36C10B19R0046-001.pptx

Office of Procurement, Acquisition and Logistics

Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology Next Generation (T4NG) On-ramp

Industry Day June 6, 2019

Robert Kirzow Contracting Officer Technology Acquisition Center

(732) 795-1017 Email: Robert.Kirzow@va.gov

Administrative Remarks

Questions shall be submitted via email to T4NG.Onramp@va.gov.

Please reference “T4NG On-ramp Questions” in the subject line.

Answers to Questions will be posted to Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) prior to solicitation release.

All information provided is related to the anticipated strategy and is subject to change.

Information concerning this Industry Day, such as Briefings, Questions and Answers (Q&A), etc. will be posted online at the following website: https://www.fbo.gov/

Ground Rules

Information provided within the Performance Work Statement (PWS)/Solicitation takes precedence to slides.

Slides use “excerpts” from the PWS, Sections H, L and M of the solicitation but not the entire ‘text’. Refer to the PWS and/or the solicitation for complete requirements.

The Government is only accepting written questions. Answers to Industry Day questions will be posted to FBO.

Industry Day Agenda

T4NG Overview T4NG PWS Overview T4NG Contract Requirements T4NG Task Order Requirements T4NG On-ramp Proposed Acquisition Strategy T4NG Off-ramp/Option Status Proposed Acquisition Timeline Frequently Asked Questions Closing Remarks

Contractor-provided solutions in support of information technology (IT), health IT, and telecommunications, to include services and incidental hardware/software, for customer requirements that vary across the entire spectrum of existing and future technical environments

Program ceiling $22.3B

Multi Agency (MAC) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Multiple Award Task Order (MATO) contract with a base ordering period of five years with one five-year option period Currently 28 Prime Contractors (16 SDVOSBs)

Task Orders issued on a best value, performance-based Time-and-Materials (T&M), Cost Reimbursement (CR), and/or Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) basis

T4NG Prime Contractors

Designated a General Services Administration (GSA) Category Management Tier II contract vehicle

Best of breed contractors uniquely qualified to meet the Veteran’s needs

Supports the Veteran-focused Integration Process (VIP)

Continued success in exceeding Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) goals for awards to SDVOSBs and meeting aggressive small business goals for Women Owned Small Businesses, Hub-Zone small businesses, and small business subcontracting

T4NG Performance Work Statement Overview

The T4NG contract PWS has been structured to reflect the breadth and depth of IT services, with emphasis placed on healthcare and benefits systems, spanning the life cycle of a system or project

The T4NG contract PWS provides general requirements and functional areas for IT services - specific requirements for technologies or services will be defined in individual task orders

Functional Areas include:

Program Management Support Systems/Software Engineering Software Technology Demonstration and Transition Test and Evaluation Independent Verification and Validation Enterprise Network Support Enterprise Management Framework Operation and Maintenance Cyber Security Training IT Facilities

Task Orders may reflect a specific area of the PWS or cover multiple functional areas as functional areas are not mutually exclusive

The PWS is broken into different sections:

Applicable Documents are listed within PWS Paragraph 2.0 (Specific task orders may impose additional applicable documents). Non-public documents will be made available through a Bidders’ Library at time of solicitation release, if necessary Functional Areas within PWS paragraph 4.0 define the services that a Contractor team will need to perform General, Technical, and Contractual requirements are defined in the remainder of the document

T4NG Contract Requirements

Reporting Requirements

Contractor’s Progress, Status and Management Report Contract Performance Report Status of Government Furnished Equipment Report Personnel Contractor Manpower Report Contractor Staff Roster Small Business Participation Report Veterans Employment Certification Report

T4NG Contract Requirements

Program Meetings and Reviews

Project Office Initial Program Reviews

Post-Award Conferences

Quarterly Collective Prime Program Reviews

T4NG Task Order Requirements

Yes/No Bid Intentions within two working days

Submission of Task Execution Plan within seven working days, unless otherwise specified in the RTEP

Proposal Submissions include: Summary, Technical Approach, and Pricing

Proposal Submission may vary dependent upon Task Order Type Firm Fixed Price, T&M, or Cost Reimbursement

No Past Performance Volume required

Evaluation Approach

Majority of awards will be made on a best-value, trade-off basis Limited to Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE)-verified SDVOSB concerns To replenish the pool of SDVOSB concerns VA may elect to award up to seven (7) contracts; however, this number may be exceeded if it is determined to be in the VA’s best interest Evaluation Factors will include: Technical, Past Performance, Veterans Involvement, Veterans Employment, Small Business Participation Commitment, and Price Aggressive Small Business Participation goals Contractor proposed goals will be incorporated into the basic contract and utilized as part of an Offeror’s past performance score

Evaluation Approach

Veteran’s Employment Factor:

The proposal will be evaluated to determine the extent to which Veterans are employed by the Prime Offeror.

Definitions of a “Veteran” and “employee” are as follows:

A Veteran is defined as an honorably discharged member of active military duty, reserve or National Guard.

An employee is defined as any individual on the payroll of an employer who is an employee for purposes of the employer's withholding of Social Security taxes.

Currently T4NG prime contractors employ a total of 24,438 veterans

The number of veterans employed by T4NG prime contractors has increased by 8,199 employees since inception of T4NG

Veterans employment statistics will be incorporated into the basic contract and utilized as part of an Offeror’s past performance score

T4NG On-ramp

The Government may utilize an On-ramp to add VOSB, SDVOSB, and/or small business Contractors under any circumstances.

On-ramp may be conducted by any means necessary.

Any contract awarded via an On-ramp process will share in, and in no way increase, the ceiling established for the T4NG program.

Contracts awarded through an On-ramp shall include the same terms and conditions of this Contract and shall not exceed the remaining period of performance.

T4NG Off-ramp

The Government, in its sole discretion, may exercise the Off-ramp if any of the following events occur:

A T4NG SDVOSB or VOSB contract holder that was not awarded in Step One and no longer qualifies as a SDVOSB or VOSB because it is acquired by a non-SDVOSB or non-VOSB concern or is no longer listed as verified in the VIP database as a result of losing ownership and/or control of the company;

A small business T4NG contract holder that was not awarded in Step One and no longer qualifies as a small business because it is acquired by a large business; or A small business that was not awarded a contract in Step One and cannot re-certify as a small business at the end of the fifth year IAW 13 CFR 121.404(g)(3).

If the Government elects to exercise the Off-ramp, the Contractor will be removed from the program and thus will not be eligible to propose on any T4NG task order competitions.

Joint Ventures

Joint Ventures (JVs) under the Small Business Administration’s All Small Mentor-Protégé Program will be permitted to submit proposals

JV must be CVE-verified as a SDVOSB under the applicable NAICS code at time of proposal submission, as well as at time of award to be eligible

Only one (1) proposal per legal entity may be submitted for consideration

Current T4NG prime contractors will be permitted to submit a proposal as part of an approved JV

SDVOSB that is not a current T4NG prime contractor may submit a proposal on its behalf and as part of an approved JV

Draft Acquisition Schedule

Draft RFP and Q&As Release – September 2019

RFP Release – November 2019

Contract Award(s) Effective – March 6, 2021

Question: Can you advise/confirm if the On-ramp is only for VOSB, SDVOSB, and/or small business Contractors at this time?

Answer: The On-ramp will be limited to SDVOSB concerns.

Question: How many On-ramp awards are being considered?

Answer: VA may elect to award up to seven (7) contracts; however, this number may be exceeded if it determined to be in the VA’s best interest.

Question: Will there be an On-ramp for other business types?

Answer: No, it will be limited to SDVOSBs.

Question: Do you have an expected (or hoped for) time period for a T4NG On-ramp?

Answer: The Government currently is projecting the release of a draft RFP in September 2019, and the RFP release in November 2019.

Question: Will a JV (under SBA’s All Small Mentor-Protégé Program (ASMPP)) that is CVE-verified as a SDVOSB be eligible for the On-ramp?

Answer: Yes; however, the JV must be CVE-verified as a SDVOSB under the applicable NAICS code at time of proposal submission, as well as at time of award.

Question: Would the government allow a SBA approved Mentor Protégé JV to bid on the T4NG as a Prime if only the protégé (Managing Member) is a SDVOSB?

Answer: In order to be eligible for award consideration, a JV will be required to be CVE-verified as SDVOSB under the applicable NAICS code at time of proposal submission, as well as at time of award.

Question: Will current T4NG SDVOSBs/VOSBs that have grown out of VOSB/SDVOSB status be allowed to continue to participate on T4NG as a VOSB/SDVOSB?

Answer: No, once current primes are required to recertify their size status, any entity that has outgrown VOSB/SDVOSB status will not be permitted to continue participating as a VOSB/SDVOSB, but rather as a Large Business.

Question: Please confirm the Sample Tasks to which bidders will have to respond will be the same as those used in the initial T4NG competition.

Answer: Any Sample Task associated with the T4NG On-ramp Solicitation will be not be the same as previously utilized. New Sample Tasks would be included in the Solicitation.

Question: Please confirm the VA will accept and evaluate past performance of all member companies in a Joint Venture as past performance for the "Prime Offeror."

Answer: The specifics on how past performance will be evaluated are not yet finalized and will be provided at a later date.

Question: VA received several questions asking to revise various terms and conditions and/or clauses as part of the On-ramp.

Answer: The On-ramp requirements/clauses will remain consistent with the current T4NG contract. Since the On-ramp awardees are being added to an existing contract, the terms and conditions of the On-ramp shall be consistent with the current T4NG contracts and any subsequent modifications thereto. However, it should be noted that the basis of award and proposal submission instructions for the On-ramp may be updated/revised from the previous T4NG Solicitation.

Question: How many primes are you targeting to On-ramp on the Large Business track?

Answer: None. Award to large business primes is not currently anticipated for the On-ramp.

Question: If joint ventures are allowed to bid, will an SBA approved mentor-protégé agreement allow an SDVOSB and non SDVOSB joint venture to bid as a prime offeror on the SDVOSB track?

Answer: Yes; however, the JV must be CVE-verified as a SDVOSB under the applicable NAICS code at time of proposal submission, as well as at time of award.

Question: Can a major subcontractor be non exclusive to a single SDVOSB prime and support multiple SDVOSB prime bids?

Answer: A company may be a subcontractor to more than one prime Offeror.

Question: Given the substantial interest from “Joint Venture” SDVOSBs, which utilize SBA’s Mentor/Protégé program and include large business mentors, to compete for the T4NG On Ramp, will the TAC consider some mechanisms to level the playing field for “stand alone” SDVOSBs? For example, would there be any consideration for reserving some awards exclusively for “stand alone” SDVOSBs?

Answer: VA does not anticipate doing this.

Question: Given that the On-ramp is open exclusively to SDVOSBs, would the TAC consider requesting a VAAR deviation to alter the “Vets Involvement” Factor, so that “stand alone” SDVOSBs can be afforded “Full Credit” while “Joint Venture” SDVOSBs formed by large businesses receive less consideration?

Answer: VA is not considering this approach at this time.

Question: Does the TAC anticipate the possibility of there being any Woman-Owned SDVOSB reserve awards for the T4NG On-Ramp?

Answer: No, that is not anticipated at this time.

Office of Procurement, Acquisition and Logistics

CLOSING REMARKS

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