Solicitation Questions and Answers.pdf

HS0021-24-R-E001 Questions & Answers:

1. Question (Q): Does the government mean to say that using third party software, purchased by the bidding vendor must also be US owned?

Answer (A): Yes, all work associated with this requirement must originate within a U.S. owned entity.

2. Q: If a US Owned Company has purchased a license on behalf of the government to pursue the needs of this contract, can that software be Owned by a British company?

A: No, all entities involved in the entire formulation of the PAEI product must be U.S. owned.

3. Referencing the following requirement: Contractor, partner, sub-contractor (as applicable) must be entirely U.S. owned. Please advise if there are any restrictions regarding the location of and citizenship of the technical support team.

A: All individuals supporting the PAEI requirement/contract must be U.S. Citizens and must reside within the U.S.

4. Q: The RFP states that each CLIN is priced at a Firm Fixed Price but later states that any remaining searches of the 3,000 at the end of each PoP will be de-obligated back to the Government. This seems to be in stark contrast with firm fixed price. Can the government please clarify what should priced at a firm fixed level and what they mean by de-obligating searches?

A: Offerors can propose either by search, up to 3,000 per period of performance, with an understanding that if there are unused searches, the funding will be de-obligated back to the Government OR they can quote for 5 Licenses that would allow the users to perform at least 3,000 searches per year.

There is no guarantee of volume of searches outside of this upper level cap and, outside of that, it is up to each company to decide on a pricing structure which works best for their Proposal.

5. Q: The government asks for 3000 searches per year. We are not sure if you mean "query" when you state search or if you mean for each search to be equated to a single person's background investigation.

What does the government consider a "search"? Is a search a query or is it an investigation? Is the government equating one search with one background investigation or is a search in the government's mind a query in support of a larger background investigation?

A: The Government considers a search as one entry/hit against the vendor's platform.

The Government has used search and query interchangeably.

A search would equate to one investigation.

6. Q: The government states that "All performance is expected to take place at the Contractor's facility."

Will DCSA provide search criteria or will they only provide the intent, leaving development of search criteria to the contractor?

A: The Government finds information such as; name, AKA, address, phone, email, DOB, education history, and more as likely beneficial search criteria. The Government encourages the vendor to propose their best platform approach.

7. Q: Our solution is cloud enabled. Will the government manage the cloud in this instance or will the contractor?

A: The Government will not manage the cloud solution. The cloud solution will not connect to the DCSA network or systems.

8. Q: You have stated that this capability must not touch DCSA systems. Please confirm that the solution will not include servers on government premises.

A: Yes, the Government is not planning to incorporate the technology onto government servers at this time. Searches will be conducted by Government employees accessing vendor platform/website through log-in name and password.

9. Q: RFP is unclear who will be using the COTS software. Will DCSA analysts need direct access to solution software or are you relying on the vendor do all searches on DCSA's behalf?

A: DCSA analysts will conduct the searches by signing into the vendor's (web based) platform. At times, the Government may send a batch file to the vendor for processing (requiring the vendor to extrapolate the information into PAEI report).

10. Q: What is expected turnaround time for reports from time that a "search" is requested by the government?

A: The Government expects results in "near real time".

11. Q: How many DCSA personnel will be reaching to the vendor for searches?

A: 5 DCSA user licenses

12. Q: What is the workflow anticipated by the government? Will DCSA produce search criteria and send to the vendor for analysis using the vendor provided COTS software and resultant reporting sent back to

DCSA?

A: The Government estimates 3,000 PAEI searches each year.

The Government encourages the vendor to propose their best platform approach. DCSA analysts will conduct the searches by signing into the vendor's (web based) platform. At times, the Government may send a batch file to the vendor for processing (requiring the vendor to extrapolate the information into PAEI report).

13. Q: What is the government's QASP?

A: The Government’s QASP will be based directly on the performance criteria outlined in the current

PAEI Solicitation and it’s resultant award. Contractor’s are expected to provide their own proposed Quality Assurance Plans for their internal operations related to potential performance on this award.

14. Q: Is it up to the contractor to propose a PWS/ SOW incl of a QASP?

A: Contractor’s are required to propose a PWS based upon the SOO and the PAEI RFP in order to be considered responsive. The Government QASP will be generated by DCSA based on the performance criteria outlined in the current PAEI Solicitation and it’s resultant award. Contractor’s are expected to provide their own proposed Quality Assurance Plans for their internal operations related to potential performance on this award.

15. Q: Are you looking for an analyst to use the COTS software or are you simply looking for COTS software licenses that DCSA analysts will use?

A: The Government is unclear on this question. The Government is looking for established log-in accounts that Government personnel will use.

16. Q: There are no instructions to offerors on the cost volume? Is the cost format up to the vendor? The only guidance shown thus far is the CLIN structure that implies each search should be priced, but since term "search" is unclear and level of analytical effort required from the vendor is also unclear, the cost associated with this requirement is very difficult to pin down. What does the government desire in terms of detail for cost?

A: See response #5 for what is a search. The analytics aspect on behalf of the vendor is minimal. The

Government is seeking an application that will pull PAEI information into a report while being able to query behavioral flags which are aligned with the Security Executive Directive (SEAD) 4 Adjudicative Guidelines.

The Government would like to see a per unit price (FFP).

See response #4 for more information regarding possible pricing structures. There are no instructions for cost proposal. The Government will need to evaluate the price proposal as both fair and reasonable. Please submit price proposal as you see fit.

17. Q: Will DCSA provide the vendor with the URLs of social media platforms related to BIs?. Platforms of interest are Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), TikTok, Tumblr, and VKontakte. Our understanding is that anyone eligible for a clearance must provide the DCSA with these URLs, so the process of generating automated OSINT searches and reports will be more efficient and more cost effective for the government if the URLs of the 3,000 Persons of Interest (or Subjects) are provided.

A: RFP does not exclude to only these platforms.

No, this is an ever-growing list and the vendor's responsibility to pull all publicly available information.

18. Q: You state that Contractor, partner, and sub-contractor (as applicable) must be entirely U.S. owned.

Does this include manufacturer of the COTS solution that will be used by Contractor?

A: Yes, including the COTS solution (must be U.S. owned).

19. Q: The Statement of Objectives asks that the COTS system be able to curate data from multiple PAEI data sources to include foreign and domestic social media platforms, foreign and domestic news publications, public arrest and court records, and deep/dark web sources. Will the government accept a system service that supports some, but not all of these information sources?

A: No.

20. Q: In addition to the model requested in the solicitation, would it be acceptable for the Vendor to provide an alternative plan and pricing model for DCSA consideration?

A: See response #4 for more information regarding possible pricing structures. It is the offeror’s discretion as to what is included in their response; each proposal will be evaluated based on the requirements of the RFP. The Government is open to alternative pricing models and plans and will determine fair and reasonable pricing of each offeror.

21. Q: We assess that given the scope of this RFP, the Buy American Act does not apply. Is that correct?

A: That is correct.

22. Q: Please clarify the following requirement: “Contractor, partner, and/or sub-contractor must be entirely US owned.”

A: See response #1.

23. Q: Does this statement affirmatively exclude all properly FOCI-mitigated entities who may have some foreign ownership?

A: Yes.

24. Q: Does this requirement take into account the evolving AUKUS partnership and related provisions included in the 2024 NDAA?

A: See response #1.

25. Q: Must the COTS solution sought by this RFP be produced by an entirely US owned company?

26. Q: Regarding the Statement of Objectives (SOO), would the government consider numbering the SOO elements to make it easier to cross-reference them in the contractors’ proposals expediting the evaluation process?

A: The SOO has been updated with a numbering system to cross-reference in contractors’ proposals.

27. Q: Regarding SOO element, “Platform must include the ability to modify query fields”, what exactly does this statement mean?

A: The Government is seeking a platform that will allow for various data pulls from previous queries of search criteria and results on an ad hoc basis.

28. Q: Regarding SOO element, “Able to scrape social media and bespoke websites on demand, extract rich domain and IP information with historical data, and use facial verification to confirm1-to-1 image association in near real time”, what is meant by “bespoke websites”?

A: The Government is seeking a platform that will tailor search criteria continuously for updated websites, social media platforms, etc.

29. Q: Regarding SOO element, “Able to scrape social media and bespoke websites on demand, extract rich domain and IP information with historical data, and use facial verification to confirm1-to-1 image association in near real time”, will the government provide photographs for facial recognition of the subjects with the report requests?

A: No.

30. Q: Regarding SOO element, “All links being accessed under this requirement, by Contractor or DCSA, must be anonymized”, what is the intent of this statement?

A: A subject of investigation must not be able to conclude that DCSA has accessed their publicly available information.

31. Q: Regarding SOO element, “Provide quote detection, risk detection, similarity detection, and in-image text detection that will pivot and build reports based on emotions and sentiment based on anticipated risks”, what is the government’s intent regarding “similarity detection”?

A: Please see page 5 of the RFP, "Contractor must be compliant with all laws, regulations, and policies governing the collection and assessment of PAEI (e.g., Security Executive Agent Directive (SEAD) 4, SEAD-5 guidelines, etc.).

32. Q: Regarding SOO element, “Provide quote detection, risk detection, similarity detection, and in-image text detection that will pivot and build reports based on emotions and sentiment based on anticipated risks”, what is the government’s intent regarding “image text detection that will pivot”?

A: The Government seeks sentiment analysis for text and images, to include the ability to detect when quotes are used. The Government seeks the ability to provide relevant text and images in an exportable report.

33. Q: The RFP asks for the following requirement: Able to scrape social media and bespoke websites on demand, extract rich domain and IP information with historical data. This task is not particularly clear.

By "rich domain" are you simply saying the URL has relevant text within? What IP information are you looking for? Did you mean IP addresses or URL? Lastly, what would you consider to be "historical data"? Our system gathers timestamps for historical events, but we are unclear if you are referring to historical changes in web site design?

The Government seeks Host IP addresses and URLs.

The Government seeks the ability to conduct searches from a date and then backward in time. The system must have the capability to capture PAEI posted prior to the date of the search.

The Government seeks a system that would be able to detect changes to historical data.

34. Q: The RFP states that the platform must include the ability to modify query fields. What does this mean? What level of modification are you looking for? Will an open text query field satisfy this requirement?

A: See response #27.

35. Q: The Instructions to Offerors document lists the Proposal Due Date as 04 September 2024, by 1200 EST. However under the "Responsiveness" header on page 201 of the Solicitation Document, it states "Proposal received IAQ instructions NLT the date and time notated in the published solicitation: i.

Monday, 02 September 2024, 1200 EST." Can DCSA please confirm which date it expects proposals to be submitted by?

A: The Proposal due date for this RFP is 04 September 2024, by 1200 EST.

36. Q: Is there a specific format or template required for the Performance Work Statement referenced in the "Attachment 3: Proposal" subsection of the Instructions to Offerors?

A: Please reference the requirements listed within "Attachment 3: Proposal" of the "Instructions, Conditions, & Notices to Offerors or Quoters".

37. Q: On page 5 of the Statement of Objectives, the requirement mentions the need for a platform to anonymize all links being accessed. Are there any specific tools or methods preferred or mandated by DCSA for this purpose?

A: No, there are no preferred tools and/or methods. The requirement is to anonymize.

38. Q: On page 5 of the Statement of Objectives, regarding the encryption of data and online personal details, are there any specific encryption standards or protocols that must be followed (e.g., AES-256)?

A: See response #31.

39. Q: On page 5 of the Statement of Objectives regarding training on an ad hoc basis within 48 hours of a government request, is there an expected frequency of these requests, or should we prepare for an undefined number?

A: The maximum contract quantities can be found within the written RFP.

40. Q: Can DCSA please clarify what constitutes 3,000 PAEI searches? Is a search considered any one-time, ad-hoc search of an identity? Or does this mean that multiple searches against a single identity constitute one (1) PAEI search?

A: See responses #4 and #5.

DCSA may request up to 3,000 PAEI searches in one 12-month period of performance.

41. Q: Can DCSA please provide an estimation of the total number of likely users, along with the uppermost limit of possible users for this requirement?

A: See response #11.

42. Q: Under the "Reporting" header of Section IV. Deliverables in the RFP document, the DCSA states that the "monthly invoice must include detailed list of all queries and results provided to DCSA." Is it reasonable to assess that DCSA does NOT want reporting on the specific names of specific identities being searched; rather, that DCSA wants to see the number of unique identities searched, along with the numbers of types of searches ran for a particular month?

A: Yes. A detailed monthly invoice report for validation purposes.

43. Q: Will the government provide a list of the specific selectors (pieces of information or identifiers) it intends to use to conduct PAEI searches? Examples of selectors may be a full name, a home address, an email address, a date of birth, a phone number, etc.

A: The Government will input subject information into the vendor's platform determined to best meet the

Government needs.

44. Q: With regard to SOO Section IV. Deliverables, Reporting, if the software auto-generates results and reports, does this eliminate the requirement for the contractor to provide reports?

A: No, there may be instances where the Government will require the vendor to supply reports.

45. Q: Will the government enter the search criteria/selectors/data into the PAEI platform or is the Government seeking the services of the awardee for data entry?

A: See response #9.

46. Q: With regard to SOO, Section III. Performance Objectives & Minimum Requirements, Third Bullet:

“Platform must include the ability to modify query fields.”

Does this requirement imply that the government wants the capability to modify an existing PAEI search with additional or updated information to execute a new search?

If that is not the case, could you please specify what the government means by the requirement to “modify query fields”?

A: Yes, the Government would like the capability to modify an existing PAEI search with additional or updated information. For additional information, see response #27.

47. Q: RFP Document, page 41, Evaluation Factors: There are two due dates listed in the documentation.

Given that Monday, September 2, 2024 is a federal holiday, please confirm our understanding that the due date for the proposal response is Wednesday, September 4, 2024 at 12:00 noon Eastern.

A: See response #35.

48. Q: RFP Document, page 2, Supplies and Services or Prices and Costs: In order to allow us to most accurately price our solution, can DCSA please provide the number of users it expects to access the platform?

A: See responses #4 and #11.

49. Q: To ensure that offerors have a clear understanding of the scope of the DCSA’s needs, can DCSA please provide the following information:

Who is the current provider of these services to DCSA?

What is the contract/task order/purchase order/delivery number of DCSA’s existing contract?

When does the current contract expire?

What is the total annual value of the current contract?

Does the current content set match what is requested in the solicitation? If there are differences, what are they?

A: All pertinent previous and current contract information is available using FPDS:

https://www.fpds.gov/fpdsng_cms/index.php/en/