W912P7-16-R-0003_Synopsis_Questions_Responese_.docx

Solicitation No. W912P7-16-R-0003 (Geotech) Questions/Answer

1. The solicitation calls for two project managers. Are they more of task leader level (one who manages one discipline) or contract manager level (one who manages the whole contract)?

RESPONSE: In accordance with the IDC Synopsis, (A-E Services) to provide Geotechnical, Structural, and Civil Engineering Services for District Projects, Section C.2 – Selection Criteria, Paragraph 2 – Professional Qualifications, the Government is looking for depth rather than separate roles. The Government is looking for two project managers that can each competently manage geotechnical projects in the event that multiple task orders are issued.

2. Is there any requirement for project manager role? i.e. Do they need to be a registered geotechnical or civil engineer?

RESPONSE: Refer to the IDC Synopsis, (A-E Services) to provide Geotechnical, Structural, and Civil Engineering Services for District Projects, Section C.2 – Selection Criteria, Paragraph 2 – Professional Qualifications, regarding the requirement for registration. The PM has to be certified or registered with no specific engineering discipline.

3. The solicitation mentioned "one resume shall be provided for the following disciplines unless otherwise noted". Is that the maximum number of resumes we are allowed to include or can we add more resumes?

RESPONSE: Refer to the IDC Synopsis, (A-E Services) to provide Geotechnical, Structural, and Civil Engineering Services for District Projects, Section C.2 – Selection Criteria, Paragraph 2 – Professional Qualifications, regarding the number of resume submittals required. The statement is considered as a minimum.

4. Does having fewer than 3 years of experience with the current firm automatically disqualify a key personnel despite having very relevant project experience?

RESPONSE: Refer to the IDC Synopsis, (A-E Services) to provide Geotechnical, Structural, and Civil Engineering Services for District Projects, Section C.2 – Selection Criteria, Paragraph 2 – Professional Qualifications: Key personnel that are submitted with less than three (3) years’ with the current firm will not be automatically disqualified.

5. Are copies of ACASS rating and PPQ included in the 50 page limit?

RESPONSE: Refer to the IDC Synopsis, (A-E Services) to provide Geotechnical, Structural, and Civil Engineering Services for District Projects, Section E – Submission Requirements, Paragraph 1, for the page count towards the 50-page limit.

6. When responding to this solicitation are we limited to the numbers above (i.e., 17 resumes) or is the listed intended to request a MINIMUM of 17 resumes?

RESPONSE: Refer to the IDC Synopsis, (A-E Services) to provide Geotechnical, Structural, and Civil Engineering Services for District Projects, Section C2 – Selection Criteria, Paragraph 2- Professional Qualifications, regarding the number of resume submittals required. The statement is considered as a minimum.

7. We are interested to know if Solicitation W912P7-16-R-0003 requires a single team with all disciplines or may be responded to by separate disciplines (e.g. Structural Engineering services only).

RESPONSE: Refer to the IDC Synopsis, (A-E Services) to provide Geotechnical, Structural, and Civil Engineering Services for District Projects, Section B - Project Information, Paragraph 4. Services required is dependent on the task order. The intent of the synopsis is to have an A-E firm comprised of a team of qualified, experienced individuals of varied disciplines, responsible and competent, to provide the required deliverables in accordance with the scope and complexity of the contract requirements in a task order.

8. Is JV between two small businesses allowed? If so, are there any rules on JVs?

RESPONSE: A JV between two small businesses is allowed. Refer to FAR – Part 19 Small Business Programs –Size Standards, Paragraph (7).

9. Question: Can the requirement for the three year minimum be relaxed?

Reference Section 2 (Professional Qualifications) the evaluation of the key personnel proposed includes “longevity with the firm (three years minimum)”. The key personnel we were planning to include with our submittal have anywhere from 15-20+ years of experience and relevant USACE project experience that we believe is ideally suited for this IDIQ. However, several of these individuals moved to our firm from a large business and have not been with us for more than three years.

RESPONSE: Key personnel that are submitted with less than three (3) years’ with the current firm will not be automatically disqualified.

10. Can additional resumes for qualified professionals be provided beyond those listed in section

RESPONSE: Yes.

11. Are PPQs required as part of the submittal or can the reviewer submit them separately following submittal of the Proposal?

RESPONSE: PPQs need to be provided with submittal package.

12. Confirm that USACE will obtain the CPAR/ACASS information during source selection for the proposed example projects.

RESPONSE: The Corps will obtain the ACASS data.

13. Do the PPQ pages count against total number of allowable pages?

RESPONSE: Refer to the IDC Synopsis, (A-E Services) to provide Geotechnical, Structural, and Civil Engineering Services for District Projects, Section E – Submission Requirements, Paragraph 1, for the page count towards the 50-page limit.

14. We would like to include some projects done by our sub-consultants in Section F, but we saw this passage from the announcement under Past Performance: "Projects where the prime contractor performed 50% or more of the work with in-house forces will be weighted more heavily than projects performed predominantly by proposed subcontractors."

Please define “Prime Contractor” in reference to the statement above. Does "Prime Contractor" here refer to our firm as the prime for this submittal?

RESPONSE: Yes, your firm is the prime.

Or, does it refer to the firm that performed as the prime on the project submitting the PPQ?

RESPONSE: No. It does not refer to a firm that performed as a prime on a project that will be submitted via a PPQ.

For example, if our subcontractor includes a project in Section F, should they have performed at least 50% of the work as the prime contractor on that project?

RESPONSE: It would be preferable if the subcontractor was a prime and has performed 50% of the work on a prior project.

15. In relation to the above question, would it be more advantageous to only include projects done by us as the prime proposing on this submittal? If we include projects from our subcontractors will those projects be weighted less?

RESPONSE: It would be preferable to include projects that were predominantly performed by your firm. However, if your firm does not cover structural engineering and you have a structural sub-contractor, then you should include projects from this subcontractor in the PPQ. If that subcontractor performed a predominate portion of the project, this will be weighed favorably.