Questions_from_Industry_5-14-2015_w_volumes.pdf

SOL-OAA-15-000031

Amendment 1

Questions

1). We would appreciate it if the government would please clarify if an offeror is allowed to provide a solution to all 3 main locations and 1 optional locations. If so, does the Government require that we submit a separate proposal for each proposed location?

A: A proposal is required for each region for which the offeror wishes to be evaluated with West Africa as a required option.

2). How many locations will one offeror be considered for award should it propose a solution to all locations.

A: Consideration will be given to all locations offered.

3) Please clarify if Past Performance is a factor under Technical Approach and if it is subject to the 15 page limit.

A: Yes

4) The RFP states that the West Africa facility will primarily support the areas from Northern Mauritania to Angola. Can USAID provide data/history regarding commodities and quantities to specific countries?

A: Data for FY14 will be provided at the end of this section by commodity and country and percentages sourced from USAID’s prepositioning warehouses.

5) With respect to airfreight:

· Can USAID provide an estimated weight per pallet?

A: No.

· Will aircraft off-loading/handling/loading onto conveyance charges be to the account of USAID or a pass-through to the Government?

A: Only a pallet lifted on or off truck conveyance at the warehouse door would be for account of the warehouse contactor. Any other charges would be associated with the airfreight contractor.

6) It appears from the proposal that USAID wants an “on-demand” warehouses with no guarantee of minimum volume or time (usage) Is this correct and would the Government consider providing some form of minimum quantity or time (usage) for storage in the contract? It is difficult to procure and run warehouses that could be empty for periods of time and then required to ramp up in 30 days for a surge.

A: There is no minimum volume, time, or storage guarantee under this solicitation.

7) Djibouti is named as a preference for the Horn of Africa. Are there any further “location” preferences for the other regions?

A: For the purposes of this solicitation, Djibouti is the preferred location in the Horn of Africa.

8) The Government cites that U.S. Flag is priority. Does the ranking of U.S. Flag matter for the service of the selected port (i.e. P1, P2)? If Port A has P1 Service and Port B has P2 Service, will Port A the preferred port? If “Yes”, is that quantified in the evaluation process?

A: No.

9) Can USAID quantify “significant preference” for FTZ’s and how does this figure into the evaluation criteria as Section M2 states that this is one of the items that USAID will consider advantageous?

A) USAID’s experience has shown Free Trade Zones allow greater program flexibility to hold cargo “in transit” status and ship to multiple destinations without taxes, duties, or other restrictions.

10) Container free time is per the carrier tariff or the contracted terms with the carrier. The RFP makes it clear that the Warehousing Contractor is responsible for any charges exceeding free time. In order to price services, can the Government detail the “terms” for free time that they order or provide the minimum standard?

A: Currently and without guarantee, free times are 21 days in Djibouti and 30 in all other locations for inbound shipments to the warehouse. Outbound container free time is the responsibility of the shipper once title has passed to the shipper.

11) The RFP also makes it clear that any delays are the responsibility of the Warehousing Contractor when a third-party (bagging line, etc.) is engaged performing services for USAID. Can USAID define what constitutes an “unreasonable delay” and can some type of resolution mechanism be placed into the contract so that the Warehousing Contractor is not taking all the risk for items that may be outside his/her control?

A: An unreasonable delay is any delay outside of standard commercial practices. Exceptions would be reviewed on a case by case basis.

12) Would the Government make available the volume/demand for the previous years by month/commodity for their current warehouses? This would establish a baseline for realistic pricing and facility selection?

A: USAID will provide data for FY14 only at the end of this section.

Regarding the West Africa location:

13) Is it mandatory to submit a West Africa location? I.e. must each offeror that submits a proposal for one of the three primary warehouses (Horn of Africa, Central and Southern Africa, and Asia/Near East) also submit a West Africa location?

A: Yes.

14)Section M does not include any detail on the tradeoff analysis or weighting of the primary warehouse location compared to the West Africa option. How will the technical and pricing analysis be conducted? What weighting will be given to each (i.e. 50/50, 70/30, etc.) or will they be evaluated and awarded independently?

A: Each warehouse location will be awarded and evaluated independently.

15)If an offeror’s submission for a West Africa location is less competitive than another offeror’s West Africa location for the same primary warehouse region, how will that affect the evaluation of that offeror’s proposal for a primary location?

A: The primary location will be the evaluated location.

16)It is possible that an offeror could be most competitive for the primary warehouse location but less competitive for the West Africa option compared to another offeror. In that case, would USAID ever split the award into two contracts for the primary region and the West Africa option OR is USAID prepared to award one contract to an offeror that is most competitive on the primary warehouse but less competitive than another offeror for the West Africa option?

A: Yes

17)Are the two key personnel positions also required for the West Africa location, or could one Program Manager manage both locations?

A: One is acceptable since West Africa is an option.

18) Should separate technical proposals be submitted for the main contract and the West Africa option?

A: Yes

Page Limit

19) Is the page limit 15 pages for the primary warehouse and another 15 pages for the West Africa location (total 30) or 15 pages for both? If 15 pages for both, would USAID consider extending the page limit by 5-10 pages to also include sufficient space to describe the technical approach and management plan for the West Africa location?

A: 15 for the primary location, and 15 for West Africa.

20) In the last paragraph on Page 10 of 79, USAID states that “Contractor…shall provide USAID with a copy of any insurance certificates…” Does this count against the 15 page limit?

A: No.

21) Can additional supporting documents such as photographs, sample reports, etc. be included in attachment/annex and not count towards the 15 page limit?

A: Yes.

22) Section L.8.3.C on Page 72 of 79 states that “This information is not included in the page limitation.” Does this only refer to the preceding sentence regarding quality awards or certifications OR to the entire section on Contractor Performance Information (Section L.8.2.3)?

A: The page limitation does not include the entire section on past performance. USAID encourages offerors to be succinct and use relevant examples.

Other

23) Section I.11 on Page 48 of 70 and Section L.8.3.D on Page 72 of 79 refer to “Using Small Business (SB) Concerns…” Can USAID please confirm that no SB Subcontracting Plan is required under this solicitation? Also, if there was no requirement to utilize Small Business concerns on a selected contract for Past Performance, can offerors’ simply state, “Not Applicable.”?

A: There is no small business subcontracting plan required. If there was no requirement to use small businesses, the offeror may state Not Applicable.

24) Is the Past Performance Matrix included in Attachment J.3 to be completed by the offeror or is it for illustrative purposes to demonstrate how the selection committee will evaluate offerors’ past performance?

A: It is for illustrative purposes.

25) The Cover Letter states that “Proposals must be submitted via e-mail and in hard-copy…” However, Section L.6 on Page 68 of 79 states that “Email is the only acceptable method for submitting.” Can USAID please confirm that only an email submission is required?

A: USAID confirms that email is the only acceptable method.

26) The last sentence of Section C.C on Page 8 of 79 states that “USAID may have food commodities that require temperature and environmental control(s).” Are contractors required to have temperature controlled warehousing available at its warehouse location? Also, would USAID consider adding a line for this in the CLIN schedule?

A: It is anticipated temperature controlled commodities will be small in quantity and temperature storage would be available upon demand, depending on location and local ambient temperatures.

If demand increased, a CLIN would be included via a contract modification.

CLINs 8 to 11 pertain to airfreight charges:

27) Section B.4 on Page 3 of 79 state that Shipping Document Fees, Customs Service Fees, Terminal Handling, Fumigation, and Port Fees are to be paid by the contractor and billed ‘at cost’ to USAID. Does this also apply to all airport documentation and handling charges (exclusive of loading/unloading per pallet (CLIN 8/9) and drayage (CLIN 10/11) which are captured in the schedule of prices)?

A: Yes, if applicable.

28) Relating to CLINs 8 and 9 – Load/Unload per pallet – As some of the charges for loading and unloading at the airport are fixed and not dependent upon the number of pallets, would USAID consider a providing an assumption on the number of pallets?

A: Airfreight is extremely limited and we do not have any projections at this time.

29) CLIN 10 and 11 – Drayage per pallet – It is difficult to quote a price per pallet without knowing the number of pallets per consignment. Would USAID accept banded pricing, i.e. $X/pallet for 0-12 pallets; $Y/pallet for 13-24 pallets; etc.?

A: Yes

30) Given the requirements of the RFP and the possibility that a contractor will submit multiple proposals, will USAID extend the proposal submission deadline by two weeks (to June 12)?

A: Not at this time.

31) The RFP does not provide any contract value information. What is the anticipated ceiling for the base period and the option years?

A: To be determined, as stated in the solicitation.

32) Page 75 of the RFP (section M.1.5) references points for each evaluation criterion, but no points breakdown information is provided in Section M. What are the assigned points for each evaluation criterion?

A: Refer to Section M2 for evaluation factors in order of importance.

33) Page 18 of the RFP (section F.3) states that the Overall Project Manager must have a High school Diploma or GED plus a minimum of 10 years’ of experience in transportation, logistics, and warehousing operations. Will USAID revise the minimum years of experience requirement from ten years of experience in transportation, logistics, and warehousing operations to eight years of experience in transportation, logistics, and warehousing operations with a Bachelor’s Degree?

A: No.

34) Section L.7 (page 69) of the RFP states that CVs for key personnel are limited to two pages. Does USAID mean two pages total for both key personnel CVs or two pages for each key personnel CV?

A: The limit is two pages for each CV provided.

35) Section L.8 (Instructions for Preparation of the Business Proposal) states that one of the components of the Business Proposal is contractor performance information. This is a requirement that we have typically seen as part of the Technical Proposal, not the Business Proposal. May we provide the past performance information requested on pages 72 and 73 as an annex to the Technical Proposal (excluded from the 15 page limit) instead of the Business Proposal?

A: Please refer to the solicitation.

36) Sections L. and C.D state that the Offeror must provide photographs of warehouse facilities intended for use. May the Offeror present these photos in an annex to the technical proposal (excluded from the 15 page limit)?

A: Yes

37) Will USAID add the executive summary to the list of sections not included in the 15 page limit?

A: No.

38) Section L.B.3 (page 72) states that the proposal must include information for up to five of the most recent and relevant contracts. Please clarify if USAID is asking for five contracts in total or five contracts for the prime and five contracts for each major subcontractor.

A: Offerors should provide a total of 5 contracts in total and include subcontractors where appropriate.

All other terms and conditions of the solicitation remain unchanged.

Region Commodity CF MTs % CF MTs PREPO MTs Corn Soy Blend + 2,900 2% 2,900 Rice 34,930 18% 9,020

RUTF 1,119 1% 819

Veg Oil 14,750 8% 10,550 Wheat 122,990 64% Wheat Soy Blend 1,590 1% Yellow Split Peas 14,220 7% 7,000 Corn Soy Blend 4,510 6% Corn Soy Blend + 6,590 9% 750 Cornmeal 37,140 50% Lentils 2,070 3% 570 Pinto Beans 700 1% Rice 3,140 4%

RUSF 330 0% 330

RUTF 310 0% 310

Sorghum 9,920 13% Veg Oil 5,010 7% 1,410 Yellow Split Peas 5,020 7% 2,000 All Purpose Flour 19,360 3% Bulgur 1,310 0% Corn Soy Blend + 13,540 2% 5,460 Lentils 6,680 1% 6,680 Rice 280 0% 150

RUSF 1,678 0% 1,678

RUTF 1,227 0% 1,227

Sorghum 411,980 62% 123,500 Veg Oil 22,027 3% 16,457 Wheat 137,780 21% Wheat Soy Blend 130 0% Yellow Split Peas 49,586 7% 22,406 Black Beans 4,190 4% Bulgur 1,075 1% Corn 600 1% Corn Soy Blend + 12,660 12% 6,780 Green Split Peas 560 1% Lentils 10,254 10% 9,074 Rice 21,406 20% 13,476

RUTF 539 1% 539

Sorghum 38,410 36% 19,500 Soy Fortified Bulgur 4,480 4% 3,310 Soy Fortified Cornmeal 500 0% Veg Oil 9,255 9% 4,755 Yellow Split Peas 2,400 2% 1,420

Asia Near East

Central and Southern Africa

East Africa/Horn of Africa

West Africa

% from PREPO 100%

26% 73% 72%

0% 0%

49% 0%

11% 0%

28% 0% 0%

100% 100%

0% 28% 40%

0% 0%

40% 100%

54% 100% 100%

30% 75%

0% 0%

45% 0% 0% 0%

54% 0%

88% 63%

100% 51% 74%

0% 51% 59%

FY14 Asia Near East Call Forward Summary

Commodity MTs % of Total Corn Soy Blend + 2,900 2% Rice 34,930 18%

RUTF 1,119 1%

Veg Oil 14,750 8% Wheat 122,990 64% Wheat Soy Blend 1,590 1% Yellow Split Peas 14,220 7%

192,499

Country MTs % of Total

AFGHANISTAN 40,010 21%

BANGLADESH 61,900 32%

PAKISTAN 47,229 25%

PHILIPPINES 6,020 3%

WEST BANK GAZA 9,720 5%

YEMEN 27,620 14%

192,499

This table and the proceeding tables represent Title II volumes shipped from the US to overseas locations. They do NOT represent volumes stored in prepo warehouses.

FY14 Central & Southern Africa Call Forward Summary

Commodity MTS % of Total Corn Soy Blend 4,510 6% Corn Soy Blend + 6,590 9% Cornmeal 37,140 50% Lentils 2,070 3% Pinto Beans 700 1% Rice 3,140 4%

RUSF 330 0%

RUTF 310 0%

Sorghum 9,920 13% Veg Oil 5,010 7% Yellow Split Peas 5,020 7%

74,740

Country MTs % of Total Burundi 3,440 5%

CAR 12,130 16%

DRC 22,920 31%

Malawi 100 0% Tanzania 12,200 16% Uganda 19,530 26% Zimbabwe 4,420 6%

74,740

Note: These tables represent all Title II Volumes shipped from the US to overseas locations, subject to funding availability. They do NOT represent warehouse volumes

FY14 East Africa/Horn Call Forward Summary

Country MTs % of Total Djibouti 3,880 1% Ethiopia 271,690 41% Kenya 63,760 10% Somalia 22,266 3% South Sudan 161,392 24% Sudan 142,590 21%

665,578

Commodity MTs % of Total All Purpose Flour 19,360 3% Bulgur 1,310 0% Corn Soy Blend + 13,540 2% Lentils 6,680 1% Rice 280 0%

RUSF 1,678 0%

RUTF 1,227 0%

Sorghum 411,980 62% Veg Oil 22,027 3% Wheat 137,780 21% Wheat Soy Blend 130 0% Yellow Split Peas 49,586 7%

665,578

FY14 Latin America/Caribbean Call Forward Summary

Colombia 4,850 41% Guatemala 4,770 40% Haiti 2,290 19%

11,910

Commodity MTs % of Total Bulgur 780 7% Corn Soy Blend 330 3% Corn Soy Blend + 1,740 15% Lentils 2,030 17% Pinto Beans 1,290 11% Rice 4,100 34% Veg Oil 1,640 14%

11,910

FY14 West Africa Call Forward Summary

Algeria 3,300 3% Burkina Faso 3,490 3% Cameroon 1,660 2%

CAR 960 1%

Chad 46,609 44% Ivory Coast 3,470 3% Liberia 4,190 4% Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone 2,880 3% Mali 11,070 10% Mauritania 3,430 3% Niger 22,390 21% Senegal 1,500 1% Sierra Leone 1,220 1%

106,169

Commodity MTs % of Total Black Beans 5,265 5% Corn 600 1% Corn Soy Blend + 12,660 12% Green Split Peas 560 1% Lentils 10,254 10% Rice 21,406 20%

RUTF 379 0.4%

Sorghum 38,410 36% Soy Fortified Bulgur 4,480 4% Soy Fortified Cornmeal 500 0% Veg Oil 9,255 9% Yellow Split Peas 2,400 2%

106,169