Bidder_Inquiry_Questions_and_Answers.pdf

W91236-16-R-0014 Multi-Discipline IDIQ

1. Please clarify the FBO announcement. Is this only a pre-solicitation or a full and open solicitation requiring a Sf330 submittal that is due June 3?

The FBO announcement is for the submission of a SF 330.

2. Question: Are section divider tabs and a general cover page/back cover page excluded from the total limitation?

Question: We would like to include a cover letter. Would you allow the cover letter to be excluded from the total limitation? Question: Would you allow font size to be smaller than the 12-font type when used for photo captions, illustrations, tables, or similar graphic elements?

10 point font may be used for captions, illustrations, tables, and graphics; however, all other information shall be in 12 point font. Covers, tabs, and cover letters are excluded from the page count.

3. Will the CO please consider excluding Past Performance Evaluations from the total 70 page count?

The complete past performance evaluation forms may be excluded. No more than 10 can be submitted.

4. Are there any Small Disadvantaged Business and Women-Owned Small Business Participation Goals set for this contract? Is a Subcontracting Plan required with the SF330 submittal or upon selection?

See SELECTION CRITERIA, paragraph (h.), SMALL BUSINESS The subcontracting goals for Norfolk District are as follows: at least 30% of a prime firm's intended subcontracted amount be placed with small businesses; at least 10% be placed with small disadvantaged businesses; at least 6% be placed with woman-owned small businesses; at least 7% be placed with service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses; at least 3% be placed with a HUB-Zone small businesses.

5. Will the Contracting Officer consider excluding the list any DoD contracts awarded to the firm within the last 12 months from the 70-page count?

No.

6. May we use an 11x17 page size for the org chart?

Yes you may use 11x17 page size for the organization chart; however, it will count as 2 pages.

7. Will the Contracting Officer allow the use of 10 point size font for graphics, tables and captions?

10 point font for graphics, tables and captions is allowed; however, all other information shall not be small than 12 point font.

8. The solicitation requires under Selection Criteria, Professional Qualifications, items (9) Certified Soil

Boring and Testing Firm; and (14) Certified Environmental Testing Lab. How is this information to be presented? Normally for an individual (the other 16 requirements) this is mostly contain in a separate sheet for each person in Section E Resumes. For a firm (i.e., item 9 and 14) do you require a written statement, in Section H, that they are "certified" or do you need to see an actual certificate?

To be considered qualified, certification documentation must be provided for both the Certified Soil Boring and Testing firm and the Environmental Testing Lab.

9. Will the Contracting Officer consider allowing a cover letter and Table of Contents that are excluded from

70 page count?

Cover letters and table of contents are excluded from the page count.

10. The solicitation specifies a minimum of 10 projects for consideration. Does this refer to the projects in Section F?

Yes, the 10 projects for consideration does refer to the projects in Section F.

11. The solicitation specifies that projects must have been completed within the last 5 years. We have assumed a project is considered complete if the design is 100% complete. Please confirm.

A project is considered complete when the design is RTA or the contract requirements have been satisfied.

12. Is it acceptable to include a resume for the Project Manager to demonstrate our ability to satisfy the needs of an IDIQ contract?

A Project Manager resume may be submitted, but will be a part of the 70-page count.

13. Since the Soil Boring & Testing firm and Certified Environmental Testing Lab are listed under b.

Professional Qualifications, are we correct in assuming the Norfolk District wants to see a resume for a key person from both?

To be considered qualified, certification documentation must be provided for both the Certified Soil Boring and Testing Firm and the Environmental Testing Lab.

14. Since a Virginia registration is not specifically required for engineering disciplines, is there a unique significance in requiring Virginia CID certification for the interior designer? Given the industry recognition of NCIDQ, may a Virginia CID certification be obtained after notification of selection?

To be considered qualified the Interior Designer must meet all the requirements listed in the announcement.

15. Is it correct to assume that the Norfolk District wants a resume for the registered Survey Chief?

A Registered Surveyor must be submitted, they do not have to be the Survey Chief.

16. Since this opportunity is for an IDIQ contract, may an IDIQ contract with multiple task orders be used in Section F as a relevant project?

Yes.

17. The requirement to use 12-point font makes it very difficult to use tables and graphics effectively. We request permission to use a 10-point font in tables and graphics.

10 point font for tables and graphics is acceptable; however, all other information shall be in 12 point font.

18. May the organization chart be on an 11 x 17 sheet, and if so, will that count as 1 page or 2 pages?

Yes, you may use 11x17 sheet for the organization chart; however, it will count as 2 pages.

19. Does the request for DUNS numbers in Section H include subconsultants?

The DUNS numbers are required for the prime contractor only.

20. Under c. Capacity, is it acceptable to show our projected workload for the next 12 months from the date of the SF330 submission?

Yes.

21. Letters of commendation, awards, and previous project evaluations are requested under d. Past

Performance. May these be included under a separate tab outside of the 70-page limitation?

Quoted excerpts from the letters and awards may be provided in lieu of the entire letter being submitted, please include the authors name and organization. This will count against the 70-page count.

22. Under e. Quality Control Program, there is a requirement to describe the firm's quality control program/processes and list the names and positions of "all key personnel responsible." Does this refer to the team's Quality Manager?

Any personnel that play a key role in the firms quality control program/processes should be listed.

23. The solicitation requires a list of DoD contracts awarded in the past 12 months. Should this be a list of individual task orders awarded in the past 12 months from the date of the SF330 submission?

Any DoD contract that was awarded and funded should be listed.

24. Are there specific small business goals for this solicitation?

See SELECTION CRITERIA, paragraph (h.), SMALL BUSINESS The subcontracting goals for Norfolk District are as follows: at least 30% of a prime firm's intended subcontracted amount be placed with small businesses; at least 10% be placed with small disadvantaged businesses; at least 6% be placed with woman-owned small businesses; at least 7% be placed with service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses; at least 3% be placed with a HUB- Zone small businesses.

25. Should offerors separate Part I and Part II of the SF330 for the submission so they each are in their own bindings?

Part I and Part II of the SF 330 may be submitted in their own binding.

26. Is construction phase services considered a separate project if we the prime firm did the design on that project?

Yes, if the DOR is the same for both Design and Construction phase services.

27. Regarding Selection Criteria: 'Recent means A-E tasks or projects completed within the last five years' – What is considered a completed projected? Does this statement apply to just Section F projects or apply to all projects shown in the SF330?

To be considered complete the design must be RTA or the contract requirements have been satisfied. All completed work in the last five years will be considered recent.

28. Could you please clarify IIES programs referred to in the solicitation?

Inter-agency, International, & Environmental Services.

29. Please confirm if Project Manager/Task Manager resumes are required?

The Project Manager/Task Manager resumes are not required.

30. D. Past Performance. Are offerors required to provide printed copies of available CPARS? Do you want printed copies of letters, accommodations, etc. or can they be referenced? If hard copies of CPARS and/or letters of accommodations are required, do they count against the 70 page limit?

If required, where should hard copies be presented in the submission, through an additional appendix section?

Do not provide printed copies of CPARS reports. Quoted excerpts from the letters and awards may be provided in lieu of the entire letter being submitted, please include the authors name and organization. This will count against the 70-page count.

31. Are hand delivered submissions acceptable? If so, are prior arrangements needed? What is the address for hand delivered submissions?

All timely delivery methods are acceptable, with the exception of facsimile and e-mail submissions.

32. Please clarify if the Part I and Part II should be contained within one bounded hard copy and one electronic file OR should Part I and Part II be presented as separate bounded volumes/electronic files?

Part I and Part II of the SF 330 may be presented in separate volumes.

33. Under Submission Requirements, it is stated that all info must be provided in 12-pt font. Since the

SF330 is so heavily formatted can you provide relief from this requirement? Can you allow 8-pt font for box numbers and headers; and then 10- point font for inputted information?

10 point font is allowed for graphics, charts, and captions; however, 12 point font shall be used for all other information.

34. For the 10 projects in Section F may we show IDIQs as one project?

Yes, as long as you are still able to show relevant technical experience and competence.

35. For the One Certified Soil Boring and Testing Firm and the One Certified Environmental Testing Lab, how would USACE Norfolk like that information presented in the submission? Should offerors provide documentation showing that these firms are certified? If so, will those documents count towards the 70 page limit? If USACE Norfolk would like documents shown that these firms are certified, where in the SF330 would USACE Norfolk like the documents included?

To be considered qualified, certification documentation must be provided for both the Certified Soil Boring and Testing firm and the Environmental Testing Lab.

36. In light of the new clarifications regarding scope and the Memorial Holiday weekend, please consider providing a 2-week extension to the proposal due date.

The Government will extended the due date of the SF 330 submission to 20 June 2016 no later than 12:00 pm EST.

37. Given that this is an Indefinite Delivery Contract (IDC), can we submit relevant IDCs highlighting the most relevant task orders as this has been acceptable in the past?

Yes, as long as you are still able to show relevant technical experience and competence.

38. Are there small business subcontracting goals for this contract? If so, please provide as % of subcontracted dollars.

See SELECTION CRITERIA, paragraph (h.), SMALL BUSINESS

The subcontracting goals for Norfolk District are as follows: at least 30% of a prime firm's intended subcontracted amount be placed with small businesses; at least 10% be placed with small disadvantaged businesses; at least 6% be placed with woman-owned small businesses; at least 7% be placed with service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses; at least 3% be placed with a HUB- Zone small businesses.

39. Would the Contracting Officer consider modifying the SF330 due date to June 20 to allow Bidders sufficient time to address changes in our submission, resulting from the forthcoming responses to Bidder inquiries?

The due date for the SF 330 submission is extended to 20 June 2016 no later than 12:00 pm

EST.

40. Within the evaluation criteria under specialized experience, it states to demonstrate recent experience with the preparation of design/bid/build and design build RFP's. Would a project where we were the Designer of Record A/E #2 on the design build team be considered relevant to this contract and an equivalent project for evaluation?

Yes, as long as you clearly identify your firms/team's contribution to the design/project.

41. For the professional registration requirements, are all registered personnel required to be registered in the State of Virginia?

Not unless specifically stated.

42. Given the substantial shift in facility and project types specified in the amendment, the lack of responses to the important questions that have been accumulating at ProjNet for the past week, and the upcoming holiday weekend, we respectfully request a two-week extension of the due date.

Thank you for your consideration.

The due date for the SF 330 submission has been extended to 20 June 2016 no later than 12:00 pm EST.

43. Item 18 states "...Design Team members responsible for construction cost estimating must demonstrate prior experience in use of MII software." Our cost estimator is registered for this training in August 2016. Since this is a prequalification and there will presumably be some time before a selection, is it acceptable to use this cost estimator with MII software pending?

To be considered qualified the Cost estimator must meet all requirements listed in the announcement.

44. Is it acceptable to submit the SF 330 Parts I and II bound together or is it required to bind each part separately?

SF 330 Part I and Part II may be submitted separately.

45. For interior design, please clarify what you mean by CID. Typically interior designers must pass the NCIDQ exam to be a certified interior designer, therefore those with the NCIDQ credential are certified interior designers and there is not an additional CID credential.

The Interior Designer must have passed the NCIDQ exam and be registered with a state with the CID credential.

46. What documentation is required for the certified soil boring and testing firm? Typically just a certification document is required.

In order to be considered qualified, the team must submit documentation verifying the firm’s certification.

47. Is a resume required for the Registered Surveyor?

Per the announcement a resume for the Registered Surveyor is required.

48. What type of registration is satisfactory for a registered environmental engineer? Does a PE meet the requirement?

To be considered a qualified Registered Environmental Engineer, the individual must have a PE and demonstrate HTRW experience.

49. Does a subcontractor teaming agreement need to be included in our submission? Is a letter of commitment or teaming agreement required to be part of our submission? Please clarify if this is required and if it will count toward the 70 page limit.

Please see Selection Criteria paragraph 'a' titled Specialized Experience and Technical Competence.

50. Given that the scope of this contract includes the Norfolk District and the entire North Atlantic

Division, is licensure in any state acceptable to show our professional qualifications?

The licensure can be from any state unless specified in the announcement.

51. May firms submit more than 10 projects in Section F of the 330?

Firms may submit more than 10 projects; however, it will count against the page limit.

52. If using an IDIQ contract in Section F, does the IDIQ contract have to be fully complete?

The projects being referenced in the IDIQ must be complete.

53. Please clarify what you mean by preparation of design/bid/builds under A. Specialized Experience and Technical Competence subheading 2? A whole 100% complete design package?

Per the announcement, the team must demonstrated experience and technical competence in completing a Design/Bid/Build RFP package. Bring a design all the way through to RTA (Ready to Advertise).

54. Under D Past Performance it states that 'Firms will be evaluated in terms of work quality, compliance to schedules, and cost controls with emphasis on projects submitted under factor (a) as determined from PPIRS and other sources. Submit letters of commendation, awards, previous project evaluations, etc. to show past performance.' For the Cost Control and Compliance to Schedules table in this section, are the projects in those tables limited to show the projects in Section F or the projects in Section H under A Specialized Experience and Technical Competence?

Projects submitted under Section F should be included in the required past performance tables, but the information presented in the tables are not limited to the projects in Section F.

55. The following statement from the solicitation is a bit confusing, please clarify what is meant by one copy (of what part of the submittal?) for the Prime and all consultants (who is the recipient?) from the following submittal instructions.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Interested firms having the capabilities to perform this work must submit one hard copy of SF 330 Part I and one (1) copy for the Prime and all consultants in an electronic format searchable in PDF or MS Word without translation; and one hard copy of SF 330 Part II for the prime firm and all consultants, and one (1) electronic copy searchable in PDF or MS Word of the entire submittal to the address below at the time and date below.

Submit one (1) hard copy and one (1) electronic format searchable in PDF or MS Word of SF 330 Part I for the Prime and all subconsultants and one (1) hard copy and one (1) electronic format searchable in PDF or MS Word of SF 330 Part II for the Prime and all subconsultants.

56. Paragraph b. under BACKGROUND states "... the total aggregate capacity for all IDIQs awarded under this procurement will be $40 million. The actual number of contracts awarded will determine the maximum total capacity of each IDIQ contract with each being awarded an equal amount of initial capacity."

It is clear that this indicates that potentially 2, 3, or 4 contracts could be awarded, each of which would have equal initial capacity (in the case of four contracts, this would appear to be potentially $2.5 million of capacity in the first year). Please clarify whether each subsequent year contract (assuming all are renewed) would be for the same capacity limits, or whether capacity may be allocated according to need, such that some contracts might receive more capacity. In other words, is the $40 million of overall capacity shared capacity?

The Government will award up to four (4) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contracts, in which the total aggregate capacity for all IDIQs awarded under this procurement will be $40 million. The actual number of contracts awarded will determine the maximum total capacity of each IDIQ contract with each being awarded an equal amount of initial contract capacity.

57. Given that the due date for submittal of the SF 330 has been extended until June 20, will the deadline for submittal of questions at ProjNet also be extended?

58. Is a CPARS or ACASS evaluation a required submission if it is available for each section 'F' proposed project? If it is a required part of the submission, but there is not one available completed by the

Government, would a 'PPQ' be acceptable to demonstrate past performance? And, do CPARS/ACASS or PPQs count toward the 70 page limit and 12-point font requirement?

Do not submit copies of the CPARS or ACASS evaluations. The Firm may submit up to 10 completed PPQs. The completed forms will not count against the page limitations.

59. For DOD contracts awarded in the past 12 months, please confirm if it is acceptable to include work awarded for the DUNS number only for the proposing entity and not any subsidiaries or subcontractors.

Prime only.

60. You have stated that SF 330 Part I and Part II may be submitted separately. May they be submitted together in one volume?

Yes as long as they can be distinguished from one another.

61. In the solicitation, Selection Criteria, a. (9), you ask for a (9) One (1) certified soil boring and testing firm. Answer to ProjNet item 6513994 requests certification documentation. What specific certification or certifying organization are you looking for? Example - for environmental labs (item 14) you have a national NELAP certification program. Geotechnical firms do not have a national certification organization....so what kind of certificate do you want?

To be considered qualified for USACE work, the soil laboratory must be validated by the USACE Materials Testing Center. The AE must provide the documentation demonstrating this.

62. Does the documentation supporting the certification of the soil boring and testing firm and the environmental testing lab count against the 70-page limitation? Should it be included in a separate tabbed section?

Yes, it will count against the 70 page limitation. May be provided within the Professional Qualifications section.

63. You state that documentation must be provided for both the Certified Soil Boring and Testing firm and the Environmental Testing Lab. Do we also have to show a resume for a professional from each type of firm?

64. Can you please clarify what you mean by placement site design?

Placement site refers to dredge material places site, so the work would include Civil /geotechnical work and associated hydrology and stormwater control design.

65. Are any certifications or registrations required for the cost estimator?

The Cost Estimator must meet all of the qualifications listed in the announcement to be considered qualified.

66. In the RFP, Selection Criteria, Professional Qualifications, B(18) Cost Estimator, you require the person to have a degree in Engineering or Architecture...in addition to other requirements. Can the "degree in Engineering or Architecture" we waived if the person has a professional certification in cost estimating such as: Certified Professional Estimator (CPE), or Certified Cost Engineer (CCE), or another professional cost estimating certification?

They must meet the qualifications listed in the announcement. Nothing will be waived.