140R8123R0003_Amendment_0001_-_Q_A_0001.pdf

140R8123R0003/Amendment 0001 – Risk Management IDIQ Questions and Answers (#1‐68)

1. USBR is looking for services to assist with cybersecurity tasks within ICS. Providing compliance to cybersecurity standards takes time due to large lists of POAMs and manual follow ups. This leads teams to look for faster processes to complete compliance activities. Has the team considered automating these processes?

a. Yes, we have considered automation and are using it wherever possible.

2. Will this be a multiple award contract like the previous requirement or a single award? The RFP does state single award; however, would like to verify.

a. Per SF-1449 block, this solicitation will result in a single award IDIQ contract.

3. Under Clause 52.212-1, SubFactor 1b states SEED task order. What does this refer to?

a. Clause 52.212-1, SubFactor 1B will be updated to rename “SEED” in Amendment 0001 to indicate “ICS Task Order” and “FISMA Task Order” to align with the evaluation criteria listed under WBR 1452.215-82.

4. Document: Attachment D: ICS Task Order Performance Work Statement & Attachment F:

FISMA Task Order Performance Work Statement

Is the government requiring offerors to identify job titles and labor categories for proposed staff tasked to fulfill requirements in Attachment D: ICS Task Order Performance Work Statement and Attachment F: FISMA Task Order Performance Work Statement?

a. Yes.

5. Document: Attachment D: ICS Task Order Performance Work Statement & Attachment F:

FISMA Task Order Performance Work Statement

Is the government requiring offerors to provide resumes for all proposed staff for Attachment D:

ICS Task Order Performance Work Statement and Attachment F: FISMA Task Order Performance Work Statement?

6. Document: SOL 140R8123R0003, p. 30

Will the government confirm that resumes are not included in the page count for Volume II:

Technical Approach?

a. Resumes will not be included in the page count for Volume II Technical Approach, however each resume should be limited to no more than 2 pages.

7. Document: SOL 140R8123R0003, p. 30

Will the government confirm that labor category descriptions (Attachment B) are not included in the page count for Volume II: Technical Approach?

a. Labor category descriptions are not included in the page count for Volume II Technical Approach. RFP 52.212-1 updated to reflect.

8. Document: SOL 140R8123R0003, p. 31

What are the minimum and maximum number of past performance references the government requires from offerors?

a. The minimum number is 2 and the maximum number is 4.

9. Document: SOL 140R8123R0003, p. 1

Will the government extend the submission deadline to Sept. 6, 2023, to allow time for offerors to revise their proposals based on government clarifications?

a. No.

10. Place holder for formatting Document: SOL 140R8123R0003, p. 34

Will the government accept current CPARs for past performance references in lieu of past performance questionnaires?

11. Place holder for formatting Document: Attachment D: ICS Task Order Performance Work Statement

Can the government provide a level of effort (LOE) estimate for the ICS task order?

a. No. Offerors shall review the PWS and propose the appropriate skill mix and hours required to perform the work.

12. Document: Attachment F: FISMA Task Order Performance Work Statement

Can the government provide a level of effort (LOE) estimate for the FISMA task order?

a. No. Offerors shall review the PWS and propose the appropriate skill mix and hours required to perform the work.

13. SF1449, pg 1 of 59, Blk 20. Within Block 20, page 1 of SF 1449, it states “Seed Task Order will be awarded and funded at time of award.”

Please confirm if the SEED TASK ORDER refers to either the ICS PWS or the FISMA PWS or does it refer to both task orders?

a. Block 20 updated to reflect ICS and FISMA Task Orders.

14. RFP, Pg 30 of 59: Factor 1: Technical: Sub-Factor 1b: Seed Task order.

Sub-Factor 1b: SEED task order states “a) Offers will be evaluated to determine the soundness of the technical approach most suitable to this effort and the resumes submitted by the quoter will be evaluated to assess the qualifications of the proposed staff (found in the PWS)” .

There are two PWS’ released with this solicitation. The instruction does not state which PWS.

Please confirm which PWS SubFactor 1b is in reference to?

a. SubFactor 1b updated to reflect title change from “SEED” to “ICS” and “SubFactor 1c:

FISMA Task Order” added.

15. RFP, Pg 29 of 59: Instructions to Offerors (a) Arrangement of proposal. With reference to the arrangement of the proposal, it states

“Factor 1: “Technical Approach, to include requirements from Sub-Factor 1a and 1b”

Please confirm that only the IDIQ PWS Attachment A should be addressed in Subfactor 1a.

Please confirm that only the FISMA PWS and ICS PWS should be addressed in SubFactor 1b

a. Factor 1 updated to include Sub-Factor 1a, 1b, and 1c. Correct Subfactor 1a only relates to the IDIQ PWS. Subfactors 1b and 1c are separate submissions.

16. RFP, Pg 31: Factor 2 Past Performance. How will offerors’ that submit several very relevant past performance references be evaluated against offerors with fewer but very relevant past performance references?

a. Factor 2 updated to include a minimum of two (2), but not to exceed four (4) projects.

17. Attachment E and G, Task order pricing for ICS, and FISMA Task Orders. There is no data provided in either pricing sheet. Offerors that are not incumbents are at a disadvantage in offering a best value technical proposal at a price that is advantageous to the Govt. In order to allow for fair competition, we request the Govt to please provide the basis of estimate for these two task orders

a. A basis of estimate will not be provided. Offerors are to review the requirements of each task order PWS and complete Attachment E and G to include the appropriate skill mix and hours to complete each task order.

18. RFP, Pg 29, 36, and 37 of 59. Instruction to offerors Evaluation Factors. Per the instructions on page 29 of the solicitation, Factor 1 requires response to Technical and Management approach, and also Labor Category Descriptions within a 20 page limitation. The Evaluation Criteria for PWS Task Orders on pages 36 and 37 requires resumes.

We request the Govt. to please consider resumes at no more than 2 pages and outside of the Factor 1 page limitation.

a. Resumes will not be included as part of the 20-page Technical approach limitation and resumes will be limited to no more than 2 pages per resume. RFP updated to reflect.

19. RFP Attachments D and F, Pg 36 and 37. Evaluation Factors for Task Orders. The evaluation factors for ICS Task Order and FISMA Task order require resumes for key personnel. Can the Govt please identify the key personnel required on the FISMA and ICS Task Orders.

a. The PWS provides the relevant information necessary for the vendor to determine what key personnel would be required to perform the work.

20. Solicitation, Pg 30. Factor 1: Technical: (not to exceed 20-pages) Sub Factor 1a Management

Plan Evaluation states “b) Offerors must submit labor category descriptions for each level of each labor category title as part of their technical proposal in accordance with FAR 52.212- 1(b)(4). (Attachment B)”.

Please confirm that Attachment B should be included within Factor 4 Price Proposal and should not be included within Factor 1.

a. Attachment B should be included in Factor 1 submission with Volume II; however, it is not included in the 20 page limitation of the Management Plan and submitted as a separate document, preferably in Excel. RFP updated to reflect.

21. Can the Government share the ceiling value of the IDIQ?

a. IDIQ ceiling is $30M. FAR Clause 52.216-19 – Ordering Limitations, indicates Min/Max ordering.

22. Factor 2: Past Performance, can the government identify a maximum or range on the number of pas performances that should be submitted?

a. See response to question 16.

23. Factor 2: Past Performance states “Past Performance shall identify what the offeror has completed during the last (3) years”. Can vendors submit past performance that have been active during the last 3 years even if the entire contract is not completed?

a. Factor 2 language updated to allow projects currently in progress and not yet completed.

24. Factor 1: For Sub-Factor 1a: Management Plan a) vi) “Demonstrates the ability to develop, foster, or culture a resource pool of qualified individuals for succession of existing personnel and for future opportunities.” However, this technical requirement does not appear under Factor 1:

Technical, Technical evaluation on pg 34. Can the Government confirm whether this factor will be evaluated?

a. Yes, this factor will be evaluated. 52.212-1 indicates what is included in the Management Plan, and WBR 1452.215-82 indicates the evaluation of the plan.

25. Can a smaller font size than 11, such as 8 pt font be used for tables and graphics?

a. 52.212-1 updated to reflect “Tables and graphics may use font size 9 point or larger.”

26. Key Personnel and alternate personnel resumes are required for both Seed Task Orders. Can resumes be excluded from the 20 page limit for Factor 1: Technical?

a. See response to question 18.

27. Does the Government expect vendor to submit resumes at the IDIQ level? If so, can those resumes be excluded from the 20 page limit for Factor 1: Technical?

a. Resumes do not need to be submitted at the IDIQ level. Resumes only need to be submitted for key personnel on the Task Orders. Resumes will not be included in the 20 page count for the Technical Proposals associated with SubFactors 1b and 1c.

28. The solicitation states “Offerors must submit labor category descriptions for each level of each labor category title as part of their technical proposal in accordance with FAR 52.212-1(b)(4).”

Can the Government confirm whether these descriptions can be excluded from the page count given the 92 LCAT descriptions will take multiple pages out of the 20 page limit?

29. How is the Government planning on evaluating past performance, will it be at the IDIQ level or the specific SEED task order level?

a. IAW 52.212-1 and WBR 1452.215-82, Past performance evaluations are based on projects submitted IAW Factor 2, which does not delineate between IDIQ or task order level.

30. The Evaluation Factor for Factor 2 states the vendor will be evaluated on if “Offerors shall initiate the Past Performance Questionnaires located in Attachment I of this solicitation.” Would the Government like vendors to carbon copy the CO on the past performance questionnaire to know that vendors initiated the process?

a. No. Factor 2 requires contact information for each past performance project submitted which the Government may utilize if further information is needed to properly evaluate past performance.

31. The solicitation contains DOI’s small business goals and includes a 3% target for Indian Small

Business Economic Enterprises (ISBEE). However, in Attachment H, in the table in Section 2 it does not include ISBEE, rather it includes it as subset of SB and SDB. Can the Government confirm the bidder does not need to break our ISBEE in the table in Attachment H?

a. The Subcontracting Plan Template (Attachment H) states: “Subcontracts awarded to an Alaska Native Corporation (ANC), or Indian tribe must be counted towards the subcontracting goals for [small business (SB) and Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB)] concerns, regardless of the size or Small Business Administration (SBA) certification status of the ANC or Indian tribe.” Because Indian Small Business Economic Enterprises (ISBEEs) and Indian Economic Enterprises (IEEs) are new goals for the Department this year, they are shown in the DOI Subcontracting Goals. However, in accordance with the Attachment H, offerors are not required to break out the ISBEE subcontracts, but rather include them within the SB and SDB goaling information on the document.

32. Attachment B only contains 91 labor categories while Attachment C contains 92 categories.

Attachment B is missing Incident Response Analyst IV. Can the Government issue a revised Attachment B?

a. Attachment B revised to reflect Incident Response Analyst IV.

33. The Performance Work Statement (PWS) for Attachment D is missing scope around “direct advisory work” from the current support to this task order. Could the Government confirm whether that additional scope should be included or not from the Attachment D PWS?

a. Attachment D was updated on Amendment 0001.

34. “Section 5 Attachment D and F (seed task orders) covers the Performance Requirements Summary. The Performance Standard indicates a requirement of 100% on time delivery of high-quality products. The incentive column mentions that “Failure to perform within the minimum level (90% on time delivery) could result in contract price reduction or other action.” Given that these task orders do not have a set delivery schedule, how does the Government plan to assess those performance measures and how would any price reduction or other action be determined?

a. The awardee/contractor will receive direct guidance for work and projects, including expectations for delivery schedules, and the completeness of tasks will be reviewed weekly. Any price reduction or other action would be discussed and agreed upon with the awardee/contractor.

Additionally, could the incentive column be modified to substitute “Adherence to the Performance Standards will or may be reflected in the Contractor’s CPAR scores,” for the existing language?”

b. The incentive column will not be modified with this substitution.

35. Some Government agencies who will not complete PPQs if they have completed a CPAR. Will the government accept CPARS in lieu of past performance questionnaires?

a. See response to question 10.

36. In sub factor 1b the solicitation states “the resumes submitted by the quoter will be evaluated to assess the qualifications of the proposed staff (found in the PWS).” Please confirm if this is referring to resumes submitted for task orders upon award, or if offerors are expected to provide resumes with their IDIQ proposal for sub factor 1b.

a. Resumes are to be submitted with SubFactor 1b and 1c and will be evaluated against the work associated with the task order PWS.

37. To provide a level playing field, would the Government be willing to provide a maximum amount of past performance examples being requested for Factor 2.

a. Factor 2: Past Performance updated to reflect minimum of two (2), but not to exceed four

(4) projects.

38. Will place of performance vary by task order?

39. Would the Government consider a two-week extension to the due date to allow offerors time for a proper proposal response after the answers to questions are received?

a. No.

40. Factor 2 Past Performance. The instructions for Factor 2 on page 31 of the Solicitation requires information on the offeror’s past performance references. The evaluation factors states that an offeror shall initiate the Past Performance Questionnaires in Attachment I as the evaluation factor. What documentation is required for the past performance File III in our submission?

a. See Addendum to 52.212-1 in RFP for information that is required in File (Volume) III.

41. Factor 3 Small Business Participation. (1) Can the Government please confirm the small businesses do not need to submit a subcontracting plan? (2) If a small business is the prime offeror and plans to perform at least 51% of the work themselves, will they be allowed to receive an exceptional rating in the evaluation factors without providing the small business plan?

a. IAW Factor 3, (1) “Small business offerors self-certified in SAM.gov will receive the maximum credit for this evaluation factor and do not need to submit any documentation supporting this evaluation factor.” (2) “Offers submitted by a small business prime offeror will also be evaluated and will receive the maximum score for this evaluation criteria.”

42. Solicitation Pg 8 of 59, DOI-AAAP-0050, and Pg 34 of 59 Factor 2: Past Performance. Please confirm that offerors may submit CPARS if available, in lieu of Past Performance Questionnaires.

a. See response to question 10.

43. Factor 1, Pg 30. “Offerors must submit labor category descriptions for each level of each labor category title as part of their technical proposal in accordance with FAR 52.212-1(b)4).

(Attachment B).” (1) Do we have to submit job descriptions for 92 labor categories? (2) If yes, can we just submit a separate attachment (Attachment B) along with the 5 proposal files, as including Attachment B in “Factor 1: Technical” document can lead to exceeding the page limit?

a. (1) Yes. (2) See response to question 28.

44. Factor 1, pg 30. “Offers will be evaluated to determine the soundness of the technical approach most suitable to this effort and the resumes submitted by the quoter will be evaluated to asses the qualifications of the proposed staff (found in the PWS), their experience in similar projects.” (1) Do we have to submit resumes of proposed candidates according to ICS and FISMA task orders?

(2) If yes, will it count in the limit of 20 pages? (3) Secondly, please confirm whether the resumes need to suit the “140R8123R0003 Risk Management IDIQ Attachment A” PWS or the two task orders that are included in the PWS “140R8123R0003 Attachment D: ICS Task Order PWS” or “ 140R8123R0003 Attachment F: FISMA Task order PWS”.

a. (1) Yes. (2) See response to question 6. (3) Resumes will need to be submitted for each task order per SubFactor 1b and 1c. Resumes are not required for SubFactor 1a.

45. Small businesses performing as a prime vendor, who may need to make subcontracting relationships to pursue this opportunity. Does Attachment H, Subcontracting Plan need to be submitted?

a. See response to question 41.

46. Could you clarify whether this acquisition represents a new requirement or not? If it is not a new requirement, can the Government confirm whether there is currently any incumbent providing support for this acquisition? If yes, can you provide the name of the incumbent and the corresponding dollar amount of their contract for both the Annual and Lifecycle value? Are there any differences in the level of effort for this contract versus that of the incumbent contract?

a. This IDIQ is a follow-on to a previous multiple award IDIQ. Previous IDIQ contracts were 140R8118D0005 (Spry Methods, Inc.) and 140R8118D0006 (Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc.), each with a $45,000,000.00 ceiling. For information regarding individual task orders awarded under the IDIQ, offerors will need to submit a FOIA request though the proper channels. Level of effort for this IDIQ is expected to be similar to the incumbent IDIQ, but it will be task order dependent. There are no differences in the level of effort for this RFP versus that of the incumbent IDIQ contracts.

47. Given the fact that there will not be sufficient time to gather all the resources after issuing amendment (or questions and answers), will the Government please provide an extension of 10 working days?

a. See response to question 9.

48. Pg 1. Would the Government please confirm that the “Seed Task Order” as referenced on the SF11449, Item 20 and Instructions to Offerors includes both the FISMA and ICS task orders?

a. Block 20 updated to reflect FISMA and ICS task orders on Amendment 0001.

49. Pg 29. 52.212-1(a). Would the Government confirm whether sequential numbering shall include cover pages and tables of contents? If so, please confirm that cover pages and tables of contents are not included in the page count for page limited volumes.

a. Cover pages and table of contents will be included in the page count.

50. Pg 30, 52.212-1(c)(5). Would the Government allow Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman font 9pt for tables, graphics, and charts?

a. See response to question 25.

51. Pg 31, Factor 2. Are the past performance references to be submitted for the IDIQ or for the Seed Task Orders?

a. Past performance references shall be submitted on projects similar in scope and magnitude to the work required under the solicitation. The RFP does not delineate between IDIQ and Seed Task Orders.

52. Pg 31, 36, 37 Factor 2, Evaluation Factors-ICS/FISMA Task Orders. Does the Government expect separate PPQs to be submitted for the IDIQ, FISMA, and ICS Task Orders?

a. See response to question 51.

53. Pg 31,36,37 Factor 2, Evaluation Factors-ICS/FISMA Task Orders. Would the Government provide a limit to the number of past performance references they are expecting for Factor 2 and/or the Seed Task Orders?

a. See response to question 37.

54. Pg 31,36,37 Factor 2, Evaluation Factors-ICS/FISMA Task Orders. Would the Government clarify whether it is going to evaluate the PPQs based on alignment of relevancy to the IDIQ PWS or the ICS/FISMA Seed Task Order PWSs?

a. See response to question 51.

55. Pg 31,36,37 Factor 2, Evaluation Factors-ICS/FISMA Task Orders. If the Government wants PPQ alignment towards both the IDIQ and the Seed Task Orders, then would the Government please indicate how many references they want for each, in order to substantiate sufficient confidence?

a. See response to question 16.

56. Pg 31 Factor 2. Would the Government confirm that Factor 2 consists of PPQs completed by the evaluator and submitted via email to aamador@usbr.gov and therefore nothing additional is required for submission by offerors in proposal submission for Factor 2: Past Performance and no file submission by offerors for Volume III?

a. See response to question 40.

57. Pg 29. “The proposal shall consist of no more than five (5) files” Request the Government update this number to include the submission of excel attachments B (Labor Category Descriptions), C (IDIQ Pricing, E (ICES Task Order Pricing), and G (FISMA Task Order Pricing) in addition to the Files I, II, III, IV, and V?

a. The term “File” has been updated to “Volume” to provide clarity. Offerors may submit documents associated with each volume such as Excel attachments; however, they must be clearly labeled with the appropriate volume number in the naming convention to clearly indicate which Volume (I, II, III, IV, and V) the attachments belong in.

58. Pg 34 Factor 2/Attachment I. “Offerors shall request that the representative submit the Past

Performance Questionnaires directly to the Point of Contact identified on the form no later than the due date on the form.” Request the Government provide the due date on the form for evaluators to comply with this requirement.

a. Attachment I updated to reflect due date.

59. Pg 36,37. Would the Government confirm that resumes and alternate resumes are not included in the page count for Factor 1: Technical?

a. See response to question 6.

60. Pg 32, 34-36. Indian Small Business Economic Enterprises (ISBEE) are listed in the DOI Goal table on page 32, Factor 3, (2), but is not listed in any of the evaluation criteria for Factor 3 (pg 34-36). Request the Government confirm that ISBEE is required for subcontracting goals.

a. See response to question 31.

61. Pg 34, Evaluation Factor 1: Technical. “Technical evaluation will be conducted to determine how well each vendor’s proposal meets or exceeds the requirements delineated in the Performance Work Statement (PWS) and other relevant sections of the RFP.” The instructions for 1a do not require technical response to the PWS. Would the Government confirm that Factor 1a only includes the Management Plan and Attachment B and not technical response to the IDIQ PWS is required?

a. Yes, SubFactor 1a only includes the Management Plan and Attachment B and not technical response to the IDIQ PWS. Technical approach is required under SubFactor 1b and 1c.

62. Attachment F, Pg 4. Would the Government confirm if the FISMA support seed task order is for the Xacta 360 system administration?

a. No, please refer to tasks in Section 4 in the PWS, system administration is not included.

63. Attachment F, Pg 4. Would the Government confirm if the FISMA support seed task order is for the 68 systems accounted for in Xacta 360?

a. Correct.

64. Pg 34, Evaluation Factor 1: Technical. There are no evaluation criteria explicitly defined for 1B.

Request the Government confirm that the Evaluation criteria listed for FISMA and ICS task orders are the evaluation criteria for 1B: SEED Task Order. If not, would the Government provide evaluation criteria for Subfactor 1b?

a. See response to question 3.

65. Pg 36-37, Evaluation Factors ICS/FISMA Task Orders. Per the evaluation factors for FISMA and ICS Seed task orders, would the Government confirm that 2 pages per Seed Task Order within the 20 page technical response is sufficient to respond to the ICS and FISMA Technical Approach?

a. RFP updated to reflect SubFactor 1b and 1c with 20 page limits each, resumes limited to 2 pages each and not included in the 20 page limit.

66. Attachment D, Pg 10. How many control systems are supported by the ICS task order?

a. The ICS task order primarily provides program-level support, such as providing expertise, guidance, and recommendations to the ICS Security Operations team and infrequent ad hoc technical support to individual systems as directed by TSAL. The task order does not include dedicated control system support. Attachment D updated on Amendment 0001.

67. Attachment D, Pg1, 10. The ICS PWS states, “This position is remote work eligible” and references “individuals” in 6.0. Would the Government confirm that it expects one FTE SME for this task order?

a. The Government expects the vendor to determine the number of FTEs required to perform the work. The PWS provides the relevant information necessary to make this determination.

68. Attachment D, Pg 3-9. For each of the 13 tasks in the ICS Task Order, what percentage of an

FTE is required to support the Government.

a. See response to question 67.