Attachment 6 - Question and Answers REV 1 FINAL.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 30 KB Posted
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- Rail Movement and Switching Services
- Solicitation number
- W911N225R0026
About this file
This file is a comprehensive Questions and Answers (Q&A) document for Solicitation W911N225R0026, a rail movement and switching services contract for the Letterkenny Munitions Center (LEMC). The solicitation is a firm-fixed-price contract with a 12-month base period and four option years, seeking a contractor to provide rail switching services with one crew and locomotives capable of responding within 24 hours of request. The contract involves moving rail cars to/from Gate 4 at LEMC, with an anticipated start date of July 27, 2025, and an award decision expected by July 18, 2025.
Key operational details include requirements for a 4-axle locomotive, potential movement of 270-574 rail cars annually, and service hours typically between 0630-1630 Monday through Friday. The incumbent provider is PA & Southern, and this is the first competitively bid contract for these services. The contractor will be responsible for providing locomotives, paying car hire charges, and invoicing monthly, with no government-provided office space, storage, or utilities. The solicitation is being processed under FAR Subpart 13.5, with evaluation based on past performance, technical approach, and pricing.
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| Questions and AnswersSolicitation W911N225R0026 | List | |||||
| Submittal | Document | Question | Answer | Instructions to Offerors | ||
| 6/8/25 | Instructions to Offerors | 1. Instructions to Offeror, p. 6, paragraph c. - The table for volumes has the number two for digital copies. Is that supposed to be one? If not, can the government explain what they mean by two digital copies? | Instruction to offerors has been corrected and replaced by quote submission instructions to revise to 1 copy. | Performance Assessment Questionnaire | ||
| 6/8/25 | Instructions to Offerors | 2. Instructions to Offeror, p. 7, paragraph (1) Electronic Copy - Within the "Volume II - Cost/Price" section, there is a sentence that says, "The | ||||
| Offeror shall provide a completed Section B Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs." We do not see a section specifically labeled "Section B" but believe this is just referring to the document "Solicitation W911N225R0026" page 3-7 CLIN structure. Can the government confirm that this is correct? | yes, that is correct | Rail Care Movement PWS Rev 3 5-20-25 Final | ||||
| 6/8/25 | Instructions to Offerors | 3. Instructions to Offeror, p. 8, paragraph (iii) Volume III, (1) Section 1, Past Performance - The Past Performance Volume has specific data that it requests within Section 1 (data a-k). Some of the data request formats would not be applicable for commercial contracts. Is it acceptable to put n/a in those situations, which could be the majority of the data requested in a-k? If not, what data should be requested for commercial contracts in lieu of the data that does not exist (e.g., CORs, government contract administration activity, government contract administration activity's Pre-Award Monitor's name, etc.)? | Past Performance information for relevant Government Contracts shall be submited with the information listed in a-k. For relevant commerical efforts, the offeror shall put N/A for those sections that do not apply. Offeror shall use their best comparable for the sections where the data does not exist. i.e. company contact information, POC for the effort, etc. | Solicitation Notes | ||
| 6/8/25 | Instructions to Offerors | 4. Instructions to Offeror, p. 11, (iv) Volume IV - The instructions say, "Each offeror shall complete (fill-in and signatures) the solicitation sections indicated below using the file (without modification to the file) provided with the RFP." There does not appear to be sections listed below this section. Can the Government elaborate on what is expected to be in this Volume? Can the Government also confirm which blocks/pages within the SF 1449 it expects to be filled out and signed? We understand it to be blocks 12, 17, 23, 24 and 30 - assuming block 23 and 24 would be the same, please confirm. We also are assuming pages 12-50 are to be answered and submitted as the certifications/representation, please confirm or let us know if that is incorrect. Can the Government also confirm that it is expected to be submitted as a stand-alone document with the proposal (i.e., not contained within Volume IV as an embedded document and/or images). | Section revised to turn Volume V - Solicitations, offer, and award documents and certifications to volume IV. The following blocks shall be filloued out by offerors:12, 17a, 30a, 30b, 30c, . Do not fill out 19-24 as it says, "see schedule". Pricing shall be filled out for each clin of the schedule starting on solicitation page 3 through 7. Pages 12-50 shall be filled out accordingly by the contractor. Confirming that per block 28 of the solicitation, the contrator is required to sign and return 1 copy of the filled out, signed, dated, and priced RFQ as a stand alone document. Volume IV should be the completed solicitation completed as stated above. | Solicitation W911N225R0026 | ||
| 6/8/25 | Instructions to Offerors | 5. Instructions to Offeror, p. 11, Volume V - on page 6 of this document, there does not appear to be a Volume V within the table as a required submittal. Can the Government explain what is expected for this paragraph and if it is required as an additional Volume within the proposal? | There is no Volume V. The typo has been corrected. | |||
| 6/8/25 | Solicitation W911N225R0026 | 6. Solicitation W911N225R0026, p. 3, ITEM NO 0002 (and CLINS for option years) - This CLIN is for car hire services and is measured in DAYS with an estimated quantity of five. With this being listed as a FFP item, is there an estimated number of car hire services the Government requests bidders to use for the five-day period? Without having a limit placed on care hire services within a period of time, the accuracy in pricing across bidders will be inconsistent and creates a lot of risk for the contractors. | The charge is per car per day. Although it is not anticipated to be used, the Government is including this CLIN in the event that these car hire services will be needed. | |||
| 6/8/25 | Solicitation W911N225R0026 | 7. Solicitation W911N225R0026, p. 3, ITEM NO 0002 (and CLINS for option years) - The description states that proof of charges must be validated by original paid invoices in accordance with PWS paragraph 5.4. If this line is a FFP price, which would negate having proof of charges because it exercised as a five day period at a set price regardless of how little or how many care hire services, how does the Government see this working? Is this CLIN intended to be a CPFF instead of FFP where proof of cost is required for invoicing? | This CLIN is to remain FFP. If using car hire services, then the invoices shall be provided as proof to the COR for payment as a method of validation of services. Pricing is not required to match the invoice. | |||
| 6/8/25 | Solicitation W911N225R0026 | 8. Solicitation W911N225R0026, p. 3, ITEM NO 0002 (and CLINS for option years) - CLIN 0001 is for PWS 5.1-5.2.6 only, which would be exercised initially as a 12-month base contract. With this line item being for five days, how does the government intend to execute this CLIN for services as a FFP? | CLIN 0002 and its option years will be utilized on an as needed basis i.e. if there is no need for car hire services it will not be charged and will be de-obligated. Each period of performance will be a year in length. | |||
| 6/8/25 | Instructions to Offerors | 9. Instructions to Offeror, p. 9, paragraph (e), Past Performance - Can the Government clarify what it means by "Government contract administration activity's Pre-Award Monitor's name? | This would be the contracting activity or agency that issued the solicitation and contract. | |||
| 6/8/25 | Rail Care Movement PWS Rev 3 5-20-25 Final | 10. Rail Care Movement PWS Rev 3 5-20-25 Final, p. 10, 5.3 Special Conditions - This requirement is not included as a CLIN for pricing. Would this item be priced after award should an event trigger the need for it? If so, would it be a FFP or CP | This would not be seperately priced and is more for informational purposes only. This requirement is unlikely but potential in the case of emergency. | |||
| 6/8/25 | Rail Care Movement PWS Rev 3 5-20-25 Final | 11. Rail Care Movement PWS Rev 3 5-20-25 Final, p. 12, Deliverables Schedule, 1.4.8 - TARP Training is due 30 days following award. Will the USG be able to provide this training within this period? | Yes or a comparable resource will be provided. | |||
| 6/8/25 | Rail Care Movement PWS Rev 3 5-20-25 Final | 12. Rail Care Movement PWS Rev 3 5-20-25 Final, p. 11, Performance Requirements Summary - The table listed talks about 24 hours of request for 5.1 and 5.2. However, 5.2.3 says, "Service shall be interpreted as any day of the week. All routine switching services shall be accomplished within up to 4 hours of notification by the Government." Are the movement requirements supposed to be 24 hours of request within the PWS or 4 hours? If it is supposed to be 24 hours of request, is 5.3, special conditions still required? | Per 1.0 "The request to move the cars, either loaded or unloaded, could occur at any time, and the availability to respond which means that the contractor is on site and executing, versus replying via email/phone/text, with required equipment and personnel to movement requests must be honored within 24 hours of the request and have the ability to respond which is on site and executing, versus replying via email/phone/text, within 4 hours of the request for call-out services for special conditions. 5.1 and 5.2 is within 24 hours. In the case of Special conditions the response time is reduced to 4 hours. | |||
| 6/8/25 | Solicitation W911N225R0026 | 13. Solicitation W911N225R0026, p. 3, ITEM NO 0001 (and CLINS for option years) - Should this CLIN also reference other PWS sections, such as section 1 so it captures the TARP, OPSEC, etc. requirements that are in the PWS as direct requirements? It currently only refers to 5.1-5.2.6 in the description. | No, paragraph 5 is the requirements of the services themselves, although all other paragraphs of the pws apply. | |||
| 6/9/25 | Instructions to Offerors | 14. Instructions to Offeror, p. 7, I (a-e), Volume I Technical Questions - There appears to be a conflict with some of the questions asked in a-e with the questions asked in Solicitation W911N225R0026. The ones in the solicitation document are a bit more detailed. Should the offeror use those to respond to and ignore the ones in the Instructions to Offeror document? | Instruction to offerors has been corrected and replaced with quote submission instructions to match those items listed in the solicitation. | |||
| 6/9/25 | Instructions to Offerors | 15. Instructions to Offeror, p. 9, paragraph (h-k) Volume III, (1) Section 1, Past Performance - For FFP contracts and commercial contracts, it is normally not required to provide final or projected price/cost for those efforts. The delivery schedule should be okay for DoD contracts. For commercial contracts, questions h-k are normally not shown since that information is highly sensitive to a company and the agreements are FFP via commercial agreements. Is it acceptable for those and any similiar situations to put N/A as a response without it counting against the offeror? | This volume allows contractors to provide information for both their Government and commerical contracts as they choose to support their past performance criteria. Each firm should be able to provide the price of their contracts. h & i can be the same price in the case of Firm-Fixed Priced contracts. All information provided is source selection sensitive and will be treated as such. | |||
| 6/9/25 | Instructions to Offerors | 16. Instructions to Offeror, p. 11, (iv) Volume IV - This is a continuation to RFI #4. The document states, "(without modification to the file)." What does it mean when it says, "without modification to the file" if it needs to be filled out, preferably electronically and without fillable sections? Is it acceptable to use Adobe Pro to add text blocks to the SF 1449 since it does not have fillable sections? Example would be filling out the blocks required, reps and cert checkmarks and etc. | Yes that is acceptable. Without modification to the file refers to file type and language included therein. | |||
| 6/9/25 | Instructions to Offerors | 17. Instructions to Offeror, p. 8, paragraphs (2) & (3) - With this solicitation being open to competition, we assume the Cost Volume will only need to include the CLIN data listed in the SF1449 and continuation sheets for pricing and the price proposed. As noted in section (3), certified cost or pricing data is not required based on the fact that adequate competition is expected for this procurement. Therefore, no backup cost data at the time of the proposal is required to meet compliance with the Cost Volume instruction section. Please confirm if that is correct. If not, please provide further details on what backup data is required for pricing. | That is correct. If other than certified cost and pricing data is required for price reasonableness the contracting office will advise when reviewing quotes. | |||
| 6/3/25 | The solicitation lists the first delivery date as July 27, 2025, is this the expected start date for the selected contractor? | If we have a need then it will be the expected start date. | ||||
| 6/4/25 | Is the railroad switching contractor performing work entirely on an on-call, as-needed basis or is there a typical schedule they're expected to have crews onsite and working? What days of the week/times would be expected or is there an estimated number of workhours per month? | We do not have a typical schedule. The work could be on-call, as-needed, or scheduled. Depending on the stance of the warfighter the movements will change accordingly. The movements are usually Monday-Friday. | ||||
| 6/5/25 | Is the selected contractor required to operate outside of the LEMC (i.e. beyond Gate 4)? | No. The transfer of the railcars will occur at gate 4, where the short line will pick the rail cars up and deliver them to the destination. The only rail car movement will be to/from gate 4 and inside LEMC. | ||||
| 6/6/25 | Is one railroad switching crew sufficient to cover anticipated operations or is more than one crew working simultaneously? Relatedly, is there a minimum number of locomotives expected to be onsite? | 1 crew can conduct the movements. The locomotives must be operational at a moment’s notice. This immediate reaction may require more than 1 locomotive. If the locomotive on site fails, a back up must be immediately available. | ||||
| 6/7/25 | Is there a location for the contractor to store their locomotives onsite at the LEMC? If so, is it climate-controlled or outdoors? | The locomotive storage could be arranged but it may be on the open suspect car location site. Outdoors only. | ||||
| 6/8/25 | This contract is intended to be firm-fixed price and invoices on a monthly basis, correct? | Yes. Each CLIN will be firm-fixed. Invoices for rail car movements and routing switching shall be invoiced monthly as the estimated quantity per CLIN is 12 LOTS and 1 LOT = 1 MONTH. Invoices for Car Hire Charges shall be invoiced as seen in the CLIN description and per the PWS paragraph 5.4 | ||||
| 6/4/25 | The contractor is expected to pay car hire charges. Is the contractor expected to invoice those charges back to the government for reimbursement? | Yes. Per the CLIN description and PWS paragraph 5.4, The contractor shall pay any charges for car hire services to the rail car owner (TTX) for exceeding the allowable car hire period. Proof of charges must be validated by original paid invoices. | ||||
| 6/4/25 | Will there be a site visit? If not, can you provide a detailed rail track map of the facility for planning purposes? | There will not be a site visit. No maps are availabe. See PWS paragraph 3.1 for approximate length of track mileage. | ||||
| 6/4/25 | Is there a current rail switching SOP available that can be shared with offerors? | No. LEMC does not tell the contractor how to complete the contract. We do not have an SOP. | ||||
| 6/4/25 | Can you clarify the expected operating hours for regular and emergency services? Is this a 24/7 requirement, or are operations limited to Monday through Friday? | The potential hours are regularly 0630-1630, and the emergency or immediate hours could be 0600-1830. This rarely happens. | ||||
| 6/4/25 | How many shifts per day does the Government expect the contractor to staff? | The shift would cover the required movements. This is not a daily requirement. | ||||
| 6/4/25 | Will the Government provide any office space, storage, or utilities for contractor use? Or should all such costs be included in our pricing? | No office space, storage, or utilities will be provided. | ||||
| 6/4/25 | Do you have the service schedule for when PA Southern Railroad delivers and picks up cars? | We cannot share this information. The total moves for 2023 was 574 rail cars and the total moves for 2024 was 270 rail cars. | ||||
| 6/4/25 | How many locomotives does the Government expect the contractor to provide at minimum? | One with an immediate back up for any mechanical failures. | ||||
| 6/4/25 | What locomotive models are currently in use, if any? | The Government no longer owns locomotives. | ||||
| 6/4/25 | Do you have track curvature or grade data for the on-site rail system? | This data is not collected. | ||||
| 5/31/24 | Is there any incumbent/recompete or this is a brand-new project? If yes, could you please provide us with their award number or even if the customer bought similar services in the past? | Yes there is an incumbent, however this is the first time this requirement will be competed. The historical contract numbers were W911N2-19-C-0006 and W911N2-25-D-00018. | ||||
| 4 | Instructions to Offerors | Instructions to Offeror, p. 6, 1 Proposal Submission Requirements, (c), and various other places in document - The table with the required Volumes shows Past Performance as Volume II and Cost/Price as volume III. The narrative in the document that explains the contents of these documents has them flipped. The Cost/Price Volume is II and Past Performance is III. Which guidance in the document should we follow for labeling the Volumes? | Instruction to Offerors has been corrected and replaced with Quote Submission Instructions | |||
| 4 | Solicitation W911N225R0026 | Solicitation W911N225R0026 Base and Options - This contract is shown to have a 12-month base period (CLIN 001) with option periods thereafter. Is there any information that can be shared with offerors on how the option periods will be evaluated after the base period for award? Will the 12-month period in the options (i.e., CLIN 1001) be executed in its entirety should the government decide to execute that CLIN? Is it possible that the Government would issue multiple option periods (i.e., CLIN 1001, 2001, etc.) at one time instead of doing them incrementally? | See FAR clause 52.217-5 and FAR clause 52.212-2, Factor 3: Price. The base year is exercised upon award. The Government determines if an option year is to be exercised IAW 52.217-9 and 52.217-8. When exercising an option year under the authority 52.217-9, the entire period of performance (12 months) will be exercised. No, the Government does not exercise multiple option years in advance. | |||
| 4 | Solicitation W911N225R0026 | Solicitation W911N225R0026, p. 44, 52.217-8 Base and Options - This FAR clause implies that option periods/extensions are limited to 6 months. Does this constrain the Government to only doing 6-month incremental POP extensions after the initial 12-month base period? If so, has the government considered removing that clause to allow for more flexibility to the Government on how long to award the options if they are performing to the requirements? It also helps the contractor with planning factors [staffing, financially (i.e., business plan, capital investments, depreciation, etc.)]. | No, FAR clause 52.217-9 allows for 12 month extensions as described in the periods of performance. FAR clause 52.217-8 speaks to the possible up to 6 month extension . This extension can occur after any period of performance and is not required to be the full 6 month allowance. This usually occurs when services are still required after the end of the POP on the final option year 4 for continuation of services or if services are required but a full option year is not required.. This clause will not be removed. | |||
| Could you please identify the current service provider (if applicable)? | PA & Southern | |||||
| What is the current staffing level and typical service hours for this contract? | There must always be at least two operators on the locomotive. The number of exact staffing levels is unknown. Service hours are Monday through Thursday and potentially Friday, 0600 to 1630 except on recognized holidays and or when the Government facility is closed. See PWS paragraphs 1.4.2 and 1.4.3 | |||||
| Is the requirement for a full-time on-site operation, or is it primarily call-out based? | There is not a full-time requirement that has movements every day. The requirement does not have a set schedule and routine tasks. The moves are primarily scheduled but could be a call-out basis a significant portion of the time. The warfighter’s needs dictate the schedule. | |||||
| What is the average and peak volume of railcar movements per month? Specifically, can you provide an approximate number of inbound and outbound cars per day or week? | The 2023 annual total was 574 rail cars, the 2024 annual total was 270 rail cars, and the 2025 total rail car movement as of 1 JUN 2025 is 219 rail cars. The movement totals are hard to predict and vary significantly according to the warfighter’s needs and requirements. | |||||
| Is there a preferred or required locomotive type or horsepower range for operations at LEMC? | It cannot be a 6-axle locomotive, because of the rail structures. It must be a 4-axle locomotive due to the curves in the rail structure. The Army used to use an 80-ton locomotive, but it seemed to be too small. The cars are longer now, and it will require a larger locomotive. | |||||
| Can you share information on the locomotives currently in use, if known? | The Government does not have this information because it is contractor owned equipment. | |||||
| What specific criteria will be used to evaluate the relevance of a bidder’s past performance? | See FAR clause 52.212-2, Factor 2: Past Performance, D. (i)., specifically it states, "QUALITY ASSESSMENT: Assess the quality of the offeror’s past performance on those recent efforts that were determined relevant by determining how well the contractor performed on the contracts. Documented results from Past Performance Questionnaires, CPARS, and other sources form the support and basis for this assessment." | |||||
| Are there any preferred formats or templates for submitting the Past Performance Questionnaires? | Yes, see Solicitation Attachment 5 - Performance Assessment Questionnaire. Also see Quote Submission Instructions for full instructions. | |||||
| What is the anticipated contract start date and timeline for the award decision? | Anticipated contract start date is 7/27/2025 and timeline for award decision is NLT 7/18/2025 | |||||
| Is there any consideration or possibility for a longer contract term (e.g., 3–5 years) beyond the current base + 4 option years structure? | No. It will only be for a base plus 4 Option Years. | |||||
| ** Offerors are reminded this procurement is being processed as a FAR Subpart 13.5 procurement and all FAR 15 references are utilized for fashioning suitable evaluation procedures** |
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