ESP_Pre-bid_Meeting_7.14.15_(cleaned_up)_JB.docx

USAID Afghanistan Engineering Support Program (ESP) Pre-Bid Meeting Solicitation and Selection July 14, 2015

1. Welcome: Greg Wang, USAID/Afghanistan welcomes attendees and states that infrastructure is an important part of work in Afghanistan and will remain so in the future.

2. [Greg introduces Sunil Xavier, Deputy Director, Field Operations]. Sunil welcomes attendees to the pre-bid meeting and briefly introduces himself. Holding pre-bid meetings is a best practice, and when USAID does these, our partners understand the solicitation better, the process is faster, and we receive better proposals. Thanks everyone for coming.

3. [Greg introduces Gordon Weynand, Director of Technical services for OAPA] Gordon welcomes attendees to USAID and thanks them for showing their interest in the solicitation. He states that this contract is critically important to USAID and our complex infrastructure portfolio in Afghanistan. USAID is committed to completing its projects in Afghanistan well. Afghanistan has a difficult environment with shifting security in difficult terrain. The portfolio has changed over time: there are more energy projects now while we are finishing road. There is still a large portfolio that needs to be managed and we want to oversee the work that needs to get done. We want to leverage expertise of the private sector, make sure money is spent well, and achieve the results we want. We know what the private sector is capable of and need the best what the private sector has for this project.

4. Greg provides a general overview of project, which is a critical component for USAID/Afghanistan. This project will ensure that the infrastructure we are doing, is being done correctly. The partner we are looking for is someone who we can work with closely to ensure we closely monitor programs. We will talk about contractual details later.

5. [Greg introduces John P. Belli, Jr., Engineer for OAPA] to talk about project specifics, future work, and overall context.

6. Jay welcomes attendees and provides brief background on himself. What to expect from past projects.

Question: Will the projects be on-budget or off-budget?

Jay: They will be both.

Greg: explains difference between on and off budget projects. On budget is G2G work where we give money through a trustee to GIRoA for implementation of their projects, but USAID still supports monitoring of those activities.

Question: Will USAID’s contractor still work directly for USAID?

Greg: That is correct. We want to ensure projects are done right and that GIROA gains skills to manage projects correctly in the future.

Jay: USAID still has stewardship responsibility and needs to ensure that those projects are transparent.

Question: How much will be construction work?

Greg: We don’t have an estimate. There is about US$1 billion in play. For the future, it is hard to say.

7. Greg: goes into details of the solicitation, such as due dates, contract types, job ordering system, proposal process, etc. Refer to Power Point Presentation

Question: Does 937 also apply to key personnel or just firms?

Greg: depends on how they are hired. If they are employees of the firm, then nationality is not relevant. If they are not employees, then they would be consultants or subcontractors and in that case they would need a waiver depending on their nationality.

Question: on past performance evaluation. The RFQ seems to ask to provide info on 5 sample projects in the SF 330 format. Can section H be used to talk about other projects in addition to the 5 highlighted in section H?

Greg: Complete the SF 330 form, keep it to 5 pages, and follow format.

Question: Would subcontractors have to submit 5 projects as well?

Greg: No, just the prime.

Question: Regarding security, if a job order requires APFF, would USAID be okay with a partner using them?

Greg: Using APPF is a requirement in certain situations by Afghan law. RMCs are an option. With APPF, the implementing partner (IP) has to provide capacity building. Some IPs use RMCs for that and some have their own security staff. In either case, IPs have to abide Afghan security laws.

Question: What are the requirements regarding small business concerns?

Greg: We are interested in how you use and can use SBs. There is no set-aside and small business utilization is not an evaluation factor, but it is something we consider, i.e. can you use American small businesses.

Question: Is it possible to get a copy of the attendance list for firms looking to partner?

Greg: The materials will be shared and attendees can network. I will need to see if we can share the attendance list.

Question: Where in Afghanistan are electrical projects and what percentage of work we will oversee?

Jay: About 2/3 of the work is energy related and that will remain a big part of portfolio. There will be a “Gas to Energy” project, a PPP type project, but we are not sure what requirements exactly will be.

Question: Where?

Jay: a lot of energy comes from the north. That transmission system is already in place. DABS is in process of building a substation in Salang Pass. This is being procured. Another line is under construction from Argandi to _Ghazni___. 5 substations go along with that. The line from Ghazni to Kandahar is being tendered as well. Construction may start during this contract term. There is another connector in the south that will be bid out and implemented. USAID is adding a turbine at the Kajaki Dam in the Helmand River Valley.

Question: on the design and planning side, do you see that to be a significant part?

Jay: I don’t really know. Yes, it would be mostly energy related, maybe some transport related, maybe a little supporting Ministry of Public Works.

Question: How quickly does USAID want to award this contract?

Greg: This year.

Question: fiscal or calendar?

Greg: Calendar. We anticipate that the ranking can take a while.

Question: for a new JV that has to get an AISA license, do we need to get it now or can we wait to find out the ranking and then get it if we are among the top three?

Greg: An AISA license is not required for proposal submission. AISA license is a business license that all companies need to be able to operate in Afghanistan. This would be a consideration of how quickly we need to mobilize, so the license would be a consideration (of how quickly an IP can start the project).

Question: Can you talk about capacity building and mentoring?

Greg : We have a requirement for a women’s engineering internship program. This will be with local universities so the students can learn various skills, such as testing , computer, etc. We will look at how offerors plan to build Afghans in performing the work and giving guidance to GIRoA.

Jay: It is not a capacity building program per se, but we hope there will be on the job training. The implementer needs to transfer knowledge to counterparts in Afghanistan. Promote gender in the workforce and the subcontracting plan. But it is not specifically for capacity building.

Question: It is not like previous projects with embeds in ministries?

Jay: No, not like that.

Greg: IPs may need to send people to ministries to help with specific tasks, but not embedding people on a regular basis.

Question: What do you expect the average workforce on the project to be at any one time?

Greg: It depends on job orders going on. The IP needs to have the office established with three key personnel and will need administration personnel as necessary. The rest depends on job orders and the requisite work that goes with those orders. It really depends on the work. Workforce (labor) requirements would scale up and down through time. IPs will need engineering support from the home office and needs to have people on standby and then give work as work needed to the home office support team. We do not have specific numbers on people.

Question: Is there a limit on the number of subcontractors?

Greg: No.

Jay: How about a limitation on tiers?

Greg: One criteria is the amount of work that the prime can and will do. We limit to no more than 2 tiers.

Gordon Weynand: How many job orders may be active, based on historic experience?

Greg: Currently there are 2 incumbents: one is doing the monitoring, the other the design/construction/management. That one has about 90 job orders. It has 8 to 15 open at one time. The monitoring has about 10 active job orders , divided by sector (roads, water, energy, and vertical structures).

Question: What format will the oral discussions have?

Greg: I envision having the discussions over the phone (teleconference). We will have questions for the top three ranked offerors and do them over the phone.

Greg thanks everyone for coming and their interest. He looks forward to receiving good proposals.