Minutes_of_Pre-Quotation_Conference.docx

Minutes of Pre-Quotation Conference RFQ No. SSN10017Q0006 Monday, May 22, 2017

Embassy Team:

1. Contracting Officer: Matthew Ferry

2. Procurement Supervisor: Meena Palanisamy

3. Procurement Agent: Vera Wheeler

4. Facilities Manager: Kevin Lanning

5. Facilities Supervisor: Abdul Halim

Contractors Present:

1. Nafa System Services Pte Ltd

2. Acteef Cleaning Specialists Pte Ltd

3. Cleaning Express Pte Ltd

4. PNH Resources Pte Ltd

Participants assembled at the GSO conference room at 1400 hrs.

CO Matthew Ferry welcomed the attendees and introduced the U.S. Embassy team. He informed them that the Embassy will take verbal questions but cannot answer them at this time, and that all questions and answers will be posted on FedBizOpps and it will be the responsibility of the companies to access FedBizOpps to retrieve the questions, answers, and amendments to the solicitation, if any. He also highlighted the sentence on the cover page of the RFQ which says that all statements made by the Government at this meeting will not be considered a change to the RFQ unless an Amendment is made in writing.

He encouraged the bidders to read the contract carefully then proceeded to highlight some salient features of the contract, namely:

· Contract is for 1 base and 4 option years. Options to be exercised only if services are satisfactory

· Price – bidders must state currency and price is firm-fixed.

· This is a performance-based contract so bidders shall decide/estimate the number of workers required for the job. Contractor to supply labor and most consumables. See exhibits for items supplied by the GOVT.

· Some offices are CAA where escort services are required. This will mean that advance notification is required so that escort services can be arranged.

· Security checks – see 4.4. As clearances take time, the awardee should also submit additional names for advance clearance so that replacement workers are readily available for those workers on sick or vacation leave.

· Insurance. Besides usual insurances – public liability, Workers Comp, etc., the Contractor must obtain Defense Base Act insurances. See Section 3, page 37.

· Payment and invoice. This information has been incorporated by reference into contract under FAR 52.212-1. Contractor shall bill only after the work is completed for the month. Date of receipt of a proper invoice is important as payment will be made 30 days from that date. Payment will be by ETF into your account so SAM registration is a must. Invoice must show GST as a separate item. The US Government will pay interest for late payment and interest rate is based on rates posted by the U.S. Department of Treasury.

A site visit and walk around was then conducted by the Facility Office. The contractors were shown all five floors of the building. The group discussed the removal of plant growth on the 3rd floor ledge and washing of the ledge. The Embassy was informed that such height work will require the Contractor to employ a stand-by safety officer. The Facility Manager and Contracting Officer then decided that this service will be deleted from the RFQ. The bidders were also shown all Government furnished property – e.g. janitors’ rooms, paper holders. Bidders were also informed that if ladders were required, these will be supplied by the Government. After the site visit, all participants returned to the conference room.

Matthew Ferry then explained the importance of Section 3 and emphasized that quotes containing prices only will be rejected. He explained the technical evaluation process and reiterated that quoters must submit at the minimum the information requested in Section 3, in order for them to be evaluated. He also explained TIP and informed them that the information on housing and recruitment of TCNs must be included in their submission as per Section 3 A.2.(7). He also explained Section 5 including SAM registration.

Matthew Ferry also discussed DBA insurance and explained how it can be obtained. He informed them that DBA is a U.S. Government regulatory requirement and the cost of it must be included in their prices. The contractors stated they were concerned because they consider Singapore Workers’ Compensation laws to be adequate and that this would be an unnecessary duplication. They also stated they were concerned that they will not be able to make a claim from both the Singapore Workers Compensation insurance and DBA for the same claim, but that they would investigate this.

Meena Palanisamy explained how to register in SAM. She found that the website for registration of SAM was not working, so she handed out hardcopies of instructions for this registration. She emphasized that the address they insert in SAM must exactly match their address in DUNS, NCAGE and ACRA and also their bank accounts. She urged them to start their application as early as possible as SAM registration could be a lengthy process. She also stated that SAM registration is required for the life of the contract and that the contractor must re-register annually.

Matthew Ferry then reminded the companies that currently the due date is June 19, 2017 on or before 1630 hours and that only hard copy submissions will be accepted, and can be delivered by hand or mail. Submissions by email will not be accepted.

He also requested the quoters check Fedbizopps on a regular basis to see if there are any updates to the solicitation.

The meeting concluded at 4.30 pm