QandA.pdf

Question Number RFP Section Reference Questions Answers

Section I, Contract Clauses and Section L/M (Instructions to Offerors) appear absent of SOFA Status and Contract Clauses for Spain and Italy. Absent these specific contractual designations, the host governments will treat the contractor as a standard foreign commercial entity. This would subject the contractor to full host-nation corporate taxes, local labor codes, and mandatory social security contributions (~30% in Italy and Spain), which would severely impact pricing consistency across offerors.

Will the Contracting Officer confirm that contractor personnel performing work under this contract in Spain and Italy will be granted "Civilian Component" / "Technical Expert" status under the respective US-Spain Agreement on Defense Cooperation (ADC) and the NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA)? If yes, will the Government amend the solicitation to incorporate the mandatory country-specific clauses, specifically DFARS 252.229-7004 (Status of Contractor as a Direct Contractor - Spain), DFARS 252.229-7012 (Tax Exemptions - Italy), and DFARS 252.229-7013 (Tax Exemptions - Spain)?

Yes, contractor personnel performing work under this contract in Spain and Italy will be granted "Civilian Component" / "Technical Expert" status under the respective US-Spain Agreement on Defense Cooperation (ADC) and the NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).

For 252.229-7004, DFARS states to insert the clause at 252.229-7004, Status of Contractor as a Direct Contractor (Spain), in solicitations and contracts requiring the import into Spain of supplies for construction, development, maintenance, or operation of Spanish-American installations and facilities. This task order will not be for construction, development, maintenance, or operation of Spanish-American installations and facilities.

For 252.229-7012 and 252.229-7013, DFARS states not to include 252.229-7012 or 252.229-7013 separately in the solicitation if FAR 52.204-7 is included. FAR 52.204-7 is included at the base level, therefore not required.

Section I, Contract Clauses and Section L/M (Instructions to Offerors) appear absent of SOFA Status and Contract Clauses for Bahrain. If contractor personnel are not covered under the bilateral defense framework, they will be subject to local Bahraini commercial work visas and standard "Bahrainisation" local hiring quotas. Offerors require this clarification to accurately project labor availability, visa costs, and compliance risks under DFARS 252.222-7002.

Will the Government clarify if contractor personnel performing work in Bahrain are covered under the bilateral US-Bahrain Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) or Defense Cooperation Agreement? Specifically, will the Government issue Letters of Authorization (LOAs) via the Synchronized Predeployment and Operational Tracker (SPOT) to enable the contractor to secure specialized military support/base access visas?

Yes, SOFA applies and LOA's will be issued.

The PWS paragraph numbers in Attachments 04 and 05 do not match Section B LOE Table (Page 3 of 61 of the RFP) or Section C for six labor categories:

Please confirm that the labor category names and the associated locations in the RFP Section B and C govern and advise whether corrected attachments will be issued or whether offerors may correct the paragraph numbers in their submissions.

Attachments 04 and 05 have been updated to reflect the correct PWS references.

The Level of Effort table in Section B (Page 3 of 61 in the RFP) shows 9,508 hours in the “Totals” row for the extension period. The nine labor category rows sum to 9,504 hours, which matches CLIN 6050 and the Payment of Fixed Fee paragraph.

Please confirm that 9,504 hours is correct. 9,504 is correct and LOE table has been corrected.

In Section F (Page 33 of 61 of the RFP) CLIN 6000 (labor) ends 28 February 2028, while CLIN 7000 (travel/ODCs) ends 29 February 2028. Option 1 begins 01 March 2028, and 2028 is a leap year.

Please confirm that the CLIN 6000 period of performance ends 29 February 2028. CLIN 6000 has been updated to reflect an end date of 29 February 2028.

In the RFP Section B and Attachments 4 & 5, there are no labor hours assigned to Naples, Italy.

Please confirm a designated contractor POC will NOT be required to be physically located in Naples. Correct, it is not a requirement, but a preference. PWS Section 14.4 has been updated.

Will the Government accept the most recent CPAR for an applicable Past Performance reference in lieu of completing and submitting Attachment 02, “Past Performance Questionnaire,” for the referenced past performance contract?

No. An offeror-submitted CPARS report will not replace Attachment 02. Offerors must submit Attachment 01 for each proposed reference and must request that each reference submit Attachment 02 directly to the Government by the proposal deadline. The Government may independently consider CPARS and other available past-performance information under Section M. If a reference does not return Attachment 02, theofferor will not be rejected solely for the reference's failure to respond, provide the offeror documents its timely request in Volume III.

Pending a response to all offeror questions including questions that may materially impact offeror pricing, will the Government grant a 2-week extension of the offeror proposal submission deadline from 23 October 2026 to 06 November 2026?

An extension is incorporated in this amendment.

As we review the follow-on requirement (N6817126RN005) for Task Order N0018920F3045 , we noticed that the anticipated level of effort appears to be significantly scaled down from the current effort, which is reporting an annual burn rate of approximately $7M.

Could you provide some clarification on the anticipated scope of the follow-on requirement? Specifically, is the reduced level of effort intended to represent a carve-out or subset of the work currently being performed under N0018920F3045, or have changes in the geopolitical environment and associated mission requirements resulted in a reduction in the overall level of support anticipated for the follow-on effort?

Any additional context you can provide on the rationale for the change in scope would be greatly appreciated as we evaluate the requirement and plan our approach.

The Government's requirement is the level of effort stated in the solicitation.

Staffing locations and hours Section C 3; page 8 of 61 Section L 3.2.3; Pg 50 of 61, Attachments 04 and 05

Section L 3.2.3 and Section C 3 refer to staffing by location and hours per category per site in Section B. Please provide or identify the authoritative table showing each PWS task, labor category, place of performance, and required labor hours for the base year, each option year, and the extension. Please reconcile that table with Attachments 04 and 05.

Revised Section B contains the authoritative staffing matrix. For each contract period, it identifies the applicable PWS paragraph, labor category, primary work location, and required labor hours. Attachment 04 and 05 use the same categories, locations, periods, and hours.

PWS scope references Section C 3; page 8

Section C 3 references PWS Sections 3.1 through 3.4, but the provided PWS appears to contain Sections 3.1 and 3.2 only.

Please confirm whether the references to Sections 3.3 and 3.4 should be deleted or whether additional PWS requirements are missing. If requirements are missing, please provide them.

Section has been updated to reflect Sections 3.1 through 3.2.

Extension labor hours Section B level of effort; page 3; Attachments 04 and 05

The extension labor-hour total in Section B appears to differ from the total in Attachments 04 and 05. Please confirm the correct extension hours by PWS task and in total, and reconcile the solicitation and both pricing attachments. "9804" hours and not "9808

The correct total labor hours for the FAR 52.217-8 extension are 9,504, not 9,508. Section B and Attachments 04 and 05 align to reflect the same extension hours.

PWS references in pricing attachments Attachments 04 and 05

The PWS paragraph references in Attachments 04 and 05 appear inconsistent with the corresponding labor category descriptions in Section C. Please provide corrected attachments that align each labor category with its applicable PWS paragraph.

Attachments 04 and 05 have been updated to reflect the correct PWS references.

Detailed cost spreadsheet requirements Section L 3.4.2; page 51; Attachments 04 and 05

Please confirm whether Section L 3.4.2 requires a supplemental detailed cost spreadsheet in addition to completed Attachments 04 and 05. If so, please identify the required cost elements and level of detail for each contract period, including the extension, and confirm whether offerors may use their own format or must use a Government template.

Yes. In addition to completed Section B and Attachments 04 and 05, the prime contractor and each subcontractor shall submit the detailed cost spreadsheets required by Section L 3.4.2. Offerors may use their own spreadsheet format, in accordance with their own internal acounting system, provided it separately identifies, for the base period, each option period, and the FAR 52.217-8 extension, all direct labor hours and rates, escalation, fringe, overhead, other indirect costs, subcontract costs, ODCs, travel, materials, fee, and total proposed cost.

Overseas allowances and ODC limits Section B ODC CLINs 7xxx; pages 5–6

May offerors separately price overseas housing, cost of living, and hardship allowances under the ODC CLINs in addition to the Government stated travel and incidental ODC amounts, with the allowances and applicable indirect burdens identified in the cost proposal? Please confirm whether the stated ODC amounts are mandatory ceilings or estimates that may be increased for these costs, and explain how any additional amounts should appear in Section B and Attachments 04 and 05.

Per Section L, the table reflects Government estimated ODCs, which include travel and incidental material costs only. The ODC amounts in Section L are not mandatory ceilings, unless a specific CLIN is expressly designated as not-to-exceed in revised Section B.

In order for any additional expenses to be allowed as a direct charge under the resulting task order, it must be identified and described within the cost proposal narrative and be reflected in the Section B pricing. Overseas housing, cost-of-living, hardship, relocation, or repatriation costs may be proposed only when consistent with the offeror's disclosed or established accounting practices and applicable cost principles. The offeror shall identify whether each cost is treated as direct labor compensation, fringe, another indirect cost, travel, or a separate ODC; explain the basis and allocation methodology; and include the amount in a detailed spreadsheet, cost nattative, and revised Section B pricing. For example, the ODC estimates do not include facility related costs since these are typically treated as an indirect cost;

however, if the Offeror proposes to direct charge facility costs, Offeror shall propose such cost separately from the ODC estimate, provide a basis of estimate, rationale for direct charging such cost, and explain how the direct cost will be properly allocated to this requirement. ODCs are not subject to fee. Reimbursement for travel will be in accordance with the FAR Part 31 and Joint Travel Regulation (JTR).

JCCS identifier Section L 3.1.4; page 49

Please confirm whether the JCCS registration number required by Section L 3.1.4 is the JCCS ID shown on the My Companies page of the JCCS website. If not, please identify the required identifier and where it can be found.

Yes. The required JCCS registration number is the JCCS ID displayed on the 'My Companies' page. The offeror shall provide its JCCS ID and the JCCS ID for each proposed subcontractor in Volume I as required by Section L 3.1.4.

Page numbering Section L 2.3; page 47

Please confirm whether pages must be numbered consecutively within each volume or whether numbering may restart at page 1 for each subfactor or section. Please also identify any required volume, subfactor, or section information in the page header or footer.

Page numbering may restart at page 1 for each separately identified section within a volume, consistent with Section L

2.3. Numbering shall remain consecutive within that section and shall include inserted charts, graphs, and other materials. No specific header or footer is required, but each page should identify the offeror, proposal volume, and applicable factor or subfactor to facilitiate evaluation. Cover pages must contain the information required by Section L 2.1.

Pass-through and subcontractor fee limits Section L 3.4.3; page 54

Section L 3.4.3 references maximum pass-through and profit/fee rates under the offeror’s basic IDIQ MAC. Please identify the applicable contract (SEAPORT NXG) and rate limits for this solicitation, or confirm that this language does not apply.

Please also clarify whether the prime offeror’s proposed fee rate establishes the maximum fee rate permitted for its subcontractors.

As provided in the sam.gov notice, this requirement is being conducted under SeaPort-NxG. Each offeror shall comply with the maximum pass-through and profit or fee limitations in its own basic SeaPort-NxG contract and shall identify those limits in its cost narative by the applicable base-contract provision. Offeror shall ensure its proposal is in compliance with the "Maximum Pass Through Rate" and "Maximum Profit/Fee Rate" requirements contained within its basic IDIQ MAC.

Section C

14.4 Contractor POCs.and 14.7 Other Work

14.4 Contractor shall provide a designated POC physically located in each primary location (Bahrain, Rota, and Naples) with the authority to authorize overtime upon approval from the COR/Contracting Officer, coordinate with contractor management located off-site, and facilitate execution of requirements.

14.7 This requirement is not for personal services. No one (Government employee or military) may task the contractor to perform work that is not listed in the task order, nor do the contractor personnel take direction in the performance of their task(s) from anyone other than their corporate manager and /or prime contractor, as appropriate.

Will the Government advise how bidders are to address the direct labor category hours, and costs associated with performing the required Corporate Manager, Program Manager and/or Program Management tasks?

The Government does not require a separately titled Corporate Manager or Program Manager and does not prescribe additional labor hours for those titles. The contractor remains responsible for performing the management functions required by the SOW and Section L. Offerors shall account for those functions in accordance with their disclosed or established accounting practices, either within the required Section B labor hours when performed as direct contract work or through an applicable indirect expense pool. Offerors shall identify and explain the treatment in the technical and cost proposals and shall not add labor hours beyond the Section B totals. The contractor shall designate personnel with appropriate internal authority, but overtime remains subject to the approvals requred by the revised SOW and contract clauses.

Section L, 3.4 Volume IV – Cost Proposal (Factor 4) Other Direct Costs (ODCs).

In order for any additional expenses to be allowed as a direct charge under the resulting task order, it must be identified and described within the cost proposal narrative and be reflected in the Section B pricing.

For consistency and to ensure equitable cost evaluations across all bidders, can the Government please provide a definitive list of all required and allowable OCONUS uplifts and other direct cost elements (e.g., Defense Base Act (DBA) insurance rates, required additional insurances, applicable taxes/fees, relocation and repatriation allowances, as well as supplies and materials) that should be assumed and included by all offerors in their cost proposals for executing all requirements of the PWS?

Contractors shall propose in accordance with FAR Part 30 and their cost accounting system.

Section C.3 Description of Task All contractor personnel require a SECRET clearance except for the Combat Systems Technician(CANES/Afloat Network), which requires TOP SECRET clearance.

Will the Government accept Interim clearances in lieu of active clearances? The Government will accept interim personnel security eligibility at the level rquried for the assigned position, subject to verification and any separate access determination by the responsible Governemnt security authority. In the event a final clearance is not granted due to an unfavorable evaluation, it is the Contractor's responsibility to promptly provide a qualified replacement at no additional cost to the Government and without excusing required performance.

General Proposal Validation Please clarify if the proposal response should be valid for a certain period (i.e., 365 day from the date of proposal submission) Section L of the solicitation has been updated to reflect a proposal validity date of 120 days after the proposal submission deadline.

Pg. 8 of the PWS; Section 3. Description of Task, the PWS states "The contractor shall provide Full-time Equivalent (FTE) on-site technical support personnel to FDRMC in accordance with PWS Sections 3.1 through 3.4 and all subordinate paragraphs." and on Pg. 11 PWS Section 5.2 Specific Experience. the PWS states "5.2.1 Unless otherwise specified for a particular labor category in PWS Sections 3.1 - 3.4, personnel must have a minimum of three (3) years of "journeyman level" experience within the last five (5) years in their respective fields".

This appears to be a discrepency, Offerors are tasked with 3.1 Engineering Technician and 3.2 Production Support. Will the Government please clarify Offerors are to respond to PWS Section 3.1 and 3.2.

Sections have been updated to reflect Sections 3.1 through 3.2.

Pg. 46, Section L states that the Government intends to award a Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) task order; however, CLINs 6000-6050 on Pg. 5 in Section B identify the pricing arrangement as "Labor Hour."

Please clarify the intended contract type for the labor CLINs and the resultant task order. This will be a CPFF task order. The CLIN structure reflects the Seaport contract CLIN structure requirement for contract type (CLIN 6000's = CPFF, CLIN 7000's = Cost No Fee)

Pg. 5, Section B CLIN Tables If the intended contract type is CPFF, will the Government issue a revised Section B identifying CLINs 6000-6050 as CPFF CLINs rather than Labor Hour CLINs?

Language has been added to each CLIN to clarify contract type.

Pg. 5, Section B CLIN Tables The current Section B lists labor hours and unit prices for labor CLINs. Please confirm if Offerors should divide their total proposed CLIN price, including fixed fee by the hours to derive the Unit Price values.

A fillable Section B Excel Sheet has been provided and Section L has been updated to require contractor's to submit a filled in form for evaluation purposes. Contractors shall submit a detailed cost proposal spreadsheet in accordance with Section L 3.4 Volume IV - Cost Proposal (FACTOR 4). For each CPFF labor CLIN, enter the required labor hours as the quantity. The displayed unit amount must equal total estimated cost plus the fixed dollar fee for that CLIN. The detailed cost spreadsheet shall separately identify estimated cost and fixed fee.

Pg. 5, The current Section B does not have a separate identification for Fixed Fee while Section L states, "Fixed Fee is limited to a maximum of 8.0% for both prime and subcontractors."

Will the Government provide a revised Section B with fixed fee broken out to validate compliance with the solicitation fee limitations? If not, how should contractors validate compliance with fixed fee limitations?

A fillable Section B Excel Sheet has been provided and Section L has been updated to require contractor's to submit a filled in form for evaluation purposes. Contractors shall submit a detailed cost proposal spreadsheet in accordance with Section L 3.4 Volume IV - Cost Proposal (FACTOR 4)

Pg. 5, Section B CLIN Tables If CPFF is intended, please confirm whether fee should be proposed as:

Offerors shall propose a fee rate for evaluation. That rate will be converted into a fixed dollar amount for each CPFF CLIN and contract period. At award, the negotiated fee will be stated as a fixed dollar amount by CLIN and period. The fixed fee will not increase or decrease merely because actual labor hours or incurred costs differ from estimates, except as authorized by the contract’s applicable adjustment and fee-payment provisions.

Pg. 5, Section B CLIN Tables & Pg. 19, Section C(9) If the labor CLINs remain Labor Hour CLINs, please clarify how overtime hours should be priced and invoiced given Section C's authorization for up to 10% overtime.

Offerors shall submit a detailed cost proposal spreadsheet in accordance with Section L 3.4 VOLUME IV - COST

PROPOSAL (FACTOR 4)

Pg. 5, Section B CLIN Tables and Pg. 60 Evaulation Criteria for Factor 4: Cost Proposal (Volume IV).

There appears to be a disconnect between the language in the CLIN Tables found in Section B and the evaluation criteria for Factor 4: Cost Proposal (Volume IV). Please clarify whether the Government intends to establish probable cost adjustments for evaluation purposes. Such adjustments are typically associated with cost reimbursement contracts rather than Labor Hour CLINs.

Adjustments will be made in accordance with Section M Factor 4: Cost Proposal (Volume IV)

Pg. 54, Section L, states that ODC estimates do not include company-specific burdens and offerors should propose applicable burdens.

Please confirm whether travel CLIN ceilings may be exceeded by indirect costs proposed by the contractor or whether the stated NTE values are fully inclusive ceilings.

Offerors shall submit a proposal in accordance solicitation. As each offeror has their own approved accounting systems, the Government cannot mandate how indirect costs are calculated. Amounts provided are Government estimated ODCs, which include travel and incidental material costs only. The estimated ODCs do not account for any company specific burdens such as material handling or G&A. Offeror shall propose all applicable burdens in accordance with its disclosure statements.

Pg. 60, General Section M Please clarify the Government's expectations for substantiating subcontractor pricing when FFP or Labor Hour subcontract arrangements are proposed.

Contractors shall submit a detailed cost proposal spreadsheet in accordance with Section L 3.4 Volume IV - Cost Proposal (FACTOR 4). All subcontractors shall submit cost proposal narratives in order to fully substantiate the reasonableness and realism of their proposed costs. Subcontractors that are proposed on cost reimbursement basis shall provide the same level of information as required from the Offeror to substantiate their own costs within their cost proposal narratives. Subcontractors that are proposed on a Time-and-Materials or fixed price basis (e.g. FFP, FFP LOE, etc.) are not required to provide the same level details as required under cost reimbursable proposals, but shall still provide an itemized breakout of pricing that is customary with the contract type proposed. Subcontractor unsanitized cost proposal narratives shall be submitted separately via email in order to protect their proprietary information.

Subcontractor cost proposals shall be received by the time and date specified for receipt of proposals specified in this solicitation.

Attachment 01, Past Performance Information Document Please clarify if the government would add a page to allow Offerors to provide a more detailed description of the work performed on their contract.

Additional pages can be provided as long as the page limit is not exceeded.

Attachment 01, Past Performance Information Document Please clarify if the Offerors are able to delete the last column in the document since Offerors are required to submit up to three past performance examples.

Form has been updated to remove the additional column.

Please confirm that sub-factors 1, 2, 3, and 4 are to be included in Volume II as a single Volume document and not submitted as separate documents?

Yes. Technical Subfactors 1 through 4 shall be submitted together as a single Volume II—Technical Proposal file, organized with clearly labeled sections for each subfactor. See Section L 2.5 for the File Naming Convention.

Is there an incumbent currently performing these tasks? If so, please provide the incumbent name, contract number, and contract value.

This is a follow on requirement of contract N0018920F3045. Incumbent is Amentum Services, Inc. Contract value will not be disclosed.

The Solicitation indicates LCATs are to be mapped to PWS Sections 3.1 - 3.4; however, the PWS only includes Section 3.1 Engineering Technician; and 3.2 Production Support. Please clarify what Sections 3.3 and 3.4 are referenced?

Sections have been updated to reflect Sections 3.1 through 3.2.

Please confirm that no resumes are required to be submitted and that the requirement is to indicate which personnel have been identified for a role only?

No resumes are required. For each current employee named in the cost proposal spreadsheet, Offeror and cost reimbursement subcontractors shall provide a screenshot that captures pertinent information from the employer's payroll system, incurred within the last three months preceding release of this solicitation. For each contingent hire in the cost proposal spreadsheet, Offeror and cost reimbursement subcontractors shall clearly indicate named contingent hires and shall provide a signed letter of intent that explicitly lists the agreed upon annual salary for the named individual and the amount of uncompensated work required. For any position for which no candidate has been identified by name, Offeror and cost reimbursement subcontractors shall provide payroll data for a comparable position and an analysis of how the proposed position is comparable to the position corresponding to the payroll data supplied. For any position where there is no similar position with a payroll screenshot, Offerors and cost reimbursement subcontractors shall provide other substantiating cost data to support the basis of estimate and an analysis of how the proposed position is comparable to the position corresponding to the payroll data supplied. For more details see section L 3.4.4.

Please confirm if the 14,784 man hours and subsequent total man hours provided in Section B is per site or for overall contract performance?

The estimated total hours listed in section B are for the overall contract performance. Columns are broken out for the base year, options periods, and a total column.

The PWS does not provide enough information to assign the hours among Rota, Naples, and Manama. The text says the Level of Effort table contains hours per category per site, but the table provided only contains the aggregate category totals. Can the Government provide the site location per role currently being performed? Or if a new opportunity, can the Government please provide which roles are to be located at which site?

A location column has been added to the table in Section B.

41 Is each role listed to be staffed per indicated site (Rota, Manama, Naples)? A location column has been added to the table in Section B.

Regarding Past Performance Volume III – Would the Government accept CPARs in lieu of asking contractors to source completed PPQs from customers that have already completed a CPARS?

A CPAR's submission in lieu of the PPQ will not be accepted.

Would the Government accept previously completed PPQs in lieu of asking a customer to complete another PPQ for a contract that is either completed but with no CPARS or has recently been evaluated with a PPQ?

The Government will not accept a previously completed PPQ.

If offerors do not have DCAA approved provisional bidding and billing rates, what information will the Government accept to meet this requirement?

If an offeror does not have DCAA approved billing rates, the Government will follow FAR Subpart 15.4 and FAR Part 42.

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