Amd. 1 - Q A.doc

Q&A – Amendment 1 Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Public Debt

Division of Procurement

RFQ-OIT-11-0109: Fiber Optic Cable Maintenance

1) Who is the current company performing the work and the current charge to the government for the hourly and firm-fixed unit price?

Response:

Current Contractor: Echo24, Inc.

Current Award #: TPD-OIT-10-00013 Total Award (Base & 1 Option Period): $26,118.00

Annual Preventative Maintenance: Cost breakdown will not be provided.

Emergency Maintenance: Cost breakdown will not be provided.

2) Should Offerors fill out Attachment A, and then scan it as a PDF in order to send it to the e-mail address?

Response: This would be an acceptable method. Offerors can also complete the worksheet electronically and email the excel workbook as an attachment in their email to PSB3@bpd.treas.gov by the due date.

3) Can Offerors drop off a printed copy of their proposal at the door of the 200 3rd street building ATTN: TAYERS?

Response: Packages cannot be dropped off at the Security desk. However, packages can be mailed to the address at the top of page 3 of the RFQ. Offerors must reference the following on every package for the proposal to be sent to procurement, "Response to RFQ-OIT-11-0109 Attn: TAYERS, Division of Procurement"

4) There is a note on Attachment A that states that I must bill the BPD at cost for all materials used. I was under the impression that I could add a fair mark up of 25%. Is this correct?

Response: Per the Instructions to Offerors, Volume II Written Price Proposal (page 11), "Materials necessary for emergency maintenance must be billed at cost. Proof of cost shall be provided with an invoice." Therefore, the material cost for this service can not include a mark up.

Offerors shall provide firm-fixed pricing for semi-annual testing and preventative maintenance, inclusive of material cost. Pricing for this service is at the discretion of the Offeror, however, please review page 11 of the solicitation pertaining to evaluation of price proposal.

5) The solicitation states that the contractor would have to cover the cost for the NACI background checks for the technicians. What would be the per technician cost to me for these background checks?

Response: There is no charge for a National Agency Check w/ Inquiries (NACI) investigation and background check. See amendment on page 4 of the solicitation.

6) Concerning the semi-annual testing, will an Optical Loss Test Set Measurement be sufficient to verify that the dark fibers are ready to use? Please give me the complete test parameters that you will need for verification.

Response: Services are to be performed in accordance with the most recent Issue 4 of SR-1421, Blue Book – Manual of Construction Procedures. The Blue Book provides guidance and a set of practices that promote reliable network performance and are consistent with all recent national codes and rules.

7) Will contractors need to enter manholes and visually inspect the fiber optic cable or is it simply in a small buried conduit which does not give access to a person? If it is in a manhole, who will locate the manholes and grant us access?

Response: The contractor will be able to test the fiber cables at entry points without entering manholes. However, if a fiber is found to be faulty, the Phone/Internet Service Provider will grant access to a manhole for additional testing and service.

8) What nm wave length will be required for testing? Will the contractor have to physically be able reach the aerial cable to look for damage, or can they simply view it from the ground?

Response: 1310 & 1550 nm. The fiber can be viewed from the ground, and the contractor will only have to reach the fiber cable if it is damaged.

9) Does the government have a clearer picture of the fiber route between the two buildings?

Response: No

10) Is it possible for the government to hold a site visit for potential Offerors?

Response: The government will hold a site visit for all interested Offerors to attend on Monday, September 19, 2011 at 1:00 pm, ET. Interested Offerors shall meet in the visiting area at the Bureau of Public Debt's facility located at 320 Avery Street, Parkersburg WV 26101 to sign-in.