Amendment 0005_W91CRB-21-R-0030_RTES RFP.pdf

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

30-105-04EXCEPTION TO SF 30

APPROVED BY OIRM 11-84

STANDARD FORM 30 (Rev. 10-83) Prescribed by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

Amendment 0005 adds Questions 81 & 82 to the Q&A document.

1. CONTRACT ID CODE PAGE OF PAGES

S 1 19

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

16C. DATE SIGNED

BY

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA15C. DATE SIGNED15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

(Signature of Contracting Officer)(Signature of person authorized to sign)

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., Street, County, State and Zip Code) X W91CRB21R0030

X 9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

25-Oct-2021

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

X The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offer is extended, X is not extended.

Offer must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended by one of the following methods:

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted;

or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN

REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required)

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS.

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE

CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(B).

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not, is required to sign this document and return copies to the issuing office.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

10A. MOD. OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

U0005

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 5. PROJECT NO.(If applicable)

6. ISSUED BY

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

30-Nov-2021

CODE

ACC - APG - W91CRB

BLDG 4310

6515 INTEGRITY COURT

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND MD 21005-3013

W91CRB 7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than item 6)

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.

CODE

See Item 6

FACILITY CODECODE

EMAIL:TEL:

W91CRB21R0030

SECTION SF 30 BLOCK 14 CONTINUATION PAGE

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

SECTION M - EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

The following have been modified:

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

RTES Final Request for Proposal Questions to the Government

Question 1: Please confirm that the correct PWS reference in Section L is “5) PWS Section 4.2.1.” The error is in the RFP on page 185 – see attachment.

Answer: The correct PWS reference in Section L should be 5) PWS Section 4.2.1. Section L of the Solicitation has been corrected.

Question 2:

i. How can the Government determine if the “Offeror as an entity” can meet the requirements if, for each MSR, only one member of the team may demonstrate experience?

Answer: An “Entity” is defined in Section M of the solicitation as “the prime contractor and all proposed major subcontractors or the JV partners and all proposed major subcontractors”. If the experience submitted is attributed to a member of the entity, and in accordance with the solicitation requirements, it is demonstrating experience for the Entity.

ii. We respectfully request that the Section L sentence be changed to: “For each of the nine

(9) Mission Support Requirements, at least one member of the offeror’s team has to demonstrate experience (e.g. the prime, a subcontractor, the JV, or a partner of the JV must individually demonstrate experience).”

Answer: Requirements for the Experience Factor have not been changed.

Question 3: Will the Government change the requirement in Factor 1 from “only one member of the offeror’s team may demonstrate experience” to “at least one member of the offeror’s team has to demonstrate experience….” to eliminate the contradiction between Factor 1 and Factor 2? If the Government does not want to make the change, can the Government explain how this is not a contradiction between the two factors?

Answer: Requirements for the Experience Factor have not been changed. The solicitation requires experience to be demonstrated by one company that will also be performing that work on the contract. There is no restriction on other companies also performing that work on the contract and therefore does not present a contradiction with Factor 2, Contract Administration and Management.

Question 4: Will the Government increase the page limits to 30 pages for Vol 1 and 45 pages for Vol 4 to significantly improve competition?

Answer: The page limit has been increased to 30 pages for both Factor 1, Experience and Factor 4, Past Performance.

Question 5: Do offerors have the freedom to organize and present some of the required Attachment 1 data (for example, PWS References Summary) by Mission Support Requirement (instead of by contract) as long as we provide all the required data?

Answer: Offerors may organize and present information on Solicitation Attachment 1 – Summary of Experience Form as they prefer, as long as all the required data is provided in sufficient detail and in a consistent format.

Question 6: It is our understanding that we treat the managing partner of the JV as the Prime and treat the non-managing partner as a subcontractor thus making it more explanatory for column E and the costs are broken out more accurately. Is this correct?

Answer: Yes, for purposes of the LOE Spreadsheet, the Managing Partner of a JV should be treated as a Prime and the non-managing partner as a subcontractor. All requirements for subcontractors under the Cost/Price factor apply.

Question 7:

i. For the Drafter/CAD Operator, did the Government intend the occupational code to be Drafter/CAD Operator 4, occupational code 30064 or some other labor category/ occupational code?

Answer: The Drafter/CAD Operator 5 position is included in Attachment 2 – Labor Categories and Qualifications. It is not a position on the DoL Wage Determination. The LOE Spreadsheet has been corrected.

ii. For the General Clerk I, did the Government intend the occupational code to be 01111?

Answer: The occupational code has been changed to 01111.

Question 8: We recommend that the Government use the same five-year recency period used in the RWESS solicitation. Seven years is not a standard time period used for recency. Five (5) years or three (3) years are standard because Government performance records typically don’t go back further. The use of seven (7) years creates an impression that the Government is giving a specific Offeror the ability to reference a very old contract that would not otherwise be allowed.

Answer: Seven (7) years was meant to be more inclusive and allow offerors to potentially use a contract that is not currently in performance.

Question 9: Respectfully request that 7 be changed to 5. Seven years is a very long time to be considered recent. Seems like a concession to a specific competitor given that recency is typically five years or less.

Answer: The requirement has not been changed. The error in Solicitation Attachment 1

– Summary of Experience Form has been corrected.

Question 10:

i. If a contract is outside the 3-year window, but within the 7-year window, how will the Government evaluate Past Performance when the PPEF is limited only to the past 3 years and FAPIIS may only go back five years?

Answer: FAPIIS is not limited to 5 years.

ii. Will CPARs be used for any gaps?

Answer: Per Section M of the solicitation, “The Government will focus evaluation on the forms and questionnaires provided by the Offeror in its proposal and data obtained from other sources, including data in Government files or data obtained through interviews with personnel familiar with the contractor and their current and past performance government contracts for same or similar services that are relevant and recent.

iii. If CPARs are not available in the system, will Past Performance on old references be deemed ACCEPTABLE, which would not give the Government a valid understanding of the quality of that Offeror’s performance?

Answer: See Question 10ii.

iv. We request that the Government use the same five-year recency period used in the RWESS solicitation.

Answer: The recency period will remain at seven (7) years.

Question 11: With a secret clearance, would the government sponsor a TS upgrade upon award?

Answer: The Prime Contractor is required to possess a Top Secret Facility Clearance at the time of proposal submission.

Question 12: Will the government accept the team subcontractors having TS clearances?

Answer: A subcontractor may not fulfill the requirement for the Prime Contractor to possess a Top Secret Facility Clearance at the time of proposal submission.

Question 13: Is it the Government's intent to require the Prime offeror to demonstrate experience in all the sub-areas listed for each of the 9 Mission Support Requirements? As a similar requirement was included for a previous ATEC solicitation, the Government considered a change to this requirement that allowed the offeror to only address certain key sub-areas.

Answer: The Prime is not required to demonstrate experience in every sub-area listed for each of the 9 Mission Support Requirements. However, the Entity is instructed to provide enough detail to demonstrate experience in at least a portion of the sub-areas.

Question 14: If an entity (prime offeror, teaming partner, or subcontractor) is able to meet only a few sub-areas within any of the 9 Mission Support Requirements, will the Government consider the experience of other teaming partners to cover the remaining sub-areas within the same PWS to ensure a complete experience response that covers all sub-areas? As a similar requirement was included for a previous ATEC solicitation, the Government considered a change to this requirement that allowed the offeror to only address certain sub-areas.

Answer: See Question 13.

Question 15: Where should the Transition Plan that is to be submitted as part of the proposal be included, how will it be evaluated, and does it count towards the page count?

Answer: The Transition Plan is not required to be submitted as part of the proposal.

PWS 5.7 has been corrected.

Question 16: We understand the Solicitation instructions require a price/cost analysis in accordance with FAR 15.404-3(b)(1), resulting in a cost element analysis. If an Offeror has subcontractors that will receive a resultant subcontract agreement that is not Cost Reimbursable, such as T&M or Fixed labor rate, may we satisfy this requirement with a price analysis of the subcontractor’s fully burdened labor rates and fee, thus eliminating the requirement for the LOE Spreadsheet and narrative for those companies?

Answer: All Prime Contractors and applicable subcontractors are required to submit the LOE Spreadsheet. Subcontractors may submit any proprietary data directly to the Government.

In the event that a subcontractor refuses to provide a breakout, adequate price analysis should accompany the LOE Spreadsheet.

Question 17: Regarding the limitation of direct labor in Section L, paragraph 3, there is a clarification provided. Clarification states the average bill rate of the labor category must not exceed the proposed labor category rate over 10%. Does the 10% rule apply to each labor category and rate billed, or the average category rate billed, or both? If only applicable to the average category rate billed, is this the average rate for each contract period? Please clarify.

Answer: The purpose in the statement in Volume 5 is to keep the cost growth on the Cost Contract under control. The intent is that the 10% limitation is on each applicable year of the contract and will be applied to the average direct labor (unburdened) rate per labor category, as proposed.

Question 18: Will Govt provide an updated SCA Identifier for Drafter/CAD Operator 5? SCA code 30065 is not listed in Attachment+4+-+WD+No.+2015-4603+Rev.+17+2021JUL21

Answer: See Question 7.

Question 19: CLIN titles on Tab Surge Labor Detail and Tab Hazard Duty Labor Detail are listed “Base Year Regular Labor”. Same for other years. Will Govt update CLIN titles to reflect Surge Labor and Hazard Duty Labor?

Answer: There will be one Labor CLIN that includes regular labor, hazardous duty pay, and surge. The CLIN titles in Solicitation Attachment 6 – LOE Spreadsheet have been revised.

Question 20: For the purposes of hour allocation, given the FFP Transition-In CLIN is 60 days is the Base Year/Year 1 assumed to be 10 months of performance?

Answer: That is correct, the base year/period is 10 months.

Question 21: For ease of the evaluation team is it acceptable to modify the resume format by highlighting (i.e. Bold, Italics, increase font size) certain areas?

Answer: It is allowable to modify the resume format by using typographical emphasis as long as the font size is not reduced.

Question 22: Will the Government please confirm that there are no socio-economic goals (e.g.

small/disadvantaged and woman owned) to be met on this contract.

Answer: There is no requirement for socio-economic goals to be met due to this being a small-business-set-aside (SBSA). The PWS has been corrected.

Question 23: Will the Government please describe the “containers” so that Offerors can properly price?

Answer: The PWS has been corrected. There is no requirement for contractors to provide municipal waste containers.

Question 24: Will the Government please provide specific information on the “infrastructure” that may be necessary to support contract tasks?

Answer: PWS Section 1.3.3 has been revised.

Question 25: After the initial contract information is provided in the Summary of Experience Form may Offerors use only the Contract No. and Contract Title for subsequent references?

Answer: Yes.

Question 26: Section L describes major subcontractors, in part, as those “…whose subcontract is for more than 10% of the total proposed cost/price.” Whereas the definition in Section M states “…ten (10) percent (%) or more of the labor required to support the proposed effort.”Please clarify if the 10% threshold applies to cost/price or if the 10% threshold applies to labor.

Answer: Major Subcontractors are subcontractors that provide at least 10 percent of the total proposed labor cost/price required to support the proposed effort. Sections L & M have been updated.

Question 27: Please confirm if a Transition Plan is expected to be submitted as part of the proposal and, if so, please provide Transition Plan instructions, to include which volume the plan shall reside or if the plan shall be a stand-alone document, as well as whether or not the plan has a page count limit.

Answer: See Question #15.

Question 28: Approval of a Department of State license is taking longer than usual in a post- Covid environment. To enable timely preparation of required approval, will the Government please provide a historical list of Contractor GFP located in foreign countries?

Answer: Information about Contractor GFP located in CONUS and OCONUS areas will be provided after contract award.

Question 29: To enable timely preparation of Department of State required approval(s), will the Government please provide historical data on the frequency and length of time Contractor personnel have supported OCONUS remote testing?

Answer: See Question #28.

Question 30: Will the Government please provide clarification on this discrepancy?

Answer: Attachment 2 shows the labor qualifications for potential positions that may at some point be needed on the contract but the LOE spreadsheet attachment 6 are the actual labor categories expected at this time to be in use and therefore are requested to be proposed upon.

Question 31: Will the Government please clarify if the Assistant PM leading/supervising requirement is 100 or 50?

Answer: The requirement for the Assistant PM is “3 years of experience leading/supervising 50 or more people. The PWS has been corrected.

Question 32: Will the Government please confirm the level of security clearance for the Assistant Program Manager? Additionally, will the Government please confirm that the Top Secret clearance for both the PM and the APM can be obtained after award?

Answer: Both the Program Manager and the Assistant Program Manager must have a Top Secret clearance at the time of proposal. The PWS and Attachment 2 have been revised.

Question 33: Please clarify what is meant by "randomly at a minimum of 50% annually". Does 50% refer to 50% of the total workforce?

Answer: 50% of the workforce will be tested in a year.

Question 34: Will the Government please confirm that none of the contract employees are in a union?

Answer: There are no contract employees on the incumbent contract that are a part of a union.

Question 35: Please confirm the implication that time and a half shall be applied to surge hours and an 8% hazard premium.

Answer: In order to have all bidders on an even footing the amount of Surge and the amount of Hazardous Duty Labor is fixed in the LOE. The number of hours used for surge and Hazardous Duty are representative of the incumbent Engineering Contract. Premiums shall be applied as noted in the LOE Spreadsheet.

Source Document, Section Number, -106 & 4 3-45 Question 36: PWS 5.7 states “The contractor shall follow the transition plan submitted as part of the proposal…”. CDRL A017 states, “A Transition Plan shall be provided to the Government prior to commencing contract transition and performance”. However, Sections L and M of your RFP do not require submittal of a transition plan as part of the offeror’s proposal. Will the Government clarify if we are to submit a Transition Plan as part of our proposal due on December 8? If so, which volume should it be included in and how will it be evaluated?

Answer: See Question #15.

pg. 185 Question 37: The required Mission Support Requirements list PWS 4.2.6 under Major Mission Area. However, Attachment 1 Summary of Experience Form lists PWS 4.2.6 under Engineering, Scientific, and Technical Direct Support. Will the Government please clarify where PWS 4.2.6 falls under?

Answer: Section 4.2.6 is in the PWS under 4.2 Engineering, Scientific and Technical Direct Support but for the purpose of Factor 1 it is a Major Mission Area as listed in sections L and M. Solicitation Attachment 1 has been revised.

Document, Section Number, Page Number: Section L, L.3, Vol. 1 – Factor Experience, pg. 185 Question 38: The required Mission Support Requirements list 4.1.1 twice (as Item 1 under Major Mission Area and as Item 5 under Engineering, Scientific, and Technical Direct Support).

We believe Item 5 should be changed from 4.1.1 to 4.2.1, which aligns with Section M evaluation criteria. Will the Government please correct the Section L requirement to read 4.2.1?

Answer: Corrected Section L; the second 4.1.1 should have been 4.2.1.

L.3, Vol. 1 – Factor Experience, pgs. 184-185 Question 39: Para 1 under Volume 1 – Factor 1: Experience identifies “…nine (9) Mission Support Requirements…tied directly to subtask areas in Section 4 of the PWS…” and Attachment 1 Summary of Experience Form identifies “…three (3) Mission Support Requirements…” in para 2 of the form Instructions. Will the Government clarify what constitutes “Mission Support Requirements”?

Answer: The Summary of Experience form has been updated.

L.3, Vol. 1 – Factor Experience, pgs. 184-185

Question 40: RFP Requirements in Section L.3 under Volume 1 – Factor 1: Experience were updated in the Final RFP. However, Attachment 1 Summary of Experience Form was not updated and the two do not match. Will the Government update Attachment 1 Summary of Experience Form to reflect the changes in section L.3?

Answer: The Summary of Experience form has been updated.

Number, Page Number: RFP, Vol 5, Factor 5. Pg. 193 Question 41: RFP states “Offeror’s are required to fill in rates for all labor categories included in the LOE_Spreadsheet v2, regardless of whether or not projected LOE hours are associated with the labor category.” Does this requirement extend to subcontractors when they are required to submit proprietary information under separate cover?

Answer: Subcontractors are only required to submit labor rate data for the categories they intend to provide.

, Section Number, Page Number: RFP, Vol 5, Factor 5. Pg. 194 Question 42: RFP states, “Additionally, submission of forward pricing rate agreements (FPRAs, FPRRs, etc.) or other agreements should also be submitted to substantiate the reasonableness and allowability the Offeror’s direct and indirect rates/costs if this information is available.”

Does the existence of a FPRP satisfy this provision, or would a FPRP still require the prime/sub to provide historical and forecast data by expense account in the Fringe Worksheet, Overhead Worksheet and G&A Worksheet in Attachment 6?

Answer: If an offeror is proposing in accordance with its proposed forward pricing rate agreement, the provision has been satisfied. If an offeror is not proposing in accordance with its forward pricing rate agreement, historical and forecast data shall be submitted for evaluation.

Document, Section Number, Page Number: RFP, Vol 5, Factor 5. Pg. 193

Question 43: Does a subcontractor narrative need to include all the main elements of the prime narrative or only what is necessary to explain and justify their direct and indirect labor rates?

Answer: Subcontractor narrative shall provide data required to substantiate proposed labor rates, including total compensation plan for professional labor categories, as applicable.

Number: Attachment 6, Instructions, pg.1 Question 44: The instructions refer to specific columns on the Labor Detail worksheet. Will the Government verify whether it is referring to the Excel Column indicators or the Column Indicators the Government inserted in Row 11? Note that after Column E, the Government letters in Row 11 diverge from Excel due to leaving out letters “f” and “g”. Recommend that the labeling in Row 11 be updated.

Answer: Labeling on the worksheets in the LOE Spreadsheet have been updated to mirror the applicable column letters.

Question 45: Page 193 of RFP states “Offeror’s are required to fill in rates for all labor categories included in the LOE_Spreadsheet v2, regardless of whether or not projected LOE hours are associated with the labor category.” However, the current formulas in column P on the labor detail sheets do not result in providing a burdened rate for those labor categories that have zero hours (current result is “#DIV/0!”). Is the offeror free to update the formula to correctly calculate the rate?

Answer: The Government requests that offerors NOT update the formulas in column P.

Question 46: On row 33, the Drafter/CAD Operator 5 is correlated to an SCA category of 30065 that is not included in the AWD provided. Please clarify?

Answer: See Question #7.

Section Number, Page Number: RFP, L.3c. 184 Question 47: RFP states, “Each file of the proposal shall consist of a Table of Contents, Summary Section and the Narrative Discussion. The Summary Section shall contain a brief abstracts of the file and counts towards the page count.” Is the Summary Section required for Volumes 5 Cost/Price and 6 Solicitation, Offer and Award Documents?

Answer: The Summary Section is required for Volume 5 – Cost/Price, but it is not required for Volume 6 – Solicitation, Offer and Award Documents and Certifications/Representations.

Question 48: Instructions state, “Page 1 with instructions is not included in the page count”. Are we allowed to remove the instructions in our submission and start with the “Mission Support Functional Area and PWS Subtask” area?

Answer: Offerors may remove the instructions from Solicitation Attachment 1 – Summary of Experience Form in their proposal submission.

Question 49: If the same contract is being used in response to multiple “Mission Support Functional Area and PWS Subtask”, can we exclude all the contract data (contract number, value, POCs. etc.) after the first reference (e.g., not repeat the same information in potentially every Mission Support Functional Area)?

Answer: See Question #25.

Question 50: Do we have to follow the format as is, or are we allowed to reformat as long as all items presented in Attachment 2 are included?

Answer: Offerors may use an alternate format for Solicitation Attachement 2 – Resume as long as all required items are provided in sufficient detail and consistent format.

Question 51: RFP states, “The Offeror shall also submit the written consent of its major subcontractors to allow the disclosure of its subcontractor’s past performance information to the Offeror. In addition, letters of commitment shall be included for all major subcontractors for their past performance to be considered”. Can the Government please clarify the difference between a letter of consent and letter of commitment?

Answer: The letter of consent states that the subcontractor agrees to allow the Prime to use their experience as a part of the Proposal. The letter of commitment states the subcontractor commits to being a part of the contract team should the proposer being chosen for the contract award.

Question 52: Will the government provide a contract start date for the purposes of price estimates?

Answer: It is unknown at this time. However, for the purposes of proposal consistency, the Government recommends using 4th Quarter 2022 as a start date.

Question 53: All CDRLs reference contract W91CRB-20-R-0022 this should reflect contract

W91CRB-21-R-0030.

Answer: The CDRLS will be updated with the correct contract number after award.

Question 54: Under the "Mission Support Requirements: Engineering, Scientific and Technical Direct Support, 5) PWS Section 4.1.1, It should read: 5) PWS Section 4.2.1.

Answer: See Question #1.

Question 55: There is a conflict between Section L Experience Section L states: "The prime contractor or the Joint Venture must demonstrate a minimum of two (2) years of experience (occurring within the past seven (7) years) in three (3) of the four (4) Major Mission Area Support Requirements (specifically sections 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.1.3, or 4.2.6 of the PWS). See Notes 1, 2, 3 and 4 below." The Summary of experience form does not include 4.2.6 in the Major Mission Areas.

Answer: See Question #37.

Question 56: The solicitation does not have a requirement for offerors to provide a list of acronyms and abbreviations. Does the government want offerors to include such list and will it be be excluded from page limitations?

Answer: Offerors are not required to provide a list of acronyms and abbreviations.

However, if a list of acronyms and abbreviations is provided as part of the proposal, it will be excluded from page limitations.

Question 57: Under labor category Drafter/CAD Operator 5, there is no SOC Code for 30065?

Will SOC Code 30065 be moded into the contract? Will this be Professional labor type?

Rationale: If it's not in the WD, then we are not constrainted by a rate?

Answer: See Question #7.

Question 58: Under labor category General Clerk 1, the SOC Code listed is incorrect. The correct SOC Code should be 01111 not 01110.

Answer: See Question #7.

Question 59: There is a new revision out – 18. It looks like the change is to include the Federal Holiday, Juneteenth. Will govt be updating to Revision 18?

Answer: Attachment 4 has been replaced with the most recent Department of Labor Wage Determination schedule.

Question 60: There is not a listed requirement or request for a Cover/Transmittal letter. If a Transmittal letter is provided is it included in the page count?

Answer: Offerors are not required to include a Cover Letter or Transmittal Sheet. If a Cover Letter or Transmittal Sheet is included in the proposal submission, it will be excluded from the page limitations.

Question 61: RFP Reference (page 184): Files shall be in read-only format, using PDF files.

Each proposal volume shall be submitted in a separate PDF file and shall include ALL documents pertinent to the volume. All price breakdown information to aide in the cost/price evaluation shall be submitted in the Microsoft Office Excel template provided with the RFP.

RFP Reference (page 194): Offeror’s are encouraged to provide whatever supplemental information necessary to help the Government understand why the proposed costs are reasonable and realistic. Supporting narrative shall be submitted in Microsoft Word or Excel (2007 or later) compatible format. Any supporting schedules shall be submitted in a Microsoft Excel (2007 or later) compatible readable format. Should the cost narrative be submitted in PDF or Microsoft Word?

Answer: The Cost/Price narrative shall be submitted as a PDF file.

Question 62: RFP Reference (page 184): Each proposal volume shall be submitted in a separate PDF file and shall include ALL documents pertinent to the volume. All price breakdown information to aide in the cost/price evaluation shall be submitted in the Microsoft Office Excel template provided with the RFP.

Is it acceptable for the Offeror to submit the Excel Attachment 6 LOE Spreadsheet with the cost narrative as an added tab (spreadsheet) embedded in the excel file, or should the offeror submit two documents for Volume 5 - Factor 5: Cost/Price: one Excel file for our price breakdown information (using the MS Excel template provided with the RFP) and one file for the Cost Narrative?

Answer: Offerors should submit separate files for Volume 5 – Cost/Price. The Cost Narrative should be a PDF file separate from Solicitation Attachment 6 – LOE Spreadsheet.

Question 63: RFP Reference (page 184): Each proposal volume shall be submitted in a separate PDF file and shall include ALL documents pertinent to the volume. All price breakdown information to aide in the cost/price evaluation shall be submitted in the Microsoft Office Excel template provided with the RFP. RFP Reference (page 194): Each Offeror is to provide two electronic copies of their cost/price proposal. The Excel version of the completed LOE_Spreadsheet.xls shall also be included with the rest of the proposal submission. One shall be locked (read only) and one shall be open. Worksheet formulas shall be readable.

Should the offeror submit 2 versions of the Volume 5 - Factor 5 Cost Price, one titled LOCKED and one titled OPEN?

Answer: Yes

Question 64: RFP Reference: Each proposal volume shall be submitted in a separate PDF file and shall include ALL documents pertinent to the volume.

Please provide guidance regarding the submission of multiple documents within a PDF for any given volume if we must include multiple documents. For example, for Volume 2, the Offeror may have an appendix to attach to the end of the Volume 2 narrative. Does the Government wish for the documents to flow one right after the other within the PDF with bookmarks, or does the Government desire that we format and include the documents as a PDF portfolio?

Answer: The Government has no preference.

Question 65: Section L – Volume 5-Factor 5: Cost/Price: states that “Offeror’s shall consider the Section H clause on the limitation of Direct Labor Costs which states, “Any increase in direct Labor Rates beyond 10% for the contract period of performance inclusive of options, which has not been approved by the Contracting Officer, will be considered an unallowable cost, in accordance with FAR 31.201-2 under Determining Allowability, and will NOT be paid by the Government under this contract.” To add further clarification, the average billed rate of the labor category must not exceed the proposed labor category rate by over 10%.”

Section H states “Contractors and their subcontractors are expected to propose realistic labor rates that represent the cost to obtain and retain the workforce proposed to meet the PWS requirements for this contract. In addition to FAR 52.232-20, Limitation of Cost clause, direct labor rates billed to the Government in execution of the contract shall not exceed more than 10% over the awarded rates for any labor category unless a waiver has been granted by the Contracting Officer in writing. Any increase in rates beyond 10% that has not been approved by the Contracting Officer will be considered to be an unallowable cost in accordance with FAR 32.201-2(a)(4) and will not be paid by the Government under this contract.

This clause applies to professional labor categories only.”

Does the Section L reference under Determining Allowability apply to professional labor categories only or to all labor categories?

Answer: This section applies to professional labor rates. CBA/WD rates shall be established by the applicable schedule.

Question 66: Section L – Volume 5-Factor 5: Cost/Price: states that “Offeror’s shall consider the

Labor Rates beyond 10% for the contract period of performance inclusive of options, which has not been approved by the Contracting Officer, will be considered an unallowable cost, in accordance with FAR 31.201-2 under Determining Allowability, and will NOT be paid by the Government under this contract.” To add further clarification, the average billed rate of the labor category must not exceed the proposed labor category rate by over 10%.”

Section H states “Contractors and their subcontractors are expected to propose realistic labor rates that represent the cost to obtain and retain the workforce proposed to meet the PWS requirements for this contract. In addition to FAR 52.232-20, Limitation of Cost clause, direct labor rates billed to the Government in execution of the contract shall not exceed more than 10% over the awarded rates for any labor category unless a waiver has been granted by the Contracting Officer in writing. Any increase in rates beyond 10% that has not been approved by the Contracting Officer will be considered to be an unallowable cost in accordance with FAR 32.201-2(a)(4) and will not be paid by the Government under this contract.

This clause applies to professional labor categories only.”

Are we correct to interpret “Any increase in direct Labor Rates beyond 10% for the contract period of performance inclusive of options” to mean the entire contract as compared to the offerors submitted price?

Answer: The government plans to evaluate FAR 52.232-20 by labor category per year against the rates provided in the awardee’s contract proposal. This will be done throughout the life of the contract.

Question 67: Section L – Volume 5-Factor 5: Cost/Price: states that “Offeror’s shall consider the

Labor Rates beyond 10% for the contract period of performance inclusive of options, which has not been approved by the Contracting Officer, will be considered an unallowable cost, in accordance with FAR 31.201-2 under Determining Allowability, and will NOT be paid by the Government under this contract.” To add further clarification, the average billed rate of the labor category must not exceed the proposed labor category rate by over 10%.”

Section H states “Contractors and their subcontractors are expected to propose realistic labor rates that represent the cost to obtain and retain the workforce proposed to meet the PWS requirements for this contract. In addition to FAR 52.232-20, Limitation of Cost clause, direct labor rates billed to the Government in execution of the contract shall not exceed more than 10% over the awarded rates for any labor category unless a waiver has been granted by the Contracting Officer in writing. Any increase in rates beyond 10% that has not been approved by the Contracting Officer will be considered to be an unallowable cost in accordance with FAR 32.201-2(a)(4) and will not be paid by the Government under this contract.

This clause applies to professional labor categories only.”

Is the term Direct Labor Rates referring to fully burdened labor rates or base labor rates?

Answer: Direct Labor Rates refer to unburdened base labor rates.

Question 68: With the inclusion of FAR 52.222-43 in the solicitation, does this FAR clause prohibit the Offeror providing raises to SCA / WD personnel above the stated increase provided in the Wage Determination? In other words, are Offerors allowed by the FAR to exceed the stated increase amount in the Wage Determination?

Answer: The clause has been removed.

Question 69: Within the PWS, the transition plan is referenced in Section 5.7 as follows: “The Contractor shall follow the transition plan submitted as part of the proposal and …”. On page 106 , it states: “Contractors shall submit a Phase-in Plan with their proposals. The Contractor proposals shall also include a Phase-Out Plan with their proposals that establishes and implements a plan for an orderly phase-out of the contractor operations at the termination of this Contract Agreement.” In the B08 PWS Exhibit A CDRL file, CDRL A017 Transition Plan states: “A Transition Plan shall be provided to the Government prior to commencing contract transition and performance.”

Section L and Section M do not reference the delivery of a Transition Plan with the proposal. Will the Government please clarify when the Transition Plan is due?

Answer: See Questions #15.

Question 70: Each offeror is to provide a price proposal and accompanying narrative as part of their proposal in response to the solicitation The instructions work sheet included in the LOE Attachment 6 workbook further states “This is a required flow down requirement, and therefore shall be submitted for the prime offeror AND for any and all divisions and subcontractors proposed to perform effort in response to this solicitation.” Would the Government clarify if all subcontractors must submit the LOE workbook or are only major subcontractors required to submit the pricing workbook.

Answer: All prime offerors and associated subcontractors shall submit a LOE Spreadsheet for the proposed labor.

Question 71: The last bullet under PWS section 5.2.10 Mandatory Drug Testing states, "The Contractor shall pay for drug testing. Cost of the testing shall be reimbursed as part of the Contractor indirect costs." Do these statements apply to the whole of section 5.2.10, or just to the last paragraph to which this bullet is indented?

Answer: The statements apply to all of PWS Section 5.2.10.

Question 72: On the ‘Direct Labor Rate Schedule’ tab of the LOE Spreadsheet, there are formulas in the ‘Surge Rate’ and ‘Hazardous Duty Rate’ columns indicating that premiums of

1.5 times the regular rate and 8% respectively are to be applied to all labor categories. These premiums are associated with Service Contract Act (SCA) hourly positions. Will the Government confirm that these premiums are to be applied to the Professional Exempt positions?

If not, can bidders alter the formulas in these columns to apply the premiums only to the SCA labor categories?

Answer: The premiums are only applied to SCA positions. Hazard and/or Surge requirements for professional labor rates shall be billed at the regular established rate. The LOE Spreadsheet has been updated.

Question 73: For planning and pricing purposes, will the Government provide the anticipated start and end dates of the periods of performance?

Answer: See Question #52.

Question 74: Please clarify if Volume 5 cost narrative shall be submitted in it’s native format (i.e. Microsoft Word) or in read-only PDF format.

Answer: See Question #61.

Question 75: Does this mean we submit 2 copies of the cost narrative also?

Answer: See Question #63.

Question 76: Will the Government consider changing Attachment 2 to “leading/supervising 100 or more people in a technical environment?”

Answer: See Question #31.

Question 77: Please clarify that we are supposed to propose an 8% hazardous pay differential to the proposed labor rates as indicated in Att. 6 LOE Cost Model.

Answer: The Government confirms that an 8% hazardous pay differential shall be applied. The LOE Spreadsheet automatically calculates the rate adjustments.

Question 78: INTRODUCTION states: “… The use of hyperlinks in proposals is prohibited.

”Does this include the Table of Contents hyperlinks?

Answer: No.

79. Due to an army-wide change, the email address for the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer on the Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) has been updated.

Please inform the Government point of contact that will be completing the PPQ. If they have received a confirmation from the Contract Specialist, the PPQ does not need to be re-submitted.

80. Offerors do not need to sign Solicitation Amendments 0001, 0002, and 0003 as part of the proposal submission. The first Solicitation Amendment that is required to be provided with the proposal is 0004.

Question 81: The Government’s response to Question #32, received yesterday 11/23/21, materially changed the key personnel security clearance requirements by requiring an active TS at the time of proposal submission. Given the importance of key personnel to the success of RTES, and the fact that industry does not control the timing of the clearance process, would the Government reconsider the amended language for the PM and APM and permit offerors to propose key personnel (PM and APM) who possess an active SECRET clearance at the time of proposal submission with eligibility to obtain a TOP SECRET clearance within 30 days after award?

Answer: The requirement for the PM and APM to have a Top Secret clearance at the time of proposal submission remains the same.

Question 82: For Attachment 6 LOE spreadsheet, tabs Reg Labor Detail, Hazard Duty Labor Detail, Surge Labor Detail, would Govt clarify how to address Material and Handling (M&S) on subcontractor labor? In these three tabs, column M (G&A) is applied to column K (sub FBLR to prime) which is not in line with our corporate accounting system and practices. We apply M&S on sub labor instead of G&A on sub labor. In order to properly calculate M&S, would Govt allow Offeror to 1) Add M&S column and adjust formula for current column N (Total Price Before Profit) or 2) Allow Offeror to adjust formula in column M to burden with M&S instead of G&A. If two options are not allowed, will Govt provide updated Attachment 6 with M&S burdening column for subcontractors?

Answer: Offerors are authorized to adjust the LOE Spreadsheet as necessary to reflect accounting system nuances.

(End of Summary of Changes)