KFIE Q A Round 2.pdf

KFIE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

ROUND 2

1. Regarding CLIN 003, 103, 203:

a. Does the $15M contract total include the costs associated with CLIN 003, 103, 203?

Answer: The $10-$15 million range does include the costs associated with CLINs 003, 103, 203.

b. If so, please provide an LOE or ceiling estimate for CLIN 003, 103, 203 or a ceiling estimate for CLIN 001, 101, 201 to allow Offerors to adequately prepare their budgets and to facilitate comparison between Offerors.

Answer: We are unable to provide a ceiling. The NTE amount shall be extrapolated from the

STTA rates proposed by the successful offeror and inserted prior to award.

2. Answer 18b seems to assume that Offerors’ NICRAs do not recover indirect costs on Other

Direct Costs (ODCs), which is not the case for all Offerors.

a. For those Offerors whose NICRA requires indirect cost recovery on ODCs, is it USAID’s intention that Offerors should estimate the level of ODCs required, on average, per STTA order, and calculate the estimated indirect costs into the FDRs?

Answer: How the FDRs are established is up to the offerors. Since this is a fixed-price award, USAID is primarily concerned with the bottom line price, in this case the FDRs.

b. If Offerors are expected to burden FDRs with indirect costs incurred on ODCs, can USAID provide an estimated labor-to-ODC ratio, average anticipated STTA order size, or estimated ceiling of CLIN 3 in order to accurately project these costs?

Answer: No. At this time, it is expected that STTA orders will contain little, if any, ODCs. If

ODCs are needed, they shall be negotiated at the time of each STTA order.

c. Alternatively, would USAID consider allowing Offerors whose NICRAs recover indirect costs on ODCs to build those indirect costs into each FFP STTA order budget?

Answer: STTA orders shall not include any indirect costs other than those built into the FDRs.

3. Answer 21 indicates that indirect costs and fee on grants are to be budgeted under CLINs 001, 101, and 201. Because this CLIN is a fixed-price mechanism, are we to assume that any estimated indirect costs and fee on the entire portion of CLIN 004, 104, 204 will be paid in full, regardless of whether the Contractor issues grants for the entire amount available under CLIN

004, 104, 204?

Answer: It is expected, and considered a contractual requirement, to utilize the entire amount. If the full amount is not utilized, for whatever reason, it is expected that USAID and the contractor will negotiate consideration for the unfulfilled work.

4. Because of the fixed payments under CLIN 001, 101, 201 and the expectation that the

Contractor will advance the funds under CLINs 003, 103, 203 and 004, 104, 204, will USAID issue a Letter of Credit to the Contractor to offset the financing costs of these funds and the

Contractors risk during months when expenditures exceed the monthly payment amount?

Answer: As the contractor shall be able to invoice monthly for the GUCs, and the amount under

CLINs 001, 101, and 201, USAID believes there is no need for a Letter of Credit. The costs and risk should be included in the price for CLINs 001, 101, and 201.

5. Q&A 110 seems to indicate that no detailed budget is requested for CLIN 001, 101, 201 and that USAID only requires a summary budget for this CLIN. Please confirm.

Answer: In general, this is correct. Please refer to the requirements of Section L.7(b).

6. Although most of the Q&A and the amended RFP indicate that CVs are not included in the page limit, Answer 153 indicates that CVs do count against the page limit. Please reconfirm that

CVs are not included in the page limit.

Answer: We understand and apologize for the confusion. CVs do not count towards the 30 page limit, though the CVs are limited to 2 pages each per Section L.6.

7. Please clarify the requirements regarding the cover page, title page, and cover letter.

Conventionally, a cover page will not count against the page limit and will include the information requested in L.2(c)(1), followed by a title page containing the information requested in L.2(c)(2) and L.2(e), which also does not usually count against the page limit. Offerors are sometimes permitted to include a narrative cover letter of introduction which may or may not count against the page limit, at USAID’s discretion.

a. Please advise whether USAID is requesting all three of the items discussed above or just some of them. If the latter, please clarify which ones are required.

Answer: The required information outlined in Section L.2(c)(1) is only required if the proposal is submitted in paper media, which is not the case here and therefore is not applicable. The required information for L.2(c)(1) and L.2(e), if applicable, must be included in the cover letter required by Section L.6. The cover letter is limited to 2 pages and does not count towards the page limit.

b. Please advise which of the three items are considered part of the 30 page limit.

Answer: Please see the above answer.

8. USAID’s response to Question #107 in Modification No. 01 (page 22) states, “Confirmed, though there should be only one rate to cover both [local and expatriate STTA]. Please see question 83.” USAID’s response to Question #83 references the defined labor categories in

Section B.6 of the revised RFP (page 7). The table in Section B.6 (page 7) includes separate rows for senior- and junior-level expatriate and local STTA, respectively. Should Offerors propose only one rate for both local and expatriate STTA (for senior- and junior-level, respectively) or may Offerors propose separate rates for local and expatriate STTA?

Answer: We apologize for the confusion. The answer to Question #107 should only state

“confirmed”. Offerors are required to propose rates for all four categories listed in Section B.6.

9. USAID’s response to Question #108 in Modification No. 01 (page 22) indicates that the monthly invoice amounts for CLINs 001, 101, and 201 will be equally distributed throughout the period of performance. Considering that the Contractor would have a significant outlay during the first several months of the contract for mobilization and project start-up, would USAID please consider alternate billing amounts for the first six months of the project for CLIN 001?

Answer: Offerors may propose an alternate payment schedule (including how the alternate schedule would affect pricing) in addition to the equally distributed, monthly payments. The alternate schedule must be in compliance with all applicable payment regulations.

10. USAID’s response to Question #123 in Modification No. 01 (pages 24-25) states, “Agreed.

The RFP has been amended. Offerors shall only submit the [incentive] fee structure as part of the cost proposal, not the technical proposal.” In the revised RFP, Section L.6 (page 76) was amended to remove the sentence that stated “The Technical Approach section must also contain the proposed award fee structure…” However, Section M.3.I (page 80) still refers to the incentive fee structure as part of the Technical Approach evaluation criteria. Please clarify how the Offeror’s discussion of the incentive fee will be evaluated.

Answer: We apologize for the confusion. Section M.3.1 has been amended to remove the reference of the incentive fee structure.

11. Could USAID please confirm that the cover page, table of contents and CVs do not count towards the technical proposal’s 30 page limit? Page 76 (L.6) of the amended solicitation states that these items do not count towards the page limit, while the Answers 2 and 153 posted by

USAID on 20 March state that the cover letter and CVs do, in fact, count against the page limits.

Answer: The answer to Question #153 is incorrect. CVs are not counted against the 30 page limit, but are limited to 2 pages each. Please refer to Section L.6. The cover letter (not cover page or title page), which includes the information required in Section L.2(c)(2) and L.2(e) if applicable, does not count towards the page limit.

12. Answer 49 suggest offerors are to propose labor categories, yet USAID has revised the RFP

Section B.6 to include labor categories.

a. Shall all offerors propose rates in accordance with the table in Section B.6?

Answer: Correct, offerors are to propose rates in accordance with Section B.6.

b. If so, could USAID please suggest minimum qualifications for each category so that USAID is able to equitably evaluate each offeror’s proposed burdened rates?

Answer: Agreed. We have amended the solicitation to include minimum qualifications for the labor categories. The minimum qualifications are as follows:

Expatriate and Local Junior: Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and 2 years of relevant experience or 7 years of relevant experience.

Expatriate and Local Senior: Graduate degree in a relevant field and 7 years of relevant experience or a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and 12 years of relevant experience.

c. If all offeror’s are proposing burdened rates against labor categories and minimum qualifications set by USAID, could the presentation of minimum qualifications as part of the management plan be removed as a requirement from Section L.6?

Answer: Offerors are no longer required to present minimum qualifications.

d. Must a consortium propose one set of burdened rates or could different consortium members propose different sets of burdened rates?

Answer: One set.

13. Given that Answers #74 and 123 indicate offerors should present their proposed incentive fee structures in the cost proposal rather than the technical proposal, could USAID remove reference to incentive fee structure, could USAID remove reference to incentive fee structure as part of the technical evaluation criteria in the Revised RFP?

Answer: Yes, the reference has been removed.

14. Answer 49 suggests “the only pricing involved at this time is the fully burdened rates as offerors are not required to fill in in a figure for CLINs 003, 103, 203.” Yet, answer number 28 states that the NTE amount for CLIN 003 is part of the $10-15 million government estimate.

Shouldn’t offeror’s set aside a pool of funds for CLIN 003, 103, and 203 in their proposals so that they do not exceed the government estimate?

Answer: No. The portion of the STTA of the $10-$15 million figure was extrapolated from burdened daily rates, just like the NTE figure for these CLINs shall be.

15. We understand offerors are to budget for solution seeking and matchmaking events. Could

USAID clarify how many over the life of the project, how many participants at each, and where they envision them being held?

Answer: USAID expects offerors to propose the balance for the optimal number of these events while not expending unnecessary resources. Illustratively, USAID expects 1-2 events per year.

16. Answer 107 indicates there should be one burdened rate covering both local and expat consultants under CLIN 003. Yet the labor categories in B.6 of the revised RFP show separate labor categories for expats and locals. We would strongly support separate labor categories for expats and locals. Can USAID confirm this is the case?

Answer: We confirm that there are separate rates per Section B.6. Please see question 8.

17. In regard to the cost evaluation criteria, the RFP states in M.6 that the budget will be evaluated “for realism and reasonableness”; however, in the responses to questions 58 and 59, USAID describes the evaluation process as incorporating a “trade-off analysis in order to make a best value determination.” Can USAID please clarify how it will evaluate the cost section?

Answer: Cost shall be evaluated in accordance with Section M and FAR 15.404-1. The trade-off analysis is performed after cost and technical factors have been evaluated.

18. Per the response to question 24, USAID has illustrated in the table that at least one innovation will graduate to stage 3 by year 2, whether by entering through the stages 1 and 2 or by being immediately accepted. Given the processes and evaluations involved during stages 1 and 2, and the level of development required for a stage 3 innovation, does USAID consider the timeframe of moving from stage 2 to stage 3 within the same year realistic?

Answer: USAID is hopeful that this schedule could be possible. A private sector solution that relies on market testing or market data could generate evidence more quickly than an innovation that requires more rigorous testing such as a randomized controlled trial. Successful stage 3 innovations are the ultimate objective of KFIE, and USAID expects the contractor to devote efforts to quickly scale innovations to this level.

19. Given the high rates of success illustrated in the response to question 24 and reinforced in the response to question 88, can USAID point to existing evidence from similar challenge grant initiatives that graduation rates from stage 1 to 2 and 2 to 3 are realistic and reasonable?

Answer: USAID recognizes that the schedule is aggressive, but we believe it is achievable..

USAID welcomes any evidence or lessons learned from similar programs potential offerors wish to provide.

20. Does USAID expect the evaluation of stages 2 and 3 of the KFIE project to incorporate all or several of the Feed the Future results, identified in section C.2?

Answer: To clarify, there are no stages of the KFIE project overall. USAID interprets that your question is regarding the innovations, for which there are the 4 stages as described in the RFP.

USAID does not expect the “rigorous assessments” required in section C.3 of all innovations to include these results. However, potential innovations shall be judged in part by their projected impact on these indicators. Some innovations will have greater impacts in different areas.

USAID hopes offerors will demonstrate in their proposals that KFIE will support innovations that lead to inclusive agricultural sector growth and improved nutritional status as shown in the

FTF results framework on page 94 of the RFP.

We have updated Section C.3 to clarify that the contractor, when reviewing potential innovations, shall analyze the potential impact of the innovation on the results listed in section

C.2. Further, we note that the “rigorous assessments” will be based on the guidelines on pages

89-90 and the requirements in section C. We have also updated Section L to further clarify that the results in C.2 are illustrative of what will be tracked in the PMP.

21. Please confirm whether USAID expects the offeror to submit the specific Incentive Fee

Amount in the budget. There appears to be contradictory instructions on this point, particularly highlighted in the responses to questions 162/165 and 164. In response to Question 162, it is stated “With the exception of the NTE figures and the GUC amount, all prices/rates/fees are to be proposed by the offeror”; whereas in response to Question 164, USAID expresses that

“Offerors are required to propose these amounts and they are negotiated prior to award”.

Answer: We understand the slight confusion. Question 164 deals with the set fees for each stage, which are proposed and negotiated prior to award. Questions 162 and 165 reference the NTE figures. For the incentive fee, the NTE figure will be determined based off of the figures for each stage.

22. In reference to the results listed in section C.2, will the offeror be required to measure the project’s achievements of all of these results?

Answer: We have updated Section L to further clarify that the results in section C.2 are illustrative of what will be tracked in the PMP.

23. Regarding the answer to question 174, does USAID expect the offeror to recommend ways to improve the effectiveness of grants?

Answer: Recommendations for ways to improve the effectiveness of grants in compliance with

ADS 302.3.4.8 are welcome.

24. Per the answer to question #2, USAID indicated that the title and cover pages are included in the page limit. However, section L.6. (page 76) indicates that the cover letter is not included in the page limit. Could USAID please confirm that both the title page and cover letter are not included in the page limit?

Answer: Title and cover pages are included in the page limit, while the cover letter is not.

Please see questions 7a, 7b, and 11.

25. Question #107 asks if bidders are to propose fully burdened daily rates for both local and expatriate STTA. The answer was “confirmed, though there should only be one rate to cover both.” However, the table in B.6. (page 7) indicates that there will be separate rates for expat and local STTA. Can USAID confirm that the offeror will propose rates for the following four categories: Senior Level Expatriate, Junior Level Expatriate, Senior Level Local and Junior

Level Local?

Answer: Confirmed. See question 8. We apologize for the confusion.

26. Page 76, Section L.6 of the amended RFP indicates that CVs are not included in the 30 page limit, however the response to question #153 indicates that CVs will count toward the page limit.

Please clarify whether they are or are not included.

Answer: CVs do not count towards the 30 page limit. Please see question 6.

27. Page 7, Section B.6 of the amended RFP lay out labor categories for Senior Level Expat, Junior Level Expat, Senior Level Local, and Junior Level Local. However the response to question #169 indicates offerors will be able to propose additional levels. Please confirm that offerors can propose mid-level labor categories.

Answer: We apologize for the confusion. The answer to question #169 should have been “no”.

Please propose rates for the categories in Section B.6. Please also see question 29 below.

28. Page 7, Section B.6 of the revised RFP distinguishes between expatriate and local consultant rates; however, the response to question 107 from the Q&A states that only one rate is to be provided covering both expatriates and local consultants. Please clarify whether separate rates may be proposed for expatriate and local consultants.

Answer: Please see question 8.

29. Regarding CLINs 003, 103, and 203, may we provide separate consultant rates by technical area of expertise, or must we provide one rate per consultant category to cover all technical areas?

Answer: One rate per category in Section B.6 to cover all technical areas.

30. Response to Question 8 states that prices for CLINs 001, 101 and 201 are not a “budget” as in a cost-reimbursement award. Please clarify what kind of breakdown of costs is necessary to submit for these CLINs?

Answer: Please refer to Section L.7(b). Offerors should breakdown the cost elements and provide a narrative which will adequately justify the price. Please see question #110 from the first round of questions for a guide.

31. Does USAID expect offerors to propose LOE for CLINs 003,103 and 203?

Answer: No.