A22._UPDATED_Questions_and_Answers.pdf

Questions & Answers: All requests shall be made via e-mail to Danielle Gainey at Danielle.M.Gainey@usace.army.mil and Virginia Bjornson at Virginia.e.bjornson@usace.army.mil. The email request, shall contain the subject “Question! LDP – W912P918R0025”. All inquiries will be answered in writing and provided to all Offerors via Federal Business Opportunities at www.fbo.gov.

Questions & Clarifications to be answered by the Government shall be submitted no later than 10 days prior to the response date of the solicitation.

Question 1: Has there been an outside Contractor who facilitated the LDP (SLDP) in the past 12 (7) years since the program(s) started? If so, who is the incumbent contractor?

Answer 1: There is not currently an incumbent contractor, as the program has been supported through internal resources.

Question 2: Can the Security Training requirements (1.6.7.5 and 1.7.7.5) of the Contractor be completed online or onsite during one of the program dates?

Answer 2: These trainings can be completed remotely. Anti-Terrorism training can be completed online and the Suspicious Activity Reporting is a power point training. Upon award of the contract, the contractor will be given the link to the Anti-Terrorism course and for the Suspicious Activity Reporting they will be given power point presentation which they will review and then send a Memorandum for Record (MFR) stating they have reviewed the training.

Question 3: Can you estimate the number of hours required for this project, at least for the first 5 months?

Answer 3: The contractor should propose the number of hours they will dedicate to the program.

Question 4: Para 1.5, period of performance – The text says, “one base year . . . and three 12-month option years.” However, later in that same paragraph, it indicates a base year plus four option years.

Which is correct?

Answer 4: The correct period of performance is a base year plus four option years. Please see revised PWS.

Question 5: Para 5.1.4, initial retreat – The RFP specifies that the government will pay for student lodging but does not address the facility rental costs for other events. Is the government responsible for those as well?

Answer 5: Facility used for the initial retreat will be a government owned facility with no cost for rental.

mailto:Danielle.M.Gainey@usace.army.mil mailto:Virginia.e.bjornson@usace.army.mil http://www.fbo.gov/

Question 6: There are several discrepancies between what is specified in the Tier II Attachment 2 and the PWS. Please clarify the following:

a. How much classroom training is expected? The PWS, para 5.1.5, states 80 hours; the Tier 2 Attachment 3, p 3, states 64.

b. How many books are students required to read and provided by the contractor? The Tier 2, Attachment 3, states a minimum of 4, page 3;

the PWS, p 23, states two.

c. Is the mentoring workshop part of the orientation? The PWS para 5.1.2 and 5.1.9, states mentoring session is not a “live” class; the Tier 2 Attachment 3, p 4, implies the mentoring session will be presented during the orientation.

Answer 6: a. Not counting the retreats/offsites, there are approx. 80 hours of classroom training, per the PWS. See revised Attachment 3.

b. The minimum is two books, per the PWS.

c. It is expected that during the orientation there is some guidance given regarding mentoring to the LDP participants and their mentors. The Contractor is required to develop materials that cover mentoring guidance and best practices, and this should be at least briefly covered during the orientation.

Question 7: Is the LDP Tier 1 curriculum available to vendors? This information would enable bidders to review that material to avoid redundancy and develop a Tier 2 program that builds upon the Tier 1 program.

Answer 7: The Tier 1 curriculum will not be made available to all bidders. Upon award of the contract, the Tier 1 curriculum can be discussed.

Question 8: Page 18, oral presentation – Is it possible to offer the oral presentation via video teleconferencing?

Answer 8: Unfortunately, only in-person oral presentations will be considered.

Question 9: Page 23, proposal requirements – Each file is required to have a table of contents and summary section along with its narrative discussion. Are the table of contents and summary pages included in the page limit for each volume?

Answer 9: No, these do not need to count towards the page limits.

Question 10: Pages 24 and 25 seem to be missing content. Between para 2, Discussion Scheduling and subpara (b), Options. Subpara (a) is missing?

Answer 10: No, nothing is missing the contract writing systems just added extra space.

Question 11: SLDP OPTION: The PWS Section 1 states” Unless otherwise being specific to either the LDP or SLDP, all requirements apply to both.” PWS Section 1.6 states, “The SLDP is a pre-negotiated option to this contract and may or may not be included as part of the tasks required for each year of the contract.” PWS Section 1.5 states, “For each of the Base Year and subsequent Option Years, the Government may exercise the option to conduct an SLDP class in addition to the LDP class.”

o If the Government chooses to exercise the SLDP option, please confirm whether the Contractor must deliver and/or participate the following training events specifically for the SLDP cohort, but conducted SEPARATELY FROM THE SAME TYPE OF TRAINING EVENTS for the LDP cohort:

* 1-day Orientation

* 3-day Initial Retreat

* Ten 8-hour classes, at 1 class per month

* 2-hour individual coaching session per cohort participant

* 3-day Mid-Program Retreat

* 1-day field trip

* Half-day graduation ceremony

* 1-day final class project presentations.

Answer 11: If the SLDP option is exercised, the above requirements are required for SLDP, and will need to be separate from the same events for the LDP class.

Question 12: SIMULTANEOUS CLASSES: PWS Section 1.5 states, “The Contractor shall be capable of conducting both classes [i.e. LDP classes and SLDP classes] SIMULTANEOUSLY in any given year.”

o Does “simultaneously” literally mean at the same day and time, such that for each of the training events required for LDP and SLDP, they are both literally occurring at the same time?

o Or should “simultaneously” be interpreted a bit more liberally, such that LDP and SLP training events can occur generally in the same time frame – for example, on different but adjoining days during the same week, or on different but immediately adjoining weeks in the same month?

o Clarifying this term will have a significant impact on the teaching resources, travel costs, and labor costs required to deliver PWS training events to the LDP and SLDP.

Answer 12: Simultaneously was meant to refer to the capability of the contractor to deliver both the LDP and SLDP the same year, so the more “liberal” interpretation is correct. The LDP and SLDP events can occur generally in the same timeframe, for example on different but adjoining days during the same week. There is no requirement to hold the LDP and SLDP at the literal same time.

Question 13: SINGLE LEAD INSTRUCTOR. PWS Section 1.3.3 states, “The District expects the Contractor to provide a single Contractor Lead Instructor to personally participate in most LDP activities, providing consistency and continuity between learning events.” PWS Section 2.1.12 defines Lead Instructor, in part, as follows: “The person from the Contractor’s firm who manages and oversees all tasks specified in this contract, is present during all tasks lead by the Contractor, and teaches some or all of the classes.”

o If the SLDP Option is exercised, can the Contractor have ONE LEAD INSTRUCTOR for the LDP Cohort, and DIFFERENT LEAD INSTRUCTOR for the SLDP Cohort? In other words, if the SLDP is exercised, can the Contractor have TWO LEAD INSTRUCTORS, each assigned to a different cohort?

Answer 13: Yes, it is acceptable to have different lead instructors for LDP and SLDP as long as they are consistent throughout the year to each program.

Question 14: PDF DOCUMENTS: PWS, INSTRUCTION TO OFFERORS, Section 1, Submittals, limits proposal documents only to those that can be read and edited by MS Word, MS Excel, MS Project, and MS Powerpoint.

Answer 14: No, PDF Documents are not an option.