AR RFP questionsresponses.pdf

RFP Question Responses

Question No. References Question Category

(Technical/Contract) Question TSA Response

1 n/a n/a we are respectively asking for an additional 3 weeks (October 4th) to provide a response.

The RFP timeline will not be extended. TSA will follow the published schedule.

2 n/a n/a would it be possible to extend the questions response date two weeks (September 27th)?

The RFP timeline will not be extended. TSA will follow the published schedule.

3 n/a Contract Is there a preferred start date for this contract? Yes, the preferred start date is October 2021.

4 n/a Technical Will X-ray diffraction solutions be considered for this RFP?

Solutions considered for this RFP shall be able to provide specific material identification of the substance being scanned based on definitive chemical signature analysis.

5 n/a Technical Is the preferred solution handheld, desk mounted, standalone or inline? No preferred solution has been identified

6 n/a Technical Is data on the alarm type and location going to be made available to the AR system from the primary

TSE?

At this time, the data on the alarm type and location will not be integrated.

7 n/a Technical

Is the preferred solution an automatic and inline AR working seamlessly with the primary TSE and requiring no manual intervention, or is the alarm candidate to be divested at secondary check and manually resolved? No preferred solution has been identified

8 n/a Technical

Does the instrument need to be STIP capable and DICOS compliant within the first (core) year? If so, when will TSA make the latest STIP requirements available?

Per the Attachment 1 - SOW, Section 2.10 Phase 1: Pre-TSIF Proof of Concept Demonstration, the solution needs to STIP capable during the 2nd year. Therefore, STIP Requirements will be provided post award.

9 n/a n/a When does the TSA expect to make the AR award? September, 2021

Does the Government have size and weight requirements as GFI available to assist vendors with responses and when will they be made available?

Refer to the Checkpoint Requirements and Planning Guide (CRPG https://beta.sam.gov/opp/44099b735e494ef48cd27a9589c3c8ba/ view

11 n/a n/a When does the TSA anticipate being able to provide responses to these questions? 9-Sep-21

12 n/a n/a Will the offeror consider an extension to the due date for the proposal, as additional critical information is required to craft a proposal that meets the goals and objectives of the Government?

The RFP timeline will not be extended. TSA will follow the published schedule.

13 SOW Technical Will the offeror be providing a full Functional Requirements Document (FRD) linked to this RFP so that vendors can craft appropriate Technology and Costing volumes?

no, a full Functional Requirements Document (FRD) will not be provided.

14 SOW Technical Will the offeror be providing guidance with respect to preferred form factor? Are there target system characteristic datapoints that can be shared?

TSA will not be providing guidance with respect to the preferred form factor. No target system characteristics datapoints will be shared,see response to question #10.

15 n/a n/a How does the Government intend to field this technology with respect to the currently fielded AR technology (BLS and ETD)?

TSA is looking to use this solution to replace legacy systems for improved performance at a lower cost.

16 n/a n/a Does the offeror have a target cost for the envisioned solution?

No, TSA is looking for the best value. The envisioned solution should be able to replace legacy systems for improved performance at a lower cost.

17 SOW Technical Would analytical-grade threats be made available for testing, or would these need to be purchased by the vendor?

Post award, analytical grade threats will be provided by the Government for testing and development at Government specified testing sites.

18 SOW Technical Will the offeror be providing a detection standard linked to this RFP to be tested against? When would this be made available to vendors? Detection Standards will be provided post award.

19 SOW Technical Will the offeror provide additional context on the proposed system baseline (Attachment 1 page 9,

10) in key functional areas?

Not at this time. The Proposed System Baseline is not an evaluation criteria. For award, TSA will evaluate proposals on the evaluation factors listed under section 7.3 of the RFP.

RFP Question Responses

20 SOW Technical With which device would the detection capability and system functionality be compared in terms of increasing the number of OR percentage of alarms for SOC powders, liquids and Benign items?

TSA is looking for an Alarm Resolution capability that is beyond what is deployed at the checkpoints. Therefore, the system will not be compared against other systems. Solutions considered for this RFP shall be able to provide specific material identification of the substance being scanned based on definitive chemical signature analysis.

21 SOW Technical With which device would the detection capability and system functionality be compared in terms of reducing the average number of decisions, processes and TSE required for AR?

TSA is looking for an Alarm Resolution capability that is beyond what is deployed at the checkpoints. Therefore, the system will not be compared against other systems. Solutions considered for this RFP shall be able to provide specific material identification of the substance being scanned based on definitive chemical signature analysis.

22 DID Worksheet Technical Will the offeror please provide additional details regarding multiple mode of sampling in addition to through-barrier analysis?

No additional information will be provided. Refer to the Attachment 1 - SOW, Section titled Detection Capability and System Functionality.

23 DID Worksheet Technical Will the offeror please expand on which modified COTS equipment is envisioned? No preferred solution has been identified

24 DID Worksheet Technical Will the offeror please provide clarification on the proposed system's capability (simlarities and differences) in bulk mode detetection versus small bulk mode detection?

Refer to the Attachment 1 - SOW, Section titled Detection Capability and System Functionality.

25 DID Worksheet Technical What is the target value or range for the proposed system's Limits of Detection (LOD) and Probability of False Alarms (Pfa), or will these be provided through a published detection standard? The Detection Standard will be provided post-award.

26 DID Worksheet Technical How many individual benign substances on the DID document does the offeror intend to evaluate with the proposed technology?

The Attachment 4 - DID worksheet #1 SOC Analysis will be evaluated.

27 DID Worksheet Technical

Does the offeror plan on providing a list of threats from each category {explosive (Military, commercial, HME, precusors); Narcotics (synthetic opiates); and weapon of mass destruction (TICS, TIMS, CWA, biological, radiological and nuclear )} in terms of system LOD, response and clear-down times, dynamic range of response, Probability of Detection (Pd), and Probability of False Alarms (Pfa)?

No, TSA does not intend to provide a list of threats for each category. Vendors should complete the DID worksheet #2 Threat analysis, provide all capabilities for assessment.

28 DID Worksheet Technical Will the offeror be providing the containment material specification and guidance on thickness for materials such as ceramics, glass, plastic, wood, and double wall or mixed materials?

TSA is assessing Vendor's current state capability. It is imperative Vendors provide all capabilities for assessment. Additional containment material specifications and guidance will be provided post-award.

29 SOW Technical Does the offeror plan on providing a specific set of cybersecurity requirements that must be met?

The link provided in the SOW appears to be guidelines rather than specific metrics.

Please refer to Section 2.6 of the RFP titled Accessibility Requirements, and DHS and TSA Enterprise Architecture Compliance requirements listed in Attachment 1 - SOW.

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