ATT14_17_R-0007_Industry_Questions_Amendment_0004.docx

N00167-17-R-0007 Amendment 0004 Attachment 14 Questions and Answers

47. Reference: Question #1 Answer. NAICS 713390 is Amusement and Recreation Marinas with a very small size standard aimed at the amusement/recreation industry. An amusement marina would be like a Morale Welfare Recreation (MWR) marina or a small marina renting small recreational boats to the public. The CCD Waterfront Operations isn’t related to operating a recreation marina. There are several similar Waterfront and Navy-owned small craft O&M contracts for the Navy. The Navy Panama City Port Operations and vessel O&M contract is NAICS 488310, Port and Harbor Operations. The Navy GITMO vessel O&M contract is also NAICS 488310. The Navy NDSTC Port Operations support services and maintenance is also 488310. Due to the RDT&E nature of the effort another potentially more accurate NAICS would be NAICS 541712 - Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology) who’s definition is “This U.S. Industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in conducting research and experimental development (except biotechnology research and experimental development) in the physical, engineering, and life sciences, such as agriculture, electronics, environmental, biology, botany, computers, chemistry, food, fisheries, forests, geology, health, mathematics, medicine, oceanography, pharmacy, physics, veterinary and other allied subjects.” Either NAICS 488310 or 541712 appears to be more relevant to the CCD Waterfront Operations than NAICS 713390 operating a recreation facility.

Comment/Question: Will the Government change the assigned NAICS for the contract to 488310 or 541712 to improve the accuracy of the type of work to be performed?

Answer: No, the Government will not make this change to the solicitation. As stated in the solicitation, the NAICS code for this solicitation is 713930, not 713390 as represented by the question.

48. Reference: Question #33 Answer. The Government’s answer refers to L 4.3.3.2(a) which isn’t clear on how Attachment J-2 is delivered. L 2.2 requires printed hard copies of the proposal.

Comment/Question a): Is J-2 to be submitted as a separately attached Excel file using the Governments Attachment J-2 or somehow formatted to be printed and submitted in hardcopy format?

Comment/Question b): Considering the length and considerable detail required of Attachment J-2 for all of the newly defined contract labor positions, how will the pages be counted towards the page limits? Will it be considered 1 page?

Answer: a) Attachment J-2 may be submitted as a separately attached Excel file in the electronic copy of the proposal. Attachment J-2 is also to be printed and included in the hard copy proposal submittals. b) Attachment J-2 will be counted in the technical proposal page limitation.

49. Reference: Amendment 2, Attachment J-6. Amendment 2 provides a revised Attachment J-6, Cost Summary Format (ATT06R) detailing the labor categories for CLIN 0002. RFP Section L 4.3.1(b) Staffing Profile requires offerors to provide the “labor categories required to fulfill the tasking.”

Comment/Question: With ATT06R now defining the labor categories, will the Government delete this proposal requirement?

Answer: No, the Government will not make this change to the solicitation.

50. Reference: Amendment 2, Attachment J-6. Amendment 2 provides a revised Attachment J-6, Cost Summary Format (ATT06R) detailing the labor categories for CLIN 0002. RFP Section L 4.3.1(b) Staffing Profile requires offerors to provide the “allocation of Level of Effort amongst proposed labor categories over the life of tasking.”

Comment/Question: With ATT06R now defining the allocation of LOE labor over the life of the tasking for CLIN 0002, will the Government delete this proposal requirement?

Answer: No, the Government will not make this change to the solicitation

51. Reference: Amendment 2, Attachment J-6. Amendment 2 Attachment J-6 (ATT06R) now provides the labor categories and distribution of labor. RFP Section L 4.3.3.2 provides a table with recommended percentage distribution of senior, mid-level, and junior personnel.

Comment/Question: With ATT06R now defining labor categories and level distribution, will the Government remove the aforementioned requirement for distribution between senior, mid-level, and junior labor?

Answer: No, the Government will not make this change to the solicitation.

52. Reference: Amendment 2, Attachment J-6. Amendment 2 Attachment J-6 (ATT06R) provides the labor categories for CLIN 0002. RFP Section L 4.3.3.2 recommends the offeror to propose 90% of labor at Government Facilities and 10% at Contractor Facilities. ATT06R does not specify which labor categories are at Government Facilities and Contractor Facilities Comment/Question: Will the Government define which of the ATT06R labor categories are at Government Site and which are Contractor Site?

Answer: The Government will not specify which ATT06R labor categories are at the Government Site and which are at Contractor Facilities.

53. Reference: Amendment 2, Attachment J-6. Amendment 2 Attachment J-6 (ATT06R) requires offerors to provide a name for each labor category row. Many of the rows are labor categories potentially requiring multiple people/names.

Comment/Question: Should one name be inserted for each row of each labor category, or should offerors insert all names required to fulfill all of the categories and hours on each row?

Answer: For evaluation purposes, individual candidates must be identified, and names are to be listed individually by row. For example, the Boat Captain A labor category should have six rows with an individual’s name in each row.

54. Reference: Amendment 2, Attachment J-6. Amendment 2 now identifies extensive labor categories and hours along with staffing plan requirements for every person covering all of the newly added labor defined in ATT06R, which requires bidders to now recruit and/or identify names and information for over 119 people just for CLIN 0002. Amendment 2 also significantly changes Past Performance requirements and Key Personnel requirements. Collectively, the Amendment 2 changes essentially require offerors to start over with proposal development in several key areas, especially the recruitment in order to be able to provide names and identification of all 119 positions.

Comment/Question: Considering the magnitude of the Amendment 2 changes to the procurement, will the Government significantly extend the due date of proposals to 30 September 2017 to provide for offerors to re-start proposals, recruit the additional candidates to fulfill all of the 119 positions, and provide for adequate competition?

Answer: The Government has extended the due date, but not to 30 September 2017. See Amendment 3 of the solicitation.

55. Reference: Amendment 2, Attachment J-6. Amendment 2 Attachment J-6 (ATT06R) reference the pre-loaded Columns B and E/H/K/N/Q. Many labor categories with associated low man-hours per year (some as low as 16 hours) seem to be from Boatyard Vendors (i.e. Tool & Die Maker, Sand Blaster) or other commercial vendors (i.e. Fire Extinguisher Repairer) that are potentially not direct employees of the prime or subcontractor. It seems unrealistic that the bidder can provide names and qualifications of these vendor or part-time employees.

Comment/Question: Please consider removal of the requirement to provide personnel names for these vendor or part-time employees.

Answer: No, the Government will not make this change to the solicitation. If a name is not available, the offeror may indicate a name is pending.

56. Reference: Amendment 2, Attachment J-6. Amendment 2’s Cost Summary Format Attachment J-6 (ATT06R) is confusing from the pre-filled out Columns B & H how someone only with 80 MH per year also has 10 OT hours per year (i.e. Rows 35 and 36).

Comment/Question: Please confirm we should price some positions with only 80 MHs per year yet also price 10 hrs of OT for the same year.

Answer: No, the Government will not make this change to the solicitation.

57. Reference: Amendment 2, Attachment J-6. Amendment 2’s Cost Summary Format Attachment J-6 (ATT06R) is confusing from the pre-filled out Columns B & H what is to go into Column A for those positions listed as OT (overtime). It is impossible to determine in labor categories with more than one employee who will OT or how it may be distributed.

Comment/Question: Please consider removal of the requirement to provide personnel names rows involving OT.

Answer: No, the Government will not make this change to the solicitation.

58. Reference: Amendment 2, Attachment J-6. Amendment 2 Attachment J-6 (ATT06R) now provides extensive labor categories with corresponding hours. L.4.3.3.2 requires a name for all proposed staffing which requires 119 names for CLIN 0002. L.4.3.3.2 also states “In the event the offeror has not identified a candidate for a proposed task area, include the word “pending” in lieu of an individual’s name. From an evaluation perspective, proposal risk in terms of “technical capability” and “cost realism” increase when candidates have not been identified for proposed task area requirements. The RFP doesn’t quantify how the staffing plan will be evaluated with Pending as names for each of the over 119 names.

Comment/Question a): How is proposal risk in terms of technical capability and cost realism adjusted based on using Pending for names?

Comment/Question b): How many pending names would be too many?

Comment/Question c): Is there a score adjustment for each Pending name?

Answer: The Government will evaluate proposals in accordance with Section M of the solicitation.

59. Reference: Amendment 2, Attachment J-6. Amendment 2 Attachment J-6 (ATT06R) now provides extensive labor categories with corresponding hours. L.4.3.3.2 requires a name for all proposed staffing which requires 119 names for CLIN 0002. L.4.3.3.2 also states “In the event the offeror has not identified a candidate for a proposed task area, include the word “pending” in lieu of an individual’s name. From an evaluation perspective, proposal risk in terms of “technical capability” and “cost realism” increase when candidates have not been identified for proposed task area requirements.

Comment/Question: Section M does not address how the Staffing Plan will be evaluated with Pending as names. How the Staffing Plan is evaluated using Pending names is silent in Section M. Can the Government define the Staffing Plan evaluation approach for offerors using Pending names?

Answer: See the answer to question #58, above. The Government will not make this suggested change to the solicitation.

60. Reference: Amendment 2, Attachment J-8. Amendment 2 provides a new Attachment J-8 Historical Labor report. Several labor categories such as Marine Surveyor, Photographer V, Laboratory Technician, and Marine Chemist on the new Attachment J-6 (ATT06R) are not reflected in the new Attachment 8 (ATT08R). Being a Key Person on the current contract, Marine Surveyor should have some historical usage due to the significance of it being a Key Person.

Comment/Question: Will the Government update Attachment 8 to provide historical labor for all contract labor categories now identified in Attachment J-6?

Answer: No, the Government will not make this change to the solicitation.

61. Reference: Amendment 2, Attachment J-6 and RFP Section L.4.3.3.1. Conformed RFP page 19 of 113, changed paragraph on Key Personnel quantities. The new quantity for resumes for Boat Captain A is six, yet Amendment 2’s Cost Summary Format Row 31 Boat Captain A in Column H for the 1st year it has 15,360 MH (this excludes OT which is row #32). 15,360 MHs are more hours than regular time for 6 Boat Captains, who resumes are required. This seems to imply 8 Boat Captain As, since 15,360/1920=8 Comment/Question: Please confirm 15,360 annual MH for Boat Captain A is correct in light of the Amendment #2’s changes to the RFP Section 3.5.b on page 19.

Answer: See Amendment 4 of the solicitation.

62. Reference: RFP L.4.3.3.2 requires a staffing plan using Attachment J-2 for all proposed labor category personnel. Attachment ATT06R added an extensive list of labor categories and hours. Newly added examples: one name and experience for a Locksmith at 16 hours per year; one Laboratory Technician for 20 hours per year; one Marine Chemist for 40 hours per year; etc.

Comment/Question: Is a name and detailed personal experience required for every person to cover all ATT06R categories and hours totaling about 119 named people just for CLIN 0002?

Answer: The staffing plan does not require that every name and every labor category provided in J-2 be addressed individually.

63. Reference: RFP Section L 4.3.3.2(b). RFP Section L 4.3.3.2(b) requires a narrative identifying the overall labor mix proposed. Amendment J-6 (ATT06R) now provides the labor mix.

Comment/Question: Will the Government delete the requirement for a narrative identifying the labor mix proposed since this information is now provided by the Government?

Answer: No, the Government will not make this change to the solicitation.

64. Reference: RFP Section L 4.3.3.2(b). RFP Section L 4.3.3.2(b) requires a narrative addressing assumptions/rationale related to the allocation of labor mixes. Amendment J-6 (ATT06R) now provides the allocation. Offerors can’t reasonably discuss the Government’s assumptions/rationale for the ATT06R labor allocation since this is now provided by the Government.

Comment/Question: Will the Government delete the requirement to address the assumptions/rationale related to allocation of labor mixes in L 4.3.3.2(b)?

Answer: No, the Government will not make this change to the solicitation.

65. Reference: RFP Section L 4.3.3.4. RFP Section L 4.3.3.4 requires a Labor Mix Discussion. Amendment 2 Attachment J-6 (ATT06R) now provides the labor mix.

Comment/Question: Will the Government delete the L 4.3.3.4 requirement since offerors are required to use the Attachment J-6 (ATT06R) labor information?

Answer: No, the Government will not make this change to the solicitation.

66. Reference: RFP Section L.4.4.1. Amendment 2 changed the definition of Past Performance scope in L 4.4.1, magnitude and complexity to being defined as work at the anticipated value of this contract effort. The contract is currently funded and staffed significantly less than the proposed overall contract ceiling. Considering the incumbent contract hasn’t operated at the overall ceiling for this contract in the RFP, even the incumbent contract wouldn’t truly qualify.

Comment/Question: Is “anticipated contract value” the overall contract ceiling or the anticipated contract funding?

Answer: In this context, anticipated contract value is the overall contract ceiling.

67. Reference: RFP Section L.4.5.6.4. RFP Section L.4.5.6.4, ODC’s states “These costs represent miscellaneous supplies, materials, and travel.”

Comment/Question: RFP Section L.4.5.6.4 does not appear to include services. Will the Government amend this Section of the solicitation to include vendor services such as OEM Certified Technicians and Boat yard facility services as represented ODC’s?

Answer: No, the Government will not make this change to the solicitation.

68. Reference: Amendment 2 Section M 5.2.1 Evaluation Criteria, Past Performance Relevancy Ratings, item 2 Magnitude. Section M states anticipated dollar value of this contract effort as a measure of magnitude. Anticipated is assumed to be ceiling. The ceiling (value) of this procurement is larger than the actual current work performed, as provided by Attachment J-8 (ATT08R). With the current contract not performing actual work at the ceiling (anticipated) value of this RFP, it would be non-compliant with the definition of magnitude.

Comment/Question: Will the Government revise the definition of magnitude provided in Amendment 2?

Answer: No, the Government will not make this change to the solicitation.

69. Comment/Question: Amendment 2 made changes to required Labor Categories and Level of Effort (RFP Attachment #6). These changes included the addition of 38 Labor Categories that were not previously identified in the Labor Category Historical Data. These changes pose a significant impact to the required Staffing Plan and pricing. As a result of this impact, respectfully request an extension for proposal submissions to 15 September, 2017 to respond to this new requirement.

Answer: See Amendment 3 of the solicitation.

70. Comment/Question: Since this is a wage determined contract under the Services Contract Act (SCA) and there is no apparent correlation between many of the required labor categories listed in Amendment 2's Attachment 6 with SCA labor categories, would the Government provide offerors with the corresponding SCA labor categories that apply for each?

Answer: No, the Government will not make this change to the solicitation.

71. Comment/Question: The labor category allocation provided by the Government in Attachment 6 includes the following labor categories: Fire Alarm Mechanic, Fire Extinguisher Repairer, Instrument Mechanic, Laboratory Technician, Lock Smith, Marine Chemist, Metrology Technician (I, II, III), Photographer V, and Pneudraulic Systems Mechanic. Generally, companies obtain these services through a purchase order using ODCs and do not have these labor categories on staff due to the high overhead it would create. Many of these positions have 40 hours/year or less allocated. Request that the Government consider removing these labor categories.

Answer: No, the Government will not make this change to the solicitation.

72. Comment/Question: Column 1 of Attachment 2, Staffing Plan - No Cost, shows listing names by task. Sample entries are provided showing Example Task 1, Example Task 2. Section L, para 4.3.3.2 Staffing Plan, states: "The offeror shall provide a staffing plan of all proposed labor category personnel supporting each task area specified in the SOW." Task areas are not specified in the SOW and it does not appear that the instructions refer to the SOW paragraph numbers since those are required to be entered in a subsequent Staffing Plan column titled SOW Task. Since the primary organization of the Staffing Plan is by Example Task 1, Example Task 2, etc. would the Government provide additional clarification on what is desired?

Answer: Task areas are to be correlated to the SOW outline numbering. One employee may qualify for more than one task area.

73. Comment/Question: Truckdriver and Truck Driver are two separate entries on Attachment 6. There is also another entry for Truckdriver OT, which indicates that one of the first two entries may be a duplication, which would have a minor effect on the allocation. Please clarify if there is a difference between Truck Driver and Truckdriver and whether or not separate staff are required for each.

Answer: See Amendment 4 of the solicitation.

74. Comment/Question: Can a Sub’s past performance CPAR be pulled by the Government instead of it being provided to us for inclusion?

Answer: See Section L, 4.4.1.

75. Reference: RFP Section L.4.3.3.4. Section L, 4.3.3.4 Labor Category Qualification states: "The offeror shall submit a description for each of its company-unique personnel qualification identifiers (e.g. Engineer) and any amplifying qualifications to differentiate within categories (e.g. Engineer III, Engineer IV, and Systems Engineer)."

Comment/Question: Does this mean that if the offeror and their subcontractors' company labor categories (that are to be inserted into the 'Company Labor Category' column) are not found on the NUWC website or not found in the SCA labor category definitions, that a description must be provided? Even with a limit of 1/2 page per category, this could require 20 pages. If this is the intent, it would seem to take up a lot of valuable page count that could otherwise be used to provide the Government with the offeror's approach in executing the contract. Please clarify what is required. If indeed this is the requirement, please consider allowing this information to be submitted as an appendix that is excluded from the page count.

Answer: A description of a labor category not located on the NUWC website or within the SCA labor category definitions is not required if it is a labor category listed in Column B, Attachment 6, Cost Summary Format. Company-unique labor categories are categories that the offeror has added to Column B Attachment 6, Cost Summary Format.