Industry Day Questions.pdf

The Government provided registered contractors with a copy of the following questions to help them better prepare for Industry Day.

1. What are the key differences in maintenance requirements and challenges between hydraulic and traction elevators, and how would you approach each type?

2. What type of contract do you think is most suitable for elevator maintenance services: Fixed Price, Time and Materials, or another type? Why do you recommend this approach?

3. The Government plans to create a mobilization/demobilization separately priced CLIN that includes round-trip travel from the contractor's office to the Operating Project location, applicable only to time and materials work, with one payment per T&M proposal. Considering the potential logistical challenges of remote project locations, do you anticipate any difficulties in accessing or servicing our elevators, and if so, how would you address them, considering the mobilization and demobilization requirements?

4. Can you confirm that you can meet the emergency callout and non-routine maintenance requirements outlined in the performance work statement? Are there any expectations that you consider unrealistic or overly ambitious?

5. What factors have the most significant impact on pricing when submitting a quote for elevator maintenance services? For example, does the type of elevator, location, age, or condition of the elevator pits influence the price more than other factors?

6. Do you develop a customized Maintenance Control Plan (MCP) for each project, or do you use a standard MCP that can be applied to all locations? If the latter, how do you adapt it to meet the unique needs of each project?

7. The Government aims to minimize overtime costs for non-routine work. How realistic is this expectation, and what constitutes overtime according to your company's policies? Are there any scenarios where overtime would be unavoidable?

8. Can you integrate your company's phone system with the elevator's emergency phone, and do you offer 24/7 surveillance and monitoring services?

9. Many of our elevators are outdated, and some parts may be obsolete. To what extent can you provide modernization services in-house, and under what circumstances would you need to subcontract work to other specialists?

10. Would you have to team to successfully complete this project? And if so – do you already have a major subcontractor identified?

11. What percentage of self-performance is anticipated?

12. Are there any questions or concerns that you would like to raise with the Government regarding the elevator maintenance services, contract terms, or any other aspect of the project?

Below are additional Q&A that arose during the initial opening session and one-on-one sessions. The names of the companies or company representatives who asked these questions are not disclosed.

Government: How do you manage quality assurance and quality control?

Government: Have you done work with the Federal Government before?

Government: What is the average life cycle of an elevator?

Government: Can you perform work in WA, OR, and ID?

• Government: Can you service all OEM systems? Are there any restrictions pertaining to tools and equipment?

Industry: The vendor can service all OEM systems. The site visit is critical to know whether they have the proper tooling for the scope of work.

• Industry: Will travel be one-time, even for troubleshooting?

Government: The performance work statement says there will be one mobilization/demobilization per T&M proposal. However, the Government does not mention whether it will include the troubleshooting call.

• Industry: Are the elevators considered confined spaces?

Government: We will research this for each project and include the information in the PWS.

• Industry: How often are your units serviced for routine maintenance?

Government: The units are serviced once per month for routine maintenance.

Industry: Have you considered quarterly maintenance?

Government: We have not considered quarterly maintenance previously, but we will research its feasibility.

• Industry: We have been the prime contractor before, and then we have seen these actions go to small businesses. Is this the route you are considering for future contracts?

Government: Our acquisition strategy and approach to set-asides will be driven by market research from Industry Day. We have not yet determined whether we will solicit as a small business or large business set-aside.

• Industry: What is your timeline for solicitation?

Government: The timeline is variable. We plan to have six separate contracts and will stagger the solicitations, with the first solicitation expected to be posted at the end of April.

• Government: Do you have any comments on our current approach to routine monthly maintenance and its frequency?

Industry: We recommend monthly maintenance for your dams, considering the moisture, age, and frequency of use.

• Industry: Do you plan to standardize your security requirements? What are your expectations? If we have a contract for project x and can we use the same security requirements for project y?

Government: Security requirements are project-specific, as outlined in section

8.2. While some requirements may be applicable to multiple projects, others may not. It will depend on the specific project.

• Industry: How can we standardize inspections and handle them? Are we responsible for complying with ASME A17.2

Government: We require compliance with ASME 17, including 17.1 and 17.2, as well as state and local codes. Please review the PWS and submit any recommendations to Victoria Conway

• Industry: Some projects only want the KTR on site Friday. Would we be open to travel (KTR doing overnight in town).

Government: Fridays are often preferred because the operating project is fully staffed from Monday to Thursday. However, we are open to discussing alternative schedules. Note that LMA only requires services from Monday to Thursday.

• Government: If we issue a T&M order and the parts are incorrect, who would be responsible for the labor costs?

Industry: If the part is incorrect, the industry would absorb the labor costs.

• Government: As a small business and prime, how would you ensure the work is being performed to the MCP plan?

Industry: The vendor reviews the sub’s timestamps, asks questions of the subs, completes follow-up reports, and is always on the phone with the sub. If facetime isn’t an option in remote locations, then the vendor would take other avenues of communication.

Additional Industry Comments:

• A site visit during the solicitation phase is important for each project to assess site conditions and provide accurate quotes.

• Small businesses request that the Government maximize opportunities for small businesses to the greatest extent possible.