Questions_and_Answers_Solicitation_SAQMMA14R0347.pdf

SAQMMA14R0347

OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE

CHARLESTON REGIONAL CENTER

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. There is a Sample Collective Bargaining Agreement in the solicitation, is the utilization of Union Labor a requirement under this contract? Both CBA’s provided in the solicitation are valid under the current contract.

2. Section B, please clarify and or provide definition to CLIN 0001A “Basic Service

Incentive”.

The incentive is covered under Section C, Exhibit 12. Basically, if the contractor does an outstanding job with 100% passing on all inspections, all PMs done, service calls done on time etc. Then they earn an incentive. It is important to remember that the incentive CLIN is not automatically provided, the contractor would have to earn it separately each instance it is paid. If the contractor does earn the incentive under Note 2 of this Exhibit 12, the contractor has to provide at least 50% of that monetary amount has to be given to their on-site personnel.

3. Is snow removal a requirement under this Solicitation? No, This requirement does not require snow removal on this contract. In the event that we do have a snow fall which would require that level of support, we would handle that effort under the reimbursable CLIN

4. Is there a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for the HVAC O&M Services? If so can it be made available?

Yes, both custodial services and O&M services are currently under a CBA, reference attachment H and attachment J

5. If no CBA exists should the US DOL wage determination prevail? Typically the pricing for labor would be Davis Bacon or Prevailing Wage for labor calculation on this site if CBA were not in place.

6. Is this a “Prescriptive Man-Hour” requirement, or Performance Base?

This contract is a hybrid type contract. The contractor is required to provide the

Key Personnel identified in C-3. In addition, the Contractor is to submit their additional proposed staffing plan based on the requirements of the facility. The staffing plan will be incorporated into the contract under C-1. For example

Government may take deductions when there is missed staffing in accordance with the contractor’s proposed staffing plan.

7. In other words do contractors have to comply with the historical staffing as prescribed in Section C, para C-3?

This contract is a hybrid type contract. The contract is required to provide the Key

Personnel identified in C-3. The historical data is provided as a reference for bidders to use as they prepare their additional proposed staffing plan. The

Contractor is to submit their additional proposed staffing plan based on the requirements of the facility.

8. Section C, para C-3 (1) On page # 16, illustrates “historical staffing”. Are these personnel all full time or is it mixed of full time and part timers? All staff members are full time

9. Are all the HVAC O&M personnel full time? If not how many are FTE. All staff members are full time with minimum of 8 hours per day required.

10. Can the On-Site Project Manager acts as the On-Site Supervisor, or should this be two (2) distinct personnel?

The requirement is for one on site supervisor (Project manager) and one (Assistant project Manager)

11. What is the anticipated commencement/start date of the follow-on contract?

The Government anticipates an tentative start date of March 1, 2014

12. Page(s) # 27 thru 31, makes reference to CLINs X001 & X002. This is not shown in

Section B. Please clarify?

CLIN X001 refers to CLIN 0001, 1001, 2001, 3001, and 4001 as relevant for each option year. CLIN X002 refers to CLIN 0002, 1002, 2002, 3001, and 4002 as relevant for each option year.

13. What is the USDOL wage title & classification for the administrative assistant?

Administrative Assistant II

14. Can you provide a list of approved subcontractors for (elevator maintenance, water treatment, chiller maintenance, electrical testing, fire alarm systems, trash & waste disposal, pest & rodent control, etc). Elevator Maintenance is ThyssenKrupp and

Schindler, Fire suppression systems is Falcon or Pye Barker; water treatment is

Aqualine; trash removal is Republic,; Recycling is City of Charleston; pest control is Titan Pest Control

15. Can you furnish the name of the incumbent contractor and the current monthly price(s) for the HVAC O&M services and Janitorial services? The current contractor is KSS. You must complete a FIOA request for additional information http://www.foia.state.gov/Request/FreedomOfInformationAct.aspx

16. I have a SDVOSB (Viet Nam era) company and would like to bid on this project. Is it permissible for my company to bid on this solicitation. This acquisition is solicited as 100% set aside for 8(a) concerns.

17. Has a contractor performed similar work to this for the government in the past?

If available, please provide the incumbent contract number.

If you are unable to provide a contract number, is it safe to assume this is a new requirement for the government? This is not a new requirement. You must complete a

FIOA request for additional information http://www.foia.state.gov/Request/FreedomOfInformationAct.aspx

18. . Can you provide me with the manufacturer of each Fire Alarm Panel for each of the (6) six buildings (Bldg. 84 and Bldg.’s A-E). Notifier is the manufacturer

19. As DoS’ main medical services provider, is there a need for occupational health

(OMOH) and/or environmental health/industrial hygiene (EHIH) support:

For example, an on-site clinic/health facility

For routine care, medical exams, immunizations, as well, for emergency medical response?

This contract is for operation & maintenance (O&M), custodial, and other facility related services. Reference Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) component requirements in Section C, Exhibit 5.

20. Does the (former Navy) base have a single OMOH/EH facility supporting all of the

USG agencies there? If so, how can we find out more information about it, as we would be interested in providing such support? No

21. SF 1449 (pg 2): There is a Line Item No. 001. No.

a. The Description is generic and Quantity is 0.00. Are Offerors to fill-in a Unit

Price and Total Cost for this Line Item Number and, if so, will the Government clarify the Description and Quantity for Offerors to understand what the

Government expects to be priced for this Line Item Number?

b. What does “SV” stand for under Unit? Service

This is a system generated line code meant to give you a generic description of the required services

22. Sections B.5 through B.9: There is a CLIN X001A for an incentive amount.

a. Are Offerors to fill this in? Yes

b. If so, will the Government provide directions for doing so to assure a consistent response by Offerors? Reference Section C, Exhibit 12, this amount is 1% of CLIN 0001, 1001, 2001, 3001, and 4001 as appropriate.

23. Section C-3.D (pg 16): A deduction is made when missed staffing exceeds the

AQL threshold of 8 hours per month. It is not clear what constitutes missed staffing such as vacation, sick days, jury duty, bereavement leave, removal for cause, training, resignation, retirement, etc.) or whether it is determined on the basis of being an excused or unexcused absence, position, or by some other means. Section

C-3.A requires the contractor to furnish the necessary staffing to ensure sufficient continuation of building operations during vacations, sick days, jury duty, etc. This would seem to imply such excused absences are not included in the definition of missed staffing as long as sufficient building operations are maintained.

a. Will the Government specifically define or clarify what instances of absence constitutes “missed staffing” for purposes of deduction? Any shortage of any position listed as “minimum Staffing” will be deducted as a shortage of staffing.

When personnel are absent from work any reason including due to Vacation days, Sick Days, Jury Duty etc. the contractor is required to provide replacement personnel meeting the position requirements for that trade. The government understands that personnel may need to leave work early or otherwise be absent on such short notice that timely replacement of personnel may not be possible. The 8 hours is intended as a cumulative grace period that strives to balance the interest of the Government in receiving the services it paid for with the realities of absences on such short notice.

b. Is it the Government’s intent that any absence(s) for any reason which cumulatively exceed 8 hours per month must be backfilled or result in deduction?

This is correct; reference response to part a of the question.

24. Section C-6, Building A (pg 18): Building A has ADP (raised floor) space.

a. Do any of the other buildings have ADP rooms and, if so, what is the square footage of raised flooring in those buildings? Only Building A and D have raised floor applications and square footages are listed. There is no requirement for cleaning under these floors.

b. Is the Contractor responsible for under floor cleaning of raised floor space and, if so, what is the required frequency? NO

25. Section C-27.1.b) (pg 36): This section states cleaning will occur between 6:00 pm and 2:45 am, Monday through Friday. However, Section C-27.26.D (pg 40) states cleaning will be performed between 9:00 pm and 6:00 am, Monday through Friday.

Will the Government clarify the hours for cleaning? Day Porters maintain the day shift Monday –Friday 06:00 -2:00pm daily. All deep cleaning is done during un-occupied hours between 6:00pm and 2:00am daily and hours can be adjusted to meet shift work requirements if agreed upon by the contractor and the COR.

26. Section C-27.26.E.21, Material Recycling (pg 46): The Contractor is responsible for taking recyclables to the collection containers for pick-up. Is the contractor responsible for providing (paying) a recycling contractor to haul the recyclables off the premises? Yes

27. Section C, Exhibit 5, Water Treatment (pg 82): Legionella testing is to be conducted on all towers every Apr, May, June, July, August, and September. Does the Regional Center have cooling towers and, if so, how many? There are no cooling towers in this requirement. All HVAC units are air cooled units.

28. Section C, Exhibit 5, Submittals (pg 90): The proposal is to include examples of written programs such as Lockout-Tagout, HAZCOM, PPE, and Blood-borne Pathogens. These programs are covered in sections Land M by Tab/Factor G (Safety and Environmental

Program and Requirements) which is limited to 15 pages. Since these program are typically contract/site specific and can be several pages, would the Government consider allowing these program examples to be Appendices to Tab G and excluded from the page limit? Yes, that is acceptable.

29. Section C, Exhibit 5, Appendix D (pgs 100-101):

a. Of the fuel storage tanks, how many are above ground and underground?

There is one underground storage tank and five aboveground storage tanks at

Charleston.

b. Does the incumbent staff possess the required UST Class A, B, and C certifications?

The incumbent contractor has staff that is certified Class A/B and Class C

Operators.

30. Section C, Exhibit 11 (pg 133): In the Equipment Inventory Listings there are Lawn

Sprinklers (L-05) in each of the buildings with the exception of Building E. In Section C-6, the Building information Sheets only list grounds at Buildings B, E, and 84. Are there grounds to maintain at any of the other buildings? If so, will the Government provide the areas to be maintained for each of the other buildings? The total acreage of the campus inclusive of all parking areas is 14 acres. The grounds minus the parking areas listed are the total grounds to be maintained. There is soft scape and mowing throughout the campus for buildings A,B,C,D,E and 84. The landscaping contractor is responsible for the maintenance of all lawn sprinkler heads and systems, and DOS is responsible for the well pump which supplies water for this effort.

31. Section C, Exhibit 11 (pg 133): Will the Government identify any systems and equipment with proprietary components that require the services of a specific vendor and identify the vendor? We have unique HVAC equipment that requires specific training for the operations and support which is listed in section C under required qualifications.

Liebert XDV Systems and Liebert CRV systems are 2 examples. Current on staff contractor support personnel have the required certifications.

32. Section C, Exhibit 11A, VortSentry (pg 150):

a. Is the incumbent staff qualified on the system and performing maintenance, inspections, and cleaning? Yes

b. What is the average number of times a clean out is required per year? varies

33. Section H.3 (pg 171): Does the Government furnish the high-reach equipment necessary such as man lifts to service any high areas/systems? Yes

34. Section H.5(a) (pg 173): This section lists 8 key personnel.

a. Does the Government want this table completed and submitted with the proposal? Yes

b. Section C-3.B.1 (pg 16) and C-3.G (pg 17) collectively reflect 12 key personnel.

Section H.5(a) does not include 4 trades personnel as key personnel. Are the 4 trades personnel considered key personnel?

The contractor is required to provide the Key Personnel identified in C-3. In addition, the Contractor is to submit their additional proposed staffing plan based on the requirements of the facility.

35. Section H-17(b) (pg 179): The personnel listed in this section require a Secret personnel security clearance.

a. Does the incumbent staff possess a Secret clearance and, if not, will the

Government allow adequate time for such clearances to be obtained?

b. Will interim Secret clearances be granted until such time a final clearance is obtained?

c. Must new hires have a final Secret clearance on the first day of work or will the

Government allow adequate time for such clearances to be obtained?

d. Do personnel solely performing grounds maintenance require a Secret clearance?

A facility security clearance at the Secret Level is required for contract performance. The offeror must have a Secret facility security clearance at time of contract award, reference Section H-17

36. Section J, Attachment G

a. This worksheet is used for determining percentage of labor costs for the Prime and Subcontractor(s). In accordance with FAR 52.219-14 and NDAA Section 1651 section 46, the Prime Contractor is now responsible for performing greater than

50% of the amount paid on this contract. In lieu of using this worksheet, would the

Government consider using the following formula now being used in other

Government agency RFPs to calculate Prime Contractor mandatory percentage?

No; the Sub Contracting Worksheet is required as part of your proposal package

b. If the worksheet is to be completed and submitted, then:

i.The top of the worksheet requires a fill-in for SOURCE. What is meant by

SOURCE? Qualified supplier of services whether on site technicians or subcontracted technicians

ii. The worksheet requires SUBCONTRACTOR labor costs. This seems to apply to a company (Subcontractor) that has entered into a Prime-

Subcontractor relationship by virtue of a teaming agreement whereby the

Subcontractor employs a portion of the contract staffing. This does not seem to apply to vendors performing special/niche services such as water treatment, fire alarm system inspection, boiler/unfired pressure vessel inspections, eddy current testing, window washing, trash removal, pest control, and landscaping since such vendors typically provide a total cost of service and do not specifically provide their direct labor, fringe benefits and labor G&A. Is our understanding correct or will the Government clarified what constitutes a SUBCONTRACOR for purposes of this worksheet? You are correct.

37. Section L-15, Volume I, Tab (g) (pg197): Will the Government specify what type of financial information should be submitted? Financial capability statement for past 3 year’s information indicating ability to pay subcontractor or emergency response contractors in a timely fashion (i.e. net 30 or less)

38. Section L-15, Volume II, Tab (B) (pg 199): To reduce workload effort of our

Government customers, will the Government accept the Contractor Performance

Assessment Reports (CPARs) in this tab in lieu of having customers complete and submit

Attachment F? YES

39. Section L-15, Volume II, Tab (E) (pg 200): FAR 52.222-17 (Non displacement of

Qualified Workers) and the CBA grant employment rights to qualified incumbent employees. Current employees have first right of refusal in an effort to ensure continuity of operations and retainage of uniquely qualified staff members. Offerors are required to provide employment agreements to individuals not in the Offeror’s employ. In effect then, Offeror’s could be submitting resumes and entering into employment agreements with non-incumbent individuals thereby in conflict with FAR 52.227-17 and the CBA. To avoid this conflict, would the Government consider excluding resumes and/or employment agreements from the proposal requirements and instead make all resumes a Contract

Deliverable due 10 days after contract award? No; given the right of first refusal mentioned resumes are required because in the Government’s experience there is no guarantee that all incumbent personnel will decide to move over to a subsequent contractor and the government must ensure that all personnel proposed for the contract are qualified with all appropriate certifications.

40. Section L-15, Volume II, Tab (E), #3 (pg 201): In addition to resumes, will the

Government exclude employment agreements from the 30 page limit so as not to give those

Offerors using their own employees an unfair advantage in addressing the other requirements of this Tab?

Yes employee agreements and resumes are excluded from the page limit.

41. Section L-15, Volume III, Item #3 (pg 202): Specifies cost information and analysis to be submitted if subcontractors are proposed.

a. By subcontractor, does this mean a company (Subcontractor) that has entered into a

Prime-Subcontractor relationship by virtue of a teaming agreement whereby the

Subcontractor employs a portion of the contract staffing? If not, will Government define subcontractor as it pertains to this proposal requirement? Correct

42. Section M.4, Factor G, Subfactor G-6 (pg 208): Offerors shall submit representative

Job Hazard Analyses (JHA) for the tasks associated with this contract. This is not addressed in Section L. It’s not clear if by “representative” the Government’s intent is examples of JHAs and if what is expected can fit in the 15 page limit for this Tab. Will the

Government specify what is meant and wanted by “representative Job Hazard Analyses

(JHA) for the tasks…”?

As stated in the note at the end of Factor G “The offeror will be evaluated on the items and requirements stated in Factor G and the requirements of Section C, Exhibit 5, Environmental, Health, and Safety Requirements of the solicitation.” An example of the

Job Hazard Analysis worksheet is provided in Appendix E of Section C, Exhibit 5 (on page

105 of the solicitation). These do not apply to the 15 page limit. A job hazard analysis is to be part of each PM effort for inventory items currently listed in the CMMS system. This includes the required safety protocol for each task for example isolation of energy sources including both electrical and kinetic energy by virtue of position or potential for being acted upon by outside sources.

43. General: Is there a CBA covering the O&M work and, if so, will the Government provide a copy of It? Reference Section J, Attachments H and Attachment J

44. General: Will the Government provide a list of acceptable incumbent subcontractors/vendors for Offerors to obtain quotes to facilitate continuity in operations and service levels? Reference question 14

45. General: What is the current annual value for the fixed price basic services? You must complete a FIOA request for this information

46. Please confirm that FAR Clause 52.222-17 Non-Displacement of Qualified Workers is incorporated into this solicitation. Yes, this clause is included. Reference Section I Clauses

47. H.5 KEY PERSONNEL, paragraph (a) & (b) will be used as a partial basis for award of this contract by utilizing the key personnel proposed.

a. Will all bidders be given the names and resumes of incumbent personnel?

At time of award

b. Since we believe FAR Clause 52.222-17 is incorporated into the contract we are required to offer the positions to the incumbents first, with that said we are also required by the technical submittal to submit resumes/commitment letters etc.

within our proposal. Even given the right of first refusal resumes are required because in the Government’s experience there is no guarantee that all incumbent personnel will decide to move over to a subsequent contractor and the government must ensure that all personnel proposed for the contract are qualified with all appropriate certifications.

48. Will the contractor be required to purchase license for use of Maximo 7 and if so how many and at what cost? NO.

49. Will the government supply a list of current specialty contractors on-site. There are no specialty contractors currently on site.

50. The RFP states the government will be upgrading to Maximo 7.

- What CMMS is in use at this time? When will be upgrade be completed? Maximo is the only system usable by the O&M contractor and all upgrades are completed.

Any future upgrades will be provided by the government at their cost.

51. Government Furnished Equipment (GFE)? Reference Section H -3

52. L-15 Proposal Preparation Instructions, Volume II – Technical Proposal, Tab

(B) – Past Performance.

Reference: “If a significant portion of the work to be performed is proposed to be accomplished by subcontractors or affiliates of the offeror, three (3) contractor evaluation forms shall be submitted by customers of the proposed subcontractor(s) or affiliate(s).”

Question: If a subcontractor will be performing a significant portion of the work, and is required to submit 3 contractor evaluation forms, does the Government require the prime contractor to also submit 3 contractor evaluation forms. The

Prime must do 51% of the work: yes.

53. L-15 Proposal Preparation Instructions, Volume II – Technical Proposal, Tab

(A)-1 Comparable Experience

Reference “a. The offeror shall submit all pertinent information for a minimum of three (3) contracts in which they performed within the “last five years””

Question: Does “the offeror” mean prime contractor only or can it include a subcontractor? Yes, Prime Contractor

54. Under Past Performance, page 197 -- the offeror is limited to three customers to submit contractor evaluation forms. Is past performance limited to three contracts or three customers? Reference Section L, Volume II - Technical Proposal - Tab B –

Past Performance

55. Section I (pg 182): According to the SF 1449, the Global Financial Services

Center is located in North Charleston. Regarding FAR 52.229-3, we understand the city of North Charleston imposes a business license tax on all contract work within the city of North Charleston. The cost is proportional to the dollar amount of work being performed. Will the Government furnish evidence to establish exemption from this tax or are Offerors liable for this cost? The contractor is responsible for these taxes