ECS QA FINAL.pdf

ECS Q&A

1. Q: Please identify the incumbent contractor, if applicable, and indicate whether incumbent staffing levels or transition-related assumptions will be made available to offerors.

A: See Section A of N0018926RL016 for the identity of the incumbent contractor.

Transition-related assumptions and current staffing levels see the answer to Question 26.

2. Q: Please provide the current contract value and period of performance to support accurate pricing development.

A: Total task order value is $20,395,788.45 if all options were exercised. Period of performance would be 01 September 2024 to 19 February 2028 if all options were exercised.

3. Q: Please provide historical and projected annual student throughput for the ECS course at Gulfport, including average class size, the number of convenings actually executed, and any anticipated increases or decreases in convenings during the base period.

A: Historical Annual Student Throughput

FY 23 = 2,626 / 47 classes convened / Avg Class Size = 58

FY 24 = 2,466 / 48 classes convened / Avg Class Size = 52

FY 25 = 2,695 / 47 classes convened / Avg Class Size = 57

Commencing with ECS class 2026-440 convening on 9/8/2026, max class size will be reduced to 60 with 47 x convenings scheduled for FY 27.

4. Q: Please confirm whether pricing should assume full staffing at all times based on the stated minimum instructor quantities, or whether staffing levels may be adjusted in accordance with the training schedule and actual course load.

A: See PWS Section 5-2.1 for minimum number of phase qualified instructors that must be maintained throughout the duration of the contract.

5. Q: Please clarify whether all 57 instructor positions are required continuously throughout the period of performance, or whether certain positions are event-driven, surge-driven, or tied to specific phases of instruction.

A: See PWS Section 5-2.1 for minimum number of phase qualified instructors that must be maintained throughout the duration of the contract.

6. Q: Please provide any Government estimates for instructor utilization, annual labor hours, or anticipated FTE loading by labor category to support realistic and compliant pricing.

A: One FTE is defined as 2080 hours per year inclusive of all vacation, sick, and other fringe PTO. See Section 1-4 of the PWS.

7. Q: Please confirm whether key personnel designations will be required at the time of award and identify which positions the Government considers key for proposal and post-award purposes.

A: There are no key personnel designations under this solicitation.

8. Q: Please clarify whether proposed personnel must meet all qualification requirements at the time of proposal submission, or whether contingent hires are acceptable provided they meet all requirements prior to mobilization or commencement of performance.

A: See PWS Section 7.1 (Mobilization Phase).

9. Q: Please confirm whether current NACLC, ANACI, or SSBI eligibility is required for all proposed personnel at award, or whether personnel may begin performance while investigations or reciprocity actions are pending.

A: See PWS Section 7.1 (Mobilization Phase).

10. Q: Please clarify which travel costs are reimbursable versus included in the fixed price, including local mileage, instructor travel between training locations, and travel associated with equipment transport or remote training evolutions.

A: See PWS Section 1-6 (Travel Requirements); reimbursable travel costs are described under “Reimbursement of Travel Cost”. Local travel and other travel items not described under the foregoing PWS Section will not be reimbursed and should be considered in the firm-fixed-price.

11. Q: Please confirm which equipment, consumables, vehicles, ranges, classrooms, and training aids will be Government furnished versus contractor furnished, particularly where TCCD resource listings indicate substantial material requirements.

A: Contractor furnished equipment per PWS Section 6-2 (Contractor Furnished

Equipment).

12. Q: Please clarify whether the Government will prescribe labor category mapping to the applicable wage determination, or whether the contractor is responsible for determining appropriate mappings, particularly for phase leads, weapons-related instructors, and medical support instructors.

A: The contractor is responsible for determining appropriate mappings of labor categories and for compliance with all SCLS legal requirements.

13. Q: Please clarify whether MILT 5400 from Tidewater Community College is the only course that satisfies the instructor qualification requirement. Additionally, please provide available course dates to support planning. Please also confirm whether this training is to be contractor-funded or reimbursable by the Government.

A: Per PWS Section 4-3. Contractor’s may use the below to identify course dates.

Basic Instructor Development course (MILT 5400) at Tidewater Community College

(TCC) is offered via Center for Military and Veterans Education (CMVE) and the

Workforce Solutions department; 757-822-1234; Workforce@tcc.edu.

This training is at contractor expense and will not be separately reimbursed.

As stated in PWS Section 4-3, Currently, only Tidewater Community College course

MILT 5400 meets the requirements listed above, as it has been the only course submitted for evaluation. The contractor may submit other courses via the appropriate learning institution for consideration.

14. Q: Can the Government please provide further insight into the incumbent's historical

Level of Effort and schedule patterns? PWS Section 3-1.2 (PWS p. 8) Training Schedules indicates that daily activity may extend up to twelve (12) hours if required to meet all training objectives outlined in the curriculum. Given that SCA employees are typically paid hourly (and anything over 40 hours in a week would be paid as overtime at 1.5x the hourly rate) – non-incumbent Offerors are at a disadvantage in pricing without further awareness of historical LOE and anticipated schedules.

A: Typically, Det Gulfport leadership will adjust Course Master Schedule when a holiday occurs during a given week of training; 40-hour training week will be condensed into 4 days of training.

Historically, contract instructors have not been paid overtime and contractor management have managed the schedules of contractor instructors to ensure overtime is not required.

15. Q: Can the Government please provide further insight into the incumbent’s tenure data and benefits allocations? SCA incumbents carry their prior service towards SCA vacation tiers, so an employee’s historical tenure will determine their guaranteed amount of leave

(effective on Day 1). Given that RFP SubFactor II – Staffing Approach (RFP Sec. L, P.

54) requires a “methodology for recruitment and retention of experienced and qualified personnel as detailed in PWS Section 4-5 (in its entirety) and/or the incumbent workforce”, it seems as though the Government is interested in retaining incumbent personnel. Non-Incumbent Offerors cannot accurately price for benefits owed to incumbent personnel and are at a disadvantage in competitive pricing, without further details on incumbent tenure.

mailto:Workforce@tcc.edu

A: This information has not historically been provided to offerors during the pre-award/solicitation of offers phase of acquisitions and will not be provided to offerors in connection with this one. It should be noted that such information, even if provided, could be substantially different at the time of award/commencement of performance than it was during the solicitation open period. SCA compliance and pricing based thereon are the responsibility of the offeror.

16. Q: Regarding Factor II: Past Performance (RFP Sec L, P. 55), will the Government accept a Past Performance reference that is a standalone contract (i.e. not issued 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”)? Many relevant contracts are not tied to a contract vehicle or supply schedule. It would benefit the Government to expand the aperture of relevant contracts, to increase competition.

A: This question seems to be submitted under the misunderstanding that “contracts” can be issued off of supply schedules or existing contract vehicles in addition to/instead of

“task orders.” Please review Section L of N0018926RL016. References can be single contract(s), or they can be single task orders placed off of the type of vehicles/schedules listed, there are no “contracts” issued off those types of vehicles.

17. Q: Regarding Factor II: Past Performance (RFP Sec L, P. 56), will the Government accept

CPARS in lieu of submission of the Past Performance Report Form (Att. 9)?

A: No.

18. Q: Regarding the cost for trainings/certifications contained in the Instructor Training

Jacket, or for Contractor PPE – does the Government want to see the cost buildup of those requirements contained in the FFP Labor CLIN pricing?

A: Yes, the price proposal shall include all elements of price and such other price information considered appropriate to support the offeror’s proposal.

19. Q: PWS Section 4-5.2.2.1 Page 16 requires all Weapons-Based Instructors to have completed a small arms instructor course listed in "paragraph 11 of OPNAVINST

3591.1." Please confirm whether the current version of OPNAVINST 3591.1 includes

Army, Marine Corps, or Air Force equivalent small arms instructor courses in that paragraph, or whether the qualification is limited to Navy-specific courses. Will the

Government accept other certifications from the Military Sealift Command (MSC), Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), other governing bodies (NRA), or law enforcement agencies?

A: See OPNAVINST 3591.1G, subparagraphs 2j(1) through 2j(9) on page 3-2;

https://www.secnav.navy.mil/doni/Directives/03000%20Naval%20Operations%20and%2

0Readiness/03-500%20Training%20and%20Readiness%20Services/3591.1G.pdf

Non-DoD course equivalencies addressed per para 2j(9).

https://www.secnav.navy.mil/doni/Directives/03000%20Naval%20Operations%20and%20Readiness/03-500%20Training%20and%20Readiness%20Services/3591.1G.pdf https://www.secnav.navy.mil/doni/Directives/03000%20Naval%20Operations%20and%20Readiness/03-500%20Training%20and%20Readiness%20Services/3591.1G.pdf

20. Q: PWS Section 4-5.1 Page 14 &15 requires Medical Support Instructors to have "at least two (2) years of experience, within the most recent five years, in providing military first aid or emergency room /trauma center care." Does paramedic or EMT-level civilian pre-hospital care experience qualify under this requirement, or is experience limited strictly to military first aid or hospital-based trauma care settings?

A: Military first aid or emergency room/trauma center care experience only.

21. Q: PWS Section 4-5.1 Page 14 &15 requires Medical Support Instructors to have "at least two (2) years of experience, within the most recent five years, in providing military first aid or emergency room /trauma center care." Do you require personnel to hold a National

Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) certification or a Mississippi

State Department of Health (MSDH) Office of EMS certification?

A: See PWS Section 4-5.1.2 for information about required certification.

22. Q: PWS Section 4-5.1.2 Page 15 requires all Medical Support Instructors to maintain current TCCC certification "in accordance with the latest Pre-hospital Trauma Life

Support (PHTLS) standards." Which certifying bodies and course titles does the

Government recognize as satisfying this requirement (e.g., NAEMT PHTLS with TCCC module, CoTCCC-approved courses), and what is the required recertification interval? Deployed Medicine just published new guidelines on 5/1/2026 for TCCC, which was last reviewed in 2024 after the release of this solicitation.

A: DoW/DoD standardizes TCCC training through Defense Health Agency (DHA) and the JTS Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC). The primary recognized civilian partnering body that issues widely accepted TCCC certifications is the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT).

NAEMT conducts these courses under its Prehospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) program using the PHTLS Military textbook. NAEMT's TCCC certifications are fully compliant with CoTCCC guidelines and are endorsed by the American College of

Surgeons and the JTS.

Deployed Medicine (https://deployedmedicine.com) offers the following references under

“Trainer Resources”;

- How to Become and Instructor on Deployed Medicine

- Trainer FAQ

- TCCC Training/Certification FAQ

- JTS Authorized NAEMT TCCC Training Centers

Per PWS Section 4-5.1.2, MSIs must maintain current TCCC certification for the duration of the contract.

23. Q: Solicitation, Section L: Factor II Past Performance, Page 55: The solicitation indicates that submitted past performance references must demonstrate completion of a full 12-month period of performance. Would the Government consider past performance efforts https://deployedmedicine.com/ that, while not performed under a single continuous 12-month period of performance, collectively demonstrate equivalent scope, complexity, and magnitude of effort across multiple task orders or training events (e.g., recurring or episodic training support executed over time for the same or similar customer)? Additionally, will the Government evaluate the overall relevance and quality of performance (e.g., instructor support, high-risk training delivery, operational realism, and scale of personnel support) as more important than strict continuity of a single contract period?

A: See Section L of N0018926RL016, which states in relevant part as follows:

Those contracts must also reflect one year of completed performance by the closing date of the solicitation. One (1) year of completed performance is defined as twelve (12) consecutive months of performance completed by the closing date of the solicitation.

References with less than twelve (12) completed, consecutive months of service by the closing date of the solicitation will not be considered.

With respect to how past performance will be evaluated, see Section M of

N0018926RL016.

24. Q: It is expected that the contractor will have a full cadre of Instructors and their individual ITJs at the mobilization start date. How much time will the awardee have between contract award announcement and mobilization start?

A: The government intends to award 30 days prior to the performance start date.

25. Q: Transition – Out Phase. Will the Government confirm this section is currently incorporated into the incumbent’s contract?

A: This section is currently in N0018924F3071.

26. Q: Will the Government confirm the required FTE count on the incumbent contract. Is the FTE count the legacy 63 FTEs, or the 57 FTEs as shown in this requirement?

A: N0018924F3071 currently requires 65 FTEs.

27. Q: Is the incumbent contract currently fully staffed based on the most recently completed

Monthly Project Status Report?

A: N0018924F3071 requires 65 FTEs for the duration of the contract.

28. Q: If the incumbent contract is NOT currently fully staffed, how many current vacancies exist based on the most recently completed Monthly Project Status Report?

A: N0018924F3071 requires 65 FTEs for the duration of the contract.

29. Q: The JET instructors and JET Phase Lead are categorized as "Instructor I" i.e. not high risk, at about $6/hour less than the other high-risk weapons based instructors. If JET is

NOT considered high-risk training, are the JET instructors and JET Phase Lead not subject to the high-risk training requirements in the PWS? We would recommend the

Government classify all instructors High Risk and consider the JET Instructor and Phase

Lead an obsolete wage determination category.

A: Per PWS Section 4-5.2.6: “Weapons Based Instructors may be required to be cross trained between Phases of Instruction I, II and IV and qualified to instruct the JET topic within the ECS COI. A minimum of 8 of the 45 ECS Weapons Based Instructors shall be qualified to instruct the JET topic within the ECS COI.”

Per PWS Section 4-5.2 contractor is required to provide a minimum of 45 x WBIs, all of whom are considered HRT instructors.

30. Q: Because SCLS is incorporated in this solicitation (FAR 52.222-41) with a clearly listed incumbent contractor and contractor number, a clear predecessor workforce exists of current and incumbent personnel. To aid in workforce continuity, would the

Government consider providing a solicitation attachment that lists Employees by number

(non-proprietary - i.e. Employee #1, Employee #2, etc.) and either that employee’s hire date or time on contract. This will mitigate any workforce carryover liabilities tied to recognizing tenure under SCLS.

A: See the answer to Question #15 above.

31. Q: Has the Government considered incorporating a price realism or risk assessment component to mitigate the risk of award to an offeror whose TEP is predicated on understated SCA obligations?

A: No. The Government will evaluate price for reasonableness. The solicitation does not provide realism analysis; however, the Government will assess technical understanding and risk in accordance with the stated evaluation criteria. SCA compliance and pricing based thereon are the responsibility of the offeror.

32. Q: Will the Technical or Management evaluation include an assessment of compensation realism or staffing approach viability as it relates to SCA compliance and incumbent workforce assumptions?

A: No. The Government will evaluate price for reasonableness in accordance with the solicitation. The evaluation will assess the offeror’s approach against the stated requirements. The solicitation does not provide for an evaluation of compensation realism or staffing approach liability. SCA compliance and pricing based thereon are the responsibility of the offeror.

33. Q: How will the evaluation process ensure that offerors have realistically and adequately accounted for all SCA-required fringe benefit obligations, including seniority-based PTO entitlements tied to incumbent capture?

A: SCA compliance and pricing based thereon are the responsibility of the offeror.

34. Q: PWS Section 4-8 states “a minimum of thirty (30) instructors must be certified to operate commercial 44- and/or 36-passenger buses.” Based on the most recent ECS monthly status report, can the government provide the current number of instructors that are certified as bus drivers? This will help to determine the critical tasks required for mobilization.

A: Current number of instructors certified as bus drivers exceeds the PWS Section 4-8 requirement.