852571198_ JWCC Next RFI Questions and Answers AMD01.xlsx
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- AMD01 - JWCC Next RFI
- Solicitation number
- 852571198
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Defense Information Systems Agency
About this file
This is a Questions and Answers document for the JWCC Next RFI issued by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), containing 19 questions and responses regarding the potential new cloud services contract intended to expand DoD's enterprise cloud capabilities.
Key details revealed include: JWCC Next is projected for award in 2027; the government seeks direct contracts with cloud service providers rather than resellers; the contract will support all classification levels from strategic to tactical edge including DDIL environments; and it will encompass XaaS (Anything as a Service) capabilities, with particular focus on AI/ML tools and SaaS/Third Party services. The document clarifies definitions of cloud services, capabilities, and offerings, and addresses questions about global accessibility, cybersecurity requirements, and data sovereignty. The government indicates this will be a separate contract from the current JWCC with its own terms and conditions, and responses to the RFI are limited to 20 pages with specific formatting requirements.
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| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| 852571198 - JWCC Next RFI AMD01.docx | DOCX document | |
| 852571198 - JWCC Next RFI.docx | DOCX document |
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Attach 4_Q&A
| Question # | RFI Reference | Question Text | Answers |
| 1 | Can the government define "cloud service," "capability", and "offering" so that RFI responses align to the government's understanding of these terms? | Cloud Service: Available capabilities provided by contractors to their customers. |
Capability: A device, computer program, or technique, including any combination of software, firmware, or hardware, designed to create an effect in or through cyberspace.
Offering: A device, computer program, or technique, including any combination of software, firmware, or hardware, designed to create an effect in or through cyberspace.
| 2 | Page 2, Paragraph 4.2 | Will JWCC Next and 3P Marketplace leverage existing DoD/CSP licensing and terms as defined on pre-existing DISA agreements, e.g. DoD Enterprise Software Initiative? | The intent of this RFI is to better understand how SaaS or Third Party Services are provided and consumed by customers. |
| 3 | Page 2, Paragraph 4.2 | The current JWCC contract treats Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) whose products are sold through CSPs (i.e. GCP, MSTF, AWS, OCI) similarly to subcontractors. Does JWCC Next intend on maintaining these contractual terms and resulting contractual relationship between CSPs and ISVs (PaaS/SaaS) in JWCC Next? | JWCC Next will be a separate contract with its own set of terms and conditions based on the industry best practices and the needs of the Government. The intent of this RFI is to gather more information surrounding how SaaS and Third Party Services are utilized to better develop the JWCC Next contract. |
| 4 | Global Accessibility | If CSPs were to build net-new in support of JWCC OCONUS, is there a requirement to build on USG bases / installations? | The needs of the Government will be defined within the contract after review and consideration, and input from other Government entities and industry through mechanisms such as the RFIs. The requirements will be developed as part of this acquisition will be in line with the needs of the Government in accordance with Government regulations, as required. |
| 5 | Global Accessibility | If CSPs are required to support DOD cloud from USG military installations, how should CSPs think about access to the land required to provide sufficient cloud capabilities? Will CSPs be able to bid on land, given land is limited? If CSPs can build on foreign commercial land, will DoD and DoS support with host nation agreements to allow CSPs to provide the security required? | This is not a JWCC Program Management Office decision and would fall under the Department of Defense Chief Information Officer. |
| 6 | Global Accessibility | Is the Department considering cloud partnerships / contracts with NATO / FVEY or other partners? | The Government is always trying to build better relationships with it's partners. At this time, the Government is considering all options that may be available and align with the Government's needs. |
| 7 | Global Accessibility | Who would be the Accreditation Official for overseas builds? | This will be determined at a later date, should it be a requirement within the JWCC Next contract. |
| 8 | 4.3 Cybersecurity & Risk Management | Are there specific data residency or sovereignty requirements that go beyond standard US government regulations? | Data sovereignty requirements will need to be applied where applicable by where the data resides and is traversing. The US Government will make every effort to abide by all statutes and all requirements to meet mission needs. The applicability of foreign data writes over US Government data would have to be determined on a case by case basis. |
| 9 | 2 Scope | Are there specific XaaS offerings that the DoD is prioritizing beyond current JWCC capabilities? | The evolving landscape of the Government is ever changing and the desire is to gain access to the commercial capabilities to meet the changing needs. |
| 10 | N/A | Will it suffice to refer back to existing JWCC CDRLs and historic JWCC product offering details (e.g. solution architectures, product catalogs, previous JWCC RFP responses) to reduce the page count on this response? | This RFI and acquisition effort are independent of other contracts and include separate terms and conditions. Per the RFI, interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a white paper. Submissions cannot exceed 20, single spaced, 12-point type with at least one-inch margins on 8 1/2” X 11” page size. |
| 11 | 4.8.3 & 4.8.4 | These questions appear to target cloud industry instead of the current JWCC CSPs. Is the Government looking for currently awarded JWCC CSPs to describe how they host SaaS solutions and accomplish CMDC? Can the Government provide additional information on CMDC? | The intent of this RFI is to better understand industry standards and capabilities that the Government could include within future acquisition opportunities. It is not targeted to specific contractors. As explained in the RFI, CMDC is the oversight and management including the ability to apply security policies, monitor network security compliance and service usage, promulgate standardized service configurations, and automate and distribute the account provisioning process. RFI references 4.8.1 and 4.8.2 provide additional capabilities within the CMDC construct. |
| 12 | General | Is the Government requesting responses from CSPs (current JWCC awardees) for all RFI requirements? | This RFI and acquisition effort are independent of other contracts and include separate terms and conditions. |
| 13 | 4.1.1 and 4.2.1 | The wording of these requirements is nearly identical. Will it be sufficient to reference 4.1.1 content in our response to 4.2.1.b to eliminate redundancy and reduce page count? | Section 4.1.1 focuses on AI capabilities while 4.2.1 addresses SaaS/Third Party capabilities. The Government has no objection in combining responses. |
| 14 | Can you share the timeline for JWCC Next? | The Government is still in early stages of the acquisition process and currently projects an award within 2027. | |
| 15 | Will all vendors on JWCC Next be subject to the same cybersecurity compliance and reporting requirements? | Cybersecurity and reporting requirements are, in large part, defined by Federal and DoD regulations associated with Defense Industrial Base partners. Any addition to those requirements for this contract are still under development. | |
| 16 | Section: 4.1 |
RFI Page: 1 Reference: "What collection of tools and resources help you design, develop, and deploy responsible AI or ML applications".
| What type of AI workloads are you running? How big are the models and what type: CV, NLP etc. | The current workloads that are being run by the Government vary. RFI Section 4.1 is trying to understand from the industry what tools and capabilities are available that could be a benefit to the Government. |
| 17 | Section: 4.1 |
RFI Page: 1 Reference: "What collection of tools and resources help you design, develop, and deploy responsible AI or ML applications".
| What existing tools and infrastructure are you using? | The current workloads that are being run by the Government vary. RFI Section 4.1 is trying to understand from the industry what cloud-based tools and capabilities are available. This is a contract vehicle and not a capabilities contract. | ||
| 18 | Is the JWCC Next RFI looking for FSIs to bring expert knowledge with software and hardware to also include implementation? | At this time, the intent of the RFI is to better understand industry standards and capabilities that the Government could include in defining the future acquisition effort. The Government is looking for direct contracts with cloud service providers, as opposed to resellers of cloud services. | |
| 19 | Is the RFI looking for OEMs to bring expert knowledge and capabilities to fill in the current gaps? | At this time, the RFI is trying to better understand industry standards and capabilities that the Government could include in defining the future acquisition effort. The Government is looking for direct contracts with cloud service providers, as opposed to resellers of cloud services. |
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .