Amendment_0002_Questions-Answers.pdf

# Question RFP Page RFP Para Answer 1 Does Contract SP3300-12-F-0423 cover all the requirements/scope of work listed in this RFP? Was this contract issued under a GSA Schedule?

3 Para 7 No. SP3300-12-F-0423 only covers requirements/scope of work identified in Task Order 0001. Yes, it was issued under GSA Schedule.

2 Could the government please clarify whether or not it expects to negotiate hours for Task Order 0001 since it has provided hours and labor categories in the RFP?

3 Note for CLIN X001 Government does not expect to negotiate hours for TO 0001.

3 Could the government please provide contact information for incumbent employees so that we may contact them to determine their requirements for retention?

18 Para (e)(1)iii This information is not releasable.

4 The first sentence of the first paragraph under Volume I Technical Proposal states: “The technical proposal should be written so that information technology oriented personnel…” Could you please clarify the organization(s) this contract will support ?

26 Volume I: Technical Proposal

The contract will support all DLA Distribution Headquarters organizations.

Change the first sentence of the first paragraph under Volume I Technical Proposal from "The technical proposal should be written so that information technology oriented personnel can make a thorough evaluation and arrive at a sound determination as to whether the proposal meets the requirements of this solicitation." to "The technical proposal should be written so that a thorough evaluation and a sound determination as to whether the proposal meets the requirements of this solicitation can be made."

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5 What are the mobilization requirements for this contract ? 27; Atch 1, SOW, pg

Subfactor (b) Staffing Plan; 1.4.A

Mobilization requirement for this contract means that the contractor has the ability to provide and position the personnel necessary to perform individual task order requirements throughout the contract.

6 The Government is requiring resumes for key personnel (Subfactor (b)) and key and non-key personnel (Eval Factor 3).

Since the government has also included FAR 52.222-17, Nondisplacement of qualified workers as a requirement of this solicitation, it appears that the requirement for resumes places an undue burden on the non-incumbent contractors, and gives an unfair advantage to the incumbent contractor.

Will the Government please clarify how this unfair advantage will be mitigated?

27, 28 Subfactor (b) – Staffing Plan;

Evaluation Factor 3:

Task Order 0001

This clause does not apply to non-SCA covered employees. Therefore, the clause in non-applicable to the labor categories in the solicitation and is therefore deleted. The proposing contractor must provide evidence that they can provide appropriate staffing to meet the requirements as set forth in the SOW, instructions to offerors and evaluation criteria.

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7 Factor 3, Task Order 001 Requirements requires offerors to identify and allocate resources against various tasks and to propose travel; however, Atch 2 SOW does not provide any description or definition of the amount of the work/workload to be performed (e.g., the number of distribution centers to be visited, the number of Headquarters organizations to be measured, the number or nature of projects for data collection, research, and analysis, the number of personnel to be trained). Without this information, offerors will be unable to accurately identify specific resources against tasks, develop proposed travel, develop a work schedule or plan, etc. Please provide workload such as the number of sites/locations that will be included in Task Order 001 , the number and types of projects for data collection, and any other information that will assist offerors in putting the task requirements into context.

27 – 28; Atch 2, SOW, pgs 1-6

Factor 3, Task Order 001; para 2 and sub paragraphs

Hours are provided rather than historical workload. Primary place of performance will be HQs New Cumberland. The Gov. can not predict the workload to be performed to augment the Gov.

workforce. For this requirement historical workload is not a good indicator of furture requirements.

Therefore, the Gov. has provided the required level of effort needed to perform the requirements outlined in task order 0001.

8 Is the Contractor required to provide Letters of Intent for all proposed personnel under Task Order 0001 as is required for key personnel under the contract?

27-28 Subfactor (b) Staffing Plan

No.

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9 Please provide historical information regarding the average number of hours the COR has directed contractor personnel to work more than 40 hours per week. It would be helpful to have this historical information provided by labor category.

Atch 1, SOW, page 3;

Atch 2 SOW, pg 6

1.2.5.B; para 5, Work Schedule

Attachment 2 SOW will be revised as tracked chg in 7-2 doc. Change paragraph under Attachment 2 SOW 5 from "The Contractor shall generally perform Professional support services required between the core duty hours of 0700 and 1700, Monday through Friday, with the exception of federal holidays.

The Contractor shall request overtime in writing IAW Section H of the basic contract and provide an overtime report to the COR the next normal working day. The Contractor shall submit to the COR and Contract Specialist with their monthly invoice and CLIN X001 Monthly Report number 01, complete documentation of authorized extended hours" to "The Contractor shall perform Professional support services required between the core duty hours of 0700 and 1700, Monday through Friday, with the exception of federal holiday."

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10 Also, could the Government please clarify the intent and apparent conflict of the statements in Atch 1, SOW, para 1.2.5.B, which says “Contractor employees may be required to work over 40 hours per week as directed by the COR. Labor rates in the schedule do not vary for work over 40 hours per week.” Vs the statement in Atch 2, SOW TO 0001, which says “. The Contractor shall request overtime in writing IAW Section H of the basic contract and provide an overtime report to the COR the next normal working day”?

see response to question #9.

11 Please provide historical information regarding the number of travel days/number of trips used in performance of this work.

Do the hours estimated for Task Order 0001 and the contract include hours spent in travel status?

RFP pg 26 and 30;

Atch 1 SOW, page 3

Evaluation Factor 3 Task Order 0001 (Part 4) Labor Category and Projected Hours Table; Volume III Price Proposal Labor Category Tables for the Base Year and Option Periods; para 1.3 Travel

Historical information is not available.

Hours estimated for Task Order 0001 include hours spent in travel status.

12 Should the requirement for the Functional Analyst Senior read “bachelor’s degree and/or six years equivalent experience ” to match similar language for the Functional Analyst Jr and Functional Analyst Mid?

Requirement for Functional Analyst Senior is changed to bachelor’s degree and/or six years equivalent experience.

13 Is the Government currently using MS Office 2010 Suite?

Please provide examples of the “other software necessary to perform the requirements set forth in this SOW”. Is this software Government Furnished?

Atch 1, SOW pg 6 1.4.3.D.3 The Government is using MS Office 2010 Suite. Revision made to SOW.

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14 Paragraph A. Force Protection Conditions (FPCONs) states that “The contractor shall ensure that project management support services are sustained during heightened security measures.” Will the Government clarify what is meant by “project management support services.” Does this include all personnel assigned to all active Task Orders? Will the Government please clarify whether contractor personnel will be classified as “essential personnel” and allowed access to the base? If not, will contractor personnel be allowed to telework during this or similar conditions (e.g., snow days, early closures, etc)?

Atch 1, SOW, pg 10 1.5.11.A Contractor is to ensure all task orders are sustained during heighthen security measures. Contractor personnel will be classified as non-essential. Work place variation requests will be reviewed on a case by case basis during the period of performance.

15 Will the Government reimburse the contractor for supplies and equipment that are normally Government Furnished but which are not readily available through Government sources?

Atch 1, SOW pg 13 3.1.A The Government will provide normal operating supplies and equipment for use in performing services under this contract. Revisions made to Atch 1, SOW, 3.1.A.

16 Could the Government please clarify whether the budget execution thresholds discussed in this section apply to the overall Government budget for the program or whether they apply only to the specific contractor Task Orders? Will the Government define what “critical thresholds” mean in terms of percent of budget – e.g. define critical as exceeding +/-what percent?

Atch 1, SOW pg 16 5.1.1.B.7 No, does not apply to overall Gov budget for the program. This is only an example of a specific task that maybe required within a specific SOW of a task order.

17 What is the Software Application referred to in para 5.1.6 A of Atch 1, SOW?

Atch 1, SOW pg 18 5.1.6.A Software Applications can not be identified until specific tasks to be performed under a task order are presented to the contractor.

18 Will the Government please provide the “Storage Optimization Tool Box”?

Atch 1, SOW pg 19;

Atch 2, SOW TO 0001

5.1.7.A; H.12 Tool box will be provided to the awardee.

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19 Will the Government please clarify the requirement in Weekly Mandatory Reports for “actual hours worked” and “hours dedicated to each task” since negotiated FFP task orders will be issued and the Government has indicated in the RFP (Continuation of Block 20 – schedule of Supplies and Services

– Note for CLIN X001” that “When the task order is issued, the price shall be firm fixed price, regardless of the actual time for each labor type required to complete the task”?

Atch 1, SOW pg 20 5.2.1 “actual hours worked” and “hours dedicated to each task” have been removed from the weekly mandatory report. (Revisions to Attch 1 and 2.)

20 Atch 2, SOW, TO 0001 para 4. states “The period of performance of this Task Order shall commence on or around 01 Dec 2013 and be completed within 365 calendar days, or as modified. The phase-in period will commence on or around 01 Dec 2013 and will not exceed 90 calendar days. The period of full performance of the requirements will commence on or around 01 Mar 2014 and be completed on or around 30 Nov 2014.” However paragraph 9 states “The task order duration is expected to last no longer than nine (9) months.” Could you please clarify this potential conflict?

Atch 2, SOW pg 6 and pg 8

Para 4 and Para 9. Removed the following statement in paragraph 9 “The task order duration is expected to last no longer than nine (9) months.”

21 In Section 1.2.2, Place of Performance, the primary place of performance is listed as DLA Distribution Headquarters in New Cumberland, PA. Please list any potential secondary places of performance and estimated duration and frequency of work to be performed at those locations.

2 Attachment 1, 1.2.2 This information is not available.

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22 Section 1.2.5.B, Core Duty Hours and Access to the Host Installation, states, “In emergency and critical situations, Contractor employees may be required to work over 40 hours per week as directed by the COR.” Please provide examples of the types of critical situations for which the COR may direct/require that contact employees work in excess of 40 hours? What is the anticipated frequency of such as requests?

3 Attachment 1, 1.2.5, item B see response to question #9.

23 Section 1.4.3.D.3, Personnel Recruitment and Qualifications, states, “Possess the training and experience necessary to work with MS Office 2010 Suite and any other software necessary to perform the requirements set forth in this SOW.” Is formal Office 2010 training required to satisfy the training requirements for MS Office 2010 or can experience and proficiency alone satisfy this requirement?

6 Attachment 1, 1.4.3, item D, # 3

Formal training is not required.

(revision at 1.4.3.D.3).

24 On page 27 of the RFP, the government states, “The Offeror shall provide a resume for proposed Key Personnel. The corporate Program Manager is considered Key personnel for the basic contract.” However section 1.4.1 of Attachment 1, the SOW for the contract, lists both the Program Manager and the Project Manager as key personnel. Please clarify which personnel are considered key for the basic contract? Please clarify which personnel are considered key for Task Order 0001?

RFP page 27, Attachment 1 page 3

Volume 1 - Part 2 Subfactor (a), Att. 1, Section 1.4.1, items A and B

The Program Manager is considered key for the basic contract. The Project Manager is considered key personnel for task orders. (Added Key and Non-Key labels to TO 0001 labor categories Evaluation Factor 3:

Task Order 0001 (Part 4).)

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25 On page 29 of the RFP the offeror is instructed to include a detailed Transition Plan to phase in functional activities.

Additionally, in section 8 of Attachment 2, the government states, “the Contractor shall participate in a period of phase-in during which the incumbent Contractor shall continue to perform the services…” Question 1: Please confirm that there is an incumbent contractor and provide the current contract number.

Question 2: Does the incumbent contractor have a phase-out or transition-out clause in their contract and a corresponding phase-out plan?

Question 3: If so, will the government provide this plan so that offerors can prepare complementary phase-in plans?

RFP page 29, Attachment 2 page 7

Volume 1 - Part 4 Evaluation Factor 3, Attachment 2, Section 8

1) SP3300-12-F-0423, one (1) year contract to cover TO 0001 tasks. 2) Yes., it is a requirement in the SOW.

(IAW 1.9 Contract Phase-out and Continuity of Service Plan, incumbent contractor is required to provide a plan upon request in writing.)

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26 On page 28 of the RFP the government states, “The vendor shall provide an initial Quality Control Plan (QCP) in accordance with the SOW...” and that the QCP “should not be a reiteration of the Government’s Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP)…” Additionally, In section 1.10 of Attachment 1 the government states, “The Contractor shall develop a detailed QCP which specifically addresses methods for meeting performance standards…” Further, pages 9 and 10 of Attachment 2 under Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan state, “The Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) is the Government’s plan to ensure the Contractor provides the required support services, and adheres to the quality standards as specified in the Statement of Work (SOW)” and “This QASP will be used to monitor compliance with contract terms and conditions, identify nonconforming services to determine appropriate action.” Given the relative weight of the QCP in the evaluation of proposals, the critical importance of quality control and meeting performance standards to contract performance, and the need to ensure complementary quality control processes to facilitate the government’s monitoring and surveillance methodologies as documented in the referenced QASP, will the government please provide for reference by all offerors the QASP that is in use under the current contract?

RFP page 28, Attachment 1 page 12, Attachment 2 page 9-10

Volumne 1 - Part 2 Subfactor (b), Attachment 1 Section 1.10 item B, Attachment 2 # 14 items A through C

No. The Contractor is required in the QCP to ensure that they adopt processess to ensure quality in their own work. The QASP is the Gov.

sureveillance tool.

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27 The table on page 25 of the RFP, under Proposal Preparation Requirements, states that there is no page limit for volumes I and II of the proposal and that page limits are not applicable to Volume III. However, the list on page 26 below the table, specifically in items 3 and 4, states that neither cross-reference matrix tables nor glossaries count against the page limitations for their respective volumes. Typically there are page limitations for technical and past performance proposal volumes but not for price/cost proposals. Please clarify whether the government intended to impose page limitations on volumes I and II of offeror proposals. If so, what page limit is applicable to each of those two volumes?

25-26 Proposal Preparation Requirements, table and #s 3 and 4

No page limit, as specificied in RFP, pages 25/26.

28 Evaluation Factor 3: Task Order 0001 is currently being fulfilled under contract SP3300-12-F-0423. You state that “This document shall demonstrate the Offeror’s understanding and approach to successfully accomplish the requirements associated with the SOW for Task Order 0001.” Are there other purposes you have in mind for having Offerors duplicate the work done by another vendor?

28 5 SP3300-12-F-0423 will expire on or about 1 March 2014. Task Order 0001 will provide follow-on support.

29 Ref. Attachment 2, Statement of Work for Task 0001, 3. Level of Effort and Labor Categories: The Level of Effort table for Task 0001 references a Functional Analyst labor category, but this labor category is not included in the list of labor categories for the base contract. Could the Government please clarify which labor category is intended for use in Task 0001?

Sr and Jr Fuctional Analysts. (Revised Attch 2).

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30 Ref. Instructions to Offerors, Volume III (pp. 30-31): The earlier instructions reference a Phase-In plan for beginning contract performance, but the Phase-In period is not separately priced within the contract year Level of Effort tables, nor in Section B. Is the Phase-In period referenced for planning purposes only, or does the Government intend to provide separate pricing line items for the Phase-In period?

The Government does not intend to provide separate pricing line items for phase-in periods. Labor hours for any phase-in requirement will be accomplished under CLIN X001 labor hours.

31 What is the due date for informing the government (Donna Kautz via email) of our intended method of delivery of the proposal will be if we are not planning to hand deliver the proposal?

page 25 of the RFP Paragraph 4 When the proposal is shipped.

32 The Project Manager is the only staff specifically stated to complete work on-site, yet the primary place of performance is clearly listed. Is there space available on-site for the other staff?

page 30 of the RFP N/A (table at bottom of page)

Yes.

33 Does the government anticipate issuing additional task orders under this IDIQ beyond Task Order 0001, CLINS 0001 - 2001?

N/A N/A Yes.

34 If the government may award future task orders for additional requirements under this IDIQ, would the government allow for: (a) a project team that is not 100% client site (b) travel reimbursement to accommodate bringing in expertise that does not reside in New Cumberland?

p. 1, 3 ref Att 1, Section C- 1, 1.1, B "on site" support , Att 1, Section C-1, 1.3, A

a) No.

B) No. Any cost for travel or any non-local expertise should be captured in the Offeror's indirect cost. Direct reimbursement of travel cost for this purpose is not allowable.

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35 It is our understanding that recent DLA policy provides its contracting officers and leadership with additional discretion regarding the use of reverse auctions. This is due to the fact that reverse auctions are not an appropriate tool for negotiating prices in certain categories (for example, professional consulting services). Does the government intend to execute a reverse auction on this solicitation?

N/A N/A IAW DLAD 52.215-9023 Reverse Auction (Nov 2012), the Contracting Officer may utilize on-line reverse auctioning as a means of conducting price discussions under this solicitation. A final determination regarding the use of RA as a price negotiation tool shall be made once initial price analysis has been conducted.

36 Are other staff, aside from the Project Manager expected to be on-site?

Yes.

37 Under Section B - Supplies/Services: The Period of Performance for the Base Year is listed as 12/01/2013- 11/30/2014 under each CLIN (0001 and 0002). The description for Period of Performance for Option Year 1 show 12/01/2014-11/30/2015 and 12/01/2015-11/30/2016 for Option Year 2, however the CLINs 1001, 1002, 2001 and 2002 all show 12/01/2013-11/30/2014. Please confirm what is the correct period of performance for the Base Year, Option Year 1 and Option Year 2.

pgs 4 - 8 Section B The period of performance will be for a base year and two (2) one (1) year option periods beginning: Base Year Period of Performance is (on or around) 01 December 2013 through 30 November 2014 Option Year 1 Period of Performance is (on or around) 01 December 2014 through 30 November 2015 Option Year 2 Period of Performance is (on or around) 01 December 2015 through 30 November 2016

38 Resumes are required for key personnel. Attachment 1, Key Personnel item A. Program Manager and item B. Project Manager (PM) are identified as key personnel however, on

pg. 27 of 44 of the solicitation, Subfactor (b): Staffing Plan identifies only the Program Manager as Key Personnel. Please clarify Key Personnel for resume submission requirement.

Atch 1- 3, and Sol. 27 of 44

1.4.1 Key Personnel See answer to #24.

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39 I’d like to know the chances of DLA using reverse auction on this RFP.

See response to #35.

40 When are the questions regarding this solicitation due? It is different in 2 different places in page 3 (due July 3) and 25 (due Jun 28 ) of solicitation

3, 25 4 This question was clarified already with the issuance of Amendment 0001 posted to the FBO website.

41 Attachment 1, lists the labor category required. How many resumes are required to be submitted per labor category?

3,4,5 See answer to #24.

42 Resumes are to be provided for each labor category for the ID/IDQ or for the requirements of task order 0001 only?

28 Evaluation Factor 3 See answer to #24.

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