RFIs.pdf

Requests for Information Solicitation 1232SA25Q0900

Question 1: How often will the in-person site visits be?

Answer 1: On-site at least three times a week.

Question 2: SOW 5.0 Primary Area of Contract - Please confirm the campus street addresses for BARC, BHNRC, and USNA covered by this contract. Are all three locations in scope, or only BARC and USNA?

Answer 2: BARC also houses BHNRC @ 10300 Baltimore Ave. Beltsville, MD 20705 and USNA @ 3501 New York Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002

Question 3: SOW 4.0 Facility Security Requirements - Is full-time on-site presence during business hours required, or are only periodic/planned visits expected?

Answer 3: On-site at least three times a week

Question 4: SOW 7.0(c) Production Access & Continuity - What are the SLAs for response and resolution (during and outside of business hours)? Is after-hours on-site troubleshooting required?

Answer 4: 4 hours and after-hours on-site.

Question 5: SOW 2.1 Brocade Switching Layer - What is the current switching footprint

(models, counts, software versions)?

Answer 5: Mixed environment of ICX71xx – ICX78xx series, approximately 200 units running FastIron 8.

Question 6: SOW 2.1 Brocade Switching Layer - Are there other networking devices (routers, firewalls, load balancers) in scope?

Answer 6: Yes (all)

Question 7: SOW 2.1 Brocade Switching Layer - Is the network architecture traditional

(core/distribution/access) or modern (e.g., EVPN/VXLAN)?

Answer 7: Traditional

Question 8: SOW 2.1 Brocade Switching Layer - Will the vendor perform physical install during RMAs, or is this covered by Brocade support contracts?

Answer 8: The awardee will ensure replacement hardware is installed and operational in accordance with USDA requirements.

Question 9: Clauses & Provisions, Price Schedule CLIN 0001 - Please confirm the vendor is responsible for procuring Brocade switch licensing, and clarify what entitlements/levels are expected.

Answer 9: The awardee will be responsible for procuring and maintaining required licensing in accordance with USDA requirements.

Question 10: SOW 2.2 Virtualization Layer - Beyond vSphere, ESXi, and vCenter, are other

VMware technologies (e.g., NSX, Horizon, SRM) in use?

Answer 10: No.

Question 11: SOW 2.2 Virtualization Layer - How many virtual machines must be migrated, and what are the OS/application profiles?

Answer 11: 140 - 160 Guest VMs (Windows & Linux)

Question 12: SOW 2.2 Virtualization Layer - Will USDA provide Hyper-V/VMware licenses, or must the vendor procure them?

Answer 12: Vendor.

Question 13: SOW 2.3 Facility & Server Consolidation - What are the current server types/models, and what will exist after consolidation?

Answer 13: The current environment consists of blade and rack servers, which currently include but are not limited to Dell platforms.

Question 14: SOW 2.3 Facility & Server Consolidation - Will USDA provide rack/power/cooling upgrades, or must vendor include these?

Answer 14: Vendor

Question 15: SOW 2.4 Databases - What database platforms are in use (Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, etc.)?

Answer 15: MS SQL, PostreSQL, and MySQL

Question 16: SOW 2.4 Databases - What backup methodology/software is used today (e.g., Veeam, Commvault)?

Answer 16: Nakivo Backup and Replication and In-house hardware architecture by vendor.

Question 17: SOW 2.4 Databases - What is the current database count/size?

Answer 17: 25 databases (approx. 4 TB)

Question 18: SOW 2.5 Storage - What are the incumbent storage platforms (vendor, model, serials)?

Answer 18: The existing storage environment includes enterprise flash and hybrid platforms, which currently include but are not limited to Dell and Pure.

Question 19: SOW 2.5 Storage - What storage protocols are in use (NFS, CIFS/SMB, iSCSI, FC)?

Answer 19: NFS, CIFS/SMB, iSCSI, OBJ and FC

Question 20: SOW 2.5 Storage - What storage vendors/technologies are planned for commodity/cloud platforms?

Answer 20: USDA anticipates a mixed environment leveraging flash-based and traditional technologies, with cloud integration as appropriate.

Question 21: SOW 2.5 Storage - Is the vendor expected to procure replacement storage capacity?

Answer 21: Yes (approx. usable 700TB).

Question 22: SOW 2.6 Monitoring & Patching - What monitoring software is currently deployed (e.g., SolarWinds, Splunk)?

Answer 22: SolarWinds NPM, NCM, AM, IPAM

Question 23: SOW 2.6 Monitoring & Patching - Is automation software in place for patching

(e.g., SCCM, Ansible, WSUS)?

Answer 23: WSUS and in-house solution

Question 24: SOW 7.0(b) In-Flight Migration Ownership - Does USDA require hiring/incorporating a specific incumbent technical lead, or only assuming continuity of plan/artifacts?

Answer 24: USDA does not require vendors to hire incumbent staff, continuity of Government-approved plans and artifacts is expected. Knowledge of USDA current environment is a plus.

Question 25: SOW 7.0(a-e) - Will USDA transfer incumbent RMA authority, access, and storage custody to a new vendor, or must the offeror already hold these?

Answer 25: The awardee must demonstrate the ability to assume these responsibilities without interruption, consistent with USDA practice and an existing approved vendor with Brocade/Ruckus.

Question 26: Wage Determination 2015-4281 Rev 34 - Will USDA disclose labor categories, qualifications, and current wage determination mapping?

Answer 26: USDA will follow standard SCA practice. Offerors are responsible for aligning their labor categories accordingly.

Question 27: General - Please provide counts of switches, routers, firewalls, VMs, servers, databases, and storage arrays/capacity.

Answer 27: See answers in previous questions.

Question 28: General - Confirm whether vendor must renew software licensing (VMware, Hyper-V, DB, backup, monitoring) or if USDA provides.

Answer 28: Vendor needs to renew.

Question 29: Clauses & Provisions, Section I - Contract Admin Data - Will USDA CLIN invoicing be monthly?

Answer 29: Monthly invoicing is acceptable.

Question 30: SOW 7.0 Continuity Requirements - Will USDA provide a formal transition period with the incumbent vendor, and if so, how long?

Answer 30: A formal transition period is addressed in SOW Section 7(d).

Question 31: SOW 7.0 Continuity Requirements - Will USDA provide current documentation, inventories, and baseline configurations to the new awardee?

Answer 31: Yes

Question 32: SOW 2.2.1 / 2.4 / 2.5 - What are the current Authority to Operate (ATO) or security accreditations in place?

Answer 32: USDA OCIO Standard

Question 33: SOW 6.0 Government Supplied Resources - Will USDA provide remote access

VPNs or site-to-site tunnels for offsite management?

Answer 33: No

Question 34: SOW 6.0 Government Supplied Resources - Will USDA provide a test or staging environment for migration validation prior to cutover?

Answer 34: Vendor shall be responsible for test and staging area

Question 35: SOW 6.0 Government Supplied Resources - Will USDA issue facility access badges for recurring site visits, or are escorts required at all times?

Answer 35: Facility access can be issued after USDA standard background check.

Question 36: General Interfaces & Dependencies - Are there enterprise integrations (Active

Directory, USDA enterprise cloud, etc.) the vendor must design for?

Answer 36: AD, ARS Cloud, and others as needed.

Question 37: General Interfaces & Dependencies - Does this contract overlap with other USDA contracts (e.g., cybersecurity monitoring, endpoint support) that require coordination?

Answer 37: No

Question 38: Wage Determination 2015-4281 - Will USDA require security clearances (Public

Trust, Secret) for contractor staff, and if so, will USDA sponsor investigations?

Answer 38: Public Trust

Question 39: General Performance & Reporting - What KPIs will USDA use to evaluate contract success (uptime %, ticket SLAs, migration milestones)?

Answer 39: SLA and migration milestones

Question 40: General Performance & Reporting - What reporting cadence is expected (weekly updates, monthly dashboards, quarterly reviews)?

Answer 40: bi-weekly

Question 41: General - Are their option years / CLINs associated with this or it assumed the migration will be complete and services will end after the one year PoP?

Answer 41: One year with no options.

Question 42: General - Will the government extend this solicitation for one week after the questions are answered so that vendors can appropriately scope their bids?

Answer 42: Proposals are now due by 2:00 PM EDT on September 26, 2025.

Question 43: Wage Determination 2015-4281 - The solicitation's Terms and Conditions require Service Contract Reporting and Minimum Wage Determination; however the Scope requires Tier II and Tier III staff, which are typically exempt due to the technical nature of these resources. Please confirm that SCA and Wage Determination applies.

Answer 43: See previous answer 26