Questions and answers.Laptops dd 02 07 2012.pdf

Q u e s t i o n s f o r R F Q 4 Q B F 4 7 1 1 6 8 0 9 f o r L a p t o p s , D e s k t o p s , N o t e b o o k s , N e t b o o k s , a n d W a r r a n t i e s

1. The Request for Quotation (RFQ) document has a “DRAFT” watermark on each page; is it possible to get a final version of the solicitation in a word document format?

Government Answer: Amendment #0002 was issued on December 8, 2011 and released a copy of all documents without the DRAFT watermark.

2. With regard to the possibility of many changes to the RFP due to vendor questions, will the

Government consider extending the due date for proposals until the middle of January?

Government Answer: Amendment #0002 was issued on December 8, 2011 and revised the response due date from December 16, 2011 to February 10, 2012. Amendment #0003 was issued on February

9, 2012 and revised the response due date from February 10, 2012 to February 22, 2012.

3. The NAICS Code is for manufacturers only. As a woman owned, veteran owned small business, how do we participate? We do have our own GSA Schedule in addition to having teaming agreements and being a Public Sector Elite partner with HP. Will the NAICS code be changed to accommodate resellers?

Government Answer: No change required. Manufacturers and resellers are authorized to provide a quote for this solicitation under the NAICS code 334119 because it is open to large and small businesses.

4. Will the Government clarify how small and large businesses will be evaluated for awards?

Government Answer: See Instructions to Offerors (ITO), section 10, Factors of Evaluation.

5. As contracts like this typically require, will the Government require bidders to provide "proof of authorization" in the form of a letter from manufacturers showing that the bidder is in fact an authorized reseller?

Government Answer: Letter of Supply or “proof of authorization” is not required for the mock buy on the BPA Price Template. The BPA Price Template is a mock buy for evaluation purposes only.

Although a letter of supply is not required for this RFQ mock buy, offerors shall be authorized suppliers consistent with their GSA FSS contract.

6. We suggest GSA require a copy of the vendors’ letter of supply to prevent unauthorized resellers from submitting offers that include these product lines.

Government Answer: Letter of Supply is not required for the mock buy on the BPA Price

Template. The BPA Price Template is a mock buy for evaluation purposes only. Although a letter of supply is not required for this RFQ mock buy, offerors shall be authorized suppliers consistent with their GSA FSS contract.

7. Please provide any specific data possible about what customers will make up the anticipated estimated amounts projected in this RFQ?

Government Answer: NITCP anticipates that all authorized users will utilize the BPAs. Authorized users are DOD, other Federal, and approved State and local agencies.

8. Were these funds projected based on GSA past spending?

Government Answer: Estimated spend was based on a GSA independent study to support authorized users.

9. Many OEMs have varying levels of discounts for the products they sell, making it impossible to list

"one percentage" discount for all products. Will the Government allow bidders to specify different categories of discount percentages for the OEMs they list (i.e. Fully Rugged computers - 5% off, semi-rugged - 3% off, etc)?

Government Answer: No, Please provide pricing in accordance with the ITO and the BPA Price

Template.

10. Will awardees be allowed to add/change OEMs post-award if it becomes in the Government's best interest? For instance, some bidders may want to provide several different computer platforms through the BPA, all with their own corresponding discounts.

Government Answer: See sections 8 (Product Pricing) and 9 (Product Change) of the RFQ.

11. Is it the Government's intention that awardees would set up a "catalog" of what items they are including into the BPA's pricelist?

Government Answer: Yes, BPA contract holders will be setting up a catalog of what items that are included in the scope of the BPA.

12. Does the RFQ mandate the development of a separate on-line storefront or is that considered optional?

Government Answer: Yes, See Amendment 0003, number 3 regarding the RFQ section 12.0

Ordering.

13. The BPA title includes Laptops, Desktops, Notebooks, Netbooks and Warranties, but the pricing sheet only has the specifications listed for Notebooks (Laptops – Basic, Advanced, Rugged and

Mobile Workstation)? Can you advise if there will be specifications and additions to the pricing table to include Desktops and Netbooks?

Government Answer: The RFQ title lists the product categories that are to be available under the complete offering of the awarded BPAs. The scope of the BPA includes the categories listed in the title. All products in the contractor's schedule within scope of those categories should be available under the complete offering of the awarded BPA. The items on the BPA Price Template sheet(s) are for evaluation purposes only.

14. Reference: Request for Quotation 4QBF47116809 and BPA Price Template. Desktop. The

Government has titled this requirement for "Laptops, Desktops, Notebooks, Netbooks, and

Warranties." However, there are no traditional desktops in the BPA Price Template. By leaving out the traditional desktop, the BPA template omits a non-portable computer, display, keyboard, and mouse as four separate but connected devices. (Granted, GSA has issued a separate monitor BPA but that still does not account for the three missing desktop devices.) Additionally, in CLINs 0004 and

0005, the Government has named these as "Desktop (Mobile Workstation)[.]" Will the Government share its reasoning for why there is no requirement for traditional desktops? Furthermore, given the mobility specifications called forth, will the Government deploy what is essentially a large laptop in lieu of a traditional desktop? Furthermore, given the mobility specifications called forth, will the

Government deploy what is essentially a large laptop in lieu of a traditional desktop?

title. All products in the contractor's schedule within scope of those categories should be available

15. During the draft there were questions that referenced Desktops; can you please note if there will be another RFQ (BPA) technically for Desktops.

title. All products in the contractor's schedule within scope of those categories should be available

16. Is it required that the offeror have a GSA schedule for the materials and services being solicited in this RFq in order to participate in this opportunity?

Government Answer: Yes, as stated in the ITO, “Quotes will only be accepted from contractors with an active contract for the above listed Schedule and SIN.”

17. RFQ, Section - 7.0 Product Requirements and Instructions to Offerors (ITO), Section D. In the RFQ

Section 7.0, the Government says, “By submission of a quote for the BPA an offeror agrees that, if a

BPA is established with that offeror, then that offeror’s discount percentage offered for the BPA shall be the overall discount offered for and applied to all laptops, desktops, notebooks, netbooks, and warranties on the offeror’s GSA schedule contract that may be purchased through orders against the resultant BPA.” By this language, it seems clear the Government wants the BPA awardees to apply their winning discount on every piece of computer equipment they have on GSA schedule. However, in the ITO, Section D, the Government says, “The Discount Percentage offered for the BPA will be used as the overall discount for the remainder of the offeror’s BPA product catalog under the GSA

Schedule for ALL laptops, desktops, notebooks, netbooks, and warranties under the awarded BPA.”

This section would seem to indicate that vendors can offer computer equipment solely for the BPA.

As the Government may know, with either approach there are positives as well as negatives. On the positive side, by applying the BPA discount percentage across all equipment in the offeror’s GSA schedule, the Government has breadth of product to choose from. Negatively, vendors not being able to determine which equipment the Government may procure at any given timeframe, may not offer the best discount. Furthermore, vendors may condense their selection in order to better gauge and forecast supply, especially toward end-of-year sales. On the latter approach, a point in its favor is that vendors, by having the leeway to determine which equipment they can place on the BPA catalog, can better source and determine the exact equipment for any given customer with the added benefit that equipment will be available to other purchasers government-wide. Will the Government clarify which approach it will be utilizing for this BPA: an all-encompassing application of the BPA discount across all computer equipment under schedule or a more target approach with a BPA catalog with specific equipment?

Government Answer: The government requires an all-encompassing application of the BPA discount across all laptops, desktops, notebooks, netbooks, accessories, and warranties under schedule. Correct, we are looking for all laptops, desktops, notebooks, netbooks, accessories, and warranties in the offeror’s GSA schedule to capture a wide breath of products.

18. RFQ, Section 7, Product Requirement and BPA Price Template Minimum Salient Characteristics:

Upon careful analysis of the specifications contained in the spreadsheet, and even though a question was previously raised about the specifications pointing to a specific manufacturer (which the

Government removed the manufacturer’s name), the specifications still seem to point to a specific manufacturer, namely Dell. This is due to the specifications pointing to characteristics and terminology that only Dell notes on their product specifications. Specifically, the minimum salient characteristics look as though they were copied directly from the Dell website. Will the Government remove all Dell characteristics and terminology from the specifications?

Government Answer: Amendment #0003 deleted and revised the CLINs description on the BPA

Price Template. Offerors’ quotes are to provide a product that meets the GSA minimum requirements. See Amendment #0003 revised specifications.

19. RFQ, Section 7.0, paragraph 3: are you indicating the discount percentage must be offered for the complete vendor line of notebooks or only for the specific models offered in our bid?

Government Answer: The scope of BPA includes the categories listed in the title. All products in the contractor's schedule within scope of those categories should be available under the complete offering of the awarded BPA. The government requires an all-encompassing application of the

BPA discount across the complete vendor line of notebooks under schedule.

20. RFQ, Section 11.6 - Exchange/Sale Program: The Government states that it anticipates implementing an exchange/sale program for the monitor for the duration of the BPA with the “exchange allowance or proceeds of sale in whole or in part payment for the acquisition of similar property.” As the

Government may know, the remarket value of any monitor is contingent upon numerous factors that include but is not limited to: make, model, condition, and timeframe of receipt. In order for the

Government to realize any appreciable value in a commodity such as monitors, the more expedited the refresh process the higher potential the return. Furthermore, deductions to the remarket value may be applied to items may include: damage, nonfunctioning, or extensive physical wear and tear. With something as commoditized as monitors where the remarket value is defined in terms of months rather than years, and the deductions would meet the full market value of the asset, the Government would essentially be paying for the cost of processing and logistical services of their removal. What mechanisms will the Government allow vendors to convey the relative values and costs associated for assets?

Government Answer: The Government has revised sub-section 11.6 to clarify its intent. Details regarding the Exchange/Sale Program will be collaborated during the development of the strategy per the request of the Government.

11.6 Exchange/Sale Program

GSA anticipates implementation of an Exchange/Sale Program during the duration of this BPA. The contractor may be asked to assist in development of the strategy and subsequently support its execution consistent with their GSA schedule contract terms.

Exchange/Sale means to exchange or sell non-excess, non-surplus personal property and apply the exchange allowance or proceeds of sale in whole or in part payment for the acquisition of similar property. In this case all computer monitors on this BPA are considered personal property that potentially will need to be replaced. GSA wants to be able to exchange or sell any and all property back to the Contractor and apply the exchange allowance or sales proceeds to reduce the cost of similar replacement property. 41 CFR 102-39

21. Reference RFQ Section 12.2 Order Placement: Upon award, is it the intention of the Army to provide location data that can be loaded into our web ordering system for setup purposes?

Government Answer: No, please see RFQ section 12.5. Delivery locations will be provided upon issuance of the ordering agencies’ task order.

22. Reference RFQ, Section 12.2 – Ordering (Part 1): The Government says orders shall be received and accepted “via the world wide Web on-line. . .[and] the automated online ordering capability is the preferred method for placing orders. . .[and] in the event the automated ordering system becomes unavailable for use; the contractor shall provide a backup plan for the Government to submit orders.

The ordering website must be available for use within 30 days of contract award”. As this paragraph is unclear, is the Government requiring all vendors to have online ordering capabilities on their websites in addition to the GSA Advantage and IT Solutions Shop?

Government Answer, Part 1(On-Line Ordering): Amendment #0003 revised Section 12.1 and

12.2 in the RFQ as follows:

12.1 The contractor shall provide an automated ordering system. Orders placed via phone, fax, e-mail, in person, contractor’s website, GSA Advantage!® and DoD Emall shall be accepted by the contractor. Federal Government and any approved State and Local agencies may require BPA items uploaded to other portals as a condition of placing orders. Contractor website must be available for use within 30 days of contract award. In the event, the automated ordering system becomes unavailable for use; the contractor shall provide a backup plan for the Government to submit orders.

12.2 Reserved

23. Reference RFQ Section 12.2 – Ordering (Part 2): Additionally, is this ordering to be done AFTER competition in a Reverse Auction format? It appears to duplicate efforts if a Reverse Auction site is setup, and then vendors need to have a separate ordering site.

Government Answer, Part 2 (Reverse Auctioning): Any reverse auctioning techniques will be utilized by the Ordering agencies Contracting Officers after establishment of the BPAs.

Amendment #0003 added 12.7 Reverse Auctioning to the RFQ as follows:

12.7 Reverse Auctioning

Ordering agencies Contracting Officers may, at their discretion, utilize reverse auctioning pricing technique as deemed appropriate to their specific IT product requirement(s).

24. Reference RFQ Section 12.6 GSA Program Funding Fee: The Government says, “The contractor shall remit a GSA Program Funding Fee of 2.75% (to be determined upon receipt of offers, discounts, and fee analysis) incorporated into its total unit price(s). Though the .75% GSA Industrial Funding

Fee reflects current GSA policies, the 2% fee seems excessive. According to GAO guidance on

GWAC earnings issued in 2002, on GWAC earnings states “(1) GWAC fees should be adjusted so that total revenues do not exceed actual costs and (2) revenues generated in excess of the agency’s actual costs are to be transferred to the miscellaneous receipts account of the U.S. Treasury’s General

Fund.” (GAO-02-734 Contract Management) As we are unaware of any changes to this GAO guidance, the 2% fee envisioned seems excessive in that the envisioned BPA(s) do not have any ascertainable performance metrics as to what GSA’s actual costs will be in administering this program. Furthermore, GSA supply schedules are by far the largest GWACs agencies utilize today.

Its fee revenue far out paces other GWACs. As such, a more measured approach should be taken to ensure a fee structure is more in line with other GWACs. For instance, NASA SEWP IV charges only .45% up to a $2.2 million order and anything above that amount (in the base order) is capped at

$10,000.00. Therefore, will GSA reduce its 2% fee? Would it not be a more fair approach if GSA were to set the fee to .5% or .75% and increase it only after the BPA base year when the program’s actual costs can be ascertained?

Government Answer: Amendment #0003 revised Section 12.6 in the RFQ as follows:

12.6 GSA Program Funding Fee

The GSA Program Funding Fee reimburses GSA for the costs of procuring and administering the

BPAs. This program funding fee shall be comprised of the GSA Industrial Funding Fee set at 0.75 percent and an additional percent Administrative Service Fee of 1.25 percent for the BPA, which may be subject to revision(s) at anytime. The Contractor shall remit a GSA Program Funding Fee of 2% incorporated into its total unit price(s). Upon revision, Contractor is required to adjust pricing up or down by the applicable percentage to reflect the new fee structure.

Remittance of the GSA Industrial Fee portion (.75) of the Program Funding Fee shall be done in accordance with the underlying Schedule 70 contract. Remittance instructions for the Administrative

Service Fee 1.25% portion of the Program Funding Fee will be provided to the Contractor within 60 days of BPA establishment by the Contracting Officer or designee. The Government reserves the unilateral right to change such instructions from time to time at no additional cost, following notification to the contractor.

25. RFQ, Section 12.6 GSA Program Funding Fee. The RFQ further states that, “Upon revision, Contractor is required to adjust pricing up or down by the applicable percentage to reflect the new fee structure.” Even though it is not explicitly stated in this RFQ, the .75% industrial fee is a pass through that vendors add to the negotiated price of the awarded vendors’ GSA schedule. Will GSA allow vendors to adjust their prices accordingly and pass it through in their negotiated price to customers should the additional fee be revised up or downwards?

percent and an additional percent Administrative Service Fee of 1.25 percent for the BPA, which may be subject to revision(s) at anytime. The Contractor shall remit a GSA Program Funding Fee of 2% incorporated into its total unit price(s). Upon revision, Contractor is required to adjust pricing up or

Service Fee 1.25% portion of the Program Funding Fee will be provided to the Contractor within 60 days of BPA establishment by the Contracting Officer or designee. The Government reserves the

26. RFQ, Section 12.6 GSA Program Funding Fee of 2.00 % is excessive and needs to be reduced in order to ensure GSA remains competitive. Most procurement contracts in Federal and SLED are reducing contract fees to ensure they remain a viable procurement option.

percent and an additional percent Administrative Service Fee of 1.25 percent for the BPA, which may be subject to revision(s) at anytime. The Contractor shall remit a GSA Program Funding Fee of 2% incorporated into its total unit price(s). Upon revision, Contractor is required to adjust pricing up or

Service Fee 1.25% portion of the Program Funding Fee will be provided to the Contractor within 60 days of BPA establishment by the Contracting Officer or designee. The Government reserves the

27. Does the Government plan to reduce the contract fee in the future to compete better with other

GWAC and IDIQ agreements?

percent and an additional percent Administrative Service Fee of 1.25 percent for the BPA, which may be subject to revision(s) at anytime. The Contractor shall remit a GSA Program Funding Fee of 2% incorporated into its total unit price(s). Upon revision, Contractor is required to adjust pricing up or

Service Fee 1.25% portion of the Program Funding Fee will be provided to the Contractor within 60 days of BPA establishment by the Contracting Officer or designee. The Government reserves the

28. Reference RFQ section 17.0 Reporting Capabilities: Upon award, are there preferred templates that will be provided to ensure that not only minimum metrics are delivered, and that all requested metrics are considered for delivery, or does GSA prefer contractors to develop templates for approval based on the descriptions and metrics provided in the solicitation.

Government answer: The government prefers contractors to develop templates for approval based on the descriptions and metrics provided in the solicitation.

29. Instructions to Offerors (ITO), Section 9, sub-section: B (1) and BPA Price Template: The

Government states that vendors must be in "conformance" with the minimum salient characteristics.

If it is the Government's intent to have vendors meet the minimum salient characteristics, and since the specifications are Dell specifications, it would seem that vendors must propose Dell equipment in order to meet the minimum characteristics. It would seem that the Government intends these specifications be a set of desirable characteristics rather than mandatory characteristics. Are the minimum salient characteristics mandatory or desired?

Price Template. It is the intent of the government to provide specifications with general minimum salient characteristics not tailored to a specific brand name product.

30. Instructions to Offerors (ITO), Section 9, sub-section C – Past Performance: GSA is in the process of releasing multiple RFQs that will create BPAs for a variety of different commodities. Because many vendors will be bidding on all the different BPAs, there will be much duplication of effort if a separate Past Performance questionnaire is needed for each. If vendors could submit one to be valid across all the BPAs, it will greatly ease the burden on Contracting Officers who have to fill out and return multiple sets of Past Performance Questionnaires. Will vendors be allowed to submit one single set of Past Performance references? Are CPARs valid substitutions for Past Performance

Questionnaires?

Government Answer, Part 1: No, vendors are not allowed to submit one set of past performance references as the questionnaire data. Each submitted questionnaire should be specific to the individual RFQ requirement. ITO was revised to clarify the Government’s intent for offerors past performance questionnaire submission. See Amendment #0003.

Government Answer, Part 2 (CPARs): No, CPARs is not a valid substitution for the Past

Performance Questionnaires.

31. BPA Price Template, All CLINs: GSA specifies “contactless smart card reader”. Would GSA accept an internal smart card reader slot versus a contactless smart card reader option? Alternately, would

GSA allow for the smart card readers to be priced as options to a base unit that will be evaluated as two separate models with two varying price points in the pricing evaluations?

32. Reference: BPA Price Template, All CLINs: GSA may wish to consider making OPAL Self-

Encrypting Drives (SEDs) a minimum standard for all classes of computers. Can GSA add the following security hardware specifications to RFQ636930?

1. TPM 1.2 chip, powered on and enabled in every computer.

2. OPAL Self-Encryption Drives FIPS 140-2.

Government Answer: Offerors’ quotes are to provide a product that meets the GSA minimum

33. BPA Price Template, All CLINs: Would GSA accept pricing in the format of cost plus as opposed to the requested format of MSRP/list minus? We have found that we are able to operate more competitively if we are completely transparent, and operating in a cost plus fashion. List minus does not allow us to achieve the maximum possible discount, as we are forced to compensate for variables between discounts. With cost plus, we are able to track these variables in a more efficient manner, and to eliminate some additional costs that are factored when using a list minus format. List minus becomes exceedingly tricky with the fees being requested, and the volume tiered discounts, and it is our belief that a cost plus format will prove much leaner and cleaner in the proposed scenario.

Government Answer: No. The resulting BPAs, for this RFQ, will be Firm Fixed Price.

34. BPA Price Template, All CLINs: Can you please change the wording from EPEAT Gold to EPEAT

Gold / Energy Star 5.0?

35. BPA Price Template, All CLINs, Minimum Specifications: In this solicitation, the Government has the requirement for laptops to be certified to the EPEAT Gold level. As shown below, the clause at

FAR 52.223-16, IEEE 1680 Standard for the Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer

Products, makes EPEAT Bronze registration the standard that contractors must meet. Additionally, according to FAR 23.704, guidance from the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive encourages agencies to procure EPEAT Silver registered products. In light of this information, will you change their EPEAT requirement from Gold to Silver?

52.223-16 IEEE 1680 Standard for the Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer

Products.

As prescribed in 23.705(b)(1), insert the following clause:

IEEE 1680 STANDARD FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF PERSONAL COMPUTER PRODUCTS

(DEC 2007)

(a) Definitions. As used in this clause—

“Computer monitor” means a video display unit used with a computer.

“Desktop computer” means a computer designed for use on a desk or table.

“Notebook computer” means a portable-style or laptop-style computer system.

“Personal computer product” means a notebook computer, a desktop computer, or a computer monitor, and any peripheral equipment that is integral to the operation of such items. For example, the desktop computer together with the keyboard, the mouse, and the power cord would be a personal computer product. Printers, copiers, and fax machines are not included in peripheral equipment, as used in this definition.

(b) Under this contract, the Contractor shall delivery, furnish for Government use, or furnish for contractor use at a Government-owned facility, only personal computer products that at the time of submission of proposals were EPEAT Bronze registered or higher. Bronze is the first level discussed in clause 1.4 of the IEEE 1680 Standard for the Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer

Products.

(c) For information about the standard, see www.epeat.net.

23.704 Electronic products environmental assessment tool.

(a) General. As required by E.O. 13423, agencies must ensure that they meet at least 95 percent of their annual acquisition requirement for electronic products with Electronic Product Environmental

Assessment Tool (EPEAT)-registered electronic products, unless there is no EPEAT standard for such products. This policy applies to contracts performed in the United States, unless otherwise provided by agency procedures.

(b) Personal computer products. Personal computer products is a category of EPEAT-registered electronic products.

(1) The IEEE 1680 standard for personal computer products—

(i) Was issued by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers on April 28, 2006;

(ii) Is a voluntary consensus standard consistent with Section 12(d) of Pub. L. 104-113, the

“National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995”, (see 11.102(c));

(iii) Meets EPA-issued guidance on environmentally preferable products and services; and

(iv) Is described in more detail at www.epeat.net.

(2) A list of EPEAT-registered products that meet the IEEE 1680 standard can be found at www.epeat.net.

(3) The IEEE 1680 standard sets forth required and optional criteria. EPEAT “Bronze” registered products must meet all required criteria. EPEAT “Silver” registered products meet all required criteria and 50 percent of the optional criteria. EPEAT “Gold” registered products meet all required criteria and 75 percent of the optional criteria. These are the levels discussed in clause 1.4 of the

IEEE 1680 Standard. The clause at 52.223-16, IEEE 1680 Standard for the Environmental

Assessment of Personal Computer Products, makes EPEAT Bronze registration the standard that contractors must meet. In accordance with guidance from the Officer of the Federal Environmental

Executive encouraging agencies to procure EPEAT Silver registered products, Alternate I of the clause makes EPEAT Silver registration the contractors must meet. Agencies also may use

EPEAT Silver or Gold registration in the evaluation of proposals.

https://www.acquisition.gov/far/current/html/Subpart%2023_7.html#wp1086571 https://www.acquisition.gov/far/current/html/www.epeat.net https://www.acquisition.gov/far/current/html/Subpart%2011_1.html#wp1086832 https://www.acquisition.gov/far/current/html/www.epeat.net https://www.acquisition.gov/far/current/html/www.epeat.net https://www.acquisition.gov/far/current/html/52_223_226.html#wp1179078

(c) The agency shall establish procedures for granting exceptions to the requirement in paragraph (a) of this section, with the goal that the dollar value of exceptions granted will not exceed 5 percent of the total dollar value of electronic products acquired by the agency, for which EPEAT-registered products are available. For example, agencies may grant an exception if the agency determines that no EPEAT-registered product meets agency requirements, or that the EPEAT-registered product will not be cost effective over the life of the product.

36. BPA Price Template, CLIN 0001 Basic Laptop, Smart Card Reader: In the minimum specifications, the Government is requiring a "contactless smart card reader [.]" Dell is the only manufacturer that offers this type of smart card reader. As GSA may know, most government agencies are still relying on the traditional common access card (CAC) whereby a card must be inserted into a reader's slot for it to be read. Contactless CAC readers have not been widely accepted by the Government. Will the

Government remove the term "contactless" from the minimum salient characteristics?

37. BPA Price Template, CLIN 0001 Basic Laptop, Accidental Damage Warranty: In the minimum specifications, the Government is requiring an "accidental damage warranty." As the Government sees every day, due the economic and political climate, agency IT budgets are ever more constrained and will be so for the foreseeable life of the resulting BPA. As such, many agencies do not purchase accidental damage warranty due to the added costs associated with it. There may be a need for this warranty coverage but only as option. Therefore, to drive down costs, will the Government make the accidental damage warranty an optional item?

38. BPA Price Template, CLIN 0002 Advanced Laptop, Graphics: In the minimum specifications, the

Government is requiring, "nVidia NVS 4200M 512 MB DDR3 [.]" This requirement is restrictive.

The referenced "nVidia…" is a Dell implementation. In its place the requirement should read, "discrete graphics interface with 512MB of dedicated video memory (i.e., not shared system memory)." Will the Government change this requirement to industry standard indicated?

Government Answer: “nVidia” is not specific to Dell products only. Amendment #0003 deleted and revised the CLINs description on the BPA Price Template. Offerors’ quotes are to provide a product that meets the GSA minimum requirements. See Amendment #0003 revised specifications.

39. BPA Price Template, CLIN 0002 Advanced Laptop, Minimum Specifications: Given what appears to be Dell specifications contained in the spreadsheet (and even though a previously raised question necessitated the Government's removal of the manufacturer’s name), it still seems as though the

Government desires to have an advanced laptop match a specific Dell model rather than presenting minimum specifications that are attainable by which vendors could submit qualifying laptops. Are the minimum salient characteristics mandatory or desired specifications?

40. BPA Price Template, CLIN 0002 Advanced Laptop, Accidental Damage Warranty. As previously espoused in the Basic Laptop's question number ten above, but no less applicable to the Advanced

Laptop, accidental damage warranty is considered a luxury option that many agencies opt not to purchase (from our empirical observations). Therefore, to drive down costs, will the Government make the accidental damage warranty optional?

41. BPA Price Template, CLIN 0002 Advanced Laptops: Is there a specific i7 Intel CPU requirement, for example, Intel Core i7-2620M processor (dual-core, 2.70GHz, 4MB Cache)? The current requirement only states Intel Core i7.

42. BPA Price Template, CLIN 0003 Rugged Laptop, CPU: In the minimum specifications, the

Government is requiring an "Intel Core i7 2.7 GHz" CPU. For a rugged laptop to have what is unquestionably the higher end of the Intel mobile CPU spectrum is very restrictive. Therefore, will the Government change the processor minimum to read "Intel i5 2.4GHz" CPU?

43. BPA Price Template, CLIN 0003 Rugged Laptop, Minimum Specifications: In the minimum specifications, the Government is requiring an "Intel Core i7 2.7 GHz" CPU in addition to its other

"minimums." As stated in the previous question, for a rugged laptop to have what is unquestionably the higher end processor of Intel’s mobile CPU spectrum is highly prejudicial. In the marketplace today, Intel only has three mobility processors that clock in higher than the Intel i7 2.4GHz. Of the three, two are Intel Extreme Edition processors found in mobility gaming laptops. For the

Government to set all the specifications in the Rugged Laptop as it did, it appears vendors must propose a specific rugged laptop in order to meet high end characteristics. It would seem that the

Government intends these specifications be a set of desirable characteristics rather than offering minimum characteristics with which vendors can meet or exceed. Are the minimum salient characteristics mandatory or desired specifications?

44. BPA Price Template, CLINs 0003, 1003, 2003: Can you please identify the IP rating for the rugged units?

Government Answer: IP-65

45. BPA Price Template, CLINs 0003, 1003, 2003: Do you require Office starter software as it would increase the cost and potentially be moot for organizations ordering systems with images?

Government Answer: Not required.

46. BPA Price Template, CLIN 0003 Rugged Laptop, Productivity Software: In the minimum specifications, the Government is requiring productivity software to be "Microsoft Office Starter

Software [.]" Of all the CLINs, this is the only one that requires Microsoft Office Starter productivity software. We wonder if this may have been an inadvertent "cut and paste" from the Dell website.

We are unaware of any Government agency that does not have an enterprise licensing agreement in place with Microsoft. The inclusion of this software appears to be unnecessary. Will the

Government remove it?

47. BPA Price Template, CLIN 0003 Rugged Laptop, Accidental Damage Warranty: As previously asked in two places above, but no less applicable to the Rugged Laptop, accidental damage warranty is considered a luxury option that many agencies opt not to purchase (from our empirical observations).

Therefore, to drive down costs in this CLIN, will the Government make the accidental damage warranty optional?

48. BPA Price Template, CLINS 0003, 1003, 2003 Rugged Laptops: Will GSA accept Laptops systems that meet the following eight Mil-STD-810 F requirements: High Temperature, Low Temperature, Sand, Altitude, Extreme Temperatures, Humidity, Vibration and Mechanical shock? The other two requirements are extremely uncommon, and are specific to submersible devices in use at a very limited number of federal facilities. These two requirements not being met by these eight out of ten are primarily utilized in overseas military operations and Naval and Marine offshore environments.

The broadening of this category from ruggedized to semi-ruggedized would greatly broaden the scope of offerings available to GSA on this response, and would help to lower the overall bottom dollar price offered.

49. BPA Price Template, CLIN 0004 Desktop (Mobility Workstation) Basic System, Video Memory: In the minimum specifications, the Government is asks for, "nVidia Quadro 1000M with 2GB DDR3

[.]" This requirement is very restrictive. The referenced "nVidia…" is a Dell implementation on a higher end mobility platform. In its place the requirement should read, "discrete graphics interface with 1GB of dedicated video memory (i.e., not shared system memory)." Will the Government change this requirement to industry standard "discrete graphics interface with 1GB of dedicated video memory (i.e., not shared system memory)?"

50. BPA Price Template, CLIN 0004 Desktop (Mobility Workstation) Basic System, Minimum

Specifications: After careful and deliberative analysis of this CLIN's minimum characteristics, it again appears the Government is not merely presenting minimum specifications but that of a specific model whose specifications encapsulate technologies (taken together) could be termed cutting-edge.

Are the minimum salient characteristics mandatory or desired specifications?

51. BPA Price Template, CLIN 0004 Desktops (Mobile Workstations): Various manufacturers support different wattage AC Adapters for this class of system. We ask that GSA allow AC adapters with

170W or higher, in place of the minimum requirement of 180W for this mobile workstation. The

170W usage is a “greener” alternative in terms of power consumption, and we believe this would be supportive of the governments overall objectives in this solicitation.

52. BPA Price Template, CLIN 0004 Desktop (Mobility Workstation) Basic System, Accidental Damage

Warranty: Also in this CLIN, the Government is requiring accidental damage warranty. Will the

Government amend this minimum salient characteristic to change accidental damage warranty to make it optional?

53. BPA Price Template, CLIN 0005 Desktop (Mobility Workstation) Advanced System, Minimum

Specifications: As with the case of CLIN 0004 Basic System, the minimum salient characteristics of the Advanced System appears to be not a set of industry standard minimum characteristics but taken together showcases a rather specific configuration pertaining to a very specific manufacturer's model.

Are the minimum salient characteristics mandatory or desired specifications?

54. BPA Price Template, CLIN 0005 Desktop (Mobility Workstation) Advanced System, Accidental

Damage Warranty: As pointed out for each of the preceding CLINs, accidental damage warranty is probably more than what the Government requires. Because the resulting BPA envisions utilization by other agencies, one final argument toward making this an optional item is that other agencies may find purchasing a system with accidental damage warranty to be superfluous to their mission. Will the Government remove accidental damage warranty from this CLIN or make it optional for vendors to bid as they choose?

55. BPA Price Template, CLIN 0005 Desktops (Mobile Workstation) Advanced System: We ask that

GSA accept a suggested change to the display size, decreasing the minimum requirement from 17.3in.

to 15.6in.? This will greatly broaden the number of options available to the various agencies who will utilize this vehicle, driving more aggressive costs without any decrease in performance, and will make the spec more manufacturer agnostic. The number of OEM’s producing a 17in. mobile workstation that meets the current requested minimum spec is very limited, and the majority of

OEM’s that used to produce a 17in.+ mobile workstation have commonly decreased the size to 15+ to limit the weight of the devices. Devices in the 17in. category commonly weigh in the range of 10-

13lbs, and a similar 15.6in., that meets spec otherwise in this case, would be more in the range of 6-

8lbs. Research has proven that your internal customers prefer a lighter device if they do not have to sacrifice performance and that is our focus in this request. However, there are many benefits that would result from this making this revision to the minimum specification, and we believe this would be helpful in the achievement of GSA’s overarching goals on this project.

56. BPA Price Template, CLIN 0005 Desktops (Mobile Workstation) – Advanced System: Would GSA accept a mobile workstation with a 15-16in. display, that also includes an attached expansion display of roughly 10in.? The combined display size would exceed the minimum required specification, and this change would allow for more competition on this model device.