Q A QMAA-SB-110003-N.docx

Questions and Answers for QMAA-SB-110003-N

1. Please specify the year for these vehicles and also please let me know this is a purchase contract or lease, rental.

a. The solicitation is for the purchase of new non tactical model year vehicles.

2. Is this a single-source solicitation to provide all vehicle types or can a vendor bid on just one of the line requirements (e.g., buses)?

a. Vendors may bid on just one line of the requirement or multiple lines. Vendors do not have to bid on all contract line items.

3. Clarify if a vendor can partially bid for the requirement?

a. Yes a vendor may partially bid for the requirement. However, all requirements of the solicitation must be met.

4. Clarification in regards to whether this management and maintenance requirement has been discarded or if this will be solicited for separately.

a. Management and Maintenance portion of the requirement will be solicited in a separate solicitation. This solicitation will be posted in the upcoming weeks.

5. The tender makes no reference to land allocation, maintenance requirements nor motor pool management and tracking. Are these requirements going to be address on subsequent tenders?

a. A separate solicitation will be issued addressing those requirements in the upcoming weeks.

6. Attachment E, Section B, Schedule of Items: This requires us to have pricing for all option years. The attachment only identifies an area for the base period, option 1 and option 2, but makes no ref to options 3 and 4. Are we to add these options years ourselves or should not include them at all?

a. A revised Attachment E is attached to this amendment. This will incorporate options 3 and 4.

7. Attachment C, Vehicle Types: 108 and 108M.1 (Up-Armored SUVs) has specifications for B6 and B7 level armaments, but Attachment E, Schedule of Items, does not contain a separate line for pricing. Given the significant difference in pricing between B6 and B7 level vehicles, should we add a second section to address the pricing of each?

a. The B6 and B7 level armor pricing should be priced in the options section attachment C.

8. We understand this requirement is for new vehicles, but what is the definition of a new vehicle?

a. A new vehicle is an unused vehicle from the current model year.

9. Attachment C identifies that a certain number of NTVs that need to be capable to operate on JP8 fuel. Vehicles specifically designed to run on JP8 are mostly produced for the military. When JP8 is used in diesel engines a small reduction in power and fuel efficiency is realized, but no other harm to vehicle. Can diesel engine vehicles replace the identified number of JP8 running vehicles?

a. JP8 fuel vehicles are specified to support the JP8 fuel type. Diesel Fuel vehicles are specified to support the diesel fuel types. Please only bid on vehicles specified for the fuel type that the vehicle is capable for. The only exception will be if a letter from the manufacturer stating that JP8 fuel is authorized and will not affect the warranty of the vehicle.

10. Will GSA accept Ram 1500 4x4 Crew Cab pickup for Item 67M.

a. The vehicle must be able to meet minimum requirements specified.

11. What type of Diesel fuel is used by GSA and what is the Sulfur level for all Items that require or ask for an option for Diesel fuel.

a. Normal commercial grade Diesel, DF-2. Sulfur Level for DF-2 is 500 ppm. Ultra Low sulfur diesel vehicles cannot be accepted due to Ultra Low sulfur diesel is not available. There for diesel vehicles equipped with diesel particulate filters will not be acceptable.

12. What is the GSA definition for Mogas.

a. Motor Gasoline NATO spec F-46. Unleaded Fuel.

13. Will GSA accept a USA Spec vehicle in lieu of a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Compliant vehicle

a. All vehicles must be Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) compliant.

14. What is the expected start of the contract in 2011 CY?

a. GSA estimates the contract award date to the prior to September 30, 2011.

15. Is the 5000 total unit opportunity identified per contract year? Or for the first full year? If it is for the first full year, what is the expected volume for the base contract year (2011 CY)?

a. It is an estimate of the number of vehicles that may be purchased during the duration of the contract.

16. Is the solicitation for purchase, rental or lease of vehicles?

a. The solicitation is for the purchase of vehicles.

17. May an offeror propose on the procurement for the purchase, rental or lease of vehicles?

a. The offeror must propose for the purchase of vehicles

18. Who is the customer

a. The customers are GSA and USFOR-A.

19. What is the requested capacity? Title shows 21+1, specs 20+1 and seat plan 23+1

a. The Minimum is from the spec which is 20+1. The seat plan is just an example and Title will be corrected to match the spec.

20. Micro Bird maximum capacity is 19+1, is this acceptable?

a. The minimum standard is 20+1.

21. Do we quote based on the specs included in attachment C or do we also have to comply with GSA FED STD 833E?

a. Quote based on the specs included in attachment C.

22. Could you please disclose who the end user of the vehicles outlined in the solicitation?

a. Non tactical vehicle are for use by USFOR-A.

23. Would the customer be willing to accept any other ballistic armor certifications other than those outlined in Attachment C Tab CLIN 108M.1?

a. Due to the environment of the region the vehicles are delivered to the customer cannot risk to accept any other ballistic armor certification.

24. Please validate that TMP with a total turnkey solution to include Management and Maintenance of Fleet Services is not part of this solicitation.

a. The TMP management and Maintenance service will be included in a separate solicitation in the upcoming weeks.

25. What reference/testing authority is GSA using to define the protection criteria of B6 or B7 level armour? Please state the reference of the B6 and B7 certification criteria, and specify metrics used in Attachment C's assessment (for example, for a 15kg IED, what is the explosive used for assessment?)

a. B6: BRV 1999, VR6 CERTIFICATION; B7: BRV 1999, VR7 CERTIFICATION

NATO AEP-55 STANAG 4569 is a NATO Standardization Agreement covering the standards for the "Protection Levels for Occupants of Logistic and Light Armored Vehicles".

26. Does the bidding contractor require a GSA schedule number to be considered for contract award?

a. No

27. Is accommodation to be provided by GSA for personnel servicing this requirement?

a. There is no service requirement in this solicitation. Any personnel servicing will be provided by the contractor.

28. Will ISAF air cargo numbers be made available to support the delivery of cargo by air?

a. Not Anticipated, No.

29. Will the contractor be authorized to land fixed wing civilian charter aircraft at the delivery locations in accordance with the stated capacity of the air strip?

a. Any authorizations for entry of civilian charter aircraft into Afghanistan, landing at any of the delivery locations, as stated in the terms of the contract, would need to be obtained by Contractor in conjunction with GIRoA Transportation & Civilian Aviation Authority and applicable Transportation & Civilian Aviation Authority aviation regulations.

30. Please provide a forecasts of any planned work on any of the delivery destination airstrips in order to deconflict with maintenance work.

a. Any planned maintenance work on airfields within Afghanistan are not anticipated to effect the ability of cargo delivery. As delivery times are finalized and coordination for specific landing times will be coordinated with contractor with enough lead time to effectively plan for adjustments in the arrival times.

31. Clause D.12: Please confirm that the prices given must accommodate a change of delivery FOB destination to any location within Afghanistan at no additional cost to the Government?

a. This is stating if there are any other FOB destinations added that the prices that were proposed will not be changed. Please price appropriates to accommodate for this occurrence.

32. Although the comment on page 37 of the solictitation (first para) is noted, that "The Government will consider for award only offers of U.S.-made or designated country end products unless the Contracting Officer determines that there are no offers for such products or that the offers for such products are insufficient to fulfill the requirements of the solicitation", there is no provision made for this in Section F - evaluation. Our question is, therefore: Is evaluation weighting given to products sourced in the USA?

a. No there is no evaluation weighting given to products sourced in the USA, however there is an evaluation weighting given to Local Content/Local Sourcing in SC CASA.

33. The statutory price limitation referred to in para B.3 appears to conflict with the FOB destination stipulation in Para D.12: Please provide a worked example of how the Sec 702 statutory price limitation is applied to a standard NTV starting with the statutory price limit of $13,197 and including (example only - without commitment) delivery costs FOB Destination to Kandahar Airfield.

a. The statutory price limitation on effects passage vehicles (Sedans) listed in the table below. Statutory price limitation does not include delivery cost.

34. CLIN 7-Sedan, Minicompact, 4 Passenger, 4 door

a. Cargo volume 170 – Please specify required unit of volume (litre, c3)

a. Liters3

b. BASE CURB WEIGHT w/GSA min – Kg; Please provide GSA minimum or range of required weight a, 800 kg

c. Safety: Driver Side Air bag; Does this mean an airbag for the driver or a side air bag for the driver?

a. Air bag for the Driver.

d. First aid kit; Any standards required for the kit?

a. No

e. License Plate Brackets front and rear; Please state measurements of number plates to be mounted

a. Min 5750 GVWR - please define unit - kg or lb?

a. Weight listed is in lbs which is approximately 2600 kg.

b. License Plate Brackets front and rear; Please state measurements of number plates to be mounted

a. Standard US size 6” x 12 “ or larger

c. Towing RH4 Receiver hitch class 4; please provide definition

a. A Class 4 hitch has a 2 in receiver for the ball and can tow up to 10,000 pounds and 1,000 pounds of tongue weight depending on the vehicles maximum towing capability.

d. CTB; What does CTB stand for?

a. OEM TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL

e. Accessories What does MF stand for?

a. RUBBER FLOORMATS

36. CLIN 108M.1-4x4 SUV Full SIZE, 3 DR, 10 PASS

a. First aid kit; Any standards required for the kit?

a. No

b. License Plate Brackets front and rear; Please state measurements of number plates to be mounted

a. Standard US size 6” x 12 “

c. Towing RH4 Receiver hitch class 4; Please provide definition

a. A Class 4 hitch has a 2 in receiver for the ball and can tow up to 10,000 pounds and 1,000 pounds of tongue weight depending on the vehicles maximum towing capability.

d. CTB; What does CTB stand for?

a. OEM TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL

e. Accessories; What does MF stand for?

a. RUBBER FLOORMATS

f. FPB Front Push Bumper; Is this option only required on the armored version?

a. Yes

37. CLIN 67M-4x0 PICKUP, COMPACT CREW CAB, MIN 1900 KG GVWR

a. First aid kit; Any standards required for the kit?

a. No

b. License Plate Brackets front and rear; Please state measurements of number plates to be mounted

a. Standard US size 6” x 12 “

c. Towing RH4 Receiver hitch class 4; please provide definition

a. A Class 4 hitch has a 2 in receiver for the ball and can tow up to 10,000 pounds and 1,000 pounds of tongue weight depending on the vehicles maximum towing capability.

d. CTB; What does CTB stand for?

a. OEM TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL

e. Seat belt extension; Please clarify further

a. automotive seat belt extensions are for use with big people, fire fighters and service men with bulky equipment belts, those with limited mobility and range of motion

38. Standard Item 346, Bus, shuttle, 21 Passenger+1 driver, diesel engine

a. ABS Hard Plastic Passenger Seating; What does ABS stand for in relation to the seats?

a. ABS is a type of plastic used for plastic seating.

39. CLIN 20 M- 4x4 VAN WAGON, COMPACT, 7 Passenger INCL. DRIVER

a. License Plate Brackets front and rear; Please state measurements of number plates to be mounted

a. Standard US size 6” x 12 “

b. Seat belt extension; Please clarify further

a. automotive seat belt extensions are for use with big people, fire fighters and service men with bulky equipment belts, those with limited mobility and range of motion

40. CLIN 108M- 4x4 SUV, FULL SIZE, 4 DR, 8 PASS

a. License Plate Brackets front and rear Please state measurements of number plates to be mounted

a. Standard US size 6” x 12 “

b. Towing RH4Receiver hitch class 4; Please provide definition

a. A Class 4 hitch has a 2 in receiver for the ball and can tow up to 10,000 pounds and 1,000 pounds of tongue weight depending on the vehicles maximum towing capability.

c. CTB; What does CTB stand for?

a. OEM TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL

d. FPB Front Push Bumper ; is this option only required on the armored version?

a. Yes

41. Solicitation Section D.22 Packaging; Packaging and packing shall comply with the requirements of the Uniform Freight Classification and the National Motor Freight Classification; Can we please have the definition or standards in writing?

a. The National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) is a standard that provides a comparison of commodities moving in interstate, intrastate and foreign commerce. These are common standards.

42. Solicitation Section C.4 - Wheels off ground delivery; Please confirm that the government will only accept accept FCL delivery?

a. The intent is the vehicles must be transported not driven to the destination. Minimal mileage (< 100) is common and acceptable.

43. Solicitation Section D.1g(ix); TIN Taxpayer Identification Number; Is this only applicable for US-based contractors?

a. Yes

44. Solicitation Section D.1k – Taxes; What is the government’s tax status in Afghanistan; are there duties and taxes applicable?

a. Currently the US is exempt from all taxes and duties, but this could change.

45. Solicitation Section D8 D-FSS-478 Decal, Stickers and Data Plates (APR 1984); Could we please have a sample of the requested decals?

a. Industry Standard

46. Solicitation Section D.10 (b) Source Inspection point; Vehicles will be produced in Japan. Does GSA require inspection in the factory or in the port before departure from Japan? Can inspection be done only at destination?

a. Inspection will be completed at FOB destination.

47. Solicitation Section D.25 (b) Electronic Data Interchange; Could we obtain clarification about the ANSI X12 Standard for the requested Data Interchange (EDI) format? i.e., please provide the standard.

a. This is referring to the status files vendors are supposed to send GSA on a weekly basis. Vendors can either send data via EDI or use a spreadsheet.

48. Solicitation Section D.29 (d) TPA; What does FSS stand for?

a. Federal Supply Service

49. Solicitation Section B.3 Statutory Price Limitation (Page 8); The acquisition is subject to price limitations. The attached PDF file section 702 gives a price limitation of USD13,197 + 4000 USD for a heavy duty vehicle. Does this mean the contractor has to offer vehicles at a maximum price of USD 17,197? Secondly, does this price include transport charges to the end destination?

a. No.

50. Solicitation Section C.8 Guaranteed Minimum Qty; This value corresponds exactly to the Statutory Price Limitation of USD 13,197. If contractor’s vehicles are more expensive will they be considered?

a. Yes, Manufacturer will need to be able to have a vehicle that meets the statutory price limitation if need be.

51. Solicitation Section D.1 (g) (vi); Are there government specified terms for discount on prompt payments? Does the vendor’s proposal n need to include a discount for prompt payment or will the bid be accepted without this term?

a. The government would prefer discounts although bid will still be accepted without discounts.

52. Solicitation Section D.1 (k) Taxes; Is the US government exempt from all local taxes and duties in Afghanistan?

a. Currently yes, but could change.

53. Solicitation Section D.1.g- Invoices; Can the invoicing party differ from the contractor?

a. No the contractor shall the invoicing party.

54. Solicitation Section (x); Will EFT be used - if not how will payments be settled?

a. Only EFT, electronic funds transfer will be accepted

55. Attachment E, Pricing; Please confirm that this attachment should include a section for each destination; i.e., Section A pricing should have 12 subsections to reflect vehicle pricing and delivery to each base

a. Please price as appropriate. To on single destination point or to multiple FOB locations. Please price as you would feel appropriate to multiple FOB destinations.

56. Will the government accept partial proposals; i.e., can the vendor propose on some but not all of the required vehicles?

a. Yes.

57. Specs require vehicles to be GCC compliant. Recommend changing this requirement to terminology included in other Afghan Vehicle solicitations (e.g., U.S. TACOM for Armored SUVs), such as “The vehicles shall meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) or Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Standards, or European Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), European Economic Community (EEC), etc.”, to broaden the products that can be offered as options.

a. For this requirement, vehicles must be GCC compliant.

58. Applicability of the Statutory Price Limitation (details on imbedded pdf file). The price limit listed for vehicle purchases by the government of $13,197 for any passenger motor vehicle (additional $3,700 for Police, $4,000 for heavy duty truck) is unreasonable for this type of contract, since the contractors price will include delivery, taxes, duties, and other required items being added to the final price.

a. This is mandatory for all commercial vehicles being procured by the US government.

59. Clarify “Wheels Off Ground Delivery”. This is not practical. Is the intent that the vehicles cannot be driven to the destination or have no mileage accumulation? This is not specifically mentioned. May recommend a maximum number of miles be allowable on the vehicles at destination/delivery.

a. The intent is the vehicles must be transported not driven to the destination. Minimal mileage (< 100) is common and acceptable.

60. Two F.O.B. Destination prices are required. A Pricing for each Forward Operating Base listed. B Pricing for Kabul. Pricing to include all Customs, Tariffs and Taxes. However, Section D.6 (i) states that “The Contractor shall take all reasonable action to obtain exemption from or refund of any taxes or duties, including interest or penalty, from which the United States Government, the Contractor, any subcontractor, or the transactions or property covered by this contract are exempt under the laws of the country concerned or its political subdivisions or which the governments of the United States and of the country concerned have agreed shall not be applicable to expenditures in such country by or on behalf of the United States.” Will the government provide customs clearance tax and duty exemption letters for these vehicles?

a. This will be discussed after award of contract. The winning vendor(s) will be given custom clearance tax and duty exemption instructions that cannot be released until award is made.

61. Section D.12 states that F.O.B. destinations can be added removed or changed at any point without additional cost to the government. Only two FOB prices are permitted, A Pricing and B Pricing. Given the security conditions in Afghanistan this seems difficult for the contractor to commit to without knowing the exact locations.

a. Any exceptions should be noted on the exceptions form. Exact delivery locations will be provided to successful bidder(s).

62. Pricing requested is F.O.B. destination, but the more suitable Inco Term is DDP Afghanistan location(s).

a. The US Government is tax and duty exempt there for FOB destination is correct. The exact procedures will be provided to the successful bidder(s).

63. Do all vehicles offered have to be available from day one of the award? They may be some vehicles that could fit the requirements but will not be available for order until fourth quarter 2011.

a. Vehicles must be available for delivery as stated as the vehicles delivery (ARO) time after award is made.