N4008020R0013_GPIF dated 14 April 2020_Amendment 0002.pdf

N40080‐20‐R‐0013 Multi‐Media Environmental Compliance Services with an Emphasis on Storm Water, Wastewater and Drinking Water, Washington DC AOR and Other US Territories

GOVERNMENT PRE AWARD INQUIRY FORM

Page Section Para.

20-Mar-20

36 L.2 2 In light of the ongoing COVID19 situation, would the Government consider removing the hard copy production requirement from this opportunity?

Amendment 0001 removes the requirement for hard copy submissions (to include mail delivery/hand-delivered proposals).

Government will accept electronic submissions of proposals via DOD SAFE only.

20-Mar-20

39 L.2 e Could you please break down the different sections by page count for the 140 pages in Factor 2 -

Corporate Experience/Personnel Qualifications.

Offerors may allocate pages to the different sections of Factor 2 as needed to complete the submission requirements.

N/A

3 20-Mar-20 48

Factor 4 (4), (ii) 1

If a subtask or significant portion of a project is completed, but the overall task order is not completed, can we include this project for our proposal submittal?

Per Section M2.b.1, “'Recent' is defined as those projects that have been completed within five years of the issuance date of this solicitation." Projects that do not meet the "Recent" requirement will not be reviewed.

N/A

Amend No.

REFERENCE

Question No. QUESTION GOVERNMENT

RESPONSE

Date

Received

SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION ‐ SEE FAR 2.101 AND 3.104

Multi‐Media Environmental Compliance Services with an Emphasis on Storm Water, Wastewater and Drinking Water, Washington DC AOR and Other US Territories

GOVERNMENT PRE AWARD INQUIRY FORM

Page Section Para. Amend No.

Question No. QUESTION GOVERNMENT

RESPONSE

Date

Received

4 20-Mar-20 2 A A.7

The RFP indicates on page 2, that this contract can be used outside NAVFAC Washington AOR (Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland). Therefore, would NAVFAC consider projects outside the

AOR and/or in the vicinities of the defined AOR (e.g., Northeast Region) as a part of the 20 projects so that the team can demonstrate experience working outside NAVFAC Washington

AOR?

Per Section M2.b.2, “'Complexity' refers to concurrent projects in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC." Projects that do not meet the "complexity" requirement will not be reviewed.

N/A

20-Mar-20 2 A A.7 If the answer is yes to the above question, is there a maximum number of projects that you would consider outside Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland?

Not Applicable. See response to question 4.

N/A

6 20-Mar-20

Because of the health concerns regarding COVID-19 and government/company recommendations of having non-essential personnel work from home, we request that you eliminate the requirement of a hard copies and CD copies of Volume 1 and Volume 2. In order to produce a hard copy, we would need our employees to work together in a confined space area while printing and performing a quality check of the printing. We request that you allow us to submit the document via DoD SAFE (instead of CDs). This will allow the Government to receive the document in the safest manner.

Amendment 0001 removes the requirement for hard copy submissions (to include mail delivery/hand-delivered proposals).

Government will accept electronic submissions of proposals via DOD SAFE only.

7 20-Mar-20 Would the government consider extending the proposal due date two weeks to allow additional time given the adjustment to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Yes, amendment 0001 extends the proposal due date to 29 April 2020?

8 20-Mar-20 Would the government consider changing the criteria from 100% completed to 75% or substantially completed projects?

Per Section M2.b.1, “'Recent' is defined as those projects that have been completed within five years of the issuance date of this solicitation." Projects that do not meet the "Recent" requirement will not be reviewed. N/A

Multi‐Media Environmental Compliance Services with an Emphasis on Storm Water, Wastewater and Drinking Water, Washington DC AOR and Other US Territories

GOVERNMENT PRE AWARD INQUIRY FORM

Page Section Para. Amend No.

Question No. QUESTION GOVERNMENT

RESPONSE

Date

Received

9 20-Mar-20 Would the government consider changing the requirement of projects having been completed in the past five years to projects completed in the past seven years?

Per Section M2.b.1, “'Recent' is defined as those projects that have been completed within five years of the issuance date of this solicitation." Projects that do not meet the "Recent" requirement will not be reviewed. N/A

10 20-Mar-20 Is it acceptable to submit PPQs that have been completed within the past 6 months, if they do not have CPARS and they are of similar format to the PPQ form provided in the solicitation?

Section M2.b.4(i) provides instructions to offerors for submittal of past performance evaluations.

N/A

11 20-Mar-20 It appears that we are missing Attachment E, Table 2 for Wastewater SOW. Can they government please provide Attachment E, Table 2 for Wastewater?

Attachment E was uploaded with the solicitation. Please double-check the list of attachments on the SAM.BETA.Gov website. N/A

12 20-Mar-20

Please reference Para M.1 and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Restrictions on Use of Lowest Price Technically Acceptable Source Selection Process (DFARS Case 2018- DO10)- Final Rule: - Para M1 of Solicitation states that the award of the contract will be to the offeror submitting the "Lowest Price, Technically Acceptable Offer" (LPTA). The use of LPTA for this procurement appears to be in conflict with DoD's Final Ruling on the use of LPTA's. Please reference Federal Register /Vol. 84, No. 187 /Thursday, September 26, 2019 /Rules and Regulations; DoD issued a final rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation

Supplement to implement sections of the National Defense Authorization Acts for Fiscal Years 2017 and 2018 that establish limitations and prohibitions on the use of the lowest price technically acceptable source selection process that became effective on October 1, 2019. Please provide clarification on the use of LPTA for this solicitation since it is in conflict with DoD's Final Ruling to establish limitations and prohibitions on the use of LPTA's.

The Source Selection Process, Lowest Price Technical Acceptable, was selected in the acquisition strategy in accordance with the DFARS Clause 215.101- 2-70.

13 20-Mar-20 1 9 1

Re: Due Date - Given the coronavirus crisis and the resulting disruption to operations, would you please consider extending the due date for proposals by 60 days?

Due date for proposals is extended to 29 April 2020

14 20-Mar-20 36

L.4 - Pre- Award Inquiry 1

Due to the fact that the first set of questions is due so soon into the proposal process on 3/20, can there be a second, additional date later in the process - as it gets closer to the due date - to allow us to ask additional questions should they arise -- especially if the due date is extended?

The RFI due date has been extended to 08 April 2020 and the proposal due date has been extended to 28 April 2020

N/A

Multi‐Media Environmental Compliance Services with an Emphasis on Storm Water, Wastewater and Drinking Water, Washington DC AOR and Other US Territories

GOVERNMENT PRE AWARD INQUIRY FORM

Page Section Para. Amend No.

Question No. QUESTION GOVERNMENT

RESPONSE

Date

Received

15 20-Mar-20 36

L.2 - Proposal Delivery 3

To help maximize social distancing, can NAVFAC please consider replacing the hard copy delivery requirements with electronic delivery (PDF and Excel files) by email or other internet-based options?

Yes, Amendment 0001 removes the requirement for hard copy submissions (to include mail delivery/hand-delivered proposals). Government will accept electronic submissions of proposals via DOD SAFE only.

16 20-Mar-20 36

L.2 - Proposal Delivery 3

If a digital proposal submission option is not adopted, do you anticipate any issues with building access and Navy personnel being available to receive proposals on the due date?

See Government's response to question #15

17 20-Mar-20 NA NA NA

Regarding the Coronavirus, and some recent news surrounding some issues that certain NAVFAC locations are experiencing with their IT bandwith given physical distancing implementation, are there any anticipated issues or delays anticipate regarding the exchange of information electronically?

The Government will accept proposals electronically via DOD SAFE (Secure Access File Exchange). Offerors are encouraged to submit proposals the day before to mitigate any potential issues with proposals not being transmitted to the Government's point of entry by the proposal due date.

18 20-Mar-20

Due to the current COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis we are dealing with unprecedented restrictions on our workforce. As a result we respectfully request a 2 week extension of the due date of the proposal to Wednesday, April 29 2020, at 1400 est.

Yes, amendment 0001 extends the proposal due date to 29 April 2020, at 2 PM est. 0001

19 20-Mar-20

Due to the current COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis we are dealing with unprecedented restrictions on our workforce. As a result we respectfully request a 1 week extension of the due date for questions to Friday, 27 March 2020, at 1400 est.

Amendment 0001 extends the due date for questions to 08 April 2020

Multi‐Media Environmental Compliance Services with an Emphasis on Storm Water, Wastewater and Drinking Water, Washington DC AOR and Other US Territories

GOVERNMENT PRE AWARD INQUIRY FORM

Page Section Para. Amend No.

Question No. QUESTION GOVERNMENT

RESPONSE

Date

Received

20 20-Mar-20 39 of 48

Will the Government consider making allowance for the current Coronavirus crisis and the fact that personnel (both offerors and government) are working from home and accept electronic submittals of the price and non-price proposal documents through DoD Safe portal in lieu of CD and hard copies?

Yes, amendment 0001 removes the requirement for hard copy submissions (to include mail delivery/hand-delivered proposals). Government will accept electronic submissions of proposals via DOD SAFE only.

21 20-Mar-20 Attchments D-F

The specialized experience tables in the attachments are missing the last column from the solicitation lists (pages 5-6) "other related tasks". This category is a catch all for topics such as training. Would the government allow us to add a column to the attachments for "Other Related Tasks" under each water media?

The "other related tasks" item on pages 5-6 are intended to inform offerors that projects not listed may be performed through this contract. Offerors are not asked to provide additional projects outside of what is listed on Attachments D, E, and F.

N/A

22 20-Mar-20 Attachment D, E, F

Do task requirements that include "sampling and analysis" imply that the offeror should have a laboratory company as a team member?

No, Offeror may include a laboratory company on their team or subcontract laboratory services.

Sampling and Analysis projects are included on the specialized experience tables, if the Offeror was the Prime Contractor on a sampling and analyses project it may be included as one of the 20 projects.

N/A

23 20-Mar-20 39 of 48 If hard copies are still required, can the price and technical proposal be printed double sided?

See Government's response to question #22

24 20-Mar-20 general

Some projects have been completed with final drafts submitted but due to the Coronavirus crisis there have been extensive wait times for comments or state agency approval. Could the Government please allow projects that are over 80% complete to be used in the proposal as "complete"?

Per Section M2.b.1, “'Recent' is defined as those projects that have been completed within five years of the issuance date of this solicitation." Projects that do not meet the "Recent" requirement will not be reviewed. N/A

Multi‐Media Environmental Compliance Services with an Emphasis on Storm Water, Wastewater and Drinking Water, Washington DC AOR and Other US Territories

GOVERNMENT PRE AWARD INQUIRY FORM

Page Section Para. Amend No.

Question No. QUESTION GOVERNMENT

RESPONSE

Date

Received

25 21-Mar-20 44 of 48, 48 of

There are many projects that have excellent and relevant experience that are under $50K. The Government's requirement that ALL 20 projects be above $50K gives companies no incentive to continue providing the best value possible on smaller projects. Would the Government consider other more flexible text that would solve both sides of this issue, such as: 1. “Size” refers to task orders with a minimum value of $20,000. However, over 50% of the 20 recent and relevant projects must have a task order minimum value of $50,000; or 2. “Size” refers to task orders with a minimum value of $50,000. However, up to five task orders with a minimum value of $20,000 are allowed to be submitted out of the 20 recent and relevant projects.

Establishment of relevant size is based on a review of past and projected task order awards. The definition of relevant size shall not change.

N/A

23-Mar-20 39 2 e. The table with the page limitation for the Tech Proposal states that Factor 2 has a limit of 140 pages. If the 20 projects have a 2-page limit each, and the minimum of 11 resumes has a 2-page limit each, plus the 'Proximity' section, leaves approx. 70 pages to write about our corporate experience. Do we have "free reign" to write about our experience as we see fit, or should we include something in specific in those additional pages? We definitely plan to address our team's experience in general and we'll discuss our experience in the other scope areas not addressed in the projects, but we wanted to ensure we weren't missing a crucial element within Factor 2.

Once the mandatory submittals are met, Offerors have free reign for remaining pages. Only the requested submittals (20 projects and 11 resumes) will be evaluated.

N/A

23-Mar-20 45 3.

Qualified Personnel

Starting with 1

To make sure we understood correctly, the personnel types and numbers listed for each category, is a MINIMUM of the type of personnel we have to provide, and not the maximum limit, correct? In other words, we can provide more resumes if we see fit, as long as we meet the requirements listed in the RFP, starting on p. 45?

Correct. Positions listed are the minimum for this solicitation. Only the requested resumes will be evaluated.

N/A

7-Apr-20

Attachment B, C.3 on Page 8 of the RFP, and M2 on Page 45 of the RFP

Attachment B (Stormwater, Wastewater, and Drinking Water IDIQ Cost Template) provided with the RFP includes 19 labor categories. These labor categories are comparable to the categories described under C.3 Personnel Qualifications on Page 8 of the RFP, except for the following:

Project/Task Order Manage, Stormwater Project Manager, Wastewater Project Manager, Drinking Water Project Manager, and Scientist. However, under M2: Evaluation Factors 3. Qualified Personnel on Page 45 of the RFP specifies labor categories and qualifications different from Section C.3 and Appendix B. Please confirm the categories and personnel qualifications that should be used in the proposal.

The information provided in Section C.3 PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS is intended to provide definitions for Labor Categories. The only resumes that are to be submitted with the proposal are outlined in Section M2.

Evaluation Factors, (2) Factor 2, Corporate Experience/Personnel Qualifications.

Multi‐Media Environmental Compliance Services with an Emphasis on Storm Water, Wastewater and Drinking Water, Washington DC AOR and Other US Territories

GOVERNMENT PRE AWARD INQUIRY FORM

Page Section Para. Amend No.

Question No. QUESTION GOVERNMENT

RESPONSE

Date

Received

8-Apr-20 47 4 1

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, would the government consider allowing combined PPQs at the contract level to avoid requesting PPQs for individual projects from the same client?

No. Combined PPQ's will not be accepted. If Offerors are unable to obtain a completed PPQ, they may submit the first page, as stated under Factor 4, on page 48 of the RFP.

CPARS/PPQs shouuld align with the submitted 20 projects.

N/A

8-Apr-20 47 4 1

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, would the government consider allowing the project state ranking system evaluations in lieu of requesting PPQs?

No. Project state ranking system evaluations may not be submitted in lieu of PPQs. If Offerors are unable to obtain a completed PPQ, they may submit the first page, as stated under Factor 4, on page 48 of the RFP.

CPARS/PPQs should align with the submitted 20 projects.

N/A

31 8-Apr-20 9 - 11 C.3 1

On p. 9-11 of the RFP under the Personnel Qualifications section (C.3), it lists 21+ different types/categories of personnel that we must include in our submittal, such as: Principal/Program Manager; QA/QC Mgr.; Project/TO Mgr.; Technical Specialist; Senior Engineer; Mid-Level Engineer; Jr. Engineer; Sr. Scientist/Geologist; Mid-Level Scientist/Geologist; Jr.

Scientist/Geologist; Sr. Field Tech; Mid-Level Field Tech; Jr. Field Tech; GIS Analyst; CAD Operator; H&S Manager; Admin staff; Scientist/Chemist; SW Project Manager; Wastewater PM;

Drinking Water PM.

However, subsequently, on p. 45-46 of the RFP, under “3. Qualified Personnel,” it asks the offeror to submit two-page resumes for staff anticipated to work on this project. The list that follows only includes some of the categories listed above – namely Principal/PM, Project/TO Mgr., Licensed Engineers, Sr. Engineer/Scientist, Chemist, SW PM, WW PM, DW PM.

Can you please explain the discrepancies between the two lists identified for the qualified personnel we need to include…and more importantly, can you confirm if the list on p. 45-46 (that identifies the number of staff to include under each category) supersedes the list on p. 9-11 as far as the requirement for “official resumes” that we need to submit?

Please clarify why the two lists don’t match up. Thank you.

The information provided in Section C.3 PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS is intended to provide definitions for Labor Categories. The only resumes that are to be submitted with the proposal are outlined in Section M2.

Evaluation Factors, (2) Factor 2, Corporate Experience/Personnel Qualifications.

Multi‐Media Environmental Compliance Services with an Emphasis on Storm Water, Wastewater and Drinking Water, Washington DC AOR and Other US Territories

GOVERNMENT PRE AWARD INQUIRY FORM

Page Section Para. Amend No.

Question No. QUESTION GOVERNMENT

RESPONSE

Date

Received

32 8-Apr-20 NA NA NA

In the last set of questions, in response to questions 26 & 27, it was stated that “Only the requested submittals (20 projects and 11 resumes) will be evaluated.” If this is the case, can you please explain what the purpose would be of developing approximately 70 pages worth of supplementary content that will not get evaluated? In other words, please clarify if additional content that is submitted in Factor 2 – outside of the 20 required projects and 11 required resumes – will get read & considered for evaluation?

At the very least, if we include extra content, will it be used to make a (final) selection, in the event there is a “tie” between two firms and you then evaluate the added material to decide to whom to award the contract?

Please advise as we want to use our time wisely in preparing the submittal.

Basis of Evaluation is posted on page 41, Section M.2. The Government will review page quantities as listed in this section. Only items specifically requested in M2. Evaluation Factors will be evaluated.

N/A

33 8-Apr-20 39 e. 1

To align the proposal requirements with the instructions related to corporate experience projects (40 pages will be evaluated) and personnel resumes (22 pages will be evaluated), please reduce the limitation for Factor 2 to 75 pages.

Page limitations are posted on Page 39, Section 2.e.

The Government will not revise page limitations.

N/A

34 8-Apr-20 47 4 i.

Re: PPQ forms – Under Factor 4, on p. 48 of the RFP, it says: “If the offeror is unable to obtain a completed PPQ from a client for a project(s) before proposal closing date, the offeror should complete and submit with the proposal the first page of the PPQ, which will provide contract and client information for the respective project(s).

However, subsequent to that statement, it says: “Offerors should follow-up with clients/references to ensure timely submittal of questionnaires.”

To clarify, in the event we cannot get a PPQ form back in time from a client, is it OK to only submit the first page with the pre-existing client info? Please advise. Thank you.

Yes. Offerors may submit only the first page of the PPQ, as stated under Factor 4, on page 48 of the RFP. CPARS/PPQs shouuld align with the submitted 20 projects.

N/A

35 8-Apr-20 39 e. 1

Can you please increase the limitation for the Factor 1 response to 10 pages? Page limitations are posted on Page 39, Section 2.e.

The Government will review only the first three pages of a Factor 1 submission.

N/A

36 8-Apr-20 44 2 c.

Can you please expand the definition of “complexity” under “relevant” experience to include storm water, wastewater, and drinking water projects at Navy and Marine installations outside of D.C., Maryland and Virginia and if yes, update the Attachment C Corporate Experience Form accordingly?

Per Section M2.b.2, "Complexity" refers to concurrent projects in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. Projects that do not meet the "Complexity" requirement will not be reviewed.

Multi‐Media Environmental Compliance Services with an Emphasis on Storm Water, Wastewater and Drinking Water, Washington DC AOR and Other US Territories

GOVERNMENT PRE AWARD INQUIRY FORM

Page Section Para. Amend No.

Question No. QUESTION GOVERNMENT

RESPONSE

Date

Received

37 8-Apr-20 Amend1, Q6 NA NA

Can you please explain or amend the proposal delivery instructions to provide details on how to submit our response via the Secure Access File Exchange, including the request code? Thank you.

DOD SAFE Proposal submission instructions are provided via amendment

38 8-Apr-20 9 C.3 8 Can you please clarify your requirements for Technical Specialist. The first sentence indicates a BS degree while the last sentence implies a PhD degree.

Minimum requirements for a Technical Specialist is:"a person with a BS degree in the appropriate engineering/science discipline and 10 years in a technical specialty that does not typically fall into one of the standard environmental engineering or science categories." N/A

39 8-Apr-20

M2

Factor 3(i)(1)

Factor 3 - Safety, requests EMR rates for years 2016, 2017, 2018. Do you want rates for the most recent three years - 2017, 2018, 2019?

Offerors should provide EMR rates for years 2016, 2017, and 2018, as stated in the RFP. N/A

40 8-Apr-20

M2

Factor 3(i)(2)

Factor 3 - Safety, requests DART rates for years 2016, 2017, 2018. Should it be the most recent three years - 2017, 2018, 2019?

Offerors should provide DART rates for years 2016, 2017, and 2018, as stated in the RFP. N/A

41 8-Apr-20

M2

Factor 3(i)(3)

Factor 3 - Safety, requests TRC rates for years 2016, 2017, 2018. Should it be the most recent three years - 2017, 2018, 2019?

Offerors should provide TRC rates for years 2016, 2017, and 2018, as stated in the RFP. N/A

42 8-Apr-20

Content of

Proposals b.2.f

RFP requires a minimum Font of 11 Arial. Will you allow a smaller font size (9 or 10 point) for tables and figures, including the organizational chart and map.

Yes, this is acceptable

N/A

43 8-Apr-20

N/A Att. B Cost

Template N/A

Column H is titled "FAR 52.219-8 OPTION Hourly Burdened Rate," but the RFP references FAR Clause 52.217-8. Should the correct reference in Attachment B be FAR 52.217-8 (Option to Extend Services)?

Yes, the correct reference should be FAR 52.217-8 (Option to Extend Services). A revised Attachment B is provided via Amendment 0002

Multi‐Media Environmental Compliance Services with an Emphasis on Storm Water, Wastewater and Drinking Water, Washington DC AOR and Other US Territories

GOVERNMENT PRE AWARD INQUIRY FORM

Page Section Para. Amend No.

Question No. QUESTION GOVERNMENT

RESPONSE

Date

Received

44 8-Apr-20

42 M2 2(a)(ii) N/A

Referenced section states: "Offerors shall submit one set of fully burdened rates. The fully burdened rates submitted must include costs for all firms proposed under Factor 1 as well as inclusive of direct labor, indirect costs, overhead, general & administrative, profit, and escalation rate (applicable to Years 2-5 and the 6 month option period), for each labor classification necessary to support this project. Offerors shall submit rates utilizing the Attachment B - Storm Water, Wastewater and Drinking Water IDIQ Cost Template provided".

Questions -

1) It is assumed that, since all firms "proposed under Factor 1" will, by definition, have separate and distinct direct labor, overhead, and G&A, the submitted price proposal must include a separate rate submission for each firm so proposed. Please confirm.

2) For the reasons outlined above, it is not possible to propose labor category rates to cover all firms proposed under Factor 1 in Attachment B. It would typically result in an unsupported/artificially inflated rate for an 8(a) SB firm with a much lower overhead/G&A than a LB firm. To avoid this, are we permitted to modify Attachment B to reflect multiple rates under labor categories we intend to fill by multiple firms? This would provide a total for each labor category and a grand total.

In accordance with referenced section, Offerors shall submit one set of fully burdened rates.

Attachment B shall not be modified to reflect multiple firms. All offerers that are presented in Factor 1 – Technical/ Management Approach must agree to one set of Labor Rates.