Q_and_A.docx

Question 1:

Is the vendor required to be on the government site or can the work be accomplished offsite at vendor location? (submitted 10/23/16) Government answer (10/25/16):

The vendor is required to perform the contract on-site.

Question 2:

The required format for the technical volume is in powerpoint. Does the government require a narrative volume or will a non-narrative presentation format suffice? (ie. Bullet point, charts)? (submitted 10/24/16) Government answer (10/25/16):

A non-narrative presentation will suffice. Any narrative requirements are captured in the Cost/Price Volume and OCI Mitigation Plan (as applicable). Please review the requirements in Attachment B – Proposal Content and Format, Section 2.0 for detail on what is required in each document and volume.

Question 3:

Does the government have specific labor categories deemed as “key personnel”? (submitted 10/24/16) Government answer (10/25/16):

No, it is the bidder responsibility to identify and propose these labor categories, as well as any labor categories the bidder feels may be applicable to the contract scope (see Attachment B – Proposal Content and Format, Section 2.3).

Question 4:

Is there an incumbent on this contract? If so can you provide the contract #? (submitted 10/24/16) Government answer (10/25/16):

There is a company currently performing some of the work scope encompassed in this RFP but not the full scope as described in this PWS. The contract number is OPIC-12-D-0002, task order 12.

Question 5:

Would the government please consider extending the submission deadline by another week to November 11th 2016? (submitted 10/24/16) Government answer (10/25/16):

Not presently. OPIC is keen to award this contract no later than mid-December.

Question 6:

What is the anticipated award date? (submitted 10/24/16) Government answer (10/25/16):

December 12, 2016.

Question 7:

Is the incumbent work limited to the support of tasks within the RFP or does the RFP only consists of the specific pieces of the incumbent’s work that are being separated out? (submitted 10/24/16) Government answer (10/25/16):

The work currently being performed by the incumbent is only a part of the scope encompassed by the PWS on this RFP. This PWS includes several new tasks that are not currently being performed by an incumbent.

Question 8:

How many FTEs are currently supporting the outlined tasks? (submitted 10/24/16) Government answer (10/25/16):

OPIC recommends bidders to not try to baseline their proposal based on the limited PMO tasks being currently performed. OPIC will purchase the level of support it can based on negotiated labor rates and available budget and then prioritize the PWS tasks for execution by the contractor. A better approach would be to associate your labor categories with PWS tasks so that we can evaluate your technical approach and the quality of the support proposed against the tasks to be performed. However, the minimum 1.5 FTE of support to be procured at award should have the capability to perform excellently any of the PWS tasks. (see PWS Section 3.0).

Question 9:

For the Technical Proposal slides, can the font size be smaller than 12 pt? What is the minimum font size requirement for tables, graphics, etc.? (submitted 10/24/16) Government answer (10/25/16):

See Attachment B – Proposal Content and Format, Section 1.4.

Question 10:

Does past performance also include corporate experience while working for another employer? (submitted 10/26/16) Government answer (10/26/16):

Yes, any relevant, recent past performance may be cited on a relevant fact sheet in a proposal.

Question 11 and 12:

The solicitation stated at award the contractor should be prepared to staff 1.5 FTEs initially, should the pricing proposal reflect those labor categories initially only? Are we expected to provide the labor categories for the entire body of work? (submitted 10/26/16) Government answer (10/26/16):

See answer to question 3 above. Please feel free to follow up if any further clarification is required.

Question 13:

Are teaming agreements and/ or subcontractors allowed? (submitted 10/26/16) Government answer (10/26/16):

Yes, as long as they comply with the requirements specified in FAR clause 52.219-14 -- Limitations on Subcontracting.

Question 14:

Are the 1.5 FTEs expected to be working on the project full-time every day? (submitted 10/26/16) Government answer (10/26/16):

Yes, that is the minimum, initial level of effort OPIC plans to procure on this contract.

Question 15:

Is this a new contract? (submitted 10/26/16) Government answer (10/26/16):

Part of the contract requirements are new requirements; part of them are a recompete of the requirements currently provided on OPIC-12-D-0002, task order 12.

Question 16:

Is this a new contract? Or has it previously been awarded? (submitted 10/26/16) Government answer (10/26/16):

Part of the contract requirements are new requirements; part of them are a recompete of the requirements currently provided on OPIC-12-D-0002, task order 12.

Question 17:

(Following up on question 17) Can you disclose the awarded company and amount? (submitted 10/26/16) Government answer (10/26/16):

RSR International is the contractor on OPIC-12-D-0002, task order 12. The total price of task order 12 is $2,226,880.

Question 18:

Can an offeror provide a statement in Volume I if they have no OCI issues in lieu of submitting Volume V (submitted 10/26/16) Government answer (10/26/16):

Yes, an bidder should only submit an OCI mitigation plan if it is applicable to that bidder, i.e. if the bidder believes there are potential or actual OCIs related to their company’s potential to perform this contract for OPIC.

Question 19:

The Rate Detail tab requires that a Base Labor Rate be provided, together with Fringe and benefits, Other direct labor costs, Overhead rate, G&A rate and Profit. Given that this is a Time and Materials (T&M) type contract, can we provide fully loaded rates from our existing GSA Schedule 70 contract, or is it a must that we provide the breakdown of all the rates? (submitted 10/26/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

Section 2.0 of Attachment B – Quote Content and Format of the RFP requires the cost/price volume to provide a breakdown of all rates proposed in the pricing model provided. This requirement applies regardless of whether the wrap rate is based on a GSA schedule rate.

Question 20:

Can the government confirm if the Technical Approach PowerPoint slide deck should be converted to an Adobe PDF format? Also, is there a specific version of PowerPoint the government would prefer? (submitted 10/26/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

Section 1.5 of Attachment B – Quote Content and Format of the RFP Requires slides be submitted in PowerPoint format. PowerPoint 2013 should be used if it is a possibility. If not, then we should be able to convert from an earlier version. If there is a problem with conversion, then we will contact the bidder to try to find an alternative technical solution for slide submission.

Question 21:

Can the government confirm that the notes sections in PowerPoint should not be utilized and only the actual slides will be reviewed? (submitted 10/26/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

The RFP is silent on PowerPoint notes. While notes may be reviewed at the evaluator’s discretion, there is no guarantee they will be reviewed. The main content of the slides presented, however, will be reviewed.

Question 22:

Given the incumbent is only performing a subset of the scope of work, can the government please advise of painpoints that exist with the current contract # OPIC-12-D-0002? (submitted 10/26/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

Per your subsequent clarification of “painpoints” as “staffing pain points that may be occurring on the current contract regarding turnover, onboarding, and personnel performance,” OPIC is not experiencing any painpoints on OPIC-12-D-0002, task order 12. The Statement of Work for task order 12 is simply only a subset of what is being solicited in this RFP.

Question 23:

Can the government please release the names of the interested vendors that submitted responses to the Sources Sought for this procurement from August 2016? Solicitation # OPIC-RFI-0002-16? (submitted 10/26/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

Not all respondents were found to be capable vendors, and OPIC did not request consent from respondents to have their identities released to the public. Therefore, OPIC does intend to release this information.

Question 24:

In the RFI released in August 2016 (Solicitation #OPIC-RFI-0002-16), the government estimated the scope of work to be approximately 2-3 FTEs. The current RFP states an estimated 1.5 FTE. Of the 4 specific task areas, does the government have a prioritization of which Tasks the 1.5 FTE should work on initially until additional services are procured? (submitted 10/26/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

Not presently. The prioritization will be made by the OCIO at or shortly after contract award.

Question 25:

Is the work the incumbent is performing on task order 12 specific to portfolio management. If yes, does the government intend to retain that existing framework or is the government open to enhancements and/or a new framework? (submitted 10/26/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

That is part of the work being performed on task order 12. The Government is always open to suggestions on ways to enhance its existing portfolio management framework.

Question 26:

Can the government please confirm that, if our key personnel are current employees and have a public trust clearance, it is not required to have them sign a Letter of Confirmation? (submitted 10/26/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

The Letter of Confirmation is to prove to the Government that the individuals you propose to support the PMO contract are indeed immediately available to begin supporting the contract at award (i.e. that they are not otherwise engaged on a different contract and would only be available several months after award). It has nothing to do with security clearance.

Question 27:

Can the government please confirm that, if our key personnel are current employees and have a public trust clearance, it is not required to have them sign a Letter of Confirmation? (submitted 10/26/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

The Letter of Confirmation is to prove to the Government that the individuals you propose to support the PMO contract are indeed immediately available to begin supporting the contract at award (i.e. that they are not otherwise engaged on a different contract and would only be available several months after award). It has nothing to do with security clearance.

Question 28:

The government noted in the RFP that the requirements for Key Personnel are 4 years of experience in the role for which they are being proposed; and a bachelor's degree. For other labor categories proposed by the bidder, can we propose lower and/or higher levels of experience and education than what's required for the key personnel? (submitted 10/26/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

Yes.

Question 29:

In Attachment B – Quote Content and Format, Section 1.4 (Document Format Instructions), in the first sentence in the second paragraph you state, “(for presentation part of proposal)”; what is this in reference to? Will there be an oral portion to this evaluation. (submitted 10/27/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

The technical Volume submitted as a PowerPoint file. OPIC may request bidders to come to our offices to present their proposals in person.

Question 30:

In Attachment B – Quote Content and Format, Section 1.5, the chart specifies that the Technical Volume is to be delivered as a Power Point document. Is this correct? (submitted 10/27/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

Yes, that is exactly what is written there.

Question 31:

In Attachment B – Quote Content and Format, Section 1.5, the chart specifies that Resumes and Company Qualifications are to be delivered in Word format. Is this correct? (submitted 10/27/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

Yes, that is exactly what is written there.

Question 32:

While the deliverables will be originally created in Word, Power Point, and Excel, respectively, can the final deliverables be delivered as PDFs? (submitted 10/26/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

No. Attachment B – Quote Content and Format requires different file formats, for example as confirmed in answers to questions 30 and 31 above.

Question 33:

Does 1.5 FTE mean that 1 FTE will work 40 hours and the 2nd FTE will work a 20 hours week? (submitted 10/27/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

That is a reasonable interpretation of that requirement. Actual hours may vary but regardless will be limited by the amount of funding available.

Question 34:

Are we proposing for the standard 2080 hours in a fiscal year? (submitted 10/27/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

Contractor FTE assumptions vary. OPIC has applied 1856 hours recently to some contracts, for example. Since this is a T&M contract, the price based on the total number of hours multiplied by the labor rates proposed will be more relevant in evaluation than the number of hours used as a basis for an FTE.

Question 35:

When is the anticipated start date after being awarded? Will there be a mobilization period allotted? (submitted 10/27/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

Approximately six weeks after award. That seems to be enough time to allow contractors to mobilize their teams and obtain clearance to onboard based on recent experiences.

Question 36:

Of the task areas listed in the RFP, what are the high-priority areas that the 1.5 FTEs to be procured through the contract are expected to focus on? Your response will allow us to identify the key skillsets necessary for the 1.5 FTEs, so our proposed resumes (Factor I in the evaluation) match OPIC’s immediate priorities rather than more distant or lower-level priorities. (submitted 10/27/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

See response to Question 25 and revised response to question 8 above.

Question 37:

What future tasks do you foresee that might require additional resources?. (submitted 10/27/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

Only the tasks detailed in the PWS will be procured on this contract.

Question 38:

Does the government accept subcontractors’ past performances for inclusion under Factor II, in addition to the prime’s past performances? (submitted 10/27/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

Yes, Attachment C provides bidders with a section where they clarify their role on prior programs or projects (e.g. prime, sub or team partner).

Question 39:

With regards to the copy of self-certification as WOSB in SAM and the copy of document verifying eligibility to the WOSB Program Repository which are required as attachments to the Cover Letter – please indicate whether these attachments should be conveyed as separate files, or pasted into the Cover Letter document as images. If the latter, please allow for 5 pages rather than 2 pages for the Cover Letter, as the images have to be fairly large in order to be legible. (submitted 10/27/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

Attachment B has been amended to clarify there is no page limit for Cover letter attachments. The format for attaching (separate files or embedded in the letter) is the discretion of the bidder.

Question 40:

Does the OCIO currently have a strategic plan in place and if so how long since its last update? (submitted 10/27/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

A new strategic plan was developed recently, effective FY17. The plan does need to be updated annualy to remain current.

Question 41:

In reference to section 3.1.2 of the PWS, does OPIC desire a new or enhanced governance structure as part of this effort? (submitted 10/27/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

OPIC has a governance structure that is formal for a subset of applications but need to be more widely adopted. As part of this effort, we would require that the governance structure become more formal.

Question 42:

In section 3.1.2 of the PWS, Agile is mentioned in a couple of instances. Does OPIC IT currently follow Agile methodologies or is there a desire to move toward an Agile environment? (submitted 10/27/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

In some instances, OPIC follows Agile methodologies. There is a desire to increase usage of Agile methodologies.

Question 43:

In reference to section 3.1.3 of the PWS, is requirements development also part of portfolio management support in section 3.1.2? (submitted 10/27/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

Requirements development is a component of overall Strategic Planning and Portfolio Management.

Question 44:

As part of our proposal can we recommend an approach to address required tasks (response to statement in 3.0 Requirements - outcome priorities to be done by OCIO)? (submitted 10/27/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

Yes, the proposal may include a recommended approach to addressing the required tasks to inform the OCIO in prioritization.

Question 45:

I would like to know if the aforementioned solicitation require WOSB to have a clearance? (submitted 10/27/16) Government answer (10/27/16):

Contractor personnel will need to be eligible to obtain public trust clearance at the least. If it is determined a higher level of clearance will be needed, OPIC will modify the RFP. The contractor itself will not be required to have classified safeguarding or facilities capability at their home office, since all performance will occur at OPIC and all materials and documents will be maintained on OPIC servers and in OPIC offices.