Combined_Horizontal_Q_As_20210924.pdf

Question Answer 1 Under Submission Requirements, the solicitation states that, “SF330,in

Adobe format and the most current edition (Caution‐ https://www.gsa.gov/forms‐library/architect‐engineer‐qualifications), must be used…”. However, we are instructed to provide two‐page resumes and project sheets, which cannot be done using the Adobe format, and the information required in Section H requires multiple pages, which also cannot be done using the Adobe format. We are limited to the number of characters that can be provided in the Section F project title, which makes it impossible to fulfill the requirement to include the contract number or IDIQ number and individual task order number associated with the project in the title.Please confirm that it is acceptable for the most current edition of the Adobe format to be converted to

Word documents in order to provide the required information.

The SF330 PDF Section F Project Title fillable PDF allows for 135 Characters, which should be adequate to meet Project title requirement. Firm to attach additional sheets as required.

2 Should we include CPARS for Section F projects? If so, do you want these included with Section H or under a separate tab?

CPARS should not be included in to Section F of the SF330. CPARS can be provided under Criteria D and submitted under Section H.

3 Can we provide more than one resume per discipline? For example, can we provide two Project Manager resumes?

Yes. However, the firm must identify the role of each PM as it relates to their role in this requirement. Minimum requirements for the PM are described in the synopsis.

4 Is the Environmental Engineer required to be a licensed Professional

Engineer

The follow change has been incorperated in Amendement #1: "Environmental

Engineer or Physical Scientist with experience in NEPA processes; registered engineer or similar registration that includes documented work history, state examination, and state certification board"

5 Please confirm that additional minor SF 330 Section C support team members may be added at a later date to meet specific local task order needs.

All Key Personnel listed in the synopsis will be evaluated by the Government. Please refer to Enforceability of Proposal paragraph in the synopsis for instructions regarding substitutions of key personnel and subcontractors.

6 Question 6 Removed. Does not apply to Horizontal Region 2 which is

100%Total Small Business Set‐Aside.

7 Under SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS, the solicitation indicates we are invited to submit an electronic copy of the SF330 via Secure File

Exchange. However, further in the document it indicates that Section D and Section G can be on 11 x 17 in sheets if folded to 8 ½ x 11 in size and bound in the SF330. Please confirm only an electronic submission is required.

Correct, Only electronic submission is required

8 Question 8 Removed. Does not apply to Horizontal Region 2 which is

100%Total Small Business Set‐Aside.

9 Does the cover, table of contents, or completed client Past Performance

Questionnaires (PPQs) count toward the 75 page limit for Part I?

No, a single page cover letter will not count towards 75‐page limit

10 Criteria B – Specialized Experience and Technical Competence: Will greater consideration be given to new construction or rehabilitation projects?

No, Greater consideration will not be given on the merits soley between new construction and rehabilitation projects but the whole breadth and depth of experience identified in Criteria B and similarities to the scope identified in this announcement.

11 Criteria B – Specialized Experience and Technical Competence: Will greater consideration be given to projects that are in the Region 1

Horizontal AOR?

Yes, Projects from within the identified region with similar scope identified in this announcement will be given greater consideration.

12 Criteria B – Specialized Experience and Technical Competence: Will greater consideration be given to Design‐Bid‐Build projects or Design‐

Build RFP projects? Or will both project types be evaluated equally?

Yes, Design‐Bid‐Build experience will be evaluated as a stronger indicator of specialized experience and technical competence than similar Design‐Build experience due to the amount of technical design required. Note: The Government is requesting a minimum of (1) design‐build experience under Criteria B – Specialized

Experience and Technical Competence Subsection (9) to be evaluated in conjunction with all Criteria B – Specialized Experience and Technical Competence requirements.

13 Criteria B – Specialized Experience and Technical Competence: Under

Criteria B, subsection 12, it asks offerors to describe in Section H of the

SF330 the firm’s quality management plan, quality assurance process, coordination of in‐house work consultants and prior experience of the prime firm and significant consultants or partner firms etc. Please confirm that this evaluation factor is for Criteria B Specialized Experience and

Technical Competence.

Criteria B subparagraph 12 requires utilizing Section H of the SF 330 answer that portion of the specialized Experience. The offeror's Criteria B subparagraph 12 information in Section H will be evaluated under Criteria B.

Horizontal Region 2 Q&A for Reference NOTE: There may be duplicate questions and answers due to the combination of multiple regions to form a

14 Criteria D – Past Performance: In many instances when performing services as the Designer of Record (DoR) for a Design‐Build (DB) project, the accepted industry‐practice for past performance feedback for the AE firm is the use of Past Performance Questionnaires (PPQs). Please confirm that PPQs are acceptable documentation of Past Performance for offeror’s Section F projects?

Yes, PPQs is an acceptable documentation of Past Performance for offeror’s Section

F projects.

15 Additional Requirements – The solicitation notes ‘To avoid a conflict of interest, any contractor proposing as a prime may not have a subcontractor who is also proposing as a prime.’ Can you please confirm that this statement only applies to subcontractors for the region the offeror is responding to, and not if that subcontractor is submitting on other NGB Horizontal and/or Vertical regions.

Yes, Only for the region the offeror is responding to they may not overlap.

16 According to the Solicitation on page 15, “blank sheets/Tabs separating the sections within the SF330 will not count in the page‐count maximum for PART I.” Please confirm that the cover also does not count in the page‐ count maximum for PART I.

No, a single page cover letter will not count towards 75‐page limit

17 The Solicitation lists the Volume of DOD Contracts awarded to the firm during the previous 12 months as included in Part I, Section H of the

SF330. To meet the full requirement including the table and listing all categories NGB requests, this will take up multiple pages in Part I, Section

H. Would you allow us to list the Volume of DoD table as an attachment in

Part II of the SF330 rather than in Part I or exclude from the page count limitation?

No, the firm shall provide all data for these secondary criteria on Part I, Section H, of the SF330.

18 Does this preclude licensed professional engineers with decades of significant federal IDIQ experience from serving as engineers on this contract?

See Criteria A for minimum requirements for all disciplines.

19 May we include significant disciplines relevant to the work described in the announcement that are not one of the 14 discipline roles outlined under Critera A.

Additional information is not discouraged as long as the entire minimum synopsis requirements have been met.

20 Question 20 Removed. Does not apply to Horizontal Region 2 which is

100% Total Small Business Set‐Aside.

21 Under the Past Performance criteria, it is requested that we submit name, address, and telephone number of references for all relevant contracts and subcontracts started or completed within the past six (6) years measured from the date of the award. As a very large firm, we have started or completed 600+ contracts and subcontracts within the past six years. Is it appropriate for us to select a subset of the most relevant projects to satisfy this requirement?

Per Criteria D, "Firms must provide relevant past performance in the accomplishment of similar work. Relevancy is defined in the DOD guide, as it pertains to the collection and use of past performance, as information that has a logical connection with the matter under consideration and application period.

22 Regarding the registration requirement for Geologist, due to the importance of experience within Region ? for this field and the restrictive nature of AIPG certification, will certification as a Professional Geologist from a state certified board and membership in the American Institute of

Professional Geologists be acceptable?

No, Refer to Criteria A, for minimum acceptable requirements

23 Can PPQ, Letters of Commendation be included as an appendix to not count against the 75‐page limit?

After further review the Government decided that, bound Letters of Commendation attached separately as an appendix for ease, will not count against the 75‐page limitation. This changes the response for RFI #9 for Horizontal Region 2.

24 Will inclusion of a cover letter count towards the 75‐page limit? No, a single page cover letter will not count towards 75‐page limit

25 In evaluation the Project Manager qualification will registrations such as

Professional Project Manager (PMP) and Certified Energy Manager (CEM) suffice for relevant professional registration?

See Criteria A for minimum requirements for all disciplines.

26 Is the definition of “Firms” (as cited in Criteria F. Secondary Criteria, 4.

Geographic Proximity) inclusive of all team members (prime and subcontractors) listed in Part I, Section C.

For Geographic Proximity, the Government will be evaluating "core disciplines" within the firm. The definition of "Firms" can include the prime as well as subcontractors whose role is considered a core discipline as described in this secondary criteria.

27 Are the potential projects being considered under these contracts primarily airport/airfield projects

Refer to the Project Information section of the Synopsis.

28 We plan to include PPQs, Letters of Commendation, CPARS etc as an appendix to our submission. We request verification that the appendix will not be considered part of the 75‐page limit?

After further review the Government decided that, bound Letters of Commendation separately as attached as an appendix for ease, will not count against 75‐page limitation.

29 Criteria B – Specialized Experience and Technical Competence: Will greater consideration be given to projects that are in the Region 2

Horizontal AOR?

Yes, Projects from within the identified region with similar characteristics to the scope of this notice will be given greater consideration.

30 The solicitation states, “SF 330, in Adobe format and the most current edition (Caution‐https://www.gsa.gov/forms‐ library/architect‐engineer‐ qualifications), must be used..” Does this mean firms may only use the fillable form to be compliant with the solicitation? Or, may we use a different software to produce the SF 330 in an Adobe PDF?

Firms may use different software or word documents, ultimately converted to an

Adobe PDF, as long as all of the informatioin required by the most current version of

SF 330 is included. The link in the solictation is provided for convenience, but is not mandatory.

31 1.Will NGB accept SF 330 submissions developed using the current SF 330 form edition in Microsoft Word and saved to a final Adobe PDF, instead of starting with the Adobe PDF template provided on the GSA webpage?

This provides the same information in the same format, but allows space to satisfactorily respond to the solicitation requirements. Using a

Microsoft Word template: ‐ Section E resumes: Avoids the problem of reviewers having to flip back and forth between the 1st and

2nd pages of resumes for block 15 and each of the five projects. The GSA form is so character limited in these fields that we cannot provide a full description in block 15 or the project descriptions. (see attached example)

‐ Section F projects: Allows us to provide two‐page project sheets, as allowed by the solicitation, without wasting 1/3 of the first page for block

25. (see attached example)

‐ Section F projects: Allows us to provide project name, location, and the required contract numbers in block 21. Contract/task order numbers can be up to 26 characters and block 21 is so character limited that there might not be room for this.

‐ Multi‐page Section H (in GSA Adobe form, there is only one page provided to respond to all Section H requirements noted in the solicitation.)

‐ Addition of sequential page numbers, as required by solicitation (in the

GSA form, there are page numbers already listed – adding a second page number to meet solicitation requirements could confuse reviewers.)

Firms may use different software or word documents, ultimately converted to an

Adobe PDF, as long as all of the informatioin required by the most current version of

SF 330 is included. The link in the solictation is provided for convenience, but is not mandatory.

32 Criteria B – Specialized Experience and Technical Competence: Does completion mean design completion or construction completion?

See Criteria B, paragraph 5 for completion percentages requirements for design and construction.

33 Criteria B – Specialized Experience and Technical Competence: We are instructed that "If any portion of the work provided as specialized experience is subcontracted, clearly identify that work as such and provide the required experience of that subcontractor as it relates to work the subcontractor is to perform for this solicitation." Is it sufficient to identify the subcontractors and their services in block 25?

As long as information is clearly provided, the firm shall provide the required the information in the SF330 Part I, Section F.

34 Criteria B – Specialized Experience and Technical Competence: The solicitation states, "Firms shall only submit projects as evidence of experience if those projects are at a minimum beyond B1/65% design submission for Type A/B experience, and at a minimum 50% complete on construction for Type C experience." Because task orders sometimes include both design and construction phase services, if a project is only at

65% design submission, then construction cannot be 50% complete.

Please confirm that these can be two separate requirements ‐ "Firms shall only submit projects as evidence of experience if those projects are at a minimum beyond B1/65% design submission for Type A/B experience, and/or at a minimum 50% complete on construction for Type C experience."

Correct, these are two separate requirements.

35 Please confirm that a cover letter acknowledging amendments will not be included in the 75 page limit.

See ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS paragraph 2, states SF330 Part I is accompanied by a signed cover letter. Therefore, the cover letter is not part of the the SF 330 Part I and will not be included in the 75 page limit. Also, see Attachment 1 to the synopsis, question #15.

36 Can we provide more than one resume per discipline, if we stay within the 75‐page limit?

Yes, however, Key Personnel must be named and identified with required documentation for the proposed key role for which they intended to be evaluated.

Refer to Enforceability of Proposal section of this synopsis.

37 Please confirm that the volume of work table will not be counted against the 75‐page limit for Part I. A large firm will have a table of multiple pages in length to list all DOD task orders awarded in the last 12 months which would unfairly restrict us if included in the page count.

The volume of work table will be counted against the 75‐page limit. See the response to question 26 of the Synopsis Attachment (QAs), the firm shall provide all data for these secondary criteria on Part I, Section H, of the SF330.

38 Question 38 Removed. Does not apply to Horizontal Region 2 which is

100% Total Small Business Set‐Aside.

39 Regarding the requirements for Environmental Engineer, is registration as a professional geologist acceptable?

No, a registered professional Geologist will not be accepted as meeting the

Environmental Engineer requirement.

40 Question #8 for the Region 8 Vertical IDIQ provided the following answer.

Please confirm that this answer also applies to Horizontal Region 2.

Question: The solicitation states, “SF 330, in Adobe format and the most current edition (Caution‐Caution‐ https://www.gsa.gov/formslibrary/architect‐engineer‐qualifications), must be used.” Does this mean firms may only use the fillable form to be compliant with the solicitation? Or, may we use a different software to produce the SF 330 in an Adobe PDF?Answer: Firms may use different software or word documents, ultimately converted to an Adobe PDF, as long as all of the information required by the most current version of SF

330 is included.

Yes, see the document "Attachment 2 Synopsis RFI Responses 20210608" RFI 1 and

2.

41 In Criteria D, the synopsis states firms must provide relevant past performance and that we are to submit information “for all relevant contracts and subcontracts started or completed within the past six (6) years [that are] at least B1/65% designed for Type A/B and at a minimum

50% complete on construction for Type C.” For large firms with significant horizontal design experience it would not be possible to provide the requested reference information for all possible relevant contracts and subcontracts. Would the Government confirm that firms may provide a representative sampling of projects vs. all relevant contracts and subcontracts? For example, if a firm provided 20 references from relevant contracts/subcontracts would this meet the requirement for this part of Criteria D?

Firms are required to provide relevant and recent past performance information as they relate to the scope of this solicitation. Please see Criteria D for details as well as

Relevancy ratings and Confidence level ratings in the synopsis.

42 Reference: Criteria B, (12). Please confirm the requirement to

“demonstrate project design‐to‐bid performance showing final design estimate, initial awarded amount, and the calculated variance comparing the costs” in Section H is not applicable for Design‐Build RFP projects presented in Section F.

Criteria B subsection (12) is required for Design‐Build RFP projects to demonstrate design‐to‐bid project cost throughout the entire process of the project.

43 Can large businesses still submit for Horizontal Region 2? No, Horizontal Region 2 is 100% Small Business set‐aside.

44 I have already submitted my proposal. After my proposal submission, another Synopsis Amendment was posted to SAM. What do I need to do?

You at least need to update your cover letter (or whatever document that you acknowledged the amendment(s) on), and resubmit using a new DOD SAFE drop off code. Be specific in your resubmittal by explaining exactly what is changing in the resubmittal (i.e., only replacing the cover letter, everything else from the original xx/xx/xxxx submittal is still valid). You do not need to resubmit the entire SF 330 package, unless you choose to. You will need to request a new DOD SAFE drop off code from the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer as stated in the synopsis, in order to send the resubmittal.

45 I am emailing you regarding the Architect and Engineering IDIQ Contract for Horizontal Projects. I was wondering if there was a pdf format of the

RFQ? If so, could you please email it to me or post on SAM?

There is not a separate PDF document available of the Beta.Sam post. You can print from the Beta.Sam posting to adobe and save as a PDF.

46 Can I get a copy of the interested vendor list? We no longer maintain a list of potential vendors for solicitations posted. All vendors must be registered to SAM.gov and the site maintains access to all solicitation documents.

47 Given the disruption to our business operations with loss of power or internet service as a result of Hurricane Ida, is it possible to extend the original deadline from September 14 to a later date?

We will be extending the deadline of the responses to 1 October. Please look for that to be officially updated on SAM.gov in the coming days.