18R3003_Q&A__1.pdf

18R3003 Q&A #1

1. Quality Management System (QMS) - Section 3.2.0 (page 59 of 145) - states "The Contractor shall develop and maintain a Quality Management System compliant with ISO 9001:2008..."Does "Contractor" mean the actual corporate entity bidding on the RFP? Or can a sister company of the "Contractor" provide the QMS? What about a ship management subcontractor?

A: Yes, the statement “Contractor Shall” refers to the actual corporation bidding on the RFP. A sister company or a ship management subcontractor’s system will not meet the requirement. The Contractor shall develop and maintain a Quality Management System compliant with ISO 9001:2008 and the

Quality Management System must be certified by an accredited organization that the system conforms to this standard.

2. We note that Section 3.20 (page 59 of 145) requires a Quality Management System compliant with

ISO 9001:2008. Further down in the paragraph it states that "quality system certification (Interim or otherwise) shall be in place no later than 60 days after delivery of the first ship...". However, Section M-

1,C,4a (page 141 of 145) states that the Offerer must demonstrate 5 years experience with ISO

9001:2008. Please explain the apparent disconnect between these two requirements.

A: The Government requires that the Offeror must have demonstrated 5 years of experience (Minimum

Technical Requirements) within the past 10 years in the development and management of a Quality

Management System, as required in C-3.20, compliant with ISO 9001:2008 and offeror must provide a copy of the Quality System Certification certified by an accredited organization. Separately, as a requirement of performance, the Contractor shall put in place its certified Quality System onboard the vessels no later than 60 days after delivery of the first ship.

3. Section M-1,C,4b (page 141 of 145) states that the Offerer has demonstrated 5 years experience with

"the management of afloat/ashore Safety Management Systems, as required in C-3.23, compliant with the

International Maritime Organization's (IMO) International Safety Management (ISM) Code...". There is no Section C-3.23.

A: Please see Amendment 0002.

4. Please provide crew travel cost history for the last few years including the port of crew change over.

A: No crew travel cost historical data will be provided. Commercial travel costs are available through various means (travel agent, internet sites, etc.). Vessel prepositioning locations are addressed in

Section C 1.1.4 Area of Operations.

5. Given that the area of operations is worldwide, the crew transportation costs go from hundreds of dollars (example US West Coast) to many thousands of dollars (example remote ports in SE Asia) based on location. It is impossible for us to estimate the crew transportation costs. Please consider making

OCONUS crew travel reimbursable.

A: All crew travel and per diem associated with crew transportation costs are to be included in the contractor’s fixed rate Vessel prepositioning locations are addressed in Section C 1.1.4 Area of

Operations.

6. In the Pricing sheets, Attachment O, the crewing tab lists one (1) QMED/Electrician but the position is not carried through on tabs C-FOS, C-ROS, and C-RAV. Due to this omission, the total billets do not sum correctly for the Engine Department on tabs C-FOS, C-ROS, and C-RAV. Please confirm the crewing positions and total billets for all 3 phases. Will an amendment be issued with new pricing sheets or are we to add/delete the rating from the appropriate tab?

A. 18R3003 Attachment O Pricing Sheets- ESD-0002 is updated as an attachment to Amendment 0002.

7. In the Pricing sheets, Attachment O, Form A- column E, the formula is not calculating correctly and results in a “#REF!” error. Within the same pricing sheet, a phase is not listed in cell E6. What is the proper heading and calculation for this column? Will an amendment be issued with new pricing sheets or are we to update the pricing sheets?

A. 18R3003 Attachment O Pricing Sheets- ESD-0002 is updated as an attachment to Amendment 0002.

8. Section 1.1.13.4 is ambiguous as to the number of days per year a SHE will be required. As worded with “two or more” annual exercises and possible quarterly training, there is no upper limit on the number of days that will be needed. The operating requirements are totally out of control of the contractor. Please consider making time exceeding 20 days per year per ship reimbursable. Alternatively, will the government provide an operational history of SHE usage for the last 5 years to include number of days per ship per year, as well as a projection during the contract period when in FOS.

A: The Government will advise the Contractor post-award when mission requires the services of a

Ship Handling Expert (SHE). For planning purposes SHE availability will be required as per RFP.

The Government will not provide an operational history of SHE usage. Please note: Travel expenses for the SHE (lodging, per diem, local transportation, CONUS and OCONUS travel) will be reimbursable within the limits of the Joint Travel Regulations (JTR) with prior COR approval (Section

C 1.1.13.4 Experienced Ship Handling Expert).

9. Please provide updated and complete wage determinations, as information supplied in “Attachment B” is entirely out of date. No Ship Handling Expert information is included. No wage, benefits, and fringe breakout information is included for the officers. For the unlicensed crew, benefits and fringes are provided but wages are not.

A. Updated wage determinations will be provided in a future amendment.

10. Please provide the non-crew complement numbers spanning the past five-year operating history for each vessel.

A: The Government does not track this data.

11. Respectfully request the solicitation deadline be extended to allow adequate time to receive updated data needed to complete a response.

A. No.

12. The wage determinations from DOL contain the aggregate fringe benefit rates for the AMO Officers, but it is missing the underlying MOU that shows the base wages, non-watch, OT, penalty rates and

ACCU Standby rates, holidays, MPB etc. for officers. For the unlicensed crew, the SIU documents available in the provided wage determinations contain neither the aggregate fringes nor the similar underlying MOU information. When can complete DOL wage determinations be expected?

A. Updated wage determinations will be provided in a future amendment.

13. Will you please provide an extension of the due date for offers by 30 days in consideration of the wages determinations not yet provided and the amount of work required by labor organizations and offerors upon receipt of complete wage determinations from DOL?

A. No.

14. 1.1.13.4 - SHE (Ship Handling Expert) – a) Please advise if the SHE expenses (wages etc.) are a reimbursable during the missions or if these costs are to be included in the fixed per diem rate? and b)

Does the SHE have to be a permanent employee of the Contractor, or can the pool of SHE’s be subcontractors?

A: Travel expenses for the SHE (lodging, per diem, local transportation, CONUS and OCONUS travel) will be reimbursable within the limits of the Joint Travel Regulations (JTR) with prior COR approval.

The SHE Service will be at a Fix Per Diem rate per day once on board to assigned vessel, in addition to the OPHIRE Fix Per Diem rate.

The contractor shall maintain a pool of a minimum of four experienced Ship Handling Experts (SHE).

The SHE pool can be subcontractors.

15. 2.4.5.2 - Travel in CONUS - please confirm whether travel for CONUS availabilities for Contractor port engineers, port captains, etc, is reimbursable or should be included within the Contractor’s fixed per diem rate.

A: Within CONUS, availabilities and industrial assistance travel costs for Contractor Port Engineers, POC for Operations or Port Captain, and Administrative Assistant shall be included in Contractor’s fixed per diem rate.

16. 2.14.1.2 - Reimbursement of Legal Fees for Claims - we note that legal fees for claims by industrial assistance subcontractors is limited to 80%. Therefore, is the remaining 20% supposed to be considered as part of the Contractor’s fixed per diem rate?

A: Business decision the Contractors will have to make.

17. Why does Attachment H reference OPDS on p.3?

A. Please see Amendment 0002.

18. Past Performance Evaluation (Page 143) – Please consider expanding the recency requirement of past performance to ten years. This would be more consistent with the technical requirements evaluation section of the RFP. For example, Ship Operational experience for minimum of 10 in the last 15 years, corporate experience of at least 10 years, planned maintenance experience of at least 10 years and dry dock experience in the last 10 years.

A: No consideration will be made to expand the Recency Assessment to 10 years vice 5 years. Past

Performance efforts must have been completed within five (5) years of the date this solicitation, as amended, closes.

19. Section F-1 (page 71 of 145) – Period of Performance – First paragraph states ship delivery and familiarization dates in January of 2018 – We presume an Amendment will be issued altering the period of performance and familiarization dates.

20. In Attachment O (pricing sheets), tabs “C-FOS”, “C-ROS” and “C-RAV” are missing the

“QMED/Electrician” position for each contract period. As a result, the entire pricing sheet doesn’t properly calculate total crew costs, thereby underestimating the true cost to operate and maintain the vessels.

21. Based upon the above questions, the questions that have been previously submitted as well as the robust requirements for submission, we hereby request a two week extension which would be more in line with the timelines required for previous MSC O&M RFPs. Please also note that as of the submission of this email we are still awaiting crew rates from the unions which is also adversely affecting the timeline.

A. The response submission date is not extended at this time.