R-PHI-01118 Q A.pdf

1. Can you tell me if the prime contractor is required to do 51% of the work?

Yes.

2. While the Fedbizopps announcement indicates it is a Small Business opportunity, the RFP does not designate. As stated in FBO, this is a small business set-aside.

3. While there is no incumbent for this new project; has any small business performed any of the subset of the work? No.

4. Could you let me know potential contract's contract amount and duration? It looks like any initial contract may be for one year, but it is hard to tell for sure.

And I cannot find any information about a contract amount in the information I downloaded. HUD does not release an estimated amount for projects; you should submit your estimated total costs per contract year. As established in Section B.3 and F.2 of the solicitation, this contract shall include a base year and two option years.

5. Will HUD consider a non-profit organization to submit a bid in the form of a grant? Not at this time. HUD evaluated several acquisition strategies, including the award of a grant, but ultimately determined that a small business set-aside contract was the most advantageous method of procurement for this project.

6. Does HUD have government approved community health tools, procedures and processes in place to perform monitoring and evaluation? If so, will this be available to the successful contractor? No.

7. Has HUD worked with non-profit institutions providing management advice on this project? Can you provide who these institutions are? No, we have not.

8. Is the HUD community health project a multi-application requirement for other HUD centers nationwide? No.

9. How much travel is required? Will HUD provide government space and equipment to work on center facility sites? Travel will be required to the sites as well as to HUD headquarters. There will not be space provided at the locations.

10. Is this Healthy Community Index to focus principally on urban areas or is it to be adapted for suburban and/or rural environments as well? Be adaptable to all areas.

11. Is the "Charleston" referred to the one in South Carolina, West Virginia, or another? South Carolina.

12. Does HUD have community organizations within the pilot cities that it already intends for the contractor to work with? No.

13. Who are the interested vendors? This information is currently unavailable.

14. Which offices within HUD (if any besides the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Controls mentioned in the RFP) will be helping to formulate requirements for this project and oversee its implementation? This contract involves only the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control.

15. What databases or sources of information does HUD have on community health that can be used in this project? No HUD-specific sources are currently available; however, the internet provides a source for community health information for this project.

16. Is “CLIN” an acronym for “Contract Line Item Number” or can HUD explain it?

Yes, CLIN stands for Contract Line Item Number.

17. In the chart under Item B.3, CLIN 1 is restricted to the Base Year while the other CLINs continue in Option Years. Does this mean that the other CLINs are intended to occur in both base and option years? Given that this is fixed price solicitation can HUD describe the work it anticipates completing in the Base Year and in the Option Years? Will there be an opportunity to renegotiate costs after work is completed and results are obtained in the Base Year? CLIN 1 is restricted to the base year because it involves the development of the work plan for this project, which should only occur once, at the start of the project. The other CLINs are intended to occur over multiple contract years. Please note that, as stated in Section J.3 and L.1, offerors are required to propose a project timeline through completion of the Schedule of Deliverables; this means that each offeror is given the opportunity to propose how much time they would require to complete each task. Each offeror’s completed Pricing Schedule should reflect the timeline established in the Schedule of Deliverables.

This is a fixed-price contract, and as a result all prices, including those for each option year, will be fixed at contract award.

18. The schedule of deliverables under IV provides no dates for expected deliverables. What are the time ranges that are anticipated? For example, by when does HUD want the Index to be developed? Should the schedule in Attachment 3 only include Base Year dates? Please see the response to question 17 regarding the establishment of dates for the Schedule of Deliverables. The tasks included in the Schedule of Deliverables represent all project requirements; as a result, the dates you submit should utilize both the base and option years.

19. Can HUD provide an indication of the level of effort for each CLIN? Given the potential interactions among tasks (e.g., especially between CLIN 1 and all of the others) it would be helpful to understand how HUD views the importance of the tasks, based on level of effort. This will need to be determined and specified by the contractor.

20. Is HUD open to alternative suggestions to strengthen the project? Can these suggestions deviate from the listed CLINs and deliverables? You may include suggestions in addition to the tasks included in the solicitation; however, all required tasks must be covered in your proposal.

21. Are there any specific HUD resources that will be made available (e.g., specific data sets, meeting locations in the pilot cities, expertise in specific indicators/criteria)? This will be determined based on the sites, partners, etc.

22. Which specific offices in HUD will be involved in this effort? (e.g., will this coordinate with work being done in the Offices of Sustainable Communities and PDR?) Which office will make decisions in contractor selection and track work performance? See response to question 14.

23. How many past performance references are required? No specific number of references has been established; however, you must provide more than one reference to adequately establish past performance.

24. L.2 Instructions says to submit separate files for resumes and past performance, but these are listed as part of the Technical Proposal in L.1.

Should a total of 2 files (Technical and Business Proposals) or 4 (Technical and Business Proposals, Resumes, and Past Performance) be submitted? You may submit resumes as part of the Technical Proposal file or as a separate file, depending upon the size of the attachment. Past Performance surveys must be submitted directly by the references and will therefore be a separate file.

25. The Healthy Homes Strategic Plan makes no reference to the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control’s plan for community projects (that is, studies or programs related to neighborhood or urban form and amenity access outside of housing quality), and early outreach regarding the Plan explicitly excluded this focus. How does the Office view this relationship? The Healthy Homes Strategic Plan is separate from the Transformation Initiative however; the project will be added and addressed as an activity that developed as a part of OHHLHC healthy homes activities. Data will be used down the road.

26. The RFP states that HUD will consult broadly with other federal agency staff and outside experts in developing the deliverables of this Initiative. To what extent will the contractor be expected to support that coordination on HUD’s behalf (e.g., involve other agencies in discussions, support joint meetings)? If the contractor is not responsible for this, how will the information gathered by HUD be brought into the project and provided to the contractor? If the contractor is responsible, can HUD provide an indication of level of effort (e.g., how many meetings, how much outreach)? The contractor will be the lead role in facilitating these meetings. More meetings will be needed initially then taper off to update on progress type meeting once the program is underway.

27. How does the Healthy Homes Transformation Initiative build on the work in CDC’s Healthy Communities program, including its CHANGE tool? It is not related to it but could be a resource.

28. One goal for the project is to “provide a greater understanding of how community level factors including housing, influence health.” No CLINs describe doing any analysis on causal (or correlative) relationships. To what extent is analysis among index indicators anticipated under this RFP? As part of project evaluation, analysis among indicators would be necessary and required.

29. Given that a Management and Work Plan is expected to be developed as part of CLIN 1 during a “kick off” discussion - that will guide the work in the remaining CLINs, how much detail is HUD anticipating be submitted in the proposal for other CLINs? Should the contractor make suggestions that might become part of the Workplan? The information submitted in your proposal should establish your plan for successful performance of this project, and should include the steps that you intend to take to complete each task included in the Statement of Objectives. The kick-off meeting will merely involve a discussion of the contractor’s plan for beginning the project; no new information or changes to the SOW will result from this meeting, only a consensus on how the contractor should begin performance.

30. Is the “NAP” listed under CLIN 2 the “National Advisory Panel” in CLIN 4? Is this an existing entity at HUD? Is there a set of recommendations available from this Panel? (The term “advisory” suggests a specific role in federal parlance as opposed to, for example, a technical working group. Are these NAP members preselected by HUD? Will the contractor be responsible for logistical, coordination documentation support for NAP discussions? If so, how many NAP meetings will occur and under what format? Are members expected to be compensated?

NAP is the National Advisory Panel. There is not an existing entity; however, there are existing groups that people could be recommended from. HUD has not pre-selected individuals but will make recommendations. The panel will developed by HUD and the contractor. The contractor will be responsible for logistics and planning of NAP meetings. HUD could provide space and meetings could be available by telecom. More NAP meetings would be needed up front and the number of meetings would be determined by the contractor based on need. The members would not be compensated.

31. How many topics and how many indicators are anticipated under CLIN 2? If these are to be evidence-based, does this mean that only existing national indicators for these topics should be utilized? Or does this include idealized indicators, as well, even though there may be no current evidence to support them? Should all indicators in beyond-health related topics relate directly to health (for example, transportation access and obesity)? Does HUD have existing data that it wishes to include for potential indicators? The number of topics and number of indicators will be determined based on what the NAP and HUD feels are adequate to determine if the pilot site is a “healthy community”.

HUD does have some existing data but it will not have all the data that may be necessary for the project.

32. Is the transition from index to tool in CLIN 3 meant to be solely a translation into an easily manipulated document? Yes. The tool should provide the basis for data collection that can be translated into the index.

33. What are preferential tool media for CLIN 3 (i.e., web-based tools, spreadsheets, paper checklists, etc.)? Web-based.

34. What were the criteria used to select the pilot cities in CLIN 4? Are there pre-existing HUD partners and/or activities in these cities? What is it that HUD is envisioning funding might be used for? HUD pre-selected the pilot cities. Most of the sites have grant partners available. Funding will be used for training and implementation of the tool and index.

35. What kinds of local organizations are expected in CLIN 4B? Public, private, non-profit? How many organizations are needed? Is HUD envisioning specific organizations to address specific topical areas? What criteria should be used in selecting them? How does HUD want the organizations to be compensated?

Any local organizations should be included such as public, private, non-profits, community based organizations, etc. There is not a specific number of organizations to include, however; it will be necessary to cover the type of organizations that should be represented or will be impacted by the Healthy Communities project. HUD does not expect the organizations to be compensated directly…the training mentioned in CLIN 4B will be offered to them at no cost.

36. Exactly what role are these organizations meant to play? The providers of data for the index? Long-term advocates? Essentially, what is the immediate application for the tool among the pilot organizations, and what is the long-term intended use of the index? The organizations need to have a basis for what the tool and index are being used for and how they may be impacted by or how they may contribute to the project.

37. Is the application of the tool in the pilot cities meant to be an experimental test of the index (including validity tests, peer reviews, etc.)? Yes.

38. The RFP describes the need to assess “the utility of the output from the tool” under CLIN 4B. Does HUD have any requirements for defining utility? The requirement would be that the data can be shared throughout the country and that the tool and index can be replicated in any community.

39. HUD expects the data from the tool’s pilots will refine the index. Is this refinement limited to changing indicators based on feasibility of data collection?

No, it is not limited to just the indicators.

40. Many aspects of the dimensions are partially (and in some cases completely) attributed or managed by regional, state, or national governments and not cities themselves. If the index’s scope is meant to be a community or a city, to what extent should the index acknowledge this? The scope of the index should focus on community or city level data.

41. At what scale is the index and its indicators envisioned? Does the index calculate one summary score or scale on the index, an aggregate score for each of multiple topics, or a variety of scores? Is the index meant to compare “rankings” across communities? The data should be able to be provided overall community score, summary scores per area or neighborhood. It should be aggregated per HIA criteria. Yes, it should also compare “rankings” across the community or neighborhoods.

44. Are the “leading health indicators” provided in the RPF meant to be the primary indicators that will be used in the index, with all other topics’ indicators as secondary? No, they are provided as a resource

45. Is the price fixed for each year or is the price fixed for the entire contract?

The price for each contract year, and therefore the overall price of the contract, shall be fixed at contract award. The only post-award changes that shall be made to option year prices are those allowing for changes in wage determinations as required by the Service Contract Act.

46. We assume the price is not fixed by CLIN. Please confirm that this is correct.

Incorrect. The price of each CLIN is fixed at contract award.

47. What is HUD’s definition of “community” with respect to the HCI? HUD would define “community” as a group of people living in a particular local area; a residential area where people live, work and play.

48. At what scale does HUD expect the assessment tool to be applied?

Community wide; with the ability for replication in other communities, cities, states.

49. Does HUD anticipate building the database for the HCI from readily available national data sets, local data sets, original data collection, or some other existing sources/methods? Yes.

50. On page 50, section M.4, the RFP refers to a Cost Breakdown attachment in Section J. This attachment does not appear to be provided in Section J. Please provide a copy if it is to be completed. HUD determined that the cost breakdown summary was not required for this project. Please disregard the reference in Section M.4.

51. What is the estimated level of funding for this project? Please see the response to question 4.

52. What is the government’s estimated level of effort for this project? 100%.

53. What are the responsibilities of the contractor with respect to the NAP? The contractor will be expected to be the coordinator of the NAP including logistics and meeting planning with assistance from HUD.

54. What assumptions should be used to prepare the costs associated with the NAP? For example, is the contractor responsible for paying planning NAP meetings and the expenses of NAP members? No, there should be little or no costs associated with NAP meetings.

55. On page 6, Section IV - Schedules and Deliverables, the schedule section of the chart states "To Be Completed at Contract Award". For the contractor to properly estimate costs per CLIN, it is necessary to know when each will be completed. Does HUD expect the contractor to estimate the schedule for completing each CLIN? Please see the response to question 17.

56. Does HUD expect a tool that is an online? Do they expect the tool to have long-term access? If so, how do we ensure we're linking to databases that will be continually updated? Will the tool be hosted on HUD's website? Yes it should be web-based and have long-term access. It should be compatible with the HUD system.

57. What kinds of local organizations should be identified to test the tool? Are they to be government agencies, private-sector profit/nonprofit organizations, volunteer groups, or other kinds of organizations? A variety of individuals should be included in testing the tool and index including but not limited to the NAP members and local community partners.

58. Approximately how many local organizations are to be identified and trained in a given community? Any local organizations should be included such as public, private, non-profits, community based organizations, etc. There is not a specific number of organizations to include, however; it will be necessary to cover the type of organizations that should be represented or will be impacted by the Healthy Communities project.

59. What are the main functions of these organizations under this effort? For example, will they be conducting assessments using the tool, or will they train others to conduct assessments using the tool? Yes, organizations and partners would be conducting assessments using the tool. They could train others to use the tool.

60. For pricing purposes, please provide additional information relative to the specific activities that the contractor will fund at each of the selected local organizations regarding size, frequency, and vehicle (e.g., grant, subcontract, etc.). The costs incurred by each of the pilot sites in implementing the tool and index in their respective communities will be treated as a pass-through expense under this contract. The associated costs do not need to be included in the cost proposals submitted by offerors.

61. Is the Charleston pilot site Charleston, SC or Charleston, WV? See response to question 11.

62. Will allowed travel costs be a part of the fixed price or will there be a separate CLIN for allowed, reimbursable travel expenses? Travel will be fixed-price and should be included as part of your proposed fixed-price under the applicable CLINs.

63. Does the National Advisory Panel already exist, or is the contractor expected to identify members and form the group? Should travel and other expenses be budgeted for any in-person meetings of the Panel? Will members of the Panel be compensated for their time?

NAP is the National Advisory Panel. There is not an existing entity; however, there are existing groups that people could be recommended from. HUD has not pre-selected individuals but will make recommendations. The panel will developed by HUD and the contractor. The contractor will be responsible for logistics and planning of NAP meetings. HUD could provide space and meetings could be available by telecom. More NAP meetings would be needed up front and the number of meetings would be determined by the contractor based on need. The members would not be compensated.

64. Section L specifies a 2-page limit on resumes; section M specifies a 3-page limit on resumes. Please clarify. Resumes are limited to two pages with the exception of the Project Manager, which can be three pages.

65. Regarding the person with overall responsibility referenced in Section M, Factor B, Subfactor 2: Can this be two people, specifically a project manager and a principal investigator? Yes.

66. Page 49 of the RFP states “A minimum of three previous employers must be included in the resumes of all key and non-key personnel.” How should offerors account for staff members who have had fewer than three employers? For proposed personnel with fewer than three previous employers in the past 10 years, may we provide contact information for only those previous employers from the past 10 years? Yes, if an employee has had less than three employers but possesses a significant positive work history, that is acceptable.

67. Page 44, Technical Proposal Component #4 – Discussion of Offeror’s Experience refers to Section M for Evaluation Factors. Under Section M, Factor B, Subfactor One: Experience and Ability of Offeror’s Organization, the RFP states, “The Offeror shall provide evidence of successful performance for the same or substantially similar work as required by this solicitation.” Please clarify if we are to include past performance abstracts/descriptions in addition to the past performance surveys. If so, can you please provide a revised page limit for Component #4 of the Technical Proposal to include the project descriptions?

You should provide a more detailed description of the work discussed in the past performance studies and may include additional projects if you choose to do so.

There is no page limit established for component four beyond the two-page limit for resumes.

68. On page 44, the past performance section is referenced in both the Technical Proposal Component and the Business Proposal Component. Can you please clarify in which component you would like us to include the contact information for all references to whom we provide the past performance survey? Please include this information in the Technical Proposal.

69. How many past performance surveys is the offeror permitted to issue to references, which will in turn be submitted to the Contract Specialist? Is there a minimum requirement? Finally, is there a timeframe constraint for the period of past performances? There is no minimum beyond the requirement addressed in question 23, and there is no maximum number established. No timeframe constraint was established for this requirement.

70. Is there a font-point-size requirement for this proposal? You should use no less than a 10-point font.

71. Are graphics, exhibits, organizational charts, statements of corporate capabilities, statements of subcontractors’ capabilities, and attachments excluded from the technical proposal page limitations? No, only items specifically listed as exempt will not be included in the page limitations.

72. What is the audience for this tool? Professional planners and government staff? And/or the general public? Audience for the tool would be city, county, local officials, community based organization staff, community partners, etc.

73. Is the expectation that this tool is a web-based application? Yes.

74. Is the intent to have a comprehensive, on-the-ground pilot that involves local stakeholders and requires on-site staff? Will HUD be involved in approaching the communities and selecting stakeholders? HUD’s intent is that this will be an on-the-ground pilot that includes local stakeholders. HUD will assist in approaching and identifying possible stakeholders

75. Please clarify that the page limit for resumes is 2 for non-key personnel and 3 for the program manager and other key personnel. See question 64.

Please clarify Technical Proposal Component chart on page 44:

a. What is included within the 40 pages of Section 2 the PWS narrative? Does this include only Factor A Project Management? Yes.

b. Section 3 of the Technical Proposal Component chart states that the QA plan must have Performance Requirements Summaries. Please provide guidance on your QA requirements. See Section J.4 for a sample PRS.

c. What should be included in Section 4 Discussion of Offeror’s Experience? Is this a narrative of the Offeror’s experience that addresses Factor B Relevant Experience and Qualifications? This factor should include resumes and a narrative discussion of past projects.

i. Should biographical sketches of the program manager and key personnel be included in this section? Only their resumes are required.

ii. Please confirm there is no limit on pages for the narrative addressing Factor B for this section. There is no limit beyond the resume limitations.

iii. May information on subcontractors and consultants be included in this section? Yes.

d. In Section 5 Past Performance, may narrative about past performance be included in addition to a list of references and contact information of the companies/agencies that are filling out the Past Performance Evaluation Surveys? Please confirm no limit on pages if narrative is provided. No narrative; this consists only of the surveys.

76. Is there a limit to the number of Past Performance Surveys allowed to be submitted? See response to question 69.

77. Can Past Performance Surveys be submitted for subcontractors and consultants? Yes, if the subcontractor/consultant will be primarily responsible for the portion of work to which the survey applies.

78. Can clients of current contracts complete the past performance surveys?

Yes.

79. Are there any requirements for the formatting of the proposal, such as font size, margins, chart fonts? Only the minimum font size established in question 70.

80. On page 48, Section M.2, last sentence there is a parenthetical statement, “Staff must have a background in the project management structure.” What does that refer to? What is the expectation? Is it preferred that a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) be assigned to the project? This means simply that the resumes submitted should reflect adequate experience in project management.

81. Will the government provide its estimate – either as a budget estimate, and/or level of effort – to conduct the work? No estimated budget will be provided. See response to question 19 regarding level of effort.

82. Page 11, Section G.1 states that “Contractor may submit an invoice at the end of each month for services completed within that month.” Is “deliverables” meant instead of services? Or, will partial payments for partial deliverables be negotiated and then written into the contract? Can the Contractor invoice the government monthly for labor and ODCs incurred to date not to exceed the maximum for each CLIN? The contractor will be able to invoice on a monthly basis for subtasks completed under each CLIN. These subtasks will be identified and agreed upon in the kick-off meeting.

83. Page 4, Section C, Part II references a “task order” award. However, page 2, B.2 states that this is to be a “firm fixed price contract.” Please clarify and confirm type of contract. This is a firm fixed price contract. A revised page 4 to remove the task order reference is attached.

84. Page 6, SectionC.IV Schedules and Deliverables, the due dates referenced as such: “To be completed at contract award.” Does this mean that the due dates will be determined at contract award? Please clarify. Please see the response to question 17.

85. How does the Sources Sought (Solicitation number: TI-HC) released on July 8, 2010 relate to this RFP? The Sources Sought Notice was issued to gather source information to assist the Department in selecting an acquisition strategy for this project, as referenced in that Notice.

86. There is mention of the National Advisory Panel on page 5 and a panel of nationally-recognized experts mentioned on page 5. Are these the same entities?

Please provide more information about the expectation of having a NAP.

Yes. NAP is the National Advisory Panel. There is not an existing entity however, there are existing groups that people could be recommended from.

HUD has not pre-selected individuals but will make recommendations. The panel will developed by HUD and the contractor. The contractor will be responsible for logistics and planning of NAP meetings. HUD could provide space and meetings could be available by telecom. More NAP meetings would be needed up front and the number of meetings would be determined by the contractor based on need. The members would not be compensated.

87. Page 27, Contractor employees must have access to a HUD system or system. What types of activities in this project did you anticipate would require someone with security clearance? This clause is included due to the possible need for the contractor to access one or more of HUD’s computer systems.

88. Page 5, CLIN4A states that "The Contractor shall provide direct funding..."

Please describe, in detail, how this process will work. See response to question 60.

89. On page 5 CLIN 2: Develop a Healthy Community Index, there is a list of "topics that may serve as a starting point" and on page 7, under Appendix – References and Resources there is list called "What are the Leading Health Indicators?" there is an additional list of "Leading Health Indicators". Is the intent to reconcile the two and develop a combined list of indicators or can the contractor develop a list of factors that could include indicators other than those listed in the two lists? Both lists provided on page 5 as well as page 7 as offered as resources for indicators that should be considered and included in the development of the tool and index. These are typical indicators that should be considered when assessing a community and defining it as “healthy”.

90. On page 5, CLIN 4: Pilot the Healthy Community Assessment Tool in Selected Cities specifies a pilot for the Health Community Assessment in four communities. Can HUD provide more information on whom (agencies) and how many parties in the communities will be involved in the test, and the period of time for the test? In addition, on page 5, it states that direct funding should be provided by the contractor. Are there any expectations in terms of the amount of direct funding that should be provided or how that direct funding is established and to whom it is provided?

HUD can assist in selecting the parties involved; however, HUD does have grantees that can serve as a starting point for developing the “parties” to involve.

HUD expects the implementation and evaluation to be completed within 12 months. HUD expects the identification of partners and a lead entity for the project will be identified within the first few months of the award. Funding would be provided from the contractor to the pilot sites via pass-through expenses.