Q&A_Responses_05_01_2019.pdf

1. Is there an incumbent on this contract? If so, please provide the incumbent name, current contract number, duration, historical level of effort and value of the contract?

Yes. ASRC is current incumbent. The contract was a 2 year effort and extended for 6-months.

2. Page 31, C11 – Security Requirements. For Secret security clearance. We understand

“Secret” clearance is required before contractors can start work. Will the DEA provide help with the process to get clearance for the contractors before they can start? We understand that individual security clearance is time sensitive, and wanted to know if help will be provided to make it smooth and efficient.

RFP Section H provides detailed instructions for the establishment of facility and individual clearances. The Contractor’s security officer will work closely with the DEA COR to meet all security requirements documented in RFP Section H. Contractors will need to successfully complete DoD DSS Security checks before DEA Clearance process can begin. Clearance will need to be in place before contractor could start work.

3. Page 47, Section H I General - Facility Clearance, is that required to submit a proposal? Or can that be gained after the award is granted?

No, it cannot be gained after the award is granted per DEA 2852.204-85 – “For consideration to work under the contract, the Contractor must hold a current Facility Clearance at the SECRET or INTERIM Secret level…”

4. Is the current incumbent allowed to bid for this RFP?

Yes.

5. Is this effort open to any 8(a) firm capable of doing the work?

This effort is open to any Small Business Administration (SBA) certified 8(a) firm capable of doing the work.

6. Do you have a prequalified number of vendors/service providers in your queue to whom you are making this available?

No.

7. Can you kindly state who would be the publisher of this respective software?

This is customized software to be developed and deployed within DEA.

8. Section: H.1 DEA-2852.204-85 SECURITY (October 2015):

I. GENERAL: For consideration to work under the contract, the Contractor must hold a current Facility Clearance at the SECRET or INTERIM Secret level through the U.S.

Department of Defense/Defense Security Service (“DOD”/”DSS”).

a) As per this section, the contractor should have interim or active SECRET clearance. If we have a teaming partner who holds TS facility clearance, does this satisfy or prime and subs should have this when we submit the proposal?

No, prime must have the Facility Clearance.

b) Can we submit response with our sub and if we are down selected for an award, can our sub sponsor SECRET facility clearance for us and get Interim clearance before we kick off the project?

No. Our contract is with the prime, not the sub.

c) Can our sub sponsor an interim SECRET clearance for us before we submit the proposal response?

No. Clearance must be held with the Contractor.

9. In section “L.9.1 General Instructions” It says we need to submit CDROM.

a) Can we submit soft copies in Flash drive?

Flash drives are acceptable with PDF files only.

10. Section: “L.9.4 Program Management Proposal (Volume II)” talks about submitting below resumes.

a) Key Personnel Resumes broken out as follows: (Please note: Microsoft Application

Consultant is no longer a Key Personnel) Program Manager – 1 resume Software Consultant – 5 resumes Senior Software Developer – 8 resumes Senior Oracle Developer – 1 Resume Microsoft Application Consultant – 2 resumes Scrum Master – 1 resume

b) Do we need to submit that many number of resumes along with the proposal or one resume for each category identified below?

The number of resumes requested is required per labor category.

When we submit these key personnel, is it required for them to have ACTIVE SECRET clearance or can the agency sponsor once an award is made and before they onboard?

Clearances can be obtain after contract award, however, personnel holding active clearances will still need to complete DEA suitability process if coming to DEA from another agency.

11. L.9.5 Cost/Price Proposal (Volume III)

a) Can we provide cost proposal soft copy in flash drive instead of CD?

Yes, a flash drive is acceptable. RFP has been changed.

b) Could you please provide a cost/price proposal excel template so that we can update it and submit?

No, a template will not be provided. Offerors are responsible for creation of all portions of their proposals.

12. Will the agency allow the prime 8(a) company to use reference of their subcontractors?

No. The contract will be with the prime 8(a) company and subcontractor references cannot be used.

13. The Proposal requirements are extremely detailed and will take a substantial amount of time to put all the required information together. Would the agency consider extending the proposal due date?

Yes, the RFP has been amended.

14. Should we require any further clarification on the answers the agency provides to our submitted questions, will the agency allow another round of questions?

No, there will not be another round of questions.

15. Section C.5.17 indicates that the contract should be fully staffed for at least the identified key personnel within 30 days of contract award. Section C.5.18.1 states, “Onboarding of key personnel to the new contract shall be completed within the first 45 calendar days.” Please clarify the timeframe for staffing and onboarding key personnel.

C.5.17 requires the Contractor to provide contractor security packages to DEA for at least the identified key personnel within 30 days of contract award date.

C.5.18.1 is modified to refer to onboarding of any DEA incumbent contractors within 45 calendar days, with remaining personnel onboarded once their DEA Suitability status is favorably adjudicated.

16. Section L.9.1 & L.9.4: For Key Personnel resumes to be submitted by the Offeror, there are 2 positions identified for Microsoft Application Consultants. It is our understanding that Microsoft will provide generic resumes for these positions to all Offerors. Therefore, the resumes will be same or similar for all Offerors, there will be insignificant competitive advantage for any Offeror on these 2 positions. Will the Government remove these 2 positions from the required resumes for Key Personnel as it is a critical evaluation factor?

Microsoft Application Consultants will be removed from Key Personnel and Key Personnel Resumes. The RFP has been amended.

17. The Key Personnel table in section H.8 totals to 31.75 FTEs as key. Section L.9.4 identifies a requirement to submit resumes for 18 FTEs as Key Personnel. Please clarify the number of Key Personnel FTEs required.

The number is correct.

18. May Offerors use 8-point Arial Narrow font for graphics, tables, charts, and diagrams?

The Government will allow 8 point for graphics, tables, charts, and diagrams.

19. Will the Government increase the page limit for Volume 1 - Technical to 40 pages to permit additional page count for Section K, Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of Offerors?

The Government will increase the page limit to 40 pages. RFP has been amended.

20. May Offerors include the acronym list as an appendix in Volume I - Technical Proposal?

Yes, the acronym list may be an appendix in Volume I – Technical Proposal.

21. May Offerors include resumes as an appendix in Volume II - Program Management Proposal?

Per L.10.2, paragraph 1 “The Program Management proposal will not exceed 35 pages exclusive of key personnel resumes.”

22. B.4 Table B-1: Are Offerors required to use these exact labor categories and hours to prepare their Cost/Price Proposals?

Yes, Offerors are required to use these exact labor categories and hours.

23. B.4 Table B-1: Two positions, Senior Oracle Web Developer and MS Access Developer, are shown as 1,440 hours (.75 FTE) in the base and option years. Is it the Government’s intention that these two positions be filled by part-time resources?

Yes, these positions would be filled by part-time resources.

24. C.2 pg 15: This is the only mention of “cloud” in the RFP. Does the current project make any use of the cloud, such as for development and non-production environments?

DEA has its own private cloud and part of the Concorde development environment resides in a tenant of that cloud.

25. C.4.1.3 & Exhibit J-E-3: Can the DEA provide statistics for the number of service desk tickets opened on a monthly or yearly basis and the number of service desk tickets now open, their classification, and severity?

Statistics for service desk tickets are approximately the following per year:

All Service Requests: 3645 All Incident Requests: 365 Open Service Requests: 173 Open Incident Requests: 9

26. C.6.1 & F.5: Both tables, which are identical, omit the Due Date for “Update completed

Sprint plan”. Can the Government provide the information that goes in this block?

It is due by the 15th of the month after the actual deployment of a user story. The Government will include the information in the RFP.

27. H.3: One of our potential partners is a current end-user of some of the applications listed in the RFP for this program. Is there an Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) issue if we decide to form a team with this partner company to respond to this procurement?

The Government does not see this as an OCI if the question is in reference to applications which are listed on RFP pages 18 and 19.

28. H.8: The RFP says, “This CLIN has been designated for individuals from Microsoft’s MACH program or have similar experience.” We assume that the Government expects the Offeror and not Microsoft to fill these positions. Is this assumption correct?

Yes, that assumption is correct. We would expect the Offerror to make arrangements with Microsoft to provide the qualified personnel or someone with the same level of experience as a graduate of the MACH program.

29. H.8: Because the Offeror’s proposed key personnel may be widely scattered geographically, will the Government accept scanned signatures rather than original ink signatures? We can attest to these signatures or provide a second, executive signature if desired.

Yes, the Government will accept scanned signatures.

30. K (b)(2)(d): Can the Government confirm that if the Offeror is registered in the System for

Award Management (SAM), may we only provide the information required by paragraph (b)(2) and paragraph (d)?

The Government confirms instruction in K.1 52.204-8 b(2).

31. L.9.1 & L.9.3: Does Letters of Commitment refer to the “Letters of Commitment documenting any subcontractor relationships” cited in paragraph (c) on page 122?

Yes, Letters of Commitment refer to the Letters of Commitment documenting any subcontractor relationships.

32. L.9.1: This section specifies that Illustrations are excluded from the page limit. Do illustrations include both graphics and tables?

Yes, illustrations include both graphics and tables.

33. L.9.1 This section specifies that Illustrations are excluded from the page limit. This presents problems with the formatting and flow of the proposal. Does the Government have a preference for where illustrations should be placed (e.g., on unnumbered pages within the body of the proposal, in a separate appendix)?

The Government does not have a preference for where illustrations should be placed. Offerors are responsible for the composition of their proposals.

34. L.9.1 This section specifies that Illustrations are excluded from the page limit. This presents problems with the formatting and flow of the proposal. Would the Government consider extending the page limits to 45 pages for Volumes I and II, inclusive of all illustrations?

Volume I page limit has been raised to 40 pages. RFP Section L already excludes illustrations from countable pages. RFP has been amended.

35. L.9.1 We assume no Letters of Intent are required as part of the proposal submission. Is this assumption correct?

Correct, Letters of Intent are not required.

36. L.9.1 We assume no Confidentiality Agreements are required as part of the proposal submission. Is this assumption correct?

Correct, Confidentiality Agreements are not required.

37. L.9.1 For illustrations, may Offerors use fonts smaller than 10 point and other than Times New Roman, provided that graphics are readable?

38. L.10 For Cost/Price, the table indicates that each subcontractor should submit 2 hard copies and 2 CDROMs. Neither Section L or Section M provide any instructions regarding subcontractor pricing submissions. Are subcontractors required to submit Volume III, and if so, what information should each subcontractor provide?

The subcontractor shall follow the instructions in Section L and Section M.

39. L.9.3 (a) – (e); L.9.4 (a) – (b): The instructions for the Technical Proposal (Volume I) and

Program Management Proposal (Volume II) do not ask Offerors to address the PWS, specifically Section C.5 TASKS. Where should Offerors provide their approach to execute the PWS tasks?

Offerors should refer to instructions in Section L and Section M for all proposal submissions.

40. L.9.3 The Executive Summary requests a great deal of detailed information. Will the Government extend the Executive Summary page limit to 15?

The Government will extend the Executive Summary page limit to 10. RFP has been amended.

41. Do the other RFP sections requiring “fill-in” completion by the Offeror include the Standard Form 33 on page 7?

42. L.9.3 (c) Offerors have no control over how many amendments may be released that must be included in this section. Will the Government exclude all items in paragraph (c) from the page count?

No, the Government will not exclude all items in paragraph (c) from the page count. Offerors have not yet submitted proposals and will not submit their proposals until the amended proposal is released. The Government does not anticipate further amendments at this time.

43. L.9.3 (e); M.3.1: The first sentence of paragraph (e) states, “The Government will evaluate how the Offeror’s relevant past performance and any relevant past performance for proposed subcontractor(s) relates to the probability of successful accomplishment of these contract requirements.” However, the remainder of paragraph (e) only refers to the Offeror’s performance as does Section M.3.1. Can the three past performances include past performance performed by partner companies? If yes, will this past performance be weighted the same as the prime contractor’s own past performance?

Only the past performance of the prime contractor will be evaluated.

44. M.2.1 Table M-1: A strength is awarded for “A proposal area that…contributes toward exceeding the contract requirements in a manner that provides additional value to the government…” However, the instructions in Sections L.9.3 and L.9.4 do not ask offerors to respond to the PWS requirements. How will the Government evaluators determine how to award strengths for exceeding contract requirements to Offerors?

Offerors should refer to instructions in Section L and Section M for all proposal submissions.

45. Part IV, Section K, K.1 52.204-8 ANNUAL REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS (OCT 2018)(a)(1): FBO states the NAICS code is 541519 but page 100 of the RFP states a NAICS code of 541511. Can the Government please clarify?

The applicable NAICS code is 541511. RFP has been amended.

46. L.9.1 (1) and L.9.4 (a): L.9.4 (a) of the RFP states that 18 Key Personnel Resumes are required: "(a) Key Personnel Resumes broken out as follows:

Program Manager – 1 resume Software Consultant – 5 resumes Senior Software Developer – 8 resumes Senior Oracle Developer – 1 Resume Microsoft Application Consultant – 2 resumes Scrum Master – 1 resume "

For a total of 18 resumes. However, the instructions in L.9.1 on p. 118 differ by position, quantity: "Software Consultant (5), Senior Software Developer (8), Microsoft Application Consultant (2). A single resume shall be submitted for all other Key Personnel."

Due to the critical contribution of the 18 key personnel identified in L.9.4, can the Government confirm that L.9.4 instructions for 18 Key Personnel resumes are the required resumes for this proposal?

The Government did not find this under the referenced section: L.9.1 on p. 118.

47. L.9.1 (1) and L.9.3 (c): Will the Government please confirm that Section K Representations/Certifications and Amendments are excluded from the page limits, per the list in paragraph (1) Page Limitation p. 119, “exclude the following”?

48. Section I Contract Clauses FAR 52.230-2 Cost Accounting Standards: Recommend that the

Government remove this Clause as it is not applicable to Contracts with Small Businesses.

The Government will remove. RFP has been amended.

49. K.7: FAR 52.230-1 Cost Accounting Standards Notices and Certification (Oct 2015):

Recommend the Government remove this provision as it is not applicable to Small Businesses.

Government has stated in the RFP that this does not apply to small businesses or foreign governments.

50. Section I Contract Clauses: FAR 52.219-9: Small Business Subcontracting Plan (AUG 2018):

Request the Government remove this clause as it is not applicable to Small Business Concerns.

The Government will remove. RFP has been amended.

51. L.9.4.a: The RFP L.9.4.a requires 2 resumes for Microsoft Application Consultants. However, Microsoft's corporate policy restricts the use of actual resumes. Microsoft will only supply representative resumes, and this applies to all offerors for the RFP. Will the Government consider making Microsoft a Directed Subcontractor, as per FAR subpart 225.871-5 for all offerors? If so, would the Government consider removing the two Microsoft Consultant resumes from RFP L.9.4? Alternatively, will the Government accept Microsoft-provided anonymous resumes without signatures to fulfill of this requirement? The Government’s evaluation will not benefit from anonymous resumes. Either option would have equal impact on all offerors who submit resumes.

Microsoft Application Consultants will be removed from Key Personnel and Key Personnel Resumes. The RFP has been amended.

52. Section L.9.3 (d) Technical Proposal (Volume I): (d) Compliance with Small Business Teaming/Subcontracting Information as Appropriate: As this procurement was issued as an 8(a) set aside, is this requirement not applicable?

The requirement is applicable.

53. L.9.1 (1) Page Limitation: Will the Government allow Arial 9pt font for tables and graphics/illustrations? Font allowances for tables and graphics is not specifically defined in the RFP.

54. H.8 (a) (2) Key Personnel: Starting with the second paragraph, "The following individuals are hereby designated as Key Personnel”, will the Government please confirm that the Quantity of Hours in the H.8 (a) table are the total number of hours/FTE’s for the IDIQ? (e.g., Software Consultant shows 19,200 hours or 10 FTE’s whereby only five (5) FTE would be named Key Personnel per L.9.1 (1) (Page Limitation).

Correct.

55. C.11 Once the contract is awarded, will Key Personnel and Non-Key Personnel be required to achieve a secret clearance?

Yes, except for the MS Access developer.

56. H.1 Page 47 states “Only United States citizens, by birth or naturalized, shall be permitted to perform services for DEA under this contract.” does this mean that U.S. citizens without a secret clearance are acceptable for the purposes of submission.

57. H.8: Section H.8 on page 64 lists the following as a requirement for the Software consultant and Senior Software Developer, "Experience in at least one software development environment with a minimum of 1,000 automated unit tests." Would the government accept this as an alternative wording to qualify on the resumes - "Experience in at least one software development project with a continuous integration environment?”

No, an environment with a minimum of 1000 automated tests provides a more detailed description of level of integration with a large number of automated tests.

58. H.8: The RFP states, ‘This CLIN has been designated for individuals from Microsoft’s MACH program or have similar experience.’ What are examples of similar experience to the Microsoft MACH program?

This is incumbent upon the vendor to discuss with Microsoft.

59. L.2 52.204-6 UNIQUE ENTITY IDENTIFITY (OCT 2016): The RFP states, “(b) The Offeror shall enter, in the block with its name and address on the cover page of its offer, the annotation “Unique Entity Identifier” followed by the unique entity identifier that identifies the Offeror’s name and address exactly as stated in the offer.” Referencing “in the block”; will the Government please confirm if it requires a SF30 to be submitted with an offer?

Yes, the Government confirms it requires an SF30 to be submitted.

60. L.2 52.204-6 UNIQUE ENTITY IDENTIFITY (OCT 2016): The RFP states, “The Offeror also shall enter its EFT indicator, if applicable.” Can the Government please that confirm offerors who are registered in SAM and have a Unique Entity Identifier do not need to provide its EFT information?

Yes, the Government confirms that offerors who are registers in SAM and have a Unique Entity Identifier do not need to provide its EFT information.

61. L.9.1.2, L.9.4 The RFP states, “the Offeror shall submit one (1) original proposal and two (2) copies of Volume III, marked as such” and also that the “Offeror shall submit 3 hard copies for Prime and 2 hardcopies for each sub”. Please clarify how many originals and copies are needed for Prime and subs.

The quantities are outlined in the tables.

62. L.9.1.(1): Is the Master Table of Contents included as outside of page count?

63. L.9.3(d) Please confirm that a Subcontracting Plan is not required as this RFP is an 8(a) set aside.

The Government confirms that a Small Business Subcontracting Plan is not required, however, a Subcontracting Plan is required.

64. L.9.3(3): The RFP states, “The Government considers an Offeror’s past performance as prime contractor as more relevant to the probability of successful accomplishment of these contract requirements than an Offeror’s past performance as a subcontractor.” Will the government please confirm that the Offeror is defined as a Prime AND any significant Subcontractors?

Offeror is defined as the prime contractor and their past performance as a prime contractor is more relevant when evaluating past performance.

65. L.9.3(e): Will the Government please confirm that only one government point of contact is required for each past performance reference?

Only one government point of contact is required provided that individual is readily available. If the Government is unable to contact the provided government point of contact, it could affect evaluation scoring.