QA for ICS_OHS TTX.docx

Questions and answers in response to N0018925Q0160

1. Q: Is there any incumbent/recompete or this is a brand-new project? If yes, could you please provide us with their award number or even if the customer bought similar services in the past.

A: The contract number is N0018921D0011, and the incumbent is Precision Planning and Simulation, Inc.

2. Q: We would like to know if this is a brand new contract OR if there is (was) an incumbent performing these services. If not brand new, could you please provide the current / previous contract number?

A: The contract number is N0018921D0011, and the incumbent is Precision Planning and Simulation, Inc.

3. Q: Is there an incumbent contractor performing the same or very similar work? If so, can the Government please provide the contractor's name and the contract number?

A: The contract number is N0018921D0011, and the incumbent is Precision Planning and Simulation, Inc.

4. Q: Will the Government please extend proposal due date to allow offerors sufficient time to incorporate answers to their proposals?

A: The government will not be extending at this time.

5. Q: Can the Government clarify the statement "The Contractor shall advise their interest in West, East, or All locations"?

A: See amendment 001 (removed).

6. Q: Subfactor III - Sample of Student Guide/Material: Can the Government clarify the requirement to provide a sample guide/manual? The requirement seems to require the Contractor to develop a full set of course and student materials that are deliverables for the contract - including Navy and OSHA-approved content, PowerPoint slides, and course materials - during the proposal stage.

A: The government is not looking for a full set of course and student material during the proposal stage. The government is looking for submissions of at least 20 pages of a student guide showing the direction for the product that would be delivered to the Government as requested in PWS 5.1.4 Course Material.

7. Q: Can the Government please provide further clarity on the requirement to provide a sample student guide? The instructions provide a limit of 20 pages for this sample which does not seem sufficient to provide a full sample that includes all learning modules. Is the requirement for the Offeror to provide a "select sample" of materials related to the courses/modules that totals 20 pages in length?

A: Please see FAR 52.212-1 and FAR 52.212-2. Also, please see PWS 5.1.4 Course Material for the requirement of a syllabus where the course modules can be outlined.

8. Q: Can the Government confirm that Contractors can use ongoing contracts and that the prohibition on using "work yet-to-be performed" does not apply to ongoing contracts that have at least some work completed prior to proposal submission?

A: Please see FAR 52.212-1 and FAR 52.212-2.

9. Q: Given that these courses are currently offered, will existing course materials be provided to the awarded contractor as a curriculum starting point for tailoring and/or to ensure continuity in instruction in a contract transition?

A: No

10. Q: Deliverable/Product: Are the resulting course materials developed for this program “contractor-owned” as stated here, or will they become Government property as stated elsewhere?

A: All materials developed by the Contractor shall remain the property of the United States Government per PWS para. Section 5.1.4 Course Material.

11. Q: Can the Government please clarify 5.8.6 and 5.8.7 - will separate Walk Thru and Validation sessions be held for each of the 5 individual courses or is one Walk Thru and Validation held to review all curriculum that will be delivered?

A: The government will require only one walk-through for all 4 courses and one curriculum validation for all 4 courses.

12. Q: Can the Government please clarify it requires only 1 instructor on site for each course? Standard best practice is to ensure at least 2 qualified instructors are on site to protect against any force majeure events. Can the Government please clarify the statement that travel and expenses for only 1 instructor will be reimbursed?

A: PWS section 6.0, NAVSAFENVTRACEN will reimburse the travel and per diem expenses for one (1) instructor to teach these courses.

13. Q: Should shipping cost of course materials be included in firm fixed pricing or does the travel plug include consideration for extra bag fees for instructors to hand carry materials to the classroom?

A: C.1.6.8 Shipping of all class material, including course administrative material specified in paragraph C.1.4.1, to each location is the responsibility of the contractor. Unit price shall include any shipping charges.

14. Q: "The Contractor shall advise their interest in West, East, or All locations.". Please define these locations to allow contractor to respond to this requirement.

A: See amendment 001 (removed).

15. Q: Will the current curriculums that you are using be available for use by the new contractor (at the beginning)?

A: No, current curriculums will not be provided to the new contractors as there have been quite a bit of changes to the new curriculum/lesson topics.

16. Q: Are there any other materials that we should consider in pricing other than the student manuals and scenario products?

A: No

17. Q: It says the course content must be reviewed annually; when was the last time the current course curriculums were updated?

A: Oct 2024

18. Q: Is the NAVSAFENVTRACEN course manager ok with using the USCG ICS forms for curriculum, if not, what are the preferred form formats?

A: Per the Course Manager, USCG ICS forms are not required for the Navy and Marine Corps personnel and does not need to be incorporated into the curriculum. The OPNAV M – 5090.1, references the forms but there is no deep dive on their requirement. There are several variations of ICS forms and the Coast Guard’s versions have been routinely used as an industry best practice. The forms in question are designed to assist Coast Guard personnel and are not a policy document requirement but rather a guidance tool used to support USCG ICS responses.

19. Q: Will there be a POC for each training venue for the contractor to consult with on (case-by-case) student attendance policy application if needed?

A: No, the school house will provide contact info in advance.

20. Q: Where Contractor is required to provide a response, if Contractor responded to these Clauses in their SAM registration, is it necessary to also submit these Clauses in our proposal? If so, can the Contractor response Clauses be submitted in Volume III - Price?

A: If SAM is current then the contractor does not need to submit it with their quote.

21. Q: Section 5.9 of the PWS referencing the Contingency Plan for Instructor replacement specifies a timeline of 24 hours. This is an attainable goal CONUS, but OCONUS this is not possible without an additional instructor on site. Will the government consider paying for 2 instructors for OCONUS locations or amend the language in this section to CONUS locations only?

A: No.

22. Q: Under the requirements for quotation, the Government is asking us to identify our quotation documents as original or a copy. Since this is an online submission, how many copies of each document does the government want?

A: Please send all documents labeled accordingly (ex. volume 1, Volume 2, Factor 1, etc.). I would instruct them to adhere to the page’s limitation established in section L of the solicitation.

23. Q: Under the requirements for quotation, the Government is asking us to advise on our interest in West, East, or All Locations. What does the Government mean by West, East, or All?

A: See amendment 001 (removed).