Solicitation NRC-HQ-12-R-10-0090 Amendment 2 Questions and Answers.docx

Solicitation NRC-HQ-12-R-10-0090, Onsite Secretarial Office Support Services for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Headquarters and Interim Locations

Amendment 2

Questions and Answers:

Question: Is there an incumbent contractor and who are they? If so, how long have they held the contract and are they eligible to rebid?

Answer: The incumbent contractor is Phacil, Inc. The period of performance of the current contract, NRC-10-07-414, is September 21, 2007 through September 20, 2012 (five years). Phacil, Inc. is a former 8(a) small business contractor but has outgrown SBA’s 8(a) status; therefore, they are not eligible to submit a proposal as a prime contractor.

Question: Does the NRC intend to award this contract to a single awardee or multiple awardees?

Answer: The NRC plans to award this contract to a single awardee.

Question: Is this procurement vehicle used by the entire Agency?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Is this solicitation an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ)?

Answer: Yes, ID/IQ.

Question: Reference the Statement of Work Section IV "Overall Contract Requirements" Paragraph B "Contractor Responsibility"...the government requires the contractor to provide a full time site project manager and an alternate site project manager. However, there is no CLIN in the Schedule B to include pricing for these two positions.

Question A: Is the contractor expected to absorb these costs or is it the government's intention to allow the contractor to submit pricing for these two positions? Are these two positions billable positions?

Question B: If the contractor is expected to absorb the cost of these two positions, can the SOW be changed to allow the contractor to manage the contract from its corporate office located in Washington DC since the workload involved in staffing these positions will be run by the corporate HR team at the corporate office?

Answer: In Solicitation Section E.5, Price Proposal, we stated: “It is the intent of the NRC that the cost of the contractor’s Site Project Manager and Alternate Site Project Manager will not be charged as a separate line item in the Schedule of Items and Prices under the contract. Instead, these costs shall be included as an indirect charge under the hourly labor rates and hours for the clerical personnel.” The purpose of adding the cost of the Site Project Manager and Alternate Site Project Manager to the clerical labor rates was to distribute the funding and the billing for the Site Project Manager and Alternate Site Project Manger proportionately throughout the various task orders.

However, we are revising the Price/Cost Schedule to show the Site Project Manager/Alternate Site Project Manager as a direct cost separate labor line item. When the task orders are issued, we will still need a way to allocate the funding and the billing for the Site Project Manager and Alternate Site Project Manager proportionately throughout the various task orders.

The Site Project Manager and Alternate Site Project Manager are not two full-time positions. The purpose of the Alternate Site Project Manager is to fill in for the Site Project Manager and perform the Site Project Manager’s duties when the Site Project Manager is unavailable. The Site Project Manager and Alternate Site Project Manager together will be one full-time position.

Based on previous experience, we have found that, in addition to corporate management and HR support from the contractor’s corporate office, a Site Project Manager is needed for various onsite duties, for example, to handle meetings for proposed contractor candidates with the various NRC offices, to perform the required initial orientation and training for contractor personnel, and to monitor contractor personnel attendance and performance.

Question: Due to this being awarded as an ID/IQ contract, please confirm that all contractors are required to bid the hours provided in the Price/Cost Schedule, that is, 10,000 Regular Hours for Administrative Clerk I, with 300 Overtime Hours, and 81,000 Regular Hours for Administrative Clerk II, with 2,000 Overtime Hours.

Answer: Yes, confirmed. In addition, we are changing the Administrative Clerk I category title to Secretary I, and the Administrative Clerk II category title to Secretary II.

Question: Can you please provide clarification regarding the price breakdown. The instructions state the price proposal must provide a breakdown and explanation of labor by labor category, hours, and fixed hourly rates, and any other direct or indirect costs. Are you expecting supporting documentation for rate buildup (e.g., unburdened rate, application of indirect costs, G&A, overhead, fully burdened cost before fee, application of fee, fixed hourly rate) or are the tables presented in Section B.4 sufficient?

Answer: In addition to the Price/Cost Schedule tables in Section B.4, we would like a price breakdown of the above items so we can understand how the final fixed hourly labor rates were calculated. We are not expecting supporting documentation such as payroll records, etc.

Question: Reference the Statement of Work Section IV "Overall Contract Requirements" Paragraph B "Contractor Responsibility"...the government requires the site project manager and alternate site project manager to have a bachelor’s college degree and at least five (5) years and three (3) years of relevant experience as a certified Project Manager. Is the government requiring the SPM and ASPM to have their Project Management Institute (PMI) certification? Do the Site Project Manager and the Alternate Site Project Manager have to each hold a PMP certificate or can relevant experience be sufficient?

Answer: We are removing the requirement for the Site Project Manager and Alternate Site Project Manager to be “certified” project managers. They do not need to be “certified.”

Question: The Statement of Work, Section IV. B. (pg. 3) states that the Site Project Manager (SPM) must have a bachelor’s degree and at least five (5) years of relevant experience as a Project Manager and the Alternate Site Project Manager must have a bachelor’s degree and at least three (3) years of experience as a Project Manager. Can extensive Project Management experience (10+ years), military service, direct NRC experience, or other commensurate qualifications qualify a candidate in lieu of the bachelor’s degree?

Answer: No. A bachelor’s degree is required for the Site Project Manager and Alternate Site Project Manager with the 5 years and 3 years relevant Project Manager experience.

Question: In Part IV of the Statement of Work, Overall Contract Requirements, there is a requirement for a transition plan. The SOW states “The contractor shall deliver with its proposal a comprehensive draft Transition Plan that demonstrates its approach for performing all functions contained within this Statement of Work (SOW). The transition period shall be no more than 60 calendar days from the start of the contract. The Transition Plan shall describe how the contractor plans to interact with the outgoing contractor and what actions will be taken to ensure that contractor staff is brought on board as quickly as possible.” In order to “meet the minimum requirements outlined in the attached Statement of Work (SOW), and address the evaluation factors,” are we to incorporate a transition plan into our technical approach, or should it be provided separately? Does this impact the point scale? How does this affect the 50 page limitation?

Answer: A transition plan is required and should be included under Evaluation Factor 1, Technical Approach, as it is part of the contractor demonstrating their ability to obtain qualified personnel. It will be evaluated; it does impact the point scale; and it counts toward the 50 page technical proposal limitation.

Question: Section E.5, Volume I – Technical Proposal instructions make no reference to other required documentation including SF1449, amendments, and Reps and Certs. Can you clarify what documentation should be contained in Volume 1, what section should the documentation be added, and how it will affect the page limitation?

Answer: Part 1, the Technical Proposal, should include the SF1449 (the one page form), amendments, Clause C.43 2052.209-70 Current/Former Agency Employee Involvement, Clause E.1 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications, and Clause E.6 Green Purchasing, as a separate section from the information requested in the evaluation factors. If current Reps and Certs are available at the ORCA website, then only paragraph (b)(2) of Clause 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications needs to be provided. The SF1449, amendments, clauses, and Reps and Certs are not part of the 50 page technical proposal limitation. The 50 pages are for the offeror to use to respond to the three evaluation factors.

Question: Section E, p E-1, please confirm that Solicitation Provisions do not need to be submitted with proposal.

Answer: The solicitation provisions do not need to be submitted with the proposal; however, proposals should state that all solicitation provisions are acknowledged.

Question: Is there a specific format for the technical proposal/past performance volumes? Page count, specific font size, single spaced or double spaced?

Answer: Per Solicitation Section E.3, “Information submitted in response to this solicitation must be typed, printed, or reproduced on letter-size paper and each copy must be legible. All text information shall be printed using no less than 10 font size. The length of the total technical proposal submission is limited to 50 single-sided pages. The following items are excluded from the 50 page limitation; however, some of these items have individual page limitations: proposal cover letter, title page, table of contents, dividers, personnel resumes (not to exceed 3 pages each), and past performance reference information (not to exceed 1 page each).” Single spaced.

Question: Regarding Section E.3, Please confirm that 10 point font size, Times New Roman is acceptable for text. Please confirm that tables can include 8 point font. Please confirm 1 inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right) are acceptable.

Answer: This is acceptable.

Question: Does the “PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE” section count towards the 50 page limitation?

Question: Does Attachment 2, NRC Form 187, needs to be submitted with the proposal, or was it provided as a reference in completing the proposal?

Answer: Attachment 2, NRC Form 187, does not need to be submitted with the proposal. It was provided for reference because it is referred to as an attachment in Section C.26, Clause 2052.204.70, Security, in the solicitation.

Question: Should the technical and cost proposals be bound separately or can they be included in the same binder?

Answer: Technical and cost proposals can be included in the same binder.

Question: Based on the security clearance requirement:

(1) Do you need every temp employee working on this contract to have secret clearance?

(2) Do the key staff managing the contract need security clearance?

(3) Would NRC shoulder the cost of getting clearance?

(4) Would our facilities need to have clearance?

Answer: (1) Most temp employees working on this contract will only need NRC IT-II access authorization. A few will need an NRC L (secret) or Q (top secret) security clearance. (2) Any contractor personnel working onsite on a regular basis will need NRC access authorization. Contractor management personnel who do not work onsite and do not have IT access do not need access authorization or a security clearance. (3) NRC will shoulder the cost of processing the access authorization or security clearance; however, the contractor is responsible for completing and submitting the security application forms, including the electronic information, accurately and timely. (4) The contractor’s facilities do not need to have clearance.

Question: Section IV Overall Contract Requirements states the Site Project Manager should be available each federal workday at NRC headquarters during the hours of 7:30 am-4:15 pm. Then it states the SPM shall be available to receive phone calls and email during the hours of 7:00 am-6:00 pm. Are these times off site, via cell, home, etc?

Answer: Yes, the Site Project Manager should be available off-site, via cell phone and email, between 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. in case there is an emergency with one of the contractor employees who may be working different onsite hours from those of the Site Project Manager.

Question: Does the Government envision the need for more than one Site Project Manager if multiple work sites are added to the contract or will a single SPM be expected to oversee multiple work sites/locations?

Answer: The various work sites are described in the Statement of Work. The Government does not foresee any additional work sites being added to the contract. The Government envisions only one Site Project Manager to oversee the multiple work site locations within the White Flint Complex and interim locations.

Question: The labor categories of Administrative Clerk I and II are not categories listed on the Department of Labor Wage Determination. Please confirm that the intended categories are Secretary I and Secretary II.

Answer: The intended Department of Labor Wage Determination occupation code and title categories are 01311 Secretary I and 01312 Secretary II. The Site Project Manager and Alternate Site Project Manager are not subject to the Department of Labor Wage Determination.

Question: With regard to provisions set forth in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), will the Government provide which labor categories under FLSA correspond to the Government’s specification of the Administrative/Clerk I and Clerk II positions?

Answer: We plan to use the Department of Labor Wage Determination categories as stated in the previous answer.

Question: Do the labor categories listed in the procurement fall under current collective bargaining agreements? If so, do these agreements affect the current base salaries that may be offered?

Answer: No, the labor categories do not fall under current collective bargaining agreements.

Question: Does the NRC intend to have the Contractor hire all incumbent employees in good standing? Are the current incumbent personnel favored to be kept by the NRC on the new contract? If so, will the NRC provide the awardee the entire list of incumbent contractors upon contract award?

Answer: It is the contractor’s decision as to who to hire. However, the advantage of having qualified, cleared incumbent contractor employees available to hire should be considered. The NRC will provide the awardee a list of incumbent contractor employees upon award of the contract.

Question: How many contractor employees are currently working on task orders?

Answer: There are currently 58 contractor employees working on task orders.

Question: What is the exact FTE count for the Base Year for the Administrative/Clerk I and Administrative/Clerk II?

Answer: We don’t know what the exact FTE for the base year of the contract will be. We estimate that it will be approximately 45 to 58 FTE.

Question: Can the agency estimate the number of administrative clerks that will be required under the first task order of the new contract?

Answer: We don’t know which task order will be the first task order. We currently have 14 task orders, each with one to thirteen secretaries. We anticipate that most or all of the task orders will be issued when the contract is awarded.

Question: Is there an estimated amount of time for short and long term assignments/tasks? (i.e., 3 months or 6 months?)

Answer: Short Term assignments are six (6) months or less and Long Term assignments are more than six (6) months.

Question: What is the average number of days for which the Task Orders are issued?

Answer: There is no average number of days. A few task orders may last a few months. Most task orders last for the life of the contract.

Question: Is there a maximum number of days an employee can work as an Administrative Clerk on a specific task order?

Answer: Yes, if working on a short term delivery order. Certain situations require the NRC to issue a TO for short-term or temporary office support services. These situations are covered by Federal regulations that place additional restrictions on the Governments use of contractors to perform these services. Established Federal guidance on these situations and the prescribed Federal limitations can be found under 5 CFR, Part 300, Subpart E, Use of Private Sector Temporaries. Please see Section X of the Statement of Work for additional information.

Question: Do proposals have to include resumes for Administrative Clerks or just those for Site Project Manager and Alternate Site Project Manager?

Answer: Proposals have to include resumes only for the Site Project Manager and Alternate Site Project Manager. Resumes for secretaries will be submitted after contract award when the task orders are being staffed.

Question: Will staff have to undergo any drug screening and testing?

Question: Will employees be able to work onsite while the security paperwork is being processed?

Answer: Contractors are only allowed to work onsite when temporary access has been granted.

Question: What is the length of time it takes for the background investigation to be completed by the agency?

Answer: The length of time for background investigations depends on the background of the applicant, and how quickly, accurately, and completely they submit their data through the electronic online eQip security system. If the applicant provides complete, accurate information when it is requested, the background investigation usually takes approximately four to six weeks for an interim temporary access approval, and six to twelve months for final IT-II access approval.

Question: The SOW states that documentation of testing for Microsoft applications must be submitted as part of the certification. What type of documentation is acceptable?

Answer: The contractor must verify or certify that proposed secretarial personnel can perform the requirements of the Secretary I service level, to include Microsoft applications as described in the Statement of Work. The contractor must adequately test proposed personnel to determine if they can perform the requirements. A description of the testing method, and a certificate of completion for the testing and/or a print out of test scores is acceptable.

Question: Is it reasonable to expect that all required contractor employee training can be conducted within the allotted 8 hours as indicated by the agency?

Answer: The allotted eight (8) hours is direct training for new hires prior to starting work under a task order and is usually sufficient to provide initial orientation and training. Additional specific training for certain task orders may be provided at the NRC Professional Development Center or by a specific NRC office.

Question: We understand that each contractor employee working on the NRC contract will be required to receive (8) eight hours of direct training to perform basic functions in each of the applications and systems listed by NRC. Is this correct? If we obtain employees from the incumbent contractor, will these individuals be required to take the (8) eight hours (all or part) of required training?

Answer: The eight (8) hours of training is for new hires who have never worked on a task order for the NRC. If employees are obtained from the incumbent contractor, these individuals will already have had this eight hours of training and do not have to repeat it.

Question: Refer to page 10 of SOW, “If after receiving training, the contractor employee can’t perform basic functions in each of the application and systems listed above, the contractor shall not bill NRC at the Administrative/Clerk II service level”. Can contractor bill for such a situation at the Administrative/Clerk I service level?

Answer: Yes, the contractor can continue to bill at the Secretary I level, until such time the contractor employee is qualified at the Secretary II level.

Question: With the NRC Project Officer’s (PO) approval, if a contractor employee has previous NRC experience at the Administrative/Clerk II skill level, he/she may continue to work at the Clerk II level and does not need to first complete the 90-day provisional period. If an Administrative/Clerk has experience that justifies Clerk II level but the experience is not directly with NRC, will this person also be required to complete the 90-day provisional period (i.e., some Clerk I and Clerk II individuals will start at the same time and the Clerk II will have several years of education and experience over Clerk I; however, the experience will not necessarily be with NRC).

Answer: The Secretary II level requires knowledge of NRC-specific procedures, processes, and software systems, as described in the Statement of Work. Even if an individual has other substantial experience, they cannot be placed at the Secretary II level until they attain knowledge of and experience in the NRC-specific requirements. This learning process usually takes place during the 90-day provisional period.

Question: SOW Paragraph IV-B states: “...the contractor shall provide a Site Project Manager (SPM) to be available each Federal workday at the NRC Headquarters and interim locations during the hours…” Does the contract provide desk/office space for the contractor Site Project Manager and if so at which site?

Answer: Yes, one desk space will be provided at the NRC headquarters location, for the Site Project Manager and Alternate Site Project Manager to use. If they are both onsite at the same time, they will have to share the one space.

Question: SOW Section IX, “SUBSTITUTION OF CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL PERFORMING UNDER A TASK ORDER” states: “The personnel designated in the individual TO shall be considered ‘key personnel’ for purposes of each TO. The contractor shall obtain the prior approval of the PO in reassigning and/or replacing any key personnel position with other contractor employees. In the event of a temporary absence of the contractor’s personnel (e.g. vacation leave, sick leave, etc.), upon the PO’s request, the contractor shall provide a qualified replacement employee within 24 hours to maintain continuous performance of the office support services for the subject TO. The NRC reserves the right to disapprove at any time, with no notice, any contractor personnel assigned who is either unable or unwilling to perform the work within the scope of the contract and/or TO.” Elsewhere in its solicitation, the Government states that key personnel to be bid for this effort are the Site Project Manager (SPM) and Alternate Site Project Manager (ASPM) – for which resumes are required to be submitted. Here in SOW Section IX, task order level personnel are defined as “key personnel”. Do all of the contractual stipulations that apply to the SPM and ASPM apply to all task order level personnel as well?

Question: As “Services will be provided on a task ordering basis to satisfy the individual needs of various NRC offices,” how much time will be allowed upon NRC’s request for additional staff – 72 hours?

Answer: The response time for non-urgent requests is 72 hours. Please refer to the Statement of Work for contractor response times.

Question: We understand that the contractor receiving the award from NRC has 15 days after receiving the award to supply 35 applications for security and if selected we can supply no less than seven (7) completed applications for security within every (3) three days during this 15-day period (i.e., 7 applications for security can be submitted every 3 days with all 35 to be submitted within that 15 day period). Is this correct?

Answer: Yes. This is an approximate guideline for submitting applications for security processing. We will expect a contractor to make a reasonable effort to provide as many applications as needed to staff the task orders requested.

Question: The contractor shall continuously maintain a pool of qualified contractor personnel who have submitted completed security applications, in sufficient number to satisfy the estimated on-going demand for clerical support services by various NRC offices. Does this indicate that the Contractor’s pool of personnel should consist of individuals for whom applications for security clearance have been submitted to NRC?

Question: Refer to SOW, Page 22, Item E, paragraph two. Are there a required number of NRC security clearance applicants for the personnel pool?

Answer: We are not requiring a specific number. We expect the contractor to work with the NRC Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) (formerly referred to as the NRC Project Officer) and to use their professional expertise to estimate how many security clearance applicants should be in the personnel pool at any given time.

Question: Time accrued for existing Contractor’s personnel. We understand that personnel carried over from incumbent personnel will require accrued time earned to be absorbed by the new contractor. We would like to confirm so that we consider these costs in our budget.

Answer: The new contractor is under no obligation to carry over and absorb accrued time earned for existing incumbent contractor personnel. It is the responsibility of the incumbent contractor to settle any accrued time/benefits owed to incumbent personnel when their contract expires.