N0018920RQ008 RFP Responses Updated.pdf

RFP N0018920RQ008 Responses

8(a) set aside MAC IDIQ

1. Will remote/telework support for this contract be allowed, if so to what extent?

There may be opportunity for a mix of remote/telework or the possibility of fully remote work.

While not all requirements will allow for remote access, the government will certainly be open to proposals and innovative approaches that give us access to highly qualified individuals. The government is looking for industry to provide information that would be a benefit to the government by allowing remote/telework, and how it would work with regard to knowledge transfer between contractor support resources and government resources. Providing industry can collaborate with the government team and add value to our business processes/systems, remote resources will definitely be a consideration that will be determined at the task order level.

2. The RFP requirement states that “experience and qualifications will be defined in the task order PWS”. Attachment 3 identifies 30 labor category names for pricing. In order for potential offerors to develop aggressive but deliverable pricing at the IDIQ level, some definition of those labor categories is recommended. Recommend the government add the labor category experience and qualifications requirements to either the RFP or Attachment 3.

The government is looking for industry to offer solutions without requiring a certain number of years of experience and qualifications. If a particular labor category has an industry standard qualification associated with it, the proposed resource would meet the minimum experience required.

3. Offerors may submit a combination of no more than three (3) delivery orders (DOs), task orders (TOs), technical direction letters (TDLs), and/or technical area tasks (TATs) placed under an ID/IQ or BPA as one of the three examples of past performance. Such a combination must also meet the requirements stated above: each individual example in the combination must have been performed within five (5) years of the solicitation closing date and demonstrate at least one (1) year of completed performance during that five-year period.

No more than one combination of DOs, TOs, TDLs and or TATs is permitted in the past performancesubmittal.

Meaning, an offeror can only submit one package consisting of a combination of three of the above mentioned orders for the up to three past performance examples allowed.

4. Do we have to be 8(a) certified to submit a proposal or just prior to award?

Please provide 8(a) status/eligibility information from the SBA with proposal submittal, must be certified at time of award.

5. Is this restricted to only specific 8a’s or can all 8a’s submit an RFP?

Competition is for all eligible 8(a) concerns as corrected per amendment 0001.

6. The SF1449 in block 10 states this is for 8(a) set aside but under the EVALUATION CRITERIA AND THE BASIS FOR AWARD (page 73) states that “The Government intends to award up to five multiple-award Firm Fixed Price (FFP) ID/IQ contracts to the responsible Alaska Native Corporations (ANC), Hawaiian Native Organizations (HNO), or Indian Tribe (Tribal) 8(a) offeror(s) whose proposal(s) is/are most…” Can you government please confirm if an 8(a) company that is not Alaska Native Corporations (ANC), Hawaiian Native Organizations (HNO), or Indian Tribe (Tribal) can prime this?

Block 10 on the SF1449 is not editable, the contract writing system we use has a basic set of boxes to check if the government is setting aside for small business. See response to previous question.

7. To help offerors propose past performance that is similar in magnitude of work, please describe the range of magnitude of effort for the task orders envisioned for this solicitation.

Please indicate the total magnitude in terms of work hours or years, and the level of FTE staffing for a single year.

Total magnitude is the maximum value of the IDIQ.

8. Please confirm Mechanicsburg, PA is the work location for in determining pricing for Attachment 3.

The majority of the work will be in Mechanicsburg PA; however, there may be work at other NAVSUP BSC CONUS locations and one OCONUS location which is Pearl Harbor HI. Work at these locations under this contract remains unlikely. Travel language in PWS section 9.0 revised per amendment 0001.

9. Will the Government allow for pricing of Task Orders at other locations, such as Hawaii, to deviate from the IDIQ rates proposed in Attachment 3?

Work performed at other CONUS and US OCONUS locations will be on a TDY basis so the labor rates would be the same as proposed in the base IDIQ

10. We understand that NAVSUP contracts with Alaska Native Corporations (ANC), Hawaiian Native Organizations (HNO), or Indian Tribe (Tribal) 8(a) companies today. Will these contracts be issued under this MA-IDIQ? If yes, please provide the contract numbers and associated PWS or SOWs for the work that will be rolled in.

This IDIQ is for new requirements, every potential requirement will undergo a scope review.

11. We request the Government provide a copy of NAVSUP BSC standards with the final RFP to ensure a fair and equal understanding of Government requirements and expectations for all IDIQ contract holders.

This is something that will be provided at the TO level as most of our documents are FOUO. BSC standards are aligned to industry standard best practices, such as the standards and practices identified within the PMBOK & BABOK.

12. Will the Government provide at the TO level the potential locations both in CONUS and OCONUS, DBA insurance/danger/hostile fire areas and any associated logistic support and/or SOFA agreements requirements that offerors will need to plan for to be eligible and be prepared to support?

Yes

13. Please remove or clarify the intent of the statement “Unallowable travel costs: Change or cancellation fees for travel” WRT Government-directed changes or cancellations.

Travel language in PWS section 9.0 revised per amendment 0001.

14. What key personnel are required at the IDIQ contract level, such as a Program Manager?

There are no key personnel requirements, the government is interested in industry innovation and outcomes vice telling industry how to accomplish the work.

15. What is meant by ECMF? What is meant by a secure data collection site, and what are the requirements for this solicitation?

Navy ECMF (Enterprise Cost Management Framework).

The requirement would be to report contractor and subcontractor hours worked at the task order level in the Enterprise-wide Contractor Manpower Reporting Application (ECMRA).

16. CLIN structure is incomplete to support a 5 year contract. Please clarify.

There are no option periods. CLINs will be detailed at the Task order level.

17. Please clarify whether this acquisition is a best value procurement, or LPTA where the Government will award contracts to only the lowest-priced qualified offerors?

See update on Amendment 001.

18. We request the Government explain why an offeror’s staffing should state whether the resource is currently on the staff of the prime or the sub?

The designation of where the resource is coming from speaks to the level of risk to achieving outcomes.

19. We request the Government explain the process the ordering officer will use to determine that an awardee can be excluded from a fair opportunity TO competition on an 8a set-aside

IDIQ.

See FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i) for the exception to the fair opportunity process.

20. Can an IDIQ contract be presented as one past performance, without referencing the individual task orders or delivery orders, as long as the period of performance for the IDIQ is within the 5 years, and combined work completed is over 1 year?

Please reference the task order/delivery order as stated in the RFP.

21. If a combination of DO’s or TO’s under one IDIQ contract are presented as one past performance, can the combined sum of the work performed under each DO or TO equal 1 year of completed performance?

Include an explanation in the proposal of what time period the DO’s/TO’s cover.

22. Are we mandated to use the Attach 1 - Past Performance Information Form for each past performance we submit part of Volume I, Factor II?

Yes

23. Attach 3 – Services Price Worksheet – Sheet 2 has columns labeled “Prime Resource”, “Proposed Sub Resource”, “Other”; How are we to complete the sheet? Should we add check mark, number of employees in the LCAT, or provide actual names?

Check mark is fine, do not provide names.

24. Can the government please clarify if the offerors are to utilize the 3% escalation prescribed in the provide spreadsheet, or are offerors to determine their own escalation related to the Option years?

Use whatever escalation rate you find appropriate for your pricing. Spreadsheet is not locked.

25. Please clarify what is meant by “to be assigned upon award of a task order”. For example, does this mean resources that are not on staff with the prime or a sub but are 1099 staff that have a relationship with the prime or a subcontractor? Alternatively, does it mean new resources that are to be recruited in the market for assignment to a task order? Is there a different intended meeting?

To be assigned upon award of task order can mean either example provided. The government is looking for your approach to staffing.

26. Question/Request: Please clarify the specific information required for each labor category in the staffing matrix. Is the Government requiring a simple yes/no as to whether the resources proposed in each labor category are currently on staff with the prime, currently on staff with a proposed sub, or to be assigned upon award of a task order?

Yes/no answer will suffice.

Is the Government requiring specific personnel counts for these three resource categories?

There are no specific personnel counts.

27. We request the Government exclude the following items from the 5 page limitation:

A complete and signed Standard Form 1449, “Solicitation/Contract/Order for Commercial Items”

Executed copy of Amendments, if applicable

“Representations, Certifications and Other Statements of Offerors” completed by the offeror

These items are not part of the 5 page count.

28. Observation: Attachment 1 “2.04a_20RQ006_-_Att_1_PP_Info_Form.pdf (3)” is provided with the RFP but is not referenced in the proposal instructions for Past Performance.

Question/Request: Please clarify whether offerors are required to complete this attachment or to include all the information points that are contained on this form.

Complete the attachment for past performance information. This form is to be filled out by the customer of the contract an offeror is using for past performance and sent directly to the person listed at the top of the form.

29. We request the Government allow for a past performance example that is not a task order, but that is a defined quantity requirement under a single contract, similar to a task order, but not placed under an ID/IQ contract, BPA, or Federal Supply Schedule.

The second paragraph on page 72 states, “contracts or efforts” in the first sentence. The third sentence states, “…a contract is defined as a single contract or a single task order…” In other words, the government is already allowing what you are requesting.

30. To allow sufficient time for offerors to reflect the answers to questions in our proposals, particularly in the Cost Volume, we request the Government give 10 calendar days between answering all questions and the proposal due date, and amend the due date if applicable.

Proposal due date has been changed to 08 June at 12:00 PM EST.

31. Regarding Attachment 2- Past Performance Report Form. Attachment 2 appears that it should be editable (the term “Click or tap here to enter text.” appears starting on page 2 of the Form). Will the government provide an editable version of Attachment 2 (in Microsoft Word) for the offerors to send to our clients?

On the pdf, click fill and sign on the tools section of the form, that will allow the user to add text.

32. What are the limitations on size determination for proposed subcontractors?

See FAR 52.219-14

33. Can the Prime proposed to have a medium or large size business as a subcontractor on the proposal?

Solicitation includes FAR 52.219-14(DEV). Proposals should align with the requirements of

52.219-14 (DEV).

34. Do proposed subcontractors also have to be an ANC, NHO, or Tribal-owned 8 (a) businesses?

See 52.219-14 (DEV)

35. Can proposed subcontractors be other small businesses, such as 8(a), HUBZONE, WOSB, VOSB, SDVOSB?

See 52.219-14 (DEV).

36. Section 11.0 Government Furnished Equipment / Information / Materials: Will the Government provide the required computer hardware/software for contractor personnel working remotely or will the contractor be required to provide all necessary equipment in situations when personnel are working from the contractor’s office or working from home?

This will be determined at the task order level. If there is a requirement for computer hardware/software for contractor personnel the government will provide it under all working conditions.

37. Evaluation Criteria and the basis of award: The RFP document states the following “The government will award to the lowest priced responsible offerors receiving an Outstanding Staffing Approach rating and a Substantial Confidence Past Performance rating whose overall price has been determined fair and reasonable, if 5 offerors have not received Outstanding Staffing Approach and Substantial Confidence ratings, the Government will then perform a trade-off among the remaining offerors to determine which offerors represent the best value to the Government.” If the offeror has no past performance information and is deemed to have a neutral rating, how will that factor into the evaluation of a “substantial confidence” rating is necessary?

See updated language in amendment 001.

Ordering Instructions: Will offerors be able to discount IDIQ labor rates during the task order bidding process?

Yes

38. Ordering Instructions: Can the Government please provide information on the task order bidding and award process?

Task order will be competed to the maximum extent practicable and may be awarded directly to a MAC IDIQ holder (see answer to question #24).

39. Ordering Instructions: Will any task orders be awarded at the time of the IDIQ award?

No

Attachment 3- Service Price Worksheet: Can the Government please provide information on how the hours were developed for the “estimated yearly hours” per position? For example, were these numbers based on a specific number of FTEs?

Estimates were developed based upon the assumption that the contract would be executed in a linear fashion over the 5 year period of the contract. The Government intends to leverage this contracting vehicle to support a wide array of initiatives that are not fully understood at this time.

Due to the uncertainty of the workload, the government chose to estimate an average annual usage of approximately $20 million per year.

40. Attachment 3- Service Price Worksheet: This document lists estimated annual hours at 312,946, is this number an actual estimate of the level of performance or simply a placeholder for proposal purposes?

This number is considered a place holder for proposal purposes. The Government is unaware of the annual hours that will be executed as part of this contract at this particular point in time.

41. Attachment 3 – Services Price Worksheet: Has the government defined required and preferred qualifications as well as job duties for each of the positions listed? If so, please provide.

No

42. Section 10.0 Security - In accordance with DFARS 252.204-7012 does the government anticipate that this contract will generate CUI & CTI information?

No

43. Section 10.0 Security - “All positions are classified as noncritical-sensitive. Future task orders may require a security clearance for requirements and DOD 5220.22-M, only U.S. Citizens are eligible for security clearances.” Per the Services Price Worksheet, does the government anticipate any of the positions to require a Secret or above clearance now or in the future?

Future task orders may require a security clearance.

44. There appears to be a contradiction between the instructions to offerors and the Draft Q&A #1 response. The instructions to offerors, Factor II pages 71-72, indicate that subcontractor past performance is allowed, and may be considered as highly as past performance of the prime. Draft Q&A #1 states that only prime past performance will be evaluated. A purpose-built team of contractors with exceptional Navy and DoD past performance relevant to the solicitation scope may provide the most robust and timely response to task orders versus a single contractor.

See question 91.

45. As indicated in document 2.04+20RQ008+RFP - Factor II-Past Performance (pages 71-72) and Draft Q&A Question #1 response. Will the Government confirm that the Draft Q&A #1 indicates that it is not acceptable for a prime offeror to submit wholly-owned subsidiary company past performance citations as their own?

Correct, work submitted as past performance of a subsidiary does not count as work performed by the Prime. The reason for only evaluating the Prime and not an affiliate as if it were the Prime is so that the government does not end up evaluating large business through this small business set aside. If there is no past performance for the Prime then they would receive a neutral rating which would not eliminate them from competition. For firms fully acquired by the Prime where there was a novation agreement then past performance becomes the Prime.

See also GAO decision B-415562,B-415562.3: Jan 18, 2018 involving an Alaska Native Corporation subsidiary. Ordinarily there is no requirement that an agency consider an affiliate’s past performance. In other words, unless the solicitation speaks to the issue, the agency’s consideration of an affiliate’s past performance is optional. The GAO has written that an agency may consider the experience or past performance of an offeror’s parent or affiliated company where, among other things, the proposal demonstrates that the resources of the parent or affiliate will affect contract performance, and the solicitation has included a provision allowing for such consideration. But “there is, however, no requirement that they do so.” The decision to allow consideration of an affiliate’s past performance is made by the agency and the provision would be in the solicitation.

46. In reference to the provided labor categories in attachment 3, may the contractor propose additional or substitute for existing labor categories?

It is at the offerors discretion, to propose the labor mix/staffing approach.

47. In reference to Past Performance in regards to NAVSUP Relevant Experience, if the support is with the Intel Community which is considered classified, will the government accept a reference for the customer as “National Security Customer?”

Past Performance Report Form is requested, information submitted is at the discretion of the offeror or reference.

48. Will the government allow us to submit or use a commercially developed application (SAAS) platform as past performance?

Please refer to solicitation Factor II Past Performance. The offeror shall demonstrate relevant past performance or affirmatively state that it possesses no relevant past performance. Relevant past performance is performance under contracts or efforts performed within the past five years that is the same as; or similar to, the scope and magnitude of the work described by this solicitation. In addition, performance data will only be assessed for those references demonstrating at least 1 year of completed performance within the five years prior to the closing date of this solicitation.

49. The RFP states the Non-price Proposal may include up to 10 pages of Past Performance covering up to 3 Past Performances. Does the government require the use of the 'Past Performance Information Sheet' which was enclosed in the RFP, or is this just a sample of the requirement information?

Please use the sheet, it does not count towards the 10 page limit.

50. Can a Prime submit past performance for a US-based subcontractor owned by non-US citizens (green card holders)? What are the limitations on size determination for proposed subcontractors? Can the Prime proposed to have a medium or large size business as a subcontractor on the proposal? Do proposed subcontractors also have to be an ANC, NHO, or

Tribal-owned 8 (a) businesses? Can proposed subcontractors be other small businesses, such as 8(a), HUBZONE, WOSB, VOSB, SDVOSB?

See limitations on subcontracting clause 52.219-14(DEV).

51. Section II, Requirements for Proposal Content, item 2 (last bullet) requires offerors to include on the proposal cover “Submission Validity 31 August 2020.” However, Section III, Proposal Content, Factor III – Price (last bullet) states the Proposal shall be valid for 180 days from solicitation closing date” of 29 May 2020, which would be 25 November 2020.

Please clarify the required period for proposal validity.

Solicitation amendment 00001 corrects this contradiction to reflect the 180 day validity of 25 November 2020.

52. Other than listing it as an attachment on page 80, the solicitation makes no reference to Attachment 1 - Past Performance Information Sheet. Furthermore, Attachment 1 requires slightly different information than required in the bullets in the instructions on page 72 for Factor II - Past Performance.

Please confirm whether offerors should complete Attachment 1 and include in response to the Factor II requirements for Past Performance.

The offeror should complete the Past Performance Information form in addition to information required in the solicitation. This form does not count toward any page counts.

Please refer to the solicitation under the aforementioned bullets where it states, “In addition to the information requested above, offerors shall contact their past performance references and request that each reference complete Attachment– Past Performance Report Form.”

53. To allow adequate time for KOs to respond to Past Performance Reports by the closing date, will the Government please allow 30 days for a response to the RFP by extending the due date to June 8, 2020?

Proposals are due 8 June 2020 at 12:00 PM EST.

54. The QASP Matrix on page 47 is difficult to read. Will the Government please provide a complete copy?

Fixed in solicitation Amendment 0001

55. The RFP states documents must be MS Office Compatible. Should the 1449 be converted to Word for inclusion in the Volume II – Price Proposal, or should we insert an image of the 1449?

1449 does not need to be converted

56. Please validate if it is acceptable to submit the Price Worksheet as a separate file as part of

Volume II – Price Proposal.

The Price worksheet does not count for page count.

57. What counts against Volume II – Price Proposal page count?

52.212-1 Addendum under II. Requirements for proposal content, page limitations.

Attachments provided as part of the solicitation do not count towards the page count.

58. What is the purpose of Attachment 1, Past Performance Information Form? Should offerors insert this table into Volume I as a template for Past Performance writeups?

refer to question #53

59. Page 71, Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors, III. Proposal Content, Factor I Staffing Approach references the Staffing Matrix. Will the Government please clarify what is required for the Staffing Matrix? Is this referring to Sheet 2 of the Attachment 3 Services Price Worksheet? If not, will the Government provide a suggested format? Also, is the Staffing Matrix the same as the labor category matrix referenced in the same sentence?

The staffing matrix is proposed by the offeror based on the labor categories provided that may be required at the task order level.

60. With unknown task orders at this time, is the Government expecting Offerors to have existing staff in all labor categories? Or will offerors be evaluated on the ability to recruit personnel for such positions?

The evaluation is based on the criteria listed in the solicitation.

61. Will candidates who sign letters of intent be considered?

The intent is to show how you propose to staff requirements, names are not necessary.

62. If the offeror must demonstrate the ability to provide and retain the required mix and quantity of personnel resources, please provide the quantity of personnel resources required.

This is would be proposed by the offeror.

63. Attachment 2- Past Performance Report Form – will the Government provide an editable version for references to complete? Given the upcoming holiday, will the Government consider providing additional time for the Government reference to respond to the Past Performance Report Form once an editable version is provided?

See question #31 for instructions to edit the PDF.

64. Could the Government please clarify if the Senior Administrative Assistant labor category an Administrative person or a Systems Administrative person?

Administrative person

65. 252.219-7009 Section 8(A) Direct Award. Is this clause relevant to this solicitation? Suggest removing.

This is prescribed by the DFARS for making an award direct to an 8(a) firm on behalf of the

SBA.

66. The first table referenced in this section is Table 2. Is Table 1 missing?

No table missing, just starts with 2.

67. The instructions for Volume II, Factor III - Price state that SF 1449 Section "Schedule of Supplies/Services" is to be completed by the offeror. The form says to see schedule, which I assume is Attachment I - Pricing Spreadsheet, which we need to fill out, so what exactly should we enter in the SF 1449 Schedule of Supplies/Services page/section?

The section of the front page of the SF 1449 states “see schedule” which would be the pricing spreadsheet. There is nothing to fill out on the 1449 for that section.

68. The RFP instructions for Factor III - Price says that pricing information shall be submitted for each year of the services as well as a total for all five (5) years. Does this mean that we should include this information in our Volume II - Price Proposal PDF document or are we to submit the price information only separately in the Attachment I - Excel Spreadsheet or both in Volume II and the Excel spreadsheet?

You may do it in both or just use the Excel spreadsheet.

69. What is the government’s recommendation in regards to resumes and letters of commitment from key personnel and would it be recommended to place those documents with in the appendices or within the staffing approach?

The government is not requiring key personnel.

70. Are offerors to complete the Attachment 1 Past Performance Info Form for their past performance submissions?

Yes

71. Can the Government please clarify the requirements of the Staffing Matrix? Is it sheet two of the Attachment 3 Pricing Worksheet?

The offeror is to present their proposed staffing matrix.

72. Past Performance – If the offeror has a Single Award IDIQ with recurring task orders, can the offeror use the entire project as their reference?

Please refer to Factor II Past Performance where it states:

For purposes of this solicitation, a contract is defined as a single contract or a single task order placed under an ID/IQ contract, a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA), or a Federal Supply Schedule. Offerors may submit a combination of no more than three (3) delivery orders (DOs), task orders (TOs), technical direction letters (TDLs), and/or technical area tasks (TATs) placed under an ID/IQ or BPA as one of the three examples of past performance.

73. How many Task Orders are expected? Unknown at this time Length of TO awards? Unknown at this time Will all or some of the awards be awarded on a competitive basis? Some task orders will be competed, see also response to question #19 Does the government anticipate that TOs will be able to survive past the ordering period on this vehicle? Potentially, see Duration of Contract Period in the solicitation.

Are all Prime Awardees: guaranteed a Task Order Award? No, however, see the minimum guarantee for each awardee listed on the solicitation.

74. On Sheet 1 of the Services Price Worksheet, Cells H36, K36, N36 and Q36 are vacant.

Please confirm the total hours for Cells H36, K36, N36 are each equal to 312946 and Cell Q36 total hour value is 156473.

Hours are only provided as an example. Also, the excel sheet is not locked so offeror can auto sum those rows (row Q has been removed as there is no 6 month option to extend).

75. Sheet 2 of the Services Price Worksheet appears to be information which is more applicable to a specific TO competition. Can the government please confirm (a) whether this information is indeed needed for this proposal, and if so, (b) what information should offerors provide in columns B, C and D?

This sheet is optional if an offeror wants to provide a snapshot of where the proposed labor category may come from. If an offeror decides to fill out the second sheet, please only check or x the corresponding column (B,C, or D) for the majority of the applicable labor category.

76. Please confirm whether offerors should be expecting to deliver the exact number of hours by labor category that are outlined in the Services Price Worksheet, or if these labor hours are provided as a basis of pricing comparison between bidders.

hours are provided as an example

77. Escalation (3%) and Labor Categories Subtotals formulas has been created with the exception of Column D. Please update.

Excel sheet is not locked – a new one has been posted

78. Cell P39 calculates travel costs and 6 month pricing. There is no reference to FAR Clause 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services in the RFP. Should this clause be added?

Removed P39 cell, the option to extend services clause 52.217-8 is not included on the ID/IQ.

79. Will the Government please consider the addition of FAR Clause 52.229-4, Federal, State, and local taxes to the contract in the event there are subsequent upward adjustments in the FICA or Medicare Tax rates.

This requirement is for professional services so the Service Contract Act is not applicable.

80. Factor III - Price instructs the offeror to insert the estimated travel plug number provided in their proposed price in addition to any applicable G&A and/or OH. Should the plug number in cell P37 of Attachment 3 Services Price Worksheet be overridden with the $250,000 travel plug number plus the offers applicable burden or just have the G&A and/or OH identified in the Volume 2?

Travel plug number is $250,000. Corrected per amendment 0001.

81. Will the Government please consider the addition of FAR Clause 52.229-4, Federal, State, and local taxes to the contract in the event there are subsequent upward adjustments in the FICA or Medicare Tax rates.

No applicable for this contract.

82. FAR clause 52.222-62 has been identified in the RFP. Can the Government please provide the applicable SCA Wage Determinations along with the Solicitation documents?

That clause is not in the RFP.

83. The RFP states that “Prospective offerors are requested to furnish with their proposals, information pertaining to any existing contract between the offeror and the companies engaged in furnishing to the United States Government any services or supplies pertaining to the development, production or analysis of any of the weapon systems, equipment or programs identified in the statement of work of this solicitation or listed below, if any, which may have a bearing on any existing or potential conflict of interest within the meaning of the clause in the Schedule. Can the government please define "companies" in this paragraph and also what schedule pertains to?

Any company an offeror may have a contract with that has a potential conflict to anything listed in the schedule of items that may be a conflict of interest. If there is nothing listed or it does not apply then there would not be anything to disclose.

84. The RFP states that “System Supplier” means any firm engaged in or having a known or prospective interest in the development, production, or analysis of the weapon system, equipment or program which are identified in the statement of work of this contract.

In order to do a thorough conflict of interest determination, can the government please provide a list of the systems, equipment, and programs for review? Upon review of the RFP, we do not see it located in the SOW.

If there is nothing listed then there would be nothing to identify.

85. Can the government please elaborate on the definition of “Affiliates”. Does affiliates stop at the contractors, its employees, any subcontractors, the subcontractor’s employees and management of the contractor? What is the definition of officers in this case?

Please see definition in the organizational conflict of interest clause:

“Affiliates” means employees or officers of the contractor and first tier subcontractors involved in the performance of this contract, or in the decision making process concerning this contract.

86. Is the Government expecting discounts at the TO level?

TO pricing is based on IDIQ level prices, any discounts would be up to the offeror.

87. Does the Government want offerors to propose on-site rates or off-site rates?

Proposed rates are at the discretion of offeror and proposed staffing matrix

88. Given that FAR 42.1501(b) designates CPARs as the official source of Past Performance Information, will the government be utilizing the official Past Performance source in place of a comparable PPQ?

See Past Performance Quality Assessment

89. In Section 10.0 of the PWS, it states (w/r to security clearances) "The prime contractor shall make all necessary preparations to assume full responsibility for productive performance as of the performance start date." It then lists a VAR, completed eQIP, and confirming an active entry in JPAS. All of these requirements necessitate a DCSA Facilities clearance to ensure delivery. Given this requirement, and the impliend necessity of a FCL for performance upon award of TOs, does the government require a final FCL at the Top Secret level for successful prime bidders?

There is no requirement for a DCSA facilities clearance to ensure delivery. No security clearance is required.

90. Given the sensitivity and critically of NAVSUP's mission to support the warfighter, the importance of productive, secure, and prompt delivery is essential. CMMI and ISO certifications ensure increased productivity and reliability of software products. Does the government foresee the need for more reliable and productive software systems under this requirement utilizing Capability Maturity Model Integration and ISO processes?

Refer to what is in the solicitation.

91. The previous round of questions specified that Past Performance would only be considered from Prime contractors. What section of the FAR is the government is providing the justification for the exclusion of Subcontractor Past Performance?

Clarification, past performance of another entity as if it was the Prime will not be evaluated as the Prime’s past performance. Subcontractor’s proposed past performance will be evaluated according to the solicitation.

92. As this is an 8(a) competitive set-aside, will the government consider proposals from all eligible 8(a)'s in the Eastern Pennsylvania SBA District?

See amendment 001-all eligible 8(a) firms regardless of location are eligible for competition.

93. Since the ceiling value of this opportunity exceeds $100M, will the government be exercising their rights under FAR 15.306 to discuss proposals under evaluation?

See Amendment 001