B03 AMD 0001 Attachment E_STRATUS Pool 3_Questions and Answers_10.13.23.xlsx
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- Solicitation number
- 12314423Q0144
About this file
This document provides questions and answers related to solicitation number 12314423Q0144 from the Department of Agriculture for a Software as a Service (SaaS) Blanket Purchase Agreement (BOA) Pool 3 opportunity. The Department of Agriculture seeks to establish BOAs with SaaS providers to procure a range of software solutions on an as-needed basis. Questions cover areas such as security requirements, pricing terms, evaluation criteria, and period of performance. Award of the BOAs is expected by the end of the calendar year, with task order requests for quotes potentially being issued in fiscal year 2024. Pricing will be determined at the task order level rather than at the BOA stage.
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Sheet1
| Solicitation #12314423Q0144 Amendment 0001, STRATUS Pool 3 SaaS | |||||
| Questions and Answers | |||||
| Question # | RFQ Document | Page Number | Section Number | Vendor Question | Government's Reponse |
| Question # | RFQ, Attachment X, or Other | Enter Page # | Section of RFQ / Attachment or other identifying information | ||
| Provide detailed narrative of questions | Leave Blank. This block will be filled in by the USDA in reponse to vendor question. | ||||
| 1 | Instructions to Offereors | 3 | 2.1.2 | Is the USDA STRATUS team interested in new technology beyond the 13 vendors called out in Section 3.4 that can provide global data orchestration to address the challenge cited in Setion 2.1.2? Can a bid response be submitted to provide awareness? | Please reference the RFQ Section 3.4 which includes the following: |
"This is not an exhaustive list of all SaaS that may be required throughout the Pool 3 BOA period of performance. Offerors are not expected to propose all available licenses for each SaaS at the BOA level; specific licensing requirements will be communicated at the Task Order (TO) level...Offerors shall provide evidence of ability to deliver SaaS which may be in addition to list above…Describe other SaaS your organization typically provides to customers."
In addition, please reference Attachment B_Security Requirements in context of proposed new technology / SaaS .
| 2 | 12314423Q0144 (previously 12314423R0012) | ||
| N/A | N/A | Some of our key positions have Argentinian working Visas (E1 & E2 category, as described here: https://ar.usembassy.gov/employment-visas/). Might this be an issue to bid on the STRATUS Pool 3 request? Will this limit their access to USDA systems? | Security requirements are not established at the BOA level. Any such requirements would be detailed at the TO level. USDA will follow FedRAMP Program guidelines and USDA Cloud Computing Policy DR3650-001, as well as relevant Department Regulations and policies. Amendment 0001 will include a memorandum from USDA's OHRM and OCP regarding Hiring of Non-United States Citizens, which applies to contracts as well, to be added to Attachment B_Security Requirements. |
For many USDA SaaS requirements, we don't anticipate Key Positions or badged contractor staff would be required.
| 3 | Regarding the Request for Quotation (RFQ), we are eager to understand if you are seeking a comprehensive quote for the entire solution, including Document Management, Training, Auditing, Quality Events (CAPA’s, NCMRS, etc.), Equipment Management, Patient Safety, and any other specified requirements vital to the USDA. | It is unclear that you have an understanding of the requirement, which is for Software as a Service Providers. We are requesting BOA level quotes as per the solicitation documents and encourage you to review them in detail. Specific licensing requirements will be communicated at the TO level. | ||||
| 4 | 02+Attachment+B_Security+Requirements | 1 | B.1.1.1 b) | Would DISA IL 4 which uses FedRamp High as its baseline and then adds some additional requirements be acceptable as well | USDA will follow FedRAMP Program Processes. | |
| 5 | RFQ | N/A | Entire | As every Enterprise organization does, it sounds like you have a real challenge with getting your arms around the constant sprawl of all the SaaS applications. There are SaaS solutions out there that help you manage all this. As I read this RFQ, I don't see you really solving this very common problem, and potentially creating even more for yourselves. Would you be interested in a better way to catalog and automate management of your services, lower your total cost of ownership and avoid shaddow IT sprawl? | Task orders may include requirements that address the capabilities referenced in this question. USDA looks forward to receiving quotes from interested offerors in support of our requirement as detailed in the solicitation documents, for these department-wide BOA vehicles. | |
| 6 | Instructions to Offerors | 3 | 2.1.2 | Does USDA have any restrictions regarding payment iterations? For instance, can USDA pay in monthly installments, or does the agency have to pay annually upfront for all its service offerings? | There are no payment terms at the BOA level other than as restricted via Federal Acquisition Regulations. Payment terms will be specified at the TO level. | |
| 7 | Instructions to Offerors | 3 | 2.1.3 | Are there any specific requirements around security compliance outside of FedRAMP at this point? | USDA will leverage FedRAMP as the baseline with USDA requirements on implementation defined at the Task Order level to be compliant with relevant Federal Guidelines and USDA Policy. | |
| 8 | Security Requirements | 4 and 6 | B.1.2.4 and B.1.3.7.(e) | Will vendors currently pursuing FedRAMP Ready authorization be considered, or must vendors already possess a FedRAMP authorization to bid? | At the BOA level, FedRAMP ready will be acceptable but compliance with USDA Cloud Computing Policy DR3650-001 is required at the Task Order level / implementation. | |
| 9 | Instructions to Offerors | 4 of 16 | 2.1.5 BOA Execution Rules | |||
| & others | When does the USDA anticipate the first task order RFPs will be issued? | We anticipate task order RFQs could be issued during FY24 after BOA award and BOA kick-off meetings. | ||||
| 10 | Instructions to Offerors | 5 of 16 | 2.1.5 BOA Execution Rules | |||
| & others | What will be the format/proposal requirements for task orders under this BOA? | Each task order may have unique quote requirements. In addition to the section referenced, a BOA Ordering Guide will be provided with instructions upon award. | ||||
| 11 | Instructions to Offerors | 8 of 16 and 16 of 16 | 2.5 Solicitation Phases | |||
| & 5.1 Select Most Capable Offerors and Finalize Apparent Awardees | "This is a single phase acquisition where award will be made from the quotes submitted. There will not be additional phases." and "Determination to enter into BOAs will be made IAW the procedures specified in the RFQ and after an assessment by the Government once all phases of evaluation are completed." |
| Clarification request: Please confirm that this is a single phase acquistion and the language in section 5.1 is not applicable. | This is a single phase acquisition. The language under section 5.1 has been revised to eliminate confusion. | |||||
| 12 | Instructions to Offerors | 11 of 16 | 3.0 Submission Instructions Provided to Offerors | Can the USDA confirm that offerors are not expected to provide pricing as part of the response to the RFQ? | Please reference Attachment A_Statement of Objectives regarding pricing. Pricing is not required at the BOA level; it will be required at the TO level. | |
| 13 | Instructions to Offerors | 11 of 16 | 3.2 Volumes and Page Limits | Please confirm that the only required components for submittal are Volumes 1 and 2 as described in the referenced section. | Correct. | |
| 14 | Instructions to Offerors | 12 of 16 | 3.2 Volumes and Page Limits | Is there a limit to the number of Prior Experience examples that offerors can include in their responses? | Yes, there is a limit of 3 Prior Experience references. Please reference Section 3.4. Offerors may include additional examples in the Prior Experience summary as detailed in the table under Section 3.2. | |
| 15 | Instructions to Offerors | 12 of 16 | 3.3 Transmittal Cover Letter |
and Required Documents (Volume 1) The RFQ states: "Date submitted and quote expiration date. Quote must be certified to be good for 180 days from closing date of RFQ."
| Question: As there is no Price Volume as part of this submission, what is the intent for having Offerors certify a quote validity period? | A quote does not have to contain pricing. The intent for the quote validity period is to allow the Government adequate time to complete evaluations and awards prior to quote submittals expiring. | ||||
| 16 | Instructions to Offerors | 14 of 16 | 3.4 Prior Experience (Volume 2) | The RFQ states: "Attachment D Prior Experience Cover Sheet shall be completed and submitted for each of the Prior Experience examples submitted." |
| Clarification request: Please confirm that this should read "Attachment F Prior Experience Reference Cover Sheet". | Confirming that the Prior Experience Cover Sheet is Attachment F. This was a typographical error and will be corrected with a revised Instructions to Offerors (Amendment 0001) document. | |||||
| 17 | Instructions to Offerors | 16 of 16 | 5.2 Award | When does the USDA anticipate an award for the BOAs resulting from this RFQ? | We anticipate BOA awards prior to end of the calendar year. | |
| 18 | Intructions to Offerors attachment | 4 | 2.1.5 | What are the parameters we should consider when submittign pricing for a 10 year period of performance? | Please reference Attachment A_Statement of Objectives regarding pricing. Pricing is not required at the BOA level; it will be required at the TO level. | |
| 19 | Statement of Objectives Attachment | 3 | A2.2 | Will we have the ability to do deeper discovery before we award a tasks order or pricing threshold? | BOA Task Order RFQs will have specific requirement details which should be sufficient for BOA holders to include price quotes. | |
| 20 | Intructions to Offerors attachment | 13 | 3.4 Prior Experience | Is the expectation that we submit a full capability statement in addition to pricing and reference work? | There is no requirement for submittal of capability statements. | |
| 21 | Intructions to Offerors attachment | 11 | 3.1 Guidelines and Formatting | Should our responses be submitted through resellers that we would be contracting through for USDA mission areas? | This is an individual company business decision; not for the Government to comment on. We recommend you closely review Section 3.3. | |
| 22 | Attachment B | 1 | B.1 | Can the government please clarify the security requirement of a contract holder as opposed to the OEM's technology (i.e. NIST requirements for contract holder and FEDRAMP requirement for OEMs)? | Task order security requirements may vary. Generally, yes, FedRAMP applies to "OEM" SaaS. | |
| 23 | Instructions to Offerors | 14 | 3.4 (subfactor 1.1) | Are resellers required to submit Letter of Authorizations from each manufacturer? If so, will a letter from an authorized distributor suffice? | There is no requirement for submittal of letter of authorizations. Section 3.4(a) states "Must provide authorized reseller information as applicable." A letter from an authorized distributor would be acceptable. |
Offerors are not required to submit authorized reseller information for all possible SaaS that could be ordered under Pool 3 in future years.
| 24 | Instructions to Offerors | 12 through 14 | 3.4 (subfactor 1 & 2) | Subfactor 1 & 2 seem redundant, can the government clarify how they differ? | The subfactors are distinctly different. Unable to provide clarification; recommend re-reading this section. |
| 25 | Instructions to Offerors | The instructions state Volume 1 Transmittal Cover Letter and Required documents are to be indexed with a table of contents. |
Then, below the required information in the cover letter, the Additional Required Documents state “each to be submitted as attachments to the cover letter.”
| Will you confirm that this means each of the “Additional Required Documents" are to be separate documents? For Volume 1, should we submit 6 documents, or do you want 1 document and each item labeled as an attachment? | Volume 1 can be one document (volume) with all of the required documents labeled. They do not have to be individual separate documents. | |||||
| 26 | Instructions to Offerors | 12 | 3.2 | Since the questions the Government is asking to be answered in the Prior Experience Summary take up a half a page alone, would the Government consider extending the page requirement to 2 pages for this section? | Recommend reviewing the Volumes and Page Limits table. The Prior Experience Summary allows for a total of 3 pages (SaaS List - 1 page, Summary 2 pages). | |
| 27 | Instructions to Offerors | 12 | 3.2 | Can the Government clarify if the entire Prior Experience Summary is 3, 5, or 6 pages long? | Recommend reviewing the Volumes and Page Limits table. Prior Experience Summary = total 3 pages, and Prior Experience References = maximum of 3 pages per reference. | |
| 28 | Security Requirements | 6 | B.1.3.7 | Would the Government consider cloud-based SaaS solutions that are not currently FedRAMP certified but are in the process of becoming certified? | At the BOA level, FedRAMP ready will be acceptable but compliance with USDA Cloud Computing Policy DR3650-001 is required at the Task Order level / implementation. | |
| 29 | Instructions to Offerors | 11 | 3.1 Guidelines and Formatting | The solicitation states "Submissions shall be single-spaced with a double space between paragraphs, formatted to fit on 8.5 by 11 inches paper (not including the Price Excel workbook submittal), have a minimum of one-inch margins on the top and bottom and 3/4-inch side margins, using no smaller than an 11-point font for ALL TEXT to include any text contained in a table or graphic." |
Given the tight page constraints, would the government please consider allowing a single-space between paragraphs instead of a double space? Would the Government please consider allowing a smaller font size for graphics and tables so long as the text is clearly readable? Lastly, would the government please consider increasing the page count, specifically for Volume II, to ensure Offerors can adequately address the requirements? The formatting instructions are included in order to ensure that quotes are uniform and easy to review.
Section 3.1 is revised to allow some additional measures offerors may employ to address any space constraints. In addition, reference to a Price Excel workbook submittal is a typographical error which will be corrected. Please review the Instructions to Offerors (Amendment 0001) document for revisions.
Please also review Q&A row #26. We believe this provides sufficient space for detailed submittals.
| 30 | N/A | N/A | Please confirm that STRATUS BOA holders will have access to all USDA SaaS licensing data across all contract holders for reporting and dashboard purposes? | No. BOA holders will not have access to other BOA holders licensing information. | |
| 31 | B02+1+RFQ+12314423Q0144_Instructions+to+Offerors_STRATUS+Pool+3 | 13 | 3.3 | Can you clarify the language that states "Offerors will be required to submit written proof of their entity affiliations and release from all subcontractors/teaming partners, etc."? Does this mean proof of the ability to sell the various offerings from each SaaS provider and what is the language around subcontractors/teaming partners referring to? | No. This section refers to the vendor submitting the quote and the vendor's business composition (e.g. prime, joint venture, etc), and requirements for the quote submittal. No SaaS information is applicable in this section. |
Section 3.3 is revised to include clarifying language. Please review the Instructions to Offerors (Amendment 0001) document for revisions.
| 32 | RFQ | 6 | 2.2.2 | Is it the government's intent that Pool 3 SaaS offerings may come from small business (Restricted) as OEMs? | Pool 3 SaaS offerings may be from OEMs or resellers. |
| 33 | RFQ | 14 | 3.4 | Is it the government's intent that Pool 3 offerors have direct relationship with one or more SaaS specifically listed? | Sub-factor 1 is referring to a USDA direct relationship with an OEM SaaS provider. Also, it is expected that pool 3 offerors have some kind of established relationship, or plan to, in order to be able to sell SaaS to the Government. Section 3.4 is revised to add "USDA" at the begining of Sub-factor 1. |
| 34 | RFQ | 14 | 3.4 | How much consideration will be given to description of other SaaS the offeror typically provides to customers? | Please re-read this section as it provides information on what is considered, including Government preferences, for evaluation of Prior Experience. |
| 35 | RFQ | 13 | 3.4 Prior Experience | Will the contract value of the prior experience submission supplied in the prior experience reference sheet be taken into consideration for confidence rating? | Yes, everything in the Prior Experience Reference Sheet will be considered in the evaluation. |
| 36 | SOO | 2,3 | A.2 Pricing | We assume the only pricing data required for the BOA is the table stating percentage discounts. Is our assumption correct? | Please reference Attachment A_Statement of Objectives regarding pricing. Pricing is not required at the BOA level; it will be required at the TO level. |
| 37 | B02+1+RFQ+12314423Q0144_Instructions+to+Offerors_STRATUS+Pool+3 | 13 and 14 | 3.4 Prior Experience | Can we use prior experience from the subcontractor? | Yes, however, please note as part of the instructions in this section "At least 2 of the Prior Experience Reference examples must be from the proposed prime Offeror, performing as a prime contractor." |
| 38 | B02+1+RFQ+12314423Q0144_Instructions+to+Offerors_STRATUS+Pool+3 | 13 and 14 | 3.4 Prior Experience | For Sub-factors 1 and 2, can we use subcontractors' Direct relationships with SaaS Providers (“OEM”) and Resellers with the breadth of coverage of multiple SaaS. | There is nothing that prohibits this. Recommend review of Sections 3.4 and 4.2. |
| 39 | B02+1+RFQ+12314423Q0144_Instructions+to+Offerors_STRATUS+Pool+3 | 13 and 14 | 3.4 Prior Experience | Can we use SaaS license/partnering information from the subcontractor? | There is nothing that prohibits this. Recommend review of Sections 3.4 and 4.2. |
| 40 | B02+1+RFQ+12314423Q0144_Instructions+to+Offerors_STRATUS+Pool+3 | 13 and 14 | 3.4 Prior Experience | Can we use the past performance references all three be from the subcontractor where they were the prime | No. Please reference the answer under question #37. |
| 41 | B02+1+RFQ+12314423Q0144_Instructions+to+Offerors_STRATUS+Pool+3 | 11 | 3.1 Guidelines and Formatting: | The margin size for each side mentioned is 3/4. can you please confirm our understanding which is - that the margin inches should be 0.75'' for the left and right sides? | Correct. "...a minimum of one-inch margins on the top and bottom and 3/4-inch side margins…" |
| 42 | We would like to know if this is a brand new contract OR if there is (was) an incumbent performing these services. | This is a new requirement/effort. |
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