RFP_23ISD005_Addendum__1.pdf

Notice to Prospective Proposers

Request for Proposals (RFP) No. 23ISD005

“SB 1075 Technical and Policy Evaluation”

ADDENDUM NO. 1

March 04, 2024

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is issuing this Addendum No. 1 to post Questions and Answers to the RFP and a revised RFP incorporating new Key Action Dates.

All other information in the RFP shall remain the same.

This addendum, along with the RFP is published online in the California State Contracts Register at https://caleprocure.ca.gov/pages/index.aspx. To ensure receipt of any addenda that may be issued, interested parties are encouraged to register online at https://caleprocure.ca.gov. Any questions are to be addressed to the contact listed below:

Contact: Sakinah Carter Phone: (279) 208-7804 Email: Sakinah.Carter@arb.ca.gov

Thank you.

https://caleprocure.ca.gov/pages/index.aspx https://caleprocure.ca.gov/ mailto:Sakinah.Carter@arb.ca.gov

RFP 23ISD005 Questions

Question #1: Page 7 under References, the RFP states that the proposer provide at least 3 references detailing previous experience. Will CARB accept references for active work that meets the requirements provided in tasks 2-7.?

Answer #1:

References for ongoing work are acceptable but must be sufficient to demonstrate experience conducting the analyses called for in tasks 2 through 7 of the RFP.

Question #2: Page 14 states that the cover letter should be Arial font type (or similar) in size 11-point. Can CARB clarify if that applies to the entire proposal or only the cover letter?

Answer #2:

11-point font only applies to the cover letter.

Question #3: The length of the contract is originally stated as 24 months, but the draft final report is due 11 months after contract execution. Please clarify the anticipated timeline of the contract.

Answer #3:

The contract term and due dates for deliverables are separate items.

The initial term of the contract will be 24 months from the start date of the Agreement. In addition, CARB may extend the Agreement for up to twelve months.

The First Draft Report is due 9 months following contract execution and the Draft Report is due 11 months after contract execution. CARB will review the Draft Report and provide comments to be addressed in the Final Report. The Final Report is due within 2 months of receipt of CARB comments on the Draft Report.

Question #4: Please clarify the exact Terms & Conditions to be applied to this RFP. There are multiple terms available on the link provided in the RFP.

Answer #4:

The following Terms & Conditions are applicable to this RFP:

• GTC 04/2017 - General Terms and Conditions for non-IT services contracts except for Interagency Agreements. Effective 4/4/2017 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dgs.ca.gov%2F-%2Fmedia%2FDivisions%2FOLS%2FResources%2FGTC-April-2017-FINAL.pdf&data=05%7C02%7CMatthew.Harrison%40arb.ca.gov%7C184646b199314d3e782408dc37b3c0c5%7C9de5aaee778840b1a438c0ccc98c87cc%7C0%7C0%7C638446492389326342%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=0D0%2BfETt%2BOmZHYctrYX2H%2BCMUA5Mi%2B8AIIJzZhnIp%2BU%3D&reserved=0

Question #5: The scoring criteria on page 23 states "The Work Plan and Work Schedule shall identify each major task, necessary subtasks, and milestones by which progress can be measured and payments made." However, EXHIBIT B BUDGET DETAIL AND PAYMENT PROVISIONS does not contain any language around milestone progress payment and rather refers to "completed task". Will CARB allow milestone progress payment in this contract where multiple milestones eligible for payment may fall under a single contractual task?

Answer #5:

Yes.

Question #6: Page 30 of the RFP indicates a timeline of completing tasks 1-8 within 12 months of contract extension. Does this imply a potential extension into year 2 would refresh the year 1 analysis with updated information? Is the following language on page 23 "The Work Plan and Work Schedule must reflect the total project timeline of 24 months" still accurate?

Answer #6:

The initial term of the contract will be 24 months from the start date of the Agreement. In addition, CARB may extend the Agreement for up to twelve months.

Deadlines for deliverables under each task are set as periods of time following contract “execution” not “extension”. No additional work is implied in the RFP, only the work explicitly stated in the agreement is required. The RFP does not indicate all work will be completed within 12 months of contract execution. The RFP does not call for the Contractor to provide an update to the final report to refresh the initial analysis completed.

The work plan and work schedule should reflect the timelines shown in RFP Exhibit A – SCOPE OF WORK, section C - DETAILED SCOPE OF WORK.

Question #7: On page 33 of the RFP, The Task 3 description mentions "the anticipated centralized versus distributed hydrogen production as per Task 2," but there seem to be a few words missing in the sentence. Is the reference to Task 2 meant to indicate that the Task 3 analysis will take as a predicate the single optimal method, distributed or centralized, determined to be optimal in Task 2?

Answer #7:

There are no missing words under the Task 3 description, but for readability and consistency, the second comma in the first sentence should be a semicolon.

Question #8: Would CARB be willing to allow the contractor to invoice on a monthly basis? The quarterly invoicing indicated on page 40 of the RFP may be a challenge for some.

Answer #8:

CARB will consider monthly invoices, but reporting requirements would be impacted accordingly. The provision can be negotiated with awardee.

Question #9: Page 41 of the RFP reads "Attachment 11 will be inserted here." Later, on page 73 is a section titled "Attachment 11". Is the content on page 73 indicative of what would be inserted into the contract?

Answer #9:

Yes. Page 73 the Contractor Cost Sheet is the template for the contractor to fill out which will be later inserted into Exhibit B, Attachment 1, Contractor Cost Sheet which will act as the detailed budget of the awarded contract.