47QFLA19K0007 Q_A 2019-02-08.pdf

Question Answer

Please define the term "senior technical staff (principals)".

"Senior Technical Staff (Principals)" should include the Operations Research Analysts (Senior) as shown on the pricing sheet.

Should there be a CLIN Table associated with the SF_1449? A separate pricing sheet was uploaded.

Regarding the Pricing Sheet, we not that each of the Labor Categories has an estimated base hourly value of 4,000.

Are we to assume that each Labor Category reflects approximately 2 FTEs per category (i.e. 2 Junior, 2 Mid, 2 Senior FTS, respectively)?

Bidders should propose the mix of labor categories that meets the requirements of the solicitation. If proposing an alternate labor mix or additional positions, provide a narrative with examples of successful projects where you have used this mix of labor on similar work.

What is the estimated workload (hours) per year for the (1) Project Manager/Team Leader (2) Research Analyst (3) Junior Research Analyst (4) Senior Research Analyst

Bidders should propose the mix of labor categories that meets the requirements of the solicitation. If proposing an alternate labor mix or additional positions, provide a narrative with examples of successful projects where you have used this mix of labor on similar work.

Presume the Project Manager category and hours will be added to the price spreadsheet?

Bidders should propose the mix of labor categories that meets the requirements of the solicitation. If proposing an alternate labor mix or additional positions, provide a narrative with examples of successful projects where you have used this mix of labor on similar work.

The skills to do coding and visualization are different than those called for in Section 7.3.

Bidders should propose the mix of labor categories that meets the requirements of the solicitation. If proposing an alternate labor mix or additional positions, provide a narrative with examples of successful projects where you have used this mix of labor on similar work.

Are you expecting SW developers to be included in our proposal?

Bidders should propose the mix of labor categories that meets the requirements of the solicitation. If proposing an alternate labor mix or additional positions, provide a narrative with examples of successful projects where you have used this mix of labor on similar work.

In the pricing sheet provided, it states that each Operations Research Analyst group level is to work 4000 hours yearly.

Is this stating that the 14 FTE's are to be broken down evenly across the three levels and the 4000 working hours?

Or are we able to adjust to total number of hours worked to be dependent on how many people we see in each operational level?

Bidders should propose the mix of labor categories that meets the requirements of the solicitation. If proposing an alternate labor mix or additional positions, provide a narrative with examples of successful projects where you have used this mix of labor on similar work.

In the pricing spreadsheets, the government provides positions and hours. Is it the government’s intent that offerors propose staffing at the hours provided, or can we provide an alternate mix?

Bidders should propose the mix of labor categories that meets the requirements of the solicitation. If proposing an alternate labor mix or additional positions, provide a narrative with examples of successful projects where you have used this mix of labor on similar work.

Would you please provide 52.212-1 to determine required content, formats, ect... for other than technical?

Box 27a is checked on the SF1449 which incorporates 52.212-1 by reference.

It is stated this is a FAR Part 13 procurement. We see the 52.212-2, 52.212-3 and 52.212-5 documents. Would the government please provide 52.212-1 (Instructions to Offerors)?

Box 27a is checked on the SF1449 which incorporates 52.212-1 by reference.

When can we anticipate the release of the Instruction to Offerors on 47QFLA19K0007?

Box 27a is checked on the SF1449 which incorporates 52.212-1 by reference.

Can the Government please clarify Section 6.1 of the PWS with regard to Location of Work? It is stated that performance will take place at a mix of Government and contractor facilities, and the Government will not provide any permanent on-site space. This infers that the Government is expecting all contractor staff to be permanently located off site. Is this accurate?

Contractor employees will work off-site except for work with classified materials which will be conducted at the Government facility. Unclassified work space, not to include any Government Furnished Equipment, may be temporarily provided at the discretion of the Government.

Can the government please provide a ranking of the evaluations factors? The current ranking description does not include Factor 2: Personnel requirements.

Evaluation factors are listed in order of significance, and the section has been updated to provide clarity.

Please provide the best value calculation spreadsheet.

Evaluation factors are listed in order of significance. As stated in the solicitation, technical factors are significantly more important than price. Reference to the spreadsheet has been removed.

Please provide a copy of the Best Value calculation spreadsheet discussed in Factor 3 – Past Experience and Performance.

Evaluation factors are listed in order of significance. As stated in the solicitation, technical factors are significantly more important than price. Reference to the spreadsheet has been removed.

52.212-2 Evaluation - Commercial Items, Factor 3 references "Complete scoring is found on the Best Value calculation spreadsheet." Will the Governent provide the Best Value calculation spreadsheeet?

Evaluation factors are listed in order of significance. As stated in the solicitation, technical factors are significantly more important than price. Reference to the spreadsheet has been removed.

Does the Government have any specific guidance regarding the required font Size for text and graphics? Exclusive of graphics, font size must be 11 point or larger.

Is there an incumbent in place now? If so, what is the contract number? FA8075-14-D-0025 DS TAT 17-1536, Wyle Is this a new solicitation? If not, is there an incumbent? FA8075-14-D-0025 DS TAT 17-1536, Wyle Is there an incumbent contractor currently performing work for this requirement? If so, could you please provide their company name and contract number? FA8075-14-D-0025 DS TAT 17-1536, Wyle Is there an incumbent? If so, please provide name, contract number, value, duration, ect... FA8075-14-D-0025 DS TAT 17-1536, Wyle Is there an incumbent contractor for this effort? If so, who is the incumbent, what was the prior award amount and what was the period of performance? FA8075-14-D-0025 DS TAT 17-1536, Wyle Is there an incumbent on this contract? If so, please provide the incumbent name, current contract number, length and value of the contract. FA8075-14-D-0025 DS TAT 17-1536, Wyle.

Will the contract be FFP or Labor Hour-type contract? Firm Fixed Price.

Is this requirement being procured under GSA? GSA is procuring this on behalf of AFIMSC.

What labor categories are considered Key Personnel?

What labor categories require resumes?

No labor categories are considered Key Personnel. Please submit resumes for proposed Operational Research Analysts (Senior)

PWS: Section 8.4 Facility Security Requirements – This section states that NO safeguarding capabilities are required, please confirm that this means we will not have to store any classified information for this effort.

No storage of classified information is required by the contractor.

Other than the Pricing Sheet attached to the Solicitation, is there any other cost build up that the Government requires for fully compliant price submission/proposal? No.

Can the government please clarify which positions are considered key? None.

Regarding the above referenced solicitation, is a Facility Clearance required by the Prime offeror at the time of proposal submission?

Not required. Any classified work will be done inside the government facility.

If not, will the Government sponsor a Facility Clearance for the winning Prime offeror?

Not required. Any classified work will be done inside the government facility.

Will the government sponsor the required Facility Clearance?

Not required. Any classified work will be done inside the government facility.

Would the government sponsor the requirement for a Facility Clearance?

Not required. Any classified work will be done inside the government facility.

Should we provide proof of our current FCL in teh technical volume?

Not required. Any classified work will be done inside the government facility.

The Evaluation-Commercial Items document states for Factor 3, that "Contact information for two references knowledgeable about the contract and performance, or include customer reference letters on company letterhead, must be provided as well." Does the Governement require two references for each of the three past performance projects or a total of two references from the total past performance projects submitted? Please provide two references for each contract.

b) The Staffing Plan states that we need to describe a Phase-In plan, not to exceed 30 days, to include hiring and onboarding personnel with necessary qualifications and clearances. However, another bullet in the Staffing Plan states that we need to provide evidence that our proposed personnel currently have a minimum of a SECRET clearance by the time of award. These sections seem to conflict. Is there a 30 day Phase-In to hire people and confirm clearances or do we need to have cleared employees the day of award?

Please see PWS Section 8.2 "As a minimum, the Contractor shall provide two employees with a current final SECRET personnel security clearance, based on an investigation completed within the past 5 years."

Compliance with PWS Section 8.2 is required on or before the day of contract award.

Is the contractor staff expected to be at the Government site on a daily basis? If so, can the government please specify the expected work-week (e.g. 40 hours) and daily work hour times (7-4; 8-5)?

Please see Section 6.2.1 which states, "Contractor shall be responsible for managing work hours of its employees, provided they are available when necessary to interact with Government employees."

Is this an electronic-only submission?

Quotes shall be submitted via GSA's electronic acquisition portal, AAS Business Systems Portal (AASBS Portal), formerly IT-Solutions Shop (ITSS), [web address: https:

//portal.fas.gsa.gov] by the closing date and time for consideration. For registration and/or technical assistance the AASBS Portal/ITSS Help Desk can be contacted at 1- 877-243-2889. To be added to the RFQ in AASBS Portal/ITSS please contact Allison Crews, Project Manager at allison.crews@gsa.gov with the AASBS Portal/ITSS Registration Information (Company Name and Company Point of Contact) exactly as they are registered in the system.

Instructions for registering are provided at the following link:

https://portal.fas.gsa.gov/assist-web/registration/contractor/search

Can the Government please clarify who to electronically send the RFP response to as it is not explicitly stated?

Quotes shall be submitted via GSA's electronic acquisition portal, AAS Business Systems Portal (AASBS Portal), formerly IT-Solutions Shop (ITSS), [web address: https:

//portal.fas.gsa.gov] by the closing date and time for consideration. For registration and/or technical assistance the AASBS Portal/ITSS Help Desk can be contacted at 1- 877-243-2889. To be added to the RFQ in AASBS Portal/ITSS please contact Allison Crews, Project Manager at allison.crews@gsa.gov with the AASBS Portal/ITSS Registration Information (Company Name and Company Point of Contact) exactly as they are registered in the system.

Instructions for registering are provided at the following link:

https://portal.fas.gsa.gov/assist-web/registration/contractor/search

Proposal Submission – please confirm that submission for this offer can only be made through the link for electronic responses in the FBO notice.

Quotes shall be submitted via GSA's electronic acquisition portal, AAS Business Systems Portal (AASBS Portal), formerly IT-Solutions Shop (ITSS), [web address: https:

//portal.fas.gsa.gov] by the closing date and time for consideration. For registration and/or technical assistance the AASBS Portal/ITSS Help Desk can be contacted at 1- 877-243-2889. To be added to the RFQ in AASBS Portal/ITSS please contact Allison Crews, Project Manager at allison.crews@gsa.gov with the AASBS Portal/ITSS Registration Information (Company Name and Company Point of Contact) exactly as they are registered in the system.

Instructions for registering are provided at the following link:

https://portal.fas.gsa.gov/assist-web/registration/contractor/search

Evaluation Factors. Could the government please describe the 8 "Technical Objectives" referenced in the Evaluation Criteria?

Technical objectives are described in the PWS. The evaluation factors reference the specific objectives and where to find them in the PWS.

Funding is stated as incremental - given this, is the base year currently fully funded? Are option years funded?

The base period of performance will be funded incrementally to coincide with the Government's fiscal year.

The options may be exercised in accordance with 52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract.

Contract Terms and Conditions. Can the government please clarify which FAR/DFAR clauses are being incorporated into this contract? The document included in the solicitation does not indicate which of the listed clauses are to be included. For example, all of the small business set-aside clauses are listed but nothing indicates which type of set-aside applies. The contract terms and conditions have been updated.

Please provide a 52.212-5 document that is "checked" appropriately for review. The contract terms and conditions have been updated.

Does the contractor require expert level understanding of AD-ARM model, RAND CODE model and TAB VAM or is it acceptable for the contractor to include the government provided expertise on these inputs as GFI?

The Contractor will maintain, enhance, and develop government-owned models including AD-ARM, RAND CODE, and TAB VAM. Proposals should demonstration experience maintaining, enhancing, and developing a variety of models to implement discrete-event simulations, identify scenarios and metrics for analysis, and determine physical inventory and condition capabilities over time to compare to operational requirements.

Does the contractor require expert level understanding of the BUILDER and/or PAVER databases or will this expertise be provided by the government?

The Contractor will use the BUILDER and PAVER databases throughout the duration of the contract.

Proposals should demonstrate experience with facility inventory and condition databases.

PWS: Section 8.2 Employee Security Requirements – This section states that as a minimum, two employees need to be provided with SECRET clearance. Please confirm that this means that not every employee working this effort requires a clearance. Also, what is the estimated percentage of classified work and unclassified work for this effort on an annual basis?

The estimated percentages are 50% classfied work and 50% unclassified work. The minimum number of SECRET clearances required is two. At the start of the period of performance there will immediately be both work that requires SECRET clearance and work that can be completed without a SECRET clearance.

Is worker's compensation insurance a requirement?

The FAR Clause 52.228-3 Workers' Compensation Insurance is not included in this contract.

Does the Government have an expected award date for this solicitation?

The government expects to award this contract before the end of March 2019.

Does the government intend to continue using Python language indefinitely or is the government open to offerors proposing other methodologies?

The government is open to alternate methodologies for developmental projects. To propose an alternate methodology for an existing model, please provide a narrative showing significant benefit to the government.

Please include any additional costs or cost savings realized as a result of the alternate methodology.

Reference PWS Section 7.3 Education and Experience Requirements. Is the Government willing to accept more years of experience than what is stated for position definitions over the required “At least 3 of the 24 semester hours must have been in calculus”?

The government will accept any experience that meets or exceeds the requirements listed.

Will the contractor be required to purchase licenses for Python or Tableau?

The Government will provide licenses to any listed, required software.

Will the government provide required software? For example, will the government provide licenses for Tableau?

The Government will provide licenses to any listed, required software.

Will the Government provide as GFI any necessary software licenses for contractor's support to the PWS?

The Government will provide licenses to any listed, required software.

Can the Government provide an estimate as to the number of surge hours needed for this contract? Also, is there any information regarding the frequency and duration of surge support?

The maximum number of surge hours is 500 hours for Operations Reasearch Analysts (Junior) and and 500 hours Operations Research Analysts (Mid) for each contract year.

Please clarify whether implementations of the models referenced in Page 4, Section 4.2.1 already exist and need to be maintained/enhanced by the contractor or if such implementations will need to be created by the contractor.

The models described throughout Section 4.2 are at varying stages of development. Some are fully mature requiring maintenance and/or enhancement. Others are in early development and will need to be created and taken through proof of concept. As stated in Section 4.2, "Many of the examples highlighted below and other ongoing projects are still in development and require subject matter expertise in tool and process creation as well as implementation. Specifically regarding the examples in Section 4.2.1, Numbers 1, 3, and 4 are in early development. Examples 2 and 5 are well developed and required maintenance/enhancement.

Is the 25-page limit inclusive of only the 3 factors? Or does it include additional content (i.e. cover letter, table of contents, resumes, ect...) The page limit for the technical proposal is all inclusive.

According to PWS 2.2 Resources personnel is to be provided by the contractor. Is related to perform full range of technical and administrative services required by this contract/task order billable. The price submitted by bidders is the full billable amount.

1) PWS: Section 9. Period of Performance – This proposal is due 18 Feb 2019, but this section states the Base Year begins 13 Feb 2019. Please provide an updated expected start/award date based upon the due date of this proposal. The PWS has been updated to reflect new planned dates.

Please correct the PWS along with an updated Pricing Sheet that includes hours for the required Project Manager and corrected dates.

The PWS has been updated. If proposing an alternate labor mix or additional positions, provide a narrative with examples of successful projects where you have used this mix of labor on similar work.

Please specify the Labor Category requirements for the project manager.

The PWS has been updated. If proposing an alternate labor mix or additional positions, provide a narrative with examples of successful projects where you have used this mix of labor on similar work.

Since 18 February is a Government holiday (Presidents Day), is the Government willing to extend the proposal due date to 19 February so as to ensure a Government person is available on the day of submission in case questions arise? The solicitation due date is extended to February 21, 2019.

Please provide the draft DD-254 for review and completion as appropriate.

The solicitation will be amended to include a draft DD254.

The fully executed DD245 will be incorporated into the contract by modification.

Can you provide an example for what is being asked for in terms of permissions on form DD254?

The solicitation will be amended to include a draft DD254.

The fully executed DD245 will be incorporated into the contract by modification.

What are the requirements for Form DD254 i.e. system and installation access?

The solicitation will be amended to include a draft DD254.

The fully executed DD245 will be incorporated into the contract by modification.

1) PWS: Section 8.1 Compliance with Security Requirements – This section states the DD254 “will be incorporated into the contract by modification”. So does that mean the DD254 will not be issued upon Contract Award?

If the DD254 is not provided at contract award, will there be unclassified work available to perform until the DD254 is issued?

The solicitation will be amended to include a draft DD254.

The fully executed DD245 will be incorporated into the contract by modification.

Please provide PWS addendum: "B. QASP (Waulity Assurance Surveillance Plan) The solicitation will be amended to include the QASP.

Please provide the QASP. The solicitation will be amended to include the QASP.

The PWS refers to an "attached Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP)." Will the Govt provide this? The solicitation will be amended to include the QASP.

1) PWS Addendums: Please provide copies of the Travel Addendum and QASP (Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan).

The solicitation will be amended to include the QASP. The solicitation will be amended to include the Travel Addendum.

Please provide Travel Addendum.

The solicitation will be amended to include the Travel Addendum.

Please provide the Travel Addendum.

The solicitation will be amended to include the Travel Addendum.

The PWS references "PWS Addendum A" for compiling travel expenses, will the Government provide this Addendum?

The solicitation will be amended to include the Travel Addendum.

Can the Government please clarify the statement "The maximum potential period of performance of this order is two (2) years starting on the day of Task Order award or designated effective date"? The PoP appears to be a base year plus four option years.

The solicitation will be amended to read, "The maximum potential period of performance is five (5) years starting on the day of the Task Order award or designated effective date."

Presume the PoP is a Base & 4 Option Years?

The solicitation will be amended to read, "The maximum potential period of performance is five (5) years starting on the day of the Task Order award or designated effective date."

The Period of Performance mentions the Base Period and one Option Period, but then goes on to lay out timelines for three additional Option Periods. Are we to include a billable total for the three additional Option Period, or just the initial Base Period and first Option Period when submitting?

The solicitation will be amended to read, "The maximum potential period of performance is five (5) years starting on the day of the Task Order award or designated effective date."

Could the Government please clarify the period of performance (PoP) for this contract? Section 2.2 of the PWS, last sentence, refers to the PoP as “Work will be performed over a period of one year with a possible one-year option” while Section 9 of the PWS refers to a Base Year and four one-year options.

The solicitation will be amended to read, "The maximum potential period of performance is five (5) years starting on the day of the Task Order award or designated effective date."

Can the government confirm the intended period of performance for this contract? Section 2.2 states that “Work will be performed over a period of one year with a possible one year option.” The pricing spreadsheets and other references include a Base period and four Option periods.

The solicitation will be amended to read, "The maximum potential period of performance is five (5) years starting on the day of the Task Order award or designated effective date."

The PWS sets forth "one year with a possible one year option" yet then states base plus four option years in PWS 9 - Period of Performance and references Optional Support CLIN for the "appopriate Period of Performance (T0002 - T4002) in PWS 6.1 - Location of Work. In addition, the price workbook provided sets forth base year plus four years -which is correct, base plus 1 year or base plus 4 years?

The solicitation will be amended to read, "The maximum potential period of performance is five (5) years starting on the day of the Task Order award or designated effective date."

Should PWS Section 8 referenced in PWS Section 7.5 Staff Maintenance actually refer to Section 7?

The solicitation will be amended to state Section 7.5 refers to PWS Section 7.

Is Section 12 referenced in Section 2.4 supposed to be Section 10?

The solicitation will be amended to state the QASP is referenced in Section 10.

Evaluation Factors: Can the government please confirm that evaluation factors 1-3 should all be included in a single technical volume and that the total page limit should not exceed 25 pages. If factors 2 and 3 are not included in the Technical page count, is there a limit for volumes 2 or 3? The technical proposal must not exceed 25 pages in total.

a)Are the Contract Management Plan, Staffing Plan and Past Performance Narratives part of the Technical Proposal or are considered separate attachments not included in the Technical Proposal page count? The technical proposal must not exceed 25 pages in total.

In section 7.3, the government states, “Proposed personnel shall have a degree in Operations Research or Industrial Engineering…” Do these requirements apply to only Key personnel proposed? Also, can bidders propose alternate degrees that have similarly high requirements such as a Master’s in Data Science or Analytics?

There are no key personnel in this solicitation. Bidders should propose the mix of labor categories that meets the requirements of the solicitation. If proposing an alternate labor mix or additional positions, provide a narrative with examples of successful projects where you have used this mix of labor on similar work.

Also in the pricing sheet, it states 500 hours of growth positions for the Junior and Mid grade levels. Are these planned promotional opportunities, or something completely different?

These hours are listed as optional, and may be exercised if additional work is needed during the year.

Can the government please provide sections B&C of the solicitation? This note has been removed.

Does the WOSB require a current Prime GSA contract award?

This procurement does not use the GSA schedules or OASIS, so no existing GSA contract is required.

We seek clarification on the reference to FAR 13: "This procurement is set aside for Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB) concerns, and awarded using source selection (FAR 13) procedures." Does this opportunity fall under the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (FAR 13) of $250.000.00

This procurement is conducted using Subpart 13.5 - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items.

Can the government please describe any price evaluation methods to be used?

Total evaluated price will be in accordance with 52.217-5 Evaluation of Options.

Can the Government please provide a list of all expected deliverables (one time and reoccurring)?

When a development model is completed, the Contractor shall provide the model and all related documentation.

Other deliverables may be required on a project specific basis.

Will resumes be included in the page count? Yes, resumes will be included in the page count.

Do Resumes count towards the 25 page limit of the Technical Proposal? Yes, resumes will be included in the page count.