Solicitation No.: 47QMCA26Q0021

Ques # Section/Paragraph Reference

(e.g., SOO), Par 4.1) Offeror Question Government response

1 Is the government looking for the VIN and description of the vehicles? Not the location or any other information Refer to Appendix B: Minimum Requried Vehicle Data Elements

Is this a brand new contract or was an incumbent performing these services. If not brand new, could you please provide the previous contract number

The incumbent was Hearst Business Media Corp. under BPA

47QMCA20A0003

3 Appendix B Is there a Data Dictionary for the Data elements? There is no public data dictionary available for these data elements.

4 Appendix B

If "no" in Q1, what is the government's definition of "Tires in use"? Our intrepretations are either a wheels engaged category (i.e. Front, Rear, AWD, 4x4), specific manufacture, or tires in use other than standard "Tire size".

This refers to the number of tires required by the vehicle to operate (not to include any spares). Example: a dual rear-wheel truck would equal "6"

Tires In Use, and a standard sedan would equal "4" Tires In Use.

5 3.3 What format does the government want the data in? JSON, CSV, Excel, pdf? All the above?

JSON, CSV, Excel are examples of acceptable formats. As per the amended Statement of Objectives, PDFs will not be accepted.

What is the expected request frequency for each batch of VINs after the initial data delivery of the full fleet? This will help us staff the effort by understanding if this will be a few VINs per day or a few thousand VINs once per month.

Following the initial data delivery of the full fleet, GSA estimates limited ad-hoc data calls of no more than thousand vehicle records per month.

7 Should there be standard entries for the values returned? Ex "4WD" vs. "4 wheel drive"

Data outputs/formatting should be consistent and best reflect the industry standard for each required data element. The Government will also coordinate with the Contractor after award to ensure formatting best aligns with system requirements.

Should there be standard units of measure (gallons vs. liters and lbs vs kg) or can we provide a unit of measure column when needed?

See response to question 7

9 General / Solicitation Clarification Can the Government confirm whether there is an incumbent contractor currently performing similar services, and if so, provide the incumbent’s name and a high-level description of the current scope of work?

See response to question 2

10 General / Solicitation Clarification Does GSA have an anticipated level of effort (e.g., estimated labor hours, staffing expectations, or suggested labor mix) for BPA holders to support this requirement?

There is no anticipated level of effort, estimated labor hours, staffing expectations or labor mix. This is a Firm Fixed price contract priced out per VIN.

11 General / Solicitation Clarification Can GSA provide additional detail on how the VIN Test Case scenario will be evaluated, including any minimum thresholds for data completeness and accuracy?

See the amended Section 6.2 Evaluation Criteria

12 General / Solicitation Clarification Can GSA clarify the expected volume and frequency of VIN submissions and whether the 72-hour turnaround applies regardless of batch size?

The Schedule of Supplies details the estimated volume of data for each annual period. The response window applies to all requests.

13 General / Solicitation Clarification Can GSA clarify whether the use of licensed commercial datasets (e.g., VIN decoding services) is acceptable, provided that the Government receives full ownership of the deliverables?

The Contractor must provide data derived from any of the sources listed in

Scope of Work, and must adhere to the data ownership requirements/constraints listed in the Statement of Objectives.

14 General / Solicitation Clarification Does GSA have a preferred output format or schema for deliverables, or should offerors propose their own format aligned to Appendix B?

Data outputs/formatting should be consistent and best reflect the industry standard for each required data element. The Government will also coordinate with the Contractor after award to ensure formatting best aligns with system requirements.

Section 2 (Schedule of Supplies), Pricing Structure

Does the Government anticipate that VIN order volume will be front-loaded in the base period, with reduced volumes in the option years, or should offerors assume relatively consistent ordering across all periods?

The Government estimates that the bulk of requested vehicle data will occur in the base year, with reduced volume in the subsequent option years. See the Schedule of Supplies for estimated quantities per period.

Section 2 (Schedule of Supplies), Option Year CLINs

For option year CLINs where quantities are not specified, can the Government provide any historical or planning estimates to assist offerors in pricing risk appropriately?

CLIN 003 "Vehicle Attribute Data (Additional government vehicle) -

Optional" represents the estimated quanitites for those option year periods.

Section 4 (Performance Constraints), Par 4.5; Appendix B

Does the Government expect 100% population of all Appendix B data elements across all VINs, or is partial population with documented exceptions acceptable and expected?

The Contractor must provide the minimum required data elements

(Appendix B) for each VIN, and adhere to industry-standard decoding practices to obtain all applicable data elements for each vehicle. The

Government understands that omissions and exceptions are possible, and expects the Contractor to follow the requirements regarding such constraints, as outlined in Par. 4 (Performance Constraints) of the

Statement of Objectives.

Section 4 (Performance Constraints), Par 4.3

Can the Government confirm whether VINs will be submitted primarily in large batch files, ad hoc batches, or single-VIN requests, and whether different response time expectations apply to each submission type?

VIN requests are estimated to submitted in large batches as well as on an ad-hoc basis. The response window applies to all requests.

19 Section 7 (Data Ownership), Par 7 Following completion of an individual task order, how long are we permitted to retain the results for auditing purposes?

Please refer to Par. 4.1 (under Performance Constraints) and Par. 7 (Data

Ownership).

20 SOO, Section 3.1, page 3

As an OEM, we could only consider providing data on the vehicles we sell, which we assume will be less than the minimum 525K government owned units you are referring to. Would that disqualify us? How should this be noted in the event we decide to submit a bid?

This will depend on your offer and how it best meets the Government's requirements.

21 SOO, Section 4.3, page 4 Where can we find the cost and sign up requirements for the GACA process for data exchange?

GSA will provide guidance on establishing a GACA after award. There is no cost associated with creating this account.

22 SOO, Section 5, page 4 What happens if vendor can’t provide data requested within 72 hours? Are there penalties for non-compliance? This should be included as an exception with your offer.

If we decide not to bid but want to offer collaboration with the awarded vendor for our OEM vehicles, where or how should that be noted?

This consideration should have been made earlier in the procurement process, specifically before the solicitation was posted, as this information is required to be included in the firm's formal quote.

24 Appendix B, page 10 Please clarify how far back we should go in terms of Model Year when collecting and delivering these attributes to ensure we satisfy the requirements of the solicitation?

There is no specific requirement on how far back model years should go.

25 Appendix B, page 10

Not all vehicle attributes are available. For attributes we do not have, the corresponding field would be populated as NULL. Please confirm whether NULL values are acceptable, or if another indicator (e.g., “Not Available”) is preferred?

NULL values may be acceptable, but the Contractor must also adhere to all requirements regarding any data omissions/exceptions as stated in Par.

4.5 of the Statment of Objectives.

26 SOO, Section 2 We can only provide vehicle attributes related to OEM products. Attributes for other OEMs are out of scope. Is this acceptable?

This should be included as an exception with your offer.

27 Cover letter, page 1, paragrah 5 Please clarify the small business reference. Are we required to be a small business to participate?

This is a full and open competition all businesses are permitted to submit a quote.

28 Contract Clauses, page 15 We are unable to comply with the requirements of 52.222-62- Paid Sick Leave under Executive Order 13706. It also doesn't seem applicable to this contract. Please advise if our objection to this clause will disqualify us.

52.222-62 applies because it is linked to clause 52.222-41, which is included in this contract. Your question would need to be included as an exception providing details why it doesn't apply to your firm.

Vehicle Data Standardization

Solicitation No.: 47QMCA26Q0021

Ques # Section/Paragraph Reference

(e.g., SOO), Par 4.1) Offeror Question Government response

Vehicle Data Standardization

Section 4(E) – Placing Orders; Section

6 – Basis of Award

Will GSA award multiple BPAs... allowing an offeror to provide data exclusively for vehicles manufactured by its own OEM? If so, how will technical scoring account for partial coverage outside our OEM portfolio in the test-case scenario?

See response to Question 20

Section 4.1 – Performance

Constraints; Section 7 – Data

Ownership

Can this be satisfied by granting the Government a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, and disclose the delivered datasets specific to Government VINs, without transferring ownership of underlying

OEM intellectual property, schemas, or know-how?

This would need to be included as an exception with your offer.

Section 3.3 – Secure Data Exchange

(GACA)

Is GACA (Google Drive/Sites) the only acceptable exchange method, or may we alternatively/optionally transmit via secure API or SFTP with encryption and IP allow-listing to improve automation?

As per Par. 4.3 of the Statment of Objectives, all outputs must be returned electronically using the GACA process.

Deliverables Table; Section 4.3 – 72-hour response

Does the 72-hour response time refer to business hours/days, and what are the expected batch sizes and concurrency limits (e.g., maximum VINs per request and maximum simultaneous requests)? Are there penalties for SLA misses due to upstream OEM constraints?

The 72-hour window now reflects 3 business days, as per the amended

Statement of Objectives. Any deviations from this timeframe would need to be included as an exception with your offer.

Appendix B; Section 4.5 – Decoding

Practices

For heavy-duty/incomplete vehicles (e.g., chassis cab upfits, trailers, buses, ambulances), what constitutes an acceptable exception are not defined at the base OEM build stage? Would OEM build-sheet values plus

‘unknown/not applicable’ flags for upfit-defined elements be acceptable?

The Contractor may need to provide the specific decoding standard or manufacturer documentation that prevents the accurate retrieval of that data. Any exceptions/omissions would need to be documented alongside with the stated exceptions and error codes. Please also review the amended Statement of Objectives, Par. 4.5.

34 Section 7 – Data Ownership

The SOO prohibits storing or reusing government VINs or related data outside contract scope. May we retain minimal operational logs/metadata (e.g., timestamps, request IDs, non-PII performance metrics) for security, reconciliation, and audit, with defined retention and no secondary use?

Please refer to Par. 4 (Performance Constraints), Par 4.1 and Par. 7 (Data

Ownership) in the Statement of Objectives. Please also review RFO 2025-

4.705 regarding which documentation would need to be retained as part of the contract.

Section 2 – Schedule of

Supplies/Pricing Instructions

Are unit prices only billable for VINs where the minimum required data elements are successfully returned? How should we price or invoice records that return an allowed exception/error code?

As per the amended Statement of Objectives, Par. 4.5: Returned outputs with all blank (or equivalent) values, or with any exceptions/omissions/errors that are not properly documented, and deemed permissible by the Government, are not billable.

Section 5 – Format and Submission

(Technical Capability/Test Case)

What is the timeline between RFQ close and receipt of the test VIN set, and what is the required turnaround for returning the sample data?

This information will be included in the test case scenario instructions after the RFQ closes.

37 Section 1.2 – Scope of Work; Appendix A – Fleet Inventory Will GSA’s test VIN set include a proportional mix of [a specific OEM's] vehicles present in Government fleets to enable an OEM-specific provider to demonstrate depth and completeness on its own makes/models?

The Government expects to provide a mix of VINs of various types that broadly represents its fleet. It will provide additional details as part of the test case scenario instructions after the RFQ closes.

Section 5 – Submission of

Questions/Quotes

Please confirm that quotes are due January 23, 2026, 5:00 p.m. Eastern, and whether amendments extending these dates are anticipated.

Quotes are due 02/06/2026 by 5 PM ET. Check SAM.gov for any amendments.

Appendix B: Minimum Required

Vehicle Data Elements* What exactly are they looking when asking for vehicle series?

This refers to the variation within the model (Example: Model X 1500 series vs Model X 2500 series).

Appendix B: Minimum Required

Vehicle Data Elements*

Is the need for the actual Cab to Axle (CA) dimension i.e. 3500/4500/5500 chassis? How is this different than

Chassis Make?

The cab to axle data element requires the actual length measurement

(e.g., in inches). The chassis make refers to manufacturer of the chassis itself.

Appendix B: Minimum Required

Vehicle Data Elements* What is there definition of engine size and displacement? They appear to be the same[.]

Engine size and displacement will be consolidated into one field (engine size) in the amended Statement of Objectives.

Appendix B: Minimum Required

Vehicle Data Elements*

Are all of these fields mandatory? I noticed there are only 13 items from the list that we were provided before and

13 new items added to the list.

The Contractor must provide the minimum required data elements listed in

Appendix B of the amended Statement of Objectives for each Government provided Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), and state any exceptions following the requirements listed in Par 4.5.

43 Is the government looking for option and trim level data, beyond just the base configuration of the vehicles?

Trim is a minimally required data element. Please refer to Appendix B for the full list of minimum required data elements.