Questions and Answers 140D8020Q0013_0001.pdf

Questions and Answers – 140D8020Q0013 – Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD)

Solicitation Reference / Page No.

Reference Question Government Answer

Section XV Given the complexity of the solution and the response, would the government provide a 30 day extension to the RFQ due date?

The RFQ due date has been extended from September 25, 2020 to October 20, 2020, at 2:00 pm Eastern Time.

(See update to Section XV)

Section XV Will the IBC-DOI consider granting a 4-week extension to the submission date of 25 September?

The RFQ due date has been extended from September 25, 2020 to October 20, 2020, at 2:00 pm Eastern Time.

(See update to Section XV)

Section XV The due date is “no later than September 25, 2020, at 2:00 p.m.

Eastern Time.”

Due to the large amount of information requested, will you extend the date due one week – October 2, or at least until Monday September 28?

The RFQ due date has been extended from September 25, 2020 to October 20, 2020, at 2:00 pm Eastern Time.

(See update to Section XV)

PWS 4, Bullet 4, The requirement is “Provide Technical support for key integrations”.

Will the government define “key integrations”? Provide the capability to integrate data from external systems through the data integration service which is currently Integrated Reporting of Wildfire Information (IRWIN), and integrate with CJIS and DOI LE software IMARS.

(See update to PWS, page 8, Section 4)

PWS 4. Bullet 2, The requirements states: “85% or more of all technical service requests shall be resolved (closed) within 12 hours of vendor call back.”

Will the government remove this requirement since the following bullet (last) is also for 85% or more of all technical service requests?

The government will remove the last hollow bullet and update the second hollow bullet to 10%.

(See update to PWS page 9, Section 4)

PWS 4. Bullet 7, The requirement is “CAD software shall meet current federal IT Security and Configuration Requirements”

Will the government define or provide a list of “current federal IT Security and Configuration Requirements”?

The link to the requirements and configurations are provided in scope section with the appropriate links to the current policies and procedures.

(No change to the PWS)

PWS 5.2.1, Page

Deploying into a Government provided cloud hosting environment.

Does this mean that the offeror should not include cloud hosting in their cost proposal?

Yes, the hosting costs will be covered by the government.

(No change to the PWS)

PWS 5.2.1, Page

Deploying into a Government provided cloud hosting environment

Will the government also provide cloud provider services beyond basic hosting? For example, in an AWS GovCloud environment, would the government pay for AWS load balancing or authentication services separately if the offeror chose use them?

Yes, the government shall cover the responsibility and the costs for authentication and has the discretion to provide additional hosting services.

The contractor may submit a request for optional add-on services to enhance CAD software performance. The government will coordinate appropriately with the cloud hosting provider to facilitate access to those services as required.

(See update to PWS page 10, Section 5.2.1)

PWS 5.3.1, Page

Providing access for all current centers, which include 115 Tier 3 dispatch centers, ten (10) Tier 2 dispatch centers and one (1) Tier 1 dispatch center.

Will the government clarify that “providing access” does not include providing IP transport (ISP) services, but rather, a URL accessible via customer-provided internet access?

Yes, the government is looking for a solution where the dispatchers can access the CAD solution (license based, URL, etc.) it does include IP transport (ISP) services.

(No change to the PWS) pp 3-8, 10 Please define Tier Levels for the listed dispatch centers, including:

The number of active dispatcher, call taker, and supervisor positions at each site Tier.

The total number of mobile CAD positions (MDTs) to be deployed in the requested solution.

o Is this the same number for wearables and smartphones? If not, please provide quantity breakdown.

The number of trainees by discipline: dispatcher, system administrators, supervisor, GIS analyst, and any other requested positions per site Tier.

The network connectivity for each center.

Tier 3 dispatch centers are local centers, with an average of 4 to 25 consoles at each center.

Tier 2 centers are geographical centers with an average of 5 users at each center.

The Tier one center is a national center with 5 users.

There are currently zero mobile CADs. There are currently zero wearable or smartphone capabilities.

There are approximately 300 dispatchers nationwide with a mix of disciplines, and this number is continuously changing throughout the annual timeframe.

The network connectivity of each center varies with location of the center and is the responsibility of the individual hosting agency for any particular dispatch center.

(See update to PWS page 10, section 5.3.1)

5.6.3, Page 11 Providing one (1) annual training session.

Can the annual training session be online training using a remote learning format during COVID-19 or other situations preventing travel?

COVID-19 makes virtual training a possibility and an option. The situation may determine the delivery of training.

(No change to the PWS)

Page 13 Please advise whether base period includes implementation time.

The government expects that implementation of the CAD solution will occur in the base year of the contract, as shown by the inclusion of section 5.2 as a base year task in the table on page 14.

Compliance/ Exceptions, The instructions state “Any exception which is not expressly approved by the Contracting” Officer in writing is hereby rejected and void.

Do exceptions need to be approved by the Contracting Officer in writing before submission of the offer?

Removed the sentence “Any exception which is not expressly approved by the Contracting Officer in writing is hereby rejected and void.”

(See update to the Solicitation, page 64)

Personnel Resumes

The instructions require that the Offeror “state whether the person is presently employed with the Offeror, or whether they are proposed under a let of intent”. It further requires that “If the employee is not a current employee of the offeror or a proposed subcontractor, a copy of the accepted offer letter shall be provided.”

Letters of Intent usually state a person’s commitment/intention to accept a position at contact award, where an Offer Letter usually contains salary information and possibly other PPI. Does the government required a Letter of Intent or an Offer Letter in the case that a proposed person is not presently employed with the Offeror or subcontractor?

Either a Letter of Intent or an Offer Letter will suffice. Please redact PII or salary information prior to submittal.

(See update to the Solicitation, page 65)

Management Approach & Staffing Plan, Page

The instructions require the Offeror to “include any subcontracting/teaming/ consulting agreements to be utilized in contract performance”.

Does the government require a discussion or summary of the subcontracting/teaming/consulting agreements or the actual, executed agreements?

A fully executed agreement is not required, per the Solicitation, but may be included as part of your quote submittal.

(No change to the Solicitation)

Page 66 Please confirm that attachment II – Past Performance Questionnaire is to be submitted directly to the Government by the Offeror’s Customer(s), not returned to the Offeror to be submitted with Offeror’s Quote.

Attachment II may be submitted directly to the Government by the Offeror’s Customer(s) or returned to the Offeror to be submitted with the Offeror’s Quote.

(No change to the Solicitation)

Section 23— 508 and Section 24-- Accessibility

Given the highly specialized, essential public safety nature of the CAD user positions, is it feasible for apply for a 508 waiver, at least for initial releases?

Section 508 compatibility nor a waiver is required during installation and testing of a system.

Once in full production, the vendor shall provide an updated Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) to best describe the features that meet 508 standards. The VPAT should also identify which features do not meet 508 standards due to the complexity of the application.

The vendor can download a VPAT at https://www.section508.gov/sell/vpat (No change to the Solicitation)

Section 8— General Requirements, CIIS

CJIS compliance is complex, having as much to do with the transport and end users as it is with the system. Is this something that can be considered a future enhancement, so that user needs can be fully explored before implementing?

This requirement is expected to be initially implemented during the base year of the contract. And the vendor should provide the capability to integrate with CJIS and particularly the DOI IMARS law enforcement application.

Upon award the government can provide an overview of the application as needed.

(No change to the Solicitation)

Is this contract going to be a set aside for a Native American owned company? And if so would there be any specific documentation that I would need to provide to prove that my company is 100% Native American owned?

Per the solicitation, this requirement is a total small business set-aside. The applicable NAICS Code is 541511, with a size standard of $30,000,000.00. At this time, it is not being set-aside for Native American Owned companies.

(No change to the Solicitation)

Do you recommend that we bid for this project (technically it is not beyond our reach) considering that we have never done a Government contract

Whether or not to submit a quote in response to this solicitation is at the sole discretion of the contractor. The Government cannot make this determination.

https://www.section508.gov/sell/vpat

The Past Performance Survey will be all Non- Governmental. Is that ok?

Page 66, para. 1, of the Solicitation states "If you do not have any Federal Government contracts, then list state, local, or commercial contracts, in that order." The criteria that will be used to evaluate Past Performance can be found on page 69, under "FACTOR 2: PAST

PERFORMANCE."

(No change to the Solicitation)

We received this opportunity only today (Sept 10, 2020) and we are expected to complete the proposal by Sept 17, 2020. A week's notice to submit the proposal is almost impossible though we have the technical skills and personnel. Is there a way we can get notified earlier? We are in SAM and Fedconnect.

The solicitation was posted to the Government Point of Entry (GPE) on September 10, 2020.

Only the questions were due by September 17, 2020 at 2:00 pm ET. At this time, the response deadline has been extended until October 20, 2020 at 2:00 pm ET. There is no way to get notified earlier than the day the solicitation is released on the GPE.