Questions and Answers for 80GRC020R0010.pdf

Questions and Answers for RFP 80GRC020R0010

Questions and Answers for PACE V RFP 80GRC020R0010. Please note that the references for each question have been submitted by the Vendor and may not accurately reflect the language in RFP

80GRC020R0010.

The Government has become aware of an undocumented feature regarding the LFT system. Offerors do not seem to be able to use their pre-created LFT user accounts to facilitate submission of proposals. Apparently, the pre-created user account expires after approximately 7 days, requiring the offeror to re-reregister for a new user account. For offerors that have already registered please validate that your log in information is working. All offerors that have registered must re-register if their original log in does not work, by contacting James.R.Griffin@nasa.gov with the subject of the email “REQUEST TO CREATE LFT ACCOUNT FOR RFP 80GRC020R0010”. The body of the email shall state the Offeror’s intent to use LFT for the proposal submission and the name and email address of the individual who will submit the proposal using LFT.

1. Question: Would the Government please clarify that the Total Evaluated Price includes phase-in, the base period and all options, including the CLIN 3 OCSS option? Reference: Price Evaluation Criteria.

Answer: Yes, the Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement.

2. Question: Would the Government please confirm that it will provide laptops and identification cards to remote users to enable reach-back support that complies with processing/storing NASA data on NASA devices? Reference: The RFP states that for “ONSITE PERSONNEL ONLY” it will provide “Installation service facilities.” The SOW states that GRC is highly interested in a remote worker approach and requires the use of remote workers when beneficial to the Government.

Answer: Yes, however the individuals may need to travel to the closest NASA Center to obtain their identification cards and computer equipment provisioned.

3. Question: Would the Government consider allowing badges and passes to be issued at any NASA center to allow for remote users to gain access? Reference: The RFP states that badges or passes shall be obtained at the Badge Control Office…of either Lewis Field or Plum Brook Station.

Answer: Yes. A remote worker can be provisioned and authorized to make an appointment at a NASA permanent badging office to get their PIV or Smart Badge issued.

4. Question: None of the sections of the Template 1 seem to fit this description. Would the

Government please clarify the area in which this data is intended? In addition, would the Government please confirm that Template 1 is to be a total cost of phase-in, the base period, all options including the CLIN 3 Option, and the 6 month extension? Reference: Offeror should complete the fields in the bottom section of the spreadsheet and indicate the fixed-fee rates proposed for use in administration of the statement of work.

Answer: Yes, Template 1 is the total price of the award to include phase-in, base period and all options.

5. Question: Please confirm that these are intended to be filled out in the bottom section of the template in percentage form. Also, please confirm if this data is intended to be completed by the subcontractors on their respective cost proposal templates. Reference: Offeror’s proposed IDIQ overhead rate, material handling rate, G&A rate, and fixed-fee rate will be evaluated for reasonableness.

Answer: Yes, all templates in Attachment B are to be completed by the prime and all major subcontractors.

6. Question: Many references to WD and CBA labor exist throughout the templates. Does this procurement have an existing and related WD or CBA? Reference: In column B, Offeror is instructed to insert their proposed labor category title as listed in a Department of Labor Wage Determination (DOLWD), Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), or General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule, or as established by the Offeror if none of the aforementioned apply.

Answer: No, this is a blanket template that covers all contracts here at GRC.

7. Question: Should we add the 6-month tables to the other templates or will the Government provide an updated set of templates? Reference: Template 3 contains tables at the bottom for indicating Contract Year 6 in the form of the 6-month extension while other similar labor tables do not.

Answer: The Government has provided an updated template.

8. Question: We assume from the instructions and the fact that the template requires the company name for each FBR, that there is no requirement for blended IDIQ FBRs across the team, and instead separate IDIQ FBRs for each teammate are required. Would the Government please confirm?

Reference: Prime Offerors are required to submit a schedule of not-to-exceed fixed-price fully-burdened straight time and overtime hourly rates by year. Prime Offerors are required to submit the IDIQ labor rate development template for each year in the seven-year performance period.

Answer: The template should be completed to show all team members and their respective FPRs.

They should not be blended.

9. Question: If the offeror is a joint venture, please clarify if the joint venture should submit the representations and certifications for the joint venture only or should the offeror submit representations and certifications for the joint venture and each joint venture partner. Reference:

Page 95, Section L Instructions for Volume IV – Business Volume (b) (3) Representations and Certifications.

Answer: A Joint Venture shall submit representations and certifications for the Joint Venture.

10. Question: Please confirm that this requirement has been removed due to electronic submission requirements. Reference: Page 82, Cost Volume – Part 1: General Cost Information, Section 1: Cost Proposal Introductory Page and Table of Contents states, “For convenience, the cost volume may be divided into separate binders, provided they are properly identified as such, e.g., “Volume III, Part I”, and must adhere to all other format and page-limitation instructions given herein. For Part 2, each of the workbooks should be clearly tabbed. Cost Volume, Part 3 should be in separate binders for ease of use during proposal evaluation.”

Answer: The Solicitation has been amended to correct this error. All language regarding paper or hard copy submission has been removed or shall be considered obsolete.

11. Question: If the offeror is a Joint Venture, please confirm that you would like the information for both joint venture partners. Reference: Page 85 L.24 VOLUME III – COST PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS, Cost Volume – Part 1: General Cost Information Section 6: Business Systems Reviews and Status Information of the RFP states, “Offerors and their major subcontractors are to provide for their respective companies: (1) the current status of, (2) date of last review, and (3) name, address, and phone number of the governmental agency that performed the review for the business systems, and (4) the audit report number. If the review has not been performed or is not required, Offerors are required to provide a negative response. In addition to any narrative provided, Attachment L, Cognizant Audit Office Template should be used to provide the required information. The attachment may be resized or modified by the Offeror, but the information provided should adhere to the basic format contained in the attachment.”

Answer: If one of the partners has an approved accounting system and they perform all the accounting functions then that is acceptable. However, if both partners have an approved accounting system, the partners should provide both.

12. Question: In the case of an unpopulated Joint Venture where two companies combine to propose as a single Offeror, is each Joint Venture partner allowed 10 pages for its Total Compensation Plan for a total of 20 pages or, does the 10-page limit apply? Reference: Section L.14 - Proposal Page Limitation states that the Total Compensation Plan page limit is 10 pages for each Offeror.

Answer: Each partner of a Joint Ventures shall provide a Total Compensation Plan that is no more than ten pages.

13. Vendor respectfully requests the due date for PPQ submission to be updated to May 8, 2020.

Answer: The RFP states that PPQ POCs shall be instructed to complete and forward the PPQ by 4:30pm April 17, 2020. The Government stands by this direction. However, failure of a POC to submit a completed PPQ by April 17, 2020 shall not be a cause for rejection of a proposal nor shall it be reflected in the Government’s evaluation of the offeror’s past performance so long as the completed PPQ is received by the Government by the deadline for proposals.

14. Question: As contractor turn-over is not reported as a percentage on all contracts, and is thus very difficult for the customer to provide, will the government consider deleting this question from the PPQs? Reference: The information will be available in the Past Performance Narrative. Attachment I

- Past Performance Questionnaire - Item 27 requests "Turnover rate for personnel under this contract? [____]%" and to "Please explain the circumstances."

Answer: The PPQ will be considered in determining the Level of Confidence rating. The Government will not change the Past Performance Questionnaire.

15. It states: “(a) The Contractor shall comply with the higher-level quality standard(s) listed below. ISO

9001:2015 Quality Management Systems Requirements….” Please clarify if the prime offeror entity must have ISO 9001:2015 certification at the time of proposal submission? Reference: Pg 7 of “80GRC020R0010_Request_for_Proposals.pdf” E.6 52.246-11 HIGHER-LEVEL CONTRACT QUALITY

REQUIREMENT. (DEC 2014).

Answer: The requirement for compliance with ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System Requirements has been reviewed by the Government and will be removed from the Solicitation.

16. (a) Minimum order. Please clarify the statement that there will be no orders less than $1,000,000.

Does this mean the PACE V contract itself or purchase orders executed under the contract? Also, the subsections (1), (2) and (3) do not seem to have any action associated with the statements. What is their intent and how do they relate to the (a) Minimum order paragraph? Reference: Pgs. 23-24 of “80GRC020R0010_Rquest_for_Proposals (RFP).pdf” Section I.118 Order Limitations.

Answer: I.118 refers to purchase orders executed under the contract in accordance with FAR 16.506 (b), which states: Insert a clause substantially the same as the clause at 52.216-19, Order Limitations, in solicitations and contracts when a definite-quantity contract, a requirements contract, or an indefinite-quantity contract is contemplated. As stated in Clauses Incorporated By Reference – Section I of the RFP (pg. 33), clauses incorporated by reference which require a fill-in by the Government include the text of the affected paragraph(s) only. The full text of clause 52.216-19 is available at the addresses contained in clause 52.252-2, Clauses Incorporated by Reference, of the

RFP.

17. Does GRC ship components/parts overseas? Reference: Pgs. 23-24 of “80GRC020R0010_Rquest_for_Proposals (RFP).pdf” Section H.8 Export Licenses.

Answer: Yes, the clause at 1852.225-70, Export Licenses, shall be in all solicitations and contracts.

18. This paragraph indicates that changes in rates for a up to 6-month extension are limited to revisions “to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor.” Yet in the pricing volume and ITO, we appear to be allowed to propose escalated rates for the optional 6-month extension. Are we allowed to propose escalated rates, or must we maintain the same rates as the last option year period? Reference: Pg. 41 of “80GRC020R0010_Rquest_for_Proposals (RFP).pdf” Section I.120 Option to Extend Services.

Answer: Offeror may propose escalated rates for the 6 month extension.

19. This section indicates the work will involve classified information up to Top Secret. Yet, no DD254 was included with the final RFP. Will classified work be performed under PACE-V? If so, which labor categories will require a clearance and to what level? Will a DD254 be issued post-award?

Reference: Pg. 52 of “80GRC020R0010_Rquest_for_Proposals (RFP).pdf” Section I.128 Security Classification Requirements.

Answer: Yes, there is potential for classified work/information up to Top Secret. If classified work becomes required, a DD254 will be issued at that time.

20. Are 11x17 pages allowed for graphics, figures or tables? Reference: Pg 68 of “80GRC020R0010_Request_for_Proposals.pdf” Section L.14 Proposal Page Limitations.

Answer: No, a page is defined as one side of a sheet, 8 1/2" x 11", with at least one inch margins on all sides, using not smaller than Times New Roman 12 point type. While text within figures, tables, and charts may use a smaller font, it must not be smaller than Times New Roman 10 point type.

Expository text necessary for the proposal shall not be located solely in figures, tables, or charts.

21. To ensure we can adequately describe our team’s relevant and past performance experience, we request an additional 5 pages for Volume II Relevant Experience & Past Performance. Reference: Pg 68 of “80GRC020R0010_Request_for_Proposals.pdf” Section L.14 Proposal Page Limitations.

Answer: The page limits for Relevant Experience & Past Performance shall remain at 20 pages.

22. "The offeror shall require all service subcontractors provide, as part of their proposal, the information identified in (a) through (c) of this provision for cost reimbursement or non-competitive fixed-price type subcontracts …" Would the Government please confirm that a compensation plan is not required from T&M subcontractors including Major Subcontractors? Reference: Pg 69 of “80GRC020R0010_Request_for_Proposals.pdf” Section L.15 1852.231-71 DETERMINATION OF

COMPENSATION REASONABLENESS.

Answer: Total Compensation Plans are only required for all service subcontractors in accordance with 1852.231-71(d): “The offeror shall require all service subcontractors provide, as part of their proposal, the information identified in (a) through (c) of this provision for cost reimbursement or non-competitive fixed-price type subcontracts having a total potential value expected to exceed the threshold for requiring certified cost or pricing data as set forth in FAR 15.403-4.”

23. Many data inputs and general information is requested. Given the predominance of this contract is for Professional Services, does this section apply to this effort? If so, please clarify which volume the offeror should put all the requested data and if content is part of the volume’s page count?

Reference: Pg 70 of “80GRC020R0010_Request_for_Proposals.pdf” Section L.16 1852.245-80

GOVERNMENT PROPERTY MANAGEMENT INFORMATION. (JAN 2011) - ALTERNATE I (JAN 2011).

Answer: This information shall be provided in VOLUME IV – BUSINESS VOLUME.

24. Section (b) states: “The offeror shall provide the date of its last Government property control system analysis along with its overall status, a summary of findings and recommendations, the status of any recommended corrective actions, the name of the Government activity that performed the analysis, and the latest available contact information for that activity.” If this clause does apply to this contract, advise how a small business who has not had a property control system analysis should respond to (b)? Reference: Pg 70 of “80GRC020R0010_Request_for_Proposals.pdf” Section L.16

1852.245-80 GOVERNMENT PROPERTY MANAGEMENT INFORMATION. (JAN 2011) - ALTERNATE I

(JAN 2011).

Answer: Offeror shall provide as much information as possible. This information shall be provided in

VOLUME IV – BUSINESS VOLUME.

25. Per pg. 77, “Subcontractors may submit their Total Compensation Plan directly to the Government.”

Pg. 84, “Major subcontractors are required to submit their information along with the Prime Offeror’s proposal and may do so in separate packaging, sealed envelopes, etc.” With the entire proposal to be submitted electronically, do subcontractors need to request a LFT account to submit their Volume III Cost and Total Compensation Plan? If not, then do they email these files directly to the CO? Reference: Pg. 74 of “80GRC020R0010_Rquest_for_Proposals (RFP).pdf” L.20 Proposal Preparation – General Instructions.

Answer: If Offerors have subcontractors that are required to submit information and want to do so separately then they should follow the instructions in L.20 and use the subject of the email “SUBCONTRACTOR REQUEST TO CREATE LFT ACCOUNT FOR RFP 80GRC020R0010”. The body of the email shall state the Subcontractor’s Prime Contractor, Subcontractor’s intent to use LFT for the purpose of providing required information, and the name and email address of the individual who will submit the proposal using LFT.

26. “The pages of each proposal volume shall be numbered and identified, on a cover page…” We assume that this one-page requirement is excluded from the page count for Volume I, correct?

Reference: Pg. 74 of “80GRC020R0010_Rquest_for_Proposals (RFP).pdf” L.20 Proposal Preparation – General Instructions.

Answer: The Solicitation has been amended to correct this error. Cover pages do not count against the page limitations for their respective volumes.

27. It states “Upon contract award, the Government reserves the right to unilaterally incorporate the

Offeror’s proposed innovation solution into the awarded contract.” Please clarify that upon contract award the Offeror and Government will negotiate cost and any additional labor categories for each Scenario and/or proposed innovation solution. Reference: Pgs. 79- 80 of “80GRC020R0010_Rquest_for_Proposals (RFP).pdf” 2. Innovation Scenarios.

Answer: Per RFP Section L.22, Subfactor C – Innovation Approach, 1. Innovation Plan, offerors are to propose, among other things, “(e) [a] list of value-added innovations provided by the Offeror . . .

that the Government will realize at no additional cost upon award” and “(f) [a] list of not more than three (3) innovations . . . given a total investment of from $1,000,000 to $3,000,000.” Neither the cost(s) nor the resultant savings/cost avoidance of the innovation(s) shall be included in the Volume III Cost Proposal. Upon contract award, the Government may unilaterally incorporate any or all such listed innovations into the contract at either no additional cost or the identified level of total investment, depending upon the category of innovation.

28. Throughout Section L.23, Volume II instructions, the term Teaming Partner is referenced multiple ways but has not been clearly defined. For example, “(a) 1. The Offeror shall submit the information set forth below for the Prime Offeror and any Major Subcontractor/Teaming Partner.” Further, “A Major Subcontractor is defined as an entity performing services totaling 15% or more of the contract total labor costs”, however; the term “Teaming Partner” is removed from the 15% definition -implying a Teaming Partner could be a different entity than a Major Subcontractor. Additionally, “(a)

4. Offerors, Major Subcontractors, and Teaming Partners shall address the items in the following section (5) below to the fullest extent possible.” Reference: Pgs. 80- 81 of “80GRC020R0010_Rquest_for_Proposals (RFP).pdf” L.23 Instructions for Volume II – Relevant Experience and Past Performance.

Answer: Teaming Partner is defined as: Any one of two or more companies that form a partnership or joint venture to act as a potential prime contractor.

29. It states “The Offeror’s Relevant Experience and Past Performance Volume shall consist of three (3) distinct sections, two (2) of which the Offeror shall provide,...” Is the Offeror required to include anything in this Volume for section (b) of the Relevant Experience and Past Performance Volume such as copies of the PPQs (not completed), possibly with POC/contract information completed or nothing at all? Reference: Pg 80 of “80GRC020R0010_Request_for_Proposals.pdf” Section L.23, paragraph A.

Answer: No, for the listed contracts, the Offeror, Major Subcontractors, and/or Teaming Partners shall forward a Past Performance Questionnaire (Attachment I) to the identified points of contact (POCs) for both the technical and business aspects of the contract.

30. If the offeror or major subcontractor was a subcontractor on another contract being used for past performance for PACE V, and the prime on that other contract is bidding on PACE V, this may cause a potential conflict of interest when completing a PPQ. Is it acceptable for the Government customer to fill out PPQs when the offeror/major subcontractor was a subcontractor? Reference: Pg 81 of “80GRC020R0010_Request_for_Proposals.pdf” (b) Past Performance Questionnaires (PPQ) section.

Answer: Yes, the requirements of 80GRC020R0010 are outlined in the RFP documents. Section M.3 states: (c) Relevancy: The Government will evaluate the contract experience of each Offeror, Major Subcontractor, and/or Teaming Partner over the past three (3) years to determine its overall relevancy to the SOW and the overall requirements of the RFP. Consideration will be given to contract scope, customer, size (contract value), type, length, and role as prime or subcontractor.

31. It is quite possible that due to COVID-19 impacts that traditional turn-around and response time for a PPQ may be significantly impacted. GRC may achieve desired outcome if bids may utilize CPAR references instead. Given the PPQ format aligns with information available on CPAR, will Gov’t consider the use of CPARs in place of PPQ? Reference: Pg 81 of “80GRC020R0010_Request_for_Proposals.pdf” (b) Past Performance Questionnaires (PPQ) section.

Answer: Section L.23, (c) Past Performance Databases (PPD), The Government will collect and review additional relevant experience and past performance information from Government databases as well as other sources of information available to the Government. These databases will be used for the Offeror, Major Subcontractor(s), and/or Teaming Partners. Additionally, the RFP states that PPQ POCs shall be instructed to complete and forward the PPQ by 4:30pm April 17, 2020. The Government stands by this direction. However, failure of a POC to submit a completed PPQ by April 17, 2020 shall not be a cause for rejection of a proposal nor shall it be reflected in the Government’s evaluation of the offeror’s past performance so long as the completed PPQ is received by the Government by the deadline for proposals.

32. Section L.23 A (b) states “POCs shall be instructed to complete and forward the PPQ directly to the

Government at James.R.Griffin@nasa.gov by 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, April 17, 2020.” Will the Government update the PPQ due date (suggest sometime after April 30)? Reference: Pg. 81 of “80GRC020R0010_Rquest_for_Proposals (RFP).pdf” and Attachment H, Client Authorization Letter L.23 Instructions for Volume II – Relevant Experience and Past Performance and Attachment H.

Answer: The RFP states that PPQ POCs shall be instructed to complete and forward the PPQ by 4:30pm April 17, 2020. The Government stands by this direction. However, failure of a POC to submit a completed PPQ by April 17, 2020 shall not be a cause for rejection of a proposal nor shall it be reflected in the Government’s evaluation of the offeror’s past performance so long as the completed PPQ is received by the Government by the deadline for proposals.

33. It states, “If a teaming arrangement, joint venture, or other business combination is contemplated, disclose each participant’s responsibility for financial management of the venture, funding requirements, limitation of liabilities, and any other information which describes the financial arrangement.” Does this requirement apply to traditional teaming arrangements (i.e., prime/sub) or only JVs and CTAs? Reference: Pg. 84 of “80GRC020R0010_Rquest_for_Proposals (RFP).pdf” Section 2: Responsibility Determination Disclosures.

Answer: If a teaming arrangement, joint venture, or other business combination is contemplated, disclose each participant’s responsibility for financial management of the venture, funding requirements, limitation of liabilities, and any other information which describes the financial arrangement. This includes all teaming arrangements.

34. For clarification, “the Government is informing the Offeror that its estimated staffing level is approximately 155 WYEs per contract year. The estimate includes the prime, major, and minor subcontractors, and academia.” If academia support is priced separately (per conversations) as an ODC, does that indicate that the estimated WYEs in proposal would be fewer than the estimated WYEs listed here and elsewhere? The 155 WYEs are also indicated in the Labor Category table on page 86. Should this statement be, “…approximately 155 WYEs per contract year. The estimate includes the prime, major, and minor subcontractors, but does not include periodic academia support/participation.” Reference: Pg. 85 of “80GRC020R0010_Rquest_for_Proposals (RFP).pdf” Section 4: Labor Estimates.

Answer: The WYE count listed in the Labor Category table on Page 86 does NOT include consultants or consulting services that have been obtained through ODC’s. The requirements of 80GRC020R0010 are outlined in the RFP documents. For informational purposes only, the Government is informing the Offeror that its estimated staffing level is approximately 155 WYEs per contract year. Offeror is instructed to propose the staffing level deemed adequate for complete and efficient performance of the contract - regardless of the Government’s estimate.

35. Rates for Information Engineer 1 ($49.21) and Information Engineer 2 ($49.18) appear to be an error as 1) the “2” level requires more experience yet is less, and 2) these two are only pennies off unlike all other leveled positions which all have greater differences between the adjacent level rates.

Please clarify the apparent anomalies. Reference: Pg 86 of “80GRC020R0010_Request_for_Proposals.pdf” Section 4: Labor Estimates.

Answer: The Information Engineer Level 1 and Information Engineer Level 2 labor categories are used by multiple incumbent PACE Contractors. Each Contractor has different direct labor rates and a different number of total WYE’s in this labor category. To come up with a single labor rate, we multiplied the number of WYE’s by the labor rate for each contractor and created a weighted average. Information Engineer rates in Section 4: Labor Estimates have been verified and are correct. This information is provided for informational purposes only. The Offeror is instructed to propose the staffing level deemed adequate for complete and efficient performance of the contract

- regardless of the Government’s estimate.

36. It is understood these are provided based upon incumbent/historical informational purposes only;

however, Labor Categories in Attachment K are more extensive than the ones listed in Section 4.

Could the government please clarify if information is missing in Section 4 (e.g. “Program Manager – Level 3”, “Application Programmer Level 1”, plus a few others) and/or why there is not a 1-to-1 match between the two lists? Reference: Pg 86 of “80GRC020R0010_Request_for_Proposals.pdf” Section 4: Labor Estimates & “Attachment_K_-_Historical_Labor_Category_Descriptions.pdf”.

Answer: Section 4, Labor Estimates, provides the current incumbent labor category demographics that align with the 2020 estimated work orders. Note that the PACE Program Management costs are reported under CLIN 6 (Template 11 and Template 12) and therefore the PACE Program Manager and other program management staff is not included in Section 4 or in the estimated staffing level total of approximately 155 WYE per contract year.

Attachment K is a more extensive list of labor category descriptions that have been used in the execution of previous PACE work orders. Offeror is instructed to propose the staffing level deemed adequate for complete and efficient performance of the contract - regardless of the Government’s estimate.

37. Labor category titles are provided with “Direct Labor Rates”. Please confirm if the rates shown are unburdened hourly labor rates? Will the pricing data in this table be used as part of the Government’s Cost Realism determination? Reference: Pg 86 of “80GRC020R0010_Request_for_Proposals.pdf”.

Answer: The rates provided are a weighted average of all current contractors/subcontractors unburdened direct labor rates for each labor category as provided by each contractor and/or subcontractor. The pricing data in this table is one of the sources that may inform the Government’s Cost Estimate. All data available to the Government may be used to determine cost realism. As stated in Section M.4 of the RFP (pgs. 104-05), the cost evaluation will be conducted in accordance with FAR 15.305(a)(1), NFS 1815.305(a)(1)(B) and (a)(3)(B).

38. In the first paragraph, it states “This also applies to any subcontractor that is proposed to receive a cost-reimbursement type contract.” In the second paragraph, it states “Offerors and their major subcontractors are to provide...” Please clarify if the requirement for submitting documents is for “any” subcontractors, or just “major” subcontractors? Reference: Pg 87 of “80GRC020R0010_Request_for_Proposals.pdf” L.24 Volume III Cost Proposal Instructions, Section 6:

Business Systems Reviews and Status Information.

Answer: Only major subcontractors need to submit the required documents.

39. On pg. 88 it states, “Below is the task break out requested in Workbook 1: PACE V Cost Summary

Template: and lists CLIN 8 is made up of the following: Phase-In.” CLIN 8 is listed in the list of CLINs in the Workbook 1: PACE V Cost Summary Template. It only has a field for a single price submission that occurs during the Base Period. Please clarify if that field in the pricing spreadsheet is, in fact, CLIN 8 sine there is no CLIN 8 tab in the Attachment B. Reference: Pgs. 88-89 of “80GRC020R0010_Request_for_Proposals (RFP).pdf” Section 7: Cost Workbooks.

Answer: The Government did not provide a template for the Phase-In. The Offeror is to propose Phase-In costs as they deem appropriate.

40. Per L.24: “The fixed-fee rates proposed should be inclusive of all fees (i.e., prime Offeror and all subcontractors) and shall be utilized by the Government in determining the maximum fixed-fee pool for the respective IDIQ TOs.” Attachment B only allows for a single fee % on subcontractor costs (row 49). Please confirm the subcontractor costs (row 28) should represent fully burdened prices to the Prime that include the subcontractor’s proposed fee to the prime. Reference: Pg 89 of “80GRC020R0010_Request_for_Proposals.pdf” L.24 and Attachment B “2 CLIN 1 Costs”.

Answer: The subcontractor costs from row 28 should be fully burdened. The fee rates from row 49 would be the fee applied by the Prime contractor.

41. States: “The status of each Offeror’s business systems (e.g. accounting, estimating, purchasing, compensation, and/or other internal controls) and audits of such systems will be considered part of the cost evaluation.” Small businesses and newly formed JVs typically will not have audits of all listed system types (i.e., accounting, estimating, purchasing, etc.). Please clarify how system audits will be used as part of the cost evaluation, especially given that cost is not scored/evaluated other than for cost realism. Please clarify how you will perform the cost evaluation for these business systems if the bidding entity is a Joint Venture. Reference: Pg 105 of “80GRC020R0010_Request_for_Proposals.pdf” 4th Paragraph on page.

Answer: Offeror’s must have an approved accounting system to be awarded a cost-type contract.

Any other business systems will be evaluated as a risk factor.

42. Can you provide the names of the GFE tools Agency and GRC uses to develop and implement cybersecurity awareness training? Reference: Pg 73 of SOW: Appendix J: Cybersecurity and Training.

Answer: The requirements of 80GRC020R0010 are outlined in the RFP documents. Additionally, please see Attachment O – ITS-HBK_2810_06_2B.

43. Can you provide the name of the GFE tool Agency and GRC uses to deliver computer-based cybersecurity awareness training? Reference: Pg 73 of SOW: Appendix J: Cybersecurity and Training.

Answer: SATERN (satern.nasa.gov) is NASA’s Learning Management System that provides web-based access to training and career development resources, including the mandatory CyberSecurity awareness training. The requirements of 80GRC020R0010 are outlined in the RFP documents.

Additionally, please see Attachment O – ITS-HBK_2810_06_2B.

44. Can you provide the names of the cybersecurity GFE tools that will be provided to Contractor in support of, but not limited to: vulnerability scanning, web site and application security, data loss prevention (DLP), and forensics? Reference: Pg 75 of SOW: Appendix L: Cybersecurity Management and Operations.

Answer:

• No local tools are used or vulnerability scanning. NESSUS, is provided by Agency CDM/CSI for Centers to use.

• No local WAF. The status GRC’s local WAF is decommissioned and has been migrated to Agency WAF run by the NICS contract.

• The Spirion eDiscovery tool is used for DLP.

• To perform incident forensics, there is a large variety of tools that are utilized:

• Imaging application for cloning drives

• Forensic tools for search/extracting known signatures for malware

• Packet Capture, for analyzing live streams network data

• Scanning applications, looking for open ports, TCP 3389, UDP 53,etc

• Analytic Search Tools – for looking for custom strings, SBU, ITAR etc

45. Do you require the Contractor to provide their own cybersecurity tools to replace or complement

GFE tools? Reference: Pg 75 of SOW: Appendix L: Cybersecurity Management and Operations.

Answer: The Government will provide the required tools.

46. Can you provide the ITS-HBK-2810.06 Awareness and Training Requirements document? Reference:

Pg 36 of SOW: 3.4.2.7 Information Technology Security Awareness and Training.

Answer: The requirements of 80GRC020R0010 are outlined in the RFP documents. Additionally, please see Attachment O – ITS-HBK_2810_06_2B.

47. Are tabs 15 and 16 (re: IDIQ rates) to be completed since the IDIQ plug amount has already been provided by the Government? If yes, how will the information provided by offeror be used in the evaluation? Reference: Attachment B – Pricing Spreadsheet.

Answer: Yes, Offeror must complete all tabs. It will be used to price IDIQ work.

48. Is Attachment M a list of total ODC costs? If not, how many years do these costs represent?

Reference: Attachment M – Historical ODCs.

Answer: Attachment M is Historical 2019 ODCs.

49. Please provide the number of physical cores of each Dell R830? Reference: Attachment N - Data

Center Information.

Answer: There are 3 nodes in each ESX cluster one for external and the other is for the Internal network:

• eVEM1 PowerEdge R730 2CPU X 4 cores = 8 cores

• eVEM2 PowerEdge R730 2CPU X 4 cores = 8 cores

• eVEM3 PowerEdge R730 2CPU X 4 cores = 8 cores

• VEM4 PowerEdge R830 4CPU X 10 cores = 40 cores

• VEM5 PowerEdge R840 4CPU X 10 cores = 40 cores

• VEM6 PowerEdge R830 4CPU X 10 cores = 40 cores

• 144 Cores total

50. Are the 270 Virtual Machines listed on Attachment N hosted across the six Dell PowerEdge R830

Servers? Reference: Attachment N - Data Center Information.

Answer: There are 187 hosted on the Internal ESXi Cluster which are made up of the R830 servers and there are 96 hosted on the External ESXi Cluster which are made up of the R730 servers. The VM’s can move automatically within a cluster based on VMware’s DRS, therefore the number will fluctuate day to day for each node.

51. Please elaborate on the three “GRC Externally Available Systems.” What they are utilized for? Are they fully managed and monitored by the PACE contractor? Reference: Attachment N - Data Center Information.

Answer: Most of the systems are fully managed by PACE personnel. The systems on the External Services Network are managed by another group and contract.

52. Is the memory listed in Column H (Memory) lines 3-4 representative of the total memory for the 6 dell R830’s or is it the memory for each Dell R80 Server? Reference: Attachment N - Data Center Information.

Answer: Attachment N Data Center Information is provided for reference. The memory listed in Column H lines 3-4 was the total memory for all 6 Dell R830 Servers when this snapshot was taken.

53. What is the number of Webservers (IIS, Apache, etc.) deployed across all Networks that the PACE contractor is responsible for? Reference: Attachment N - Data Center Information.

Answer: This information is not readily available and subject to misinterpretation. The Contractor will be provided with details of their responsibilities, including the number of Webservers, in each Work Order that requires this support.

54. What Server Hardware (Vendor) currently comprises the HPC and what are the specifications of the servers? Reference: Attachment N - Data Center Information.

Answer: All of the servers are from the advanced clustering environment. There many different servers and server types, purchased at different times:

o cryo01-10: ASUS motherboard, 20 Xeon cores/ea, 256GB RAM/ea o cryo11-50: Intel motherboard, 40 Xeon cores, 512GB RAM o cryogpu01-02: ASUS motherboard, 20 Xeon cores, 256GB RAM o cryogpu00: ASUS motherboard, 24 Xeon cores, 32GB RAM o cryo: ASUS motherboard, 8 Xeon cores, 16GB RAM o cryoterm1-2: ASUS motherboard, 16 Xeon cores, 16GB RAM o mdao0-13: ASUS motherboard, 20 Xeon cores, 64GB RAM, Nvidia GPU (mdao4-5 only) o mdao14-16: Intel motherboard, 20 Xeon cores, 64GB RAM o acp1-3: ASUS motherboard, 20 Xeon cores, 256GB RAM o hrp1-2: Intel motherboard, 40 Xeon cores, 256GB RAM o hrp3: Intel motherboard, 44 Xeon cores, 384GB RAM o hrp-head: Intel motherboard, 32 Xeon cores, 64GB RAM o hx01,02,03,04,07,13,16,17,18,19,20: SuperMicro motherboard, 48 Opteron cores, 128GB RAM o hxadm00: SuperMicro motherboard, 8 Opteron cores, 16GB RAM o hxbulkdata: ASUS motherboard, 12 Xeon cores, 64GM RAM o hpc.grc.nasa.gov: Intel motherboard, 32 Xeon cores, 384GB RAM, Nvidia GPU o sciapps1-2: TYAN motherboard, 8 Xeon cores, 96GB RAM o sciapps3: TYAN motherboard, 6 Xeon cores, 96GB RAM, Nvidia GPU

55. What server platform (Dell, HPE, or IBM) is utilizing for its HPC architecture? Reference: Attachment

N - Data Center Information.

Answer: Reference answer to question 54.

56. Are the (6) Dell R830s listed used as the High-Performance Computing platform? Reference:

Attachment N - Data Center Information.

Answer: No. Reference answer to question 54.

57. Template 14 is designed to collect the Total Staffing proposed for the contract effort by contract year. Both Prime and Subcontractor staffing should be included. This template includes a table for CLIN 7, IDIQ. Now that IDIQ is a government-provided plug number which the offeror is not to modify, how should we calculate the staffing for CLIN 7 on the total staffing chart, since the detailed requirements for IDIQ is not known? Reference: Section L.24, Attachment B Pricing Spreadsheet Template 14: Total Staffing.

Answer: Template 14 is designed to collect total staffing for the Base work. The pricing templated has been updated.

58. Template 7: CLIN3: CYBERSECURITY Option Labor This template is designed to depict the proposed direct labor costs for CLIN 3: CYBERSECURITY of the contract. Template 7.1: CLIN 3: CYBERSECURITY Labor This template is designed to depict the proposed direct labor costs for CYBER SECURITY OPTION of CLIN 3: CYBERSECURITY of the contract. The titles of subsections appear to be swapped compared to instructions given below them and what is depicted in Attachment B. Our interpretation is that Template 7 is to be used for the GRC part of CLIN 3 and Template 7.1 is to be used for the OCSS Option. Would the government please clarify that this is a correct interpretation?

Reference: Section L.24, Attachment B Pricing Spreadsheet Template 6, 6.1, 7, and 7.1.

Answer: Updated template name to OSCC CYBERSECURITY OPTION.

59. Section L.24 describes: CLIN3: CYBERSECURITY Option Labor This template is designed to depict the proposed direct labor costs for CLIN 3: CYBERSECURITY of the contract. (see question above) Section B.1 states: Please only include pricing for Work Area: CyberSecurity up to CY2. It is clear that work supporting the OCSS is considered an option and is to be priced separately after CY2, should the offeror include or exclude the price for CyberSecurity (OCSS) in CYs 3, 4, and 5 (plus 6-month extension) on templates 1 (Total Tasks), 6 and 7 (CLIN 3 Cost/Labor), and 14 (Total Staffing)?

Reference: Section L.24, Attachment B Pricing Spreadsheet Templates 1, 6, 7, 14 and Section B template B.1.

Answer: All Options should be priced on all templates.

60. Table entry VOL I states, "The Total Compensation Plan(s) is / are not included in the …page count."

We are assuming your text is based upon singular/pluralism and your intent is NOT to include the TCP as part of the Mission Suitability page count as opposed to something the government omitted from circling or striking out leaving ambiguous direction. Please clarify the government instruction.

Reference: L.14(a) & L.22 - 3-6.

Answer: It is just singular/plural verb agreement. Prime, JV Partners, and subcontractor Total Compensation Plans are not included in the overall page count.

61. "…provide written support to demonstrate that its proposed compensation is reasonable." This is an open-ended requirement as written. Please cite examples of what the government considers written support that is demonstrative of this requirement for reasonableness? Reference: L.15(b).

Answer: In accordance with NASA FAR Supplement 1852.231-71 DETERMINATION OF COMPENSATION REASONABLENESS (APR 2015). Offeror should provide written support it deems sufficient to demonstrate that its proposed compensation is reasonable.

62. Government Property Management Information. This reads like a Section H clause rather than a

Section L instruction. There is no indication where the information requested should be placed in the offeror response nor if it is excluded from page count or not. Please clarify the Sub-Section.

Reference: L.16.

63. List of Available Government Property. This also reads like a Section H notice and not a Section L instruction to offerors and is written as a declaration. Are offeror's supposed to acknowledge this in one of the proposal response volumes? Is this included or excluded from page count limitations?

Please clarify the requirement and instruction. Reference: L.17.

64. Last part of section 1: "binders". Is this a hold-over from the DRAFT RFP asking for a physical delivery? Please clarify the requirement and instruction. Reference: L.24.

65. Major Subcontractor Information. How is it you are asking for sealed packages within the prime submission when this RFP is requiring an electronic transmittal? Please clarify the requirement and instruction. Reference: L.24 Section 2.

Answer: If Offeror’s have subcontractors that are required to submit information and want to do so separately then they should follow the instructions in L.20 and the subject of the email “SUBCONTRACTOR REQUEST TO CREATE LFT ACCOUNT FOR RFP 80GRC020R0010”. The body of the email shall state the Subcontractor’s Prime Contractor, Subcontractor’s intent to use LFT for the

66. Estimated staffing level is approximately 155 WYEs per contract year. How does WYEs equate to

FTE (Full time Equivalent). Reference: Section 4.

Answer: The government does not provide how WYEs equate to FTE as that is determined by the Offeror. Offeror is instructed to propose the staffing level deemed adequate for complete and efficient performance of the contract - regardless of the Government’s estimate. Offeror should ensure that the proposed staffing approach of the cost volume reconciles with the proposed staffing approach of the technical volume.

67. Estimated staffing level is approximately 155 WYEs per contract year. What is the Government estimate of hours in a WYE. Reference: Section 4.

Answer: The government does not provide an estimate of hours in a WYE as that is determined by the Offeror. Offeror is instructed to propose the staffing level deemed adequate for complete and efficient performance of the contract - regardless of the Government’s estimate. Offeror should

68. Cost Volume, Part 3 should be in separate binders. Given the submission is electronic, is it correct to assume file instead of binders. Reference: Section 1.

69. "3.4 - The Contractor shall support the GRC Risk Management and Security Office in the areas of

Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) compliant security planning, incident response, operation and maintenance of the NASA network security environment, information protection, standards and cybersecurity training. 3.4.1.1 - ...provide FISMA compliant IT solutions in support of Center Cybersecurity Plans. This shall include, but is not limited to:

Identification of Cybersecurity risk and mitigation. Creation and tracking of POA&Ms and RBDs.

Developing and executing responses to Federal, Agency, Center cybersecurity findings and or alerts (e.g. SARs, MARs, penetration testing, Agency scanning).

Documenting System Security Plan (SSP) information into the NASA SSP Management System.

Providing support of the development of system and application obsolescence planning

3.4.1.2 - a) Support for the development, Assessment and Authorization of the GRC Common

Security Control Baseline and consult OCSOs, system owners and system administrators of individual plans throughout the Center to meet FISMA compliance and reporting in accordance with the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA). b) Support Assessment and Authorization and continuous monitoring of all GRC System Security Plans throughout the system lifecycle. d) Facilitate and/or conduct cybersecurity risk assessments and security impact assessments for GRC organizations, as requested. e) Conduct independent cybersecurity reviews and audits.

1) How many systems are included in GRC's FISMA inventory?

Answer: More than 20, however, the number may fluctuate.

2) What is the make-up of those systems in terms of size, complexity, and risk impact?

Answer: The systems are categorized as FISMA Low and Moderate. The inventory is a combination of Information Technology (IT), Operational Technology (OT), and cloud.

3) Using legacy terms, how many General Support Systems (GSS), Major Applications (MA), and Minor Applications (MI) make up the GRC FISMA inventory?

Answer: The systems are categorized as FISMA Low and Moderate. The inventory is a combination of Information Technology (IT), Operational Technology (OT), and cloud.

4) How many cloud-based systems are part of the FISMA inventory?

Answer: The systems are categorized as FISMA Low and Moderate. The inventory is a combination of Information Technology (IT), Operational Technology (OT), and cloud.

5) On average, how many new systems are migrated to production per year?

Answer: Varies, but typically less than 5 per year.

6) On average, how many systems are decommissioned per year?

Answer: Less than 5.

7) Does GRC have business-owned systems that are currently not included in their FISMA inventory?" Reference: 3.4 P#2, 3.4.1.1, 3.4.1.2.

Answer: Yes.

70. Support the Center Privacy Manager (CPM) to obtain Center compliance with federal information laws, regulations and policies. This includes Initial Privacy Threat Assessments (IPTAs), Privacy

Impact Assessments (PIAs), System of Record Notifications (SORNs), Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA).

Assist with approval of new and modified applications before applications are put into production.

Generally, how many SORNs does GRC maintain on a year-to-year basis? Reference: 3.4.1.3, bullet #8.

Answer: GRC maintains no SORNs of its own and hasn’t for a long time. There are a few NASA wide SORNs that apply to a very few GRC systems which should be documented in RISCS. All the ISSO does is answer the SORN questions in RISCS and pick the appropriate SORN number.

71. "The Contractor shall provide support for web site and web application vulnerability interrogation and scanning. Web site and application vulnerability identification shall also be identified through code reviews with application owners. The Contractor shall work with the Agency Web Application Scanning Program (WASP) to support and arrange scanning activities." What is the approximate number of web sites/applications that are expected to be supported through this contract? If no estimated number is practical, can the Government provide a range for estimation? Reference:

3.4.3.5.

Answer: There are about 300 websites and web applications that are scanned for vulnerabilities on a quarterly basis. The details and intent of the scans, as well as the results, are coordinated with the Agency Web Application Scanning Program. Code reviews follow a less regular cadence and depend on staff availability and criticality of potential vulnerabilities.

72. Workbook names included should begin with the company name’s first three letters, followed by a hyphen and the workbook’s file name. Would the government consider for subcontractors to submit workbooks the following naming convention Prime's first 3 letters, hyphen, Sub first 3 letters, hyphen and the workbook file name? Reference: "Cost Volume – Part 2: Cost Templates Section 7:

Cost Workbooks Specific Instructions".

Answer: Yes, this is acceptable.

73. Volume III, Cost Part I and Cost Part III need to be in both Microsoft Word and searchable PDF format and Volume III. There are several required documents that Offerors will need to scan prior to inserting into their proposal submissions, rendering the documents readable but unsearchable.