SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- Provide Travel Call Center Services with onsite personnel supervision and other services necessary to perform the work required by the Solicitation.
- Notice Date
- 3/27/2020 8:07:30 AM
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 561421
— Telephone Answering Services
- Contracting Office
- 247-NETWORK CONTRACT OFFICE 7 (36C247) AUGUSTA GA 30904 USA
- ZIP Code
- 30904
- Solicitation Number
- 36C24720Q0286
- Response Due
- 3/31/2020 12:00:00 AM
- Archive Date
- 04/30/2020
- Point of Contact
- Gail Bargaineer
- E-Mail Address
-
Gail.Bargaineer2@va.gov
(Gail.Bargaineer2@va.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- SDVOSBC Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Set-Aside (FAR 19.14)
- Awardee
- null
- Description
- Amendment for Solicitation #36C24720Q0286 is as follows: 1. Extend Solicitation to provide information to Question s. 2. Extend quote submission from March 27, 2020 to March 31, 2020 at 9:30AM EST. 4. Remaining Questions and Answers will be posted on another Amendment. 5. All other terms remain unchanged. Combined Synopsis Questions regarding Solicitation No: 36C24720Q0286 1. Question: Could the Government please confirm if there are any security clearance requirements for the labor categories listed in the SOW. Yes, basic background security check is required to obtain a Personal Identity Verification Badge to have logical access to the government computer system. 2. Question: Could the Government please specify whether resumes are required or not if required specify for which positions? As this is a solicitation for contract services, the VA does not require individual resumes from the individuals that will work for the vendor that is awarded the solicitation. That would be part of the qualifications for the vendor employment. 3. Question: Could the Government please specify whether resumes are required or not if required specify for which positions? Resumes from individuals employees are not a requirement of the solicitation. 4. Question: Could the Government please specify whether the Project Manager is subject to Service Contract Act or is a Professional labor category? YES. Project Manager is a professional labor category. There are three categories that exempt employees often fall under when it comes to the FLSA: Professional, Administrative, Executive. If an employee does all the following on a regular basis, chances are he is considered an exempt executive employee: o The employee is responsible for supervising two or more employees in the organization. o Management is one of the employee's key duties. o The employee is also able to have genuine input in relation to the job status of the company's other employees. o Bosses and those in charge are usually the employees who are considered exempt executive employees. 5. Question: Could the Government please specify whether the Project Manager is subject to Service Contract Act or is a Professional labor category? Yes. Project Manager is a professional labor category. There are three categories that exempt employees often fall under when it comes to the FLSA: Professional, Administrative, Executive. If an employee does all the following on a regular basis, chances are he is considered an exempt executive employee: o The employee is responsible for supervising two or more employees in the organization. o Management is one of the employee's key duties. o The employee is also able to have genuine input in relation to the job status of the company's other employees. o Bosses and those in charge are usually the employees who are considered exempt executive employees. 6. Question: Could the Government please clarify the working hours as in the 36C2470Q0286- 002.docx C.1.1 SCOPE OF WORK Normal duty hours will be 0600-1700, Monday through Friday and conflicting with the C1.6.4.3 and C5.9 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,365 days a year? Yes, Normal duty hours- Monday through Friday 0600 1700 is that period of operation that normally receives the highest volumes of incoming telephone hours. However, duty hours outside of the normal hours of operation, does include 24 hours, 7 days per week, 365 days per year operation requirement. The duty hours shift consists of 8 hours each with a 30-minute lunch break and 2 fifteen (15) minutes breaks. Tours of Duties are as follow o 7:00 AM to 3:30PM o 3:00 PM to 11:30 PM o 4:00 PM to 12:30 PM o 11:00 PM to 7:30 AM There are overlaps in the tours of duty to ensure coverage is provided. 7. Question: Could the Government please clarify that if it is mandatory to provide both resumes Project Manager and an Alternate Project Mangers during proposal submission? No, during proposal submission, that is not a mandatory requirement to have both the Project Manager and Alternate Project Manager submit their resume. Preferably the Project Manager can submit now, and if required at a later time the alternate project manager may submit. 8. Question: Could the Government please clarify which specified wage determination in the RFQ SOW is to be used 36C2470Q0286-002.docx C.4.1.4 and 36C24720Q0286-003.docx ? Descriptions for the occupations for this requirement and determine the appropriate wage determinations are the responsibility of the contractor, and offeror are encouraged to coordinate with Department of Labor to determine the appropriate job classifications for this requirement. The Agency assumes no responsibility or liability for a contractor s determination of the appropriate classification. 9. Could the Government please specify if Letters of Commitment are required or not? 10. In reference to page EVALUATION FACTORS FOR CONTRACT AWARD: C5.0, Peak Hour Switchboard Coverage, Government specified Coverage shall be provided by no fewer than three (3) operators during peak hours of 7:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday thru Friday. Whereas under the C.1.1. SCOPE OF WORK, Government mentioned normal duty hours will be 0600 1700, Monday through Friday, with 30 minutes for lunch? Question: Could you clarify what are the working hours required for this contract? Yes, Normal duty hours- Monday through Friday 0600 1700 is that period of operation that normally receives the highest volumes of incoming telephone hours. However, duty hours outside of the normal hours of operation, does include 24 hours, 7 days per week, 365 days per year operation requirement. The duty hours shift consists of 8 hours each with a 30-minute lunch break and 2 fifteen (15) minutes breaks. Tours of Duties are as follow 7:00 AM to 3:30PM 3:00 PM to 11:30 PM 4:00 PM to 12:30 PM 11:00 PM to 7:30 AM There are overlaps in the tours of duty to ensure coverage is provided. 11. Is weekend coverage required for this contract? If yes, what are coverage requirements during weekends and government holidays? Yes, this is a requirement for Weekend Coverage this solicitation is for a 24-hour, 7-day per week, 365 -day per year, to include weekends, holidays, and federal holidays. 12. Could the Government please specify if Project Manager is dual hatted or not? Yes, in some instances the Project Manager is dual hatted or not, depends on the vendor and the assignment they give their Project Manager. The Project Manager can serve as a Supervisor or a lead person or liaison for the vendor. 13. In reference to page EVALUATION FACTORS FOR CONTRACT AWARD C1.6.4.3 and C5.9, Maintain stated minimum Switchboard coverage, There must be at a minimum two fully sighted operators working the switchboard at all times - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year? Question: Could you clarify how many call centre operators are required? Currently we have 16 Operators and 1 Supervisor to cover the various tours of duties. 7:00 AM to 3:30PM 3:00 PM to 11:30 PM 4:00 PM to 12:30 PM 11:00 PM to 7:30 AM Each tour of duty shall have a minimum of two fully sighted operators but may have up to 6 operators per tour of duty depending on the tour and time of day. 14. Could the Government please specify the call volume and the number of operators currently working on the contract. Yes, currently 15 operators and 1 Supervisor, call volumes vary depending on the week and time of month; Average call per week is a low 19,584 calls and as high as 52,000 in one week. 15. Is there a set-timeline for transition-in/phase-in to handover the contract from the incumbent to the prospective contractor? The set time is to TBD. 16. What is the monthly volume of inbound calls to each facility? Averages of 200K to 250K calls per month. 17. Could the Government please provide list of Labor Categories for this contract? Descriptions for the occupations for this requirement and determine the appropriate wage determinations are the responsibility of the contractor, and offeror are encouraged to coordinate with Department of Labor to determine the appropriate job classifications for this requirement. The Agency assumes no responsibility or liability for a contractor s determination of the appropriate classification 18. Could the Government please provide No of FTE s (Full Time Equivalents) required for weekend coverage? 2 Day- weekend -- 3-shifts 3 FTE per shift, (9FTE per day, 18 FTE for a 2-day weekend.) 19. Could the Government please provide page limit for volumes i.e., volume-1: Technical, volume-2: Pricing? There is no limit. 20. Could the Government please specify if Project Manager is dual hatted or not? Yes, in some instances the Project Manager is dual hatted or not, depends on the vendor and the assignment they give their Project Manager. The Project Manager can serve as a Supervisor or a lead person or liaison for the vendor. 21. Is weekend coverage required for this contract? If yes, what are coverage requirements during weekends and government holidays. Yes, this is a requirement for Weekend Coverage this solicitation is for a 24-hour, 7-day per week, 365 -day per year, to include weekends, holidays, and federal holidays. 2 Day- weekend -- 3-shifts 3 FTE per shift, (9FTE per day, 18 FTE for a 2-day weekend.) 22. What is the estimate of the call volume? Averages of 200K to 250K calls per month. 23. Is the supervisor and Project Manager the same? Yes the Supervisor and the Project Manager can be the same, however, It really depend on the Vendor and their organizational structure to make assignment determination. 24. What is the estimate of the call volume? Averages of 200K to 250K calls per month. 25. We would like to understand the current leadership structure of this project at Atlanta VAHCS. Are there any supervisors besides the Project Manager? Are there any lead operators / receptionists? On this Project the Supervisor and Project Manager can be the same person if so desired by the Vendor. Lead operators and receptionists are not a request for these contract services, however that is also at the Vendor discretion to designate these position to your contract workers. 26. What is the government's process for alerting the contractor of extended coverage beyond normal business hours? Coverage beyond normal business hours are implemented within the tour of duties that have been created. These tours of duties are designed to overlap to avoid having contractors work beyond their normal hours of duty. 27. Section C.1.1. Scope of Work explains, ""Services may be required during other than normal duty hours which may include weekend operations."" Could the government give clarity on after-hours and weekend coverage? How often will after-hours and or weekend coverage be required? Yes, this is a requirement for Weekend Coverage this solicitation is for a 24-hour, 7-day per week, 365 -day per year, to include weekends, holidays, and federal holidays. 2 Day- weekend -- 3-shifts 3 FTE per shift, (9FTE per day, 18 FTE for a 2-day weekend.) 28. How many total staff are on the current contract? Yes, currently 15 operators and 1 Supervisor, call volumes vary depending on the week and time of month. 29. What labor categories and labor codes are currently used in this operation? Is it Switchboard Operator/Receptionist at Occupation Code 01460? Descriptions for the occupations for this requirement and determine the appropriate wage determinations are the responsibility of the contractor, and offeror are encouraged to coordinate with Department of Labor to determine the appropriate job classifications for this requirement. The Agency assumes no responsibility or liability for a contractor s determination of the appropriate classification 30. What it the historical call volume? Averages of 200K to 250K calls per month. 31. What portion of work is administrative (filing, typing, record keeping, mailroom operations) versus call center (answering calls, data entry, etc.)? A small percentage maybe 5% of monthly activity will be in record keeping or administrative work. The Vast majority is Switchboard Operations, relaying messages, Telephones connections, and other operations as deemed appropriate for continuity of the center.
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