Amendment_No._001_SOL-391-14-000030_(PERFORM).pdf

Pakistan Performance Management Support (PERFORM) Request for Proposal No. SOL-391-14-000030

Amendment No. 001

Annex I

SF 30 continued from Page 1, Item 14:

Amendment No. 001 to Request for Proposal No. SOL-391-14-000030 amends the solicitation as follows:

Item 1. Section H.13(c) on Page 55.

Delete the sentence that reads “TCNs will be authorized packages similar to U.S. Nationals consistent with Contractor approved policies and procedures” contained in Section H.13(c).

Insert the following sentence in lieu thereof:

Offerors may propose compensation packages for TCNs similar to those proposed for U.S.

Nationals when consistent with both applicable regulations, the terms of this contract, and approved Contractor policies and procedures.

Item 2. Section H.43 on Page 73.

Insert the following clause as Section H.43, “Prohibition of Assistance to Drug Traffickers.”

USAID reserves the right to terminate this Contract, to demand a refund, or take other appropriate measures if the Contractor, any subawardee, or any project staff acting under the auspices of the Contractor is found to have been convicted of a narcotics offense or to have been engaged in drug trafficking as defined in 22 CFR Part 140.

Item 3. Section H.44 on Page 73.

Insert the following clause as Section H.44, “Preclusion from USAID/Pakistan Awards During Period of Performance.”

The execution of this contract automatically precludes the Contractor from receiving another acquisition or assistance award from USAID/Pakistan during this contract’s period of performance unless the award requests a similar provision of performance management or M&E services. Prior to submitting an offer, the Contractor must seek Contracting Officer concurrence that an award does not implicate an apparent or real organizational conflict of interest.

Item 4. Section J

Amendment No. 001 hereby replaces Attachment J.1, “Mission Strategic Framework,” and Attachment J.2, “Mission Strategic Framework Performance Management Plan,” with updated versions.

Item 5. Section K.13 on Page 101.

Insert Section K.13, “Key Individual Certification Concerning Narcotics Offenses and Drug Trafficking.”

Item 6. Section L.7.2 on Page 110.

Delete Section L.7.2(d) in its entirety. Insert Section the following Section L.7.2(d) in lieu thereof:

The Offeror must submit its proposal as follows: (1) Microsoft Word for the Technical Proposal;

(2) Microsoft Word or PDF for accompanying narratives; (3) Microsoft Excel for budget and other related tables; and (4) PDF for Signature Pages. This provision does not prevent the Offeror from submitting the entire cost proposal in PDF; provided, however, it also submits the budget in Microsoft Excel.

Item 7. Section L.8(b) on Page 111.

Delete Section L.8(b) in its entirety. Insert the following Section L.8(b) in lieu thereof:

The Technical Proposal should contain a clear understanding of the requirement and the responsibilities of all parties required to satisfy the requirement. The Offeror must organize the Technical Proposal by the technical evaluation factors contained in Section M.

Item 8. Section L.8(d) on Page 111.

Delete Section L.8(d) in its entirety. Insert the following Section L.8(d) in lieu thereof:

The page limitation does not include the following, which the Offeror may present as an annex:

Cover Letter Executive Summary Draft Monitoring and Evaluation Plan;

Resumes, references, and tables that summarize qualifications for proposed personnel;

Key Personnel letters of commitment;

Management Plan matrix;

Organization structure organograms;

Past performance references;

Narrative summary of organization’s use of small business concerns and list of recent contracts for which the organization submitted subcontractor reports;

Section L.8.1 Component 2 example.

Item 9. Section L.8(e) on Page 111.

Delete Section L.8(e) in its entirety. Insert the following Section L.8(e) in lieu thereof:

Additionally, the page limitation does not include the following: Cover pages, dividers, tables of content, tables, charts, graphs, organization structure organograms, and attachments.

Item 10. Section L.8(f) on Page 111.

Delete Section L.8(f) in its entirety. Insert the following Section L.8(f) in lieu thereof:

The Offeror must write the proposal in English. The Offeror must use standard “8 1/2 x 11” paper (216mm by 297mm paper), single spaced, Times New Roman 12 point font. The Offeror must number each page consecutively. The Offeror may use a smaller Times New Roman font only for tables, charts, and graphs; but, the font must remain clearly legible.

Item 11. Section L.9(f) on Page 116.

Delete Section L.9(f) in its entirety. Insert the following Section L.9(f) in lieu thereof:

The Offeror must use the following page settings for both the Microsoft Excel and .pdf versions of the budgets contained in the cost proposal:

Page Orientation: Landscape (Offerors can use Portrait orientation for non-budget items) Scaling: Adjust to 65 (Maximum) Page size: Letter Margins: Top and Bottom 0.75 Margins: Left and right 0.7 Margins: Header and Footer 0.2

Repeat the header of a table on each page.

Item 12. Section L.9(h) on Page 117.

Delete Section L.9(h). Insert the following Section L.9(f) in lieu thereof:

The Offeror must use the budgets contained under Section L.9.2(c)(4) to allow for meaningful comparisons.

EXCEPT AS SPECIFICALLY AMENDED HEREIN, ALL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF

SOL-391-14-000030 REMAIN UNCHANGED AND IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT.

Annex II

By way of Annex II to Amendment No. 001 to the solicitation, the Contracting Officer provides the below answers to the questions submitted by prospective offerors.

Question 1

The solicitation's cover letter “invites interested and qualified organizations to submit proposals.” Please clarify what “qualified” means? Also, clarify whether this solicitation is open to all non-NGO's and NGO to include U.S., international and Pakistani.

Answer 1

The cover letter should state “responsible” instead of “qualified”; but, in any event, organizations should internally assess whether they have the requisite qualifications to implement this complex requirement.

USAID/Pakistan seeks an offeror that can provide best value to the U.S. Government through the provision of sophisticated and cost effective services. As previously mentioned, the complexity of the requirement demands that USAID/Pakistan permit all responsible sources to compete.

Question 2

In the absence of a preproposal conference and considering the need for offerors to locate Pakistani talent to implement the proposed program, would USAID consider an extension of the proposal due date to June 30th?

Answer 2

No. USAID/Pakistan synopsized this requirement on April 14, allowing prospective offerors sufficient time to perform due diligence, including the recruitment of Cooperating Country Nationals. Further, USAID/Pakistan has provided nearly 40 days for a prospective offeror to develop a technical and cost proposal.

Question 3

Section H.5 and H.6 state that the Geographic Code for PERFORM is “937.” Would USAID consider expanding this code to “935”?

Answer 3

No. Geographic Code 937 suffices for this requirement.

Question 4

Section H.7 refers to AIDAR 728.305-70(a) which discusses Defense Base Act insurance. In reading the AIDAR, I see that it states that there are a number of countries have been already included under a blanket waiver for DBA insurance. Please clarify if Pakistan is one of these countries.

Answer 4

First, you should stop reading the AIDAR for leisure. Second, USAID policy contained in an Additional Help Document to Automated Directives System (ADS) Chapter 302 provides the following:

DBA insurance coverage is required for employees of contractors (and their subcontractors), unless a waiver has been obtained from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Blanket waivers from Defense Base Act insurance requirements have been issued by the Department of Labor for foreign nationals in over 100 countries in which USAID has or had programs. Foreign national employees covered by this waiver (and/or their employers) are exempt from the requirement to secure Defense Base Act Insurance. Foreign national employees and their employers should be aware that, even though they do not have to secure Defense Base Act coverage, foreign national employees must be provided worker’s compensation benefits as prescribed in applicable foreign laws. However, the waivers do not apply to any employee who is: (1) a citizen of the United States; (2) a resident of the United States; or (3) hired in the United States.

Indeed, the Defense Base Act waiver list includes Pakistan.

Question 5

Section H.13(c) states, “TCNs will be authorized packages similar to US Nationals consistent with Contractor approved policies and procedures.” Are we to assume that this authorization will be commensurate with the award of the contract or will we need to seek a separate approval as suggested by

AIDAR 722.170?

Answer 5

USAID/Pakistan amended the solicitation to clarify that offerors may propose TCNs with compensation packages similar to U.S. Nationals. Note that offerors should propose cost effective packages that it can easily justify during discussions, if any.

Question 6

We note that Pakistan is designated as a Covered Country under the 487 Regulations. Will any specific certifications be required of offerors in this regard?

Answer 6

Noted. USAID/Pakistan amended the solicitation to include an additional clause prohibiting assistance to drug traffickers and the required Section 487 Regulation certifications by “Key Individuals.”

Question 7

FAR Clause 52.244-2 is included in Section I by reference. Please clarify whether USAID will be imposing any restrictions in approving subawards as allowed under the clause, i.e., will USAID be filling in the blanks?

Answer 7

USAID/Pakistan reserves the right to include FAR § 52.244-2 as full text at the time of award.

Question 8

Both Sections L and M include “Value for Money” provisions. Please clarify if this is not the same as “Cost Realism” and, if not, what the difference is. We ask as this appears to be a new requirement not previously seen in USAID solicitations.

Answer 8

The “Value for Money” component has analogues to cost realism to some extent. This new solicitation requirement resulted from recent Agency policy guidance to allow senior management to understand an activity’s proposed allocation of funds between program and support costs, among other things.

Question 9

In addition to the pages listed on page 110 of the RFP that are not included in the page limit, could you please confirm that the following do not count against the 35 page technical proposal limit: the Executive Summary and the cover letter?

Answer 9

USAID/Pakistan amended the solicitation so that it’s clearly confirmed that the Executive Summary and the cover letter do not count against the page limit. Yet USAID/Pakistan respectfully notes that it does not score the boiler plate cover letters from chief executives or the beautiful, but usually less than concise prose of the executive summary.

Question 10

Could you please confirm that offerors are allowed to use a font smaller than times new roman 12 point font for tables, charts, and graphs, as long as it is still legible?

Answer 10

USAID/Pakistan amended the solicitation to confirm that “offerors may use a font smaller than times new roman 12 point font for tables, charts, and graphs, as long as it is still legible.”

Question 11

Are the three draft Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, draft Performance Management Plan, and draft Monitoring and Evaluation Plan the same thing?

Answer 11

Yes. USAID/Pakistan respectfully believes the prospective offeror knows the answer to this question; nevertheless, USAID/Pakistan amended the solicitation to clarify that the three documents referenced in your question are the Draft Monitoring and Evaluation Plan.

Question 12

Can you please confirm that these items (Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, Draft Performance Management Plan, and/or Monitoring and Evaluation Plan) can be included as an annex and do not need to be included in the technical narrative?

Answer 12

USAID/Pakistan amended the solicitation to clarify that the offeror need not include the Draft Monitoring and Evaluation Plan in the technical narrative; but, it must include a discussion concerning “Technical Application” in the technical proposal as required by Section L.8(g)—which may or may not include a discussion of the Draft Monitoring and Evaluation Plan.

Question 13

We respectfully request clarification regarding the following RFP references:

On page 110 of the RFP under L.8.(b), the Draft Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Plan is listed as the third section of the technical proposal.

On page 110 of the RFP under L.8, subsection d), it states that the Draft Performance Management Plan does not count against the 35 page technical proposal limit and can be included as an annex.

On page 112 of the RFP under L.8.2 it states that the draft Monitoring and Evaluation Plan is to be included in an annex.

Answer 13

USAID/Pakistan applauds the prospective offeror’s careful reading of the solicitation.

USAID/Pakistan amended the solicitation to clarify those references in the solicitation.

Question 14

On page 110 of the RFP, it states that organization structure organograms do not count against the page limit, but they are not listed as an authorized annex. Can you please confirm that offerors can include them in an additional annex?

Answer 14

Please note the permissive language used in the solicitation regarding annexes. Nevertheless, USAID/Pakistan amended the solicitation to very much clarify that organograms do not count against the page limit.

Question 15

On page 110 of the RFP under section L.8.(d), it mentions “tables that summarize qualifications for proposed personnel” and a “Management Plan matrix” as two separate annexes. Further, on page 113 of the RFP, under L.8.4, the Management Plan matrix is described as a “matrix of all significant, relevant skills the personnel bring to the performance of this Statement of Work, and the percentage of time they will work on this contract.” This seems to encompass the information that would be included in the “tables that summarize qualifications for proposed personnel”. Can offerors submit a single matrix/table that includes all of the requested information?

Answer 15

Yes.

Question 16

On page 110 of the RFP, it lists Value for Money as a required section of the Technical Proposal, however, on page 125 of the RFP, it states that the Value for Money section should be included in the Cost proposal. Could you please confirm that the Value for Money should only be included in the Cost proposal?

Answer 16

USAID/Pakistan amended the solicitation so it’s clear that offerors must include the “Value for Money” section in the cost proposal.

Question 17

On page 113 of the RFP, it states that all Key Personnel must sign a letter of commitment. Can you please confirm that the letters of commitment can be included as an annex, not to count against the 35 page technical limit?

Answer 17

USAID/Pakistan amended the solicitation so that it clearly states that offerors may provide the letters of commitment as an annex.

Question 18

Can you please confirm that three items listed under Section L.8.5.(d), Performance in Using Small Business Concerns (which can easily exceed 20 pages, including a narrative summary of our organization’s use of small business concerns, a list of the recent contracts for which our organization submitted subcontractor reports to eSRS, and three SB concern references) can be included as an annex?

Answer 18

USAID/Pakistan amended the solicitation so that it clearly states that offerors may provide the utilization of small business concerns information as an annex.

Question 19

Page 115, L.9 Instructions for the Preparation of the Cost Proposal: “(f) The Offeror should use the following page settings for both the Microsoft Excel and .pdf versions of the cost proposal: Page Orientation: Landscape” Please confirm that for non-budget items (such as text documents like the budget narrative, and certifications, biodata forms, etc.) Offerors can use Portrait orientation?

Answer 19

USAID/Pakistan amended the solicitation so that it clearly allows for “Portrait” orientation in certain cases.

Question 20

Section L.9 Instructions for the Preparation of the Cost Proposal, states: “(h) The Offeror must use the budget contained in Attachment J.17 to allow for meaningful comparisons.” However, Attachment J.17 contains CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE REPORT, not a budget template. Could you please confirm that the budget template included in section B and in section L.9 are sufficient?

Answer 20

USAID/Pakistan amended the solicitation to clarify the budget templates that the offeror must use.

Question 21

On page 108, Section L.7.2 Procedures for the Submission of Proposals by E-mail states: paragraph (d) states: “The Offeror must submit its proposal in the format as follows: (1) Microsoft Word for the Technical Proposal; (2) Microsoft Word or PDF for accompanying narratives; (3) Microsoft Excel for budget and other related tables; and (4) PDF for Signature Pages.” Given the numbers of documents in the Cost Proposal that represent existing documentation (such as NICRAs, financial statements, backup documents, etc. that are scanned/PDF documents), we respectfully request that USAID allow for submission of the full Cost Proposal in PDF, with the budget provided in Excel and the Budget Narrative in Word.

Answer 21

USAID/Pakistan amended the solicitation to accommodate this respectful request to allow an offeror to submit a full cost proposal in PDF; provided, however, the offeror also submits the budget in Microsoft Excel.

Question 22

Can USAID confirm that the strategic frameworks and PMPs attached to the solicitation are the most updated version?

Answer 22

USAID/Pakistan amended the solicitation to provide the most recently updated versions of the Mission Strategic Framework, the corresponding narrative, and the Performance Management Plan for the Mission Strategic Framework.

END OF ANNEX II TO AMENDMENT NO. 001