QA_75N91022Q00041.pdf

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health

3/8/2022

Questions and Answers in response to RFQ 75N91022Q00041

Question 1: Which Operating system do you prefer to be installed on the workstation?

a. BIZON Z–Stack (Ubuntu 20.04 with preinstalled deep learning frameworks).

b. CentOS (with preinstalled deep learning frameworks) (optional).

c. Windows 10 Pro (optional).

d. Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Standard (optional).

Answer 1: Ubuntu 20.04 with BIZON Z-stack is the operating system salient characteristic, as all existing data processing softwares run on the linux platform. The other linux machines in the lab use ubuntu as the OS. Therefore this is required in order to be compatible with the current system.

Question 2: Do you accept proposals with specs that offer better performance and cost less than with the provided specs?

Answer 2: In accordance with FAR 52.211-6 in section 7.0 of the RFQ, “To be considered for award, offers of "equal" products, including "equal" products of the brand name manufacturer, must- (1) Meet the salient physical, functional, or performance characteristic specified in this solicitation; (2) Clearly identify the item by-

(i) Brand name, if any; and (ii) Make or model number; (3) Include descriptive literature such as illustrations, drawings, or a clear reference to previously furnished descriptive data or information available to the Contracting Officer; and (4) Clearly describe any modifications the offeror plans to make in a product to make it conform to the solicitation requirements. Mark any descriptive material to clearly show the modifications.”

In addition, Section 8.3 of the solicitation states “The purchase order shall be awarded to the firm that submits a technically acceptable quotation at the lowest price. A technically acceptable quote is one in which the quoter(s) complies with the Statement of Need (SON) and does not take exception, nor object to any of the terms of the RFQ. Quotes that are not technically acceptable will not be considered for award.”