Beta.SAM Questions and Answers SPE1C1-20-R-0137 7-29-20.docx

Below is the current cumulative list of Questions & Answers to solicitation SPE1C1-20-R-0137 as of July 28, 2020 at 3:00PM, providing clarification for this solicitation. Answers may be revised so all offerors are cautioned to review the questions and answers frequently as there may be some additional changes or clarifications to previously provided answers.

Please note that Revision 2 Proposal Submission Form was attached to Amendment 0002 to the Solicitation. All references to any version of the proposal submission form below is taken to mean the Revision 2 Proposal Submission Form.

Recently added Q&A:

1. What is the anticipated award date for awarding surgical gown contracts?

Answer: Depending upon the number of proposals received, the Government is seeking to begin making awards by the end of August.

2. The solicitation states, “the first delivery due under any resultant contracts will be 30 days after award.” However, I’m receiving long-lead time quotes for material. What should I do?

Answer: Delivery 30 days after award is preferred. However, you are required to input your deliver capabilities on the proposal submission form. As stated on page 2 of the Revised Proposal Submission Form, “2. Delivery Capabilities: The offeror shall enter the quantity of gowns it can provide within the time periods listed below (chart on form). Please note that this is not a running total and the quantities you enter are what you will be required to deliver on that date if you should receive a contract based on your proposal. If the quantity capability for a specific time period (i.e. September 30, 2020) is zero (0) then include such in the chart.”

3. For clarification on completing the Proposal Submission Form:

a. On page 1, please enter the name of the company submitting the proposal as your response to “COMPANY.” This would be identical to the company name provided in block 17a of SF1449.

b. On page 1, please enter the name of the end item manufacturer as your response to “SOURCE OF SUPPLY.”

i. If your company is submitting the proposal AND manufacturing the end item, your response to “COMPANY” and “SOURCE OF SUPPLY” would be identical.

c. On page 4, under 52.215-6 Place of Performance, if you check “intends” (which indicates you are using a facility located at an address that differs from your response to block 17a of SF1449), please complete the two text boxes provided included with the provision. The name provided here would be identical to your response to “SOURCE OF SUPPLY” on page 1.

d. On page 4, under 52.215-6 Place of Performance, if you check “does not intend” (which indicates that you are using the address listed in your response to block 17a of SF1499 to manufacture the end item), then you are not required to complete the two boxes immediately below this paragraph and your responses to “COMPANY” and “SOURCE OF SUPPLY” would be identical.

e. On page 8, please enter the name, CAGE code, part number, and country of origin for the company manufacturing the end item. This should be identical to your response to “SOURCE OF SUPPLY” on page 1 and your response to 52.215-6 Place of Performance on page 4 if you check “intends.” If the offeror is also manufacturing the end item, the responses to “COMPANY” and “SOURCE OF SUPPY” would be identical to the response here.

4. Will the solicitation closing date be extended?

Answer: We are not extending the solicitation closing date. Please submit your proposal by the required date and time. If the solicitation closing date is extended, it will be extended via an Amendment to the solicitation.

Previous Q&A and may have recently changed:

5. Question: If a registered small business submits a proposal as a prime contractor and its subcontractor is a large business, is a small business subcontracting plan required?

Answer: No, a subcontracting plan is only required if the prime contractor is a large business.

6. Question: Do the testing requirements listed in the solicitation need to be completed before proposal submission or will testing be performed by DLA Troop Support?

Answer: DLA Troop Support will not be performing laboratory testing as part of the PDM evaluation process, and will instead rely upon the test reports and COCs submitted by the Offeror to verify these requirements. The Government reserves the right to utilize laboratory testing or other means of product verification during any resultant contract(s).

7. Can we supply gowns that are manufactured in China? Can you receive an offer outside of the United States?

Answer: All offerors shall review the language at FAR 25.003 and DFARS 225.003 for definitions and what it means to be considered a domestic, qualifying or designated country end product. To determine if a proposed item meets the requirements of each specific lot or sub-lots, offerors should review the following regulations which include lists of compliant countries:

a. Berry Compliant Lots: DFARS clause 252.225-7012 Preference for Certain Domestic Commodities

b. Buy American Act Compliant Lots: DFARS 225-872-1 provides a list of Buy American Act qualifying countries

c. Trade Agreement Act Compliant Lots (if applicable): FAR Subpart 25.4 provides a list of applicable Trade Agreements.

Offers not meeting the requirements for Berry Amendment or BAA compliant offers under sub-lots: 1B, 2B and 3B, of the solicitation, or offers not proposing to use a domestic fabric as the primary end item fabric, may submit a proposal under sub-lots: 1C, 2C and 3C, which is subject to the application of the provisions of the TAA.

8. How do I register in SAM?

Answer: To register in SAM, please go to www.sam.gov, Getting Started – Register Entity.

9. Do you need test reports at the fabric level or the end item with the exception of the seam strength (d)?

Answer: Our requirements are for the end item. The end item has to meet the requirements.

10. What percent of each lot is expected to be purchased?

Answer: The Government intends to award contracts for up to 80% of the estimated quantity listed on page 6 of the solicitation for level 3 gowns (Lot 1) and level 4 gowns (Lot 2) and award the estimated quantity balance in level 2 gowns (Lot 3). For more information, see page 6 of solicitation.

11. Would a 3-thread overlock stitch be acceptable as a finished edge?

Answer: Yes, it is acceptable.

12. What is the unit pack per case?

Answer: Multiple gowns shall be packed in each case. The number of gowns per case shall be determined by the Contractor. Gowns shall be packed in cases in a quantity and manner that ensures that the gowns will arrive to the end user undamaged and in good condition.

13. On page 15 of the solicitation, only the Chest Finished Width was provided for the Production Demonstration Model (PDM) evaluation.

Answer: We will be inspecting PDMs to ensure the measurements of the gown correspond to the dimensions provided by the offeror, as well as the minimum Chest Finished Width that is required in the solicitation.

14. Is the submission of Biocompatibility Certification or lab reports under ISO/ANSI/AAMI 10993-10 a requirement for surgical gowns?

Answer: Yes, Biocompatibility testing is required for surgical gowns. The submission of Biocompatibility Certification or lab reports under ISO/ANSI/AAMI 10993-10 is required under the solicitation. As indicated on page 8 of the proposal submission form, offerors are required to provide all required Test Reports and CoCs on one (1) PDF document entitled “Test Reports and CoCs” and provide the page number of the required documentation on page 8 of the proposal submission form.

15. Are you looking for finished gowns or fabric for gowns?

Answer: We will be evaluating finished gowns.

16. What is the desired weight for surgical gowns?

Answer: The weight of the Surgical Gown is not specified. The product(s) offered must meet the design and other technical requirements contained and referenced in the solicitation.

17. What is the desired price range?

Answer: We cannot provide desired prices or a desired price range.

18. For Past Performance, could you please confirm that DLA is willing to accept commercial contract information in addition to any SPRS performance data?

Answer: Past performance will be rated as outlined in the addendum to 52.212-2 Evaluations – Commercial Items. Commercial contracts provided will be used to determine the offeror’s responsibility if they are in line for an award.

19. I’d like to confirm the correct delivery date for this proposal. On page 6 of the solicitation, it states, “Within each lot, the Government intends to award multiple contracts to fulfill these quantities in the most advantageous manner to ensure all available quantity is received by January 15, 2021.” However, on page 2 of the Disposable Surgical Gown Submission Form, it requests a delivery schedule until September 2021. Can you confirm the correct due date to deliver the full quantity of gowns?

Answer: The sentence on page six (6) of the solicitation is indicating to offerors that the Government is attempting to purchase as many gowns as possible, from as many lowest technically acceptable offerors as possible, so that at the estimated quantity of 63,250,000 gowns are received by January 15, 2021. Any contract awards issued from this solicitation will be indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts and will contain a 12-month ordering period. This allows the Government to place individual delivery orders for a 12-month period for the quantities outlined in the individual contract awards which are not yet defined. Offerors must submit a Minimum Quantity Acceptable for Award and Delivery Capabilities on the submission form (any revised submission forms will be referenced and attached to amendments).

20. Multiple questions were received requesting specifications and/or drawings. It is the offeror’s responsibility to determine which specific materials, designs, and methods of construction are appropriate to meet the specified requirements in the solicitation.

21. Multiple questions were received about the length of the gown. Minimum length is not spelled out explicitly. It is the Offeror's/Contractor's responsibility to ensure that the offered item(s) will provide adequate protection and coverage to the user. ASTM F2407-06 states, in part, that “the sizes of the critical zone(s) of a surgical gown shall be defined by anatomical reference in accordance with AAMI PB70”. Suggest potential Offerors review Section 5 “Design Requirements” in ASTM F2407-06 for more information.

22. Are Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags required on the surgical gowns?

Answer: No, RFID tags are not required on the surgical gowns.

23. If I do not have any past performance with government contracts, will it automatically disqualify us?

Answer: No, an offeror's past performance will be evaluated by using overall Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS) scores. See solicitation for more information on SPRS. If an offeror is using a subcontractor, this information will also be obtained for the subcontractor and the average of the prime contractor and subcontractor's rating will be applied. If no information exists, the offeror's past performance will be considered acceptable in accordance with DoD Source Selection Procedures dated March 31, 2016 as required for this evaluation factor when utilizing lowest price technically acceptable methods.

Furthermore, on page 9 through 12 of the proposal submission form, we ask offerors to provide three (3) recent awards for the same and/or similar items and their subcontractors. Also, we will need to review additional information as part of our determination of responsibility in accordance with FAR 9.104 and 9.105 as part of any award determination.

24. To further clarify questions received regarding submitting proposals, proposal submission forms, and PDMs under this acquisition when using different places of performance, materials, or for different levels of gowns, the following information is provided:

a. Only ONE (1) copy of the solicitation (and all subsequent amendment(s)) needs to be returned regardless of how many sources of supply, gown levels, fabric suppliers, lots, etc. an offeror is planning to offer under this acquisition. Delivery schedules, pricing, and technical information is be submitted only in the attached submission form. This information is not on the Standard Form 1449.

b. Offerors shall submit ONE (1) completed copy of the submission form attachment for each place of performance. A place of performance is considered to be the actual company taking the fabric and materials and combining them together to create the end item that is owned and operated by one (1) company. Offerors would provide the minimum quantity acceptable for award, delivery capabilities, monthly maximum capacity, unit price, place of performance, identification of sources of supply, test data information for the PDM, and past performance information in the proposal submission form for that place of performance ONLY.

c. If an offeror is submitting under different lots or sub-lots, different proposal submission forms and PDMs are required.

d. Offerors are allowed to use multiple fabric suppliers. Test reports/CoCs/and any other documentation required for the fabric as outlined in the solicitation and/or proposal submission form must be submitted for each fabric supplier.

e. Below are examples of how proposals would be submitted if submitting different gown levels, multiple lots, and multiple places of performance (listed below as manufacturing sites):

Proposals Submission with One Place of Performance and One Fabric Supplier

Proposals Submission One Place of Performance and Two Fabric Suppliers

Proposals Submission with Two Place of Performances and One Fabric Supplier

Proposals Submission with Two Place of Performances and Two Fabric Suppliers

To further assist offerors in finding the proposal submission form, a copy is attached to the combined synopsis/solicitation. Additionally, the following screenshots are provided to show offerors how to obtain this, and all other attachments to the solicitation and/or subsequent amendments via the DIBBS website.

1. If searching for the request for proposal, click on the solicitation number as shown below:

2. Once in the solicitation, you will see a column entitled “Attachments.” This is where all attachments to the solicitation and any subsequent amendments will be:

To further assist offerors in finding the proposal submission form, a copy is attached to the combined synopsis/solicitation. Additionally, the following screenshots are provided to show offerors how to obtain this, and all other attachments to the solicitation and/or subsequent amendments via the Beta.Sam website.

1. Click arrow (left side) to open tool bar, if not already opened.

2. Click on paperclip icon to view attachments.

Preference to US end item manufacturing and qualifying end up manufacturing and those using US fabrics.

As noted in lot w us and qualifying end products. And those vendors using US Domestic fabrics.

3. Attachments will appear. Double click to open and view the attachments.

Solicitation and Any Subsequent Amendments

Proposal Submission Form

PDM

Attach Test Reports, CoCs, and other required documentation from fabric supplier #1

Attach Test Reports, CoCs, and other required documentation from fabric supplier #2

Proposal Submission Form for Gown Made by Company #2

PDM for Gown Made by Company #1

Attach Test Reports, CoCs, and other required documentation

PDM for Gown Made by Company #2

Proposal Submission Form for Gown Made by Company #1

Proposal Submission Form for Gown Made by Company #2

PDM for Gown Made by Company #1

PDM for Gown Made by Company #2

Proposal Submission Form for Gown Made by Company #1

Proposal Submission Form

PDM

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