7. QA RFP Response.pdf

Attachment 9

Question Number

Attachment Number Section Number

Page Number Paragraph

Questions and Comments

1 It appears the due date is 9/16 for phase I, but questions aren’t due until after that date on the 23rd of September. Is this a mistake?

Answer RFP, page 43 has been revised.

2 Is there already an incumbent contractor in place?

Answer Yes, Brillient Corporation is the incumbent contractor.

3 If so, is the existing contractor still in good standing as an 8(a) contactor or has their term run its course?

Answer The incumbent contractor is no longer an 8(a) contractor.

4 Can you share the name of the incumbent contractor?

Answer Brillient Corporation is the incumbent contractor.

5 RFP, Section 3 Page 42 Page 42 of the RFP Says, “ If the offeror is a joint venture (JV), the JV is required to have the SECRET facility clearance.” We are an un-populated

JV under SBA approved Mentor Protégé Agreement. As per SBA, an un-populated doesn’t hire any employees. The JV members hire employees who currently have active Secret level facility clearance

Question: Will the government consider removing the above sentence from the RFP?

Answer No

6 RFP Page 47, Factor 4 RFP states, "Contracts or orders with values at or above $7 million per year for the proposing prime contractor and $30 million and above per year for proposed major subcontractor."

Is the threshold you stated of $30M for subcontractor experience correct, and is that the amount that must be subcontracted or the total award amount?

Answer RFP Section E, Number 3, Phase II Proposal Instructions, Section III, Corporate Experience, Page 47 has been revised.

7 RFP, Section 52.212-

In Section 52.212-2 of the RFP, under the heading "Phase 1" (at the bottom of page 56) the RFP indicates vendors should have “submitted at the time of the Phase 1 proposal submission documentation from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) that demonstrates the prime offeror has an active SECRET facility clearance .” DCSA no longer issues the DSS FL 381-R (Facility Clearance Letter), what documentation does CIS require for offerors to validate their Active Facility Clearance? For example, does CIS have a specific verification method it would like to use, such as:

1) A statement of fact inserted into the proposal with the CAGE code for official verification in NISS

2) A written attestation of clearance on company letterhead, signed by the FSO

3) A printout of the View Notification screen from the NISS system (Note: this document is FOUO and would require adequate protection as such)

4) Another method?

Answer The following sections of the RFP have been revised:

Section E, Addendum to 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items, #3, Proposal Instructions, Phase I, page 42.

Section E, Addendum to 52.212-2 Evaluation - Commercial Items, Phase I, Factor 1, Facility Clearance, pages 57 and 58.

Solicitation, Instructions to Offerors

Paragraph 3, Page

For Phase I, the Solicitation requires Joint Venture (JV) offerors to have the SECRET facility clearance. Would the government consider a JV whose members all have SECRET or TOP SECRET facility clearances as meeting the SECRET Facility requirement? In other words, if a JV has two members, and BOTH members have SECRET or TOP SECRET facility clearance, would the JV be determined to have successfully demonstrated the requirement to be considered Technically Acceptable for Phase I and considered for further inclusion in Phase II?

Answer No 9 Page 42 #3 We are responding to solicitation number 70SBUR20R00000005. Phase 1 requires proof of facility clearance. Proof of facility clearance is afforded via National Industrial Security System (NISS). The NISS printout is FOUO. As such we would like to submit our proof of facility clearance view notification from NISS electronically. In compliance with the National Industrial Security Program (NISP) we will send the initial email with both our facility information and verification password protected. Password will follow under separate cover. Please confirm this is acceptable to you. Thanks in advance for your assistance with our submission

Answer The following sections of the RFP will be revised in amendment 0004:

Section E, Addendum to 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items, #3, Proposal Instructions, Phase I, page 42.

Section E, Addendum to 52.212-2 Evaluation - Commercial Items, Phase I, Factor 1, Facility Clearance, pages 57 and 58.

10 Will DHS amend the solicitation with a new NAICS that is more appropriate for the principal scope of the work to be performed, such as NAICS 541611

Answer No 11 Page 58 Will DHS amend the solicitation with a "secret" demonstration option, rather than requiring the clearance already be obtained at the time of submission of the Phase I proposal as presently required?

U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) Records Operations Support Services (ROSS)

70SBUR20R00000005

Industry Questions and Comments Regarding ROSS Re-compete

NOTE: If there is a conflict between any answer provided and the solicitation and its attachments, the solicitation and its attachments take precedence.

Questions and Answers 1-14 posted to beta.SAM.gov September 10, 2020 Questions and Answers 15 - 165 posted to beta.SAM.gov September 28, 2020 Questions and Answers 166 - 168 posted to beta.SAM.gov September 30, 2020 Questions and Answers 169 - 170 posted to beta.SAM.gov September 30, 2020 Question and Answer 171 - 173 posted to beta.SAM.gov October 5, 2020 Question and Answer 174 posted to beta.SAM.gov October 6, 2020 Question and Answer 175 posetd to beta.SAM.gov October 15, 2020

Answer No, the requirements remain as stated in the RFP.

12 We question whether there are qualified 8(a) companies with gross revenues under $8 million per year, who hold active SECRET facility clearances, and that can perform a contract valued in excess of $20 million per year.

Does DHS have market research which shows there are such companies? If so, we request that you provide such research to us. If not, will DHS amend the solicitation with a new NAICS code (as suggested) that is more appropriate for the scope of work?

Answer USCIS has held an industry day, issued an RFI and a draft PWS, all which have demonstrated there are 8(a) companies capable of performing this requirement.

The NAICS code for this requirement is as stated in the RFP.

13 The solicitation requires that an offeror hold a SECRET facility clearance to submit a proposal. It does not appear that the solicitation identifies which types of records and information involved with the contract, if any, require this level of clearance.

Can you identify where in the solicitation such information is provided? If it is not provided, will DHS amend the solicitation to include this important information or delete an unjustified clearance requirement?

Answer Section 3, of the PWS, Scope, discusses select contractor employees having access to A-File and Receipt files classified at the secret level.

Classified and secret material is also discussed in PWS Sections 4.6.1.1 and 4.8.1.

14 One of the three relevancy requirements states: Contracts or orders with values at or above $7 million per year for the proposing prime contractor and $30 million and above per year for proposed major subcontractor. These total contract values represent the amount that the prime offeror or proposed major subcontractor will perform or has performed for their portion of work on the corporate experience example submitted." We would appreciate it if this question is responded to as soon as possible as the response will dictate whether our team qualifies to respond to this opportunity. Questions: 1) We respectfully request clarification on this requirement as it would seem to be in contradiction with the NAICS codes requirements for the 561110 NAICS code and size standard selected for this opportunity. The $7M/year requirement restricts or limits small businesses from qualifying for this opportunity by our interpretation. 2) Please also clarify whether the $7M/year applies to the total for all Prime corporate experience examples selected or is this $7M/year to be applied to each contract selected as an example.

Answer RFP Section E, Number 3, Phase II Proposal Instructions, Section III, Corporate Experience, Page 47 has been revised.

15 Page 46 According to Section III Corporate Experience on page 46 it states the following: “The offeror may submit corporate experience examples from the prime offeror or a major subcontractor (defined as performing at least 20% of the work on this contract); however, in order to meet the minimum experience requirements, the offeror must submit corporate experience examples that show that the prime offeror has relevant experience in all of the areas listed in number 1, a – f below. This can be shown by the submission of either one prime offeror corporate experience example or a combination of prime offeror corporate experience examples.

If the prime offeror meets all but two or three of a-f, but the major subcontractor meets all/others, is the bid considered non-compliant?

Answer The proposal would be considered non-compliant if the requirements of the RFP are not met.

16 RFP Section E p. 42, para 3 Although the facility security clearance requirements for Phase I were revised with Amendment 1, will the USCIS also clarify if a contractor's U.S.

Department of Energy (DOE) "Q" facility clearance level is acceptable in lieu of the Secret level?

Answer No, the requirements remain as stated in the RFP.

17 Section 3 p.46 Factor 4-paragraph 2

In the previous solicitation for this contract, past performance could be from both the prime and subs. Also, under the current solicitation, If a team forms a JV, you would accept any past performance from either JV Member and no single JV member would have to cover all areas. This seems to counter your requirements that the Prime bidder has to cover all of the areas.

Question: Are we understanding correctly that the prime contractor has to have PP in all areas (items a thru f of page 47 of the solicitation) or can a major subcontractor PP be used in combination to answer items a-f?

Answer In accordance with the RFP, the offeror must submit corporate experience examples that show that the prime offeror has relevant experience in all of the areas listed in number 1, a – f, in the relevancy definition.

18 Attachment 4 General

Pg. 1 Paragraph 3

COVID is causing delays in many business aspects, will the government consider extending the due date for the FCL to the submission date for Phase II, if the contractor can provide proof that the clearance paperwork has been submitted thru NISS and it’s in the review stage at DCSA?

Answer No 19 Solicitation

Section E Pg. 42

3. Proposal Instructions

Although the FCL requirement was stated in the RFI and Industry Day, it was not clear that the FCL was required so quickly as an initial “approval” process in a phased approach. On other USCIS opportunities, the FCL is required it at the time of award. Having the FCL at a phased approach like this is a barrier to entry to compete in the USCIS marketplace. And, with COVID, it has created a backlog within DCSA to process FCL. Since our organization has submitted all required documents to DCSA, will the government allow proof of submittal to DCSA as a substitute to a full clearance for phase 1, and a requirement before award?

Answer No 20 RFP/Section III – Past

Performance (Factor 5)

Page 48 Past Performance instructions state ' Offerors shall not provide additional documentation for Factor 5'

Please verify the contractor not to submit any information for Factor 5, in other words this factor will be blank?

Answer As stated in the RFP, in Table 1, Proposal Instructions, Phase II, page 45, "USCIS will utilize corporate experience examples to evaluate past performance. No additional documentation is permitted to be submitted for Factor 5 - Past Performance."

21 RFP/Volume II, Price (Factor 6)

Page 48 RFP States "Offerors shall add TABs to the pricing template to show fully burdened labor rates, and the breakout of the fully burdened labor rate, including hours and price by labor category by period. The intent of this detail is for USCIS to have the information needed to process requests for adjustments to price, due to wage determination changes, in accordance with 52.222-43. This detail will not be evaluated and is being used for administrative purposes only." Can the government confirm that this means the stated goal of this information is to process wage determination changes, is the government requesting the build up of just labor categories subject to SCA or all labor categories?

Questions and Answers 15 - 165 posted to beta.SAM.gov September 28, 2020

Answer The government is requesting the build up for the Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS) labor categories. RFP, Proposal Instructions, Phase II, Volume II, Price, page 49 will be updated in amendment 0004.

22 RFP/Volume II, Price (Factor 6)

Page 48 RFP States "Offerors shall add TABs to the pricing template to show fully burdened labor rates, and the breakout of the fully burdened labor rate, including hours and price by labor category by period." Can the government confirm that the expectation that this build up information tie to the amounts presented on Attachment 5 - Vendor Pricing template including non-labor costs?

Answer As stated on page 49 of the RFP, "The intent of this detail is for USCIS to have the information needed to process requests for adjustments to price, due to wage determination changes, in accordance with 52.222-43. This detail will not be evaluated and is being used for administrative purposes only."

23 RFP/Volume II, Price (Factor 6)

Page 48 RFP States "Offerors shall add TABs to the pricing template to show fully burdened labor rates, and the breakout of the fully burdened labor rate, including hours and price by labor category by period." Can the government confirm that this means the government is looking for a burdened rate build-up. Including DL + Fringe + other applicable indirects? Will the customer please confirm this applies to the prime contractor?

Answer The offeror shall show the fully burdened labor rates and the breakout of the fully burdened labor rate. This information shall be included for all Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS) labor categories.

24 RFP Attachment 5_Vendor Pricing Template

CLIN 0005.1 The quantities for CLIN 0005.2 Non-Index Scanning - Pages are twice as high as the previous RFP. Has the Non-Index Scanning - Pages doubled on the contract?

Answer Current FOIA Request receipts have increased significantly since the issuance of the RFP in 2014.

25 Standard Form 30 page 3 Section C Contract Clauses

Page 3 Clause 52.228-10 Vehicular and General Public Liability is required, but the limits are not provided. What are the Liability requirements for Commercial General Liability and Auto Liability?

Answer RFP, Section C, Contract Clauses, Page 9 will be updated in amendment 0004.

26 Standard Form 30 page 3 Section C Contract Clauses

Page 3 Would the government consider adding clause 52.246-25 Limitation of Liability-Services added to the contract?

Answer No 27 RFP Attachment 1 -

ROSS PWS Final - 4.0.9

I-5 The government states the contractor will be responsible for the maintenance and replacement of GFE equipment. The RFP states that computer systems to include software are included in the GFE. Please confirm that the contractor will be required to maintenance and replace these computer systems.

Answer Computer systems are not included in the GFE items that the contractor must maintain or replace.

28 RFP Attachment 1 - ROSS PWS Final - 4.0.20

I-7 Will the contractor be required to pay for security investigations and will they be reimbursed? What is the current average cost for an investigation.

Answer In accordance with the RFP, Section C, Special Contract Instructions, Contractor Pre-Screening Instructions, Page 38, the contractor shall verify minimal fitness requirements for all persons designated for employment under Department of Homeland Security contracts by pre-screening the person prior to submitting their name for consideration to work on the contract.

Contractors will not be reimbursed for pre-screening.

29 RFP Attachment 1 - ROSS PWS Final - 5.0

I-48 What is the average number of overtime hours currently being used on the contract?

Answer This is a FFP contract; USCIS does not track this information.

30 RFP Attachment 1 -

ROSS PWS Final - 4.1.1

I-8 What percentage of the incoming files are already bar-coded?

Answer Per the Records Policy Manual, files should be barcoded before they are sent to the NRC. Should a file arrive at the NRC with a damaged barcode or with barcode missing, the file should be corrected using task 4.1.7 File Maintenance. Estimates for File Maintenance, which includes a number of tasks in addition to creating and replacing barcodes, is provided in Attachment 5 - Vendor Pricing Template.

31 RFP Attachment 1 - ROSS PWS Final - 4.1.1

I-8 In the RFP, it states that there are "on average, 13-18 A-Files per box. Are there other File types included in the boxes and what is the average number of files received per box in total?

Answer At the NRC/NRC ES-1, most boxes may contain A or T files, with occasional S or W files. Boxes may also contain a combination of these files.

While file size for each type is highly variable, we estimate a box of T-Files, on average, to contain 26-36 files per box.

RFP, Attachment 1, PWS, Section 4.1.1 will be updated in amendment 0004.

32 RFP Attachment 1 - ROSS PWS Final - 4.1.4

I-13 The RFP states: "Record all outgoing files in the Government-provided Mail Room File Tracking Database with the file number and the shipping company’s tracking number. Record the tracking number in RAILS. The Mail Room File Tracking Database is used to track the file with the UPS/FedEx or other carrier shipment in case of a lost or destroyed shipment."

Does the shipping number needed to be manually entered or is there a scanner to populate the field. Does the Mail Room File Tracking Database automatically receive the shipping number or does the shipping number have to be entered manually in both systems?

Answer The contractor can scan, or manually enter, the shipping tracking number and file number in both RAILS and the Mailroom Tracking Database.

None of the systems (courier/mailroom/RAILS) interact with each other, so updates, per the PWS, need to be made in all systems separately (it is not automatically populated in the different systems).

The courier shipping systems reside in a standalone system. A Keyboard, Video and Mouse (KVM) switch is currently provided by USCIS at the mailing workstations to navigate from the courier system to the USCIS network to input data into RAILS and the mailroom tracking database.

33 RFP Attachment 1 - ROSS PWS Final - 4.1.11

I-19 Can the government confirm that calls are received automatically by the "Government provided call center software."? Are calls then put in a queue for answering by contractor staff? Does the "Government provided call centers software." track any information from the caller, call times, response times or other metrics and is the application capable of reporting these metrics? Is the software a COTS product or USCIS developed application? Can the government provide the name of the application?

Answer USCIS uses Avaya software for our call center. Incoming calls do queue for answering by contractor staff. Contractor staff performing work under PWS Task 4.1.11 will also interact with the Electronic Workload Reporting and Tracking System (eWRTS), the Government furnished database which also serves as a customer relationship management tool. Metrics relevant to the contractor's adherence to PWS and PRS standards are tracked by one or both systems. The Avaya system is a COTS product and the eWRTS system is a USCIS-developed application.

34 RFP Attachment 1 - ROSS PWS Final - 4.4.1

I-27 In the section, A-File Indexing, the RFP states: "Select the form type or document description for all document groups based upon the separation or patch sheets found in the electronic record per USCIS policy and procedures." Can the government provide the link to or electronic records policy as well as examples of the patch sheets described above?

Answer In addition to the requirements outlined in RFP, Attachment 1, PWS, Section 4, the USCIS Records Policy Manual also provides guidance on electronic records policy. The government will provide the Records Policy Manual upon request and with a signed NDA. Please see amendment 0003 for additional information.

RFP, Attachment 1, PWS, Attachment 10 will be revised in amendment 0004 to include sample Patch Sheets.

35 RFP Attachment 1 - ROSS PWS Final - 4.5.1

I-27 Can the government confirm that the contractor will be provided bundles of 25 separate FOIA requests and that each FOIA request includes an average of six pages per FOIA request not including the envelope.

Answer Please see RFP, Attachment 1, PWS, Section 4.6.5.2. The Contractor is responsible for bundling, preparing and delivering new requests for FOIA Request Letter scanning under Task 4.5.1. Each FOIA request includes an average of six pages per request including the envelope.

36 RFP Attachment 1 - ROSS PWS Final - 4.5.2

I-29 Can the government confirm that the average page count per file is 225 pages is referring to the average number of pages in a FOIA response?

Answer Yes, 225 pages is the current approximate average number of pages per file associated with a FOIA responsive record.

37 RFP Attachment 1 - ROSS PWS Final - 4.7.2

I-40 Are the email and call center requests the same types of requests at both the HB FSF and the NRC?

Answer Please see RFP, Attachment 1, PWS, Sections 4.7.2 and 4.1.11 for task definitions. These tasks are independent of each other.

38 RFP Attachment 5_Vendor Pricing Template

BASE & OY fill ins Will the government provide quantity unit labels for the items in Attachment 5 to define pages, files, boxes, etc.

Answer Yes, RFP, Attachment 5, Vendor Pricing Template, will be revised in amendment 0004.

39 Volume I – Technical Proposal; Section; 3.

Proposal Instructions; Phase II, Section III – Corporate Experience

Paragraph no. 3;

If the bidding entity qualifies as an 8(a) ANC, will USCIS consider the experience of other sister companies within the ANC for this evaluation factor even if those companies are not small with respect to the size standard and will not be part of the bidding team?

Answer No 40 Attach. I; Section 8.1 I-57 to I-58 Are there currently a sufficient number of operational GFE forklifts, pallet jacks, and hydraulic paper drills to perform work at the NRC locations

(NRC and ES-1)?

Answer Please see RFP, Attachment 1, PWS Section 8.1 for the listing of limited Government Furnished Equipment on hand that may be utilized by the contractor for use during this contract period or until equipment becomes inoperable or unrepairable. The overall equipment solution will be up to the offeror.

41 Attach. I; Section 3 Scope

Paragraph 3; pg. 3 In addition to the Government-furnished warehouse items listed on pages I-57 and I-58, is the incumbent contractor currently providing any riding fork lifts, electric pallet jacks, drill presses, shrink wrap machines, and/or conveyors or other high-priced warehouse equipment items that will need to be replaced during the transition period (i.e., prior to the start-up of operations)? If so, can the Government identify the number and quantity of items expected to be replaced during the transition period?

Answer USCIS does not count or manage the contractor's furnished equipment.

42 Attach. 1; Section 8.1 I-57 to I-58 It appears that there are no GFE fork lifts, pallet jacks, paper drills, scissor lifts, order picker lifts, or other similar GFE at the HSB FSF. Since the contractor was not permitted to tour this facility during industry day, can the Government please provide a list of current contractor-provided equipment at the HSB FSF or an estimate of the numbers and type of equipment the contractor will need to provide for this facility?

Answer USCIS does not count or manage the contractor's furnished equipment.

43 Attach. 1; Section 8.1 Pg. i-59; Para. 6 Will contractor employees be permitted to use government computers to access, via the Internet, the employer's commercial, cloud-based timekeeping system for the purpose of recording their time worked? If not, may the employer provide onsite computers so staff can access the employer's timekeeping system?

Answer Generally this is not an issue provided that no software is required to be installed on the Government furnished computers in order to successfully access the cloud-based timekeeping system. USCIS is not able to provide any network access to non-USCIS-owned computer equipment.

44 Attach. I; Section 8.1 I-57 to I-58 There is no mail x-ray inspection system and scanning equipment shown as Government Furnished Property. Will the contractor be required to provide mail x-ray inspection system and scanning equipment at the NRC? NRC ES-1? and HBG FSF?

Answer The Government will provide x-ray inspection systems at NRC and ES-1. This equipment is used by the contractor but is not transferred to the contractor for maintenance responsibility. USCIS maintains responsibility for provisioning and maintaining the x-ray equipment.

45 Attach. 1; Section 8.1 Pg. i-59; Para. 6 Will contractor employees be permitted to record units worked in a contractor-provided, cloud-based system as long as the data is uploaded and maintained in a database stored within the USCIS environment and made available to USCIS staff?

Answer As long as no Personally Identifiable Information or Sensitive Personally Identifiable Information is stored outside of USCIS-owned/managed systems/databases, we would allow production counts to be stored in a contractor-provided cloud based system provided all PWS requirements are met, specifically the reporting requirements found in RFP, Attachment 1, PWS, section 7.2.1.

RFP, Attachment 1, PWS, Section 7 will be revised in amendment 0004.

46 ADDENDUM TO FAR

52.212-1

pg. 41; paragraph 1 & 2

It is our understanding that bidders invited to submit a Phase II proposals will be permitted to ask questions prior to submission; can the Government confirm this understanding?

Answer As per the RFP, the government requested questions be submitted by September 16, 2020. It may not be possible for us to answer questions submitted beyond that date.

47 PWS 3.0 I-4 For objective to "pursue continuous improvement in all operations", is there a Configuration Management tool currently used?

Answer USCIS does not have a configuration management tool currently in use for purposes of the contractor to pursue continuous improvement in all operations.

48 PWS 4.0.15 I-6 For compliance with applicable Security plans, how often is "mock-testing" performed? And please verify this "security plan" specifically refers to the "Mail Facility Security Plan" as stated in 4.6.1.1

Answer Mock-Testing is primarily related to the Mail Facility Security and will be conducted on an unannounced basis at least once annually. In addition to the COOP, each facility may have unique security plans including: Mail Facility Security Plan, Facility Security Plan, Temporary Secret Processing Area (TSPA) Plan. USCIS reserves the right to add or modify plans at any time.

49 PWS 4.6.2 I-32 For the requirement to maintain accountability log for security seals, is this currently done on a spreadsheet, or managed within a Configuration Management Data Base (CMDB) tool? (Since the weekly "Security clearance report" in 7.2 is listed as a spreadsheet).

Answer This is currently maintained in spreadsheet form and contains, at a minimum, the seal numbers, the bills of lading against which they were applied and the dates used.

50 PWS 7.2 I-51 This list of activity reports does not include the "accountability log for security seals" (see PWS 4.6.2). Should this report be a separate listing?

Answer Yes. RFP, Attachment 1, PWS, Section 7.2, will be updated in amendment 0004.

51 PWS 7.6 I-55 For the COOP plan delivery, is there an existing plan to update, or is the contractor required to create a new COOP plan, that will adhere to the

Governments COOP plan?

Answer The contractor is required to create their own COOP plan. See PWS, Attachment 2, Project Management Plan Template, Section 5.0, for detailed COOP/Emergency Plan requirements.

52 PWS 7.9 I-56 Since this states the PMP is required to address the security plan, is there an existing contractor security plan to leverage and build-upon?

Answer The contractor is required to create their own Security plan. See RFP, Attachment 1, PWS, Attachment 2, Project Management Plan Template, Section 2.0 for detailed Security Plan requirements.

53 PWS 8.1 I-59 Is this DHS Information Security requirements set forth in DHS 4300, the overriding government security plan?

Answer The DHS 4300 is the DHS Sensitive Systems Handbook and shall be adhered to in addition to all other security requirements included in the RFP.

The DHS 4300 can be found here: https://www.dhs.gov/publication/dhs-4300a-sensitive-systems-handbook.

54 PWS 8.2 I-60 For the identified scanners and quantities, physically located at the National Records Center (NRC) in Lee's Summit, MO and NRC ES-1 (Kansas City, MO), which scanners are primarily used?

Answer All scanners listed are available for contractor use for various scanning related contract tasks.

55 PWS 8.2

PWS 8.3

I-60 I-61

For the list of scanners in the table, for each scanner (in particular the BancTec scanner) please clarify 5 additional details:

a. The model number used?

b. The configuration that was purchased?

c. The enhancements added to the original configuration as currently used?

d. The software version currently used?

e. When was the hardware purchased, for the age?

Answer Note - Software versions are as noted at the time of the issuance of this Question and Answer document, and may be modified prior to award.

BancTec IntelliScan XDS with Contex SD One 24" Large Format Scanner

- Configuration - as stated above

- Purchased 2016

- IntelliScan version 10.1.5

- IntelliScan XDS version 5.2

- Enhancements - Windows 10-compliant CPU installed

Opex Falcons

- Configuration - Falcon Base Machine

- Purchased 2016

- OPEX Transform Monitor version 2.2.21.0

- OPEX CertainScan X64 version 4.67.00

- Enhancements - Windows 10-compliant CPUs installed

56 PWS 8.4 I-62 For this list of consumables, are there any additional items with unusually long lead time for re-ordering, that the contractor should be aware of, to ensure we maintain the required 90-day supply.

Answer USCIS has not purchased these consumable supplies since 2015, but is not aware of any unusually long lead times currently associated with the listed supplies.

57 PWS 9.0 I-65 How many government and non-ROSS subcontractors are located in NRC and NRC-ES1 locations?

Answer The office space listed in the PWS is what is allocated for ROSS contractor use.

58 44 Will the Government confirm that the 2-page Cover Page is excluded from the 50-page limit of the Volume I - Technical Proposal?

Answer Confirmed

59 Amendment 2 46 (bullet 1)

Will the Government consider excluding the Draft Quality Control Plan from the 50-page count limit?

Answer No 60 Amendment 2 46

(bullet 3) Will the Government consider excluding the Draft Transition-In Plan from the 50-page count limit?

Answer No 61 Main RFP, Section III

– Corporate Experience (Factor 4) pages 40-42 up to "Price (Factor 6)".

In order to reduce risk to the Government, please consider requiring JV Prime Offerors to be mature entities that have won and performed one

(1) or more prime contracts as a cleared JV.

Answer Requirement is unchanged.

62 RFP Amendment

p. 41 (Reference): The Phase II proposal submission date will be determined following the conclusion of Phase I. All offerors invited to Phase II will be notified of the due date and time for submission of Phase II proposals at the time of invitation. All Phase II proposal submission instructions and evaluation criteria are included in this solicitation document.

Will this notification be a rolling approval, or will the Offerors be notified at the same time? How much time will Offerors have to response from the Phase II notification due date to final submission? Does the USCIS anticipate a 30-day time frame?

Answer USCIS anticipates notifying all offerors at the same time. USCIS has not finalized a submission date for Phase II proposals.

63 RFP Section 3.

Proposal Instructions

p. 44 Given the significant amount of information that must be presented in a 50-page proposal, will the Government consider allowing tables, charts, graphs, figures, illustrations, or flow charts to be presented in a smaller text size than 12-point Times New Roman, e.g. 8 pt. Arial?

Answer No 64 RFP Section C;

Contractor Pre- Screening Instructions

P. 39 (Reference): Pre-screening shall be conducted within 15 business days after contract award. This requirement shall be placed in all subcontracts if the subcontractor requires routine physical access, access to sensitive but unclassified information, and/or logical access to IT resources. Failure to comply with the pre-screening requirement will result in the Contracting Officer taking the appropriate remedy . Please confirm that this clause does not apply to incumbent employees who transfer to the new contract.

Answer Confirmed; this does not apply to incumbent employees who have already been screened by USCIS.

65 Attachment 1

Section 2

p. I-3 (Reference) The HBG FSF currently stores in excess of 22 million receipt files. Records stored at HBG FSF are currently exceeding its shelving capacity of 336,000 boxes. What percentage is the HBG FSF over capacity? What is the average number of receipt files in a box at the HBG FSF?

Answer USCIS estimates that HBG FSF is approximately 25% over capacity. Receipt files per box average approximately 55 receipt files, with a range of approximately 3 to 150 files per box.

66 Attachment 1 Section 4.1.3

Page I-10 Paragraph 3

The fourth bullet states that approximately 10% of total internal file pulls will have multiple related files. Are these volumes accounted for in

4.1.5 File Merge?

Answer Yes.

67 Attachment 1 Section 4.1.4

Page 1-12 Paragraph 3

The first bullet states that 11% of external file request volumes will have multiple related files. Are these volumes accounted for in 4.1.5 File Merge?

Answer The estimated percentage stated in 4.1.4 should be slightly lower at approximately 9%. These volumes are included in the quantity estimates for

4.1.5. The quantity estimates remain unchanged. RFP, Attachment 1, PWS, Section 4.1.4 will be revised in amendment 0004.

68 Attachment 1 Section 4.3.3

p. 25 The first bullet states that A-file creates above the expected 12% of projected FRC Compaction Prep volumes count will be counted and reported separate from Task 4.3.1 FRC Compaction Prep. Where are these volumes counted?

Answer The contractor will track the count of A-files created during performance of 4.3.1 as a separate data point for the sole purpose of determining when A-creates exceed the 12% of projected FRC Compaction Prep volumes, at which point production counts exceeding 12% will be taken under 4.3.3 (in accordance with RFP, Attachment 1, PWS, Page I-25).

69 Attachment 1 Section 8.2

p. I-60 How many OPEX Falcons are dedicated to non-indexed scanning?

Answer All scanners are available for contractor use for either indexed or non-indexed scanning. The contractor can determine how to allocate the provided scanners to the various tasks.

70 Attachment 1 PWS Attachments

p. i-70 Please provide 2019 actual workload volume for the Product and Services identified in the table. This information will be helpful is determining initial recruiting, staffing, training and Transition effort.

Answer Estimated production quantities, for the services identified in the PWS, can be found in RFP, Attachment 5, Vendor Pricing Template.

71 PRS Attachment 3 Page 1-2, starting on paragraph 3 up to "Deduction Methodology for Not Meeting an Overall AQL for an entire CLIN"

Please advise if deductions or performance penalties have been levied under the incumbent contract. If yes, please share the amount of aggregate deductions in dollars for option year 3 and option year 4.

Answer Incumbent performance data will not be shared.

72 PRS Attachment 3 pp. 2-3 Referencing the deductions table, assuming deductions have been levied under the incumbent contract in contract option years 3 and/or 4, please advise which CLINS and requirements they related to.

Answer Incumbent performance data will not be shared.

73 PRS p.2 How does USCIS derive the Monthly Overall AQL that is utilized for determining invoice deductions? If a contractor met all AQLs in CLIN 005, the monthly average would be 96%; however, according to the deduction table, the contractor is subject to deduction for performance less than a monthly overall average 97%.

Answer Please refer to RFP, Attachment 1, PWS, Section 5 and PWS, Attachment 3, PRS, pages 1 -2. The methodology for calculating the overall CLIN AQL, versus just the individual PRS AQL, is to divide the total number of passed samples for all samples under that CLIN (sum of all underlying passed PRS samples) by the total sampled (sum of all underlying PRS samples).

74 Vendor Pricing Template

Are the volumes for 5.1 Request Letters representative of the number of letters or the average number of pages to be scanned?

Answer Number of Request Letters.

75 Vendor Pricing

Template Please provide estimated workload volumes for NRC Correspondence Operations; Process, Track, and Deliver FOIA Incoming Mail; Prepare New Requests for Scanning; and HBG FSF Incoming/Outgoing Correspondence.

Answer These estimated 12 month volumes can be found in RFP, Attachment 1, PWS, Attachment 3, Performance Requirement Summary (PRS).

76 Amendment 0001, Proposal Instructions;

Evaluation (Addendum to FAR 52.212-2, Phase I and Table 2) p.42, 57-58 Amendment 0001 changes dated 9/10/20 states “The prime offeror shall submit, at time of Phase I proposal submission, a signed letter, from the prime offeror’s Field Security Officer, which shall include written attestation that the prime offeror has a final approved facility security clearance at the secret level. The prime offeror shall include, in the letter, the legal name of the prime offeror’s company, the prime offeror’s company address and the prime offeror’s cage code.”

Question: Should this read “from the prime offeror’s Facility Security Officer” rather than Field Security Officer? Please note that cleared entities have Facility Security Officers, not Field Security Officers. According to DCSA, cleared entities must have a Facility Security Officer.

Answer The signed letter shall be from the prime offeror's Facility Security Officer.

The following sections of the RFP will be revised in amendment 0004:

Section E, Addendum to 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items, #3, Proposal Instructions, Phase I, page 42.

Section E, Addendum to 52.212-2 Evaluation - Commercial Items, Phase I, Factor 1, Facility Clearance, pages 57 and 58.

77 RFP Instructions, Volume I, Section I (Factor 2) and Section II (Factor 3);

RFP Evaluation Criteria, Phase II, Factor 3 pages 45 and 58 The RFP evaluation criteria (page 58) state, "USCIS will evaluate:

The Offeror’s concept of operations as it relates to PWS sections 4.1 through 4.9". Meanwhile, the RFP instructions (page 45) require, "The offeror shall provide a detailed narrative explaining:

How the offeror will accomplish the tasks in the PWS sections 4.0 through 4.9."

Please confirm the evaluation criteria are correct and offerors are not required to address PWS section 4.0.

Answer The referenced evaluation criteria contained a typo. PWS Section 4.0 shall be addressed.

RFP, Section E, Addendum to 52.212-2 Evaluation - Commercial Items, Phase II, Factor 3, Technical Approach, page 59 will be revised in amendment 0004.

78 PWS Sections 10-11 pages 66-69 We assume that professional certifications (e.g., Six Sigma belts) may be from an accredited Six Sigma training organization other than those listed in the PWS? Will the Government please confirm?

Answer RFP, Attachment 1, PWS, Section 10 and 11 will be updated in amendment 0004.

79 Section E -

Solicitation Instructions, 3.

Instructions to Offers, Proposal Instructions, Table 1 page 43 Would the Government allow submission of PDF files in lieu of Microsoft Office 2010 Word files?

Answer Yes. RFP, Table I, Proposal Instructions, Phase II, page 44 will be revised in amendment 0004.

80 Section E -

Solicitation Instructions, 3.

Instructions to Offers, Proposal Instructions, Table 1 page 43 In prior solicitations, USCIS has permitted use of smaller fonts for tables and graphics. Would the Government consider revising "this includes font used in tables, charts, graphs, figures, illustrations, and flowcharts" to "A font no smaller than 9 pt shall be used in tables, charts, graphs, figures, illustrations, and flowcharts"?

Answer No

81 Section E - Solicitation Instructions, 3.

Instructions to Offers, Proposal Instructions, Section III - Corporate Experience (Factor 4) page 46 Would the Government clarify how multiple examples will be scored? Will offers that contain the maximum number (i.e., six) of corporate experience examples be scored more favorably than offers that address Relevancy areas 1.a through 1.f with fewer examples?

Answer Offerors will be evaluated based on the rating table, Table 4, Adjectival Rating Table, Corporate Experience, on page 60 of the RFP

82 RFP SF1449 Since SAM.gov states the NAICS code is 561110, would the Government update the SF1449 to add this NAICS code?

Answer No; however, RFP, Section B, Page 9 will be revised, in amendment 0004, to include the NAICS code.

83 RFP (Amd0002), Section E

Pages 46- 47, Section III

The government requires the prime offeror to submit corporate experience examples that demonstrate the prime offeror's experience in all areas listed in RFP, Section E pages 46 & 47 Section III - Corporate Experience including paragraph 1. a through f. The previous government solicitation for this work (2014) accepted corporate experience examples from the prime offeror and both major and non-major subcontractors to have a combined experience that meets the minimum relevant experience requirement, and thus the threshold for the offer to be "qualified" is met. Granted, the adjectival rating will be higher for prime offerors who can meet the relevant experience requirement as currently stated -but that is clear in the evaluation criteria. The relevant experience requirement as currently stated potentially disqualifies teams that may otherwise have very strong technical and business proposals.

Will the government consider removing the requirement for prime offerors to provide corporate experience covering all areas in paragraph 1 (a through f) and re-state as a requirement for the prime offeror and major subcontractor or JV Teams combined corporate experience to cover all areas?

Answer No.

84 Instructions page 43 Table 1, pg 43, Proposal Instructions: Are the following items to be included in Volume I? Cover Letter ; SF 1449, Compliance Matrix

(Attachment6) and all fillable Provisions and Clauses; Assumptions and Constraints. If not which Volume should they be included in?

Answer These can be submitted, with the proposal, as stand-alone documents.

85 Attachment 03 page 1 & 2 Attachment 3, page 1 states.. "AQL is determined at the end of the month"... therefore as per the solicitation the "Monetary Deduction Schedule for Observed Non-Conformance" is the maximum amount per month per CLIN. Please confirm the "Monetary Deduction" for a given CLIN can not be assessed multiple times in a given month for the CLIN against the contractor..?

Answer Please refer to RFP, Attachment 1, PWS, Section 5 and PWS, Attachment 3, PRS, pages 1 -2. Meeting or not meeting the AQL is determined at the end of the month. Once determined for the CLIN, the applicable deduction could be applied as per the table on a per month basis. For example, if the CLIN 001 overall AQL is calculated at greater than 94% but less than 95%, a $2,000 deduction could be taken against CLIN 001 for that month.

86 Attachment 03 vs

PWS

Attachment 3 page 2 defines surge …. "In the event of a “A surge is generally defined as being a minimum increase of monthly/daily workload of 20% or more above the average monthly/daily workload from the previous month." but the PWS page I-49 states..." a surge is generally defined as being a minimum increase of estimated annual CLIN volumes of 15% or more ". These statements conflict. Please clarify the percentage to be used in the definition and whether the workload will be considered a "surge" if it happens on a specific day, i.e not averaged over a week or month.

Answer Definition of Surge in RFP, Attachment 1, PWS, Attachment 3 will be removed in amendment 0004. RFP, Attachment 1, PWS Section 5 will be revised in amendment 0004.

87 PWS 4.6.1.1 I-29 states to store the documents in a "classified safe". Will the classified safe be provided by the government as GFE? Will the certifications for the safe allowing it be hold classified materials be maintained by the government?

Answer USCIS will provide and maintain a GSA-approved container meeting these requirements for contractor use. USCIS will determine placement/location of these containers.

RFP, Attachment 1, PWS, Sections 4.1.9 and 4.6.1.1 will be updated in amendment 0004.

88 Attachment 5 -workload data requiring clearance

Work load data. Considering that some work will require staff to possess a SECRET level clearance, please provide data to define what portion (numerica definition) of the work load requires a SECRET clearance.

Answer Data regarding the actual percentage of the workload classified as Secret unavailable. Please refer to RFP, Attachment 1, PWS Sections 4.0.20, 4.6.1.1, and 4.8.1 for detailed information on tasks that require a SECRET level clearance.

89 PWS PMP section 7.9

- Transition-In Plan

The PWS section 7.9 PMP requires a transition-in plan as part of the PMP.. The PMP is as per PWS…."PMP is due 30 days after the CO issues the Authorization to Start work" . The solicitation does not specify or provide any details on the overlap of the incumbent contractor to the new contractor. Will there be overlap in the "period of performance" of the two contractors? Is the transition-in period to be considered part of the Period of Performance of the "Base Period - 6 month"? When will the new contractor be responsible for having staff on site and for performance of the tasks? Will there be a period after formal contract award to: prepare and submit the PMP; receive acceptance by the Government of the PMP; and then perform the transition period, all of which would occur prior to the new contractor being responsible for the tasks and on-site performance? Will there be a separate CLIN and price for the transition-in period?

Answer There will be no overlap in performance as the new contract performance period will not commence until the new contractor is ready to execute full performance. The transition period will occur before the base period starts. The contractor will be responsible for having staff onsite as soon as the base performance period of the contract starts. The contractor is responsible for creating and executing the transition-in plan.

There will not be a separate CLIN for transition-in and it will not be priced separately.

90 Attachment 5 -workload data, pre-bid site walk

The last time the government issued the solicitation for this requirement, the government performed a project site pre-bid site walk. Will the government be conducting a pre-bid site visit?

Answer No 91 Attachment 5 -historical workload data and PWS 7.4

PWS page I-54 As there has been no opportunity for a "pre-bid" site visit and given the Solicitation's requirements for the contractor to be responsible for some level of surge - we are requesting the government provide the combined Monthly Records Operations Workload Reports (as defined in PWS Section 7.4) submitted to the COR for both NRC and HBG FSF locations for each of the previous 12 months.

Answer Estimated production quantities, for the services identified in the PWS, can be found in RFP, Attachment 5, Vendor Pricing Template.

92 Attachment 3 - 14.1 4.0 - 4.9.3 Which PWS Task Sections require SECRET clearance?

Answer Please refer to RFP, Attachment 1, PWS, Sections 4.0.20, 4.6.1.1, and 4.8.1.

93 Attachment 1 I-3 What equipment is required (type/quantity) in excess of the list in Sections 8.1, 8.2 & 8.3?

Answer Please see RFP, Attachment 1, PWS Section 8.1 for the listing of limited Government Furnished Equipment on hand that may be utilized by the contractor for use during this contract period or until equipment becomes inoperable or unrepairable. The overall equipment solution will be up to the offeror.

94 Attachment 3 4.6.3 What type/quantity of vehicles are currently in use to support this PWS?

Answer The vehicle solution will be up to the offeror.

95 Attachment 1 10 Do "Key Personnel" require SECRET clearance?

Answer Key personnel do not require a secret clearance as long as the key personnel are not performing tasks that require a secret clearance, and the requirements of PWS sections 4.0.20, 4.6.1.1 and 4.8.1 are met.

96 Attachment 4 14.1 What is the current staffing level for each CLIN/PWS?

Answer The current staffing level will not be disclosed.

97 Attachment 3 4.6.3 What are the physical addresses of the other storage facilities w/in 30 miles of the NRC?

Answer Offsite storage facilities are currently located in Lee's Summit, MO, Kansas City, MO and Lenexa, KS. This is subject to change; however, the storage facilities will always be within a 30 mile radius of the site.

98 Attachment 3 4.6.3 Do the couriers at NRC (req'd in RFP) need SECRET clearances?

Answer The reference to Couriers in the PWS refers to shipping…