VA119A-16-R-0349-A00002000.docx

VA119A-16-R-0349 A00002

5. PROJECT NUMBER (if applicable)

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2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER

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8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NUMBER

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NUMBER

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Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

E. IMPORTANT:

is extended,

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning __________ copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY is not extended.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

(REV. 11/2016)

is required to sign this document and return ___________ copies to the issuing office.

is not, A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

15C. DATE SIGNED

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER

BY

Contractor

16C. DATE SIGNED

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER

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Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.243 (Type or print) (Type or print) (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

(Number, street, county, State and ZIP Code) (If other than Item 6) (Specify type of modification and authority) (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.)

(If required)

(SEE ITEM 11)

(SEE ITEM 13)

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13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS,

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer) A00002 03-03-2017

NA

Strategic Acquisition Center - Frederick Department of Veterans Affairs 321 Ballenger Center Drive, Suite 125 Frederick MD 21703 Strategic Acquisition Center - Frederick Department of Veterans Affairs 321 Ballenger Center Drive, Suite 125 Frederick MD 21703 To all Offerors/Bidders

VA119A-16-R-0349

02-14-2017

X X X 03/14/2017 The purpose of this amendment is to answer questions received and update the solicitation and attachments accordingly.

All edits to the Performance Work Statement and Attachments are in

RED

font.

Proposals are due on March 14, 2017 at 10:00am EST.

Contents

SECTION A –QUESTIONS/ANSWERS

General Information to Assist with Proposal Submission and Preparation:

1. Please read the solicitation, including the proposal instructions, attachments, and all amendments. Many of the questions received are clearly explained in the solicitation or included items that were corrected in Amendment 0001. It is imperative to follow the solicitation instructions. Otherwise, your proposal may not be considered for evaluation upon receipt.

2. Attachment G, Proposal Booklet, has been updated. You must use the updated Attachment in order to be considered for award.

3. If you did not submit an intent to propose, you may still submit a proposal. While the proposal intent notification is optional, the proposal due date and time has not changed and will be strictly enforced.

4. Questions irrelevant to proposal preparation and submission (e.g. funding sources; requirements development; how the procurement will be managed by the Government; the evaluation team, etc.) have not been addressed.

Questions and Responses:

1. What is the anticipated award date?

a. The Government anticipates award in May 2017.

2. Are services being requested commercial?

a. Yes, the services being requested are commercial services.

3. Is the intention to award to a mix of Tier 1, 2 and 3 groups within each category?

a. Per Section E.14, The Government will utilize a tiered evaluation approach. This may result in awards to only Tier 1 offerors, or it could result in awards from multiple Tiers.

4. Will the requirements set in Section E.14(3), 1-5 and the tiered evaluation approach be used in all Task Orders?

a. Yes. This is stated in E.14.3., and in Attachment F – Task Order Procedures. This approach will be mandatory in all subsequent Task Order Proposal Requests (TOPRs).

5. Can an SDVOSB that is in the process of obtaining VetBiz verification propose? Can an SDVOSB with an expired verification that is in the process of recertifying, be considered?

a. Per Section E.14 of the solicitation, offerors must be VetBiz verified at time of proposal submission in order for the proposal to be considered. This is compliant with VAAR 852.219-10. Offerors that are “pending” or “expired” cannot be considered as they do not meet the definition of Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business.

6. Would a VetBiz verified SDVOSB that exceeds the small business $15M size standard for NAICS 541611 be eligible for award?

a. No, per section E.14 of the solicitation, all offerors must be certified in SAM.gov as a SB under NAICS code 541611. If a company exceeds the size standard, that company is no longer a small business.

7. Do SDVOSB subcontractors have to meet the $15M size standard to meet the requirements for Tier 1?

a. Yes, subcontractors must meet the $15M size standard for NAICS Code 541611 to be evaluated in Tier 1. If a company exceeds the size standard, that company is no longer a small business.

8. If a contractor meets the $15M size standard for NACIS 541611 at the time of proposal submission, however prior to award recertifies and then exceeds the size standard, are they eligible for award?

a. No, to be eligible for award, an offeror must meet the size standard for NAICS 541611 at time of proposal submission and at time of award. While this exceeds the SBA guidance, it is less cumbersome than requiring recertification with the submission of each Task Order, and is being implemented to ensure that awards are being made to SDVOSBs.

9. It is requested that the language in the RFP be modified to allow sub-contractors to utilize either the generalized NAICS code 541611 or a specialized NAICS code and size standard that is specifically applicable to a particular Service Group.

a. To be considered small, contractors and subcontractors must meet the size standard for NAICS 541611 at the base contract level. Contracting officers may offer some flexibility with the subcontractor NAICS requirement at the Task Order level as described in Attachment F.

10. Do Joint Ventures have to be verified at time of proposal submission or prior to award?

a. Yes, per section E.3 of the solicitation, Joint Ventures must be VetBiz verified at time of proposal submission.

11. Considering that a JV, as a separate LLC, would be verified by CVE as an SDVOSB/VOSB, and can made up of up to 49% non-veteran small business partners, what is the purpose of requesting VOSB/SDVOSB verification information for each JV Partner? Will VA consider removing the column requesting “Verified in VetBiz” for the Joint Venture Partners, and ask that information for only Joint Venture (LLC)?

a. To be considered for Tier 1 all JV partners need to be VetBiz verified. A JV that contains one or more small businesses would be considered in Tier 2 and a JV that contains one of more large businesses would be considered in Tier 3.

12. Who will be responsible for insuring individual Task Orders are classified under the appropriate Service Groups?

a. Per Section B.1, the Task Order Contracting Officer.

13. Who will monitor the size standards for this opportunity?

a. The Contracting Officer will monitor SAM.gov for offerors/awardees size status. Offerors will be required to recertify size status on a yearly basis. In addition, per FAR 15.503(a)(2), unsuccessful offerors will be provided an opportunity to challenge the size status of any apparent successful offerors. Offerors/awardees are required to ensure that accurate information is provided in SAM.gov.

14. Could Task Orders be inclusive or more than one Service Group.

a. Yes, Per Attachment F, requirements may span the labor categories and tasks of one or more Service Groups.

15. If a Task Order spans more than one Service Group, does a contractor have to be a prime in each Service Group requested to propose?

a. Yes.

16. It is respectfully requested that the Government revise paragraph E.3(B)(4)(c) to articulate specifically the actions that it will take in the event that a particular subcontractor(s) is included on more than one team under a certain Service Group(s).

a. If the subcontracting arrangements are not exclusive, those proposals will not be considered for award.

17. How is a prime to handle if a subcontractor subcontracts out a portion of their work to another subcontractor?

a. At the Task Order level, any changes to the proposed subcontracting team will need to be approved by the Contracting Officer. This includes additional layers of subcontracting. The Tier in which the proposal was originally evaluated will be considered by the CO when reviewing the request for changes.

18. How does the contractor propose travel?

a. Travel requirements will be specified in each Task Order and will be reimbursed in accordance with Section 2.4 of the PWS.

19. Can Prime Contractors propose different subcontractors at the Task Order level then those proposed for the base award?

a. Yes, per Section B.1., prime offerors can propose different subcontractors to meet the needs of each Task Order.

20. The first paragraph in Section 1.0 refers to Service Group 2 as “Analyses”. Attachment G however refers to Service Group 2 as “Analysis” (top of page 5 in Att. G). Please clarify so we refer to the Service Group properly.

a. Solicitation is updated to consistently use “Analysis.”

21. What size font is permissible in chart, graphs and illustrations?

a. 8 PT

22. Will the VA establish a standard inflation / escalation rate for the VECTOR?

a. No, offerors are responsible for proposing yearly rates, which will be evaluated in accordance with Section E.14.

23. If a contractor subcontracts in a Service Group, will that contractor be able to prime that Service Group during a future on ramping period? If the contractor can prime during an on ramping period, would they be able to keep the current work and still act as a subcontractor in that Service Group or would they need to build language into our teaming agreements that will allow a termination that subcontract?

a. Yes, a subcontractor could submit a proposal during an on-ramp, with the understanding that it could no longer subcontract in a Service Group under which it received an award. I do not anticipate that any existing Task Orders would be affected, but this will depend on the specific situation. The circumstances will dictate how this would be handled (e.g. in the event of an Organizational Conflict of Interest.)

24. How will the use of AbilityOne affect an offerors evaluation tier?

a. The proposed use of AbilityOne will not affect an offeror’s tier of evaluation. FAR 52.208-9 - Contractor Use of Mandatory Sources of Supply or Services has been inserted at C.3.

25. Will contractors be allowed to telecommute?

a. This will be determined at the Task Order level.

26. Is there any anticipated OCONUS (Puerto Rico) etc., travel, and if so, do you have an estimate for each TO?

a. Travel will be determined at the Task Order Level. No estimates can be provided at this time.

27. Are all contractor personnel required to have US citizenship or are LPR (Green Card Holders) allowed to work on the contract?

a. Green Card Holders may be permitted to work under the contract, however, specific requirements at the Task Order level may prohibit this.

28. Do temporary and 1099 employees count when figuring the 50% SDVOSB work requirement for Task Orders?

a. Yes.

29. Can you confirm that per VAAR 852.219-10, the Prime Vendor for each Service Group will be expected to perform at least 50% of the work at the Task Order level?

a. Per the clause, at least 50 percent of the cost of personnel for contract performance will be spent for employees of the concern or employees of other eligible service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns.

30. Was there supposed to be a document with the number VA119A-16-R-0349-074. After downloading all the documents this number seems to be missing.

a. VA119A-15-R-0349_7 was a notice that the requirement was no longer on hold. There was no VA119A-15-R-0349-074.

31. Attachment indicates that “Contractors must have an award in all applicable Service Groups as defined in the Task Order Proposal Request in order to be eligible for award.” Request the government adjust this requirement to allow Primes awarded contracts under VECTOR to team together for those TOs that have multiple Service Group requirements. This adjustment supports broader competition while appropriately keeping competition to offerors who have been awarded prime contracts.

a. If a requirement includes multiple Service Groups, a contractor must be a prime in each Service Group requested to receive an award. This is meant to ensure that only awardees with proven capabilities and reasonable rates in a given Service Group are performing those services.

32. Will the government stipulate the process for bringing different subcontractors at the Task Order level? Will the prime be required to add them before the submission of the Task Order proposal or can they be submitted with the proposal? If an award is made on one of these Task Orders, will it affect the Prime's status as a Tier 1 Prime?

a. Proposed subcontractors shall be submitted at the time of proposal submission. Per Section B.1(H), “Contractors in Tier 1 for the base award, will not automatically fall into Tier 1 for subsequent Task Orders. For each TO proposal, the size standards of the proposed team will determine what tier the contractor will be evaluated in for that TO. (For example, prime contractors may be in Tier 1 for the base award, and Tier 2 or 3 for a specific Task Order proposal.)”

33. Does the government anticipate issuing any Time & Materials (T&M) Task Orders under this IDIQ?

a. No, only Firm Fixed Price and Labor Hour Task Orders are authorized under VECTOR.

34. Please confirm if offerors will be required to certify their SDVOSB status at both time of proposal submission and again at time of contract award?

a. Offerors shall certify their SDVOSB status at time of proposal submission. The Government will confirm that status at time of proposal submission and prior to award.

35. Can a vendor be awarded a contract under each group or are we only restricted to one group?

a. Eligible offerors are may propose and receive an award in any number of Service Groups, provided the explicit restrictions on teaming and subcontracting are met.

36. Is there an average contract value for each Task Order?

a. No.

37. Is there a set number of firms for each group area? If so, how many companies will be chosen for each of the group areas?

a. There is no set number of awards per Service Group.

38. Are teaming partners who are Veteran Owned required to be certified with a CVE or will the VOSB self-certification in sam.gov be sufficient?

a. All primes must be verified in VetBiz. All teaming partners/subcontractors must be VetBiz verified to be eligible for Tier 1 evaluation as an SDVOSB/VOSB on VECTOR.

39. Will proposals which have all SDVOSB’s within the size standard receive a high scoring during the evaluation process?

a. Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the solicitation.

40. Section B minimum guarantees an amount of $2,500.00 (Task Order), will this apply to each of the seven sections?

a. No, the minimum guarantee is per contract. There are only six Service Groups.

41. Regarding the following statement (Soliciation page 6): “Prime contractors may propose different subcontractors at the TO level than initially proposed at the IDIQ level. Contractors in Tier 1 for the base award, will not automatically fall into Tier 1 for subsequent Task Orders. For each TO proposal, the size standards of the proposed team will determine what tier the contractor will be evaluated in for that TO. (For example, prime contractors may be in Tier 1 for the base award, and Tier 2 or 3 for a specific Task Order proposal.) This provides the flexibility for the prime contractor to build its team to best meet each requirement.” Will an all SDVOSB Team at the Task Order level be considered Tier 1? Or will the criteria for Tier 1 potentially change after the IDIQ awards?

a. The Tier definitions will not change at the Task Order level.

42. Will the VA favorably consider companies that currently employ Veterans? If so, how will that be evaluated?

a. The proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the solicitation.

43. With the expansion of scope over 10 years, what types of work or scope expansion either increase or decrease be expected to perform?

a. The scope of VECTOR will not expand.

44. How will low cost/price be evaluated?

a. Price will be evaluated in accordance with the solicitation.

45. How will low past performance be evaluated?

a. Past Performance is not being evaluated at the base contract level. The evaluation of Past Performance will be detailed in the Task Order Proposal Requests.

46. If a joint venture has an SDVOSB and another business that is a small business, but not SDVOSB or VOSB, is that joint venture considered “Tier 2”?

a. Yes.

47. If a joint venture has an SDVOSB and another business that is a large business, is that joint venture considered “Tier 3”?

a. Yes.

48. How are Mentor-Protégé entities handled with regard to Tiers? Mentor-Protégé arrangements are designed to have a ‘larger’ business providing guidance to a smaller one. But it appears that if the SDVOSB were to use their mentor-protégé entity, they might be relegated to Tier 2 or Tier 3.

a. Mentor-Protégé entities will be treated as any other team. The requirement to be verified in VetBiz is applicable to all offerors. If the Mentor-Protégé entity forms a Joint Venture and is verified in VetBiz at the time of proposal submission, that verified JV will be evaluated as stated in the solicitation and as restated above.

49. Are we required to complete and submit "Attachment D – Contractor Background Investigation Request Worksheet" with our proposal?

a. No, this will be used at the Task Order level.

50. Section B.1 States “Orders beyond the minimum will be determined by department needs and the results of fair opportunity competitions, other than exceptions as noted in section B.1.B(1) above. What are the exceptions?

a. The Task Order procedures were moved to Attachment F for clarity. The discussion of Fair Opportunity is now in Attachment F, Section A.(1).

51. Are the fully burdened rates to be inclusive of travel or will Task Orders allow for travel as a separate charge?

a. The fully burdened rate is not inclusive of direct travel costs. Travel will be determined at the Task Order level.

52. Please confirm the applicability of the following “However, the small business size standard for a concern which submits an offer in its own name, but which proposes to furnish an item for which is did not itself manufacture, is 500 employees.” Is this statement applicable to the 541611 NAICS code?

a. VECTOR is a service contract, therefore this is not applicable.

53. Please confirm that all Task Orders issued on this IDIQ will be in NAICS code 541611.

a. All Task Orders will utilize NAICS 541611.

54. Please confirm that SAM small business representations and certifications must be dated in the system at or around the time of proposal submission even if the current certification is not yet expired.

a. In accordance with 52.212-3, the offeror verifies by submission of the proposal that representations and certifications that are posted electronically, have been entered or updated in the last 12 months, are current, accurate, complete, and applicable to this solicitation (including the business size standard applicable to the NAICS code referenced for this solicitation), as of the date of the offer and are incorporated in this offer by reference (see FAR 4.1201) (exceptions must be noted.)

55. Evaluation criteria (pg. 54) references a “management plan” as part of the criteria however Attachment G does not have a section for including a management plan. Please confirm where the management plan should be provided in the proposal submission.

a. Attachment G - ALL SERVICE GROUPS – MANAGEMENT

56. Will all organizational elements of the VA (such as VBA, etc.) be required to consider use of VECTOR when they have an in-scope requirement, even if it is a re-compete?

a. Use of VECTOR will not be mandatory.

57. Will all VISNs be required to consider use of VECTOR when they have an in-scope requirement, even if it is a re-compete?

a. Use of VECTOR will not be mandatory.

58. Will ordering contracting officers in the VA organizational elements and VISNs be required to prepare a written justification as part of their sourcing research if they decide not to use VECTOR for an in-scope requirement?

a. Use of VECTOR will not be mandatory.

59. Is there any forecast of what percentage of in-scope requirements that will be awarded over the period-of-performance that would be anticipated to go under VECTOR?

a. No, this information is not available.

60. After contract awards, may team members on teams which were not awarded, join other IDIQ teams which were awarded? Post-award, do all IDIQ-level teams need to maintain exclusivity forever (that is, all IDIQ team members are only on one awarded team in a given service area)?

a. Unsuccessful offerors are not precluded from joining successful teams at the Task Order level. Subcontractors must be exclusive in a Service Group for any given Task Order (i.e. teams may change, but subcontractors cannot be proposed on multiple proposals for the same Task Order.)

61. If an SDVOSB Prime does not have any teaming partners/subcontractors, will the company be evaluated as a part of Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3?

a. If an SDVOSB prime is VetBiz verified and meets the $15M size standard for NAICS 541611, it will be evaluated in Tier 1.

62. For future on-ramps, will there be a one-to-one on-ramp for each off-ramp? Or will there be multiple on-ramps for a single off-ramp?

a. This will be determined by Government need and an analysis of the situation at the time.

63. How many times in the last 60 months has the government had to resort to using their right to on-ramp/off-ramp an IDIQ contractor?

a. This information is not relevant to this procurement.

64. What is the ceiling amount for each award year?

a. There is no annual ceiling amount.

65. Is there an estimated value of planned awards in the Service Group 5 in any of the years covered under the 10-year POP?

a. There is no estimated value for any specific Service Group.

66. Will awarded IDIQs be available to support Management and Improvement services for the VHA, healthcare facilities and/or future construction projects?

a. All VA organizations will be able to utilize VECTOR to meet requirements that are within the scope of the VECTOR contract.

Performance Work Statement:

67. Page 5 - Contractors will be required to recertify small business status annually from the effective date of contract award. This will not automatically result in the off-ramping of a contractor that exceeds the size standard at that time; however, the Government reserves the right to do so at no cost to the Government. Under what circumstances would a contractor be off-ramped? Is this to ensure continuity of service for contractors in a base performance period or with option years on a Task Order remaining?

a. The CO will, at a minimum, analyze the competitive field available under the contract along with the current procurement environment in the VA to determine if off-ramping will occur prior to the expiration of the five year base or option period. In addition, any awardees that are not verified SDVOSBs at the end of the five year base will be off-ramped (this does not preclude the CO from deciding not to exercise an option for any other reasons.)

68. There is no item 1 in the list at the end of page 53/top of page 54.

a. Updated

69. FAR 52.219-14 was updated in January 2017, please update.

a. Updated

70. The RFP contains strict instructions to follow the Attachment G template for completing proposal responses. However, Section E.1 FAR 52.212-1 states additional requirements. Where should these be included?

a. Contractors are to complete Attachment G.

71. The RFP states that this service requested are not Information Technology (IT), however some of the labor categories seem to be IT specific. Please clarify.

a. Services under VECTOR will be non-IT.

72. Does Executive Order 13706, FAR 52.222-62 for mandatory sick leave apply to this solicitation?

a. No, the Service Contract Act does not apply to VECTOR.

73. Section 2.7 of PWS states the minimum is $20,000, should this be $2,500?

a. Section 2.7 has been updated to reflect the correct minimum of $2,500.00.

74. Does the VA contemplate “on-line” training to be a separate T.O. to be competed on a FFP basis, and not tied to any specific labor category?

a. Online training, as with any specific requirements, will be defined at the Task Order level.

75. Per Section 3.3.2.5 Financial and Business Performance Auditing - Is it expected that financial statement audits (under the Inspector General) will be competed for as a Task Order under VECTOR?

a. Financial statement audits may be competed at the task order level under VECTOR.

76. In PWS paragraph 2.1 (RFP page 7), please clarify the sentence that states that “for each TO, the contractor shall provide the contractors requested, comprehensive management, and supervision of contractor resources, and any required deliverables”.

a. The awardee must provide the resources necessary to complete the required effort.

77. Solicitation Section C.9 (d) (RFP page 30) states that “the Contractor shall not be required to make any deliveries under this contract after one year from date of base contract expiration” (emphasis added). Please confirm that the reference to the “base contract” would be inclusive of the option period, if exercised by the Government.

a. This would be inclusive of the option period, if exercised.

78. Is there a limit on attachment size that can be received by the VA email system?

a. IT suggests that the limit is 10MB. Regardless of the file size, the offeror is required to ensure receipt in accordance with the solicitation.

79. Paragraph 3.3.4.4 states a component for a show, event or booth includes “design and editing productions”. Please clarify that this statement refers to video productions or clarify the specific meaning of “productions”.

a. Design and editing productions refers to video productions.

80. Paragraph 3.3.4.4 and 3.3.4.5 state that materials are provided, but there is no provision for the fabrication of Exhibits themselves such as booths, displays, kiosks, banners, backdrops, etc. The Labor Categories also suggest that exhibit designers are required. Please state the requirement for exhibits. Are they to be designed and/or fabricated within the scope of this contract?

a. General graphic designers have the necessary skills and expertise to develop the designs for booths, displays, kiosks, banners, and backdrops. These items would not be fabricated through the contract.

81. Promotional Materials and Graphic Design refer to “develop” and “design” tasks, but there is no specific task to print, mount, laminate, bind or otherwise physically produce the materials described. Please clarify the government’s intent with respect to physical media.

a. Printing and production for large quantities of communication/outreach material must occur through GPO and are not part of this effort.

82. In order to provide the “commercial-grade/national-stage, high-production value, professional video” required, request the government add the following labor categories: Production Coordinator, Grip, Key Grip, Electrician, 3d Animator, Art Director, Camera Assistant, Camera Operator, Audio Technician, Director, Lighting Director/Graffer, Line Producer, Multimedia Producer, Make-up stylist, Scriptwriter, Programmer, Senior Programmer, Teleprompter operator, Video Engineer, Chroma Key Drop, and Actor.

a. Attachment A and Pricing Sheets have been updated with applicable labor categories.

83. Request that the government consider adding a Photographer III as a labor category as described in the Service Contract Act. This category would be essential in capturing images for the use the required marketing materials.

a. Attachment A and Pricing Sheets have been updated.

84. Task 3.3.4.4 requires “audiovisual and information technology support”, as well as “automation and telecommunications support“, but there are no labor categories in SG4 that accurately reflect that specialization. Request that the government add an Audio-Visual Engineer Junior, Audio-Visual Engineer Senior and a Telecommunications Technician as well as the Information Technology Specialist that is part of SGs 1, 3 and 6.

a. Attachment A and Pricing Sheets have been updated with applicable labor categories.

85. Task 3.3.4.4 requires “computer database creation” Request the government add the “Data Modeler” to the labor categories applicable to SG4

a. Attachment A and Pricing Sheets have been updated.

86. A videographer and a video editor are two very different skillsets. A videographer is a creative professional that understands the composition of lighting, sound, camera operation /placement, as they relate to actors and scenery. Whereas a video editor is a technical specialist in the sequencing of previously recorded video, animation, graphics and sound to enable post-production editing. Request that the government consider two distinct labor categories as this affects pricing significantly.

a. Attachment A and Pricing Sheets have been updated.

87. The “Strategic Planner” requirements for only Six years’ of experience and a Bachelor’s Degree seems incongruous with the requirement to advise senior VA officials on strategy. Please validate the minimum education and experience requirements so offerors may price appropriately.

a. Attachment A and Pricing Sheets have been updated.

88. Due to the multi-cultural and multi-lingual audiences of VA Outreach programs, we request that the government consider adding a “Language Translator” to the LCAT to SG4 for the preparation of targeted outreach materials.

a. Attachment A and Pricing Sheets have been updated.

89. Due to the need to communicate with the hearing impaired, request the government consider adding a LCAT for a “Sign Language Interpreter” to SG4.

a. Attachment A and Pricing Sheets have been updated.

90. To what, if any, style standards must VA Outreach products conform?

a. The following link provides guidance on the VA Outreach standards: and https://www.va.gov/opa/

91. In order to provide more cost effective delivery of services, request the government delineate three levels within LCATs that have been identified with two levels. The salary differential between Senior and Junior can be very significant and an intermediate level would allow improved mapping of required skills to LCAT levels.

a. The levels provided have been determined appropriate.

92. Can the government provide historical demand profile for services required in Service Group 4?

a. That information is not available.

93. It is requested that Attachment A be modified so that: Each labor category priced have a separate labor category title in Attachment A; and Labor Category descriptions in Attachment A be modified to accurately reflect the work performed at each level of experience in the labor categories for a specific profession.

a. Attachment A remains unchanged.

94. Section B.1(D) states “In performing services of VECTOR, contractors may gain access to procurement sensitive information or be asked to provide support services in developing acquisition packages. Contractors are advised that such access or support may deem the contractor ineligible for award as a prime contractor, subcontractor or teaming partner on future procurements." Will this stipulation only be in affect at the Task Order basis and will the contractor be allowed to not bid on those Task Orders relevant to this stipulation?

a. This will be in affect at the Task Order level. Contractors may indicate at the Task Oder level that this is the reason for not proposing.

95. Will the government stipulate a specific performance standard that defines "repeated failure to provide a proposal or adequate rationale for failure to propose may result in off-ramping at no cost to the Government." Is it 50% of the time or some other standard?

a. There is no specific performance standard.

96. Will the government restrict labor categories to the Service Groups identified in Attachment A or will the government allow labor categories to be bid against any Task Order regardless of Service Group?

a. The labor categories are restricted to the designated Service Group.

97. Attachment C states “The Contractor/Subcontractor shall certify to the COR that applications are fully functional and operate correctly as intended on systems using the VA Federal Desktop Core Configuration (FDCC), and the common security configuration guidelines provided by NIST or the VA. This includes Internet Explorer 7 configured to operate on Windows XP and Vista (in Protected Mode on Vista) and future versions, as required.” Will the government please confirm the Browser and Operating System requirements?

4. The stated Browser and Operating System requirements are accurate.

98. Will the government provide the cost for the Contractor and length of time for the processing of National Security Clearances thru Reciprocity from the DoD. Is this cost reimbursable as an ODC?

a. Information on background investigations can be found at https://www.opm.gov/investigations/background-investigations/. The cost is not reimbursable as an ODC.

99. For the purpose of National Security Clearances Verification at the time of contract award. Will the VA accept a Visit Authorization Request to certify DoD Clearances processed thru the DoD JPAS database for Contractor access to VA Facilities and other Cleared Contractor Facilities while a Clearance Reciprocity is being processed?

a. No, all background investigations shall be conducted by OPM and the background investigation requirements will be determined at the Task Order level.

100. Will the government provide the cost to the contractor and length of time for the processing of Positions of Public Trust thru OPM.

a. Information on background investigations can be found at https://www.opm.gov/investigations/background-investigations/

101. “Contract performance shall not commence before SIC confirmation that it has received the Contractor’s investigation documents, that they are complete, and that the investigation information has been released to OPM for scheduling of the background investigation.” Is there a plan or process in place for addressing the long time period between submitting a completed package to OPM for investigation and the OPM scheduling of an investigation? For example, the current time for scheduling of DoD investigations thru OPM is 90 days or more.

a. VA Central Office Personnel Security & Suitability Policy Office guidance states contractors may receive PIV cards and begin work once the investigation is “received” at Office of Personnel Management (OPM) rather than “scheduled” as in the past. This change was due to OPM’s delay in scheduling background investigations.

102. States the investigative history for Contractor personnel must be maintained in the databases of either OPM or DISCO. DISCO was replaced by the Personnel Security Management Office for Industry ( PSMO-I) and uses JPAS as the database of record for investigative history and Eligibility Determinations and the Visit Authorization. Does the VA use JPAS for maintaining Eligibility Determinations for National Security Clearances?

a. When the Security and Investigations Center (SIC) receives a contractor background investigation request, one of the initial steps is to check for previous background investigations in OPM’s systems. The SIC does have access to information in JPAS which is fed into the OPM system of record.

103. Section 3.3.2.1 States: “The contractor shall provide studies as they relate to staffing, evaluation, human resources, organization, leadership, efficiency, effectiveness, gap analyses, organization development, and emergency preparedness. These services may include management analyses, including organizational studies that specifically assess and analyze current organization states and management systems and perform gap analyses of differences between current and targeted states, including findings and recommendations, return of investment analysis conducting surveys, focus groups, and other accepted techniques for data collection in support of organization studies that specifically assess and analyze current organization states and management systems.” Will the VA provide the Human Use Committee/IRB oversight and all related compliance actions required by Federal all for these functions or is it the responsibility of the contractor to have its own HUC/IRB to ensure appropriate reviews and compliance?

a. The VA guidelines for IRB’s is located at the following link: http://www.research.va.gov/resources/oasc.cfm. The determination on HUC/IRB resource allocation will be done at the Task Order level.

104. In reference to section 2.4 Travel – the government states: “The contractor is only entitled to actual cost spent while on travel that falls within the parameters as set forth within the Federal Travel Regulations”. Federal Travel Regulations are designed for the use of federal employees. In our experience government rates are not always extended to contractors especially at hotels and airlines, etc. so our question for clarification is whether or not we will be reimbursed in accordance with the FTR if our travel exceeds the FTR amounts?

a. Contractors shall be reimbursed in accordance with FTR.

105. In Service Group 5 – Supply Chain, the scope clearly indicates in 3.3.5.1 “…services include all phases of planning, acquisition and management of logistics systems.” Why is an acquisition specialist missing from the identified labor categories for this Service Group?

a. Attachment A and Pricing Sheets have been updated.

106. In Section 3.3.5 does the term supply chain extend to purchased-services? I’m asking this question because the VA defines supply chain differently than the private sector. In the private sector only the management of consumables and widgets fall under the scope of supply chain. Things like purchased services, scarce medical, construction, lease, Information Systems and architecture contracts are typically handled by other departments. In the VA all of those areas are managed by supply chain.

a. The VA does not define supply chain differently from the private sector. The VA will look for personnel to perform those functions of this particular discipline or make recommendations on process improvement of the discipline.

107. The solicitation states: “B.2 Limitations on Subcontracting – Monitoring and Compliance (pg6) – “… support contractor may require access to contractor’s offices where the business records or other proprietary data are retained and to review such business records regarding the contractor's compliance with this requirement.” Do the business records and other proprietary data refer to accounts receivable and accounts payable only? What other business records might be subject to support contractor review?

a. This would include any information VA would need to ensure compliance with the appropriate subcontracting requirements of the contract. Here is the link to the most recent information: https://www.va.gov/oal/docs/library/ils/il11-15.pdf

108. “SECRET security clearance is required at time of award.” Does this refer to Facility Security Clearance rather than individual clearances?

a. Security clearance requirements will be determined at the Task Order Level.

109. For an offeror proposing on more than one Service Group, will the possible Task Orders across SGs in themselves create potential inherent conflicts of interest for those firms that otherwise have no existing OCI at the VA. Is an OCI mitigation plan required for offerors bidding more than one Service Group?

a. Proposing on and/or receiving awards in multiple Service Groups will not in itself create an OCI. The specific requirements in multiple Service Groups could possibly create an OCI. An OCI mitigation plan is not required unless the offeror is aware of a potential OCI that currently exists.

110. We are assuming that hybrid formats in section 3.3.3.2 Training Delivery, means a blended delivery approach a possible combination of VILTs, WBTs, Webinars, lunch and learns, and classroom training, is this assumption correct?

a. That is correct.

111. Our assumptions are all training must be 508 compliant and must be in a format that can be uploaded in the VA TMS.

a. All training must be 508 compliant and be compatible with TMS.

112. Section 3.3.6.1 - Is the title of this task is meant to be Position Description Planning rather than Performance Development Planning, as the description of the work refers to position descriptions and not performance development?

a. Performance Development Planning is accurate.

113. Would the Gov’t consider mapping the Service Group subsections on page 11 – 16 of PWS to the individual Service Group questions in the Attachment G template? This mapping will ensure contractors responses address the correct PWS subsection requirements, and assist the Gov’t proposal evaluation.

a. The questions are currently broken down by Service Group which is appropriate.

114. Per RFP language: “Past performance information, when included as an evaluation factor, to include recent and relevant contracts for the same or similar items and other references (including contract numbers, points of contact with telephone numbers and other relevant information)”, Would the Government define “recent” past performances?

a. Past performance information is not an evaluation factor for the base contracts. However, at the Task Order level the Government will define what is considered recent for each requirement.

115. “Process Improvement Specialist”. The description for this labor category provides a definition of process improvement. Could the government please clarify whether specific professional certifications, background investigations, or security clearances may be required at the TOPR level, and if so, will vendors have the opportunity to propose revised labor hour pricing to reflect premiums associated with these certifications?

a. The specific professional certifications, background investigations, or security clearances will be determined at the Task Order Level. The awarded labor rates will be the ceiling rates that the contractor can use throughout the performance of the VECTOR IDIQ.

116. Could the government please share VA’s overarching communications strategy or plan document that will guide the outreach efforts envision in Service Group 4?

a. There is no current overarching communications strategy or plan document that would encompass all outreach efforts.

117. Could the government please clarify the scope of RFP Section 3.3.5.1, PWS: "The services include all phases of planning, acquisition and management of logistics systems." Is the Government referring to IT systems in its use of the word "systems" or the combination of technology and processes?

a. The combination of both technology and processes.

118. Would the Government consider adding the Change Management Specialist labor category for Service Group 2? Draft RFP, Page 13 Many of the analytical & study tasks in Paragraph 3.3.2 (specifically 3.3.2.1 “Studies/Surveys”, 3.3.2.3 “Management Analysis” and 3.3.2.4 “Records Information Management” require awardees to conduct studies that recommend changes to address gaps or evaluation of “return on investment” for making changes. It seems that a Change Management Specialist would be a potential asset to such tasks.

a. Attachment A and Pricing Sheets have been updated.

119. It is our understanding that a SDVOSB can submit a proposal booklet for any number of the Service Groups. We also understand that proposals will be evaluated separately for each Service Group. Is this the correct interpretation or does the Proposal Booklet have to cover all services groups in order to be a compliant offer before it can be evaluated at all?

a. This is correct. Offerors do not have to propose on all Service Groups.

120. If as a successful prime we can retain a sub role in a Service Group we did not propose/win, how would the following scenario play out: We are a successful prime in Service Group 1 and we are a successful sub on a Service Group 6 proposal. Our prime for Service Group 6 also won Service Group 1. A TOPR is released for Service Groups 1 and 6. We could not participate in the competition as a prime. Would we be allowed to participate as a sub?

a. Yes.

121. Will the Government consider adding Junior and…