Solicitation_Question_and_Answers.pdf

NTCMS Solicitation W900KK-18-R-0015 Industry Questions and Government Answers

The following Industry questions and the Government provided answers were used as the basis for some of the changes that resulted in Amendment (1) to Solicitation

W900KK-18-R-0015.

Section Question Answer 1 Solicitation

Attachment L.3.8.4 L.3.10.7

Attachment 9, Sample Org Chart, states the minimum amount of information required and includes the Total Compensation Rate (TCR) for each position. However, RFP Section L.3.8.4 specifically states "do NOT include pricing in Volume II” and L.3.10.7 directs direct labor rates "must be identified in the cost and pricing proposal only." Please clarify that the Total Compensation Rate for each position should not be included in the org chart.

TCR has been removed from the Solicitation Attachment (9) Org Chart example. The Total Compensation rate for each position should NOT be included in the Org Chart.

2 Solicitation Attachment

In order to equitably compare each Offeror's Total Compensation Rate (TCR), please clarify the costs included within TCR. Please define what elements of cost make up a Total Compensation Rate. For example, is TCR only the direct labor rate, or direct labor + fringe, or direct labor + fringe + labor overhead?

TCR was removed from Solicitation Attachment (9).

3 Solicitation Attachment

Per Attachment 9, the Government has indicated a field for QTY. Does the Government intend this QTY to be representative of full-time equivalents (i.e.

QTY 1 and QTY 1.3) or cumulative count of the specific positions (i.e. 1.5 FTE could be 2 positions)?

The Quantity break out is up to the Contractor as long as it is explained. If the service provider provides services on other contracts or other CLINs on this contract it needs to be explained.

4 Solicitation L.3.1

Please confirm the alternate 11x17 paper size is counted as one page?

Each 11X17 tables, charts, graphs and figures counts as one page. The Organizational Charts do not go towards the page count.

5 Solicitation L.3.8.4

Section L.8.4 requires the Contractor to "discuss back-up rationale and provide calculations …" for labor categories and each position. Given the details required and number of labor categories and positions, please confirm the Government wants rationale and calculations added to the organizational charts and will be excluded from the volume's 50 page limit.

The Government will not count the Organizational Charts, and Back-up data submitted into the 50 page count. Mark the back-up data as Organizational Charts or Organizational Back up data.

Section Question Answer 6 Solicitation

L.3.10, M.3.5

FAR Clause 52.237-10 has been removed from the solicitation. Under the prescription of FAR 37.115-3, this contract fits the requirement based on a procurement of number of hours provided and thus recommend the clause be added to Section I. Suggested Section L language:

“The government defines a standard work week per FTE as 40 hours per week. In accordance with FAR 52.237-10, Identification of Uncompensated Overtime, if uncompensated overtime is proposed for employees who are exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Offeror shall compute an estimated hourly rate for each employee based on the total compensated and uncompensated hours the employee is expected to work during the year and distribute salary costs to all projected tasks/efforts at the estimated hourly rate.

The Offeror’s estimate of uncompensated overtime must be consistent with its cost accounting practices used to accumulate and report uncompensated overtime. A copy of the Offeror’s policy concerning uncompensated overtime shall be included in the proposal submission.”

And Section M language:

"IAW FAR 52.237-10, Identification of Uncompensated Overtime, proposals that include unrealistically low labor rates, or that do not otherwise demonstrate cost realism, will be considered in a risk assessment and will be evaluated for award in accordance with that assessment."

Per FAR 37.115(b) "When professional or technical services are acquired on the basis of the number of hours to be provided, rather than on the task to be performed, the solicitation shall require offerors to identify uncompensated overtime hours and the uncompensated overtime rate for direct charge Fair Labor Standards Act -exempt personnel included in their proposals and subcontractor proposals.

This includes uncompensated overtime hours that are in indirect cost pools for personnel whose regular hours are normally charged direct."

- The NTCMS acquisition is based on tasks to be performed and not just purchasing labor hours.

The Staffing Approach requires proposals to identify all Exempt personal, the PWS identifies which categories require after hour support and Solicitation L.3.8.4 requires the proposal to, “ensure consistency with the categories proposed in Volume IV, Cost/Price

- do NOT include pricing in Volume II”.

7 PWS

Section 3.17.2 Solicitation Section B, L.3.10.6

In accordance with PWS Section 3.17.2, should Phase-In costs be included within the CLIN 0001 pricing? Please describe how Phase-In costs should be separately identified per RFP Section L.3.10.6 as there is no separate CLIN.

All Phase in Cost should be included in CLIN 0001 except material which will be invoiced to CLIN 0025 and has a fill-in amount for proposals.

- L.3.10.6 Phase in costs for CLIN 0001 should be identified in that sections cost breakdown. This is to ensure that there are no materials and supplies included in the estimate nor service providers that should be contained elsewhere.

8 PWS 3.17.2

Section B, F & L.3.10.6

Per Section F, please confirm Phase-In shall be performed between 31 July 2018 – 23 Oct 2018?

Estimated Phase-in shall be performed between 31 July 2018 and 23 October 2018.

Section L.3.10.6 was adjusted to address “if” there is a shift of the award date.

9 L.3.10.8 Does the government intend to evaluate 6 months of an Option to Extend in the total evaluated price?

FAR 52.217-8 indicates that services maybe extended up to 6 months within the limits of final contract year rates. Suggest changing the language to indicate that final year's contract rates will be used instead of proposed indirect rates exclusive of fee.

The Government does intent to evaluate 6 months of an Option to Extend in the total evaluated price.

Solicitation Paragraph M.3.5 was adjusted.

10 L.3.10.11 If an Offeror does not have a Forward Pricing Rate Agreement (FPRA) or Forward Pricing Rate Recommendation (FPRR), please confirm that the indirect rate information provided in response to Section L.3.10.10 (allocations, applications, calculations, and methodologies for each indirect rate) is sufficient to support Government evaluation?

If a Contractor does not have an FPRA or FPRR then historical actuals are required in addition to the allocations, applications, calculations and methodologies. If there is no history then they need to explain how they calculated their overheads.

11 L3.10.11 Should Offeror's provide copies of their latest Forward Pricing Rate Proposal (FPRP) submission when either an Agreement or Recommendation exists?

No. This will not provide us the information the Government needs.

12 L.3.10.14 L.3.10.14 “The sharing ratio (80/20) and the min/max fee of (0%/10%) will be defined in the contract”. Can an offeror propose an alternative min/max fee?

An offeror can propose an alternate Fee,with rationale for the fee change.

13 L.3.7.1 Section M.3.3 highlights the ability to successfully provide and manage staffing when interfacing with multiple employee unions in Factor 2. Recommend the Government also evaluate the prime

The Government team considered the suggestion and decided to leave Factor 1 / Technical Worksheet as written.

offeror's experience in managing a large workforce that includes collective bargaining agreements and or employee unions in Factor 1 Technical Experience.

14 L.3.7.1 The General Instructions of the Technical Experience Project Worksheet do not appear to require any experience by the prime offeror. Recommend the Government require offerors submit at least one project performed by the prime offeror.

The Government team considered the suggestion and decided to leave Factor 1 / Technical Worksheet as written.

15 Solicitation Section B

CLIN 0019

Unscheduled Training Events- According to the “Guidance on Using Incentive and Other Contract Types” (memo dated 01 April 2016) as well as FAR 16.302, a cost-no-fee-type contract does not appear to fit this type of effort as this is not R&D with a non-profit organization nor is this for only maintenance of a USG facility. Recommend the USG consider a CPFF model for these rotations.

Change from COST to COST Plus Fixed Fee.

16 Solicitation Section B

CLIN 0019

CLIN 0019, how does the Government define an unscheduled event?

PWS Section 1.3 Additional unscheduled training events and PWS Section 3 Unscheduled training events.

17 Solicitation clause 252.204-

Under clause 252.204-7012, can the USG please provide a listing to what information under this contract constitutes covered defense information as laid out by category in the link provided?

Clause 252.204-7012 is not required and is removed from the Solicitation.

18 L.1.1, Attachment

Attachment 11 Proposal Adequacy Checklist states the proposal submission date is March 23. Please confirm the submission date is March 7, as stated in Section L.1.1 of the Solicitation.

The correct date is 7 March 2017. The date is removed, it will be filled on when the proposal is received.

19 Solicitation Attachment 6 Technical Experience Project Worksheet

Question 3 states, "To qualify efforts must meet size/scope with minimum simultaneous performance of 1 year." To what extent are you expecting a discussion of scope relevancy in this answer vs. other answers (i.e., 7 and 9)?

Question 3 can be answered by providing the Vehicle Type. The Contractor can highlight the Contract CLIN in Section B and the PoP in Section F, or similar sections in a different contract vehicle.

20 Solicitation Attachment

Questions 9. Does the project meet the

DIVERSE MILITARY SPECIFIC SERVICE

Technical Experience Project Worksheet was

6 Technical Experience Project Worksheet

CATEGORIES requirement? Please clarify:

if a project is not submitted to address Core Task Area B, we are not permitted to answer "Yes" to question #9 for that project

- even if this task area was also performed on that project?

adjusted to remove the "A No answer indicates an unacceptable Project." A no response is acceptable for question 9, it must be yes on at least one of the submitted Project Worksheets.

21 Solicitation Attachment 6 Technical Experience Project Worksheet

Page 2 states, "Diverse Military Specific Services as it relates to Technical Experience is defined as, 'Contractor performed services that assist with military services consisting of (2) or more service categories including but not limited to role players, range control operations, training analyst, DoD Cyber security specialist, intelligence analyst or constructive simulation operators.'' As it pertains to Question 9, does the government expect us to address items in the list provided in addition to the 3.1 through 3.17 service categories?

The Government expects the Contractor to answer Question 9 using the directions listed on Solicitation Section L.3.7.1

2. "2. Experience managing / executing a service contract with diverse military specific service categories. Must contain at least two service category listed in PWS sections 3.1 through 3.16." as well as the definition of "Diverse Military Specific Services contained on Section L.3.7.2.

Solicitation Section L.3.8.7

It is our understanding all the MTC Mission Support relevant Collective Bargaining Agreements are with a single union: the International Association of Machinists (IAM). Please clarify the L.3.8.7 reference to "multiple employee Unions".

Section L.3.8.7 and Section M.3.3 require the Contractor to propose "their ability to successfully provide and manage staffing when interfacing with multiple employee Unions". Multiple labor categories have the potential for labor Unions along with the active Unions on NTC. The Government requires the Contractor to provide their approach to enforcing multiple Collective Bargaining Agreements, and the Wage Determination that will reduce the potential for mission failure.

Documents that were changed as a result of the Question and Answers.

1. Solicitation: CLIN 0019 and associated Option CLINs were changed from COST to Cost Plus Fixed Fee

2. Solicitation: CLIN 0021 and associated Option CLINS were changed to reflect the correct Enterprise Contractor Manpower reporting website.

3. Solicitation: Clause 52.217-9 was adjusted to have the correct information.

4. Solicitation: Removed clause 252.204-7012

5. Solicitation: Added clause 52.216-8 Fixed Fee

6. Changed Solicitation Attachment (6) Technical Experience, page 6 of 6 by removing the “A NO Answer indicates an unacceptable project.”

7. Changed Solicitation Attachment (9) Staffing Approach Org Chart Example, removed all references to Total Compensation Rate as it is not required to be included on the Org Charts.

8. Changed Solicitation Attachment (11) Proposal Adequacy Checklist by removing the Proposal Due Date on Question 1.

9. Solicitation Section L.3.10.6 and M.3.5 was adjusted

End of Question and Answers.