S2OS_Q_and_R_2.pdf

Questions and Responses, Volume 2 STARS II Open Season Solicitation QTA0015MDA2001

Questions and Responses

Introduction

Thank you for the robust interest in STARS II Open Season.

In addressing questions it is the Government’s position that if the solicitation’s position vis-à-vis a question is self-evident in the request for proposals (RFP), the response to a question may simply be that the RFP already addresses the matter in the manner the Government intended for it to be addressed, or “The RFP is clear”.

A few requests have been made by organizations wanting Government assistance with proposal development.

The RFP itself is supposed to serve as the basis for the competition and expresses the Government’s requirements. Procurement integrity considerations preclude the acquisition team working on this procurement from offering personal support to offerors or recommending sources that might assist in proposal preparation.

Proposal preparation and related decision are matters in which interested parties should exercise business judgment.

While the Government may include one or more specific solicitation passages in a response to a question, interested parties are reminded that the solicitation’s EVALUATION section contains paragraph 1.6. that states “Offerors are expected to examine the RFP and respond based upon an understanding of the entire solicitation.”

Questions were not extensively edited for grammar, punctuation or spelling. Not every question is shown. Only those questions, or portions of questions, that were deemed frequently asked and/or those that were deemed to benefit the procurement process are shown.

Some questions that are shown below are be addressed by the first set of questions and responses, released

02 JUN 2015. In those cases a short statement that the response to the question was responded in document/file “S2OS Q and R 1”, a/k/a “QR1”, means that the response is in QR1.

Questions and responses are organized into topic areas shown below. In some topic areas there is a statement that precedes the questions and responses. While jumping to a topic area or to the response for a question might be gratifying, interested parties stand to benefit from reviewing all statements, questions and responses.

• Past Performance Survey

• Past Performance – General

• Pricing/Pricing Guideline Coefficients

• Process for Asking Questions about the Solicitation

• ACES Business Representative Digital Certificate

• Portal (AcquServe) Usage/Taxonomy

• Placement of Documents, Page Limitations and Proposal Submission

• Provisions and Clauses

• Industry Credential for Constellation II

• 8(a) Joint-Venture and 8(a) Mentor-Protégé

• 8(a) Eligibility

• Evaluation Criteria

• Other

As a reminder, EVALUATION Section A (including any of its subsections) addresses Constellation I and EVALUATION Section B (including any of its subsections) addresses Constellation II.

Where the response to a question indicates that the reader should consider the response to a previous question, that encompasses both the previous question and the response to it, not just the response.

Past Performance Survey

Questions Responses

Q1) I have a question regarding the past performance survey for the 8a STARS II OnRamp. How many are required for the RFP? Is there a limit?

Please see QR1, Past Performance Survey and Past Performance - General topic areas.

Q2) When must the Past Performance Surveys be returned to the GSA?

The Offeror is responsible for submitting completed past performance surveys with its offer.

Q3) If a client/customer refuses to give the completed past performance survey to us for submission in the portal, would GSA accept the survey directly to s2os@gsa.gov

GSA recognizes that there might be an exceptional circumstance where a client/customer might only be willing to share a completed survey directly with GSA and not the offeror. In such an instance, the completed survey(s) can be submitted to s2os@gsa.gov. GSA might consider past performance surveys as described in this question and response pursuant to its broad discretion to consider past performance - see EVALUATION section, paragraphs A.6.5. and B.7.6.

If an offeror faces a circumstance where its client/customer refuses to provide a completed survey back to it and the offeror depends upon that past performance survey, the offeror can document that within its past performance summary - see EVALUATION section, paragraphs A.6.2 and B.7.3.

Past Performance - General

Q1) If an Offeror has completed the bulk of the project work within the two (2) years prior but not all option years for the project, will this count as recent?

The term “bulk” is subjective. Please see QR1 regarding completed past performance and also consider QR1 regarding the use of the past performance summary for interim past performance.

Q2) Do completion of a base period or option years count as completed or is it until contract closeout?

Please see QR1, Past Performance - General topic area.

Q3) May an offeror provide past performance for long term projects which are still underway but not completed, because their period of performance is still active?

Please see QR1 regarding completed past performance and also consider QR1 regarding the use of the past performance summary for interim past performance.

Q4) I am considering submitting past performance surveys that rely upon a predecessor company and/or key personnel and would like to know if it is possible for that kind of past performance to be credited to the offeror?

Past performance surveys must meet solicitation standards. A predecessor company’s past performance might be used as the basis of the surveys, but the offeror has the burden to establish that such past performance should be attributed to the offeror, including demonstrating that the nature and extent of the relationship between the two organizations, in particular whether the workforce, management, facilities, or other resources of the predecessor company beneficially affects contract performance by the offeror/beneficially propagates to the offeror. The past performance survey and the past performance summary are venues for such an effort.

Similarly, individual past performance of an offeror’s key employees might be used as the basis of the surveys, but the offeror has the burden to establish that such past performance beneficially affects contract performance by the offeror/beneficially propagates to the offeror. The past performance surveys and the past performance summary are the venues for such an effort.

Q5) Can the offer submit the same past performance summary for the same functional area under different constellations?

Please see QR1, Past Performance - General topic area.

Q6) What is the date of the original STARS II open season offer deadline?

July 2, 2015.

Q7) Can a task order as defined in the Federal Acquisition Regulations be the subject of a past performance survey under the solicitation?

Yes.

Q8) Do the Past Performances submitted for each Functional Area (FA) need to be issued under the same NAICS or can another NAICS code be used that fits the same definition?

Past performance surveys must meet the standards established in the solicitation and it is incumbent upon the offeror to demonstrate in the completed past performance surveys and optional past performance summary that past performance qualifies pursuant to the those standards.

Q9) Can an Offeror map their work example to a NAICS code description that meets a different NAICS code than the one listed in the Offeror’s Contract Letter Award? For example Offeror uses a work example from a contract awarded under NAICS Code 541511 but the services provided also meets the description of NAICS Code 541519.

See QR1, Past Performance - General topic area

Q10) In reference to Evaluation Criteria, A.6.2 of Past Performance, will the government allow one past performance 'project' to be used across multiple FA's/NAICS codes if they description of work aligns with the description of multiple Functional Areas?

Please see Q9, this topic area

Q11) In reference to Evaluation Criteria, A.6.3 of Past Performance, To be considered recent, each project must have been completed no more than two (2) years prior to the original STARS II open season offer deadline. Will the government consider a project to have been 'completed' if the base period of the contract has been completed?

Please see QR1, Past Performance - General topic area.

Pricing/Pricing Guideline Coefficients

Q1) Pricing - Geographic Locality Area Coefficients and Place of Performance. Are offeror’s required to currently have a physical office or presence in the geographic locality areas in which we are providing Labor Category rates for? For example, our office is currently in San Diego, CA, but we want to provide rates for the Washington, DC area, where we currently have no office or presence there, but want to grow in that area.

No.

Q2) Since GSA is requiring that each vendor bid/price all 141 labor categories for professional services, is it your intent to address potential SCA labor categories/pricing on a task order basis if that becomes a requirement?

See QR1, Other topic area

Q3) When we provide pricing for each of the 141 labor categories, does that include the Contract Access Fee (CAF) of .75%?

As stated in the PRICING section, paragraph 12.1, the basic contract ceiling rates, and subsequent rates quoted or proposed for task orders, shall be fully burdened labor rates inclusive of all direct and indirect costs (e.g., profit, fringe benefits, salary, indirect rates), personnel and facility security clearance up to the Secret level, and the contract access fee

(CAF).

Process for Asking Questions about the Solicitation

Q1) I submitted several questions about the solicitation, but have not received a response and my questions were not directly addressed in the first round of questions and responses posted on 02 JUN 2015. Will all questions submitted receive a direct response?

As stated in the presolicitation notice posted on FBO on 30 APR 2015, GSA reserves the right to publicly discuss and publish, or simply consider, questions and comments regarding the RFP.

ACES Business Representative Digital Certificate

Q1) I am an agent for more than one interested party. Will I need a separate ACES Business Representative Certificate for each one?

Given the requirements for an ACES Business Representative Digital Certificate, it is not clear to GSA how it would be possible for an ACES Business Representative Digital Certificate to be valid for more than a one-to-one relationship. So, yes. You are able to be an ACES Business Representative for more than one company; it would require separate valid ACES Business Representative Digital Certificates for each.

Q2) “In order to register in the portal, an ACES Business Representative digital certificate is required." Can a certificate being used to file for GSA Schedule 70 be used or must a new certificate be purchased in order to submit a proposal?

A valid ACES Business Representative Digital Certificate is required. See file/document posted 30 APR 2015 named Instructions for Obtaining an ACES Business Representative Digital Certificate for GSA STARS II Proposal Submission.

Q3) Does someone representing the offeror have to first obtain an ACES Business Representative Digital Certificate in order to register in the portal?

Yes.

Portal (AcquServe) Usage/Taxonomy

Q1) The pricing instructions state that pricing proposals can be submitted via a file upload using the “Labor Category Prices Table Template for Government Sites in the Washington DC Locality Area” file. This file is not posted on FBO. Please provide instructions for how to obtain this file.

As stated in Evaluation Section A.7.1 and B.8.1, the portal provides two (2) methods for completing price proposals, then proceeds to address a web interface and a file upload based on a template.

Q2) Can more than one digital certificate be registered for a single offeror?

Portal registration associates one ACES Business Representative Digital certificate (BRDC) with one offeror in the portal. It is expected that the registered BRDC holder will manage offer submission for that offeror. The portal supports one registrant per offeror. Proposal collaboration by an offeror should take place outside the portal, and the offeror's single registered user will submit the proposal in the portal.

Q3) How many people can access the portal for one company’s proposal and may an agent support more than one vendor for portal support?

Please see Q2, this topic area.

Q4) We had hoped that, with two different certificates, we would each be able to upload and edit proposal files independently for a single company proposal submittal. When we each received different Offeror ID/PINs, we wondered if we would be able to do that. For example, let's say our CEO handles the pricing pieces and I handle the Contract Administration Plan (CAP). If he uploads pricing based on his Offeror ID and I upload the CAP based on my Offeror ID, will the files both go to the same company's proposal record? Or does one of us have to do all of the file uploads under his/her Offeror ID to satisfy a complete proposal submittal? We don't know if the portal is set up to identify that we are with the same company, perhaps by the DUNS in our certificates or some other means, so that we can work independently on the same proposal.

Please see Q2, this topic area.

Q5) I will be submitting a proposal as company XYZ in Constellation I, AND as the managing venturer of a 8(a) joint venture in Constellation II.

EVALUATION section 12.7 permits this. I’ve already registered in the portal as company XYZ, so that means my ACES Business Representative Digital Certificate is associated with that company name.

When I register in the portal for the joint venture I plan to do so in the

Yes, EVALUATION section, paragraph 12.7 is the authority for this situation. In order to do so, an offeror in this situation will need to work with the the portal help desk at support@stars2.noblis.org for processing. Processing time varies, therefore, it is recommended that an offeror in this situation be proactive.

name of the joint venture - will I be able to complete registration automatically or will Noblis have to inquire with GSA for approval in that scenario?

Q6) Are there any file size restrictions when uploading the proposal files to the AcquServe portal?

The individual file size limit is 100MB.

Q7) There is no font type given for the proposal - just size as 12 point - is there a preferred or required font type?

As you noted, it is not specified. The offeror bears the responsibility of submitting a proposal in English that can be read without conversion from one font to another.

Q8) When we register in the portal as a user – is a user a “person” that the ACES certificate is associated with OR is it the company? If the former (as shown in your portal directions example) then how does one register the “company”? If a person is a user

– what address and telephone number should be entered – the person’s address/tele# or the corporate address/tel # linked with

In order to register in the portal, the individual registering has to hold a valid ACES Business Representative Digital Certificate. The certificate establishes a one-to-one relationship between the certificate holder and the organization represented. As stated in the 07 MAY 2015 solicitation posting, When the user successfully registers a certificate, AcquServe will automatically associate it with a new AcquServe Vendor slot. In the 18 MAY 2015 posting are instructions for using AcquServe to submit a GSA STARS II open season proposal, including creation of a vendor profile. Offerors choose how to complete their vendor profile.

Placement of Documents, Page Limitations and Proposal Submission

Q1) We would like to submit an offer before the offer deadline, may we?

That is possible. Be sure to keep up with all postings for QTA0015MDA2001 in case an amendment comes out after offer submission.

Q2) Should there be separate proposal volumes for each pairing of Constellation/FA proposed or combine into one large proposal volume per Constellation?

The solicitation is clear about required proposal content.

Q3) Is the JV agreement to be included in the CAP document?

See EVALUATION section, paragraph 12.6.

Provisions and Clauses

Q1) There is one version of FAR 52.212-3 in the evaluation section and another in the Section VI.

Yes. FAR provisions in the solicitation outside the EVALUATION section itself necessarily mirror those of the existing STARS II contracts. The version of FAR 52.212-3 in the FAR FULL TEXT PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES section applies during contract administration to the ordering process if specifically cited by ordering contracting officers in task order solicitations.

Q2) Does the government plan to use the constellations as a means of restricting future Task Order based competition?

See the SCOPE section, paragraphs 1.1 - 1.4.

Industry Credential for Constellation II

Q1) We want to submit a proposal in Constellation II, but don’t yet have the full ISO 9001:2008 credential.

The evaluator is willing to provide an interim statement that the requirements have been met and that there are no obstacles to prevent the credential from being approved. Is GSA willing to accept an interim statement from the evaluator?

No. On its face the word "interim" does not attain the same standard as does the requirement for a ISO Certification of Conformity/Conformance per Evaluation section B.6.3.2.

8(a) Joint-Venture and 8(a) Mentor-Protégé

Q1) Once we form the JV, how do you define the size standard for the JV?

Is it combining ABC and the other JV partner company’s revenues for the last three years?

Please review the Evaluation section. You might start with, but not stop at, paragraphs 12.3 and 12.4.

Q2) Will the JV Mentor-Protégé Agreement alone satisfy the requirements for “clear and convincing evidence of the SBA approved relationship”?

Assuming this pertains to EVALUATION section paragraphs 13.1-13.3, then yes, a written SBA-approved mentor-protege agreement can be the evidence.

8(a) Eligibility

Q1) We have graduated from the 8(a) Program; does this mean we can still respond to the above RFP to qualify for other constellation and functional area awards?

Only legal entities that are SBA 8(a) small business concerns at the time of submission of initial offer that includes pricing will be considered for award as prime contractors in this competitive process. See EVALUATION section paragraph

1.8 and FAR 19.805-2(b).

Evaluation Criteria

Q1) FAR 52.212-3 involves providing representations and certificates specific to this solicitation. The amended evaluation section, para.

1.3 indicated that we can submit our annual representations and certificates from SAM.gov in order to satisfy 52.212-3. So, the way we read that is that if we are ok with the current SAM.gov representations and certifications satisfying FAR 52.212-

Yes.

Alternatively, instead of solely submitting the current version of the annual representations and certifications from SAM.gov, offerors may instead submit the current version of annual representations and certifications required by the solicitation from SAM.gov per the above paragraph in this response, add any adjustments allowed by FAR 52.212-3(b) to that document/file, and submit that in the portal.

3, we download that from SAM.gov and submit it. However, if we are not ok with the current annual representations and certifications in SAM.gov we update them and submit the updated version. Is that correct?

Q2) May the offeror place its logo on the documents to be submitted such as the CAP, MAP, Optional Past Performance Summary, etc. in the header or footer?

See EVALUATION section, paragraph 8.1.(d)

Q3) ABC Co. plans to submit a S2OS proposal under Constellation 2 in all functional areas but not under Constellation 1. If successful, in addition to having a fair opportunity to bid on any Constellation 2 competitive task order opportunities, will it also be able to bid on any Constellation 1 competitive task order opportunities?

No. See Evaluation Section 1.9.

Q4) In reference to Evaluation Criteria, A.8.1 Responsibility, Is there a page limit to the Total Compensation Plan and the Policy on Uncompensated Overtime?

The EVALUATION section does not identify a page limit for a document/file addressing the requirements of paragraphs A.8.1. and B.9.1.

rather, the applicable FAR provision references are provided so that an offeror is aware of the relevant standards.

Other

Q1) For STARS II open season can we use a proposal patterned after the earlier STARS II solicitation

QTA609MCA0010?

Please review and offer under STARS II Open Season solicitation QTA0015MDA2001.

Q2) Does GSA Schedule e-offer guidance apply to STARS II open season?

No.

Q3) We are currently a STARS II prime contractor. We are considering pursuing additional Constellation/Functional Area pairings. What is the process for that?

The 8(a) STARS II open season solicitation affords current 8(a) STARS primes the opportunity to qualify under its terms. If interested in STARS II open season, review and offer under solicitation QTA0015MDA2001. Whether or not your firm chooses to take advantage of this opportunity is a business decision.

Q4) Is a cover letter required? There is no cover letter requirement identified in solicitation. Please note that the title page mentioned in the EVALUATION section is different than a cover letter.

Q5) It is stated in section 7.2.1 of VIII.

Evaluation that the offeror shall “Place the title page in the CAP document for each Constellation.

The title DOES NOT count against the CAP page limit.” What exactly does this mean? Doesn’t the entire document not just the title page have to be submitted? Also should there be similar cover pages for the MAP, and other documents?

The portal taxonomy did not have an established location for the title page identified in the EVALUATION section paragraph 7.1. The instruction in the EVALUATION section paragraph

7.2 simply identifies where to submit the title page.

Q6) May 8(a)'s propose as a prime contractor supported by a team of subcontractor companies in response to the solicitation? Must they do so?

The solicitation's position regarding these matters is best understood by reading the EVALUATION section in its entirety.

Q7) Will the GSA view an arrangement with the 8(a) as prime leading a number of subcontractors as more favorable, less favorable, or no different than proposing as an individual company?

See Q6 this topic area.

Q8) How often is STARS II open as a vehicle?

There is no other publicized open season for

STARS II.

Q9) How many 8a firms are on the STARS currently?

A list of industry partners is available at www.gsa.gov/s2

Q10) How many current STARS II primes will drop off at the option.

That is unknowable at this juncture.

Q11) Is it possible to have the 3 following documents we have uploaded be reviewed for correctness and to make sure they are in the right format?

No, proposal evaluation occurs after the offer deadline.

Q12) It is required that the prime employees make up over 50% of the labor supporting a task order. Is a 1099-contractor considered an employee of the prime from that perspective?

The CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION section, at paragraph 15.1 through 15.5 addresses subcontracting considerations. FAR clause 52.219-14 is in the current STARS II contracts and will be in resulting STARS II Open Season contracts. An offeror is encouraged to be familiar with applicable SBA 8(a) regulations on the matter as well, such as 13 CFR 125.6.

A 1099 is an Internal Revenue Service form used for independent contractors. A person receiving a 1099 is, by definition, not an employee.

Q13) The solicitation makes it clear that all employees/subcontractors will need to have a “secret clearance” and potentially may need higher level clearances on a task order basis, but if an employee/subcontractor has submitted the paperwork and started the process, can that person start to work/bill on the contract? It may take 6 months or more to get the entire secret clearance completed. Is there an “interim” clearance rating that is allowed?

In the PRICING section, paragraph 12.1,an offeror is instructed that the basic contract ceiling rates, and subsequent rates quoted or proposed for task orders, shall be fully burdened labor rates inclusive of all direct and indirect costs (e.g., profit, fringe benefits, salary, indirect rates), personnel and facility security clearance up to the Secret level and the contract access fee (CAF).

In the CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS section, paragraphs 6.1, 7.1 and 9.1 the solicitation clearly states that the basic contract’s pre-established labor categories and associated ceiling prices cover work at the Secret level.

The solicitation does not, however, dictate that an offeror, or its employees, is required to have a secret clearance.