MODIFICATION
R -- Training Coordination Services
- Notice Date
- 9/14/2018
- Notice Type
- Modification/Amendment
- NAICS
- 541611
— Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of Acquisitions, Office of Acquisitions, 100 F Street, NE, MS-4010, Washington, District of Columbia, 20549, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20549
- Solicitation Number
- 5031021800CF
- Archive Date
- 8/22/2018
- Point of Contact
- Kathleen J. Ferte, Phone: 2025516946, Julia Gallmon,
- E-Mail Address
-
fertek@sec.gov, gallmonj@sec.gov
(fertek@sec.gov, gallmonj@sec.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This is an amendment to the Sources Sought Announcement issued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Headquarters, Washington, DC, which was seeking to identify sources with training program development, coordination, implementation, and support experience relevant to the securities law arena. Interested parties submitted several comments and questions which will be answered below. The sources sought notice was issued for information and planning purposes only. The SEC does not intend to award a contract solely on the basis on the notice. This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) and does not commit the SEC to solicit or award a contract now or in the future or otherwise pay for the information solicited. Respondent shall be responsible for all costs associated with the information submitted in response to the notice or amendment. Note: No responses or proposals are requested at this time. Any questions regarding this amendment shall be submitted in writing to Kathleen Ferté, and emailed to fertek@sec.gov and gallmonj@sec.gov. QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS Key: Q = Vendor Question or Comment A = Government Response Q: SEC CF may consider structuring the current requirement around tasks/deliverables (firm fixed price) as opposed to labor hours (time and materials) to most effectively leverage process and content expertise for the required project. A: A labor- hours or time-and-materials contract is envisioned at this time. Q: The solicitation should be issued as a small business set-aside with NAICS of 611710 (Educational Support Services). A: The Government will consider your comment. Q: The experience described in the Draft SOW is broader than that in the Sources Sought. The Sources Sought synopsis is looking for "...experience relevant to the securities law arena", while the Draft SOW has a description of "...curriculum focused on the Division's legal, accounting, industry‐specific, and new employee training and development programs". A: The synopsis provides a very brief description of the requirement. The Statement of Work elaborates on the specifications. Q: Page 2 of the Draft SOW states "design and deliver new programs". In the following paragraph, it states that "contractor personnel will not be creating...final substantive training content". Then on page 3, Section 3.4.1, the Contractor will "develop program content" and "develop session plans, participant and trainer guides." Will the Contractor help design curriculum, someone else will develop it, and then the Contractor delivers it? Will the Contractor develop only non‐substantive parts of the curriculum? A: The Contractor will design and develop the programs with the Government's full guidance and approval over draft and final versions. The Contractor will deliver the training. This issue will be clarified in the subsequent solicitation. Q: Is the training instructor‐led training (face to face) only, or does it also include virtual instructor led training, computer‐based/web‐based training, etc.? A: The Government anticipates all types of training will be used, dependent on the audience and course being presented. Those decisions will be part of the training plan and Government will make the final decisions on the method of delivery. Q. Page 9 of the Draft SOW states that no travel is anticipated. Does this mean that there are no on‐site meeting requirements? That we are to build travel into our hourly rates? That only local vendors will be considered? A. The Place of Performance states performance will be on-site at SEC HQ in Washington, DC, but that off-site work may be allowed on a case by case basis with advance approval. However, travel costs will not be authorized. The solicitation will not be limited to local vendors only. Q: Instead of requiring the Project Plan 30 days after contract award, the SEC should require a draft plan with the RFP response. A: The Government has already drafted a proposed project plan and believes that the Contractor would need to meet with the Government to get a clearer understanding of what is required for the project. However, the comment is noted and the Government will consider it. Q: The type of work specified in the Draft SOW requires a heavier load of labor initially to review, design, develop, and implement new training. Can evaluation software be used in this project? A: Any software proposed or used by a Contractor must be COTS and compatible with the Government's IT environment. An evaluation tool is not a requirement for the RFP. Q: Are there any software requirements other than what is stated on page 5 of the Draft SOW? A: No. Q: It is recommended that the requirements for content (legal and financial) and process expertise are separated. For example, instead of requiring a Training Program Manager to have expertise in a law firm or financial services firm, it would be preferable to have a Training Program Manager with process expertise. It is recommended that the Training Program Manager and Training Specialist have experience in a field like I/O psychology, with expertise in training evaluation, design, and evaluation. Then, subject matter experts can be used as content experts to provide input at key points in the process. A: The Government will be updating the specifications of the labor categories and key personnel in the subsequent solicitation. Q: Is ISD expertise needed and can a JD can substitute for an advanced degree? A: ISD expertise would be very beneficial for this project. The specifications of the labor categories and key personnel will be updated in the subsequent solicitation. Q: Are the total hours are 1613/year for all staff? A: Yes; the Government does not anticipate that this project will require full time hours of any one type of the labor categories included in the Sources Sought notice. The solicitation will clarify the personnel section. If an offeror wants to propose another arrangement, it would be considered. However, the expertise stated therein for the key personnel is required. Q: Will there be an approval process to exceed the 1,613 hours estimate? A: The Government will monitor the hours/costs associated with the requirement and may consider any changes as appropriate. Q: For pricing, the number of hours for each labor category should be specified instead of overall number of contract hours. A: The personnel and qualifications will be clarified in the subsequent solicitation. An offeror shall propose its number of hours per category as part of its staffing plan with the understanding that the project will not require a full time schedule for any of the labor categories. Q: Project Management certification should be required for the Training Project Manager Position. A: The Government has determined that PMP is not critical to success of the project. Q. On page 2 of the draft Evaluation Criteria, the oral presentation includes an explanation of how external subject matter experts will be sourced. Are there specific requirements anticipated that would call for an outside expert that is not well‐versed in either training or the financial arena? A. No, as long as the proposed personnel meet the qualification requirements. Q: The requirement for oral presentations should be removed because this will add to the procurement time or the requirement for the key personnel to present should be removed. A: The Government has determined that oral presentations by key personnel are an effective approach in the evaluation process. Q: We prefer face-to-face presentations versus oral presentations A: The Government prefers to hold face-to-face (in person) oral presentations, but if this is a financial hardship on a vendor, we are amenable to discuss other arrangements. Q: It is recommended that the SEC modify this timeline to provide offerors with 5 business days' notice of the requested presentation date and to allow 3 days for preparation of the presentation. A: This change will be made in the subsequent solicitation.
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