GADS_Questions_for_posting.docx

Grants Application Development System (GADS-3) 75n96019Q00009 Solicitation Questions and Responses:TECHNICAL

1. Is there an incumbent; if so who is the incumbent firm?

Response: Attain (Contract HHSN316201200117W/HHSN27300007)

2. How many FTEs in each category are currently performing the work?

Response: The Government is not providing this information.

3. Will you consider past performances as a subcontractor?

Response: The Government will consider past performance for up to one subcontractor.

4. Must all past performances come from the proposed prime contractor or will past performances of team members be considered?

Response: See answer to Question 3.

5. Will the Government please provide information on the current volume of Help Desk tickets – how many Tier 1 tickets per period, how many are escalated to each of the higher levels?

Response: The current contract does not provide Tier 1 or incident monitoring. Under GADS3, the Government expects that users will generate between 15-20 Tier 1 tickets each month.

6. How is hosting currently managed? Is there a separate operations team responsible for managing the hosting environments (Dev/Test/QA/Production, etc.)? How do the development and Ops teams interact?

Response: Support for hosting environments is provided under the NIEHS IT infrastructure services contract, NETS3.

7. We understand that initial response for “Lifecycle Maintenance services” is due in 15-60 minutes (Ref: Page 15 of RFQ). What are the expected work hours for this support?

Response: See Section F.4 for hours of operation.

8. For base work pricing, is Govt expecting the vendor to propose the labor hours at Task level (Life Cycle Maintenance and Operations support) OR to propose the labor hours at the Labor categories for each task?

Response: Per Base Work Pricing Table on page 3 of the Combined Synopsis. the vendor will propose labor hours at the Task level.

9. Will Government provide the high-level architecture diagrams for IMPAC II, GADS suite of services and how they are integrated?

Response: The Government will not provide any additional diagrams.

10. For R56s, workflow step 2, does mark the record as “Intent To Pay”, mean the same thing as “Set the Intent Tox Pay Code” to “Yes”?

Response: Yes, marking the record as “Intent To Pay” means the same thing as “Set the Intent To Pay Code” to “Yes”.

11. Will the Government identify how applications that went to Early Council Concurrence (ECC) be identified from information within the record/database?

Response: ECC is tracked with a status code that is recorded in GFDT for applications.

12. Is it expected that R56 processing be automated as well?

Response: This is to be determined.

0. If Yes, how would R56s be identified from information in the record/database?

Response: This is to be determined.

0. If Yes, also, for R56s, what is the difference between having the Grants Management Specialist vs. the Council Coordinator perform the task? Is there any difference in the physical record based which one of the above made the change?

Response: No.

13. Do different Funding Plans affect processing of individual records in any way?

Response: No.

14. How are records requiring the physical year change identified?

Response: Processing for fiscal years will be determined after contract award.

15. Once the Trigger event (funding plan approval by the Chief GMO) has been tripped, how is that reflected in the record/database, or is there another application mechanism used for this purpose?

Response: Workflow status change.

16. For the “Concept TO-BE Workflow”, step e,ii: What would that status be, and in what field would it be maintained?

Response: This is to be determined.

17. Can this automation application be built with ColdFusion/Java tools?

Response: For Task Orders 1 (“AASC”) and 2 (“PMR”), the answer is no.

18. Please describe what “Easily Interfacing with the Machine Reading Process” for the PCC coder would be. Will the government please provide a description and at least 2 user stories?

Response: Generally provides information needed and performs functions with minimal clicks and information is easily exported as needed. Screenshots on pages 13-14 of Attachment J-3 indicate baseline expectations.

19. 1. As the PCC coder I open the application/module and have access to critical coding information so that I can quickly review the certainty scores, quickly assign or delegate assignments to those that need no review, and spend my time reviewing only those that are deemed less certain.

20. As the PCC coder I know which applications have been assigned codes and which applications still need codes assigned so that I can predict my workload and meet deadlines.

21. Under 3.2 UI Design and Development, how is the communication to stake holders expected to occur?

Response: During project meetings and via email and phone as needed.

22. Why are there record types 1, 2 and 9 only?

Response: These are the types that require new PCC codes (Type 1) or require that the PCC code be reviewed (Types 2 and 9).

23. On page 2 of Combined_Synopsis_Solicitation_6.18: Master Contract Rate Table has pre-filled positions. Can government clarify that quoter should use ONLY these positions?

Response: For the purposes of this solicitation, quoters should only use the provided positions. However, the Government may revisit labor categories post-award as needs dictate.

24. AAre there any specific requirements for managerial and technical staff leads (key personnel)?

Response: See Section H.10.

25. Is the Govt expecting Key personnel and non-key personnel resumes? Can vendors provide resumes from resources and letters of commitment are required and are outside of page count.

Response: Vendors must submit resumes for Key Personnel. This will not count toward the page counts. The Government does not require letters of commitment.

26. Does the prime contractor need to provide any of the past performance, or can all of the past performance be from a teaming partner (major subcontractor)?

Response: See answer to Question 3.

27. Can the Govt provide a list of all Software Assets that the contractor could utilize?

Response: The Government has provided all information it considers necessary.

28. Will the contractor be provided with any assets PIV card, laptops, desk space on client’s premises?

Response: See Sections F.3 and G.3, among others.

29. Will the contractor be able to work remotely, and only come on-site for required meetings?

Response: See Section F.3. The only on-site meeting requirement is the Contractor Start-Up Meeting (see Section C.6.5).

30. How are help desk calls being supported by the prime contractor current tly?

Response: See answer to Question 5.

31. How many help desk tickets are handled on a yearly basis by the prime contractor?

Response: See answer to Question 5.

32. Are there any SLA’s associated with the support of this application?

Response: See service levels in Section C.7.

33. Is 24 x 7 support needed?

Response: See service levels in Section C.7. See Section F.4, “Hours of Operations.”

34. How many releases are per year?

Response: See Release Cadence estimates in Attachment J-5.

35. How many Systems or Sub-Systems are within GADS?

Response: See systems details in Attachments J-4, J-5, and J-6.

36. Are there any requirements for non-key staff in terms of number and labor categories?

Response: No.

37. Given that the place of performance is the Contractor's site but project deliverables include a weekly meeting which may be conducted in-person on Government site or via teleconferencing (Attachment 1, Section C.6.3.,P.8), is the Contractor expected to be located in-state (i.e. North Carolina) or will the government permit remote attendance/Skype/virtual conferencing for all or part of the project team.

Response: See answer to Question 27.

38. The performance work summary states that, "There is no travel anticipated for this Contract" however, the base contract outlines a Start-Up Meeting (Orientation Briefing) which .. "shall be conducted at the Government’s facility, with most key personnel participating face-to-face" (C.6.5, P.8). Will there be allocation in the budget for Contractor travel expenses or is the entire team expected to be on site at the time of contract award Response: See answer to Question 27. There will not be allocation in the budget for Contractor travel expenses.

39. Regarding problem correction, what is the nature of the program bug/problem?

Response: The work statement provides sufficient information.

40. Can the government confirm that the unit of measure for the pricing of the base work is total dollars for each deliverable (e.g., Lifecycle Maintenance for the base year total dollars, which may include multiple LCATS and Areas 1-4). Paragraph C.7.1 of Attachment 1 indicates that the Base Work component will include core contract management requirements for the Base Work and any/all subsequent task orders - should this be separate line item in the pricing model?

42. Does the government have a preferred Voice Response Unit and ticketing system for use in support of the Help Desk operations? Or is the support only email support and not Level 1/2 phone support? Otherwise can we pick from current Atlassian suite of tools (e.g. JIRA etc.)

Response: The work statement provides sufficient information on Government requirements.

43. Please confirm that the support covered is for Level 2 and Level 3 support and that Level 1 support is out of scope Response: The work statement provides sufficient information on Government requirements.

44. Does the government use the Agile methodology in current DME efforts? There is a reference to Agile Design Sessions but wanted to validate that the government would \ entertain using this approach?

Response: Yes.

45. Will the government modify the SOW and QASP so the penalties do not take effect until after the transition in period?

Response: No.

46. The government specifies "For all applications under the scope of Section C.7.1, the Contractor shall maintain and update as necessary all existing requirements documentation, architecture, design documentation, technical documentation, and end user manuals." Can the government please provide the quantity of documents that require maintenance as the number of documents requiring updates impacts the level of effort to maintain them.

Response: Vendors should assume that each of the applications has at least an architecture document, a design document, workflow descriptions, and end user manual.

47. The government status that "Due to the complexity of the task, the awardee shall have knowledge of NIH grants management business processes". However, in section H.10 Key Personnel, there is no requirement for the two key positions to have existing knowledge of NIH grants. Will the government please confirm all key personnel must have NIH grants management experience?

Response: Section H.10 as written provides Government requirements for Key Personnel.

48. The government describes corrective maintenance as "Steady-State Corrective Maintenance consists of the action(s) taken to restore a failed system to operational status." Vendors were provided attachment J_5 in which all of the GADS III applications are listed with the number of annual corrective bugs for 2017 and 2018. Will the government please provide vendors with the estimated corrective bugs per year over the anticipated period of performance as a basis of estimate for the fixed price?

Response: The work statement provides sufficient information on Government requirements.

49. The government request that "The Contractor shall deliver a Monthly Preventive Services Report to communicate Preventative Maintenance actions it has accomplished in the previous month." However, the government does not request a formal deliverable. Can the government clarify if this is a required monthly deliverable?

Response: See revised Table 1.1, “Deliverables Schedule,” in Section F.6.

50. The government includes DEL C.7.1-2 Test Report in the deliverables table, however this deliverable is not described anywhere in the base work PWS as a deliverable. Please clarify if test reports are a required deliverable for the base work tasks.

Response: See revised first paragraph in Section C.7.1.1.6.

49. The government includes a requirement for transition out of GADS III, however there is no requirement or evaluation criteria for how new vendors will be evaluated on the transition into GADS III? To ensure that the GADS systems are adequately maintained and supported during the transition from GADS II to GADS III, how does the government intend to evaluate a vendor's ability to successfully transition into the GADS III contract?

Response: The work statement provides sufficient information on Government requirements.

50. The government desires two key personnel for the base contract IDIQ, a program manager and web programmer. Neither of the key personnel requirements ask specifically for NIH Grants experience, however the government states in the PWS "the awardee shall have knowledge of NIH grants management business processes". Please confirm all key personnel must demonstrate existing knowledge of IMPAC II and NIH Grants.

Response: See answer to Question 45.

51. The experience requirement for the key role of application programmer in bullet 4 requires that the application developer has extensive experience with testing procedures. Based on industry standards, this bullet describes the role of a business analyst or software tester. Will the government update the key personnel requirements for the business analyst and application programmer positions to reflect industry standards?

Response: The Government has updated Task Order 1 (“AASC”) Section 17.0 accordingly.

52. Pricing is asking for rates relevant to North Carolina cost of living and taxes. Because this opportunity allows for work to be completed at Contractor facility, is this required for contractors not located in North Carolina? Or will pricing be contingent on contractor state location?

Response: Pricing is relevant only to the state where activities are occurring.

53. The overall opportunity advertisement claims this is FFP, however the Task Orders state some work ins T&M. Can this be clarified?

Response: Some work will be firm-fixed-price while other work is labor hour/T&M.

54. On page 6 of Combined_Synopsis_Solicitation_6.18: FAR 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan (Aug 2018) is checked. As per FAR 52.219-9, this clause does not apply to small business concerns. Will government clarify if Small Business Subcontracting Plan is still required?

Response: This is a Small Business Set Aside, so a Small Business Subcontracting Plan will not be required.

55. On page 20 of Attachment_1,_Base_Contract_PWS: C.7.2.2.2 COST AND SCHEDULE VARIANCE. “The Contractor shall be accountable for cost and schedule performance using the performance objectives as defined in Table 1, DME Project Performance Objectives”. However, DME Project Performance Objectives are provided in Table 8 on page 21. Will government clarify that Table 8 is referred here, and not Table 1?

Response: DME Project Performance Objectives are located in Table 8.

56. Section D of Attachment_1,_Base_Contract_PWS: PACKAGING AND MARKING. “All data and correspondence submitted shall reference CIO-SP3 Task Order Authorization Number & NITAAC Tracking Number”. Since this opportunity is not on CIO-SP3 contract, can government clarify this is an error?

Response: The language is incorrect. This is not a NITAAC CIO-SP3 award but rather an Open Market Small Business Set Aside

57. On page 17 of Combined_Synopsis_Solicitation_6.18: we are instructed to submit a courtesy copy of requested responses to Bernard “Bernie” Salter, Jr. On page 2 of ATTACHMENT 2 - SOLICITATION INSTRUCTIONS AND SELECTION METHOD, we are NOT instructed to submit a courtesy copy to Mr. Salter. Please clarify whether Mr. Salter should receive a courtesy copy.

Response: Bernie Salter should receive a courtesy copy of all submission

58. This RFP is a small business set aside. Will HUB Zone or 8a certifications have any additional advantage over regular small business categories? For example, would you consider a HUB zone pricing advantage?

Response: No

59. Can vendors that are in the process of obtaining a MAS Schedule 70 contract bid on this opportunity?

Response: Yes, that is acceptable. But note, this requirement is not being administered under MAS Schedule 70.

60. In section M.4.4 the government states "For price evaluation purposes, the Quoter’s total proposed price (including any options) for the “base work” task order (i.e., the first task order) as well as the Quoter’s labor rates will be evaluated to determine price reasonableness." This statement contradicts attachment J_2 Task Order 1 being the first task order. Please confirm that the only the price for the base work (which is not a task order) is being evaluated.

Response: Price Reasonableness will be based on the “Base Work” task order as well as the quoter’s labor rates. Also note, the base work will be executed as the first task order under the contract, “Task Order 0”.

61. Please confirm that pricing for attachments "J_2 Task Order 1" and "J_3 Task Order 2" are not requested as part of the IDIQ Contract Volume 4 Price and Business proposal.

Response: Pricing quotes shall be submitted for “Base Work” Task Order 1 but not for Task Order 2.

62. If I were to sub-contract out the work to another qualifying Small Business, could I sub-contract out more than 50% of the work? Not that I plan to sub-contract 100% of the work, but just to understand the limitations, could I even sub-contract 100% of the work to a qualifying small business?

Response: Refer to the small business terms of the solicitation.

63. How many past performance questionnaires are required?

Response: A minimum of 3 Past Performance Questionaries’ are required

64. Due to vacations during the month of July, will the government be willing to allow a few more days for submission of past performance questionnaires - to July 25th (vs. July 22nd date) Response: Past Performance Questionnaires may be submitted by July 26th.

65. The government requests firm fixed annual prices for PWS C.7.1, broken down into two separate prices for C.7.1.1 Lifecycle Maintenance and C.7.1.2 Operational Support. The government is requesting additional services and deliverables in C.6 for Contract Management and C.7.3 for Cybersecurity. Can the government please provide vendors with additional instructions on how to price tasks C.6 and C.7.3 since those tasks are not included for C.7.1.1 and C.7.1.2?

Response: Life Cycle Maintenance and Operational Support pricing must include all work associated PWS base work.

66. The government requests that a subcontracting plan be submitted as part of this quote. In which volume would the government like this to be included and can it be included as an appendix, outside of the page count limitations?

Response: If a subcontracting plan is submitted it should be included in the technical portion and will not count towards the page limitations.