Prospective_Offeror_Questions.pdf

Prospective Offeror Questions – RFQ S-WHARC-16-Q-0001 – Interpretation Services

Prospective Offeror Questions

For

RFQ No. S-WHARC-16-Q-0001

Interpretation Services, U.S. Embassy Mexico

Following is a consolidated list of the questions I received from prospective offerors, each followed by the Government’s response (in red).

QUESTION #1: The solicitation states that all payments under the contract will be in Mexican

Pesos. Is this project intended for Mexican companies only? Would U.S. Companies be paid in

Mexican Pesos?

Mexican companies must submit quotations in Mexican Pesos, and for any Mexican company that might be awarded a contract all payments under the contract would be in Mexican Pesos.

For other than Mexican companies, quotations may be submitted in U.S. Dollars or Mexican

Pesos. Payments under the contract would be in either U.S. Dollars or Mexican Pesos, depending on the currency used by the company in its offer.

A solicitation amendment (Numbered A002) will be issued shortly with the above revision.

QUESTION #2: Under Section 3 (Solicitation Provisions) it states that all offers must be submitted electronically by uploading directly to FBO by the closing date and time stated on the

FBO announcement, and that all volumes of the offer and attachments must be uploaded to FBO.

Can you provide a link for the uploading of offers?

To submit an electronic offer you will first need to familiarize yourself with the location of the combined synopsis/solicitation on FedBizOpps. The following link should take you directly to synopsis/solicitation:

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=68b7b7a5f44e86e8d319827c7e4b6e

8f&tab=core&_cview=0

However, if for some reason the above link does not take you directly to where the requirement is posted, you can do a search for the solicitation from the FedBizOpps home page (located at www.fbo.gov). On the home page you will see the field “Keyword / Solicitation #”, where you can search on the solicitation number (SWHARC16Q0001). This should take you directly to the synopsis/solicitation.

In terms of submitting an electronic response, guidance for this is included in a user guide that can be downloaded from FedBizOpps. To download the user guide, you must first go to the

FedBizOpps home page (located at www.fbo.gov). In the right-hand column you will see where there are links to several User Guides. Select the link for the “Vendor” user guide to download the guide. The guide includes a section on “Managing Electronic Responses to an Opportunity.”

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=68b7b7a5f44e86e8d319827c7e4b6e8f&tab=core&_cview=0 https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=68b7b7a5f44e86e8d319827c7e4b6e8f&tab=core&_cview=0 http://www.fbo.gov/ http://www.fbo.gov/

It’s also important to note that all documents I issue or provide regarding the requirement will be posted to the FedBizOpps website (e.g., amendments, responses to offeror questions, etc.). I will not be sending any documents directly to prospective offerors.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: For this particular requirement I noticed that the synopsis does not include a note that normally appears indicating that offers may be uploaded electronically.

In the event that there are any issues with uploading offers directly to FBO, I will be amending the solicitation to allow for offers to be submitted by e-mail. This revision will be included in a solicitation amendment (A002) to be issued shortly.

QUESTION #3: Please clarify whether companies from Outside the USA can apply for this?

For example, from India or Canada.

Although there would be no prohibition on companies outside of the USA or Mexico participating, the following additional information may be useful for prospective offerors to consider in determining whether or not this opportunity is a good fit for the company:

When I posted a general notice on FedBizOpps as part of my market research, there were some companies that thought the services were for large events and conferences sponsored by the U.S.

Embassy in Mexico. That is not the case. The agencies supported by the Embassy have recurring needs for interpretation services as part of their day-to-day operations, and task orders will be issued under the IDIQ contract(s) as needs arise. That is why it is critical for the contractor to be able to respond to requirements with little advance notice.

An example of this was provided in Section 2.1.2 of the solicitation where there may be an unplanned visit by foreign dignitaries with limited advance notice, where interpretation services are required for a briefing to be provided to the visiting dignitaries.

The dollar value of individual requirements will be relatively small. This, along with a requirement that contractors must be able to respond to requirements with little advance notice, would make it impractical for a company to have interpreters travel to and from Mexico to provide the required services. All requirements will be performed at locations within Mexico.

In most cases the cost of a plane ticket to travel to and from Mexico would be more than the revenue earned from a specific project. This is one obstacle that firms might face if they do not have a local presence.

The only advice I can give is to thoroughly read the solicitation and make a business decision as to whether or not this opportunity is a good fit for your firm, keeping in mind that all firms submitting offers must be able to demonstrate they can successfully perform the services and at a reasonable cost.

QUESTION #4: Please address the following:

a) Whether we need to come over there for meetings?

b) Can we perform the tasks (related to solicitation) outside the USA? For example, from India or Canada.

Given the type and number of requirements anticipated, the nature of the requirements, and the short time frame to prepare for many of the requirements, it is not practical for a company to perform the services from a location outside of Mexico.

Please also see the information provided in response to Question #3 above.

QUESTION #5: Please provide a List of Items, Schedule of Requirements, Scope of Work, Terms of Reference, and Bill of Materials required, as well as information about the tendering procedure and guidelines.

Refer to the solicitation document for a complete description of the required services and deliverables, as well as the requirements for submitting an offer.

QUESTION #6: What is the estimated Budget for this Purchase?

There is no estimated budget for the required interpretation services. Solicitation Section 1, Item

1.5 (Minimum and Maximum Amounts) establishes the minimum amount of services to be ordered during the life of the IDIQ contract(s), as well as a maximum ceiling for all orders placed. Although the IDIQ contract establishes a maximum ceiling, the actual amount of services may be less. The maximum ceiling should not be considered to be a budget.

QUESTION #7: Will there be any extension of the deadline for submission of offers?

Yes. Solicitation Amendment A001, posted on FedBizOpps on December 11, 2015, extended the due date for quotations to Tuesday, December 29.

QUESTION #8: Is there any addendum or pre-bid meeting minutes?

There will not be any pre-bid meeting for this requirement. Any documents that I may provide will be posted on FedBizOpps only (e.g., amendments, responses to offeror questions, etc.).

QUESTION #9: Under Solicitation Section 1, Item 1.7 (Other Direct Costs), is states that Other

Direct Costs (ODCs) will be addressed at the task order level, and are not considered as being included in the fixed prices established in Section 1.6. Can you provide a list of the ODCs the contractor will be reimbursed?

Based on historical orders placed by the Embassy for interpretation services, there have been no cases where ODCs beyond transportation and lodging were necessary. Since the contract requirements are only for the interpretation services and associated equipment, ODCs other than transportation and lodging (when required) are not anticipated.

QUESTION #10: With reference to Section 1, Item 1.7.2 (Transportation and Lodging), can you explain how travel expenses, per diem and other allowed expenses should be included in the bid items? According to 1.7.2, Transportation or lodging expenses will not apply when services are provided in the “Distrito Federal” or in the State of Mexico.” Should we include a bid item for places within the D.F. and State of Mexico without expenses and other for “Rest of the Mexican

Republic.?

As noted in the response to Question #9 above, ODCs will be identified at the task order level.

Unlike the estimated amount of services and equipment (to be priced in Section 1, Item 1.6 of offers), there is no practical way to determine estimated ODCs for the purpose of pricing at the

IDIQ contract level. For this reason, ODCs were not included as an item to be priced in offers.

Offers are to be priced only as specified in the solicitation, and offerors should not include any additional pricing items that are not included in the solicitation.

QUESTION #11: Can you provide minimum requirements on the following bid items?

a) CLIN 105 (Translation Booth). For example, should it be full booth, table top type, etc.?

Table-top booths are sufficient.

b) CLIN 106 (Sound System).

There are no specifics on the sound system other than to require that the interpreters/participants/instructors can hear and communicate effectively.

QUESTION #12: Do you want a price quote for a full-size (free standing) interpreter booth or a table top version?

Table-top booths are sufficient.

QUESTION #13: Do you want different types of receivers for meetings in a conference room vs.

field exercises?

It will not be necessary to have different types of receivers.

QUESTION #14: Are there FM frequency issues in the embassy that need to be addressed in the choice of equipment?

The Embassy has not experienced frequency issues at any of the venues in Mexico City, police academies or other venues.

QUESTION #15: What is the maximum number of participants anticipated for conference room meetings (does "35 receivers" set the maximum)?

Following is the maximum that might be required for any single course:

Headsets 50 each

Lapel Microphones 2 each

Body-Packs 4 each

Translation Booth 1 each; and

Sound System 1 each.”

Keep in mind, though, that the proposed unit prices in Section 1.6 are to be based on the CLIN descriptions of what is considered as a single unit.

QUESTION #16: Will there be a separate CLIN for the technician needed to set up, monitor, and troubleshoot the interpreting equipment during its use?

Any anticipated costs for a technician to set up, monitor and troubleshoot interpreting equipment should be included in the proposed prices for the interpreting equipotent.

QUESTION #17: In Section 1, The Schedule, Paragraph 1.5 Minimum and Maximum Amounts, I see MXP $250,000.00 and MXP $8,000,000.00. Can you please clarify if those figures are in

US dollars or in Mexican Pesos?

The section you’re referring to includes a note at the top that “Mexican Pesos is denoted

(MXP).” This is the denotation used throughout the solicitation to indicate Mexican Pesos.

QUESTION #18: In reviewing the Solicitation, specifically Section 1.6 Pricing, can you please clarify the quantity. I see the number 500. Are we talking about 2 units per day for the year, or does that differ from day to day?

All quantities listed in the pricing section are estimated annual quantities. The actual quantities required for individual projects will be identified at the task order level, and will vary depending on the specific requirements for each project.