March 13, 2007

Solicitation (RFP) TRN-07-010

Amendment No. 2

Responses To Questions \--

QUESTION: The government requests rates for handling redelivery of
commodities.  What is meant by redelivery?

ANSWER: Redelivery of commodities involves the transport of commodities
from the warehouse to the MIA airport or other regional airport. This
means the warehouse contractor must arrange for a conveyance and a
driver, load the conveyance and transport the commodities to the Miami
or other regional airport.\-\--

QUESTION: Does this warehouse space have to be set aside for the
exclusive use of USAID, or can it be 30,000 square feet of a larger
warehouse that is used for other goods/clients?

ANSWER: The 30,000 square feet of warehouse space must be exclusive to
USAID, but this space may be part of or within a larger warehouse
facility.\-\--

QUESTION: Define \"secure warehouse space.\"  For instance, if the
30,000 sq. ft. space was a portion of a larger warehouse, would the
30,000 sq. ft. require it\'s own internal fencing and security in
addition to the facilities general security?

ANSWER: The facility shall be secure and protect the USAID commodities
from loss or damage. The USAID warehouse space does not require separate
security in addition to the general security of the facility. USAID does
expect the general security to be sufficient to properly secure and
protect our commodities. The general security shall meet best commercial
practice standards for general warehouse commodities and vehicles.\-\--

QUESTION: What is the government expectation of volumes of commodities
to be delivered to, or re-delivered from, this facility?

ANSWER: Based upon historical records, the government expects to deliver
about 10 trailer-loads to the warehouse facility during the year. The
government expect to re-deliver about 10 to 15 trailer-loads from the
facility to the MIA airport during the year. This level may fluctuate
based upon the number of emergency responses USAID undertakes during the
year. \-\--

QUESTION: What are your expectations for normal business hours?

ANSWER: Normal business hours are at the discretion of the contractor,
but generally may be between 0700 and 1800 hours. \-\--

QUESTION: How often does the government require evening or weekend
operations?

ANSWER: Normally, only outbound (re-delivered) shipments require evening
or weekend operations to accommodate emergency operations. The
government expects 10 to 15 evening or weekend shipments per year.\-\--

QUESTION: What commodities will be stored within the racking system?

ANSWER: The racking system is used to store plastic sheeting, hygiene
kits, plastic bottles, medical kits and other palletized commodities.
\-\--

QUESTION: What are the average weights and dimensions of stored
commodities?

ANSWER:

  --------------- ----------------- ---------------- ---------------------
                                                     

  Plastic         48" x 42" x 83"   1,250 lbs gross  
  Sheeting                                           

  Jerry Cans      48" x 42" x 50"   280 lbs gross    

  Wool Blankets   32" x 25" x 21"   100 lbs gross    

  Hygiene Kits    48" x 40" x 44"   595 lbs gross    

  Water Kits      42" x 40" x 24"   410 lbs gross    
  --------------- ----------------- ---------------- ---------------------

  --------------- ----------------- ---------------- ---------------------
  Zodiac Boat     57" x 40" x 32"   300 lbs gross    

  Boat Motors     60" x 22" x 36"   283 lbs gross    

  Body Bags       24" x 14" x 12"   28 lbs gross     

  Chainsaw kit    42" x 14" x 14"   50 lbs gross     

  LMS Unit        128" x 84" x 83"  4,520 lbs gross  
  --------------- ----------------- ---------------- ---------------------

Above dimensions are in inches.\-\--

QUESTION: For the materials stored off the racking system, are there any
special storage requirements?

ANSWER: Vehicle will have to be maintained through periodic maintenance.
LMS water units may have Calcium Hypochlorite (USDOT HAZ MAT Division
5.1, UN 1748) stored with the units.\-\--

QUESTION: Is there a minimum height requirement for the ceilings and
facility?

ANSWER: The facility must be able to accommodate the USAID racking
system fully loaded. The estimated minimum ceiling requirement is about
25 feet.\-\--

QUESTION: Can the pallets and/or skids be stacked?

ANSWER: Pallets and skids are to be stored in the USAID-provided racking
system. This will avoid any damage to, or crushing of, the commodities
or their packaging. \-\--

QUESTION: How will the warehouse be advised that deliveries or
re-deliveries are expected?

ANSWER: The government will advise the contractor of inbound or outbound
shipments via email or voice communications. The contractor will
coordinate these shipments with the government, manufacturers, drivers
and consignees as necessary.\-\--

QUESTION: Is the warehouse contractor required to have labor, forklifts,
pallet building equipment, trucks, trailers, drivers and other resources
on hand at all times or may the contractor obtain these resources
quickly, as required by the government to support inbound and outbound
shipments?

ANSWER: The warehouse contractor is expected to manage and have
available at the facility forklifts, a scale to weigh pallets, a
conveyance to deliver commodities to the airport. Other required
resources, (other conveyances, drivers, pallet building equipment, etc,
shall be available within two hours of notice of emergency re-delivery
or shipment of commodities.\-\--

QUESTION: Should proposals include pricing for only the first two years
or should pricing be provided for the option years as well?

ANSWER: Pricing should be provided for option years in addition to the
initial two year contract period.\-\--

QUESTION: Are there other resources required for operations other than
management, labor, drivers, forklifts, trucks and trailers (as
required)?

ANSWER: In addition to those items mentioned in the solicitation and
above, the contractor should have available at the warehouse -
communications equipment (phone, fax, email, broadband internet
connection) and a scale. The scale should be able to provide accurate
weight up to one metric ton (2,204 lbs.)\-\--

QUESTION: Will the warehouse contractor be responsible for all
transportation for inbound and outbound shipments?

ANSWER: The warehouse contractor will be responsible for coordinating
the receipt of, and receiving, inbound shipments. The warehouse
contractor may be responsible for re-delivery (stuffing trailers and
transportation) of commodities to the MIA airport or other regional
airport on an emergency basis, as requested by the government. In some
instances the warehouse contractor will only be responsible for stuffing
outbound trailers at the warehouse door.