Amendment_No._02.pdf

AMENDMENT NO. 2 – RFP QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

SOL-OAA-14-00024

GHSI III

1. What are the job titles, specific pay rates, and current locations of each and every current staff member under the GHSI II contract?

Please see Attachment J.6 in Amendment 2

2. It is evident that the Small Business which partners with incumbent contractor, Camris International, will automatically obtain a nearly perfect score on 75-80% of the evaluation criteria, making it highly improbable that the Government could award the contract to any other contractor. A) Will the Government compel the incumbent to submit the same information (subcontract proposal) to any SB submitting a proposal? B) If not, will they bar the incumbent from playing any role in this contract?

USAID does not understand where the 75-80% number comes from and does not believe this is accurate.

3. Facilities Security Clearance status was not part of the Sources Sought information requested. How can the Government know if there are sufficient SBs with FCL to make this an SB set-aside when this question was not proposed in the Sources Sought request?

USAID has been awarding these institutional contracts to small businesses with facility clearances for many years without any issues.

4. The Transition Plan is worth 20 points, Corporate and Institutional Capacity 25 points, Past Performance 15 points, and Personnel 15 points. That is 75% of the proposal points set aside in a manner in which it's highly unlikely another business could compete with the incumbent team in any of those categories. Will the Government increase the Technical Plan portion from its current 25% to a much more significant portion of the evaluation criteria?

All offerors will be evaluated against the stated criteria. USAID will not change the evaluation criteria.

5. Benefit Package. Is the requirement that benefits should be equal to or better than the

USAID PSC benefits or the current contract benefit levels (Attachment J.7) ?

The benefits package should be equal to or better than the benefits package listed in Attachment J.11.

6. Is there government furnished equipment (GFE) to be transferred from the current contract? If so, could you please provide the list of GFEs to be transferred from GHSI-II to GHSI-III?

Yes, we anticipate there will be GFE transferred to the GHSI-III contract, however the inventory available to transfer will be determined at the end of the GHSI-II award.

7. Attachment J.6 inlcudes list of consultants. What is the duration of their assignment

(overall period of performance; begin/end dates)? If they are expected to extend beyond the current end date of their performance, for how long will they be extended? Do the consultants in the field receive any allowances such as danger and post differential pay?

Consultancies will vary. We are unable to provide a period of performance for potential future consultancies now. Please see Attachment J.6 in Amendment 2. Allowances for overseas staff should be budgeted in accordance with the Department of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR).

8. Task Descriptions for Adminstrative Staff (C.7.3, page 23): It is stated that the individuals will receive danger pay for TDY when they travel to CPC? What if they travel to other countries where there is danger pay? Will they not receive it?

All allowances, including danger pay, should be budgeted in accordance with the Department of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR).

9. For the field based consultants, is there domestic travel requirement within the country they are posted? What is the estimated number of domestic (in-country) trips for these consultants?

Domestic travel is the responsibility of the Missions and is not billed through the contract.

10. On page 22 “Program Manager” the RFP states “Program Manager will be a human resources or personnel specialist, with five years of directly applicable work experience in program management.” Is supervisory experience managing personnel within programs acceptable as “human resource” experience to satisfy this requirement?

Supervisory experience managing programs is not equivalent to human resources and personnel specialist. Ideal candidates should possess HR management experience directing human resource programs.

11. Contractor Office Location (C.10, page 28): Will the DC Office rental cost be included in the budget as in Other Direct Cost?

Yes. The office rent should be included in the ODC line item.

12. The RFP states overtime will not be allowed. Does this apply to all positions including the non-exempt personnel positions?

Overtime is allowed for non-exempt employees when approved by the COR. For a detailed list of non-exempt personnel, see Attachment J.6 in Amendment 2.

13. Page 28, C.11, it is stated “The contractor wil provide IT equipment, e.g. compturs, laptops, equipment with the capacity and software to be compatible with USAID systems.” What software is in use “with USAID systems” that contractor’s must be compabtible with?

The Agency’s minimum specifications and examples are available in Attachment J.12 of Amendment 2.

14. How many TCNs, CCNs, and FSNs are to be transitioned and in which country?

See Attachment J.6 in Amendment 2.

15. The RFP states that “in accordance with FAR 52.207-3 Right of First Refusal, the incumbent contractor employees occupying a position must be offered employment under this new contract for the transferred position they currently hold.” RFP sec. C.6 (page 20).

a. Does this right of first refusal apply to the key employees of the incumbent contractor?

No.

b. Does the right of first refusal apply to other employees of the incumbent contractor whose time and effort is allocated to the contract but are not considered part of the direct labor?

No. Please note the Right of First Refusal applies only to the personnel employed under GHSI II listed in Attachment J.6.

16. RFP sec. C.4. requires the contractor to require contractor employees to sign a non-disclosure agreement prior to award.

a. Is the contractor required to obtain nondisclosure agreements from incumbent contractor employees prior to award or this is meant after award?

Non-disclosure agreements will be obatined by the contractor after award.

b. Is there a prescribed nondisclosure agreement form?

No. This will be developed by the contractor.

17. What are the Government’s configuration requirements for the “Contractor-provided

120 workstations? Is there a minimum or maximum square footage per workstation expected?

There is no minimum or maximum square footage. The Offeror should propose within industry standards.

18. Do the 120 workstations include project staff?

The 120 workstations include employees hired under SOWs.

19. Page 18 of the RFP, states “Performance rating for the contractor employee will be synthesized with established performance standards previously used within the GH Bureau and associated USAID offices.” Will the Government make available the performance standards previously used within the GH Bureau and associated USAID offices?

The contractor will work in consultation with the COR to establish performance standards.

20. In order to ensure offerors provide comparable cost data, will the Government provide plug-in numbers for the following cost factors identified in the illustrated budget format and/or budget narrative: Travel, Transportation, Per Diem, Equipment and Supplies, Training, and Communications?

These costs should be proposed by the offeror in accordance with the information contained in Attachment J.7.

21. Can the Branding and Marking Implementation Plan be included as an annex to the technical proposal?

Yes.

22. RFP Section M.2.1, page 108, states that the offeror will develop and oversee the administration and logistics of contractor employees with attention being given to salaries and benefits packages which must be "equal to, or better than, current entitlements. Please provide budget information on the salaries and benefits of the current GHSI staff so that we may budget for equal or better entitlements for GHSI- III staff.

The salaries are included in Amendment 2 Attachment J.6 and the benefits are in Attachment J.11

23. Section L of the RFP requires a Branding and Marking Plan; however, it is not listed in Section L.4 (a), page 100, as an item that is not included in the page limitation. Is the Branding and Marking Implementation Plan included in the page count? Should it be attached in the annex?

See Question 21.

24. RFP Section C.5.3, page 15, states that typical statements of work will include program/activity design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of tasks, etc.

What are USAID requirements for monitoring and evaluation of the GHSI III project, and what are USAID’s proposal requirements regarding a monitoring and evaluation plan?

Offerors should provide their monitoring and evaluation plans in the performance plan section of their proposals.

25. Please clarify USAID proposal requirements for the offeror’s staffing plan.

Amendment 2 removes the requirement for a staffing plan.

26. RFP indicated 250 people will be transitioned. However, in section C.1.1 on page 7, the RFP states that the contractor will provide approximately 78,260 LOE annually.

The workday period of performance equates to 301 FTE at 2,080 hours/yr. or 333 FTE’s at 1,880 hours/yr. How many total FTE’s are anticipated and how many are actually on-board?

There are currently 250 FTE’s on-board. Additional FTE is expected in the future. See Attachment J.6 in Amendment 2.

27. Section K of the RFP requests that a separate Reps & Certs section be completed; will the information we have submitted in SAM/ORCA suffice for Reps & Certs? RFP Section H.20, page 53, outlines the subcontracting plan requirements and includes reference to a Small Business Subcontracting Plan. As the contract will be a total small business set-aside is a Small Business Subcontracting Plan required?

Yes, information submitted in SAM/ORCA is sufficient. A Small Business Subcontracting Plan is not required.

28. For Attachment J.6, can USAID provide acronyms or a column to indicate Exempt, Non-exempt, Consultant and Pending hire? The current color-coding is not clear enough to distinguish the differences. Can this list also include the date of last increase or anniversary for each employee listed?

See Amendment 2. Attachment J.6. Anniversary dates are considered private information.

29. Can the list of Current positions include current institutional contractor employees working at USAID furnished spaces? Will current GHSI II salaries or step ranges be disclosed. If these are not disclosed, given that OPM grade levels range widely based on step differences, will there be a price adjustment if salaries proposed are lower than current levels?

See Attachment J.6 for grade and step levels. If lower salaries are proposed for current employees, the offeror will be unresponsive.

30. RFP C.12, page 29, states that the U.S. Government will provide the USAID on-site employees with government furnished equipment. Can the government provide a listing of Government furnished equipment for placements including the age of such equipment? Will the specifications / requirements of IT equipment and software that are needed for compatibility with USAID’s systems be provided?

The Government will be responsible for providing the equipment, so no list will be provided because it is not relevant to a bid. For compatibility see question 6.

31. . How many full time and part time staff will the contractor have to provide space and equipment for, and will the cost of renting such space and equipment be chargeable as a direct cost to the contract?

See Section C.4 for number of staff. The office space and equipment should be included as a direct cost to the contract.

32. Attachments J.7 (Cost Assumption Budget Template) does not show who the 50% in Washington are and who the 50% employed overseas are. Guidance or identification of who the technical staff are and what staff are currently located in Washington DC will be helpful.

See Amendment 2 Attachment J.6 and J.7

33. Will the government provide a breakdown of assumptions for non-labor costs like travel, allowances, or other location-based costs for budgeting purposes? These assumptions could be in text format or be put into a sample budget.

See Question 20.

34. Attachment J.11 – Does the listing of benefits show what GHSI II current contract employees are eligible for or are they a listing of suggested benefits that government would like to have the contractor provide?

Attachment J.11 includes the current benefits of GHSI II employees.

35. If subcontractors are proposed, should subcontractor’s budget provide the same detail as the prime contractor does? Should the specific labor categories to be subcontractor positions be identified in the proposal and can the prime contractor submit a budget showing prime and subcontractor costs in one consolidated budget?

The proposed subcontractor budget should contain the same detail as the prime offeror’s budget. One consolidated budget can be submitted if the costs are properly allocated.

36. Will the government provide an estimate of the contract value for the 5 year period?

37. Page 10, SOW, Bullet 8, When beneficial for team and office cohesion, contractor will co-locate employees with employees from other hiring mechanisms.

a. Because the contractor has to maintain office space within close proximity to the Government, can the Government give some estimation of the size of the pool of employees that may need to be co-located from other hiring mechanisms?

Assume up to 50 staff but the actual number will vary depending on USAID's need for co-location and the contractor's available space. It is anticipated that an equal number of employees from GHSI-III will be housed in offices of other mechanisms resulting in an equal exchange between mechanisms.

b. Will the Contractor be required to provide co-located staff with workstations and office equipment (telephone, fax, etc?)

Yes.

38. Page 19, C.5.7 Administering and Providing Logistical Support to Contractor Employees (bullet #16), For overseas placements, arranging for the packing, shipping and storage of the contractor employee’s household effects either in the US or Overseas, Can the Government please provide what the incumbents current cost is for Domestic and Overseas storage of employee’s household effects?

No. Please see Attachment J.7 and budget in accordance with the Department of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR), Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) and Foreign Affairs Handbook (FAH).

39. Page 105, Branding and Marking Plan, the offeror must review ADS 320 and develop a Branding and Marking Implementation Plan.

a. Since there is no reference to the Branding and Marking Plan in the Evalation Factors, is the plan due at the time of proposal submission or after contract award?

The Branding and Marking Plan should be submitted at the time of proposal submission.

b. And for clarity, should it be included in the Cost/Pricing proposal?

See Question 21.

40. General Question, RFP and Attachment J in searchable format. Can the Government release the RFP and Attachment J in a searchable format so that templates and proposal sections will not have to be recreated?

Please see the revised RFP document, which is now searchable. However, the signature page (no. 2) and the attachments are not searchable.

41. Section C.5.3, Requirements and Qualifications, Salaries and Benefits, page 16 – Please provide the referenced USAID’s U.S. Personal Services Contract (PSC) rules and regulations.

Please see Attachment J.6 for salaries and J.11 for benefits. PSC contracts are governed by AIDAR Appendix D and J.

42. Section C.5.3, Requirements and Qualifications, Salaries and Benefits, page 16 - it states that salaries provided under contracts will be modelled after what USAID’s U.S. Personal Services Contractor’s (USPSCs) are entitled, subject to the Contractor Salary Threshold (CST) Limitation. However in Section H.9, Additional Requirements for Personnel Compensation, a) Limitations, (1) it says the following:

Nor must any individual salary or wage, without approval of the Cognizant Contracting Officer, exceed the employee’s current salary or wage, or the highest rate of annual salary or wage received during any full year of the immediately preceding three (3) years, it seems we are bound by what the current salary is, is this true?

In accordance with Section H.9 of the RFP, the CO may approve higher salaries and wages.

43. Attachment J.6, List of Current GHSI-II Position Titles, Locations and Grade Range -

a. It is unclear from this attachment the physical location of each current position.

Can the government clarify for each position – the country and city? Also, can the government indicate which of the DC exempt positions are anticipated to work from the contactor site?

Offerors should assume the capital cities of each country.Please see Attachment J.6 in Amendment 2 for details on exempt/non-exempt employees.

b. Steps within grade level are not provided for all positions. Some have no step indicated, at least one has a grade-level available (data analyst – exempt pending hire, grade 9/11), and some include a “+” Please provide steps for all and if a position exceeds a grade level, please provide a salary to be used to ensure this position is compensated accordingly.

Please see Attachment J.6 in Amendment 2.

c. Grade-levels are not provided at all for four positions near the end of the list.

Please provide.

d. Please explain the terms in the legend: DC Exempt Encumbered / Non-exempted Encumbered, Consultant

Please see opm.gov and the Fair Labor Standards Act.

e. Are staff titled as consultants not employees?

Staff listed as consultants are not employees.

44. Attachment J.7,Cost Assumption Budget -

a. The directions are to assume one desktop workstation computer and one laptop computer for those on travel. Please clarify otherwise only the incumbent will know this information.

i. Does the contractor need to budget to buy a desktop and/or laptop for every staff member (estimated at 250 staff initially)?

Serviceable equipment will transfer from GHSI-II to GHSI-III, so there is not likely to be a requirement to buy all current staff new equipment.

However, over time, equipment will need to be replaced. Offerors should propose accordingly based on their experience.

ii. We assume that there are existing computers (desktops and laptops) that will be transitioned to the new contract in order for the government to avoid the expense of purchasing new computers? Is this a correct assumption?

Offerors should propose based on their experience and industry standards.

iii. Can the government specify a budget to be used for this computer purchase, or else a wide variety of bids will be received? Or can the government specify the # desktops and # laptops to be purchased initially and then yearly?

iv. Please provide definitions/descriptions for each budget line item in the budget template (e.g., Splits, residential make ready).

Please see Amendment 2 AttachmentJ.7

b. When are salaries reviewed for staff under this contract? Calendar basis?

Contract year? Other? When are they next to be reviewed?

Contractor performance is reviewed annually.

c. For the 50% of staff overseas

i. What besides post differential and post allowance must be included?

Allowances should be budgeted in accordance with the Department of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR)

ii. Do we assume all oversea staff have a family size of 3, with one school age child with Education Allowance

iii. Please provide a schedule of when all existing overseas staff are:

1. Expected return (repatriate)? Base year? Or other year

At the completion of the contract.

2. # of planned-to-post by contract year None

3. # of R&R trips by contract year Allowances (including R&R and home leave travel) should be budgeted in accordance with the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) and the Foreign Affairs Hanbook (FAH)

4. Do we assume all 50% of staff will have a home leave within the base year of the contract?

iv. Are repatriation fees due for all oversea positions? Please clarify amount by position and anticipated date/amount of all payments.

Repatriation costs should be budgeted in accordance with the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) and the Foreign Affairs Hanbook (FAH)

d. Please provide all danger pay estimates to be included? Can the government provide historical costs for these and estimates during the contract duration?

Please see attachment J.7, Amendment no. 2

e. For the 50% of staff in Washington

i. Please clarify which positions are technical (80%) and which are administrative staff (20%).

ii. What are the duration of each of the 4 trips per year by technical staff to Sub-Saharan Africa Please see Attachment J.7

iii. What are the duration of each of the 1 trip per year by administrative staff to Asia Please see Attachment J.7

iv. Is the one conference/workshop per year in addition to each of the oversea trips for Washington staff?

v. Please clarify what is meant by metro subsidy? Is this the same as the public transportation allowance listed in Attachment J.11, Current Employee Benefit.

vi. Please quantify the dollar amount of long distance calling cards that are to be bid in the base year and each option year.

Please see Amendment 2 Attachment J.7

f. What does the “incentive” budget line item include on the provided budget template?

Please see Amendment 2 Attachment J.7

45. Attachment J.11, Current Employee Benefits -

a. Please provide copies of all of the insurance plans (Vendor name, POC, Plan description) so that the plans can be matched – health coverage, dental coverage, vision insurance.

Adequate information has been provided. Specific details of the corporate contracts with providers will not be provided.

b. Health Coverage – To ensure that this benefit is matched, please provide employer-paid cost per employee for each health coverage option and the current number of employees with each option.

The cost of the benefit is irrelevant, it is the benefit that matters.

c. Dental Coverage – What is the cost of the preventive dental coverage option that is provided for free for all employees and their dependents? Either in total or per employee and dependent?

This information should come from your provider.

d. Vision Insurance – Please explain the quoted $4.00 for single employee. Is this cost that employees pay monthly?

The employee cost is $4.00 per pay period or bi-weekly.

e. Retirement Savings 401k Plan – Please clarify that the government is requiring that all bidders set-aside 10% of eligible compensation for ALL employees (i.e., a bidder would need to set-aside $5,000 for an employee with $50,000 in eligible compensation.

To offer an equal or better benefit, yes, at least 10%.

f. Vacation and Sick Time – We do not currently offer separate vacation and sick paid-time off. Instead, we offer a single combined Paid Time Off benefit (inclusive of vacation, sick, and personal days). Is that alternative acceptable to the government?

Vacation and sick time must be offered according to the companies personnel policies, and must provide equal or better than the current employees are currently receiving.

46. Section C.4, Statement of Work, bullet 7, page 10 - requires the Contractor to guarantee “up to 120 off-site workstations within a one quarter mile radius of the Ronald Regan Building…..” Will the 120 spaces be required from date of award or, as the statement reads “up to 120” will these occur over time. If the latter, could USAID provide its estimate by year as to the number of workstations required?

This will be required at the start of the contract.

47. Section C.4, Statement of Work, bullet 8 - 9, page 10 - Is it required for the successful offeror to house not only GHSI III staff but also staff from other hiring mechanisms at the designated office space within a quarter mile radius of RRB? If yes, what is the estimated number of staff from other hiring mechanisms that will require co-location?

How should the associated costs be accounted for and how will they be reimbursed?

Please see questions 37, part A. Reimbursement would be under the contract, according to the contractor's actual costs for such additional staff.

48. Section, C.11, Contractor-Furnished Items and Services, Page 29 - Will the Client provide a GFE list of the incumbent’s useable equipment that will be transferred to the successful offeror? Overseas placements of contractor staff, please specify contractor-furnished equipment requirements in terms of numbers of contractor staff at each overseas location. How are periodicals factored in from a cost standpoint?

Should a plug figure be utilized for this Other Direct Cost (ODC)?

See Question 6 for Government Furnished Property. If an Offeror plans to purchase periodicals, the costs should be included in ODC’s and the offeror should explain the costs in its budget notes.

49. Section K – Representations, Certifications, Page 78 - Is completion and submission of Section K also required of Subcontractors?

50. Section L.5, Instructions for the Preparation of the Cost Proposal, Part 2 Proposed Costs/Price, 9. Indirect Cost Information, (a) Page 104 - Is it acceptable for Subcontractors to provide a complete copy of its most recent NICRA in a sealed separate envelope addressed directly to USAID due to the proprietary nature of this data?

51. Attachment J.4 Disclosure of Lobbying Activities - Is completion and submission of

SF LLL also required of Subcontractors?

52. Branding and Marking Plan, Page 105 - Please verify the Branding and Marketing

Plan is to be submitted in the vendor’s response as part of the Cost proposal.

Please see Question 21.

53. Section H.20, Subcontracting Plan and the SF294 – Subcontracting Report for

Individual Contracts and SF 295- Summary Contracting Report, Page 53 -

a. In that this solicitation is a total small business set-aside and that the small business prime must perform 50% of all work, would the government re-consider the requirement for a Subcontracting Plan?

No, small business concerns are not required to submit subcontracting plans and the SF294 – Subcontracting Report, per FAR 19.702(b)(1)

b. If a Subcontracting Plan is required, when and how is it to be submitted (i.e., is it part of the technical or price proposal)?

See answer to 53(a) above

54. Section L.4, Instructions for the Preparation of the Technical Proposal, 3. Past

Performance, Page 101 - Please clarify the stated three to five (3-5) Past Performance references required is the total number required for the team as a whole.

55. Section C.4, Statement of Work, bullet 12, page 11 - Would this mean a sub-contractor could bid on other work as long as they did not provide employee on specific project?

If an individual provided under the contract is a participant in the design, acquisition or implementation process of a USAID project or program, their employer may not be eligible to compete for the project or program. (See ADS 302)

56. Which of the currently listed positions are overseas postings and where?

See Attachment J.6

57. Who provides the signed copy of the DD254 to the subcontractor – Prime or USAID?

The Prime.

58. When the government closes for any other holiday or inclement weather designated by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), will time for contractors be charged to contract or do they use PTO if they are unable to perform work at an off-site office.

The policies should mirror USAID policies.

59. Section B.6, Level of Effort, page 6 - states, “The contractor must devote approximately 78,260 workdays level of direct employee labor for each year for the period of performance in Section F. The total level of effort is organized by labor category as listed in Attachment J.6. “78,260 equates to 301 FTE’s (78,260 workdays/260 workdays/year = 301 FTEs). However, Section F.5 Reports and Deliverables or outputs, Level of Effort, page 34- states, “at the start of the contract it is anticipated that the contractor will provide 65,000 person days per year. The number will fluctuate with additional positions added (up to 78,000 person days per year) and when contractor personnel resign from the office”.

a. As it is assumed that the majority of persons current in the positions listed in

Attachment J6 will transfer to the new project, would USAID consider providing a plug figure for the salaries by year? As the wording in Section F.6 suggests the level of effort will vary from year to year and for Offerors to realistically price the proposal USAID will need to provide each individual labor category by grade by year. If USAID will not provide a plug, will they provide the actual current salary for each position listed in Attachment J6. As salaries will be the primary cost in the budgets and as USAID wants to ensure not only cost realism but to ensure easy transition from one project to the next, having actual salaries would eliminate potential issues related to establishing/funding salaries of each staff person post award.

See Amendment 2 Attachment J.6. Salaries are listed in accordance with the OPM GS Schedule. Please see the OPM GS schedule for salary equivalent.

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2014/general-schedule/

b. There appears to be a conflict within the RFP as to the number of person workdays per year that are to be priced. Will USAID clarify if Offerors are to bid 78,260 person days each year as stated in Section B.6 or, at varying levels from 65,000 to 78,260 over the life of the project as stated in F5?

Offers should include the LOE in Attachment J.6 in Amendment 2.

i. If Offerors are to be 78,260 (or 78,000) person days each year, will

USAID provide the 50 job titles and GS levels for those positions that are currently missing from the roster provided in Attachment J.6, List of Current GHSI-II Position Titles, Locations and Grade Range?

See Amendment 2. Attachment J.6

c. If USAID is unable to provide each of the yet to be named 50 positions referenced above, would they consider providing a plug figure for the labor costs so that all Offerors are budgeting the same salaries for these unknown positions? Would USAID also provide plug figures for any allowances, travel or other associated costs related to these unknown positions?

See Attachment J.6 in Amendment 2.

d. Four (4) of the job titles do not list GS Levels, 1 on page 3 and four on Page 4 of Attachment J.6, List of Current GHSI-II Position Titles, Locations and Grade Range. Would USAID provide the GS Level to ensure all offerors are using the same information for bidding: Analyst – AID/ES/FBCI (page 3), Program Assistant – PO/AES (page 4), OHA/Supply Chain/AA – OHA (page 4), Administrative Assistant – GH/HSO (page 4) and, Program Assistant – CHAII (page 4)

See Attachment J.6 in Amendment 2.

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2014/general-schedule/

60. Attachment J3, Subcontracting Plan Template - provides a USAID Small Business Subcontracting Plan template. As this is a small-business set-aside is this therefore not required for Prime’s under this procurement?

Please see response to question 53(a).

61. We have the following questions related to the Attachment J.7,Cost Assumption

Budget -

a. J.7 provides several budget assumptions along with a budget template. Are we correct in assuming that the costs should not be priced using the budget template in J.7 but in accordance with the template provided in L5 (Part 2)?

Please see revised cost assumptions in Attachment J.7

b. The assumptions state that:

i. for 50% overseas staff you should assume family of 3 with one school aged child receiving an education allowance and,

ii. 80% will be in Sub-Saharan Africa with 25% of those receiving Housing

Allowance

iii. 20% of the 50% will be in Asia but with no housing allowance.

iv. As housing allowances vary amongst countries and by Grade of staff, could USAID provide a specific plug figure to use or country and seniority level, so that Offerors are able to all price the same assumptions? The same request is made for education allowance as this varies by country and by age of child.

v. For the 50% Washington, it states that each will travel to one conference/workshop per year.

c. Would USAID state if that conference location is domestic or international and in what city/country that workshop will be held?

Please see Attachment J.7 Amendment 2

d. Can USAID also provide the duration of the conference/workshop given this would impact factors such as meals and lodging costs?

Please see Attachment J.7 Amendment 2

e. Is the cost of the conference/workshop to be included in the budget or will this be paid directly by USAID on the attendee’s behalf?

This should be included in the offeror’s budget.

62. Section H.9, Additional Requirements for Personnel Compensation, d) Annual Salary Increases, page 46 - discusses how annual increases of not more than three percent must be granted after the employee’s completion of each twelve month period of satisfactory services under the contract. Could USAID confirm that the twelve month period being discussed is based on the employee’s hire date, not the contract award date? Could USAID also confirm that employees that transfer to the GHSI-III program will retain their review periods based on twelve moth intervals from their original date of hire under predecessor GHSI programs, and not the GHSI-III twelve month anniversary.

Employees that are transferred to the GHSI-III contract will retain their review period based on their original hire date, under the predecessor contract.

63. Section L.4, Instructions for the Preparation of the Technical Proposal, 4. Personnel, A. Key Personnel Positions, (i), (A), page 102 - requests complete bio-data forms in an appendix for key personnel. Biodatas contain cost information. Please confirm that all biodatas should be submitted with the offeror’s Cost Proposal, not the Technical Proposal.

The bio-data forms should be submitted with the cost proposal.

64. Section C.5.3, Requirements and Qualifications, page 15 - Hiring Third-Country

Nationals, Cooperating Country Nations, and Foreign Service Nationals. Please identify the current TCNs, CCNs, and FSNs by position that staff the contract currently? For each, please specify what currency are the existing TCNs, CCNs, and FSNs. paid and whether social insurance applies. Is a "13th month" payment applicable to any of these positions?

Two placements are TCNs, two consultants are TCNs. All employees are paid in USD. Social Security and unemployment insurance is provided for staff members that are US citizens. For non-US citizens, insurance is provided if required by their assigned location. We do not provide 13th month payments to employees.

65. Will Prime or Subcontractors be required to have a Facilities Clearance to bid on the above requirement?

The Prime and their subcontractors are required to have a facility clearance.

66. Does the prime contractor have to have past performance working oversees.

See Section L.4.2.A of the RFP.

67. Will both prime and sub contract past performance be weighted equally?

Prime and subcontractor past performance are rated together to provide a single past performance rating.

68. What percentage of overseas personnel are required to be U.S citizens?

63 percent are US citizens.

69. What percentage of overseas positions require U.S. Security clearance?

38 percent are US citizens.

70. Is the incumbent contractor eligible to rebid?

If the incumbent is a small business, it would be eligible to bid.

a. Will Subcontractors be required to have an FCL?

See Question 65.

2) What percentage of overseas personnel are required to be U.S citizens?

See Question 68

3) What percentage of overseas positions require U.S. Security clearance?

See Question 69

71. Are Joint Ventures eligible to bid on this solicitation? If so,

a. Is the majority partner of the JV required to be a small business?

Yes

b. Is the small business required to perform the majority of work (i.e., at least 51%)

Yes

c. Is the JV required to have past performance or can the proposed JV use the past performance of the member organizations?

Past performence is required for the prime offeror and its major subs.

72. Is the Branding & Marketing plan to be included, and if so, how? It is not listed as a division of the technical approach. Is it to be an annex? Or is it not necessary to submit the written plan with this proposal?

See Question 21.

73. The offeror must provide a performance plan that describes how the offeror will develop and oversee the administration and logistics of contractor employees with attention being given to salaries and benefits packages which must be equal to, or better than, current entitlements.

Although a chart of grade-level ranges is provided, that is not sufficient information to ensure the employee is offered equal or better compensation. Please provide the current salaries for each position.

See Amendment 2 Attachment J.6. Salaries are listed in accordance with the OPM GS Schedule. Please see the OPM GS schedule for salary equivalent.

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2014/general-schedule/

74. Please provide complete job descriptions for Key Personnel including qualifications & educational requirements.

See Section C.7.1 of the RFP

75. Please provide the interested vendors list. This is not available on FBO.

No, unfortunately this is proprietary information and cannot be disclosed.

76. C.2. Background. Page. 8. SOW. “The resultant contract will transition current positions under GHSI-II into GSHI-III for continuation over the next five years” Explain this, does the number of contractor personnel to be transitions part of the number of personnel to be provided under GSHI-III?

See Amendment 2 Attachment J.6

77. C.4. SOW. & C.10. US. Contractor Office Location. Guaranteeing up to 120 off-site workstations within a one quarter mile radius of the RRB ON 14TH st, NW & Pennsylvania avenue, NW. DC; to house the management team and all technical and support staffs that do not work on site in the RRB. To what is this a factor/extent if any does this become an evaluation component prior to contract award? What is required in this regard, proof of ownership, lease or ability to secure such location?

Offer ors should provide support that they have or can obtain adequate space that meets the RFP requirements.

78. C.5.5. Hiring, Placing, Removing Contractor Employees: In accordance with the National Industrial Security Program, Foreign Nationals cannot hold U.S. security clearances. Do you have any clarifying guidance on this?

This is correct.

79. In accordance with the National Industrial Security Program, Foreign Nationals cannot hold U.S. security clearances. Do you have any clarifying guidance on this?

This is correct.

80. Will the government provide detailed level of benefits to include: medical coverage (employer/employee share), paid leave, 401K, retirement, dental, life, disability, etc.?

See Attachment J.11

81. Do you reckon that Attachment J.3: is required since this effort is set aside for small business?

82. Attachment J.6: A detailed labor category/location breakdown for GHSI-III will assist in proving the most realistic bid. GHSI-II does not indicate the locations of some labor categories, is it safe to assume or conclude that unspecified locations associated with labor categories will be at Washington DC?

See Amendment 2. Attachment J.6

83. In the event that the contractor facilitates U.S. domestic and/or international conference calls for telephone interviews, would the candidate be required to be present in the contractor’s office/conference room for the conference call/interview, or could the candidate be allowed to conference in from a remote location?

This can be decided on a case-by-case basis in conslutation with the COR.

84. Will it be safe to assume/conclude that the cost proposal does not have a page limitation?

85. The current cost proposal instructions require respondents to make a number of assumptions when pricing out the contract, including estimating the countries that will be staffed, the allowances for staff (e.g., dependents), etc. The RFP states that there will be a transition of 250 positions and that the Contractor will provide the current institutional Contractor staff with the same, or better, pay and benefits than is now being provided. Would USAID provide detailed requirements of how many employees to cost out, their salaries, their dependents, their locations, their personal travel budgets related to project work, use of business class airline tickets, and other data impacting both the level of effort and other direct costs in order to create a consistent basis for comparing cost proposals?

See Amendement 2 Attachments J.6 and J.7

86. If the USAID DC-based staff will travel to other countries, will USAID be providing the number of trips per year and the duration of the trips for each staff? How is the bidder going to be able to budget for post difference, danger pay and per diems for each of these staff?

See Attachment J.7

87. (C.4, 7th bullet) The SOW states that contractor should guarantee 120 workstations outside of USAID RRB, however, no provision was made for rental lease line item in the budget template.

Rent should be included in the ODC line item.

88. C.7.1 defines key personnel as the Project Director, Program Manager and Financial

Budget Analyst; should we consider these labor categories as a direct labor costs?

No. These should be included in the offeror’s indirect costs.

89. What is the significant of Attachment J.9?

In accordance with ADS 204 and the 22 CFR 216, an Initial Environmental Examination is the first review of the reasonably foreseeable effects of a proposed action on the environment. Environmental sustainability is integral to USAID's overall goal, and therefore must be mainstreamed into all activities to achieve optimal results, to avoid inadvertent harm to the people we are trying to help, and to prevent wasting taxpayer dollars. To meet this goal, USAID incorporates environmental considerations into results-based planning, achieving, and assessing and learning.

Please review the guidance referenced above for further information.

90. C.9 Training Plan - The contractor, at its own expense, will perform training, except:

A. When USAID has given prior approval for training to meet special requirements that are required to a particular position, USAID will reimburse the contractor for tuition, travel and per diem as required in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations, as well as for labor hours at the rate designated for the particular skill level.

For cost proposal purposes, can USAID identify specific number of training needs, locations and subjects of the training for each labor category?

See Amendment 2 Attachment J.7

B. Limited training of contractor personnel may be authorized if identified in the original statement of work for a particular position.

Can the Government clarify this statement as there is no training identified in this

SOW for a particular position?

No

91. The Illustrative Budget Format included a line item for subcontractor/consultant which makes the total estimated budget amount to be incorrect due to double entry. For example, if the total subcontractors participation is 49% of labor which will include fringes, allowances, travel, etc; do we include the 49% dollar value as the subcontractor/consultant costs which have been accounted for as direct costs?

The total amount for subcontractors and/or consultants (which will include fringe, travel, allowances, etc., for the subcontract/consultants only) should be on the subcontractor budget line item.

92. L.4 INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE TECHNICAL

PROPOSAL, (a) ORGANIZATION OF TECHNICAL PROPOSAL listed several items which included Personnel summary matrix (per Section L) on the expertise of staff, consultants, and other personnel specialists; Are we to list personnel summary matrix for all labor category or just the key personnel? If we are to prepare a personnel summary matrix for all (250) labor category, can this requirement be removed as it will be difficult for any small business organization to meet this requirement?

Amendment 2 of the RFP removes this requirement.

93. Using the Past Performance Short Form (Attachment J.9), the offeror must list 3 -5 of the most recent and relevant contracts for efforts similar to the work in the subject proposal. Will the Government consider 5 years to be recent?

Yes

a. We realize that, in general, each member of a joint venture (JV) must have its own facility clearance (FCL). That seems to be true for both contractual and equity joint ventures. For example, 12 FAM 573.1-1 requires that "in order for a U.S. joint venture to obtain a clearance, all entities comprising the joint venture must possess an FCL." Our questions pertain to whether a separate facility clearance is required for an unpopulated joint venture (where both the 8(a) and non-8(a) partners are technically subcontractors to the JV itself), especially if all members of the JV already have enterprise-level FCLs.

The company that is formed by the two joint ventures must possess a facility clearance.

b. After reviewing the applicable regulations and a representative sample of similar

RFPs, we cannot find a hard-and-fast government-wide rule or practice on this point. Therefore, we would like to know USAID’s position in this procurement on the following:

(A) Will an unpopulated JV whose members all have FCLs, and which intends to rely exclusively on its members for facilities and personnel, be required to obtain a separate facility clearance?

Please see response to answer 93a.

(B) If USAID intends to require a separate FCL for the unpopulated JV, by when precisely must the JV offeror have that JV-level clearance? Would it be sufficient to have the clearance at any time prior to award, prior to the execution of a contract or even prior the commencement of performance?

The offeror must have a current facility clearance to submit a proposal in response to this solicitation. Please see paragraph 2 of the RFP cover letter (amendment 01).

c. Per FAR 19.702(b)1 and FAR 52.219-9(a), subcontracting plans are not required for small business concerns. Can you please confirm that a small business subcontracting plan is not a requirement of this solicitation?

d. Per page 101 “Past Performance” – “Using the Past Performance Short Form (Attachment J.8), the offeror must list 3-5 of the most recent and relevant contracts for efforts similar to the work in the subject proposal.” Please clarify if three to five past performances refers to the combined total number of past performances for the offering team or if three to five past performances be submitted for the prime offeror and each major subcontractor?

See Question 54

e. Page 18, C.5.6 “Contractor Performance” – “Performance rating for contractor employee will be synthesized with established performance standards previously used within GH Bureau and associated USAID offices.” Does USAID expect the offeror to use the USAID civil servant performance standards in evaluating contract employees?

See Question 19

f. For readability, would USAID allow the offeror to use 11x17 foldouts for content contained in the Annex to the technical proposal (e.g. attachment J.10 Past Performance Matrix)?

Yes

g. Page 102, L.4, “Personnel” – Please confirm the five-page limit for résumés does not include bio-data forms, letters of commitment and references.

The five-page limit does not include bio-data forms, letters of commitment and references.

h. Would USAID fund highly specialized technical training for contract employees?

Only if required for full performance and only with COR approval.

i. What classes are offered by USAID that technical, professional, operational, and administrative staff could take at no cost to the offeror?

USAID offers a broad range of courses that are available to contract employees.

The list of available training can be made available post award.

j. Could USAID provide two examples each of training USAID would fund, and would not fund, assuming that the skill was a requirement identified in the employees’ scope of work?

No training will be provided for a skill required in the Statement of Work. If an applicant does not have th skill, they are not minimally qualified.

k. Would USAID fund training that would ensure that technical, professional, operational, and administrative staff stay current with technological advances such as software updates to Microsoft Office or training related to new pandemic disease outbreaks?

Microsoft Office training will be available from the Agency. Training for new pandemic disease outbreaks would need to be justified and approved by the COR.

Typically, this would be the topic presented at one or more technical conferences which could be attended by the employee under the contract.

94. If an organization’s government customers have not to date elected to review their property administration system, how should such organizations respond to Section K.13, page 85 of Amendment since the RFP presents only an “affirm” option?

Please response acccordingly. Either you can affirm or you cannot.

95. Can the government please provide an Excel template for Attachment J.7?

Please see the revised Cost Assumption Budget in J.7.

96. It states on the top of page 95, Section L.4(a) that, "All information from appendices must be referenced in the technical proposal and summarized and included in the annex section." Is the annex section different and separate from the appendices section?

No, they are the same.

97. On page 94 of Amendment 1, Section L .4 Instructions for the Preparation of the Technical Proposal, (a) – the following items are noted as not included in the page limitation:

Personnel Summary Matrix (per Section L) on the expertise of staff, consultants and other personnel specialists

Management Structure Organization Chart(s).

Question – Are the two items above for the proposed Key Personnel, Program Director, Program Manager and Financial/Budget…