AMENDMENT01_SOL-72012118R00005.pdf

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

PAGE OF PAGES

1 3

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO.

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

see block 16

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO

REQ-121-18-000031

5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

6. ISSUED BY CODE 7. ADMINISTERED BY (IF OTHER THAN ITEM 6) CODE

USAID/Ukraine Regional Contract Office Department of State 5850 Kyiv Place Washington, DC 20521-5850 see block 6

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., Street, County, State, and Zip Code)

TO ALL OFFERORS

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

SOL-72012118R00005

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

04/24/2018

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

CODE:

FACILITY CODE:

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

The above numbered, solicitation is amended as set forth in item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers is extended is not extended.

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended by one of the following methods:

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers, FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If Required)

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS,

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO., AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14

A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify Authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT

ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43,103 (b).

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is NOT is required to sign this document and return copies to the issuing office.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

The purpose of this Amendment No. 01 is to (1) provide answers to the questions submitted by potential Offerors regarding Request for Proposal (RFP) No. SOL-72012118R00005, USAID Economic Resilience Activity, and (2) post a revised RFP based on the questions received. All RFP revisions are highlighted in yellow.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

Maria Televantos, Contracting Officer

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR 15C. DATE

SIGNED

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

__________/S/________________

16C. DATE

SIGNED

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer) 4/25/2018

NSN 7540-01-152-8070 STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 10-83)

Previous Edition Unusable Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.24

PART I – ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS

1. In the Request for Information for ERA, USAID indicated that it planned to open an office in Eastern Ukraine. Could USAID kindly confirm if it still intends to open an office in Eastern Ukraine? If so, where will the office be located and when does USAID anticipate this happening?

Answer: USAID anticipates opening an office in Kramatorsk.

2. Could USAID kindly confirm where ERA’s Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) will be located?

Answer: The COR will work from USAID/Ukraine’s office in Kyiv.

3. Page 13, section C.3.4, USAID includes the draft results framework for the forthcoming CDCS and states that ERA will contribute to DO2: Impacts of Russian Aggression Mitigated, and the Intermediate Result (IR): Conditions Improved for Reintegration. Does USAID also anticipate ERA contributing to DO4 IRs 4.1,

4.2 and 4.3?

Answer: ERA will only contribute to DO2.

4. Could USAID please share the most recent Local Compensation Plan (LCP) with Contractors?

Answer: Please be advised that the maximum salary in the LCP is $65,320. USAID expects contractors to conduct their own market analysis for determining fair and reasonable salaries for locally hired positions in Ukraine.

5. Page 23, section C.4.6 Construction and Construction Monitoring states that “the Contractor must ensure that they have access to a certified Architect and Engineering (A/E) firm.” Can USAID kindly confirm that the costs for contracting an A&E firm are included in the total $10 million plug figure provided for Construction?

Answer: USAID confirms that the costs for contracting an A&E firm are included in the total $10 million plug figure provided for Construction.

6. Page 53, section H.7 (a) Limitations 2. states “In addition, there is a ceiling on the reimbursable base salary or wage paid to personnel under the Contract equivalent to the maximum annual salary rate specified in section L.7 above unless an advance written waiver is granted by the USAID Procurement Executive.” Section L.7 does not include a “maximum annual salary rate, could USAID please clarify this reference?

Answer: Thank you for pointing out this error. We have corrected it and it now refers to H.6 in the revised RFP.

7. Page 107, section L.8 b.4 Key Personnel, states that “the offeror need not identify non-Key Personnel in their proposal.” However, page 110, section L.9 (b) Salary and Wages states that “Completed biographical data sheets, Form AID 1420-17, must be provided for proposed all key personnel, consultants, and other short-term and long-term professional positions (this does not include positions such as secretaries and drivers) expected to perform on the contract.” Can USAID kindly confirm that Contractors can include the names of non-key personnel in both the technical and cost proposals and will not receive any points for the inclusion of non-key personnel?

Answer: L.8 refers to the technical proposal. L.9 refers to the cost proposal. If Offerors wish to include names of non-key personnel in their technical proposal, they may do so; however, it is not required.

8. Given that contractors are expected to compensate all personnel on ERA “in accordance with the Contractor’s established policies, procedures, and practices and the cost principles applicable to this contract” and not exceed the $65,320/year threshold for CCN staff, can USAID please confirm that Contractors are not required to provide “information supporting local professional salaries that should include data, such as recognized national and regional compensation surveys and studies of professional, public, and private organizations, used in establishing the total compensation structure” as referenced on page 110, section L.9(b)Salary and Wages?

Answer: This paragraph in Section L.9(b) has been revised for clarity. Recognized national and regional compensation surveys are one example of supporting information to justify local salaries. If the offeror has an established local salary scale, they are welcome to provide that as the supporting documentation.

9. Page 109, section L.9(b) Part-2 Proposed Costs/Price and Cost Proposal Narrative, includes a budget summary table with an annual allocation for GUCs and construction funds. Can USAID confirm that the Contractor is free to change these annual allocations in accordance with its proposed technical approach?

Answer: Yes. We have removed the annual dollar amount in Section L so that offerors can allocate annual amounts of GUCs and construction funds in accordance with their approach so long as the total amount equals the required plug figures provided.

10. Section L.B.1 (page 105) defines major subcontractors as those whose proposed cost exceeds 20 percent of the offeror’s total proposed cost, whereas Section L.B.8 subsection (a) (page 108) defines major subcontractors as those expected to perform at least 20 percent or a prominent part of the technical effort. Can USAID please clarify the definition of a major subcontractor?

Answer: Section L.8(b)(8) has been clarified to match the reference in L.8(b)(1). Major subcontracts are those whose proposed cost exceeds 20% of the offeror’s proposed cost.

11. In Section L.7 on page 104, USAID states that the page limitation will be calculated by the total number of pages of the entire PDF, limited to 50 pages. On page 108, USAID requests several elements regarding “Performance Using Small Business (SB) Concerns” including a narrative summary, a list of eSRS reports from the past year, and the contact information of three small business concerns for USAID to contact as references. For organizations that engage small business partners extensively, responding to these requests will take several pages. Could USAID consider exempting “Performance Using Small Business (SB) Concerns” from the page limit or allowing it to be submitted in a separate PDF annex?

Answer: No, all required parts of the proposal will count towards the page limit. Section L.8(b)(8) states that the offeror should provide a narrative summary, and USAID does indeed expect it to be a summary. We have amended the RFP to cap the number of eSRS reports over the past year that the offeror should list to five.

Please see the revised RFP.

12. Our organization has a standard and internally required cover page that provides all the requested information in the cover letter on page 105. Would USAID kindly consider the submission of a cover page in place of a cover letter?

Answer: The submission of a cover page in place of a cover letter is allowed as long as the cover page provides all the requested information. Alternatively, both a cover page and cover letter may be submitted so long as the total technical proposal does not exceed 50 pages.

13. On page 116, Section L.9(g), USAID requests that offers submit a Branding Implementation Plan (BIP) and a Marking Plan (MP) as part of the cost proposal. Would USAID consider the submission of a BIP/MP upon establishment of competitive range?

Answer: No, offerors must submit Branding Implementation and Marking Plans as requested in the RFP. Please recall that per Section M.1(a) the government may award without discussions.

14. Will the contractor be expected to pay Ukraine taxes, which we have to consider in the pricing?

Answer: USAID implementing partners are eligible for tax exemptions for project related expenses, except taxes related to local personnel, after the activity is registered by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT).

15. As per reading the RFP, is the contractor expected to fully fund the first 6 months of the contract?

Answer: USAID is not clear on where the RFP states this. The contract will be incrementally funded per Section B.3(b).

16. Will our experts who are in country just need a personal passport?

Answer: USAID implementing partners do not receive official government passports.

17. Will we have access to the U.S. embassy for briefings and other support?

Answer: The contractor may need to access the embassy to meet with the USAID COR.

18. Will we have access to Ukraine government offices and officials?

Answer: USAID expects the contractor to work with relevant Ukrainian government stakeholders.

19. Will the embassy have a list of targeted Ukraine industries?

Answer: USAID expects contractors to conduct their own research on the country context in order to develop the best technical approach.

Questions from the Pre-Proposal Conference held on April 23, 2018

1. Which enterprises are considered small and medium?

Answer: USAID uses Ukraine's definition of SMEs which is as follows and includes microenterprises:

Microenterprise:

Up to 10 employees Net sales of up to €750K Assets of up to €350K

Small:

Up to 50 employees Net sales of up to €8M Assets of up to €4M

Medium:

Up to 250 employees Net sales of up to €40M Assets of up to €20M

2. Will there be a restriction in terms of distance operating with respect to the line of contact? Can we/should we go beyond the line of contact?

Answer: There are no explicit restrictions in terms of distance operating with respect to the line of contact. The Contractor will be responsible for assessing the situation and making its own security determinations with respect to programming and staff. Under current conditions, USAID does not expect the Contractor to go beyond the line of contact, but it is possible the conditions could change.

3. Are tax exemptions available? Will this apply to first tier local subcontractors?

Answer: USAID implementing partners are eligible for tax exemptions for project related expenses, except taxes related to local personnel, after the activity is registered by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT).

There are three categories of sub-contractors:

1) co-implementer of the activity - tax and VAT exempt if the activity is registered by the MEDT, and the sub-organization is listed in the registration card issued by the MEDT.

2) recipient, organization that benefits from the project - exempt from income tax for the assistance received if the organization is listed in the registration card issues by the MEDT. Any other unrelated to the activity implementation issues cannot be covered/exempt; and

3) vendors - no direct exemptions, only indirect exemptions related to the activity implementer, if the activity is registered by the MEDT.

4. a)Where do you expect the office to be located? In Kyiv, in Donbas or somewhere in between?

Answer: Per Section C.6, the Contractor must have at least two offices: one in Kyiv and one in Kramatorsk. The Contractor may have additional offices as appropriate and in agreement with USAID. USAID understands that due to the operating environment needs may shift, and the Contractor may make adjustments with COR approval as needed during implementation.

b)Does this mean that the Contractor needs to open an office in Kramatorsk or does it need to have one presently?

Answer: Offerors do not need to have an office in Kramatorsk currently, but the Contractor will need to open an office in Kramatorsk.

5. Is this a new requirement or follow-on?

Answer: This is a new requirement.

6. The objectives of the project are broad. Will they be narrowed down?

Answer: We left the objectives broad and flexible for a reason. Due to the volatility of the situation, we want the contractor to have the ability to respond to any potential scenario within the scope of the contract. The Implementation Plan is where the Contractor and the COR will further define how to best achieve the objectives under the existing circumstances on the ground.

7. Does the list of abbreviations count toward the page limit?

Answer: Yes. Everything that you submit as part of the technical proposal counts toward the page limit.

8. Can we give financial support/grants?

Answer: Yes, please review Section C.4.7 “Grants Under Contract” in the RFP.

9. Do you expect the Competitive Economy Program (CEP) award to happen before this new project is awarded?

Answer: We anticipate that CEP will be awarded prior to the ERA contract.

10. One of the required outputs is rehabilitation of SME to pre-conflict levels. Can that be reasonably achieved in this five year period?

Answer: We have revised the RFP's expected result under objective 1 to “Conflict-affected inventories and equipment for SMEs restored through an economically-sustainable approach.” We encourage offerors to be ambitious and realistic.

11. Can only the conference attendees submit proposals?

Answer: Any eligible entity may submit a proposal. Please note geographic code 937 and 110 requirements in the RFP.

12. Do we need to be registered in Ukraine prior to proposal submission?

Answer: No, we provide support with project registration.

PART II – REVISED RFP No. SOL-72012118R00005

Based on the questions received for RFP No. SOL-72012118R00005, the revised version of the RFP is posted.

USAID edits/revisions are marked in yellow in the revised document.

[End of Amendment No. 01 to SOL-72012118R00005]