QA_for_DRAFT_RFP.pdf

# Pg. # Section Paragraph Question/Comment Government Response

1 7 A Schedule What is the purpose of the table? Is it what will be required for individual task orders?

Per FAR 15.204-2(a) the table provides a brief description of the services being procured. A similar table will be present at the order level, for all orders that are structured to follow the Uniform

Contract Format.

2 7 A Schedule In the "Unit" column, what does "JB" stand for? JB stands for JOB.

3 8 B 1 Will there be guidance provided at the IDIQ level on actions to take in the event of a shutdown.

No, all guidance and determinations will be made on a per order basis, at the order level.

4 10 B 4.5

How are required IDIQ contract-level program management costs

(e.g., compilation and submission of Monthly Contract Status

Reports; activities of the Program Manager; etc.) to be recovered by the Offeror if it is their standard practice to recover these as direct charges to the Client?

No funds will be obligated at the IDIQ contract level. All costs shall be invoiced at the task order level. Direct and indirect charges should be handled in accordance with the offeror's normal accounting process.

5 11 C 3

For NOS Offices that do a lot of community engagement and outreached, do they depend on the field offices to disseminate the information? Do the communication staff have to be co-located?

The majority of NOS Offices that do community engagement depend on the field offices to disseminate information. Operations may also take place at NOS headquarters directly. There is no uniform requirement for communications staff to be co-located, however the determination on the requirement for on-site work will be made by the Ordering Contracting Officer at the order level.

6 11 C 3 How will OAR requirements be addressed in ProTech?

While OAR, will be able to place orders off of the Oceans

Domain IDIQ, a large part of OAR's science requirements have been moved to the ProTech Weather Domain.

ProTech Request for Proposal ST-1330-17-RP-0050

Industry Day Questions and Answers Template

7 11 C 3 Will there be cross component utilization of the 5 domain vehicles?

Yes, any office within NOAA is allowed to place orders off of any of the 5 ProTech Domains.

8 11 C 3 How will the distinction be made on what work is ordered off of

NOS, versus what is ordered off of enterprise?

The primary distinction will be made based off of the Oceans

Domain NAICS code 541620 - Environmental Consulting

Services. The preponderance of work for each order in the Oceans

Domain has to meet the criteria of that NAICS code. If it cannot, the work will be ordered off of a separate Domain.

9 11 C 3 Will contract surveys under NOAA Coast Surveys be contracted through ProTech Oceans?

All services, unless otherwise restricted by regulations (such as

A&E work) or NOAA's ability to complete the contracting (such as ship acquisition), will be contracted under ProTech.

10 11 C 3

The National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) recently announced that they would be using ProTech Oceans to procure their NDBC support contract. Is this accurate, that the buoy requirement will be awarded off of ProTech, and since the requirement is not currently in the PWS will you be updating it to reflect those requirements?

It is the intent of the Government to procure the NDBC requirement off of ProTech Oceans. References to the "ReCon

System" have been removed from SOW elements C.3.2.10 and

C.3.2.11, so that the scope of the possible work under them could be appropriately broadened.

11 11 C 3 Does NOS foresee needing administrative and program support, or primarily technical?

Per question 7, the preponderance of the work on each order on the Oceans IDIQ must meet the criteria of NAICS 541620. NOS does have administrative and program support needs, but the decision on how to acquire them will be made by the Ordering

Contracting Officer at the order level.

12 11 C 3

Are there plans to further evolve the Oceans SOW to address more requirements? It appears in the SOW that some offices aren't represented as much as others, making it difficult for companies that only specialize in one area to address everything, especially if their area of specialization isn't addressed in as many elements as other areas.

No, there are no current plans to further evolve the SOW, which documents the high level skillsets an offeror must have in order to be able to successfully compete for Oceans-related orders. While breadth and depth will be equally rated during source selection, there is neither a requirement, nor expectation, that an offeror will be able to respond to all of the elements within the SOW. It is possible for a company to propose and win an IDIQ award, with complete depth of expertise in one element of the SOW. Every office within NOS has reviewed the SOW, and confirmed that as a whole, it expresses the high level skillsets needed to complete requirements serving the NOS mission. The needs for each office are reflected throughout the document.

13 11 C 3

In reviewing the SOW, it appears that skillsets/work for some offices in NOS are weighted more heavily then skillsets/work in other NOS offices. This may make it difficult for companies with expertise in an office with a limited amount of elements in the

SOW to demonstrate an ability to cover a large amount of the breadth of the SOW.

There will be no weighted preference given to any one SOW element or subset of elements, during this procurement. As a point of clarification, this SOW was not written on need per-office basis, but written to reflect the NOS as a whole. Every office within NOS is covered in the SOW. It is the responsibility of the offeror to understand NOS needs contractors and structure proposals accordingly.

14 11 C 3

It is our understanding that large primes that can demonstrate coverage across a broad scope of the SOW are more likely to be awarded a contract, is that accurate?

No, while there is a 75% reserve for small business on ProTech, there is no work at the IDIQ level that has been set-aside for small business, and no Government preference for how a large business proposes. All offerors will be evaluated exactly based on the evaluation criteria stipulated in Section M of the RFP.

15 13 C 3.1

It is understood that offerors may choose the elements of the statement of work to respond to. However is an offeror allowed to respond to only part of an element (ex: only responding as capable of doing part of element C.3.1.7)?

No, offerors must respond to the entirety of an element that they are proposing on. Elements with multiple tasks within them have been combined, because demonstrated ability of the entire element is considered necessary for success at the order level.

16 28 G 3.1 How will the government determine if a set-aside is appropriate at the order level? Will a sources sought type notice be issued?

The determination will be made at the order level, by the Ordering

Contracting Officer, and be based on market research conducted at the order level. A Source Sought/RFI may be used as a possible market research tool at that time.

17 29 G 6 The document seems to be missing G.7 and G.8 (the list skips from G.6 to G.9). Is this a typo in numbering?

Yes, this was a typo, and has been corrected.

18 40 H 13

(d) - Does this include situations where contract staff travel are using commercial air service in performance of contract tasking

(e.g., flying as passengers to meetings)?

This is applicable when the use of aircraft is essential to the performance of a contract. It is not applicable to commercial air travel.

19 40-41 H 13

(d) Aircraft public and passenger liability. & (e) Vessel liability.

Are these required to be covered upon contract award, or only when (if) needed?

Award is not contingent upon coverage. It will only be applicable, as required, at the order level.

20 41 H 13

Does this include situations where contract staff travel are using commercial vessel service in performance of contract tasking

(e.g., traveling as paid passengers on a ferry)?

This is applicable when the use of a vessel is essential to the performance of a contract. It is not applicable to commercial passenger travel on a boat/ferry/etc.

21 51 J 1

Template for J1 - Ceiling Hourly Rate Table - We see that J-6 has been made available, is J-1 also intended to be made available as part of the draft RFP?

J-1 is the final negotiated ceiling rates with each awardee, that will be included as an attachment for the IDIQ awards.

22 51 J 2

In the Labor Category list, some categories include experience in lieu of education, but others do not. Is the eventual intent that all labor categories will include experience in lieu of education, or only those currently listed?

Only the labor categories that currently state that they will allow experience in lieu of education, will allow experience in lieu of education.

23 51 J 2

Within Category 8, Level 4, there appears to be a typo which makes the level 4 requirements less restrictive than the level 3 requirements.

Yes, this was a typo. The level 4 years of experience have been adjusted to 16 and 20 years respectively.

24 51 J 6

In Section J, Attachment J-6 asks for 10 years of loaded hourly rates. Is there an evergreening policy on contracts so incumbents can “renew” contracts without going through the standard RFQ process?

No

25 59 L 1 Is there a vehicle for micro-small businesses to participate in

ProTech (uniquely qualified for specific tasks)?

No, however the RFP allows for companies with a niche expertise in one area/element to propose solely based off of their skillset in that area.

26 59 L 1 Is it possible for a prime awarded a ProTech IDIQ to add subcontractors on an as-needed basis at the order level?

Yes, prime awardees are allowed to add sub-contractors on an as-needed basis, to form the best teams to provide services for specific requirements at the order level.

27 59 L 1

Is it possible for a federal government organization outside of

NOAA to participate as a subcontractor on an industry team for the IDIQ procurement? Are there any special conditions for this arrangement?

Yes, provided that the team is able to adhere to all pertinent clauses and stipulations within the RFP, including all those regarding intellectual property rights. As the government does not have privity of contract at the subcontract level, it will not dictate additional terms and conditions.

28 59 L 1 Is it possible to increase the NAICS code to a higher size standard?

No, the NAICS code cannot be changed.

29 59 L 1 Is it acceptable for a prime contractor to bid as a prime, and also be on other proposals as a sub?

Yes, that is acceptable.

30 59 L 1 Is there a minimum number of elements that an offeror must respond to?

No, there is no minimum number of elements an offeror must respond to.

31 59 L 1 Is there an expectation that project/program management teams have Domain expertise in the NOS environments?

The Government cannot provide input on proposal strategy beyond the criteria outlined in Sections L & M of the RFP.

32 59 L 1

The RFP does not ask for a Total Compensation Plan (TCP), but under L.1 Solicitations Provisions Incorporated by Reference, it does include FAR 52.222-46. Therefore is a TCP required?

A Total Compensation Plan is not required. Clause 52.222-46 has been deleted from the RFP.

33 59 L 1

At the top of Page 59 (under L1) there seems to be text that is not associated with an overarching section. Is there missing content, or how does this text relate to other guidance within the RFQ? Is there additional guidance or text describing the requirements for the Organizational Conflict of Interest Mitigation Plan (L.10.1

Section IV on page 67)?

The Government is unsure of what this questions is referring to, however if it's in reference to the inclusion of CAR Clause

1352.209-70 Organizational Conflicts of Interest, the reasoning for it's inclusion can be found at CAR 1309.507-1.

34 62 L 8

Is it possible for Offerors to review the Non-Disclosure

Agreements signed by non-federal individuals who will participate in the evaluation of this acquisition?

No

35 63 L 9 How would you prefer us to communicate location of capabilities for any of the capability matrixes – page number?

The Government has no preference on the structure of the capabilities matrix.

36 66 L 9.2 Formatting question - Our current interpretation is that a table of contents is required for each volume, is this correct?

No, however instructions on how to format a Table of Contents, if included, are located in Section L.

37 64 L 9.2

Will the pricing volume be in two separate files? A PDF version for the cost narrative/backup and an excel attachment J-6? Does the excel file need to be pasted in the pdf version

The Cost/Price Volume should consist of two files, the cost narrative and the separate attachment J-6. The attachment should not be turned into a PDF.

63 &

L 9 & 10.2

The RFP asks the offeror to detail elements of the SOW that they are capable of providing and "...where within Volume II the offeror’s approach for completing that specific work is addressed." Volume II asks for "...breadth and depth of experience and qualifications..." for the "...array of efforts set forth in the SOW." Please clarify whether the Government would like us to provide an approach to each SOW individual area

(C.3.1.1, C.3.1.2, etc.) in addition to describing our experience and qualifications. If so, would the Government consider increasing the page limit for this section?

The Government cannot provide input on proposal strategy beyond the criteria outlined in Sections L & M of the RFP. The

Government will not raise the total page count allowed under the

RFP.

39 66 L 10

"Exceptions to the page limitations are, if required: cover pages, key personnel resume, lists of acronyms, lists of tables, lists of figures, and indices/tables of contents."

Question - Should we assume that cover pages, acronym lists, etc.

will be required within each volume?

No

40 66 L 10

Formatting question - Is the intent or preference that page numbers continue between volumes, or be separate (restart) within each volume?

Each volume must be presented on a stand-alone basis. Therefore please separate/restart page numbering per volume.

41 66 L 10 Are electronic signatures acceptable? Yes

42 66 L 10

In the Satellite Domain, the word "letter" after "Executive

Summary" was deleted in an amended version of the RFP. Should

"letter" also be deleted in the Oceans Domain RFP?

The word letter has no relevance to the content requested to be included in the Executive Summary.

43 62 L 10

Which Federal Agencies need to be included in the OCI mitigation plan, since ProTech can be used by other DOC agencies?

It is anticipated that offerors will include the possibility that a

DoC agency outside of NOAA may, where appropriate, place an order off of the Oceans Domain IDIQ.

44 70 L 10.3.2

Under Task Order (TO) Management, we envision using commercially available task order management software to support TO management under this contract. Does such software need to be in place at the time of proposal or can we procure such software once a contract is awarded? In addition, would it be appropriate to make TO management software investments once there is indication or projection of sufficient TO volume to justify the need and investment in management tools?

The Government cannot provide input on either proposal or investment strategy beyond the criteria outlined in Sections L &

M of the RFP.

45 70 L 10.3.6

Does NOAA have Small Business goals/targets (percent of total subcontracted volume) for the various SB socioeconomic categories that should be considered when developing a Small

Business Subcontracting Plan? If so, please provide those goals/targets.

NOAA has goals that are provided to it by the Department of

Commerce each year. These goals are NOAA’s goals and should not be used to develop an offerors own goals for subcontracting. Subcontracting goals should be based on what a company realistically expects to be able to achieve. FAR 19.705-

4(c) states that goals are to be reasonable and attainable but should not be accepted when unreasonably low. Goals are to be based on the maximum practicable extent of effort. Please note that liquidated damages are not assessed based on failure to meet goals, but on failure to display a good faith effort toward reasonable goals. Support and use of SB is vital to the Pro-Tech effort, but goals must be reasonable and based on actual anticipated percentages whether they be low or high. When submitting a subcontracting plan to NOAA the government will review the offerors historical goal achievement through eSRS, what the offeror stipulates it can do and why in the current plan, as well as review the team of subcontractors the offeror submits with its proposal for realism. It is encouraged that offerors develop a plan without using NOAA’s goals since some vendors will be able to subcontract much higher percentages and others may only be able to subcontract much lower percentages. All vendor’s goals will cumulatively meet the NOAA goal, but no one vendor’s proposal should strive to simply meet it.

46 70 L 10.4

Will the Govt consider individual task orders under a single BPA contract as separate past performance references, if they are significantly distinct in technical scope?

Yes, multiple, distinct task orders under a BPA may be used as separate past performance references.

47 66 L 10.4

Can we include an introduction in the Past Performance volume provided we do not exceed the total page limit? For example, if we have seven references can we have a two page introduction?

An introduction may be added but would be considered as part of a two page limit.

48 66 L 10.4.1

Does Section I: Contract Description contain the requested contract details for all of our past performance references or does each reference have its own Section I with a two page limit?

All requested description information in Section L.10.4.1, for all 8 references, must be included within the 2 page limit outlined in

Section L.10. To be clear, this is 2 pages total for all 8 reference, NOT 2 pages per reference.

49 72 L 10.4.3

The deadlines for submission in this section use Eastern Standard

Time. Given the projected schedule, should these be changed to

Eastern Daylight time?

The word "standard" has been changed to "daylight" in this section.

50 75 M 2

Does a subcontractor in a team who is in a socio-economic category satisfy this requirement for the small business reserve, or must it be a prime?

No, a subcontractor in a team in a given socio-economic category does not satisfy the requirement, it must be a prime.

51 75 M M.2

An Offeror need not provide capability for the entire array of efforts set forth in the SOW to be considered for award. If an

Offeror is selected for contract award based on a proposal that represents a subset of the Scope of Work, will that Offeror's contract include the entire Scope of Work (Section C) or will it be limited to the subset?

A requirement of the RFP is that offerors fill out all of the labor rates outlined in Attachment J-6. Because of this, all IDIQ awardee contracts will represent the entire Statement of Work

(SOW), regardless of the elements of the SOW the awardee proposed on.

52 76 M 2

A statement was made that the SB awards will include representation across socio-economic firms. Is there a goal, or is this based solely on the responses/proposals submitted?

While the Government anticipates that it will be able to award at least two awards to each socio-economic category, final award will be based on the type of responses received and the quality of those responses.

53 76 M 3.3 Will prime bidders be deemed non-compliant if they do not have 3 contracts for past performance evaluations?

No, as stated in section M.3.3, offerors without enough past performance information to make a relevancy determination will be given a neutral evaluation rating.

Draft RFP Q&A Response