Questions_and_Responses_70FA3018R00000007_5.18.pdf

RFP# 70FA3018R00000007

RFP Document Paragraph Reference

Page Number or Reference QUESTIONS GOVERNMENT RESPONSES

1 Attachment 2 - PWS 1.2.3 5

A number of the services required in the solicitation are legacy, Time-Division- Multiplexing (TDM) services which are currently at or near end-of-life. During transition there could be instances where a current contract is expiring and a new contract with the underlying vendor is required. Even with FEMA remaining the customer of record, an existing service may be no longer available. Would the Government please amend the solicitation to allow the contractor to provide equivalent technology if a service is no longer available?

Technological refreshment substitutions are included in 6.7 of PWS.

Please provide a substitution service in these instances.

2 Attachment 6 - IDIQ Pricing Request n/a n/a

There are a number of services which FEMA has not defined the bandwidth, but has required bidders to price at specific locations. Prices from the lowest compliant bandwidth to the highest may differ by an order of magnitude or more. Where they exist, the incumbent knows exactly what to bid, while others do not. For the following services, would the Government please amend the solicitation to provide the bandwidth requirement at each site? Please provide a selection of bandwidth.

-Gig E Has been removed from Attachment 6 -Internet circuit 1M, 10M, 40M, 100M, T1, DS3 -DSL Service 1.5M to 6M downlink, 384K to 1.5M uplink -DWDM Has been removed from Attachment 6 -Cable Internet 320K to 30M -Point to point data T1, DS3

3 Attachment 6 - IDIQ Pricing Request n/a n/a Would the Government please amend the solicitation to define "Centranet Control Circuit"?

Centranet Control circuit provides customer connectivity to Central Office switch in lieu of the customer having a PBX on premise and extends individual stations from the CO to the customer location. The control circuit allows the customer to reconfigure their service directly without have to go to the telco business office. This language is also incorporated in Attachment 6.

4 Attachment 6 - IDIQ Pricing Request n/a n/a

TV Broadcast Service, Cable TV, and Satellite TV have different price plans based on the options chosen by the customer. Where they exist, the incumbent knows exactly what to bid, while others do not. Would the Government please amend the solicitation to provide what plans are required at each location, and if plans vary between endpoints at the same site, how many of each plan are required at each location?

The Government would like for vendors to provide pricing options. Such as per receiver and plans available for site to choose from.

5 Attachment 6 - IDIQ Pricing Request n/a n/a

A single satellite or cable feed can provide service to a number of TVs/monitors. At a site like "1111 Broadway Suite 1200, Oakland, CA, 94607" which has a quantity of 58 for Satellite Television, would the Government please amend the solicitation to clarify what configuration is required?

The Government would like vendors to provide pricing options. Such as per receiver and plans available for site to choose from.

6 Attachment 6 - IDIQ Pricing Request n/a n/a

The unit of measure for "Usage" is normally based on time, as in "per minute" or "per six seconds". Would the Government please amend the solicitation to clarify what unit of measure should be used for "Usage"? Table has been revised to read "per minute".

7 Attachment 6 - IDIQ Pricing Request n/a n/a

"Installation", "Maintenance" and "Maintenance contract" cannot be priced without knowing what is installed or what is being maintained. Would the Government please amend the solicitation to provide details as to what is installed or maintained, or remove these requirements?

Pricing Table request has been revised to remove the "Installation", "Maintenance" and "Maintenance

8 Attachment 6 - IDIQ Pricing Request n/a n/a

TSP charges will differ dependent on whether installation or restoration are required, and what level. Would the Government please amend the solicitation to provide the details required to price each instance of TSP at each location? Attachment 6 has been revised to include two CLINS.

WIRELINE

9 Attachment 6 - IDIQ Pricing Request n/a n/a

This offeror understands that the appropriate taxes surcharges and fees (TS&F) should be charged for each site, and that the TS&F will vary by services required and location.

Would the Government please amend the solicitation to clarify the meaning of the quantities in the worksheet labeled "fixed sites"?

Yes, the taxes, surcharges and usage charges will vary. Please provide capped amounts or percentages.

10 Attachment 2 - PWS 3.7 12 Would the Government please amend the solicitation to provide the location where the government will provide workspace?

Workspace is at Mt Weather, Place of Performance has been incorporated in the RFP.

11 Attachment 2 - PWS 3.8(b) 12 Would the Government please amend the solicitation to clarify that billing starts at the beginning of the successful 30-day acceptance test period? PWS - Attachment 2: Section 3.8 has been revised.

12 Attachment 2 - PWS 8.3 31

Under "Background Investigations" there is a requirement that prospective employees will submit the clearance forms "...to the DHS Security Office no less than thirty (30) days before the start of the contract…" Would the Government please amend the solicitation to clarify what is required from the bidders on this solicitation?

Upon award, awardee should submit clearance forms for personnel within 30 days.

13 Attachment 2 - PWS p Architectur e Compliance 27

Would the Government amend the solicitation to provide a soft copy of the most recent HLS/FEMA/Enterprise Architecture document? Available via FEMA intranet that awardee will have access to after award.

14 Attachment 2 - PWS

Enterprise Architectur e Compliance 27

Would the Government please amend the solicitation to provide a soft copy of the most recent HLS/FEMA/EA Technical Reference Model (TRM) document? Available via FEMA intranet that awardee will have access to after award.

15 Attachment 2 - PWS 1.1 & 3.7

Attachment 2: There appears to be a conflict between the requirement for the contractor to acquire from another service provider and resell under this contract (section 1.1 Scope, fourth paragraph) and the requirement for FEMA to be “owner of record” (section 3.7 Special Considerations Regarding Services) for all services.

Without a Letter of Agency, FEMA would not be able to be the owner of record for the servicecs. Please confirm that FEMA will provide the contractor a Letter of Agency upon award. Contractor will be provided with Letter of Agency upon award of contract.

16 Attachment 2 - PWS 1.1 Scope

Attachment 2: Section 1.1 Scope states, “The scope of this award includes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), FEMA and all other component agencies within DHS, and will be made available to other agencies based upon an Interagency Agreement between FEMA and other agencies. The Contractor shall accept and deliver all valid service or delivery orders from any of these entities when issued by an authorized agency contracting officer.”

Are those order to be beilled to FEMA on FEMA's consolidated bill?

PWS - Attachment 2: Section 1.1 has been revised.

17 Attachment 2 - PWS 1.2.3

Attachment 2: Section 1.2.3 Objectives (fifth bullet point) states, “Ensure the primary service provider maintains formal relationships with local carriers.” Please define “formal relationship” in this context. Assuming the primary service provider has received a Letter of Agency from FEMA, would that obviate the need for a formal relationship? Letter of Agency would obviate the need for formal relationship.

18 Attachment 2 - PWS 3.1

Attachment 2: Section 3.1 Services states “The Contractor shall ensure the services provided under this contract do not require the end users to purchase common service premise equipment.”

Please define “common service premise equipment.”

This is referring to Demarc equipment such as Network Interface Unit that is provided by Local Exchange Carrier as part of access.

19 Attachment 2 - PWS 3.1

Attachment 2: Section 3.1 Services specifies “Monthly billing information on magnetic or optical media.” Would monthly billing information provided in CD-ROM format meet this requirement? Yes CD-ROM is acceptable

20 Attachment 2 - PWS 3.1 & 3.6

Attachment 2: Section 3.1 Services states, “The Contractor shall be capable of providing the following types of services or their functional equivalent where they are commercially available: Analysis, Engineering and Implementation.” Section 3.6 Management and Technical Services states, “The Contractor shall provide certain management and technical services … Such services may include IT services, telecommunications system planning, design, engineering, cost analysis ...” Could the Government provide additional details as to the specific requirements for “analysis, Engineering and Implementation” and “IT services, system planning design, engineering and cost analysis requirements”? Would these services be addressed by the Labor Categories? Please provide details as to how FEMA would order these services.

This has been addressed in question 3.

21 Attachment 2 - PWS 3.8 & 3.8.2

Attachment 2: Section 3.8 Testing Requirements states, “(a) Testing means that part of inspection that determines the properties or elements, including functional operation of services/supplies or their components, by the application of established industry standards, scientific principles and procedures. At a minimum, testing associated with the installation of a switched voice line(s) should ensure the numbers are correct and calls can be placed and received via the service. The Contractor shall, using the nomenclature provided, classify, conduct and provide the Government with information resulting from all functional, performance, and interoperability tests sufficient to ensure the service is operational. Failure to meet the requirements of any portion of a test shall be deemed a failure of the entire test.” Section 3.8.2 Acceptance Test Period states, "The 30-day period will begin when the requirements in

3.8 (b) are met and not before the services is required by the Government. Servie will be considered acceptable if the Government does not identify problems within the 30-days after notification.” Industry standards do not provide for functional testing or certifications for local services. Could the Government provide additional details regarding these requirements? Alternately, please consider removing these requirements.

PWS - Attachment 2: Section 3.8 has been revised.

22 Attachment 2 - PWS 3.8.1

Attachment 2: Section 3.8.1 Standards and Guidelines states, “The Contractor shall inspect all services and equipment, as well as test all equipment to assure that the standards, regulations, and guidelines addressed in Section 3 are met.” Could the Government provide the guidelines referenced in this requirement? The awardee will have access to this information after award.

23 Attachment 2 - PWS 6

Attachment 2: Section 6.0 Government Furnished Items and Services states “The Government will provide space where available to house circuit terminating equipment such as channel service units and terminating blocks. The Contractor shall coordinate all equipment installations with and obtain approvals from the designated FEMA representative prior to installation. All existing items of Customer Premise Equipment (CPE), e.g. telephone handsets, conference telephones, inside wiring, distribution frames, are the property of FEMA and will be available to the Contractor as needed to deliver the required services.” Would the Contractor be responsible for GFE equipment installation? If the Contractor were responsible, how would FEMA order this installation service?

No, the Contractor is not responsible for GFE equipment installation such as headsets etc.

24 Attachment 6 - IDIQ Pricing Request

Attachment 6: The Pricing Overview section of the RFP Attachment 1 (page 5) states, "The Contractor agrees that during the life of this contract, the prices set forth herein shall not exceed the lower of the following: (a)The lowest tariff price at which the Contractor offers the service or equipment to its commercial customers(including discounts)” Based on the requirement to use the “lowest tariff price,” a CLIN would need to be established for each product class (i.e. Analog Business Line, BRI, Cable Internet, etc.) and unique price. The product classifications listed in Attachment 6 would also need to be expanded.

The Pricing Table (Attachment 6) has been updated and expanded some of the services.

25 Attachment 6 - IDIQ Pricing Request

Attachment 6: Service classifications such as “Cable Television” are generic descriptions that require additional details and modifiers such as basic service, modems, receivers, etc. since the quantity and price of each element will vary by location. Please provide this additional detail. Also, if this interpretation is correct, the initial CLIN load required for Fixed Sites based on Attachment 6 definitions will exceed 1,115 CLINs, and Disaster locations will require over 300 additional CLINs. Does the Government agree with this interpretation? Yes, the Government agrees.

26 Attachment 6 - IDIQ Pricing Request

Attachment 6: As another example, classifications for DSL services are also generic and require additional detail. Could the Government provide the specific bandwidth speed requirements? The Government is requesting the contractor provide options.

27 Attachment 6 - IDIQ Pricing Request

Attachment 6: When services are installed or disconnected mid-month, they will incur partial charges for that month. The subsequent bill would include both full-month charge (i.e. FFP CLIN) and/or the partial monthly charge. Are additional CLINs required to cover the partial month charges in these scenarios?

Billing shall indicate a start and stop date to signify prorated amount of any given CLIN.

28 Attachment 6 - IDIQ Pricing Request Attachment 6: How would account credits be addressed/posted? There do not appear to be CLINs in the Pricing Request to address these items. Credits should be applied against associated service CLIN.

29 Attachment 6 - IDIQ Pricing Request

Attachment 6: How will installation charges be addressed? Pricing elements such as inside wiring, special construction will vary by order and cannot be predetermined and accurately reflected in fixed-priced CLINs.

Installation will be quoted on an Individual Case Basis (ICB) and will be task order specific.

30 Attachment 6 - IDIQ Pricing Request

Attachment 6: How will secondary long distance account bills be handled? These bills contain charges from the service activation date until FEMA’s long-distance carrier PIC database update/load. There are no unique CLINs in the Pricing Request to address these charges. Another CLIN has been incorporated to include a local and long distance.

31 Attachment 6 - IDIQ Pricing Request

Attachment 6: If CLIN tables cross reference a specific service to a fixed price, then is it correct that generic CLINs or CLIN groups could not be used for billing purposes? Does the Government expect the contractor to bill on a per-site summary basis, or on a per-service basis for each site? Per-service basis for each site.

32 Attachment 6 - IDIQ Pricing Request

Attachment 6: The taxes, surcharges and usage charges can vary from month to month.

If vendors provide a firm-fixed price CLIN for each site, each CLIN would need to be changed via a contract modification every time the pricing changes for the respective site – likely every month. The volume of contract modifications would appear to be an unreasonable burden on both FEMA and the contractor. Would the Government consider revising this requirement to provide for an estimated amount for taxes, fees, surcharges and usage set high enough to allow for the anticipated monthly fluctuation of these rates?

Yes, the taxes, surcharges and usage charges will vary. Please provide capped amounts or percentages.

33 Attachment 6 - IDIQ Pricing Request 1.1

"The Contractor shall provided local telecommunications voice, data and video services, audio and video teleconferencing equipment, miscellaneous ancillary equipment such as cables and connectors"

Is it required for the bidder to have a Video Teleconference (VTC) System for FEMA use or does FEMA own VTCs that need connectivity?

PWS - Attachment 2: Section 1.1 has been revised.

34 Attachment 2 - PWS

1.1 "The Contractor shall furnish all services, qualified experienced personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, no otherwise provided by the Government"

Can FEMA please provide the personnel qualifications outside of TS clearance needed to work on the FEMA Wireline program?

Please refer to Attachment 3.

35 Attachment 2 - PWS 1.1

"The Contractor shall furnish all services, qualified experienced personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, no otherwise provided by the Government"

Do all facilities used for the FEMA Wireline program for warehousing, hardware distribution, and other remedial tasks require TS facility clearance?

Requirement for TS has been removed.

36 Attachment 2 - PWS

1.1.1, Figure 1, Table 1

Should Tennessee be included in Region 4?

PWS - Attachment 2: 1.1.1, Figure 1, Table 1 has been revised to incorporate Tennessee.

37 Attachment 2 - PWS

1.2.2 The incumbent

Contractor is responsible for payment of all wireline telecommunications services invoices utilizing its own capital

Can the government give a time period that invoices will be settled an paid so we can understand the general terms of payment?

Contractor pays invoices to local carriers then invoices FEMA on a consolidated monthly bill. FEMA will pay consolidated invoice within 30 days of receipt of valid invoice from the Contractor in accordance with the Prompt Payment Act.

38 Attachment 2 - PWS

1.2.3 "Promptly resolve trouble reports and manage trouble-shooting issues with all vendors related to intra-LATA equipment and services with minimal impact on customers"

Can the government indicate the average trouble tickets opened each month?

FEMA does not have tracking on trouble tickets.

39 Attachment 2 - PWS

1.2.3 "Ensure that all mission critical services that have Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) assignment receive priority attention by the service vendor b f TSP

Will FEMA provide the supporting documents needed for this filing requirement?

When FEMA submits TSP form to NCS for code assignment the Awardee will be copied. FEMA maintains database of all services with TSP Restoration codes.

40 Attachment 2 - PWS

1.2.3 "Transition existing services as appropriate within 60 days of award"

What is meant by "transition existing services as appropriate"? Some services may be identified as no longer needed or in need of technology refresh prior to transition and would not be appropriate to transition. Any existing service deemed appropriate should be transitioned within 60 days of award.

41 Attachment 2 - PWS

3.1 "The Contractor may propose alternatives to any of the traditional wireline services listed above to deliver functionally equivalent capabilities for voice, video, and data communications."

A 60 day transition will not likely allow for a transition to current technology, will the government allow for a 180 day transition period to allow Contractors to bid a network refresh to the FEMA Wireline network.

In the event a service is identified as in need of technology refresh, the transition period could be extended on case by case basis.

42 Attachment 2 - PWS

3.2.1 "The Contractor shall provide trouble report ticket information in a format compatible with FEMA's Remedy System."

Will an Excel report meet this requirement?

Yes.

43 Attachment 2 - PWS

3.2.6 "The Contractor shall provide an efficient organization capable of managing all resources needed to carry out the rquirements of this contract. The Contractor shall identify the individuals responsible by name, title, telephone numbers (during and after hours), facsimile numbers, and e-mail addresses for each location."

Is this required as part of the FEMA Wireline submission?

PWS - Attachment 1: Section 3.2.6 has been updated to state shall provide within ten days of contract award.

44 Attachment 2 - PWS

3.3 "When required, the Contractor shall provide prioritized service provisioning and restoration to station lines designated as "critical" by the Government."

Will the FEMA program office supply supporting documents in the event of this request?

TSP request form is provided at the time of TSP code assignment.

45 Attachment 2 - PWS

3.7 "Under this contract, FEMA will be the "owner of record" for all wireline telecommunications services, including those provided by other telecommunications services companies, typically Local Exchange Carriers."

Is FEMA the current "owner of record" for all inclumbent contractor services?

Yes, FEMA is current owner of record and incumbent was provided Letter of Agency.

46 Attachment 2 - PWS

3.8 Can the government please provide the testing standard to be used for each or all services solicited in this RFP? PWS - Attachment 2: Section 3.8 has been revised.

47 Attachment 2 - PWS

3.8 Can the government provide the test report they require from each service test and turn up? PWS - Attachment 2: Section 3.8 has been revised.

48 Attachment 2 - PWS

4.1.1 "Offerers shall provide with the proposal a Transition-In Plan and milestone schedule describing its action plan including technical and management procedures to execute a timely and seamless transition of all currrent services from the incumbent contractor to ensure minimum administrative burden on customers and inimum disruption in services."

Can this be provided in MS Projects?

Yes.

49 Attachment 2 - PWS

4.1.3 "Offeres shall provide with the proposal a Transition-Out Plan describing its action plan including technical and management procedures to execute a timely and seamless transition of all future services to the then-selected contractor or to the Government following the termination of this contract within 30 days of notice to terminate."

Can this be provided in MS Projects?

Yes.

50 Attachment 2 - PWS

1.1 As the commercial

infrastructure evolves and new services become available, the Government intends to add new services to this contract to maintain the technical adequacy of its communication systems.

How will the Government add new services to the contract? What role will the contractor play?

New services will be added via Contract Modifications. The Contractor shall provide firm fixed pricing for new services.

51 Attachment 2 - PWS

1.2.3 Ensure that all mission

critical services that have a Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) assignment receive priority attention by the service vendor before any non-TSP service.

How are we notified if this is a TSP? What SLAs are required to re-establish connectivity.

TSP request form is provided at the time of TSP code assignment. No SLA for restoral time, but priority attention based on TSP guidelines.

52 Attachment 2 - PWS

3.2.6 The Contractor shall

provide an efficient organization capable of managing all resources needed to carry out the requirements of this contract. The Contractor shall identify the individuals responsible by name, title, telephone numbers (during and after hours), facsimile numbers, and e-mail addresses for each location.

Does the contractor have to provide this information at proposal submission?

PWS - Attachment 1: Section 3.2.6 has been updated to state shall provide within ten days of contract award.

I am wondering where I can get a list/addresses of all the FEMA locations in Region 5 that would be included in this RFP scope.

Any location listed in Attachment 6 with in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, or Wisconsin.

54 Is it possible for me to find out who the current contractor is? Verizon Federal is the incumbent: IDIQ# HSFE30-16-D-0203

Is it common for the major contract award winner to reach out to the interested vendors to deliver services in the areas they serve? I can't imagine one contractor can provide service to all regions. Yes, this is common.

With 240 total sites and only one requiring any work on site to be by TS cleared personnel, why would FEMA make the entire acquisition T.S.? We believe that given the above the FEMA Wireline Solicitation should remove T.S. as a broad requirement and limit the language to only those locations which require a contractor T.S.

clearance. I believe this will meet the need for FEMA while not significantly limiting competition for this business. Also I am not aware that the predecessor contract and program required a TS clearance. Requirement for TS has been removed.

Can you please clarify what personnel will need TSS? Is this only for those that are doing work at a facility where TSS is required? We also know that DHS wide acquisition for networking services haven’t required Top Secret Clearance level in the past, is this all changing now? Requirement for TS has been removed.

58 Would the USG be will to sponsor a company for a security clearance? No.

59 Attachment 3 - Labor Categories

Attachment 3 – Labor Categories - Technical Specialist(s). Will the Government consider removing this category of labor? As per Attachment 2 FEMA WIRELINE SERVICES PROGRAM Performance Work Statement, section 1.2.3 Objectives, the primary purpose of this RFP/contract is understood to be for the ordering and billing of intra-lata communications services and equipment for FEMA. The Technical Specialist(s) described duties in (b) through (e) are services that are provided beyond the local service point of demarcation and therefore appear to be beyond the scope of this service contract as they are not part of service provisioning. The requirements under section (a) will be handled by the Program Manager and/or Service Implementation Specialists. Attachment 3 has been revised.

60 Attachment 3 - Labor Categories

The requirements for Attachment 2, section 3.1 (Analysis, Engineering and Implementation) and Section 3.6 (Management and Technical Services) need to be modified to reflect the changes indicated in Question 21 above. Prior to the release of Attachment 3, Labor Category Description, the actual requirements under this section were not fully defined and the scope could not be determined without the additional information provided in Attachment 3. Attachment 3 has been posted.

61 Attachment 3 - Labor Categories

The requirement for Program Manager to have twenty years or more of experience in telecommunications and/or program management appears to be excessive. An experienced Government Program Manager includes employees with 10 to 20 years of experience. A recent GSA standard included: SENIOR/SME: An individual in the Senior / Subject Matter Expert (SME) labor category has more than 10 years of applicable experience, or is an individual whose qualifications or expertise are exceptional, or is recognized as an industry leader for a given area of expertise. Such an individual performs all functional duties independently, and may oversee the efforts of less senior staff and/or be responsible for the efforts of all staff assigned to a specific job. Ten years of experience is more in line with industry standards. Would FEMA please amend the solicitation to provide a requirement of ten years or more of experience? The Program Manager labor category has been revised.

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