amendment of solicitation/modification of ......high-profile policy meeting means an event sponsored...

___________

(x)

x

x

copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted ; or (c) By

separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT

THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by

virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted , such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes

reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

x

INDONESIA

Office of Acquisition and AssistanceUSAID IndonesiaAmerican Embassy JakartaUnit 8135 USAIDFPO AP 96520-8135

See Block 16C

401

13. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO MODIFICATION OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS. IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required)

is not extended.is extended,

Items 8 and 15, and returning

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended , by one of the following methods: (a) By completing

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

FACILITY CODE CODE

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

72049720R00003

CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., street, county, State and ZIP Code)

7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6)CODE 6. ISSUED BY

PAGE OF PAGES

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.3. EFFECTIVE DATE2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO.

0002

5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

1. CONTRACT ID CODEAMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

03/30/2020

CHECK ONE A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office,

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

appropriation date, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not, is required to sign this document and return __________________ copies to the issuing office.

ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

The purposes of this amendment are:

1. To revise specific sections of the solicitation; and

2. To respond to questions and requests for clarification that were received by April 22, 2020

respectively.

Except as so stated, all other terms and conditions in the original RFP remain the same.

(see continuation pages)

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

15C. DATE SIGNED 16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR 16C. DATE SIGNED

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer)

Alexis McGinness

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 10-83)

Prescribed by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

NSN 7540-01-152-8070

Previous edition unusable

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9 A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect .

x

04/29/2020

RFP No. 72049720R00003 – L-GEE Activity Amendment No. 2

2

PART 1 - SPECIFIC CHANGES TO RFP No. 720497300003

1. In Section B.6(b)(1), page 10, delete the last sentence “Contractors must propose a centralized management structure that allows for recovery of IDIQ management costs as part of its indirect costs.”

2. In Section C.6.1, page 20, under Component 3 paragraph: On-demand STTA paragraph, add the sentence “The STTA component is anticipated to comprise approximately 10% of the level of effort for the overall L-GEE activity.”

3. In Section F.2(a), page 34, delete the sentence and replace it with “IDIQ Period of Performance. The period of performance for the IDIQ contract, including all Task Orders, is from [TBD] to [TBD – 5 years after start date].”

4. In Section I.1, page 82, insert “FAR 52.237-9 Waiver of Limitation on Severance Payments to Foreign Nationals (May 2014).”

5. In Section I.11, page 92, delete the entire AIDAR section and replace with the following: “752.231-72 Conference Planning and Required Approval (Aug 2013) (M/OAA-DEV-AIDAR-20-01c).

(a) Definitions. As used in this section —

Conference means a seminar, meeting, retreat, symposium, workshop, training activity or other such event that is funded in whole or in part by USAID.

Multilateral organization means an organization or alliance formed between multiple nations and/or organizations to work on issues that relate to all members of the organization or alliance (e.g., World Health Organization, The World Bank, The Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), Education Cannot Wait).

High-profile policy meeting means an event sponsored by a multilateral organization, which includes meetings to discuss issues of global interest, such as the United Nations General Assembly or the Spring and Fall meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Net conference expense means the total conference expenses excluding: any fees or revenue received by the Agency through the conference; costs to ensure the safety of attending governmental officials; and salary of USAID employees and USAID Personal Services Contractors.

Temporary duty (TDY) travel means official travel at least 50 miles from both the traveler’s home and duty station for a period exceeding 12 hours.

USAID employee means a U.S. direct-hire employee, a Foreign Service National direct-hire employee, or a Federal employee detailed to USAID from another U.S. Government agency.

Personal Services Contractor (PSC) means U.S. National (US), a Cooperating Country National (CCN) and a Third Country National (TCN), who is awarded a personal services


3

contract in accordance with AIDAR Appendices D or J.

(b) Unless an exception in paragraph (c) of the clause at 752.231-72 applies, the contractor must obtain prior written approval from the contracting officer, or the contracting officer's representative (COR), if delegated in the Contracting Officer's Representative Designation Letter, at least 30 days prior to committing costs, for the following:

(1) A conference funded in whole, or in part, by USAID when ten (10) or more USAID employees or Personal Services Contractors are required to travel on temporary duty status to attend the conference;

(2) A conference funded in whole, or in part, by USAID and attended by USAID employees or USAID Personal Services Contractors, when the net conference expense funded by USAID is expected to exceed $100,000, irrespective of the number of USAID participants;

(3) Participation of contractor personnel in a high-level policy conference sponsored by a multilateral organization when the individual attends the conference on behalf of USAID, or as part of USAID’s delegation; or (4) Participation of contractor personnel in an operational or technical meeting, or a periodic event, with representatives of multilateral organizations to discuss USAID-funded programs and activities, when: (i) the individual attends the event on behalf of USAID or as part of USAID’s team; and (ii) temporary duty travel is necessary.

(c) Exceptions. Prior USAID approval is not required for the following:

(1) Co-creation conferences to facilitate the design of programs or procurements.

(2) Events funded and scheduled by the Center for Professional Development within the USAID Office of Human Capital and Talent Management.

(3) A single course presented by an instructor conducted at a U.S. Government training facility (including the Washington Learning Center or other USAID training facilities), a commercial training facility, or other venue if a U.S. Government training facility is not available.

(4) Conferences conducted at a U.S. Government facility or other venue not paid directly or indirectly by USAID, when travel of USAID employees or USAID Personal Services Contractors, light refreshments and if applicable, costs associated with participation of the contractor’s staff are the only direct costs associated with the event. The exception does not apply to the requirements in paragraph (b)(3) and (4) related to meetings with multilateral organizations.

(d) Costs associated with a conference that meets the criteria above, incurred without USAID prior written approval, are unallowable.

(e) Conferences approved at the time of award will be incorporated into the contract. The contractor must submit subsequent requests for approval of conferences on a case-by-case basis, or requests for multiple conferences may


4

be submitted at one time.

(f) Documentation. (1) Requests for approval of a conference that meets the criteria in paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2) of this section must include:

(i) A brief summary of the proposed event;

(ii) A justification for the conference and alternatives considered, e.g., teleconferencing and videoconferencing;

(iii) The estimated budget by line item (e.g., travel and per diem, venue, facilitators, meals, equipment, printing, access fees, ground transportation);

(iv) A list of USAID employees or PSCs attending and a justification for each; and the number of other USAID-funded participants (e.g., contractor personnel);

(v) The venues considered (including government-owned facility), cost comparison, and justification for venue selected if it is not the lowest cost option; (vi) If meals will be provided to local USAID employees or PSCs (a local employee would not be in travel status), a determination that the meals are a necessary expense for achieving Agency objectives; and

(vii) A certification that strict fiscal responsibility has been exercised in making decisions regarding conference expenditures, the proposed costs are comprehensive and represent the greatest cost advantage to the U.S. Government, and that the proposed conference representation has been limited to the minimum number of attendees necessary to support the Agency's mission.

[(2) Requests for approval to attend a multilateral conference and operational or technical meeting that meet the requirements in paragraphs (b)(3) and (4) of this section must include:

(1) A description of the event and how the participant(s) will forward the Agency and U.S. Government’s policy goals; (2) The role the participant(s) will have; and (3) The estimated cost to USAID.”

6. In Section L.6.1, page 115, delete the “210 days” and replace it with “180 days” in the last paragraph for a period of RFP validity.

7. In Section L.8.1, page 120, delete the entire subsection and replace with the following:

“The Technical Proposal may not exceed 29 pages, with specific page limits for sections, as set forth below. The Technical Proposal must be specific, complete,


5

concise, and responsive to the instructions contained herein.

The Technical Proposal must follow the following format:

1. Cover Page (1-2 pages, not included in page limit) 2. Executive Summary (not to exceed 2 pages, included in page limit) 3. Table of Contents (not included in page limit) 4. Part A: PEA and Co-Design Approach (5 pages, included in page limit) 5. Part B: Stakeholder Engagement and Adaptive Management (5 pages, including

in page limit) 6. Part C: Component 2 Implementation Approach (5 pages, included in page limit) 7. Part D: Organizational Capabilities (4 pages, included in page limit) 8. Part E: Staffing and Management Plan (4 pages, included in page limit)

● Annex A: Table of Management Positions (4 pages, included in page limit)

● Annex B: Organizational Chart (not included in page limit) 9. Acronyms and Abbreviations List (not included in the page limit)

NOTE: The Offeror must not provide cost or pricing information with its Technical Proposal submission.”

8. In Section L.8.2.6, page 122-123 delete the second bullet point that states “The team collectively must possess a deep cadre of high-level specialists in the capacity building of public institutions; curricula development and dissemination; information and communications technology; change management; program management; stakeholder engagement, including PSE; and gender equality and social inclusion.”

9. In Section L.9.2.1, page 125 under Overall Summary Budgets, delete the first sentence and replace it with “The following table represents the format of the overall summary budgets that the Offeror must complete.”

10. In Section L.9.2.2., page 126, under B. Budget Narrative and Additional Information, at number 6, delete the sentence and replace it with “The following provides additional information that should be contained within the budget narrative and budget details (spreadsheet), as appropriate, for each cost category.”

11. In Section L.9.2.2, page 128, under Grants Under Contract paragraph, delete “Task Order No. 1, Section C.10” and replace it with “Task Order No. 1, Section C.6” and insert the following sentence “The Grants Under Contract cost category line item should only include the grant amounts that will be directly transferred to subgrantees; all other associated costs (i.e., grant management and administration) should be incorporated into other cost categories, as appropriate.”

12. In Section L.9.2.2, page 130 second paragraph on Fixed Fee, delete the sentence and replace it with “The percentage used to arrive at the Offeror’s fixed fee under Task Order No. 1 will constitute the Offeror’s fee ceiling under the IDIQ and all task orders that are cost plus fixed fee type contracts.”


6

13. In Section L.9.7 (d), page 132, delete the sentence and replace it with “The information requested above in Parts (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6) for each major subcontractor.”

14. After Section L.9.8, page 133, “Part 9 and Part 10” are reserved.

15. In Section L.10, page 133 in the second paragraph, add the sentence “The closing date for the Branding and Marking Plan is the same closing date as the technical and cost proposals, as set forth on the Cover Page.”

16. In Section M.5 (b), page 138, delete the first sentence “This procurement utilizes a voluntarily down-select process, in which an Offeror may withdraw its proposals after Phase 1 based on USAID’s notification if an Offeror is likely to be competitive in Phase 2. Thereafter, this procurement utilized the tradeoff process set forth in FAR 15.101-1” and replace it with “This procurement utilizes the tradeoff process set forth in FAR 15.101-1.”

17. In Attachment J.1 Task Order No. 1, Section F.5, page 13 at table no.6 and Section F.5.6 page 20 on Strategic Communications Plan, revise the sentence with “Due no later than 180 days after the award effective date.”

18. In Attachment J 1, Section F.5.8, page 20, delete the first sentence and replace it with “"The Contractor must conduct and complete PEA at least at one province and submit the results so that review towards the methodology and approach can be revisited and adjusted as needed before continuing to replicate its methodology and approach for the remaining provinces. A total of seven PEA results (one national and six provinces) must be completed.”

19. In Attachment J.2, Case Study, the first sentence in the last paragraph, replace the district name in parentheses with “Provictory”.

20. In Attachment J.4, Illustrative Reading - add “Indonesia Strategic Assessment” available at https://dec.usaid.gov/dec/content/Detail_Presto.aspx?vID=47&ctID=ODVhZjk4NWQtM2YyMi00YjRmLTkxNjktZTcxMjM2NDBmY2Uy&rID=NTYwOTE5)

PART 2 - RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS (See continuation pages)

https://dec.usaid.gov/dec/content/Detail_Presto.aspx?vID=47&ctID=ODVhZjk4NWQtM2YyMi00YjRmLTkxNjktZTcxMjM2NDBmY2Uy&rID=NTYwOTE5

https://dec.usaid.gov/dec/content/Detail_Presto.aspx?vID=47&ctID=ODVhZjk4NWQtM2YyMi00YjRmLTkxNjktZTcxMjM2NDBmY2Uy&rID=NTYwOTE5


7

RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS

No

Question(s)

Response(s)

IDIQ, Section B

1 Section B.6 (b) (1) (page 10) of the RFP states “Contractors must propose a centralized management structure that allows for recovery of IDIQ management costs as part of its indirect costs.” Considering Task Set 3 of Task Order 1 is IDIQ Administration and Management, could USAID please confirm that the sentence above is not applicable and should be removed from Section B.6 (b)?

Please see Part 1 above; the sentence “Contractors must propose a centralized management structure that allows for recovery of IDIQ management costs as part of its indirect costs” has been removed.

2 As Section B.6 Labor states under the paragraph (b) Central management costs will be handled through the following method: (1) The Contracting Officer has determined that a key (full-time) technical manager is not necessary or required to administer the basic IDIQ. Contractors will not be authorized to bill USAID directly for IDIQ management costs under this IDIQ or under task orders, except as specified in Task Order No. 1. Contractors must propose a centralized management structure that allows for recovery of IDIQ management costs as part of its indirect costs. Could USAID please clarify whether the technical manager referred to in this section is different from the Key Personnel positions such as the Activity Director or the DCOP?

As set forth in Section B.6, no key technical manager is necessary to administer the basic IDIQ, and therefore, no additional direction on the job description of the technical manager is necessary to provide. The roles and responsibilities of the IDIQ Activity Director are set forth in Attachment J.1. (Task Order No. 1), Section F.6.4.1.


8

If the technical manager is not a Key Personnel position, could USAID please provide additional direction on the job description of the technical manager that will be funded from Indirect cost and not from Direct Cost except as specified in individual Task Order requirements?

3 With respect to §B.7 Indirect Costs and Advanced Understanding on Ceilings: 1) It is our understanding that the government is not requiring a cost-

sharing arrangement under the subject RFP. For offerors with extensive past performance implementing prime contracts for the U.S. Government and established NICRAs, the example situations described in FAR 42.707(b)(1) may not apply.

2) In such cases, will the government consider waiving the requirement to apply ceiling rates for indirect costs? If not, can the government please clarify the basis for requiring ceilings on indirect costs?

3) Alternatively, if the ceilings are required, because of the length of the IDIQ and the impossibility of accurately predicting revenues and base of application for indirect rates for 5+ years, would the government consider ceilings higher than the established provisional NICRA rates of the offeror?

As set forth in Section L.9.3 Part 3, Offerors must propose ceiling rates for indirect costs, as permitted in accordance with FAR 52.216-15.

4 Could USAID please clarify what would count under % Level of Effort for the overall activity? Does USAID count only direct technical labor costs or will it also include administrative and financial labor?

Section C provides approximate estimates of the percentage of level of overall technical effort. These are only estimates and task orders will provide specific requirements.

IDIQ, Section C

5 Section C.5, page 19: USAID suggests that L-GEE should work in 5 districts across 6 provinces, for an estimated total of 30 districts. Can USAID confirm that “districts” are meant to refer to the level of regencies (kabupaten) and cities (kota) of Indonesia?

Correct. Districts are meant to refer to kabupaten (regencies) and kota (cities).


9

6 Section C.5, page 19: How does USAID anticipate classifying districts as “leading” or “emerging”? Does USAID have a methodology prepared, or will the Contractor be required to develop their own methodology?

USAID expects the Contractor to develop a methodology to classify “leading” or “emerging” districts. This should be included in the PEA methodology.

7 Section C.6.1 (Page 19-20) “Component 3: On-demand STTA will be implemented via a dedicated task order” and that “potential areas for STTA may be identified during the co-design or be requested by USAID/Indonesia technical offices at any time over the period of performance of the IDIQ”. For resource planning purposes, can USAID please clarify whether this Task Order may be issued during Year 1 of the Activity?

USAID foresees that limited on-demand STTA may arise during Year 1. Any request for STTA would be issued in a future task order.

8 Section C (IDIQ) page 19 of the RFP estimates that 15% of the activity’s overall LOE will fall under Component 1, and 75% of LOE will fall under Component 2. No estimate is given for Component 3. Considering Task Order 1 will also cover MEL, CLA and IDIQ management, could USAID please clarify whether: a) The remaining 10% of LOE referred to on page 19 will cover both MEL,

CLA, IDIQ management *and* Component 3; or, b) The 15% under Component 1 covers MEL, CLA and IDIQ

management (i.e. the term “Component 1” as used here is meant to be “Task Order 1”)?

The percentage breakdown is based on the LOE for Component 1, Component 2, and Component 3 as described in the IDIQ Section C. The remaining 10% of the IDIQ LOE referred to on page 19 falls under Component 3. Component 3 work is expected to be performed under a separate future task order.

9 Page 19, Section C.6.1, states that Component 1 is approximately 15% of the overall activity level of effort, and Component 2 is approximately 75% of the overall level of effort. Will USAID please confirm that Component 3 comprises approximately 10% of the level of effort of the overall L-GEE Activity?

See response to Question #8 above.

10 Section C.6.2.2 (Page 23) states that under Intermediate Result (IR) 2, task order interventions may include “ensuring that local counterparts

In the illustrative activities under IR 2, cost-share refers to GOI counterparts, rather than grantees,


10

invest cost-share in capacity-building efforts.” Given the definition of “cost-share” in the regulations, ensuring that local counterparts invest cost-share in such efforts would require grantees to submit receipts and additional backup documentation, which can often be a management burden on grantees, especially newer and smaller grantees with which the contractor may work in the provinces and districts. Ensuring that local counterparts invest cost-share in capacity-building efforts would also limit the types of grant mechanisms at the contractor’s disposal. Would USAID allow offerors to use terms such as “grantee contributions” or “partner contributions” in place of “cost-share”? Grantee contributions and partner contributions would still encourage partner buy-in without placing management demands on grantees that cost-share would.

as part of J2SR. USAID clarifies that during the life of the activity, cost-share is not limited to capacity-building efforts. USAID requires that the Contractor or its partners make a good-faith effort to estimate the dollar value of contributions.

11 Section C.7.2 (Page 25) states “The COR/TOCOR will chair an Activity Management Team, comprised of representatives from other USAID technical offices, as well as experts in gender equality, social inclusion, and private sector engagement, which will assist with facilitating relationships and coordinating efforts between the Contractor and USAID technical offices, other implementing partners, other donors, and government counterparts.” a) Please clarify whether the Activity Management Team will focus

exclusively on LGEE (versus working with other USAID-funded programs in Indonesia).

b) Please clarify whether the Activity Management Team already exists. c) If it does not exist, please clarify who will be responsible for creating it

(USAID or the L-GEE Contractor).

The Activity Management Team will focus on the L-GEE Activity. Depending on the results of the co-design, this may include cooperation with other USAID-funded programs. The Activity Management Team will be established following the L-GEE award. USAID will initiate the formation of the Activity Management Team.


11

IDIQ, Section F

12 Section F.6.3 (Pages 36 and 37) states, “The task order should include the following (as appropriate): (y) Security Plan (if applicable).” Could USAID please clarify who (USAID or the contractor) and what would determine whether a security plan was applicable to a task order?

It is not anticipated that a security plan would be required. If a security plan is required, the task order will so state and include the requirements for such a plan.

13 Section F.6.1 (Page 36) states, “If Grants Under Contract (GUCs) are authorized at the Task Order level, the TO will so state.” However, in Attachment J.1, Section C.6 (Page 8) states, “It is envisioned that future task orders will also include a GUC component and management of such GUCs will be managed/administered as part of those subsequent task orders, in accordance with the grants manual developed under this Task Order No. 1.” The contractor will likely have grants that continue from Task Order (TO) 1 to 2. In that case, would the grants be managed and administered under TO 1 or TO 2?

Please reference Attachment J.1, Section C.6 which states in part “It is envisioned that future task orders will also include a GUC component and management of such GUCs will be managed/administered as part of those subsequent task orders, in accordance with the grants manual developed under this Task Order No. 1 (see [Task Order No. 1] Section F.5).” Thus, it is anticipated that grants may be managed and administered both under Task Order No. 1 as well as future task orders.

14 Can the government please clarify the language in §F.8(a)? Does this clause mean that the TOCOR is empowered to extend the performance period of a task order? This appears to conflict with §G.5(b) Limitations (“COR may not take any action which may impact on the contract schedule”) and (e).

Section F.8(a) is for the task order period of performance extension, while Section G.5(b) is for IDIQ period of performance.

IDIQ, Section K

15 Section K.1 (Page 98) lists FAR 52.237-8, Restriction on Severance Payments to Foreign Nationals (August 2003), as one of the “solicitation provisions pertinent to this section.” This clause limits the cost allowability of severance payments under the contract. Thus, if the local law requires

See Part 1 above, inserting FAR 52.237-9 into Section I.


12

severance payment when the project terminates an employee without cause (e.g., contract end date), the contractor will not be able to bill this cost. Would USAID insert FAR 52.237-9, Waiver of Limitation on Severance Payments to Foreign Nationals (May 2014), to waive this clause if needed?

IDIQ, Section L - General Instructions

16 Section L.6.1. of the RFP (page 115) requires a validity period of 210 days; however, Block 12 of the SF-33 states a validity period of 180 days. Please clarify the required validity period.

See Part 1 above, revising the validity period in Section L.6.1 to 180 days.

17 Refer to Page 117, “The narrative for the cost proposal must be in Microsoft Word, Times New Roman font size 12, text accessible. Other supporting documents may be in either Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF.” In order to maintain the proper order and page numbers in the official submission for the entire cost volume, may offerors please submit one PDF file with the narrative and all other supporting documents, plus a separate Word file of the narrative alone?

The proposed format is acceptable.

18 With regard to the type specifications given in Section L.6.8 (page 117), please confirm that callout boxes and tables in the Technical Proposal may use a font size smaller than 12pt, provided that the content is clearly legible without magnification.

As described in Section L.6.8., there is no specified font for graphics and charts but font size may be no smaller than font size 6pt. The description “graphics and charts” includes callout boxes and tables. Content should be easily legible.

19 Section L.6.8. of the RFP (page 117) states “The narrative for the cost proposal must be in Microsoft Word, Times New Roman font size 12, text accessible.”



13

Could USAID please confirm that a budget narrative in text accessible Adobe PDF is also acceptable?

IDIQ, Section L - Past Performance Instructions

20 Section L.7, paragraph 1 (page 118) refers to “past or current contracts, cooperative agreements, or grants.” Please confirm that projects resulting from any of these procurement mechanisms may be used as “relevant activities/projects” under Sections L.7.2 and L.7.3.

This confirms that, as stated, relevant activities may include contracts, cooperative agreements, or grants.

21 Regarding RFP Section L.7.2 Past Performance Matrix (pages 118-119), in order to adequately describe the activities/projects to be included, would USAID consider allowing offerors to provide descriptions and explanations of relevance that exceed 100 words?

The word limit for briefly describing the scope of work remains at 100 words. Both the CPARS and the Past Performance Reference Sheet provide space for more detailed explanation of the effort.

22 Refer to Section L.7.2.a.2.c (Page 119), the description of performance requirement allows only 100 words to address six sub-categories. To allow sufficient space to present information about the projects, would USAID please amend the RFP to have a 100-word limit for "Scope of work or complexity/ diversity of tasks" and no word limit for Primary location(s) of work, Term of performance, Skills/ expertise required, Dollar value, and Contract type?

See above response for Question # 21 above.

23 Section L.7.2 Past Performance Matrix (Page 119) states, “Describe any quality awards or certifications that indicate exceptional capacity to provide the service or product described in the SOW.” Could USAID please clarify whether the quality awards and certifications

Reference to any awards should be specific to the activity listed in the Past Performance Matrix.


14

must reflect the activities listed in the Past Performance Matrix or whether offerors may include relevant corporate quality awards and certifications not specific to the activities listed in the Past Performance Matrix?

24 Can USAID confirm that “Tab 1 - Past Performance Matrix” on p.118 of the RFP refers to bullets 1 to 5 in section L.7.2. Past Performance Matrix, and “Tab 2 – Small Business Concern Performance Matrix” refers to bullet 6 in section L.7.2. Past Performance Matrix?

Tab 1 - Past Performance Matrix must contain the items described in Section L.7.2 (a)(1)-(5). Tab 2 - Small Business Concern Performance Matrix must contain the items described in Section L.7.2.(a)(6).

25 Section L.7.3 (page 120) states “The referee must submit the completed questionnaire directly to USAID/Indonesia by the past performance due date specified on the Past Performance Reference Form.” Please confirm that a referee’s failure to meet the indicated deadline would not result in the Offeror’s disqualification from this procurement.

An Offeror will not be disqualified if a Referee does not submit the Past Performance Form.

26 DFID officials have confirmed that due to internal DFID policies they are unable to use the reference form required by USAID. All project references are sent in a on a standard form which they are unable to modify. Given these policies would USAID accept these reference forms from DFID in replacement of Attachment J.7? Alternatively is there another form of past performance assessment that USAID would find acceptable in place of Attachment J.7?

USAID highly encourages the use of the Past Performance Form included in Attachment J.7.

IDIQ, Section L - Technical Proposal Instructions - Formatting

27 Regarding Technical Proposal Format (page 120), can USAID indicate whether offerors may include a Table of Contents, list of acronyms and abbreviations, and Executive Summary that do not count against the technical proposal page limit?

See Part 1 above, revising the Technical Proposal Format to allow Offerors to include a table of contents and list of acronyms and abbreviations. These will not count toward the page limit.


15

Offerors may include an Executive Summary that must not exceed two (2) pages, and will count toward the page limit, which has been increased from 27 pages to 29 pages.

28 Would USAID consider allowing Offerors to include a table of contents (outside of the proposal’s page limit)?

See response to Question # 27 above.

29 The required proposal format consists of several concise and focused pieces. For reader's convenience, may Offerors add a 2-page Executive Summary that introduces the IDIQ teaming arrangements and overall approach (outside the proposal’s page limit)?


30 Refer to Section L.8.1 (Page 120) “Technical Proposal Format”, would USAID please kindly consider adding an Executive Summary between the Cover Page and Part A: PEA and Co-Design Approach?


31 Can Offerors include a non-page-counting acronym list in the technical proposal?


32 Can Offerors include a non-page-counting table of contents and a non-page-counting table of figures in the technical proposal?


33 Refer to Section L.8.1 Technical Proposal Format, page 120, may Offerors include an Executive Summary as a non-counting page(s) to summarize the key features of the proposal?


34 Would USAID consider allowing Offerors to include a PEA and Co-Design work plan as Annex C to the technical proposal?

USAID declines to include a PEA and Co-Design Work Plan as an annex to the technical proposal.

35 Section L.8.1 Technical Proposal Format, page 120: USAID states that the page length for Part E: Staffing and Management Plan should be 4 pages, included in the page limit. However, section L.8.2.6 Staffing and Management Plan, states that it should not exceed 8 pages, excluding the Organizational Chart. Can USAID confirm that it is expecting a 4-page

For clarification, the entire Part E must not exceed eight (8) pages, of which the Staffing and Management Plan narrative may not exceed four (4) pages, Annex A: Table of Management Positions may not exceed four (4) pages and


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narrative (within the technical proposal), a 4-page table of management positions (annex A), and an organization chart of any length (annex B)?

Annex B: Organization Chart is not included in the page limit.

IDIQ, Section L.8 Technical Proposal Instructions - Staffing and Management

36 Refer to Section L.8.2.5 (Page 122), “The proposed team collectively must possess a deep cadre of high-level specialists in the capacity building of public institutions; curricula development and dissemination; information and communications technology; change management; program management; stakeholder engagement, including PSE; and gender equality and social inclusion.” And refer to Section L.8.2.6 (Page 122-123), “The team collectively must possess a deep cadre of high-level specialists in the capacity building of public institutions; curricula development and dissemination; information and communications technology; change management; program management; stakeholder engagement, including PSE; and gender equality and social inclusion.” The requirement to present a cadre of high-level specialists appears under both L.8.2.5: Organizational Capabilities and L.8.2.6: Staffing and Management Plan. Would USAID please amend the RFP to delete this bullet from L.8.2.5: Organizational Capabilities so that offerors can present a consolidated response to this requirement in a single section of the proposal?

Please see Part 1 above, removing the duplication of the same bullet from section L.8.2.6.

37 In section L.8.2.5 and L.8.2.6 USAID asks for “The proposed team collectively must possess a deep cadre of high-level specialists in the capacity building of public institutions…” Does USAID intend to have this information in both sections or just the



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Staffing and Management Plan?

38 Page 122, Sections L.8.2.5 and L.8.2.6, both state that the team collectively must possess a deep cadre of high-level specialists in a range of technical areas. Can USAID please clarify if Offerors may include names and qualifications of proposed STTA specialists?

Offerors should not provide the names of STTA specialists.

39 Section L.8.2.5: The RFP states that the Offeror must demonstrate that the proposed team collectively possesses “a deep cadre of high-level specialists in the capacity building of public institutions; curricula development and dissemination; information and communications technology; change management; program management; stakeholder engagement, including PSE; and gender equality and social inclusion.” To respond to this requirement, are Offerors allowed to provide profiles of personnel that it could deploy both in long-term and short-term roles? Given that Offerors are not allowed to present actual candidates for Key Personnel, it’s not clear if this is also true for other types of staff in Sections L.8.2.5 and L.8.2.6. Our assumption is that you cannot present actual candidates for any position, but if this is the case, it's not clear how to demonstrate that our firm has a “cadre of high-level specialists.” Could USAID clarify what content is in mind for this section?

This bullet has been removed from Section L.8.2.6; see Part 1 above.

40 Instructions in Section L.8.2.6 of the RFP (page 123) regarding the Table of Management Positions state that, “The table must include proposed minimum qualifications of the Key Personnel positions identified in Attachment J.1, Task Order No. 1, Section F.6.” Section F.6.4 of Task Order No. 1 (page 28) states that minimum qualifications are to be provided at the time of award. Can USAID confirm that offerors must provide indicative minimum qualifications in the Table of Management Positions that the successful offeror will finalize upon award?

Offerors must provide indicative minimum qualifications in the Table of Management Positions. Subject to USAID approval, the Offeror’s proposed minimum qualifications for Key Personnel will be incorporated into Section F.6.4 at the time of award.


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41 Could USAID please confirm that while Offerors are not allowed to propose named Key Personnel candidates, Offerors are allowed to propose named non-Key Personnel candidates? If this is the case, could USAID please clarify whether Offerors should include non-Key Personnel CVs as an Annex in the technical proposal?

USAID will evaluate the proposed qualifications and attributes for the core management team that the Offeror proposes as appropriate to successfully carry out the position roles and responsibilities; USAID will not evaluate the names and CVs of proposed candidates for Key Personnel and non-Key Personnel positions. Thus, Offerors are not encouraged to provide specific names and CVs of personnel. Instead, as set forth on page 123 under IDIQ Staffing and Management Plan, Offerors must describe how they will recruit and deploy short-term technical assistance; and as to the Table of Management Positions, Offerors must provide the anticipated roles/responsibility and minimum and preferred qualifications/attributes for positions.

42 Refer to Section L.8.2.6 (Page 122-123) “The team collectively must possess a deep cadre of high-level specialists in the capacity building of public institutions; curricula development and dissemination; information and communications technology; change management; program management; stakeholder engagement, including PSE; and gender equality and social inclusion” and Section L.8.26 (Page 124) “Offeror must not submit actual candidates for the proposed Key Personnel in the Technical Proposal.” Given that actual candidates for key personnel positions cannot be named, could USAID please explain how the requirement to demonstrate a cadre of high-level specialists will be scored?



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43 USAID refers to a "core management team" and "core management positions" in L.8.2.6 Staffing and Management Plan, page 123. Could USAID please confirm that the core management team and core management positions may include both Key Personnel and non-Key Personnel?"

For purposes of the Table of Management Positions (Annex A), the “core management positions” consist of, at a minimum, the Key Personnel. Offerors may include additional non-key personnel as part of their core management, and the table should include other strategic and technical positions that are critical to implementing the activity. Offerors must provide anticipated roles/responsibilities and minimum (required) and preferred qualifications/attributes to determine qualified candidates. Subject to USAID approval, the minimum requirements will be incorporated into the award, and Key Personnel must meet these minimum qualifications. Annex B only requires a general description of home office and key personnel; Offerors are not precluded from briefly providing the roles and responsibilities of specific positions. This Annex B provides the overall organizational structure of the IDIQ’s anticipated staffing structure whereas Annex A is focused on the core management.

44 Section L.8.2.6 (page 123-4) directs Offerors to provide “An IDIQ Organizational Chart displaying the IDIQ Activity’s anticipated staffing structure and office(s) with lines of authority, *and general descriptions for all home office and field employees* to implement Components 1-3.”



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a) Would USAID confirm our interpretation that a “general description” consists of the roles and responsibilities of each position?

b) Can USAID clarify the difference between this requirement (which is part of Annex B) and the requirements of Annex A, which requests descriptions of the Core Management Team, Key Personnel, and “other strategic and technical positions that are critical to implementing the L-GEE Activity, which may include anticipated short term technical assistance”?

45 Section L.8.2.6: The RFP states that “Offeror must propose a staffing and management plan that effectively and efficiently delivers expected outcomes under Task Order 1 specifically, but more broadly meets or exceeds contract requirements overall for Components 1-3”. Due to the co-design process, however, there will be no clearly defined outcomes until after the award of the contract. How can the offeror be expected to define the various types of positions and LOE when there are no clearly defined outcomes? Similarly, the RFP mentions that “short-term technical assistance will collectively demonstrate exemplary technical expertise and management skills to provide leadership for the interventions and ensure the sustainable achievement of expected outcomes for Components 1-3.” How will the offeror be able to define the short-term technical assistance that may be required for outcomes that haven’t been defined yet in Components 1-3?

Section C sets forth the overall activity results and objectives. Offerors are expected to be able to describe their proposed combination of staffing that will be needed to achieve these expected results.

IDIQ, Section L.9, Cost Proposal Instructions & Fee Questions

46 Section L.9.1 on page 124 specifically requires an original signature on the SF-33. Could USAID please confirm the acceptability of electronic signatures for the SF-33?

Yes, an electronic signature by an authorized signatory for the SF-33 is acceptable.


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47 In Section L.9 USAID provides instructions for the cost proposal for Task Order 1. Could USAID confirm there is no cost proposal submission for the IDIQ?

There is no cost proposal submission for the IDIQ itself.

48 The RFP’s Section L.9 provides the instructions for the preparation of the cost/Business proposal for Task Order No 1. There is a statement under this section “Offeror must submit a cost/business proposal for Task Order No. 1 that will be analyzed as part of the overall evaluation as indicated in Section M”. Could USAID please confirm that the Offeror is only required to submit a Cost Proposal for Task Order 1 and not for the IDIQ Contract level solicitation?


49 Will USAID please further clarify if offerors are required to submit an overall (up to $38.5 million) IDIQ budget?


50 Would USAID please provide an exchange rate to use in the cost proposal? Given recent significant fluctuations in the exchange rate between the USD and IDR (since the outbreak of COVID-19), please provide a specific exchange rate or any guidance that Offerors should use for budgeting purposes (if any).

For purposes of budgeting, all Offerors should use the exchange rate of Rp. 15,000 = US $1.00.

51 Would USAID please provide guidance on the exchange rate that must be used for the proposal?



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52 The numbering of the cost proposal parts in Section L.9, page 132 jumps from Part 8 - Evidence of Responsibility directly to Part 11 - Joint Venture Information. Would USAID correct the numbering of the parts?

Noted. See Part 1 above.

53 Can Offerors present a Detailed Budget in a different order from the format provided in Section L.9.2.2?

No.

54 Is the travel table on page 127 required or can Offerors present similar travel information in their own format?

No, Offerors must follow the provided template.

55 Page 125 section L.9.2.1, Overall Summary Budgets states that “the following two tables represent the format of the overall summary budgets that the Offeror must complete”, but only one summary table is included. Will USAID please clarify if only one summary budget by CLIN is required, or provide the second summary budget format?

Please see Part 1 above, revising this section to correct that only one summary budget is required.

56 Section L.9.2.2 on page 125 includes a summary budget broken out by major cost elements that provides a breakout for Years 1–5.

Please confirm that Task Order No. 1’s period of performance will only be one year, and that the offeror’s summary and detailed budgets should only include costs for Year 1?

As set forth in Attachment J.1., Section F.2, the period of performance for Task Order No. 1 is five years; the budget should reflect costs anticipated to perform the work set forth in Section C of the Task Order No. 1 for the period of performance of the task order.

57 The Detailed Budget template provided in Section L.9.2.2, page 125 indicates that it is required for Task Order No. 1. Given that Task Order 1 is for Year 1 only, while the template is for 5 years, would USAID please confirm if this template is for Task Order No. 1 only?

Please review Attachment J.1., Section F.2, which states that the period of performance of Task Order No. 1 is five years. The cost proposal must include a budget for the task order period of performance.


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58 Refer to C.9 (page 28) “Management of this office and overall logistics of the IDIQ Activity will be part of the Task Order No. 1 scope of work.” If the Contractor is expected to design the activity and its work plans through the culmination of Year 1’s activities, it is not possible to accurately estimate the scope and costs of overall IDIQ logistics (including staff and other resources) necessary to sufficiently support and resource IDIQ activities until these work plans are designed and approved. It is likely that offerors with differing indirect cost structures will propose disparate assumptions about the management costs required and estimated for Years 2-5. Would USAID please consider only showing Year 1 costs in TO 1, with TO 2 having TO management built into it once the scope of work and staffing needed is determined by the co-design process? This would better allow USAID to make a fair comparison between offerors.

Specific logistics (e.g., travel, communications, office space) that support future task order work (i.e., Component 2 Implementation) should be budgeted for under the appropriate future task order. USAID does not assume that all logistical consideration and costs (i.e., travel, etc.) of future task order work will be budgeted in Task Order No. 1. Offerors should budget for overall activity management and logistical considerations (e.g., communications within the Jakarta office; Jakarta office rent) as described in Attachment J.1., Section C, in the Task Order No. 1 budget.

59 For costs (such as office rent, utilities, furniture, laptops, etc.) associated with regional field offices (if any), could USAID please confirm: a) Those costs can be billable in Task Order 1 as part of PEA and Co-

Design activity costs during Year 1. b) Those costs will be rolled over and billable to Task Order 2 as part of

Implementation activity costs during Years 2-5.

For the first year of implementation during the Component 1 phase, any regional field office expenditures will be billed to Task Order No. 1. Following completion of the PEA and Co-Design (Component 1) phase, these regional field office costs will transition to costs under future task orders for the Component 2 (Implementation) phase. USAID encourages the Offeror to co-locate its regional offices within the host government offices at the sub-national levels.

60 Please confirm that costs associated with the operation of the Jakarta office (such as office rent, utilities, furniture, laptops, etc.) should be included in the Task Order 1 budget.

Costs associated with the Jakarta office (rent, utilities, furniture, laptops) should be budgeted for the entire period of performance under Task Order No. 1.


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61 Per Attachment J.1 C.4.2.B. Iterative PEA, “Throughout the five-year L-GEE Activity, the Contractor must continue to use iterative PEA.” Could USAID please confirm Offerors should budget for the iterative PEAs for the life of the five-year L-GEE Activity?

Offerors should budget for the iterative PEAs for the life of the activity in the Task Order No. 1 budget.

62 Section L.9.2.1: The RFP presents a summary budget table in which there are three main line items: Activity Costs, Grants under Contract and Fixed Fee. Will USAID provide a plug figure for the Grants under Contract? If not, it is unclear how the offeror can stipulate what percentage of the contract will be allocated to GUC particularly when that type of specificity will need to come out of the co-design process.

USAID does not intend to provide a plug figure for grants under Task Order No. 1. Offerors are expected to determine the appropriate level of grants based on their technical approach to perform the scope of work set forth in Section C of the task order. It is anticipated that future task orders for the Activity Components (as described in Section C of the IDIQ) will include grants under contract as well.

63 On Page 126, for Salary and Wages, the last sentence to the second paragraph states, “Offerors should submit a request for a waiver with the cost proposal for any proposed TCN long-term employees, if applicable.” However, in the same paragraph, it also states that “Daily rates for all proposed positions should be based on the prevailing compensation paid to personnel performing comparable work in the cooperating country, as opposed to applying negotiated daily rates of an actual or illustrative candidate.” Given that the Offeror must not submit actual candidates for proposed Key Personnel, could USAID confirm that a waiver will only be required upon approval of personnel at the post-award stage?

If an Offeror intends to request a salary above the prevailing compensation paid to personnel performing comparable work in the cooperating country, the Offeror must provide the justification for such salary. USAID anticipates that proposed salaries would be commensurate with the position roles, responsibilities, and minimum qualifications when determining what is the appropriate market rate for a specific position.

64 Salaries and Wages/Pg. 126: USAID states that no CCNs can be above the prevailing compensation rates that the US Embassy has set in its local compensation plan rates. This direction seems to be at odds with other recent USAID’s directives that talk about the Offeror providing market justification for any proposed rates (recognizing that in some cases “the

Please see response to Question #63 above.


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market” may allow for CCN rates to be above the local compensation plan).

65 Can you please confirm if the IDIQ Activity Director position is billable to task order 1 and future task orders?

Costs associated with the IDIQ Director are expected to be allocated to Task Order No. 1 during the entire period of performance of Task Order No. 1 (five years) and are not anticipated to be transferred to a future task order.

66 Will USAID please confirm that all key personnel listed in Attachment J.1 Section F.6.4, including the Senior Technical Component Lead, should be budgeted full-time for all five years in Task Order 1, with the expectation that their responsibilities and roles will also involve future task orders under this IDIQ?

All Key Personnel identified in Task Order No. 1 must be budgeted for the entire period of performance of Task Order No. 1 (five years) except for the Senior Technical Component Lead, who will transition to a future task order and therefore should be budgeted under Task Order No. 1 for Year 1 only.

67 Should “CLIN 002 – Grants under Contract” (section L.9.2.1) contain only the base cost of the grant, or should it contain all associated costs with the grant program such as the indirect costs associated with the grants, labor for grants management, training grantees, etc?

The Grants Under Contract cost category line item should only include the grant amounts that will be directly transferred to subgrantees; all other associated costs (i.e., grant management and administration) should be incorporated into other cost categories, as appropriate.

68 Section L.9.2.2 Detailed Budget, pages 129-130 list information about the technical evaluation criteria. ● Can you please confirm if additional information about the cost

proposal should be considered to replace the current text? ● Would USAID provide a plugged figure for GUG under Task Order 1?

USAID declines to provide a plug figure for the GUC cost category. See additional information provided in the response to Question #67. If there are any revisions to the information provided in Section L.9.2., please see above Part 1, which identifies specific solicitation revision.

69 RFP Section C.10 (page 28) and Section L.9.2.2 (pages 125 and 128) address Grants Under Contract (GUC), with Section C discussing them in reference to the full IDIQ and Section L.9.2.2 indicating that they are required for Task Order No. 1.



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Could USAID please clarify whether offerors are required to propose GUC for Task Order No. 1 or if offerors have the option to include GUC only if it fits the proposed technical approach? If required, could USAID please provide a GUC ceiling or plug figure?

70 Section L.9.2.2 (Page 126) states, “The following provides the U.S. Embassy in Indonesia local compensation plan rates as an additional source of guidance to determine appropriate rates,” and presents a table with maximum and minimum annual salaries in IDR for technical and administrative/ support staff. Could USAID please confirm that this table is for reference only?

As stated in Section L.9.2.2., the table is “an additional source of guidance.”

71 Can USAID please clarify if the costs for an independent/external mid-term and final evaluation should be included in the Offeror’s cost proposal for Task Order 1, or if USAID will be procuring these services through a separate mechanism?

Costs for the mid-term and final evaluation services should not be budgeted in Task Order No. 1.

72 On Page 9, Section B.5 (b) states that the fee ceiling is not applicable to Grants under Contracts (GUCs), if any, or other costs that have a separate fee ceiling established in the contract. However, on Page 129, Section L.9.9.2, Fixed Fees states, “The Offeror must also propose a maximum fee ceiling that will be applied to grants under contracts line items.” Could USAID please clarify if fee is applicable or not applicable to Grants under Contracts?

The fixed fee ceiling set forth in Section B.5 does not apply towards any Grants under Contract line item amount. The Offerors’ proposed maximum fee ceiling that will be applied to grants under contract line items, will however be applied.

73 Section B.5. (b) and (d): The RFP mentions that the fixed fee % will be determined at the time of award. As part of our submission, doesn’t USAID want us to include a fixed fee %? Will this percentage be considered a ceiling or will there be subsequent conversations with USAID to determine final ceilings?

As set forth in Section L.9.2.2, “the percentage used to arrive at the Offeror’s fixed fee under Task Order No. 1 will constitute the Offeror’s fee ceiling under the IDIQ and all task orders that are cost plus fixed fee contracts.


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74 §L.9.2.2. Fixed Fee (if any) says that the fixed fee proposed under Task Order 1 will be used as a ceiling for fixed fee for all subsequent task orders under the IDIQ. We request the government reconsider establishment of this ceiling because of the following: 1. §B.2 of the IDIQ states that the government will issue various types of

task orders, including CPFF, CPAF and Fixed Price. 2. As you know, the fee limitation at FAR 15.404-4(c)(4)(i)(C) only applies

to CPFF task orders. CPAF and Fixed Price task orders may have different fee commensurate with the task order requirements, risks and desired incentives.

3. The offeror would be forced to propose a disproportionately high fixed fee under Task Order 1 in order to establish a ceiling to accommodate any potential performance risks under all future task order types and possible requirements. E.g. CPAF task orders may carry a much higher fee than CPFF based on incentive type contracting rules at FAR 16.405.

4. Alternatively, would the government consider the offeror proposing different fee ceilings for CPFF and CPAF task orders, and remove any ceiling requirements for fixed price task orders?

Please review Section B.2 of the IDIQ, which sets forth the terms by which the Task Order fixed fee amount will be used as a ceiling for subsequent task orders, including as to when such ceiling is not applicable.

75 Please confirm Section L.9.2.2.B.6 (page 126) should understand as “The following provides additional information that should be contained within the budget narrative [or detailed budget] for each cost category”, considering a lot of information required in that section should be present in budget spreadsheet rather than budget narrative.

Please see Part 1 above, revising this section to clarify that these considerations should be contained within the budget narrative and budget details, as appropriate.

76 Per Attachment J.1 C.4.2.A. Task Set 2: MEL and CLA, “Under this Task Order No. 1, the Contractor will provide oversight and perform all MEL and CLA functions for the IDIQ Activity.” Could USAID please confirm its expectations and instructions that Offerors should budget for all MEL and CLA activities as described in Section C Statement of Work and Attachment J.1 Section C for the life of the five-year L-GEE Activity as part of/included in the Cost Proposal for



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Task Order 1 in response to this RFP?

IDIQ, Section L.9, Cost Proposal Instructions - Other

77 Section L.9.5 on page 131 requires the Offeror to submit a signed Section K; however, the signature block for Section K is on page 109, and not at the end of the section. Could USAID please confirm that the signature block should be moved to the end of the section?

If the Offeror does not have online certifications, the Offeror may sign on the signature block on page 109 of the Section K. The page will not be moved to the end of the section.

78 Per Section L.9.6(a) on page 131, offerors must submit information on personnel policies if the offeror does not have prior USAID contracting experience. However, Section L.9.1(b) on page 131 requires a summary of the offeror’s personnel policies used for formulating the cost proposal and in effect at the time the offer is submitted. Would USAID please confirm that information on personnel policies is only required if an offeror does not have prior USAID contracting experience?

Offerors that have prior experience with USAID need not provide their entire personnel policies; instead, Offerors with prior experience are requested to provide a summary of these personnel policies.

79 Section L.9.6 (page 131) subsection (a) states that an Offeror without USAID contracting experience must submit its personnel policies. Subsection (b) refers to a *summary* of personnel policies, but does not definitively state that this should be submitted. Please confirm that Offerors with prior USAID contracting experience do not need to submit a summary of their personnel policies.


80 Could USAID please confirm if USAID wants to receive the policies described in section L.9.6 part 6(a) in full for each subcontractor?

See response to Question #78 above. These same standards apply for subcontractors.

IDIQ, Section L.9, Cost Proposal Instructions - Subcontractor Information

81 The RFP states that we should have detailed budgets for major subcontractors which are defined as firms having more than 20% of the total budget costs. We have found it difficult to make this target, even

USAID has determined that the use of the 20% of total budget costs is the appropriate standard to determine what is a “major subcontractor” for


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when there is a subcontractor who plays a significant role (i.e. due to grants and other management costs that are typically under the prime contract). Would USAID be willing to consider a major subcontractor to be someone who is considered “key/critical” to the overall implementation strategy?

purposes of the cost proposal.

82 Regarding Section L.9.7 (page 132), could USAID please confirm that offerors may provide supporting documentation (Parts 3-6) and request consent for all proposed IDIQ subcontractors in addition to submitting budget information (Part 2) for proposed Task Order No. 1 subcontractors?

Yes, Offerors may request consent and provide supporting documentation for subcontractors under the IDIQ. Offers must request consent and provide supporting documentation for subcontractors under Task Order No. 1. This information should be provided in the tab for Part 7. It is preferred that Offerors order the subcontractor information as follows:

- First, major subcontractors under Task Order No. 1;

- Second, subcontractors under Task Order No. 1;

- Third, other anticipated major subcontractors under IDIQ;

- Fourth, other anticipated subcontractors under the IDIQ

As to Section L.9.7(d), see Part 1 above, revising the sentence to be applicable only to major subcontractors.


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83 Page 124, Section L.9.2 states that a detailed budget must be provided for any major subcontractors over 20%. However, page 126 (Section L.9.2.2, part B.2) states all subcontractors need to be broken out in detail. In addition, Page 132, section L.9.7 (d) of the RFP states that the additional cost information required in Parts (2), (3), (4), (5), and (6) are also required for each subcontractor. Will USAID please clarify whether a detailed budget and all mentioned cost documents are required only for major subcontractors or all named subcontractors?


84 Section L.9.7 (c) on page 132 states offerors must include a discussion and arrangement on type(s) of subcontract(s) to be used and the approximate percentage of each type of work to be subcontracted. Would USAID please confirm this discussion should only concern information on Task Order No. 1 and not the entire IDIQ?


85 L.9.7, Part 7 (Page 132) states that the offeror must provide, “The information requested above in Parts (2), (3), (4), (5), and (6) for each subcontractor.”

Could USAID please clarify whether it requires all documents referenced in Parts 2 to 6 for both major and non-major subcontractors?


86 Refer to Section L.9.7.d (Page 132) “The information requested above in Parts (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6) for each subcontractor.” Under bullet (d), USAID requires information from each subcontractor for Parts 2-6, but on the preceding pages, the following items are required from the offeror and major subcontractors only: indirect cost information; Disclosure of Lobbying Activities Form; Information Concerning Work-Day, Work-Week, and Paid Absences.



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Could USAID please confirm that offerors do not need to provide these three items from subcontractors that fall below the major subcontractor threshold?

87 Section L.9.7(d) on page 132 requires information in Part 3 (indirect cost ceiling rates) for each subcontractor. Section B.7 on page 11 states, “Ceilings are not applicable to Small Business Offerors and local organizations serving as the prime or a subcontractor.” Could USAID please confirm that indirect cost ceiling rates are not required for U.S. small businesses and local organizations?

Correct.

88 Section L.9.2 Part 2-Proposed costs asks, “Any offeror that utilizes subcontracts totaling more than 20% of the offerors total proposed cost for Task Order No.1 must provide a similar detailed budget and budget narrative”. Then in L.9.7 Part 7 (d) USAID requests information from parts (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6) for each contractor. Does USAID intend for contractors to submit information in parts (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6) for all subs or just those meeting the major subcontractor threshold? Furthermore, if this information is requested for all subs, would USAID like this information to be included in Part 7 with all subcontractor information?


89 Section L.9.7 “Part 7 – Subcontractor Information”, bullet (d), requires Parts 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 for each subcontractor. We anticipate that some subcontractors (i.e. fixed price partners) will have no inputs to submit under part 2. Could USAID confirm that Part 2 does not have to be submitted if subcontractors do not have inputs for part 2?

Please see response to Question #82 above.

90 Refer to Section L.9.7 Part 7 (Page 132) “A discussion and arrangement This is based on the Offeror’s determination and


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on type(s) of subcontract(s) to be used, and approximate percentage of each type of work to be subcontracted”. Could USAID please define what is the numerator and what is the denominator in calculating the percentage of each type of work to be subcontracted?

should be clearly described in the proposal.

91 Section L.9.7. on page 132 states “The information set forth below must be provided for each proposed subcontractor.” Item (d) in the subsequent list is “The information requested in Parts (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6).” However, some instructions in Parts 2-6 do not apply to all subcontractors: a) Section B.7 of the RFP (page 11) requires indirect costs and ceiling

on indirect cost rates for the prime contractor and major subcontractors, and section L.9.3. (Cost Proposal Instructions, Part 3, page 130) states the Offeror must include ceiling rates.

b) Please confirm that ceilings on indirect cost rates are only required for the Prime Offeror and Major Subcontractors.

c) Section L.9.4. (Cost Proposal Instructions, Part 4, page 130) only requires the successful Offeror to have a DUNS number and SAM registration. Please confirm that Part 4 is not required for subcontractors during the proposal stage, assuming they will obtain a DUNS number and SAM registration prior to sub award.

d) Section L.9.6.(b) (2) (Cost Proposal Instructions, Part 6, page 131) requires the Offeror and Major subcontractors to submit their Work-Day, Work-Week and Paid Absences Policy. Please confirm this section does not apply to non-major subcontractors.


92 With reference to L.9.7 (d) on page 132, please clarify whether: a) All subcontractor budgets, narratives, and other requirements for

Parts (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6) should all be included under Part 7 (Subcontractor Information) of the Offeror’s submission; or

b) They should be grouped with similar information (for example, all



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subcontractor budgets and narratives should be placed under Part 2).

IDIQ, Section L.10 - Branding and Marking Instructions

93 Section L.10 of the RFP (page 133) states that “the Offeror must include: 1) a Branding Implementation Plan (BIP) and Marking Plan (MP) for the

IDIQ Contract; and 2) BIP/MP TO Supplement for Task Order No. 1.” Is it USAID’s intention that offerors submit two Branding Implementation Plans and Marking Plan, one each for the IDIQ and Task Order No. 1? If not, please clarify what is to be included in the BIP/MP TO Supplement Task Order No. 1.

Offerors must submit a BI/MP for the IDIQ and BIP/MP TO Supplement for Task Order No. 1. Please review IDIQ Section D.2.

94 We note that there is no closing date listed for submission of the Branding Implementation and Marking Plans. Please confirm that it is the same as the Closing Date for Proposals.

Please see Part 1 above, clarifying that the closing date for the Branding and Marking Plan is the same closing date as the technical and cost proposal, as set forth on the Cover Page.

IDIQ, Section M, Evaluation Factors

95 Section M.5.b (Page 138) states “This procurement utilizes a voluntarily down-select process, in which an Offeror may withdraw its proposals after Phase 1 based on USAID’s notification if an Offeror is likely to be competitive in Phase 2.” Would USAID please clarify how the voluntary down-select process would work and what offerors may expect for Phase 2?

Please see Part 1 above, removing this sentence.

96 On page 138, Section M, 5.b Tradeoff states, “This procurement utilizes a voluntarily down-select process, in which an Offeror may withdraw its proposals after Phase 1 based on USAID’s notification if an Offeror is likely to be competitive in Phase 2.” Could USAID please clarify the Phase 1 and 2 approach for this RFP?



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97 Could USAID please share the scoring and weighting of the evaluation factors in Section M of the RFP?

Please review Section L.6.1 paragraph 1 and Section M.3, which provides the weighting of each evaluation factor.

Attachment J.1., Task Order, Section C

98 Refer to Attachment 1 Section C.4.1 (i) (Page 2), “The Contractor must conduct PEA at multiple levels: at the national level, as it relates specifically to local governance and service delivery; in each of the targeted provinces to facilitate the selection of target districts; and in the targeted districts” and Section F.5.8 (Page 21) “All PEA results must be submitted within 210 days after the effective date of the award” and Section F.5.10 (Page 22) “All Implementation Plans must be completed no later than 12 months after the effective date of award”.

a. Conducting PEAs at the national level, a minimum of six provinces, and a minimum of 30 districts means that the Contractor will have to conduct at least 37 PEAs. Could USAID confirm that this is the minimum number of PEAs to be conducted?

b. Given the large number of PEAs, would USAID please amend Section F.5.8 to make all PEA results due within 270 days after the effective date of the award to allow for adequate coverage and careful analysis of this many assessments? Completing all PEAs by 270 days will still allow enough time to complete all implementation plans no later than 12 months after the effective date of award.

Please refer to Attachment J 1. Section C.4.1, page 3, which states that the Contractor must consider any other prior PEAs conducted by USAID or its implementing partners prior to commencing PEA. USAID/Indonesia has now determined that it will separately conduct national and provincial PEAs in eight priority provinces (six of which are L-GEE targeted provinces). The Contractor is expected to refer to these PEAs as a starting point, and to build on their findings with regards to the specific needs of the L-GEE activity. The Contractor will conduct seven (national and six provincial level) PEAs to help identify the districts in Year 1, with iterative PEA at districts level at later stages. See Part 1 above for revisions to Section F.5.8.

Based on the above considerations, the Contractor is expected to submit all seven PEAs results within 210 days after the effective date of the award.

99 Please clarify the timeline for when Co-Design will begin. In Attachment J.1 (Section C; page 3), Task 1 states that “The L-GEE PEAs must be completed by no later than Month 7 of Year One and must inform the approach to co-design…” and later under Task 2 states that “Starting by

The PEAs (Task 1) must be completed by no later than Month 7 whereas the co-design (Task 2) must start no later than Month 6. It is contemplated that co-design may begin prior to


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Month 6, the Contractor must lead co-design efforts that bring together key stakeholders in a methodological process to finalize geographic targeting for the activity and determine its priority interventions.”

the completion of all PEAs.

100 C.4.1. of Attachment J.1 says that the Contractor “must consider any other prior PEAs conducted by USAID or its implementing partners prior to commencing.” Could USAID please share the list of PEAs conducted by USAID or its implementing partners?

USAID/Indonesia is currently conducting PEAs in eight priority provinces. USAID does not have a list of PEAs conducted by partners at this time.

101 As Task Order 1 covers costs for MEL, CLA and IDIQ Administrative & Management, and also requires the contractor to maintain an office in Jakarta, could USAID please clarify the following item for budgeting purposes: Section C.4.2. (Attachment J.1; page 5) states “The Contractor must guarantee that sufficient human and financial resources are allocated for MEL and CLA; *these resources may be allocated to different task orders* but the management and performance of the most MEL and CLA tasks will be performed under Task Order 1.”

Will USAID please confirm that certain MEL positions may be billable to Task Order 2 (or other subsequent task orders), as they perform MEL functions in conjunction with implementation?

For MEL positions that are directly correlated to work performed under future task orders, costs associated with such MEL positions may be billed to these future task orders.

102 In Attachment J.1, the deliverables timeline does not seem to allow for sufficient time for PEA results to be incorporated into the AMEL and CLA plan, Strategic Communications Plan, and Co-Design methodology. In order to design meaningful deliverables that allow for sufficient adaptation and iteration, would USAID/Indonesia consider adjusting the deliverables timeline to ensure integration of findings of PEAs at the national, provincial, and district levels?

Attachment J.1, Section F.5 (page 13) requires the AMEL and CLA Plan be due within 90 days after the award effective date. Other due date of deliverables remains the same as stated in the RFP. Exception for Strategic Communications Plan, the due date will be adjusted 180 days after the award effective date.


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Please refer to response for Questions #98 and #101 above.

103 In Attachment J.1, Section C.4.3 (Page 6) states, “Task Order No. 1 Key Personnel are required to arrive in-country no later than 45 days following the award effective date.” Other phased approaches to staffing, however, may allow for further cost-savings to USAID while increasing project adaptability, improving technical outputs, and meeting all deliverables set out in the RFP. Could USAID please clarify whether it expects all key personnel to be onboarded in the timeframe referenced above or whether key personnel may be phased in as per the offeror’s proposed approach to political economy analysis and Co-Design in Year 1?

As set forth in Section C.4.3., all Key Personnel for Task Order No. 1 are required to be in-country no later than 45 days following the award effective date.

104 Could USAID provide an anticipated start date for Task Order 1 for purposes of budgeting?

The activity will commence upon award, which is expected to occur prior to the end of the fiscal year.

105 Could USAID please clarify the periods of performance and the start dates of TO1 and the IDIQ, respectively?

The current start date of the activity is not known. As set forth in Section F.2 of the IDIQ, the period of performance is five (5) years. As set forth in Attachment J.1 Section F.2 of the Task Order No. 1, the period of performance is five (5) years.

Attachment J.1., Task Order No. 1., Section F

106 Section F.6 of the Task Order No. 1 RFP (pages 27-28) sets out roles and responsibilities for key personnel. Does USAID consider these to be mandatory or minimum roles and responsibilities? May the offeror add to or otherwise amend these roles and responsibilities in accordance with their technical approach?

Section F.6.4.describes the illustrative roles and responsibilities of each Key Personnel. The Offeror may, but is not required to, propose a more expansive description of these roles and responsibilities, which will be incorporated into the task order at time of award.


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107 In Attachment J.1, Section F.6.4 (Page 28) states, “The roles/responsibilities and minimum qualifications for key personnel position(s) are as following,” and it lists the roles and responsibilities for the four key personnel. To enhance the flexibility of IDIQ management, would USAID allow the offeror to assign responsibilities as the offeror deems appropriate for the proposed management structure?


108 Refer to Section L.8.2.6 (Page 123) ““A Table of Management Positions displaying the anticipated roles/ responsibilities” and Section J. Attachment 1 – F.6.4 (Page 28). Section L.8.2.6 requires offerors to propose anticipated roles/ responsibilities for key personnel and other positions. However, USAID has defined key personnel roles /responsibilities in Attachment 1, F.6.4 of the RFP. In accordance with the instructions in Section L.8.2.6, would USAID please amend Attachment 1, F.6.4 to delete the Roles and Responsibilities for each key personnel position so that the offeror may propose the anticipated Roles and Responsibilities?


109 Does USAID intend for other long-term personnel LOE, such as personnel performing iterative PEA, MEL and Communications functions, to be budgeted, fully or in part, under Task Order 1?

The Offeror should budget for its anticipated staffing needs to complete the requirements of the scope of work set forth in Section C of the Task Order for the period of performance.

Attachment J.2, Case Study

110 “Three years ago, the district (first witty name) received national recognition for an innovative e-governance project, which continues to be a source of pride for the bupati.” Could USAID please confirm that “first witty name” refers to Provictory?

See Part 1 above, revising the case study to reflect that this refers to Provictory.

111 For the case study in Attachment J.2, the first sentence of the last See response to Question #110 above.


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paragraph states, “Three years ago, the district (first witty name) received national recognition for an innovative e-governance project, which continues to be a source of pride for the bupati.” Will USAID please confirm if this last paragraph is referring to the district of “Provictory”?

112 Attachment J.2, Case Study: The scenario appears to be incomplete with parentheses in some areas. Can USAID confirm if any additional information should be included in the case study scenario?

The additional information is the same district name as in the first sentence of the case study, Provictory.

113 Section J.2: Is the Scenario presented here complete? There is a blank page following the one-page scenario, so it was not clear if there was content that was accidentally omitted.

Yes, the scenario is complete, except for the district name with parentheses in the last paragraph, which refers to Provictory.

Attachment J.9, SF LLL- Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

114 Section J, page 97, Attachment J.9 references the SFLLL- Disclosure of Lobbying Activities. Would USAID advise under which part of the cost proposal should we include this?

Please include SF-LLL - Disclosure of Lobbying Activity as an attachment to the Cost Proposal.

Attachment J.10, Certificate of Current Cost or Pricing Data

115 Regarding Attachment J.10 on page 192, would USAID consider removing the attachment as a requirement given certified cost or pricing data is not required for this proposal?

Attachment J.10 is provided should an Offeror deem it appropriate to include in its proposal.

116 Section J, page 97, Attachment J.10 Certification of Current Cost and Pricing Data. Would USAID advise under which part of the cost proposal should we include this? Also, please advise if this is required by the prime only, or subcontracts as well?

Should an Offeror deem it appropriate to submit the completed Certification of Current Cost and Pricing Data, it may be included as an additional tab to the cost proposal. Should an Offeror deem it appropriate, certifications should be completed


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by both the prime and major subcontractors.

117 Can the government confirm why offerors are required to Certify Current Cost and Pricing data? See applicable clauses in §I.1 and Attachment J.10 Certificate of Current Cost or Pricing Data.

1) Since FAR 15.403-1(b)(1) prohibits obtaining certified cost and pricing data when there is adequate competition (as defined in (c)(1) of the same clause), does this mean that the government does not expect adequate competition?

2) If required, is such certification required at this stage of the offer? Or will it only be required before the award to the successful contractor?


Other Questions

118 We understand that some implementing partners may have received information or documents in conjunction with the ongoing CDCS development process that are not in the public domain (such as planning documents or descriptions of development objectives). Would USAID please share any such documents that are relevant to this procurement?

USAID/Indonesia is currently finalizing the CDCS, which should take place by the end of September 2020, if not before. The public CDCS document will only be available after finalization. Please see Part 1 above, amending Annex J.4 to provide links to additional references that have become available since publication of the RFP.

119 What stage is the Mission in updating the CDCS? Does it expect to share the document before the startup of the project so that the Activity MEL plans are informed by it?


120 Does the Mission foresee a substantial delay in the new CDCS due to COVID-19?

USAID continues to prepare its next five-year strategy.

121 We understand that both past performance submissions and proposal submissions must be received by USAID/Indonesia before 9am Jakarta time on their respective closing dates. a) Will someone from USAID be sending e-mail acknowledgements to

confirm receipt of submissions *prior to* the closing time?

USAID will provide email acknowledgement upon receipt of the proposal. Acknowledgements should be received by 10:30 am Jakarta time on the Closing Date.


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b) Will someone at USAID be available to confirm receipt by telephone, in the event that an Offeror does not receive email confirmation within 30 minutes prior to the closing time?

c) Can USAID please provide the telephone number that Offerors should use to request confirmation of receipt within 30 minutes prior to the closing time?

amendment of solicitation/modification of ......high-profile policy meeting means an event sponsored...

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