B08_QA Set 5_W91CRB-20-R-0001-0008_20200305.pdf

W91CRB‐20‐R‐0001 Modular Scalable Vest

Question & Answer Set # 5 5‐Mar‐20

No. Offeror Question Government Response

The government’s response to question 29 stated the following: PM SPE will maintain best value trade‐off for Fair Opportunities in addition to the initial award. This will allow the

Government the maximum amount of latitude to award fair opportunities based on any one of three factors: Performance (weight), Schedule, or Cost. The Government will determine the basis for ward of any fair opportunities for a best value trade off based on the immediate need. In order to maintain best value for performance (or schedule), for example, the Government will assign a price offset to higher performing, lower weight packages (or shortest delivery schedule) in order to reward vendors for submitting the best value proposal. The Government then amended the initial response to include that multiple FAT approved packages may be permitted.

The Government intends to issue the first FO after all

Awardees' FATs are completed and approvals/disapprovals are processed. It is the Government's intent to issue all Fair

Opportunities using a best value approach, but the exact criterion will be determined based upon the Government's needs at the time of the Fair Opportunity solicitation. The

Government cannot commit to issuing draft DO's 4‐months in advance as final needs may not yet be identified. However, the Government does intend to allow as much time is as practicable for vendors to propose.

We understand that on a 9 year contract, the Government must maintain flexibility regarding which factors are considered the most important at the time the Fair Opportunity is quoted. We also understand that the Government may allow an awardee to have multiple

FATs at our own expense. Theoretically, if permitted, this would allow an awardee to address both low cost and high performing options. The challenge is that takes several months to receive a passing FAT. If the Government issues FO #1 immediately after contract award/FAT approval AND then changes the areal density scale or determines that low cost is more important, the Government will be limiting competition and potentially selecting the awardee prior to even issuing FO#1 since there would not be enough time to qualify a new

FAT after the base contract award.

Will the Government confirm that only for FO#1, the best value tradeoff (including the Areal

Density scale), will remain the same as the base contract selection criteria? If the

Government cannot commit to this, will the Government provide the draft FO#1 to the base contract awardees at least four months prior to its final posting?

Section 3.8.3 of the PD requires a technical and operator manual as well as a graphic training aid be provided “with each end item delivered.” Verification Section 4.8.3 verifies it is

“provided for each MSV…”. Can the Government confirm that the manual and graphic training aid is only to be delivered with MSV full sets (carrier and ballistics) and that the manual and training aid is NOT required for spare parts?

Yes. The technical and operator manual and a graphic training aid are only required to be delivered with the complete MSV. It is not required for spare parts.

The response to [our] question #1 (see below), which was responded to as question #69 in the [Q&A] attachment, did not address the location of the label for the shoulder strap.

Please advise where the shoulder strap label should be placed.

Question 1: "Is there a label for the shoulder strap and if yes, where does it go?"

The label must be located on the top of the shoulder strap opposite the hook so the label is visible when the shoulder pad flap is opened.

There doesn’t appear to be a label location for the shoulder strap in any of the documents provided. Can the government confirm that the label location for the shoulder strap is at the manufacturers discretion or is there a preferred location? Reference the answer to question #87

The construction of the Velcro keeper with bartack appears to be constructed differently in figure D5 in the PD and the image 200202‐A‐JT474‐054. Which is the preferred construction?

The D5 animation is not to scale for the size of the "velcro

Keeper". Follow the scale according to the pattern piece as well as the picture, which is to scale.

PD Section 3.8.2 (a) states that the Front, back, and side ballistic inserts require an UID label that shall be black and white. Please confirm if the Government will accept a Tan 499 ballistic label for MSV and if not, is a deviation required if white was not available at the time of PDM submission?

Yes, Tan 499 is acceptable for the PDM sample only, as long as the deviation is declared up front in the design and workmanship section of the Technical proposal.

The size of the end item impacts the resulting price. The Government is not requiring that unit prices be submitted by size by year. Rather bidders are required to submit one end item price for the entire 5 year base contract period. Question #3 asked: Is a size tariff available for this solicitation? The Government provided a sample tariff based on the last delivery order. It is skewed towards the smaller sizes compared to IOTV. Unless the Government provides a tariff to be used for the total evaluated price, all of this price risk falls to the manufacturer. Additionally, should future FOs be skewed towards the larger sizes, then the

Govt risks awardees simply not bidding.Will the Government include a fixed tariff to be used in the total evaluated price?

The Government has already provided a sample tariff based on the last delivery order under the current MSV contract, and that will be used to calculate pricing, if the government changes the requested tariff vendors will be informed during

FO proposal.

The MSV is a build to print specification. As such, does it infringe upon the First Spear patents? PENDING