Attachment 4 - QA_0002.pdf

140A2321R0001 STEP IDIQ

Questions & Answers As of 1/29/2021

Q1: How many of the Tribal Schools (non-BIE) in the attached RFP documents have agreed to be part of STEP? (SOO 1.0, Purpose)

A1: There are 130 Tribally Controlled Schools (TCSs). While TCSs received Secretarial letters about Return to Learn, there has been no formal outreach to them for the implementation of an LMS. Phase I was to identify an enterprise LMS and implement in the 53 BIE-managed schools for School Year 2021-22.

Q2: Will the contractor’s proposal be required to include staffing, software, and equipment for only BIE, all of BIE + some Tribal schools, or all BIE + all Tribal schools? Our pricing cannot be accurate if the total number of schools are not known. (SOO 1.0, Purpose)

A2: The IDIQ proposal only requires pricing for hourly rates for the positions listed in Attachment 1 – IDIQ Pricing. The contractor will be held to these hourly rates on each Task Order (TO) issued; however, a Request for Quote to include a Statement of Work/Performance Work Statement will be issued to the IDIQ holders for each particular project which will result in a TO.

Q3: Is the “enhanced broadband accessibility…” supposed to be provided to BIE students’ homes for when students cannot attend school (e.g., COVID, inclement weather, etc.)? Is the contractor’s proposal supposed to include these costs? (SOO 1.0, Purpose #5)

A3: No. The contractor is not responsible for the broadband capability at the school or students' homes. BIE will identify connectivity issues and opportunities for students if needed.

Q4: Is the “enhanced broadband accessibility for BIE students and staff” intended to only reach to the schools? (SOO 1.0, Purpose #5)

A4: See A3.

Q5: Is the “enhanced broadband accessibility…” supposed to be provided for Tribal schools?

(SOO 1.0, Purpose #5)

A5: See A3.

Q6: Is the “enhanced broadband accessibility…” supposed to be provided to Tribal students’ homes for when students cannot attend school (e.g., COVID, inclement weather, etc.)? Is the contractor’s proposal supposed to include these costs? (SOO 1.0, Purpose #5)

A6: See A3.

Q7: How many Tribal schools will get “standardized technology and hardware”? (SOO 1.0, Purpose #4)

A7: All schools should get standardized infa-structure; however, BOS and TCS may allocate funding differently.

Q8: When is the “Study” mentioned in paragraph 2 to be completed and results available? (SOO 1.0, Purpose #6)

A8: This study should be completed by July 2021. Results will be shared with the IDIQ holder(s) once the Government accepts them.

Q9: Due to COVID and other reasons, can the delivery of “training professional development, and tools” be provided electronically? (SOO 1.0, Purpose #6)

A9: COVID-19 restrictions and broadband capability will have some impact on the delivery vehicle for professional development and the use of the LMS and other tools. All training is preferred via virtual learning and an internet connection. Alternatives should be provided where and if internet connection or virtual learning will not be possible.

LMS training delivery would require an internet connection. Additional information will be available as the individual school capabilities and potential alternatives are identified.

Multiple task orders to support specific needs (virtual, in-person, on-line, paper-based) might be required.

Q10: Since the “exact specifics of each element of the STEP is not yet known”, describe the basis the contractor should use to cost the STEP items in Section 1.0 Purpose? (SOO 2.0, Scope, para 2)

A10: See A2.

Q11: When will the study be complete? (SOO 2.0, Scope, para 2)

A11: See A8.

Q12: “Roughly 12,500 students will need to be setup on the LMS”. Are only BIE schools to be considered in scope or are 43,620 students to be considered in the contractor’s pricing? (SOO 2.0, Scope, para 2)

A12: See A2.

Q13: The 5 LMS under consideration vary widely in the amount of off-the-shelf course content.

While we can easily support any of the 5, please describe how the government wants the contractor to provide accurate costing in its proposal for the differing level of effort that each different LMS will require? (SOO 2.0, Scope, para 2)

A13: See A2.

Q14: Is the contract for the LMS to be between the government and the LMS vendor? Will that contract include any LMS vendor onsite staffing to support rollout? (SOO 2.0, Scope, para 2)

A14: The contract will be between the contractor and the government. The contractor would be responsible for contracting for special needs as defined in a task order. The government expects the quality of the services to be at or above the LMS vendor quality of services. A task order for onsite staffing support during rollout could potentially be with the specific LMS vendor or another contractor with the same level of services available as defined in the task order.

Q15: What deviations are allowed for use and content of the LMS is proposed by the government for SIPI and Haskell which are NOT K12 (different curricula, different grading, etc.)? (SOO 2.0, Scope, para 3)

A15: The deviations for use of the LMS and its content by the post-secondary institutions have not been specifically identified at this time. When the enterprise LMS is selected and an evaluation of the content is completed, the institutions will identify their needs based on the capabilities of the enterprise LMS or other needs and a task order will be let.

Q16: “BIE expects to award multiple firm-fixed price/time and material contracts”. Are these contracts for scope in the SOO? If so, what scope is the contractor expected to bid for this RFP (all scope?) and then re-bid the same work on subsequent “multiple” contracts? It is unclear what the government is looking for in the bid for the IDIQ? (SOO 2.0, Scope, para 3)

A16: At this time the Government is not able to identify specific delivery or quantity of work required to complete the overall project. The broad IDIQ contract is described in the SOO. We are requesting proposals provide a draft Performance Work Statement

(PWS) that meets the overall IDIQ scope. This will allow the Government to assess the contractor’s understanding of the requirement and their plan as to how this project will move forward. The only pricing being requested is under Attachment 1 – IDIQ Pricing.

These prices will carry over to the TOs, but each TO will have a unique Statement of Work (SOW)/PWS provided by the Government based on that requirement.

Q17: Will this initiative go forward without approval of the House Bill to fund it? Will that cause delay? (SOO 2.0, Scope, para 3)

A17: This initiative is moving forward and there is no anticipated delay in implementation due to lack of funds.

Q18: Many students that attend the 189 schools do not have running water, electricity, cellphone, or a computer at home? Worse yet, some of these students do not have daily transportation to be in range of wireless broadband. What is the government’s plan for these students to access the LMS? (SOO 4.0, Background, para 2, 3, & 5)

A18: This is outside the scope of the contractor and was provided for information only.

Q19: What amount of bandwidth per student does the government plan for at the endpoint?

(SOO 4.0, Infrastructure/Connectivity)

A19: At schools on ENAN, the plan is for 10M per student to begin later in 2021.

Q20: What security (NIST 800, etc.) requirements will the government impose for LMS, student, and staff traffic on Kan-REN or equivalents? What role will the BIE network play in this type architecture? (SOO 4.0, Infrastructure/Connectivity)

A20: At this time, we do not anticipate holding off-network student networks to the same level of compliance as federal business networks; however, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or Department of the Interior can reset expectations at any time in response to emerging threat landscapes. As such, OIMT highly recommends that stakeholders involved with student networks aspire to implement their environments, to the greatest extent possible, in accordance with the guidance provided by NIST Special Publication 800-53 (as revised) for a Moderate impact system.

Q21: If Kan-REN (or equivalent) is used as part of the architecture, will staff and teachers be allowed to access and use it without PIV cards? (SOO 4.0, Infrastructure/Connectivity)

A21: Kan-REN is not a federal network, so 2-factor authentications would be at the decision of the school/Kan-REN management. PIV Cards are not being issued to students. Access to these types of networks should be limited to those employees that have a need. Students, Teachers, but not Office staff.

Q22: If Kan-REN (or equivalent) is used as part of the architecture, will staff and teachers be allowed to access it (gateway?) from the BIE network and BIE computers (other than via web only)? (SOO 4.0, Infrastructure/Connectivity)

A22: Kan-REN is required to be an entirely separate network, with no bridge connection to the BIE Network.

Q23: If Kan-REN (or equivalent) is used as part of the architecture, will staff and teacher workstations (at the schools) be moved to the Kan-REN (or equivalent) network from BIE’s network? (SOO 4.0, Infrastructure/Connectivity)

A23: Kan-REN, being a non-federal network, if only authorized for use for student use.

Staff equipment will not be moved, Teachers may need a VPN solution to move to Kan- REN or have a secondary laptop, their official laptop should reside on the BIE Network.

Q24: Has the government compared CCRS to the various curricula mandated by the laws in 22 different states? If so, what were the results? (SOO 4.0, Standards)

A24: The government did an evaluation of the states and our analysis shows that states took Common Core standards and basically made them CCRS. There is no significant difference between the states and CCRS standards that should cause any additional requirements.

Q25: How many teachers, staff, and administrators are involved (BIE and BIE+Tribal)? (SOO 5.0, Objective 1, #1)

A25: The BOS has approximately 1,000 teachers, staff, and administrators. The number for TCS is unknown at this time.

Q26: How many students are involved in this objective; 12,500 or 43,620? (SOO 5.0, Objective 1, #2)

A26: This IDIQ is based on a phased approach. The initial implementation of an enterprise LMS is for the 53 BIE-managed schools and approximately 12,500 students.

The contractor should take into account both the initial Phase I and then the subsequent other 130 schools and over 46,000 students that will be offered to be a part of this program.

Q27: Does this mean an onsite IT assessment of the 189 schools? (SOO 5.0, Objective 2, #2)

A27: We need stand up of support within the BIE to support IT. Currently BOS schools only have about 16 dedicated staff. Not all BOS or TCS have an IT support.

Q28: How will the authority to discuss these items be given to the contractor? Will the costs of improving broadband be in this IDIQ or in follow-on contracts? Will BIE or the Tribes be responsible for future costs? (SOO 5.0, Objective 2, #7)

A28: This contract is not for the assessment of the schools’ IT capabilities. That information will be provided in subsequent task orders by the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) for this IDIQ. The authority to discuss any items with other contractors or the schools will be coordinated and provided by the COR.

Q29: Who will negotiate and who will pay for right-of-way costs that may be incurred; BIE or Tribal? (SOO 5.0, Objective 2, #7)

A29: Any agreed upon approach where right-of-way issues arise will be negotiated by the BIE and a task order let to provide for the implementation of the approach. The costing of that task order would include the costs associated with any right-of-way issues.

Q30: So far, many BIE schools resisted standardization because of preference or because of very recent investments in equipment (servers, networking gear, workstations, printers, etc.). Tribal schools have done their own thing. How will BIE handle the enforcement of equipment standards within BIE and across Tribal? Will BIE authorize/enforce equipment standards & future purchases for equipment (including Tribal)? (SOO 5.0, Objective 2, #3)

A30: The BIE will be identifying and defining the technology infrastructure standards, policies and procedures for the requirements of the schools with the flexibility for enhancements or add-ons based on the specific schools’ circumstances. All deviations or enhancement requests will be submitted to the BIE for approval.

Q31: Does the government intend this standardization to require the replacement of all existing equipment at the schools (full or partial replacement) for 2021-2022? What is the government’s plan for deployment of “standardized” equipment so the contractor can propose the proper LOE to support deployment? (SOO 5.0, Objective 2, #3)

A31: BOS schools recently purchased laptops and jetpacks. We do not have a plan to repurchase equipment.

Q32: IT support at BIE schools varies widely. Will the contractor’s proposed IT support supersede and replace ALL existing support at the schools? (SOO 5.0, Objective 2, #6)

A32: The BIE is defining their on-site IT support needs in the BIE-managed schools and already has a contract in place to provide IT support remotely. Proposals should address the contractor support for the LMS only.

Q33: To what extent will the ERCs be involved with curricula development? Many ERCs are insufficiently manned. Which part of BIE will be in charge of curricula content and have the final approval? (SOO 5.0, Objective 1, #1)

A33: The Educational Resource Centers house Educational Specialists that support the teachers. After extensive curricula audit, instructional audit, and on-going PD across all BOS will we get to a practice of Backward Planning and Curricula scope and framework for our BOS K-12 schools.

Q34: If a Tribal school objects to the accomplishment of any objective in whole or part at any time during the period of performance, how will the contractor be held liable? What steps will BIE take to assist the contractor? (SOO 5.0, Objectives, General)

A34: The contractor will not be held liabile if a TCS does not comply. TCS are included on a voluntary basis.

Q35: What is Greenbrook and where can we get specific information in order to accurately propose? (SOO 5.0, Objective 6, #6)

A35: Greenbook is the congressional budget document that is used to fund the organization as a whole. This will be changed in the SOO to read, “Coordination and development of comprehensive funding/budget plan to support fiscal management.”

Q36: Is the budget scope to include LMS only or are other school costs to be included? (SOO 5.0, Objective 6, #8)

A36: The IDIQ is focused on the LMS; however, the budget scope is not a deliverable for this proposal.

Q37: BIE/BIA has recently awarded contracts for building surveys and assessments in regard to AHERA, LEED, and other recurring requirements that include school floorplans and associated schematics. Does this RFP require this work to be duplicated or can BIA simply provide this data to the contractor? (SOO 5.0, Objective 6, #10)

A37: BIA can provide the contractor with the referenced data when needed.

Q38: Specifically, what equipment is included in “technology property”? For example, does that include telephone handsets, cellphones, projectors, etc.? (SOO 5.0, Objective 6, #12)

A38: This will be a comprehensive list including End of Life dates.

Q39: Is the LMS to be the only method of course content delivery for 2021-2022 or after COVID will the students return to classrooms and no longer use the LMS? Is there some sort of hybrid classroom vs. LMS plan in the future (even if the teachers no longer teach but simply administer the LMS)? (SOO 5.0, Objective 6, #7)

A39: The LMS will be implemented in School Year 2021-2022 as the standard for course content delivery and school administration but there will be a transition period from current content delivery to the LMS. The LMS will be the standard for the enterprise going forward and in out-years regardless of whether learning is brick and mortar, hybrid, or distance learning.

Q40: Is it correct to assume the government’s intent for the contracts for broadband will be between the provider and BIE rather than with the provider and the contractor? (SOO 5.0, Objective 2, #7)

A40: Correct.

Q41: There are considerable cost and timeline challenges of getting rural broadband to remote reservation homes in order to provide the LMS content. Will this contract be providing the funding for these infrastructure requirements at the designated BIE school student homes? (SOO, Objective 2, #7/Objective 4/Objective 6, #13)

A41: The contractor is only responsible for infrastructure requirements at the schools.

Q42: How does the government envision a standardized curriculum? By area, across all BIE schools? Since curriculum and LMS are distinct products, what is the vision here? (SOO, Objective 1)

A42: Key to the LMS is flexibility. BOS are great at interfacing with ‘programs’ and referring to those ‘programs’ as curriculum. The key area of support should be with core curricla (math, reading/language arts, science,) with flexibility to address other areas like AP. Post Secondary institutions are looking for specifics based on content, not necessarily age and grade specific as with K-12 programs. We want to ensure that we can interface with content platforms that interface with both the LMS and SIS.

Q43: Deliverable 1 is a performance work statement; however, Attachment 3 indicates a draft PWS is to be included as part of the proposal. Is Deliverable 1 to be the final PWS? (SOO, Deliverable 1)

A43: Correct, a draft PWS is to be included as part of the proposal. The Government will work with the awardee(s) to finalize the PWS upon contract award.

Q44: The SF 1449 indicates this is a 100% set aside; however, none of the boxes are checked.

Will this form be updated, or is the 100% set aside only in relation to the NAICS code and size standard? (SF1449)

A44: The SF1449 doesn’t include an IEE set-aside. The NAICS and Size Standard under Box 10 apply. Please see Box 20 on page 1. It specifies this action is set aside for IEEs.

Q45: Is there a dollar value for the NTE that BIE wants the contractor to use in budgeting?

(SF1449)

A45: Please see para A.3 of the solicitation.

Q46: Could the government please provide a description of the task order solicitation process it will put into place once the IDIQ contracts are awarded? (SF1449 G.4.) For example:

a. Will task orders be for single year or multi year periods of performance?

b. Will task orders be single type or multiple, as in will a task order just contain a request for TA or could it also contain a request for broadband?

c. Single unit or multi-unit—all schools in an area, one school at a time?

d. What is the expected coverage/work in Alaska?

A46: See para A.4 of the solicitation.

- Each TO will be different and could be for a short time or may have a base year plus options.

- TOs will be within the scope of the IDIQ.

- It will depend on the requirement. Each TO will have a SOW/PWS associated. The individual requirements are not written yet, so not sure how they will be broken out.

- Since there are no BOS in Alaska, the expected coverage is not known at this time.

Q47: The general ordering procedures are laid out as minimum stated amounts. What are the expected minimum stated amounts and what are the maximums that BIE is expecting at any given time? (SF1449, G.4)

A47: See A.3 of the solicitation.

Q48: Could the government please provide a description of the task order selection process it will put into place once the IDIQ contracts are awarded? (SF1449, G.4)

A48: See A46.

Q49: The solicitation states, “This includes the identification and qualification of key personnel via submission of a current resume, program management approach to ensure milestones are met, and a staffing plan for the proposed labor categories.” (SF1449, Section L.2 Factor 2) Could the government please clarify whether it considers any specific positions to be Key Personnel? Could the government please clarify whether résumés will be allowed to be excluded from the page limitation for the management approach section?

A49: Key personnel would include the Program PM, IT PM, and the Education PM.

Resumes will be excluded from the page limitation.

Q50: Will offerors be allowed to bring on additional partners at a later date? If so, what is the process to do so? (SF1449 Section L.2 Factor 2)

A50: Since we evaluate contractor’s past performance and management approach based on their proposed partnership or JV, those must be solidified with their proposal. It cannot be changed after the proposal due date.

Q51: Could the government please clarify whether there is a minimum or maximum number of references offers shall provide within this section? (SF1449, Section L.2 Factor 3)

A51: There is no minimum. The maximum is 10 as each past performance record cannot exceed one page and each one has to be on their own page.

Q52: Given the broad diversity of services required for the full implementation of this contract, how will BIE evaluate and determine the basis of award? (SF1449 Section M)

A52: Please refer to Sections L and M of the solicitation.

Q53: I am not understanding if you have already selected an LMS?

A53: No, we did not select an LMS. Please see the SOO, 2.0.

Q54: Where can we find the scope and specifications of the contract on LMS and Curriculum?

A54: There hasn’t been an LMS chosen, so no specifications at this time. Each school has chosen ‘programs’, not necessarily curricula frameworks to interface with their LMS for SY 20-21.

Q55: How many students/teachers can login at the same time (concurrently)?

A55: This is all relative to the location of the school and the strength of consistent bandwidth in the community. If this is a license question that should be defined (i.e.

named, concurrent, entitlement, pool) (https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/different-software-license-models-in-cloud-computing/)

Q56: Are BIE teachers creating curriculum or are you purchasing state aligned courses and have BIE teachers individual and customize the courses?

A56: Schools have purchased ‘programs’ not aligned or developed curricula. Ex:

Pearson or Houghton-Mifflin.

Q57: Can the question period be extended by a week?

A57: The proposal due date has been extended to February 9, but the Q&A will not be extended unless a rationale can be provided that shows it is necessary.

Q58: Does this implementation include recommendations for infrastructure or working with BIE to install necessary equipment?

A58: This should be identified in the IDIQ on a case by case basis, so yes, however the standardization will not all happen at the same time.