Questions and Answers for SAQMMA10R0248.docx

Questions & Answers Request for Proposal RFP SAQMMA-10-R0248

(1). Question: Could you please confirm that only a Final Secret Clearance is required for contract award and that the DoS will sponsor for a Top Secret Facility Clearance prior to contract performance?

In section L.7.3.1 it states for each Past Performance Contract Profile, the offeror shall also submit a paper copy of the Past Performance Survey.

Answer: The answer to both questions is yes.

(2). Question: Would it be possible to reference the same past performance surveys for Solicitation Number DoS SAQMMA10R0248-PM as SAQMMA10R0227?

Answer: The answer to the question is yes.

(3). Question: When are the past performance surveys due?

In section J, it states that Attachment A has employee job descriptions.

Answer: Past Performance Surveys are due at the same time as the proposal. Proposals are due on August 11, 2010 at 11:00 am as amended.

(4). Question: The revised Attachment A has job titles, but no job descriptions. Will the government provide the job descriptions?

Answer: The answer to this question is no, because the job description will be provided at the task order level. Only the Bureaus Objectives were provided.

(5) Question: We understand that at least 2 past performance references must be from the prime offeror, indicating that subcontractor past performance reference will be permitted and considered. Should subcontractor provide more than 2 past performance references that are more relevant in size and scope than that of the prime, will the Government score overall past performance more favorably, or will the Government not consider any additional subcontractor past performance references?

Answer: Reference what was stated in the solicitation; there’s no mention of scoring in the solicitation.

(6). Question (s) : Reference section L.8.g (page 89 RFP) states that “Each offeror shall specify the financial capacity working capital and other resources available to perform the contract without assistance from any outside source (excluding a bank letter/line of credit). If applicable, the offeror shall state the amount of the line of credit.”

- Question (1) Is the Government requesting financial capacity both within the offeror's organization as well as from outside sources?

Answer: Bank Letter/Lines of Credit are excluded from “assistance from an outside source” -Question (2) Does the Government recognize Letters of Credit or Lines of Credit as part of the offeror's financial capacity?

Answer: No -Question (3) Small businesses usually have a line of credit from a banking institution that may or may not be used in support of ongoing contracts. Does the term "any outside source" include this situation?

Answer: Bank Letter/Lines of Credit are excluded from “assistance from an outside source” and therefore the answer is to the above questions is yes it does include this situation.

-Question (4) Can the government provide examples of "outside sources" of interest?

Answer: It is other sources/companies outside the firm submitting a proposal .Reference RFP Section L.8.f . Reference RFP Section L.8.f (page 89) This provision requires two years of financial statements.

-Questions (1) If an offeror is a newly formed Joint venture, formed within the last two years, what are the submission requirements?

Answer: Same as the single source – joint means one company -Question (2) Is the requirement that the financial statements be "Compiled?" If an offeror is audited by an external auditing firm, will financial statements prepared, reviewed and an opinion expressed by an external auditing firm acceptable for this bid?

Answer: yes Reference to Questions for Solicitation SAQMMA10R0227 and Solicitation SAQMMA10R0234 - Solicitation SAQMMA10R0248 is very similar to these solicitations. For purposes of Solicitation SAQMMA10R0248, should offerors consider the Government's responses to the questions submitted by offerors to these solicitations?

Answer: Not sure the question, SAQMMA10R0248 is a separate RFP and questions related to this particular solicitation should be addressed accordingly and viewed as a separate RFP.

(7). Question: Attachments C & D Past Performance Contract Profile and Past Performance Survey respectively are “Expandable” electronic forms but they were issued in PDF format; can they be re-issued in their native form so they are functional?

Answer: Attachments C shall remain in pdf- you don’t have to use the same format as long as the information is given. As for the Past Performance Survey, it has been re-issued as a word document.

(8). Question: Regarding Attachment D, Past Performance Survey, Mr. Michael Mickaliger is listed as the DoS receiver of the completed Surveys; is this correct for the S-Bureau solicitation?

Answer: No- Michael Mickaliger name is incorrect. The correct name is JoAnn B. Carroll and the correction has been made under an amendment.

(9). Question: Since the stated 250 FTE’s and the funding ceiling of $85M don’t equate, is it the intention of DoS to pare down the 250 number over time through Insourcing initiatives or some other form of contractor staff reductions?

Answer: The ceiling of $85M will be changed to the ceiling of $95M.

(10). Question: Within the solicitation B.7 Pricing Tables show a Base Year with five Option Years equaling 72 months, but Section F.2 Term of Basic Contract and I.7(c) states this is a sixty (60) months contract including base and options; which is the operative contract period?

Answer: The total months for this requirement will be 60 months (Base Year and Four Option Years).

(11). Question: Does DoS anticipate an award for this contract to occur this calendar year?

Answer: Our goal is to award before the year end.

(12). Question: Can you please let me know the status of solicitation SAQMMA10R0249-PM - Professional and Management Support Service Employees? That last date provided by your office was June 11th. The 3rd solicitation in this series (SAQMMA10R0248) was released last week?

Answer: Solicitation No. SAQMMA10R0249-PM has not been posted and there is no schedule date.

(13) Question: I was wondering if this SSN found maturity in the following solicitations: SAQMMA10R0248-PM (Professional and Management Support Service Employees). If it hasn’t, will this SSN be solicited in the near future, or was it strictly just an SSN with no promise of being solicited?

Answer: Solicitation SAQMMA10R0248 is a part of this package. The answer to your question about the SSN being solicited is no.

(14). Question: Could you furnish the following information?

1. program office/manager

1. incumbent contract information (contract ID, date signed, value, contractor)

Answer:

(1) The information about the program office/manager is not available.

(2) The current incumbent’s contract number is BPA No. SLMAQM04A0058 and it was signed on January 30, 2004. The name and value of the contract is not available.

(15). Question: Your attention is invited to Para B.3 which identifies the contract’s maximum amount of $85M.

Amendment 1, attachment A, lists the incumbent FTE total of 250 personnel. If all 250 FTEs are applied against the very lowest labor category (GS-12 Step 1), unburdened, the total cost unburdened equates to $84M. This estimate is nearly at the contract ceiling before any ODCs or labor buildup are applied.

Could the USG please clarify this maximum contract figure?

Answer: The ceiling will be changed to $95M.

(16). Question: Accordingly, please provide us with the Incumbent’s pricing for their provision of this service and when the solicitation will be released.

Answer: You can submit a FOIA , but its’ not applicable for this requirement. WWW.FOIA.STATE.GOV; solicitation released

(17) Question: Mrs. Carroll our firm is a Service disabled Veteran Owned Business. We do not have a Top Secret Clearance. Does this put us out of the running?

Answer: No

(18) Question: I am wondering if you are aware when a Solicitation for the requirement above might be relased.

Answer: The solicitation has been released.

(19) Question: When will FEDBIZOPPS be updated to reflect the new schedule for solicitation?

Answer: It has been released.

(20) Question: Is there an estimated time of release for Solicitation No. SAQMMA10R0249-PM and Solicitation No. SAQMMA10R0248-PM?

Answer: Questions regarding Solicitation No. SAQMMA10R0249-PM will not be answered under the solicitation SAQMMA10R0248; Solicitation No. SAQMMA10R0248 has been released check FedBizOpps.

(21) Question: How does the size standard for this Set-Aside remain at 7M for contract size of 100M?

Answer: The size standard will remain the same as stated in the solicitation.

(22) Question: The positions are noted in Attachment A, but there are no job descriptions associated with them. Were these omitted and are you going to provide them so we may provide more realistic pricing based on position descriptions with applicable years of experience?

Answer: Job descriptions will be developed at the task order level.

(23) Question: Can you tell the current contractor for this requirement?

Answer: The current incumbent’s contract number is BPA No. SLMAQM04A0058, with Pro-telligent, Inc.

(24) Question: (1) What is the incumbent contract ID and value for this requirement?

(2) Where is the program office?

Answer: The current incumbent’s contract number is BPA No. SLMAQM04A0058, and it was signed on January 30, 2004. Information on the program office is not available.

(25) Question:

1. In a footnote, the RFP states that the ES hourly rates are based on 2080 hours/year. Are the GS rates also based on 2080 hours/year or should leave days, etc., be “backed out” of the 2080 hours when calculating the hourly rate – using the 1880 hours that we understand is normally the case at DoS?

2. Satisfaction surveys. The text assures the respondents of anonymity. Should the respondents send the surveys directly to DoS only or should the proposals also include copies of the surveys? Should the completed surveys be emailed to Mickaliger as indicated or to JoAnn Carroll the CO for this RFP?

3. What is the anticipated award date?

Answer:

1. Please see Section B.6 and the footnote for explanation on the ES hourly rates calculation. Charges will be established at the Task Order Level.

2. For each Past Performance Contract Profile, the offeror shall also submit an electronic copy of the Past Performance Survey [Refer to Attachment D, Past Performance Survey] with Part I – Contract Information completed with its technical proposal.

The offeror shall also send the Past Performance Survey to the respective references to fill-out and return Part II – Government Past Performance Evaluation via a government email address to JoAnn B. Carroll, Contracting Officer, carrolljb@state.gov, not later than 2:00 p.m. (local Washington D.C. time) on August 11, 2010.

The offeror is highly encouraged to ensure that its Past Performance Survey is returned by the references on time. DoS will not follow up with references in the Profiles to prompt them to return the Surveys. Past Performance Surveys received late will not be evaluated and will affect the offeror’s adjective rating. Also, offerors are advised to inform their references not to return the Past Performance Surveys using Entrust. DoS cannot open these emails and will not follow up with the offeror or the references to ensure that the Surveys are resubmitted.

Past Performance Surveys with Part II – Government Past Performance Evaluation shall not be returned with the offeror’s proposal.

3. Our goal is to award before the year end.