Amend_001_Questions_EBTS_19R0003_final.xlsx
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- Attached to
- Enterprise Business Technology Services (EBTS) Federal contract opportunity
- Solicitation number
- 16PBGC19R0003
- Issued by
- Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
About this file
This document summarizes a solicitation for Enterprise Business Technology Services support. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation seeks to award an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract with a base year of twelve months and nine option years to provide support for systems including Imaging Processing Services, Claims Control System, Content Management System, and Tableau dashboards. Interested parties must register in SAM.gov and monitor the Federal Business Opportunities site for the solicitation and any amendments, with questions due by the date specified in Section L.5. The award is anticipated for June 2019. Responsibilities will include operations and maintenance, enhancements, and disposition services for the listed applications and environments.
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EBTS Q&A
| No. | Question | RFP Section/Attachment | |||
| McNamara Angela: Also indicate subsection, letter or bullet here. | Page # | PBGC Response | |||
| 1 | Please clarify number of key resumes required. On page 57, there are five (5) key personnel labor catergories listed. In the table provided in RFP section L.1.6.2 Volume I Technical Proposal, Factor 1: Key Personnel has a three-page maximum. However, the RFP specifies a two-page maximum for each Key Personnel provided. Please clarify the number of key resumes for each labor categories required, and appropriate organization for this section, whether or not content other than resumes should be provided in this section. | L.2.1 | 88 | The Key Personnel section has a 3 page maximum; the offeror can use these pages to address it personnel. In addition to those pages, there is a 2 page maximum per resume. The offeror may combine the resumes and key personnel write up into one document. | |
| 2 | Will the Government please extend the proposal response date from January 4th 2019 to January 11th, 2019 at 3:00 PM? | Section 9 | 1 | The Solciitation will be extended. Proposal s are due no later than January 11, 2019 by 3:00 PM. |
| 3 | In the table provided in RFP section L.1.6.2 Volume I Technical Proposal under Factor 1: Key Personnel, Appendix A is identified as "Appendix A: Key Personnel Resumes." However, on page 89 of the RFP in section L.2.3.1 Subfactor 3.1 Technical Approach identifies Appendix A as "Appendix A: Work Breakdown Structure." Please clarify the appropriate organization for this section. | L.1.6.2 Table | |||
| L.2.3.1 Subfactor 3.1 | Appendix a is Key Personnel Resumes. Appendix B is Work Breakdown Structure | ||||
| 4 | Please identify where to include Section K Reps and Certs in Volume II Business/Price Volume. | L.3 | 83 and 92 | Include Section K, "Reps and Certs" at the end of Volume II | |
| 5 | In the table provided in RFP section L.1.6.2 Volume I Technical Proposal, the subfactor for Transition is located under Factor 3: Response to Task Order Request. Should the Transition subfactor be referenced as "Subfactor 3.4 Transition" instead of "Subfactor 4.4: Transition?" | L.1.6.2 Table | 87 | Yes. Transition applies to the Task Order and should be 4.3. | |
| 6 | Per the RFP, "Any TO not providing best value to the Government due to any issue(s) identified by the COR shall be addressed immediately and potentially lead to a TO and/or contract cancellation." |
1) How is Best Value determined during performance?
2) Can the Government please add a cure period and/or include a reference to FAR 49.4 Termination for Default to this clause? Solicitation H.4: Contract Term and Renewal 56 1) On Page 56 (Section H.4), the subject sentence has been revised to read as follows: "Any task order not providing satisfactory past performance to the Government due to any issue(s) identified by the COR shall be addressed immediately and potentially lead to a TO and/or contract cancellation
2) See the above answer 7 The RFP references 52.222-41 on page 78 & 79, however, the Clause is not checked to indicate that it is applicable, and Wage Determinations are not included.
1. Can the Government please confirm that SCA is not applicable under this contract?
| 2. If this clause is applicable, can the Government please incorporate the applicable Wage Determinations? | Solicitation Section I: Contract Clauses | 78, 79 | FAR 52.222-41 is not applicable |
| 8 | 1. Can the government please specify how many templates/forms exist in Thunderhead Now? |
2. Will additional templates/forms need to be created?
3. What level of administration of these templates/forms in Thunderhead NOW is needed? Attachment_C.2_EBTS_Environment_and_Requirements: Section 2.3.2 9 1) There are ~500 templates in Thunderhead currently.
2) Most likely there will be a need for additional templates in the future. However, there is no way to predict the actual number. See added table to Section 2.3.2, See revised "Attachment C.2 EBTS Environment and Requirements"
3) Generally minimal effort is required to create and maintain the custom templates as they are handled by the users and contractor only provides support on an as-needed basis. Standard templates are created and maintained solely by the contractor.
| 9 | Can PBGC please provide details about the "UPT System Technology Stack" as referenced "Please refer to section 2.3.1.10 for UPT’s shared technology stack". Section 2.3.1.10 is not available in attachment C.2 | Attachment_C.2_EBTS_Environment_and_Requirements" Section 2.3.4.1 | 15 | Added UPT Technology Stack to Section 2.3.4.1 in See revised "Attachment C.2 EBTS Environment and Requirements" . |
| 10 | What is the timeline for sunsetting the UPT application? | Attachment_C.2_EBTS_Environment_and_Requirements: Section 2.3.4 | 13 | We are currently working on Alterntaive Analysis for CMS that will result in the decommission of UPT in the future. Date is currently unknown. |
| 11 | What percentage of activities are enhancement, modernization, and O&M for each EBTS application? | Attachment_C.2_EBTS_Environment_and_Requirements: Section 2.3.7 | 19 | The government cannot determine the expected number of enhancment requests per year but doesn’t anticpate enhancement requests being addressed immediately upon contract award. Enhancmeent requests will be undertaken as priorites and budget allows. |
| 12 | Which applications currently use Tableau? | Attachment_C.2_EBTS_Environment_and_Requirements: Section 2.3.6 | 18 | None |
| 13 | TO 1 specifies: "Est. beginning August 1, 2019 for DMS, AVS and Tableau systems |
Est beginning Oct 1, 2019 for CMS system".
1) Where does DMS fit into the EBTS application suite, as it is not listed as an application in Attachment_C.2_EBTS_Environment_and_Requirements?
2) IPS, CCS and UPT are not listed in TO1, will these applications be included in subsequent Task Orders?
3) Does TO1 include Operations and Dispositon activities only for applications listed? Attachment_L.2.1_EBTS_Task_Order_1 1 1) DMS is comprised of IPS and CCS applications.
2) IPS and CCS comprise DMS so they are under TO1. UPT is part of the CMS.
3) Yes.
14 "A completed Attachment L.3.b, Labor Rate Build Up."
| Is the labor rate build-up applicable to subs? | Solicitation L.3.1: IDIQ Price Proposal, Paragraph a; Reference Text: | ||||
| 92 | Subcontractors are not required to submit the information requested in Attachment L.3.b. Attachment L.3.b pertains to the Prime Contractor labor build up for all labor rates proposed at the IDIQ contract level. The prime contractor's rates will be fixed at contract award. | ||||
| 15 | Would existing modernization efforts for AVS (upgrade of trillium version for AVS, implementation of AVS using NCOA, etc.) be within the scope of this IDIQ (not TO1)? | Attachment_C.2_EBTS_Environment_and_Requirements: Section 2.3.5 | 16 | Existing AVS modernization is NOT in the scope of this IDIQ. | |
| 16 | Can IPS/CSS and CMS/UPT systems data be further broken down into individual system information? I.E., can average tickets per year be provided for just IPS, just CSS, just CMS, and just UPT? | Attachment_C.2_EBTS_Environment_and_Requirements: Section 2.3.7 | 19 | Average number of tickets per year: ~970 CC; ~420 IPS; ~260 CCS. | |
| 17 | Can the Government please confirm that the Contracting Hours Report is only applicable for T&M, LH and CR type Task Orders? | Solicitation F.7: Schedule of Deliverables | 43 | Yes, the Contracting Hours Report is only applicable to T&M, LH and CR type task orders | |
| 18 | 1) Would the Government consider revising this requirement so consent to subcontract is only required if a contractor does not have an approved purchasing system in accordance with FAR 52.244-2? |
2) Can additional subcontractors be submitted with Task Order proposals adding them as an approved vendor under the IDIQ with acceptance of the Task Order proposal? Solicitation H.3: Subcontracting and H.4: Contract Term and Renewal 55 1) FAR 44.201-2 (b) states, "Even if the contractor has an approved purchasing system, 41 U.S.C. 3905 requires notification before the award of any cost-plus-fixed-fee subcontract, or any fixed-price subcontract that exceeds the simplified acquisition threshold or 5 percent of the total estimated cost of the contract. Alternate I to 52.244-2 implements this FAR requirement.
2) Yes, assuming compliance with the terms and conditions of 52.224-2 Alt I.
| 19 | Can the Government please confirm the total percentage for all small businesses across socio-economic categories listed is cumulative at 23% and not additive (23%+5%+5%+3%+3%) for a total of 39% across socio-economic categories? Can the Government also confirm that the figure is based on subcontracted dollars, and not total contracted dollars? | Solicitation L.4: Small Business Participation (Volume III) | 93 | The total for all categories of subcontracted dollars is 23% of the total contract value. The categories of subcontracting are not in addition to the 23%. The 23% is based on subcontracted dollars, not total contract dollars |
| 20 | Should the period of Performance be: |
Option Period 5 – 12 months from the end date of Option 4.
Option Period 6 – 12 months from the end date of Option 5.
| Option Period 7 – 12 months from the end date of Option 6. | Solicitation F.1: Period of Performance | 42 | Section F.1 has been revised. See Amend 01 Section F |
| 21 | Will the Government allow the Offeror to modify the Attachment B.5 EBTS TO 1 Price Schedule to accommodate requirements in section L.3.2 of the solicitation? |
For example, Per section L.3.2 of the solicitation, the Offerors must provide:
c) Fully burdened hourly rate (for both Government site and contractor site)…
g) Hourly rate discounts proposed for the task order, if applicable
| However, the Attachment B.5 EBTS TO 1 Price Schedule does not include columns for both Government and contractor site fully burdened rates or a place to provide hourly rate discounts, if applicable | Solicitation L.3.2: Task Order Pricing Proposal (for each contract proposed) | 92 | Section L.3.2 paragraph c is revised to remove "(for both Government site and contractor site)". See Amend Section L. Only one rate for each LCAT should be provided. The Offeror should advise if the IDIQ labor rates are discounted. Attachment B.5 EBTS TO1 must not be modified. |
| 22 | What date should the offeror assume the contract award start date is for pricing and proposal purposes? |
Section F.1
| PBGC anticipates a base period of one (1) year for EBTS commencing on date of award … | Solicitation F.1: Period of Performance | 42 | Please See Attachment L.2.1 EBTS TO 1 for the anticipated period of performance. |
| 23 | 1. Can the Government please confirm that the fixed burdened rates apply to Firm Fixed Price (FFP) and Time and Materials/Labor Hour (T&M/LH) CLINs only and not to Cost-Reimbursable CLINs? |
2. Can the Government please confirm that the proposed unburdened rates are for evaluation purposes only and not to incorporate fixed, unburdened rates? 1. Section B.5: IDIQ Pricing Schedule
2. Section L.3.1: IDIQ Price Proposal
| 4. Section L.3.2: Task Order Pricing Proposal | 7, 92 | 1) The fixed burdened labor rates only apply to FFP, T&M and LH CLINs. 2) The proposed unburdened labor rates will be fixed in the IDIQ and will apply to Cost Reimbursable CLINs. | |||
| 24 | Please confirm that all appendices be submitted as separate documents. | Solicitation L.1.6.2: Volume I: Technical Proposal | 87 | Yes. The Appendices may be submitted as seprate documents. Also see Q&A 1. | |
| 25 | Can the Government clarify that 4.11.I. is a typo and should read 4.1.1.J since J covers Program Management Reviews? | Solicitation L.2.3.3: Subfactor 3.3: Management Approach and M.3: Evaluation of Factors | 90, 99 | L.2.3.3 Program Management Reviews and M.3 refer to PWS Sectin C.4.1.1 | |
| 26 | Can the Government clarify that sections 4.2.1, 4.2.2, and 4.2.3 should be 4.3.1, 4.3.2, and 4.3.3? | Solicitation 4.3: Professional Advisory/Consulting Services | 36 | Correct. See Amend Section C | |
| 27 | What is the Government’s estimated schedule for reaching their down select decision? | Solicitation M.3: Factor 7: Oral Presentations | 102 | This information is not available at this time as it depends on the number of offers received. For the time being, all that can be provided is Seciton L re the source selection process and TO 1 for the estimated period of performance. | |
| 28 | For the orals presentation, what media, if any, is the proposed orals presentation to be presented in? | Solicitation M.3: Factor 7: Oral Presentations | 102 | The Contractor will be provided instructions for Oral Presentations when the invitation notice is sent out. Typically, PowerPoint should be used for the oral presentation. | |
| 29 | Would the Government please consider revising the required skillset for the System Administrator key position? The pool of candidates within the DC Metro region having 4 years of systems administration in Filenet Content Manager and Thunderhead is extremely small and provides an unfair advantage to the incumbent on this procurement. Our recommendation is to drop either Thunderhead or Filenet Content Manager, as each of these skillsets can be filled as supplemental roles. | Solicitation H.5: Key Personnel Functions | 57 | Government will accept a candidate with 4 years of System Administration experience in FileNet Content Manager with the knowledge of ThunderHead. See Amend Section H, H.5. | |
| 30 | Can the Government confirm that all non-Excel files can be submitted in PDF format since PDF is Microsoft Office compatible? | Solicitation L.1.6.1 | 86 | Yes. The Appendices are to be submitted as seprate documents. Also see Q&A 1. | |
| 31 | Will the Government please provide the current contract numbers for each of the EBTS applications currently being supported? | PBGC01-FA-14-0003, PBGC01-FA-15-0001, PBGC01-FA-15-0009 (AVS Only), 16PBGC18F0060 | |||
| 32 | Would the Government please confirm that "Subfactor 4.4: Transition" is misnumbered and really should be Subfactor 3.4? | Solicitation L.1.6.2 | 87 | Yes. | |
| 33 | The solicitation states: "The Offeror's Business/Price Proposal, must include the following items/documents: The Proposal Form, SF33, "Solicitation, Offer and Award." Would the Government please confirm that "The Proposal Form" referred to is the same form as the SF-33? | Solicitation L.3 | 92 | Yes. SF-33 and SF33 are the same. | |
| 34 | The RFP scope section indicates no new development, just feature changes to existing systems, potential modernization (not to be priced), O&M and disposition. The RFP later states the requirement to follow the Government's system lifecycle methodology that begins with development activities. We assume the development methodology is merely included as part of the standard process, but will not be leveraged beyond performing feature functionality changes as described in the scope section. Is this correct? | Section 4 bullet 1 & 4.2.2 | 16 / 24 | This is not correct. | |
| 35 | Will the Government provide the identification of all incumbent contractors and their associated contract numbers? | N/A | N/A | ATS Corporation, Salient CRGT Inc, and Booz Allen Hamilton | |
| 36 | The RFP states: "Attachment B.5 RMEW IDIQ Price Schedule". This attachment was not provided as part of the RFP release. We received Attachment_B.5_EBTS__IDIQ_Price_Schedule; will the Government confirm they are the same attachment or provide the B.5 RMEW IDIQ Price Schedule? | Section L.3.1 IDIQ Proposal; paragraph 1 | 92 | Yes. these are the same. | |
| 37 | The instructions include the Small Business Subcontracting Plan goals and the required volume the subcontracting plan will be. There is no evaluation Criteria associated with the subcontracting plan. Can the government confirm that the subcontracting plan will not be evaluated? | L.4 | 93 | The Small Business Participation plan will be evaluated based on FAR 19.7 and the PBGC small business participation goals listed on Pg. 93 of the solicitation | |
| 38 | Key Personnel Functions lists "The operations lead role" would this function possibly apply to more than one labor category? If so, may the offeror delineate each of the their proposed labor categories it applies to? | RFP Section H.5 | 57 | Offerors are to determine which labor category will apply to its operations lead role. | |
| 39 | Bullet point 1, please confirm that the offeror shall password protect Attachments B.5 and Attachments L.2.1.2 through L.5 | RFP Section L.1.2 | 85 | Yes, Attachments B.5 and Attachments L2.1.2 - L5 shall be password protected | |
| 40 | Paragraph 1 states that contract rates may be discounted at the task order level. May the offeror discount their Rates for TO 01 in Attachment B.5? | RFP Section L.3.1 | 92 | Yes. | |
| 41 | The offeror shall provide all the pricing attachments as part of it's overall response to the RFP. May the Offeror provide an additional word document supplemental price volume to support these attachments? | RFP Section L.3.1 | 92 | No | |
| 42 | Paragraph 1c states that the offerors are not required or encouraged to include all the sample labor categeories. For attachments L.2.1.2 and L.3.a for sample labor categories that the offeror will NOT bid shall the offeror simply delete those LCs or should they denote that they are "no bid"? | RFP Section L.3.1 | 92 | Please see the instructions at the top of L.2.1.2 and L.3.a. for how to indicate labor categories the offer will not use. | |
| 43 | As the current version of S/W is going out of support, what is a plan to upgrade IBM FileNet Capture & FileNet Platform? | 2.3.1 / Attachment C.2 | 6 | The business area has not made a decision on upgarding the IBM FileNet Capture & FileNet Platform. The IBM DataCap is being explored, but the decision has not been made. | |
| 44 | What is the daily volume of scanning paper documents using IPS? | 2.3.1 / Attachment C.2 | 6 | Average is ~11,000 pages. | |
| 45 | What is the daily volume adding documents to the FileNet system? | 2.3.1 / Attachment C.2 | 6 | Average is ~10,000 for our systems. | |
| 46 | What is the number of work items created per day? | 2.3.3 / Attachment C.2 | 12 | Average is ~3,600 (Need to confirm). | |
| 47 | What is the defined SLA for each tier of tickets? | 2.3.7 / Attachment C.2 | 19 | See the C.6 performance standards. | |
| 48 | As entire suite is going out of support, what will be the preferred platform to replace IBM FileNet Capture (scanning solution)? | 2.3.1 / Attachment C.2 | 6 | See Q&A 43. | |
| 49 | What is the total number of tickets per year/day? | 2.3.7 / Attachment C.2 | 19 | See Q&A 16. | |
| 50 | What is the total number of workflows in the current system? | 2.3.1 / Attachment C.2 | 6 | 18 for IPS: 11 For CMS. | |
| 51 | What is the physical system design for FileNet Content Manager & FileNet Capture System? | Attachment C.2.a | Attachment not numbered by page | Refer to Attachment C.2 under each consuming application. | |
| 52 | What is the total number of users (& concurrent) for FileNet CM & FileNet Capture? | Attachment C.2.a | Attachment not numbered by page | 7 and 214. | |
| 53 | ServiceNow is not included in Attachment C.2.a. Can the Government please clarify if ServiceNow is going to be used to document requirements? If no, please specify what tool(s) are being used. | Solicitation Section 4.2.2 Execution Service paragraph D & Attachment C.2.a TRM AD Tools | 24 of 103 (Page 16 of Section C) | ServiceNow is only used for ticketing and change management. | |
| 54 | Are there any outstanding security findings, material weaknesses, OIG audit findings, or POAMs for these applications? | Solicitation Section 4.2.2.6 Cybersecurity and Privacy | 27 of 103 (Page 19 of Section C) | There are no OIG audit findings or POA&Ms for these applications. | |
| 55 | What is the frequency of training for CMS, CCS, IPS, and AVS? | Solicitation Section 4.2.2.14 Training | 30 of 103 (Page 22 of Section C) | Please See Attachment C.2 Section 2.2.7 Systems Data table | |
| 56 | Can the Government please clarify if Production Trouble Reports (PTRs) used to track and record incidents and problem tickets are the same as Tracker Issues setup in HP Business Manager? | Solicitation Section 4.2.3.1 Tier-3 Technical and Operations Support | 32 of 103 (Page 24 of Section C) | Service now is used for problem tickets, and HP Business Manager is used for trackers which turn into requirments once a release is scheduled. | |
| 57 | What is the frequency of peak period support for CMS, CCS, IPS, and AVS? | SolicitationSection 4.2.3.2 Surge/Peak Period Support | 33 of 103 (Page 25 of Section C) | Usually August - Oct annually. | |
| 58 | In Section C, Statement of Work, paragraph 4.3 "Professional Advisory/Consulting Services," the sub-sections to 4.3 are numbered as follows: 4.2.1 Business Process Automation/Re-engineering; 4.2.2 Technical Analysis; 4.2.3 Special Studies. Can the government please confirm that these should instead be numbered as 4.3.1, 4.3.2 and 4.3.3 respectively? | Section C 4.3 Professional Advisory/Consulting Services | 36 of 103 | ||
| (Page 28 of Section C) | Yes | ||||
| 59 | Can the Government please confirm that contractor personnel performing on a Government site will receive Government-furnished computer equipment? | Section F.2, Place of Performance | 42 of 103 | Yes | |
| 60 | H Clauses are mis-numbered. It starts out on page 55 is H.1, H.2, H.3, H.4, H.5, then on page 58 is H.2, H.3, H.4, H.5, H.6 through H.14. Please clarify | H | 55 of 103 | ||
| 58 of 103 | Text Clauses begin in Section H. (H.1-H.5), and system added Local Clauses start on page 58 (H.2 - H.14 ending on page 74. | ||||
| 61 | The requirements for the System Administrator are a “Minimum 4 years of experience in IBM FileNet Content Manager, Thunderhead”. While there is some commonality between the two products it is more common to find resources with expertise in one or the other but not both. Will the government permit the key personnel to have experience with “either IBM FileNet Content Manager or Thunderhead”? Or will the government allow for the submission of two System Administrator key personnel one of with which IBM FileNet Content Manager and the other with Thunderhead experience? | H.5 Key Personnel Functions | 57 of 103 | See Q&A 29 | |
| 62 | We request that the 10-page limit for Subfactor 3.1: Technical Approach be increased to 15 pages to allow us to fully address all requirements. | Solicitation section L.1.6.2 Volume I: Technical Proposal | 87 of 103 | The 10-page limit for the Technical Approch is unchanged. | |
| 63 | In the table in Section L.1.6.2 "Volume I: Technical Proposal," Subfactor 4.4: Transition is listed under Factor 3: Response to Task Order Request. Can the government please clarify if Subfactor 4.4 Transition should instead be numbered as Subfactor 3.4? | L.1.6.2 | 87 of 103 | Yes | |
| 64 | For Factor 1, and Subfactors 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3, can the Government clarify if Appendices A though D should immediately follow their sections or be placed at the end of the Volume? | L.1.6.2 | 87 of 103 | Yes | |
| 65 | Since the Work Breakdown Structure is an Excel file, can the Government confirm that it can be submitted as a separate Appendix B from the Technical Volume? | L.1.6.2 and L.2.3.1 | 87 and 89 of 103 | Yes | |
| 66 | Since the Proposed Staffing by Labor Category is an Excel file, can the Government confirm that it can be submitted as a separate Appendix C from the Technical Volume? | L.1.6.2 and L.2.3.1 | 87 and 89 of 103 | Yes | |
| 67 | There is a requirement to "Identify if any proposed personnel are contingent hires; and if so, provide a signed letter of commitment by the proposed individual to serve in the stated position at contract award." Are the letters of commitment outside of the page count for the key personnel section? | L.2.1 Factor 1: Key Personnel | 88-89 of 103 | Yes | |
| 68 | There is a requirement to "Identify if any proposed personnel are contingent hires; and if so, provide a signed letter of commitment by the proposed individual to serve in the stated position at contract award." Can the letters of commitment be placed in an Appendix? | L.2.1 Factor 1: Key Personnel | 88-89 of 103 | Yes | |
| 69 | The proposal instructions direct the Offeror to address roles and responsibilities for key personnel in Factor 1, Factor 3.2 and Factor 3.3. Will the Government modify the requirements such that key personnel roles and responsibilities are only addressed once? If so, we recommend Factor 1, Key Personnel. | General | 88-89 of 103 | Offerors must propose according to the instructions in Section L subparagraphs L.2.1, L.2.3.2 and L.2.3.3. | |
| 70 | In the third paragraph in L.2.3.1, it states "Labeled: Appendix A: Work Breakdown Structure." - Should this be labeled Appendix B: Work Breakdown Structure instead? | L.2.3.1 | 89 of 103 | Yes | |
| 71 | In paragraph L.2.3.3 "Subfactor 3.3: Management Approach, Program Management Reviews" the instructions state that we are to discuss our approach to sharing performance and progress against all task orders and projects in accordance with 4.11.I. There is no section 4.11 of the PWS. Offeror believes the correct reference is 4.1.1 J. Can the government please confirm or clarify the correct reference? | L.2.3.3 | 90 of 103 | The correct reference is 4.1.1 | |
| 72 | The solicitation states that the WOSB, SDBs, HUBZone-certified small businesses and SDVOSBs is a percent of prime contracts and subcontracts . Please confirm that the small business goal percentages for a prime subcontracting to small businesses are the percentage of the total subcontracted dollars. | L.4 | 93 of 103 | The total for all categories of small business subcontracted dollars is 23% of the total contract value. | |
| 73 | Will the government allow 2nd tier subcontracting dollars to be flowed up to the Prime? | L.4 | 93 of 103 | No | |
| 74 | The solicitation states “PBGC will evaluate offers in two phases”. Will bidders be notified if they are eliminated after the first phase? | Section M | 97 of 103 | Yes | |
| 75 | How much advance notice will Bidders receive ahead of oral presentations? | Section M | 97 of 103 | See Amended Section L, Section L.7 | |
| 76 | How much time will be given to Bidders for oral presentations? | Section M | 97 of 103 | These instructions will be provided to offerors after the government finishes evaluating the first 6 factors. Note, oral presentations are not a presentation of the offeror's technical proposal. No prior preparation is required. All offerors remaining will be given equal and sufficient time to prepare. See Amended Section L, Section L.7 | |
| 77 | Has IPS been upgraded to use a Oracle 12c Database? If not, when is this upgrade scheduled? | Attachment C 2; 2.3.1.1 IPS Tech Stack | 7 | Yes - only database | |
| 78 | Is IPS still consuming the WSAz web service for authorization? | Attachment C 2; 2.3.1.2 IPS Diagram | 8 | No | |
| 79 | Has CCS been upgraded to use a Oracle 12c Database? If not, when is this upgrade scheduled? | Attachment C 2; 2.3.2.1 CCS System Tech Stack | 10 | Yes - only database | |
| 80 | Has CMS been upgraded to use a Oracle 12c Database? If not, when is this upgrade scheduled? | Attachment C 2; 2.3.3.1 CMS System Tech Stack | 12 | Yes - only database | |
| 81 | Please verify the consumers of UPT and WSAz. Has UPT and WSAz been decommissioned? | Attachment C 2; 2.3.4 UPT | 13 | No | |
| 82 | Can the Government please provide the number of service ticket ( 4.2.3.1 Tier 3 Tickets) for each system: IPS and CCS? | Attachment C 2; 2.3.7 System Data | 19 | See Q&A 16. | |
| 83 | Can the Government please provide the number of adhoc reporting requests (4.2.3.9 Ad Hoc Reporting ) for each system: IPS and CCS? | Attachment C 2; 2.3.7 System Data | 19 | 5-10 adhoc reports for IPS and CCS per month. | |
| 84 | Are Section headers required to comply with the Font type and size requirements or does that only apply to Body Text? | General | NA | Section headers may be no smaller than the Section L requirement. | |
| 85 | Are Header and Footer text required to comply with the Font type and size requirements or does that only apply to Body Text? | General | NA | See Q&A 85 | |
| 86 | Will the government permit 8.5 x 11 pages in Landscape format? | General | NA | Yes, for graphics | |
| 87 | Please provide the incumbent’s Name, current contract number, length and value for the relevant contracts | General | NA | See response to questions 31 and 35 | |
| 88 | Will the government extend the due date for submission by 2 weeks to allow time to review and address answers to vendor questions and consider the holiday? | General | NA | See Q&A 2 | |
| 89 | RFP states: "The Contractor shall use the labor categories, fixed hourly rates for the Base and Option Periods and the contract line item numbers (CLINs) in Attachment B.5 to develop the task order business/price proposals." Attachment B.5 does not contain any labor categories (other than an example). Please confirm that we are to provide all of the labor categories that we intend to employ in developing task order business/price proposals, as per Attachment L.3.a EBTS Labor Category Crosswalk. | B.5 IDIQ Pricing Schedule | 7; 2nd Paragraph | Offerors must provide all labor categories they intend to employ in developing future task order business/price proposals. | |
| 90 | Several references in RFP state: "See Section C.2, Systems Data table". RFP Section C.2 does not contain a data table. Attachment C.2 section 2.3.7 Systems Data does contain a table of historic measures with respect to management, reporting and operations activities. Please confirm that RFP references to "Section C.2 Systems Data table should be to Attachment C.2, Section 2.3.7. | 4.1.1 Program Management Support; 4.1.2.1 Issue and Risk Management; 4.1.2.3 Integrated Project Team (IPT) and Change Control Board (CCB); 4.1.2.4 Meeting Participation; 4.1.2.6 Technical Writing; 4.2.2.15 Data Quality Management; 4.2.3.1 Tier-3 Technical and Operations Support; 4.2.3.3 Infrastructure Impact Analysis, Testing, Remediation and Coordination; 4.2.3.6 Data Call and Audit Support; 4.2.3.9 Ad Hoc Reporting. | 17, 19, 20, 21, 30, 32, 33, 35 | Yes | |
| 91 | RFP states: "BNAs are led by PBGC’s Enterprise Architecture Division (EAD) and their EA support contractor". Will the government identify the EA support contractor? | 4.2.1.1 Business Needs Analysis | 30; 1st Paragraph | Fusion PPT LLC | |
| 92 | What is the average frequency (e.g., per year, per month) of Request for Change (RFC) submissions? | 4.2.2.7 Change Management | 27; Section B | Approximately per year: 1-2 for CMS/UPT; 2-3 for CCS; 2-3 for IPS; 1 for Tableau; 1 for AVS. | |
| 93 | What is the average frequency (e.g., per year, per month) of emergency releases? | 4.2.2.9 Maintenance/Emergency Release Development and Configuration | 28; Section B | Rarely. | |
| 94 | RFP states: "The Contractor shall develop, implement and maintain a configuration management (CM) program that conforms to established PBGC requirements and practices … ". Are the established PBGC CM requirements and practices documented and available for review prior to proposal submission? | 4.2.2.11 Configuration Management (and elsewhere) | 29; 2nd Paragraph | It will be specified at the time of Project Planning in accordance to ITSLCM. | |
| 95 | What is the average frequency (e.g., per year, per month) and volume of data migrations/ conversions? The RFP states "See Section C.2, Systems Data table", but as noted above, there is no systems data table at C.2, and the systems data table appearing at 2.3.7 does not include any historic numbers with respect to data quality management. | 4.2.2.15 Data Quality Management | 30; 1st Paragraph | Our data migration/conversion usually happens when we replace an existing. | |
| 96 | The RFP states: The contractor shall provide operations and disposition support to the IT systems in the production environment per the last set of approved requirements, such as Technical and Operations Support and disaster recovery/Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP)." Do the approved requirements include a service level agreement (SLA) for any of the EBTS systems (e.g. that establishes targets for scheduled availability and response time, and beyond the performance standards identified in Attachment C.6), and if so will the government provide this information to offerors? | 4.2.3 Operations and Disposition Services | 31; 1st Paragraph | See the C.6 performance standards. | |
| 97 | The RFP states: "H. Coordinate with Externally Hosted Applications (i.e. Oracle, DOI, etc.) for system issue and problem resolution." Attachment C.2 EBTS Environment and Requirements does not identify any externally hosted applications, also does not refer to "DOI". What specifically does "Externally Hosted" refer to in this context, and what does "DOI" refer to? It does not appear in Attachment C, Acronym List, or in Attachment C.2.a TRM AD Tools. Could it be a typo for "Oracle Internet Directory (OID)"? We note that OID does appear in the acronym list, however Oracle Internet Directory is not listed within Attachment C.2.a TRM AD Tools. | 4.2.3.1 Tier-3 Technical and Operations Support | 32; Section H | This is not applicable to EBTS. Paragraph H in Section 4.2.3.1 has been deleted. | |
| 98 | The RFP states: "PBGC systems are currently hosted at the PBGC data center, at a cloud facility, or as externally hosted systems." As with the question above, can the government please provide additional detail as to which EBTS systems (dev, test, and / or production) are hosted at the PBGC data center, which are at cloud facilities, and which are externally hosted? | 4.2.3.3 Infrastructure Impact Analysis, Testing, Remediation and Coordination | 33; 1st Paragraph | See Q&A 97 | |
| 99 | It appears that the subsections numbered 4.2.1 Business Process Automation/ Re-engineering, 4.2.2 Technical Analysis, and 4.2.3 Special Studies should be numbered 4.3.1, 4.3.2 and 4.3.3 respectively, will the government please confirm this interpretation? | 4.3 Professional Advisory/Consulting Services | 36 | Yes | |
| 100 | With respect to the systems that comprise EBTS (i.e., IPS, CCS, CMS, UPT, AVS, Tableau Dashboard), can the government provide information on the scope and complexity of each application, as well as information on usage, data throughput and capacity? Such information might include: number of database tables; size of database; number of lines of code, number of stored procedures, number of ETL scripts, number of reports, number of test cases, number of Java objects (or .Net components), average number of concurrent users, peak number of concurrent users, average daily transaction volume, peak transaction volume, etc? | Attachment C.2 EBTS Environment and Requirements | Entire attachment | IPS, CCS and CMS are major systems that use/share 2-3 databases. Users: ~1500 IPS, ~500 CCS, ~1400 CMS users, 4 Apps call AVS Validation web service. |
DB - 19GB CCS, 181GB IPS; 5GB AVS, 35G CMS; Tables: 53 CCS; 263 IPS; 15 AVS, 1179 CMS; Stored Procedures: 1 CCS, 3 IPS, 15 AVS, 105 CMS.
Lines of code – CCS: 37582; IPS: 8001; AVS: 5000; CMS: ~207K Java, ~78K JSP, ~42K PL/SQL. Java classes/objects – CCS: 287, IPS: 92, CMS 1780; ETL Scripts -AVS: 5.
| 101 | The table in Section F.7 indicates that the Quality Assurance Plan is to be delivered "Monthly during OY 1." Should that be "Monthly during Base Year"? | F.7 Schedule of Deliverables | 43 | Yes |
| 102 | RFP F.6 states: "Task Orders will be issued on a Firm Fixed-Price (FFP), Labor Hour (LH), Cost Reimbursement or a hybrid of one or more depending upon PBGC requirements." RFP G.2 states: "TOs will be issued on a firm fixed-price, labor-hour, cost reimbursement, or labor hour basis." G.2. also states (under "Request for TO Proposal:") "4. TO type (Fixed Price, Labor Hour, Cost Reimbursement, or Time and Materials)". EBTS Task Order 1 states "Contract Type - Time and Material (T&M)". Please clarify what types of Task Orders will be issued, and confirm that TO1 is to be T&M. | F.6 Contract Type, also G.2. Ordering Procedures, and Attachment L.2.1 EBTS Task Order 1. | 43; F.6 |
| 48; Request for TO Proposal, #4 | The IDIQ allows all contract types for each TO. TO 1 is, as indicated, T&M. | ||||
| 103 | RFP states: "The PgM (and TO Project Managers if different from the PgM) shall be fully authorized … ". Does this mean that the Key Person Program Manager may be the same individual as the Key Person Project Manager, assuming he or she meets all requirements for both positions? | G.1.3 Contractor Roles and Responsibilities | 48 | Yes | |
| 104 | Within the table on page 87, under Factor 3: Response to Task Order Request, Transition is identified as "Subfactor 4.4", please confirm that this should be "Subfactor 3.4". | L.1.6.2 Volume I: Technical Proposal | 87 | Yes | |
| 105 | The RFP states: "Program Management Reviews. Discuss your approach to sharing performance and |
progress against all task orders and projects in accordance with 4.11.I."
| We assume that this is a typo (as there is no section 4.11) and should refer to 4.1.1.I., however it is 4.1.1.J that refers to Program Management Reviews. Should the reference to 4.11.I actually be to 4.1.1.J? Please confirm or otherwise clarify. | L.2.3.3 Subfactor 3.3: Management Approach | 90 | 4.1.1 is the appropriate reference | ||
| 106 | Within the section "Quality Control Plan", the RFP includes a reference to the "QAP". Should this be "QCP"? | L.2.3.3 Subfactor 3.3: Management Approach | 90 | Yes, revised in Section L.2.3.3, subfactor 3.3. | |
| 107 | Section L.4 states that the small business goal is “23 percent of prime contracts” and that the goals for the socio-economic categories are stated as a “percent of prime and subcontracts…”. Can the government please confirm whether the goals are based on total subcontracted dollars or total contract value? | L.4 Small Business Participation (Volume III) of RFP 19R0003.pdf | 93 | See the response to the question above. | |
| 108 | The RFP references various rates (i.e. fixed hourly rates, total cost estimate, fully burdened rates). Is the government’s intention for offerors to provide a single set of labor rates, inclusive of fee, which would apply to all CLINS and task orders and which may be discounted at the task order level? | B.5 IDIQ Pricing Schedule & | |||
| L.3.1. IDIQ Price Proposal | 7 & | ||||
| 92, Paragraph 1) | It is the Government's intention for offerors to propose one labor rate inclusive of fee for each proposed LCAT under each CLIN. These rates will apply to task orders but may be discounted at the task order level. | ||||
| 109 | RFP states 'for task orders designed as cost reimbursement, the Contractor shall proposal a total cost estimate using labor categories and loaded labor rates agreed to in the contract'. Do loaded rates include fee? Does the government anticipate any 'cost reimbursable' labor versus 'cost plus fee' labor? | B.5 IDIQ Pricing Schedule | 7 | The IDIQ allows for potential cost type TOs. Burdened or loaded rates include fees and will apply to Firm Fixed Price, Time and Material and Labor Hour task orders. The unburdened labor rate will apply to cost type task orders. | |
| 110 | Attachment B.5 requires offerors to include burdened and unburdened rates. Please define burdened and unburdened. For example - are unburdened rates the direct wage rate? If so, are burdened rates inclusive of direct and indirect costs and fee? | Attachment B.5 EBTS IDIQ Price Schedule | Attachment B.5 | Burdened labor rates are inclusive of fees (e.g. G&A, O/H, profit). Please refer to Attachment L.3.b (Proposed Labor Rate Build Up). | |
| 111 | Will the government consider an extension to the due date in light of the multiple holidays during the proposal period? | Proposal Due Date | 2 | See the response to the question above. | |
| 112 | The RFP includes clauses 52.215-10 and 52.215-11 with regards to defective certified cost and pricing data. However, the solicitation does not require certified cost and pricing data. Will the government please remove clauses 52.215-10 and 52.215-11? | I.6 and I.7 | 75 | Yes. | |
| 113 | Clause 52.212-5, paragraph 'e' lists the clauses required to flow to subcontractors. Included in this paragraph are 3 clauses relevant to Service Contract Labor Standards (52.222-41, 52.222-51, and 52.222-53). However, the contract at the prime level does not include the SCLS and WD's are not provided. Please confirm the Service Contract Act / Service Contract Labor Standards are not applicable to this contract. | I.16 | 79, Paragraph e),(xii); Paragraph e), (xiv), & Paragraph e),(xv) | These clauses are n/a. | |
| 114 | Question: Will the government consider providing labor category descriptions and/or minimum education/experience qualifications to ensure all offerors are proposing labor rates with the same qualification assumptions? | L.3.1 | 92, Paragraph 1), c | No. Offerors are to indicate the labor category that best represents their staff and propose their rates for the proposed staff. | |
| 115 | The RFP requires offerors to inlcude assumptions on the "Task Order Assumptions" tab in attachment B.5. There is no such tab in Attachment B.5. Are offerors allowed to modify the file to add this tab? | L.3.2 | 93, Paragraph 1), e | Offerors may add this tab. | |
| 116 | The RFP requires offers to show in Attachment B.5 the rate discount. The attachment does not include a column for the rate discount. Are offerors allowed to modify the attachment to include this information? | L.3.2 | 93, Paragraph 1), f | ||
| 117 | In Attachment C.2 the Government lists six EBTS environments: IPS, CCS, CMS, UPT, AVS, and Tableau. |
In Attachment L.2.1 the Government lists four systems in the Period of Performance section: DMS, AVS, Tableau, and CMS.
Please confirm that 1.) the DMS system includes IPS and CCS, and 2.) the CMS system includes CMS and UPT. As a result, all six EBTS environments from C.2 are included in Task Order 1.” Attachment C.2 EBTS Environment and Requirements 1) See Q&A 13.
2) No. Only those sytems listed in TO 1 are included in TO 1.
| 118 | In reference “as prime” in the instruction to “Provide at least three (3) Past Performance Profiles in the technical volume as prime…”, is it the Government’s intention to receive at least 3 past performances that were performed by the prime contractor (i.e. the prime contractor/lead company of this proposal) as a prime contractor? | L.2.6 Factor 6: Past Performance | 91 | Yes | |
| 119 | The section on Quality Control Plan references the term “QAP”. Given that the contents of a QCP and a QAP are different, can the Government confirm that it is looking for a QCP that addresses the topics in the Section titled “Quality Control Plan”? | Section L.2.3.3 Subfactor 3.3: Management Approach | 90 | Yes | |
| 120 | Bullet point 1.e requires Offerors to document the assumptions in the “Task Order Assumptions” tab. Since this tab does not exist in the Excel file, can the Offeror create the tab and document the assumptions in it? | L.3.2 Task Order Pricing Proposal, and Attachment_B.5_EBTS_TO_1_Price_Schedule | 93 | Offerors may add an Assumptions tab. | |
| 121 | Can the Government clarify that sections 4.2.1 Business Process Automation/Re-engineering, 4.2.2 Technical Analysis, and 4.2.3 Special Studies should be 4.3.1, 4.3.2, and 4.3.3? | PWS 4.2.1, PWS 4.2.2, PWS 4.2.3 | 28 | Yes | |
| 122 | Note: Section 4.3 subsection numbering 4.3.x is incorrectly set as 4.2.x. Please adjust to be sure that Compliance Matrices can be accurate. | RFP C.1.4.3 | 36 | see Q&A 121 | |
| 123 | Transition Plan appears twice in list of deliverables with two different Frequencies. Which is correct? | RFP F.7 | 44-45 | The one associated with 4.1.3.1 is correct. | |
| 124 | Can the government please verify the Key Personnel Requirements for the System Administrator. Specifically, recommend removing requirement for "IBM FileNet Content Manager" and replacing it with "experience with Enterprise Content Management systems" | RFP H.5 | 57 | See Q&A 29 | |
| 125 | Can the government please verify the Key Personnel Requirements for the System Administrator. Specifically, recommend removing requirements for "Thunderhead" and replacing it with "experience with customer engagement software". In addition Thunderhead is not part of TO1. | RFP H.5 | 57 | See Q&A 29 | |
| 126 | In the Key Personnel System Administrator Experience what is Thunderhead? | RFP H.5 | 57 | ThunderHead is COTS used only by CCS for letter templates and workflow. Refer to "Attachment C.2 EBTS Environment and Requirements" Section 3.2 for details. | |
| 127 | Can the government please clarify how many total past performance references can be submitted? The paragraph states at least 3 as a prime and 2 from each subcontractor. However there is no maximum identified for the Prime and an offeror coud have multiple subcontractors, leading to an unknown total allowed PP refrernces. Please clarify. | RFP L.2.6 | 91 | At least 3 means 3 at a minimum; the offeror will determine how many are relevant in size and scope to the PWS. Yes, the number of subs will determine the number of references provided. | |
| 128 | Can the Government please verify the size standard for this effort? Is it a SB effort or Full and Open? | RFP L.4 | 93 | Full and Open | |
| 129 | Can the government please clarify the evaluation criteria for the different factors in the proposal? On page 97 the government states that they will first evaluate factors 1 and 2 as the most important. However in M.2 on page 98 it lists the factors of most importance starting with Factor 3, Factor 1, then Factor 4 which contradicts M.1. | RFP M.2 | 97/98 | There is no contradition. Section M is correrct. | |
| 130 | What version of Thunderhead NOW is currently deployed for CCS? | Attachment C.2.3.2 | 9 | We just upgraded to ThunderHead 6.1 | |
| 131 | Is the "data refreshed periodically via USPS downloads" a manual process or leveraging an API or other integration? | Attachment C.2.3.5 | 16 | A manual process | |
| 132 | Is enhancements/modernizations of AVS part of the first task order in order to by in synch with the Trillium modernization, presumably performed by another vendor? | Attachment C.2.3.5 | 16 | Refer to answer for Q15 | |
| 133 | Please confirm that DMS and IPS are the same system, i.e. DMS is referred to as IPS in Attachment C.2. | Attachment L.2.1 TO1 | 1 | DMS consists of IPS and CCS. | |
| 134 | Should pricing and response for TO1 only include support for DMS/IPS, AVS, Tableau and CMS? Noting estimated beginning of CMS is FY20. | Attachment L.2.1 TO1 | 1 | Yes. Also see Q&A 134. | |
| 135 | Who are the incumbents supporting each system in TO1? DMS/IPS, AVS, CMS, and Tableau. Can you provide contract number, length, and value? | Attachment L.2.1 TO1 | 1 | See Q&A 31 and Q&A 35, but not value. All contracts have been for a base and 4 options, exept Tableau which is a base and 1 option | |
| 136 | Section H.3 specifies that " A subcontracting plan shall be submitted as part of the proposal …" Section L.4 Small Business Participation implies that small business offerors are not required to submit a subcontracting plan. Request confirm that a subcontracting plan is not required by small business offerors. | H.3 Subcontracting | |||
| L.4 SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION (VOLUME III) | pg. 55, Pg. 93 | Yes | |||
| 137 | Request confirm the desired Labelling of Appendices for the Technical volume. Section L.2.3.1 indicates the WBS is Appendix A; Section L.1.6.2 specifies Appendix B as the WB | L.2.3.1 Subfactor 3.1: Technical Approach, Work Breakdown Structure; | |||
| L.1.6.2 Volume I: Technical Proposal | pg, 87 and pg. 89 | This section has been revised. | |||
| 138 | As stated, the Past Performance Profiles are to include three (3) as "prime" and no more than two (2) for each subcontractor. Request clarify if the "offeror", as the "prime", as restricted to past performance executed as a "prime contractor", or can the "offeror" include relevant past performance performed as a "subcontractor". | L.2.6 Factor 6: Past Performance | pg. 91 | The Offeror must include past performance profiles for relevant work performed as the prime contractor. | |
| 139 | Section C paragraph 3 (Goals and Objectives) states that "Historically, contracts have been let for a five-year performance period … ". In light of this, will the government consider accepting past performance profiles within five (5) years prior to issuance of the RFP vice three years as specified? This will enable PBGC past performance citations that have occurred within the historical PBGC contract periodicity. | L.2.6 Factor 6: Past Performance | pg. 92 and pg. 14 | No. | |
| 140 | Section L.4 specifies that "other than small business offerors" are required to submit Volume III. Section M, Subfactor 3.3: Management Approach, states that "The small business participation shall be considered in determining the appropriate technical rating to be applied." How will "commitment to small business participation" be evaluated for small business offerors? | L.4 SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION (VOLUME III); | |||
| M.3 EVALUTION OF FACTORS | pg. 93, pg. 100 | Refer to paragraph L.2.3.3. All offerors are to discuss their commitment to small business participation for this subfactor (Management Approach). | |||
| 141 | Should required Appendices be included within the Technical Proposal Volume or provided as separate documents? | L.1.6.2 Volume I: Technical Proposal | pg. 87 | Appendices should be seprate documents. See also Q&A 1 | |
| 142 | Request clarification of the pricing spreadsheets required to be submitted. Attachments L.3.a and L.3.b appear to span the IDIQ. Attachment B.5_EBTS_TO_1_Price_Schedule appears to span cover the Task Order. Is Attachment B.5_EBTS__IDIQ_Price_Schedule then required, as it duplicates information contained in Attachments L.3.a? | L.3.1. IDIQ Price Proposal; | |||
| L.3.2 Task Order Pricing Proposal (for each contract proposed) | pg. 92 and pg. 93 | Attachment B.5 EBTS IDIQ Price Schedule is required as it will be come part of the contract. |
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .