Potential Offeror Questions_2021 07 15.xlsx
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| AOAP Solicitation W31P4Q-21-R-0059 Potential Offeror's Questions | |||
| Question | Date received | Answer to Question | |
| 1 | Is this a new or follow-on contract? | 5/24/21 | Follow-on contract |
| 2 | If a follow-on, who is the incumbent and what is the contract number? | 5/24/21 | Martin Federal and contract W31P4Q-16-C-0032 |
| 3 | Is it possible to activate the "Interested Vendors List" IVL to facilitate teaming among interested vendors? | 5/24/21 | No this is a small business set-aside |
| 4 | Are there any payment term requirements we must meet? | 5/24/21 | No payment term are required. |
| 5 | What do we do if we aren’t getting paid within our terms? | 5/24/21 | FAR 52.232-1 The Government shall pay the Contractor, upon the submission of proper invoices or vouchers, the prices stipulated in this contract for supplies delivered and accepted or services rendered and accepted, less any deductions provided in this contract. Legal: Also, DFARS 252.204-7006 Billing Instructions will be part of the contract. |
| 6 | What do companies do if delayed payments result in significant cash flow impacts? | 5/24/21 | FAR 52.232.25 (5)(ii) The prompt payment regulations at 5 CFR1315.10(c) do not require the Government to pay interest penalties if payment delays are due to disagreement between the Government and the Contractor over the payment amount or other issues involving contract compliance, or on amounts temporarily withheld or retained in accordance with the terms of the contract. |
| 7 | How do deployment cost differ from regular travel expenses? | 5/24/21 | Deployment costs vary according to the country to which the employee must deploy. For the final solicitation, the Army will not require deployment of personnel to Afghanistan. The Bagram, Afghanistan laboratory has officially closed. At present the only location subject to deployment expenses is Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. Deployment expenses related to this location include an extensive, mandatory medical exam required by the CONUS Replacement Center (CRC) at Fort Bliss, TX; a sponsorship fee charged by the Kuwaiti company that arranges for visas and other documents required to enter and remain in Kuwait; and sponsorship costs for employees, such as the granting or renewal of residency status, a labor filing fee, fees for obtaining a Kuwaiti driver’s license and the like. Although Kaiserslautern Army Depot, Germany, Semarang, Indonesia and Camp Doha, Kuwait are overseas locations, the Army does not consider these as deployment locations; however, each location will have expenses unique to it. Offerors may research the types of expenses associated with each location by contacting commercial companies within the United States that specialize in providing guidance and assistance for businesses wishing to establish and support employees in a foreign country. |
| 8 | How long is the Lab Manager annual meet up in AL? | 5/24/21 | The annual lab manager’s conference occurs over a one-week period, Monday thru Friday. Monday and Friday are travel days while the conference takes place Tuesday thru Thursday. For personnel arriving to Alabama from OCONUS locations, Sunday-Monday and Friday-Saturday are travel days. |
| 9 | Does every international employee get a vehicle or do certain locations not require that? | 5/24/21 | Offerors must ensure employees have adequate transportation to reach the jobsite. Public transportation, a leased vehicle, a privately owned vehicle (POV), transportation/vehicle stipend, etc. are examples of adequate transportation. |
| 10 | How are Health and Welfare cost determined? For document SCLS+Wage+Determination++Attachment+0003 | 5/24/21 | For specifics on how to determine the Health and Welfare cost refer to the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA) at the Department of Labor’s website (https://www.dol.gov/). |
Offerors may find guidance and assistance under the Interpretive Guidance link at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts/service-contracts/interpretive.
Chapter 14 of the Wage and Hour Division Field Operations Handbook deals with the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA), and offerors may download it as a PDF. Offerors should direct further questions to the Department of Labor and/or the Contracting Officer.
| 11 | How long is expected travel time frame for Project Lead to do inventory at given locations? | 5/24/21 | The Project Lead can expect to spend at least three days traveling when required to verify inventory at a given location. The Project Lead would spend two days in travel to/from the location and at least one day at the lab verifying the inventory count. |
| 12 | Would there ever be a possible instance of refusal to pay and what would cause that? | 5/24/21 | If the contractor is unable to staff a laboratory location with the required number of personnel, the Government may deduct from the contractor’s invoice for the missing labor. While the invoice deduction prevents the Government from paying for something it has not received, the missing labor is also a violation of the contract and may negatively impact the contractor’s rating and its ability to compete for government contracts in the future. |
| 13 | What happens if the amry runs into funding issues for this contract? | 5/24/21 | If the Army encountered funding issues with the proposed contract, it may choose to terminate one or more contract line item numbers (CLINs) for the convenience of the Government or it may choose to terminate the entire contract. The Army may also choose not to exercise an option year on the contract. |
| 14 | How could the impact of adminstrative changes effect this contract? | 5/24/21 | In accordance with FAR 43.101 Administrative change means a unilateral (see 43.103(b)) contract change, in writing, that does not affect the substantive rights of the parties. FAR 43.103 may result in a bilateral modification include a change order resulting in equitable adjustment, definitize letter contract, and reflect other agreements of the parties modifying the terms of contracts. Unilateral modification may be administrative change, issue change order, change clauses, and issue termination notice. |
| 15 | On Document SCLS+Wage+Determination++Attachment+0003 - What is the “Six Month Option” on TOTAL price by CLIN? How are we supposed to determine this cost? | 5/24/21 | The Six Month Option is priced at date of award and is required to allow use of FAR 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services. So Offerors are required to price this additional six months of services in their proposal. It can be, but does not have to be half of the last Option Year's price and can include normal calculations for inflation, but it is part of the offeror's firm fixed price. |
| 16 | Codes on BLS+SOC+SCA+WD+Labor+Code+Crosswalk+Attachment+0007 are incorrect and need to be reviewed to match website given information: | ||
| Project Lead: 13-1198 – NOT 13-1082 | |||
| Software Developer: 15-1256 – NOT 15-1252 |
Data Architect: 15-1425 – NOT 15-1243 SCA WD Engineering Technician IV: 30084 – NOT 30083 5/24/21 The Government will update the occupational codes as follows: Project Lead: 13-1082 to 13-1198 Software Developer: 15-1252 to 15-1256 Data Architect: 15-1243 to 15-1245 SCA WD Engineering Technician III: 30082 to 30083 SCA WD Engineering Technician IV: 30083 to 30084
| 17 | Goal focused outcomes: Does the Army value the contribution of data analysis and interpretation separate from the performance of tasks? Our review of this solicitation demonstrates a clear division of responsibilities inherent in accomplishing the goals of the AOAP Program, namely the ability to diagnose issues before they become major repairs. Achieving this takes much more than just the analysis of submitted samples in accordance with established standards. It also requires a level of expertise in interpreting the analysis results in the context of operating condition variations, contaminants introduced by the environment, and the impact of maintenance and operating practices. Once the reliable data is being produced on a regular basis, half of the battle is won. To maximize the value of the AOAP, it is necessary that the results are leveraged to continuously improve the condition of Army assets, enhancing their availability, reliability, performance and life, along with optimization of the lubricants in use. This is only achieved in a second tier evaluation of data that is separate from and in addition to the focus on task-performance inherent in the laboratory environment. | 5/24/21 | Yes, the Army expects Condition Monitoring Analysts (CMAs) to provide that second tier evaluation of data as part of continuous process improvement. |
| 18 | Independence of audit and review: Is the function of oversight solely in the PMO, or is there expectation that the offeror will contribute to continuous improvement? Careful evaluation of the trends of these time-based changes can allow optimization of assets and the resources that maintain them. The ability to use oil analysis data to achieve these goals is predicated upon the competency of the staff performing the analysis, along with the process of specifying, obtaining, and submitting samples. These activities, even in an environment where technicians are qualified to international certifications and follow international standards of testing performance, require a culture of continuous review and audit to ensure that repeatability and reproducibility of data is achieved. In commercial environments, when such reliability is required, this is achieved by participation in independently audited processes and results. The results are best evaluated by the use of interlaboratory studies (ILS), often conducted with ASTM or other standards organizations. Audits are performed by knowledgeable parties that are able to make education and enhancements a goal of the audit, so that the result is an ever-increasing level of competency and quality of work. | 5/24/21 | Yes, the Government will conduct independent audit and reviews. |
| 19 | Knowledge parity: Is the achievement of LLA certification the sole determinant of the competency of lab and program personnel? To ensure data is comparable across assets, theaters, and lab locations performing analysis, the knowledge of each participant must be comparable. This requires a reliable resource for training to these standards at a level and with content that ensures uniformity in knowledge and capability for task performance. Additionally, this training cannot be static, and must evolve in response to the growing body of knowledge that the Army achieves regarding asset performance, effectiveness of maintenance practices, and understanding gained from failures and premature damage investigations. A static training requirement or course content constrains the organization from meeting its full potential. | 5/24/21 | No, LLA certification does not represent the sole determinant of lab competency and program personnel. The Government expects an ostensibly competent provider of laboratory services to propose and implement a training plan with appropriate content that evolves as the body of knowledge grows. |
| 20 | AOAP Program Vision: Are the near-term outcomes of this program aligned to the long-term Army goals of "doing more with less"? The principal of this respondent organization worked in the commercial nuclear power industry for many years, initiating an in-plant laboratory within one of the US nuclear power plants. This particular plant had suffered from significant operational and cultural issues that resulted in a regulatory closure of the facilities for a 2-year period. During this time, the lubricant analysis program was initiated to address significant poor performance of assets in order to regain regulatory confidence and return to operational status. Working within a military culture imposed following the shutdown (former US Naval Admiral and staff), the organization identified the need to implement a two-tier approach to lubricant analysis, focusing first on the execution of the sampling and analysis tasks, and secondly on the interpretation of the data to find the most significant enhancements to be made to the critical assets. This approach became even more important a few years later as the organization shifted from a protected regional monopoly to a competitive industrial environment. As successes were achieved and failures were avoided, the program was expanded to cover most of the lubricated assets in the facility. This put significant pressure on the lubricant analysis team to complete analysis of a large and growing schedule of oil analysis tasks. The team's success vacillated between effective and timely task performance, and effective evaluation of data to achieve enhanced asset performance, until finally the organization recognized this dichotomy, and split the responsibilities between two groups. The result was that the first group could focus on the logistics, labor requirements, performance, and delivery of timely results for submitted samples. Meanwhile the second group could provide organizational oversight, value-based data evaluation and recommendations, and pursuit of program goal achievement. | 5/24/21 | The Army’s long term priorities are people, readiness and modernization. AOAP’s contribution to the Army’s mission is ensuring soldier safety, enhancing weapon system readiness and supporting modernization goals. Support for process improvements are always dependent on the ability to articulate the value to the Army’s senior leadership. |
| 21 | Competencies required for a AOAP Program successful partner: Does the Army recognize the divergent competencies required of the partnership required to achieve program success? Critical goals to the success of the program include increased reliability, equipment and lubricant life optimization, and mission readiness. In the Draft Solicitation that looks to commercial small business partners to execute the performance of the Army Oil Analysis Program, both of these functions are expected from the successful offeror. As the AOAP program has evolved, it is clear that there has been an incremental approach to expand program effectiveness, including the incorporation of the ICML LLA certifications in the performing organization technicians and supervision (ostensibly to improve the quality of data being produced by each AOAP lab), as well as the more recent expansion of positions in the contract to include individuals specifically tasked to interpret and present data for more targeted recommendations and actions. The challenge is that there are separate functions and focus between these areas, much as was experienced in the US nuclear power industry example. Further, the commercial partner being sought for this project must be both organizationally competent in the challenging logistics of international and secure laboratories and staffing them, along with the extremely rare ability and experience in demonstrated asset performance enhancement through programmatic assessment, process improvement, and targeted recommendations to achieve asset excellence. | 5/24/21 | Yes, the Army recognizes the divergent competencies required. The Army’s goal is to ensure all contracted services are successful. Offerors may use partnerships, teaming arrangements and subcontractors to address the divergent competencies that are required as long as the final arrangement meets the requirements of FAR 19.505(a)(1). |
| 22 | Contribution potential value assessment: Does the contract review process recognize the proportional value offered by an organization with proven measurable impact of large organizations? Respondent is clearly one of a very few organizations that has demonstrated this ability, not only commercially, but directly with US Army assets, such as the Chinook fleet and recent work supporting Apache hydraulic and transmission systems. Admittedly, respondent has limited experience in the complex logistics of on-site laboratory operation in foreign locations and under specific security clearance requirements. Although it can be argued that this latter requirement is the more easily achieved, with more organizations with similar demonstrated competence. So the Army may be faced with an "either-or" dilemma: select the organization that can most confidently ensure the routine testing of all samples in the program by managing an extremely niche target staff; or select the organization that may not have that specific management background, but that clearly possesses the experience, vision, competency and leadership to advance the AOAP program. The goal should be to achieve the AOAP program’s full potential in the maximum utilization of analysis data, applying new technologies of sampling and analysis to incorporate additional critical assets and components, and to provide the oversight, coaching and training capabilities needed for technical excellence to raise the performance of program personnel at every level. | 5/24/21 | The Government’s selection process will focus on both technical and management competence as specified in the solicitation. Offerors may address weaknesses in one area with partnerships, teaming arrangements and subcontractors, as well as using 3rd parties to provide guidance and assistance for businesses wishing to establish and support employees in a foreign country as long as the final arrangement meets the requirements of FAR 19.505(a)(1). |
| 23 | In Solicitation W31P4Q-21-R-0059 on Page 46 introduces Volume IV - Past Performance. Immediately under that there are headings for four sections. Each one of these refers to Volume III, as in "Volume III - Section I - Contract Descriptions". Are each of these four sections meant to be labeled as "Volume IV - Section I - Contract Descriptions", etc., and be annotated as such in our submittal? | 5/24/21 | Correction is required to change the "Volume III -Section I - Contract Descriptions" to "Volume IV - Section I - Contract Descriptions" |
| 24 | Just for clarification, I do understand that this is a DRAFT solicitation, yet we are still expected to submit a fully formed response to this DRAFT, correct? Or are we being asked just to review it to present questions for clarification? | 5/24/21 | No this was DRAFT solicitation and formal proposal was not required. The Final Solicitation may have significant changes from the DRAFT solicitation which was released to give offeror more time to prepare RFP and to clarify requirement if required. Yes please provide questions if applicable. |
| 25 | In the document shared on the solicitation, also attached here, it gives the SCA WD work codes. Where do we get this information from? | 5/24/21 | Offerors may download the current SCA Directory of Occupations as a PDF via this link: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/legacy/files/SCADirectVers5.pdf General guidance, which includes the link to the SCA Directory of Occupations, may be found here: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts/service-contracts/guidance |
| 26 | Can you help me with the SCA WD and where I can get that information? | 5/21/21 | Offerors may find general guidance on SCA wage determinations here: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts/service-contracts/guidance. Offerors may also find guidance and assistance under the Interpretive Guidance link at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts/service-contracts/interpretive. Chapter 14 of the Wage and Hour Division Field Operations Handbook deals with the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA), and offerors may download it as a PDF. Offerors should direct further questions to the Department of Labor and/or the Contracting Officer. |
| 27 | In Solicitation W31P4Q-21-R-0059 on Page 46 introduces Volume IV - Past Performance. Immediately under that there are headings for four sections. Each one of these refers to Volume III, as in "Volume III - Section I - Contract Descriptions". Are each of these four sections meant to be labeled as "Volume IV - Section I - Contract Descriptions", etc., and be annotated as such in our submittal? | 5/20/21 | Correction is required to change the "Volume III -Section I - Contract Descriptions" to "Volume IV - Section I - Contract Descriptions" |
| 28 | I would like to submit a question regarding Life Support expenses born from OCONUS and PN/HN support locations in the referenced solicitation for AOAP Support Services. In particular, SOW 3.1.3.6 dictates that when billeting and mess is not available, “the USG will reimburse the contractor” for these expenses. However, given the firm-fixed-price nature of the contract, we do not believe there is a mechanism for this direct “reimbursement” through any of the CLINs as established. This presents significant financial risk to the US Government because, given the lack of surety of on-base lodging at the various contract locations, contractors will have to include these expenses in their pricing to minimize risk, which would likely result in the Government paying for these expenses while still providing billets and other Life Support services. Even in places where the contractor will have to utilize external lodging, the current ODC structure burdens all of these costs with fee and other indirect expenses, thereby further increasing the cost to the Government. Offeror is recommending adding cost-reimbursable CLINs for allowable Life Support expenses at OCONUS locations (or one CLIN for all locations if this results in less burden to the contracting office). As part of our bids, offerors could build up pricing for a realistic “worst case scenario” to establish proper ceilings in the case that billets and other facilities are or become unavailable. These CLINs would then only be funded and billed against in cases where the Government is not providing the services directly, which would result in immense savings to the government and reduced risk to contractors. In addition, the Government could stipulate that these CLINs are to be free of fee, which will result in further savings. | 6/25/21 | At this time the USG will not use cost reimbursable CLINs for W31P4Q-21-R-0059. |
The USG is aware that offerors must include risk when pricing FFP CLINs. This may result in an overall higher price for a particular CLIN when compared to a contract that employs cost reimbursable CLINs. However, the use of cost reimbursable CLINs does not incentivize a contractor to control costs to the same degree as FFP CLINs, since the USG must reimburse the contractor for whatever costs it incurs even if the contractor makes a less than optimum choice or circumstances change.
For example, Offeror A may propose and price a “worst-case scenario” for housing in Germany of $2,500/mo. while Offeror B may propose and price a “worst-case scenario” for housing in Germany of $1,750/mo. On the strength of the price differential, the USG might award the contract to Offeror B. However, after contract award Offeror B might incur an actual housing cost in Germany of $2,250/mo., not the $1,750/mo. it proposed. Under a cost reimbursable CLIN, the USG must pay the new amount although it has planned and budgeted for the lesser amount.
The Government prefers to shift such risks to the contractor via FFP CLINs. Doing so supports cost control and provides for more accurate budgetary forecasts.
In some cases the contractor may be entitled to an equitable adjustment via contract modification if a change to the contract scope or requirement results in additional expense for the contractor. For example on the current contract when the Army established a contingency lab at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, the Government provided travel to/from the lab for deploying/redeploying contractor personnel. Later, the Government required contractors to provide for this cost. Since the incumbent contractor had not originally priced this cost into their quote to operate the lab at this location, they were entitled to an equitable adjustment for the additional travel expense.
| 29 | Can you please confirm that the Table of Contents and Volume Cover Page do not count against the page requirements for Volumes I and II for this proposal? Also, the solicitation does not contain a date by which we need to request access to SAFE and/or ASSIST. Is there any information you need from us to establish the necessary access? | 7/1/21 | The Government will not count the Table Of Contents against the stated page limitations for each volume; however, it will count the Summary section against the stated page limitations. The Offeror should submit request for safe site at least day before submittal date of RFP. |
| 30 | CLIN 2012 ISO 17025 Program Accreditation Will the Government provide information on the performance requirements of these CLINs? | 7/2/21 | Performance requirements for ISO 17025 Program Accreditation may be found on the Web at: https://www.iso.org/standard/39883.html. The successful offeror may accomplish IS0 17025 Program Accreditation organically through existing company resources or via a teaming/subcontractor arrangement with a third party. |
| 31 | Attachment 0004 and Attachment 0011 appear to be the same document – TE 6.4_Laboratory Personnel Qualifications. Please confirm. This also conflicts with Section J – List of Attachments in the Solicitation. | 7/2/21 | The Government deleted duplicate TE 6.4 Laboratory Personnel Qualifications and renumber attachments. |
| 32 | Will the Government allow submission of more than one document for Volume III to allow us to submit pricing data via Excel and narrative data via PDF? | 7/2/21 | Please see Price Volume in Section L and Section M. There is no page limit for Pricing Volume. |
| 33 | Are the Table of Contents and Summary Section exempt from any page limitations for each Volume? | 7/2/21 | |
| 34 | Should each Volume contain a Cover Page and if so, are Cover Pages exempt from page limitations? | 7/2/21 | The Government will not count cover pages for each volume against the stated page limitations. |
| 35 | Please confirm VOLUME V should be VOLUME IV. | 7/2/21 | Clarification confirm Volume IV |
| 36 | Will the Government provide any Section L instructions for Volume III – Price including which documents should be submitted? | 7/2/21 | The Government will post an amended solicitation that will include instructions for Volume III – Price |
| 37 | Please confirm the Proposal due date/time is July 12, 4:00pm CT. | 7/2/21 | Confirmed the due date time was July 12, 4:00pm CT. The due date will be 19 July 2021, 4:00 CST |
| 38 | Will the Government allow smaller than 12 point font in Headers/Footers? | 7/2/21 | Offerors may use as low as 8-point font in the header and/or footer section of pages but no font size smaller than this. |
| 39 | if each of the Volume I Subfactors (I, II, and III) are intended to “stand alone and the Government will rate this subfactor solely on the information contained within this section”, must each Subfactor start on a new page within the Volume I document? If so, we request an increase to a 40-page limit for Volume I to account for the potential lost space. | 7/2/21 | Offerors need not start each subfactor on a new page; however, offerors should clearly delineate the end of the narrative for one subfactor and the start of a new narrative for a different subfactor. |
| 40 | Please clarify when the Quality Control Plan is due. | 7/2/21 | The contractor’s Quality Control Plan is due no later than 10 business days after the contract has been awarded. Refer to section 1.6 of the SOW and Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL) A008 |
| 41 | Please clarify when the Chemical Hygiene Program Plan is due. | 7/2/21 | The contractor’s Safety and Chemical Hygiene Plan is due no later than 30 calendar days after the contract has been awarded. Refer to section 1.11.1 of the SOW and CDRL A010. |
| 42 | Should Excel Attachment 0003 be included as part of the Volume III – Price submission? | 7/2/21 | Yes, offerors should include Attachment 0003 as part of the submission for Volume III – Price. |
| 42 | Can you please send me the info required to access SAFE for our proposal submission? | 7/8/21 | The Government will send access to SAFE site to potential offeror. |
| Offerors shall submit digital copies of their proposals via the DoD Secure Access File Exchange (SAFE) website atCaution-https://safe.apps.mil/ < Caution-https://safe.apps.mil/ > . The Contracting Officer will send an electronic request to each offeror, permitting them to upload their proposal files using the DoD SAFE website | 7/7/21 | The Government will send access to SAFE site to potential offeror. | |
| “In order to initiate the use of ASSIST2Industry, the Government requires the names, company titles, telephone numbers and email addresses of two (2) individuals whom the offeror has designated as responsible for receiving and responding to Government ENs through ASSIST2Industry. The designation of two (2) individuals is to ensure the availability of one individual if the other individual is not available. Offerors must submit the required information regarding these two (2) individuals to the Contracting Officer, latasha.y.porter.civ@mail.mil, no later than .” | 7/13/21 | The Government will update to no later than 19 July 2021 | |
| Pricing can be very different based on location within the United States because of the prevailing Wage Determination that will be incorporated into the contract, the number of personnel required and any additional ODCs needed. In order to provide sample pricing for CONUS Lab TBD, can the government provide notional staffing levels by labor title and a location to base pricing on? (CLIN 1009/2009 CONUS Lab TBD) | 7/13/21 | At this time, prospective offerors should price all TBD CLINs at $0. The Government’s intent is that these CLINs serve as a placeholder on the resultant FFP contract for potential mission growth. The contractor shall price TBD CLINs only as the requirement arises. | |
| OCONUS pricing varies widely based on location for both staffing and ODC estimation. In order to provide sample pricing for OCONUS Lab TBD, can the government provide notional staffing levels and location to base pricing on? CLIN 1012/2012 ISO 17025 PROGRAM ACCREDITATION | 7/13/21 | At this time, prospective offerors should price all TBD CLINs at $0. The Government’s intent is that these CLINs serve as a placeholder on the resultant FFP contract for potential mission growth. The contractor shall price TBD CLINs only as the requirement arises. | |
| For ISO 17025 estimation, can the government confirm that it would apply to all CONUS and OCONUS labs, both current and TBD? CLIN 1012/2012 ISO 17025 PROGRAM ACCREDITATION | 7/13/21 | ISO 17025 Program Accreditation applies to the AOAP program as a whole; therefore, it includes both CONUS and OCONUS labs, to include TBD labs. However, ISO 17025 Accreditation does not apply to foreign military sales (FMS) labs. The Government’s intent is that the accreditation achieved at the Redstone Arsenal laboratory shall proliferate to all other laboratories. | |
| Can the government confirm that any physical space changes needed to be made to government installations to accomplish program accreditation will not fall under the scope of this contract? CLIN 1012/2012 ISO 17025 PROGRAM ACCREDITATION | 7/13/21 | Physical space changes and any other changes required to accomplish ISO 17025 Program Accreditation are the responsibility of the Government and do not fall under the scope of the contract which results from this solicitation. | |
| Can the government confirm that Section B should be filled out and included in both the Pricing Volume and Contracts volume? | 7/13/21 | The Government confirms Section B should be filled out and included in both the Pricing Volume and Contracts Volume | |
| Please clarify, If billets and dining facilities will be available for OCUNUS laboratories or if the USG will reimburse the contractor for an apartment and transportation to/ from the laboratory and other incidentals as visas and sponsorship, as stated in SOW Section 3.1.3.6? | 7/9/21 | Currently, billets and dining facilities are not available for the USG OCONUS locations of Kaiserslautern, Germany and Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. Billets and dining facilities are also not available at foreign military sales (FMS) laboratory locations, such as Camp Doha, Kuwait and Semarang, Indonesia. The offeror must plan for these and other incidental expenses when calculating the firm-fixed-price (FFP) for such locations. | |
| Please clarify, does the government will provide emergency medical care and regular medical care for the OCONUS personnel deployed overseas?, as stated in SOW Section 3.1.3.5. SOW Section 4.7 - stated that the contractor shall be responsible for providing medical care and emergency care for OCONUS. | 7/9/21 | The Government provides only emergency medical care, not routine medical care, for contractor employees deployed to an OCONUS location designated as an Overseas Contingency Operation (OCO), such as Bagram, Afghanistan. The Government will always inform the contractor when an OCONUS deployment location qualifies as an OCO location. At present, the solicitation contains no OCO locations. The Government will not provide medical care, routine or emergency, for contractor employees deployed OCONUS to a location not designated as an OCO, such as Kaiserslautern, Germany or Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. At these locations, the contractor has responsibility for providing for the routine and emergency medical needs of its employees. Section 4.7 of the SOW requires the contractor to provide for the routine and emergency medical care of contractor employees deployed OCONUS in support of a Partner Nation (PN), not the USG. Examples of PNs include FMS customers like Indonesia and Kuwait. The offeror must plan for medical expenses at such locations and include them in the FFP. | |
| If contractor is responsible for medical care, does the contractor sis responsible to provide health insurance to OCONUS personnel? | 7/9/21 | Yes, the contractor has responsibility for providing health insurance for OCONUS personnel. The USG will only provide emergency medical care for OCONUS contractor personnel deployed to a designated OCO location. The USG does not provide any routine medical care for OCONUS contractor personnel. Additionally, FMS customers do not provide for the routine or emergency medical care of OCONUS contractor personnel. For these reasons the contractor should consider enrolling its OCONUS personnel in health insurance coverage. |
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