B08 Questions and Answers for Solicitation W9124A21R0011 07-20-2021.pdf

QUESTIONS FOR SOLICITATION W9124A21R0011 JOB ORDER CONTRACT FORT

HUACHUCHA, AZ

1. On page 1 of 65 Section 13 part B indicates that An Offer guarantee is not required (see cut below)

On Page 56 of 65 the Bid Guarantee section calls for 20% of bid price or $3,000,000 whichever is less (see cut below)

Is a bid bond required for this JOC? If yes, what amount is it be based on? Single task max of $3M, Yearly amount max of $8M or five-year amount of $40M?

1A. Yes, a bid bond is required for this JOC and is based on five-year amount of $40M. Bid Guarantee amount should be $3M for this JOC solicitation.

2. Factor 1: Management Approach, Page 19, The solicitation states that the Plan and the Resources sections of the Management Approach are to be 2 pages each. Will the government consider allowing a greater page limit for these sections, given the requirements under each? It is difficult to describe our management processes within this space constraint to the level required in the RFP?

2A. Yes, this will be changed to 4 pages each excluding the indices.

3. Attachment 1: Past Performance Assessment Worksheet, Page 1, The highest project relevancy will be considered if Offeror is the Prime contractor of base JOC/ SABER Contract. The next highest project relevancy will be considered if Offeror demonstrated management of contracts that contain multiple and concurrent renovation projects valued from $2,500 to $3,000,000. Will the government consider multiple concurrent contracts within an IDIQ or MATOC to be of the same level of project relevancy as JOC or SABER contracts, as they are the same in terms of task order management performance?

3A. Yes the government will consider the listed contracts at the same level of project relevancy, so long as the task orders are similar in scope.

4. C.1.8 VOLUME 2, TAB G – RESPONSIBILITY INFORMATION, Page 27, Have a satisfactory performance record as stated in the solicitation. Have a satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics. The awardee will be required to provide at least three (3) references for like work, to include Business Name, Point of Contact, and telephone number. Have the necessary organization, experience, accounting and operational controls, and technical skills, or the ability to obtain them (including, as appropriate, such elements as production control procedures, property control systems, quality assurance measures, and safety programs applicable to materials to be produced or services to be performed by the prospective contractor and subcontractors). Per FAR 9.104-3, acceptable evidence normally consists of a commitment or explicit arrangement that will be in existence at the time of the contract to acquire the needed facilities, equipment, other resources or personnel. Have the necessary production, construction, and technical equipment and facilities, or the ability to obtain them; and Be otherwise qualified and eligible to receive an award under applicable laws and regulations. What form of proof for these requirements would the government prefer the offeror include? These requirements are satisfied in the Resources section of the Management Plan and the Past Performance section.

4A. Past Performance Questionnaires shall be satisfactory.

5. Factor 1: Management Approach, Page 19. The RFP does not mention a requirement for key personnel to be included with the proposal. Please confirm no key personnel names or resumes are required to be submitted with the proposal.

5A. Key personnel names and resumes are not required with the proposal.

6. In order to reduce burden on our customers, would the Government allow previously completed PPQs in the same USACE template (Attachment 2)?

6A Yes the government will allow previously completed PPQs.

7. Box 13, B states an offer guarantee is not required; however, Section 00100, Bid Guarantee states one is required in the proposal, as stated in 52.228-1. Is a bid bond required in our proposal?

7A. Yes, a bid bond is required and Box 13 B will be updated on the solicitation.

8. If a bid bond is required in our proposal, does the Government also require that we mail the original?

8A. See Question 1. Yes, original bid bond must be received by this office within five calendar days after proposal due date. See Volume 2, TAB D Bid Guarantee, a. Submission Requirements.

9. The proposal due date and time is not indicated in Box 13 on the SF 1442; will the Government please provide an amended SF 1442?

9A. Yes, the Government will provide an amended SF 1442.

10. Section 00100, Factor 3.,a.2 states completed PPQs shall be submitted electronically to the Contracting Office. This section later states that if the Offeror is unable to obtain a completed PPQ from a client, the Offeror should complete and submit the first page of the PPQ with the proposal. The cover letter on the Performance Assessment (Attachment 2) instructs our customers to complete the PPQ and send directly to the Government. Does the Government require completed PPQs to be included with our electronic proposal submittal?

10A. No, PPQs are not required with the electronic proposal submittal.

11. Will the Government please consider increasing the page limitation for Factor 1: Management Approach?

Allowing up to eight (8) pages for all of Factor 1 will give offerors the opportunity to respond thoughtfully and effectively in addressing all requirements.

11A. Please reference Question 2.

12. Factor 3, Section a.1 notes that ‘If any firm has multiple…divisions, limit the project examples to those performed by the division or unit submitting the offer.’ We assume that firms who are the successor in interest to other companies or divisions who performed the work claimed as Past Performance would be allowed to use the predecessor firm or division’s past performance, otherwise, it would seem the solicitation terms would be considered unduly restrictive of competition. Can the Government confirm that successor firms may use predecessor firm or division’s past performance as their own for purposes of the Past Performance factor in the RFP?

12A. Yes so long as the existing firm maintains similar capabilities.

13. Factor 3, Section b.2 states that “The highest project relevancy will be considered if Offeror is the prime contractor on a base JOC or [SABER] contract.” We assume that the Fort Huachuca Multiple Award Construction Contract (MACC) would be considered a base JOC, otherwise, the limitation appears to be unduly restrictive of competition. Can the Government confirm that the recent Fort Huachuca MACC is considered a “base JOC” for purposes of the Factor 3?

13A. Please reference Question 3.

14. Factor 3, Section c.3 notes that “The confidence rating will be established based upon the past performance of the Offeror or that of its predecessor….” We assume that if the work submitted by the Offeror for purposes of evaluation under Factor 3 was performed by a division of a predecessor firm, and the key assets, personnel and equipment of that division are now owned by a successor firm, that the successor firm may rely upon such past performance for evaluation under Factor 3, Section c.3. Again, otherwise the provision in the RFP would appear to be unduly restrictive of competition as the performance by the predecessor division would certainly be reasonably considered predictive of the Offeror’s performance under the contemplated contract. Can the Government please confirm?

14A. Yes so long as the existing firm maintains similar capabilities.

15. Factor 5, notes that Section 00010 Solicitation, Pricing Schedule is to be included in Volume 2 TAB B.

Does the Government expect to see a full copy of the Pricing Schedule (pages 3 to 14 of the solicitation) included in TAB B?

15A. The government expects to see the coefficient factors as identified on the Pricing Schedule, CLINS 0002, and 0003.

16. Factor 5, notes that Section 00010 Solicitation, Pricing Schedule is to be included in Volume 2 TAB B.

Does the Government expect to see numeric values added to the lines under Items 0001, 0002, 0003, 0004 on page 3 that represent the Contractors coefficients? Is this the only pricing information required in TAB B?

16A. See Question 15.

17. Factor 5, notes that Section 00010 Solicitation, Pricing Schedule is to be included in Volume 2 TAB B.

Does the Government expect to see numeric values added to the lines under Item 0001 (base year) on page 5, Item 0002 Tablet PC on page 6, Item 0003 Publications on page 8, Item 1001 Option Year One on page 9, Item 2001 Option Year Two on page 10, Item 3001 Option Year Three on page 11, and Item 4001 Option Year Four on page 12?

17A. See Question 15.

18. Factor 5, notes that Section 00010 Solicitation, Pricing Schedule is to be included in Volume 2 TAB B. If the Government wishes to see numeric values for Items 0001, 1001, 2001, 3001, and 4001, how does the Government wish those values to be calculated? (IE should these values be summative of the anticipated $8M annual value, the City Cost Index and the Contractor’s Coefficient, or some other calculation).

18A. See Question 15.

19. Factor 5, notes that Section 00010 Solicitation, Pricing Schedule is to be included in Volume 2 TAB B.

How does the Government wish for the numerical values of Items 0001, 1001, 2001, 3001 and 4001 to be calculated?

19A. See Question 15.

20. Section 8 of the Statement of Work calls for the identification of Key Personnel for the contract. Do these key personnel have to be identified in the Technical Proposal, and are resumes required for these Key Personnel in the Technical Proposal?

20A. See Question 5.

21. Section 8.1.2 of the Statement of Work states that “The QCM shall be physically present on-site at the project office at all times throughout the construction period…” Can the Government explain their expectations in terms of location and availability of the QCM? Will expectations of the location and availability of the QCM vary by Task Order?

21A. The QCM shall be physically present on the installation at all times throughout the construction period. The SOW is changed to reflect this change.

22. Bid Bond. The solicitation states that “the amount of the bid guarantee shall be 20% percent of the bid price or $3,000,000.00, whichever is less.” Should we assume for this purpose that the bid price is to be $8M or some other amount? Specifically, what is the minimum dollar amount for the bid bond to be satisfactory to the Government?

22A. Please see Question 1.

23. Item No. 0002 in the Solicitation has the contractor providing a Tablet PC. Will the contractor be able to bill for this provision and how so?

23A. Yes and please use DFARS 252.232-7006 Wide Area Workflow Payment Instructions (Dec 2018) to submit an invoice for Item No. 0002.

24. Item No. 0003 in the Solicitation has the contractor providing multiple copies of Code Publications. Will the contractor be able to bill for this provision and how so?

24A. Yes and please use DFARS 252.232-7006 Wide Area Workflow Payment Instructions (Dec 2018) to submit an invoice for Item No. 0003.

25. Will the JOC be awarded to a single contractor or to multiple contractors?

25A. This JOC will be awarded to a single contractor.

26. If the JOC is awarded to multiple contractors, will the government be receiving a Tablet PC and multiple Code Publications from each contractor?

26A. N/A, please reference question 25.

27. Please confirm that the Hazardous Material Abatement coefficient is a standalone coefficient, and is not to be used as a modifier or multiplier to the Normal Working Hours or Other than Normal Working Hours coefficients.

27A. The Hazardous Material Abatement coefficient is a standalone coefficient.

28. The Solicitation Contract Form states, “3. Since this acquisition will use a quarterly updated catalog, AFARS clause 5152.237-9000, Adjustments to Contractor’s Coefficient for Option Years (Job Order Contracts), is not applicable per AFARS 5117.9004-2(h).” Please confirm the contractor will use the most current quarterly RSMeans data for pricing task orders.

28A. The contractor will use the most current quarterly RSMeans data for pricing task orders.

29. Please confirm that the coefficients will remain the same for the duration of the contract.

29A. Correct. Per solicitation, “Since this acquisition will use a quarterly updated catalog, AFARS clause 5152.237-9000, Adjustments to Contractor’s Coefficient for Option Years (Job Order Contracts), is not applicable per AFARS 5117.9004-2(h).”

30. Please confirm the cost for the tablet to be provided to the Government by the contractor is to be listed in the “Net Amt” line in CLIN 0002 and is not to be included in the coefficient.

30A. Correct.

31. Please confirm the costs for the code and price books to be provided to the Government by the contractor are to be listed in the “Net Amt” line in CLIN 0003 and are not to be included in the coefficient.

31A. Correct

32. Please confirm that the contractor may use line items from any of the RSMeans books included in the list on page 8 of the solicitation when pricing task orders.

32A. The contractor should use the applicable RSMeans Book called out on the task order.

33. Are offerors to fill in CLINs 0001, 1001, 2001, 3001, and 4001 on pages 5 through 12 of the solicitation?

If so, how is the “Max Net Amount” to be calculated?

33A. See Question 15.

34. Please confirm that the contractor is not to apply the City Cost Index to non pre-priced items, as the pricing for these items is already based on local costs.

34A. Correct the CCI is not applied to non pre-priced items.

35. The City Cost Index for the sample problem has been identified as 1.08%. The Statement of Work defines the City Cost Index as the “percentage ratio of a specific city’s cost to the national average cost,” making 1.08% an unusually small CCI. Please confirm offerors are to use this CCI (and not, for example, 101.08%) when pricing the sample problem.

35A. The City Cost Index will be changed on the sample problem to 86.4% to reflect the current City Cost Index for Tucson, Arizona.

36. Please confirm that each of the coefficients an offeror proposes must be greater than or equal to 1.00.

36A. See note on solicitation on 3. VOLUME 2, TAB B – FACTOR 5 - Section 00010 Solicitation, Pricing Schedule.

37. Section 00800 states that the CCI for Fort Huachuca will be used; however, there is no specific CCI listed for Fort Huachuca. Please confirm that the Total Weighted Average City Cost Index for Tucson, AZ will be the CCI applied to task orders under this JOC.

37A. Correct. The City Cost Index will be for Tucson, Arizona unless a more localized City Cost Index is implemented in the future.

38. Statement of Work section 6.2 states, “Demolition prices in the UPB shall cover the cost of removal and disposal of the items. Demolition shall include the removal of the item, handling, disassembly, loading in a truck or dumpster, and disposal of demolished items, whether salvageable or non- salvageable, unless specified otherwise by the UPB task.” The RSMeans Facilities book (Reference Table R0241) states that selective demolition “does not include handling, loading, storing, hauling, or disposal of the debris...”

May projects requiring selective demolition include material handling, loading, and/or disposal line items in the estimate, as appropriate, since these costs are not included in the RSMeans demolition prices?

38A. Where appropriate and otherwise accounted for in the price book, those line items may be included in the estimate.

39. Statement of Work section 6.2 states, “Testing, adjusting, balancing, and start-up of installed equipment (normal commissioning) and up to four (4) hours of familiarization training for operation and maintenance of that equipment, shall be included unless the line item description specifically states otherwise.” Testing, adjusting, and balancing of HVAC equipment are highly project-specific costs that will not apply to all projects. Would the Government consider allowing these items as a line item on estimates rather than including those costs in the contractor’s coefficients?

39A. Yes, so long as the efforts are within the scope of the unit price book.

40. Statement of Work section 12.6 states, “The Contractor shall provide an office trailer for the on-site staff as specified in the TO.” If the government requires a TO-specific trailer, can this cost be added to the line item estimate? How often are trailers required for individual task orders?

40A. Yes the cost may be added as a line item estimate. The Government estimates that less than 10% of the task orders will require office trailers.

41. Will the Government please reopen the RFI period for two business days following the release of any RFI responses to allow follow-up questions?

41A. No.

42. Statement of Work section 13.13.b.6 indicates that the Government will identify the existence of asbestos and lead-based paint under individual TOs. Will the Government also provide a remediation plan to the contractor when hazardous materials are identified?

42A. No the government will not provide a remediation plan.

43. Block 13 of the SF 1442 indicates that an Offer Guarantee is not required; however, the proposal requirements state that a bid guarantee is required (Item 5. VOLUME 2, TAB D – BID GUARANTEE (Bid Bond) Required), as well as provision 52.228-1, Bid Guarantee on page 58 of the solicitation. Please clarify whether a bid bond on SF 24 is required.

43A. See Question 1.

44. Provision 52.228-1, Bid Guarantee on page 58 of the solicitation states, “The amount of the bid guarantee shall be 20% percent of the bid price or $3,000,000.00, whichever is less.” Given that this is an IDIQ contract without a final bid price, please clarify what amount will be used to calculate the bid guarantee.

44A. See Question 1.

45. For a firm proposing as a Joint Venture, please confirm if Prior Experience meeting the following scenario is acceptable: If Company A was previously in a joint venture with Company B and Company A performed in JV A/B in the same role as they hold in the proposing joint venture between Company A and Company C, may the experience of JV A/B be submitted for Company A as part of JV A/C on this contract?

45A. Yes.

46. The proposal instructions for VOLUME 2, TAB E – Joint Venture (JV) Agreement and/or Articles of Organization for LLC, state “If the Offeror or any member of the JV is a Limited Liability Company (LLC), include a copy of the Articles of Organization. If the Offeror is a joint venture, each member will be required to submit the above defined certification.” Please clarify the requirement of “above defined certification.” Does this certification refer to the Articles of Organization or does it refer to something else? Additionally, are all members of a joint venture required to provide this certification or only those that are LLC’s?

46A. The entire clause indicates what is required: 1) The JV Agreement; 2) The status of the JV Agreement if it has not yet been approved; 3) Various other information about the JV; 4) the Articles of Organization for the LLC or each LLC that is a member of a JV.

47. The proposal instructions for VOLUME 2, TAB E – Joint Venture (JV) Agreement and/or Articles of Organization for LLC, state “If the Offeror or any member of the JV is a Limited Liability Company (LLC), include a copy of the Articles of Organization. If the Offeror is a joint venture, each member will be required to submit the above defined certification.” In the case where an offeror is both a joint venture/LLC and has members of the joint venture that are LLC’s, shall all provide Articles of Organization or just the primary offeror?

47A. All must submit the Articles of Organization.

48. With regard to the proposal instructions for item 8. VOLUME 2, TAB G – RESPONSIBILITY INFORMATION on page 29 of the solicitation, please clarify what offerors should provide with their proposals to demonstrate financial responsibility. Is providing “the Name of the Financial Institution, POC, and phone number” (as requested) all that is required?

48A. The requirements are provided in FAR 9.104-3.

49. With regard to Factor 1: Management Approach, please confirm that the 2 page limitation on the PLAN section and the 2 page limit on the RESOURCES section applies to the narrative responses to each section and excludes any dividers, tabs, or table of contents provided to assist with organization and evaluation of the proposal.

49A. See Question 2.

50. The evaluation criteria for the Factor 1: Management Approach, Resources section refers to “proposed personnel dedicated to the JOC team”. Please confirm that this refers to the offeror’s approach to staffing and project team organization for the contract and that specific personnel are not required to be identified and that resumes are not required to be submitted with the offeror’s proposal.

50A. See Question 5.

51. Paragraph 8.1.2 Quality Control Manager in Attachment 01 Statement of Work, states “The QCM is required at the TO level.” Please confirm that the Quality Control Manager is able to support multiple task orders concurrently under this contract.

51A. Yes, see Question 21.

52. The Statement of Work, Section 12.0, Paragraph 12.6 Office Trailer states “The Contractor shall provide an office trailer for the on-site staff as specified in the TO”. Section 6.0 Proposals, Paragraph 6.2 Cost Estimating Requirements states “The Contractor’s price coefficient shall include all products and services within the UPB, including, but not limited to the following.....Depreciation of mobile office(s)”. Is it the Government’s intent to require an office trailer for each Task Order or is this incorrect? If it is the Government’s intent to have the contractor provide an office trailer for each Task Order, will the Government allow the contractor to include a line item under Division 1 to cover this cost in each

RTOP?

52A. See Question 40.

53. The Statement of Work, Section 10.0 Required Contractor Plans, Paragraph 10.5 Site Safety and Health Plan (SSHP) does not provide Personnel Qualifications requirements for an on-site Site Safety & Health Officer. Will the Government allow the Task Order PM/Superintendent to dual hat the safety responsibilities?

53A. Yes, however the government will not pay the same person for filling both roles simultaneously.

54. The Statement of Work, Section 19.0 Acronyms and Definitions, Paragraph 19.2 Definitions states “Option-Year Coefficient(s): This coefficient will be used only if the Government exercise the option year clause within the contract. Coefficient(s) for option periods serve as an economic price adjustment to the Contractor’s indirect costs. Direct costs of materials, labor, & equipment shall be adjusted by the incorporation of the latest UPB cost data in each subsequent option year”. Section 00010 – Solicitation Contract Form – Coefficient(s) Inclusion Page – Pricing Schedule does not indicate CLINs for Option- Year Coefficient(s). How will the Contractor be allowed to make economic price adjustments to its coefficient(s) for the Contractor’s indirect costs?

54A. Contractor shall have the same coefficient for the life of the contract.

55. Please clarify if a bid bond is required as there is a discrepancy between the SF1442 and the proposal instructions.

55A. See Question 1.

56. Volume 2, Factor 5, Tab D requires a bid bond. As we are not submitting on a specific project, please verify that a bid bond is still required.

56A. See Question 1.

57. What are the requirements for submittal for Volume 2, Factor 5, Tab G?

57A. Provide adequate supporting information in accordance with the solicitation with FAR Part 9 and FAR Part 19.

58. ITEM 0001 Base period, 1001 -4001 option years, are the contractors required to submit a price on these

CLINS?

58A. No the contractor will provide their coefficients and values for items 0002 and 0003

59. Why does the SF1442 state that no offer guarantee is required (Block 13B), yet other sections of the RFP discuss a bid/offer guarantee?

59A. See Question 1.

60. The RFP states that “The amount of the bid guarantee is 20% percent of the bid price or $3,000,000.00, whichever is less.” Since there is no bid price, can clarification be provided?

60A. See Question 1.

61. Will bonding be required for specific task orders?

61A. Bonding will be required for specific task orders.

62. Is this a single award or to multiple contractors?

62A. This is a single award

63. Is it possible that there is a typo for the City Cost Index indicated in Factor 4 for the Sample Problem?

Please confirm this percentage is correct.

63A. Please use 86.4 % as the CCI

64. Factor 4: Sample Problem (Volume I) states the City Cost Index (CCI) is 1.08%. Did the Government mean 108.0% instead of 1.08%?

64A. See Question 35.

65. Will the Government be issuing a formal amendment (SF 30) for the previous extension to the proposal submittal due date?

65A. An amendment to the solicitation will be posted on SAM.GOV.

66. When does the Government intend on answering RFI?

66A. Questions and Answers for this requirement will be posted on SAM.GOV as an attachment to the solicitation.

67. Will another extension be given to the current proposal due date (July 19)?

67A. Yes and an amendment to the solicitation will be posted on SAM.GOV.

68. We understand that a bid bond is required. Please confirm what amount the bid bond should be based on.

Is it based on the largest possible task order ($3 million) or is it based on the annual maximum volume ($8 million), or another amount?

68A. See Question 1.

69. We understand that a Superintendent/PM and a QC Manager have to be on site whenever work is being done. Do both of these individuals have to remain on the individual task order location whenever work is occurring, or can they visit project sites as necessary to ensure work is proceeding properly? Does “on site” mean on the task order site, or does it refer to the overall Fort Huachuca installation?

69A. Refers to Fort Huachuca installation.

70. In attachment 5 JOC SOW pdf page 8 paragraph 2.0 Objective, it talks about incidental design. We could not find any additional clarification about this requirement. How often has design been historically required during the previous 5 years? What disciplines require design? Are there line items in the price book with e4Clicks for design?

70A. Incidental design is design that does not fall into the Architectural and Engineering (A-E) Services Category as defined by FAR 36.6. Incidental design items are generally not listed in e4Clicks, will be included as non-prepriced items, and negotiated on each Task Order. A different contract vehicle will be used for services that fall into the A-E category. For further information on this item please reference “Architect-Engineer Contracting in USACE” EP 715-1-7 dated 29 February 2012.

71. What temporary utilities will the government provide and what are the fees for these government furnished items? (WiFi, power, water, sewer)

71A. WiFi will not be provided by the government.

Power- $0.11542 / kWH Water- $2.01852 / k gallon Sewer- $5.38418 / k gallon