RFI_Questions_Responses_16_July_2019.pdf

1. Please clarify the responsibilities being requested in item 14 under factor 2. Specifically, is the government's intention to have the A-E directly contract or self-perform asbestos and lead paint, survey and testing field activities under this IDIQ? Secondly, please confirm no abatement or remediation activities would be included under this A-E contract.

Government Response: The Contractor could be asked to contract and/or self-perform asbestos and lead paint, survey, and testing field activities indirectly to another task. Abatement and remediation activities will not be required under this contract vehicle.

2. Please identify the types of hazardous material investigations, including types of hazards or categories, which may be required to be directly performed by the A-E, as identified in section (1) Project information. Please provide clarification or verify the government intent is that the A-E under this IDIQ would either subcontract or self-perform these investigations.

Government Response: This is not required under this contract and has been removed from the synopsis.

3. Please confirm whether an 11x17 (one-sided) organizational chart will count as one page or two.

Government Response: Please refer to section 3: Submission Requirements, “When utilizing 11” x 17” fold-outs for charts, diagrams, graphs, tables, exhibits, figures, etc.; it will be considered two (2) pages if both sides are used.”

4. Will a second resume for a requested position be considered if they do not meet the specific requirements of the RFP but may provide value to the contract team, as long as one of the two resumes submitted meets the RFP specific requirements?

Government Response: No more than two (2) resumes shall be allowed per discipline, per the requirements listed in the synopsis. Information proposed shall support the requirements listed at the A/E’s discretion.

5. Does the option to provide two resumes per discipline include the project manager? If so, how should the second person be designated with a job title to align to the RFP?

Government Response: No more than two (2) resumes shall be allowed per discipline, per the requirements listed in the synopsis.

6. Do tabs and dividers count towards the page count?

Government Response: No.

7. Please verify the "exception of Europe" language relative to the AOR indicates Europe and oversees locations will not be considered for contracts under this IDIQ.

Government Response: The place of performance shall be USACE's North Atlantic Division's geographic area of responsibility (AOR); with exception of Europe or other oversees locations. Refer to Section 2, Factor 2 Paragraph 2.

8. Please clarify if the "Volume of DoD Contracts" factor information should be provided for only the prime firm, or is it required for all subcontractors included in the SF-330 as well?

Government Response: Information is not required to be submitted for this factor, but the Government will pull data extracted from the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) in the event of a tie-breaker as defined in the synopsis. The information will only be pulled for the prime firms. Please reference the DFARS PGI 236.602-1(a)(6)(A).

9. Please verify if the small business participation plan should be shown relative to total task order value or subcontracted task order value?

Government Response: The Small Business participation plan should be shown relative to the total contract value.

10. Professional Capabilities: Please confirm that projects detailed on the resumes completed within the last 7 years will be accepted.

Government Response: Acceptable.

11. Project Information – We respectfully request the following common military facility types be added to the included list for relevancy of specialized experience: industrial or infrastructure.

Government Response: In section 1: Project Information, “The work may consist of A/E Services capabilities, including but are not limited to: services within the range of A/E Services as defined by 40 U.S.C. 1102 and FAR 2.101.” It also specifically states, “The scope of projects may include but are not limited to.” The information listed in the “project information” section is not an all-inclusive list.

12. Project Information – We respectfully request the following common military facility types be added to the included list for relevancy of specialized experience: airfield facilities, communication facilities and central energy plant facilities.

Government Response: Please reference question #11.

13. We respectfully request responses to RFIs be posted as soon as possible and prior to 16 July 2019. SF330 qualification packages contain complex content that is connected and must be in sync across multiple sections. Several key decisions have already been made based on our understanding of the solicitation without answers to RFIs. If an answer changes our understanding, less than four full business days will not be sufficient time to make the necessary changes across our SF330.

Government Response: An extension to proposal submission from 11AM ET Monday, 22 July 2019 to 11AM ET Wednesday, 31 July 2019 has been made in the synopsis.

14. Factor 2 – Volume of DoD Contracts – This factor describes what data will be evaluated, but it does not outline the specific submission details for the factor. Please confirm if the firm is required to submit data for this factor. If so, please confirm how the government would like the data submitted and if any additional information is necessary beyond the contract numbers and awarded values.

Government Response: Please refer to question #8.

15. Factor 1 – Professional Capabilities: Please confirm that the requested résumé for “Project Manager” is indeed for a task order project manager and not for the contract project manager or a program manager.

Government Response: Offerors will be evaluated on professional qualifications and competence of the proposed key personnel to provide services to accomplish the work required under this contract. Refer to Section 2, Factor 1. This is for a task order project manager, not the program manager and/or contract project manager.

16. Factor 1 – Professional Capabilities: Please confirm that a résumé for a Program Manager is not desired/required.

Government Response: Based on the synopsis, a resume for a Program Manager is not required.

17. Factor 2 – Specialized Experience and Technical Competence: Fourteen items are listed in this paragraph in descending order of importance. We are having difficulty interpreting how to best respond to this list, as some elements can be demonstrated by a completed design project, like (1), (3), (4), (6), (7), (8), (10), etc. Other elements such as (2), (5), (9), etc. would be easier to address in a narrative format, outside of the Section F format, as they are outside the scope of a single project. Please confirm: (A) if the government desires to see as many of these elements covered in each project as possible; or (B) if the government desires to see all these elements over the ten submitted projects; or (C) if the government desires to see as many examples of the most important elements as possible and isn’t concerned with the less important elements.

Government Response: It is at the A/E’s discretion to decide the most appropriate way to display these elements in either Section F or H.

18. Factor 2 – Specialized Experience and Technical Competence: “Design of new construction projects and/or renovation of existing facilities of various types and sizes” is listed as the Government’s most important type of project and/or work product. Please confirm that other items in this list including

(3) and (4) are indeed lower than (2).

Government Response: Please refer to Section 2, Factor 2 in the synopsis. “The firm must demonstrate specialized experience and technical competence in the following types of projects and/or work products which are listed in descending order of importance...”

19. We respectfully request the due date for this submission be moved to 31 July 2019. With the upcoming Independence Day holiday on a Thursday it will be difficult to communicate with team members that whole week due to personal leave. Additionally, the current due date on a Monday requires proposal production and shipping to be completed days earlier on Thursday 18 July for a timely Monday morning delivery 22 July. This change would be greatly appreciated to help all team members enjoy the Independence Day holiday with their families.

Government Response: The due date for submission has been extended to 11AM ET Wednesday, 31 July 2019.

20. On Page 3 of the RFP, it states that you want the Construction Manger to be a Professional Engineer, however, could we possibly submit someone with a Certified Construction Manager (CCM) certification instead?

Government Response: The Government will accept PE and/or CCM.

21. On Page 5 of the RFP, it’s stated that the SF330 Part II forms and the CPARS/PPQ forms are to be included in the total page count of 110 pages. Is this correct? Sometimes CPARS/PPQ forms can be up to 4 pages long, and that would really take away from the pertinent qualification information of key staff, projects and qualifications narratives that we could include. Would you consider having the Part II’s and the CPARS/PPQ’s be outside the total page count of 110 pages?

Government Response: Please refer to Section 3: Submission Requirements: “The SF330 Part 1 shall not exceed 110 pages (8.5" x 11"). Each printed side of a page will count as a page. The Part II and CPARS/PPQs ARE NOT included in the total page count”

22. What are the USACE Baltimore Target Goals for Small Business Participation?

Government Response: USACE does not have any assigned SBPP goals or Subcontracting (SubK) goals.

SubK goals will be identified in the Request for Price Proposal (RFPP) when the most highly qualified firms are selected.

23. Is Section H the only section within the SF330 Part I with a page limitation? Section E – Resumes?

Government Response: Please refer to Section 3: Submission Requirements: “The SF330 Part 1 shall not exceed 110 pages (8.5" x 11"). Each printed side of a page will count as a page.” The only section with a page limitation is Section H, which Section H may not exceed a total of 15 pages.

24. Do covers, cover letter, and/or tabs count against the 110-page limitation for SF330 Part I?

Government Response: Please refer to response on question #6.

25. Verify that a hard copy of the Small Business Participation Plan (SBPP) is not required?

Government Response: Three hardcopies of the Small Business Participation Plan should be included with the submission package.

26. Please confirm if the Construction Manager can be a Registered Architect (RA) in lieu of a Licensed Professional Engineer (PE).

Government Response: See answer to question #20.

27. For the ten (10) projects required in Section F of the SF-330 Part I, please confirm that firms can include projects with 100% design completion within the last five (5) years.

Government Response: Approved.

28. Are the front and back covers, tabs, and cover letter excluded from the total 110-page count limit?

Government Response: Please refer to response on question #6.

29. Please confirm if we can include the resume in Section E of a Registered Fire Protection Engineer (PE) with a degree in Fire Protection Engineering from an accredited university that has discontinued its Fire Protection Engineering degree program since then? The Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) offered an accredited degree up until 1985. Does a graduate of that program, prior to 1985, meet the definition in the solicitation?

Government Response: The Fire Protection Engineer must have received a degree from a university accredited by NCEES.

30. Please consider changing the Factor 2 requirements to include projects within the last 7 years (instead of 5 years).

Government Response: Please refer to question #10.

31. Under Factor 2, specialized experience and technical competence: one of the items includes “(5) Experience with handling multiple task orders simultaneously." Please clarify how this can be demonstrated on a single project description when IDIQs are not allowed as projects?

Government Response: The Government is looking for the Offeror to demonstrate that they can manage simultaneous lines of effort under an IDIQ and/or IDIQs. Discussion will include narratives detailing how the lead disciplines will manage their respective teams to achieve mission requirements.

32. I had a question regarding the above-mentioned solicitation. Is this an unrestricted solicitation, or is this a small business set-aside?

Government Response: Full and Open Competition

33. ASHRAE Commissioning Certifications:

ASHRAE redesigned its commission certification to “Building Commissioning Professional Certification in 2017. The BCxP certification, an ANSI-Accredited Personnel Certification Program under ISO/IEC 17024 (#1139), validates competency to lead, plan, coordinate and manage a commissioning team to implement commissioning processes in new and existing buildings.

Question: The BCxP certification has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as meeting the Better Buildings Workforce Guidelines (BBWG). Is there a reason it is not listed as certified program in this solicitation?

Government Response: The Commissioning Specialist requirements will be revised to reflect the following: “The Lead Commissioning Specialist shall be a licensed professional engineer with a minimum of five years of commissioning experience, and shall have one of the following certifications:

ASHRAE Commissioning Process Management Professional (CPMP), ASHRAE Building Commissioning Professional Certification (BCxP), Building Commissioning Association (BCA), National Environmental Balancing Bureau (NEBB), AABC Commissioning Group (ACG), or Association of Energy Engineers (AEE). The commissioning specialist shall also have documented experience as the lead person responsible for commissioning of building systems of similar type, scope, and complexity and must have at least two projects for which the individual was the documented commissioning authority for a LEED certified project. The Lead Commissioning Specialist must lead and oversee the commissioning work specified herein and be the primary point of contact for the Government regarding the commissioning work. Where a single individual does not have the required experience in commissioning of mechanical systems, electrical systems, and building envelope the Lead Commissioning Specialist shall engage Technical Commissioning Specialists in the required systems.”

34. Please consider changing the Factor 2 requirements to include projects within the last 7 years (instead of 5 years).

Government Response: Please refer to question #10.

35. Under Factor 2, specialized experience and technical competence: one of the items includes “(5) Experience with handling multiple task orders simultaneously." Please clarify how this can be demonstrated on a single project description when IDIQs are not allowed as projects?

Government Response: Please refer to question #32.

36. Project Information: What is meant by “military testing facilities”? Please provide examples.

Government Response: Examples of military testing facilities could be a facility that tests and researches munitions, nerve agents.

37. Selection Criteria, Factor 1, Professional Capabilities: Regarding qualifications for fire protection engineers, is a registered fire protection engineer with a 4-year engineering degree from an accredited university acceptable?

Government Response: Please refer to question #29.

38. Selection Criteria, Factors 1 and 2: Are introductions to Sections E and F allowed?

Government Response: Yes, they are allowed, but not necessary, pages will be included in the total page count.

39. Selection Criteria, Secondary Factor 1, Small Business Participation Plan: What are the District’s small business goals? Assuming the goals are expressed as percentages, do they reflect the percentage of subcontracted dollars or the percentage of total fees earned?

Government Response: Please refer to question #22. The Small Business participation plan should be shown relative to the total contract value.

40. Submission Requirements: Are the Small Business Participation Plan and the SF 330 cover, tabs/dividers, and cover letter counted against the page limitation?

Government Response: Please refer to response on question #6.

41. There is a conflicting statement in the above referenced solicitation that requires clarification:

“The SF330 Part 1 shall not exceed 110 pages (8.5" x 11"). Each printed side of a page will count as a page. The Part IIs and CPARS/PPQs ARE included in the total page count.”

The statement is contradictory since Part 1 and Part II are separate. Normally, a page limit for Part II is not stipulated, but only Part 1 is limited.

Assuming that the intent is to limit the page count for just Part 1, including the CPARS/PPQs, we recommend modifying the statement so that the statement reads as follows: “The SF330 Part 1 shall not exceed 110 pages (8.5" x 11"). Each printed side of a page will count as a page. The Part IIs and CPARS/PPQs ARE included in the total page count for Part 1.”

Government Response: Please refer to question #21.

42. For the position of Commissioning Specialist, the solicitation requires certifications "by one of the following organizations: Building Commissioning Association (BCA), National Environmental Balancing Bureau (NEBB), AABC Commissioning Group (ACG), or Association of Energy Engineers (AEE)." Would you also consider the commissioning certification issued by ASHRAE?

Government Response: Repeat Question. Please refer to Question 34.

43. In reference to the solicitation just posted on 21 June 2019, are there additional Cleared A/E IDIQs planned to be advertised? Or was there a change made in the acquisition approach? A few months ago, it was a total of 6 awards with 2 requiring a TS-FCL.

Government Response: The forecasted contracting opportunities is dated to 15 March 2019. During the planning process of this acquisition, details may have changed. The current acquisition approach is as annotated in the contract information under the description section of the referenced synopsis/solicitation, W912DR-19-R-0021, originally posted on 21 June 2019.

44. Construction Manager: Current required discipline is professional engineer. Can this requirement be modified to include a registered architect?

Government Response: Please refer to question #26.

45. Environmental Engineer: Can you elaborate more in the specialty area of environmental engineering you need?

Government Response: Areas of consideration for an environmental engineer in relation to this procurement would be: water/wastewater treatment, permitting, storm water management, wetlands, floodplains, T&E species, and other NEPA.

46. Page count: Please clarify what is included in the total number of pages for the SF 330 Part I and II submission. The PPQs/CPARS, unless we can modify them to consolidate the number of pages, are potentially 33 pages to represent our 10 projects in their original format. The Part IIs being included in the total page count will limit the number of small businesses we can include on our team. We respectfully ask that these two items be removed from the total page count limitation or that the total page count is increased. As an example from your recent solicitation for similar A/E services in January, the 75 page count limitation was for the SF330 Part I submission. The Past Performance section, SF330 Part IIs, cover letter, tabs, and the Small Business Plan were not included in the page count.

Government Response: Please refer to question #21 and amendment made 25 June 2019.

47. Request that we are given a 30 day minimum for responses, especially when counting the holiday.

Government Response: Please refer to question #19.