Questions_and_Answers.docx

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

TO SOLICITATION NUMBER

S-MX530-17-R-0001

FOR PACKING AND SHIPPING SERVICES

Page 7, Section B.5, h The Government will reimburse the contractor for DBA insurance. The Total estimated Cost of this insurance is $_______________ (16% VAT dos not Apply ) Defense Base Act ( DBA ) Insurance

1. Q – My question is, how much is the minimum & Maximum amount per Year

A – If DBA Insurance is applicable, please enter the following link: Department of Labor approved providers at the DOL website at http://www.dol.gov/owcp/dlhwc/lscarrier.htm.

Page 6 Section (d) Freight Handling (and the sections that apply this question as in the page 10, 11, 15, 16, 20, 24 and page 25).

2. Q – Can we quote based on 53’ trailer in all the cases?

A – No. Section (d) Freight Handling of each option year is to be quoted as required in the solicitation.

3. Q – For the trailers, shall we include the offloading handlings?

A – Yes. Please refer to the “Note” in subsection L.1.2.1, Separate Volume I, under Section L – Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors which mentions “fully loaded rates”. Additionally, see attached Amendment A003.

4. Q – Regarding Nogales, AZ and Brownsville, TX as destination, shall we include the handlings at destination?

A – No.

5. Q – For the shipments from sea port to Mexico, is the solicitation referring to Mexico City and no other place located in the country, please confirm.

A – No. Please refer to Subsection C.6.2. The solicitation is referring to the country of Mexico.

6. Q – For the sea shipments transportation, shall we include the return of empty container at the port of entry and the handling at port?

A – Yes. Please refer to Subsection C.19.4, Removal of Debris and Return of Containers.

Page 7 Section (e) Local Moves

7. Q – With Local Moves, are you referring to a move in the same city?

A – Yes. Please refer to the following paragraph in the solicitation:

“*** Local moving services to be provided within the same metropolitan area or the same city (for Mexico City to include Toluca Airport). These services shall be provided to the locations stated in (a), (b) and (d) above and are extensive to: Tijuana, Nogales, Ciudad Juarez and Matamoros.”

Page 7 Section (g) Other services

8. Q – Do you want a flat rate for customs clearance no matter the port of entry or airport of entry?

A – Please provide a rate per unit for Customs Clearance Services.

9. Q – Is it mandatory to consider the customs clearance in Brownsville, TX and/or Nogales, AZ?

A – It is the prerogative of each Prospective Offeror. The proposed prices are to be firm-fixed. Keep in mind the “Note” in subsection L.1.2.1, Separate Volume I, under Section L – Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors which mentions “fully loaded rates”.

10. Q – If we have better suppliers for customs in Laredo, can we consider the customs clearance of a shipment that is going to Brownsville in Laredo?

A – It is the prerogative of each Prospective Offeror as long as the shipment goes directly to the Brownsville, Texas.

Page 36 Section C.12.1.2 to C.12.1.3 “C.12.1.2. The Inventory List shall also indicate by number which cartons are loaded into the respective shipping containers/lift vans.

C.11.1.3. The client's name shall appear on each sheet of the Inventory List, and the last sheet must also indicate the total number of boxes, total number of shipping crates (lift vans), net, tare and gross weights, with measurements and total cubic measure.”

11. Q – Can we present the bingo sheets instead of the packing list with the information you are requesting? A bingo sheet is made per liftvan, it contains name of client, net, tare and gross weights, with measurements and appoints which items was loaded in each liftvan.

A – No. The inventory list is required in the solicitation. Please refer to Sections C.5.2, Inventory System and C.12.1, Inventory Lists. The Offeror shall be required to follow the clauses and instructions contained therein.

Page 42 section C.19.4 “The contractor shall, upon completion of delivery and unpacking services, remove all trash dunnage, and debris from all shipping vans and containers. The contractor shall promptly deliver all empty steel vans, and other special-type containers, to the carrier or its authorized local agent. Steamship containers shall be released, immediately after unloading, to the local agent of the delivering carrier. The contractor shall deliver containers owned by the U.S. Government to a local warehouse or depository and keep an on-hand tally to hold at their facility as designated by the COR. All other vans and containers, after completion of service, shall become the property and responsibility of the contractor.”

12. Q – Is the local warehouse part of the contractor facilities?

A – No, though the successful offeror will be required to hold at the Contractor’s warehouse/facilities as designated by the COR

Page 43 section C.21.4 “C.21.4. The contractor shall submit to the COR with each invoice a weight certificate, signed by the Government employees for whom services were rendered, and the name of any Government employee who witnessed the weight reading.”

13. Q – Can we write the weight in the bingo sheets and after the packing our office will issue a typed weight ticket?

A – No. Please refer to the answer provided to question number 11, above.

Page 65 section H.6 “The Contractor shall furnish to the Contracting Officer a current certificate of insurance as evidence of the insurance required within 10 calendar days after the contract award. In addition, the Contractor shall furnish evidence of a commitment by the insurance carrier to notify the Contracting Officer in writing of any material change, expiration or cancellation of any of the insurance policies required not less than thirty (30) days before such change, expiration or cancellation is effective. When coverage is provided by self-insurer, the Contractor shall not change or decrease the coverage without the Contracting Officer's approval.”

14. Q – Is this paragraph referring a bond? Or is this referring the DBA insurance?

A – The answer to your first question is No. The answer to your second question is no. Please refer to Section L.1.2.3, of the solicitation. Prospective Offerors shall submit the company’s Insurance Certificate containing the offeror’s coverage types and liability limits.

Page 76 section I.9. 52.247-23 I.9. 52.247-23, CONTRACTOR LIABILITY FOR LOSS OF AND/OR DAMAGE TO HOUSEHOLD GOODS (JAN 1991) (DEVIATION)

(a) Except when loss and/or damage arise out of causes beyond the control and without the fault or negligence of the Contractor, the Contractor shall be liable to the owner for the loss of and/or damage to any article while being- (1) Packed, picked up, loaded, transported, delivered, unloaded, or unpacked;

(2) Stored in transit; or

(3) Serviced (appliances, etc.) by a third person hired by the Contractor to perform the servicing.

(b) The Contractor shall be liability for loss and/or damage discovered by the owner if written notice of such loss and/or damage is dispatched to the Contractor not later than 75 calendar days following the date of delivery.

(c) The Contractor shall indemnify the owner of the goods at a rate of $8.50U.S. Dollars per pound (or metric equivalent in local currency) based on the total net weight.”

According to the Mexican Law “Ley de Caminos, Puentes y Autotransporte Federal”, article 66 mentions:

Cuando el usuario del servicio no declare el valor de la mercancía, la responsabilidad quedará limitada a la cantidad equivalente a 15 días de salario mínimo general vigente en el Distrito Federal, por tonelada o la parte proporcional que corresponda tratándose de embarques de menor peso.

When the client of the service doesn’t declare the value of the shipment, the liability will be limited to the amount equal to 15 days of minimum wage valid in Mexico City, per ton or the equivalent part that applies when the weight of the shipment is lower.

15. Q – Is it mandatory to work according the contract clauses?

A – Yes. Please refer to Section M as well as other Sections of the Solicitation.

Section M.6. FAR 52.225-17

16. Q – Is it possible to make a proposal in section B in USD and get paid in Pesos at exchange rate +IVA as we did in former contracts.

A – No. Please refer to Section B.1.1, Offers and Payment in U.S. Dollars.

17. Q – We are concerned about the development of the costs due to the volatile exchange rate and inflation rates in Mexico which have been prognosed for the following years by the experts. If this is not possible, could we include a clause which makes it possible to reconsider prices during the execution of the contract in case the exchange rate or the inflation rate surpasses certain rate or percentage?

A – No. Please refer to Section B.2, Type of Contract and Section L.1.2.1., under Note: “Prices and/or rates in Section B shall be all inclusive, meaning, the Offeror shall include in Section B, fully loaded rates, including but not limited to all direct and indirect labor costs, Insurance, fuel, all overhead and profit, including general and administrative expenses (G&A), equipment, and any other expense related to the services required in this Solicitation. No separate or additional charges shall be accepted.” Each Potential Offeror is responsible for submitting firm-fixed prices with the estimated inflations rates, if necessary, for each option year of the Contract.

18. Q – In Section B.5.prices ,we cannot find any space to be filled out for Guadalajara, will this destination not be quoted in this proposals?

A – No. Please submit your proposal for the locations stated in the Solicitation. Note: this Solicitation is separate from any Contract currently in place.

19. Q – Will there be annother licitation of the services from and to Guadalajara?

A – Please refer to the answer provided to question number 18, above.

20. Q – New destinations/ origin cities appear in section B.5.e and C.6.1 the footnotes *** specify to extend the local moves , packing and unpacking services to Nogales Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez and Matamoros but there is no space to fill in the specific costs in that cities, should we specify these prices or consider them somehow in annother city?

A – Please provide the Firm-Fixed Rate per Unit.

21. Q – B.5.b Toluca airport for UAB shipments, should we consider both airports: Mexico City and Toluca for the price of UAB unpacking in Mexico City?

A – Yes. Please refer to the footnote with three asterisks (***)

Page 43 section C.21.5 “C.21.5. When the Net Weight of a shipment has not been determined by actual measurement before shipment occurs, for payment purposes the Net Weight shall be defined as two thirds of the Gross Weight of the shipment. With the invoice for each shipment, the contractor shall submit a written justification describing why the shipment could not be weighed before it was shipped.”

22. Q – We don’t understand this, is this paragraph referring to the Weight of the Pre-Move Survey? Or is this paragraph referring to the weight during the packing of the shipment? This case is applicable with we have large furniture that cannot be weighed and we will have the net weight once we have the gross weight of the shipment, can you confirm that the paragraph refers an example like this.

A – In reference to your first question No. In reference to your second question yes. In an exceptional case that the net weight is not provided by Contractor, the Net Weight shall be defined as two thirds of the Gross Weight of the shipment.

Defense Act insurance

23. Q – section B.5.(h). Do we have to contract an insurance DAB if we are answering K.12 defense Base Act information 1,2 and 3 withno but 4 with yes ...can we leave the fields in Section B.5(h) free?

A – In reference to your first question Yes. In reference to your second question no.

Section H.6 /L.1.2.3. Insurance Certificate

24. Q – What kind of insurance is required here?

A – As required by local law for the services stated in the Solicitation.

Section L1.2.2.

(2) evidence that the offerer operates an established business.

25. Q – would an RFC proof from the Secrataria de Hacienda be sufficient to proof that?

A – It is the prerogative of each Prospective Offeror as to what documents will be provided as evidence that the Offeror operates an established business.

26. Q – (4) and (5) please could you help us with a concrete proposal of what kind of evidence would you suggest here?

A – It is the prerogative of each Prospective Offeror as to what documents will be provided as evidence with reference to necessary personnel, equipment, and finances. Number (5) is straight forward. Licenses and permits are required.

Section L.2. solicitation provisions by reference

27. Q – Is it correct to declare on a separate document that (name of the company) is agreeing to work in compliance with the listed regulations?

A – By submitting a Proposal, each Prospective Offeror agrees and accepts the terms and conditions of the Solicitation. Though yes, a statement may suffice but in the same order and not separate document.

Page 7 Paragraph:

“(h) Defense Base Act (DBA) Insurance “The Government will reimburse the Contractor for DBA insurance. The total estimated cost of this insurance is: $__________ (16% VAT does not apply).”

The DBA coverage will be applicable if the employees of U. S. Government work at ____________ installations. As employees of the U. S. Government, the clients already have the insurance of Employers Liability and they also have the insurance of Workers Compensation.

28. Q – How is this part going to affect the contract? We have been informed that the DBA insurance doesn’t exist in Mexico.

A – Please refer to the answer provided to question number 23, above.