre-purchases fuel in bulk and it is made available for all official airlift related operations at that facility.

16. Will this contract operate continuously over five years, or does the government anticipate mobilization and demobilization annually, resulting in a gap in service coverage?

Answer: Barring any extraneous circumstances, the intent is for his contract to remain in effect without interruption for the full five years.

17. What is the necessary “desired fuel load and pilot weight” calculation for determining if the aircraft is “capable of carrying internal or external loads of 1,000 pounds to including sling loads, pilot and payload, at 30 degrees Celsius at 8,000 feet out-of-ground effect

(OGE)”?

Answer: The Government does not have a preferred calculation method. The onus for calculating these numbers is on the contractor to perform. The numbers listed in the PWS are based on actual conditions that the aircraft must be able to operate under in order to be considered acceptable.

18. Is there a dedicated storage area for aircraft parts and tools?

Answer: Yes. Contractor will have a small office for parts/tools.

19. Is there a dedicated office space for air crew and maintenance personnel?

Answer: Yes. Contractor will have a small office for air crew and maintenance personnel.

20. Are all flights within the lateral confines of the Ft Irwin complex?

Answer: Per the PWS requirements, services are to be performed within a 200-mile radius of Bicycle Lake Army Airfield. This may include area outside of the Ft. Irwin complex, such as China Lake.

21. Are any tax exemption status letters available for the federal customer?

Answer: No. Fort Irwin is a state-owned National Guard facility and therefore does not qualify for tax exemption status. In California, federal contractors cannot obtain a tax-exempt certificate when operating on state-owned land because they are not considered agents of the federal government.

22. Will the contractor aircraft be required to fly up to 200 miles to its destination and 200 miles return? Are there refueling locations throughout the 200-mile radius?

Answer: Services are to be performed within a 200-mile radius of Bicycle Lake Army Airfield.

Yes, there’s refueling at Potts Pike and Bicycle Lake Army Airfield.

23. The PWS specifies that the government will furnish ground handling of aircraft and ground support equipment units (if available). How “available” are the ground handling and ground support equipment units? Should the contractor expect to have their own ground support equipment on hand?

Answer: The contractor is responsible for providing support equipment unique to its aircraft.

24. 4.3 in the scope of work states- "4.3 Contractor shall have a current FAA Authorization certificate to operate over routes and into airfields specified under both Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) and VFR conditions and rules. IFR capability authorization is not required for operations into airfields, which do not have published IFR approach procedures. "

Does this mean the aircraft must be approved and able to fly IFR?

Answer: No, IFR is not required. The airfield does not have published IFR approach procedures. VFR is expected to be used instead.

25. 1.3 in the scope of work states- "1.3.2.13 The aircraft must be equipped with heating and ventilation/air conditioning, cabin storage for passenger hand carrier baggage, and clean air sickness bags."

Does this mean ventilation OR air conditioning or are both required?

Answer: The aircraft must be equipped with both ventilation and air conditioning.

26. If a flight request is not ordered/pending, is the contractor staff required to be at the base, or can they be residing at their place of lodging?

Answer: The contractor staff will be on call status 7 days a week, including weekends and holidays.

27. What is the annual minimum number of flight hours we can expect?

Answer: The 240 hours listed on the solicitation and the pricing sheet attachment is based on the number of missions flown in the past multiplied by the time it takes to travel to and from the site(s). The actual number of hours may change depending on various circumstances outside of the Government’s control. Changes to the number of hours flown will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

28. Are the 240 flight hours a guaranteed yearly minimum?

Answer: No. See above.

29. If there are no minimum flight hours, what is the average number of flight hours flown annually over the last three years?

Answer: See above.

30. Will there be any prospective bidder meetings prior to the contract award?

Answer: A prospective bidder meeting is not currently being planned by the Government. If it is determined to be in the best interest in the Government to have a prospective bidder meeting, then the solicitation posting on SAM.gov will be updated to include the meeting date and time.

31. Will the helicopter be required to stay onsite on the weekends, or can it be repositioned to the service provider’s home base?

Answer: Given that the contractor staff will be in “on-call” status 7 days a week, including weekends and holidays, it may not be prudent to reposition the aircraft to the service provider’s home base. Repositioning costs will not be reimbursed if the proposed technical solution includes this strategy.