Questions and Answers in response to solicitation N0018921Q0501 01.docx

Questions and Answers in Response to Solicitation N0018921Q0501

1. Solicitation states: “All electronic files and versions of quotes shall be compatible with the current release of Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Office Suite version 2016.” And “All submission and attachments shall be in Microsoft Office Word or Excel.

QUESTION: Can the government confirm Adobe Acrobat is acceptable for submission on all files?

ANSWER: Please see Amendment 01 issued to clarify that: All submissions and attachments shall be in Microsoft Office Word or Microsoft Office Excel format with the exception of the completed and signed SF 1449 and all amendments, if applicable, and the signed letters of commitment which may be submitted in Adobe Acrobat format.

2. Solicitation states: “The Price Quote is not page limited” Previous Table in Solicitation States that Volume II-Factor III, Price Quote has a page limit of 10 pages, while Volume 1 Factor 1 shows “No Limit”

QUESTION: Can the Government please clarify page counts per section/volume?

ANSWER: The Government confirms that the Price Quote Page is not limited. Please see Amendment 01 issued to correct the table in the FAR 52.212-1 Addendum.

3. Solicitation states: The quoter shall describe in detail the quoter’s plan to ensure only qualified instructors are deployed to teach the Competent Person Fall Protection (CPFP) course AND to ensure only NAVSAFENVTRACEN-approved information is delivered to students, per section 3 of the PWS.

QUESTION (PART 1/2): Can the Government please clarify the statement regarding the requirements for instructors to teach the Competent Person Fall Protection (CPFP)?

ANSWER (PART 1/2): Please see Amendment 01 correcting the FAR 52.212-1 Addendum to read Machinery and Machine Guarding

QUESTION (PART 2/2): Can the Government please clarify the statement “NAVSAFENVTRACEN-approved information is delivered to students, per section 3 of the PWS” as Section 3 appears to be Instructor Qualifications.

ANSWER (PART 2/2): Please see Amendment 01 correcting this section to read: “per section 1.6.1”

4. Solicitation states: For technical review and evaluation, the quoter shall submit the portion of Student Guide/Manual based upon Appendix A of the PWS that is applicable to the oral video presentation below, as it would be taught to students. The sample shall include the following materials for lesson topics Appendix A., QUESTION: Can the Government please clarify if there is a section of Appendix A that is desired or is the government looking for materials for the entirety of Appendix A?

ANSWER: Please see Amendment 01 revising the FAR 52.212-1 Addendum to read Appendix A, Lesson Topic 4.0.

5. Solicitation states: (Sub-Factor V Oral Video Presentation) The video shall clearly display the instructor(s), both visually and aurally, in the act of presenting course material from Lesson Topics: (Rescue) the course outline.

QUESTION: Can the Government please clarify the desired lesson topic as Rescue does not appear as part of the outline in Appendix A?

ANSWER: Please see Amendment 01 revising the FAR 52.212-1 Addendum to remove Sub-Factor V – Oral Video Presentation

6. The release date of the government’s solicitation with its proximity to the Christmas holiday season, coupled with the restrictions imposed by the federal funding Continuing Resolution and the COVID-19 pandemic, make the likelihood of conducting a live training class that meets the government’s requirements, nearly impossible for the industry as a whole, within this timeline, without producing an artificially staged/fake product.

QUESTION (PART 1/2): Would the government consider removing the requirement for Sub-Factor V – Oral Video Presentation for all prospective vendors/offerors?

ANSWER (PART 1/2): Please see Amendment 01 revising the FAR 52.212-1 Addendum to remove Sub-Factor V – Oral Video Presentation

QUESTION (PART 2/2): If not, would the government entertain as acceptable, the submission of a video of the proposed instructor teaching a Lesson Topic from the currently approved Machinery and Machine Guarding course of instruction? Vendors cannot comply with the requirement as defined by the government as “Rescue” is not a Lesson Topic within the government’s course outline of instruction.

ANSWER (PART 2/2): Please see Amendment 01 revising the FAR 52.212-1 Addendum to remove Sub-Factor V – Oral Video Presentation

7. Solicitation states: (Factor II – Past Performance)“A Past Performance example that does not differentiate between the overall contract effort and the subcontractor effort will (stricken through) may not be evaluated.”

QUESTION: Can the Government please clarify if this is a will or may statement?

ANSWER: The Government confirms that on Pg. 15 of the Solicitation, under Factor II – Past Performance, the statement has been updated to, “A Past Performance example that does not differentiate between the overall contract effort and the subcontractor effort may not be evaluated.” Please see Amendment 01 where this error has been corrected.

8. Solicitation states: (Factor III Price)“The following values shall be entered in travel CLINs of the price submittal, in addition to any applicable General and Administrative (G&A) and/or Overhead (OH) rate applicable in accordance with FAR Part 31 in their accounting system. Only G&A and/or OH indirect costs are allowable if a quoter's accounting system automatically applies it, no profit or fee is allowed.” PWS Section 1.6.15 Contractor Travel States: It is the Navy’s policy not to charge overhead general and administrative expense (G&A) on all official travel.

CLIN Tables shows Travel as an FFP

Historical data shows that the application of G&A and OH have not been permitted under the previous programs and direct cost re-imbursement /FFP structure for travel.

QUESTION: Can the government clarify if G&A and/or OH indirect costs will be permitted on the new program?

ANSWER: Please see Amendment 01 to revising the FAR 52.212-1 Addendum Factor III Price to remove the General and Administrative (G&A) and/or Overhead (OH) language as the anticipated contract will include FFP CLINS.

9. Solicitation states: Sub-factor I - Key Personnel: The Quoter will be evaluated on their apparent capability to provide qualified instructors according to Section 3 of the PWS. Specifically, all qualification documents, including accompanying letters of intent, will be evaluated based on their demonstrated support of all requirements for qualifications and experience as defined in PWS Section 3.3.

PWS Section 3.3 states “Instructor(s) must have at least a four (4) year baccalaureate degree and at least five (5) years of professional experience in safety and occupational health (OSH, machinery and machine guarding or any combination thereof).”

QUESTION: Can the Government please clarify if there is specific documentation required to demonstrate these provisions are met, or will the submitted résumé(s) demonstrating the requirements suffice?

ANSWER: As it pertains to specific documentation required to demonstrate provisions stated in PWS Section 3.3, the submitted resumes demonstrating the requirements will suffice.

10. Section 1.4 of the PWS States:“A minimum of three (3), four (4) day (32 hour) courses shall be required to be taught in each of the base and option years”

QUESTION: Can the government verify this will be the guaranteed minimum number of courses per year?

ANSWER: Yes, the Government confirms this is the minimum number of courses per year.

11. Section 1.4 of the PWS States: CERTAIN INSTANCES MAY REQUIRE COURSES TO BE HELD USING A VIRTUAL/ONLINE DELIVERY PLATFORM DETERMINED BY THE COR or NAVSAFENVTRACEN. CLIN Tables and Pricing do not differentiate between online and in-person course.

QUESTION: Does the government desire one price for both, or pricing specific to online and separate pricing for in-person?

ANSWER: The Government has separate pricing specific for in-person and virtual instruction. Please see Amendment 01 issued to incorporate additional CLINs to specify as Virtual instruction.

12. PWS Section 1 General, the CLIN Tables, PWS section 2.3 and the current program of instruction identify the course as “Machinery and Machine Guarding Course (course number A-493-0073) while Section 5 identifies the course as CIN: A-493-0030, MACHINERY AND MACHINE GUARDING.

QUESTION: Can the Government please confirm the course CIN as A-493-0073?

ANSWER: Please see Amendment 01 issued to incorporate a revised PWS that references the correct course number: CIN A-493-0073

13. Sub-Factor V - Oral Video Presentation states that the video "may also include" the alternate instructor. Sub-Factor V - Oral Video Presentation under Evaluation Criteria - VOLUME 1, states the video shall contain, "demonstrated knowledge of subject matter by the prime AND alternate instructor (if applicable)."

QUESTION: Is the second instructor's inclusion in the video a requirement for proposal compliance?

ANSWER: Please see Amendment 01 revising the FAR 52.212-1 Addendum to remove Sub-Factor V – Oral Video Presentation

14. Instructions to Offers states proposal are to be submitted via email; historically, military email servers strip attachments that exceed the size requirements normally associated with video formats. If the video remains a requirement the video will not be transmittable via email due to the file size.

ANSWER: Please see Amendment 01 revising the FAR 52.212-1 Addendum to remove Sub-Factor V – Oral Video Presentation

15. QUESTION: Would the government entertain providing a DOD SAFE transmission point of delivery, similar to other RFQs and RFPs solicited by the NAVSAFENVTRACEN?

ANSWER: The point of submission remains email. Vendors are encouraged to submit emails in advance of the solicitation closing time and request confirmation of submission emails and all associated attachments.

16. QUESTION: Would the government consider providing an extension to the solicitation due date for proposal submissions to Monday, January 10th in order to adequately respond to and incorporate any revisions that may result from the questions submitted by industry?

ANSWER: Please see Amendment 01 issued to extend the deadline for submission to Wednesday January 12th at 1200 EST.