N00189-19-R-Z014_MNCC_RFP_Amend_05.docx

N0018919RZ014

SECTION SF 30 BLOCK 14 CONTINUATION PAGE

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

SECTION A - SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM

The following have been modified:

SOLICITATION Q&A

RFP Questions and Answers

Below are answers to questions received thus far through Amendment 05. For any questions below currently without an answer given, the requiring activity is working on providing these answers , and will be provided in a forthcoming amendment ASAP.

Q1: Per Solicitation No. N0018919RZ014 Section L III (2) (j), the offeror shall provide documentation that its accounting system has been determined by DCAA to be adequate for a cost reimbursement contract. Our accounting system was subject to a pre-award audit by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and was subsequently determined acceptable by CMS for award of a prospective cost-reimbursement contract, which we are currently performing as a subcontractor. Is this acceptable for satisfying the requirements in the solicitation for the award of a cost reimbursement contract?

Q1 Answer: Amendment 04 adds back previously deleted language (in previous amendment 03) about the submission of Form 1408 with the proposal if the accounting system has not been determined to be adequate by DCAA. See Section L.

Q2: Is the work being performed by Government personnel or a Contractor? IF contractor, who and for how long?

Q2 Answer: See section A of Amendment 02.

Q3: Please confirm that the Department of Labor (DOL) Service Contract Act (SCA) Wage Determination (WD) is application to this contract, because the solicitation includes following two, Customer Service Representative III and General Clerk 3 labor categories.

Q3 Answer: SCA WD’s are applicable. See Amendment 02 for applicable WD numbers in Section A.

Q4: Section 8. Personnel Descriptions and Minimum Qualifications, Pg. 19-27. The following requirement, “experience in large (500 + CSRs) commercial contact centers’” is included in the following four labor categories, Program Manager, Site Manager, Customer Service Manager, and Quality Assurance Manager. In Year 1, Millington, TN location has 282 FTEs. Typically, in similar solicitations, a small business offeror presents a transition plan and hires the incumbent employees so avoid losing institutional knowledge. Also, it is challenging to find the key employees with “500 + CSRs commercial contact center experience” therefore limiting your choice to only an incumbent contractor. We are requesting you to change the requirement from “500 + CSRs” to “100 + CSRs” in the following four labor categories, Program Manager, Site Manager, Customer Service Manager, and Quality Assurance Manager, which is more in line with the approximate LOE per Task Order.

Q4 Answer: Amendment 04 updates the requirements in section 8 of the PWS.

Q5: Section 8. Personnel Descriptions and Minimum Qualifications, Pg. 19-27. Missing 4 Personnel descriptions & Minimum Qualifications. Missing descriptions for the following positions: Contact Center Traffic Analyst, Contact Center Traffic Supervisor / Manager, Knowledge Management Analyst, Knowledge Management Manager – Key Person.

Q5 Answer: PWS section 8 has been updated to reflect the aforementioned labor category minimum qualifications via Amendment 02.

Q6: Given the volume of holiday packages and mail surrounding your due date/time for this proposal, what are the procedures for hand delivering the proposal to your location?

Q6 Answer: The solicitation is clear on its face.

Q7: Section B, paragraphs (b) and (c), pages 3 and 4: Paragraph (b) provides the estimated total hours of each labor category for the contract. Paragraph (c) states the estimated total hours include overtime. Utilizing 1,920 hours as the number of productive direct labor hours per employee, the table provided in paragraph (b) does not yield/result in any overtime hours in the estimated hours for the contract. For the price proposal, are Offerors required to provide pricing detail for cost buildup of overtime rates since there are no estimated hours for overtime?

Q7 Answer: Please see corrected language in paragraph 2(c) removing “overtime and” via Amendment 03, and please reference FAR clause 52.237-10 Identification of Uncompensated Overtime.

Q8: Section B, CLIN 0003, page 6: Other Direct Costs is provided as a single “Lot” for the entire five year period of performance. Section 9.2, Other Direct Costs, page 27: This section states, “estimated ODCs for the entire ordering period is not-to-exceed $10,000.00 ($2,000.00 per year for proposal pricing purposes), not including applicable indirect costs.” Sections 4.4, Workforce Management (WFM), and 4.5, Training Design & Delivery, pages 11 and 12 respectively: These sections require the successful awardee to provide a software/products in support of the contract. The ODC CLIN does not provide sufficient funds to capture these costs. How are Offerors’ to incorporate the costs for the WFM tool and training materials/supplies into the price proposal? As part of contract overhead?

Q8 Answer: See updated PWS section 4.4 via amendment 04 which removes ‘tool’ and replaces it with ‘methodology/approach’.

Q9: Section 1.1, Acquisition Objective, page 7: This section indicates that the contemplated contract is for the MNCC Contact Center Tier 1 and Tier 2 services. Section 3.1, Transition to Initial Operating Capability, page 9: A MNCC Beta 1 is addressed in this Section with a go-live date of 24 September. Prior to 24 September, were any functional areas of the MNCC Tier 1 and Tier 2 services already being performed? If so, what functional areas? Were these operational functional areas performed by contractors, civil servants or military personnel? If by contractors, please provide incumbent contract information.

Q9 Answer: This information is not relevant for the submission of a proposal in response to the solicitation. See section A for incumbent contractor information.

Q10: Section 2.2, MNCC Operational Overview, page 7: The solicitation indicates that MNCC utilizes a tiered service deliver model that operates in multiple locations. Section 3.1, Transition to Initial Operating Capability, page 9: A MNCC Beta 1 is addressed in this Section. Did the Beta 1 go live on 24 September? If not, when is the anticipated go live date?

Q10 Answer: The solicitation is clear on its face.

Q11: Section 2.2, MNCC Operational Overview, page 8: As presented the MNCC is organized into four tiers. Tiers 1 and 2 appear to deliver services with the interaction of Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) and/or Subject Matter Experts (SME) with customer service requests via multiple communication channels. What is the government’s estimated incoming telephone call, email and fax volumes in years 1 through 5?

Q11 Answer: This information is not relevant for a proposal in response to the solicitation. Tier 2 services are not required under this PWS and all references to Tier 2 services being performed under this PWS are hereby removed via Amendment 04.

Q12: Section 2.2, MNCC Operational Overview, page 8: Tier 2 support is provided by SME and Transactional Support Centers will be available to process specialized transactions and resolve inquiries that are more complex. Are SMEs not located at the MNCC Transaction Support Centers? If not, where will they operate? Will they be part of this contract?

Q12 Answer: They are not part of this requirement.

Q13: Section 2.2, MNCC Operational Overview, page 8: Tier 2 support is provided by SME and Transactional Support Centers. Section 3, Scope of Services, page 8: The solicitation states, “The contractor will provide some Tier 2 services that can be performed by general administrative clerks.” Section 4.1, Contact Center Operations, page 10: One of the requirements to be performed by Tier 1 contact center operations is “Provide some Tier 2 services that can be performed by general clerks”. Please confirm that some Tier 2 services will be performed by Tier 1 contact center personnel? Are the SMEs mentioned in Section 2.2, the “general administrative clerks” mentioned in Section 3, and the “general clerks” mentioned in Section 4.1 the same as the General Clerk III positions listed in the Level of Effort tables and the labor category description presented in Section 8.6? . If so, please confirm that a SME should be classified as Service Contact Act (SCA) labor category General Clerk III.

Q13 Answer: No, the SMEs are not General Clerks. They are not part of this requirement.

Q14: Section 3.1, Transition to Initial Operating Capability, page 9: The solicitation states, “MNCC Beta 1 operational designs and enabling information technology (IT) systems may persist for one to two years as initial operating capability (IOC) infrastructure (facilities and IT) are developed.” The Level of Effort presents several hundred CSRs working during the initial years of the contract. If these services are currently being provided under a different contract governed by different processes, will the 2 systems operate parallel? If this is the case, how will incoming contacts from MNCC customers be segmented between the current system and the MNCC Beta operation?

Q14 Answer: Please reference PWS section 4.10.

Q15: Section 3.3, Continuity of Services, page 9: The solicitation addresses that continuity of services must be continued upon contract expiration with a successor, either Government or another contractor. What will determine if the Government will in-sources this work?

Q15 Answer: The Navy will conduct an assessment of the effectiveness of contract support to do this work.

Q16: Section 4.1, Contact Center Operations, page 10: The contractor will be required to provide some Tier 2 services performed by general clerks. If the Tier 2 service cannot be accomplished by MNCC Contact Center personnel, who is responsible for delivering the service requirements? Will the MNCC customer be transferred to a different resource/service provider? If so, how will this transfer be accomplished? Through a warm hand-off? Referring the customer to another point of contact? Other means?

Q16 Answer: Tier 2 services are not required under this PWS and all references to Tier 2 services being performed under this PWS are hereby removed via Amendment 04.

Q17: Section 4.4, Workforce Management (WFM), page 11: The contractor will supply a WFM tool until the government is able to acquire such a tool for the vendor to use. If any of the tier 1 or 2 services are currently being provided in support of MPT&E, what is the WFM tool now being utilized, if any? If one is currently being provided in support of sailors using MPT&E services, what is the necessity for moving to a different tool at this time prior to the government acquiring a new tool? What is the government’s timetable for acquiring a new WFM tool? It would seem less disruptive to do one transition (current tool to new government tool) than two migrations (current tool to contractor tool to new government tool).

Q17 Answer: The vendor will be responsible for providing a workforce management approach to manage their staff. All other information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q18: Section 5.2, Place of Performance, page 17: Various locations for which the contractor is required to provide MNCC Contact Center Support Services. Several of the locations listed state the date and specific location as “TBD”. Section L-III, Proposal Content, Volume II – Cost/Price, paragraph (f), page 84. Ratios are provided for labor performance at Contractor facility and Government facility for all labor categories. The ratios provided in this section state “**See PWS**”. Since Section 5.2, Place of Performance, has not completely defined the location of several locations that MNCC Contact Center Support Services will be provided, Offerors are unable to develop pricing in terms of Contractor site location and government site location? Should Offerors assume that all MNCC Contact Center Support Services will be performed at government facilities?

Q18 Answer: Yes.

Q19: Section 8, Personnel Descriptions and Minimum Qualifications, page 19: The solicitation states, “The contractor as an entity as well as all leadership and support staff individually… shall have previous documented experience working in a large scale human resources, shared services, contact center environment supporting in excess of 500 tier 1 CSRs.” Must the prime contractor as entity provide documented experience of working as a prime contractor in a large scale human resources, shared services, contact center environment supporting in excess of 500 tier 1 CSRs? If the requirement is for the prime contractor of the MNCC solicitation to have been the prime contractor on another contract with 500+ tier 1 CSRs, it would seem unlikely that the successful Offeror would be able to meet the small business size standard of $15,000,000?

Q19 Answer: Amendment 04 updates the requirements in section 8 of the PWS.

Q20: Section 8, Personnel Descriptions and Minimum Qualifications, pages 19 through 25: A number of the labor categories presented on these pages require experience in large (500+ CSRs) commercial contact centers. The government’s Level of Effort estimate during the five years of this contract never exceeds 360 tier 1 and 2 support personnel. Why was the 500+ CSRs benchmark selected when the MNCC contract will not need that many CSRs?

Q20 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q21: Section 8, Personnel Descriptions and Minimum Qualifications, pages 19 through 25: A number of the labor categories presented on these pages require experience in large (500+ CSRs) commercial contact centers. Can experience at a government contact center substitute for commercial contact center?

Q21 Answer: Yes, but it shall be a large-scale contact center supporting customer care-type services. Amendment 04 updates Section 8’s PWS references to this.

Q22: Section 8. Personnel Descriptions and Minimum Qualifications starts on Page 19 and details the description and minimum qualifications required by each labor category. The following labor categories are missing from that section:

· Contact Center Traffic Analyst

· Contact Center Traffic Supervisor/Manager

· Knowledge Management Analyst

· Knowledge Management Manager Will the Government provide the personnel descriptions and minimum qualifications for the missing labor categories?

Q22 Answer: PWS section 8 has been updated to reflect the aforementioned labor category minimum qualifications via Amendment 02.

Q23: Section 11, Security, page 28: Contractor personnel require a favorably adjudicated NACLC PSI. The PSI is to be initiated prior to an individual reporting for duty. This would indicate Interim Clearance will be allowed and individuals will be allowed to work prior to a fully adjudicated NACLC is completed. Please confirm if this is correct.

Q23 Answer: Interim clearances will be allowed.

Q24: Section 11, Security. Must Offerors have a SECRET Facility Clearance at the time of proposal or can Offerors be eligible for a SECRET Facility Clearance?

Q24 Answer: Offerors must be eligible for a SECRET Facility Clearance at the time of proposal submission.

Q25: Section H LOCAL CLAUSES, NECO 5252.237-9401, Paragraph (b), page 59: The clause states, “The Government will review resumes of Contractor personnel proposed to be assigned, and if personnel not currently in the employ of Contractor, a written agreement from the potential employee to work will be part of the technical proposal.” Resumes of proposed Key Personnel are not required by Section L. Please confirm resumes of proposed Key Personnel are not required at the time of proposal submission.

Q25 Answer: Resumes are not required and shall not be submitted.

Q26: Section I – Contract Clauses, FAR 52.222-42 Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires, page 62: FAR 52.222-42 is incorporated into the solicitation, which requires the identification of the classes of service employees expected to be employed under the contract and provide the wages and fringe benefits payable to each if they were employed by the contracting agency. Please provide the appropriate information as required by FAR 52.222-42.

Q26 Answer: Amendment 04 has updated this clause.

Q27: Section I – Contract Clauses, FAR 52.222-41 Service Contract Labor Standards, page 62: FAR 52.222-41 is incorporated into the solicitation. Please incorporate the appropriate Wage Determination Schedule(s) into the solicitation and provide the schedule(s) to Offerors as an attachment to the solicitation.

Q27 Answer: See Amendment 02 for applicable SCLS Wage Determination information in Section A. The individual referenced wage determinations can be retrieved from https://www.wdol.gov.

Q28: Section I – Contract Clauses: Please confirm that FAR 52.222-17, Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers, is not applicable to this solicitation and subsequent contract awarded as a result of this solicitation. Also, please confirm there are no incumbent contractors eligible for hire for any resultant contract.

Q28 Answer: The clause is applicable.

Q29: Section K – Representations, Certifications and Other Statements of Offerors, FAR 52.230-1 COST ACCOUNTING STANDARS NOTICES AND CERTIFICATION, page 75: The first sentence of this FAR Clause states, “Note: This notice does not apply to small businesses or foreign governments.” As this solicitation is a small business set-aside, why is this FAR Clause provided as part of this solicitation?

Q29 Answer: The clause is hereby removed via Amendment 02.

Q30: Section L – Instructions, Conditions and Notices to Bidders, I General, page 79: Offerors are to submit an Original and 1 electronic copy of Volumes I and II. Is the Original to be submitted as a hardcopy?

Q30 Answer: Yes, the original is to be hardcopy. Amendment 02 updates this Section L language.

Q31: Section L – Instructions, Conditions and Notices to Bidders, II REQUIREMENTS FOR PROPOSAL CONTENT, Volume I, paragraph (b), page 82: The solicitation states, “Contractors should also demonstrate that Contact Center Business Process Outsourcing is their core business function.” Please clarify how Offerors are to demonstrate this requirement. Should Offerors present the amount of business derived from Contact Center Business Process Outsourcing as a percentage of the total revenues? Should it be presented as the number of employees working in this business segment as a percentage of total employees? By the number of contracts for Contact Center Business Process Outsourcing the Offeror is currently providing services under? The means by which this requirement should be demonstrated is undefined. Would the Government consider removing this from the solicitation to allow Contractors with different core business functions to qualify to bid?

Q31 Answer: Amendment 04 has removed “Contractors should also demonstrate that Contact Center Business Process Outsourcing is their core business function” from Section L.

Q32: Section L – Instructions, Conditions and Notices to Bidders, II REQUIREMENTS FOR PROPOSAL CONTENT, Volume II Cost/Price, paragraph (a), page 83: Separate cost and pricing information shall be submitted for each time period specified in the Solicitation Section B – Supplies or services and Prices. The CLIN structure in Section B is for a period of performance of five years, 1 March 2019 through 29 February 2024. Should Offerors provide cost and pricing information for only the five year period of performance in total or should it be broken down by each of the five years?

Q32 Answer: Task orders will be issued during a five year ordering period. However, for proposal submissions, contractors shall break down their proposal by year for pricing purposes.

Q33: Section L – Instructions, Conditions and Notices to Bidders, II REQUIREMENTS FOR PROPOSAL CONTENT, Volume II Cost/Price, paragraph (d)(6), page 84: Offerors proposing rates that do not provide documentation as detailed in paragraphs (d)(1) through (d)(5) are required to provide the methodology used to establish the proposed direct rate. Since FAR 52.222-41 is included in the solicitation, wages for Service Contract employees will be established by the Wage Determination Schedule(s) incorporated into the contract. For these Service Contract labor categories, will the Wage Determination Schedule(s) be sufficient as the source cited for the direct labor rate?

Q33 Answer: Yes.

Q34: Section L – Instructions, Conditions and Notices to Bidders, II REQUIREMENTS FOR PROPOSAL CONTENT, Volume II Cost/Price, paragraph (j), page 85: The solicitation states, “If an Offeror’s accounting system has not been determined, by DCAA, to be adequate for determining costs applicable to cost reimbursement contracts, the Offeror will be considered ineligible for contract award.” The paragraph further states, “If the Offeror’s accounting system has not been determined by DCAA to be adequate for determining costs applicable to cost reimbursement contracts, the Offeror shall complete and submit an SF 1408 attached hereto as part of the Volume II, Cost /Price Proposal.” These statements seem to be inconsistent. Will Offerors be ineligible for award if they do not have their accounting system determined by DCAA to be adequate for determining costs applicable to cost reimbursement contracts?

Q34 Answer: Yes, they will be ineligible. See Section L for updated language via Amendment 03.

Q35: Can a company be a subcontractor to more than one prime contractor submitting a proposal?

Q35 Answer: Yes.

Q36: Is this work currently being performed by US Navy personnel or via a contractor?

Q36 Answer: See section A of Amendment 02.

Q37: If work is being performed by a contractor, can US Navy provide company name and contract number for existing contract?

Q37 Answer: See section A of Amendment 02.

Q38: If work is being performed by a contractor, is it the intent or desire of US Navy, if a new contractor is selected, to have the new contractor interview and hire current MyNavy Career Center employees? Will new contractor be able to formally meet and interview current employees prior to existing contract expiring?

Q38 Answer: See FAR clause 52.222-17.

Q39: PWS Section 3 – Scope of Work. Section 3.1 refers to capability to ramp up and down based on seasonality. Could US Navy define seasonality?

Q39 Answer: Examples include large numbers of Navy personnel moving in the summer months that may require support, selection boards with large numbers of personnel eligible for consideration that submit selection board correspondence, or support to personnel during hurricane season.

Q40: PWS Section 4 – Tasks. There is a requirement for at least 1 bilingual Spanish agent per shift. Is there a maximum number of bilinguals?

Q40 Answer: No.

Q41: PWS Section 4 – Tasks. Will there be a language line available for agents to transfer to if the caller speaks something other than Spanish?

Q41 Answer: No.

Q42: PWS Section 4 – Tasks. Are there training materials already developed that will be available?

Q42 Answer: The solicitation is clear on its face.

Q43: PWS Section 4 – Tasks. How long is training expected to last?

Q43 Answer: It is the contractor’s responsibility to provide training to meet the PWS requirements.

Q44: PWS Section 4 – Tasks. What labor category is expected to perform the Selection Board Communication tasks?

Q44 Answer: General Clerks and Customer Service Representatives.

Q45: PWS Section 4 – Tasks. Where is the Emergency Coordination Center located?

Q45 Answer: Millington, TN.

Q46: PWS Section 6 - Level of Effort Labor Category, Site, Man-Hours. It appears via the Level of Effort spreadsheet that during year 1 both Millington, TN and Norfolk, VA will be in operations- is it the US Navy’s plans to have both of these sites operational on ‘day 1’ of live operations? If so, can US Navy provide their operational methodology of how they will allocate calls/contacts to each of the sites? Will it be done by ‘call type’ or ‘next available agent’ basis?

Q46 Answer: ‘Next available agent’ basis.

Q47: PWS Section 6 - Level of Effort Labor Category, Site, Man-Hours. Please confirm that the hours allocation for Site Manager at the Millington, TN location increases from 1,920 (1 resource) to 7,680 (4 resources) in year 3.

Q47 Answer: Confirmed.

Q48: PWS Section 6 - Level of Effort Labor Category, Site, Man-Hours. If this is correct could US Navy explain the rational of 4 Site Managers at Millington, TN and only 3 Customer Service Managers?

Q48 Answer: This information is not relevant for the submission of a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q49: PWS Section 6 - Level of Effort Labor Category, Site, Man-Hours. Please confirm hours for Knowledge Management Analyst in Millington, TN are correct with a decrease to 1,920 in year 3.

Q49 Answer: Confirmed.

Q50: PWS Section 6 - Level of Effort Labor Category, Site, Man-Hours. Are training hours included in the total yearly hours or will training be bid under a different CLIN?

Q50 Answer: Total yearly.

Q51: PWS Section 6 - Level of Effort Labor Category, Site, Man-Hours. Can US Navy define which of the labor categories fall within the jurisdiction of the Service Contract Act?

Q51 Answer: General Clerk III and Customer Service Representatives

Q52: PWS Section 6 - Level of Effort Labor Category, Site, Man-Hours. In Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, and 4.7 US Navy defines the ‘tasks’ of the MyNavy Career Center, can US Navy provide their view of the allocation of the labor categories to each of these tasks – Contact Center Operations, IT Support, Command Center Operations, and Workforce Management, Training, Knowledge Management, and Site Management?

Q52 Answer: The solicitation is clear on its face.

Q53: PWS Section 6 - Level of Effort Labor Category, Site, Man-Hours. Given that the MyNavy Career Center operates on a 7/24/365 day basis, can US Navy provide a historical view of the current contact volume – by contact type (call type(s), email, SMS/text, etc), and provide – Average Handle Time (AHT) by contact type, provide ½ hour call volume distribution on daily, weekly, and monthly basis for a minimum of 1 year, but for more than 1 year if able to do so

Q53 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q54: PWS Section 7 – Key Personnel. Are Key Personnel Resumes required with submission of the RFP? If so, do their pages count towards the page limitation of Volume I?

Q54 Answer: Resumes shall not be submitted.

Q55: PWS Section 11 – Security. Is there a cost to the contractor to have their employees go through the NACLC personal security investigation process? If so, how much is it? And, is this cost eligible to be invoiced to US Navy via the ODC line item?

Q55 Answer: It is the vendor’s responsibility to ensure all personnel have proper clearance, and it is not ccost eligible to be invoiced.

Q56: PWS Section L, Part I. In last paragraph, clause states that any person who is not a bona fide employee of the offered who participated in the creation, formulation, or writing of any portion of the proposal shall provide a certificate to that effect. Does this apply to subcontractor personnel?

Q56 Answer: In accordance with the clause, subcontractor personnel are not bona fide employees of the offeror.

Q57: Key Personnel are listed on page 18. It shows one position for the Customer Service Manager but the labor category chart on page 3 and on pages 17 and 18 show two Customer Service Managers, one located in Millington, TN and one located in Norfolk, VA. Please clarify if there is only one Customer Service Manager that is considered Key Personnel and if only one, which location do they work at. Or if it was an oversight and both Customer Service Managers are considered Key Personnel.

Q57 Answer: The key personnel Customer Service Manager will be working in Millington. Amendment 02 updates PWS Section 7 to reflect this.

Q58: Section 4.4 Workforce Management (WFM) on page 11 states "The contractor will supply a WFM tool until the government is able acquire such a tool for the vendor to use." In researching WFM tools, there is an option for on-site software or for it to be cloud based. Is the Government going to allow a cloud based software to be used at both Millington, TN and Norfolk, VA sites or will it need to be on-site software? Will there be a process to get the WFM software approved by NMCI? This software can cost roughly $30 - $35 per user. Is this cost to be included as an ODC? If so, the ODC amount will need to be increased.

Q58 Answer: See updated PWS section 4.4 via amendment 04 which removes ‘tool’ and replaces it with ‘methodology/approach’.

Q59: In Section L, under (d) Direct Labor Rates, section (6) on page 84 states "If proposing rates that do not fall within one of the above criteria, provide a detailed, comprehensive description of the methodology used to establish the proposed direct labor rate. The description shall include both the source where the rate was obtained and a description of how the resulting rate was calculated. Merely stating that a "salary survey" or "market survey" was used is generally not sufficient." Then two paragraphs below it states "Supporting information should include data such as recognized national and regional compensation surveys and studies of professional, public and private organizations used in establishing the total compensation structure." Please clarify if salary surveys are allowed to be used as a means to establish direct labor rates.

Q59 Answer: The solicitation is clear on its face.

Q60: Section L, page 82 (c) Past Performance states "To demonstrate its past performance, the offeror shall identify up to three (3) of its most relevant contracts or efforts within the past five (5) years, and..." Section M on page 87 states "If subcontractor past performance is provided as part of the 5 of its most relevant contracts or efforts,...." Please clarify in the offeror can submit up to three (3) or five (5) contracts as past performance.

Q60 Answer: Three (3) references in correct. Amendment 03 corrects Section M’s language.

Q61: Pages 80-81 L, II Requirements for Proposal Content, (5) page limitations. “Volume I, “Non-cost Proposal,” is limited to a maximum of 30 pages in length inclusive of any charts, diagrams, and/or other graphics. Each “page” is defined as one sheet, 8 ½ “ x 11”, with at least one inch margins on all sides, using a font with a point size of 12 or greater (e.g., "Times New Roman" style with 12 point font).” – We respectfully request a 10 point font size for any chart, diagrams, and/or other graphics in Volume I. Will the Government grant this request?

Q61 Answer: No.

Q62: Is this opportunity for staffing? Can services be performed at the bidders' location(s)?

Q62 Answer: The solicitation is clear on its face.

Q63: Section 8. Personnel Descriptions and Minimum Qualifications, Pg. 19-27. No degree equivalents listed. Please provide the equivalent qualifications (experience) that will be accepted in lieu of a degree for the following positions:

1. PM

2. Site Mgr

3. Sr. Oracle Program Architect

4. Oracle Developer

5. Oracle DB Administrator

6. Customer Service Supervisor

7. Customer Service Manager

8. QA Analyst

9. QA Manager

10. Curriculum Design & Delivery Trainer

11. Curriculum Design & Delivery Mgr

12. Reporting/Analytics Supervisor

13. KM Analyst

14. KM Manager

15. Contact Center Traffic Supervisor

Q63 Answer: The solicitation is clear on its face.

Q64: Can the US Navy share what the current benefit structure is for the current employees?

Q64 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q65: Can the US Navy confirm that the only labor categories that are SCA mapped are the Customer Service Rep III and the General Clerk III?

Q65 Answer: Confirmed.

Q66: Can the US Navy share what the current turnover rate by labor category is at each location?

Q66 Answer: This information is not relevant for the submission of a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q67: Please provide a 2-week extenstion for the RFP submission due date so that contractors have time to review answers to questions submitted and adjust our proposed solutions accordingly.

Q67 Answer: The RFP closing date will not be extended.

Q68: Under section B Level of Effort, the Government estimates 625,920 hours in the base year which is equivalent to 326 FTEs. Of the 326 FTEs that the Government estimates, how many FTEs are already supporting the MNCC as contractors today on an incumbent contract? It is important to understand this figure for phase-in planning purposes and any additional staffing ramp-up that will be necessary in the base year.

Q68 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q69: Great Lakes, IL is listed as a current MNCC location. However, it is not included as a location to be supported in section 5.2. Place of Performance and 6.1. Level of Effort by Labor Category. Please clarify if support is required for this location at start of or future contract performance.

Q69 Answer: Reference to Great Lakes in PWS section 2.2 has been removed via Amendment 03.

Q70: Who provides support for Tier 3? Is it the government or another contractor?

Q70 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q71: What is the volume of Tier 2 requests per month?

Q71 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q72: Please provide monthly volumes by contact type (phone, email, chat, etc.) for the last 12 months.

Q72 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q73: What is the maximum number of concurrent calls at any given time?

Q73 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q74: Please provide the daily call arrival patterns.

Q74 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q75: Please indicate if the WFM tool can be premise-based or cloud-based. If contractor proposes a cloud-based tool, does it need to be FedRAMP-certfied?

Q75 Answer: See updated PWS section 4.4 via amendment 04 which removes ‘tool’ and replaces it with ‘methodology/approach’.

Q76: For Training Design and Delivery, will existing materials be provided to awarded contractor to be built/improved upon?

Q76 Answer: See PWS section 4.5.

Q77: Is the New Orleans location a cold site such that it is only activated as need arises?

Q77 Answer: Yes, other than periodic COOP tests.

Q78: What are the selection board communications?

Q78 Answer: Navy operates promotion selection boards in Millington at the Navy Personnel Command. Selection board communications are letters or other supporting documents that individual Sailors or officers send to the selection boards to be considered as part of the selection board process. For example, a Lieutenant who is being considered for Lieutenant Commander can chose to send in a letter of recommendation he/she received for a job well done. That letter to the board is considered selection board correspondence. There is very strict control and tracking requirements for those letters.

Q79: The Governmment alludes to a "Phase-In" period for ther services to be performed under this contract both at section 4.9 Continuity of Services and under section 13 Deliverables. What duration is the Government allocating for the "Phase-In" period?

Q79 Answer: The solicitation is clear on its face.

Q80: Please confirm if only 1 Customer Service Manager is required as this conflicts with what's specified in the LCAT in section 6.1.

Q80 Answer: The solicitation is clear on its face.

Q81: Please provide the descriptions and minimum qualifications for the Knowledge Management Manger.

Q81 Answer: See Amendment 02.

Q82: Per Section L, the following tasks have not been asked to be responded to in the proposal response, therefore please confirm if we need to address them: Command Center Operations (PWS 4.3), Knowledge Management Maintenance & Support (PWS 4.6), Site Management Support (PWS 4.7), Continuity of Operations (COOP) Planning (PWS 4.8), Continuity of Services (PWS 4.9), Continuous Improvement & Service Maturity (PWS 4.10), Selection Board Communications (PWS 4.11), Emergency Coordination enter (ECC) (PWS 4.12), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) (PWS 4.13), Meetings, Conference, & Briefings (PWS 4.14).

Q82 Answer: The solicitation is clear on its face.

Q83: In the MNCC solicitation, Paragraph 6.1 illustrates the government's ideas concerning staffing levels by year and by location. This represents a significant increase over the previous levels called out in the 2015 solicitation.

Q83 Answer: Questions a-c are all not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation. For question d, please see FAR clause 52.222-17. For question e, please see section A of the solicitation.

Q84: Are there any functions in the RFP that are currently not in the scope of the incumbent?

Q84 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q85: Are there any functions in the RFP that are currently being supported or completed by the government. If yes, what areas?

Q85 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q86: What is the phase out and transition period/window for the incumbent.

Q86 Answer: 30 days.

Q87: Since this is a CPFF engagement, are we obligated to bid the FTE's and LCAT's broken down in the table in 6.1?

Q87 Answer: Yes.

Q88: Is the prime contractor required to have a facility clearance (secret)? The language in the RFP appears unclear Page 57 shows the contract security requirement: “Contractor employees under this contract are recognized as Non-Critical Sensitive [ADP/IT-II] positions when the contract scope of work require physical access to a federally controlled base, facility or activity and/or requiring access to a DoD computer/network, to perform unclassified sensitive duties. This designation is also applied to contractor employees who access Privacy Act and PHI, provide support associated with fiduciary duties, or perform duties that have been identified as National Security Positions. At a minimum, each contractor employee must be a US citizen and have a favorably completed NACLC or T3 or T3R equivalent investigation to obtain a favorable determination for assignment to a non-critical sensitive or IT-II position. The investigation consists of a standard NAC and a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) fingerprint check plus law enforcement checks and credit check.” * In the section for staff it states “contractors must be eligible for associated clearances required, up to “SECRET””. This appears to contradict what appears above (on Page 57). It does not state they will access any classified information and/or systems, but rather will perform unclassified sensitive duties.

Q88 Answer: The solicitation is clear on its face.

Q89: If a facility clearance is required, can the Prime contractor leverage the clearance of its major subcontractor (sponsorship)?

Q89 Answer: The prime contractor must be eligible for a SECRET Facility clearance at the time of proposal submisison.

Q90: Will the government provide current statistics for After Call Work, Talk Time and Average Handle Time?

Q90 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q91: Are the current staff available for first right to refusal ?

Q91 Answer: See FAR clause 52.222-17.

Q92: How are calls escalated to Tier 3 ?

Q92 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q93: How were, if there are any, the current training programs developed?

Q93 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q94: Is there a list of Government approved software that must be utilized in selecting a Workforce Management Tool or can the vendor identify and implement their preferred solution? If the software must be Government approved, please provide a list of options.

Q94 Answer: See updated PWS section 4.4 via amendment 04 which removes ‘tool’ and replaces it with ‘methodology/approach’. Question is no longer relevant.

Q95: What knowledge management solution is currently leveraged?

Q95 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q96: What call monitoring tool, if any, is the government currently using? Will it be the contractor responsibility of the contractor to either provide the call monitoring tool or provide self-monitoring using this tool? Will the contractor be responsible for covering the cost of the call monitoring tool.

Q96 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation for the first question. The solicitation is clear on its face regarding the remaining questions.

Q97: Does the government have a content management solution currently in place? If yes, what solution is being used.

Q97 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q98: How many CSRs/Clerks currently support this requirement?

Q98 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q99: What are the Government's plans for establishing labor rates in the TBD locations (New Orleans, San Diego)?

Q99 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q100: Section B, Paragraph C states that the estimated hours include overtime. Can the Government clarify if overtime hours are factored for SCA employees, or just exempt? If SCA, will the Government require overtime rates for SCA?

Q100 Answer: See answer to Question #7.

Q101: Can the Government detail the current setup for MNCC Beta 1 (tools/technology)?

Q101 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q102: Is the current phone system landline based?

Q102 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q103: Does the Government currently have a WFM tool in place, and if so, what is it? Will this Contractor provided tool be an ODC?

Q103 Answer: This information is not relevant for the submission of a proposal in response to the solicitation. See updated PWS section 4.4 via amendment 04 which removes ‘tool’ and replaces it with ‘methodology/approach’.

Q104: Are learning objectives (PWS Para 4.5) defined by the Contractor, Government or collaboratively?

Q104 Answer: Collaboratively.

Q105: What tools are currently in place for individuals who are visually, hearing or speech impaired?

Q105 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q106: Are Contractors provided a laptop or desktop to perform their duties?

Q106 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q107: Do Contractors have the ability to telework, or have remote access ability? Is this something the Government would consider?

Q107 Answer: No.

Q108: Are key personnel resumes a requirement of this response? What Key Personnel are currently on staff?

Q108 Answer: Resumes shall not be submitted and this information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q109: Would the Government reconsider the minimum requirements of managing a 500+ CSR contact center for the Key Personnel? Requesting a size of this magnitude is extremely restrictive.

Q109 Answer: Amendment 04 updates the requirements in section 8 of the PWS.

Q110: Section L ,Para 1.B - The Government states Contractors must demonstrate a plan for using best in class tools. Are these tools going to be considered as ODCs?

Q110 Answer: Amendment 04 updated this language. ‘Tools’ is hereby replaced with practices.

Q111: Section L, Para 2.B - The Government is requesting supporting data for material lists and costs, travel charges and other ODCs. However, Para G states to use the estimated costs for travel and materials. Which request is correct? With minimal information being provided regarding travel and ODCs, it is unrealistic for bidders to provide this data.

Q111 Answer: Section L(III)(2)(b) language has been updated via amendment 03. Please use the estimated travel and ODC amounts specified in the RFP.

Q112: What is the overall transition-in timeline from contract award until the new contractor must be fully operational?

Q112 Answer: The anticipated IDIQ award date is 01 March 2019, preferably sooner. Performance is required to begin 01 April 2019.

Q113: In “Section II. REQUIREMENTS FOR PROPOSAL CONTENT”, Item “(5) Page Limitations”, can an exception be added for the font and font size requirements for graphics?

Q113 Answer: No.

Q114: For Section 7 “Key Personnel”, do the incumbents existing personnel meet the educational and experience requirements for key personnel as stated or are these requirements new?

Q114 Answer: This information is not relevant to submitting a proposal in response to the solicitation.

Q115: Given the complexity of the questions asked to date, and the additional questions that are being submitted today, would the government consider extending the due date for the proposal by at least a week?

Q115 Answer: The RFP closing date will not be extended.

SECTION C - DESCRIPTIONS AND SPECIFICATIONS

The following have been modified:

PWS

Performance Work Statement (PWS) for MPT&E My Navy Career Center (MNCC) Contact Center Support Services

1. Introduction

1.1. Acquisition Objective

This Performance Work Statement (PWS) outlines the requirements for the MyNavy Career Center (MNCC) Contact Center Tier 1 services dedicated to MPT&E.

1.2. US Navy MPT&E Overview

The Manpower, Personnel, Training, and Education (MPT&E) enterprise is responsible for manning the Fleet and making sure that Sailors are ready for the litany of jobs and tasks they will be asked to undertake in the Navy. This responsibility includes the entire Hire-to-Retire process that consists of finding and recruiting talented individuals to serve, executing training pipelines that take young Sailors through their initial education and beyond, processing pay and personnel transactions, and ensuring that ships, squadrons, and submarines are fully manned.

2. Background Processing personnel, pay, and travel transactions properly is critical to ensuring Sailors’ records are accurate, transactions are auditable, and services are responsive to Sailors and Commands. These activities have a direct impact on Sailor morale, Command decision-making, and leadership oversight capability. The lack of integration across the MPT&E domain makes obtaining services or resolving issues difficult for Sailors, requiring extensive face-to-face transactional field support scattered across multiple organizations with unclear lines of responsibility. Current personnel records are managed in a multitude of different legacy systems, where no single system or data record is authoritative. Sailors and Human Resources (HR) professionals must track down and correct errors in multiple systems. According to the Sailor 2025 initiative, a lack of transparency and a perceived lack of accountability of the chain-of-command in response to personal requests, competitive opportunities, and other personnel actions are significant sources of Sailor dissatisfaction.

MPT&E is modernizing the personnel system to reorganize the different subordinate commands and upgrading the IT infrastructure. The two main challenges, which will be addressed by the future capability, are the:

· Lack of an integrated and robust service delivery model

· Multiple, disparate personnel systems The goal of the MPT&E Transformation is to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of HR and learning services provided to Sailors, fleet commanders, and the Navy as a whole.

2.1. Strategic Direction

A central component of the MPT&E Transformation is the MNCC, a shared-services organization that enables the consolidation of administrative and transactional processes from across MPT&E and the Hire-to-Retire process. MNCC helps to improve service delivery through the concentration of expertise to enable a stronger workforce, achieve efficiencies through scale, standardize service delivery, and provide MPT&E with a greater ability to focus on the mission. MNCC’s key objective is to improve the customer experience for consumers of MPT&E Services, including Sailors, their families, Fleet commanders, and the Navy as a whole.

2.2. MNCC Operational Overview

The MNCC utilizes a tiered service deliver model common to industry to deliver MPT&E services to the Navy, it includes a transactional self-service portal, multiple Contact Centers, and integrated Transactional Support Centers. MPT&E operates all current (Millington, TN; Norfolk, VA; and future MNCC locations as a network, creating a single virtual organization that efficiently distributes work and is seamless to customers, providing end users with a Single Point of Entry (SPOE) to request or obtain MPT&E support 24x7.

The tiered support structure enables the escalation of service requests to the appropriate level for resolution.