Rapid Phase II RFQ QA Amendment 1.pdf

Rapid Phase II

RFQ Q&A

1. What support services, if any, will be provided by the government test ranges?

a. HVAC, power, and installation support (e.g. antenna mounting, cable runs, etc.).

Vendor should coordinate with proposed government test range POC on network connectivity availability. In the case of JBCC government test range, network connectivity is available.

2. The solicitation states that “U.S. DOT will provide scenario development and support and a U.S. DOT data collection and reference system at the test range.” Does the reference system contain PNT truth data for vehicle targets?

a. Yes, the government will have a mobile truth/reference system available.

3. Will the government provide test vehicles for use in tests, at the test ranges?

a. Yes, the government will have a vehicle available for use.

4. On Page #6 on the solicitation document, it states: “Proposals with identified partnerships including test ranges not currently in use will be prioritized.” Does this mean that vendor test ranges (i.e., not one of the government test ranges listed in the solicitation) are acceptable and preferable?

a. Vendor provided test ranges are acceptable. Per the SOO, proposed test ranges not currently in use will be prioritized.

5. Are international test locations acceptable? If so, would they be less preferable?

a. As stated in the CPNT Action Plan, the goal of this effort is to promote widespread adoption of CPNT technologies for U.S. Civil Government and critical infrastructure uses. Therefore, domestic U.S. based test range locations are required to support that goal.

6. Are real-world tests acceptable, where the technology is demonstrated against real-world threats, and the CPNT capabilities can be documented, albeit where the threat truth data must be inferred?

a. Real-world threats could be considered as part of the threat vector testing.

7. Will the government provide any test event opportunities, such as local GPS jamming or spoofing at a test range? Or are vendors and their partners 100% responsible for deploying and executing test conditions, such as local GPS jamming or spoofing?

a. The timing of the awards may allow for the use of open-air test event opportunities.

In addition, wired/conducted testing may be used.

8. The solicitation documents require that the vendor technology should be set up (i) "at a critical infrastructure facility and tested alongside but independent of nominal operations," and (ii) at a "test range location at which the Offeror’s Solution will be performed ... against normal operations and threat vectors." Taken together these requirements imply that a critical infrastructure facility must be transported and located at a test range location. Is that a correct interpretation, or are these independent test conditions, from which vendors may select?

a. It does not have to be an independent test condition. The critical infrastructure location could serve as the test range location. In this case, the intent would be to ensure that testing does not interfere with the critical infrastructure's normal operations (e.g., testing would occur in a "sandbox" environment).

9. Are biographies or resumes/CVs required for key personnel?

a. The solicitation requires that that the Offeror “Provide a staffing plan with estimates of the number of unique and concurrent persons that will require access to the field trial site(s)”.

10. On Page #5 on the solicitation document, items 3 & 4: Are the schedule and staffing plan part of the 10-page limited TECH VOL or part of the pricing submission?

a. Yes.

11. On Page #5 on the solicitation document, item 5: Are we OK to use government per diem costs (air and land) when providing an ODC plan in the pricing submission?

a. Yes.

12. Document Combined Synopsis/Solicitation, Section Requirements Specifications:

The solicitation states that, “The Offeror should indicate its test range location at which the Offeror’s Solution will be performed”. Is “test range location” construed to be only a single place or physical area, or can it be broadened to include multiple sites under the control of a critical infrastructure owner/operator with whom the offeror has partnered? For example, if the CPNT solution were to be simultaneously tested in several sites as part of a large-scale demonstration, would an offeror be responsive to the RFQ?

a. The test range location can include multiple sites or physical area under the control of a critical infrastructure owner/operator, provided that the proposal includes all necessary components and considerations to conduct testing under both nominal conditions and threat vector scenarios.

13. Document Statement of Objectives Section V Objectives 6) Please provide additional detail to the following statement “a. The operation of the solution meets regulatory compliance and be without any proprietary licensing agreement restrictions.” What does the Government deem necessary to operate without a proprietary license?

a. The operation of the solution must meet regulatory compliance requirements and operate without any proprietary licensing agreement restrictions. This means the Government requires assurance that there are no restrictions on using the vendor's technology for its intended application. Specifically, the technology must be free from limitations that could hinder its deployment, modification, or integration within the intended environment, ensuring full operational control and flexibility for the Government.

14. Are you able to provide [me with] clear interactions for the next round of Complementary Positioning, Navigation, and Timing intake, for what you are looking for, so we do not end up sending the wrong information like what happened last time.

a. Please review the Technical Approach (Volume II) section for information on requirements for responding to the solicitation.

15. Currently, the RFP states on page 4 that, "Offerors shall complete a Solicitation Pricing Schedule...provide information to support their quoted price, including fully burdened direct labor rates and labor hours, detailing specifications and costs," but this level of detail is indicative of a Time and Materials contract type, not a FFP contract type. Would the government clarify if the CLIN 100 labor costs on Appendix B are supposed to be FFP, and if so, update the RFP requirements for the Price Quote for labor by reducing the amount of detail required so that the data required to be submitted for this proposal is in alignment with an FFP contract type bid?

a. CLIN 00100 is an FFP CLIN, however, this information is still being requested.

16. The RFP states on page 4 that, "Offerors shall complete a Solicitation Pricing Schedule," but no pricing schedule template was provided with the RFP and fields in Appendix B are not related to any kind of schedule. Would the government provide the Solicitation Pricing Schedule template that they want offerors to use and guidance on what is to be included?

a. Please insert CLIN prices in Appendix B.

17. Currently in the RFP under Invoice Payments on page 8 it states that "b) Offerors will invoice travel costs under CLIN 00200 as necessary. Invoices for travel must include receipts to substantiate the costs paid," but this requirement is indicative of a Time and Materials contract type, not an FFP contract type. Would the government clarify if the CLIN 200 travel costs on Appendix B are supposed to be FFP and if so, update the RFP requirements accordingly?

a. CLIN 00200 is an NTE (not-to-exceed) cost-reimbursement CLIN and Appendix B has been updated accordingly.

18. Would DOT consider add-on options to the core proposal? If so, how should the price of the add-on options be reported in the proposal?

a. Options will not be considered in the resulting Purchase Orders.

19. If add-on options to the core proposal are not allowed, can one entity file multiple proposals with the same technical solution but with different scopes (options)?

a. No, each entity should submit one quote.

20. The RFQ mentions that one CI partner is required for the proposal, but it also asks for contextual information on potential users beyond the identified partnership. Are multiple CI partners and installations allowed in one proposal? Will the inclusion of multiple partnerships increase the quality of a proposal?

a. Including more than one CI partner is at the discretion of the Offeror. However, per the solicitation, partnerships are a discerning factor for award.

21. According to 2015 Communications Sector-Specific Plan, broadcasting systems are part of the communications sector, and they have been the principal means of providing emergency alert services to the public. Will a TV station be considered as CI for testing?

a. TV broadcast is considered CI.

22. Will Government’s reference and data collection system(s) require safe housing, power supply, and HVAC at the CI test site?

a. Yes.

23. What is the power consumption of the Government’s reference and data collection system(s) that will be installed at the CI test site?

a. Access to a single outlet (e.g. 120V,15amp service) should be sufficient.

24. How much space (rack units or other measure of volume) does Government’s reference and data collection system(s) require to be installed at a CI test facility?

a. Access to a bench, desk, or rack space and cable access for an external GPS antenna would be sufficient.

25. Will Government’s reference and data collection system(s) require cable run and antenna installation at the CI test site?

https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cisa.gov%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fpublications%2Fnipp-ssp-communications-2015-508.pdf&data=05%7C02%7CAndrew.Josephs%40dot.gov%7C9fe6f18fa1f845d48b7108dd1a1a8685%7Cc4cd245b44f04395a1aa3848d258f78b%7C0%7C0%7C638695423418131089%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=HsI1bs%2FnrUzo%2B1Vwmf%2Fu9kJapDRhU7PHNl2Jdf%2FSsIk%3D&reserved=0

a. For timing use cases, yes, a GPS antenna will need to be installed on a roof/open sky.

26. Will Government’s reference and data collection system(s) require remote internet access?

a. No.

27. How frequently will the Government testers need to physically access the CI test site? How many people will require access?

a. It is likely that no more than four or five personnel will need access. There is expected to be up to 5 visits to the test site. This could include an initial site visit, setup, testing, and teardown.

28. If the chosen CI site cannot accommodate some or all of the DOT testing infrastructure, will the DOT directly fund its implementation or is the submitter expected to do so? If the submitter is expected to do so, will this unexpected cost be required to come from the awarded grant?

a. All costs should be accounted for in the price quote. There will be no awarded grants. The Government is contemplating multiple Purchase Orders for this requirement.

29. "enhance the resilience of the Nation's PNT dependent systems..." - Does this include private enterprises such as utility providers and their use cases or federal/state owned infrastructure related applications?

a. This includes any critical infrastructure and/or federal uses.

30. "technologically mature CPNT services..." - How is maturity measured? by technical readiness or market presence?

a. As stated in the solicitation, “Proposals must describe how the CPNT technology achieves the required minimum TRL of eight (8), as described in the Federal Highway Administration Technology Readiness Level Guidebook. The TRL requirement applies to the full end-to-end solution including the PNT service infrastructure and user equipment (UE).”

31. "considered if a different technology" - Is cellular network based CPNT considered different?

a. The following link provides information on current technologies participating in the initial Rapid Phase: https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/department-transportation-awards-7-million-complementary-positioning-navigation-and

32. "A successful Rapid Phase II outcome is the earliest possible provisioning of the following three elements; Item #2 - Is there a reference for data collection and methods procedures for the evaluation of resilience?

a. Nominal and threat vector scenarios, data collection and truth systems information, and testing procedures will be shared after contractor award.

33. "timing information that is derived independently from GPS/GNSS" - Does information need to be synchronized to GPS/GNSS or synchronized to another source like NIST or UTC?

Would USDOT consider LEO and/or LORAN reference sources as independent of

GPS/GNSS?

a. For testing of the CPNT solution, ideally the vendor can demonstrate its independence from GPS.

https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/department-transportation-awards-7-million-complementary-positioning-navigation-and https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/department-transportation-awards-7-million-complementary-positioning-navigation-and

34. "The test range capabilities and location being proposed" - Can third party vulnerability and threat expert partners perform this task or must the offeror have this capability?

a. The government will be responsible for developing and implementing the necessary threat vectors for testing.

The synopsis stipulates partnership with a critical infrastructure owner/user and setting up the proposed CPNT system at the critical infrastructure site to be tested and evaluated in Government provided scenarios under nominal and adverse conditions that will be developed afterward. Critical infrastructure sites are public places and these sectors offer services to the public. The most adverse condition for GPS is the jamming of GPS signals that result in degradation/denial of GPS which in turn can seriously disrupt the services provided. In this context

35. Who is going to be responsible for creating the adverse conditions, i.e., environment jamming?

a. The government will be responsible for developing and implementing the necessary threat vectors for testing.

36. As mentioned above, creating adverse conditions will entail disrupting the services that will require notifications and obtaining permissions. Will the Authority provide any assistance towards these endeavors?

a. Open-air threat vector testing at vendor-fielded test locations will not be done.

However, wired or conducted testing will be considered.

37. The synopsis was released on Nov 27, 2024, and the deadline for submitting a response is Jan 14, 2025. The holiday period (Christmas and new year) before the submission deadline will seriously hinder our efforts to find and negotiate terms with the critical infrastructure owner/user. Therefore, we would like to know if the Authority would consider a 30-day extension for submitting a response?

a. An extension of 10 days has been posted on sam.gov.

38. Would the Authority find it acceptable for a potential vendor to partner with a critical infrastructure owner/user located domestically and have the proposed system set up OCONUS under physical and/or cyber security measures to be defined by the Authority.

a. As stated in the CPNT Action Plan, the goal of this effort is to promote widespread adoption of CPNT technologies for U.S. Civil Government and critical infrastructure uses. Therefore, domestic U.S. based test range locations are required to support that goal.

39. Could the decision-making criteria for selecting the awardees of the RFQ 6913G6-24-Q- 300020 be possibly shared, to improve our next RFQ submission?

a. The evaluation criteria for this action were listed within the posted RFQ.

40. The Combined Synopsis/Solicitation for CPNT Services for participation in Rapid Phase II

Field Testing states, “To achieve this goal (e.g., expansion of CPNT technology diversity for the tests) proposals from current vendors undergoing technology testing under the Initial Rapid Phase will only be considered if a different technology is proposed by the vendor and a partnership is identified for Rapid Phase II testing.” As you know, our company was selected for the initial Rapid Phase and will participate with CPNT technology in field tests.

Given the above statement from the solicitation and that our company would not propose CPNT technology other than that already selected for the initial Rapid Phase, do we correctly conclude that we should not submit a proposal in response to the solicitation for Rapid Phase II?

a. The solicitation states: proposals from current vendors undergoing technology testing under the Initial Rapid Phase will only be considered if a different technology is proposed by the vendor and a partnership is identified for Rapid Phase II testing.”