RAC3 Webinar Q A Transcript.pdf

Region 9 RAC 3 Pre-Proposal Conference Webinar Question and Answer Transcript

Held 9/20/11 Page 1 of 7

Included below is a transcript of the questions and answers submitted during the EPA Region 9 RAC 3 Pre-Proposal Conference Webinar. These represent the official responses to all questions. Questions which included completely duplicative content have been removed from the transcript for clarity.

Question and Answer Transcript:

Q1: Will those on the webinar get a "sign-up" list (contact information) so we know who is interested in pursuing the contract.

A1: A list of attendees will not be provided. Companies that would like to be included on the interested parties list can email the Contracting Officer and Contract Specialist directly to be placed on the interested parties list.

Q2: Will mining focused SB award be awarded in Phase I or II?

A2: The mining specific synopsis will be issued with Phase II.

Q3: What is the difference between a Team sub and a Formal team sub?

A3: In speaking solely about subcontractors, there is not a specific difference between a team subcontractor and a formal team subcontractor. There is a difference between a formal teaming arrangement in which multiple companies share prime contractor responsibilities and a team subcontractor who is strictly a subcontractor with no prime contractor responsibilities.

Q4: Can you please re-state the EPA participant names and titles??

A4: Alexander Kramer, Contracting Officer.

Zachary Slater, Contract Specialist.

Nancy Riveland, Chief of Program Management in the Superfund Division, Jinky Callado, RAC Project Officer

Q5: If we are intending to submit on the SBSA [small business set-aside award] as a JV [joint venture] with shared responsibility, can one of the firms in the JV also be a prime on the 8a set aside?

A5: Yes, the 8a set aside is a site-specific contract and not formally considered one of the RAC3 suite of contracts to which the prohibition on receiving only one prime award is applicable.

Q6: Please confirm if for the large business procurements, the beginning of Phase 2 will start after Phase 1 is awarded?

A6: Phase 2 for the full and open synopsis will be posted after an award decision has been made for Phase 1.

Q7: If Phase I is not expected to be completed until Spring 2012, when does R9 expect to begin & end Phase II?

A7: Phase 2 for the full and open competition is estimated to begin in Spring 2012 after completion of Phase 1. The current award timeframe estimate for Phase 2 full and open is late 2012.

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Q8: With Phase 1 SB [Small Business] not being awarded until spring and Phase 2 potentially being issued before award, how can be be sure that we aren't writing a second proposal unnecessarily. Will the short list be presented before the SB mine RFP comes out?

A8: For the mining specific synopsis, the evaluation criteria will be tailored to evaluate mine related experience. It is unlikely that a proposal written for the Phase 1 small business synopsis would adequately address the requirements for the mining specific synopsis. The short list for the Phase 1 small business procurement may or may not be developed when the mining specific synopsis is issued.

Q9: If the SB mine procurement process will begin before the SB Phase I contract, how would the winner of phase I contract know they are disqualified?

A9: Depending on the final timing, it is possible that companies will not know the outcome of the Phase I small business award prior to the issuance of the mine specific synopsis.

Q10: How is small business defined? <500 or <$7 million

A10: Small business is defined as less than 500 employees.

Q11: The Phase 2 contract dealing with mining, is it a small business set aside or a full and open contract?

A11: The mining specific contract will be a total small business set-aside.

Q12: Who is the large business incumbent contractor?

A12: CH2M Hill Inc. is the large business incumbent.

Q13: How much work for the mining contract is anticipated in Region 8?

A13: The potential for work in Region 8 is currently being discussed internally. Any details will be provided in the synopsis for the mining specific set aside procurement.

Q14: What companies currently have the RAC 2 contacts?

A14: CH2M Hill Inc. holds the large business contract and Innovative Technical Solutions Inc. holds the small business set-aside.

Q15: Is mining still a functional area for the Phase I UR [Unrestricted]?

A15: Mining sites will not be precluded from Phase 1 contracts. Work may be perfomed at mine related sites under any of the RAC3 awards depending on the technical requirements.

Q16: Will independent small business-certified laboratories not involved in CLP, Regional ESD, ERT, or Regionally procured laboratories be eligible to act as subcontractor for this program?

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A16: Yes, independent laboratories may be eligible to act as a subcontractor under this procurement.

For further details see the EPA Policy available at:

http://www.epa.gov/fem/pdfs/faq-fem-accreditation-policy.pdf

Q17: Is it possible that a SB contractor may have a Phase I proposal submitted but no debrief on that proposal, b/f that same SB contractor submits a Phase II mining focused proposal - correct?

A17: That situation is possible. Please see response A8.

Q18: Can a SB prime contractor awarded a Phase I contract be awarded a contract Under SB Phase II?[

A18: No, a SB could not be the prime for both Phase 1 and Phase 2.

Q19: Blank Dividers and tabs do NOT subtract from page count?

A19: Correct, blank Dividers and tabs do not subtract from the page count. If any substantive proposal information is included on dividers or tabs, they will be subtracted from the page count.

Q20: The slide says blank DO count - but I understand you are saying they do not count.

A20: Correct, see response A19.

Q21: Do you have a downloadable 10-point form available? The ones I have downloaded in the past are 8-point Verdana with strange margins. Also, 10-Point Arial is larger than 10-Point Calibiri. Should state fond style

A21: Downloadable forms are available online. Please check GSA’s forms website. No Specific font style will be mandated.

Q22: Do the teaming partners in a "Formal Teaming" arrangement need to be a Small Business, if the team is competing for the Small Business Set-Aside?

A22: Within a formal teaming arrangement that wishes to compete for the small business set-aside, not all teaming partners need to be classified as a small business; however, the requirement in 52.219- 14(b)(1) remains applicable. As such, the small business(es) involved in the formal teaming arrangement will need to demonstrate how they intend comply with the requirement to directly perform at least 51% of the work.

Q23: Sounds like you just contradicted yourself - please clarify again. Will the Part IIs count in the 50 page limit?

A23: Part II will not count towards the 50 page limit.

Q24: How important is a San Francisco presence?

A24: A presence is San Francisco is not required by the evaluation criteria. As stated in Factor 5, the evaluation will consider a proposer’s general geographic location and ability to perform work as needed http://www.epa.gov/fem/pdfs/faq-fem-accreditation-policy.pdf

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Q25: May the organization chart be in landscape format?

A25: No.

Q26: Are the items discussed in Statement of Work Appendix 1 (Greener Cleanups Policy) included in the proposal evaluation criteria?

A26: That document is a part of the Statement of Work and as such will be evaluated along with the contractor’s ability to meet all of the other requirements described in the Statement of Work.

Q27: May the org chart be 11 x 17 landscape?

A27: No.

Q28: Are you going to discuss the format of the orals evaluation?

A28: The format of the oral evaluations will not be provided at this time. These instructions will be provided to the top 3 ranked firms only.

Q29: Would the orals include a sample problem solutions?

A29: The instructions for the orals will be provided to the top 3 ranked firms. The instructions will detail all the requirements for the oral presentations.

Q30: Is Section D evaluated? If so, how will it be evaluated?

A30: Section D is for informational purposes only and will not be included in the technical evaluation.

Q31: Section F only asks for phone numbers for references. Should we include an email address to send questionnaires?

A31: Yes, please include email and titles.

Q32: If we are proposing to submit on the SBSA [small business set aside] as a JV [joint venture] with shared responsibility, can one of the firms in the JV also be a prime on the 8a set aside?

A32: Yes, the 8(a) set-aside is a site-specific contract and not considered part of this RAC3 Procurement.

Q33: Will you be issuing a list of pre-bid attendees as an addendum for firms seeking to get on teams?

A33: Yes, we will have an interested parties list that will be posted on FBO and EPA's OAM site.

Q34: Does the EPA have a list of projects that consultants will work on if selected?

A34: No specific list is available as the contractor may be expected to perform work at any EPA remediation site in the Region. Please check EPA's website for a list of current NPL sites in Region 9.

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Q35: Must the text be double sided?

A35: Double siding of pages is required. If a section breaks on an odd number of pages, the final page of that section can be marked as “This page was intentionally left blank” in order to facilitate tabbing or divisions between separate sections in the proposal response.

Q36: Please explain the governing limits for physical pages or sides of pages. Synopsis says 51 sides and 26 physical pages and these are two different criteria.

A36: For the Small Business Set-Aside, there should be 51 pages of text which equates to 26 physical pages with one side of the last page being left blank.

Q37: Anticipated timeframe from submittal of written proposal to orals?

A37: The current estimated timeframe is for written submissions to be evaluated by the end of December 2011 with oral presentations beginning in January 2012.

Q38: Can you elaborate on what a Formal Teaming agreement consists of?

A38: EPA considers a formal teaming arrangement to be one in which multiple contractors effectively share prime contractor responsibilities.

Q39: Will this presentation be posted on the website?

A39: Yes.

Q40: What website will the power point be posted on? FBO or EPA?

A40: The Powerpoint presentation will only be posted on the EPA OAM website cited in the synopsis announcement.

Q41: How much work for the mining SBSA contract is anticipated in Region 8?

A41: It is unkown how much work is anticipated for Region 8 at this time. More detail will be provided when the synopsis for that procurement is posted.

Q42: Will previously submitted written questions be responded to formally?

A42: Many of the previously submitted questions have been answered during the course of the webinar.

If you still have an unanswered question, it should be written in the text box now. Previously submitted questions will not receive formal responses.

Q43: Can we run the resumes or projects head-to-foot or do they need to start on a new page?

A43: As indicated on the SF 330 Form for Section E, each page in Section E is to cover one individual.

Resumes for different individuals should begin on a new page using the Section E form.

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Q44: Can you please let me know your email address (Alexander)?

A44: Alexander Kramer's email address is Kramer.Alexander@epa.gov. Zachary Slater's email address is Slater.Zachary@epa.gov.

Q45: Will a draft contract be posted on line?

A45: The actual solicitation document will only be provided to the highest ranked contractors on the short list in accordance with the Brook's Act procedures.

Q46: If we submit in Section E a resume for management personnel who have the appropriate and relevant management and technical experience, will their experience contribute to our score for both “Factor #4, Subfactor #1 - Management personnel” and “Factor #4, Subfactor #2, Technical personnel”?

Or do personnel resumes submitted in Section E as Management Personnel only score against Subfactor #1, and those submitted as Technical Personnel only score against Subfactor #2?

A46: It is up to the individual contractor to determine whether they want to classify someone as technical, managerial or both in Section E. If the person is classified as both, EPA reviewers will determine whether they believe the listed experience falls under Subfactor #1 or Subfactor #2 at their discretion.

Q47: Can the due date time be extended to later in the day to accommodate fedex delivery?

A47: No extensions to the due date or time will be accommodated.

Q48: Factor 5 references FAR clause 52.217-1(b)(1) should it be 52.219-14(b)(1) which requires SB Prime to perform 51%?

A48: The correct FAR citation is 52.219-14(b)(1). The original citation was in error.

Q49: Are advanced degrees preferred for key personnel i.e.ranked higher?

A49: This will be looked at on a case-by-case basis. Experience for the individuals cited will be evaluated comprehensively including education as well as prior experience.

Q50: In order to respond to a solicitation it is prudent for contractors to review terms and conditions before responding. Can you reconsider posting the solicitation on line?

A50: The solicitation will not be posted online prior to the receipt of proposals. See answer A45.

Q51: Is PWS type experience on a DOE NPL site , with EPA oversight, considered " directly relevant experience " ?

A51: We are unable to provide any guidance on specific contractor situations. Each contractor must determine for themselves which projects they consider to include “directly relevant experience” based on the requirements included in the synopsis and associated documents.

mailto:Kramer.Alexander@epa.gov mailto:Slater.Zachary@epa.gov

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Q52: Can we run the resumes or projects head-to-foot or do they need to start on a new page?

A52: Each resume will need to be on a new page, following the SF 330 format. See Q43 and A43.

Q53: Please repeat how and where we can get a copy of these slides?

A53: The slides will be posted on EPA's OAM website cited in the synopsis announcement.