Question and Answer Document Version 3 4.23.2025.docx
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- Attached to
- RFP- Technical Sensory Training (Amend 5)
- Solicitation number
- W911QY-25-R-TSTS
About this file
This document is a Questions and Answers document for Solicitation Number W911QY-25-R-TSTS, a technical sensory training contract issued by the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command - Soldier Center. The solicitation seeks a contractor to conduct technical sensory training for ten new panel members and calibrate an existing sensory team, with training focused on establishing reference standards for sensory attributes using commercial food products. The contract is a 100% small business set-aside with a Firm-Fixed-Price structure, encompassing multiple training sessions over approximately fifteen months at the Natick, MA facility, with a total performance period expected to be fifteen months after award.
Key details include five training-related Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) covering initial training, follow-up sessions, half-day training, homework monitoring, and quarterly status reporting. The contract will involve training panelists on sensory lexicon, descriptive analysis, and product review techniques for military rations. Proposals are due by 0800 hours on 28 April 2025, submitted electronically to specified government contacts. The evaluation will prioritize trainer qualifications and training approach, with award based on a best value methodology where technical and past performance factors are significantly more important than price. The previous contract for this requirement was W911QY-15-P-0390, which was completed in October 2017.
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Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Question and Answer Document Version 2 4.22.2025.docx | DOCX document | |
| Question and Answer Document 4.22.2025.docx | DOCX document | |
| Statement of Work (SOW).docx | DOCX document | |
| Exhibit A - DD 1423 CDRL Data Item No. A0001 Quaterly Reports.pdf | ||
| CDRL Attachment - Data Acquisition Document DI-MGMT-80368.pdf |
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Question and Answer Document
W911QY-25-R-TSTS
23 April 2025 Version 3
| Q 1. We would like to know if this is a brand new contract OR if there is (was) an incumbent performing these services. If not brand new, could you please provide the current / previous contract number? |
| A 1. While this is not a new requirement, there is no incumbent contractor currently performing these services. This requirement was last awarded as a contract in AUG 2015 with performance completed in OCT 2017. The previous contract number was W911QY-15-P-0390. |
Q 2. I’ve read through the many pages of 52.212 on the website and did not find any sort of terms regarding payment.
There’s rules about what should be on the invoice, and how it should be submitted, but there are no guarantees of payment, or how many days it will take from invoice receipt to payment. There are no guidelines regarding invoicing for pre-payment (or down-payment before work begins).
Without this I feel like there is no guarantee of payment, or guarantee of payment within a reasonable time-frame, or any instructions about how to collect an over due payment.
A 2. Regarding guarantees of payment and pre-payment (or down-payment before work begins):
The Government will pay for services after they are rendered. The Government will not provide pre-payment for future services nor contract financing for this requirement.
Please, reference clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Products and Commercial Services, which is incorporated in section (x) of the solicitation. Clause 52.212-4(i)(1) reads as follows: “Items accepted. Payment shall be made for items accepted by the Government that have been delivered to the delivery destinations set forth in this contract.”
Regarding Payment Terms:
The Government will offer NET 30 day payment terms starting after the receipt of a proper invoice, after which the Government will incur interest.
Clause 52.212-4(g)(2) reads as follows: “Invoices will be handled in accordance with the Prompt Payment Act ( 31 U.S.C. 3903) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) prompt payment regulations at 5 CFR Part 1315.” In 5 CFR Part 1315, 5 CFR 1315.4(g)(1)(iv) dictates the default payment terms are NET 30 days after receipt of a proper invoice.
NOTE: Statement of Work section 13 provides the Contractor shall invoice quarterly for all sessions completed or reimbursable expenses incurred during the prior quarter.
| Q 3. Can you please share with me additional information regarding the cancellation of a contract? My concern is that once work begins and a training date is scheduled is it possible that the DoD will cancel the contract in advance of the scheduled training date? Are there clauses to prevent that or requirements that put a limit on that type of activity? |
| A 3. Cancellation can only be done by the mutual consent of the parties. DoD/the Contracting Officer can unilaterally terminate the contract for the Government’s convenience, in accordance with clause 52.212-4(I), but the Government will make some payments to the Contractor to compensate. |
Clause 52.212-4(I) reads in part “the Contractor shall be paid a percentage of the contract price reflecting the percentage of the work performed prior to the notice of termination, plus reasonable charges the Contractor can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Government using its standard record keeping system, have resulted from the termination. The Contractor shall not be required to comply with the cost accounting standards or contract cost principles for this purpose. This paragraph does not give the Government any right to audit the Contractor’s records. The Contractor shall not be paid for any work performed or costs incurred which reasonably could have been avoided.”
| Q 4. 1. | Is there any existing training material for each of the identified sessions? |
| A 4. There is not a set existing training material. As the SOW states, the new panelists need to be trained against the Sensory lexicon as well as basic Sensory science descriptive analysis. All training materials and samples/ food items used for training and exercises will be included and built into the contract cost and proposal. |
| Q 5. If there is any existing training material for each of the identified sessions, would it be possible for us to review those documents prior to the starting of this work, after the contract award / offer? This way, we can better understand the intended structure of the sessions. |
| A 5. Please see Sensory bucket lexicon attached at end of SOW and SOW outline provided in SOW. The structure and outline of the sessions was just a guideline but would like all topics and off notes, descriptors, etc. covered, but when and how they are covered can be up to you as the trainer and Sensory training professional. |
| Q 6. Is the team utilizing either Spectrum or QDA? |
| A 6. We mostly utilize a 9-point adapted hedonic scale (to measure quality vs likeness). We do train our panelists and write our specifications using intensities but just slight, moderate and strong, not a 15 point intensity scale. |
| Q 7. Does the organization have a designated panel leader or other sensory support staff? |
| A 7. Yes, we have a designated panel leader who is the Sensory lab manager/coordinator and also a part time technician as support staff. |
| Q 8. Are the current members responsible for recording individual scores, or is it a consensus approach? |
| A 8. Individual scores are recorded and generally for each item the attributes of Appearance, Odor, Flavor and Texture are evaluated and rated against each items’ approved specification requirements where the end item requirements for Appearance, Odor, Flavor and Texture for each item are stated. The final “score” or rating is the mean of all panelists’ rating/score for each attribute. |
This is why in the SOW outline, most of the sessions after the initial training session also include the current panel members in addition to the new panel members so that they can be trained and calibrated together using the same materials and exercises and reference standards.
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .