19R3009_WATSON_Q&A__7__158_Thru__183_24JUL19_Final.pdf

MILITARY SEALIFT COMMAND

N32205-19-R-3009 WATSON Operation & Maintenance

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS # 7

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

158. I have been unable to locate any information on the following courses, i.e.

location, duration, cost, etc. Can you provide guidance?

C-3.9 Training for Shore Side Personnel

Courses Required Every 5 Years MSC Shoreside Organization MSC Engineering Directorate MSC Technical Authority MSC Financial Management MSC Commodities Contracts MSC Availability Management MSC Configuration Management MSC TRANSALT Management Dry-docking Root Cause Analysis Overview

Annual Refresher Courses VRRs Availabilities

PMIA

TRANSALT

PENG Training Feedback Repair / Corrective Maintenance Workbook

ANSWER: Training course information will be added as an attachment via a forthcoming amendment.

159. In the 19R3009_Attachment_B_-_WD provided with the Solicitation, the TLC including aggregate wages & fringes provided are assumedly current wages & fringes being paid, but the various CBA included in the WD refer to annual increases effective on October 1, and/or specifically on October 1, 2019 and annually thereafter, so in order to comply with SCLS, are the WD going to be updated with the Oct 1, 2019 increases, mindful of the proposed Section F Delivery Schedule dates, all of which occur after at least one increase that will be effective on October 1, 2019, and some of which will occur after two annual increases? If not, how shall offerors proceed and still meet the requirements of L-7.A.10? If so, please provide the DOL-certified WD revisions in an amendment to the solicitation, and please extend the due date for offers appropriately.

ANSWER: A revised wage determination has been requested from the Department of Labor. Attachment B will be revised in a forthcoming amendment.

160. Section C-1.7.7.1 requires that the EO’s have STCW ETO endorsement by the third option period. Should the crew complement in C-1.7.1 be changed to reflect that and a corresponding change in Form C?

ANSWER: Section C-1.7.7.1 will be revised in a forthcoming solicitation amendment to change the requirement from an EO to an ETO. However, MSC will accept an EO to fill the position prior to the beginning of the third option period. C-

1.7.1 will be amended as well to reflect this answer.

161. The pricing Form C has pricing for FOS, ROS & RAV; is the ROS and RAV pricing CONUS or OCONUS?

ANSWER: It is not anticipated any of the vessels will be placed in ROS or RAV while OCONUS. However, this is not guaranteed.

162. Section B-1.12 Transition Cost states that when transitioning statues, “the contractor shall be reimbursed reasonable, direct allocable, allowance, actuals costs for supplies and services.” Does this include crewmember wages directly associated to the transition including additional crew as well as the pay differential between statuses?

ANSWER: See Answer to Question #55

163. Section C-1.7.6 Deduction for Crew Shortages states: The contractor shall maintain a list of crew shortages (by billet) and shall calculate wages and fringes associated with these shortages for every calendar month. IAW Section G, a copy of this list shall accompany the per diem invoice for the covered period, and the total wage/fringe shortage values shall be reflected as a credit to the Government by a line item deduction on that invoice.

If the Labor Agreement covering the billet results in the contractor incurring direct labor costs, can the contractor deduct those costs associated with the gapped billet from the credit?

ANSWER: Direct labor costs shall not be deducted from the credit. It is the Government’s desire and contract requirement for the contractor to fully man the vessels at all times. However, if a billet is gapped, a credit shall be provided equal to total daily wages as proposed in Attachment P Form A.

164. Referencing section C-1.1.4.a: To assist with pricing, please state the anticipated port location for the CONUS ROS vessel.

ANSWER: See Answer to Question #60.

165. In Section C-3.8.4 (page 139) Qualifications of Engineering Manager, the last paragraph states, “Five years of the combined experience must include work as a professional engineer.” Please clarify if this means work as a licensed Professional Engineer (PE)? If not, please provide an example(s) of what MSC considers “work as a professional engineer?”ed.

ANSWER: See Answer to Question #79.

166. RESERVED

167. Please provide clarification regarding Per Diem rates as described in Section B-1.7, B-1.8, and, C-1.7.4, as they refer to onboard turnover of key shipboard billets. Section B-1.7 and B-1.8 directs offerors to a list of “shipboard key billets listed in Section C”. There is no such list in Section C. Please provide a list of Key Shipboard billets for all statuses including FOS, ROS, and RAV.

ANSWER: The Government revised Section C-1.7.7 in Amendment 0002 to include a list of Key Shipboard personnel billets.

168. Sections C-1.1.4.4, C-1.1.4.5, C-1.3.2.1, C-1.3.2.2, all refer to “IAW Section 0”.

Please fill in the proper section.

ANSWER: The Government revised section C-1.1.4.4, C-1.1.4.5, C-1.3.2.1 and C-

1.3.2.2 in Amendment 0002 to update to the correct reference.

169. Section C-1.7.3.2 - Delays in travel to Diego Garcia, discusses reimbursement of expenses associated with delays/cancellations of government flights in excess of two days. Please confirm that wages due to crewmembers for these delays are reimbursable.

ANSWER: Crewmember wages in excess of two days will be reimbursed. This answer will be reflected in a forthcoming solicitation amendment.

170. Section C-1.8.2 - Cost of MSC/Navy Required Training states that “wages associated with travel and training shall be part of the firm fixed price of this contract”. Does this mean that only travel wages associated with training are part of the firm fixed price? Are travel wages associated with joining or leaving a vessel reimbursable?

ANSWER: Wages associated with crew rotation travel shall be part of the firm fixed price of this contract. This answer will be reflected in a forthcoming amendment.

171. The Wage Determinations provided are for rates effective 10/1/18. There will be a wage increase between now and the start of the new contract. MEBA, MMP, SUP, and MFU did not provide an increase. Please provide an increase percentage for each of these to satisfy the certification. Additionally, the SIU Vacation fund did not provide a calculation factor and the MOU states that it should be verified by the Company under separate cover. Please provide the percentage or clarification for calculation.

ANSWER: See Answer to Question #159.

172. In the RFP, Section L-7 B.(1)a.ii. Attachment K-1, the directions state, “…that satisfy the criteria in paragraph (2)(a) above.” There does not appear to be a “paragraph (2)(a) above” shown in Section L. Please clarify where this criteria for Attachment K-1 may be found, or kindly provide the criteria separately in response to this clarification.

ANSWER: The Government will revise Section L-7(B)(1)(a)(ii) to change the reference to L-7(B)(1)(a)(i). This change will be reflected in a forthcoming solicitation amendment.

173. Section F-1 - Period of Performance states:

The base period will begin upon the delivery of the first vessel anticipated to occur on or about 01 April 2020. The first vessel delivered will have a full 365-day base period.

It is anticipated that all vessels under this contract will deliver within six months of the first vessel. Each subsequent vessel delivered will have a base period of performance of less than 365 days, unless a subsequent vessel if delivered on the same day as the first vessel. The first day per diem will be paid for each vessel is the day the vessels are delivered to the contactor. Periods of performance of the contract are as follows:

Period Days

Firm Period 365 Option Period One 365 Option Period Two 365 Option Period Three 366 Option Period Four 365

Option period three states 366 days (specifying a leap year) while pricing form D leap year (366 days) is to be priced in option year one. Section F is correct if first vessel is anticipated at being turned over on or about April 1, 2020 as the next leap year would be in 2024. Please advise.

ANSWER: The Government revised Section F-1 in Amendment 0002.

174. There are various statuses in the CLIN structure on pages 5-7 of the solicitation that aren’t on the pricing forms. The pricing forms (Form D) only have room for FOS/ROS/RAV; however, the per diem rate schedule is broken out by FOS (Army)/FOS- ROS Delta/FOS (Marine Corps)/ROS/RAV. Since section M states that MSC is only evaluating FOS/ROS/RAV, please clarify the purpose of the various statuses listed in the CLIN structure so that offerors can ensure compliance.

ANSWER: The Government revised Section B-1.16 (Per Diem Rate Schedule) and Attachment L Form D in Amendment 0002.

175. In section L-7 B (1) (a) (iii) it requires resumes and letters of intent for all key personnel. In section M-1 C (1) c it states that offeror is to provide resumes and Letters of Intent (if applicable) for proposed Key Shoreside Personnel. What is meant by “if applicable”? Are Letters of Intent required for current employees as well?

ANSWER: A letter of intent is not required for proposed Key Shoreside Personnel who currently work for the offeror. The Government will revise Section M-1

(C)(1)(c) to remove “(if applicable).” These changes will be reflected in a forthcoming solicitation amendment.

176. Referencing section C-1.2.2-Unmanned Engine Room:

This section states that the contractor shall maintain full USCG approval for unmanned engine room operation for the ships covered by this contract that are certified at the time of award of this contract.” Are all of the Watson Class vessels currently operating in an unmanned engine room status both in port and at sea? If not, please state which vessels are not in an unmanned status and whether those expenses related to manning will be reimbursable until that status is achieved?

ANSWER: All of the WATSON Class ships are currently certified for unmanned engine room operations.

177. Questions 18 and 41 of the Q&A both address Ammo Bonuses paid to crew in the event that a sufficient quantity of explosives are placed on a ship.

The answer to question 18 states that the Per Diem Rate schedule will be revised to incorporate a FOS Per Diem with Ammo pay. Given that labor unions pay varying ammo bonus amounts, this could significantly vary the offerors total evaluated price. This opens up a risk that the government may pay more for AMMO bonus than necessary as well as pay for services that they may not receive. We respectfully request you re-evaluate this answer and return Ammo bonus payments back to a direct reimbursable to eliminate this variable. If FOS Per Diem with Ammo bonus included is a requirement, please provide an assumption for the number of days each vessel would carry the sufficient quantity for pricing purposes.

ANSWER: The government is not considering re-evaluating the answer at this time. For estimating purposes, without guarantee, it is anticipated every WATSON class vessel deployed overseas will be in an “FOS with Ammo bonus” Per Diem status.

178. Section C1.3.2.3 Costs of food and hotel service - “At a minimum, the contractor shall reconcile true meal and berthing costs for all TEP and PEP for each ship on a quarterly basis. The contractor shall keep detailed records of meals, and hotel services provided. At a minimum, the records shall include the names, ranks, and affiliation of all personnel served and berthed. The contractor shall submit proper documentation and provide a credit to the Government when there is less than the full number of PEP stated in C.1.3.2.a, or to apply for reimbursement if numbers exceed the above limits. Rate of credit or reimbursement is identified in C-1.3.2.1.”

This section places the contractor in the position of supplementing the Government for meals. Actual costs to feed personnel Globally, and in the two pre-position squadrons specifically, exceeds the rates offered for reimbursement or reconciliation therefore, reimbursing the government for open slots and not getting reimbursed for actual costs places the contractor in a position contrary to the FAR. Please re-evaluate reimbursement rates to $25 dollars per day per person.

ANSWER: The Government determined it is in its best interest to leave the requirement as it is.

179. There have been three Q&A postings to date, all referring to a forth coming amendment however this amendment still hasn’t been posted. Based on the delay in issuing of the revised RFP and the need to review and adjust our proposals to accommodate the amendment, CGS requests a 3-week extension to the due date. Please consider extending the due date until Aug 06, 2019.

ANSWER: Amendment 0002 extended the closing date to 06 Aug 2019.

180. Section A. Volume I (Solicitation Package) shall include: (15) Small Business Participation Commitment Document (SBPCD) Nontrade-off Proposal.

Can you please provide the government data to assist in developing a proposed level of small business participation?

ANSWER: Data will be provided to the potential offeror who made the request.

181. Section A. Volume I (Solicitation Package) shall include: (15) Small Business Participation Commitment Document (SBPCD) Nontrade-off Proposal.

Can you please clarify that the only additional item required that isn’t included in the Small Business Subcontracting Plan, is in fact:

b. Identifying small business firms planned for subcontracting throughout the duration of the contract?

ANSWER: The SBPCD is a stand-alone document from the Small Business Subcontracting Plan. Where the same data is required in both the SBPCD and the Small Business Subcontracting Plan, that data shall be the same in each of the documents.

182. Section C-1.1.4.3.1 Crew Maintenance OT, requires a monthly report including “an estimate of any industrial assistance (IA) costs associated with completing any proposed corrective maintenance tasks with clearly stated justifications for incurring the additional costs” Section C-2.5.7.3 Industrial Assistance (IA) Procurement Request, requires request/approval 10 business days prior to the planned start date and Section C-4.2.2.2 Annual O&M Budget, requires a list and estimates of IA Costs.

All three sections require the same information at different time periods and submission personnel, KO, COR, N7, …. Please advise which submission dates prevail or why the same information is to be submitted 3 different times for the same O&M budgeting function.

ANSWER: The Government will review the sections in question and may amend the solicitation to change the reporting requirement.

183. Section c-1.1.4.b Operating Tempo – The statements within this sections “…Future OPTEMPO may radically vary from estimates below” and the prior statement on Concept of Operations stipulating “Contract’s firm fixed price shall not be increased or decreased to account for cost changes due to a change in a ships operating status” creates a situation where there cannot be an accurate method for pricing.

For example, crew watch standing costs vary by in port, at anchor, or underway all while in FOS. How can an offeror price every contingent in the crewing of a vessel without any basis or means to adjust over a 5-year time period, globally, in any operating status?

ANSWER: The Government determined it is in its best interest to leave the requirement as it is. Contractors successfully accounted for this same contingency in the past on firm-fixed-price contracts.