Q&As_-_CALR_Services.pdf

Questions & Answers- Legal Research Services RFQ ID14180042

Question 1: For Optional CLINs 0002-4006, can GSA further define each type of user group and whether they (will) work within the OGC or a different department? If the latter, can you identify which department?

Answer: 1) Mandatory CLINs X001 are for the staff of GSA’s Office of General Counsel.

2) Optional CLINs X002 are in place to accommodate a potential need from an undetermined department of GSA, should the need arise.

3) Optional CLINs X003-X006 are intended for additional GSA OGC users.

Page 1, Section 2: TASK (CLIN) Requirements has been revised to read:

“Optional Supplemental Legal Research Services (CLINs 0002 - 4002): These FFP CLINs are for optional Legal Research Services to be utilized for potential future needs from an undetermined department of GSA, should the need arise.

“Optional Supplemental Legal Research Services (CLINs 0003 - 4006): These FFP CLINs are for optional Legal Research Services to be utilized for potential future needs of GSA’s OGC.”

Page 8, Section 2.2: Optional Supplemental Research Services (CLINs 0002 - 4006) has been revised to read:

“GSA may exercise an optional supplemental research services CLIN throughout the life of the purchase order by the initiation of a purchase request document, statement of work and formalized via a modification.”

Question 2: Under Section 2. Task (CLIN) Requirements, Optional Supplemental Legal Research Services (CLINs 0002-4006), can GSA confirm that these CLINs will be issued as separate purchase orders with a specified period of performance?

Answer: As stated on Page 1, Section 2 of the solicitation: “These optional CLINs can be exercised throughout the life of the purchase order by the initiation of a purchase request document, statement of work and formalized via a modification.”

The Optional CLINs will be exercised via a modification to the current order and the period of performance will be referenced at that time.

Question 3: Current Contract—We have the following questions regarding the GSA OGC’s current Computer Assisted Legal Research Services (CALR) contract:

- Who is the current provider of CALR Services to GSA OGC?

- What is the total annual value of the current contract?

- What is the contract/task order/purchase order/delivery number of the existing contract?

- How many users receive CALR Services under the current contract?

- Does the current contract include any additional GSA offices? If so, can you provide the names of those offices and the number of users for each office?

Answer: The current contract was awarded to LexisNexis under GS00H13AAP0017 for $68,224 with four option years. It included optional CLINs to add additional offices.

Question 4: Section 1. Background (Page 1) — In paragraph two of Section 1.

Background, the GSA OGC states that they require “an enterprise license agreement.” The Solicitation only discusses the needs of the OGC, however, this language seems to indicate that other offices throughout GSA might be included.

- Can the GSA OGC please advise whether other GSA offices may be contemplated under this contract?

Answer: See answer to question 1.

- If other GSA offices are included, can the GSA OGC please provide a complete listing of the additional GSA offices directly contemplated under the RFQ? Please include the office name and location, as well as the number of anticipated users at each office.

- If other GSA offices are included, would each of these offices have exactly the same content requirements as outlined in the solicitation?

Answer: The services would be within the scope of the purchase order.

- If other GSA offices are included, can you please specify which CLIN they fall under? If no CLIN exists, will OGC be adding CLINs for these additional GSA offices/divisions?

Question 5: Section 6. Provisions (Page 13)—The Solicitation does not indicate whether the GSA OGC intends to purchase under an applicable GSA contract or “open market”.

Answer: This requirement is being issued through FedBizOpps and is therefore Open Market.

- Is it a correct understanding that the GSA OGC intends to purchase the required services via an existing GSA contract? Or is the GSA OGC anticipating purchasing these online subscription products as an “open market” purchase?

Answer: This requirement is being issued through FedBizOpps and is therefore Open Market.

- If the GSA OGC will make an “open market” purchase, please advise which FAR 52.212-5 clauses the GSA OGC intends to incorporate into the contract that will be awarded pursuant to the RFQ (FAR 52.212-5 is referenced in Section 6, page 12 of the

RFQ).

Answer: Per Amendment 0001, the solicitation has been revised to include FAR 52.212-5 in full text. All applicable clauses under this clause have been selected.

Question 6: Section 6.1.2 Quote Submission (Page 13)—To ensure that offerors have an adequate opportunity to review the answers to questions and prepare their most cost-effective quote to meet the needs of the GSA OGC, this contractor respectfully requests that the GSA OGC extend the deadline for submitting bids to five (5) business days after written answers to all submitted questions have been provided to offerors. Will GSA OGC consider extending the submission deadline?

Answer: Per Amendment 0001, the solicitation closing date has been extended to Friday, February 9, 2018 at 2:00 PM EST.

Question 7: Attachment B – Pricing Schedule—We have the following questions regarding Attachment B – Pricing Schedule.

- The Price Schedule includes Optional CLINs X002-X006 and these CLINs seek pricing for additional GSA users during each contract period. Is it a correct understanding that these CLINs are included to account for anticipated growth in the number of GSA OGC users during a contract period?

- If this understanding is correct, it appears the GSA OGC is anticipating the possibility of adding 30 users to its staff (potentially as early as six months into the base year). How likely is it that GSA OGC’s staff will increase by 30 users at any one time during the full contract term? Or does this CLIN for 30 users represent a separate user group within

OGC?

- If the optional CLINs are intended to address future growth of GSA OGC users, do the CLINs X003-X006 reflect GSA OGC’s estimate that the number of GSA OGC users may grow by as many as five users in each contract period?

Answer: CLINs X003-X006 reflect that GSA’s OGC could grow by as many as five users at some point during the term of this purchase order.

- If our understanding of the CLIN structure is not accurate and the Optional CLINs are included to address other GSA plans, we respectfully request more information regarding those plans, including the following:

- Are the optional CLINs X002-X006 intended to allow for other GSA offices to join the contract?

- If other GSA offices may be allowed to join the contract, can you please specify exactly which GSA office/division pertains to each individual CLIN?

Answer: See answer to question 1.

- Optional CLIN X002 requests pricing for 30 users. The Base Year requests pricing for 6 months, and each subsequent option year requests pricing for 12 months. Does this structure indicate GSA’s intention to add a new office to the contract halfway through the

Base Year? If so, would the GSA OGC expect to maintain those 30 extra users in each Option Year?

Answer: Optional CLINs X002 are in place to accommodate a potential need from an undetermined department of GSA, should the need arise. If the need arose in the base year, the optional CLIN would be exercised for 6 months. If a new office is added, we anticipate that it would maintain the 30 extra users in each following option year.

- Optional CLINs X003-X006 request pricing for 5 users for 12 month, 9 month, 6 month, and 3 month intervals.

Answer: Yes, this structure is put in place to allow GSA’s OGC to add 5 users at various points of any year in the purchase order term.

- Does the GSA OGC plan to increase the user number by 5 users periodically during each contract period?

Answer: No, this structure represents that GSA is uncertain if or at what point in the year the need for 5 users will arise.

- Are these 5 users the same 5 users, but the CLIN structure represents that GSA is uncertain when these 5 users will be added to the contract?

Answer: Yes.

- Or are these separate CLINs representing separate user groups that may be added to the contract at various intervals?

Answer: No.

- Or is the CLIN structure intended to address funding allocation issues within GSA

OGC?

Answer: No.

Please clarify what is intended by this pricing structure.

- If GSA exercises any of the optional CLINS during the contract, would it be a fair expectation that these extra users would continue to be included in the contract in subsequent option years?

Answer: Yes.

- Mandatory CLIN X001 requests pricing for 140 users. The Optional CLINs X003-X006 request pricing for 45-50 additional users. Is it a correct understanding that, by the end of the contract, the GSA OGC may have a total of 190 users?

Answer: Optional CLINs X003-X006 are in place to allow GSA’s OGC to add only 5 users at various points of any year in the purchase order term. The potential total number of all users at the end of the purchase order may be 175.