Request for Information (RFI) WPS 2
SAQMMA14I00
AMENDMENT 2: CHANGES CLOSING DATE AND TIME, SEE BELOW.
Title:
Worldwide Protective Services II Requirement
Introduction and Background:
The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security has a broad range of responsibilities that include facility and personnel protection both domestically and abroad under the Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986.
Over the years, the Bureau has become increasingly involved in providing protective services for high-level U.S. officials, designated foreign leaders, and diplomatic facilities in high risk/high threat environments.
Outside contractual support is required to provide fully qualified U.S., third-country national, and local national personnel in support of established diplomatic security operations. This added support allows the Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security to conduct and maintain a wider range of protective security operations overseas and domestically on a short or long-term basis in support of U.S. diplomatic missions.
Description(s):
This Sources Sought Notice is intended for market research purposes only. This is NOT a Request for Proposal (RFP) or any type of solicitation for competition. This Sources Sought Notice does not commit the Government to solicit or award anything now or in the future.
The purpose of this notice is to conduct market research only and provide early engagement with industry to review and provide comments.
There is no finalized or definitive requirement available at this time and the Department makes no promise of one in the future. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.
If your firm is interested in this U.S. Department of State notice, we request that your firm respond in writing to the Contracting Officer with the following information:
1. Company name, address, points of contact including phone numbers and email addresses.
2. Company Cage Code and DUNS number, and business size (large or small business). If small, indicate what types of small business concern (e.g. Hubzone, 8(a), woman-owned (to include EDWOSB), etc.
3. The Government encourages industry commentary on the draft WPS II documents in general, with specific interest in written comments/ feedback on the following considerations/sections:
Specific Items for Consideration and Comment:
1. Regarding all direct labor service areas, this notice considers two different pricing models:
A. The first is to use a fully-loaded day-rate model for all U.S. citizens, third country and local nationals. Rates for U.S. citizens are proposed at the base contract level on a not to exceed amount. Third country and local national personnel and rates will be proposed at the Task Order level only.
B. The second proposed model is a traditional time-and-materials or labor-hour model for all personnel. Under this model, all U.S. citizens hourly rates would be proposed at the base contract level at a not to exceed rate while TCN and LN rates would be proposed at the task order level. As part of the use of this hourly rate model, the following additional requirements could be added to Section C.7.6 Biometric Time and Attendance System Requirements:
For all OCONUS programs, the Contractor shall establish a fully functional biometric time and attendance tracking and reporting system to ensure accurate accounting of hours worked by Contractor personnel.
The biometric time and attendance tracking and reporting system shall maintain a work schedule for each employee and/or guard post. The scheduled-duty start and end times will be monitored against the actual hours worked.
Time clock devices shall work online to capture secure data when online capabilities exist. Time clock devices shall also work offline to capture secure data when online capabilities do not exist (e.g., power/network outages and guard locations that do not have power sources/network capacity available). When working offline, the data shall be uploaded as soon as uploading capability becomes available to the Contractor. The system shall also be capable of local download via USB to allow for data collection/reporting during extended downtimes.
The biometric time and attendance tracking and reporting system shall be automated, and capable of pushing data to the Contractor's applicable business systems. The system shall not make use of manual edits without an automated audit tracking process, and manual entries shall be used as the exception rather than the rule. The audit tracking process shall track executed changes by identifying the user, date, and time period in which the changes were executed. The system shall be able to package data for transmission such that it will be able to function in limited data-connectivity environments (i.e., multiple small transmissions as opposed to continuous connection or large batch files).
The system shall include the following capabilities:
Establishing the biometric time clock schedule
Recording the date and time when the employee begins his/her shift
Recording the date and time when the employee has a grace period (e.g., break)
Recording the date and time when the employee finishes his/her shift
Directing information to the Contractor's time and labor system
Directing information to the Contractor's payroll system
Directing information to the Contractor's billing system
The biometric time and attendance tracking and reporting system shall produce an automated report that contains the following information, by task order and location:
CLIN and sub-CLIN
Contract-specified labor category
Employee legal name
Employee identification number
Employee scheduled duty start time
Employee scheduled duty end time
Employee actual clock-in time
Employee actual clock-out time
Employee grace period (breaks, etc.)
Employee adjusted duty time for billing
Audit tracking for manual adjustments
When invoicing, the Contractor shall attach the above biometric time and attendance tracking and reporting system automated report.
Interested parties are encouraged to comment on the viability, benefits, and risks of both models.
3. Viable areas for subcontracting work to small businesses for other than armed protection and guard services.
4. Section H.26 and its sub-sections, which relate to deductions, conditions under which deductions will be assessed, and circumstances under which deductions may be recouped.
5. Sections C.10.2.2.7, C.10.4.4, and Appendix A.16 relating to physical fitness testing for direct labor personnel.
6. Section C.10.4.5 (A) relating to the rotation schedule for task order direct labor personnel.
The U.S. Government welcomes any additional comments and recommendations from the industry in consideration of this Request for Information. The U.S. Government reserves the right to not answer any questions regarding this Sources Sought Notice/Request for Information, but may post responses to inquiries.
Please provide your comments by e-mail to the following only:
Submit To: Mr. Kevin T. McGhee
WPS Lead Contracting Officer
[email protected]
Responses Due Date: Monday, July 7, 2014
Response Time: 12:00pm EST (noon)
Kevin T. McGhee, Contracting Officer, Email [email protected]
