ATTACHMENT 8 - FAQ.docx

Attachment 8 – Frequently Asked Questions The following questions were frequently asked by industry in response to the CSCIII Source Sought Notice or Draft RFP posted to SAM.gov. The Government is providing responses to these questions to assist offerors prepare their proposals.

Q1: The RFP (addendum to FAR 52.212-1, (a)(7)(vii)(C)(2)(e)) states the offeror must provide a written guarantee in the Small Business Participation Plan (SBPP) to sponsor facility site clearances (FCL) to small businesses during the first two years of performance. Does the Government require offerors to sponsor companies that already have an FCL for performance on the contract?

A1: The RFP states that any resultant contract requires the prime contractor to sponsor one or more small businesses to gain their FCL during the first two years of performance. Small businesses that currently hold an FCL would not meet this requirement.

Q2: Will the Government accept a migration plan submitted as an appendix to the slide presentation and that the migration services strategy plan be evaluated as part of the proposal?

A2: No. The offeror must present its approach to integrate with existing DISA solutions and provide the migration services (outlined in PWS section 6.1.8) as part of their oral presentation.

Q3: Can offerors submit external handouts for network diagrams outside of their slide presentation and not count against the maximum slide count?

A3: No. The offeror must present the network design as part of their oral proposal. The offeror may include network diagrams of the proposed design within the presentation slides as visual aids. These designs will count toward the maximum slide count.

Q4: Would DISA consider Oral and Technical Proposal submitted separately? Meaning, can Orals be assigned once down selected?

A4: No. Also, there is no down selection process outlined in the RFP.

Q5: Will the slides for the Technical and Management Approach (Volume II) be due at the same time as Price volume and other elements of the full proposal?

A5: Yes; see the addendum to FAR 52.212-1(a)(7)(vi), Electronic Offers. The offeror must submit all volumes with their proposal.

Q6: How will offerors schedule / be notified of their Oral Presentation date and time?

A6: See addendum to 52.212-1(a)(7)(vii)(B)(7). The Government intends to schedule oral proposals with responsive offerors approximately 10 business days after the solicitation closes. Oral proposals will take place approximately within 30 days after they are scheduled; dates and times will be assigned at random for all responsive offerors.

Q7: Are all offerors given an opportunity to present their technical approach orally via MS Teams following timely and accurate submission of the proposal?

A7: If an offeror’s proposal is timely and complete (adheres to the RFP), the Government will invite the offeror to present their technical proposal orally.

Q8: Can the Government please clarify the security clearance level required for contractor employees performing on the contract?

A8: The security clearance level required by contractor employees is Secret. As identified in the PWS, section 5.2, contractor employees will be required to access systems in environments classified as Secret. If the Government requires the contractor to install equipment in an environment classified higher than Secret, the contractor employees do not require system access and do not require a clearance level higher than Secret. The Government will escort the contractor to perform physical installation tasks in these environments. Additionally, the DD254 identifies the FCL level required by the contractor is Secret.

Q9: Can the Government provide more details on the 254 Mission Partner sites located worldwide?

A9: DISA's mission partners may leverage this contract to obtain services at their locations. These locations can vary, depending on the mission partner, and task can vary from one-time installation to no installation (delivery of equipment only). The scope and pricing for orders to support DISA’s mission partners will be determined at the call order level using the pricing workbook incorporated into the contract. For staffing consideration, PWS Section 8 details the places of performance.

Q10: The RFP (addendum to FAR 52.212-1, (a)(7)(vii)(B)(2)(b), Subfactor 2) states, “Offerors must include details regarding the compatibility and interoperability between the proposed solution and the existing solutions listed in PWS Appendix 1". Can the Government specify the “existing solutions”?

A10: Appendix 1 contains the make and models of equipment currently in use within the DISA data centers. The offeror must include details regarding the compatibility and interoperability between their proposed solution and the existing equipment listed in appendix 1 of the PWS.

Q11: Are there any current Managed Solutions that will transition from the incumbent contract (CSC II) to the new contract (CSC III)?

A11: There are currently no managed solutions on the incumbent contract (CSC II). Managed Solutions are a new capability of CSC III.

Q12: The three service tiers require various levels of on-site support. Can the Government specify whether all three service tiers are required at all locations identified in PWS, section 5.10?

A12: Not all locations will require on-site labor support. This will be determined at the call order level, with services ordered at the rates on the pricing workbook incorporated into the contract. Some DISA Mission Partners will only require equipment delivery at their locations. Additionally, per PWS section 6.1.5.1, on site labor support may be waived by the Government.

Q13: PWS section 6.7 specifies an incoming transition strategy plan must be submitted within 60 days after award; however, there isn't a period specified for the transition itself. Can the Government provide the duration of the transition period?

A13: The transition period is limited to the start of performance of the CSC III and end of performance of CSCII. The period of performance for the CSC II contract ends 14 Apr 2028.

Q14: Can the Government provide the current contract staffing levels for these job descriptions?

A14: The Technical Assistance SLINs are ordered via call order. The staffing levels are specific to call orders and only exist for a set number of hours per call order.

Q15: Will the Government be providing a SURGE CLIN or After-Hours CLIN?

A15: The Technical Assistance SLINs are ordered via call order for a set number of hours for each SLIN. The government will not provide SURGE or After Hours CLINS for these SLINs.

Q16: Under the RFP, Volume II – Technical and Management Approach, subfactor 1, the network design calls for a secure connection between each data center and one or more commercial cloud environments. Can the government specify which commercial cloud provider should be used?

A16: The Government has no preference for the commercial cloud providers the offeror uses in their design. The purpose of including a commercial cloud provider is solely to demonstrate how the offeror's solution will support connectivity to commercial could. The offeror may choose to highlight this connectivity using any or all commercial cloud providers.

Q17: The SF 1449 lists all CLINs as FFP. Can the Government clarify its intent when the Pricing CLIN structure for Non-Capacity labor is listed as "Hourly Fee, Purchased as Needed"?

A17: The Non-Capacity labor SLIN is ordered via call order for a set number of hours for each SLIN. The offeror’s pricing should list the hourly rate as FFP for each labor SLIN.

Q18: There are no separate CLIN/SLIN for Program Management (Program Manager, others as required) as required. Can the Government please clarify where Program Management overhead costs be listed?

A18: Offeror's may or may not, as they see fit, factor any costs associated with contract overhead (such as program management) into their pricing for the service SLINs listed in the price workbook.

Q19: All OCONUS labor SLINs show 0 evaluation hours. Does the Government anticipate any OCONUS work during the contract period? If so, what is the expected annual volume?

A19: The Technical Assistance SLINs are ordered via call order. The call orders are generated for a specific set of requirements and for a set number of hours per call order. As these are generated on a case-by-case basis, the projected annual volume is unknown. As CONUS is utilized more historically, CONUS will be used for the purposes of evaluation.

Q20: SLIN 2003A003 (Relocation Services - CONUS) has an evaluation quantity of 1. Can the Government define what constitutes a standard relocation for pricing purposes?

A20: Typical relocations involve moving individual devices. This may be from one rack to another at the same site or from a staging site to the final site. In rare instances, other use cases may arise, and these are handled on a case-by-case basis. As with all call orders, de-installation, installation, packing, and shipping will be the responsibility of the offeror.

Q21: The evaluation hours are distributed across eight labor categories. Does this distribution reflect the Government's anticipated labor mix for actual task orders?

A21: The hours used in the evaluation quantities are based on historical data. The Technical Assistance SLINs are ordered via call order. The call orders are generated for a specific set of requirements and for a set number of hours per call order. As these are generated on a case-by-case basis, the projected annual volume is unknown.

Q22: The pricing workbook includes SLINs for Gold, Silver, and Bronze service levels. Can the Government please clarify please provide definitions or specifications for each service level?

A22: PWS Section 6.1.5.1 provides the descriptions of Gold, Silver and Bronze service levels.

Q23: Would the Government consider allowing the submission of a written technical proposal in support of or in lieu of an oral presentation?

A23: No.

Q24: What specific DISA STIGs apply to the contract and are there DISA-specific configuration requirements beyond standard STIGs?

A24: All applicable STIGs affecting the offeror’s solution apply. Beyond the STIGs, configuration standards used by the DISA Data Centers will apply.

Q25: For SCI access eligibility processing, what is the expected timeline and will DISA provide sponsor support?

A25: SCI access eligibility is not a requirement for the CSC III contract. The Government will escort contractor employees when installing equipment in SCI facilities.

Q26: For personnel requiring SECRET clearances "when performance starts," does this apply to all personnel or only those accessing classified systems?

A26: Only employees requiring system access to government systems will be required to hold active clearances at the start of the contract.

Q27: Are the evaluation quantities in the price workbook a representation of anticipated quantities during the term of the contract?

A27: Evaluation quantities are estimates based on historical data.

Q28: The job level descriptions provided offer a strong high-level overview; however, to ensure accurate role alignment, pricing, and candidate qualification, can the Government include more role-specific technical details for each level?

A28: The Technical Assistance SLINs are ordered via call order. The call orders are generated for a specific set of requirements and for a set number of hours per call order. The job level descriptions are meant as a guide to use when developing the pricing for the price workbook. Specific requirements and experience for each task will be generated for each set of project requirements that require utilizing these SLINs.