N00173-14-R-RV01_Q A.pdf

N00173-14-R-RV01

Solicitation Questions and Answers Volume 2.

Reference: L-11(b)(1), Page 82 Q1. Does the 50-page limit for the cost/price volume include the spreadsheets in Attachment 6?

A1. No, Per Amendment 1 issued 22 January 2015, the page count for Volume V has been revised to remove the page limitations.

Reference: L-13(b)(3)(i)(B) page 85 and Q11 from Volume 2 DRFP Q2. Additionally, the prospective Offeror will be required to demonstrate its technical understanding of the Research Field by responding to one or more sample Research Field Topics within the given Research Field. Each sample Research Field Topics proposal shall demonstrate the methodology and technical approach, including applicable references to the Contractor’s quality control process. In our reading of the instructions, we assume that each sample research field topic has a page limit of 5 pages, in addition to the 25 pages for the research field response. If we are responding to multiple sample research field topics, can we assume that we receive 5 pages, in addition to the 25 pages for the research field response, for each sample research field topic (i.e. if we respond to 3 sample research field topics, we receive 15 pages in addition to the 25 pages for the research field response)?

A2. An Offeror is allowed 5 pages for each of the research topics for which a proposal is submitted so yes; if you respond to “3 sample research field topics, you will receive 15 pages in addition to the 25 pages for the research field response.”

Reference: L-16(a)(2), Page 88 Q3. The RFP states, “Subcontractors may submit their information directly to the Government the instructions listed in paragraph L-9…” For pricing requirements of non-major subcontractors/team members, will the Government limit their submission requirements to simply their billing rates to the Prime contractor? If not, what further information is required?

A3. Yes, The Government only requires non-major subcontractors/team members to submit their billing rates in accordance with Attachment 6.

Reference: L-17(a)(1) Contract Documentation, Page 89 Q4. The Offeror’s proposal shall include a signed copy of the Master Contract and Sections A through K.

What is the Government’s expectation for offerors completing Section B-1 if all that is required for pricing per Section L-16 are completion of the rate tables in Attachment 6?

A4. The Government hereby revises Section B-1 to include TBD’s in the Fill-in sections as part of Amendment 3.

Reference: M-2(d)(4), Page 99 Q5. The RFP states, “Prime Offeror pass-through charges on subcontractor/team member labor costs shall be assessed to ensure the proposed rate does not exceed the rates specified in Section H-15.” The table provided in Section H-14(g) on page 38 indicates the maximum profit/fee rates. Does the phrase “Pass-through charges” mean either profit/fee only OR the sum of the Prime’s indirect costs plus profit/fee?

A5. In paragraph M-2(d)(4) the Government erroneously referenced Section H-15. This paragraph is hereby revised in Amendment 3 to reference H-14. Pass-through charges refer to the sum of the Prime’s indirect costs plus profit/fee.

Reference: Section L Q6. With respect to Solicitation N00173-14-R-RV01, please confirm that that the Glossary, Table of Contents and Cross-Reference Matrix are not required for Volume VI: Contract Documentation, the completed Government Solicitation documentation.”

A6. No, “The Glossary, Table of Contents and Cross-Reference Matrix are not required for Volume VI:

Contract Documentation, the completed Government Solicitation documentation.”

Questions and Answers Volume 2.

Reference: Section L-16(e) Q7. Section L-16(e) requires offerors to have an approved accounting system in order to be eligible for award of CPFF CLINs which would apply to subcontractors as well. If a subcontractor can only submit FFP rates, are they precluded from participating on any future CPFF task or delivery order?

A7. No, the requirement to have an approved accounting system in order to be eligible for award of CPFF CLINs is at the Prime level.

Reference: Section M-2(d)(1) Q8. Section M-2(d)(1) mentions that the Price Factor will include “the Government’s overall estimated resource mix, travel and other direct cost factors.” How does the Government intend to use the “estimated resource mix” in its evaluation? If the Government intends to multiply the rates proposed in Attachment 6 to its own undisclosed level of effort, this will result in a much higher price than the offeror may propose because the rates in Attachment 6 are ceiling rates. Please explain how the Government intends to rectify this evaluation problem if this approach is used.

A8. Paragraph Section M-2(d)(1) is hereby amended to remove “estimated resource mix.” The Government will not evaluate using an estimated resource mix. The evaluation will focus on the realism of each Offeror’s proposed costs, including that of the prime Offeror and proposed subcontractors/team members, for its ability to provide sufficiently qualified personnel and the application of realistic costs to sample research topic solution(s)

Reference: L-13(b)(1)(i)-(iii) and L-13(b)(3)(i), pp. 84 and 85

Q9. Para (i) states that, “In the Technical Volume for each Research Field proposed, address your technical solution for meeting the Government’s requirements emphasizing each technical subfactor.”

Para (ii) states that, “The Technical Proposal Volume shall consist of both a corporate overview and individual proposals for each Research Field.”

Para (iii) states, that, “The Research Field proposals must demonstrate your technical approach, capability and qualifications to perform work in one or more of the eight IT Functional Areas, defined in the SOW, for the Research Field proposed.”

Is it the Government’s intent that offeror’s submit a separately bound Technical Volume that addresses Sub-factors A, B, and C for each Research Field proposed (and also includes a 3-page Corporate Overview)? Or, is the expectation that there would be one written Corporate Overview response, as many responses for sub-factor A as there are research fields that we propose, and one response to Sub-factor B and C (which will be the same across each Research Field response at the program-level).

As an example, if an offeror is responding to Research Fields 3 and 4, per paragraph (i), should the offeror:

1. Submit two separately bound technical volumes that addresses sub-factors A, B, and C: one for Research Field 3 and one for Research Field 4 (and also includes distinct Corporate Capabilities responses).

Or

Questions and Answers Volume 2.

2. Submit a single technical volume consisting of one corporate overview, multiple research field proposals that address Subfactor A, and one response to Sub-factors B and C?

A9. No. the Offeror shall submit a single technical volume which includes a corporate overview of its understanding of each of those Research Fields, its responses to the research topics, and one response to Sub-factors B & C.

Reference: L-13(b)(3)(i) Subfactor A, Paragraph (B), p. 85 and M-2(a)(1)(i)(A), p. 96 Q10. The section L reference states, “The Offeror shall demonstrate its ability to perform in one or more of the Research Fields identified in Section C, and as such, shall address each Functional Area separately.” The corresponding evaluation factor for subfactor A states that, “Offerors are required to demonstrate their ability to perform in one or more of the Research Fields identified in Section C paragraph C-2(b)(1) through (7), and as such, shall address each Research Field separately.”

In the Section L reference where it refers to addressing each Functional Area separately, did the Government mean Research Field instead of Functional Area?

If the Government intends this discrepancy, then is the expectation that the offeror will provide a distinct written response for every applicable Functional Area within the 30-page write-up for each Research Field response?

A10. No. Research fields refer to the seven broad areas of research listed in paragraph C-1(c)(2) and L- 10(a). Functional Areas refer to the 8 types of work that may be done within each of the Research Areas listed in paragraph C-1(c)(3).

Reference: Attachment 6 Q11. Attachment 6 has columns for six years’ worth of rates. The total contract period of performance is five years. Will Attachment 6 be modified to only include five years’ worth of rates?

A11. No. Year 6 is for any order that may be awarded which requires performance beyond the end of the ordering period.

Reference: Section Q12. What should offerors assume as the start date for deriving their labor and indirect rates?

A12. Offerors should assume a start date of July 2015 for the purpose of calculating their direct and indirect rates.

Reference: Section H-10(b) Q13. Section H-10(b) lists “NRL-ITD program prime Contractor performance history” as a factor in determining if to re-open competition to other prime contractors. Will the Government please define and describe what the evaluation criteria will be for the performance history A13. Section H-10(b) is hereby revised in Amendment 3 to read “On an annual basis, the Government will make a determination whether it is necessary to add additional prime Contractor.”

Reference: Attachment 6 Q14. Attachment 6 “Indirect Rate Ceiling” tab references “OCONUS Hardship;” however, the remaining tabs do not indicate whether the rates to be provided are for CONUS or OCONUS. Please specify whether the Government wants CONUS or OCONUS labor rates A14. Offerors shall include CONUS rates in Attachment 6. OCONUS hardship is an escalation factor shall be expressed as a percentage of CONUS rates to be applied where hardship is applicable.

Reference: Attachment 1 Q15. Page 67, Section J – Attachment 1 – Position Descriptions -- Please confirm the page count of the document, and/or provide any missing pages. The solicitation states 18 pages however, the document itself is 15 pages.

A15. Section J Attachment 1 page count is hereby revised in Amendment 3 to read 15 pages.

Reference: RFP Page 26, G-8(c)(1) Multiple Award Ordering Process paragraph (c)(1) Q16. RFP Page 26, G-8(c)(1) Multiple Award Ordering Process paragraph (c)(1) -- The solicitation states the following ,”All IDIQ holders included in all of the Functional Area(s) where work is required under the RFP will receive a Letter of Intent for a task to be performed within the Functional Area, which includes the Statement of Work (SOW), the period of performance and the proposal due date.” Did the government intend to use “Research Field” instead of “Functional Area(s)” to describe where work will be required to conform with the requirement on Page 6 Section (B) (d) the right to be able to compete based on Research Fields?

A16. Yes, the Government intended to use ““Research Field” instead of “Functional Area(s)””. G-8(c)(1) Multiple Award Ordering Process paragraph (c)(1) is hereby revised in Amendment 3 to state “Research Field” as well as to replace “Letter of Intent” with “Request for Task Order Proposal.”

Reference: page 81, L-11(1)(i) Q17. In order to adequately convey the Small Business Subcontracting requirements and relationship to the FAR, a large business may need more than 20 pages. Would the government consider increasing this to a 30 page limit?

A17. Yes. Section L-11(1)(i) is hereby revised in Amendment 3 to increase the page count to 30 pages.

Reference: Page 88, L-15(a) Q18. The plan shall include the Congressionally mandated five percent (5%) goal for small disadvantaged business concerns...” Would the government clarify if this 5% is to be expressed as a percent of total contract award, or a percent of subcontracted dollars.

A18. The goal should be expressed as a percentage of total contract value. Additionally, section L-15 has been revised to state “The plan shall include a five percent (5%) goal for small disadvantaged business concerns…” Additionally Section L-15(a) has been revised in Amendment 3 to state “ The plan shall include a five percent (5%)…”

Reference: Page 30, G-15 (c) Q19. Page 30, G-15 (c) states that “The Contractor shall report actual subcontracting information on Standard Form 294s in accordance with the small business subcontracting plans”. Can the government please confirm that in the event of award the government wishes to receive manual SF-294 submissions in lieu of submissions of Individual Subcontract Reports (ISRs) submitted through eSRS?

A19. No, the Government does not wish to receive manual SF-294 submissions in lieu of submission of Individual Subcontract Reports (ISRs) submitted through eSRS. Section G-15 (c) is hereby revised in Amendment 3 as follows The Contractor shall report actual subcontracting information on Individual Subcontract Reports (ISRs) submitted through eSRS s in accordance with the small business subcontracting plans.

Cost/Pricing Questions

Reference: Page 99, Price Factor, M-2(d)(2).

Q20. Can the government provide insight into how to how cost realism will be obtained since we are providing ceiling rates in support of the solicitation? The section states the following, “ The procedures at FAR 15.404-1(c) and (d) will be utilized in the cost realism analysis of prime Offeror and major subcontractor/team member estimated base labor cost rates…” A20. The Government will use Attachments 6, 8-10 to determine if the costs proposed are realistic for the work proposed in response to the sample research topic.

Reference: Attachments 8 and 9 Q21. Nether the RFP nor Section L-16 makes mention of these two documents. Are offerors expected to complete Attachments 9 and 10 for the sample task orders as part of this submission, or are these attachments provided as examples of documents to be used later when proposing against actual task orders as indicated in Section G-8(c)(1)?

A23. Section L-13(c) is hereby revised to include Attachment 8. Section L-16(d) is hereby revised to include Attachments 9 or 10.

Reference: Section M-2(d)(4) Q22. In section M-2(d)(4) it states “Prime Offeror pass-through charges on subcontractor/team member labor costs shall be assessed to ensure the proposed rate does not exceed the rates specified in Section H–

15. An Offeror’s proposal containing rates exceeding those found in Section H–15 may be deemed unreasonable and may render the Offeror ineligible for award.” H-15 is contractor Training. Did the government mean H-14?

A22. Yes, the Government meant H-14. Section M-2(d)(4) is hereby revised in Amendment 3 to state H- 14.

Reference: Page 97, Section M-2, (ii) element 2 Q23. On page 97, Section M-2, (ii) element 2 it states “The evaluation will also assess the appropriateness of the Offeror’s allocation of labor categories, labor hours and other resources, such as travel, materials/other direct costs, and government furnished property, in consideration of the offered technical and management approaches.” This seems to indicate that the government desires for the Offeror to submit Attachments 8-10 for each research topic. Is this correct A23. Yes, The Offeror’s are to submit Attachments 8 and either 9 or 10 for each research topic. Sections L-13(b)(2)(i)(C) and L-16(d)(2) is hereby revised in Amendment 3 to include the requirement for the submission of Attachments 8 and either 9 or 10.

Reference: Section L Q24. There is no mention in Section L-16 of pricing the sample research topics. This seems to conflict with Section M-1 where references are made to “the lowest price,” “higher priced,” and “additional price.” What the Government appears to be asking for in Volume V – Cost/Price with respect to “price” is a completed Attachment 6 which is only labor category and indirect rates. Please confirm that there is no requirement to price the sample research topics.

A24. No, The Offerors are required to “price the sample research topics”. Sections L-13(b)(2)(i)(C) and L-16(d)(2) is hereby revised in Amendment 3 to include the requirement for the submission of Attachments 8 and 9 or 10.

Reference: Section L-16(d)(1)

Questions and Answers Volume 2.

Q25. Section L-16(d)(1) does not mention how offerors are to include their subcontractor rates in Attachment 6. For the FFP rates, are offerors to submit one rate for each level per labor category that covers the entire offeror’s team, or are offeror’s to modify Attachment 6 to clearly indicate the rates for each subcontractor?

A25. Offerors shall submit separate Attachment 6s for each subcontractor included in its teaming arrangement. Subcontractors are not required to price all labor categories, only the labor categories they will be performing as a subcontractor.

Reference: Section M-2(d)(1) Q26. Section M-2(d)(1) states “The evaluation will focus on the realism of each Offeror’s proposed costs, including that of the prime Offeror and proposed subcontractors/team members, for its ability to support task order requirements with sufficiently qualified personnel and the application of realistic costs to sample research topic solutions as well as the Government’s overall estimated resource mix, travel and other direct cost factors.” Can the government provide how they intend to apply realistic costs to the sample research topics when only ceiling rates are to be provided?

A26. Sections L-13(b)(2)(i)(C) and L-16(d)(2) have been revised in Amendment 3 to include the requirement for the submission of Attachments 8 and 9 or 10. Additionally, the proposed rates, factors, and expenses may be examined to substantiate utilization of consistent forward pricing procedures/rates, if applicable, or rates and factors ordinarily utilized by the Offeror in proposals if no negotiated or recommended forwarding pricing rates exists. The examination may include DCAA audit/review, DCMA review, internal analysis of Offerors’ current and/or historical cost data related to direct and indirect expenses, Offerors’ projected expenses and expense pools, or any other means determined appropriate by the Government