N3220517Q4930_Question_and_Answers_1.docx

N3220517Q4930 Question and Answers 1

Question 1:

Paragraph 8 of the PWS states, "The contractor shall maintain a Quality Management Program in accordance with ISO 9001. The program manual or documentation shall be available to the ABS Surveyor and MSC for review. The contractor shall also be responsible for obtaining and making available the same type of documentation from all suppliers whose equipment or services under this contract are valued in excess of $100,000." In Section L, Factor 1: Technical Capability, Subfactor 2: Management Approach/Quality Assurance Plan the RFP states, "The narrative shall also address the following: . 2. A description of the offers Quality Assurance Plan in relation to this tasking. Contractor shall be ISO 9001 certified." While we have a Quality Management Program that follows ISO 9001, we, as with many small technical services companies, are not ISO 9001 certified. We believe this requirement needlessly eliminates a number of qualified firms with a long history of service to MSC.

In the interest of competition, would the government consider requiring a "Quality Management Program in accordance with ISO 9001" subject to review by MSC and/or ABS in lieu of ISO 9001 certification for the small business prime and ISO 9001 certification be required for the equipment suppliers?

Answer 1:

Yes, MSC will accept a quality assurance program that meets the requirements of ISO 9001 but is not certified so long as the contractor provides sufficient evidence that the program meets those certification requirements.