Agency for Health Care and Quality Applications Development, Support, Operations and Maintenance

Ref: RFP AHRQ-09-10023 Amendment 001 September 11, 2009 This amendment 001 provides a list of all questions submitted by September 11th at 12:00 noon and the Government answers. Question 1: - I noticed that the Pre-solicitation notice mentioned SDVOSB's that are currently on GSA Schedules. Is it anticipated that this opportunity will be released on a GSA Schedule or will it be available to all SDVOSB's? Answer: This procurement is set-aside for service disabled veteran-owned small businesses that have a current GSA schedule for these services. Question 2: [Our}NAICs number is 541512, and we are processing [a] GSA schedule but have not been approved yet. Can [we] submit a proposal for this RFP? Answer: No. At the time of submission of proposals, the offeror must comply with all the requirements of the RFP, including meeting the requirement for - a current GSA schedule for these services. Question 3: - I am writing about solicitation no. AHRQ-2009-10023. We are interested in the project, but would like to know if a GSA Schedule is required? Answer: Yes, please see the response to Question 1. Question 4: - I noticed that the Pre-solicitation notice mentioned SDVOSB's that are currently on GSA Schedules. Is it anticipated that this opportunity will be released on a GSA Schedule or will it be available to all SDVOSB's? Answer: Please see the response to Question 1. Question 5. - I have a few questions that I would appreciate if you could relay to the appropriate person/people about this opportunity: -will the opportunity be released under the CIOSP2 vehicle? -what is the estimated size/value of the opportunity? Answer: No. This procurement is not released under the CIOSP2 vehicle. Please see the response to Question 1. As to the estimated size/value of the opportunity, the Government has provided an estimate of positions by sample labor categories in the RFP that can be used to determine relative size. Also please see the response to Question 9. Question 6: - Is there an incumbent that is eligible to bid? Can you tell me who the incumbent is? Answer: Yes. The following is public information relating to the incumbent: Contractor Name: Infopro Incorporated Contract # - HHSA290050008 Question 7 - A GSA schedule is required. Is the prime required to have the GSA schedule, or may a non-SDVOSB subcontractor/team member provide the services through their GSA schedule, as long as greater than 50% of the work is performed by the SDVOSB's personnel? Answer: The intent of this RFP is to award the contract to a - service-disabled veteran-owned small business with a current GSA schedule. Question 8: - Please clarify: is the prime required to be CMMI certified? If so, at what level? May a subcontractor/team-member use their CMMI level III accreditation to meet this requirement with equal weight, as if it were the prime? Answer: CMMI certification is not a requirement. However, AHRQ expects the contractor to operate at Level III maturity and demonstrate this in their response. Question 9: - What are the labor categories required, or will the GSA schedule categories suffice? We would like to see if our GSA labor categories - map to the SOW. Answer: As stated in Section 9.1, Labor Categories Description (page 32) - - these labor categories serve to define the expected level of skill and experience required within each project role. The contractor may suggest alternative labor categories and project structures providing the same level of capability and meeting project objectives and requirements. Potential offerors are encouraged to provide costing information that is clear and concise. It should be readily apparent which GSA Schedule Labor categories relate to each Labor category in the SOW that they are proposing. As further stated in 9.2 Estimated Personnel Staffing Levels (page 35), the labor categories identified - should be considered as only starting point for assisting potential contractors in developing staffing estimates. The Government encourages potential offerors to carefully consider their own approach and proposed skill sets to meet the requirements of this SOW as they understand them and that match their particular strength and corporate approach. Question 10: - Will this solicitation allow a billable Program Manager to provide the - 4 hour meeting availability? - Answer: AHRQ expects executive management with financial and resource authority to be available within 4 hours for an onsite meeting. If the Program Manager has this authority they can satisfy this requirement. Question 11: Page 1 of the solicitation states that offerors should submit 1 original and 3 copies of their Past Performance Information. Section L.10 (page 86) states that 1 original and 2 copies of Past Performance Information should be submitted. Please clarify whether 2 or 3 copies are required. Answer: Please provide an original and 3 copies of the Past Performance Information Question 12: Section L.9 (page 84) specifies that the majority of the text in the technical proposal should be double-spaced. On page 85 in Section L.9 it states that proposals shall be prepared in single or double spaced format. Please clarify whether an offeror may use single spacing at its discretion and is not required to provide the majority of text in a double-spaced format. Answer: The offeror may use either single or double spaced text at their discretion as long as the proposal is in compliance with the page limitation of 50 typewritten pages (single sided), exclusive of resumes and past performance information. As previously advised, any pages beyond this limit will not be included in the evaluation. Question 13: Section L.9 (page 84), part (a)(1) states that the technical proposal cover page should include the name of the proposing organization, author(s) of the technical proposal, the RFP number and the title of the RFP on the cover. Offerors do not typically name individual authors of their technical proposals as these are often efforts involving the collaboration of a large number of people. Please confirm whether the Government does intend for all individual proposal writers to be listed as authors. Answer: There is no need for all individual proposal writers to be listed. Please include the individual - responsible for the entire proposal. Question 14: Kindly verify that all licenses and required development tools will be provided for all of the products defined within the AHRQ Technical Standards Profile table in Appendix A. If not then kindly define which product license's and tools need to be provided by the service supplier. Is there a standard reply format/ form that is to be adhered to? Answer: AHRQ will supply all tools and licenses, as appropriate, for all of the products defined within the AHRQ Technical Standards Profile table in Appendix A. As to a - standard reply format/form that is to be adhered to, the RFP advises what is to provided and how. Ref: AHRQ-09-10023 Amendment 002 September 14, 2009 The following three questions (received before 12:00 Noon September 11th) were inadvertently omitted when Amendment 001 was issued: Question 15: - As stated, a time and materials contract will be awarded using GSA Schedule labor categories and rates. The instructions require the Offeror's costs be broken down and supported by cost and pricing detail similarly to that typically required for cost plus contracts. Furthermore, L.11 requires that the Offeror possesses a current Indirect rate Agreement or is in the process of obtaining the same. May the Offeror use existing, competitively-determined GSA Schedule 70 labor rates with applicable discounts, if any, in lieu of providing cost detail and submitting Indirect Rate Agreements as specified in Section L.11, A. Cost Proposal of the RFP provided on page 88 of the RFP? Answer: Yes. Question 16: Please note instructions on page 85 where it indicates that technical proposals shall be prepared in single or double-spaced format. However in page 1 and page 84 of the RFP states that the majority of the 50 typewritten pages should be double-spaced with the exception of resumes, past performance information, list of deliverables, person loading charts and other similar materials as long as legible. Is the requirement that Technical Proposal content be formatted as double-spaced? Answer: This question was previously responded to in Amendment 001 as question number 12. Our response was: - The offeror may use either single or double spaced text at their discretion as long as the proposal is in compliance with the page limitation of 50 typewritten pages (single sided), exclusive of resumes and past performance information. As previously advised, any pages beyond this limit will not be included in the evaluation. Question 17: On Page 86, the RFP requires that offeror list the - last five (5) contracts and subcontracts completed during the past three years and all contracts and subcontracts currently in process. Should the offeror interpret that exactly 5 contracts are required for both and list the past performance references whether they are completed or in process? Answer: Yes.