VSS_Pre-Site_Visit_Q&A.pdf

Solicitation #19AQMM18R0428 Pre-Site Visit

VSS Pre-Site Visit Questions

All updates are posted to FBO:

Visa Support Services

Solicitation Number: 19AQMM18R0428 https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=7976f75163acaab11d2ae

868cc864971&_cview=0

Question 1: We have one important question on the Draft Section L. On page 2 of the

Pre_and_Post_Conference_Questions document released on 10/22/18, consistent with the answer given on Industry Day, the answer to question #11 was:

A Top Secret facility clearance is required for contract performance. No matter what the corporate structure, if the selected firm does not have a Top Secret facility clearance, they will be sponsored for the Top Secret clearance.

However, on page 143, section L.11 Facility Security Clearance of the draft Sections L, it says:

The successful Offeror shall possess a TOP SECRET Facility Security Clearance (FCL) issued by the Defense Security Services (DSS) prior to contract award.

We assume this is an error and have formalized our team structure based on the Q&A from

Industry Day. Can you please confirm that the contradictory statement in the draft Section L is in error?

Answer 1: The answer to Question #11 and Section L.11 on page 143 are not contradictory. It is the Department’s intention, if a company without a Top Secret facility clearance is selected for this effort, to sponsor the company for a Top Secret facility clearance through Defense Security

Service upon selection. The company would not be allowed to begin contract performance until clearance is granted.

Question 2: This is a large opportunity for a small business. Incumbent capture for 1,100+ people is significant for a single small business prime contractor. I see more commonly a multi-award or some separation versus a single award of that many people to a small business with such a quick turnaround. The window for this RFP is also fairly compressed when compared to opportunities of this size set aside for small businesses. The question in my mind is how a decision was made to set this aside for small.

Answer 2: Based on extensive market research, this acquisition meets the criteria for a 100%

Small Business Set Aside. To remain competitive, the Government strongly encourages interested small business prime vendors to strengthen their solutions and capabilities using the full breadth of the Small Business Administration’s Contracting Assistance Programs. Small business vendors may also reach out to the Department of State’s Office of Small and

Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) at (703) 875-6822 or https://www.state.gov/s/dmr/sdbu/.

Question 3: Section L.12.1 Site Visits Would it be acceptable for a small business Joint Venture

(JV) to nominate two participants from each company to both site visits?

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=7976f75163acaab11d2ae868cc864971&_cview=0 https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=7976f75163acaab11d2ae868cc864971&_cview=0 https://www.state.gov/s/dmr/sdbu/

Answer 3: The joint venture is one entity (company). Therefore, as with all companies, only 2 representatives can be nominated.

Question 4: Section C.3 Applicable Documents Can the DOS provide the following documents to all prime vendors? Access to these required documents seems to provide an advantage to the current Prime contractor since some Offerors will have trouble getting these documents. We appreciate your consideration.

1. Foreign Affairs Manual Volume 9

2. Internal Controls section of the Consular Management Handbook

3. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)

4. ALDAC Cables and Instructions

5. Info from CA Intranet Sit that relates to visa policies, procedures, and processes

6. Foreign Affairs Handbook, System Manager's Handbook (5 FAH 9)

Answer 4: The Government plans to release the reading room materials once the RFP is posted and will require interested vendors to complete an NDA prior to receipt. That said, most of the items requested may be available in the public domain, and we encourage interested vendors to search there in the interim.

Question 5:

Ref: Section C, Paragraph C.5, Key Personnel. During the VSS Industry Day on 4 October it was specifically stated. “Key Personnel will not be prescribed by the government and that bidding contractors would determine their Key Personnel based on the requirements.” It was also stated that you allowed offerors flexibility in the PWS for process improvement initiated by the contractor.

In the draft RFP, this section designates 17 people in the table that is shown on page 63 as Key

Personnel. The paragraph also designates the Program Manager and the Contract Administrator as Key Personnel as well for a total of 19 key personnel required for VSS by the Government. In the last paragraph of this Section, the Government states that: “Upon award, the Offeror will not be permitted to substitute key personnel for at least three (3) months.” The draft PWS further states: “No substitution shall be made less than forty-five (45) calendar days after the Offeror provides the requisite information on the proposed individual to the Government.” Offerors are also required to provide comprehensive resumes for all Key personnel with the proposal, resumes that list their experience and qualifications to work at VSS (when the incumbent personnel are the only ones with requisite VSS experience). At Industry day, attendees were told that the VSS project when won by a non-incumbent will primary staffed through “rebadging,” which explains the need for the new contractor to keep accomplishing the VSS work with in-place personnel as much as possible so there’s no break in service delivery during any transition to a new contractor. For sure, almost all of these designated Key personnel positions would need to be filled with incumbent personnel; however, there is no way to get resumes and qualifications for the incumbent personnel who would likely be rebadged by any successful offeror. The combination of all these requirements provides a distinct, insurmountable advantage to the existing incumbent contractor, and could virtually eliminate many, if not all, small businesses from successfully bidding this opportunity. To level the playing field, it seems to be fair to require the offeror to have to bid only two Key positions designated by the Government: The

Program Manager and the Contracts Administrator, both of whom would clearly come from any new bidder. Also, any offeror could also designate additional positions as key as part of the proposal, as described in section C.5 currently. Without this vital change, the RFP/PWS provides a distinct unfair advantage to the current incumbent, when everyone knows the majority of these people the Government has designated as key would, in fact, be rebadged by the non-incumbent winner of this work. May we ask you to remove the requirement for these 17 positions listed in

Section C-5 to be designated as Key, but rather have only two key positions: the new PM and the new Contracts Administrator? Also, please keep the requirement that allows any offeror to designate additional key positions. This is the only way to level the playing field to make the competition for VSS fair.

Answer 5: As noted previously in the Post-Industry Day Q&A, the Government does not intend to prescribe information on key personnel and is looking to industry to propose individuals, based on the requirements of the RFP, who they believe are fully qualified and competent to serve in key personnel roles. Please refer to position descriptions of Key Personnel in Section

C.5 of the draft RFP. Unless explicitly stated in Section C.5, the Government is not prescribing the number of individuals for each key personnel role. Key personnel were designated because they are truly critical to oversight and delivery.

Regarding Industry Day discussions on badging, the intent of the guidance provided during the presentation was to emphasize the importance of the badging and clearance processes and should not be understood as an indication that badges can be obtained prior to award, nor that service delivery and management nor personnel requirements can be met through incumbent capture alone.

As noted in the draft section M.4.3., the Government will evaluate the extent to which the

Offeror’s key personnel resume profiles are complete, compliant with the requirements of the

PWS, provide relevant professional experience, and describe roles and responsibilities commensurate with the individual proposed. The Government will also evaluate the extent to which additional key personnel (above and beyond the Government’s requirements) proposed by the Offeror strengthen the Offeror’s approach and capabilities.

Industry has qualified personnel to offer and the government looks forward to receiving proposals which incorporate the full scope of potential key personnel.