Solicitation_Questions.docx

Amendment #1 Questions and Answers for SOL-DC-14-00041

Q1. Please clarify whether the applicable exemption certification from the Service Contract Act is pursuant to FAR 52.222-48-Exemption From Application of the Service Contract Act to Contracts for Maintenance, Calibration, or Repair of Certain Equipment Certification (FEB 2009) or Exemption From Application of the Service Contract Act to Contracts for Certain Services—Certification (NOV 2007).

A2. The clauses FAR 52.222-48 and 52.222-51 do not apply to this solicitation as the services provided under the resultant contract will not be subject to FAR 52.222-41 Service Contract Labor Standards. The section K clause FAR 52.204-8 Annual Representations and Certifications has been amended to remove the “X” under (c)(2) 52.222-48 Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Maintenance, Calibration, or Repair of Certain Equipment Certification.

Q2. Will EPA provide P-Level allocations as part of the cost proposal instructions (section L clause FAR 52.215-20 Requirements for Certified Cost or Pricing Data or Data Other than Cost or pricing Data)? If so, will EPA provide P-Level classification standards?

A2. Offerors may assume the following allocation of P-Levels for cost proposal development. Please note that offerors may opt to use their own methodology for the hour allocation of P-Levels and that this allocation is not required to be used. The section L clause has been amended to include this information.

P4: 30% P3: 40% P2: 20% P1: 10%

The agency no longer uses the P-level classification standards except when determined by the contracting officer to be necessary. It is up to offerors to propose qualified personnel to meet the requirements of the solicitation.

Q3. The section L clause FAR 52.215-20 Requirements for Certified Cost or Pricing Data or Data Other than Cost or Pricing Data allows subcontractors to provide detailed cost information separately to EPA if the subcontractor does not wish to provide this data directly to the prime contractor. Should subcontractors submit this information via FedConnect or directly to Ms. Christine Edwards via her email (Edwards.Christine@epa.gov)?

A3. All proposal documents are required to be submitted via FedConnect including submissions from potential subcontractors.

Q4. Does EPA plan to score the technical evaluation factors and subfactors in terms of points, and if so, can EPA share its point allocation?

A5. The correct link for the reference on Page 9 of the Statement of Work is as follows: http://www2.epa.gov/irmpoli8. The Statement of Work (Attachment #1) has been corrected to reflect this change.

Q6. In the past performance questionnaire (Attachment #2), is “Name of Contractor” the name of the agency providing the evaluation?

A6. The “Name of Contractor” should read “Name of Client.” Attachment #2 has been corrected to reflect this information.

Q7. Please clarify the instructions with regard to the past performance questionnaires (Attachment #2).

a. Should offerors complete the top portion of the past performance questionnaire (Attachment #2, all information prior to the ratings) and provide this with the Client Authorization Letter (Attachment #3) to the reference point-of-contact? (The Client Authorization Letter suggests this intent.)

b. Or, should the offerors complete the top portion of the past performance questionnaire for each reference provided and submit those questionnaires as part of the proposal? (Attachment #4, Technical Proposal Instructions, suggests this intent.) If yes, should they be an appendix to the technical proposal or the business proposal?

A7. With regard to the past performance questionnaire (Attachment #2), offerors should complete the top portion to ensure accuracy of information and provide the questionnaire to the client with the Client Authorization Letter (Attachment #3). The intent of the reference to the questionnaires in the Instructions for the Preparation of Technical Proposals (Attachment #4) is to clarify that the questionnaires will not be included in the page limitation.

A8. The section L clause EPAAR 1552.215-75 Past Performance Information paragraph (e)(2) should read: “Client Authorization Letters should be mailed or E-mailed to individual references no later than due date for the submission of proposals. The offeror should forward a copy of the Client Authorization Letter to the contracting officer simultaneously with mailing to references.” The solicitation has been amended to reflect this change.

The Client Authorization Letter (Attachment #3) should read “The EPA has requested receipt of this information by close of business November 10, 2015 to facilitate a timely evaluation of proposals.” The solicitation has been amended to reflect this change.

Q9. The proposal instructions (Attachment #4) require resumes for Key Personnel; however, only the Program Manager is designated as Key Personnel. May offerors also provide resumes for other proposed senior-level personnel?

A9. Resumes are requested only for Key Personnel. Other resumes could be submitted to satisfy the requirement “to provide sufficient information for the Agency to evaluate the offeror’s ability to provide personnel with the appropriate experience, expertise and availability….” However, any resume submitted for other than Key Personnel would count against the page limit.

Q10. Section B.2 of Attachment #4, Instructions for Preparation of Technical Proposals, requires offerors to submit past performance information requested in the section L clause EPAAR 1552.215-75 Past Performance Information. The introductory paragraph of Part B. of these same instructions indicates that past performance questionnaires are excluded from the 50-page limit for the technical proposal. Can the government please clarify whether the past performance information requested in the section L clause EPAAR 1552.215-75 Past Performance Information is excluded from the 50-page technical proposal limit and confirm that past performance questionnaires are part of the cost proposal?

A10. The past performance questionnaires are exempt from the page limit; however, the information requested in the section L clause EPAAR 1552.215-75 Past Performance Information is not exempt from the page limitation.

Q11. In the section M clause EPAAR 1552.215-71 Evaluation Factors for Award and the Instructions for the Preparation of Technical Proposals (Attachment #4), one of the subfactors under Understanding and Approach is “ability to present briefings to government officials as shown by briefing packages.” Does this mean that offerors should provide example briefing packages and, if so, can these examples be excluded from the page count?

A11. The language in the section M clause EPAAR 1552.215-71 Evaluation Factors for Award and Attachment #4 has been revised to clarify that example briefing packages are not necessary for the evaluation. The intent was for offerors to demonstrate this experience in whatever way they determine to be appropriate.

Q12. Please clarify whether the table of contents for the technical proposal is exempt from the page count.

A12. A table of contents for the technical proposal was not included as a requirement in Attachment #4 Instructions for the Preparation of Technical Proposals. If a table of contents is included with the proposal submission it will not be included in the page count as it will not be evaluated.