3 - answers to questions from vendors.docx

Section/ Paragraph

C.12

D

C.12 NON-DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS

If the contractor acts on behalf of, or provides advice with respect to any phase of an agency procurement, as defined in FAR 3.104-4, then the contractor shall ensure that all its personnel (to include subcontractors, teaming partners, and consultants) who will be personally and substantially involved in the performance of the TO:

a. Execute and submit a Corporate Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) Form (Attachment A) and submit to the CO, prior to the commencement of any work on the TO, and

b. Are instructed in the FAR 3.104 requirements for disclosure, protection, and marking of contractor bid or proposal information, or source selection information

D. ANY CONTRACT DOCUMENT, EXHIBITS OR ATTACHMENTS

(a) Statement of Work for Data Quality

(b) Evaluation Criteria and Methodology Please clarify: a) Where do we find Attachment A, Corporate Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) Form?

Contractors fill out the Non-Disclosure form after contract award, as part of background check and onboarding forms.

The form is not necessary for vendors’ response to this RFQ.

b) Although labeled a) in section D, Statement of Work for Data Quality is titled Attachment 1 on page 34.

Please excuse this oversight.

c) Although labeled b) in section D, Evaluation Criteria and Methodology is titled Attachment 2 on page 47 Please excuse this oversight.

C.17

E.4.B, paragraph 12(?)

The Offeror’s proposal must include:

(1) A detailed outline (commensurate with the size and complexity of the Performance Work Statement) of its present and proposed information technology systems security program. The response must demonstrate that it complies with the security requirements of the PW,S the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA, Public Law 107-347, 44 U.S.C. 3531-3536); Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, Appendix III “Security of Federal Automated Information Systems” (http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars_a130_a130appendix_iii) and an acknowledgement of its understanding of the security requirements of the SOW.

(2) A signed copy of the USDA FSIS IT Rules of Behavior (Attachment B) shall be included with the Offeror’s proposal.

PAGE LIMITS

10 pages for the Technical Proposal (excluding Cover Letter, Executive Summary, and any Appendices) Please clarify: Does response to this requirement count against the page limit for Volume I?

This information is no longer necessary for the vendor response to this RFQ. Clause C.17 is hereby removed from the solicitation.

C.17

E.4.B, paragraph 12(?)

The Offeror’s proposal must include:

(1) A detailed outline (commensurate with the size and complexity of the Performance Work Statement) of its present and proposed information technology systems security program. The response must demonstrate that it complies with the security requirements of the PW,S the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA, Public Law 107-347, 44 U.S.C. 3531-3536); Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, Appendix III “Security of Federal Automated Information Systems” (http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars_a130_a130appendix_iii) and an acknowledgement of its understanding of the security requirements of the SOW.

(2) A signed copy of the USDA FSIS IT Rules of Behavior (Attachment B) shall be included with the Offeror’s proposal.

PAGE LIMITS

10 pages for the Technical Proposal (excluding Cover Letter, Executive Summary, and any Appendices) Please clarify: a) Where do we find Attachment B?

Contractors will sign this document after award, as part of background check and onboarding.

The IT Rules of Behavior is part of the IT Security Awareness training.

It is not necessary to include a signed copy with any vendor response to this RFQ.

Vendors can find a sample of Attachment B among the files uploaded to www.sam.gov.

b) Does the signed copy of Attachment B count against the page limit for Volume I?

N/A

Attachment 1, Statement of Work for Data Quality, section 7.0

Attachment 2, Evaluation Criteria and Methodology, section 1.2

7.0 Contractor’s Key Personnel

Data Analyst

1.0 FTE at 1920 hours

The contractor shall be one FTE with the following required qualifications. The Government may require additional hours based on mission requirements.

1.2 Factor 2 Personnel, Qualifications, and Staffing

a. The Government will evaluate the adequacy of the Quoter’s:

i. Approach to providing the resources with the appropriate skills, depth of experience, training, and professional qualifications

ii. Ability to maintain continuity of assigned employees and ability to back-fill vacancies in a timely manner

iii. Accessibility, availability, and continuity of key personnel and the explanation of why the proposed project manager is uniquely qualified to occupy the project manager key personnel position Please clarify: a) Does the government expect a project manager key personnel position (as implied in the evaluation criteria) in addition to the key personnel Data Analyst?

The highlighted text was included in error. Highlighted text should not be included. We do not require a project manager for this effort.

b) If yes, what are the desired hours and qualifications for the project manager key personnel position?

N/A

Attachment 1, Statement of Work for Data Quality, section 7.0

7.0 Contractor’s Key Personnel

Data Analyst

1.0 FTE at 1920 hours

The contractor shall be one FTE with the following required qualifications. The Government may require additional hours based on mission requirements.

Any changes to the proposed Key Personnel(s) after award MUST be approved by the Contracting Officer and shall only be approved upon demonstration of as-good or better qualifications when the new individual is compared to the qualifications and experience of the original proposed individual. Key Personnel shall demonstrate their capabilities by providing a resume (not to exceed five pages). The resume shall explain, in detail, the qualifications of the proposed personnel to include how they meet the qualifications outlined in the statement of work.

Please clarify: a) Does the Key Personnel resume(s) count against the page limit for Volume I?

b) Is it acceptable to place the resume(s) for key personnel in an Appendix?

It is acceptable to include resume(s) in an appendix, which would not be subject to the 10-page limit.

Attachment 2, Evaluation Criteria and Methodology, section 1.4

Attachment 1, Statement of Work, section 5.0, paragraph 4 table

The evaluation will consider the adequacy of the Draft Project Plan/Schedule. During the evaluation, the Government will evaluate the extent to which the following information/approaches provided by the offeror ensures/enables the successful achievement of the goals/tasks:

i. Project Management and Project Planning

ii. Project Oversight and Monitoring (Schedule Management, Risk Management, Performance Management, Quality Management, Organizational Change Management, Configuration Management, Requirements Management, Release Management)

Item Deliverable Due Date Format Addressee

1. Kick-off Meeting with agenda and initial program plan (to be scheduled w/ COR) 10 business days after date of award Power Point N/A

3. Project Management Plan 15 business days after date of award MS Word or PDF

COR, PM

Please clarify: a) Does the government require a Draft Project Plan/Schedule be submitted with the proposal?

We are evaluating the offeror’s management plan, as partially detailed to the left, and further detailed in the rest of that section of the Evaluation Criteria. Please review the specifications of the solicitation.

b) We do not see a Draft Project Plan/Schedule listed in the Deliverables table. Is the Draft Project Plan/Schedule the same as Initial Program Plan mentioned in the kickoff meeting?

The Initial Program Plan is a (PowerPoint) presentation version of the Draft Project Plan.

c) Is the Draft Project Plan/Schedule the precursor to the Project Management Plan deliverable?

Yes

Attachment 2, Evaluation Criteria and Methodology, section 1.4

The evaluation will consider the adequacy of the Draft Project Plan/Schedule. During the evaluation, the Government will evaluate the extent to which the following information/approaches provided by the offeror ensures/enables the successful achievement of the goals/tasks:

i. Project Management and Project Planning

ii. Project Oversight and Monitoring (Schedule Management, Risk Management, Performance Management, Quality Management, Organizational Change Management, Configuration Management, Requirements Management, Release Management)

Please clarify: a) Does the government require we submit sections on Schedule Management, Risk Management, Performance Management, Quality Management, Organizational Change Management, Configuration Management, Requirements Management, Release Management with the proposal?

If not specified by the solicitation, vendors can organize their proposal information as they see fit. Section headers with the above names are not explicitly required. However, we are evaluating their plans for those categories, so the information should be included. Please review the specifications included in this solicitation.

b) Is it acceptable to place the Draft Project Plan/Schedule in an Appendix?

It is acceptable to include any schedules in an appendix.