R -- Recruiting, placement and logistics management of Minority Undergraduate and Graduate Students for Minority Serving Institution Internship Program for USCG Office of Civilian Personnel

The combined Solicitation/Synopsis response date has been extended. Proposals are due no later than 5pm on May 8, 2006. Two copies of your proposal is required with the exception of email. If your proposal is less than 30 pages in total, you may send by email to contact@example.gov. If your offer is being submitted by REGULAR mail, use the following address: Commandant, (G-ACS-4/KW) USCG Headquarters, 2100 Second St, NW, Washington, DC 20593-0001, Attention Katherine West: If you are submitting your offer via EXPRESS MAIL or COURIER, use the following address: Commandant (G-ACS-1B/KW) USCG Headquarters, 1900 Half Street, SW, 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20593-0001, Attention Ms. Katherine West. Questions received by the April 26th deadline have been answered below. 1. In the synopsis, there seem to be a discrepancy between the period of performance for the base year (June 1, 2006 through May 31, 2007) and the corresponding line items CLIN0001 (June to August) and CLIN0002 (August to December)- please clarify. Answer for 1: Contracts are awarded on a yearly basis. The contractor is expected to work for the entire year on the internship program. The CLINs are task orders to fulfill Fall, Spring and Summer Internships. The Summer internships ends in August and the Fall internship program begins in August. 2. In regards to RAPIDGate Program, what are the required fees to participate in the program? Answer for 2: RAPIDGate is no longer applicable to this solicitation or contract. 3. Since USCG has not clearly identified the pricing requirements, and in order to level the playing field, could you please provide specific pricing requirements? Answer for 3: Please supply information on cost per student according to requirements on the (performance work statement) PWS . Examples from the PWS for pricing determinations include: screening & placement of students across the 50 states as well as the U.S. Territories; payment of stipends; a Washington DC based orientation session for interns; student transportation costs; stipends for students; program; housing coordination; security fees for Rapid Gate. Other pricing examples from the PWS include: administrative responsibilities of the contractor e.g., kickoff meeting, project planning, progress reports, progress meetings, general report requirements; database support services; training & orientation support services, student personnel services; and database administration. Please note, that these are just a few of the requirements that are required from the PWS, but all requirements on the PWS must be met. Please know that the requirements to PWS are found beginning in section 5.0. 4. What are you looking for in the pricing part of the proposal as you have given no direction as to what or how you would like this priced. All that is mentioned is that there will be task orders to be bid upon after award. Perhaps, USCG can, for evaluation purposes, issue - plug numbers for these services? For example, we cannot price orientation because we don't know from how far and where the interns will be arriving or we cannot price housing until we know the locations and number of interns going to those locations. Answer for 4: Please supply information on cost per student according to requirements on the (performance work statement) PWS. Examples from the PWS for pricing determinations include: screening & placement of students across the 50 states as well as the U.S. Territories; payment of stipends; a Washington DC based orientation session for interns; student transportation costs; stipends for students; program; housing coordination; security fees for Rapid Gate. Other pricing examples from the PWS include: administrative responsibilities of the contractor e.g., kickoff meeting, project planning, progress reports, progress meetings, general report requirements; database support services; training & orientation support services, student personnel services; and database administration. . Please note, that these are just a few of the requirements that are required from the PWS, but all requirements on the PWS must be met. Please know that the requirements to PWS are found beginning in section 5.0. 5. 5.10.1 says - shall arrange for safe and sanitary housing while Objective 5 states - shall provide safe and sanitary housing. Who is responsible for paying the housing costs of the interns? Answer to 5: Intern housing costs are provided by the contractor and shall be incorporated into the contractor's price bid. 6. What is the definition of a stipend and what is included in the stipend according to USCG? Answer to 6: The definition of stipend is - a fixed sum of money paid periodically and or to defray expenses. - A stipend may include, but not limited to, housing, meals, and utilities. This is intended as an example only. The Coast Guard expects the proposer to determine what is included in the stipend. 7. If we are expected to pay the interns for their work performed for USCG, please give specific pay rates for these interns. This will allow for an appropriate evaluation of proposals. Answer for 7: We expect to have undergraduate and graduate students as interns. Graduate students should earn a little more than undergraduate. 8. Is there an incumbent? Answer for 8: There is no incumbent. 9. Was there a program such as this last year? Answer for 9: HSCG-G8-05-F-PPC252 was a task order to provide ten students to be placed regionally at different geographical locations including AK, HI, and PR. Task order award amount was $97,159.40 with a period of performance from 06/15/05 to 09/30/05 to Adnet Systems Incorporated . 10.(a) What is the difference between 5.10.1.1 and 5.10.3? Answer for 10(a) : 5.10.1.1 states the contractor may provide additional funding for interns having to commute 20 miles or more to and from temporary housing. 5.10.3 states the contractor will provide weekly travel stipend to all interns regardless of distance. 10(b): (b) What is the difference between a voucher and a stipend? Answer for 10(b): Voucher is defined as - receipts or statement attesting to expenditure or receipt of money. Per 5.10.3 (of both the IDIQ and the Task order PWS), The Contractor shall provide students transportation vouchers (i.e. Metro cards or bus passes) for travel to and from temporary housing to their assigned work site, Monday through Friday. For stipend definition, please see answer #6. 11. What type of format will be accepted? Answer for 11: Information is provided in the end of the description part of the Combined Solicitation/Synopsis. Refer as well to Amendment 1 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors. 12. What caliber will interns be labeled as? Grad/Undergrad (in order to assess the pay grade for each). Answer for 12: We expect to have graduate and undergraduate students. 13. Can we respond to this solicitation, or is there a federal registration process we must follow first? Answer for 13: This solicitation is Full and Open competition without any restrictions on who can respond. See also question 11. 14. Is this a new contract? If no, who is the incumbent? Answer for 14: See answers 8 & 9. 15. What was the value of the previous contract? Answer for 15: See answer 9. 16. Is there a core contract in addition to the task orders or is there a management task? How much is the management task or core contract? Answer for 16: Contractors need to propose an overall management cost for the IDIQ covering the base year and four option years. Management costs will be recovered in each individual task order as part of the costs for that particular task order. There will not be a separate task order for management. 17. What disciplines are you interested in for the undergraduate and graduate positions? Answer for 17: See PWS section 1.2, paragraph 5, - Students intern in a variety of fields including, but not limited to: engineering, human resources, communications, business/finance, electronics, computer science, law/law enforcement, and other mission-related occupations in the Coast Guard. . 18. I would like to find out whether you would consider placing this requirement under the 8 (a) or HUBZone set aside. My company is both 8 (a) and HUBZone certified are primary areas of business includes equal employment opportunities and human resource services. Answer for 18: No, there is not sufficient competition to support any restrictions on this effort. The Coast Guard is not requesting basic human resources services but is soliciting for the implementation of a Minority Serving Institution Internship Program for undergraduate and graduate students. 19. The students to be recruited are generally in what field of study? Answer for 19: See answer 17.