Amended_(2)_Q_AND_A_N32205-18-Q-2021.docx

MILITARY SEALIFT COMMAND

N32205-18-Q-2021

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

The following are answers to questions received from potential offerors. The answers provide clarification only and DO NOT constitute an amendment to the solicitation.

1. Do you expect the CSRS and FERS students to be in the same sessions?

Answer: Yes

2. What is the expected class size for each training?

Answer: 25-50 Students

3. What is the anticipated number of students expected in a given performance year?

Answer: 800

4. How will materials be shipped if the session is done on board a vessel?

Answer: The expectation is that the materials will be brought with the Qualified Instructor and not shipped. If shipping is required, the vendor must coordinate with the ship’s Chief Mate and Purser and allow for enough time for shipping. Associated shipping costs may be included in the materials expenses CLIN.

5. Will the vessels be in port? Refers to item # 4 Answer: Typically, yes. However, if ship pulls out during contracted period, the instructor should expect to move with the ship to fulfill the training contract.

6. Will there be back to back sessions on board a vessel?

Answer: Not typically, but possible.

7. If not on board a vessel, then where might the training take place?

Answer: CIVMAR Support Unit (CSU) East, Norfolk, VA and/or CIVMAR Support Unit (CSU) West, San Diego, CA.

8. In what locales do you expect the training (i.e. States, countries)?

Answer: CONUS: California, Hawaii, New Jersey, Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, and Washington.

OCONUS: Worldwide, but mostly Guam, Italy, Japan, Korea, Philippines and Souda Bay.

9. Will international training be part of this contract?

Answer: The requested training is for Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) Pre-Retirement Planning Seminars for Civilian Mariners (CIVMARs). There is not an international component that we are aware of for this training. However, if this question is actually concerning international travel, please see the answer to question 8.

10. Are itemized expenses expected for each expense submission?

Answer: Yes, expenses will need to be itemized based on labor, material, and travel.

11. What are the criteria for evaluation of the proposals?

Answer: As stated in the solicitation, The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

(i) technical capability of the item or service offered to meet the Government requirement;

(ii) price;

(iii) past performance Award shall be made to the lowest priced technically acceptable offeror. Evaluation for technical acceptability will include Qualified Instructor qualifications, ability to provide quality deliverables, and interactive training method quality. FAPIIS and PPIRS will be used to research past performance.

12. Is there an incumbent for this project? If so what was their previous bid?

Answer: No

13. What language barriers are anticipated?

Answer: Spanish, Tagalog, and Filipino.

14. They indicate that they want 2 days of training for each person CSRS or FERS. As CSRS and FERS are very different, will they consider 1/2 day on specifics of FERS, 1/2 day on specifics of CSRS and then 1 full day combined. In this way each person gets 1.5 days of complete training, with the half day tailored to that group (CSRS or FERS)?

Answer: The seminars shall not exceed two days and should include one-on-one interviews with requesting CIVMARs subsequent to the seminar.

15. Section 5.1.2 in the PWS states “QIs shall have a minimum of 30 days shipboard life experience, such as Navy or CIVMAR experience. Proof of this experience is required.” Is 5.1.2 a mandatory requirement?

Answer: This requirement is mandatory and is not flexible.

16. Per Section 7.2 of the PWS how can the awarded vendor be interactive without using Microsoft PowerPoint?

Answer: The second sentence in Section 7.2 of the PWS will be amended to state “PowerPoint, videos, etc. shall not be the only training tools for this topic.” See amended PWS Section 7.s.

17. Regarding the timing and location of training sessions:

a. When the initial task order(s) on the IDIQ contract are issued, what are the expected dates for the initial training session(s)?

Answer: The training is on-call from the ships and the dates will reflect their needs.

b. What are the home ports for the ships that will host the initial training sessions?

Answer: Ships are worldwide and can pull into any port. Location is by the ships request.

18. Will MSC add a more stringent prohibition in the solicitation that explicitly states that the awarded vendor and any subcontractors may not earn any investment advisory business or investment product commission revenue from the students that receive training? This will ensure that financial services firms that submit bids do not discount the cost of the training in anticipation of future investment advisory fees and/or investment product revenue. It will also encourage bidding firms to design more objective training, geared purely toward the best interests of the training audience, rather than (for example) designing it to be the entry point to a sales funnel for potential clients.

Answer: Yes, we are going to add more stringent language. The third sentence in Section 7.2 will be amended to state “It is imperative the Contractor does not offer or attempt to sell participants any additional products for financial gain during or after the training.” See amended PWS Section 7.2.

19. Regarding the Qualified Instructors (QIs) that are required to deliver training:

a. What is the benefit of responding to the solicitation with more than one QI resume?

Answer: The benefit will be more money. If they have the ability to schedule concurrent sessions (more than one ship during the same period) they make more money.

b. What will the government require from the awarded bidder to approve additional QIs after contract award?

Answer: Section 6.2 of the PWS explains this process.

20. How will the government evaluate competing proposals that offer:

a. two trainers in a single CONUS location that must travel to all the other MSC training locations; or,

b. a minimum of four trainers in two CONUS locations and two OCONUS locations that will significantly reduce the need for travel under this contract?

Answer: Per instructions in the solicitation, quotes are to be submitted using the excel spreadsheet provided which plugs in estimated travel costs and materials costs.

21. Will MSC consider a proposal deadline extension to 09Jul17 after the 4th of July holiday?

Answer: Since this solicitation will have been posted for more than 30 days and due to time constraints, there will not be an extension.