EPIC RFP 1305M320NRMN0002 -- Questions and Answers.pdf

Questions & Answers

1305M320RNRMN0002

Department of Commerce (DOC) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) Weather Program Office (WPO)

Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC)

MAY 2020

Contents

REQUIREMENT QUESTIONS

PROCUREMENT QUESTIONS

REQUIREMENT QUESTIONS

1. Attachment 4 defines deliverables for the Task Order (TO) which include UFS readiness on three could platforms (AWS, Google and Azure). Are the cloud platforms provided to the EPIC contractor as Government Furnished Equipment (GFE), or is the contractor expected to include the cost of these services in support of the Task Order requirements in their Project Plan Bill of Materials in Factor B of the Request for Proposal (RFP)? (Final RFP, Factor B, Requirement 3b, pg54)

a. The Government will provide cloud access as GFE, see revised Statement of Objectives (SOO) (Attachment 3) Section 11, and Section 7, f.

2. The deliverables described in the Sample TO PWS Under paragraphs 6.1.2, 6.1.3 and 6.1.4 appear to align with

Tasks described under Task 2 (Paragraph 5.2) and not Task 1 (Paragraph 5.1). Could the Government please confirm the identified deliverables for Task 1 map to the requirements for Task 1 and provide a link showing which task requirement a deliverable is associated with? (Attachment 4: 6.2.1, 6.2.2, 6.2.3; pg 7)

a. See revised Performance Work Statement (PWS) (Attachment 4) Sections 4, 5, 6, and 10.

3. The deliverables described in the Sample TO PWS Under paragraphs 6.2.1, 6.2.2 and 6.2.3 appear to align with Tasks described under Task 1 (Paragraph 5.1) and not Task 2 (Paragraph 5.2). Could the Government please confirm the identified deliverables for Task 2 map to the requirements for Task 2 and provide a link showing which task requirement a deliverable is associated with? (Attachment 4: 6.2.1, 6.2.2, 6.2.3; pg 7)

a. See revised PWS (Attachment 4) Sections 4, 5, 6, and 10.

4. The deliverables described in the Sample TO PWS under paragraphs 6.2.4 through 6.2.12 do not appear to align with Tasks described under Task 1 (Paragraph 5.1) or Task 2 (Paragraph 5.2). Many of these appear in alignment with the Statement of Objectives (Attachment 3). Could the Government please confirm the identified deliverables for Task 2 map to the requirements for Task 2 and provide a link showing which task requirement a deliverable is associated with? (Attachment 4: 6.2.4 through 6.2.12; pg 8 )

5. Can the Government provide the "science goals of UFS applications" within the PWS explicitly as requested in both Task 5.1.5 and as part of the PRS element by the same title? (Attachment 4: 10; pgs 8-13)

a. See revised:

i. PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.1.4.3, and

ii. SOO (Attachment 3), Section 9 to find the link to the UFS Strategic Implementation Plan and UFS Development Goals and Priorities for Medium-Range and S2S Applications.

6. In the Deliverables table under Paragraph 6, the contractor is required to "develop and document a containerized cloud-based UFS weather application" within 6 months of award. The associated PRS element for "provide container version of the UFS Weather Application..." provides no timeline under the Performance Standard. Is this deliverable and PRS element aligned? And if so, should they both evaluate the same timeline? (Attachment 4: 6; pg 6 and 10; pg 9) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rdFPbY28d7cRrcShy0uo4Mtqwh3BSzYg/view?usp=sharing

7. Can the Government provide the Risk Management Framework classification impact levels for EPIC? Will this be a Low classification based on the research nature of the program? (Attachment 4: 4.2; pg 5)

a. Risk determination for specific requirements will be determined at the task order level. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 9.

8. The task statement under 5.2.7 in the Sample TO PWS states that the contractor shall "work with provided communications platform(s) for interaction with the UFS community….". Can the Government confirm that this communication platform will be Slack (or its equivalent) as stated in the Attachment 3 Statement of Objectives (7.e.ii on pg 11) and be GFE? Or does the Government intend for the contractor to procure the communications platform as part of their BOM? (Attachment 4: 5.2.7; pg 6)

a. See revised:

i. SOO (Attachment 3), Section 11, and

ii. PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.3.1.

9. The task statement under 5.2.7 in the Sample TO PWS states that the contractor shall "work with provided communications platform(s) for interaction with the UFS community….". Is the intended communication platform to be solely Slack (or its equivalent) as stated in the Attachment 3 Statement of Objectives (7.e.ii on pg

11) or does the Government intend for the contractor to provide a full community interaction platform to include the communications piece as part of the Task Order offering? (Attachment 4: 5.2.7; pg 6 )

a. See revised:

10. Can the Government confirm that all online documentation, user guides, developer guides, etc. to be developed and maintained by the Contractor are only required to be maintained in the English language? (Attachment 4:

6.2.4, 6.2.7; pg 8)

a. See revised:

i. SOO (Attachment 3), Section 6.B, and

ii. PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.3.2.

11. Final RFP SOO""Sections C.4.37, E.3.3 SOO Sec 5.0, "Section C.4.37(a) states:

""The Government will provide all necessary facilities, equipment, and supplies ...""

However, Sec E.3.3 Technical Factor A, Technical Approach (subparagraphs a-e) contains considerable discussion on contractor facility evaluation.

Furthermore, the SOO states:

The primary place of performance will be open and dependent on the vendor selected to perform the duties of EPIC. While it is anticipated that the vendor is likely to employ a largely virtual workforce, the vendor may be tasked with establishing and providing a physical point of presence anywhere in the CONUS. Additionally, it is anticipated and even expected that a substantial portion of the vendor’s workforce is likely to work in a distributed fashion typical of a virtual workforce

Section C.4.37(a) appears to conflict with other language in the RFP. Would the Government please clarify what facilities will be provided under Sec. C.4.37(a)? "

a. See revised:

i. RFP Sections C.4.37, E.2.5.b) and E.3.3. Factor A.2.,

ii. SOO (Attachment 3), Sections 5 and 11, and

iii. PWS (Attachment 4), Sections 5.4.2 and 5.4.3.

12. The latest deliverable in Section 6 ("Develop and Document a Containerized Cloud-based UFS Weather

Application") is completed within 6 months of award. The period of performance is listed as "one (1) year from date of award with one (1), one-year option period." Can the Government confirm that after the deliverables are completed, the remaining scope is Community engagement? (Attachment 4: Section 6 and Section 7)

13. The Government requests the Offeror "propose a Project Plan for the work outlined in the PWS". In Factor B of the Final RFP. Attachment 4, Sample Task Order PWS, Task 5.1.2 states that the Contractor shall "Define, develop, and execute a clear project plan with deliverables and success metrics that outline the path to supporting the UFS." Can the Government provide clarification as to the depth of the Project Plan requested as part of the contractor's proposal versus a completed Project Plan to be developed under the Sample Task Order scope after award? (Final RFP Factor B, Requirement 3, pg53)

a. The Project Management Plan summary that is to be proposed in response to this RFP is to fulfill the requirements of the PWS. The Project Management Plan for successful implementation of the Statement of Objectives for the overall EPIC Contract and for supporting and building of the UFS applications will be developed as a part of the PWS.

b. See revised:

i. RFP Sections E.2.5 and E.3.3, and

ii. PWS (Attachment 4), Section 4.1.

14. Section 2 (Background) of the SOO indicates that “the near-term program formulation will be focused on the end-to-end operational Global Forecast System composed of the Global Data Assimilation System, the model and Unified Post Processor”. What versions of these three software components (GFS, GDAS, UPP) are under the focus - are they production versions or are they experimental/pre-release versions? (Attachment 3 Section 2)

a. See revised SOO (Attachment 3), Section 2.

15. Section 2 (Background) of the SOO suggests that the scope of EPIC will expand to include other components of the operational suite run by NOAA, including models such as the HRRR; because these systems utilize additional models and workflows, are they explicitly not targeted for integration in the current award? (Attachment 3 Section 2)

a. Refer to the SOO (Attachment 3), Section 6.B.a.-h.

16. Section 6 (Performance Objectives) of the SOO, paragraph (B) states that, “EPIC will support community model development for the UFS using a comprehensive set of modern development tools and infrastructure. This includes modernized state of the science UFS code…”. Furthermore, earlier sections of the SOO clearly indicate a conceptual separation between “UFS” as the “application layer” and “community models” (such as FV3dycore and ESMF) as a suite of connectable “application components”. How much of objective (B) is expected to focus on novel application development (a “UFS” modular application system) versus the matriculation of modern standards to the community models which will ultimately be leveraged for UFS applications? (Attachment 3 Section 6)

a. All information available on this matter can be found in the SOO (Attachment 3), Section 6.

17. Are the social science insights mentioned in Section 6 (Performance Objectives) of the SOO, paragraph (I) intended to be interpreted as insights into the social and community processes leading to the development of UFS and community models? (Attachment 3 Section 6)

a. See the revised SOO (Attachment 3), Section 1.

18. To show consistency throughout the proposal, would the Government prefer the title Program Manager, indicated in C.4.13, pg 3 of 75 & pg 28 of 75, or Project Manager in C.4.33, pg 36 of 75? (Final RFP FACTOR C:

KEY PERSONNEL )

a. Project Manager, see revised RFP.

19. Will the Government acquire the ATO for the cloud platforms configured to run the UFS models and associated Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment platforms? (Attachment 4: 4.1; pg 5)

a. Yes, the Government will acquire the Authorization to Operate (ATO) the cloud computing resources that it will provide as GFE, see revised SOO (Attachment 3), Section 11.

20. How frequently will the data identified for Task 5.2.2 be updated, requiring re-population through NOAA provided services and infrastructure? (Attachment 4: 5.2.2; pg 6)

a. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.2.2.

21. Will the Government provide a transition-in timeframe for the program prior to the start of the first Task Order?

(Final RFP, Factor E.1.c (Transition-In Approach))

a. Refer to the revised RFP Section E.3.2(b).

22. Can the Government provide an expected number of users for use of the proposed CI/CD pipeline software for purposes of license quantities? (Final RFP, Factor B.3.b (Bill of Material))

a. This is unknown at this time.

23. After the completion of the porting and assessment activity described in Task 5.2.4, does the Government have any expectation on the frequency of future operational baseline porting or release activities? (Attachment 4, 5.2.4;

pg 6)

a. See the revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 6.

24. Can the Government clarify the detail related to "specifications, configuration and capabilities of the proposed solution" as it differs from the detail provided in the approach (B.1)? (Final RFP, Factor B.2)

a. See revised RFP Section E2.5.b) Factor B.1. and Section E3.3. Factor B.1.

25. Can the Government provide a list of the existing Service Level Agreements (SLAs) referenced in the RFP that the Offeror will use to meet the SOO requirements and the associated mechanics to transfer SLA oversight to the Offeror? (Final RFP, Factor E.1.d. Project Oversight)

a. In accordance with RFP Section E.2.5.b) Factor E.1.d,ii, Offeror’s are to propose their service level agreements (SLA)’s if applicable.

26. Please confirm that all resources will receive a computer with network access from the Government. (SOO

Section 4, paragraph 1)

a. No, see SOO (Attachment 3), Section 4.

27. The SOO states, “While it is anticipated that the vendor is likely to employ a largely virtual workforce, the vendor may be tasked with establishing and providing a physical point of presence anywhere in the CONUS.” Please clarify the nature of this physical point of presence, that may or may not be required. If a physical PoP is required, will only one need to be established for the duration of the contract? (SOO Section 5, paragraph 1)

a. See revised:

i. RFP Section C.4.37, and Section E.2.5, Factor A.2., and

ii. SOO (Attachment 3), Section 5.

28. Given the workforce is largely virtual, please confirm that a facility is only required on an as needed basis. (SOO Section 5, paragraph 1)

a. See revised:

i. RFP Section C.4.37, and Section E.2.5, Factor A.2., and

ii. SOO (Attachment 3), Section 5.

29. SOO Section 6 - Item N. states, “EPIC contractors will be co-located or accessible to UFS community developers.” Please clarify this statement. Does this imply that EPIC contractors must be physically accessible to the UFS community which is likely to be dispersed by both location and time zone? Please clarify the expected location of the contractor team performing on EPIC. (SOO Section 6 - Item N)

a. See revised SOO (Attachment 3), Section 6.N.

30. SOO Section 6, paragraph I - Item I. states “EPIC will integrate social science insights to make UFS and its processes more efficient.” Please clarify/specify the intention for “social science insights.” Was this intended for model development/collaboration, for end-user (meteorologist) engagement/acceptance, or for public engagement/acceptance?

a. See the revised SOO (Attachment 3), Section 1.

31. Please confirm that the communications platform (such as slack) is Government owned and Contractor will not need to purchase a platform for use. (SOO Section 7.e.ii, paragraph 1)

a. See revised:

32. The SOO requires the contractor to “Provide access to an innovation hub” Please provide more details on this Innovation Hub. Is physical access, virtual access, or both required to the Innovation Hub? Will high level tours of the Hub be required? (SOO Section 7, e.xi)

a. See revised

i. RFP Section E.2.5.b) Factor A.k and A.l, and Section E.3.3. Factor A.1., and 2;

ii. SOO (Attachment 3), Section 6.E.; and

iii. PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.4.

33. The SOO states, “Provide a UFS code that is innovative, modern, maintainable, extensible, performance optimized, and appropriately portable to on-premise and cloud HPC architectures.” Do these “on premise HPC architectures” include any cloud computing features? Has any progress been made to date to make the UFS code cloud capable, such as containerization, etc.? If so, please elaborate on this progress, which cloud vendor, etc.

(SOO Section 7.f.xi)

a. NOAA’s cloud activities, as they relate to UFS, shall be determined by the contractor in accordance with revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.1.4.4.

34. Can the government provide their technology stack of approved technologies & tools currently in use in the UFS environment? For example, what is the current Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) tool and those used for build, test, deployment i.e. CI/CD? Does the government have a preference on container choice (docker vs. others)? (SOO Section 7 & STO Sectio 5, 7.e.v1)

a. See revised SOO (Attachment 3), Sections 6.B and 6.J.

35. Will the government issue separate TOs under this IDIQ to acquire “infrastructure items" that are identified? Or will they be acquired separately through another contract vehicle/IDIQ? (SOO Section 7, 7f)

a. To be determined at the Task Order level.

36. In C.4.13 the Government identifies a Key Personnel role of Program Manager(s). In C.4.33 the Government identifies a Key Contact Point "the Project Manager" to be identified as Key personnel. The term “Project Manager” is also used in the SOO, Section 7, page 9. Please clarify which is correct. Are these the same positions? (RFP C.4.13 & C.4.33; SOO Section 7)

a. See revised RFP Section C.4.13(a) and Section E.2.5.b) Factor C.2.

37. RFP C.4.13 & E.2.5 Factor E; Soo Section 7 - In C.4.13 the Government identifies two key personnel positions of "Lead System Architect" and "Lead Computer Scientist/Software Engineer". In E.2.5 Factor E the Government identifies two key personnel positions of "Cloud System Architect” and the “Lead Cloud Computer Scientist/Software Engineer". These different titles could imply very different qualifications and experience.

Please clarify that the same two positions are being addressed in each identified clause.

a. The word “Cloud” is a component to the two positions in question, see revised RFP Section C.4.13.

38. RFP E.2.5 Factor A, 1,d - The requirement states that the contractor is responsible for “Providing UFS code improvement services in collaboration with scientists”. Please elaborate to clarify which scientists, or type of scientists, specifically.

a. See revised:

i. SOO (Attachment 3), Section 2, and

ii. PWS (Attachment 4), Section 4.4.

39. RFP E.2.5 Factor A, paragraph 1, k - The requirement states that the contractor is responsible for “Developing and maintaining infrastructure to help enable culture change toward community development, R2O2R and other approaches such as web presence, innovation hubs and other social media.” Please clarify if the “culture change” applies just to community development and R2O2R, or does it apply also to “web presence, innovation hubs and other social media.”

a. See revised RFP Section E.2.5.b), Factor A, 1.k.

40. RFP Factor B Sample Task Order paragraph 3 - The RFP states that “Offerors shall propose a Project Plan for the work outlined in the PWS. Offerors shall include a full Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) in support of the proposed technical solution.”

Can the government confirm that “project plan” in this context refers only to a project schedule and not to the PMI definition of project plan which includes a communications plan, risk management plan, schedule, scope management plan, etc

a. The Project Management Plan summary that is to be proposed in response to this RFP is to fulfill the requirements of the PWS.

b. See revised:

i. RFP Section E.2.5.b) and 3.3., both at Factors B.3 and E, 1.a, and

ii. PWS (Attachment 4) Sections 4.1 and 6

41. RFP Factor E Management Approach - The title of 1.a reads “Project Management Plan”, but the first sentence immediately uses the term “Program Management Plan”. Please clarify which is correct, because a Program Management Plan is generally much more robust and voluminous as compared to a Project Management Plan.

a. See revised RFP Section E.2.5.b) and 3.3, Factor B.3 and Factor E 1.a

42. RFP Factor E Management Approach - In our experience, a “full program management plan” (PMP) typically encompasses 30-40 pages or more, when it includes all of the standard elements as listed in the RFP proposal instructions. Given that the page limit for the total Technical Approach is 75 pages, and that a full PMP meeting all RFP requirements will use roughly half of that allotment, can the Government please clarify that the true intent is to collect a “full program management plan” at proposal submission? We suggest a good alternative might be to require a summary PMP to be included at proposal submission, with a full PMP due around 45-60 days after award. In fact, Section 10 of the SOO, Item 3, indicates that a Project Management Plan is due “within 60 days of award”.

a. See revised:

i. RFP Section E.2.5.b) and 3.3, Factor B.3 and Factor E 1.a,

ii. SOO (Attachment 3), Section 10, and

iii. PWS (Attachment 4), Sections 4.1, 5.1, and 6.

43. RFP, Factor E, Management Approach - This sentence “Offeror shall present its methodology for selecting, monitoring, and managing HPC and or cloud-based HPC resources throughout contract performance” appears to be out of place and/or confusing. If the term “resources” is referring to project personnel, then this would seem to fall under Staffing/Staff Management, concepts which are also covered in Factor E 1.a, 1.b, and 1.f. Also, if it is personnel related, then did you mean to single out only the “HPC and/or cloud-based HPC” resources, and not include project personnel engaged in other EPIC functions? If it is not personnel related, then please clarify the intent of this requirement.

a. See revised:

i. RFP Section2.5.b) and E.3.3. Factor E 1.d.ii, and

ii. SOO (Attachment 3), Section 11.

44. RFP Eval Criteria, Factor E, Management Approach - For Task Order Management, the following is included:

“while simultaneously conducting market research and industry trend analysis for upcoming task orders”. Can the Government please elaborate on the expectations here? The concepts of Market Research and industry trend analysis were not included in the proposal instructions for Factor E, 1.e, Task Order Management.

a. This was removed from the relevant Evaluation Factor, see revised RFP Section E.3.3 Factor E, 1.e.

45. RFP E.25(b) (Factor E) (h) - Please clarify what is required to be included in the Small Business Participation Plan?

a. See FAR 52.219-9(d), as referenced at RFP Section C.4.39.

46. RFP E.25(b) (Factor E) (h) - Given the details that are typically required to explain a Small Business Participation Plan, would the Government consider removing the Small Business Participation Plan from the page limits in Volume I?

a. See revised RFP Section E2.5.a) 6 D.

47. RFP Factor F, Past Performance - In regard to this requirement: “Referenced contracts shall demonstrate successful performance of contract requirements, quality and timeliness of goods and services delivery, effective management of HPC and cloud-based HPC resources, costs management, appropriate communication levels between contractual parties, proactive management, and satisfied customers”, is it mandatory that every referenced contract provide evidence of performance in effective management of HPC and cloud-based HPC resources?

a. Offeror’s are encouraged to provide sufficient relevant information in order to enable the Government to accurately evaluate its past performance.

48. Sample PWS (Attachment 4) - For the containerized version of the UFS in the cloud, what is the expected performance criteria? Should the cloud UFS perform on par with systems like Cheyenne, Stampede2, or HERA?

a. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.2.5

49. Sample PWS (Attachment 4) - What are the expected benchmarks on key performance attributes for the UFS cloud version?

a. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.2.5

50. Sample PWS (Attachment 4) - Based on NOAA security requirements, what level of FedRAMP compliance is expected for the systems and data?

a. Moderate, see revised SOO (Attachment 3), Section 11.

51. Sample PWS (Attachment 4) Task 1 Deliverables - Can the government share the current and anticipated benchmarks, reports and statistics on the current UFS infrastructure (# of users, # of Servers, Data Volume etc., #of hackathons a year)?

a. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.2.5. Other benchmark information is currently not available.

52. NOAA PSW Attachment 4 - 1305M320RNRMN0002 - PWS Sample Task Order One, Pages 6-7 Section 6 - The Government is requesting benchmarking on three cloud environments in requirement 6.1.4. Since these cloud resources are difficult to estimate, can the costs for these cloud resources be included outside of the fixed price to provide best value to the Government?

a. See revised SOO (Attachment 3) Section 11.

53. NOAA PSW Attachment 4 - 1305M320RNRMN0002 - PWS Sample Task Order One, Page 7, Section 6.1.4 - UFS consists of 8 models. Is the desire of the Government to port all 8 models to all three clouds?

a. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.2.4.

54. General - There are no references to the NOAA strategic plan and governance principles in the RFP. Should these strategic plan and governance principles documents be used in offerors' proposals for EPIC? If yes, how will the evaluation criteria take into account the strategic plan and governance principles?

a. See revised:

i. SOO (Attachment 3), Section 9

ii. PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.1.1

55. NOAA PSW Attachment 4 - 1305M320RNRMN0002 - PWS Sample Task Order One, Pages 6-7 Section 6 - Please clarify the significance in distinguishing deliverables listed in the table in section 6 and in the lists below the table that are also labeled as deliverables.

a. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Sections 4, 5, 6, and 10.

56. NOAA PSW Attachment 4 - 1305M320RNRMN0002 - PWS Sample Task Order One, Page 5, Section 5.1, Page 7, Task 1: Deliverables - It appears that tasks/requirements listed in section 5.1 are focused on the assessment of the current processes and developing future processes to enable EPIC's mission. However, Section 6 Task 1 deliverables focus on the applications assessment. Please clarify the discrepancy. Is there a deliverables table missing from section 5.1?

57. NOAA PSW Attachment 4 - 1305M320RNRMN0002 - PWS Sample Task Order One, Page 7, Section 6.2.3 - Please clarify the purpose of the dashboard including type of information/metrics to be displayed and the type of access (public, role based, etc).

58. NOAA PSW Attachment 4 - 1305M320RNRMN0002 - PWS Sample Task Order One, Page 5, Section 4.4 - Please provide estimates for the range of request volumes for user support services that need to be supported by the offeror.

a. See revised SOO (Attachment 3), Section 7.e.i.

59. Attachment 4, page 6, item 5.2.6, Port UFS to cloud services - What part of the set of UFS applications is covered by this requirement, and are there publicly accessible github repositories of the current operational versions of these codes and workflows? In particular, is this Sample Task Order restricted to the global weather application of the UFS (GFS, GDAS, UPP, as defined in Attachment 3, page 4)?

a. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.2.

60. RFP Pages 24 and 36 - Page 24 refers to the “Program Manager” while Page 36 refers to “Project Manager” -please confirm that these are the same individual

a. See revised RFP Section C.4.13(a), E.2.b) Factor C.2.

61. RFP Page 55 Factor E.1.c.iii - Our assessment of Github indicates that the UFS code is already in this repository.

Does this code need to be transitioned into a NOAA-owned repository?

a. No, we will use one repository for open development. See revised RFP Section E.2.5.b) Factor E.1.c.iii.

62. RFP Page 55, Factor E.1.c.iii - Please clarify what “NOAA open source development environment” is referred to here.

a. See revised RFP Section E.2.5.b) Factor E.1.c.iii.

63. RFP Page 55, Factor E.1.c.iii PWS 5.2 - Please clarify whether the secure transition of UFS codes is included in the scope of the PWS.

Also, please clarify whether developing the process for secure transition of codes is part of the vetting process to be defined as part of PWS 5.1.7.

a. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 4.3 and 5.1.4

64. Please confirm that the EPIC contractor will have access to Weather and Climate Operational Supercomputer System (WCOSS) High Performance Computing (HPC) resources as stated in NOAA’s February 20, 2020 press release: “The new computers will provide operational capacity to implement research and development advancements made under NOAA’s emerging Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC) to make the U.S. Global Forecast System the best model in the world.”

a. Access to WCOSS is not part of this requirement. EPIC community model development of UFS codes will occur on NOAA provided cloud computing resources. Code developed by EPIC must be portable to on-premise HPC Systems (ex. WCOSS) and EPIC will work collaboratively with NOAA to ensure this transition of code.

65. SOO 2 – Objectives - Please describe the relationship of EPIC to WCOSS and your vision for a requirement for the UFS to utilize WCOSS in the future.

a. Access to WCOSS is not part of this requirement. EPIC community model development of UFS codes will occur on NOAA provided cloud computing resources. Code developed by EPIC must be portable to

66. TO1 - While community engagement is identified as a priority, it appears that community engagement development and implementation may be out of scope for TO1. Please clarify the scope for TO1, particularly as it relates to community engagement.

a. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.4.

67. SOO 5 vs RFP E.2.5 Factor A – Place of Performance - Please clarify the on-site and virtual expectations of the Government regarding the Offeror’s workforce. Is there a specific configuration or work site that the Government is expecting? If we propose a fully remote or virtual workforce, will the Government provide onsite facilities as needed?

a. See revised:

i. RFP Section E.2.5.b) and E3.3 Factor A.2.,

ii. SOO (Attachment 3) Sections 5 and 6.E., and

iii. PWS (Attachment 4) Sections 5.4.2 and 5.4.3.

68. SOO 2 – Objectives - What is the vision for the role of WCOSS in the EPIC program?

a. Access to WCOSS is not part of this requirement. EPIC community model development of UFS codes will occur on NOAA provided cloud computing resources. Code developed by EPIC must be portable to

69. SOO 2 – Objectives - Is there a timeline for the availability of WCOSS?

a. Access to WCOSS is not part of this requirement. EPIC community model development of UFS codes will occur on NOAA provided cloud computing resources. Code developed by EPIC must be portable to

70. RFP E.2.5 Factor A – Transition Planning - What is NOAA’s approach to organizational change management?

What level of risk or resistance to change should the Offeror expect to encounter when developing, advocating for, and implementing a transformation to a CI/CD, Agile and flexible set of processes and systems?

a. See RFP Section E.2.5.b) and E.3.3, Factor A.3., Factor E.1.c. it is the offerors responsibility to propose a transition in approach.

71. RFP E.2.53 Factor B – BOM - Does the Government expect that the BOM for the Sample Task Order will include all software required by the contractor to implement the Task Order requirements?

a. Yes, see RFP Sections E.2.5.b) and E.3.3. Factor B.3.b.

72. RFP E.2.5 Factor E – Existing WIP - NOAA has recently announced the implementation of GitHub repositories and a community engagement initiative. Since these are part of EPIC scope, please outline the initiatives and projects currently in progress so that we can develop the appropriate integration plans to include in our proposal.

a. See revised SOO (Attachment 3), Sections 9 and 10.

73. RFP E.2.5 Factor A – Facilities - Are the proposed facilities expected to be in place at the time of award, or will the Government entertain new and innovative ideas and plans for developing and implementing a virtual workforce solution?

a. See revised:

i. RFP Instructions & Evaluation Factors,

ii. SOO (Attachment 3), Sections 5 and 6.E., and

iii. PWS (Attachment 2), Sections 5.4.2 and 5.4.3.

74. RFP E.2.5 Factor A – Facilities - Are the development of facilities described in E.2.5 Factor A para 2 contingent on award?

a. See revised:

i. RFP Instructions & Evaluation Factors,

iii. PWS (Attachment 2), Sections 5.4.2 and 5.4.3.

75. The solicitation lists a Project Manager with PMP certification as key personnel. Given the fact that EPIC is a scientific project, would NOAA accept a Lead Scientist as a key personnel and assisted by a Project Manager with PMP certification?

a. See revised RFP Section E.2.5.b) and E.3.3. Factor C.

76. Is it necessary for key personnel to be affiliated with the bidder’s organization at the time of proposal? Would it be acceptable for the key personnel to be not affiliated with the bidder, as long as the key personnel have a signed letter of intent to join the bidder once the award is made?

b. See revised RFP Section E.2.5.b) Factor C.2.f.

77. "Per 1352.237-70 is NOAA classifying the resulting contract as a "high” or “moderate” risk contract"?"

a. Risk level is to be determined at the task order level, see revised RFP Section C.4.1. and revised PWS

(Attachment 4), Section 9.

78. Will NOAA or the Prime Contractor be responsible for any cloud computing or otherwise (storage, data transfer, etc.) costs that are directly consumed by the community users of the UFS code base? Or should the EPIC Cloud Solution possess a “user/requestor pays” policy?

a. See revised SOO (Attachment 3), Section 11.

79. Attachment 4, 10: pgs 8-13 - Can the Government provide detail on how the individual PRS standards will be quantitatively evaluated against contractor performance on a FFP Task Order beyond the "adherence to schedule" standard?

a. The Government intends to evaluate the Contractor’s performance, in accordance with the incentive column in the PRS table, PWS (Attachment 4), Section 10.

80. Attachment 4, 5.2.1 (pg 6) - Can the Government clarify if the Github repositories identified in 5.2.1 and other sections of the Sample Task Order are GFE and part of the existing UFS Github repository? If not, could the Government provide the distinction between the two?

a. See revised SOO (Attachment 3) Sections 9 and 11.

81. SOO/5. Place of Performance, 5. Virtual workforce - Does the government have any requirement for the frequency of any in-person collaborative meetings such as kickoff, quarterly reviews, ad-hoc meetings, hackathons, etc?

a. See revised:

i. SOO (Attachment 3), Section 5, and

ii. PWS (Attachment 4), Sections 5.4 and 6.

82. RFP, Factor: Price - Paragraph 2 - Is the Offeror correct in assuming that we can provide education and years of experience substitutions as part of our labor category descriptions (i.e,. Bachelors and 4 years experience = Masters and 2 years of experience)?

a. See revised RFP Section E.2.5. b) Factor C.1.

83. RFP, Volume 1 - Technical Approach, Technical Approach 1.A.2 - Does the government have an expectation that the contractor will build out a dedicated EPIC facility?

a. See revised:

i. RFP Sections E.2.5.b) and E3.3 Factor A.2.,

iii. PWS (Attachment 4), Sections 5.4.2 and 5.4.3.

84. RFP, Volume 1 - Technical Approach, Technical Approach E 1.a - The current requirement is to provide a fully articulated Program Management Plan (PMP) at submission. Due to the size of a full PMP, will the Government remove from page count or add additionally page count?

a. See revised:

i. RFP Sections E.2.5.b) and 3.3, Factor B.3 and Factor E 1.a,

ii. SOO (Attachment 3), Section 10, and

iii. PWS (Attachment 4), Sections 4.1, 5.1, and 6.

85. RFP, Volume 1 - Technical Approach Technical Approach 1.A.1.a. cloud-based HPC, and 1.A.1.b CI/CD pipeline - How much test data does NOAA expect to store in the cloud?

a. This is unknown at this time; the Government is providing cloud resources as GFE. See revised SOO

(Attachment 3), Section 11.

86. Can the Government provide additional detail on the intent behind stating that the Incentive for all items in the Performance Requirement Standard is "Possible Inclusion in Past Performance Review"?

a. Please refer to:

i. RFP Section C.4.34,

ii. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 10. The Government intends to record contractor performance results at the conclusion of each Task Order in the Contractor Performance Assessment and Reporting System (CPARS), see RFP C.4.34.

PROCUREMENT QUESTIONS

1. Does NOAA intend for the labor categories and rates in Attachment 1 to be a complete list of LCATs applicable to execution? OR will the contractor be allowed to modify/add labor categories should the needs of individual task orders necessitate different or evolving skills?

a. Yes, NOAA intends for the labor categories and rates in Attachment 1 to reflect a complete list of the LCATs applicable to execution.

2. Section E.2.5 Factor: Price 3.a. states “The total price proposed under Tab A will serve as the total evaluated price for evaluation purposes only.” And 3.b. states “The total price proposed under Tab B will serve as the total evaluated price”. How does the Government intend to calculate the total evaluated price?

a. See revised RFP, section E.2.5, Factor Price, and section E.3.3 Factor Price.

3. For pricing purposes, can the Government confirm the anticipated contract start date (Q12021) is October 1, 2020 in line with the US Government fiscal year? (Synopsis Pre Sol Section 16)

a. The Government estimates award for some time in Q1 of 2021, an exact date is not available.

4. Proposal submission instructions specify that one electronic copy of the proposal be emailed to the government, but later instruction asks that "Proposals shall be printed double-sided, unreduced in size, on 8 ½’’ by 11’’ page size." Please confirm that only a soft copy submission is requested. (Section E.2.5)

a. See revised RFP Section E.2.5 and SF1449 Block 28, soft copy submission only.

5. Will the Government allow foldout pages size 11" x 17" for large charts and tables? (Final RFP Section E.2.5, a) 6.C)

a. Yes, the Government will allow foldout pages size 11" x 17" for large charts and tables, but they will count as 2 pages. See revised RFP Section 2.5 a) C.

6. Will the Government allow a font size smaller than 12pt for graphics and tables? Recommend 10pt font for tables and 8pt font for graphics. (Final RFP Section E.2.5, a) 6.C)

a. See revised RFP Section E.2.5 a) 6 C.

7. Will the Government allow a font size smaller than 12pt for proposal headers, footers, and cover pages? (Final

RFP Section E.2.5, a) 6.C)

a. See revised RFP Section 2.5 a) 5 C.

8. On Tab A of Attachment 2, with an IDIQ contract type it is unclear the ODCs that are necessary for the entire

PoP, will the Government provide an ODC plug number for the Total Proposed Price Solution? (Attachment 2 Other Direct Costs)

a. The purpose of tab A to is to capture the total estimated cost to complete the work as proposed under Factor A. The Government expects offerors to propose and outline their own ODCs.

9. Final RFP C.5 FAR 52.212-5 -- Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders -- Commercial Items (Jan 2020) (Deviation2017-02) (JAN 2020) - page 43 Please clarify whether 52.222-43, Fair Labor Standards Act and Service Contract Labor Standards, which governs minimum hourly wage and health and welfare benefits for nonexempt workers is applicable to EPIC contract.

a. FAR 52.222-43, Fair Labor Standards Act and Service Contract Labor Standards,may be applicable to Task Orders containing FAR 52.222-41 for orders that have only Service Contract Labor Standard (SCLS) labor categories.

10. “The portion of the “hourly rate” attributable to profit shall be 10 percent, unless specified otherwise at the task order level. Price Schedule to provide all applicable labor categories and their respective fully-burdened rates for completion of this project."" Is it the Government's intent to limit the fee proposed within the Attachment 1 rate schedule to 10%? (Final RFP Clause C.2, Page 12 Clause E.2.5, Page 57)

a. Yes, however, in its price proposal, each offeror shall include its proposed fee, see RFP E.2.5.c) Factor:

Price, 2. and the Government will include this among the evaluation of the fairness and reasonableness of its price proposal, see RFP E.3.3. Factor: Price.

11. "Price Schedule to provide all applicable labor categories and their respective fully-burdened rates for completion of this project." Is it the Government's intent for the Attachment 1 labor rate schedule to be used in contract performance to price both T&M and FFP task orders? (Final RFP Clause E.2.5, Page 57)

a. Yes the labor rates will reflect the schedule in the award. See revised RFP Section E 2.5 c) Factor Price.

12. Attachment 2 Price Sheet and Attachment 4 Sample Task Order One - Section 1.1 of the Sample Task Order lists the contract type as FFP; however, Attachment 2 Tab B appears to request hours and rates indicating T&M pricing. Could you please clarify?

a. It is the Government’s intent to use the labor rate schedule in contract performance for both Time and Material and Firm-Fixed-Price task orders.

13. Given the contract is for an IDIQ and we do not know the specific requirements of the Government, what ODCs is the Government expecting to receive in our proposal response? (Attachment 2 Price Sheet)

a. The Government expects to receive recommendations of what the offeror perceives the other direct costs

(ODCs) are for this type of project.

14. The proposal response does not include a plug or spot to propose any travel. Please confirm that travel estimates should not be included with the proposal response and will be reimbursed in accordance with Section C.4.36 after award. (Attachment 2 Price Sheet and Section C 4.36)

a. See revised RFP Attachment 2.

15. The Government States: "the vendor may be tasked with establishing and providing a physical point of presence anywhere in the CONUS." Due to the wide range of labor costs across the CONUS, will the vendor be able to adjust bid rates with a locality adjustment based upon where the Government directs the vendor to establish this facility? (Attachment 3, Place of Performance)

a. No, rates can be discounted, but not raised. Rates in the IDIQ are ceiling rates and cannot be increased to account for locality pay. See revised RFP E 2.5 section Factor Price 3 a.

16. Font size is provided as 12 pt. Does this encompass tables, graphics, call-outs, diagrams, etc., as well as standard narrative text? (RFP E2.5, a) General Instructions )

a. See revised RFP section 2.5 a) 5 C.

17. Is partnering with other organizations a requirement for successfully bidding on this proposal?

a. Subcontracting plan is required for other than small businesses, per RFP Section C.5 (FAR 52.219-9), and RFP Section E.2.5, Factor E, h.

18. Can you explain the weighting given to past performance with NOAA as a selection criteria versus the suitability of the technology?

a. See RFP Section E.3.3.

19. Does past performance with industry customers or other institutions count?

a. In accordance with RFP Factor F, All recent and relative past performance count.

20. Factor E Management Approach B. Organizational Structure, Organizational Conflict of Interest - There is a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and a long-standing working relationship between NOAA NWS and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) for Co-Development of Common Modeling Infrastructure.

The procurement being full and open will allow UCAR, the managing entity of NCAR to compete for the EPIC development. Since NOAA NWS and UCAR/NCAR work closely with insight of understanding of NOAA NWS strategy could this possibly lead to UCAR having a potential unfair advantage of competing on EPIC?

a. All parties who have an apparent OCOI will be notified of their preclusion from bidding on this procurement.

21. Page 21 and 22 Please confirm the ordering limit is $45M.

a. Refer to RFP Section C.4.1, The Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) ceiling is $45M. RFP Section C.4.4 refers to ordering limitations.

22. B-4, Contract Type - Can the Government clarify how task orders with specific scope requirements will be released for proposal and execution off of the IDIQ Contract to the winning IDIQ contract awardee?

a. Please refer to RFP Section C.4.1 FAR 52.3216-18 Ordering and Section C.4.8 CAR 1352.216-74 Task

Orders.

23. Attachment 2 Pricing Tab A - Please confirm the hours on tab A for the Project Manager are just an example since 2,080 represents a full year effort without accounting for Holiday and Paid Time Off?

a. The hours on tab A for the Project Manager are just an example, the offeror must propose what they determine to be adequate for the proposed order.

24. Please clarify the intent under other direct costs in what the rate is to represent. In some instance a cost may be not tied to a rate but an annual cost. (Attachment 2, Pricing Tab A/B)

a. Explanation of such situations should be included in Volume II Proposal, see revised RFP Section E.2.5, Factor Price, E.

25. How would the Government like to see the pricing for the subcontractors? (Attachment 2, Pricing Tab A/B)

a. Subcontract costs shall be identified and included in the proposal. See revised RFP Section E.2.5, Factor

Price, E.

26. Page 14 and 15 of 75, Other Costs - How does Indirect Costs (2) roll up into Attachment 2-tab A and tab B?

a. Proposed Indirect Costs associated with the execution of the SOO (Tab A) and PWS (Tab B) shall be included. Labor rates are to be fully burdened. See revised RFP Section E.2.5, Factor Price, E.

27. As referenced on page 14 and 15 it appears this type of cost is finalized at the task order level?

a. Correct, other costs shall be finalized at the task order level.

28. C.4.8, Task Orders Attachment 2 Tab A - Would the Government consider providing a Level of Effort Hour to calculate Attachment 2-tab A since TORFP’s will be released, ensuring the specific requirement for the scope of the task order will be estimated at time of request.

a. The Government will not provide an estimated level of effort at this time.

29. C.4.8, Task Orders Attachment 2 Tab A - Would the Government consider requesting offerors provide only labor categories and descriptions, along with labor rates specific to the categories verse pricing for the entire SOO?

a. The Government is seeking pricing for a total solution as proposed for RFP Section E.2.5 and E.3.3 (Factor A), in response to the Attachment 3 SOO. Also, please see RFP Section E.2.5, Factor Price, 4.

30. Factor D, Corporate Experience - Can Corporate Experience be addressed by the entire offeror’s teams experience? (Prime and Subcontractors)

a. Yes, corporate experience can be addressed by the entire offeror’s team experience.

31. Personnel Resources, H- Small Business Subcontracting Utilization - If the offeror is considered a small business under the NAICS code for this procurement, is a small business participation plan required?

a. If the prime contractor is a small business there is no subcontracting plan required. However, a participation plan is required and should follow the guidance provided above. The small business prime can utilize their own performance to meet the participation goals. The prime contractor will select the NAICS applicable to the type of work being performed on the subcontact and should not flow down the NAICS on solicitation if the work differs.

32. Personnel Resources, H- Small Business Subcontracting Utilization - If the offeror is a small business under the

NAIC’s code for this procurement, can the plan address the teaming of both the offeror and the subcontractors where in some instance several of the subcontractors are considered large?

a. If the prime contractor is a small business there is no subcontracting plan required. However, a participation plan is required and should follow the guidance provided above. The small business prime can utilize their own performance to meet the participation goals. The prime contractor will select the NAICS applicable to the type of work being performed on the subcontact and should not flow down the

33. Personnel Resources, H- Small Business Subcontracting Utilization - If a plan is required for a small business offeror can the goals be based on the Prime Small Business Size Standard along with their teammates (subcontractors)?

a. If the prime contractor is a small business there is no subcontracting plan required. However, a participation plan is required and should follow the guidance provided above. The small business prime can utilize their own performance to meet the participation goals. The prime contractor will select the NAICS applicable to the type of work being performed on the subcontract and should not flow down the

34. Factor F, Past Performance - Can questionnaires and past performance be submitted on behalf of both the Prime and their subcontracting teammates?

a. Yes, refer to PPQ (Attachment 5), questionnaires and past performance can be submitted on behalf of both the Prime and their subcontracting teammates.

35. Factor C, Key Personnel - Are the signed letters of intent for the Key Personnel excluded from page count under

Technical Proposal?

a. See revised RFP Section E.2.5, a).

36. E.2.5, Page 52 of 75, Font size - The RFP states “Font shall be Times New Roman and font size shall not be less than size twelve (12).” Will the government consider Font sizes down to 10 points and Arial font family for tables and figures?

a. See revised RFP Section E.2.5 section a, 6, C.

37. RFP Page 52, 6.C - The RFP specifies the font size (12pt font) for text, but does not specify the font size for tables and graphics. We request that the Government allow font size of 9pt or greater for tables and graphics.

a. See revised RFP Section E.2.5, 6 C.

38. RFP Page 52, 6.C - The RFP specifies that the contractor should print the document double-sided, but this is an electronic submission – can we assume that is a typographical error?

a. See revised RFP Section E.2.5, 6 D.

39. RFP Page 52, 6.D - Will appendices, such as Acronym List, be outside of page count?

a. See revised RFP Section E.2.5, 6 D.

40. RFP Page 56, Factor F.1 - Is there a minimum number of references required?

a. Refer to RFP Section E.2.5, Factor F Past Performance paragraph 5.

41. Should the PPQs be the same as this list?

a. No, refer to RFP Section E.2.5 and E.3.3, Factor F.1 and Factor F 5.

42. RFP Page 53, Factor B.3 - The RFP requires a “full Work Breakdown Structure” for the sample task. A full WBS could be very large. We request that the Government place the WBS outside of page count.

a. See revised RFP Section E.2.5, Factor B, 3.

43. Attachment 4 - Does the government anticipate awarding the Sample Task Order as the first task order under this

IDIQ?

a. Refer to RFP Section E.3.2(b), the government reserves the right to award the Sample Task Order as the first task order under the IDIQ.

44. Section D References are incorrect. (Attachment 2)

a. See revised RFP, Attachment 2 will be revised to…