Q_A_Solicitation_Dec_7_2018.xlsx

Questions

Recommend the Government provide further guidance on the staffing level "requirements" lest an offeror "buy-in" (reference M.3.3) by pricing very low numbers. Perhaps the best example of how this may affect TEP and thus a fair evaluation of competitors is in the COB area, where Section B CLINs 0006, 1006, 2006, etc. have a range from ZERO to 300 personnel. COB support is likely one of the major costs associated with the contract and in the absence of more explicit direction on how to price, variations in pricing from ZERO to 300 are likely, thus preventing a fair price evaluation.

Additionally, would the Government consider changing the word "should" to "shall" in Attachment 9 and PWS. Attachment 9 identifies requirements per SHIFT. For PTOC TAF a shift is 12 hours, and 24-hour coverage is required throughout a PTOC TAF's time in Germany.

Offerors are told to identify number of personnel, number of hours and compensation within the staffing plan:

L.4.1.1.2 the Offeror shall identify:

- Labor categories, broken out by PWS section

- Number of personnel for each category, broken out by PWS section

- Number of hours proposed for each category, broken out by PWS L.4.1.2 the Offeror shall describe the methodology it will use to ... compensate ... personnel. Of particular interest to the Government:

... compensation packages.

The COB ELIN sheet also identifies the expected number of COB for each category. This should allow the Offeror to properly cost/price its proposal.

2 0_JMRC_solicitation_08-NOV-2018 L.2.7 & L.3.1 L.2.7: Volume II – Factor 2 – Technical page limit is 100 pages.

Removed the following language: "** Organizational Charts, Teaming Agreements, as well as calculations and descriptions of calculations, or similar documents are excluded from the page count."

L.3.1: The proposal font size shall not be smaller than 11. This draft update provided 3 changes impacting Volume II page count: 1) page count was increased from 50 to 100 pages, 2) previously excluded page counted items (e.g., organizational charts, including calculations and rationale) were included into the 100 pages, and 3) font size was increased from 10 to 11.

Although 50 pages were added to Volume II, the collective net result from these 3 changes are seen as a reduction in page limited content. For example, the increase in font size from 10 to 11 point represents a 15% increase in size that changes 100 pages of content at font size 10 into 115 pages of content at font size 11. This change effectively subtracts 15 pages of content from Volume II.

To account for this net reduction in page limited content, it is recommended that Volume II page limit be increased to 115 pages.

CLIN 0013

Exhibit D: POP 21-JAN-2020 TO 30-APR-2020

PDF files shall use the following page setup parameters:

Attachment_7_JMRC_Staffing_Plan_Template_18-OCT-2018 Answers_to_Offeror_Questions_15-OCT-2018 L.4.1.3.1 Att 7 Sec IV Q&A 19 L.4.1.3.1 “The Contractor shall identify required Teaming Agreements, Joint Ventures, Letters of Commitment, Distribution agreements and other legal agreements for team members” Att 7 IV “Teaming Agreements, Letters of Commitment, Distribution agreements and other legal agreements are required for team members identified.”

Answer to Q19 "The Government has doubled the size of the volume to 100 pages, but has removed the following language: "** Organizational Charts, Teaming Agreements, as well as calculations and descriptions of calculations, or similar documents are excluded from the page count."

Exhibit_H_ELIN_Sheet_COBs_02-NOV-2018 Q# 5 & Q# 67 Q: How will the government ask for COB pricing? Will the government ask for a corresponding ELIN table addressing COB requirements?

A: The Offeror is supposed to give an hourly rate per type of COB.

Q: How will the government ask for COB pricing? Will the government ask for a corresponding ELIN table addressing COB requirements?

2CRP Contract Role Player Supervisors Lvl III German Lvl III English 2GRP GENERIC ROLE PLAYERS Lvl I German Lvl I English 3SRP Interpreter/Special Skill Role Player Lvl II German Level II English

Attachment_9_JMRC_recommended_staffing_17-OCT-18 0_JMRC_solicitation_08-NOV-2018 Attachment_1_JMRC_PWS_01-NOV-2018 Q# 12

3.06 TAF

A: Most surge support CLINs have been eliminated. The exception is for 3.10 MILES warehouse. The expectation of the Government is that the 10% surge will be 10% of the Offeror's FFP proposed price.

Q30: For the CPFF CLINs that are described as 10% surge (CLINs X004, X013, X015, X017, X019, X021, and X023), is it the Government's intent that these CLINs be based on 10% of the hours for the proposed labor categories on the associated normal support FFP CLINs (CLINs X003, X012, X014, X016, X018, X020, and X022)?

Attachment_6__JMRC_Direct_rate_proposals_01-NOV-2018 Section L.2.10 & Section L.4.2.7 Section L.2.10 (1): The Offeror’s proposed FFP CLIN prices within the Cost/Price Volume, and the proposed direct rates identified in Attachment 6, Direct Rate Proposals, are binding and will be utilized for the life of the contract.

Section L.4.2.7: The Offeror team shall complete Attachment 6, JMRC Direct Rate Proposals, inputting fully burdened NOT-TO-EXCEED direct rates and fully burdened historical rates from 2014-2018 for the identified labor categories for the prime and any subcontractors that will be providing support in these labor categories.

Note: The direct rates entered into Attachment 6 will be binding for the life of the contract and will not be adjusted.

Placing Not-to-Exceed limits on Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) work is inconsistent with the contract type and places an undue burden on the Contractor. Suggest the following language be added to clarify the nature of binding rates:

Attachment_6__JMRC_Direct_rate_proposals_01-NOV-2018 Section L.2.10 & Section L.4.2.7 Section L.2.10 (1): The Offeror’s proposed FFP CLIN prices within the Cost/Price Volume, and the proposed direct rates identified in Attachment 6, Direct Rate Proposals, are binding and will be utilized for the life of the contract.

Section L.4.2.7: The Offeror team shall complete Attachment 6, JMRC Direct Rate Proposals, inputting fully burdened NOT-TO-EXCEED direct rates and fully burdened historical rates from 2014-2018 for the identified labor categories for the prime and any subcontractors that will be providing support in these labor categories.

Note: The direct rates entered into Attachment 6 will be binding for the life of the contract and will not be adjusted.

0_JMRC_solicitation_08-NOV-2018 Direct rates tab L.4.2.9 L.4.2.10 In cells B5-F14, the Contractor shall input its historical fully burdened rates, inclusive of all indirect rates plus profit/fee, for the listed labor categories.* For cells G5-K14, the Contractor shall propose Not To Exceed direct rates for the listed labor categories, inclusive of all indirect rates plus profit/fee. These Contractor-proposed rates shall be binding for the life of the contract.

L.4.2.9: The Offeror shall submit its actual average rates for the 2014-2018 Contractor fiscal years, for all labor categories that will be proposed for COST REIMBURSABLE CLINs.

L.4.2.10: The Offeror shall submit base, pool and calculated actual indirect rates for the 2014-2018 contractor fiscal years. If labor is the allocation base for indirect costs, the labor cost should be summarized in order that the application of overhead rate can be easily understood.

Section L.4.2.9 and L.4.2.10 instructs Offerors to provide historical direct and indirect labor rates (2014 - 2018). Attachment 6 requests fully burdened rates, inclusive of all indirect rates plus profit/fee. The request for fully burdened rates, inclusive of all indirect rates plus profit/fee is nonsensical as historical rates do not include profit/fee and the elements of cost are already provided per L.4.2.9 and L.4.2.10.

Is the Government intending for Attachment 6 to be historical billing rates which may or may not tie to the historical rates? If so, historical billing rates could only be provided by the current provider of the applicable JMRC work.

Additionally, Firemarker scope (PWS 3.5) is currently performed by the Government thus industry would not have access to applicable historical labor rates.

Recommend removing the historical fully burdened rates, inclusive of all indirect rates plus profit/fee from Attachment 6 as the elements of cost required to evaluate in accordance with FAR 15.404 are already provided with the cost narrative in accordance with Section L.4.2.9 and L.4.2.10. M.3.3.1 If the Offeror does not possess historical direct rate information, the Government will evaluate the Offeror’s methodologies and the reasonableness of the Offeror’s supporting evidence.

The Offeror can use historical burdened rates, substituting its proposed profit percentages for historical profit percentages.

Alternately, the Offeror can use a document other than Attachment 6 to propose all direct rates.

Alternately, the Offeror can use a document other than Attachment 6 to propose all direct rates.

37 Main Solicitation L.4.2.11 Section L.4.2.11 This section states that the only acceptable support for indirect rates is a Forward Rate Agreement (FPRA) or a Forward Pricing Rate Recommendation (FPRR). While offeror’s may have submitted these to DCAA, they cannot control how long it takes DCAA to review and approve. In addition, smaller firms are not always required to submit, and get, FPRA’s. To require only an FPRA or an FPRR seems unduly restrictive as the ability to obtain them is not always in the offeror’s control. Request the government reconsider and perhaps use the language provided below which was in a recent Army solicitation (specifically a task order under the Joint enterprise Research, Development, Acquisition and Production/Procurement Program (JE-RDAP).

4.1.4.4.6 Indirect Expense Rates: Provisional Billing Rates and Forward Pricing Rate Proposals will not be accepted as a basis for proposed indirect rates. Proposed indirect expense rates shall be supported by one of the methods listed following this paragraph. If proposed indirect rates are significantly different than would be supported by one of the required methods, Offerors shall explain why proposed rates are different and provide data to support how the different rates were calculated.

1) A copy of a Forward Pricing Rate Agreement;

2) A copy of a Forward Pricing Rate Recommendation;

3) A copy of a DCAA audit or DCMA review of indirect rates incurred during a period within the past two years based on the solicitation due date;

4) Claimed/actual indirect expense pool, allocation base, and rate data for the past two fiscal years; or

5) An agreement to cap reimbursable indirect expense rates at proposed amounts IAW FAR 42.707 (such a cap

Exhibit_H_ELIN_Sheet_COBs_02-NOV-2018 Section L.4.2 Section M.3.3

– JMRC

Direct Rate Proposals In cells B5-F14, the Contractor shall input its historical fully burdened rates, inclusive of all indirect rates plus profit/fee, for the listed labor categories.* For cells G5-K14, the Contractor shall propose Not To Exceed direct rates for the listed labor categories, inclusive of

Exhibit_H_ELIN_Sheet_COBs_02-NOV-2018 Section L.4.2 Section M.3.3 Exhibit H ELIN Section L.4.2.7: The Offeror and all proposed Major Subcontractors* shall provide the hours and the burdened rate build-up for each labor category, including Fringe, Overhead, Other Indirect(s), General & Administrative (G&A) and Profit. Fully burdened rates shall be in accordance with Attachment 6, Direct Rate Proposals.

* Major Subcontractors are firms that will perform 10+% of the effort.

Section M.3.3: The probable-cost analysis will not include evaluation of the XX04 (Logistics Support), XX20 (Travel), or XX21 (Materials) CLINs. The Government has determined there is no logical basis for differences in approach in these three areas.

– JMRC

Attachment_1_JMRC_PWS_01-NOV-2018

DI-MGMT-81797

Answers_to_offeror_Questions_15-OCT-2018 L.4.1 Volume II -- Factor 2 - Technical, PWS 3.14.2

Q62 L.4.1 Volume II -- Factor 2 - Technical states, "The Offeror shall prepare and submit a standalone Technical Volume organized IAW the subfactors described below and PWS 3.14.2 (Program Management Plan) The Government has provided Solicitation Attachment 7, JMRC_Staffing_Plan_Template and Attachment 8, Sample Staffing Plan Organizational Chart, but the Offeror is free to use its own format."

Q62: Please clarify when the contractor is required to submit Program Management Plan (PMP) draft.

A: As noted during the Pre-Solicitation Conference, the PMP is a template that, if properly completed, should sufficiently answer the vast majority of the issues that are identified in Section L and Section M and the Source Selection Team will be evaluating. The expectation is that the Offeror will provide a PMP in its response to the solicitation. Attachment 7 appears to follow the L, M, and subfactor organization, but PWS 3.14.2 and associated DI-MGMT-81797 do not exactly align to the subfactors.

Also Government's Answer to Question 62 states that "The expectation is that the Offeror will provide a PMP in its response to the solicitation."

3.14.5.1 (14)

14. The Contractor shall provide actual costs expended for each CLIN to include FFP CLINs in the MIS. The Contractor shall provide labor mix, labor hours, negotiated labor costs, material, Other Direct Cost (ODC), and travel descriptions, quantities and costs for each CLIN, to include FFP CLINs, in the MIS in real time or near real time.

The actual costs requested is required for all Prime and Major Subcontractors (Major Subcontractors are those performing 10% or more of the total contract value, on a yearly basis).

The prime shall provide subcontractors with the ability to securely upload sensitive (cost/pricing) information to the MIS. Subcontractors shall upload cost/pricing data to the MIS.

The Government previously responded to a question on this subject with the following statement:

“The Government wishes to gain insight on the Contractor's costs because historically, contractors have not provided required support on multiple FFP efforts.”

The Government is not entitled to FFP actual during performance for the purposes of reviewing performance against a Performance Work Statement. If the Government desire’s this information, a more appropriate contract type should be considered. The Government is asked to reconsider its position regarding the requirement for FFP actions, which may inflate an offerors price, or confirm that taking exception to this requirement will not be grounds for the Government to eliminate an offeror from the competition.

L.4.2.7 states For COST REIMBURSA BLE CLINs, ….other documentation (such as assigned letter of commitment for key personnel not currently employed by the offeror) to support the rates proposed shall be provided.

Letters of commitment shall clearly identify the prospective employees’ agreed-to salary/hourly rate The purpose of this requested salary / rate data for Key Personnel is “to provide documentation to support the proposed rates” Key personnel proposed under Cost Plus Fixed Fee CLINS only represent a small fraction of the total CPFF workforce. The Government’s ability to verify the agreed to employee salaries is better represented by historical hiring data or other contracts.

Alternately, the Offeror can use a document other than Attachment 6 to propose all direct rates.

the GOVT is not asking for an average of the seven labor categories, but a separate rate for each labor category. Each separate rate can be an average of labor category.

Section F

Section F

Section F CLIN 0018 Section B: 6 months Section F: POP 07-FEB-2020 TO 30-APR-2020 (3 months)

(1) Marked or otherwise identified in the contract, task order, or delivery order and provided to the contractor by or on behalf of DoD in support of the performance of the contract; or

(2) Collected, developed, received, transmitted, used, or stored by or on behalf of the contractor in support of the performance of the contract