MRO_CENTCOM_SPE8E318R0010_amendment_0002_attachment.pdf

SPE8E318R0010 Amendment 0002- MRO CENTCOM SPE8E318R0010 response to timely submitted questions

Per instructions submitted on amendment 0001, the following are the responses to timely submitted questions:

1. Can we send our prices on part of the contract? An example of work in Iraq only?

Response: No. Per instructions listed on the Solicitation, “the offeror shall provide ceiling prices on a minimum of 95% of the items (or 95 items) on the Price Evaluation List, for either the exact item specified or an acceptable alternate, for each of the two CENTCOM destinations identified on the spreadsheet as Erbil, Iraq and Camp Arifjan, Kuwait… If an offeror fails to provide pricing on at least 95% of the items listed on the Price Evaluation List or acceptable alternates, their offer may be considered unacceptable and they may not be considered for award…” (page 112 of SPE8E318R0010 Attachment 1).

2. I am hoping to find out if there is an incumbent contractor currently performing these services or if this is a new requirement. If there is an incumbent, could you please provide the contract number?

Response: This is a solicitation for a follow-on contract. There are currently two incumbents.

SPM8E314D0001 and SPM8E314D0002 are the current contract numbers.

3. Please confirm the Proposal due date and time. The SF 1449 states 26 JUL 2018 – 03:00PM, while page 2 of the RFP states July 26, 2018 at 1:00PM.

Response: Page 2 of SPM8E318R0010 Attachment 1 is hereby amended to reflect an offer due date and time of August 10, 2018 at 3:00 P.M. E.S.T.

4. Would DLA please provide a searchable version of the RFP (Attachment 1)?

Response: No.

5. Is there a formal due date questions need to be submitted by?

Response: Per instructions on solicitation SPE8E318R0010 Amendment 0001, all questions regarding solicitation SPE8E318R0010 must submitted no later than 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday June 27, 2018.

6. Please confirm if we are to price the delivery of materials to Erbil as exempt from Iraqi taxes, or should prices include applicable import taxes and fees?

Response: Offered unit prices shall be submitted as one fixed price that includes all costs for the destination in Erbil, Iraq.

The third sentence of the Special Instructions for the Submission of Proposal Information, Section C. Price Proposal (Volume II) Instructions, Sub-Section b. is hereby revised as follows: “Offered unit prices shall be submitted as one fixed price that includes all costs for the destinations in Camp Arifjan Kuwait and the destination in Erbil, Iraq”.

The first sentence of Statement of Work Section 6. Pricing a.(ii) is hereby revised as follows: “Unit prices for the PEL items are firm fixed ceiling prices after the contract award for the first six months of the base period and option periods for each destination. PEL unit prices are inclusive of both the acquisition price and the “other costs” component further described at b. below.”

The first sentence of Statement of Work Section 6. Pricing b.(i) is hereby revised as follows:

“Other costs are defined as costs associated with: supplier/TLS vendor costs for consolidating, shipping and handling; sea, air and/or ground transportation costs; all export and import customs documentation required to transport material to the customer location outside of the USA territory, including, but not limited to: Manifests, Inspection Certifications, and Transportation Documents; the TLS vendor fee; and any other applicable taxes and fees.”

7. JCCS – Please clarify “subcontractor” in the context of an MRO contract. Is it DLA’s intent that service providers only (such as transport companies or freight forwarders that would be delivering items to CENTCOM locations be cleared through JCCS? Is an item supplier to be considered a ‘subcontractor’ and therefore also required to be in JCCS, even if that supplier would never be in the Middle East or accessing US installations there? For example, would a Korean steel tank supplier be required to be in JCCS if the Prime Vendor was picking up the steel tank in Korea and moving it using a transport company/freight forwarder to deliver the item to a CENTCOM location?

Response: The JCCS requirements extend to all OCONUS subcontractors at all tiers. For purposes of this solicitation, the term “subcontractor” refers to any legal entity, distinct from the offeror and its employees, that performs any aspect of the offeror’s obligations under the resultant contract.

8. ATTACH_Attachment_1-MRO_CENTCOM_solicitation_Released.pdf (Paged 4 of 146), Caution Notice, Item 3. Please clarify the statement “The Contractor will be required to arrange for distribution of such items within thirty days notice of the respective requirements”. In summary is this intended to mean that any specific order of standard exstock goods should be prepared for shipment within thirty days? Logically, some goods may have manufacturing time lines longer than thirty-days and these time lines are generally not known until receipt of tender documents and cannot be verified until award.

Response: The following statement is hereby removed from the solicitation: “The Contractor will be required to arrange for distribution of such items within thirty days notice of the respective requirements.”

9. ATTACH_Attachment_1-MRO_CENTCOM_solicitation_Released.pdf (Paged 4 of 146), Caution Notice, Item 3. Please clarify the intent of the statement pertaining to developing sources within the listed countries. In summary is this intended to refer to U.S.A. domestically manufactured goods, host-country quarried goods, or is this intended to refer to other Non-Buy American Act compliant goods such as electrical components which may be required; but, not sourceable from USA domestic manufacturers due to their nature (120V wall socket opposed to a standard British 230V wall socket)? It is understood that that certain DFARS pertaining to Afghanistan, certain local sourcing needs may be required, or goods may require sourcing through certain local OEM agents. Our question pertains more to the array of electrical goods on the commercial offer which generally are not applicable to most CENTCOM AOR countries.

Response: This requirement is applicable for items without deviating from compliance with Berry Amendment, Trade Agreements Act, the Buy American Act, and all other applicable procurement restrictions, all of which apply to this solicitation.

10. ATTACH_Attachment_1-MRO_CENTCOM_solicitation_Released.pdf (Paged 4 of 146), Caution Notice, Item 9. It is generally understood that the 100-item commercial offer is for evaluation purposes and may or may not be procured for this contracting action. However, as it has been requested to offer unit rates which are inclusive of all costs and without listing a standard transparent pricing build up, can it be advised if the 100-item commercial offer should be treated as an example order which will be consolidated and shipped in bulk via sea freight? This would seem to be a more logical approach than trying to ascertain shipping costs on each individual item at an unknown quantity order.

Response: Each item should be priced separately and not as if the list is an example order that will be consolidated and shipped in bulk. In addition, the instructions for submission of this aspect of the proposal are set forth on pages 112 through 115 of SPE8E318R0010 Attachment 1.

The first sentence of Statement of Work Section 6. Pricing a.(ii) has been revised as follows: “Unit prices for the PEL items are firm fixed ceiling prices after the contract award for the first six months of the base period and option periods for each destination. PEL unit prices are inclusive of both the acquisition price and the “other costs” component further described at b. below.”

11. ATTACH_Attachment_1-MRO_CENTCOM_solicitation_Released.pdf (Paged 6 of 146), Caution Notice, Item 11. Please clarify if the US GOV is aware that all items on the 100-item commercial offer are Berry Amendment, Trade Agreements Act, and Buy American Act complaint?

Response: The Price Evaluation List is subject to the Berry Amendment, Trade Agreements Act, and Buy American Act, as well as other procurement restrictions set forth in the regulations that may apply to the specific product. Contractors must be aware of which provisions apply at the time that they submit their offers and comply with those provisions. If you believe that an item on the PEL does not comply with an applicable source restriction, please notify the Contracting Officer immediately in writing.

12. ATTACH_Attachment_1-MRO_CENTCOM_solicitation_Released.pdf (Paged 6 of 146), Caution Notice, Item 11. Please clarify how notice Item 11 pertains to the possible requirements associated with developing local sources as they pertain to Notice Item 3.

Response: Contractors must be aware of and follow all of the requirements, regulations and provisions listed in the solicitation for all of the products covered on the solicitation.

13. ATTACH_Attachment_1-MRO_CENTCOM_solicitation_Released.pdf (Paged 20 of 146), FAR 52.247-64. US Flagged Commercial Vessels appear to be required for sea freight shipment as a part of this solicitation. If possible please clarify that this FAR clause is applicable to the seed tender associated with this solicitation and will also be applicable to all future orders which may result from this contract mechanism in the event of an award. Particularly, please clarify how FAR 52.247-64, e, 4, ii, A and paragraph B.

Response: The requirements of the clause at FAR 52.247-64 are applicable to all aspects of the solicitation, as well as any resultant contract(s), including any and all administrative contracts issued under such contract(s). The terms of the clause are self-explanatory.

14. ATTACH_Attachment_1-MRO_CENTCOM_solicitation_Released.pdf (Paged 61 of 146). DFARS 252-225-7996, DFARS 252.225-7998, and DFARS 252.225-7999 are intended to highlight preferences for domestically produced goods and services within the applicable countries.

Please advise if the intent of incorporating these DFARS and also the intent of incorporating Caution Noted, Item 3 is to highlight that when goods and services are ordered from client sites located within Afghanistan, Pakistan, or the South Caucasus that the preferences will always be for host-country domestically produced goods and services when possible and as such the BAC and associated USA domestic procurement regulations will not apply?

Response: Contractors must be aware and follow all the requirements, regulations and provisions listed in the solicitation for all the products covered on the solicitation.

15. ATTACH_Attachment_1-MRO_CENTCOM_solicitation_Released.pdf (Paged 65 of 146), Government Relations. Please clarify that this clause does not pertain to normal business operations in CENTOCM countries which may require regular and routine interface with host-country governmental entities to maintain proper branch business activities and specifically as it may pertain to routine procedures for clearing goods from ports of entry as well as associated final mile delivery to client sites.

Response: The requirements set forth at page 65 of SPE8E318R0010 Attachment 1 apply to this solicitation and any resulting contract(s) as written.

16. Please advise if the GOV believes this contract mechanism may require the awardees to hold either ITAR or DoC export licensures? If so and if the awardees do not already have such licensures how will the time frames associated with obtaining them factor into delivery time line or quote performance metrics?

Response: The contractor is responsible for shipment to the Customer’s destination, which may include acquiring necessary licenses, as well as any documentation necessary to export the products from one country to another. The provision at DFARS 252.225-7048 applies to the solicitation, as well as any resultant contract(s). See page 39 of SPE8E318R0010 Attachment 1.

Compliance with export control requirements is the responsibility of the contractor and will not result in relaxation of the established performance metrics.

17. Please advise if the GOV believes that it may be required for the awardees to maintain a working branch office within the CENTCOM AOR and if so which host-country maybe most preferred?

Response: The solicitation does not currently require contractors to maintain working branch offices within the CENTCOM AOR. Nevertheless, the Government will evaluate each offeror’s transportation, consolidation points, transportation vehicles and warehousing capabilities to execute incoming and outgoing deliveries within the CENTCOM AOR, including the size and locations of any warehouse and consolidation points within the CENTCOM AOR. See SPE8E318R0010 Attachment 1 at page 111, Special Instructions for the Submission of Proposal Information, B. Non-Price Proposal (Volume I) Instructions, ii. Factor II – Technical Merit (1) Sub- Factor A. Distribution/Delivery and at page 120, Addendum to FAR 52.212-2 at 1.(d)(4) A.

Volume I – Non-Price Proposal Evaluation, Factor II. Technical Merit Sub-Factor a. – Distribution/Delivery.

18. Please advise if the GOV believes that it may be required to maintain active branch offices within all CENTCOM AOR host-countries to support this contract mechanism.

Response: The solicitation does not currently require contractors to maintain active branch offices within the CENTCOM AOR. Nevertheless, the Government will evaluate each offeror’s transportation, consolidation points, transportation vehicles and warehousing capabilities to execute incoming and outgoing deliveries within the CENTCOM AOR, including the size and locations of any warehouse and consolidation points within the CENTCOM AOR. See SPE8E318R0010 Attachment 1 at page 111, Special Instructions for the Submission of Proposal Information, B. Non-Price Proposal (Volume I) Instructions, ii. Factor II – Technical Merit (1) Sub- Factor A. Distribution/Delivery and at page 120, Addendum to FAR 52.212-2 at 1.(d)(4) A.

Volume I – Non-Price Proposal Evaluation, Factor II. Technical Merit Sub-Factor a. – Distribution/Delivery.

19. Please advise where applicable if all shipments pertaining to this solicitation will be treated as diplomatic cargo where applicable and if the ordering clients will be responsible for producing the applicable diplomatic notes? For instance, FAR 5152.225-5941 is incorporated which provides clear instructions pertaining to shipments associated with Afghanistan. However, which regulations should be followed for all other CENTCOM AOR countries as it pertains to either following normal host country import regulations and/or following some manner of duty exempt diplomatic import regulations/procedures?

Response: The contractor is responsible for shipment to the Customer’s destination, which may include processing all customs documentation required to transport the product from one country to another.

20. Since we are capable of supplying materials in the mentioned countries and interested to bid on the subject solicitation the purpose of this correspondence to inquire if there are specific contractors allowed to bid on this solicitation or any interested vendors can?

Response: This solicitation is unrestricted and open to all offerors.

21. We are seeking to participate in bidding can we get the JCCS current status that we are approved or not. Are we eligible to bid or not?

Response: Please contact your JCCS account administrator for information on your company JCCS status.

22. From Factor I, Past Performance:

a. The solicitation instructions for Factor I, Past Performance, state that “If the contracts/accounts …. the offeror must clearly demonstrate that the predecessor, subsidiary, subcontractor, or other affiliate will perform major or critical aspects of the resultant contract…” However, the instructions do not state whether different weight or value is given to contracts performed directly by the bidding entity than those submitted by affiliated companies. Is there any differing value provided to contracts performed by wholly-owned and operated affiliates versus contracts performed directly by the bidding entity parent?

Response: For purposes of the Government’s evaluation of Factor I – Past Performance – Confidence Assessment, any contracts/accounts submitted by the offeror that were performed by or in conjunction with a predecessor company, subsidiary, subcontractor, or other affiliate entity (see FAR 2.101) will be given the same weight than those performed exclusively by the offeror itself. Moreover, any contracts/accounts performed by or in conjunction with a predecessor company, subsidiary, subcontractor, or other affiliate entity will not be considered or evaluated in connection with this factor, should the offeror fail to clearly demonstrate that the previously performing predecessor, subsidiary, subcontractor, or other affiliate entity will also be performing major or critical aspects of the contract resulting from this solicitation.

b. ..the parent company, and its wholly owned and operated affiliates overseas are registered separately in SAM. Is there a limit within the 3 contracts a bidder may submit as past performance for the number of those contracts that are performed by companies affiliated with the bidding entity? In other words, is it possible for a bidder to submit 2 or more contracts as past performance that were performed by affiliated entities registered separately in SAM?

Response: There is no numeric limitation other than the general limitation to three contracts/accounts. An offeror may submit two or more contracts/accounts performed by predecessor companies, subsidiaries, subcontractors, or other affiliate entities (see FAR 2.101).

However, with respect to any such contracts/accounts, the offeror must clearly demonstrate that the predecessor, subsidiary, subcontractor, or affiliate that performed the contract/account will perform major or critical aspects of the resultant contract in order for the submitted contract/accounts to be considered.

23. The address shows in Attachment 1, we need submit the hard copy, before the date 26 July by Courier service or we need to deliver the Proposal to address below before 26 July 2018?

Response: Page 2 of SPM8E318R0010 Attachment 1 is hereby amended to reflect an offer due date and time of August 10, 2018 at 3:00 P.M. E.S.T. Proposals must be delivered per instructions on page 2 of the solicitation Attachment 1.

24. Comment: The solicitation contains DFARS 252.225-7996, DFARS 252.225-7998, and DFARS

252.225-7999. These clauses state that all products or services to be delivered under a contract resulting from this solicitation are products or services from Afghanistan, a Central Asian state, Pakistan, or the South Caucasus.

Question: Is the intent to restrict sources of supply to the SC/CASA countries for the IDIQ contract in general or only in specific delivery orders directed by the contracting officer? If the intent is to incorporate these clauses into the IDIQ contract, will the 100% price preference be applied to the evaluation of the IDIQ contract award in response to this solicitation as well as delivery orders?

Response: The solicitation is hereby amended to include the following note at the end of (each) DFARS 252.225-7996, DFARS 252.225-7998, and DFARS 252.225-7999 clause listed on pages 61 to 63 of SPE8E318R0010 Attachment 1 :

“The restrictions set forth in DFARS 252.225-7996, DFARS 252.225-7998, and DFARS 252.225- 7999 will apply only to specific requests for quotations (“RFQ”s) and delivery orders, as specified by the Contracting Officer, and not to the IDIQ contract in general. See SPM8E318R0010 Attachment 1 at page 77, Section 2. i. and at page 80 Section 4. B. i. 9) and 10). The pricing preference set forth in DFARS 252.225-7998 will not be applied for purposes of awarding the resultant, IDIQ contract(s), but may be applied during competition for one or more delivery orders after award.”

25. Comment: Item #46—52.225-1, Buy American--Supplies (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 83)—is not marked with an “X.” However, the contract requires compliance with the Buy American Act, as outlined on page 111 in Subfactor B – Product Sourcing, item d.

Question: Please explain the distinction between these two seemingly similar requirements where one does not apply.

Response: The Buy American Act restrictions, as implemented through DFARS 252.225-7001, Buy American and Balance of Payments Program – Basic (DEC 2017), DFARS 252.225-7036, Buy American – Free Trade Agreements – Balance of Payment Program – Basic (DEC 2017), and the policies and procedures of Part 225 of the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement apply to this solicitation and any resultant contract(s).

26. Comment: Paragraph C.b.7 states: “The offeror shall also complete the country of origin column for all items offered.”

Question: Attachment A – PEL does not include a country of origin column. Will the government provide an amended PEL with this column added or allow offerors to add a column in the PEL for this information?

Response: A revised Attachment A is provided on SPE8E18R0010 amendment 0002 and it contains the column for the vendors to populate the country of origin for both exact and alternate items.

27. Comment: Paragraph C.b.7 states: “In the event an offeror wishes to supply an alternate item, they shall input their pricing into the Alternate Items columns on the spreadsheet for the corresponding line that they wish to supply an alternate.”

Question: If the offeror wishes to provide prices for both exact items and alternate items, is the offeror permitted to add columns to the right of column P in Attachment A – PEL to input the unit price for each contract year and totals for both locations for alternate items?

Response: No. Offerors should not modify the templates provided in the attachments nor submit more than one Attachment A. A revised Attachment A is provided on SPE8E18R0010 amendment 0002, which contains columns that should be populated for submission of pricing for an alternate item offered for consideration. Offerors may submit only up to one price for the exact item and up to one price for a single, alternate item for each item listed on the PEL.

28. Comment: The period of performance is a 3-year base period and two 1-year option periods.

Question: Just for clarification, should the offeror multiply the same quantity in column G to each of the unit prices entered for the Base Period, Option Period 1, and Option period 2 in the unit price columns to calculate the total for each location, even though the length of the base period is longer than the option periods? Please clarify how the total 5-year aggregate price should be calculated based on the quantities in column G.

Response: The estimated quantity for each offered item will be multiplied by the offered (either the exact or acceptable alternate item) unit price for the base period, the offered (either the exact or acceptable alternate item) unit price for option period 1, and the offered (either the exact or acceptable alternate item) unit price for option period 2. The summation of these three amounts will be the item aggregate per destination. As an example: Line Item with quantity of 4 at a base unit price of $5.00 EA, option 1 unit price is $5.05 EA and option 2 unit price is $5.10 EA for destination A. The total base price is $20.00, the total option 1 price is $20.20 and the total option 2 price is $20.40. Based on this example, the total 5 year aggregate for this Line Item for destination A is $60.60. The same evaluation will be conducted for the second destination and both destination total aggregate prices will be added to calculate the total offered price for the PEL. Please see below table as example:

29. Comment: SOW paragraph 5 and Attachment D stipulate two proposal requirements; however, the RFP instructions do not specify the location for these items as part of the proposal submission.

Question: Please provide instructions on which proposal volume and section should include the offerors’ response to the following SOW Section 5 and Attachment D requirements:

“Offeror shall furnish the name of an Information Technology (IT) specialist point of contact (POC) with its proposal, who is capable and authorized to resolve systems, software and transmissions issues with DLA TROOP SUPPORT assigned IT POCs.”

“Offerors shall state the extent of how their current information technology (IT) is used for Electronic Commerce either in commercial or government business.”

Response 1: Statement on both the solicitation Statement of Work paragraph 5 and solicitation Attachment D that reads: “Offeror shall furnish the name of an Information Technology (IT) specialist point of contact (POC) with its proposal, who is capable and authorized to resolve systems, software and transmissions issues with DLA TROOP SUPPORT assigned IT POCs.” is hereby revised to read: “Upon award of contract, the contractor shall furnish the name of an Information Technology (IT) specialist point of contact (POC) with its proposal, who is capable and authorized to resolve systems, software and transmissions issues with DLA TROOP SUPPORT assigned IT POCs.”

Response 2: Statement on both SOW paragraph 5 and Attachment D that reads:

“Offerors shall state the extent of how their current information technology (IT) is used for Electronic Commerce either in commercial or government business.” is hereby removed from both the solicitation Statement of Work and Attachment D.

30. Comment: SOW paragraph 8.c states: “For specific projects/BOMs, the contractor will be required to consolidate and deliver all supplies at the time required by the customer....” and that the project/BOM must be delivered in its entirety. Paragraph 8.e states: “For each delivery order, the contractor shall make only one delivery per order. All items contained in a delivery order must be delivered at the same time unless the ordering activity authorizes otherwise.”

Question: Please clarify if the requirement to consolidate and deliver all supplies in one delivery applies to all delivery orders or for specific projects/BOMs.

Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4 Column 5 Column 6 Column 7 Column 8 Column 9 Column 10 Column 11

A Item Quantity

Erbil, Iraq Base period unit price

Erbil, Iraq Option 1 period unit price

Erbil, Iraq Option 1 period unit price

Camp Arifjan, Kuwait Base period unit price

Camp Arifjan, Kuwait Option 1 period unit price

Camp Arifjan, Kuwait Option 2 period unit price

Line item aggregate for Erbil, Iraq (Column 2 * {Columns 3+4+5})

Line item aggregate for Erbil, Iraq (Column 2 * {Columns 6+7+8})

B Item #1 4 $ 5.00 5.05 5.10$ 6.00$ 6.05$ 6.10$ 60.60$ 72.60$ C Item #2 2 $ 10.00 10.05 10.10$ 10.50$ 10.55$ 10.60$ 60.30$ 63.30$ D Item #3 1 $ 7.00 7.05 7.10$ 8.00$ 8.05$ 8.10$ 21.15$ 24.15$ E 142.05$ 160.05$ F 302.10$

NOTE 1: All unit prices will need to be determine fair and reasonable (cells B3 thru B8, cells C3 thru C8 and cells D3 thru D8) NOTE 2: The total destination line item aggregates appear in cells B9, B10, C9, C10, D9 and D10 NOTE 3: The total destination aggregates appear in cells E9 and E10 NOTE 4: The total overall aggregate (summation of total destination agregates) appear in cell F11

Response: Unless otherwise specified at the time of delivery order award, this requirement applies to all delivery orders.

31. Comment: The RFP stipulates a minimum font size of 12 in Times New Roman type.

Question: Will the government confirm that the Times New Roman 12 pt. font requirement is for narrative and allow offerors to use a smaller font size for tables and graphics? Typically, tables and graphics are readable at font sizes as small as 8 pt. The use of a larger font size would cause the graphics, tables, and diagrams to be continued on a second page, which detracts from the continuity intended in these exhibits.

Response: Tables and graphics submitted under Volume I are subject to the same restrictions as the narrative; double-spaced, double-sided, using Times New Roman 12 pt. font size at minimum.

32. Comment: The RFP requires proposals for Volume I to be double-spaced.

Question: Please confirm that the double-spacing requirement is for narrative and not applicable to tables and graphics. Allowing offerors to use single spacing in tables and graphics will improve readability and enable an effective display of the data presented in these exhibits.

Response: Tables and graphics submitted under Volume I are subject to the same restrictions as the narrative; double-spaced, double-sided, using Times New Roman 12 pt. font size at

33. Comment: The RFP requires proposals for Volume I to be double-spaced.

Question: Will the government allow single spacing for section titles/headings so that the first line of a section title/heading is not separated by a wide space from the second line when a section title/heading is longer than one line?

Response: Titles/headings under Volume I are subject to the same restrictions as the narrative;

double-spaced, double-sided, using Times New Roman 12 pt. font size at minimum.

34. Comment: The table on page 108 shows the “Title” of Volume III as “Signed Copies of Solicitation and any Amendments, to include the completed fill-ins and all required offeror certifications.” Section D of Special Instructions (page 115) and Section 1(d)(4)C of the Addendum to FAR 52.212-2 (page 121) shows Volume III as “Other.”

Question: Please confirm that the title of Volume III is Other.

Response: Yes, the Title for Volume III is Other.

35. Comment: These paragraphs instruct offerors to submit completed copies of FAR 52.213-3 in Volume III.

Question: Please confirm if the reference to FAR 52.213-3 is a typo, and the correct reference is

FAR 52.212-3.

Response: “FAR 52.213-3” on page 115 and 121 of Attachment 1 is a typo. The correct reference is “FAR 52.212-3,” and the solicitation is hereby amended accordingly.

36. Comment: PEL list item #89 shows the part number as A53CA12 with item description PVC, Conduit, Schedule 40, 1-1/4”. However, the actual description for part number A53CA12 is PVC, Conduit, Schedule 80, 2”.

Question: Should pricing be submitted based on the part number or the item description?

Response: A revised Attachment A is provided on SPE8E18R0010 amendment 0002, which contains a correction to the PEL list item #89 item description.

37. There were multiple Sherwin Williams paint products listed in the PEL. The product description numbers given are specific only to color and sheen. We are aware that these numbers do correlate with the Federal Standard Paint Specification. Please clarify what branded label of paint is required for line items 70 and 71.

Response: A revised Attachment A is provided on SPE8E18R0010 amendment 0002, which includes corrections to the item descriptions for Item 70 and Item 71.

38. Solicitation, Page 109, Section B Non-Price Proposal (Volume 1) Instructions; paragraph c.

Proposals for Volume 1 are limited to 75 pages in double spaced font, with double-sided pages, and using minimum of font size 12 in Times New Roman type.

In our opinion, limit to 75 pages (double – spaced, double sided, using 12 pt. font size as minimum) for submission of Non-Price proposal does not adequately allow to fully illustrate our technical capabilities, logistical expertise, and overall best value to the government. We are requesting for proposal page limit to be extended to minimum 120 pages, single spaced, double sided, using 12 pt. font size as minimum.

Response: Volume I page limitation is 75 pages (double-spaced, double-sided, using Times New Roman type, 12 pt. font size at minimum).

39. Shipping on a U.S. Flag Registered vessels. For all shipments originating from CONUS and OCONUS locations where products are being manufactured, to various destinations within CENTCOM, where transportation is required to be managed by contractors and outside Defense Transportation System (DTS), does all contractors on this program require to comply and transport products on U.S. Flag Registered vessels?

Response: All contractors will be required to comply with DFARS 252.247-7023, DFARS 252.247- 7024 and FAR 52.247-64 requirements.

40. Required Delivery Times: page 4, point # 3: Under the MRO TLS Program instituted through the contemplated, multiple-award contract, the Contractor will be responsible for providing any or all of a wide range of items and/or product lines that fall within the scope of work set forth herein. The contractor will be required to arrange for distribution of such items within thirty days’ notice of the respective requirements.

Question: Typically, MRO programs providing access for customers to order commercial off the shelf and made to order products. In both cases, 30 days’ timeline from award date to delivery of products to final destination Is short and not always achievable. Is thirty days timeframe a requirement for orders to be delivered to designated delivery locations after the product is ready for shipping or 30 days after the placement of the award from DLA TS to selected TLS contractor?

Response: The following statement is hereby removed from the solicitation: “The Contractor will be required to arrange for distribution of such items within thirty days notice of the respective requirements.”

41. Page 6, point # 11, offerors are advised that the Berry Amendment, Trade Agreements Act and the Buy American Act apply to this solicitation. Depending on the item being solicited, the Berry Is Amendment, the Trade Agreements Act or the Buy American Act requirements may apply.

Question: Can DLA TS provide list of all items/commodity groups covered under the Berry Amendment Act? Will DLA TS consider waivers to Berry Amendment Act for certain requirements driven by the urgency of specific requirement or driven by the location of the final customer?

Response: The Berry Amendment sourcing restrictions are as set forth under DFARS 225.70, and especially DFARS 225.7002. Contractors must be aware of and comply with all of the requirements, regulations and provisions listed in the solicitation for all of the products covered on the solicitation.

42. Page 6, point # 11, offerors are advised that the Berry Amendment, Trade Agreements Act and

Amendment, the Trade Agreements Act or the Buy American Act requirements may apply.

Question: List of Trade Agreement Act compliant countries is often changing, and in our experience, there are multiply and outdated lists circulating on line. This increases the risk of a company to overlook specific countries that are compliant or not compliant for products to originate from. In our experience it will be very useful if DLA TS provide an official link as requirement to be followed in order to determine at any moment of time the compliance with Trade Agreement Act countries acceptable for products to have country of origin from under this program. Can DLA TS provide this official link of TAA compliant countries, including the list of Designated countries and list of Qualifying countries? Is Turkey part of Designated countries and or qualifying country and is it acceptable for products to be originated from?

Response: See DFARS 225.401-70, DFARS 225.403(c), DFARS 225.502, FAR 25.003, DFARS 225.003, and DFARS 252.225-7021, , and. For a current copy of the FAR, see https://www.acquisition.gov/browsefar. For a current copy of the DFARS, see https://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/dars/dfarspgi/current/.

https://www.acquisition.gov/browsefar

43. Page 6, point # 11, offerors are advised that the Berry Amendment, Trade Agreements Act and

Amendment, the Trade Agreements Act or the Buy American Act requirements may apply.

Question: The format of the PEL excel spreadsheet does not mandate the requirement for offerors to list Country of Origin for each item being offered. For the purpose of pricing the PEL and for further on deliveries against specific delivery order, is it the responsibility of the TLS contractor to ensure Country of Origin of every product is in compliance with Trade Agreement Act countries?

Response: A revised Attachment A is provided on SPE8E18R0010 amendment 0002 and it contains the column for the vendors to populate the country of origin for both exact and alternate items. The contractor will be responsible to ensure compliance with all the requirements, regulations and provisions listed in the solicitation for all the products covered on the solicitation, including the referenced sourcing restrictions.

44. Page 58, section 3, point 4: states: Contractor personnel shall return all U.S. Government – issued identification, to include the common access card to appropriate U.S. Government authorities at the end of their deployment.

Question: Will DLA TS provide sponsorship to all awarded TLS contractors to apply for Common Access Cards (CAC) for their personnel listed under SPOT? Is issuance of CAC cards restricted to US Nationals only?

Response: TLS CENTCOM contractor employees that are deployed and supporting CENTCOM marketing efforts may have the opportunity to apply for Common Access Cards (CACs). However, DLA Troop Support cannot guarantee that any individual employee of the TLS CENTCOM vendor will be approved for a CAC.

45. The time of the due date in Block 8 conflicts with the time in Attachment 1. At what time on 26 July 2018 are proposals due?

Response: Proposal due date and time is August 10, 2018 at 3 PM EST. Page 2 of SPE8E18R0010 Attachment 1 is hereby amended accordingly.

46. Per the reference, Prime Contractors and their known or anticipated subcontractors at all tiers are required to register for installation access in the Joint Contingency Contracting System (JCCS). Does this requirement extend to the Prime Contractor’s suppliers who will never need access to a USG installation?

Response: Yes. The JCCS requirements extent to all OCONUS subcontractors at all tiers.

47. Caution Notice #14 lists only three (3) volumes required with the proposal submission. This contradicts Special Instructions for the Submission of Proposal Information, Section A(1), which instructs offerors to submit (4) four separate volumes. Will the Government please confirm that four (4) separate volumes are required with the proposal submission?

Response: Four (4) separate volumes are required with the proposal submission. Volume I, Volume II, Volume III and Volume IV. Paragraph 14 of the Caution Notice is hereby amended as follows:

Proposals MUST BE prepared and submitted in four (4) volumes in accordance with Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 section entitled: SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL INFORMATION. Volume I shall consist of the Non-price proposal, which must be devoid of all reference to cost or price. Volume II shall consist of the Price Proposal, on a CD, in the format provided on the PEL list. Volume III shall consist of the offeror’s signed copies of the SF 1449, Solicitation, and any Amendments issued, along with the offeror’s completed fill-ins and offeror certifications required by the Solicitation, as referenced in FAR 52.212-3. Volume IV shall consist of a listing of the offeror’s proposed OCONUS subcontractors at all tiers, including but not limited to any subcontractor(s) identified in the offeror’s technical merit proposal. Addendums to the above cited FAR 52.212-1 and 52.212-2 provisions provide instructions on the preparation and evaluation of proposals.

48. Offerors are instructed that the Price Proposal Attachment A should be provided in Microsoft

Excel format on CD and that "Adobe PDF format is NOT acceptable." Does the restriction on Adobe PDF format also apply to the written narrative of the Price Proposal as well as the other proposal volumes?

Response: The restriction on Adobe PDF format is applicable to Volume II only.

49. The Non-Price Proposal (Volume I) Instructions lists a minimum font size of 12-point Times New Roman, double-spaced and double-sided. Do these requirements extend to other volumes? Will the Government consider allowing for the use of the Arial font family and a smaller readable font size in graphics, tables, and other illustrations?

Response: Titles/headings/graphics/tables under Volume I are subject to the same restrictions as the narrative; double-spaced, double-sided, using Times New Roman, 12 pt. font size at

50. Are the Title Page, Cover Letter, Table of Contents, List of Figures, List of Acronyms, and Executive Summary included in the 75-page limit for Volume I?

Response: Volume I page limitation is 75 pages and includes the Title Page, Cover Letter, Table of Contents, List of Figures, List of Acronyms, and Executive Summary.

51. Formatting requirements include double-spacing. Given the 75-page limit for Volume I, will the Government consider revising the formatting requirements to allow for single-spaced, double-sided responses? If not, does the double-spaced requirement include tables, graphics, and other exhibits?

Response: Titles/headings/graphics/tables and other exhibits submitted under Volume I are subject to the same restrictions as the narrative; double-spaced, double-sided, using Times New Roman, 12 pt. font size at minimum.

52. Are 11”x17” pages acceptable as part of the proposal submission?

Response: The page size for Volume I, Volume III and Volume IV submissions must be 8.5”x11” (standard letter paper). Paper size for Volume II may be up to 11”x17”.

53. The instructions are unclear as to the complete contents of the Written Price Proposal. It is requested that the Government clarify whether a Price Proposal narrative is desired in addition to a printed version of “Attachment A for solicitation SPE8E318R0010- Price Evaluation List-.xlsx

(PEL)?

Response: A printed version of your submitted Attachment A- PEL is required along with all the supporting documentation as required under C. PRICE PROPOSAL (VOLUME II) INSTRUCTIONS (pages 112 to 115 of solicitation Attachment 1).

54. The reference directs offerors to complete the country of origin column for all items offered.

“Attachment A for solicitation SPE8E318R0010- Price Evaluation List-.xlsx” (PEL) does not include a column for ‘Country of Origin.’ It is requested that the Government clarify the stated requirement?

Response: A revised Attachment A is provided on SPE8E18R0010 amendment 0002, which contains a column for the vendors to populate the country of origin for both exact and alternate items.

55. Items considered volatile are not indicated in “Attachment A for solicitation SPE8E318R0010- Price Evaluation List-.xlsx” (PEL). It is requested that the Government define the term “price volatile items” and indicate to which PEL items the definition applies.

Response: Items highlighted in BLUE on Attachment A- PEL are considered volatile items. Items 33, 34, 41 and 42 are the items identified as volatile items.

56. Item 20 on the PEL: The part number (9837-101) for Item 20 does not match the item description. In this case, which has precedence (the part number or the item description)?

Response: The original item description was incorrect. A revised Attachment A is provided on SPE8E18R0010 amendment 0002, which includes the corrected description for Item 20.

57. Items 70 and 71 on the PEL: The part number specified is a color code. Is there a specific interior product or standard with which this product must conform (e.g., is the customer looking for gloss or semi-gloss; are they painting wood, steel, or some other surface)?

includes the corrected item descriptions for Item 70 and Item 71.

58. Items 52, 74, and 89 on the PEL: These conduit fitting sizes are principally manufactured outside of the United States but are available to the standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials International (ASTM). Should offerors assume that a national interest waiver would be granted for these items?

Response: No waiver is being considered for Item 52, Item 74 and Item 89 at this time.

59. Solicitation page 113 states “The offeror shall also complete the country of origin column.”

Attachment A Price Evaluation List does not have a designated COO column.

Response: A revised Attachment A is provided on SPE8E18R0010 amendment 0002, which contains a column for the vendors to populate the country of origin for both exact and alternate items.

60. Solicitation page 121 states “If the alternate item is not approved the pricing for the item on the Price Evaluation List will be used. If the alternate item is not approved and the offeror did not offer on the corresponding exact item listed on the PEL, the offeror will be deemed to not have submitted an offered price for that item.” Will DLA review and either approve or disapprove alternate items prior to the offer due date?

Response: All proposals, including pricing proposals with any proposed alternates, will be reviewed after the solicitation closing date. It is the offeror’s own business decision whether to submit alternate items on the PEL, understanding that there is a risk that they may be considered technically unacceptable.

61. Solicitation page 91 states “On instances where the acquisition cost include freight/transportation costs, the Other Costs price SHALL NOT include any associated freight/transportation costs.” Please confirm that the other costs could include freight/transportation in instances where the supplier delivered material to a TLS vendor location and the TLS vendor required additional transportation to the customer location.

Response: The sentence at Section 6. b. ii. of the Statement of Work is hereby amended as follows: “On instances where the acquisition price includes freight/transportation and/or drop shipping costs to the customer’s location, the Other Costs price SHALL NOT include any associated freight/transportation costs.”

62. Solicitation page 112 states “Offered unit prices shall be submitted as one fixed price that includes all transportation costs for the destination in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait and the destination in Erbil, Iraq. The prices offered DO NOT INCLUDE the DLA Troop Support cost recovery rate.”

Shall the PEL prices also include “other costs” defined on page 90 as costs associated with:

supplier/TLS vendor costs for consolidating, shipping and handling; sea, air and/or ground transportation costs; all export and import customs documentation required to transport material to the customer location outside of the USA territory, including, but not limited to:

Manifests, Inspection Certifications, and Transportation Documents; the TLS vendor fee?

Response: Yes, offered prices for the PEL items must consist of both the acquisition price and the other costs defined in Statement of Work Section 6. Pricing (b).

63. Solicitation page 90 states “Acquisition prices for PEL items are firm fixed ceiling prices” and “In the event that the contractor receives pricing from its suppliers for a PEL item that is lower than the ceiling price proposed in its Price Proposal, the contractor shall submit the lower, quoted price as the unit price.” The acquisition price is defined as the actual invoice price of the product paid by the TLS vendor to its supplier for materials delivered and does not include “other costs.”

How will the TLS vendor be reimbursed for “other costs” if they are required to submit a lower quoted price from the supplier which would be the acquisition price only?

Response: The first sentence of Statement of Work Section 6. Pricing (a)(ii) is hereby revised as follows: “Unit prices for the PEL items are firm fixed ceiling prices after the contract award for the first six months of the base period and option periods for each destination. PEL unit prices are inclusive of both the acquisition price and the other costs component further described under

b. below.”

The sentence at Statement of Work, Section 6, Pricing (a)(iii) is hereby revised as follows: “In the event that the contractor receives acquisition pricing from its suppliers for a PEL item that is lower than the acquisition pricing submitted as a part of its unit price for that PEL item, the contractor shall submit the lower, quoted acquisition price as the acquisition price for that item.”

64. Please confirm if FAR 52.225-12 and 52.225-24 are required to be in the solicitation. If so, please provide an explanation as to why they are included. The proscription for 52.225-12 is to include it in solicitations that require 52.225-11, and that clause is for “solicitations and contracts for construction that is performed in the United States valued at $6,932,000 or more.” FAR 52.225- 24 is wholly dependent on whether or not Recovery Act Funds are being used.

Response: FAR 52.225-12 and 52.225-24 are not included in this solicitation.

65. Solicitation page 90 states “In the event that the contractor receives pricing from its suppliers for a PEL item that is lower than the ceiling price proposed in its Price Proposal, the contractor shall submit the lower, quoted price as the unit price.” Does the new, lower PEL price become the PEL price moving forward?

Response: No, the lower quoted price will not be established as the new PEL price.

66. Solicitation page 97 states “The contractor is required to submit quotes on a minimum of 90% of all lines requested under each RFQ.” Please confirm that all Contractors are required to respond to 100% of the RFQs.

Response 1: First sentence under Statement of Work item 4. b. i. 2) page 79 of the solicitation is hereby revised to read: “The contractor is required to submit quotes on a minimum of 90% of all lines requested for quotes during each, successive, twelve-month period of contract performance”.

Response 2: Solicitation Statement of Work item 16. d., on page 97, is hereby revised to read:

“d. Quote Responsiveness Rate. The contractor is required to submit quotes on a minimum of 90% of all lines requested for quotes during each, successive, twelve-month period of contract performance.