SCG50016Q0006_Cell_Phone_Q&A_01.pdf

SCG50016Q0006 for Cell Phone Service Page 1

U.S. Embassy

498 Avenue Colonel Lukusa

Gombe, Kinshasa

Democratic Republic of Congo

January 31, 2017

SCG50016Q0006 for C-Band Internet Service

Questions and Answers

Q – Where can I see amendments to the solicitation?

A – Go to www.fbo.gov and search for SCG50016Q0005. All notifications regarding this solicitation will be found on FedBizOps.

Q – What must I send with my bid?

A – Please follow the directions in the solicitation. See Section 3 for details. Also, please remember to include signed copies of all amendments in your submission. All amendments will be posted on FedBizOps.

Q - Do landlines relate to a local PSTN numbers or foreign ones?

A – Refer to Amendment 01 of the solicitation which will be posted soon on www.FedBizOps.gov. Landlines refer to calls to PBXs within the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Q - Could you specify the destinations for international calls to Europe?

A - Refer to Amendment 01 of the solicitation which will be posted on www.FedBizOps.gov.

Q - As the roaming costs depend on the local provider, could the main or frequent destinations be specified?

A - Refer to Amendment 01 of the solicitation which will be posted on www.FedBizOps.gov.

Q – Does the Embassy have a preference for make and model of cell phones?

A - The only preference stated in the solicitation is for Blackberry products. No other preference is stated in the solicitation for cell phones. However any cell phones provided must function dependably in the DRC.

Q – What does the Embassy expect from a prepaid plan? Compared to a post-paid one?

A – The Embassy will send a Task Order with numbers and amounts to be used to recharge pre-paid phones. Credit must be applied to each of these prepaid phones within 24 hours.

Postpaid plans will be billed per invoice instructions in the solicitation.

http://www.fbo.gov/ http://www.fedbizops.gov/

SCG50016Q0006 for Cell Phone Service Page 2

Q - Could users of prepaid Sim cards recharge the minutes themselves once the top-up air time is exhausted? And would the same special commissioned rates be applied or would it revert back to normal pricing?

A – Users are allowed to recharge their phones. The US Embassy expects no special consideration for personal recharges.

Q - Does the Embassy or the U.S. Government own a Blackberry Enterprise Server which will host Blackberry devices? If so, is this BES over version 10?

A – The U.S. Government owns a Blackberry Enterprise Server which is over Version 10.

Q – Are all Blackberry devices of the Embassy over version 10?

A – All Embassy Blackberry devices are over version 10.

Q – Which blocks does the vendor complete on the SF1449 form? This is the form which follows the cover letter. Its title is SOLICITATION/CONTRACT/ORDER FOR

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

A - See Section 3 of the solicitation for details.

Q – Can a vendor which did not attend the pre-quotation conference still bid?

A – Any vendor can bid. All offers will be evaluated per Section 4 of the solicitation.

Q - Is SAM registration required for a vendor to participate in this solicitation?

A – Any vendor may submit a quotation. Registration in SAM is required for an award, as stated in the solicitation in Section 3.

Q – How do I get more information on registering in the System for Award Management?

A – You can go directly to www.SAM.gov. You can also find more information on our website at http://kinshasa.usembassy.gov/opportunities/contract-solicitation.html

Q - Will the Embassy sign a Service Level Agreements (SLA)?

A - No. An additional Service Level Agreement is not permitted. All requirements are stated in the solicitation.

Q- Can the bidder be a consortium?

A- The USG will only conduct business with the company listed in block 17a on the SF1449 of the company’s offer. The offeror shall provide proof of all license and permits required by local law with their proposal as stated in Section 3 number 5.

Q - Can the technical proposal include pricing in the same document?

A – Do not/not mention prices or deals in the technical part of your proposal. We recommend that you attach and send two PDF documents when you send your quotation: a PDF which deals with pricing and a PDF which addresses technical issues.

Q - How does the vendor ensure their e-mailed proposal package was received by the customer?

http://www.sam.gov/ http://kinshasa.usembassy.gov/opportunities/contract-solicitation.html

SCG50016Q0006 for Cell Phone Service Page 3

A - We recommend that after the vendor e-mails their proposal package, the vendor follows up with a separate e-mail, not including attachments, to confirm that the package was received.

Q - Which Americans working for the vendor must be reported to the customer?

A - See the solicitation for details on clause 652.228-70 DEFENSE BASE ACT – COVERED

CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEES (JUN 2006).

Q - How must the vendor demonstrate financial resources?

A - An offeror may send any information the offeror deems pertinent. This could include financial statements.

Q - How is the customer billed?

A - See the solicitation for invoicing details. In general, vendors send invoices once per month.

The United States government pays, according to regulations, after service is rendered.