SOL-514-15-000001_-_Q A_-_20150129.pdf

Q&A Artisanal Gold Mining program

1. Regarding Expected Result 2.1 (Reforestation NAMA supported in areas degraded by unauthorized ASM operations), the RFP references the recuperation of degraded lands through commercial forestry plantations and states on page 10 that “RIA estimates the costs of environmental recuperation of these degraded lands in the order of $4.000/Hectare.” At the top of page 13, an illustrative indicator of “Number of hectares reforested (approximately 11,500)” is listed. The second component of the Activity Fund, as described on page 16 of the RFP, provides $5 million of sustainable landscapes/climate change earmarked funding for this expected result and a minimum leverage requirement of 1 to 3 ratio, which would increase the funding to a minimum of $15 million. However, according to the estimates USAID provided in the RFP, achieving the illustrative target of 11,500 hectares would cost approximately $46 million. Please clarify.

USAID expects significant co-finance from all stakeholders, including -but not limited to- private sector, land owners, associations and Colombian government. Offerors are expected to contribute innovative approaches to achieve the necessary funding.

2. With $10.5 million of the estimated budget allocated to the Activity Fund, approximately $9.5 million remains for the life of project. This is an average of $1.9 million/year to support project staff, multiple offices, travel between Bogota and two departments, security, and other standard operational costs. Can USAID share any cost assumptions to help bidders align limited operational funding with USAID’s high expectations for results?

As mentioned on Q1, “Offerors are expected to contribute innovative approaches to achieve the necessary funding.” This is not limited to leverage, but to the program approach and budget approach as well.

RFP amended. Changes are made as follows:

On page 11, C.3 GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS, please delete “cost share” and replace with “leverage”

On page 16, Activity Fund, please delete “cost share” and replace with “leverage”

On page 16, Grants, sub-contracts, and short-term technical assistance under the Activity Fund, please delete “cost share” and replace with “leverage”

On page 19, C.6. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES – please delete “cost share” and replace with “leverage”

3. Section C.5: Technical Requirements (page 16 of the RFP) states that the contractor will submit a draft Activity Fund Manual within 60 days of contract award. The Timeline of Deliverables table on page 24 states that the Draft Activity Fund manual is due 40 days after award signing. Please clarify the due date for the manual.

RFP Amended. Changes are made as follows:

On page 16, Activity Fund – please delete “60 days” and replace with “40 days”.

4. Further, Section L.3: Proposal Statement (page 56) lists the Draft Activity Fund Manual as a required technical proposal annex (denoting that the draft manual is due upon proposal submission). Is a draft Activity Fund Manual to be submitted in Annex H, and if so, how does it differ from the same manual submitted within 40 or 60 days of award?

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Please see answer to question Nr. 3. The draft activity Fund Manual should be submitted 40 days after award signing. It is not part of the requirements when submitting the proposal.

RFP amended. Changes are made as follows:

On page 56 – Annex H, please delete “Draft of Activity Fund Manual” and replace with “Grantmaking Experience Table”.

On page 56, after Annex H. Grantmaking Experience Table, please add the following text: “Annex I: Key Personnel Retention Table”.

On page 59 – Annex H, please delete “Draft of a Activity Fund Manual: The Offeror must include a draft of an Activity Fund Manual which: i) Provides guidance on activity design; ii) Defines funding thresholds for Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and Contracting Officer (CO) approval; iii) Establishes basic criteria for selection of award; and iv) Be in accordance with all USAID regulation.” and replace with “Grantmaking Experience Table: Grantmaking experience matrix showing last 5 years of grants, including the recipient, amount, and date of the grant awarded.

On page 59 – L.4 INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL – ANNEXES – Please insert “Annex I: Key Personnel Retention Table: The proposal must include an Annex listing (in chart form) all USAID awards given to the applicant in the past three years (up to a maximum of 10, in chronological order, most recent awards first) that required the placement of key long-term personnel. The chart must include the following data points: name of USAID CTO/COR, name of USAID Mission, key personnel proposed, key personnel actually fielded upon award, replacement key personnel – if any, and the reason for the replacement.

5. Typically, manuals are developed following award and in coordination with work planning. Instead of submission of a draft Activity Fund Manual as part of offerors’ proposals, would USAID instead agree to a full manual being developed after award and the following being submitted with the proposal:

Activity Manual Table of Contents (outline of the Activity Manual to be developed within the first 40–60 days following award) plus detailed information: on 1) bidder’s Grant Management approach; 2) USAID approval threshold proposal; 3) selection criteria; and

4) a list of USAID regulations that are incorporated throughout the manual?

Bidder’s grant management approach has to be submitted with the proposal. Other items in this question can be part of the draft manual due 40 days after award signing.

6. The reports and deliverables chart in Section F.3 of the RFP (page 24) shows that the Draft Annual Work Plan is due 30 days after award signature. However, page 15 states that the offeror will include with its proposal a Project Implementation Plan (Work Plan). Please clarify if a draft implementation plan (Work Plan) should be submitted with the proposal or if it is due 30 days after award signature.

The project implementation plan covering the full length of the program must be submitted with the proposal. USAID expects sufficient level of details to understand how the offeror will approach implementation over the 5 year period. First annual work plan must be submitted 30 days after award.

7. If a Draft Work Plan is to be submitted as part of the proposal, please confirm that offerors may include it as an annex to the technical proposal exclusive of the 40-page limit?

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The Project Implementation Plan can be submitted as an annex to the proposal.

8. The deliverables timeline chart in Section F.3 states that Final Annual Reports are due 30 days after the end of the project year. However page 26 states that Final Annual Reports are due ten days after receiving USAID/Colombia comments on the Draft Annual Report. Please clarify the due date for Final Annual Reports.

RFP amended. Changes are made as follows:

On page 24, table F.3 REPORTS AND DELIVERABLES – Annual Report, please delete “30 days after the end of the project year” and replace with “10 days after receiving USAID feedback”

On page 24, table F.3 REPORTS AND DELIVERABLES – Final Report, please delete “30 days after the end of the contract” and replace with “10 days after receiving USAID feedback”

9. The deliverables timeline chart in Section F.3 states that the Final Report is due 30 days after the end of the contract. However page 26 states that the Final Report is due ten days after receiving USAID/Colombia comments on the Draft Final Report. Please clarify the due date for the final report.

Please see question 8.

10. The deliverables timeline chart in Section F.3 states that Annual Work Plans are due 45 days prior to the start of the next project year. The narrative on page 25 states that Annual Work Plans are due 30 calendar days prior to commencement of the next USG fiscal year. Please clarify the due date for Annual Work Plans.

RFP amended. Changes are made as follows:

On Page 15, Project Implementation Plan, please delete “The work plan and timeline will cover the first 12 months of the project.”

On page 24, table F.3 – TIMELINE OF DELIVERABLES – Draft Annual Reports, please delete “15 days after the end of the project year” and replace with “30 calendar days prior to commencement of the next USG fiscal year (no later than August 31)”

11. Can USAID clarify the difference between the following two deliverables?

a. PMP (due Day 70 per the RFP)

b. M&E System (due Day 60 per the RFP)

The Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP) is a document that contains baselines, target, indicators and its description.

The Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system includes the processes and tools the contractor will use to track progress on each mechanism, report on progress, identify corrective actions and monitor overall implementation. The PMP can be understood as a part of the M&E system.

12. Should the M&E System be due after approval of the PMP instead of before the PMP is submitted to and approved by USAID?

The PMP is due 70 days after award and the M&E System is due 60 days after award.

13. Section C.5 – Technical Requirements, Grants, sub-contracts, and short-term technical assistance under the Activity Fund (page 16 of the RFP) – indicates that the Activity Fund can include more than grants under contract. However, the cost template distributed by USAID includes only grant-related costs under the Activity Fund line item, and Section L.5.A (Instructions

SOL-514-15-00001 – Artisanal Gold Mining – Environmental Impact Reduction Program Page 3 of 21 for Preparation of the Cost Proposal) of the RFP contains a subcontracts line item and a “grants under contracts” line item, but no Activity Fund line item. Please confirm that the Activity Fund is not only limited to grants and that subcontracts and STTA may be part of it.

The activity fund includes only awards directly related to the objectives of the contract and is not limited to grants. It can include sub-contracts, and short-term technical assistance. Other subcontracts for the administrative operations of the prime contract are not to be included under the activity fund but in their corresponding line item. Instructions to prepare the proposal don’t include Activity Fund instructions as these are the contractors’ proposal prerogative.

14. Please confirm that offerors may include a cover letter to their technical proposal that does not count against the page limit.

Offerors may include a cover letter to their technical proposal. It does not count against the 40 page limit.

15. Per the requirements on pages 28-29 of the RFP, both the Chief of Party and the Activity Fund Manager are expected to be English speakers but English is not required for the Deputy Chief of Party. Since USAID recommends that the Deputy Chief of Party have strong writing skills, and reports must be submitted to USAID in English, did USAID unintentionally omit English as a required qualification for the DCOP position?

No. English language is not a requirement for the DCOP.

16. Section L.4: Instructions for the Preparation of the Technical Proposal (page 59) requires a Grantmaking Experience Table as an annex containing information on the last 5 years of grants, including recipient, amount, and date of the grant awarded. Section C.5: Technical Requirements (page 16) states that applicants must provide details on the awards managed over the last 4 years (2010–2013). Please clarify if USAID seeks grantmaking experience for the past 4 or past 5 years.

RFP amended. Changes are made as follows:

On page 16, C.5. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS - Activity Fund Management Experience, please delete “the last four years (2010-2013)” and replace with “the last five years (2010-2014)”.

On page 16, C.5. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS - Activity Fund Management Experience, please delete “over the period of 2011-2013” and replace with “over the period of 2010-2014”.

17. [F]or contractors implementing multiple grant programs, some of which are extremely large, a list of all grants over the past 4 to 5 years could require listing between 500 and 1,000 grants. In order to sufficiently demonstrate capacity to manage the Activity Fund under this project, would USAID accept either (a) a list of all grant making programs (including dates and total budget for grants/activity fund) or (b) demonstration of 10 or more grants totaling more than $1 million over the period 2011–2013?

As the intent for this request is to establish a track record of the implementer’s ability to administer grants, in cases where this experience is very large a combination of both alternatives proposed above should be sufficient to evaluate said ability.

18. Section L.5: Instructions for Preparation of the Cost Proposal (page 62) of the RFP states “the Offeror’s certified Salary Range (see Section H.8), which must include…” Section H.8 of this RFP discusses Submission of Datasets to the Development Data Library. Please clarify what is required, if anything, with respect to a salary range.

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RFP amended. Changes are made as follows:

On page 62, (A) For All Long-Term Professional Positions, please delete “(see Section H.8)” and “Section H.8 also discusses salary escalations.”

All proposed positions must have an estimated salary range based on current labor market.

19. Section L.3.3.v of the RFP instructs offerors to provide the Subcontracting Plan as an annex to the technical proposal. As this document will contain financial information, should offerors instead include this information with the cost proposal?

Please include this information in both documents.

20. Section L.3.v (page 56) of the RFP lists the annexes required for the technical volume as A–H.

Section L.4 on page 59 requires annexes A–I. Please clarify which is the correct list of annexes.

Please see question 4.

21. The budget template provided with the RFP includes offices in five specific locations. Reference is made on page 15 of the RFP to Bogota and Medellin as possible locations for the main office.

Please confirm that the five specific locations in the budget template were accidentally included and are not the expected office locations for this project.

USAID expects the main office to be either in Medellin or Bogota and a justification for this recommendation. If offices in other locations are proposed a justification must be included and reflected in the budget.

22. Section M: Evaluation Criteria (page 69 of the RFP), C. Management of Logistics, 2. Logistical Structure lists the final evaluation criteria as “Plan to implement the protocols outlined in Section C.5 of this performance work statement.” However, several of the requirements listed in Section C.5 are proposal requirements (e.g., demonstrating activity fund management experience, including work plan and timeline in the proposal). Please confirm that for this evaluation factor, USAID is seeking a plan for how the Contractor will abide by the parts of Section C.5 that specifically refer to project implementation requirements.

The criteria refer to protocols under section C6:

“The contractor must design and implement protocols to support project implementation while making sure that: i) sub-contractors and sub-grantees will be vetted against multiple databases including the Bridger system, the Excluded Parties List System, the Specially Designated Nationals List, and the System for Award Management (sam.gov). ii) Degraded areas for environmental recuperation have a clear land title and are not subject to any dispute (e.g. land restitution) iii) Private companies associated with the project are fully compliant with environmental regulation and Consulta Previa, (prior consultation) when required. iv) Project staff should have the adequate level of security to perform their duties in the field. USAID will review and approve in writing these protocols”.

RFP amended. Changes are made as follows:

On page 69, Section M - 2. Logistical Structure – F., please delete “C 5” and replace with “C 6”.

23. Sections L.3 and L.4 of the RFP (pages 56 and 59) request submission of a “Draft Gender and Minority Strategy” as Annex F. However, C.5: Technical Requirements (page 18) requests a “Gender and Child Labor Strategy.” Please clarify whether these documents are the same, whether Minority singularly includes Child Labor, or whether Minorities and Child Labor are to be included.

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USAID expects a Draft Gender, Child Labor and Minorities Strategy. Please see guidelines on gender at http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1870/GenderEqualityPolicy.pdf

RFP amended. Changes are made as follows:

On page 18, Gender and child labor, please delete “Gender and child labor” and replace with “Gender, Child Labor and Minorities”.

On page 23, TIMELINE OF DELIVERABLES – please delete “Gender and child labor elimination” and replace with “Gender, Child Labor and Minorities”.

On page 56, Annex F., please delete “Gender and minority” and replace with “Gender, Child Labor and Minorities”.

On page 59, Annex F., please delete “Gender and minority” and replace with “Gender, Child Labor and Minorities”.

24. Our team has work in private mining and agriculture industries so we have managed very big projects but we have not managed grants. Do we have to have grants experience if we have all the mining and agriculture experience needed?

No. Grant making experience is required as described in the RFP.

25. "The applicant will demonstrate the capacity to simultaneously manage multiple awards.

Applicants must provide details on the awards managed over the last four years (2010-2013). At a minimum, organizations should have experience in managing 10 or more grants totaling more than $1 million in grants over the period of 2011-2013."

Please see question 16. The offeror must present verifiable evidence accrediting this experience.

26. Our approach to create jobs use a mix of agriculture with a mix of Sacha Inchi, castor oil, forest and building houses with a brick systems. We don't use bees. Is that a requirement or just a suggestion?

Continuity with previous programs is expected, but USAID is also open to new ideas and approaches suitable for the type of environments where this program will work.

27. How long will USAID take to make a final decision after the 6 of February?

Process for making a decision in a Full and Open Competition Contract can take up to 5 months.

28. Some of our drawings are in Spanish do we have them translated into English?

Proprietary documents that are not included in the core requirements can be in Spanish.

29. The Obligated amount B-4 is blank is there an obligated amount?

At this point, USAID reserves the possibility of funding one or more proposals, or no proposals at all. For this reason, there is no obligation of funds until an award decision has been made.

30. Is there a specific amount of work that needs to be done in Choco and in Antioquia? The problems in Chocó are different than the problems in Antioquia. Do you require a specific amount of work for each Departamento at the end of the 5 years or can we concentrate in some specific municipalities first like Remedios? How much work needs to be done on each department and on each municipality?

USAID doesn’t have a split for the target regions, but expects work to be done in both departments. Offerors must submit an implementation plan together with the proposal.

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31. On Page 6, Purpose, it states that “This five-year project is estimated at approximately $20 million…” Can USAID confirm that this is not a ceiling amount and that proposals could conceivably be for an amount slightly higher than $20 million? Alternatively, can USAID provide a specific range?

The total cost of this project is estimated not to exceed $20 million.

32. In Section C.5 page 16 the RFP states that the activity manual is due within 60 days of contract award. However, Section F.3 under Reports and deliverables the Draft Activity Fund Manual is due 40 days after award signing. Please confirm the Activity Fund Manual is due within 60 days of contract award.

Please see answer to question 3.

33. Section F.1 page 24 states that the period of performance is 5 years from the date of award.

However, on page 65 towards the end of section L, the RFP states “All cost and pricing information must be submitted in a format consistent with the Task Order’s four-year and six month period of performance...” Please clarify the anticipated period of performance.

The anticipated period of performance is 5 years from the date of award.

RFP Amended. Changes are made as follows:

On Page 65, Section L – (7) Other Price and Cost Detail Instructions, please delete “Task Order’s four-year and six month period” and replace with “Contract’s five year period”

34. Section K.2 states the NAICS code for this acquisition as 541990. However, on block 8 of the SF 1447 states that the NAICS is 541620. Could USAID clarify the NAICS code for this solicitation?

RFP amended. Changes are made as follows:

On page 45, K.2 FAR 52.204-8 ANNUAL REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS (MAY 2012) (a)(1), please delete “541990” and replace with NAICS Code: 541620 Environmental Consulting Services.

35. On the instructions for long term professional positions on page 62 there are references to Section H. 8. However, Section H.8 on page 38 refers to the submission of Datasets to the Development Data Library. Please clarify intended contents of Section H.8.

RFP amended. Changes are made as follows:

On page 62, (A) For All Long-Term Professional Positions, please delete “(see Section H.8)” and “Section H.8 also discusses salary escalations.”

36. In addition, under (C) on page 62, the RFP requests a pay scale for short term technical assistance. Given that this is a CPFF completion contract and consultant salaries vary significantly based on experience and nationality, would USAID consider removing this requirement?

The requested Short Term Technical Assistance pay scale, albeit illustrative, is used to establish the fairness and reasonableness of the cost proposal and therefore cannot be removed from the requirements.

37. On Page 62 point D, the RFP states “Administrative costs for Grants under Contracts must be included in a separate sub-line item under Other Direct Costs”. Would USAID clarify that salary and wages associated with administering the grants under contract are to be budgeted under labor while any materials administrative costs will be budgeted under Other Direct costs?

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No indirect costs are to be included under direct labor. Contracts and Grants administration is a direct cost of this award and therefore must be included under direct labor.

38. On page 69 the RFP asks for an annex “listing (in chart form) all USAID awards given to the applicant in the past three years that required placement of key long-term personnel…” In the case of certain offerors this could result in hundreds of records, would USAID consider replacing this requirement with an annex listing 10 illustrative examples of awards that required replacement of key personnel?

In cases where the number of records exceeds 10, please provide the ten (10) most recent relevant projects.

39. On page 63 under xiv. Fee: the RFP states: “The offeror must submit a fixed fee schedule as part of their cost application” Can USAID please confirm that it would like to see a fixed fee schedule, and if so please provide further instructions as to how offerors should structure the schedule?

The fixed fee schedule is entirely the offeror’s responsibility. This is a standard requirement for USAID. The offeror should set their fixed fee schedule based on its internal policies, cost structure and cash flow expectations.

40. On pg. 15 the RFP states: “the Offeror will include with its proposal a Project Implementation Plan (Work Plan) and timeline table….” Please confirm this may be included as an annex.

Please see answer to question Nr. 6

41. USAID requests letters of commitment from subcontractors as annexes to both the technical (as Annex D per page 56/59) and cost/business proposal (page 64 section (3)). Can USAID please confirm that it would like to see these letters in both annexes?

Letters are to be included in both annexes, as subcontractors are committing to the technical and cost aspects of the proposal.

42. On Page 64 section 3, the letters of commitment are only required for major subcontractors. Can USAID provide a definition of major subcontractor? The definition of “major subcontractor” is also relevant to address the requirement of submission of Information to Support Consent to Major Subcontractors per page 65 and Past Performance Questionnaire Attachment J.4.

For this award, MAJOR SUBCONTRACTOR will be defined as “any subcontractor whose contract total Estimated Cost is on or above $700,000.

43. Section L.1 (c) on page 54 states that “Approaches must be feasible…and designed to mitigate potential conflict risks identified below.” Can USAID please specify which potential conflict risks it is referring to?

RFP amended. Changes are made as follows:

On page 54, SECTION L - INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS – L.1 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS – (c) insert the following text at the end of the paragraph: “Conflict risks can be social, environmental and economic; USAID expects the offerors to be fully aware of the conditions on the ground in the target regions.”

44. In section vii. on page 63, the RFP states "Time and Material, or Labor Hour contracts will not be consented to." We are concerned this restriction may preclude offerors from selecting the most appropriate subcontract type for a subcontractor. When determining the most appropriate subcontract type for a subcontractor, offerors consider not only the subcontractor’s envisioned

SOL-514-15-00001 – Artisanal Gold Mining – Environmental Impact Reduction Program Page 8 of 21 scope of work but also their administrative and financial capacity. There may be instances where a subcontractor’s scope of work will be driven by level of effort; however, their cost accounting system is not adequate for a cost-reimbursement type subcontract, as required by FAR 16.301- 3(a)(3). In these instances, we believe a Time-and-Materials or Labor Hours subcontract is more appropriate than a firm-fixed-price or cost-reimbursement type subcontract. Accordingly, we respectfully request that USAID remove the above-referenced restriction thereby allowing offerors to follow their standard procedures for determining the most appropriate subcontract type for a subcontractor, which should take into consideration the subcontractor’s anticipated scope of work and administrative and financial capacity.

Time and Material contracts are the least preferred form of contracting for the U.S. Government.

For this reason, they are not to be proposed as subcontracts under this contract. However, this requirement can be waived provided there is a strong justification for the use of said type of contract on a case-by-case basis by the Administrative Contracting Officer during the execution of the program.

45. On page 65, the RFP states “A SIGNED letter of commitment is required from each long-term individual…” According to page 59, Annex C to the technical proposal shall include Key Personnel Resumes, Bio Date Sheets, and Letters of Commitment. Can USAID please clarify if it would like to see letters of commitment from all long term personnel, or from key personnel only?

Letters of commitment are required for Key Personnel only.

46. On pages 64-65, the RFP states “The offeror must submit completed Contractor Employee Biographical Data Sheets (See Exhibit J.1 of this solicitation) for each long-term individual (other than clerical/secretarial) whose salary will be charged as a direct cost to the contract.” According to page 59, Annex C to the technical proposal shall include Key Personnel Resumes, Bio Date Sheets, and Letters of Commitment. Can USAID please clarify if it would like to see biodatas from all long term personnel, or from key personnel only?

Biographical Data Sheets are required for all personnel included in the direct costs.

47. On pages 56 and 59 USAID states that the subcontracting plan should be included as Annex G to the Technical Proposal. As the subcontracting plan often contains financial information, could USAID please confirm that it may be included as an annex to the business proposal?

Please see answer to question 41.

48. On page 18 and 24, the RFP refers to the Gender and Child Labor elimination Strategy. However, on page 59, USAID asks for a gender and Minority Strategy. Can USAID clarify the requirement?

Please see answer to question 23

49. On page 26, Bi-monthly newsletter, the RFP makes a reference to the contractor’s project website. Would USAID confirm that this contract requires a website and cost proposals should include this cost?

A website is required. Offerors must budget for it.

50. The Past Performance Questionnaire noted in Section J as Exhibit 4 refers to Request for Task Order Proposal No.: SOL-514-14-000012. Would USAID confirm this is the correct attachment?

Additionally, the template includes certain references where information to be completed by the CO is not included. Of particular importance is the definition of a major subcontractor. Would USAID provide an updated version of J.4 or remove the requirement if this is not applicable?

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Updated version of J.4 is available at www.fbo.gov and http://www.usaid.gov/colombia/work-with-us/partnership-opportunities under the solicitation documents.

51. Section J Exhibit 4, Past Performance Questionnaire (d) (3) (B) states that offerors shall submit “recent [CO to establish the timeframe for “recent” while keeping in mind that the number of reports could be significant over an extended period of time.] Contracts for which you submitted subcontract reports to eSRS (FAR 52.219-9(d)(10) and a copy of any similarly recent subcontracting reports if they were not submitted to eSRS”. Some contractors submit a considerable number of subcontracting reports in eSRS and SF294 per year, so a requirement of a timeframe of 1 to 3 years would result in a submission of 200 to 600 forms. To facilitate the evaluation, would USAID consider a requirement of 10 illustrative Subcontracting reports of projects similar in size or scope?

Please see answer to question Nr. 17.

52. On page 65 the RFP states” The Offeror will propose which positions/individuals are considered key/essential to the work to be performed.” As the RFP already defines the 3 key personnel positions, could USAID confirm this requirement is not applicable?

There are 3 key personnel positions. Offerors are not required to propose additional key personnel positions.

RFP amended. Changes are made as follows:

On page 65, (4) Biographical Data Sheets and Individual Letters of Commitment, please delete “The Offeror will propose which positions/individuals are considered key/essential to the work to be performed.”

53. On Page 65, point (7) the RFP states “The prime Contractor and any significant direct labor subcontractor(s) (One whose proposed cost exceeds US$1,000,000.00) must submit other than cost and pricing information to support their proposal(s) using the format contained in Section J as Exhibit 4.” However, Section J Exhibit 4, is the Past Performance Questionnaire. Could USAID provide further guidance on the cost and pricing information required beyond what is already stated in the requirements for the cost proposal?

RFP amended. Changes are made as follows:

On page 65, point 7, please delete “$1,000,000.00” and replace with “$700,000.00”.

Other than cost and pricing data may include Past Performance information and is required in this

RFP.

54. Page 15 includes an indicator for reforestation of approximately 11,500 hectares. Would USAID confirm if these recuperated hectares are for degraded areas in the target regions that are degraded by mining and inappropriate land use?

The reforestation program must be implemented on degraded areas by unauthorized gold mining activities in the departments of Antioquia and Chocó.

55. Page 15 includes an illustrative indicator for the proportion of small landowners (less than 20 hectares) in the land recuperation program and the last bullet on page 19 states “ii) Degraded areas for environmental recuperation have a clear land title and are not subject to any dispute (e.g. land restitution)” Given the current titling situation in the degraded areas of the target regions, would USAID consider a notarized certificate of land tenure (certificado de sana tenencia) instead?

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No. This is expected to be long-term commitment, thus clear land titles are a must. USAID expects the program to also be able to work with other USAID programs (i.e. LRDP) to provide support with the relevant GOC entities to facilitate land titling.

56. Page 19 states “the contractor must design and implement protocols to support project implementation while making sure that: i) sub-contractors and sub-grantees will be vetted against multiple databases including the Bridger system, the Excluded Parties List System, the Specially Designated Nationals List, and the System for Award Management (sam.gov).” Would USAID clarify if the acquisition of the Bridger system is mandatory or if similar systems for screening sub-awardees are acceptable?

There are several valid alternatives for “OFAC compliance software solutions” in the market. A web search of the words quoted above shall present options to fit your particular needs.

57. In the cover letter and Section L.1(a) (page 54), USAID reserves the right to make more than one award. Could USAID please clarify whether the $20 million anticipated ceiling would apply to each award or the total of all awards?

The total budget available for this program is not to exceed to $20 million including all awards.

58. For budgeting purposes, could USAID please provide the anticipated start date for this activity?

Approximately 5 months after submission of proposals.

59. Could USAID please provide a copy of the U.S.-Colombia bilateral agreement that outlines local tax exemptions to contractors implementing international development assistance projects?

USAID will provide the letter for tax exemption to the selected contractor.

60. Section B.1 (page 6) identifies “Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners” as the main target communities of this program. Considering the multiple definitions of “artisanal and small scale” mining operations in the market, could USAID please provide a definition or range, in terms of output per day, level of mechanization, number of people involved, or other parameters?

USAID abides by the definitions under the Colombian legislation by the Ministry of Mines and Energy (ley 685 de 2001 – Código de Minas) available at:

http://www.anm.gov.co/sites/default/files/ley685_2001_agosto15.pdf .

61. The Environmental Assessment conducted for the BIOREDD+ Env/Mining Program details the project’s design, objectives, and expected results. Please advise whether this document is meant to provide general background information or whether specific activities, actors and methodologies described are strongly encouraged.

The Environmental Assessment is the guidance document for environmental compliance. Its recommendations to address environmental impacts must be followed. USAID expects the offerors to propose its best technical approach to achieve results, based on their understanding of the problems to be addressed and their expertise.

62. In Sections C.5 (page 16) and L.5.C(1)viii (page 63; Grants Under Contracts), USAID indicates that the Activity Fund may include grants, subcontracts, and/or short-term technical assistance.

However, the budget template (Attachment J.2) includes only line items related to grants within the Activity Fund section, and Section L.5.C(1)viii (page 63) refers to the Activity Fund as a Grants Fund. Could USAID please confirm that Offerors may propose a flexible Activity Fund that includes a mix of grants, subcontracts, and/or short-term technical assistance and may modify the budget template accordingly?

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Please see answer to question 13.

63. Could USAID please clarify the following items related to the Activity Fund Manual:

a. The list of annexes at the end of Section L.4 (page 59) lists a “Draft Activity Fund Manual” as Annex H to the technical proposal. However, Section C.5 (page 16) and Section F.3 (page 24) indicate that the Draft Activity Fund Manual is due after award signing. Please confirm that Offerors are not required to submit a draft Activity Fund Manual with their proposals.

b. The third paragraph under “Activity Fund” (page 16) states, “The contractor must prepare an Activity Fund manual within 60 days of contract award…” Section F.3 (page 24) indicates that the draft Activity Fund manual is due 40 days after award signing. Could USAID please confirm that the draft Activity Fund manual will be due 60 days after contract award?

Please see answer to questions 3 and 4

64. Regarding Section C.5 (page 17; Construction Activities), could USAID please provide a definition or range for small infrastructure activities, in terms of dollar amount, physical size, or other parameters?

Small infrastructure activities are infrastructure activities under the Federal Acquisition Regulation Simplified Acquisition Threshold ($150,000.00 – See FAR 2.101)

65. The Branding Strategy in section D.2 (page 21) refers to the project name as “Artisanal Mining Program USAID/Colombia.” Please confirm that Offerors should use this title, rather than other titles used elsewhere in the RFP (such as “Artisanal Gold Mining - Environmental Impact Reduction Program,” “Artisanal Gold Mining Program,” and “The USAID/Mining project.”).

The name of the program is “Artisanal Gold Mining - Environmental Impact Reduction Program”. However, for brevity purposes, offerors are authorized to use the acronym “ARGO” in their proposals.

66. Regarding Section F.4 (page 27), would USAID please authorize a six-day work week for short-term expatriates and third country nationals?

This requirement can be reviewed on a case-by-case basis for short-term expats and TCNs.

Please remember that one of the intentions of the program is to build local capacity, so expats and TCNs should not be the main sources of labor for this contract.

67. The budget template in Attachment J.2 lists five regional offices in the tab “Components Costs (US$)” some of which are outside the two Departments specified in Section C.3 (page 11). Could USAID please confirm that Offerors should limit the establishment of departmental field offices to Antioquia and Chocó?

Please see answer to question 21.

68. Attachment J.4, Past Performance Questionnaire, says, “List in an annex to the technical proposal up to __ [CO to insert a reasonable number] of the most recent and relevant contracts for efforts similar to the work in the subject proposal.” Please confirm that Offerors may list up to 5 recent and relevant contracts for themselves, and up to 5 for each subcontractor.

Offerors may list the ten (10) most recent relevant projects for the prime and major subcontractors. Updated version of J.4 is available at www.fbo.gov and

SOL-514-15-00001 – Artisanal Gold Mining – Environmental Impact Reduction Program Page 12 of 21 http://www.usaid.gov/colombia/work-with-us/partnership-opportunities under the solicitation documents.

69. Attachment J.4, Past Performance Questionnaire, says, “List in an annex to the technical proposal up to __ [CO to insert a reasonable number] of the most recent and relevant contracts…” Please confirm that cooperative agreements also may be included.

Cooperative Agreements may also be included.

70. Attachment J.4, Past Performance Questionnaire, says, “The Offeror (including all partners of a joint venture) must provide performance information…” Could USAID please confirm that the same guidance would apply to subcontractors that are joint ventures, i.e., all partners of the joint venture must provide past performance information?

Confirmed. Past Performance requirements flow down to subcontractors.

71. Section L.3.3.iii (page 56) lists items that are excluded from the page limit for the technical proposal. Please confirm that a transmittal letter also will be excluded from the page limit.

Please see answer to question 14.

72. Section L.3.3.iii (page 56) states that the cost proposal “is to be strictly limited to the information requested in paragraph (4) below.” Please confirm that this reference should read “Section L.5” instead of “paragraph (4).”

RFP Amended. Changes are made as follows:

On page 56 - L.3 PROPOSAL FORMAT – 3. iii, please delete “Paragraph (4)” and replace with “Section L.5”

73. Could USAID please clarify the following items related to the “Gender and Child Labor Strategy”:

a. Sections C.5 (page 18) and F.3 (page 24) require a “Gender and Child Labor Strategy” to be submitted 30 days after award signing. Please confirm that Offerors are not required to submit a draft “Gender and Child Labor Strategy” with their proposals.

b. Please confirm that this is the same item as the “Gender and Minority Strategy” referenced in Section L.4.3 on page 56.

Please see answer to question 23. This draft strategy must be submitted 30 days after award.

74. Regarding Section L.3.3.v (page 56), Annex G to the technical proposal includes a Subcontracting Plan. Considering the standard template includes cost and pricing information with the subcontracting goals, could USAID please confirm that it should be submitted as part of the Offeror’s cost proposal?

Confirmed. Please submit the plan as part of the cost proposal.

75. Section C.5 (page 16) states, “Applicants must provide details on the awards managed over the last four years (2010-2013).” It continues, “At a minimum, organizations should have experience in managing 10 or more grants totaling more than $1 million in grants over the period of 2011- 2013.” Section L.4.3 (instructions for Annex I, page 59) states that the Grantmaking Experience Matrix should show the last 5 years of grants. Please clarify the period that should be covered by Annex I.

Please see questions 16, 17 and 20.

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76. Section C.5 (page 15) states that Offerors should include a work plan covering the first 12 months of the project. Section M (page 67) also refers to this item as a basic criterion for compliance. The lists of annexes in Section L.3.3.v (page 56) and Section L.4.3 (page 59) do not include a workplan/implementation plan or timeline. Please confirm that Offerors should attach a Year 1 Initial Work Plan as Annex J.

Please see questions 6, 8, and 10.

77. Section M.I.D.1.H (page 69) states that Offerors should include information on past performance providing and retaining key personnel as an annex to the proposal. The lists of annexes in Section L.3.3.v (page 56) and Section L.4.3 (page 59) do not include this item. Please confirm that Offerors should attach the information on retaining key personnel as Annex K.

Please see answer to question No. 20

78. Section L.5.B (page 60) indicates to use an exchange rate of Columbia Pesos (COP) $2,000.00/USD. Considering the average exchange rate for the last 90 days is COP $2,195/USD, would USAID please adjust the proposal exchange rate upwards to minimize an overestimation of local costs?

The exchange rate remains as is for budgeting purposes, and it can be adjusted at the time of award as required.

79. Section L.5.C(1)f(A) (page 62) states, “The Offeror’s certified Salary Range (see Section H.8), … Section H.8 also discusses salary escalations.” Section H.8 (page 38) does not contain the indicated information. Could USAID please clarify whether these requirements are relevant for this RFP?

Please see question No. 18

80. Section L.5.C(1)f(C) (page 62) requests a Pay Scale for Short-Term Technical Assistance (Consultant). Considering that USAID expects to award a Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) Completion contract rather than a Time and Materials contract with defined labor categories, could USAID please confirm that a Pay Scale for short-term technical assistance is not required for this proposal?

Please see question 36

81. Regarding Section L.5.C(1)f(D) (page 62), could USAID please clarify which administrative costs related to Grants Under Contract should be included in a separate sub-line item under ODCs?

L.5.C.(1)f(D) is self-explanatory. Any administrative costs originated in a Grant under this Contract must be under ODCs.

82. Regarding Section L.5.C(1)xiii (page 63), could USAID please clarify what would be classified as an “internally defined indirect cost rate”? For instance, if a local organization could demonstrate that it charges the same indirect cost rate to multiple clients, would USAID accept this indirect cost rate within the local organization’s proposed budget?

Confirmed. However, indirect costs charged to the U.S. Government are subject to revision and negotiation before award.

83. Section L.5.C(1)xiv (page 63) requests a fixed fee schedule as part of the cost proposal.

Considering that USAID expects to award a CPFF Completion contract for this project, could USAID please confirm that this requirement is not applicable to this proposal?

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This requirement is applicable to this proposal.

84. Section L.5.C(4) (page 65) requests that Offerors submit signed letters of commitment for long-term individuals as part of the cost proposal. Section L.4.A.3.b (page 59; Annex C) requires Offerors to submit the same item as part of the technical proposal. Could USAID please confirm that individual letters of commitment should be submitted only as part of the technical proposal?

Please see answer to question Nr. 46

85. Regarding Section L.5.C(5) (page 65), could USAID please provide a definition for Major Subcontractors for this proposal?

Please see answer to question Nr. 42

86. Regarding the final paragraph in Section L.5.C(7) (page 65), could USAID please confirm that this paragraph is not applicable to this proposal?

Please see answer to question No. 53. This paragraph IS applicable to this Request for Proposal.

Omission will render the proposal as non-responsive.

87. Section M.I.D.1 (page 69) requires submission of past performance information. The instructions for Annex B (Past Performance Information) refer only to Attachment J.4, Past Performance Questionnaire. Please clarify where the items in Section M.I.D.1.A-H should be addressed.

Attachment J.4 is a supporting document of the Request for Proposal. All elements required in the RFP will be evaluated and must be addressed by the offerors.

88. In order to address evaluation criterion M.I.D.1 (pages 69-70), please confirm that all information relating to past performance should be provided within the annexes to the technical proposal.

Confirmed. Information regarding past performance should be provided as annexes to the technical proposal

89. To allow adequate time for Offerors to adjust their proposals per USAID’s responses to questions, would USAID please extend the proposal submission deadline by two weeks?

New date for proposal submission has been extended until February 17, 2015.

RPF amended. Changes are made as follows:

On page 1 - Closing Date & Time, please delete “February 6, 2015” and replace with “February 13, 2015.

90. Is it possible for a Colombian firm to be a Prime?

Yes, it is possible. It should fulfill all requirements to be a prime.

91. We are aware that in the target areas with illegal mining activities there are there are relations with illegal groups sometimes indirectly and sometimes even coordinated by them (especially criminal bands-bacrim). When these conditions hinder program implementation and progress on indicators and agreed activities, is there a chance to revisits these agreements and the scope?

Under exceptional circumstances or force majeure contractual agreements can be revised.

Reduction on targets and indicators usually come together with budget reductions. USAID reviews this circumstances on a case-by-case basis.

92. Do you have in place an intervention approach that reduces the risk for the implementer?

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No, we don’t. The implementer must plan properly and be aware of all implementation risks for this program.

93. What has been the experience of previous implementers on this subject?

Project implementers in conflict areas have acknowledged the risks and work within the legal framework. They have involved communities, local and regional authorities and private sector.

94. Involve private sector. The question is to involve the private sector (Small Gold Miners). Is it necessary to have an agreement before the proposal with the miners or it can be part of the project development?

No. It is not necessary to have an agreement with…