GovCon Bid and Proposal Insights
GovCon Bid and Proposal Insights
Administrative, Clerical, and Non-Scientific Support Services
In this episode, we break down the upcoming MA-IDIQ: Administrative, Clerical, and Non-Scientific Support Services contract from the Department of Commerce – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Set aside exclusively for SBA-certified Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs), this $30.28M opportunity includes 6 anticipated awards and a planned RFP release in June 2025.
We’ll explore:
- Contract scope and service areas
- Set-aside requirements for WOSBs
- Insights on the previous RFP and incumbent landscape
- What your business can do now to get a head start
If you're a WOSB looking to expand into NOAA or federal administrative support, this episode is a must-listen.
🎧 Tune in now and gain the edge in your capture planning!
Contact ProposalHelper at sales@proposalhelper.com to find similar opportunities and help you build a realistic and winning pipeline.
Welcome to the Deep Dive. We're here to take those sometimes dense documents and really pull out the core insights, help you get smart facts Exactly.
Speaker 2:And today we're tackling something that sounds well pretty. Official Amendment 0001 to solicitation 1305 M320 RNFP 0004.
Speaker 1:Okay, quite a title. So this came out April 6, 2020, Western Acquisition Division Contracts Branch.
Speaker 2:That's the one and the solicitation itself. The original call for bids was for administrative, clerical and non-scientific support for NOAA fisheries Pacific Coast regions.
Speaker 1:Right, so an amendment that's like the Q&A session basically, or updates.
Speaker 2:Yeah, think of it like that the government puts out the initial request, companies ask, ask questions and this amendment is where the government answers and it gives you a real kind of behind-the-scenes, look.
Speaker 1:Okay. So our mission for this deep dive. Let's unpack the key clarifications in this amendment. What does it tell us about the job? The proposal rules what the government was really after perfect.
Speaker 2:Let's dive in first up. Maybe how many contracts were they actually planning to award? Just one winner good question.
Speaker 1:They actually said they intended to award multiple contracts. They cited CIR-1352.21574B, now C-A-R. What's that stand for again?
Speaker 2:C-R is the Commerce Acquisition Regulation, so specific rules for the Department of Commerce, which NOAA is part of. And that rule basically says yeah, we can make multiple awards. The amendment also mentioned the exact number would depend on the proposals they got back.
Speaker 1:Right, makes sense, spreads the risk, maybe gets more diverse skills, and they mentioned who was doing the work before this. Didn't they the incumbent?
Speaker 2:They did. It was a company called Leading Solutions. Their contract was AB133F15CQ00031.
Speaker 1:And that was valued at what? $13.5 million.
Speaker 2:Yeah for a single award, IDIQ contract.
Speaker 1:Okay, idiq, another one of those acronyms.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Delivering indefinite quantity. Basically it's like a flexible contract. The government doesn't commit to buying a fixed amount up front, but they can place orders for services as needed over a period.
Speaker 1:So it's like a pre-approved menu they can order from Knowing. The last one was $13.5 million gives us a sense of scale.
Speaker 2:Definitely Now. If you wanted to bid, you had to write a proposal and there were some pretty tight limits on that. Right Page counts.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, the amendment hammered this home 40 pages max for the technical proposal. And that includes everything Graphics resumes, everything Graphics resumes tables, the whole shebang and double space. They even cited the rule again CRR 1352-215-70B.
Speaker 2:Wow, 40 pages, double space. That's tight. You really need to be focused.
Speaker 1:No kidding, what about those past performance questionnaires, ppqs, did they count?
Speaker 2:Ah, good point. No, they clarified that Since PPQs are filled out by your references third parties and sent directly to the government, they do not count against that 40-page limit.
Speaker 1:Okay, that's a relief.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and they also noted the PPQs could be for the main bidder, the prime, or for their subcontractors.
Speaker 1:Makes sense Now. Deadlines always crucial in government contracting. Any flexibility on the due date.
Speaker 2:Absolutely none. They were very clear. April 15th 2020, 2 pm Pacific. That was it. No extensions.
Speaker 1:And submission had to be electronic.
Speaker 2:Yep Electronic only, no paper copies.
Speaker 1:Got it Hard. Deadline Electronic submission Okay. What about how long the work would actually go on for the period of performance?
Speaker 2:Right, there were a few dates floating around, so the amendment nailed this down the main IDIQ ordering period, that five-year window is June 1st 2020 to May 31st 2025.
Speaker 1:Okay, five years for the overall agreement.
Speaker 2:But the initial task orders the first specific jobs. They had a slightly different timeframe October 1st 2020 to September 30th 2025.
Speaker 1:So the first work starts a bit later.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and they also stressed that they could issue other task orders anytime during that main five-year IDIQ period.
Speaker 1:Okay, that clears it up. And for proving your experience, how far back did that past performance need to go?
Speaker 2:Five years. The amendment confirmed that Projects within the last five years.
Speaker 1:Standard enough. Now money what was the absolute maximum value for this whole contract thing?
Speaker 2:The ceiling across all potential awards combined was set at $25 million $25 million max.
Speaker 1:Got it Okay Shifting to the people doing the work, security clearances, anything like that needed.
Speaker 2:Not exactly clearances. No, they didn't expect classified work, but background checks definitely required.
Speaker 1:Okay, Standard background checks definitely required.
Speaker 2:Okay, standard background checks Yep Citing CRR 1352.23771. And also compliance with IT security requirements under CRR 1352.23972. So basic vetting and secure IT practices.
Speaker 1:Makes sense Now. Inside the proposal documents there was some confusion about summaries like an executive summary versus another summary.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that came up. The original solicitation mentioned an executive summary in the business volume and a summary of program proposal. The amendment clarified they are distinct things.
Speaker 1:So don't just copy paste. Pretty much, right.
Speaker 2:Offers, needed to follow the specific instructions for each and put the right info in the right place. Use your judgment, tailor the content.
Speaker 1:Okay, what about equipment, computers, software? Who provides that stuff?
Speaker 2:That would depend the amendments that will be specified in each task order, but the general rule of thumb.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:If the contractor's team is working off-site, the contractor usually provides the hardware and software. If they're working at an NOAA facility, then NOAA might provide.
Speaker 1:Okay, depends on the task. Order specifics and location Makes sense. What if someone needs time off like vacation, or they leave the job? How does the contractor keep things running?
Speaker 2:Good question. The government expects continuous service during work hours. They get that people take planned leave. You know short-term stuff that can be coordinated. But the amendment really emphasized that the contractor is responsible for covering longer absences or if someone leaves, no service disruptions allowed. It's part of their staffing and management plan evaluation.
Speaker 1:Right, you need a backup plan. Ok, the amendment also updated the list of job types, right, labor categories and pricing.
Speaker 2:It did Added quite a few.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Let's see Archives technician consultants, either third data validator facilitators, either third infotechs, either third scientific librarian.
Speaker 1:Okay, a broader range of roles.
Speaker 2:Yep, and they also added graphic designer to the pricing schedule. Updated lists for both were attached to the amendment, so bidders needed the newest versions.
Speaker 1:Crucial detail Now wages. Government contracts often involve specific wage rules. Anything mentioned for, say, oregon.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely. They specified that for work in Oregon, wage determination number 2015-5563 applies. That's under the Service Contract Act.
Speaker 1:Which means contractors have to pay at least the local prevailing wage and benefits.
Speaker 2:Exactly Key for compliance and pricing correctly.
Speaker 1:Okay, Now those initial task order RFPs, the sample jobs they include. Can you break those down?
Speaker 2:Sure, there were two RFP tag. One was for the NOAA West Coast Regions OMI Division in Portland. Oh my Operations Management and Information. It had two parts. Requirement one was Portland front desk and admin support. Requirement two was admin and record support, but for the Boise office.
Speaker 1:OK, one RFP, two requirements in Portland and Boise. What was RFP of FETAG 2?
Speaker 2:RFPTT was for the Oregon-Washington Coastal Office, the OWCO, based in Lacey Washington. This one had three requirements.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:REC 1, lacey Front Descadman. Rec 2, portland Records Management Admin. Rec 3, add-in Support down in Roseburg Oregon.
Speaker 1:Got it Lacey, Portland, Roseburg.
Speaker 2:And they also fixed a typo in the amendment. The performance work statement for hashtag two should have said OWCO, not OMI. Right, and the big takeaway here was you had to bid on everything. The amendment stressed that offers had to propose on each requirement in both RFPs all five.
Speaker 1:No cherry picking. Those initial tasks you had to show you could handle the range Exactly.
Speaker 2:Even though those first tasks were in Oregon, washington, idaho. The amendment reminded everyone the overall IDIQ contract could involve work anywhere in Alaska, hawaii, washington, oregon, california and Idaho.
Speaker 1:So be ready for a wider footprint later on.
Speaker 2:Definitely.
Speaker 1:How are those first task orders evaluated? Was it separate from the main contract award?
Speaker 2:Sort of integrated. The amendment said proposals for those initial tasks would be evaluated as part of the overall staffing and management plan evaluation.
Speaker 1:OK, so linked to the main evaluation criteria.
Speaker 2:Right Citing CIR 1352.21575. But future task orders issued later, those would use the standard fair opportunity procedures from the AERFAR Federal Acquisition Regulation 16.505B.
Speaker 1:Okay, so competition among the winners for later work.
Speaker 2:Precisely.
Speaker 1:Did they specify staffing levels for those initial tasks like FTEs?
Speaker 2:They did For RFP, ftag 1, the total was 250 E's per year.
Speaker 1:Okay, two full-time equivalents.
Speaker 2:For RFP, ftag 2,. The lacy job, rec 1, started at 0.58 FTE in year one, then went up to 1 FTE for years 2 to 5. Interesting wrap up. Yeah, the Portland Records job, rec 2, was 1.
Speaker 1:FTE the whole time and the Roseburg admin job, rec 3, was 0.68 FTE for all years. Very specific numbers. Okay, you mentioned the potential for work across several states. How did the government factor geographic coverage into their award decision?
Speaker 2:They clarified it's one factor they'd consider when looking at the staffing and management plans. They need to make sure they have support across all their locations, so a company showing it could cover multiple areas might have an edge, you know.
Speaker 1:Right Demonstrates capability and helps ensure competition for future tasks across the region. What about the how-to for the task? Order, proposals, instructions, evaluation criteria.
Speaker 2:The amendment pointed bidders back to the original solicitation for that. It said those details were already in Volume 2B, the Staffing and Management Plan section.
Speaker 1:OK, so go read the original doc for that part.
Speaker 2:Essentially yes.
Speaker 1:And for the people proposed for those tasks? Did they need resumes for everyone?
Speaker 2:No, not required at this stage. The amendment said they wanted to see the approach to staffing, but resumes for specific candidates weren't mandatory.
Speaker 1:But you could include them.
Speaker 2:Yes, they said, if you had identified candidates, including resumes, could help illustrate your staffing plan. Optional but potentially helpful. Melanie WARRICK-.
Speaker 1:Gotcha Now, labor categories again. The government provided a list, but could companies propose different ones if they had, say, an innovative approach?
Speaker 2:MARK MIRCHANDANI yes, they could. The amendment acknowledged the government's list was just a sample. If a company wanted to propose alternative categories, maybe reflecting a unique team structure, that was okay.
Speaker 1:But there's a patch.
Speaker 2:Well, you had to make sure your proposed category still met the solicitation's core requirements background, experience, education needed for the actual work. You had to justify it.
Speaker 1:So flexibility, but within reason.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:What about overtime? Did bidders need to price that in up front?
Speaker 2:Nope, no-transcript.
Speaker 1:Ah, okay.
Speaker 2:If it did come up later, it would be handled and priced at the task order level as needed. So ignore it for the main proposal pricing.
Speaker 1:Good to know. And speaking of pricing those sample task orders, could bidders offer discounts or did they have to stick to the main contract rates?
Speaker 2:Discounts were encouraged. The amendment clarified the main pricing schedule rates were ceiling rates, the maximum.
Speaker 1:So you could bid lower on specific tasks.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. They explicitly said offering discounts at the task order level was highly encouraged, a way to be more competitive on those first jobs.
Speaker 1:Makes sense and for the overall price proposal. Did they need a super detailed cost breakdown?
Speaker 2:Not really. The amendment said just providing the fixed ceiling rates for each labor category was enough for the initial proposal. No detailed cost buildup required then.
Speaker 1:Okay, simplifies things a bit. Now. The solicitation mentioned GS equivalent pay levels, right Like government employee pay greeds. How were contractors supposed to use that info?
Speaker 2:Purely informational. The amendment stressed that those GS rates were just a reference point and didn't include things like locality pay or benefits.
Speaker 1:So don't just use the GS rate.
Speaker 2:Right. Contractors should base pricing on their own costs, their business practices, while making sure they comply with the Service Contract Act. Wages.
Speaker 1:Got it Reference only. Since work could be in different states with different costs, could you submit different price lists per location?
Speaker 2:Yes, that was an option. The amendment said if you wanted to offer different ceiling rates for, say, California versus Idaho, you could submit multiple pricing schedules. But it wasn't required.
Speaker 1:OK, optional flexibility there. Key personnel we talked about resumes for task staff. What about the main manager? Just one resume needed. Yes confirmed.
Speaker 2:Only the resume for the key personnel identified in that SIAR clause, specifically the project lead or program manager, was required.
Speaker 1:Just the main person. And where did that project manager need to be located? Did they have to be on the West Coast?
Speaker 2:Not strictly required. The amendment acknowledged the work was spread out. While a West Coast presence might be advantageous, it wasn't mandatory.
Speaker 1:What was more important?
Speaker 2:The overall management plan. They'd evaluate the structure, how you'd provide oversight, including on-site management where needed, regardless of where the main PM sat.
Speaker 1:Okay, solid plan over a specific location and the cost for that project manager role part of the task order pricing.
Speaker 2:No separate. The amendment said overall program management cost is an IDIQ level requirement, priced at that higher level, not baked into the task order labor costs.
Speaker 1:Right, distinct cost. And just to circle back on the Service Contract Act or SCA, it applies to everyone.
Speaker 2:Yes, Crystal clear on that. All positions under the IDIQ are subject to SCA contractor's responsibility to comply.
Speaker 1:And they pointed to Attachment 2 for the labor category.
Speaker 2:Yep Attachment 2, updated with the amendment, had the expected categories and they confirmed wage determinations were identified for all the work areas. Sca compliance is key.
Speaker 1:Okay, last point. Those initial RFPs had line items for travel costs. Did bidders need to add money there?
Speaker 2:Nope, straightforward answer. In the amendment Do not propose additional amounts for the travel and reimbursement CLANs in RFP 1 and RFP 2.
Speaker 1:Okay, wow, so pulling it all together, the single amendment, amendment 0001,. It really did clarify a ton of detail.
Speaker 2:It really did, from the big picture stuff like multiple awards and the overall value, right down to page limits, specific job roles, how to handle pricing.
Speaker 1:It paints a much clearer picture for any company that was thinking about bidding, or even just for us trying to understand how this process works.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and seeing these kinds of questions and answers, it's super valuable, not just for this contract, but it gives you real insight into government contracting generally the level of detail, the need for clear communication. It's complex.
Speaker 1:It really is. So, thinking about all the ground covered in just this one amendment. What does that suggest to you about the well, the sheer complexity of these solicitations and how vital that back and forth clarification really is?
Speaker 2:It just underscores how many moving parts there are, doesn't it? And how critical it is for both sides the government and the bidders to be absolutely clear on expectations.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, even with all these answers, you can bet other questions probably came up later, maybe about specific task orders or unforeseen issues. It's rarely just a one and done clarification. It's often an ongoing process.
Speaker 1:Definitely food for thought. It really highlights the homework businesses need to do to even participate in these kinds of government opportunities. Well, thanks for walking through this amendment with me today.
Speaker 2:My pleasure, always interesting to see the gears turning.
Speaker 1:Until our next exploration here on the Deep Dive.