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41. Provision L.22, Proposal Preparation Instructions - Volume II, Technical and Business Management Proposal, paragraph (3)(v) states that the oral presentation slides will be included in the Technical proposal. Provision L.23, Proposal Preparation Instructions - Oral Presentations, paragraph (8) states "The Offeror must submit one original and seven paper copies of any slides, or other material the Offeror intends to show during its presentation to the Government in a sealed package with its offer." Does DOE want the slides included in the Technical Proposal and also provided in a sealed package?
42. Who does warranty tracking? DOE or the IT Support Services Contractor?
43. How does DOE decide whether the IT support service contractor or an outside source, such as a local community college will conduct training?
44. Is the upgrade for equipment in the Computer Training Center planned soon?
45. Does the Government furnish some of the parts for equipment repair?
46. How many people are on the contract now, and where are they?
47. Will everyone need a Q clearance?
48. Are all systems unclassified?
49. Who is responsible for the equipment inventory?
50. Since the contract has been designated under the Service Contract Act (SCA), when will the appropriate Wage Determination be provided? (REV 1)
51. Provision L.22 (4)(b)(iii), Proposal Preparation Instructions - Volume II, Technical and Business Management Proposal, Pertinent Information. What types of information would be considered as "other pertinent information." Is this a required heading even if we do not submit any additional information in response to this RFP paragraph?
52. Provision L.22. Proposal Preparation Instructions - Volume II, Technical and Business Management Proposal paragraph (4), Subcriterion 3.a,Corporate Experience. Under the subsection "Contract Reference Information to Be Submitted" in the 5th bullet, the RFP states that the offeror should include the names of the Contracting Officer and Contracting Officer's Representative for each Corporate Experience summary. Later in Subcriterion 3.b, Past Performance in the first paragraph, the RFP goes on to state that the offeror is responsible for forwarding the company past performance survey to each contact (CO and COR) listed for each contract provided in Subcriterion 3.a. During a previous proposal for another agency, the offeror was requested to send a past performance survey to the CO and COR for a current contract with DOE-ORO. The offeror was informed by DOE-ORO Procurement and Contracts Division that DOE had a department-wide policy for responding to such surveys, and that they should only be sent to the CO for processing, not the COR. Does this policy still exist, and does it conflict with the requirements, as stated in the RFP?
53. Provision L.23, Proposal Preparation Instructions - Oral Presentations, Paragraph 7. It is clear that the offeror's presentation team must include all of the proposed key personnel. It can also be interpreted that other attendees may support the presentation. We would like for representatives of the offeror's executive management to be present for oral presentations and perhaps give a brief team introduction. What is the maximum number of attendees allowed for the offeror's presentation team?
54. Section L - Attachment 8. Can the current average wage rates be identified for each job description? For example: What is the current wage rate for: Computer Operator II, Computer Operator III, Computer Operator IV, Computer Operator V, etc.?
55. The RFP indicates that this is a performance-based contract. Usually this means that there is a fee pool established, which is awarded on the contractor's performance. We have not been able to find such an arrangement in this RFP. Would you please clarify if the successful offeror will be evaluated based on performance with fee at risk or performance with no fee at risk.
56. In the cost proposal, is the fee to be listed as a separate item?
57. Who are the members of the Source Evaluation Panel?
58. When were the last pay increases and what was the percentage (by job title)?
59. If offerors are allowed to contact key personnel, is it possible to obtain the names of the incumbents prior to the contract being awarded?
60. Is the purpose of Attachment 9 to Section L to identify the amount of vacation time each employee will be accruing with the offeror who is awarded the contract, i.e., if an employee is accruing 4 weeks of vacation, that person will continue to accrue 4 weeks of vacation regardless of who is awarded the contract? (REV. 1)
61. In Clause F.4, Contract Transition Activities, is the 16-day limit 16 business days as opposed to 16 concurrent days?
62. How was the current average wage rate calculated? Section L, Attachment 8.
63. Section M.3.b Criterion 3, Evaluation Criteria, Corporate Experience and Past Performance Subcriterion3 (a) states that offerors will be evaluated on recent, relevant corporate experience in performing work "similar to the Statement of Work in contract type, duration, scope, complexity and dollar value." This criterion would appear to be too restrictive for many interested 8(a) primes and may limit competition if the prime must demonstrate comparable experience in three separate contracts (see Section L.22, Proposal Preparation Instructions - Volume II, Technical and Business Management Proposal, Criterion 3, p. L-19) with each of these factors. Most 8 (a) firms are too small to have projects of such a similar size and scope. Would DOE ORO consider amending this criterion to three examples of relevant corporate experience similar to the statement of work in the following aspects: technical similarity and scope; duration; contract type OR dollar value?
64. Reference provision L.2 (c) (2), 52.215-1, Instructions to Offerors – Competitive Acquisition: The first page of the proposal must show … Does this page (which contains no proposal content) count against the page limit?
65. Does the Diversity Plan count against the 30-page limit? If the Diversity Plan will be counted against the 30-page limit, would a summary (e.g. table of contents and some highlights – e.g., policy and objectives) be acceptable?
66. Provision L.12(c), Time, Date, and Place Proposals Are Due. This section provides for the hand delivery of the proposal to DOE-ORO. This method of delivery effectively eliminates problems associated with commercial carriers. However, the statement in this section, denoted as paragraph (c), states that “It may not be possible to hand carry the package(s) between the hours 7:30AM and 5:00 PM workdays. Delivery to any other location may result in late receipt of the proposal and is strongly discouraged.” During what times should the offeror attempt hand delivery to ensure the acceptance by the Government?
67. Section L.21, Proposal Preparation Instructions – Volume I, Offer and Other Documents, and L.22, Proposal Preparation Instructions – Volume II, Technical and Business Management Proposal, make reference to Executive/Technical Summary. Is there a difference in technical versus executive summary and should the summary in Volume I be the same as, or in addition to the summary in Volume II?
68. We are requesting a 10-day extension for delivery of the proposal.
69. Are all positions listed in the RFP currently filled? RFP states 28 FTEs and the contract currently has 27, please explain why the change and how or what this additional FTE will provide.
70. In order to reasonably determine benefits cost, companies need the age, sex, and marital status of incumbent employees. Will DOE be providing this information?
71. Can DOE provide a list of position descriptions for each RFP labor category?
72. What is the labor category for end user support?
73. What is the arrangement of the system – is there a setup at other locations?
74. Is the IT support service contractor responsible for bar coding/tagging new or replacement equipment? Is the inventory control/property management function documented and available for review by potential offerors?
75. Could DOE please clarify what is required by the instruction Section L, page number L-18, clause L22(4)CRITERION 1, Subcriterion 1.B Human Resources (5^th bullet), "Discuss knowledge of and demonstrate the ability to apply labor laws to Human Resources management."
76. Will the Oak Ridge office IT work be impacted due to the DOE funding cuts of 63%? What could the total funding picture of the contract look like if budget cuts did in fact impact the IT budget?
77. Would DOE entertain other systems other than a Windows NT environment?
78. How many FTEs are required to have Q-clearances?
79. Do the pages containing "Contract Reference Information" count against the 30-page limit?
80. Reference to L-22 Criterion, 2 Key personnel page L-19, we need the name and telephone number of key staff members of the current ORO management staff in order to contact them to request commitment statements. Addendum No. 1 of the proposal changed L-9 to allow for the DOE to provide names of incumbent personnel after the contract is awarded. Therefore, your requirement of obtaining a signed commitment from current management before the contract is awarded is contradictory. Furthermore, it appears that the present contractor has signed an exclusive agreement with another prospective bidder, in which they already have all the information. We are willing to interview and keep existing personnel, but we have to be provided equal access to the employees. We feel that the commitment letter from existing employees is too restrictive and unfavorable to other bidders not associated with the present contractor.
81. Do we use two lines on Exhibit A to show a labor category that is shared by the prime and the subcontractor?
82. In Section B, the Pricing Schedules, do we display a composite rate for a labor category shared by the prime and the subcontractor?
83. Can the number of participants in each health plan be identified?
84. Who will be responsible for paying the accrued vacation time if the incumbent contractor is not selected?
85. What is the deadline for the submission of bids?
86. The copy of the current Wage Determination that pertains to this contract is not the most recent. Will the most recent Wage Determination be substituted?
87. Amendment 002, Provision L.12 TIME, DATE AND PLACE PROPOSALS ARE DUE extends the time proposals to May 11, 2001. Does this date also replace the due dates for key personnel and company past performance surveys due dates?
88. Prior to the release of Amendment 003, we issued our Past Performance surveys to our references. If these surveys have already been submitted to DOE, does DOE consider these surveys sufficient?
89. Provision L.21, Proposal Preparation Instructions – Volume I, Offer and Other Documents, section (b)(2)(b) of Amendment 002 says: "Sections A-J with the following sections completed .....". Is the Solicitation requesting Offerors to duplicate Sections A-J and include these Sections in their Volume 1 Proposal along with the information requested under subparagraphs (i) - (iv)?
90. Provision L.21, Proposal Preparation Instructions – Volume I, Offer and Other Documents, section (b)(4) Section B.2(b)(4) of Amendment 002 says "Additional Information to be furnished by the Offeror". What "additional information" should be furnished here?

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41. Provision L.22, Proposal Preparation Instructions - Volume II, Technical and Business Management Proposal, paragraph (3)(v) states that the oral presentation slides will be included in the Technical proposal. Provision L.23, Proposal Preparation Instructions - Oral Presentations, paragraph (8) states "The Offeror must submit one original and seven paper copies of any slides, or other material the Offeror intends to show during its presentation to the Government in a sealed package with its offer." Does DOE want the slides included in the Technical Proposal and also provided in a sealed package?

The oral presentation slides should be included in a sealed package within the Technical Proposal.

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42. Who does warranty tracking? DOE or the IT Support Services Contractor?

The IT Support Services Contractor is responsible for warranty tracking. For more information, refer to Section 5.2.4, Clause C.1, Performance-Based Statement of Work.

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43. How does DOE decide whether the IT support service contractor or an outside source, such as a local community college will conduct training?

This is coordinated with the Training and Development Group; however, the decision is made upon the availability of resources.

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44. Is the upgrade for equipment in the Computer Training Center planned soon?

It is planned, but is dependent upon the budget.

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45. Does the Government furnish some of the parts for equipment repair?

The Government will furnish all parts for equipment repair.

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46. How many people are on the contract now, and where are they?

There are 2 IT support service contractor employees located at 55 Jefferson Circle (which also supports the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) site office); one employee is currently located at the Y-12 site office, and one employee is located at 1916T2. The remainder are located in the Federal Building. There are a total of 27 on the contract now.

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47. Will everyone need a Q clearance?

No. Only those contractor employees who may have access to sensitive data or who need routine access to restricted areas will require a Q clearance.

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48. Are all systems unclassified?

The networks are unclassified. Classified material is processed on stand-alone computers.

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49. Who is responsible for the equipment inventory?

The IT support services contractor is responsible for equipment inventory. For additional information, please refer to Section 5.2.4 of clause C.1, Performance-Based Statement of Work.

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50. Since the contract has been designated under the Service Contract Act (SCA), when will the appropriate Wage Determination be provided?

See Amendment 003

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51. Provision L.22 (4)(b)(iii), Proposal Preparation Instructions - Volume II, Technical and Business Management Proposal, Pertinent Information. What types of information would be considered as "other pertinent information." Is this a required heading even if we do not submit any additional information in response to this RFP paragraph?

Paragraph (b)(iii) states that "This section shall contain any other pertinent information which will supplement or aid in the understanding and evaluation of the Technical Proposal." This is not a required heading if there is no additional information to be submitted by the Offeror.

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52. Provision L.22. Proposal Preparation Instructions - Volume II, Technical and Business Management Proposal paragraph (4), Subcriterion 3.a,Corporate Experience. Under the subsection "Contract Reference Information to Be Submitted" in the 5th bullet, the RFP states that the offeror should include the names of the Contracting Officer and Contracting Officer's Representative for each Corporate Experience summary. Later in Subcriterion 3.b, Past Performance in the first paragraph, the RFP goes on to state that the offeror is responsible for forwarding the company past performance survey to each contact (CO and COR) listed for each contract provided in Subcriterion 3.a. During a previous proposal for another agency, the offeror was requested to send a past performance survey to the CO and COR for a current contract with DOE-ORO. The offeror was informed by DOE-ORO Procurement and Contracts Division that DOE had a department-wide policy for responding to such surveys, and that they should only be sent to the CO for processing, not the COR. Does this policy still exist, and does it conflict with the requirements, as stated in the RFP?

While this is still the policy for DOE-ORO, this is not necessarily the same policy for other agencies or private firms. Because it is difficult to determine which agencies have this policy, and to ensure that at least one response is received from each contract reference, offerors are requested to send the surveys to both the Contracting Officer and the Contracting Officer's Representative.

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53. Provision L.23, Proposal Preparation Instructions - Oral Presentations, Paragraph 7. It is clear that the offeror’s presentation team must include all of the proposed key personnel. It can also be interpreted that other attendees may support the presentation. We would like for representatives of the offeror’s executive management to be present for oral presentations and perhaps give a brief team introduction. What is the maximum number of attendees allowed for the offeror’s presentation team?

Provision L. 23 (6) states that “Each offeror will have exactly 30 minutes allotted for the oral presentation…The length of time spent on each area of the presentation is at the discretion of the Offeror.” DOE has not set a maximum number of attendees; however, limited space may be available in the room where oral presentations will be held. Additional information regarding the room size will be provided in the notification to the offeror of the date, time, and location of the oral presentations as provided in paragraph 2 of the provision.

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54. Section L - Attachment 8. Can the current average wage rates be identified for each job description? For example: What is the current wage rate for: Computer Operator II, Computer Operator III, Computer Operator IV, Computer Operator V, etc.?

In order to protect privacy of individuals, current average wage rates for each job description cannot be disclosed.

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55. The RFP indicates that this is a performance-based contract. Usually this means that there is a fee pool established, which is awarded on the contractor’s performance. We have not been able to find such an arrangement in this RFP. Would you please clarify if the successful offeror will be evaluated based on performance with fee at risk or performance with no fee at risk.

This contract has been classified as a performance-based contract because there are performance objectives and measures located throughout the statement of work in clause C.1, Performance-Based Statement of Work. This contract is anticipated to be a time-and-materials type contract with a fixed unit labor rate including overhead and profit; therefore, there is no separate fee pool. As reflected in clause B.5, Option(s) To Extend the Contract, paragraph (a) states that “When deciding whether to exercise the option, the Contracting Officer will consider the quality of the Contractor’s performance under this contract as specified in the performance based statement of work including the performance objectives and measures.”

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56. In the cost proposal, is the fee to be listed as a separate item?

Offerors should prepare the cost proposal in accordance with the instructions found in provision L.23, 52.215-20 Requirements for Cost or Pricing Data or Information Other Than Cost or Pricing Data.

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57. Who are the members of the Source Evaluation Panel?

This information is considered Source Selection Information and cannot be disclosed.

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58. When were the last pay increases and what was the percentage (by job title)?

The labor rates in the current contract are considered company proprietary and cannot be released.

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59. If offerors are allowed to contact key personnel, is it possible to obtain the names of the incumbents prior to the contract being awarded?

The names of key personnel for the current contractor are considered proprietary information and cannot be released.

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60. Is the purpose of Attachment 9 to Section L to identify the amount of vacation time each employee will be accruing with the offeror who is awarded the contract, i.e., if an employee is accruing 4 weeks of vacation, that person will continue to accrue 4 weeks of vacation regardless of who is awarded the contract? (REV 1)

The purpose of Attachment 9 to Section L is to assist an offeror in preparing its proposed substantially equivalent pay and benefits package in aggregate as required in Clause H.16, Human Resources Considerations, and pricing its proposed package. The offeror may propose its own corporate pay and benefits package; however its proposed pay and benefits package must be "substantially equivalent in aggregate" in accordance with Clause H.16, Human Resources Considerations in the RFP.

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61. In Clause F.4, Contract Transition Activities, is the 16-day limit 16 business days as opposed to 16 concurrent days?

Contract transition activities should be no more than 16 calendar days. Refer to clause F.2, Term of Contract.

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62. How was the current average wage rate calculated? Section L, Attachment 8.

The current average wage rate was calculated by combining the wage rates of all the labor categories listed under each job title and averaging them; i.e., the Computer Operator average rate is comprised of the average wage rates for the Computer Operator II, III, IV, and V.

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63. Section M.3.b Criterion 3, Evaluation Criteria, Corporate Experience and Past Performance Subcriterion3 (a) states that offerors will be evaluated on recent, relevant corporate experience in performing work "similar to the Statement of Work in contract type, duration, scope, complexity and dollar value." This criterion would appear to be too restrictive for many interested 8(a) primes and may limit competition if the prime must demonstrate comparable experience in three separate contracts (see Section L.22, Proposal Preparation Instructions – Volume II, Technical and Business Management Proposal, Criterion 3, p. L-19) with each of these factors. Most 8 (a) firms are too small to have projects of such a similar size and scope. Would DOE ORO consider amending this criterion to three examples of relevant corporate experience similar to the statement of work in the following aspects: technical similarity and scope; duration; contract type OR dollar value?

No. Based on past 8(a) competitive procurements, experience references similar to the Statement of Work in contract type, duration, scope, complexity, and dollar value are considered reasonable for a contract of this size. Please refer to Provision L.22, Subcriterion 3.a, Corporate Experience, in the first sub-bullet which states "Three contracts awarded to the Offeror, if applicable, under which its experience has been demonstrated."
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64. Reference provision L.2 (c) (2), 52.215-1, Instructions to Offerors – Competitive Acquisition: The first page of the proposal must show … Does this page (which contains no proposal content) count against the page limit?

No. This information should be included in Volume I, Offer and Other Documents. The 30-page limit only applies to Volume II, Technical and Business Management Proposal, as provided in ORO L155 Proposal Preparation Instructions – Volume II, Technical and Business Management Proposal. See Amendment 002 which clarifies this answer.

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65. Does the Diversity Plan count against the 30-page limit? If the Diversity Plan will be counted against the 30-page limit, would a summary (e.g. table of contents and some highlights – e.g., policy and objectives) be acceptable?

No, the Diversity Plan does not count against the 30-page limit. The entire Diversity Plan should be submitted. See Amendment 002.

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66. Provision L.12(c), Time, Date, and Place Proposals Are Due. This section provides for the hand delivery of the proposal to DOE-ORO. This method of delivery effectively eliminates problems associated with commercial carriers. However, the statement in this section, denoted as paragraph (c), states that “It may not be possible to hand carry the package(s) between the hours 7:30AM and 5:00 PM workdays. Delivery to any other location may result in late receipt of the proposal and is strongly discouraged.” During what times should the offeror attempt hand delivery to ensure the acceptance by the Government?

It may not be possible to hand carry the package(s) before 7:30 AM or after 5:00 PM workdays. Please see Amendment 002 for clarification.

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67. Section L.21, Proposal Preparation Instructions – Volume I, Offer and Other Documents, and L.22, Proposal Preparation Instructions – Volume II, Technical and Business Management Proposal, make reference to Executive/Technical Summary. Is there a difference in technical versus executive summary and should the summary in Volume I be the same as, or in addition to the summary in Volume II?

Provision L.21, paragraph (b)(1)(d) requests “…a brief executive summary of the entire proposal. The executive summary, limited to five pages, should include a synopsis of major features and the advantages to the Government.” The technical summary requested in Provision L.22 should contain “a brief summary of the key points of the technical proposal.” See Amendment 002 for clarification.

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68. We are requesting a 10-day extension for delivery of the proposal

The due date for submission of proposals has been extended to May 11, 2001.

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69. Are all positions listed in the RFP currently filled? RFP states 28 FTEs and the contract currently has 27, please explain why the change and how or what this additional FTE will provide.

All positions under the current contract are filled. However, the RFP includes an additional position for a Computer Operator. This position will perform the functions described in the Performance-Based SOW, Section C, 5.3.4 and 5.3.5.

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70. In order to reasonably determine benefits cost, companies need the age, sex, and marital status of incumbent employees. Will DOE be providing this information?

No, this information is confidential information and can only be provided after award to the successful offeror.

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71. Can DOE provide a list of position descriptions for each RFP labor category?

The offeror should develop the position descriptions for the personnel required to perform the work defined in the Performance-Based SOW.

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72. What is the labor category for end user support?

Computer Support Specialist.

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73. What is the arrangement of the system – is there a setup at other locations?

If this question addresses data backup, refer to Question 26. If this question refers to the network configuration, the DOE-ORO cannot answer. Such information is for "official use only."

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See Question 35 and 36. The following summarizes the inventory control/property management function: After receiving shipments of ADP equipment and peripherals, another support services contractor is responsible for entering items in the PRISM inventory system. The location and responsibility will then be transferred in the PRISM inventory system to the IT Support Services contractor. Upon delivery to the new user, the IT Support Services contractor will transfer the ownership and location of that equipment to the new user in the PRISM inventory system. In accordance with Section C, Clause C.1, PERFORMANCE-BASED STATEMENT OF WORK, Section 5.2.4 of the RFP, the IT Support Services contractor is expected to "Through augmentation, if necessary, of existing inventory systems, maintain a real time inventory accounting of all ORO computer related equipment and spare parts."

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Provision M.3, EVALUATION CRITERIA, Criterion 1, Subcriterion 1 (b) Human Resources, says that the proposal will be evaluated on the "demonstration of a knowledge of applicable labor laws and effective labor relations management." The Offeror should provide information that demonstrates its knowledge of and demonstrate its ability to apply labor laws to Human Resources management as required in performing this contract.

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All funding reductions potentially impact programmatic functions

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77. Would DOE entertain other systems other than a Windows NT environment?

At present, funding limitations dictate DOE-ORO make no change at this time.

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78. How many FTEs are required to have Q-clearances?

No Q-clearances are required on the date of award of the proposed contract. However, some work to be performed under the contract requires a Q-clearance. The required clearance investigations will be paid by the Government.

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79. Do the pages containing "Contract Reference Information" count against the 30-page limit?

No. See Amendment 002.

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DOE cannot provide the names and telephone numbers of the current key personnel (Refer to Question #59), as this information is considered to be privileged commercial information that must be requested for release in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. Provision L.22, PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS – VOLUME II, TECHNICAL AND BUSINESS MANAGEMENT PROPOSAL, Criterion 2, Key Personnel, requires "a signed commitment statement from each of the proposed key personnel." Provision L.9, HUMAN RESOURCES CONSIDERATIONS, states that, "The determination of qualifications and decision to hire an incumbent employee rests solely with the Offeror." There is no requirement in the RFP that the offeror obtain a signed commitment from current management.

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Yes.

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No. There should be separate rates for the prime and the subcontractor if one labor category is shared.

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No, this information is not available to the Government.

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The incumbent contractor has been paid by the Government for all the accrued vacation time and is responsible for payment.

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See Amendment 002. 

See Amendment 003. 

See Amendment 003.

Yes. Amendment 003 only changed the date that the surveys are due, not any content of the form.

Yes. Paragraph (b)(2) requires "three signed copies of the Contract (Standard Form 33 and Sections A-J of the RFP)."

Additional administrative information that the offeror believes would be helpful, if any.

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Revised: May 10, 2001.