20200930_ABMS_BAA_Frequently_Asked_Questions.pdf

ABMS Broad Agency Announcement Frequently Asked Questions

1) QUESTION: Why are there several dates referenced under the Proposal/Concept Paper Due Dates in each Call? Can I submit a proposal or concept paper after the stated due dates?

ANSWER: We established staggered due dates to encourage continuous competition, batch the workload and capture the latest/greatest technologies. Yes, proposals/concept papers can be submitted after the due dates and will be considered at any time.

2) QUESTION: Please confirm that the anticipated ABMS Multiple-Award Multi- Security Level ID/IQ contract has been newly established for the sole support of the ABMS Program?

ANSWER: Yes, this will be a newly established set of contracts to support the ABMS effort;

however, it will not be the only contract supporting ABMS. Our organization (AFLCMC/CAIO) is responsible for the integration efforts. There will be other efforts within the Program Executive Officer portfolios, other services and other agencies supporting

ABMS.

3) QUESTION: Does the ID/IQ contract have a have a ceiling Value?

ANSWER: Each ID/IQ awarded has a $950M ceiling value per company.

4) QUESTION: Does the ID/IQ contract have an overall period of performance for the IDIQ contract itself?

ANSWER: The basic ID/IQ has a five year base ordering period and five one year ordering period options.

5) QUESTION: Please confirm the owning agency of the IDIQ?

ANSWER: The Department of Defense is the owning agency – Air Force is the owning service – and AFLCMC/CAIO will issue the contract.

6) QUESTION: What type of work will be authorized under the IDIQ Contract?

ANSWER: The basic ID/IQ scope will mirror the category descriptions included in the

BAA.

7) QUESTION: Can I submit multiple ideas in the same category?

ANSWER: Yes, multiple ideas are encouraged.

8) QUESTION: What is the difference between Call 001, Call 002, and Call 003?

ANSWER: Call 001 utilizes the one-step process (proposal submittal) and is specifically being used to on-board contractors onto the Multiple-Award Multi-Security Level ID/IQ contract. Call 002 utilizes the two-step process (10 page concept paper followed by an invite for a proposal submittal) and is intended to capture ideas, technologies, and solutions from contractors either not interested in the ID/IQ or who are unsure about how they want to proceed but want to share their idea. Call 003 utilizes a one-step process (10 page concept paper with a draft Cooperative Research and Development Agreement) to establish a no-cost agreement to demonstrate a capability.

9) QUESTION: Within the page constraints should we still follow the AFRL BAA Guide Part II – Technical Proposal format (see page 18 of the attached)? If so, can we provide an Executive Summary that is outside of page count, limited to 2 pages? Also, will the Government consider waiving the need for a Program Organization and Schedule due to the page count constraints? We would also request not to submit a Table of Contents, and List of Illustrations/Tables due to the short page count of the submission?

ANSWER: As stated at the top of page 18, the specific announcement instructions take precedent over the guide – an executive summary is not requested in Call 001. A program organization, table of contents and list of Illustrations/Tables were not requested either but project schedule was requested. The expectation is a small diagram with a schedule by month included within the technical volume page constraints.

10) QUESTION: Is the Government open to pre-proposal communications, as we would like to have a one-on-one teleconference with contracts, program management, and the engineering team to discuss our corporate capabilities and how they align to ABMS.

ANSWER: Yes, the Government team is open to pre-proposal communications; in addition, the first delivery order on the ID/IQ is each company’s opportunity to present their ideas, technologies, solutions to the Government team face-to-face in more detail.

11) QUESTION: Does the existence of the three separate Calls (001, 002 and 003) imply that a company should pick one or can a company respond to multiple Calls?

ANSWER: The three Calls are not meant to imply a company should pick one Call over another. Each Call has a different intent as detailed in Question 8 above. A company can respond to one, two or all three.

12) QUESTION: Will the FFP contract type be consistent for all work under the ID/IQ?

ANSWER: No, the contract type will be considered on a case-by-case basis for each Fair Opportunity Proposal Request sent under the ID/IQ.

13) QUESTION: We have different divisions within each category. Can we submit separate proposals for each division under the same category?

ANSWER: We are issuing one ID/IQ contract per company. The expectation is divisions within the same company would coordinate and submit one coordinated response.

14) QUESTION: The directions indicate that "proposals are desired with small feature sets focused in one area but may span multiple categories when reasonable". Based on this our assumption is that each company can submit multiple proposals even if they cover the same category as long as the proposals cover different feature sets. Is that assumption correct?

ANSWER: For Call 002 and 003, yes – multiple concept papers that cover different feature sets within the same category are acceptable. For Call 001, once a company is on-boarded into a category pool, there is no reason to submit another proposal for that same category.

15) QUESTION: If a company submits a Call 001 proposal for one category, can the same company submit proposals on subsequent proposal dates that address different categories?

ANSWER: Yes, proposal submittals at different times for different categories under Call 001 are acceptable.

16) QUESTION: Please confirm Evaluation Criteria #2 refers only to the price of the Face-to-Face meeting to present the innovative approach(es).

ANSWER: Confirmed - the price requested for Call 001 is limited to the face-to-face meeting which could be virtual.

17) QUESTION: Item 14 requests that the proposer identify any tech data and/or computer software to be delivered with less than unlimited rights; yet it doesn't identify "which" volume or where those assertions should be placed. Does the assertions-table information count against the specified page count limit and if so, of which volume? If not, can we enter the data rights information in either volume or can/ should we provide in our transmittal letter?

ANSWER: Data assertions should be included in the technical volume and are included in the page count.

18) QUESTION: Must the offeror submit capabilities/ technologies in all six categories to be considered for award under the IDIQ contract in all six categories?

ANSWER: No, offerors do not have to submit capabilities in all categories to obtain an ID/IQ award. Our intent is to establish a "pool" of contractors for each category who will compete for requirements under that category via the Fair Opportunity process. Contractors will be considered for the category pool based on the category proposals submitted. A contractor can be included in one category pool or multiple but will only be able to respond to Fair Opportunity Proposal Requests if they are included in that category pool.

19) QUESTION: The proposal instructions state that two volumes are required, a Technical Volume and a Cost Proposal, however a 1 page limit is separately given for Past Experience. Will the Government please clarify if vendors are to include the Past Experience page in the Technical Volume or if you expect Vendors to provide Past Experience as a separate volume.

ANSWER: Past Experience should be submitted with the proposal and has a 1 page limit. It is separate and distinct from the Technical and Cost volumes which have their own page limitations.

20) QUESTION: After the award of the IDIQ contract, will all Calls (i.e. Call 002) be issued on a competitive basis?

ANSWER: The Calls issued under the BAA are separate from the Fair Opportunity process that will be executed via the Multiple Award IDIQ. Both processes will utilize competitive procedures to award contracts/delivery orders/task orders unless a Justification & Approval or Fair Opportunity Exception apply and are approved.

21) QUESTION: Will contractors have the opportunity to propose unsolicited concept papers for consideration?

ANSWER: Unsolicited proposals are not desired. The intent is to have a Call available at all times for contractors to submit concept papers against.

22) QUESTION: What type of contract will the BAA be? FAR 15 vs FAR 12 or both?

ANSWER: The BAA is a solicitation method. The contracts awarded against it will depend on the idea, technology, solution presented. Commercial awards are preferred but not always appropriate. Awards could be either depending on the situation.

23) QUESTION: If a FAR 15 award, then will the contract type by CPFF vs FFP or both?

ANSWER: The contract type will be determined on a case-by-case basis and will be detailed in the Request for Proposal.

24) QUESTION: If a company submits a proposal for Call 002 and would like to on-board to the ID/IQ – would that require a separate submission of a proposal to Call 001?

ANSWER: Yes, each Call has specific submission requirements so please read each Call carefully and respond accordingly. Call 001 requires a proposal submittal, Call 002 requires a concept paper submittal, and Call 003 requires a concept paper and draft Cooperative Research and Development Agreement submittal.

25) QUESTION: Is there any guidance on travel restrictions to support the face-to-face kickoff meeting related to the Coronavirus?

ANSWER: We are asking all companies to propose the worst case travel scenario (travel to Dayton) and the team will work the logistic details post-award. To date, a majority of the meetings have been virtual via Zoom.gov.