QA_Final_0002.pdf

Questions & Answers for 140A1622Q0010, Technical Assistance Program (TAP) for AS-IA OIED

1. Is this a new requirement or a follow-on to an existing contract?

A: This is a new requirement.

2. The original Statement of Work (SOW) referenced an Appendix A, which was not posted to SAM with the solicitation… A: Amendment 0001 was posted 12/10/2021 with a corrected/updated SOW.

3. How will proposals be evaluated and scored?

A: 52.212-2 -- Evaluation-Commercial Items (Oct 2014)

(a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

1. Technical Solution/Capability (proposed FTE qualifications)

2. Pricing

3. Past Performance

Technical and Past Performance, when combined, are significantly more important than price.

4. Will this be an Indefinite Quantity – Indefinite Delivery (IDIQ) contract?

A: The Government reserves the right to make an award utilizing the most advantageous acquisition vehicle available at the time of award. However, an IDIQ is NOT anticipated to be the acquisition vehicle for this requirement.

5. Is the BIA going to provide a Performance Work Statement (PWS) for the first task order under this IDIQ before the solicitation deadline? If not, is BIA going to use the post-award conference/kick-off meeting as the first task order?

A: The Government does not anticipate providing a PWS for a separate order, the updated SOW provided via Amendment 0001 is the sole description of work available.

6. Will any positions be staffed full-time at the DOI AS-IA OIED offices in Washington DC?

A: OIED expectations are that all contractual positions will be fully remote. OIED has no office space for this contract.

7. Does BIA want pricing for all seven task areas as if each one is an FTE?

A: Each interested contractor is responsible for pricing their own quote as they deem best to fulfill the requirements of the SOW.

8. Can one FTE cover multiple task areas if they are qualified to do so?

A: Each interested contractor is responsible for preparing their own technical solution as they deem best to fulfill the requirements of the SOW.

9. What labor categories are anticipated under the contemplated contract? How many annual labor hours are anticipated for each labor category?

A: Each interested contractor is responsible for preparing their own technical solution (including proposed labor categories and hours) as they deem best to fulfill the requirements of the SOW.

10. Does the Service Contract Act apply to this contract?

A: No

11. Is the Project Manager position required to be full-time on-site and is it a fully funded position?

A: OIED expects that the proposal will include a fulltime REMOTE Project Manager position within the proposed budget. There is no OIED Washington DC office space to accommodate staff for this contract.

12. Will the Government ask the contractors to provide a staffing plan?

A: Each interested contractor is responsible for preparing their own technical solution as they deem best to fulfill the requirements of the SOW.

13. Are there page limitations for any of the three volumes?

A: No

14. Could the government be more specific on how they would like pricing to be submitted?

A: Please submit pricing for labor and ODCs separately, with a detailed breakdown for each. In addition, please specify if your labor solution is Firm Fixed Price or Time and Materials.

15. Which volume do we submit the completed FAR Provisions and Reps & Certs with or are they a separate attachment?

A: Separate attachment

16. Could you provide more information on how Past Performance is evaluated? Is it a confidence assessment? Will previous relevant contracts for BIA be rated more favorably?

A: Past performance will be evaluated for each interested party individually, with recent and relevant contracts (regardless of agency) weighted more importantly. Initial review will be Pass/Fail, with any graded “Fail” excluded for award consideration.

17. Are resumes required? If so which positions? Is there specific information/format you want for each resume? If so, please identify A: If applicants have specific individuals in mind for positions, please include the resumes.

Resumes are not required but will be accepted as part of the technical submission.

18. What is considered similar size contracts? Can the government specify a contract size or provide expected grant volumes to be supported by this contract?

A: Similar size is based on level of effort required to satisfy the SOW, not dollar value.

19. Does subcontractor past performance qualify for submission under this RFP?

A: All relevant past performance information will be considered.

20. Will the government be providing an attachment to complete our past performance entries or are we to create our own? If we create our own is there specific information we are to include for each contract? Are there a minimum or maximum number of projects we submit?

A: Provide your own custom list with whatever information you deem relevant. There is no limit to the number of projects submitted, but only recent and relevant will be evaluated for this requirement.

21. Bullet 1 indicates Remote Work is authorized. Could the government provide a breakdown as to which positions are required to be performed on-site at DOI ASIA OIED and which are eligible for remote?

A: All positions should be designed for remote work. There is no OIED office space designated for this contract.

22. Would the government provide a list of current IT systems, software and hardware that will be supported in the delivery of services?

A: This information is not necessary for proposal submission. Contractors should include any hardware or software needs within their proposal. Typical software that is used includes, but is not limited to, Microsoft Office and Adobe.

23. What grant management software solutions are currently being utilized in the five grant programs?

A: Grant Solutions is utilized for all grants. No other grant system is currently being utilized, but contractors will not need access.

24. Although the place of performance is at the DOI on C St NW, Washington, DC, where are the IT systems that require backup and recovery physically located - in DC or ABQ?

A: Indian Affairs has offices both in DC and ABQ locations with IT offices and IT staff.

25. What legacy grant training and grant data for the five grant programs is available to the contractor to use in the development of the Technical Assistance program?

A: Our Grants Management staff will be able to provide access to grants management information dating back from 2015. OIED has never provided group pre-application training, so the contractor will need to be flexible that OIED is setting up this TA program for the first time.

26. Will the Agency be conducting tribal consultations for tribal input into the Technical Assistance development?

A: No tribal consultation is planned as this is a pilot.

27. The SOW references that Tribes, tribal organizations, and NHOs are customers. Are ANCs also included in this group? If so, will Technical Assistance trainings and workshops also be conducted in Alaska? How many will be conducted per year and for which grant programs?

A: Yes. ANCs are also included as customers. Given the current pandemic situation, virtual trainings should be planned for all efforts. If an applicant proposes to provide on-site training, the approach should be included in the proposal.

28. The SOW references that an annual Tourism in-person grantee meeting will be held. Will any of the other four grant TA areas also have annual in-person meetings?

A: No. The current contract is not intended to provide conference support for other OIED grants.

29. How many pre-application trainings for each of the four OIED grant programs per zone are to be done per year? Will they all be done virtually?

A: OIED expects no more than two training per grant program. Zone trainings can be determined based on need. Given that virtual trainings are possible, specific zone trainings may not be necessary. The trainings could potentially be recorded and posted on our OIED website as a resource for those not in attendance.

30. How many Business Plan trainings per zone are to be done per year? Will they all be done virtually?

A: OIED expects at least two Business Plan trainings per year. At this time, all training will be virtual. If in-person training once again becomes possible/reasonable, we can re-assess plans.

31. How many TA hours are expected per grantee for Sustainability training for how many grantees?

A: OIED expects that overall sustainability training would be provided in groups. It is difficult to determine number of hours for individual TA without having a baseline for comparison. This is OIED’s first T & TA program. We’ll be able to more accurately determine details of this nature after the first year of implementation. The selected contractor will need to be flexible with implementation and guidance during this TA pilot implementation.

32. How many people are expected to attend the annual Tourism grantee meeting in-person? Is there a city and month selected for the next meeting? How many attendees are expected virtually? Is the contractor to budget for all logistical ODCs including meeting room, a/v, online registration, and meeting material packet?

A: There are 18 current tribal tourism grantees. This first year should plan to be a virtual training as OIED has not included travel funds for the grantees. Therefore, meeting room and logistics are not required this first year. Virtual plans should include participation by 100+ individuals since this first meeting will be virtual. OIED does expect that the contractor will fulfill the registration and planning, which applicants should outline within their proposals. The virtual training should be planned for Summer, 2022. Date has not yet been determined.

33. Under the General description, we note that Five grant programs are mentioned; under the Scope of Work, Four OIED grant programs are mentioned. Will the government clarify the correct number of grant programs being offered by the Division of Economic Development?

A: OIED has a Broadband grant that has not yet been determined to be announced. There are four grant announcements planned (Tribal Tourism, Indian Business Incubator, Living Languages and NABDI). Should OIED decide to post Broadband, there would be 5 grant programs.

34. We note that NHO’s are eligible to apply for the grant programs. Are they eligible to submit a quote/proposal for the Technical Assistance Pilot?

A: Yes, they are eligible to provide a quote – but if they are the awardee there may be conflict of interest issues that have to be resolved prior to performance beginning.

35. Will the government provide a list of current grantees as mentioned in the Scope of Work?

A: A list of grantees may be provided to the awardee, but not to interested parties pre-award.

36. Will the government provide details on the annual Tourism grantee meeting? Is there a specific location preferred for the in-person meeting?

A: OIED would prefer a virtual training due to the current pandemic. No plans are needed this first year for an in-person grantee meeting. Applicants should include plans for facilitating a virtual tourism grantee meeting. See response in #32.

37. With respect to the Tourism grantee meeting, how will the travel arrangements take place? Is the contractor responsible for the travel arrangements? If yes, how will the costs be reimbursed? Is the government expecting estimated costs included with the Quote/Proposal?

A: OIED is not anticipating/planning an in-person tourism training this first year, so no travel arrangements are necessary. Estimated costs for a virtual training must be included/outlined within the proposal.

38. Under Government Furnished Property/Information, there is reference to remote offices in the first sentence, first paragraph. Can the government clarify the definition of “remote offices” as stated?

A: If an applicant wishes to include a remote office space for their staff, the costs most be included within the proposal. There are no expectations for office space for this contract.

39. Under Requirements, subset Financial Management, it appears that tasks are missing for the first bullet. Can the government provide more details?

A: There are no tasks missing from the list. Applicants should follow the instructions and include this information within their proposal.

1.1.1 Financial Management:

Perform budgeting documentation, resource assessment, and financial reporting. Supports preparation of reports, budgets, and project schedules. Services shall include but not be limited to the following contractor-performed tasks:

Performs complex evaluations of existing procedures, processes, techniques, and/or systems related to office management problems or contractual issues, which would require a report and recommend solutions.

40. Travel requirements are indicated; does this include travel to the Reservations? If so, will TERO regulations require compliance? Will there be advance notice in order for the contractor to apply for TERO prior to travel? Will the government reimburse the contractor for TERO costs? Is the contractor responsible for offering employment to tribal members that may be qualified for duty such as IT administration at the local level?

A: As of now, OIED travel is still restricted due to the pandemic. All technical assistance is expected to be provided virtually. Although travel to an individual grantee may be requested, this scenario should be the exception, not the standard, and will be assessed upon the request.

Applicants should only include virtual TA in their proposal for now. Should grantees express a need for in-person TA, future contractual considerations will need to be developed, as virtual approaches are intended for this first year. Applicants are responsible for designing their proposal and identifying staff for positions.

41. What application is currently being used for scanning, storage, and retention policy?

A: Indian Affairs currently uses One Drive for document maintenance. Grant Solutions is the only system currently utilized for electronic grants record retention.

42. How are the IT systems managed? Are there liaisons located at the mentioned regional offices, that communicate with the main element located in DC?

A: Since the contractor will be responsible for their own IT system, no government IT information is necessary for proposal submission.

43. What backup & disaster recovery solution is currently in place?

A: Grant Solutions is a virtual grants management system. Applicants can outline their own backup and disaster recovery system for their own documents.

44. What is the interconnectivity between the OIED Grants Zones and their facilities?

A: All OIED grant efforts are managed virtually by remote federal staff. Therefore, there are no facilities used by our grants Division within the zones. The applicant selected for the contract will be provided additional information on our office design and implementation.

45. What consideration has been given to cloud solutions (i.e. Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, etc.) for backup and disaster recovery?

A: The applicants can define their own backup and disaster recovery system.

46. What are the core applications needing to be maintained (Active Directory, Public Key Infrastructure, email, print, file-storage, database applications)?

A: The applicant selected for the contract will be provided this information.

47. What are the current LCR, security IPS/IDS systems?

A: These systems are maintained by IT and are not available for public description at this time.

Laptops utilized by contractual staff will be maintained and supported by Indian Affairs IT.

48. Are there any specialized systems or skills needed (like AV control systems)?

A: No.

49. How many locations (for physical support, virtual support, or hybrid physical-virtual)?

A: All technical assistance is anticipated for virtual support. Should grantees or applicants request in-person support, the request would need to be considered individually with OIED.

50. How many users need support?

A: There are 576 federally recognized tribes, and a large number of tribal organizations and Native Hawaiian Organizations. Group technical assistance will be offered with individual virtual follow up offered. Given that this is OIED’s first TA program, there is no baseline of support.

Applicants should prepare to be flexible in their TA delivery.

51. How many locations/facilities need to be covered for IT support?

A: Applicants need to define how they will virtually and remotely deliver TA support. There are no physical locations requiring IT support. IT for this contract should be included in the proposal.

52. Is there an opportunity prior to the deadline to conduct an onsite survey?

A: No. There is no onsite location. All our Grants Management team are remote employees.

53. Are third-party applications maintained by the vendor or will be the systems administrator's responsibility?

A: Technical assistance will be provided to applicants wishing to apply for grants, but final applications are submitted by applicants through grants.gov and will be maintained by OIED.

54. Will the government allow the time needed to process background checks and fulfil the security requirements as necessary upon award? Or is the expectation that staff should already hold the clearances necessary upon award to perform the work?

A: OIED understands that background checks will need to be performed as a part of bringing on staff but expect there should not be a delay longer than 45 days.

55. What level of security clearance will be required?

A: Contractors will not need access to any government system; therefore, security clearance is not needed.