N0018917RZ092_17RZ092-0002.docx

N0018917RZ092

SECTION SF 30 BLOCK 14 CONTINUATION PAGE

The following items are applicable to this modification:

SUMMARY

The following items are applicable to this modification:

1. The time and date for receipt of questions in regards to ONLY Amendment 0002 of Solicitation N0018917RZ092 is 1600 EST (local time/Philadelphia, PA) on Tuesday, 21 November 2017.

2. ALL questions in regards to Amendment 0002 shall be sent to Jillian.Staskin@navy.mil by the specified date and time above.

3. The time and date for receipt of proposals is 1600 EST (local time/Philadelphia, PA) on Friday, 8 December 2017.

NOTE: Part I of this amendment provides a list of questions and answers/comments received in response to this solicitation. The questions and answers/comments are provided for all potential offerors to review but shall not be considered to be terms and conditions of the solicitation. All revisions to the solicitation resulting from consideration of these questions by the Government (and other revisions, as required) have been incorporated into the solicitation as specified in Part II of this amendment. Quoters are cautioned to review the entire solicitation including amendments and attachments (if applicable) to ensure a complete understanding of the requirements of this solicitation.

Part I:

Questions received in response to Solicitation N0018917RZ092

GENERAL QUESTIONS

1. The government states that any person who is not a bona fide employee of the offeror that participated in the creation of the proposal need to be certified. Does this include subcontracting teaming members, meaning all proposed subcontractors (since they are not employees of the offeror and are instead team members) will need to be certified?

Response: Yes, the solicitation is clear on its face.

2. Does BUMED use any specific tools or software to manage requirements, testing activities and training tasks?

Response: This varies by application/system but there is not a standardized set. In general MS Office Suite of tools including Project, Visio and SharePoint.

3. There are many links within the RFP that do not work. Examples of broken links are:

0. Section 4.4(e) (pg. 18) requires the contractor to comply with the TMA Breach Notification Standard Operating Procedure. The link to this document in the RFP is broken, and it is not available on the internet.

0. Section 4.3 (pg. 17) states that the contractor must have an approved Data Sharing Agreement (DSA) in place with the Tricare Management Activity and BUMED, in addition to a Business Associate Agreement and a System Security Verification. The links to these documents in the RFP are broken, and are not available on the internet.

Question: Can the Government provide the correct links to the offerors?

Response: See Part II. The links have been corrected.

QUESTIONS REGARDING SECTION B

4. The name of the solicitation seems to vary in multiple places in the RFP. For example, on page 2 the CLIN name is referred to as “Financial & Business Operations Support”, however on page 7 the PWS is titled “BUMED Business Operations Support” and additionally on page 83 it is referred to as “BUMED FBOMS.” Can the government please confirm the preferred/correct solicitation name to be referenced in the Offeror’s response.

Response: See Part II. This has been updated throughout the document. The requirement is Financial and Business Operations Management Support. FBOMS is the acronym.

5. Within the solicitation, the Government identifies an estimated "plug-in" value for the Travel (CLIN 0002) of $5,000,000. Please clarify whether this "plug-in" value should be equally divided between all years of performance ($1,250,000/yr) or whether the entire "plug-in" value of $5,000,000 should be proposed in totality against CLIN 0002 and, therefore, not sub-divided across the years of performance.

Response: The $5,000,000.00 plug in should not be sub-divided across the years of performance.

6. On page 2, the RFP states that for Item No 0001, “The ordering period will be from 01 June 2018 through 31 May 2022. The performance period is specified on individual task orders and shall not exceed 12 months.” And Item No 0002 states, “Travel will not exceed $5,000,000.00 plus applicable G&A.” On page 81, the RFP states, “Separate cost and pricing information shall be submitted for each time period specified in the pricing pages (Section B) of the solicitation.” The total ordering period is four (4) years (01 June 2018 through 31 May 2022) and based on the Page 81 of Section L, please confirm that the $5,000,000 estimated travel cost covers all four (4) years. Question 2: Is the Government expecting the contractor to allocate the $5,000,000 estimated travel cost into each period for the submission?

Response: The $5,000,000.00 is for the entire 4 year ordering period. It is not $5,000,000.00 for each year

7. Page 2 states for Item No 0002 states, “Travel will not exceed $5,000,000.00 plus applicable G&A.”

Page 82 states, “Application of material handling charges and/or G&A rates, as appropriate, will be allowed only if the contractor maintains separate accounts for such costs and will be in addition to the common evaluation amounts.” Can the Government please confirm if the $5,000,000 travel estimated cost inclusive of contractor’s appropriate material handling and/or G&A?

Response: See Part II. Material Handling has been added to CLIN 0002.

8. “Reimbursement of Travel Costs” states “All contractor personnel required to perform work on any U.S. Navy vessel will have to obtain boarding authorization from the Commanding Officer of the vessel prior to boarding." Does the government anticipate that “on-board” support would be short-term/temporary (2 weeks or less)?

Response: See Part II. Work is not required on Navy vessels. This sentence has been removed from the travel clause.

9. To more accurately estimate “off-site” costs for personnel at the varying geographies stated in Sections 4.1 and 5.0 of the PWS, can the government please provide historical actuals (based on incumbent work currently being performed) or estimates of the number of FTEs at each of the locations?

Response: Given Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity nature of this requirement, we are unable to define the site-by-site percentages at this time.

10. Must the bidders bid the stated Level of Effort by the stated hours allotment for each Labor Category, for the Base Year and the Option Years, and totaling 218,880 hours for each of the for years, for a total of 875,520 hours for the Period of Performance?

Response: The solicitation is clear on its face. The LOE is 218,880 for each contract year, which totals 875,520.

11. For travel, the RFP states that personnel who are required to travel will have medical examinations, immunizations, passport/visa, and security clearances. Can the Government please elaborate on what security clearance would be required?

Response: A NACLC clearance is required. Please refer to clause A204-9400(1-17) Contractor Unclassified Access to Federally Controlled Facilities, Sensitive Information, Information Technology (IT) Systems or Protected Health Information (Jan 2017)

QUESTIONS REGARDING PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

12. Regarding PWS 2.2 (Studies and Analysis), Can BUMED provide a representative sample of Studies and Analysis that the successful offeror (s) can expect to be required to prepare over the duration of the contract period and help to clarify the scope?

Response: See Part II. The contractor will be expected to provide a wide variety of studies and analyses as described in the PWS. Examples are a study of the impact of a change in FASAB Accounting Standards; an analysis of the impact of a system change; a study of the workload impact at MTFs due to a legislative change (for example if we are able to bill a new class of beneficiaries). These are examples of the types of studies and analysis we may require.

13. PWS Section 2.4 states a requirement to “develop and implement a Communication Plan that defines the communication requirements and how information will be distributed including constraints, internal and external communications, identification of stakeholders, and resolution of communication-based conflicts or issues.” What external audiences does the Government anticipate including in a communication stakeholder analysis?

Response: See Part II. External means external to BUMED and includes other DoD Activites, Government Agencies and Commercial Activities. External sources include the Defense Health Agency, the Department of the Navy, and the OSD FIAR Office. We consider “internal” to be entities within Navy Medicine. All other entities would be considered external.

14. PWS Section 2.4 states a requirement to “develop and implement a Communication Plan that defines the communication requirements and how information will be distributed including constraints, internal and external communications, identification of stakeholders, and resolution of communication-based conflicts or issues.” Does the Government expect communications to extend beyond BUMED/ Navy Medicine personnel and organizations?

Response: See answer to question 13

15. PWS Section 2.5 states a requirement to “maintain an online repository in order to provide continual access to progress documentation and training materials and to serve as a platform to provide standardized information across the Enterprise.” What technical specifications or requirements are associated with the online repository? Does the Government have an existing COTS solution where this online repository will be loaded? If so, please provide details.

Response: See Part II. Yes the government currently utilizes SharePoint and is currently planning a transition to a DLA owned repository called Document Automation Content Service-Records Management (DACS-RM).

16. PWS 3.1 states, "Each of the following labor categories require an Information Assurance (IA) certification as specified by DoD 8570.01-M.” Is the IA certification a requirement before the start of performance?

Response: See Part II. Expected to be completed within 7 days of a Task Order award.:

17. The RFP states, “Each of the following labor categories require an Information Assurance (IA) certification as specified by DoD 8570.01-M (http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/857001m.pdf)” DoD 8570.01-M has been superseded by DoD 8140.01-M. Does this certification still apply to the labor categories?

Response:The solicitation is clear on its face.

18. 23 of the 35 labor categories defined in Section 3.1 (Personnel Qualifications) lack education and/or experience minimum requirements, presenting the likelihood that offerors will not share a common understanding of the specific experience levels required for the roles. In order to enable the Government to effectively evaluate the realism of offeror proposals and ensure that staff deployed on tasks under the resulting contract are properly qualified, will the Government establish education and/or experience minimum requirements for the 23 Labor Categories where this is not defined?

Response: See Part II. The PWS has been updated.

19. Under PWS 3.1 - Would the government revise the experience requirement for the Accounting Specialist (Audit) Middle labor category to read “audit related services” instead of “audit services” to be consistent with all other Accounting Specialist (Audit) labor categories?

Response: See Part II. The PWS has been updated.

20. In regards to 3.1 Personnel Qualifications, Will all the Accounting Specialist (Audit) Labor Categories (Principal, Senior, Middle, and Junior) require CPA licenses in good standing.

Response: See Part II. The PWS has been updated

21. Section 3.1 states “Strategy & Change Management Specialist – Principal and other Strategy and Change Management LCATs: Demonstrated experience and comprehensive knowledge of strategy and change management principles. Recognized as a leader within the field with over 10 years of relevant experience leading high-visibility transformation programs across the government and/or commercial organizations” Will the government specify if this resource is a Strategy Specialist and a Change Management Specialist –two separate capabilities required? or a combined Strategy and Change Management Specialist?

Response: See Part II. Either Strategy or Change Management. The PWS has been revised.

22. Section 3.2 Offeror Qualifications indicates that the “Contractor shall possess experience working with systems such as Defense Medical Logistics Standard Support (DMLSS), Joint Medical Asset Repository (JMAR), Internet Navy Facilities Asset Data Store (iNFADS), BUILDER SMS, DMLSS-FM, and Environmental Management System Website (EMSWeb).” Can the Government remove this requirement or re-word it because, as it is stated, it prohibits companies the ability to compete for this work regardless of their technical experience with similar systems?

Response: See Part II. The PWS has been revised.

23. Section 3.2 Offeror Qualifications indicates that the “Contractor shall possess experience working with systems such as Defense Medical Logistics Standard Support (DMLSS), Joint Medical Asset Repository (JMAR), Internet Navy Facilities Asset Data Store (iNFADS), BUILDER SMS, DMLSS-FM, and Environmental Management System Website (EMSWeb).” As the logistics capability is a requirement in all PWS sections, could the government identify which positions require this capability? Alternatively, could the government add personnel positions requiring this experience to comply with section 3.2?

Response: Given Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity nature of this requirement, we are unable to define this at this time. This will be defined at the task order level.

24. Section 3.2 Offeror Qualifications indicates that the “Contractor shall possess experience working with systems such as Defense Medical Logistics Standard Support (DMLSS), Joint Medical Asset Repository (JMAR), Internet Navy Facilities Asset Data Store (iNFADS), BUILDER SMS, DMLSS-FM, and Environmental Management System Website (EMSWeb).” Can the Government provide descriptions of the systems and the tools that are used in support of these systems?

Response: See question #22.

25. Section 3.2 Offeror Qualifications indicates that the “Contractor shall possess experience working with systems such as Defense Medical Logistics Standard Support (DMLSS), Joint Medical Asset Repository (JMAR), Internet Navy Facilities Asset Data Store (iNFADS), BUILDER SMS, DMLSS-FM, and Environmental Management System Website (EMSWeb).” Will the Government accept and evaluate Contractors experience in similar size and scope systems?

Response: See question #22..

26. In regards to PWS 4.1 and 5.1 - The PWS lists two separate sections relative to “Place of Performance.” Section 4.1 of the PWS lists five (5) geographic locations, however Section 5.0 expands the list AND excludes one of the locations listed in Section 4.1 (Jacksonville, FL). Can the government please confirm which list is correct?

Response: See Part II. The PWS has been revised.

QUESTIONS REGARDING SECTION G

27. Is the Small Business and Small Disadvantaged Business Subcontracting Plan mentioned on page 25 the same as the Small Business Subcontracting Plan of FAR 52.219-9?

Response: Yes. This section refers back to FAR 52.219-9

28. The RFP states, “The goal for offerors’ Small Business Subcontracting Plan for this requirement is 5% of the subcontracted level of effort.” Can the Government confirm the goal of 5% Small Business Subcontracting is based on the Estimated Level of Effort hours of Subcontractors not the Total Level of Effort Hours?

Response: The solicitation is clear on its face.

QUESTIONS REGARDING SECTION H

29. The solicitation indicates that all employees who work at or support a Federal agency will require a CAC. What other security clearances or investigations are required beyond IT I and IT II where system access is required? If clearances are required, will this apply to all personnel?

Response: A NACLC clearance is required. Please refer to clause A204-9400(1-17) Contractor Unclassified Access to Federally Controlled Facilities, Sensitive Information, Information Technology (IT) Systems or Protected Health Information (Jan 2017)

QUESTIONS REGARDING ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST (OCI)

30. The OCI language on page 83 implies that prospective offerors that were previously (over the past 36 months) or are currently involved with DHA and DON audit contracts could submit an acceptable OCI mitigation plan that outlines internal control taken by the offeror to avoid potential organizational conflict of interest. However, section (c)(i) on page 34 of the solicitation states:

(c) Restrictions on Contracting

(i) The contractor agrees that during the term of this contract, and for a period of 36 months thereafter, neither it nor its affiliates shall (1) enter into any contract for the performance of audits for or on the DHA and DON, (2) create for themselves any interest in DHA and DON Audit Contractors; (3) consult or discuss with DHA and DON Audit Contractors any aspects of work under this contract unless expressly required by the contract or a task order thereunder.

Would the Government please consider removing the page 34 restriction as it is unduly restrictive and inconsistent with the ability to provide an acceptable OCI plan for current work?

Response: No.

31. Section (c)(ii) on page 34 of the solicitation states:

(ii) The contractor further agrees that neither it nor its affiliates will conduct a review nor make recommendations under this contract concerning any item which is the product of work performed by the contractor or its affiliates under any other contract.

The description of this restriction is overly broad and not well-defined for an offeror to discern if such commitment is feasible. Would the Government please specify as numerous vendors consult with the Line and OSD on numerous topics which are of interest under this RFP. The current statement seems to unduly restrict competition for this solicitation.

Response: The solicitation is clear on its face.

32. On page 34, OCI CLAUSE, section (c) Restrictions on Contracting (i), the government states that during the term of this contract, and for a period of 36 months thereafter." Will the government consider reducing the restrictions on contracting period to coincide with only the term of the contract?

Response: No.

33. On page 34, OCI CLAUSE, section (b) Warranty Against Existing Conflicts of Interest (ii), the government recognizes that future DHA or DON audit contracts may be awarded creating potential conflicts of interest. Will the government consider the following recusal language adequate to address such potential future issues, "Contractor or its affiliates shall have the right to terminate their agreements if it is discovered that the AICPA, Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, SEC, or other applicable laws, rules, or professional standards restrict contractor or its affiliates ability to complete the Services."

Response: The solicitation is clear on its face.

34. On page 34, OCI CLAUSE, section (c) Restrictions on Contracting (i), the government states that neither [the contractor] nor its affiliates shall.(2) create for themselves any interest in DHA and DON Audit Contractors." Can the government provide additional clarification on a threshold that constitutes "interest"? We recommend the government consider adding the following clarification language which is consistent with industry practices when assessing materiality thresholds: "creating an interest" would only include having a greater than 5% ownership interest in the company or establishing a contract that exceeds 5% of total annual gross revenue for either firm.

Response:The government does not intend to revise this clause at this time.

35. The OCI CLAUSE, section (a) Definitions, does "audit" include attestation and examinations?

Response:See Part II. The clause has been revised.

36. The RFP states, “The contractor warrants that it and its affiliates do not have, and have not had within the last 36 months prior to the closing date of the solicitation (or if discussions are required, prior to the closing date for Final Proposal Revisions), any contracts as or with DHA and DON Audit Contractors or any substantial interest in DHA and DON Audit Contractors, other than those disclosed to the Government as requested in the Section L solicitation provision entitled “Notice of Inclusion of an Organizational Conflict of Interest Clause.” The language in the RFP is not in accordance with AICPA, which allows business relationships with Audit Contractors that aren’t material to either party. Additionally, the “36 month prior” requirements is not in accordance with AICPA. Please clarify the intent of the language and the reasoning for the requirement.

Response: See FAR Subpart 9.5

37. The RFP states, “The contractor agrees that during the term of this contract, and for a period of 36 months thereafter, neither it nor its affiliates shall (1) enter into any contract for the performance of audits for or on the DHA and DON, (2) create for themselves any interest in DHA and DON Audit Contractors; (3) consult or discuss with DHA and DON Audit Contractors any aspects of work under this contract unless expressly required by the contract or a task order thereunder. “ The language in the RFP is not in accordance with AICPA. Please clarify the intent of the language and the reasoning for the requirement.

Response: See FAR Subpart 9.5

38. Section L states, “This solicitation contains a clause in Section H entitled Organizational Conflict of Interest, pursuant to FAR subpart 9.5, which is to be included in any contract to be awarded hereunder. Prospective offerors are requested to furnish with their proposals, information for itself and its associates pertaining to any contracts as or with DHA and DON Audit Contractors or any substantial interest in DHA and DON Audit Contractors, within the last 36 months prior to the closing date for Final Proposal Revisions.

Such information shall include:

Question: The language in the RFP is not in accordance with AICPA. Please clarify the intent of the language and the reasoning for the requirement.

Response: See FAR Subpart 9.5

QUESTIONS REGARDING L25 SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL

39. Are header and footers constrained to the 12pt font requirement or is it allowable for font to be smaller?

Response: See Part II. Header and footer font may deviate from the 12pt or greater font requirement.

40. L25 states, "It is intended to make award of the resultant contract in time to allow at least thirty (30) day start up period in advance of the actual commencement of the performance period. The contractor shall make all necessary preparations during this start-up period to assume full responsibility for contract performance as of the contract start date. It is noted that invoicing by the contractor will begin as of the commencement of services and no reimbursement will be paid by the Government for efforts expended during the start-up period." Is the government not planning for an overlapping contract period to allow for side-by-side hand-off and transition?

Response: The government does not intend to issue a contract with overlapping performance period so as not to have a duplication of services. The start-up/transition period is prior to the start of the contract performance.

41. Will the government consider allowing tables and matrices (in addition to the Past Performance Templates) to be included in our proposal with 10 point font to display information more clearly?

Response: See Part II. Section L has been updated.

42. Regarding L25, Page Limitations - Please confirm the Government allow for the use of font smaller than 12 point for tables and charts.

Response: Please see the previous question.

43. Please kindly confirm the Small Business Subcontracting Plan should be included in Volume II – Cost/Price Proposal.

Response: The solicitation is clear on its face. RFP states “In addition, offers shall include the following in Volume II: … The offeror’s Small Business Subcontracting Plan (this Plan not required for Small Business offerors).”

44. The RFP states in section III. Proposal Content, subsection (a) Management Approach: "If a subcontractor or subcontractors are proposed, the management approach should address, in terms of scope and percentage of effort, what portion of the solicitation's requirements will be performed by each subcontractor." How do offerors address proposed subcontractor's percentages of effort on a large IDIQ with no defined task orders to date? It is not possible to provide an accurate percentage of effort at this time.

Response:See Part II. This has been removed.

45. The RFP states, “If a subcontractor or subcontractors are proposed, the management approach should address, in terms of scope and percentage of effort, what portion of the solicitation's requirements will be performed by each subcontractor.” Since this response is for an IDIQ, the percentage of subcontracted labor would seem to be more applicable at the TO level. Would the Government consider removing the percentage of effort by specific subcontractor and, instead, allow targets by socio-economic category as part of the Small Business Subcontracting Plan?

Response: See Part II. This has been removed.

46. The government has noted that a single set of references shall be submitted for the two evaluation sections and each (instructional) section notes the requirement to use the “Corporate Experience and Past {Performance Information Form” included in the RFP. Can the government please confirm that it desires that the same form be replicated in both sections to address the prescribed requirements for each category, or if it is preferred that 1 form is used for each reference and will be evaluated in the aggregate.

Response: The solicitation is clear on its face. The RFP states “offerors shall submit a single set of corporate experience and past performance information (maximum of three of its most relevant contracts) to satisfy the submission requirements for both factors.”

47. Please confirm that the government wishes that the exact same references that are used in the Corporate Experience are the same ones that should be also used in the Past Performance section response.

Response: The solicitation is clear on its face.

48. For the Past Performance/Corporate Experience evaluation, are IDIQs, where the Offeror is a Prime, acceptable to submit for this requirement?

Response: Yes.

49. The RFP also states in Section M regarding corporate experience and past performance: "If subcontractor performance is provided as part of the three of its most relevant contracts or efforts, the subcontractor past performance will be given weight proportional to the scope, magnitude and complexity of the aspects of the work under the solicitation for which the subcontractor is proposed." How do offerors demonstrate relevancy to scope, magnitude, and complexity in their references in comparison to a large IDIQ with no defined task orders to date that would define these criteria? It is not possible to demonstrate this relevancy as there is no defined level of effort on task orders to compare it to.

Response: The solicitation is clear on its face. Scope, magnitude, and complexity are defined in Section L and the level of effort is defined in Section B.

50. The links for the “Corporate Experience and Past Performance Information Form” go to a “page not found” site. Please confirm that the Offeror should use the template provided on page 60 of the RFP.

Response: See Part II. Offerors should use the form found in Section J of the RFP. The link has been removed.

51. Section III. PROPOSAL CONTENT page 79 states, "Greater weight will be given to experience obtained as an Independent Public Accounting (IPA) firm; greater weight will also be given when the experience was in DoD audit support." Since IPA credentials are not relevant to all eight tasks areas of the PWS and accounting related labor categories only account for ~12% of the estimated level of effort, will the government consider clarifying this criterion by revising to state: "Greater weight will be given to experience obtained under which Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the U.S. (US GAAP) were applied (applies to the Financial Management Operations and Audit Support (PWS 2.3) task only) and greater weight will also be given to experience in DoD audit support (applies to all referenced PWS tasks)."

Response: No.

52. The solicitation as written significantly limits competition by defining experience as “… a magnitude of 57 FTEs” and this will not achieve the purpose for BUMED of small business offerors demonstrating “Corporate Experience”. Corporate experience should be directly related to the average task order FTE count, not the total IDIQ FTE count. After all, IDIQ contracts are task order competitive not IDIQ competitive. For example, the RFP states, “As this solicitation anticipates multiple awards, no one offeror is expected to receive task orders equaling the total magnitude of the effort i.e., 114 FTEs.” To more accurately demonstrate corporate experience, and to allow a less restrictive competitive procurement, will the government consider adjusting to have small business offeror’s demonstrate their ability to staff the average task order FTE count? That approach will reflect a more accurate task order competition and allow a better overall staffing solution for “Corporate Experience.” Many small businesses are graduating out of small business status around the same time they are achieving projects that average 57 annual FTEs. Will the Government consider reducing this magnitude criteria for prime small business offerors to 20 FTEs?

Response: Magnitude has not been changed. No one reference has to show experience in the full magnitude. As stated in Section L, “the corporate experience/past performance references provided by the offeror will be evaluated in the aggregate.”

53. Corporate Experience: In Section L, III Proposal Content, (1) Non-price Proposal, sub-section (c) Corporate Experience, paragraph 2, it states "In determining whether a reference is the same as or similar in scope to solicitation's requirements, the following task areas will be considered in descending order of significance: 1) Financial Management Operations and Audit Support (PWS 2.3)". Does BUMED currently have a Fortune 500 financial and accounting firm under contract, that performs financial management operations and audit support?

Response: Deloitte Consulting is the incumbent contractor. The Fortune 500 status of a company is not relevant to the preparation of a proposal

54. Page 79, Section L.3.1.c states “Greater weight will be given to experience obtained as an Independent Public Accounting (IPA) firm; greater weight will also be given when the experience was in DoD audit support.” Does “DoD audit support” experience include performance of DoD audits, in addition to DoD audit readiness? If “DoD audit support” does include DoD audits, are they given equivalent weight to DoD audit readiness efforts?

Response:Yes.

55. The RFP states, “Greater weight will be given to experience gained as an IPA; greater weight will also be given when the experience was in DoD audit support.” Will the Government assign greater weight when evaluating experience that meets both criteria? Therefore, experience as an IPA in DoD audit support would be assigned a greater weight than either non-DoD IPA work or DoD audit support performed by other than an IPA.

Response:Yes.

56. The RFP states, “In considering the relevance of an offeror’s corporate experience, the corporate experience/past performance references provided by the offeror will be evaluated in the aggregate. In determining the rating for the Corporate Experience evaluation factor, the Government will give greater weight to the contracts or efforts which the Government determines to have greater relevance to the RFP.” How will corporate experience/past performance be rated / evaluated (e.g., adjectival ratings, confidence)? Please provide the evaluation scale for corporate experience/past performance.

Response: This information is not required in order to compose a proposal.

57. Is the socio-economic plan in the Non-Price Volume required for small business offerors?

Response: Yes.

58. The RFP states ““If the offeror fails to provide targets for the contract and/or any of the seven socio-economic factors, the offeror's proposal will be evaluated at zero percent and/or zero dollars for the contract and/or any socio-economic factor for which a target is not provided.” However, it also states that “the solicitation, however, does not require participation by such entities.” Can the government confirm they are NOT requiring bidding teams to include all the following categories: small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned small businesses, historically black colleges or universities and minority institutions, veteran-owned small businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, and HUBZone small businesses and a 0% noted for any of the seven categories is acceptable?

Response: The solicitation is clear on its face.

59. In regard to the socio-economic Plan under III Proposal Content, (1) Non-price Proposal: the government states "Note: The Socio-economic Plan factor and the separate requirement for submission of a Small Business Subcontracting Plan are included in the solicitation in an effort to promote small business participation under the solicitation and the resultant contract." Will the government consider allowing The Socio-economic Plan to be outside of the 25-page limit?

Response: The Socio-economic Plan is included in the 25-page Non-Price Proposal limit.

60. Will the government release an excel template for submitting our individual LCAT pricing throughout the ordering period and at different places of performance? If not, is there a specific format requested for displaying our bid prices?

Response: See Part II. Section L has been updated. Offers shall complete Section B (CLINs 0001 and 0002) and provide their Cost/Price quote in a format of their choosing.

61. In Volume II, Cost/Price Proposal (page 81), the government stipulated that if an Offeror is proposing a subcontractor on a cost-reimbursement basis additional documentation was required relative to direct labor rates, however does the government require the Offerors to include subcontractor labor rate documentation if they are instead utilizing a Time & Material (T&M) rate structure with their subcontractors?

Response: The solicitation is clear on its face. Page 82 states, “If the offeror is proposing subcontracts on other than a CPFF basis, the offeror shall submit information as to whether the rates for the subcontractors are fixed based on a firm bilateral agreement with the subcontractor or merely proposed. In addition, the offeror shall explain why it believes the subcontractor can perform at those rates.”

62. The RFP states that “the cost proposal shall be based upon the government’s estimated level of effort and labor categories in Section B of the solicitation.” Can the government please confirm if the Offeror is allowed to deviate from the government’s estimate or if there should be NO deviations to the estimated level of effort provided?

Response: The solicitation is clear on its face.

63. If subcontractor rate build-up documentation is required, is it allowable that it be included in the submission, however separately packaged under sealed envelope to maintain the confidentiality of our subcontractor’s proprietary information?

Response: See Part II. Yes, that is permitted.

64. Please confirm that the subcontracting goals to be identified in the Small Business Subcontracting Plan are 5% of Total Subcontract Value (TSV) and not Total Contract Value (TCV). In the Section G page 25 the RFP states “The goal for offerors’ Small Business Subcontracting Plan for this requirement is 5% of the subcontracted level of effort” however in Section L, page. 80, the RFP states “The offeror shall provide targets, expressed as percentages of total contract value, for small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned small businesses, historically black colleges or universities and minority institutions, veteran-owned small businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, and HUBZone small businesses in any of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Major Groups as determined by the Department of Commerce.”

Response: The solicitation is clear on its face. Please refer to the “Note” under Socio-economic Plan in Section L23 of the RFP.

65. The Government provided guidance on an on-site/off-site labor mix. Given the Government’s plan to conduct a cost realism analysis will the Government also provide guidance on percentage mix between the various locations so that offerors’ costs may be evaluated equally for realism?

Response: Given Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity nature of this requirement, we are unable to define the site-by-site percentages at this time.

66. Does the government anticipate prescribing labor categories to be assigned for each location or does the government request access to all labor categories at all locations?

Response: Please refer to the previous response.

67. The government stated under subparagraph (c) that “For proposal purposes, the following rations of On-site (Contractor facility) and Off-site (Government facility) labor performance are established for all labor categories.” Typically “On-site” denotes government facility and “Off-site” denotes contractor facility instead of the inverse noted in the RFP. Can the government please confirm that they really do mean On-site to be contractor site and hence 80% of the work will be performed at the contractor’s site and 20% at the governments?

Response: The solicitation is clear on its face. The RFP states 80% on-site (contractor site), 20% off-site (government site)

QUESTIONS REGARDING SECTION L

68. The RFP states, “In performing the contract for BUMED FBOMS services, the solicitation requires the contractor to exercise subjective judgment, and the exercise of that judgment could affect the contractor's interests unrelated to the performance of the contract. In the performance of the contract, the contractor will have access to proprietary business information which may confer an unfair competitive advantage to the contractor, or impair the contractor's objectivity in performing contract work, and/or potentially render the contractor unable to provide impartial assistance to the Government absent some restriction on its future activities. Thus, potential OCI situations such as impaired objectivity, unequal access to information, and biased ground rules may exist, and these issues form the basis for the inclusion of an Organizational Conflict of Interest clause. For example, one particular circumstance of concern is that the BUMED FBOMS services contractor might have an interest in the contractor or its affiliates conducting actual audits of the DHA and DON, which would harm the objectivity of the audit process by not having the audits conducted by, and then responded to by separate impartial parties.”

Question: Please provide the definition for the FBOMS acronym. Additionally, please provide additional information on what efforts encompass “FBOMS services”.

Response: FBOMS means Financial Business Operations Management Support. The efforts that encompass FBOMS services are described in the Performance Work Statement.

QUESTIONS REGARDING SECTION M

69. “Evaluation Criteria and the Basis for Award” states, “For all non-price factors (other than Past Performance), an offeror’s proposal must be determined to be Acceptable or better in order to be eligible for award. A rating that is less than “Acceptable” in any non-price evaluation factor and/or less than a “Satisfactory Confidence” rating in the Past Performance evaluation factor will render a proposal ineligible for award consideration as submitted. Please provide the evaluation criteria for each of the non-price factors.

Response: The solicitation is clear on its face. The evaluation criteria is discuss in Sections L and M.

71. Number of Awards: In Section M, page 86, paragraph (1) of the solicitation it states "The Government reserves the right to limit the number of awards to three." In order to provide a greater choice of vendors and obtain the best available expertise and competitive prices for the task requirements, would the Government consider reserving the right to limit the number of awards to six, with one being set-aside for small business?

Response: The Government reserves the right to limit the number of awards to three but will make more than 3 awards if it is in the best interest of the government.

PART II:

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES

CLIN 0001

The CLIN description has changed from Financial & Business Operations Support to FBOMS.

The CLIN extended description has changed from:

In accordance with the Performance Work Statement. The ordering period will be from 01 June 2018 through 31 May 2022. The performance period is specified on individual task orders and shall not exceed 12 months.

To:

Financial and Business Operations Management Support (FBOMS)In accordance with the Performance Work Statement. The ordering period will be from 01 June 2018 through 31 May 2022. The performance period is specified on individual task orders and shall not exceed 12 months.

CLIN 0002

The CLIN extended description has changed from:

Travel in support of CLIN 0001. Travel will be reimbursed at cost in accordance wtih the Joint Federal Travel Regulations and the Reimbursement of Travel clause. Travel will not exceed $5,000,000.00 plus applicable G&A

To:

Travel in support of CLIN 0001. Travel will be reimbursed at cost in accordance wtih the Joint Federal Travel Regulations and the Reimbursement of Travel clause. Travel will not exceed $5,000,000.00 plus applicable G&A and Material Handling

The following have been modified:

REIMBURSEMENT OF TRAVEL COSTS

(a) Travel

(1) Area of Travel. Performance under this contract may require travel by contractor personnel. If travel, domestic or overseas, is required, the contractor is responsible for making all needed arrangements for his personnel. This includes but is not limited to the following:

(2) Travel Policy. The Government will reimburse the contractor for allowable travel costs incurred by the contractor in performance of the contract and determined to be in accordance with FAR subpart 31.2, subject to the following provisions:

Travel required for tasks assigned under this contract shall be governed in accordance with rules set forth for temporary duty travel in FAR 31.205-46.

(3) Travel. Travel, subsistence, and associated labor charges for travel time are authorized, whenever a task assignment requires work to be accomplished at a temporary alternate worksite.

Travel performed for personal convenience and daily travel to and from work at contractor’s facility will not be reimbursed.

(4) Per Diem. Per diem for travel on work assigned under this contract will be reimbursed to employees consistent with company policy, but not to exceed the amount authorized in the Department of Defense Joint Travel Regulations.

(5) Shipboard Stays. Whenever work assignments require temporary duty aboard a Government ship, the contractor will be reimbursed at the per diem rates identified in paragraphs C8101.2C or C81181.3B(6) of the DOD Joint Travel Regulations, Volume 2.

(6) Air/Rail Travel. In rendering the services, the contractor shall be reimbursed for the actual costs of transportation incurred by its personnel not to exceed the cost of tourist class rail, or plane fare, to the extent that such transportation is necessary for the performance of the services hereunder and is authorized by the Ordering Officer. Such authorization by the Ordering Officer shall be indicated in the order or in some other suitable written form.

NOTE: To the maximum extent practicable without the impairment of the effectiveness of the mission, transportation shall be tourist class. In the event that only first class travel is available, it will be allowed, provided justification therefore is fully documented and warranted.

(7) Private Automobile. The use of privately owned conveyance within the continental United States by the traveler will be reimbursed to the contractor at the mileage rate allowed by Joint Travel Regulations. Authorization for the use of privately owned conveyance shall be indicated on the order. Distances traveled between points shall be shown in standard highway mileage guides. Any deviations from distance shown in such standard mileage guides shall be explained by the traveler on his expense sheet.

(8) Car Rental. The contractor shall be entitled to reimbursement for car rental, exclusive of mileage charges, as authorized by each order, when the services are required to be performed outside the normal commuting distance from the contractor’s facilities. Car rental for TDY teams will be limited to a rate of one car for every four (4) persons on TDY at one site.

SECTION C - DESCRIPTIONS AND SPECIFICATIONS

The following have been modified:

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

BUMED FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT SUPPORT (FBOMS)

1.0 SCOPE

In recent years, the Military Health System (MHS) has been operating in an environment of constant change. The establishment of the Defense Health Agency (DHA) promoted efficiencies through the shared service functions, requiring increased integration with each of the Service medical branches. With the enactment of the FY17 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), further integration is forthcoming with significant changes in the areas of leadership, governance, and the delivery of healthcare for the entire MHS. These changes will affect the role, culture, and work of front-line doctors, nurses, and all staff of Navy Medicine. Additional disruptors such as the implementation of the electronic health record, MHS GENISIS, a move to a new financial accounting system, and the impending financial audit all put Navy Medicine in a position to experience further transformational changes. As such, proactive steps need to be taken to improve outcomes for the organization. In an environment of ever increasing need for efficiency and effectiveness due to downward pressure on costs, a focus on people, process, technology and policy will allow Navy Medicine to recognize success. Navy Medicine requires support to ensure that those people, process, technology and policies are adequately supporting its mission and ability to deliver the goal of the MHS Quadruple Aim: readiness, cost effectiveness, population health and patient experience.

1. 1 Background BUMED provides high quality, economical health care to beneficiaries in wartime and in peacetime. Highly trained personnel deploy with Sailors and Marines worldwide - providing critical mission support aboard ship, in the air and on the battlefield. At the same time, BUMED’s military and civilian health care professionals are providing care for uniformed services' family members and retirees at military treatment facilities around the globe. Every day, no matter what the environment, BUMED is ready to care for those in need - anytime, anywhere. This program, complete with program management and operation support services, financial management operations, business process improvement, change management and information management support, all in a geographically dispersed environment, provides best business practices that support and enhance the overall mission capabilities. It also provides opportunity for improvement for all core business functions throughout BUMED. Previous business process improvement projects have included development of internal control testing programs; documentation of financial statement reporting processes, implementation of logistics training programs; and development of Standard Operating Procedures encompassing multiple business processes.

1. 2 Objectives Program management and operation support services, financial management operations, business process improvement, change management and information management support activities provide best business practices that support and enhance the overall mission capabilities. It also provides opportunity for an integrated approach across financial, logistics, facilities and information technology core business functions throughout BUMED as they prepare for financial statement audit. These functions will facilitate improved resource execution through timely, accurate and reliable information gained from the various business process and improvement activities identified throughout this contract.

2.0 TASKS

2. 1 Program Management and Operation Support Services Program management means service in support of BUMED that contributes to the efficient and effective operation of programs. Services may be used at all organizational levels to help managers achieve maximum effectiveness or economy in their operations. Services may include:

· Providing advice regarding developments in industry, university, or foundation research;

· Providing the opinions, special knowledge, or skills of noted experts;

· Enhancing the understanding of, and developing alternative solutions to,…