Responses-to-soliciation-questions-August26.docx

August 26, 2008

Prospective Offerors, A number of questions and comments have been sent to me since posting amendment 1 (version 2) of the solicitation on August 21. Each comment/question with the corresponding United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) response is listed below. As a consequence, amendment 2 of the solicitation has been posted on FedBizOpps and incorporates the responses to questions 1, 2, and 5. In addition, Section L.1 of the solicitation has been changed to specify that the technical proposal should be no longer than 100 pages. Also, in Section M.5.1.6, “complexity of projects” has been removed and “management of key personnel” has been added so as to follow the format of the questionnaire. Answers to questions 3 and 4 are clarifications, without a corresponding change in the solicitation.

If you have any question or comments, please direct them to the undersigned.

Thank you for your interest in this solicitation.

Earl Friedman, Contracting Officer United States Department of Agriculture 300 7th Street, SW, Rm. 383 Washington, DC 20024

(202) 720-2538

1. In Section C5, #2, the RFP states that a security clearance is required for work at designated COOP sites. What level of clearance is required for this work?

USDA response: When we talk about COOP sites, we are talking about the Secretary, Deputy Sec, and Under Sec areas. So the selected Offeror will need Top Secret SCI Clearances. Section C.5 will be changed accordingly.\

2. In Section C7, the RFP states that the government may provide limited office space... for contractor personnel. It also states that a possible place of performance for specific tasks could include contractor's facilities. What is the anticipated percentage of work that will be required on government facilities, vice contractor facilities?

USDA response: Routine work will require approximately 50% of the work to be conducted at government facilities. But during an emergency situation, as we had with 9/11, it could be as much as 100%. Section C.7 will be changed accordingly.

3. In Section C12, Key Personnel, the RFP lists 6 labor categories that "are key (*) personnel..." Is it the government's intent that at least one person be bid as key within each labor category? Or is it expected that anyone bid in one of the six labor categories is automatically designated as Key Personnel? (i.e., 3 people are bid as System Architects -- does that mean all 3 are considered by the government to be Key Personnel?)

USDA response: For the basic proposal, one person must be bid for each of the six key categories. Any additional personnel who are bid in one of the six key categories must satisfy that category’s requirements. Otherwise those personnel can be proposed as non-key personnel. The sample-task-order proposal allows the Offeror to propose whatever job categories are necessary.

4. Does an Offeror need to bid only 6 Key Personnel for the Base IDIQ? How does one track when/how Key Personnel are being applied to the Task Orders (i.e.., One staff person is bid as key but is also working on COOP. For one year, only IT Task Orders are released.

USDA response: For the basic proposal, one person must be bid for each of the six key categories. During contract performance, work requirements may arise (e.g. two concurrent tasks or a large, complex task) that in their entirety require two or more people in one, or possibly more, of the key areas. In this case, the prime contractor shall be required to provide the additional personnel who satisfy the specifications given in Section C.12. Also, during contract performance, personnel may be responsible for multiple roles at the same time. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to track how the personnel utilize their time.

5. In Attachment 1, Past and Present Performance Questionnaire, how many Questionnaires are required by the government? Are questionnaires expected for similar sized IDIQ contracts or for task level activities consistent with the 18 task areas of the RFP?

USDA response: Three completed questionnaires should be submitted by former or current employers. Section L.1 will be modified to specify this. Completed questionnaires will be evaluated on the basis of the subfactors given in Section M - quality of service, timeliness of performance, business relations, management of key personnel, overall customer satisfaction, similarity of past/current projects with USDA task requirements. Similarly-sized contracts is not considered in the evaluation of past performance. Note that Section M.5.1.6 has been changed to reflect this set of subfactors.