MODIFICATION
R -- Administrative Support Services
- Notice Date
- 9/10/2012
- Notice Type
- Modification/Amendment
- NAICS
- 561110
— Office Administrative Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Minnesota State Office, 375 Jackson Street, Suite 600, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55101-1854
- ZIP Code
- 55101-1854
- Solicitation Number
- AG-6322-S-12-0005
- Archive Date
- 10/2/2012
- Point of Contact
- Todd R Davis, Phone: 6516027932
- E-Mail Address
-
todd.davis@mn.usda.gov
(todd.davis@mn.usda.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- 19. Q. Would the government consider a NAICS code for temporary services 561320 for solicitation AG-6322-S-12-0005 as the needs for each labor category may vary? The 561320 NAICS may also suffice. A. No. We are only procuring one labor category which is for administrative assistance (General Clerk I). That is why the NAICS code listed in the solicitation was used. Also, the nature of these services are not temporary as defined in 5 CFR 300.5, which limit the duration of contracts for private sector temporaries. 20. Q. Should the bill rate include the $3.71/hr that is paid to the employee for health and welfare? A. FAR 22.1002-2 States that Contractors "shall pay their employees at least the wages and fringe benefits found by the Department of Labor to prevail in the locality...". Also, reference the Department of Labor website http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/web/SCA_FAQ.htm which provides a question and answer on this topic. Q. Can the contractor pay the employees their fringe benefits in cash instead of furnishing the required fringe benefits? A. Yes. Fringe benefit obligations may be discharged by paying to the employee on his regular payday, in addition to the monetary wage required, a cash amount per hour in lieu of the specified fringe benefits, provided such amount is equivalent to the cost of the fringe benefits required. Records are kept separately showing the amounts to be paid for fringe benefits." It is up to the Contractor to decide who to discharge the obligation for the health and welfare portion of the employee's compensation. If the Contractor expects to recover all or a portion of the health and welfare costs then those costs should be factored into the bill rate proposed. 21. Q. The estimated award date is September 24, 2012, is there currently funding available/allocated for this effort? A. Since a requirements type of indefinite delivery contract is contemplated the basic contract will not obligate any funds. Instead individual task orders issued against the contract will be made as needed. We have funding allocated and tentatively to issue the first task order before September 30, 2012. 22. Q. PWS page 3, under the heading Location and Duration of Services states " The hours specified on any task order will be the number of hours the NRCS needs assistance and the contractor will not be paid for hours break, lunch, vacation, sick leave, holiday's, or while the NRCS office is closed". Current Dept of Labor Wage Determination and CFR state: VACATION: 2 weeks paid vacation after 1 year of service with a contractor or successor; 3 weeks after 5 years, and 4 weeks after 15 years. Length of service includes the whole span of continuous service with the present contractor or successor, wherever employed, and with the predecessor contractors in the performance of similar work at the same Federal facility. (Reg. 29 CFR 4.173) HOLIDAYS: A minimum of eleven paid holidays per year: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday, Washington's Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. A contractor may substitute for any of the named holidays another day off with pay in accordance with a plan communicated to the employees involved.)(Reg 29 CFR 4.174) Additionally, the DOL representatives have told us in the past that DOL make no stipulations between full-time and part-time employees. Please provide clarification on whether or not your office will accept the inclusion of vacation and holidays as part of our overall cost. A. In accordance with the Wage Determination Contractor employees will be provided vacation and holiday benefits. The cost for these benefits should be included in the bill rate proposed, so it will be an expense paid for by the Government. However, the intent of the statement in the PWS is to make clear that we will only be paying for the hours a Contractor employee is working at a Government office. For example, if an employee is schedule to work 40 hours, but works 32 hours, and takes 8 hours of vacation time, the Government will only pay for the 32 hours worked.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USDA/NRCS/MNSO/AG-6322-S-12-0005/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Various counties within the State of Minnesota., Minnesota, United States
- Record
- SN02875396-W 20120912/120911000412-a9ec3bdaeaabaf9adab0fa6378150d26 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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