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| 19AQMM19R0182 RFP Q&A | ||||
| Reference | Question | Recommendation | Answer | |
| 1 | In the review of the OSIS II solicitation, the due date for questions is listed as five (5) days from the release of the solicitation by 4.00pm EST. This would mean that the questions regarding the RFP would be due Saturday, 8 June 2019, if the intention is that the five (5)-day window is calendar days, and not business days. Can you please confirm that this is the intent of the Government? | We would like to suggest that the deadline for questions related to the OSIS II solicitation be amended to, at a minimum, reflect a Monday, 10 June 2019 4.00pm deadline, as opposed to the current Saturday deadline. | Unfortunately due to schedule I cannot consider this request. Although, if you send the questions by Sunday evening I will answer them. | |
| 2 | SF33 | On the SF33 of the OSIS II solicitation, Block 9 states that the deadline for submissions is “04:00:00” on 06/20/2019. There is no AM or PM behind that time, and in military (24-hour) time, 04:00:00 is 4:00AM. We do not want to make the assumption that you intended 4:00PM as the deadline, though that is likely the case. Can you please clarify this? | It’s 4pm, as is also stated on FBO. Unfortunately our procurement system doesn’t allow for inputting PM into the SF33 and per the FAR I can’t use the 24 hour clock(military time). | |
| 3 | Section L |
L.18.1 Page 128 DOS indicates oral "presentations shall be limited to 120 minutes…. At the completion of each sixty (60) minute block....shall not be counted as part of the 180 minutes…" Question: Will Oral Presentations be limited to 120 minutes or 180 minutes?
| Typo. Amended to 180. | |
| 4 | Section L |
L.16 Page 125 DOS indicates the Phase II attachments will be Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU). Assuming some elements of our proposal submission will include SBU material in response to those attachments, we will require guidance on labeling and submitting that SBU material.
| Question: Should the Factor 2 Oral Presentation be labeled Sensitive But Unclassified? Will submission instructions be modified to reflect guidance for handling proposal material with the SBU designation? | Recommend the Factor 2 Oral Presentation be submitted separate from the rest of the proposal and handled according to SBU guidelines (e.g., USPS or hand delivery, etc.). | If there is SBU material in written or oral presentation, SBU markings are required. SBU Intructions can be seen in L.16. |
| 5 | Section L |
L.18.4.F2 Page 131 The 2nd component of the Factor 2 (written) Technical and Project Management Approach asks for “required deliverables for the technical scenario.”
| Question: Due to the size of a deliverables file, will DOS consider excluding deliverables from the 50-page count limit? | Recommend DOS exclude scenario deliverables from page count. | The Government will not be considering this request at this time. |
| 6 | Section L |
L.18.1 Page 129 In reference to the Oral Presentation, DOS requires “No more than 7 lines (or bullets) per slide.”
| Question: Will DOS consider the slide title line or lines to be included in the 7-line limit? As well, to confirm, in the context of “bullets,” we should interpret bullets to be single line entries when counting numbers of lines (i.e., one bullet on a single line equals one line vs one bullet on multiple lines equals one line). | Recommend DOS allow up to two Title lines per page. | The line count does not include the Title. One bullet equals one line. |
| 7 | Section L |
L.18.1 Page 129 In reference to the Oral Presentation, DOS requires “No more than 7 lines (or bullets) per slide.” The included instructions do not mention the use of graphics and how that impacts the amount of information included on a single slide.
| Question: Will DOS allow (low-narrative) graphics on a slide and how will that impact the amount of allowed narrative content? | Recommend DOS allow the use of graphics (not to exceed half of a page) in addition to the allowed 7 lines of narrative content. | Graphics are acceptable. Narrative content allowed is measured by time, not physical quantity. |
| 8 | Section L |
L.18.2 Page 129 Written proposal instructions do not include specific information related to page size.
| Question: Will DOS provide guidance related to the inclusion of 11x17 pages to support large graphics or tables? | Recommend DOS amend current guidance to allow 11x17 pages at the rate of 2 pages per 11x17 sheet. | 11x17 pages will be allowed for the technical design scenario. Each 11x17 will be counted as one page. The solicitation has been amended to account for this change. |
| 9 | Section L |
L.18.4 Page 133 Large businesses are required to submit a Subcontracting Plan.
| Question: Will DOS exclude the Subcontracting Plan from page count? | Recommend DOS exclude the Subcontracting Plan from page count. | Excluded. See amended L.18.2 |
| 10 | M.5 ELIGIBILITY FOR AWARD, subsection a) | |
| Page 147 | The RFP states: "The Government will not consider proposals from firms who do not already possess the TS FCL at the proposed place of performance (as described in Section H.7.1)." |
| This RFP does not contain a "Section H.7.1", nor does it define where the "proposed place of performance" is. | Please provide place of performance in your next RFP amendment. | Amended to say H.6.1. |
| 11 | L.15 SUBCONTRACTING | |
| Page 124 | The RFP states: "The Offeror shall address the type of work and the NAICS code that will be offered to |
subcontractors."
Is this a requirement for Phase I submission? And, if so, where does it go in the response?
| Or, if this is for Phase II submission, where does it go in that response? | We recommend the Government make this requirement part of Phase II. | This particular section is not included in Phase I submissions. |
| 12 | H.8.2 KEY PERSONNEL | |
| Page 71 | The RFP states: "The Senior Project Manager requires advanced professional 3P experience of high complexity and variety." |
| Please define what the Government considers "advanced professional 3P experience". | N/A | DoS wants someone with advanced planning experience to include writing mission analysis documents. Must have ability to communicate with senior personnel within DS | |||
| 13 | L.18.4 TECHNICAL PROFICIENCY Factor 3: Staffing Approach and Key PersonnelPage 132 | The RFP states: "During the Oral Presentation, the Government will provide several brief Technical Scenarios to assess the knowledge and capabilities of the Offeror’s proposed Key Personnel and their ability to work together to solve a problem. For this reason, the Offeror’s Oral Presentation Team is limited to the Offeror’s proposed Key Personnel."Does this mean that the Orals team will be addressing scenarios other than the one described in Appendix J-14 Scenario TSU Upgrade?If yes, at what point during the Orals will be scenario(s) be presented for the bidders to address? | We recommend the Government provide bidders with the scenario topics that will be discussed at Orals ahead of time so that there is no advantage to the incumbent. | The additional scenarios will be provided during the oral presentations. The purpose of the additional scenarios is to see how the team of key personnel work together to solve problems with limited time. There will be no advantage to the incumbent as these scenarios are not real situations and the incumbent will have no prior knowledge of them. | |
| 14 | H.8.2 KEY PERSONNEL | ||||
| Page 69 | The RFP states: "The Government considers the Program Manager, Design Engineering Manager, Senior Project |
Manager - PME, Senior Project Manager – SIM, Senior Project Manager – Policy, Plans and Performance (3P) (SIM), Senior Biometric/Network Engineering Manager – SIM, Manager – Audio/Visual & Design Engineering (SIM), and the Lead Field Engineer – Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (SIM) to be key personnel under the contract."
| To enable more bidders to submit compliant proposals, please consider limiting the number of Key Personnel to no more than three, including the program manager. | Unfortunately, the Government will not be able to consider this at this time. | |
| 15 | L.18.4 TECHNICAL PROFICIENCY |
Factor 4: Program Management and Transition
| Page 133 | Please confirm that the Subcontracting Plan is excluded from page count and can be referenced as an attachment. Small businesses are not required to provide a subcontracting plan, while large businesses are required to provide subcontracting plans. These reduce the total page count when accounting for approved subcontracting plans if included in the overall 50 page count. | See answer 9. | |
| 16 | Exhibit E - OSIS Award Term Determination Plan, Specific Contract Data | ||
| Page 1 | The RFP states: "This contract is a cost-plus-fixed-fee (completion form) contract with an Award term incentive with a base performance period commencing on September 30, 2019 and ending on September 29, 2019…" |
| Please confirm that the base year ends on September 29, 2020. | The Draft Award Term Determination Plan is in draft status. Those dates are not final. | ||||
| 17 | C.6.2, page 23, I.3.2, page 99, L.18.4, page 133 | In Section C.6.2, the government states that mandated subcontracting percentage goals are based on total awarded dollars for this contract. In Section I.3.2, the government states that The Department of State mandated subcontracting percentage goals are based on total subcontracted dollars, not award dollars. In Section L.18.4 Technical Proficiency, Factor 4, the government states that The Department of State mandated subcontracting percentage goals are based on total contract value (basic, all options and award terms) for this contract. | Please clarify what the Mandated Small Business subcontracting goals are for this program and how the percentages will be calculated. | Mandated subcontracting percentage goals are based on total contract value (basic, all options and award terms) for this contract. Language has been amended in I.3.2 | |
| 18 | C.4.1 Organizational Background | ||||
| Page 16 | Does the SIM program use the TDB ‘STEP’ life-cycle engineering process when evaluating, identifying, planning, deploying, integrating and managing technical security systems and biometric capabilities? | Please provide the life-cycle engineering process used by the SIM Branch. | Yes, SIM follows TDB's STEP process. | ||
| 19 | C.6.1 General Requirements/Rest and Recuperation Rotation Schedule, Page 20 | Are R&R transportation costs (i.e., OCONUS) reimbursable? | Yes | ||
| 20 | C.6.4.1.2.3, 100% Design Package, Page 29 | Please define “Material Take-Off” (MTO). | A list of materials with quantities and types that are required to install the designed technical security system. This list is generated by analysis of a design document. | ||
| 21 | C.6.4.7 Support for Special Projects and Technology Insertion, Page 38 | This reference states, “The contractor shall test and evaluate new technologies using government-approved test plans and shall generate reports of its findings. After a successful lab test, and with concurrence from the government, the contractor shall work with the government to identify one or more beta test sites to deploy the technology in the field and then develop and conduct field tests to analyze the performance of the equipment.”; but does not identify the location of the lab. Will the government provide the location of the lab and specify if it is COCO or GOCO? | There should be a lab in the contractor's facility, however additional testing will occur at other sites identified by the government. | ||
| 22 | H.3 Security Requirements, Page 61 | The reference states, “The contractor shall have the ability to receive, generate and safeguard materials up to the SECRET level should it become necessary for the USG to request the contractor provide additional office space for classified work performed by either Government or contractor personnel.”; but does not specify the location? Will the government provide guidance on the desired location for the contractor facility? Are there any distance restrictions e.g., within a 50 miles radius? | See Section H.6.1 | ||
| 23 | H.8.2 Key Personnel, Program Manager, Pages 69-70 | The Program Manager position description is formatted differently from all the other position descriptions. It does not include the Job Requirements and Education and Skill Requirements sections. Will the Government consider adding both to the Program Manager position description? | The Government will not be providing this at this time. | ||
| 24 | H.8.3 Program Management, Page 76 | Section H.8.3 states, “The Contractor shall develop and institute an experienced Program Management Office (PMO) that will be responsible for fully understanding and immersing themselves in the DOS culture and mission. The PMO will be responsible for overall contract performance, team communication, work order management, and regular interface with the DOS in order to provide insight into issues, solutions to problems, and minimize costs.” | Given the scope, complexity and magnitude of this contract, recommend the Government consider adding this capability as a separate CLIN, directly billable to the contract. | The Government will not be considering this request at this time. | |
| 25 | H.6 Contractor Furnished Property and Services | ||||
| Page 65 | The government requires the contractor to provide a work-site within one-hour commute of SA-24, but provides no information as to space requirements. Will the government please provide size and usage requirements for this space? How Many people will be located in this space? Is this an ACA-type, multi-use facility? | Provide information required to properly size and scope the facility requirement. | The space is for the use of the contractor and their personnel, so the needs would be dictated by the offeror's approach. Offerors will need to determine how many personnel they need, therefore the offerors should size the facility based on the requirement. | ||
| 26 | I.3.2 DEPARTMENT OF STATE GOALS DOSAR, Page 99 | The government has presented a total small business subcontracting goal of 38%. The government concluded during the market research phase that small business did not have the capacity or capability to perform the majority of the work and turned this procurement into a Full & Open, Unrestricted procurement. Is a 38% Socio-Disadvantaged Business Subcontracting Goal realistic? | Reduce the requirement to a deliverable goal of 15%. | The Government will be reducing the Subcontracting goal to 25% based on Industry Input. See amended I.3.2. | |
| 27 | I.3.2 Department of State Subcontracting Goals DOSAR 652.219-70 (Apr 2004), Page 98 | Please confirm whether the 38% subcontracting goal is based on the Total Subcontracted Dollars or based on Total Contract Value. | Recommend the government base its goals on Total Subcontracted Dollars. | See Answer 17. | |
| 28 | L.15 Subcontracting, Page 124 | Government requirement is “The Offeror shall address the type of work and the NAICS code that will be offered to subcontractors. The NAICS will be reviewed by the Government to ensure it is applicable to the work being subcontracted and offers maximum opportunity for small business participation.” | Is NAICS code 238210 the only identified NAICS Code? | 238210 is the NAICS code for the overall scope of the requirement. Other NAICS codes may be approporiate and should be identified. | |
| 29 | L.16, Phase II SBU attachments, Page 125 | To receive the SBU attachments, Offerors that have been included in the first competitive range shall contact the Contracting Officer, Farzad Afrasiabi, by email at AfrasiabiF@state.gov and McelrathRN@state.gov to arrange for receipt of the attachments via the United States Postal Service (USPS), or to arrange for pickup by the Offeror and hand-carried back to the Offeror’s company location. To provide the government with the best possible solution to the Scenarios is it possible to obtain the Scenario information before Phase I competitive range is determined? | Provide Scenario information to industry as quickly as possible. | The Scenarios are not required information for Phase I submissions. | |
| 30 | L.17, Performance Confidence Assessment | ||||
| Page 127 | The following sentence is just under the format requested for the Performance Citation. “The Offeror shall convey the offeror’s current facility clearance level and CAGE code and the current facility clearance levels and CAGE code of any proposed subcontractors”. Question: Where in the Volume for Performance Confidence Assessment would you put this information? Considering the Facility Clearance may not be associated with the Performance citation. | Request this information be provided in a cover letter or in the Technical Volume. It does not seem applicable to Performance Confidence Assessment. | This information can be attached anywhere in the volume as long as it is easily visible and complete. | ||
| 31 | Section M. M.3 Basis for Award, Page 146 | M.3 states the government will use a Best Value Trade off source selection process; however, the award criteria as stated in subparagraphs (a), (b), and (c) do not provide enough specificity in determining the elements of tradeoff. | Will the government provide more clarity to the criteria for Trade Off Analysis? | There is more than enough clarity to the evaluation process in Section M as per FAR 15. | |
| 32 | Section M. M.4 FACTOR 1 Performance Confidence Assessment. Page 147 | SUBFACTOR 1 indicates the government will make a determination as Relevancy (M.9.1) of the offerors experience as stated in the past performance citation; but does not provide guidelines for potential offerors, other than the incumbent, to achieve the highest levels of relevance as standards are not provided to measure relevancy. Although, FAR 15.305(a) (2) (ii) leaves the determination of relevance to the source selection authority, in this instance failure to define size, scope, etc. provides an unfair advantage to the incumbent. | Will the government provides specificity in what it defines as the relevant experience as expressed in Size, Scope, and Complexity? | The Government has defined the Scope, magnitude and complexity in Section M.9.1.1. The IGCE cannot be divulged, but the current contract has a current annual value of $75M. | |
| 33 | Section M. M.8 Use of Supporting Information and Non-Government Support for Evaluation. Page 148 | M.8. The government requires offerors to submit Customer Satisfaction Surveys to Commercial, State and Local, and Federal government customer and to have responses to DS/ST NLT the Proposal Due date in SF 33’s Block 9. While federal agencies appreciate their responsibility to support intra/inter agency requests, the same may not ring true of Commercial and state and Local customers. Yet in M.8 the government reserves the right to utilize all information available at the time of evaluation. Since there can be no expectation that offerors can, or are able to, direct their customers to comply with the Solicitation’s Proposal Due date, the potential of not receiving a rating (or receiving a Neutral) Rating) without the benefit of all data necessary to make a Competitive range determination may bias offerors. | Will the government consider extending the period for receipt of Customer Satisfaction Surveys? | Unfortunately the DoS cannot extend the survey receipt deadline. | |
| 34 | Section M. M.9.1.1 SUBFACTOR #1 – Relevant Experience. Performance Confidence Assessment (Relevant Experience and Past Performance). Page 149 | With respect to Magnitude, while assessing similar past performance to differentiate between Very Relevant and Relevant ratings, the government could make a Best Value award on a higher priced proposal where the offerors’ past performance was on a larger contracts for the full range of services even when the government does not explicitly provide for magnitude and complexity of past performance for consideration. In this case, the confidence rating schema as defined in this section may provide an unfair advantage for the incumbent. | In an earnest effort to level the playing field, will the government consider defining expectations for Magnitude and Complexity by providing the estimated cost/price per year threshold that defines Magnitude for this factor, since only the incumbent is aware of the cost/price per year over the current period of performance. | See answer number 32. Complexity is defined in the SOW, some examples are listed in section M as “global footprint, management of numerous concurrent projects all over the world”. | |
| 35 | M.9.1.1 Subfactor #1- Relevant Experience | ||||
| Page 149 | Will relevancy be evaluated base on the aggregate of the Prime and Subcontractors past performance or just the Prime past performance? Will the overall Relevancy Rating be based on the aggregate of the Prime and Subcontractors past performance or just the Prime past performance? | Recommend the both Prime and Subcontractor Past Performance be considered for Relevancy | Aggregate. • The combination of the relevant experience and past performance of each Contract/Reference; |
• The context of present and past efforts (i.e. previous performance as prime; contractor or subcontractor) in relation to the Offeror’s proposed role on this effort;
• The percentage of effort the prime and each subcontractor is contributing to the effort; and,
• The “whole picture” the individual references collectively provide.
| 36 | Section M. M.9.1.2 SUBFACTOR #2 – Past Performance. Page 150 | The government rating Confidence Rating calculus provides for a “binary” evaluation process. The subjective evaluation of confidence levels from Substantial Confidence to Satisfactory Confidence does not provide a gradient rating between Substantial and Satisfactory. This is tantamount to an Alphabetical grading system with “A”s and “Cs” and no “Bs”. An offeror who not does score a Substantial Confidence Rating in the Phase 1 is disadvantaged; is highly unlikely to catch up to or surpass the incumbent in subsequent Phases. This limits competition as offerors with other than Substantial Confidence Ratings, in all likelihood, will elect not to make the significant investment required to compete. | The government reassess its Past Performance Rating schema and add a Rating factor between Substantial Confidence and Satisfactory Confidence to provide more fidelity to the overall Competitive Range assessment. | You mention that an Offeror is “highly unlikely to catch up or surpass the incumbent” if they aren’t rated as very relevant. The DoS couldn’t disagree more. If you look at M.4, Factor 1 is the least important of the 5 factors. Therefore during Phase II, Offerors’ ratings in regards to Factor 1 would be the least important during tradeoff analysis. Therefore, theoretically even if Offeror had an overall “relevant” or “somewhat relevant” it would not be as significant as the other factors. |
| 37 | Section M. M.10 Ratings of Non-Price Factors. Page 153 | The government does not define what it considers to be an Advantage/Strength or Disadvantage/Weakness. While many agencies provide gradient criteria for Strengths and Weaknesses (e.g., Significant Strength vice Strength or Weakness vice Deficiency) | Will the government provide more fidelity in its determination of the differences between a Significant Strength and a Strength, so offerors can assess the relative weight and impact of their offers | See amended M.10. |
| 38 | Section M. M.10 Ratings of Non-Price Factors 2,3, and 4. Page 153 | There is no gradient measurement between Superior and Acceptable Ratings –which becomes a “binary” evaluation and makes the evaluation too subjective. Many government agencies use a Color Schema to evaluate performance (i.e., Blue, Purple, Green, Yellow, Red). While DS/ST may not desire to use this method, the spirt, and intent of this method in a Phased source selection evaluation process provides offerors a gauge for improvement. | Will the government consider adding another element to the evaluation criteria “Superior, Good, Acceptable, Marginal, Unacceptable”? | Unfortunately, the Adjectival ratings are DoS standard and are not eligible for amending in that way. |
| 39 | L.17 Volume 1: Phase 1- Factor 1, Phase I Page 126Limitation, page 127. M.9.1 Factor 1, Performance Confidence Assessment | Given the scope and complexity of the program, will the Government consider increasing the Phase I Page Limit to 25 pages? | Doing so will allow the offerors to submit critical data and enable the government to make an informed decision on the totality of the offerors’ relevant experience and past performance. | The number of pages is appropriate for the amount of references to be provided. |
| 40 | B.5 Travel Costs, Subsection J, Pg. 6 (item 4) | If a flight is over 8 hours, is the contractor not paid for anything over that period per day? | Correct. This aligns with the same policy followed by government employees. | |
| 41 | B.5 Travel Costs, Subsection J, Pg. 7 (item 5) | Is this additional restriction necessary? | This is another policy that aligns with government employees, however contractors receive travel comp time when contractors travel outside of regular hours. Contractors often travel on weekends so that work can begin on Monday. | |
| 42 | B.5 Travel Costs, Subsection K, Pg. 7 (item 3) and B.7 Defense Base Act (DBA) Insurance, Pg. 10 | “Generally allowable” is vague. What specific costs are allowable as they pertain to the passport/visa process and the Defense Base Act (DBA) Insurance? | Fees to obtain passports and visas are allowable. The cost of DBA Insurance for overseas travelers is allowable. | |
| 43 | B.6 Post Hardship Differential Pay and Danger Pay, Pg. 8 | “Generally allowable” is vague. What specific costs are allowable as it pertains to the Post hardship and Danger Pay? | If the site is designated in Section 920 of the Department of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR), then it should be allowable. | Costs are allowable as long as they meet the eligibility requirements specified in Section B.6 |
| 44 | C.6.1 General Requirements: Rest and Recuperation Rotation Schedule, Pg. 20 | Is time on R&R billable to the contract? | No | |
| 45 | C.6.2 Program Management, Quality Control, and Process Improvement, Pg. 23 | In regard to subcontracting plan, this area states that goals are based on total awarded dollars for this contract while in Section I.3.2 it states that subcontracting goals are based on total subcontracted dollars (Also states in Section L Pg. 133 that it is based on total contract value). What are the small business goals based on, awarded dollars or subcontracted dollars? | Considering the scope of work, and the ability to engage small businesses for this type of work, we recommend that it be based on total subcontracted dollars. | See answer 17. |
| 46 | C.6.4.1.1 The Survey Phase, Pg. 27 | RFP states: “Once the project’s scope of work and baseline schedule are finalized and approved by the Government, the contractor must prepare and submit an estimate of the project’s total cost.” |
How is this different than C.6.4.1.2.3? Is this for the 100% design only or the whole project?
| We recommend this be for the 100% Design. | This is an initial estimate that the government uses for planning purposes. It will vary somewhat from the 100% estimate which will supersede it once the design is complete. | |||
| 47 | C.6.4.1.1 The Survey Phase, Pg. 28 | In reference to the 30% Cost Estimate deliverable, the RFP states that it’s due 5 days after scope approval. Is the scope approval received when the Project Charter is issued to the contractor? | Scope approval refers to the design and installation scope that is part of the 30% design approval. Cost estimate is due 5 business days after the 30% design is approved. | |
| 48 | C.6.4.1.2.1 90% Design, Pg. 28 | What CAD software version does the Government currently use? | AutoCAD 2020 | |
| 49 | C.6.4.4 TSS Installation Support, Pg. 33 | Does the TSS Installation Support follow the same process and timeline and SLAs as the TSUs and Contingency TSS Operations Support? If so, what are they? | Not necessarily. TSS Installation Support is an ongoing requirement that is usually handled through the CMMS Work Order process. | |
| 50 | C.6.4.4 TSS Installation Support, Pg. 33 | How are the drawings being updated? Redlines only? | We recommend use of Redlines in the field and drawings will be updated stateside | As outlined in Section C.6.4.1.5.1 and Table C.6-7, As-built drawings are due 25 business days after receipt of red-line drawings |
| 51 | C.6.4.3 Contingency TSS Operations Support, Pg. 34 | Deliverables table references PWS Tables D.1-2 through D.1-6. Should this be a reference to C.6-1 through C.6-7 instead? If not, where are these located? | Correct, should be C.6-1 through C.6-7. Amended | |
| 52 | C.6.4.4 TSS Installation Support, Pg. 35 | RFP states: “current TSS installation support allocation is 11 personnel at the U.S. Embassy Kabul and 9 personnel at the U.S. Embassy Baghdad.”Is the contractor expected to provide 20 FTEs on site at all times? Please clarify. | These numbers are provided as a limit to the number of personnel these locations can support due to limited bed space. The contractor's approach to meeting the requirement will determine the number of personnel at post. | |
| 53 | C.6.4.5 OPC Maintenance and Repair Support, Pg. 36 | Are the FTEs listed in addition to the FTEs listed in C.6.4.4 TSS Installation Support? | Yes | |
| 54 | C.6.4.5 OPC Maintenance and Repair Support, Pg. 36 | Are the 12 housing spaces in addition to the amount listed in C.6.4.4 TSS Installation Support? Does the Government want 12 FTEs on site, or can the contractor propose less? Please clarify. | Offerors can propose less as long as they meet the requirements listed in Section C.6.4.5 | |
| 55 | H.3, Security Requirements, Pg. 60 |
B.5 Travel Costs, k), Pg. 7
| Section H.3 states in part, “Have the ability to provide personnel with at least a minimum clearance of SECRET. All Key Personnel must have an interim Top Secret clearance by the contract start date and subsequently prior to being assigned to this contract. SCI and/or COMSEC/crypto and NATO information access will be required of some contractor personnel. SCI access and COMSEC/crypto access require Final Top Secret personnel clearances. Performance in any capacity by uncleared individuals is not authorized.” However, section B.5 Travel Costs, k), p.7 covers travel costs for third and local country nationals. The first citation disallows the use of third country and local nationals for clearance reasons and the second reference seems to address travel costs for these disallowed staff. Does the Department intend to allow the Contractor to use uncleared locally engaged staff and/or third country nationals under CST supervision for work in UAA non-secure areas as is done for the Overseas Building Operations? | We recommend that DOS allow the Contractor to use uncleared local and/or third country nationals to perform non-sensitive work in UAA and non-secure locations under DOS-trained CST supervision. | Amended to remove the usage of 3rd Country and local nationals. |
| 56 | H.3, Security Requirements, Pg. 60 | RFP Section H.3 states in part, “All Key Personnel must have an interim Top Secret clearance by the contract start date and subsequently prior to being assigned to this contract.” |
Most contracts that have a Top Secret requirement will not allow personnel to be submitted for an Interim clearance if they are not assigned to that contract.
| We recommend that you remove the requirement for Key Personnel to have an interim Top Secret clearance by the contract start date, as this would strongly favor the incumbent. | TBD | |
| 57 | H.5.1 FACILITIES, Pg. 63 | RFP states: “The Contractor shall be required to allocate personnel office space including making adjustments to accommodate staffing increases in the event of a workload surge.” (Mentioned again in section H.6, Pg. 65). |
What’s the basis of estimate for this requirement?
| Given the uncertain nature of how many people will be required at any given time, we recommend that this requirement be handled as a work order post award. | Surge requirements could be handled via post award work order, however space for normal operations should be included in an offeror's proposal. | |
| 58 | H.6.5 UNIFORMS FOR LONG-TERM TDY PERSONNEL, Pg. 67 | RFP states: “The Contractor shall provide the Long-Term TDY personnel with identifiable uniforms and they shall maintain (3) Khaki Cargo Pants, (5) Dark Blue Polo Shirts with DS Logo on left hand side, and steel toe boots for all Install Teams, when applicable. These uniforms shall be obtained through the DS SCM Contractor as part of the Government’s associated contractor agreement.” |
Can the Government define what constitutes Long Term TDY? Is the Government reimbursing the contractor for uniforms?
If not, can the Government provide an estimate of how many personnel are considered Long Term TDY?
| Long term TDY refers to installation personnel for whom the majority of their work takes place overseas. The Government shall reimburse the cost of uniforms. | ||
| 59 | H.12 WORK ORDERS, Pg. 80 | RFP states: “The Government will not be obligated to pay the contractor any amount in excess of the total Work Order amount.” |
Is there a Firm Fixed Price component to this contract?
| TBD | |||
| 60 | L.14 OFFEROR QUESTIONS/ CLARIFICATIONS, Pg. 124 | Will there be another Q&A session for the Phase II? | TBD |
| 61 | L.15 SUBCONTRACTING, Pg. 124 | RFP states: “The Contracting Officer must issue consent to subcontract before any subcontract performance commences.” |
Is there a list of contractors that State Department will not work with and if so, will the Government provide this information?
| The Government doesn't have such a list. Subcontractor approval will be made as necessary. | ||
| 62 | L.17 VOLUME 1: Phase I – Factor 1 - Performance Confidence Assessment (Relevant Experience and Past Performance), Phase I Proposal format, Pg. 127 | RFP states: “Content shall be in Times New Roman font size 12 (including headers, footers, textboxes, tables/graphics, and any other inserts) with 1 inch margins on all sides.” |
Given that using Times New Roman 12-point font size in graphics would be very difficult to comply with, would the Government consider the use of Arial 10 point font for graphics, charts, tables, as long as they are still legible?
| We recommend allowing Arial 10-point font for graphics, charts, and tables. | The Government is not considering this at this time. | |
| 63 | L.17 VOLUME 1: Phase I – Factor 1 - Performance Confidence Assessment (Relevant Experience and Past Performance), Phase I Page limitation, Pg. 127 | RFP states: “The only exclusions from the page limitation are pages that are purely administrative or organizational in nature, such as tables of contents, lists of figures or acronyms, cross-reference matrices, indexes, and dividers or tabs.” |
Can we assume that Cover pages would be considered “administrative” and therefore also not included in the overall page count?
| We recommend excluding the Proposal Cover page from the page count limitations. | As long as the cover page only includes administrative content. | |||
| 64 | L.18.2 Written Technical Proposal Instructions, Pg. 129 | Can the various plans (Project Plan and Integrated Master Schedule, Staffing Plan, Compensation Plan, Travel Management Plan, Quality Control Plan, Transition Plan, Subcontracting Plan, and Training Management Plan) be included as attachments (outside of 50-page requirement)? | We recommend that these documents be outside the 50-page limit, or substantially increase the page count for this Volume. | The Government will not consider this at this time. |
| 65 | N/A | Will we need to resubmit past performance in Phase II? | No | |
| 66 | L.18.2 Written Technical Proposal Instructions, Pg. 129 | Is the sample task response part of the 50-page written response? | Yes | |
| 67 | L.19.1 PRICE PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS Pg. 136, Item 17 | Can the Government clarify what exactly we are pricing? The table on Pg. 1, Section B.2(f) references the Sub-CLINs and the associated RFP areas but there is nothing to indicate the size which drives the level of effort, labor categories required, etc. | We recommend using a sample task as the basis to ensure all competitors are bidding to a similar scenario. | The basis of estimate is the work in SOW and the estimated workload. |
| 68 | M.5 a), Eligibility for Award, p. 147 | RFP states that the offeror must have a TS FCL with SECRET safeguarding at time of proposal submission. It goes on to state that proposals will not be considered from firms that do not have the TS FCL for their proposed facility. As the requirement for surge space is not clearly defined in H.5.1 Facilities, this severely restricts the ability of the contractor to have a space that is certified to safeguard secret information at the time of proposal submission. This requirement would eliminate all competitors who are not within the one-hour commute as specified in H.6.1 Facilities and do not have an existing contract that requires the safeguarding of Secret information. | We recommend that TS FCL must be in place at the time of proposal submission and safeguarding at the SECRET level will be added after contract award, once the true scope of the safeguarding requirement is clearly defined. | The Government is not able to consider this at this time. |
| 69 | Appendix J14, Pg. 1/2 | Will the Government provide the SMSe CCURE iStar AACS, SMSeNet, SMSe Ancillary Device, and SMSe Alarm Reporting Application Guides? | The Government plans to disseminate these during Phase II as some of them are SBU. | |
| 70 | Appendix J14 | Is there a Network Application guide? If so, will the Government provide a copy for purposes of bid response? | See answer 69. | |
| 71 | Appendix J14, Pg. 1 | Is there is a Diplomatic Security standard design package and if so, will the Government provide a copy for bid response? | During Phase II the Government can provide a standard template. | |
| 72 | B.2 PRICING STRUCTURE, Pg. 1/2 and Exhibit B, Tab 4 | Is the sample task the basis of estimate for Sub-CLIN X001A through X001E? If not, what is the basis of estimate? | See answer 67. | |
| 73 | B.2 PRICING STRUCTURE, Pg. 2 and Exhibit B, Tab 4 | What is the basis of estimate for Sub-CLIN X001F TSS Integration? | See answer 67. | |
| 74 | B.2 PRICING STRUCTURE, Pg. 2 and Exhibit B, Tab 4 | What is the basis of estimate for Sub-CLIN X001G Contingency TSS Operations Support? | See answer 67. | |
| 75 | B.2 PRICING STRUCTURE, Pg. 2 and Exhibit B, Tab 4 | What is the basis of estimate for Sub-CLIN X001H TSS Installation Support? Is it 20 FTEs which is in line with the housing availability? Please clarify. | See answer 67. | |
| 76 | B.2 PRICING STRUCTURE, Pg. 2 and Exhibit B, Tab 4 | What is the basis of estimate for Sub-CLIN X001I OPC Maintenance and Repair Support? Is it 12 FTE’s for the long term TDY personnel which is in line with housing availability? Please clarify. | See answer 67. | |
| 77 | B.2 PRICING STRUCTURE, Pg. 2 and Exhibit B, Tab 4 | For Sub-CLIN X001I OPC Maintenance and Repair Support, what is the basis of estimate for the additional 6 HT/HR locations (# of work orders, duration, etc.)? Please clarify. | See answer 67. | |
| 78 | B.2 PRICING STRUCTURE, Pg. 2 and Exhibit B, Tab 4 | What is the basis of estimate for Sub-CLIN X001J DSIAS/Special Projects and Technology Insertion? Please clarify. | See answer 67. | |
| 79 | B.2 PRICING STRUCTURE, Pg. 2 and Exhibit B, Tab 4 | What is the basis of estimate for Sub-CLIN X001K OPC Policy, Planning, and Performance Support? Please clarify. | See answer 67. | |
| 80 | B.2 PRICING STRUCTURE, Pg. 2 and Exhibit B, Tab 4 | What is the basis of estimate for Sub-CLIN X001L Program Management Support? Is this limited to the 8 Key Personnel? Please clarify. | See answer 67. | |
| 81 | B.2 PRICING STRUCTURE, Pg. 2 and Exhibit B, Tab 4 | For Sub-CLIN X001KL Program Management Support, where is the reference H.8.5, H.8.5.1? | Amended those references. | |
| 82 | B.2 PRICING STRUCTURE, Pg. 2 and Exhibit B, Tab 4 | What is the basis of estimate for Sub-CLIN X001M Project Management Support? Please clarify. | See answer 67. | |
| 83 | B.2 PRICING STRUCTURE, Pg. 2 and Exhibit B, Tab 4 | For Sub-CLIN X001M Project Management Support, where is the reference H.8.5.2 and H.8.5.3? | Amended those references. | |
| 84 | B.2 PRICING STRUCTURE, Pg. 2 and Exhibit B, Tab 4 | What is the basis of estimate for Sub-CLIN X001P Post hardship Differential Pay? Is this limited to the Sample Task/Scenario? Please clarify. | See answer 67. | |
| 85 | B.2 PRICING STRUCTURE, Pg. 2 and Exhibit B, Tab 4 | What is the basis of estimate for Sub-CLIN X001Q Danger Pay? Is this limited to the Sample Task/Scenario? Please clarify. | See answer 67. | |
| 86 | B.2 PRICING STRUCTURE, Pg. 2 and Exhibit B, Tab 4 | What is the basis of estimate for Sub-CLIN X001S facilities (10,000 SqFt, # of personnel, etc.)? Please clarify. | See answer 67. | |
| 87 | B.2 PRICING STRUCTURE, Pg. 2 and Exhibit B, Tab 4 | What is the basis of estimate for Sub-CLIN X00T Tools? Please clarify. | See answer 67. | |
| 88 | B.2 PRICING STRUCTURE, Pg. 2, Item f and Exhibit B, Tab 4 | In general, the references indicated in the table are too vague to form a basis of estimate and several reference the same sections of the RFP. In order to provide a level playing field, please provide more detailed information upon which to base an estimate. | See answer 67. | |
| 89 | Exhibit D DD-254 OSIS II | Throughout the DD Form 254, there is reference to an “ISSO” and “Alternate ISSO.” Is the “ISSO” intended to be a Government person/civilian, and the Contractor is to staff the “Alternate ISSO”? We respectfully request the Government clarify the respective entities for each billet. | ISSO will be government and AISSO will be staffed by the offeror | |
| 90 | C.6.4.2, TSS Integration, (Page 33) | Does the government provide a Project Charter or some other requirements document for TSS Integration projects? | Yes, a charter is provided | |
| 91 | C.6.4.2, TSS Integration, (Page 33) | Is the contractor required to provide a schedule and cost estimate at the start of TSS Integration projects? | Yes | |
| 92 | C.6.4.3, Contingency TSS Operations Support, |
(Pages 33 & 34)
| For the two to three Contingency TSS Operations Support projects that occur each year, what percentage of required equipment is on hand in the DS supply chain management (SCM) contractor’s warehouse? | Currently the SCM contract warehouses enough material to support 3 Contingency Operations at any given time. | |
| 93 | C.6.4.3, Contingency TSS Operations Support, |
(Pages 33 & 34)
| If there have been instances where 100% of the required equipment has not been on hand in the DS SCM contractor’s warehouse, what is the average lead time for the SCM contractor to obtain, ship, and deliver the equipment to its final destination? | There have been no instances of this in the past. | |
| 94 | C.6.4.3, Contingency TSS Operations Support, |
(Pages 33 & 34)
| At any time, is the OSIS contractor authorized to procure equipment that is not on hand in the SCM contractor’s warehouse? | This is on a case by case basis with prior government approval | |
| 95 | C.6.4.3, Contingency TSS Operations Support, |
(Page 34, 3rd paragraph)
| What deliverables have been typically waived in the past for Contingency TSS Operations Support projects? | In the past some projects have been design-build, so the initial design was waived and only as-built drawings were required | |
| 96 | C.6.4.3, Contingency TSS Operations Support, Table C.6-9, |
(Page 34)
| Row 2 of Table C.6-9 references Tables D.1-2 through D.1-6. These do not appear to be in the PWS. Is the reference correct? | See answer 51 | |
| 97 | C.6.4.4, TSS Installation Support, |
(Page 34, 2nd paragraph)
| If TSS Installation Support requires “surveying, designing, and installing new TSS systems” or “integrating and/or configuring both analog and IP-based TSS to connect and report over SMSeNet”, does the government provide the contractor with a project charter? | Yes | |
| 98 | C.6.4.4, TSS Installation Support, |
(Page 34, 2nd paragraph)
| If TSS Installation Support requires “surveying, designing, and installing new TSS systems” or “integrating and/or configuring both analog and IP-based TSS to connect and report over SMSeNet”, is the contractor required to follow the 5-phase process (and provide the deliverables) specified in C.6.4.1? | Yes | |
| 99 | C.6.4.4, TSS Installation Support, |
(Page 35, 3rd paragraph)
| Is the amount of housing space at the U.S. Embassy Kabul and the U.S. Embassy Baghdad indicative of the full-time equivalents (FTEs) providing installation support at these locations? | This is indicative of the amount of bed space available only. Offeror's approach to the requirement will dictate the number of personnel needed. | |
| 100 | C.6.4.4, TSS Installation Support, |
(Page 35, 3rd paragraph)
| If the answer to question 10 (above) is “no”, what percentage of the 11 rooms/beds at Kabul and the 9 rooms at Baghdad are typically occupied? | See answer 99 | |
| 101 | C.6.4.5, OPC Maintenance and Repair Support |
(Page 36)
| Is the housing space identified for U.S. Embassy Baghdad (5) and U.S. Embassy Kabul (4), in addition to the housing space identified in paragraph C.6.4.4 for Baghdad and Kabul? | See answer 99 | |
| 102 | C.6.4.4 |
TSS Installation Support & C.6.4.5 OPC Maintenance and Repair,
| (Page 35 & 36) | Are the TDY technicians at Baghdad and Kabul authorized to support both TSS Installation (C.6.4.4) and OPC Maintenance and Repair Support (C.6.4.5) requirements? | As long as requirements are met for both programs | |
| 103 | C.6.4.5, OPC Maintenance and Repair, |
(Page 36)
| The last paragraph of the page states that, “…the contractor must provide maintenance and repair personnel to visit each HT/HR OPC every two months.” On average, how long do the maintenance and repair personnel stay at each of the six HT/HR locations? | Depending on maintenance requirements teams average 1-2 weeks on site | |||
| 104 | C.6.4.5, OPC Maintenance and Repair, (Page 37) | The first sentence states that there are six HT/HR locations. There are only five locations identified under the Workload paragraph. Are there five or six HT/HR locations? | There are five. Amended | |
| 105 | C.6.4.5, OPC Maintenance and Repair, Workload, | |||
| (Page 37) | Will the site have opened work orders (WOs) in CMMS during the two-month period since the last OPC technician(s) were at the site, or does the technician receive a “to do list” when he/she arrive at the site and then opens the WOs in CMMS? | The contractor will enter work orders as trouble calls are received from post | ||
| 106 | C.6.4.6, DISIAS, |
(Page 37)
| Who is responsible for installing the DSIAS equipment? | Installation is handled under a separate contract | |
| 107 | C.6.4.6, DISIAS, |
(Page 37)
| At how many of the 285+ OCONUS diplomatic posts has DISIAS equipment been installed? | Currently, 32 posts | |
| 108 | C.6.4.6, DISIAS, |
(Page 37)
| Does the OSIS contractor, or the SCM contractor procure, “…DSIAS peripheral devices for lifecycle and maintenance repair efforts?” (3rd bullet) | OSIS contractor orders through SCM Contractor | |
| 109 | C.6.4.6, DISIAS, |
(Page 37)
| Will the government provide workload data for DSIAS support? For example, How many peripheral devices are barcoded and entered into CMMS annually? How many peripheral devices are procured annually? How many technical refreshes and upgrades occur annually? | This is an emerging program and there is no historical data. | |||
| 110 | C.6.5.1, Phase-in Performance, (Pages 41 & 42) | Does the 90-day Phase-in begin on the day of contract award? | Yes | |
| 111 | H.2 Associate Contractor Agreement, | |||
| (Page 58) | It is clear that the contractors are responsible for preparing mutually agreeable Operation Procedures in those areas where support services overlap. Is the government or the contractors responsible for preparing the actual ACA? | The Supply Chain contractor is responsible for the overall coordination, but all associate contractors must collaborate to create the agreement. | ||
| 112 | H.5.1, Facilities, |
(Page 63)
| How much office space or workstations has the government provided to the current OSIS contractor at SA-24? | Currently only 2 workstations | |||
| 113 | H.5.2, Vehicles, (Page 64) | Under what circumstances is the OSIS contractor required to operate a government-leased vehicle? | When conducting official business | |
| 114 | H.8.3, Program Management, (Pages 76 & 77) | Is the Contract Management Plan specified in the 2nd paragraph, the same as the Program Management Plan specified in specified in section C.6.2? | TBD | |
| 115 | B.5.k2 Travel Cost, (Page 7) | Are fees associated with obtaining the required visas to foreign countries under the contract reimbursable? | See B.5.k.3. Generally allowable. | |
| 116 | B.6.p Post Hardship Differential Pay and Danger Pay, | |||
| (Page 9) | If an eligible employee’s work is completed at the place of performance and is sent to another Post Hardship Differential Pay area, will the hardship pay continue if the employee has served more than 42 days in the place of performance? | Yes | ||
| 117 | B.9.g Overtime, | |||
| (Page 12) | Will a written request for an overtime approval action be required for every occurrence? | Yes | ||
| 118 | C.6.1 Rest and Recuperation Rotation Schedule, | |||
| (Page 1 & 20) | After one hundred [and] twenty (120) consecutive calendar days, can the employee immediately work at a different place of performance? Or is an R&R mandatory? | Contractor can work in a different place of performance outside of AIP | ||
| 119 | C.6.1 Rest and Recuperation Rotation Schedule 2, | |||
| (Page 20-21) | What is the maximum number of days permitted for overlap with approval? | This would be decided on a case by case basis depending on the justification provided by the contractor | ||
| 120 | C.6.2 Program Management, Quality Control, and Process Improvement, | |||
| (Page 21) | What are documents and/or process required to demonstrate awareness of the cultural, ethnic, political, and religious consideration of DOS facility locations? | This should be determined by the Offeror. | ||
| 121 | C.6.2 Program Management, Quality Control, and Process Improvement, | |||
| (Page 21) | Will approval from the government be required for updates made to the PMP document, more specifically to the Staffing Plan, Compensation Plan, and Travel and Training Management plans? If so, is there a timeframe in which the updates must be submitted for approval? | Government approval is required for updates. Changes should be submitted for approval 30 days prior. | ||
| 122 | H.5.6 Training, (Page 65) | Will the HT401 training be required to take place before deployment? | HT401 and/or FACT training are required before Long-Term TDY. | |
| 123 | H.8.2 Key Personnel |
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