MODIFICATION
R -- NIST MEP Enterprise Risk Management Support Services
- Notice Date
- 8/7/2018
- Notice Type
- Modification/Amendment
- NAICS
- 541618
— Other Management Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Acquisition Management Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Building 301, Room B130, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899-1410, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20899-1410
- Solicitation Number
- 1333ND18QNB480183
- Archive Date
- 9/1/2018
- Point of Contact
- Abdul-Kudus Yahaya, Phone: 3019758497, Keith Bubar, Phone: 3019758329
- E-Mail Address
-
abdul-kudus.yahaya@nist.gov, keith.bubar@nist.gov
(abdul-kudus.yahaya@nist.gov, keith.bubar@nist.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- The purpose of this amendment is as follows: A. to delete the following from the solicitation "The description of each contract/order described in this section shall not exceed one half page in length" under Part B, Section III, Past Performance B. Respond to questions as indicated below. On FBO, the instructions for submission (section IX) states... "The offeror shall propose a total firm fixed price for each CLIN identified in this request. To show the derivation of the proposed price for each CLIN, the offeror must provide a fully burdened hourly labor rate for each proposed labor category, a total number of estimated hours to be worked for each labor category, and a total firm fixed price for each labor category. Question 1: Please confirm that NIST would like vendors to create and propose labor categories as needed to provide a complete fixed price quote. Labor categories are not based on any other contract vehicle/GWAC or other requirements such as years of experience or education. Response: This is a Firm Fixed Price Purchase Order. As long as the reasoning for choosing any particular labor category is explained is acceptable. The Government wants to understand how the offeror arrived at the prices. Question 2: Is the total firm fixed price for each labor category, for each CLIN or both? Response: The contract is firm fixed price. Travel will be reimbursed as costs are expensed as allowed by FTR and approved by the COR and CO. Question 3. Can it be confirmed that letters of commitment are excluded from page count? Response: Yes. Letters of commitment are excluded from the page count. Question 4. Please confirm that this is a 100% Small Business Set Aside? Response: Yes. It is a 100% Small Business Set Aside. Question 5. Has the MEP program implemented any ERM elements yet? If so, what are they and when did they go into effect? Response: MEP has implemented a number of financial elements related to its Centers. Other elements will be dictated by NIST's overall ERM approach. Question 6. To what extent, if at all, does MEP follow NIST's ERM approach? Response: MEP, being an operating unit of NIST, will follow NIST's ERM approach on those elements which are required by all OUs. Other elements may be unique to MEP and how it executes its programs. Question 7. For task 3.2, how many interviews do you anticipated being conducted? Are the interviewees geographically dispersed? Response: MEP anticipates that the contractor will need to speak to 25-30 individuals. It may be possible to hold joint interviews or focus groups to minimize the actual number of interviews. The bulk of those individuals are located in the greater Washington, DC area, with most in Gaithersburg, MD. Five or six are outside that area but alternative methods, e.g., videoconferencing, may be used to talk to those individuals Question 8. Are any parts of Tasks 2 and 3 being performed by an incumbent contractor? If so, who is the contractor, what is the contract number, what in-scope work is being performed by that contractor, and does the incumbent contract include work outside the scope of this solicitation? Response: There is no current contractor performing the work requested in this solicitation. Financial risk management was previously addressed in a separate contract and, per the solicitation, will be provided to the selected contractor for this solicitation. Question 9. Is Volume 1: Business/Price Quotation included in the 25 page limit for the quotation? Response: No Question 10. For Past Performance references, does the half-page limit apply only to the "description and relevance to solicitation requirements including dollar value" of the past performance (item 2 on the list of elements required for each reference) or does it apply to the entire reference? If it applies only to item 2, is there a separate page limit for the entire reference or for the Problems Encountered section? Response: The half page requirement is deleted from the solicitation. Question 11. In the Background section the Government states that "NIST MEP has engaged a contractor to review the financial risks associated with funded MEP centers, including NIST MEP's compliance risk posture" - a. Can the agency mention the name of this contractor performing this effort for the agency? Response: Hamilton Enterprises LLC b. Has this above stated contractor performed risk assessments outside of financial risks to include compliance, legal, legislative, operational, political, reporting, reputational and strategic? Response: The previous contractor focused on financial risk, not on the other categories mentioned. c. And if not, is there a separate current contractor performing this sort of work? And if so, who is the contractor? Response: See response to question 8. Question 12. In the RFP the agency has mentioned about two specific key personnel position title (Program manager and subject matter expert). Does this mean that these are the only two key personnel to be provided? Response: While the program manager and subject matter expert are the only two key personnel mentioned, if, in the opinion of the offeror, additional key personnel are required, those individuals should be mentioned and included. Question 13. Should the contractor come up with their own staffing plan to perform the task required on this RFP? Response: Yes, but the Contractor's staffing plan shall include Program manager and subject matter expert with the right qualifications as required by the solicitation. Question 13. The Key personnel resume to be submitted should be of the permanent employees of the contractor bidding for this requirement or Can we use key personnel on 1099 mode and submit their resume? Response: So long as the key personnel submitted are qualified and available to work on the project, the Government has no position on whether they are permanent employees or 1099 contractors. However, whether permanent or 1099, a letter committing them to work on the project should be provided. Question 14. Key personnel substitution: We understand as per CAR 1352.237-75 Key personnel Requests for changes in key personnel shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer at least 15 working days prior to making any permanent substitutions. Are the contractors allowed to change the key personnel resume submitted prior to the time of award? Response: The key personnel resume may be changed prior to the closing of the solicitation. After closing, CAR 1352.237-75 Key personnel is applicable. Question 15. Page 1 of SOW states that the NIST - MEP is funded by both federal and nonfederal resources. Can the agency specify how much of the fund are from Federal and how much of the fun are from nonfederal resources? Response: The MEP National Network TM is funded by both federal and non-federal funds. The MEP Program Office is fully funded by federal funds. Question 16. What is the potential budget for this project? Response: Unable to provide. Question 17. In page 2 under section 3, it states that NIST is seeking contractor support to review its current enterprise risk management posture. Can the agency specify if there was an external contractor involved in developing the existing enterprise risk management posture? If so can the agency mention who was this contractor? Response: See response to question 8. Question 18. From the time of award, how long will the agency take to furnish all the existing details of the NIST - MEP program, since the deliverables starts from 30 days of contract award, sharing of these details will be critical to adhere to the timeline? Response: NIST MEP expects to share the necessary details no later than 3 business days following award. Question 19. What is the anticipated start date for this contract? Response: October 1, 2018 or sooner Question 20. if there is an incumbent who is currently providing this service for the agency, are they allowed to rebid on this opportunity? Response: See response to question 8. Question 21. And if the agency is going to replace the incumbent with a new contractor, then how long is the transition period? Response: See response to question 8. Question 22. The RFP states offerors should present past performance from the last 5 years? Can the agency specify if this is 5 years prior is to the request for proposal release date (which is July 2018) or 5 years before prior to the federal fiscal year closing ( September 2018 )? Response: Five years prior to the close of the solicitation.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOC/NIST/AcAsD/1333ND18QNB480183/listing.html)
- Record
- SN05025227-W 20180809/180807231706-146e21ea39ffc28eb27201aec446d2ef (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |