DFTS II Pre-Solicitation Conference Q-A.pdf

# Question AQ Response 1 Will a significant portion of the contract be set aside for

WOSB and other small businesses?

DFTS II will be solicited via full and open competition and will not be set-aside for small business. As outlined in the draft solicitation, there is a small business subcontracting goal of 40%.

2 Can you share a breakdown of the contract awarded to diverse subcontractors under the current incumbent?

The Government does not plan to share this information at this time.

3 When are you expecting first contract to start? Anticipated start date for the DFTS II contract is 01 May 2024.

4 What is the typical length of the contract? The contract anticipated period of performance is for a two-year base period. The contract also includes five 1-year option periods, and one 6-month extension of services, which may or may not be exercised.

5 What is the area of operation? Could it be the whole USA or you operate in specific region(s)?

As outlined in the Performance Work Statement (PWS) section 1.2.2., services shall be provided between various locations within the Continental United States (CONUS), including but not limited to, vendor facilities, DoD warehouses, consolidation facilities, and U.S. Armed Forces Bases/Camps/Posts. Pickup and delivery may occasionally be necessary in Alaska, Puerto Rico, and Canada (Outside CONUS (OCONUS)). Routes may include multiple stops and split pickups.

6 The main question most providers will have is for rating the LTL business. It mentions FAK freight a good bit, however a large 3PL provider would need to know the general make & percentages of the freight classes that go into the FAK for accurate rating. If you plan on having true freight class provided in the data set then you would not need to worry about that

The Government intends to provide additional historical shipment data to supplement the data previously provided.

7 Will the DFTS TMS need to interface with any non GEX systems besides TPPS?

No. Refer to PWS Section 1.14.5 for interfaces and data exchanges with Government system requirements.

8 Will the DFTS TMS be required to maintain Interface Control Documents (ICD) for any/all of the systems listed in Appendix I?

Per PWS Section 1.14.5, "Existing Interface Requirements Documents and/or Interface Control Documents shall be used as the baseline for TMS interfaces to Government systems." Refer to PWS Section 1.14.5.1 for a complete list of DoD Shipper Systems in which ICD are required.

9 Can the government please clarify what is meant by training on report generation? Does this mean training on the ability to create/generate the reports that are listed in Task Area 12, or is there a broader training requirement for reports?

There is no broader training requirement for reports. Training on report generation includes the reports as outlined in PWS Section 1.15 and shipment search capabilities within the TMS.

10 Section 4.4.2 discusses reporting of security breaches for classified systems. Our understanding, per Section 3.5.1 is that our DFTS solution is not authorized to hold classified data.

Please confirm or advise otherwise.

Correct, DFTS II is at an unclassified level.

11 At the Industry Day, the government expressed interest in consolidation and efficiency opportunities as part of the DFTS II solicitation. Attachment 10 does not provide the necessary detail to provide the government with favorable pricing based on the ability to consolidate. Would the government provide detailed information about individual LTL shipments for the past 5 years so that offerors can develop and offer better pricing based on network optimization?

The Government intends to provide additional historical shipment data to supplement the data previously provided.

12 The PWS requirement says "The Contractor will conduct multiple training classes to allow for employees from all shifts to be trained without negatively impacting daily operations."

Would the government provide data on the number of employees affected by location and by shift so that offerors can accurately price the implementation training?

The number of Government employees will vary by site.

13 Are there pickups or deliveries at commercial/government contractor locations? Can the Government provide details?

Per PWS Section 1.2.2, "Services shall be provided between various locations within the Continental United States (CONUS), including but not limited to, vendor facilities, DoD warehouses, consolidation facilities, and U.S. Armed Forces bases/camps/posts. Pickup and delivery may occasionally be necessary in Alaska, Puerto Rico, and Canada (Outside CONUS (OCONUS)). Routes may include multiple stops and split pickups."

14 In order to develop the equipment pool plan, could the Government please provide the site specific equipment pool requirements? They do not appear to be included in Appendix G.

The Government will provide a list of anticipated equipment pool requirements as part of the Request for Proposal (RFP). Upon award, the equipment pool schedule and types will follow the requirements as outlined in PWS Section 1.12.9.

15 Specific to PWS Section 1.14.6, how does the government want to receive reports? For example, is that government looking for raw data? For data being pushed on a pre-determined cadence? Sent to specific people?

Refer to PWS Section 1.14.6 Data Storage and Disposition.

16 The Pricing spreadsheet does not have a tab for TL pricing.

Tab 2d, Scheduled routes, appears to be TL-based pricing. Are the scheduled routes the only TL load orders contemplated by the government?

The Government is considering input provided in the Pre-Solicitation Conference to determine if revisions to Attachment 2 - Pricing Rate Table are necessary.

17 Will the government please include in the PWS a brief description of tasks to be carried out by government personnel who will be using the report generation tool?

Refer to Response #9.

18 How has the incumbent contractor performed against the KPIs?

The Government does not intend to share incumbent past performance data.

19 The document has links to external documents. Can the government please remove these.

Yes. The Government will remove these links.

20 The government only provided limited historical data, that does not provide enough information to accurately price the solicitation. Further, the data provided only covers 2021 and 2022, which are COVID/Post COVID era information and not necessarily reflecting "normal" operations. This presents an unfair advantage to the incumbent. Would the government please provide historical data at the level provided in the 2015 RFP? The attached spreadsheet is from that data set.

The Government intends to provide additional historical shipment data to supplement the data previously provided.

21 How does the government manage exceptions in general today? PWS section 1.14.2.4 specifically calls for a tool to handle adjudicating PUC and EXP shipments. What about other shipments?

How exceptions are managed in the current contract will not be relevant to DFTS II.

Refer to PWS Appendix C - Exception Codes, Section 3 for nonexpedited and expedited shipments.

22 What happens if the prime contractor does not meet the diversity spend limit requirements?

The Contracting Officer will follow procedures IAW FAR clauses 52.219-8 and 52.219-9, which could include determination, documentation, and possible notice of failure to make a good faith effort or requirement for payment of liquidated damages.

23 What is the flow down of cybersecurity requirements of potential subcontractors?

Clause DFARS 252.204-7012, Safeguarding Covered Defense Information and Cyber Incident Reporting, flows down to subcontractors without alteration, except to identify the parties, when performance will involve operationally critical support or

CDI.

24 Can a 4PL SDVOSB or WOSB be utilized as a subcontractor to meet target goals for TDSL shipments?

Per PWS Section 1.12.1.1, there are no brokering restrictions on shipments for rail or TDSL. Small business subcontracting goals are not reported by mode of shipment but in total dollar value and percentage of all subcontracted dollars that were given to Small Business.

25 The Performance Work Statement (PWS) is referred to. Is that available at this time to review and if so where would we find it?

A draft version of the Request for Proposal, Attachments including the PWS, and Appendices were posted to SAM.gov as part of the DFTS II Request for Information #3 published on 01 June 2023.

26 What TMS platform is used by DFTS II? Per PWS Section 1.14, the Contractor shall provide a single point of access portal for the Government to access the Contractor’s TMS and web-based tools required for this effort. The Government utilizes various shipper systems as outlined in PWS Section 1.14.5.1.

27 Can you clarify the meaning of “provide over 100 different equipment types for the various shipment needs.”?

Refer to PWS Appendix D - Equipment Codes for a list of required equipment to support this procurement.

28 Is the Puerto Rico support air and/or ocean from/to the United States?

Shipments to Puerto Rico will be supported by air.

29 Any origins/destinations outside of the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico?

Per PWS Section 1.2.2, services shall be provided between various locations within the Continental United States (CONUS), including but not limited to, vendor facilities, DoD warehouses, consolidation facilities, and U.S. Armed Forces Installations (e.g.,bases/camps/posts. Pickup and delivery may occasionally be necessary in Alaska, Puerto Rico, and Canada (Outside CONUS (OCONUS)).

30 Will international shipments be bonded? The Government will provide a response to this question as part of the DFTS II RFI #3 Question and Answers on SAM.GOV

31 Will questions from the Request for Information #3 be posted to SAM.gov?

Yes. Questions and responses from the Request for Information #3 will be posted to SAM.gov.

32 NIST Self Assessment - Does the self assessment need to be 100% clear before transition?

DoD Assessments are described in the NIST SP 800-171 DoD Assessment Methodology located at https://www.acq.osd.mil/asda/dpc/cp/cyber/safeguarding.html#nistSP800171.

33 Can you talk about Service Contract Act (contracts of federal wage and other requirements for the DOD) & the exemptions?

The United States Service Contract Act (SCA) is applicable to the DFTS II contract, with exception of work performed in Canada. Services performed in Canada shall follow Canadian law.

34 Related to the SCA can you tell us what you use for wage determination?

SCA wage determinations set forth the prevailing wages and fringe benefits that prime contractors and subcontractors must pay service employees working on covered contracts in specified geographic areas. SCA wage determinations are issued by the WHD Branch of Service Contract Wage Determinations. Refer to the Department of Labor website for additional wage determination information:

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd.

35 If there is an expiration for a DOD safe code utilized to submit the RFP?

Yes. Offerors shall submit proposals via DoD Secure Access File Exchange (SAFE) https://safe.apps.mil/. Offerors shall request a “Drop-off Request Code” no later than the date outlined in the RFP. DoD SAFE drop-off request codes expire seven (7) days after request.

36 What would cause Gov’t to push out the solicitation deadline date?

The Government outlined tentative dates within the attached Pre-Solicitation Conference presentation. The Government may shift requirement dates prior to RFP posting for a variety of reasons. For RFP posting and deadline dates, continue to monitor SAM.gov.

37 What happens if subcontractors fail to meet that 98% goal/metric? Is there any leeway?

The Government will use key performance indicators (KPI) to monitor performance of the prime contractor. The Contracting Officer will follow procedures IAW FAR clauses 52.219-8 and 52.219-9, which could include determination, documentation, and possible notice of failure to make a good faith effort or requirement for payment of liquidated damages.

38 How can I find an Apex Accelerator center? APEX Accelerator, formally known as Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, information is available on https://www.aptac-us.org/.

39 Is it possible for SB to be referred to the prime that is awarded the contract?

The contract awardee will be publicized on SAM.gov. The government's privity of contract will be with the awardee; it will have no role in negotiating prime-subcontractor contracts under DFTS II.

40 Just clarifying you are looking for us to hone in on those 5 components of past performance.

The Government will evaluate each Offeror's proposal as outlined in clause 52.212-2 Evaluation - Commercial Products and Commercial Services.

41 In regards to the small business past performance questionnaires, is there a past performance questionnaire to fill out or is there a separate document? Simply, do you want the past performance questionnaire or the document you posted online?

The Government will evaluate each Offeror's proposal as outlined in clause 52.212-2 Evaluation - Commercial Products and Commercial Services.

42 Any ranges on magnitude, what would you consider past performance with another business online? What is the amount relevant.

A definition of magnitude will be included within the RFP.

43 What if no past jobs? Would that put the bidder on an equal footing with a bidder that receives a satisfactory or substantial confidence rating in terms of eligibility of award?

The Government will evaluate each Offeror's proposal as outlined in clause 52.212-2 Evaluation - Commercial Products and Commercial Services. As described in the RFP, "offerors with no recent/relevant performance record will receive a rating of Unknown Confidence (Neutral), meaning the rating is treated neither favorably nor unfavorably. "

44 We offer transportation brokerage, do you use shipper past performance or carrier?

The shipper under this contract is the Government. The past performance evaluated will be that of the offeror and its subcontractors. IAW 52.212-2, Evaluation - Commercial Products and Commercial Services, for the purpose of this acquisition, past performance scope, magnitude of effort, and complexity are collectively defined as providing services in the following areas:

•Subcontractor Management (subcontractor selection, capacity management, performance management) •Transportation Services (pickup and delivery of shipments, equipment management, claims processing) •Information Technology (TMS interface with customer systems, in-transit visibility, reports generation) •Small Business Subcontracting Utilization (compliance with small business clauses and goals when established) 45 The pricing spreadsheet we submit do we put the totals in the box on the SF1449?

IAW 52.212-2, Evaluation - Commercial Products and Commercial Services, prices should be submitted utilizing Attachment 2, Pricing Rate Table. Amounts are not required to be entered on the SF1449.

46 Can you walk us through the evaluation criteria related to 1449?

The Government will evaluate each Offeror's proposal as outlined in clause 52.212-2 Evaluation - Commercial Products and Commercial Services.

47 What will those discussions look like? Exchanges with Offerors after receipt of proposals will be conducted in accordance with FAR Part 15.