Questions and Response 1.21.22 FE.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 24 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- 70Z02322RPTT07600
About this file
This solicitation requests proposals for a Platform as a Service (PaaS) to support the admissions process for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Key details include:
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The PaaS should store up to 800,000 student records and support 1,000 user accounts to manage marketing, recruiting, admissions and enrollment. It must integrate with various test scores and applications systems.
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Proposals are due by February 3, 2023 with a performance period of one base year and four option years. Pricing should be provided using the firm fixed price contract structure.
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The requirement is set aside only for small businesses under NAICS code 511210. The incumbent contract is held by Vantage Point Consulting to provide similar services to the Coast Guard Academy.
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The selected vendor must host the PaaS solution and provide technical support. Implementation must be completed within 120 days of award with a transition plan training government users. Documentation of an Authority to Operate or provisional approval is required.
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Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Amend 00003 SF30 FE.pdf | ||
| Amend 00002 SF30 FE.pdf | ||
| 12.30.21 QA 70Z02322RPTT07600.pdf | ||
| Amendment 00001 70Z02322RPTT07600.pdf | ||
| Attachment I Statement of Work.docx | DOCX document | |
| 70Z02322RPTT07600.docx | DOCX document | |
| Attachment A Past Performance Questionnaire.docx | DOCX document | |
| Attachment B Price Input.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Attachment C Requirements Traceability Matrix.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet |
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Q&A
| Question | Response | |
| Page 46 states “Offerors shall complete all provisions required to be filled in and submit them with their proposal in Volume IV.” Does this ONLY include: | ||
| a. Starting on Page 11 (going through Page 16) “The Contractor shall comply with the FAR clauses in this paragraph | See FAR 2 Definitions for "Solicitation Provision or Provision" and "Contract Clause. |
The Provisions Section is Part 4 of the RFP.
The pages you are referring to are part of FAR Clause: FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items (Nov 2021) (Page 10 to page 18). The appropriate clauses have been checked and a contractor is required to comply with all of the clauses.
Offerors are required to complete any fillable provisions. Any required fillable provisions shall be completed and returned in Volume IV. Other "administrative items such as signing the amendments to show you have acknowledged them) shall also be placed in Volume IV.
Note that FAR 4.1200 Scope prescribes policies and procedures for requiring submission and maintenance of representations and certifications via System for Award Management (SAM) to eliminate the administrative burden for contractors of submitting the same information to various contracting offices. So if provisions are required to be filled out, and they have been completed in SAM, you do not need to refill them out and return them in Volume IV. However, IAW the RFP, if a provision is not returned in Volume IV or filled out in SAM. An offeror will not have submitted their offer IAW with the solicitation.
| (b) that the Contracting Officer has indicated as being incorporated in this contract by reference to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial products and commercial services:” and we check those that apply? | The U.S. Coast Guard Contracting Officer has already checked those that apply. They are identified as applicable if they are preceded by an "X". If it states the Contractor shall comply, it is the contractor's responsibility to comply with clauses. |
| i. Why are some pre-checked? Are those the ones you’re looking for specifically? | The U.S. Coast Guard Contracting Officer has already checked those that apply. |
| b. Page 21 “For contracts, in accordance with paragraphs (c)(1), (2), (3), and (6) of this clause” and we check those that apply? | No, this is specific information related to the provision in FAR 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting (DEVIATION 19-01) (AUG 2020). The contracting officer has already checked the appropriate selection. |
| c. Page 39 “The offeror □ has □ does not have current active Federal contracts and grants with total value greater than $10,000,000.” | See previous answer (Question 1 of this series) |
| d. Starting on Page 42 with “The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is– ________ [insert NAICS code],” and continuing, if applicable to these, through the top of Page 45. We just fill these out if applicable? | This information is available in Part 1 of the Solicitation. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) number is 551210 and the business size standard is 41.5 million. The proposed acquisition is 100% Total Small Business Set Aside. Yes, provide answers as applicable to this provision in Volume IV of your proposal. |
| e. For all the other provisions – they just seem to be listed for informational purposes and for us to agree to these provisions. Will you accept us saying “We agree to all terms and provisions listed otherwise.”? | |
| Yes, that would be sufficient in Volume IV of your proposal. | |
| What kind of documentation is needed to prove we have the Authority to Operate (ATO)? Would a SOC 2 certification or a Pen test be taken? If not, how would we go about getting the proper documentation for an ATO document? | The Solicitation states a provisionary authority to operate is allowable. Clause "Safeguarding of Sensitive Information" has the ATO and Complete the "Security Authorization process" |
| For Volume II submission – you are looking for a past performance no longer than 1 page long, correct? Then just a blank Attachment A after that since the references are returning them filled in and sent to you directly? | The references are returning attachment "A" directly, however; the offeror may provide up to one page of information or narrative relating to their past performance. |
See Amendment 00003 The offeror shall return a copy of each filled out Section 1 of the past performance questionnaire (Attachment A) that were sent to references and return it to the Government with Volume II.
It says at least one reference to fill in Attachment A – are you looking for just one? Or any specific number otherwise? It states "Offerors shall submit one (1) but no more than three (3) past performance references on past or current contracts for efforts similar to the requirements outlined in the solicitation."
However, IAW Part 6 Factor 2, "A contractor without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available will not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably, but will receive a confidence rating of neutral."
Key personnel resumes are limited to two pages – does the two pages include ALL personnel, or do you mean two pages per individual? See Amendment 00003.
However, HSAR clause 3052.215-70 lists the Key Personel.
| Besides the Scope listed in the SOW, is there any other reason USCGA is going out to RFP at this time? | All information is provided in the RFP. |
| 1. Since Salesforce is also a CRM Platform, Is Salesforce in consideration from your side for CRM requirements fulfillment? | Any vendor that meet the requirements of the RFP are invited to submit their proposal. |
| 2. Salesforce requires enterprise org purchase and several licenses such as Salesforce, Platform, etc., to be purchased. Does the cost of application installation, license purchase, and other costs associated with the CRM application include in the base year price by the contractor? Or will it be borne by the Offeror? | This is firm-fixed-price contract. IAW the RFP: "The Government will evaluate price based on the Total Evaluated Price provided in Attachment B." The total contract award is the Total Evaluated Price. |
| 3. What kind of material will the offeror provide for the contractor employees? I mean to specifically refer to if the Govt. is going to provide the material such as Laptop, badges, etc., | See Section 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, and 5.1 of the Statement of Work. . |
| 4. What other materials will Govt. provide from the offeror side to the contractor employees? | See Section 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, and 5.1 of the Statement of Work. The SOW defines the detailed requirements. |
| 5. The table of deliverability states the below: Item 7 SOW 5.2 Deliverable/Event Operational system goes live Due by 60 Days after award |
What does it exactly mean? Operational system goes live - Is it the new implementation that is requested to go live in 60 days after award? Does that include all the configurations and integration work?
| See amendment 00003. Changed to 120 days. | ||
| Whether companies from Outside USA can apply for this? | ||
| (like,from India or Canada) | In accordance with the solicitation, this is a 100% Total Small Business set-aside. All offerors shall comply with all clauses and provisions. | |
| Whether we need to come over there for meetings? | See section 1.7 of the PWS. |
The "Kick-Off Meeting" (Section 1.10 of the PWS) will be held either by Microsoft teams or by phone.
| Can we perform the tasks (related to RFP) outside USA? | ||
| (like, from India or Canada) | No. Although the primary place of performance will be at the Contractor's facilities, Contractor employees shall be required to work at Coast Guard facilities or other off site locations. (Section 1.7 of the PWS). This is a 100% small business set-aside. | |
| Can we submit the proposals via email? | See Part I number xv of the solicitation. "Proposals shall be emailed to the following address: Alan.C.Boucher@uscg.mil" |
| has your team uploaded attachments related to the PaaS Admissions Tech for | |
| Coast Guard Academy _ Notice ID 70Z02322RPTT07600 solicitation? | Yes, they are available at SAM.GOV. Search for Notice ID 70Z02322RPTT07600 to view the attachments. |
| 5.2.3.3 Offerors shall document how the PaaS integrates with other data streams including: |
• Standardized test score data from The College Board and ACT/NRCCUA
• Medical qualification data from DODMERB
• Commercially hosted platforms such as Naviance, Cappex, and Front Rush
| • The Common Application Please confirm that the requirement during the contract execution is to document how the PaaS can integrate with these solutions and not to complete the actual integration during the period of performance during this contract. Our solution can integrate with any of these systems, but defining the Level of Effort is not possible with the information provided. | See Amendment 00003. 5.2.3.3 has been changed. | |
| 5.2.3 PaaS will be capable of storing up to 800,000 records and handling up to 1,000 user accounts. The PaaS shall allow users to differentiate between “types” of records (ie, populations), specifically, students, educators, organizations, volunteers, and users. Of the 1,000 accounts, how many of these will be USCGA personnel and how many will be applicants? Also, 1.2.2.1 says there are 2,100 applicants per year, how does this reconcile with the 1,000 accounts? | See Amendment 00003 : 5.2.3 has been changed. | |
| 5.11 SUPPORT. Contractor shall host a technical support system for users that is owned, operated, and staffed by the parent firm. |
5.11.1 The support system shall operate during the core hours noted in this SOW and offer the option to prioritize requests, and/or escalate requests in order to differentiate between urgent and routine matters.
5.11.2 The support system shall include the option for user-to-support staff phone calls during core hours.
| 5.11.3 The support system shall acknowledge receipt of a support request within two working hours of receipt, track and display the status of support requests, and confirm when requests have been satisfied. Users will have the option to correspond real time or near real time with the support staff handling the request during the active phase of the response. Is the expectation that the contractor provide a help desk for candidates, or is the support for USCGA personnel related to technical issues? | For the Government. |
| 70Z02322RPTT07600.doc; PART 5 – Addenda to 52-212-1, Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Items, Pg. 46, |
RFP Text: A cover page shall be included for all submissions. The cover page shall include the offeror’s name and address; U.S. Coast Guard solicitation number; DUNS number; CAGE number; offeror’s point of contact including their phone number and e-mail address, and the date the offeror’s proposal expires.
Question: Can you please confirm if the Cover Page, Table of Contents, List of Tables, and List of Figures are excluded from page count limitations? See Amendment 00003.
The cover page is exempt from the page count.
70Z02322RPTT07600.doc; PART 5 – Addenda to 52-212-1, Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Items, Pg. 46, RFP Text: The Offeror shall provide documentation in Volume I that their PaaS has an Authority to Operate (ATO) or a provisionary authority to operate. Offeror’s proposals that fail to have an ATO or provisionary
Question: Can you please confirm if the ATO documentation is included within the page count? See Amendment 00003.
The documentation that provides "proof" is exempt from page count.
70Z02322RPTT07600.doc; PART 5 – Addenda to 52-212-1, Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Items, Pg. 46, RFP Text: The Offeror shall submit a draft security plan with their proposal as their response to the Requirements Traceability Matrix (Attachment C). The draft security plan shall be included in Volume IV of their proposal.
Question: Are we required to include "Draft Security Plan" in Volume IV? If so, what information is required in the Draft Security plan? Yes. Include in Volume IV. Your draft security plan is in response to the Requirements traceability matrix.
| The solicitation is currently set-aside small business under NAICS code 511210. Would the USCG consider removing this set-aside in order for (name of company removed) to respond with an (name removed) Solution? We believe that we have a great product that will meet the needs of the USCGA; however, with the current set-aside we are not able to respond. | No. Currently market research indicates a reasonable expectation that capable small businesses can provide a fair market price for this requirement. In accordance with FAR Subpart 19.5, the proposed acquisition is 100% Total Small Business Set Aside. |
| As a follow on to my question; if removing the set aside is not an option, would the USCG be open to revising the size standard of the naics to reference 500 employees or less per far 19.505? | At this time, the RFP's NAICS and set-aside is not changing. |
| Would you please consider extending the due date for this RFP? | See Amendment 00002. |
| 1. The request states that the offeror shall provide documentation for current or provisionary ATO. Is the intent of the requirement to have the offeror provide operational staffing to implement and manage the application on a full time basis? Does USCGA intend to provide its own staff to operate and manage the application? | Question is unclear in relationship of ATO statement and intent questions. |
IAW the SOW. The PaaS offered by the Contractor shall be a commercial product designed to support college admission operations. The PaaS shall be web-enabled, hosted, maintained and supported by the Contractor in a secure environment.
The Government may provide support to end users.
2. Your current implementation is hosted by Campus Management (now Anthology). In your current configuration, are the applications managed through a Program Manager employed by Campus Management/Anthology, or has this role been provided by a member of the USCGA workforce? If the former, does the provider currently hold an active or preliminary ATO? If the latter, do you anticipate retaining USCGA staff to operate and manage the product? The Coast Guard's current contract is with Vantage Point Consulting under contract HSCG23-16-C-PTT317. The Government does not have a contract with Campus Anthology.
The Government does not have a staff member to operate and manage the product.
| 3. As a traditional SaaS offering (as opposed to PaaS as described in the request), pricing for the application is based on the assumption that the responsibility of managing the implementation will fall on the client, with support from the offeror. As such, pricing is based on the number of applications received by the client on an annual basis. The Statement of Work indicates annual applications at 2,100. Is this an accurate figure on which to base pricing? | See amendment 00003. Historically, an estimated 5,000 students start their application and about 2,100 completed applications are received annually from applicants seeking appointments in one of nine academic programs of study |
| 4. Considering the complexity of the proposed solution response, would it be possible to extend the deadline for submission by an additional two weeks (February 3rd)? | See Amendment 00002 |
| 1. Can we please request a one-week extension on the due date for RFP responses? | See Amendment 00002 |
| 2. What is the contract vehicle that USCG is considering issuing this award under (i.e., SEWP, GSA)? Or is this slated to be issued under a new standalone contract? | See Part 1 "i" "ii" The Coast Guard intends to award a standalone contract. |
| 3. Can you confirm how to present cloud pricing as the current price sheet does not conform to how cloud is priced? Can an additional pricing attachment that explains and lay out the cloud pricing accompany the response? | No. This is a firm-fixed price contract. The separate "elements" of your pricing strategy are not broken out. |
| 4. What is the current database size and annual growth rates? | See Amendment 0003. The Government does not have that visibility into the current contractor's system or their subcontractor'(s) systems. 5.2.3 has been changed. |
| 5. Can you please provide detailed utilization metrics for the current system in terms of CPU and Memory utilization (# cores, amount of installed/available RAM, percent utilized during peak and off-peak times, etc.)? | No. The Government does not have that visibility into the current contractor's system or their subcontractor'(s) systems. |
| 6. Factor 1 states in part, "The Government will assess its level of confidence for each offeror based on ... their transition plan to implement and train Government employees within 60 120 days." However, elsewhere, it seems to indicate that the Transition Plan (and implementation) shall be provided 120 days after date of award. Please confirm when the transition plan is provided (at submission or within 120 days) and clarify the timeline required since it appears that the Government is basing its assessment on it from the submission. | See Amendment 00003 |
| The solicitation documentation inquired about a PaaS for managing the Academy student application and services which is typically a SaaS (Solution as a Service). ServiceNow uniquely provides both models that can be leveraged altogether. The ServiceNow App Engine (PaaS: Platform as a Service) delivers a framework for people of all skill levels to build upon and use to create custom applications. ServiceNow & its partners also provides SaaS solutions in the higher education space, government, and other industries. Is the Academy looking for a turn-key solution, or a solution that the Academy and/or its partners can adapt? | See statement of work section 5.2 |
See Part 5 Addenda to 52.212-1, Volume 1, Factor I, Component 1: The offeror shall provide information that supports their proposal uses an existing solution designed for the higher education marketplace and not a solution that will specifically be built for this requirement.
Is the Academy looking for a PaaS or LCAP to build, or are they expecting a COTS? See statement of work section 5.2
See Part 5 Addenda to 52.212-1, Volume 1, Factor I, Component 1: The offeror shall provide information that supports their proposal uses an existing solution designed for the higher education marketplace and not a solution that will specifically be built for this requirement.
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