70RTAC25R00000010_Attachment 4_Vendor Questions and Responses on Draft RFP.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 37 KB Posted
- Attached to
- Final Solicitation for Cellular Wireless Managed Services (CWMS) 3. 0 Federal contract opportunity
- Solicitation number
- 70RTAC25R00000010
About this file
This document is a Vendor Questions and Responses file for the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Cellular Wireless Managed Services (CWMS) 3.0 solicitation. The single-award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract will support DHS's telecommunications needs, currently managing approximately 150,000 lines of service across multiple components. Key requirements include providing telecom expense management services, mobile device management, service desk support, procurement and logistics services, and in-building cellular network solutions.
The solicitation includes core and optional services with specific technical requirements such as FedRAMP certification for the web portal, security clearance capabilities, and flexible deployment options for task orders. The contract will have a 10-year period of performance, with pricing structured across multiple Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) including core services, optional labor support, services and hardware, and licensing. Vendors will be evaluated on factors including past performance, management approach, and technical capabilities, with an emphasis on providing comprehensive mobility solutions tailored to DHS's complex organizational structure and mission requirements.
View the file
Other files for this federal contract opportunity
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| 70RTAC25R00000010_0001_RFP Continuation Pages.pdf | ||
| 70RTAC25R00000010_0001_Attachment 1_Statement of Work.pdf | ||
| 70RTAC25R00000010_0001_SF30.pdf | ||
| 70RTAC25R00000010_0001_Attachment 3_Pricing Template.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| 70RTAC25R00000010_0001_Vendor Questions and Responses on Final RFP.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| 70RTAC25R00000010_Attachment 2_PPQ.pdf | ||
| 70RTAC25R00000010.pdf | ||
| 70RTAC25R00000010_Attachment 1_Statement of Work.pdf | ||
| 70RTAC25R00000010_Attachment 3_Pricing Template.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet |
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Q&A - Draft RFP
| Questions and/or Comments on | |||||
| CWMS 3.0 DRAFT RFP | |||||
| No. | Document Title | Draft Section & Subsection | Draft Page(s) | Question/Comment | Government Response |
| 1 | Draft SOW | 2.1 | 6 | SOW Section 2.1 states that the Program Manager will serve as the primary point of contact to each Component. Does DHS anticipate each component to issue a single Task Order per component? Does DHS expect that each Task Order have their own dedicated Project Manager? | The Program Manager is required for the IDIQ contract. Each component may have a single task order or multiple task orders, depending on the component's needs. The government expects that each task order will have its own assigned Program Manager. |
| 2 | Draft RFP | Section I - 4.1 | 9 | Will the 20-slide allowance for the oral presentation allow for an additional cover page/introductory slide or would the cover page/slide be included within the 20-slide allowance? | Oral presentation has been removed. |
| 3 | Draft RFP | Section I - 4.3 | 17 | Will downselected offerors be provided with more than one potential date and time option for the oral presentation? | Oral presentation has been removed. |
| 4 | Draft RFP | Section III - 18 | 30 | Will all contractor personnel performing work on this contract be required to obtain a "Top Secret" security clearance or just those contractor personnel who are working on a Task Order that has that specific requirement? | No. The contractor shall be able to provide contract employees with this level of clearance only if a task order requires it. The RFP Section III - 18.0 has been updated to remove "The Contract employees, performing work in support of this award shall have been granted at a minimum “Top Secret” security clearance from the Defense Industrial Security Clearance Office. " |
| 5 | Draft SOW | 2.4.1 | 11 | Is FedRAMP required for the TEMS Application, or just the portal (platform)? Is it acceptable if the application is deployed on a FedRAMP platform and not be FedRAMP certified? | The entire solution needs to be FedRAMP certified which includes the platform and application. Simply deploying the application in a FedRAMP environment does not satisfy the requirements. The portal or the frontend SaaS would then be authorized by DHS within a FISMA boundary. |
| 6 | Draft SOW | 2.6.1 | 13 | The DHS has stated that "The contractor shall be in process to obtain FedRAMP Authority to Operate (ATO) for the web portal." In addition, stated that " The portal shall be given an interim ATO upon IDIQ contract award and DHS will sponsor FedRAMP approval for the Contractor if not currently in process or previously approved." Is our understanding correct that the Portal does not require FedRAMP certification at contract award and DHS will consider platforms that have not yet started a FedRAMP certification process? | The contractor must be listed in FedRAMP Marketplace as FedRAMP In Process for its web portal or should already be FedRAMP authorized. DHS will provide an interim ATO approval while they are working to obtain it, but DHS will not sponsor their FedRAMP approval. Please see the updated language in the SOW Section 2.6.1. |
| 7 | Draft RFP | 4.1.2.6 | 12 | The government stated that "the Past Performance example identified shall be for work performed by the offeror (Prime), not its subcontractor." We believe this requirement to be overly restrictive, and will unduly limit competition. Will the government consider accepting past performance from each team member under a CTA or Mentor-Protege Program, to include the Prime and Subs? | For a prime-subcontractor arrangement, the government will only consider the prime contractor's past performance examples. In the case of a joint venture, as specified in the draft RFP Section 4.1.2.5, past performance examples shall be provided for work performed by each partner in the joint venture, as well as for the joint venture itself. |
| 8 | Draft RFP | 4.1.2.5 | 12 | The government stated that "The offeror shall provide up to three (3) Past Performance examples... with a total value of $25 million or more". We would like to confirm if the government wanted 3 Past Performance each with a value of 25M or that all three Past Performance citations combined come to a total of no less then 25M? | Each past performance example shall be for work with a value of $25M. |
| 9 | Draft RFP /Draft SOW / Draft SOW /Draft RFP | 18 / 8.8.1 / 8.8.1.1 / 4.1.3.5) | 29 / 27 / 27 / 14 | The government stated that "employees, performing work in support of this award shall have been granted at a minimum “Top Secret” security clearance", however also stated that this is the "maximum level" of security clearance in the SOW (8.8.1.1). |
| It is our interpretation that not all staff are required to hold a TS clearance, and can the DHS identify the exact roles and positions requiring a TS and/or by minimum Clearance levels in the labor categories listed in the RFP-referenced Attachment 3, on the Labor tab identified under the RFP (Section 4.1.3.5). | The contractor shall be able to provide contract employees with this level of clearance only if a task order requires it. The RFP Section III - 18.0 and SOW Section 8.8.1.1 have been updated to remove "The Contract employees, performing work in support of this award shall have been granted at a minimum “Top Secret” security clearance from the Defense Industrial Security Clearance Office." | |||||
| 10 | Draft RFP | 18 | 31 | "Limited access to Government Buildings is allowable without an EOD decision if the contractor is escorted by a Government Employee… to facilitate transition of a contract." During the transition, will the DHS allow for access with a government or cleared contractor escort, for staff who are pending adjudication of security clearances? | Limited access to Government building is allowable while EOD is taking place. The contractor should be prepared to transition and onboard remotely as much as feasible (Teams meetings, etc…). This is also important as many component Contracting Officer's Representatives (CORs) and Program Managers (PMs) are located throughout the U.S. | |
| 11 | Draft SOW | 3.2 / 3.3 | 15 / 16 | Can the government provide the historical manpower report, indicating staffing by tasks? | Historically, there has been one (1) Program Manager for the IDIQ, one (1) Program Manager per task order, and on-site support determined by task order requirements. | |
| 12 | Draft SOW | 1.2 | 5 | The DHS has listed "labor Support" as optional. It is our interpretation that Core Services includes labor as part of the FFP Managed Services CLIN. Please confirm. | Program Management, including Program Manager support, is included in the Core Services Contract Line Item Number (CLIN). The Program Manager, which is included in the Core Services CLIN, will not be separately priced. Additional on-site and off-site support would be a labor category under the Optional Labor Support and determined at the task order level. | |
| 13 | Draft SOW | 1.2 | 5 | The DHS has listed "labor Support" as optional. Can the DHS confirm that this optional labor is to be provided under the Time and Material CLIN? | Labor Support can be either Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) or Time-and-Materials (T&M). | |
| 14 | Draft SOW | 1.2 | 5 | Can the DHS provide the number of current staff numbers aligned as Core vs. Optional, if applicable or total staffing levels? | Please see the government's response to question #12. | |
| 15 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Will the government provide a Reading Room to allow offerors to assess information that will enhance their understanding of the current environment and result in an enhanced proposal? | No. | |
| 16 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Does the government plan on conducting an Industry Day? | The Government may not conduct an Industry Day; however, that decision has not been made. If an Industry Day is conducted, the government will update this SAM.gov posting to notify vendors. | |
| 17 | Draft SOW | 3.4 | 17 | Will the awarded vendor also deploy and manage in-building systems. | Each vendor should discuss its management approach to deploying and managing in-building systems, in accordance with RFP Section I, 4.1.2.4 (1), at the IDIQ level. | |
| 18 | Draft SOW | 3.4 | 17 | There are mention of only public cellular frequencies. Will private cellular also be brought into scope? | If this is a benefit to the Government, it should be proposed in the RFP solution and vendor presentations. | |
| 19 | Draft SOW | 3.4 | 17 | For in-building network post-deployment support can you provide SLA expectations? | This can not be defined at the IDIQ level. This would be requested at a task order level. | |
| 20 | Draft SOW | 3.4 | 17 | Can you provide a prospective list of sites / building locations for in-building cellular? | This can not be defined at the IDIQ level. This would be requested at a task order level. | |
| 21 | Draft SOW | 3.4 | 17 | Will all in-building environment require a 3 carrier (AT&T/FN, TMO and VZ) support infrastructure? | This can not be defined at the IDIQ level. This would be requested at a task order level. | |
| 22 | Draft SOW | 3.4 | 17 | As part of the service is the vendor expected to procure, integrate, deliver and manage RF source (baseband) equipment for each carrier? | This can not be defined at the IDIQ level. This would be requested at a task order level. | |
| 23 | Draft SOW | 2.5 | 12 | Can you provide a history service desk tickets over the last 6 to 12 months? | See Tab 'Service Tickets.' | |
| 24 | Draft SOW | N/A | N/A | Are there specific requirements regarding labor rates and categories? | Please see Attachment 3 Pricing Template. The labor categories and descriptions will be provided in this document. | |
| 25 | Draft SOW | N/A | N/A | What are the SLA/SLO expectations for post-deployment support? | The Service Levels are listed in SOW Section 8.1. | |
| 26 | Draft SOW | 2.3.1.1 | 8 | Can you provide a history of the Procurement (MACD) activity over the last 6 to 12 months? | See Tab 'Procurement.' | |
| 27 | Draft SOW | 2.3.1.4 | 8 | Can you provide a history of the Servicing, Refurbishing, & Recycling device activity over the last 6 to 12 months? | See Tab 'Recycle History.' | |
| 28 | Draft SOW | 2.3.1.7 | 8 | Can you provide the quantity of VIPs within DHS? | No, this is based on each task order requirements. | |
| 29 | Draft SOW | 2.3.2 | 8 | Within the Contractual and Financial Services, DHS specifies Bill Payment as part of the scope of services. Can the government clarify if this is paying the carrier via a FBO funded banking account or if this is being done in a different way? | How the contractor pays the carriers is up to them, carrier charges are a pass-through to the government. The contractor is responsible for establishing accounts with each carrier/vendor. The government does not have an FBO that the contractor will manage on the government's behalf to pay vendors. in accordance with SOW section 2.3.2.5: The contractor shall collect and process paper and electronic invoices received from multiple wireless service providers and vendors in multiple billing formats and consolidate into a single invoice per Component. All charges should pass through from the service providers and not be rebilled | |
| 30 | Draft RFP | 21.0-21.4 | 32-33 | Please consider authorizing FAR 51 (Subpart 51.1) procurement by the participating contractors in lieu of subcontracting. Pre-negotiated Government supply sources, such as the GSA-MAS contract, reduce administrative costs, minimize delays, and offer lower cost items. | Offerors may propose the use of Government supply sources in accordance with Subpart 51.1. | |
| 31 | Draft RFP | Draft RFP 1 | 7 | Executive Order 14240, “Eliminating Waste and Saving Taxpayer Dollars by Consolidating Procurement,” directs agencies to migrate common IT and telecom services into centralized, governmentwide acquisition vehicles—specifically those managed by GSA. DHS’s recent cancellations of FirstSource and PACTS demonstrate alignment with this approach, particularly where those contracts overlapped with existing GSA vehicles. Given that CWMS delivers commodity services like cellular plans and mobility support—core offerings already available through GSA’s Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) contract in a multi-vendor, highly competitive environment—has DHS formally evaluated whether those requirements should also transition to EIS? If not, what is the justification for maintaining CWMS as a standalone, single small business award vehicle? | DHS reviewed GSA's EIS contract but determined that it does not meet DHS's comprehensive needs for Telecom Expense Management Services (TEMS) and mobility solutions. | |
| 32 | Draft RFP | Draft RFP 4.0 Proposal Format and Contents | 8 | Please clarify if the 3 page limit for past performance is for each example or the total past performance response. | The 3 page limit for past performance is for the total past performance response. | |
| 33 | Draft RFP | Draft RFP 4.1.3.5 Factor 6: Price | 14 | Will the Government provide a draft RFP Attachment 3, Pricing Template? | Yes. | |
| 34 | Draft SOW | Draft SOW 1.2 Scope | 5 | Will international (OCONUS) wireless needs be defined at the task order level, or is the contractor expected to proactively identify and recommend local carrier options for global mission areas? | Specific international wireless plans will be defined at the task order level. However, the contrctor shall provide a satellite carrier, at a minimum, at the IDIQ level in the "Services & Hardware (CLIN 3A)" tab in the Pricing Template. | |
| 35 | Draft SOW | Draft SOW 2.3.2.3 Contract Dispute Resolution | 9 | For contract and invoicing disputes with carriers, will resolution authority and approval protocols reside centrally with DHS or be managed individually by each Component at the task order level? | At the task order level. | |
| 36 | Draft SOW | Draft SOW 2.3 Telecommunications Expense Management Services | 9 | Will the process for validating warranty credits, recycling returns, and other closeout financials be defined by DHS, or is the contractor expected to propose a standard reconciliation framework? | The contractor shall propose. | |
| 37 | Draft SOW | Draft SOW 2.6.1 Transition-In | 13 | Will DHS Components provide standardized or templated formats for key data sets (e.g., inventories, user-to-device mappings, billing records) during the Transition-In phase, or should the contractor anticipate a variation of formats across Components? | The government anticipates a variation of all formats per task order. | |
| 38 | Draft RFP | Draft RFP 2.0 Evaluation | 19 | For this 10-year enterprise-wide CWMS contract, where long-term mission continuity is essential, how does DHS assess and mitigate concentration risk—particularly in cases where a prime contractor’s financial viability may be closely tied to a single federal customer? To support long-term mission continuity under CWMS, has DHS considered including contractor financial resilience and revenue diversification as an evaluation criterion? Assessing factors like revenue mix and customer concentration early could help ensure contractor stability and reduce mission disruption risk | We will determine that a prospective contractor is responsible before awarding a contract in accordance with FAR Subpart 9.1. | |
| 39 | Draft RFP | Section I - 4.1 | 9 | The instructions state, “The offeror’s Oral Presentation shall consist of no more than 20 slides to address the Management Approach.” Given the breadth of requirements outlined across the nine prompts for Factor 3: Management Approach, 20 slides will not be sufficient to allow for a thorough response to all government requirements. DHS recognized this in 2020, when it allowed 35 slides to address these requirements. To provide evaluators with a full understanding of offerors' solutions, we respectfully request increasing the slide limit to 35, exclusive of front matter (e.g., title slide, agenda). | Please see the government's response to question #2. | |
| 40 | Draft RFP | Section I - 4.1.3.5 | 14 | The draft RFP references a pricing template. Please provide the draft Pricing Template and pricing instructions. | Yes, we will provide the draft Pricing Template. Pricing Instructions are included in the Pricing Template. | |
| 41 | Draft RFP | Section I - 4.2.2 | 15 | The requirements for the portal demonstration include 5 elements (items 1, 6, 7, 8, and 11) which require process descriptions and are not inherently demonstrable. Please allow us to provide a 5 slide PowerPoint to address these items as part of our portal demo. | Oral presentation has been removed. | |
| 42 | Draft RFP | Section III - 7.0(a) | 26 | The note indicates a maximum ceiling for the "multiple award" IDIQ. Please revise to reflect this is a single award IDIQ. | Section 7.0 (a) has been updated to change 'multiple award IDIQ' to 'single award IDIQ.' | |
| 43 | Draft RFP | |||||
| Draft SOW | Section III - 18.0 (RFP) | |||||
| 8.8.1.1 (SOW) | 30 (RFP), 27 (SOW) | The requirement states that, "Contract employees, performing work in support of this award shall have been granted at a minimum 'Top Secret' security clearance from the Defense Industrial Security Clearance Office." As many of the task orders issued under the incumbent IDIQ do not require Top Secret security clearance, and none of the incumbent service desk or logistics staff currently have clearances, please revise this language to indicate that individual task orders may require Top Secret clearance for specified positions. | Please see the government's response to question #9. | |||
| 44 | Draft RFP | Section III - 23.0 | 50 | The clause states that, "The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed 5 years." In accordance with the Period of Performance, please correct this to state "not exceed 10 years." | The clause has been updated to change '5 years' to '10 years.' | |
| 45 | Draft SOW | None | None | Since DHS currently receives message archiving services under the CWMS 2.0 contract, please revise the draft SOW to include a dedicated section that outlines the specific message archiving requirements, including the solutions currently in use. | No, a specific section will not be created, licensing is captured in the pricing template. | |
| 46 | Draft SOW | 1.2 | 5 | The draft SOW states, "DHS and all components have approximately 80,000 lines of service under the current CWMS contract vehicle." Given organizational changes over the years, please update this volume to reflect the current number of lines of service and the current distribution of lines by carrier. | Currently DHS manages approximately 150K lines of service. SOW Section 1.2 was updated. | |
| 47 | Draft SOW | 2.3.1.1, 2.5, 3.2, 3.3.1 | 8, 12, 15, 16 | We understand that the government anticipates releasing this solicitation as an IDIQ, and that volumes (e.g., number of support calls, number of orders, distribution of service by carrier) will be dependent on individually issued task orders, making estimation of expected volumes difficult. Even so, provision of historical metrics will still be very helpful in properly sizing responses. Please provide current, "as-is" information as an attachment or appendix to the SOW to assist offerors in making estimations for the following items: |
- Current service desk call volumes, broken out by tier and DHS Component
- Current mobile device logistics volumes, including how many devices are shipped with asset tags, how many without, and the typical shipping destinations (e.g., DHS Headquarters or end user homes)
- Current monthly number of Tier 1 and Tier 2 MDM support calls
| - Current average number of orders placed each month, broken out by DHS Component | See Tabs 'Number of Orders' and 'Carrier Services.' | |||||
| 48 | Draft SOW | 3.2 | 15, 16 | The draft SOW identifies mobile device management (MDM) as an optional service. Please revise the draft SOW to clarify which MDM solutions (e.g., Intune, AirWatch, MobileIron) are currently in use and specify which DHS Components use each platform. | Please see Attachment 3 Pricing Template. In the "Licensing (CLIN 3B)" tab, the government listed the solutions it uses and would like to get license costs for. |
Service Tickets
| 2024 | |||||||||||||
| DHS All | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Totals |
| 4,697 | 4,326 | 4,812 | 4,649 | 5,333 | 5,317 | 5,786 | 5,285 | 4,961 | 5,302 | 4,406 | 3,955 | 58,829 | |
| 2025 | |||||||||||||
| DHS All | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Totals | ||||||
| 4,827 | 4,993 | 4,459 | 4,279 | 3,751 | 3,682 | 25,991 |
Procurements
| Oct - Dec (2024) | Jan - Mar (2025) | Apr -Jun (2025) | Jul - Sep (2025) | |
| DHS All | 84 | 80 | 80 | 93 |
Recycle History
| 2024 | |||||||||||||
| DHS All | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Totals |
| 5304 | 2544 | 6152 | 3880 | 6815 | 3356 | 5183 | 4380 | 3078 | 3391 | 3611 | 5182 | 24,825 |
| 2025 | |||||||||
| DHS All | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Totals |
| 4659 | 4119 | 9935 | 5901 | 10800 | 5578 | 6348 | 2793 | 41,355 |
Number of Orders
| 2024 | |||||||||||||
| DHS All | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Totals |
| 2963 | 2486 | 3737 | 4843 | 6233 | 3478 | 4414 | 5545 | 3095 | 2731 | 3477 | 2730 | 21,992 | |
| 2025 | |||||||||||||
| DHS All | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Totals | ||||||
| 3940 | 4852 | 3783 | 2382 | 1617 | 2948 | 19,522 |
| Please note that Orders can consist of the following: |
| Accessory Order |
| Account Transfer |
| Bulk Update GL |
| Change Carrier |
| Change Service Capabilities |
| Change Service Status |
| Equipment Swap |
| Liability Transfer Out |
| New Equipment |
| New Service |
| New Service with Equipment |
| Order Equipment To Stock |
| Phone Number Change |
| Reassign Equipment |
| Replacement Order |
| Request New SIM(s) |
| Return Device |
| Sim Change |
| Users Cost Center Reassignment |
| Voice Mail Reset |
Carrier Services
| Total Lines of Service | |
| DHS Carrier All | 161,049 |
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .