Attachment_J_13_AIT_Q_A Rev 1.pdf

Attachment J-13 Rev. 1 N6339422R0510 – Questions and Answers

1. PAGES 101-102 of 159, DFARS 252.223-7999 ENSURING ADEQUATE COVID-19

SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOR FEDERAL CONTRACTORS (DEVIATION 2021-O0009) (OCT

2021) While we accept the addition of DFARS 252.223-7999 and will comply, please confirm that DFARS 252.223-7999 will not be subject to any Release of Claims language in the resulting award documents. Because DFARS 252.223-7999 is a dynamic provision subject to continual change by the Task Force (as evidenced by the https:/www.saferfederalworkforce.gov/contractors/ hyperlink included directly in the provision), we simply do not yet know the cost ramifications of continued compliance. We respectfully request that you confirm in the solicitation that we may be able to submit a Request for Equitable Adjustment, (related to DFARS 252.223-7999 compliance) at a later date, if needed.

A1. DFARS 252.223-7999 is mandatory for solicitations issued on or after October 15, 2021, and contracts, task orders, and delivery orders awarded pursuant to those solicitations, that are expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT). No modifications to the clause are permitted.

2. Page 18 States we can “provide additional LC and hours if applicable”. May the Offeror remove hours from labor categories proposed in the list provided in Table 1 that the Offer believes are not required to execute the efforts being procured with this solicitation and provide additional labor categories and hours (while maintaining the same total LOE per year) to represent what the Offeror believes is required to execute the efforts being procured with this solicitation?

A2. Offeror is required to propose labor categories as provided in the Level of Effort Summary Table, page 19 of the solicitation.

3. Page 19 The Labor Category Table consists of Labor Categories that seem to be inconsistent with those required to execute the SOW. Will the government consider revising this table accordingly?

A3. No, The Level of Effort Summary Table will not be revised. Offeror is required to propose labor categories as provided in the Table, page 19 of the solicitation.

4. Page 27 Missing Paragraph 3.5.5.

A4. Typo. 3.5.6, should read 3.5.5

5. Page 27 Under Paragraph 3.6.3., should the word “not” precede “exceed” on line two?

A5. Yes, it is correct as is.

6. Page 29 Under Paragraph 3.9.3., the word “Washington” seems to have been inadvertently inserted after the word “Change” on second line. Should there be another word in its place?

A6. The term “Proposed Change Washington” is correct.

7. Page 93, Section I, FAR 52.222-41 The Government has invoked FAR 52.222-41. Request the Government provide a copy of the Wage Determination that should be used by all offerors to ensure pricing and evaluation consistency.

A7. Offeror can obtain Wage Determination at https://sam.gov/content/home; use Ventura County as location.

8. Page 128, Section L, 1.7, Proposal Organization Table The Proposal Organization Table lists a “Volume II – Technical Capability” page limit of 60 pages. Factor 1, Element A of this Volume requires the offeror to present relevant experience and capabilities aligned with 83 SOW paragraphs. Within the page limits of this Volume, the offeror is also required to provide a Staffing Plan (Factor 1, Element C) and Elements A – C of Factor 2, Management Approach. We request the Government consider increasing the page limit of this Volume to at least 100 pages to allow for adequate space to discuss the required elements of Factors 1 and 2. The Government might consider instead, assigning separate page limits to Factor 1 (suggest 75+ pages) and Factor 2 (suggest 25+ pages).

A8. The stated page limits will not be modified.

9. Page 128, Section L, 1.7, Proposal Organization Table The Proposal Organization Table lists a “Volume V – Copy of NAVSEA 04RP QMS” with an unlimited page limit. There is no other mention of Volume V in Section L, nor is Volume V listed with Evaluation Factors in Section M. Offeror requests the Government provide guidance for the Volume V requirements in Section L and Evaluation Factors in Section M.

A9. Volume V listed in the Proposal Organizational Table refers to Mandatory Requirement 3 in Section L 1.1 & Section M 2.1.

10. Page 128, Section L, 1.8 Offeror asks the Government to confirm that Volume I – Offer/Contract Information should contain only a Cover Letter per paragraph 1.8.1 and that no other proposal elements should be included in Volume I. If this is the case, does the Government still require a Table of Contents, Tables, and Figures and a Glossary of Terms, Abbreviations, and Acronyms (per paragraph 1.8.3) in Volume I?

A10. Yes.

11. Page 131, Section L.3, Key Personnel, c.

Under L.3. c., should the words “within 30 days” replace “at award”?

A11. No.

12. Page 136, Section L, Direct Labor Notes, iii, (a) If a position/labor category is required to perform hours in order to complete CDRLs identified in the solicitation, please confirm these hours can be charged direct to the contract and can be included in the LOE provided in Table 1.

A12. Table 1, the labor categories include the labor hours required to develop CDRLs.

13. Page 142, Section L, L.7 If a subcontractor is proposed at less than 3% of the total proposed hours, what additional documents (aside from those mentioned under L.9), is the Government expecting the subcontractor to complete and provide to the Government in response to the solicitation? Is it just Attachment J-08? (b) and (e) are not conflicting to the Government’s expectations?

A13. See L.7(e) for subcontracts less than 3% of the total proposed labor hours.

14. Page 145, Section L, Clauses Request 252.234-7001 (Dev) Notice of Earned Value System (Deviation 2015-O0017) SEP 2015 is removed. The solicitation is not expected to exceed $100 million.

A14. Clause 252.234-7001 (Dev), Notice of Earned Value System (Deviation 2015-O0017) SEP 2015 is required for this solicitation.

15. Page 127, Section L, 1.4, Proposal Format Line “d” specifies that 12-point Times New Roman font text should be used including graphs, tables, charts, etc. Line “e” specifies that “the font size for text contained in embedded graphics (tables and illustrations) shall be no smaller than 10-point Times New Roman font”. Offeror requests that the Government allow the use of 10-point Times New Roman font for graphs, tables, charts, embedded graphics, and illustrations.

A15. Offeror is allowed to use 10-point Times New Roman font for graphs, tables, charts, embedded graphics, and illustrations but paragraphs (text) shall be 12-point.

16. Page 133, Section L, L.2, Element B – Subcontractor Management The RFP states “If teaming or subcontracting is contemplated, Offeror shall provide the following:

a. The proposed subcontractors or team members;

b. The portions of the contract SOW that will be subcontracted or the planned division of tasks within the team; and

c. Agreements/arrangements with its teammates and/or subcontractors and how such agreements will benefit the Government and aid the Offeror in achieving the requirements and objectives of this effort and benefit the Government throughout the life of the contract.

Regarding the requirement of line “c” above, does the Government intend for Offerors to include Teaming Agreements (TA) with the proposal or to simply reference the type of agreement or arrangement that has been agreed to by the Offeror and its teammate or subcontractor? If TAs are required to be submitted with the Offeror’s proposal, will they be excluded from the page count of Volume II?

A16. No, the Government is not requesting copies of the Offeror’s Teaming Agreement(s).

17. Solicitation Offeror asks the Government to confirm that Standard Form 33, Standard Form 30 (if any are issued), Section H, Section K, and any other solicitation fill-ins should be included in Volume IV

– Cost Proposal.

A17. No, offeror is required to complete solicitation SF33 for all required fill-ins.

18. By requirements, I believe that you are referring to all of SOW Section 3, Requirements, starting on the bottom of page 29.

Some of the subsections are not conducive for developing a technical approach, specifically 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.7, and 3.12.

In a review of the words in 3.3 Training, there is no technical approach (experience, capability, and ability) that can be written. I believe that the same can be said of the sections listed above.

What can be written about the words in 3.7, Technical Instruction Form?

The real work is conducting installations using the AIT methodology iaw NSTS 9090-310 (series) and NSWC PHD Inst. 9090.3 (series).

A18. The Offeror’s technical approach shall be written in a clear and concise manner, in sufficient depth of detail to enable the Government to make a comprehensive evaluation of the Offeror's experience and capability and ability to meet the requirements set forth in the solicitation Section C, SOW.

19. Volume III- Past Performance 1.10.1 paragraph (a) states that Offeror(s) are not to submit more than four past performance information sheets, however Offerors are instructed to provide a past performance information form for all major subcontractors. May Offerors assume that past performance information sheets from major subcontractors are not included in the limitation of four past performance sheets?

A19. PPIFs submitted for major subcontractors are excluded from the Prime Contractor’s PPIF limit.

20. May the government please clarify whether the 10% referenced in the definition of a major subcontractor from Volume III- Past Performance 1.10.1 paragraph (a) includes other direct costs?

A20. Yes, all costs.

21. Volume IV Cost Proposal 1.11 iii. Direct Labor Notes paragraph (b) references a table in L.3.3.3, however that table doesn’t exist. May the Government please clarify what table Offeror’s are supposed to illustrate?

A21. Refer to Level of Effort Summary Table, page 19 of solicitation.

22. The RFP states that Offerors are to bid the hours in the J.08 attachment, however the RFP also states that an offeror does not have to bid the management and support hours (Volume IV Cost Proposal 1.11 iii. Direct Labor Notes paragraph (a)). Whereas it is clear in the RFP that should the Offeror not bid Management and Support hours then they will not be allowed to charge those hours in contract execution, please confirm that if an Offeror does not bid the Management and Support hours then their proposal will be considered compliant with the RFP.

A22. Use attachment J-08. Yes, if an Offeror does not bid the Management and Support hours then their proposal will be considered compliant with the RFP.

23. The RFP specifies in Volume IV Cost Proposal 1.11 b. Direct Labor Rates paragraph (v) that Offerors are to propose at least the minimum wage rates for SCA covered labor categories. Being that this contract has several locations, may the government please specify which wage determination schedules that Offerors should utilize?

A23. Use Ventura County.

24. May the government please specify whether Offerors are supposed to fill out Attachment J.07 by task as stated in Volume IV Cost Proposal 1.11 b. Direct Labor Notes paragraph (b) or by labor category as stated in section Volume IV Cost Proposal 1.11 b. Direct Labor Rates paragraph (viii)?

A24. Fill out attachment J-07 by labor categories/rates that correspond to the Contract Line Item Number (CLIN).

25. Per Volume IV Cost Proposal L.6 Other Direct Costs paragraph (d), Offerors shall not include subcontractor’s travel and material in the prime’s portion of the cost/price proposal, however Offerors are not privy to the extent that these costs will need to be incurred. How should these costs be divvied up?

A25. The costs are based on subcontractor proposal.

26. May the requirement in Volume IV Cost Proposal L.7 Subcontractor/ Consultant Costs paragraph (b) be amended to state that only Major subcontractors (10% or more of the cost proposal) shall include the same level of detail and format as required for the prime contractor?

A26. No.

27. May the RFP be amended to state that only subcontractors being proposed on a cost reimbursement basis be required to submit to the same level of detail and format as required for the prime contractor?

A27. No.

28. May the government please specify what location(s) by labor category that Offerors should utilize in the pricing of this opportunity?

A28. Ventura County. The travel table in the SOW list Ventura County as the place of origin.

29. May the government please specify how many hours per labor category should be priced at a government facility versus a contractor’s facility?

A29. This requirement is all contractor-site.

30. Would the government allow contractors to submit their proposals via DOD SAFE?

A30. No, all proposals will be submitted via PIEE/Solicitation suite.

31. The solicitation includes Attachment_J_07_Cost_Summary which consists of a tab called “Cost Summary.” This tab is broken down Task 1-8 and then includes area for “Surge Tasks “18.” We are unable to find corresponding tasks or surge tasks under the SF 33 specifically section C, L, M.

Can you please help clarify how Attachment_J_07 should be completed and what tasks we should reference for filling them out as the tasks in section C do not align.

A31. See answer to question #24

32. Will there be a modification or publication of Q&A for any questions that have already been asked?

A32. Yes, amendment will be issued to publish Q&A.

33. Wrt the Government’s response to Questions 24 and 31, “Fill out Attachment J-07 by labor categories/rates that correspond to the Contract Line Item Number (CLIN)” Attachment_J_07_Cost_Summary consists of Tasks 1-8; however, there are only four CLINs 0001 – AIT Services; CLIN 0002 – Materials; CLIN 0003 – Travel; CLIN 0004 Tech Data Requirements.

QUESTION: Will the government clarify how do the CLINs correlate to the eight (8) Tasks identified in Attachment_J_07_Cost_Summary and provide each of the eight tasks by name?

A33. Attachment J-07 Cost Summary is provided as a template, Offerors shall provide cost summary information in the format provided as in Attachment J-07. The first spreadsheet “Cost Summary Format” provides the required format for the Cost Proposal. The second spreadsheet “Supporting Cost Data” provides a suggested format for supporting the rate information. This information shall be provided in the Cost Proposal.

34. Wrt page 154, Element C – Transition, specifically, “The Government will evaluate how the Offeror will assume responsibility for support of current tasking without discontinuity of workflow or loss of integrity of current operations.”

QUESTION: Will the government confirm the incumbent contractor will complete all Task Order installations assigned and there will be no need for a turnover for a partially completed install started by the incumbent contractor?

A34. The Government cannot confirm the status of installations at the time of turnover. Offeror is required to provide a Transition Plan which will be evaluated in accordance with Section M, paragraph 2.7, M.2 Element C.

35. Wrt page 17, B-231-H002 WORKSITE TRAVEL COSTS “(d) Additionally, the contractor shall not charge, and the Government shall not pay, any transportation costs under this contract associated with transporting contractor or subcontractor personnel between the contractor's facility (or subcontractor's facility), and any other worksite to perform ship repair, maintenance or modernization. Transportation costs include, but are not limited to, bus fare, car fare, train fare, or boat fare, paid by the work force, or paid by the contractor on behalf of the work force” and page 31 Estimated Travel Table

QUESTION: Will the government clarify that contractor travel costs to the various locations will be funded as ODC, and authorized travel costs incurred to support installs on various ships in various homeports will be reimbursed to the contractor?

A35. Refer to Section C, para 3.12 Travel Requirement. Travel cost will be reimbursed for travels to tentative locations listed in paragraph 3.12.5.

36. Wrt page 24, paragraph 3.2.11 “The Contractor is expected to maintain an adequate workforce for the uninterrupted performance of all tasks defined within this SOW. The

Contractor shall accomplish all work by employing and utilizing qualified personnel with appropriate combinations of education, training, and experience to provide quality workmanship, maintain schedule, and minimize rework.” There is no mention in the SOW about concurrent tasking. It would be excessive to expect any contractor to be able to simultaneously support all travel requirements listed on page 31; however, the requirement in paragraph 3.2.11 is asking the contractor to commit to an unspecified amount of concurrent work.

QUESTION: Will the government clarify the amount of concurrent work the contractor is expected to perform?

A36. Technical Instructions will be issued for specific tasking requirements for each period of performance. Reference clause C-242-H003 Technical Instructions.

37. Wrt page 30, paragraph 3.11.5 and page 27, paragraph 3.5.2 - The Contractor shall ship, receive, and manage materials for all CONUS and OCOUNUS locations; and 3.11.5 - The Contractor shall ensure that the installation and removal team receives all materials delivered to foreign ports 30 days prior to the availability or window of opportunity start date. The Contractor shall ship, receive, and manage equipment and materials for all CONUS and OCONUS locations and update its material tracking system within 24 hours or next business day of material receipt and issuance.

QUESTION: Will the government clarify if there is an expectation for the contractor to send a representative to CONUS and OCONUS locations well before the start of an install simply to receive material shipped in advance of the start of the install?

A37. Yes, a contractor employee may be required to be at the installation site prior to the start of the install for CONUS and OCONUS locations.

38. Page 128, Section L, 1.7, Proposal Organization Table, L 1.1, M2.1, and Attachment J-13 – Questions and Answers, #9 with Evaluation Factors in Section M Does the Government want the Offeror to submit the offeror’s entire QMS in Volume V, just the Manual of the QMS, or just a copy of the NAVSEA approval letter?

A38. Copy of NAVSEA approval letter

39. Volume V Evaluation Offeror asks the Government to specifically outline what should be submitted in Volume V and how Volume V will be evaluated.

A39. Reference Section M, paragraph 2.1, Requirement 3.

Mandatory Requirements location

40. Within which Volume should the Mandatory Requirements listed in Section L 1.1 & Section M 2.1 be presented?

A40. Volume V

41. Evaluation of the Mandatory Requirements How will each of the three Mandatory Requirements be evaluated?

A41. Reference Section M, paragraph 2.1 for each applicable Mandatory Requirements.

42. Follow-up to Attachment J-13, Q&A Government’s Answer #17 Within which Volume should the SF33 be included?

A42. See block 9 of solicitation. Offeror is required to submit a completed copy of the solicitation.

43. Amendment 0001, Page 24, Section L.3.1 (a), Key Position 1: Program Manager (One Required) Required Qualifications:

(a) states, “Six (6) years of experience as the primary point of contract for contractor’s tasking, including formulating, guiding, and directing the technical tasks, allocating necessary resources, and establishing and controlling technical milestones, schedules, and costs for day-to-day execution.”

Will the government allow U.S. Navy experience as part of the Six (6) years of experience “as the primary point of contact for US Navy’s tasking, including formulating, guiding, and directing the technical tasks, allocating necessary resources, and establishing and controlling technical milestones, schedules, and costs for day-to-day execution”?

A43. Key Personnel experience is required as stated in Section L, L.3.1 Key Position 1, Required Qualifications.

44. Follow Up Question to Attachment J-13, N6339422R0510 – Questions and Answers # 43.

1.: PAGES 101-102 of 159, DFARS 252.223-7999 ENSURING ADEQUATE COVID-19

SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOR FEDERAL CONTRACTORS (DEVIATION 2021-O0009) (OCT

2021)

As a follow-up to the Government’s answer, please confirm that DFARS 252.223-7999 will not be subject to any Release of Claims language in the resulting award documents. Because DFARS 252.223-7999 is a dynamic provision subject to continual change by the Task Force (as evidenced by the https:/www.saferfederalworkforce.gov/contractors/ hyperlink included directly in the provision), we simply do not yet know the cost ramifications of continued compliance. We respectfully request that you confirm in the solicitation that we may be able to submit a Request for Equitable Adjustment (related to DFARS 252.223-7999 compliance) at a later date, if needed.

A44. Requests for Equitable Adjustment will be evaluated in accordance with the terms of the contract.

45. Wrt page 98, Clause 52.244-2 SUBCONTRACTS (JUN 2020) “(d) If the Contractor has an approved purchasing system, the Contractor nevertheless shall obtain the Contracting Officer’s written consent before placing the following subcontracts: Cost reimbursement, time-and-materials, labor-hour and firm-fixed-price level of effort contracts with any subcontractor not included in the proposal.

QUESTION: If an Offeror proposes a FFP subcontractor and the Contracting Officer consents/approves via a subsequent award, will the current CLIN structure be amended to allow the FFP subcontractor’s labor to be invoiced as an ODC?

A45. FFP subcontractor effort will not be charged to ODC and no separate CLIN for FFP subcontractor effort.

46. Bidder’s Questions Deadline Offeror respectfully requests an extension to submit Questions through Friday, December 10th, 2021.

A46. Offeror is required to submit questions 15 Days after issuance of solicitation. The Government does not guarantee a response to any questions submitted after the submission due date. No extension is granted.

47. Proposal Submission Date Offeror respectfully requests a two (2) week extension for submission of the proposal to Friday, January 14th, 2022 due to the delays (caused by the holidays) and employees working remotely (due to the pandemic) and awaiting Government response to the questions.

A47. The solicitation closing date will be extended to 1/7/2022. No additional extension will be granted.

48. Considering the complexity of the subject proposal and its due date falling between two major federal holidays where Prime and Subcontractor staff are limited… QUESTION: Will the Government consider an extension of the Proposal Due date.

A48. See answer to question 47.