SOLICITATION NOTICE
M -- Question and answers from Dry Tortugas National Park Site Visit. PART I
- Notice Date
- 7/30/2008
- Notice Type
- Modification/Amendment
- Contracting Office
- SER - National Park Service Contracting & Property Mgt.100 Alabama St., SW Atlanta GA 30303
- ZIP Code
- 30303
- Solicitation Number
- CC-DRTO001-08
- Response Due
- 8/13/2008
- Archive Date
- 7/30/2009
- Point of Contact
- Cherrie Brice Concessions Mgt. Specialist 4045623108654 cherrie_brice@nps.gov;
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- To: All Recipients of the prospectus: CC-DRTO001-08- A Concession Business Opportunity for round trip passenger ferry service between Key West, FL and Dry Tortugas National Park and other specified services NPS RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY JEWELS QUESTION 1 What range of alcoholic beverages is expected to be available? Are mixed cocktails expected to be served? NPS RESPONSE:The sale of alcoholic beverages is an authorized visitor service addressed in Section 3(a)(2) of the Draft Contract on page 4, and in the Draft Operating Plan, subsection 4D)(2) on page A-19. Other than these provisions, the Prospectus does not address NPS expectations about this service because it is not a required service. Alcoholic beverage sales theoretically could include beer, wine and mixed cocktails. However, specific details regarding this or any of the authorized services the successful Offeror proposes to provide will be addressed accordingly in the Operating Plan when the new contract is awarded. QUESTION 2 Is there a full range kitchen on board the ferry or at dock? NPS RESPONSE:A concessioner's vessel may have a full range kitchen although it is not included in the Vessel Requirements listed in Section 3) C) of Contract Exhibit A: Draft Operating Plan. Except for the contract requirements expressly stated in the Prospectus documents, the concessioner is otherwise responsible for determining what equipment and arrangements will be necessary to meet the Food and Beverage Service requirements of the Draft Contract. NPS does not provide a full range kitchen on the dock. QUESTION 3 What are the days and hours of operation of the ferry? NPS RESPONSE:Information about operating schedules and requirements under the Draft Contract is in Sections 3) D) (1) and 4) A) of Contract Exhibit A: Draft Operating Plan. Information regarding operating schedules of the current operators is not addressed in the Prospectus. However, this is public information tour operators would routinely make available to customers and potential customers upon request. These schedules are subject to change and would only be illustrative of what has been proposed and approved in the past. QUESTION 4 How many trips per day? NPS RESPONSE:The current limitation of one trip per day for each vessel used in the operations also applies under the Draft Contract. Please refer to Section 3) (a) (1) of the Draft Contract and Section 4) A) of Contract Exhibit A: Draft Operating Plan for specific information about operating schedules and requirements under the Draft Contract. QUESTION 5 Can a menu of what is presently offered be available for review? NPS RESPONSE:Information about food product offerings required under the Draft Contract is shown in Section 4) D) of Contract Exhibit A: Draft Operating Plan. Information regarding menus of the current operators is not addressed in the Prospectus. However, this is public information tour operators would routinely make available to customers and potential customers upon request. These menus are subject to change and would only be illustrative of what has been proposed and approved in the past. QUESTION 6 Is any money awarded by the government of this solicitation or is it the sales of the vendor from ferry patrons that is the sole financial benefit? NPS RESPONSE: The National Park Service does not award money under its concessions contracts. Information about the potential financial benefits that may result from successful operations under the Draft Contract is contained in the Business Opportunity section of the Prospectus. To: All Recipients of the prospectus: CC-DRTO001-08- A Concession Business Opportunity for round trip passenger ferry service between Key West, FL and Dry Tortugas National Park and other specified services NPS RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY SUNNY DAYS CATAMARANS QUESTION 1 If a respondent proposed that the current situation, which has provided service to the park for 12 years, be left in place for a year allowing time to build a final vessel(s), will the respondent be considered non-responsive? NPS RESPONSE: Offerors should review the Prospectus documents, determine the requirements of the Draft Contract, and respond to the Proposal Package questions in the Prospectus as written. QUESTION 2 The solution that we would propose would use the same construction technology as the Boeing 787 (carbon composite). It would only burn 99,000 gallons per year with 330 operating days. Due to the boat building capabilities of Sunny Days Catamarans and our partnership with Gold Coast Yachts, we are uniquely situated to provide two vessels that meet the passenger requirements to insure uninterrupted service to the park. With this in mind, once again, will I be considered non-responsive if I propose another solution to meet your passenger requirements? NPS RESPONSE:All offerors must agree to provide a single primary vessel "within 24 months of the execution of the Contract" as specified in the Business Opportunity, Primary Vessel, page 20 and Contract Exhibit A: Draft Operating Plan, Primary Vessel Requirements, page A-5. Decisions concerning vessel requirements were made during the prospectus development process. Considerations included, without limitation, financial, operational, and visitor comfort concerns. Offerors should review the Prospectus documents, determine the requirements of the Draft Contract, and respond to the Proposal Package questions in the Prospectus as written. QUESTION 3 This brings us to my concern for the environmental issue of burning large quantities of fuel. Any vessel currently in existence that can meet all the requirements in your prospectus would be unable to provide a relatively low environmental impact. Will I be considered non-responsive if I propose a different means, one that is much more environmentally friendly, to the same end? NPS RESPONSE:Offerors should review the Prospectus documents, determine the requirements of the Draft Contract, and respond to the Proposal Package questions in the Prospectus as written. QUESTION 4 Also of concern is the prospectus specifying a USCG certification for 200 passengers. If the vessel is certified to carry 151 passengers or more it is required to comply with the Maritime Transportation Security Act. In Key West, because of the city's interpretation of the act, this is a considerable unrecognized expense in the prospectus that can be circumvented by having two vessels with a maximum passenger capacity of 150 each. On the extremely rare days when running entirely full and having large numbers of park employees, both vessels could be operated. If I propose this, will I be considered non-responsive? NPS RESPONSE:As shown on the enclosed Errata No. 1 for DRTO001-08, the NPS has revised the requirement for a Certificate of Inspection (COI) for a minimum 200 passengers. The capacity requirements are specified in the Business Opportunity, Exhibit 18, page 20 and Contract Exhibit A: Draft Operating Plan, Primary Vessel Requirements, Section 3 C (2), page A-5. The revised capacity requirement in these sections specifies a minimum of 150 passengers. QUESTION 5 There are several other concerns, relatively minor, but if I address them in the proposal and offer a different solution, will I be considered non-responsive? NPS RESPONSE: Without knowing what the questioner's concerns are specifically, NPS is unable to provide a meaningful response to this question. However, as noted in the NPS responses to questions 11 through 13, "offerors should respond to the questions in the Proposal Package Prospectus as written." QUESTION 6 [Ref.: Draft Contract Exhibit A Draft Operating Plan 3C 'Vessel Requirements' pp. A-4 to A-6] The Park's General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement found no technical or environmental reason to mandate one vessel over two vessels for the ferry run. (Decision p. 30 stated: "The number of vessels used in the operation, and arrival and departure patterns at Fort Jefferson, will be determined in the concession contracting process.") Since the choice of a single primary vessel isn't mandated by either technical or environmental factors, would NPS consider eliminating the prospectus requirement to perform with a single vessel during the contract's permanent phase, and amending the solicitation to permit more flexible proposals that demonstrate the ability to transport the requisite number of passengers on the basis of each offeror's relative ability to do so in an environmentally friendly, fuel efficient, and cost-effective manner? NPS RESPONSE:The NPS has considered the request to eliminate the single-Primary Vessel requirement and is not revising the Prospectus to accommodate the request. Decisions concerning vessel requirements were made during the prospectus development process. Considerations included, without limitation, financial, operational, and visitor comfort concerns. Offerors should review the Prospectus documents, determine the requirements of the Draft Contract, and respond to the Proposal Package questions in the Prospectus as written.
- Web Link
-
FedBizOpps Complete View
(https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=cfabad7711a05dbfe7fa919ec471863e&tab=core&_cview=1)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Key West, FL
- Zip Code: 33034
- Zip Code: 33034
- Record
- SN01627365-W 20080801/080730223655-cfabad7711a05dbfe7fa919ec471863e (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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