CALL_0005_Q_and_A_(5-13-16).docx

BAA-RVKD-2014-0003, CALL 0005 Responses to Questions #1 Q1. Will this effort be awarded in FY16? If the effort is awarded after FY16 will the period of performance be changed?

A1. It is anticipated that this effort will be awarded in FY16. The dates associated with the IDIQ contract will be adjusted from the award date to have a 60 month ordering period. Task Order 0001 will also be adjusted from the award date to have a 45 month technical effort and three (3) months for Final Report preparation.

Q2. What aspects of this requirement will go from “unclassified” to “classified?”

A2. It depends. Typically, with this type of requirement, any time the research heads towards application of a technology the classification may change very quickly.

Q3. Is it possible to do some of the portions of testing at the contractor facility such as “low” power testing or “component” testing?

A3. Yes. There is also capability to do those types of testing at the Government Facilities provided.

Q4. Regarding Antennas in reference to this requirement, does the Government anticipate “Initial Testing” or “Application Testing?”

A4. The Government anticipates both.

Q5. What is the Government’s anticipation of the split between work performed at the Government provided facilities and the work performed at the Contractor facilities?

A5. The Government anticipates the work to be performed at primarily the facilities identified in paragraph 5.0 of the HPEM Sources Statement of Objectives (SOO). This includes any high voltage work. However, this does not exclude some work being completed at the contractor facility. Please note that any work completed outside of the Government facilities are still subject to the Air Force Safety Standards.

Q6. Does RDH do their own Pulse Power development or do they rely upon outside organizations?

A6. Both. RDH does some of its own Pulse Power development and relies on outside organizations.

Q7. Section 14.0 of the CALL requires two separate Technical/Management Volumes; one for the Basic IDIQ and one for Task Order 0001. The CALL does not define if one or two Cost/Business Volumes are required. Does the government require one combined Cost/Business Volume for IDIQ and Task Order, or two separate Volumes like Technical/Management proposals?

A7. The Basic IDIQ does not have any costs associated with it. All of the costs are amassed on the resulting task orders. There should be one Cost/Business Volume for Task Order 0001.

Q8. Sections c. and e. of Attachment 5, Cost Proposal Instructions, conflict with each other regarding the applicability of New Mexico Gross Receipts Tax (NMGRT). Is NMGRT applicable to this effort?

A8. NMGRT is not applicable to this effort. Per House Bill 2 (HB2), as of 1 January 2016, the state will allow contractors to deduct revenue from directed energy. The HB2 (passed July 2015) makes revenues from Directed Energy work “deductible” from a business entity’s NMGRT taxable revenue.

Q9. Section 12.3 of the CALL says “TO 0001 effort requires a Top Secret facility clearance and safeguarding capability” but box 1.b. of the draft DD254 says there is no safeguarding, and block 11.a. yes to “Have Access to Classified Only at Another Contractors Facility or a Government Activity”. Is safeguarding at an offerors facility required and at what level?

A9. The capability to “safeguard” information is a requirement of the Top Secret facility clearance. It is not anticipated that the contractor will be safeguarding information for this effort.

Q10. Section 4.0 of the Statement of Objectives (SOO) includes CDRL’s at both the IDIQ and Task Order level. If the Government requires CDRL’s at the IDIQ level, then is an IDIQ price volume expected from the offeror to show the costs to prepare and submit the reports?

A10. The IDIQ contract will be a place holder for CDRL’s A001-A014. Any CDRL placed on the IDIQ contract can be pulled and utilized for Task Order 0001 as well as any resulting Task Order. An IDIQ price volume will not be expected. Any costs to prepare and submit reports shall be at the task order level.

Q11. Section 14.0 of the CALL gives pages counts for the Technical/Management Proposals of the IDIQ and Task Order 0001. The page count for the Basic IDIQ is 40 pages which is double the page count of TO 0001. Given the level of detail requested for the task order response in comparison to the level of detail requested for the IDIQ response, could the government please increase the page count for the task order volume 1 response to something greater than that for the IDIQ response?

A11. The number of pages for the task order response will not be increased at this time. The Government does not intend to revise the number of pages for the IDIQ and Task Order 0001 Technical/Management Proposals.

Q12. Block 11.a of the draft DD254 states “Contractor performance is restricted to AFRL/RDH Facilities, 3550 Aberdeen Ave SE, Kirtland AFB, NM 87117.” Does this mean work at a contractor’s facility is not permitted?

A12. Yes, the work performance is restricted to AFRL/RDH facilities.

Q13. Will there be any future site visits for the program?

A13. No. There will not be any additional site visits associated with this requirement.

Q14. What kind of amplifiers is the Government looking for and is there any other technical info available on the amplifier requirements?

A14. The RDH research requirements for amplifiers on this effort are minimum 1 MW class with minimum 10% bandwidth covering 1 GHz to 10 GHz. In principal, one could array multiple amplifiers, but that would increase system complexity. These requirements are why we include amplifiers in the CALL.

Q15. The question was what did we mean for the technical area related to Section 2 of the SOO for increased efficiency sources (item 3)?

A15. Efficiency area-this is not to be a limiting filter for research, but is intended to get ideas on making HPEM Sources more efficient and usable in multiple DoD platforms.

Q16. Given the ordering time and possible period of performances, did we expect the task orders to be conducted in parallel?

A16. There will be parallel technical efforts in multiple task orders that is they will be going on at the same time. Also, that there is a five year ordering period for task orders, but that the period of performance could extend beyond that five year period.