Revised Government Q and A- Question 38 25APR.pdf

W564KV25R0020003 Questions from Industry #2

Initial Clarification to Question 38: A separate travel CLIN would allow the Government to establish an NTE amount for travel that will only be billed when it is used. With the sole CLIN structure, contractors have to assume each of the minimum of 16 personnel will travel the historically estimates 2,400 miles a year and attend a one-week annual conference in Garmisch, but there may in reality be a great deal more variation. Requiring contractors to include all labor, travel, and other costs into one CLIN gives the incumbent a significant advantage as they have five years experience in understanding actual travel costs.

Likewise, a separate CLIN for relocation would all the Government to establish an NTE amount to be billed only if used. Under the current CLIN structure, a contractor must either bill the Government for relocation costs regardless as to if they are used or not. Will the Government consider adding an NTE travel and relocation CLIN?

Initial Government Clarification Answer 38: No NTE travel and relocation CLIN will be added.

Revised Government Answer: The Army is not incorporating a NTE travel or relocation CLIN into the solicitation. Offerors should include the potential costs for these expenses in their proposed fixed prices. Regarding travel costs, the revised solicitation provides potential offerors with updated, recent, and accurate historical travel data. It also clarifies that the Army anticipates only a one week-long training conference per year, which will take place in Garmisch, Germany.

These PWS changes place all offerors on equal footing and provide them with sufficient information to propose intelligently on this requirement.

Concerning potential relocation costs, each offeror has the flexibility to develop a staffing plan to meet the minimum requirements of this acquisition. Consistent with its staffing plan, an offeror can determine whether it will incur relocation expenses, and using its best business judgment, that offeror can choose to include those costs in its proposed firm-fixed price. In light of that paradigm and the discretion it entails, there is no need for the Army to include a NTE relocation CLIN in this solicitation. Further, the Army has determined that the risk allocation for relocation costs to be appropriate as it promotes efficient employee hiring, recruitment, and retention practices.

Accordingly, PWS 1.5.4.1.1 Contractor Travel, was revised to read as follows:

1.5.4.1.1 Contractor Travel: The Contractor shall arrange individual Contractor employee travel.

Such Contractor employees shall be accountable solely to the Contractor who, in turn is responsible to the Government. The cost for travel shall be included in the contract price / not separately priced. The contractor shall be required to travel during the performance of this contract to attend meetings, respond to on call emergencies, conferences, and training. The Government identifies long distance and local travel to be required to meet the above prescribed contract requirements. The description of each is provided below as well as historical estimations for each respectively.

1.5.4.1.1.1 Conference Travel – This type of travel requires overnight stay or air travel. It will incorporate one weeklong training annually for each employee. It is anticipated that one training event will be conducted in Garmisch, Germany. Historical estimations for this type of travel are 4034 miles per year for all 16 staff listed in Attachment 2 – Places of Performance.

1.5.4.1.1.2 Local Travel - The Contractor shall be required to travel within a 50-mile radius of the assigned place of performance as defined in 1.5.4.1 – Place of Performance. Any transportation in the area of contractor’s operation will be required at the contractor’s expense to meet the requirements in the PWS. Historical estimations for this type of travel are 3276 miles per year for 13 Victim Advocates and 0 miles for the CSM, ALT CSM, and 1 DAVA located at IMCOM-E referenced in Attachment 2 – Place of Performance.