Q A__3_-_DOC_Staff_Augmentation_05152016.pdf

Q&A #3 05152016

Note: The period for questions closed on May 14, 2016. This is the final set of Q&A’s that will be provided for solicitation SS1301-16-RP-0011 barring any extenuating circumstances.

Duplicate or substantially the same questions are generally only answered once. If you do not see your

“exact” question, please search other similar questions that provide the answers.

1. All Questions about Hand Carried Proposals:

A. If you have access to the DOC building and an escort, you may deliver proposals to Suite A-

200 per the instructions identified in Q&A #2, question #20

B. If you do not have access to the DOC building or do not have an escort or would otherwise like to use this alternative, the following provisions are made:

a. Proposals will be received only at the DOC Main Entrance (street level) Security

Guard’s desk between 2:00-3:00 pm on Monday, May 23rd.

b. Offerors will not need badges or escorts to enter the security area and wait.

c. Proposal materials/boxes will go through a security scan. Offerors may arrive any time before 3:00 pm to process through security in time for a 3:00 pm collection.

d. Due to resource constraints, proposals will not be accepted before 2:00 pm or after

3:00 pm. Recommend you arrive early.

e. As of this amendment, the main DOC entrance is located on 14th Street directly across from the Ronald Reagan Building (not the tunnel entrance). Due to security and construction impacts, the designated main entrance is subject to change. The

Government is not responsible for late arrivals due to the changing of the designated main entrance. Recommend you arrive early.

f. Traffic and parking are often bad in downtown DC. The Government is not responsible for late submissions due to traffic or other delays. Recommend you arrive early.

2. All Questions about Proposal Submission Extensions:

A. The time and date for the submission of proposals will not be extended. All proposals are due NLT than the date/time specified in Box 8 of the cover page (SF1449) unless otherwise modified in writing. Alternative delivery methods are subject to the due dates/times specified, respective to each alternative.

3. Question 12 (Q&A #2) in the questions and answers has the due date as May 24, 2014-should that be May 24, 2016?

A. Yes, it is a typo and the correct date is May 24, 2016.

4. Would the Government allow offerors to use 10 pt font for text within tables?

A. Yes, offerors may use 10 point font in any tables and graphics so long as it is clear and readable.

5. The RFP states that there is only funding to September? When is the expected time frame for award?

A. The expected timeframe for award is on or about June 15. The award of the IDIQ contract does not commit or obligate funds for performance. Funds are obligated for performance under task orders that are issued. There may be no or a few task orders issued FY16 as the nature of an IDIQ does not permit for quantifying of a definite delivery periods at the contract level.

6. How is staff currently being augmented?

A. Generally, this is a new requirement. See question #18, Q&A #1.1.

7. Section C3.3 pgs 17-18 states…….”The Contractor shall provide the staff augmentation support requested to the assigned place of duty within (10) working days from issuance of the order, unless a later date is specified. Most companies/organizations require a 2-4 week notice for resignations. If the chosen candidate is employed at the time of offer, candidate must comply with the companies/organizations request. Will this additional time factor be taken into consideration?

A. A 10-working day period was provided to ensure a 2-week notice for this primary reason. If a later date is not specified in the task order proposal request (TOPR), and the need for a longer transition time exists, request of the Contracting Officer responsible for the TOPR for an extended transition time for that specific order. The primary consideration will be meeting the Government’s requirements.

8. Section K-Pg-59 (2) if a WOSB has already updated the Reps & Certs in the last 12 months and there are no changes; does a document of any kind need to be submitted? Is the non-disclosure form to be submitted? If so, do all the required forms go in the Business section of the response?

A. If your Reps & Certs are current in SAM, you do not need to provide separate hard copies.

You do need to identify your company, address, DUNS, CAGE etc on the solicitation cover

(SF1449) and cover letter if provided so that the information can be retrieved and validated.

B. The NDA only applies to the awardee(s) and at the task order level. The MFR report is the same. They are included as part of the parent IDIQ and flow-down to task orders as applicable.

9. Section L.3.A, page 76 states “All text shall be no less than single-spaced and printed on white paper.” Will the government allow proposals to be printed on both sides of the paper (double-sided)?

A. Double-sided printing is preferred in the interest of conservation of resources. A “page” refers to a page of content, not an actual piece of paper, therefore printing on both sides of a page counts as 2- pages.

10. Please confirm that a 10 point Arial or Times New Roman font is acceptable as a minimum font and size in the narrative, tables, and diagrams.

A. 10-point Arial or Times New Roman font are acceptable minimum standards. As a matter of reference, “pitch” is generally reference for typewriters and “point” for modern software applications.

11. Please confirm that the government desires descriptions of Terminations for all similar work and not just for those included in the Past Performances.

A. Correct. If terminations have occurred on performance of work similar to this requirement, that information is required to be disclosed in this section, not only for those past performance references chosen to be included.

12. Can offerors provide a pdf copy of their SAM.gov record in place of completing the representations and certifications?

A. See question #8 above.

13. The description for labor category "9. Capital Planning and Investment Control Specialist IV" is not the description of a typical CPIC Specialist and is very different from labor category "8.

Capital Planning and Investment Control Specialist II." It Is this labor category description correct as is?

A. The description of LCAT #9 is incorrect and has been updated in the amendment 003 version attached. The LCAT pricing spreadsheet (J.1) has also been updated and included with this amendment.

14. In Section B.3 the government indicates in various labor categories that a degree is required "or equivalent". Can years of experience (e.g., work experience or active military duty) be considered equivalent, and if so can the government please define what it means by equivalent?

A. Through the performance of this contract the Government is acquiring a performance capability. Performance is often attributed to a certain level of education and years of experience. However, it is conceded that high levels of education or many years of experience do not always result in satisfactory capabilities, conversely, lower levels of education or fewer years of experience do not always result in unsatisfactory performance.

The Contractor is solely responsible for satisfactory performance by providing personnel who can successfully meet the Governments requirements. Therefore, experience could potentially offset education. The terms “approximate” and “equivalent” are used to allow the contractor flexibility in resourcing the correct staff to meet the Government’s requirements and not eliminate the best candidate because they are one class away from their BS/BA or 6 months shy of a 4-year experience requirement. In the few cases where

“required” is used, it normally refers to a specific certification or qualification that would require a certain degree to meet those standards.

15. In amendment 2, the answer to question 20 stated that if vendors wish to hand carry proposals, they must coordinate their own access and escort. Typically the federal government provides a point of contact to call when delivering hard copy proposals to assist with getting through security or to receive our proposal. Will offerors without a Commerce badge but with clearances and a badge from another federal agency be permitted to access to 1401

Constitution Ave. without the escort of a Commerce employee or another Commerce badged individual? If not, how can we deliver our proposal?

A. See question #1 above regarding Hand Carried Proposals.

16. In responding to the Performance Work Statement (PWS) starting on page 17, should we respond to all 16 Sections of the PWS or just answer Section C.3 Requirements?

A. The PWS requirements in C.3 are what is necessary to respond to. Because C.3 is broad and vague based on a flexible delivery of various staff augmentation, Section L.3 provides the instructions on how to respond and what information will be evaluated.

17. The Procurement Specialist II Labor Category is required to be certified to the equivalent level of

FAC-C Level II. However, the Past Performance section has a very general statement regarding the need to demonstrate relevant experience. We recommend that the offeror be required to provide a past performance that involves advising on procurements with a material value, for example, at least $250 million.

A. The past performance section refers to the Offeror’s history in meeting contractual requirements for similar type of work, not to the qualifications or performance of any specific LCAT in Section B. There are no material dollar value associated with FAC-C certification levels which are based solely on education and years of experience.

18. In Section L.3, the following requirement is stated: “Offerors shall propose for at least two regions but may propose for all three regions.” There may be very talented small businesses that could add significant value to Commerce that don’t have the resources to propose outside of the Washington, DC Area. We recommend allowing proposals for just one region at a minimum.

A. Very talented small businesses that can add value to DOC exist in all 3 regions. To be eligible for an award under this solicitation, they must propose to at least two regions.

19. Can the mailing address identified in the RFP also be used for non-USPS deliveries (ex. FedEx, UPS)?

A. UPS and FedEx can deliver to the DOC. Because of the route they may take through the building, recommend you schedule deliver for Monday, May 23rd to meet the due date on

Tuesday morning.

20. RFP L.3.B.1 requires us to provide resumes for proposed Key Personnel, which are identified as

Program Manager and Contracts Manager in RFP H.2. Please confirm that these resumes will not count towards the Volume I 25 pages limit.

A. The resume pages count against the limit. See Q&A #2 question #12.

21. A Section M.2 (a) provides that one of the evaluation factors is “Response plan to task order proposals”: Can we infer from this that every task order on the contract will be competed amongst all contract awardees? Can the government share the forecast to the number of task orders anticipated on this contract? Can the government share their estimated average task order size? (Bidding on three 30 person task orders is a different model than bidding on 90 single person task orders. Will each task order be limited to one location or cover multiple locations?

A. Task orders will be competed IAW the fair opportunity provision found in FAR 16.505.

B. No idea of the number of task orders anticipated under the contract, per the nature of an

IDIQ.

C. There is no guarantee of task order size as it is impossible to predict emerging requirements, but as a staff augmentation contract, I would anticipate most orders to be between 1-10 people.

D. Task orders will be aligned to program office requirements. The programs will dictate the locations needed which may translate to multiple locations per a single order, or multiple orders for a single program office.

22. Section C.4 states that “…the preponderance of the work anticipated to be in the Washington, DC and surrounding areas.” Can the government clarify their estimates of the volume of work for each of the three regions?

A. No. See 21.B above.

23. Given that each of the regions for this contract are provided for significantly wide diversity of employment markets, is it the government intent in evaluating pricing to ensure that pricing is reasonable for the most expensive part of the region and that discounts could be offered on a task order level for specific requirement in lower cost of living cities. For example, salary survey data suggests that a Procurement Specialist in Pittsburgh PA should be 15% (or more) less expensive than the same position in Washington DC.

A. The Government’s evaluation methodology is presented in Section M and is straight forward. Offerors propose their fully burdened hourly rate per LCAT by region. Those hourly rates will be multiplied by the Government’s estimated hours per LCAT per year.

How the offer proposes to account for salary differences across regions is at the sole discretion of the offeror. Awardee’s prices will be maximums under the contract; however, they may be discounted under task order competitions. Additionally, knowing where and how the many bureaus within the DOC operate may be helpful in formulating a business position.

24. The Wage Determination (WD) rates vary within each region and if a blended rate is proposed as suggested in the answer to question 4. This could lead to non-competitive rates to cover the higher localities or performance risk when required to pay employees the higher rates. Will the government consider providing a WD location to use for each region for evaluating price?

A. WD’s are not applicable to this procurement. See Amendment 002, Q&A #2 question #18 and Q&A #1.1(rev).

25. The answer to question 4 stated, “Most of the labor categories are applicable to SCA requirements.” However, based on the definition of a service employee, we believe a majority of them are not. For example, on Page 8 Labor Category # 21 Finance/Accounting Specialist the description states, “This is usually an exempt position” indicating it should not be under the

Service Contract Act. Can the government designate which labor categories should be subject to the SCA requirements?

A. See question 24 above.

26. Page 83 states, “proposed prices will be evaluated but not scored.” Can the government please clarify this statement?

A. Prices once evaluated provide a discrete value. There is no “scoring” that occurs, such as designation of a numerical, adjectival or color designation for relational purposes.

27. In M.2 the RFP states “… when the two non-price factors (Technical and Past Performance) are combined, they are approximately equal to price. And “(c) PRICE EVALUATION Proposed prices will be evaluated but not scored.” Is the government looking for Lowest Price / Technically

Acceptable or is the government looking best value prices that are reasonable to allow for successful performance under the contract?

A. This is not an LPTA procurement. The relative significance between non-priced factors and price is stated which will be used in the trade-off process in determining best value.

28. Price Evaluation – states that the proposed prices will be evaluated by multiplying the price per respective year by the Governments estimated quantities required in each corresponding respective year. Is it the Governments intent to assign hours to labor categories and evaluate the price per category per respective year? If so, that is not what is described as the method of evaluation, if not, please clarify how the Government intends to perform the price evaluation.

A. The Government’s estimated is comprised on the number of hours that might be expected per LCAT per year as this is an hourly pricing model. “Quantities” as described in the price evaluation refers to the quantity of the unit of issue (hourly) defined price. LCAT quantities in the estimate may be different for each year based on estimated growth and coverage.

Thereby, the price for each year under any LCAT will yield a relative evaluated cost based on the estimated quantities or hours for that given year. The aggregate of the relative evaluated prices for all LCAT’s over all years will provide a discrete price by offeror by region for evaluation purposes. The Government’s estimated will not be provided.

29. Special Notice – Can an offeror bid -0011 as a prime contractor and -0010 as a subcontractor and still be eligible to receive an award?

A. Unfortunately, an awardee under -0011 will not be eligible for an award under -0010 as a prime or sub. Due to the nature of the work required under -0010, when it is announced and awarded, any prime or sub will be subject to numerous OCI’s including unequal access to information and impaired objectivity that cannot be mitigated making it impossible to perform on both contracts. Fortunately, this -0011 competition should be complete, or nearly complete before the release of the -0010 solicitation so offerors will have information relative to their standing on -0011 to make a determination on pursuing the -

0010 opportunity.

30. Key Personnel – What is the education and experience requirements for the key personnel, Program Manager and Contract Manager?

A. The Government is non-prescriptive for these two functions. These two Key Personnel do not provide service of a direct, bona-fide requirement for the Government. See Q&A #1.1 questions 5 & 6.

31. L.3.A, p. 76: Cross-references should be utilized to preclude unnecessary duplication of data between sections. Are cross references necessary for Vol. II Past Performance?

A. Cross-references are not required at all for any portion of the proposal. They are suggested and allowed to be used at the offeror’s discretion in an effort to preserve valuable space within page limits when the information supplied is duplicated in other sections of the proposal.

32. Since we are not a current DOC contractor with badged employees, please let us know if we need to identify a DOC employee to escort us to your office for delivery or if your office will provide someone to meet us?

A. See question #1 above.

33. On page 76 you list volume three as Cost/Price; on page 79 you list volume three as Price and

Business. Which is the correct title for the volume?

A. Changed to “Cost/Price and Business” for consistency. Note changes on page 76 and 79 in

Amendment 003.

34. On page 76 and 77 Volumes are numbered with the letters I, II, III. On page 80, the volumes are numbered with numbers, 1, 2, and 3. How would you like the volumes numbered?

A. Changed to “I, II, III” on page 80 for consistency.

35. Page 71 of the RFP provides instructions for what must be included on the first page of the proposal [section L.2.(2)]. This information seems most suited for a Cover Letter that could be placed in the inside front pocket of the binder for Vol 1. Please confirm that this is the

Government’s intent.

A. Completion of the solicitation cover page (i.e the SF 1449) will provide nearly all if not all of the information required by clause. However, if you desire to provide a separate cover page to identify any outstanding information, the appropriate place to place it is inside the cover of Volume III, Cost/Price and Business. It is not only most applicable in this section, but also will not count against your Volume I page limitations.

36. On pages 19-20, C.11.3 Badges: “all personnel must have been previously entered into the

DEERS System …” Is this responsibility of the contractor or will the return of the required security forms to the Agency initiate this process?

A. The mention of the “DEERS” system is an error and has been removed in Amendment 003.

To the point of the question, the Government will conduct the needed security and background checks on personnel for access to facilities and networks. The Contractor’s responsibilities will include the offering of individuals who can successfully pass those checks and supplying the required paperwork/applications for the checks. This will apply to all staff provided at the task order level.

37. On page 26, G.5 Application of Escalation Rates on T&M Task Orders: Does this mean although an escalation rate for an Option Year is in effect, if the TO was issued, say 3 months prior to

Option Year, the rate at the time of TO remains for nine months into the Option Year at a price other than is reflected in that OY?

A. That is correct. Also see Q&A #2 question 41.

38. Clause FAR Clause 52.219-4 -- Notice of Price Evaluation Preference for HUBZone Small Business

Concerns (Oct 2014) is not included. This clause assists meeting Agency HUBZone utilization goals, and provides opportunity where there are limited set-asides. Would DOC consider adding this clause given the broad department and office use this IDIQ would be expected to produce?

A. The Clause is not applicable because this is not a Full and Open solicitation and the preference would not be applied to “Otherwise successful offers from small business concerns” FAR 52.219-4(b)(1)(ii)

39. Regarding paragraph C.15 subparagraph C.15.4 “Periodic Progress Meetings”: Will teleconference/video conference be an acceptable transmission medium for conducting periodic progress meetings?

A. In most cases TC/VTC will be acceptable. There may be some instances where meetings will need to occur in person throughout contract performance. They will be identified and coordinated at time of need.

40. Section L.2 Clause 52.215-1(c)(2) lists five items that must appear on the first page of the proposal. Does this apply to the first page of all three volumes or one volume in particular?

A. No, just one time. See question 35 above.

41. Amendment 2 Questions & Answers confirmed that Representations, Certifications and Other

Statements of Offerors should be included in Volume III - Price and Business. Where in the order of documents should it be placed?

A. Provide after the Proposal Form. Page 79 is updated to reflect in Amendment 003.

42. Section L, Clause 1352.239-71(a) “Electronic and Information Technology” contains several requirements that seem to be applicable to the provision of IT products. Since Staff

Augmentation is a services requirement and with Government Furnished Equipment including the required IT products for performance, can you provide further details as to the electronic and information technology requirements outside of staff augmentation

A. The referenced clause does not have any immediate impact at the contract level; however, it is included as a mandatory flow-down clause should it become applicable at the task order level.

43. Section L, Clause 1352.239-71(d) states, “ Offerors must submit representation information concerning their products by completing the VPAT template at www.Section 508.gov. We have reviewed the referenced website and the VPAT template but are unclear how this is applicable to a services oriented staff augmentation requirement. Could you confirm that offerors must complete and submit the VPAT template with their proposal. If the requirement stands, we presume that would be included in Volume III – Price and Business. Where in the order of documents should it be placed?

A. The referenced clause does not have any immediate impact at the contract level; however, it is included as a mandatory flow-down clause should it become applicable at the task order level. Additionally, this solicitation makes note that none of the required EIT sub-categories are checked as applicable at the contact level.

44. Section F, Deliveries of Performance. Performance Requirements Summary #2 requires adequate personnel coverage for schedule and unscheduled absences. Is the expectation that qualified personnel will be provided for sick days and scheduled vacation in all circumstances or will backfill requirements for short term absence be determined at the task order level by the

TOPR Technical Representative?

A. The required backfill will be addressed largely at the task order level. The significance of this

PRS requirement is that the Contractor’s performance will be assessed based on the ability to meet the Government’s requirements with the understanding that the Government is acquiring performance, not people. One example is, if the FFP requirement is for 40 hours per week of support, commonly 8 hours per day for 5 days and the individual has an appointment missing 4 hours on a given day, the Contractor’s responsibility is to meet 40 hours of support for the week. This may be done in a myriad of ways that are acceptable to the Government at the task order level including; backfill the 4 hour absence with a substitute or the individual work 9 hours a day for the remaining 4 days of the week. While the performance requirement is the same for a T&M order, the application may be somewhat different as the Contractor is only entitled to payment for actual accrued expenses. And the importance and critical nature of any given task will largely dictate how short periods of time need to be addressed. But in both cases, the Contractor should not lose sight that they are being contracted to perform and will be held accountable to do so.

45. Is Alaska included in the western geographical region?

A. Yes.

46. When determining hourly rates, how many direct labor hours are equivalent to a FTE year?

http://www.section/

A. Consistent with the response to question 44 above, 2080 hours for FTE planning purposes.

However, this does not imply that staff augmentation will be required for a full FTE. Task orders will specify the requirement.

47. Are we allowed to add additional information as an appendix to the proposal?

A. Only to the extent that it conforms to the page limitations of the respective volume. See also Section L.3 on pages 76-77 for a description of what pages are counted, which include appendices.

48. Which city per region will be utilize this contract the most? Determining the highest cost area in each region would help in developing ceiling rates, and creating fair competition.

A. Unknown. Requirements are of an indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity.

49. Is this being evaluated on a Lowest-Priced, Technically Acceptable, or Best Value basis? With technical and past performance combined equaling price, it appears cost is most important.

A. See question 27 above. Relatively speaking, cost would be the single most important factor of the three when compared individually; however, the total of the non-price factors is relatively equal to the price factor.

50. What are the technical ratings that will be assigned to proposals?

A. The technical and past performance ratings assigned will be adjectival type. The number and definitions of those ratings are not available to the public.

51. What is the duration of task orders? Will they be long-term needs, or short-term?

A. Both. Depends on the needs of the requiring office at the time of the TOPR.

52. What are some of the tools and technologies that the IT professionals will be using?

A. Varies depending on office and mission.

53. Page 79 paragraph 3.b references Certifications and Representations as well as acknowledging any and all amendments. Paragraph 3.c does not indicate those as requirements. Would the

Government like them included?

A. Page 79 of the solicitation has been changed to reflect these requirements.

54. How long does the Government anticipate the evaluation process to take once TOPRs are received?

A. For TOPRs, the Government expects an average of 5 days to evaluate task order proposals.

The Government’s performance goal from release to TOPR to award of Task order is 20 calendar days, with performance beginning as early as 2-weeks later. The acquisition timeline will be lengthened the more complex a requirement may become.

55. Will security clearances be required for any of these positions?

A. See Q&A #1.1 questions 13 & 14. Although it is not anticipated, should a security clearance be required for a specific task order, it will be addressed at the task order level.

56. What is the required number of past performances to be provided?

A. See Q&A #2, question 6.

57. Consistent with section 1651 of the National Defense Authorization Act that provides that work performed by a small business subcontractor in the same category would not be considered subcontracted for limitations on subcontracting , will Commerce allow a small business concern to include the performance of the work done by affiliated small business subcontractor as part of the 50% cost incurred?

A. Yes, for the purpose of this contract the DOC will consider sub-contracted small businesses of the same category (i.e. HUBZone & HUBZone, SDVOSB & SDVOSB, etc) as the Prime to apply to the 50% rule as allowed by Section 1651 of the NDAA. The NDAA is specific to the application of credit for small business categories in meeting Departmental small business goals. Since this contract is not prescriptive on any socio-economic category of small businesses, the 50% rule which is implemented to prevent the fronting of a required category for contract, where the performance is provide largely by another category, is similarly applied to this effort. The Prime Contractor is ultimately responsible for compliance with the 50% rule.

58. In reference to Section C.13 Data Rights, if a company were to utilize documents, materials, and software tools developed independently from this contract (either previous to the contract period of performance or through separate company investment) would the Government agree that it does not have data rights unless the company provided written limited data rights to the documents, materials and software tools during the period and as part of the performance of this contract?

A. The Government only has the Data Rights to documents, materials and tools developed in the performance of this contract. Should documents, materials, etc developed outside of this contract be used to meet the Government’s requirements under this contract, the

Government has unlimited rights to the resultant modified documents containing the

Government’s specific Data.

59. Regarding section 1352-216-76 (b) Placement of Orders, will authorized contracting officers from departments/agencies other than the Department of Commerce be allowed to place orders against this contract (i.e. as a government wide shared service offering)?

A. No. Only Contracting Officers within the DOC are authorized to place orders against the contract to meet the needs of the Department.

60. Section L.3.C on page 79 states contractors should submit a fully executed Standard Form 1449 with their proposals. Does the Government have a template they would like contractors to use?

If no, please confirm the template found on the GSA.gov website is sufficient.

A. The SF 1449 is the one that accompanied the original solicitation issued on May 4th. Fill in the required blocks and return with your proposal.

61. Could the government provide insight into its decision not to provide a labor category description for the Key Personnel? Since Key Personnel is included as an evaluation factor and it is of equal importance, it will be important for vendors to ensure their key personnel meet and/or exceed the required education, skill, and experience qualifications of the customer.

A. The two Key personnel at the contract level are those individuals who the Government will directly interact with through the performance of the contract. Among other things, this includes ordering activities, task order performance and problem/issue resolution. The special provisions for notifying the Government of Key Personnel changes (1352.237-75) apply to these individuals. The Key Personnel will be evaluated to assess their abilities in overseeing and managing the performance of a contract of this complexity and magnitude which has a direct relationship on the allocation of risk between the Government and the successful Contractor. A description is not provided because by title alone, Program

Manager and Contracts Manager will give fairly standard LCAT descriptions. However, the individual performing as the Program Manager may be an Human Resource Specialist whose qualifications may adequately meet the needs of managing this staff augmentation contract.

Likewise, firms may use accountants or financial management specialists to manage their contracts which would also be acceptable assuming they possess the capabilities stated above. Offerors have broad flexibility in identifying who they plan to have manage the contract. The significance with these Key Personnel is that they are the Contractor’s appointed managers and representatives for performance of the contract. These Key

Personnel do provide direct support for any specific requirement (task order) under the contract. Also see Q&A #1.1 questions 5 & 6.

62. Does the Program Manager and Contract Manager map to the labor categories in Section B, page 13, and if so, what level of Program Manager and category and level (Contract Manager)?

A. No. See question 62 above.

63. Does the Government anticipate issuing task orders in support of 2020 Decennial Census

Program(s)?

A. While there may be some abstract use of this contract to support Census in the performance of their mission, it is not anticipated that task orders will be issued to support the 2020 Decennial.

64. In the map provided (J.4 page 48), the geographical regions are identified as “Western” “South-

Central” and “Mid-Atlantic”. However, in the Pricing attachment (J.1), the regions are identified as “Western” “Mid-Atlantic” and “Central”. Which specific states and cities should be included in the pricing for each regions? Please also further explain the anomaly between terminology specifically, “Central” and “South-Central”.

A. The terminology of “Central” on the pricing spreadsheet (J.1) is a typo and has been changed to “South-Central” to align with the map at J.4. The updated J.1 is provided with release of Amendment 003. Per the map, all cities in Virginia and West Virginia that are within 60 miles of Reagan National Airport are included in the Mid-Atlantic region. The most southern major city that would be within this 60 mile arc is Fredericksburg, Virginia.

65. L.3.C - The Government calls for blanket pricing of labor categories for each of the three regions.

The region in itself covers a significant portion of the United States, with vastly varying rates for each region. What guidance can the Government offer to ensure fair pricing for the regions?

A. The Government cannot provide guidance on how offerors should propose their pricing.

What is known is that the pricing is fully burdened with fringe, overheads, and fee. The awardee’s rates will fix the maximum rate that can be proposed for that region. Based on the Task Order awarded rates, Contractors may make more in some areas and less in others.

Offerors must consider their risks and propose accordingly.

66. Section L.3.A on p. 77: Pages shall be numbered sequentially from “1” through the total number of pages in the volume. Does that page numbering convention include the table of contents, glossary, and cross reference index or should they be paginated separately, since they are excluded from the page count?

A. Page numbers only apply to counted pages.

67. Should we include volume number in the file name? Instructions only state “Company Name -

Initial” but make no mention of giving the Government an idea of which volume is contained in each file.

A. Yes, include the “Volume #” on the labeling. The solicitation has been updated in

Amendment 003 to reflect the changes.

68. “Capabilities and Approach to accomplishing the requirements paragraph C.3 incorporating the labor categories in paragraph B.3” -- RFP page 77, B.1.d, bullet 1. Within this section, do we need to provide a detailed response for PWS C.3.1 through C.3.3? Please elaborate on the above requirement -- it seems the rest of the tech volume requirements address at least C.3.2 and

C.3.3.

A. See Q&A #2, question 8.

69. Are courier deliveries allowed on the submission due date?

Commercial couriers are generally allowed, however security and location within the DOC building may be challenging. Recommend an early delivery alternative.

70. Section L 1352.209-70 Potential Organizational Conflict of Interest paragraph (2) on p. 74: As a part of the proposal, the offeror shall provide the Contracting Officer with complete information regarding previous or ongoing work that is in any way associated with the contemplated acquisition. In which volume should this statement be included?

A. Any relative information is included in Volume III as part of the Representations and

Certifications section.

71. Could the Government provide the number of current personnel per region?

A. Unknown

72. Section C.4 Place of Performance on p. 18: “Locations include the Continental United States and

U.S. territories with the preponderance of the work anticipated to be in the Washington, DC and surrounding areas.” Is that across all regions or just within the Mid-Atlantic region?

A. All regions.

73. Where is the majority of the work (by percentage) located in the South-Central Region?

A. Unknown; however there are large pockets of DOC activity in Norfolk, Kansas City, Denver and Boulder.

74. In which metropolitan area is the majority of work in the Western Region?

A. Unknown; however there are large pockets of DOC activity in Seattle.

75. Do you require letters of commitment for key personnel? If so, may they be excluded from the page count?

A. Letters of commitment are not required. But submitted as an offered solution, the offeror is satisfying the commitment of the key personnel.

76. Which Labor Categories are staffed the most?

A. Generally unknown but it may be anticipated that IT and program related fields are the most active types of requirements.

77. Which Bureau(s) drive the majority of the work?

A. New requirement, historical usage does not exist.

78. Who issues the task orders (individual Bureaus or the DOC Contracting Office)?

A. DOC Contracting Office

79. Will positions only be located in facilities/offices operated by the 12 bureaus that the

Department of Commerce is comprised of?

A. Generally yes, but not exclusively.

80. Will the other regions, besides the mid-Atlantic, have majority of jobs concentrated in one metropolitan area?

A. Besides the potential for those mentioned above in questions 73 and 74, generally not.

81. What Contractor-provided training is required under this contract?

A. Depends on the LCAT and the work they may be tasked to perform.

82. Can the Government provide the percentage of work allocated to each Bureau?

A. Unknown.

83. Will all 12 Bureaus require staffing?

A. Unknown.

84. Can the Government disclose the Bureaus which will not need staffing from this contract?

A. Unknown. This contract provides capabilities for the Department bureaus should they need and desire them.

85. Can the Government provide the number of personnel required for each labor category?

A. Unknown.

86. Can the Government provide the number of personnel required for each labor category in the

Mid-Atlantic Region, the Western Region and the South-Central Region?

A. Unknown. If known, this would not be an IDIQ contract offering.

87. Can the Government provide the labor categories that will be tasked for the Mid-Atlantic

Region, the Western Region and the South-Central Region?

A. Unknown. If known, this would not be an IDIQ contract offering.

88. Is the Customer Experience Designer, IT specific?

A. Not necessarily.

89. Given our page constraints, may we provide a statement of qualifications for our Key Personnel in lieu of full resumes?

A. You may provide the information on your Key Personnel in any format that conveys the requisite information that is reasonable to be gleaned from a standard resume.

90. May we tighten the letter spacing with minimal kerning?

A. No.

91. Will the Government permit hand delivery of proposals on the due date?

A. No. See question 1 above and Q&A #2 question 20.

92. Given that the proposal is due on a Tuesday and the potential for courier disruptions should offerors ship proposals on the Monday before the due date, would the Government consider pushing back the due date at least one day?

A. See question #2 above.