Attachment 5 Updated Post-Final Questions Answered_25RJW85.docx

Questions Received from Solicitation 25RJW85 Posting and the Government’s responses:

1) Will the Berry Amendment apply to the backpacks? Clause 252.225-7012 does apply

2) Can you advise what model/brand of rugged laptop you currently use? What model and make? Specification? Specifications are included with the solicitation. The Government is not soliciting for a specific brand/part number, rather for specifications to meet requirements. Currently the Getac Rugged EMD (B360-Gen2) is being utilized to meet previous requirements.

3) Is there a particular form factor that you are looking for on the ruggedized devices (laptop/tablet)? There is not a form factor preferred. Specifications of the laptop are the main priority.

4) Is the rollout for this going to be in 2025 or 2026? The earliest rollout will be 3rd quarter of 2026

5) Is this a single shipment? This is a 3 year IDIQ contract; See page 3 of the solicitation.

6) Can you advise if the Government intends to issue an award based off this active solicitation? Yes, the Government intends to award a 3 year IDIQ contract off of this solicitation; anticipated award date is 3rd Quarter

7) Do you have any delivery time lines? The proposed delivery schedule is 90 days, see page 12 of the solicitation, Continuation of Deliveries or Performance. See page 59 under 3.1.1 Volume I: Factor I: Technical Capability.

8) On the Attachment 2 document the CPU that requires core capabilities of 16 threads, is this correct? Yes These are the minimum specifications. See Attachment I. If your solution meets or exceeds the requirements, see solicitation page 8 paragraph 3.1.1 for the Technical capability proposal.

9) Can the Government reduce the thread count to 14 on the requirement on the Attachment 2 document? No These are the minimum specifications. See Attachment I. If your solution meets or exceeds the requirements, see solicitation page 8 paragraph 3.1.1 for the Technical capability proposal.

10) Section 3.1.1 paragraph 1 states, “"Additionally, the offeror may utilize the line-by-line requirements table in the Technical Capability Volume I." Will the Government please clarify whether BOTH a narrative technical volume and the spreadsheet are desired, or just the spreadsheet? The technical capability narrative is required per 3.1.1. Attachment 2 filled out by the Offerors is not required but may be utilized per 3.1.1. Attachment 2 does not go against the page limitations set forth under 3.0.

11) Section 2.0 paragraph 1 and section 3.1.1 paragraph 2 These sections state, "If one Offeror has the better technical capability and a higher TEP, the Government will decide whether the difference in technical capability is worth the difference in price. If it is determined that the difference in technical capability is worth the difference in price, then the more capable, higher-priced Offeror will be the better value." and "the following seven Performance Specification requirements are listed in order of importance to the Government. The Exceeding of these Performance Specification requirements will therefore be afforded more weight" Because it is not possible from these descriptions to assign an adjectival price rating to proposed "exceed" specs, please confirm it is acceptable to provide a response that meets specifications and in the price narrative explain upgrades that are available. The adjectival rating (p. 63 Paragraph 4.0) will be assigned by the Government based upon the Offeror's technical capability that is evaluated, which includes the seven performance specifications outlined under 3.1.1. Per p. 60, Paragraph 3.1.3 the price narrative should substantiate the proposed prices.

12) Please confirm that bundles must be TAA compliant, and that individual accessories within the bundle (for example a DVD Drive) may be considered TAA compliant if included in the TAA compliant bundle.

Each item shall be TAA compliant. Attachment 1 has been updated to include TAA compliance and update to the solicitation to check clause 52.225-5 under 52.212-5.

13) Please confirm CLINs may be delivered partially. See p. 12 regarding delivery. Delivery information will be provided on each order. If when placing an order a partial delivery to be delivered sooner than the delivery date should be contemplated it will be discussed and documented in the order.

14) Will the Government require a unit for a unit for First Article inspection prior to first delivery? No If so, how many units are required? N/A or 0

15) If a First Article is expected, when does the Government expect delivery in days after award? No First Article is expected

16) Do these laptops need to be mounted anywhere? No

17) Are the laptops purely mobile for the field? Yes

18) In reference to Attachment 1 page 5 and Attachment 2 Cell A31 CLIN 0001 - Is a 2-in-1 device preferred? If a 2-in-1 is proposed, will it receive a higher factor 1 Technical rating than a laptop, assuming all else equal? No Ref CLINs 0001-0011 specify "Country from which procured: United States." - Please confirm whether TAA-compliant items manufactured in designated countries (e.g. Mexico, Ireland) meet this requirement, or must all items be of U.S. origin only? Each item shall be TAA compliant. Attachment 1 has been updated to include TAA compliance and update to the solicitation to check clause 52.225-5.

19) FAR 52.219-33 Nonmanufacturer Rule (NMR); SBA Class Waiver for NAICS 334111 laptops/tablets (effective April 8, 2020) Will the Government confirm the SBA class waiver applies to the CLIN items, allowing a small business prime to supply commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) laptops and tablets from a large OEM without further waiver? The waiver applies at the NAICS level For ruggedized or modified versions of laptops/tablets, will these require compliance with the NMR or a separate waiver, or are they included within the class waiver? The NAICS for this procurement is 334111, the waiver applies at the NAICS level

20) Attachment 3 Past Performance References; Factor 2 Evaluation Criteria - If the prime has limited or no company past performance, will the Government evaluate subcontractor/OEM past performance? See page 65 of the solicitation under Factor II, neutral confidence. If subcontractor/OEM past performance is considered, how will it be weighted relative to the prime's and what documentation is required (e.g. consent letters, POCs, contract details)? N/A – No evaluation of subcontractors

21) Please incorporate clauses 252.204-7025 and 252.204-7021 – 252.204-7025 is not a published clause and cannot be added until it is published; 252.204-7021 these are COTS items and therefore neither clause applies to COTS

22) Would the Government please modify the CPU specification to “4 performance cores or more capable of 8 or more threads? These are the minimum specifications. See Attachment I. If your solution meets or exceeds the requirements, see solicitation page 8 paragraph 3.1.1 for the Technical capability proposal.

23) Would the Government eliminate the requirement to expand memory to minimum 64 GB? The requirement DOES NOT need to be a 2in1, but the requirement IS that the memory is expandable to 64 GB.

24) Given the inability to provide a mobile GPU that meets all of the stated requirements, is it acceptable to provide the GPU housed in a separate enclosure (GPU Device) and connected to the laptop/tablet via an interface port? The Specification sheet, Attachment 1, has been updated under the Graphics Processing Unit.

25) If the Government allows for an external GPU, must it comply with the Environmental Specifications stipulated in Attachment 1? No external GPU

26) If the GPU must be internal to the laptop/tablet, could the Government please refer to NVIDIA Mobile GPU Comparison and select a NVIDIA mobile GPU? Attachment 1 EMSS Kit Specifications has been updated under the Graphics Processing Unit

27) Could the Government allow for the weight of the laptop/tablet to reach a maximum of 10.5 lbs while maintaining the overall weight of the kit (backpack, laptop/tablet, and ancillary equipment) as 37 lbs or less? Weight will NOT be increased

28) Will the Government allow for the HDMI port to be on the detachable keyboard? Yes

29) Will the Government allow for the use of an included USB-C to HDMI adapter to meet the requirement for a HDMI port? Yes

30) Does the Government require the proposed laptop/tablet to be commercially available in the specified configuration prior to the award of the contract? Yes

31) Is it acceptable for vendors to propose modifications to a commercially available laptop/tablet that will take place after award? No

32) Will the Government allow vendors a period of time after award to make such proposed modifications? No, no modifications allowed

33) Does the asterisk indicate anything that vendors should be aware of? What is the meaning of the asterisk? There is no meaning to the asterisk. The asterisk is used to highlight 7 of the Performance Specification Requirements which are outlined in the Instructions to Offerors on page 59 and 60 of the solicitation under section 3.1.1 paragraph 2

34) Under Clause 52.204-8, Annual Representations and Certifications on page 74 of the solicitation, the NAICS code listed is 334511, however, on page 1 of the solicitation in Block 10, the NAICS code is listed as 334111. Please confirm the NAICS code is 334111. The NAICS code is 334111 and the clause has been updated to reflect the correct NAICS code.

35) Do we have to bid on all the items or just the items we can support the best? All items. See Solicitation Paragraph 3.1.1

36) Given that the EMSS device is designed after a mobile solution, and considering the discussions above, we respectfully request that the Government model the GPU requirement after the RTX 1650 Mobile. No changes to the specs will be made GPU Specs have been updated. See attachment 1 and 2 (Amendment 02).

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37) Request that the Government consider increasing the maximum allowable computer weight to 10.5 lbs. No changes to the specs will be made image2.png image.png