Amendment 008 - Attachment A - Q A.docx

Amendment 8

· Is it acceptable to purchase retail items within the P1000 system within the NSF firewall?

· Is it acceptable to invoice the NSF for the purchase of retail items provided that we show that amount as a liability of the Working Capital Fund and reimburse the NSF that amount as sales are realized during the following months?

· Would it be acceptable to carry forward those liabilities of the Working Capital Fund to the NSF between fiscal years provided that there was an accurate reconciliation between inventory, cash, and pricing markup that clearly indicated that the liability could reasonably be repaid from sales of existing inventory during the subsequent season?

The contractor should consider the value of the inventory during the transition and size the proposed retail operation in the APP according to the planned sales. There is not a specific fund at present, but the costs are tracked within the contractor operating funds.

· It is acceptable to purchase retail items through the normal procurement system the contractor operates.

· It is acceptable to invoice the NSF and show it as a liability as noted.

· Yes, carry over across fiscal years is acceptable. The NSF has “no year” money.

· Beginning Inventory on shelves of stores/clubs;

· Inventory of retail items held in common storage;

· Cash in registers or central working capital account;

· Purchases of retail items;

· Salaries & Benefits, if any, for “sales” employees, and direct admin support;

· Salary & Benefits associated with management oversight of fund and activities;

· Indirect costs associated with management oversight of fund and activities;

· Overhead costs associated with management oversight of fund and activities;

· Spoilage of items that spoil while in retail space;

· Pilferage losses associated with items that are stolen from retail space; and

· Cash overage/shortages.

Yes, all items noted should be considered within the working capital fund for retail activities.

· Utility costs associate with retail space, clubs, and storage areas used for goods prior to moving goods to the retail/club space;

· Janitorial costs associate with retail space and clubs;

· O&M costs associated with retail space, clubs, the furnishings/equipment in that space, and space used to store retail items;

· Renewal costs associated with retail space or the furnishings/equipment in that space;

· Furnishings/equipment in retail space, i.e., tables, chairs, shelving, lighting, counters, sinks, bar glassware, etc.;

· Glassware cleaning and other cleaning items in the clubs;

· The cost of shipping, handling or storage of retail items;

The cost of damage, spoilage and pilferage to the point of moving them to retail / club space.

These items are correctly categorized.

1.4.2.13.01 1.4.2.13.02 1.4.2.13.03 1.4.2.13.04

Yes, Offeror should format PWS to correspond with the NSF WBS.

Since the Contractor does not currently have access to the individual employment contracts issued by the incumbent, will the NSF provide salary information that can be used as the basis of estimate for Austral Winter employees during Annual Program Plan Period One?

NSF estimates winter over employees’ salary, compensation and fringe benefits at $10 million for APP period one.

Attachment L-9 – Attachment L-11

SPREADSHEET 1 - Total Costs Prime Contractor Column S – Consultants & Subcontractors

In this spreadsheet, all subcontractor and consultant costs should be categorized as subcontractor and consultant costs and not be broken out into the major cost categories. Note that this is different from the treatment of subcontractor and consultant costs in the Summary of Total Costs IOSS spreadsheet discussed below.

Section J, Attachment 11, Section 1.2 states “The Contractor shall sequence and schedule the work so that the work required by Paragraph Two and presentation of Contractor administrative and management systems to the Government for audit review as identified in Paragraph Three of the work statement are accomplished prior to beginning work set forth in the remaining paragraphs.”

The hold point, sequence and schedule provision in Section 1.2 prohibits the successful offeror from initiating a number of transition activities that will minimize disruption to ongoing USAP operations to include:

· Paragraph 4 – Workforce Recruiting and Hiring

· Paragraph 11 – Transition-In Reporting and Other Transition Activities We believe it is in the best interest to the government to allow the selected Contractor to initiate incumbent employee contact at contract award to minimize anxiety, which mitigates increased risk to the NSF relative to uninterrupted operations, due to employee distractions.

Paragraph 4 also includes Contract Deliverables Item 041 and 042, which are due within 30 days of contract award per the Schedule of Deliverables in Section F.7 of Amendment 007. We believe Section 1.2’s requirement prohibits the selected Contractor from working on those contract deliverables, until all of Paragraph 2 work and submission of Contract Deliverable Item 037 is complete.

Would NSF authorize the selected Contractor to initiate all Transition-In activities at contract award to minimize the risk to the NSF concerning incumbent employee anxiety, and to allow comprehensive Human Resources activities and to enable work on SOW requirements such as the Transition-in Reporting requirement set forth in Paragraph 11?

Transition-In SOW has been amended to allow for those activities to start at contract award.

Should cell AB237 have a value of March 31 2025 rather than March 31, 2010?

The Table with cells ranging from A1 to CH230 provides for data at WBS level five for the first 5 ½ years of the contract. The table below at L236 to AC 266 provides for data for the entire period of performance at WBS level 3. The cell AB237 (AB 233) should read March 31, 2025.

The first table (cells A1:CH230) requests data through Sept 30, 2017, while the second table requests data through 2024. Would the NSF clarify that these are the appropriate date ranges?

The table with cells ranging from A1 to CH230 provides for data at WBS level five for the first 5 ½ years of the contract. The table below at L236 to AC 266 provides for data for the entire period of performance at WBS level 3. The cell AB237 (AB233) should read March 31, 2025.

The date range for the second table should be from April 1, 2012 through March 31, 2025 the entire period of performance with options.

1.2.2.4.09 Long Duration Balloon (NASA) 1.3.1.1.02 SAS Department Support

1.4.2.5.07 Energy Conservation

The current version of Attachment L-14 does not have those WBS elements in it.

· Annual Hours (Column X)? Is this total annual productive hours, not normalized to 1880 hours?

· Estimated Labor Hours (Columns AN through AT)? Is this total hours for the identified position within the identified WBS line item?

· Yes, estimated labor hours not normalized.

· Yes, these are total hours for the identified position within the identified WBS line item per contract year.

· Proprietary - When Prime has access to provide subcontractor proposal details (non-proprietary info), …”Prime contractor should categorize these costs in the appropriate major cost categories under the Summary Total Costs and the fours subsidiary spreadsheet tabs”. For Non Labor EMO, this will result in the various non-labor costs within the non-proprietary sub proposal being included in the applicable non-labor types in Column H. By indicating the “Company” name in Column “M”, the specific non-proprietary cost for each non labor cost type, will be separately identified for all companies. When this splitting occurs, Prime will refrain from include the non-proprietary subcontractor proposed costs within the Column H Non-Labor Type “Subcontractor” to avoid double counting.

· Non-Proprietary – When Prime does not have access to subcontractor proposal details (proprietary info). Each proprietary subcontractor should complete a separate Cost Model Final Template for its proposal costs ONLY. In the case of Non Labor EMO, Column M would include ONLY the proprietary subcontractor “Company” Name.

· For purposes of identifying the proprietary subcontractor Cost Model Final Templates, is it acceptable to Name the file : “Cost Model Final Template - Proprietary SUBCONTRACTOR name”?

“Yes” to all bullets

Construction of the ice runway is an O&M activity. We’re moving to the consolidated runway concept, but we will need to make sure that offerors price building it. It’s currently an O&M activity in the area directorate, not a special project.

The construction and maintenance of the McMurdo ice pier is NOT a special project and is to be covered as an O&M tasking. This will not be funded under CLIN .5. For clarification only VERY BIG PROJECTS will ever be funded under X.5.

Cost of the Cost Model Instructions there appears to be an error in the description of the burdens.

This is correct. “Equipment, Materials & Supplies, and Other Direct Costs (ODCs) and Subcontracts and Consultants” will be replaced with “Fringe, Overhead, G&A & Allocated Costs”

Interdivisional transfers or other arrangements are part of the proposed costs for the prime company and should not be treated as subcontracted costs in the prime’s L-9 spreadsheet. They should complete L-10 and use row P to designate IWTA organization that will be performing the work.

· If baseline columns remain on the Burden tab, the formulas in columns O-T make it seem as though the baseline amount should be escalated. Is this the intent? What if the rates fluctuate each year by different amounts?

Offerors are not required to complete the baseline on the burden tab if they do not need to escalate from 2010 to 2012. We require that the column not be deleted for purposes of combining spreadsheets.

In order to calculate total burdens for recurring and non-recurring costs and projects the offeror may utilize a separate spreadsheet by employee ID number. The Burden spreadsheet should show these costs by WBS, by recurring, non-recurring and project code.

· If BOE stays on cost model versus cost volume then it is only received via electronic format.

· “The cost model and BOE information shall track between the proposed PWS and NSF WBS and shall cross reference to the SOO Functional areas. The L-10 cost model does not have a column for SOO do we need to add one?

The BOE narrative should remain in the cost volume as before. Additional footnotes for clarification or references to the BOE sections in the cost volume may be added in the cost model for explanatory purposes if needed. We do not intend that BOE information be repeated in the cost model.

While the cost model does not contain a SOO column. RFP Section L-14 does include a cross reference matrix that would include this information.

The award fee for the prime offeror can be displayed on the L-9 Total Cost Prime.Contractor If the subcontractors are sharing in the award fee, fee for subcontractors can be included there. If the subcontractor is receiving a fee that is not part of the award fee, offeror may insert additional rows for fee by WBS into this tab. Column G for the additional rows should be labeled as “Subcontractor Fee”.

Please confirm charter expiration date for the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer. Amendment 007 and cover letter state the NBP charter expires on September 30, 2012; Section J, Attachment 7 indicates 3/12/2012 The Charter expires in March of 2012. The CLIN’s period of performance ends in September of 2012. Use the plug numbers for the Charter as provided in Section B of the RFP.

The WBS title says “Marine Science Support (aboard vessel RV Palmer)” and the WBS description includes “Marine Laboratory Technicians aboard research vessels...”

Please confirm if this WBS element applies to the Laurence M. Gould and/or the Oden in addition to the Nathaniel B. Palmer.

Marine science techs are ALL marine science techs and are not ship specific. So it does include NBP, ODEN and also the Gould. These are guys that do technical support like run winches and seismic things.

WBS 1.2.2.4.01 Director Marine Science Operations RV, WBS 1.4.1.3.02 Palmer & Marine Area Directorate, and WBS 1.4.1.3.03 Palmer Area Directorate

WBS 1.2.2.4.01 Marine personnel, Special projects, Personnel on ice, TDY labor, Hull insurance for RV's, and Supplies, materials & services. It’s a catch-all for things that don’t fit the ship specific WBS area.

WBS 1.4.13.02 Planning & coordination of support activities at Palmer & Vessels (on-site). Any dock-side support needed for ship (e.g. the “on site” part) would go here. Cranes, pier side thing that Palmer needs to support ships (any ships) etc. would go here. Examples include line for line handling, fenders for the pier, etc.

WBS 1.4.1.3.03 Area Site Management & staff supervision, Office supplies, Supplies & Equipment, SAR equipment & spares and Sterilized rock from Chili for road maintenance.

· Page 11, Tab 4 Burdens, description is same as Tab 3.

· Tab 5 can it be more descriptive on Fixed Price, what is and is not included?

· “Equipment, Materials & Supplies, and Other Direct Costs (ODCs) and Subcontracts and Consultants” will be replaced with “Fringe, Overhead, G&A & Allocated Costs” See also L-11 Page 3 bullet 4.

· This tab is created to allow for flexibility to accommodate various contract types to include firm fixed price, fixed unit price type subcontracts. If the offeror has this type of information available we would like to see as much detail as possible to provide visibility into proposed arrangements. We recognize that this could be offeror and subcontractor specific. Commercial pricing - market etc.

· Column Y-AF (now Y-AE)is for Government furnished not-to-exceed amounts. The amounts need to be identified by contract period. Rows 260-265 should reflect summary amounts for the contract period.

· Please note CLIN for science support (column z) is no longer applicable and will be deleted in a subsequent amendment.

· Column V – X - for partial FTEs, are the productive weeks used to drive the other columns?

· Labor Costs + Premium Baseline (column BC) – can this column be blank as the calculation would be a percentage times the labor identified in columns AV – BA?

· Fringe Benefits Baseline (column BS) – It is our understanding that this column could have hours for SCA personnel and dollars for exempt personnel. Is this correct?

· Salary + Premium Pay + Fringe Benefits Baseline (Column CA), what is required for this column?

· For those subs with proprietary data, per the instructions they will submit their cost directly to the PCO, but how their staffing positions, headcount, staffing hours and costs should be included in the L-10? If there were several fixed price subcontractors is it the correct assumption that their data would go on the -10 “Transition-In and Fixed Price” worksheet. If this is incorrect, please provide clarification.

· Column V-X - Offeror shall provide direct labor hours AM-AT – seeking labor hours in addition to productive weeks.

· Labor Costs + Premium Baseline (BC)- Offeror can derive premium dollars based a calculation of percentage of direct labor. BC will be a sum of labor costs +premium pay. (Premium pay % x labor costs). Calculation of premium pay can be dependent on a number of factors – deployment pay, retention pay, hazardous duty pay. Actual calculation may be presented on separate spreadsheet. L-11 page 10

· Fringe Benefits Baseline (column BS) - This column is the dollar amount for each employee. SCA employees can receive FB $2.65 per hour as an example. Regular employees as % of DL. Refer to L-11 page 10 of the pricing instructions for additional spreadsheet to support your calculation if necessary.

· Column CA is the total cost of salary+premium pay +fringe benefits.

· In the technical volume, offeror shall provide staffing positions, headcount in the staffing matrix for the first full year of the contract. NSF will incorporate staffing positions, headcount, staffing hours and costs for subcontractor pricing that are submitted directly to NSF, with the offeror’s pricing. For subcontractor pricing not submitted directly to NSF, the offeror shall identify that information in the prime submittal. If proprietary info is to be provided directly to NSF, we will attempt to roll subcontractor data into prime data totals.

· The L-14 can be used to propose these costs, correct?

· Subcontracts section is for assumable subcontracts only?

· Also, there are no costs for assumable subcontracts.

· Yes. The amounts for materials, equipment, and ODCs can be used from L-14. Offerors can increment or decrement from those numbers with adequate explanation. Offeror shall still populate data in the EMO tab by WBS for out years. EMO tab also contains subcontracted costs which could be specific to the offeror. The prime should show the subcontracted amount and subcontract cost details if not proprietary. If proprietary, t the subcontractor shall provide a separate submission directly to NSF and NSF will combine/reconcile prime and subcontractor data.

· No.

· Not all assumable subcontract costs are included in the government furnished CLIN amounts.

· Can you describe what is required under column k (Escal Code)

· Please explain how this worksheet is supposed to work? Do we insert the number of rows used on the Total Labor Staffing” worksheet to calculate fringe benefits for each position proposed and link it back to columns BT – BY on the Total Labor Staffing” worksheet? Or is this calculation a roll-up number based upon some data? Can the government please provide the methodology needed for this calculation?

· Similar questions on how does the Overhead, G&A and Any Other Allocated costs are calculated?

· As an example, this column may be used for materials and supplies where an offeror proposes different escalation rates for different types of commodities. If it is not applicable for the Burden tab, Offerors may mark this column as reserved.

· This should be a roll up by each WBS number by recurring and non-recurring, by project and not by position. Offeror may include separate spreadsheets to support the calculation of overhead, G&A. Fringe should be calculated in the total labor staffing tab.

· For Overhead , G&A & Any Other Allocated Costs are calculated in accordance with offeror/subcontractors’ disclosed accounting practices and separate spreadsheets may be provided to support those calculations.

· If there were several subcontractors who are fixed price, does their subcontract cost data go on this page?

· Can another sheet similar be created for the Transition-In that is CR?

· Yes with as much data as possible

· Yes

Performance period for SubCLIN 0001.A is 60 days maximum. Performance period for SubCLIN 0001.B is 180 days maximum. Work under those SubCLINs can be performed concurrently. Total transition-in period is 180 days. Notice to proceed is required per Section J, Attachment 11 Section 1.2