Amendment_1_Q As.pdf

Amendment 1

Solicitation NRC-HQ-60-15-R-0009 Questions and Answers:

Question 1: On page 66, Note 2 of Factor 1: Could you refer us to a document which would provide guidance on the qualifications necessary to receive an IT level access clearance. We want to make sure we can demonstrate that our proposed personnel are capable of receiving the necessary IT Level II access clearance if the contract is awarded.

Answer: Offerors will not be required to demonstrate during the proposal evaluation process that they are able to obtain an IT Level II clearance. The process will be for the winner of the award to first submit a security packet (SF-86, FD-258, NRC Form 237, and NRC Form 176) to the COR, who will route the packet to DFS for interim approval.

The conditions to pass for interim approval include:

- Having lived legally in the U.S. for the past 7 years

- Pass credit checks

- Pass criminal checks

The Management Directive that outlines the procedure for granting an IT Level II clearance is MD 12.3, and it is listed in the publicly accessible electronic reading room on the NRC website.

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/management-directives/volumes/vol-12.html

The relevant sections are I.F.1, I. F. 2(b), I.F.3, and I.C.3.

Note: An IT Level II clearance is different from an “L” clearance, and an “L” clearance will not be required for this contract.

Question 2: On page 67, Factor 4: Is it permissible for offerors to use NRC staff members as a reference?

Answer: yes, it is acceptable for offerors to use an NRC contract/COR for past performance references.

Question 3: Does the NRC have a required annual percentage rate for salary increases?

Answer: For this procurement, there is an annual inflation cap of 3%.

Amendment 1

Question 4: In page 57 of 67 of the RFP, it says that a year is based on 2000 staff hours. In the past, it has been 2080 for yearly staff, and for our faculty it is based on 1560 per year since they have academic year appointments (Sept-May). This will make a difference on how I show their percentage of effort. Our policy requires that we do this by percentage and not hours, like required in the proposal.

Answer: This clause is intended to create an “apples-to-apples” basis of comparison for all organizations for the purpose of NRC performing cost analysis, however it is not mandatory that all offerors use that 2000 hour figure in order to calculate direct labor rates. All offerors are free to propose methodology that is consistent with how their own respective organizations normally develop cost proposals – if your organization has a “work year” that consists of 1560 hours, the NRC has no objection to your submitting a proposal that uses that 1560-hour year as your basis for calculating hourly labor rates.