693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-01 Q_A Release 10-21-21 Final.pdf

SAM.gov VoICE APC 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-01 - Questions Answers 10/21/2021 1 of 14

Item No Document Title/Date Page Figure Table Tab

Paragraph Row or Cell

Reviewer's Comment/Suggested Change/Rationale (Include External Reference/Source where Appropriate) Confidential

(Y / N)

FAA Response

1 Industry day presentation 4/21/2021 slide 29 PSIR Section 7.2.3

There is a very limited supply of equipment for APC, GPC, and VCS and the majority of COTS products are from OCONUS Trade Agreement Compliant (TAA) location (reference program contract COTS VoIP VCS (693KA8-21-P-00001-7)). Given the short supply, we recommend that the FAA provide a complete waiver to the Buy American Act (BAA) AMS 3.6.4-2 to the VoICE portfolio programs (APC, GPC, VCS) as the requirement will significantly influence the level of the production and logistics costs in order to comply with the requirements. We ask that the FAA provide timely response so Offerors can assess and make appropriate decisions.

No The FAA issued a market survey related to the Buy American Act (693KA8-21-RFI-APC-04) on October 5, 2021. Following industry input, the FAA will consider the comments and most appropriate method for addressing Buy American Act requirements.

2 Industry day presentation 4/21/2021 slide 29/30 AMS clause 3.6.4-2 April

The slide 29 specifies that the cost of domestic components must exceed 50% of the cost of all components. The AMS clause 3.6.4-2 states that a "Domestic End Product" is an end product manufactured in the US, if the cost of components mined, produced, or manufactured in the US exceeds 55% of the cost of all its components. Can you please confirm if 50% or 55% will apply?

No The FAA issued a market survey related to the Buy American Act (693KA8-21-RFI-APC-04) on October 5, 2021. Following industry input, the FAA will consider the comments and most appropriate method for addressing Buy American Act requirements.

3 Industry day presentation 4/21/2021 slide 29/30 AMS clause 3.6.4-2 April

The AMS clause 3.6.4-2 (C) (2) states that "The contractor must deliver only domestic end products, except those that FAA determines are not mined, produced, or manufactured in the US in sufficient and reasonably available commercial quantities of a satisfactorily quality". Many of the VoICE (APC, GPC,VCS) manufacturers working in the VoICE field are headquartered and have manufacturing plants based OCONUS. We recommend that the FAA apply the clause AMS 3.6.4-2 (C) (2) and (3) and accept components of foreign origin of the same class or kind without penalty so foreign suppliers/offerors will be treated as domestic. We ask that the FAA provide timely response so offerors can assess and make appropriate decisions.

No The FAA issued a market survey related to the Buy American Act (693KA8-21-RFI-APC-04) on October 5, 2021. Following industry input, the FAA will consider the comments and most appropriate method for addressing Buy American Act requirements.

4 Industry day presentation 4/21/2021 slide 29/30 AMS clause 3.6.4-5 Jul 2010

The clause states the following: "The Contractor shall deliver only steel and manufactured products produced in the United States. This requirement shall not apply where the Secretary or his or her designee has found-- (1) That its application would be inconsistent with the public interest; (2) That such materials are not produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities and of a satisfactory quality; (3) In the case of the procurement of facilities and equipment under the Airport and Airway Improvement Act of 1982, (i) the cost of components and subcomponents which are produced in the United States is more than 60 percent of the cost of all components to be delivered under this contract, and (ii) final assembly of the facility or equipment to be delivered under this contract has taken place in the United States. Is it allowed to manufacture the LRUs abroad provided that the final assembly of the End Product will take place in the US?

No The FAA issued a market survey related to the Buy American Act (693KA8-21-RFI-APC-04) on October 5, 2021. Following industry input, the FAA will consider the comments and most appropriate method for addressing Buy American Act requirements.

5 Industry day presentation 4/21/2021 slide 29/30 AMS clause 3.6.4-2 Apr 2021

Definitions: (1) “Components,” as used in this clause, means those articles, materials, and supplies incorporated directly into the end products. The GPC, APC and VCS are composed of racks, sub racks, Line Replaceable Units, electronic boards and electronic components ( as resistors, Integrated circuits etc.).

Shall the cost of "Components" be computed up to the lowest level ( electronic components)? To what level are components defined?

No The FAA issued a market survey related to the Buy American Act (693KA8-21-RFI-APC-04) on October 5, 2021. Following industry input, the FAA will consider the comments and most appropriate method for addressing Buy American Act requirements.

6 Industry day presentation 4/21/2021 slide 29/30 AMS clause 3.6.4-2 Apr 2021 can you please confirm that BAA % computation of US components will be based on the costs paid by the offeror and not on the prices submitted to FAA? No The FAA issued a market survey related to the Buy American Act (693KA8-21-RFI-APC-04) on October 5, 2021. Following industry input, the FAA will consider the comments and most appropriate method for addressing Buy American Act requirements.

7 Industry day presentation 4/21/2021 slide 29/30 AMS clause 3.6.4-2 Apr 2021 can you please confirm that the software licenses cost is not utilized for BAA % computation? No The FAA issued a market survey related to the Buy American Act (693KA8-21-RFI-APC-04) on October 5, 2021. Following industry input, the FAA will consider the comments and most appropriate method for addressing Buy American Act requirements.

8 Industry day presentation 4/21/2021 slide 29/30 AMS clause 3.6.4-2 Apr 2021 is a component of an American brand ( HP, Dell, Texas Instruments etc.) considered US manufactured even if it is marked as " made in any other foreign country" listed in the TAA designated countries?

No The FAA issued a market survey related to the Buy American Act (693KA8-21-RFI-APC-04) on October 5, 2021. Following industry input, the FAA will consider the comments and most appropriate method for addressing Buy American Act requirements.

9 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-

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N/A N/A Will the FAA please identify the contract type planned for the APC procurement and if the FAA plans to procure the systems as a managed service with systems owned and operated by the offeror or if the FAA intends to purchase systems outright in a government owned and government operated model.

No The contract type is identified in 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-02 published September 9th. The FAA intends to purchase systems outright in a Government-owned and Government-operated model.

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N/A N/A We recommend the FAA provide offerors the intended deployment schedule to include the site name, quantity of systems, and expected installation date at each site. An FAA dictated transition schedule that all offerors are to bid to ensure consistent bid and evaluation of pricing.

No For purposes of source selection, the FAA will provide a deployment model to be used for pricing to ensure consistent evaluation of Offeror proposals. The model will reflect the FAA's best guess for deployments at the time of release but may not reflect the deployment schedule followed during execution of the contract due to factors outside the control of the program. The model may not contain delivery dates specific down to the day, but will contain enough information to allow Offerors to propose pricing.

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N/A N/A When will the FAA release draft section F? The FAA stated in industry day that the Agency expects up to 27,000 APC systems to be deployed. We recommend that the FAA identify a minimum order commitment quantity. This will give offerors the details required to develop pricing that is mutually beneficial to the government and industry. Ideally, a minimum order quantify commitment would be included in the base period of performance with option years specifying the expected total number of systems for each period. When the agency is successful with the IP transport, IP Radios, the protocol conversion may be unnecessary or quantities of APC systems may be greatly reduced.

No Section F was released with 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-02, published on September 9, 2021. The FAA anticipates up to 27,000 APC interfaces, which will be different from the number of APC Systems. The FAA envisions the use of the R-APC even after the availability of IP transport and deployment of IP-compatible radios, as the R-APC provides additional functionality (bandwidth savings, paired radio operation, arbitration of access by multiple sites, etc.) when used with the typical 8-radio configurations found in parts of the NAS.

VoICE APC 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-01 - Questions & Answers 10/21/2021

Note: Some item numbers (Column A) are not included in the public response as the associated questions were determined to contain proprietary information.

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Figure Table Tab

Paragraph Row or Cell

Reviewer's Comment/Suggested Change/Rationale (Include External Reference/Source where Appropriate) Confidential

(Y / N)

FAA Response

VoICE APC 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-01 - Questions & Answers 10/21/2021

12 Notice+693KA8-21-PSIR-

APC-01

6 N/A FAA’s approach to use an APC in three configurations as highlighted in the APC announcement, once VOIP VCS, VOIP Radio, and VOIP Transport are completed, why is the remote site APC System still required?

No The FAA has analyzed the requirement for the remote APC and has determined that functionality provided by the remote APC (R-APC) will be required in certain scenarios. With up to 8 radios (Main TX F1, Stby TX F1, Main RX F1, Stby RX F1 Main TX F2, Stby TX F2, Main RX F2, Stby RX F2) controlled by an R- APC at a remote radio site, the R-APC is required to arbitrate control between Main and Stby radios and for conserving bandwidth between VoIP VCS facilities and the Remote Radio Sites. Bandwidth savings results from the R-APC only requiring a single, active VoIP VCS RTP stream to control 8 IP radios, utilizing the ED- 137 protocol. Additional functionality may be required, such as antenna transfer relay control.

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4 C.1.2.1 When will the FAA release insight into the GFP section J.5? We are under the understanding that the VOICE procurement replaces legacy systems and the offerors will not be responsible for said legacy equipment (GFP). For the list of GFP that the FAA intends to release, we recommend that the FAA include information about the remaining useful life and if there are any hazardous materials that would need to be handled in any disposition/disposal effort under the contract. We recommend that all cabling be replaced vs. reusing old wiring currently in place.

No The GFP J Attachment will be used to help track any GFP in the APC System Contractor's possession. At this point, the FAA does not have a list of GFP (i.e., the J attachment would not have any contents), but anticipates the possibility that legacy FAA equipment (e.g., RCE units, FAA legacy radios, etc.) might be needed to aid in development of functionality for the APC interfaces, depending on the Contractor's choices for providing the APC System solution.

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74 C.10.3 Regarding Transition, can the FAA provide information regarding the decommission of the legacy system that APC, GPC, and VCS - will it be the responsibility of the new contractor to decommission legacy equipment?

No The VoICE contractor will not be responsible for decommissioning of the legacy FAA equipment. The FAA has an internal organization that will be responsible for that activity.

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28 C.4.6.2 We recommend that the FAA make available the FAA Order 6000.207 - Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) Handbook so offerors can ensure compliance and make adjustments to existing maintenance concepts and required RMA models to comply with this requirement. While there is a template provided in the CDRLS, the referenced documentation including MIL-STD-3034A have not been provided. We recommend the FAA establish a KSN site for offerors to access document references that include all of the applicable standards, policies, handbooks so all offerors' are bidding to a common set of documents and revision levels.

No Access to referenced FAA documents will be provided to qualified vendors via a KSN SharePoint site, which will be established prior to the issuance of the final SIR. Non-FAA document source locations will be referenced in the SIR, as well as a separate file loaded to the KSN Sharepoint site. To obtain access, the FAA will require a name, company name, and email address from the interested party. This information can be sent in an email to 9-AWA-VoiceInfo@faa.gov with a subject line reading "Request for access to APC FAA Reference Document KSN". KSN access will be provided separately, at the FAA’s discretion, for any legitimate, interested company.

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Attach 03 J.4 APC System CDRLs and DIDs 20210325

266 RCM Template Do the reference documents apply to the contract, ex. Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) SAE JA1011, SAE JA1012? If they do, please provide them to offerors or remove them if they are not applicable.

No SAE JA 1011 and SAE JA1012 are applicable to the APC System contract. These documents will be added to the table in C.2.2. Vendors need to purchase these two documents from the SAE website.

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N/A N/A The SOW appears to be written to apply to the VoICE acquisition including the VCS. The APC system is dramatically simpler than a VCS, has no controller MMI, and is already deployed by multiple contractors abroad. i.e., COTS baselines already exist in ATC applications. We recommend that the FAA tailor the APC SOW requirements to better align with the capability and function APC will perform. For example, the requirements for Training, Safety, Human Factors, Technical Reviews, and CDRL deliverables are excessive and apply more to full blown development programs versus the procurement of the APC system. With the tailoring of the SOW and scaling down we would anticipate FAA would gain cost and schedule benefits for products already proven in ATC environments?"

No The FAA believes it has tailored the APC SOW down as much as possible without removing critical activities that will be necessary to ensure stakeholder acceptance of the final system to be delivered to the NAS Although the APC will be based on a COTS product, the FAA configures its radio sites in a way that is unique to the FAA, requiring the addition of key functionality to any basic COTS product used outside of the FAA NAS. Another consideration taken into account by the FAA is the overall service availability string that is impacted by the various systems making up the VoICE acquisition. Even though a COTS product might exist, and it may provide functionality that is less critical based on other ANSP overall system architectures, it still needs to provide the same level of availability expected for the critical service providing voice communication for air traffic control in the FAA

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45 C.6.2.2 Does the FAA plan to witness any development testing performed at the Contractor facility? No The FAA reserves the right to witness all test activities (formal or informal) as defined in Attachment J.1.8 APC System Test and Evaluation Requirements Section 3.

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01 Attach 03 J.1.8 APC System Draft Test and Evaluation Requirements 20210325

5 2.1.1 Does the FAA plan on releasing an initial VRTM or will the VRTM be fully developed by the contractor? We would like the FAA to release a draft version as part of the pre-solicitation documents.

No The FAA plans to release a VRTM Template to be completed by the contractor in accordance with Attachment J.1.8 APC System Test and Evaluation Requirements Section 2.1.1. This template will be included in the APC Final Draft SIR Package. The FAA intends to release the final draft SIR Package sometime in the first two quarters of FY 2022.

20 DTFAWA-XX-C-000XX

Attachment J.1.3, VoICE APC System Security Requirements

5 3.2.1 Will the FAA provide an identity management solution or do we provide as part of the APC system? Will the FAA support Out of Band (OOB) management plane connectivity across FTI?

No The security requirements in attachment J.1.3 are the security requirements that the APC System will be required to meet. These requirements will not be satisfied through implementation of FAA infrastructure.

Attachment J.2 includes interface requirements documentation for interfaces to FAA infrastructure.

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(Y / N)

FAA Response

VoICE APC 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-01 - Questions & Answers 10/21/2021

21 Attachment J.1.4, APC System Traffic Load Generator (ATLG)

N/A N/A Would the FAA consider a release of the requirements / specs for Attachment J.1.4, APC System Traffic Load Generator (ATLG) and associated Interface Requirements Document (IRD) prior to the release of the Draft RFP? We are anxious to see these requirements to determine applicability of existing [vendor team] capability.

No A draft version of Attachment J.1.4 was released with 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-02, published on September 9, 2021. The FAA is not providing an ATLG IRD because all of the interfaces are internal to the APC System and vendors should be starting from an already existing load generation toolset. The FAA is requiring a CDRL for an ATLG Interface Control Document (ICD), which describes the interface between the ATLG and the APC system.

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Attach 02 APC Draft SOW v.5 20210325

N/A N/A As noted in the FAA VOICE RFI notice 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-01, Respondents are encouraged to request RCE technical documentation, listed below, from the FAA Contracting Officer. [Vendor] would like to request the below documentation and source code.

• 99-P55100T Interface Description, Physical Layer, Modem, RCE REV A 09/14/06

• 99-P55101T Interface Description, Link Layer Messaging, RCE_051619

• 99-P55102T Interface Description, Configuration and Maintenance Messaging, RCE_051619

• 20041862 RCE System Manual: Radio Control Equipment Model CS-2330/RCE System Manual Revision F

• 20041862 RCE System Manual Appendix C: Centralized Maintenance System (CMS) Manual Revision F

• 20041862 RCE System Manual Appendix B: Maintenance Data Terminal (MDT) User’s Guide Revision F

No The RCE technical documents and source code are available and must be requested through the FAA Contracting Officer:

Mary M. Johnson Contracting Officer, AFN/AAQ-320 9-AWA-VoiceInfo@faa.gov

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Attach 02 APC Draft SOW v.5 20210326

N/A N/A Given an ED-137 VoIP VCS, an IP transport connection, and ED-137 enabled IP radios, we understand the FAA will still deploy the R-APC. In this scenario what drives the need for the R-APC?

No The FAA has analyzed the requirement for the remote APC (R-APC) and has determined that functionality provided by the R-APC will be required (in the end-state system) in certain configurations. The R-APC is required for arbitration and aggregation of signaling and audio paths. Additional functionality may be required, such as antenna transfer relay control. See response to Item 12.

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Attach 02 APC Draft SOW v.5 20210325

4, 5, 6 C.2.1 The documents FAA Order 6000.30F, National Airspace System Maintenance Policy, FAA-STD-019, Lightning and Surge Protection ..., FAA eLMS Content Integration Guide, eLearning Design and Style Guide, and Technical Specification for Content Developers Guide , are referenced in the SOW for this SIR, however, they can only be accessed from within the FAA network. Is it FAA’s intention to release these documents to offerors?

No Access to referenced FAA documents will be provided to the vendors via a KSN SharePoint site, which will be established prior to the issuance of the final SIR. Non-FAA document source locations will be referenced in the SIR, as well as a separate file loaded to the KSN Sharepoint site. To obtain access, the FAA will require a name, company name, and email address from the interested party. This information can be sent in an email to 9-AWA-VoiceInfo@faa.gov with a subject line reading "Request for access to APC FAA Reference Document KSN". KSN access will be provided separately, at the FAA’s discretion, for any legitimate, interested company.

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Attach 02 APC Draft SOW v.5 20210325

4 C.2.1 FIPS PUB 102, Guideline for Computer Security Certification and Accreditation, was withdrawn by NIST on February 8, 2005. Does the FAA intend to update this standard?

No The reference to the standard has been removed.

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Attach 02 APC Draft SOW v.5 20210325

12 C.3.7 Section C.3.7 indicates that bidders can request a list of approved collaboration tools from the FAA. Will the FAA make this list available to all bidders with the release of the next SIR Draft in May?

No The current list of FedRAMP-authorized providers and products is maintained at https://www/fedramp.gov

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Attach 02 APC Draft SOW v.5 20210325

C.5.1.3, C.5.2.1 C.5.2.3 C.5.3.1, C.5.3.3 C.5.4.1, C.5.4.3 C.5.5.3

These paragraphs have a broken link referencing Contractor's Engineering program ((Error! Reference Source not found.)). Can the FAA clarify if this reference is to Engineering SOW Section C.4?

No The broken links all refer to C.4, Engineering. The links will be corrected.

28 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-01

Attach 02 APC Draft SOW v.5 20210325

68 C.9.2.e) This paragraph contains a broken link (Error! Reference source not found.) Can the FAA clarify this reference in this paragraph? No The broken link refers to C.6.8.8, Production Acceptance Test (PAT). The requirements should read:

C.9.2. e) The Contractor must perform a PAT on each production APC System (including each Remote APC) at the Contractor’s CONUS facility IAW C.6.8.8, Production Acceptance Test (PAT). See Contract Section E, FAA Acceptance Procedures.

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Attach 02 APC Draft SOW v.5 20210325

73 C.10.2.2.4 This section begins with paragraph b). Can the FAA confirm if this is intentional, or if paragraph a) was omitted in error? No The formatting was incorrect. The requirement listed as "b" has been updated to "a" and subsequent requirements renumbered. No text (i.e., requirements) were omitted.

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Attach 02 APC Draft SOW v.5 20210325

73 C.10.2.2.4 b) This paragraph contains a broken link (Error! Reference source not found.). Can the FAA clarify this reference? No The broken link in C.10.2.2.4 a) refers to C.6.8.9, Conduct of Test (SAT). The requirements should read:

C.10.2.2.4 a) The Contractor must conduct the SAT, including any required retest, IAW C.6.8.9, Conduct of Test (SAT).

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01, Section J.4 – CDRLs and DIDs

148 Para 6 - Remarks In the row of the table for Format 6 the following statements are found. 1.) "The Contractor must prepare and submit a stand-alone draft Format 6 IMS in Primavera P6 with the agenda for the Post Contract Award Review (PCAR)." and 2.) "Primavera XML and XER with data dictionary of user defined fields and codes used at the project and activity level." Can the contractor use scheduling systems other than Primavera P6 that are capable of providing the output XML and XER formats as described or is the FAA mandating the use of Primavera P6?

No At this time, the FAA does plan to mandate the use of Primavera P6 for submission and maintenance of all scheduling information; however the FAA will revisit this mandate to consider alternative scheduling systems that are capable of providing the XML and XER formats. Any updates will be reflected in the final

SIR.

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FAA Response

VoICE APC 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-01 - Questions & Answers 10/21/2021

32 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-01

Attach 03 J.2.1 APC System to Analog Radio Control Systems Draft IRD 20210325

Page 5 3.2.1 a and

3.2.1 b

Please specify the required current to be provided for the battery. No The required battery current is dependent on Radio Equipment interface and will be determined at site survey.

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Attach 03 J.2.1 APC System to Analog Radio Control Systems Draft IRD 20210325

Pages 14-15, Table 3-7

3.2.3 Please confirm if the Low Tone and the Received Data interfaces belong to the legacy VCS and that APC vendors do not need to implement these for the L-

APC.

No These interfaces do not apply to the L-APC. Low Tone and Received Data Alarm inputs are used by the Legacy VCS and will be tied to +12 Volts by the FAA.

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Attach 03 J.2.2 APC System to FAA Facility Power Draft IRD 20210325

Page 8, Figure 3-2

3.3.1.7.3 a Please confirm if APC vendors can assume that each APC/APC System power supply connects to individual power supply breakers. No Referenced requirement 3.3.1.7.3.a in Attach 03 J.2.2, is for a single APC unit. Requirement 3.3.1.7.3.c, which states: "The APC System must limit AC power drawn from any one circuit breaker within the FAA Facility power distribution system as per NFPA recommendations", is dependent on the APC System power requirements and configuration. The power distribution and specific layout for different APC sites may be different depending on the APC system size. Note that there is not a Figure 3-2 in the APC System to FAA Facility Power IRD.

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Attach 03 J.2.1 APC System to Analog Radio Control Systems Draft IRD 20210325

Page 12 3.2.2.1 d and e Can FAA clarify the maximum peak signal amplitude in volts on the electrical analog signal line interfaces that is required for the APC under normal operation conditions, i.e., without signal clipping? The values expressed in dBm are absolute power values; conversion to voltages depends on signal characteristics.

Please specify the signal characteristics for each input/output and trunk/radio-equipment interface.

No The dBm values are based on a 600 ohm impedance as defined in requirement 3.2.2.1.a. in Attach 03 J.2.1.

41 Draft SOW (Section C) 14 C.4.2.3 Please clarify the applicability to COTS products of the requirements to provide design information and software source code No In accordance with the DID APC-SE007 (Design Information and Source Code):

“The Contractor must provide commercial drawings/models and associated lists that provide engineering and technical information in support of end products, or designated portions thereof, which are commercially developed items, commercial off-the-shelf items (COTS), or items not developed at Government expense.”

42 Draft SOW (Section C) 44 C.5.7 When will the J.1.5 APC System Faulted Module Requirements document be provided to industry? No Attachment J.1.5 was released with 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-02, published on September 9, 2021.

43 Draft SOW (Section C) General Please provide additional information on the FAA's planned schedule for APCS development, test and evaluation, ISD, and deployment, etc.. No The draft Section F, which was released with 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-02, published on September 9, 2021, contains schedule elements for development, T&E, Logistics, and ISD.

44 Draft SOW (Section C) General Please provide more-specific information on the number and locations of sites and interfaces to be delivered No APC System control sites associated with the L-APC will number approximately 350, with a total of approximately 9000 L-APC interfaces. There will be an equivalent number of R-APC units (approximately 9000) delivered to a central location over the life of the contract and deployed by the FAA to the remote radio sites. LLR-APCs will be delivered to terminal facilities receiving a VoIP VCS around the time the site receives its VCS (approximately 44 sites at this time). Some of these terminal facilities will also have L- APCs associated with RCE replacement. The LLR-APCs would be integrated with the previously-delivered APC System housing the L-APCs (if the physical form factor supports it). The FAA is compiling the site list to be used for notional planning purposes, but the actual deployment schedule will remain fluid throughout the deployment process

45 Draft SOW (Section C) 69 C.10.2 Please describe how the APC deployment will apply to non-FAA (e.g., DoD) facilities No The FAA will work with DoD facilities that currently use RCE (e.g., NAS Defense Program) to identify requirements and will coordinate installation of the L-APC and R-APC hardware. The Government may accomplish installation of control site APC System hardware in some instances.

46 Draft SOW (Section C) 69 C.10.2 Please confirm when Attachment J.3.3 Implementation Constraints will be made available to industry. No The FAA intends to release Attachment J.3.3, Implementation Constraints, with the final draft SIR Package sometime in the first two quarters of FY 2022.

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Figure Table Tab

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Reviewer's Comment/Suggested Change/Rationale (Include External Reference/Source where Appropriate) Confidential

(Y / N)

FAA Response

VoICE APC 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-01 - Questions & Answers 10/21/2021

47 Draft SOW (Section C) 69 C.10.2 Will the FAA please provide more specifics on the numbers, locations, and types of sites that will be designated for contractor installation? No Contractor installation will be primarily focused on APC System control sites where the APC System is delivered as part of a rack assembly (i.e., "chassis" form factor). The FAA will likely perform installations at facilities requiring small numbers of L-APCs that use the "1U" form factor. The Contractor's design (i.e., the physical footprint for the 1U vs. chassis form factor), as well as the pricing for the solution associated with the two form factors, will allow the FAA to determine which sites get the 1U vs. the chassis hardware. The FAA will likely perform installation of the R-APCs at the radio sites.

There are currently approximately 350 control facilities housing C-RCE equipment, with a total of approximately 9000 C-RCE units deployed to these facilities. There are an equivalent number of R-RCE units (approximately 9000) located at remote radio sites. Control APC Facilities will range in size from 1 or 2 L-APCs at small facilities (i.e., very small towers with limited physical space) to approximately 275 L- APCs at the largest (i.e., an ARTCC with room to house racks).

LLR-APCs will be delivered to terminal facilities receiving a VoIP VCS around the time the site receives its VCS (approximately 44 sites at this time). Some of these terminal facilities will also have L-APCs associated with RCE replacement. The LLR-APCs would be integrated with the previously-delivered APC System housing the L-APCs (if the physical form factor supports it). The FAA is compiling the site list to be used for notional planning purposes.

48 Draft SOW (Section C) 69 C.10.2 Please clarify how Site Acceptance Test activities (C.6.8.9, C.10.2.2.4) will be performed for sites at which the FAA is responsible for installation. No A SAT will not be required of the contractor if the FAA performs the installation unless the contractor is tasked with performing/supporting a SAT using a task order.

49 J-1.1.1 APC System Draft Specification

1 1.1 Please confirm whether APC support for "analog transport" as described will be an evaluation factor for the APC acquisition. No All of the evaluation factors are described in the draft section M, which was released with 693KA8-21-PSIR- APC-02, published on September 9, 2021.

50 J-1.1.1 APC System Draft Specification

5 3 Please clarify how many APC Systems are planned and the degree of independence between them (e.g., user accounts, configuration databases). Is there intended to be NAS-level APCS functionality that is common across multiple APC Systems?

No The FAA is anticipating approximately 350 APC control sites, which is an indicator of the estimated total number of APC systems. The APC Management Subsystems will reside at the control/VCS sites. The APC Systems will be independent of each other, with each APC System having its own APC Management Subsystem.

51 J-1.1.1 APC System Draft Specification

Figure 3-1 3 Please define the scope of the "APC Network", as shown. Does this include the WAN used to connect between APCs, or the LAN(s) used for local connectivity?

No Figure 3-1 in Attachment J.1.1, APC System Specification, defines the APC System, which includes the internal APC Network/LAN. The WAN is external to the APC System and is not covered by the APC Specification.

52 J-1.1.1 APC System Draft Specification

Figure 3-1 3 Please clarify whether APCs are dedicated to a single APCS/APCMS or whether they may be shared (e.g., for resilience/contingency purposes). If they are shareable what are the FAA's requirements for testing APCs with multiple APCS/APCMS?

No APCs are dedicated to a single APC System with respect to the management of APCs, with each APC System having its own APCMS. Management of APCs will not be shared between APC Systems. APCs (i.e., the interface, not the system) may be shared between APC Systems with respect to the communications capability. Testing would be limited to the communications capability when APCs are shared between APC Systems.

53 J-1.1.1 APC System Draft Specification

87 3.5.1 Please clarify the requirements to provide racks for APCS equipment at FAA facilities, including Remote, Control, and Test locations. No Vendors need to support the physical configurations of the APCs per section 3.5.1 of Attachment J.1.1, APC System Specification (20210325r1). FAA sites where cabinets/racks are required will be determined at site survey.

54 APC System to Analog Radio Control Systems Draft IRD

27 3.3.1.1 Please provide additional information on the connectors (e.g., DIN 96 Type C) and cables (e.g., P1-type or P2) to be used for interfaces between the APC, the Analog Radio Control Systems and the wide area network.

No For APC analog connections to Legacy VCSs and Radios, the Vendor is to provide cabling, where the APC end would be connectorized for connecting to the APC and the other end would consist of wires for termination on an FAA distribution frame. APC connections to the IP WAN are described in the "APC System to GTS IRD". Note that final determination of APC System cabling and terminations will be established at site survey.

55 Noted inconsistencies between Section C and J documents and between J documents - most are editorial in scope

Various Various Several instances of missing links between files, figure references and documentation references misalignment identified that will undoubtedly be resolved with future Draft SIR update planned. We concluded that the software and security J documents are out of sync with this P-SIR package and that, in the coming weeks/months, industry will have the opportunity to review the entire Draft SIR package -- especially the SOW and J documents in signed/approved final or final draft (no major changes) form prior to the formal SIR release.

No The FAA intends to release a final draft version of the entire SIR package reflecting updates made as a result of vendor feedback prior to release of the formal SIR.

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Figure Table Tab

Paragraph Row or Cell

Reviewer's Comment/Suggested Change/Rationale (Include External Reference/Source where Appropriate) Confidential

(Y / N)

FAA Response

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56 P-SIR Section C, Statement of Work

693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-01-

Attach02- APCDraftSOWv.5- 20210325.pdf

Attachment 03, J.4 APC System CDRLs and DIDs 20210325.pdf

General -with specific recommendati ons below

General - with specific recommendation s below on CDRLs

Topic: SOW DIDs as written and associated CDRLs indicated throughout the SOW.

Comments included in 3-33 below are related to our performance relevant to CDRLs contract types recommendations based upon SOW description, type of work/activities and past experience with FAA and other Government agencies related to

(1) technology introduction of ED-137 into TDM environments, and,

(2) dynamics of tailored COTS software into the US and specifically the FAA's NAS ATC environment.

We will offer additional comments or questions on this topic after FAA releases the remaining SIR sections for the APC procurement expected soon.

In the absence of the contract types, potential incentive fee structures, and CLIN mapping to the SOW and schedule, we request that the FAA consider specific deliverables to be accomplished during the performance on the contract to be other than firm fixed price (FFP) to accommodate the evolutionary nature of the APC system development and implementation in stages.

Also considering impacts associated with FAA's emerging services, and to recognize that that when the CDRLs are to be delivered in the work flow, there will be additional cost and time investments for coordination, reviews and updates required between the contractor and the FAA to ensure that the information, products, media and materials are of the highest value, quality, and scope.

There is high risk for both FAA and the contractor of having so many CDRLs in the SOW (see comment 34). The program, management, control, coordination, and investment of FAA and contractor personnel necessary to develop, review, coordinate comment, update and approve will be extensive and costly.

Our initial interpretation of the timing of the deliverables will be of particular concern driven by the natural course of the changes to the APC system indicated in other SOW paragraphs and the influence of these subsequent activities upon CDRLs in other SOW performance areas, and should FAA not meet its goals to provide feedback to the contractor on a timely basis due to unforeseen events.

For this reason, we ask FAA to consider a list of CDRLs from the SOW that we believe should not be included in FFP CLINs. Should FAA wish additional comments and rationale to further indicate/explain why the identified CDRL is included, our program management and engineering team representatives would be willing to discuss and provide specific experience, examples, additional substantive comments regarding this request. Generally, and from our understanding of the initial plan for the APC System SIR package released and discussed at Industry Day on April 22, it was stated that most if not all of the CDRLs would be FFP contract types.

No The FAA appreciates the feedback and will continue to consider it as we refine our approach to CLIN Types and the SOW effort. The FAA's current thinking links sections of the SOW to CLINs. DIDs associated with those SOW sections would be priced as part of the CLIN and therefore according to the CLIN type for all work accomplished under the associated SOW effort.

The FAA recognizes the dynamic nature of the transition to IP, and will give due consideration to the flexibility required to meet stakeholder needs and ultimately field a a successful program and provide long-term support. The FAA would consider a list of DIDs you feel are not required, as long as there is sufficient rationale provided to justify the recommendation. The FAA is aware of the extent of the request regarding DIDs and has attempted to mitigate the impact by providing templates for the contractor to complete rather than having the contractor create a new document specifically for the FAA. If there are specific DIDs where you feel the FAA providing a template would simplify submission and review and improve the resulting deliverable product, please follow up with your recommendations on the specific DIDs, the form you recommend they take, and a rationale for why a template would be a better approach.

57 P-SIR Section C, Statement of Work

693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-01-

Attach02- APCDraftSOWv.5- 20210325.pdf

Attachment 03, J.4 APC System CDRLs and DIDs 20210325 pdf

Page 31 of

SOW

Page 10 of J.4 file

APC-

CMP001

C.4.9, Configuration Management

Configuration Management Plan (CMP). [Vendor] requests that the FAA consider a T&M, CPFF, or CPIF for this CDRL as indicated in comment 2 above. No Your input is appreciated. The FAA is currently considering all available contract types and the final decision will be reflected in the final SIR. The FAA plans to use the most appropriate contract type in relation to how well the requirements have been defined in the SOW, DIDs, and other sections of the SIR.

In pre-solicitation notice 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-02, published on September 9, 2021, the FAA requested vendor input on performance incentive approaches. As part of this request, the FAA asked for input regarding CLIN types, so please review this notice and provide recommendations such as this with associated rationale as described in that document.

58 P-SIR Section C, Statement of Work

693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-01-

Attach02- APCDraftSOWv.5- 20210325.pdf

Attachment 03, J.4 APC System CDRLs and DIDs 20210325 pdf

Page 33 of

SOW

Page 15 of J.4 file

APC-

CMP002

C.4.9.4.2, Variances

Request For Variance (RFV). [Vendor] requests that the FAA consider a T&M, CPFF, or CPIF for this CDRL as indicated in comment 2 above. No Your input is appreciated. The FAA is currently considering all available contract types and the final decision will be reflected in the final SIR. The FAA plans to use the most appropriate contract type in relation to how well the requirements have been defined in the SOW, DIDs, and other sections of the SIR.

In pre-solicitation notice 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-02, published on September 9, 2021, the FAA requested vendor input on performance incentive approaches. As part of this request, the FAA asked for input regarding CLIN types, so please review this notice and provide recommendations such as this with associated rationale as described in that document.

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Figure Table Tab

Paragraph Row or Cell

Reviewer's Comment/Suggested Change/Rationale (Include External Reference/Source where Appropriate) Confidential

(Y / N)

FAA Response

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59 P-SIR Section C, Statement of Work

693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-01-

Attach02- APCDraftSOWv.5- 20210325.pdf

Attachment 03, J.4 APC System CDRLs and DIDs 20210325.pdf

Pages 33-34 of SOW Page 17 of J.4 file

APC-

CMP003

C.4.9.4.3, Engineering Change Proposals

Engineering Change Proposal (ECP). [Vendor] requests that the FAA consider a T&M, CPFF, or CPIF for this CDRL as indicated in comment 2 above.

In addition to requesting that this CDRL is not included as a FFP contract type CLIN: This CDRL is of particular interest as related to the planned ECP after initial site in service decision. Please clarify further FAA's plans/intentions under the SOW to execute a contracting action to extend the APC system features/functions and capabilities envisioned using the ECP DID and CDRL included in this draft package and explain why the FAA has not specifically indicated in the package the descriptive activities necessary to support the work and for an offeror to submit a response with the materials provided. Please include in the SOW performance indications for Class I (Major) change(s) in regard to FAA's response to the Contractor. (As was done for Class II changes in para f) of the SOW.)

No Your input is appreciated. The FAA is currently considering all available contract types and the final decision will be reflected in the final SIR. The FAA plans to use the most appropriate contract type in relation to how well the requirements have been defined in the SOW, DIDs, and other sections of the SIR.

In pre-solicitation notice 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-02, published on September 9, 2021, the FAA requested vendor input on performance incentive approaches. As part of this request, the FAA asked for input regarding CLIN types, so please review this notice and provide recommendations such as this with associated rationale as described in that document.

The functionality associated with the pre-planned ECPs is not needed for ISD. The FAA's primary focus initially is achieving replacement capability for RCE units that are approaching end of repair, as that is a time-sensitive activity. Once that is accomplished (i.e., once the program achieves and ISD, the FAA will pursue adding the preplanned ECP capabilities (e.g., Analog WAN capability, IPv6 compatibility, LLR-APC Functionality.) At that stage in a program, the appropriate method for adding these capabilities is to follow the ECP process. The FAA will review the additional comment regarding the Class I (Major) changes and will update C.4.9.4.3 if appropriate. Updates to the SOW are ongoing and additional information will be provided when available and appropriate.

60 P-SIR Section C, Statement of Work

693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-01-

Attach02- APCDraftSOWv.5- 20210325.pdf

Attachment 03, J.4 APC System CDRLs and DIDs 20210325 pdf

Pages 24 - 25 of SOW Page 44 of J.4 file

APC-

EOSH001

C.4.4, Environmental Occupational Safety and Health (EOSH)

EOSH Program Plan (EOSHPP). [Vendor] requests that the FAA consider a T&M, CPFF, or CPIF for this CDRL as indicated in comment 2 above. No Your input is appreciated. The FAA is currently considering all available contract types and the final decision will be reflected in the final SIR. The FAA plans to use the most appropriate contract type in relation to how well the requirements have been defined in the SOW, DIDs, and other sections of the SIR.

In pre-solicitation notice 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-02, published on September 9, 2021, the FAA requested vendor input on performance incentive approaches. As part of this request, the FAA asked for input regarding CLIN types, so please review this notice and provide recommendations such as this with associated rationale as described in that document.

61 P-SIR Section C, Statement of Work

693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-01-

Attach02- APCDraftSOWv.5- 20210325.pdf

Attachment 03, J.4 APC System CDRLs and DIDs 20210325 pdf

Page 32 of

SOW

Page 47 of J.4 file

APC-ESC001

C.4.9.3, Escrow Account

Technical Data Index. [Vendor] requests that the FAA consider a T&M, CPFF, or CPIF for this CDRL as indicated in comment 2 above. No Your input is appreciated. The FAA is currently considering all available contract types and the final decision will be reflected in the final SIR. The FAA plans to use the most appropriate contract type in relation to how well the requirements have been defined in the SOW, DIDs, and other sections of the SIR.

In pre-solicitation notice 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-02, published on September 9, 2021, the FAA requested vendor input on performance incentive approaches. As part of this request, the FAA asked for input regarding CLIN types, so please review this notice and provide recommendations such as this with associated rationale as described in that document.

62 P-SIR Section C, Statement of Work

693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-01-

Attach02- APCDraftSOWv.5- 20210325.pdf

Attachment 03, J.4 APC System CDRLs and DIDs 20210325 pdf

Page 32 of

SOW

Page 49 of J.4 file

APC-ESC002

C.4.9.3, Escrow Account

Account Data Package Validation Report. [Vendor] requests that the FAA consider a T&M, CPFF, or CPIF for this CDRL as indicated in comment 2 above. No Your input is appreciated. The FAA is currently considering all available contract types and the final decision will be reflected in the final SIR. The FAA plans to use the most appropriate contract type in relation to how well the requirements have been defined in the SOW, DIDs, and other sections of the SIR.

In pre-solicitation notice 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-02, published on September 9, 2021, the FAA requested vendor input on performance incentive approaches. As part of this request, the FAA asked for input

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Figure Table Tab

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Reviewer's Comment/Suggested Change/Rationale (Include External Reference/Source where Appropriate) Confidential

(Y / N)

FAA Response

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63 P-SIR Section C, Statement of Work

693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-01-

Attach02- APCDraftSOWv.5- 20210325.pdf

Attachment 03, J.4 APC System CDRLs and DIDs 20210325.pdf

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SOW

And related

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APC-HF001

C.4.3.1, Human Factors Program and Planning

Human Factors Program Plan (HFPP). [Vendor] requests that the FAA consider a T&M, CPFF, or CPIF for this CDRL as indicated in comment 2 above. No Your input is appreciated. The FAA is currently considering all available contract types and the final decision will be reflected in the final SIR. The FAA plans to use the most appropriate contract type in relation to how well the requirements have been defined in the SOW, DIDs, and other sections of the SIR.

In pre-solicitation notice 693KA8-21-PSIR-APC-02, published on September 9, 2021, the FAA requested vendor input on performance incentive approaches. As part of this request, the FAA asked for input regarding CLIN types, so please review this notice and provide recommendations such as this with associated…