RFQ Amendment 1305M221QNFFK0097-0001.pdf

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

(a) By completing items 8 and 15, and returning or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not is required to sign this document and return copies to the issuing office.

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT 1. CONTRACT ID CODE

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQUISITION NUMBER 5. PROJECT NUMBER (If applicable)

7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6) CODE

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 11/2016)

Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

FACILITY CODE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NUMBER

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers is extended. is not extended.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required) copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted;

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS.

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

CHECK ONE A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER

NUMBER IN ITEM 10A.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation data, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15C. DATE SIGNED

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

16C. DATE SIGNED

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

PAGE OF PAGES

6. ISSUED BY CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (Number, street, county, State and ZIP Code) (X)

CODE

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

(Signature of person authorized to sign)

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

Previous edition unusable

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

Elizabeth Eichelberger, Contracting Officer

SEE ATTACHMENT PAGE

NOAA/EAD

200 GRANBY STREET, SUITE 815

NORFOLK, VA 23510

SEE BLOCK 6

1305M221QNFFK0097

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06/24/2021

06/08/2021

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1. Amendment 0001 is issued to provide responses to questions received regarding the solicitation.

Question 01: Will the Contracting Officer consider a 2-week extension to the tender due date, to July 12th?

Answer 01: A 2-week extension is not provided; however, the due date and time for receipt of quotes is extended to July 7, 2021 at 10:00am Eastern.

Question 02: Are we limited in the number of technical appendixes that we can submit? For example, can we add a Compliance Matrix as an appendix that does not count toward our page total? Is there a limit to the number of appendices that we can attach as relevant reference material?

Answer 02: There is not a limit to the number of appendices, but the submission must not exceed the maximum page limit of 40 pages set in Volume II – Technical Quote page 53 of the solicitation. Any pages in excess of 40 will be disregarded, and will not be included in the evaluation.

Question 03: CLIN 0002 is listed as "750 hours", how did you arrive at 750 hours?

Answer 03: CLIN 0002 is adjusted to read (1) one Job with an estimated number of hours of 750.

The Pricing Schedule has been updated.

Question 04: CLIN 0009 is listed with a quantity of 480 hours; I would have expected CLIN 0009 to be "1 lot", with a reference to CLIN 0001. Are the 480 hours fixed or can we change this to 1 lot?

Answer 04: CLIN 0009 is adjusted to read (1) one Lot instead of 480 hours. The Pricing Schedule has been update.

Question 05: PWS Appendix A - Customized Division Reports: Would it be possible to add a separate CLIN for this task or do you prefer to have that under CLIN 0006/0007?

Answer 05: No, it is not possible to add a separate CLIN for this task, this is time and materials software work. This task is accounted for under CLINS 5 & 11.

Question 06: There are formulas in the spreadsheet in the fields E16 to E22, e.g. the formula in E16 is "E3*0.2", can we ignore these formulas?

Answer 06: The formulas have been removed and the Pricing Schedule has been updated.

Question 07: Can you please provide the Topsail Programmer’s guide and Topsail database tables’ document?

Answer 07: Yes, The Topsail Overview document, Topsail Programmer’s guide, and the Topsail Database Tables document have been provided as attachments to the solicitation.

Question 08: In section “Background”, the PWS states:

“In December 2020, the OLE VMS Program began to receive and import world-wide Automatic Identification System (AIS) data in addition to data from VMS-equipped vessels”

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Answer 08: Yes.

Question 09: How frequently are the vessels expected to be reporting via AIS? Please provide information on the interface through which the AIS data is to be received.

Answer 09: AIS is reported as per Federal regulations and the AIS data should be procured and displayed in the application.

Question 10: Please explain from where “Sightings” data is expected to appear/integrate within the VMS.

Answer 10: ‘Sightings’ refers to the visual identification of vessels and objects (for example, fixed fishing gear). The user must have the capability to manually enter sightings into and have them displayed on the GUI along with the other mapping layers.

Question 11: In the PWS 8.3.1 page 10 “Must be capable of displaying the following mapping layers: sightings.” Could you please provide an example of sighting report?

Answer 11: A sightings report is not provided, please refer to question and answer 10 for a description of what “Sightings” refers to and how they should be displayed.

Question 12: Please clarify the expected role of the awarded vendor towards the Topsail system and its developer. Is the VMS vendor expected to provide data access and support related to that only?

a. Can the CO elaborate on this statement?

b. What specifically is in the existing suite of Topsail features and functionality?

c. When does the CO need Topsail - in 8 months time or is this a longer-term work by purchase order, block by block...but if we need to do everything in 8 months this is too little time.

d. What are the anticipated future customized automated reports for TopSail?

e. Please specify if the Contractor needs to develop a new version of all Topsail functions listed from pages 32 to 37 in its VMS application, OR if Topsail will remain active in its current state and maintained as an external system and the Contractor needs to develop an interface to Topsail?

Answer 12: Currently, Topsail functionality is supported and maintained on a temporary basis for OLE by the Technology and Data Management Division at the NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Office. The responsibility for Topsail would be transitioned from TDMD/OLE to the VMS contractor. Responsibility would include maintenance of existing programming source code, including OLE-authorized change requests. Therefore, OLE is looking for a monitoring system that is capable of running the Topsail application following an appropriate period of transition. An example of the automated Topsail reports is attached in the Topsail Overview document. The Topsail Programmer’s Guide and List of Database Tables are also attached.

Question 13: Please provide a description and/or example of SE Permit Data. Please provide a description and/or example of the data that the VMS is required to receive from the “Fishery Information Networks”.

We ask you to please clarify, is the VMS expected to receive and display AIS data?

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Answer 13: NOAA is looking for a system that is capable of accessing internal databases and/or servers outside the OLE network. The purpose of this ‘integration’ is to provide improved maritime domain awareness within the system by combining fishery-dependent data to produce automated reports. Typical access would be to federal permits data, federal dealer reports and vessel trip reports (logbooks), as well as access to other fishery-dependent data sources to be identified. System interfaces do not generally exist and would need to be developed; however, our Northeast Division does have an example interface, which may serve as a model.

Permits data typically includes vessel name, permit number, vessel owner, owner address/telephone, permits held by species, date permit issued and canceled, and permit office notes associated with permit issuance.

Question 14: In the PWS 8.3.1 page 9 “System interoperability” "The product must be capable of integration with authorized NOAA databases and servers” Could you please clarify?

Answer 14: The system should have the capability to communicate with authorized databases.

Question 15: Could we have the appropriate interface documents for the external databases?

Answer 15: Interface documents will provided to the successful vendor at the time of award.

Question 16: In the PWS 8.3.1 page 10 “Provide for user viewing of up to five (5) divisional scenarios.” Do you mean 5 simultaneous windows per user?

Answer 16: One scenario per NMFS region, because each region has different requirements and monitoring needs. Each user, except for administrators (generally, HQ personnel), will only have access to their region’s scenario. A few application administrators will need access to all 5 scenarios.

Question 17: In the PWS 8.3.1 page 12 “Receive, respond to and store Canadian Herring Transshipment vessel messages”. Could you please provide an example of a Canadian Herring Transshipment report?

Answer 17: Canadian Transshipment messages are sent via free-text from the vessel’s VMS unit. An example of the type of information required follows:

Six hours prior to the expected time of entry into the U.S. EEZ, send an email via the VMS unit.

The email must include the following information:

Name and call sign of the Canadian vessel, Name of the vessel master, Whether satellite phone or cell phone is on board and if so, provide the numbers, Expected day and time of entry (GMT) into the U.S. EEZ, and Destination(s) and timing (GMT) of all planned transshipments.

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Question 18: In the PWS 8.3.1 page 12 and 13, the reports needed relative to AIS data are: “o AIS Positions from Unknown Vessels o AIS reports to support the North Atlantic Right Whale speed restrictions in seasonal management areas (SMA)” System interoperability: “Must have the capability to show data from other systems, including AIS data, on the map, if needed and reasonable.”

Considering that the AIS system data may generate messages in far greater amount compared to VMS, resulting in increase in software complexity and IT server costs, could OLE confirm that they do not need a permanent integration of the total AIS data received from all types of vessels, but on selected vessels only?

Answer 18: The Office of Law Enforcement needs global AIS vessel data.

Question 19: How do you define “Unknown vessels”, and could you provide an approximate number of these Unknown vessels being received in AIS per year, and average reporting interval?

Answer 19: Unknown vessels are AIS vessels that are not part of the VMS program. The number of Unknown vessels is unavailabe.

Question 20: In the PWS 8.4 pages 14 and 15 “Alternative 1 –Contractor installs and maintains the application in NOAA Fisheries owned and operated data centers.”

In Alternative 1, which party is going to define and procure the IT infrastructure to be installed in NOAA Fisheries? We understand that the costs of IT in NOAA are not part of the proposal, please confirm.

Answer 20: That is correct, the cost of Fisheries owned and operated data centers is not part of the quotation. A response to both hosting options is required per the solicitation.

Question 21: Could you please describe which configuration you will provide as it will impact the solution design?

Answer 21: Please refer to section 9.3 for configuration design requirements.

Question 22: Shall we understand that the service level agreement will be shared between the Contractor and NOAA as the provider of the core IT infrastructure?

Answer 22: Yes

Question 23: The availability of the IT in NOAA has an impact on date of implementation.

When could the IT system be available in NOAA?

Answer 23: The NOAA IT system will be available upon award.

Question 24: In the PWS 8.3.1 page 12, “System interoperability “Ingest data from other NMFS systems or databases, if needed” Is there any standard protocol used to interface to NMFS databases?

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Answer 24: Any security compliant protocols that can be used for the interface to NMFS databases. NMFS database connections, ISA connections, and AIS/VMS to GCP are used.

2. The original text of paragraph "f" within 52.212-1 is included in the solicitation.

3. This is the end of Amendment 0001. As per block 11 of the SF-30 all offerors are required to acknowledge receipt of the amendment to the solicitation.

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