MODIFICATION
R -- Occupational Safety and Health Support Services
- Notice Date
- 6/14/2006
- Notice Type
- Modification
- NAICS
- 541690
— Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Headquarters TSA, 601 S. 12th Street TSA-25, 10th Floor, Arlington, VA, 22202
- ZIP Code
- 22202
- Solicitation Number
- HSTS03-06-R-CAO092
- Response Due
- 6/22/2006
- Archive Date
- 7/7/2006
- Description
- This hereby constitutes issuance of Amendments 02 ? 04 to RFP HSTS03-06-R-CAO092. All offerors shall acknowledge receipt and acceptance of said amendments in their proposal to include Amendment 01 issued May 30, 2006 via FedBizOpps. The following are questions and answers submitted by interested parties. There were 79 questions submitted in total. Amendment 02 will include Questions 1 ? 26, Amendment 03 will include Questions 27 -53, and Amendment 04 will include Questions 54 - 79. 1. Search as I have, I have not been able to find the exact NAICS code referred to on page 52 and 62 in the RFP. On page 62 it mentions we will see the Code # on the SF1449 which I could not find in our package. Could you please help me with either the SF1449 or at a minimum the NAICS code that the RFP references? The NAICS code associated with this requirement is 541690 -- Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services. The purpose of the NAICS code is for the small business subcontracting goals as addressed in Section M. There is no SF1449. 2. At the Industry Day, I posed the question of whether or not the incumbent has the positions filled at the positions filled at the Mobile Support Centers. In answer to my question, I may have misunderstood, but I thought Mr. Grubbs stated that no positions were filled as of yet and the only staff in place was the TSA staff. However, in the minutes of this discussion, as show below, the answer to my question is still unclear. Would you please clarify whether or not the incumbent has all the positions listed in the SOW filled at the Mobile Support Centers? ?6. Are there contractor personnel in place at the Mission Support Centers now? Yes there are. TSA currently has 5 mission support centers (MSCs) located in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit and San Francisco. Two are GSA leased space and the other three are leased through a contractor.? At this time, the incumbent does utilize the Mission Support Centers (MSC), located in the above Metropolitan areas, for their personnel as contracted. The positions listed in the SOW for this RFP are different than the position requirements for the incumbent. 3. As understood, a hazards analysis has been conducted of TSA?s screening operations and working environments under a separate contract. With input from this hazards analysis, or prior to, has a comprehensive safety and health manual been developed and, if so, is it now in place at all TSA locations and Mobile Support Centers? An OSH Manual is currently in development. We expect updates will be required under the new contract. 4. Reference RFP Section L.1, b. Proposals shall be submitted on single sided, 8 ?? x 11? paper, with a font size no smaller than 12 points. May the offeror submit graphics on 11x17 foldout pages? May a font size of 10 points be used in graphics or text tables? No, all documentation or graphics must be submitted on single sided, 8 ?? x 11? paper. All font size inclusive of text tables, headers and footers, and text used with graphics must be no smaller than 12 points. 5. Reference RFP Section L.1, g. To aid in the evaluations, proposals shall be clearly and concisely written as well as neat, indexed (cross-indexed as appropriate) and logically assembled in the sequence specified in Section L2 of this RFP. By indexed, does the Government require a table of contents to the fourth level or alternatively, an alphabetized list of RFP words or subjects giving the page or pages on which each item is mentioned? By cross-indexed, does the Government mean that the offeror should insert cross-references of related proposal paragraphs into the text or alternatively, a matrix of proposal responses relevant to RFP requirements? Where should the offeror place the index in the proposal volume sequence? Will the index page count be excluded from the page limitations due to the size of indexing requirements? The Government does not require a table of contents or an alphabetized list of RFP words or subjects, but including these in the technical proposal will be left to the discretion of the offeror. If the offeror believes the use of these techniques will provide a more clear and concise proposal and demonstrates the type of work product produced by the offeror, then it would be beneficial. Cross-indexed means both that the offeror is encouraged to insert cross-references of related proposal paragraphs into the text and include a matrix of proposal responses relevant to RFP requirements. Again this is not required and therefore it should be included as a enhancement in your technical volume to be included in the page limitation. 6. RFP section L.2-2 requires bidders to submit a draft Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan. Is this a plan for Government surveillance of the contractor?s work (as specified in FAR 46.4), or is this a plan for contractor surveillance of its own work? If neither, what is it? How does the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan relate to and differ from the Performance Evaluation Plan described in RFP section H.2? The required Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) is a plan for the offeror to provide the Government their specific procedures of how the contractor will conduct surveillance of its own work. The QASP is different than the Performance Evaluation Plan (PEP) in that the PEP will detail how the contractor shall be evaluated to earn the award fee. 7. RFP section I, in the subsection that incorporates TSAAMS 1.13-5, Contractor Quality Control, says that the contractor?s Quality Control Plan must ?detail how survey administration will be tracked and maintained.? Does this refer to the industrial hygiene survey reports referenced in section 2.2.1.2(x) of the Statement of Work, to the customer satisfaction surveys referenced in section 2.2.4.1 in the Statement of Work, or to some other surveys? Please specify. The Contractor Quality Control Plan is for the overall administration of the entire contract. 8. Section L.2 refers to the Resumes of Key Personnel, Sample Final Report, Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan, Quality Assurance Control Plan, Award Fee Plan, and Mitigation Plan as ?attachments.? Does this mean that they must be grouped together at the end of the document, after the sections that fall in the 30-page limit? Or must they be assembled in the numbered sequence specified in Section L.2, interspersed among the sections that fall in the 30-page limit? All attachments that are excluded from the 30 page limitation should be grouped together at the end of the technical volume after the section that fall within the 30 page limit. 9. Reference Page 11 of 76, Paragraph 2.2.2 Staffing. GS-018 which is cited at this location in the RFP ?requires as a minimum 4 year degree in OSH and 3 years experience, 1 year of which was equivalent to at least GS-4, in scientific or technical work that provided and understanding of the basic principles and concepts of the safety and health field. Creditable general experience must have demonstrated the achievement of knowledge equivalent to the education described above.? Will TSA accept a GS-5 level person? What is the acceptable criteria for OSH Specialists on this contract? GS-5, 7, 9, 11, 12 or above? Section C Paragraph 2.2.2 Staffing of the RFP shall hereby be amended to state: OSH Specialists assigned to the OSH support services contract must fit the description set forth in 29 CFR 1960.2(s). That is, OSH Specialists must meet POM standards for Safety and Occupational Health Manager, GS-0018. The minimum acceptable criteria for OSH Specialist working under a Team Lead would be those listed in OPM Publication T-55(8/81) for a GS 0018-09. Note the SOW used GS-0018 as an example of occupations listed under 29 CFR 1960.s(s). A GS-690 Industrial Hygienist may also serve as an OSH Specialist, provided the minimum acceptable criteria are similar to those identified for a GS-0018-09. 10. Reference Page 15 of 76, Paragraph 3.1 Government Furnished Resources/Facilities, Supplies, and Services and Page 41 of 76, Paragraph 3.10.3-11 Contractor's Maintenance Program: Ref. "Contractor will be responsible for maintaining TSA owned equipment issued for Contractor use, including calibration when necessary," and Clause 3.10.3-11: Please confirm the costs associated with maintenance and calibration of Government Owned Equipment will be covered in the ODC Line Item? No, the costs associated with maintenance and calibration of Government Owned Equipment will be covered in the basic fixed-price CLIN that encompasses all requirements under the SOW. It will be required of the Contractor to provide the Government with an annual certification of calibrations for all applicable equipment. Please refer to question 18. 11. Reference Page 24 of 76, Paragraph G.2 Payment Schedule: What are the "required documentation" that must be provided with the Contractor's invoices? The required documentation to be included in the invoice is listed within TSAAMS clause 3.3.1-17 Prompt Payment (January 2003). The Contractor will also be required to submit any documentation in support of ODCs and travel, such as receipts in concurrence with the Federal Travel Regulations. 12. Reference Page 25 of 76, Paragraph G.4 Preparation of invoices, G.5 Prompt Payment, and page 76 of 76, Paragraph M.6 TSA Clauses, 3.3.1-30 Progress Payments Not Included: Please identify how the Contractor is to invoice on a monthly basis for this FFP contract; e.g., for labor a fixed amount per month based on total Labor divided by 12 months, plus incurred ODCs and Travel at cost? Yes, it is envisioned that for labor, the invoicing will be 1/12th the annual price PROVIDED the contract has fully staffed the requirement as solicited for performance to begin October 2, 2006. Travel and any approved ODCs will be billed for the prior month. Please refer to question 70. Please note the correction that the Period of Performance for this contract will begin on October 2, 2006. Therefore, please replace the POP starting date of October 1, 2006 with the corrected POP starting date of October 2, 2006 throughout the RFP. 13. Can I assume the NAICS Code for this procurement is 541690, size limit of $6.5M? That is correct. However, please see question 1. 14. Section L.1 Proposal Preparation Instructions ? General (page 56 of 76) ? items b and d conflict regarding the number of copies. Do you require an original hard copy plus three copies, or an original plus four copies? Please provide one original hard copy plus three copies. Therefore Section L.1 item d shall hereby be amended to state: d. Copy number one of the proposal shall contain the signed original of all documents requiring signature by the Offeror. Use of reproductions of signed originals is authorized for the remaining three copies of the proposal. 15. Section L.3.d, Management and Staffing Approach Mitigation Plan (page 58 of 76) ? ?Offerors shall submit a mitigation plan, as defined in Section K of the RFP.? The reference to mitigation in Section K is limited to discussion of disqualification of the offer. Is this correct or should the definition reference be Section L.8 TSA Clauses 3.1.7-4 Organizational Conflicts of Interest Provision-Short Form (page 66 of 76)? The mitigation plan should be submitted as defined in both Section K.4 3.1.7.5 DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST (FEBRUARY 2003) and section L.8 3.1.7-4 ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST PROVISION-SHORT FORM (FEBRUARY 2003). The CO will determine if a mitigation plan is acceptable for any identified OCI?s. 16. Section L.5 of the solicitation indicates that presenters at the orals must be the key personnel who will perform the work. Section 2.2.2 notes that the Program Manager and Team Leads (7 personnel) are key staff members. May we assume that TSA only requires a representative number of the key personnel at orals? No, TSA requires all key personnel to be present at the orals. Please note the clarification that Key Staff Members is the same as Key Personnel. 17. Section L.8, TSA Clauses ? Clause 3.2.2.5-1 Instructions to Offerors ? Commercial Items (page 62 of 76) references the SF 1449. Is there a Standard Form 1449 available for this solicitation? No, there is not a SF1449 available for this solicitation. This form will be included in the award document. 18. In Attachment 3 TSA provided a GFE list. Will TSA purchase additional equipment, if required, or will the contractor be required to purchase additional equipment? Will additional equipment be purchased under the ODC CLIN 004 in Section B cost schedule? For example, will TSA purchase video recorders? Additional equipment can be purchased under CLIN 0004: Other Direct Costs, if deemed necessary by TSA. Calibration of new equipment will be purchased under CLIN 0004: ODCs. Insurance for all equipment including the Government Furnished Equipment shall be provided by the contractor. 19. Will laboratory analyses cost be incurred under this contract? Will laboratory costs be purchased under the OCS CLIN 004 in Section B cost schedule? TSA currently has a separate contract for laboratory analysis. TSA will however, authorize laboratory costs under CLIN 0004: Other Direct Costs, if deemed necessary. 20. Please clarify the format of the response under Technical Section 2.0 - Quality Assurance and Control Plan. Should this be a brief summary of the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) and Quality Assurance Control Plan (QACP) with references to the separate attachments for the Draft QASP and Draft QACP? No summary is necessary. Offerors shall only submit a draft QASP and QACP as an attachment to the technical volume. As stated, these are excluded from page limitation but shall not exceed 5 pages. 21. Is the 20 page limit for a sample report inclusive of all title pages, table of contents, appendices etc. Yes. 22. We assume that the title page and TOC of the technical proposal do not count against the 30-page limit, is that correct? That is correct. However, please also refer to question 5. 23. Number of copies - Par. L.1.b states that an original, 3 copies and an electronic copy are required. Par. L.1.d refers to copy number one which shall contain all signed original documents, and that reproductions of signed originals are authorized for the 4 remaining copies. Would you please clarify this requirement? Please refer to question 14. 24. Number of past performance references - Par. 6 states that "past performance information should include at least three specific contract references for both the Offeror and any teaming partners." Does this require us to submit at least 3 references for Prime Contractor and also at least 3 references for all teaming partners, or do you want at least 3 in total? We ask for a minimum of three (3) past performance references total, but you may provide as many as you would like for each team member or subcontractor. Please ensure you are providing enough applicable information. 25. Estimating Travel Expenses and Other Direct Costs. Section M.3 (Evaluation Factors, under 10.a. Price Proposal) states that evaluation criteria will include, ?Travel cost estimates regardless of the travel ceiling provided.? Section H.23 Contractor Justification for Other Direct Costs (ODCs) states, ?The Contractor shall include a detailed description of all proposed ODCs in the contract proposal. Section H specifies ODCs to exclude travel.? Section B (Schedule of Pricing) provides not-to-exceed figures for ODCs and Travel. Are we to use the Section B. figures, as given, for ODCs and Travel totals in our price proposal, or are we to develop our own estimates for ODCs and Travel? If we are to develop our own estimates, will TSA provide additional information to assist us in developing our estimates to ensure comparability of price proposals (e.g., number of trips per year to specific destinations, lengths of trips, classes of ODCs, levels of activity in classes of ODCs, etc.)? For those factors that are unknown, can TSA provide a basis for estimating pricing (e.g., number of mishaps to be investigated per year and where, number of industrial hygiene samples to be taken per year and where, copies of training materials to be provided per year, etc.)? Additionally, will TSA expand on the statement in Section H.23, ?The Contractor shall utilize Government supply sources when available, including the mandatory-for-consideration DHS commodity contracts as directed by the COTR.? What are the contract numbers for these contracts? What types of commodities are provided through these contracts? How will we purchase commodities from them, as contractors? Section B numbers as Not to Exceed shall govern for award. TSA requires the offeror to propose anticipated travel and ODC (name, cost, and justification) costs within the pricing proposal which will be evaluated to determine if fair and reasonable and substantiate the contractor?s clear understanding of the requirements to include complexity and scope as related to the offerors technical approach. Section H.23 is a standard statement in procurements but is not applicable to this contract at this time. Please refer to question 18 and 19. Section M.10 Price Proposal is hereby amended to state (bullet 4): Travel and ODC cost estimates regardless of the ceilings provided. Please note the clarification that all option year?s ODCs and travel CLINs will be escalated by 5% annually. Section B.1 Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) is hereby amended as such: Contractors shall propose their total pricing for the following CLINS: BASE PERIOD (October 2, 2006 through October 1, 2007) CLIN Description Qty Unit Unit Price Total Price 0001 Work as specified in the Statement of Work and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract 1 Lot N/A $______ 0002 Award Fee Pool (Max) 1 Lot N/A $TBD* 0003 Surge Requirement 1 Lot N/A $TBD 0004 ODCs* 1 Lot N/A NTE* $178,560.00 0005 Travel 1 Lot N/A NTE $1,152,000.00 * ODCs = Other Direct Costs, TBD = To Be Determined, NTE = Not To Exceed OPTION YEAR 1 (October 2, 2007 through October 1, 2008) CLIN Description Qty Unit Unit Price Total Price 0001A Work as specified in the Statement of Work and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract 1 Lot N/A $_____ 0002A Award Fee Pool (Max) 1 Lot N/A $TBD 0003A Surge Requirement 1 Lot N/A $TBD 0004A ODCs 1 Lot N/A NTE $187,488.00 0005A Travel 1 Lot N/A NTE $1,209,600.00 OPTION YEAR 2 (October 2, 2008 through October 1, 2009) CLIN Description Qty Unit Unit Price Total Price 0001B Work as specified in the Statement of Work and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract 1 Lot N/A $_____ 0002B Award Fee Pool (Max) 1 Lot N/A $TBD 0003B Surge Requirement 1 Lot N/A $TBD 0004B ODCs 1 Lot N/A NTE $196,862.40 0005B Travel 1 Lot N/A NTE $1,270,080.00 OPTION YEAR 3 (October 2, 2009 through October 1, 2010) CLIN Description Qty Unit Unit Price Total Price 0001C Work as specified in the Statement of Work and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract 1 Lot N/A $_____ 0002C Award Fee Pool (Max) 1 Lot N/A $TBD 0003C Surge Requirement 1 Lot N/A $TBD 0004C ODCs 1 Lot N/A NTE $206,705.52 0005C Travel 1 Lot N/A NTE $1,333,584.00 OPTION YEAR 4 (October 2, 2010 through October 1, 2011) CLIN Description Qty Unit Unit Price Total Price 0001D Work as specified in the Statement of Work and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract 1 Lot N/A $_____ 0002D Award Fee Pool (Max) 1 Lot N/A $TBD 0003D Surge Requirement 1 Lot N/A $TBD 0004D ODCs 1 Lot N/A NTE $217,040.80 0005D Travel 1 Lot N/A NTE $1,400,263.20 Note: In the event additional organizations are added to the TSA, TSA reserves the right to add the organization to this contract via a surge CLIN. The surge requirement for additional TSA organizations, such as incorporating the Federal Air Marshall organization into this contract, shall be negotiated between the parties for inclusion via modification. It shall be the sole discretion of the TSA to determine if a surge requirement exists. 26. Radiation Safety. The statement of work is silent on radiological safety. Does TSA consider that ongoing ionizing radiation exposure monitoring is within the scope of this contract or does TSA have other contracts in place for this monitoring? TSA will be contracting separately for radiation monitoring.
- Place of Performance
- Address: Nationwide
- Record
- SN01069312-W 20060616/060614220518 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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