Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY - FEDBIZOPPS ISSUE OF SEPTEMBER 10, 2015 FBO #5039
DOCUMENT

R -- Auditing Support Services - Attachment

Notice Date

9/8/2015
 

Notice Type

Attachment
 

NAICS

541219 — Other Accounting Services
 

Contracting Office

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs;Strategic Acquisition Center;10300 Spotsylvania Ave;Fredericksburg VA 22408
 

ZIP Code

22408
 

Solicitation Number

VA11915R0217
 

Response Due

9/18/2015
 

Archive Date

10/3/2015
 

Point of Contact

Jaime Friedel
 

E-Mail Address

se
 

Small Business Set-Aside

Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business
 

Description

Answers to Draft Solicitation Questions Question 1: Would the Government consider changing the NAICS designation to 541611? Answer 1: The NAICS code should be 541219 Question 2: Would the government consider updating the NAICS code to 541611 which would be a better fit for Section B.1 and for the PWS scope of work and labor categories? Answer 2: See answer 1. Question 3: The 561110 NAICS code does not seem to match or fit the complex audit and advanced data analytics nature of this requirement. The scope and specific requirements described in the PWS are inconsistent with the definition of NAICS 561110 and are more typically procured under NAICS 541611. Answer 3: See answer 1. Question 4: Will solicitation VA11915R0217 be open to veteran owned small businesses or only service disabled? Answer 4: It is set aside for SDVOSB. Question 5: Are you still under market research or have you concluded? Answer 5: Market research is an ongoing process. Question 6: If done, when in September would be the earliest time period that you would anticipate a release of the RFP? Answer 6: The government anticipates release of the official RFP in early September. Question 7: Please indicate if this is a new requirement or a continuation of ongoing for the audit support services? Please indicate if this is new work or a continuation of ongoing work for the data analytics area? If ongoing work, please provide the name of the incumbent contractor and any contract information (was it a task off a GSA schedule or part of another awarded contract)? Answer 7: The work is currently being performed; however, the information requested will not be provided. Question 8: Given the ability to telecommute the contractor workforce, please clarify what percentage and/or what specific members of the proposed contractor team will be required to work onsite at the 7600 Metropolis drive location? What type of office space and other GFE (i.e. terminals, network access, etc.) will the government provide? Answer 8: The contract team will need to be onsite at 7600 Metropolis location for at least 90 days. At that point telework will be ad hoc and on a case by case basis. Question 9: Would the VA consider the use of an existing contract vehicle to help simplify and/or expedite the acquisition process? Answer 9: The VA will be soliciting this requirement as described in the draft RFP. Question 10: The instructions state, "Font size shall be no smaller than 12-point. Arial or Times New Roman fonts are required. Characters shall be set at no less than normal spacing and 100% scale." Will the government revise to state "Font size shall be no smaller than 11-point"? Answer 10: No, the requirement for font size will remain as stated. Question 11: The technical volume is limited to 15 pages but must include a telecommute approach, a staffing plan including a detailed transition plan, a subcontracting/teaming plan, in addition to a technical plan that adequately demonstrates an understanding of the work. The Specific Performance Requirements included on pages 6-11 of the PWS outline a complicated requirement that requires more than a brief summary to demonstrate appropriate understanding. Offeror requests the technical volume be limited to 20 pages instead of 15. Answer 11: Noted and yes the government will allow for 20 pages. Question 12: Offeror requests that the Telecommute Approach be included as a separate annex with the OCI Plan and Key Personnel Resumes, and be excluded from page count. Answer 12: The telecommute Approach will be included in the technical volume. Question 13: On page 61, under Key Personnel, the solicitation states "Principal Auditor must have at least three years' experience conducting audits." In the Performance Work Statement, on page 14, it states "The Key Personnel for Audit: one Program Manager (PM) or Equivalent for Auditing and one Principal Auditor." However, the CLIN structure indicates a need for 2 Principal Auditors. Please confirm that only 1 Principal Auditor is considered key. Answer 13: Will be clarified in solicitation. Question 14: Instructions regarding who can submit past performance state "past performance questionnaires can be submitted for subcontractors providing more than 25% of the amount of the award." Given that this is a SDVOSB set aside; will the government consider allowing sub-contractors who perform 20% or more of the work to submit past performance statements? Answer 14: Yes. Question 15: Would the Government consider changing Section E4.1.c.ii, Volume II - Past Performance Factor (2), second paragraph, second sentence to read: FROM: "At least two past performance questionnaires should to be provided for the prime contractor; therefore, past performance questionnaires can be submitted for subcontractors providing more than 25% of the amount of the award. " TO: "At least two past performance questionnaires should to be provided for the prime contractor; therefore, past performance questionnaires can be submitted for subcontractors providing more than 20% of the amount of the award." Answer 15: Yes. Question 16: Would the Government consider changing Section E.5.b.(1).ii, Factor 2, to read: FROM: "Past Performance (no more than 2 page per project/reference not to exceed 5 projects. Questionnaires do not count against page total.) (provide for subcontractors who perform 25% of the work) TO: "Past Performance (no more than 2 page per project/reference not to exceed 5 projects. Questionnaires do not count against page total.) (provide for subcontractors who will perform 20% or more of the work)." Answer 16: Yes Question 17: Are there specific criteria for contractors who are or are not eligible for telework? Answer 17: No, telecommuting will be determined on a case per case bases. Question 18: Will CLIN hours be available for contractors to record transit time when travel is required? Answer 18: No. Question 19: If travel is changed, cancelled, or rescheduled for reasons outside of contractor control, will sunk travel costs be reimbursed? Answer 19: Yes as allowed per Federal Travel regulations. Question 20: Will travel expenses cover travel insurance? Answer 20: No Question 21: Will travelers have access to VA negotiated travel rates and government discounts on airfare, hotel, rental vehicles, or any other travel expenses? Answer 21: No Question 22: Will travel for government purposes be tax exempt? Answer 22: It is up to each business entity whether to allow tax exempt status. Normally, with the appropriate state tax exempt form, the state tax may be tax exempt but not necessarily any city or local taxes. Question 23: What tax rates are applicable on travel expenses of contractors performed on behalf of the VA? Answer 23: Unsure of what is being asked. Travel should be done in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations. Question 24: In accordance with individual contractors' standard accounting practices and procedures, DCAA rules for government contractors, Joint Travel Regulations (JTR), Federal Travel Regulations, and FAR Part 31, contractors may apply an administrative burden (which is not the same as profit or fee) on direct travel costs. Since this is a small business set-aside, it can be difficult for small businesses to book and pay up-front travel costs, hotels and cash advances for 63-84 trips per year, and to arrange for and carry the cost of travel expenses (usually on a credit basis) until reimbursed by the government 30-90 days after conclusion of the travel. Unless small business are allowed to apply an administrative burden to travel as allowed under FAR Part 31, the small businesses will be forced by the Government to take a "loss" on credit interest and other administrative costs related to these travel expenses. We recommend that the Government revise PWS 3.7 to allow bidders to appy an administrative burden to travel, but not profit. For those bidders with an accounting system design that has been reviewed and approved by DCAA, we the Government could ask bidders' to disclose or provide their G&A or administrative burdened rate as part of the price proposal instructions. This administrative rate would then be applied to any direct travel under CLINs 0017, 1017, 2017, 3017 and 4017 as part of the Not to Exceed travel amount of $155,000 per year. Answer 24: PWS 3.7 will not be revised. Question 25: Does auditing certifications and/or relevant degrees qualify personnel as "highly qualified" as described in Section 5.0 of the PWS? Answer 25: It would qualify them; however, individual experience will be taken under consideration as well. Question 26: Are contractors able to contact the auditee prior to engagement? Answer 26: Unless advanced direction/authorization is provided, planning and coordination will be performed by Government personnel. Question 27: How frequently will COR surveillance occur, and will any hours be required to support or enable COR surveillance? Answer 27: COR's quality assurance surveillance will conducted quarterly. No additional hours will be required to support COR's surveillance. Question 28: How large of a sample will be used for COR surveillance in determining the 98% accuracy performance standards described in Section 7.0 of the PWS? If a small sample is used and the contractor performance percentage is lower than 98%, can the contractor request that additional measurements be taken to obtain greater sampling precision? Answer 28: Due to the nature of the task (Professional Services), continuous contractor performance feedback may be provided to the COR by VA Government personnel upon completion of each audit. COR will document and if needed will forward notification to the CO of any performance below standard for CO's review; action, and/or adjudication. Question 29: Will performance standards be calculated and applied on a periodic basis (monthly) or as a single cumulative measure (POP)? If a performance standards is not achieved for a single month or period, will the contractor have opportunities to average that measure with subsequent periods to come back into compliance with the measure? Answer 29: Surveillance will be conducted quarterly and an overall performance evaluation will be reported through the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) at the end of each period of performance. Question 30: Is there a preferred format, length, or level of detail needed for the Monthly Progress Report from Section 7.0 of the PWS? Answer 30: Preferred format would be MS Word or MS Excel format with charts and graphs with transactional level detail tracking key performance indicators and other metrics provided by the government. Reports should also include current program status. Question 31: Are there specific performance measures required under the Monthly Progress Report? Will annual CPE and training expenses be reimbursed or provided by the VA? Answer 31: (a) Yes; however, they will be provided by the government upon start of each project engagement. (b) No; it is the contractor's responsibility track and ensure personnel remains qualified in order to perform tasks in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract. Training to maintain certifications is the individuals and/or contractor's responsibility. Question 32: Is federal audit experience required for personnel to be considered qualified? Will non-federal audit experience also be considered relevant for the Program Manager? Answer 32: Personnel considered qualified (other than Program Manager and Key personnel) must have some type of audit or business related experience. Program Manager must have federal audit experience. Grant Audit or A-133 experience would be a plus. Question 33: For the Program Manager (PM) or Equivalent in Auditing, would the Government consider changing the key personnel requirements for this position to include the following desired or preferred qualifications: MBA or Masters degree in a relevant finance, business, accounting or economic field, and advanced industry certifications such as Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Information System Auditor (CISA) or similar. Answer 33: These qualifications will be considered; however, it does not take the place of the required federal experience, and the overall requirement stated in the PWS will not be changed. Question 34: For the one Principal Auditor referenced in Section 9.0, would the Government consider changing the key personnel requirements for this position to include the desired or preferred certification in public accounting (CPA) or similar industry recognized certification? Answer 34: These qualifications will be considered; however, it does not take the place of the required federal experience, and the overall requirement stated in the PWS will not be changed. Question 35: Key Personnel listed in the PWS include a Data Analytics PM: "Key Personnel for Data Analytics: PM or Equivalent must have at least five years' experience in managing a team of more than five Subject Matter Experts in Business Intelligence ¦" However, the CLIN structure in Section B.1 of the solicitation does not include an additional Program Manager position. Please clarify and confirm that the Data Analytics PM is the same as the Business Analyst Manager listed in CLIN 0010, 1010, 2010, 3010, and 4010. Answer 35: Requirement is for 2 Program Manager's. Audit Program Manager and Data Analytics Manager. Please review the adjusted CLIN structure which will be released in the official solicitation. Question 36: Are there preferred or required levels of experience for any non-key personnel? Or is this left to the bidders discretion as part of their demonstrated technical knowledge and understanding of the requirement, proposed staffing approach and labor mix? Answer 36: Personnel considered qualified (other than Program Manager and Key personnel) must have some type of audit or business related experience. Grant Audit or A133 Experience is a plus. Question 37: The PWS references and describes numerous tasks that do not align with NAICS code 561110, Office Administrative Support. Examples of these specific tasks areas include, but are not limited to: conduct "complex" audits, risk assessments, and special request audits; provide specialized financial assistance and advice; make recommendations for operational business process improvements; provide data governance, data analytics and business intelligence support using sophisticated analytics programs, heavy statistical/predicting modelling, ETL, and development of interactive dashboards with visual analytics. These and other specific requirements described in PWS Section 1.0 and 5.0 are better classified as "General Management Consulting". Based on the PWS, we recommend that the Government change the small business NAICS code to 541611, Administrative Management and General Management Consulting. Answer 37: See answer 1. Question 38: Section 1.0 of the PWS indicates that teams of auditors will engage in approximately 63 and 84 field audits per year. This is a very heavy schedule requiring a large number of professional staff with a higher level management consulting acumen. A staffing, audit and travel schedule of this volume and magnitude is inconsistent with NAICS 561110 and cannot be adequately handled under the strict labor limitations associated with Service Contract Act or administrative level positions. We strongly encourage the government to reconsider its use of NAICS 561110, which would make it more difficult for bidders to staff the contract with the correct labor mix and to successfully carry out such an involved audit and travel schedule. Otherwise, the Government may inadvertently limit bidders' ability to successfully perform this work. Based on this complex field audit and travel requirement, we recommend that the Government change the NAICS to 541611 or similar. Answer 38: See answer 1 Question 39: The 561110 NAICS is most often associated with lower level or routine office administrative tasks. However, neither the Performance Work Statement nor the labor categories indicate that this requirement falls within the NAICS 561110 category. We request that the Government revise the NAICS code to 541611." Answer 39: See answer 1 Question 40: 1. Is there an incumbent vendor? If so who is the contract currently awarded to? Answer 40: See answer 7. Question 40: Next to the set-aside description in the pre-solicitation notice there is the number 14. What does that number mean? Will you be awarding 14 possible contractors the opportunity to work under this contract? Answer 40: 14 is the code given by Fedbizops to show the solicitation is going to set aside for service disabled veteran owned small businesses. The government will be awarding to one offeror. Question 41: Is this contract requiring that the home base of the contractor be physically in Austin Texas? Will telecommuting be allowed? Answer 41: As per the draft solicitation attachment A PWS sections 3.4 and 3.5 telecommuting will be allowed. Question 42: How may audit and consulting engagements is expected over a one year period? If this is not the first time this contract was awarded, can you tell me how many were performed last year? Do you currently have a risked based process for determining the audit schedule or would the contractor be responsible for making such an assessment? Answer 42: Planned for FY2015 - 40 engagements that required travel. We do use a risk based approach. Question 43: If this contract requires the staffing on site in the Austin office, is there an existing staff supporting this contract already in place? Answer 43: There is existing staff currently supporting this effort. Question 44: As the government will be supplying the computers and for the contractors, what is the current audit software that is being used (if that is not proprietary to the incumbent). Does the contractor have an opportunity to recommend one? Answer 44: Current audit software is Teamate. Question 45: Can you provide a list of where the audit sites are located so better understand the travel requirements involved? Answer 45: Sites are throughout the continental United States. Question 46: Can you provide a sample(s) of a prior audit report(s) to obtain an understanding of the types and levels of complexity of past audit assignments. Answer 46: No we cannot. Question 47: The pre-solicitation appears to have a response date of September 11, 2015 however no instructions as to a response have been posted. Are you seeking responses to this pre-solicitation notice and if so, in what form? Answer 47: There is no formal response currently required. The government is just taking questions as a means at this time which can be sent via email. Question 48: Are there enough hours provided in the Solicitation Section B.1 Price/Cost Schedule to cover the scope of work and specific requirements listed in PWS 5.3 Data Analytics and Business Intelligence? Question 48: Will be adjusted in Solicitation. Question 49: It appears that the Level-of-Effort (LOE) in Section B.1 does not align with the amount of work described in the PWS. Can the Government please validate the LOE? Answer 49: Will be adjusted in solicitation. Question 50: NAICS code 561110 does not support Audit Services and Data Analytics. We believe NAICs code 541611 would better support this effort. Will the Government consider changing the NAICS code? Answer 50: See answer 1.
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/07598124009ac4ba05903546a0ed0d6c)
 

Document(s)

Attachment
 

File Name: VA119-15-R-0217 VA119-15-R-0217_3.docx (https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/FBODocumentServer/DocumentServer.aspx?DocumentId=2303002&FileName=VA119-15-R-0217-008.docx)

Link: https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/FBODocumentServer/DocumentServer.aspx?DocumentId=2303002&FileName=VA119-15-R-0217-008.docx

 

Note: If links are broken, refer to Point of Contact above or contact the FBO Help Desk at 877-472-3779.
 

Record

SN03876210-W 20150910/150909000100-07598124009ac4ba05903546a0ed0d6c (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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