N0018920Q0035 QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES Amendment 1.pdf

SOLICITATION N0018920Q0035 – TANK SAFETY MANAGER COURSE

QUESTIONS & RESPONSES

1. In order to allow more time to develop a quality, customized training-related Program of Study

(POS), can 60 or 90 days be allowed, in order to save money for the federal government?

Response: Performance of the new contract will begin 01 August 2020. Response dates are planned accordingly.

2. Since almost no one currently uses outdated materials and installs metal tanks due to corrosion issues, why is the Navy asking for a rare corrosion certificate, which will unnecessarily exclude qualified instructors and increase the cost to tax payers, with almost no value at all to the military.

Response: Corrosion issues are of great concern for the Navy. A sound understanding of what causes corrosion in tanks and solutions to control corrosion are critical to the management of the

Navy’s tank program. Please see Amendment 1 which updates PWS sections 1.4.2. and 4.1.1..

3. I have installed tanks nation-wide and taught storage tank courses for over 30 years, and have never needed any additional corrosion credential. Exactly what corrosion certificate has been initially requested, as apparently NACE offers several certificates?

Response: Please see amendment 1.

4. Regarding corrosive tanks, what value is gained by training the current Navy to use outdated materials and old installation methods / techniques?

Response: Corrosion issues are of great concern for the Navy. A sound understanding of what causes corrosion in tanks and solutions to control corrosion are critical to the management of the

Navy’s tank program. The Navy’s tank management program needs to address the management of legacy systems and installation of new systems.

5. Can the contract officer eliminate the unnecessary extra corrosion certificate requirement, in order to allow more qualified instructors to submit on this Storage Tank Program course? Corrosive issues, would be less than 1% of the course content, yet it is currently 50% of the certification requirements.

6. It seems like this sol., may be catered to only 1 organization that can respond on short notice (17 working days), and then respond to the almost impossible task of developing a complete, expedited POS course within only 30 days, unless they had advance notice and were able to begin developing both proposal & course training materials before the 30 day submittal period began. What is the sense of urgency with this short-fuse, expedited contract? Why unnecessarily increase the cost to the Navy with these short time periods, as this is at least a 5 year engagement?

Response: The required program of studies, which is offered commercially as well as by the

Navy, will be finalized in conjunction with the Safety Center subject matter experts prior to course convenings. A complete course outline is provided with the solicitation to promote and assist in developing timely responses. In addition, course information and guidelines are available through the Naval Safety & Environmental Training Center course catalog, the Environmental

Protection Agency, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. A Sources Sought

Notice and draft Performance Work Statement for this requirement were posted to the Navy

Electronic Commerce Online (NECO) portal on October 5, 2019, to engage interested parties early in the contracting effort. The SSN included a response date of 11/5/2019, A synopsis of the requirement was posted to NECO on 12/5/2019, with a response date of 2/12/2020.

7. Why not include the need for “safety & health” credentials, or more importantly

“environmental compliance” credentials, or “environmental remediation” related certifications, which are much more relevant than this highly unusual and exclusionary corrosion certificate that provides no significant value to the government?

8. Who can decide on the removal of the extra corrosion certification?

9. Is this a set aside? WOSB or any other?

Response: As stated in the solicitation, this is a 100% Smalls Business Set Aside.

10. When sourcing certified trainers for this project, is it important to have a JV or it suffices to just hire these certified individuals as part of our core staff?

Response: The Navy cannot advise on vendor’s business arrangements. IAW with the solicitation, all small business vendors are eligible to submit a quote.

11. Do we have to be on a GSA schedule to qualify?

Response: No. As indicated in the solicitation, this is an open market action.

12. In light of the current pandemic situation, is there any additional materials required by the contractor?

Response: All required materials are defined in the PWS.

13. Will some of the classes be remote and can a contingency plan outlining a remote training schedule be appropriate at this time?

Response: Please see amendment 1. The Navy continues to explore remote training opportunities in the current environment.