LMS_Question List and Government Responses_01082025.pdf

1.Compliance with NIST SP 800-53:

If a vendor has already applied for compliance with "NIST SP 800-53" through the NIST process but is awaiting approval (which typically takes 2-3 months), would the vendor still be eligible to submit a quote for this bid?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: As per the SOW requirement, it is required that the vendor follow the guidance and recommendations that are described in NIST SP 800-53 at time of contract award.

2. The NAICS Code posted in the re-released solicitation is 513210, which is limited to Software manufacturers only. Therefore, limiting the ability of government distributors and resellers of software manufacturers to respond to the solicitation. Is there an opportunity to expand the NAICS Code for this solicitation to reach more categories of small businesses that are Government providers but not Software Manufacturers?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: The NAICS code has always been 513210 since the original posting of the solicitation. At this time, it is not determined to be in the best interest of the Government to change the NAICS code.

3. Can you provide an overview of your technical environment, including current systems and software?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: We use Microsoft Office products including Teams and some use of Apple products as well.

4. When do you plan to decide on the LMS vendor?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: As soon as all technical evaluations are complete. The anticipated period of performance is February 2025 through February 2026.

5. What is your target date for having the new LMS live and accessible to users?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: The system should be accessible to users within 3 weeks of launch.

6. Who will be using the LMS? (Students, Internal employees, external users, etc.)

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: The users will be Baldrige examiners, who are volunteers and are external to the federal government.

7. Is the LMS intended solely for internal use, or will it be accessible to a broader audience?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: The users will be Baldrige examiners, who are volunteers and are external to the federal government.

8. What systems do you currently use for HRIS, performance management, ATS, etc.? Please provide the names of these systems.

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: We do not have an HRIS or ATS.

9. What are your essential integration needs for the LMS?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: Our agency uses OKTA for authentication. We have eventual needs for e-commerce applications.

10. What is your plan for launching the LMS?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: We plan to use the first month to set the system up, including branding and configuring the space. The second month we will begin to add our content and test. The third month we will go live with users.

11. Who will be responsible for ensuring the LMS is properly implemented? Do you have a dedicated LMS Administrator?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: We have a dedicated system administrator(s) who will work with the vendor team to ensure the system is configured properly.

12. How many team members will be involved in creating content, and do you have a designated administrator?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: Two staff create and upload content-both will serve as system administrators.

13. Is pre-built content important to you? If so, what topics are you interested in?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: No.

14. Who will be responsible for creating company-specific content?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: Two staff fill this role.

15. How many years of historical data need to be migrated? How many courses need to be migrated from your current system on average?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: No migration necessary.

16. Who will be in charge of the LMS implementation on your team?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: There are two principal admins who are Baldrige staff and will be in charge of implementation.

17. How many team members are dedicated to this project?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: Two.

18. Will the LMS be managed by the HR or Operations team? Who will be the system owner?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: No. Baldrige Staff will manage this system. The system owner will be the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program will be the system owner.

19. What are your main goals for the LMS platform?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: Our main goals are to train/test our 300+ Baldrige examiners on the Award Process.

20. Why are you looking to change your LMS now?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: Our contract with the previous vendor ended.

21. What are the top three issues you currently face that we can help address?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: We state our needs in the requirements listed in the SOW.

22. What external authoring tools are you using currently?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: We currently use RISE, Articulate Storyline, and Camtasia.

23. What has been your experience with these tools?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: The two principal admins have extensive experience with multiple LMS products.

24. Are there any language requirements for the content?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: No.

25.Are you currently using an LMS? If so, who is the vendor?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: The Government is not currently using an LMS. There is not an incumbent for the services as defined in this solicitation, however, there was a previous contractor providing a similar, related service, Four, LLC, 2303 DULLES STATION BLVD, SUITE

105, HERNDON VA 20171.

26. What tools do you use for communication? (e.g., Slack, Teams, email)

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: Microsoft Office Suite and Teams.

27. Do you have a document management system like SharePoint? Where do you store important documents and SOPs?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: Yes. SharePoint.

28. Are all employees on-site, or do you have a hybrid work model?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: Currently, all users are remote.

29. What is your current onboarding process for new hires and is the onboarding training something you want to incorporate in your LMS as a part of onboarding?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: We are not interested in onboarding for hiring as a requirement at this time.

30. Do you have any coaching or mentorship programs as part of your learning initiatives?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: Our requirements are listed in the SOW. We will be training and testing examiners on the Baldrige Award Process.

31. HRIS (Payroll) Integration: Do you plan to connect your existing HRIS (Payroll) system or any other software to the Absorb LMS?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: NO.

32. How many students are currently enrolled in the program?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: We anticipate under 500 learners in the system.

33. What specific aspects or features would you like to learn more about?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: We state our needs in the requirements listed in the SOW.

35. What solutions are you currently using (e.g., Student Information System (SIS), LMS, etc.)?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: The Government is not currently using an LMS.

36. Who is involved in the decision-making process for this project?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: There are two principal admins who are Baldrige staff and will responsible for review of technical proposals.

37. What is the total user population that you are looking for as related to the licenses?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: We anticipate under 500 learners.

38. What is your budget for this LMS project?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: The contractor shall provide a firm fixed price for the services specified in the SOW and does not have a budget to share.

39. Are you looking for a combined firmed fixed price bid, or would you like to see the breakdown between licenses, project roles, training, etc? If I missed a separate spreadsheet for pricing format let me know.

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: A separate spreadsheet for pricing was not included. Per the quotation preparation instructions, Volume 2, Price Quotation- The Offeror shall propose a firm-fixed-price for all Line Items on the SF1449. Additionally, the contractor shall provide a separate EXCEL spreadsheet that itemizes all associated costs and discounts to derive at the firm fixed price. The Government’s expectation is that on the SF1449, page 3 of 47, the offeror shall provide a total price for CLIN 0001 and CLIN 0002, however an EXCEL spreadsheet should be provided that provides a breakdown of all items and associated cost to demonstrate how the total cost was determined for CLIN 0001 and CLIN 0002.

40. The amendments for the referenced solicitation are not provided in SAM.gov. Please provide a copy for review and compliance.

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: On November 29, 2024, this solicitation was canceled. This cancelation applied to all actions up to Amendment #3. The solicitation was re-issued with Amendment #4 which included a revised scope of work. All amendments and related documentation prior to Amendment #4 are no longer applicable and not being considered.

41. We wanted to reach out about our submission for this RFP, we see there were some amendments in SAM.gov late last month. Are you requiring all potential bidders to resubmit their bid again?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: On November 29, 2024, this solicitation was canceled. This cancelation applied to all actions up to Amendment #3. The solicitation was re-issued with Amendment #4 which included a revised scope of work. All amendments and related documentation prior to Amendment #4 are no longer applicable and not being considered.

All interested vendors shall resubmit their bid again.

42. This mail is to clarify that there are no "submission instructions/details" in this RFP.

Can you please update the same in further amendments or could you answer for more Understanding.

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: The solicitation has been amended to include the following instructions, “All quotations pertaining to this solicitation shall be sent to the Contract Specialist/Contracting Officer, Monica H. Brown at Monica.Brown@nist.gov no later than close of business, Friday, January 17, 2025. The subject line shall include:

1333ND25QNB450016, Learning Management System for BPEP”.

43. Do you have a need for a virtual instructor-led training tool? If so, could you share more about the specific requirements or challenges you're looking to address?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: The requirements listed include the need for virtual ILT classrooms. We use Microsoft Teams as our virtual conferencing platform.

44. Are you currently using any conferencing tools? If yes, which ones, and how do they align with your needs?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: Yes, we currently use Microsoft Teams.

45. Is using a FedRAMP-authorized platform a requirement for your organization?

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: We do not require a FedRAMP-authorized platform currently. In the future, we may need to migrate to a FedRAMP-authorized instance.