Solicitation_Question_and_Answer_12-6-2018_posting.pdf

1. Does the Combined Synopsis/Solicitation posted as solicitation number W911NF19S0002 on FBO contain requirements similar to a existing contract or will this be a new requirement?

ANSWER: Reference Article L.5 on page 80 of the solicitation.

2. Section C.2 (p. 6 of 116) states that "...Other than rates specifically approved for appliance to subcontractor costs by DCAA/DCMA, the Prime Contractor will not be allowed any indirect costs on subcontractor performance of Task Orders. However, a maximum nominal Fixed Fee limitation for Pass-through Task Orders will be allowed of no more than 3%."

Proposal Volume Content, Volume 5 Cost (p. 90 of 116) states: "Concerning cost section 2 above, if these TOR proposal costs are already accounted for through the contractor’s indirect costs per their DCAA approved Accounting System, the proposal shall state as much and describe how the contractor plans to account for them through billing. Other than rates specifically approved for appliance to subcontractor costs by DCAA/DCMA, the Prime contractor will not be allowed any indirect costs on subcontractor performance of Task Orders. However, a maximum nominal Fixed Fee limitation for Pass-through Task Orders will be allowed of no more than 3%."

We interpret these two statements to indicate the Prime Contractor/Offeror CAN apply their indirect rates to subcontracted costs for Pass-through Task Orders as well as Task Orders executed by the Prime Contractor/Offeror provided they are DCAA/DCMA approved. Please confirm that our interpretation is correct.

ANSWER: The Government will allow indirect costs such as material/subcontractor handling rates that are approved by DCMA/DCAA specifically for the handling of subcontractors. Except for those indirect rates approved by DCMA/DCAA specifically for the handling of subcontractors, prime contractors will not be allowed indirect costs on subcontractor costs. All applicable rates may be charged to work performed by the prime contractor.

3. Can you describe a typical task order requirement and the intended research protocol regarding this contract (W911NF-19-2-0002)? It lists multiple science domains but curious if the expected process, in our case a clinical trial was the same for each of these domains? Additionally, I assume the customer requesting the task order serves as the principle researcher/investigator and the contractor provides the nug work for documentation, staffing and study?

ANSWER: The Government cannot specifically describe a typical task order, other than to say that each task order request provides a defined performance work statement centered around a specific research area or question that the requesting government agency has framed based on its needs. The performer, be it prime or subcontractor, is expected to accomplish that work statement with minimal interaction/guidance from the requesting government agency. The government agency (customer) requesting the task order does not serve any function in the research effort other than to provide the performance work statement for the task order request and to monitor performance. The performer is expected to conduct the research along with any documentation, staffing, etc. required to conduct the research to satisfy the performance work statement.

4. RFP page 5/116 and 82/116: “The contractor must also possess the technical capability to solely conduct tasks in at least 35% (no less than 5) of the 14 technical areas listed above in the first paragraph of C.1 using its own technical expertise, facilities, and resources.” “The offeror must demonstrate their research and development performance capability, through technical personnel and processes, to cover a broad enough range of relevant scientific specialties as to be able to solely perform conduct at least 35% (no less than 5) of the 14 technical areas in the first paragraph of Article C.1 of this solicitation using its own technical expertise, facilities, and resources.”

a. Does this requirement apply to the prime only or the contractor team?

b. Will the government accept both personal experience and corporate experience as acceptable to demonstrate this performance capability?

ANSWER: This applies to the contractor team proposed, however, the capabilities must be adequately described within the proposal. Both personal experience and corporate experience are acceptable, however, as stated above the experience must be adequately described within the proposal.

5. RFP page 5/116: “The contractor shall also participate in outreach events involving the program (conferences, webinars, site visits, etc.) as required by the Government”.

a. How many outreach events/conferences are expected each year?

b. Are there certain conferences or events that are already planned and attended regularly?

c. For the sake of the proposal, since CLIN 0002 is cost reimbursed, will the government simply provide a dollar value for this CLIN to be included in pricing?

Answer: The number of outreach events expected each year is unknown at this time, nor are there any specific conferences or events already planned or expected to be attended. This outreach support should not be accounted for in the proposal, as the Government could not reasonably expect the contractor to derive an expected cost at this time since the nature of the outreach events is not known at this time. The contractor may propose any ODC’s under CLIN 0002 that are known at the time of proposal (e.g. equipment or software in support of database improvement) and those ODC’s must correspond with the technical section of the proposal.

6. RFP page 3/116 and page 92/116: “Contractor’s Accounting System”; If CLIN 0001 “may be performed by the prime contractor and/or their proposed team members”, then is it acceptable to make an award if evidence is provided that a team member has a DCAA/DCMA approved accounting system and whose duties as team member involve managing task order financials?

Answer: The prime contractor is required to meet the accounting system requirements stated in the solicitation.

7. RFP Page 84/116: “Describe the safeguarding and protection of privacy information”

a. What privacy information is the government referring to: specifically: PHI and/or PII?

b. Is there expected any public, general, or non-contract related access to database or task order information?

c. Does ARO have policies currently in place relating to 32 CFR Part 2002?

d. Has ARO determined which CUI categories are affected by current contract performance?

ANSWER: This refers to Personally Identifiable Information (Protected Health Information is not expected, although it would also have to be protected in the event it is available through task order performance). Depending on task order requirements, generated reports in support of individual task orders may be published and available to the public. ARO does not currently have any policies specific to ARO relating to 32 CFR part 2002, nor can ARO determine what CUI categories will be affected due to the unknown nature of the performance work statements that may come in under any resultant contract.

8. RFP page 6/116; SSP/Performer Database

a. Has the government identified any potential technologies, including web or database technologies that it thinks would improve the SSP database performance or access?

Answer: Other than the information provided in the solicitation, the Government has not identified any specific potential technologies to improve the database.

9. RFP Section H.6 – AT/OPSEC/SECURITY REQUIREMENTS (pages 24 – 30) details training requirements for Contractor Employees.

a. Please specify which employees will be considered Contractor employees and required to complete this training,

b. Are task order performers required to take this training?

c. Is the management of training and task order performer certification considered part of the one man year allowed for CLIN 001?

Answer: All prime contractor personnel listed as key personnel will be required to complete the necessary AT/OPSEC training and requirements. AT/OPSEC requirements at the task order level will be stated in the specific task order performance work statement for performance of that task order.

All task order management duties, to include training and task order performer certification, is considered part of the prime contractor’s individual task order management under CLIN 0003.

10. Section, L.16 PROPOSAL VOLUME CONTENTS, VOLUME 1 TECHNICAL CAPABILITY (20 PAGES MAXIMUM), page 83 states: “The Program Manager (PM) shall have a Top Secret - Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance or other clearance based on a background investigation (SSBI) that supports at least that level of access”.

a. This seems to conflict with many parts of section H.6 – AT/OPSEC/SECURITY REQUIREMENTS, which only requires access to SECRET level information. One example is: 4.1.6. ACCESS TO FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY (FOUO) INFORMATION (page 28) Contractor requires access to classified source data up to and including SECRET in support of the research effort.

b. Please clarify for the facility what level of classified information access, storage, and use will be required for the contract.

c. Please verify that the PM is required to be TS/SCI even though the contract seems to be at a SECRET level/

ANSWER: An update to this question will be posted no later than close of business on Monday, 10 December.

11. RFP pg 3. CLIN 0001 Program Management Responsibilities states "Cost proposals must be broken down into five separate one year periods, with an additional six month period following the five individual one year periods." Comment. TOs awarded at the end of the 5 yr ordering period can have a 24 mo POP, followed by a 15 da final report due date, plus 12 month period for TO close-out. This amounts to 36.5 months beyond the 5 yrs ordering period.

a. Does the government anticipate that reimbursable contract costs will be incurred beyond the additional 6 months stated in the RFP?

ANSWER: Contract costs at the task order level will likely run beyond the initial 60 month (or 66 month) ordering period. For purposes of this proposal, costs under CLIN 0001 shall only be proposed for the initial performance periods outlined within the solicitation. However, allocable and allowable costs incurred beyond those periods under CLIN 0001 may also be reimbursed.

12. RFP pg 6. C2. Task Order Procedures and Costs states the competition process is only applicable for those tasks not performed by the prime contractor.

a. Does “prime contractor” include team members included in the proposal?

ANSWER: Correct, tasks performed by the prime and its originally proposed subcontractors/contractor team do not need to engage in a competitive process. A signed Letter of Commitment from each contractor team member proposed shall be included as part of all proposals submitted in response to this solicitation.

13. RFP Page 101 of 116: “If the offeror intends to subcontract more than 70% of the total cost of work to be performed, does the proposal identify: (i) the amount of the offeror’s indirect costs and profit applicable to the work to be performed by the proposed subcontractor(s); and (ii) a description of the added value provided by the offeror as related to the work to be performed by the proposed subcontractor(s)”

a. If CLIN 0003 relates to the “both prime- and subcontractor costs” related to “TOR administrative portion of a single task order associated with CLIN 0003 (NOT the research portion)”, then is it fair to say that “the added value provided by the offeror” is the TOR administration, or does the government envision some variation or additional tasks?

b. Given the language of “offeror” as relating to the Offeror Team (e.g., CLIN 0001-“ Duties may be performed by the prime contractor and/or their proposed team members.”)

i. Is a “Pass-Through” TOR defined by the Offeror Team not accounting for at least 30% of the proposed budget?

ii. Could CLIN 0003 also include Offeror Team Member administrative costs, to include Team Member DCAA-approved indirect rates should the team member be performing the administrative duties instead of the prime? In other words, may we interpret the CLIN 0003 administrative costs to be that of the offeror team’s duties and performance and not simply that of the prime?

ANSWER: Regarding task order requests, the administrative portion may be performed by the prime contractor and its team, and the organization and structure of this arrangement must be clearly described in the proposal. The contractor team may also perform all or part of the research portion depending on its capabilities.

The term “pass through” would apply to any task order in which the specific prime contractor is not performing the stated 30% percent of the work (i.e. those task orders in which a team member subcontractor is performing would be treated the same as a non-team member for these purposes).

Approved DCAA rates may only be applied to the costs performed by the entity with those approved rates. Depending on the business arrangement proposed, the administrative duties may be composed of prime contractor, subcontractor or a combination of the two.

14. Historical annual spending seems to be in the order of $15M per year for the current contract W911NF11D0001 which would indicate a 60 month ceiling of $75M. With a $48M ceiling on the proposed effort, it seems like a marked drop to an estimated $9.6M per year that includes all CLINS.

Furthermore, CLIN 0003 planning factors include 30 TORs annually with a maximum of $1.5M. Even if one assumed an average TOR award of $750k, this comes out to $22.5M per year or an estimated ceiling of $112.5M.

a. Is the government’s estimate of ceiling accurate?

b. Is the government’s planning factors for CLIN 0003 accurate?

c. What is the government’s estimate of average TOR award amount?

ANSWER: Yes, the government has accurately estimated the ceiling for the contract. The planning factors are stated to give a reasonable expectation of what the contractor should be able to account for in any given year. 30 is neither a guaranteed minimum nor maximum number of task order requests per year, but a standard the proposer should consider as a reasonable expectation when preparing a proposal. The government states a maximum of $1.5M per task order, but cannot accurately put forth an estimated average due to the unknown nature of future task order requests.

15. Will copies of the CDRLs be provided?

ANSWER: CDRL’s will be provided and will be consistent with the reporting requirements stated in the solicitation.

16. L.2, pg. 79; The solicitation says ‘All offers shall be submitted to usarmy.rtp.rdecom-aro.mbx.ssp-submittals@mail.mil no later than 1600 (4:00 PM), Durham, NC local time on 21 December 2018’, but in section L.12;

pg. 82, it says we need to submit CDs. We request that the client please remove the CD requirement, since it appears the intention is for electronic submission.

ANSWER: The electronic submission is the only necessary submission method. CD’s or other hard copy submission forms are not required.

17. L.16, pg. 95 and 103; The proposal adequacy checklist appears on pg. 95 and on 103. We are assuming this is a duplication error but would like clarification.

ANSWER: Correct, this is a duplication error, only one adequacy checklist is required.

18. L.16, Vol 1, pg. 83-84; Does the Letter of Commitment (part 9 of the resume format) count against the 3-page limit for each key personnel resume?

ANSWER: The letter(s) of commitment do not count against the 3-page limit for key personnel resumes.

19. L.2, pg. 79 and L.12, pg. 81; For the cost volume, we do not see a requirement where the offeror is to provide the original copy of the file (the actual Excel spreadsheet). Is the offeror to only provide a PDF version of the spreadsheets?

ANSWER: This section is edited to state that an original excel spreadsheet budget is to be submitted as part of the cost section of the proposal.