Q&A.docx

1. When is the correct closing date?

The closing date has been extended until July 27, 2017 at 14:00 EST. Page 1, 81, and 83 have been amended to reflect new due date.

2. Is there an incumbent or a sources sought that was previously released that determined this to go HubZone?

Yes, the incumbent is Bicallis, LLC and RFI SFSIAQ17I0010 was posted to FBO.gov.

3. On page 14 it states that "the contractor shall have a secret facility clearance at the time of award, and through the life of the contract". Would there be an option for a HUBZone firm without existing security facility clearance to be sponsored by FSI at the time of the award in order to receive this clearance?

No, the vendor must have a secret facility clearance at the time of award.

4. Is there is an incumbent for solicitation #SFSIAQ17R0009? Or is this a new requirement?

See question #2.

5. My firm does not currently have a facility clearance. I, myself, have a top-secret clearance. Does the offeror need to already have a facility clearance in order to bid the contract? Is the State Department able to sponsor a company for security clearance, if they possess the necessary qualifications to complete the work?

No, the vendor must have a secret facility clearance at the time of award.

6. Will a Prime’s subcontractor be allowed time to obtain a Facility Clearance (FCL) so they may hire and employee the personnel with the requisite individual clearance?

See question #3.

7. If the offeror is subcontracting with another entity or submitted a proposal as a Joint Venture, then two (2) of these (or half of the total submitted) should come from the subcontractor/Joint Venture partner.” Is this stating that half of the submitted past performance must come from each of the JV partners? If so is there a minimum number?

If the offeror is proposing as a Joint Venture, or is subcontracting with another entity, then at least two (2) past performance questionnaires must come from the subcontractor or Joint Venture partner. Page 84 has been amended to remove “(or at least half of the total submitted)”.

8. Does the JV itself need to have past performance or will the past performance of the JV partners suffice?

The past performance of the JV itself is preferred; however the past performance of the JV partners will suffice. The offeror is proposing as a Joint Venture, or is subcontracting with another entity, then at least two (2) past performance questionnaires must come from the subcontractor or Joint Venture partner.

9. Will relevant past performance in the commercial sector be accepted?

Yes, however please refer to Section M, Evaluation Factor 2 for evaluation criteria.

10. Since the subject solicitation involves several positions working as contract Procurement analysts/specialists, would the winner of this subject contract have an OCI that would preclude them from competing for other FSI support contracts.

11. In Section H of the solicitation document, it states that a Secret facility clearance is required and that the Contractor shall have a Secret FCL prior to contract award. Our JV HUBZone partner has a Secret FCL. Please confirm our JV is eligible to bid on this requirement.

The Joint Venture must have a secret facility clearance.

12. On page 89 of the solicitation under section M.3 Evaluation Factors, the Government instructs offerors to submit the entire proposal in two volumes; Volume I: Technical Proposal to include Factor 1 and Factor 2 and Volume II: Price Proposal to include Factor 3 and Factor 1 Subfactor 3. However on pages 81 and 82 under section L.1 the Government instructs offers that proposals must be submit in accordance with the Proposal Preparation Instruction contained in this section to include Volume I - offer and other documents, Volume II, Technical Proposal and Volume III Pricing Proposal. Section L consist of three (3) volumes while section M consist of two volumes that are required for proposal submissions. Will the Government please clarify how many volumes are required to be submitted for the solicitation and the required Factors that need to be present in each volume upon submission to be compliant for evaluation structure?

Three volumes are required. Page 88 has been amended to match Section L.

13. Attachment J.1 - Past Performance Questionnaire requires us to send them to our clients. Question: If we have a current CPARS already completed, why do we still need to bother our clients? Could we submit the CPARS to you in place of sending the past performance questionnaire?

No, the offeror shall submit past performance questionnaires in accordance with the RFQ.

14. Who is the incumbent and what is the value of their contract? Is the incumbent qualified to submit a bid?

See question # 2 for the incumbent. The value and the incumbent’s qualifications will not be addressed.

15. (1.15 Quality Control Plan) Is the Quality Control Plan included within the Technical Volume page count (40)?

This shall be included in Volume I.

16. (1.16 Management and Communication Plan) Is the Management and Communication Plan included within the Technical Volume page count (40)?

This shall be included in Volume I.

17. Are past performance references included within the Technical Volume page count (40)?

Yes.

18. Is the Onsite PM full-time and billable to the contract? If so, is this position considered Key and require resume submission with the proposal?

The offeror shall designate one of the Senior Procurement Analyst positions to serve as the on-site PM. There will not be a separate fulltime PM. The PM will be considered Key personnel. Only one resume shall be submitted for the individual who will be designated as the PM. Section C, page 19 has been amended to reflect this change.

19. Can the government please clarify if there are 2 Volumes to be submitted with the proposal response (Vol I-Technical, and Vol II-Price) or 3 Volumes (Volume I, Offer and Other Documents, Volume II, Technical Proposal. Page limit is 40 pages (iii) Volume III Pricing Proposal. Offerors are to complete Section B, 5.2)?

Yes, please see question 12.

20. Is there an incumbent for this requirement? If so, could you please provide the company name and contract number?

Please see question #2.

21. Section 1 on page 8 states: “The Foreign Service Institute, Department of State, intends to award at least one Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) labor-hour task order contract that establishes the terms and conditions applicable to the future acquisition of Professional Program Support Services in accordance with the solicitation.” Is there a maximum number of IDIQs the Government wishes to award to?

No, there is not a maximum number.

22. Does the Government intend to place the first task order based on solicitation SFSIAQ17R0009? Or will a Request for Task Order Proposal be issued after the IDIQ is awarded?

The government intends to place the first task order based on the solicitation.

23. How many FTEs does the Government expect to obtain under the first task order?

The anticipated needs for each position are stated in Section C.

24. Past Performance on Page 84/93 references the “Past Performance Volume”; however, the preceding paragraphs in 1. Proposal Preparation Instructions do not include any guidance, or reference to a “Past Performance Volume”. If a “Past Performance Volume” is requested, will the government provide the instructions?

The past performance information shall be included in Volume II. Please see pages 81-82 and 88.

25. Past Performance on Page 84/93 details that “Offerors shall detail their past performance experience and how it directly relates to the requirements of this solicitation.” Will the government identify where this information shall be detailed in the absence of a Past Performance Volume.

The past performance information shall be included in Volume II. Please see pages 81-82 and 88.

26. Past Performance on Page 85/93 states “… the offeror shall provide the past performance questionnaire (attached to this solicitation and posted at fbo.gov) to each of the no more than five references listed in the Past Performance Volume…” Is it the government’s intent that offerors provide a copy of the Past Performance Questionnaire that the offerors send to their respective customers?

Yes, offerors shall send the questionnaires to their customers/references. The references shall complete the questionnaire and email to williamsee3@state.gov. See page 84-85.

27. If the government provides instructions for a Past Performance Volume, will the government extend the suspense date for responses to allow offerors adequate time to prepare the Past Performance Volume IAW the new instructions?

See question #1.

28. NISPOM 7-101 states “If access will not be required in the pre-award phase, prospective subcontractors are not required to possess an FCL to receive or bid on the solicitation.” In our case, the prime contractor holds a Secret FCL, and would sponsor the subcontractor for their Secret FCL after award, in accordance with NISPOM. Is there a need for accessing Secret information prior to award?

No, there is no need for accessing Secret information prior to award. However, the prime offeror or JV must have a Secret security clearance at the time of proposal submission and award. The government will not sponsor facility clearances.

29. Will this be a single or multiple award?

The government anticipates at least one IDIQ. See page 8.

30. Please clarify that the requirement is reserved exclusively for HUBZone entities to bid as prime, and that HUBZones do not need to perform 100% of the work.

The prime HUBZone must perform at least 51% of the work.

31. Can the government please clarify what the “training materials” being referenced on page 17? This section describes the duties of Procurement and Contract Administration. Are those personnel potentially required to develop training materials for anything other than procurement and contract administration?

The personnel may be required to formulate training materials based on existing internal content. Personnel would not be responsible for the development of the content. Personnel will not be required to develop training materials for anything other than procurement and contract administration.

32. Can the government please clarify how many people are currently performing the work? Referring to the number of Senior Procurement Analyst(s), how many are currently performing the job? Is the number of positions at the discretion of the Offeror? Is the Government anticipating partial FTE to perform the work?

The total number of positions is at the discretion of the government, not the offeror. The government does not currently anticipate the need for partial or part-time contractors, but may require partial or part-time in the future.

33. Will the Government accept part-time schedules with 2 HR Specialists sharing the duties for the 1 FTE?

No, at this time all positions are required to be full-time.

34. Will the Program Manager be a billable position?

See question #18.

35. Is there an incumbent contractor for this work?

See question #1.

36. While there is a need for on-site work in this area, many Employee Relations Specialists are able to telework on a limited basis when drafting documents, conducting research and responding to requests. We recommend that telework be allowed and approved for this position. Will the government allow/approve telework for these positions?

Telework may be approved on a situational, case-by-case basis. See page 34, number 4.

37. Does this mean that the Government will be willing to conduct interviews by phone in lieu of in person?

Yes, however in-person is the preferred method and should be utilized whenever possible.

38. Will the Government allow the HR Specialist(s) performing Classification services to work primarily off-site except for the need to be on-site for any interviews, meetings, etc.? This would be considered more than “situational telework”. We strongly recommend that the Government allow the Classification Specialist(s) to work primarily off-site since all have their reference materials and document libraries at locations outside of FSI. The best Classification experts for the Government (including those currently supporting multiple State Department bureaus and offices) seek only those situations where there is flexibility to work off-site.

No, all work is to be performed on-site unless situational telework is approved.

39. Can the government please update the requirements to state that the text within a paragraph can be single spaced, and the double-spacing is to occur between paragraphs?

Yes, single spacing will be allowed. Page 82 has been amended.

40. Can the government please clarify the number of required Past Performances? If the Prime has multiple subcontractors, does each subcontractor have to provide 2 Past Performance References (w/ Questionnaires)? This would be in addition to the 2 Past Performances from the Prime.

See question #7. Yes, each subcontractor shall provide two (2) instances of relevant Past Performances. The limit of five (5) past performances references shall increase by two for each additional propose subcontractor. Example: Two subcontractors – Maximum 7 past performance references.

41. Can the resume be of a representative person qualified to do the work, or must it be that of the person who will be on the contract should the current incumbent decline to continue?

The resume shall be of the person who will be on the contract should the current incumbent decline to continue. Page 89 has been amended to require letters of commitment

42. For the number of resumes required, does the government expect 2 resumes per labor category from each subcontractor and 2 resumes from the prime contractor?

The government expects two (2) resumes total for each labor category, however more than two may be submitted. If the prime offeror is proposing subcontractors, at least 50% of the total resumes (to include all labor categories) must come from the prime. There are three labor categories, therefore at least six resumes are required. If the offeror is proposing a subcontractor, at least three resumes must come from the prime.

43. Please clarify the government’s expectations regarding the number of resumes required. If the prime contractor has two proposed subcontractors, each of whom must submit one resume, does the government expect two additional resumes from the prime contractor, for a total of four to be submitted?

See question #44.

44. Are all three labor categories/positions listed in Section C considered key?

No, only one of the Senior Procurement Analysts, which will be designated as the on-site PM, will be considered key personnel. See question #18.

45. Is there a specific format that the government will provide prior to start of work for deliverables (weekly time and attendance)?

No, there is not a specific format.

46. Will the government provide the standards, policy, procedures, and guidelines prior to start of work?

Procedures and guidelines will be provided at the start of performance.

47. Unlike the other two labor categories, the Human Resources Employee Relations Specialist position does not state the minimum years of experience required to perform the listed duties and responsibilities. Does the government intend to provide that information in an addendum Yes, page 19 has been amended to state that 5 years’ experience is highly preferred.

48. The Human Resources Employee Relations Specialist duties and responsibilities states “Develops and delivers training sessions regarding employee and management responsibilities and the disciplinary program.” Will this be in-person training, virtual or both?

Both, however the employee would be responsible for content only.

49. The first paragraph states “The contractor shall designate one position to serve as the on-site Program Manager (PM), in addition to the duties listed in the labor category position description. The Program Manager (PM) will work fulltime on site at SA-42, the NFATC located at 4000 Arlington Boulevard. The PM is the direct supervisor of all contract staff performing services under this contract”. Is it the Government’s requirement to have one of the four staff members serve in a PM capacity or will this be an additional position?

See question #18. It is the Government’s requirement to have one of the Senior Procurement Analyst positions serve in a PM capacity. See page 19 of the amended RFP.

50. Is the offeror required to include a QCP in their proposal response?

Yes, see Section C 1.15 and question #15.

51. Is the offeror required to include a MCP in their proposal response?

Yes, See Section C 1.16 and question #16.

52. Please clarify what content is to be provided in Volume I.

See question #12.

53. Double spacing effectively provides for only 20 pages of proposal response, which does not seem adequate, given that resumes will take up 4 pages, leaving 16 equivalent single-spaced pages. Will the Government consider revising this instruction to allow for single-spaced pages or increasing the page count?

See question 41.

54. Will offerors be required to substantiate proposed labor category rates? For example, provide client invoicing showing that their proposed rates for similar work were accepted by other government clients.

Submission of a compensation plan is required, as is the methodology behind the development of the price proposal. See Section M.

55. Will offerors be required to provide the methodology used to develop proposed labor category rates?

Yes, Section M has been amended to reflect this clarification.

56. Please explain how Tiers 1, 2 and 3, differ from 4, 5, and 6 Section M.2 has been amended.

57. In the event an offeror is submitting resumes for candidates not currently employed by the offeror, will a signed Letter of Intent or Contingent Offer letter be required?

Yes, see question #42.

58. There are three labor categories listed in Section C (1.7 Labor Categories/Position Descriptions) however the requirement states to provide one sample resume of qualified individuals for each of the two labor categories/positions. Please clarify.

There are three labor categories.

59. Will offerors be permitted to propose 1099 employees? If so, will the compensation plan requirement be waived?

1099 employees will be permitted, however the employees should be treated as subcontractors and billed.

60. Will the Government provide a historical listing of the number of ID/IQ task orders as related to this solicitation?

This information can be made available via a FOIA request.

61. Will the Government provide a historical listing of actual number of contractor personnel for services for all the labor categories/position descriptions?

No, please refer to the anticipated needs stated in Section C.

62. Will the Government provide a total quantity list of incumbent contractor staff, listed by Labor Category to include Primary and Secondary Place of Performance locations, prior to the proposal due date?

See question #63.

63. Will the Government provide a historical breakdown list of actual performance metrics for the past 18 months for Quality, Schedule, Cost Control, Management, Sub-Contracting and Regulatory Compliance?

No.

64. Will the Government provide known risk registers or log issues related to this solicitation?

No.

65. Will the Government provide past methods and tools used for inspection and monitoring?

No.

66. Will the Government provide historical burn rates as related to CLINs of total amounts obligated?

No.

67. Will the Government provide a historical listing of contractor CONUS and OCONUS travel?

No.

68. Will the Government please clarify how the proposal volumes should be organized?

See question #12.

69. Is a sample resume required to be submitted with the proposal for the third LC?

See question #44.

70. Does DoS FSI accept Security Clearance Reciprocity for personnel from other agencies (i.e., DHS, CBP, DOD, etc.)?

No.

71. Are there any requirements for dedicated support to USDOS FSI VIP staff or Commissioner?

No.

72. There's conflicting information about the proposal structure. Should there be three volumes as described on page 81 or two volumes as described on page 88?

See question #12.

73. RFP page 87 states the following:

1. Basis for Award The technical evaluation will be based on the technical evaluation criteria identified in Section M.2. Technical clarifications, if requested by the Government, and past performance surveys may also be used in evaluating the technical merit of an offeror’s proposal. Price proposals will be evaluated in accordance with Section M.2.

Section M.2 could not be found.

Section M.2 is titled “Tiered Evaluation” and contains Evaluation Factor 3: Price.

74. RFP page 89 states the following:

The proposal will be evaluated based on the following technical factors.

Evaluation Factor 1: Quality *Subfactor 4 is only required if offerors are choosing to subcontract.

Subfactor 1: Understanding and Approach Subfactor 2: Personnel Qualifications Subfactor 3: Compensation Plan Subfactor 4 Subcontract Management Plan:

Evaluation Factor 2: Past Performance Subfactor 1: Relevancy Subfactor 2: Success Evaluation Factor 3: Price The second set of evaluation criteria align with the two-volume organization mentioned above. Clarification is requested.

Section M has been amended and the evaluation factors are listed correctly. See question #12 for clarification regarding the volumes.