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Questions & Answers
SBAHQ-12-R-0001
Printing and Mail Services in Support of the SBA Financial Loan Programs
| 1. Is this a new contract? |
| 1.This acquisition is a recompeted effort. |
| 2.If not a completely new effort, what contractor holds the current contract for this effort? |
| 2.The current contract for this effort is held by Presort Services Inc. (DUNS No.069501641) |
| 3.If not a completely new effort, what is the identifying number of the current contract for this effort? |
| 3. The contract number for the current contract for this effort is SBAHQ-07-C-0008. |
| 4. What is the current contract’s value? |
| 4. Contractor prices and pricing are proprietary and not subject to disclosure. However, the SBA estimates the new contract to be awarded to have an estimated value of $1.7M a year for the base year and for each option year that is exercised. The exact value will depend on the loans in existence which, in turn, are dependent on Congressional laws and funding. |
| 5.In order to guarantee postage, we need to know the breakdown of saturation of CLIN number 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D. |
| 5. An estimated quantity is listed for each CLIN based on SBA history. No further breakdown is available. |
| 6. Regarding postage, it is assumed that, although the RFP stipulates that postage is to be included in the pricing, the SBA will pay a postage deposit upfront (standard in the industry) which will be retained in an escrow account and with any unused funds returned to the SBA at contract end. |
| 6. This assumption is not correct. The fully loaded rates should be calculated using the current postal rates in effect. If an increase occurs, that estimated cost will be added to the contract at the time of the increase in postage, using the CLIN provided. |
| 7.Regarding CLIN1B, is the quantity 39,000 or 390,000? |
| 7. The estimated quantity for CLIN 1B, 2B, 3B, 4B, and 5B is 39,000. A corrected Pricing Sheet is attached to the FedBizOpps announcement, along with these questions and answers. |
| 8. Is a vendor supposed to respond to and/or answer questions in the SF1447-Clause & Provision document? You only ask for (1) a signed SF-1447, (2) a technical proposal, (3) a completed pricing schedule, and (4) any exceptions or changes. |
| 8. As part of its technical proposal vendor should respond to and/or answer questions in the solicitation – pages 43 & 44. No separate document should be submitted. The questions are meant to assist a vendor in providing helpful information in its technical proposal. |
| 9. Is it fair to assume that vendors are entitled to information regarding pricing tabulations from the last award based on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)? |
| 9. Previous pricing information is an exception to FOIA and will not be provided. See answer 4 above. |
| 10. Will the Contracting Officer provide a vendor with soft copies of the solicitation documents/ |
| 10. Soft copies will not be provided. Vendors must download documents from the fedbizopps website. |
| 11. What are the names of countries that can participate in this acquisition? |
| 11. The Contracting Officer is not aware of any limitation as to countries that may participate. |
| 12. Where can I find the procedures and guidelines for tendering an offer? |
| 12. Section L & M – pages 41 through 45 – of the clauses and provisions - provide the procedures and guidelines for tendering an offer. |
| 13. What is the estimated budget for this acquisition? |
| 13. See the answer to question 4 which also answers this question. |
| 14. Will there be an extension to the offer deadline? |
| 14. An extension to the offer deadline is not planned at the time these questions were answered and posted. |
| 15. Are there any additional addendum or pre-bid minutes? |
| 15. The only addendum are (1) these questions and answers and (2) the revised Pricing Schedule. See also answer 7 above. |
| 16. Is the competition full and open for this acquisition, or is this acquisition set aside for small business or another subcategory? |
| 16. This acquisition is being competed full and open. It is not set-aside. |
| 17. What turn-around time is required – 24-hour, same-day, calendar day? The Statement of Work uses all these terms. |
| 17. Turn-around time is provided in paragraph V, Special Contractor Requirements, item 3, page 5 of the Statement of Work (SOW). |
| 18. Does the time for delivery include an extra day to handle the sorting process? |
| 18. No. See the answer to question 17. |
| 19. Instead of metering the mailing envelopes, can a vendor use indicia? |
| 19. Yes, it may be possible to use indicia by using Contractor’s permit. You may include this option in your proposal. If using indicia affects pricing, please offer pricing both ways – with indicia and without. |
| 20. If it is more efficient for a vendor to duplex laser print the back of all forms, would that process be acceptable to the SBA? |
| 20. This described process would be acceptable. |
| 21. When the SBA sends files to the contractor, are the files print ready? |
| 21. The files are not print ready. |
| 22. How is a postal increase handled? |
| 22. The contract will be modified to add funding in the event of a postal increase following award. |
23. As to Section V.8.i. (page 8) of the SOW, how often are the optional inserts used and what are the quantities for these inserts?
In the past which mailings have required optional inserts.
23. Historically, optional inserts have been required about once a year in the quantity of approximately 800 to 1200 inserts.
| 24. What is the input file type – image file type (line mode, print ready, etc.)? |
| 24. See page 5 Section V paragraph 2. |
| 25. In regards to Section II of the SOW, what is the average volume of foreign mail? |
| 25. The SBA does not track this information. However, we believe this to be extremely small in comparison to the stated volumes in the SOW. |
| 26. In regards to Section III of the SOW, it is stated that the average volume is between 5,000 – 35,000 per day for “1201 Notices to Borrowers.” Are there times of the year that the Contractor can expect to receive spikes in volume? What time of year and time of month does the maximum daily requirement occur? |
| 26. The contractor should be prepared to handle the stated volumes on any given print and mail day. The monthly 1201 date matrix referenced in Section V paragraph 6 (a) will include estimated daily volumes in advance of printing. |
| 27. In regards to Section V, Item 2, of the SOW, does SBA currently utilize rejection logic for processing files? If so, what are the business rules for rejected records? |
| 27. The SBA does not utilize any automated rejection logic for processing files. |
| 28. Section V, Item 3 of the SOW states that files be processed and mailed the same business day received? What is the definition of “the same business day,” that is, is it within 24-hours, of the actual same business day the file is received? Also, what would be the file receipt cut-off time – for example, is it 6 a.m. receipt in order to receive same day processing? Also, does all mail dropped prior to 12 p.m. (midnight) constitute same day mailing? |
| 28. The SBA normally delivers the electronic files used for printing at approximately 2:30 a.m. mountain time. It is expected that the contractor will perform all necessary services and deliver the printed items ready for mailing to the U.S. Post Office by approximately noon of the same business day. For files delivered on a weekend or federal holiday, it is expected that the contractor will perform all necessary services and deliver the printed items ready for mailing to the U.S. Post Office by approximately noon of the next business day. |
| 29. For Section V, Item 5 of the SOW, what is the concentration of this mailing, and what postal rate doe these mailings currently qualify for? |
| 29. The SBA does not track this information. |
| 30. For Section V, Item 6(a) of the SOW, it states that SBA 1201 Notices are two colors. What are the colors? Should Contractor assume that the second color is part of the pre-printed form? |
| 30. The notices are printed using a light blue on the preprinted form and the text delivered for printing is black. |
| 31. For Section V, Item 6(b) of the SOW, how many colors are on the #9 BRE? Will all samples be provided prior to award of this contract? |
| 31. One color is required, and the color is black. A sample is provided in the attachments to the solicitation on FedBizOpps.gov. See samples of Lockbox Return Mail Envelope for 1201 Notices side 1 of 2 and 2 of 2. |
| 32, Section V, Item 6(f) of the SOW states that the IRS Form 1099-Misc. is due out by the 10th of January. When will Contractor receive this file from the SBA? |
| 32. Yes. |
| 33. Section V, Item 6(g) requests drop copies of the forms be provided to the SBA. Would an electronic version provided to the SBA for proofing suffice? |
| 33. Normally an electronic copy for proofing will suffice. |
| 34. For Section V, Item 8(i), what are the specifics (size and colors) of these inserts? What volume does SBA anticipate for the “one option, duplex printed insert at no charge?” Is this one a year or one over the life of the contract? |
| 34. See the answer to question 23. It is as often as required over the life of the contract. |
| 35. For Section V, Item 8(j), what are the percentage of records that require the BRE (lockbox)? |
| 35. See section V paragraph 6(a) through 6 (h). SBA does not track this information. |
| 36. Section IX states, “For security reasons, work performed pursuant to this contract may not be subcontracted out to another contractor or third-party.” Does this include manufacturing of materials and postal presort? |
| 36. This requirement to not use a subcontractor includes any contact at any stage with the SBA forms, from initial stages through shredding or disposal of forms before shredding, and includes any contact with SBA data and files. Using a subcontractor to obtain equipment or supplies is not included as long as SBA forms and data are secured at all times from third party contact during the time a subcontractor is present at contractor’s facility. |
| 37. Can you provide the weight in percentage terms of each of the three evaluation factors? |
| 37. Weight cannot be provided. Factor 1, Technical Ability “is of greater importance” than Factor 2, Past Performance. When Factor 1 and Factor 2 are combined, they are “significantly more important” than price. See page 45 of the clauses and provisions. |
| 38. Will the offers be judged on “best value” or “best price?” |
| 38. This award will be based on best value to the Government. |
| 39. What will happen to the current contract if you do not make an award? |
| 39. The current contract will be extended until an award can be made. |
| 40. Are you satisfied with SBA’s current print and mail provider? If not, why? |
| 40. The SBA is satisfied with the performance of the contractor pursuant to the current award for this need. |
| 41. How will the actual decision be made? What is the actual process and timeline? |
| 41. All proposals received on or before the deadline and that conform to the requirements in Section L of the Solicitation will be evaluated by a technical evaluation committee in accordance with Section M of the solicitation. Based on that evaluation, the Source Selection Official, which in this instance is also the Contracting Officer, will make the award decision. It is estimated that an award of one contract will be made sometime in June or July of 2012, and that the contract will commence on or before August 1, 2012. |
| 42. Who by name and title will actually make the decision? |
| 42. The Source Selection Official for this acquisition is the Contracting Officer – Cheryl T. Flanagan. |
| 43. Will the decision maker visit Contractor’s facility or facilities that will be providing the services prior to award? |
| 43. At this time the SBA does not plan a visit to Contractor facilities prior to award. |
| 44. Would you consider in the pricing scheme a monthly minimum fee that provides for a certain amount of print and mail volume? |
| 44. Yes, but Contractor should include pricing with and without the monthly minimum fee. With the monthly minimum fee, Contractor should provide the additional pricing to be used when the minimum fee is exceeded. Include a complete explanation as to what the minimum fee includes. |
| 45. Excluding pass-through postage, what are you currently paying on an annual basis? |
| 45. Please see Answer 4 above for financial parameters. |
| 46. Item 5 on page 9 of the SOW requires a monthly meeting. Would a conference call be acceptable for these meetings? |
| 46. Yes, conference calling for meetings is acceptable. |
| 47. Please resolve and clarify the following: (1) Item f on page 7 of the SOW states, “the contractor shall mail notices within 24 hours of receipt and download of the data files, and (2) “Daily transmitted files shall be processed and mailed the same business day received with the exception of files transmitted on a weekend or on a Federal Holiday.” |
| 47. See answer to Question 28. |
| 48. Item n on page 8 states, “An activity summary shall be prepared to support the billing volumes for all type of processing conducted within the calendar month.” Can the activity summary be provided daily? |
| 48. No, the activity summary should accompany the monthly invoice as backup. |
| 49. Paragraph c of the Security clause on p. 10 of the clauses and provisions discussed Information Handling & Disposition. How long is Contractor expected to keep automated records of the mailings? |
| 49. The contractor is not required to archive automated records of the mailings. If the contractor is offering to archive automated records of the mailings for some period of time, that should be included in your technical proposal. |
| 50. Does clause 52.223-6, Drug Free Workplace on page 22 of the Clauses and Provisions require drug testing? |
| Drug testing is not required. However, there are other specific requirements clearly spelled out in the clause. |
| 51, It states under Section A – Solicitation/Contractor Form that, “The only Other Direct Cost (ODC) CLIN is for increased postage rates for option years only.” Should the postage rate increase during the first contact year will SBA pickup that additional expense as a direct pass-through. |
| Yes, the SBA intends to pay for any postage increases following contract award. Future postage increases cannot be predicted with sufficient foresight to allow them to be included in Contractor’s fully loaded rates. |
| 52. Do all personnel in the contractor’s facility have to have PII security clearance or only the employees who come in direct contact with the data and material? |
| 52. Only employees who have direct contact to the data and material or have logical access to the data files. |
| 53. The SOW states that the existing contract expires on 1/31/12. How long has the current contract been extended. |
| 53. The current contract is extended through 07/31/2012 |
| 54. The SOW indicates that all mail will be sent First Class. Are there any situations where mail would need to be sent Certified, Overnight via UPS or FedEx or by another private delivery service, or Standard? |
| 54. No. |
| 55.Would there be any situations where mail would ever require a 6x9 or flat envelope? |
| 55. No. |
| 56. On page 8 of the SOW it states that the files will be transmitted between 6 p.m. and 6a.m. What is the typical transmittal time of each project? |
| 56. The SBA normally delivers the electronic files used for printing at approximately 2:30 a.m. mountain time. |
| 57. On page 1 of the SOW it states that the contractor shall pay for all mail postage. What was last year’s postage expense. |
| 57. The SBA does not track this expense. |
| 58. On page 5 of the SOW, item 6(b) states that notices shall be printed on “1201 Notice stock paper.” What is the paper stock requirement? |
| 58. See section V paragraphs 5 and 6(a). |
| 59. Within the SOW SBA requires a “reverse fold.” Please define what the SBA considers a “reverse fold” to be? |
| 59. A tri fold where the addressee is on the bottom third of the paper is revered so that the backside of the bottom third is showing through the envelope window. |
| 60. How many different return addresses are there going to be on the #9 and #10 envelopes? Are the return addresses all the same for all? |
| 60. There is only one return address on the #10 envelopes. There is no return address on the #9 envelopes. See the attachments to the SOW on the FedBizOpps.gov website. |
| 61. Can a sample file layout be provided? |
| 61. SBA will be providing file layouts to the contract awardee only. |
| 62. Can a sample of the front side of the three #9 BRE’s be provided? |
| 62. See the attachment to the SOW on the FedBizOpps.gov website for an example. |
| 63. Does the #9 BRE require security tint? |
| 63. No. |
| 64. How many different data file formats will be provided? |
| 64. There is a different file format for each notice or form. |
| 65. Must the pre-printed shells be used? |
| 65. The contractor may print their own as long as it conforms to the existing document. |
| 66. What percentage of outgoing mail is foreign? |
| 66. See the answer to question 25. |
| 67. Will artwork be provided for all envelopes? |
| 67. There is no artwork on the envelopes. |
| 68. Will artwork be provided for all forms (except 1098/1099)? |
| 68. Yes where artwork exists. |
| 69. What does the term “drop copies of mailings” on page 8, item m of the SOW mean? Please expand and describe. |
| 69. A scanned or faxed reproduction of the notice or form mailed. |
| 70. Reference SOW, Section V, Item 6, Bullet (a), page 5, SBA 1201 Notices. (1) Is the perforation static, that is, is the form always perforated in the same location? (2) Will the file come over as one file – not as three separate files for each Lock Box return envelope? (3) Is this file an MRDF file? |
| 70. The perforation is always in the same location. Yes it is one file. The file is an ASCII data file. |
| 71. Reference SOW, Section V, Item 6, Bullet (b), page 5, SBA 1201 Notices – Treasury Offset Letters. (1) It states insertion of a return envelope is required – does this mean there is only one reply envelope or can there be three different envelopes to selection from, per lock box. (2) Is there a perforation? If yes, is the perforation static or variable? |
| 71. There is only one reply envelope per 1201 notice and it can be one of three different addresses. The file will provide an indicator as to which reply envelope to use. The perforation is static. |
| 72. Reference SOW, Section V, Item 6, Bullet (c), page 5, SBA 1544 Notices. (1) Is the perforation static, that is, is it always perforated in the same place? (2) It states that in some instances a return mail return envelope is required. Does this mean there is only one reply envelope or can there be three difference envelopes to select from, per lock box? |
| 72. The perforation is static. There is only one reply envelope per 1544 notice and it can be one of three different addresses. The file will provide an indicator as to which reply envelope to use. |
| 73. Reference SOW, Section V, Item 6, Bullet (d), page 6, SBA Form 1078 – Notice of Loan Maturity. It states, “A fixed format document is required.” What does this mean? What is this kind of document? |
| 73. The document layout and basic contents is provided to you once. We will only provide the variable data to be print on the form with the daily files. |
| 74. Reference SOW, Section V, Item 6, Bullet (e), page 6, SBA – Form 1098 Statement of Mortgage Interest. It does not state that there is a return envelope. Is there a return envelope? |
| 74. No. |
| 75. Reference SOW, Section V, Item 6, Bullet (f), page 6, IRS- Form 1099-Misc. It does not state that there is a return envelope. Is there a return envelope? |
| 75. No. |
| 76. Reference SOW, Section V, Item 6, Bullet (g), page 6, IRS – Form 1099-C, It does not state that there is a return envelope. Is there a return envelope? |
| 76. No. |
| 77. Reference SOW, Section V, Item 7, page 6, Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS). (1) It is stated, “The contractor shall have the capability to insert address codes from CASS in to a specified bar code format at the top of each address printed on the notification forms.” Will SBA provide better instructions, including what barcode, and what exact info from the CASS SBA wanted populated in the barcode. (2) It is stated, The contractor shall use such services as Alternative Change Services (ACS) to reduce postage costs for returned mail when possible.” Does this requirement refer to NCOA (National Change of Address)? If not exclusively to NCOA, what are the services that fall under ACS from SBA’s perspective? |
| 77. The SBA will not be providing additional instruction. |
| 78. Reference SOW, Section III, Scope, page 1. (1) Are there any trend reports available to determine daily average volumes for “1201 Notices to Borrowers” and “1544 Messages?” (2) What time of day will the contractor expect to receive Daily Electronic File Transmissions? |
| 78. (1.) See the answer to question 26 for 1201’s. The SBA does not track trend data on the 1544’s. (2.) See the answer to question 56. |
| 79. Reference SOW, page 3, SBA – 1201 Notice to Borrower. Under the “Brief Summary” column, it says, “ 2 page; simplex print on a preprinted page form containing fixed form design on the front and static disclosure language on the back.” Is this entire form, both front and back, in 1 or 2 color? |
| 79. See the answer to question 30. |
| 80. Reference SOW, Section V, Item 8, Bullet (i), page 8. It states, “The contractor shall print and insert one optional, duplex printed insert at no charge to the agency when it is deemed necessary by SBA.” Is there an annual volume report or other information available to support this request as fair and reasonable to a contractor? Is there a maximum volume that the SBA is permitted to request printed material “at no additional cost?” |
| 80. See the answer to question 23. |
| 81. Reference SOW, Section IX, page 10, states, “The Contract Services At of 1965 applies to this Contract, and contractor employees shall be compensated accordingly.” Does this statement refer to specific regional wage ranges in a particular area of the United States or does it refer to federal minimum wage compliance. |
| 81. The wage determination for the county where contractor’s facility is located will be attached to the award. Contractor must meet the minimum requirements of the Department of Labor’s wage determination for the location of its business. |
| 82. What are the proposal submission expectations? |
| 82. Section L & M of the Clauses and Provisions which contain the solicitation provisions. Also, refer to the notice posted on the FedBizOpps website. |
| 83. Does the SBA require the proposal to be hand delivered? |
| 83. No. See Section L of the Clauses and Provisions. |
| 84. How many copies of the proposal are required at submission? |
| 84. See Section L of the Clauses and Provisions. |
| 85. Is there a page limit to the proposal that SBA will accept for review? |
| 85. Yes. See Section L of the Clauses and Provisions. |
| 86. Clearance is mentioned. Can SBA elaborate on what type, the depth of information required, and which employee types would need the additional security and clearance checks? |
| 86. The local SBA Security Requirements - Local Clause in the Solicitation/Contractor form is comprehensive and incorporates the best information that the SBA has about security requirements. Please refer to this clause and its citations. Contractor employees who work on this contract and Contractor facilities and IT resources will be subject to a Government security clearance. |
| 87. For the required CSAT training, will SBA provide the annual training? |
| 87. The SCAT training is not required under this contract. |
| 88. Can SBA provide the sundry security and SOP documentation referenced on pages 13-16 of the clauses and provisions document? |
| 88. See the answer to questions 86. |
| 89. Will data be raw data or print ready? If so, what language? |
| 89. See the answer to question 24. |
| 90. Will the contractor have to archive documents? If so, for how long? |
| 90. See Paragraph C of the Security clause on p. 10 and the answer to question 49. |
| 91. Will documents in the print stream require encryption? |
| 91. Yes. The documents will have to be moved between the SBA and the contractor is a secure manner. The contractor should provide their capabilities and or suggested methods in their technical proposal. |
| 92. Do all of contractor’s facilities have to have SAS70/SSAE prior to contract signing, or can they become compliant after? |
| 92. The contract is subject to the new security requirements – not these old requirements. Contractor’s facilities must be compliant before performance. |
| 93. Refer to the Solicitation/Contract Form, the Security Requirements – Local Clause, paragraph c, Information Handling and Disposition, subparagraph (4), page 10. Please confirm that IPv6 is a firm requirement. Can IPv4 be an acceptable alternative? |
| 93. This standard local clause applies to many situations. None of the services provided under this contract would invoke this portion of the clause. |
| 94. In reference to the Scope in the SOW, does the SBA have a preferred or desired method of data encryption and electronic transfer? |
| 94. See the answer to question 91. |
| 95. In reference to the SOW, Paragraph V, subparagraph 6, page 5 – Is there a set day when these notices are sent, or can the day vary? |
| 95. See section III bullets on page 1 and page 2. |
| SUPPLEMENT TO Question 86. Please provide the SOPs referred to in the local security clause. |
| SUPPLEMENTAL ANSWER TO QUESTION 86. The SOPs referred to in the local security clause are attached to this notice modification – with the exception of (1) Procedural SOP-1383 and (2) Procedural SOP 9000-1797 which cannot be found. Contractor may assume that SOP 9000-1383 SOP 9000-1797 will not apply to this contract. |
| SUPPLEMENT TO QUESTION 69. Describe/expand on "drop mailing"? It is referenced in SOW, page 8, section m. |
| SUPPLEMENTAL ANSWER TO QUESTION 69. See question and answer 69. |
| 96. The Statement of Work Objectives indicate that the contractor shall be responsible for downloading of electronic data files, while the SBA’s response to question 28 indicates that SBA normally delivers the electronic files used for printing at approximately 2:30 a.m. mountain time. Are files delivered to an SBA mailbox for the vendor to pull, or does the SBA intend to push the files out to the vendor via an SFTP Server? |
| 96. The SBA pushes the files out to the vendor. |
| 97. Can the Government provide additional information related to file manipulation? Questions 21 and 24 and the citation from the SOW, Section 5, Paragraph 2, provide some information related to this. Would it be possible to clarify what portions of the files that need to be manipulated - such as, is it name and address insertion into a form SBA provides contractor, or is it along the lines of the contractor being responsible for creating, maintaining, and filling the form out via document composition? |
| 97. The specific requirements will be addressed with the awardee. Each file type requires different levels of manipulation. |
Questions and Answers – SBAHQ-12-R-0001 – Printing and Mail Services Page 10 of 10
