Questions_and_Answers.pdf

Questions and Answers

Question 1: Is there an incumbent for this work?

Answer: No, there is no incumbent.

Question 2: Under Task 6, the SOW indicates the contractor will be required to provide ‘logistical planning of the meetings.’ Will all meetings be held at the NIST Gaithersburg campus? If not, please clarify if logistical support includes any of the following:

a. venue search and contract negotiation/signing, including hotel room blocks, etc.

b. fee-supported meetings (e.g., registrants must pay a fee to attend which covers refreshments or other costs)

Answer: The meetings could be at the NIST Gaithersburg campus or other sites, depending upon the requirement of the specific Task Order. No registration fees shall be charged for any meetings at the NIST Gaithersburg campus. Registration fees for meetings at other sites should be kept to a minimum.

Question 3: Is the correct page count for the proposal 45 or 50 pages? Please clarify, as both are listed in Attachment C and in the notice.

Answer: The page count limits have been revised—please see the solicitation.

Question 4: The price proposal requires a “monthly firm fixed price for each CLIN /Task.” In some tasks, developing a FFP will be problematic based on the SOW as the parameters are not fully defined. Please see the example/questions below and clarify:

c. For Tasks 2 and 3, the number of meetings, working groups, and SMEs or staff required are not clearly defined in the SOW. The SOW could also require multiple SMEs in a single monthly period, as there are multiple working groups and technical committees. For purposes of developing a FFP estimate, we would need to estimate a cost based on some assumed finite number of staff hours and meetings, e.g., for Task 2, 6 SMEs attending 12 meetings. Is this an acceptable approach? If not, please provide the estimated number of meetings that will be required. Alternatively, since this is an IDIQ and specific tasks have not yet been assigned, would it be possible to provide a list of hourly rates and categories rather than specific monthly FFP estimated for tasks that do not have defined parameters?

d. For Task 4, can you clarify how many workshops and meetings will be required? This will be needed to develop a FFP cost estimate. Alternatively we can assume a set number of SMEs attending a finite number of meetings and workshops every month. Is that approach acceptable?

Answer: The solicitation has been revised to clarify. Please see revised instructions for Volume II.

Question 5: In the SOW Attachment A, under XII Personnel Qualifications, it states: Personnel must meet……requirements set forth in the job descriptions below….. None are stated. Please provide the job descriptions.

Answer: Attachment A has been revised to clarify.

Question 6: In the same section, SOW Attachment A, XII Personnel Qualifications, states a “Senior Program Manager” is required, and that the “government has identified the labor categories that will be required on an as-needed basis to complete the required work.” They are not listed in the RFP or in the Notice. Please provide the categories.

Answer: This paragraph has been deleted. Please see revised Attachment A

Question 7: Senior Program Manager is listed as required personnel in the SOW. Please confirm that it is the same position as the “Program Manager” listed in the Notice. In addition, the Mock Task Order lists two separate Key Personnel, “Project Technical Lead” and “Technical Expert.”’ Should those additional key personnel be listed in our staffing plan?

Answer: The Key Personnel for the Statement of Work (Attachment A) is the Program Manger. The Key Personnel for the Mock Task Order (Attachment B) is the Project Technical Lead. Attachment A and Attachment B have been revised to reflect this.

Question 8: In the proposal submission instructions, there is no mention of requiring a technical approach or staffing plan for the Mock Task Order, just a FFP cost as Pricing Volume III. However, the Notice states that the FFP for the Mock Task Order should be “supported with the methodology used” and it must be “based on the offeror’s own technical proposal.” Should we include a technical approach and staffing plan for the Mock Task Order, or just a cost proposal? If we should include an approach, must it still fit within the 3 page limit for Pricing Volume III given in Attachment C? Please clarify.

Answer: Volume III should be the Technical Volume for the Mock Task Order. Volume IV should be the Pricing Volume for the Mock Task Order. The RFP and Attachment C have been revised to reflect this.

Question 9: Proposal Instructions Section I Part1: "Offerors shall furnish the proposal in three (3) separate volumes , Technical (Volume I), Pricing for IDIQ Contract (Volume II) and Pricing for Mock Task Order (Volume III) in the quantities specified below."

Answer: In Section II Part 2 Volume II - Pricing Volume, it places the Mock Task Order Price in Volume II.

Should we follow the instructions above to have the Mock Task Order price in a separate Volume III or have it included with the IDIQ Pricing in Volume II?

See answer to question 8

Question: 10: Proposal Instructions Section II Part 2 i: "Proposed monthly Firm-Fixed-Price for the various tasks in each CLIN 0001, 0002,0003,0004,0005, and 0006, including all corresponding CLINs for five (5) years ordering period."

Are we to give a monthly fixed price for each CLIN in the SOW for the next five years?

How can we provide this under an Indefinite Quantity Contract?

Answer: See answer to question 4

Question 11: Proposal Instructions Section II Part 2 "The Offeror shall propose a price for each Contract Line Item Number (CLIN)."

Does this relate to the Mock Task Order or the IDIQ level pricing?

Answer: See answer to question 4

Question 12: In Section B.2 Technical Section, Subsection 3. Staffing Plan/Key Personnel, the RFP states:

The Government anticipates Full Time Equivalent staffing with labor categories equivalent to: (i) Program Manager (Key Personnel). Is this intended to indicate that the Offeror must provide 1 FTE in a Program Manager role, or should the Offeror be guided by the requirements of the Program and industry norms for Program Management staffing?

Answer: The solicitation has been revised to clarify this. See Section B.2 Technical Section, Subsection 3

Question 13: The RFP includes a requirement to respond to a Mock Task Order. Since it is described as a “mock” task order, one would assume that it serves as an example of a future task order that NIST might release. However, the RFP clearly requires that the Offeror provide firm fixed pricing for the Mock Task Order. Does NIST intend to award the Mock Task Order to one of the Offerors, or is the Mock Task Order provided as an example task order and the Offerors will be evaluated on the quality of their “mock” response? Please clarify the purpose of the Mock Task Order.

Answer: It is the intention to award the Mock Task Order to an apparent successful awardee. This task order is meant to serve as a simple task order to develop a limited collection and analysis of the smart grid testbed landscape rather than an exhaustive one.