Fort_Sill_RFP_Technical_Questions_09-20-18.pdf

Fort Sill Food Services W9124J-18-R-0024 Questions & Answers 1

Number Question/Concern Response

1 Is there an incumbent contractor? If so, please provide the company name and DUNS number.

The incumbent for both contracts is the SLA. This is a follow-on requirement to the existing contracts at Ft Sill, W9124L-16-D-0001 and

W9124J-09-D-0003.

2 Is there currently a contract for these services? If so, please provide the contract number and dollar.

This is a follow-on requirement to the existing contracts at Ft Sill, W9124L-16-D-0001 and W9124J-09-D-0003.

3 52.212-2 Evaluation - Commercial Items (Oct 2014). What is the relative weight of the three proposal evaluation factors? Are they all equal?

Trade-off is not permitted. Technical and Past Performance will be rated as "acceptable" or "unacceptable". Price will be evaluated to determine if the price is fair, reasonable, and balanced.

4 Tab C – Cross Reference Matrix. Can you provide an example of a "Cross Reference Matrix" as mentioned on page 102 of the RFP under "b. Reference: Volume II – Technical Volume". Also, can the Government specify exactly what items it wants cross referenced?

The Government will not be providing an example. A cross reference matrix summarizes in a single matrix where specific paragraphs in one part of the proposal reference other paragraphs in the proposal or corresponding supporting documents.

5 Attachment G- Pricing Matrix. Can the Government explain where it wants offerors to provide its phase-in costs for each period (base and option years) on the spreadsheet? Ref: RFP

Page 105, second to last paragraph.

Phase-in is only for the base period and should be priced separately as identified in the Phase-in CLIN of the Solicitation and at Attachment G.

6 Unit Prices. Can the Government provide an example of how it wants offerors to submit prices in accordance with the RFP instructions which state: "Offerors are required to submit a unit price and extended amount (estimated quantity X Unit Price =

Extended Amount) for each Building within the Pricing Matrix

(for SubCLINs that do not contain an estimated quantity the offeror shall simply insert a Unit Price only)". Reference RFP

Page 105, d. Volume IV – Price.

The contractor shall utilize for each CLIN the number of meals to be served within the bands. Please see note in the Solicitation, Addendum to

FAR Clause 52.212-2, paragraph c(4), for how the Government will determine the total evaluated price for award purposes.

7 Expendables. Can the Government provide an example of how they want offerors to submit prices in accordance with the RFP instructions which states: "Although there is no separate

CLIN/SubCLIN included in the pricing matrix for contractor-provided expendable and durable supplies, offerors shall clearly identify the total price of expendable and durable supplies for each year within their Price proposal." Reference RFP Page 105, last paragraph.

This requirement has been deleted. However, please see note at the bottom of Attachment G, Pricing Matrix (each tab).

8 Does the Government require offerors submit key personnel resumes with their proposal? Reference RFP Page 107.

No, resumes are not required.

9 Past Performance Questionnaire. If a company has already submitted their Past Performance Questionnaire for the previous

RFP #W9124J-18-R-0011, and this is the same form that is being used for W9124J-18-R-0024, will our initial past performance

Yes, previously received Past Performance Questionnaires will be accepted for this requirement.

Fort Sill Food Services W9124J-18-R-0024 Questions & Answers 2 questionnaire be accepted for this requirement? Given the fact the government is in the process of closing out FY2018, we didn't want to add an additional task to our COTR's list of things to do.

10 PWS, Page 52, 2.1.2 – Is the Contractor responsible for providing kitchen and cleaning supplies in Bldg 3443 for the military cooks?

No, the Contractor is only responsible for cleaning supplies required for

Bldg 3443 not kitchen supplies.

11 PWS, Page 54, 2.1.8 – States “the Contractor shall make necessary travel arrangements for employees.” Does this mean the contractor shall actually provide transportation means to the employees?

The Contractor shall be responsible for providing any transportation needs if required by and/or for employees to effectively administer the requirements.

12 PWS, Page 70, 3.1.2.6/7 – Will the government provide a vehicle, refrigerated or otherwise, for the contractor to relocate any remaining subsistence during closures?

The Contractor will have access to an enclosed Government vehicle assigned to the subsistence warehouse.

13 Page 105, d. Volume IV-Price – Instructs offerors to provide price for each CLIN included in the Schedule of Supplies/Services of the Solicitation. For CLINs 0002-0013 the Quantity is listed as 5 and the Unit is listed as Years. However for each CLIN there will be differences in pricing year over year (i.e., the price for the base year will not be the same as the price for Option year 5). Please clarify how offerors are to enter prices that may/will vary over the five year period.

Pricing for each year of the five year period should be identified in

Attachment G. Attachment G has tabs for each year and a roll up tab to capture all pricing submitted. The total in the Roll Up tab in Attachment

G shall be transferred to the appropriate CLIN in the RFP. The quantity, unit of issue and Delivery Information have been revised to clarify the requirements.

14 Attachment E - Durable Supplies. When the document is printed it appears the durable supplies bldg. 3720 is listed for bldg.

2811FFS, 2811 FF-O, 3443 FFS and 3443 DFA, as listed at the top of the document. Also the items listed for Bldg 3720, 2811FFS, and 3443 FFS are identical. Please clarify or confirm this is accurate.

See revised Attachment E – (1) Durable Supplies List. Tab identification is correct for each Bldg 3720/2811/3443/ are identical due to requirement in each facility being similar if 2811 and 3443 are operated as required as

FFS.

15 Attachment F - Estimated Workload. Are bldg. 5966 and 5965 open at the same time on a consistent basis? If so would each bldg serve a similar number of patrons listed in Attachment F1 &

F2?

Attachment F1 and F2 provide Historical Headcount for the dining facilities. Bldgs 5966/5965 may be open or closed as required, currently

Bldg 5965 is fully operational and Bldg 5966 is also open consistently/concurrently but only operating 2 of 4 quads.

16 Attachment F - Estimated Workload. Building 5965 had no headcount contract years 1, 3 and 5 from January – May. Contract year 2, 4 there was no headcount September - December. What was the reason for this closure and how often is this building closed.

The information in Attachment F is for estimated workloads during contract performance, in previous years both Bldg 5965 and Bldg 5966 have been under construction, however, currently the Government has operational use of both buildings.

17 Attachment F. Estimated Workload – Building 5966 had no headcount contract years 1, 3 and 5 from September – December.

Contract year 2, 4 there was no headcount January – May. What was the reason for this closure and how often is this building closed.

The information in Attachment F is for estimated workloads during contract performance, in previous years both Bldgs 5965 and Bldg 5966 have been under construction, however, currently the Government has operational use of both buildings.

Fort Sill Food Services W9124J-18-R-0024 Questions & Answers 3

18 Historical Headcount Data for Build 5966 and Building 5965.

Headcount for these buildings drop substantially during the lunch meals. What is the reason for the drop in headcount during the lunch meal?

Training schedules of units vary daily and may require alternate feeding methods during lunch meals due to transportation to and from training areas and/or training site and unit time allotments or requirements.

19 Attachment F. Estimated Workload Field Chow Packages are referenced for building 5965 and 5966. Exactly what is a Field

Chow Package, A-rations, MRE’s or UGR’s? Are these meals picked up and delivered by the contractor.

Field Chow Packages refers to all required components of a hot meal provided to units when requesting meal support at a local training area, subsistence prime vendor items or UGR items may be used depending on the meal requirements, the meal is assembled in food containers to include expendable dinnerware, and is picked up by the unit, the unit also brings the equipment back to the DFAC after meal completion.

20 Attachment F1 - Headcount Summary. Headcount totals are listed for bldg. 2755, 3443, 3720, and 5965/5966. However there is an additional line below 5966/5965 that does not have a bldg.

number associated with the figures provided. Which bldg. or which CLIN are these headcount figures associated with?

The figures in the additional line refer to meals packaged for field chow for all DFACs, all totals listed for buildings refer to meals served within a

DFAC. See Attachments F-1, F-2, F-3, F-4 for updated figures for estimating purposes. The information in Attachment F is for estimated workloads during contract performance. Training schedules of units vary daily and may require alternate feeding methods during lunch meals due to transportation to and from training areas and/or training site and unit time allotments or requirements.

21 Attachment F2 - Headcount Daily Summary. No headcount figures are provided for bldg. 5965. Please provide.

See revised Attachments F-1 and F-2 and additional Attachments F-3 and

F-4 for updated figures for estimating purposes. The information in

Attachment F is for estimated workloads during contract performance.

Training schedules of units vary daily and may require alternate feeding methods during lunch meals due to transportation to and from training areas and/or training site and unit time allotments or requirements.

22 Attachment F1 & F2. The total figures listed in Attachment F1 do not match the figures presented in F2. Please clarify.

See revised Attachments F-1 and F-2 and additional Attachments F-3 and

F-4 for updated figures for estimating purposes. The information in

Attachment F is for estimated workloads during contract performance.

23 Attachment F1 & F2. Do the figures in these attachments include all field feeding meals?

See revised Attachments F-1 and F-2 and additional Attachments F-3 and

F-4 for updated figures for estimating purposes. The information in

Attachment F is for estimated workloads during contract performance.

24 How far in advance does the government notify the contractor of increase or decrease of headcount and any building?

The Government will notify the Contractor of increases or decreases due to unexpected changes or unforeseen events as soon as they are known.

25 During each year of the contract, are any or all of the buildings closed down for detailed cleaning on a consistent basis.

The only anticipated closures during each year are during the Exodus period (last two weeks of December) when diners not leaving the installation will consolidate into one open facility and the other DFACs will close for this period.

26 The proposal instructions, page 100, Table 2, require the RFP documents be submitted in MS Word for the digital copy. These forms are distributed with the solicitation in PDF format. Is it

Yes, these documents are acceptable in PDF format.

Fort Sill Food Services W9124J-18-R-0024 Questions & Answers 4 acceptable to send these electronic documents as a PDF file rather than MS Word format?

27 What is the drive time/distance to the MOW WAY training site? There is no known current requirement to drive to MOWWAY training site, and if required in the future, time/distance varies per facility.

28 Attachment F-2 Headcount Daily Summary FY17, the totals on the total page do not match the individual totals for each dining facility included on the individual tabs for those facilities. Which information is accurate? Also, does the tab for 5966-5965 contain the total headcount for both buildings or just 5966?

See revised Attachments F-1 and F-2 and additional Attachments F-3 and

F-4 for updated figures for estimating purposes. The information in

Attachment F is for estimated workloads during contract performance.

29 For dining facilities 5965/5966, in the lower headcount bands, are both sides of the dining facility required to be open?

The quad necessities are determined by current mission during contract performance and incorporating the standard design plan of 2600 per meal period in these buildings with all aspects of the contract considered.

30 For services provided under CLIN X011, Additional Field Service

Events, is there a specific dining facility where these meals are required to be prepared?

Meals for this CLIN will typically be prepared in either Bldg 3720 or Bldg

2755.

31 The delivery date is not listed on the solicitation document, will we be provided a period of performance for this solicitation?

Previous cancelled solicitation listed delivery date of September

1, 2018 to August 31, 2023.

Dates are subject to change but tentative period of performance is the following: 1 December 2018 – 30 November 2023.

32 Previous Solicitation W9124J-18-R-0011 had the requirement to submit proposal via email or AMRDEC Safe Access File

Exchange, under the new solicitation W9124J-18-R-00024 are we required to submit via email or through AMRDC Safe Access File

Exchange?

Per Addendum to 52.212-1, Proposal Preparation Instructions, A. Proposal

Submittal and Inquiries, paragraph 1 & 2, offeror will submit: (1) Hard

Copy Proposals to address identified, (2) CD-ROM; Government is not requesting or accepting proposals via email or submission on AMRDEC portal.

33 Past Performance Questionnaires were previously submitted on cancelled Solicitation W9124J-18-R-0011, as they have recently been submitted are we required to have POC’s on specific relevant contracts resubmit PPQ’s or will the previously submitted PPQ’s be sufficient as they were submitted to COR, Karina Haddix?

Yes, previously received Past Performance Questionnaires will be accepted for this requirement.

34 What is the current contract value? This is a follow-on requirement to the existing contracts at Ft Sill, For contract W9124L-16-D-0001, value $47M, and W9124J-09-D-0003, value

$166M, respectively. However, offerors are cautioned that this is a new requirement and pricing shall be in accordance with the solicitation requirements.

35 Do the quantities of the items in the Tech Exhibit E Durable

Supplies represent the number of the items at the current moment or the numbers of times we have to replace or purchase? Do the quantities of the items in the Tech Exhibit E Durable Supplies represent the yearly quantity or 5 years?

The quantities reflect an initial issue to the contractor. The contractor shall maintain these quantities throughout the life of the contract and ensure at the end of the performance period the Government receives the same quantity.

Fort Sill Food Services W9124J-18-R-0024 Questions & Answers 5

36 What is the time period of the quantities in the Expendable

Supplies List (Tech Exhibit E)? Do they represent the number of quantity the current contractor purchased in a year?

The time period reflects approximately two weeks’ worth of operational supplies provided initially, as purchased by the Government in the previous contract year.

37 What does “FF-O” mean? Field Feeding Only

38 We saw that the Attachment F has the workload information for

DFAC 3443 full food service, but not for the dining facility attendant service. Will you be providing the information for the

DFA service or should we use the FFS information to price the

DFA service?

The information in Attachment F may be used to price the DFA service using 5 weekdays per week only, and as applies to DFA duties only except inside the kitchen areas and behind serving lines.

39 In the 4 quad DFAC 5965 & 5966 there are 5 bands. Does the bands correspond with quad openings? We made the assumption that it may require multi quads regardless of the band of headcount. Since there is 4 quads and 5 bands. For example, we could might be feeding 1900 and could be asked to open two

Quads which would mean our staffing at the lower band would need to incorporate servers, food service workers etc. to open more than one quad.

The bands may generally correspond with quad openings, however, other considerations such as longer feeding times may be incorporated if determined necessary as well, based on the mission at the time.

40 Can you confirm that resumes are required in Subfactor 1 – Key

Personnel and Qualifications?

No, resumes are not required.

41 Can you identify the positions listed as supervisory personnel for

Fort Sill that must be listed and identified in the Technical

Volume; Subfactor 1 – Key Personnel and Qualification?

The number of supervisors is predicated upon the contractor’s concept of operations and their proposed approach.

42 PWS paragraph 2.2.1.5.3 requires Contractor employees to attend

ISCTC Training. How many hours long is this training?

The projected training time is approximately eight (8) hours to complete per employee – training is a continuous block of instruction for approximately one (1) day.

43 PWS paragraph 2.2.1.5.7 requires Contractor employees to attend iWATCH Training, which is "locally developed". Please confirm that it is the Government who develops this training and clarify how many hours long is this training?

The training is developed by the Government. Projected training time is approximately 30 minutes to complete per employee provided and administered by the Contractor.

44 PWS paragraph 2.2.1.5.8 describes required background checks.

Who is responsible for conducting the background check and who is responsible for this cost?

The Government will provide the background checks.

45 PWS paragraph 2.1.11 states "Contractor shall file subcontract reports in the electronic Subcontracting Reporting System

(eSRS)." Please confirm this requirement only applies to the SLA.

Yes.

46 PWS paragraph 2.2.2 states "All accidents which occur in association with performance of services required in this contract shall be reported in writing to the COR on the day of the accident or not later than the next working day." The Contractor work

Yes, the Contractor will be provided with COR contact information which may meet the requirement as a text message, email, or verbal phone call notification.

Fort Sill Food Services W9124J-18-R-0024 Questions & Answers 6 week is 7 days, does the Contractor meet this requirement if the

COR was notified in writing or a Saturday, Sunday or Holiday?

47 PWS paragraph 2.2.3 describes Key Personnel Requirements that appear to be contrary to the concept of having a contract with a

Performance Based Performance Work Statement as described in

PWS paragraph 1.1.

a. What is the authority for including this requirement?

b. This paragraph states "The Government reserves the right to review qualifications." Please clarify if the Government retains the right to deny a candidate if the Government does not approve of their qualifications? If so, is there a time limit for the

Government to approve of or deny such a candidate? Will the time periods set forth in PWS Paragraph 2.2.3 for the replacement of a key personnel position be tolled while the Government reviews the candidate's qualifications? Does the Government acknowledge that this approval process will delay the Contractor' s permanent replacement of a key position?

c. The sub-paragraph for "Dining Facility Manager(s)" does end with a statement that "During the absence of any Dining Facility

Manager or alternate, substitutions must be properly qualified and approved by the COR." Please clarify whether the Government will have the final say over the Contractor's employment decisions?

d. The positions identified as "Key" particularly the Dining

Facility Manager (DFM) position, requires management experience without any consideration for on the job experience of employees already working in the facility and performing many of the DFM's responsibilities. Is the Contractor permitted to promote employees to the DFM position based upon on the job experience instead of specific experience identified under PWS paragraph 2.2.3, and its sub-parts? Will the Government reconsider these requirements?

e. Will the Government please clarify or remove PWS paragraph

2.2.3, and its sub-parts, from the Solicitation?

a. The Government is ensuring that key contractor personnel meet the qualification requirements of the PWS para 2.2.3.

b. The Government does not approve or disapprove contractor personnel; the Government ensures they meet the minimum requirements of the PWS. This process will not delay the timelines identified in para 2.2.3.

c. See revised language in the PWS.

d. No change to this PWS requirement.

e. See revised language in the PWS.

Fort Sill Food Services W9124J-18-R-0024 Questions & Answers 7

48 PWS paragraph 3.1.1.2 (d) STD states "Snow and ice, or sand, is removed from sidewalks, and access area IAW Attachment F, Workload Data." Attachment F only addresses the distance for this service. Should this STD also include the Contractor's QCP that would show the frequency? Can the Government clarify this area?

Snow, ice, and sand removal is conducted as required in the event of natural weather occurrences, does not require incorporation into cleaning schedules.

49 PWS paragraph 3.1.2.3(d) states "Serve at a minimum rate of 8 diners per minute per full food service line, or 10.5 diners per minute for a full food service line plus short order section (per DA

PAM 30-22 section b)." We have been unable to find the reference to DA PAM 30-22 section b in regards to diner flow rate. Can the Government provide the correct reference to properly staff the buildings?

See TM 4-41.11 Dining Facility Operations, April 2012, Chapter 3-11, and Chapter 8-7.

50 PWS paragraph 3.1.2.5(a) Window Cleaning - What, if any, are the height restrictions for the Contractor in regards to window cleaning?

Height restrictions determined by local and state agencies. Information on

Oklahoma labor policies and restrictions may be found at https://www.ok.gov/odol/.

51 PWS paragraph 5 entitled "Government Furnished Property

(GFP)" states that "during the performance of this contract the

Contractor shall be responsible for replacing these durable supplies due to wear and tear and loss." This paragraph also states

"Historically, the Contractor will be required to replace 7%

(estimated) of the inventory annually." Will the Contractor be reimbursed if the actual replacement exceeds 7% annually?

a. Will the Government provide the historical data which supports the 7% annual replacement rate for supplies?

b. Which CLIN should this cost be placed under?

The Contractor may request an equitable adjustment under FAR Clause

52.243-1.

a. No.

b. See note in Attachment G for pricing supplies.

52 PWS paragraph 6 entitled "Contractor Furnished Equipment" requires the Contractors to furnish all supplies.

a. Please confirm whether certain Government Furnished

Equipment (GFE) provided to the Contractor, for use under the contract, is maintained and repaired under a separate contract?

b. Should a GFE, which is maintained and repaired under a separate contract, fail and the GFE's failure causes an increased cost to the Contractor, will the Government reimburse the

Contractor for the increased performance cost due to the failure of the GFE? For example, should a GFE- dishwasher become

a. DFAC GFE is maintained and repaired above operator maintenance level under a separate contract.

b. The contractor may request an equitable adjustment under FAR Clause

52.243-1.

https://www.ok.gov/odol/

Fort Sill Food Services W9124J-18-R-0024 Questions & Answers 8 inoperable, will the Government provide disposable products for use during the dishwasher outage? If not, why not?

53 Section L instructions for Volume II requires completed staffing matrix charts to be submitted with the volume. Will they be counted against the page limit?

There is no Section L in the Solicitation. Addendum to 52.212-1, Table 2 identifies the page limit associated with each proposal volume. The

Staffing Matrix at Attachment H will not be counted against the page limit.

54 Section L instructions for Volume II requires key personnel to be identified by name. Are resumes required to be submitted?

No, resumes are not required.

55 Section L instructions for Volume II states "Offerors are only required to complete the Staffing Matrix for CLINs/subCLINs within the Pricing Matrix that contain estimated quantities."

a. Please clarify/confirm that the Contractor does not have to submit a staffing matrix for bands that have no quantities on the pricing matrix such as "Bldg 5966 CLIN 0006 Three meals per day, 1-2400 Monday-Saturday" since there are no quantities on the pricing matrix for this band?

b. There are worksheets included in the staffing matrix for bands which appear to be in conflict with the Section L requirements for this Volume, please clarify.

There is no Section L in the Solicitation.

a. As noted in the Staffing Matrix, the Staffing Matrix shall only be completed for CLINs/subCLINs within the Pricing Matrix that contain estimated quantities.

b. The Government is unable to answer this question as it is not clear as written.

56 Section L instructions for Volume III limit the number of pages to three per reference yet the "Specific Relevant Contracts Reference

Sheet" is three pages already and requests "copies of cure notices, show cause letters or contract discrepancy reports... "which could cause the pages to exceed three per reference. This also does not allow for room for the inclusion of the required consent letters or background information or positive past performance information such as CPARS.

a. Do the Summary Page and Consent Letters count towards the

"three page per reference" page limit?

b. Will the Government reconsider the page limit for this volume?

There is no Section L in the Solicitation. Addendum to 52.212-1, Table 2 identifies the page limit associated with each proposal volume. The page limit for Past Performance has been revised to 10 pages per reference.

57 Section L instructions for Volume IV require offerors to ensure

"prices are represented in whole dollars only." Please confirm there should be no decimals, i.e. cents included in any unit price?

There is no Section L in the Solicitation. Yes, the Government confirms there should be no decimals/cents, included in any unit price.

58 Section L instructions for Volume IV require offerors to submit prices for each dining facility on the pricing matrix yet staffing in

There is no Section L in the Solicitation.

Fort Sill Food Services W9124J-18-R-0024 Questions & Answers 9

Volume II is only required for facilities with quantities on the pricing matrix. This requires offerors to submit prices but not staffing for numerous subCLINs/bands.

a. In cross walking an offeror' s staffing to its price proposal, how will the Government evaluate staffing and price where subCLINs/bands lack any estimated quantities yet the pricing matrix requires a price for the subCLIN?

b. How will this pricing be evaluated for these subCLINs?

c. Please confirm that offerors are to submit proposed staffing and pricing for certain dining facilities that have no historical data and have not been shown to offerors, such as Bldg 3443 Full Food

Service and Bldg 2811 FFS or Mermite? Will the Government reconsider the requirement for pricing of these dining facilities and require this to be proposed by the successful offeror at the time the service is actually necessary?

a. The offerors will complete the Staffing Matrix for ONLY those subCLINs in the Pricing Matrix that contain estimated quantities. The total overall evaluated price for award purposes is based upon only those subCLINs in the Pricing Matrix that have estimated quantities – this is your crosswalk.

b. For the subCLINs that contain no estimated quantities, the Government will use Price analysis techniques identified in FAR Part 15.404-1 to determine reasonableness and balance. Please note these are not utilized to determine the total overall evaluated price for award purposes.

c. If a subCLIN contains an estimated quantity in the Pricing Matrix, then the applicable Staffing Matrix shall be completed.

59 The Staffing Matrix and TE F show sick call being supported out of both Building 5965 and Building 5966. Please confirm the facilities and the meal periods are correct.

Sick call is no longer required as part of Attachment F in Bldgs

5965/5966, current meal times are provided at revised Attachment F.

60 We noted after a review of the Solicitation there is no reference to the Subsistence Supply Management Office and Warehouse

(SSMO). Will this operation be added into the Solicitation?

No.

61 If there is a conflict between the Solicitation provisions and the requirements of the Randolph-Sheppard Act (both under the R-SA statute and its implementing regulations) does the R-SA statutory and regulatory language control over the conflicting Solicitation provision?

There is no conflict between the RFP and the R-SA.

62 If there is a conflict between the requirements in Army Regulation

210-25 and any other provision of the Solicitation, does AR 210-

25 language control over the conflicting Solicitation provision?

There is no conflict between the RFP and AR 210-25.

63 If there is a conflict between the requirements in Army Regulation

210-25 and the Randolph-Sheppard Act (both under the R-SA statute and its implementing regulations), does R-SA language control over the conflicting AR 210-25 language?

There is no conflict between the R-SA and AR 210-25

64 If the State licensing agency (SLA) submits a proposal and it is not within the competitive range established by the Army, will the

Army confer with the United States Secretary of Education as required by the R-SA prior to eliminating the SLA from the

No. Per AR 210-25 paragraph 6b.(1)(a), if the State licensing agency submits a proposal and it is not within the competitive range established by the contracting officer, award may be made to another offeror following normal procurement procedures.

Fort Sill Food Services W9124J-18-R-0024 Questions & Answers 10 competition? If so, will the Solicitation be revised to reflect that the Army will confer with the Secretary of Education prior to eliminating the SLA from the competition?

The agency will not confer with the Department of Education solely due to the State licensing agency proposal not being in the competitive range established by the contracting officer as that is not a requirement of the R-

SA and AR 210-25. The Government will adhere to R-SA regarding a

SLA.

65 If SLA submits a proposal and it is not within the competitive range established by the Army, will the Army stay the procurement (including the continued evaluation of proposals and making an award decision) pending a decision by the United

States Secretary of Education that the Army properly eliminated the SLA from the competition? If so, will the Solicitation be revised to reflect this promised stay pending a decision by the

Secretary of Education?

No, that is not a requirement of the R-SA. The Government will adhere to

R-SA regarding a SLA.

66 Will the Army confirm that the SLA shall not be eliminated from the initial competitive range for purposes of efficiency as set forth in FAR 15.306(c)(2)?

Yes, the Government confirms that the agency will not exclude the SLA from the competitive range established by the Contracting Officer solely for purposes of efficiency as set forth in FAR 15.306(c)(2). After evaluating IAW RFP of all timely submitted proposals, the Contracting

Officer will establish a competitive range, based on the ratings of each proposal against all evaluation criteria that is comprised of all of the most highly rated proposals as set forth in FAR 15.306(c)(1) and permitted under 34 CFR 395.33(b).

67 If the SLA submits a proposal and it is within the initial competitive range established by the Army, will the Army eliminate the other offerors from the competition at that point and make award to the SLA as required by the R-SA and AR 210-25?

If the SLA is determined to be within the Competitive Range, then Yes, the Government will move forward with the SLA IAW R-SA and AR 210-

25. Please note, determining the SLA in the Competitive Range does not imply that the other offerors are not in the Competitive Range.

68 In reviewing AR 210-25(b)(l)(c), what criteria and information will the Army use to determine "that award to the [SLA] would adversely affect the interests of the United States?"

Evaluations will be conducted as specified in the Solicitation at 52.212-2

Evaluation – Commercial Items and Addendum to 52.212-2 Evaluation

Factors for Award.

69 In reviewing AR 210-25(b)(l)(c), what criteria and information will the "on-site official" use to determine "that the blind vendor does not have the capacity to operate a cafeteria in such a manner as to provide food service at a comparable cost and of comparable high quality as that available from other providers of cafeteria services?"

Evaluations will be conducted as specified in the Solicitation at 52.212-2

Evaluation – Commercial Items and Addendum to 52.212-2 Evaluation

Factors for Award.

70 Will the Army undertake direct negotiations with the SLA as permitted under R SA and AR 210-25(b)(2) before the submission of proposals from other offerors? If not, why not?

No. It is in the best interest of the Government to have a competitive action.

Fort Sill Food Services W9124J-18-R-0024 Questions & Answers 11

71 Will an initial competitive range be established by the Army even though discussions may not be conducted?

Yes, per the Solicitation, and as specified in Addendum to 52.212-2

Evaluation Factors for Award, the Contracting Officer shall establish a competitive range.

72 Section B(l )(b) on page 98 of the Solicitation states "If the SLA is not determined to be in the Competitive Range, then the successful offer within the Competitive Range will be selected

IAW Addendum 52.212-2 Evaluation Factors for Award paragraph I.a.(1) of the Solicitation." Before selecting successful offer within the competitive range, will the Army first confer with the United States Secretary of Education as required by the R-SA and AR 210-25.

No. Per AR 210-25 paragraph 6b.(1)(a), if the State licensing agency submits a proposal and it is not within the competitive range established by the contracting officer, award may be made to another offeror following normal procurement procedures.

The agency will not confer with the Department of Education solely due to the State licensing agency proposal not being in the competitive range established by the contracting officer as that is not a requirement of the R-

SA and AR 210-25. The Government will adhere to R-SA regarding a

SLA.

73 Referring to pages 104 and 109 of the Solicitation, under the heading "Note," (a) Will the Army please confirm that this provision violates FAR 15.305(a)(2)(iv) because it favorably evaluates an offeror (by assigning an Acceptable rating) without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available or so sparse that no meaningful past performance rating can be reasonably assigned? (b) For the

Past Performance factor, the RFP advises that in the context of acceptability/unacceptability, a neutral rating shall be considered acceptable. Will the Army delete this sentence?

No. Reference FAR Par 15.305(a)(2)(iv). Reference the DoD Formal

Source Selection Procedures paragraph C.2.1.2 that implements the FAR

Reference. Specifically C.2.1.2 states, in a technical acceptability/unacceptability solicitation, a neutral rating shall be considered acceptable.

74 Will the government please revise the RFP to reflect that it will also perform a price realism analysis to ensure understanding of the technical requirements and completeness?

No. This is a FFP contract and the government will make award to offerors who have a fair and reasonable price. The Government will also evaluate for balance. The price evaluations will be conducted IAW the price analysis techniques in FAR 15.404-1. No price realism will be conducted for this fixed price effort.

75 Reviewing the "Task Ordering Procedures", it appears that the

Army plans to order a specific number of days ("Estimated

Quantities" - Attachment G) for each DFAC CLIN/sub-CLIN at the beginning of the performance period without specifying the delivery date (the actual weekday) for the subCLIN when the order is issued. By way of example and looking at CLIN

X003/subCLIN X003AA on Attachment G, the Army estimates ordering 174 days of this subCLIN. Will the Army provide the weekday/calendar day of when the Contractor must deliver the services ordered under subCLIN X003AA?

This question raises issues about speculative concerns during contract administration regarding task order contents and hypothetical problems.

On RFP page 41, clause 52.216-22, paragraph (a), states this is indefinite-quantity contract and that quantities specified in the Schedule are estimates only and are not purchased by this contract. Further, FAR

Clause 52.216-22 states that performance shall be made only as authorized by orders issued in accordance with (IAW) ordering clause. IAW RFP

Task Ordering Procedures, page 81, the Government will order all services under this contract via issuance of task orders in accordance with FAR subpart 16.5 indefinite delivery contracts as implemented by DFARS

216.505. Any possible future task order will include sufficient information to establish the schedule of performance which will include

Fort Sill Food Services W9124J-18-R-0024 Questions & Answers 12

a. May the Contractor simply deliver all 174 of the "X003AA days" in the first 174 days of task order performance period and then deliver all 175 "X003AB days" in the remaining days of the performance period in order to fill the task order?

b. If not, what information will be provided with the Army's order which identifies when the Contractor must deliver a

"X003AA day" as opposed to a "X003AB day" for DFAC 2755 during the performance period? When will this information be provided to the Contractor?

c. Stated differently, when will the Contractor know on what day it must "deliver" a particular meal band (subCLIN) to a designated DFAC?

the performance period, place of performance, and specific quantity of services ordered to include days open and hours open for each DFAC.

76 Will the Army provide the Contractor with daily projected headcounts for each DFAC, for each day, for each meal period? If not, why not?

Reference Attachment F, Estimated Workload that reads: The anticipated daily headcounts shall be determined by the contractor using AFMIS data and Government provided variances. The Government will provide the variance data in accordance with the standard operating procedures at the

Installation.

77 Please describe the Contractor's responsibilities if the Army does not provide timely and accurate headcount projections for a

DFAC on a given day.

a. In such a situation, should the Contractor prepare food and staff the DFAC at the highest CLIN/sub-CLIN band for that day?

For example, under CLIN X003, if the Army does not provide the

Contractor a projected headcount for Bldg 2755 for a given day, should the Contractor provide the full food services under

X003AC ("Three meals per day, 4801 - 7200") for that day?

b. If not, what subCLIN has the Army ordered for that DFAC on the day that the Army did not provide a projected headcount?

Reference Attachment F, Estimated Workload that reads: The anticipated daily headcounts shall be determined by the contractor using AFMIS data and Government provided variances. The Government will provide the variance data in accordance with the standard operating procedures at the

Installation.

78 SubCLIN X003AA provides a meal band of "Three meals per day, 1 -2400" meals. Attachment G (Sheet "BP"). If subCLIN

X003AA is properly ordered by the Army for a given day, has the

Contractor fully performed subCLIN X003AA if it provides a single meal for each meal period for a total of 3 meals on that day? Or must the Contractor prepare all 2400 meals to be compliant with the Army's order of subCLIN X003AA? What information will be provided to the Contractor to confirm the

This question raises issues about speculative concerns during contract administration regarding task order contents and hypothetical problems.

Fort Sill Food Services W9124J-18-R-0024 Questions & Answers 13 number of meals actually ordered under subCLIN X003AA on a given day in this example?

79 SubCLINs X003AA-X003AC provide three different band sizes for Bldg. 2755. Attachment G (Sheet "BP"). If the Army orders subCLIN X003AA ("Three meals per day, 1 - 2400" meals) on a given day, but the Contractor actually serves 4000 meals, does the

Contractor invoice the Army for subCLIN X003AB ("Three meals per day, 2401 - 4800" meals) for that day, or must the

Contractor only invoice the Army for subCLINX003AA ("Three meals per day, 1 -2400" meals) for that day?

This question raises issues about speculative concerns during contract administration regarding task order contents and hypothetical problems.

80 SubCLINs X003AA-X003AC provide three different band sizes for Bldg. 2755. Attachment G (Sheet "BP"). If the Army orders subCLIN X003AB ("Three meals per day, 2401 - 4800" meals) on a given day, but the Contractor actually serves only 2000 meals, does the Contractor invoice the Army for subCLIN X003AB which was ordered and delivered by the Contractor, or must the

Contractor only invoice the Army for subCLIN X003AA ("Three meals per day, 1 - 2400" meals) for that day?

This question raises issues about speculative concerns during contract administration regarding task order contents and hypothetical problems.

81 The Ordering Procedures identified in the Solicitation (page 81) do not appear to comply with FAR 16.505(a)(2) which requires an order to clearly describe all services to be performed so the full price for the performance of the work can be established "when the order is placed." How does ordering a range of meals

(X003AA has a meal range of 1 to 2400 meals) comply with FAR

16.505(a)(2) where the order does not specify the number of meals to be delivered within the 1 - 2400 meal range provided under subCLIN X003AA.

Non-concur with statement. The definite quantity (IAW Far 16.505) to be ordered under each Task Orders is the number of days for each subCLIN.

The meal bands are the subCLINs “Description of Services.”

82 Please confirm that the Army complied with the NDAA 2017 requirement which significantly limits the use of LPTA procurements.

Yes.

83 PWS 4.0 Performance Requirement Summary Matrix and 4.1

Quality Assurance help the Contractor understand the

Government inspection criteria and methodology. What standard will be used to determine defective service versus deficient service for all area described in PWS section 4.0 for all 11 High

Level Objectives? Will High Level Objectives be provided for

Dining Facility Attendant Services and SSMO service if added?

The Government is not clear on the question, however, the standard is a service will be deemed a defect if it fails to meet the minimum requirements of the PWS. See revisions to PWS Para 4.1.

SSMO will not be added to the contract.

84 PWS paragraph 8.1.1 Standard Definitions, it appears there are many definitions missing. In the existing contract there are 8

Definitions not found in the applicable publications, regulations, manuals, bulletins, and/or pamphlets, may be requested.

Fort Sill Food Services W9124J-18-R-0024 Questions & Answers 14 pages of definitions. Will the additional definitions be added?

Will the Army also provide the definitions for critical and non-critical standards?

85 In reviewing ANSI/ASQ Zl.4 there is no standard for planned inspections. Please direct offerors to the standard to be used for planned inspections in order to understand how the Army will be measuring and evaluating planned inspections?

Planned Inspections have been changed to read Periodic Inspections. The

ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 do not apply therefore no automatic payment reductions for services surveilled by Periodic Inspections. However, the Government reserves the right for remedy under the Inspection of Services Clause.

86 Are planned inspections considered random inspections as defined in ANSI/ASQ A3534-2-2006?

No, they are considered Periodic Inspections. ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 does not apply therefore no automatic payment reductions for services surveilled by

Periodic Inspections. However, the Government reserves the right for remedy under the Inspection of Services Clause.