APAT Questions and Responses.pdf

USSS - Standard Sensitive Info

1. When are proposals due by?

Extended to July 24, 2025 by 12:00 PM EST

2. (Solicitation, 4.2.1.c page 5) The solicitation states that USSS will approve all accommodation requests. Please confirm whether Secret Service will review and make accommodation decisions without involvement of the contractor or whether the contractor should review accommodation requests and make a recommendation to Secret Service for final review and approval.

Yes, USSS will review and approve applicants’ accommodation decisions and the Contractor will be notified and consulted with (if further warranted) to determine the appropriate response/accommodation.

3. (Solicitation, 4.4.2, page 8) After completion of the initial in-person Train-the-Trainer session provided by Secret Service staff, can contractor staff that completed the Train-the-Trainer session then provide additional Train-the-Trainer sessions to other contractor staff?

No, the train-the-trainer sessions will only be provided by USSS staff.

4. (Solicitation page 3) Can the weather conditions (temperature, heat index, air quality) be gathered from existing sources (e.g., Accuweather) or do they need to be directly measured by test administrators?

The test administrators may use existing sources and/or direct measurement. For existing sources, the administrators may use any general weather app that is a validated or verified source, such as National Weather Service

5. (Instructions to Offeror, paragraph f, page 1) The pricing instructions request both per-candidate and firm fixed price proposals. This section references "projected testing volumes." Please provide the expected number of candidates to be tested per year.

The projected number of applicants testing per year is 8,492 for Special Agent testing and 4,928 for Uniformed Division testing.

6. For the initial pilot testing, what will be the location? If the Government has not already identified a pilot location, can the Contractor determine the location in the proposal?

TBD - Government will provide a confirmed pilot location, once awarded. For information only, the 2022 launches started in the DC area.

7. What are the locations for the “5 additional US locations in FY27 Q1?

TBD - please refer to section 4.3.3.

8. Can the Government provide a specific number of locations at each milestone rather than percentages?

At this time, Government cannot provide a specific number of locations. TBD - please refer to section 4.3.3.

9. Some locations could be large cities or small rural locations. This can impact the throughput of candidates and the number of instructors at these locations. Can the Government provide a list of these specific locations in the 25%, 50%, and 100% US locations expansion?

At this time, Government cannot provide a specific number of locations. TBD - please refer to section 4.3.3.

10. Is it the Government's intent that the testing locations are open Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm?

Please refer to section 3.0 (g).

11. Is there a testing schedule that determines when the facility is open and staffed for testing?

Please refer to section 3.0 (g).

12. Is there a provision for one-off training or small group training that would require less than full-time staffing?

TBD upon contract award and dependent on other factors. There is no restriction on the number of individuals for a training session, as long as all parameters and training materials are covered.

13. If less than full-time staffing is required for one-off or small group training, how many hours would the facilities need to be open per quarter?

The number of hours will be TBD, but must be open to cover the entire training session.

14. What is the Government's estimate for the average number of test applicants per location per quarter?

This number is not available to provide at this time. Please rely on the projected numbers per year and assume that the major U.S. cities average the most.

15. Will the Government provide the Awardee with the standards for the four APAT components, to include allotted test time and any rest period(s) that follows?

Yes.

16. In accordance with FAR 15.305(a)(2)(iv), "In the case of an offeror without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available, the offeror may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance." Will the Government assign a Neutral Rating for offerors without a record of relevant past performance?

Yes.

17. A two week solicitation period is very short for this proposal response. Would the USSS consider extending the proposal due by two weeks to provide potential offerors adequate time to respond to all requirements? Page 69, Instructions The proposal due date has been extended to July 24, 2025 by 12:00 PM EST.

18. Can the USSS confirm that the front cover page is excluded from the page count for proposal volumes? Page 69, Instructions, d) Yes.

19. Can the USSS confirm if a Table of Contents is required at the beginning of each proposal volume? If so, can the USSS confirm the Table of Contents is excluded from the respective volume page count? Instructions Yes to both.

20. The current pricing CLINS in Section II, starting on Page 3, do not allow for this breakdown.

Will the USSS consider providing a pricing Excel spreadsheet that allows for 1) at least one option with per-applicant test fees and 2) At least one option for a firm fixed price for applicant test fees according to projected testing volume? Page 69, Instructions, f Government will not provide the spreadsheet.

21. Can the USSS provide "example" or "plug numbers" for projected testing volume for the base year and all option years? This would ensure balanced and fair pricing across all offerors. Page 69, Instructions The projected number of applicants testing per year is 8,492 for Special Agent testing and 4,928 for Uniformed Division testing.

22. Would the USSS allow for a smaller font size that 12-point font for tables, figures, and graphics, such as 10-point font? Page 70, Evaluation No.

23. Limiting the Technical Approach and Management Approach to a combined page limit of 10 pages does not provide adequate space for these two highly important evaluation factors.

Would the USSS consider providing additional pages for these two Factors, such as a limit of 20 pages combined? Page 71, Factor 1 and Factor 2 No.

24. We understand that offerors should provide "two contracts of the same or similar technical scope to the work described in the Performance Work Statement, and that is of the same or similar contractual complexity (contract type) and magnitude (size) as in this solicitation." In order to provide relevant contracts, can the USSS provide the anticipated magnitude (size) of this contract? Page 71, Factor 3: Recent and Relevant Corporate Experience No magnitude will be provided.

25. Can the USSS confirm that offerors may provide a pricing narrative to describe pricing methodologies, assumptions, etc.? If so, can the USSS confirm there is no page limit to the pricing narrative, as is found in most solicitations? Page 71 and 72, Factor 4: Price Correct.

26. Would the USSS consider changing each "Factor" to also be a stand-alone Volume? This would still allow for four Factors, but create a simple, streamlined evaluation of each Factor within their own stand-alone Volume, creating four separate Volumes for evaluation.

Factors and Volumes No.

27. When an outdoor track is not feasible due to weather limitations outlined in section above, would a self powered treadmill be a viable substitute? Page 3, 1.5 Mile Run No.

28. Can you please elaborate on "distraction free" for testing sites to meet acceptable standards? Does this need to be a private facility with no outside non-test takers? Page 7, 4.3.5 TBD upon contract award and train-the-trainer sessions.

29. Will the USSS provide applicant information in bulk for a given testing window or will the USSS allow testing windows for individual applicants? Page 5, 4.2.1 Likely both, but TBD dependent on the systems and API capabilities.

30. Can you provide more detail on what the USSS considers a "large-scale testing event" (i.e.

number of applicants, successive days, etc.)? Page 9, 4.5 Large scale can mean number of applicants, average APATs may range from 4-20 applicants in one session but if there were to be a session of over a certain amount, that would be large scale because it would demand the full use of the facility and a large number of staff. A large-scale testing event can also mean an assessment center, where over a few days, the required assessments, such as APAT, interviews, and testing are taken place and offered to the applicant in one setting.

31. Will the USSS allow for web based determinations (i.e. websites and apps) for weather conditions (temperature, heat index, Air Quality Index)? If so, can the USSS determine which website or app to utilize for consistency? Page 3, Weather conditions

Yes – any general weather app that is a validated or verified source, such as National Weather Service.

32. Can the vendor dictate scheduling constraints in order to consolidate testing events and provide the best value to the USSS? Page 5,6 , Section 4.2.1(b) TBD further after contract award, but generally, this will need to be reviewed and approved by USSS for anything outside of the scope (SOW).

33. Does the contractor need to provide testing opportunities every day at every location? Page 5,6 , Section 4.2.1(b) Please refer to section 3.0 (g).

34. Will every applicant have an option of when to test, or is this driven by the USSS and the contractor? Page 5,6 , Section 4.2.1(b) Please refer to section 4.2.4.

35. Applicant testing volume has fluctuated over the last years. Will the USSS provide the historical testing volume numbers for the last 20 quarters or 5 years? Page 3, Section 3.0 The historical testing volume was less in the last 5 years and has increased over the years.

The numbers are not available to provide at this time.

36. Can the USSS clarify whether “FedRAMP Ready” status is acceptable for contract award, or is “FedRAMP Authorized” required prior to award? Page 4, Section 4.1.1 The contractor must be “FedRAMP Authorized” prior to award.

37. Can the USSS provide detailed technical specifications, including data schema and endpoint formats, for the API interfaces between the contractor system and the Applicant Lifecycle Information System (ALIS)? Page 4, Section 4.1.2 and Page 6, Section 4.2.8 TBD – after contract award.

38. Will the USSS house the applicant scheduling or is the contractor supposed to house that on a separate system? Page 4, Section 4.1.2 and Page 6, Section 4.2.8 Please refer to section 4.2.1.

39. Does the USSS want to see when applicants are scheduled to test, or only see final scores of applicants? Page 4, Section 4.1.2 and Page 6, Section 4.2.8 The USSS requires both types of information (applicants scheduled and final scores). .

40. In what format are final scores to be delivered? Page 4, Section 4.1.2 and Page 6, Section 4.2.8 TBD – final scores are imported using API.

41. Will the Secret Service provide detailed training materials and performance evaluation criteria for the in-person APAT Train-the-Trainer session? Page 8, Section 4.4.2 Yes.

42. What is the expected process and timeline for resolving applicant disputes related to test results, and what is the contractor's responsibility in documentation or follow-up? Page 11, Section 4.7.2

TBD

43. Can the USSS provide a list of already approved and designated testing locations? Page 7, Section 4.3.3 TBD – as stated in the SOW, please refer to section 4.3.3, where proposals submitted must include a list of locations.

44. What is the anticipated frequency or triggers for activating Alternate Physical Testing Sites (Task 5), and will additional funding be obligated per activation? Page 9, Section 4.5 This is not an optional task. Any alternate sites required shall be issued via a modification to the base award.

45. What are the ten most heavily utilized locations for testing? Page 5,6 , Section 4.2.1(b) TBD – assume the major U.S. cities.

46. Is the USSS open to amending the 180 mile radius for areas with limited population density, such as 99666, 99756, 99703, and 99730? Page 5,6 , Section 4.2.1(b) No, but depending on availabilities and findings, may need to discuss further.

47. Has the USSS conducted any similar pilot programs? If so, can the USSS provide any feedback or After Action Reports?

Yes, but TBD on providing data/information.

48. We understand a similar requirement was solicited in the Fall of 2024. Since then, has the USSS conducted additional market research due to material changes in the PWS?

Yes.

49. Is there a process to expedite ATOs for the USSS to meet the 240 day window?

No.

50. Is the USSS open to workarounds while the ATO is being approved, such as utlizing encrypted emails, fax, etc.?

TBD – generally, external systems must be FedRamp approved whether an API is used or not.