Amendment 2-Responses.doc

1. Under Basis for Award and in the synopsis the Government refers to a cost proposal. Will the Government issue an amendment to the RFP to include guidelines or requirements to offerors detailing the requirements for preparing the cost proposal?

ANSWER: An amendment will be issued that includes a sample task order scope of work. Contractors will be required to submit a separate 3 ring binder with a proposal and cost estimate.

2. Under initial evaluation of proposals the Government defines an unacceptable proposal. “An unacceptable proposal is one that does not follow the requested format as stated in the Evaluation Approach section. The section the Government refers to only address’s technical requirements for each merit. Are there any format requirements (Font, page limit, margins, etc) beyond the technical merit?

ANSWER: As indicated, please address technical requirements for each merit factor in a single 3 ring binder.

3. Under Merit Factor 1 – Experience, Subfactor A Management. Numbers 1 and 2 are the same. Is this an error? Is there different language that is missing in number 2?

ANSWER: The information should indicate the following:

Subfactor A - Management

(1) Demonstration of managerial ability for a minimum of 3 complex projects (e.g. multiple governmental, agencies, states, etc.) through documented history of timely completion of past projects and efficient organizational framework.

(2) Demonstration of managerial ability for a minimum of 3 multiple projects through documented history of timely completion of past projects and efficient organizational framework.

4. “Section 2 (Work Requirements) Paragraph C (Specific),” states that the "Contractor may provide technical support in International Organization for Standard (ISO) 14001." Does the Contractor need to be ISO 14001 certified?

ANSWER: The contractor does not need to be ISO 14001 certified. The contractor will be required to provide technical assistance to the USIBWC regarding ISO 14001- Environmental Management Systems and Executive Order 13148

5. “Section 3 (Qualifications and other Requirements) subsection 4 (Qualifications) Paragraph (a).” There appears to be a discrepancy between this paragraph and “Exhibit No. 1 (Evaluation Factors for Award) Merit Factor 3 (Professional Qualifications) Subfactor A paragraph (1).” In the former document it states that the Project Manager/Principal Investigator shall have a Doctoral or Masters Degree in environmental sciences, biological sciences, physical sciences, engineering or natural resources..." However, the latter document (Exhibit No. 1) states that "at least on Ph.D degree will be represented for at least five of the disciplines listed in the Scope of Work (engineering, environmental sciences, biological sciences, ecological sciences, and natural resources)." Does this mean that at a minim, one PhD. is required and that the remainder of disciplines with PIs or Task Managers can have Master Degrees? We request clarification on the level of education relative to Discipline types.

ANSWER: Proposals should contain the qualifications and education of all personnel employed by the Prime and subcontractors that will and/or can be made available for work under this contract. Higher levels of education shall be taken into consideration.

6. Exhibit No. 1 (Evaluation Factors for Award) Merit Factor 5 (Location of Prime and Subcontractors) Subfactor A. If the Project Manager office/Key personnel are not located within 200 linear miles of El Paso, does this disqualify the proposal? How will location effect the overall scoring?

ANSWER: Location of Prime and Subcontractors will not disqualify a proposal. As indicated in the evaluation factors, Merit Factor 5 will be considered ¼ of importance as factors 2, 3 and 4 in the scoring.

7. Exhibit No. 1 (Evaluation Factors for Award) Merit Factor 5 (Location of Prime and Subcontractors) Subfactor B. Is there a list of cities that the IBWC would consider “key” cities in the states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas?

ANSWER: There is no list of key cities, as general guidance any city within 200 miles of the border could be considered a key city. Offices in any of the four border states will also be considered.

8. Will the proposal submittal be in a required format, such as a Standard Form 330?

RESPONSE: The recommended format should be a 3 ring binder with sections describing the contractor qualifications for each of the 5 Merit Factors. A second binder should contain a proposal and cost estimate to a Scope of Work to be issued as an amendment to this solicitation.

9. Are there limitations on number of pages, margins, and font size?

RESPONSE: No limitations, other than information in a single 3 ring binder describing the Merit Factors.

10. Can 11”x17”” illustrations be used in the proposal?

RESPONSE: Yes illustrations can be utilized in the proposal.

11. Document IBM09C0002 – Draft Contract Part 2 of 2 requires the proposals to contain the information requested in Attachment 2: IBM09C0002 – Exhibit 1. Exhibit 1 is the Evaluation Factors for Award, which includes reference to price in paragraphs 1 (Evaluation Options) and 2 (Basis for Award). No basis for cost estimate is provided. Can we assume from the five Merit Factors that the proposal consists solely of professional qualifications without any cost component?

RESPONSE: As indicated above, an amendment will be issued that includes a sample task order scope of work. Contractors will be required to submit a separate 3 ring binder with a proposal and cost.

12. Will IBWC clarify the merit factor scoring? Is Merit Factor 1 twice the importance of any one of Merit Factors 2, 3, and 4 or the combined importance of Merit Factors 2, 3, and 4? Is Merit Factor 5 ¼ the importance of any one of Merit Factors 2, 3, and 4, or the combined importance of Merit Factors 2, 3, and 4?

RESPONSE: No additional clarification can be provided at this time associated with the Merit Factors.

13. Merit Factor 3, Subfactor A(1) requires at least one team member with a PhD degree in five disciplines listed in the scope of work including engineering, Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Ecological Sciences, and Natural Resources. Since there is a large amount of overlap between these disciplines, can a team member with a PhD degree and the appropriate experience account for more than one discipline, or are five individual team members with PhD degrees required?

RESPONSE: See response to question #5.

14. The Evaluation Approach states that the submittal shall be organized following the Merit Factors presented in the RFP. Can resumes of key personnel be presented separately from the five merit factors as an attachment to the proposal?

RESPONSE: Resumes should be included in Merit Factor 3 – Professional Qualifications.

15. Can small business credit be extended to a third party team member or do all contractors need to be through the prime contractor to receive small business participation credit?

RESPONSE: All subcontractors need to be through the prime contractor.

16. IBM09Q0002-Merit Factor 1-MWH: Merit Factor #1: Subfactor A, Numbers (1) and (2) are essentially identical except for substitution of “multiple” for “complex”. Please clarify how IBWC would expect responses to (1) and (2) to differ.

RESPONSE: See Question #3.

17. IBM09Q0002-Merit Factor 3a-MWH: Merit Factor #3 Subfactor A, Number (1) requires a PhD degree for “at least 5 of the disciplines listed in the SOW” and lists 5 disciplines in parentheses. The SOW lists 15 disciplines (Part 1, A, end of second paragraph). Are the 5 disciplines in parentheses only examples, i.e., can any of the other disciplines listed in the SOW fulfill the PhD requirement?

RESPONSE: See response to question #5.

18. IBM09Q0002-Merit Factor 3b-MWH: Subfactor B, Number (1) requires a MA degree for “the five disciplines listed in the SOW” and lists 5 disciplines in parentheses. Are the 5 disciplines in parentheses only examples, i.e., can any of the other disciplines listed in the SOW fulfill the MA requirement?

RESPONSE: See response to question #5.

19. IBM09Q0002-Merit Factor 4-MWH: Merit Factor 4 – Resources, Subfactor A – Key Personnel and team composition and availability requires showing team composition with minimum 50% “in-house” capabilities. Does this factor relate to the prime contractor's resources or the prime and proposed team members combined capabilities?

RESPONSE: The factor is representative of the Prime contractor’s team.

20. IBM09Q0002-Admin 1-MWH: Please clarify the number of copies, page count, or other submittal procedures for the proposals?

RESPONSE: See response to question #8 and #9.

21. IBM09Q0002-Admin 2-MWH: The solicitation states that technical questions shall not be accepted after Friday, January 16, 2008, 5:00 P.M. Mountain Time. Will IBWC consider extending the due date for proposals if significant changes in the solicitation arise resulting from questions?

RESPONSE: An extension shall be issued.

22. IBM09Q0002-Admin 3 -MWH: Will a consolidated list of questions and government responses be posted or made available?

RESPONSE: See response to question 1.

23. IBM09Q0002-Cost -MWH: Although Exhibit No. 1 discusses cost/price, we could not find any instructions as to the format IBWC desires for cost/price representation. Please clarify how/when cost/price information should be submitted.

RESPONSE: See response to question 1.

24. Element 4 indicates that the EIS contractor will develop criteria for the formulation and selection of alternatives, collect the data required to support the alternatives, and prepare an alternatives report. Is the EIS contractor responsible for providing engineering and conceptual design services to develop the alternatives? Can you clarify the type and amount of data that the EIS contractor needs to collect?

ANSWER: Yes, the contractor will be responsible for providing engineering and conceptual design services to develop the alternatives. The type of data may include acreage requirements, impacts to natural resources, physical alignment of proposed new levee, adjacent landowners, etc etc.

25. If another contractor is responsible for developing alternatives, are we to assume the number alternatives that the EIS contractor needs to include in the proposal for scope and cost or is there a limited number of alternative provided prior to submission of the proposal?

ANSWER: The EIS contractor is responsible for developing alternatives. The following is a list of potential/conceptual alternatives:

1) Rehabilitate levee at existing alignment and add Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wall

2) Rehabilitate levee at existing alignment.

3) Rehabilitate at new alignment (500 foot levee offset) and add DHS wall

4) Rehabilitate at new alignment (follow railroad embankment) and add DHS wall

5) Rehabilitate at new alignment (500 foot levee offset)

6) Rehabilitate at new alignment (follow railroad embankment)

Please note that the DHS wall is exempt from all NEPA requirements as per the DHS waiver.

26. We understand that the USIBWC will be engaging a geotechnical firm for work on the project. What will be the scope of services for the consultant? Will they be just be performing field and laboratory investigations or will they also be performing geotechnical analyses such as seepage and stability analyses? These analyses are integral to developing alternatives for rehabilitating, raising, and/or modifying levee systems. If alternatives development is part of the scope of work for the EIS contractor, should the EIS contractor assume a large role in the geotechnical investigation and analyses?

ANSWER: ESD

27. Element 3B-7 indicates that the contractor will develop a plan for equipment staging areas and identify access routes and haul roads. Is the EIS contractor responsible for identifying borrow areas or has this area been identified? Also, identifying this information requires involvement in the alternatives development.

ANSWER: Borrow material will be obtained from a commercial source at a later date. The USIBWC has identified borrow areas from the original project construction and plans to reactivate those sites for emergency repairs.