Jordan_Outreach_&_Communications_Project_-_Amendment-2.pdf

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December 26, 2015

Subject: Request for Proposal (RFP) No. SOL-278-17-000007 USAIDJordan Outreach & Communications Project Amendment #2

The purpose of this Amendment is to respond to questions received from various offerors through emails.

A. There are no further amendments to the RFP.

B. Answers to questions received from various offerors via email as of the deadline on Tuesday, December 20, 2016:

Question No. 1: In Section F.5, page 24, paragraph 1, USAID proposes that the contractor furnish one Key Personnel Project Director. In the matrix and in Section L. 8.5, USAID proposes that the offeror list between 3‐5 additional Key Personnel. Could USAID kindly share the requirements of the Project Director position and/or propose a set number of additional key personnel to be proposed so that evaluation criteria for evaluating key personnel are similar across proposals?

Answer No. 1: It is the Offeror’s responsibility to propose a qualified and capable

Project Director, who can lead the Outreach & Communications Project to meet the RFP requirements. Offerors should propose between 3 ‐5 key personnel, including the Project Director.

Question No. 2: Section L.7.2, Delivery Instructions, page 112, specify that it is preferred that the technical and cost proposal be consolidated into one document, whereas Section L.7.3, Format and Presentation, advise the offerors to submit two separate emails; one for the technical volume and the other for cost related information, respectively. Would USAID kindly clarify if two separate emails, one for each volume, each with a 5 MB limit, are equally acceptable?

Answer No. 2: To clarify, Offerors must submit each of their cost and technical proposals separately. When multiple emails are necessary (due to file size limits), please use the following email format per L.7.2

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Delivery Instructions: “Technical Proposal, Part 1 of 3,” as an example. At no time should the Offeror combine Technical Proposal files alongside or within Cost Proposal files; each Proposal type must remain separate and distinct, both by file and by email.

Question No. 3: Section L.7.2, Delivery Instructions, page 112, paragraph 3, references that pages requiring original manual signatures should be scanned and emailed as an attachment. Could USAID kindly confirm that these be included in the in the PDF along with the relevant technical or cost volume?

Answer No. 3: Yes; confirmed; signature pages should be incorporated into the same PDF file to which they relate, to be submitted as a single document.

Question No. 4: Section L.7.2, Delivery Instructions, page 112, paragraph 3. Could USAID confirm that Annex A, Original Creative Content Design sample, can be submitted in a separate email from the technical proposal if the high‐resolution images and graphics cause the total file size to exceed 5MB?

Answer No. 4: Yes, they can be submitted separately in the Annexes (see also response to Question 2, above, on consolidating separate Technical and Cost Proposals). However, Offerors should take care to specify in their Technical Proposal where and how to locate the corresponding images and graphics, especially when submitted separately as an Annex.

Question No. 5: Given that not all of the attachments listed in Section J, page 88, have been provided, would USAID kindly consider extending the deadline for proposal submission to allow for complete receipt and response of relevant Section J attachments?

Answer No. 5: Kindly refer to Attachment 1 of the RFP, where corrections and additions (including Attachments 1 ‐ 4) were added.

Question No. 6: Can USAID confirm that the CV’s for key personnel are excluded from the 15 page limit for the technical proposal?

Answer No. 6: Confirmed. Please see L.8.9: “Annexes (not included in the page limit): … ANNEX B ‐ Key Personnel Resumes, References & Letters of Commitment.” Curriculum Vitae (CVs) are to be treated similarly to resumes.

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Question No. 7: Can USAID please provide a copy of the Mission’s Local Compensation Plan?

Answer No. 7: The Mission Local Compensation Plan has been provided in

Amendment 1, referenced in Question 5, above.

Question No. 8: May the offerer include a list of acronyms that does not count against the page limit?

Answer No. 8: Yes; as provided in the bulleted list under Section L.8 Instructions for the Preparation of the Technical Proposal.

Question No. 9: Is a consortium proposal allowed? Can the lead partner submit the application and indicate who the partners are? How do we prove the partnership? Is the Consortia Agreement sufficient or do you need something else?

Answer No. 9: A Proposal from a consortium is allowable. However, it is the

Offeror’s responsibility to provide USAID with the specific agreements, authorizations, and accountability structure(s) already in place, and to define the person(s) authorized to obligate on behalf of all partners involved. A single lead organization must be designated and authorized to be wholly responsible and accountable for the Offeror’s Proposal as submitted.

Question No. 10: For the commercial proposal, would the Mission like us to use the estimated figures for the previous year or can the Mission provide new figures which they foresee being applicable moving forward?

Answer No. 10: It is presumed that by “commercial proposal” the question refers to the “Cost Proposal;” however, in no case will the Mission provide figures or estimates.

Question No. 11: For the commercial proposal, would the mission prefer a budget based on deliverables or man‐power?

Answer No. 11: The RFP specifies this to be a “cost‐plus‐fixed‐fee (CPFF) completion‐type contract.

Question No. 12: Can a startup company with leadership who has the capacity and ability to successfully manage and implement an outreach and communication program for clients working in the development arena but no past performance still compete for this contract as a Prime offeror?

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Answer No. 12: This is a full and open competition, and all Offerors including startup companies are welcome to submit proposals. USAID will review each Proposal; however, the onus and responsibility remains with the Offeror to submit sufficient evidence and any supporting documentation to prove their “capacity and ability” to successfully implement the Project.

Question No. 13: Are there alternatives for a start‐up company to prove capacity and ability to successfully manage and implement an outreach and communication program for clients working in the development arena other than past performance?

Answer No. 13: As stated above, the onus and responsibility remains with the

Offeror to submit sufficient evidence and any supporting documentation to prove their “capacity and ability” to successfully implement the Project.