Amendment 0001 Government Responses to Vendors Questions (BRIDGE CSOP).pdf

# Question Government Response

Will DHS be open to, or require, vendor hosted sandbox or staging environments to demonstrate automation or AI features as part of the evaluation or post-award pilot phase?

DHS will provide all necessary cloud environments or development tools.

To what extent does the Management Directorate expect the selected vendor to support operational change management. For example, user adoption, training, or ongoing governance of the BRIDGE platform after implementation?

The government requires, per section 7.0, the vendor to supply all reports, documented standard operating procedures, system architecture documentation, training materials, and relevant documentation to support the government’s ability to independently assume management and oversight of the BRIDGE capability. Beyond those materials, the government has no expectation on whether or not the selected vendor will support operational change management. Therefore, it is at the discretion of the offeror on whether or not to include these elements in its approach.

Can you clarify whether BRIDGE will require integration with any specific legacy systems or platforms (e.g., SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft), or should vendors propose the architecture assuming system-agnostic data ingestion

Integration will include legacy systems and platforms which span potentially hundreds of manufacturers and internally-developed.

4 Can you clarify the specific legacy systems and data platforms currently in use within the Management Directorate?

There are hundreds of disparate systems operating off of COTS and homegrown software in use.

5 Are there any mandatory integration points (e.g., specific APIs, data formats, or federal systems) we should plan for? No.

6 Is DHS seeking a fully developed platform or is there room for phased development and prototyping?

The Department is seeking skilled technologists to develop the platform, workstream and process automation, and other requirements in the statement of work. It is up to the vendor on its proposed approach to the scope of work and whether to propose phased development and prototyping as part of its solution.

7 Does the solution need to meet any specific FedRAMP, FISMA, or NIST standards out of the box?

All proposed solutions need to meet federal cybersecurity standards and regulations

What criteria will be most heavily weighted during the evaluation of concept papers (e.g., innovation, technical feasibility, cost efficiency)? Is this a LPTA contract?

Evaluation criteria are listed in section 9.3 of the solicitation in order of importance: technical merit, business viability, and price. This is not an LPTA contract.

Amendment 0001 Government Responses to Vendors Questions (BRIDGE CSOP)

9 Can you provide examples of what DHS considers a “new application” of an existing technology that would qualify as innovative?

The Department does not want to influence solutions being offered and therefore, will not provide examples.

10 Will DHS provide feedback if a concept paper is not selected, and can we resubmit revised proposals later?

As referenced in 9.4, Offerors not selected for award may request, within five (5) calendar days of notification of non-selection, feedback regarding the technical review findings of their submitted responses.

There is no opportunity to resubmit concept papers and proposals.

Can DHS clarify whether the BRIDGE platform is expected to integrate with any specific legacy systems or COTS platforms currently in use? The vendor is expected to perform analysis on existing systems.

12 Are there preferred or prohibited technologies (e.g., cloud providers, data visualization tools, AI/ML frameworks) for the BRIDGE solution?

The vendor must comply with cybersecurity regulations and laws as well as any proposed tools must be approved be approved for use on DHS systems per the published DHS 4300 guidelines published: https://www.dhs.gov/publication/dhs- 4300a-sensitive-systems-handbook

13 Will DHS provide access to sample data sets or system architecture diagrams during the performance period to support integration planning? Yes

Will DHS confirm whether the 3-page limit applies only to the technical narrative, or does it include the cover page, table of contents, and appendices?

The three page limit covers Criterion I and II. It does not include the cover page or Attachment 2 pricing template.

Are offerors permitted to include hyperlinks to supplemental materials (e.g., product demos, case studies) in the proposal?

Information outside of the three page limit will not be considered as part of the evaluation for Criterion I and II.

Will DHS accept proposals submitted in PDF format, or is a specific file format required? PDF format is acceptable.

Is DHS open to alternative labor mixes beyond the six labor categories listed in Attachment 2, provided justification is included? Yes, DHS is open to additional proposed labor categories.

Will DHS provide a not-to-exceed budget or target price range for this effort? No.

Will DHS require contractor personnel to hold active security clearances, or will Public Trust be sufficient? Public Trust clearnace, at a minimum, will be required.

Are there any specific CUI handling procedures or system accreditation requirements that must be met prior to contract start?

No, but offerors can refer to DHS 4300A: https://www.dhs.gov/publication/dhs- 4300a-sensitive-systems-handbook

Can DHS confirm whether travel is anticipated or allowable under this contract?

Travel is not anticipated under this contract. Work is to be performed in the National Capital Region (Washington, DC Metro Area).

Will DHS assign a dedicated Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) at award? Yes.

Missing Reference Section The RFP refers to “section 4.3 below” regarding technical questionnaire responses and innovation criteria, but there is no Section 4 in the solicitation document. Could the government please clarify the intended reference?

The Government clarifies that reference was a typo. The stated reference was for section 9.3, Evaluation Criteria. "Besides the criterion described in section 9.3 below, the concept paper responses must clearly demonstrate how the commercial item is offered in an innovative manner."

Software Pricing Clarification The RFP does not appear to request pricing for any software or licenses but rather focuses on labor and services. Could the government confirm that offerors are not expected to price software licenses separately, even if part of a commercial solution is proposed? This contract does not include ODCs.

Concept Paper Page Limit The solicitation specifies a 3-page limit for the concept paper. Could the government confirm whether this page limit must include all content—such as the technical approach, business viability, and pricing rationale—or if additional information may be submitted as attachments? The three page limit covers Criterion I and II. It does not include the cover page or

Attachment 2 pricing template.

Commercial Item Qualification The solicitation refers to the FAR 2.101 definition of a “commercial item.” Would a tailored solution built upon an existing commercial software platform qualify under this definition? Yes.

Deliverable Timelines The RFP indicates that due dates for deliverables will be negotiated.

Should offerors propose preliminary timelines within the concept paper, or will those be discussed post-award?

Preliminary timelines within the concept paper can be proposed or estimated;

however, based upon the government's prioritization of work, exact due dates will be negotiated during performance.

Flexibility in Task Execution Is there flexibility to propose alternative methods or innovative approaches that deviate from the specific task descriptions in Attachment I, as long as they meet or exceed the stated objectives? Yes.

Pre-Award Security Requirements Are there any specific security clearance or background check requirements for proposed personnel that must be met prior to award? No.

Scope of Data Rights Clause Regarding the unlimited rights under FAR 52.227-14, could the government clarify whether this applies solely to software developed under this contract, or also to pre-existing commercial technologies used as part of the proposed solution?

Yes, but all technology is subject to the DHS accreditation process outlined in DHS 4300: https://www.dhs.gov/publication/dhs-4300a-sensitive-systems-handbook

31 Will the Government please extend the due date to Wednesday, 7/2? No.

Will the Government please confirm if vendors are permitted to propose technologies that are not currently authorized on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) network? No.

Will the Government please confirm if there are labor category descriptions or requirements including years of experience, degree, certifications, and responsibilities?

The government has not provided labor category descriptions or requirements of years of experience, degree, certification, and responsibilities. It is at the discretion of the Offeror on whether to provide these details within its approach.

Can the government please confirm that the Pricing Template (Attachment

2) is not included in the 3 page count limit.

The three page limit covers Criterion I and II. It does not include the cover page or Attachment 2 pricing template.

For planning and estimating purposes, can the government please provide the anticipated start date of the Period of Performance? Performance is anticipated to start in July 2025.

In order to allow offerors sufficient time to prepare a compliant solicitation response, factoring in answers from the government to these questions, will the government please provide an extension for submission until Thursday, July 3rd, at 5:00pm Eastern Time? No.

Will the government be providing all required software, data, and related licensing and technical infrastructure? If No, should bidders be including this cost in our Pricing Template as ODCs (Attachment 2 Submission)?

Government will provide infrastructure, tools, data, and related licensing. The contract does not request ODCs.

Can the government please confirm that all pricing rational and assumptions shall be included in the Attachment 2, Excel file. Confirmed.

In section 10.4, the government refers to a "cover page." Should offers include a cover page, which is not included in the 3 page count limit?

The three page limit covers Criterion I and II. It does not include the cover page or Attachment 2 pricing template.

Can the government please confirm that the "shall not exceed 3 pages" limitation covers both Criterion I and Criterion II.

The three page limit covers Criterion I and II. It does not include the cover page or Attachment 2 pricing template.

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