GOV'T_RESPONSE_TO_QUESTIONS_23_Apr_2018.xlsx
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- Joint Service Provider Software Defined Networking (SDN) Federal contract opportunity
- Solicitation number
- 18-233-SOL-00004
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GOV'T RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS 23 Apr 2018
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| No. | Solicitation | |||||
| Section | Page | Solicitation Language Reference | Question | Government Response | ||
| 1 | 18-233-SOL-00004_REQUEST_FOR_PROPOSAL | 13 | F.1, Period of Performance Table | The Government has requested that the Offeror provide 3 T&M CLNS for O&M (1005, 2005, & 3005) that follow the Implementation CLIN 0004. The structure supports a clean separation between Implementation and O&M. However, as ports are migrated to the SDN solution during Implementation, they must be O&M from the time of cutover, which results in O&M charges being incurred during Build and Test (any pilot users) and Implementation. How does the Government want the Offeror to price the O&M work that must take place during those periods? | T&M CLIN for O&M 1005 is intended to be exercised as an option during the Build and Test phase. O&M is an integral part of this contract and start as soon as the offeror complete the very first phase of SDN migration. Please price O&M work in the appropriate CLINs. | |
| 2 | 18-233-SOL-00004_REQUEST_FOR_PROPOSAL | 6 | B.5, Consideration and Payment | Does the Government expect Offerors to propose a bill of materials for all elements of the proposed SDN solution? If so, under what CLIN does the Government want the Offeror to propose those costs? | Yes, the Government expects Offerors to propose a bill of materials for all elements of the proposed SDN solution in accordance with Section L.12.2. See Amendment. | |
| 3 | 18-233-SOL-00004_REQUEST_FOR_PROPOSAL | 6 | B.5, Consideration and Payment | Is the offeror responsible for procuring the equipment and materials necessary to implement the SDN solution? | Yes | |
| 4 | 18-233-SOL-00004_REQUEST_FOR_PROPOSAL | 61 | L.9.3 Formatting | The Government states that graphics may be portrait and that the page size is 8.5 x 11 inches. Are 11 x 17 inch foldout graphics spanning 2 pages allowed to be submitted as part of the proposal? | Offerors may submit 11 x 17 inch folders, however, if the Offeror uses a different format (font size, margin, etc.), the government reserves the right to adjust the Offer to fit the parameters of the format as stated in the RFQ, and if this results in the quotation exceeding the page limitations in any one area, the government will not consider those excess pages. | |
| 5 | 18-233-SOL-00004_REQUEST_FOR_PROPOSAL | 65 | L.10.2.1.3.c | In the paragraph discussing Build, the Government states "Include options should the Government need to retrieve all of its data back from the Cloud platform." This is the only reference to a cloud platform in the RFP or SOO. Does the Government expect that the offeror is to use a cloud platform as part of its approach to Build? | Offerors are encouraged to provide their best solution and approach. "Cloud Platform" have been removed for this section. See Amendment. | |
| 6 | 18-233-SOL-00004_REQUEST_FOR_PROPOSAL | 65 | L.10.2.1.3 and L.10.2.1.3.a | The Government states in paragraph 3 that "The proposed methods and techniques for completing the stated objectives in the following format." In paragraph 3.a, the Government states "Provide a description of the infrastructure (hardware and software) architecture and network specifications, access points and connectivity, geographic location of stored data, scalability, storage, configuration, deploy and test approach, interoperability or other relevant technical details that demonstrate the Offerors ability to provide services required." These 2 statement seem to be asking for different things. One is the method and techniques the Offeror will use to achieve the Solution Architecture and Design and the other for the Solution Architecture and Design itself. Does the Government expect the Offeror to submit a solution architecture and design describing its solution as part of the proposal? | Yes. Paragraph 3 is asking for offerors to address the stated objectives. 3.a. is asking for offerors to describe, in detail, their description of relevant technical details of their proposed solution. | |
| 7 | Section J, Attachment 11, SDN Environmental Document | 8 | Table ix | The Government provides a list of applications and tools that are available as GFP. Would the Government provide version information for each of these tools? | This list is to give a general picture, the specifics will be determined during the initial phase of this contract | |
| 8 | Section J, Attachment 11, SDN Environmental Document | 8 | Table ix | The Government provides a list of applications and tools that are available as GFP. Would the Government identify which tools on which it currently has maintenance agreements with the vendor? | This list is to give a general picture, the specifics will be determined during the initial phase of this contract | |
| 9 | Section J, Attachment 11, SDN Environmental Document | 8 | Table ix | Table ix contains a list of Applications and Tools from the 2017 CIOSP3, C-39783-O solicitation. This RFP has a different list of tools. Have the tools been removed from the Government's environment? Will the Government provide a complete list of tool? | The list from the most recent solicitation reflects the most recent information from JSP. All previous information / solicitations should be disregarded | |
| 10 | C | 62 | ||||
| 67 | L.9.4 Proposal Contents and Volumes, Table. 2 - Technical, Section 2 D, allocates 5 Pages for the Staffing Allocation and Management Plan. | |||||
| L.10.2.2 Corporate Experience and Personnel Qualifications 7. Plan Documentation. The below listed documents must provide sufficient details to evaluate, as a minimum, the methodology in development of the document regarding requirement compliance, completeness, and clarity. Offerors shall submit the proposed plan documentations as follows: b. Staffing Allocation and Management Plan. See Section J, Attachment 7 – Notional Staffing Allocation & Management Plan Template. | The Staffing Allocation and Management Plan. Section J, Attachment 7 – Notional Staffing Allocation & Management Plan Template contains 9 specific worksheets. | |||||
| Is the governments' intent that the information required in Attachment 7 be limited to the allocated 5 pages? | These documents are provided as references for informational purposes only. The page limits stated in L.9.4 remains the same. | |||||
| 11 | 18-233-SOL-00004_REQUEST_FOR_PROPOSAL | 62 | Table L.9.4 | Per the RFP requirement, the Small Business Subcontracting Plan is limited to 10 pages. Please clarify if the Small Business letters of commitment required as part of the Subcontracting plan are excluded from this page count. | The stated small business subcontracting plan details what is required within the 10 pages | |
| 12 | 18-233-SOL-00004_REQUEST_FOR_PROPOSAL | 70 | L.12.3, Letter of Commitment Bullets (6) and (7) | Section L.12.3 Subcontracting Plan states in Bullets 6 & 7 the following: |
"(6) A complete price proposal in the same format as the Offerors price proposal.
(7) For each subcontract over $700,000, the support should provide a listing by source, item, quantity, price, type of subcontract, degree of competition, and bases for establishing source and reasonableness of price, as well as the result of review and evaluation of subcontract proposals when required".
| Clarify the need for bullets 6 and 7 under the subcontractor’s letters of commitment. With the RFP being under full and open competition, it is our understanding that these requirements should be waived from our subcontractors. Will the Government remove bullet 6 and 7 from the Letter of Commitment? | These bullets are to understand the use of subcontractors by the government to ensure appropriate subcontracting is taking place and no unreasonable tasks are placed on subcontractors / vice-versa. L.12.3 will not be amended. | |||||
| 13 | I see that this will be contracted by HHS. Are only CIO SP3 primes able to bid? I assumed so but I didn’t see reference to that contract vehicle in the solicitation. Also, is there are way to determine which companies bid the last version of the RFP? | This requirement is full and open to all of industry. The previous version is not applicable to this solicitation. | ||||
| 14 | L.10.1.4 | 64 | Cross-Reference Matrix - The indexes do not count against the page count limitations. | Do the indexes include the Table of Contents in Table of Contents L.10.1.3? | The table of contents and the cross reference matrix are different sections of the proposal. | |
| 15 | B.5.2.1 | 8' | T&M CLIN Tables | The T&M CLIN tables request government and contractor site rates but only ask for hours in total. Would the government please consider adding a column to delineate between government and contractor site hours? | Amended to include pricing for on and off-site performance. See Amendment A001. | |
| 16 | Business Volume | Will the government provide a plug number for ODCs and associated hardware? | No, the Government expects the contractor's to provide based on their respective approach of providing a SDN solution. | |||
| 17 | Business Volume | If not, does the government intend to update the pricing file to allow bidders to price out their solution. | Offerors shall include a completed copy of Section B of the solicitation in its proposal. Additonal pricing data allows the offeror to "price out" their proposal. See Section L.12.2(b)(2). | |||
| 18 | L.10.2.2.3 | 71/79 | CORPORATE EXPERIENCE AND PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS | Can the government verify the letters of commitment are not part of page count? | Correct, LoC are not part of the page count | |
| 19 | L.10.2.2.3 | CORPORATE EXPERIENCE AND PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS / Plan Documentation | Can the offeror place the two page resumes and letters of commitment solely in Technical Section 2 - Plan Documentation - A Resumes and not include them as part of the 10 pages assigned in Technical Section 1 - B Corporate Experience and Personnel Qualifications? | Resumes and letters of commitment are required to be submitted in Technical Section 2 only. | ||
| 20 | L.9.4 Proposal Content and Volumes Table, L.10.2.2.3 Corporate Experience and Personnel Qualifications | 62; 67 | In Section L.10.2.2.3, the Government states that there is a 2-page limit for each resume; however, in Section L.9.4, the page limit for resumes is listed as unlimited. |
| Can the Government verify that first, resumes should be two pages in length and second, that the letter of commitment is NOT within the two pages? | That is correct | ||
| 21 | L.9.4 Proposal Content and Volumes table, Plan Documentation Section; L.7.2.2.7 Corporate Experience and Personnel Qualifications Plan Documentation | 62; 67 | Section L.9.4, states that resumes should be placed in Technical, Section 2, G under Plan Documentation; however, under Section L.10.2.2.7 Plan Documentation the resumes are listed as a part of the Corporate Experience and Personnel Qualification Plan Documentation section. |
| Can the Government verify that the structure of the proposal is showed in Section L.9.4? | Verified | ||||
| 22 | L.10.2.1.1 Technical Capabilities and Management Approach | 64 | The Government states "The background, objectives, and work requirements of the CPWS as analyzed by the Offeror." This statement is unclear and doesn't connect with the next sentence, which states: "This section shall be formatted exactly as presented in the CPWS for ease of correlation." | Can the Government clarify its statement? | The first sentence cites content in terms of background, objectives, and work requirements of the CPWS...; whereas the next sentence requires contractors to "format" the content as the offeror presents their respective CPWS. |
| 23 | L.10.2.1.2 Technical Capabilities and Management Approach | 64 | The Government states "This section shall be formatted exactly as presented in the CPWS for ease of correlation." It is unclear which section the Government is referring to in this statement. |
| Is it the Government's intent for the Offeror to exactly align paragraph numbering between the CPWS and the Vol 1, 2 Technical, Section 1, A Technical Capabilities and Management Approach? | The intent is for the sections to align for ease of evaluation | |||||
| 24 | B.5.1 FIXED PRICE CLINS; B.5.2 Time and Material CLINS | 6; 7 | Currently, based on Sections B.5.1 and B.5.2, the only option for pricing Task Order Management activities is within each Technical CLIN (0001 Transition-in, 0002 Discovery & Design, 0003 Build & test, etc..). | |||
| This approach would result in loss of fidelity and visibility of the overarching Management requirement. | Where is Task Order Management /Program Management expected given the existing CLIN structure defined in the RFP? | Pricing for Program Management depends on the offerors approach. Ex. Program Management could be a direct cost or charged in overhead. Offerors are to provide their best solution. | ||||
| 25 | B.2.1 CLIN 1005 (Option) O&M; | 7 | The Government states that there are 3 optional O&M CLINs, however, the Government does not define the scope of this task nor put objectives for it in the SOO. This could lead to a wide variation of offeror interpretation of this task and potentially lead to understaffed operations due to the confusion. | Is it the Government's intent for the offeror to provide the full range of operations task as defined by ITIL such as Incident Management, Event Management, Asset & Configuration Management, Change Management, Problem Management, Request Fulfillment, Release and Deployment Management, Project Management, and Knowledge Management? | The Government considers O&M all task required to support the implemented solution, post deployment. | |
| 26 | Section J Attachment 1 Statement of Objectives, Section C.7.2, Bullet 7; | 8 | The Government states "Provide Out-Of-Band (OOB) access in every telecommunications closet to connect transport devices and associated management infrastructure" | Are access layer devices in telecommunication closets that directly connect users considered "transport" devices in relation to the OOB network? |
| Specifically, does the Government desire that the offeror provide OOB access to all 745 telecommunications closets in the Pentagon that contain manageable network devices? | Yes; the Government desire that the offeror provide OOB access to all 745 telecommunications closets in the Pentagon that contain manageable network devices. | |||||
| 27 | Section J Attachment 1 SOO, Section C.7.1, Planning Factors Table | 8 | Section C.7.1 Planning Factors | Are the all the factors in the table requirements specifications for the solution? | This is environmental data to inform the offerors bid. Numbering has been updated | |
| 28 | Section J Attachment 1 Statement of Objectives, Section C.5.8 | 4 | The Government states "Gigabit passive optical network technologies that bring optical fiber cabling and signals most of the way or all of the way to the end user, with support for existing or future cabling/port standard." | The requirement for GPON in turn requires single mode fiber. To meet the instructions of the Environmental Document, would the Government provide the distribution and pair count per telecommunications closet of single mode fiber to support the suggested GPON requirement? | The information within the environmental documents is all that will be provided at this time. | |
| 29 | Section L.10.2.1-4.c.5) | 65 | The Government states "data quality tasks for both Purchased and Direct Care data – CONUS" | Could the Government provide a context for which the referenced language applies to the solicitation requirements? | Section amended to only state" data quality." See Amendment A001. | |
| 30 | Section L.10.2.2-1 | 67 | The Government States "The Offeror must demonstrate it has the necessary capability and commitment to perform this contract." | For the purposes of defining Corporate Experience, is "the Offeror" defined as the Prime and all of it's subcontractors or just the Prime? | The Offeror is defined as the Prime, to include its subcontractors. | |
| 31 | C.2 Purpose, second sentence; SOO – C.3 | 1; 2 | C.2 Purpose, "minimize impact to end users during deployment phases"; C.3 Scope, 1) Assessment and Evaluation, 2) Test, and 3) Implement. | Will the Government clarify which of the three (3) phases identified by the government in SOO C.3, it considers the “Deployment phase” identified in SOO C.2 to be a part of? | Those statements are correctly placed under their respective titles of "purpose" and "scope" | |
| 32 | SOO – C.3 Scope; SOO - C.7.1 Planning Factors | 2; 8 | The Government states “JSP will have three phases that are required to meet the organization’s objectives, these phases are: 1) Assessment and Evaluation: Working with current JSP environmental data, the vendor shall provide their own assessment of the JSP environment and provide a plan of action to implement SDN within the stated environment. 2) Test: Provide a plan on how an appropriate test of the proposed SDN solution can be conducted without causing any disruption to JSP day-to-day operations. 3) Implement: Detailed, step-by-step, plan of implementing SDN within the JSP environment.” |
- And - SOO - C.7.1 Planning Factors “It is expected that during discovery these planning factors will be validated and updated where required for the final design” Please clarify what activity for ‘discovery’ is to be conducted and when the conduct of that activity is to occur. Under the Government’s phase 1) Assessment and Evaluation, the assessment is conducted against the Government’s provided data of the JSP environment (“Working with current JSP data,….”).
In addition, in what phase does the Government require the “final design” as phase 1 is assessment and evaluation of the current JSP environmental data, phase 2 is the development of a plan for testing that can be conducted without disruption to JSP day to day operations, and phase 3 is develop a detailed step-by-step plan of implementing SDs with the JSP environment? None of the identified phases currently include activity for design.
The government does not intend to dictate a discovery approach. The environmental documents will assist with discovery, but is not intended to replace discovery.
The government does not specify a required timeline or phasing of systems engineering artifacts.
| 33 | SOO C.3; Section B | 2; 6 - 9 |
| Section B specifies a "Discovery & Design" CLIN. |
The description of the activity within SOO Phase 1 does not specify any traditional ‘discovery’ or ‘design’ activities.
How do the CLINS align to the phases?
| Please clarify how the Government will address this in its evaluation. | The SOO simply states the objectives of the government. It is incumbent upon the offeror to propose what phases will encompass what stages in their response | |||
| 34 | Request for Proposal-Formatting-L.9.3 | 61-62 | L.9.3 FORMATTING | |
| Page size 8.5 by 11 inches with 1 inch margins. Paragraphs single spaced. Minimum font size/style 10 point Times New Roman font for Text, 9 point font in the Arial family for Tables, and 8 point font in the Arial family for Graphics. Tables and graphics may be landscape; all other text must be portrait. Unless specified elsewhere in this solicitation, Offerors shall submit their Offer in a searchable Adobe .PDF format. If the Offeror uses a different format (font size, margin, etc.), the government reserves the right to adjust the Offer to fit the parameters of the format as stated in the RFQ, and if this results in the quotation exceeding the page limitations in any one area, the government will not consider those excess pages. | The government has provided a number of attachments for incorporation into the proposal response that do not conform to the formatting instructions. Do the attachments provided need to adhere to the formatting instructions provided in the Request for Proposal? Or should they retain the format that is currently in each attachment? | Attachments have been updated to align to submission instructions | ||
| 35 | Request for Proposal-Technical Volume Instructions- L.10.2.1 | 65-66 | L.10.2.1 Management Approach. The Offeror must demonstrate the corporation’s overall management approach for managing the contract, the contracting resources, and deliverables outlined in the RFP. The Offeror shall indicate the Offeror’s ability to manage and control a contract of this size and complexity. Emphasis on: |
a. managing the execution of the SDN solution effort through the life of the contract such that requirements of this solicitation of the SOO, are met or exceeded.
b. keeping optimum team at needed staffing levels and with appropriate skill sets working on the SDN solution.
c. communicating the SDN solution equities. In the Proposal Content and Volumes (L.9.4), the solicitation requests offerors to provide "Technical Capabilities and Management Approach" in the Technical Volume, 2-Technical, Section 1, A. However, in the Technical Volume Instructions under "Technical Capabilities and Management Approach," the government states that, "The CPWS shall, at a minimum, detail the following (see Attachment 1, SOO)[...] 5. Management Approach. The Offeror must demonstrate the corporation’s overall management approach for managing the contract, the contracting resources, and deliverables outlined in the RFP. The Offeror shall indicate the Offeror’s ability to manage and control a contract of this size and complexity. Emphasis on:
a. managing the execution of the SDN solution effort through the life of the contract such that requirements of this solicitation of the SOO, are met or exceeded.
b. keeping optimum team at needed staffing levels and with appropriate skill sets working on the SDN solution.
| c. communicating the SDN solution equities." Does the government intend for the Management Approach to be a part of the CPWS or to be provided in the "Technical Capabilities and Management Approach" section? | The management approach is to be reflected in the "Technical Capabilities and Management Approach" section of the proposal, as stated. See Amendment | |||||
| 36 | Request for Proposal-Technical Volume Instructions- L.10.2.2 | 67-68 | L.10.2.2 b. Staffing Allocation and Management Plan. See Section J, Attachment 7 – Notional Staffing Allocation & Management Plan Template | In the Proposal Content and Volumes (L.9.4), the solicitation requests offerors to provide the "Staffing Allocation and Management Plan" in the Technical Volume, 2-Technical, Section 2, D. However, in the instructions, the "Staffing Allocation and Management Plan" is listed under Technical Volume, 2-Technical, Section 1, B "Corporate Experience and Personnel Qualifications". In which section does the government intend for the "Staffing and Allocation Management Plan" to be provided? | Refer to Section L.9.4 | |
| 37 | Request for Proposal-Technical Volume Instructions- L.10.2.2 | 67-68 | L.10.2.2 d. HHS Section 508 Evaluation Template. The offeror must demonstrate their compliance with the applicable Section 508 standards. This includes submitting the completed HHS Section 508 Evaluation Template (See Section J, Attachment 10), Information about Section 508 is available at http://www.section508.gov/. | In the Proposal Content and Volumes (L.9.4), the solicitation requests offerors to provide "Section 508 Compliance" in the Technical Volume, 2-Technical, Section 2, F. However, in the instructions, "Section 508 Compliance" is listed under Technical Volume, 2-Technical, Section 1, B "Corporate Experience and Personnel Qualifications". In which section does the government intend for the "Section 508 Compliance" to be provided? | Refer to Section L.9.4 | |
| 38 | J, Attachment 1, SOO, C | -- | General Technical | Is GPOM necessary for the solution? This seems contrary to the nature of an SDN solution. | See revised SOO, if you're referring to GPON | |
| 39 | J, Attachment 1, SOO, C | -- | General Technical | Does the SDN solution require supporting Multicast routing and IGMP? | Yes, the solution needs to support multicast routing. | |
| 40 | J, Attachment 1, SOO, C.3, Scope | 2 | “The scope is the unclassified Pentagon Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)-cloud and down, from the Network Access Point (NAP)/ Joint Base Customer Edge Router (JBCE) boundary down” | Please define this from a boundary perspective. Are the MPLS routers in scope? | The network boundary is the JRSS JBCE router, within the Pentagon. Everything below this boundary is within scope. | |
| 41 | RESERVED | |||||
| 42 | J, Attachment 1, SOO, C.3, Scope | 2 | “JSP seeks to dramatically decrease operational overhead, and time to provision while increasing network efficiency, sustainability, network agility, network flexibility, network performance, and responsiveness to malicious cyber actors.” | Can you please provide the current operational numbers or more details on the desired operational goals referred to in this section so that we can have a baseline to measure from? | All current data available for public viewing is provided in the RFP and attachments. | |
| 43 | RESERVED | |||||
| 44 | J, Attachment 1, SOO, C.3 | 2 | General Technical | What are the tools in the JMS that can be leveraged or integrated by our solution? | The tools need to be capable of operating independently of JMS. | |
| 45 | J, Attachment 1, SOO, C | 3 | C.4: |
“2. Reduced staffing and operational overhead
3. Improved capacity and service levels
4. Decreased time to implement and provision
5. Elimination of complexity within the network
6. Reduced cost of sustainment “ Per C.4 - Can you baseline these to establish success criteria or provide us with operational goals? Success criteria will be based on the performance measures submitted in Offeror proposals.
| 46 | J, Attachment 1, SOO, C.7 | 6 | General Technical | When you say 10X for future expansion, are you talking about current hardware supporting 10X throughput or the software being capable of supporting a 10X increase over its lifespan? | Both, the government is expecting overall increase. |
| 47 | J, Attachment 1, SOO, C.7.1 | 7,8 | General Technical | What is the expectation/rationale for accessing the Southbound API of the SDN solution? | For control and management of the network. |
| 48 | J, Attachment 1, SOO, C.7.1 | 8 | General Technical | Are the 60K datacenter endpoints within scope of this design? | No, but, interconnections to datacenters are required. |
| 49 | J, Attachment 1, SOO, C.7.1 | 8 | General Technical | Should the SDN solution account for the 360K MAN/WAN end-points? | Yes, from a capacity perspective. No, from a replacement. |
| 50 | J, Attachment 1, SOO, C.7.1 | 8 | General Technical | What makes up the 360K MAN/WAN end-points? With regard to locations of endpoints, availability of closet space; are all locations pre-wired? Is there wireless available at these locations? | An endpoint is equivalent to a physical network port. Configurations of these will be part of the discovery component of this contract. |
| 51 | J, Attachment 1, SOO, C.7.1 | 8 | General Technical | Is the wiring infrastructure copper or fiber? If it is fiber, what type of fiber is it, and what type of fiber connection is being used? | Fiber. A mix of multi-mode and single-mode. |
| 52 | J, Attachment 1, SOO, C.7.2 | 8 | “…Remain interoperable with the existing infrastructure” (Bullet under Section C.7.2) | Could you give more details about the current infrastructure (type/vendor, etc.) which is going to connect to the new SDN solution? | All current data available for public viewing is provided in the RFP and attachments. |
| 53 | J, Attachment 1, SOO, C.7.2 | 9 | The connectivity to Mark Center, Target Site 1, and Target Site 2 locations must be incorporated into the proposed MAN interface connectivity solution. | Do you expect that the WAN/MAN termination interface will be part of the SDN solution? | The solution is required to interconnect with the MAN/WAN. The solution does not require replacing MAN/WAN nodes. |
| 54 | J, Attachment 11, SDN Environmental Document, Section 1: Introduction | 2 | Introduction | Could you specify more detail on performance and trends that are expected? | All current data available for public viewing is provided in the RFP and attachments. |
| 55 | Section J | C.5 - 1 Page 3 | Sub-Functional Areas 1. | Is it an assumption that all networks will be able to share resources or will there be a physical separation requirement? | Yes, but the government would expect guarantee levels of service and manageability across all networks |
| 56 | Section J | C.5 - 5 Page 4 | Sub-Functional Areas 5. | Could the JSP please provide the codecs that are needed for support of media types? | All current data available for public viewing is provided in the RFP and attachments. |
| 57 | Section J | C.5 - 6 Page 4 | Sub-Functional Areas 6. | Could the JSP please provide critical applications which will need to be managed dynamically? | Offerors should ensure the solution provides as much flexibility as possible. No specific application requirements will be provided. |
| 58 | Section J | C.5 - 7 Page 4 | Sub-Functional Areas 7. | Is it to be assumed that Cloud computing will need to have its own trusted private cloud domain within the JSP and if that is the case will other domains supported by the JSP? need to be tied into that trusted private cloud? | The governments targeted strategy is a multi-vendor hybrid cloud environment. Leveraging capabilities of both DoD and commercial cloud providers. |
| 59 | Section J | C.7 - 1 Page 8 | Planning Factors Areas | Will there be a need to tie into the VoIP management platforms? | Yes |
| 60 | Section J | C.8 - 1 Page 11 | Security | Please identify if additional SIEM tie-in will be required. | Any additional interconnections must be specified as part of the vendor solution. |
| 61 | Section L | RFP Page 60 | Submission | Please confirm that this is a full and open solicitation and not a task order under an existing contract. This statement is confusing if this is indeed a full and open competition. | This requirement is full and open to all of industry. The previous version is not applicable to this solicitation. |
| 62 | J - List of Attachments | 41 | Attachment 3 - Notional CPWS Attachment 4 - Notional CWBS |
Attachment 5 - Sample Project Management Plan Template Attachment 6 - QCP/QASP Template
| Attachment 7 - Staffing Allocation & Management Plan Template | Are offerors required to use Attachments 3 - 7, or are these documents provided as references for informational purposes only? | These documents are provided as references for informational purposes only. | ||||
| 63 | Attachment 2b | 1 | DD254 Form | RFP Attachment 2b is a blank DD254 form. Please confirm that offerors are not required to complete, sign, or return this form as part of their proposals? | Offerors are required to complete, sign, and return this form as part of their proposals. | |
| 64 | Attachment 3 | 1-2 | Notional Contractor PWS | RFP Attachment 3 includes tracked changes. Please confirm that the proposed CPWS should not include the topics that are removed by the tracked changes? | The proposed CPWS should not include the topics that are removed by the tracked changes. This document is provided for informational purposes only. | |
| 65 | Attachment 3 | 11-12 | Part 6 (Applicable Publications) and Part 7 (Attachment / Technical Exhibit Listing) | Are offerors required to include Part 6 and Part 7 in their proposed CPWS? | Only if Part 6 and Part 7 are relevant to the offeror's proposal. This document is provided for informational purposes only. | |
| 66 | Attachment 3 | 13 | Technical Exhibit 1 - Performance Requirements Summary (PRS) | Are offerors required to include a PRS in their proposed CPWS, in addition to their proposed QC/QASP (following RFP Attachment 6)? | Offerors are not required (but are highly recommended) to include a PRS in their proposed CPWS. This document is provided for informational purposes only. | |
| 67 | Attachment 3 | 15 | Technical Exhibit 3 - Estimated Workload Data | Are offerors required to include Estimated Workload Data in their proposed CPWS, in addition to their proposed Staffing Allocation and Management Plan (following RFP Attachment 7)? | Offerors are not required (but are highly recommended) to include Estimated Workload Data in their proposed CPWS, in addition to their proposed Staffing Allocation and Management Plan (following RFP Attachment 7). This document is provided for informational purposes only. | |
| 68 | Attachment 5a | 4-6 | The Sample Project Management Plan Template includes sections covering many topics also requested in other parts of the proposal. For example: |
--Section 3.1 Work Breakdown Structure is duplicative of the CWBS requested as part of the Plan Documentation (Technical Section 2 part B) --Section 4.2 Project Schedule is duplicative of the Sample Project Plan Template (RFP Attachment 5b) requested as part of the Plan Documentation (Technical Section 2 part C) --Section 6 Quality Management is duplicative of the QC/QASP requested as part of the Plan Documentation (Technical Section 2 part E) --Section 9 Risk Management is duplicative of the Risk Management content requested in
| L.10.2.1 paragraph 4 | To avoid redundancy, can the offeror's Program Management Plan simply reference these other parts of the proposal? | The offeror is instructed to follow the instructions within Section L. Should the offeror decide to reduce perceived redundancies by inserting references that is the offerors discretion. | ||
| 69 | Attachment 5a | 7-11 | The Sample Project Management Plan Template includes: Appendix A (Project Management Plan Approval) Appendix B (References) |
Appendix C (Key Terms)
| Appendix D (Summary of Spending) | Are offerors required to include these Appendices in their proposed Program Management Plan? | Offerors are not required (but recommended) to include those Appendices in their porposed Program Management Plan. This document is provided for informational purposes only. | ||||
| 70 | Attachment 5b | N/A | The Sample Project Plan Template is a spreadsheet in the format of a WBS. | Are offerors required to submit a Project Plan using this template, in addition to submitting a CWBS using RFP Attachment 4, and a Project Management Plan using RFP Attachment 5a? | Offerors are not required (but recommended) to submit a Project Plan, CWBS using RFP Attachment 4, and a Project Management Plan using RFP Attachment 5a. Attachment 5b is provided for informational purposes only. | |
| 71 | Attachment 5b | N/A | Sample Project Plan Template | Can offerors create a Project Plan using MS Project instead of following the template provided by the Government in RFP Attachment 5b? | Yes. Attachment 5b is provided for informational purposes only. | |
| 72 | L.5 | 59 | The RFP lists $25,500,000 as the small business size standard for NAICS code 541519. | Please confirm that the correct small business size standard is $27,500,000. | The small business size standard is $27,500,000.00. See Amendment A001. | |
| 73 | L.8 | 60 | The RFP states: "Submission shall be submitted electronically to Travis.Sutton@psc.hhs.gov and Michael.glimp@psc.hhs.gov." | Is there a limit to the file size that can be transmitted to the Government? | Yes; 100 MB in a single email | |
| 74 | L.8 | 60 | The RFP states: "Offeror’s proposal MUST cite the primary Schedule Contract Number in your RFP submission." | Since this acquisition is not being conducted through a GSA Schedule, please clarify what Schedule Contract Number offerors must include? | Deleted "Offeror’s proposal MUST cite the primary Schedule Contract Number in your RFP submission." See Amendment A001. | |
| 75 | L.9 | 61 | The RFP states: "The Offer must be prepared in three (3) parts: "Technical Volume", “Past Performance Volume”, and "Business Volume". Each of these parts shall be separate and complete in itself so that the evaluation of one may be accomplished independently of the evaluation of the others." | Please clarify if all of the Technical Volume components, including all the Plan Documentation, should be submitted in a single file? | The Technical Volume shall be emailed as a single file. | |
| 76 | L.9.3 | 61 | The RFP states: "Minimum font size/style 10 point Times New Roman font for Text, 9 point font in the Arial family for Tables, and 8 point font in the Arial family for Graphics." | Please confirm that Arial Narrow is an acceptable font for tables and graphics? | Page size 8.5 by 11 inches with 1 inch margins. Paragraphs single spaced. Minimum font size/style 10 point Times New Roman font for Text, 9 point font in the Arial family for Tables, and 8 point font in the Arial family for Graphics. Tables and graphics may be landscape; all other text must be portrait. | |
| 77 | L.9.3 | 61 | The RFP states: "Unless specified elsewhere in this solicitation, Offerors shall submit their Offer in a searchable Adobe .PDF format." | Is there a specific naming convention that offerors must use, or can offerors name the proposal files at their own discretion? | Offerors can name the proposal files at their own discretion. But, offerors should provide enough information within the naming convention so that evaluators can identify which document corresponds to which volume | |
| 78 | L.9.4 | 62 | The table of Proposal Content and Volumes shows that the Administrative Section 1 has a 10 page limit. | Are the Transmittal/Cover Letter and/or Table of Contents excluded from this section's page limit? | Yes | |
| 79 | L.9.4 | 62 | The table of Proposal Content and Volumes shows that the Administrative Section 1 includes 4 items, which are to be combined within Administrative Section 1 part A. | For clearer proposal organization, would the Government allow each item to be submitted as a separate part (i.e. A, B, C, D)? | Yes, but submitted within a the Technical Volume as a single file.F91 | |
| 80 | L.9.4 | 62 | RFP Attachment 4 is a notional CWBS template, which is 6 pages long. However, the page limit for the completed CWBS is only 5 pages. | Will the Government consider increasing or removing the page limit for the CWBS? | CWBS page limitation is increase from 5 to 10 pages. See Amendment A001. | |
| 81 | L.9.4 | 62 | RFP Attachment 5a is a sample Project Management Plan, which is 11 pages long. However, the page limit for the completed Program Management Plan is only 5 pages. | Will the Government consider increasing or removing the page limit for the Program Management Plan? | Project Management Plan page limitation is increase from 5 to 20 pages. See Amendment A001. | |
| 82 | L.9.4 | 62 | RFP Attachment 6 is a notional QC/QASP, which is 26 pages long. However, the page limit for the completed QC/QASP is only 5 pages. | Will the Government consider increasing or removing the page limit for the QC/QASP? | The QC/QASP has been updated to 25 pages. See Amendment A001. | |
| 83 | L.9.4 | 62 | RFP Attachment 7 is a Staffing Allocation and Management Plan template, which is 8 pages long (1 page per tab of the spreadsheet). However, the page limit for the completed Staffing Allocation and Management Plan is only 5 pages. | Will the Government consider increasing or removing the page limit for the Staffing Allocation and Management Plan? | These documents are provided as references for informational purposes only. The page limits stated in L.9.4 remains the same. | |
| 84 | L.9.4 | 62 | The table of Proposal Content and Volumes shows that a Transmittal/Cover Letter must be provided in both the Technical Volume and the Business Volume. | Should the Transmittal/Cover Letter for the Business Volume be a copy of the Transmittal/Cover Letter submitted in the Technical Volume? | No. Each Volume shall have a diffent cover letter discussing the contents of the volume. | |
| 85 | L.10 | 63 | The RFP states: "The Offeror must provide clear responses, including objectives and outcomes, to each Task addressing the work to be performed in Section C." | Please clarify this requirement, since there are no Tasks to be performed in Section C? | The Government expects the offerors to provide objectives and outcomes, to each Task addressing the work to performed in the contractor's performance work statement (CPWS). | |
| 86 | L.10.1.2 | 63 | The RFP states: "The executive summary shall include a table of contents that delineates all sections of the proposal." However, a Table of Contracts is also required by Section L.10.1.3. | Please clarify if a Table of Contents must be provided twice? | Section L.10.1.3 refers to the table of contents in the Executive Summary. | |
| 87 | L.10.1.3 | 4 | The RFP states: "The Offeror shall provide a Table of Contents that includes the titles or descriptions of either first, second, and/or third level headers." | Please confirm that second and third level headers are not required in the Table of Contents? | Confirmed | |
| 88 | L.10.1.3 | 4 | The RFP states: "The Offeror shall provide a Table of Contents that includes the titles or descriptions of either first, second, and/or third level headers." | Please confirm that descriptions of headers are not required, so long as the Table of Contents includes the titles of each header? | Confirmed | |
| 89 | L.10.1.4 | 64 | Table C provides a Sample Matrix, which includes headings for: |
1) Evaluation Factor Reference
2) Section in Offer
3) Page in Offer
| 4) Para. in Offer | Are these headings mandatory, or may offerors submit a Cross-Reference Matrix with alternate headings so long as it provides a valid mapping of information between the proposal and the various elements of the proposal requirements? | Headings are not mandatory; offerors may submit a Cross-Reference Matrix with alternate headings so long as it provides a valid mapping of information between the proposal and the various elements of the the proposal. | ||||
| 90 | L.10.1.4 | 64 | The RFP states: "Proposals shall hyperlink the requirements in the indexes." Since the Past Performance Factor and Cost/Price Factor are separate proposal files, it is not possible for the Cross-Reference Matrix to hyperlink to those sections. | Please confirm that the Cross-Reference Matrix is only required to have hyperlinks to information within the Technical volume? | Yes, the Cross-Reference Matrix is only required to have hyperlinks to information within the Technical volume. | |
| 91 | L.10.1.4 | 64 | The RFP states: "Offerors must submit all (if any) assumptions, conditions, or exceptions with any of the terms and conditions of this solicitation. If not noted in this section of your Offer, it will be assumed that the Offeror proposes no assumptions for award, and agrees to comply with all of the terms and conditions as set forth herein. | |||
| In the event that the Offeror is planning to propose a teaming, mentor/protégée, or a subcontracting relationship, narrative statements must also be included for the additional organizations, as well as a clear delineation of the type of work that they will be expected to perform." | Please clarify if this information must be included as part of the Cross Reference Index? | Yes, information must be included as part of the Cross Reference Index. | ||||
| 92 | L.10.2.1 | 64-67 | The RFP's detailed instructions for Technical Section 1 requires proposals to cover 6 different major topics with numerous subtopics. | In order for offerors to adequately respond to all these instructions, will the Government please increase the page limit for Technical Section 1 from 10 pages to 30 pages? | Page limitation for Technical Section 1 has been increased from 10 to 20 pages. See Amendment A001. | |
| 93 | L.10.2.1 | 64 | The RFP requests "1. General description, key features, and benefits of the Offeror’s proposed solution". The RFP also requests: "3.a Solution Architecture and Design, 3.b Network Management and Automation, and 3.c Build". | Please clarify how item 1 is different from items 3a, 3b, and 3c? | A general description is defined as one that would be high level in nature, outlining those stated items. The items in 3a, 3b, 3c are specific sections and should be treated as such | |
| 94 | L.10.2.1 | 64 | The RFP requests: "2. The background, objectives, and work requirements of the CPWS as analyzed by the Offeror. This section shall be formatted exactly as presented in the CPWS for ease of correlation." | Please confirm if offerors must copy/paste the identified sections of their CPWS into this part of the proposal? | The offeror is not required to copy/paste anything. The requirement is that the formatting shall be the same for ease of correlation. | |
| 95 | L.10.2.1 | 65 | The RFP requests: "3. The proposed methods and techniques for completing the stated objectives..." | Please clarify how this is different from Section 5 (Specific Tasks) of the CPWS? | The objectives are overarching, as such, the government is interested in how offerors would meet said objectives. Section 5 presents specific areas to be specifically answered | |
| 96 | L.10.2.1 | 65 | Within 4. Risk Management, the RFP requests: "b. provide a description of management and status reporting approaches." | Please confirm that offerors are required to provide a description of RISK management and RISK status reporting approaches in this section? | Confirmed | |
| 97 | L.10.2.1 | 65 | Within 4. Risk Management, the RFP requests: "c. ensure the technical approach must provide demonstrated capability in the areas identified below: |
1) statistical/data modeling,
2) forecasting,
3) data analysis,
4) data validation,
5) data quality tasks for both Purchased and Direct Care data – CONUS, and
| 6) Life Cycle Data Management capability" | This does not seem to be related to risk management. Please clarify if this information should instead be provided within Technical Section 1, part 3 (proposed methods and techniques for completing the stated objectives)? | This is correct section | ||
| 98 | L.10.2.1 | 66 | The RFP requests "6. Plan Documentation" which includes: |
a. CPWS
b. CWBS
c. Program Management Plan
| d. QC/QASP | Please clarify if these items must be submitted within Technical Section 1 part A, as indicated by these instructions at L.10.2.1.6? Or must these items be submitted as separate files within Technical Section 2 (Plan Documentation), as indicated by the table at L.9.4? | Yes separately, but submitted within a the Technical Volume as a single file. | ||
| 99 | L.10.2.1 | 66 | The RFP requests "6. Plan Documentation" which includes: |
a. CPWS
b. CWBS
c. Program Management Plan
| d. QC/QASP | Please confirm that the CPWS, CWBS, Program Management Plan, and QC/QASP are not included in the 10 page limit for Technical Section 1? | CPWS, CWBS, Program Management Plan, and QC/QASP are not included in the page limit for Technical Section 1. | ||||
| 100 | L.10.2.1 | 67 | The RFP lists 4 items that the QASP shall describe/contain at a minimum. However, these items are not included in the QC/QASP template provided by the Government in RFP Attachment 6. | Should offerors follow the QASP format in RFP Attachment 6, or should offerors should develop their own QASP structure to address the items requested in L.10.2.1.6.d? | Offerors can develop their own QASP structure to address the items requested in L.10.2.1.6.d. The QC/QASP template is provided for informational pursposes. | |
| 101 | L.10.2.2 | 67 | The RFP requests: "1. The Offeror must demonstrate it has the necessary capability and commitment to perform this contract." | This information seems more pertinent to Technical Capabilities and Management Approach. Please clarify if this information should be provided within part A or part B of Technical Section 1? | The government has identified this as pertinent to the corporate experience section. | |
| 102 | L.10.2.2 | 67 | The RFP requests: "2. The Offeror must demonstrate the corporation’s overall corporate management approach for managing the contract, the contracting resources, and deliverables outlined in the CPWS." | This information seems more pertinent to Technical Capabilities and Management Approach. Please clarify if this information should be provided within part A or part B of Technical Section 1? | The government has identified this as pertinent to the corporate experience section. | |
| 103 | L.10.2.2 | 67 | The RFP requests: "3. The Offeror shall provide information on corporate and proposed staff experience...Specific examples are necessary." | Please clarify if the corporate experience examples provided in Technical Section 1 must be the same contracts that are submitted in the Past Performance volume? | Offerors can use the corporate examples they deem relevant to each section. If they choose to use them in both technical and past performance, that is at the discretion of the offeror | |
| 104 | L.10.2.2 | 67 | The RFP requests: "3. The Offeror shall provide information on corporate and proposed staff experience...Specific examples are necessary." | Please clarify what specific information is required for each corporate experience reference (i.e. contract number, customer name, period of performance, description of relevant tasks performed, etc.)? | Within the technical volume the offeror can state what information it deems most relevant as long as it is in compliance with the RFP | |
| 105 | L.10.2.2 | 67 | The RFP requests: "3. Provide brief resumes and letters of commitment for key personnel only." However, the table at L.9.4 shows that resumes should be provided within Technical Section 2 (Plan Documentation part G). | Please clarify if the key personnel resumes should be provided in Technical Section 1 part B or Technical Section 2 part G? | Resumes should be provided in Plan Documentation, but referenced in Personnel Qualifications | |
| 106 | L.10.2.2 | 67 | The RFP requests: "3. Provide brief resumes and letters of commitment for key personnel only." However, the RFP also requests resumes within paragraph 7. (Plan Documentation) sub-paragraph A (Resumes). | Please clarify if the key personnel resumes must be provided twice? | Resumes should be provided in Plan Documentation, but referenced in Personnel Qualifications | |
| 107 | L.10.2.2 | 67 | The RFP requests: "3. Provide brief resumes and letters of commitment for key personnel only (2 page limit for each resume)." However, the table at L.9.4 shows an Unlimited page limit for resumes. | Please clarify the page limit for the resumes and letters of commitment? | Each resume has a limit of two pages, however the limit for all resumes provided has no limit. | |
| 108 | L.10.2.2 | 67 | The RFP requests: "4. The Offeror shall describe the current management structure, and supply an organization chart for executing this Contract." | This information seems more pertinent to Technical Capabilities and Management Approach. Please clarify if this information should be provided within part A or part B of Technical Section 1? | As with the aforementioned, this is again targeted at the corporate experience of the offeror and will remain in its section. | |
| 109 | L.10.2.2 | 67 | The RFP requests: "5. The Offeror shall provide details about company resources including current service capability in terms of location, capacity, and experienced work force." | This information seems more pertinent to Technical Capabilities and Management Approach. Please clarify if this information should be provided within part A or part B of Technical Section 1? | See above |
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