Attachment_QA_-_Questions_and_Answers.pdf

Solicitation SPE603-19-R-0504 Attachment Q&A – Questions and Answers

1. Question: Name of the current (or last) contractor Answer: The Government declines to release this information as it is not relevant to this Solicitation.

2. Question: Total dollar value (Please include the Contract Number and the time period that the pricing represents) Answer: The Government declines to release this information as it is not relevant to this Solicitation.

3. Question: Does a prime need to have past DoD EDS experience to be considered "technically acceptable"? The RFP mentions the offeror shall demonstrate evidence of experience in performing Environmental Document Services (EDS) for DoD Environmental Compliance Services similar (in) size and complexity. This reads to me as DoD EDS experience is required.

Answer: Within past performance, the offeror must demonstrate relevant experience and success in performing tasks that are similar to those in the Performance Work Statement (PWS).

The offeror shall demonstrate evidence of experience in performing Environmental Document Services for DoD Environmental Compliance Services similar size and complexity.

4. Question: Can you please explain and expound on the requirement to have each document undergo a "regulatory review" and/or "approval"? This is not required when SPCC plans are developed for private, state, or local entities. Our firm has developed many SPCC plans, but none of them had to go through a regulator-review and acceptance process. Is this a DoD and/or Federal entity requirement?

Answer: Technical/Management Sub-Factor 3: Document Format Requirements has been revised to remove requirement for regulator reviewed plans. Please note that FRPs must be submitted to the Regional Administrator for consideration if the facility is a significant and substantial harm facility. Should the facility be determined to be a significant and substantial harm facility the FRP would require approval by the EPA. Inclusion of a plan undergoing the EPA approval process could be included in the proposal.

5. Question: We would like to clarify a question that was posed during the pre-proposal conference for SPE603-19-R-0504, Environmental Documents. Section I - Past Performance requires that the offeror has performed projects and/or tasks of similar scope and complexity.

The Offeror is required to provide, at minimum, a list of three (3) contract numbers that the Offeror has held in the past 3 years, in which the services of similar scope and complexity were performed. A minimum of three (3) referenced contract numbers with a POC information (i.e.

phone number and email address) shall be included. Is the Offeror defined solely as the prime contractor bidding on the proposal, or does it include team subcontractors, and therefore the team can use their experience for the 3 required contract numbers and past performance questionnaires (PPQ)?

Answer: When offering as a Teaming Arrangement, each team member will be evaluated independently. Therefore, each team member must provide 3 contracts.

6. As a follow-up to that question, the RFP notes that this procurement will use formal Source

Selection Procedures using Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) source selection process.

In the RFP, the following statement is made: “In the case of an offeror without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available or so sparse that no meaningful past performance rating can be reasonably assigned, the offeror may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance (see FAR 15.305(a)(2)(iv)).

Therefore, the offeror shall be determined to have Unknown (or Neutral) past performance. In the context of acceptability/unacceptability, a Neutral rating shall be considered “Acceptable.”

So, if the Offeror does not provide any past performance information in their proposal at all, this will not be held against them in the source selection for this contract, and they will still receive a favorable rating. Correct?

Answer: An Unknown (or Neutral) past performance shall be considered "Acceptable.” Offerors are advised that the Government may use any other past performance data available to its evaluators, including but not limited to, the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS), Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Retrieval System (FAPIIS), Electronic Subcontract Reporting System (eSRS), or other databases. Additionally, the Government reserves the right to utilize other past performance information, including but not limited to, COR Reports, Contract Discrepancy Reports, and interviews conducted with Program Managers, Contracting Officers, the Defense Contract Management Agency, past and present customers and their employees, other subcontractors, and any others who may have useful and relevant information.

7. Question: Will the federal government consider private SPCC and FRP work instead of government?

Answer: Yes.

8. Question: SPCC and FRP are not typically reviewed by regulatory agencies unless there is a spill. If SPCC plans have not been reviewed will government count that against the contractor?

Or will you consider removing the requirement to demonstrate SPCC that have been reviewed by regulatory agencies since they are not typically reviewed? CFR does not require a submittal or review by agencies Answer: Please refer to the response to question 4.

9. Question: Volume 3 - Past Performance, Section 1, Item 1 (pg. 103) & Proposal Preparation

Instructions and Past Performance and Plan Submissions (pg. 107) - The referenced sections offer competing information related to the timeliness of past performance. One section requires that the offeror provide contract numbers "held in the past 3 years" and the other requires those "completed within the last 2 years." Which is accurate?

Answer: Offerors are instructed to submit a minimum of three (3) Past Performance Questionnaires that may include the performance still in progress, however, it should have a minimum of one (1) year of performance history and no be more than three (3) years old from the closing date of this solicitation. See Section M, FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation – Commercial Items (Oct 2014), Factor 2 – Past Performance. See revised Section L, L-0002, L2.01-1 Proposal Preparation Instructions and Past Performance and Plan Submissions (DLA Energy NOV 2016).

10. Question: Evaluation Factors - Factor 1 - Technical/Management - Sub-Factor 1 - Staffing (pg.

109) - Understand that resumes are not to exceed "one page front and back," but must they also conform to other formatting requirements outlined in the solicitation (i.e., Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, 1" margins)?

Answer: Yes, submitted resumes must conform to formatting requirements outlined in the solicitation.

11. Question: Evaluation Factors - Commercial Items - Section (a) - Basis for Award (pg. 108) - The solicitation ranks factors as (1) Technical/Management, (2) Past Performance, and (3) Price.

Information presented during the preproposal conference ranked factors as (1) Technical/Management, (2) Price, and (3) Past Performance. Is the solicitation's ranking accurate?

Answer: The solicitation accurately lists the evaluation factors as (1) Technical/Management,

(2) Past Performance, and (3) Price. The evaluation factors are not ranked and award will be made using a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable process. See Section M, FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation – Commercial Items (OCT 2014).

12. Question: Past Performance (pg. 103 & 111) - Page 103 requests that offerors provide a "minimum of three (3) referenced contract numbers..." and page 111 instructs offerors to "submit three (3) Past Performance Questionnaires..." Is three (3) the MINIMUM or the MAXIMUM for past performance submissions?

Answer: Offerors are instructed to submit a minimum of three (3) Past Performance submissions.

13. Question: Factor 1 Technical/Management Sub-Factor 1: Staffing (pg. 109) - Can the offeror include a subcontractor, which is not a small business, personnel for key personnel and to identify required personnel positions and qualifications in accordance with the PWS Appendix B, as well as submit resumes for the subcontractor and include them in the organizational chart?

14. Question: Factor 3 Past Performance (pgs. 111-112) - Can the offeror include contracts performed by a subcontractor which is not a small business?

Answer: If submitting as a Teaming Arrangement, each team member must provide 3 past performance submissions. If an Offeror is not submitting a proposal as a Joint Venture or Teaming Arrangement, past performance must be from the Offeror.

15. Question: Section I - Contract Clauses (pg. 35) - Clause FAR 52.222-46 Evaluation of Compensation for Professional Employees is listed. What volume does this information go into?

Answer: Volume II – Price Proposal,

16. Question: PWS Appendix B - Key Contractor Personnel (PWS pg. 14-15) - Would the DLA consider a Law Degree as acceptable education for the Program Manager and Senior Environmental Consultant positions?

Answer: PWS Appendix B requires the Program Manager to have an “Advanced degree and/or graduate of a four-year college or university accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education majoring in engineering, physical sciences, or other technical field.” The Senior Environmental Consultant is required to be a “graduate of a four-year college or university accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S.

Department of Education majoring in physical, biological, or natural science.”

17. Question: Will DLA consider allowing for the past performance submission to include contracts from our subcontractor? They are an integral part of our team and their past performance is likewise important to our past performance score.

Answer: On page 104, the Solicitation states: “To receive credit for past performance by a subcontractor, or work which the prime contractor previously performed as a subcontractor to another prime, the Past Performance Experience Form must state in detail the nature of the work performed as a subcontractor, the total percentage of the overall contract performed as a subcontractor and the total amount of work performed as a subcontractor.”

18. Question: Instruction to Offerers SubFactor 1 states “The proposal shall contain the contractors organizational chart and copies of resumes for all key personnel” . PWS Appendix B identifies all personnel categories as Key Personnel, does DLA require a resume for all the labor categories in Appendix B (B1.0 through B9.0)?

Answer: The proposal shall contain the contractor’s organization chart and copies of resumes for all key personnel. The resumes shall demonstrate how the individual meets the requirements of the designated positions listed in the PWS Appendix B and shall not exceed one page front and back.

19. Question: Reference RFP (p1/113), proposal due date of Friday 22 Feb 2019, 1300 EST: Would the government consider extending this date seeming questions are due Wednesday 6 Feb 2019 and it is assumed the government will provide answers via an amendment within one week which is about 1 week prior to the proposal due date.

Answer: The Due date has been extended to February 28, 2019, by 1:00 p.m. Fort Belvoir time under this amendment.

20. Question: Reference FRP (p101/113) Volume I, Technical Management, Section ii, Subfactor 1, Staffing: Please verify that resumes for all nine Key Contractor Personnel positions listed in Appendix B of the PWS are required. Often some positions, such as office assistants and technicians, are not considered to be “key” personnel and resumes for these types of personnel are not required.

Answer: The proposal shall contain the contractor’s organization chart and copies of resumes for all key personnel. The resumes shall demonstrate how the individual meets the requirements of the designated positions listed in the PWS Appendix B and shall not exceed one page front and back.

21. Question: RFP (p102/113), Subfactor 3: Please reconsider the requirement to have regulator-reviewed and accepted SPCC Plans. The SPCC Rule (40 CFR Part 112) does not require SPCC Plans to be submitted to the EPA or state environmental agencies, nor will the EPA review SPCC Plans.

Answer: Please see response to question 4.

22. Question: Reference RFP (p102/113), Subfactor 3: WRT FRPs, it assumed that the term “accepted” means “approved.” If so, the EPA RA only approves FRPs for “significant and substantial harm facilities.” Please verify the requirement for number and type of FRPs to present in the proposal. Furthermore, it can sometimes take years before the RA actually approves a FRP for a “significant and substantial harm facility” and most facilities (within DoD) do not meet the criteria for “significant and substantial harm.”

Answer: See revised Technical/Management Sub-factor 3.

23. Question: Reference RFP (p103/113) Volume III, Past Performance: Is experience on any of the scope elements (ECOPs, SPCC Plans, SPRPs, FRPs, O&M Plans) acceptable as relevant experience?

24. Question: Reference RFP (p103/113) Volume III, Past Performance: Can Offeror’s use one task order under an IDIQ contract as a project for past performance?

Answer: Yes as long as the contract is identified and the Task Order is of the same tasks of similar scope and complexity

25. Question: Reference RFP (p103/113) Volume III, Past Performance: Can Offeror’s use several task orders under the same IDIQ contract as distinct/different projects for past performance?

Note that the separate task orders meet the recency and relevancy requirement of the RFP.

Answer: As long as each individual Task Order is of similar scope and complexity.

26. Question: Reference RFP (p103/113) Volume III, Past Performance: The RFP states that each partner of a Joint Venture must submit past performance. Please confirm that if submitting as an SBA-approved SB or SDB JV, the past performance may come from either JV partner (as allowed by FAR).

Answer: As required by the Solicitation, each member of a Joint Venture or Teaming Arrangement must submit 3 past performance submissions.

27. Question: Reference RFP (p103/113) Volume III, Past Performance: Can the Offeror present more than three Past Performance Questionnaires? If yes, how will additional Past Performance Questionnaires be evaluated?

Answer: Offerors are instructed to submit a minimum of three (3) Past Performance Questionnaires that may include the performance still in progress, however, it should have a minimum of one (1) year of performance history and be no more than three (3) years old from the closing date of this solicitation. The Government will evaluate the offeror’s submitted past performance for recency and relevancy. Past Performance will be rated as either Acceptable or Unacceptable. See Section M, FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation – Commercial Items (OCT 2014, Factor 2

– Past Performance.

28. Question: Reference RFP (p103/112), b. Section II, Price: Please verify that no unit pricing inflation escalation factors will be provided / allowed by the government after contract award.

Answer: Offerors are to provide a firm-fixed price for each Contract CLIN number listed in provision B34.01 SERVICES TO BE FURNISHED AND PRICES (DLA ENERGY FEB 1991). Offerors should use the Price Proposal CLIN 0001 – CLIN 0010 Worksheet to offer a total firm-fixed-price.

29. Question: Reference PWS (p9/16), A-1.0, Contractor Deliverables Schedule: The PWS states the Draft Final document is due within 10 business days of receipt of comments. Should this be within 10 business days of resolution of received comments? This assumes that some comments may require customer/contractor resolution that could exceed 10 business days.

This also applies to same topic in PWS (p5/16), 5.5 Draft Final.

Answer: if a customer is required for resolution of the comment, and is not available within the

10 day period, additional time will be granted. Draft Final documents shall be due within 10 business days of receipt of comments.

30. Question: Reference entire solicitation package, PWS vs OSP vs RFP: The scope / intent of the contract varies from traditional environmental document services (i.e., SPCC, FRP, SWPPP, O&M, checklists, etc.) for bulk fuel facilities to due diligence services (ECOPs/EBSs). Will the focus be the traditional services or due diligence services, or a mix of both?

Answer: The scope includes a mixture of both traditional environmental document services and due diligence services.