DFTS II - RFI 2 Question and Answer.pdf

DFTS II - RFI #2 Question and Answer

No. PWS / Appendices

REFERENCE

QUESTION ANSWER

1 1.4.1.1.1 Task Area 1, Program Management

What will be their duties? Per PWS Section 1.4.1.1.1, the Contractor shall maintain four full-time Contractor personnel, one at each strategic DLA location as follows: DLA Distribution New Cumberland, Pennsylvania (DDSP); DLA Distribution San Joaquin, California (DDJC); DLA Distribution Red River, Texas (DDRT); and DLA Distribution Norfolk, Virginia (DDNV). On-site personnel will assist with the DFTS transportation efforts while coordinating with Government Transportation Officers as needed.

2 1.4.1.1.1 Task Area 1, Program Management

Will they require security clearances?

Per PWS Section 3.5.1, the work associated with this PWS is at the unclassified level. No access to classified information is authorized. This contract will only require individuals to obtain a T-1 background investigation as they will only need Common Access Cards (CAC) for base access. For Contractor personnel with Information Assurance (IA) administrative privileges and/or who will monitor DoD IT systems or software as designated by DoD 8500.1/5200.2-R will be required to follow the procedures as outlined in PWS Section 3.5.3.

3 1.4.1.1.1 Task Area 1, Program Management

Will these positions be located on or off the installations?

Per PWS Section 1.4.1.1.1, the Contractor shall maintain four full-time Contractor personnel, one at each strategic DLA location as follows: DLA Distribution New Cumberland, Pennsylvania (DDSP); DLA Distribution San Joaquin, California (DDJC); DLA Distribution Red River, Texas (DDRT); and DLA Distribution Norfolk, Virginia (DDNV). The Government will provide full-time workspace which will include, at a minimum, a workstation, chair, telephone access, and printing capabilities. If temporary support is required at non-permanent locations, the Government will provide workspace on a temporary basis.

The Government does not require the Contractor to operate outside facilities for the four full-time contractor personnel at DLA Distribution New Cumberland, Pennsylvania (DDSP); DLA Distribution San Joaquin, California (DDJC); DLA Distribution Red River, Texas (DDRT); and DLA Distribution Norfolk, Virginia (DDNV) to meet the needs of DFTS II as space will be provided at DLA Distribution locations.

4 N/A The incumbent contractor established some space at some of the depots. Are they the same ones?

Refer to Response #4.

5 N/A If the four positions are off installation, would it be in these facilities?

Refer to Response #4.

6 N/A If not, does the Government have any intention of requiring the contractor operated facilities (either government owned or contractor owned) near these or any other Government locations?

Refer to Response #4.

7 N/A If so, what will be the purpose of those installations and contractor operations?

Refer to Response #4.

8 PWS 1.12.1 We assume "scheduled TDSL" means "pre-arranged pickup". Please confirm this assumption.

Refer to PWS 1.7.2.1. "TDSL Schedules" reference was updated to "TDSL Pre-arranged Pickup".

9 Appendix M Does the incident Priority Level of any given load effect the contracted rate or are these shipments considered OTO shipments where rates is negotiated?

Refer to PWS 1.14.2.2. The incident priority levels as defined in Appendix M are utilized when creating feedback entries to report, manage, and track concerns, complaints, or comments related to Contactor performance. The incident priority level does not impact the contracted rates or one-time-only negotiated rates.

10 The site has five business days to respond with an approval/rejection from the Contractor's initial request and copy assigned COR. Is any detention in this situation since technically the site delaying this truck but from the definition of "free time"?

The US Government cannot address this question without an appropriate reference within the PWS or appendices.

11 1.6.8.1. The PWS requirement implies the MDD specified in the EDI 219 could be either lesser or greater than the transit guide.

Please confirm if this should read “greater than” instead of “inconsistent” since lesser than would imply expedited service.

The MDD takes precedence for determining the required shipment delivery date. If the MDD specified in the order is less than the DTR transit times for the selected level of service, an expedited accessorial code should be included within the order. Per PWS Section 1.6.8, if the Contractor believes an MDD is unreasonable, the Contractor shall notify the shipping site Transportation Office via email to process corrections as necessary (e.g., EDI 219 correction).

Per PWS Section 1.6.6.1, the Contractor shall only invoice for the service level that was provided. If the Contractor provides a higher service level than ordered, the Contractor shall invoice for the service level ordered.

12 1.6.14 Please define what High Value Items (HVI) are by commodity type and a value range. For example, aircraft engines are listed as one example. What is the value of an aircraft engine? Are aircraft engines and aircraft engine propellers the only HVI?

A specific list of HVI commodity types and value ranges cannot be provided. Movement of HVI are most likely to occur on an ad-hoc basis for DFTS II based on DoD needs.

13 1.6.14 Please identify what is the expected number/percentage of loads that the bidder should consider HVI in the final PWS.

Movement of HVI are most likely to occur on an ad-hoc basis for DFTS II based on DoD needs. An expected number or percentage of loads cannot be given at this time.

14 1.6.14 How much notice, if any, will the Government provide to the bidder for movement of HVI freight?

Per PWS Section 1.6.14, the Ordering Officer or appointed transportation agent shall provide the Contractor with the appropriate technical order for the item moved. The Government will coordinate with the Contractor as early as possible to provide relevant information prior to sending the EDI 219.

15 1.12.2.3 The PWS requirement states the shipper may elect to declare and establish higher cargo liability limits. It is recommended the Government provide freight values of these loads at time of booking to enable the bidder to properly insure.

Please confirm if the Government will provide freight values of these loads at time of booking? If not, please explain the Government’s rationale.

The shipper referenced in PWS Section 1.12.2.3 is the US Government shipper. Per PWS Section 1.12.2.3, the US Government shipper may elect to declare and establish additional cargo liability by requesting the Cargo Liability of Carrier (LIE) accessorial.

Freight values will not be provided at the time of booking. The Contractor is required per PWS Section 1.12.2.2 to be liable for the actual value of lost or damaged item(s) up to a maximum of $50,000 for a shipment weighing less than 15,000 pounds or $150,000 for a shipment weighing 15,000 pounds or more. For a shipment that is transported via multiple conveyances, such as multiple railcars, the Contractor is liable per conveyance.

16 Within this PWS section, it is stated, “LTL subcontractors arriving prior to a location’s closing time on the date noted in the EDI 219 will be considered “on-time”.” How is “arriving” defined? Is this arriving to the gate of the receiver awaiting to get onto the military base, or if the carrier is backed up to the dock and checked in with the receiver to unload? Please define in the future PWS in order to establish clear business rules that the contractors will apply in these circumstances.

Refer to PWS Section 1.6.9 for on-time delivery metrics for trucking services stating "Except for appointments, on-time delivery metrics are defined as arrival any time prior to the end of the destination’s operational hours on the EDI 219’s MDD. For appointments, on-time delivery for shipments is prior to the end of the appointment period."

17 The heading of the Annex states Non-FAR Contracts.

Since the DFTS contract is a FAR contract, why are the pass-through supplemental language provisions for fuel surcharge listed?

The consolidated fuel related rate adjustment (FRA) policy from SDDC is included in PWS Appendix I. PWS Appendix I, Annex C is not applicable to DFTS II. Per PWS Appendix I, Section A. Policy, DFTS shipments will utilize Annex B - Fuel Related Rate Adjustment Table ($2.50 Baseline).

18 In the initial draft of the PWS (November 2022), the Defense Contracting Management Agency (DCMA) was listed as a participating Agency. In the current draft, DCMA was not listed. Will DCMA be a participating Agency? If not, will DFTS continue to be the primary mechanism for providing transportation from DoD vendors to DLA distribution nodes and/or military installations. The large number of individual origin shipping locations can and will have an impact on pricing structure and the Contractor’s ability to optimize shipments.

Per PWS Section 1.2.5, "At contract start, the services identified herein are required to support DLA and FLCN. Other Government agencies may require these services over the course of the contract. When such support is needed, an implementation schedule will be provided to the Contractor, and associated costs will be negotiated, but shall not exceed the implementation rates awarded for DLA and FLCN."

Per PWS Section 1.2.2., "Services shall be provided between various locations within the Continental United States (CONUS), including but not limited to, vendor facilities, DoD warehouses, consolidation facilities, and US Armed Forces Bases/Camps/Posts. Pickup and delivery may occasionally be necessary in Alaska, Puerto Rico, and Canada (Outside CONUS (OCONUS)). Routes may include multiple stops and split pickups."

19 PWS Draft PWS – “the contractor must provide the shipping site TO within three business days’ notice when a subcontractor change is necessary.” What is the penalty for not giving a 3-day notification?

The Contractor is obligated to meet all requirements as outlined in the

PWS.

20 1.4.1.1.1 What are the on-site personnel requirements for hours actually on site?

Per PWS Section 1.4.1.2., the Contractor shall staff, manage, and provide necessary resources for customer support Monday – Friday, 0600 – 2400 Eastern Time (ET), and Saturday, 0600 – 1630 ET, with the exception of FEMA and Humanitarian/Contingency support tasks.

On-site personnel hours are not specified by the Government.

21 1.6.2 Will all Logistics Services request be sent to the contractor in the form on an EDI 219 transaction?

Yes, all logistic service requests will be sent to the Contractor in the form of an EDI 219. In some instances as outlined in the PWS, a request outside of normal business hours may required notification by phone/email prior to EDI 219 transmission (PWS Section 1.11.1.2).

22 2A, 2B and 2C

Will USTC provide historical data relative to number of shipments, tonnage, or current revenue?

Yes, USTRANSCOM will post historical shipment data as part of the request for proposal (RFP).

23 1.7.1 RFI states that TDSL is "mode agnostic" Is there any requirement to move any portion of the TDSL cargo via air?

Per PWS Section 1.7.1, the Contractor determines the final mode or modes used to transport the material to meet the level of service ordered (1D, 2D, 3D). This may incorporate truck, rail, or air at the Contractors determination to meet the level of service.

24 N/A What type of evaluation process does USTC anticipate for this contract- Low cost, past performance, technical and how will they be weighted for the evaluation?

USTRANSCOM will post a draft RFP outlining this information at a future date.

25 Please provide us with the requirements drivers need to meet to be able to gain access to the various facilities we need to deliver to, as well as an idea of how long that process would take.

Per PWS Section 1.12.17.2, specific installation/facility documentation requirements are identified in the Transportation Facilities Guide (TFG).

In addition per PWS Section 1.6.10.1, the TFG is a web-accessible database that contains information on CONUS and OCONUS DoD, Coast Guard, DLA, and other agency transportation facilities. It is used to determine the proper routing for DoD freight and passenger movements.

Information on access to the TFG can be found at https://www.sddc.army.mil/tfg/Pages/TFG.aspx.

26 Are all transactions transmitted through EDI? Can you please describe the EDI setup you use (e.g. do we need out own value added network or is it a cloud based portal)? We use SPS commerce

Yes, all transactions shall be transmitted through EDI. Per PWS Section 1.14.5.4.3, for EDI transactions, the Contractor shall establish a secure primary connection with the DoD shipper systems through a VAN via the GEX. Additional details are available at https://home.daas.dla.mil/daashome/edi.asp. Refer to PWS Section

1.14.5.4 for additional EDI requirements.

27 Certain shipments have specific "Blocking and Bracing" requirements. Who is responsible for loading and securing these shipments? If it’s the driver, what are the physical demands of doing this? How far ahead are those instructions provided?

Can they be provided in multiple languages or are they solely in English?

Blocking and bracing shall be conducted by the Shipper unless specifically outlined within the PWS. The Contractor shall be responsible for checking the block and bracing prior to departure.

Per PWS Section 1.12.17.5, all Contractor employees and its subcontractors, including drivers, who have contact with Government shippers or other personnel working on behalf of the Government, must be able to fluently read, write, speak, and understand English.

28 The contract is for 2 years with an option for an additional 5 years. Which party has the right to invoke the options?

The US Government is contemplating a. 7-year contract with a 2-year base and five 1-year options. The US Government holds the unilateral right to any extension per the defined contract clause.

29 1.4.1.1.1 It states that the contractor must maintain at all times four personnel at the 4 sites listed, one per location. How do we know how to account for this expense properly prior to the bid being awarded and knowing the volume of business awarded?

The uniqueness of each Offeror's pricing approach precludes the government from answering this question.