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On the NEPA Support Services Acquisition Full and Open DE-RP52-08NA28021, the identified NAICS code is 541710 and the Size Standard is 500 employees. Is that the correct NAICS code and size? It is the same NAICS code and size that is identified in the NEPA Small Business Set-Aside DE-RP52-08NA28016. Please confirm the NAICS code and size for the Full and Open.
Both the Full and Open and the Small Business Set-Aside presolicitations note the possible awards of four (4) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contracts for NEPA services. Will this be a total of four (4) awards within each acquisition, or four (4) awards divided between the two solicitations (i.e. 2 for Full and Open, 2 for Small Business)?
Has any consideration been given to a portion of the SB Set Aside being allocated or sole sourced to Native owned Corporations?
Must the offeror have DOE Q clearances or equivalents in order to submit a proposal.
Is it DOE's intent that large businesses of any size (i.e. greater than 500 employees) can act as the Prime Contractor under the Full and Open Acquisition DE-RP52-08NA28021 ?
Under acquisition DE-RP52-08NA28021, does the NAICS code and size standard apply to small-business subcontracting ?
Is there an updated date for release of the RFPs?
Will there be an Industry Day to review the procurement with potential bidders?
Will there be a prohibition on small businesses participating on a team in the full and open solicitation and also heading a separate team for the small business solicitation?
Will the solicitation be released in February 2008 ?
When will the current contracts expire ?
What is the latest estimated date for RFP release ?
Section L, C.L001(c), Proposal Due Date, requires the submission of 5 written copies and 5 CD copies of Volumes 1, 11, and 111. Considering the IIPS electronic proposal submission is scheduled for Monday, May 12, 2008, will it be permissible to deliver the written and CD copies to the specified address in the RFP on Tuesday, May 13, 2008?
Section L, C. L001 (e) (i), “Overall Arrangement of Proposal,” indicates a page count of 50 for Volume II and 15 for Volume IIA. Is it correct to assume there are 15 pages allocated for the response to the Sample Task Order in compliance with Criterion 1?
Section L, C. L001 (e) (i), “Overall Arrangement of Proposal,” indicates a page count of 50 for Volume II and 15 for Volume IIA. Is it correct to assume that the 50 pages for Volume II are in addition to the 15 pages for Volume IIA?
Section L003, “Proposal Preparation Instructions,” indicates that Volume II includes Technical and Management Information and further states that Criterion 1, “Technical Approach to Sample Task Order” should only be addressed in Volume IIA. Therefore, is it correct to assume that Volume II consists only of Corporate Experience and Past Performance in compliance with Criteria 2 and 3?
What’s the difference between attachments J-4 and L-7?
It is not clear what proposal material is to be placed in Volumes II and IIA. In L001, Volume IIA is called the "Proposal for Sample EIS Task Order". Is Volume IIA to include only what is described under L003 as "Criterion 1, Technical Approach to Sample Task Order"? In L001, Volume II is called "Technical and Management Information." Is the information to be placed in Volume II the same as L003, "Criterion 2, Corporate Experience" and "Criterion 3, Past Performance?" This is all experience and past performance information. You do not wish any information on how the contract will be managed other than what is provided in Volume IIA? Attachment L2, "Sample Task Order", provides no information on what is to be addressed in the proposal for the sample task.
Some companies responding to this solicitation are also responding to the small business Nevada Test Site ECRS solicitation for which an amendment was recently issued extending the due date to mid-May. in consideration of the more limited resources of small businesses to prepare major proposals, will DOE allow a 2-week extension to the NEPA solicitation due date to allow small businesses to respond to both solicitations?
L004 Section I says "The Contracting Officer has determined that cost or pricing data is not required for this solicitation. However, in accordance with FAR 15.403-3 and 15.403-5, information other than cost or pricing data is required in support of the cost plus fixed fee Sample Task Order in Attachment L-2 to determine if the proposed costs are reasonable, realistic, and reflect a clear understanding of the solicitation requirements." It is unclear what "information other than cost or pricing data" is required in "Volume III - Cost Proposal", and in contradiction to the above statement DOE appears to ask for a great deal of cost or pricing data. For instance, Subsection I(a) says "the cost proposal consists of your estimated price...." . Subsection I(b) and following subsections clearly ask for cost and pricing data. Section II of the RFP also calls for a detailed Cost Proposal Summary with cost and pricing data, and other very detailed information which is only relevant to a cost proposal submittal. Since DOE does not require cost or pricing data, please clarify what is to be provided in "Volume III, Cost Proposal" or clarify that Volume III is deleted from the proposal submission.
Section L, C. L003 (b) (1), “Criterion 1 – Technical Approach to the Sample Task Order,” requires the development of a Project Management Plan (PMP) to address how the work will be accomplished to satisfy the Statement of Work requirements for the sample task order. In accordance with Attachment L-2, “Sample Task Order: Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement for Construction and Operation of the Proposed National Security Research Facility,” Statement of Work Sections 7.6 and 7.7 provide the information related to the content of the PMP. Section 7.7 specifically lists the requirements for a quality assurance plan (QAP) to be included as part of the PMP. Comprehensive PMPs and QAPs tend to be lengthy documents in terms of page count and therefore would significantly exceed the total number of 15 pages allotted to responding to the Sample Task Order. Would NNSA consider excluding the QAP from the page count for Volume IIA or reconsider the page limitations for Volume IIA?
Page L-7 calls for a “Crosswalk”. What do you mean by that?
Page M 1 refers to an OCI representation in Section K. Where is it?
Page L-5 specifies that Attachment L-8 goes immediately following the Table of Contents in Vol I, but Page L-6 specifies that it comes last in that volume. Where do you want it?
Page L-6 also calls for Vol I to include “Initial Page of Proposal Information” What’s that?
Will the government provide labor categories and estimated level of effort per category for pricing for CLINS 0001 – 3003? If not, what should be the basis for the value entered into the Unit Price Amount for each CLIN?
Will Task Orders be competed independent of the Full and Open contract, or will small businesses and large businesses compete for the same Task Orders?
If Task Orders will be competed by firms on both the large and small contracts, are prime contractors on one portfolio precluded from serving as subcontractors on the other portfolio? For example, if a large business is priming the full and open procurement can they also be a subcontractor on the small business procurement?
Can you please confirm that DOE wants the Technical Approach for the Sample Task Order submitted in a separate Volume IIA that is limited to 15 pages?
If the Technical Approach for the Sample Task Order is to be in Volume IIA and limited to 15-pages, does the required Project Management Plan count towards the Volume IIA page limit?
The PMP as described in Section 7.6 must contain:(1) a description of methods proposed to plan, manage, control, and report on task elements; (2) a project organization chart with a description of the roles and responsibilities of individuals and groups; (3) a staffing plan for cost-effective utilization of staff resources and a process proposed for maintaining communication and control regardless of project staff location; (4) a proposed work breakdown structure for planning, managing, and reporting purposes; (5) a master schedule for completion of the EIS; (6) a proven approach for managing project risk derived from cost, schedule, technical, public, or regulatory unknowns; and (6) an EIS quality assurance plan, described further below. Given the specific requirements of PMP, and that it is likely that including this plan will likely consume a good portion of the Volume IIA page limit, would DOE consider establishing a page limit specific to the PMP that is separate from the Volume IIA page limit?
It is unclear whether staff qualifications are to be included in the proposal. Can you please clarify the following:. a. Does DOE want the contractor to identify Key Staff and provide technical qualifications of key staff for the overall contract (i.e., not just for the sample task order)? b. If staff qualifications are desired can you please specify where you would like this information? c. If staff qualifications are desired should they be limited to those individuals proposed for the sample Task Order?
Can DOE please provide answers to the following questions related to the sample task order: a. Can you specify the type and size of the supporting power plant (e.g., gas) and what conditions related to water supply should be assumed (i.e., does and adequate supply exist, is it on-site or remote, etc.)? b. Should one site per location (i.e., Pantex Plant; Savannah River Site; Nevada Test Site; and Oak Ridge National Laboratory) be assumed for Alternatives to construct and operate the Facility? If more than once, can DOE please specify the number. c. Are there any site conditions, constraints, or issues that should be assumed for the alternative site locations (e.g., wetlands, cultural resources, etc.) or should the contractor assume that sites without significant environmental concerns have been identified? d. Should the contractor assume that all baseline environmental conditions can be obtained from available sources and reports to b provided by DOE?
The Sample Task Order schedule totals 54 weeks which is less than the stated 15-months. Can DOE please clarify on what duration should be used?
Should OCI's be included with the Sample TO Proposal? If so, do they count against the page limit.
Can DOE provide more detail related to potential sites for the proposed facility at each alternative location. For example, for Los Alamos, would the facility site(s) be within TA-66 or another area that is geographically identifiable?
Can the contractor assume that DOE can support public scoping meeting concurrently, or will the meetings need to be consecutive in order for key DOE personnel to attend?
"Does the limit of 50 pages for volume II include the 15 pages of the Volume IIA or are they in addition to the 15 pages?"
"What specific areas in L003 are we to address in volume II vs. volume IIA?"
Section L001 requires that we prepare a volume IIA (with 15 pages limit) and a Volume II (with 50 pages limit). Does this mean that DOE would like us to provide Volume II with one subsection titled Volume IIA or two separate volumes (II and IIA)?"
"Section L002 asks for "Initial Page of Proposal Information". Is there a particular form or format which you require for this?"
What constitutes the contents of Volume II and Volume IIA, regards the Criterion listed in Section L? We are interpreting that Criterion 1 – the Technical Approach to the Sample Task Order is equivalent to Volume IIA, with a limit of 15 pages. If that is true, Criterion 2 and 3 make up the remaining fifty pages for Volume II. Please clarify.
Is there any limit, or minimum, on the number of projects that can be submitted in response to Criterion 2 – Corporate Experience?
Is it a correct assumption that we as the Offeror submit Attachment L-5, and ask our references to complete Attachment L-6, with L-5 counting in the 50-pages in Volume II?
The sample task says the offeror “shall identify any technical risks associated with performance of the sample task order, their impacts, and the Offeror’s plan to avoid or minimize the risks.” Are you referring to risks associated with preparing the EIS, or risks associated with the proposed facility?
In your response to questions you indicate that you “would like to have a QAP (not a complete PMP)…” and that we should “exclude the PMP from the page count”. Given that the PMP, as described in section 7.6 of the Sample Task Order, includes the QAP, the identification of what is and is not subject to the 15-page limit remains unclear to us. Can you identify specifically which of the seven items listed in section 7.6 as part of the PMP are included within the 15-page limit, and which are not?
As indicated by the answer to Question 31 on your April 17, 2008 posting of “Questions and Answers,” the PMP is excluded from the page count for Volume IIA. Please confirm the QAP remains a sub element of the PMP as indicated in Sections 7.6 and 7.7 of the Sample Task Order Statement of Work (Attachment L-2) and is therefore also not part of the page count for Volume IIA. In addition, it is then assumed the 15 pages allotted for Volume IIA are designated for the description of the technical approach to the Sample Task Order. Please confirm this understanding and assumption.
Past Performance Questionnaires, Page L-6. Is it permissible for our past performance technical and contracting contacts to return completed PPQs to the NNSA Contract Specialist via e-mail?
For offerors submitting proposals under a “contracting team arrangement,” please clarify the submission requirements for each team member. For example, under a teaming arrangement, will ALL team members be required to submit: Separate SF 33s? Separate Representations and Certifications? Separate cost proposals (Volume III)? Separate descriptions of each team member’s accounting systems, compensation policies, and audited financials?
We still have a little confusion over the required content for our Volume IIA response; specifically, the NNSA is saying that they want a QAP and not a complete PMP, and that the PMP should be excluded from the page count. We interpret this as meaning that the NNSA still wants offerors to submit a PMP but only the QAP portion counts toward the 15 pages. If this is true, do you want offerors to include the QAP within our PMP discussion or to break it out separately? To us, it appears that the QAP would then either be submitted without the context of the rest of the PMP or that it will be repeated twice within our Volume IIA response. Please clarify this requirement.
In the answer to question 31, DOE states: “We would like to have a QAP (not a complete PMP), and exclude the PMP from the page count.” Can you confirm that DOE views the QAP as part of the PMP, and that therefore the QAP is exempt from the page count? Would DOE prefer that the QAP and PMP be placed in an appendix to Volume IIA?
In your responses to several questions, you indicate that Volume IIA does not need to include a complete PMP. Do you mean that all seven items listed in Section 7.6 of the Sample Task Order still need to be discussed but the first six should be covered in less detail than the QAP?
As indicated by the answer to Question 46 on your April 18, 2008 posting of Questions and Answers, “Everything to be addressed in paragraph 7.6, and the QAP addressed by paragraph 7.7, is to be covered in the 25 page limitation. Anything else the offerer wishes to address in its proposal for the EIS sample Task Order is to be covered in the 15 page limitation.” In our review of the solicitation we have not found this 25 page limitation. Please indicate where in the solicitation this page limitation appears.
Questions 21, 30 and 31 all address the Project Management Plan requirements applicable to Volume IIA. However, the common answer to each of the questions itself creates some confusion. The answer states “we would like to have a QAP included in Volume IIA (not a complete PMP), and exclude the PMP from the page count.” This answer raises two questions: Is the QAP the remaining portion of the PMP to be counted against the 15-page limit? Does the requirement remain for a PMP, but its page length is not to be counted against the page limit? Is it correct to assume that the answer to questions 21, 30 and 31 should more appropriately read: “we would like to have a QAP included in Volume IIA (not a complete PMP), and exclude the QAP from the page count”
Under L004, page L-10 of 15, (b) Contract Period of Performance states, “For pricing purposes, assume a start date of October 1, 2008 for the Sample Task Order, unless otherwise specified.” The Sample Task Order, Attachment L-2, anticipates a June 2008 start date with Issuance of the Notice of Intent and the Task Order. We are assuming a start date of June 2008, as otherwise specified. Is this assumption correct?
Please reference Question and Answer #46. It says “Everything to be addressed in paragraph 7.6, and the QAP addressed by Paragraph 7.7 is to be covered in the 25 page limitation.” Did you mean 15 pages?
Reference answer # 31, states, “We would like to have a QAP (not a complete PMP), and exclude the PMP from the page count.” In Section L-2, paragraph 7.6, subsections 1-6 suggest a “complete PMP”. What level of detail do you desire for subsections 1-6, since it is stated (not a complete PMP)?
What aspects of the Federal Energy Regulation Commission (FERC) scope are included in the RFP and contract?
Is a joint venture an acceptable teaming arrangement for this [the set-aside] RFP?
Per the solicitation, Team Members are to supply certified pricing and cost data. Since this is "Company Confidential" material, the Prime will not be able to enter this data directly into IIPS. Should the Team Members enter the data into IIPS or should they simply provide the material in a sealed envelope which will be included in one of the bound originals?
Q. Contract Section H, clause H035, “Incorporation of Subcontracting Plan” appears to require the submission of a Small Business Subcontracting Plan as part of the proposal submission. However, there is no indication in either Sections L or M of the requirement or placement of this document within the proposal submission. Could DOE please clarify the requirement to provide a Small Business Subcontracting Plan with the proposal submission? In addition, if it is required where in proposal Volumes I, II or III should it be placed?
Q. The instruction for Item 11 of the Past Performance Information Form (page 3 of Attachment L-5) states “By year performed, describe the nature and scope of the work as it relates to your proposed role in performing the Statement of Work (Attachment J-1).” Should this instruction refer to Attachment J-2 instead of Attachment J-1?
Q. Will NNSA extend the proposal due date ?
Q. For purposes of determining appropriate font size, is Attachment L-5, Past Performance Information Form, considered a table ?
Q. Regarding question #50, are you looking for a full Volume III from EACH team member ?
Q. Staffing Plan, Attachment L-3. Please clarify the expectations for the staffing plan and the associated Attachment L-3. The instructions at the bottom of the page require “one sheet for each Team Member”. Does DOE assume this will be one page for each team member? With the number of WBS elements and labor categories, it will be difficult to make this a single sheet.
Q. Sample Task Order, Page 5 of 11, Task 5, Last Paragraph. The SOW requires 5 public scoping and 5 public hearings, which would account for the 10 trips anticipated later in the paragraph. However, Travel for the Outreach Forums seems to be missing. Is it assumed that the outreach forums occur during the same scoping and hearing trips? If so, how do we account for the 3rd set of Outreach Forums.
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The Questions with Answers

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Q. On the NEPA Support Services Acquisition Full and Open DE-RP52-08NA28021, the identified NAICS code is 541710 and the Size Standard is 500 employees. Is that the correct NAICS code and size? It is the same NAICS code and size that is identified in the NEPA Small Business Set-Aside DE-RP52-08NA28016. Please confirm the NAICS code and size for the Full and Open.

NAICS code 541712 has superseded 541710. An addendum to the pre-solicitation announcements have been made to document this change. Size standard remains unchanged at 500 employees.