Questions and Answers for EHB 12-250-SOL-00034.pdf

Questions and Answers for EHB 12-250-SOL-00034

1. Since this is an IDIQ solicitation, does HRSA intend to make multiple awards, or only one Domain One award and one Domain Two award?

It is HRSA’s intent to make one award for Domain One and multiple awards for

Domain Two.

2. How many IDIQ awards will be given under Domain One, Domain Two or both, as task orders will fall in Domain One, Domain Two or both?

It is HRSA’s intent to make one award for Domain One and multiple awards for

Domain Two.

3. The proposal requirements for Domain Two are quite significant for small businesses and require responses to two substantial, hypothetical projects which require expertise in those areas. If HRSA intends to make multiple awards in Domain Two, can these requirements be relaxed to permit small businesses to respond in their areas of expertise related to the Domain Two Tasks 1-3?

See Revised Section M.

4. Section L.2 Can small businesses propose as a prime in Domain Two and as a subcontractor on another team in Domain One?

Yes

5. Section L.2 Can businesses be teammates on more than one team?

Yes, just as long as the prime is established.

6. L.3.D.2(b) This section requires all bidders to demonstrate CMMI Level 3 certification. Is this required of the Domain Two bidders?

CMMI Level 3 certification is NOT required for any of the Domain Two Task

Areas.

7. L.3.D.3 – Personnel. This section seems to require personnel who are relevant to Domain

One, not Domain Two. Please clarify.

See Revised RFP

8. L.3.A.2 and L.3.B If we are bidding on Domain Two, are we required to price all of the labor categories?

No, only those for the specific Domain that you are proposing.

9. I.8.C Will the Section I requirement regarding a CFA approved EVMS system apply to

Small Business primes bidding Domain 2? Per DHHS guidelines for EVMS, Domain 2 should be exempt as it does not include system development or system operations tasks.

CFA EVMS system requirements are not required for small businesses that are bidding on Domain Two task areas; however, EVM artifacts must be tracked.

10. As per C1 SOW (P10), the Contractor shall furnish all personnel, material, facilities, services, and equipment to perform the Statement of Work (Attachment A). What material, facilities and equipment are required to perform this SOW?

Offeror must have the material, facilities and capabilities to provide the services at time of award.

Performance Criteria and Quality Assurance Surveillance Plans Section H.3 P 28 refers to samples of generic performance criteria located in Section J, Attachment J. This attachment is missing. We would appreciate if Attachment J is provided or this reference be taken out.

See Revised RFP.

11. Notice of Partial Small Business Set-Aside (P 41 Section I-7) outlines how the contractor for set-aside portion will be selected. The language in Sections b-2, b-3, and b-4 is confusing and is inconsistent with instructions in other sections of the RFP. Do small businesses bidding on both the domains (one and two) have an advantage over small businesses who choose to bid only on Domain Two? No.

In other words, are small businesses who choose to bid only on Domain Two as a prime at a disadvantage? No. Please clarify.

12. CMMI Level Certification under Technical Approach (P71) has 5 points. As this certification is not required for small business submitting a proposal for Domain Two, these points may need a redistribution. Please propose the new distribution of points.

See Revised RFP,

13. We would like to clarify the CMMI requirements for those offerors bidding on Domain

Two. On page 103 of the RFP it reads, “In order to mitigate the potential risks while accomplishing Domain One tasks, an industry standard Capability Maturity Model

Integration (CMMI) Level 3 Certification is required.” However, on page 71, the solicitation seems to suggest that all offerors are required to have CMMI Level 3: “The

Offeror shall demonstrate that all of its processes are compliant with CMMI L3 model and provide written proof of CMMI Level 3 Certification.”

Areas. CMMI Level 2 certification is required for offerors bidding on Domain Two.

14. Please verify that offerors bidding on Domain Two are not required to have CMMI Level

3. We would like to request instead that CMMI Level 2 be the requirement for offerors bidding on Domain Two.

15. Is the requirement for CMMI Level 3 apply to small businesses as well (for Domain 2)?

16. Will small businesses that only submit a proposal for Domain 2 need CMMI Level 3 certification (Section L) and/or a certified Earned Value Management System (Section I,

p. 45 in RFP) in place at the time of proposal submission?

Small Businesses that ONLY submit proposals for Domain Two are not required to demonstrate CMMI Level 3 certification. Additionally, CFA EVMS system requirements are also not required for Small Businesses that are bidding on Domain

Two Task Areas.

17. On page 71 of the RFP, it says that “the Offeror shall demonstrate that all of its processes are compliant with CMMI L3 model and provide proof of CMMI Level 3 Certification”.

Does this apply to small businesses proposing for Domain 2? If the answer is “No”, how would the small business participating in Domain 2 alternatively be scored for this condition in the technical approach?

18. L.3.D.2.b.& SOW II Technical Approach & SOW L.3.D.2.b of the RFP states that all offerors must “provide written proof of CMMI Level 3 Certification. However, page 103 of the SOW only describes CMMI Level 3 being required for Domain One.

19. In order to ensure the completeness, quality, and accuracy of technical deliverables of the

Domain One contractor, the Domain Two contractor performing IV&V on those deliverables should also have processes which have been independently assessed at

CMMI Level 3. Is this correct, the government requires CMMI Level 3 certification for both Domains One and Domain Two?

The Government does not require Domain Two offerors to be CMMI level 3 certified. Therefore, when performing IV&V on a Domain One contractor's deliverables, the Government does not expect the independent assessment to be conducted by a Small Business that is CMMI Level 3 certified.

20. Does the CMMI Level III requirement apply to Domain 1 & 2 or just to Domain 1?

21. Does CMMI III apply to Domain 2 companies? If not, what are the total evaluation points for Domain II bidders?

22. If a bidder is CMMI II certified, will the Government consider giving the bidder 4 points since level II contains several of the process areas required for Level III?

No

23. Does CMMI Level 3 apply to Domain Two?

24. Does the prime require CMMI Level 3 or can the team possess it collectively?

The prime for Domain One is required to demonstrate CMMI Level 3 Certification.

25. How many key personnel are required for Domain Two and what should be the associated labor categories?

See Revised RFP

26. In the Management and Staffing Plan, in point (e), it says, "The Offeror shall identify all of the facilities and equipment that are available for the completion of all contract requirements." Does that apply to small businesses bidding on Domain Two only? No, for all bidders.

Also, this evaluation criteria favors the incumbent because they alone know the comprehensive details about the facilities and equipment being used.

27. Approach to the Hypothetical Projects has 30 points. However, small businesses for

Domain Two will respond to two Hypothetical projects each with 10 points. This will not make 30 points. How will these 30 points be reallocated for small businesses submitting a proposal for Domain Two only?

28. In the RFP, it asks businesses bidding under full and open (Domain One) to provide an approach for only one hypothetical project while businesses bidding under small business category (Domain Two) are asked to provide approach for two hypothetical projects. Is there a reason for this? It seems to put more onus on small businesses in preparing the response.

29. Under Past Performance, Section 9B-1, it says, "A list of up to three (5) contracts …”

Please clarify whether it is three (3) or five (5). Does the same number apply for companies bidding on Domain One (full and open) or Domain Two (small business set-aside)?

30. Section M – Evaluation Factors, M.3 (Page 91) -- Please clarify if one award will be made for Domain One and one award will be made for Domain Two, or will there be multiple awards for each Domain.

See response to question #1.

31. Section L- Instructions, Conditions and Notices to Offerors, (D – page 74) -- Please confirm that offerors responding to Domain One only need to respond to the Domain One

Hypothetical Project and offerors responding to Domain Two need to respond to Domain

Two Hypotheteical Projects. The evaluation criteria are listed as if all offerors must respond to all three scenarios.

Yes, offerors responding to Domain One need only respond to the Domain One hypothetical project and offerors responding to Domain Two need only respond to the Domain Two hypothetical projects. See Revised RFP.

32. Please confirm the number of proposal copies to submit beyond the original.

33. Section B – B.6.C (Page 9) – This section states that subcontracts are governed by FAR

52.244-2, Subcontracts (AUG 1998). Respectfully, we request this be updated to the most recent version of this provision (OCT 2010). Please advise.

34. Section B.2, Page 4. Question: The RFP states: "The total cost of all task orders awarded during the contract period shall not exceed $20 million each year active of the five (5) contract years, or $50 million for the entire life of the contract." Page 43 of the

RFP seems to indicate $100 million. Please clarify if the ceiling is $100 million versus

$50 million.

35. In section B.3 listed on page 4 of EHB RFP 12-250-SOL-00034.PDF, it says “the rates specified below are ceiling rates and shall not be exceeded for any reason”. The tables

(for domain 1 and domain 2) in this PDF list all labor categories but not the rates. Could you please provide the rates? Or Does the offeror required to provide the rate against each labor category?

The offeror is required to provide the rate for each labor category.

36. Page 70, L.3.a.2 Section B rates. “The rates to be supplied in Section B shall not be loaded rates or average rates.” Please provide clarification as to what is meant by average rates.

37. Page 27, H.1.5 Award Fee. There is mention of award fee in this section but no mention of award fee on page 5, Section B.5 for fee. Does the government intend to issue cost plus award fee task orders as well as cost plus fixed fee task orders?

Section B.2 states: “Proposed labor rates for specific contracts shall not exceed the maximum rates set forth in B.2.”

38. Question A: Are the rates in B.2 for the pricing of task order proposals?

39. Question B: Under a cost reimbursement type of task order, what costs does the

Government intend to not reimburse?

40. Section B.5, P7 talks about ceiling fee for FFP and T&M. P28, H.3 Performance criteria.

“Task orders shall be issued as performance based Task orders.” Can the Government clarify the exact type of contract?

41. Attachment A SOW -- The SOW tasks include Requirements Gathering under Domain

Two. Although "IT Systems Analysis Services/Requirements Gathering is not a listed task under Domain 1, the SOW text under Tasks 1, 2, 4, and 9 include references to requirements activities as follows: Task Area 1 (CORE EHB Development, Maintenance and Enhancements (DME), p. 11: "For the SDLC, perform detailed planning of each project/release, requirements gathering, requirements analysis . . . "; Task Area 2, Operations and Maintenance (O&M), p. 15, "Gather requirements for all changes . . . ";

Task Area 4, Integration Services, p. 25: "These efforts include . . . integration requirements . . . requirements definition and analysis"; Task Area 9, Other HRSA

Bureaus and Offices, p. 29: "The contractor shall collect detailed requirements for each line item defined in the scope."

(a) Can the government please confirm that requirements definition and management is an in-scope activity under the tasks listed above in Domain 1?

Yes, there will be some level of requirements gathering under Domain One.

(b) Can the government provide a description of the intended separation of duties intended between contractors performing requirements definition and management under Domain 1 and Domain 2?

Will be determined based on the work to be performed and the scope of the effort for each task order.

42. SOW, page 113: Human Resources Management Plan Since the HCC is under a completely separate contract, and performed by a different contractor, please explain why the contractor for this EHB work would perform staffing planning for them?

See revised RFP.

43. Who is the HCC contractor and where is the HCC located?

a. The HCC contractor is Verizon

b. The HCC is located in Tempe, Arizona.

44. What is the HCC service request volume?

The volume on a daily basis ranges from 150 to 250 calls.

45. How many agents are there for EHB, and are non-EHB systems also supported?

a. There are 7 agents for EHB.

b. Yes, there are non-EHB systems supported at the HCC.

46. What tracking and reporting systems does the HCC use?

Expert Insight

47. What are the escalation procedures?

The EHB contractor will be responsible for handling escalations from the HCC that relate to the EHB system. The EHB contractor will also be responsible for identifying tickets and escalations that cannot be resolved in a timely basis and providing that information to the EHB Change Control Board for evaluation.

48. What is the nature of government oversight for the HCC?

There is a dedicated government staff member overseeing the HCC.

49. The training requirement here overlaps with the HCC training described under Domain 2, Task Area 1. Is training the HCC Domain 1 or Domain 2 work?

There is HCC training required under both domains.

50. SOW, p. 116 Does the government want CPIC support for work outside of the EHB investment?

51. SOW, p. 118, “Assessment and Analysis” The work description here sounds like the

Domain 1 collaboration with the IV&V work to performed under Domain 2, and that the

Domain 1 contractor will be cooperating as a Program Management function with a contractor performing Domain 2 IV&V work. Please verify.

Collaboration between the Domain One Contractor and the Domain Two IV&V contractor will exist. However, the Government Project Management will provide the necessary oversight when the Domain Two is performing IV&V on a Domain

One contractor's deliverables.

52. SOW p. 126, Domain 2, task area 2 The RFP states that the work is “…for the IT projects of the various HRSA programs.” Is the IV&V only within the EHB investment, or will it be applied to other, non-EHB HRSA IT projects?

IV&V will only be within the EHB investment.

53. SOW p. 127, Domain 2, task area 3 Is the analysis work described here exclusive to

EHBs, or for other HRSA IT projects as well? The Domain 2 “Hypothetical Project

Two” relates to FTEs and payroll.

Yes, the analysis work is exclusive to EHBs.

54. To provide a comprehensive bid for Domain One, an offeror will need to add labor categories such as Technical Architect. To provide a comprehensive bid for Domain

Two, an offeror will need to add labor categories such Project Manager. Is it correct to assume we may use labor categories from both domains to provide an appropriate labor mix with the right skill sets to address the SOW?

55. SOW Domain Two, Task 1 “Ensure that training is provided to HRSA staff for their use of the developed system components including developing audio/visual training material and conducting training sessions to ensure the best possible system adoption.

Training material shall be made available in the training module to ensure 24/7 access.

The contractor shall monitor utilization of training by HRSA staff and provide feedback to the HRSA COR if participation is low or insufficient to ensure HRSA wide use and understanding of the developed system components; “

Is the Government specifying that self-paced web-based training (WBT) should be developed?

56. Domain Two, Task 1 If WBT is to be designed and produced, does the Government have a preference in terms of the development/delivery platform (e.g., Adobe Presenter 7)?

Latest technologies available

57. SOW-Domain Two, Task 1 If WBT is to be designed and produced, what level of interactivity is desired?

Level 3

58. SOW Domain Two, Task 1 Is the Training platform integrated with the EHB interface, or is delivered in a separate environment?

Integrated with EHB interface

59. SOW-Domain Two, Task 2, Subtask 5 The EVM report is to be provided on the IV&V activities, is that correct?

See response to question #9.

60. L.1 General Information This is an extremely busy time of year and we are a small business with limited proposal resources, who are all actively responding to multiple

RFPs. Given the large amount of open technical questions that will impact our technical solution, is the government willing to provide a two week extension on the due date of written proposals?

61. Please clarify if the total page limit for Domain I is 100 pages or 85 pages. Please confirm that resumes are excluded from either of these page limitations.

62. Section L – (Page 79) -- Please confirm that the number of past performances and corresponding questionnaires are limited to only three and not five. Please confirm that past performances can include completed or current contracts, provided they have ended in the past 3 years. Please confirm that the contractor does not have to submit a list of

ALL relevant contracts.

63. Section L – 3.C (Page 73) -- Please clarify if all resumes submitted are to be considered key. Please confirm the number of personnel the government considers key.

64. Section L – 3.C (Page 73) -- "The statement of work indicates that, ""The work shall be performed offsite at the contractor's facility. The contractor shall attend meetings held at the Parklawn Building at 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857. No Government furnished equipment shall be provided for this procurement."

65. Is the on-site technical lead expected to work at the government site or the contractor site? Are there any positions the contractor should propose to be on government site, or should this be proposed 100% on contractor site?

Persons providing on-site support shall work at the government site.

66. Please provide a breakdown of the current level of effort (FTE) by Task.

Offerors are to propose the level of effort in their proposals.

67. Attachment H – Subcontracting Plan – Please clarify in the offeror must use the format provided in Attachment H, or if an alternative format would be acceptable.

Use attached form.

68. If Attachment H is required in its current format, could its 12 pages be excluded from page count restrictions?

It is not included in the page count.

69. Upon review of the RFP, it shows a small business set-aside. Can a small business compete for the small business component (Domain 2 only) independently?

Yes, Small business may compete for both as Prime or Subs on Domain 1.

Or must they be part of a large business team for the entire RFP (Domain 1 and Domain

2)?

70. Is this solicitation an IDIQ vehicle being competed full and open, large business with small business contractors, or separately competed for Domain I and II?

Domain 1 is full and open and Domain 2 is 100% small businesses.

71. Will Domain II be an IDIQ for Small Business only?

72. Can you please clarify what vehicles this is being procured under as it is not clear from the FBO posting? Is it GSA IT-70? STARS I or II?

FAR Parts 15 and 16

73. Is any preference given to mature small business under STARS I and/or II?

74. Is award date the same for the small and large business component? Is this date confirmed Aug 6, 2012 at 1000 EST?

75. What are expected award dates for both Domain 1 (large) and Domain 2 (Small)?

On or about September 30, 2012.

76. Does the solicitation include procuring a COTS product or does Domain 1 cover the building of a GOTS product?

It did not include any products.

77. Is there a COTS product currently in place? If so, what is it?

78. Can you please provide greater clarification on the COI Plan/statement with clear examples?

FAR 9.5, Organizational and Consultant Conflict of Interest

79. Are the personnel provided by contractor for customer support required to be SME for handbooks or can it be assumed that HRSA staff will be the SME on the handbooks?

See labor category that supports customer support.

80. Are the 8 key personnel required for Domain 1, Domain 2, or both Domain 1 and 2?

81. Can you provide the list of labor categories that apply only to Domain 2?

82. For Domain 2, are we proposing FFP only? No.

Or is there a variable cost for development? See Revised RFP.

83. Can you please confirm you want 1 electronic copy and an additional 9 hard paper copies of the proposal response?

84. Section M.3, Page 91; Section H.1, Page 26. Question: There is a discrepancy in the number of awards indicated throughout the RFP. Section M.3 states: "The Government anticipates that one award will result from this solicitation." However, Section H.1 implies multiple awards in each domain, as task orders may be competed among contractors. Section H.1.d states: "The Government reserves the right to solicit competitive proposals for individual task orders among contractors that were awarded contracts under the original solicitation." Please clarify if the government plans to make multiple awards in each domain, and if so, how many awards are anticipated in each domain.

See response #1.

85. Section L.2, Page 69. Question: Should Offerors proposing both Domains One and

Two submit two separate sets of proposals (one complete set for each domain) or address the requirements of both domains within one complete set of proposal response?

Two separate sets.

If one complete set, is the page limit for Supplemental Information the sum of 85 and 75 pages for a total of 160 pages?

86. Section L.2, Page 69. Question: Are there organizational conflict of interest issues for

Offerors bidding on both domains? Is it possible for an offeror to be awarded both domains, or will the government choose one domain for an offeror that submits successful proposals for both domains?

See Revised RFP.

87. Section M.4, Page 91; Section L.3 (D) 8, Pages 74-77. Question: Paragraph M.4 states:

"The Offeror's technical qualifications will be evaluated against a 100 point scale."

However, an offeror who submits a bid for Domain One is limited to a maximum of 80 points and one who submits a bid for Domain Two is limited to a maximum of 90 points, while an offeror who submits a bid for both Domains can receive up to 100 points. There appears to be an unfair advantage for an offeror who submits a bid for both domains.

Please clarify how the government will evaluate proposals on a 100-point scale when

Offerors can submit proposals for only Domain One (80 points possible) or Domain Two

(90 points possible).

88. Section L.3 (D) 3.b, Page 72. Question: Please confirm that commitment letters may also be included as an appendix and excluded from the page limitation.

89. Section L.3 (D) 4.c, Page 73; Section L.3, Page 69. Question: Paragraph L.3 (D) 4.c of the Management & Staffing Plan instructions requires Offerors to provide a copy of the subcontractor's current negotiated rate agreement. However, Paragraph L.3 states the

Supplemental Information shall not contain any cost related information. Please clarify if a copy of the subcontractor's current negotiated rate agreement is required within the

Supplemental Information section. If yes, please confirm the agreement may be included as an appendix and excluded from the page limitation.

See Revised RFP.

90. Section L.3 (D) 7, Page 74. Question: Please provide the dates or number of days for the transition period that Offerors should use for the transition plan.

The transition period should not exceed six (6) months.

91. Section L.3 (D) 9, Page 79. Question: The requirements for past performance information necessitates a significant number of pages and can vary from offeror to offeror, depending on the number of proposed major subcontractors. Will the government exclude the past performance response from the page limitation?

92. Section L.3 (D) 9.E.1, Page 81; Section J, Attachment G - Past Performance

Questionnaire Letter. Question: The note in paragraph L.3 (D) 9.E.1 states the completed past performance questionnaires should be returned by fax. The questionnaire letter in Attachment G provides a mailing address, email, and fax. Please confirm that respondents may choose one of the three options for returning the completed questionnaires.

Respondents may choose one of the three options for returning the completed questionnaires; fax is preferred.

93. Section J, Attachment G - Past Performance Questionnaire Letter. Question: Will the government provide the Past Performance Questionnaire in MS Word format to facilitate respondents in completing the questionnaires?

94. Section J, Attachment G - Past Performance Questionnaire Letter. Question: The questionnaire letter references Solicitation No. 09-HRSALogistics-CT entitled, "Logistical Support Services." Please confirm that the questionnaire can be modified to cite the HRSA EHBs solicitation number and title.

See Revised RFP.

95. Domain Two: Hypothetical Projects, Hypothetical Project 2, (page 77): Does the following description refer to the existing antiquated system, or to the system that is to be newly developed?

(a) The database provides for a structured environment in which full- time equivalent

(FTE) and payroll data can be viewed, edited, and analyzed by the HRSA Office of the Chief Operations Officer (OO) and the Office of Budget (OB) staff. The OB staff analyzes and edits FTE data by using the application to perform data cleansing, produce local reports, and archive the FTE and payroll data collection.

Archiving is performed monthly. Designated and approved general users can use the application to query the database to view the original and adjusted data elements.

96. L.1 General Instruction, stating: “The supplemental information section of the proposal shall be limited to one hundred (100) pages...” The Government reserves the right to stop evaluation of a proposal after the page limitation (85 pages for Domain I and 75 pages for

Domains II) has been reached.”

97. Please clarify the page allocation for the supplemental information section of the proposal. Is it 100 pages in total for Domain 1 or 2, or is it 85 pages for Domain 1 and 75 pages for Domain 2?

See answer to question #63.

98. L.3.D.9.B Past Performance, states: “1. List of Previous Contracts. A list of up to three

(5) contracts completed during the last three years and all contracts currently in process under which the Offeror has performed tasks that are most similar to the work required under this solicitation and that are representative of the Offeror's capability to perform the services described herein.”

See answer to question #30.

99. Please clarify if we are to submit three or five contracts as references.

See answer to question #30.

100. L.1. Q: Will the Government allow 11x17 pages? If so, will they count as 1 page?

101. For Domain 1, how many awards does HRSA intend to make under this ID.

102. Domain 2, how many awards does HRSA intend to make under this IDIQ?

103. Currently, EHB IT work includes both the core EHB development and support performed by REI Systems and the performance data collection system work for

HAB, MCHB, and ORHP currently performed by SAIC. Does the scope of this new solicitation include all the EHB work currently performed by SAIC (such as HAB and MCHB data collection systems), as well as the work performed by REI

Systems?

104. If the same contractor is awarded under both Domain 1 and Domain 2, what are the government’s requirements for addressing OCI implications of performing IV&V under Domain 2 against work performed in Domain 1?

See Section H of the Revised RFP.

105. Per description of the RFP Domain 1, it would be difficult for any vendor to meet all requirements called out in the 10 Task Areas, unless they were the incumbents.

In responding to the RFP Domain One, can we respond to some of the task areas or must we respond to all task areas?

You must respond to all the task areas for each Domain.

106. H.6, p29 Subcontracting Plan Provisions (Applies to Large Businesses) Is there a Small Business and/or Small Disadvantaged Business requirement under Domain

1 for level of participation? Small Business Plan is required.

Does it affect scoring and evaluation of largebusiness proposals? No

107. H.7, p30-31 Limitation on Subcontracting (Applies to Small Businesses) For

Domain 2, this clause specifies that the small business prime must perform at least

50% of the work, as measured by cost. Please confirm that this refers to 50% of direct labor cost.

108. I.7, p41 Clause 52.219-7 Notice of Partial SB Set-Aside, subsection (b)(4)

This clause seems to state that a small business must submit a compliant bid for

Domain 1 to be considered for Domain 2. No.

This contradicts the statement in L.2, p69, stating that a Small Business can propose

“…for Domains 1 or 2 or both.” Please clarify. Small businesses may compete for both.

109. L.1, p68, Page count instructions seem inconsistent. The RFP states: “The supplemental information section of the proposal shall be limited to one hundred

(100) pages…,” then at the end of the paragraph states “The Government reserves the right to stop evaluation of a proposal after the page limitation (85 pages for

Domain I and 75 pages for Domains II) has been reached.” Please resolve.

See answer on question #63

110. L.2, p69 This section states “The small and large businesses will not directly compete against each other under the specific domain, unless the small business stipulates in the proposal that the Domain #L large business domain.”

This sentence is confusing and appears to be missing some words, please clarify.

111. "HRSA_Electronic Handbooks_ Growth_Profile_ by_Calendar_Year" Does the growth described in this file include only the work historically done by REI, or does it also include the work historically performed by SAIC on the performance data collection systems for HAB, MCHB, ORHP, etc.?

It includes the work historically done by REI only.

112. “HRSA_EHBs_ Architecture.pdf” Regarding the "HRSA EHBs Performance

Systems" on the left of the diagram: Is "CADR" still part of the architecture, or has it been replaced by "RSR" and RDR"? No, it has been replaced by “RSR” and

“RDR”.

Is there a system for the Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)? Yes.

Should BPMS be included, or has that been replaced by BPMH? No

113. What is the current CM repository?

Jira

114. Can the government provide an inventory of the current hardware and software supported under this contract?

No government furnished property or software provided under this contract.

115. Are the applications supported on physical or virtual platforms? Virtual platforms

Are there migration plans for the applications, and can we get a list of in-flight migrations? No

116. What is the current load balancing solution, e.g. Cisco, Brocade?

Citrix Netscaler.

117. What is the current SAN solution, e.g. HP, NetApp, EMC?

We've standardized our SAN on NetApp storage/controllers with Brocade

FC switches.

118. Can we get the Technology Reference Manual (TRM)?

There is not one available.

119. Will there be a technical Reading Room, either on-site or on-line, that we can review?

120. Where do the sandbox, development, test and production platforms sit, and who maintains/administers them?

Sandbox is at contractor’s site. Development, test and production are at

HRSA.

121. Can we get a full list of the supported development languages, e.g. C++, .NET, Java…?

See attached list.

122. What databases are supported, e.g. SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle 11g, Oracle

12G?

XML, XSL, C#, T-SQL, VB 6.0, JavaScript, C++ASP, ASP.NET, ASP.NET AJAX

123. What tools are used to measure code compliance, performance, and capacity, within the lab and for production systems?

PS Alerts. This is handled by HRSA staff.

124. How will our team support C&A activities? Will we be responsible for supporting ISA's, ATO's, and C&A?

Will our team support and mitigate POAM's identified by the ISSO?

Yes.

125. Do we need to present test results at CCB prior to new production releases, revisions, version updates?

126. What are the established processes for requirements traceability?

EPLC

127. Will we be required to support Portfolio/Program/Project Management Activities and align them to CPIC?

128. Are ITIL processes currently in place, or will the contractor need to create them, that clearly define service catalog offerings, roles and responsibilities, Service

Design, Service Transition, Service Operations and Continual Service

Improvement for all service teams?

ITIL processes will have to be created.

129. Do all application support services align to Enterprise Architecture and Network

Architecture?

130. Will the contractor participate in meetings with each of these teams?

Question is unclear.

131. Can we get a list of all of the supported stakeholders, complete with their supported application, technology that supports that application, number of users, current SLAs or OLAs, and connecting interfaces?

Stakeholders – HRSA Bureaus and Offices

Application – EHB

Technology – SQL Server, Microsoft

Users – refer to the background in the SOW

Agreements - ACF

132. Is there an effort to reduce or streamline the number of supported applications, through retirement or integration of existing applications?

No, it was previously completed.

133. What is the expected growth rate for all applications?

Growth rate is dependent upon legislation.

134. What is used to monitor and manage all supported systems/applications (e.g., EM7, HP OpenView, SolarWinds, vCenter)?

ProSight

135. Can the government please identify critical vs. non-critical systems/applications?

EHBs is critical to HRSA.

136. Can the government please identify the systems and applications that are configured for Disaster Recovery/COOP?

EHBs is configured for Disaster Recover/COOP.

137. Can you identify what the EHB systems use for replications and fail-over? Which applications are set up for active-active, or active-passive?

SAN based replication. No fail-over. Question is unclear.

138. Will the contractor support dashboard reporting? Yes

What is being used for dashboard information displays? EHB user interface

139. Do we have interaction with an existing PMO, or do we need to propose a PMO?

Contractor shall propose a PMO to work with the government PMO.

140. Will this require 24x7x365 support, on-site or on-call?

Support is required from 6am – 8pm EST, Monday through Friday. On-call support during peak periods, for example 4th quarter, will be necessary.

141. What is our interaction with the Network teams prior to production release? Are there ITIL processes in place or will they need to be developed?

See response to question #130.

142. Who handles patch and virus protection release?

HRSA staff

143. Who supports the system platforms?

HRSA staff

144. Where are the data centers located, and are there current plans for data center consolidation? If so, what will be our role?

HRSA with support in Sterling, VA. No role.

145. What is being used for backup and restore? Will the contractor manage backups and restores?

HRSA manages the backup and restore. No

146. Are there considerations to move any applications to a cloud provider, and will the contractor be required to support moving services to the cloud?

Cloud computing is under discussion and may be required during the term of this contract and yes the contractor will be required to support moving the services.

147. What tool is being used for data modeling?

ERWIN

Is the testing lab equipped to replicate the production network? There is no testing lab.

148. Prior to production release, during User Acceptance Testing, can the users test remotely or are they required to be physically in the lab?

Users can test remotely and physically.

149. Can you be on both a Domain 1 team and a Domain 2 team?

Page 68, 2 nd to last paragraph, states that the supplemental information section of the proposal “shall be limited to one hundred (100) pages,” but later in the paragraph, the limits of 85 and 75pages for Domains I and II, respectively, are listed. Please clarify.

See answer to question #63

150. Page 72, 3 rd paragraph states that “Resumes and commitment letters for all personnel shall be submitted,” but the subsequent paragraph lists 6 specific labor categories, while Section d. lists a minimum of 3 positions. Please clarify how many resumes for key personnel should be submitted; since this is an IDIQ proposal, there is no way to determine the total number of personnel who will be working on the project and to submit resumes for all of them.

151. Please verify that the government expects Domain 1 bidders to provide all hardware, software, and facilities to perform the required work, without government funding for the “purchase, lease, rental, and maintenance of any equipment”.

152. Does the government expect each Domain 1 bidder to provide the same level of hardware, software, and facility resources as is currently provided today by the incumbent contractor (e.g., 80% of the 160 servers that are referenced)? If so, does the government recognize this provides an unfair advantage to the incumbent contractor?

We’re expecting the contractor to provide the hardware, software and facility resources necessary to perform the contract.

153. In Section 3 (b) on page 72, the RFP states the following: “Resumes and commitment letters for all personnel shall be submitted and shall include the labor categories/positions of which persons within the organization will occupy for this project along with their key functions.” Does this mean that resumes and commitment letters are required for individuals that must be associated with each

Labor Category in Attachment F? Yes.

Or was there a missing word above and does HRSA require that a resume and commitment letter be submitted for all Key personnel only?

In Section 3 (c) on page 72, the RFP states the following: “The Offeror shall clearly identify and designate all key personnel include Senior Systems Architect, Systems Architect, Systems Engineer I, System Engineer II, and Systems Analyst or comparable labor categories.”

Does this mean that the government is specifying a requirement for 5 personnel to be designated Key? Are requirements for Key personnel the same for Domain 1 as for Domain 2?

154. In Section I.7, Notice of Partial Small Business Set-Aside on page 41, b (4) states:

“The contractor(s) for the set-aside portion will be selected from among the small business concerns that submitted responsive offers on the non-set-aside portion.”

Does this mean that a small business cannot submit a bid for Domain 2 only?

Please confirm and clarify as needed.

155. Page 14, a.3 Warranty of Data clause. There is mention of warranty of data clause but this clause is not included in Section I for applicable clauses.

Is the warranty of data clause applicable for this solicitation? If so, what data are we providing a warranty for?

156. Page 39, I.6 (b) Price evaluation/adjustment. Is it the government’s intention to add a factor of 10% to the price of all large business offers?

157. Page 70, L.3.B.3 Financial Capacity. If an offeror indicates that it has the necessary financial capacity, working capital, and other resources to perform this contract without assistance from any other sources, will the government require the offeror to submit with its proposal a copy of its audited financial statements for the last three (3) completed fiscal years?

158. Page 93, M.7 Cost Evaluation. How will the government evaluate the pricing/costs proposed for the sample Domain projects?

A full cost analysis and cost realism will be performed.

159. Is the EHB incumbent allowed to bid as a Prime contractor for Domain 2 of the

RFP?

160. Regarding Solicitation # 12-250-SOL-00034 (HRSA Electronic Handbooks), can you please answer the following initial questions as soon as possible:

Does HRSA intend to make more than one award for Domain 1? If so, how many?

See answer to question #1

Does HRSA intend to make more than one award for Domain 2? If so, how many?

161. Can a Large business that bids as a Prime contractor for Domain 1 be a subcontractor to a Small Business for Domain 2?

162. Can a Small business that bids as a Prime contractor for Domain 2 be a subcontractor to a Large Business for Domain 1?

163. How many awards do you anticipate for each domain?

164. Can a prime on Domain 1 be a sub on Domain 2, and vice versa?

See answer to question #165

165. Are we able to submit T&M rates based on our GSA 70 schedule, or do we have to provide CP rates?

Unloaded rates are required.

166. We currently accumulate and segregate costs in accordance with DCAA guidelines. However, does the contract require a DCAA pre-award review?

167. Does the Earned Value Management System (EVMS) requirement apply to the small business?

168. Is it the government’s intent to have the small business set-aside domain also a mix of cost-plus and FFP task orders?

Would the government reconsider the requirement for a cost-plus task orders for the small business set aside?

169. Can you clarify what rates “will need to be justified and negotiated” if the offeror does not have “indirect cost rate agreement”?

The rates proposed by offeror.

Can you clarify what is meant by the indirect cost rate agreement?

An indirect cost rate agreement is an agreement where the recipient and the cognizant Federal Agency which identified the basis for the indirect cost rate.

170. If the company does not have 3 years of audited financial statement, would 1 year audited and 2 reviewed suffice?

Not for Domain 1; will suffice for Domain 2 only.

171. Can the government clarify what the key personal requirements are for Domain

2? The language on page 72 seems to apply to Domain 1.

172. For Organizational Experience, if we are bidding only on Domain 2, should we focus the experience on those areas?

The language on page 73 seems to apply to Domain 1.

Yes. If you are biding only on Domain Two, then your proposal should focus on addressing those requirements. Organizational Experience, etc

173. Page 74 – “Below are the hypothetical projects for the three domains of this RFP

IDIQ.” There are only 2 domains; can the government clarify this language?

174. Is there a business process modeling standard that HRSA uses (e.g. BPMN)?

175. Does the government require 3 past performances or 5?

176. Can a small business achieve additional evaluation credit for including other small businesses in their bid?

177. Can the government confirm that this will be a single award IDIQ for Domain 2, or will it be multiaward?

178. Is this considered a best-value or LCTA award?

179. Can a small business submit a proposal for Domain 2 while being a subcontractor to a large business prime submitting a proposal for Domain 1?

See response to question #151

180. The total points for the two hypothetical projects for Domain 2 are 20 points (10 pts. Each); however, earlier in Section L. 3(D) 8 states 30 points for hypothetical projects. Which is correct?

181. Sentence for Domain 2 Hypothetical Project 1 is incomplete. Please provide the rest of the sentence for “The goal is to…”

182. In Section M.3, it states “The Government anticipates that one award will result from this solicitation. The Government reserves the right to make no award as a result of this RFP. In addition, the RFP may be amended if determined to be in the best interest of the Government.” Does that mean one award per Domain or only one award for both Domains?

183. According to Clause (I.7(b)(4) “The contractor(s) for the set-aside portion will be selected from among the small business concerns that submitted responsive offers on the non-set-aside portion. Negotiations will be conducted with the concern that submitted the lowest responsive offer on the non-set- aside portion. If the negotiations are not successful or if only part of the set-aside portion is awarded to that concern, negotiations will be conducted with the concern that submitted the second-lowest responsive offer on the non-set-aside portion. This process will continue until a contract or contracts are awarded for the entire set-aside portion.”

Does that mean if a small business only submits for the set aside Domain and receives a high technical score, it will be considered only after other small businesses that submitted a proposal for Domain 1 are evaluated and given first priority? No

Is that interpretation correct for this solicitation? No

184. Is there an incumbent that is currently supporting EHB? Yes

185. Can a small business wishing to participate in Domain 2 (set aside) team up with a large business that is also participating in Domain 1(full and open)?

See response to question #151.

186. On SF33 form, what are code and facility mean? Does it apply to small business to participate in Domain 2?

This code refers to CAGE Code. Offeror will include its name, address, and telephone number. If offeror knows its Commercial and Government Entity

(CAGE) code and has a remittance address different from 15A, it should insert the CAGE code in 15A and place an X in 15C.

187. How many key personnel needed for each task listed under Domain 2?

See response to question # 26.

188. On page 72 of EHB RFP 12-250-SOL-00034.PDF, is says that “All key personnel shall have at least 5 years of experience implementing Government policies and regulations”. Is it okay to interpret that the key personnel must have work experience on any IT federal project(s) for at least 5 years? Or could you please clarify “implementing Government policies and regulations”?

189. Does an 8(a) small business wishing to participate in Domain 2 required to meet the years of experience listed under Personnel section(3.d) on page 72 of EHB

RFP 12-250-SOL-00034.PDF?

190. In List of Previous Contracts under Past Performance section (9.B.1) on page 79 of EHB RFP 12-250-SOL-00034.PDF, is says that “A list of up to three (5) contracts completed….”; is it three or five previous contracts?

191. Can we include an on-going contract to demonstrate capability under past performance?

Yes, as long as it has two (2) years of performance.

192. If a small business doesn’t have a large office, can they provide a plan to move into a larger office as part of this proposal? Or would this be a factor considered as part of the selection process?

Offeror must have the facilities and capabilities to provide the services at time of award.

193. What (if any) automated Help Desk/Trouble Ticketing system is used today?

This contract does not include held desk tasks.

Is it ITIL based? Does it support Change/Release management?

See answer to question #44.

194. Who currently manages the HRSA Contact Center (HCC) – internal or external vendor resources?

See answer to question #49

195. How many people currently support the HCC (number of on-line Help Desk support staff at any time)?

See answer to question #46.

196. What are the operational hours for the HCC?

They are 9am to 5:30pm, Monday through Friday, Eastern Standard Time.

197. What Wiki tool and version is currently being used by HRSA (integrated w/

EHBs) for training/knowledge management?

The tool is a customized instance of Attlassian’s Confluence wiki product.

198. What training tools (authoring/delivery/etc) are currently being used by HHS today?

For the EHBs, the training tools include Adobe Captivate and Oracle’s User

Productivity Kit.

199. How do end users access training materials today?

Users access training materials through the training tab in the EHBs.

200. Can HHS provide examples of the ad hoc reporting requests from EHB databases?

See attached list.

201. What query/analysis/reporting tools used by HHS personnel/end users today?

SQL Server Reporting Services

202. Does HHS have an existing Collaborative Development tool/suite in place today

(e.g., Requirements Management and Traceability like IBM Rational)?

203. Will HHS personnel be available to meet at the contractor’s location or will all requirements analysis/discovery meetings be held at HRSA office locations?

All requirements analysis/discovery will be conducted at the HRSA location.

204. Will HRSA have a dedicated subject matter expert (SME) for each of the key business systems and modules that will be part of the DME process?

205. What is the preferred electronic format for Systems Analysis Specification

(Requirements Document)?

Microsoft Word

206. What document management platforms are used today at HRSA?

Not applicable for EHB.

207. Will the contractor have access to existing systems/modules and supporting documentation to be able to examine/assess current functionality, performance, data quality, etc.

Yes, after contract is awarded.

208. Section L.1, seventh paragraph states there is a 100 page limit to the

Supplemental Information volume, then states the government reserves the right to stop reading after the 85 page limit for Domain One is reached.

Section L.3.D states that there is an 85 page limit for the Supplemental

Information Volume. Is it correct to assume an 85 page limit for the Supplemental

Information volume?

209. Will the government permit the use of 11x17 fold-out sheets in proposal submissions?

Yes, only to display graphics, flow charts, organizational charts, or drawings.

210. The RFP states “Resumes and commitment letters for all personnel shall be submitted….” Should offerors provide resumes for Key Personnel or for the Hypothetical Project, or for both?

211. The overall points scoring for the Approach to the Hypothetical Projects is given as 30 points and 30% in Sections L and M respectively. In Section L, each of the three hypothetical projects is given a subset of 10 points each. However, Domain

One responds to only one hypothetical project (for a maximum total of 10/30 points) and Domain Two responds to only two hypothetical projects (for a maximum total of 20/30…