QUESTIONS_AND_ANSWERS__2.pdf

Request for Proposal (RFP) No. SOL-OAA-15-000123

Questions and Answers #2

Note: USAID will not be accepting any further questions. The proposal submission date remains the same. All proposals are due by Monday March 7, 2016 at 11:00 am EST.

Q1. Section C.5.2 suggests that Offerors should plan to provide staffing needs for 10 possible efforts. Q84b requests labor categories along with hours and rates.

The descriptions in C.5.2 do not provide enough information to be priced. For example, C.5.2.9 discusses performing translation of text. It is not possible to define the time this will take as there is no indication of the size of the document(s) to be translated.

Please confirm that for any labor categories that are required to fulfil the needs of C.5.2 the offeror only needs to provide the labor category and ceiling daily rate and cost basis of ceiling daily rate.

A: Yes, all offerors must provide the ceiling daily rate and cost basis for each position proposed at this time.

Q2. Section L.5 Part 2 (Labor Costs) requires that offerors propose fully burdened ceiling hourly rates for all labor categories set forth in Section B.5. In addition, it requires offerors to propose unburdened ceiling hourly rates for the separate budget that must be submitted as well.

Please confirm that the “separate budget” referred to above is the cost basis to substantiate:

1. The FFP associated tasks

2. The ceiling hourly rates for the IDIQ Manager

3. The ceiling hourly rates for additional labor categories

A: The separate budget must include the items listed above. All offerors should show their unburdened labor rates in the separate budget and fringe rates as well.

Q3. L.4.4.1 states “…three (3) to five (5) of the most recent…for both the Prime and Major Subcontractors.” Could USAID please clarify if:

a) the Prime should submit 3 to 5 past performances and each major subcontractor should also submit 3 to 5 past performances or

b) a total of 3 to 5 past performances, divided among the prime and major subcontractors, should be submitted.

A: Yes this is correct, the prime offeror should submit 3 to 5 past performance and each major subcontractor should also submit 3 to 5 past performances as well.

Q4. Page 7, B.5.0.1 – USAID states that the hourly rates are fully burdened ceiling rates.

Because the IDIQ Manager is Key Personnel and their salary is known, would the Offeror be using the actual fully burdened rate rather than a fully burdened ceiling rate?

A: Although the IDIQ Manager will be known at the time of award, their rate would still be considered a fully burdened ceiling rate.

Q5. Page 7, B.5.0.1 – Since USAID is allowing offerors the ability to add labor categories with fully burdened ceiling rates, will USAID be allowing new labor categories to be added post-award or at the Task Order level, or will only labor categories and associated fully burdened ceiling rates included now in the IDIQ proposal be allowed for the life of the IDIQ and all task orders?

a.If any labor category can be added post-award or at the Task Order level, what purpose does asking for additional labor categories serve now?

A: At this time, USAID does not intend to add additional labor categories post-award or at the Task Order level. If an additional category is needed, then the IDIQ would be modified to incorporate the position.

Q6. Page 9. What is the purpose of the table on page 9 under B.5.0.10? Since the B.5 table covers the same data, are offerors required to complete both?

a.If required to complete both, please confirm that Travel and ODCs in this table should use the same plugs as provided in B.5.

A: Yes, all offerors are required to complete all tables listed in section B.5. When completing the table in Section B.5.0.10 all offerors must use the plug figures for Travel and ODCs that USAID has provided.

Q7. Page 83, I.16 – Please clarify the requirement for a bio-data form for “individuals to be sent overseas.” Does that mean any employee traveling for a two-week TDY would be required to complete a bio-data sheet? Given the creation of ceiling hourly rates at the

IDIQ level and competition at the task order level for fixed price labor, can this requirement be removed? Since this is not a cost-plus contract, salary data would not be provided to the government.

A: At this time a biographical data sheet will not be required.

Q8. Page 124 into 125 – What Labor Distribution Chart is the text referring? Nothing in the instructions refers to a Labor Distribution Chart.

a. Since hours aren’t necessary for other personnel beyond key personnel, how is an offeror to demonstrate in this IDIQ proposal that they are performing 50% of the labor?

A: Offerors are not required to submit a Labor Distribution Chart. Hours are necessary for other personnel. All offerors shall propose the position title, hours and rates for each position that they propose.

Q9. Page 125 – Can subcontractor financial data be provided in sealed envelopes inserted into the pocket of the binder, or how can that information be provided to USAID without revealing it to the prime?

A: Yes, subcontractor financial data can be provided in sealed envelopes inserted into the pocket of the binder.

Q10. Page 125 , Labor Costs (a) – “Offerors must propose unburdened ceiling hourly rates for the separate budget that must be submitted as well.” What separate budget is USAID referring to?

A: Please see question #2. All offerors must submit section B.5 as well as a separate budget in accordance with L.5 Part 2.

Q11. Page 125, Labor Costs (a) – Is USAID expecting to see a build-up by labor category, hourly rate and hours for each of the fixed price “Associated Task Costs”?

a. If so, since labor categories listed in Section B, in addition to the IDIQ Manager, must be substantiated with bio-data or similar salary information to establish a ceiling, are all offerors expected to use those ceiling rates in building-up their Associated Task fixed prices?

A: Yes.

b. If a build-up is expected and lower hourly rates are used than the ceiling hourly rates, is USAID then also expecting to receive bio-data forms to substantiate those hourly rates?

A: The fixed ceiling hourly rates will be used in the award. The unburdened hourly rates are used in the separate budget to provide the Government the ability to easily evaluate proposed pricing and a comparative analysis of labor category rates in accordance with Section L.5 Part 2.

Q12. Page 125 – Indirect Rates (ii) first sub-bullet. “Audited and financial statements for the last two complete years.” For organizations on a January-December fiscal year, audited financials may not be available yet for 2015. Please confirm that “complete” years refers to audited years, which may not be as recent as 2015.

A: Yes, complete years refer to the offerors last two full years that were audited.

Q13. Page 125 – Indirect Rates (ii) second sub-bullet. Similarly, should the “most recent” two years be based on most recently audited financial data, or the most recent two years even if the most recent year has not yet been audited?

A: Please see question #12.

Q14. Q&A15 – Please confirm that additional labor categories would only have a Ceiling Hourly Rate associated. No hours or budget would exist for these personnel.

A: Additional labor categories would have hours associated with it as well as the rates.

Q15. Q&A19/H.5– Because tasks are likely to be short-term task orders where staff are not working full-time for USAID year-after-year performing the same function, can H.5(d) be removed? For technical experts coming in and out of task orders for USAID while working for other agencies and the private sector, H.5 restricts companies from abiding by their compensation plans and may restrict the talent that USAID likes from serving on future task orders. It essentially creates two classes of employees within an organization when it comes to salary increases and performance reviews – one restricted if working on this USAID contract and one that is not. Additionally, if this were to operate similar to a GSA Schedule contract where you have essentially ceiling hourly rates, USAID would not need to know salaries so long as the ceiling hourly rates were not exceeded. With multiple awardees, USAID would have competition at a task order level to drive cost effectiveness.

Please review USAID’s approach.

A: Task orders can be either short-term or long-term. The requirement of a 2% salary increase will remain as stated in Section H.5. All offerors must follow this requirement.

Q16. Q&A84b and Q&A106c – What hours would offerors list for the other labor categories?

A: Offerors would list how many hours each position that they propose would work yearly.

Q17. Q&A106c – Should information on the other personnel only appear in B.5 then?

A: Information on the other personnel must appear in section B.5 and the separate budget requested in section L.5 Part 2.