County of Alameda, General Services Agency – Purchasing
RFP No. 900667, Addendum No. 1
Page 11 of 11
October 30, 2009
COUNTY OF ALAMEDA
GENERAL SERVICES AGENCY-PURCHASING
ADDENDUM No. 1
to
RFP No. 900667
for
Environmental Consulting Services
Specification Clarification/Modification and Recap of the Networking/Bidders Conferences
Held on October 14, 2009 and October 15, 2009
______
Notice to Bidders
This County of Alameda, General Services Agency (GSA) RFP Addendum has been electronically issued to potential bidders via e-mail. E-mail addresses used are those in the County’s Small Local Emerging Business (SLEB) Vendor Database or from other sources. If you have registered or are certified as a SLEB please ensure that the complete and accurate e-mail address is noted and kept updated in the SLEB Vendor Database. This RFP Addendum will also be posted on the General Services Agency (GSA) Contracting Opportunities website located at http://www.acgov.org/gsa/purchasing/bid_content/ContractOpportunities.jsp.
The following Sections have been modified to read as shown below. Changes made to the original RFP document are in bold print and highlighted, and deletions made have a strike through.
Responses to Written Questions
Q1) Please define the term “in-house, non-subcontracted staff members”.
A1) The County defines an in-house, non-subcontracted staff member as a staff person that receives a W-2 for tax purposes from your firm. A staff person receiving a 1099 for tax purposes would be considered a subcontractor. The County is looking for in-house, non-subcontracted staff that is directly employed by the bidder.
Q2) Please provide a sample contract agreement.
A2) A sample Standard Services Agreement is attached at the end of this addendum.
Q3) Will the County be awarding contracts to multiple vendors?
A3) Yes
Q4) Does the County give special preference to local business?
A4) Yes. Refer to the RFP Section under COUNTY PROVISIONS, Item 1, Preference for Local Products and Vendors.
Q5) Who are the incumbent and the primary vendor(s)?
A5) This is the first time the County is conducting a formal bid for environmental consulting services so there is no incumbent or primary vendor.
Responses to Written Questions
Q6) How does the County currently manage environmental consulting issues?
A6) The County conducts informal bids for small dollar projects on an “as needed” basis.
Q7) Please provide a list of certified SLEB vendors.
A7) The County maintains an online database of certified SLEB vendors at: http://acgov.org/sleb_query_app/gsa/sleb/query/slebmenu.jsp.
Q8) Will the awarded contractors be required to maintain a 20% subcontracting relationship with a certified SLEB on an on-going basis?
A8) Yes. Please review in the RFP under COUNTY PROVISIONS, Item 2, Small and Emerging Locally Owned Business.
Q9) What is the penalty for not achieving the 20% SLEB subcontracting minimum requirement? Does the County oversee or monitor the subcontracting agreement to ensure that this requirement is fulfilled?
A9) There is potential for penalty. Once a prime vendor has been awarded a contract that involves SLEB subcontracting, the County monitors the contract to make sure each SLEB is receiving their 20% or share thereof. If the Countydetermines the 20% is not being achieved, a discussion will take place between the County and the prime contractor in regards to that deficiency.Any discussion regardingpenalties will depend on the specific set of circumstances.
Q10) Are laboratory services a part of this bid?
A10) Yes. As a result, laboratory services would be a potential subcontracting opportunity. In terms of identifying other potential subcontracting opportunities, the County estimates about 80% of the contract will be related to asbestos and lead. Of the remaining 20%, the County estimates 10% will be related to indoor air quality issues, and the other 10% related to mold issues. The County also estimates that approximately 5-10% of the overall contract value will be for laboratory analytical services.
Q11) Does the County have a separate contract for laboratory services in relation to this bid?
A11) No. There is no separate contract for laboratory services in relation to this bid. The awarded contractor will be required to conduct all of the proposed environmental consulting services including the use of any applicable laboratory services.
Q12) If the prime contractor subcontracts with a certified SLEB vendor, who will be responsible for paying the subcontractor?
A12) The County only pays the prime contractor. The prime will responsible for paying the subcontractor.
Q13) Does the County require itemized billing?
A13) Contractors will be required to provide an itemized invoice that shows what services were rendered and the associated charges.
Q14) During the contract term, will the County require itemized analytical fees as part of the individual project bids?
A14) During the contract term, the County will require an itemized breakdown of estimated costs from contractors that are bidding on individual projects. The itemized cost estimate should include all applicable costs to the County including estimated laboratory analytical fees.
Q15) If a prime contractor decides to subcontract with a laboratory for analytical services, does the County still want the prime contractor to have two in-house, non-subcontracted Proficiency Analytical Testing (PAT) certified staff members?
A15) Yes.
Q16) Will the County consider the subcontractor to be a part of the prime contractor’s team?
A16) If the prime contractor decides to subcontract with a laboratory, then the laboratory staff will be part of the prime contractor’s team. However, the prime contractor will still need to comply with all of the Vendor Minimum Qualifications (RFP Section C, Item 1 – pages 2-4) in order to provide the environmental consulting services required by the County under emergency and non-emergency circumstances.
Q17) Is it acceptable for the firm, not individual staff members, to be PAT certified?
A17) Yes. However, at least two individual staff members of the firmmust participate in reading the quarterly PAT round slides.
Q18) Does the County want photocopies of all certifications, including ongoing education and updates, or will a current Certified Asbestos Consultant (CAC) card be sufficient?
A18) A current CAC card, Certified Site Surveillance Technician (CSST) card, and/or Department of Public Health card will be sufficient. The County does not need copies of continuing education refresher training certificates as long as the cards are current.
Q19) Does the County require the three (3) current reference and three (3) former references to be public agencies?
A19) No. Bidders must provide complete reference information for a maximum of three (3) public institutions or agencies for which it provides or has provided comparable services. These three (3) public agency references are in addition to the three (3) current and three (3) former references.
Q20) Should bidders use the County of Alameda as a public agency reference?
A20) No.
Q21) Are bidders required to submit a minimum of six (6) references?
A21) Yes. In addition to those six (6) references, bidders are asked to submit a maximum of three (3) public entity references. If a bidder has never had a public entity client, then the bidder should include a statement to that regard on Exhibit I (Exceptions, Clarifications, Amendments).
Q22) What is the minimum number of public entity references required?
A22) There is no minimum requirement. Bidders are required to submit a maximum of three (3) public entity references in addition to the three (3) current and three (3) former references.
Q23) Please define the terms “Service Provided” and “Types of Service” on Exhibits D-1 and D-2 (References).
A23) Service Provided is usually a broad description (e.g., asbestos consulting, or lead consulting, etc.). Types of Service is a more specific description of the type of services rendered (e.g., compliance, abatement, project management, etc.).
Q24) Exhibit L (Response Content and Submittals Completeness Checklist), Paragraph C. Cover Letter, Item 8, requires bidders to provide:
An acceptance of all conditions and requirements contained in this RFP.
Exhibit L, Paragraph K, requires that:
Exhibit I, Exceptions, Clarifications and Amendments Form, must be completed and signed. Bidders should list any proposed exceptions, clarifications and amendments to the RFP, Amendments, required Exhibits, and/or Bidder’s proposal.
These two items seem to contradict each other. Please clarify.
A24) The cover letter statement accepting all conditions and requirements contained in this RFP is a requirement. However, bidders may include reference(s) to any exceptions requested on Exhibit I (Exceptions, Clarifications, Amendments).
Bidders should submit Exhibit I (Exceptions, Clarifications, Amendments) to request any exceptions, clarifications, and/or amendments to the conditions and requirements stated in the RFP. Please note that the County is under no obligation to accept any exceptions and such exceptions may be a basis for bid disqualification.
Q25) How many copies of the bid response are bidders required to submit?
A25) Bidders are required to submit one original bid response plus four (4) complete copies.
Please note that the original bid response must have original signatures (no signature photocopies or signature stamps).
Q26) Are bidders required to submit all of the exhibits listed in Item K of Exhibit L (Response Content and Submittals Completeness Checklist) even if the bidder is not applicable?
A26) Exhibit E – SLEB Certification Application Package should be submitted only if a bidder is applying to become an Alameda County certified SLEB vendor. All other exhibits listed in Item K of Exhibit L must be completed, signed, and submitted as part of the bid response.
Q27) Do bidders that are already certified have to submit Exhibit E (SLEB Certification Application Package)?
A27) No. In place of Exhibit E if a bidder is SLEB certified the bidder should include a copy of their Certification Letter received from Alameda County, either from OAP (formerly BOCO) or currently from OCC, stating the Certification Number with the beginning and expiration date of certification.
Q28) Should bidders include Exhibit L (Response Content and Submittals Completeness Checklist) as part of their bid response?
A28) No.
Q29) Would an employee that works 80% of a full-time equivalent qualify?
A29) The employee would qualify if s/he worked an average of at least 30 hours per week over the preceding year.
Q30) Is the majority of work concentrated in a specific region of the County or throughout the entire County?
A30) The work will be throughout the entire County.
Q31) Does the work include hydrocarbons in soil?
A31) The majority of work will be related to asbestos, lead, mold, and indoor air quality. The need for other environmental services is very rare.
Q32) Should bidders include the capability to provide other environmental services (aside from asbestos, lead, mold and indoor air quality) in their response?
A32) Bidders should focus on submitting the information that is specifically required in the RFP.
Q33) Will the County penalize bidders that do not have an in-house Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH)?
A33) Firms with an in-house CIH will provide additional value to the County. As a result, applicable firms will be given additional evaluation points.
Q34) Page 3 of the RFP, Paragraph C. VENDOR QUALIFICATIONS/SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS, Item 1c states:
Bidder must currently have and maintain throughout the contract term at least two full time (in-house/non-subcontracted) staff members that hold each of the following training, licenses and/or certifications:
In the same Paragraph C., Item 1d states:
Each member of Bidder’s staff that will be performing the hazardous environmental consulting work must have the following certifications:
Please clarify why the former requires at least two full time staff members to hold each certification, but the latter requirement is for each staff member.
A34) The former (Item 1c) is a requirement within the firm to have at least two full time (in-house/non-subcontracted) staff members that hold each of the specified training, licenses and/or certifications. The latter (Item 1d) lists the requirements for each staff member specifically working on County projects.
Q35) Will contractors be required to respond to all emergencies?
A35) Staff member from any contracted firm must have the ability to be on-site at any location within Alameda County within two (2) hours of notification. It is not a breach of contract if a firm is not able to respond to an emergency within two (2) hours because their staff is committed to other clients. The County is contracting with multiple firms to increase the possibility that there will always be at least one firm available to respond to an emergency.
Q36) Will the County provide a list of attendees from both bidders’ conferences?
A36) Please see pages 10-11 of this Addendum for a list of all attendees.
Q37) Will the County allow progress invoicing on long term projects?
A37) Yes. The County will accept progress billing for completed services on long term projects.
Q38) Will the County make a copy of the recording from the bidders’ conferences available to vendors?
A38) Under the California Public Records Act, the public may submit, in writing or by e-mail, requests to obtain copies of the bidders’ conference recordings. Please note that the responses given in the Addendum will be the County’s official position. The Addendum supersedes any questions, answers, or responses given at the bidders’ conferences.
Q39) Can the County provide an estimate of past environmental consulting services or project costs?
A39) This is the first time the County has bid these services for contract, so there are no past estimates for a contract award. In the past, firms bid on individual projects as needed.
Q40) What were the annual estimated costs for environmental consulting projects in previous years?
A40) The annual cost for prior environmental consulting services ranged from $100,000 to $200,000 per year. This cost included laboratory analytical expenses.
Q41) Are there any cost estimates on prospective environmental consulting service projects?
A41) No. The County has multiple projects that take place throughout the year. Most projects are emergency or maintenance-related responses that can not be forecasted.
Q42) Is there a maximum dollar value on the individual projects during the contract term? If so, will projects with an estimated cost over that maximum dollar value go out for public bid?
A42) There is no dollar cap or monetary ceiling for environmental consulting projects under this bid. During the contract term, the County will only accept individual project bids from the firms that will be awarded contracts as a result of this RFP. Please note that large value projects may require funding approval from the Board of Supervisors.