SOLICITATION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS NSE TECHNICAL SUPPORT-RFP 693JF725R000020_UPDATED_4 SEP 2025.pdf

Question # Document Reference Section Reference Discussion/Question Answer

Labor Categories and Mapping Guidance: The RFP provides no specific labor category definitions or mappings to standard Department of Labor (DOL) or contract-specific labor categories. Given the technical and functional complexity of the requirements described in Section C (PWS), will the Government please clarify whether there are preferred or pre-approved labor categories (e.g., SCA, 1102, 2210, 801 series, etc.) the Offeror should align to, or whether Offerors are expected to define and justify their own labor categories based on the requirements?

Offerors are expected to define and justify their own labor categories based on the requirements.

CLIN Structure and PWS Alignment:

The solicitation identifies only four labor CLINs (CLINs 0001–0004), but does not provide clear guidance on how these CLINs correspond to the functional areas and workload described in the PWS (e.g., RMS SME support, cybersecurity compliance, instructional design, training, data analytics). Will the Government please provide clarification or a crosswalk that maps specific PWS tasks to the associated CLINs, or confirm that Offerors may propose their own labor mapping structure within the cost/price volume?

The CLINS are broken out by Supported Program. The Offeror is expected to provide the full range of services on CLINs 1, 5, and 6 directly to the respective programs. CLIN 2 is for the upkeep of the Reserve Fleet Management Site (RFMS).

3 Section 4.3

Training Volume and Travel Requirements:

Section 4.3 of the PWS outlines contractor responsibilities related to training support but does not specify the expected volume or frequency of training events, nor does it indicate whether multiple training sessions may be required to occur concurrently. To adequately plan staffing and travel logistics, will the Government please clarify the anticipated number of training sessions the contractor will be expected to conduct annually?

Additionally, will the Government indicate whether on-site contractor travel to conduct training is required or preferred, or if virtual delivery is acceptable for some or all sessions?

Training sessions are in demand of the fleet, and requested by the ships, Ship Managers, and MARAD personnel. The contractor should expect to hold 1 training event at a time, either in person, virtual, or in a hybrid environment. On-site is the preferred delivery method as it has proven more effective.

Standardization of Labor Hours for Cost Proposals:

To ensure a fair and level playing field for all Offerors, will the Government provide an estimated annual level of effort (e.g., number of labor hours per labor category or CLIN) that Offerors should use as a basis for their cost proposals? Without standardized labor hour guidance, there is a risk of significant variance in pricing approaches that may hinder the Government’s ability to conduct an equitable evaluation of cost realism and competitiveness.

Estimated Level of effort should be estimated off the number of ships in each program. The Current breakdown of as of 11AUG2025 is as follows:

RRF: 49

MDA: 2

Public Nautical School Ship Program:5 NSMV Construction: 1 Ship at a time, with a transition to the Public Nautical School Ship Program.

Transition-In and Ramp-Up Period Will the Government allow for a transition or ramp-up period at contract start? If so, what is the expected duration, and will the Government provide any transition assistance (e.g., incumbent knowledge transfer, system access, etc.)?

The Government will allow for a transition period of 1 month. During that time, System access will be provided.

Incumbent Contractor and Historical Staffing Is there an incumbent contractor currently performing this work or a related effort? If so, will the Government provide any historical data on staffing levels, labor mix, or lessons learned to help inform accurate proposals?

There is an incumbent contractor currently performing this work. Historically, the contractor has had 2 to 3 employees who provided support. This does not mean that 2 to 3 employees are the appropriate staffing to provide all support required.

Help Desk Support Level and Hours of Operation:

The PWS references Help Desk support but does not specify the expected level of support (e.g., Tier I, II, or III) or the required hours of operation. To properly scope staffing and availability, will the Government please clarify whether Help Desk services are expected to be provided during standard business hours (e.g., Monday–Friday, 0900–1700), on a 24/7 basis, or another schedule? Additionally, please confirm the anticipated support tier(s) required.

The Help Desk support is the RMS Help Desk. The company awarded this contract will recieve tickets from the help desk. No 24 hour support is expected. The tickets for back-end software support, training, and changes to NSE come from the ships and are assigned through the help desk.

The help desk issues tickets during East Coast's normal working hours. The solicitor should be expected to work on Tickets as they come in or at a priority assigned by the COR. No schedule is expected or required as long as the tickets are completed in a timely manner.

Request for Proposal Submission Extension:

Given the number of critical clarifications needed—particularly regarding labor categories, level of effort, CLIN-to-PWS alignment, training volume, and Help Desk support expectations—would the Government consider granting an extension to the proposal submission deadline? An extension would ensure that Offerors are able to incorporate accurate assumptions and provide fully responsive and competitive proposals based on the Government’s forthcoming answers to these questions.

The Government is not granting an extension to the proposal submission deadline at this time.

9 Section B / Section L.5

The solicitation references multiple CLINs, but does not include an attached pricing schedule or template. Will the Government be providing a formal pricing schedule or pricing template for offerors to use in their cost proposal submissions? If so, when will it be issued?

A template will be provided via Amendment.

10 Section B In the absence of a provided pricing schedule, does the Government have a preferred format, structure, or required data fields (e.g., CLIN breakdown, labor category, unit price, quantities) for cost proposals?

A pricing schedule will be provide via an Amendment.

Section B / Section L.5 Should each CLIN in the contract be priced for all base and option periods, and how should unique items (such as the bar coding program) be addressed in proposal pricing?

Each CLIN in the contract should be priced for all base and option periods. Unique items should be entered as an additional CLIN.

12 Section B If the Government issues a pricing schedule or template after the Q&A period, will offerors be afforded additional time or an opportunity for further questions regarding the pricing requirements?

The will be issuing the pricing scheule via amendment. The Government will make every attempt to answer questions submitted after the close of the Q&A period.

13 Section C.4.1 – SME Experience (p. 10)

In Section C.4.1, the solicitation requires personnel with a minimum of 5 years working as a subject matter expert (SME) with NSE. Could the Government please clarify what specific experience is required of the SME—does this include system administration, end user support, training, data management, integration, or other functions?

A Subject Matter expert should have familiarirty with all user roles, (shoreside support/ purchasing, Shipbaord Management level officers, Shipboard Operational level officers, Port Engineers, System administration, Training, MARAD office oversight roles). As th eSMe will be required to assist if needed any issues that those personnel provide.

Section C.4.1 – NSE SME Support (p. 10) For subject matter expert (SME) support to RRF/MDA programs, can MARAD provide estimates of the average number of support requests or task orders to be issued annually?

Assume that the helpdesk will have 1500 or more requests annually.

Section C.4.3 – Training (p. 11) Section C.4.3 requires training “as requested/required.” Can MARAD estimate the anticipated annual volume of training sessions, the approximate locations or platforms (in-person/virtual), and the typical class size?

Historically training has been adhoc with 10 to 20 trainings provided per year. Half of those trainings have been geared towards shipboard personnell. With the Issuance of a new ship manager contract training is expected to be required more often for various user levels. assume at least 4 in person trainings per year at each MARAD Office, and 8 ship trainings per year. Training may be needed more than descirbed as MARAD's use of NSE features increase. MARAD will not set a maximum limit of training and seeks to have the aviliblity to provide training to ships and users as requestd. Attendees for training seesions may have anywhere from 2 to 30+ personnel attending.

16 Section C.4.3 – Training (p. 11)

Can MARAD provide expected or historical annual volume of NSE training sessions (with separate figures for MARAD staff, ship manager staff, and ship crew), and the average number of attendees per session?

Historically training has been adhoc with 10 to 20 trainings provided per year. Half of those trainings have been geared towards shipboard personnel. With the Issuance of a new shi manager contract training is expected to be required more often for various user levels. assume at least 4 in person trainings per year at each MARAD Office, and 8 ship trainings per year. Training may be needed more than descirbed as MARAD's use of NSE features increase. MARAD will not set a maximum limit of training and seeks to have the aviliblity to provide training to ships and users as requestd. Attendees for training seesions may have anywhere from 2 to 30+ personnel attending.

17 Section C.4.3 – Training (p. 11) What is the anticipated frequency of recurring, refresher, or new user NSE training events each year?

The anticipated training frequency is to offer a new user/ refresher training monthly virtually for all user levels.

18 Section C.4.5 – NSE Integrations (p. 12)

For Section C.4.5 (NSE Integrations), please clarify the expected scope of contractor technical assistance. Will MARAD provide necessary technical documentation, interface specifications, and developer/API access for required integrations, or is the contractor expected to gather this information independently from third-party vendors?

The contractor is expected to have the requisite knowledge base to aid MARAD in making integrations. MARAD will assist in retrieving the correct information needed, but may put the SME in direct contact with the entitiy when an integration is being developed.

19 Section C.4.6 – Drydock Support (p. 12)

Section C.4.6 references “financial and status reporting to monitor progress and completion of drydock tasks.” Will the Government confirm the required technologies, reporting tools, and data formats to be used in developing and delivering these reports?

NSE is capable of generating reports. The vendor would help ensure that drydocks within NSE are complete and accurate to rflect in system generated reports.

20 Section C.4.5 – NSE Integrations/Technical Assistance (p. 12)

Over the past three years, how many NSE integration/technical assistance initiatives or interface development projects have typically been initiated or supported per year?

There is currently an integration with each Ship Manager's financial system (10 to 12 systems), and integrations with a SQL server. And an ongoing integration managed by ABS Wavesight with a lube oil analysis vendor. Integrations are new for MARAD with outside entities feeding into NSE.

being new 2 integrations per year may be asked for development.

21 Section C.4.6 – Drydock Support (p. 12)

How many drydock events per year does MARAD anticipate requiring contractor support, and what is the typical number of documentation and reporting deliverables per event?

Depending on the year MARAD can have 10 to 20 drydock events that may need additional support during execution. Ship manager's may require additional support through out the planning process for drydocks. The RRF currently has 49 ships requiring this suppport.

Section C.4.8 – Documentation & Manuals (p.

13)

What is the average number of updates, revisions, or new MARAD NSE-related manuals and user guides anticipated to be requested annually?

At a minimum 1 update per year is required to capture any changes due to releases of NSE from ABS wavesight.

23 Section C.2.9 – Trouble Ticket Support (p. 13) To support accurate resource planning, can MARAD provide historical or estimated annual volumes for NSE/RMS trouble ticket submissions (e.g., number of tickets per year/month)?

Assume that the helpdesk will have 1500 or more requests annually for RRF/MDA ships, and 500 tickets for all other programs.

Section C.2.9 – Trouble Ticket Support (p. 13) For each trouble ticket, what is the average level of effort or duration required to resolve a ticket, and are certain types of tickets more prevalent than others? Tickets range from updating a Part, to a roll-out of a new Standard job scheme, or testing of new features. With the variablity of these requests no average time to resolve can be provided.

Section C.2.9 – Trouble Ticket Support (p. 13) For trouble ticket support, what are the current or expected service levels

(response and resolution times) required by MARAD, and will the contractor be responsible for 24/7 on-call support or only during standard business hours?

There is no "on-call period" for support. Tickets will be issued to the contractor from the RMS help desk. The contractor can complete these tickets at any time as available, within a standard work week.

Section C.2.9 – Trouble Ticket Support (p. 13) Will the Government please provide an estimate of the annual volume of

NSE/RMS help desk trouble tickets or support requests?

Assume that the helpdesk will have 1500 or more requests annually for RRF/MDA ships, and 500 tickets for all other programs.

27 Section C.2.10 – RFMS Enhancements (p. 14) How many RFMS support updates or enhancement requests does MARAD anticipate annually? At a Minimum plan for 2 updates per year and more as needed for hot fixes.

Section G.7 – Key Personnel (p. 21) The solicitation and Section G.7 reference “key personnel” and requirements for the submission and approval of resumes. However, the solicitation does not specify which labor categories or positions are to be designated as key personnel.

Will the Government please clarify which positions or labor categories are considered “key personnel” under this solicitation?

Any personell designated as a SME, or a trainer will be considered as the Key person on the contract.

Section G.7 – Key Personnel (p. 21) Does the Government have any minimum qualification standards (e.g., education, certifications, years of specific experience) for key personnel, or should offerors propose what they determine to be appropriate qualifications based on their understanding of the requirements?

Key personnel as highlighted in the contract are required to have at least 5 years of NSE SME experience as called out in the contract. This experience is above a basic user level in any setting.

30 Section G.7 – Key Personnel (p. 21)

For evaluation purposes, will the government confirm what resumes are required and if the experience and qualifications presented in proposed resumes will be considered and scored only for individuals designated as key personnel, or will the Government consider qualifications of other staff as well when evaluating technical approach and capacity?

MARAD will consider the qualifications of all individuals proposed. With extra weight provided to key individuals.

31 Section L – Proposal Instructions (p. 85-87)

The instructions in Section L call for the submission of resumes but do not specify for which positions resumes are required, nor the maximum number to submit.

Should offerors submit resumes for all proposed staff, only for those identified as key personnel, or for a subset of representative personnel? Is there a preferred format or content outline for resumes?

The offerors should submit resumes for only those idenified as key personnel. There is no preferred format or content outline for resumes.

The Are there any incumbent contractors currently performing/previously performed the work described in this solicitation? If yes, can MARAD provide the incumbent contract number and the name of the incumbent contractor?

The current incumbent contractor is Management Systems Consulting, DTMA9117C00002

33 General Will the Government please confirm that the place of performance is fully remote?

The place of performance is remote, travel to locations for training, and onsite meetings are required as needed.

Section L – Proposal Instructions (p. 85-87) In reference to the solicitation deadline, would the Government consider extending the proposal submission due date by to weeks, allowing offerors to submit proposals by September 5, 2025?

Solicitation deadline will be extended to September 5, 2025 via an Amendment.

Section L – Proposal Instructions (p. 85-87) In reference to Sections L.3, and L.4, which require submission of a Management Proposal and Technical Proposal, could the Government please clarify whether these should be submitted as two distinct and separately bound volumes or consolidated within a single submission document? If separate volumes are required, please advise if there are any formatting or labeling instructions that must be followed for each volume.

This should be submitted as one document. There is no formatting or labeling instruction that must be followed. However, there should be labeling that clearly identifies the Management Proposal from the Technical Proposal.

Section L – Proposal Instructions (p. 85-87) Are there specific font type, size, margin, or line spacing requirements for the proposal volumes?

There is no specific font type but the font size should be 12. The spacing should be single spaced except where double spacing would be appropriate.

Section L – Proposal Instructions (p. 85-87) Do the specified page limits for the Management (five pages) and Technical (ten pages) Proposals exclude cover pages, tables of contents, introductory letters, or appendices (beyond resumes)?

The page count does not include cover pages, table of contents, introductory letters, or appendices.

With reference to Section L.5 of the solicitation, which states that, "Offerors shall submit a separate cost proposal showing the hourly rate for each labor category and cost per installation for a bar coding program,". Could the Government please clarify what specific costs and activities should be included in the required “cost per installation for the bar coding program", so that we can ensure our cost proposal fully meets the solicitation’s expectations?

The cost assocaited with the bar coding equipment is to record part usage based off scanning the label bar code of a part. There should be a plan for 50 ship sites for this work, and 3 warehouse locations.

We respectfully request clarification regarding the completion of SF 1449, specifically Sections 23 and 24 pertaining to pricing line items. The original RFP (pages 2–6) lists 30 line items for pricing on SF 1449, whereas Amendment 0001 provides a pricing template containing only 7 line items. In order to ensure our proposal is fully compliant and responsive, could the Government please confirm which pricing schedule should be used to complete SF 1449 and whether that same schedule should also be used for the pricing proposal submission? Clear guidance on this matter will help us ensure correct and compliant submission in accordance with RFP requirements.

Please use the pricing schedule that is on the SF 1449. Please note that the pricing schedule on the SF 1449 is just a repeat of the Base Year and is repeated for the four Option Years. Please see the updated pricing example.

With regard to question 18 (Section C.4.5 (NSE Integrations), will the government please confirm for the anticipated 2 integrations per year, what are the typical project duration, complexity levels, and whether these require custom development or configuration of existing interfaces.

Current integrations include API's and import of Lube oil monitoring, duration cannot be specified as the scope of the projects are currently unknown, and undefined.

With regard to question 22 (Section C.4.8 – Documentation ), would the government please clarify if beyond the minimum 1 annual update, what the total number of existing NSE-related manuals and user guides that may require maintenance.

There are currently 3 major guides. Inlcuding the Drydock Protocol, NSE Guide and, Business Protocol.

With regard to question 21 (Section C.4.6 – Drydock Support), would the government please clarify if there are seasonal patterns, advance notice periods, or surge capability expectations since there is significant variability in the 10-20 annual drydock events.

There is variability the Drydock dates, at a minimum the dry dock evetn is required every 5 years for every ship. As the fleet changes in size and age specific drydock timing and loading will be impacted.

Geographic Distribution - Given the RRF fleet of 49 ships plus MDA vessels, would the government please clarify: (1) Are vessels concentrated in specific geographic regions or widely distributed, (2) Whether contractor travel requirements follow vessel locations or if centralized training/support locations are used, and (3) Any international travel requirements if vessels are deployed overseas.

Ships are located on all 3 Coasts, on the West Coast most ships are loacated in San Francisco Bay, on the Gulf Coast a majority of the ships are located in Beaumont Texas, and on the East Coast a majority of the ships are located in The Hampton Roads area or in Baltimore MD, with 6 ships at this current time located in Charleston SC.

Emergency/Surge Travel - For urgent drydock issues or emergency training needs, would the government please clarify: (1) Response time expectations for contractor personnel to travel to vessel/facility locations, (2) Whether emergency travel (same-day/next-day) is anticipated, and (3) How surge travel requirements during peak drydock seasons will be managed.

Emergency/Surge travel may require a 5 business day response time to travel. No Same/day travel is expected. As stated above, there is no "Peak" drydock period as ships enter drydock throughout the year based on regulatory calendars, and shipyard availability.

Training Location Specificity - While the government mentioned "at least 4 in-person trainings per year at each MARAD Office," please provide: (1) A list of MARAD office locations where training will be conducted, (2) The locations where the 8 annual ship trainings typically occur (home ports, shipyards, etc.), and (3) Whether ship training locations vary based on vessel deployment or if there are standard training ports.

The MARAD offices are as follows:

HQ- Washington DC DAO - Norfolk VA DGO- Beaumont TX DPO - Oakland CA The Ship locations at which training would be required are currently but not limited to the following homeports:

San Francisco Bay Beaumont Texas Portland Oregon Hampton Roads Virginia (Entire Norfolk Area) Charleston SC Baltimore MD Pascagoula Mississippi New Orleans Lousiana

SOLICITATION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS NAUTICAL SYSTEM ENTERPRISE(NSE) TECHNICAL SUPPORT

Sheet1