Responses_for_RFP_2017N18168.pdf

RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS RECEIVED IN RESPONSE TO RFP 2017N18168

Question 1

Page 6, Task 1.2, C.4.1.2.1 - How many internal support planning meetings does NCHHSTP expect to conduct?

Response to Question 1

Under this task assume one or two meetings per week for the base year depending on staff and room scheduling availability.

Question 2

Page 8, C.4.2, Task 2 - Can the government provide examples of the type of program development, implementation, management, and logistical support for its complex and/or high profile initiatives? Please provide additional information regarding the number of activities that will be involved in this task, the number of attendees for each activity, the location(s) of those activities, the contractor’s responsibility for planning the logistics for those activities, whether the contractor is expected to provide in-person consultations to each grantee, the time frame of activities. Please also describe how requests for assistance will be transmitted This is important for understanding the full scope of the project from resource requirement perspective?

Response to Question 2

The numbers and types of activities are described in each year under Task 2, they are anticipated. Examples include orientation meetings, pre-application workshops and webinars, PDSV, etc. The location varies and is contingent upon federal space availability. With respect to the number of activities, see the SOW for each year.

Requests will be written and/or face-to-face.

Question 3

Page 8, C.4.3, Task 3 - Can the government provide examples of the type of program development, implementation, management, and logistical support for its complex and/or high profile initiatives in support of

PS12-1201 ? This is important for understanding the full scope of the project from resource requirement perspective?

Response to Question 3

The numbers and types of activities are described in each year under Task 3, if they are anticipated. Examples include orientation meetings, town hall meetings, jurisdictional meetings, etc. The location varies and is contingent upon federal space availability. With respect to the number of activities, see the SOW for each year.

Requests will be written and/or face-to-face.

Question 4

Past Performance? Can past performance be submitted for both the prime and key subcontractors?

Response to Question 4

Yes

Question 5

Similar Experience? Can similar experience be submitted for both the prime and key subcontractors?

Response to Question 5

Yes

Question 6

Can the government confirm proposal submission requirements? Section L.7.f states that 1 original (email acceptable) of the technical, past performance and business volume; whereas, Section L.9 states CD submissions must be compatible with MS Office 2003 or higher, etc. Will this be a electronic or hard copy submission? If electronic, will proposals only be submitted via email or will they require both email and CD submissions?

Response to Question 6

Proposals are to be submitted via electronic mail only.

Question 7

Is there an incumbent contractor currently performing the work?

Response to Question 7

Axiom Corporation, Contract #200-2015-88293.

Question 8

Can the government provide the funding level for the project?

Response to Question 8

The offeror shall propose the amount they believe will cover the services requested in the Statement of Work.

Question 9

Please identify the incumbent and their current contract number.

Response to Question 9

Axiom Corporation, Contract #200-2015-88293

Question 10

Will the government provide the current level of effort being performed by the incumbent by labor category.

Response to Question 10

The offeror shall propose the level of effort they believe will cover the services requested in the Statement of

Work.

Question 11

Will the government provide additional details to better understand the basis of estimate for this work and/or provide a government estimate of labor?

Response to Question 11

This question is not specific as to what “additional details” are being requested. The labor categories on the previous requirement were: project director, public health writer/editor, data management specialist, project coordinator and health communication specialist.

Question 12

Does the Government anticipate that the level of effort will be constant for the base and each option year? If not, will the Government provide LOE estimates for each year or an estimate range for each option year?

Response to Question 12

They level of effort will be constant and in accordance with the Statement of Work. The offeror shall propose the level of effort they believe will cover the services requested in the Statement of Work.

Question 13

“The Offeror shall provide a description of three (3) contracts with similar requirements as described in the statement of work completed during the past three years” Will the government accept project descriptions of work that is not complete, but is underway as long as one period of performance has been completed?

Response to Question 13

Offers can submit project descriptions for work that is not complete. It is preferred that the work be completed within the last three years.

Question 14

The Government asks for copies of the most recent “Past Performance Evaluation” issued to the Offeror under each contract. Is the government referring to CPARS?

a. If so, what should a bidder do if no CPARS exists for a contract?

b. If not, please clarify what is acceptable for a Past Performance Evaluation (e.g., Will the

Government accept company-performed satisfaction surveys?

Response to Question 14

a. If no CPARS exist then other forms of past performance evaluation are acceptable.

b. Provide the contracting officer’s name, telephone number, and email address and the contract information – contract number, amount of the contract, title of the services performed, and the timeframe of the requirement.

Question 15

For pricing purposes, please clarify what government furnished property including computing devices and/or software licenses, if any, the government will provide for contractor-site staff including those requiring access to CDC systems.

Response to Question 15

The contractor, as an independent organization and not as an agent of the government, shall furnish all necessary personnel, services, facilities, supplies, materials, and equipment required to perform the tasks specified in this SOW, notwithstanding the office space and office equipment, including government furnished computers with necessary software programs, that CDC will provide for government-site contractor personnel only.

Question 16

Under C.2 it states the purpose of this procurement is “to obtain technical and consultative services of a contractor to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the internal processes used to develop, implement, and manage large HIV prevention initiatives at every stage of their life cycle”. Given this, is the aim of the needs assessment and formative evaluation (Task 1) to assess PPB’s development, implementation, and management of the FOAs and related initiatives or to assess grantee program performance under the FOAs?

Response to Question 16

Both.

Question 17

Under C.4.1.2.3 Data Collection, it states the contractor shall “detail the non-sensitive quantitative and qualitative data received at the meetings for the purposes of assisting PPB staff with the development of a concept paper for the programmatic direction of new FOAs”. Please clarify which “meetings” are referenced here where the contractor should detail the quantitative and qualitative data?

Response to Question 17

The meetings are outlined in the various tasks and subtasks in the SOW. These include the Health Department and Community Based Organizations workgroup meetings, staff meetings and joint leadership meetings. The need as it relates to quantitative/qualitative data varies.

Question 18

Under C.4.1.2.4 Data Synthesis and Analysis, it states “The contractor shall conduct quantitative and qualitative data analysis on non-sensitive information consisting of input received from the external partner meetings and provide summaries of themes provided by the participants”. Do the summary reports based on the multiple meetings under Tasks 1.4,1.5, 2, and 3 constitute a portion of the data to be synthesized and analyzed for the needs assessment and formative evaluation?

Response to Question 18

Yes

Question 19

Section H.4 Security Compliance contains a “Deliverable Table” on Page 52. Please validate that this system security section is relevant. If so, please clarify what system(s) the Offeror would need to take through a

Security Assessment and Authorization (SA&A) process in achievement of an ATO (recertification or new).

Response to Question 19

The System Security Plan (SSP) is part of the Security Assessment and Authorization (SA&A) process required by the EGovernment Act of 2002 and NIST Special Publication 800-18, 800-37, and will include selected mandatory controls required by NIST Special Publication 800-53, and NIST Special Publication 800-

60 Volume I & II. The successful contractor in conjunction with the NCHHSTP Information System Security

Officer (ISSO) will submit SA&A documentation to the CDC Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). The successful completion of the SA&A documents will result in an award of an Authority To Operate. Based on guidance in FIPS 199 and NIST SP 800-60 the system will be assigned an overall security category (SC) of

LOW or MODERATE based on (confidentiality, LOW/MODERATE), (integrity, LOW/MODERATE), and

(availability, LOW/MODERATE) impact levels. These impact levels will be initially determined by the

NCHHSTP ISSO and confirmed by the CDC OCISO Certifying Authority as part of the Certification and

Accreditation process.

The successful contractor is responsible for providing pertinent security information to the NCHHSTP ISSO and Security Staff and assisting in completing the below CDC Certification and Accreditation documents to include Annual Assessments, Annual Business Continuity Plan, Re-Certifications and applicable significant/non-significant change requests. Appropriate security templates will be provided to the successful

Contractor by the NCHHSTP Security Staff. Completed documents will be sent to the CDC Chief Information

Security Office (CISO) for review, approval and subsequent issuance of an Authority To Operate (ATO)

Baseline System Information (BSI)

Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA)

System Security Plan (SSP)

Business Continuity Plan (BCP)

Risk Assessment Report (RAR)

Deliverable Table

BSI, PIA, SSP, BCP, RAR

(SA&A)

Completed Documents due to

NCHHSTP ISSO 75 days prior to desired System Production date

Completed Documents Due to

CDC Chief Information Security

Office 60 days prior to desired

System production date

Recertification (required every 3 years or when significant change occurs

Completed Documents due to

NCHHSTP ISSO 75 days prior to current ATO expiration date

Completed Documents Due to

CDC Chief Information Security

Office 60 days prior to current

ATO expiration date

Annual Assessment/Business

Continuity Plan (BCP)

Completed Documents due to

NCHHSTP ISSO 15 days prior to date of annual renewal

Completed Documents Due to

CDC Chief Information Security

Office 1 day prior to date of annual renewal

Non-Significant Change

Requests (OS or application version change, change in data variables)

Completed documentation due to

ISSO for signature prior to change implementation

Completed documentation due to

OCISO for approval prior to change implementation

Question 20

Is there a logistical/planning support system currently being used to support Task 3.3. If so, can the government share the name?

Response to Question 20

The offeror shall propose a system under Task 3.3 they believe will cover the services requested in the

Statement of Work.