Request for Information (RFIs 1-41).pdf

W9128A24R0008 ‐ Indefinite Delivery A‐E Services Contract (Environmental/Planning) Not‐To‐Exceed $36M for the Design of Miscellaneous Projects in the USACE, Honolulu District Area of Responsibility

RFI # Question Government Response 1 Selection Criteria item a. Specialized Experience and Technical

Qualifications states that a maximum of seven (7) example projects may be submitted for consideration under SF330, Part I, Section F. Then item

j. under SF330 submittal requirements at the end of the solicitation states that a maximum of ten (10) projects will be reviewed for SF330 Part I, Section F. Can you please clarify how many projects will be reviewed?

SF330 Submittal Requirements, Item j revised to 7 projects.

2 Item l. under SF330 submittal requirements at the end of the solicitation states that past performance evaluations shall be submitted for each project provided in SF330, Part I, Section F. Due to the page limit of 100 pages, and the fact that these can be lengthy, may we be permitted to place these in an appendix at the end of our submittal, to be excluded from the page count?

SF330 Submittal Requirements, Item c revised to exclude past performance records from the maximum page count.

3 May Joint Venture Agreements be placed in an appendix at the end of our submittal, to be excluded from the page count?

SF330 Submittal Requirements, Item c revised to exclude Joint Venture Agreements from the maximum page count.

4 Does the 100-page limit apply to only SF330 Part I? The 100 Page Limit applies to the entire submission package.

5 Would a PMP be acceptable and scored as highly as an RA or PE in the role of Project Manager?

Yes. See revisions to the Professional Qualifications section.

6 Would an AICP be acceptable and scored as highly as an RA or PE in the role of Project Manager?

Yes. See revisions to the Professional Qualifications section.

7 Would a PhD be acceptable and scored as highly as an RA or PE in the role of Project Manager?

RA, PE, or PM Certification is a mandatory Professional Registration/Certification requirement for the Project Manager displine.

A PhD will be considered towards their educational qualifications.

8 May additional resumes be presented for roles outside of those listed as key personnel under professional qualifications?

Roles outside of those listed as key personnel will not be considered during evaluations.

9 The project requirements ask for design projects but the scope is mostly NEPA, environmental planning, etc. Would projects that involve those types of projects be acceptable vs design projects?

Yes, along with Environmental Engineering type design projects, other projects like NEPA and Environmental Planning are acceptable.

10 If a project is a plan or study type deliverable rather than a pure design project, would a project be 100% complete if the final deliverables have been provided (e.g., a Record of Decision on an EIS even if follow-on work continues for management and mitigation) in lieu of the 100% ready-to-advertise requirement?

Yes. See revisions to the Professional Qualifications section.

W9128A24R0008 ‐ Indefinite Delivery A‐E Services Contract (Environmental/Planning) Not‐To‐Exceed $36M

11 Resumes heavily emphasize design-related expertise that might be expected for a General A-E type contract rather than what would be expected for the scope, particularly the 2a project information scope.

Would you consider substituting some of the less typical disciplines for the scope such as Fire Protection Engineer, RCDD, Commissioning Authority, Cybersecurity, Corrosion Engineer for more typical/expected disciplines such as with Terrestrial/Marine Biologist, Ecologist, Coastal Engineer, Water Resources Engineer, Economist, Cultural Resource Specialist, and Facilitator.

See revisions to the Professional Qualifications section.

12 Would you consider a Certified Professional Construction Estimator (CPCE) from the Professional Construction Estimators Association of America for a cost engineer in lieu of a Certified Cost Consultant (CCC) or Certified Cost Professional (CCP) as certified by the AACE?

Yes. See revisions to the Professional Qualifications section.

13 If multiple resumes are submitted for any given resume, will scoring be individual, an average of all submitted, or based on the lowest rated resume?

All submitted resumes that comply with requirements will be evaluated equally.

14 The submittal deadline is currently Sunday, February 18th with Monday, February 19th being a Federal holiday (Presidents’ Day). Given this along with the level of impact that the answers to our questions will have on the direction of our response, we respectfully request that the deadline be extended to 30 calendar days after the responses to questions are posted.

Submittal deadline is extended to March 1, 2024, 2:00 PM Hawaii Standard Time.

15 Due Date: Original Response Date: February 18, 2024 2:00p, HST - The Current Due Date is on a Sunday. Please confirm that per government policy the due date is Monday, February 19 at 2:00pm HST.

Submittal deadline is extended to March 1, 2024, 2:00 PM Hawaii Standard Time.

16 Under Section 3. Selection Criteria, Paragraph a.1 states: SF330 requirement(s): A maximum of seven (7) example projects may be submitted for consideration under SF330, Part I, Section F. Under Item 5: Submission Requirements, paragraph j., a maximum of ten (10) projects including the prime and consultants/subcontractors will be reviewed for SF 330 Part I, Section F. Please confirm we can include 10 projects in Section F.

SF330 Submittal Requirements, Item j revised to 7 projects.

W9128A24R0008 ‐ Indefinite Delivery A‐E Services Contract (Environmental/Planning) Not‐To‐Exceed $36M

17 Please clarify the scope of work to be performed under this contract.

Under Section 2. Project Information, the first sentence says the scope is planning and design for renovation/new construction projects. Also, additional scope elements were added after the expected environmental planning services to include A-E design criteria of installation utility design, AT/FP, surveys, communications and cybersecurity design, CIM and BIM modeling. Please confirm that these services covered under this contract are environmental planning/NEPA and not A-E design for military construction.

See revisions to the Project Information section.

18 Under Section 3. Selection Criteria, Paragraph b. Professional Qualifications, the disciplines for key personnel all reflect the disciplines typical for an A-E design for military construction contract. Disciplines required to perform environmental planning contract with NEPA scope of services are environmental planner, biologist, and archaeologist/cultural resources specialist. Please confirm that these disciplines are anticipated as KEY in this contract.

See revisions to the Project Information and Professional Qualifications sections.

19 Section 5, Submission Requirements state that the page limitation for the SF330 Part I is 100 pages all-inclusive with the exception of the divider pages. Will the government allow a cover page outside of the 100-page limit?

No.

20 Section 5, Submission Requirements state that the page limitation for the SF330 Part I is 100 pages all-inclusive with the exception of the divider pages. Section 5, paragraph L states that CPARS/PPQs are required to be submitted with our proposal. Will the government confirm that the CPARS attachment is not included in the 100-page limit?

SF330 Submittal Requirements, Item c revised to exclude past performance records from the maximum page count.

21 Section 5, Paragraph K. states that a Section F project cannot be an IDC with multiple Task Orders. Will the government allow a Section F project to encompass multiple task orders if it describes work on one project?

A single task order, including any modifications to the task order, will be considered as a project.

22 Please confirm that we are not required to submit a Small Business Participation Plan with our SF330 Submittal.

Confirmed. The Small Business Subcontracting Plan submission requirements added to the Submittal Requirements section.

23 Will the government consider waiving the licensed Engineer and/or Architect requirement from the Project Manager position if the offeror proposes licensed engineers/architects in other Key positions who will have the responsibility of preparing, signing, sealing and submitting engineering/architectural plans?

See revisions to the Professional Qualifications section.

W9128A24R0008 ‐ Indefinite Delivery A‐E Services Contract (Environmental/Planning) Not‐To‐Exceed $36M

24 Section 3.a.1. of the synopsis advises that “A maximum of seven (7) example projects may be submitted for consideration under SF330, Part I, Section F” but Section 5.j. reads “A maximum of ten (10) projects including the prime and consultants/subcontractors will be reviewed for SF 330 Part I, Section F.” Please clarify the maximum number of projects that may be submitted in Section F.

SF330 Submittal Requirements, Item j revised to 7 projects.

25 Will the government please confirm that CPARS/PPQs are exempt from the 100-page limit?

SF330 Submittal Requirements, Item c revised to exclude past performance records from the maximum page count.

26 The current submittal due date is February 18, which is a Sunday. Will the Government please consider extending the due date to Friday February 23?

Submittal deadline is extended to March 1, 2024, 2:00 PM Hawaii Standard Time.

27 Relevant to SF330 Section E Key Personnel, the government is requesting a US registered architect or engineer for the project management role. Would the Government permit a Registered Landscape Architect to serve as a Project Manager?

Yes.

28 Relevant to SF330 Section E Key Personnel, would the Government accept a Certified Estimating Professional for the Cost Engineer role?

Yes. See revisions to the Professional Qualifications section.

29 Will the government consider extending the proposal due date two weeks to March 4, 2024 to allow contractors time to adjust our responses based on answers to questions?

Submittal deadline is extended to March 1, 2024, 2:00 PM Hawaii Standard Time.

30 On Friday, January 16t, 2024, we asked the government to confirm that we are not required to submit a SB Participation Plan with our proposal.

Herein, we are revising the question: Will the government please confirm that we are not required to submit a Small Business Subcontracting Plan with our SF330 Submittal.

Confirmed. The Small Business Subcontracting Plan submission requirements added to the Submittal Requirements section.

31 A SB Subcontracting Plan was mentioned at the Industry Day and we were told it had a scoring value of 15 points, but that is not reflected in the solicitation. Can you clarify what is required with regards to a SB Plan and how it will be evaluated?

The Small Business Subcontracting Plan submission requirements added to the Submittal Requirements section.

32 In sections 2b. and 3b. as above, is it the Government’s intent for the disciplines to not include environmental disciplines such as biologists, cultural resources specialists, hazardous materials specialists, NEPA specialists, environmental scientists, and GIS specialists?

See revisions to the Project Information and Professional Qualifications sections.

33 Project Managers for environmental projects are often not Registered Architects or Professional Engineers. Do all Project Managers have to be Registered Architects or Professional Engineers?

See revisions to the Professional Qualifications section.

W9128A24R0008 ‐ Indefinite Delivery A‐E Services Contract (Environmental/Planning) Not‐To‐Exceed $36M

34 Please clarify if the maximum number of projects for Section F of SF 300 is seven (7) as mentioned in section 3.a. or ten (10) as mentioned in section 5.j.

SF330 Submittal Requirements, Item j revised to 7 projects.

35 Paragraph 2. PROJECT INFORMATION: mentions three general program types; Installation Support (Military program), Environmental Engineering and Planning (NEPA related) and Water Resources (Civil Works Program). Which program type experience and examples will be viewed more favorably?

The type of Environmental/Planning examples will be viewed more favorable, not necessarily the program type.

36 Paragraph 3. SELECTION CRITERIA: a.(2) Experience: “Demonstrate experience in accomplishing environmental/planning services for projects as described in section 2 (Project Information) of this solicitation.“ But Environmental Planning services is only one of the many types of work described. Should we demonstrate experience in Installation Support, Environmental Engineering, Water Resources, Master Planning, etc. as well as Environmental Planning services.

See revisions to the Project Information section.

37 Paragraph 3.b. Professional qualifications: lists a U.S. CERTIFIED PLANNERS Discipline. To clarify, is this a discipline a Water Resources Planner (Civil Works Program) or Master Planner (Military Program)

All planners applicable to this IDC, such as Environmental, Civil Works, or Master Planners, will be considered.

38 Will a CPARS evaluation be considered more favorably than a Past performance Questionnaire (PPQ) evaluation.

Any credible documented information on past performance will be considered equally.

39 Paragraph 5.m.(2) Item 2 - Management Plan – Include the information in Paragraph 3.c.above (Knowledge of Locality). But a Management Plan was not requested in Paragraph 3.c. Please clarify what type of Management Plan for Knowledge of Locality is requested.

The referenced paragraph has been revised.

40 For 3. Selection Criteria a. (2) Will the preparation of plans, specifications, design analysis, design or the preparation of environmental documents be evaluated more favorably?

Yes. See revisions to the Selection Criteria section.

41 For projects that include preparation of environmental documents, how will completion be determined, the solicitation states “Incomplete design projects (less than 100% ready-to-advertise) will not be evaluated”.

However for preparation of environmental documents, this criteria is not applicable and an alternate criteria is not provided.

Offeror shall provide sufficient narrative and/or detail to demonstrate completion of each submitted project.