13-233-SOL-00547_0002.pdf

Question and Answer Solicitation 13-233-SOL-00547

Q1. Is the incumbent contractor for the proposed contract Micah Systems Technologies, Inc.

(Contract No. HHSP23320042300AC) of Silver Spring, MD?

A1. HeiTech Services, Inc. is the current contractor.

Q2. The OMHRC office is located on the 6th floor of the building located at 1101 Wootton Parkway.

What is the square footage of this office space? Is this space currently leased by the Federal Government? Will the government be giving up its lease at the end of the current contract?

A2. Currently, the government leases 6500 sq. feet to house OMHRC. It is undetermined if the Federal Government will continue to lease this space.

Q3. Does the government intend to keep all of the existing office furniture and equipment used to support this contract? Will this furniture and equipment be available to the awardee of this new contract?

A3. All materials provided are found in Section 6.2 of the solicitation, otherwise the contractor will provide.

Q4. Could you please provide us with the actual cost of travel for the current contract? Could you please provide us with the estimated number of trips and travel days per trip for CONUS and OCONUS travel?

A4. Approximately 65 trips are made annually, ranging from 2 -10 days per trip in the continental US and Hawaii. Approximately 10 trips are made annually to the USAPI for two to three weeks.

Q5. Is the current contract a cost plus fixed fee contract (CPFF)? If so, why was this RFP written as a T&M award?

A5. The current solicitation is for commercial services. Per FAR 12.207 Contract type must be FFP, T&M, or LH.

Q6. What is the current communications configuration? Who is the current phone system vendor? Will these systems transfer to a new contractor?

A6. The current telephone system will not convey. The contractor will be responsible for establishing the configuration and selecting the vendor to comply with the RFP requirements.

Q7. On page 10, para.2 of section 2.1.4.2.5, there is some missing language and also a reference to

Appendix C that does not exist. Is this an omission and will it be provided in a future amendment?

A7. This language was corrected in Amendment 0001.

Q8. Reference: 6.2, Government Property. Would the government please confirm that with the exception of the items listed in this section all other equipment, resources, and furniture must be procured by the contractor?

A8. Yes.

Q9. Reference Section 5.2, Place of performance. The solicitation states that three employees will be located on site. Would the government please specify what the responsibilities of those three staff are?

A9. The contract personnel should be bid at contractor site rates. The government on-site space will be provided on an ad hoc basis as programmatic needs require. The position may vary depending on the specific operational situation.

Q10. Reference 2.1.3.3 Would the government please confirm that this location is in contractor-provided space and not at in a government-furnished data center as has been the case under past contracts?

A10. The place of performance is contractor-provided space.

Q11. Please confirm how the government would like the ODC’s presented in the proposal. Would the Government like a single line item for all ODC’s or broken out?

A11. ODC’s are to be broken out as shown in the pricing tables in Section 1.4. ODCs are to have a description, quantity, rate, and total.

Q12. Please confirm whether or not the government will procure all hosting services separately or whether the government intends to provide them through the OMHRC contractor.

A12. The hosting services will be provided through the contractor.

Q13. Is it the government’s intent to no longer use the existing HHS Data Center, which has hosted the

OMHRC servers in the past?

A13. Yes.

Q14. Section 1.3 Ceiling Price refers.

a. Will the hours and price bid be used to establish the ceiling or will the government establish their own ceiling?

A14a. The ceiling will be established by the total Labor and Materials proposed by the contractors.

b. Would the government please provide the minimum experience, skills and qualifications of the staff in order to support an objective evaluation of a contractors proposed personnel and labor mix?

A14b. This is a Performance-Based Acquisition (PBA). Under PBA the government describes the work in terms of the required results rather than either “how” the work is to be accomplished or the number of hours. Along these lines, the government does not require minimum experience, skills and qualifications, other than what is indicated in the evaluation factors and will be used to determine the award.

Q15. The pricing tables in section 1.4 of the solicitation require offerors to price Materials with item descriptions. Please provide a complete list, by contract year, of required Materials with item descriptions and estimated dollar amounts by item.

A15. The government does not provide this information. See Section 11.4 of the solicitation which requires the contractors to provide this information. Government furnished property should be taken into consideration when proposing Materials.

Q16. Section 2.1.2 states “…does not interrupt essential services, specifically (1) provision of information to the public via toll-free telephone lines, (2)…” Will the toll-free telephone line convey as government furnished equipment (paid for by the Government) or will the contractor need to provide a separate toll-free line?

A16. The Federal Government will not furnish equipment, and the contractor will support the toll-free telephone expenses. The toll-free number will be transferred to the contractor.

Q17. Would the government consider adding FAR Clause 52.222-46 to this procurement given the importance the Government places on the quality and stability of the workforce to be employed on this contract?

A17. No this provision is not applicable.

Q18. Section 11.3 states “Past performance information shall be provided for predecessor companies, key personnel who have relevant experience or subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirement when such information is relevant to the instant acquisition.” Please explain what is meant by the reference to ‘predecessor companies’?

A18. Predecessor companies are relevant to provide when a name change has occurred as a result of a merge or one company acquiring another.

Q19. Section 12.6.1 requires that individuals not currently employed by the offeror should submit a letter of commitment with the proposal. Will these commitment letters be exempted from the page count as resumes are? Should the commitment letters be positioned directly behind the resume to constitute 3-pages for proposed individuals not currently employed by the offeror?

A19. Resumes are exempt from the page count, but are limited to two pages. Commitment letters can be placed directly behind each resume, and are not part of the resume page count.

Q20. Section 12.7 refers to an Attachment E located in Section J; however, the proposal contains no

Section J or Attachment E. Please clarify.

A20. This was corrected in Amendment 0001.

Q21. Paragraph 2.1.5.2.4 states, “Materials warehoused off-site are held at JAD Business Services, Distribution Center, 8680 Greenwood Place, Suite B, Savage, MD 20763. Currently they occupy nearly 800 square feet of storage space racked 16 feet high.” Is this a government furnished space or is the contractor required to lease space for off-site storage?

A21. The warehouse is leased by the contractor.

Q22. Should representations & certifications be included in Volume III Price/Business?

A22. Yes, these can be included with the business volume.

Q23. Section 11.4 of the solicitation states that “Offerors shall submit proposals and data comprehensive enough to provide the basis for a sound evaluation.” The pricing tables in sections 1.4.1 – 1.4.5 of the solicitation call for offerors to provide “Loaded Hourly Rates” which are further described in section 1.4 as being “inclusive of direct labor, fringe benefits, applicable indirect costs and any profit for each labor category.” Will the Government evaluate an offeror as having met the requirement of submitting data comprehensive enough to provide the basis for a sound evaluation if the offeror simply provides the Loaded Hourly Rates as called for in the pricing tables or must the offeror provide the detailed cost and pricing data used to derive the Loaded Hourly Rates?

A23. Offeror can simply provide the Loaded Hourly Rates as called for in the pricing tables. As this is a commercial services acquisition, detailed cost and pricing data used to derive the Loaded Hourly Rates is not expected; however, see Section 11.7 FAR 52.215-20 in which this information may be required and will be requested if price reasonableness cannot be determined from price competition.

Q24. May we include an executive summary in our technical proposal and can the Government exclude it from the page count?

A24. Yes an executive summary is allowed with a four page maximum.

Q25. Section 2.1.3.3 of the solicitation specifies that the contractor shall provide the facility necessary to perform the requirements set forth in the SOW. Section 1.4 of the solicitation makes reference to “applicable indirect costs.” Are contractor facility costs to be priced as part of the contractor’s applicable indirect costs?

A25. Yes.

Q26. 2.1.2: How far in advance of contract award will the government inform the winning contractor of anticipated date of award in order to schedule the initial meeting?

A26. Approximately one week.

Q27. 2.1.3.1: Will walk-in service be provided by the contractor at the contractor’s site or at OMH HQ?

A27. Walk-in service will be at the contractor’s site.

Q28. What services is the awardee expected to provide to walk-ins?

A28. These services should be proposed by the contractor.

Q29. If the walk-ins are accommodated at OMH HQ, how much and what type of space and resources will the government provide to the awardee to perform these services?

A29. None.

Q30. 2.1.3.2: How many telephone lines are presently available?

A30. OMHRC currently has 40 telephone lines.

Q31. Is the current telecommunications infrastructure sufficient to handle existing call volume?

A31. Yes.

Q32. What is the current call volume?

A32. See answer to Question 57.

Q33. What is the peak 24-hour call volume that OMH experienced during the incumbent contract?

A33. Telephone lines are answered only during business hours.

Q34. What is the average call volume for the current contract year?

A34. See answer to Question 57.

Q35. Does the government expect that call volume will remain relatively constant?

A35. Yes, but may increase slightly (less than 10 percent) due to ACA.

Q36. If call volume is expected to change, please provide estimates of increase/decreases.

A36. See answer to Question 35.

Q37. What is the present average call handle time, including both talk time and any necessary processing time?

A37. Please refer to the RFP and the QASP.

Q38. Is the complexity of calls expected to change in a way that would affect average call handle time?

A38. No.

Q39. 2.1.3.3: Does the government expect sufficient transition time for a new contractor to be able to obtain Authority to Operate?

A39. Yes.

Q40. What is the impact level of the IT infrastructure associated with the OMH network and the public

Web site?

A40. IT infrastructure is the basis for the OMH Network and the public Website. The IT facility needs to meet the newly enhanced SSAE 16, SOCK II and III compliance requirement. The IT infrastructure needs to follow the latest FISMA security policy base on guidelines set forth by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Q41. 2.1.3.5: At what frequency will off-site project staff be expected to meet with on-site Federal OMH staff, both regularly and on an ad-hoc basis (estimated)?

A41. These services should be proposed by the contractor.

Q42. 2.1.4.1: Will the government provide an inventory of the existing digital library collection to allow bidders to assess the inventory and suggest improvements, including content on the Affordable Care Act?

A42. Please see Section 6.2 Government furnished property.

Q43. On what platform does the existing digital library reside? Is it managed using a WCMS or other software? Is that software COTS or custom-built?

A43. These services should be proposed by the contractor.

Q44. 2.1.4.2.1: On what database platform does the existing collection listing reside?

A44. The current catalogue uses InMagic Genie.

Q45. Does the OMHRC presently use an integrated library system?

A45. Yes.

Q46. Will the government provide the existing thesaurus listing?

A46. Yes.

Q47. How many thesaurus updates does the government estimate will be required annually, at what frequency will they be expected, and how many new or modified terms should be expected in each update?

A47. These services should be proposed by the contractor.

Q48. What journals are presently “approved” so that articles published therein will require indexing?

A48. Please see Section 6.2. Government furnished property.

Q49. What system or platform is currently in use for indexing journal articles?

A49. The current catalogue uses InMagic Genie.

Q50. What electronic harvesting software is presently in use for searching for new non-journal materials? How many approved information sources does that software presently scan?

A50. These services should be proposed by the contractor.

Q51. 2.1.4.2.3: How many funding sources does OMHRC presently track?

A51. These services should be proposed by the contractor.

Q52. 2.1.4.2.4: What is the present and estimated volume of literature searches?

A52. No more than 350 literature searches are conducted annually.

Q53. How does OMHRC presently handle copyright article purchase fees?

A51. This service should be proposed by the contractor.

Q54. 2.1.4.2.5: Will the library reading room be located at the contractor site or the government site?

A52. Yes.

Q55. 2.1.4.2.7: Please clarify the organization/program database requirement. We understand that the present size of the database is 2,400 records (organizations/resources) and that OMH expects a minimum of 150 new records to be added monthly.

A55. Please refer to the RFP.

Q56. 2.1.5.2.1: What is the monthly or annual volume of publications orders?

A56. Please see Section 6.2. Government furnished property.

Q57. 2.1.5.2.2: What is the current and estimated future volume of inquiries, by mode (telephone, email, fax, and mail)?

A57. For all modes, approximately 3200 responses are recorded each year. Approximate inquiry breakdown is 75 % telephone, 23 % email, <1% fax, and <1% mail.

Q58. Approximately what percentage of inquiries constitutes requests for technical assistance?

A58. Technical assistance requests are not counted as an inquiry.

Q59. What is the current and estimated volume of inquiries from state offices and reporters?

A59. Approximately 5 – 20 percent of all inquiries are from state offices and reporters;

annually this number varies significantly.

Q60. What are the current procedures and guidelines for referring requests for technical assistance to other organizations?

A60. These procedures should be proposed by the contractor.

Q61. Is there presently an inquiry tracking/work ticketing system? If so, does it use COTS software, or is it custom-designed for OMH?

A61. Yes, this is custom-designed by the current contractor.

Q62. 2.1.6.2.1: What is the average number and frequency of the content updates to the Web site?

A62. These activities should be proposed by the contractor.

Q63. What is the number and size of databases presently maintained for the OMH Web site?

A63. There is one primary database for the website (currently 207 GB in size). This database is mirrored for redundancy. Customizable scripts using MSAccess to perform administrative services and applications have been built to perform specialized functions and use their own databases provided by the contractor. These applications will transfer to the contractor.

Q64. How frequently does the government anticipate adding new features requiring custom programming? Absent an estimate, what is the historical volume of such new features? Could the government provide examples of such new features?

A64. These services should be proposed by the contractor. Examples can be seen on the current website, -- minorityhealth.hhs.gov.

Q65. Is a Web content management system presently being used to maintain OMH Web sites? If so, what is the WCMS and version?

A65. Yes. A content management system has been developed using .Net. This system was built by the current contractor and will transfer to the successful bidder. Licensing, maintenance and enhancements will the responsibility of the contractor or the contractor can propose an alternative approach.

Q66. What does OMH presently use for failover to preclude outages? Will the awardee be expected to use a government enterprise resource license to provide this service, or to provide such service on its own?

A66. The existing contractor maintains the primary site at the HHS Parklawn facility and a secondary site located within the OMH Tower Building Facility. Since the requirement has changed to host the primary site at the contractor’s location, contractors need to propose a primary and a secondary site. All costs associated with this requirement are the responsibility of the successful bidder.

Q67. Please describe the current technology in use to support OMH Web sites (hardware, Web server, database and application software).

A67. It is a distributed redundant windows environment utilizing SQL databases, .NET technology and windows webserver. Alternate approaches to fulfill the requirements of OMH will be considered. The hardware currently used is listed in section 6.2 of the RFP.

Again, the costs associated with licensing, maintaining and enhancing the websites will be the responsibility of the successful bidder.

Q68. Are there plans to redesign or restructure existing OMH Web sites during the course of the contract?

A68. This type of activity should be proposed by the contractor.

Q69. What volume and frequency of Web site design, navigation, and functional changes does the government expect?

A69. These services should be proposed by the contractor.

Q70. What statistical/metrics software do OMH sites presently use to provide usage statistics?

A70. Web statistics are currently extracted from web server logs using in house applications in combination with WebStat Analyzer to analyze and support reporting requirements. Alternative approaches may be proposed.

Q71. 2.1.6.2.2 Please estimate the number of new Web pages expected per month for OMH Web sites for both the OMH and NPA Web sites.

Q71. These services should be proposed by the contractor.

Q72. At what frequency does the government expect the NPA blog to be updated?

A72. These services should be proposed by the contractor.

Q73. 2.1.6.2.6: Please provide the square footage of storage requirements and a list of the exhibit structures currently in use.

A73. Please see Section 2.1.5.2.4. Currently, OMHRC has four fabric displays, a table cloth and additional holders for brochures.

Q74. Is there a standard required format for exhibit after-action reports? If so, please provide it.

A74. There is a one-page form for the after-action report.

Q75. 2.1.6.2.8: Does OMH expect to update the referenced customer surveys during the contract that will result from this procurement? If so, will the awardee have access to the survey results?

A75. Not sure at this time. The contractor will have access to the survey results if conducted.

Q76. 2.1.6.2.9: What platform does OMH presently use for maintaining mailing lists/subscriptions? Is the government amenable to migrating to a different platform?

A76. The current platform is maintained by the contractor, and the government would be amenable to migrating to a different platform.

Q77. 2.1.7.2.3: What is the present and estimated volume of needs assessments?

A77. Annually, 5 – 25 needs assessments are requested.

Q78. 11.1.2: Given the relatively short lead time and the complexity of the requirements, would the government consider extending the due date for receipt of proposals?

A78. No.

Q79. The previous contract with HEITECH Services stated that all work would be performed at government site. During the performance of the contract were the services moved to the contractor site as is the requirement under the current solicitation?

A79. No.

Q80. Section 1.4 Consideration and Payment (T&M) includes the following “Note: Pricing tables below will be completed at time of award.” If so, how is the bidding contractor required to present Pricing information for evaluation?

Q80. See Section 11.4 of solicitation.

Q81. The solicitation calls for the winning bidder to establish the service center at the contractor facility.

Does the government intend for this to be space dedicated to the support of the contract, and if so, will the dedicated space be reimbursable under the terms of the awarded contract?

A81. Please see the answer to Question 25, cost recovery to be included in contractor’s applicable indirect rates.

Q82. Is it the government’s intention to transfer to the awarded contractor all software including database products, harvesting software and all other software currently in use under the existing contract? If so, would the government please provide an updated list of all software in use? If not, please provide the list of compatible software products that must be procured by the contractor and a determination whether this material is recoverable material under the contract.

A82. The government will transfer all existing software and database products in use. Here is a list of the software that will be provided:

Windows server 2003 OEM licenses - 5 plus CALS Windows Server 2012 Datacenter - 2 Volume Licenses Windows Server 2012 Standard - 1 Volume License Windows Server 2012 User CAL - 25 Volume License SQL Server 2012 per core - 4 Volume License SQL Server 2012 Standard - 1 Volume License SQL Server 2012 CAL - 20 Volume License Visual Studio 2012 - 3 Volume License Exchange 2003 - OEM License Windows XP/7 with Office 2007 - OEM on all desktops Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Upgrade - 20 Retail Adobe Photoshop CS4 - 4 Retail Adobe InDesign CS4 - 5 Retail Freedom Scientific JAWS 11 - Retail Adobe Design Standard - 1 Volume License Adobe Acrobat Pro 9 - 1 Volume License Adobe Dreamweaver 11 - 1 Volume License InMagic DB/Text - 1 Retail License Eyee Retina Subscription - 64 IP EMCO - 50 node BrightStor ArcServe – Base and client agents Symantec Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition – 35 Nodes

Q83. Under section 2.1.3.3 Facilities and Equipment, the contractor is required to provide all IT services including the OMH public website. Does the government require that the LAN be utilized for OMH only in order to meet the HHS security controls and fire-wall requirements? If so, will the contractor be allowed to recover all associated cost as Material?

A83. The contractor is responsible for the OMHRC LAN traffic. This traffic is segmented from OMH traffic and the OMH LAN. The requirements with regard to security controls are answered in question IQ40IT. The contractor will be allowed to recover all associated costs as Material costs.

Q84. Does the government require the contractor to utilize a specific email system, phone, voice mail and facsimile system or can the contractor share this with its existing infrastructure/systems? If it must be dedicated, can the contractor recover cost under the contract?

A84. Please see the answers to Questions 16 and 25.

Q85. Will a special CLIN be established at contract award for recoverable material and travel?

A85. A special CLIN will not be established. Travel and ODCs (Materials) will be broken out as indicated in Section 1.4 of the solicitation.

Q86. In section 2.1.4.2.5 Information Storage & Library Reading Site, the solicitation requires the contractor to establish a library reading room at the contractor facility and make such reading room available for the public. Can the government please provide additional data in the form of size (square feet) of the reading room, computer equipment required and furniture required such as book shelves, filing cabinets, etc.? Will the government provide the furnishings or will the contractor be required to furnish? Will the contractor be able to charge all costs related to this dedicated facility (including rental) back to the contract? Section 6.2 only contains a minimal amount of computers and a long list of reading material but does not included furnishings for the reading room.

A86. Please see the answers to Questions 3 and 25.

Q87. Is it the intention for OMH to maintain material in support of ACA or simply reference material that is available via CMS for the Individual State Exchanges? This material remains very fluid and can become out of date very quickly as the ACA evolves.

A87. The contractor should propose a solution.

Q88. In section 2.1.5.2.1 Document Distribution, how many documents are distributed per month?

A88. An estimated 7,000 documents are distributed each year.

Q89. In section 2.1.5.2.2 Inquiry Response, how many inquiries are received each month in the following categories?

a. Mail

b. Telephone

c. Email

d. Fax

e. Other

A89. Please see answer to Question 57.

Q90. The OMH materials are currently in off-site storage. Is it the government’s intention that these materials will continue to be housed at this location?

A90. Yes.

Q91. Does the government procure this space directly or is it the intention that the successful contractor shall be required to facilitate this storage and payment?

A91. The costs of storage are the responsibility of the contractor. Please see the answer to Question 21.

Q92. Could you please specify the number of pallets that are stored on average?

A92. Please refer to Section 2.1.5.2.4.

Q93. In section 2.1.6.2.1 Web Site, how many materials requiring Section 508 compliance checks does OMH expect to produce each year? How long are they? How many charts and tables are in each one?

A93. Please see all charts and pages on minorityhealth.hhs.gov.

Q94. In section 2.1.6.2.2 Web Content, for purposes of pricing, please provide an estimate of the number and length of articles, blogs or other postings the contractor will write and edit per month.

A94. Please see examples on minorityhealth.hhs.gov.

Q95. In section 2.1.6.2.9 Mailing Lists, how many email addresses are in each of the mailing lists specified?

A95. The OMHRC mailing lists contain approximately 40,000 addresses.

Q96. In section 2.1.7.2.5 Documentation, does the tracking system mentioned already exist? If so, will it transfer to the contractor? What platform is used (operating system, database, programming language, etc.)?

A96. No.

Q97. Section 2.1.8 Information Technology clearly states that “the contractor shall be responsible for acquisition, configuration, installation, testing, operation and maintenance of the information technology required to carry out this project.” Can the government please provide the complete current configuration plus detailing of what will be transferred to the contractor? It appears that the configuration is intended to support OMH only and therefore, is we correct that all hardware and software purchased in order to meet the governments requirements will be reimbursable under the contact, considered GFE and be provided to the government at contract close-out?

A97. For security reasons the current operational configuration file will not be provided.

This information will be provided to the contract awardee. As stated in the answer to Question 83, all material costs incurred will be reimbursable under the contract and will be considered as GFE and retained by the government at contract closeout.

Q98. The solicitation states that three of the contractor staff will be housed at the OMH government site. Will the government please provide roles for those individuals so the contractor can ensure that government site rates are utilized?

A98. Please see the answer to Question 9.