Q and A v2 through 20200512 Solicitation W912SV20R0001.pdf

Non-clinical Case Management Services and Provider Credentialing Services Solicitation: W912SV20R0001

Government Responses to Questions as of: 12 May 2020

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This document serves as a running tally of questions received from industry regarding Non-clinical Case Management Services and Provider Credentialing Services Solicitation #W912SV20R0001, and the Government responses.

These answers are provided here on a non-attribution basis. Questions received after the stated response date in the solicitation may not be accepted, however, the contracting officer reserves the right to address received after that date if deemed in the best interest of the Government.

Responses highlighted in yellow indicate a change from the previous Q&A, if any.

Q1: Who is the current incumbent awardee? What is the contract #?

A1: The incumbent is the Windwalker Group, LLC and the current contract number is

W912SV-19-P-0019.

Q2: Was the credentialing manager service portion included in the incumbent contract?

A2: No.

Q3: Please list tenure for current personnel under the incumbent contract.

A3: Range of tenure is 2-7 years.

Q4: Place of performance is listed as multiple locations, is the team split amongst locations or do they all work in one location, apart from PHAs, SRP events?

A4: See Solicitation Amendment 0001 Attachment 1 – PWS Para 1.4.4.

Q5: Is FAR 52.222-17 or executive order 13495 applicable to this solicitation?

A5: FAR Clause 52.222-17 is present in the solicitation on page 13.

Q6: Is the contractor to cover licensure and continuing education or is that to be paid at separately by the government?

A6: The Contractor or employee would be responsible for any CME requirements and licensure, not the government.

Q7: How many cases does each case manager currently oversee?

A7: An individual nurse case manager averages approximately 15 cases/day, and each coordinator around 20/day. That said, it’s incredibly difficult to quantify as each case can vary on the spectrum of complexity. One case may take 30 minutes, and others span the course of weeks to months as case managers manage solider injuries/illnesses from inception to close-out. We have roughly 4800 to manage in MA.

Q8: How many medical records are processed weekly, and are personnel under this contract required to maintain all STRs?

A8: Yes, average 10-15 records per week.

Q9: Are case management personnel required to work on drill weekends? If so, how often? 1 weekend per month?

A9: See Solicitation Amendment 0001 Attachment 1 – PWS Para 1.4.4.

Q10: Is there a need for dental case managers? If so, how many personnel are required to manage the dental cases? What is the average amount of dental cases per month?

A10: No, there is no requirement for dental case managers. Our state dentist and team manage dental cases.

Q11: Are all positions filled? If not, what positions need to be filled?

A11: The only position not currently filled is the Credentialing Manager.

Q12: Is there an alternate schedule currently being implemented due to COVID-19?

A12: See Paragraph 1.4.4.1 of the PWS for Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP) during times of national emergency or incidents of national significance. Telework for normal business hours, as requested by the incumbent, was authorized by the Government at no additional cost, for COVID-19.

Q13: Is there an incumbent to this contract? If applicable, what was the previous contract award number, amount and incumbent name? Are there current employees filling these positions that might intend on remaining with a new contractor?

A13: See Q1 for incumbent name and contract number. The Government would not know the intent of individual contractor employees with regard to remaining with a new contractor.

Q14: For the following staffing labor categories, can you please provide how long each incumbent has been on contract?

A. Case Managers – 4 FTE Employees

B. Credentialing Manager – 1 FTE Employee C. Care Coordinator – 4 FTE Employees

A14: See answer A3.

Q15: Does the Service Contract Act (SCA) apply to this contract? If so, can you please provide the applicable Wage Determination for this location that will be used.

A15: The Wage determination is stated in paragraph 9 titled WAGE DETERMINATIONS in the Addendum to FAR Clause 52.212-4 on page 45 of the solicitation.

Q16: If this Solicitation is covered under the Service Contract Act, what are the WDOL classifications for this position?

A16: See Solicitation Amendment 0001 Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Paragraph 4 - Pricing.

Q17: The current NAICS code being used for this opportunity is 561320; Temporary Help Services: Establishments primarily engaged in supplying workers to clients’ businesses for limited periods of time to supplement the working force for the client. However the work outlined in the PWS is full time work to be performed at Hanscom AFB. The PWS calls for nine Full Time employees. Using NAICS code 561320; Temporary Help Services does not accurately describe the Full Time nature of specified work in this Solicitation.

Would you possibly reconsider using NAICS Code 541614, Process, Physical Distribution and Logistics Consulting or 541611; Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services? We feel these NAICS more appropriately reflect the requirement for full time employees and we have seen these two NAICS more commonly being used by other agencies for similar contracts in other states, and most recently they have used for case management work for the Army National Guard.

A17: The Government does not require “consulting services” or the services of establishments primarily engaged to provide “operating advice and assistance” as described in the description for NAICS codes beginning in 541. Rather, the Government’s requirement is to contract for qualified individuals to perform day-to day on-going activities to supplement the workforce, which is described for NAICS codes beginning in 561.

In addition “Full-Time” and “Temporary” are not mutually exclusive terms for services.

One may work a full-time (40 hour) schedule on a temporary (i.e. non-permanent) basis.

As options are present in the solicitation, it will be at the Government’s discretion in any resultant contract as to how long it will continue to contract for these services based upon a determination on an at least annual basis for the next 54 months, making the work temporary/non-permanent.

As stated in the Presolicitation Notice and paragraph 6 of the Addendum to FAR Provision 52.212-1 both NAICS 561320 and 561330 are applicable to this solicitation.

These NAICS codes have been accepted by the Small Business Administration for this effort and were determined based upon market research, and the Government does not consider NAICS 541614 or 541611 to be appropriate for this effort.

Q18: Is this a new requirement? If not, is this a consolidation or recompete, what is the contract number?

A18: This is a competitive follow-on of a prior effort. See the answer A1 for contract number.

Q19: Has the level of effort changed from the previous contract?

A19: No, with the exception of the addition of the Credentialing Manger position.

Q20: Since this is SCA, what are mandatory occupation code for each of the positions or is that up to the company?

A20: See answer A16.

Q21: Are there any vacancies or are all positions currently filled?

A21: See answer A11.

Q22: How many resume need to be included in our proposal?

A22: The original language of Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 (DEV) – SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS paragraph 2.b, the Solicitation states that “The Offeror must include resumes/Curricula vitarum (CVs) of its proposed Case Managers and Credentialing Manager…” and “…may also include resumes and/or CVs of Care Coordinators…”.

See also Solicitation Amendment 0001 Addendum to FAR 52.212-2 Paragraph 1 - Technical.

Q23: If there is an incumbent, please provide:

a. The current contract number

b. The name of the incumbent contractor

c. The Labor Categories and quantities (per Labor Category) of all FTE’s currently working the project.

A23: See answers A1 and A16. For quantities per labor category, see Paragraph 5.0 - Requirements of the PWS.

Q24: Is there a fixed dollar amount to use for Travel?

A24: As stated in paragraph 4 of the Addendum to FAR Clause 52.212-1 (DEV) the Offeror must “Provide prices for all Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs)…”. Also, as stated in CLIN x002 of the solicitation “Travel shall be invoiced at cost only and any unexpended amount on this CLIN shall be deobligated at the end of the period of performance and is not transferable to the subsequent period. See also Paragraph 1.4.12 of the PWS for Contractor Travel.

Q25: What is the total number of providers needing credentialing services?

A25: Currently, there are 34 (including 5 dentists) MDs and PAs. See also Solicitation Amendment 0001 Attachment 1 – PWS Para 1.4.4.

Q26: Will multiple proposals from a single contractor be accepted?

A26: See Solicitation Amendment 0001 Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Paragraph 8.

Q27: Would the Government please provide how often, and for what requirements, travel is expected under this contract other than PHA support?

A27: Travel is mainly for PHAs. Additional, but infrequent, travel may be required.

Q28: Would the Government please provide the approximate number of PHA events scheduled, per year?

A28: For FY2020 there were roughly ten (10) PHAs schedule. Several occurred on the same weekend at different locations.

Q29: Would the Government please confirm whether all positions represented in this requirement are or are not currently filled by incumbent contractor support?

A29: See answer A11.

Q30: Would the Government please confirm that the required resumes do not count toward the 5 page maximum?

A30: See Solicitation Amendment 0001 Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Paragraph 2.b.

Q31: Does the Government require the offeror to include verification of evidence of insurability in the proposal submission? If so, what section should it be listed under?

A31: See Solicitation Amendment 0001 Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Paragraph 2.b.

Q32: To properly calculate vacation price in accordance with DOL’s wage determination, would the Government please provide the years of service for each incumbent position?

A32: See answer A3.

Q33: Would the Government please provide the number of Soldiers being case managed, on average, annually?

A33: See answer A7.

Q34: Would the Government please provide the number of professional healthcare positions currently within the MAARNG that require credentialing?

A34: See answer A25.

Q35: Would the Government please confirm how many hours the work week is based on (i.e., 37.5 hours, 40 hours, or etc.)?

A35: See Solicitation Amendment 0001 Attachment 1 – PWS Para 1.4.4.

Q36: The RFP indicates that resumes must be provided for all 4 Case Management staff as well as for the Credentialing Manager. Further, the language of the RFP includes the following language “When key personnel are used as an evaluation factor in best value procurement, an offer can be rejected if it does not have a firm commitment from the persons that are listed in the proposal” which seems to indicate that letters of intent are also required for all 5 personnel. We believe this requirement to be unduly burdensome and to weigh heavily in the favor of the incumbent.

By way of this e-mail, we request that you (1) clarify whether letters of intent for the 4 Case Managers and 1 Credentialing Manager are required; and (2) to the extent necessary and appropriate, modify the requirement for resumes/ letters of intent to include this requirement for only the 1 supervisory case manager.

A36: See Solicitation Amendment 0002 Addendum to Far Clause 52.212-1 paragraph 12, Addendum to Far Clause 52.212-4 paragraph 7, and Attachment 1 – PWS Para 2.1.6.

Q37: Can the Government please clarify if services are ongoing today and if all positions are currently filled? If there are any vacancies, can the Government please identify which positions are currently vacant.

A37: See answer A11.

Q38: Referencing SF1449 Continuation Sheet, CLINS 1002, 2002, 3002, 4002, and 5002, can the Government please clarify the amount we should enter for each CLIN?

A38: See Solicitation Amendment 0002 Addendum to Far Clause 52.212-1 paragraph 4, Addendum to Far Clause 52.212-2 para 3 and the Amendment 0002 Solicitation W912SV20R0001 Pricing Schedule.

Q39: Referencing 52.212-2, as this is described as a “best value” evaluation, will the Government consider revising the statement “Non-price factors (technical and past performance), when combined, are approximately equal in importance as price” to “Non-price factors (technical and past performance), when combined, are of greater importance than price”?

A39: No. The statement regarding relative importance reflects the desire of the Government to have the option of awarding to other than the lowest price or most highly evaluated technical proposal as stated in the Basis for Award in FAR Provision 52.212-2.

Q40: In reference to 52.212-2, paragraph 1 and 2, can the Government clarify how they will rate Technical and Past Performance volumes? Are there different levels of confidence in past performance evaluation and are there different technical risk ratings in technical evaluation? If so, can the Government please provide the detail required to achieve said rankings, or are both of these volumes considered only as “Acceptable/Unacceptable”?

A40: As stated in FAR Provision 52.212-2, the evaluation shall be conducted utilizing Simplified Acquisition Procedures as permitted for certain commercial items under FAR

13.5. FAR Provision 52.212-2 also states that “the Government intends to intends to conduct comparative evaluations of offers” and that “scoring quotations or offers are not required” as allowed by FAR 13.106-2(b)(3) for the utilization of Simplified Acquisition Procedures.

Q41: In reference to 52.212-2, paragraph 3, the Government describes their “should cost” estimate to be based on the wage determination stated in the proposal. Can the Government please clarify which SCA codes they are confirming each position to?

A41: See answer A16.

Q42: In reference to 52.212-2, paragraph 3, the Government describes their “should cost” estimate to be based on the wage determination stated in the proposal. In consideration that Wage Determination often lags the current market, and especially in consideration of the current marketplace in light of COVID-19, will the Government consider also referencing other market research and sets of data in development of this estimate?

A42: No, the main intent of the of the Government’s “should cost” analysis is to assess fairness and reasonableness of the proposed SCA wage category included in the pricing in relation to the qualifications of the proposed personnel. See Solicitation Amendment 0002 Addendum to Far Clause 52.212-1 paragraph 4, Addendum to Far Clause 52.212-2 para 3.

Q43: In reference to addendum to FAR 52.212-4, paragraph 9, the Government is incorporating Wage determination revision 2015-4048. We note that this is an “even” Wage Determination which presents some additional complexities over an “odd” revision and it has been our experience and understanding from the DoD that “even” Wage Determinations were being phased out. Will the Government consider updating to revision 2015-4047?

A43: See Solicitation Amendment 0002 Addendum to Far Clause 52.212-4 paragraph 9.

Q44: Referencing FAR 52.212-1, can the Government please confirm that resumes/CVs do not count towards technical volume page counts?

A44: See answer A30.

Q45: Referencing PWS 1.4.7.1, can the Government clarify the LPN waiver process and specifically what experience and length of time is required to achieve approval of said waiver?

A45: See Solicitation Amendment 0002 Attachment 1 – PWS Para 1.4.7.

Q46: Can the Government please clarify how many of the Case Managers have historically been LPNs?

A46: See answer A45.

Q47: How many resumes are do we need to submit with the proposal? I understand that the requirement is for 4 Case Managers, 1 Credential Manager, and 4 Care Coordinators, but I am unsure about how many resume to submit.

A47: See answer A22.

Q48: In light of the more recent activity surrounding COVID 19, will the government allow these individuals to work remotely? If this is the case will the government provide the laptop?

A48: See answer A12. See also Paragraph 3.1 of the PWS “The Government will furnish the necessary workspace for the contractor to perform services outlined in this PWS…”

Q49: We would like to confirm that the proposal should be one volume that includes the Pricing information, as well as the administrative, technical, and past performance information.

A49: See Solicitation Amendment 0002 Addendum to FAR 52.212-1.

Q50: The government states in Amendment 1, "Travel shall be invoiced at cost only..."

Will the government provide the cost they want all the offerers to place in that CLIN or give permission to put "0" since all of the offerers will be reimbursed at cost?

A50: See answer A38.

Q51: The government states in Section 2.1.6, pg 11 of the PWS, " Key personnel:..anoffer can be rejected if it does not have a firm commitment from the persons that are listed in the proposal." Letters of intent for a 6month period (base months) are difficult to obtain. Will the government consider eliminating the need for letters of commitment? OR Will the government make the base period 1 year so contractors can recruit candidates for at least a year?

A51: See answer Q36.

Q52: Upon review of the solicitation, we noticed that the wage determination was even (Massachusetts WD No. 2015-4048.) It was our understanding that the government was intending to move from even to odd wage determinations several years ago. The calculation of H&W is very different from even to odd. Will the MA ARNG consider revising the WD to an odd number?

A52: See answer A43.

Q52: Amendment 0001, 4. Pricing; What specific taxes are excluded from pricing?

A52: All, as stated in the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 paragraph 4 – Pricing. The Massachusetts National Guard is a tax-exempt organization.

Q53: Q & A, Q9 ref solicitation para 1.4.4, Since the schedule could potential go over a weekend, should we account for over time or staggered schedules for the SCA positions?

A53: See Solicitation Amendment 0002 Attachment 1 – PWS Para 1.4.4.

Q54: CLIN x002 of the solicitation; Travel CLIN is FFP, but in Para 1.4.12 it states, “Travel shall be invoiced at cost only and any unexpended amount on this CLIN shall be deobligated at the end of the period of performance and is not transferable to the subsequent period.” If the travel CLIN will be deobligated at the end of the POP, should the CLIN be cost reimbursable instead of FFP?

A54: See answer A38.

Q55: PWS 1.4.3.11/1.4.4.1 Can the credentialing manager continue to work remotely after COVID 19 lockdown is lifted?

A55: As stated in PWS 1.4.3.11/1.4.4.1, the primary place of performance is Hanscom AFB and “Limited telework is authorized based on mission needs.” See Solicitation Amendment 0002 Attachment 1 – PWS Para 1.4.4.1.

Q56: PWS 1.4.4 How often will employees be required to commute to other locations outside of Hanscom (days per month)?

A56: See answers A26 and A27.

Q57: Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 (DEV) - SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS #6 and #7: Should offerors provide evidence that they meet the requirements of #6 SAM registration and #7 VETS 4212 Filing in their proposal? If so, where should this information be included?

A57: See Solicitation Amendment 0002 Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 paragraphs 6 & 7 for VETS-4212. For SAM, the Offeror must include its active Cage Code in the Administrative volume as stated in Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 paragraph 1.a.

Q58: Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 (DEV) - SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Section 2 does not seem to require a narrative concerning section 5 of the PWS. Is only a staffing and management plan required for the technical portion in addition to the Resumes?

A58: See Solicitation Amendment 0002 Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 paragraph 2.a.