SOL Questions_Answers_15R0005_26July.pdf

SOLICITATION N65236-15-R-0005 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

SPECIAL NOTE:

To assist offerors in preparing a response to this solicitation, responses to questions submitted since the issuance of this RFP are forwarded herewith. It should be noted by all offerors that the Questions and Answers provided are for informational purposes only and shall not qualify the terms of the solicitation and specification. The Questions and Answers provided do not form a part of the solicitation or amendments.

1. Per paragraph 3.1.7, Exclusive Teaming Arrangement Prohibition, is it the Government’s intent to prohibit exclusive teaming arrangements between prime contractors and all subcontracted labor or just between prime contractors and OEM Vendors?

Answer: Any corporate or company capabilities below the prime contractor level that are essential to contractor performance must be made available on fair and equitable terms to all competitors.

2. In Attachment 5A Prime Pricing Model, Direction number 5 states, "If an offeror’s FTE differs from the assumed 1920 hours…” Will the government confirm that offerors must propose a man-year of 1920 hours?

Answer: The Government has made the assumption that 1 FTE = 1920 hours.

Offerors are not required to propose a man year of 1920 hours. If an offeror’s FTE differs from the assumed 1920 hours, offerors shall follow the instructions in the pricing model for allocation of hours to proposed individuals and allocation of hours not specifically assigned to proposed individuals.

3. Section L-328 Estimated Labor Hours states, “The quantities of labor hours for each labor category shown in the Pricing Model, Attachment 5A, which are to be used by the Offeror for computing total labor costs, represent the Government’s current best estimate of requirements. However, the Government can guarantee neither the estimated quantities of labor hours shown for individual labor categories nor the total labor hours.” Will the government provide clarification as to whether or not a different mix of LCATS and hours can be proposed as long as the total hours proposed does not exceed the total number of hours in Attachment 5A?

Answer: Offerors shall propose in accordance with the labor categories and hours established in Attachment 5A.

4. The RFP states, “If providing LOIs, the offeror and/or its subcontractor's shall include the direct hourly labor rate for the proposed employee, identify the position, submit the LOI on the offeror’s or subcontractor's letterhead with both the prospective employee's and the employer signatures, and state that the LOI is for RFP N65236-15-R-0005 TTL Equipment & Support Services.” Given the proprietary nature of the direct labor rates, is it acceptable for the direct hourly labor rate information to only be included in the Pricing Models, and omitted from the LOI?

Answer: This information is provided as supporting data for the cost proposal and will be treated as proprietary. Please follow the RFP instructions for submitting LOIs.

5. In Attachment 5A Prime Pricing Model, Direction number 3 states, “If direct labor rates are calculated by using other than 2,080 hours per year, list the number of hours per year used to calculate the hourly rate for each category on the Other Labor Data sheet.” This conflicts with the RFP 52.215-20 REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTIFIED COST OR

PRICING DATA OR INFORMATION OTHER THAN CERTIFIED COST OR

PRICING DATA OCT 2010—ALTERNATE IV OCT 2010, PART I--COST LABOR

INFORMATION which states, “As discussed in the FAR 52.237-10 “Identification of Uncompensated Overtime” provision, hourly rates shall be derived by dividing the proposed individual’s actual annual salary by 2080 hours, which is based on a 40 hour work week.” Will the Government confirm that offerors may bid labor rates using something other than 2080 hours?

Answer: For the purposes of uncompensated overtime, an adjusted hourly rate may be calculated using other than 2,080 hours per year.

6. Please confirm the 15 page limit for the Cost Proposal Narrative does not include other supporting documentation that will be included in Cost Data (supporting documentation for data other than certified cost or pricing data).

Answer: That is correct. The 15 page limit for the cost proposal narrative includes the information listed in Factor E (1) of provision L-317.

7. Please confirm that the 5 page limit for the Subcontractor Cost Proposal Narrative does not include other supporting documentation that will be included in Subcontract Cost Data (supporting documentation for data other than certified cost or pricing data).

Answer: That is correct. The 15 page limit for the subcontractor cost proposal narrative includes the information listed in Factor E (1) of provision L-317.

8. Does the government have a maximum or minimum number of awards they intend to grant? And if so is the government willing to disclose those numbers?

Answer: No, there has not been a minimum/maximum number of awards established.

9. Assuming that a company would not be disqualified for not having past performance which meets the threshold, how is a company without past performance supposed to respond to the technical volume given the requirements on page L8? Does the government have a different mechanism for response and evaluation for companies not meeting the 20 million threshold?

Answer: There is no separate evaluation criteria for prime contractors not meeting the $20M relevancy threshold established in Factor A.

10. Within the 1B Reference Info Sheet (Question 12), the offeror is required to provide either an eSRS or a Summary Subcontract Report. The page limit for Attachment 1B is 40 pages. Will the Government please confirm that the eSRS attachment or the Summary Subcontract Reports are excluded from the 40 page limit and can be submitted as a separate attachment to 1B rather than the eSRS be embedded within the 1B Attachment?

Answer: The table in Provision L-317 states that the page count for Attachment 1B is exclusive of the Reference Information Sheet and eSRS reports if applicable.

11. What percentage of the estimated labor hours will be performed at Government Facilities and Contractor Facilities?

Answer: For the purposes of proposal submission in response to this RFP, offerors shall assume that all hours will be performed at contractor facilities.

12. L-317(b) Table indicates the Small Business Subcontracting Plan should be its own file (SubPlan); The Small Business Subcontracting Plan paragraph indicates the same data should be included in the Cost File. Shall the prime contractor include this information in two / both locations or is the Government looking for alternate information in the Cost File?

Answer: The Subcontracting Plan shall be submitted as a separate file in the “Other Proposal Requirements.” Amendment 0001 will revise the Subcontracting Plan Paragraph.

13. Attachment 5a provides hours for labor category Engineer/Scientist 3.The PWS lists two similar categories: Engineer/Scientist 3-General and Engineer/Scientist 3- Systems/Software Engineer. Are the hours in Attachment 5a under Engineer/Scientist 3 applicable to both categories combined or separately? If separately will the government please provide a breakdown of hours for each Engineer/Scientist 3 labor category?

Answer: The hours for Engineer/Scientist 3 should be separated into two separate categories (General and Systems/Software Engineer). Amendment 0001 provides a revised Attachment 5A – Prime Pricing Model.

14. Will the Government consider providing a chart describing the criteria in which a color-based rating might be applied to the contractor’s technical subfactor submission?

Answer: Evaluation criteria can be found in the DoD Source Selection Guide at http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/policy/policyvault/USA004370-14-DPAP.pdf

15. The Government has specified that we use Acrobat X to generate PDF files and WinZip

17.5 to compress the files. Because Acrobat no longer supports updates to Acrobat X, we use the current version, XI. Is this acceptable to the Government? In addition, our corporate standard to compress files is called “7-ZIP,” which uses the same compression algorithms as WinZip. Is this acceptable to the Government? (We have been assured by our IT department that there will be no problems accessing and opening our files.)

Answer: It is acceptable for offerors to use Adobe Acrobat XI; however in talking with the SPAWAR e-Commerce system administrators, there is no guarantee that WinZip will properly decompress files produced by 7-ZIP.

16. RFP Attachment 5A Prime Pricing Model, General Instructions and Information (Directions tab), Line 9 states “Performance is anticipated to be at the Contractor Site in Tampa, FL.” However, the PWS specifically requires technical support at customer sites (example, paragraph 3.4.4 Direct Technical Support - To support the Sponsor’s in-theater requirements, the contractor shall provide FSRs for direct technical support to end users in hostile areas.) Was it the Government’s intention to state “Customer Site” in Tampa, FL in lieu of “Contractor Site”? Therefore, can bidders modify the Attachment 5A Pricing model to allow for different Indirect Rates to be applied for those Labor Categories assigned to the required work site?

Answer: For the purposes of this RFP and for proposal submission, offerors shall propose contractor site labor only in accordance with the Pricing Model. This pricing model is provided for evaluation purposes and shall not be modified, unless necessary in accordance with the instructions in the model.

17. The second paragraph of PWS Para 7.1.1 makes reference to PWS para 3.5. There is not PWS para 3.5. Is this a typo?

Answer: Yes, this typo will be corrected in Amendment 0001.

18. Does the 40 page limit apply for all contract references of both the prime (up to 5 references) and all significant subcontractors (up to 3 references each)? Theoretically, we could submit 5 references for the prime, 3 for one significant sub, and 3 for another significant sub for a total of 11 references, and 40 pages does not provide adequate space to properly address all subfactors and elements for each reference.

Answer: Yes, the 40 page limit applies to all contract references (prime and subcontractor)

19. Is it possible for one person’s resume to be submitted for two different positions as long as they qualify for each position? For example, could we submit one resume as a SME and also as a Technical Instructor/Course Developer since the total hours required for the two positions add up to 1 FTE?

Answer: The total hours only add up to 1 FTE because key personnel are required to have at least 50% of their time dedicated to this effort. If an offeror proposes to use one individual in two separate roles (each comprising 50% of their time), they may submit one resume for two different positions.

20. The last sentence of the Professional Employee Compensation Plan (PECP) says “Prime offerors should complete the “Benefit Summary” and “Salary Data” charts contained in the pricing model. Completion of these spreadsheets satisfies the requirements for the PECP. No additional information is required, but supplementary data may be provided if desired.” Does this mean the document ProfEmpl.PDF is an optional submission and is not required to be submitted with our proposal?

Answer: Yes, this is an optional submission and not required for submission with offerors’ proposals.

21. Based on the expiration of 10 U.S.C. 2323, effective March 2015, HBCU/MIs are no longer considered SB/SDB in regard to prime contracts and subcontracts awards. Rather, they are a large business. Will the Government consider removing HBCU/MI from the requirements of the solicitation?

Answer: Amendment 0001 will remove References to HBCU/MI from the Small Business Participation Factor in this solicitation.

22. Would the Government please clarify how many seats are available for contractor personnel at the Government site?

Answer: There is a potential for Government site work during the execution of task orders; however specifics are not known at this time, and this information is not required for offerors to submit proposals in response to this RFP.

23. Would the Government allow an overall limit of 45 pages for Factor B instead of the current 3-page limit per 15 resumes (45 total pages)?

Answer: No

24. Within Personnel Qualifications on page 51 of the solicitation, the Management Analyst 3 allows for "other related fields." Will the Government please confirm that degrees in engineering, physical science, social science, and logistics are acceptable "other related fields"?

Answer: Amendment 0001 will revise the education requirement for Management Analyst 3 to “Bachelor’s degree in computer science, business, or other related fields from an accredited college or university.” The Government will consider other business or computer science related fields to be acceptable.

25. There are no instructions or requirements listed in the RFP for inclusion of proposal covers, table of contents, compliance matrix, acronym list, or similar items. Does the Government want such items included and if so, would the Government please consider not including these items within page count limits?

Answer: It is acceptable for offerors to use a table of contents, compliance matrix, and/or acronym list in order to provide for a more efficient review of proposals.

This information will not count against any stated page limit requirements, and this information will also not be evaluated as a part of an offeror’s proposal to meet the stated solicitation requirements.

26. The top line of the “Labor Cost” tab in the Subcontractors Attachment 5B Pricing Model states, “Send a copy of this tab to the Prime,” and shows the Labor Categories, their allocated hours, ST labor rate, and labor cost by contract year. However, the labor rate that is being calculated/populated into the labor rate ST column is the BARE labor rate (Column B) from the “Burdened Rates” tab. Would the Government please confirm that the rate being pulled into the "Labor Cost" tab should be the loaded labor rate from the “Total ST” column (Column F) vice Column B?

Answer: The subcontractor pricing model was erroneously revised with Amendment 0001. The formula for the ST labor rate in the “labor cost” tab is correct. Amendment 0002 will correct the formula. In addition, the instruction at the top of the “labor cost” tab for subcontractors to send a copy of this tab to the prime has been removed.

27. Is it the Government’s intent to include fee/CPFF line/calculation in the “Summary” tab of the Subcontractors 5B?

Answer: Yes

28. The T-REX RFP (RFP H92222-15-R-0010, dated 27 Feb 2015) identified an organizational conflict of interest (OCI) for any contractor who would hold both a SWMS contract and a T-REX contract. The RFP required any SWMS awardee to immediately request termination of their T-REX contract if awarded a SWMS contract.

Does the Government also find this same or similar OCI with contractors who could potentially hold both a SPAWAR TTL contract and a SWMS contract?

Answer: No, there is no organizational conflict of interest for offerors holding a SWMS contract and a SPAWAR TTL contract.

29. Will the Government confirm that the “written agreement from potential employee to work…” referenced under Paragraph(s): 5252.237-9600 Personnel Qualifications (Minimum) (b) is satisfied by the signed statement contained at the bottom of Attachment 2 Resume Format? If not, does the Government require a separate letter of intent (LOI) as applicable, and would these LOIs be exempt from page limit restrictions?

Answer: Yes, the written agreement is satisfied by the signed statement at the bottom of the Attachment 2, Resume Format.

30. Reference Section M-307 Factor E and Schedule B: This contract is an IDIQ with multiple awards expected performing work based on Task Orders. However, the Pricing requirements, including Schedule B, ask for Level of Effort on labor and equipment.

Nothing in the PWS frames the basis for labor utilization or type and quantity of equipment. Will the government please modify Schedule B for a fully burdened rate card on Labor to establish prices for the IDIQ?

Answer: The Government will not be modifying Section B.

31. For ODCs (including equipment), will the government modify Schedule B for offerors to propose a handling fee for this CLIN that would use CPFF at the TO level?

Answer: Section B will not be modified. If necessary based upon the offeror’s accounting system, offerors may modify the Attachment 5A pricing model to account for indirect rates applied towards ODC’s.

32. Please confirm that the current RFP is only to award at the IDIQ level and that no Task Orders will be awarded concurrently to the IDIQ?

Answer: This RFP supports the award of multiple IDIQ contracts. A minimum guarantee task order will be awarded concurrently with the IDIQ contract award.

The minimum guarantee amount is $25,000 and will be divided equally among all the awardees.

33. All resumes require a minimum of 50% utilization to this contract or roughly 960 hours, please confirm than 960 hours for the 15 Key Personnel is the minimum labor Level of Effort to price.

Answer: The minimum level of effort should equal to 50% of an offeror’s proposed FTE. It is possible that this could be slightly less than 960 hours; depending on the number of hours an offeror utilizes for a full FTE.

34. Reference Section Factor E: Given the government’s emphasis on Offerors’ Professional Employee Compensation Plan, is the government requiring that for all 15 positions for which resumes are submitted represent full time W-2 employees, or can Offerors’ proposals include 1099 Independent Consultants as well as hourly W-2 employees, neither of which would be entitled to such a Professional Compensation Plan?

Answer: The Government is not requiring that all 15 key personnel represent full time W-2 employees.

35. Reference Attachment 5A Prime Pricing Model_15R0005, Attachment 5B Sub Pricing Model_15R005 and Schedule B: Would the government consider requiring Offerors to submit fully burdened labor rates without any related hours for the purposes of this IDIQ response, leaving level of effort to be determined at each future Task Order?

36. Reference Section L Pricing Volume. Does the 15 page limit exclude such attachments as Total Professional Compensation Plan (20 pages), DCAA audit report (10 pages), provisional indirect rates submission to DCAA (6 pages) and supporting documentation for unburdened salaries for proposed personnel (15 pages)?

Answer: See answer to Question 6.

37. Reference Personnel Qualifications. Will the Government accept additional years of relevant experience to fulfill the education requirement for the Management Analyst 3 positions? Additionally, will the Government consider accepting Bachelors of Arts degrees from accredited institutions to meet the education requirement for this position?

Answer: The Government will not accept additional years of relevant experience to fulfill the education requirement. Amendment 0001 will revise the personnel qualification for Management Analyst 3 to require a Bachelor’s degree in computer science, business, or other related fields from an accredited college or university.

38. Will the government be extending the date for when proposals are due for Solicitation Number N65236-15-R-0005?

39. A question came up on the revised Attachment 5B amd1 that was issued. It looks like the summary tab is pulling from an incorrect cell for the labor costs. If the subcontractor fills in the Overhead and G&A rates at the bottom of the summary the labor cost in row 8 of the Summary tab already has fully burdened cost (w/o fee), it would be double counting the burdens.

Looks like there needs to be another tab calculating unburdened labor for the summary page to work. Or we can make modifications to the formulas in the revised Attachment 5B.

Answer: The error derives from the changes made to the subcontractor pricing model in Amendment 0001. The formula for the straight time labor rate in the “labor cost” tab was erroneously updated. The straight time labor rate in the “labor cost” tab should be pulling the direct labor rate from the “burdened rates” tab. Amendment 0002 will correct this error. In addition, the instruction at the top of the “labor cost” tab to send this tab to prime contractors has been removed.

40. The Section B requirement is not clear. I assume we use the plug number from the Prime Pricing Model for CLIN 0001 and CLIN 0002 comes from our proposed labor and ODCs from the Prime Pricing Model, but I don’t understand what to put in CLIN 0003, and there are no instructions for this. Can you clarify?

Answer: Section B requires offerors to fill out the proposed fixed fee percentage in CLIN 0002. The ceiling value of the multiple award contract is established in the Section A Notes. Although not required by the solicitation, offerors can fill out Section B, CLIN 0001 with the plug number for TTL Equipment. In addition, offerors can fill out CLIN 0002 with the estimated cost and fixed fee calculated in their Attachment 5A, Prime Pricing Model for CPFF support services. CLIN 0003 would include the total proposed cost for FFP support services.

41. Reference FAR 52.215-20 ALT IV, PART II (4) Subcontracted Labor, cites that “This information may be submitted by the subcontractor under separate cover directly to the Contracting Officer.” Is such subcontractor submission to be to the Contracting Officer’s email address rather than the E-Commerce SPAWAR portal cited in Section L-349?

Answer: No, subcontractor cost/price proposals and all supporting information shall be submitted through SPAWAR E-Commerce Central.

42. Reference PART II – REQUIREMENTS FOR DATA OTHER THAN CERTIFIED COST OR PRICING DATA. (1) DIRECT LABOR (page 145) . Does this paragraph mean that the prime should only include in its 5A Prime Pricing Model only the LCATS that the prime is pricing, and that no LCATs are to be included in the Prime Model since they will be included in the 5B Subconctract Pricing Model?

Answer: Prime contractors and subcontractors shall follow the directions included in the pricing models (Attachment 5A, 5B).

43. The ecommerce Central Vendor's User Guide states you may attach up to 10 files to the form as part of the upload. If you have more than 10 files, you may need to use a compression utility such as WinZip to condense the files to 10 or fewer. WinZip compresses the size of the files; it does not condense the number of files. We will be submitting 13 files that we will compress. Do you want us to split the files into 2 zipped files or will 1 zipped file with more than 10 files be ok for posting to the site?

Answer: The Government does not have a preference for how many zip files (or how many files are in the zip file) are uploaded to the e-Commerce site. Please

New Question contact the e-Commerce help desk if you have questions on whether the submission will be accepted by the e-Commerce portal,