RFP 19AQMM25R0021 Questions_Answers Final.pdf

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED

GTM Long Term/Short Term Lodging

RFP 19AQMM25R0021

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Questions Solicitation paragraph and page # that relates to question

Recommended answer or solution (if any)

Government Answers

1. Is there an incumbent?

If so, what is their name and the contract number? Is the Statement of Work the same size and scope?

N/A Yes.

Incumbents:

MADISON HOSPITALITY SERVICES, LLC/

Contract No. 19AQMM18D0137

INTERIM HOMES INC./

Contract No. 19AQMM18D0140

EXECUTIVE APARTMENTS INC./

Contract No. 19AQMM18D0141

Yes.

2. If there is no incumbent, what is the budget forecasted for this solicitation?

N/A

N/A

3. Will it be the same people the entire time? If not, what will be the turnover?

N/A Length of individual reservations are based on a range (7 days to 365 days) with check outs being soft dates. The 2024 contract period resulted in 257,700 room nights across three vendors / eighty properties.

Turn over requirements will be est. 200-400 interns per cycle for three cycles a year (Jan – April, May-Aug, Aug- Dec) for 10-weeks each cycle.

4. How many people need housing? N/A Read all of RFP to include Section C-001

DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/WORK

STATEMENT (to your question Section C.3.6)

5. How many beds are needed? N/A Read all of RFP to include Section C-001

DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/WORK

STATEMENT (to your question Section C.3.6)

6. How soon after the deadline for submission will the contract be awarded?

N/A The contract award is estimated for award sometime in June 2025.

7. Is the shuttle service only needed from the housing location to a specific destination and back? If so, is it required every day or just on weekdays? What is the preferred schedule for pick up and drop off?

N/A Yes…Read all of RFP to include Section C-001

DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/WORK

STATEMENT (to your question Section C.7).

8. Please let me know how many rooms per night and arrival and departure dates for the rooms as well.

B.4 Contract Line-Item Number (CLIN) Structure (Page 8 of 82)

Read all of RFP to include Section C-001

DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/WORK

STATEMENT (to your question Section C.3.6)

9. Also, do the hotels need to be located within a specific mileage distance of a certain address? Thank you.

B.4 Contract Line-Item Number (CLIN) Structure (Page 8 of 82)

Read all of RFP to include Section C-001

DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/WORK

STATEMENT (to your question Section C.4.2.1)

10. Please confirm whether DOS will issue a Tax Exemption Certificate as it is not mentioned in the latest RFP but is mentioned in the 2018 RFP (Section B.4).

2018 RFP Section B4 (page 3)

Tax Exemption Certificate will be added to the Amendment – in Section B.

11. Please confirm whether we must provide:

1) Cable TV, as all TVs are smart TVs, and the majority of individuals have their own TV apps such as Netflix?

2) DVD player, as very few people own DVDs these days?

Section C.4.3.4 (page 15)

Section C.5.1.d (Bullet 4 on page 16)

Change requirement to Smart TVs. Cable and DVD player not required.

12. Please confirm whether housekeeping is to be conducted weekly or bi-weekly.

Section C.5.1d. (Bullet 6 on page 17)

Long term - Housekeeping is to be conducted bi-weekly.

Short term - not required.

13. “Lodging & Shuttle Table” tab - please can DOS confirm that the numbers in Cells C6-C9 are for illustrative pricing purposes only as per Section L.9 “Volume II: Price/Cost Proposal” Bullet 4 (page 75) as they only total 248 nights? Estimated room nights are >293,000 as per Section C.3.7 (minimum = 6.700 nights). Should these room night numbers:

1) Be aligned to the historical %ages for room types as per Section C.3.7. (page 13).

2) Be replicated in the corresponding cells in Columns F-I-L-O-R in order to calculate dollar figures over all contract years?

Lodging Pricing Table (“Lodging & Shuttle Table” tab )

Section C.3.7 (page 13)

Section L.9 – “Volume II:

Price/Cost Proposal” Bullet 4 (page 75)

Section J’s Attachment A Spreadsheet has been revised to align with the requirement in Section C.

14. Please confirm that we are only to populate the orange-highlighted cells, a total of 30 cells (reference top of page 76):

1) “Firm-Fixed-Price” (x 6) - Cell D14 and corresponding cells in Columns G-J-M-P-S in the “Lodging & Shuttle Table” tab (shuttle).

2) “Fixed-Firm-Price per Room Night” (x 24) - Cells D6-D9 and corresponding cells in Columns H-K-N-Q-T in the “Applied Discount” tab (lodging).

Section L.9 – “Volume II:

Price/Cost Proposal” (top of page 76)

Confirmed. The government has revised Section J’s Attachment A spreadsheet with all relevant Government-provided information now included.

15. “Applied Discount” tab: there are no dollar figures in

Cells C7-C10 (or corresponding cells in subsequent contract years), so no rate ($0.00) appears in Cells E7- E10 even once the %age discount is populated.

1) Are these cells purposefully blank and will they subsequently be populated by DOS prior to contract award as per the comment on Bullet 7 on page 75; or

2) Will they be pre-populated by DOS across all contract years to automatically give a dollar figure in Cells E7-E10 as per the comment at the top paragraph under the Period of Performance table on page 76 (and Bullets 1 and 2 underneath)?

(“Applied Discount” tab)

Section L.9 “Volume II:

Price/Cost Proposal” under the Period of Performance” table (Bullet 7 - page 75 and top paragraph under POP table on page 76)

Refer to the response to Question number 14.

16. See Serial 6 above regarding DOS populating Cells C7- C10 in the “Applied Discount” tab – if Cells C7-C10 are purposefully blank, are we to insert our own prices in the “Applied Discount” tab (Cells E7-E10) and link them to the “Lodging & Shuttle Table” (Cells D6-D9) (and corresponding cells for OY1 to Ext)?

Section L.9 “Volume II: Price/Cost Proposal” under the “Period of Performance” table (page 76) states that we are to “propose one price per CLIN” under “Firm- Fixed-Price per Room Night” (lodging) and “Firm- Fixed Price” (shuttle) but these cells are not orange highlighted.

If we are to insert our own prices and not just %age discounts, do we just submit our prices in Cells E7-E10 (“Applied Discount”) and Cells D6-D9 (“Lodging & Shuttle Table”) and leave the corresponding cells under Columns H-K-N-Q-T (“Applied Discount”) and Columns G-J-M-P-S (“Lodging & Shuttle Table”) empty or do you want us to complete all years, including the 6-month extension? None of these cells are orange highlighted or linked to other cells.

Section L.9 “Volume II: Price/Cost Proposal” under “Price Proposal Instructions” (page 76) states that “the

Lodging Pricing Table (“Applied Discount” tab)

Section L.9 “Volume II:

Price/Cost Proposal” under “Price Proposal Instructions” (page 76)

Refer to the response to Question number 14.

Offeror shall complete the orange-highlighted areas only”? These cells are not orange highlighted.

17. How are the dollar figures in Cells D6-D9 (“Lodging & Shuttle”) calculated and are they correct e.g. $748.00 in Cell D6 next to studios?

(“Lodging & Shuttle Table” tab )

Refer to the response to Question number 14.

18. Should the “Fixed-Unit-Price per Room Night” figures in the “Applied Discount” tab in Cells E7-E10 (and corresponding cells for OY1 to Ext) automatically be applied and linked to Cells D6-D9 in the “Lodging & Shuttle Table” tab as per Bullet 5 on page 76? Currently the figures do not automatically populate across.

Lodging Pricing Table (both tabs)

Section L.9 “Volume II:

Price/Cost Proposal” under the Period of Performance” table (Bullet 5) (page 76)

Refer to the response to Question number 14.

19. “Applied Discount” tab – Cells D7-D10 (and corresponding cells for OY1 to Ext) will only accept whole numbers as %ages. Can this be changed so that we can insert %ages with up to 2 decimal points e.g.

30.75%?

(“Applied Discount” tab)

Each Contractor-Applied Discount column in the Applied Discount worksheet has been changed to allow for two (2) decimal points.

20. Please confirm whether the reference to Section J is correct as no Section J was attached in the RFP (there was a Section J in the 2018 RFP).

Section L.9 “Volume II:

Price/Cost Proposal” Bullet 7 under “Price Proposal Instructions” (page 75)

Question is not clear. L.9 “Volume II: Price/Cost Proposal” Bullet 7 refers to the Section B (pg.4), Line Items, Unit Price and Total Cost which will be filled in by the Contracting Officer at time of award. This means, the information will be extracted from the spreadsheet – titled: Lodging Price Table, whereas the offeror in-put their cost/price onto Section J’s Attachment A (spreadsheet labeled “Lodging Price Table”).

21. Bullet 9 (page 75) states that “the Government does not require submission of (prime) Offeror’s or subcontractor Offerors’ build-up of the proposed Fixed-Price-Unit per room night”, but Bullets 7-11 (page 76) state that “the Offeror….shall conduct appropriate cost or price analyses to establish the reasonableness of proposed subcontract prices, and shall include the results of these analyses” etc.

Please can you clarify whether the 2 statements above are referring to the same issue and, if yes, please confirm whether a pricing analysis is to be included or not in Volume II.

Section L.9 “Volume II:

Price/Cost Proposal” under “Price Proposal Instructions” reference Bullet 9 (page 75) and Bullets 7-11 (page 76).

The two issues in question are unrelated.

Regarding the first issue, the Government does not require offerors to propose build-up of Fixed-Price-Unit per Room Night because the Government intends to perform price reasonableness analysis, not cost analysis. Refer to FAR 15.404-1(b).

Regarding the second issue, offerors are required to provide evidence that sufficient cost or price analysis was undertaken to determine subcontractor price (or cost) reasonableness. Refer to FAR 15.404-3(b).

If not referring to the same issue, please could you explain what each requirement entails.

22. Are we simply to check the relevant boxes in Attachment B and will DOS know to cross-reference “Past Performance 1-2-3” across to our response in Factor B where we list 3 past performances?

Or should we manually insert in writing the names of the past performance contracts at the bottom of Attachment B to ensure that DOS know which contracts are being included and referred to as “Past Performance 1-2-3”?

Section L9 (Factor B on page 74)

Attachment B – Past Performance

No. Refer to M.5.2 (pg.83) Past Performance Attachment B is Traceable Matrix spreadsheet that will be used by evaluators in assessing the minimum requirements provided by the offeror in their proposal submission. The offeror should address the requirements as fully described in Section C.5 of the SOW.

23. The solicitation states "In the Pricing Table, the Offeror shall complete the orange-highlighted areas only."

QUESTION: Can you please confirm that offerors are only to complete the "Firm Fixed Price" cells in the "Lodging and Shuttle Table" tab and only the "Contractor Applied Discount" cells in the "Applied Discount" tab?

Page 76, "Price Proposal Instructions" - In the Pricing Table, the Offeror shall complete the orange-highlighted areas only.

Confirmed. Refer to the response to Question number 14.

24. Seems to be numerous error in Attachment A. The "Fixed Unit-Price per Room Night" for the base year should be pulling information from the sheet titled "Applied Discount". Government estimated quantities are only included in the base year. Does the government anticipate issuing a revised Attachment A?

Attachment A Revise Attachment A Refer to the response to Question number 14.

25. Factor C on page 74 states “The plan of operation shall demonstrate who will be responsible for completing submittals. The offeror shall identify specifically and provide descriptive materials concerning the facilities where they propose to furnish lodgings.” Please define “descriptive materials”.

Page 74 - Factor C - E Long Term/ Short Term - Detailed description of the furnishings (i.e. beds, storage, living space, kitchen space, cooking equipment, utensils, linens, etc.) provided in each type of apartment for which the vendor will provide a cost proposal.

26. “In the Narrative, pursuant to FAR 52.212-4(a)(4), Alternate I (Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Items), the Offeror shall identify the percentage of the proposed prices attributable to profit.”

– How will the government use this information? Will a contractor’s ability to procure rooms at a discounted rate (that other contractors might not be able to replicate)

Page 76 - Enumerated requirement 6

Remove this requirement

The Government will not evaluate an offeror’s proposed profit or fee for purposes of award. FAR 52.212-4(a)(4) provides, in pertinent part, “the cost of replacement or correction shall be… reduced to exclude that portion of the rate attributable to profit.” Therefore, the Government requires the offerors’ profit rates in order to properly reduce the rate at which the contractor is reimbursed, in negatively impact the evaluation of their price.

Essentially our competitive advantage is the procurement of room rates at discounted rates. As such our profit rate, which is a result of operational excellence, might be higher than other contractors’ profit rate and we want to be sure that this information will not negatively impact the evaluation of our proposal.

the event that the contractor is required to reperform the requirement under the applicable contract type.

27. Section L.10 states "Offeror submissions must be received by the Government via e-mail on April 30, 2025, Date/time 10:30am @Eastern Time." The solicitation page on sam.gov site states that offers are due May 15, 2025, at 10:30am EST. QUESTION: Can you please confirm the due date for offers?

Page 77, Paragraph L.10 Proposal Submission Instructions

N/A Due Date is May 15, 2025, at 10:30am Eastern Time and will be updated in the Amendment 0001.

28. “Proof of ownership, lease, or agreements to lease shall be provided upon request” – since this is essentially listed as subfactor of Factor C, can you please confirm that this information is not required for initial proposal submission?

Page 74 - Factor C - D Yes, as proof of ownership, lease or agreement to lease is required to award the contract, it is also required to provide for the initial proposal.

29 Page 73 states “The entire proposal shall consist of two

(2) separate volumes”. Page 76 states that the Pricing Table is to be provided in the same Excel workbook provided by the Government. Can you please stipulate the total number of separate documents to be submitted?

It seems as though there should be 3 (Volume I, Volume II, and Attachment A)

Page 73 & Page 76 "L.8.2 Organization of Volumes" and Paragraph 4 respectively

Section L.8.2 has been revised to include the following:

Volume II shall consist of the offeror’s completed Attachment A and the offeror’s Price Narrative.

30 The dates in the table under Price Proposal Instructions have not been updated.

Section L.9, Page 76 of 82 Please update the chart to reflect correct option year and extension periods.

Dates will be updated in the Amendment 0001.

31 Throughout the Price Proposal Information on pages 75 & 76 of the RFP, it is reiterated several times that offerors need only complete the areas highlighted in orange within Attachment A. However, on Page 76 directly below the table, it states, "In the Pricing Table, under “Fixed-Unit-Price per Room Night” and “Firm- Fixed-Price” the Offeror shall propose one price per CLIN per period. Question: Are offerors required to

Section L.9, Pages 75 & 76 of 82

Please clarify that statement below the table.

No, offerors are not required to populate the Fixed-Unit Pricer per Room Night in either worksheet. The Fixed- Price per Room Night amounts in the Lodging and Shuttle Table worksheet will be automatically populated from the information in the Fixed-Unit Price per Room Night column in the Applied Discount worksheet. The Fixed- Unit Pricer per Room Night in the Applied Discount worksheet will be automatically calculated by applying complete the area under "Fixed-Unit-Price per Room Night" although it is not highlighted in orange or is the above statement incorrect?

the Contractor-Applied Discount to the Government- Estimated Price per Room night.

Refer to the response to Question number 14.

32. Is the suggested minimum percentage of 30 percent yearly average U.S Government lodging per diem rates in the Arlington VA/ Washington DC area an average of all four (4) types of accommodations? For example, 40%, 40%, 20% & 20% discounts for Studio thru 3 Bedrooms respectively would equate to a 30 percent average discount. Question: Is it the percentage discount an average of all 4 types, or a weighted average on actualized usage?

Section C.2 Purpose, Page II of 82

Yes, the 30% can be an average discount across all four

(4) unit types.

33. On page 16, the requirement is for Cable TV with basic channels. Question: Can we substitute internet streaming services for cable?

Page 16, point 4 Allow contractors to provide SMART TVs with basic channels as an alternative to cable.

Yes, internet streaming can be substituted for cable.

Change requirement to Smart TVs

34. On page 16, the requirement calls for at least one DVD.

Question: Is this a requirement for all units or can it be provided upon request?

Page 16, point 4 Allow contractors to provide DVD players upon request with-in 2 business days of request.

Refer to the response to Question number 11.

35. Page 17 states that televisions will be located on a credenza or in an armoir. Question: Can they be mounted on a wall?

Page 16, point 14 Allow contractors to locate televisions on the wall.

TVs mounted to wall is fine.

36. Page 17 states that housekeeping must be conducted at least weekly. Question: Can guests opt out of housekeeping or just request it bi-weekly?

Page 17, point 2 Allow contractor to work with each guest on their specific need to include, weekly, bi-weekly or none.

Refer to the response to Question number 12.

37. Page 23 states that all guests will be greeted and offered assistance with luggage, as needed. Question: Due to after-hours/late arrivals, the apartment community may not have someone to assist with luggage. Can we advise the guest of this once we know their arrival times?

Page 23 Long Term - It is not a requirement to greet or handle luggage for arrivals.

Short Term (Interns) - However, in the event of an early or later arrival of an intern, it would be good for a member of the property (concierge, front desk staff, etc.) be available to assist check-in. For many of our interns this will be their first time in DC, living in a major urban city, or even living alone so it would be nice for the added support outside of normal check-in hours.

38. Page 17, proximity to Training sites. In the past to best accommodate guest requests, guests have had the option of DC but without shuttle, parking and housekeeping services. Question: Can we still offer this option, upon inspection of the community without meeting the 30-minute drive time and excluding shuttle, parking and housekeeping?

Page 17 Continue to allow this option for the travelers.

Long Term – Yes, we would consider inventory beyond 30 minutes of the training sites.

Short Term (Interns) – We would require all housing options are located within walking distance (5 blocks or closer) of public transportation. Interns will not have POVs and have limited transportation options.

39. Page 11 states that training will be held at FSI.

Question: Will interns training be held at FSI?

C.2 Purpose of Training, Short Term (Interns) – No, their internship will be throughout the various annexes in DC and Northern, Va area.

40. On Page 13, the solicitation outlines two intern programs; each 10 weeks in duration, the ability to share lodging provided they have their own bedroom, and the desire to have them in one location. Question:

Can there be a new CLIN for the Interns?

C.36, page 13, Paid Interns Have a separate CLIN for Interns

No. Short Term (Interns) will have their own task orders.

41. On Page 78 concerning Evaluation and Total Price.

Question: Will lodging and shuttle transportation be evaluated as a total or separately?

Page 78 section 52.212-2 (b) Options

The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement.

42. On Page 78 concerning Evaluation and Total Price.

Question: Is it possible that lodging and Shuttle could be awarded separately?

Page 78 section 52.212-2 (b) Options

Lodging and shuttle will not be awarded separately.

43. On Page 4, which is the Pricing Sheet; under the Shuttle CLIN, the Quantity is 12. I am assuming 12 months. In providing shuttle service it is heavily dependent upon the number of guests and apartment communities. This can fluctuate in the course of a year and the contract. Question: Can you change the Quantity to per person based upon monthly ridership?

Page 4; Shuttle CLIN Change the quantity to from a flat monthly, annualized rate to monthly ridership.

Evaluation can then be done based upon number of students and ridership.

No, 12-month shuttle service should be built into the unit cost.

44. The response date for proposals is listed as April 30, 2025, on the solicitation but May 15, 2025, on www.sam.gov. which is correct?

L.10 Proposal Submission Instructions - Page 77

See response to the Question number 27.

45. If the property offered is within 5 blocks of the Rosslyn Metro, Contractor provided shuttle service is not required, however, there is also a requirement for occasional shuttle service to the Main State

C.7.2 Properties within 5 blocks of the State Dept FSI Shuttle service in Rosslyn, Virginia – Page 18 C.7.8 Shuttle Schedules – Page

Long Term - No, shuttle service to Main State will not be waived for orientation and flag day.

Paid Interns – We would require all housing options are located within walking distance (5 blocks or closer) of http://www.sam.gov/

Building, will it be waived if our properties are within 5 blocks of the Rosslyn Metro?

19 public transportation. Interns will not have POVs and have limited transportation options.

46. The Base Year is listed as 5/13/25 - 5/12/2026, are units to be available as of 5/13/25? The six-month Option to Extend dates are confusing as it states 5/13/2025 - 11/12/2023 what are the actual dates?

Price Proposal Instructions –

Dates corrected in the Amendment.

47. Our price for rentals cannot exceed the per diem rate for that area, however in FY25 the rate changes 4 times, yet the pricing spreadsheet does not allow for such changes. Can we adjust the spreadsheet to allow for the changes?

Attachment A – Lodging Pricing Table – First Tab Page

Refer to the response to Question number 14.

48. We are required to submit a discount for each CLIN, since we are not aware of the per diem rate in the future, will we be allowed to provide the discount after the new rates are published?

B.5 Percentage Discount Prices/Costs – Page 8 Attachment A – Lodging Pricing Table – Second Tab

Refer to the response to Question number 14. The Government will provide estimated price per room night for all Option periods.

49. Apartment Owners require background checks for apartment occupants, will the US Government provide documentation waiving that requirement?

Not addressed in the solicitation

DOS employees have security clearances.

50. On the pricing Attachment, there are amounts listed under the base year for all apartments, are they an example or do we use the number of days listed and put insert our rate?

The numbers are an example. Please provide your proposed price amount.

51. Is the “suggested” minimum 30% average for U.S.

Government per diem rate only or does it include M&IE too? Will you reject a percentage that is less than the “suggested” 30%?

C.2 Purpose – Page 11 Government per diem includes M&IE. Yes, we would reject a percentage less than the suggested 30% average.

52. Is there a minimum number of units in one complex?

Not addressed in the

Long Term - No, a minimum number of units is not required.

Short Term (Interns) – No, but it would be ideal to house the interns in groups as much as possible. For aspect of community building and socializing for them.

53. What are the expected dates of move-in after contract award?

Not addressed in the solicitation

The next day. It is expected; guests would have the ability to move-in the following day after the contract is awarded.

54. Have budget cuts and hiring freezes affected this solicitation?

Not addressed in the

Unknown at this time.

55.

Is it acceptable to have a dedicated email address and person to call for reservations or are we required to offer reservations through a website?

C. 3.3 Reservations, Check-In, and Reports - Page 12

Refer to the RFP Section C.3.3, The Contractor shall provide a web-based reservation service which will be backed up by email and US-wide toll-free telephone service. The Contractor shall respond to all reservations and inquiries within one (1) business day.

56.

Is an onsite storage facility acceptable? Are we required to install safes or lock boxes in each unit? What are the dimensions of a safe / lock box?

C.5.1 Minimum Amenities Required / (c) Safety - Page 16

Long Term - Industry standard safes or lock boxes are required in each unit. Storage facilities are not acceptable.

Short Term - Not required for Interns.

57.

Are (2) phones required for Studio and 1 Bedroom units or is 1 phone sufficient?

C.5.1 Minimum Amenities Required / (d) Apartments shall Have - Page 16

Not required; if available, one is sufficient.

58.

Are we allowed to offer the discounted per diem rates that correspond with the fluctuation of rates throughout the year? How do we insert those additional rates on the spreadsheet?

The question is unclear. Refer to RFP Section B.5, which provides in pertinent part: The room rate for each contract year will be adjusted on October 1st of that year by applying the contractually established discount to the published GSA lodging rate for each month. The Fixed- Unit-Price per room night shall be adjusted based upon the GSA per diem rates published each year.

59. The Government reserves the right to terminate a Task Order upon written notice from Contracting Officer, how many days’ notice is allowed?

G.4 Termination of Task Orders - Page 27

The government is not required to provide a specific number of days' notice to a contractor before cancelling a contract when it's in the government's best interest.

60. Past Performance Matrix - Is there a specific numeric rating that should be included in the matrix based on referenced Past Performance included in the proposal submission? Or is it for guidance only?

Attachment B - Past Performance Traceable Matrix

- Page 1

Items successfully completed should be checked off.

61. Are we required to offer all lodging accommodations, or can we submit only 2 types of units?

Not addressed in the solicitation

It is highly encouraged to submit proposals with multiple

(4) unit options; however, we will consider submissions with only two types.