Attachment A - Industry FAQs for OASIS Plus.pdf

Attachment A

Industry FAQs for OASIS+ Q: How do I register for the OSP to submit my offer?

A: Registration instructions for the OSP can be found in the “Help” section of the OSP welcome page. Prospective offerors must submit proposals electronically via the OSP. This portal is accessible at:

https://oasis.app.cloud.gov

Any offerors and team members experiencing SAM.gov delays, which are impacting their ability to submit their proposal, must notify the OASIS+ CO no later than August 31, 2023 via email to OASISplus@gsa.gov.

Q: Are there major content differences between the RFPs (e.g. SB, WOSB, HUBZone, SDVOSB, 8(a), UR)?

A: The total small business RFP is nearly identical to the other small business socioeconomic RFPs with the same scoring threshold and available credits, apart from a few distinctions regarding business type certification status as well as applicable clauses and provisions that are specific to the separate socioeconomic categories. The Unrestricted RFP does not contain small business set-asides allowing for full and open competition and, therefore, has a higher threshold for awards (i.e., small businesses as well as other than small businesses (OTSBs) may submit proposals to the Unrestricted

RFP).

Note: Obtaining an award on the total small business contract does not automatically grant competition among the separate socioeconomic categories. A Contractor must still propose for those separate socioeconomic RFPs to obtain an award and compete under those separate categories.

Q: I am a consultant, how can I obtain access so that I can upload docs on behalf of my client?

A: Access to submit proposal documentation must be through registration in the OSP via the provided link: https://oasis.app.cloud.gov.

Q: The solicitation requires submission of pricing per Section L.5.7, but I do not see a way to upload it with my proposal in the OSP. What should I do?

A: Price Submissions are not currently available in the OSP, but Attachment J.P-8 and J.P-9 are provided so Offerors can begin reviewing and completing these attachments.

Once price submission capability is available in the OSP, we will notify all Offerors.

Q: If I have more questions, where should I send them?

https://oasis.app.cloud.gov mailto:OASISplus@gsa.gov https://oasis.app.cloud.gov

A: Please use the Q&A feature of Symphony to submit solicitation specific questions.

Questions regarding the solicitations may be submitted through 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) during the Q&A period prior to issuance of Final RFPs. If you have registration issues or require Symphony system support, please contact client.support@apexlogic.com. Finally, if you have general questions or feedback, please email OASISplus@gsa.gov. To prevent duplication, we request that you use only one method per feedback or question.

Q: Who maintains the Contractor profile on the OSP?

A: The OASIS+ Contractor is responsible for maintaining their individual Contractor profile in accordance with the deliverable schedule outlined in Section F of the contract.

The profile is not publicly accessible, so only the Contractor and the OASIS+ CO will have access to the profile data. Further notifications to the OASIS+ CO regarding profile updates are to be submitted via OASISPLUSmods@gsa.gov to ensure confirmation of acknowledgement.

Q: Do I need a Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract to compete?

A: No, OASIS+ is an entirely separate program at GSA, unrelated to MAS.

Q: What is the difference between OASIS and OASIS+?

A: OASIS+ expands upon the opportunities of services offered by OASIS by including those services currently also found on HCaTS and BMO.

Q: What sort of services will OASIS+ be offering?

A: OASIS+ is organized under industry functional areas that are grouped as Domains (e.g., Management and Advisory Domain, Technical and Engineering Domain, Research and Development Domain, etc.). The OASIS+ will have five distinct contracts for the small business and socioeconomic groups as well as a separate contract for Unrestricted which contains all of the available Domains offered by the small business groups as well as an exclusive Domain for Enterprise Solutions.

Q: What constitutes a functional area?

A: The Domains are categorized into what are referred to as functional areas, which can be found in Section C of the RFP. These functional areas are also identified in Attachment J.P-5 Functional Areas and sub-areas, which includes additional functional areas not currently included under OASIS+ current Scope (i.e. Transportation, Human Capital) which may be claimed by Offerors for this criteria.

Q: If unable to receive an award for a proposed Domain at time of offer submission, will there be an opportunity to request additional Domains on an OASIS+ contract at a later date?

A: Yes, the OASIS+ program will allow for Domains to be added after award through a process called “Domain Enhancement” which will be accomplished through contract mailto:client.support@apexlogic.com mailto:OASISplus@gsa.gov mailto:OASISPLUSmods@gsa.gov modification. Instructions for this process are out in Section H.11.3, Domain Enhancement.

Q: What can I do if I missed the solicitation or was not awarded a contract under the OASIS+ program?

A: The goal for OASIS+ is to hold frequent on-ramping unlike the limited onramping that occurred under the predecessor program, OASIS. Details for steps forward will be included with unsuccessful offeror notifications.

Q: Is there a cap on the number of awards, and how long will the solicitation be open to receive proposals?

A: There is no cap on awards. Proposals are due no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on September 13, 2023.

Q: What sort of naming convention should be used for proposal submission?

A: Please, refer to the table in Section L.4.1. Offerors must adhere to the format and/or templates and page limitations (if applicable) provided in the Proposal Format Table in Section L.4.1. Offerors should use file names that relate to the attachments as identified in the table and link the file(s) to the claim within the OSP. A Table of Contents should not be submitted.

Q: How will SBA’s requirement to be certified by January 1, 2024, impact those companies who have not received certification from SBA?

A: SBA-certified status for the socioeconomic group applicable to the solicitation must be obtained prior to award, unless exceptions as outlined in Section C.1.2 apply (e.g., Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned SB certification was transferred from the VA to SBA allowing self-certified status until January 1, 2024 to compete for non-VA SDVOSB set-aside contracts).

Q: Where can I find information on agency procurement forecasts?

A: Each agency releases a forecast of anticipated procurement activities that includes potential small business opportunities. This forecast is posted to their agency website.

Q: If a Contractor does not meet the minimum sales requirements at time of the option period, may the Contractor demonstrate to the Contracting Officer the good faith effort to obtain sales? And if so, what sort of documentation must the Contractor submit?

A: As explained in Section H.21 of the RFP, the Government may elect to not exercise the Contractor’s Master Contract option period. The CO will practice discretion when evaluating all factors involved with awarding the option period. The CO will provide instructions on what additional documentation to provide at that time.

Q: Can the Corporate OASIS+ Program Manager (COPM) AND Contract Manager (COCM) be the same individual? Do they require clearances? Will we need to submit resumes for key personnel?

A: The COPM and COCM roles may be occupied by a single person or multiple people.

There are no minimum qualification requirements established for the COPM and COCM at the master contract level. However, the COPM and COCM must be proficient in the performance of their duties. It is possible that these same personnel will provide direct support on task orders which may have additional requirements for clearances or resumes.

Q: The GSA Sales Reporting System (SRP) is listed as the Government designated system/location for submission of the Referenced Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) requirements. SRP does not currently appear to accommodate these Transactional reporting activities. Where should a Contractor report sales?

A: The GSA SRP is currently being developed to accommodate all sales reporting, including TDR requirements for non-Multiple Award Schedule contracts. FAS’s newest contract vehicles, such as Polaris and OASIS+, will use SRP for TDR just like MAS contracts. Training on the system features will also be provided as it is made available to industry. Every effort is being made to give a similar experience to industry partners regardless of contract type.

Q: Will the Government consider requiring reporting and deliverables only AFTER a Contractor has been awarded orders under the IDIQ?

A: G.3.2, Contractor Reporting Requirements, as well as Sections H.16 and H.17 do refer to deliverables once a task order is awarded. However, Section G.3.1, Contract Administration Requirements, will continue to refer to the Master Contract and task orders.

Q: What happens to a contract if the size changes after award (i.e., small business to other than small business, and vice versa)?

A: In accordance with Section G.3.1.7.2 Post Award Small Business Program Rerepresentation, subject to 13 § 121.404(g)(3) and FAR 52.219-28 and its Alternate I, timely size rerepresentation is required within 60 to 120 days prior to the end of the fifth year of the Contractor’s Master Contract, before exercising the option; also, within 30 days after execution of a novation agreement or after a merger or acquisition that does not require a novation. The rerepresentation affects not only the awarded NAICS code but each Domain awarded under that contract. If change in size results from small to other than small business, the contract is subject to the rules in Section G.3.1.7.3 of the contract which would mean if the Primary NAICS code under which the contract is awarded remained small business, but a principle purpose NAICS under an applicable Domain was subsequently representing as other than small business, that Domain could no longer be eligible for use. If all NAICS codes represented as other than small business, the contract itself would be placed into dormant status.

Q: What happens if rerepresentation occurs before the first option period?

A: A contractor is only required to rerepresent their business size at the time and events identified IAW FAR 52.219-28; however, an OASIS+ contract may choose to rerepresent as a different business size prior to the events identified in FAR 52.219-28.

Only, the contract does not modify through a rerepresentation of business size or business type modification. Submission of a new proposal must occur as instructed in the contract.

Q: Does an OASIS+ Contractor need to submit an entirely new proposal if wishing to obtain one of the other small business socioeconomic contracts in addition to the total small business contract?

A: After award, if an OASIS+ Contractor obtains any of the additional business types applicable to the other small business contract families (8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, or WOSB), the OASIS+ Contractor may submit through the lateral spring-board process outlined in Section H.11.2.

Q: If an Offeror decides to use a collection of Task Orders, do all the Task Orders combined have to meet the criteria qualifications to receive credits for that capability, or can a single Task Order qualify the QP for credit?

A: If an Offeror chooses to submit a “Collection of Task Orders,” all minimum requirements and scored evaluation criteria are based on the entire Task Order Collection submitted as a whole. A project included in a Collection of Task Orders may not be used again as one (1) of the remaining QPs in the same Domain, however it could be used as one (1) of the QPs in other Domains. For the purposes of validating the period of performance for a “Collection of Task Orders”, the period of performance of the Master Contract, BPA, or BOA will be used for meeting this requirement. Note:

An Offeror does not have to submit all of the task orders under the IDIQ or BPA, but must submit a "collection of task orders" that add up to the minimum annual value specified within each Domain Qualifications Matrix, and/or substantiates any claimed credits.

Q: For Cost Reimbursement Type Contracts and claiming credit, do individual cost-reimbursable CLINs qualify or does the entire contract need to be Cost Reimbursable?

A: Consideration will only be given to cost-reimbursement type contracts and not individual cost-reimbursement CLINs.

Q: Can project verification documents include redactions to protect any sensitive information?

A: Yes; however, offerors must still demonstrate any claimed credits within their submitted documents. If not substantiated, verification by a cognizant official, as delineated within the RFP, is acceptable.

Q: How will ongoing projects greater than 12 months be calculated?

A: "Project value for ongoing projects is determined based on the total estimated value (value inclusive of all option periods; regardless of completed/funded status). NOTE:

This includes ongoing projects with a PoP of less than one (1) year. QPs with a PoP greater than 12 months will be prorated to the annual value. Total annual value will be calculated by dividing the total project value by the total number of days of PoP, and multiplying by 366.

For example, a project valued at $3M with a PoP of 450 days will be considered to have an annual value of ~$2.433M (($3M/450)x366).

So the calculation would be a start to end date for PoP with the total estimated value inclusive of all options regardless of completed/funded status."

Q: Can I use commercial experience?

A: Yes, Qualifying projects (QPs) may be commercial. Federal Experience Projects are strictly for projects performed as the Prime for a federal government customer.

Q: What is the difference between Qualifying Projects and Federal Experience Projects? What's the difference in terms of scoring?

A: The majority of credits come from qualifying projects which seek to capture domain-specific experience. However, we are also incentivizing federal experience as a way to show corporate-level experience of working with the federal government as a prime contractor. See Attachment J.P-1, Domain Qualifications Matrix and Scorecards, for the specific scoring weights.

Q: What is considered a QP?

A: To be considered a QP, the submitted project must meet all the minimum requirements outlined within Section L.5.2.1, including meeting or exceeding the minimum annual value specified within each proposed Domain Qualification Matrix. The QP value for projects submitted for automatic relevance consideration will be calculated based on the contract or task order value as outlined per Section L.5.2.1.

Q: Can different projects be used across different points scoring criteria, or must all five (5) projects be consistent across each points scoring criteria under the J.P-1, OASIS+ Domain Qualification Matrix?

A: Each Domain will allow for a maximum of five (5) Qualifying Projects (QPs), except the Enterprise Solutions Domain, where an Offeror may submit a maximum of four (4) distinct QPs. An offeror could use a different 5 projects for a different domain, or re-use any projects that may apply to both at their discretion. Requirements vary on a domain-by-domain basis; however, offerors are not limited to using the same QPs for every criterion, and can use other projects as specified in Attachment J.P-1. QPs may be either relevant or non-relevant QPs as defined in Section L.5.2.1.

Q: What documentation would a Contractor need to provide to demonstrate an acceptable accounting system, or any of the applicable business systems?

A: For accounting systems, acceptable documentation may include current and valid determination letters from the Contractor’s cognizant DCMA or Cognizant Federal Agency (CFA) CO, DCAA audit reports, or Pre-Award Surveys of Prospective Contractor Accounting System (SF1408) completed by Government Officials. For the other applicable business systems, relevant reports and approval letters from the Contractor’s cognizant DCMA or CFA CO, or DCAA audit reports as referenced in Section G.3.1.9 and its subsections of the contract.

Q: If the Offeror hasn't yet received a determination letter for an adequate accounting system, how can they submit a copy of the Audit report?

A: If the Offeror has not received a determination letter, the Offeror may submit a copy of a DCAA audit report that determined the Offeror’s accounting system is acceptable.

Finally, if the Offeror has not received a determination letter or audit report, the Offeror may submit a copy of a Pre-Award Survey of Prospective Contractor Accounting System (SF1408) completed by a Government Official.

Q: If an Offeror’s accounting system has never been audited by DCAA, will a third party, independent CPA audit report be acceptable for credit?

A: OASIS+ intends to provide highly qualified, mission-ready vendors with systems and certifications that are applicable to task order requirements. A majority of Ordering Contracting Officers will not accept third party audits. Therefore, third party audits will not be considered for evaluation credit under the Systems, Rates, and Clearances criteria.

Q: If proposing as a Joint Venture, can credit be claimed if a member of the Joint Venture has an approved Business System?

A: This is allowable. See Section L.5.1.3.1 which states, "Offerors submitting as a joint venture must provide evidence of any claimed system, certification, or clearance in the name of the joint venture itself or in the name of a member of the joint venture."

Q: Are any certifications required for proposal submission?

A: While certifications are not mandatory, OASIS+ Contractors are highly encouraged to hold any applicable and relevant certification referenced in the contract. If credit is awarded for a certification at time of award, the Contractor must maintain that level or higher of the certification which received credit. If certifications are obtained after award, the Contractor will notify the OASIS+ CO via the OSP and ensure their Contractor profile is updated accordingly.

Q: For calculating a company's qualification, will qualifying projects be evaluated against an individual Domain or multiple in their chosen category (SB vs UNR)?

A: Offerors will be evaluated on the specific Domain(s) and OASIS+ solicitation(s) (e.g.

small business, 8(a), etc.) for which they choose to submit offer(s).

Q: If there is a prime and two subcontractors on a single project, could all three firms put that project forward as a qualifying project in the same domain and solicitation?

A: Prime contracts and subcontracts are considered unique projects, and both the prime and subcontractor may claim credit for the portion of their performance under the submitted project. However, a prime contractor and subcontractor may not claim credit for their performance under the same project as two separate qualifying projects within the same proposal when submitting an offer as a contractor teaming arrangement.

Q: How can an offeror ensure that the projects submitted as part of its proposal are not submitted in any other proposals for the same Domain and solicitation when an offeror has no control over what other offerors submit?

A: If a company submits a project that they're not entitled to claim (e.g., company B submits company A's project), the unauthorized company would be penalized.

Q: Will offerors have the ability to respond to GSA prior to a QP being removed from all proposals because of possible duplication?

A: GSA intends to enter clarifications to address such issues.

Q: Will there be only specific standardized labor categories, identified in Attachment J-1, in the final RFP that must be used?

A: The Master Contract will provide flexibility for Ordering Contracting Officers (OCOs) to use OASIS+ standardized labor categories, custom or specialized labor categories or directed, non-standard custom or specialized labor categories. Attachment J-1, OASIS+ Labor Categories and Bureau of Labor Statistics Standard Occupational Classifications, is provided as a reference for use by OCOs. Additionally, Contractors may deviate from the defined labor categories when responding to task order solicitations so long as the deviations are clearly identified in their task order proposal and Contractors will be required to map all labor categories subject to task order reporting to the standardized labor categories when reporting task order awarded rates and prices paid in the Sales Reporting Portal.

Q: Is there any prohibition against two separate affiliates owned by the same parent firm receiving prime contract awards in different domains?

A: No, when an offeror is sharing resources from other entities by way of a meaningful relationship within a corporate structure, only one (1) proposal from that corporate structure may be submitted within a given Domain and OASIS+ solicitation, but this does not prohibit subsidiaries/affiliates from utilizing the corporate structure and/or proposing independently to submit a proposal on separate Domains and/or solicitations.

Q: For managing 3+ first-tier subcontractors/teaming partners, do they have to be on the contract for the full duration of the contract? Or is it sufficient to have worked part of the contract?

A: The count is over the life of the QP. So, if a first-tier subcontractor worked a portion of that, it would count.

Q: Would GSA consider a DHS Tier 4 High Risk (Critical-Sensitive) Public Trust Clearance to be equal to a Confidential/Secret National Security clearance?

A: The High Risk Tier 4 according to the DHS is for the purpose of Suitability/Fitness, where Tier 3 and 5 are Secret, Top Secret, and SCI Ref: Personnel Security Contractor Fitness Fact Sheet, Figure 3. Given the distinction, applying credit for obtaining and maintaining the Secret/Top Secret or equivalent should be considered separate from a public trust because of the purpose of access to classified information.

Q: Will the government please confirm what documentation serves as sufficient evidence of surge capability within a QP?

A: In order to demonstrate qualifications for surge capability, the contractor must provide an order that shows that surge work was funded and executed via the original contract, order or via a modification, invoices or formal Contracting Officer authorization to the original contract vehicle. If the contract documentation does not unequivocally demonstrate surge capability, offerors may, in addition to the aforementioned contract documentation, leverage customer verification through the use of completed Project Verification Form (either from the OSP or Attachment J.P-3) signed by a CO with cognizance over the submitted project verifying surge capability. The citation must include the CO’s direct telephone number and direct email address. If the cognizant COs signature is unattainable, the Government will accept the signature of the COR or other Government Employee with cognizance over the submitted Project. The project verification form must include both cognizant CO’s and verifying government employee’s direct telephone numbers and email addresses.

Q: For teaming partner agreements, if the contract/task order number is not referenced, is it acceptable if the document only references client name and scope of work if proper award and PWS documents are provided?

A: Yes, as long as there is record of the connection, "the tagged section within the QP award document that identifies each subcontractor or consultant name." It must be verifiable as a prime/first-tier subcontractor relationship for that project.