InformationMtgMinutes.docx

W912LQ-17-T-0003

RFQ Information Meeting Agenda February 1, 2017 2:30 p.m. ET

1. An informational meeting/site visit was held on February 1, 2017 at the Regional Training Institute on Fort Pickett regarding Request for Quote (RFQ) W912LQ-17-T-0003. Those in attendance are annotated on the corresponding sign-in sheet. Mrs. Rebecca Fowler, Contract Specialist, welcomed those in attendance and introduced key government personnel to include herself, OC Betsy Lawrie, Contract Specialist, and SGT Elizabeth Martin, Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). All in attendance were asked to sign-in prior to the end of the meeting.

2. Regarding RFQ information/reminders, Mrs. Fowler provided the following information.

a. The requirement is to provide catering services for the Regional Training Institute located on Fort Pickett in Blackstone, VA. Meals will be prepared in a government provided facility and served in the RTI dining area. The two areas are in separate locations, but will be no more than five (5) miles apart and likely closer to one (1) mile apart.

b. The resulting award will be a firm fixed price requirements type contract. Unit prices will be established at the time of award based on the successful vendor’s quote.

c. The contract ordering period will be March 1, 2017, or date of award if subsequent thereto through February 28, 2018. Performance will begin on or after March 11, 2017 and an order issued prior to February 28, 2018 may require performance in March 2018, but not beyond March 31, 2018. Option periods are not included in the package as construction of a new dining facility on the RTI campus is underway and requirements will change once construction is complete. However, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Clause 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services, is included which would allow the government to extend up to six months if needed.

d. Quote packages are due by 12:00p.m., February 15, 2017.

e. Interested vendors shall submit a technical response, price and representations and certification provisions.

1. Technical Response (FAR Provision 52.212-2)

i. Past performance – similar service within the last two years

ii. Food manager certification – identify two personnel who will be assigned to work on-site and provide certificates of food management training certificates

iii. 14-day menu – if proposing sample menu in RFQ, so state without submitting separately

2. Price – Pricing worksheet included in combined synopsis solicitation

3. Representations and Certifications

i. 52.212-3 Alternate I (attention called to (b)(1) & (2)

ii. 252.247-7022

f. The procurement is set-aside for Woman Owned Small Businesses.

g. The basis for award is low priced, technically acceptable. In order to be considered technically acceptable the vendor shall have a record of satisfactory past performance, have at least two certified food managers and a proposed 14 day menu which is in compliance with Army standards.

h. The government will evaluate based on information submitted with quote but may review other readily available information, such as the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS).

i. The government intends to award without discussion; therefore vendors are reminded to ensure all information is submitted and presents their best terms.

j. Questions may be submitted through February 10, 2017.

3. Mrs. Fowler provided background and current information regarding RTI dining. RTI provides training throughout the year, however, there is no dining facility on site to feed the students and instructors. While training is established in advance and there are maximum class sizes, actual attendance in unknown until the first day of the training event. Mrs. Fowler explained in past years the requirement has been awarded and funded based on an estimated quantity for a six month period. However there are multiple funding sources based on student/instructor status; therefore, the contract has included multiple line items for the same meal (i.e. three line items for breakfast, three line items for dinner, etc.). This has presented challenges for both parties, particularly related to invoicing and payment issues. The current requirement is being solicited as a requirements type contract. The annual quantities on the solicitation and resulting contract remain estimated. However, individual task orders will be issued as requirements are identified, at least two weeks prior to the first meal to be served during a specific time period. The task orders will identify an estimated maximum quantity for the specific period of time. It is anticipated the task orders will cover a one month period of performance. The quantities will be based on scheduled training. Individual task orders will be issued based on funding sources which should reduce the issues associated with invoicing and payment as there will be only one line item per meal per task order. After issuance of the task order and seven (7) calendar days in advance the COR will provide a more definitive count, by type of meal, to the contractor. This count can be adjusted with a 72 hour notification. While the COR may adjust, the adjustment must be a decrease, not an increase. Mrs. Fowler emphasized the count, per task order, shall not be exceeded without prior written approval of a warranted contracting officer for the VANG. In addition, Mrs. Fowler emphasized meals shall not be provided outside the period of performance identified on the task order which prior written approval of a warranted contracting officer for the VANG. It is both the COR’s and contractor’s responsibility to track counts. Sign-in rosters, annotating the applicable task order number, will be provided to the contractor by the COR. In response to a question regarding what the contractor should do if more students and/or instructors showed up to eat than the count provided, Mrs. Fowler stated, once the quota was reached, no additional meals shall be served. In response to a question regarding how the contractor should invoice if less students and/or instructors showed to eat, Mrs. Fowler stated, on days one, two and three, the contractor may invoice for the number provided by the COR. However, after day three, the contractor may only invoice for the actual number. The meals which can be invoiced are based on the known requirement 72 hours prior with no increase.

4. Mrs. Fowler explained, in limited situations, there is training at RTI which is fully funded by another federal agency (i.e. Maryland National Guard). The contract will allow other federal agencies to issue their own task order in such circumstances. However, they must receive advance approval by the VANG contracting office. Regardless of which federal office issues a task order, each order must be handled and tracked separately, reference paragraph 1.4.3.1 of the Performance Work Statement (PWS).

5. The meal serving times are breakfast – 6:00 – 7:30 a.m.; lunch 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and dinner 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. The dinner time is a change and will be updated in an amendment to the solicitation.

6. Electronic invoicing, per task order, is required via iRAPT. Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) Clause 252.232-7006 included in each task order will identify the type of invoice to submit, the codes to utilize and the email addresses to add for notification requirements. This clause is extremely important in minimizing invoice issues due to incorrect coding.

7. Section 3 of the PWS was referenced and the below paragraphs were highlighted by Mrs. Fowler.

a. Paragraph 3.1 identifies regulations, programs, etc. in which the contractor is required to comply.

b. Paragraph 3.2 addresses menu planning and meal requirements to include menu posting and meal requirements, including proper serving sizes. Questions were posed regarding if there were specific requirements on posting the menu (i.e. only 3 days, on white board, on paper, etc.). Provided the contractor is in compliance with a minimum 3 day menu posting prior to breakfast, there are no specifics. The menu can be for a week, a full month, it can be on paper, existing white board, chalkboard, etc.

c. Paragraph 3.2.4 addresses non-food related requirements the contractor is responsible to provide.

d. Paragraph 3.3, Food Preparation and Service, requires set-up 15 minutes prior to and clean-up within 30 minutes after the serving times identified.

e. Paragraph 3.4 identifies government furnished storage at both the dining area in the RTI facility and the dining facility.

f. Paragraph 3.5 requires a joint inventory at the beginning and end of the contract and a monthly inventory by the contractor.

g. Paragraph 3.6 addresses housekeeping and sanitation. It was noted an addition will be made to the PWS regarding clean-up within the dining area at RTI. The contractor is only responsible for cleaning the serving/storage area. Students are required to clean the area where table and chairs are located and removing all trash within the dining area.

h. Paragraph 3.9 covers Contractor Manpower Reporting which is an Army mandate for all service contracts. Contractors must report at least annually by October 31 for services provided through September 30. The data collected includes labor hours and dollars expended by the contractor to perform required services. Mrs. Fowler explained because this is a government specific requirement and can be claimed as a direct expense, a separate line item is provided. It is the contractor’s option to separately price this requirement. If the contractor elects to include the cost of the reporting in the overall meal rate, the letters “NSP” shall be annotated on the line item. “NSP” stands for not separately priced.

8. The Performance Requirements Summary (PRS) included with the RFQ provides the task, government standard, what, if any, level of quality is allowable below the standard and the remedy/impact for not meeting the acceptable quality level (AQL). Mrs. Fowler explained if the AQL is blank, the standard of 100% compliance must be met.

9. Additional questions posed and the responses provided are as follows:

a. Can we see a MERMITE? Yes, a MERMITE was provided for vendors to view. Pictures can be provided. However, due to the file size we are unable to post them on www.fbo.gov. Interested vendors can request a copy of the pictures via email to rebecca.l.fowler6.civ@mail.mil.

b. How reasonable are the quantities identified as estimated annual quantities? The quantities are based on the known training schedule, the maximum students per class and historical data. A copy of the current training schedule was provided and can be provided via email. Vendors wanting to obtain a copy of the calendar viewed at the meeting may send a written request to rebecca.l.fowler6.civ@mail.mil. The maximum number of students per class is thirty (30).

c. Is ice available to the contractor? Yes, the government provides ice to the contractor.

d. What insurance is required? An amendment to the solicitation will be posted on www.fbo.gov to include insurance information.

e. Are services constant throughout the year? No, training numbers will fluctuate throughout the year. The PWS identifies the high volume period as March – May. The PWS will be revised via amendment on www.fbo.gov to change the period to read, “March – May and July – August”.

f. Can we see a dining facility? Vendors were able to see a dining facility. However, it was emphasized that not all dining facilities are exactly the same and there was no guarantee the facility being toured would be the one used during performance of the contract. The only guarantee on equipment provided in a dining facility were those identified in the PWS.

g. Is there lodging on Fort Pickett for contractors and their employees? While contractors can acquire lodging on Fort Pickett, lodging availability is not guaranteed. Based on mission requirements and training, contractors can be “bumped” after reservations are made, prior to and during their stay. Rates vary from $33.00 to $40.00 per night, plus an $8.00 per day surcharge.

h. Do services provided for state contracts qualify for past performance? Yes, similar services provided for commercial or government agencies qualifies for past performance.

i. How long after submission of an invoice will a contractor be paid? In accordance with the Prompt Payment Act, payment will be made within 30 days after the invoice date or date of receipt/acceptance, whichever is later.

j. Is the contractor required to provide alternate meals for personnel with dietary restrictions? No.

k. What is the largest number of personnel to be fed in any one meal? An exact number cannot be provided as it is dependent on the number of classes in session and the number of students and instructors per class. It is not anticipated the number would exceed 200 at any one meal.

l. Is an industrial size coffee maker available for contractor use? No.

m. Please clarify how many meals per day per meal type. The estimated number of meals per day and type will be identified on individual task orders.

10. As the meeting was held in the dining area of the RTI facility, vendors were able to see the food warming table, cold table, storage for dry goods and tables and chairs provided by the government.

11. The meeting concluded at 4:30 p.m. ET.