Amendment_No.04_to_SOL-121-17-000009.pdf

Request for Proposal SOL-121-17-000009 Health Reform Support Program

Amendment No.04

PART I – ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS

Q.1 The solicitation was previously forecasted under the name OH: Health Reform, following the removal of the OH will USAID/Ukraine please confirm that this Activity will still fall under the Office of Health?

A.1 Yes.

Q.2 Could USAID consider providing an extension of the proposal due date to September 15th 2017? This would allow offers sufficient time to respond to USAID responses to questions.

A.2 Yes, please note the due date has been extended to December 18, 2017.

Q.3 To ensure responsiveness to the technical SOW, could USAID consider increasing the technical narrative page limit to 30 pages and eliminating the page limit on the overall technical proposal? The reason being that, (a) for some of the annexes, the allotted page limit gives little room for providing substantive information to USAID, (b) some of the required annexes do not have page limit requirement. Rather, could USAID provide guidance on the number of pages for CV of key personnel and a reasonable guides on the implementation plans and MEL plans

A.3 Please see changes to section L6. The overall page limit for the RFP is 60 pages, and offerors are free to choose how many pages they need for each section of the proposal.

Q.4 The current allotted page limit for Annex 3 is 10 pages. To include biodata sheet, resume and letter of commitment. Will USAID/Ukraine kindly confirm that Key Personnel 1420 Biodata sheets are part of the cost proposal and not the technical proposal?

Also, given that the project has five key personnel position, when one calculates the page allocation (not including biodata sheet) for key personnel, one can only allot one page for the resume and one page for the letter of commitment. This will be insufficient for fully demonstrating key personnel qualifications and commitments to being part of the project. Could USAID allow for two pages for the resume and one page for the letter of commitment, increasing the page limit for Annex 3 to 15 pages instead of 10 pages.

A. 4 Biodata sheets are only required as part of the cost proposal. Note that letters of commitment from key personnel are no longer required as part of the technical proposal.

There is no longer a page limit set for the Annex, rather, there is an overall page limit of 60 pages for the technical proposal, and offerors are free to allot the number of pages they deem fit for each section within the overall page limit.

Q.5 Will USAID/Ukraine consider a local national professional in the DCOP position to provide sustainability and local ownership to the leadership team?

A.5 Yes, USAID is open to US, TCN or local nationals for the both the COP and DCOP positions. Please propose the most qualified candidates.

Q.6 On page 81 under Staffing Plan USAID states that “CVs for expatriate, short-term technical assistance shall be included” as part of the staffing plan. However, on page 79 under Annex 4, USAID ask for “1 paragraph summary of each named Non-Key Personnel, including Expatriate and Ukrainian Short Term Technical Experts”. Will USAID/Ukraine kindly confirm that it only wants 1 paragraph summary of each named Non-Key Personnel, per the requirement under Annex 4 on page 79?

A.6 No, summaries of non-key personnel are not required.

Q.7 On page 81 under Staffing Plan, USAID states that, “The proposal must include a chart/exhibit (as an Annex) that illustrates the roles of the proposed staff.” Is this the organizational chart that USAID ask for under Annex 7 or is USAID asking for a more detailed chart that illustrates the role of the proposed staff? If so, as this is not included in the Annex list, will USAID/Ukraine confirm that an additional Annex can be added to the Annex list, thus increasing the list of Annexes from 11 to 12 and the page overall page limit of the technical proposal.

A.7 Yes, this is the organizational chart. The RFP has been clarified.

Q.8 The RFP references to pharmaceutical systems multiple times; could USAID clarify that the focus of the health reform efforts is on improving the functioning and governance of the health system and not focused on improving the pharmaceutical systems?

A.8 The references to pharmaceutical systems were made in error. USAID confirms this RFP his for health reform support. Pease note the revisions to the RFP.

Q.9 The "Deliverables and Performance Schedule" table on p. 27 indicates that the "Final Performance Monitoring Plan" and "Initial Implementation Work Plan" are due 30 calendar days after contract award. On p. 30, Section C, "Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Plan" indicates: "Within the first 45 days of the signing of the PIO grant and before major activity implementation actions begin, the Recipient shall submit an activity MEL Plan together with the Initial Implementation Plan..."

a. Can USAID please confirm that the "Final Performance Monitoring Plan" referenced on p. 27 is the "Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Plan" referenced in the rest of the RFP?

b Please clarify if the delivery deadline is 30 calendar days after award (as indicated on p. 27) or 45 days [after] signing the PIO grant (as indicated on p. 30)?

A.9. a. Yes. The RFP has been clarified and has removed the term “Final Performance Monitoring Plan”. “MEL” Plan has been included throughout the RFP now.

b. The MEL plan is due 60 days after signing the award. Please see revision to the RFP.

Q.10 Could USAID kindly confirm that the technical narrative page limit does not include the cover letter, the acronym list and the table of contents?

A.10 All aspects of the technical proposal are included in the page limit. This would include the cover letter, acronym list and table of contents.

Q.11 Section M generally includes information on the weighted value of each evaluation criteria, could USAID kindly provide information on the weighted value sections M.3?

A.11 The RFP has been amended to clarify that the criteria below are presented in descending order of importance so that offerors will know which areas require emphasis in the preparation of proposals:

1) Technical Approach

2) Management Plan and Key Personnel

3) Institutional Capacity

4) Past Performance

Q.12 Section C describes six components to the SOW, on page 80 of Section L, USAID states that

“ This RFP is designed to encourage Offerors to develop their own creative approach to accomplishing the expected results and implementing tasks under the three activity objectives described in Section C, SOW of the RFP”, could USAID clarify that it meant six activity objectives?

A.12. The RFP has been revised, and there are now five objectives:

1. Improve health sector governance.

2. Support the transformation of the healthcare financing model

3. Strengthen the health workforce.

4. Enhance transparency, accountability and responsiveness of the health care system.

5. Improve service delivery system at all levels.

Q.13 The cover page references “the estimated LOE amount is 12,450 and Attachment J9 states 30,979 person-days level of effort. Could you please clarify which one is correct?

A.13 Please note the contract type has been changed from term to completion. The LOE days are no longer relevant.

Q.14 On page 89/99 – a) Salary and Wages – please confirm that daily rate for direct salaries and wages for the long-term and short term expatriates CST is $661.92/day.

A.14 Yes.

Q.15 On page 89/99 - can you please also provide the most recent LCP for Ukraine?

A.15 Please be advised that the maximum salary in the LCP is $65,320. Offerors are expected to conduct their own market analysis for determining the salary scale for locally hired positions in Ukraine. Please note, per AIDAR 722.170(b), CCNs must be paid in local currency.

Q.16 Attachment J1 Budget Template CPFF has no associated formulas. Without amending the format/layout is it allowable to introduce sub-totals for the items and use clearly marked tables outside the template area to aid calculations – i.e. for escalation factors.

A.16 Yes. Please note the excel spreadsheet has been removed and a template for the summary has been provided in the revised RFP.

Q.17 The RFP notes the chief of party shall be an expatriate (page 82). Could USAID please confirm that qualified third-country nationals can also be considered for the chief of party position?

A.17 TCN and Local candidates are welcome for both the COP and DCOP positions, USAID encourages you to propose the most qualified candidates. Please see the revisions to the RFP.

Q.18 The RFP notes the deputy chief of party shall be an expatriate (page 82). Would USAID allow an offeror to propose a highly qualified local candidate as to further the sustainability and local ownership of this important project?

A.18 Yes, offerors may propose the highest qualified local or an expatriate for the DCOP.

Please see revisions to the RFP.

Q.19 USAID requests the inclusion of “a chart/exhibit (as an Annex) that illustrates the roles of the proposed staff” (page 81). Would USAID allow offerors to include this chart/exhibit in Annex 4, in addition to the paragraph summaries of proposed staff? If so, would USAID expand the page limit to 6 and adjust the total page limit accordingly?

A.19 Please review the revised RFP and note the revised requirement for the Organizational Chart, which must be included as part of the technical proposal as Annex 5.

There are no longer page limits for the individual annexes, but all required annexes do count toward the overall 60-page limit.

Q.20 Please confirm that Annexes 9, 10, and 11 are not included in the technical volume 60-page limit.

A.20 All annexes are part of the 60-page limit.

Q.21 Given the past performance information short forms are typically 1-page each and the RFP states (page 85) that offerors may include up to five contracts for itself and up to five contracts for each major subcontractor, would USAID consider extending the page limit for

Annex 5 and Annex 6 to 5 pages each and adjust the technical volume total page limit accordingly?

A.21 Past performance short forms are no longer a requirement. Please submit the past performance information sheet included as Attachment J.4 of the revised RFP. There are no longer page limits for the individual annexes, but all required annexes do count toward the overall 60-page limit.

Q.22 The RFP requests offerors submit “1 paragraph summary for each named Non-Key Personnel, including Expatriate and Ukrainian Short Term Technical Experts (3-page limit)” (page 79). As 750 days of short-term technical assistance are estimated (page 24), would USAID consider allowing offerors to include named non-key personnel in a table or matrix, instead of in paragraphs, so offerors can explain the background and expected role of both the proposed team and full complement of expected short-term technical assistance in the 3 pages required?

A.22 Summaries of non-key personnel are not required, only the organizational chart as requested in the revised RFP is required.

A.23 Page 87 states Annex 3, containing resumes and letters of commitment for key personnel, has a 10-page limit. However, with five required key personnel, this allocation does not allow offerors significant space to demonstrate how our candidates’ skills, experience, and education exceed the qualifications and contribute to program success. Would USAID consider expanding Annex 3 to 15 pages to allow for 2-page CVs and 1-page letters of commitment, adjusting the technical volume total page limit accordingly?

A.23 There are no longer page limits for each annex. Letters of commitment are no longer required as part of the technical proposal. The entire technical proposal cannot exceed 60 pages and it is up to offerors to determine how they feel it is most appropriate to use the space and provide the required information.

Q.24 Please confirm that the table of contents and acronym list are not included in the 60-page limit.

A.24 Every part of the technical proposal is included in the page limit. Table of contents and acronym list are included.

Q.25 Please confirm that December 31, 2017, is the anticipated award date according to the business forecast.

A.25 The anticipated award date is March 1, 2018.

Q.26 May offerors use A3 paper size for the Gantt chart in Annex 1?

A.26 The technical proposal must be provided on 8.5 inch by 11 inch (210mm by 297mm) paper.

Q.27 May offerors use A3 paper size for the indicator table in Annex 2?

A.27 The technical proposal must be provided on 8.5 inch by 11 inch (210mm by 297mm) paper.

Q.28 May offerors use A3 paper size for the organizational chart in Annex 7?

A.28 The technical proposal must be provided on 8.5 inch by 11 inch (210mm by 297mm) paper.

Q.29 Page 81 states, “CVs for expatriate, short-term technical assistance shall be included…” However, the RFP does not provide a place for offerors to provide CVs for short-term technical assistant in the list of Annexes, instead requesting on pages 79 and 87 “1 paragraph summary for each named non-key personnel, including Expatriate and Ukrainian Short Term Technical Experts (3-page limit).” Could USAID please confirm full CVs are not required for short-term technical experts?

A.29 USAID confirms that full CVs are not required for short-term technical experts.

Q.30 Page 30 and 31 states, “the MEL plan for this activity will also be consistent with the Mission’s Performance Management Plan.” Could USAID share a copy of this current performance management plan with all offerors?

A.30 This sentence has been removed from the RFP.

Q.31 I request you to provide us the following details before we buy the document:

1) List of Items, Schedule of Requirements, Scope of Work, Terms of Reference, Bill of Materials required.

2) Soft Copy of the Tender Document through email.

3) Names of countries that will be eligible to participate in this tender.

4) Information about the Tendering Procedure and Guidelines

5) Estimated Budget for this Purchase

6) Any Extension of Bidding Deadline?

7) Any Addendum or Pre Bid meeting Minutes?

A.31 1) Please review the RFP on FBO.gov for this information.

2) A soft copy is available on FBO.gov.

3) Any countries from geographic codes 937 and 110.

4) Please review Sections L and M of the RFP on FBO.gov.

5) Between $23,000,000 and $24,900,000

6) Proposals are now due on December 18, 2017.

7) The amendments to the RFP are all posted on FBO.gov. There was no pre-bid meeting.

Q.32 Could USAID please confirm that the offeror should submit past performance questionnaires to up to five of its customers, instead of three per Attachment J.5, to correspond with the five past performance references offerors may submit according to page 85?

A.32 The offeror is only required to send the past performance questionnaires to three of its customers, per the instructions in Attachment J.5. The offeror may provide up to give past performance references in the Past Performance Information Sheet (Attachment J.4) to be submitted with the proposal. Please see revisions to the RFP.

Q.33 Regarding submission of “a copy of the 10 most recent SF 294 ‘Subcontracting Report for Individual Contracts,’ against which you were required to report for the past 3 years” (page 86), we submit the vast majority of our subcontracting reports to the online Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS). May we submit a list of 10 subcontracting reports submitted to the federal government’s online eSRS from among the past three years, rather than SF 294 subcontracting reports?

A.33 Please note the RFP has been amended and this is no longer required.

Q.34 The RFP mentions pharmaceutical systems specifically on several pages. Is it possible that the references on the following pages are erroneous and may be referring to a different procurement? If so, does USAID mean to reference health systems instead of pharmaceutical systems?

a) Page 4: “The purpose of this contract is to strengthen the pharmaceutical system in Ukraine through the activity entitled “Health Reform” as described in detail in Section C.

STATEMENT OF WORK.”

b) Page 80: “Contextually Appropriate: The appropriateness of the Technical Approach in addressing the key issues and challenges facing government pharmaceutical systems management in Ukrainian context, and achieving specific results which are not limited in the SOW through effective interventions that are feasible, efficient, innovative where applicable, free of corruption, transparent to the public, prove a complete cycle of changes to the system, and sustainable; the appropriateness of the Technical Approach to demonstrate methods for improving access to quality pharmaceutical products and effective pharmaceutical services through more efficient supply chain management systems, monitoring of patient safety, adherence, and therapeutic effectiveness as well as innovative uses of the private sector and local organizations for better performance of pharmaceutical management functions and operations.”

c) Page 81: “How will the Contractor nurture effective institutions – governmental, civil society, and private sector – to analyze, implement, and evaluate activities targeting pharmaceutical systems management?”

d) Page 81: “How will the Contractor ensure that relevant activities or services are gradually tied to sustainable financing pharmaceutical models?”

e) Page 82: “Ongoing analysis of pharmaceutical management reform efforts”

f) Page 83: “Non-key personnel and consultants, including pharmaceutical system management reform experts, program managers, monitoring and evaluation experts, finance and operations staff, as well as communications can be included as appropriate.”

g) Page 84: “Flexibility: Proposal clearly demonstrates the program’s ability to maintain flexibility and respond effectively to a changing healthcare reform environment, including pharmaceutical management.”

h) Page 87: “Annex 6: Offeror’s Major Sub-Contractors’ past performance information relevant to pharmaceutical systems management activities from the past three years.”

i) Page 96: “Contextually Appropriate: The appropriateness of the Technical Approach in addressing the key issues and challenges facing government pharmaceutical systems management in Ukrainian context, and achieving specific results which are not limited in the SOW through effective interventions that are feasible, efficient, innovative where applicable, free of corruption, transparent to the public, prove a complete cycle of changes to the system, and sustainable; the appropriateness of the Technical Approach to demonstrate methods for improving access to quality pharmaceutical products and effective pharmaceutical services through more efficient supply chain management systems, monitoring of patient safety, adherence, and therapeutic effectiveness as well as innovative uses of the private sector and local organizations for better performance of pharmaceutical management functions and operations.”

A.34 The references to pharmaceutical systems were in error, and the RFP has been clarified. The purpose of the contract is to strengthen health systems in Ukraine.

Q.35 Attachment J.9 – Level of Effort lists “30,979 person-days level of effort of professional technical employee, consultant and subcontractor labor” in the first paragraph, while listing 12,450 as the total “professional technical staff person-days” for long-term technical assistance and short-term technical assistance in the table in that attachment and on page 24. Could USAID please clarify the number of person-days level of effort professional technical staff, consultant, and subcontractor labor expected for this program?

A.35 Please note the contract type has been changed from term to completion. The LOE days are no longer relevant.

Q.36 The RFP instructs offerors to submit biodatas in both the technical and cost proposals (pages 79 and 88). Biodatas, which contain cost information, are normally required in the cost proposal only. Can USAID please confirm that offerors should submit biodatas in the cost proposal only?

A.36 Yes, biodatas are only required in the cost proposal. Please see revisions to the RFP clarifying this.

Q.37 Can USAID please confirm biodatas are only required in the cost proposal for key personnel according to page 89, and not for key personnel and other named personnel according to page 88?

A.37 Yes, biodatas are only required in the cost proposal. Please see revisions to the RFP clarifying this.

Q.38 Section K.1 (page 65) includes FAR 52.237-8, Restriction on Severance Payments to Foreign Nationals. We respectfully request that USAID include FAR 52.237-9, Waiver of Limitation on Severance Payments to Foreign Nationals, in the RFP so the eventual contractor can abide by the requirement to pay severance in accordance with Ukrainian laws and can budget accordingly pursuant to the instructions in L.7(C) (page 90).

A.38 FAR 52.237-8 has been removed from the RFP.

Q.39 Please confirm that an Evidence of Responsibility is only required from major subcontractors in the cost proposal according to the heading on page 93.

A.39 Yes, evidence of responsibility is only required for major subcontractors.

Q.40 The RFP instructs offerors to submit letters of commitment for major subcontractors in both the technical and cost proposals (pages 79, 87, and 93). Can USAID please confirm if letters of commitment should be included within the cost proposal only?

A.40 Yes, letters of commitment should only be included in the cost proposal. Please see revisions to the RFP.

Q.41 Please confirm that letters of commitment are only required for major subcontractors, according to the heading on page 93.

A.41 Yes, letters of commitment are only required for major subcontractors.

Q.42 Please confirm that fixed fee will be paid per Section B.5 (page 4), rather than per deliverables, as stated in Section L.7(O), Fixed Fee (page 92).

A.42 Yes, fixed fee will be paid in accordance to Section B.5 of the revised RFP.

Q.43 Please confirm a major subcontractor is defined as having “over 15% of total planned programming” (page 88), rather than “one whose proposed cost exceeds 15% of the offeror’s total proposed cost” (page 85).

A.43 “Major subcontractors” are those whose proposed cost exceeds 20% of the offeror’s total proposed cost.

Q.44 Please confirm “planned programming” in the context of major subcontractor (page 88) is defined as “planned project level of effort.”

A.44 This language is no longer used in the revised RFP.

Q.45 Section M, technical evaluation criteria is focused on “addressing the key issues and challenges facing government pharmaceutical systems management in Ukraine” which aligns with Section B.1 “The purpose of the contract is to strengthen the pharmaceutical system in Ukraine through the activity entitled ‘Health Reform’ as described in detail in Section C.

Statement of work.”.

However, Section C.1 states “the goal of this activity is to support a transparent, accountable and effective health care system that is capable of meeting the health needs of the Ukrainian people.” Section C makes little reference to pharmaceutical systems, as does the remainder of the SOW under Section C. Section C VI Project Purpose and Objectives does not include pharmaceutical systems.

Similarly, Section F.6 has been amended and no longer makes reference to pharmaceutical systems and removed the pharmaceutical positions and the supply chain management position.

Can USAID provide clarification on how Section M aligns with Section C and Section F in regard to evaluation of “addressing the key issues and challenges facing government pharmaceutical systems management in Ukraine” when this evaluation criteria is not included in Sections C and F?

A.45 The references to pharmaceutical systems were in error, and the RFP has been revised to clarify the purpose is to strengthen health systems in Ukraine.

Q.46 Per Page 89, Section L.7 Proposed Costs/Price and Cost Proposal Narrative, (A) Salary and Wages, Paragraph 6, can USAID please confirm that the Daily Rate for the Contractor Salary Threshold (CST) is $172,100/year and $661.92/day. Which is the current USAID CST.

A.46 USAID confirms both are accurate – $661.92 is the daily rate. $661.92 x 260 days = $172,100/year.

Q.47 Based on these clarifications and specifically Q1 and Q2, given these inconsistencies we respectfully request an extension to the 29th of September. This extension will allow respondents the necessary time to address the inconsistencies and align with the SOW and to align its technical response to Sections B, C, L, and M.

A.47 Please note the revised RFP provides has extended the due date to December 18, 2017.

Q.48 Can USAID please confirm that the technical proposals cover page is not counted towards the 25 Technical Approach page limit and the overall Technical Proposal 60 page limit?

A.48 A cover page is not required; however, if an offeror chooses to include one, it does count towards the 60 page limit. Please note the cover letter is included in the 60 page limit as well and is required.

Q.49 Can USAID please confirm that the Acronym List and Table of Contents are not counted against the 25 Technical Approach page limit?

A.49 There is no longer a 25-page limit for the technical approach itself, but all required sections of the proposal are included in the 60 page limit for the technical proposal, including the acronym list and table of contents.

Q.50 USAID states on page 79 under Annex 3 that Biodata Sheets, Resumes, and Letters of Commitment and references for each of the (5) Key Personnel. Currently the RFP suggests a 10 page limit. Given the amount of information USAID is requesting in Annex 3, can USAID please review the page limit provided for Annex 3 and confirm whether a 10 page limit should be applied for each key personnel, or Annex 3 total?

A.50 USAID has removed individual page limits and is only limiting the total technical proposal page limit to 60 pages. It is up to the offeror to determine how many pages it needs for each section. Please note that the biodata sheets and letters of commitment are no longer required as part of the technical proposal.

Q.51 Bio data sheets are required in the technical proposal. As sensitive information (salary) is included in this document, can USAID confirm whether this is a requirement in the technical proposal?

A.51 Please only provide the biodata forms in the cost proposal.

Q.52 On pages 85-86, USAID requires that all Offerors who are not small business concerns must include a small concerns narrative and contact information for the named small businesses.

Will USAID indicate what annex this SF 294 narrative should be placed? In addition, please confirm page limit for this narrative.

A.52 Please note the RFP has been amended and this is no longer required.

Q.53 On page 84, USAID points out that FY 2016 worldwide Small Business subcontracting goal is 18%. Is 18% a minimum requirement of this RFP?

A.53 Since this is an overseas procurement, a small business subcontracting minimum is not required. However, USAID strongly encourages contractors to utilize small businesses to the maximum extent practicable.

Q.54 Section D of the RFP discusses the development of a Branding and Marking policy. Will USAID confirm that the Branding and Marking plan is not required to be included at this stage in the solicitation?

A.54 No, only offerors in the competitive range, or the apparently successful offeror if the CO determines a competitive range is not necessary, will be requested to submit a Branding Implementation Plan and Marking Plan.

Q.55 On page 80 of the RFP, USAID states that the Offeror should be responsive to the 3 objectives of the RFP. But on page 6 USAID offers 6 objectives. Will USAID please clarify all objectives of the RFP?

A.55 Please note the RFP has been revised to reflect the following 5 objectives:

1. Improve health sector governance.

2. Support the transformation of the healthcare financing model

3. Strengthen the health workforce.

4. Enhance transparency, accountability and responsiveness of the health care system.

5. Improve service delivery system at all levels.

Q.56 On page 85, the RFP says to include up to five of the most recent and relevant contracts for the Offeror and up to five for each major subcontractor. However, Annex 5 and 6 each have a 3 page limit. Will USAID please confirm the number of PPRs and the corresponding page limit for both Annexes 5 and 6?

A.56 Please submit the past performance information sheet included in Section J of the revised RFP with up to five (5) of the most relevant contracts each for the prime and major subcontractor. There are no longer page limits for the individual annexes, but all required annexes do count toward the overall 60-page limit.

Q.57 Letters of Commitment from Proposed Partners are requested to appear in both Annex 8 of the Technical proposal as well as in the Cost Proposal (pg. 93). Will USAID accept Letters of Commitment from Major Subcontractors in the cost proposal only?

A.57 Yes, letters of commitment from major subcontractors are only required as an annex to the cost proposal.

Q.58 Annex 9, 10 and 11 are listed as having no page limit. Can you USAID please confirm that these three Annexes will not be counted towards the technical proposal page limit (60 pages)?

A.58 All annexes count towards the 60-page limit. The technical proposal cannot exceed 60 pages.

Q.59 Can USAID please confirm that Offerors are exempt from providing an Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan (EMMP) at this stage of the solicitation process?

A.59 An EMMP is not required as part of the proposal and has been removed from Section L of the revised RFP.

Q.60 Can the offeror use their own budget templates/formats as long as it includes all the cost categories that are present in the Attachment J.1 Budget Template?

A.60 Yes, as long as the summary budget matches the one provided in the revised RFP.

The excel budget template in Section J has been removed from the revised RFP.

Q.61 Can USAID please provide a copy of the Local Compensation Plan (LCP) for Ukraine?

A.61 Please be advised that the maximum salary in the LCP is $65,320. Offerors are expected to conduct their own market analysis for determining the salary scale for locally hired positions in Ukraine. Please note, per AIDAR 722.170(b), CCNs must be paid in local currency.

Q.62 Will USAID please confirm whether the table in Attachment J.9 summarizing professional technical Level of Effort should be included in the technical or cost proposal? If it is in the technical proposal, shall it be an Annex? Will this table count towards the 60 page limit?

A.62 Please note this table has been removed from the revised RFP and is no longer required to be included as an annex to the proposal.

Q.63 Attachment J.9 reads "The Contractor must provide 30,979 person-days level of effort of professional technical employee, consultant, and subcontractor labor for the contract period of performance specified in Section F.2 of the RFP." However Page 24 Section F.5 reads "In order to understand the magnitude of USAID's requirement, the Government estimates 12,450 profession technical staff person days level of effort" Can USAID please clarify if the expected LOE is 30,979 versus 12,450?

A.63 Please note the contract type has been changed from term to completion. The LOE days are no longer relevant.

Q.64 Attachment J.9 - Level of Effort (LOE) includes 5 labor categories, while F.5 Professional Technical Level of Effort (p. 24) includes only 4 labor categories. Could USAID please clarify which labor category table should be used?

A.64 Please note the contract type has been changed from term to completion. The LOE days are no longer relevant.

Q.65 Attachment J.9 - Level of Effort includes the labor category Long-Term Technical Assistance - Key personnel (Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party and Grants Manager) and the labor category Long-Term Technical Assistance (Expatriate). As the Chief of Party and Deputy Chief of Party are both explicitly expatriate positions, can USAID please clarify which of the two categories they should be included in?

A.65 The RFP has been amended to clarify USAID is open to US, TCN or local nationals for the both the COP and DCOP positions. Please propose the most qualified candidates and note that the LOE table is no longer required.

Q.66 Would USAID consider making this contract a Cost Plus Fixed Fee contract rather than a term LOE contract?

A.66 The RFP was released as a cost-plus fixed-fee term contract; however, after further consideration, this amendment changes the contract type to a CPFF completion contract since the SOW defines a goal and requires the contractor to complete specified deliverables.

Q.67 A LOP exists only within Attachment J.6 – Initial Environmental Examination which states that “LOP Amount for this project is $20,000,000.” Can USAID please confirm the LOP ceiling?

A.67 The revised RFP estimates between $23,000,000 and $24,900,000.

Q.68 On page 96 of the evaluation criteria, under Section A, USAID indicates that Offerors must submit a response that is “Culturally appropriate: The appropriateness of the TA in addressing key issues and challenges facing government pharmaceutical systems management in Ukrainian context, and achieving specific results which are not limited in the SOW through effective interventions that are feasible, efficient, innovative where applicable, free of corruption, transparent to the public, prove a complete cycle of changes to the systems, and sustainable; the appropriateness of the TA to demonstrate methods for improving access to quality pharmaceutical products and effective pharmaceutical services through more efficient supply chain management systems, monitoring of patient safety, adherence, and therapeutic effectiveness as well as innovative uses of the private sector and local organizations for better performance of pharmaceutical management functions and operations.” - Given this RFP does not call for support to pharmaceutical products, pharmaceutical services, or supply chain management systems, monitoring of patient safety, adherence, and therapeutic effectiveness, etc.

can USAID please clarify the evaluation criteria for “contextually appropriate?”

A.68 The references to pharmaceutical systems were made in error. USAID confirms this RFP his for health reform support. Pease note the revisions to the RFP.

Q.69 Section L.6 (p. 79) requires that Annex 3 of the Technical Proposal include biodata sheets. Given that biodatas include cost related information, please confirm these should instead be included in the cost volume, rather than Annex 3 of the technical volume per the Request for Proposal (RFP).

A.69 Please only submit biodata forms as part of the cost proposal. This has been clarified in the revised RFP.

Q.70 Would USAID consider exempting the Cover Page from the 25 page limit for the Technical Proposal?

A.70 Only a cover letter is required, and this does count towards the 60 page limit of the technical proposal. A cover page is not required, but if the offeror chooses to add one, it would also count towards the 60 page limit.

Q.71 Section L.6.2.b) (p. 81) under Staffing Plan states that "CVs for expatriate, short-term technical assistance shall be included." It is clear that key personnel CVs should be included as part of Annex 3, but would USAID confirm whether CVs for expatriates engaged in short-term technical assistance activities are also required?

A.71 CVs are only required for key personnel. This has been clarified in the revised

RFP.

Q.72 We kindly request that USAID reevaluate the page restrictions for Annex 3. Given that for each of the five key personnel three separate documents (a biodata, Letter of Commitment and CV) are required, a ten page limit for this annex does not seem realistic. There is also a reference in Section H.28(a) (p.49) that "Resumes for Key Personnel may not exceed four pages in length, and two pages for all other personnel." Please clarify if this requirement should apply to Annex 3.

A.72 Please note that USAID has removed page limitations for specific sections of the proposal so long as all required sections of the technical proposal do not exceed 60 pages.

Letters of commitment for key personnel and biodatas are no longer required as part of the technical proposal.

Q.73 Please confirm that the Summary Table of Professional Technical Level of Effort described in Section L.6 (pg. 78) should be included as part of the Technical Proposal. Please confirm that this table would be exempt from the Technical Proposal page limit.

A.73 This table is no longer required. Please see the revised RFP for this change.

Q.74 Can USAID please confirm that the Table of Contents and list of Acronyms is not included in the 25 pages?

A.74 The Table of Contents and Acronym list count towards the 60-page limit of the Technical Proposal.

Q.75 In Section L.6 (pg. 79), the RFP states that the Technical Proposal (25 page limit) plus Annexes 1 through 8 is to be limited to up to 60 pages total. Would USAID consider increasing the overall limit of 60 pages? The page limit of 25 for the technical approach plus the page limits noted for Annexes 1 through 8 totals 60 pages, without inclusion of Annexes 9 through 11 which do not have page limits.

A.75 The technical proposal’s overall page limit, including all required annexes, is 60 pages. However, we have removed specific page limits for each section, so it is up to the offeror to determine how many pages they would like to include per section. Please also note several technical proposal requirements have been removed in the revised RFP.

Q.76 Please confirm that work performed under Cooperative Agreements can be used as Past Performance References.

A.76 If the work performed under cooperative agreement is similar in size, type of work, complexity/diversity of tasks, and is within the past five years, then they can be used as past performance references.

Q.77 Regarding Contractor Past Performance Information, please confirm that USAID requires:

1. Up to 5 Contractor Performance Report- Short Forms (Attachment J.7) (per page 85)

2. Three Past Performance Questionnaires (Attachment J.5) to be submitted by the client references (per page 85), and

3. A table which summarizes offerors past performance information from the past three years including award number, title of projects, and DUNS, limited to 3 pages for both Prime and major-subcontractors (Annexes 5 and 6) (per page 79).

4. Please clarify if the five Contractor Performance Report- Short Forms (Attachment J.7) required on page 85 should be included in Annex 5 and if they are subject to the 3 page limit for that Annex.

A.77 1) Short forms are no longer required. Only the Past Performance Information

Sheet, which can be found in Section J of the revised RFP.

2) Yes, Past Performance Questionnaires should be submitted to client references per Attachment J.5.

3) Only the Past Performance Information Sheet (Attachment J.4) is required, which captures this information.

4) Contractor Performance Report- Short Forms have been removed from the RFP as a requirement.

Q.78 Section C.X (page 19) of the RFP mentions that “A detailed draft Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (MEL) will be developed by the offeror, establishing specific output, outcome and impact indicators (including, but not limited to the U.S. Foreign Assistance

Framework list of standardized indicators and custom indicators)…” Should the MEL plan’s list of performance indicators include PEPFAR MER 2.0 indicators, USAID GNDR indicators as well as those identified in the Mission’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS)?

Please clarify and elaborate.

A.78 Yes, a draft MEL plan should include the indicators from the documents named.

Q.79 The Level of Effort (LOE) table in Attachment J.9. has a row for “Long-Term Technical Assistance - Key personnel (Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party and Grants Manager)”. This row is not present in Section F.5. Could you please clarify whether a separate row for key personnel LOE should be included in the LOE table.

A.79 The LOE table is no longer required in the revised RFP.

Q80 Given the security concerns could USAID please provide additional detail on expected project activities and presence in the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts?

A.80 Expected project activities in those regions should be adjusted in accordance with safety needs and concerns and should be limited to areas which are under Ukraine’s control. Offerors can assume for budgeting purposes that the project will implement activities in GOU controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk. The final areas will be agreed with the COR during the annual work plan process.

Q.81 On page 4 of the RFP, it states that “The purpose of this contract is to strengthen the pharmaceutical system in Ukraine through the activity entitled “Health Reform” as described in detail in Section C. STATEMENT OF WORK.” Could USAID please confirm the purpose of this contract is as stated or is it as stated on page 6, “The goal of this activity is to support a transparent, accountable, and effective health care system that is capable of meeting the health needs of the Ukrainian people. Advancing health sector reforms, tackling corruption, and enhancing transparency will improve access to and availability of high quality health care services for Ukrainians, while boosting the health system as a significant sector of Ukraine’s economy.”

A.81 The references to pharmaceutical systems were made in error. USAID confirms this RFP his for health reform support. Pease note the revisions to the RFP.

Q.82 Please confirm the titles that should be listed in Section F.6 of Key Personnel. There is reference to pharmaceutical and supply chain expertise needed. Could USAID please edit Key Personnel titles as needed?

A.82 The references to pharmaceutical systems were made in error. USAID has clarified the key personnel in the revised RFP.

Q.83 Could USAID reconsider the requirement of expatriate status of the COP and DCOP so that this designation be at the discretion of the Offeror? There may be some key technical positions that warrant expatriate expertise, and given the staffing and budget constraints, Offerors may wish to propose Cooperating Country Nationals for one or both of the COP and/or DCOP positions with justification.

A.83 Please note RFP has been revised to remove the expatriate requirement. Offerors are free select the most qualified COP and DCOP.

Q.84 On page 96 of the RFP, it states that the technical approach will be based on criteria including, “Contextually Appropriate: The appropriateness of the Technical Approach in addressing the key issues and challenges facing government pharmaceutical systems management in Ukrainian context, and achieving specific results which are not limited in the SOW through effective interventions that are feasible, efficient, innovative where applicable, free of corruption, transparent to the public, prove a complete cycle of changes to the system, and sustainable; the appropriateness of the Technical Approach to demonstrate methods for improving access to quality pharmaceutical products and effective pharmaceutical services through more efficient supply chain management systems, monitoring of patient safety, adherence, and therapeutic effectiveness as well as innovative uses of the private sector and local organizations for better performance of pharmaceutical management functions and operations.”

Given that that scope of work does not have a heavy emphasis on pharmaceutical management as written in this RFP, could USAID please confirm whether this is the Contextual Appropriateness criteria that USAID will be using to evaluate the proposal?

A.84 The references to pharmaceutical systems were made in error. USAID confirms this RFP his for health reform support. Pease note the revisions to the RFP.

Q.85 Could USAID please confirm whether this is the Contextual Appropriateness criteria that USAID will be using to evaluate the proposal as stated on page 81 of the RFP, or whether this statement should be modified? The RFP states that the sustainability analysis of the proposal will include consideration of:

a. “How will the Contractor nurture effective institutions – governmental, civil society, and private sector – to analyze, implement, and evaluate activities targeting pharmaceutical systems management?

b. How will the Contractor ensure that relevant activities or services are gradually tied to sustainable financing pharmaceutical models?”

A.85 a) Pharmaceutical systems management was included in error and has been removed. Please review the revisions to the RFP.

b) This reference to pharmaceutical models was included in error and has been removed. Please review the revisions to the RFP.

Q.86 Similarly, on page 82 of the RFP, one of the responsibilities of the COP is “Ongoing analysis of pharmaceutical management reform efforts.” Could USAID please confirm or clarify this intended responsibility of the COP of this activity?

A.86 This reference to pharmaceutical reform efforts was included by error. Please refer to the revisions to the RFP.

Q.87 On page 83 of the RFP, it states that “Other Professional (Non-Key) Personnel and Consultants: Non-key personnel and consultants, including pharmaceutical system management reform experts program managers, monitoring and evaluation experts, finance and operations staff, as well as communications can be included as appropriate.” Please confirm that USAID is suggesting that offerors may include pharmaceutical system management reform experts as potential non-key personnel.

A.87 The reference to pharmaceutical system management reform was included by error.

Please refer to the revisions in the RFP.

Q.88 Please confirm that USAID recommends that proposed approaches should include an implementation principal of “Flexibility: Proposal clearly demonstrates the program’s ability to maintain flexibility and respond effectively to a changing healthcare reform environment, including pharmaceutical management;” as per page 84 of the RFP.

A.88 The reference to pharmaceutical management was included by error. Please refer to the revisions made to the RFP.

Q.89 Attachment J.9. mentions that “The Contractor must provide 30,979 person-days level of effort of professional technical employee, consultant, and subcontractor labor for the contract period of performance specified in Section F.2 of the RFP.” The LOE tables in both section F.5 and attachment J.9. have 12,450 LOE days. Could you please confirm the number of estimated LOE days?

A.89 Please note the contract type has been changed from term to completion. The LOE days are no longer relevant.

Q.90 Please clarify if biodatas are required for key personnel only or for all named personnel?

A.90 Biodata forms are required as part of the cost proposal for all named personnel.

Q.91 What is the estimated start date of the project?

A.91 The project is estimated to start in March of 2018.

Q.92 Please confirm that USAID is suggesting the following content for Annex 6: “Offeror’s Major Sub-Contractors’ past performance information relevant to pharmaceutical systems management activities from the past three years” per page 87 of the RFP.

A.92 This reference to pharmaceutical systems management activities was included by error. Please refer to the revisions made to the RFP.

Q.93 Reference: Section C.I, Page 6

The RFP lists six objectives in Section C on page 6. The RFP also has several references to the term “expected results?” Please clarify the distinction between the six objectives listed and the “expected results” as these are not defined.

A.93 The RFP has been revised to provide further clarity. Please note there are now five objectives and Section C provides the results USAID expects from the contract.

Q.94 Reference: Section C.7, pages 15, 17

The RFP lists “Working with the MOH and its departments and state enterprises on strategic planning of a communications campaign in support of reforms, including its implementation and measurement of its impact” as one of the activities under Component 1. At the same time, Component 5 “Strategically planned, effective and targeted information and communication campaign” in support of health reform. This seems to be a duplication. Can USAID clarify which component information and communication campaign activities should be included in?

A.94 Section C has been revised, and the communications component has been integrated into Objective 1.

Q.95 Reference: Section H.5, Page 39

The RFP states, “The authorized Geographic Codes for procurement of goods and services under this contract is 110 and 937, due to the different sources of funding.” Can USAID explain how the two geographic codes will apply to this project?

A.95 It is standard practice at USAID/Ukraine to use both of these geographic codes based on the type of funding received by the mission.

Q.96 Reference: Section L.6, Page 79 and 81

On Page 79, the RFP states, “Annex 4: 1-paragraph summary for each named non-key personnel, including expatriate and Ukrainian short term technical experts”. Annex 3 discusses CVs but only requests CVs for Key Personnel. On Page 81, the RFP states, “CVs for expatriate, short-term technical assistance shall be included…” Please clarify for which positions are CVs required and the page limit for the CVs.

A.96 CVs are only required for key personnel. There are no page limits for the CVs, but the CVs do count toward the overall 60-page limit of the technical proposal.

Q.97 Reference: Section L.6, Page 80

On page 80, the RFP states “This RFP is designed to encourage Offerors to develop their own creative approach to accomplishing the expected results and implementing tasks under the three activity objectives described in Section C, SOW of the RFP.” Please confirm the language is intended to say “six activity objectives” instead of “three” and that “activity objectives” refers to “objectives” as referenced on Page 6 under Section C.I.

A.97 Please note this language has been…