Attachment 2 - Questions from Industry and Government Responses 12_6_23.pdf

SP3300-24-R-0001 0002

Attachment 2

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS DOCUMENT

The following questions have been submitted from industry regarding solicitation SP3300-24-R-0001. Each question has been redacted to ensure anonymity.

The Government response is provided in the far right-hand column for each question.

# Question RFP Page RFP Para Reference Government Response

In the document “Boxes Per Location” and “Delivery Locations”, many delivery locations are listed. Should we use these as shipping addresses, or use the 3 addresses listed under the tab “Shipping Locations” in the document “Schedule of Supplies”?

Not Provided Not Provided

Offerors shall provide pricing on the Schedule of Supplies (TAB 2) for the shipping locations (DDSP, DDJC, and DDOO) as shown on TAB

3. The attachments - Boxes Per Location and Shipping Locations are intended to provide offerors the supply workload and various shipping locations this contract may require.

Note: Attachment 1 – Schedule of Supplies has been revised and is provided as Attachment 1 to this amendment.

Is a contractor required to quote pricing for every delivery location to be eligible to participate in this solicitation?

Not Provided Not Provided see Response #1 – All or None. Quantity and shipping locations provided via TAB 2 of the Schedule of Supplies.

As stated in the section, should we assume the minimum order quantity to be five (5)? In the “Schedule of Supplies” you list Delivery Order QTY, is that what we should assume as MOQ?

If not, please advise actual MOQ.

10 FAR 52.216-19 -- ORDER

LIMITATIONS

Yes - When the Government requires supplies or services covered by this contract in an amount of less than five (5) bundles (BD) or five (5) each (EA), or five (5) sheets (SH) the Government is not obligated to purchase, nor is the contractor obligated to furnish those supplies or services under the contract.

DLA does not anticipate ordering less than what is specified by this clause.

The “Schedule of Supplies” tab lists many more CLIN’s than the “Delivery Order” tab.

Are we only responsible to quote on the CLIN’s on the “Delivery Order” tab?

Not Provided Not Provided Yes – See response #1

Do all 113 items need to be quoted, or can we quote for partial list, as long as we can provide full qty of each item.

2 4

No – Offerors shall propose pricing “All or None” for the CLINs under TAB 2 for each address shown (DDSP, DDJC, and DDOO) See Response #1

For the delivery orders, are each of these lines the expected minimums to ship together? Is this sheet just for quoting purposes to determine best prices?

2 4

No - Each order, after award will be competed between awardees. These orders may have different shipping locations, CLINs and quantities.

The Schedule of Supplies (TAB 2) will be utilized to determine best prices for the initial order. Offerors are to price the QTY to each shipping location. Note: Attachment 1 – Schedule of Supplies has been revised and is provided as Attachment 1 to this amendment.

7 If we are providing an initial quote, why would quotes be asked for again? 2 9 (a)

The fiberboard market/index is volatile.

Allowing awardees to quote each order based on current index; or other cost variances (competing each order) will enable awardees to capture these variances and ensuring current, reasonable, and competitive pricing/quotes are received for each order.

It looks like columns A and B were cut off of the final version of Attachment 1. We cannot see which CLINs we are pricing at each quantity.

Attachment 1 Tab 2, Delivery Order Please use the bottom slide rule in order to view the entire sheet.

”NOTE: Contractors must provide proposals for a minimum of 90% on delivery orders for the duration of the IDIQ to ensure competition at the delivery order level.” Can you please explain this statement further?

3 2

After award, awardees will be required to quote on 90% of the quote requests (for delivery orders). The intent is to ensure that DLA achieves competitive pricing for each order.

For the Domestic (non-weather-resistant) boxes and sheets, will the DLA consider ECT 32 as an alternative to Mullen 200 lb, ECT 44 as an alternative to Mullen 275 lb, ECT 51 as an alternative to Mullen 350 lb, ECT 71 as an alternative to Mullen 500 lb, and ECT 90 as an alternative to Mullen 1100 lb?

Not Provided Not Provided

ECT is specified in ASTM D5118 please review.

I've seen these header & footer requirements on many RFQ's, but often the contracting specialists request differing info. Yours is more straightforward, but I'd like to ask about the footer = required are two lines by "Controlled by: " > is the first one to have my personal name or my company name or? And is the second one for the government? And how do I correctly identify the CUI Category?

Not Provided Not Provided

This request is for the CUI Header/Footer as outlined in the Proposal Preparation Requirements only.

The following elements: Controlled by/CUI Category/Distribution/Dissemination Controls/ POC are for DLA usage and completion.

Regarding File III past performance -- Does the government require submission of three contracts that have been with the government only?

Not Provided Not Provided No - File III Past Performance instructions do not specify that past performance must be “Government Only”.

In preparation for our submission, we seek clarification on the acceptability of products manufactured outside the United States.

Specifically, we are considering utilizing a manufacturer based in Turkey for certain supplies. We wish to ensure compliance with all relevant regulations and guidelines.

Not Provided Not Provided

Reference FAR 52.225-13 Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases to include OFAC prohibitions. It is requested that the offeror review the clauses provided within the solicitation to ensure its offer complies with regulations.

Moreover, we would appreciate guidance on whether it is a requirement to include product samples with our submission. Understanding this aspect of the process will enable us to compile our offer accurately and in adherence to your specifications.

Not Provided Not Provided Samples are not required nor requested.

The shipping locations located in the excel pricing sheet are different from the pdf ship-to locations. Can you confirm which locations are correct?

Not Provided Not Provided

In review, it appears that the shipping locations provided within Attachment 1, TAB 3 match the shipping locations provided within Attachment 3.

16 Are the estimated bundle quantities annual and to each region? Not Provided Not Provided

The quantities provided as estimates – Attachment 1 - Schedule of Supplies (TAB 1) are the Yearly Estimated QTY.

Section 9 of the solicitation states

1. "For most delivery orders, Lowest Price, will be the utilized to determine the awardee of the delivery order. There may be instances where delivery schedule is prioritized over price. In this case best value evaluation may be utilized and will be identified as such in the request for pricing."

Do you mind explaining how this works? Is each order put out to bid and competed for against the awardees?

Not Provided Not Provided

Yes – as stated, each order will be competed between awardees. It is anticipated that most competed orders will be price only. However, there may be instances were delivery, or another factor may be more important than price, if this is the case that would be identified when requesting pricing for the competed order.

Do you mind clarifying the evaluation process?

Is it a line-by-line award or all products by region?

Not Provided Not Provided

Please reference ADDENDA to FAR 52.212-2

-- EVALUATION -- COMMERCIAL

PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL

SERVICES (NOV 2021) for the evaluation criteria.

19 Is there a minimum order amount? Not Provided Not Provided Yes - see Response #3

The term "Award Qty" is unclear to us. The first item states "5." Does that refer to 5 boxes, 5 bundles, or 5 pallets? We prefer to establish a minimum order quantity of one pallet as it takes up less space and would like to know if it is acceptable.

Not Provided Not Provided

“Award Qty” reference not found. Please ensure review of most recent Solicitation SP3300-24-R-0001. If the question is regarding Order Limitations, See response #3

We need more information regarding board grades as we require specific grades, such as 32 ECT, 44 ECT, 51 ECT double-wall, etc.

Not Provided Not Provided See Response #10

Regarding lead times, we would prefer to run these as individual orders. Would a two-week lead time work for you?

Not Provided Not Provided

Reference FAR 52.211-9 – DESIRED AND

REQUIRED TIME OF DELIVERY (JUN

1997). For most delivery orders, the delivery schedule will be (30) to (60) days after receipt of order.

We think holding pricing for five years is a long time. Instead, we suggest setting pricing annually and reevaluating every year in November/December as the market dictates.

Would that be acceptable?

Not Provided Not Provided See Response #7

“Contractors must provide proposals for a minimum of 90% of delivery orders for the duration of the IDIQ to ensure competition at the delivery order level.” How will this be evaluated from a performance perspective?

Will it be evaluated monthly, quarterly, annually, or over the duration of the contract?

3 Not Provided

NOTE: Contractors must provide proposals for a minimum of 90% on delivery orders for the duration of the IDIQ to ensure competition at the delivery order level.

It is the intent of DLA to compete each delivery order. Participation will be evaluated during the course of the contract and award pool adjustments may occur if an awardee is not compliant.

Can you elaborate on how the Contracting Officer would provide a fair opportunity for each awardee to be considered for each order if they do not make contact with each of the awardees?

2 9

As stated in the solicitation the KO will utilize the procedures provided within FAR 16.505(b.

Please reference FAR 16.505 for requirements that do not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.

In the event of another government shutdown or looming shutdown, do contractors under this contract still perform? Is there a delay in payment?

Not Provided Not Provided

Unknown or unforeseen circumstances relating to contract performance and payment will be addressed during the administration of the contract.

The debt limit law Congress approved earlier in 2023 results in a likely cut in funding for defense agencies in January. How will this affect the funding for DLA under this contract?

N/A See Response #26

“Invoices shall be submitted on a monthly basis…” This is a bit unusual compared with other firm fixed price contracts DLA has awarded in the past. Does this mean that contractors may only submit one invoice each month? This requires contractors to cash flow the deliveries because they must pay their production costs faster than they will be paid.

Do you need any proof of financial solvency from bidders to ensure they are able to do this?

3 10

If awardee has multiple delivery orders, each order may be invoiced once the supplies are receipted. Invoices shall be submitted on a monthly basis (within 30 days of order completion) in accordance with the task order invoicing instructions.

The dates in this section differ from the effective dates of this contract. Can you clarify which is correct?

10 51.216-18

Estimate only: 20 January 2024 through 19 January 2029.

This date will be revised based on the date of contract award.

To clarify, offeror must offer delivered pricing for a minimum of 5 BD or EA or SH, delivered to any of the locations in attachment 3? The freight cost per unit can vary substantially between the two coasts.

10 52.216-19 See Response #3

31 Do you require the large sheets and boxes to deliver on oversized pallets? Not Provided Not Provided No

32 Do palletization and pallet size / spec requirements differ by location? Not Provided Not Provided No

33 Can you provide a list of what pallets are required by location? Not Provided Not Provided See Response #32

If a delivery cannot be made due to scheduling conflicts at the receiving location, will the delivery be considered late?

Not Provided Not Provided No

35 Which DLA locations are closed for deliveries around the fiscal year end? Not Provided Not Provided None

Just to be clear, every offeror must submit pricing on all CLINS listed, correct? So if an offeror can do single wall and double wall, but not triple wall, they will not be considered for award. Is that accurate?

Attachment 1 Tab 1 Yes - TAB 2 Pricing is requested (All or None).

Some DLA delivery locations require products to be delivered on winged, heat-treated pallets.

Will these requirements be made clear on task orders?

Not Provided Not Provided All locations receive winged, heat-treated pallets.

38 Should pricing on Tab 2 include heat-treated pallets or winged heat-treated pallets? Attachment 1 Tab 2 Winged heat-treated pallets.

CLIN 0037 and CLIN 0038 each have a conflict between the nomenclature and the description. The nomenclature is an RSC, and the description is HSC with lid. Can you clarify which is correct? It affects price.

Attachment 1 Tab 1 Nomenclature is revised to read HSC. A revised Schedule of Supplies is provided as Attachment 1 to Amendment 0001.

40 CLIN 0060: confirming the unit of measure is EA? In the previous contract, it was BD. Attachment 1 Tab 1

Revised to read BD. A revised Schedule of Supplies is provided as Attachment 1 to Amendment 0001.

Several of the CLINS on Tab 2 are for very small quantities, which are well below a normal production run. Are these quantities accurate?

Attachment 1 Tab 2 Yes

Once the multiple awards are made, will quality issues and performance affect awards made to the awardees? For example, if one of the awardees is shipping low quality product but routinely has the lowest price, will they still receive awards?

3 9

Unknown or unforeseen circumstances relating to contract performance and payment will be addressed during the administration of the contract.

Regarding the pricing on Tab 2: will the first delivery order be for all items to all three locations? Or could just a few of the CLINS go to a single location?

Attachment 1 Tab 2

Requesting pricing for all items to all three locations. Note: Attachment 1 – Schedule of Supplies has been revised and is provided as Attachment 1 to this amendment.

The variation in quantity is listed as -10% and +0%. Will this contract not allow any overages?

5 52.211-16 No overage allowed–the Contractor will not be paid for the delivery of excess supplies.

Limitations on subcontracting apply to this solicitation. Since this is a small business set-aside, does that mean that offerors must provide the product of a small business if they are working with subcontractors? Do you require a letter of supply from subcontracting manufacturers and freight providers?

3 13 Please reference FAR 52.219-14(e)(2) – (supplies) for the subcontracting limitation requirement (50%).

How will Government ensure awardees use only the approved subcontracting manufacturers designated in the solicitation response?

3 13

Offeror’s must identify manufacturers utilized for its proposed effort as specified on page 3, para 13. Exceeding the requirements of FAR 52.219-14(e)(2) after award may result in award termination.

Attachment 3 has 8 pages of delivery locations.

Will the selected contractors be required to deliver to all of them?

Attachment 3 N/A Yes. Attachment 3 provides all known delivery locations that may be utilized during contract performance.

Each delivery location has different receiving hours and security protocols. Do you have a consolidated list of those?

Attachment 3 N/A No. Each delivery order will provide instructions to allow for awardees to coordinate delivery. See – Response -#65

49 Are the zone designations on Attachment 3 relevant for our pricing submission? Attachment 3 N/A No

Does DLA reimburse contractors for additional freight costs caused by delays at the receiving locations?

N/A N/A No

51 Is all paperwork required in order for payment to be authorized? 3 16 Yes

52 Does this contract qualify for fast pay? 3 16 No. Reference the conditions for use at FAR

13.402. Fast payment will not be authorized.

Is the receiving location required to enter the goods into the payment system to authorize payment? If they enter this late, is there a way for the contractor to get paid fast?

3 16

Yes, receiving locations are required to enter the goods receipt at time of delivery. Any issues or concerns regarding payment shall be addressed as they occur (administratively).

54 What certified cost data will Government require for this contract? 4 52.215-21

This clause allows for other than certified cost or pricing data to execute modifications post award, which is a non-competitive environment.

Does government need bidders to provide the Code of Business Ethics and Conduct with the submission, or just affirm we have one?

6 and 9 52.203-13 No – Offerors shall ensure that they are in compliance with directives as stipulated within

FAR 52.203-13

56 Does DLA require sheets to have markings? Attachment 1 Tab 1 See ASTM 4727 delivery section for marking requirements.

Do contractors need to implement all 110 requirements associated with the NIST 800- 171 special publication in order to be considered compliant?

Page 4 252.204-7012

Please reference DFARS 252.204-7012 regarding minimum requirements.

57 Do bidders need s SPRS score in order to bid?

Do you need this provided in our response? Not Provided Not Provided

No. The Government will utilize the past performance references provided in File III of the proposal and any other recent and relevant past performance information obtained from other sources which may include:,: Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS), Supplier Performance Rating System (SPRS), Electronic Subcontract Reporting System (eSRS), Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS),or other databases, as well as interviews with Program Managers/Customers, Contracting Officers, or Contracting Officer Representatives (CORs).

SPRS is just one of the sources that may be utilized to assess past performance.

Due to the nature of this bid and the complexity of offering three delivered prices for each item, is it possible to extend this a week or two?

Not Provided Not Provided The proposal due date will not be extended.**REVISED See Response-#65

59 On the spreadsheet it shows qtys of 5, 10, 20 etc.. These are not the total qtys are they? Not Provided Not Provided

TAB 1 provides the yearly estimated Quantities per CLIN. TAB 2 provides the Quantities for the initial Order.

Are we supposed to quote the freight but without the qtys and frequencies and such freight will be difficult?

Not Provided Not Provided

The orders are designated FOB Destination.

All material must be delivered in accordance with the best commercial practices to insure safe delivery to destination.

Does the DLA need us to have a backlog of containers sitting ready (on the shelf)? In case there is a must have now ramp up.

Not Provided Not Provided A supply backlog is not required. Awardees are expected to meet delivery timeframes. See Response -#22

62 Are both these programs active or did one replace the other? Not Provided Not Provided Solicitation SP3300-23-R-0001 has been revised to SP3300-24-R-0001

63 Are the ASTM D 4727 and ASTM D 5118M the only certs we need for these boxes? Not Provided Not Provided No the specific ASTM is listed under each line on the Schedule of Supplies

We kindly request your consideration of an extension to the solicitation occurring not before December 20, 2023

Not Provided Not Provided Extension granted to **9 January 2024

**Update to Response -48. Each delivery location has different receiving hours and security protocols. Do you have a consolidated list of those?

N/A N/A A revised Schedule of Supplies (TAB 3) – Shipping Locations is revised to incorporate Receiving Information.