Embassy of the United States of America Bogotá, D.C., Colombia

Transcription

1 Embassy of the United States of America Bogotá, D.C., Colombia Language Training Services Solicitation No.: SCO Q0001 Pre-Proposal Conference Questions and Answers QUESTION #1: What is the agenda for the pre-proposal conference scheduled for 8 Nov? ANSWER: General, the agenda for the pre-proposal conferences are as follows: I. Welcome and Introductions II. Overview of the Requirements III. Detail overview of each section of the Solicitation IV. Question and Answers V. Solicitation Timeline and important due dates VI. Next Steps QUESTION#2: What is the location of the meeting? ANSWER: The pre-proposal conference will be held at the U.S. Embassy Bogota, Carrera 45, No 24B-27. Participants should enter the compound via Gate 2. QUESTION #3: If bidder cannot attend, will a summary of the meeting be distributed to all interested vendors? ANSWER: The pre-proposal Questions and Answers will be posted on the Embassy Intranet site as well as on FedBizOpps. In addition, interested bidders will have a second opportunity to submit formal questions which will be consolidated and posted, as noted above. QUESTION #4: Is the pre-proposal conference attendance mandatory? ANSWER: This solicitation is open to all responsible parties Colombian and American business interest. Participation at the pre-proposal conference is not mandatory. The questions raised by participants and provided to those questions will be posted on the U.S. Embassy website and FedBizOpps. QUESTION#5: Is this a new requirement or is it a re-compete? If new, do you know if this is something we could expect to see replicated in other embassies?

2 ANSWER: This is a re-compete of an existing service at the U.S. Embassy Bogota. I have no knowledge of other embassies requirements for language training. However, I would advise to monitor FedBizOpps. QUESTION #6: For those of us not able to make it to the pre-proposal conference, would it be possible to dial in via phone? ANSWER: No, we will not be organizing telephone participation. The Pre-Proposal materials and Q&As will be posted on FedBizOpps and the Embassy website. QUESTION #7: Will there be any specific instruction for him to follow in order to gain entry into the Embassy Conference? ANSWER: Those wishing to participate in the Pre-proposal conference should follow the instructions in the cover letter which require advance notification and providing the full name and cedula number for each participant. The Participants should enter the compound at Gate 2. QUESTION #8: Is the training being solicited for adults only or adults and children? ANSWER: Language training services being solicited are for adults only. QUESTION #9: How many students are currently enrolled in the language training program at the U.S. Embassy? ANSWER: The number of participants fluctuates. Each year there is significant turnover in Embassy staff. For the 6 month period October 1 to March 31, the statistics are as follows: Service Description English Spanish Number of Participants Number of Hours Individual Groups QUESTION #10: May make-up classes be taken at an off-site location? ANSWER: Yes, as long as it is a location authorized by the Regional Security Office. In addition, currently some students, such as family members, take classes off-site in their private residences. QUESTION #11: Are students available to take classes on Saturday? ANSWER: For the most part, classes are offered Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Saturday or weekend language activities are typically reserved for field trips, and to offer training to motor pool drivers.

3 QUESTION #12: What is the time schedule for classes? ANSWER: See response question #11 above. QUESTION #13: What percentages of students take English/Spanish classes? ANSWER: See response to question #9 above. QUESTION #14: What is the student participation level? ANSWER: We read this question to mean what level of attendance can be expected by participants. Participation is greatly affected by work schedules. For the most part, students are expected to attend classes paid for by the Government and to make-up any missed classes. QUESTION #15: Are students limited to taking classes on-site? ANSWER: See response to question #10. QUESTION #16: Are bidders required to provide a list of all of their students to abide by the solicitation requirement found in Section 3, requesting a list of clients over the past three (3) years? ANSWER: No, you are not required to provide a list of each individual student. You should provide a list of your corporate clients, such as schools, multi-nationals, other embassies, etc. Do not submit a list of students taking classes via your institution. QUESTION #17: How many awards will be made? ANSWER: One award will be made under this solicitation. QUESTION #18: How many students take Spanish and how many take English language training? ANSWER: See response to #9 above. QUESTION #19: Can people from different agencies within the embassy be grouped together for group classes? ANSWER: Yes. However, clients from outside the mission may not be brought on to the compound to take language training. QUESTION #20: Can homework be assigned to students? ANSWER: Absolutely. Homework is expected to augment in-class and on-line training curricula.

4 QUESTION #21: What are the core hours for classes? ANSWER: See response to question #11 above. The U.S. Embassy would prefer that classes for family members be offered in the earlier hours of the day or later afternoon to facilitate transportation needs. QUESTION #22: When would the new contract and services start? ANSWER: The projected start date for the new contract is March 2014; however, this is just an estimate based on the current timeline. QUESTION #23: Are there a minimum number of hours per group or individual a week required by the State Department or a specific agency? ANSWER: No, however, the practice is that students generally take about 3 hours of training per week; there are no set numbers of hours. QUESTION #24: Can students take classes at home? ANSWER: Yes, see response to question #10. QUESTION #25: What is the price range of the award? ANSWER: The U.S. Government does not disclose this information. QUESTION #26: When will the course start and end? ANSWER: We are not sure what the question is. The contract is for a 60 month period (Base Year plus 4 (12 month) option years) with a possible 6 month extension. The projected contract start date is March QUESTION #27: What are the requirements? ANSWER: The solicitation requirements are delineated in Sections 4.0 through 14.0 as well as Attachment 1 which summarizes the performance requirements. QUESTION #28: Will training descriptions be required in the proposals? ANSWER: Bidders should include as much detail information in their technical proposal to provide a clear indication of your understanding of the requirements. Section 4.0 provides guidance regarding the type of information that should be included in the technical proposal. QUESTION #29: Will task orders be issued by individual students? ANSWER: It depends. Task Orders may be issued for individuals, groups, or agencies, but each request for service will be initiated via a Task Order.

5 QUESTION #30: Who sets-up the daily class schedule? ANSWER: The contractor/vendor establishes the class schedule as part of its administrative oversight function of the language training program. QUESTION #31: What are the requirements for the on-line classes platform? ANSWER: Please see section 5.0 of the Solicitation for details for the technology requirements for the on-line training services.