Q As_re_SOL-OAA-13-000995.pdf

Questions from Offerors re: RFP for RTK’s (SOL-OAA-13-000995)

1. Is this a new or follow on requirement? If it is a follow on, please let us know the current contract number and contract value?

This is a new contract; however, the RTK’s are currently procured under the Supply Chain Management System (SCMS) program by the Partnership for Supply Chain Management as part of the overall HIV/AIDS procurement that includes ARVs, RTKs, lab supplies and equipment, etc.

The current contract number is GPO-I-03-05-00032 and the ceiling is $7 billion.

2. Who is the incumbent? Is it still eligible to bid as a prime for this contract?

See answer to Question #1 above. The Partnership for Supply Chain Management is not eligible to bid as a prime for this contract.

3. Where should the kits be delivered? A list of potential delivery addresses would be helpful for planning and proposal writing.

An attachment (Attachment J.14) has been added to the RFP that contains a list of countries that ordered and received RTKs in FY11, 12 and 13. Specific addresses for consignees and/or recipients will be provided post award.

4. Would we be paid over a markup on the price of delivered kits, or are we paid for the time we spend managing the supply chain?

Offerors will not be paid a mark-up (fee) on the price of the kits procured and delivered as per RFP Section B.5.c. However, Offerors may apply fee to the budget line items illustrated in the budget table in Section L.9.3.c. Please see description of “Commodity Related Cost” in Section L.9.3.h.

5. There seems to be a discrepancy between the labor categories identified on Page 13 (IDIQ Director, Task Order Director(s), Finance Manager, and Procurement and Logistics Manager) and the Key Personnel resume requirements listed on Page 110 which states, “Submit a complete and current resume for the proposed Task Order Director, Procurement & Logistics Manager, and Finance Manager.”

Please confirm that Key Personnel Resumes are required for each of the following labor categories: 1) IDIQ Director, 2) Task Order Director(s), 3) Finance Manager, and 4) Procurement and Logistics Manager.

The RFP has been amended to clarify that the IDIQ Director and the Task Order Director may be the same person. If they are different, a resume for each person is required.

6. Page 110, L.8.5 MANAGEMENT (see Section M.2.5) (b) Key Personnel states, “The Offeror shall present a brief narrative summary of the nominated key personnel team as described in section C.4 and their capabilities to manage their required duties as well as resumes that describe access to the technical expertise required to perform this analytical work.”

Please confirm that this narrative is included in the 40-page limitation, but is outside of the full resumes requirements that are included in an appendix and will not be page counted.

We confirm that the brief narrative of nominated key personnel is included in the 40-page limit.

7. L.8.6 PAST PERFORMANCE (see Section M.2.6) states, “The offeror (including all partners of a joint venture) must provide past performance references for itself and each subcontractor.”

The RFP further states, “(1) List in an annex to the technical proposal at least three (3) but no more than five (5) of the most recent and relevant contracts for efforts similar to the work in the subject proposal.”

Please clarify if the past performance references required of 3 to 5 references is the maximum amount of references that can be included per the team (both Offeror and subcontractors).

Yes, the number of references for each prime and each subcontractor should be a minimum of three, but no more than five, respectively. Also, see answers to Questions 8, 11 and 32.

8. L.8.6 PAST PERFORMANCE (see Section M.2.6). Please confirm that all required past performance, including the 5-page narrative is included in an Annex and is not page counted as part of the Technical Proposal.

Past performance information is not counted as part of the page limitation of the Technical Proposal. Please refer to Section L.7(a).

9. L.7(a) ORGANIZATION OF THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL, page 107 of the solicitation. The solicitation states that “Management Organization Chart(s) are not included in the 40-page limitation. However, we could not identify further reference to inclusion of these charts in the Technical Proposal instructions or evaluation criteria.

a) Please clarify which section of the technical proposal to include management organization charts.

The management organization charts should be included in an annex to the Technical Proposal.

b) Please clarify if narrative description of these charts is included in the 40-page limitation as well.

The information excluded from the 40-page limitation is stated in Section L.7(a).

10. There seems to be a discrepancy between the key personnel requirements outlined in Section L, Technical Proposal Instructions, and the evaluation criteria in Section M, Evaluation Factors for Award. The solicitation includes the following statements:

L.8.5 MANAGEMENT (see Section M.2.5), (b) Key Personnel, page 110 of the solicitation. “The Offeror shall present a brief narrative summary of the nominated key personnel team as described in section C.4 and their capabilities to manage their required duties as well as resumes that describe access to the technical expertise required to perform this analytical work.”

C.4 MANAGEMENT. “The successful offeror must have or establish its management office for this IDIQ in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. The contractor must establish and maintain performance management practices throughout the period of performance. Project management practices shall provide visibility into the Contractors’ organization and techniques used in managing the program, specifically subcontractor and data management.”

M.2.5 MANAGEMENT, (b) Key Personnel (identified in Sections F and L), page 124 of the solicitation, “Demonstrated organizational capability to recruit specific, highly skilled technical expertise for critical contract functions. At a minimum, Key Personnel shall have successfully participated in the completion of similar projects.”

Our questions are the following:

(a) Based on the evaluation criteria in Section M, please confirm if Offerors need to provide a discussion of the ability to recruit highly skilled key personnel in Section L.8.5, Management.

USAID confirms this understanding. The evaluation criterion in Section M.2.5(b) of the RFP has been revised

(b) As addressed in L.8.5 Management, the cross reference to C.4 Management addresses an Offeror’s project management practices and techniques used to manage the program in terms of specific duties but, it does not address the Offerors organizational ability to recruit skilled personnel for the contract.

Please clarify the requirements between the solicitation Sections C, L, and M and provide the appropriate evaluation criteria that addresses the Offerors organization and techniques to manage the program as well as the Offeror’s ability to recruit skilled personnel.

This has been clarified; see revision to Section M.2.5(b) of the RFP.

11. Part III – List of Documents, Exhibits and Other Attachments, SECTION J - List of Attachments, page 88 of the solicitation. The link in the RFP for Attachment J.4 Contractor Performance – Short Form leads to the USAID 1420 biodata form.

Please provide the Contractor Performance Report – Short Form or a link to the correct form.

This error has been corrected; Attachment J.4 now contains the Contractor Performance Report

– Short Form.

12. L.8.3 METRICS (see Section M.2.3), page 109 of the solicitation and F.5.2 Task Order Reporting, page 37 of the solicitation. Section L.8.3 states that the offeror must submit a Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP) as part of the proposal. However, Section F.5.2 Task Order Reporting states that the contractor must submit a Task Order PMP that includes KPIs that will be discussed and finalized with USAID within 45 days of the award of the contract.

Our questions are the following:

(a) Please clarify the difference between the proposal PMP and a Task Order PMP.

The proposal PMP and Task Order PMP are the same.

(b) We respectfully request that the PMP submitted as part of the proposal be included in an Appendix or Annex and not be included as part of the 40-page limit Technical Proposal.

The PMP is not part of the 40 page limitation for the Technical Proposal; it should be submitted in the Annex.

13. F.7(d) Key Personnel, page 43 and 44 of the solicitation.

The solicitation states “…Task Order Director(s) serve as the main point of contact for each TO and share responsibility for the success of the program with the IDIQ Director. The Task Order Director(s) also serve as the main point of contact disease-specific programs within USAID and they must maintain an understanding of logistics and systems strengthening activities.”

Please clarify if the reference to disease-specific programs relates to PEPFAR programs, malaria, and/or TB, or just specifically HIV-AIDS?

The Task Order Director will be required to be the main point of contact only for the HIV RTK procurement under this IDIQ.

14. L.9.3(a-m) Task Order Budgets, page 115 of the solicitation.

The government does not provide a scope of work or description of what Task Order One (1) is responsible for, other than listing an estimated LOE and estimated dollar value for the RTK procurement. In order to develop an accurate task order value, we will need additional details, such as: (1) Number and type of RTKs for specific countries that are named, and (2) Details on whether shipping or warehousing is required, A detailed task order scope of work will also provide the government with a more accurate depiction of utilization of consultants and subcontractors during the contract, and additional labor categories that will be required to complete the task order (this also relates to proposing additional labor categories for the IDIQ contract).

Please provide a detailed task order description and associated scope of work for pricing and evaluation purposes.

See revised Section C.2 of the RFP for detailed description of Task Orders scope of work.

15. L.9.3(c) Task Order Budgets, page 116 of the solicitation.

The sample task order lists 92,160 hours to be used for the anticipated LOE for the first year of the task order. Our questions are as follows:

(1) Please provide the rationale for how the 92,160 hours were derived

This was an error. The correct number is 11,520 hours per year; this is based on the labor categories anticipated to implement the Task Order scope of work.

Section L.9.3 has been corrected.

(2) Is 3 years the task order period of performance?

Yes, the task order period of performance is 3 years.

(3) Is the LOE to remain constant for Years 2 and 3?

USAID assumes that LOE will remain constant for years 1, 2 and 3. However, offerors may propose different LOE depending on their assessment of the needs to implement this contract.

A cost realism analysis will be conducted to evaluate the proposed LOE.

(4) Does the LOE include hours for freighting/shipping?

We are unclear on what is being asked. If the question is interpreted to mean hours spent by the prime contractor’s personnel responsible for arranging/managing freighting/shipping, the answer is yes.

16. L.9.2 IDIQ Budget, page 113(g) of the solicitation.

We are able to propose additional labor categories, in addition to the four labor positions provided in the RFP; however the IDIQ narrative requests justification and detailed descriptions for the additional labor categories, all of which are to be provided in a maximum of 10 pages of narrative.

In addition to the labor description and justification, we are also required to provide a narrative explanation of how our rates are developed, a narrative explanation for ceiling direct rates, fee amounts and indirect rates. To provide the government with sufficient insight into our cost estimating thought processes and methodologies, we request the following:

a) We respectfully request that the detailed supporting documentation for all the additional labor categories and indirect explanations be non-page limited and included as an Annex to the cost proposal, instead of within the 10-page count limit.

The page limit for the budget narrative has been increased to 15 pages. Section L.9.2(g) has been revised accordingly.

b) If an Annex is not appropriate for this detail, will the government consider removing the 10-page limit to allow contractors to provide the full justification?

See answer above.

17. B.7 Labor, page 11 of the solicitation.

The prime is required to propose unburdened ceiling daily rates that apply to all prime, subcontractors, TCNs, CCN’s and consultants for cost-type task orders. However, under section B.7(c) Subcontractor Rates, the solicitation states:

“If the rates proposed to USAID, inclusive of the Prime’s allocable indirect costs and a reasonable profit, exceed the contract’s unburdened CDRs, the contractor must disclose the amount of the indirect costs and the amount of the proposed profit that were added to the subcontractors proposed rates.”

This statement implies that the government comparing a subcontractor’s burdened rate, plus primes indirect allocation and profit to an unburdened CDR. The government is requesting that all contractors (prime, sub, TCN, CCN, and consultants) are all held to the same direct proposed CDR; thus, a fully burdened subcontractor rate is going to be above the CDR (even if the sub pays less direct salary) because the government will be comparing an unburdened rate to a fully burdened rate.

We respectfully request the following:

(1) The government consider removing this statement, or

(2) The government requests fully burdened CDRs from the contractor so there can be fair comparison of the two rates.

The above statement from section B.7 (C)(2) only applies where the subcontractor has a cost accounting system that only processes fully burdened rates. In such a case, the fully burdened rate is to be adjusted to provide in effect an unburdened CDR so there can be a comparison of CDRs. When the subcontractor is proposing unburdened CDRs the adjustment language will not apply.

18. Please clarify if the successful contractor will have the ability to add additional labor categories post award for specific task order requirements and their associated statements of work?

The IDIQ and TO are not limited to those key personnel and/or labor categories identified in the RFP. Offerors may propose additional key personnel and/or labor categories pre and post award as necessary. However, the fixed daily rate (FDR) must not exceed the rates negotiated under Section B.7(a)(4).

19. Because of the sensitive nature of contractor information, please clarify how subcontractors are to submit their proprietary cost data (such as indirect rate information, audit records, etc.) for the cost proposal?

Subcontractors concerned about revealing proprietary information to primes may submit this information directly to USAID; please follow the instructions in Section L.5 and be sure to identify the name of the prime and include the solicitation number.

20. Please clarify the discrepancy between the Cost/Business Proposal format presented on page 112 of the solicitation and the outline/structure of Section L information found throughout pages 113 – 121.

For your reference we have provided the information in a table to aid in the comparison for the overall organization, order, and heading structure used to present this information. Based in the current information, the order of information presented in Section L is not consistent with the format/outline presented on page 112.

Page 112: Offerors must structure their cost proposals in the following order

Pages 113 – 121: Outline of information/title headings provided in Section L

(1) Standard Form (SF) 33 L.9.1 Standard Form (SF) 33

(2) IDIQ Budget L.9.2 IDIQ Budget

(3) Task Order Budget L.9.3 Task Order Budget

(4) Representations, Certifications and Other Statement of Offerors

Part 3 Representations, Certifications and Other Statement of Offerors

(5) Policies and Procedures Part 4 Policies and Procedures

(6) Subcontracting Plan Part 5 Information Concerning Work-Day, Work Week and Paid Absences

(7) Joint Venture Information, if any Part 7 Joint Venture Information

(8) Evidence of Responsibility Part 8 Evidence of Responsibility

(9) Letters of Commitment Part 9 Consent to Subcontractors

(10) Information to Support Consent to Subcontractors

Part 10 Letters of Commitment

(11) Information Concerning Work-Day, Work Week and Paid Absences

Part 11 – Legislative Reporting Information

L.10 Branding Implementation Plan

Note: No heading reference was made for the inclusion of the following:

Legislative Reporting Information (Part 11, pg. 120)

Branding Implementation Plan (L.10,

pg. 121)

Note: No heading reference was made for the inclusion of the following:

Subcontracting Plan (Item 6, pg. 112)

Section L.9 has been revised in its entirety.

21. Please clarify the following regarding Initial Task Order One (1) to be awarded concurrently with the IDIQ contract:

(1) Provide the duration of the task order.

The Task Order is for 3 (three) years.

(2) Provide a list of the countries and final destinations within these countries that the contractor is required to deliver the HIV RTKs.

Please see answers to Questions #3 and 71(a) as well as Attachment J.14.

(3) Identify if the RTKs are to be held at a central warehouse in a region prior to final delivery to their destination?

At this time we do not envision the contractor using a central warehouse to store RTKs due to the short shelf life of the product. If this changes in the future, it will be made at the discretion of USAID.

a. If yes, please specify the country and location of the central warehouse, if required, for the RTKs.

See answer above.

22. Overall: does this RFQ cover assistance in the integration of the test kits into existing logistics and inventory control systems once they arrive at the designated points in country?

Under C.2.2 (p 25) it states: "the Contractor may be responsible for managing logistics processes to deliver any commodity to designated points in partner countries, including but not limited to customer order fulfillment, and freight forwarding."

This RFP does not cover assistance to integrate test kits into existing logistics and inventory control systems. See revised Section C.2.2 of the RFP.

23. We need clarification of "designated points". If that means the Central Warehouse, that's one thing. If it means 10 state warehouses across Nigeria, it's a different set of costs.

While the contractor will generally deliver to no more than a few large cities within a country, the contractor may be called on to deliver test kits to multiple lower-level points within a country and will be directly reimbursed for these costs.

The cost proposal is not affected by the number of destination points within a country;

however, the offeror must describe its capability to deliver to multiple lower-level points within a country in its technical proposal.

24. Estimated total landed cost by mode by SKU broken out by unit cost, freight, insurance, customs, other" (C.2.2 Logistics, p 25).

Please clarify "landed cost" - does this mean cleared into the country or delivered to the warehouse? Also, where do the costs of Quality control and lab calibration fall?

A landed cost is the cost of goods delivered to its final destination [intended recipients] (also see answer to Question #71). These costs are inclusive (unit cost, freight, insurance, customs, and any other costs, as applicable).

The cost of Quality Assurance and Testing will be paid for under the Quality Assurance Contract (see SOL-OAA-13-000999-AC).

25. "The contractor must immediately identify a recalled product that is in its custody (prior to being consigned) and prevent its delivery to customers.

Should a QA issue necessitating a recall of a product procured by the Contractor be identified after consignment, the Contractor must collaborate with all mechanisms on all USAID-requested activities related to the recall of that product." (p 26/27).

What happens to recalled products? Should the prime or one of the partners intend to budget for their destruction or will they charge the manufacturer? What about countries that do not have the capacity to destroy these products? Safe disposal is coming on to the radar and it will be good to discuss.

The contractor must assist with any recalls as directed by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). The contractor will not be asked to destroy products.

26. For products after consignment, would additional funding be available to relocate all quarantined stocks to eg the capital and pay for secure storage? Alternatively the question could be: "How does USAID anticipate handling recalled items?"

See answer to Question #25.

27. Under Section F.5.1 - Reporting:

Procurement, Freight and Logistics Data

"Price quotes - including product specifications, product costs, estimated shipping costs..."

Please define "shipping costs"; are this the same as landed costs?

No, shipping costs and landed costs are not interchangeable. A shipping cost is the cost of freight from the point of origin to the destination point. It is used in the solicitation interchangeably with “freight costs.”

Also, please see answer to Question #24 for a definition of “landed costs”.

28. F.5.2: Task Order reporting: p 39, bullet b:

"Inventory management: The contractor must automate the management of inventory data;

and must provide monthly reports on the volume, value and locations of inventory that is not yet delivered (on order or held within warehouses). Types of data requested include but are not limited to the following sets of information:

i. Total value and total quantity of product loss disaggregated by reason (expiration, theft, diversion) during inventory management.

ii. Warehousing costs by location, if any."

Please clarify. If the landed costs are defined as when the Contractor consigns the shipment over, then what is this warehouse? If there are countries where the contractor will be running a transit warehouse, those costs need to be included above, unless the Contractor can access the USAID in country warehouse which in most situations will not be an acceptable proposition.

USAID does not envision the use of a warehouse at this time for RTKs procured by the contractor due to the short shelf life of the product. Section F.5.2 of the RFP has been revised to exclude reference to warehousing.

29. Page 111 of the RFP states that the offeror must provide 3-5 past performance references for itself and each subcontractor. Please specify whether USAID would like 3-5 total or 3-5 per partner.

Please see answers to Question #’s 7, 8, 11 and 32.

30. Please provide the link to the desired institutional Past Performance Short-Form (note that the link given in Attachment J.4 is a 1420 Biodata Form).

This error has been corrected; see answers to Questions 7, 8, 11 and 32.

31. Page 106 and 107 of the RFP refer to a “Past Performance Narrative.” Please explain what should be included in this narrative and how it should differ from the information in the Past Performance Short-Forms.

Please see answers to Questions 7, 8, 11 and 32.

32. Please confirm that the past performance narrative, report forms and references should be submitted TWICE – once by the February 17 deadline and again as a part of the complete proposal package.

Past Performance information should be included in the Technical Proposal; the RFP has been amended to remove reference to the February 17th deadline for the submission of Past Performance information.

33. Please indicate the desired format for the electronic submission of the technical application (Microsoft Word or PDF).

The technical proposal may be submitted either in MS Word or PDF format; however, if submitted in PDF, the file must be converted from the original Word document into a PDF file;

it must not be a scanned version of the original. Section L.7(a) has been modified to clarify this.

34. On page 121 of the RFP, Part 11 – Legislative Reporting Information. This section requests that all offerors (or at least the prime) provide a series of subcontracting information which is basically the same requirements on Part 9 – Consent to Subcontract.

Would USAID clarify?

The subsection titled “Part 11 – Legislative Reporting Information” has been deleted in its entirety. Sections L.9 1 to L.9.10 have been revised accordingly.

35. On page 119 of the RFP, Part 2, letter ‘m’: Cost Recovery on Commodities (if applicable) states that: “offerors may propose an allocable charge (percentage) to be applied to commodities’ value to cover the cost of HQ…”

Would USAID provide additional guidance (if applicable) on ranges or ceilings on the allocable charge? How would the fact that ‘allocable may be adjusted based on COR discretion’ would reflect actual allocable charges based on current and realistic percentage being potentially proposed by offerors? Please confirm that this percentage should not exceed the ‘statutory limit (10%) set forth in FAR 15.404-4.

The allocable cost ceiling in the current contract is 5%. However, the current actual cost is below 5%. The allocable cost is a financial charge applied to USAID Missions’ procurement budget for RTKs to recover sufficient funds to finance cost of Headquarters’ effort for this Contract. This is necessary because the IDIQ will be funded by several USAID Missions that will bear the cost of the Contractor’s operations together.

The COR will periodically review the rates and actual cost with the Contractor for cost realism.

This charge is not a fee or profit and is not subject to FAR 15.404-4. See RFP revision to Section L.9.3(m).

36. On page 116 of the RFP, under L.9.3. Task Order Budgets, it is indicated that the “TO budget narrative must not exceed 10 pages…” Is USAID expecting that potential offerors provide a brief explanation on Salaries, Fringe, Consultants, Travel, and concentrate on letter ‘f’ (Subcontracts) wherein ‘the offeror must describe the purpose of each such each subcontractor and its role in achieving the major objectives outlined in Section C.”?

Yes, the Government expects offerors to provide sufficient supporting information to allow for the evaluation of their cost proposal. The page limitation for the budget narrative has been increased to 15 pages. See RFP revision in Section L.9.2(g).

37. Please confirm that the cost proposal can be submitted in PDF (for budget narrative, certifications, etc) and Excel for the detailed budgets.

The cost proposal must be submitted in an unlocked MS Excel spreadsheet with the formulas for all cell calculations clearly visible.

However, the accompanying budget narratives, certifications, etc. may be submitted in PDF or MS Word. Note that if submitted in a PDF document, it must be converted into PDF from the original Word version (it must not be scanned into a PDF file).

Section L.9 has been revised to clarify this.

38. How can the award be a fixed cost + fee if it is for a Single Award Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contract (IDIQ) for a five (5) year ordering period and that each Task order might vary in size.

As stated in Section B.2, the Government may issue task orders that are either Cost-Plus-Fixed- Fee or Firm Fixed Price. Task Order costs will vary depending upon the Government’s requirements at the time the RFTOP issued.

However, the fee [the ceiling on fee (%)] negotiated upon award of this IDIQ will remain fixed throughout the 5 year ordering period.

39. Contractor Performance Report refers to a Past Performance Report Short- Forms (Attachment J.4). The link provided is for Bio-data sheets

Please see answers to Questions 7, 8, 11 and 32.

40. In section C.2.5.e, page 28, it states that the contractor must obtain USAID’s approval before making changes to existing IT system(s) or acquiring new IT systems, and later, that changes are defined as customization or enhancement of existing systems. Does the government intend that the contractor use an existing system to deliver on the RFP requirements?

If the contractor is modifying their system as part of normal operational upgrades, USAID does not need to approve. However, if the system changes could impact USAID programs and data, then the contractor must test the changes and ensure no impact.

If the contractor needs to change their system in order to manage USAID programs and data and the contractor wants to be reimbursed by USAID for the changes, the contractor must obtain the COR’s written approval before initiating any changes. USAID will not pay for any contractor system changes if written approval is not granted prior to starting the changes.

41. In regards to section C. 2.5.g, page 29, legacy tools are not listed in Section J. Can the government please provide?

The Contractor for this IDIQ will not provide system strengthening work and will likely not need to support these tools. Section C.2.5(g) of the RFP has been deleted.

42. In regards to section H.9, page 60, can the government please describe security requirements for servers and data?

Please see USAID ADS Chapter 545 on Information Security (http://inside.usaid.gov/ADS/500/545.pdf). While the USAID CIO’s office does not have to approve of an Implementing Partner’s (IP’s) system, contractors should refer to this Chapter for guidance to ensure security of USAID data.

43. Section L.5(e) states that the Past Performance narrative is limited to a 5 page narrative, if needed, and the Past Performance Report Short-Forms (Attachment J.4). However, Section L.7(a) references "Past performance narrative, report forms and references".

Are the requirements for "references" in L.7(a) those included on Attachment J.4 or in addition to Attachment J.4?

See answers to Questions 7, 8, 11 and 32.

44. Can USAID please provide us with historical procurement data (volume per vendor etc…) and historical logistics data (e.g. volume per destination, mode of transportation ratio (sea shipping vs. air shipping) etc…)?

Please see Attachment J.8 of the RFP for historical procurement transactions.

http://inside.usaid.gov/ADS/500/545.pdf

45. In section L.9, Part 11 requirements are provided on page 120, however this item does not appear in the list following the requirement, “Offerors must structure their cost proposals in the following order:…” on page 112.

Please clarify whether or not Part 11 – Legislative Reporting Information is required as part of the Cost/Business Proposal.

Please see answer to Question # 34.

46. Are offerors required to label the Cost/Business Proposal dividers required in section L.9 according to the items numbers from the list on pages 112-113 or as “Parts” as outlined on pages 118-120?

The cost proposal should be prefaced by an index in the front of the binder, followed by Tabs in the following order (Tabs should be labeled as “Tab 1, Tab 2”, etc):

Tab 1 Standard Form (SF) 33 Tab 2 IDIQ Rates Tab 3 Task Order Budget Tab 4 Representations, Certifications and Other Statement of Offerors Tab 5 Personnel Policies and Procedures Tab 6 Information Concerning Work-Day, Work-Week, and Paid Absences Tab 7 Joint Venture Information, if any Tab 8 Evidence of Responsibility Tab 9 Letters of Commitment (for Major Subcontractors) Tab 10 Information to Support Consent to Subcontractors

Please note that this Section has been revised in its entirety.

47. In regards to section L.9, pages 112-120: If the dividers should be labeled as “Parts,” please clarify the titles for Part 1 and Part 2.

Please see answer to Question # 46.

48. Insurance. In the RFP, USAID mentioned that the contractor must possess sufficient insurance to cover the value of the products in transit and/or storage and must ensure secure chain of custody until the commodities are consigned and handed over to the intended recipient. Historically, the Prime Contractor carried insurance for the entire procurement process.

Will the process be the same with the Prime Contractor in the Single Award Procurement and Technical Assistance (Green Box) carried insurance for the entire procurement process or does the Single Award Small Business HIV Test Kit Procurement awardee (Yellow Box) have to obtain additional insurance?

Yes. The contractor of the Single Award IDIQ for Procurement of HIV RTKs (this contract) must obtain and pay for the cost of insurance for the commodities it procures. Insurance is a reimbursable cost.

49. The RFP asks the Offeror to affirm its purchasing system has been reviewed and is currently approved by an agency of the Federal Government.

Does a system reviewed and verified with good performance in the federal CPARS suffice? If not, what approval process is USAID referring to? What agency is authorized to provide review? Do we need it in place for submission or can it be conducted during review/upon award?

Section K.11 Contractor Purchasing System Review has been deleted in its entirety.

50. The RFP asks the Offeror to affirm its property administration system has been reviewed and is currently approved by an agency of the Federal Government.

Does a system reviewed and verified with good performance in the federal CPARS suffice? If not, what approval process is USAID referring to? What agency is authorized to provide review? Do we need it in place for submission or can it be conducted during review/upon award?

Section K.12 Property Administration System Review has been deleted in its entirety.

51. "Section L.9.2(c) and (d) talks about providing a copy of NICRA or other documentation from a cognizant Government Audit Agency stating the most rent provisional indirect cost rates and if not available then Contractor must provide audited balance sheets and profit and loss statements and audit base cost composition rates from a certified accounting firm.”

We are small business which has provided procurement services to several federal agencies via a firm fixed price contract and were not required to have NICRA rates nor documentation from a cognizant Government Audit Agency. The response deadline does not allow time to conduct such an audit nor one through a certified accounting firm. This puts small businesses which have historically operated in a firm fixed price environment but has capability to perform on this SOW at a disadvantage. Is it possible to get a waiver or an extension to complete it?

As stated in the RFP, if an offeror or subcontractor does not have a NICRA from a cognizant Government Audit Agency, the proposal must include:

1) Audited balance sheets and profit and loss statements for the last two complete years, and the current year-to-date statements (or such lesser period of time if the Offeror is a newly formed organization). These statements should include detail of the total cost of goods and services sold, including a listing of the various indirect administrative costs, and be supplemented by information on the prime contractor’s customary indirect cost allocation method, together with supporting computations of the basis for the indirect cost rate(s) proposed; and

2) The most recent two fiscal year pool and base cost compositions along with derived rates, the bases of allocation of these rates and an independent certified audit by a certified accounting firm of these rates.

52. The spreadsheet J.2 shows three years projections for a five year requirement. Is there a reason why the requested projections are for the base of three years?

As stated in Section L.9.3, USAID intends to award an initial task order for a period of 3 years.

The IDIQ, however, will have an ordering period of 5 years. Additional Task Orders may be issued during the IDIQ ordering period.

53. Does the $300 Million projection include freight and insurance? All inclusive

$300 million is the ceiling price of the IDIQ. It is all-inclusive.

54. If one or more subcontractors have previous reviews of financial systems completed and accepted by other departments/branches of Government, is it necessary for these firms to have a completed NICRA?

See answer to Question 51.

55. Is there any information on the number of trips OCONUS that may be required for support by the contractor and how are these trips to be authorized and budgeted? If trips are to be made/occur outside the US, do the standard GSA travel regulations apply or are there other standards that must be followed, e.g., USAID travel regulations for foreign travel?

Trips outside CONUS may be necessary, although limited, to attend international events and conferences. The number of trips will be determined after the initial task order is awarded.

Offerors must not budget for travel outside CONUS under the initial task order. The applicable travel regulations are outlined in AIDAR clause 752.7002, which is listed by reference in Section I.1.

56. The historical data and appendixes conflicts with SOW in RFP because it references other commodities than that outlined in the main text of RFP. Is the ceiling and task in the RFP just for HIV Test kits?

The historical data is provided for informational purposes only. The ceiling in this contract only applies to the procurement and delivery of HIV RTKs.

57. Normal procurement practice suggests that the awardee will be responsible for payment to the suppliers. Is the Small Business IDQ Procurement for HIV Test kits responsible for payment to suppliers or will payment originate from Single Award IDQ Procurement and Technical Assistance awardee?

The successful offeror under this small-business set-aside IDIQ will be responsible for payment to suppliers.

58. RFP pages 27 and 28, paragraph C.2.5 describes data and data visibility requirements that the Offeror must be capable of providing. To ensure the USAID data is intact and fully operational 24/7 including a Service Level Agreement, it’s best to have the IT System located at a Datacenter that will provide space, bandwidth redundancy, power redundancy, and physical security.

Question: (a) Is it a requirement for USAID data to be accessible, intact and fully operational 24/7? (b) What are the interface/connectivity requirements (hardware and software) for the Business Intelligence and Analytics contractors and other entities?

The contractor will need to make the decision on how best to maintain its operational data.

Its system(s) should be available in order to maintain business continuity. There must be a seamless interface with Business Intelligence mechanism.

The specific data, format, and times of availability will be agreed upon by USAID, the contactor, and the Business Intelligence contractor post-award.

59. RFP page 29, para C.2.5 g) states the “Contractor must demonstrate capability to support the operation of some legacy information technology tools for SCMS and DELIVER as listed in Section J.” Section J lists several Attachments, however, none of these appear to identify the legacy information technology tools referenced in the cited paragraph.

Question: (a) Please specify what are the SCMS legacy information technology tools the Offeror is required to support. (b) Also please specify what other contractor systems/agency systems the Offeror (upon award) will need to interface with in the performance of this work.

(c) Are these legacy information technology tools Windows based or Linux based and which version of the operating system is required to run them?

Section C.2.5(g) of the RFP has been deleted.

60. RFP Section L.8.2 (a) requires the Offeror to “describe a strategy to provide customer service and order fulfillment for all orders received via USAID. This plan must include a system to track and trace orders and a communications scheme to allow transparent and timely communication between all other USAID Supply Chain mechanisms.”

Question: Please identify and describe all the USAID Supply Chain mechanisms and describe examples of typical communications with these mechanisms.

The Contractor will be expected to provide continuous, timely status and milestone updates on its supplier forecasts, orders to suppliers, and shipments from suppliers to countries. Such status/milestone data should be maintained in a system that can be automatically extracted by a third party approved by USAID.

Offerors should refer to www.fbo.gov for further details on the other mechanisms of the Global Health Supply Chain Program. A detailed protocol on communications with the other mechanisms will be provided after award.

61. RFP Paragraph C.2.1 b) states “On-time is defined as delivery within 14 calendar days from the promised date.”

Question: Please define “promised date.”

The promised date is the delivery date for shipments proposed by the Contractor and accepted by a USAID Field Mission.

62. RFP paragraph B.7 (b) provides the minimum qualifications for individuals identified as Key Personnel. This paragraph contains a table defining a combination of Education and Experience.

Question: In the event a candidate has no degree, how many years of relevant experience are required?

Please see Section B.7(b) for the minimum qualifications for all Key Personnel under this RFP;

Note that individuals must have at least a college degree to perform work under this contract.

63. Past Performance: RFP paragraph L.7 (a) (RFP page 107) provides a list of pages and documents included in the proposal that do not count against the total page count for the Technical Proposal. This list includes “Contractor Performance Report – Short Form (see Attachment in Section J.4).” The active link found in RFP Section J for Attachment J.4 (RFP page 88) goes to a form named “Contractor Employee Biographical Data Sheet.”

Question: Is the “Contractor Employee Biographical Data Sheet” the correct form for Attachment J.4?

See answers to Questions 7, 8, 11 and 32.

64. Past Performance: RFP paragraph L.8.6 (RFP page 110 and 111) states ” The offeror (including all partners of a joint venture) must provide past performance references for itself and each subcontractor. Offerors are requested to indicate whether past performance information has been registered in the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) database. This past performance information must be submitted in accordance with the following:” This paragraph then provides a list of the information Offerors are to provide.

Question: Can employee personal experience be submitted to supplement corporate experience in the procurement arena?

Yes, all relevant professional experience and references should be included.

65. (Malcolm) RFP Section L.8.6 (1) requires the Offeror to list at least three (3) but no more than five (5) of the most recent and relevant contracts for efforts similar to the work in the subject proposal. This paragraph describes relevant as being “contracts of similar scope and how recently they were performed.”

Question: Within what timeframe will experience/contracts be considered? Within three (3) years? Within five (5) years?

There is no timeframe as long as the contracts are relevant to the work to be performed under this IDIQ.

66. Past Performance: RFP paragraph L.5(e) (RFP page 106) requires the Past Performance Information including Attachment J.4 to be submitted NLT 17 February 2014. Reading RFP Section L and paragraph L.8.6 (page 110 and 111) it appears as though this same information is also to be included as part of the Technical Proposal in the hard copy proposals submitted.

Question: If the Past Performance information is also to be included in the hard copy binders, does the 5 pages allotted for Past performance count as part of the 40 page limit for the Technical Proposal?

Please see our answers to Questions 7, 8, 11 and 32.

67. RFP Section H.24 states that a list which “constitutes the approved subcontractors under this contract” will be determined at the time of award.

Question: Will this list be the subcontractors proposed by the Offeror winning the award? If not, how does this affect the cost/price proposed by the Offeror?

Yes, a list of subcontractors proposed by the offeror winning this award and approved by the Contracting Officer will be included in the IDIQ.

However, the list of manufacturers, suppliers, vendors and/or wholesalers of RTKs will NOT be included in the IDIQ.

68. RFP paragraph C.2.3 states that “The contractor is responsible for incorporating the appropriate health commodity quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) processes. In collaboration with USAID’s QA contractor or USAID designee, the Contractor is responsible for maintaining the appropriate documentation supporting the quality of RTKs procured under this mechanism.”

Question: (a) Is it correct to assume that vendor visits for inspection of the HIV Test Kits, packing, and marking would be part of these quality processes? (b) To what degree will the Quality Assurance Contract contractor be responsible to make these visits and share their reports with the Single Award IDIQ for the Procurement of HIV Rapid Test Kits contractor?

Yes. The QA Contractor will undertake QA assurance audits of manufacturing sites as part of their normal activities when deemed necessary by USAID. The QA Contractor will be directed to communicate routinely with the Contractor for this IDIQ on matters related to quality assurance.

The QA Contractor will share reports with the Contractor for this IDIQ, as instructed by USAID.

69. RFP Attachment J.6, Table 1 Marking Plan for Program Materials and Commodities outlines the most common types of Program materials and provides marking requirements.

However, several blocks within this table have not been opened enough to display the entire text so part of the requirement is missing.

Question: Will the Contracting Officer provide a revised Table 1 which shows the entire text of the marking requirement?

This table has been reformatted to include the missing information.

70. RFP page 25, paragraph C.2.2 b) states “The contractor must possess sufficient insurance to cover the value of the products in transit and/or storage and must ensure secure chain of custody until the commodities are consigned and handed over the intended recipient.” Also, RFP paragraph C.2.3 a) iii) indicates that evaluation of contractor storage and transport conditions will be accomplished in cooperation with the QA Contractor. Paragraph F.5.2 b under Task Order Reporting states that the “value of inventory held within warehouses” must be reported, implying the Contractor is to maintain multiple warehouses. However, the RFP does not contain a direct requirement for the Contractor (Offeror) to maintain a warehouse(s).

Question: (a) Is there a requirement for the Offeror to operate a warehouse or multiple warehouses for the temporary storage of these commodities prior to forwarding to the intended recipient? (b) If so, how many? (c) What are the desired locations of these warehouses? (d) What is the approximate capacity of these, i.e. square footage?

Due to their short shelf life, USAID has not warehoused any RTKs in the past prior to delivery to final destination. Therefore, maintaining a warehouse is not required. See answer to Question 28.

71. RFP page 25, paragraph C.2.2 b) states “The contractor must possess sufficient insurance to cover the value of the products in transit and/or storage and must ensure secure chain of custody until the commodities are consigned and handed over the intended recipient.”

Question: (a) Is the “intended recipient” a USAID employee or agent? (b) Is the “intended recipient” the same as the “in-country consignee” described in paragraph C.2.2 c)?”

(a) The recipient would rarely be the health facilities or testing sites. Typically, consignees are the central medical store, a US Government implementing partner (storage facility) or the US Government. The chain of custody will vary by country and by the entity ordering the RTK’s within a country.

(b) Yes, for purposes of this solicitation, intended recipients and in-country consignees are the same.

72 RFP paragraph B.5 a) states “In negotiating the fixed dollar amount for fee, the TOCO must consider the policies and factors for establishing fee in FAR 15.404-4 as well as any applicable USAID policy on establishing a fixed fee amount … … …”

Question: What is the USAID policy on establishing a fixed fee?

As stated in Section L.9.2, Offerors may not propose a fixed fee percentage above the statutory limit of 10%, as set forth in FAR 15.404-4. The proposed fee may not be applied to commodities.

73. Re: Clause C.2.1(a)

Will the contractor be restricted in the procurement to a pre-determined list of vendors/suppliers or even countries of origin?

Yes, the procurement of HIV RTK’s will be limited to specific vendors/suppliers on the pre-approved list in Attachment J.7 of the RFP. The Contractor may not procure the RTK’s from vendor/supplier not on this list.

74. Re: Clause C.2.1(b)

a) Is the contractor obligated to provide “storage facilities” in every country, or can they select HUBS from which “on-time” delivery can be achieved as per SOW?

Please see answers to Questions 28 and 70.

b) In the event that the Contractor may resort to “local sub-contractors” in the delivery and distribution of items, will the contract need to obtain approval of USAID of such sub-contractors?

Yes, USAID approval is required for all subcontracts as required under FAR 52.244-2. Local subcontractors (i.e. local distributers or suppliers) must be endorsed by the approved manufacturer of the specific brand of HIV RTK being procured. The manufacturer must agree to be the responsible party for all non-compliant product(s) procured through the local subcontractor.

75. Re: Clause C.2.2

a) In countries where certain restrictions may apply to the Export/Import of Medical products, will USAID be responsible for providing assistance in facilitating entry of goods in coordination with local authorities?

USAID may assist in instances where exemption letters of duties on imported/donated commodities are allowed. This will also be addressed post-award, as needed.

b) To what extent will local…