Attmt 0007 - RFP Questions and Answers 2022-07-20.pdf

# Reference Question/Clarification Requested Response

Section L Volume II – Technical Subfactor 2 Corporate Experience

Would the Government be willing to remove this requirement from Volume II Corporate Experience? A 30 FTE minimum requirement puts small business at a disadvantage and reduces the number of potential bidders.

Requirements have been adjusted for the Coporate Experience subfactor.

2 RFP

The PM IS&A RFP titled “Cybersecurity Support Services RFP 20220624” does not contain a date for Questions nor a date for proposal submission. While SAM.gov does have dates for each, our understanding is that the dates should be listed in the RFP. Can you please clarify the dates for Questions and the proposal submission?

The dates given in the SAM.gov posting are correct. Page 1 of the RFP now also reflects the same.

3 RFP

It is mentioned in the solicitation document, that the proposals shall consist of five (5) volumes, but in Table 1 - Requirements for Submission of Proposal Materials (Attachment 0002), even the subfactors of Technical Volume have been specified as separate documents/files along with the file names. The same is the case with other volumes and that way it would be more than 5 volumes.

Please elaborate on the same and clarify whether the subfactors are to be put as separate documents or they have to be put in a single volume.

The three Technical subfactors are considered part of the Technical Volume. The Volumes can be a collection of documents, and are not expected to only be a single document.

4 RFP

• What is the minimum clearance requirement for incoming personnel? Can the employees be clearable to TS/SCI or must they come in the door fully cleared?

• Does all of the work to have to be performed onsite? Or will there be remote work authorized for unclass task, and on-site as needed to perform classified work?

Due to the location of the Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), it may prove to be a significant challenge to convince highly cleared personnel to move to a commutable distance to the APG site without compelling incentives. A significant amount of the “highly” cleared personnel,excluding those already working at the APG will live in the DMV area. These candidates are in demand and may not desire to commute from the DMV area to Aberdeen when there are competing opportunities in (DC, Springfield, Bethesda, FT. Meade, Herdon, Reston, Crystal City, etc.). Although not impossible, adding new personnel may require significant “incentives” that may not have been anticipated.

Employees must have a SECRET clearance and be able to obtain TS/SCI.

Due to the nature of the work, most requirements must be performed onsite.

However, remote work can be authorized up to one day per week for training and certification requirements, or other HR related duties.

5 C.1, page 69 Will the government expound on why only 541330 related past experience is applicable? The NAICS code requirement for the Past Performance Factor experience requirements has been expanded.

6 C.1, page 69

In order to maximize competition, would the government change the requirement from only past performances with a 541330 NAICS to some similarly related NAICS such as "541511, 541512, 541519" or remove the requirement for NAICS 541330 specific experience? Many times similar SETA work, including Cyber SETA, falls under the NAICS codes called out above. Excluding relevant contracts that are similar in size, scope and complexity because they were assigned a different NAICS code by the contracting office is restrictive and nature and will prevent competition from qualified firms on your requirement.

The NAICS code requirement for the Past Performance Factor experience requirements has been expanded.

7 C.1, page 69

Would the government expound on why 1 year of working experience was used as the standard? Would the government lower the requirement to 6 months, which shows the same amount of working experience as 1 year as transition would be complete and work would be active.

One (1) year was chosen as the standard as it is a typical period length for SETA type government contracts, and will be standard period length on this contract.

The Past Performance factor NAICS code requirement has also been expanded to allow a wider range of experience samples to be submitted.

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8 C.1, page 69

As this is a Small Business Set Aside under the 8a program, would the government allow Primes to complete and submit the PPQ on behalf of a subcontractor since subcontractors often do not have access to government CORs and KOs?

If the contractor performed as the Prime on a government contract, or performed a substantial amount of work as a subcontractor to which the requiring activity or technical representative can speak to, the PPQ should be sent to the applicable Government POC. If the contractor performed as a subcontractor to which no Government POC can attest to their performance, the PPQ may be sent to the Prime contractor for that contract. The RFP language concering PPQs has been updated.

9 C.1, page 69

Will the government accept Past Performance from any subcontractor, or does the subcontractor need to be identified as a major subcontractor?

A Major subcontractor is considered to be a subcontractor that will be providing key personnel identified in Attachment 0004 for performance of the contract.

FAR 15.305 (a) (2) (iii) states that "evaluation should take into account past performance information regarding predecessor companies, key personnel who have relevant experience, or subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirement when such information is relevant to the instant acquisition."

10 C.1, page 69 Will the government identify a minimum workshare percentage in order to be considered a major subcontractor, and thus allow the past performance of that subcontractor to be leverage by the offeror?

See above.

11 C.1, page 69 Will the government allow CPARS to be submitted in lieu of PPQs? PPQs must be submitted for each Past Performance example. CPARS records may be used as a resource by the Souce Selection Evaluation Board in rating proposals.

12 I.3, page 61 Will the government identify the specific award documents expected to be submitted with the proposal? This is in reference to Section K of the RFP. These are accompanying documents, and no specific documents are expected to be submitted, though the offeror may elect to submit them.

13 I.3, page 61

Will the government identify the specific certification documents expected to be submitted with the proposal, since 2.c mandated the offeror be up to date in Sam.gov?

The documents referenced are in relation to 52.204-8, which states "After reviewing the SAM information, the Offeror verifies by submission of the offer that the representations and certifications currently posted electronically that apply to this solicitation...have been entered or updated within the last 12 months, are current, accurate, complete, and applicable to this solicitation...". No additional documents outside of the SAM Report indicated in Attachment 0002 are required.

14 I.3, page 61 Will the government identify the specific representation documents expected to be submitted with the proposal, since 2.c mandated the offeror be up to date in Sam.gov?

See above.

15 II.2, page 61 If the offeror plans to use a SINGLE AWARD IDIQ with resulting multiple task orders, can the offeror use the single award IDIQ as a whole as relevant experience?

Yes.

16 IV., page 63

Will the government clarify how Phase In Cost shall be separately proposed if base year hours can not be modified. Will the government confirm it expects to see the 1920 base year hours split between the phase in AND the base year, or 1920 in the base year outside of the phase in?

The phase-in CLIN should be priced separately from the Labor CLIN 0002. CLIN 0002 (Base Period Labor) is not meant to be inclusive of CLIN 0001 (Phase-in Labor). The base year should be the full amount of hours identified in Attachment 0004.

17 IV.1.3, page 64 Can the Government clarify if that the rates proposed/ provide for Labor Categories the solicitation are minimum SALARY rates or are they minimum Fully Burdened rates?

The rates given are hourly rates of the labor categories and do not include benefits, overhead, or fees.

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18 IV.3, page 65

As this is a CPFF contract, will the government confirm that an offered MUST be DCAA audited and certified PRIOR to submission of the bid?

DCAA Audits of accounting systems are needed before award, not before submission of a bid. All vendors are encouraged to understand the accounting system requirements and fill out the SF 1408, “Preaward Survey of Prospective Contractor Accounting System”, to help with the process. More info can be found on DCAA's website: https://www.dcaa.mil/Guidance/Audit-Process- Overview/

19 IV.3, page 65 As this is a CPFF contract, If an offeror is NOT DCAA audited and certified, are they authorized to bid on the opportunity?

Yes, see above.

20 M.A, page 67 As this is a Tradeoff Award, will the government identify what tradeoffs or specific evaluation factors will allow award to other than lowest price?

Award will be based on ratings received for all evaluation factors, following the heirarchy of importance shown in Section M, Basis for Award.

21 M.B, page 68 Will the government expound how they will conduct Cost Realism? Cost Realism Analyisis is defined in FAR 15.404-1, Proposal analysis techniques.

Cost realism is required to be performed on cost reimbursement contracts, per the FAR.

22 M.C.1.i, page 68

Will the government identify how many strengths result in a Blue Rating? Will the government identify if an objective measurement exists between "blue" and "green"

There is no strict number of strengths that result in a BLUE rating, as it is an evaluation of the Volume as a whole, taking into account the number of strengths, weaknesses, or deficiencies identified. There is no rating between BLUE and GREEN on the scale given.

23 M.C.1.i, page 68 Will the government identify how many deficiencies result in a Red Rating? Will the government identify if an objective measurement exists between "green" and "red"

A deficiency that increases risk of unsucessful contract performance to an Unacceptable level will result in a RED rating. There is no rating between GREEN and RED on the scale given.

24 M.C.2, page 69 Will the government confirm that if a single past performance does not meet all of the requirements, that past performance will be rated as unacceptable?

If an individual past performance example does not meet the requirements, it will not be counted towards the offeror's rating.

25 M.C.2, page 69 Will the government confirm that if 1 past performance does not meet the minimum acceptable requirements, the Past Performance volume as a whole will be rated as neutral or unacceptable?

This is incorrect. See above.

Solicitation; Section L.3.b; Page 60

Attachment 0002 Solicitation Tables;

Pages 1-3

Reference: Section L.3.b states “Filenames MUST be labeled as indicated in Table 1 - Requirements for Submission of Proposal Materials”, which references the table in Attachment 0002 (IAW L.2.f). The table in Attachment 0002 shows that each Technical Subfactor has a different filename.

Question: Will the Government please allow offerors to submit the response to Subfactors 1, 2, and 3 as one file (xxxxTECHxxxx.docx (or PDF))?

Factors and Subfactors may be rated by different members of the evaluation team, therefore they must be in separate files. Submitting as one file could require the Government to separate the files on its own, which may affect the information conveyed in the offeror's proposal. The Government asks that offerors please submit these as separate files.

Solicitation; Section L.3.c; Page 60

Reference: Section L.3.c states “Volumes I, II, III, IV, and V of the proposal shall consist of a table of contents, glossary of abbreviations and acronyms, summary section, and the narrative discussion”; however, in Attachment 0002 some volumes have multiple files.

Question: In instances where a Volume has multiple files IAW Attachment 0002, please confirm that the required “table of contents, glossary of abbreviations and acronyms, summary section” be located only in the beginning of the first sequential electronic file of each volume (i.e. the PRMETH file, the TECH1, etc.)?

The table of contents, glossary of abbreviations and acronyms, summary section, and the narrative discussion should be included once for each Volume, and can be put in the first file of each Volume.

Solicitation; Section L.I (Volume I Executive Summary); Page 61

Attachment 0002 Solicitation Tables;

Pages 1-2

Reference: Section L has a requirement for Volume I Executive Summary; however, Volume I Executive Summary is not listed anywhere in Attachment 0002 Solicitation Tables.

Question: Will the Government please update Attachment 0002 to include Volume I Executive Summary file name?

Attachment 0002 has been updated.

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Solicitation; Section L.3.b; Page 60

Attachment 0002 Solicitation Tables; Page

Reference: Attachment 0002 indicates that “Cover page, Table of Contents, glossary and Letter of Intent not included in page count”; however, Section L.3.b also states that a “Summary Section” is required for each volume (“Volumes I, II, III and IV of the proposal shall consist of a table of contents, glossary of abbreviations and acronyms, summary section, and the narrative discussion.”).

Question: Since this not being evaluated, will the Government please confirm that the Summary Section is excluded from each Volume’s page count?

The summary section may be excluded from each Volume's page count. Offerors are reminded that summaries should only serve to summarize information included in the body of the Volume, and should not be introducing new information.

Solicitation; Section L.3.b; Page 61

Solicitation; Section L.I (Volume I Executive Summary); Page 61

Reference: Section L.3.b states “Volumes I, II, III, IV, and V of the proposal shall consist of a table of contents, glossary of abbreviations and acronyms, summary section, and the narrative discussion.”. However, the Section L requirement for Volume I Executive Summary states “The Executive Summary shall contain a glossary of all abbreviations and acronyms used, with an explanation for each”.

Question: Is the glossary of all abbreviations and acronyms that is required in Section L.I.2 (Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms) supposed to include all acronyms and abbreviations used in Volume I – V? If so, will the Government remove the requirement to include a separate glossary of acronyms and abbreviations in each Volume?

Each Volume should contain a section showing the glossary of acronyms used in that Volume, as the Volumes will be evaluated by different members of the evaluation team. The glossary will not count against the page limit for each volume.

Solicitation; L.III.3 (Tech Subfactor 3); Page 62

Reference: Section L.III.3 Technical Subfactor 3 requirements state that “The Offeror shall describe their plan to meet staffing levels that maintains sufficient numbers of personnel with requisite skill sets and required security clearances to successfully perform the requirements”. This requirement is already addressed within Technical Subfactor 1.

Question: Will the Government please remove these requirements from Subfactor 3? If not, will the Government please increase Technical Subfactor 3 page count to address already communicated information?

The identified sentence will be removed from the Subfactor 3, Section L, as the subject is addressed in Subfactor 1.

Solicitation; L.III.3 (Tech Subfactor 3); Page 62

Reference: Section L.III.3 Technical Subfactor 3 requirements state that “The Offeror shall demonstrate their ability to backfill vacant positions within forty five (45) days without creating a break in service”. This requirement is being address post Transition-In and is already addressed within Technical Subfactor 1.

Question: Will the Government please remove these requirements from Subfactor 3? If not, will the Government please increase Technical Subfactor 3 page count to address already communicated information?

The identified sentence will be removed from the Subfactor 3, Section L, as the subject is addressed in Subfactor 1.

Solicitation; Section L.III.3 (Tech Subfactor 3); Page 62

Reference: Section L.III.3 Technical Subfactor 3 states “The Offeror shall demonstrate their approach, inclusive of techniques and controls, for work distribution between the Offeror and their Subcontractors that ensures successful contract performance”. This is already addressed within Technical Subfactor 1.

Question: Will the Government please removing these requirements from Technical Subfactor 3? If not, will the Government increase Technical Subfactor 3 page count to address already communicated information?

The identified sentence will be removed from the Subfactor 3, Section L, as the subject is addressed in Subfactor 1.

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Attachment 0002 Solicitation Tables;

Pages 1

Reference: RFP Attachment 0002 has a row for a Basis of Estimate as part of the Technical Volume; however, a Basis of Estimate (BOE) is not mentioned anywhere in Section L or M.

Question: Will the Government please confirm that a Basis of Estimate is not required as part of our Proposal Submission since the Government provide Attachment 0004 (Level of Effort)? If it is required, will the Government provide Section L instructions and Section M evaluation criteria regarding what is required for the Basis of Estimate?

The Basis of Estimate (BOE) file has been removed from Attachment 0002, and is not required as a separate file submission. The BOE should be sufficiently covered in the Cost/Price Volume submission documents.

Solicitation; Section L.2.c; Page 59

Reference: SAM.GOV registration and (active) System for Award Management (SAM) account is required to submit proposal.

Question: Should Offerors complete the Reps & Certs included in the draft model contract? Or will SAM.gov information be sufficient?

The SAM.gov information will be sufficient.

Solicitation; Section M.C.3; Page 70

Solicitation; Section L.I (Volume I Executive Summary); Page 61

Reference: Section M.C.3 states “The total evaluated cost/price to be used in the award determination will be the total identified in the Offerors Executive Summary file (which includes all options) subject to a most probable cost adjustment in accordance with paragraph one (1) below”; however, while Section L states that Cost/Price information is allowed in Volume I, Section L.I (Volume I Executive Summary) does not provide any specific details regarding what Cost/Price information is required in Volume I (Executive Summary).

Question: Will the Government please clarify what Cost/Price information is required in Volume I Executive Summary?

From Section M.C.3: "The total evaluated cost/price to be used in the award determination will be the total identified in the offerors COST(.xlsx) file (which includes all options) subject to a most probable cost adjustment in accordance with paragraph one (1) below."

Volume I has minimal requirements and allows the Offeror "to include any and all information it believes will support its proposal", given that they are not introducting "new" information that does not appear elsewhere in the Volumes.

Solicitation; Section L.II.1; Page 61

PWS, Section 3.3; Page

Reference: Section L.II.1 reads “The Offeror shall demonstrate its ability to backfill vacant positions within forty five (45) days without creating a break in service.” However, PWS 3.3 reads “The Contractor shall backfill all positions within 30 days of COR approval to backfill the position.”

Question: Will the Government please clarify within how many days the Contractor is expected to backfill vacant positions?

45 is the correct time period. The PWS will be updated to reflect this.

PWS, Sections 1.7.10;

PWS, Section 1.7.10.1;

Reference: PWS 1.7.10 states “Transition begins immediately after contract award and will last for no longer than 30 days.” However, PWS 1.7.10.1 states “Phase-in is defined as the first 30 days of contract performance on the task order. The transition period will begin immediately upon task order award (phase-in period not to exceed 30 days) to allow for orderly contract transition”.

Question: Will the Government please confirm that the terms “Transition” and “Phase-In” both describe the 30-day period immediately after contract award and that there are not two separate time periods?

That is correct. Base contract award and first Task Order award are expected to occur on the same date.

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Solicitation; Section L.III;

Solicitation; Section M.C.2; Page 69

Reference: Section L.III states that “Relevant efforts are defined as efforts that are essentially the same as or similar in scope and complexity to the requirements of the PWS, with a minimum of one (1) year of completed performance, and also within the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 541330 Engineering Services”. Section M states that “Relevant efforts are defined as efforts that are essentially the same as or similar in scope and complexity to the requirements of the PWS, with a minimum of one (1) year of completed performance, and also within the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 541330 Engineering Services”.

Question: Would the government consider eliminating the NAICS code requirement for past performance or include an alternative form of justification for determining relevancy to contract performance? Many cybersecurity engineering and operations contracts similar to this solicitation have been assigned other NAICS codes such as 541512, suggesting that contracts can be highly relevant without being assigned a 541330 NAICS code.

The NAICS code requirement for the Past Performance Factor experience requirements has been expanded.

Solicitation; Section L.2.f; Page 59

Attachment 0002 Solicitation Tables

Reference: L.2.f states that all proposal submissions must be submitted in Microsoft Word, but Attachment 0002 Solicitation Tables requirements allow for documents to be submitted in PDF.

Question: Please confirm that PDF submission for proposal responses is acceptable.

PDF submissions are acceptable. L.2.f has been updated.

Solicitation; Section L.3.c; Page 60

Reference: Volumes I, II, III, IV, and V of the proposal shall consist of a table of contents, glossary of abbreviations and acronyms, summary section, and the narrative discussion.

Question: Please confirm that exclusions from page limits for Cover pages, Table of Contents, Glossaries, and Section Summaries applies to all volumes.

Cover pages, Table of Contents, Glossaries, and Section Summaries will not count towards each Volume's page limits (if any). Offerors are reminded that summaries should only serve to summarize information included in the body of the Volume, and should not be introducing new information.

Solicitation; Section L.3.a; Page 59

Solicitation; Section L.3.a; Page 59 Reference: A standard 12-point minimum is required. An 8-point minimum may be used to tables, illustrations, headers and footers.

Question: Will the government please exclude screenshots from the font requirements so they may be submitted in their native screen capture font?

Screen captures may be excluded from this requirement, so long as the information in the picture is readable when printed.

Solicitation; Section L.3.a; Page 59

Reference: A standard 12-point minimum is required. An 8-point minimum may be used to tables, illustrations, headers and footers.

Question: Please confirm that all excel files are exempt from the given font requirements.

Excel files are exempt from the font requirements.

Solicitation; Section L.3.a; Page 59

Reference: Section L.3.a states that pages shall be single spaced.

Question: Please confirm that the “single spaced” requirement allows space between paragraphs to be 3 point or 6 point consistent with standard publishing practices?

This is allowed.

Solicitation; Section L.1;

Reference: Section L.1 states that during the conduct of this acquisition, all documents will be submitted to ACC- APG via DoD SAFE. Request for drop boxes will need to be submitted by email to the PCO and Contract Specialist, detailed below, one (1) business day in advance. The one day requirement puts offerors at risk of a late submittal due to an unforeseen technical issues.

Question: Will the Government please change the requirement from “one business day” to “five business days” in advance to ensure Offerors are able to submit their proposal response before the required deadline?

The offerors may request a drop box at any time. The "one business day" statement is to allow the Government time to respond to the request and make the drop off available to the offeror.

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Solicitation; Section L.3.a; Page 59

Reference: Section L.3.a states that a standard 12-point minimum is required and an 8-point minimum may be used to tables, illustrations, headers and footers.

Question: Will the government allow text in callout boxes to also be sized 8 point?

This is allowed.

Attachment 0004 – Level of Effort and Labor Descriptions

Reference: In Attachment 0004, Education – a Labor Categories require a minimum of a Bachelors degree. It is recognized that Note 6: Experience cannot be used as a substitute for DoD 8570/8140 requirements. However, there are many qualified candidates with extensive experience that may not have a degree. This will allow for a greater pool of candidates to select from. While this is true of all positions, we recommend that the Government consider providing an experience level in lieu of education for FSEs. There are former military individuals that are qualified to perform this work that may not have had the ability to complete a degree.

Question: It is strongly recommended that the government consider substitution of relevant experience for education degrees.

The education requirements for FSEs in Attachment 0004 have been updated.

Attachment 0004 – Level of Effort and Labor Descriptions

Reference: In Attachment 0004, the Required Security Clearance Level – All positions except the PM require a CI poly at contract award.

Question: Does every individual need a CI poly at contract award or is it sufficient to have leader positions and select others with a CI poly with the balance of the workforce obtaining it as soon as possible?

Every individual employee (except the PM) is required to have a CI poly. The PM is not expected to be at the Government site and is only required to have a SECRET clearance; therefore, no CI poly is needed for the PM position.

Solicitation; Section L.II.2; Page 61

Solicitation; Section M.C.1.ii; Page 68

Reference: Section L.II.2 states “Offerors as an entity (prime contractor and all proposed subcontractors) shall demonstrate experience and their approach to meeting PWS paragraphs 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4 with similar size and scope, and with performance within the last five (5) years” and “The Offeror shall provide a minimum of one (1) and a maximum of three (3) examples of corporate experience”. However, Section M.C.1.ii states “Corporate Experience submissions shall be related to the Offeror itself and not subcontractors”.

Question: Will the government please confirm that corporate experience examples from subcontractors are acceptable and will be evaluated for award as entities within “The Offeror” as described in Section L.II.2 (Corporate Experience)?

Requirements have been adjusted for the Coporate Experience subfactor.

Section M will be adjusted to allow experience of the proposing Entity as a whole, including major subcontractors.

Solicitation; Section M.C.1.iii; Page 69

Solicitation; Section L.3.c; Page 60

Reference: Section M.C.1.iii, Technical Subfactor 3, states “In order to determine the realism of meeting the phase-in plan, salaries proposed will be compared against Economic Research Institute (ERI) Surveys in Washington, Arlington, Annapolis, DC, VA, MD, WV location, which are provided in ATTACHMENT 0004 Level of Effort/Labor Descriptions”. However, Section L.3.c states “No price information shall be presented in any part of the proposal except as provided in Volume I Executive Summary, and Volume V Cost/Price”.

Question: Since no price information (which would include salaries) is allowed in Volume II Technical, will the Government please remove the following requirement from Section M.C.1.iii (Tech Subfactor 3 Phase In Plan): “In order to determine the realism of meeting the phase-in plan, salaries proposed will be compared against Economic Research Institute (ERI) Surveys in Washington, Arlington, Annapolis, DC, VA, MD, WV location, which are provided in ATTACHMENT 0004 Level of Effort/Labor Descriptions”?

The sentence identified under Section M, Subfactor 3 will be removed.

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Under Section L, the RFP states: The Government will only consider the corporate experience of each entity, and will not consider the corporate experience of individual employees. All major subcontractors identified in the Offerors proposal are considered as part of the entity.

However, under Section M, the RFP states: Corporate Experience submissions shall be related to the Offeror itself and not subcontractors.

Will the Customer please clarify whether corporate experience is evaluated as an entity (both Subs and Prime) or only as the experience of the Prime contractor?

Since this is an 8(a) set aside for small business and the corporate experience factor requirement requests three examples for 30+ FTEs, we suggest that Customer allow subcontractor past performance to be included.

Requirements have been adjusted for the Coporate Experience subfactor.

Section M will be adjusted to allow experience of the proposing Entity as a whole, including major subcontractors.

Under both Section L Volume Submission Instructions for Volume III, and Section M Evaluation of Factor 2 Past Performance, the RFP states: Relevant efforts are defined as efforts that are … within the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 541330 Engineering Services.

Very relevant and similar work is being performed under alternate NAICS codes, and this requirement unnecessarily eliminates the ability to include those examples. Would it be possible to please allow past performance examples under other NAICS codes if the work is similar in scope and complexity?

The NAICS code requirement for the Past Performance Factor experience requirements has been expanded.

General Can the Customer please share progress on the implementation of ATO processes, and whether you have implemented continuous ATO?

The government is continually evolving its RMF process; C-ATO is one of the goals during the period of performance of this contract.

DoD SAFE DOD SAFE's home page states that it should not be used for procurement. Can the Customer please confirm whether there is an exception for this procurement, or if we should use the PIEE portal or email instead?

DoD SAFE dropboxes will be used for submission of bids for this RFP, as this was found to be the most accessible and secure way to transmit documents at this time.

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Under Section L Volume Submission Instructions for Volume II, the RFP States: Offerors as an entity (prime contractor and all proposed subcontractors) shall demonstrate experience and their approach to meeting PWS paragraphs 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4 with similar size and scope, and with performance within the last five (5) years.

Attachment 0002 Solicitation Tables limits Subfactor 2 Corporate Experience to four pages.

Would the Customer please add 4-6 more pages to the corporate experience section page limit?

There is currently not enough room to describe both experience and approach to PWS para 4.1-4.4 for each of the three examples, as required in Sections L & M.

An additional two pages was added to the page limit for the Corporate Experience subfactor.

Section L Volume Submission Instructions for Volume 4 Supporting Documents states:

Salary survey information shall be for the Washington, Arlington, Annapolis, DC, VA, MD WV location.

Can the Customer please confirm the main place of performance? The primary place of performance will be Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD.

General / Incumbent scope of work

Can Customer please describe whether the contract will be similar in size and scope to the incumbent contract? The PWS reflects the expected level of support needed for PM IS&A's current and future program requirements during the course of contract performance. It is not entirely similar in size and scope to the incumbent contract.

Attachment 0004, column M, row 7 identifies Minimum Hourly Labor Rates from

ERI

Can the Customer please confirm whether the ERI labor rates are fully burden or un-burdened? The rates given are hourly rates of the labor categories and do not include benefits, overhead, or fees.

Attachment 0004, Clearances based on salaries

Can the Customer please confirm whether the ERI labor rates takes into consideration TS/SCI (SI/TK) W/Poly type clearances?

The labor rates in Attachment 0004 do take clearances into consideration.

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Section L, paragraph IV.1 Can the government confirm that a cost/workbook to be completed by the offeror with our submission will NOT be provided? While the government appears to provide requirements for the cost/price workbook in ‘Attachment 2- Solicitation Tables’, the offeror appears to be required to submit our own format for the cost/price workbook.

RFP section L.IV provides information on which sheets are required for the cost/price workbook. Attachment 0002, Table 5 provides a sample of a Cost Element Worksheet, and Table 3 provides a sample of the summary that can be used to satisfy L.IV.1.1.i. Offerors are allowed some flexiblity in the format of this workbook, so long as the required information is present.

2. Section L, paragraph IV.4.ii “Documentation of indirect expense rates”

Can the government confirm what documentation of indirect rates will be acceptable if the offeror does not have an FPRA or FPRP?

Per FAR 15.408, "Indicate how you have computed and applied your indirect costs, including cost breakdowns. Show trends and budgetary data to provide a basis for evaluating the reasonableness of proposed rates. Indicate the rates used and provide an appropriate explanation."

Additionally, from FAR 2.101:

"Such data may include the identical types of data as certified cost or pricing data, consistent with Table 15-2 of 15.408, but without the certification. The data may also include, for example, sales data and any information reasonably required to explain the offeror’s estimating process, including, but not limited to–

(1) The judgmental factors applied and the mathematical or other methods used in the estimate, including those used in projecting from known data; and

(2) The nature and amount of any contingencies included in the proposed price."

3. Attachment 4- Level of Effort and Labor Descriptions - Column M “Minimum Hourly Labor Rates from ERI”

Can the government confirm if the rates shown are hourly rates plus burden and plus fee, or if they are hourly rates with no burden and no fee? (In Section L, IV.1.3 it refers to these in relation to “…proposed labor rates…” while in Section L, IV.4.iii it refers to these as “…minimum salary rates…”)

The rates given are hourly rates of the labor categories and do not include fringe, overhead, or fees. They do account for clearances.

Section IV.1.4 Indirect Rate worksheet

Can the government clarify if there is a maximum fee to be used in our proposal, and If so, what that amount is? IAW FAR 15.404-4 Profit, "For other cost-plus-fixed-fee contracts, the fee shall not exceed 10 percent of the contract’s estimated cost, excluding fee."

5. Attmt 0002 - Solicitation Tables 06142022

Can the government confirm which of the Tables 2, 3, 4, 5 must be completed and included with our proposal? Tables 2 and 4 are provided as reference information to the Offerors. Table 3 may be used for the "Summary" section described in the RFP Section L.IV.1.1.i.

and Table 5 is provided as a Sample Cost Element Worksheet that can be used as a template in the submission.

5. Attmt 0002 - Solicitation Tables 06142022

Can the government clarify if the amounts in ‘Table 4 – Travel/Other Direct Cost (ODC) CLINs:’ are placeholders or if they can be replaced with our own proposed costs for ODC’s and travel?

The Travel/ODC CLIN values provided are not to be changed, and should be included in the offeror's Cost/Price volumes at the amounts given.

NAICS Code 541330 Section L

Is it the government’s intent for contractors to show relevance of NAICS Code 541330 within the past performance narrative? If not, can the government clarify how it intends to validate the NAICS Code relevance?

If proof of NAICS relevance is required, can the referenced past performance PWS be provided as an attachment (no page count) with relevant work areas highlighted? Or a letter from the program’s CO/COR stating this work is relevant to NAICS Code 541330? Many relevant Task Orders under a SB IDIQ at the employee size of 1500 had an overarching 517110 NAICS but all the work accomplished fell within various 541XXXs NAICS Codes, including 541330

The NAICS code requirement for the Past Performance Factor experience requirements has been expanded. The narrative should sufficiently describe the scope and complexity of the past work referenced, and how it relates to the current effort.

Attachment 0007 - RFP Questions & Answers 2022-07-20.xlsx 10

Attmt_0004_Level_of_E ffort_and_Labor_Descri ptions_20220608

Would the government consider adding a junior level labor category to include fewer years of experience and lower 8570-01 certification requirements?

PM IS&A has created the education and experience requriements based on the performance of the incumbent and past contracts, as well as the level of need of the future outlook of the program. The FSE education requirement in Attachment 0004 has been updated to allow substitution of experience for degree requirements. See answer below for additional info.

Attmt_0004_Level_of_E ffort_and_Labor_Descri ptions_20220608

Will the Government allow for an individual a ninety (90) day grace period to achieve the required 8570-01 certifications?

Change 4 to DoD 8570.01-M was approved November 10, 2015.

Contractors performing IA functions on a DoD system must meet the certification requirements established in the DoD 8570.01-M for the category and level functions in which they are performing. Contractors shall obtain the appropriate DoD-approved IA baseline certification outlined in Chapters 3, 4, 10 and 11 prior to being engaged. Contractors have up to six months to obtain the rest of the qualifications for their position. See Appendix 3 to the DoD 8570.01- M

The contracting officer will ensure that contracting personnel are appropriately certified. In the future they will need to provide verification to the Defense Eligibility Enrollment System (DEERS).

Components should not pay for contractors to obtain/retain required certifications.

RFP, III Volume III Past Performance

Paragraph III states that a relevant past performance requirement includes NAICS code 541330. Will the government allow for similar NAICS codes to be used which would still meet the small business size standards for Past Performance?

The NAICS code requirement for the Past Performance Factor experience requirements has been expanded.

RFP, III Volume III Past Performance

Will the Government allow the Subcontractor Letter of Consent to not be included in page count for Volume III? Yes. Attachment 0002 has been updated.

RFP, Volume IV Pricing, IV.4.i.b Attmt_0004_Level_of_E ffort_and_Labor_Descri ptions_20220608

The Government states that “The salary survey information shall be for the Washington, Arlington, Annapolis, DC, VA, MD WV location,” and yet APG is the primary work location.

Could the Government provide the specific parameters utilized for obtaining the “Minimum Hourly Labor Rates from ERI” (Column M), for the labor categories?

"Washington, Arlington, Annapolis, DC, VA, MD WV" was the location parameter used for the Economic Research Institute (ERI) salary survey for the identified labor categories, which is inclusive of the APG primary work location.

RFP, Section L The RFP section/para states (in part): “Volumes I, II, III, IV, and V of the proposal shall consist of a table of contents, glossary of abbreviations and acronyms, summary section, and the narrative discussion. The summary section shall contain a brief abstract of the volume.” Please confirm that the summary section is outside the page limitations of the respective Volume in which it appears?

The summary section may be excluded from each Volume's page count. Offerors are reminded that summaries should only serve to summarize information included in the body of the Volume, and should not be introducing new information.

Attmt_0002_- _Solicitation_Tables_06 142022

The Basis of Estimate (BOE) is only required in Attachment 0002 and not in Section L or Section M. Can the Government confirm that a BOE is not a requirement of the Volume II Technical Factor?

The Basis of Estimate (BOE) file has been removed from Attachment 0002, and is not required as a separate file submission. The BOE should be sufficiently covered in the Cost/Price Volume submission documents.

Exhibit A: CDRLs A001 thru A005

CDRL A005 Block 16 REMARKS include (in part):

“BLOCK 10, 11, 12 and 13: The Contractor’s Quality Control Plan (QCP) shall be submitted with the Contractor’s proposal; and submitted to the government 30 days after contract award; then updated annually.” Please confirm that the Government wants the QCP included with the proposal submission. If so, should the QCP be provided in Vol 1 Executive Summary?

The QCP is not required to be included with bid submission, and will be submitted by the awardee after award. CDRL A005 will be updated to remove this requirement.

Attachment 0007 - RFP Questions & Answers 2022-07-20.xlsx 11

Per Section L, Volume III Past Performance (page

62) “and also within the NAICS code 541330 Engineering Services” and Section M, page 69.

Given the nature of the requirements, this identical work could fall under other NAICS codes for Cybersecurity – including 541512, 541519, 541611 and 541990.

Utilizing only the 541330 NAICS code for past performance is restrictive, especially to 8a small businesses. We request the government broaden the NAICS code requirement to include alternate NAICS which would be applicable to the PWS.

The NAICS code requirement for the Past Performance Factor experience requirements has been expanded.

What constitutes a Major Subcontractor? A Major subcontractor is considered to be a subcontractor that will be providing key personnel identified in Attachment 0004 for performance of the contract.

RFP Page 4 of 70 Section B - Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs

RFP Page 60 of 70 Important Notes

CLIN 0002 ordering period overlaps CLIN 0001 PHASE-IN ordering period. Can the government clarify if CLIN 0002 ordering period should overlap CLIN 0001 or should it start after PHASE-IN and run from 01 Dec 2022 through 30 Oct 2023?

The phase-in CLIN should be priced separately from the Labor CLIN 0002. CLIN 0002 (Base Period Labor) is not meant to be inclusive of CLIN 0001 (Phase-in Labor). The base year should be the full amount of hours identified in Attachment 0004.

RFP, Page 61 of 70, Section II.2

We have noticed that the minimum 30 FTE employees was removed from the Past Performance volume but it is still in the Corporate Experience requirements. Would the Government be willing to remove this requirement from Volume II Corporate Experience? A 30 FTE minimum requirement puts small business at a disadvantage and reduces the number of potential bidders.

Requirements have been adjusted for the Coporate Experience subfactor.

RFP Page 62 of 70, Section L, Volume II, Technical Subfactor 3

These requirements are duplicate requirements to Technical Subfactor 1. Would the Government please clarify if the requirements are to be addressed in both subfactors. If so, would the Government please allocate more pages for subfactor 3 (3 more pages)?

The duplicate requirements have been removed from subfactor 3.

RFP Page 62 of 70, Section L, Volume II, Technical Subfactor 3

Did the Government intend for Offerors to address post transition activities in Subfactor 3 Phase-In Plan? If so, would the Government please allocate more pages for Subfactor 3 (1 page)?

Subfactor 3 should address the transition period only. The duplucative language between subfactors 1 and 3 has been removed from subfactor 3.

RFP, Page 64, Section

IV.4

According to the RFP instructions resumes are to be provided in the Price volume. However, the requirements in the Technical volume - Management Staffing Plan ask that we demonstrate that Key Personnel (KP) are fully qualified. Recommend that the government allows for resumes to be provided in the Technical Management Staffing Factor 1 with a 2 page limit and outside of the page count so that we can demonstrate our KPs have the qualifications since the price volume will not be given to the Source Select Reviewers of the Technical Volume.

Subfactor 1 will be adjusted to allow for resumes to be used as supporting documents.

For the price excel file requirement will the government provide the spreadsheet they want us to use for pricing or is the Offeror expected to develop their one format?

A Cost Element Worksheet sample is provided in Attachment 0002. Offerors may use their own worksheet for submission provided it contains all the required information in an easy-to-read format.

RFP, Page 61 of 70, Section L, Volume II, Technical Subfactor 1.

Page 68 of 70, C.1.i Subfactor 1. Attmt 1, PWS, Page 29.

Please clarify if the Contractor has 30 or 45 days to backfill a position. 45 is the correct time period. The PWS will be updated to reflect this.

RFP, Page 65 - 66 of 70, GFP

Does the Government intend for the Contractor to manage and/or purchase additional equipment over the life of the contract?

Equipment/materials CLINs are not expected to be required for performance of this contract.

Attachment 0007 - RFP Questions & Answers 2022-07-20.xlsx 12

Attmt 1, PWS, Page 6 - 11, Section 1.6.2.4 - 1.6.2.7

Please confirm that we are to address all the requirements within Section 1.6.2.4 - 1.6.2.7. If so can the government give additional page count so that we can address all the requirements (2 pages)?

These section of the PWS provide information to the awardee for performance of the contract. Offerors are welcome to address any sections of the PWS in the technical volume of their proposal in order to convey their approach to meeting the requirements and ensure successful performance.

Attmt 1, PWS, Page 17, Training - Section 1.7.4.7 item 14

Please identify where / what is 2-4b? 2-4b is a reference to the applicable section in AR 381-12, Threat Awareness and Reporting Program.

Attmt 1 PWS,1.7.4.6 Release and Export Controls, page 14 - 15

Is the Contractor expected to maintain the UCL List? The PWS states: "The International Traffic in Arms Regulations (IATR) Part 121, Category XIII (b) (4) states that the NCDSMO (previously known as the UCDSMO and UCDMO) will maintain a CDS product list called the UCDMO Control List (UCL). CDS products on the UCL are export controlled under ITAR."

The NCDSMO will maintain the list. Vendors need to be aware that CDSS software and associated documents are under ITAR restrictions and ensure that the personnel protect these in accordance to the regulation.

Attmt 1 PWS 1.7.4.7 AT/OPSEC item 8, page

Is there a requirement for the Contractor? Contractors must ensure that its employees comply with the requirements of the PWS, including certifications of its employees and subcontractors' employees. The awardee contract briefing can provide more information on the necessary training requirements to be completed after contract award.

Attmt 1 PWS 1.7.4.8 Special Qualifications Table 1, page 18 - 19 and Attm 4 LOE, A&A Lead

Please provided a list of the required CE/OS certifications for the A&A Lead. Per DoD 8570.01 C3.2.4.8.3. In addition to the IA baseline certification requirement for their level, IATs with privileged access must obtain appropriate Computing Environment (CE) certifications for the operating system(s) and/or security related tools/devices they support as required by their employing organization. If supporting multiple tools and devices, an IAT should obtain CE certifications for all the tools and devices they are supporting. At a minimum the IAT should obtain a certification for the tool or device he or she spends the most time supporting. For example, if an IAT is spending most of his or her time supporting security functions on a CISCO router, the IAT should obtain a CE certification for that equipment. This requirement ensures they can effectively apply IA requirements to their hardware and software systems.

Attachment 0007 - RFP Questions & Answers 2022-07-20.xlsx 13

Attmt 1 PWS 1.7.4.8 Special Qualifications Table 1, page 18 - 19 and Attm 4 LOE, Cybersecurity FSE Lead

Please provided a list of the required CE/OS certifications for the Cybersecurity FSE Lead. Per DoD 8570.01 C3.2.4.8.3. In addition to the IA baseline certification requirement for their level, IATs with privileged access must obtain appropriate Computing Environment (CE) certifications for the operating system(s) and/or security related tools/devices they support as required by their employing organization.