FRAMP_questions_responses_with_final.pdf

Questions regarding Request for Proposal (RFP) #SOL‐669‐15‐000018

Feeder Roads Alternative and Maintenance Program (FRAMP)

1. QUESTION: Please clarify the date and time that questions on the RFP are due. The cover page of the RFP states questions and comments must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m.

(Monrovia) on July 21, 2015; however, on Page 117, Section L.6 (e) states: “Questions in response to this Solicitation must be submitted in writing within 14 calendar days of issuance of this Solicitation” i.e. by July 14, 2015.

ANSWER: Questions Due Date/Time: is (was) July 21, 2015, 05:00p.m. Monrovia time. Page

117, Section L.6 (e) of the solicitation was corrected via Amendment 00001 to reflect this date/time.

2. QUESTION: Are full‐page graphics, such as organization chart, project schedule, level‐of‐ effort graph, etc., excluded from the 32‐page limit for the Technical Proposal?

ANSWER: All information required for evaluation as indicated in section L and M must be included within the page limits. Offerors are free to include complimentary information as annexes but these will be reviewed and evaluated as complementary information only.

3. QUESTION: Can 11x17 fold out pages be submitted and do they count as one page?

ANSWER: Proposals can only be submitted electronically as indicated in section L.7 of the RFP.

As such, 11x17 fold out pages is irrelevant.

4. QUESTION: May bidders include a transmittal letter and table of contents in the Technical and Cost Proposals? If so, can these be excluded from the 32‐page limit for the Technical

Proposal?

ANSWER: Yes, bidders may include a transmittal letter and table of contents in the Technical and costs proposals which will be excluded from the 32 page limit.

5. QUESTION: Regarding resumes, please advise whether resumes are to be included for Key

Personnel only as an annex to the Technical Proposal. Please confirm that resumes do not count toward the 32‐page limit for the Technical Proposal. Please advise whether there is a page limit or specified format for resumes.

ANSWER: Consistent with Section L.8 Key personnel “The key personnel information shall be presented as a summary of each proposed personnel achievements, qualifications and experiences on relevant project in the past.” Further details on key personnel shall be presented in Resumes and/or SF 1420, as annexes. Annexes do not count against page limits.

6. QUESTION: Are SF 1420’s required to be presented in the proposal in the Resume annex?

ANSWER: Yes, SF 1420’s is required to be presented for the key personnel in the proposal in the Resume annex.

7. QUESTION: Regarding past performance references:

a. QUESTION: How many past performance references are required each for the prime and any Subcontractors?

ANSWER: The offeror is required to provide minimum of 3 past performance references for work similar in nature. The solicitation has been amended to include this requirement on page 118.

b. QUESTION: Is there a specified format for past performance references?

ANSWER: Offerors can adopt their own format for presenting past performance information provided all of the required information pursuant to section L.8 Past

Performance, is covered.

c. QUESTION: On Page 125, RFP Section M.2.3. Past Performance (25 points), Paragraph

(b) (4) appears incomplete; the narrative reads as follows: “Business relations, addressing the of professional behavior and overall businesslike concern for the interests of the customer, including coordination among subcontractors and developing country partners, cooperative attitude in remedying problems, and timely”

ANSWER: The statement on page 125, of the RFP section M.2.3 Paragraph (b) (4) is corrected to read as follows:

“Business relations, addressing the of professional behavior and overall businesslike concern for the interests of the customer, including coordination among subcontractors and developing country partners, cooperative attitude in remedying problems and timely reporting of solutions to clients and stakeholders.”

8. QUESTION: Please confirm the Branding and Marking Plan is to be submitted to

USAID/Liberia by the successful Offeror upon contract award and does not need to be included as an annex to the Technical Proposal.

ANSWER: The Branding and Marking Plan is to be submitted as an annex to the proposal.

Though the Branding and Marking plan will not be evaluated, comments on the plan might be included in negotiations if deemed necessary by the Contracting Officer. The final negotiated and approved branding and marking plan will be incorporated in section D.4 of the award.

9. QUESTION: Please advise regarding environmental‐related material / reports available to

Offerors for their review and use during FRAMP.

ANSWER: USAID has added Attachment J.10- Programmatic Environmental Assessment report for USAID funded rural roads in Liberia in this amendment 00002.

10. QUESTION: Please confirm the extent of laboratory testing required, perhaps as a budget plug number or a detailed list of the type and amount of testing as, without clarity, costs proposed by Offerors may vary significantly on the basis of assumptions made.

ANSWER: The kinds of laboratory testing required are consistent with the various quality control tests prescribed in Attachment J.7-Feeder Roads design guidelines and typical drawings.

11. QUESTION: Within the Fixed Price construction cost, is the cost for research and development (engineering/design) required for the ALVRS to be captured under FFP or CPFF?

Will our inclusion of these costs (if FFP) adhere to the Brooks Act?

ANSWER: All cost associated with the research, development and designs of the ALVRS can be captured under CLIN 001, CPFF. As such, the table in section B.4 of the RFP is hereby amended to read as follows:

CLIN # Description Total Estimated

Cost

Total Fixed

Fee

Total Estimated

Cost Plus Fixed

Fee

CLIN 001 Contractor shall provide all the resources necessary to develop and operationalized sustainable feeder road maintenance systems consistent with

Section C. This CLIN shall also include cost associated with the research, designs and development of activities under CLIN 004.

CLIN 002 Contractor shall provide all the resources necessary to provide feeder roads construction oversight and also the oversight of activities under CLIN

003 and CLIN 004 consistent with

Section C.

12. QUESTION: Could you provide additional detail on what is envisioned to be captured under

CLINS 003 and 004? Attachments J8 and J10 as referenced do not supply further detail (J10 does not exist online or within the zip file and J8 is the MOU). Additionally, what is the required format for CLINS 003 and 004?

ANSWER: Section J10 (Programmatic Environmental Assessment report for USAID funded rural roads in Liberia) has been added as part of this amendment 00002. Attachment J8 is information to provide offeror a better understanding of the relationship between the Liberian

Government and USAID. Additionally, Sections B.4, C.3.6, C.3.7, C.4.3, C.4.4 and

Attachments: J7, J8, J9, and J10 collectively contain details on what is envisioned to be captured under CLINS 003 and 004. The offerors are expected to submit BOQs for CLIN 003 and CLIN

004 outlining work item descriptions, estimated quantities, units and unit costs detailing how the total firmed fixed is derived.

13. QUESTION: Are emergency repairs to be included in the FFP for maintenance?

ANSWER: Emergency repairs as described under routine maintenance activities is covered under RM 1 of attachment J.9 of the RFP. These repairs include the inspection and removal of obstructions and debris from the road after rains. These will also include clearing of blocked culverts, drains and minor repairs to carriageways and drainage structures. These will be included in the FFP for maintenance. As further described under RM1 in attachment J.9 if larger emergencies are detected these must be recorded and brought to the attention of the client. These larger emergencies can neither be reasonably foreseen nor accurately predicted and thus are not expected to be covered under the FFP for maintenance activities.

14. QUESTION: Pg. 18 of routine maintenance objectives includes bridge maintenance. Can you please define further expectations to maintenance of bridges in the pilot area? If a deficient bridge is found, it could require potential redesign and full re‐construction.

ANSWER: In section C.3.6 of the RFP Routine Minor Repair and Maintenance is defined as

“routine labor based activities carried out at regular intervals at least twice a year to keep the road shoulders, pavement, slopes, drainage and all other structures within the right of way as nearly as possible to their as constructed conditions and also selective periodic and recurrent maintenance on sections. These include minor repairs and improvements to eliminate the cause of defects.”

ANSWER: Consistent with the above definition, a deficient bridge which requires redesigns and full re-construction cannot be considered as being in a maintainable state. As such, a deficient bridge does not require maintenance but re-construction and is not within the scope of FRAMP.

15. QUESTION: Task 3.3 results, pg. 25 states a total of 120km of feeder roads maintained

(periodic and recurrent), yet the task only describes 0, 25, 50, and 20km for the four years

(totaling 95km). Which is the correct kilometer value to use?

ANSWER: Task 3.3 pg. 25 is hereby amended to read as follows:

Task 3.3

Under this task the Contractor must also implement Periodic and Recurrent maintenance of selected roads in the pilot regions in the following order during four respective maintenance years: 0 km, 50 km, 50 km and 20 km. The Contractor may either implement Recurrent and

Periodic maintenance activities along full road sections or in spot repair approach along a road link.

16. QUESTION: Pg. 17, Section C.3.6 states routine maintenance at least twice per year, however, pg. 24, Task 3.2 states 3 maintenance cycles per year. Please advise which is correct.

ANSWER: Section C.3.6 defines routine maintenance activities “at least twice per year” as stated in Section C. Tasks 3.3, pg. 24 outlines the specific task required under the scope of this project “3 maintenance cycles per year, which is greater than the minimum two cycles described in the definition provided in section C.3.6”. Both statements are correct.

17. QUESTION: Are the minimum education requirements for Key Personnel automatic grounds for disqualification or a rather a loss of points?

ANSWER: Key Personnel must have at minimum the education requirements stated in the RFP. The material failure of a proposal to meet a stated RFP requirement is considered a deficiency (FAR 15.001).

Section M.2 Pg. 123, states “any proposal found to have a deficiency in meeting the stated solicitation requirements or performance objectives will be considered ineligible for award, unless the deficient is corrected through discussions”. However, you are reminded that Section

M.1.2 states “the Government intends to evaluate proposals and award a contract without discussions…”

18. QUESTION: Attachment J.9 does not allow printing (security privileges) ‐Can this be removed or a printable version uploaded?

ANSWER: Printable version of Attachment J.9 is hereby provided via this amendment 00002.

19. QUESTION: Pg. 18, C.3.7 the RFP mentions that the ALVRs treatment will be constructed in various sections of rehabilitated farm to market roads. Is the assumption then that the overlay is merely a final surface treatment on a recently rehabilitated road or will the road need full design/survey and reconstruction down to subgrade? If full roadway/survey is required would this trigger the Brooks Act?

ANSWER: Roads selected for piloting the ALVRS will include recently rehabilitated roads with functioning drainage system and that the overlay will be only surface treatment with some minimum subgrade preparation including reinstatement of the road prism by; scarifying, reshaping and compacting. There is no requirement for “full design/survey and reconstruction down to subgrade” that will require a full roadway/survey. As such, the Brooks Act isn’t applicable to this requirement.

20. QUESTION: With respect to Task 4.2, is it acceptable to shift the first 15km of construction of year 1 into year 2?

ANSWER: Construction of the first 15km is expected to commence in year one.

21. QUESTION: Can USAID reconsider the requirement for fixed price bids for CLINs 3 and 4 activities? We believe firmly that the risk of undertaking this scope under a fixed price contract is unmanageable. Can USAID consider a cost-plus or time and materials contract for the services as currently scoped?

ANSWER: USAID Liberia has been very successful in obtaining fixed price construction services for road projects here in Liberia. USAID is very confident that the implementation of

FRAMP consistent with Section B.2 via a contract type combination of Firm-Fixed Price and

Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) Multi-Year Contract is prudent. Years three and four for CLINs

001 and 002 (CPFF) are contingent upon the appropriation of funds. Attachments J.8 and J.10 are to be utilized to price construction services for CLINs 003 and 004 (FFP). These CLINs (003 and 004) will remain FFP CLINs.

22. On the Cover Page of the RFP (page 1), Block 13B indicates that an offer guarantee is not required, but FAR 52.228-1 was included in the contract. Could

USAID confirm that as per the cover sheet, no offer guarantee is required?

Response: Bidder guarantee is not required for this solicitation. Far Clause 52.228-1 is hereby removed from the requirement of this solicitation.

23. QUESTION: Section C.3.3 of the RFP (Page 15) states “USAID funding of the

Routine Maintenance (RM) activities will experience an annual 15% reduction after year one, while Government of Liberia (GoL) funding of RM is expected to increase annually by at least 15%."

a. QUESTION: Would USAID please clarify if they intend this section to mean that USAID will cover 100% of the targeted maintenance work in Year 1, 85% in Year 2, 70% in Year 3, and 55% in Year 4?

ANSWER: USAID will cover 100% of the maintenance works indicated in

FRAMP scope; however, the GOL is expected to fund additional maintenance works outside the scope of FRAMP.

b. QUESTION: If so, should bidders assume that the difference would then be covered by the Government of Liberia?

ANSWER: USAID will cover 100% of the maintenance works indicated in

FRAMP scope; however the GOL is expected to fund additional maintenance works outside the scope of FRAMP.

24. QUESTION: Section C.4.3 of the RFP (Page 24) states "Under this objective the

Contractor must implement Routine maintenance of selected roads in the pilot regions in the following order during four respective maintenance years (having 3 maintenance cycles per year): 100 km, 500 km, 500 km and 200 km." Will USAID please clarify if the targets are cumulative or additive and if the same road segments will be maintained for the LOP? For example: a) Will the project maintain 1OOkm in

Year One, 500km in Year Two, 500km in Year Three and then only 200km in Year

Four? Or, b) Will the project maintain 1OOkm in Year One, the same 1OOkm plus an additional 500km for a total of 600km in Year Two and so on until a total of 1300km is being maintained in Year Four?

ANSWER: The targets refer to the total length of roads (in km) per annum covered by routine RM activities under FRAMP. The example a) is correct. The road segments could be the same or they could include a combination of the roads covered under the previous year plus some new road segments or they could even include a completely new batch of roads. It would all depend on the maintenance needs and prioritization criteria selected.

25. QUESTION: Section C.4.3 of the RFP (Page 24) Please confirm that the target of two CBO's per district only applies to districts in which there is road maintenance work under FRAMP?

ANSWER: Correct, the two CBOs per district apply to districts where there would be road maintenance works under FRAMP.

26. QUESTION: Section C.4.3 of the RFP (Page 25), states "A total of 120km of feeder roads maintained (Periodic and Recurrent maintenance) with USG funds over the life of the project." Please clarify if the periodic and recurrent maintenance is to be split two-thirds periodic maintenance and one-third recurrent maintenance.

The required 120km of Periodic and Recurrent Maintenance can be split as follows:

Maintenance

Type

Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Total

Periodic 0km 30km 30km 12km 72 km

Recurrent 0km 20km 20km 8km 48 km

27. QUESTION: Would USAID please clarify which of the following total km of periodic/recurrent maintenance is correct?

i. 95km (Okm, 25km, 50km, 20km) (page 25, paragraph 1)

ii. 120km (bulleted list on page 25)

iii. 125km (bulleted list on page 17)

ANSWER: These inconsistencies occurred in error, the correct value is 120km.

The following amendments are hereby made:

Page 25, paragraph 1-----

Under this task the Contractor must also implement Periodic and Recurrent maintenance of selected roads in the pilot regions in the following order during four respective maintenance years:

Maintenance

Type

Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Total

Periodic 0km 30km 30km 12km 72 km

Recurrent 0km 20km 20km 8km 48 km

Page 17, bulleted list

The Contractor must provide maintenance activities in the following order:

• Periodic/recurrent on a total of 120 km of roads in four counties over the life of the project

28. QUESTION: Section C.4.4 of the RFP (Page 25), given the wide range in costs

(anywhere between $10,000 -$200,000 per km) between different pavement treatments, such as chemical stabilizers, BST, and Otta Seals; will USAID please provide a target price for this component?

ANSWER: In accordance with FAR 36.204, the magnitude of FFP construction is as follows:

The magnitude for construction services (CLIN 003) is between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000.

The magnitude for construction services (CLIN 004) is between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000.

29. QUESTION: Section C.4.4 of the RFP (Page 25) states 'The Contractor must conduct a desk study of all available alternative low volume road seals...' and

Section C.3.7 of the RFP (Page 18) states, 'The Contractor must conduct a desk study of at least twelve available alternative low volume road seals...' (Emphasis added). Will USAID please confirm that both notations should read "at least twelve"?

ANSWER: Section C.4.4 has been amended to read: The contractor must conduct a desk study of at least twelve available alternative low volume road seals. No changes to Section C.3.7.

30. QUESTION: Will USAID please confirm that the draft Work Plan referenced in

Section E.3 of the RFP (Page 32) is to be submitted as an annex?

ANSWER: The work plans mentioned in section E.3 is not a RFP requirement. This work plan (Annual work plan) shall be submitted as indicated in deliverable schedule provided in section F.6.

31. QUESTION: Section F.7.4 of the RFP (Page 39) states that the Team Lead, Engineering and Maintenance's Anticipated Program role is to "provide the full range of expertise for achieving the results set forth under Objectives 3, 4, and 5."

Will USAID please confirm this should read "...under Objectives 2, 3 and 4."

ANSWER: Section F.7.4 of the RFP is hereby amended to read:

The Team Lead, Engineering and Maintenance's Anticipated Program role is to

"provide the full range of expertise for achieving the results set forth under

Objectives 2, 3 and 4."

32. QUESTION: Section 1.37 of the RFP (Page 86) states 'Reimbursement for local travel in connection with duties directly referable to the contract shall not be in excess of the rates established by the Mission Director for the travel costs of travelers in the Cooperating Country.' Would USAID please clarify if there are established rates or if travel will be reimbursed at cost?

ANSWER: Yes, there is a rate ceiling associated with lodging, meals and incidentals for local travel in Liberia that can be obtained at the following website:

https://aoprals.state.gov/web920/per_diem_action.asp?MenuHide=1&Co untryCode=1196

33. QUESTION: Section L.7 of the RFP (Page 117), will USAID please confirm that proposal submissions in PDF and Excel are acceptable?

ANSWER: Cost proposals shall be prepared and submitted per requirements of Section L.7 and

L.9 of the RFP.

34. QUESTION: Section L.8 of the RFP (Page 117/118 and 119), will USAID please confirm that the 32-page limit excludes:

a) Cover Page

b) Cover Letter

c) Table of Contents

d) Acronym List

e) Annex of Key Personnel Resumes and Letters of Commitment

ANSWER: Yes the page limit excludes the above mentioned sections of the proposal.

https://aoprals.state.gov/web920/per_diem_action.asp?MenuHide=1&CountryCode=1196 https://aoprals.state.gov/web920/per_diem_action.asp?MenuHide=1&CountryCode=1196

35. Section L.8 of the RFP (Page 118), will USAID please confirm they will accept technical

Proposals in:

a) Times New Roman, 11 point

b) 8-point minimum graphics/tables

c) 8.5 x 11 papers with 1 inch margins

ANSWER: Response: Single-sided excluding the authorized annexes. Any pages OVER 32 single sided PAGES WILL NOT BE EVALUATED. Proposals shall be written in English and typed on standard 8 1/2" x 11" paper (216 mm by 279mm paper), single spaced, Times Roman

12 Font and 1 inch margins with each page numbered consecutively.

36. QUESTION: Section M.2.3 (Past Performance, page 125); please confirm that USAID will evaluate reference projects that were not funded by the USG but are directly relevant to the experience required to successfully implement FRAMP.

ANSWER: Yes.

37. QUESTION: Request a two (2) week extension to the due date of August 6, 2015. One week in between receipt of answers to questions and the due date appears to be compressed. This two week extension will allow industry additional to better adapt their solution to the answers and in turn provide a better product to the USG.

ANSWER: The proposal receipt date has been extended from August 6, 2015 to August 27, 2015 in amendment 00002 to this solicitation.

38. QUESTION: C.3.3 Paragraph 1: “The approach is that over the life of the project USAID funding of the Routine maintenance (RM) activities will experience an annual 15% reduction after year one, while Government of Liberia (GoL) funding of RM is expected to increase annually by at least 15%.” Can USAID please explain how this reduction will affect the value of the contract? Does USAID expect the contractor to reduce its level of effort by 15% each year after the first year of contract value? If yes then in which CLIN should the reduction take place or should it be across the board?

ANSWER: This reduction does not affect the value of the FRAMP contract. The FRAMP implementer will continue to implement FRAMP as per the required task. The GOL investments in RM will be documented and reported under FRAMP but these activities will be beyond the scope of FRAMP.

39. C.3.3 Paragraph 6 “The Contractor must prepare the Local Governments to take on the new responsibilities listed above and also the MPW to provide appropriate regulations, policies and enforcement of established standards. The Contractor must support local county governments in the pilot regions to take over the above responsibilities in feeder roads construction and maintenance. Contractor interventions must be focused at the district and county levels with strategic capacity building and Technical Assistance to MPW in support of coordination, program monitoring, reporting, design and planning.” Will the contractor have authority over billets and budgets for relevant/new local-level billets?

ANSWER: The contractor will not have authority over GOL budgeting and allocation of resources, but the FRAMP implementer is expected to provide training, capacity building and mentorship to the county systems as they prepare to take on their future roles highlighted under the decentralization of rural roads asset management, with FRAMP activities being adopted as pilots.

40. QUESTION: C.3.4 Training and Capacity Building, nr. 3: “At the community level, capacity building and training will include technical support for the establishment and formalization of the CBOs, gang management trainings and labor based maintenance techniques; and”. Do the

CBOs have to be newly established, or is it possible to work with existing CBOs? Two per county, is that a minimum or a maximum?

ANSWER: CBOs can be either existing or newly established. It’s all demand driven. Two CBOs per district is the maximum.

41. QUESTION: C.3.5 Construction Oversight/Capacity Building “The Contractor must provide construction oversight and capacity building services on a total of 450 of farm to (market) roads located in Bong, Nimba, Lofa and Grand Bassa counties. These 450 km of roads were designed under a previous USAID activity. Where are these roads? Exact location?

ANSWER: The exact location in terms of GPS coordinates is not available. Please refer to attachment J.11-list of roads required for construction oversight.

42. C.3.7 Alternative Low Volume Road Seals (ALVRS).

“The construction of ALVRS on a total of 50 km of roads in 4 counties must be implemented

(…)”. What is the location of these roads? Should the contractor select the actual segments of road to be the subject of the test? What is the availability and state of machinery in the different counties? (MPW owned) Must the contractor identify at least twelve (12) alternative low volume road seals technologies in its proposal? If not, what is the timeframe in which these must be provided to the COR?

ANSWER: The selection process, research, development and delivery of the roads for the pilots of ALVRS shall be consistent with Section C.3.7, C.4.4.and F.6.

The contractor is responsible for providing all resources necessary to include equipment/machinery. As such, the contractor is responsible for performing research of the local construction industry to obtain the availability and state of machinery in the different countries.

43. QUESTION: C.4 Task 1.2, first bullet point: “Training of MPW designated feeder roads engineers, County resident engineers, and road maintenance technicians in the planning, design, and management of routine maintenance activities”. Can USAID provide the number of road engineers, county resident engineers and road maintenance technicians to be trained? Can

USAID elaborate on the level of education and training these personnel have?

ANSWER: Attachment J.12-MPW proposed maintenance structure (notes from technical discussions USAID/MPW, October 2014), is provided to provide a better understanding of level of education and training of MPW engineers.

44. C.4.2 Objective 2, 1st para after first bullet points: “Under this arrangement the Contractor must provide an in-house regional engineer who will supervise the local A&E firm.” Can the contractor assume that the regional engineer will oversee works conducted in the four target counties?

ANSWER: One regional engineer is the recommended minimum to supervise the local A&E firm. However, offerors may propose a number of engineers offerors believe are required for success. Offeror’s are reminded, as stated in M.2 of the solicitation, “Award may be made to other than the lowest priced Offeror or other than the highest technically rated Offeror.”

45. QUESTION: C.4.2 Objective 2, 2nd para after first bullet points: “Under the construction oversight component the Contractor must establish one centrally located soil testing laboratory, which is made available to construction contractors on a cost recovery basis.” In lieu of one centrally located soil testing laboratory would USAID consider an alternative approach that would be able to provide the same service?

ANSWER: USAID will consider an alternative approach to “one centrally located soil testing laboratory” provided that the objective of providing basic soil laboratory services. Offerors are reminded that as stated in Section M.2 of the solicitation “Award may be made to other than the lowest priced Offeror or other than the highest technically rated Offeror.”

46. QUESTION: Section H.1 Notice Listing Contract Clauses Incorporated By Reference. It appears that the USG incorporated 48 CFR Chapter 1 and AIDAR 48 in its entirety. Was this an oversight by the USG?

ANSWER: The solicitation cites TITLE 48 AIDAR chapter 7 which applies to this solicitation, not the entire title.

47. QUESTION: Section L.4 FAR 52.236-27 - Site Visit Alt I (Construction) (Feb 1995). As

FAR 52.236-2 and FAR 52.236-3 will be included in any contract awarded as a result of this solicitation, does the USG intend on doing a formal site visit and identify all roads, in their entirety, that the contractor must repair and maintain?

ANSWER: USAID will “not” conduct a formal site visit for this requirement. However, offerors are encouraged to plan site visits at their own convenience and cost. Also, see Attachment J.11 –

List of roads required for construction oversight.

48. QUESTION: Section C.3.7 (Page 19) states: “The Contractor must also developed, validate, and publish maintenance manuals for the top three ALVRS based on the standard developed.”

Please provide further guidance on the preferred means of publication (i.e.: pdf manuals, hard copies, DVD’s, internet based, etc.).

ANSWER: Publication shall include all of the above (hard copies, pdf manuals and DVDs) and also include its wide distribution to local and international stake holders as approved by USAID in consultation with MPW.

49. QUESTION: Please confirm that Section I.10 Performance and Payment Bonds –

Construction (Oct 2010) (Pages 72-73) only applies to the original contract price as awarded for

CLIN 003 and 004 only and does not include CLIN 001 and 002.

ANSWER: The performance bond applies to CLINs 003 and 004 only and does not apply to

CLIN 001 and 002.

50. QUESTION: Section I.13 FAR 52.236-1 Performance of Work by the Contractor (Page 74) states that the contractor shall perform work equivalent to “at least 60% of the total amount of work to be performed under the contract.” We acknowledge that the prime contractor must be responsible for overall work execution, and the Government will have performance guarantees to ensure the prime is fully responsible and accountable; however, we assume one of the goals of this program is to encourage maximum Liberian participation. As such, we recommend this number be reconsidered and reduced to 20% of the contract value, which will provide the

Government with a most cost effective proposal.

ANSWER: I.13 FAR Clause 52.236-1 has been updated to read: “The Contractor shall perform on the site, and with its own organization, work equivalent to at least 40% percent of the total amount of work to be performed under the contract. This percentage may be reduced by a supplemental agreement to this contract if, during performing the work, the Contractor requests a reduction and the

Contracting Officer determines that the reduction would be to the advantage of the Government.”

51. QUESTION: CLIN 003 requires maintenance activities of the existing feeder road network.

Are the existing conditions of the entire roadway limits considered poor condition? Should any be considered as all weather (paved)?

Roads selected for maintenance activities under CLIN 003 shall be in a maintainable state, consistent with the process described in C.3.6