Amendment_No._01_-_Q A_Energy_Invesment_Activity.pdf

RFP No. SOL-168-14-000005

Energy Investment Activity

Amendment No. 01

CONTINUATION PAGES

Responses to Questions Received

1. Does the Combined Synopsis/Solicitation under solicitation number SOL16814000005 contain requirements similar to a current contract? If possible, please provide the current contract number. Or, is this a new requirement for the government?

Please refer to the cover page, first paragraph of the RFP, stating that this is a new procurement and not follow-on to previous work.

2. To allow sufficient time for preparation and delivery, will USAID please allow three extra business days

(after submission of the proposal in electronic form by email) for submission of the hard copy via air courier?

USAID does not allow different submission due dates for electronic and hard copy proposal submissions.

However, USAID hereby amends submission due date for both electronic and hard copies of proposals to

Monday, June 9 th

, 15:00 (3:00PM) Local Sarajevo Time, to allow additional days for preparation and delivery.

3. For purposes of air courier label, in addition to the name and address provided, will USAID please provide telephone number, as required by air courier documentation?

Telephone number is provided on FBO notice, under “primary point of contact”. However, air courier is no longer a required method of delivery. Please refer to answer provided to Question No. 08.

4. In Section C.3, the second paragraph of Component 2 (page 18) refers to an attached table, which we did not find. Would USAID please make the table available?

The table is available as attachment to this Amendment.

5. Section K.1 (page 66) incorporates FAR 52.237-8 Restriction on Severance Payments to Foreign

Nationals. We respectfully request that USAID include in the RFP FAR 52.237-9, Waiver of Limitation on Severance Payments to Foreign Nationals, so the eventual contractor can abide by Bosnian laws requiring payment of severance and can budget accordingly.

FAR 52.237-8 Restriction on Severance Payments to Foreign Nationals is hereby deleted from the RFP.

Offerors may budget for severance payments to foreign nationals as long as it is in accordance with the local labor law and in accordance with the offeror’s organizational policies.

6. Section L.7.2(c) (page 78) instructs the offeror to “convert its documents into Microsoft Word (for narrative text).” In view of the fact that Word files are generally far larger than the equivalent PDF files and that some required documents (e.g., SF 294 forms) are more readily available as PDF files, would

USAID please confirm that this instruction applies only to Sections I through V of the technical volume?

Confirmed.

7. Section L.7.3 (a) on page 78 instructs the offeror to “send the hard copies and CD-ROM by international air courier.” Would USAID consider electronic delivery only, or allow offerors to submit the e-mail submission by 10 a.m. on June 4, with hard copies to follow on Friday, June 6?

Please refer to answer provided to Question No. 02 (new submission date) and No. 8 (international air courier is no longer a requirement).

8. If USAID requires delivery of hard copies and a CD-ROM version of the proposal, please confirm that hand deliveries are an acceptable alternative to delivery by international air courier.

Confirmed. The offeror is free to choose any method of delivery of proposals. Section L.7.3 (b) is amended accordingly.

9. Section L.8.4 (pages 81-82) lists the minimum qualifications for the chief of party, deputy chief of party, and the legal and regulatory expert. Would USAID consider alternative personnel configurations, including changes to key personnel, assuming the offeror can make a best value case for any changes?

USAID will entertain whomever the offeror proposes as long as the minimum qualifications are the same.

USAID would consider alternative personnel configurations, but offerors are advised the technical evaluation committee must be convinced of the merits of the proposed plan.

10. Section L.8.4 (page 82) states, “the offeror must include a signed certification from each of the proposed local long-term staff confirming that no outside employment shall be accepted while working under this contract.” Would USAID please confirm that this signed certification should be included as an annex to the technical volume?

Confirmed.

11. Section L.8.5 (pages 82-84) describes the Past Performance Section. Would USAID please confirm that all items related to past performance should be included in an annex, including past performance references, contact names for each contract listed, explanations of any corrective actions taken, description of any quality awards or certifications received, and the narrative on performance in using small business concerns?

Confirmed.

12. Reference page 68, (d), it appears that if a company’s Representations and Certifications are current on the SAM website, then no submission is required as an attachment to this proposal. Is that correct?

Please refer to paragraph (b) of FAR 52.204-8 Annual Representations and Certifications (JAN 2014).

“The offeror shall indicate which option applies…”. If paragraph (d) applies, the offeror shall ensure that it complies with all requirements detailed in paragraph (d).

13. Reference page 78, L.7.3 (a), bold print, given the vagaries of the mail system, as long as the proposal has been submitted or mailed by June 4 th is the proposal considered timely or must the hard copy be received by that date?

Both electronic and hard copies of proposals must be received by USAID by the date and time indicated under amended Section L.6 “Acquisition Schedule”. Also, please refer to answer provided to Question

No. 02 above.

14. Reference page 82, second paragraph, signed letters of commitment are required of key personnel. Are letters of commitment required of short term personnel?

Letters of commitment are not required for short term personnel.

15. Reference Geographic Code 937, we understand that the principal geographic code numbers do not include an advanced European country. However, if technical assistance from an advanced European country is the only solution to assist on European-specific technical issues, how should we handle the

Request for Waiver that will be necessary? Can we include the European technical assistance in the proposal and file a Request for Waiver later? Should we describe the assistance in the proposal?”

Technical assistance from organizations from advanced European countries may be included in the proposal. In such cases, source and nationality waiver request shall be submitted after award and before the organizations would be engaged under the activity. The assistance shall be described in the proposal to the extent that the RFP calls for it. However, 22 CFR 228, Source and Nationality does not apply to individuals of the contractor.

16. On Attachment J.4 of the RFP (Summary Budget Format, there is a line item under Travel, Transportation… called Entitlement travel. What types of travel fall under this category?

Attachment J.4 is an illustrative budget only. Travels such as mobilization/demobilization, home leave, R&R could be included under “Entitlement travel”, in accordance with the applicable regulations.

17. Reference L.9.2.10 Fixed Fee. The RFP states: “FAR 15.404‐4 provides for establishing the profit or fee portion of the Government pre‐negotiation objective, and provides profit‐analysis factors for analyzing profit or fee. Propose fee with rationale supported by application of the profit‐analysis factors.” A review of the FAR referenced has a statement” (5) The contracting officer shall not require contractor to submit breakouts or supporting rationale for its profit or fee objective but may consider it, if it is submitted voluntarily”. Does this preclude the necessity of submitting the fee rationale?

Supporting rationale for the offeror’s profit or fee objective is not required but desirable.

18. It appears that there is no work plan for the project as a whole or the first year required to be filed with the proposal. Is that correct?

This is correct. The work plan will be required once the award is signed.

Amendments to the Solicitation

I. In Section L.6 “Acquisition Schedule”, delete “June 4, 2014 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time” and replace it with “June 9, 2014, 3:00PM Local Sarajevo Time”, as the Technical and Cost

Proposals Closing Date and Time (both electronic and hard copies).

II. In Section L.7.3. “Hard Copy and CD-ROM Submission Procedures for the Technical and

Cost Proposals”, paragraph (b), delete sentence “The offeror should send the hard copies and

CD-ROM by international air courier to the below address:”, and replace it with: “The offeror should send the hard copies and CD-ROM to the below address:”

III. In Section L.8.4 “Key Personnel Qualifications and Experience”, delete the following sentences: “Exclusivity is only required for the Chief of Party position. There is no exclusivity requirement for other key personnel; for these latter positions a candidate may be proposed by more than one Offeror”. With this amendment, there is no longer exclusivity requirement for the

Chief of Party or other key personnel.

IV. In Section K “REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS, AND OTHER STATEMENTS

OF OFFERORS”, delete FAR Provision “52.237-8 Restriction on Severance Payments to

Foreign Nationals (AUG 2003)”.

[END OF AMENDMENT NO. 01 - RFP NO. SOL-168-14-000005]

Component 2: Address Retail Market Deficiencies in BiH

Category/

Utility EP HZHB EP BiH ERS

Billed

(KM)

Supplied

(kWh)

Average

Price

(pf/kWh)

Billed

(KM)

Supplied

(kWh)

Average

Price

(pf/kWh)

Billed

(KM)

Supplied

(kWh)

Average

Price

(pf/kWh)

110 kV1 66257101 604509646 10,96 24 067 698 225947343 10,65 3720200 56128017 6,63

35 kV2 17415 107953 16,13 17 119 846 151451236 11,30 5918321 80857898 7,32

10 kV3 12964010 83730478 15,48 54 666 572 364291719 15,01 25123784 276028301 9,10

Small

Commer-cial4

28353944 128690911 22,03 73 178 826 380642424 19,23 45118743 282931088 15,95

House-holds 52339680 356455659 14,68 144 725297 1038301512 13,94 107761609 865933191 12,44

Public lighting 2011728 10656846 18,88 6 104 372 37372382 16,33 4369730 28976991 15,08

Total 161943876 1184151493 13,68 319 862 611 2198006616 14,55 192012387 1590855486 12,07

Customers connected to the 110 kV network (and above) are customers connected to the transmission network, such as huge investors. Some of these customers involve: Aluminijum (Mostar), Birac (Zvornik), Mittal Steel

(Zenica), The Cement Factory (Kakanj), Railways companies, etc.

Customers connected to the 35 kV and 10 kV networks are customers connected to the distribution networks.

Some of these customers involved medium size investors: wood processing factories, breweries, agricultures, livestock farming, shopping centers, hospitals, etc.

Please see note above.

Small commercial customers are connected to the law voltage network (0, 4 kV). These customers includes: craft workshops, workshops, small shops, etc.