Q_A_0001.pdf

140G0323Q0131amd00001 Page 2 of 5

1. Can the government provide a rough order of magnitude of how many tools they want created during the period of performance?

The number of tools would range between one and ten, depending on how the contractor and USGS scientists define them. As noted in the Performance Work Statement (PWS), the overall goal is to develop methods for remotely sensing coastal landscapes and determining tidally corrected shorelines. However, to achieve this the PWS notes that several integrated toolboxes will be needed.

2. Additionally can you provide a breakdown (approximate) of how many deep learning tools you are looking at versus the rest?

We are assessing a broad set of deep learning tools, training techniques, training data sets and tool applications. A list of the current machine learning models that we are using are included in the PWS, although this list should not eliminate the use of better techniques, if they exist and can be proven.

3. Do you intend to have a team or are you looking for a sole person to augment?

This matters for pricing the A.I. Pieces are slight more expensive to deliver than the rest.

We prefer working with a single person, as previous experiences with teams have failed to provide the deliverables that have been promised. We are willing, however, to consider creative and proven staffing models if they are proposed.

4. Reference the key personnel, will the government consider allowing a technical lead / project manager who has the requirements listed in the PWS and a separate contract manager who maybe more fluent on the business/FAR side of the house?

-We have processes in place that support contract compliance in our work force as well as training and pricing. It's designed to unburden our technical guru's including software development leads, research personnel etc with defined process flows for support. Federal contract compliance is its own special discipline that's usually best handled by someone with that training and offering someone who knows both Software Development and FAR compliance along with Deep Learning would seem a bit excessive causing the government to overpay for a single person who knows all 3. Software Development with Remote Sensing and Deep Learning seems like what you are looking for so can we split the two in our overall approach? We have put up some very good CPARS based results elsewhere at USGS maximizing the time of our technical experts by relieving them of the burden and providing the overall contract management piece through an alternative method.

Although we are open to any organizational model that the applicant may provide, the size and nature of this contract should be sufficiently simple for a single contractor. There have

140G0323Q0131amd00001 Page 3 of 5 been a multitude of similar contractors in our Center that have successfully navigated these kinds of contracts on their own.

5. Alternative Phrasing: "the contractor must provide at least 1 key person or a team of key personnel who meet the below key personnel requirements" - that way you still get the technical skills you are looking for but we could attach our support personnel who would relieve that burden.

This is consistent with the PWS, which states, “the contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, ….” And later, “If not operating as an independent contractor, the contractor shall provide a contract manager who shall be responsible for the performance of the work. ”

6. Key Control and Procedure Incorporation in Quality Control Plan -- Question: If the contractor is going to be performing these services remotely using a contractor provided facility, what keys and lock combinations will be issued? Should the contractor develop this procedure and caveat by stating "if applicable"? (PWS -- Page 6)

If site access is not a factor, keys and lock combinations will not be necessary.

7. For Contractors Working Remotely (Offsite): Will the government provide / allow purchase of a computer of sufficient power to support significant image processing? Alternatively, can the contractor pass costs associated with using an approved commercial cloud provider (e.g., a FedRAMP provider) to provide the required computing capacity? Will the government provide GFE or access to a government managed cloud site to support this effort? (PWS – Page 5 and throughout RFQ). Will the government provide (i.e., ship) the scanners, printers and plotters to contractors working from a facility that is not close to the provided government location?

As noted on page 1 of the PWS, “The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to perform computer-based toolbox development and testing and the remote sensing analyses as defined in this Performance Work Statement except for those items specified as government furnished property and services.” If the questioned items are not in the specified items, they will not be provided. If the contractor can pass Federal security checks, then access to the USGS Advanced Research Computing (ARC) network can be provided. The government will not ship scanners, printers and plotters to contractors.

8. How will the data products be delivered to contractors and be returned to the government?

Data delivery will depend on the types, sizes, and availability of data. This may include email attachments, transfers (or access) through data services, and hard drive shipping.

140G0323Q0131amd00001 Page 4 of 5

9. Does the government have any estimates as to the required storage requirements? Are there data encryption requirements for transferring data?

There are no estimated data storage requirements. There are no encryption requirements.

10. Does the government have any access, reuse, and governance requirements for the non-sensitive (e.g., PI and PII) data?

There are no requirements for non-sensitive data.

11. How will "test and evaluation" be performed? Does the government have any specific processes or defined procedures for testing data products? Are they documented? (PWS – Page 5 and 6)

There are several examples of testing and evaluation of similar satellite-derived shoreline and coastal remote sensing products in the peer-reviewed scientific literature from the past decade that utilize ground-based data and standard statistical analyses. The contractor would be expected to conduct similar scientific analyses of data.

12. Are there analysis/evaluation metrics that have been identified by the government?

USGS High Performance Computing.

13. Are contractors constrained to Sentinel and Landsat sensor imagery to perform the modeling? Can contractors propose alternative imagery? (PWS -- Page 5 and others).

There will not be a constraint to only Sentinel and Landsat data, but rather a goal of developing the best historical and present-day shoreline conditions with the best available data. All remote sensing data should be broadly available to the public and the USGS.

14. Professional Certifications -- What specific professional certifications are covered by the requirement that the “contractor will possess and maintain current professional certifications during the execution of this contract?” (PWS – Page 7)

There are qualifications for the key personnel that are listed and need to be maintained.

15. Post Award Conference/Periodic Progress Meetings – Is the contractor required to physically attend these meetings or can participation be virtual? (PWS – Page 7)

These can be virtual, if preferred and beneficial for the project.

16. Key Personnel – The qualification requirements described for the “Contract Manager” are more appropriate for a technical resource such as a “Data Scientist” or a “Geospatial Specialist”.

Would it be possible to use a position title more aligned with the requirements than “Contract

140G0323Q0131amd00001 Page 5 of 5

Manager.”? Are contractors allowed to use a Project/Program Manager to manage the contract and meet the availability requirements described while having resources that meet the identified specific position requirements perform the tasks of the RFQ? (PWS – Page 7)

As noted above, we are open to any organizational model that the applicant may provide that would be successful. That said, the size and nature of this contract should be sufficiently simple for a single contractor. There have been a multitude of similar contractors in our Center that have successfully navigated these kinds of contracts on their own.

17. Are there any constraints on page count, format, or content for the “firm, fixed price quote, System for Award Management Unique Entity Identification number, and relevant document to support experience and past performance” as required in the Solicitation, page 2.

The information submitted should not exceed a total of 50 one-sided 8½ x 11 pages, with one-inch margins, and font no smaller than 12point. No requirement / restriction on formatting.

Yes, you may submit CV and provide information on past projects, personnel / team qualifications, technical capabilities, references, and other documentations to support.

18. In the request for quotation document, it mentions on page 12 to "Submit at least two references with contact information" do I need to submit an additional written statement (like a letter of recommendation) from each reference or will simply the name, relevant details, and contact information for each reference suffice?

Each reference should indicate name, company, job title, and contact information, and brief description of work you performed.

19. In the Deliverables schedule on page 11 in the table's frequency column it states the following "Once during the second year of the contract" to me this statement implies the possibility for the contract to be renewed for a second year. When writing my fix price quote should I write a quote for a potential second year of the contract (if it is renewed) or should I only write a quote for the first year?

The estimated Period of Performance is one year plus one Option year. Option year is subject to continuing needs and availability of funds. Option year will be funded before the start of Option year. The quote should indicate pricing for year one and Option year.