UR_Responses_to_Contractor_Questions__2_10-12-12_(2).doc

ERS/LTRA – Unrestricted

W912DQ-12-R-3003

Responses to Contractor Questions #2

1. Pages 204 & 224, What is meant by a title page? Is it the SF33? A cover letter? One-sheet intro page with all required information?

RESPONSE: The title page is the first page inside the binder including the requested information in Section L, paragraph 2.4.1. See revised section in amendment 2.

2. Page 202, Offerors must clearly identify any exceptions to the solicitation terms and conditions and provide complete accompanying rationale. Use Table 1 provided on p. 203. Where does this table go in the proposal? If so, where? As an attachment in Volume I?

RESPONSE: This can be an attachment to Volume 1.

3. Page 180, What is the definition of cost on the resumes? Total or fee?

RESPONSE: Total cost of the contract of the referenced project.

4. Page 180, On Attachment 4, Resume Template, there is a response required for Experience Gov Projects: List Fed, State or Local Government Experience, are you looking for a list of all government projects, a list of government agencies, or the number of years of experience with government projects?

RESPONSE: The total the number of years of experience with government projects should be included.

5. Page 218, Section L, Paragraph 3.5 (ii) requires the submittal of “ACO rating and SF 295 Information.” Please clarify (a) what is meant by ACO Rating, and (b) since the paper SF-295 has been superseded by the eSRS System, do you want copies of relevant Summary Subcontract Reports (SSRs)? If so, how many are requested?

RESPONSE: See revised section in amendment 1. Contractors shall include an

Electronic Subcontract Reporting System (ESRS) summary for the past 3 years.

6. For a Joint Venture, does the USACE need to see the actual JV Agreement as part of the proposal? If so, what section? Would the JV Agreement be counted against the overall 70 page count?

RESPONSE: Yes, see Section L.3.2.3.1’ “If the offeror is a joint venture, the offeror shall provide a complete copy of the joint venture agreement. This can be an attachment to Volume 1 and is not included in the page count.

7. The Sample Letter and PART III instruct the clients to return the PPQ to Kris Huber. However, the PPQ form has a note at the bottom instructing the clients to return the form to the Offeror, and 3.3.2 instructs this as well. Please verify that the PPQ forms are to be returned to the Offerer and only returned to Kris Huber if requested by the Client?

RESPONSE: PPQ’s can be submitted directly to USACE or included in the proposal. If PPQs are submitted directly to USACE, they must be received no later than the proposal due time and date.

8. Regarding 3.5 Volume I, Factor IV – Small Business Participation Plan, Item iv, it states: The Small Business Subcontracting Plan is not a requirement for evaluation in source selection, but rather a requirement for award to a large business and will be incorporated into any resultant contract. However, in 5.5.6 Volume II, Tab 4 – Small Business Subcontracting Plan (Large Businesses Only) it states: Subcontracting plans are required to be submitted by Large Businesses with their proposal for this acquisition and will be evaluated in accordance with AFARS Appendix DD to ensure compliance with FAR 52.219-9 requirements. The plans are not counted in the total page count. An award will not be made to a Large Business if the subcontracting plan is unacceptable to the Government. The Subcontracting Plan is not evaluated as part of the formal source selection, but shall be complete, accurate, and meet or exceed the Government’s requirements. Are we, are we not, required to include a Small Business Subcontracting Plan with our submission?

RESPONSE: All Large Business are to submit a Small Business Subcontracting Plan as required in Section L, paragraph 4.5. The Small Business Subcontracting Plan is not evaluated in source selection, but rather a requirement for award to a large business and will be incorporated into the base contract.

9. Pg. 5, Para. 6.1 – “The offeror shall submit its proposed rates for the 5-year period of performance (3-yr base period and 2-yr option period).” The table shows years 1 through 5 vs one rate for the “3-yr base” and “2-yr option”. Please clarify the intent and if we will be bound by the 3-yr base or the three individual rates shown in the table? NOTE: Para. 6.2 requests for caps in a combined Overhead rate, which would imply the labor rate table should be modified to two rates.

RESPONSE: Please complete and submit the table as requested. There should be a rate for each year of the 5 year contract. The rates proposed will be legally binding and will be the maximum rates that the offeror will use for all firm-fixed price Task Orders issued within the 5-year performance period of the contract. These rates are the maximum, fully burdened rates, exclusive of profit, that will be paid by the Government.

10. Pg. 5, Para.6.1 – “The offeror shall only provide the Overhead and G&A rates for the prime, even if the labor disciplines will be performed by the prime or subcontractor…” In some cases the labor rates of our subcontractors are less, but their G&A/OHD is higher, which would put us at a price disadvantage, since the prime’s G&A/OHD are lower. Please clarify if you want one fully loaded rate that will be for prime and all subcontractors.

RESPONSE: The rates proposed will be legally binding and will be the maximum rates that the offeror will use for all firm-fixed price Task Orders issued within the 5-year performance period of the contract. These rates are the maximum, fully burdened rates, exclusive of profit, that will be paid by the Government.

11. Pg. 233, Para. 4.1 – “The Government will assign separate ratings to each of the three subfactors of Volume 1, Factor 1 and to each of the two subfactors of Volume 1, Factor 3. Subfactor ratings for Volume 1, Factors 1 and 3 shall not be rolled up into an overall rating for those factors.” Please clarify this paragraph, since the Factors and subfactors get rated per Para. 4, pg 232, which states the order of importance (i.e. scoring)?

RESPONSE: Each subfactor within Factors I and III are given an individual rating. There will be no overall rating for those two Factors, but for example, all of the subfactor ratings as a whole for the Factor I is more important than Factor II, etc.

12. Pg. 211, Para. 3.2.2.4.2 – SSHO – There is not a number of resumes you want to see. Please clarify the number of SSHO resumes you want to see.

RESPONSE: There is no specific number of resumes required for this discipline. It is up to the proposer on how best to demonstrate your experience.

13. Pg. 213, Para. 3.2.2.10 – Process Engineer – “The Process Engineer(s) (chemical or environmental)…” It is not clear if you want more than one Process Engineer resume, since you have included “(s)”. Please clarify the number of Process Engineers resumes you want included.

RESPONSE: There is no specific number of resumes required for this discipline. It is up to the proposer on how best to demonstrate your experience.

14. Pg. 57, Para. 4.4 – CQC System Manager – Is this the same person as the Contractor Quality Control Supervisor (CQS), as described on pg. 210, para. 3.2.2.3? If not, please clarify the difference between the two positions and if we need to include a CQC System Manager resume.

RESPONSE: Yes, they are the same.

15. Pg 214, Para. 3.3.1 – Second paragraph in text – “The intent of this subfactor…”. It appears this is only a Factor. Please clarify.

RESPONSE: Correct, Past Performance is Factor II. See revised section in amendment 2.

16. Pg. 218, Para. 3.5 – Small Business Participation Plan – Item iv, lists the requirement for a Small Business Subcontracting Plan, which is to be separate from the Small Business Participation Plan. Pg 221, Para. 4.6, Tab 4 requires the Small Business Subcontracting Plan (Large Businesses Only). Where do you want to see the Small Business Subcontracting Plan?

RESPONSE: The Small Business Subcontracting Plan is to be included in Volume II, Tab 4 as indicated in Section L, paragraph 4.5.

17. If a small business submits an offer do they have to submit a Small Business Subcontracting Plan?

RESPONSE: No, see Section L, paragraph 4.6.

18. October 10th is the last day to ask questions, but we have not seen any amendments. If an amendment is issued then we will not have any time to ask clarifying questions on that amendment or on other questions and answers. Please consider extending the time until the first amendment is issued and allowing a few days to review, if we have questions on the amendment.

RESPONSE: Time for questions and for proposal due date will not be extended.

19. Pg. 235, Para. 5.1.1 – The introductory paragraph indicates the previous experience will be evaluated on the Section C scope of work. Are we to assume the Section C scope of work elements are of less value than the factors listed for “highest” and “higher”? Please clarify if a project for asbestos cleanup in Region 2 will be higher/highest than a project that meets the majority of the scope of work elements in Section C, but is located in EPA Region 3?

RESPONSE: The Scope of Work for this contract is included in Section C. The government places higher and highest value on those items listed in Section M, paragraph 5.1.1.

20. Pg 217, Para. 3.5 – Small Business Participation Plan – “Each participation percentage above shall be accompanied by detailed supporting documentation…”. Do you want to see the teaming agreements, letters of commitment, etc.? If not, then please expand on what kind of detail you want (ie do you want to see the firms qualifications, etc.)?

RESPONSE: Yes, information documenting individual commitments with Small Business should be provided.

21. Para. 2 on Pg 217 – What amount should we use for the Total contract value? $120M or assuming five awards = $24M or something in between?

RESPONSE: For the purposes of this Factor you may use $120M.

22. Per Section H, Article 2, Wage Rates, on page 71: For purposes of the sample project, DOL Wage Determination 2005-2349, Revision 12 dated October 10, 2011 should be used. Please clarify that the correct Wage Determination to be used for the sample project is DOL Wage Determination 2005-2349, Revision 13 dated June 13, 2012, per Section J, Attachment 1, of the RFP.

RESPONSE: For the sample project, please use DOL Wage Determination 2005-2349, Revision 13 dated June 13, 2012, per Section J, Attachment 1, of the RFP.

23. Per Section H, Article 7, Time on page 72: All offerors submitting proposals in response to this RFP or request for proposal for a Task Order agree that the Government shall have not less than 365 calendar days to accept any proposal. Please clarify whether this 365 days is the number of days to be inserted into Section 12 of the SF33 instead of the standard 60 days acceptance period.

RESPONSE: Yes, 365 days should be used.

24. Per Section J, Attachment 3: Under Section 7, Cost, on page 176: O&M of plant is to occur July 2012 thru July 2013. In light of the fact that the proposal is not due until 24 October 2012, please revise the POP and verify that Year 1 rates should be used for the Sample Task.

RESPONSE: Please assume the 12-month O&M period occurs within the 1st year of the contract. See amendment 2.

25. In consideration of our customers, may we use previous PPQ evaluations and/or CCASS/CPAR/ACASS in lieu of the Attachment 2 PPQ form in the RFP? In particular, we would like to use PPQ forms recently requested by USACE that note "the contractor may collect and retain completed questionnaires from clients for submittal to the Government. After completion of this form, this form may be duplicated by the contractor."

RESPONSE: Yes, previous PPQ evaluations may be submitted.

26. Reference: Section B.6 Pricing; General: Please provide an estimated award date for the contract for our use in calculating the rates in Section B.

RESPONSE: You may assume award will occur in approximately 10 months.

27. Reference: Section J, Attachment 3, 7. COST, the first bullet; Page 176 “O&M of plant to occur July 2012 thru July 2013”.

Please provide a revised period for the O&M of the plant that is concurrent with or later than the estimated award date of the contract so that our pricing for the sample task will be consistent with the rates in Section B.

RESPONSE: Please assume the 12-month O&M period occurs within the 1st year of the contract. See amendment 2.

28. Reference: Section J, Attachment 3, 8.5 BID ITEM NO. 5 – UNSCHEDULED CORRECTIVE MAINTENANCE/TOOLS; Page 177

Section 4.2 references “call outs” and 40 hours of incremental unscheduled maintenance. Section 8.5 - Bid Item 5 references a 40-hr week for unscheduled maintenance (related to broken piping). Please clarify if the USACE intended the cost estimate to include 40 hours of “call out” maintenance under Bid Item 2 and an additional 40 hours of unscheduled maintenance under Bid Item 5.

RESPONSE: The 40 hours referred to in Section 4.2 is the same as that in Section 8.5. All costs for unscheduled maintenance should be included in Bid Item 5.

29. Page 175 of the RFP, Section J, Attachment 3, 1. Introduction, 1.2 Contract Type stated the sample project is defined as a Firm-Fixed-Price. However, page 220 of the RFP, 4.2.2 states in part: “Direct costs should be detailed by labor, equipment, and material, and should include subcontractor markups, when applicable. All quotations and documentation will be noted in the proposal. Indirect cost categories such as prime contractor’s home office and field office overheads and profit should be identified, and appropriate costs included for each in the estimate.” The requirement from page 220 appears to apply to Cost-Reimbursable Task Orders. Please clarify and explain the instructions from page 220.

RESPONSE: For the Sample Project proposal you are to assume it is a Firm-Fixed-Price task order. The detail requested is for evaluation purposes during this source selection only.

30. Page 220 of the RFP, 4.2.2 states in part: “The cost estimate should utilize an industry approved software package capable of providing sufficient information to adequately and accurately capture the projected project costs.” Does Microsoft Excel software meet the USACE requirement for an industry approved software package?

RESPONSE: Yes