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Mapping Labor Categories not on your GSA schedule during proposal stage


Michael11

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Often times you'll be given the opportunity to map your standard labor categories to non-standard labor category descriptions included in a GSA rfp. In doing so, once the administration of the award starts, which set of qualifications are you required to maintain? The non-standard ones you bid on (after submitting the crosswalk), or your standard categories? Say the non-GSA agency qualification in the solicitation call for 5 years experience in X (and you mapped that to your Project Manager category). And you now have another Project Manager that wants on the project but they don't explicitly have 5 years experience in X. Is the initial crosswalk at the proposal stage done more for evaluation purposes or are you required to meet those requirements for the life of the award? Or does is matter what the contract says?

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What is included in the RFP and resultant task order? The general purpose of an RFP is to state what the minimum qualifications throughout task order performance. The government typically isn't interested in a contractor proposing one set of employees and then switching them out for employees that don't meet the minimum qualifications (bait and switch, if you will).

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Michael11,

Let me restate with Desparado wrote.

You are required to comply with the labor category definitions and criteria in your awarded contract. You are required to map and remap your internal labor categories as necessary in order to comply. If you have an outlier (e.g., somebody who qualifies for your internal PM category but not for the contract PM category), you are required to map your outlier to the appropriate contract labor category as defined by the contract.

Hope this helps.

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Thanks for the input. I think I'm following. Except I don't often see qualifications referenced or included in award documents. At least I can't remember seeing them lately. Which is why i'm confused if we map and propose say our standard set of GSA titles and map each to a RFP specific or contract specific title, and it's not clear whether the specific qualifications are included in the award, can we at that time rely on the standard qualifications or our GSA titles that were fully vetted and mapping in transparency during the proposal stage? I've seen several times where they ask you to map your titles to their and they make clear it's for evaluation purposes, say a price analysis, so I tend to think there's no expectation for a contractor to maintain staff that must meet those levels.

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What does your contract or order say?

You cannot administer your current contract or order based on hearsay or practices in the past on previous contracts or orders. What does your current contract or order say? Does it establish qualification standards, or not?

Different contracts or orders are written differently, and each is controlled in the first instance by its own text which reflect the agreement of the parties for that contract or order. What does your contract or order say?

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I'll make an attempt to answer these questions in red:

Often times you'll be given the opportunity to map your standard labor categories to non-standard labor category descriptions included in a GSA rfp. In doing so, once the administration of the award starts, which set of qualifications are you required to maintain? The non-standard ones you bid on (after submitting the crosswalk), or your standard categories? I don't quite know what you intend by "maintain", but you charge the rates in your contract. Say the non-GSA agency qualification in the solicitation call for 5 years experience in X (and you mapped that to your Project Manager category). And you now have another Project Manager that wants on the project but they don't explicitly have 5 years experience in X. Is the initial crosswalk at the proposal stage done more for evaluation purposes or are you required to meet those requirements for the life of the award? You are required to meet those requirements for the lifetime of the award. That project manager is not a PM if they work this project, they are something lower down the chain. Or does is matter what the contract says? You are in a forum full of contract specialists/officers. You know what we'll say!

Also here:

Thanks for the input. I think I'm following. Except I don't often see qualifications referenced or included in award documents. At least I can't remember seeing them lately. Double-check. If you sstill cannot find them, talk to the person who administers your contract and request they add labor categories. Which is why i'm confused if we map and propose say our standard set of GSA titles and map each to a RFP specific or contract specific title, and it's not clear whether the specific qualifications are included in the award, can we at that time rely on the standard qualifications or our GSA titles that were fully vetted and mapping in transparency during the proposal stage? I've seen several times where they ask you to map your titles to their and they make clear it's for evaluation purposes, say a price analysis, so I tend to think there's no expectation for a contractor to maintain staff that must meet those levels. A price analysis seems like a non-sequitor. There should be an expectation that you can provide people with those qualifications if needed. You need to talk to the person you have the contract with and work this out- hard to give specific advice without seeing the documents.

I hope this helps. I think the good news is that if mapped correctly, then you should be OK with whatever the answer turns out to be. Good luck!

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Thanks for the input. I think I'm following. Except I don't often see qualifications referenced or included in award documents. At least I can't remember seeing them lately. Which is why i'm confused if we map and propose say our standard set of GSA titles and map each to a RFP specific or contract specific title, and it's not clear whether the specific qualifications are included in the award, can we at that time rely on the standard qualifications or our GSA titles that were fully vetted and mapping in transparency during the proposal stage? I've seen several times where they ask you to map your titles to their and they make clear it's for evaluation purposes, say a price analysis, so I tend to think there's no expectation for a contractor to maintain staff that must meet those levels.

I would disagree. The government put in those "levels" because they felt that is the minimum required to perform the service. To get the award based on meeting those requirements and then switching to lower-qualified people would be at best unsavory, and at worse a contract breech. Even if it is not written in the task order, it is what was required in order to get the award and what should be maintained throughout performance.

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Thanks everyone for the valuable input. So if I understand correctly, if you bid a project manager, which on your GSA sked has five years of experience and a degree etc., as a more specific, say, Marine Technician Manager, which requires 8 years of experience as stated in the RFP, you must fill that role for the life of the award with someone who possesses the 8 years experience correct? I'm not trying to beat a dead horse here. If that is the case, it seems it would put contractor's in quite a predicament to constantly monitor their staff's resumes and qualifications. Does anything have any insights or best practices in managing this process because it would seem to have the potential for a big exposure area for a contractor if they fill a position with someone who traditionally fits their standard GSA required experience requirements but not necessarily in the case when their LCATs are mapped to nontraditional categories.

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