Responses to RFP Questions 02Feb23.pdf

Government Response to Industry Questions and Comments on RFP FA8806-23-R-0001 02 February 2023

1. SOW Page 4-7: Is it the government’s intention to procure both COTS product licenses as well as full software support services? Are products- and services-related Delivery Orders independent? Can offerors respond to either, but not necessarily both? Can offerors respond to both, but be awarded a place on the IDIQ only on one (software licenses or services)?

USG Response:

Offerors shall refer to Attachment 2 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Products and Commercial Services and Attachment 3, Evaluation - Commercial Products and Commercial Services, to ensure proposals meet all requirements of the solicitation.

2. Attachment 4: On your Attachment 4, Commercial Questionnaire, question #3, can you clarify what you mean by “Does the commercial software provide data management support?”. Are you referring to software features or to vendor service support accompanying the software?

USG Response:

Offerors shall refer to Attachment 2 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Products and Commercial Services and Attachment 3, Evaluation - Commercial Products and Commercial Services, to ensure proposals meet all requirements of the solicitation.

3. Attachment 2, Page 4-5 , Section 3.6: The government will be using third-party non-governmental advisors being to evaluate offerors (Aerospace Corporation, SAIC, Tecolote Research, MCR Federal, Galaxia Technologies) and offerors must give consent to release proposal information to these firms.

Will these firms recuse themselves from evaluating offerors for whom there is some business relationship or organizational conflict of interest?

USG Response:

IAW FAR 9.504, the Contracting Officer will take necessary actions to avoid, neutralize, or mitigate significant potential conflicts before award.

4. Attachment 2, Page 8-9, Section 5.1.4: Can the government please either remove or clarify its requirements for offerors’ submission of the Small Business Contracting Plan (per FAR 52.219-9) in Volume III? With no pricing component tied to the IDIQ, it is unclear how offerors can submit small business percentage goals. It would make sense that these goals be tied to the delivery orders, especially depending on the nature of the work to be performed (see our previous question…whether products or services delivery orders are combined or independent).

USG Response:

Small Business Participation Submission is required in solicitations that include FAR 52.219-9.

Offerors should provide a Small Business Participation Plan as applicable in Volume I of proposals to be reviewed for the conformance to the Request for Proposal.

5. Can the Government please confirm that Key Personnel, resumes, or Labor Categories will be determined at the task order level?

USG Response:

Offerors shall refer to Attachment 2 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Products and Commercial Services and Attachment 3, Evaluation - Commercial Products and Commercial Services, to ensure proposals meet all requirements of the solicitation.

6. Is the Government willing to consider solutions that have not previously attained an ATO? What is the minimum classification level that a commercial solution should have an ATO for to be deemed acceptable?

USG Response:

Offerors shall refer to Attachment 2 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Products and Commercial Services and Attachment 3, Evaluation - Commercial Products and Commercial Services, to ensure proposals meet all requirements of the solicitation.

7. Does the commercial solution have to be one single commercial solution, or can it be a combination of commercial and/or open-source solutions? Assuming a combination of multiple products is acceptable, how should respondents fill out the Table in Technical Volume Section 1?

USG Response:

The Statement of Work defines the Government's requirement.

8. Is the Government determining whether commercial solutions other than "Company X" could be acceptable for this use case?

USG Response:

The Government is conducting full and open competition of a multiple award IDIQ for commercial solution(s) with capabilities that meet the requirements set forth in the RFP.