QandA2 - Draft RFQ - ModEL - 24-Feb-2025.pdf

RESPONSE DISA 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.

Interested noted. No further requirements are necessary.

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 is posted 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?

A special item number (SIN) for this requirement will be identified in the final solicitation.

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.

3.a. In ref to above question 3 (from 19 Dec Q&A), does this imply all CTA members must have the specified SIN to be on the CTA; or, just the CTA lead needs the specified SIN? 3.b. Is/are there other potential SIN(s) being considered?

For planning purposes, if we know the potential proj SINS, helps us consider 2nd and 3rd order mitigation planning. 3.c. Does this further imply, for firms (non-lead CTAs and SB's) without the matching SIN, they become part of the sub-contracting plan where the SIN doesn't have to precisely match?

The Government’s intent is to issue separate blanket purchase agreement (BPA)s for each member, a Contractor Team Arrangement (CTA) team member will be required to have the SIN specified in the solicitation.

4.

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:

1. Would you please provide the set aside for this opportunity?

The small business requirement is identified in Section 2.a of the draft Request for Quotation

(RFQ).

2. Would you kindly confirm if this is an entirely new effort or is there an incumbent currently providing these services? If

This is a new requirement.

so, would you please provide the incumbent contract details?

5.

We had a few questions regarding the SAM Notice: 832369812 - DISA J6 Modernization, Engineering, Lifecycle Refresh (ModEL) BPA.

If a company cannot perform all the work in the SOO would they still be considered for this BPA?

The draft solicitation requires that industry form contractor team arrangements. See Subfactor 1 under the TECHNICAL/MANAGEMENT FACTOR (FACTOR 1) of the draft RFQ. The work for the ModEL requirement is detailed in the draft performance work statement that was provided for industry review/comment on 29-Oct-2024.

How many companies will be selected for award? One CTA will be selected for award.

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 pre-solicitation 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 have been received on the draft solicitation. Moving forward, industry will have the opportunity to provide questions/comments once the final solicitation is issued.

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?

No response is required as what has been issued to date is a draft of the solicitation and the PWS.

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.

No extension is necessary as questions pertaining to the draft solicitation were to be provided to the Government on January 6, 2025.

8.

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)?

The ModEL requirement will be based on GSA’s definition.

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?

CTA structure and the division of work will be specific to each CTA and shall be defined in the teaming agreement submitted with a quotation.

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.

5 Page 4, 6.2 Task 2, Solution Development What percentages of items will be part of the lifecycle tech refresh yearly?

Technical refreshes will vary by call order and will be specified in the requirement documents.

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 performed by ETM will encompass day-to-day projects involving the existing network and will be typically O&M funded.

9.

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 will be identified 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 contractors will need to meet all the transition requirements as defined in each call order.

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 required, any additional certifications, if necessary, 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?

A bidder’s library will be provided upon issuance of the final solicitation.

10.

Q #

Draft PWS Section #

Page No.

(x of 41)

Question

6.2.7

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 will be identified at the call order level.

6.2.8

Are the Government’s existing Data Centers and associated services considered “Cloud Ready,” before developing and enhancing the cloud connectivity to these extended services?

Specific requirements will be defined at the call order level.

6.3.8

“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 will be defined at the call order level.

11.1

Is a Top Secret Facility Clearance required at the time of RFP release?

Documentation illustrating a firm’s facility clearance shall be provided at the time of quotation submission.

11.

No questions were received. Attached qualifications-

Acknowledged

12.

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. In addition, the NAICS code(s) will set the threshold for the number of employees and revenue.

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?

The ModEL requirement will be awarded to a single CTA. Individual BPA’s will be issued to members of the CTA. 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.

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 will 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?

The test environment will be Government provided. More specific details and requirements will 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 will 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?

The test environment will be Government provided. Requirement specific details will 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?

The test environment will be Government provided. Requirement specific details will be identified at the call order level.

13.

No questions were received. Attached qualifications-

Acknowledged

14.

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?

CTA structure and oversight is to be determined by the team. Billing will occur at the call order level on each 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

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 participate 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.

A pre-solicitation conference was held December 5, 2024.

18.

Interested vendor Acknowledged

19.

1. Please clarify what is the “vetted list of contractors with specialized experience” with regards to a CTA.

CTA team members should have expertise to perform their assigned task area of the BPA PWS.

In addition, to be a member of the CTA a firm must have a GSA multiple award schedule.

2. Please clarify if each CTA member is responsible to conduct annual performance reviews and validate timeliness to meet the Government’s objectives.

The expectations for ModEL are the same for any BPA. Performance and timeliness will be addressed at the call order level.

3. Please delineate Government’s CTA parameters. For example, are all Government communications, ordering, and scheduling to flow through the CTA Lead?

Are all invoices to be submitted by the CTA Lead

Please see response above. During administration, each BPA and subsequent call orders will function like normal.

and all payments made to the CTA Lead who, in turn, is responsible for payment to each CTA Partner?

4. Task Area 1, Program Management, appears to be more aligned with a Prime/Sub Full & Open acquisition approach instead of a CTA approach.

To provide DISA and the Government with the most efficient and effective support, we recommend the Government have a Full & Open procurement with Small Business participation goals.

Acknowledged

5. Please confirm the contract awardee will be referred to as “CTA Team Leader” and the term will be used interchangeably with “Contractor”, "BPA Holder", or "BPA Contractor" and considered the Prime Contractor.

See response to question above regarding all CTA Members receiving BPA awards.

6. When will the Government release a comprehensive Draft RFP?

A draft solicitation was posted to SAM.gov on 27- Nov-2025. The notice ID is 832369812.

20.

Lifecycle and tech refresh requirements are loosely stated throughout the PWS. Recommend we ask the govt to identify their forecasted refresh schedule

More specific requirements will be defined at the call order level.

Seek to clarify time constraints/restraints regarding call order administration

Specific requirements will be delineated at the call order level. In addition, the Government is seeking to achieve a streamlined timeline from identification of a new requirement to award.

Seek to clarify the mechanisms affecting procurement of HW, SW network equipment inherent to the govt, and distinguishing mechanisms outside the govt's established processes or relationships (e.g., are there pre-existing vendor agreements, DISA enterprise licenses that could/shall be utilized, how are licenses and warranties managed, etc.) - Recommend obtaining the list of existing licenses/warranties/key information, etc., during/prior to transition-in to better understand what we are getting ourselves into.

The final solicitation will contain information clarifying the purchase on ancillary hardware and software.

What are projected storage requirements (e.g., duration/level of security/size/space/access, etc.). Is the cost of storage an ODC? Recommend seeking govt clarify what the storage requirements are

Additional details will be provided at the call order level.

Will Thunderdome (ZTN) be implemented in the Pentagon?

Additional details will be provided at the call order level.

Are you looking for a tailored ZTN solution for the Pentagon environment? Based on the complexity of the PTN networks.

Additional details will be provided at the call order level.

Regarding Cloud Brokering, what levels of classification are needed?

Additional details will be provided at the call order level.

Ensure time is allotted to conduct a complete inventory of GFP within 30 days of award

Acknowledged

Is Service Now going to be the preferred ITIL System?

Service Now is the current IT Service Management (ITSM) in place within the J6.

What is the intent around Service Level Agreements and Verification/Validation periods?

Those details will be provided at the call order level where SLAs are required.

With respect to the Contractor Teaming Agreements. Is the intent to make the CTAs flexible enough to address ModEL work and potentially future work like Service Delivery where the two programs may interact? Is the government looking for us to have CTAs with contractors regardless of who wins different contracts?

ModEL is not intended to absorb other existing programs within J6. CTAs should look to perform the work identified in the PWS.

Can we get a list of assets? Examples: tools used, networks, architecture/topology, cables, monitoring – the things you would want visibility and accountability for across the organization

Details of assets will be provided at the call order level.

Is there a project pipeline – list of priorities? Priorities and projects change to meet the mission. Details of expected projects/priorities can be provided to the successful CTA at a kick-off meeting.

What are the engineering priorities? See response above

21.

Key thoughts on the solicitation strategy –

If a CTA strategy remains -

- Allow more than one other than SB Acknowledged

- A composition of five CTA partners makes sense although you may want to give bidders more flexibility by having 3-8 members

Acknowledged

- Try to keep the security clearance requirements as low as possible (this will support a lower cost to DISA and much more flexibility on talent for industry)

Acknowledged

- Try to not to constrain the CTA Prime with challenging SB requirements (this will impact the best capabilities and talent being available to

DISA)

- Cleary articulate the responsibility of the Prime in terms of overall accountability of CTA member ownership of issued orders

Acknowledged

Reconsider the same acquisition strategy that is being used for the ETMS II solicitation (both are similar in nature; it may be more beneficial to use the same strategy for both – for both DISA and Industry)

Acknowledged

22.

The OLM SIN can only be used on T&M CLINs.

Will DISA allow ODCs and/or equipment to be proposed as Open Market items on Call Order RFPs?

Other direct costs, to include equipment, will be ancillary to services on call orders issued under ModEL.

Will DISA please consider allowing the CTA Lead and CTA members to use the 1,500 NAICS code size standard (NAICS Code 517111)? This will reduce the risk to DISA and the CTA lead by allowing larger, more experienced companies to team on ModEL.

Acknowledged

Will DISA please consider that ModEL and ETM have the same projected release date and consider releasing them at different times so vendors don’t have to work on two RFP responses at the same time?

Acknowledged

There appears to be an overlap in tasks between ETM and ModEL. How does the government plan to differentiate the division of work between these two vehicles? For example, would ETM only be Moves, Adds, and Changes (MACs), and all other project work be on ModEL?

ModEL projects related to ETM are for procurement funded projects only.

Can the government provide a breakdown of the expected call orders to be released during the first year on ModEL?

Please see the response to question 20 that pertains to pipeline and priorities.

Can a Model CTA member be a Joint Venture (JV) or a Mentor-Protégé JV that holds a current GSA Schedule Contract?

Please see GSA MAS solicitation refresh 16, 17, and 18 as well as the associated “Frequently Asked Questions for JV Offerors & Contractors” for additional information regarding JVs.

23.

1. With just 4 major taskings, we're assuming all CTA members can partake (specified) in all four major taskings?

It is up to the CTA team lead to determine which CTA Members will perform under the various task areas. Any work assignments shall be detailed in the CTA agreement negotiated by all members of the team.

1.a. If above assumption is correct, can you confirm more than one CTA member can be specified to perform a subtasking?

Correct

2. Can you confirm large firms MUST SHOW how they will sponsor two small businesses without facility clearances (in the first year) to be compliant with this contract?

Confirmed.

2.a. Specifically, large firms who do not provide a SB FCL plan will be deemed non-compliant and dismissed for further consideration?

Review of the small business participation factor will include of responses to section c. that “requires the prime contractor/CTA lead to sponsor at least two FCLs for small businesses during the first year.”

3. The original draft stated one non-SBA could be part of the CTA; is this still true?

The final solicitation will detail participation of other than small business.

4. Can you confirm the SB requirement is still 26% ?

See Subfactor 3 Small Business Participation Factor for details on the minimum quantitative requirements for small business and socio-economic designations.

5. The COR put out the highly detailed "what" of the J6 office (what they do). For the non-incumbents, who seek to deliver the most responsive IT services and customer support (at the best value), the technical what "as is" would also be highly benficial. This will help non-incumbents craft the proper modernization, transformation, or hybrid approach predicated on current "as is" technologies (and methods) coupled with concerns and/or issues with the current construct.

Acknowledged

5.a. As a result, will the five major organizations specified in the PWS (such as the Taylor building) put out there technical what and how / as is tech and processes?

Please see the above response to question 20 pertaining to priorities and pipeline.

5.b. As well as, disclose current issues with current tech and/or processes---which could potentially be five differing problem sets given their five differing operating environments?

Please see the above response to question 20 pertaining to priorities and pipeline.

5.c. Would the five specified organizations entertain one-on-one site visits (or a group visit) to help respondents determine their best value IT and CS approach?

The Government will consider site visits.

6. GOVCON's are required to sponsor two small businesses in the first year without a FCL. If those SB's do not have a GSA schedule, as well, is it still okay to have them on the team IOT help them get a FCL?

Note: We are seeing many SBs--without an FCL--also not have a GSA CV.

A GSA Schedule is required to be a member of the CTA team. Subcontract agreements are the purview of each member and how they choose to bolster their team.

24.

Observation: The RFQ presents a diagram and emphasis on the CTA structure where vendors would team. On page 12 of the RFQ, it is stated that the CTA lead is required to sponsor at least two small businesses for a FCL. At the pre-conference it was stated that subcontracting is allowed for all CTA members.

Recommendation: I would recommend that the requirement pertain to all the CTA members. This would increase opportunity for smaller businesses and serve the agency with a wider range of skills and fulfill needs expeditiously.

Acknowledged

25.

Regarding the expectation that one large prime contract offeror would be allowed to subcontract only to small businesses, would there be any prohibition on the use of SBA-certified small business mentor-protégé joint venture companies in the DISA ModEL Contractor Teaming Agreements? SBA-certified joint ventures formed by a small business (protégé) and a large business (mentor) under the SBA's mentor-protégé partnership program would enjoy an exclusion to affiliation of the large business (Ref. (13 C.F.R. § 125.9 (c)(1)(iii))).

Please see response to question 22.

26.

We recommend that a second large business be allowed to participate as a CTA (Contractor Teaming Arrangement) team member on the same team. Allowing a second large businesses on a single team, while still prioritizing and maintaining strong small business participation, could provide the Government with access to a broader range of technical expertise, resources, and innovative solutions thus reducing performance risk?

Acknowledged

Can the Government please clarify if a small business CTA (Contractor Teaming Arrangement) team lead is permitted to have a large business as a subcontractor? Allowing small businesses to engage large business subcontractors would enable the Government to leverage the agility and cost-effectiveness of small businesses while also harnessing the specialized expertise, resources, and scalability that large businesses can provide. This structure promotes greater

Subcontracting is permitted. Large businesses may be included as subcontractors provided the minimum quantitative requirements of Subfactor 3 are achieved as well as compliance with FAR 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting.

innovation, risk reduction, and enhanced performance on complex requirements.

Would the Government consider allowing a Small Business Joint Venture (JV) to be a CTA (Contractor Teaming Arrangement) team member? Per FAR 9.601 and 13 CFR 125.8, Small Business Joint Ventures are recognized as eligible participants in federal contracting and are often formed to leverage the combined capabilities, past performance, and resources of multiple small business partners.

Please see response to question 22.

27.

Please confirm that this is not a ‘small business’ set aside CTA? For example, each CTA can have at least one large GSA MAS contract holder.

Confirmed

Will the Order Level Materials (OLMs) SIN be included within the solicitation?

OLMs will be included in the individual call orders, when issued.

Is this going to be a single award CTA with each teammate getting a separate BPA?

Correct

Can the CTA team lead be an ‘other than small’ contractor?

Yes, the CTA lead is not required to be a large business

Please confirm that each CTA cannot contain more than one other than small business?

The final solicitation will detail team composition.

If a large business leads a CTA team, do the teammates have to be small business? Is the Government considering changing this requirement?

The draft solicitation does include this language.

The final solicitation will detail team composition.

Task Area Expertise - Can you provide more details on the specific technical expertise and/or certifications required for each task area (e.g., Zero Trust deployment, cloud engineering services)?

Task area requirements will be defined at the call order level.

Zero Trust Strategy - Are there specific milestones or key performance indicators for implementing the Zero Trust strategy, as referenced in the DoD Zero Trust Strategy document?

Milestones and KPI’s will be defined at the call order level.

Cloud Migration - Can you clarify the scope of data migration for cloud engineering services, including any specific applications or systems that require migration?

More specific requirements will be defined at the call order level.

Labor Categories - Is there flexibility in the alignment of MAS labor categories to the labor categories defined in Attachment 4? How should discrepancies be addressed?

Yes, GSA MAS labor categories should be mapped to the Attachment 4 labor categories. Mapped labor categories should be compliant with minimum qualifications defined in Attachment 4.

Top-Secret Clearance - For personnel requiring TS/SCI or Special Access Program access, are there additional security clearance processes we need to account for during onboarding?

More specific requirements will be defined at the call order level.

28.

ModEL_Pre-Solicitation_Conference_05-Dec- 2024.pdf - Registration List - Will the government please provide a list of the companies who attended the solicitation conference. This information will be helpful in forming teaming partnerships.

A list of firms that attended will be provided.

6.4.3 Subtask 3 - Infrastructure & Network

Engineering - Staffing FTEs - Desired Skill Sets - For the desired skill sets you provided in 6.4.3 subtask 3, can you please provide a breakdown of the labor categories and their associated task areas for each?

Specifically:

1. A mapping of which labor categories fall under each task area

2. Any qualification requirements for each labor category

3. If available, typical roles and responsibilities for each category"

This information will be provided in Attachment 4 of the solicitation.

13. Other Pertinent Information or Special Considerations Page 38 f. - For "f. Property Accountability: we are unable to open the embedded Consol_Product List and Instructions provided, can you provide this in a separate document?

An updated document will be provided with the final solicitation.

29.

RFQ 2b. Page 2 - “Once the Government has selected a CTA to receive the BPA award, each CTA member, including the lead, will be issued a stand-alone BPA, giving them privity of contract with the Government.” - With each CTA member having privity of contract with the Government, what mechanism are you establishing to enable the CTA Lead to have overall visibility into individual member tasks, expectations, and performance?

After award, a call order issued to the firm identified in the CTA agreement as having cognizance for program management for the team.

RFP 2e. Page 2 - “The Government anticipates the issuance of 50-75 call orders per contract period...” - How many call orders are in the queue, and will any be part of the final solicitation? Please provide a list of backlog call orders.

Please see response to question 20.

PWS 5.7 Page 2 - “Contractor shall be responsible for managing the logistics, storage, and transportation of equipment...” - Will the government provide details on the amount of space required for storage and any specific requirements (e.g., temperature controlled, proximity to government locations, security, etc.)?

Please see response to question 20.

PWS 6.2.6 Page 6 - “Coordinating the ASIs and review boards...” - Will the government provide details on the Review Boards (e.g., name, membership, frequency of meeting, etc.)?

More specific requirements will be defined at the call order.

PWS 6.2 & 6.3 Page 4 & 8 - Task 2 Conducting Lifecycle Refresh (LCR) efforts to reduce technical and cybersecurity debt Task 3 Lifecycle Refresh (LCR) upgrade of customer-owned IT equipment - Lifecycle Refresh is identified in both Task 2 and Task 3. Will the government provide details on how these are different?

Details on the LCR process will be defined in the final solicitation.

PWS 6.3.3.1 Page 9 - Contractor shall build SharePoint and CRM roadmap in relation to the overarching J6 C4E customer technologies roadmaps to ensure alignment - Will the government provide the J6 C4E customer technologies roadmap as part of the final solicitation?

Details on the SharePoint and CRM roadmap will be defined in the final solicitation.

PWS 6.3.3.3 Page 10 - “...training for J6 C4E customers for Microsoft SharePoint and CRM platforms...” - Will the government identify what CRM platforms are in place supported by this

BPA?

J6 currently uses Service Now as the ITSM.

PWS 6.3.7 Page 11 - Software Engineering and Development - J6 C4E has Test and Evaluation Environments (JTEE). Is there a government-provided development environment in place to support this task?

Yes

PWS 11.3.2 Page 35 - The contractor is required to have personnel cleared with an interim or final Top Secret or Secret (as specified in the table located in section 12.2) at the time of BPA proposal submittal. - Which “personnel” is this task referring to? Also, please confirm the location of the table – it's not in Section 12.2.

Table 11.2 details clearances required by task area.

30.

1. Request the Government provide a clarification for Joint Venture GSA MAS Contracts Holder Requirements: For a Joint Venture (JV), who must hold the GSA MAS contract: the Managing Venturer, the Partner Venturer, the JV itself, or any combination?

The JV must have the GSA MAS as a separate entity with its own Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

In the context of the JSP Model RFP, where a Contractor Team Agreement (CTA) is used to establish a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) under the GSA MAS contract, what are the specific requirements for GSA MAS contract holders among participating entities? If the team includes a JV as the team lead or as one of its members, must all members of the JV individually hold a GSA MAS contract, or is it sufficient for only the managing member or the JV entity to hold such a contract?

The JV must have the GSA MAS as a separate entity with its own Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

2. Request the Government provide a clarification for using Joint Ventures: Regarding the JSP Model RFP utilizing a Contractor Team Agreement (CTA) to award a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) under the GSA MAS contract, could the government clarify the specific requirements related to the utilization of Joint Ventures? Additionally, will the government consider including language that explicitly prohibits a Joint Venture from having any affiliation with a large business included as part of the CTA?

Please see response to question 22. At this time, the Government does not intend to prohibit JVs with affiliation with a large business.

3. Request the Government provide a clarification to Factor 3 - Small Business Participation Factor, section (b) in the draft RFP page 11: The table lists the following percentages: Small Business (SB) at 26% of the total contract value; Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), including 8(a), at 15% of the total contract value; Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) at 5% of the total contract value; and Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Small Business at 3% of the total contract value. Does this mean that the overall total for Small Business Participation is 26%, with the percentages for SDB/8(a), WOSB, and HUBZone included as part of the 26%? Or are the percentages for Small Business, SDB/8(a), WOSB, and HUBZone added together for a total of 49% Small Business Participation?

Factor 3 details the small business requirements for ModEL.

4. Recommend adding procurement task to PWS: Recommend including a dedicated SW/HW procurement task within the BPA eliminates the need for separate contracts, significantly reducing administrative overhead, procurement lead times, and associated costs. Leveraging the existing BPA streamlines the acquisition process through pre-negotiated terms and a unified approach, enabling faster fulfillment of requirements. Additionally, this integration ensures seamless alignment with ongoing technical and operational tasks, reducing the risk of misalignment, delays, or gaps in deliverables.

By embedding SW/HW procurement within the BPA, greater flexibility is achieved, allowing for agile responses to evolving needs and ensuring that all acquisitions are part of a cohesive effort rather than fragmented, standalone contracts.

Acknowledged

5. Request the Government provide a clarification in reference to Subfactor 1:

Contractor Teaming Agreement (CTA) Structure in the draft RFP page 7: For JSP Model in which the Contractor Team Agreement (CTA) will have the Team Lead and Team Members being awarded separate Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs), the ability to off-ramp underperforming team members or on-ramp new members is generally a government function. Each team member holds its own BPA, which is a contractual agreement between the government and the individual contractor. Any modification, termination, or addition of contractors typically requires government approval or action, as these agreements are managed by the contracting officer. The government retains oversight of BPAs to ensure compliance with procurement regulations, performance standards, and contract terms. While the CTA outlines the roles and responsibilities of the Team Lead and members, it does not grant the authority to independently manage or modify BPAs. Adding new team members would require awarding a new BPA or modifying an existing agreement, both of which are government functions that involve the contracting officer’s evaluation and approval.

Although contractors can provide performance feedback or recommendations, the final decision to off-ramp or on-ramp team members ultimately rests with the government to maintain compliance with procurement regulations and ensure fairness.

6. Request the Government consider making JSP Model a total small business set-aside: Has market research been conducted to determine whether two or more small business CTAs are capable of performing more than 51% of the work? If so, would the government consider this requirement a total small business set-aside, with large businesses participating only as subcontractors?

Acknowledged

31.

1. For Task 2.10, one key piece of information needed in order to generate a quote is the square footage/number of drops, per site, of network cables required.

See Price Factor (FACTOR 2) d. that states

“The Government will calculate a Total Evaluated Price within the Attachment 4. For each labor category, the Government provided representative annual labor hours.”

More specific pricing requirements and technical information will be provided at the Call Order level.

2. Could you all clarify the following: Based on the pre-solicitation conference slides, slide 14, and what is in the draft solicitation, page 33, the place of performance is only sites in the national capital region however on page 15 of the pre-solicitation conference slides there is a chart showing operations occurring in the US and outside of the US. Will any part of this solicitation require OCONUS resources? If OCONUS sites will likely be added, the same information on slide 14 as well as that requested in our first question will be needed in order to more accurately propose timing and provide a quote. We'd also like to note that the estimated value provided on the RFQ would not be enough to cover that magnitude of support.

Page 15 includes both DoDNet and J6 Pentagon locations. The ModEL requirement reflects J6 Pentagon locations.

3. Referencing the draft RFQ posted online, you all made reference to 70% of the personnel needing TS/SCI clearance. Due to the budget restrictions and the size of personnel required, is it possible to complete the tasks with TS only and allow a grace period for those who have at least Secret clearance to obtain a TS clearance? From our analysis, this would allow us to be able to ensure we're including the best personnel to complete the tasks effectively and efficiently.

Acknowledged

32.

In the draft solicitation, it is not made clear if all of the 4 CTA members must be a small business.

Can you confirm that at least one of the CTA members can be an “other than” small business?

Section 2.e. of the Draft RFQ states:

“To facilitate equal workload distribution and to maximize small business participation, each CTA is limited to only one other than small business.”

The final solicitation will detail team structure.

Also, is it possible to have up to two of the CTA Members as “other than” small?

The final solicitation will detail team structure.

Added thoughts for consideration:

We believe that there are compelling reasons to allow “other than” Small Businesses to be allowed to occupy a CTA position both for the capabilities and experience they possess and the financial strength that will be required to succeed with larger task orders.

33.

DRFQ 2.d. - DRFP states "In the unlikely event that the CTA has more than one firm/contractor for a task area, …" This reads as the Government thinks this is unfavorable and could score CTAs with teams that have more than one ctr per task area lower. However, having this flexibility of multiple contractors per task area could provide an advantage. Recommend removing the word 'unlikely'.

Acknowledged

DRFQ Factor 2: Cost/Price - Recommend the Governent hold individual rate cards for each CTA member so that each Member will have the ability to support the Call Orders they are aligned to.

Acknowledged

DRFQ 4. Phase One, Subfactor 1: CTA Teaming Structure - Bullets 2 and 4 duplicate criteria; both are asking for a detailed explanation of how the CTA will be structured to provide support / expertise across all task areas. Recommend combining these into one bullet / criteria item.

Acknowledged

DPWS 6.1 - The RFQ states that the Team Leader will be the primary interface with the Government for all matters associated with ModEL. Please confirm that all Call Orders will be requested and issued through the Team leader despite each CTA member receiving separate standalone BPA awards with direct privity of contract with the Government.

Call Order RFQs will be issued to each individual CTA member. Tasks detailed in the BPA will align with details provided in the CTA agreement regarding specific task assignment(s).

DPWS 6.1 - Given PWS Task 6.1 is limited to the CTA leader, is the assumption that the CTA Leader will provide management oversight for all call orders even if the primary scope of the work may be aligned to a PWS task area that is designated for a CTA member?

6.1 is not necessarily performed by the CTA Leader, however a call order will be issued for 6.1 that will perform management oversight across all call orders.

DPWS 6.1 - Will the Government provide clarification on how Call Orders will be issued on the awarded BPA? Will all Call Order RFQs be routed to the CTA lead for CTA member coordination and response?

Call orders will be issued to the CTA member(s) identified in the CTA agreement identified for the task area.

DPWS 6.2.7 - States that J8 is participating in a limited pilot with DISA Thunderdome - but they do not state if they want us to integrate with that solution, or provide a unique alternative. Please provide more details on the desired solution.

More specific requirements will be defined at the call order level.

DPWS 6.2 - Task 6.2.5, 6.2.6, and 6.2.7 indicate J8 instead of J6 - recommend updating to J6 if accurate.

DPWS 6.2.8 - What impact levels (2, 4, 5, 6) and classification levels (NIPR, SIPR, JWICS) is the government looking to manage from a cloud computing perspective?

More specific pricing requirements and technical information will be provided at the call order level.

DPWS 6.2.8 - Are there latency requirements or use cases for connectivity between on-premises and the various cloud environments?

More specific pricing requirements and technical information will be provided at the call order level.

DPWS 6.3.1 - For application development is J6 encouraging or enforcing applications to utilize containers? Are any applications currently containerized?

More specific pricing requirements and technical information will be provided at the call order level.

DPWS 6.3.2 - For data migration can the government provide a sense of scale for the amount of data that needs to migrate to the cloud (e.g., GB, TB, PB)?

More specific pricing requirements and technical information will be provided at the call order level.

DPWS 6.3.8 - How many applications are intended to migrate to the cloud, and which cloud (e.g. how many to public cloud, how many to private cloud, etc.)?

More specific pricing requirements and technical information will be provided at the call order level.

DPWS 6.3.8 - Is the government’s intent to procure cloud services through an existing contract (e.g. JWCC) or utilize a direct reseller?

More specific pricing requirements and technical information will be provided at the call order level.

34.

Factor 3, Small Business Participation: Please confirm the Prime is required to hold clearances for 2 Small Businesses. It would be recommended to require subcontractors to hold a clearance vs requiring 2 to be held by the Prime. All identified SB teaming partners may already hold a clearance. We don’t recommend this as a pass/ fail criteria.

Confirmed. Acknowledged

Factor 1, Subfactor 2: Please confirm indirect back office (non-billable) personnel do not require a security clearance. These individuals will not be required to access classified information.

Confirmed.

Is the Total evaluated price to include the 6-month extension? There appears to be a discrepancy in the draft solicitation. See: Factor 2, bottom of page 10 of 14 “CTA shall quote a plug number for OLM using 33.33 percent of total base period and all four options” Should this include the 6-month extension? Should this be consistent with “The total evaluated price will consist of the contractor’s total evaluated price for the base period and all option periods, and the option pricing for the additional 6 months.” Is

Factor 2, (b) states “The Total Evaluated Price will consist of the CTA’s quoted price for the base…