RFI_ _Response_NIHOF2011367_10-25-2011.pdf

Market Tier 1

Number Question Answer

Are you looking for a mechanical contractor to bid as prime or does the mechanical contractor have to be teamed with a GC?

We do not have requirements for the type of contractor submitting a proposal as prime. Our only requirements for submitting a proposal are listed Mandatory Criteria of the solicitation (Section L - page 90).

The roles designated as Key Personnel differ between G.2 Key Personnel HHSAR 352.242-70 (January 2006) and Phase 1 Factor C – Experience of Key Personnel (Sub factor C.1 and C.2).

G.2 designates key personnel as **1. GC- GC - Project Executive; Project Manager(s); QA/QC Manager; Design Manager;

Superintendent(s) **2. A/E- Project Executive, Project Manager(s) Phase 1 Factor C adds additional roles as key personnel **1. GC- safety officer, Project Scheduler, BIM coordinator, LEED Coordinator **2. A/E- LEED AP, BIM Coordinator Which are required with the Phase I submission?

Please refer to the key personnel defined under Phase 1 - Factor C

This contract is intended to replace the MAC IDIQ for Large Business Concerns and establish two new MAC IDIQ contracting mechanisms for 8(a) and Small Business Concerns. The following is a list of the MAC IDIQ for Large Business Concerns incumbents: (expired):

* Gilbane Building Company

* Tishman Construction Corp of Maryland

* Forrester Construction Company

* Grimberg John C Co

Is what was posted on FedBizOpps on September 29th the final Solicitation, or will there be final Solicitation documents released “Around October 14, 2011”?

The final solicitation will be posted on October 14, 2011.

Are there incumbents for Market Tier 1 for this procurement, and if so, who are they?3

5 Have the pre-proposal conference date(s) been established yet?

For Market Tier 1 (only), the pre-proposal conference will take place on Thursday October 27, 2011 at 9:30 AM in the Building 10 Lipsett Auditorium on the Bethesda Maryland NIH campus.

2nd Paragraph; “Offerors whose team, (Contractor and Contractor's A/E(s)), collectively demonstrates experience in all types of spaces, as defined in Section C.1.3 - Task Orders, shall be rated more favorably.” Where might offeror locate Section C.1.3 – Task Orders?

The types of spaces are located under Article C.4.b.

Once awarded a contract, will 8(a) and Small Business awardees be able to pursue task orders from the “large” pool ($10m - $25M) or will they be restricted to the task order ranges within their respective Market Tier?

Once contracts have been awarded, Awardees will be restricted to submitting proposal against Task Order Request for Proposals (RFP) submitted to their market tier. The Contracting Officer may submit a RFP to a Market Tier that is outside of the established Market Tier dollar ranges.

Can a business submit on more than one Market Tier (e.g., Submit for Market Tier 1 and then Market Tier 2)?

A company may submit a proposal in different market tiers.

9 If yes, will they be eligible for award in both market tiers?

Yes the company would be eligible for award in both market tiers provided that they can meet the mandatory requirements established in for each proposal submitted.

Due to the late date (yet to be set) of the Pre- Proposal Conference; would the government consider an extension in the Due date of the Market Tier 1 submissions?

No the Market Tier 1 proposal due date will not be extended. The pre-proposal conference is to review the proposal requirements that are already established in the solicitation attachment. The information has already been provided.

11 Has a date been set up for the Pre-proposal Conference for Market Tier 1?

The date for the pre-proposal conference has been set for 9:30 AM on Thursday October 27, 2011 at the NIH, Bethesda Campus Building 10 Lipsett Auditorium

The links provided in the solicitation documents for Section J – List of Attachments, p.76 (Similar Project Template Contractor, Similar Project Template Contractor AE, Past Performance Questionnaire etc.)

are not working – can you please provide these proposal forms?

Please see the zip file associated with solicitation number NIHOF2011367 on the FedBizOpps.

The solicitation documents recommend that the Phase I proposal follow Tabbed Sections 1-5 as listed on p. 86 of the solicitation – however the proposal requirements request a section for Key Personnel (Contractor and AE) that would add an additional two sections to the proposal. Can you please clarify the desired organization of the Phase I Proposal contents?

Correct: The tabbed sections have been updated.

Looking on fedbizops.com there is a 116 page Solicitation file. Is this the only document being issued for the first part of bidding on this project?

Other than any possible solicitation modifications and RFI responses, I do not anticipate releasing any other documentation.

Reference Section L – 2.c.1.a Subfactor B.1 Contractor (page 94): the 3rd paragraph regarding relevant experience states “Similar projects are defined as … (i.e.

Full and Open project cost range - $10,000,000 to $25,000,000; …”

*** Will projects over $25,000,000 which meet the relevant experience be considered eligible?

Yes - as long as the Government can determine if the Offeror's experience is considered current and relevant to the NIH Office of Research Facilities’ requirement

Reference Section L – 2.c.2.a Subfactor B.2 Contractor’s A/E (page 97): the 4th paragraph regarding relevant experience states “Similar projects are defined as … (i.e.

Full and Open project cost range - $10,000,000 to $25,000,000; …”

*** Will projects over $25,000,000 which meet the relevant experience be considered eligible?

Yes - as long as the Government can determine if the Offeror's experience is considered current and relevant to the NIH Office of Research Facilities’ requirement for construction, Design/Build, alterations and repair services.

*** If teaming with three A/E firms must all three (one per A/E) relevant projects be design-build provided all other requirements are met?

The pupose of requesting projects from up to three A&E firms is to determine the ability of the Offeror to provide for Design/Build projects. Therfore, each project should be a design/build project.

I have a clarification request concerning the above solicitation:

*** The SF1442 indicates offers are due 11/14/2011 at 12:30 pm *** Page 87, Section 4 ‘Proposal Delivery’ instructions indicate offers are due for Tier 1 Offerors 11/14/2011 at 2:00 pm

17 The Market Tier 1 - Phase I Proposals are due on Monday October 14, 2011 at 2:00

PM EST (1400 EST).

Can you please tell me if the Cover Page & TOC for the above solicitation is included in the page count?

The Cover Page (outside of the notebook) and the Table of Contents (TOC) do not count in the page count.

Will you provide a detailed definitions of what is required for The Team Experience individual resume?

The Offeror shall submit resumes for team personnel including past experience, professional education/training, and any certificates/awards. Resumes are limited to one (1) page per team member. Resumes can be in any format as long as the requested information is addressed.

Please confirm proposal submission time is 2:00 PM as indicated on page 85 chapter 4 Proposal Delivery, not 12:30 as indicated on the cover page of the solicitation.

Confirmed - the proposal submission time is 1400 EST on Monday November 14, 2011.

21 Is the parking garage new construction or restoration work?

Specific requirements have not been determined. Any garage work could be new construction and/or restoration work on other structures.

Please confirm Page 98, Subfactor B.2 Contractor's A/E,

b) Ability to Manage Numerous Projects at Various Locations is to be submitted to detail A/E's experience not Offeror's experience.

Confirmed

Phase I Evaluation Factors, page 107, states Offeror's whose team demonstrate experience in all types of spaces as defined in Article C.4 b - Task Orders, shall be rated more favorably however proposal instructions for Subfactor B.2 a 2 page 97, state "The Offeror's shall submit one Design/Build delivery Similar Project for each Contractor's A/E". Given there are 7 types of space indicated and only one project allowed for each A/E (maximum 3 A/E) how can all project types be demonstrated? Please consider allowing more than one project per A/E.

Offeror's whose team, (Contractor and Contractor's A/E(s)), collectively demonstrates experience in all types of spaces, shall be rated more favorably.

Between the Offeror and the A&E's experience, all areas can be covered; some projects may show experience in multiple categories.

Market Tier 2

Number Question Answer

Are there incumbents for Market Tier 2 for this procurement, and if so, who are they? No, this is a new requirement.

2 Is there a general contractor bidders list available? No, there is no list available.

3 Will there be a pre-proposal meeting? If yes, what are the location and time?

Market Tier 2 and 3 will have a combined pre-proposal conference at 9:30 AM on Thursday November 10, 2011 in the Building 10 Lipsett Auditorium located on the Bethesda, Maryland NIH Campus

Will the winning general contractors be responsible for hiring the construction materials testing/inspection services?

The winning General Contractor (GC) may be required to provide commissioning services, however, the GC will not be responsible for commissioning their own construction work.

5 Is there a prebid meeting scheduled for this solicitation?

Market Tier 2 and 3 will have a combined pre-proposal conference at 9:30 AM on Thursday November 10, 2011 in the Building 10 Lipsett Auditorium located on the Bethesda, Maryland NIH Campus

6 When/where is the Pre-proposal conference schedule?

Market Tier 2 and 3 will have a combined pre-proposal conference on Thursday November 10, 2011. The time and place are to be determined.

If GC is a small business bidding under Market Tier 2, does the A/E have to be a small business also?

For 8(a) and small businesses, as long as the Concern performs 15% of the work, the A/E could be a large business.

Bonding (See Page 90), Small Business Set- Aside: Bond requirement for Market Tier 2 is requesting single bonding capacity of not less than 10 million and an aggregate with bonding capacity of not less than 20 million; since Market Tier 2 is limited to $3.5 – 10 million.

Please clarified?

The aggregate bonding amount remains $20 million. The Contractors must show that they have the ability to bond for more than one task order at a time as there are times when multiple requirements are issued at the same time to an individual MAC awardee.

2nd Paragraph; “Offerors whose team, (Contractor and Contractor's A/E(s)), collectively demonstrates experience in all types of spaces, as defined in Section C.1.3 - Task Orders, shall be rated more favorably.” Where might offeror locate Section C.1.3 – Task Orders?

The types of spaces are located under Article C.4.b.

Once awarded a contract, will 8(a) and Small Business awardees be able to pursue task orders from the “large” pool ($10m - $25M) or will they be restricted to the task order ranges within their respective Market Tier?

Awardees will be restricted to submitting proposals against Task Order Request for Proposals (RFP) submitted to their market tier. The Contracting Officer may submit a RFP to a Market Tier that is outside of the established Market Tier dollar ranges.

Market Tier 2

Can a business submit on more than one Market Tier (e.g., Submit for Market Tier 1 and then Market Tier 2)?

A company may submit a proposal in different market tiers.

12 If yes, will they be eligible for award in both market tiers?

Yes the company would be eligible for award in both market tiers provided that they can meet the mandatory requirements established in for each proposal submitted.

Due to the late date (yet to be set) of the Pre- Proposal Conference; would the government consider an extension in the Due date of the Market Tier 1 submissions?

No the Market Tier 1, 2 & 3 proposal due dates will not be extended. The pre-proposal conference is to review the proposal requirements that are already established in the solicitation attachment. The information has already been provided.

Since this is a multi-tier project, can we as an 8A go as prime for the 8A set aside Tier 3 and small business Tier 2 but also a sub on other large teams for Tier 2 and Tier 1 levels?

Offerors may qualify for more than one tier of this multiple award contract. (An 8(a) and Small Business Concern may qualify for the next market tier provided that the offeror meets the all mandatory and technical qualifications.) Offerors may not be awarded more than one contract in the same Market Tier.

Our company repairs, restores and patches terrazzo flooring.

1. Is there a need for this expertise? 1. There may be a need for that expertise.

2. If yes, do you know how much crack repair or patching is needed?

2. Work requirements are determined on a task by task basis. There is no way to estimate the amount of specific work required for one expertise.

Market Tier 3

Number Question Answer

Are there incumbents for Market Tier 3 for this procurement, and if so, who are they? No, this is a new requirement.

Since this is a multi-tier project, can we as an 8A go as prime for the 8A set aside Tier 3 and small business Tier 2 but also a sub on other large teams for Tier 2 and Tier 1 levels?

Offerors may qualify for more than one tier of this multiple award contract. (An 8(a) and Small Business Concern may qualify for the next market tier provided that the offeror meets the all mandatory and technical qualifications.) Offerors may not be awarded more than one contract in the same Market Tier.

3 Does this solicitation nullify Solicitation NIHOF2011354 8(a) set-aside, due 31 October? Solicitation number NIHOF2011367 and NIHOF2011354 are not related.

4 NIHOF2011354 lists a pre-proposal conference for 14 October. Is this still taking place?

Solicitation number NIHOF2011354 is unrelated. I am unaware of the schedule related to that solicitation.

How do we obtain drawings and specs for laborotory furniture and equipment?

There are no specific spaces associated with this requirement, I am not sure what drawings, specs, furniture or equipment you are referring to.