D01_M6700422Q0052_RFQ Q-A ISO 45001.pdf

Questions and Answers M67004-22-Q-0052

1. Would the PMO entertain remote audits IAW ISO 19011 Annex A16?

Answer: Yes, but only if necessary due to extenuating circumstances (for example, COVID-19 restrictions, extended bad weather).

2. The PWS is missing the risk category that the customer must determine using the attached IAF

MD 5 document Annex C pages 29-33. The response should be “High, Medium, or Low.”

Answer: High (Defense Activities)

3. The PWS states “The contractor shall be an accredited certification body of the American

National Standards Institute (ANSI), American Society for Quality (ASQ), ANSI-ASQ National

Accreditation Board (ANAB) or equivalent Accreditation Board for performing the certification and auditing…” References to a specific Accreditation Body (AB) is prejudicial and stifles fair and open competition, particularly when equivalency is not specifically defined. Of equal importance, the PWS is silent on the requirement that the Certification Body (CB) Offeror must have ISO 45001:2018 in its scope of Accreditation. To correct these issues, we would recommend the following language, “The Offeror shall be accredited to ISO 17021 by an

Accreditation Body (AB) that is a member of the International Accreditation Forum with a scope of membership that includes management system certification. In addition, the Offeror’s

Certificate of Accreditation must have a scope which includes ISO 45001:2018. Offeror’s shall submit a copy of their Certificate of Accreditation evidencing these requirements with their technical proposal.”

Answer: Concur. Changed accordingly.

4. Section 2.1 of the PWS states auditor days required which should be removed. Offeror’s must determine audit duration on their own using IAF MD 5 and the information provided in the

PWS.

Answer: Concur. Changed accordingly.

5. We would like to know if this is a brand new contract OR if there is (was) an incumbent performing these services. If not brand new, could you please provide the current / previous contract number?

Answer: This is a new contract.

6. Are we able to submit pricing for only the Pre-Assessment for consideration (presumably we would N/A or zero the other line items in our submission)?.

Answer: Per the RFQ, “Quote must contain all requested line items as the contract award will be made in aggregate. Therefore, any quote received without all line items priced will be considered non-responsive.”