Mod_2.pdf

Technical Questions and Answers (Q&A) Modification 02

Technical Questions and Answers (Q&A):

Q.1 Define “Limiting Competition to Local Entities” on page 18 of 302.3.4.5f?

A.1 Offerors should check their status before submission –

The competition under this solicitation is limited to local entities in accordance with

Section 7007 of Public Law 112-74, as amended by Section 7028 of the Consolidated

Appropriation Act 2014 (P.L 113-76) titled “Local Competition Authority.”

For the purposes of this solicitation, local entity means an individual, a corporation, a nonprofit Organization, or another body of persons that-

(1) Is legally organized under the laws of:

(2) has as its principal place of business or operations in;

(3) is majority owned by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of; a country receiving assistance from funds appropriated under title III of this Act.

(4) Managed by a governing body the majority of who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of a country receiving assistance from funds appropriated under title III of the Act.

(c) For purposes of this section, -

“majority owned” and “managed by” include, without limitation, beneficiary interests and the power, either directly or indirectly, whether exercised or exercisable, to control the election, appointment, or tenure of the organization’s managers or a majority of the organization’s governing body by any means”.

Q.2 What is Fedbizopps?

A.2 FedBizOpps, or FBO, is the Federal government's website (fedbizopps.gov) that posts all

Federal procurement opportunities over opportunities with a value over $25,000. Think of it as the government's proposal central, or Request For Proposal central.

FedBizOpps gov (pronounced fed biz opps) can be found at www.fbo.gov or www.fedbizopps.gov

Offerors are encouraged to sign up as an interested vendor to receive notifications as all amendments to this solicitation will be issued and posted on www.fbo.gov.

Q.3 As per the document I have read; my query would be to inquire on where the local D&B office is for purpose of Registration in the system as an offeror (registration requirements-Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS).

http://www.fbo.gov/ http://www.fedbizopps.gov/ http://www.fbo.gov/

A.3 Before you can bid on government proposals, you need to obtain a Dun & Bradstreet, or

D-U-N-S, Number, a unique nine-digit identification number for each physical location of your business. D-U-N-S Number assignment is free for all businesses required to register with the federal government for contracts or grants.

What do I need to get my D-U-N-S Number?

When registering for your D-U-N-S Number, you will need the following on hand:

Legal name

Headquarters name and address for your business

Doing Business As (DBA) or other name by which your business is commonly recognized

Physical address, city, state and ZIP Code

Mailing address (if separate from headquarters and/or physical address)

Telephone number

Contact name and title

Number of employees at your physical location

Whether you are a Home-Based Business

How do I get my D-U-N-S Number?

Visit D-U-N-S Request Service to obtain more detailed instructions on applying for your

D-U-N-S Number.

Also, see the FAQs for obtaining a D-U-N-S Number and visit System for Award

Management (SAM).

Q.4 What is System for Award Management (SAM)?

A.4 The System for Award Management (SAM) is a Federal Government owned and operated free web site that consolidates the capabilities in Central Contractor Registration

(CCR)/FedReg, Online Representations and Certifications Applications (ORCA) and the

Excluded Parties List System (EPLS).

Both current and potential government vendors are required to register in SAM in order to be awarded contracts by the Government. Vendors are required to complete a one-time registration to provide basic information relevant to procurement and financial transactions. Vendors must update or renew their registration annually to maintain an active status.

Please visit the SAM page here: www.sam.gov Information on the SAM help desk can be found on the SAM Help page: SAM Help Page

Q.5 How many contracts will be awarded?

https://www.sba.gov/content/home-based-business http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do;jsessionid=81407B1F03F2BDB123DD47D19158B75F http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayFAQPage.do http://www.sam.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/?portal:componentId=1f834b82-3fed-4eb3-a1f8-ea1f226a7955&portal:type=action&navigationalstate=JBPNS_rO0ABXdcACJqYXZheC5mYWNlcy5wb3J0bGV0YnJpZGdlLlNUQVRFX0lEAAAAAQApdmlldzo5ZTEyMDY3NS1kYzA3LTQ1YjYtOGZhYS1mNzA4NmI4NTMwMTMAB19fRU9GX18*&interactionstate=JBPNS_rO0ABXc0ABBfanNmQnJpZGdlVmlld0lkAAAAAQATL2pzZi9uYXZpZ2F0aW9uLmpzcAAHX19FT0ZfXw**

A.5 USAID will select 3 bidders. After evaluation one (1) contract will be awarded.

Q.6 Is there a consideration of professional Indemnity Insurance for the detailed engineering scope of work for the first two projects?

A.6 Professional indemnity insurance is the responsibility of the contractor. At a minimum, the contractor must follow standards of engineering professional practice in Uganda.

Q.7 The RFP stipulates that IEE approval has been sought, however in the scope with respect to Protected Areas, a lot of the proposed scope will be developed as the project commences. Is there going to be a parallel Environmental scoping and approval process that will allow these works to be delivered as part of the scheduled time?

A.7 The IEE will provide guidance for completing environmental compliance requirements for each sub-activity. The contractor should plan to support environmental scoping as a necessary part of the design process.

Q.8 If some of the relevant experience required to deliver these projects comes from the sub-contractor, are we allowed to include it as part of the joint team’s Experience?

A.8 Yes.

Q.9 Would the procurement, compliance and financial specialist be required in-country full time? Or could we propose an individual with FAR experience (who would fly in and out when required) being assisted by an in-country Ugandan with procurement experience on the ground.

A.9 All Key Personnel must be available for the Level-of-Effort which will be advertised on fedbizopps in the next phase of this solicitation SOL-617-17-000018.

Q.10 RFQ Page 6: 1: The Lead Engineer/Program Manager:

Does an Architect qualify to occupy the position of Lead Engineer?

A.10 No. An engineer is required as oversight and responsible lead for all activities including design.

Q.11 SF 330: Section C. Proposed Team:

Does the prime contractor have to provide documents legally binding between them [the prime contractor and other contractors], if yes; which documents would suffice?

A.11 A document that is legally binding and enforceable, including parties capable of contracting, consent of the parties, a lawful object, and consideration.

Q.12 SF 330 Section D:

Organizational Chart of Proposed Team: Please provide sample as discussed in the meeting.

A.12 The Offeror should not provide anything more than a generic organizational chart.

Q.13 As regards:

Attachment #2, Page 20, Specific services….

“3. When developing the design packages, undertake all necessary assessments and research, such as hydraulic or hydrologic analysis, geotechnical/geological analysis and identification of possible borrow sources of construction materials, archeological surveys of areas to be flooded, weather, exiting and/or required utilities, environmental assessments, surveying, incorporation of seismic risks, or any other required research, as appropriate. This includes the conducting of environmental reviews and preparation of mitigation measures and environmental assessments in accordance with 22 CFR 216.

Additionally, all projects should comply with USAID disability access requirements, outlined in the USAID Policy on Standards for Accessibility for the Disabled in USAID-

Financed Construction.”

Is the Contractor to undertake the required field data collection (i.e. field surveys, studies and investigations), some of which may require subcontractors, themselves or not (i.e. the data to be provided by USAID)? If yes, is the Contractor to bear the cost directly or will it be a reimbursable or provisional sum?

A.13 Yes. The contractor will undertake all necessary studies including field data collection. The costs of the studies and data collection are reimbursable under the contract.

Q.14 Are the projects going to run concurrently?

A.14 (a) NUDEIL projects once approved run concurrently in the six districts implementing the program. Therefore the contractor is expected to work with the district management under the leadership of the Chief Administrative officer in the six districts of Amuru, Gulu, Kitgum Lamwo, Nwoya and Oyam.

(b) Timelines: TBD

Q.15 Will the Joint Venture be viewed as a stand-alone contract?

A.15 Yes, only a single contract will be awarded.

Q.16 Does SF 330 have to be completed by both the Prime and Subs?

A.16 The prime submits the SF 330. Part II General Qualifications should be complete for each firm of the proposed team (Prime Contractor and all Key Subcontractors)

Q.17 Will there need to be a Legal binding – between firms ….joint ventures?

A.17 Usually required.

Q.18 Page 12 of the Solicitation: A. 1. What is the difference between the following two bullets?

Submit personal resumes that best demonstrate the firm’s professional qualifications, including specific licenses and registration relevant to the synopsis requirements.

All technical disciplines listed in Section 2 of this advertisement shall be represented in order to obtain the most favorable rating.

A.18 See SF330 Page 2 of Instructions - Section E of SF 330

Complete and submit a summary disclosure for each discipline, principal (Key

Personnel), project manager, and other support personnel, for up to 20 disciplines, that will handle work for the subject contract.

Each resume package may not be longer than 2 pages in length.

Identify Professional Engineering licenses and certifications and Uganda licenses as appropriate.

A.18 See SF 330 Pages 4 of Instructions

Q.19 Pg. 15 Organizational Chart Point 1

Should it only include the Project Team or include all staff the Contractor is proposing?

A.19 The organizational chart should represent the organization, communications and management of the entire project team.

Q.20 If USAID requested the Offeror to subcontract whose liability would that be?

Would the subcontractor be the Offerors liability or USAID’s?

A.20 The contractor maintains all professional liability for work completed under this contract.

Q.21 What are the minimum requirements for an Architect? Would it be the same as an

Engineer?

A.21 Minimum requirements for specific positions/roles have been identified in the

Solicitation.

Q.22 Is it restrictive for Offerors to include similar Key Personnel.

A.22 No it is not restrictive.

Q.23 Are Joint Ventures allowed?

A.23 Yes

Q.24 What documents should be submitted for Joint Venture partners?

A.24 The Offeror should not provide anything more than a two-party JV. Multi-party JV’s are more complex particularly with regard to corporate governance supermajority requirements, dilution and exit rights.

Q.25 Coordination Forums

A.25 TBD.

Q.26 It is stated on page 5 under contract information that the anticipated performance period for the A&E services will be two (2) years. However under the statement of works, we note that is also stated that the Contractor shall be required to offer tender assistance to the client, and from industrial experience, the tendering process usually takes to a minimum of three months. Will the design process, tender assistance and construction management be executed within the stipulated contract period of 2 years?

A.26 The planned period of performance is 2 years.

Q.27 Is there a limit on the number of support staff that the Contractor can propose?

A.27 No limit.