N0024413R0047_N0024413R0047-Conformed_Amend_0006.docx

N00244-13-R-0047

Section SF 30 - BLOCK 14 CONTINUATION PAGE

AMENDMENT 0001 Q&A

The questions and responses provided below are for questions received through 14 March 2014. Please note some questions were duplicative and are only listed one time. Questions submitted through 14 March that have not been answered below are in the process of being reviewed and may require an extension of the RFP due date because of the complexity of the question. A second amendment is forthcoming for questions received through 20 March 2014. Please note any questions received later than ten days prior to closing of the RFP will not be responded to.

1. Could you please provide incumbent Information?

There are currently 6 contracts supporting the GBS Program in Area I. Each contract is listed below:

AREA I

N00244-11-D-0019 – Coastal Management Solutions N00244-11-D-0020 – Logistics Support Inc.

N00244-11-D-0021 – Quantell N00244-11-D-0022 – Stellar Support Services II LLC N00244-11-D-0023 – TEK Source USA Inc.

N00244-11-D-0024 – Zenetex LLC

2. Is the Management Plan table of contents excluded or included in the 30 page limitation?

Table of contents is excluded from the page limitation.

3. May documents be emailed rather than hardcopy mailed to save natural resources?

No. Hardcopies are needed for evaluation as the evaluators make notes during the review process.

4. Are there any incentives, set-asides and the like, planned for sub-categories of the Small Business community (e.g. SDVO-sb's, WOSB's, HUBZONE-sb's, etc.) ?

As stated in the RFP:

At the sole discretion of the task order ordering officer, task orders with an estimated value over the Simplified Acquisition Threshold may be set-aside for competition among Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business MAC holders.

5. Pricing instructions seem to imply use of LCAT - Barber and for Area-1, (which as we understand it covers only Hawaii and Guam), a model based on Alaska. a) Why is Alaska used in modeling Area-1, since Alaska is in Area-2 ? AND b) Looking at Attachment 4, the entries for Alaska are largely unpopulated, how can these be incorporated into a pricing model?

The instructions utilize the rate of Barber for Alaska since Hawaii and Alaska are both OCONUS, and a rate for Barber in Hawaii could not be found.

6. Section L, IV. Proposal Content, (B) Past Performance, para. 1 “Offerors shall provide Contractor Performance Data Sheets….” Do you have a specific format that you want submitted or shall we create our own format to include Quality, Timeliness, Customer Satisfaction, and Cost Control?

Contractor Performance Data Sheets attached.

7. Section L, IV. Proposal Content, (B) Past Performance, para. 4 “a corresponding Customer Input Sheet/Questionnaire shall be completed by a representative of the Government agency…” Will you provide the questionnaire format that we send to the government agency or shall we create our own format and what type of information are you looking for?

Questionnaire attached.

8. Are the prime rates the contract ceiling rates? How will rates be represented upon contract award, and will the buildup (G&A, Overhead, Fringe, Fee) be locked in as the ceilings for future task orders?

As this is not a labor hour or time & material type contract, there are no rates in the contract. The labor categories in the worksheets are estimates for establishing a contract ceiling. The majority of the rates are governed by applicable wage determinations attached to specific requirements via the task orders. Indirect rates are verified as the most current rates via DCAA rate checks. These rates are not locked as they vary from year to year. If a contractor has an existing Forward Pricing Rate Agreement, those rates will be used to evaluate contract award and any subsequent task order awards. For the non-SCA rates, the proposed rates will be used in the evaluation of subsequent task order awards. Any proposed task order rates that exceed the contract proposal rates will be negotiated as needed.

9. Is it required to have an approved purchasing system upon contract award?

An approved purchasing system is not required upon contract award however, if proposing subcontractor costs your firm should have an approved purchasing system as specified in FAR 44.3. Contractors’ Purchasing Systems Reviews. A exert is included below:

44.301 Objective.

The objective of a contractor purchasing system review (CPSR) is to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness with which the contractor spends Government funds and complies with Government policy when subcontracting. The review provides the administrative contracting officer (ACO) a basis for granting, withholding, or withdrawing approval of the contractor’s purchasing system.

44.302 Requirements.

(a) The ACO shall determine the need for a CPSR based on, but not limited to, the past performance of the contractor, and the volume, complexity and dollar value of subcontracts. If a contractor’s sales to the Government (excluding competitively awarded firm-fixed-price and competitively awarded fixed-price with economic price adjustment contracts and sales of commercial items pursuant to Part 12) are expected to exceed $25 million during the next 12 months, perform a review to determine if a CPSR is needed. Sales include those represented by prime contracts, subcontracts under Government prime contracts, and modifications. Generally, a CPSR is not performed for a specific contract. The head of the agency responsible for contract administration may raise or lower the $25 million review level if it is considered to be in the Government’s best interest.

(b) Once an initial determination has been made under paragraph (a) of this section, at least every three years the ACO shall determine whether a purchasing system review is necessary. If necessary, the cognizant contract administration office will conduct a purchasing system review.

How many task orders were issued on the previous contract, and what was the average period of performance, and size?

Approximately 1000 orders have been issued under all 25 contracts under the GBS program. Average period of performance is twelve months. The size of the orders range from as low as $10,000 to as high as $3 million.

10. Is it a requirement for the prime only to have an approved accounting system, or must the subcontractors have that as well?

The requirement applies to the prime only.

11. Is the past performance requirement of 3 for the entire offering team, or just the prime contractor? If just the prime, how many past performances can be submitted by the subcontractors?

Primes are required to submit 3. Subcontractors may also provide up to 3.

12. The SCA Occupation Codes provided in Attachment 1 for the Water Transportation positions do not match what is provided in Attachment 3. Could you provide clarification on that?

Changes to the labor categories were made by DOL in their Directory of Occupations. DOL failed to update their WD's when they made the changes to the directory. A crosswalk with changes is accessible at the following URL:

http://www.wdol.gov/exitpage.aspx?np=y&url=http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/wage/SCADirV5/Crosswalk4thEdition2withchanges.pdf

Hourly rates can be estimated by dividing the daily rate by 8 hours.

13. When proposing subcontractors, can the Prime contractor utilize a pass through rate on top of their fully burdened labor rate, and if so, how should that be represented?

You may bid any fees that are part of your normal business practice in preparing your cost proposal. The cost worksheets may be altered as necessary, i.e.; correcting/inserting formulas, adding/deleting cost elements, etc. The sheets are provided as samples to assist offerors in preparing cost proposals. The worksheets are not meant to restrict nor create cost elements.

14. Are there required years of experience for each executive labor category? For all bidders to be evaluated equally, we would ask that you consider providing additional information for each labor category.

For the non-SCA labor categories, assume 3 – 5 years of experience in developing your rates.

15. IV.A.1 "The offeror must also demonstrate the capability to perform a minimum of 50% of the contract work with its own personnel."

Does this mean we need to demonstrate "with its own personnel" as of the proposal due date ? What small business will have geographically dispersed personnel of all these labor categories at time of bid except possibly a major incumbent?

Or Does this demonstration refer to at the end of the period of performance, at least 50% of the work must have been performed with its own personnel ?

Offerors must propose and perform at least 50% of the effort. The total effort is tracked at the contract level.

16. Will most of the currently filled incumbent positions be rebid under this new contract? If so, can you estimate what % ?

This is an unknown as the task orders currently issued are issued by various Navy ordering offices. It can be assumed that a majority of the effort currently ordered under the current GBS contracts will be recompeted under the follow-on effort.

17. Can you provide data on $ and FTEs historically provided per incumbent company ?

This data is unavailable as the majority of the task orders are Firm Fixed Price and that information is not tracked. Furthermore, the contracts do not order FTEs. The task orders are based on tasking specified in the performance work statements.

18. FACTOR 2 - Past Performance - "To be eligible for award, the Government must evaluate the Past Performance factor as Acceptable. " However you also state:

Note: In the case of an offeror without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available or so sparse that no meaningful past performance rating can be reasonably assigned, the offeror may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance (see FAR 15.305 (a)(2)(iv)). Therefore, the offeror shall be determined to have unknown past performance. In the context of acceptability/unacceptability,“unknown” shall be considered “acceptable.”

So, if a company shows no relevant past performance, will they be found Acceptable and thus be eligible for award ?

That is correct.

19. You state: "To be eligible for award offerors must have an adequate Cost Accounting System as determined by DCAA in accordance with FAR 16.301 prior to award of a contract." Will potentially successfully bidders without a DCAA approved accounting system be notified by the Navy that DCAA will be auditing their system for acceptability?

Yes, potentially successfully offerors will have their accounting system reviewed for acceptability.

20. Since you will be plugging in your Non-Service Contract Act rates when you perform your pricing analysis, can you provide these rates to bidders now?

The rates are provided in the attached Wage Determinations.

21. Why were the 2 GBS contracts not set-aside for VOSBs ? There are numerous VOSBs that can staff these contracts.

Market research did not provide a sufficient number of VOSBs that can provide the services in all functional areas in all geographical areas.

22. Confirming that a company may be awarded both contracts (0047 and 0061).

A company can be awarded a contract in each of the geographical services areas. Each company has the potential for four contract awards under the GBS requirement.

23. Are most of the day 1 anticipated requirements currently staffed under incumbent contract(s) ? If so, can you estimate what % ?

This data is unknown. This a potential requirement, not a firm requirement.

24. What % of current incumbent requirements are unstaffed ? Can you break this out by geographic region ?

Unsure what is being asked. There is no unstaffed work. The GBS contracts are IDIQ contracts and as a requirement arises, a task order is issued after competition amongst the contract awardees.

25. Do minor (not-major) subcontractors also need to have a DCAA approved accounting system ? If no, please define a minor subcontractor that would be exempt from the DCAA approval process.

Only the prime contractors need to have an adequate accounting system.

26. Does the bidder need to bid all of the positions within a specific area. There are probably 400+ positions, we are trying to confirm that we need to supply all resources within an Area.

Yes, all offerors must provide pricing for every labor category listed in the worksheets for each Area they will be submitting a proposal. Failure to provide pricing for all labor categories will deem an offeror incomplete and ineligible for award.

27. Ref: CLIN Worksheets. In the CLIN worksheets the estimated hours are populated. Are those meant to be a reflection of the real need e.g. there are a lot of positions with 1hr, 2 hrs or 20 hrs ?

The quantities of hours for each of the services specified in the Schedule are estimates only to be used solely for evaluation purposes and are not purchased by the basic contracts. The Government does not warrant or in any way guarantee the accuracy of these estimated hours. These estimated hours are specified by geographic area. Offerors must propose a total ceiling for each geographic area for which they wish to be considered for award.

28. Is there job descriptions including minimum qualifications for the positions identified in the Solicitation?

The SCA labor categories are described in the Department of Labor Directory of Occupations. For the non-SCA labor categories see Attachment 7.

29. With the recent announcement in FBO of multiple awards for logistics support services (LSS) in Guam, what impact will this contract have on the GBS Hawaii/Guam solicitation? The PWS' are the same/very similar for both GBS and the 8a LSS contracts. Which contract will have precedence when competing work in the Guam area?

The GBS contracts are for use by all of Navy and Marine Corp ordering offices and may have precedence depending on individual agency policy. For example, GBS is currently a mandatory vehicle under NAVSUP and will take precedence if the policy continues for the follow-on effort.

AMENDMENT 0002

GBS PROGRAM OVERVIEW INFORMATION:

Several questions have been received with regards to the spreadsheets. These have been reviewed and changes made based on the questions received. Of particular note: The spreadsheets were provided to assist offerors in preparing their costs proposals. They are not meant to bind nor create costs. The sheets may be modified as needed to fit your company’s proposal needs. Lines may be added or deleted to include or remove costs as necessary. It goes without saying, the labor categories cannot be altered, but the hours may be altered to account for effort provided by Primes and any subcontractors. If hours are altered, please state so in your cost proposal. The total hours proposed by Primes and any subcontractors must total the hours listed in the RFP attachments.

The labor categories and hours listed in the spreadsheets are for bidding purposes only. They are not meant to reflect a current need or requirement. The labor categories and hours were developed based on canvassing of customers and their historical requirements. They are provided to assist in developing the cost proposals and establishing contract ceilings for each award.

There were several questions regarding hours. The GBS MACs are not Labor Hour nor Time and Material contracts. Hours are not ordered, nor are FTEs ordered via GBS. GBS Task Orders are issued based on the tasking identified in Performance Work Statements.

The current GBS Multiple Award Contracts (MAC) will be extended for six months pursuant to FAR Clause 52.217-8, Option to Extend the Services. This allows the Government ample time to perform a thorough proposal review and analysis of the follow-on effort. This includes the time for DCAA accounting system reviews, if needed for offerors determined to be potential awardees.

Security/Personnel/Access, etc., questions are currently being vetted through our Security Department and responses will be provided as soon as possible. GBS PROGRAM OVERVIEW INFORMATION:

Several questions have been received with regards to the spreadsheets. These have been reviewed and changes made based on the questions received. Of particular note: The spreadsheets were provided to assist offerors in preparing their costs proposals. They are not meant to bind nor create costs. The sheets may be modified as needed to fit your company’s proposal needs. Lines may be added or deleted to include or remove costs as necessary. It goes without saying, the labor categories cannot be altered, but the hours may be altered to account for effort provided by Primes and any subcontractors. If hours are altered, please state so in your cost proposal. The total hours proposed by Primes and any subcontractors must total the hours listed in the RFP attachments.

The labor categories and hours listed in the spreadsheets are for bidding purposes only. They are not meant to reflect a current need or requirement. The labor categories and hours were developed based on canvassing of customers and their historical requirements. They are provided to assist in developing the cost proposals and establishing contract ceilings for each award.

There were several questions regarding hours. The GBS MACs are not Labor Hour nor Time and Material contracts. Hours are not ordered, nor are FTEs ordered via GBS. GBS Task Orders are issued based on the tasking identified in Performance Work Statements.

The current GBS Multiple Award Contracts (MAC) will be extended for six months pursuant to FAR Clause 52.217-8, Option to Extend the Services. This allows the Government ample time to perform a thorough proposal review and analysis of the follow-on effort. This includes the time for DCAA accounting system reviews, if needed for offerors determined to be potential awardees.

Security/Personnel/Access, etc., questions are currently being vetted through our Security Department and responses will be provided as soon as possible.

AMENDMENT 0003

GBS PROGRAM OVERVIEW INFORMATION:

Several questions have been received with regards to the spreadsheets. These have been reviewed and changes made based on the questions received. Of particular note: The spreadsheets were provided to assist offerors in preparing their costs proposals. They are not meant to bind nor create costs. The sheets may be modified as needed to fit your company’s proposal needs. Lines may be added or deleted to include or remove costs as necessary. It goes without saying, the labor categories cannot be altered, but the hours may be altered to account for effort provided by Primes and any subcontractors. If hours are altered, please state so in your cost proposal. The total hours proposed by Primes and any subcontractors must total the hours listed in the RFP attachments.

The labor categories and hours listed in the spreadsheets are for bidding purposes only. They are not meant to reflect a current need or requirement. The labor categories and hours were developed based on canvassing of customers and their historical requirements. They are provided to assist in developing the cost proposals and establishing contract ceilings for each award.

There were several questions regarding hours. The GBS MACs are not Labor Hour nor Time and Material contracts. Hours are not ordered, nor are FTEs ordered via GBS. GBS Task Orders are issued based on the tasking identified in Performance Work Statements.

As a result of questions received regarding Security, Section C has been updated and responses provided to clarify the process.

The following files have been updated:

ATTACHMENT 1 AREA I COST WORKSHEETS – Separate File

Past Performance Questionnaire – correct typos, included at the end of this Amendment.

The following Sections of the RFP have been updated:

Section C – updates to the Security Requirements in the Performance Work Statement.

Section I – Clause updates in Clauses by Reference.

Section L – Update to instructions, specifically page formatting and past performance information.

1. So we may plan, could you give "estimated" dates for the following:

Dates will fluctuate throughout process depending on when the RFP closes. Another factor impacting dates is the number of offers received, evaluation process progression and review and approval process.

A) DCAA audits of "eligible for award" companies – DCAA rate checks will be requested within two weeks after closing date of RFP. DCAA accounting system reviews will be requested once it is known which firms are potential awardees, estimated three to four months after closing date of RFP.

B) GBS Contract awards – Estimated Award date is January 2015. Note however, the current GBS MACs have an ordering period through 23 February 2015.

C) Initial wave of Task Order RFPs - Unknown

D) Potential Task Order work starts - Unknown

2. The Contractor Performance Data Sheet (Offeror’s Past Performance Data) appears to be for a “materials” contract. Do you have one for “services” contracts? If not, what information are you looking for in blocks 3g and 3h?

The provided sheets are appropriate for services and shall be used for this procurement.

3. Past Performance Questionnaires (Customer Input Sheets) are never included in the proposal as they are not to be returned to the contractor who requested them. However, Section L, Paragraph B, Subparagraph 4 states “The page limit of 15 pages for Past Performance shall not apply to the completed Customer Input Sheet/Questionnaires.” Please clarify.

It is as stated the Questionnaires are not included in the Past Performance Volume nor page count.

4. Please clarify the table in RFP paragraph 5.7 Performance Requirements Summary that shows INCENTIVES/DISINCENTIVES for past performance on the GBS contract. In a Low Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) contract such as this, Past Performance on previous contracts is not normally taken into account.

The table in the RFP is for performance under the Task Orders, does not apply to the award of the contract. Each Task Order will contain a PRS that is specific to the task and may have adjectival ratings for past performance, or be evaluated as LPTA. PRS evaluations will be performed at the Task Order level.

5. Are you saying that the past performance rating can be a neutral thus “unknown” and still be considered acceptable therefore satisfactory? And are you also saying that we can use our predecessor companies, or subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirements when it is relevant to requirements as our past performance? Nancy would you consider making the past performance requirements 3 to include subcontractors and prime? Taking away the issue of the prime having to have 3 PPs?

The total PP requirements can be a combination of Prime and Subcontractor to meet the 3 requirement.

6. Does the Government intend to incorporate an updated DOL Wage Determination from its current 6/15/10 version?

Assuming this request is in regards to the WD for Water Transportation. The 6/15/10 version is the most current version.

7. In Section G – Contract Administration Data (Page 19), there are WAWF invoicing procedures without any mention of how often. Please clarify if the contractor is acceptable to invoice bi-weekly.

Invoicing instructions will be provided in individual Task Orders.

8. In Section H – Special Contract Instructions (Page 29), it states “The Government anticipates that any continuing short-term requirements originally issued on a CPFF basis, will be re-competed and are expected to be issued as a firm fixed priced order to the maximum extent feasible”. Please clarify why a follow-on order would be different from the original order?

A follow-on order can be the same type, CPFF with a CPFF follow-on. However, if a CPFF Task Order can be defined and a FFP follow-on Task Order issued, it is preferred.

9. On Page 34-35 Section E. Government Remedy, the Government discusses the possibility of re-opening competition and new awards in “On-Ramping and “Open Season”. Contractors originally price based on an estimate of projected costs in determining company allowances for overhead, G&A and profit in a manner that would be both competitive and best offer to the Government. Is this incorporated in the Solicitation/Awarded Contract to offer the Government a worst case scenario or is this a standard option used to bring in additional competition on an ongoing basis each year? If there are multiple performance issues or if there are less than three TOPR bidders, this process is reasonable. However, it is concerning if the competition increases without cause throughout the term of the contract(s). The more the competition, the risk increases with lower bidded rates.

The on-ramping provisions there in the event the Government feels there is a need to add contractors to support the on-going efforts and, or, remove non-performing contractors. Increased competition is a major factor in ensuring competitive pricing and savings to the taxpayer.

10. In Attachment # (????) Sample Positions, it shows few full-time positions. What is the total number of full-time vs. part-time and average length of temporary positions on all current contracts?

This information is unknown. Positions are not tracked.

11. Will the Government approve a new subcontractor under a contract after award? If so, what is the projected time for approval?

Yes, new subcontractors will be approved after award. In accordance with 52.244-2, Contracting Officer consent is not needed if you have an approved purchasing system. Other exceptions may apply as stated in the clause, for example a fixed price subcontract valued at less than $150,000 or 5% of the total contract value does not require consent. The length of time for approval will vary depending on workload of the Contracting Officer. It can take anywhere from one day to two weeks.

12. Does the FAR Clause 52.229-10 State of New Mexico Gross Receipts and Compensating Tax apply to this effort?

Yes, the clause is listed in Section I, CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE.

13. On Page 65 under III. Proposal Content, the font size is limited to 12 for all text including charts, etc. Would the Government reconsider accepting the charts, diagrams, and graphics in no less than a font size 9? It is extremely difficult to comply with the size 12 in many technical demonstrations.

Reasonable request. See revised Section L.

14. Will Prime or Subcontractors be required to have a Facilities Clearance to bid on the requirement?

Facility Clearances are not required to bid on the requirement. Clearances may be required at the Task Order level to support customers with classified work.

15. Does the prime or sub-contractor have to have past performance working in all of the different labor bands? If not, how will the Govt weigh the past performance over the labor bands?

Past Performance in all labor bands is not necessary. Past performance is not weighted. It is either acceptable or unacceptable.

16. Will both prime and sub-contractors past performances be weighted equally?

The past performance volume will be evaluated as acceptable or unacceptable as a whole with all information provided evaluated equally.

17. Since there are so many labor categories how will similar contract of “size and scope” be determined.

Size and Scope relevance will not impact a contractor’s ability to be found acceptable.

18. What percentage of overseas personnel are required to be U.S citizens?

Information unknown. Overseas effort is limited to Guam and Puerto Rico.

19. How many years of experience are needed for SCA labor categories?

Information unknown until a requirement is defined and a Task Order issued. For bidding purposes the rates in the applicable wage determinations shall be used.

20. What percentage of overseas positions require U.S. Security clearance?

Unknown until a requirement is defined and a Task Order issued.

21. Are the incumbent contractors eligible to rebid?

Yes, as long as they are still eligible small business concerns.

22. In RFP (B) Past Performance (page 66 of 73) it states “Offerors shall provide Contractor Performance Data Sheets on up to three (3) of the firm’s most recently completed federal government, state government, municipal government, or commercial contracts (not to exceed five (5) years from closing date of solicitation).”

In the OFFEROR'S PAST PERFORMANCE DATA SHEET, it states: “2. List Performance Data on your three most recently completed Federal Government contracts (not to exceed three years since completion) for like or similar items required by this solicitation. “

Please clarify the limitation on past performance referenced contracts.

23. On Page 80, the following statement is made:

Letter of Transmittal and Executive Summary This section shall not exceed one (1) page. It shall include the offeror’s Letter of Transmittal, along with a brief summary of the offeror’s capability to accomplish the requirements of the contract.

In which volume is this letter to be included?

Letter shall be included with the Management Volume.

24. On page 81 of the “Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors” section of the solicitation, it states that the Letter of Transmittal and Executive Summary “… shall not exceed one (1) page. It shall include the offeror’s Letter of Transmittal, along with a brief summary of the offeror’s capability to accomplish the requirements of the contract.” Due to production/printing concerns, is it possible to limit this section to two (2) pages instead of just one (1) page?

Reasonable request. See changes in Section L.

25. Would the government provide definition/description for each Functional Area along with sample Labor Categories?

Descriptions and definitions are provided once a requirement is defined and a Task Order issued.

26. Would the government provide information on which labor category included in ‘Attachment_7_Executive_Labor_Category_Descriptions’ would belong to which Functional Area?

This information depends on a defined requirement which is not known until a Task Order is issued.

27. Post-award, will there be a process for bringing subs onboard, outside of open season?

Subcontractors can be added as needed to fulfill a requirement.

28. If we propose subcontractors, will we be required to use them for every task order?

No. You will propose Task Orders utilizing the resources that make the most sense to the requirement.

29. Our Company currently has an approved accounting system and procures subcontractor services and Other Direct Costs (ODCs) (i.e. materials, etc.) for our cost type contracts without an approved purchasing system due to not meeting the $25 million gross annual sales threshold. In addition, our Company has submitted Incurred Cost Submission reports on these contracts since 2009. Will the government entertain removing the requirement for an approved purchasing system based on the $25 million DCMA threshold? Not removing this requirement creates a Small Business set-aside that requires companies to have expected sales > $25 million.

With respect to DCMA, an approved purchasing system would be audited for both subcontractors and Other Direct Costs (ODCs) (i.e. materials, etc.) on cost type contracts for businesses expecting to exceed $25 million in gross annual sales. From DCMA’s perspective, segregating the need on this contract for an approved purchasing system based on the procurement of subcontract services alone (removing the ODC procurements, as this contract is requiring) is not within the requirements of FAR. Can the government clarify the purpose of segregating the use of subcontract services only as the requirement (i.e. removing the procurement of ODCs) for an approved purchasing system?

Firms are not required to have an approved purchasing system as part of the GBS MAC Award process for the same reasons as you stated above. They are however required to have an adequate accounting system as this is a cost-type contract and subsequent Task Orders may be cost as well.

30. Can the government make available, DFARS 252.239-7701 we've been unable to locate it in any of the locations we normally search, e.g. on the Hill AFB FAR site ?

The DFARS reference has a typo. Should read: DFARS 252.239-7001. However, the upated Section C Performance Work Statement removes this reference.

31. According to (C) Cost Proposal in page 83, “Some labor categories do not require pricing and are identified in the worksheet”. Please identify the labor categories that do not require pricing.

Labor categories not requiring pricing do not have labor hours listed.

32. Are all labor categories to be considered and priced as government-site? If not, please list labor categories that should be priced as contractor-site.

Yes, all labor categories are to be considered as government-stie.

33. Amendment I, Question 26, states that “offerors must provide pricing for every labor category listed in the worksheets … Failure to provide pricing for all labor categories will deem an offeror incomplete and ineligible for award.” Attachment 1 “CLIN ####” tabs list subcontractor costs (“Subcontractors – XYZ, Inc.) as an Other Direct Cost with a combined price for all subcontractors.

If an offeror was to provide their Prime company’s Base Labor Rates for all labor categories listed in the Labor Worksheets, the LABOR SUBTOTAL TO BE TRANSFERRED TO AREA I COST WORKSHEETS would encompass the entire effort since the calculations are based on the hours as directed in this RFP and provided on those worksheets. The CLIN #### worksheets require that the offeror list their assigned subcontractor costs. If a prime offeror was to estimate cost based on all of the hours as listed in the Labor Worksheets and then also include their assigned subcontractor costs, that would artificially increase the total CPFF estimates for each year.

Please provide guidance on how to properly account for subcontractor and prime offeror base labor rates and hours so that the total number of hours listed on the worksheets are accounted for and all labor costs are properly accounted for in the proposal.

All cost proposals shall include pricing for all labor categories. This is not meant to imply all primes and subcontractors must bid all hours. For example, a Prime may propose 75% of the labor categories and/or hours, and their subs the other 25%. The complete cost proposal would then include pricing for all labor categories. Therefore, the total costs transferred would be only for the Prime (75%), while the subcontractor associated labor costs would be listed within the subcontractor cost. In order to account for the total hours offerors must specify in their proposal the breakout between Primes and any subcontractors.

34. Will there be economic consideration provided in the issue of Task Order solicitations for those successor contracts (Task Orders) where, due to seniority, incumbents are earning more vacation (3 or more weeks vs 2 weeks) ?

Task Orders will follow all Department of Labor rules and regulations regarding seniority and allow for pricing to accommodate any associated costs.

35. In both solicitations listed above, in the 31000 series Transportation/Mobile Equipment Operations of SCA occupation codes, there are no hours listed for any of these positions. Was this intentional?

Yes. No hours are listed for the 31000 Series.

36. In Past Performance section (B)1, it states that we "may submit performance data as long as a minimum of 1 year of performance has been completed". Does this mean the work needs to have been performed for one consecutive year?

Yes.

37. If there are pricing requirements for Educational Technologists, Technical Instructors and Technical Instructors/Course Developers, did you mean to remove Instructional and Training Services from the Functional Areas for this solicitation?

These labor categories have been removed from the updated files.

38. An Executive Order -- Minimum Wage for Contractors dated 12 February 2014, requires all contractor/subcontractor employees to be paid a minimum $10.10 per hour beginning January 1, 2015. Based on this information, how will the government evaluate rates; as these rates are not in place at time of proposal submittal? No new Wage Determinations (WD) from the Department of Labor have been released to take in account these new minimums. The effect they will have on other labor rates is undeterminable in providing ceiling rates. When the WD is adjusted, will ceiling rate values also be adjusted?

Ceiling values will not be adjusted. Task Orders will be priced utilizing the applicable WD’s at time of award.

39. Will the Government provide a form, or a format, for the documents mentioned on page 82 of the RFP: Contractor Performance Data Sheets and Customer Input Sheet/Questionnaire?

These forms were provided via Amendment 0001. The forms have been revised and posted under this Amendment.

40. Considering the current staffing of DCAA, it is highly unlikely that they will perform a cost realism analysis. What process will the government use to evaluate costs realism? For example, will costs be considered that are submitted at or below WD for that labor category?

The cost realism is performed by NAVSUP FLC San Diego contracts employees. DCAA assists with rate checks and with accounting system reviews, as needed. Cost submitted below the WD rate will be adjusted upward to reflect the applicable WD rate listed in Section L.

41. Page 82 says “The offeror may also submit relevant contracts performed by any subcontractors who will perform under this contract.” Are subcontractor Past Performances in addition to those submitted by the prime constrained within the 15 page limit?

Information provided in the 15 page limit includes subcontractor past performance. Please note however the information/data sheets are not part of the 15 page count.

42. How many awards does the Government estimate they will make under each geographic Area? Is there a maximum/ minimum amount of awards set?

It is unknown at this time how many awards will be made. Under the current GBS MACs there are six awardees in Areas III and IV and seven awardees in Area II.

43. Is there a ceiling/ maximum $ value on each Area contract?

This information is unknown at this time. The ceiling of each awardee will be determined at time of award of each contract.

44. FUNCTIONAL AREA - Paragraph 2 identifies 14 functional areas. Please provide definitions for each functional area so that we can ensure that our past performance reference are relevant to the requirement. For example: What is included in the General Services and Support functional area?

The specific functions will not be known until a requirement is defined at the task order level.

45. In Section 5.2.e. (Page 11), it states “Services that may be available from NIB/NISH must be screened by NIB/NISH…”. Please clarify.

Mandate requires certain functions to be provided by NIB/Ability One (NISH) contractors. Contracting and Ordering officers must comply with regulations when obtaining applicable services. Contractors do not have a responsibility to know which services apply.

46. FUNCTIONAL AREA – Does a company have to provide a reference that is relevant to all 14 functional areas in order to qualify as a bidder for the Global Business Support Multiple Award Schedule?

No.

47. CLIN WORKSHEET – What are the restrictions for the CLIN worksheets? Should we only price the job classifications for the functional areas that we are submitting relevant past performance references?

All offers must include pricing for all labor categories.

48. The Contractor Performance Data Sheet cannot be located in the RFP document files. Please advise.

There is a link titled, "Click here for Additional Documents" located at the top of the page. All additional files are located there.

49. Page 79 and 80, Section L, II-Preparation of Proposals What data does the Government require on CD labels?

Offeror Name, RFP number and Volume Title/Number

50. Page 80, Section L, II-Preparation of Proposals Referencing Volume III – Cost Proposal – In addition to the Prime Contractor providing CCR and ORCA certifications, does the Government also require this information from any proposed Subcontractors?

The information applies to all offerors providing cost information. If your subcontractors will be submitting cost information they need to provide it as well.

51. Page 80, Section L, II-Preparation of Proposals For the Cost Proposal volume, the instructions state “This volume shall include the entire completed solicitation document…” Please confirm that the Government requires the submission of all solicitation parts to be included in this volume.

Submit the signed offer, SF 33 (first page), Section B and Section K as they have “fill-ins” associated with their parts. Sections C through J and L through M need not be submitted.

52. Should the offeror include its signed amendments in the Cost Proposal volume?

Yes, or reference them in a table.

53. Page 80, Section L, II-Preparation of Proposals (sub-paragraph C) May electronic (CD) copies of Volumes I and II be submitted in PDF format?

Yes, that is acceptable.

54. Page 80-81, Section L, II-Preparation of Proposals For the Letter of Transmittal & Executive Summary, how does the Government desire this document to be submitted; in its own binder, an envelope, etc.?

As part of Volume I.

55. Page 80, Section L, III-Proposal Format (sub-paragraph B) Is the cover page included in the page limitation of each volume?

Cover pages are not included in page count.

56. Page 82, Section L, IV-Proposal Content (sub-paragraph B) Referencing Volume II – Past Performance instructions, will the Government accept the Customer Input / Questionnaires electronically from the customer representatives?

Yes, electronic copies are acceptable.

57. Page 82, Section L, IV-Proposal Content (sub-paragraph B) Referencing Volume II – Past Performance instructions, may the Prime Contractor submit past performance data for work that it performed as a Subcontractor, provided that the work is relevant in scope, magnitude, and complexity to the GBS acquisition.

Yes.

58. CLIN Worksheets Does the Government desire offerors to propose overtime (OT) rates for the non-SCA labor categories, even though—in most circumstances—these labor categories would be considered exempt from overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)?

Submit your pricing in accordance with your company policy.

59. Referencing Amendment 0001, the occupation codes for the Water Transportation labor categories were not corrected when changes were made to the directory. We have reviewed the cross-walk for the wage determination, and the cross-walk does not provide the prior occupation code 47341 for Cook/Baker (as identified in the wage determination). But there is a 47370 code that has been cross-walked to occupation code 47021 that is listed in the cost spreadsheets. Please confirm that the occupation code data listed in the cross-walk is correct.

Hours for the Water Transportation labor category Cook/Baker have been deleted. In the event this type of effort is required for a specific task order, a Wage Determination will be requested from Department of Labor.

60. Let us know that how many total FTE’s (Key Personnel) are required under this requirement? Do we need resumes?

Resumes are not required at the contract level. We do not order FTE’s under the GBS MACs as these are not Labor Hour nor Time and Material type contracts.

61. I do see that you have listed all regions are being evaluated but I do not see any details as to a need in Alaska. We would be most interested in learning more about your venture in Alaska and if we could be of service.

Areas of performance are unknown at this time. The GBS MACs cover all areas in the event a need is identified in any region of the 50 United States, and Guam and Puerto Rico.

62. Please describe how the current on-going work / staffing will be transitioned from the incumbent contracts to the new contracts?

Any ongoing effort will be transitioned via Task Orders issued and identified at that time. It is unknown at this time which Task Orders will be transitioned as the orders are issued by offices throughout the United States.

63. Please describe the Navy's Task Order process.. How are new tasks competed ?

A Request for Proposal (RFP) is sent to all awardees within the area for which the work will be performed. The proposals are evaluated and an award made based on the criteria listed in the Task Order RFP.

64. Are all old (currently staffed) tasks competed amongst all awardees ?

Yes.

65. Are all new (not currently staffed) tasks competed amongst all awardees ?

Yes.

66. Are task order level evaluations also LPTA ? If not, please describe the evaluation options.

Task Order level evaluations will vary depending on the requirement. They may be LPTA or Best Value and adjectival ratings may be used.

67. Will the current Task Orders all expire NLT the end of the old incumbent GBS contract ?

No. Task Order end dates all vary depending on the issue date.

68. What is the average duration of a placement ? (ie, 1 year) What is the average number of hours ordered per placement ? (i.e., 100 or 1000 hours) Is there a minimum and/or maximum number of hours per position that may be ordered ? If so, please explain.

Average duration appears to be 12 months. Hours are not ordered under the GBS MACs. Task Orders are based on tasking identified in the Performance Work Statement associated with the order.

69. Confirming If our company has staffing experience, but not of this magnitude, or not with the Navy, etc - and we claim no relevant past performance, we would still be eligible for award. Do you contact the SBA to determine eligibility ?

If a company does not have any relevant past performance they are deemed acceptable per our instructions.

70. May a company be awarded both contract and all areas (1-4) ?

A company may be awarded up to four contracts under the GBS MACs – one for each area.

71. Why was Area 1 split into its own contract this go-around rather than being part of an Area 1-4 contract like last time ?

Due to a difference in technical requirements, specifically response times applicable to the remote site in Area I.

72. Does each Task order have an associated COTR that we work with? How many COTRs per region ore there currently?

Each Task Order will have a COR assigned. It is unknown how many COR’s there are currently assigned as this information is not tracked and orders are issued by various contracting offices.

73. Are the exact same labor categories being solicited under this new GBS requirement as the past incumbent requirement ?

Education and Training related functions, and Construction, are no longer part of GBS.

74. What was the rationale for increasing the number of hours per labor category from the old incumbent GBS contract to the new GBS solicitation. Was the increase per labor category from old to new uniform (ie, the same percentage used to increase all categories). Please describe.

The increase is due to the addition of two additional years. Current GBS MACs were awarded with a three-year ordering period. This follow-on effort has a five-year ordering period. A reminder however, that the hours listed in the spreadsheets are informational only and used to establish ceilings for each contract award.

75. If we use another company to assist with recruiting, but all hires will be ours, how do we show the cost of their recruiting services ? Are these external recruiting costs simply rolled into our overhead rates ?

You would apply the costs in the manner which is your normal business practice.

76. What percentage of staff historically have required clearances ? Do you expect this to remain approximately the same, increase, or decrease.

This information is unknown as the information is not tracked and orders issued by various contracting offices throughout the United States.

77. When will companies without a current facility clearance be sponsored for the clearance ? After award of the main contract, or after award of a task order requiring personnel with clearances ?

Facility clearances are typically not required for support provided at a government installation and GBS offerors are not required to possess a facility clearance to receive an award. Personnel requiring clearances will be known at the task order level.

78. Will resumes be required with task order proposals ?

They may be required when a requirement is defined and Task Order issued.

79. What is your process for deriving an "evaluated" CPFF.

It is as stated in Section M, which reads in part:

Evaluation will be based on a review of the cost proposal in accordance with the procedures set forth in FAR 15.404 Proposal Analysis. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement for each geographical area. The total price for all options will include the six month option period allowed by FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services. The Government will evaluate this option period by using half the costs for the last option year of performance. Thus, for evaluation purposes, the total price will be based on five years plus the six month option period.

80. When you develop your "evaluated" CPFF, do you adjust our indirect rates or only our direct labor? Please describe.

Any adjustments made will depend on the information provided by the offeror and verified with DCAA. Adjustments are normally made to SCA applicable direct labor rates when the proposed labor rate is not in accordance with the applicable Wage Determinations and or the basis for non-SCA rates have not been properly defined.