QA_1_-_General_Questions.docx

NPIN General & BASIC IDIQ Technical Questions

Can the Government identify the estimated Task Order work that will be performed on-site versus off-site at a Contractor facility?

All work procured can be performed off-site.

The Technical Specification document and NPIN Software and Subscriptions have been added to the solicitation. Please see attachments J.8 and J.9.

The government offices will remain at Corporate Square. The place of performance will be at the contractor’s facilities.

Does the maximum value of $45,000,000 apply to all contracts and all task orders that are awarded over the 5-year contract period?

Yes.

With regard to the statement, “The Basic Contract does not provide Loaded Hourly Labor Rates for T&M and L-H Type Orders extending beyond the period of performance of the Basic Agreement.” Is this implying that the Government will not be using T&M Contracts for any orders issued after the basic period of performance?

This section is revised in amendment 00002.

The RFP states that the Government will provide a minimum of 10 calendar days to respond. Given that these will be competitive RFTOPs and similar vehicles from CDC allow for typically 20 calendar days to respond, will the Government consider revising the 10 calendar days to 20 calendar days?

10 days will be the minimum; however, the days to respond will be determined for each request for task order propoposal depending on the circumstances.

Is it the Government’s intent to award Domain 1 and Domain 2 based solely on the proposals submitted, as two separate task order awards?

Task Orders will be awarded to the vendor whose proposal provides the best value to the Government.

This paragraph states in part that 1 week prior to commencement of contract performance the Contractor shall submit for every Contractor employee listed in the table mentioned in paragraph 2 above as requiring either HHS facility access or information system access. Can the Government clarify that the table is to be submitted as part of each Task Order proposal? Also, can the Government clarify that the 1 week prior refers to commencement of an awarded task order?

This section is deleted in amendment 00002.

How is the government intending to make the property available to Contractors? Where is the cost of relocating the material to be accounted for?

Yes, the government will make property available to contractor. After award, the government will determine what property needs to be transferred and cost will be paid accordingly.

Exhibit III lists SF 1035, but only SF 1034 is included in the RFP. Please advise if SF 1035 is required when invoices requesting payment are submitted.

In accordance with the instructions at G.9, the contractor may use either standard forms 1035 and 1034 or the Contractor’s own invoice form. The attachment J3 is updated to include both forms in amendment 00002.

Are the Key Personnel to be listed for Tasks 1 and 2 since that is the only definitive scope of work known at the moment?

Yes.

This section states no material, labor or facilities will be furnished unless specified on a Task Order. However, Exhibit J4 has a list of GFP/GFE. Please advise if the GFE will or will not be provided. If provided, will the Government pay for the transportation?

After award, the government will determine what property needs to be transferred and cost will be paid accordingly.

This section states that the Government intends to award a cost reimbursement contract; however, other contract types are called out. Please clarify.

Varying contract types might be used in future task orders; however, task order 1 and 2 included in the solicitation will be cost-plus-fixed-fee.

Is there physical space leased by the government that will be available throughout the performance period? If yes, where is it located?

The government has not and will not pay for leased office space related to this contract. Furthermore, it is up to bidders to identify office space.

Is there a possibility that the NPIN social media channels will be divided?

No.

All services including future task order awards are only for The National Center for HIV/AID, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB prevention (NCHHSTP)

After award the government will determine what property needs to be transferred and cost will be paid accordingly.

Yes, a project director can be split between both task orders.

However, Section C.3.1 refers to what appears to be the same information included in the “Focus Areas” as Tasks and numbers them Task 1 through 4 and Task 5 through 6 for Domain 1 and 2, respectively.

Subsequently, in Attachment J.6, page 2, re RFTOP #0001, “Focus Areas” are listed as 1.1 through 1.3 (not 1.4) and in Attachment J.7, “Focus Areas” are listed as 2.1 through 2.5 (not 2.6) and Attachment Focus Areas do not correspond to the same groupings as the Tasks on pages 6 and 7. For example, Focus Area 1.4 in Section C.3 is the Web Content Management System (WCMS), however WCMS is combined in Attachment 6 with Focus Area 1.1 Similarly the titles of Domain 2 Focus Areas do not correspond when Section C.3 titles and numbers are compared to Attachment J.7 titles and numbers.

· Question (a): Which numbering system takes precedence? When we refer to a given Task and/or Focus Area, should we use the numbering system in the Basic contract, or the numbering system in the RFTOPs in Attachment J.6 and J.7?

· Question (b): Should we refer to Tasks or Focus Areas, or both?

· Question (c): Do we need to cross-reference those areas that are referred to differently in various parts of the proposal?

This will be corrected in amendment 00002.

The Technical Specification document and NPIN Software and Subscriptions have been added to the solicitation. Please see attachments J.8 and J.9.

The NPIN IT infrastructure will resides behind the CDC firewall. Contractors will have access to Development/Staging. Contractors will not have access to the production environment.

a. Is there an NPIN website-wide page search tool? If so, what is the tool’s vendor and name?

b. Do each of the databases have their own search tool or is there a search tool that covers all databases?

a. Yes there is website wide page search tool please refer to the Technical Specifications for Current NPIN Products and Services.

b. Yes each database has there own search tool but there is also a unified search for all of four databases.

The only travel that is approved for this contract is for conferences. Travel cost should not exceed $20,000.

a. Number of resources at the help desk, specified by LCAT and annual work effort hours

b. Help Desk software tools used if any

c. Hours of operation

a. NPIN replies to customer e-mails received via info@cdcnpin.org, and NPIN-Requests@cdcnpin.org On average NPIN receives less than 100 patron e-mails per month. Emails address other miscellaneous topics, such as NPIN webinars, funding/grants, the Organizations Database, and subscriptions.

b. No software tools.

c. Hours of operation is from 9-5pm. Responses to emails are in English and Spanish.

Cdcnpin.org—224,000 Hivtest.cdc.gov—127,000 Findtbresources.org---10,000 (The other data is not being collected in this manner)

a. How is a new partner added to the network?

b. How requests are for information handled that cannot be satisfied by downloading information from one of the NPIN websites or databases? (e.g. a request for information that is responded to with paper or other format that is not electronic). What are the process steps and the LCATs involved?

a. Partners fill out an organization update form or an email is sent to the database team to add/update an organization’s information. Or the database team will update the record accordingly.

b. An email is sent to the CDC COR to answer.

a. Total number of requests for information served?

b. Total number of pages, documents, videos, etc. provided?

c. Annual growth of the partner network participants?

Due to the broadness of these questions the government can not answer these questions.

No.

The NPIN Web Content Management System (WCMS) service is Drupal.

a. Access to and a relationship with conference centers that are outside of the CDC conference center facilities

b. Access to Conference Management Software

a. No.

b. No.

The analytic tools currently being used is Google Analytics.

No there isn’t documentation describing the current API interfaces. The Government is asking vendors to provide API solutions for our web products and services. Please visit cdcnpin.org and hivtest.cdc.gov

The Transition-in period will range between 6-8 weeks.

Web 3.0: Is about the Web becoming smarter, getting to know your users better from your browsing history (and all you've contributed to it during Web 2.0) and automatically delivering content that’s relevant to our partner needs. Please see the reference below:

http://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/buzzword/entries/web3.html

Offerors are expected to use their judgment and expertise to develop an independent proposal based on the requirements in the Performance Work Statement

In accordance with FAR 15.403-3(b), “when adequate price competition exists (see 15.403-1(c)(1)), generally no additional data are necessary to determine the reasonableness of price.”

However, this section is revised in amendment 00002 to specify that it is related to certified cost or pricing data.

L.12 allows for past performance information for major subcontractors.

Cost for subcontracts would also be expected in the business proposal for the two sample task orders.

Domain 1 is intended to provide the operational infrastructure for the NPIN enterprise. Largely digital in nature, this domain seeks to provide leverage websites, databases, social media, API (and other assets) to meet the needs of NPIN partners. Domain 2 seeks to leverage the aforementioned operational assets to support, communicate with and engage NPIN partners.

Please refer to the government owned property list. After award the government will determine what property needs to be transferred and cost will be paid accordingly. There will be no storing property fee. If the equipment is not needed the government will discard the property.

The NPIN Inventory Database provides the operational mechanism by which materials are identified and pooled. The NPIN Downloadable Materials Database serves as the consumer interface to access these materials. Offerors responding to J.6 will develop the mechanism for 3rd party downloadable materials – whereas offerors in J.7 will focus on optimizing the curation and distribution of said materials to partners.

The Technical Specification document and NPIN Software and Subscriptions have been added to the solicitation. Please see attachments J.8 and J.9.

Task 5 focuses primarily on tool creation, content and management of the webpages.

Task 1. Information and Communication Technology 5. Attachment J.6, Task #1, Domain 1, Information and Communication Technology, pg. 15, Security Compliance, Project Management, and Section 508 Guidance, a draft Data Systems Security Plan (SSP) is due with proposal submission, however this plan is not included as a deliverable per Section C.9, Delivery Schedule for Specified Products.

Question - Will the SSP be include at Section C.9?

Yes the Security Compliance plan (SSP) has been added to the deliverables table in attachment J.6 page 20

1. Does NPIN use a news aggregator for the Prevention News section?

Yes currently it’s a news aggregator service, but this service is not included within the current PWS.