SOL-615-14-000013 _Amendment_01.pdf

PAGE NO.

STANDARD FORM 30 (CONTINUATION)

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

CONTINUATION PAGE

Afya Jijini (Nairobi) program and Afya Pwani (Coast) programs in Kenya

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q.1. Section C.9.a (page 21) and Section C.9.b (page 38) stipulate that “HIV services will be implemented in all facilities currently supported by the APHIAplus Nairobi/Coast activity.” Would USAID please provide a comprehensive list of the facilities currently supported by the APHIAplus Nairobi/Coast activity?

RESPONSE: Please see the attachment to this modification for a breakdown of the number and types of facilities supported currently in each county through APHIAplus Nairobi/Coast.

For non-HIV activities, the selection of specific facilities will be finalized jointly between the Contractor and USAID at the work planning stage.

For HIV activities, in the near term it is expected that the contractor will take over support for facilities from APHIAplus Nairobi/Coast. In the longer term, a process of “rationalizing” site support across the U.S. government is likely, resulting in some changes in site level support. Any site level changes will be discussed with the contractor prior to implementation during the work planning stage.

Q.2. To ensure we are budgeting most responsively given the “use of various resources” and restrictions on the use of PEPFAR funds described in Section C.9.a (page 37) and Section C.9.b (page 52), could USAID kindly provide a breakdown of anticipated funding for both programs from PEPFAR resources vs. other resources, such as MNCH/FP and nutrition resources?

RESPONSE: We cannot provide the breakdown of funding at this time.

Q.3. Sections C.9.a (page 25) and C.9.b (page 41) refer both to USAID/Kenya’s 2010 Gender Analysis and

Action Plan, as well as USAID/Kenya’s 2012 Gender Analysis and Action Plan. Could USAID please confirm that Offerors’ approaches should align with the 2012 gender document? If not, could USAID please provide offerors with a copy of USAID/Kenya’s 2010 Gender Analysis and Action Plan?

RESPONSE: Yes, Offerors’ approaches should align with USAID/Kenya’s 2012 Gender Analysis and Action Plan, which is attached to this modification.

Q.4. Section F.8. (page 64) lists the expected results for the percentage of high-volume health facilities that conduct quarterly data review and use forums in Option Year 5 as 750%. Would USAID please clarify whether the expected results for Option Year 5 are 70% or 75%?

RESPONSE: 70% is the correct expected result for this indicator in Option Year 5.

Q.5. Section L.6. (page 131) allocates a total of 20 pages for all annexes including a draft Work Plan; a draft

Performance Monitoring Plan; CVs for key personnel; and letters of commitment for key personnel. As there are five key personnel and CVs are limited to two pages each, we estimate that our CVs will total 10 pages and the letters of commitment will total five pages, leaving five pages for the draft Work Plan and the draft Performance Monitoring Plan. Would USAID consider either waiving the page limit for annexes or increasing the limit to 40 pages to ensure offerors are able to be most responsive to the requirements in Section L.6. for the draft Work Plan and draft Performance Monitoring Plan?

RESPONSE: The page limit for Annexes to the technical proposal is hereby revised to 30 pages maximum. On page 131, the list of required Annexes to the technical proposal is corrected to read “a draft M and E plan” rather than a “Performance Monitoring Plan”

Q.6. Section L.6.(4) (page 134-135) instructs offerors to list in an annex to the technical proposal up to 5 of the most recent and relevant contracts for efforts similar to the work in the subject proposal, and Performance in Using Small Business (SB) Concerns. As these items will total more than 20 pages, would USAID please confirm that this annex does not count toward the page limit for annexes listed on page 131?

RESPONSE: Correct, the past performance information does not count toward the 30 page limit for annexes to the technical proposal, which are listed on page 131.

Q.7. Section L.6.(4)(d)(3)(B) (page 135) instructs offerors to provide “a list of the recent contracts (performed over the past three years) 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.” Because we submit an average of 180 reports per year, this could mean submission of more than 500 reports totaling more than 10 MB in file size. We therefore respectfully request the option to provide a list of all submitted SF 294s for the last three years, indicating which contracts are in the eSRS and which are not, in addition to selecting 10 relevant SF 294s that are not in the eSRS for USAID’s review.

RESPONSE: Agreed.

Q.8. In Section C.9.a, on page 22 of the RFP, the map shows 60 USAID facilities. However, according to the

Nairobi County Medical Office’s website (http://iwebz-kenya.com/moh/aphiaplus-partnership/), a brief on APHIAplus Nairobi-Coast enumerates 83. Could USAID please confirm the number and locations of facilities in Nairobi County?

RESPONSE: Please see response to Question 1.

Q.9. In Section F.9, on page 59 of the RFP, USAID states that the “Senior Finance Director will report to the

COP”. Would USAID be open to this position reporting to the COP on a dotted line to follow the contractor's standard reporting model (for example, Project Finance Staff in country are part of a functional team who report to the Country Director who in turn oversees all projects in Kenya, and then Finance Staff report on a dotted line to the project directors)?

RESPONSE: USAID would be open to this type of structure, however, the proposal must explain what the “dotted line” reporting to the COP means, particularly the management oversight/decision-making that the COP would have over the Finance Director; ensure the roles and responsibilities and minimum qualifications as stated in the RFP; as a key personnel, USAID has final approval of any current or future candidate; and the time of the Senior Finance Director must be 100% dedicated to this contract.

http://iwebz-kenya.com/moh/aphiaplus-partnership/

Q.10. In Section L.6, page 131 states that “annexes are limited to a total of 20 pages” and listed required annexes: “draft Work Plan; draft Performance Monitoring Plan; CVs for key personnel; and letters of commitment for key personnel”. However, page 134 also states that offerors must “list in an annex to the technical proposal up to 5 of the most recent and relevant contracts for efforts similar to the work in the subject proposal”, and page 135 states, “provide a list of the recent contracts (performed over the past three years) for which [the offeror] 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”.

Could USAID please confirm that the past performance annex information and small business subcontracting reports are not included in the 20-page annex limit?

RESPONSE: Please see the responses to questions 5 and 6.

Q.11. In section L.6, page 135 states, “Describe any quality awards or certifications that indicate exceptional capacity to provide the service or product described in the statement of work. This information is not included in the page limitation.” Could USAID please confirm that these quality awards or certifications should be described in the annexes? Could USAID please also confirm that this is not included in the 20-page annex page limit from page 131?

RESPONSE: This can be included in the past performance annex, which does not count toward the 30 page limit for Annexes to the technical proposal. Please see the responses to questions 5 and 6.

Q.12. In section L.6, page 134 states that offerors must “list in an annex to the technical proposal up to 5 of the most recent and relevant contracts for efforts similar to the work in the subject proposal”. Will USAID allow the inclusion of grants or cooperative agreements among the projects in this list?

RESPONSE: Yes.

Q.13. Page 130 of the RFP states that, “All attachments must be in MS Word, Adobe PDF, and MS Excel in unprotected readable format.” May the offeror submit the Technical Proposal (and narrative sections of the Cost Proposal) in Adobe PDF only? Or must a MS Word version be provided? While “total email size cannot exceed 5 MB including attachments,” is there a size limit for individual files?

RESPONSE: An Offeror may choose to submit the Technical Proposal in Adobe PDF, in MS Word or both formats. An MS Word file is preferred for documents containing narratives, such as the Technical Proposal.

Q.14. Page 131 of the RFP provides page limits for the Technical Proposal Body and Annexes. Will an

Executive Summary and section dividers be excluded from the page count of the Technical Proposal Body?

RESPONSE: An executive summary is not required in the proposal. If the Offeror chooses to include an executive summary, it will count towards the 30-page limit for the technical proposal body. USAID is not sure what is meant by “section dividers.”

Q.15. Page 131 limits Annexes to 20 pages. Key Personnel CVs will fill 10 pages (2 pages each for 5 key personnel) while Key Personnel Letters of Commitment will fill 5 pages (1 page each for 5 key personnel). All other Annexes are left with only 5 pages. The offeror is concerned that these 5 pages will not be sufficient to provide USAID with adequate detail on the following annexes required by the RFP on pages 132, 133, and 134:

a. Draft Work Plan

b. Draft M&E Plan including:

i. Performance indicators

ii. Information on data sources, methodologies and frequency of data collection for each indicator

iii. Data Quality

iv. Data Analysis, use and dissemination plan

v. A plan to support GOK M&E systems at all levels

c. Past Performance references for up to 5 of the most recent and relevant contracts

(including “a list of contact names, job titles, mailing addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and description of the performance to include:

• Scope of work or complexity/diversity of tasks,

• Primary location(s) of work,

• Term of performance,

• Skills/expertise required,

• Dollar value, and

• Contract type, i.e., fixed-price, cost reimbursement, etc.”)

Will USAID specify which of the above should be excluded from the 20 page limit or else increase the page limit to allow for these to be presented with adequate detail and quality?

Q.16. Page 21 of the RFP states that, “The contractor will take measures to ensure continued provision of key services to current APHIAplus clients.” The offeror takes “key services” to mean provision of HIV related services in compliance with PEPFAR requirements; as the provision of MNCH, FP, and WASH services is explained in the following sentence. Please verify this is the intended meaning of "key services."

RESPONSE: “Key services” refers to continued HIV prevention, care, and support for people infected and affected by AIDS.

Q.17. As this project will be required to continue support to existing PEPFAR/APHIAplus supported sites, will USAID specify the number of clinics and the patient load of current APHIAplus sites?

Q.18. The RFP states on page 21 (C.9.a AFYA JIJINI) that “the contractor will implement HIV services in all facilities currently supported by the APHIAplus Nairobi/Coast activity. Could USAID please clarify that Afya Jijini will only implement HIV services in facilities in Nairobi County supported by APHIAplus Nairobi/Coast?

RESPONSE: In the near term it is expected that the contractor will take over support for facilities from APHIAplus Nairobi/Coast. In the longer term, a process of “rationalizing” site support across the U.S.

government is likely, resulting in some changes in site level support. Any site level changes will be discussed with the contractor prior to implementation during the work planning stage.

Q.19. On page 35, the RFP states “in the priority informal settlements, the contractor will focus on proven cost-effective interventions, including combining nutrition sensitive interventions etc….” Could USAID please name the “priority informal settlements”?

RESPONSE: Please refer to page 21 of the RFP. Offerors should propose the priority informal settlements (excluding Kibera) as part of their proposal and the final selection will be done jointly at the work planning stage by USAID and the Contractor.

Q.20. Would USAID consider making the Sr. Finance Director a “Finance and Administration Director”?

RESPONSE: USAID would consider this designation as long as the position fulfills all the stated responsibilities and the candidate has the required qualifications. The Offeror would need to describe any additional duties for this position.

Q.21. On page 35, under Output 3.1, the RFP states that “the contractor will support strategic planning at county level by supporting the development of the health component of the five-year strategic plan, the annual operation plan, and county M&E plan.” As Nairobi County already has a 2013-2018 Health Sector Strategic and Investment Plan, could USAID please clarify the Offeror’s scope of work in this regard?

RESPONSE: The scope of work in this area will include support to the county in the review and monitoring of the 5-year strategic plan, development of the annual operational plan in alignment with the 5-year strategic plan and development of the M &E plan.

Q.22. Would USAID please confirm that past performance references are to be included in the Annexes? If so, would USAID please consider increasing the page limit allotted to the Annexes to allow for inclusion of PPRs?

Q.23. We respectfully request that USAID allow both contracts and cooperative agreements of relevant size, scope and complexity to be used as past performance references.

RESPONSE: Agreed

Q.24. Would USAID please expand the page limitation of the annexes to allow Offerors to sufficiently describe performance in using small business concerns in accordance with all requirements stated on

pg. 135?

Q.25. Would USAID please confirm that the cover letter, table of contents, and acronym list do not count against the technical proposal page limit?

RESPONSE: The cover letter, optional title page, table of contents and acronym list do not count toward the 30 page limit for the technical proposal body.

Q.26. On page 137 of the RFP states that “The Offeror must provide a complete budget by cost element utilizing the provided budget template which is included as an attachment to the FBO notice and as an attachment to this RFP” could the offeror use his own budget template reflecting the same cost elements and parameters presented by the budget template provided?

RESPONSE: Offeror’s must utilize the provided budget template

Q.27. On pg. 26, the RFP states, “The contractor will mainstream the private sector with emphasis on clinics in informal settlements in urban and semi-urban areas in an effort to reach eligible women.” What does mainstreaming mean in this context? Is the contractor to ensure PMTCT occurs at private for-profit and non-profit health facilities?

RESPONSE: The Contractor will target both public and private health facilities in an effort to reach eligible pregnant women. The Contractor is expected to support the county eMTCT plan.

Q.28. On pg. 31-32, the RFP describes supporting TB diagnosis through GeneXpert. Could USAID clarify whether the contractor should budget for the procurement of the machines and/or diagnostic supplies?

RESPONSE: The contactor should not budget for the procurement of equipment or supplies related to GeneXpert. Only technical assistance will be expected.

Q.29. Pg. 33, Section 2.1 states, “In selected informal settlements, the contractor will support efforts to improve the skills of health workers in EmONC…” Could USAID clarify how these informal settlements will be selected?

RESPONSE: Please refer to page 21 of the RFP. Offerors should propose the priority informal settlements (excluding Kibera) as part of their proposal and the final selection will be done jointly at the work planning stage by USAID and the Contractor.

Q.30. On pg. 33, the RFP states that for MNH “It will require a systematic analysis of the barriers to expending the provision of the intervention packages necessary for the provision of high quality services.” Should the contractor conduct a formal evaluation, or is this intended as more of an in-house review of existing information?

RESPONSE: The methodology/approach for the systematic analysis of the barriers to the provision of the intervention packages necessary for the provision of high quality services will be left to the discretion of the Contractor.

Q.31. On pg. 63 of the RFP, are the Output 2.2 (Child Health Services) two indicators to be measured at the facility or community level, or both?

RESPONSE: The indicators under Output 2.2 are to be measured at both the community and facility levels.

Q.32. Could USAID please confirm that the Cover Letter, Title Page, and Table of Contents do not count within the 30 page technical proposal body?

RESPONSE: Please see the response to question 25.

Q.33. On pg.131, the RFP notes that the maximum annex length is 20 pages. Should this length also include past performance references (which are not listed in this bullet point)? Also, given the requirement to present 5 key personnel CVs and letters of commitment, and the past performance requirement of five references per offeror and major sub-contractor, would USAID consider increasing the length ceiling to accommodate all these plus the work plan and draft PMP?

Q.34. Pg. 131 states, “The Offeror will address separately and explicitly in its proposal how it will implement the options for additional services described in the SOW.” How would USAID like this addressed in the technical and cost proposals – should there be a separate sub-section?

RESPONSE: How an Offeror addresses this requirement is at its discretion, as long as USAID can understand how it intends to implement the option(s) and ensure continuity in program activities if USAID decides to exercise them. Costs must also be budgeted separately for the base and options.

Q.35. Pg. 132 states, “performance targets must be ambitious and must go ‘above and beyond’ what would be considered acceptable performance of the contract’s statement of work.” Could USAID provide clarity to this statement?

RESPONSE: This statement is deleted from the RFP.

Q.36. The cover page of the RFP states that the cost ceiling is estimated for the Afya Jijini Program to be in the range of $34-35 million. We would like to confirm that this ceiling is for the initial three-year base period only.

RESPONSE: The cover letter of the RFP states “The Afya Jijini Program is estimated to be in the range of $34-$35 million (total costs and fee, if any). The Afya Pwani program is estimated to be in the range of $52-53 million (total costs and fee, if any).” These estimated ceilings represent the maximum total costs for the three base years and the two option years for each program.

Q.37. Should the past performance references listed on p.134 be only for completed programs or are current programs acceptable as well?

RESPONSE: Past performance references for ongoing programs may be submitted.

Q.38. The RFP indicates on page 131 the format and page limitation for the technical proposal. Could USAID please clarify if there is any line spacing format to comply with (single, double, etc.)?

RESPONSE: Single spaced.

Q.39. Would USAID consider allowing charts, graphics, and text boxes to use 10 point font as long as they are still legible?

RESPONSE: Proposals will be typed in Times New Roman 11 point font.

Q.40. The RFP indicates on pages 134 and 135 - section 4: Past Performance - that the offeror should list in an annex to the technical proposal up to 5 contracts and up to 3 activities with small businesses. Could USAID please clarify whether these annexes count towards the 20 page limit for annexes stated on page 131?

RESPONSE: Please see the response to question 6.

Q.41. Could USAID please clarify if the subcontractors should also submit Evidence of Responsibility and

Section K (representations, certifications and other statements? Please specify if the answer applies to all subcontractors or only major subcontractors as defined on page 134 under Past Performance.

RESPONSE: Please refer to Section L.7 of the RFP.

Q.42. Given that key personnel CVs will account for 10 pages of annexes, plus 5 pages for key personnel

LOCs, would USAID consider expanding the page limit for annexes to 25 pages to allow adequate space for the work plan and M&E plan?

RESPONSE: Please see the response to question 5.

Q.43. Section H.42.C on page 96 of the RFP indicates, “USAID will be significantly involved in establishing selection factors and will approve the selection of grant recipients. Unless otherwise directed by the Contracting Officer, the COR will have authority to approve the grant recipient selection”. Would it be possible for the offeror to include a grantee within the proposal if the offeror can justify that only the proposed grantee could provide the services the offeror needs?

Q.44. Could USAID please clarify if the $35 million ceiling for Afya Jijini and the $53 million ceiling for Afya

Pwani is for the three base years only or does it cover the base years plus the two option years?

RESPONSE: See the response to question 36.

Q.45. Output 1.4 (on p.30 for the Jijini SOW and p. 45 of the Pwani SOW), calls for the Contractor to target key populations, “particularly sex workers and their clients, sexually active young women aged 15-24 years, partners and children of PLHIVs less than 10 years, and outpatient and inpatient clients for HTC.” Could USAID please clarify if MSM are included in the targeted key populations for HTC?

RESPONSE: Yes, MSM are a key population to be supported under this RFP.

Q.46. The expected results for output 2.2 calls for an increase in the number of children under five with diarrhea who receive ORT for treatment. Can USAID please clarify if this is intended to target all children within project catchment areas, or only those children who are brought to facilities for treatment?

RESPONSE: Please refer to the answer given to Question 31.

Q.47. The Expected Results for both Jijini and Pwani calls for an increase in the number of women of reproductive age using modern contraceptives: Jijini: (within the targeted informal settlements of Nairobi) by 20% by Y3, 25% by Y4, and 30% by Y5 (p. 63 in Jijini SOW). Given the limited focus on FP in the RFP, the current mCPR, and that the current estimated unmet need in Nairobi County of 15.1% (per the 2008 - 2009 DHS) will be exceeded by these targets, could USAID clarify whether these targets are correct?

RESPONSE: Yes, these targets are correct.

Q.48. The expected results for output 2.2 calls for an increase in the number of eligible health facilities which offer the 8 EmONC signal functions (p. 62 Jijini, p. 68 Pwani). Can USAID please clarify whether the Contractor should focus on the 7 BEmONC signal functions or the 9 CEmONC signal functions?

RESPONSE: The Contractor should focus on the seven (7) BEmONC signal functions.

Q.49. The Expected Results for Jijini call for an increase in the percentage of high volume health facilities that conduct quarterly data review and use forums by 750% by the end of Y5 (p. 64). Is it correct to assume that this target is meant to read 75%?

RESPONSE: 70% is the correct expected result for this indicator in Option Year 5.

Q.50. Page 45 of the RFP states: “In partnership with the County Health Management Teams, the activity will train health providers, secure commodities and increase clinical capacity to support such services in select health facilities to provide VMMC to uncircumcised males in the informal settlements of

Mombasa County.” On page 65, performance targets are listed for Kilifi and Lamu for the indicator:

“Eligible males circumcised as part of VMMC for HIV prevention.” Can USAID please clarify?

RESPONSE: CORRECTION: The Contractor is NOT expected to train, provide commodities and increase capacity and services for VMMC in Afya Pwani (Momabasa, Kilifi, Lamu Kwale and Taita Taveta).

Expected results for the indicator “Eligible Males Circumcised as Part of VMMC for HIV Prevention” should be disregarded for Momobasa, Lamu and Kilifi.

Q.51. As part of the Jijini SOW, page 29 of the RFP states: “The Contractor will support the delivery of the defined minimum package for key populations that includes at least one of the behavioral, biomedical and structural interventions below. This definition is not included in SOW for Pwani. Can USAID please clarify how this defined minimum package for key populations is applicable to the Pwani SOW?

RESPONSE: The minimum package as described in the Jijini SOW applies to the Pwani SOW as well.

Q.52. The outline for the technical proposal provided by USAID on p. 131 of the RFP does not include an executive summary. Are Offerors allowed to include an executive summary in their proposals? If so, would the executive summary count towards the existing 30 page limit for the technical narrative?

RESPONSE: An executive summary is not required in the proposal. If the Offeror chooses to include an executive summary, it will count towards the 30-page limit for the technical proposal body.

Q.53. The guidance provided for Section 3: Monitoring and Evaluation Approach on p. 134 of the RFP indicates that Offerors must include a draft M&E plan as an annex to their proposals, including:

performance indicators; information on data sources and data collection; data quality; data analysis, use, and dissemination; and a plan to support the GoK M&E systems at all levels. Would USAID please clarify what information Offerors are expected to provide in Section 3 of the technical narrative versus as an annex to the technical proposal? If a detailed narrative M&E plan needs to be included as an annex, would USAID consider amending the 20 page limit for the appendices to accommodate this information?

RESPONSE: For Section 3: Monitoring and Evaluation Approach, the technical proposal body will include a summary of the M and E plan as well as a description of the contribution to USAID project level and Mission level results outlined in USAID/Kenya’s objectives under the Country Development and Cooperation Strategy. Offerors must include a draft M&E plan as an annex to their proposals. The page limit for Annexes to the technical proposal is revised to 30 pages maximum.

Q.54. The guidance for Section 4: Past Performance on p. 134 of the RFP instructs offerors to “List as an annex to the technical proposal up to 5 of the most recent and relevant contracts for efforts similar to the work in the subject proposal.” However, these past performance references are not included in the list of required annexes in the technical proposal outline provided on p. 131 of the RFP. Could you kindly confirm whether these past performance references count towards the 20 page limit on appendices? If so, would USAID consider amending the page limit to accommodate this additional annex?

Q.55. Malaria is not mentioned in the areas of focus, nor is there a mention of current Malaria programs.

How is an offeror expected to respond to malaria needs in endemic zones of the Coast?

RESPONSE: Malaria interventions are not part of this RFP.

Q.56. The RFP shows the performance target for ART initiation among TB/HIV infected individuals as 90% on

p. 46, 95% on p. 65, and 100% on p. 46. Could you kindly clarify which target you would like Offerors to use in their proposals?

RESPONSE: The contractor should use 90% ART initiation for TB/HIV co-infected individuals on ART.

Q.57. Could USAID kindly share its local compensation plan for Kenya?

RESPONSE: The US Government’s local compensation plan salary table is attached to this amendment.

Q.58. Under the revised ADS 302 guidance on issuing grants to Partner Government Entities, will the Contractor be given the authority to issue grants to government Entities, including but not limited to counties and county level health committees, as well as non-governmental organizations?

RESPONSE: This will require USAID’s consideration.

Q.59. Per Section B.4 of the RFP, the CLIN structure for both proposals is broken into four sub-CLINs per contract period: Direct Costs, Grants Under Contracts, Indirect Costs, and Total Fixed Fee. Could USAID please clarify under which sub-CLIN or sub-CLINs Other Direct Costs (ODCs) should be billed, including but not limited to subcontractor costs? Alternatively, should there be a separate sub-CLIN added to each CLIN for ODCs?

RESPONSE: The budget template provided with the RFP lists the major cost categories of Salaries and Wages, Fringe, Overhead, Allowances, Travel and Transportation, Equipment, Other Direct Costs (ODCs), Subcontracts, Grants Under Contract, Indirect Costs, and Fixed Fee, if any. The Direct Costs sub-CLINs (CLIN 0001a, CLIN 0002a, and CLIN 0003a) will be comprised of the prime contractor’s:

Salaries and Wages, any Fringe Benefits charged as direct costs, Allowances, Travel and Transportation, Equipment, Other Direct Costs (ODCs) and Subcontracts budgeted for each CLIN. The indirect costs sub-CLINs (CLIN 0001c, CLIN 0002c, and CLIN 0003c) will reflect the application of the prime contractor’s indirect cost rates under approved NICRAs issued by a US Government Agency, if applicable. Offerors must not add sub-CLINs.

Q.60. Per the instructions on pages 131-135 of the RFP, the ANNEX section should not exceed 20 pages.

Required annexes include: draft work plan, a draft M and E Plan, a list of 5 past performance references, CV’s of all key personnel with letters of commitment (2 pages per CV and 1 page LOC with detail of start-date). Since the staffing could take 15 pages, is it USAID’s expectation that the M and E and PPR subsections can fit to five pages total?

RESPONSE: Please see the response to question 5.

Q.61. How does USAID want the “option for additional services” addressed in the proposal. Should there be a separate technical narrative, work plan and PMP plan?

RESPONSE: Please see the response to questions 34 and 97.

Q.62. What is the breakdown of PEPFAR versus non-PEPFAR funds? What is the breakdown of PEPFAR versus non-PEPFAR funds for grants under contract allocation?

Q.63. What proportion of the total award should be allocated to HIV, MNCH, WASH, Nutrition and County

Health Systems Strengthening?

Q.64. Please specify what entities/groups would fall under the grants under contracts category versus the subcontractor category and is there a maximum budget amount for local organizations for grants under contracts?

RESPONSE: Please refer to ADS 302.

Q.65. Although it is clear that PEPFAR resources may not be used to support cervical cancer screening, may other non-PEPFAR funds contained within this award be used to support cervical cancer screening?

RESPONSE: Non-PEPFAR funds cannot be used to support cervical cancer screening.

Q.66. Can funds less than a certain amount be used to support minor repairs? If so what is the ceiling?

RESPONSE: HIV funds cannot be used for renovations/repairs. Offerors must provide a detailed justification for the use of any non-HIV funds for this purpose.

Q.67. Can human resource be supported by this award?

RESPONSE: If the question is referring to paying salaries of staff (civil servants or contractors) at facilities or within county or national governments, this is not envisioned under the contract.

Q.68. Do both prime and sub applicants need to complete section K of the RFP at the time of application?

RESPONSE: See Section L.7 of the RFP.

Q.69. Can you please clarify whether a partner/sub-awardee that only works on Sub-purposes 2 and 3 (and not Sub-purpose 1: 'Increased Access and Utilisation of Quality HIV Services') may be exempt from clause H.19 (Prohibition on the promotion or advocacy of the legalisation or practice of prostitution or sex trafficking)? [This] organization has no position regarding H.19 and is unable to sign up to this clause.

RESPONSE: Please see H.19(b) for exemptions.

Q.70. [This] organization is unable to agree to the terms as stipulated for H. 9. All Intellectual Property produced by [this] organization, such as media outputs, must be owned by [this] organization;

however a license may be granted to USAID to use our work for project purposes. Can you confirm whether the terms for H. 9 may be negotiated, should our [organization] be nominated preferred bidder for this RFP?

RESPONSE: Note that upon signing the required SF-33, an Offeror acknowledges that all submitted offers are subject to all terms and conditions contained in the solicitation. An Offeror may request deviations to applicable provisions and clauses, but these are considered in very exceptional cases and require approval by USAID.

Q.71. In the cover letter paragraph 4, it states that “the Afya Jijini program is estimated to be in the range of

$34-$35 million (total costs and fee, if any).” Could USAID Kenya please clarify if the $34-$35 million range is for the base period of three years only, or does it include the two optional years?

RESPONSE: Please see the response to question 36.

Q.72. Could USAID Kenya share the breakdown of the total funding by funding source (i.e., population, PEPFAR, MNCH and nutrition)?

Q.73. Could USAID Kenya please clarify how much training should the contractor assume will be conducted directly by the GOK with its own resources?

RESPONSE: The Contractor will be encouraged to hold a dialogue with county governments to assess their level of support for training and refer to the county strategic and annual plans.

Q.74. Regarding Output 1.3 HIV Treatment Services on pages 27-28 of the RFP, could USAID Kenya provide clarify on what is meant by eligible PLHIV initiated on ART? How is USAID Kenya defining “eligible?”

RESPONSE: Eligibility for ART is determined based on the Government of Kenya treatment guidelines.

These can be found at: http://nascop.or.ke/

Q.75. Could USAID Kenya clarify is this program expected to meet the target of 100% testing of OVCs? There is no indicator, yet it is mentioned in the narrative

RESPONSE: The contractor is expected to coordinate with the upcoming activity for OVC services in Nairobi and Coast and ensure HIV testing for all OVCs is supported.

Q.76. On page 21 of the RFP, it states “The contractor will implement HIV services in all facilities currently supported by APHIAplus Nairobi/Coast activity.” Does this mean that only the current sites or at least all the current sites should be included? Can an application add more HIV sites if there are valid reasons for doing so?

http://nascop.or.ke/

RESPONSE: See question 18. In addition, the contractor may propose additional sites for support as long as they meet the criteria for inclusion which currently is defined as identifying greater five (5) or more new HIV+ individuals in the previous 12 month period.

Q.77. On page 21 of the RFP, it states “The contractor will implement interventions supporting maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH), family planning (FP), water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and MNCH-related nutrition in select facilities in informal settlements in different Nairobi County constituencies selected by the contractor and USAID at the work planning stage.” Can this selection be expanded to select facilities inor in the neighborhood of the informal settlements? On page 21 of the RFP, it states “This contract will not cover Kibera.” Could USAID clarify does this apply only to MNCH/FP/Nutrition/WASH support and not to HIV support?

RESPONSE: The selection is limited to informal settlements. The contract will not cover Kibera for HIV or non-HIV support.

Q.78. Will USAID Kenya allow funding of Community Health Worker activities and reimbursement of expenses for focused defaulter tracking, referral follow-ups, and/or location of OVCs?

RESPONSE: Though Community Health Workers have a broader remit than just HIV-related services, PEPFAR funds to support Community Health Workers should only be used to support HIV-related activities.

Q.79. It has been difficult to get a current listing of the health facilities and volume of patients in each facility that are currently supported by APHIAplus Nairobi. Could USAID Kenya provide a list of these health facilities with the current type of USAID support provided (HTC, PMTCT, Care and Treatment and

MNCH/FP)?

Q.80. On page 134 of the RFP, USAID Kenya requests past performance references (PPRs) to be included as an annex in the technical application. Could USAID Kenya increase the number of pages to allow space for PPRs, as the current page allocation is insufficient: Annex 2: CVs of 5 Key Personnel and Letters of Commitment allotted an estimated 15 pages of the total [CVs 2 pages multiplied by 5 positions = 10 pages plus 5 pages for the letters of commitment].

Q.81. Can USAID Kenya please clarify whether each consortium member (prime and subcontractors) is expected to present their five most recent, most relevant programs as evidence of past performance?

RESPONSE: Please see page 134, Section 4: Past Performance states: “The offeror (including all partners of a joint venture) must provide performance information for itself and each major subcontractor (defined as one whose proposed cost exceeds 20% of the offeror’s total proposed cost)

Q.82. Could USAID Kenya share the updated 2014 FSN Scale to facilitate appropriate allocation of salary resources?

RESPONSE: The US Government’s local compensation plan salary table is attached to this amendment.

Q.83. Could USAID please indicate the anticipated start date?

RESPONSE: April 2015.

Q.84. Section L.7(b) 1 indicates that Offerors will use the budget estimate for Grants under Contracts for

Afya Jijini of $5 million. Does USAID recommend that Offerors propose the distribution of funds between the base and option years or would USAID prefer to provide the distribution at this time?

RESPONSE: Please see page 136 of the RFP, which states:

“In budgeting for the grants under contracts line items, Offerors will use the following budget estimates for the grants to be distributed over the contract base and option periods and budgeted under CLINs 0001b, 0002b and 0003b.

Grants under Contracts for Afya Jijini – $5 million Grants under Contracts for Afya Pwani – $7.5 million

Direct costs associated for the management of the Grants under Contract component can be budgeted under CLINs CLIN 0001a, CLIN 0002a and CLIN 0003a.”

Q.85. Section L.7(e) indicates that portions of Section K not available online be submitted in this section.

Would USAID please confirm that Section K in its entirety may be submitted in the Cost Proposal.

Q.86. Would USAID please clarify whether a Small Business Subcontracting Plan must be submitted with the

Cost Proposal?

RESPONSE: A small business subcontracting plan is not required.

Q.87. Would USAID please clarify whether Consent to Subcontract must be submitted with the Cost

Proposal?

RESPONSE: If an Offeror has identified a subcontractor(s) and is requesting consent to subcontract to those organizations in accordance with FAR 44.2, then it must submit the information required for that consent.

Q.88. Is Section K required to be submitted by subcontractors or only the prime contractor?

Q.89. Would USAID please confirm that certified cost or pricing data is not required for submission with the Cost Proposal by either the prime contractor or any subcontractor.

RESPONSE: Cost and pricing data is not required for the prime offeror.

Q.90. Would USAID please confirm that Evidence of Responsibility (section L.7 (c)) is not required for submission by subcontractors.

Q.91. Must the order of the detail budget match that of Attachment J.6, or may the order differ somewhat as long as the costs within each major budget category are contained? For example, may overhead be presented below subcontracts?

RESPONSE: Offerors must use the provided budget template. The instructions for the budget template state: “Offerors must utilize the major categories of cost listed herein.” USAID’s strong preference is that Offerors minimize deviations from the required budget template. It would be acceptable to adjust the order in which major categories appear.

Q.92. Regarding the detail budget, may the order within each major budget category differ somewhat from that presented in Attachment J.6 as long as the costs within any major budget category are contained? For example, within salaries and wages, may long-term local staff be presented before short-term expatriates?

RESPONSE: See the response to question 91.

Q.93. May subtotals be presented within the budget detail?

RESPONSE: Yes. See also the response to question 91.

Q.94. Please provide a breakdown of the funding streams and percent of funding per health area expected under this RFP.

Q.95. Understanding that some sub-purpose areas will require more staff time and effort than others based upon expected activities and outcomes, can USAID share the level of effort it recommends across the three sub-purpose areas?

RESPONSE: USAID cannot recommend the level of effort across the three sub-purpose areas. This will need to be part of the Offerors’ proposals.

Q.96. If possible, please provide the following referenced documents: FY 2014 Annual Report and FY 2014

Performance Plan and Report for APHIAplus Nairobi and Coast (mentioned on page 61); and August 2012 Gender Analysis and Action (mentioned on page 25).

RESPONSE: The USAID/Kenya Gender Analysis and Action Plan is attached to this document. As mentioned on page 61 of the RFP, the FY 2014 Annual Report and FY 2014 Performance Plan and Report will be shared and used during the work plan development.

Q.97. Please clarify the requirements for the work plan and the accompanying narrative. a) On page 133, the RFP states that a detailed explanation should be provided for the first two years of the project.

Please confirm if the detailed explanation should be for the first two or three years of the project. b) Is a narrative required only for years 1 and 2 of the project or shall the narrative cover the full five years of the project? c) Shall the first two years of the work plan be presented in a tabular format separately from years 3-5 of the project?

RESPONSE: The Offeror must provide a draft five year work plan illustrating separately planned tasks for the three base years and each of the two option years of the program. The Offeror must present a detailed explanation for the first two years of the project, with activities and benchmarks for the remaining project years.

Q.98. Please provide details on how measures outside the control of a contractor (e.g. government disruption, health crisis, etc.) will be taken into account when assessing achievement of deliverables and awarding the fee.

RESPONSE: Payment of fee will be in accordance with FAR 52.216-8.

Q.99. On page 62, Description of Expected Results section, there are definitions for some of the deliverables and targets listed on the Deliverables Schedule, but not for all. Can USAID provide definitions for all indicators on the Deliverables Schedule (specifically identify the numerator and denominator)? This will enable respondents to identify the most relevant activities and most accurate cost estimates for activities.

RESPONSE: The definitions for indicators can be found through public documents including the 2012 HIS Manual from the Ministry of Health and the 2014 Monitoring and Evaluation Reporting guide from PEPFAR. Offerors are expected to find data and information needs through government and public sources such as the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and the DHIS.

Q.100. Are detailed budgets required for all subcontractors or only for those whose proposed costs exceeds

20% of the offeror’s total proposed cost?

RESPONSE: Detailed budgets are required for all identified subcontractors. See page 136 of the RFP, which states “This must include a complete breakdown of cost elements associated with each line item and those costs associated with any proposed subcontract. […] Subcontracts: Offerors must also provide detailed budgets and budget narratives for each proposed subcontract, if any. Proposed subcontract budgets must follow the same template and parameters described above.”

Q.101. Please confirm if the small business plan should be included in the Technical Proposal as an annex and if it is included in the 20 page limit of the annexes.

RESPONSE: See the response to question 86.

Q.102. Are additional annexes, such as letters of support, organogram, acceptable if the total number of annex pages is kept to 20 pages?

RESPONSE: See the responses to questions 5 and 6.