W9133L-24-R-6100 RFIs and Responses 20231122.pdf

RFI

RFI Text

Date Received from Firm KO Response

1 Will each contract be required to cover all Regions? 13‐Nov‐23

Covering all regions is not a requirement, however in accordance with Criteria C (Capacity), the capacity to accomplish multiple simultaneous ANG task orders across the United States and its territories will be considered as one of the technical evaluation factors.

2 Is the capacity equally shared across each region? 13‐Nov‐23 The total capacity of $225M is shared amoung all firms across the entire multi-region area. The amount awarded to each firm will be dependent on the selections at the task order level.

3 How will our individual qualifications be judged against such broad-ranging geographic and programmatic coverage? 13‐Nov‐23

The Government will utilize the criteria published in the synopsis for Critera A (Professional Qualifications); Criteria B (Specialized Experience and Technical Competence); Criteria C (Capacity); Criteria D (Past Performance); Criteria E (Location and Knowledge of the Locality), and Criteria F (Secondary Criteria) to evaluate proposals.

We’re writing to request clarification of the following requirement:

*All engineers and architects must have the following in the role they are assigned on the project team: a bachelor's degree, professional registration, and at least five years of relevant experience.

Question: Does this mean you are requiring “a bachelor's degree and professional registration and at least five years of relevant experience.”

13‐Nov‐23

Yes, the requirement for a bachelor's degree, professional registration, and at least five years of relevant experience is the minimum that the engineer and architect disciplines that have an asterisk "*" next to them need to have in order to be rated “GREEN (Acceptable).” Any professional team member that you submit that has the words “architect” or “engineer” in Block 13 (Role of This Contract) of the Standard Form 330 must meet this minimum requirement.

For mentor protégé teams, will all (or minimum of 7) of the section F projects be limited to the small business team member’s qualifications? (instead of using the large business’ projects to compete on a small business contract) 15‐Nov‐23

In a mentor protégé agreement, both parties’ experience may be used to respond to the requirements in synopsis. There is no restriction and/or limiting requirement on the quantity of demonstrated experience and technical expertise by either the mentor or protégé firm. This applies to all criteria requirements in the synopsis.

Criteria F tiebreaker states a preference for firms to be within 50 miles then lists all the sates on the contract. Can you clarify how this will be scored? Should firms be within 50 miles of each state listed to receive the points? How will small business will be scored? Does scoring vary based on the amount of locations of the whole team or states the firm or team has offices in? is licensed in? 15‐Nov‐23

Criteria F will be used as tie-breaker criteria. Distance is measured in miles from the states listed in the synopsis to the firm's physical base or branch office address; P.O. Boxes will not be conisdered. The same criteria will be used to evaluate both unrestricted and small business firms. The secondary criteria F does not consider licensing.

7 Can questions be responded to weekly, so we get responses as we are preparing the proposal? 15‐Nov‐23

As questions are submitted throughout the synopsis posting period, the Government will make every effort to post the responses on a weekly basis. This is dependent on the availability of all members of the contracting and technical team and that they have adequate time to prepare detailed responses to all questions.

The National Guard has requested that we include our Volume of DOD contracts for the previous 12 months. This is several pages of information for a company our size and I am requesting that the volume of DOD work be excluded from the total 75-page count. 15‐Nov‐23

Volume of DoD work is secondary criteria that should not be comingled with primary criteria. A properly filled out SF330 part II provides the required information.

Does the Contracting Officer intend to limit contract awards such that no one (1) Large or Small Business firm will receive more than one (1) award as a result of Solicitation W9133L24R6100?

Reason/Rationale for Question: Solicitation W9133L24R6100 is silent regarding a singular firm’s opportunity to be awarded a contract under the Large Business category and also receive a contract under a Mentor-Protégé arrangement under the Small Business category.

In the preceding (cancelled) National Guard Bureau (NGB) synopsis documents for Indefinite Delivery Type Architect Engineer (A-E) Contracts for the NGB in support of the Air and Army National Guard Vertical Construction Programs throughout Regions referenced in the active Solicitation W9133L24R6100, NGB’s Contract Information language specifically said the following:

NGB Vertical Region 4 Solicitation Citation Example (reference attachment): “All firms responding to the announcement will be required to identify which category they are submitting. All firms will be required to state the words, “Small Business,” or “Other than Small Business” after the PART I, A, Block 3 of Standard Form 330. Firms will be required to submit a separate SF 330 for each category in which the firm wants consideration. No one (1) firm will receive more than one (1) award as a result of this solicitation.”

15‐Nov‐23 There are no restrictions on a firm submitting an SF330 for both categories (unrestricted and small business). For example a firm may submit as a prime in one category and as subconsultant or as a JV in the other category.

Vertical Multi-Region RFI LOG W9133L-24-R-6100

Does the Contracting Officer intend to avoid a conflict of interest and reserve the right to deem ineligible for award a proposal submitted by a prime firm who is also proposing as a subcontractor or JV partner under another firms’ proposal?

Reason/Rationale for Question: In the preceding (cancelled) National Guard Bureau (NGB) synopsis documents for Indefinite Delivery Type Architect Engineer (A-E) Contracts for the NGB in support of the Air and Army National Guard Vertical Construction Programs throughout Regions referenced in the active Solicitation W9133L24R6100, NGB’s Additional Requirements language specifically said the following:

NGB Vertical Region 4 Solicitation Citation Example (reference attachment): “To avoid a conflict of interest, any contractor proposing as a prime may not have a subcontractor who is also proposing as a prime. This solicitation shall be viewed as one singular solicitation. Therefore, a firm submitting a proposal as a prime contractor may not also be listed as a subcontractor in ANY other submitted proposal under this solicitation. This includes any proposals submitted either under the Small Business Category and the Unrestricted Category. This requirement also applies to firms submitting as Joint Ventures. In the event a conflict of interest is found, the Contracting Officer reserves the right to deem ineligible for award the proposal submitted by the prime firm who is also proposing as a subcontractor under another firms’ proposal.”

15‐Nov‐23

For the current synopsis, it has been determined there is no conflict of interest on behalf of the Government if a firm submits in both categories. Therefore, there are no restrictions on a firm submitting an SF330 for both categories (unrestricted and small business).

Why did NGB change the fair opportunity guidelines for completion of task orders for the active solicitation W9133L24R6100 and omit two categories for Non-Complex and Complex A-E task orders?

Reason/Rationale for Question: In the preceding (cancelled) National Guard Bureau (NGB) synopsis documents for Indefinite Delivery Type Architect Engineer (A-E) Contracts for the NGB in support of the Air and Army National Guard Vertical Construction Programs throughout Regions referenced in the active Solicitation W9133L24R6100, NGB’s Guidelines for competition of task orders specifically said the following:

NGB Vertical Region 4 Solicitation Citation Example (reference attachment): “Guidelines for competition of task orders:

•Non-Complex A-E task order requirements with a Programmed Amount (PA) less than $3M must be set-aside for competition among the reserved Small Business Firms •Non-Complex A-E task order requirements with a Programmed Amount (PA) above $3M may be competed among all IDIQs •Complex A-E task order requirements with a Programmed Amount (PA) less than $3M may be competed among all IDIQs •Complex A-E task order requirements with a Programmed Amount (PA) above $3M may be competed among Unrestricted IDIQs”

The current Solicitation W9133L24R6100 Language states: “Guidelines for competition of task orders:

•Non-Complex A-E requirements with a Task Order amount of less than $1M (or a Programmed Amount (PA) less than $5M) will be set-aside for competition among the pool of Small Business Firms in accordance with FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(F).

•Complex A-E task requirements with a Task Order amount greater than $1M (or a Programmed Amount (PA) greater than $5M) will be competed among both pools of Unrestricted and Small Business firms.

Note: Complexity definition for A-E design task orders is in accordance with DFARS 219.502-2.”

The following categories are omitted:

1.Non-Complex A-E requirements with a Task Order amount greater than $1M (or a Programmed Amount (PA) greater than $5M) may (or will) be competed among both pools of Unrestricted and Small Business firms.

2.Complex A-E task requirements with a Task Order less than $1M (or a Programmed Amount (PA) less than $5M) may (or will) be competed among both pools of Unrestricted and Small Business firms. 15‐Nov‐23

The guidelines for competition of task orders in the current synopsis were developed congruent with DFARS 219.502-2, and strive to be a streamlined, simplified approach that strives for competition to the greatest extent practicable.

Does the Contracting Officer expect to see relevant Communications Specialist expertise and experience demonstrated under the Electrical Engineer discipline, another discipline, or not required at all?

Reason/Rationale for Question: In the preceding (cancelled) National Guard Bureau (NGB) synopsis documents for Indefinite Delivery Type Architect Engineer (A-E) Contracts for the NGB in support of the Air and Army National Guard Vertical Construction Programs throughout Regions referenced in the active Solicitation W9133L24R6100, NGB’s Selection Criteria A – Professional Qualifications necessary for satisfactory performance of required services (SF 330, Part I, Section E) listed the Communications Specialist with Registered Communications Distribution Design (RCDD) as a requirement. Previous inclusion of the Communications Specialist professional qualifications was consistent with design requirements under DoD Unified Facility Criteria.

Selection Criteria A for active Solicitation W9133L24R6100 documents that “Professional disciplines are listed in priority order based on anticipated workload and benefit to project success.” The Communications Specialist discipline is not listed as a necessary professional qualification for satisfactory performance.

15‐Nov‐23 The Government has identified all required disciplines in critereia A.

13 How are offerors expected to respond, and how NGB will evaluate, a solicitation that spans the entire country? 17‐Nov‐23

The evaluation will be based on an assessment by the board of the firm’s ability to effectively address the knowledge of the localities identified in Criteria E. A firm that more effectively addresses the knowledge of the localities will be considered more highly qualified than one that is not able to.

14 Should we indicate only those states that we wish to be considered for? Or do we have to indicate the entire country? 17‐Nov‐23 The firm’s response should address its ability to effectively address the knowledge of the localities identified in Criteria E. Once the IDIQ contract is awarded, the firm may choose to respond to individual task order request notifications at their own discretion.

15 Should we further indicate the programs and project types that we are interested in , or do we have to cover all of them? 17‐Nov‐23

The evaluation will be based on an assessment by the board of the firm’s ability to effectively address the specialized experience and technical competencies outlined in Criteria B. A firm that more effectively addresses the required specialized and technical competencies will be considered more highly qualified than one that is not able to. Once the IDIQ contract is awarded, the firm may choose to respond to individual task order request notifications at their own discretion.

Is there an ‘Interested Vendor List’ being developed? Further, are there similar existing contracts from which you could share incumbents contact information? 19‐Nov‐23

The Interested Vendor List is restricted to Government use only and the list will not be published for public use to protect the release of any sensitive information. There are no direct incumbent contracts. However firms may reference NGB A-E National Contracts awarded in 2015 - 2016 for prime contractor information which can be located by searching the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS).

For each of the 10 projects, does a CPARS or PPQ client evaluation need to be included with the submission? If so, is this included in the page count? 20‐Nov‐23

Firms must provide past performance information for each project included in response to Critieria B requirements (SF330 submission Part I Section F). Part I of the SF 330 shall not exceed 75 pages. Tabulated data and written summaries submitted to address this criteria will count towards the 75-page limit, with the exception of specific exclusions such as letters of commendation, CPARS, etc. which may be attached as an appendix and will not count towards the 75-page limit.

18 Is a proposal cover or divider tabs included in the page count? 20‐Nov‐23

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. Further, in the same section in a subsequent paragraph "THE SF 330 SHALL NOT EXCEED 75 PAGES", states Blank sheets/Tabs separating the sections within the SF330 will not count in the page-count maximum for PART I.

The solicitation outlines that a subconsultant can submit up to three out of the ten projects. Will these submissions be assessed using identical criteria and ranking as the others, or will they carry a diminished weight in the evaluation process? 20‐Nov‐23

The Specialized Experience and Technical Competence criteria listed are in priority order. Each project identified in the A-E’s response will be evaluated the same, regardless of if the project experience is that of the prime or if it was from sub-consultants.

20 Should we include more than one SF 330 resume for each discipline mentioned in the solicitation? 20‐Nov‐23 The Government does not stipulate the number of SF 330s for each discipline. Criteria A’s evaluation is based on the firm’s ability to most effectively address the professional qualifications described in the solicitation.

21 Do firms need to address Secondary Criteria (F) in their Section H response? 20‐Nov‐23 Yes, per Criteria F - Secondary Criteria, second paragraph, The firm shall provide all data for these secondary criteria on Part I, Section H, of the SF330.

Does a project need to be 100% design submittal completed if we are trying to address Criteria 4 (Master planning and/or preparation of Government planning/programming documents - DD Form 1391s)? 20‐Nov‐23

The (project) narrative must be from a 100% design submittal completed within the last ten (10) years of the date of this synopsis for both the prime and firm subcontractor(s).

As ten (10) IDIQ contracts are the target, will there be more than three (3) OTS awards only if there are less than seven

(7) “most highly qualified” firms in the SB category? Will there be any scenario under which there will be more than ten

(10) total awards? 20‐Nov‐23

The Government's intent based on market research and responses received from the Sources Sought Notice W9133L-22-X- 0SL0, is awarding three (3) contracts within the Other than Small Business category and seven (7) within the Small Business category. However, as stated in the synopsis, "the Government may award more than three (3) contracts within the Other than Small Business category and seven (7) within the Small Business category depending on the source selection decision regarding how many firms are considered the most highly qualified in accorandance with the DoD Source Selection Procedures (2022) and Selection of A&E Contracts Act.

Since this multi-region procurement covers 43 states plus Guam, will evaluations of candidate Small Business firms consider the locations of these firms’ offices in an effort to select a final seven (7) that are distributed equally across the 43-state region? 20‐Nov‐23

The Geographic Proximity within locations for the Multi-Region area is outlined in Criteria F - Secondary Criteria. The criteria applies to both unrestricted and small business categories.

With regard to the minimums goals established for small business participation, can you please confirm these goals are reflective of the percentage of total contract value? 20‐Nov‐23

Small business participation goals are reflective of the percentage of total contract value that is planned to be subcontracted; the goals apply to the subcontracted total, not the overall total of the contract value.

The intent to negotiate and award contracts one at a time in accordance with firm rankings has been proven to be problematic with past NGB Nationwide AE IDIQ contracts. Our JV and respective partner firms have had numerous AE IDIQ contracts with other government agencies, and in each case, these government agencies awarded all contracts on the same date to ensure a level playing field for all. Will NGB re-think their indicated approach and instead award all contracts on the same date? 20‐Nov‐23 All contract awards for this requirement will be made on the same day.

With respect to your Criteria F Secondary Criteria, there are four “sub-criteria” listed. Are all four of these sub-criteria of equal importance or do they vary in importance/weighting in your scoring? 20‐Nov‐23

The selection criteria for this particular project are listed below in descending order of importance (first by major criterion and then by each sub-criterion). Criteria A-E are primary Criteria, while Criteria f is secondary and will only be used as "tie-breakers" among firms that are essentially technically equal.

28 Can you please confirm there is no requirement to print and submit a “final bound product” in response to this solicitation? 20‐Nov‐23

There is no requirement to submit a “final bound product”. Per the synoopsis, SUBMISSION REQUIRMENTS paragraph, submit an electronic copy of their SF330 (Architect-Engineer Qualifications) in Adobe format via the Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE) website. NO OTHER TRANSMISSION METHODS (EMAIL, FACSIMILE, REGULAR MAIL, HAND CARRIED, ETC.) WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Under Criteria A, Professional Qualifications, the instructions state, “Each resume shall not exceed two (2) pages and should list a minimum of five (5) projects.” The standard requirement is to include 5 projects on resumes. Is it your preference that we provide more than 5 projects and will listing more than 5 relevant projects result in a higher score? 20‐Nov‐23

The Criteria Rating for an SF330 proposal that meets qualification requirements, is GREEN (Acceptable). A firm that provides resumes for key personnel that exceeds the requirements stated in criteria, such as providing greater levels of discipline experience, will be considered more highly qualified and rated as such.

Under Criteria B, #6 – “From the ten (10) submitted example projects above, provide five (5) design-bid-build project final cost estimates (the amount used in acquisition as the base bid estimated construction cost); compare the cost developed in design to the initial awarded construction base bid.”

Requiring 5 of the 10 projects to be fully designed and to have been awarded for construction will discourage firms from showing 10 projects that best cover all of the facility types and project types requested in Criteria B. Please consider reducing from 5 to 3 of the 10 in Section F and allow for other projects (outside of the 10 projects required for Section F) to be included in the cost analysis in Section H.

21-Nov-23 RESONSE PENDING

31 Are PPQs an acceptable form of past performance documentation? 21-Nov-23 Yes, PPQs are an acceptable documentation of Past Performance for offeror’s Section F projects.

Can past performance documentation be organized after the SF330 Part I, for instance as an appendix, so as not to be factored into the page count limitation? 21-Nov-23

In response to Critieria B requirements (SF330 submission Part I Section F): tabulated data and written summaries submitted to address this criteria will count towards the 75-page limit, with the exception of specific exclusions such as letters of commendation, CPARS, etc. which may be attached as an appendix and will not count towards the 75-page limit.

Can more than one person be listed in a professional discipline role? For instance, if a proposing team determines that two Mechanical Engineers are needed based on this contract's anticipated workload, can the two people be listed by name on the org chart and their respective resumes provided in Section E? 21-Nov-23

Yes, a firm may include more than one individual per discipline. However, the firm must identify the role of each individual as it relates to their role in this requirement. The selected firm must have, either in -house or through consultants, all disciplines listed and must provide resumes in Part I, Section E, of the SF330.

Are you requiring written documentation of teaming arrangements between a prime firm and all subconsultants? If so, can the written documentation be organized after the SF330 Part I as an appendix? 21-Nov-23

As stated in the synopsis, If a firm is competing for this contract under a contractor team arrangement as defined in FAR Subpart 9.6, the firm must submit, along with their SF 330, a written agreement identifying the contractor team arrangements and fully disclosing the company relationships. It is submitted "along with", and is not part of their SF 330. Therefore, it is not included in the page count.

Will a deadline extension be considered, especially given the schedule for questions due and unannounced timeframe of publishing the answers to these questions? 21-Nov-23

See the response to question #7 above regarding response to questions on a weekly basis. The Government does not intend to extend the due date at this time.