QandA1 - Draft RFQ - ModEL - 12.19.24.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 28 KB Posted
- Attached to
- AMD04 - DISA J6 Modernization, Engineering, Lifecycle Refresh (ModEL) BPA (Q&A Responses) Federal contract opportunity
- Solicitation number
- 832369812
- Issued by
- Defense Information Systems Agency
About this file
This is a Questions & Answers document for the DISA J6 Modernization, Engineering, Lifecycle Refresh (ModEL) BPA draft RFQ, which includes industry questions and government responses regarding the procurement approach and requirements.
Key details from the Q&A include: This will be a single award to one Contractor Team Arrangement (CTA), with each CTA team member receiving their own BPA. The requirement will use GSA Schedule 54151S (IT Services). The CTA must meet small business requirements defined in Section 2.a of the draft RFQ. This is a new requirement with no incumbent. A Top Secret facility clearance is required at time of quotation submittal. The work encompasses new projects and initiatives often funded by procurement funds, distinct from the ETM contract which covers day-to-day O&M projects. Place of performance requirements will be specified at the Call Order level, with a 30-day standard onboarding requirement. No Key Personnel are defined at the BPA level but may be required at the Call Order level. The Government will provide test environments and establish relationships with O&M contractors for transitions.
View the file
Other files for this federal contract opportunity
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| QandA2 - Draft RFQ - ModEL - 24-Feb-2025.pdf | ||
| ModEL Pre-Solicitation Conference 05-Dec-2024.pdf | ||
| RFQ - ModEL BPA - 11.26.pdf | ||
| RFQ - ModEL BPA - 11.26.pdf | ||
| PWS - ModEL BPA - 10292024.pdf |
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Text version
Sheet1
| RESPONSE | J6 Comment | |
| 1 | Per the notice on SAM, vendor would like to respond to the Draft PWS for DISA J6 Modernization, Engineering, Lifecycle Refresh. Please let us know if you have any further requirements. | No additional requirements beyond what was posted on SAM at this time. |
| 2 | Vendor is interested in the DISA J6 Modernization, Engineering, Lifecycle Refresh (ModEL) BPA opportunity and would appreciate any information you would like to share moving forward to include RSVP / inclusion in the pre-solicitation conference. | All information pertaining to the ModEL requirement will be posted online at SAM.gov. |
| *Capabilities attachment provided. | ||
| 3 | For the upcoming DISA ModEL solicitation coming out on GSA MAS do you know which Special Item Number (SIN) it will be released on? | 54151S IT Services is anticipated. However, this determination will not be final until posting of the final solication. |
| This will be important for us to determine who will be on the actual CTA versus who might just have to be a subcontractor, if included at all. | ||
| The requirement “832369812/ DISA J6 Modernization, Engineering, Lifecycle Refresh (ModEL) BPA” was shared on SAM.gov website.I would really appreciate for you to answer the following questions: | ||
| 4 | 1. Would you please provide the set aside for this opportunity? | The small business requirement is identified in Section 2.a of the draft RFQ. |
| 2. Would you kindly confirm if this is an entirely new effort or is there an incumbent currently providing these services? If so, would you please provide the incumbent contract details? | This is a new requirement. | |
| We had a few questions regarding the SAM Notice: 832369812 - DISA J6 Modernization, Engineering, Lifecycle Refresh (ModEL) BPA. |
5 If a company cannot perform all the work in the SOO would they still be considered for this BPA? Please be advised that a draft performance work statement was provided for industry review/comment. Interested parties must form a Contractor Teaming Arrangement (CTA) to satisfy requirements. See Subfactor 1 under the TECHNICAL/MANAGEMENT FACTOR (FACTOR 1) of the draft RFQ.
How many companies will be selected for award? One CTA will be selected for award, each CTA team member will have their own BPA.
| What is the target percent for small business? | The small business requirement is identified in Section 2.a of the draft RFQ. | |
| 6 | Vendor intends to respond to the JSP ModEL solicitation. Per the SAM.gov notice, it appears a pre-solicitation conference and updated PWS with draft solicitation where industry will be able to ask questions is forthcoming. | A presolicitation conference was held December 5, 2024. |
| Is the government accepting questions now or is the government just looking for companies that intended to participate? | Questions/comments can be provided to a group email box at: <disa.scott.psd.mbx.model-requirement-832369812@mail.mil>. | |
| 7 | I am writing to seek some clarification regarding the pre-solicitation that was released on October 29th, with responses due by November 5th. Upon reviewing the pre-solicitation, I noticed that there is no response instructions included. Could you kindly let me know if there is another document that I might be missing which contains these instructions? | The main intent of the draft RFQ was to inform Industry of the proposed requirement and allow Industry to begin forming CTAs. |
| Additionally, I would like to request an extension for the response deadline. If it is possible to grant an extension, it would be greatly appreciated. | An extension is not necessary, the Government isn't requesting a quotation at this time. | |
| Section#/Page# | ||
| 1 Page 2, Section 4, Objectives Will ModEL be a single award or multi-award BPA? If multi-award how many awards does DISA intend to make? | One CTA will be selected for award, each CTA team member will have their own BPA. | |
| 2 Page 2, 5.5, PM Task During the Industry Day, DISA stated they will require the prime contractor to use CTAs. Please clarify if this is a GSA defined CTA to utilize a combination of GSA MAS offerings? Or is it a CTA defined by FAR 9.601(2)? | GSA defined CTA. | |
| 3 Page 2, 5.5, PM Task What percentage of work on a call order will a CTA member be required to perform? Will DISA issue the CTA members a prime contract award, or will they fall under the CTA Team Lead? Will there be small business requirements in addition to CTA requirements for the CTA Team lead? | The Government envisions the PM Task to be performed by the CTA Lead Team Member, however that is not mandated and as long as requirements can met another approachwhich is documented in your quotation. |
One CTA will be selected for award, each CTA team member will have their own BPA.
Small business requirement is defined in Section 2.a of the draft RFQ.
| 4 Page 3, 5.111 Acquisition of HW/SW Will the prime contractor be allowed to add Material Handling (MH)costs or fees to ODCs they are procuring on behalf of DISA? | Call orders may have Order Level Material (OLM) line items. Per the RFQ, no profit or fee will be authorized for travel or ODCs. Applicable burdens, e.g., G&A, may apply to travel and ODCs IAW the schedule contractor’s accounting practices. | |
| 8 | 5 Page 4, 6.2 Task 2, Solution Development What percentages of items will be part of the lifecycle tech refresh yearly? | Since IT equipment have varying refresh cycles the annual refreshes will not be consistent year-to-year. |
| 6 6.3.8.2 Subtask 8.2 Application Cloud Analysis Services The solicitation states, “Efforts associated with this subtask include reviewing and assessing the application using a pre-defined methodology to determine the application cloud-fit score.” | Additional relevant information will be provided with the final solicitation. |
| Is the “pre-defined methodology” determining the cloud-fit score a government defined methodology? If so, will the government please provide this methodology as part of the solicitation package? | Additional relevant information will be provided with the final solicitation. | |
| 7 6.3.1 Subtask 1 Application Development Under this subtask, is it within scope for the MODEL contractor to deploy the modernized custom developed application into the production environment – prior to transitioning to the O&M team for support? | Specific details would be provided for each Call Order. | |
| 8 Throughout the PWS There appears to be an overlap of tasks (for example, engineering projects) between ETM and ModEL. How does the government plan to differentiate the division of work between these two vehicles? | ModEL will encompass new projects and initiatives often funded by procurement funds, whereas Special Projects and Engineering Change Proposals performed by ETM will encompass day-to-day projects involving the existing network and will be O&M funded. | |
| 1. Key Personnel requirements were not included (education/training, experience, certifications...). We surmise BPA KPs (such as the CTA Team Lead) would likely be minimal and additional KPs would be noted within specific Call Orders (COs) | No Key Personnel will be defined at the BPA level. If any Key Personnel are required, they would be called out at the Call Order level. | |
| 2. Noted in several places regarding operations and transition to O&M. Does Government expect the CTA contractor to establish MOA/MOU with O&M contractors/contracts or will the Government establish those formal relationships? | The Government will establish those relationships, the ModEL contractor will need to meet all the transition requirements as defined in the Call Order that will allow for ease of transition to O&M. | |
| 9 | 3. CDRLs list was not noted in this draft (other than the NDA Status report), particularly program level deliverables that are not tied to specific COs such as PMP, Transition-In/out plans, Mission Essential Plan, etc.. | Acknowledged. |
| 4. Company level certifications were not noted, we surmise those details maybe part of the solicitation document rather than the PWS | A Top Secret facility clearance will be require, any additional certifications will be included in the final RFQ. | |
| 5. The PWS notes that the J6 C4E lifecycle governance processes & procedures will be followed (section 5.7). Will the Government provide a bidders library with this and other key documents/processes to ensure that non-incumbents are familiar, so non-incumbents won't propose engineering methodologies or practices that may not align with established DISA governance which could negatively impact proposal ratings? | Documentation required for all offerors to have a level playing-field will be provided with the final RFQ. | |
| Q # | ||
| Draft PWS Section # | ||
| Page No. | ||
| (x of 41) | ||
| Question | ||
| 1 | ||
| 6.2.7 | ||
| 6 | ||
| Does this limited pilot of the DISA Thunderdome Zero Trust Solution include any future planning for a wider Zero Trust deployment in order to meet the DoD 2027 date for Zero Trust deployment? | Additional requirements would be identified at the Call Order level. | |
| 2 | ||
| 6.2.8 | ||
| 7 | ||
| 10 | Are the Government’s existing Data Centers and associated services considered “Cloud Ready,” before developing and enhancing the cloud connectivity to these extended services? | Requirements at the Call Order level would identify cloud ready status and/or the need for becoming cloud ready. |
| 3 | ||
| 6.3.8 | ||
| 12 | ||
| “Key enabling technologies in the cloud include: ….(2) powerful, inexpensive server computers, and (3) high-performance virtualization for commodity hardware.” With the cloud, the customer will have these services provisioning, as they scale your environment to be deployed. So, do they have another meaning here? Can the customer please clarify these requirements? | More specific requirements would be defined at the Call Order level. | |
| 4 | ||
| 11.1 | ||
| 34 | ||
| Is a Top Secret Facility Clearance required at the time of RFP release? | Required at time of quotation submittal. | |
| No questions were received. Attached qualifications- | Acknowledged. | |
| 11 | ||
| 1 p. 2 §4 Will the onboarding requirement of 30 days apply to any company whether large or small? Larger companies generally have more resources to call upon to find resources either internal or external. Would the U.S. Government potentially consider some flexibilty with Small Businesses? | The onboarding requirement of 30-days from time of award is standard. However, each call order will have its own timeline for onboarding. |
| 2 p. 2 §5.2 For the Contractor Teaming Arrangement (CTA), we respectfully request that the U.S. Government establish clear boundaries, including a minimum Small Business utilization percentage and limitations on the number of large businesses allowed in the CTA, if any. This approach ensures fairness and consistency across offeror CTAs and promotes equitable participation of Small Businesses. | Section 2a. of the draft RFQ indicates the small business requirements for the CTA. | |
| 3 p. 2 §5.2 Since this will be a multi-award contract, is the intent of the U.S. Government to have a single awardee of Task Area 1 to manage the cost, schedule, and scope of Task Orders for other awardees of Task Areas 2-4? | One CTA will be selected for award, each CTA team member will have their own BPA. The Government anticipates one Call Order to perform Task 1 requirements. | |
| 4 p. 3 §5.6 Should contractors be prepared to support some percentage of resources at remote/corporate locations? Does the U.S. Government have an estimate of how many possible employees this may make up? | Place of Performance is identified in Section 10 of the PWS. More specific place of performance requirements will be identified at the Call Order level. | |
| 12 | 5 p. 6 §6.2.5 Is the U.S. Government also expecting contractors to manage the other modules within the F5 devices since they also perform Firewall, Enterprise Domain Name Server, and other security related functions in support of web based applications? | More specific requirements would be defined at the Call Order level. |
| 6 p. 9 §6.3.2, 2nd bullet On a case by case basis, will the contractor be allowed to recommend the procurement of Tier 4 support (directly from a specific vendor) when subject matter expertise is required to fully understand the requirements of a complex application? | Tier 4 support could possibly be a proposed approach to satisfy requirements identified at the Call Order level. | |
| 7 p. 11 §6.3.6 Can the U.S. Government please confirm if the J6 Command, Control, Communications, and Computers (C4E) Test and Evaluation Environments exist? If yes, is it onsite or offsite? Is it physical or virtual? Does it have the ability to test all in scope systems for this effort? Will the contractor need to provide any Development or Testing environments to support this effort? | Test Environment would be Government provided. More specific details and requirements would be identified at the Call Order level. | |
| 8 p. 11 §6.3.6 Is the J6 C4E Test and Evaluation Environments physical or virtual? | More specific requirements would be defined at the Call Order level. | |
| 9 p. 11 §6.3.6 Does the J6 C4E Test and Evaluation Environments have the ability to test all in scope systems for this effort? | Test Environment would be Government provided. More specific details and requirements would be identified at the Call Order level. | |
| 10 p. 11 §6.3.6 For the J6 C4E Test and Evaluation Environments, will the contractor need to provide any Development or Testing Environments to support this effort? | Test Environment would be Government provided. More specific details and requirements would be identified at the Call Order level. | |
| No questions were received. Attached qualifications- | Acknowledged. | |
| 13 |
1. CTA Management – Is it the Government’s intent to have the CTA lead/manage all contracts through them or will there be direct awards to each member that is bills directly to the Gov’t etc? One CTA will be selected for award, each CTA team member will have their own BPA.
2. Cost Savings through Automation – There is nothing in the PWS that drives awardees to lower costs and increase efficiencies through modern forms of IT delivery. The contractor must understand the current environment to best provide a Modernization Solution and Project Plan Development. Suggest incentives for contractors who can identify and deliver additional cost savings via automation, to include intelligent automation, automated intelligence, and artificial intelligence. Maybe include a Value Engineering Change Proposal (VECP) program in PWS similar to current ETM scope. Acknowledged.
| 14 | 3. Cloud Optimization – Vendor recommends including ongoing cloud optimization and cost analysis in the PWS. Migrating customers to the cloud is one task, however the regular analysis of cloud usage and market conditions can help customers continue to save costs. Vendor has helped save AF Cloud One Mission Partners over $11M by conducting the following after migration: | Acknowledged. |
| a. Architectural Review: review architecture and make possible product changes—some products provide a better cost savings if they will work for end user’s system. (i.e., Linux vs Windows) | Acknowledged. |
b. Efficiency Review: review all end user instance sizes and ensure they are running the VM sizes that are appropriate for end user’s system. If they are larger than end user requires, changes should be made to save costs—typically larger sizes cost more. Acknowledged.
c. Workday/Up Time Review—a big cost saver for non-24/7 instances: review the up time for all end user’s instances to save costs by scheduling those instances to run only when needed or only during working hours. Acknowledged.
Contractors should be able to demonstrate past performance on how they have performed cost optimization after migration plans and on-going analysis to further reduce costs. Acknowledged.
| 15 | I attended DISA F2I on October 28th when this was mentioned that it would be released. I just received notification this morning November 6th that it was released and that the response date was yesterday November 5th . Vendor is interested in participating and being a party to this process for this solicitation. Can you please provide guidance if Vendor can still participate? Can we attend the pre-solicitation conference? | All parties are able to particiapte on this requirement. A pre-solicitation conference was held December 5, 2024. The Government has, and will continue to, post updates on SAM.gov regarding this requirement. | ||
| 16 | • | Individual quoters are precluded from serving as Team Leads on more than one CTA. There are no restrictions from individual quoters serving on more than one CTA in the capacity as a non-lead team member or subcontractor where the individual quoter is a Team Lead on one CTA. | ||
| • | If an entity is identified as a CTA member, all effort quoted for delivery by that entity shall be priced based on the team member’s GSA schedule less any discount agreed upon. | |||
| • | The proposed CTA will consist of entities that meet small business social economic categories. | Acknowledged. | ||
| 17 | My company has worked with J6 / legacy JSP for over a decade, and we are very interested in pursuing ModEL. I heard during the recent Forecast to Industry there are plans for an industry day / pre-solicitation conference. I am hoping you might have an update on the schedule. | Additional information regarding vendor engagement will be provided at a later date. | ||
| 18 | Interested vendor | Acknowledged. |
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .