Attachment_J-4_RFP_Question_and_Comment_A0002_-_01-30-2017.pdf

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Question Number

Page Number Section Paragraph Question / Comment Government Response

1 57 L.9 2

“Offeror proposal submissions shall address all requirements identified in Section L and the evaluation factors set forth in Section M of the solicitation. In order to be considered for an award, Small Business Offerors shall address all requirements in Section L, except the submission of a Subcontracting Plan in Volume III.”

Request the government clarify whether offerors may submit a proposal only on specific line items of the PWS, thus allowing offerors with limited capability to obtain a contract if they are the only company bidding, or the award is highly beneficial for a part of the Fisheries domain. If the government agrees that offerors need only submit on specific line items – will the Request for Proposal be amended to state the same?

The award will not be based on specific line items; therefore, an Offeror need not provide capability for the entire array of effort set forth in the Statement of Work (SOW) to be considered for award. Offerors with limited capability may obtain a contract if they are the only firm or highly beneficial for a part of the Fisheries domain. The Final Solicitation will reflect accordingly.

2 62 L.10.2 1

“A Statement of Work is provided in Section C of this solicitation specifying the requirements of the NOAA Fisheries Domain. The Government is seeking companies with proficiencies and expertise directly applicable to these requirements. The Offeror shall demonstrate the full breadth and depth of their proficiencies, and of their subcontracting team, if applicable. Herein breadth is defined as the extent of the Offeror’s capabilities cover the array of requirements; depth is defined as the extent to which the Offeror’s proficiencies and expertise fully address each individual requirement, including industry certifications demonstrating corporate maturity. The Offeror should also provide descriptions of any unique competencies that could provide additional benefit to the Government.

Request the government clarify whether offerors may submit a proposal only on specific line items of the PWS. If the government agrees that offerors need only submit on specific line items – will the RFP be amended to state the same? In addition, will the government provide amplifying data on how these types of proposals will be evaluated?

The award will not be based on specific line items; therefore, an Offeror need not provide capability for the entire array of efforts set forth in the Statement of Work (SOW) to be considered for award. Offerors with limited capability may obtain a contract if they are the only firm or highly beneficial for a part of the Fisheries domain. The proposals will be evaluated in accordance with Solicitation.

Attachment J-4 ProTech Request for Proposal ST-1330-17-RP-0008 -0002

Industry Questions and Answers Template 01/30/2017

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3 62 L.10.2 2

The Offeror must clearly demonstrate their capacity to support all of the stated (section C) Fisheries requirements. Evaluation of an offeror’s technical expertise and experience will assess factors such as relevant experience in performing similar contracts, considerations for scientific and technical support services similar to those required in this solicitation, and ability to effectively operate in separate and diverse locations.”

Request the government clarify whether offerors may submit a proposal only on specific line items of the PWS. If the government agrees that offerors need only submit on specific line items – will the RFP be amended to state the same? In addition, will the government provide amplifying data on how these types of proposals will be evaluated? See Government Response to Question Number 2 above.

9, 46, 49, 55

& 68 B.1; K.1; L.4;

& M.2 Several

Recommend that NAICS 541990 be changed to 561210 - Facilities Support Services due to the broad and diverse services requested under this procurement, so that NOAA can get responses from medium sized firms. If the Government were to review the broad range of services and even trades (ship repairing which falls under NAICS 336611) requested, this NAICS can serve them all.

The Government conducted thorough Market Research to determine the appropriate NAICS code for this Domain, which is 541990. Companies/Contractors/Offerors are encouraged to compete at any size.

5 32, 64, & 68 H, L , & M 3.2, 6, & 10.3.6

Request that the Small Business Subcontracting Plan required as part of the submission of an Unrestricted Proposal, not be included as part of the overall 25 page limit for Volume III.

The Final Solicitation will reflect a separate page limit for the Small Business Subcontracting Plan (excluding the Master Subcontracting Plan).

& Att. J-5 L 10.4.3

Selection of projects, development of associated draft PPAQs and customer completion of PPAQs takes significant time to complete.

Given that many federal customers are difficult to reach this time of year, and the potential multiple PPAQ requests they may obtain from companies for the procurement, establishing 12 January 2017 as the deadline for customers to let Offerors know whether or not they can submit electronically is going to be quite a challenge. It is also set for before the Final RFP is estimated to be issued. Further, the current date for customer submission of PPAQs is set for 19 January 2017, nearly a month ahead of the submission of the final proposal.

Request that PPAQ submission be closer to or the same as the due date for the overall proposal; perhaps to a separate email address to segment them out from proposal submissions.

The Final Solicitation/Request for Proposal will reflect a changed alternate delivery date for Past Performance Questionnaires and a changed submission date that is closer to the proposal due date.

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7 69 M 3.1 Factor I

The Second Paragraph notes ‘extent to which the Offeror has showed commitment to the pursuit of Environmental Intelligence and investment in innovative solutions to achieving NOAA’s vision in this Domain.’ This evaluation criteria matched well in the DRFP corresponding Section L requirements. However, since the corresponding Section L (Vol. II) requirements were revised, thus removing the request to demonstrate commitment to pursuit of Environmental Intelligence and investment in innovative solutions; this remaining Section M text appears to now be out of place. Please consider revising Section M to be more consistent with the new Section L.

Section L has been revised to incorporate Environmental Intelligence as stated in the Sections C & M.

8 ATTACHMENT J-6

The Pricing Template shows columns for Loaded Hourly Labor rates for Years 1 -9 . Should this be Years 1-6 (5 years + 1 year for tasks that may be extended) rather than for 9 years?

The Pricing Template (Attachment J-6) reflects Government requested Loaded Hourly Labor Rates for Years 1 - 9 in accordance with Section I.4(d) June 29, 2025 (see Solicitation/Request for Proposal pages 44 - 45).

9 65 L 10.4.3 1

All key personnel responsible for execution of an applicable scope of work while under contract with a previous firm are currently employed by a firm responding to this solicitation. The firm responding to the solicitation also has direct contracts with the contracting firm of the subject scope of work. Can a PPQ be prepared for the current firm's personnel although the work was executed under contract with another firm?

Past Performance information may be submitted regarding predecessor companies, key personnel who have relevant experience, or subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirement when such information is relevant to the solicitation.

However, data concerning the prime Offeror shall be provided first, followed by each proposed subcontractor, in alphabetical order. Joint Ventures shall submit past performance information for the JV. In accordance with FAR 15.305(2)(iv), Offerors with no recent or relevant past performance will result in assignment of a neutral rating, indicating neither a favorable nor unfavorable evaluation rating.

10 55 L.5 1

Industry understands that NOAA anticipates 75% of the awards will be set aside for small business. In addition, Industry has reviewed the draft small business subcontracting goals with 49% going toward small business to meet NOAA's subcontracting goals. Since small firms can compete for all work, this would leave many firms with a very small share of ProTech opportunities. Industry is hoping NOAA will consider a set aside for mid-tier companies that have just graduated from small business or will graduate over the course of ProTech. Alternatively, consider more reasonable small business subcontracting goals for mid-tier companies like may have just graduated from small business.

The Government conducted thorough Market Research to determine: the appropriate size standard ($15M); whether to include a reserve in accordance with 13 CFR 125.2(e)(4) [75%]; the appropriate NAICS code for this Domain (541990); the acquisition strategy/contract type(s); etc... and determined that although there is a reserve for small business, Companies/Contractors/Joint Venturers/Offerors are encouraged to compete at any size.

11 12 C Multiple

As a WOSB we cannot propose on the entirety of requirements for this domain but we do offer excellent past performance in certain areas. Assuming we do not team with a large or medium business can we submit our response and future proposal addressing specific tasks requirement? See Government Response to Question Number 2 above.

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12 64 L.10.4.1 Section I - Contract

Descriptions 3

If we are including government contracts for which we were a subcontractor, do we include the contact info for the Prime (who subcontracted our company) or the Client (the government agency)?

The Prospective Offeror shall send the questionnaires for relevant projects that are in progress or completed in the past five (5) years to the individuals who will provide the reference. For Government contracts, send to the Contracting Officer or Technical Representative. (Referenced Attachment J-5, Instructions & Section A ).

13 65

L.10.4.3 Section III – Past Performance Assessment

Questionnaire 4

If we are including government contracts for which we were a subcontractor, do we submit the questionnaire to the Prime (who subcontracted our company) or the Client (the government agency)? See Government Response to Question Number 12 above.

14 64

L.10.4.1 Section I - Contract

Descriptions 3 What is meant by "Government contract administration activity, if delegated"?

As referenced in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 42.2 - Contract Administration Services specify that contracting officers may delegate contract administration or specialized support services.

15 65 L.10.4.2

Section II – Performance 2 Can you please explain what is meant by "professional concern for the interest of its customers" under requirement #5 for performance?

Whether the Offeror/Contractor/Joint Venturer/Companies, etc... is committed to the Customers' requirement to include but not limited to limiting and/or eliminating conflicts of interest; providing a customer driven solution; abiding by professional ethics, etc.…

16 14 C.3.1 Studies, Analyses and

Reports 1

"Provide literature searches and reviews; compile and catalog background material; and prepare analyses, summaries and bibliographies." has not been given a section number. Shouldn't this be "C.3.1.1" and the other services be renumbered? The Final Solicitation will reflect that it has been renumbered to C.3.1.11.

17 60

L.10 FORMAT AND

INSTRUCTIONS FOR

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION 4

Based on the text "The Executive Summary letter shall include:", should the Executive Summary be formatted as a letter? Yes or any other format that contains the information listed in L.10.1.

18 59 L.9.2 Format Instructions 3 Can the font size of text in the headers and footers be less than 12 pt.?

As stated in L.9.2, the Offeror will use a standard, Times New Roman 12-point minimum font.. The Offeror may use a reduced legible font size, not less than 8-point in Times New Roman, Arial, Cambria, or Calibri font, and landscape orientation for Tables and Illustrations.

19 59 L.9.2 Format Instructions 3

Should a reference to the FAR 3.104 proprietary data notice be provided on each page of the proposal or just the front page of each volume? As stated in L.9.2, proprietary data notice should be provided only on the front/cover page.

20 60

L.10 FORMAT AND

INSTRUCTIONS FOR

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION 4

According to the RFP, "A signed and completed solicitation/contract form and any subsequent amendments" should be included in Vol I. Where is a copy of this form?

The Standard Form (SF)33 form will be provided in the Final Solicitation and will be labeled as such. The SF33 will be pages 7 & 8 of the Solicitation. Any Amendments, if issued, will be issued on a SF30.

21 59

L.10 FORMAT AND

INSTRUCTIONS FOR

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION 3

Do the 25-page limits for Volumes II and III include the title pages and table of contents for each volume? No.

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22 65

L.10.4 Volume IV

– Past Performance (Factor

III) 3 When will the final Past Performance Questionnaire be available?

The Past Performance Questionnaire is available on Federal Business Opportunities (FBO): Pre-Solicitation Notice ST-1330-17-RP-0008 as Attachment_J- 5_Past_Performance_Questionnaire and will also be available upon posting of the Final Solicitation on FBO as Attachment_J-5_Past_Performance_Questionnaire.

23 65

L.10.4 Volume IV

– Past Performance (Factor

III) 3

Due to the delay in receiving the final RFP and final Past Performance Questionnaire, will the deadline for submittal of the questionnaires by the POCs be extended beyond January 19, 2017?

The Final Solicitation reflects amended due dates to include Past Performance Questionnaire due date.

24 65 L.10.5 Volume V

– Cost/Price (Factor IV) 4 Can you please provide the cost table in Attachment J-6 Cost/Price Template for Ceiling Rates as an Excel file? Yes. The Final Solicitation includes the Excel file.

25 66 L.10.5 Volume V

– Cost/Price (Factor IV) 4

"Failure to offer ceiling hourly rates for all labor categories and all contract periods may result in the Offeror being ineligible for award." This statement implies that rates must be provided for ALL labor categories listed in Attachment J-6, but what do we do if we do not have staff for ALL labor categories? For example, if we do not provide engineering services, then we will not have engineering labor categories or rates.

Although the award will not be based on specific line items and that a Prospective Offeror need not provide capability for the entire array of efforts set forth in the Statement of Work (SOW) to be considered for award, the Government maintains that Prospective Offerors should still include the ceiling hourly rates for all labor categories and all contract periods. Prospective Offerors may find the rates based on the market, even if Prospective Offerors do not have the staff in house at this time, so long as the basis of the rates are fair and reasonable.

26 66 L.10.5 Volume V

– Cost/Price (Factor IV) 4

Attachment J-6 Cost/Price Template for Ceiling Rates includes a Level 4 for each labor category but this level is not described in Attachment J-2.

Do we just leave Level 4 in the table blank?

Amended. Final Solicitation and corresponding Attachment reflects up to Level 3 labor categories.

27 N/A Att J-6 Cost/Price Template N/A

Would the government consider adding a Subject Matter Expert (SME) labor category, or consider adding the Standard Level 4 used in the ProTech-Satellite RFP for each labor category? Not at this time.

28 62 L.10.2 1 Can NOAA define how they differentiate proficiencies and capabilities or are these terms being used interchangeably?

Amended. The Final Solicitation reflects Corporate Experience and Commitment and not proficiencies.

29 N/A Section J – Att J-5 N/A Should offerors submit a copy of each Past Performance Questionnaire submitted to client references in Volume IV, Past Performance?

The Prospective Offeror shall send the questionnaires for relevant projects that are in progress or completed in the past five (5) years to the individuals who will provide the reference. For Government contracts, send to the Contracting Officer or Technical Representative. For commercial references, send to personnel with duties similar to those for Government contracts. It is the responsibility of the Offeror to follow-up and encourage references to submit the questionnaire. The completed questionnaire shall be submitted via e-mail directly from the person providing the reference. (Reference Attachment_J-5_Past_Performance_Questionnaire )

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30 41 I.1 Contract Clauses

In the RFP Section I Contract Clauses lists FAR 52.219-14 (Limitations on Subcontracting) which states: Services (except construction). At least 50 percent of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees of the concern. Does the requirement for a small business prime contractor “At least 50 percent of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees of the concern” refer to each individual task order (TO) or to the entire contract period? If it is based on each task order this may limit a small business teams ability to bid on work that other small business team members may have the majority of the TO capability requirements since the ProTech small business prime must have 50% of contract labor costs.

Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.219-14 – Limitation of Subcontracting is applicable to the entire contract. The Contracting Officer and/or the Ordering Contracting Officer has the discretion to apply the Limitation of Subcontracting clause at the task order level.

31 41 I.1 Contract Clauses

The SBA has recently enacted a rule change which allows small businesses to meet their own performance requirements by subcontracting to “similarly situated entities.” In other words, for a small business set-aside, a company could achieve its own performance requirements, in part, by subcontracting to other small businesses. The final rule became effective on June 30, 2016, but many of these changes, including the Limitation on Subcontracting and similarly situated entity changes, will also require a change to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). Will this new SBA rule apply to the ProTech contract for the small business Fisheries Domain? Yes.

32 37 H.14 (a) Will companies awarded a ProTech contract have the option to place the ProTech Program Manager at the NOAA Silver Springs facility?

The determination of the location of Program Manager(s) and/or Key Personnel will be set at the task order level.

33 9 B.1 1

When NOAA issues task orders through the ProTech contract vehicle will all ProTech contractors receive the task order (TO) if they fall within the business classification the TO is issued under (i.e. Full and Open, Small business set aside, Hub Zone, etc.) or can NOAA select a limited number of prime contactors to send the TO.

All ProTech-Fisheries contract holders will be provided a fair opportunity to be considered on task orders, in accordance with FAR 16.505(b)(1), unless exempted in accordance with applicable terms of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. The OCO, in consultation with the TO COR or other designated technical representatives, will examine the capabilities of the award holders in order to determine if a small business or other socio-economic category set-aside is appropriate for each order. After completing this examination, the OCO may limit competition for an order to small businesses or a socio-economic category. The OCO will then solicit proposals from the contractors within the appropriate small business category, as applicable, or open the competition to all contract holders after review and coordination with the NOAA Small Business Office and the Small Business Administration (SBA). (Ref. Final Solicitation/RFP dated January 11, 2017, Section G.3.1., p. 26 ).

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34 64 L.10.4 1

Section L.10.4 states that the past performances must be within three years. The draft Past Performance Attachment J-5 states "completed in the past five (5) years." We suggest the five year timeframe since many NOAA contracts have five year terms and significant experience may be negated by using the three year past performance.

The Final Solicitation/Request for Proposal posted on Federal Business Opportunities on 1/11/2017 for L.10.4 states "Offerors shall submit past performance information for up to eight (8) contracts, preferably representing both Government and the private sectors (no less than three for the prime or Joint Venture) having performance within the past five years, which are relevant to the efforts required by this solicitation."

35 14 C.3.1 1

Should "Provide literature searches and reviews; compile and catalog background material; and prepare analyses; summaries and bibliographies" be a numbered task group?

The Final Solicitation posted on Federal Business Opportunities on 1/11/2017 reflects that it has been renumbered to C.3.1.11.

36 36 H.11 e 1

Will the government allow modifications to a ProTech prime contractor's original contract to add or remove team members? If so, what are the requirements of this process?

The Final Solicitation/Request for Proposal posted on Federal Business Opportunities on 1/11/2017 provides for changes in key personnel (see Section H.14- 1352.237-75 KEY PERSONNEL (Apr 2010) p. 37 ). The process for other personnel will be set at the task order level.

37 26; 47 G; K 6 (p.26); 2-3 (p.47)

Regarding small businesses: Can a team made up completely of qualifying small businesses be considered a single entity similar to a Joint Venture, and propose together as one team for a contract?

Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 9.6 - Contractor Team Agreements allows for teaming arrangements; provided, the arrangements are identified and company relationships are fully disclosed in an offer to include any conflicts of interests and mitigation thereof and that all terms and conditions are met per the Final Solicitation / Request for Proposal. If no Prime Contractor is identified in the teaming agreement, then the Government will treat each team member as a Prime Contractor; therefore, the Government will have privity with each Contractor under a teaming agreement. Therefore, if the team is made up of qualifying small businesses it will be evaluated per FAR 9.6;

however, if the team is a Joint Venture, then see the Final Solicitation posted on Federal Business Opportunities on 1/11/2017, L.10.1 Volume I, Section VI - Joint Venture on p.

61.

In addition, for Subcontracts to similarly situated entities, a small business concern prime contractor that receives a contract listed in paragraph (a) of this section and spends contract amounts on a subcontractor that is a similarly situated entity shall not consider those subcontracted amounts as subcontracted for purposes of determining whether the small business concern prime contractor has violated paragraph (a) of this section, to the extent the subcontractor performs the work with its own employees. Any work that the similarly situated subcontractor does not perform with its own employees shall be considered subcontracted SBA will also exclude a subcontract to a similarly situated entity from consideration under the ostensible subcontractor rule (See §121.103(h)(4)).

38 37; 38

H - H.14 Key Personnel (a);

H - H.14.1 Task Order Key

Personnel par. 5 (p.37);

par. 1 (p.38)

Section H only requests the resume of a Program Manager as Key Personnel. Will you want to see resumes of additional key personnel somewhere in the proposal or at a later point? How does NOAA plan to assess key staff qualifications?

Not at this time. However, at the task order level, if the Government determines that additional personnel are key to successful completion of a task order, they will be designated as "Task Order Key Personnel" in the request for offer.

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39 62; 69

Section L.10.2 Volume II - Corporate Experience and Commitment (Factor I);

Section M Evaluation

Factors for Award / M.2 Basis for Awards par. 2 (p.62);

par. 5 (p.69)

Section L.10.2 states "The Offeror must clearly demonstrate their capacity to support all of the stated (Section C) Fisheries requirements."

Section M states "An Offeror need not provide capability for the entire array of efforts set forth in the SOW to be considered for award. Offerors with limited capability may obtain a contract if they are the only firm or highly beneficial for a part of this domain."

Please clarify: Which statement is correct? May a Prime firm propose on, and be awarded for, just one, or a select few, of the Section C sub-elements?

The Final Solicitation posted on Federal Business Opportunities on 1/11/2017 for L.10.2 states, "The Offeror must clearly demonstrate its knowledge of environmental intelligence, NOAA, and the scope of requirements in this Domain and its corporate commitment to investing in solutions relevant to these areas."

The award will not be based on specific line items; therefore, a Prospective Offeror need not provide capability for the entire array of efforts set forth in the Statement of Work (SOW) to be considered for award. Prospective Offerors with limited capability may obtain a contract if they are the only firm or highly beneficial for a part of the Fisheries domain. However, the Government maintains that Prospective Offerors should still include the ceiling hourly rates for all labor categories and all contract periods. Prospective Offerors may find the rates based on the market, even if Prospective Offerors do not have the staff in house at this time, so long as the basis of the rates are fair and reasonable.

40 12 C Various

As a Small Business, we are very interested in responding to certain individual requirements within the SOW. Will stand alone task orders be issued or must we be part of a larger team in order to respond.

The award will not be based on specific line items; therefore, a Prospective Offeror need not provide capability for the entire array of efforts set forth in the Statement of Work (SOW) to be considered for award. Prospective Offerors with limited capability may obtain a contract if they are the only firm or highly beneficial for a part of the Fisheries domain. However, the Government maintains that Prospective Offerors should still include the ceiling hourly rates for all labor categories and all contract periods.

Prospective Offerors may find the rates based on the market, even if Prospective Offerors do not have the staff in house at this time, so long as the basis of the rates are fair and reasonable.

Task Order competition will be based on the specifics of the task order requirement and, thus will be determined by the Ordering Officer at the task order level.

41 14 C C.3.1.1 How does NOAA define data quality assurance and data stewardship?

NOAA defines data quality assurance in accordance with the Data Quality Act or Information Quality Act. Prospective Offerors must comply with the same guidelines regarding data quality assurance as the federal agency to which they are providing a proposal. (See NOAA Information Quality website at:

http://www.cio.noaa.gov/services_programs/info_quality.html).

NOAA defines data stewardship in accordance with the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. (See NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information website at: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ and https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/news/addressing-scientific-data-stewardship-challenges).

42 14 C C.3.1.7 What standards apply to the specialized scientific illustrations?

The standards and specifications for specialized scientific illustrations will be set at the task order level.

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43 22 F F.5

Will the Government clarify the meaning of "term" in the sentence "This notification shall give pertinent details, but this data shall be informational only in character; this term shall not be construed as a waiver by the Government of any delivery schedule or date, or any rights or remedies provided by law or under this contract."?

The meaning of "term" applies to when the Contractor notifies the Ordering Contracting Officer and the Task Order Contracting Officer Representative in writing of the difficulty in meeting performance requirements. Moreover, although the notification should give pertinent details, it is informational only in character and not construed as a waiver by the Government.

44 23 F F.6.1 and F.6.2 Does " Adobe electronic format" mean Adobe .pdf? Yes.

45 26 G G.3.1

Which capabilities will be examined to determine if a set aside is appropriate, those in the contract proposals or those in response to a request for capability for the specific task? The capabilities of the contract holder.

46 33 H H.8 ( e )

Will the Government change the lead sentence to read" If Government personnel may be re furloughed, the OCO or the TO COR will contact the Contractor and give direction on the contractor's actions if the furlough should occur. The OCO or TO COR will notify the Contractor when furlough occurs."? Advance furlough planning between the OCO/TO COR and the Contractor will ensure optimum task order performance. The Government will not change Section H.8(e).

47 63 L L.10.3.3 Resources: Are there any specific type of resources available to employees that NOAA seek?

Attachment J-2 provides examples (but are not limited to all these categories/descriptions), of varying types of NOAA's requested resources. In addition, specific resources, as required, will be set at the task order level.

48 63 L L.10.3.3 Resources: Are there any restrictions with using non-US entities as subcontractors, excluding those countries listed in FAR 52.225-13? The Final Solicitation/Request for Proposal, provides for restrictions, if any.

49 64 L L.10.4 May the Prime Contractor submit a past performance where performance was as a Subcontractor?

Yes. However, past performance submissions that are not recent and/or not relevant will not be considered in the evaluations. Therefore, in selecting past performance examples, Prospective Offerors should bear in mind the Government will evaluate the extent to which the past performance examples proffered cover the delineated Domain requirements.

50 64 L L.10.4.1 Bullet (a.) under L.10.4.1 — is the Government asking for the CAGE Code and DUNS for the Offeror or the Contract?

The Government is requesting the Prospective Offeror's DUNS and CAGE Code as registered in the System for Award Management (SAM). Note: whether the number(s) is (are) different than your current number(s), please ensure that you provide the previous and current number(s).

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51 1 ATTACHMENT J-5 2

The referenced attachment states, "The questionnaire must be submitted to pro-tech.fisheries@noaa.gov no later than 3:00 PM EST, February 13, 2017."

The body of the Solicitation on FBO states, "Past Performance Assessment Questionnaires shall be emailed to pro-techfisheries@noaa.gov no later than 3:00 PM Eastern Standard Time February 10, 2017."

On 1/13/2017, the Government amended the solicitation replacing Attachment J-5 with "FINAL AMENDED RFP Attachment_J-5_Past_Performance_Questionnaire Fillable."

This amended form reflects the amended due date.

In addition, per Amendment 0002, all the fields in Attachment_J-5 Past_Performance_Questionnaire are fillable. (See Attachment_J- 5_Past_Performance_Questionnaire - A0002 ).

52 12 C Various

Would it be possible to submit a proposal for select work items where we have demonstrated and highly documented expertise, or does the contractor need to bid for the entire slate of work items under a specific heading?

The award will not be based on specific line items; therefore, a Prospective Offeror need not provide capability for the entire array of efforts set forth in the Statement of Work (SOW) to be considered for award. Prospective Offerors with limited capability may obtain a contract if they are the only firm or highly beneficial for a part of the Fisheries domain. However, the Government maintains that Prospective Offerors should still include the ceiling hourly rates for all labor categories and all contract periods. Prospective Offerors may find the rates based on the market, even if Prospective Offerors do not have the staff in house at this time, so long as the basis of the rates are fair and reasonable.

53 N/A N/A N/A

Various companies were identified to participate in the Industry Day activities for the Fisheries Domain and how may a company obtain this distinct advantage?

There were no specific companies identified to participate in the Fisheries Domain Industry Day rather, on 10/13/2016, NOAA Acquisition and Grants Office announced on Federal Business Opportunities (FBO or FedBizOpps) that it was hosting a Fisheries Domain Industry Day on 12/02/2016 and provided a link to register for this event. Upon completion of the Industry Day event, a list of Attendees (in-person & webinar) and Government Responses to Questions were posted to FBO on 12/2/2016 and 12/6/2016, respectively. The following links were used to direct interested Vendors / Attendees to the Fisheries Domain Industry Day: http://www.ago.noaa.gov/acquisition/pro-tech/10_pro-tech.html or https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=f082e31bdbc486ab 8e2ec5258a54e9e4&_cview=0.

54 12 C All Does Solicitation No. ST-1330-17-RP-0008 for ProTech Fisheries Services require architectural services? No.

55 3 ATTACHMENT J-5

Section B, Part II

There are problems with the PP questionnaire not being fillable under type of contract and management of key personnel the only fillable box is exceptional.

On 1/13/2017, the Government amended the solicitation replacing Attachment J-5 with "FINAL AMENDED RFP Attachment_J-5_Past_Performance_Questionnaire Fillable."

This amended form reflects the amended due date and also has fillable fields for All Fields except for Section B, Part II Performance Elements only. The comments section is fillable.

Currently, there is no fix for the fillable Performance Elements, and therefore, may require manual completion of Performance Elements by the individual(s) providing the reference.

56 2 ATTACHMENT J-5 Section A Pricing Type is not a fillable field except for Specify under Other - how should we handle? See Government Response to Question Number 55 above.

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57 2 ATTACHMENT J-5 Section A Role on Project is not a fillable field- how should we handle? See Government Response to Question Number 55 above.

58 64 L L.10.4.1 Bullet (a.) under L.10.4.1 — Is the Government asking for the CAGE Code and DUNS of the Offeror (contractor) or the contract? See Government Response to Question Number 50.

59 58 L

L.9.2 – Paragraph 1, L.10.5.2 –

Paragraph 2

Instructions under L.9.2 state: “The electronic submission for Volume V shall be submitted in excel spreadsheet.” Instructions under L.10.5.2 state that a cost/price narrative should be included with Volume V. If we may only submit Volume V in Excel format per L.9.2, do you expect the narrative portion to be in an Excel spreadsheet as well? Or may we use Word for the narrative, and Excel for the pricing spreadsheet?

Prospective Offerors may use a Word document for the narrative to be included with Volume V.

60 61 L.10.1 L.10.1 Section

IV

Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) Mitigation Plan. Please confirm that an OCI Mitigation Plan is not required if the Offeror or any of its subcontractors are not aware of any actual or potential OCI issues at the time of proposal submission.

If a Prospective Offeror, or any of its subcontractors, is not aware of any facts which create any actual or potential OCI relating to the award of this contract it must state so in this section but need not submit an Organizational Conflict of Interest Mitigation Plan. (Ref. Final Solicitation/Request for Proposal ST-1330-17-RP-0008, L.10.1 Section IV, p. 61 ).

61 66 L L.10.5.1

May more than one ceiling rate be proposed, one for the Offeror and one for the subcontractors, for each labor category or only one combined ceiling rate?

One combined ceiling rate. However, Prospective Offerors shall describe comprehensively and in detail how the rates and their component cost elements were developed in order to eliminate, or at least minimize, the need for clarification questions by the Government as it reviews the price proposals.

62 2-3 ATTACHMENT J-2

Standard Level

Definitions How much is a PhD worth? Is it BS + PhD = 8 years of experience? Or is it AS + BS + MS+ PhD = 12.

The Standard Level Definitions is as follows: Education and Advanced degrees from an accredited institution and/or professional credentials from a recognized entity may be cumulatively tallied and substituted for experience. In general, masters and associates degrees are equivalent to two years of experience; bachelors and doctoral degrees are equivalent to four years of experience. Requirements for specialized degrees, credentials, and experience will be specified at the task order level, along with appropriate equivalencies.

Level 1: Minimum one (1) year of relevant experience, with up to seven years total relevant experience; requirements for degrees or credentials will be identified at the task order level.

Level 2: Minimum seven (7) years of relevant experience, with up to 14 years total relevant experience; requirements for advanced degrees or credentials will be identified at the task order level.

Level 3: Minimum 14 years or more of relevant experience; requirements for advanced degrees or credentials will be identified at the task order level.

63 3 ATTACHMENT J-5

Section B, Part II Some parts of survey are not fillable - pricing type; management of key personnel the only option is exceptional See Government Response to Question 55 above.

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64 N/A ATTACHMENT J-1 N/A Is this attachment missing? Ceiling hourly rate table by labor category.

The Final Solicitation/Request for Proposal, has been revised per Amendment A0002 and Section J "List of Attachments" indicates that Attachment J-1 "will be completed at award" (i.e. Attachment J-1 will be the Awardee(s) ceiling rates submitted in response to the Final Solicitation/Request for Proposal providing information on how the rates and their component cost elements in Attachment J-6 were developed and rationale why the Offeror considers them to be reasonable.).

65 9-10 B.4 2

Re: ceiling rate. "The OCO has flexibility to exceed the contracted ceiling rates for requirements requiring special security clearance, sea days, hazard pay, work to be performed outside the US, or other extraordinary circumstances." Our company primarily provides services for sea days.

Costs for sea days depend on many individual factors such as location, vessel type, fishery, etc. A) How do we bid our sea day services using ceiling rates? B) Will the celling rates we bid later be adjusted and increased for each task order? C) We are not clear how to bid our services when they differ so widely depending on each individual job.

A) The Prospective Offeror should base the rates on the most highly qualified employee or class of employees within a category working in the highest cost location, considering the higher cost of performance at a Government or Contractor site.

B) If permitted by the task order solicitation, the Prospective Offeror may propose appropriate labor categories and labor rates necessary to meet the requirements of the solicitation despite their not being included in ProTech-Fisheries as awarded.

C) See response to A). In addition, Prospective Offerors shall describe comprehensively and in detail how the rates and their component cost elements were developed in order to eliminate, or at least minimize, the need for clarification questions by the Government as it reviews the price proposals. In explaining why the proposed rates and their component cost elements are reasonable, Prospective Offerors shall refer to any comparable rates from existing IDIQ contracts with federal Government organizations, such as GSA Federal Supply Schedule contracts, and may also reference relevant rate agreements with, or recommendations by, federal Government organizations, Bureau of Labor Statistics Standard Occupational Classification pay information, wage escalation forecasts by reputable forecasting organizations, and any other information that the Offeror considers relevant. (Ref. Final Solicitation/Request for Proposal, Section L.10.5.2, p. 66 ).

66 11 B.4.5 3

Re: Program Management Costs "Task order project management support costs may be proposed and billed against individual task orders for direct support of the effort performed under those task orders." This section says that project management can be proposed and billed at the task order level, but there is no labor category in Section J - Attachment J-2 for project management. Does this mean that we do not include project management rates in this RFP, but that such costs may be later included in task orders?

No. see ATTACHMENTS J-2 & J-6, Category 5 for description and submission of ceiling rates for Program Operations Services.

67 16 C.3.3.2

Can an Offeror bid a portion of a line item? For example in C.3.3.2 can just marine surveys be discussed and not freshwater and terrestrial surveys?

The award will not be based on specific line items; therefore, an Offeror need not provide capability for the entire array of efforts or the entire task as set forth in the Statement of Work (SOW) to be considered for award. Offerors with limited capability, such as providing only for diverse elements of the task [i.e. marine surveys and not freshwater and terrestrial surveys] , may obtain a contract if they are the only firm or highly beneficial for a part of the Fisheries domain.

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68 32 H.6 1 Is a small business required to fill in Section H.6?

No. In accordance with 52.219-9(a) - This clause does not apply to small business concerns.

69 58 L.9.2 1

Re: Format instructions "The electronic submission for Volume V shall be submitted in excel spreadsheet. All Security permissions on the excel spreadsheet (i.e."xls")…Can we also submit with .xlsx format or is .xls required?

The Final Solicitation/Request for Proposal, has been revised per Amendment A0002 and thus indicates that the electronic submission for Volume V contain one copy of the proposal volume in Adobe Acrobat portable document format (i.e. “.pdf”). In addition, the electronic submission for Volume V shall incorporate ATTACHMENT J-6 and shall contain the requested information as stated in L.10.5.

70 58 L.9.2 2 Does each volume have a Table of Contents in Word?

The Final Solicitation/Request for Proposal, has been revised per Amendment A0002 and thus indicates the electronic submission for Volumes I, II, III, IV and V as separate electronic files shall contain one copy of the respective proposal volume in Adobe Acrobat portable document format (i.e. “.pdf”), which includes the Table of Contents.

71 58 L.9.2 2 Are there page limitations to Tables of Contents?

No. However, the Table of Content must correspond to the items in the document and that does have a page limit.

72 60 L.10.1

Section II -- Solicitation Documents

Shall Section II include the entire solicitation from cover page to last page of 70 or from the SF 33 on page 6 to page 70?

Section II - Solicitation Documents includes A) a signed and completed solicitation/contract (i.e. SF33) and B) any subsequent amendments (i.e. SF30).

73 61 L.10.1 Volume I

Admin Section III 1

Re: Financial Documents "for the Offeror's past fiscal year and current reporting period as of the date of the proposal…" Our proposals will be submitted in Feb. 2017 so for a calendar year business where 2016 books are still open, are you looking for final CY 2015 and draft CY 2016 statements as of Feb. 2017? Yes, CY2015 & draft CY2016 is sufficient.

74 61 L.10.1 Volume I Admin

Section III 2

Re: Financial Documents "Prior to submission, a company officer or CPA will certify the statements." What wording are you looking for that would satisfy this requirement? We are a small business with unaudited financial statements.

In order for the Government to determine Financial Responsibility of the Prime, Offerors will submit financial statements certified by either a company officer or CPA.

75 61 L.10.1 Volume I Admin

Section III 3

Re: accounting system "If the Contractor does not have an accounting system that has been determined adequate by the CFA or CFAO, but believes its accounting system is adequate, the Contractor shall so state in its proposal as well as a rationale." What factors are you looking for re: "a rationale" that would satisfy this requirement? We have not been audited by a CFA or CFAO. The Contractor shall so state in its proposal and provide a detailed explanation of such.

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76 66 L.10.5.1 Volume V -

Cost/Price (Factor IV), J6

Re: Price Matrix "with the requested cost element detail" underlying those fully burdened hourly rates. By "the requested cost element detail" do you mean the individual columns for Direct Labor Rate, Fringe Benefits, Overhead , G&A and Profit as shown in Attachment J-6? From the Attachment J-6 spreadsheet format, it appears that this level of detail is only requested for the Year 1 Loaded Hourly Labor Rate. Should the cost element detail be provided for each of the six year columns or just Year 1 as indicated by the spreadsheet format? The spreadsheet format does not allow for changes in individual cost elements from year to year.

The cost element and profit percentage detail should only be provided in the spreadsheet for the first year. The ceiling rates for the succeeding years are calculated using a single annual escalation rate. The Government anticipates that for most Offerors the escalation rate will represent the anticipated increase in the direct labor component of the ceiling rate. However, if an Offeror forecasts changes in other cost elements--in certain indirect cost rates, for example--from the initial year, the Offeror should reflect those changes in the annual escalation rate used to calculate the ceiling rate for years two and beyond and provide a detailed explanation of the derivation of that escalation rate in the narrative section of the price proposal.

77 ATTACHMENT J-2 1

Re: Category 1: Scientific Services vs Category 6 Scientific Information Services. Our company provides fisheries observers on vessels. There is some overlap between categories; which category would this service fall under? Should we just bid under both categories? See Government Response to Question Number 67.

78 ATTACHMENT J-6 1

General Instructions refer to individual cells in the template but it is difficult to tell what cells are being referred to without the column coordinate headings. Can NOAA please label the template cells being referred to in the instructions? Such as cell I7, M7 etc. The Government will not revise Attachment J-6.

79 58 L.9.2 2

The solicitation states that "all pages of each volume shall be appropriately numbered and identified by the complete company name, date, and solicitation number in either the headers or footers" does this include the solicitation documents? For example Standard Form 33, Attachment J-5, and all Amendments to the solicitation.

Standard Form 33 (Lines 14, 15A, 15B &15C); Standard Form 30 (Lines 8, 15A, & 15B);

and Attachment J-5 (Section A, Part I), all include blank spaces for Contractor information. In addition, as stated in L.9.2 SF33, SF30s, financial statements, and Representations and Certifications from SAM.gov need not conform to the formatting instructions provided.

80 64 L.10.4.3 1

For firms that are identified in more than one ProTech proposal, such as a small business prime offeror and a subcontractor to a large business prime offeror. How should we differentiate between past performance questionnaires submitted to the evaluator to be used as part of our proposal as a small business prime offeror, and the PP questionnaire submitted to the evaluator as a subcontractor to a large business prime offeror if the evaluator and contract is the same? Should we ask the evaluator to complete two questionnaires, one for the large business offer and one for the small business offeror?

Yes, the Prospective Offeror may ask the evaluator to complete one for the large business offer and one for the small business offer.

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81 9 B.2 1

According to Section B.2 of the RFP “The term of ProTech-Fisheries is a two (2) year base period and three (3) one-year optional periods, for a total period of performance of five (5) years if all options are exercised.”

However, Attachment_J-6_Cost/Price Template for Ceiling Rates requests Loaded Hourly Labor Rates for Year 1 through Year 9. Should B.2 be amended to a term of a one (1) year base and eight (8) one-year optional periods, for a total period of performance of nine (9) years if all options are exercised? See Government Response to Question Number 8 above.

82 N/A

ATTACHMENT J- 2

Fisheries Labor Category

Descriptions N/A Would the government consider adding a Subject Matter Expert (SME) labor category for the Fisheries Domain? See Government Response to Question Number 27 above.

83 PPAQ J

ATTACHMENT

J-5

With regard to the email submission of Past Performance Questionnaires, where it asks for "Company Name " in the email subject line, should this be the Offeror, or the Subcontractor if it is a Subcontractor project?

The Prospective Offeror is…