MCC-15-RFQ-0187_Solicitation_Amendment_0003.pdf

5. PROJECT NO.

CODE 7. ADMINISTERED BY

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO.

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6. ISSUED BY

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

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10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

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Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

E. IMPORTANT:

is extended,

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning __________ copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR AC- KNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY is not extended.

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is required to sign this document and return ___________ copies to the issuing office. is not, A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

15C. DATE SIGNED

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

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BY

Contractor

16C. DATE SIGNED

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER 16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

STANDARD FORM 30 NSN 7540-01-152-8070

PREVIOUS EDITION NOT USABLE Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

(Type or print) (Type or print)

(Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

(No., street, county, State and ZIP Code)

(If other than Item 6)

(Specify type of modification and authority)

(such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.)

(If required)

(If applicable)

(SEE ITEM 11)

(SEE ITEM 13)

(X)

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13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS,

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer)

1 13

08/31/2015

Millennium Challenge Corporation Contracts and Grants Management Division 875 15th St, NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20005-2227

Millennium Challenge Corporation Contracts and Grants Management Division 875 15th St., NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20005-2227 Ray Staniewski, Contract Specialist (KTR

To all Offerors/Bidders

MCC-15-RFQ-0187

07-30-2015

X

X X

See CONTINUATION Page

The purpose of this solicitation amendment is to:

a) Post the questions received with their respective answers.

b) No other changes, correctioins or extensions are provided.

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CONTINUATION PAGE

BLOCK 14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Continued)

Questions received with answers provide by MCC.

1. We understand that MCC intends to award two BPA Call Orders under the BPAs, one for Ghana and one for Tanzania. Can you please provide further details of the assignments in Ghana and Tanzania? In particular,

a. Will an additional submittal be required upon receiving a Call Order and prior to proceeding with the work?

No. If you are selected for award you will receive a BPA as well as the BPA Call Order.

b. Will the work in Ghana and Tanzania happen at different times?

The two requirements are independent of each other. If any savings will be realized by coordinated activities, the details may be negotiated with qualifying vendors as part of contract negotiations.

c. Do we need to submit separate proposals for the work in Ghana and the work in Tanzania?

Yes.

2. Can MCC provide an estimate of the likely duration for the assignments in Ghana and Tanzania?

Proposals will be assessed based on the quality and reasonableness of their proposed work plan, including the proposed time-line, balanced against the costs.

3. We understand that there are opportunities for similar work in Moldova, Senegal, Mozambique, Mongolia, Philippines, Vanuatu, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, and El Salvador. Can you please describe the procurement process that would lead to a Call Order for a similar assignment in a country other than Ghana and Tanzania?

A solicitation will be posted as each country requirement becomes available.

4. We understand this work will be awarded based on evaluation of three criteria: technical capability, price, and past performance. How will these criteria be weighted?

As explained in paragraph M.1. (a) on page 62, technical and past performance, when combined, are significantly more important than cost or price.

5. Is it permitted to fulfill the required expertise of the Team Leader with a combination of two individuals?

MCC prefers to leave the organizational details to the bidder’s discretion, provided there is clear assignment of all relevant roles and responsibilities in the proposal.

6. Are letters of commitment from the data collection experts required as part of the response to this RFQ?

Yes. This is a key part of the assignment. The selection process will be largely made on the technical capacities of those individuals demonstrated to be on the team.

7. Section L.8.9 in the solicitation states that only 3 current or past projects are to be included in the proposal.

In case of a consortium, does this limit apply to projects for each firm, or does should the proposal only have 3 projects total from all members of the consortium? Also, if we have more than 3 relevant projects, can we include them or will they be ignored for evaluation purposes?

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Three of the most current and most relevant past projects.

8. Section L.8.8.4 in the solicitation states that the firm must demonstrate experience with the design and implementation of randomized control trials (RCTs).

To clarify, the actual quote is “Discuss the Contractor’s relevant experience, particularly experience in designing and implementing impact evaluations …” This subsection of the revised solicitation has been modified to read, “Discuss the Contractor’s relevant experience, particularly in overseeing all required data collection and designing and implementing impact evaluation methods.

a. Please confirm that MCC is looking to apply RCTs only for Research Area 5 (Section C.6.1).

The potential value of impact evaluation methods may be appropriate for country-specific research areas (see Research Area 5), but this does not limit bidders from proposing, and MCC assessing, any impact evaluation opportunities that are relevant for achieving the objectives of this solicitation.

b. Will evaluation experience without use of RCT be evaluated lower than working on evaluations that used

RCT?

MCC seeks excellent capabilities across all requested dimensions; and prefers some impact evaluation capabilities to none, all else equal. But while excellent evaluation experience will strengthen a proposal, the solicitation does not list this as a requirement.

9. Can MCC provide us with an indicative budget (either in terms of Level of Effort or in terms of US Dollars) for the evaluation projects? The total estimated level of effort for this requirement is 3,360 hours for each of the two countries. See 11.a. below.

10. Can you please confirm that the budget for data collection need not be included in the Cost Quotation? (On section C.8.1.1.1.3 of the solicitation document it is stated that “MCC will work with the contractor to develop a budget for, expected data collection requirements, and any other activities related to the call order”). Is it correct to assume the cost of data collection will be discussed and agreed with the winning bidder as part of the work under the contract?

This subsection has been crossed out in the revised solicitation. All costs are to be included in the financial proposal. The completeness and reasonableness of a bidder’s cost estimates and technical requirements will help inform MCC’s assessment of the proposal.

11. We understand that the Cost Quotation should follow the worksheet templates uploaded separately on the FedBizOpps website on 30 June 2015. If this is indeed the case:

a. What is the purpose of the Price/Cost Schedule given in Section B.1 in the Solicitation?

That is the Contract Line Item Number items also referred to as the CLINs. Each CLIN represents a total, overall estimated cost, provided by the offeror, for each respective performance period. Your offer will provide for all estimated labor and Other Direct Costs for each respective year. The total of which is what goes into each one of those lines. The breakdown for each year is to be included in the sub categories identified below the CLIN structure in SECTION B.

b. Section M.1 (b) states that the “Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basis requirement”. The worksheet templates only require us to provide hourly rates for work other than the current evaluation projects in Ghana and Tanzania. In such a case, how would the above evaluation criteria apply to this BPA?

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The hourly rates for work other than Ghana and Tanzania are for purposes of establishing overall pricing tables for the contractor’s BPA. They will not be considered as part of the award of the Ghana and Tanzania Call Orders, but they will be considered for purposes of determining any potential BPA awardee’s pricing to be fair and reasonable as this pricing will be part of future competition for future call orders in other eligible countries. As such, Offerors are encouraged to provide all labor categories and rates they anticipate using in any future roads evaluations and are encouraged to provide substantial discounts to ensure their competitiveness for future opportunities should they receive award of a BPA.

12. The on-line solicitation requires that “the technical response section of the quote should consist of no more than Thirty (30) pages” while the RFQ on page 59 of 91 requires that the “Technical Quotation is limited to 20 pages”. What is the limit of the technical quotation?

30 Pages.

13. Which BPA is this opportunity under?

This is a distinct set of BPAs from previous MCC BPAs. Each of these two requirements will come under a new set of “ROADS BPAs” issued as result of this solicitation. The current BPAs have some elements of ROADS activity in them but not at the level indicated herein. As such, a new BPA with a Call Order will be awarded to the selected offeror(s) and a BPA will be awarded to those offerors deemed highest rated under this requirement but not selected for the initial call order. The purpose of this is to establish the BPA holders for a focused and more narrowly-defined set of similar requirements to allow for more rapid award of Call Orders.

14. I would like to know whether I can apply as an individual consultant / team leader with a team of expert or do I have to be part of a firm?

You can apply as either but you must apply for the full requirement. We are not accepting offers for any partial awards. Awards cannot be made to any individual or company that is NOT registered in the System for Awards Management also referred to as “SAM”.

15. Can a contractor submit a standalone bid/quotation for Ghana only?

YES

16. Can a contractor submit a standalone bid/quotation for Tanzania only?

YES

17. Can work performed in a previous employment where the team member played a significant role be submitted as past performance?

Past performance relates to the contracting experience of the prime contractor.

18. Should labor hours and loaded rated be presented separately?

NO, it should be fully burdened rates. Other Direct Costs are separate.

19. What is the estimated level of effort both in terms of labor hours and US dollars?

MCC requests the bidders to propose the levels of effort required.

20. Is a detailed data collection plan (Volume I) and associated LOE and costs (Volume I & II) required in this quotation?

Yes

21. Could MCC please specify whether any pre-compact appraisals were done, and if any resulting data will be made available to the Offerors.

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Pre-compact appraisals were done. All available documentation will be provided to the winning bidder.

22. Could MCC kindly make available a list or map of project roads?

Yes. The list of Ghana roads is now included in Attachment 13.

Tanzania roads road maps are included in Attachments 14 and 15.

23. Section C.8.1.2.1.2 (p. 13) states "MCC is responsible for reviewing the Contractor's reports ...." Please clarify if this is MCC or MCA.

C.8.1.2.1 applies to MCA, while C.8.1.1.1.5. applies to MCC. The original text of Subsection C.8.1.2.1.2 has been deleted from the revised solicitation. Note that deliverables should be submitted to MCC, but MCC may share them with MCAs to get their feedback.

24. Section C.9. l .13.1, page 16, states "The approach should be rigorous and consider recent methodologies in order to address a variety of questions identified in close cooperation with MCC." Please confirm that "recent methodologies" refers to methodology that has recently been used on evaluation of MCC projects. Recent methodologies could include those used by MCC or methodologies used (and cited) by other researchers.

25. On pg. 18, section C.9.2.4.7, can MCC kindly explain who is involved in the Evaluation Management Committee?

The Evaluation Management Committee consists of the following MCC staff: monitoring and evaluation specialists, an economist, sector specialists and [optionally] the leaders of the relevant practice group and country teams. It is chaired by the Managing Director for Monitoring and Evaluation.

26. Also regarding Section C.9.2.4.7 (p.18) please confirm that "the Contractor shall not proceed to Task 2 ..."

should read "the Contractor shall not proceed to Task 3...."

Yes, it should read “Task 3.” The revised solicitation includes this change.

27. Section C.9.4.1.5. (page 19) states "The Contractor shall collect aerial imagery of each road and overlay the collected data." Please confirm that images from Google Earth Pro are of sufficient quality.

The resolution requirements are clearly stated in the solicitation. Please also note that the timing of the images and their resolution varies depends on the specific requirement.

28. In reference to Section H.8 (page 42), in accordance with our accounting practices, can MCC please confirm that G&A may be applied to all non-labor costs?

Yes. G&A may be applied to all non-labor costs.

29. On pg. 60, section L8.8.7, could MCC please confirm that a Gantt chart can be used to represent the Illustrative Work Plan and can be submitted as an Annex and therefore outside the 20 page limit?

A Gantt chart with the activities and people to perform the tasks are acceptable; this is considered part of the 30 page requirement.

30. On pg. 62, section M. 2.1.1.3, could MCC please confirm that the 'sample QA/QC forms for all data points' can be submitted as an annex?

Yes, the sample QA/QC forms for all data points can be submitted as an Annex.

31. On pg. 63, section M. 2.1.1.8, could MCC please confirm that the sample itinerary diagram can be submitted as an annex?

Yes, the sample itinerary diagram can be submitted as an Annex

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32. On pg. 63, could MCC kindly confirm that section M.2.1.4.1.1 should read "The government will evaluate the extent to which the Offeror's complete team's experience meets the requirements of Section L.10" instead of Section I.2?

L.10. is correct. The revised solicitation includes this change.

33. On pg. 72, under Task 3.2: Assessment of Efficacy of Maintenance Policy, states "the Contractor shall provide a Report on the Efficacy of Maintenance Policy to MCC as described in Section G below." Could MCC please correct and give further guidance as Section G is for Contract Administration Data.

Should be Section F. The revised solicitation includes this change.

34. Please confirm that by submitting a quotation in response to MCC-15-RFQ-0187 the Offerer is automatically submitting a bid for the Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPA) under FAR 13.5 "Test Program for Certain Commercial Items" to support the requirements of MCC's Department of Policy and Evaluation (DPE) Economic Analysis (HDM-4/RED) of Roads Projects in MCC Countries, including, but not limited to, Ghana, Tanzania, Senegal, Moldova, Mozambique, Mongolia, Philippines, Vanuatu, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, and El Salvador, and other MCC Compact Countries.

This solicitation is for Ghana & Tanzania evaluation BPA task orders only. As discussed under question 13 above, a new BPA with a Call Order will be awarded to the selected offeror(s) for this solicitation, and a BPA will be awarded to those offerors deemed highest rated under this requirement but not selected for either of these two call orders.

35. Per Section C.4. – Scope and C.5. – Objective found on page #8, as well as, Subsection F.4.1 – Acceptance Criteria on page 28 of the MCC-15-RFQ-0187 which states:

“The Contractor shall commence immediately with work on Ghana and Tanzania upon signature of the award…” Can MCC confirm if it is anticipated that the Ghana and Tanzania call orders will be issued and awarded under the upcoming Blanket Purchase Agreement and MCC envision implementing both call orders concurrently?

It is Ghana OR Tanzania. One BPA & Call Order will be awarded, independently, for each country. An offerer may choose to submit two proposals, one for each country. But to do so, the staffing and cost proposals should reflect the offerer’s capacity to implement both contracts concurrently. Two countries will not be awarded under the same call order.

36. On page 28, under “Subsection F.4.1. Acceptance Criteria” the RFQ states, “If successful in completing the required tasks and deliverables in Ghana and Tanzania MCC may authorize Contractor to complete similar tasks in Moldova, Senegal, Mozambique, Mongolia, Philippines, Vanuatu, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, and El Salvador.”

Does the MCC envisage all subsequent call orders under this BPA to follow the same Core Contractor Tasks as detailed in Section C. 10 Core Contractor Tasks from pages 15-23?

Future Call Orders are currently expected to be broadly similar to those in pages 15-23, but MCC reserves the right to revise these as deemed appropriate.

37. On page 2, of Amendment No. 0001 under section a) “Subsection H.4. MCC. 52.209-70 – Organizational Conflicts of Interest (MCC Custom)” the amendment states, “In addition, due to the nature of this requirement as an independent evaluation, previous work any Offeror may have performed in any countries represented in the Statement of Work and who worked on the design, construction, or supervision of any of the roads projects or worked as an independent engineer may be deemed ineligible for award of Call Orders

MCC-15-RFQ-0187 AMENDMENT 0003 Page 7 of 13 to be issued under this BPA due to organizational conflict of interest in accordance with the principles of FAR Subpart 9.5.”

Please confirm if firms who have been previously contracted by MCC to do evaluation, but not implementation work related to the MCC Ghana and Tanzania roads projects would be considered as having a conflict of interest with regard to this call order?

Prior evaluation work is not considered a conflict.

38. On page 61, under “Subsection L.10.1.2.2. Staffing and Required Expertise” the RFQ states, “At a minimum, it is expected that a political economist (with senior level transport experience), transport economist and road maintenance expert…”

Please confirm if additional team members outside of this scope of work would be needed for subsequent call orders under this BPA (i.e. agriculture, health, etc.).

Future Call Orders are currently expected to be broadly similar to these, but again, MCC reserves the right to revise these as required.

39. On page 8, under “Subsection C.4.1.3. Scope” the RFQ states, “To analyze the origin-destination (O-D) data that is related to the post-compact cost-benefit analysis described under item number one to understand current road usage patterns and demand side benefits of the road investment.”

Can MCC confirm if the baseline origin-destination (O-D) data would be provided for one or both countries?

MCC will facilitate access to all of the relevant existing data and reports. However, the existence of baseline O-D data is not certain.

40. On page 62, under “Subsection M.1. (a) FAR 52.212-2 -- Evaluation – Commercial Items (Oct 2014)” the RFQ states, “Technical and past performance, when combined, are significantly more important than cost or price.”

Will MCC confirm the weight of each of the three factors?

MCC reserves the option to judge the best value for the government based on all relevant and available factors.

Explicit weights could restrict the consideration of all factors.

41. On page 60, under “Subsection L.9.1 Preparation of Volume II – Cost Quotation”, please clarify the level of detail required for the “… breakdown of other direct cost by the Base Period, Option Period I, Option Period II, Option Period III, Option Period IV …” The detail should be sufficient for MCC to assess the reasonableness and completeness of costs and comparability with competing bids.

42. On page 60, under “Subsection L. 8. 9. Preparation of Volume I – Technical Quotation” the RFQ states, “The Quotation shall include three (3) current or past projects of similar scope and size including project points of contact…” Can MCC please confirm whether the offeror should include three (3) past projects in total or three (3) past projects per country (Tanzania and Ghana), or six (6) past projects in total?

Three per country. Ghana & Tanzania proposals each stand on their own. Two separate and independent awards will be made. One technical proposal should not relate to nor influence the other.

43. Is there a file size limit per email for electronic quote submission?

None other than the size indicated per volume. You can send each volume as a single file just be sure to indicate the content in the Subject line.

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44. Section C.2.4, p6. Does MCC require that full pavement surveys are completed for all of the 40 segments?

If yes, please advise the number of kilometers that are gravel surfaced? A complete condition assessment is required for all segments.

The attached list of Ghana roads shows the type of surface applied to each segment.

45. Section C.2.5, p6. Understanding what baseline data is available and its quality is vital for planning and budgeting purposes. Please explain what baseline data is available from the initial impact evaluation exercise (National Opinion Research Center) and the quality of this data. Can we obtain all qualitative baseline data collected? Please explain what survey instruments they used to collect the data?

The data and associated documentation is available in MCC’s Evaluation Catalog at http://data.mcc.gov/evaluations/index.php/catalog.

46. As per question 2, above, please clarify if data collected is gender disaggregated and address gender and other social differences as appropriate.

See response above.

47. Section C.4.1.3, p8. In order to safely and legally undertake Origin-Destination surveys it will be necessary to receive full assistance from local police. Please confirm whether the associated costs for this assistance are to be covered by the relevant Government organization?

No. These will be contractor costs that should be included in the cost proposal.

48. Section C.5.3.2.2, p9. In Research Area 2, the specification states that the study should look at maintenance levels of comparable older roads to get a clearer indication of the maintenance status of the target roads– what roads should be compared? – does the study require that additional data be collected in the target countries?

Yes. The efficient collection of administrative and pavement data to document recent maintenance practices on otherwise comparable roads is required. The proposal should indicate how the evaluator would select roads for this comparison.

49. Section C.5.3, p9. Stakeholder input for evaluation products will require interaction and contact with a wide range of stakeholders such as central and local government officers and representatives, villagers, private institutions, NGOs and others in Ghana and Tanzania. Will MCC provide contact information and facilitate introductions with relevant stakeholders?

MCC can facilitate introductions for some key stakeholders to begin the process, but the evaluators will be assessed on their demonstrated capacity to make connections and seek out relevant stakeholders on their own.

50. Section C.5.3.4, p10. Research Area 4 states that no new survey based data collection is expected as part of this task. However, it is this contractor’s understanding that in order to appreciate if cost savings are passed on to passengers, new qualitative data is required. With this understanding could MCC please specify what sample size would be required for qualitative surveys for this Research Area?

Transportation prices should be collected covering the most common modes of transportation and the major segments of roads considered. As is common with qualitative data, data collection for any particular mode or segment stops when little additional information is added. The offeror is expected to propose a sample size adequate to reach saturation.

http://data.mcc.gov/evaluations/index.php/catalog

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51. Section C.6.2, p11. Does the qualitative data collection referred to in this section have to include the original 300 communities (near and away from the road) across the 357km of feeder roads, where possible (referred to in Section C.2.5)?

While the sample size and selection of communities will be determined by the evaluator, MCC expects some of the original 300 communities to be included in the sample.

52. Could MCC please clarify, are the qualitative surveys described in Section C.6.1, p11 required only on the feeder roads and not the highway or trunk roads as well?

Proposals for the collection of transportation prices should consider the learning opportunities and the costs of data collection in order to cost-effectively detect and compare the net economic benefits of road improvements.

53. Section C.7.2, p11. Which specific parts of the runway/airport site is to be surveyed (i.e. only the runway or also the stands, access roads etc.). Can a map of the site be provided showing the areas to be surveyed?

Only the airport runway pavement is to be evaluated

54. Section C.7.2, p11. Assessment of the runway site would require multiple surveys of ride quality to cover the wide width of the runway – what is the specific requirement for coverage? Is it MCC’s understanding that IRI is appropriate for a runway site or does this survey need to include the assessment of longer wavelength features in the profile than covered by IRI (which effectively is limited to <30m).

The IRI measurement is acceptable to MCC, however if the Consultant wishes to propose another methodology and approach, the consultant should document the advantages. The objective of the data measurement is to establish the before and after of the runway condition in order to determine the effect of the MCC investment.

55. Section C.9.1.1, p15. The Core Contractor Tasks call for a range of equipment based pavement surveys. Could MCC confirm whether the following equipment is available within TANROADS and Ghana Highways Authority, its condition, and date of last calibration – Bump Integrator, Merlin, Falling Weight Deflectometer, Benkelman Beam, Ground Penetrating Radar equipment, automatic traffic counting equipment, portable Weighbridge. Will this equipment be available for use by the contractor, at no cost? If not, has MCC negotiated charges that would be made by the owner of the equipment?

Bidders should recommend (and justify) the necessary measurement equipment, and calculate all costs of employing this equipment to fulfill this requirement.

56. As per question 12, above, if it is necessary to temporarily import any of the above equipment, what assistance will be available from MCC, TANROADS and Ghana Highways Authority, in ensuring timely passing of this equipment through any required customs processes?

See previous response

57. Section C.9.1.4, p15. This section appears to be incomplete. Can MCC please provide completed paragraph.

Subsections C.9.1.5-C.9.1.7 were labeled incorrectly. This should read:

C.9.1.4. The Contractor shall review the ERR models and existing data necessary for each of theresearch areas and use this analysis to inform their discussion of methodology, including but not limited to:

The Contractor shall review project files pertaining to road investments (and runway for Tanzania) in the selected country. These will be provided by MCC as available. Project files consist of the following: signed contracts for the work, all amendments/variation orders, the as-built drawings including geotechnical reports and results. The Contractor shall also be provided

MCC-15-RFQ-0187 AMENDMENT 0003 Page 10 of 13 with any previously collected IRI, deflection, traffic data collected at the end of the work by MCA/MCC or its representative. The Contractor shall notify MCC of any omissions or problems in a timely manner in order for MCC to assist the Contractor in completing this review.

The Contractor shall thoroughly review the before-project Economic Rate of Return models used and assumptions including the appropriate documentation and justification of the data inputs that served to establish the project baseline ERR. The Contractor shall provide recommendations/observations to MCC on any suggested corrections / adjustments / modifications that may be required. Summarized guidelines provided herein will be peer-reviewed and integrated in the future practices of MCC.

MCC will provide the Contractor with all available final costs including the Design and Supervision Costs, Variation Orders and Claims Costs, Resettlement Costs, Environmental and Social costs not included in Design and Construction Costs, receiving country contributions, Project Management and Technical Support Costs. The Contractor shall update the estimated Maintenance and Rehabilitation (M&R) costs.

The revised solicitation includes this change.

58. Section C.9.4.1.5, p19. This section states ‘collect aerial imagery of each road’. It is not clear whether this data is readily available or whether the contractor will need to commission the collection of this. Can MCC please clarify?

The Contractor shall arrange to cost-effectively access all required aerial imagery.

59. Section C.9.4, p19. Does MCC require that pavement strength be measured for wet and dry season, or just dry season?

See Annex 4, Page 68, Deflection, third paragraph: “Based in the deflection results and traffic counts, the Contractor shall determine the remaining structural life of the roads investment using an appropriate fatigue curve to be identified by the Contractor and approved by MCC before use. The contractor shall ensure that both rainy and dry season deflections are determined in relation to the seasonal traffic. The Contractor shall provide an appropriate methodology in the initial proposal’s methodology.”

60. Section C.9.4, p19. Can MCC advise how many kilometers of the roads to be surveyed are more than 2 lanes wide?

See attached maps.

61. Section C.9.5.1.9.11, p22. This section states ‘collect recent 50 cm resolution satellite imagery’. This is not usually available at this resolution. Can MCC please clarify if the contractor is expected to task satellites to collect at this resolution? Also can MCC clarify what is meant by ‘recent’?

The contractor shall obtain the required recent, but pre-construction imagery. 50cm resolution is available by satellite imagery vendors. This does not entail new image collection.

62. Section L3 and L.7, p58 and 59. The Contractor requests that, due to the detailed nature of this scope of work that MCC allow an extension of 2 weeks and consider page count increase for the Technical Quotation, Volume I.

Agreed.

63. Section L.8.9, p60. Can MCC please clarify maximum page limit for the three past performance examples, and that these are not included in the Technical Capability page count of 20 pages.

Agreed. Past performance is a separate appendix.

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64. Section M.1 (b), p62. This paragraph appears to have been included in error. Can MCC confirm and delete this paragraph.

This is the total FAR clause. It shall remain.

65. Section M.2.1.1.8, p63. So that this contractor can fully respond to MCC requirements, can MCC please clarify what is meant by itinerary diagram for road segment?

An itinerary diagram shows the data collected in graphical format with the measurement data on the y axis and the road chainage data on the x axis. As Annex 4 details the specific requirements for each data point in graphic format, the itinerary diagram consolidates this information into a summary page all referenced to chainage and the aerial image. This allows graphic visualization while driving the road

66. Annex 4, para 3. P68. This section states “Deflection measurements shall be performed at one kilometer increments” followed by “Measurements should be made at intervals of no more than 100 meters”. Can MCC clarify this contradiction and specify which intervals are required for FWD measurements to be taken.

This is in error. The correct language should be as follows:

The deflection measurements shall be performed at one kilometer increments on each road section on the outer wheel path in accordance with the relevant ASTM standards. The results of the deflection measurements shall be analyzed so as to provide the modulus of each pavement layer and the underlying soil. Measurements should be made at intervals of no more than 100 meters The revised solicitation includes this change.

67. Annex 4, para 8, p68. Geotechnical: Can MCC clarify that the as-built drawings are available and their understanding of the quality of the data. If there is doubt in the data, should the contractor therefore assume that coring and GPR will be required for all the sites?

The solicitation requires that the GPR and adequate coring be performed. The availability of the as-builts is not currently known.

68. Annex 4, para 11, p69. Road Condition: Is it acceptable for the contractor to offer alternatives to the collection of data using walked surveys, for example using high speed data collection. Can a combination of these methods be used (e.g. high speed surveys for the measurement of rutting)?

The Contractor is free to propose any methods and methodology that meet the objectives of the assignment

69. Was a Theory of Change developed for the Compact, and can MCC provide this if available.

Minimally detailed program logics were prepared for these two road projects; these, along with the related ERR models, will be shared the selected evaluators. The ERR models were based on the present value of vehicle operating- and occupant time-cost savings, net of road investment costs.

70. In previous RFPs, MCC has provided a suggested level of effort breakdown by labor category. Would MCC be willing to provide suggested level of effort figures for this solicitation?

See Question 9 for a crude estimate of total hours. However, MCC is seeking bidders who can propose what it should require to complete the assignment based on their reading of the assignment

71. On page 61, MCC lists the requirements for the Team Leader, including 20 years’ experience in road engineering and 10 years in data collection inputs including IRI and deflection measurements. In order to submit a well-balanced team structure and complementary skill level per an innovative technical approach, would MCC accept a Team Leader candidate with less years of experience, as long as they can provide the direct and appropriate required experience in road engineering and data collection?

MCC requires this expertise for the team leader, as this person’s technical skill, managerial capacity and practical experience are central to the assignment. However, MCC may consider fewer years of experience

MCC-15-RFQ-0187 AMENDMENT 0003 Page 12 of 13 if the offeror can demonstrate that their team has, in MCC’s sole judgment, compelling evidence of compensating technical, managerial and practical capabilities.

72. Additionally on page 61, MCC requires that all Team Members have a minimum of 15 years of experience— in line with providing MCC with an innovative and complementary team, would MCC accept a lower number of years of experience for the Team Member candidates, as long as they have the proven ability and directly relevant experience to conduct the work?

The 15 years’ experience is required for the political economist, transport economist and road maintenance expert only. Again MCC may consider fewer years of practical experience if the offeror’s team can demonstrate compensating technical and/or practical capabilities.

73. In order to provide MCC with a quality response to their important solicitation, would MCC allow for an extension in the submission of the proposal?

Two weeks

74. Is this RFQ for an entirely new BPA contract vehicle, or must the offeror retain an existing BPA with MCC To bid—such as the (1) Economic Support BPA or (2) Monitoring & Evaluation BPA?

Entirely new BPA

75. Will MCC award both Call Orders to only one contractor, or could two contractors be awarded one Call Order each?

MCC may choose two contractors if doing so provides the best value.

76. Could MCC award a contractor the BPA without awarding it one of the two initial Call Orders? Allowing this contractor to be available to complete for the future Call Order opportunities in other MCC countries noted in Section C.4.2 (page 8).

YES, if you are not selected for award and are found to be qualified, you will receive a BPA.

77. What is the expected duration of the BPA contract vehicle in years?

5 years.

78. Would MCC consider providing a time extension to the due date of the proposal? This will enable more contractors to submit proposals who had a delayed start to the proposal preparation process as a result of confusion related to the procurement terms and BPA and Call Order qualification criteria.

Two weeks

79. Are the four (4) Evaluation Sub-factors listed for Technical Capability section M.2 (page 62-64) weighted equally? If not, could MCC allocate points and/or prioritize them in order of importance in terms of the scoring methodology?

They are not necessarily weighted equally. MCC will assess all evidence in determining the best value to the government.

80. Could MCC define the unrealistically high and low limits of reasonableness in the price proposal—as referenced in section M.4.1 (page 64)? The Call Orders have requested an incredibly detailed level of data collection that requires a significant field presence in a diverse set of locations. Even using local partners, these efforts can be very costly, but using alternative methodologies the data collections efforts can be more affordable understanding that the trade-off is less quality and accuracy of the data. As such, it is important for the offerors to understand the reasonable limits for the price proposals being considered by MCC in order to appreciate these trade-offs and to determine if they can be successfully delivered.

If an offer appears to be priced substantially lower than the next closest offer it may appear the offer is low balling the bid. If appears to be substantially higher than the next higher offer than it will cause a review to ensure that there is no disparity with the solicitation.

81. Will the HDM4/RED models that were prepared pre-compact, or pre-investment and construction, be provided to the awarded contractors? And if so, will they be provided in rich file form—such as .DAT and .DAT—or alternatively in flat form—such as .DOC or .PDF?

MCC-15-RFQ-0187 AMENDMENT 0003 Page 13 of 13

The available data will be provided to the selected contractor. It is not certain what files are available at this time.

82. Should the costs for data collection firms be included in the offeror’s price proposals, or should the offeror only provide costs for the technical analyses, report preparation, and overall project management? Under the Call Order Roles & Responsibilities on Section C.8.1.1.1 (page 12), MCC states that [it] “will work with the contractor to develop a budget for expected data collection requirements, and any other activities related to the Call Order”? Further, Section C.8.1.3.1.5 (page 14) implies that the offeror shall conduct a procurement process for data collection firms as part of the Roles & Responsibilities of the Contractor under the Call Order?

See question 10 above

83. Does MCC request that contractors submit the cost for each labor category, and if so, will a revised CLIN schedule be issued? The CLIN structure is for the overall cost of each period of performance. The breakdown will be shown in the labor category & Other Direct Cost breakdowns.

(End of Questions)