Amendment_0003_Q_A__Consolidation_Sections_0003.pdf

RFP No. 140D0423R0002: FCHS2 Section J Attachment 9‐Question and Answer Template

A B C D E F G

Question # Document Section or Paragraph # Page Number Question Answer RFP

Change

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Section B.4 Minimum and Maximum

Thresholds, Section I.5 FAR 52.216- 19 Order Limitation (OCT 1995)

B-2, I-14 Offeror requests clarification that minimum value should be $15,000.00. This has been revised to reflect $10,000.00. Section I.5

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 G.7 Failure to Submit Quotes and/or Sub-Contract Prime

G-5

According to G.7 Failure to Submit Quotes and/or Sub-Contract Prime, the offeror is to submit a Small Business Participation Commitment Document (SBPCD) which the government will review to determine if the small business goals established are being met.

Will the government please provide the Small Business Participation Commitment Document (SBPCD) template?

The SBPCD has been provided under Amendment 0003. Attachment J 0

FCHS2 Section I - CONTRACT CLAUSES

ATTACHMENT

Pg. 2 of Table

I-2

The Clauses reference Rights in Data -General 52.227-14, in addition to 52.227-14 /ALT I - V. FAR 27.409 states that, "Generally, a contract should contain only one data rights clause.” Will the Government please indicate which of the six Data Rights clauses apply to this RFP?

Data Right clause(s) have been updated accordingly Section I.1

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002.pdf Section I - Contract Clauses

I-1

Pursuant to FAR 27.409(i) and 27.405(a), deliverables required hereunder are not considered Special Works. Would the government consider deleting FAR Clause 52.227-17, Rights in Data-Special Work (Dec 2007)?

Data Right clause(s) have been updated accordingly Section I.1

To ensure flexibility is built into the vehicle to allow for rapid adoption of innovation, and given cloud services are considered commercial items, we recommend the government include the following clauses from FAR Part 12 to allow for rapid acquisition of stand-alone purely commercial offerings:

Noted.

- FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offers for Commercial Items This is most appropriate at the task order level

- FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation of Commercial Items This is most appropriate at the task order level

- FAR 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications—Commercial Items

This provision is at Section K.11

- FAR 52.212-4 Terms and Conditions Commercial Items This clause is in the table under Section I.1

- FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders—Commercial Items

This clause is at Section I.3

FCHS2_Section_J_Attachment_06_Day_One _OCIO_GeoPlatform_Amd0002_0002 FCHS2_Section_J_Attachment_07_Day_One _USDA_DISC_Amd0002_0002

Section 4. INSTRUCTIONS TO

OFFERORS J09-50,

D39

Proposal preparation instruction states, "Spacing before and after the line shall be no less than 3 point."

Will the government please confirm the spacing before and after each PARAGRAPH, not line, shall be no less than 3 point?

No less than single spaced. Day 1 Use Cases

Section J, Attachment 05; Section J, Attachment 06; Section J, Attachment 07

J.05-26; D-39; J-09-50 4.2.1(d);

Page limitations

Reference states, spacing before and after the LINE shall be no less than 3 point. This is different from MS Word defaults. Please confirm that the spacing before and after each PARAGRAPH shall be no less than 3 pt.

No less than single spaced. Day 1 Use Cases

FCHS2_Section_J_Attachment_06_Day_One _OCIO_GeoPlatform_Amd0002_0002 FCHS2_Section_J_Attachment_07_Day_One _USDA_DISC_Amd0002_0002

SECTION 4. INSTRUCTIONS TO

OFFERORS

J09-50, D39, J-05 26

In SECTION 4. Instructions to Offeror:

DISC requirements: Unless stated otherwise, all offer pages shall be single-spaced, with a font no less than 12 points for text and no less than 10 points for tables and graphics.

GEO requirements: Unless stated otherwise, all offer pages shall be single-spaced, with a font no less than 11 points for text and no less than 10 points for tables and graphics.

EUMS requirements: Unless stated otherwise, all quote pages shall be single-spaced, with a font no less than 11 points for text and no less than 10 points for tables and graphics;

Will the government please confirm that a consistent 11 pt. font for text and 10 pt. font for tables and graphics is acceptable for all three Task Orders?

All Day 1 Use Cases should read font no less than 11 points for text and no less than 10 point for tables and graphics.

Day 1 Use Cases

RFP 140D0423R0002: Section J Attachment 9 - Question and Answer AQD Q&A Amd0003

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Section I, I.1 FAR 52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by Reference (FEB 1998)

I-1 - I-2

A B C D E F G

Question # Document Section or Paragraph # Page Number Question Answer RFP

Change

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Section J Volume II Price Quotes Page J9- 51, Page 05-41, Page D-41

The Government mentions CLIN structure in the pricing section of each Day One Case. Since we are to develop our own working spreadsheets to submit to the Government, and technical CLINs independently developed by the offerors will not be consistent, is the CLIN structure anticipated to be CLINs for Labor, Travel and ODC only?

The Government expects each Vendor to propose a recommended CLIN structure.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Section J Volume II Price Quotes Page J9- 51, Page J05-41, Page D-41

In the second paragraph of page 51 for the "Pricing Quote", the Government requests that the Contractor include an explanation on the how the FFP price is built. A price build up is also requested for T&M CLINS. Can the government please confirm the level of detail the Government requires for each CLIN?

CLIN structure should include the level of detail needed to support a Fair and Reasonable determination and withstand a potential Price Realism analysis. Explanation of assumptions needed to generate Level of Effort and Labor Mix and any licenses/materials needed, at a minimum.

FCHS2_Section_J_Attachment_05-07 SECTION 4. INSTRUCTIONS TO

OFFERORS

Multiple Pages

Under Volume II – Price Quotes, it states, "Items that can be fixed-priced (e.g., a fixed multiple of licenses) should be built into a single CLIN with an explanation of how the fixed-price was built. Items that cannot be fixed-price, shall be quoted on a Time and Materials type basis with a detailed price build-up."

Will the government please confirm that the offeror can quote labor as either FFP or T&M?

Confirmed.

FCHS2_Section_J_Attachment_8_IDIQ_Prici ng_Template_Amd0002_0002

All Worksheets All Worksheet s

Column C in all of the pricing worksheets call for qualifications for each labor category, but the cells beneath are left blank. Does the government intend to provide qualifications for each labor category?

Each Vendor shall provide their proposed labor category description and corresponding qualifications.

FCHS2_Section_J_Attachment_8_IDIQ_Prici ng_Template_Amd0002_0002

N/A

N/A

In the pricing template, not all labor categories are assigned a level (e.g., journeyman).

Will the government please confirm that offerors can select the appropriate LCAT level for these categories?

Confirmed.

FCHS2_Section_J_Attachment_8_IDIQ_Prici ng_Template_Amd0002_0002

N/A N/A

Will the government please confirm that contractors can add new LCATs, as necessary?

Confirmed.

FCHS2_Section_J_Attachment_8_IDIQ_Prici ng_Template_Amd0002_0002

Instructions

Tab 1

In the IDIQ Pricing Template, the Offerors are instructed to crosswalk provided labor categories with the Offeror's proposed labor category.

Will the government please clarify expectations for completing the "Offeror's Proposed Labor Category Nomenclature (Crosswalk)" column?

Does the government intend for offerors to crosswalk to an existing schedule?

If the vendor is utilizing pricng from an existing price schedule then a crosswalk is necessary.

FCHS2_Section_J_Attachment_8_IDIQ_Prici ng_Template_Amd0002_0002

NA

NA

Column E on all the base and option year tabs refers to FAR 52.212-4 Alt 1 (a)4, which addresses the replacement or correction of services or materials that at time of delivery that failed to meet contract requirements. The clause limits profit for replacement or correction of services to 10%. Is it the Government's intent for the contractor to disclose profit at the IDIQ level for the T&M rates the offeror proposes?

If so, how will the Government evaluate the proposed profit that an offeror discloses? Will the Government consider removing this column?

As was stated, the request for Profit rate for Labor Rate is needed for potential remedy under FAR 52.212-4 Alt 1(a)4.

Price analysis will be on the fully loaded labor rates. Profit is not an element that will be evaluated for purposes of the competition.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Section J Attachment 8 IDIQ Pricing Template

Column E

Given the Pricing Template provided is for the IDIQ rates, and the 10% fee/profit cap reference in FAR 52.212-4(a)4 is specific to T&M orders, please confirm that the 10% profit rate mentioned in Column E is not a ceiling rate for Fee/Profit on each category proposed at the IDIQ level?

Confirmed. As stated, the goal of the column is to have on record the profit rate in case remedy is needed. 10% is not a ceiling/cap. 10% is the default rate the Government will use if one is not provided by offerors.

18 FCHS2_Section_J_Attachment_8_IDIQ_Prici ng_Template_Amd0002_0002

Are there any IDIQ-level CLINs to be incorporated into pricing? No.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002.pdf Phase II – Full Proposal Submission:

Technical Proposal Format: e. L-10 The RFP states "Tables, charts, diagrams, etc. should be no less than 10 point." Will the Government consider allowing for graphic/figure text "no less than 8 point"?

No.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Section L, L.23 Factor 6

Subcontracting Plan L-14 - L-

Please confirm if the Offeror should use the "Prime Contracting Goals", "Subcontracting Goals", or both when developing our response to Factor 6.

Both-but differentiate between the two.

A B C D E F G

Question # Document Section or Paragraph # Page Number Question Answer RFP

Change

21 RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Section L, L.23 Factor 6 Subcontracting Plan (5.) L-15 Please confirm that "Subcontracting Goals" represent the goals relative to the Offerors anticipated subcontracted dollars.

Confirmed.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Section L, L.11 Subcontracting Plan

Requirements L-5 Please confirm offerors can edit the text of Section J Attachment 4 in order to address all requirements of FAR 52.219-9 and FAR 52.219-9 Alternate II.

Confirmed.

The Government asks "(Alternatively, what is the percentage of the offerors cloud hosting funds that have been subcontracted?) " Please confirm when the government states "cloud hosting funds" the government means cloud procurement to include licenses and commercial cloud offerings, excluding professional services. Please confirm when the government states "subcontracted" the government means any and all funds that are passed through to a third party.

FCHS2_Section_J_Attachment_4_Subcontract ing_Plan_Template

N/A

N/A

Will the government please amend the FCHS2_Section_J_Attachment_4_Subcontracting_Plan_Template to include the Indian Small Business Economic Enterprises (ISBEE) Socio- Economic Business Type and subcontracting goal?

Federally Recognized Indian Tribe means an Indian Tribe, band, nation, or other Federally recognized group or community on the List of Federally Recognized Tribes. This definition includes any Alaska Native regional or village corporation under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANSCA). Indian Economic Enterprise (IEE) means any business activity owned by one or more Indians or Federally Recognized Indian Tribes provided that:

(1) The combined Indian or Federally Recognized Indian Tribe ownership of the enterprise constitutes not less than 51 percent;

(2) The Indians or Federally Recognized Indian Tribes must, together, receive at least 51 percent of the earnings from the contract; and

(3) The management and daily business operations of an enterprise must be controlled by one or more individuals who are Indians. The Indian individual(s) must possess requisite management or technical capabilities directly related to the primary industry in which the enterprise conducts business. Indian Small Business Economic Enterprise (ISBEE) means an IEE that is also a small business concern established in accordance with the criteria and size standards of 13 CFR part 121.

Therefore, ANCs and Indian tribes are included in Small Business and SDB. See chart in Attachment J 4 Subcontracting Plan Template.

FCHS2_Section_J_Attachment_4_Subcontract ing_Plan_Template_Amd0002_0002

Plan Table

The table shows subcontracting goals with a column for Dollars that is used to calculate percentages. Since the amount of dollars a particular contractor will receive on this contract is undetermined at this point, will the government please specify what dollar amount should be used in this table?

Separate goals, expressed in terms of total dollars subcontracted, and as a percentage of total planned subcontracting dollars

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 L.23 Factor 6

L-14

If an offeror is a SB self-certified in SAM, please confirm that no response (Subcontracting Plan or any other documentation including SB Participation Commitment Document, or other) is required for this Factor.

Confirmed.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 L.23 Factor 6, M.3.1

L-14, M-8

If an offeror is a SB self-certified in SAM and does not provide a Plan or any additional documentation per the RFP, given that this Factor is not Pass/Fail but is assigned a confidence rating, what Rating will the offeror receive?

SB offerors will receive maximum credit for the Small Business Participation factor. The Subcontracting Plan factor will be rated as "acceptable or unacceptable".

SECTION

M

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 L.23 Factor 6

L-14, L-15 While a Subcontracting Plan is not required, may a SB offeror submit participation/commitment information showing inclusion of additional types of Small/Socio-Economic Business subcontractors?

Small business offerors self-certified in SAM.gov do not need to submit any document supporting Factor 6 - Small Business Participation.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Section L, L.19 Table 1 Phase I

L-9

No. See updated Section L and M. Sections L and M

A B C D E F G

Question # Document Section or Paragraph # Page Number Question Answer RFP

Change

Subcontracting Plan Template (Section J, Attachment 4)

RFP Secttion L.23

L-14 & L-

The RFP contains a requirement to subcontract to Indian Small Business Economic Enterprises (ISBEE). The Subcontracting Plan Template does not include any reference to the ISBEE category. Can Offerors use their own format for the Small Business Subcontracting Plan to include ISBEE goals provided the plan contains all the requirements of the template or will the Government amend the template to include the ISBEE category?

Federally Recognized Indian Tribe means an Indian Tribe, band, nation, or other Federally recognized group or community on the List of Federally Recognized Tribes. This definition includes any Alaska Native regional or village corporation under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANSCA). Indian Economic Enterprise (IEE) means any business activity owned by one or more Indians or Federally Recognized Indian Tribes provided that:

(1) The combined Indian or Federally Recognized Indian Tribe ownership of the enterprise constitutes not less than 51 percent;

(2) The Indians or Federally Recognized Indian Tribes must, together, receive at least 51 percent of the earnings from the contract; and

(3) The management and daily business operations of an enterprise must be controlled by one or more individuals who are Indians. The Indian individual(s) must possess requisite management or technical capabilities directly related to the primary industry in which the enterprise conducts business. Indian Small Business Economic Enterprise (ISBEE) means an IEE that is also a small business concern established in accordance with the criteria and size standards of 13 CFR part 121.

Therefore, ANCs and Indian tribes are included in Small Business and SDB. See chart in Attachment J 4 Subcontracting Plan Template.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 L.23 Volume III – Small Business Participation and Subcontracting Plan

(SBSP) L-14 & L-

The table for Small Business Particpation shows a "DOI Goal" column.

Please confirm that the "DOI Goal" column represents the agency's goals to award prime contracts in accordance with the negotiated SBA goals (https://www.sba.gov/sites/sbagov/files/2023- 01/FY23_Final_Goals_508_0.pdf). What is the relevance of this data to offerors as these are not the subcontracting goals for prime contracts IAW the negotiated SBA goals (also listed at the same link)?

The tables have been updated accordingly to reflect the appropriate data.

Section L.23

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 L.23 Volume III – Small Business

Participation and Subcontracting Plan

(SBSP)

L-14 & L-

What does the column "Most Recent Prior Year Subcontract Performance" in the Small Business Participation table represent?

It represents DOI's prior year subcontract performance.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 L.23 Volume III – Small Business Participation and Subcontracting Plan

(SBSP)

L-14 & L-

Clarify whether the percentage goals in the Small Business Particpation Plan represent subcontracting as a percentage of total contract value (TCV) or as a percentage of total subcontracted dollars (TSD) as they are not the same.

Total contract value

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 L.23 Volume III – Small Business Participation and Subcontracting Plan

(SBSP)

L-15

The table for the Subcontracting Plan shows a "Prime Contracting Goals" column. Please confirm that the "Prime Contracting Goals" column represents the agency's goals to award prime contracts in accordance with the negotiated SBA goals (https://www.sba.gov/sites/sbagov/files/2023- 01/FY23_Final_Goals_508_0.pdf). What is the relevance of this data to offerors as these are not the subcontracting goals for prime contracts IAW the negotiated SBA goals (also listed at the same link)?

The tables have been updated accordingly to reflect the appropriate data.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 L.23 Volume III – Small Business Participation and Subcontracting Plan

(SBSP) L-15

The table for the Subcontracting Plan shows a "Subcontracting Goals" column. Please confirm that the "Subcontracting Goals" column represents the agency's goals for large business offerors for small business subcontracting in accordance with the negotiated SBA goals (https://www.sba.gov/sites/sbagov/files/2023- 01/FY23_Final_Goals_508_0.pdf).

Confirmed.

A B C D E F G

Question # Document Section or Paragraph # Page Number Question Answer RFP

Change

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 L.23 Volume III – Small Business Participation and Subcontracting Plan

(SBSP) L-15

Clarify whether the percentage goals in the Subcontracting Plan represent subcontracting as a percentage of total contract value (TCV) or as a percentage of total subcontracted dollars (TSD) as they are not the same.

Separate goals, expressed in terms of total dollars subcontracted, and as a percentage of total planned subcontracting dollars

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Phase II - Full Proposal Submission, Technical Proposal Format (g) L-10 Recommend that list of acronyms be added to exclusion from page limitations

List of Acronyms are excluded from page count. See Phase II-Full Proposal Submission, Technical Proposal Format, Item i.

37 RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Section L.8 Inquiries L-4 Please confirm that Offerors should be utilizing the Draft RFP Standard Form 33 for this reference.

Yes.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Section L.24 Volume IV - IDIQ Price;

Standard Form (SF) 33 L-16 Please confirm that Offerors should be utilizing the Draft RFP Standard Form 33 and Draft Amendment 1 Standard Form 30 when completing the Volume IV requirement.

Yes.

Section L - Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors

L.18 Paragraph 2 L-8

By what date will the Government issue advisory notifications to offerors indicating its recommendation for the offeror to proceed with a Phase II submission?

This date is contigent on the evaluations of Phase I.

However it is projected that notices will be provided two weeks after submission of Phase I.

Section L - Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors

L.18 Paragraph 2 L-8

Will the Government allow for additional questions from offerors selected for Phase II submission before the final proposal submittal on September 15?

Not at this time.

41 RFP 140D0423R0002 L.22 13-14 We request an increase of 2 pages for the narrative (for a total of 4 pages) due to the content required to address the listed SOW.

No.

RFP Section L.22 Volume II – Past Performance - Factor 5 – Past Performance:

L-13 The RFP states, "Prime offerors can submit up to three (3) questionnaires and subcontractors and/or teaming partners can submit up to three (3) questionnaires of similar efforts performed by the organization for the last three years." In a scenario where a Prime offeror has more than one Tier One subcontractor/teaming partner, will the Government clarify if each subcontractor/teaming partner can submit up to three (3) past performance questionnaires for similar cloud efforts performed by the organization for the last three years?

Yes.

RFP 140D0423R0002 L.22

13-14 Are items (1)-(9) required in the narrative or only in the Past Performance Questionnaire?

Narrative.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Basis for Award

M-1

The RFP states, "The overall price to the Government may become the ultimate determining criterion for award of the IDIQ contracts and Day One Use Cases as offers become more equal based on non-price factors."

Will the government please specify the components of the 'overall price' and provide insight on how it will calculate overall price?

Overall Price applies more to the Day-One Use-Cases. The Government will be using a number of analysis techniques at the IDIQ level. At the IDIQ level, Overall Price doesn't apply, and the comparison based on labor rates.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Evaluation Process for Phase II

M-2

The RFP states, "c) Team 3 – Evaluation of IDIQ Price Volumes. This team will evaluate the Offeror’s submitted pricing. This will be conducted utilizing Price Analysis, based on Rates submitted supplemented with feedback from the Day-One Use-Case evaluations per

(e) below."

Will the government please provide insight on how it will calculate a 'total evaluated price' for the purpose of comparing price proposals between offerors?

No. Price Analysis Team will be using a variety of techniques and will seek advice from Day-One Use-Case results. "Total Evaluated Price" is not a term used in the Section M for Price Evaluation.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Evaluation Process for Phase II

M-2

The RFP states, "c) Team 3 – Evaluation of IDIQ Price Volumes. This team will evaluate the Offeror’s submitted pricing. This will be conducted utilizing Price Analysis, based on Rates submitted supplemented with feedback from the Day-One Use-Case evaluations per

(e) below."

As bids become more equal based on non-price factors, will the government please clarify which components of the total evaluated price it will use to compare proposals between offerors?

No. Price Analysis Team will be using a variety of techniques and will seek advice from Day-One Use-Case results. There will not be a single component that "breaks ties".

A B C D E F G

Question # Document Section or Paragraph # Page Number Question Answer RFP

Change

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Evaluation Process for Phase II

M-2

The RFP states, "The results of the Day-One Use-Case evaluations will be provided to the IDIQ evaluation teams to provide context and details of how technical approach and pricing is being applied in specific situations."

Will the government please clarify how it will evaluate the total proposed/combined price for all day 1 use cases as a part of the IDIQ price evaluation?

IDIQs and Day-One Use-Cases are being evaluated separately.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Price Evaluation

M-6

The RFP states, "The Government will evaluate proposals for award purposes by reviewing rates for all periods of performance."

Will the government please clarify if it will evaluate labor rates across the period of performance only for the purpose of comparing prices between offerors as it pertains to the IDIQ price evaluation?

Not necessarily, they may be needed for reasonableness or realism analysis as well.

Final RFP_140D0423R002_Amd0002_0002 Section M, Table 2 - Phase II, Factor 5: Past Performance

M-5

The Government lists SOW References under Factor 5: Past Performance. One of the SOW References is C.2.3. The SOW lists both Services AND Application and Data Management Services as C.2.3. Will the Government please clarify if "C.2.3 Services" was the intended SOW Reference, as the DRFP indicated?

RFP 140D0423R0002 Amendment 0002, Section M.2, Table 2, Factor 5: Past Performance SOW Reference(s) state, "C.1.4 Government Wide; C.2.4 Application and Data Management Services; C.3.1 Business Management.

Section M, Table 2 - Phase II

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Section M: Evaluation Process for Phase II

M-2

The RFP states, "Each requiring activity will provide a team that will evaluate the Offeror’s proposals submitted for their Day One Use Cases in accordance with the Day One Use Cases’ evaluation factors to determine the best value to the Government considering non-price and price factors. Offerors submitting proposals determined by the Government to be the best value will be selected for the award of a specific task order. The results of the Day-One Use-Case evaluations will be provided to the IDIQ evaluation teams to provide context and details of how technical approach and pricing is being applied in specific situations. This is considered to be input at the Subject Matter Expert Level (SME) and NOT an additional Evaluation Factor."

Will the government please confirm that the task orders will be reviewed concurrently with the IDIQ responses, or specify if the task order teams will evaluate only the task orders submitted by the selected IDIQ awardees?

Concurrent to Phase II submissions.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 IDIQ Phase II Evaluation Factors

M-5

Will the government please confirm that the reference to "C.2.3 Application and Data Management Services" in Factor 5: Past Performance refers to only C.2.3 Application and Data Management Services and not to C.2.3 Services?

RFP 140D0423R0002 Amendment 0002, Section M.2, Table 2, Factor 5: Past Performance SOW Reference(s) state, "C.1.4 Government Wide; C.2.4 Application and Data Management Services; C.3.1 Business Management.

Section M, Table 2 - Phase II

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Price Evaluation

M-6

The RFP states, "The Government reserves the right to perform a price realism analysis if in the best interest of the Government but is not required to do so."

Will the government please clarify what events would trigger the government to perform a price realism analysis as it pertains to the proposed IDIQ labor rates as a part of the IDIQ evaluation? Once triggered, will the government please clarify how that price realism analysis would be performed?

The Government will analyze all proposals in accordance with FAR 15.404 and will determine whether or not a price realism analysis is indicated based on the pricing received.

The Government is not required to provide additional details.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 G.7, M, Factor 6, Table 4, #7

G-5, M-6

The RFP references a “Small Business Participation Commitment Document” (ref.parag), which is not included in the Attachments. If this document is required as part of a compliant response, will the Government please provide a copy of the template?

Yes, see Attachment J 11

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Price Evaluation

M-6

"The Government reserves the right to perform a price realism analysis if in the best interest of the Government but is not required to do so." The government reserves the option not to perform price realism analysis;

however, what is the government's plan of action to prevent bidders from providing unrealistically low pricing estimates?

Nothing prevents an Offeror from proposing unrealistically low pricing estimates (a price floor is not being provided), however, award will not be made to an Offeror that has been determined to have an unrealistically low price.

A B C D E F G

Question # Document Section or Paragraph # Page Number Question Answer RFP

Change

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 M.3.1 Confidence Rating

M-7

What, if any, specific factors or metrics will be utilized to determine that the Offeror “understands the requirement, proposes a sound, feasible practical approach, and will be successful in performing the contract ” in order to warrant a High Confidence rating?

An Offeror should provide adequate detail in their price quotes to demonstrate that all of their technical approach have been priced, that the level of effort is sufficient to successfully perform in the timeline proposed, necessary materials/licenses have been included, etc. E.g., a lump sum with no details will not warrant a High Confidence Rating.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Price Evaluation

M-6

How will the government evaluate LCATs worksheet versus the TO pricing? Does one have a higher weighting?

Contractors shall use their proposed IDIQ rates to price the task order. The Government will determine if the contractor has utilized thier proposed IDIQ rates at the task order level, to include any additional discounts offered at the task order level.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 Price Evaluation

M-6

Does the Government intend to factor the impacts of inflation into any potential price realism analysis?

The Government will analyze all proposals in accordance with FAR 15.404 and will determine whether or not a price realism analysis is required based on the pricing received.

The Government is not required to provide additional details.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002.pdf IDIQ Phase II Evaluation Factors, Factor 5: Past Performance M-5

Does the number of past performance references and subsequent questionaries provided by an offer effect the offeror's past performance evaluation?

Offerors should ensure that their past performance meets the requirements of the RFP and provides sufficient information to allow the government evaluate in accordance with the

RFP.

RFP M.2

Does the scoring/evaulation for Phase 1 have any impact on the scoring/evaluation of Phase 2?

No.

RFP M.2

M-2

e) states: "The results of the Day-One Use-Case evaluations will be provided to the IDIQ evaluation teams to provide context and details of how technical approach and pricing is being applied in specific situations. This is considered to be input at the Subject Matter Expert Level (SME) and NOT an additional Evaluation Factor. "

It is unclear as to what SME input will be used for by the IDIQ evaluation team in its evaluation even if evaluation of technical apporach and pricing of the Day One Use Cases is not an Evaluation Factor. How will the SME Input be used in the IDIQ evaluation process?

Non-voting, advisory, provides context for the labor categories/rates.

RFP M.2

M-4

Section states that for Phase II Evaluation: "For the IDIQ Awards, the Government shall consider six (6) non-price factors and Price" and "Non-price factors are more important collectively than price" but does not discuss how the Confidence Factor will be used. Can the Government clarify how the Confidence Factor will be incorporated into the evaluation?

Confidence is not a Factor. Various levels of Confidence are ratings for the Factors. I.e., Factor 1 will be rated as High Confidence, Some Confidence, or other...

RFP M.2

M-6

Section states that "The Government will conduct a price analysis to determine if the proposed rates are complete, fair, and reasonable." Will this be at the IDIQ level only, or both the Use Case and IDIQ level?

Both.

RFP M.2

M-2

c) states "This will be conducted utilizing Price Analysis, based on Rates submitted supplemented with feedback from the Day-One Use-Case evaluations per (e) below". Can the Government clarify how the feedback from the Day One Use Case evaluation teams will be incorporated into this evaluation?

Non-voting, advisory, provides context for the labor categories/rates.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd0002_0002 General n/a

Offeror respectfully request that the Government provides a second opportunity for vendors to submit questions between the Phase I Video Advisory Notice and Phase II submission to seek clarifications on previous released Q&As and questions focused around Phase II activities (IDIQ and Day One Use Cases).

Not at this time.

A B C D E F G

Question # Document Section or Paragraph # Page Number Question Answer RFP

Change

Foundation Cloud Hosting Services II

(FCHS2)

General N/A

Will negative award decisions for day one use cases impact the favorability of the IDIQ award decision, or are use-cases evaluated separately from IDIQ award?

Evaluations of the Day-One-Use cases will have an impact on the IDIQ award decision. However, an offeror who does not win a Day-one-Use case could win an IDIQ.

RFP Section K

K-23

We note that a Wage Determination was not issued with the solicitation.

Will one be provided? (3)(i)(i) "If…the Contracting Officer did not attached a Service Contract Labor Standards wage determination to the the solicitation, the offeror shall notify the Contracting Officer as soon as possible."

It is the Government's position that none of the labor categories needed for performance under the resultant IDIQs will be applicable to the Service Contract Labor Standards.

If an Offeror is including categories they believe are applicable, please note them as such with the location of the resources so an appropriate Wage Determination can be obtained.

RFP No. 140D0423R0002: FCHS2 Section J Attachment 9-Question and Answer Template

A B C D E F G

Question # Document Section or Paragraph #

Page Number Question Answer RFP Change

Section C - Statement of Work C.1.2 Paragraph 2

C-1

DOI mentions emerging FedRAMP SaaS specifically. Similar contracts include a waiver process for IDIQ customers that are willing to accept the risk of leveraging services that have not yet been granted FedRAMP certification. Will DOI include a waiver process to allow FCHS2 customers to leverage services that are not yet FedRAMP certified?

Yes. Stakeholders and cybersecurity leaders of task orders may assess their mission against an apparent lack of available FedRAMP cloud services to accept the risk and allow not yet FedRAMP authorized or FISMA equivalent cloud services.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd00 02_0002

C.3.3 Enterprise-wide Requirements C-10

Does the government anticipate releasing a TO to each awardee to manage the vehicle at the IDIQ level?

Yes. The government plans to issue task orders either immediately if awardee is a day one use case or within 2-3 months after FCHS2 begins to support the plethora of other follow-on or new cloud services.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd00 02_0002

Section C.2.3 (5c) Application and Data Management Services C-6

The Government makes reference to using Open Cloud Computing Interface (OCCI) as a "specific standard that should/must be utilized." Initial research shows the website of the OCCI Working Group is no longer operational and the last archived OCCI update/publication is dated 2016-10-21 (https://ogf.org/ogf/doku.php/documents/documents.html). We recommend the government consider removing the OCCI reference in Section 2.3 #5.c.

The government updated Section C to remove references to specific standards that may become dated. The new 5) states, "Enable interoperability using open-standards based technologies whenever possible." Yes

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd00 02_0002

Section C.4.7 Licensing

C-15

For what kinds of scenarios does the Government anticipate needing to transfer unused licenses to other bureaus/offices rather than true down?

"5) Provide flexibility to allow no-cost transfers of unused licenses amongst bureaus and offices. Licenses shall be transferable between bureaus and offices that utilize or subscribe to the same platform or service."

These scenarios may occur when multiples of bureaus and task orders are sharing same cloud provider license and they are not on a pay-as-you-go type of service. Concatinating licenses for multiple groups provides a better economy of scale when "guestimates" are obligated once a year and well in advance of actual services. For example, Bureau A may over estimate their expected usage and obligate funds to cover a large amount of licenses over a period of performance. As Bureau B comes on board, Bureau A may elect to transfer some of their unused licenses to Bureau B until entire order fulfilled.

RFP 140D0423R0002: Section J Attachment 9 - Question and Answer OCIO Amd0003

A B C D E F G

Question # Document Section or Paragraph #

Page Number Question Answer RFP Change

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd00 02_0002.pdf

C.4.7 Licensing

C-15

How will the Government manage transfer of hosting from one vendor to another? For example, how will the Government manage transfer of hosting from an existing FCHS provider to a new FCHS2 provider? How will the Governmnet manage the transfer of hosting between FCHS2 task orders?

Interior welcomes and expects innovative proposals from Offerors and does not presume to dictate how they will accomplish this task. We are seeking Offerors advice, proposed strategy, risks, and costs on a case-by-case basis when IT Systems are slated to be transferred from one hosting environment to another. e.g. whether lift and shift or build duplicate at new location, test new with both systems operating parallel, and then cutover data.

The Department of the Interior has stood up an Integrated Project Team (IPT) to coordinate with Contractors the transfer of all existing FCHS IT Systems. All cloud services on the existing FCHS contract will need to be transferred to either FCHS2, or another new or existing contract. This may or may not require transferring cloud service providers so each IT System currently on FCHS will need to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd00 02_0002.pdf

C.4.7 Licensing

C-15

In order to maximize the Government's benefit, can the Government provide an annual rough order of magnitude spend on XaaS and CSP liscenses? What percentage is on-demand vs.

reserved capacity?

Interior's acquisition plan estimates a rough order of magnitude at $105 to $115 million annually. We don't have a percent split between on-demand versus reserved instance licenses but prefer the discount savings of reserved instances when the tenant storage space is known. Interior welcomes and expects innovative proposals and solutions from offerors that optimize license options.

Updated C.2.3 to include "or reserved instance" license

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd00 02_0002.pdf

C.1.5

Considering the challenges posed by geographically dispersed employees and data centers in remote areas, what measures or strategies does the Department expect the cloud service providers to implement to ensure secure and reliable access to mission-critical resources (e.g., seamless access to resources through a low bandwidth internet connection)?

Interior welcomes and expects innovative proposals and solutions from offerors. In addition to Offerors proposed solutions, Interior seeks improving remote access by (1) offering multiples of geographic locations, (2) supporting authentication methods that don't require traversing through multiples of environments, (3) providing elastic and on-demand bandwidth, (4) offering streamlined and affordable legacy application conversions with newer no or low-code cloud services

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd00 02_0002.pdf

C.2.1

C-4

Could you provide more details on the specific requirements and expectations for cloud service providers to demonstrate net-zero cloud strategies? What metrics or certifications will be used to assess their success in cutting carbon emissions and implementing sustainable practices?

DOI will follow and comply with Federal initiatives and regulations, but at the time of this IDIQ award, only emerging requirements such as the Sustainable Acquisition Policy | Acquisition.GOV which was made effective May 5, 2023, or the Executive Order 14057 on Sustainability, the Energy Act have been provided. With this being said, DOI plans to work with Contractors on requirements, deadlines, and options of acceptable net-zero environments as these Federal Regulations and reporting requirements are rolled out. Whatever the metrics will be, the government will need some sort of report, dashboard or both for collecting. DOI would like to understand the Offerors current status on sustainability such as energy efficiency metrics and renewable energy use, and what the Offerors plans are to increase sustainability to achieve net-zero and their capacity to provide dashboards to metering energy savings.

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Question # Document Section or Paragraph #

Page Number Question Answer RFP Change

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd00 02_0002.pdf

C.2.3

C-6

Can you provide details on the number and dispersion of datasources across different systems and locations within the Department, as well as the types of datasources (structured databases, unstructured files, APIs, etc.)? In terms of setting up and supporting the data mesh, how many entities will need access to the refined data and how will they access?

DOI has over 1,000 remaining data centers, (datasources) across different systems and locations in the continental United States and territories. Currently, these are commonly Windows, Linux, or Oracle environments.

Changed duplicate C.2.3 Services and C.2.3 Applications and Data Management Services sections to C.2.3 Services and C.2.4 Applications and …

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd00 02_0002.pdf

C.2.3

C-7

In the context of providing complete support for prominent security objectives, such as IPv6 and authentication that meets zero-trust parameters, should all services included in our proposed solution be required to support IPv6? Alternatively, is it acceptable for the perimeter services to support IPv6 while the backend services may utilize other IP protocols where IPv6 is not applicable? Clarification on this aspect will help us ensure alignment with the Department's expectations for IPv6 support in the cloud environments provided.

Interior expects Contractors to provide solutions that meet the greatest possible compliance with federal mandates on varying levels of technical objectives including IPv6.

Renamed C.2.3 Applications and Data Management Services to C.2.4

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd00 02_0002.pdf

C.3.3

C-10

Regarding the requirement to provide accessible browser-based consoles, dashboards, portals, and interfaces to manage cloud services and applications, does the Department expect a single pane of glass multicloud management console that can manage all Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) collectively? Or should contractors provide with separate management interfaces for each CSP individually?

Interior strongly prefers a single management console for managing multicloud environments. This includes role-based authority where users and administrators have console access to only their instances or services. Single solutions are almost always easier to educate and share knowledge of features, settings, and reports among peers, achieve economies of scale, and attain seamless navigation.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd00 02_0002.pdf

C.3.3

C-10

Regarding the requirement to restrict access to authorized users, administrators, customers, and personnel, does the Department expect contractors to integrate access control mechanisms, such as SAML, with the Department's existing identity provider? In other words, should the solution enable seamless authentication and authorization using the Department's identity provider to ensure secure and controlled access to the cloud services and applications?

Yes, the Department expects contractors to integrate with the agency's approved identity and authentication providers.

Additionally, Offeror should ensure the services and applications are the "authorization" driver, not the identity provider.

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd00 02_0002.pdf

C.4.1

C-12

Regarding the FedRAMP authorization status, does the contract require that the collective solution, as a whole, meets the FedRAMP requirements, or is it sufficient for the individual cloud services selected to have FedRAMP authorization at the moderate level? As the Cloud Service Providers typically provide third-party assessment organization (3PAO) reviews for individual cloud services, should contractors ensure that the collective solution meets the necessary Federal standards for record retention and decommissioning processes?

Yes, the entire cloud stack is required to be FedRAMP authorized including all SaaS and add-ons, unless the risk is otherwise accepted and documented. One primary objective and justification for this contract is to be able to easily and quickly obtain FedRAMP authorized cloud services that have already been fully vetted against the Department's Service Level Agreements. Note, there are only a small handful of applications not fully FedRAMP authorized in the Department. All of them have been heavily evaluated against other options. The Department's official statement is: "All Cloud Service Providers (CSP) must adhere to FedRAMP standards. For any CSPs that are not fully FedRAMP authorized, those vendors must be able to demonstrate or support FedRAMP equivalent compliance. They must provide a copy of the equivalent information required, which will allow the Department to authorize and continually monitor."

A B C D E F G

Question # Document Section or Paragraph #

Page Number Question Answer RFP Change

RFP_140D0423R0002_Amd00 02_0002.pdf

C.4.7 Licensing

C-15

The RFP contains many requirements for managing, transferring, and upgrading licenses that will apply to all XaaS offerings under this procurement. As licensing terms vary across the ecosystem of XaaS providers, is it the Government's intent for the contractor to negotiate licenses with XaaS providers that are consistent with all the terms outlined in C-15?

Yes. The intent is to have bulks of licenses readily and easily attainable so individuals can develop simple requirements documents to procure individual or suites of cloud service(s) from multitudes of catalogs. With that being said, if some of the statements in C.4.7 License are not aligned with the Contractors negotiated licenses with XaaS providers, they should identify and describe this with their proposal(s).The technical evaluation team(s) will assess details of licensing terms variations.

RFP Section C.3.2 Establishing Cloud Services Catalogs - Table 1 – Cloud Services - Lines of Business

C-8 through C-10

In the first two paragraphs of Section C.3.2, the Government does a good job of describing the objectives and some of the rationale behind needing to establish cloud service catalogs. Then in the 3rd paragraph of this same section, the Government states that, "deliverable for Contractor(s) is to participate with efficient business systems and strategies." As industry looks ahead to the Phase II Written Proposal phase of this IDIQ competition, can the Government clarify or amplify to what extent you expect offerors to describe in detail our team's ability to address all (or most) of the 44 common Lines of Business? Even if industry just focuses on the 13 of 44 bolded Lines of Business listed in Table 1, that is a significant amount of proposal content that will take up considerable amount of the total pages for this part of the proposal.

The IDIQ submittal of Phase II is seeking (1) a summary of individual or suites of available cloud service brand names where the prime and sub-contractors are qualified resellers.

This summary list should accompany (2) enough of their qualifications to demonstrate why they should be selected in lieu of another. The IDIQ portion of Phase II does not require a significant amount of proposal content beyond a list of available CSPs and their qualifications. However, the Day One use cases and individual task orders after award requires more detail, but only on those CSPs and/or business line support services to fulfill the requirements of that order. The Department wants to build a cadre of catalogs identifying available CSPs on the IDIQ. Following award, websites of available CSPs and support services will be built by vendors for outreach communication of the IDIQ. More detail can be added in the websites, but the Phase II IDIQ should provide just enough detail to describe brands and qualifications. The Department will disseminate links to vendors site(s) along with a similar internal SharePoint site. The SharePoint site allows employees to browse CSPs included on the Departments pre-approved catalog list.

1) Amendment of Solicitation/Modification of Contract

2) Section J - Attachment 077

1) C.3 Management Objectives

2) 3.1 General Objectives - Bullet #3 + 5

1) C-7 2) Pg. 2

To lower TCO, will DOI consider data protection solutions that leverae Machine Learning to perform elastic compute, as well as power-down functions for Media Servers when not in use in the cloud?

Sure. Department evaluation teams will assess the entire proposal against requirements and make the best value, including lowering TCO.

Amendment of Solicitation/Modification of Contract

C.2.2 Attributes - Items 1, 4, 6 C-5

Will DOI consider the use of Kubernetes as a viable technology to reduce vendor lock, improve container management, and improve security posture in the cloud?

Absolutely.

Amendment of Solicitation/Modification of Contract

C.4.3 Hosting Resources C-12

Will DOI consider a single platform tool that will provide application and it's associated data transparency, whether on-prem, at the edge or across multi-cloud?

Absolutely.

Amendment of Solicitation/Modification of Contract

C.4.3 Hosting Resources C-12

To lower TCO, will DOI consider a solution that provides visualization of the performance and associated costs of IT assets across multiple CSP's, on-prem environments,…