Questions_and_Answers_0002.docx

Questions and Answers 4/1/2024

1. Are there any specific types of previous experience that the evaluation committee expects firms to have in order to be considered competitive for this solicitation?

A. The most competitive candidates will have relevant experience in all the fields described in the PWS.

1. Is there a scoring rubric that will be used to assess the submissions? I am aware of the evaluation factors listed in the solicitation but am curious as to how the committee plans to objectively score each submission.

A. The proposals will be evaluated using adjectival ratings (outstanding, good, acceptable, marginal, and unacceptable) based on the evaluation standards in the solicitation 52.212-2 EVALUATION-COMMERCIAL ITEMS (NOV 2021)

1. Regarding the budget, is there an amount that Reclamation has in mind that the Contractor should adhere to?

A. There is no total amount as this is an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract that provides for an indefinite quantity, within stated limits, of supplies or services during a fixed period. The Government will place task orders for individual requirements based on the rates provided for the labor categories on the price schedule.

1. Please confirm that this opportunity will not require handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and is limited to Federal Contract Information (FCI) in alignment with the presence of FAR 52.204-21 clause.

A. Handling CUI may be required under specific task orders.

1. Please confirm that references to FISMA and language within the RFP addresses Federal Information Systems, not Contractor Information Systems.

A. Correct, FISMA refers to Federal Information Systems. Reclamation is not interested in the Contractor’s other information systems.

1. Please clarify if the phrase IT Security Plan is meant to be synonymous with IT System Security Plan (SSP). If not, please provide more detail on the expectations surrounding the requested IT Security Plan.

A. The IT Security Plan and the IT System Security Plan are different plans referenced in provision/clause WBR 1452.237-80, Security Requirements – Bureau of Reclamation – Alternate VIII.

The main difference is the IT Security Plan is required for any resulting contract whereas the IT System Security Plan is only required for resulting contracts that utilize contractor developed or operated IT systems.

Further details on the requirements for these plans can be found within the definitions below (also detailed in the provision/clause). These plans are to be based on the offeror’s technical approach and, therefore, the content of the plans will vary from offeror to offeror. After contract award and the specified period written into the clause, the plan (or plans) must be submitted to the Contracting Officer Representative (COR). The COR and Contracting Officer (CO) will inform the awardee whether modifications to the plan(s) are required to follow Reclamation security requirements prior to plan approval. Subsequently, once the plan (or plans) is approved by the CO, the plan (or plans) become part of the contract for compliance purposes.

Definitions:

IT Security Plan: This plan shall describe the processes and procedures that will be followed to ensure appropriate security of IT resources that are developed, processed, stored, or used under this contract.

IT System Security Plan: For Contractor developed or operated IT systems, an IT System Security Plan must also be developed in compliance with the Federal Information Cybersecurity Modernization Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-283) and all relevant Federal and Reclamation policies and procedures that include, but are not limited to:

(i) Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, Management of Federal Information Resources, Appendix III, Security of Federal Automated Information Resources; and

(ii) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-18, Guide for Developing Security Plans for Federal Information Systems and NIST SP 800-53, Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations.

1. The clause as written allows the “Reclamation, including DOI Office of Inspector General, access to contractor’s and subcontractors’ facilities, installations, operations, documentation, databases, and personnel used in performance of the contract.” which provides the DOI access to company and other client data and information which is not associated with the resulting contract and outside other client confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements and therefore is too broad reaching. Please clarify the intent of this clause. A provision where a formal notice is received, and information relevant to the contract can be provided via a report, is a suggested alternative.

A. Reclamation’s intent is to ensure that the contractor has a controlled system safe from outside entities. Reclamation is interested in safeguarding our data.

1. Can the Technology Lead or Science Lead be from the Prime’s Teaming Partner (Key Subconsultant)?

A. The TL and SL need to be employees of the Prime Contractor as stated in Section 9 of the PWS.

1. Can the BOR provide clarification regarding Past Performance – i.e. Is it acceptable to include non-federal projects and references when accompanied by a completed/signed Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ)? If yes, what PPQ format would BOR prefer? Is the PPQ form used by USACE and NAVFAC acceptable?

A. Yes, non-federal projects are acceptable as past performance. The PPQ format is not required, however, that format can be used.

1. With the deadline to ask Questions being Friday, 03/29/24, we respectfully request a 2-week Extension of the Proposal Submission Deadline, from 04/05/24 to 04/19/24, in order to give the BOR time to respond and Bidders time to review responses to questions.

A. An extension is not justified for 2 weeks. An extension will be granted to April 8, 2024, at 4:00 pm Mountain Time.

11. Can the government please provide the number of internal and external users supported under this contract?

A. This is an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity. The number of systems that could be developed under this contract is not defined. One of the first task orders will develop a system for the Albuquerque Area Office and Water Resource Planning Office, which is approximately 150 internal users. There is currently no plan for an external system, but this is a 5-year contract, so an external system is possible. Contractors should concentrate on developing appropriate rates for the types of work described in the Performance Work Statement.

12. Can the government please provide a number of servers, associated technology, and identification if they are managed on premise or in the Cloud?

A. One of the first task orders will be to gather system requirements. All servers are virtual and based on AZURE.

13. Can the government please provide a technical description of the existing systems within the scope of this PWS: including the application technology stack (operating system, framework), the programming language used, and database information (DB Operating System, Size of DB, number of tables).

A. One of the first task orders will be to gather system requirements. The contractor, with Reclamation IT, will determine the most appropriate technology applications for new system(s) developed.

14. Can the government please provide the number of services managed under the scope of this contract, and confirm the total number of services accessed by internal vs external users?

A. This is an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity. The number of services that could be developed under this contract is not defined. One of the first task orders will be to gather system requirements.

15. Can the government please confirm the current environments to be managed under the scope of this contract?

A. Assuming this question is referring to IT environments, this would depend on the system(s) developed by the contactor.

16. Can the government please verify all site integrations and interfaces currently exist in the current site? We would like to know the type, direction of data to the site, and the frequency (live, nightly). Are there any plans for future integrations?

A. This is an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity. The number of integration and interfaces that interact with the system(s) under this contract is not defined. Reclamation anticipates duplex data movement. One of the first task orders will be to gather system requirements.

17. Can the government give an extension on due date?

A. Yes, we can extend until April 8, 2024, at 4:00 pm Mountain Time

18. Is there an incumbent for any portion of the work that is included in the scope of this new requirement?

A. No this is a new requirement.

19. Could the government provide additional context regarding the Past Performance requirement for the development of a Natural Resource Monitoring Program? Specifically, is the government's perspective focused on Information Technology (IT) solutions, data management strategies, or governance frameworks? Furthermore, could you delineate the intended scope of the program?

A. Under one of the first task orders, Reclamation is looking for contractors with knowledge and expertise necessary to develop a monitoring program for a river realignment, vegetation management, and geomorphology efforts. The data collected from these efforts will then be stored indefinitely in an information system that allows Reclamation to track and determine success.

20. Can offers include more than 3 past performances to show expertise?

A. From the solicitation, the Offeror shall provide descriptions of three contracts, which are closest in size and complexity to this contract. At least three examples of relevant experience including one for developing an IT System, one for developing a natural resource monitoring program, and one for conducting field monitoring. So more than three is acceptable.

21. Please specify the data hosting location utilized by this region. Is it managed internally or through a third-party provider?

A. Data is hosted out of Denver and managed internally.

22. Could you clarify whether your operations are supported by cloud-based services or are they hosted on-premises?

A. Servers are cloud-based.

23. In the Past Performance the government states: 3) An Offeror shall have no CPARS reviews that are less than satisfactory. Does this apply to the Past Performances that are listed in the past performance section or does this apply to all CPARS in the CPARS Database?

A. This applies to all categories evaluated on CPARS. If an offeror does not have CPARS information than they would be evaluated with a neutral.