Q&A.9.27.18.docx

FEDLINK Informational Retrieval Services - RFP LCFDL19R7000 Questions and Answers

1. Q: Our prices are determined by the institute’s size, so it’s difficult for us to put down a price that is accurate for all FEDLINK customers. I’m wondering if you could shed any insight into how others, or how I might tackle that section?

A: Offerors may submit Tier Pricing – based on the volume that is provided to a customer. The prices that are incorporated into an award cannot vary from federal agency to federal agency. When FEDLINK issues an order under the Information Retrieval IDIQ contract, the proposed price of the quote must be fair and reasonable and within the approved FEDLINK price of the IDIQ contract.

Your price proposal needs to include pricing for all products/services that you will offer in response to this solicitation. See also Section L.2.2. Pricing mechanism or methodolgoy -- If an offeror’s pricing is based on customer specific pricing or packaged pricing, then offeror must provide a pricing mechanism or methodology with sufficient data for the Government to evaluate for price fairness and reasonableness.

2. Q: Page Limitation: Page 61 Section L.1 specifies a page limitation of 20 pages for Volume II. Given the variety of products and capabilities we discuss, and given the specificity required by this RFP, we ask FEDLINK to consider extending the page limitation to 25-30 pages.

A: The page limit will remain unchanged.

3. Q: In regards to FEDLINK Category Management Report Template as referenced in Section H.7.2. OPTIONAL CATEGORY MANAGEMENT REPORT, we are unclear to your terminology here. Does Optional mean that the contractors are not required to provide this report? Or just that it is not required as a sample for the response in this solicitation? Or both? If it is not required to comply with the FEDLINK Contract, must we still provide a sample for this response to the solicitation?

A: Optional in this case means FEDLINK is requesting category management information, but it is not mandatory to provide.

4. Q. Please confirm whether vendors can price offerings differently based on the type of library.

A: Please see response to Question 1. Above.

5. Q: REF. Page 10, C.3.1.1. SUPPORT REQUIREMENTS, (f) E-Metrics Usage Data, 2. Required Fields. E-metrics usage data will include cost-per-use data…Given that our company offers products for unlimited use and access, we do not provide the cost-per-use data in our usage reports and they are not included in the sample report we must provide in our proposal.

Please confirm that our statement to convey this fact is acceptable. If not, please provide further instruction and/or notice that our noncompliance with this detail will deem our proposal unacceptable.

A: See Amendment #0002 to this solicitation. The evaluation criteria in Section M of the solicitation for E-Metrics has been relaxed, as follows: Offeror’s proposal will be evaluated on whether it provides samples of all required materials and reports and the extent the sample reports demonstrate capability to report on the customer’s usage, transfer pay and direct Customer activity and show that the reporting procedures are established and can be considered standard operating procedure.

6. Q: I am unable to access the Category Management Report Template, and so I am writing, as Instructed on page 43 of solicitation, to request a copy of the template. I look forward to receiving at your earliest convenience.

A: Please see Amendment #0002 to this solicitation. Form is attached.

7. Q: As we prepare to bid on the next FEDLINK RFP we had technical question re: the 3 year requirement for past performance. What exact date is FEDLINK looking at for this 3 years of performance?

A. FEDLINK has changed the 3-year requirement for past performance to 2 years. It would be based on the date you started providing the IR related products/services to consumers. See Amendment #0002.

8. Q: When an institution submits their intent to purchase a product from a contracted vendor, who would we negotiate the price of the order with: FEDLINK or the licensing federal office? For example, their budget is $100.00 short of the offered price and both parties want to accept that concession.

A: The price on the quote must be in accordance and within the approved FEDLINK contract price. Quoted price may be lower than the approved FEDLINK contract price. FEDLINK receives the quote from the vendor. At that time, it is understood that the vendor and the customer have agreed upon the required products/services and funds available to the customer.

9. Q. When a federal office chooses to license our content through Fedlink, will Fedlink act as the Customer? In other words, will FedLink countersign the Purchase Order, be responsible for paying us and cause the licensing agency to comply with our jointly signed terms and conditions, which would be incorporated by reference into the Fedlink Solicitation? Does the purchasing money from agencies usually sit in a Fedlink account and no order is issued until Fedlink has the money to pay publishers?

A. Please see Sections G.2.1. (a) Transfer Pay, G.2.1. (b) Direct Express and Section H. 10. Order Procedures, of the solicitation.

10. Q. Is it typical to incorporate product terms with a purchase order or in the solicitation itself? For example, should we include the blank product terms in J of the solicitation? In our business model eBooks have inter-library loan in ownership models, but not access models. Should that be outlined in the solicitation or at the point of purchase with the added product terms defining that specific purchase?

A: Any terms that you wish FEDLINK to review should be included with your proposal.

11. Q: Regarding: Section K.2. 52.212-3 – Offeror Representations and Certifications –Commercial Items (p.44) Question: Per the instructions listed in the section referenced above, the “offeror shall complete only paragraphs (b) of this provision if the Offeror has completed the annual representations and certification electronically via the System for Award Management (SAM) Web site …” My company has completed the annual representations and certification electronically via SAM; therefore, we do not have to complete paragraphs (c) – (u), though, there is no place to state this fact. Will FEDLINK simply assume that we are compliant under SAM when we return the RFP and do not fill out (c) – (u)? We do not have anything to write into (b).

A. Yes, it will be understood that you have completed your annual reps and certs via SAM.gov. However, please indicate in your response that you have completed the annual reps. and certs.

12. Q. Regarding: Section L.3.1 – FACTOR 1 – LOT 1 (b) (1) Past Performance (p.63) “Provide a representative list of current Federal government and non-government contracts exceeding $150,000, and selected current contracts under $150,000 with points of contact and phone numbers for at least three customers from either list to serve as references.”

· Would FEDLINK please provide further clarity on the contract list it is seeking? What is meant in terms of “representative list” current Federal and non-government contracts exceeding $150,000 (e.g., how many of each? ).

· Would FEDLINK please provide further clarity on what is meant in terms of providing “selected” current contracts under $150,000?

· Are we correct to assume FEDLINK is looking for three customer references, in total?

A: Please provide at least three references. FEDLINK is looking for offeror experience providing same or similar type of products/services as requested in this solicitation, and, if possible, in various dollar amounts, i.e. under the simplified acquisition threshold (which is now $250,000 and below) and above the simplified threshold (which is above $250,000).

13.Q. Regarding: Section L.7 – PROPOSAL CHECKLIST (p.66) The third line item under Volume I states to “Complete all fill-ins.” Is this instruction a blanket statement, or is it meant to address a particular section/page?

A: This is a blanket statement and applies to any “fill-ins” required in the solicitation.

14. Q. Regarding: Section L.7 – PROPOSAL CHECKLIST (p.66) Are Volumes I and II to be packaged separately—both in electronic format and physical copies?

We're not a 'manufacturer' but an online database, so I want to ask if we would be considered a Foreign entity or not.

A: FEDLINK does do business with companies that are affiliated with foreign countries; however, the company must be registered with SAM.gov.

16. Q: Our response to this referenced solicitation includes ebook titles that continually evolve. All are hosted within the same database. Given these facts and the extremely large volume of the required for the hard copy submission, may we list the database name as the product with a note to convey that pricing for each ebook title within the database may be accessed via a user account setup at our web catalog site rather than listing each current, ebook title?

We would also include the minimum and maximum discounts we can extend for the books hosted by the database. We would also welcome other suggestions to limit the volume of our hard copy submission.

A: A list of titles and corresponding pricing must be provided or you may provide a catalog with pricing.

17. Q: In accordance with Section L.5 of the above-referenced FEDLINK RFP, we have the following clarification questions:

G.3.3. Invoice Information. G.3.3 (a) (3) indicates that the Contractor’s invoice shall include the Order date. Is it a mandatory requirement? Our invoicing system does not include this information, so we would need to do this manually which would be quite burdensome. Our invoices include all other requested information. Would it be acceptable to omit this information and take exception?

A: Order date is mandatory, because it is another link that matches the correct invoice to the correct order.

18. Q. H.7.2 Optional Report: Category Management Report. The title of this section indicates that this is optional, however, the provision make it seem that it is required. Can you please confirm whether or not this is a mandatory report or an optional one.

A: This is not a mandatory requirement. See also answer to question no. 3 above.

19.Q: Regarding past performance: How many examples would you like to see from us to include company or federal agency name, customer, customer contact and phone number, contract number, contracting office and phone number, description of service provided, and approximate dollar value of the contract. – Per our experience working with the government solicitations we usually provide 3 past performances and are planning to provide the same for this solicitation. Please advise if this would meet the requirement.

A: FEDLINK is requesting a minimal of 3 past performances. These should also show the dates services were provided.

If we provide the information for the required number of examples will that meet the requirement? Is there any additional information you need from us to meet the requirement? In addition, will this information just be used internally as evidence of our experience or will this information also be shared externally. Also, will we be provided an option to redact confidential information upon award of the contract?

A: Please follow the instructions in Section L – Instructions to Offerors, of the solicitation. This information will be used internally to evaluate your proposal in accordance with section M. of the solicitation.

20. Q. Regarding e-Metrics Usage Data, can you please advise what information is needed to fulfil this requirement? In section M.2.1 it is stated that the proposal will be evaluated on whether it provides samples of all required materials and reports. It references customers E-Metrics Usage Data (as described in Section C.3.1.1 (support requirements) (e). In that section it says that vendors will describe subscriptions in terms of 4 elements. It does not appear to reference a sample report. Is a sample report for Usage Metrics/E-Metrics required? If so, is there a template that can be provide for us to fill in the information.

A. A sample report is required for e-Metrics Usage Data. Please see also answer to question no. 5 above.

21. Q: Our commercial base pricing differs based on the quantity and nature of the uses that different organizations make of the copyrighted materials that we license. Will this be an issue?

A: Please provide federal government-wide pricing. Please see also answer to question no. 1 above.

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