questions_admin-1.docx

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

SBAHQ-13-R-0014

1. QUESTIONS: Is there an incumbent contractor for this scope of work or similar work? If so, what information can you share about their performance and whether they would be eligible to bid on this work?

ANSWER: No this is a new Requirement.

2. QUESTION: As this is a total small business effort, may we bid a team of two or three SBA certified small businesses that will collectively accomplish the tasks? One small business would serve as the prime and the other would serve as subcontractor.

ANSWER: Yes

3. QUESTION: How many IDIQ contracts does the SBA anticipate awarding and how many tasks does the SBA anticipate that the IDIQ holders will bid on throughout the life of the contract?

ANSWER: One. At this time one, but the Maximum dollar amount for the life of the contract is $5,000,000.

4. QUESTION: Upon award, are there past evaluation studies and collected evaluation data collected that the contractor will be able to review? If so, can you please give a description of the most recently collected evaluation data?

ANSWER: After award detailed information will provided as needed.

5. QUESTION: Please clarify: Is the price proposal a fixed price based on the labor categories and hours estimated to accomplish Task 0001?

ANSWER: The IDIQ proposal should include the labor rates for the proposed labor categories that would be necessary for all tasks. Task 0001 should be priced on a fixed price proposal utilizing the labor categories and rates that are proposed in the IDIQ.

6. QUESTION: Is there a page limit on Factors 3 and 4?

ANSWER: See amended solicitation.

7. QUESTION: Will Task Order 0001 as shown in Attachment 2 be the first task order issued and as such be priced and submitted as part of the proposal, or is it for example purposes only?

ANSWER: Task Order 0001 should be priced as part of the proposal and it will be awarded as part of the award of the IDIQ Base Contract.

8. QUESTION: Section 33.4 of the solicitation requires the Contractor to indicate 508 compliance on each line of the schedule. Is it acceptable to indicate this compliance only on activities that pertain directly to the 508 compliance of the end services or deliverables?

ANSWER: Yes, it is acceptable to indicate this compliance on the activities that pertain directly to the 508 compliance of the end services or deliverables.

9. QUESTION: If 508 compliance is not available on the vendor’s website or other publically accessible site, does it need to be submitted with the proposal? If so, is this included in the Technical Proposal 10 page limit?

ANSWER: This regulation is required to assure that all Federal Contracts for technology are compliant. Addressing this in your technical proposal is not required however, it is required that an awarded contract be complaint with all regulations.

10. QUESTION: The Solicitation indicates that the technical proposal should not exceed 10 pages. Does this limit include the Draft Quality Control Plan for Task 1 as well as the other Tasks and overall IDIQ?

ANSWER: See amended solicitation

11. QUESTION: The Solicitation also mentions the Quality Control Plan in the 10 page Management Approach. Should the draft plan be included in this section rather than in the Technical Approach?

ANSWER: See amended solicitation

12. QUESTION: Does the 10 page limit for the Management Approach include the project schedule referenced on multiple pages of the solicitation?

ANSWERS: See amended solicitation.

13. QUESTION: Page 39 of the solicitation cautions the contractor that the Technical Approach should not exceed page limits in any section. However, Factor 3 Prior Experience and Factor 4 Past Performance both do not have any page limit specifications. Are they also intended to be included in the 10 page Technical Approach. If so, this will severely limit the contractor’s ability to communicate needed information to the Government.

ANSWER: See amended solicitation for clarification on page limits.

14. QUESTION: For Section 14.1.1.1 in the solicitation, does the Government want the contractor to include a list of suggested research topics as part of its proposal?

ANSWER: Yes

15. QUESTION: Page 15 indicates that the Government may accept part of an offer. Does this mean that the IDIQ may have multiple awardees?

ANSWER: FAR 52.212-2 EVALUATION - COMMERCIAL ITEMS, has been corrected. This is not a multiple award IDIQ.

16. QUESTION: According to 35.1.1 Factor 1: Technical Approach of the solicitation (bottom of page 37), our Technical Approach should include management of both the Base IDIQ and Task Order 0001. Does this mean that, within the 10-page limit, we should include three separate technical approach discussions: one covering the Base IDIQ Scope of Work, a second covering Task Order 0001 CLIN 0001 Scope of Work, and a third covering Task Order 0001 CLIN 0002 Scope of Work?

ANSWER: See amended solicitation.

17. QUESTION: We have a similar question concerning 35.1.2 Factor 2: Management Approach (top of page 38). Within the ten-page limit, do you want three separate draft Management Work Plans (one for Base IDIQ, second for CLIN 0001, and third for CLIN 0002), or is one consolidated Management Work Plan acceptable?

ANSWER: See amended solicitation for clarification on page limits.

18. QUESTION: We don’t see any place for Key Personnel resumes in the solicitation requirements. Are brief Key Personnel resumes required, and if so, in which section?

ANSWER: Resumes are not required.

19. QUESTION: Is this a new or follow on requirement? If it is a follow on, please let us know the current contract number and contract value?

ANSWER: This is a new requirement.

20. QUESTION: Who is the incumbent? Is it still eligible to bid as a prime for this contract?

ANSWER: This is a new requirement.

21. QUESTION: Do we need resumes to submit with the response?

ANSWER: No.

22. QUESTION: Due date: FEDBIZOPPS cites the due date as Aug. 28th (1pm MDT) and the Solicitation cites Aug. 27th (3pm MDT).

ANSWER: This was corrected with Amendment 00001 to September 3, 2013 (1PM MDT)

23. QUESTION: Small business subcontractors: May our large business subcontractors perform up to 49% of the LOE?

ANSWER: YES, IAW FAR 52.219-14 –Services. At least 50 percent of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees of the concern.

24. QUESTION: How many metrics are currently tracked by each of the programs? (An estimate can suffice) ANSWER: Some examples of general metrics are -- new business starts, increase in capital, and new jobs created.

25. QUESTION: Are the metrics uniform across the programs?

ANSWER: No

26. QUESTION: What system, if any, does SBA presently use for program performance monitoring?

ANSWER: This information is not necessary for pricing purposes on this requirement.

27. QUESTION: Per Section 35.1.4 Factor 4: Past Performance Factor, the RFP states another chart is to be completed. The second bullet states, “As an attachment to the chart, the offeror shall provide a narrative describing no more than five of the past performance references …” Can this information be included in the chart above? Or are they required to be two separate charts?

ANSWER: This factor has been modified see amended solicitation.

28. QUESTION: Is there a page limitation for Factor 4: Past Performance?

ANSWER: See amended solicitation.

29. QUESTIONS: Per Section 18 Contract Deliverable Requirements List, it states that a first draft of a Management Work Plan (MWP) and Quality Control Plan (QCP) are due with the proposal. According to Section 35.1.2, we understand the MWP is to be included in the Management Approach. In what part of the proposal is the QCP supposed to go? Is it included in the page limits?

ANSWER: See amended solicitation.

30. QUESTIONS: Per 35.1, we are to include in Factor 1, our Technical Approach for how the Task Order 0001 will be managed. Is this included in the 10 page limit?

ANSWER: See factor 2 in amended solicitation.

31. QUESTION: Per 35.1.2, in Factor 2: Management Approach, we are to include a draft MWP that includes the management of the Task Order. Is this separate from what is to be included in Factor 1, per 35.1.1? It appears this would be repetitive information from Factor 1.

ANSWER: No, see amended solicitation.

32. QUESTIONS: Is there a specific TO response format?

ANSWER: Complete the pricing schedule on page 65 of the solicitation and provide pricing details as described. At this time there is not a Task Order Form for completion. The form will be send to the Offeror that is awarded the IDIQ for completion.

33. QUESTION: Is it correct that the TO response is only to include a MWP and QCP? If no, what is to be included in the TO response?

ANSWER: See amended solicitation.

343. QUESTION: There is a lot of confusion on the TO response. Please clarify the specific requirements (i.e. plans needed, format, and section in proposal) for how we are to respond to the TO.

ANSWER: See amended solicitation.

34. QUESTION: Is this a new solicitation or is there an incumbent and if so, can you identify the firm?

ANSWER: This is a new requirement.

35. QUESTION: Just want to clarify that the maximum amount of $5MM is for the base and 4 option years?

ANSWER: That is correct.

36. QUESTION: Will the System Security Officer (SSO) need to be designated prior to contract award or post award?

ANSWER: Post award. This is only required if SBA grants you access to any SBA electronic system.

37. QUESTION: At what point does the contractor have to provide SBA with a copy of the facility’s Statement of Auditing Standard 70 (SAS-70)?

ANSWER: This is only required if you are going to have access to SBA systems or are an onsite contractor.

38. QUESTION: In Section 35.1.3 – Prior Experience – is there a page limit for this section?

ANSWER: See amended solicitation

39. QUESTION: In Section 35.1.4 – Past Performance Factor – is there a page limit for this section?

ANSWER: See amended solicitation

40. QUESTION: In Section 35.1.4 – can you clarify the second bullet – between the first and second bullet, with requests for all current and past performance, is the Government only interested in the 15 most recent engagements undertaken or all engagements within the last three years and currently? Within the second bullet mention is made of 15 references within the chart which is spurring this question.

ANSWER: See amended solicitation

41. QUESTION: Is there a page limit for the Business Proposal and Pricing Information?

ANSWER: No

42. QUESTION: In regards to the Total Small Business Set aside, is the set aside applicable only at award or for the entire life of the contract?

ANSWER: Life of the contract. There will only be one award of the Base IDIQ. All future Task Orders will be placed against this contract vehicle.

43. QUESTION: In regards to Attachment 1, how much flexibility is allowed in the chart itself? Specifically, if we do not have a DUNS number for a past client is that a problem?

ANSWER: Complete chart as best you can.

44. QUESTION: What format is preferred for the submission of the proposal, i.e. PDF, Word native file?

ANSWER: PDF is desired but WORD is acceptable.

45. QUESTIONS: Are resumes for Key Personnel or proposed team members required and if so, do they count against a page limit count in the technical proposal? Are there page limits to the length of resumes if required?

ANSWER: Resumes are not required.

46. QUESTION: For planning purposes, is there a minimum yearly threshold that should be anticipated for task orders?

ANSWER: No, the minimum and maximum is for the LIFE of the contract.

47. QUESTION: Is there an incumbent for this requirement? If so, can SBA provide the company name and contract value?

ANSWER: This is a new requirement.

48. QUESTION: Section 14.2.1 of the PWS states "The purpose of this task is to design a surveying, polling method and/or interview protocols consistent with the evaluation architecture responses and develop and store the responses in a database." Question: Will SBA provide business contact information for evaluation survey/polling or is contractor responsible for identifying?

ANSWER: This may be a mix, SBA may provide business contact information and the contractor may be responsible for identifying contacts.

49. QUESTION: Does SBA have historical data of same or similar past projects for comparison/analysis?

ANSWER: This information is not necessary for pricing purposes on this requirement.

50. QUESTION: How many awards does SBA intend to make on this requirement?

ANSWER: There will only be one IDIQ awarded. There is no projection as to how many Task Orders may be issued over the life of the contract.

51. QUESTION: How many task orders does the SBA intend to issue against the IDIQ base contract.

ANSWER: The maximum monetary amount for the life of the contract is Not to Exceed $5,000,000.00

52. QUESTION: Can please elaborate on the difference between 37.2.3 FACTOR 3: PRIOR EXPERIENCE AND 37.2.4 FACTOR 4: PAST PERFORMANCE? Both sections seem very similar. Can you please provide guidance how the proposals will evaluated based on 37.2.3 versus 37.2.4?

ANSWER: See amended solicitation

53. QUESTION: When do you anticipate making an award? How quickly would you expect work to begin on the first task order?

ANSWER: Not later than September 30, 2013. At the time the IDIQ is awarded.

54. QUESTION: I'm a new small business and I'm interested in SBAHQ-13-R-00147. I have a question concerning the personnel for the project. Is there a minimum number of staff for this project?

ANSWER: No. This is a fixed labor category with fixed labor rates used to develop a fixed price task order.

55. QUESTION: How will methods currently employed by SBA service providers to query program participants be conveyed to the Contractor? How many methods are currently being used?

ANSWER: After award detailed information will provided as needed.

55. QUESTION: Are there any existing measures and metrics which are consistently used across indicated OED initiatives?

ANSWER: Some examples of general metrics are -- new business starts, increase in capital, and new jobs created.

56. QUESTION: Should the Contractor expand upon existing metrics for economic activity used in prior studies such as revenue, number of employees and total compensation when evaluating Clusters? What specific business outcomes is SBA most interested in?

ANSWER: See amended solicitation

57. QUESTION: What framework has been used by SBA for current and past evaluations of OED initiatives? Are the reports developed by prior SBA contractors in 2012 and 2013 to be utilized as the foundation and expanded upon, or should a new framework be developed?

ANSWER: See amended solicitation

58. QUESTION: Is it expected that SBA will qualify for the Fast-Track Process under OMB PRA? Is there currently an SBA OMB PRA clearance package?

ANSWER: This information is not necessary for pricing purposes on this requirement.

58. QUESTION: Page 10, 18. Contract Deliverable Requirements List indicates that the Quality Control Plan should be included with the Proposal, however which Factor should this be included within?

ANSWER: See factor 2 of amended solicitation

59. QUESTION: What kinds of data are currently collected by the OED regarding cluster initiatives and business assistance programs, and what is the typical time span that these data cover?

ANSWER: Some examples of general metrics are -- new business starts, increase in capital, and new jobs created. Currently the time span could be any where from four months to two years after engagement.

60. QUESTION: Attachment #2, Task Order 0001 requires: 1) the evaluation of SBA Cluster investments and 2) Evaluation of OED business assistance programs. For 1): are all 40 existing clusters to be evaluated? Are these to be segregated based on stage of growth or industry?

ANSWER: Task order 0001 would include evaluation of the 40 existing clusters.

61. QUESTION: What are the primary data categories that the OED collects, more specifically, to track effectiveness or “impact” of services provided? How are these data currently presented: for example, are they combined nationally or regionally or segmented by user type or size? How many “clients” are interviewed or surveyed annually, and how?

ANSWER: In the past surveys have been sent out to 20,000 to 50,000 clients using paper and/or electronic means. In the past data has been presented in various ways, examples include-- by population demographics, business type, or service provider.

62. QUESTION: What are the primary categories of metrics the OED and its divisions and service providers collect regarding small business performance, pre and post engagement? What time span do these metrics usually cover?

ANSWER: Some examples of general metrics are -- new business starts, increase in capital, and new jobs created. Currently the time span could be any where from four months to two years after engagement.

63. QUESTION: How many service providers does the OED engage to deliver services across all programs? Who are the top 10 service providers, and what share of total services delivered do they command in terms of both dollars and engagements?

ANSWER: This information is not readily available and not necessary for pricing purposes on this requirement.

64. QUESTION: Do meetings/convening currently take place among OED service providers to review client feedback, performance data, or other trends? How many such meetings are envisaged in the future, and with which key stakeholders?

ANSWER: This information is not necessary for pricing purposes on this requirement.

65. QUESTION: Have data definitions, standards, and targets been established (and implemented) across agencies and service providers regarding performance for primary metrics relating to service quality, business performance, outcomes, or impact? If so, what are the primary categories of common metrics/indicators for a) cluster initiatives and b) business assistance programs?

ANSWER: Some examples of general metrics are -- new business starts, increase in capital, and new jobs created.

66. QUESTION: Do cross-agency meetings or for a take place currently to review the data or analysis about efficacy of the OED programs? How many such meetings are envisaged in the future, and with which key stakeholders?

ANSWER: This information is not necessary for pricing purposes on this requirement.

67. QUESTION: Are there any particular data sets the OED currently uses to benchmark the performance of its “clients” against small businesses that do not engage with OED programs? Priority comparison groups?

ANSWER: This information is not necessary for pricing purposes on this requirement.