II_01_RFP_2032H8-R-24-00005 Government Responses to Questions Part 1 (1).pdf

Document Reference

Page/Paragraph/ Clause Reference Question Government Response

1 II_01_

RFP_2032H8-24-

R-00005

92 / PROPOSAL

CONTENT

What document(s) are required for the 8(a) certification?

Would a screenshot of the SBA DSBS and/or the latest Notification to Retain be sufficient ?

For the purpose of the RFP, SAM.gov and DSBS profile will be sufficient for this submission. In accordance to the July 2023 court ruling, the SBA will determine that the firm has demonstrated personal social disadvantage, the participant will receive a Status Qualification Letter indicating it has established social disadvantage and may continue to receive 8(a) contracts and otherwise participate in the 8(a) Business Development program.

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General Will the government confirm that for evaluation purposes a direct award 8(a) IDIQ with multiple tasks orders will be considered one (1) contract for Corporate Experience.

A “project" is defined as a single contract, order, or subcontract.

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General For a direct award 8(a) IDIQ may an offeror provide Supporting Documentation from multiple task orders to demonstrate work of a similar nature?

A “project" is defined as a single contract, order, or subcontract.

4 II_01_Attachme nt 06_Volume Cover Sheet

Page 1 The font in II_01_Attachment 06_Volume Cover Sheet is not Arial 12-point. Will the government confirm that the font can remain as Arial 8-point.

Attachment 06_Volume Cover Sheet font has been revised to Arial 12-point font.

5 RFP Page 90 Can tables and graphics in the written portions of the proposal use a font size smaller than 12-point?

The RFP has been revised. Tables and graphics shall be Arial size 10-point font.

6 RFP Section H, IR1052.209-9000

In which phase/volume should the OCI Mitigation Plan be included, and is it excluded from page limits?

OCI Mitigation Plan will be required on the order level when necessary.

7 RFP Page 97, Subfactor 3B - Skilled Personnel (Written)

Will the government reconsider this statement? "Alternate or substitute labor categories and labor category mapping/crosswalks will not be accepted." Since this acquisition is against the GSA MAS Schedule, offerors LCAT titles may not be the same as depicted in the IRS Attachment. This requirement will eliminate many if not all offerors. This is an acceptable industry practice to allow offerors to crosswalk their GSA LCATs to an agency's requirement.

No, the Government will not reconsider this statement. This acquisition will not be placed against a GSA MAS Schedule.

8 Attachment 12 Incumbents Can the government explain how they plan to phase in work that is under the current incumbent contracts since they have different POPs?

The order level will provide transition when necessary.

9 RFP Page 3, B.1 Introduction

What NAICS code goes with each Functional Category? Refer to RFP Section B, B.1 table.

10 RFP Page 30, IR1052.215- 9004 Key Personnel

No key personnel are listed in this section, can the government identify which LCAT is considered key?

Key personnel will be specified at the order level.

11 RFP Page 32 Can the government explain this statement "Although a representative NAICS code is necessary for solicitation response, that NAICS code does not limit the kind of work that an Offeror may be able to perform within the functional Category." Does this only apply at the task order level or at the IDIQ level as well?

This applies on the task order level.

12 RFP Page 89, IR1052.215- 9001 Amendments to Proposal (MAY

Is this section requesting the notations after proposal submission or prior to? Provision IR1052.215-9001 Amendments to Proposal (MAY 2018) references amendments to proposals in the event that discussions are held and Final Proposal Revisions are requested.

RFP# 2032H8-24-R-00005 Government Responses Part 1

13 RFP Page 89, Schedule Can the government provide a more detailed schedule for Phase II Proposal submission and potential dates for oral presentations so offerors can prepare accordingly?

The potential date for oral presentations will be in June 2024. A minimum of two weeks will exist between the advisory notification and Phase II due date submissions.

14 RFP Page 90, Oral Presentation Slide Format

Can offerors submit the PowerPoint Presentation in PowerPoint as opposed to

PDF?

No.

15 RFP Page 92, Phase II – Volume 2 Submission & Page 97 Subfactor 3B – Skilled Personnel

Does the government want resumes of those individuals who will be presenting at the Oral Presentation but not serving on the contract (i.e., Company President) "Resume of Oral Presentation Attendee(s)" or only those individuals performing the work? This statement goes against what's stated on Page 97 "The Offeror shall provide no more than one (1) personnel resumes and letters of commitment."

Page 92, Phase II – Volume 2 Submission has been updated.

16 RFP Page 97, IDIQ Price Submission Instructions Price Narrative

Will the government increase the page limit for this Section so offerors can include all the required content for the Price Narrative? The Grand Summary Schedule alone takes up 1/4 page.

The RFP has been revised to a 2 page limit for the Price Narrative.

17 Attachments 1-3 Page 3 How can Factor 3 Technical Approach weigh more than Factors 1 & 2 but is not being evaluated until Phase II? If the government is eliminating offerors in Phase I, aren't those Factors weighing more than Phase II factors? Also, how can the government not evaluate Factor 4 Price until Phase II. Per FAR, price must always be evaluated and the government is not doing so in this case until after eliminating offerors in Phase I.

The government is not eliminating offerors in Phase I. Advisory notification is a recommendation only and discontinuing the pursuit of an award following the notification is voluntary by the offeror.

18 Attachment 5 ALL Does the government require the acquisition personnel to have any FAC-C, DAWIA or equivalent Certifications?

The minimum labor requirements are outlined in Attachment 05. If specific certifications are required, those requirements will be identified at the

19 Attachment 5 ROW 27 Does the government require or desire the PM to be PMP Certified? The minimum labor requirements are outlined in Attachment 05. If specific certifications are required, those requirements will be identified at the

20 Attachment 8 ALL Should this form be submitted by the same deadline as the Phase I submission? Refer to the instructions in the RFP concerning due dates, Phase submissions, form submissions and the Proposal Submission chart.

21 RFP Page 14, C.2.5.1 Acquisition Lifecycle Planning

PWS requires strategic sourcing support for the "acquisition of specific commodities in support of strategic sourcing goals." Question: Can the government please provide clarification on the specific commodities being acquired?

Any strategic sourcing support will be identified on the order level.

22 RFP Page 14, C.2.5.2 Acquisition Support

Does the government have a preference for offerors with recent experience with IRS-specific procurement policies and procedures?

No.

23 RFP Page 14, C.2.6 Information Technology

"The Contractor shall provide a full range of technical support and solutions to achieve organizational efficiency." Question: Can the government provide clarification on the nature and type of IT support required, i.e., full lifecycle enterprise system development, COTS software implementation and configuration, etc...

The Government provided a high level description of the requirements in the IDIQ PWS. The order level PWS will detail the Government's specific requirements.

24 RFP Page 14, C.2.6 Information Technology

"Additionally, the Contractor shall provide services for various applications and systems in support of ongoing operations." Question: Can the government provide clarification on the existing systems supporting ongoing operations?

The IRS has Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI capabilities that can be leveraged by contractors to build solutions.

25 RFP Page 16, C2.6.2 Automation

Does the government anticipate requiring expertise with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and/or Machine Learning (ML) in addition to the stated requirements for Robotic Process Automation (RPA)?

AI would be on both structured data and documents used for procurement tasks. For example, estimating procurement lead time using supervised learning (e.g. as described in the Periodic Table of Acquisition Innovations, https://ag-dashboard.acquisitiongateway.gov/system/files/ptai/2023- 12/Implementing%20Projected%20Contract%20Award%20Date%20Weba pp%20Your%20Agency.pdf). NLP would be used on contract documents for tasks such as searching contract documents to see if specific clause language is included.

26 II_01_+RFP_203

2H8-24-R- 00005.pdf

Page 94:

Subcontractor Letter of Commitment

Would the government consider allowing a copy of the executed teaming agreement in place of the subcontractor letter of commitment?

No, teaming agreements will not be accepted in place of the subcontractor letter of commitment. Refer to the RFP Section L concerning Contractor Teaming Agreements and Subcontractor Letter of Commitment.

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Page 91: Oral Presentation Logistics

The requirement to have two of the five participants in the oral presentation from the managing 8(a) venturer is restrictive to teams with multiple partners that would add best value to the government. Would the government consider relaxing this to 1 of the 5? This way, additional partners who bring valuable experience are able to participate in the discussions.

Yes, the RFP page 91 Oral Presentation Logistics has been revised.

28 II_01_Attachme nt+09_Price+Te mplate+FC1

FC1 Price Template For Subclin Customer Experience Task, there are only 3 labor categories. Is it the government's expectation that tasks for that subclin will only be staffed by those LCATs or will vendors be allowed to bid the optimal mix of labor categories by task order no matter what LCATs are used?

The minimum labor categories are provided at the IDIQ level. Specific requirements will be identified and proposed on at the order level.

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2H8-24-R- 00005.pdf

Page 4: Proposal Submission Phase I

Because of the recent amendment changing the size and relevancy, would the government provide an extension to May 24th at 12:00pm (noon) Eastern Time. That would allow one full extra day to gather any customer signatures or submissions.

The government has extended the due date for Phase I to May 29, 2024 @ 9:00 am ET.

30 II_01_+RFP_203

2H8-24-R-00005 pg 95-96, Corporate Experience / Past Performance

As we understand the solicitation, we will provide a maximum of three (3), 1-page corporate experience write ups in factor 1? Can the government confirm?

The RFP has been revised to a 2 page limit per project for Corporate Experience narratives. Negative Past Performance narratives shall have a 1 page limit per project.

31 pg 96 Past Performance

In factor 2, can the government confirm that no explanation or narrative is required for submission?

Negative Past Performance narratives are optional.

32 pg 96 Past Performance

In factor 2, can the government confirm we should ONLY submit CPARS or

PPQ?

Yes, per project.

33 Pg. 90 Electronic Page Size and Font (Written)

The government makes no mention of font and font size requirements in this section for tables. Will the government consider a 10pt font size for information included in a table?

Yes, the RFP has been revised. Tables and graphics shall be Arial size 10-point font.

34 Pg. 96 Past Performance Factor

Can the government confirm if offeror is allowed to use the same past performance for different Functional Categories (FC)?

In accordance with the RFP, the Offeror is allowed to use the same past performance for multiple Functional Categories.

35 Pg. 95 Past Performance

Will the government consider excluding the administrative portion of the past performance as part of the 1pg limit? The administrative portion would be items such as dollar value, contract number, period of performance…etc.

No.

36 n/a Does the government plan to Modernize by leveraging more cloud based solutions or continue to use on premise solutions?

The Government is open to using cloud computing infrastructure to deliver procurement technology solutions. Cloud infrastructure must be approved by Treasury / IRS Chief Information Officers. Currently the agency uses a variety of cloud environments such as Amazon Web Services, Azure, SAP HANA, and IBM Cloud. One or more of these environments may or may not be available to contractors.

37 Conflict of Interest If the winning bidders wins the Acquisition work shall they be excluded from bidding on the IT Modernization track?

Refer to RFP section B1, Cross Teaming Limitations for the Multiple Award

IDIQ.

38 RFP_2032H8-24-

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Pg. 50/Para 3-Table, and Pg. 99/Para 8, Travel Cost Assumptions

The solicitation incorporates FAR 52.230-2 - Disclosure and Consistency of Cost Accounting Practices (JUN 2020). However, the solicitation also states in Volume III instructions that, "The Offeror shall not apply G&A or Overhead on travel."

The FAR allows for reasonable general and administrative (G&A) costs to be applied to direct travel costs if part of the Contractors disclosed practices. By doing so reduces the G&A costs applied to other cost objectives, such as labor, for business related costs in support of the programs. Requiring Offerors to not apply G&A to travel costs could pose compliance challenges with FAR 52.230-2 as this would be inconsistent with their disclosed cost accounting practices.

Will the Government consider revising the Travel Cost Assumptions to allow for applicable indirect costs that are consistent with the Offerors disclosed cost accounting practices, in accordance with 52.230-2?

Travel Cost Assumptions language references G&A or Overhead have been removed from the RFP.

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Pg. 92/Proposal Content, Para. 1- Table, Phase I – Volume 1 Submission: Written

To meet the 8(a) certification requirement, please confirm that Offerors must provide an SBA 8(a) continuing eligibility letter (i.e., the recertification following the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee ruling on July 19, 2023, Ultima Servs. Corp. v. U.S. Dep't of Agric.)?

For the Purpose of the RFP, SAM.gov and DSBS profile, will be sufficient for this submission. In accordance to the July 2023 court ruling, the SBA will determine that the firm has demonstrated personal social disadvantage, the participant will receive a Status Qualification Letter indicating it has established social disadvantage and may continue to receive 8(a) contracts and otherwise participate in the 8(a) Business Development program.

40 RFP_2032H8-24-

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Pg. 92/Para. 1- Table, Phase II - Volume 3 Price Submission

Pg. 98/IDIQ Price Submission Instructions Price Narrative, Para. 1 through Summary Schedule

The Proposal Submission table on page 92 specifies a one-page limit for the Price Narrative - Written - Factor 4.

However, the Request for Proposal (RFP) outlines extensive requirements for this narrative. On page 98, it states, "Offerors shall provide a narrative in conjunction with their pricing template. The Offeror shall describe the rationale for the basis of their price to clearly demonstrate its capability to perform the requirements of the solicitation at the proposed price(s). The Offeror shall include the rationale for discounts offered and any other relevant facts/factors that would clarify the pricing offered." Furthermore, it mandates the inclusion of a Grand Summary Schedule, occupying 75% of a page.

Given the depth of information and justification requested by the Government, the one-page limit for the written price narrative appears overly restrictive.

Will the Government consider extending this limit to five pages? If not, could the Government offer guidance on where or how the Offeror should present the detailed information required?

The RFP has been revised to a 2 page limit for the Price Narrative.

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Pg. 95/Corporate Experience: Factor 1, Para. 3, If a contract award document is provided, will the Government allow tagging or highlighting of text to aid the relevancy determination?

Yes, tagging, highlighting, circling is allowable for Corporate Experience:

Factor 1, Para. 3, Supporting Documentation.

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Pg. 99/Pricing Template Attachment #09, 10, and/or 11, Para. 2

The RFP states, "the proposed rates shall not be rounded and must include two decimal places, even if it is .00. For example, the Offeror shall not annotate $123.45 as $123.5, or 123.50; it shall be $123.45."

Typically, currency is rounded to the nearest cent to simplify calculations and minimize confusion. For instance, 123.456789 would typically be rounded to $123.46 to ensure accuracy. Is rounding to the nearest cent acceptable in this context?

The RFP has been revised to state, "the proposed rates must be two decimal places…"

43 RFP_2032H8-24-

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Pg. 99/Para. 5, Pricing Assumptions, Exceptions and Dependencies

The Government will not accept any proposed pricing assumptions; however, this seems counter to the Offeror providing a basis of price to justify their rates. The assumptions used in developing the proposed rates will help the Government evaluate the fair and reasonableness of the offer.

Can an Offeror include assumptions as part of the description of the basis of its price?

The RFP has been revised to remove the Government will not accept assumptions.

44 RFP Pages 95-96 Could the Government please clarify the difference between Factors 1 and 2?

Are we correct in our understanding that the narrative and substantiating documentation are included in Factor 1, with CPARS/PPQs only included in Factor 2?

Refer to Section L in the RFP.

45 Attachment 3 Page 4 Part of the relevance definition includes "The Offeror performed the predominant service(s) of a project the same as the services of Functional Category 3 (FC3) - Information Technology (IT) as outlined in the PWS (Section C of the solicitation)." The contractor may have past performance that includes relevant tasks exceeding the value of the minimum $4.5M threshold, however the work is not the "predominant" service on the contract. Will the Government consider removing the word "predominant"?

The RFP and applicable attachments have been updated in Amendment 00001 posted on SAM.gov on 10 May 2024 to remove the following language, "the total project price is $4.5 million dollars per year or greater”, from “Factor 1 Corporate Experience (Written)” and “Factor 2 – Past Performance (Written)” pertaining to how project relevancy is defined for all Functional Categories.

46 RFP Page 94 Could the Government please confirm that you wish to see both a Teaming Arrangement AND a Subcontractor Letter of Commitment in Phase I?

Refer to RFP Section L, Proposal Content, Proposal Submission table.

47 Past Performance:

96 How should the offeror indicate the existence of a CPAR in their submission, according to the guidelines provided?

The RFP language has been revised.

48 Attachment #01-

Page 5 Phase I Factor 2 - Past Performance (written)

Is a BPA considered a "project defined as a single contract, order or subcontract"

No, the BPA is not considered a project. As defined in the RFP, any orders under the BPA will be considered a project.

49 RFP 30, IR1052.215-9004 Is the Program Manager required in Subfactor 3B the Key Personnel? No, Key Personnel will be specified at the order level.

50 RFP 89, Schedule The down-select process can save time and money for industry and government when an appropriate amount of time exists between the Phase I notification and the Phase II submission due date. Will the IRS confirm that at least two weeks will exist between notification and Phase II submission.

Otherwise, offerors are forced to work on Phase II submissions without knowing the Phase I recommendation.

Yes, a minimum of two weeks will exist between the advisory notification and Phase II due date submissions.

51 RFP 90, Oral Presentation Slide Format

This section states a 30 slide limit. Page 91 provides an example of 15 minute presentations for each Functional Area. Is the 30 slide limit inclusive of an offeror bidding each of the functional areas or is 30 slides the limit for each functional category bid? If only bidding one functional category, does an offeror still have 30 slides as the limit?

The 30 slide limit is per functional category.

52 RFP 90, Oral Presentation Slide Format

Although the slides must be submitted in PDF, please confirm that PPT can be used for the actual presentation in the orals meeting.

No, the presentation will be in pdf as well.

53 RFP 97, Subfactor 3B The first sentence states "The Offeror shall submit a written proposal of its Technical Approach for Factor 3 - Subfactor 3B." The use of "technical approach" is confusing here given that Subfactor 3A is the technical approach.

Please confirm that only the resume and letter of commitment.

Refer to RFP Section L Subfactor 3B - Skilled Personnel submission instructions.

54 RFP 97, Subfactor 3B "Resumes" and "letters" are used here, but it appears that only one resume would be required and thus only one required letter of commitment. Please clarify why is plural in both instances.

The RFP language has been revised to "resume" and "letter."

55 RFP 97, Subfactor 3B This section defines the personnel as the "Program Manager" labor category.

However, the third paragraph states that offerors should utilize the labor categories defined by the Government and then mentions "propose personnel in accordance with the labor category descriptions and qualifications."

Shouldn't this just be using the Program Manager labor category since it is already defined as the required resume?

The RFP language has been revised in Section L Subfactor 3B - Skilled Personnel.

56 II_01_Attachme nt_02_Section_ M_Evaluation_F actors_for_Awar d_Functional_Ca

EVALUATION

CRITERIA , PHASE I,

FACTOR 1 & 2

Will the government assess a commercial contract with a private company less favorably in terms of past performance or corporate experience compared to a federal government contract?

No.

57 II_01_RFP Page 19, "Identification of Government Personnel", "The Government

Is there a designated ombudsman for this contract for each Functional category?

The Ombudsman is on the order level and all Functional Categories. Refer to clause IR1052.216-9000 Task/Delivery Order Contract Ombudsman (JUN 2020).

58 08 _ Past Performance Questionnaire

Page 4, "Part IV", "Please return this completed.."

Is the past performance questionnaire subjected to the same cut off date as Phase I?

Yes.

59 08 _ Past Performance Questionnaire

Page 4, "Part IV", "Please return this completed.."

What happens if the past performance questionnaire is not emailed by the evaluator on time?

This will be considered a late submission.

60 01_Section M - Functional Category_Evalua tion Factors for Award.

Functional Category 1(Optimization)

Page 3, "Order of Importance", "Corporate Experience and Past Performance are equal but more important than Price."

Is the Government past performance weighted higher than the commercial past performance?

No.

61 II_01_RFP N/A Will you be sharing all the answers from questions submitted by interested parties?

The Government responses will be posted on SAM.gov as an amendment to the RFP.

62 Attachment 7 Can the agency clarify whether we need to submit Relevant Experience Verification Attachment #07 with our proposal response or if it should be submitted by the client reference to the CO?

Refer to the RFP, Section L: Corporate Experience: Factor 1.

63 If an offeror is planning to bid on more than one "Functional Category" can we submit the same Corporate Experience project for different Functional Categories?

In accordance with the RFP, the Offeror is allowed to use the same Corporate Experience for different Functional Categories.

64 Attachment #02 - Section M - Functional Category 2 (FC2)

- Acquisition Planning and Support

Page 5/Line 20/The total project price is

4.5 million dollars per year or greater

Would the Government consider lowering the 4.5M per year requirement for the "relevant" project definition to a floor of 1.5M and/or the bundling of multiple task orders from an IDIQ?

The RFP and applicable attachments have been updated in Amendment 00001 posted on SAM.gov on 10 May 2024 to remove the following language, "the total project price is $4.5 million dollars per year or greater”, from “Factor 1 Corporate Experience (Written)” and “Factor 2 – Past Performance (Written)” pertaining to how project relevancy is defined for all Functional Categories.

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Page 89/4/Section L - Multi - Phased Procurement with Advisory Down- Select

Would the Government consider a minimum of two weeks between the due date for the Phase I Advisory Notification and the due date for the Phase II Proposal to allow ample time to prepare the Phase II Technical Approach?

Yes, a minimum of two weeks will exist between the advisory notification and Phase II due date submissions.

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Page 95/1-2/ Section L -- Corporate Experience: Factor 1

In order to allow the offeror to provide a more complete narrative summary for Corporate Experience and its alignment to solicitation requirements, would the Government consider increasing the Factor 1 - Corporate Experience write-ups from the current 1 page maximum to a 2 page maximum?

Factor 1 - Corporate Experience narrative has been revised to 2 pages per project.

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89/4/Section L -- Multi-Phased Procurement with Advisory Down- Select

Can the government provide a minimum time allotted between the Phase I Advisory Notification and the Phase II Proposal Due Date? We recommend at least two weeks to prepare for Phase II.

Yes, a minimum of two weeks will exist between the advisory notification and Phase II due date submissions.

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90/10/Section L -- Oral Presentation Slide Format

The government has a 30 slide limit for the Oral Presentation. Does this 30 slide limit apply if the Offeror does not submit a proposal for all three (3) Functional Categories? If not, what is the respective reduction in slide count per proposed Functional Category?

The 30 slide limit is per functional category.

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Page 11, C.1.2 The solicitation reads, “Due to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) the IRS expects to see an increase in the volume of contracts executed. The contractor shall support the IRS in execution, tracking, reporting, and managing IRA related activities in support of IRA spend and strategy execution.” Are the hours in the current FC2 Price Template based on the average contract executions identified in C.1.1 background, or are the hours based on the anticipated increase of contracts executed due to the IRA.

The hours in the Price templates for all functional categories reflect the anticipated increase of services due to IRA.

70 N/A Will the Internal Revenue Service consider offering Task Orders under the resultant contract for 8(a) Sole Source award?

The government's goal is to promote competition.

71 B.1 Page 3 NAICS Codes assignment(s): Is it safe to assume that Functional Areas 1 and 2 are under NAICS Code 541611 and Functional Area 3 under 541511?

Yes. Refer to RFP Section B, B.1 table.

72 C.8.2 Page 16 Place of Performance: Would the government please clarify the number of IRS sites, cities, and states that an offeror could potentially perform?

The IDIQ PWS references the place of performance. If additional places of performance are required, it will be specified at the order level. Specific requirements will be identified and proposed on at the order level.

73 IR1052.204-

Page 22 Background Investigations: Given the timeframe for obtaining cleared personnel via the IRS System, would the contractor be required to establish cleared personnel at the onset of the IDIQ award rather than at the task order level? In most cases, our team has experienced long lead times to get through the clearance processes.

The Contractor will be required to establish cleared personnel at the task order level.

74 Page 89 Section labeled Schedule, indicates that the Phase 1 Advisory Notification will occur in June 2024 as will the Phase II Proposal Due Date. Can the government estimate how much time will be allotted between the advisory notification and the actual Phase II proposal due date if the offeror wished to proceed and submits a letter of intent?

Yes, a minimum of two weeks will exist between the advisory notification and Phase II due date submissions.

75 Page 96 Section labeled Past Performance: Factor 2. Is the government requiring the Offeror to provide a Past Performance narrative in addition to the CPARS or PPQ or is this section only requiring a CPARS document or PPQ?

Refer to page 96 Negative Past Performance Narrative.

76 Page 96 Section labeled Past Performance: Factor 2 indicates “The Offeror shall provide past performance information from the identical/matching corporate experience three (3) projects submitted in Factor 1 Corporate Experience that have been “recently” performed”. Can the government please clarify “recently performed,” as in how many years past?

Refer to Section M, Evaluation Criteria, Factor 1 - Corporate Experience.

77 Page 96 Section labeled Past Performance: Factor 2 indicates “If the Offeror needs to demonstrate recent and relevant past performance by submitting the past performance information of its CTA firm(s), projects shall include the past performance information of the first-tier subcontractor(s) or JV partner(s).” If an offeror is using multiple first-tier subcontractors, do we need to submit one corporate experience and past performance for each subcontractor or is the limit only 3 total corporate experience projects/past performance?

Per the RFP, the Offeror shall submit 3 corporate experience projects/past performance.

78 Can the government please confirm that if we acknowledge each amendment number and date in Block 14 of the SF 33, we do NOT need to include the SF30s in our response.

If each amendment number and date is acknowledged in Block 33, the SF30s do not need to be included.

79 RFP 95 Corporate Experience: Factor 1;

The current RFP states that if a joint venture does not demonstrate corporate experience for award, corporate experience shall be demonstrated by each party to the joint venture. Would the government amend the RFP to allow the corporate experience to come from either the JV or either member of the JV as allowed by SBA regulations?

The RFP has been revised to reflect each Joint Venture party.

80 RFP 96 Past Performance: Factor 2:

The current RFP states that if a joint venture does not demonstrate corporate experience for award, corporate experience shall be demonstrated by each party to the joint venture. Would the government amend the RFP to allow the past performance to come from either the JV or either member of the JV as allowed by SBA regulations?

The RFP has been revised to reflect each Joint Venture party.

81 Attachment 2, Evaluation Factors

Page 4, Phase I, Factor 1- Corporate Experience (written)

The evaluation language states that the total project price has to be $4.5M dollars per year or greater, current SBA regulations for Mentor-Protégé Joint Ventures states that a procuring activity may not require the protege firm to individually meet the same evaluation criteria as required of other offerors.

Will the government amend the evaluation criteria to allow the protege firm to provide a pass/fail corporate experience write up at the minimum threshold used in other procurements at $250,000 per year?

The RFP and applicable attachments have been updated in Amendment 00001 posted on SAM.gov on 10 May 2024 to remove the following language, "the total project price is $4.5 million dollars per year or greater”, from “Factor 1 Corporate Experience (Written)” and “Factor 2 – Past Performance (Written)” pertaining to how project relevancy is defined for all Functional Categories.

82 Attachment 2, Evaluation Factors

Page 5, Phase 1, Factor 2- Past Performance (written)

The evaluation language states that the total project price has to be $4.5M dollars per year or greater, current SBA regulations for Mentor-Protégé Joint Ventures states that a procuring activity may not require the protege firm to individually meet the same evaluation criteria as required of other offerors.

Will the government amend the evaluation criteria to allow the protege firm to provide a pass/fail past performance write up at the minimum threshold used in other procurements at $250,000 per year?

The RFP and applicable attachments have been updated in Amendment 00001 posted on SAM.gov on 10 May 2024 to remove the following language, "the total project price is $4.5 million dollars per year or greater”, from “Factor 1 Corporate Experience (Written)” and “Factor 2 – Past Performance (Written)” pertaining to how project relevancy is defined for all Functional Categories.

83 RFP 95 Corporate Experience: Factor 1;

The current RFP states that if a joint venture does not demonstrate corporate experience for award, corporate experience shall be demonstrated by each party to the joint venture. Would the government amend the RFP to allow the corporate experience to come from either the JV or either member of the JV as allowed by SBA regulations?

The RFP has been revised to reflect each Joint Venture party.

84 RFP 96 Past Performance: Factor 2:

The current RFP states that if a joint venture does not demonstrate corporate experience for award, corporate experience shall be demonstrated by each party to the joint venture. Would the government amend the RFP to allow the past performance to come from either the JV or either member of the JV as allowed by SBA regulations?

The RFP has been revised to reflect each Joint Venture party.

85 RFP General If an offeror is supporting tracks 1 or 3 (either in a Prime or Subcontractor capacity) conflict one out of bidding on future RFP's that come out of OCPO in the future?

Refer to provision IR1052.209-9000 Notification Organizational Conflicts of Interest (May 2018), b.

86 RFP 30 IR1052.215-9001

Key Personnel Clause

Can the government confirm if a Key Personnel is to be named and provided for Phase 1 submission?

Key personnel will be specified on the order level.

87 RFP 93 Volume 1- Phase I- Written;

Provisions/Clauses, and Representations/Ce rtifications

The RFP states that the offeror shall complete all fillable provisions and clauses and submit with Volume I. Can offeror convert the document clauses into Microsoft Word in order to complete/fill in the provisions?

Per Section L submission instructions, the Offeror shall submit via PDF format.

88 P. 3 Office of the Chief Procurement Officer

(OCPO)

SOLICITATION

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Attachment #01 - Section M - Functional Category 1 (FC1), Attachment #02 - Section M - Functional Category 2 (FC2) - Acquisition Planning and Support Services, – Optimization Section M. Evaluation Factors for Award, Attachment #03 - Section M - Functional Category 3 (FC3) - Information Technology (IT), Order of Importance. As the Government allows for Federal, Commercial and State and Local past performance references, does the Government anticipate preferential weighting on one type of past performance?

No.

89 P. 92 & P. 95 PROPOSAL

CONTENT, VOLUME

1 – PHASE I –

WRITTEN, Proposal Submission / Phase I

- Project Supporting Documentation (Copy of Contract or Attachment #07)

Would the Government wish to have a full copy of the contract with redactions, or excerpts from the award page(s) and a copy of the PWS / SOW as indicated in Attachment 7 and items listed on page 25 (items 1 - 9)?

The RFP has been revised to require Scope of Work/Relevant Tasks performed in lieu of the complete SOW/PWS requirements document.

90 Subcontracting Proposed Subcontractors (page 94)

Are 8a primes able to use past performance from a first tier subcontractor that is other than small?

Yes. The following language has been removed from the RFP, "An Offeror may agree with one or more other small businesses to have them act as its subcontractors under this IDIQ award."

91 Past Performance

Past Performance:

Factor 2 (page 96)

Will the government accept past performance for similar work at the state and local level?

Per the RFP, Section L, "The Offeror shall submit three (3) “recent” projects performed for Federal agencies, state/local governments, and/or commercial customers; that are “relevant” in nature to the one described in this solicitation."

92 94 "Proposed Subcontractors “First tier subcontractor is defined as a subcontractor who has a subcontract directly with the Prime Contractor/Offeror.

Based on our review of the Solicitation, the Offeror’s understanding of this language is to reflect and reinforce the requirements under FAR 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting and the authorized use of Similarly situated entities to meet the threshold and is not intended to preclude Large Businesses from participating as a Subcontractor. The Offeror requests the Government confirm this understanding is correct. "An Offeror may agree with one or more other small businesses to have them act as its subcontractors under this IDIQ award”."

The following language has been removed from the RFP, "An Offeror may agree with one or more other small businesses to have them act as its subcontractors under this IDIQ award."

93 94 "Proposed Subcontractors “First tier subcontractor is defined as a subcontractor who has a subcontract directly with the Prime Contractor/Offeror.

Exclusion of Other Than Small businesses from teaming. The RFP’s current language unfairly cites only small businesses as first tier subcontractors. Will the Government allow large businesses as subcontractors, where their workshare is limited to 49% per the Small Business Administration guidelines, and aligned with other Treasury SB set-aside procurements? "An Offeror may agree with one or more other small businesses to have them act as its subcontractors under this IDIQ award”."

The following language has been removed from the RFP, "An Offeror may agree with one or more other small businesses to have them act as its subcontractors under this IDIQ award."

94 94 "Proposed Subcontractors “First tier subcontractor is defined as a subcontractor who has a subcontract directly with the Prime Contractor/Offeror.

Exclusion of Other Than Small businesses from teaming. The current language limits industry’s ability to offer the best solution to Government through teaming arrangements with large business partners. Small business vendors often rely on large business partners to provide capabilities and resources unavailable to small businesses, alone. Will the Government allow large businesses as subcontractors, where their workshare is limited to 49%per the Small Business Administration guidelines, and aligned with other Treasury SB set-aside procurements? "An Offeror may agree with one or more other small businesses to have them act as its subcontractors under this IDIQ award”."

The following language has been removed from the RFP, "An Offeror may agree with one or more other small businesses to have them act as its subcontractors under this IDIQ award."

95 94 Partnership, Mentor/Protégée, and Joint Venture (JV), if applicable and Proposed Subcontractors

Exclusion of Other Than Small businesses from teaming. The RFP’s current language unfairly harms both small businesses and large businesses with a proven track record at the IRS and precludes qualified providers from proposing high value solutions to the Government. The current language allows Mentor/Protégée participation, which allows a large Mentor to perform 60% of the work, but excludes Large businesses as Subcontractors from participating, where their workshare is limited to 49%.

Will the Government allow large businesses as subcontractors, where their workshare is limited to 49% per the Small Business Administration guidelines, and aligned with other Treasury SB set-aside procurements?

The following language has been removed from the RFP, "An Offeror may agree with one or more other small businesses to have them act as its subcontractors under this IDIQ award."

96 28 Organizational Conflicts of Interest

Will the Government provide further clarity on any OCI-type restrictions. Will OCI restrictions be applied at the Task Order level versus the BPA Level?

Will a subcontracting team member that is excluded from participating in a Task Order still be regarded in conflict and deemed not eligible to participate in IRS contracts?

Does the government foresee any OCI concerns which would preclude a vendor from being awarded and performing work on all three Focus Areas

(FC1, FC2, FC3)?

Will the government allow for awardees to continue new or existing work while implementing OCI mitigation plans and organizational firewalls?”

Refer to provision IR1052.209-9000 Notification Organizational Conflicts of Interest (May 2018), b.

97 Attachment #03 - Section M - Functional Category 3 (FC3)

- Information Technology (IT)

Page 4; Last paragraph:

A project is defined as “relevant” when:

Are 8a certified small businesses with relevant experience but projects less than 4.5 million contract value per year automatically disqualified?

The RFP and applicable attachments have been updated in Amendment 00001 posted on SAM.gov on 10 May 2024 to remove the following language, "the total project price is $4.5 million dollars per year or greater”, from “Factor 1 Corporate Experience (Written)” and “Factor 2 – Past Performance (Written)” pertaining to how project relevancy is defined for all Functional Categories.

98 RFP 2032H8-24-

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Page 90/Electronic Page Size and Font (Written)

Can the government confirm that header/footer in the 1'' margin space can be a smaller font size than the Arial 12-font size?

The RFP has been revised to state Arial 10-point font size for headers/footers.

99 RFP 2032H8-24-

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Page 90/Electronic Page Size and Font (Written)

Can the government confirm that font size smaller than Arial 12-font size is acceptable for tables?

The RFP has been revised to state Arial 10-point font size for tables.

100 RFP 2032H8-24-

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Page 12/Proposal Submission Phase 1

Can the government provide an extension of one-week for proposal submission to May 29, 2024?

The government has extended the due date for Phase I to May 29, 2024 @ 9:00 am ET.

101 RFP 2032H8-24-

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Page 90/Oral Presentation Slide Format

Can the government provide a smaller font size for organization charts and graphic illustrations that then Arial 12-point font?

The RFP has been revised to state Arial 10-point font size for charts and graphics.

102 RFP 2032H8-24-

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Page 92/Proposal Content

Can the government allow 2-pages per Project to allow for adequate space to discuss the narrative and answer questions 7 & 8 on page 95 for each project narrative?

The Corporate Experience narrative has been revised to 2 pages per project.

103 RFP Page 92 The page limit under Price Narrative - Written - Factor 4 says "1" and the Excel Workbook. Can the government confirm that the page count for this volume is 1?

The Price Narrative has been revised to a 2 page limit.

104 II_01_

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pg. 92, Electronic Page Size and Font (Written)

The instructions require using Arial 12-point font size. Will the government please consider allowing a reduction in font size for tables and graphics?

The RFP has been revised to state Arial 10-point font size for tables and graphics.

105 II_01_

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pg. 92, PROPOSAL CONTENT table

The proposal content table requires “8(a) Certification, no page limit”. Would the government please confirm the inclusion of a Joint Venture Operating Agreement and SBA Approval letter will constitute as “8(a) Certification” proof?

For the Purpose of the RFP, SAM.gov and DSBS profile will be sufficient for this submission. In accordance to the July 2023 court ruling, the SBA will determine that the firm has demonstrated personal social disadvantage, the participant will receive a Status Qualification Letter indicating it has established social disadvantage and may continue to receive 8(a) contracts and otherwise participate in the 8(a) Business Development program.

106 II_01_

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pg. 92, PROPOSAL CONTENT table

Resume of Oral Presentation Attendee(s) – Written, 3 Pages per Resume. Will the government please confirm that only the resume and letter of commitment for the designated Program Manager is required and not a resume and letter of commitment for all of the Oral presentation potential five attendees?

The resume and letter of commitment are required for the Program Manager.

107 II_01_

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pg. 03, Provisions/Clauses, and Representations/ Certifications

The RFP requires the offeror to complete all fillable provisions and clauses and submit with Volume 1 the Representations and Certifications in Section K. In the case of an Mentor Protégé Joint Venture as the Prime Offeror, are both MPJV parties required to complete and submit Representations and Certifications in Section K or just for the actual MPJV company?

Representations and Certifications shall be submitted by the Offeror.

108 RFP Page 93, Provisions/Clauses, and Representations/ Certifications

Will the government accepts a copy of our SAM registration in lieu of completing Section K?

Yes.

109 RFP Page 92, Proposal Content, 8(a) Certification

A contractor's SAM registration also includes the SBA 8a certification if it applies. This information is automatically updated based on the contractor's SBA records. The company's SBA profile on dsbs.sba.gov also shows its 8a status. Will the government accepts copies of the company's SAM and SBA profile to meet this requirement?

For the Purpose of the RFP, SAM.gov and DSBS profile will be sufficient for this submission. In accordance to the July 2023 court ruling, the SBA will determine that the firm has demonstrated personal social disadvantage, the participant will receive a Status Qualification Letter indicating it has established social disadvantage and may continue to receive 8(a) contracts and otherwise participate in the 8(a) Business Development program.

110 Attachment 1 Page 4&5, Factor 1 & 2

A project is defined as "relevant" when • The total project price is $4.5 million dollars per year or greater. Will the government consider removing this requirement? This would prevent other qualified and experienced 8a contractors to respond to the RFP.

The RFP and applicable attachments have been updated in Amendment 00001 posted on SAM.gov on 10 May 2024 to remove the following language, "the total project price is $4.5 million dollars per year or greater”, from “Factor 1 Corporate Experience (Written)” and “Factor 2 – Past Performance (Written)” pertaining to how project relevancy is defined for all Functional Categories.

111 Attachment 2 Page 4&5, Factor 1 & 2

A project is defined as "relevant" when • The total project price is $4.5 million dollars per year or greater. Will the government consider removing this requirement? This would prevent other qualified and experienced 8a contractors to respond to the RFP.

The RFP and applicable attachments have been updated in Amendment 00001 posted on SAM.gov on 10 May 2024 to remove the following language, "the total project price is $4.5 million dollars per year or greater”, from “Factor 1 Corporate Experience (Written)” and “Factor 2 – Past Performance (Written)” pertaining to how project relevancy is defined for all Functional Categories.

112 General If a bidder is going to respond to factor 1 and 2, does the customer needs to submit two attachments 7 and 8 if they are using the same contract for each functional category?

Refer to Section L for the documents required for each functional category.

113 II_01_Attachme nt+05_Labor+Ca tegory

Row 27-Program Manager

We recommend the Government require a PMP certification for the Program Manager as this will reduce risk for the Government regarding an offeror's ability to perform such as large contract.

The minimum labor requirements are outlined in Attachment 05. If specific certifications are required, those requirements will be identified and negotiated at the order level.

114 Labor Category Descriptions and Qualifications

Row 27 To effectively manage a contract of this magnitude (size, scope, and complexity) we recommend the Government increase the experience requirement from 8 to 15 and require a PMP certification.

The minimum labor requirements are outlined in Attachment 05. If specific requirements are needed, they will be identified and negotiated at the order level.

115 II_01_Attachme nt+05_Labor+Ca tegory

Given this is a IDIQ contract and to provide the Government with flexibility in matching talent with specific future requirements, we recommend adding a "Project" Manager LCAT to be considered when issuing larger Task Orders that need management oversight. We recommend this LCAT require a minimum of 5 to 8 years.

The minimum labor requirements are outlined in Attachment 05. If specific requirements are needed, they will be identified and negotiated at the order level.

116 II_01_Attachme nt+05_Labor+Ca tegory

Row 29 and Row 30 The SharePoint labor category listed on row 29 has the same years of experience as the Senior SharePoint labor category. The labor category on row 29 has a certification requirement. Should the certification requirement be moved to the Senior labor category?

Attachment 05 was revised for the SharePoint labor qualifications. If specific certifications are required, those requirements will be identified and negotiated at the order level.

117 II_01_Attachme nt+05_Labor+Ca tegory Pricing Templates

Does the Government want pricing on all the labor categories listed in Attachment 05 or just the LCATS referenced in the pricing templates? It doesn't appear, based on the pricing templates, that there will be rates for all LCATS across each IDIQ contract.

Attachment 05 lists Labor Categories and…