RFP Vendor Questions with Answers ID04200022 Jun 25 2020.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)/SOLICITATION

GSA Order ID: ID04200022

Solicitation PIID: 47QFSA20R0006 PROJECT TITLE: MISO Evaluation and Transregional Analysis (META)

Question # TOR or PWS Paragraph Reference

Question Responses

1 Is it a requirement to have an existing facilities clearance from DCSA in order to bid?

The prime vendor who will be the apparent awardee is required to meet all security requirements outlined in PWS and DD254 as well as other applicable attachments.

2 Also, is it possible for our company to have a partner with a facilities clearance to meet that need?

The prime vendor who will be the apparent awardee is required to meet all security requirements outlined in PWS and DD254 as well as other applicable attachments.

3 H.4.1, Paragraph 1-3 Are security clearances required for this effort? The prime vendor who will be the apparent awardee is required to meet all security requirements outlined in PWS and DD254 as well as other applicable attachments.

4 H.4.1, Paragraph 1-3 Will any work be performed in a SCIF? No work is expected to be done in a SCIF. PWS is updated to reflect integration of publicly available information (PAI) only.

5 H.4.1, Paragraph 1-3 Are facility clearances a requirement for this contract? The prime vendor who will be the apparent awardee is required to meet all security requirements outlined in PWS and DD254 as well as other applicable attachments.

6 General Question Does this contract require staff to be onsite? Contractors are only required to be onsite while accessing classified information systems. The Government does not expect any contractors to work onsite on a full time basis.

7 General Question How many FTEs are required to support this contract? There are no minimum or maximum FTEs required.

It is up to the vendor to provide the solution

8 L.2.1, Paragraph 1 Given the lack of time to develop a response once the answers to questions are released, would GSA consider a one week extension?

Due to the need for award in FY20, there will be no extensions.

9 PWS +(Attch 3 Pricing Sheet)

Within the Price Sheet, CLIN 001 for Task:Translation;

it states 600 units, can you please elaborate on what the 600 units is referring to? Are those words?

Please see PWS Attachment 7 outlining one unit for each CLIN.

10 L.5.1 Paragraph 5 Bullet (B)

Will the sample scenario count toward our 25 count page limit within the Tech Approach?

Yes.

11 L.5.1 Paragraph 5 Bullet (B)

Should we price out the sample scenario separate from our price volume?

No pricing is requested for the sample scenario.

12 C.3.1.2 - Data Collection Is data collection, specifically for recurring quantitative & qualitative activities, to be conducted on a pre-determined cadence?

Task Orders will be issued after award , a realistic estimated total quantity are proivded in the solicitation. This estimate is not a representation to an offeror or contractor that the estimated quantity will be required or ordered, or that conditions affecting requirements will be stable or normal.

13 C.3.1.6 - Speed of Data Visualization and Reporting

Regarding the data visualization dashboard for "real-time" data, what are the technical requirements and/or restrictions for an access interface with the SOCOM client?

The data visualization dashboard should be readily accessable from both NIPR and commerical Internet services with appropriate security measures to prevent unauthorized access to data.

14 C.3.2.3 - Data Visualization

What methods, mechanisms, and protocols are currently being used to visualize data?

This is a new requirment with no incumbents.

15 C.3.2.5 - Data Storage What type of interface is currently in place for access to data?

This is a new requirment with no incumbents.

16 C.4.2 - Training How many users will need training on how to effectively navigate the data visualization interface?

The total users will vary with the number of assessments perrformed and personnel rotations. It is estimated 20-50 users will require training per year.

17 Solicitation Page 2 Will the majority of work be performed at MacDill Air Force Base? Can you provide a estimate of the percentage of work to be performed per location?

Task Orders will be issued after award and no pre-determined estimates of locations at this time.

18 Attachment 3 Pricing Sheet

Can additional detail on CLINs 0002-0010 be provided to be able to provide pricing? The PWS section 3.1 lists a variety of research methodologies, making it nearly impossible to price quantitites for CLINs 0002-0010

All details are provided within the scope of the PWS.

19 PWS 3.2.3 Can additional information be provided on the Data Visualization requirements? Will SOCOM require access to a cloud-based, digital data visualization platform, such as Tableau? Is there a specific SaaS platform or product requirement?

The Government has elected to not specify specific solutions for the data visualization requirement (sec C.3.2.3.). Offerors should propose their best solution to meet the requirement.

20 Attachment 3 Pricing Sheet

What are the units for the Data Visualization CLIN 0014?

Please see PWS Attachment 7 outlining one unit for each CLIN.

21 Attachment 3 Pricing Sheet

What are the units for the Data Storage CLIN 0013? Please see PWS Attachment 7 outlining one unit for each CLIN.

22 Maybe same as row 18?

I don't think this question is the same as row 18. The classification of the data actually reported versus the visualization process could be different.

What classification level will the reported data require? Collected raw and cleaned data will remain unclassified and objectives are classified up to SECRET. Unclassified reports are acceptable if the report meets all aspects of the requirement. Reports will be classified based on content up to the level of SECRET. See the DD254 for additional security related requirements.

Solicitation PIID: 47QFSA20R0006 PROJECT TITLE: MISO Evaluation and Transregional Analysis (META)

23 Will subcontractors be able to subcontract locally in country?

The prime and subcontractors will be required to fulfill all performance requirements and adhere to the terms and conditions in the solicitation and attachments.

24 Attachment 4 TO Sample

Does "12x" quantitative assessments mean 12 surveys of multiple populations or a sample size of n=12?

12 administrations of surveys for data collection.

Sample size is dependent upon power analysis provided by the vendor.

25 Attachment 4 TO Sample

Does "12x" qualitative assessments mean 12 In-depths interviews and focus groups or a sample of n=12?

Please clarify? What are sample sizes for each effort?

12 in-depth interviews and focus groups. Sample size is provided by vendor and will be dependent upon expectations of data saturation.

26 Section L, VOLUME I:

EVALUATION

FACTOR

A/TECHNICAL

APPROACH - A.

Reference:

The offeror shall demonstrate the following in detail:

A. Describe knowledge and demonstrate understanding of the requirements (with emphasis of CLINs 0001 & 0002) , and deliverables (Paragraph 7.0 of PWS) and an ability to successfully perform them;

Question:

Can the government please clarify that it is referring to PWS C.4 DELIVERABLES or are there particular elements within the deliverables section the government is referring to with paragraph 7.0?

See amended solicitaiton for clarification.

27 Section L, VOLUME I:

EVALUATION

FACTOR

A/TECHNICAL

APPROACH - A.

Reference:

The offeror shall demonstrate the following in detail:

A. Describe knowledge and demonstrate understanding of the requirements (with emphasis of CLINs 0001 & 0002) , and deliverables (Paragraph 7.0 of PWS) and an ability to successfully perform them;

Question:

Can the government please confirm that it is referring CLIN 0001 and CLIN 0002, which are shown in the Pricing Attachment as CLIN 0001 - Translations and CLIN 0002 - Quantitative Data Collection - Permissive Environment?

See amended solicitaiton for clarification.

28 Section L, VOLUME I:

EVALUATION

FACTOR

A/TECHNICAL

APPROACH - B.

Reference:

B. Tasks one (1) through four (4) requested in the sample scenario in ATTACHMENT 4.

Question:

Can the government please confirm which four tasks specifically it is referring to in ATTACHMENT 4. Are you referring to the four bullets under Assessment Requirements, the items numbered 1) to 4) under the Assessment Intent bullet, or something else?

See amended solicitaiton for clarification.

29 Section C: Paragraph 3.1.9.

Reference:

The contractor shall integrate assessment data with intelligence data to facilitate information operations intelligence integration. The ability to combine quantitative and qualitative assessment data with intelligence data is essential to facilitate in-depth analyses of the operating environment and support MISO decision-making. To support this requirement, access to intelligence data is required, as well as a means to ingest the associated information for analyses.

Question:

Can the government please clarify whether the contractor will be responsible for integrating assessment data with classified intelligence data or only with unclassified intelligence data or publicly available

See amended solicitaiton for clarification.

30 Section C: Paragraph 3.2.3.

Reference:

MISO units must be able to access and manipulate results from individual data collection iterations as well as access and manipulate results from trend data (if multiple iterations of data were collected in order to evaluate MOP and MOE). The contractor’s visualization products shall be easy to create and export within the interface.

Question:

Can the government please confirm whether contractor will provide visualization capabilities on a classified site or on an unclassified site?

Unclassified

31 Section C: Paragraph 3.2.3.

Reference:

The interface shall be accessible by MISO units from anywhere around the globe; it shall enable units to search, sort, and manipulate data, and to easily produce interpretable visualizations (e.g. maps, trend graphs based on objectives, pie charts of demographic variables) of data.

Question:

Can the government identify any standing technical requirements that must be met for MISO units to access the interface?

The data visualization dashboard should be readily accessable from both NIPR and commerical Internet services with appropriate security measures to prevent unauthorized access to data.

Solicitation PIID: 47QFSA20R0006 PROJECT TITLE: MISO Evaluation and Transregional Analysis (META)

32 Section C: Paragraph 3.2.5.

Reference:

Multi-level security solutions must be available in order to appropriately store data and analytic products. Data will be transferrable to future USSOCOM cloud services currently in development.

Question:

Can the government please confirm whether the contractor will store the data collected on a classified site, or on an unclassified site?

Unclassified site

33 Section C: Paragraph 4.1.1.

Reference:

The contractor’s completed reports shall be provided to the requesting MISO unit(s) within 14 business days of data collection completion unless otherwise stated in the task order. For near-real-time data analysis requirements, the contractor’s iterative analysis shall be provided as soon as two days after the collection of a specified number of data is completed.

Question:

Does the government have an estimate of what proportion of requirements will be "near-real-time data analysis requirements" "as soon as two days after the collection of a specified number of data is completed?"

Near-real time would be the exception, not the standard. Number will depend on project requirements.

34 Section C: Paragraph 4.1.1.

Reference:

All reports will be produced at the SECRET level.

Question:

Can the government please confirm that reports at the UNCLASSIFIED level will be sufficient for reporting on UNCLASSIFIED requirements, raw data, analysis, and findings? Report production at the SECRET level would require the government to sponsor a FCL with systems and safeguarding capabilities up to the SECRET level for report production at the contractor's facility as well as submission at the SECRET level over secure lines, SIPRNET or other acceptable means. If the government does require the contractor to produce reports at the SECRET level, will it be sponsoring the contractor to receive, store, and generate classified information or material?

Collected raw and cleaned data will remain unclassified and objectives are up classified to SECRET. Unclassified reports are acceptable if the report meets all aspects of the requirement. Reports will be classified based on content up to the level of SECRET. Unclassified reports are acceptable if the report meets all aspects of the requirement. See the DD254 for additional security related requirements.

Vendor will be able to access SIPRNET at SOCOM or TSOCs to produce classified reports.

35 Section C: Paragraph 4.2.

Reference:

The contractor shall provide training to users that clarifies data collection requests, data collection processes, and data analysis. Hands-on training shall be provided to ensure users can effectively navigate the data visualization interface.

Question:

Can the government please clarify acceptable modes of training delivery? For example, will the contractor be required to conduct in-person training with users, or would virtual training or a tutorial be sufficient? If in-person training is required, how many training sessions per year are expected?

The government has not stipulated a specific type of training to meet the requirement. The contractor should demonstrate that the proposed training would be sufficient for users to understand use of the proposed data visualization interface through hands-on approach, the training may be delivered by any available means.

36 Section C: Paragraph 4.3.

Reference:

The contractor shall provide a point of contact to each subordinate unit to USSOCOM J39 and/or other combatant commands who may utilize META.

Question:

Can the government please confirm whether it is acceptable for the same point of contact to be assigned to more than one unit subordinate to USSOCOM? For example, would it be acceptable for a single person to serve as the POC for both SOCNORTH and

SOCSOUTH?

Yes, a single point of contact may serve multiple units.

37 PWS (Attch 4 Task Order Sample) ID04200022 Apr 13 2020, (U) Assessment Requirements

Reference:

72x Automated Data Efforts, primarily executed through internet or cell phone (via app, MMS, SMS, email, or other means), to answer near-real time RFIs and/or do interim data collection in support of pre- /post-testing of MISO products – 24x efforts per city.

Question:

Can the government provide estimates of the sample sizes or number of survey items that will be required for each of the "automated data collection efforts?"

Sample size is dependent upon power analysis or data saturation recommendation and provided by the vendor. Number of survey items will be dependent upon the research requirements for each project, but is generally expected to be somewhere between 10-20 questions.

38 PWS (Attch 4 Task Order Sample) ID04200022 Apr 13 2020, (U) Assessment Requirements

Reference:

12x Qualitative Assessments – 2x face-to-face in depth interview & 2x focus groups per city

Question:

Can the government provide estimates of the number of participants required for the in-depth interviews and focus groups?

Sample size is dependent upon data saturation recommendation and provided by the vendor.

39 RFP 3.2.6 Are there specific existing or in development systems that the solution should be compatible with and if so, to what level should the compatibility be engineered (e.g.

exportable data formats, APIs, etc)?

There are no existing systems at this time. Systems in development are at very early stages. Contractors should ensure data can be easily exported via generally acceptable means and formats. See PWS 3.2.6.

40 PWS L.5.3 One of our candidate-projects for past performance is 9 months into a 10-year, $100m effort with the US Department of State which would highlight extensive corporate qualifications that would benefit our candidacy for this effort - would inclusion of this project be allowed for consideration in Volume III of this response?

See section L.5.3 and M3.3 for instructions on Volume III.

Solicitation PIID: 47QFSA20R0006 PROJECT TITLE: MISO Evaluation and Transregional Analysis (META)

41 PWS Attachment 4, Task Order, section Assessment Requirements

In order to facilitate accurate understanding of the Sample Task Order in relation to the Pricing Sheet, can the government specify or confirm:

- a sample size for the number of face-to-face randomized surveys to conduct per quantiative assessment? Sample sizes generally vary based on countries, target cities, and statistical margin of error;

understanding the sample required per quantiative assessment will be necessary for comparing overall pricing between vendors.

- in the Sample Task Order, the requirement is quarterly assessments in each city (for 12 total assessments)?

- how does the Quantiative Data Acquisition (24) listed in the pricing sheet overlap with the Quantitative Assessments listed in the Sample Task Order - are the 12 quantitative assessments listed in the Sample Task Order half of the 24 Best Estimated Quantities found in the Pricing Sheet (Column D)?

1) Sample size is determined based on power analysis and provided by the vendor for each project.

2) yes that is the requirement

3) If there are 24 quantitative data acquisition efforts expected in a certain environment (permissive, non-permissive, semi-permissive), the Sample Task Order is half of what we expect the yearly requirement to be; or, it may comprise a subset of the expected requirements for each environment (depending upon the permissiveness classification of the area). No pricing is requested for the sample scenario. See amended solicitation for clarification.

42 PWS Attachment 4, Task Order, section Assessment Requirements

In order to facilitate accurate understanding of the Sample Task Order in relation to the Pricing Sheet, can the government specify or confirm:

- the number of indepth interviews and focus groups contained in each qualitative assessment from the Sample Task Order

- how the 12 Qualitative Assessments in the Sample Task Order overlap with the 12 Best Estimated Quantities for Qualitative Data Acquisition from the Pricing Sheet?

1) The number of in depth interviews / focus group participants will be determined by vendor recommendations for data saturation; 2) This sample task order would contain the entirety of qualitative data collection we anticipated for one year in a specific type of environment (permissive, semi-permissive, or non-permissive), or part of the anticipated efforts in different environments (depending upon the classification of those areas.)

No pricing is requested for the sample scenario. See amended solicitation for clarification.

43 PWS Attachment 3, Pricing Sheet, Sheet 2, Definitions of Permissiveness

In order to facilitate accurate understanding of permissive / semi permissive, and non permissive environments, will the governmnet provide a listinig of 5 countries in each category? Does the government or the Contractor classify a country as permissive / semi permissive non permissive?

Due to events and the ever-changing landscape of the world, the Governement cannot provide a list of countries for each category. Some countries may contain multiple levels of permissiviness within their borders. Permissiviness of each task will be determined at the time it is added to the task order and further assessed during execution as many situaltions remain fluid with regard to security and stability. See Attch 3, Pricing Sheet, for definitions of permissiveness.

44 PWS section H.4.1 Can the government clarify this requirement "contractor team individuals supporting this task will be cleared at the SECRET level at the start of the task, if required"; what percentage of the tasks will require cleared individuals? If all reports are produced at the SECRET level, does that limit the personnel working on this contract to only cleared personnel?

Most, if not all, tasks will require cleared personnel, however not all contractors will need access to classified materials. Uncleared personnel may be utilized for work that does not expose them to classified information.

45 PWS Attachment 4, Task Order, section Assessment Requirements

The Sample Task Order requires 72x automated data efforts. What sample size and statistical margin of error does the Government expect as a minimum for each of these Automated Data Efforts? Likewise, the Pricing Sheet assumes 48 units of Automated Data Collection -how do these two elements overlap?

The sample size is determined from a power analysis and provided by the vendor. Statistical margin of error may vary depending upon where the data is being collected and what is feasible. The standard should always be 95% confidence unless accessibility/feasibility impacts this. The 72x automated data collection efforts may be partially in a permissive environment and partially semi- or non-permissive. There are 48 units of automated data collection expected per year per environment. This is expected to fluctuate per mission requirements. No pricing is requested for the sample scenario. See amended solicitation for clarification.

46 PWS Attachment 4, Section C 3.2.3-3.2.5

Can the government clarify how this procurement will align with the recently released SOCOM GAP RFI? In particular, is the META platform a separate platform that will eventually be integrated in some capacity with the GAP platform? Also, can the government clairfy how this platform will integrate with the government's Command and Control of the Information Environment (C2IE) platform?

META is a stand-alone effort and has no direct linkage to any other contracts.

47 PWS Attachment 4, Section C 3.1.2.3.

Can the government please clarify the requirement for a network of contributors and their locations to support planning coniderations? Is this a requirement to show the location of all the data collectors, or automated data collection effort collectors?

Yes. Metadata is expected to be provided to the government, to include the geolocation of data collectors and automated data collection efforts.

48 PWS Attachment 4, Section C 3.1.9, 3.2.5

Does the government envision the data integration platform to be hosted at a classified level if there is a requirement for intelligence integration, or is the intelligence integration limited to Open Source Intelligence? Likewise, is 'multi-level security solution' indicative of different levels of classification or is it indicative of something else?

1) Data will be hosted and shared at the unclass level.

Some reports may become classified and will need to handled on appropriate systems and networks.

2) Multi-level security solution refers to security for the contractor-provided data handling solutions for visualization, aggregation, and storage of data.

49 PWS Attachment 4, Section C 4.1.2.4

Can the govenrment provide a typical length of analytic report?

Report lengths will be dictated by the required analyses to answer hypothesis/address objectives, not word count or page limits.

50 PWS Attachment 4, Section H2

If the government is requesting unit-pricing on various CLINS, is the contractor still under obligation to report all labor hours?

The Government is requsting unit pricing.

Solicitation PIID: 47QFSA20R0006 PROJECT TITLE: MISO Evaluation and Transregional Analysis (META)

51 PWS Attachment 4, Section H5

If a prime or subcontractor on a team is performing dissemination or assessment services as a subcontractor on one of the contracts used to produce, dissimenat, and assess information operations messaging (CTMSP, AFRICOM OPTS) will those be seen to have an organizational conflict of interest?

There are no OCI requirements solely based on past or current performance or support of MISO or IO activities.

52 PWS Attachment 4, Section H5

If a prime or subcontractor on a team is performing dissemination or assessment services as a subcontractor on one of the contracts used to produce, dissimenat, and assess information operations messaging (CTMSP, AFRICOM OPTS) will those be seen to have an organizational conflict of interest?

There are no OCI requirements solely based on past or current performance or support of MISO or IO activities.

53 Far 52.219-14 Given that the effort is FFP, how will the government track compliance with the small business setaside requirements of completing 51% of the services (personnel), when labor is not tracked within each

CLIN?

FAR 52.219-14 is Notice of Price Evaluation Preference for HUBZone Small Business Concerns, this is not a HUBZone set aside.

54 Can the government provide a financial scope or ceiling for the contract?

Task Orders will be issued after award , a realistic estimated total quantity are proivded in the solicitation. This estimate is not a representation to an offeror or contractor that the estimated quantity will be required or ordered, or that conditions affecting requirements will be stable or normal.

55 PWS Attachment L.5.3 Can offerors provide a past performance contract for subcontractors who do not reach the critical subcontractor threshold but who's performance is highly relevant to the contract?

See section L.5.3 and M3.3 for instructions

56 PWS L.5.3 If a past performance example is from a subcontract, does the government desire the prime contractor or the government contracting office to submit the PPQ?

Per the Solictation instructions "The PPQs shall come to the Government directly from the customer contact to be considered for evaluation. "

57 PWS C.2 Paragraph C.2 states "The contractor shall provide an interface that supports in identifying the vulnerabilities of a target population, evaluating and assessing influence operations, and using outcome or predictive analyses to dependably inform USSOCOM future operations." What specific infrastructure (on-premise, cloud or hybrid), compute and store capability (elastic compute and storage, tactical edge compute and store, other?), data sources, and software (including data collection or management, Business Intelligence/Visualization, and analytics products) will be provided as GFE? This information inform offerors solutions and allow for detailed pricing development.

There is no GFE under META.

58 PWS Attachment 3 (Pricing)

CLIN 0013 lists units of data storage per year (base and option years). What is the definition of 1 unit of data storage?

Please see PWS Attachment 7 outlining one unit for each CLIN.

59 PWS Attachment 3 (Pricing)

CLIN 0014 lists units of data storage per year (base and option years). What is the definition of 1 unit of visualization?

Please see PWS Attachment 7 outlining one unit for each CLIN.

60 PWS Attachment 3 (Pricing)

CLIN 0012 lists units of user support (assessment plan & survey development, reachback, platform, and training) per year (base and option years). What is the definition of 1 unit of user support?

Please see PWS Attachment 7 outlining one unit for each CLIN.

61 PWS Attachment 3 (Pricing)

CLIN 0011 lists units of data analysis per year (base and option years). What is the definition of 1 unit of data analysis?

Please see PWS Attachment 7 outlining one unit for each CLIN.

62 PWS Attachment 3 (Pricing)

CLINs 002 thru 0010 address quantitative, qualitative, and automated data collection in permissive, semi-permissive, and non-permissive environments and lists units per year (base and option years). What is the definition of 1 unit of data collection for each of the nine categories covered by these nine CLINs?

Please see PWS Attachment 7 outlining one unit for each CLIN.

63 PWS Attachment 3 (Pricing)

CLIN 0001 lists units of translation per year (base and option years). What is the definition of 1 unit of translation?

Please see PWS Attachment 7 outlining one unit for each CLIN.

64 PWS C.3.1.9 Does the gov't require collected data, analyses, results, products, and visualizations be provided on both unclass and classified domains?

Data will generally remain unclassified and should be provided via unclass networks. Other products should be handled on appropriate networks based on the classification of the specific product. Data and any products only need to be provided on the appropriate network, not both in the case of unclassified products.

65 PWS C.2, C.3.1.6, and C. 3.1.9

In C.2 an interface is mentioned. In C3.1.6 a dashboard is mentioned. Are these the same thing? Is the intent for offeror's to provide a single user tool for creation of analytic products and visualizations? If so, is there an expectation that this capability will also be used for integration of classified information with assessments?

Yes, the "interface" and "dashboard" are the same thing . The Government has elected to not specify specific solutions for the data visualization requirement (sec C.3.2.3.). Offerors should propose a solution that meets the requirement. The dashboard is to be accessed via NIPR and unclass Internet so there is no expectation that the capability will integrate classified information.

66 PWS C.3.1.9 There is a stated requirement to integrate assessment data with intelligence information. Is the intent for there to be a single tool to perform the integration? Will the gov't provide software or tooling for the integration of intelligence information? Or is the expectation that the offeror's data/assessment products will be transferred to a govt-provided system via CDS or API call?

No tool will be provided. Integration of data will be with PAI only for analysis.

Solicitation PIID: 47QFSA20R0006 PROJECT TITLE: MISO Evaluation and Transregional Analysis (META)

67 PWS C.3.2.5 Para 3.2.5. states "The contractor shall provide and maintain a cloud-based storage solution for data collected. The cloud shall feed into a user-friendly interface, and shall be made available to everyone in the MISO community who requires access. MISO users must be able to easily retrieve data analysis for any measures on which data has been collected, when needed. Multi-level security solutions must be available in order to appropriately store data and analytic products. Data will be transferrable to future USSOCOM cloud services currently in development."

Does the requirement for multi-level security mean that there will be data environments maintained at multiple security classification domains? Or does this refer to role-based or user-based access controls?

Multi-level security refers to appropriate security measures to prevent unauthorized access to data.

68 PWS C.3.1.9. Since there is a requirement that the contractor shall integrate assessment data with intelligence data, we assume there is a requirement for transferring data from unclassified to classified domain via an approved Cross Domain Solution (CDS). Will the governmet confirm that an approved CDS will be provided as GFE?

The requirement to integrate with intelligence data is removed from the PWS. Integration of PAI is sufficient.

69 PWS C.4.3 Please confirm that remote support is acceptable for unit support points of contact. If there are instances where the support point of contact must be physically present, please identify those requirements.

Confirmed.

70 PWS H.5 Can the Government confirm that there will be no potential for biased ground rules OCIs under the task orders on this contract?

Question is unclear; see section H.5 of PWS that will flow down to Task Orders

71 PWS Attachment 3 (Pricing)

Can the Government identify under which CLIN PAI/OSINT should be included?

There is not a single CLIN for PAI or other data.

Integration or collection of PAI or other data will fall within the CLIN under which the task is being performed.

72 N/A Would the government allow the use of 11x17 landscape pages, and if so, would the governement consider allowing them to count as 1 page?

No, all pages shall be within the format outlined in section L.2.2

73 RFP L.2.1 Would the government clarify that there is not a hard copy submission required? It is mentioned in L.2.1.

No hard copy required. See updated PWS.

74 N/A Will the government allow the use of section dividers and if so, will it not count towards page count?

Section dividers will not count toward page count.

75 N/A Will the government allow a glossary and if so, will it not count towards page count?

A glossary will not count toward page count.

76 N/A Given the sensitive nature of MISO, is a current facility clearance a requirement?

The prime vendor who will be the apparent awardee is required to meet all security requirements outlined in PWS and DD254 as well as other applicable attachments.

77 RFP L.5.3 Given that a critical subcontractor is defined as providing 40% of the required support, it follows that a critical subcontractor be allowed to provide 40% of the five allotted past performance citations. Will the government allow critical subcontractors to provide up to two past performance citations?

No, per PWS L.5.3 " Each offeror a detailed descriptive listing of three (3) active or completed contracts" and "If the offeror is proposing the use of a critical subcontractor, the offeror shall submit a detailed descriptive listing of one (1) active or completed contract... " See section for full instruction details.

78 N/A Given the sensitive nature of MISO, is a current facility clearance a requirement?

The prime vendor who will be the apparent awardee is required to meet all security requirements outlined in PWS and DD254 as well as other applicable attachments.

79 RFP L.5.3 Given that a critical subcontractor is defined as providing 40% of the required support, it follows that a critical subcontractor be allowed to provide 40% of the five allotted past performance citations. Will the government allow critical subcontractors to provide up to two past performance citations?

No, per PWS L.5.3 " Each offeror a detailed descriptive listing of three (3) active or completed contracts" and "If the offeror is proposing the use of a critical subcontractor, the offeror shall submit a detailed descriptive listing of one (1) active or completed contract... " See section for full instruction details.

80 RFP L.5.4 As the Government knows, the nature of semi-permissive and non-permissive environments vary widely. As such, pricing varies widely to accomplish the same task for two different countries in either a semi-permissive or non-permissive environment. Will the government provide further details to allow Offerors to price the requirement more equitably for evaluation purposes only? For example, the Government could provide four example countries within each defined environment, and have them price the currently defined sample requirement for each of those four countries.

This approach allows the Government to make an apples-to-apples comparison of pricing.

Due to the dynamic nature of conflict, the Governement cannot provide a list of countries for each category. Some countries may contain multiple levels of permissiviness within their borders.

Permissiviness of each task will be determined when it is added to the task order and may be modified during execution if necessary. See IGCE for definitions of permisiveness. See Attachment 3 Pricing Spreadsheet tab 2 'Definitions of Permissiveness'

81 RFP L.5.4 Can an Offeror propose labor categories? No, the governement does not expect any labor categories on this proposal. Offerors shall propose to the format provided in Attachment 3 Pricing

82 TO Assessment RequiremeWe interpret the assessment units required to mean that the Government requires Quarterly randomized household surveys per city, Quarterly in depth interviews (2 each per city), Quarterly focus groups (2 each per city), and Semi-monthly Automated Data Efforts (for each of the 3 cities). Is this correct? If not, could the government advise as to how these assessment units should be understood?

Yes, this is correct.

83 3.1.2 Data Collection Meth "Demography" is listed among the potential quantitative methods suggested in this paragraph. Which types of demographic analysis is the Government interested to receive?

List represents some potential methods.

Methodology and analysis needs will be based on specific project requirements.

84 PWS F.3 page 19 of 110 Please can the Government confirm the precise permissive, semi-permissive and non-permissive places of performance that services are expected to be delivered in?

Requirements may vary, and any foreign country could be determined a requirement during the life of this contract.

Solicitation PIID: 47QFSA20R0006 PROJECT TITLE: MISO Evaluation and Transregional Analysis (META)

85 Pricing Sheet The cost sheet indicates a number of units for translations, quantitative data collection (3-enivironment types), qualitative data collection (3 environment types), automated data collection (3 environment types), data analysis, user support, data storage, and data visualization. In order cost accurately, we will need to understand the precise definition of those units

Please see PWS Attachment 7 outlining one unit for each CLIN.

86 Data Collection Focus Groups: Number of Qualitative projects per year (by environment) Number of focus groups per project Number of focus groups held in person, online Number of locations Duration of the focus groups Whether or not English transcripts of the groups are required.

Whether the report is a powerpoint presentation or word document

Tasks will vary based on individual project requirements and the security situation of locations.

Documentation may be required in the form of native language transcripts, translated transcripts, audio, and/or audio/visual documentation of focus groups.

Report will be in Word format with graphs, as applicable.

87 Data Collection IDIs: Number of Qualitative projects per year (by environment) Number of depth interviews per project Number of held in person, online Number of locations Duration of the interview Whether or not English transcripts of the groups are required.

Whether the report is a powerpoint presentation or word document

Tasks will vary based on individual project requirements and the security situation of locations.

Documentation may be required in the form of native language transcripts, translated transcripts, audio, and/or audio/visual documentation of focus groups.

Report will be in Word format with graphs, as applicable.

88 Data Collection Environment: Number of Quantitative projects per year (by data collection approach - F2F, online, Telephone, email, etc) Length of interview in minutes Sample size per project Are surveys constructed as nationally representative or not)

Online, telephone, and email are all automated data collection. Quantitative assumes face to face or facilitator driven surveys. The length of the interview will vary by requirements; sample size will be determined by power analysis provided by the vendor. Unlikely to be nationally representative, but there could be an emerging requirement for that and if there is, we would need the vendor to have that capability.

89 Cost Sheet The cost sheet indicates automated data collection (3-environments). Is this meant to signify any non-interviewer administered survey such as online or IVR or SMS in which data can be transmitted real-time to a centrally hosted dashboard?

Correct.

90 Data Storage Data storage - Is their requirement for the cloud storage to be own by the vendor or are 3rd party secure cloud storage providers acceptable?

3rd Party cloud services are acceptable.

91 Data Collection Data storage - What are the minimum expectations for data storage in GB / TB

The government does not have an estimate of storage capacity since various solutions will inherently produce different amounts of data. Data storage solutions should include scability as storage requierments are expected to grow over time.

92 Data Collection Data Visualization / Dashboards - what is the anticipated bandwidth for dashboard access?

The data visualization dashboard should be accessable from locations with realitively poor NIPR or Internet connectivity.

93 Data Collection Data Visualization / Dashboards - Are there privileged access requirements?

Yes, the governement will require priviledged access for certain users.

94 Data Collection Data Visualization / Dashboards - Is there a requirement for device independent visualization (site responsive)?

Data visualizations should be viewed on standard government computer systems.

95 Data Collection Data Visualizations / Dashboards - how many access levels would be required for the dashboards (who sees what)?

The Governement has not determined a specific number of levels at this time. Most data should be viewable by all users, however the Governement may elect to keep certain data limited to certain users.

96 Data Collection Web scraping / Social Media Listening - How many countries and languages would require this on a monthly basis?

Specific areas and langauages will be determined by the individual projects and may change over time.

97 CLIN 0001 and PWS paragraph 3.1.5

What is considered a single translation? Is each survey, focus group, and interview questions document considered one translation?

Please see PWS Attachment 7 outlining one unit for each CLIN.

98 CLIN 0011 What is considered a single Data Analyis unit? What ia the expected duration of the analysis.

Please see PWS Attachment 7 outlining one unit for each CLIN.

99 CLIN 0014 What is considered a single Data Visualization unit? Please see PWS Attachment 7 outlining one unit for each CLIN.

100 CLIN 0013 What is considered a single Data Storage unit? Please see PWS Attachment 7 outlining one unit for each CLIN.

101 CLIN 0013 What is considered a single User Support unit? Please see PWS Attachment 7 outlining one unit for each CLIN.

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