N00421-16-R-0073-0002.docx

N00421-16-R-0073

SECTION SF 30 BLOCK 14 CONTINUATION PAGE

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

SECTION A - SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM

The following have been modified:

AMENDMENTS

AMENDMENT 0001 Changes:

The changes are noted with the Questions and Answers below.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (As of 29 June 2018):

Question 1: In Section L.3.8.2, a Labor Category table is provided where five of the positions have Overtime and Danger Pay categories. Given that overtime is not normally included in OCONUS compensation, can the government please clarify in which locations Overtime categories are expected to apply, and to which labor positions? For pricing purposes, can the government also please provide the expected locations in which Danger Pay labor categories are expected to apply, and to which positions?

Answer: For proposal purposes only, Offerors shall base Danger Pay on a location of Afghanistan. The labor categories in which Overtime and Danger Pay apply are noted in the Labor Category table in Section L, 3.8.2.

Question 2: Based on historic data, can the government provide more information on the level of expected labor performed CONUS and by what labor categories?

Answer: The Government’s expectation is that the management and administrative functions, training staff, and preparing for the work to be done overseas will be performed CONUS.

Question 3: Will the Government please provide bidders a breakout of expected overtime hours by labor category, by year, by geographic location, by site (Contractor or Government)?

Answer: Expected overtime hours by labor category and by year are provided in Section L, paragraph 3.8.2. For proposal purposes only, geographic location will be Afghanistan. All expected overtime hours will be at Government sites.

Question 4: Can the government also provide more clarity on the expectation of the Overtime labor classification and the circumstances under which the government would find this category necessary? What are the geographic place(s) of performance for this expected overtime labor?

Answer: For proposal purposes only, overtime labor is expected to be performed in Afghanistan.

Question 5: Can the government please clarify expectations regarding pricing and the premiums associated with overtime and danger pay? Do bidders need to provided fully-burdened rates inclusive of each premium, or should they only provide the premium for each category associated with overtime and danger pay?

Answer: Offerors should provide the premium for each category associated with overtime and danger pay. For the overtime hours identified in Section L, Part B, Paragraph 3.8.2, Offerors shall provide rates inclusive of the Overtime Premium. Section L, Part B, Paragraph 3.8.2 has been updated to reflect Danger Pay as a Premium and not additional hours.

Question 6: Can the government please specify which locations will require “danger pay” categories and for what locations can “overtime” categories be utilized?

Answer: For proposal purposes, Danger Pay should be associated with Afghanistan. Overtime will be for deployed staff only. The current workforce is provided Overtime and Danger Pay.

Question 7: In Section 3.8.1 ODC’s, a travel plug is provided. Can the government please provide information on what items and expenses are included in this amount?

Answer: The ODC value provided is an estimate for what the Government expects to be spent for travel, such as transportation and lodging.

Question 8: In Attachment P6, an amount of $3,897,796 is provided as a firm fixed price value. Can the government please explain the purpose of this value and whether it is to be part of the proposed price to the government?

Answer: This value is not to be part of the proposed price to the Government. Attachment P6 has been updated.

Question 9: Attachment P6 is a SeaPort-e template. Is the SeaPort-e 8% maximum pass through, as used in the attachment, applicable to this bid?

Answer: No, this is not applicable to this bid. Attachment P6 has been updated.

Question 10: Can the government please clarify its expectations on how bidders are required to represent overtime and danger pay hours in attachments P3 and P4?

Answer: Offerors shall represent overtime and danger pay hours in their P6. Attachments P3 and P4 have been updated.

Question 11: Does the government expect that all CONUS labor will be performed in St. Mary's County, MD, as per the Wage Determination Attachment 7. If not, will the government please provide additional Wage Determination for additional locations, such as: Onslow County, NC (Camp Lejeune), Charleston County, SC, Martin County, IN (NSA Crane).

Answer: Offerors shall detail additional locations they propose in their cost narrative to include which areas of work will be performed and the reasoning for using additional locations.

Question 12: Attachment P1 has no field to address meeting technical requirements, meeting schedule requirements, controlling contract cost, and managing the contracted effort. Will the Government get this information from CPARs (or from the CPAQ if no CPAR is available)?

Answer: The Government will retrieve this information from CPARs (or from the CPAQ if no CPAR is available).

Question 13: The RFP states, "The Government will focus on performance similar to PWS paragraphs 3.1 and subtasks." Is it the government’s intent that Offerors should not address the relevance of magnitude and complexity of past performance references to PWS paragraphs 3.2 and 3.3 in Volume 2?

Answer: Per Section M, Part B, Paragraph 2.2, “The Government will focus on information that demonstrates quality of performance relative to magnitude and complexity of the procurement.” Offerors should address the relevance of magnitude and complexity of past performance in their proposal.

Question 14: Paragraph C.6.1.2 states that “The contractor shall be required to transport government owned systems/subsystems on a daily basis via both contractor or Government provided vehicles as determined in individual task orders.” Further, SOW paragraph 6.1.2.1 requires "a 4 passenger, ¾ ton pickup truck and a 16 foot box truck” per location. The paragraph states these vehicles "will not be considered as an allowable direct cost in the performance of the Contract. " Can the government please confirm that it will be providing all vehicles necessary for the execution of this contract? If so, will the government consider removing paragraph 6.1.2.1 referencing contractor provided vehicles, and remove “both” from Paragraph 6.1.2?

Answer: The requirement for this contract is for the Contractor to provide their own vehicles as defined in Section C, paragraph 6.1.2.1. The contractor may also be required to operate Government provided vehicles, as described in Section C, Paragraph 6.1.2.2.

Question 15: Section 3.3(h) states: “Labor hours per labor category. For evaluation purposes, the Offeror shall propose the Labor categories/hours as outlined in paragraph 3.7.2 below.” The solicitation does not include a paragraph 3.7.2. Can the government please provide this information?

Answer: Section L, Paragraph 3.3(h) has been revised to read: “Labor hours per labor category. For evaluation purposes, the Offeror shall propose the Labor categories/hours as outlined in paragraph 3.8.2 below.”

Question 16: Work Place and Schedule paragraph within the SOW states that work shall be performed in mission locations that include CENTCOM and AFRICOM. This includes multiple different countries, which will be defined per task order. To allow for a complete and compliant submission of the Cost Volume, will the Government please provide further pricing requirements for all expected performance locations? Will the Government please provide details on the level of effort required for each expected performance location?

Answer: For proposal purposes only, Offerors shall submit the Cost Volume based on a location of Afghanistan. Additional locations will be determined at the individual Task Order level.

Question 17: The pricing template does not include additional country based labor regulations such as mandatory “day of rest”. How should these costs be addressed within the pricing template?

Answer: Per Section C, Paragraph 10.0, “The contractor shall provide the required services and staffing coverage during Normal Working Hours (NWHs). NWHs are usually 12 hours a day, seven days a week.” As teams are on military bases only, there is not a requirement for a day of rest.

Question 18: The stated requirement is for a full transition within 30 days after award with no loss of service and minimal loss of corporate knowledge. Given that included in the transition plan will be the transfer of existing task work, can the transition period be extended to 60-90 days to accommodate necessary deployment training and on-boarding requirements?

Answer: The Government deems 60 days as a reasonable transition period. Section L, Part B, Paragraph 1.2.4 has been changed to account for a 60-day transition period.

Question 19: Per the Department of Labor, Service Contract Act (SCA) only applies to work performed within the United States. SCA does not apply to work performed in any other territory under the jurisdiction of the United States or United States base within a foreign country. If a portion of the contract is performed in the United States, and a portion is performed outside the United States, how should this be reflected within the pricing template? How should the hours be split between CONUS and OCONUS activities?

Answer: The expectation is that the Manager and administration functions and training and preparation for teams to go overseas will happen CONUS. On the pricing template, Offerors shall split labor categories per CONUS and OCONUS.

Question 20: There appears to be a disconnect between the electronic copy and printed copy of the past performance template. The electronic copy allows an unlimited amount of text in the Contract Effort Description field, but the printed copy only prints 8 lines of text. The printed copy also precludes printing of more than 2 pages of information per past performance. Please clarify/revise the past performance template so that contractors can provide adequate information to support their proposal submission and subsequent evaluation.

Answer: Offerors may use a continuation sheet but should be cognizant of page recommendations outlined in Section L, Part A, Section 3.0.

Question 21: In Section B-1, Composite Labor Rates, two positions have the “Key Personnel” asterisk, both ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN III* and PROGRAM ANALYST, JOURNEYMAN*. In Sections C.12.2 and C.12.5, only one role, that of Program/Project Analyst is included in the Key Personnel table. Please clarify which positions are required as key personnel.

Answer: Program/Project Analyst, Journeyman, is required as key personnel. Section B-1 has been updated.

Question 22: On Attachment P6 of the solicitation, the "Summary" tab shows a FFP plug of $3,897,796. Should this line be removed from the spreadsheet?

Answer: Yes, this value should be removed from the spreadsheet. Attachment P6 has been updated.

Question 23: Section B-1 Composite Labor Rates table identifies the Engineering Tech III and the Program Analyst, Journeyman as the only key personnel positions; Sections C 12.2 and 12.5 identifies the Program Analyst, Journeyman as the only key personnel position; and Attachment P3 identifies the Engineering Tech III as the only key personnel position. Will the Government please clarify which labor category(s) are considered key personnel positions?

Answer: Program/Project Analyst is the only key personnel position. Section B-1 and Attachment P3 have been updated.

Question 24: Section L A.2.0 states "Graphs and tables shall be presented in no smaller than 10 pt. font and should contain a grid, which allows values to be read directly from the graphic. Graphic resolution, including such data as tables and charts, should be consistent with the purpose of the data presented." Section L is otherwise silent on the requirements for graphic illustrations. Will the Government please confirm that graphic illustrations shall be no smaller than 10-point Times New Roman?

Answer: Offerors shall present graphic illustrations in no smaller than 10 point, Times New Roman font.

Question 25: Section L, A.3.0 indicates that the Cross Reference Matrix (CRM) does not count against any of the proposal page limitations. Will the Government please confirm that other front matter items (such as the TOC, cover page, and/or acronym/glossary list) are not excluded from any page limits?

Answer: Front matter items are excluded from page recommendations.

Question 26: For evaluation and proposal pricing purposes, will the Government provide the location that the proposed danger pay should be based on?

Answer: For the basis of estimate for Danger Pay, Offerors shall use Afghanistan as the location. Section L, Part B, paragraph 3.8.2 has been updated.

Question 27: Is the Government’s intent for labor hours identified as Danger Pay to include fully burdened labor rates (defined as direct labor rates plus all applicable burdens, to include indirect rates, fee, and subcontractor pass-through costs where applicable) plus Danger Pay?

Answer: Labor hours identified as Danger Pay should not include fully burdened labor rates. Labor hours should be itemized as a base rate and separately as a Danger Pay premium. Danger Pay is calculated off of basic compensation, not fully burdened rates.

Question 28: In Section C 10.0, the Government specifies “NWHs are usually 12 hours a day, seven days a week” or 84 hours. In Section L.3.8.2 for example, the Electronics Technician Maintenance I category shows the Regular (9600), Overtime (9600), and Danger Pay (9600) hours. Based upon the RFP specified 1920 work-year, this would be equivalent to 5 FTE’s each. The regular hours (9600) plus the Overtime hours (9600) is equivalent to an 84-hour workweek for 5 FTE’s.

1) How does the Government intend for the Danger Pay (9,600) hours to be priced?

2) Are the additional hours outside the NWH or are they to be priced within the NWH? Will the Government please clarify?

Answer: Offerors shall use a location of Afghanistan to price the Danger Pay hours. Danger Pay shall be applied to both Regular hours as well as Overtime hours to equal an 84-hour work week.

Question 29: In Section B-1, the Government specifies composite rates “Overtime will be used by multiplying the rate for labor category by the time and a half estimated hours based on the work schedule.” Attachment P4 instructions state to calculate the Composite Fully Burdened Rate by “the total labor costs for that labor category divided by the total number of labor hours for that category” or for example, in Section L.3.8.2, the total labor costs for Electronics Technician Maintenance I (Regular, Overtime, & Danger Pay) will be divided by the total number of labor hours for this labor category in order to compute the Composite Fully Burdened Rate. The Overtime formula (time and a half) in Section B-1 would be erroneous since the Composite Fully Burdened Rate would already contained Overtime as instructed in Attachment P4. Would the Government please clarify how to calculate Overtime in the Composite Fully Burdened Rate?

Answer: Attachment B-1 and Attachment P4 have been updated.

Question 30: Instructions in Attachment P3 states not to include Cost of Money (COM) as part of the fully burdened labor rate; however, the RFP states we are allowed to bid COM. Will the Government please clarify if offerors are allowed to include COM on our Direct Labor and if they should be included as part of the fully burdened labor rates?

Answer: Offerors may propose COM, but shall not include COM as part of their fully burdened labor rates.

Question 31: Based on the requirements of the SOW paragraph 4.0 and 11.1, will the Government consider the addition of a Word Processor II BLS-SOC 43-9022, SCA 01612 as a non-key labor category? This labor category will pertain to personnel that coordinate travel requirements, SPOT, and contract CDRL requirements.

Answer: At this time, the Government’s requirement does not include a Word Processor II.

Question 32: Given that that the government has not yet provided answers, and due to potentially significant impact of these answers to critical proposal response elements such as pricing and transition planning, the RFP response cannot be fully performed until the questions are answered. Responders will require adequate time to incorporate all changes and new requirements into their responses while continuing to ensure that the response presents maximum value and minimal risk to the customer. Will the government please provide no less than twenty days after receipt of the answers for responders to submit proposals, extending the submittal deadline accordingly?

Answer: The proposal due date will be extended to 17 July 2018 at 2pm EST.

AMENDMENT 0002 Changes:

No changes were made based on the questions and answers as of 03 July 2018.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (AS OF 03 JULY 2018):

Question 33: Reference Amendment 0001 Question 14: Paragraph C.6.1.2 states that "The contractor shall be required to transport Government owned systems/subsystems on a daily basis via both contractor or Government provided vehicles as determined in individual task orders." Further, SOW paragraph 6.1.2.1 requires "a 4 passenger, ¾ ton pickup truck and a 16 foot box truck" per location. The paragraph states these vehicles "will not be considered as an allowable direct cost in the performance of the Contract. " Can the government please confirm that it will be providing all vehicles necessary for the execution of this contract? If so, will the government consider removing paragraph 6.1.2.1 referencing contractor provided vehicles, and remove "both" from Paragraph 6.1.2?

Answer: The requirement for this contract is for the Contractor to provide their own vehicles as defined in Section C, paragraph 6.1.2.1. The contractor may also be required to operate Government provided vehicles, as described in Section C, Paragraph 6.1.2.2..

The Government's response appears to imply the treatment of vehicle costs as if said vehicles were a Fixed Asset, and deployed across multiple contracts. Given that the usage of such vehicles will be specific to this contract, said vehicles would not be fixed assets. Disallowance of such costs would be contrary to standard cost accounting principles as defined within FAR Part 31, Contract Cost Principles and Procedures, and specifically FAR 31.202, Direct Costs, which states that Direct costs of the contract shall be charged directly to the contract.

Since we did not see any formally approved allowable cost deviation elsewhere in the RFP that would permit the Government to treat direct costs of operating vehicles as unallowable, will the Government please consider modification of Paragraph 6.1.2.1 to treat said contractor provided vehicles as allowable costs in accordance with FAR Part 31, Contract Cost Principles and Procedures?

Answer: As stated in the RFP, Section C, Paragraph 6.1.2.1, contractor provided vehicles will not be considered as an allowable direct cost in the performance of the contract. No changes have been made to the solicitation.

Question 34: We hereby request an extension to the proposal due date to July 31, 2018. This is required due to the upcoming holiday as well as sufficient time to flow down the pricing changes as a result of the answers to questions on our subcontractors and to incorporate them into our prime pricing submission.

Answer: At this time, the Government is not providing an additional extension to the proposal due date. Therefore, the proposal due date remains 17 July 2018. No changes have been made to the solicitation.

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