NIHAO2011062Questions Answers.docx

RFPNIHAO2011062

Response to Questions 1/26/2012

1. Will there be a site visit prior to the solicitation due date?

A: No.

1. Is there any past history data, related to the requirements for this solicitation, available?

A: No. Offerors’ proposals and estimates should be based on the current requirements as stated in the RFP.

1. Does the 20-page proposal limit include both the technical and the business response?

A: No. The business proposal should be in a separate volume and has no page limit.

1. Will the due date for this solicitation be extended?

A: The proposal due date is not extended.

1. Is there a requirement to use GSA schedule pricing?

A: This is not a GSA procurement. There is no requirement to use GSA pricing; however, proposed prices must be supported as detailed in 52.212-1(h).

1. Procurement requires employee compensation to be equal or greater than the wages stated in WDS 1995-0819 rev. 28, however the schedule is not very specific as it relates to typical moving/storage positions. Can you please clarify the following position categories:

Mover – Material Handling Laborer Packer – Material Handling Laborer Installer - ???

Rigger - ???

A: Offerors are responsible for determining which positions to include in their proposals and ensuring that the wages comply with the Department of Labor regulations.

1. Please confirm that electronic copies are to be saved on a CD and included in the hard copy package. Or should they be emailed, and if so, to what address?

A: Electronic copies must be on a CD and included with the hard copies. The hard copy will prevail if the hard copy and electronic copy do not match. The Government will not compare the hard copy and electronic copy for discrepancies.

1. Please confirm that the 9 page completed Section K document is to be counted toward the 20 total page count limit.

A: Section K is NOT counted toward the 20 page limit.

1. Please confirm that the sample task order is to be included in the Technical Volume I, not in Business Volume II.

A: The sample task order must be addressed in the Technical Volume. It should be included in a separately marked section of the technical proposal and it is included in the technical proposal evaluation and the 20 page limit. The Business Volume must also address the FFP for the sample task.

1. Will the government make “multiple contractor awards” in support of this IDIQ contract?

A: The government does not intend to make multiple awards.

1. Please clarify that a proposal must be submitted for each issued task?

A: Yes, a proposal will be required for each task order.

1. Should we assume that the 20 personnel, to be relocated, will be responsible for “packing” their office supplies and non-laboratory equipment and that the contractor will be responsible for packing the laboratory equipment and securing file cabinets, prior to the move?

A: Yes, this assumption is correct.

1. Will there always be a site visit for large relocations prior to the submittal of task orders?

A: There will usually be an opportunity for a site visit. If the contractor and/or the COTR believes that there is enough information in the task scope and attachments to forgo a site visit, one may not be scheduled.

1. Will all buildings have loading docks and elevators available for these relocations?

A: Most will. Determination of these variables is a function of knowledge of the terrain and specificity of the scope. This is a logistic that bidders should consider in their pricing for any specific task.

1. What furniture manufacturers are used in the buildings that might move?

A: There is a wide range of furniture in use world-wide but it is usually uniform to the facility. There is an expectation that the contractor at a minimum will be proficient in the reconfigure of Transwall, Haworth, and Trendway modular wall systems, and, Kimball, Trendway , Steelcase, and Unicore furniture systems. Freestanding office furniture is of the general genre.

1. How many larger relocations are projected to occur during a one-year period? How many small day-to-day relocations are projected to occur during a one-year period?

A: This is a function of programmatic need and can vary greatly. The resultant contract will be IDIQ, therefore the volume of work is expected to be within the minimums and maximums as stated in the RFP.

1. What are the specifications for any of the specialized containers that are required for this contract?

A: Specifications may be spelled out in a given task if the item to be relocated is highly unusual. The expectation is that the contractor will be the expert in the proper protection and transport of a variety of commercial furniture and scientific equipment and materials. Means and methods may be discussed task by task during site visits or other proposal consultations. The contractor will be responsible for getting the items from one location to another without damage.

1. Please describe what is meant by ORO format?

A: ORO format addresses how services provided in any given task will fit into the greater NIAID/ORO mission. Specific requirements will be addressed in task order requests.

1. Assuming it is the responsibility of the contractor to coordinate all of the prepping of specialty equipment with the appropriate NIAID specialty vendors, will the specialty vendor bill NIAID direct or will that expense be the responsibility of the contractor? Will the contractor have access to NIAID service providers and have the ability to make recommendations for contracting to execute orders for the service providers in relation to a task order?

A: Although the COTR will be the primary contact for execution of the scope of any given task there will be situations where communication between various service providers are better served in direct communication. The contractor may be tasked with the coordination of service providers furnished by the government or on a separate procurement or other vehicle. Provided below are three examples:

Example 1:

The scope of work requires the relocation of a complex printer or microscope. The manufacturer requires its technician to prepare the equipment for relocation to avoid voiding warranty or maintenance contract coverage. The timely relocation of the printer is dependent on the preparation of the printer. As part of the logistics preparation the contractor may plug in the technician contact information and coordinate a seamless sequence of events to successfully bring the printer down from operational status as required by the manufacturer and then relocate the printer from point A to point B and restore to operation.

Example 2:

The relocation of phones is an integral part of successfully relocating a program and bringing them back into operations. The phone systems in government and some leased facilities are administered by separate contracts and often include the physical relocation of the handsets along with service transfer. As part of the logistics preparation, the contractor may be required to create the “to” and “from” spreadsheets and capture phone number information that will help NIAID(ORO) develop a phone order. Once an order is established the COTR will provide contact information to the contractor and he will plug in technician contact information and coordinate a seamless sequence of events to successfully bring the phones from A to B. This may include coordinating access to receptacles for data or phone cords before blocking them with furniture and assuring that the technicians will be on site on the schedule move days to work together to accomplish the greater mission.

Example 3:

Breakdown and setup of computers may be performed by NIAID in-house IT staff. As part of the logistics preparation the contractor may create the “to” and “from” spreadsheets and capture computer and equipment information that will help NIAID develop an IT order. Once an order is established the COTR will provide contact information to the relocation manager and he will plug in technician contact information and coordinate a seamless sequence of events to successfully bring the computers and other networkable equipment from point A to B. This may include coordinating access to receptacles for data or electrical cords before blocking them with furniture assuring that the technicians will be on site on the schedule move days to work together to accomplish the greater mission.

In all of these scenarios the contractor would reach out to the COTR in the event that a service provider, outside their direct financial responsibility, was affecting the performance of the project. In these examples it IS in the contractor’s responsibility to make the phone calls, ask for assurances to schedule such as to be on time, and report back to the COTR any issues that do not facilitate the execution of the greater task in a timely manner. The reason for this provision is that it is not acceptable to have days between the moving of a piece of equipment and the preparation or setup. This should and can be minimized to hours and even minutes when expertly coordinated.

The contractor will not be responsible for the payment of these service providers.

1. Will the IDIQ scope of work include move scenario planning and long term strategic relocation planning on the part of the contractor?

A: In accordance with the statement of work, the contractor shall provide “pre-move planning and coordination…” The extent of the planning will be dictated by the size of the effort and the requirements of program. This will be specified in the actual task order request. Program does not anticipate that any task orders will be issued for planning services exclusively.

1. The sample task states, the contractor shall “provide mover labor, materials, and equipment for physical relocation of properly labeled property to the CRC from building 10 and to Building 33 from the CRC per diagrams and spreadsheets as provided and approved by the NIAID POC.”

A: The sample task details a move from Building 10 to Building 40. Any references to Building 33 that are included in the sample task are incorrect and should be replaced with Building 40 in the text. All information available for the sample task is included with current RFP.

1. Do you have a spreadsheet with general requirements of what is to be moved by NIAID equipment/chemical/biohazard vendors and what is to be moved by the CONTRACTOR?

A: For purposes of the sample task, please assume everything will be moved by the contractor.

1. Can you please provide approximate inventory spreadsheets to assist us in further understanding and pricing the scope of the seed task order project?

A: For purposes of the sample task, please assume in part 2 of Relocation Services, item 2.1, four standard move boxes per person for office supplies and non-laboratory equipment. For items 2.3.1-2.3.6 assume personal items at one unit per person or 20 each. For items 2.3.7-2.3.10 assume common bench or shelf items at five units each. For item 2.3.11 assume one unit. For item 2.3.12 assume five boxes transported to an NIH disposal facility on the Bethesda campus. Item 2.3.13 reiterates the first statement above.

1. NIAID has identified the need for daily move service activities. How will these actions be identified and issued for performance? To clarify the question:

1. How many days prior will we be notified for these daily moves?

A: This will depend upon the urgency of the requirement. In some cases, we may require same day or next day response.

1. Will these also be fixed firm price by having a supervisor see and plan the daily move?

A: All orders under any resulting contract will be FFP. Personnel involved and the overall technical strategy will be proposed by the offeror.

1. Does NIAID expect to have 24 hour response time to daily move activities?

A: In some cases, yes.

1. Please provide an example of the “detailed reports needed to accurately account for history in assigned relocation tasks”.

A: This may be a simple as the invoice or as detailed as a final placement diagram with a detailed manifest. It is our expectation that experienced relocation planners and mangers will have their own document templates.

1. How much temporary storage will be needed and where does the storage need to be, locally or internationally?

A: Due to the IDIQ nature of this project, this information is not known. The amount of storage required will be dependent upon any given task. Offerors should consider the overall maximum amount of the contract.

1. Who disconnects reconnects computers and lab equipment?

A: This depends on the actual task request. The contractor may or may not be required to do this.

1. Is there any type of draft schedule indicating how much work will be done at the Hamilton Montana and International locations?

A: There is no schedule for any of the effort at this time.

1. Building 40 floor plan has no details – will you provide a more detailed map so we can view this space realistically?

A: The task is based on a typical lab environment for the number of persons cited within the floor plan provided. Offerors should use the information from question 11b. to formulate a sample proposal. Information about NIH Campus building locations and access can be found at http://www.nih.gov/about/visitor/.