19-233-SOL-00019_000002.PDF

(x)

19-233-SOL-00019

x x

1 copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted ; or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT

THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted , such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

x

DAM

Bethesda MD 20814 8th Floor 7700 Wisconsin Avenue

DHHS/PSC/AMS/DAM

01/14/2019000002

13. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO MODIFICATION OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS. IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required) is not extended.is extended, Items 8 and 15, and returning

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended , by one of the following methods: (a) By completing

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

FACILITY CODE CODE

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., street, county, State and ZIP Code)

7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6)CODE 6. ISSUED BY

PAGE OF PAGES

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.3. EFFECTIVE DATE2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

12/18/2018

CHECK ONE A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority) appropriation date, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not, is required to sign this document and return __________________ copies to the issuing office.

ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

Head Start Information and Communication Center (HSICC) Support for HHS/ACF/Office of Head

Start - Amendment #000002

The purpose of this amendment is to:

1) revise the answer to #34 in Attachment J.11,

2) revise Sub-task 8.1 Transition-In,

3) revise C.7.B Project Management Team,

4) rename Attachment J.4,

5) update the attachments listed in Section J,

6) post the answers to the questions received for Volume II and III (Attachment J.12);

7) add "C-3 Understanding the Project" to Table 3, Volume II, on page 89;

Continued ...

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

15C. DATE SIGNED 16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR 16C. DATE SIGNED

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer)

RYAN L. COLLINS

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 10-83)

Prescribed by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

NSN 7540-01-152-8070

Previous edition unusable

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9 A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect .

ITEM NO. SUPPLIES/SERVICES QUANTITY UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT

NAME OF OFFEROR OR CONTRACTOR

2 39

CONTINUATION SHEET

REFERENCE NO. OF DOCUMENT BEING CONTINUED PAGE OF

(A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (F)

19-233-SOL-00019/000002

8) remove the page limitation for Volume III

(Business Proposal) in L.8.4 on page 90;

9) change "may assume" to "shall assume" in

L.10.2 Proposal Bidding Assumptions on page 92;

and

10) rename the reference to the HHS 508

Evaluation Template on page 102.

As a result of this amendment:

1) #34 of Attachment J.11 is revised; therefore, page 9 of Attachment J.11 is removed and replaced;

2) Sub-task 8.1 Transition-In is revised;

therefore, Sub-Task 8.1 on page 24 and 25 is removed and replaced;

3) C.7.B Project Management Team is revised;

therefore page 41 is removed and replaced;

4) Attachment J.4 is renamed from "Software

Inventory" to "Transferrable Software and

Documentation". Attachment J.4 is removed and replaced, G.6 Government Furnished Property on page 56 is removed and replaced, and L.10.2

Proposal Bidding Assumptions 2) on page 92 is removed and replaced;

5) Section J - List of Attachments on page 71 is updated, removed and replaced (See Attachment

Section J - List of Attachments_000002);

6) The questions and answers for Volume II and

III are attached(See Attachment J.12 Questions and Answers for Volume II and III);

7) Add "C-3 Understanding the Project" to Table

3, Volume II, on page 89; therefore, page 89 is removed and replaced;

8) The page limitation is removed for Volume III

(Business Proposal). L.8.4, Page Limitations on page 90 is removed and replaced;

9) Change "may assume" to "shall assume" in

L.10.2 Proposal Bidding Assumptions 2) on pages

92. L.10.2, on Page 92 is removed and replaced;

and

10) The reference to the HHS 508 Evaluation

Continued ...

NSN 7540-01-152-8067 OPTIONAL FORM 336 (4-86)

Sponsored by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.110

ITEM NO. SUPPLIES/SERVICES QUANTITY UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT

NAME OF OFFEROR OR CONTRACTOR

3 39

CONTINUATION SHEET

REFERENCE NO. OF DOCUMENT BEING CONTINUED PAGE OF

(A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (F)

19-233-SOL-00019/000002

Template for M.6, Factor 7, on page 102 is changed to read "...HHS 508 Evaluation Template

"Attachment J.1 Voluntary Product Accessibility

Template (VPAT)," page 102 is removed and replaced.

All other terms and conditions remain the same.

NSN 7540-01-152-8067 OPTIONAL FORM 336 (4-86)

Sponsored by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.110

No. Question Solicitation Reference Answer

Attachment J.11 - Questions and Answers for Volume I

Solicitation #19-233-SOL-00019_000002

HHS, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Head Start (OHS) Head Start Information and Communications Center (HSICC) Support

33 May an offeror submit appendices to include supporting documentation?

Page 84, L.8.3, Table 1 Instructions Yes

34 “The project management team shall have at least one member who meets each of the qualifications below… At least five years of experience as staff in a Head Start program.” Please clarify if this includes any position that supports Head Start, such as T/TA contractors, OHS staff, or is it exclusively experience as a grantee under the program?

Page 41, C.7 Personnel The Head Start experience requirement in C.7.B is amended to include experience directly as grantee agency staff at any level, or experience engaged with Head Start management teams in other capacities such as consulting work or technical assistance.

35 “An electronic Part A, Volume I, and all related material for the Advisory Down-Select must be submitted by email, no later than, on 01/18/2019 by 10AM.” …When does the government estimate that offerors will be notified of the Advisory Down Select decision after submitting Volume I?

Page 83, L.8.1 Proposal Submission The government anticipates notifying offerors as soon as possible after review of Volume I has been completed. The date for submission of Volumes II and III will be no less than five business days after offerors are notified.

Purchase In Transferrable to gov't

Name Description Date Type Expiration/ Renewal Date

Quantity Purchased yes/no

Citrix Web Conferencing/Training Mar-16 Annual 5/1/2019 yes Vzaar Video streaming Mar-16 Annual 3/1/2020 yes MangoApps MyPeers Collaboration Tool Apr-16 Annual 4/1/2019 12,000 yes JobTraQ Task management Software Mar-16 Annual 3/1/2020 yes Associated Press Stylebook QA Editing Tool Mar-16 Annual 3/1/2020 yes Razuna Photo Library Support Mar-16 Annual 3/1/2020 yes EBSCO Education Research Complete Librarians resource Mar-16 Annual 12/1/2019 yes LingoTech Translation software Mar-16 Annual 3/1/2020 1 yes CommonLook QA Editing tool Mar-16 Annual 3/1/2020 2 yes Adobe Creative Cloud for Business QA Editing tool Mar-16 Annual 4/27/2019 4 yes MyEclipse Web Too: Java EE and Ajax IDE Mar-16 Annual 3/1/2020 2 yes Box File sharing Sep-18 Annual 9/27/2019 1000 yes Status of technical initiatives

Current information on all operational procedures, standard operating procedures, specifications for hardware and software

Full source code sets (not COTS source code) with configuration management information All System Documentation System Design Document Interface Design Document

Well organized digital copies of all Head Start content that currently resides on technology not owned by or transferable to OHS, including all documents, photos, videos, and source files Project Archives

Transferrable Software and Documentation

Item Description License Information

Attachment J.4 - Transferrable Software and Documentation

19-233-SOL-00019_000002 24 of 103 Head Start Information and Communications Center (HSICC) Support

d. Monthly Task Order Financial Reports. The Contractor shall create and provide a Monthly Task Order Financial Report that contains line items for each task, sub-task, and project and display labor category, rate, planned and actual hours worked, and other charges incurred for each resource. The Contractor shall abide by a template or format agreed to or supplied by the COR. The Contractor shall abide by the due date agreed to or supplied by the COR. The details and format required for this report may be adjusted at any time by COR.

e. Support for Capital Planning and Investment Control. The ACF/OCIO is required to manage and produce reports to HHS and other federal agencies. The Contractor shall respond to ACF/OCIO’s data calls, requests for input and ad hoc support necessary for ACF/OCIO to comply with Capital Planning and Investment Control (CPIC), OMB Circular A-11 requirements for ACF systems, enterprise architecture and strategic planning which occur in differing reporting cycles. The Contractor shall support and provide data required by ACF/OCIO to manage the ACF Investment Portfolio and develop operating procedures for presentation to the governance boards in accordance with the standards required by the Clinger-Cohen Act.

f. Annual Operational Analysis. The contractor shall provide an operational analysis within the first two weeks of each option period which examines the current performance of the HSICC tasks involving Head Start websites, resource promotion, the customer service center, newswatch service, and collaboration with contributing partners. The analysis should consider customer results, strategic and business results, how the HSICC’s objectives could be better met, and how costs could be saved.

g. Project Completion Report. Within the last month of the contract, the contractor shall provide a project completion report. This report shall contain documentation of the current status of the project, a description of project successes, an assessment of overall project performance against planned project performance, including lessons learned that could apply to future projects. The report shall also advise on future actions to be taken for the continued success of the project.

In reference to the reporting activities, the COR will monitor performance and review reports, furnished by the Contractor to determine how the Contractor is performing. The Contractor shall be responsible for making required changes in processes and practices to ensure performance is managed effectively.

Task 8 Transition-In and Transition-Out

Sub-task 8.1: Transition-In

The transition-in shall ensure minimum disruption to vital Government business. The Contractor shall be prepared to begin full performance under the requirements of the contract within 30 calendar days after contract award, and be fully staffed within 45 calendar days after contract award. The Contractor shall:

a. Propose a Transition-In Plan in their Management Approach which ensures there shall be Formatted: List Paragraph,Bullet List,List Paragraph Bullet, Numbered + Level: 1 + Numbering Style: a, b, c, … + Start at: 1 + Alignment: Left + Aligned at: 0.25" + Indent at:

0.5"

19-233-SOL-00019_000002 25 of 103 minimum disruption to vital government business during transition, to include no break in customer service described in task 3, minimal service degradation to sub-task 2.1b and d, minimal service degradation to posting or editing high priority website HTML or pdf content, and no loss of government-owned property. A final Transition-In Plan shall be presented no later than seven days after Project Kick-off meeting.

b. Attend a Project Kick-Off Meeting within five (5) days of contract award in Washington, D.C. to review and discuss tasks, timelines and potential challenges.

c. Prepare and deliver a Project Kick-Off Meeting Report that contains a written summary of issues discussed, resolution, and action items. Deliver the report to the COR no later than five (5) work days after the meeting to ensure a mutual understanding of expectations.

Sub-task 8.2: Transition-Out

The Contractor shall work collaboratively with Government personnel identified by OHS and the ACF/OCIO to ensure a seamless transition of the activities included in this SOW and the respective contract award. The Contractor shall provide a transition out plan no later than 90 days prior to the expiration of the contract that includes:

• A transition milestones and timeframes, including a detailed timeline for work-in-progress, and stages of transition from the effective date of performance of the successor until the successor assumes sole responsibility for the work;

• A comprehensive listing of the responsibilities of all personnel participating in the transition to include the policies, practices, and procedures to be employed by the incumbent contractor to ensure there is no conflict between routine program maintenance and the activities of the transition;

• An in-depth schedule and thorough description of the methodology employed by the incumbent contractor to ensure no degradation of service during the transition period;

• A communication and training plan for handing over information and responsibilities in a seamless manner to the new contractors and ACF Government personnel;

• A risk management plan that includes a list of the potential risks during the transition period and the plan to mitigate each;

• Identification of actions required of the Government in sufficient time to assure seamless transition;

• A complete and detailed resource-planning/resource-turnover analysis; and

• Any travel necessary to support the transition.

No less than 90 days prior to the end of this contract, the Contractor shall provide transition services/phase-out support to the COR and the ACF/OCIO. During this transition period, the Contractor shall work with the COR and ACF/OCIO Government personnel, as well as other identified contractors. The Contractor shall coordinate with the new contractors and Government personnel to transfer knowledge on the following technical documentation, including leasing, licenses, project management, and knowledge bases. This shall include

Formatted: List Paragraph,Bullet List,List Paragraph Bullet, Numbered + Level: 1 + Numbering Style: a, b, c, … + Start at: 1 + Alignment: Left + Aligned at: 0.25" + Indent at:

0.5" Formatted: List Paragraph,Bullet List,List Paragraph Bullet, Numbered + Level: 1 + Numbering Style: a, b, c, … + Start at: 1 + Alignment: Left + Aligned at: 0.25" + Indent at:

0.5" Deleted: The transition-in shall ensure minimum disruption to vital Government business and shall be completed within 30 calendar days after contract award. Upon completion of the transition-in period, the Contractor shall be fully staffed and prepared to begin full performance under the requirements of the contract. The Contractor shall:¶ Propose a Transition-In Plan in their Management Approach which ensures there shall be no service degradation during transition, to be discussed at the Project Kick-Off Meeting. A final Transition-In Plan shall be presented no later than seven days after Project Kick-off meeting.¶ Attend a Project Kick-Off Meeting within five (5) days of contract award in Washington, D.C. to review and discuss tasks, timelines and potential challenges.¶ Prepare and deliver a Project Kick-Off Meeting Report that contains a written summary of issues discussed, resolution, and action items.

Deliver the report to the COR no later than five (5) work days after the meeting to ensure a mutual understanding of expectations.

Formatted: Normal, Add space between paragraphs of the same style, No bullets or numbering, Adjust space between Latin and Asian text, Adjust space between Asian text and numbers

19-233-SOL-00019_000002 41 of 103 multiple investigations for the same position is difficult to justify. Consequently, multiple investigations for the same position may, at the Contracting Officer’s discretion, justify reduction(s) in the contract price of no more than the cost of the extra investigation(s).

After final acceptance of the work specified herein or any employee departure, the contractor shall follow the COR’s instruction on the return of all identification badges, building access cards, Government Furnished Equipment, Government Furnished Data and Government Furnished Property (GFE/GFD/GFP) as applicable.

HHS reserves the right to suspend or withdraw access at any time for any reason.

Language similar to this Security section shall be included in any subcontracts which require access to proprietary, privacy protected and/or sensitive data, regular access to HHS-controlled facilities and/or access to HHS information systems.

C.7 PERSONNEL

A. The Contractor shall be responsible for employing technically qualified personnel to perform the work specified in the SOW. The contractor shall:

1. Maintain full staffing of contract positions and fill vacancies with qualified staff within 45 calendar days of vacancy throughout the contract award period.

2. Notify COR and system ISSO within 48 hours before an employee stops working under this contract.

3. Perform and document the actions identified in the HHS/ACF Contractor/Employee Separation Checklist when an employee terminates work under this contract within 3 days of the employee’s exit from the contract. All documentation shall be made available to the CO and/or COR upon request.

The contractor shall maintain the personnel, organization, and administrative control necessary to ensure the work delivered meets the contract specifications and requirements. Personnel assigned to or utilized by the contractor in performance of work shall be fully capable of performing the functions of the respective labor categories in an efficient, reliable and professional manner.

B. Project Management Team:

The Contractor shall designate the members of its project management team. At a minimum, this shall include the Project Manager and Content Strategy lead. The project management team shall have at least one member who meets each of the qualifications below. One person may meet more than one of these qualifications.

• Proficient in Spanish

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certified

• Certified and experienced in Agile methodologies

• At least five years of experience with Head Start programs, to include experience directly as grantee agency staff at any level, or experience engaged with Head Start management teams in other capacities such as consulting work or technical assistance.

19-233-SOL-00019_000002 56 of 103

(2) Constitutes a change as defined in the clause entitled "Changes";

(3) In any manner causes an increase or decrease in the contract price, or the time required for contract performance;

(4) Changes any of the terms, conditions, or specification(s)/work statement of the contract;

(5) Interferes with the contractor's right to perform under the terms and conditions of the contract; or

(6) Directs, supervises or otherwise controls the actions of the contractor's employees.

(c) Technical direction may be oral or in writing. The Contracting Officer's Representative shall confirm oral direction in writing within five work days, with a copy to the Contracting Officer.

(d) The contractor shall proceed promptly with performance resulting from the technical direction issued by the Contracting Officers, Representative. If, in the opinion of the contractor, any direction of the Contracting Officers, Representative, or his/her designee, falls within the limitations in (b), above, the contractor shall immediately notify the Contracting Officer no later than the beginning of the next Government work day.

(e) Failure of the contractor and the Contracting Officer to agree that technical direction is within the scope of the contract shall be subject to the terms of the clause entitled "Disputes."

G.6 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY

The Contractor is responsible to furnish all property necessary for contract implementation, other than OHS-owned software supporting the ECLKC, which will be transferred. A list of software that is currently available for HSICC tasks is attached (See Attachment J.4 Transferrable Software and Documentation).

However, the Government will provide the following items(s) of Government property to the Contractor for use in the performance of this contract. The property shall be used and maintained by the Contractor in accordance with the HHS Contractors' Guide for Control of Government Property (Appendix Q of the HHS Logistics Management Manual) found at https://web.archive.org/web/20111015044731/http:/www.hhs.gov/hhsmanuals/. The Contractor shall be responsible and accountable for all government property; either furnished or acquired, and also is required to keep the Government's official records of Government property in their possession and control. The following item(s) of Government property are hereby furnished to the Contractor:

OHS will provide the on-site contractor personnel with:

Workspace/workstation furniture Personnel computers Telephone Printer Photocopiers

Deleted: Software Inventory

Deleted: ¶ https://web.archive.org/web/20111015044731/http:/www.hhs.gov/hhsmanuals/

19-233-SOL-00019_000002 71 of 103

SECTION J - List of Attachments_000002

Attachment/ Reference Number

Title Number of Pages

J.1 Voluntary Product Accessibility Template-Revised Section 508 6 J.2 Accounting System Evaluation 3 J.3 Past Performance Questionnaire 6 J.4 Transferrable Software and Documentation 1 J.5 Problem Notification Report 1 J.6 ACF Policy on Email Signatures and Taglines 1 J.7 Non-Disclosure Agreement 2 J.8 Wage Determination 10 J.9 ACF Incident Response Policy 12 J.10 Historic volume of content production 2 J.11 Questions and Answers for Volume I 9 J.12 Questions and Answers for Volume II and III 25

Deleted: Software Inventory

19-233-SOL-00019_000002 89 of 103

Volume II: Technical Proposal Volume

Section Description Section C-1 Staffing Plan Describe the proposed team of Key personnel and the full staffing plan for supporting personnel and the approach to staffing, especially how you propose to comply with contractor’s background investigation and staff security requirements described in Section C. This Plan must describe the roles and responsibilities of the team of Key and supporting personnel, the percentage of time they will work on this contract, and their proposed start and end dates on this contract. Discuss offeror’s approach to staff continuity, specifically, how to recruit, train, and retain staff to perform the contract tasks in relevant areas of technical expertise. This must include labor mix and level of effort.

Section C-2 Key Personnel and Resumes [1 page introduction + 2 pages per resume]

Offerors must provide complete resumes for key personnel identified in Section C and H.

This does not count towards any other page limitation. Resumes must contain information on education/training, background, general experience and more importantly specific experience as related to the SOW.

Key personnel must demonstrate performance under projects similar in size, scope, and complexity to the Head Start Information and Communications Center contract requirements. The experience, education, and training of each key person proposed must demonstrate the breadth, depth, and quality of relevant experience, results and effectiveness of their work in achieving goals in performance of projects of similar size and complexity to this requirement.

Signed letters of commitment are required of all key personnel. The letter of commitment must be directed to supporting this program including the length of an individual’s commitment and must be signed by the individual and a corporate authorized official.

Section C-3 Understanding the Project

Describe how the project management approach is based on thorough understanding of the requirement related to the specific tasks set forth in section C.2., as well as knowledge of key federal mandates. Demonstrate an understanding of how the various tasks in C.2 support the work of the Central Office of Head Start, the National Training and Technical Assistance Centers, Head Start program staff, children and families, and the early childhood field. Include information about the offeror’s ability to analyze data related to the scope of work, and make recommendations to enhance business processes

19-233-SOL-00019_000002 90 of 103

Volume II: Technical Proposal Volume

Section Description

Section D Section 508 Compliance Section 508 Compliance has been added as a non-weighted factor in accordance with HHSAR 311.7001; therefore, no weight will be given to this criterion. Section 508 Compliance shall be evaluated as acceptable or unacceptable. Offeror shall provide a detail explanation on how they will comply with Section 508 (See Attachment J.1) in the Technical Volume’s Technical Appendices.

In accordance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (19 U.S.C. 794d), as amended by Public Law 105-220 under Title IV (Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998), and the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) Accessibility Standards (36 CFR 1194), all EIT acquired must meet the following requirements:

• Federal employees with disabilities must have access to and use of information and data that are comparable to the access and use by federal employees who are not individuals with disabilities.

• Members of the public with disabilities seeking information or services from an agency must have access to and use of information that are comparable to the access to and use of information and data by members of the public who are not individuals with disabilities.

Meeting the requirements includes the development, procurement, maintenance, and use of EIT products and services.

The offeror should define how the development efforts associated with the Objectives will comply with the established EIT accessibility standards. Further information about Section 508 is available at http://www.section508.gov.

L.8.4 PAGE LIMITATIONS

Volume I (Past Performance and Corporate Capabilities Proposal) shall not exceed 20 pages in length. The cover letter, table of contents, figures, and charts, are not included in the page count. Volume II (Technical Proposal) shall not exceed 60 pages in length. The cover letter, tables of contents, Executive Summary, and Master Index are not included in the page count.

Resumes, letters of commitment, charts, fold-out diagrams, and the completed Attachment J.1 shall be included in the Appendices and do not count towards the above page limits. However, the Executive Summary shall not exceed five pages.

Volumes I and II proposals submissions shall not make reference to pricing data in order that the technical evaluation may be made strictly on the basis of technical merit. There is no page limit for Volume III (Business Proposal).

HHS reserves the right not to consider any pages beyond the established page limitations as part of the competition.

Deleted: ould

Deleted: an

Deleted: x

Deleted: shall not exceed 50 pages in length http://www.section508.gov/

19-233-SOL-00019_000002 92 of 103 bidding assumptions. Offeror’s are expected to make an independent assessment of the resources required to perform the tasks described in Section C. Offerors should use their own judgment based on their experience and approach to completion of this project to propose the cost appropriate for the requirement.

Offerors shall assume:

1) Cost of MangoApps, the MyPeers Collaboration software, is currently $168,000 per year for 12,000 licenses. The maximum cost for this software is $300,000 per year for 20,000 users or more.

2) Annual licenses for software listed in the Transferrable Software and Documentation attachment are paid for through the dates listed, and available for use of the successful offeror.

3) The government anticipates funding the incumbent contract for approximately two weeks after the award of this contract to facilitate an orderly transition with no break in services to the public or to the content creators.

L.10.3 Offerors shall include a completed copy of Section B of the solicitation in its proposal.

Business proposals shall present cost estimates for each contract line item (CLIN) specified in Section B as well as the cumulative cost estimate for the entire contract.

L.10.4 Certified Cost or Pricing Data

(a) Submission of certified cost or pricing data is not required.

(b) Provide the data described below:

The Offeror shall submit a cost proposal, with numbered pages, indexed, and fully supported by the information requested below, adequate to determine the reasonableness of costs proposed, to evaluate whether the proposed costs are consistent with the technical proposal and level of effort anticipated, and/or evaluate cost realism. The cost proposal shall describe the cost-element breakdown consistent with the Offeror's cost accounting system, and include a narrative to clearly describe in detail all supporting explanations of, or rationale for, all proposed costs.

Cost elements 1 through 6 shall be addressed by each task per CLIN.

1. Direct Labor - Direct labor cost estimates shall be supported with breakdowns by individual tasks including the number of labor hours estimated for each proposed specific individual and/or labor category and their corresponding proposed hourly labor rate. The Offeror must submit source-type supporting documentation for all proposed labor rates in the form of excerpts from recent payroll registers or paystubs, salary surveys, similar positions from active similar contracts or task orders, salary rate schedules, written offers of employment, employment agreements or contracts that clearly indicate the position, annual salary and hourly rate for each position (include mapping if necessary). The proposal shall indicate whether current rates or escalated rates are used. If an escalation rate is incorporated, state the percent and methodology, e.g., fixed escalation factor applied to a base rate as of a specified date, or proposed escalated rate for the period of performance. The proposal shall include plans for any additional compensation resulting from salary increases in accordance with established company policy.

Deleted: may

Deleted: Software Inventory

19-233-SOL-00019_000002 102 of 103

b. Labor categories and level of effort proposed are appropriate to accomplish tasks of the SOW.

c. Proposed project management approach produces a high value to the government, as well as adequate resources, understanding of overall risk, and schedule/resource soundness and feasibility. Demonstrated strategies, processes, and tools fulfill the requirements in Section C.

d. Key Personnel: As part of this factor, the Government will evaluate the resumes submitted for each of the Key Personnel proposed. Key personnel demonstrate performance under projects similar in size, scope, and complexity to the Head Start Information and Communication Center contract requirements. Experience, education, and training of each key person proposed demonstrates depth and quality of relevant experience, as well as the results and effectiveness of their work in achieving goals in performance of projects of similar size and complexity to this requirement. The offeror demonstrates that the Project Manager (PM) has relevant project management skills including cost/schedule management using risk/issue management, staff management, and project communications.

FACTOR 7 - SECTION 508 COMPLIANCE (ACCEPTABLE/UNACCEPTABLE)

In order to be evaluated as "Acceptable", the offeror must complete the HHS 508 Evaluation Template “ Attachment J.1 Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® (VPAT® )”, the technical proposal must demonstrate compliance with the established EIT accessibility standards and the technical proposal must include a binding statement of conformance to the established EIT accessibility standards.

This factor will be evaluated as Acceptable or Unacceptable using the definitions listed above.

M.7 FACTOR 6 - PRICE EVALUATION (Cost Reimbursement)

The price/cost proposal will be evaluated for reasonableness. For a price to be reasonable, it must represent a price to the government that a prudent person would pay when consideration is given to prices in the market. Normally, price reasonableness is established through adequate price competition, but may also be determined through cost and price analysis techniques as described in FAR 15.404.

A cost realism analysis will be conducted to determine if:

(a) The offeror’s proposed costs are realistic for the work to be performed;

(b) The proposed costs demonstrate that the offeror understands the Government’s requirements;

and

(c) The proposed costs are consistent with the various elements contained in the technical proposal and other portions of offeror’s business proposal

1 The RFP limits Section C-2 to 1 page introduction + 2 pages per resume. Signed letters of commitment are also required.

a. Are the letters of commitment excluded from the page count limitations?

b. Should they be placed in the appendix?

Volume II, page 89, Section L, Table 3, Key Personnel a. Yes

b. Yes

2 Is Section D excluded from the Volume II page limitations? Volume II, page 90, Section L, Table 3, Section 508 Compliance

Yes.

3 The instructions require the Offeror to provide a detail explanation on how they will comply with Section 508 (See Attachment J.1). Please confirm that a completed VPAT form is not required with the proposal.

Volume II, page 90, Section L, Table 3, Section 508 Compliance

A completed VPAT is required. Per the instructions in L.8.3 Table 3, Volume II Section D, the offeror shall provide a detailed explanation of Section 508 compliance in the Technical Appendices.

But also, M.6.2 Factor 7, states the offeror must complete the HHS 508 Evaluation Template “Attachment J.1 Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® (VPAT® ).” Section M.6.2 Factor 7 on page 102 is removed and replaced to correct the reference of the name of Attachment J.1 Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® (VPAT®).

4 The section states that Volume II should contain a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). Where should that plan be located within Volume II?

Volume II, page 88, Section L, Table 3, Technical Approach

The QASP should be located in Section B, Technical Approach

5 Does the program intend to continue using Lingotek for translation?

Volume II, page 9, C.1, Program Description and Background, Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC) Website

Lingotek is the commercial system currently held by the incumbent.

The successful offeror may propose to implement a different system.

LingoTek access will be made available to the successful offeror, if they wish to keep it, or use it to minimize disruption as they transition in (as will all commercial systems and software currently paid for through the incumbent contract). All proposed systems must be fully transferrable to the government.

6 a. What tools or platforms does OHS use for webinars / webcasts?

b. Are you open to considering new options? Volume II, page 10, C.1, Program

Description and Background, Mass Communications

a. The incumbent has a commercial system in place. The details are proprietary to the incumbent.

b. The successful offeror will propose to implement a system that meets the needs of the government as described in the solicitation.

All proposed systems must be fully transferrable to the government.

Attachment J.12 - Questions and Answers for Volume II and III

Solicitation #19-233-SOL-00019_000002

HHS, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Head Start (OHS)

Attachment J.12 - Questions and Answers for Volume II and III

Solicitation #19-233-SOL-00019_000002

HHS, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Head Start (OHS) Head Start Information and Communications Center (HSICC) Support

7 Does the client intend to continue using the MangoApps platform or would you consider a move to a different platform (e.g. open source)?

Volume II, page 10, C.1, Program Description and Background, Mass Communications, For MyPeers

MangoApps is the commercial system that currently hosts the MyPeers communities. At this time, no open source platforms are known to meet the needs of the MyPeers communities. For the purposes of this solicitation, the government intents to continue using the MangoApps platform. If, during the course of the contract a better solution becomes available, the successful offeror may suggest moving to a different platform.

8 The ECLKC uses Drupal 8 for the front-end and the content management platform, with numerous linked databases and directories - Can OHS provide a list of current databases and directories that the websites are linked to?

Volume II, page 8, C.1, Program Description and Background, Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC) Website

Current Databases and Directories that support ECLKC

1) Open source database – hosted by the ECLKC Hosting Contract

a. Drupal – Content for the ECLKC

b. Central Authentication Server (CAS) – Login/Authentication and Two Factor Authentication (2FA)

c. User Inquiries – Submissions from users to the Help Desk, Submissions from users to the National Centers

d. Coaching Companion – Information pertaining to the interactions between Coaches and Coachees

2) Search solution, providing indexing of the ECLKC content and Search results to end users – hosted by the ECLKC Hosting Contract

3) Central Authentication Server (CAS) repository for User Profile/Authentication information – hosted by the ECLKC Hosting Contract

4) Head Start Enterprise System (HSES) – Hosted by the HSES contract

a. Grantee Profile information

b. Locations of Head Start Centers

c. Head Start Collaboration Office Details

d. Grantee Reports

Attachment J.12 - Questions and Answers for Volume II and III

Solicitation #19-233-SOL-00019_000002

HHS, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Head Start (OHS) Head Start Information and Communications Center (HSICC) Support

9 a. Can OHS provide any additional information about tools used to collect data?

b. What data is being collected and provide any real or representative data?

Volume II, page 20, C.2, Task 6, User Feedback and Analysis, (c), references user generated data received by HSICC.

a. The incumbent contract uses Google Analytics as well as other commercial software to collect analytics about the website. In addition, each page on the ECLKC has a feedback tool which may be filled out by users. Other user feedback is collected on an ad hoc basis; HSICC has used virtual tools such as card sorting and user testing, and collected in-person feedback using hallway surveys at OHS sponsored conferences or at meetings of training and technical assistance members.

Data is also available from the questions that come to the customer service center, and on the MyPeers platform.

b. Google analytics of the ECLKC can be accessed at https://datastudio.google.com/reporting/1I1JxVYQh2dOSFKCkc0wCl XOhjohfExlK/page/BY1K.

10 What analytics tools is OHS currently using on the various sites? Volume II, page 15, C.2, Subtask

1.3, Information Architecture (d)

The incumbent contract uses Google Analytics as well as other commercial software, the details of which is proprietary to the incumbent.

11 Is information available for design and development hours from prior contracts? Volume II

Design and development hours from the incumbent contract is not relevant to this proposed contract, as the scope of work is different.

12 Is information available on the number of contractors supporting HSICC through the incumbent contract?

Volume II

The incumbent contract has a different scope of work than the solicitation under consideration. The Government anticipates each offeror will propose a different approach that will require a different labor mix.

13 If the cost proposal section of Volume III is to include a breakout of all budgeted costs/proposed prices by line item, many of these line items will be redundantly reported in the completion of the Section B template (i.e. Section B requires disclosure of anticipated G&A and G&A would also be reported again as a line item in Cost Proposal) and the Subcontractors section (i.e. labor rates for the labor roles provided by subcontract FTEs will be reported alongside the prime’s FTEs in the Cost Proposal).

Just want to confirm if such redundancy across sections within Volume III is acceptable?

Volume III, page 92, L.10.4 Certified Cost or Pricing Data, Section B

Yes

14 Even if not required, would breakout of costs by tasks be deemed useful by the government? Volume III, page 92, L.10.4

Certified Cost or Pricing Data, Section B

Yes, offerors are encouraged to provide information to the government that best allows an analysis of the cost reasonableness of the offer.

15 a. Are reporting of commitments only for key personnel or all nominated staff for the effort?

b. Likewise, do subcontractors need to report commitments or only employees of the prime?

Volume III, page 93, L.10.4 Certified Cost or Pricing Data, Commitments

a. Letter of commitment are only required for key personnel

b. If any key personnel are drawn from a subcontractor, a letter of commitment would be required of that individual as well.

Attachment J.12 - Questions and Answers for Volume II and III

Solicitation #19-233-SOL-00019_000002

HHS, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Head Start (OHS) Head Start Information and Communications Center (HSICC) Support

16 What qualification does the Government consider qualifies as "experience as staff in a Head Start program (i.e., Head Start grantee, TA, etc.)?"

page 41, Section C.7, Personnel, Project Management Team

The Head Start experience requirement in C.7.B is amended to include experience directly as grantee agency staff at any level, or experience engaged with Head Start management teams in other capacities such as consulting work or technical assistance. Section C.7.B and Question 34 of Attachment J.11 is amended to reflect this change. C.7.B on page 41 is removed and replaced in the Solicitation. Page 9 of Attachment J.11 is removed and replaced to correct the answer to Question #34

Do the signed letters of commitment count toward the page limit?

Volume II, page 89, Section L.8.3, Proposal Submission Format, Table 3, Section C-2, Key Personnel and Resumes

No, they should be included in the appendix

Attachment J.12 - Questions and Answers for Volume II and III

Solicitation #19-233-SOL-00019_000002

HHS, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Head Start (OHS) Head Start Information and Communications Center (HSICC) Support

The solicitation states, “The ECLKC uses Drupal 8 for the front-end and the content management platform, with numerous linked databases and directories.”

a. Can the government provide a list of linked databases that includes the type and version of the database and the content that is provided by the database?

b. Can the Government provide a list of linked directories used by ECLKC Drupal deployment and a brief description of the content provided by each directory?

page 8 Last paragraph, Section C.1, Program Description and Background

Please see response to Question #8.

19 Approximately how many new users are added to ECLKC each year?

pages 11-12, Section C.2, Sub-task 1.1 In 2018, the ECLKC had 1,178,927 new users.

Approximately how many users are currently maintained in ECLKC each year?

pages 11-12, Section C.2, Sub-task 1.1

In 2018, the ECLKC had 1,206,877 users across 2,489,742 sessions.

Currently 100 users have access to the ECLKC Drupal content publishing platform. This is the first year HSICC has allowed distributed content authorship, so historical data is not available.

What is Linktec's responsibilities on the ECLKC and ACF/OHS websites? (e.g. security, web analytics, new releases. etc.)

page 11, Section C.2, Task 1

Linktec, LLC is responsible for backend security in the AWS cloud environment, and as such, responsible for ensuring the HHS Fed RAMP Privacy and Security Requirements and Security Assessment and Authorization Process (SA&A) for products hosted in the OHS cloud environment. The Hosting and Security Contract also responsible for the Reporting and Continuous Monitoring, Configuration Baseline, and Incident Reporting for the OHS cloud environment.

Linktec, LLC is not responsible for software or platform updates, but collaborates with the HSICC contract as necessary. Linktec, LLC maintains analytics related to hosting, such as server response time.

Attachment J.12 - Questions and Answers for Volume II and III

Solicitation #19-233-SOL-00019_000002

HHS, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Head Start (OHS) Head Start Information and Communications Center (HSICC) Support

22 What version of Drupal 8 is HSICC currently running? page 11, Section C.2, Task 1 Version 8.6.3

How is patching currently being managed and how old are the patches? page 11, Section C.2, Task 1

All software is fully up to date. Drupal patches are added as necessary during routine releases which the incumbent has scheduled every two weeks. Emergency patches are deployed as hot-fixes as necessary.

What CoP features is HSICC currently using? pages 15-17, Section C.2, Task 2

HSICC currently supports communities of practice through MyPeers on the MangoApps platform using a 360Enterprise subscription. The communities of practice are managed by individual community administrators who decide which features to enable in their spaces.

Available features can be reviewed on the MangoApps website:

https://www.mangoapps.com/modules-features

Attachment J.12 - Questions and Answers for Volume II and III

Solicitation #19-233-SOL-00019_000002

HHS, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Head Start (OHS) Head Start Information and Communications Center (HSICC) Support

What is the purpose of the image repository? page 11, Section C.2, Task 1

The image repository allows all OHS staff and content contributors to access photos of Head Start children and programs, assured they are in accordance with federal laws and policies regarding photographs.

The image repository is made available to store the images taken by OHS contributors, acquired by HSICC, or by other content contributors.

Is Razuna, the image repository, currently paid through the contract or through OHS? page 11, Section C.2, Task 1

Razuna is paid for through the HSICC contract. It will be made available to the successful offeror, if they wish to keep it, or use it to minimize disruption as they transition in (as will all commercial systems and software currently paid for through the incumbent contract). The successful offeror may propose to implement a different system. All proposed systems must be fully transferrable to the government.

27 What size storage (GB or TB) is required for video streaming with Vzaar? Attachment J.4 Currently 536 GB of total storage for all active videos streaming on the ECLKC.

28 What is the average monthly size (GB or TB) of photos delivered via Razuna? Attachment J.4 Currently 350 MB for the database and around 160 GB for image storage

What technologies are used to implement the API and widget?

page 13, Section C.2, Sub-task 1.2, ECLKC Website Maintenance and Enhancement

1.) The API is implemented as a Drupal Module 2.) The Widget is implemented using HTML5 and CSS

Attachment J.12 - Questions and Answers for Volume II and III

Solicitation #19-233-SOL-00019_000002

HHS, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Head Start (OHS) Head Start Information and Communications Center (HSICC) Support

30 GitHub manages application code history. Subversion manages source code history.

a. What is the difference between application code and source code?

b. Is there a reason they are in different repositories? page 13, Section C.2, Sub-task 1.2, ECLKC Website Maintenance and Enhancement

a. Application code and source code are the same thing.

b. Subversion is an older repository for source code, and usually runs on a local server in a development environment. GitHub is newer, web-based, source code repository and allows for collaborative development efforts with distributed development teams.

31 The solicitation states, "Maintain and enhance content and design of written communications standards for content producers, including an ECLKC style guide, and relevant technical standards, to facilitate the creation of content that meets federal regulations and ECLKC standards for well-produced content materials." Is the current style guide available for review?

page 11, Section C.2, Sub-task 1.1, Content Publishing on ECLKC and ACF/OHS Websites.

Yes, the HSICC standards and style guide is available at https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/internal-use/web-standards.

The solicitation states, "Educate and support…