EPIC RFP 1305M320NRMN0002 -- Questions and Answers - Round 2.pdf

Questions & Answers Round 2

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)

June 2020

Contents

REQUIREMENTS QUESTIONS

ACQUISITION QUESTIONS

REQUIREMENTS QUESTIONS

1. Will there be a call for proposals from research scientists?

a. This is a Request for Proposal (RFP) in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) parts 12 and 15. NOAA seeks proposals from non-Government entities on how to accomplish the requirement set forth, to be paid for by NOAA.

i. Please refer to RFP Section E.3.2.(a)

2. Paragraph E.2.5 asks for a "proposed methodology (physical or virtual)". The Evaluation Criteria in

Paragraph 3.3 asks for a "proposed facilities methodology (physical or virtual)". Would the Government remove the word "facilities" from the evaluation criteria? Otherwise, would the Government elaborate on what they expect for a "virtual facility"? Ref. E.2.5 Proposal Preparation, Factor A Paragraph 2 and E.3.3 Evaluation Criteria, Factor A Paragraph 2

a. Offerors are encouraged to provide sufficient relevant information in order to enable the Government to accurately evaluate its proposed methodology for management of community engagement and collaboration, inclusive of the listed subitems.

i. Please refer to RFP Section E.2.5.b) Factor A 2 and RFP Section E.3.3 Factor A 2

3. Please clarify whether there is missing text in the last sentence of this instruction (the last sentence appears to duplicate text). Is there something else the Government intended? Ref. E.2.5 Proposal Preparation, Factor D Paragraph 2.k.

a. See revised RFP Section E.2.5.b) Factor D 2.k.

4. Would the Government consider updating the E.3.3 evaluation criteria for the Transition-in Approach to match the Amendment 1 update to the E.2.5 preparation instructions? Specifically to remove the reference to the "NOAA's open source development environment" and replace it with a reference to "UFS codes developed by the community into the develop branch of the public NOAA Github repository". Ref. E.2.5 Proposal Preparation, Factor E Paragraph 1.c.i and E.3.3 Evaluation Criteria, Factor E Paragraph 1.c.iii

a. See revised RFP Section 3.3. Factor E 1.c.

5. This criteria evaluates a Transition Phase-in Approach for "phase-in upon Base IDIQ award". Does the

Government expect the Offeror to "securely transition UFS codes developed by the community into the develop branch of the public NOAA Github repository" on the Base IDIQ contract? Ref. E.2.5 Proposal Preparation, Factor E Paragraph 1.c and E.3.3 Evaluation Criteria, Factor E Paragraph 1.c.iii

a. See revised RFP Section E.2.5.b) Factor E 1.c.i. and RFP Section E.3.3. Factor E.1.c.i.

6. Given the government's timeframe between the IDIQ award & TO award, how does the government intend to evaluate the transition from a pricing perspective? Ref. E.2.5 Proposal Preparation, Factor E Paragraph 1.c and E.3.3 Evaluation Criteria, Factor E Paragraph 1.c.iii

a. The government will evaluate pricing based on the criteria established at RFP Section E.3.3.

FACTOR: PRICE. Regarding timing for award, see RFP E.2.5.a)4., RFP E.2.5.a)5.K., and, as it relates to the Sample Task Order, see RFP E.3.2.(b). For development of future task orders, see RFP C.4.8.

i. Please refer to RFP C.4.8.

ii. Please refer to RFP E.2.5.a)4

iii. Please refer to RFP E.2.5.a)5.K.

iv. Please refer to RFP E.3.2(b)

v. Please refer to RFP E.3.3. FACTOR: PRICE

7. Please clarify what is meant by "Immediately following the review period" for the Project Management Plan

Development Schedule. Is this within 1 working day? Ref. Attachment 4 PWS, Task 5.1

a. It is possible that the required briefings may be the next business day following the review period, depending on NOAA’s availability.

i. Please refer to revised PWS (Attachment 4) Section 5.1.5.

8. Please clarify whether the "days after award" within the Project Management Plan Development Schedule and the Cloud-Based UFS Weather Application schedule are calendar days or working days. Ref.

Attachment 4 PWS, Tasks 5.1 and 5.2

a. Day means, unless otherwise specified, a calendar day, see FAR 2.101.

9. Please clarify what is meant by "Develop cloud-based UFS weather application source codes…". Per the

SOO Section 6.B, "EPIC will support community model development for the UFS using a comprehensive set of modern development tools and infrastructure", thus we would like to understand what specific development activities are envisioned for the contractor to perform, beyond the porting and containerizing of UFS weather application code discussed in PWS Tasks 5.2.4 and 5.2.5. Is this intended to be a task to manage branches of the the UFS Github repository for community-developed releases for cloud execution?

Ref. Attachment 4 PWS, Task 5.2.1

a. The requirements of the PWS in this regard are explained in Section 5.2. The Government’s definition of software development, as it relates to the EPIC Contract has been added to revised Attachment 4 PWS Section 2.

i. See revised PWS (Attachment 4) Section 2

ii. See revised PWS (Attachment 4) 5.2

10. Section 4.1 requires the completion of 2 documents entitled "Project Management Plan." Would the

Government consider renaming one of the documents to reduce the chances of ambiguity in a response as to which Project Management Plan is being referenced at any given time? Ref. Attachment 4 PWS, Section 4.1

a. One summary Project Management Plan is for the “Task Order” and the other is for the “EPIC Contract”. The summary Project Management Plan referenced at RFP E.2.5.b) Factor B.2. and RFP E.3.3. Factor B.2. is for performing the requirements of the Task Order. The summary Project Management Plan referenced at RFP E.2.5.b) Factor E.1.a. and RFP E.3.3. Factor E.1.a..is for the EPIC Contract, which shall be developed under Attachment 4 PWS 5.1 in accordance with the schedule specified at Attachment 4 PWS 5.1.5.

i. See revised RFP E.2.5.b) Factor B.2. and RFP E.3.3. Factor B.2.

ii. See revised RFP E.2.5.b) Factor E.1.a. RFP E.3.3. Factor E.1.a.

iii. See revised Attachment 4 PWS 5.1. and Attachment 4 PWS 6

11. In Section 10, row 1 of the PRS table states that the Sample Task Order Project Management Plan must be submitted within 30 days of award. This conflicts with the guidance provided in the Task 5.1 schedule, Section 6 Deliverable table, and row 2 of the Section 10 PRS. Can the Government please clarify the Project Management Plan submission schedule and which Project Management Plans are referenced at any point throughout the RFP and Sample TO? Ref. Attachment 4 PWS, Sections 5.1, 6, and 10

a. See revised PWS (Attachment 4) Section 5.1.5 and Section 6

12. In row 4 of the PRS table, there is a reference to PWS Section 5.2.8 which does not exist. Can the Government confirm the PWS link for this PRS requirement? Ref. Attachment 4 PWS, Section 10

a. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 10

13. In row 5 of the PRS table, there is a reference to PWS Sections 5.2.8 and 5.2.9 which do not exist. Can the Government confirm the PWS link for this PRS requirement? Ref. Attachment 4 PWS, Section 10

14. In row 14 of the PRS table, there is a reference to PWS Section 5.2.9 which does not exist. Can the Government confirm this is intended to be PWS Section 5.3.5? Ref. Attachment 4 PWS, Section 10

15. In row 14 of the PRS table, there is a reference to PWS Section 5.2.10 which does not exist. Can the Government confirm this is intended to be PWS Section 5.3.6? Ref. Attachment 4 PWS, Section 10

16. Can the Government confirm that if the one-year option period is exercised, that no additional UFS application porting will occur beyond the Medium-Range Weather Application (e.g. Seasonal, Short-Range, Hurricane, etc.), as the Task 5.2 requirements and schedule are limited to Year 1 deliverables. If this is not the case, can the Government be more specific on the option year tasks and deliverables? Ref. Attachment 4 PWS, Section 7

a. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 7

17. Please clarify if the summary Project Management Plan to be provided in response to Factor B for the Technical Solution is to provide summary detail for all aspects requested in the PWS Task 5.1.3 and 5.1.4.

Ref. E.2.5 Proposal Preparation Factor B Paragraph 2

a. One summary Project Management Plan is for the “Task Order” and the other is for the “EPIC Contract”. The summary Project Management Plan referenced at RFP E.2.5.b) Factor B.2. and RFP E.3.3. Factor B.2. is for performing the requirements of the Task Order. The summary Project Management Plan referenced at RFP E.2.5.b) Factor E.1.a. and RFP E.3.3. Factor E.1.a..is for the EPIC Contract, which shall be developed under Attachment 4 PWS 5.1 in accordance with the schedule specified at Attachment 4 PWS 5.1.5.

i. See revised RFP Section E.2.5.b) Factor B.2. and RFP E.3.3. Factor B.2.

ii. See revised RFP Section E.2.5.b) Factor E.1.a. RFP E.3.3. Factor E.1.a.

iii. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.1. and Section 6

18. The instructions and evaluation criteria require a Transition Phase-in Approach for "phase-in upon Base IDIQ award". Can the Government clarify what is scope is to preformed upon the award of the Base IDIQ contract versus under Task Orders? What is the exact scope of work that the Government is expected to be discussed in response to this evaluation criteria (e.g., is this a Base IDIQ phase-in for a small program management office to respond to task order requests for proposals)? How quickly would the Government expect to execute task orders under this contract? Ref. E.2.5 Proposal Preparation, Factor E Paragraph 1.c and E.3.3 Evaluation Criteria, Factor E Paragraph 1.c

a. See revised RFP Section E.2.5.b) Factor E 1.c.i. and RFP Section E.3.3. Factor E.1.c.i.

19. The schedule for Task 5.2 requires the contractor to "work with the UFS community to design, build, test the next public release of the UFS Weather Application." Can the Government clarify what a completed effort for this requirement looks like? Ref. Attachment 4 PWS, Section 5.2

a. Please refer to PWS (Attachment 4) Section 5.2 and 10, which together specify that requirement.

20. Can the Government provide more detail on meeting the performance requirement for a containerized UFS weather application? For example, what resolution will be used, how many total forecast days will be run, and what frequency of I/O will be expected, what accuracy metrics will be evaluated? Ref. Attachment 4 PWS, Task 5.2.5

a. All information available on this matter can be found in PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.2.5 and 10

21. Can the government please clarify that the deliverables in the SOO are applicable for execution only if included in an awarded Task Order? Ref. Attachment 3 SOO, Section 10

a. Correct, any services to be furnished under this contract shall be ordered by issuance of task orders, as specified at RFP C.4.3(a) by way of the process detailed at RFP C.4.8.

i. Please refer to RFP Section C.4.3(a)

ii. Please refer to RFP Section C.4.8

22. What is the government expectation for configuration & hardening of GFE Cloud environment? Can the government clarify if the GFE Cloud environment comes pre-hardened & configured or is that contractor scope? Ref. Attachment 3 SOO, Section 11

a. Government will provide a GFE cloud development environment. Assessment period described in PWS Section 5.1 will provide ample time for Contractor requests related to the development environment. Requests for updates or changes to the cloud environment will be submitted to the EPIC Program Manager for consideration.

i. Please refer to SOO (Attachment 3), Section 11

ii. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.1

23. Does the government intend to turnover all source code & systems management for the communications platform? How does the government expect configuration management be preformed between existing government users and the EPIC contractor? Alternatively, is the EPIC contractor expected to host the EPIC specific portal as a linked page from the communications platform? Ref. Attachment 4 PWS, Section 5.3.1

a. The Government will provide access to the current communications platform related to the UFS community of developers as stated in Attachment 4 PWS Section 5.3.1. Determination of code, systems, configuration management, and communications platform for the EPIC contract will be determined at the Task Order level.

i. Please refer to PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.3.1.

24. Please clarify the differences in the technical approach requirements between A.1.j, which asks bidders to design, provide and support “scientific code hackathons, code sprints and workshops, and A.2 which requests a proposed methodology (physical or virtual) for the management of community engagement and collaboration events such as code sprints, hackathons and workshops. Is the primary difference that Section A.2 is focused specifically around the “facilities” that would be used to support these events? If so, we still consider these to be duplicative in that it would be difficult to satisfy the A.1.j requirements without including a discussion of our facilities approach. Ref. RFP Factor A: Technical Approach Para 1.j, Page #56.

a. Factor A 1 affords Offerors an opportunity to describe their vision for implementing EPIC whereas Factor A 2 relates specifically to the Offeror’s proposed methodology. Offerors are encouraged to provide sufficient relevant information to enable the Government to accurately evaluate its proposed vision for implementing EPIC as well as its proposed methodology for management of community engagement and collaboration.

i. Please refer to RFP Section E.2.5.b) Factor A1 and A2 and RFP Section E.3.3 Factor A1 and A2.

25. The instructions state that “in addition to key personnel stated in the SOO, offerors shall propose additional personnel as appropriate”. Will these additional personnel, if included, be proposed as Key Personnel and therefore subject to all applicable rules surrounding Key Personnel? Are resumes required for each additional personnel? Are LOC’s required? Ref. Factor C: Key Personnel

a. Yes, however, note that the Government’s requirement is that the Contractor shall assign to this contract three key personnel.

i. Please refer to RFP Section C.4.13(a)

ii. Please refer to RFP Section E.2.5.b) Factor C.2.f.

26. The last sentence in k, starting with “NOAA’s cultural”, appears to be incomplete. Please provide correction. Ref. Factor D: Corporate Experience, Para 2.k, Page #58

a. See revised RFP Section E.2.5.b) Factor D 2.k.

27. The SOO states that “when required pursuant to a Task Order award, EPIC will provide a facility for innovation, training….”. The RFP has been adjusted to reflect current times in mentioning “physical or virtual” when the context of facilities is raised. 6.E appears to imply a traditional physical facility might be required. Can the Government please clarify? Ref. SOO Section 6. Performance Objectives, Para E, page #9

a. If and when NOAA requires the EPIC Contractor to provide a physical facility, it will do so at the Task Order level, see Attachment 3 SOO 5. Offerors are to provide facilities (physical or virtual) for the management of community engagement and collaboration and are encouraged to provide sufficient relevant information in order to enable the Government to accurately evaluate its proposed methodology.

i. Please refer to RFP Section E.2.5.b) Factor A 2 and RFP E.3.3 Factor A.2

ii. Please refer to SOO (Attachment 3), Section 5

28. Regarding the stated expected increase in monthly support requests: In which month after task start-up does the Government anticipate that the increase by 100-200 requests will commence, and for how long might we expect to see this increase continue to occur? Ref, SOO Section 7. Requirements, Para e.i, Page #11

a. The Government is unable to accurately forecast the timing of the anticipated increase, though it is expected to occur during the period of performance of the Sample Task Order, PWS (Attachment 4)

29. Does the statement “or provide a communications platform (such as slack) …” imply that NOAA does not currently own or use the Slack product in its infrastructure today? Ref, SOO Section 7. Requirements, Para e.ii, Page #11

a. Correct, the Government does not generally use Slack to engage with the UFS community, at least not at this time.

30. This paragraph states that UFS code should appropriately portable to on premise infrastructure such as

WCOSS. However, the Q&A’s clearly stated that EPIC personnel will not be granted access to WCOSS at any point. Will it be possible to test this portability without having access to the WCOSS environment? Ref, SOO Section 7. Requirements, Para f.iv, Page # 12

a. The EPIC Contractor will not be given access to NOAA’s on-premise high performance computing resources. EPIC is a community (both internal/external to NOAA) of users and testing on different on-premise systems should be assigned to users that have access to those systems.

31. The link for the document labeled “Strategic Implementation Plan Communications and Outreach Plan” takes us to the EMC Strategic Implementation Plan, which is not about Communications and Outreach. Was this intended? Is there a separate Communications and Outreach Plan related to EPIC? Ref. SOO Section 9 EPIC and UFS Information and Documentation

a. The updated link has been added to Attachment 3 SOO Section 9. It is: https://ufscommunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/20171221_Unified_Forecast_System_CommunicationOutreach_Plan.pdf

i. See revised SOO (Attachment 3), Section 9.

32. The last 2 documents in the list, the “Draft EPIC Strategic Plan” and “Draft EPIC Governance Principles” are not links. Please provide the links to the most current versions of these documents. Ref. SOO Section 9 EPIC and UFS Information and Documentation

a. See revised SOO (Attachment 3), Section 9, where the links have been updated to:

i. Draft EPIC Strategic Plan

(https://wpo.noaa.gov/portals/0/Draft%20__%20EPIC%20Strategic%20Plan%202020- 0316_V3.pdf?ver=2020-03-20-085659-220)

ii. Draft EPIC Governance Principles (https://wpo.noaa.gov/portals/0/Draft%20EPIC%20Governance%20Principles%202020- 0319.pdf?ver=2020-03-20-094702-973)

33. Scope item 4.1 states “Develop a Project Management Plan to fulfill the requirements of this Task Order and develop a second Project Management Plan as a part of this Task Order to implement the full scope of the EPIC Contract.” We have the following questions:

• Is the government requesting two Project Management Plans as part of the STO response?

• How do both or either of these align with the Project Management Plan summary requested in

Section E, Factor B eval criteria of the RFP?

• How do both or either of these align with the Project Management Plan summary requested in

Section E, Factor E of the RFP?

a. One summary Project Management Plan is for the “Task Order” and the other is for the “EPIC

Contract”. The summary Project Management Plan referenced at RFP E.2.5.b) Factor B.2. and RFP E.3.3. Factor B.2. is for performing the requirements of the Task Order. The summary Project Management Plan referenced at RFP E.2.5.b) Factor E.1.a. and RFP E.3.3. Factor E.1.a..is for the EPIC Contract, which shall be developed under Attachment 4 PWS 5.1 in accordance with the schedule specified at Attachment 4 PWS 5.1.5.

i. See revised RFP E.2.5.b) Factor B.2. and RFP E.3.3. Factor B.2.

https://ufscommunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/20171221_Unified_Forecast_System_CommunicationOutreach_Plan.pdf https://ufscommunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/20171221_Unified_Forecast_System_CommunicationOutreach_Plan.pdf https://wpo.noaa.gov/portals/0/Draft%20__%20EPIC%20Strategic%20Plan%202020-0316_V3.pdf?ver=2020-03-20-085659-220 https://wpo.noaa.gov/portals/0/Draft%20__%20EPIC%20Strategic%20Plan%202020-0316_V3.pdf?ver=2020-03-20-085659-220 https://wpo.noaa.gov/portals/0/Draft%20__%20EPIC%20Strategic%20Plan%202020-0316_V3.pdf?ver=2020-03-20-085659-220 https://wpo.noaa.gov/portals/0/Draft%20EPIC%20Governance%20Principles%202020-0319.pdf?ver=2020-03-20-094702-973 https://wpo.noaa.gov/portals/0/Draft%20EPIC%20Governance%20Principles%202020-0319.pdf?ver=2020-03-20-094702-973 https://wpo.noaa.gov/portals/0/Draft%20EPIC%20Governance%20Principles%202020-0319.pdf?ver=2020-03-20-094702-973

ii. See revised RFP E.2.5.b) Factor E.1.a. RFP E.3.3. Factor E.1.a.

iii. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.1.5. and Section 4 PWS 6.

34. Can the Government clarify which items (outlines/plans) are required for the Summary Project Management

Plan? The General Instructions given for this plan are different than those described in the Evaluation factor.

For example, a cost management plan, risk register, quality management plan, etc. are all required in the Instructions but not in the Evaluation. Ref. RFP General Instructions and Evaluation Criterion for Factor E, 1a Summary Project Management Plan, Pages 58 and 65

a. See revised RFP Section E.3.3. Factor E.1.a.i.

35. The instructions list these contents for the Project Management Plan:

○ “outlines of the: project scope management plan, milestones, schedule management plan, cost management plan, risk management plan, risk register, release management plan, quality management plan, communication management plan, and staff management plan.”

○ However, the evaluation factors only list these:

○ “milestones, schedule management risk management plan release management plan, , and staff management plan”

○ Please clarify which elements of the project management plan are required and/or evaluated. Ref. RFP

Pages 58 and 65

a. See revised RFP Section E.3.3. Factor E.1.a.i.

36. RFP states “The full WBS is part of the PWS and is due 6 months after award” but we can find no reference to a WBS in Attachment 4, PWS. Is the WBS part of the “second” Project Management Plan that is mentioned in the PWS? Ref. RFP Page 57 and PWS page 5

a. See revised RFP Section E.2.5.b) Factor B 2

37. Section E.2.5 Factor B.2 states that the we should include a WBS outline while Section E.3.3 Factor B.2 refers to a summary WBS. Please explain the difference. Ref. Pages 57 and 64

a. See revised RFP Section E.2.5.b) Factor B.2. and RFP E.3.3. Factor B.2.

38. The deliverable “Define, develop …" appears to be duplicated please confirm. Ref. PWS Section 6, Page

a. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.2.7

39. We note that there is considerable overlap between the items listed in RFP Factor A and the requirements of the PWS, which are to be addressed in the proposal per Factor B. This would require the offeror to either repeat material or extensively cross-reference. Examples include:

○ 1) In Factor A, items 1a through 1j as well as items 2a through 2f are included in the scope of PWS

Tasks 5.3 and 5.4

○ 2) In Factor A, items 1i and 1k are also covered in 2a, 2b, 2e, and 2f

○ We suggest that the Government remove the items in Factor A that will have to be addressed in responding to Factor B. Ref RFP pages 56 and 57 and PWS pages 7-9

a. The Government is satisfied that the RFP accurately describes its requirements in this regard.

40. The PWS states that the period of performance includes a 1-year base period plus 1 option year. Ref. SOO page 11 PWS page 10 Please confirm that:

1) all requirements of Task 5.1 and 5.2 are to be completed in the base year,

2) the specific quantitative requirements for Task 5.4 are to be completed in the base year,

3) Tasks 5.3 and 5.4 will continue through the option year if exercised,

4) the workload for the option year for Task 5.3 would be at the 100-200 request per month level stated in the SOO, and

5) the workload for Task 5.4 for the option year would be comparable to the workload stated in the PWS for the base year, including an additional 2 code sprints and 2 hack-a-thons.

a. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 7.

41. Please clarify the scope of Task 5.3.7. Specifically,

1) Is the scope of this task limited to the services described in SOO 7e i,

2) Does this task include code improvement services as described in SOO 7e iii,

3) Does this task include support for development and integration of component models as described in SOO 7e v?

If the scope includes code improvement services and support for development/integration of component models, can the Government provide workload estimates for those support services?

We also note that there is not an entry for Task 5.3.7 in the PRS. Please provide the PRS entry for 5.3.7.

Ref. SOO pages 11 and 12 PWS page 9,14

a. PWS (Attachment 4) Section 5.3 and 5.4 are in support of those elements of Attachment 3 SOO 7.e. that the Government intends to order in the Sample Task Order. The component model that is specific to Attachment 4 PWS is the UFS Weather Application.

i. Please refer to PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.2 (revised), 5.3, and 5.4

ii. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 10

42. RFP Factor E 1 c iii calls for the offeror to provide its “approach to securely transition UFS codes developed by the community into the develop branch of the public NOAA Github repository, as detailed in the SOO.”

SOO 7 f v11 requires review of code from the community and ensuring “proper IT security measures prior to transition of code to master copy.” The SOO also states that NOAA will provide the IT security measures after award. The SOO does not appear to address security requirements for transitioning codes into the develop branch. The PWS more generally states a requirement for the offeror to “work closely with NOAA on a method for the secure ingest of community code into NOAA applications.” Please clarify the requirement that is to be addressed in responding to Factor E 1 c iii. Ref. RFP page 59, SOO page 13, PWS pages 5 and 12

a. Offerors are encouraged to provide sufficient relevant information in order to enable the Government to accurately evaluate its approach to securely transition UFS codes.

43. We note that the PRS includes entries for 5.2.9 and 5.2.10 while Task 5.2 only has subsections through

5.2.7. Also, the text in the PRS for 5.2.9 and 5.2.10 correlates to Tasks 5.3.5 and 5.3.6, which are not included in the PRS. Please confirm that the PRS entries for 5.2.9 and 5.2.10 should be for 5.3.5 and 5.3.6.

Ref. PWS 13-14

44. Please clarify what NOAA means by "infrastructure" in item k in the referenced section:

"1.k. Developing and maintaining infrastructure to help enable NOAA’s cultural change toward community model development and accelerated R2O/O2R".

○ Background of the question.

○ In the previous version of the RFP item k read as follows: "1.k. 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."

○ In this context "infrastucture" was interpreted as consisting of web presence, innovation hubs, and social media. In Amendment 1 NOAA included these components in the newly added item l: "1.l. Designing and maintaining an online web presence, social media, and creating opportunities for innovation."

○ Therefore a clarification is required of what is meant by "infrastructure" enabling cultural change in the updated item k. Reference: R.1+EPIC+RFP+1305M320RNRMN0002+Amendment+01.pdf, Page 56/FACTOR A: TECHNICAL APPROACH Item 1.k

a. All information available on this matter can be found in the SOO.

i. Please refer to SOO (Attachment 3), Section 2. Figure 3

ii. Please refer to SOO (Attachment 3), Section 7.b.ii.

iii. Please refer to SOO (Attachment 3), Section 7.c.ii.

iv. Please refer to SOO (Attachment 3), Section 7.f.

45. The answer to the question refers the reader to "...the revised RFP Section E.3.2(b)," but there is no reference to Transition in that section. There is also no direction given in any other Transition-related section, such as E.2.5(b). Will NOAA please specify the duration for the Transition-In period for the first task order? Reference: EPIC+RFP+1305M320RNRMN0002+ Questions and Answers.pdf, Page 6/Answer to Question 21

a. In accordance with RFP E.2.5.b) Factor E.1.c., Offerors are encouraged to provide sufficient relevant information in order to enable the Government to accurately evaluate its transition-in plan and in accordance with RFP E.3.2(b), at pertinent part, [t]he Government reserves the right to award the Sample Task Order as proposed by the contractor within 180 days after receipt of proposals with or without discussions.

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

ii. Please refer to RFP Section E.3.2.(b)

46. Three of the links to documents provided for guidance as noted below are broken. Can NOAA please update them? Reference:

R.1+Attachment+3+1305M320RNRMN0002+Statement+of+Objective+SOO+Amendment+01+Clean+Co py.pdf, Page 13/Section 9. EPIC AND UFS INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTATION o Community Modeling Review Committee Report o NOAA Software and Software Products Public Release Guidance o NOAA GitHub.com Usage Guideline

a. See revised SOO (Attachment 3), Section 9. The relevant updated links are:

i. Community Modeling Review Committee Report https://ufscommunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/CMCAugust2018Report_Final.pdf

ii. NOAA Software and Software Products Public Release Guidance https://ufscommunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/20171113_NOAA_Software_Public_Release_Guidance_FINAL.pdf

iii. NOAA GitHub.com Usage Guideline https://ufscommunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/20170823_NOAA_GitHub_Usage_Guidelines.pdf

47. The requirements 5.1.3 and 5.1.4 call for development of the EPIC Project Management Plan. Please confirm that the intended purpose for Community Interviews and Artifact Review within 90 days of award under 5.1.5 is to collect information that will inform planning for elements/themes listed under 5.1.4. The actual work for the elements/themes will not be performed within 90 days of award. Reference:

R.1+Attachment+4+1305M320RNRMN0002+PWS+Sample+Task+Order+One+- +Amendment+01+Track+Changes.pdf, Page 7/Section 5.1 Assessment of R2O/O2R of the Current and Future Uified Forecast System Requirement 5.1.5

a. Correct, the full schedule, including work product completion, is at the table at PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.1.5.

48. With regard to the annual "EPIC summer workshop." What is the expected duration (i.e. number of days) of this workshop? Ref erence:R.1+Attachment+4+1305M320RNRMN0002+PWS+Sample+Task+Order+One+- +Amendment+01+Track+Changes.pdf, Page 10/Section 5.4 Community Engagement Requirement 5.4.3

a. Summer workshops range between two to four days. Requirements will be detailed at the Task Order level.

i. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.4.2.

49. With regard to the "2 code sprints and 2 hack-a-thons." What is the expected duration (i.e. number of days) of a given code sprint or hack-a-thon? Ref.

R.1+Attachment+4+1305M320RNRMN0002+PWS+Sample+Task+Order+One+- +Amendment+01+Track+Changes.pdf, Page 10/Section 5.4 Community Engagement Requirement 5.4.3

a. Code sprints and hack-a-thons duration will be determined at the Task Order level and dependent on the problem to be solved, but it is typical for these types of events to last 24-48 hours, roughly translated to two days, .

i. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.4.3.

50. The deliverable table calls for delivery of the Project Management Plan for Sample Task Order One per the schedule described in section 5.1.5. It appears that the schedule in section 5.1.5 together with requirements

5.1.3 and 5.1.4 are for development of the overall EPIC PMP rather than for a PMP for Sample Task Order One. Is the due date for the Project Management Plan for Sample Task Order One within 30 days of award?

Ref. R.1+Attachment+4+1305M320RNRMN0002+PWS+Sample+Task+Order+One+- +Amendment+01+Track+Changes.pdf, Page 10/Section 6. Deliverables https://ufscommunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/CMCAugust2018Report_Final.pdf https://ufscommunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/CMCAugust2018Report_Final.pdf https://ufscommunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/20171113_NOAA_Software_Public_Release_Guidance_FINAL.pdf https://ufscommunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/20171113_NOAA_Software_Public_Release_Guidance_FINAL.pdf https://ufscommunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/20171113_NOAA_Software_Public_Release_Guidance_FINAL.pdf https://ufscommunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/20170823_NOAA_GitHub_Usage_Guidelines.pdf https://ufscommunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/20170823_NOAA_GitHub_Usage_Guidelines.pdf https://ufscommunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/20170823_NOAA_GitHub_Usage_Guidelines.pdf

a. There are two Project Management Plans to be developed and delivered for Attachment 4 PWS. The first, which will be standard for this and all future task orders, is the plan to perform the Sample Task Order, Attachment 4 PWS, and it is due within 30 days of award of the Task Order. The second is the EPIC Contract Project Management Plan, the requirements for which are detailed at Attachment 4

PWS 5.1.

i. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 4.1. and 5.1.

51. RFP Factor E paragraph 1.a appears to be redundant to Factor B paragraph 2; both call for a summary project management plan. Please clarify if offerors are to present the same summary management plan in both Factor B response and Factor E response. If a different summary plan is required in each, please clarify the differences.

a. One summary Project Management Plan is for the “Task Order” and the other is for the “EPIC

Contract”. The summary Project Management Plan referenced at RFP E.2.5.b) Factor B.2. and RFP E.3.3. Factor B.2. is for performing the requirements of the Task Order. The summary Project Management Plan referenced at RFP E.2.5.b) Factor E.1.a. and RFP E.3.3. Factor E.1.a..is for the EPIC Contract, which shall be developed under Attachment 4 PWS 5.1 in accordance with the schedule specified at Attachment 4 PWS 5.1.5.

i. See revised RFP Section E.2.5.b) Factor B.2. and RFP Section E.3.3. Factor B.2.

ii. See revised RFP Section E.2.5.b) Factor E.1.a. RFP Section E.3.3. Factor E.1.a.

iii. See revised PWS (Attachment 4), Section 5.1.5. and Section 6

52. Reference Q&A #70: RFP Factor A paragraph 3 calls for a “detailed description on how NOAA shall approach a transition to a unified modeling architecture.” This is fundamentally different than the offeror’s contract Transition-in Approach called for in Factor E paragraph 1.c. The answer in Q&A #70 appears to conflate the two transitions Please clarify:

○ (1) Is the contract Transition-in Approach called for in Factor E the same as the detailed description called for in Factor A, as indicated by Q&A #70?

○ (2) If no, please clarify the difference between the "transition to a unified modeling architecture" (Factor

A.3) and the Transition-in Approach (Factor E.1.c).

a. RFP E.2.5.b) Factor A 3. is similar in intent to RFP E.2.5.b) Factor A 1.k. in that they both relate to facilitating NOAA’s culture change to community modeling, cloud computing, and improvements in R2O/O2R processes envisioned at SOO 7.e.xii.

i. Please refer to RFP Section E.2.5.b) Factor A.3.

ii. Please refer to SOO (Attachment 3), Section 7.e.xii.

53. Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) subparagraph 1 states that “Cloud access to FEDRamp Moderate

(Google, Azure, and AWS)” is GFE. Please confirm:

(1) The GFE access includes the cost of CSP access accounts for all internal/organic EPIC staff (to include subcontractors and consultants) who will or may be require access to support work performed under EPIC task orders.

(2) The GFE access covers all CSP costs/charges associated with set-up, hosting and using could-based resources needed to support EPIC task orders.

(3) (3) The GFE access covers all CSP costs/charges for compute time and data transfers to and from EPIC contractor servers or other parties’ servers (e.g., NOAA) via the EPIC cloud resources.

Reference SOO 11

a. Confirmed, except that NOAA will not pay for the user community to access cloud-based tools developed by the EPIC contractor.

i. Please refer to SOO (Attachment 3), Section 11

54. SOO paragraph 11.1 states, ”NOAA will not pay for the user community to access cloud-based tools developed by the EPIC contractor”; this would, apparently, mean that NOAA will not pay for user community access to containerized UFS code stored in the EPIC cloud resources. Please clarify:

(1) Does NOAA expect the user community will set up and pay for separate access/accounts to download the containerized code and necessary data?

(2) If no, please confirm that downloads/transfers of containerized code and data for use by the user community – and all other download/transfers to the user community – are to be facilitated by EPIC User Support and the cost of all such downloads/transfers is covered by the GFE access cited in SOO paragraph 11.1.

If neither scenario (1) nor (2) above covers the NOAA-envisioned method of user community access to UFS cloud-based code and data, please clarify.

a. The Government expects the user community to set up and pay for their access to cloud resources. EPIC will make the code and data available for the user community.

i. Please refer to SOO (Attachment 3), Section 11

55. Q.70 Will NOAA please elaborate on what is meant by "a description of how NOAA shall transition to a unified modeling architecture"? Ref RFP Factor A Para 3

a. Please refer to SOO (Attachment 3), Section 2, Figure 3

b. Please refer to SOO (Attachment 3), Section 7.b.ii.

c. Please refer to SOO (Attachment 3), Section 7.c.ii.

d. Please refer to SOO (Attachment 3), Section 7.f.

56. The Q&A accompanying Amendment 1 answered Requirement Question 21 by stating that the offeror should refer to the revised RFP Section E.3.2(b) for details on a transition-in timeframe for the program prior to the start of the first Task Order. There were no track changes evident in the amended RFP Section E.3.2(b) related to transition-in timeframes. Can the Government clarify the anticipated timeframe between base IDIQ award and the start of the first Task Order to allow for a realistic plan to be submitted? Ref. E.2.5 Proposal Preparation, Factor E Paragraph 1.c.i

a. In accordance with RFP E.2.5.b) Factor E.1.c., Offerors are encouraged to provide sufficient relevant information in order to enable the Government to accurately evaluate their transition-in plan and in accordance with RFP E.3.2(b), at pertinent part, [t]he Government reserves the right to award the Sample Task Order as proposed by the contractor within 180 days after receipt of proposals with or without discussions.

i. See revised RFP Section E.2.5.b) Factor E.1.c.i.. and RFP Section E.3.3. Factor E.1.c.i.

ii. Please refer to RFP Section E.3.2.(b)

ACQUISITION QUESTIONS

1. Is this call for contracting companies to fund EPIC?

a. This is a Request for Proposal (RFP) in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) parts 12 and 15. NOAA seeks proposals from non-Government entities on how to accomplish the requirement set forth, to be paid for by NOAA.

2. The Government has added "Subcontracting Plan" to Volume 1 Technical Proposal. We can not find any reference in Section E.2.5 as to what should be placed in the technical Subcontracting Plan. Is it correct to assume that it is not the Factor E.h Small Business Subcontracting Plan? Ref. E.2.5 Proposal Preparation, Paragraph 6.D Page Limits

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

3. In respect to the government's update to the small business goals to the DoC guidelines. How will a bid be evaluated that does not fully meet the guidelines, but still has significant small business participation?

Given the full and open nature of the bid and the teaming already accomplished to compete, retooling teaming to this evaluation may detract from the quality of solution given to the government. Ref. E.2.5 Proposal Preparation, Factor E Paragraph 1.h.iii and E.3.3 Evaluation Criteria, Factor E Paragraph 1.h.ii

a. Please refer to RFP Section E.3.3, Factor E, 1, h.

4. Given this is an IDIQ and ODCs and travel are dependent upon the awarded task orders, would the Government consider providing a plug value for all offerors to propose? Ref. Attachment 2, Tab A & B

a. NOAA is seeking a proposed total solution from industry inclusive of proposed travel and ODCs. NOAA will not provide a plug number in order to allow offerors maximum flexibility with their proposal.

5. The Sample Task Order lists the contract type as FFP. Typically, on a FFP submission, the proposal does not include rates and hours to allow for flexibility in execution. The Price Sheet requests rates and hours. Could the Government, please clarify these requirements. Ref. Attachment 2 Price Sheet and Attachment 4 Sample Task Order

a. The Government is requesting a breakdown in order to complete a correlation analysis as outlined in RFP Section E.3.3, Factor Price, 3, 2.

6. The Government’s answer to question 15 indicates that the IDIQ rates can be discounted. Please confirm that offerors should not discount IDIQ rates for Sample TO 1. Ref. EPIC RFP Q&Am Q.15, page 17

a. See revised RFP section E.2.5, C, Factor Price, 3, c.

7. Paragraph 3(a) states: “The total price proposed under Tab A will serve as the total evaluated price for evaluation purposes only for the IDIQ. The Price analysis will determine correlation between the two.

Both items are considered total evaluated price.” Please confirm that Tab A and Tab B will be used as the two items to review total evaluated price. Ref. R.1 – EPIC RFP – Amendment 01, E.2.5 Page 61

a. Correct.

8. Even though Attachment #4 uses Firm-Fixed Price as an example, can offerors propose a Time and

Materials contract for Year One?

a. In accordance with PWS (Attachment 4), Section 9, “this is a Firm-Fixed price (FFP) order.”

9. Relevant SOO/RFP Text/Discussion: 5. Offeror shall provide past performance questionnaires (section

D, Attachment 4) to at least (3) references on recent (within the past three years) and relevant projects that will provide responses directly to the Contract Specialist. Given the changes established from the Answers to Questions, dated May 2020, to requirements of Past Performance Questionnaires, can the government please confirm that the previously submitted PPQs are still relevant and do not need to be resubmitted? Ref. RFP/Factor F. Past Performance and Questions and Answers, Page 56

a. Previously submitted PPQ’s do not need to be resubmitted.

10. FAR 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan, referenced in the RFP, requires subcontracting goals to be expressed in dollar amounts. The RFP places the subcontracting plan in Volume 1, Technical Proposal, which is required to remain free of proposed dollar amounts. Would NOAA consider including the subcontracting plan in Volume 2, Business Proposal, or making it a separate Volume? Reference: R.1+EPIC+RFP+1305M320RNRMN0002+Amendment+01.pdf, Page 44/Section

C.5 CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT STATUTES OR

EXECUTIVE ORDERS-COMMERCIAL ITEMS Clause (a)(18)(i)

a. See revised RFP, section E.2.5, b) factor E, 1, h, ii.

11. Is the EPIC budget of $45M inclusive of Cloud Services costs, or are those services an additional cost outside of the EPIC budget?

a. The IDIQ ceiling is $45M, Cloud Services are provided as GFE (please refer to SOO (Attachment 3), Section 11), and are therefore external to this ceiling.