FLASH_RFP_Q A's.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 89 KB Posted
- Attached to
- FBO FLASH UPDATE- Reconsideration Federal contract opportunity
- Solicitation number
- DHS-AGILE-00001
About this file
FLASH RFP Questions and Answers
View the file
Other files for this federal contract opportunity
Show all 37
On GovTribe
Work with this file on GovTribe
- Download the original file
- Contacts named in this file
- Similar government files
- Ask GovTribe AI about this file
Text version
FLASH RFP Q&A's
| Question | Government Response |
| States offerors may or may not choose to respond to TO one (1) – however, on page 80 Volume III – Initial TO Proposal (optional) - it states that offerors who do not submit an initial task order proposal will not be eligible for award. Please clarify that submitting a response for Task Order 1 is optional and that offerors will still be considered for an overall IDIQ award. | Offerors must be an IDIQ awardee in order to be considered for work on the initial task order. Offerors may submit a proposal to the initial task order as it is optional. |
| States proposals are due at 2:00 PM EST but Block 9 on the SF 33 shows the proposal due date and time as 4:00 PM EST. Please clarify. | Proposals are due at 4:00 EST. |
| States offerors are to provide a brief description of each past performance example of the services and support provided. Does the government want this to be included as a separate narrative or should this information only be included in the fill-in as part of the Past Performance Questionnaire? | The brief description should be included in the fill-in as part of the past performance questionnaire. |
| L.4 states that proposals are due NO LATER THAN 2:00 P.M. Eastern Time on the date specified on the SF-33. The SF-33 states proposals are due at the RFP closing date of August 16, 2016 at 4:00 PM. Will the government please clarify what time the proposal is due? | Proposals are due at 4:00 EST. |
| The solicitation requires that in Attachment 3, Part Two (2), Offerors, should provide, “an explanation of why the experience is relevant in demonstrating the Offeror’s capabilities for fulfilling the in-scope tasks/requirements stated in Section C of the RFP, and the dates of engagement (period of performance).” Will the government please confirm these requirements are referring to Rows 12-23 of Attachment 3 and that by “dates of engagement,” the government is requesting the full period of performance of the contract, per row 18? | These requirements are referring to Rows 12-23 of Attachment 3 and the “dates of engagement,” the government is requesting the full period of performance of the contract, is row 18. |
| Offerors are instructed to use Attachment 3, Part Two (2) to explain why the past performance experience is relevant in demonstrating the Offeror’s capabilities for fulfilling the in-scope tasks/requirements stated in Section C of the RFP. The scope of services in Section C encompass 13 requirements/tasks, and the cell provided for this description in Attachment 3 will not allow Offerors to expand the current height of the cell. Will the government please consider re-issuing Attachment 3 so that Offeror’s have sufficient space to respond to all requirements and evaluation factors of the solicitation? | The Government re-issued Attachment 3 to allow Offeror's sufficient space to respond. |
| The solicitation states that acceptable electronic formats for proposal submissions are Adobe PDF or Microsoft Word © except for pricing and questions. Attachment 3 was issued as an Excel file. Please confirm if it is acceptable to submit Attachment 3 as an Excel file. | Attachment 3 should be submitted as a .pdf file. |
| The staffing evaluation criteria includes the following: “The degree to which the Offeror demonstrated “How the Offeror’s team successfully staff the work on multiple task orders on the contract with highly qualified staff (for example, it’s ability to hire and retain).” As currently written, it may be interpreted that this section is being evaluated on how Offerors have staffed multiple task orders in the past, instead of how Offerors will staff the work on the FLASH effort. Will the government confirm that this should read as the following: “The degree to which the Offeror demonstrated “How the Offeror’s team will successfully staff the work on multiple task orders on the contract with highly qualified staff (for example, it’s ability to hire and retain).” | The statement should read "The degree to which the Offeror demonstrated “How the Offeror’s team will successfully staff the work on multiple task orders on the contract with highly qualified staff (for example, it’s ability to hire and retain).” |
| Please clarify which volume the Cover Letter shall be submitted with. | The Cover Letter shall be submitted in Volume I. |
| Please clarify if the table of contents and cover letter listed in the page limits table is required within the technical volume file, or if they should both be provided as separate files outside of the technical volume. | The Cover Letter shall be submitted in Volume I. The Table of Contents should be included in Volume I and II. |
| Please clarify the difference between the Cover Letter and the Transmittal Letter of Volume II, Tab C, requirement (a). | The transmittal letter has been removed. |
| Are any H1B individuals either with or without security clearances from other agencies allowed to work on this contract | The determination must be approved by the DHS Chief Security Officer or designee at the task order level. |
| Will DHS sponsor the facility clearance for those companies that do not have a facility clearance? | DHS can sponsor a company for an FCL. Normally this is done, if an RFQ, SOL or Proposal requires the vendors to review classified information which is accompany with the request. DHS must sponsor those companies who are participating that are not cleared, to allow them to access the classified information. |
| Will DHS make it mandatory for contractor staff to work onsite at DHS facilities? | The place of performance will be determined at the task order level. |
| Will DHS allow a core set of hours (i.e. 10-2) and allow for flexibility around those hours instead of 8am to 5pm EST? | The core set of hours will be defined at the task order level. |
| In emergency situations, 24 hour operations, how will DHS compensate the contractor if the contract is a fixed price for a week of FTE's, will DHS provide time and a half for individuals working more than 40 hours a week? | Reference updated pricing per L.8, Volume II, Factor 4. |
| How many task orders does the government anticipate award on this IDIQ? What is the anticipated average duration of each task order? What is the anticipated average size of each award? | The FLASH IDIQ contract is a strategically sourced vehicle with de-centralized order; therefore, the number of anticipated task orders, average duration of each task order and average size of each award is not available. |
| Should companies selected as prime contractors already have registration status as small businesses with the government? | Prime Contractors must be registered as a small business at time of proposal submittal. |
| If during the course of the contract, a company is no longer consider a small business by government revenue standards, can they continue bidding on task orders? | After a determination of size status, the Government will allow companies that grow naturally to complete ongoing task orders only. Offerors will be required to recertify prior to exercise of the option period. |
| Block 9 states that the closing date is August 16, 2016 at 4:00PM. Section L.4 states proposal are due at 2:00PM. Which is correct? | Correct |
| Government provides and example prompt for the question to be answered in the Staffing factor of the Volume 1 response. ("for example, it’s ability to hire and retain"). Can Government provide additional examples/ prompts for content to be covered in this factor? | The Government will not provide additional examples. |
| Can the Government confirm that the only acceptable format for the submission of Past Performance information is the completion of Attachment 3? | The only acceptable format for the submission of Past Performance information is the completion of Attachment 3. The Government re-issued Attachment 3 to allow Offeror's sufficient space to respond. |
| Form 33 block 9 states the RFP response is due 4:00 PM on August 16. Section L.4 (page 71) states the time as 2:00 PM, Can you please clarify the correct time. | Proposals are due at 4:00 EST. |
| In regards to submitting 3 past performances can you please clarify the requirement for the prime. How many of the 3 Past Performances must be submitted by the Prime Offeror (meaning that the past performance reference is for work performed by the Prime Offeror). Additionally, How many of the 3 past performances must the Prime Offeror also been the prime performer (and not performing as a subcontractor). | At least one (1) past performance example must be submitted for the prime. The experience can be work as a prime or a subcontractor. |
| This paragraph states that proposals are due by 2:00 PM on the due date, but on SF 33 it states that proposals are due by 4:00 PM. Which is the correct time? | Proposals are due at 4:00 EST. |
| Is there any page limit Tab C - Factor 3: Past Performance? Specifically for the description of each project? | The Government re-issued Attachment 3 to allow Offeror's sufficient space to respond. |
| Are we limited to only 3 Past Performance examples? | Offerors are requiring to submit three (3) past performance examples. |
| There are some RFI responses that have been superseded by the details of the final RFP, such as Row 145 regarding the start and end times of the challenge day. Are there other RFI responses that are now no longer valid? | Offerors are to provide a proposal in response to the Final RFP and its amendments. |
| Section A of the RFP states the due time for the proposal at 4pm est. Section L.4 states a due time for the proposal at 2pm est. What is the correct due time? | Proposals are due at 4:00 EST. |
| Please confirm the Department of Homeland Security's Contracting Officer included the VAR exception rule available for small business designation under NAICs 541519 in this request for proposal. (Reference excerpt below). [TAKEN FROM RFP ON PAGE 65 FROM SECTION K - REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS][TAKEN FROM RFP ON PAGE 65 FROM SECTION K - REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS] |
(a)(1) The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is __541519___. (2) The small business size standard is _$27.5 million__.
(3) The small business size standard for a concern which submits an offer in its own name, other than on a construction or service contract, but which proposes to furnish a product which it did not itself manufacture, is 500 employees.
| This question is referring to the Information Technology Value Added Reseller (ITVAR) "exception" under NAICS 541519 (Other Computer Related Services). This exception appears as Footnote #18 of SBA's Table of Size Standards. Footnote #18 of NAICS 541519 is applicable to IT Value Added Resellers (VAR) (i.e., First Source II). Since this procurement is for services, Footnote #18 does not apply to this acquisition and therefore the employee based size standard (150 employees for Footnote #18) doesn’t apply. The size standard for this acquisition (the largest size that a business may be to remain classified as a small business for SBA and federal contracting programs) is revenue based and is currently $27.5 million. | |
| The RFP states "The Offeror shall address Factor 1- Technical - orally and in writing. In addressing the factor, the proposal must demonstrate the Offeror’s ability to provide the required services as described in the IDIQ contract SOW." Question: In the Technical Volume, the requirement is only a 1 page response on Technical Stack and Tools. We assume that the Govt. requires Offeror's to demonstrate ability to provide the required services in the Past Performance section. Please confirm. | The Government requires Offerors to demonstrate their ability to provide the required services in their proposal, past performance questionnaires and technical challenge exercise. |
| The RFP states "The Offeror shall address Factor 1- Technical - orally and in writing. In addressing the factor, the proposal must demonstrate the Offeror’s ability to provide the required services as described in the IDIQ contract SOW."Furthermore, the RFP pages 6 and 7 states " The following list provides examples of support that is within scope of the FLASH IDIQ contracts" Question: Given the above two requirements, where in the proposal is the Offeror expected to address the FLASH IDIQ contract SOW? | The Government requires Offerors to address the FLASH IDIQ contract SOW in their proposal, past performance questionnaires and technical challenge exercise. |
| Question: We assume that we have to address only the Initial Task Order's SOW. However, there is a statement on page 73 that states that Offerors should demonstrate ability to provide required Please advise what specifically should Offerors address in response to the IDIQ Contract SOW? | The Government requires Offerors to address the FLASH IDIQ contract SOW in their proposal, past performance questionnaires and technical challenge exercise. The Initial Task Order SOW is a separate, independent and optional requirement. |
| Will the government perform a down-select prior to releasing the schedule for the technical challenge? If so, what is the evaluation criteria used in this down-select? | The Government will not perform a down-select. |
| For qualified personnel, will the government provide any means of expedited EOD process for contractor employees? | The expedited EOD process is done on a case-by- case basis. |
| What is the government's anticipated award date? | The Government anticipates an award before the end of September 2016. |
| If, in the government's opinion, it receives an inordinately large number of proposals, what are the government's criteria to determine which offerors will be invited to take part in the technical challenge exercise and which offerors will be excluded? | All offerors that submit a compliant proposal will take part in the technical challege exercise. |
| Will the government consider extending the submission deadline to Aug. 30, 2016? | The government is not extending the proposal submission deadline. |
| Can a vendor submit more than one prime bid? For example, can an vendor submit a bid as both itself and as member of a joint venture? | Offerors are to submit one prime bid. |
| If bidding as a joint venture, do all members of the joint venture have to be small under the NAICs in which this competition is being conducted? | In most cases, the answer is yes – please see FAR 19.101(7) and note that overall value of this procurement is expected to exceed one-half of the applicable size standard ($27.5 million) under NAICS code 541519. The exception is the use of a joint venture under SBA’s 8(a) mentor protégé program – please see 13 CFR 124.520(d): “(d) Benefits. (1) A mentor and protégé may joint venture as a small business for any government prime contract or subcontract, including procurements with a dollar value less than half the size standard corresponding to the assigned NAICS code and 8(a) sole source contracts, provided the protégé qualifies as small for the procurement and, for purposes of 8(a) sole source requirements, the protégé has not reached the dollar limit set forth in §124.519. |
| Can a vendor submit a bid as a prime offeror and submit a bid as a subcontractor to another prime offeror? | Yes |
| Which volume should the contractor include the Company-to-Company agreement? | The company-to-company agreement is no longer required as contractor support is not needed. |
| How will the Government verify the PPQ surveys are from the Government point of contact? What's to stop a bidder from modifying the POC's input? | The Government will randomly sample PPQs submitted. |
| Proprietary Information: The Government will be utilizing non-federal employees for administrative assistance. All contractor support will sign non-disclosures with the Government. All Offerors planning on submitting a proposal to this solicitation are required to submit a completed company-to-company agreement. Please confirm that the Government expects the Offeror to reach directly out to Mitre to complete this form and provide a copy of the agreement in our proposal submission. | The company-to-company agreement is no longer required as contractor support is not needed. |
| We assume that the completed company-to-company agreement regarding "Contractor Support" should be submitted as part of an Offeror's "Volume II - Pricing" proposal. Is this correct? | The company-to-company agreement is no longer required as contractor support is not needed. |
| Can we assume that the use of “N/A” in the last two rows within the table in F8.5 means that recertification only applies when a Contract Novation or Merger or acquisition not requiring a Novation occurs? | Recertification is required following a contract novatioin agreement approval, merger or acquisition, prior to exercising option periods. |
| Please extend the procurement due date by two weeks to allow the Government and Contractor sufficient time to answer these questions, review the answers and prepare a quality submission. | 0 |
| For the Volume I - Technical Proposal, what is the font type and size requirement for Factors 1, 2, and 3 responses? | Each Offeror shall submit a Technical Proposal separate from the Price Proposal. The documentation shall be single-sided and Times New Roman font no smaller than an 11 point size. No reduction in font or print size is permitted except for headers, footers, organization charts or other graphic illustrations. Each page shall have adequate margins on each side (at least one inch) of the page. |
| Should the offeror restrict their narrative description of applicable work to the Excel line 23 on the Past Performance Questionnaire- is that the Attachment 3 Part II referenced on page 77 of the RFP? Also inquiring if additional documents regarding Past Performance will be scored if included in addition to the Past Performance Questionnaire? | Offerors are to provide a brief description for each past performance example per the instructions in L.8 Tab C in Attachment 3 Line 23. |
| Since the contractor personnel may be required to work offsite at OCONUS, would the DHS reimburse the contractor with the extra cost burden? | OCONUS will be determined on the task order level. |
| Cover Letter - Is it the intent of the Government that the Cover Letter be submitted as a separate document or as part of Volume I – Technical? | The Cover Letter shall be submitted in Volume I. |
| Past Performance – Is it the intent of the Government that Tab C –Factor 3: Past Performance include a summary narrative of our past performance experience or ONLY Attachment 3? | Offerors are to provide a brief description for each past performance example per the instructions in L.8 Tab C in Attachment 3 Line 23. |
| Page 77 paragraph 5 states “The Offeror must provide the information requested for past performance evaluation, or affirmatively state that it possesses no past performance experience.” What specific information does the Government want in Factor 3? | Offerors are required to provide three (3)completed past performance questionnaires for Factor 3. |
| Cover Letter – Is the Cover Letter and Transmittal Letter (referenced in L.8, page 80, Tab C – Business Data) the same document? If not, what information is required on the Transmittal Letter? | Transmittal Letter has been removed. |
| Cover Letter – Due to the requirements of the cover letter and the size of our team, providing our subcontractor names, address, business size and DUNS numbers will take more the 1 page allocation. Will the Government allow additional pages if needed? | There is a page limitation of one (1) page for the cover letter. |
| Tab C - Business Data (d) Standard Form LLL – If the offeror has not participated in any lobbying activities are they still required to fill out Standard Form LLL? If required to fill out this form could the Government please advise offerors on how to fill this form to reflect an absence of lobbying activity? | If the form is not applicable to the Offeror please provide a statement. |
| We request for DHS to consider the removal of requirements in F.8.5 requiring re-representation no more than 120 days prior to the end of the base period, and no more than 120 days prior to exercising any option before the end of the base period; or end of each option period; as these requirements currently exceed those defined in FAR 52.219-28 Post-Award Small Business Program Rerepresentation defined for long-term contracts of more than five years in duration. There are many circumstances in which small businesses may win a spot on the IDIQ, win a Task Order, perform, but then be forced to re-represent themselves when they are no longer a small business. Given the high ceiling value of the IDIQ at $1.54 Billion, it's likely that successful companies on the IDIQ will quickly outgrow their small business status. Further, off-ramping successful contractors during task order execution may be disruptive to DHS components and projects in progress. | The language in the Section F.8.5, Re-representation of Small Business Size Report, will not be removed as small businesses will be required to re-represent following a contract novation, merger or acquisition, and before the end of the base or each option period. |
| Please confirm if the Offeror is allowed to submit past performance descriptions separately from the Past Performance Questionnaire, Attachment 3 spreadsheet, or if the attachment spreadsheet contains the only allowed past performance description. | Past Performance descriptions must be included in Attachment 3, Past Performance Questionnaire. |
| It is our understanding that the Government only wants the Past Performance Questionnaire and no other Past Performance write up. Is this correct? | Correct |
| We note that optional down-select has been removed from the RFP. Is it the Government intent to not have a down-select and that all offerors will be invited for the challenge? | All offerors that submit a compliant proposal will take part in the technical challege exercise. |
| In the statement “In Attachment 3, Part Two (2), the Offeror shall provide a brief description of each past performance example of the services and support provided”, please define what part 2 means? In the template there is no part 2 listed. | Attachment 3, Past Performance Questionnaire, has been re-issued to include Part 2. |
| To allow Offerors to create a Challenge Team approach that thoroughly and accurately addresses the answers in the Q&A, could the Government please extend the Aug. 16 deadline two weeks? | 0 |
| Will the Government clarify if the Cover Letter should be included within Volume I – Technical or as a separate document? | Cover letter should be included in Volume I. |
| For Offeror’s that are responding to the Initial Task Order (TO) Proposal (Optional), will the Government confirm that Offerors should separate Volume III into two separate files, and submit the Technical portion within the “RFP No. HSHQDC-16-R-00118_TECHNCIAL_Contractor Name.zip” folder, and the Price portion within the “RFP No. HSHQDC-16-R-00118_PRICING_Contractor Name.zip” folder? | Initial Task Order responses should be included in Volume III into two separate files. |
| As a Small Business that is considering partnering with a business outside of the small size standard, we would like to know the size standard that the Government is considering as “Large.” | Any business that is over the small business size standard for this acquisition's North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 541519 is considered "large". |
| As a Small Business that is considering partnering with a business outside of the small size standard, we would like to know the type and specifics of exactly what penalty the Government will levy upon us for this teaming arrangement if this business is considered “Large.” For example, if the penalty is that we will be removed from consideration for award, we would like to know that before we bid. Also, if this is a monetary penalty, we would like to know the specifics on how it will be levied upon us if we are selected to be part of the IDIQ and TO awards. | Offerors can subcontract with other than small businesses without being penalized. |
| The “Optional Down-Select” paragraph was in the 19 July Draft RFP but is no longer in the 2 Aug Final RFP. Is it the Government’s intent to have any and all Offeror’s that submit a proposal be asked to execute the Challenge Exercise? | All offerors that submit a compliant proposal will take part in the technical challege exercise. |
| Does the font type, size, etc. called out in the Pricing Volume also apply to the Technical Volume? | Each Offeror shall submit a Technical Proposal separate from the Price Proposal. The documentation shall be single-sided and Times New Roman font no smaller than an 11 point size. No reduction in font or print size is permitted except for headers, footers, organization charts or other graphic illustrations. Each page shall have adequate margins on each side (at least one inch) of the page. |
| Does the Offeror need to provide a past performance write up AND the PPQ? Or just the PPQ? | Offerors are only required to submit completed past performance questionnaires. |
| The government states, “FLASH awardees are required to re-represent small business size status according to the following schedule”, “No more than 120 days prior to the end of the base period”, and “No more that 120 days prior to exercising any option before the end of the base period; or end of any option period.” Question: If an offeror is selected for award of the IDIQ and graduates out of small business status during the base year or option years and is subsequently unable to recertify, will this inability to to recertify, effect option award? | Small businesses will be required to re-represent following a contract novation, merger or acquisition, and before the end of the base or each option period. Small businesses that do no recertify and are no longer small (under the NAICS code) will not be allowed to compete for further task orders. Task Order COs have the option to require re-certification at the task order level. |
| In L.8 Tab B - Factor 3: Past Performance, the government states, "In Attachment 3, Part Two (2), the Offeror shall provide a brief description of each past performance, example of the services and support provided, an explanation of why the experience is relevant in demonstrating the Offeror’s capabilities for fulfilling the in-scope tasks/requirements stated in Section C of the RFP, and the dates of engagement (period of performance)." The block in Attachment 3 - Past Performance Questionaire (Excel Spreadsheet) which is titled, “Provide a brief description of the contract requirements” is limited in size in such a way that it only allows a small amount of text entry that is visible (approximately one average sized paragraph). Question: Is it the governments intent that the Past Performance write up be limited to the text that is visible in that block of the Attachment 3 and incorporate all of the elements required in Tab C - Factor 3: Past Performance on pg 77? | The Government re-issued Attachment 3 to allow Offeror's sufficient space to respond. |
| For Volume 1 “Technical Volume”, you list a Tab C – Past Performance – Attachment 3, which is the PPQ. If PPQs are forwarded to respective customer for submission to the DHS FLASH POC, what do you expect to see in the Technical Volume Tab C? | The Offeror's completed past performance questionnaires shall be included in Tab C. |
| Time due is 4PM on SF33, 2PM in Section L. Please clarify. | Proposals are due at 4:00 EST. |
| Can Government supply the SF33 as a fillable PDF form? | No |
| Are the completed PPQs to be submitted in separate files in Excel, or merged into the body of Volume I as ‘Tab C’? | Completed PPQs are to be submitted in separate files in Excel under Volume I Tab C. |
| “Volume I: Technical Volume , The Offeror shall address Factor 1- Technical - orally and in writing. In addressing the factor, the proposal must demonstrate the Offeror’s ability to provide the required services as described in the IDIQ contract SOW.” Is there a requirement for additional writing to address Factor 1 in the proposal to demonstrate the Offeror’s ability to provide the required services in addition to addressing the Technical Stack and Tools? If so, what is the page limit? | Offerors are to submit the techical stack and tools (1 page limit) and challenge exercise attendees list (Attachment 5) within 1 business day of receipt of of technical challenge exercise invitation. |
| The L.4 section states the proposals shall be submitted in “two (2) separate documents: (1) Volume I – Technical Proposal Written Content and Volume II – Price Proposal”. This seems to direct that the documents should be consolidated into two (2) separate documents – a Technical document and a Price document. However, on page 72 Section L.8 General Instructions, the RFP states to “separate all Pricing and Technical Proposal written information into separate zip (winzip.exe) folders”. This seems to imply that bidders would provide two zip files separate “documents” for each of the identified Proposal Sections in the Table. Additionally, the Pricing Submission Instructions section in Pricing instructions describe specific file name for the identified “Tab” documents. However, the Technical instructions do not specify file names. Will the government please clarify? | The naming convention for the technical volume is provided the conformed RFP. |
| Section L.8 states that “acceptable electronic formats are Adobe PDF or Microsoft Word except for pricing and questions. Technical Attachments 3 and 5 were provided as Microsoft Excel documents. Please confirm that it is permitted to submit these as pdf documents. | Attachment 5 shall be completed in Microsoft Excel. Attachment 3 shall be completed as a .pdf. |
| In what tab of the Pricing Volume should we place the completed Company to Company form? | The company-to-company agreement is no longer required as contractor support is not needed. |
| It cites “The Offeror shall address Factor 1- Technical - orally and in writing. In addressing the factor, the proposal must demonstrate the Offeror’s ability to provide the required services as described in the IDIQ contract SOW. How can the offeror address Factor 1- Technical – orally and in writing when the technical volume has no requirement for technical approach or page allotment to address it in writing? (see table in L.8 General Instructions, table that lists page count per Volume 1 – Technical, pg 72) | The Government requires Offerors to demonstrate their ability to provide the required services in their proposal, past performance questionnaires and technical challenge exercise. |
| Are there any file size limits on DHS HQ's email servers that would limit the email size of our proposal submission? | Individual file sizes shall not exceed 5MB. |
| Please clarify whether the government expects past performance references to submit Past Performance Questionaires directly to the government, and if so to whom and by when. | Completed PPQs are to be submitted in separate files in Excel under Volume I Tab C. |
| "Past Performance references for a Joint Venture may be submitted from the entity or the individual companies that comprise it. Joint Ventures with no past performance (ie. Joint Venture and individual team members) will receive a neutral rating; if the individual members do have past performance experience, then that performance will be evaluated on behalf of the Joint Venture." - |
* In a JV (8a Mentor Protege) - where there is a 8a and large business. Will this be considered as a SB or LB. Given that you are allowing the PP of the individual members, this is going to be a disadvantage for small businesses bidding on their own
| * For a JV the Government should only allow PP of the JV and not the individual members. | In accordance with 13 CFR 124.520(d), the 8(a) mentor-protégé JV will be considered small if the small business protégé qualifies as small for the procurement. This is a federal-wide standard and must be applied to all procurements. If the JV does not have past peformance information, the Government will evaluate the past performance information of the companies that comprise the JV. | |
| "“How will the Offeror’s team successfully staff the work on multiple task orders on the contract with highly qualified staff (for example, it’s ability to hire and retain)" - In our view this is the most significant factor to make DHS FLASH a success. Having said this and given the need to bring non-traditional companies, can the Government provide guidance if they can provide guidance on having resources work remotely on the task orders. The approach for remote teams will enable us to attract the best talent nationally and our partners (non-traditional ones) based out of DC can significantly bring their expertise with resources working remote. As the prime we are based in DC and plan to have a presence in DC area | The place of performance will be determined at the task order level. | |
| "the Offeror shall provide a brief description of each past performance example of the services and support provided, an explanation of why the experience is relevant in demonstrating the Offeror’s capabilities for fulfilling the in-scope tasks/requirements stated in Section C of the RFP," - Given that this is the only place where the Offerror gets to talk about their past performance in details. Is there limit on the text OR Can the Government consider moving this to a word document as a separate section (1 Page limit) for the offerror to provide details relevant to the tasks/requirements in Section C | There is no limit on the text on Attachment 3 line 23. | |
| In order be prepared to staff for task orders effectively, is the government willing to provide a concept of pre DHS clearance for our personnel. This will help us to create a pipeline of technical qualified and cleared candidates | The government will not provide a concept of pre DHS clearance for personnel. | |
| Apart from JV, is the Government allowing Contractor Teaming Arrangement (CTA) to bid DHS FLASH | No. | |
| Will the Government please clarify what is meant by “estimated contract value for each requirement”? | The "estimated contract value for each requirement" is the contract's overall dollar value. | |
| Will the Government Technical Evaluation Panel (TEP) be comprised of government employees only, or will the government include contractors, consultants or 3rd party advisors? | The Government Technical Evaluation Panel will be comprised of Government employees. | |
| Is Place of Performance primarily expected to be in the Washington DC area? | The place of performance will be determined at the task order level. | |
| The instructions state: “Each Offeror’s proposal shall provide three (3) examples of previous recent contract engagements…”May offerors provide more than three Recent contract engagements? | The government will only evaluate the first three (3) past performance questionnaires. | |
| The instructions in Section L.4 state “The Offeror’s proposal shall be submitted in two (2) separate documents: (1) Volume I - Technical Proposal Written Content and Volume II - Price Proposal” Section L.8 specifies two (2) separate zip folders, but lists multiple documents both within the two volumes and additional to the two volumes (Cover Letter and Volume III). Please clarify? | Each zip is comprised of separate files. | |
| Will the government’s evaluation be based on a color scale, pass/fail or adjectival basis? Please provide the color or adjective ratings and the criteria that will be used for assigning each factor or sub factor a rating. | The rating scheme will not be provided in the RFP. | |
| "All Offerors planning on submitting a proposal to this solicitation are required to submit a completed company-to-company agreement." |
| Where in the submission should the Offeror include the agreement and will it count against page limits? | The company-to-company agreement is no longer required as contractor support is not needed. | |
| Does anything need to be written about our approach in the Technical Challenge Exercise section of Volume I – Technical, besides information about the technical stack and tools? For example, anything specific to process. | No. | |
| Form 33 States the proposal is due on August 16th at 4pm, however, on page 71 it states that all proposals are due by 2pm. | Proposals are due at 4:00 EST. | |
| This section states proposal are due NLT than 2PM. However, Section A -SF 33 states proposal are due NLT than 4PM, which is the correct time? | Proposals are due at 4:00 EST. | |
| In Attachment 3, Part Two (2), the Offeror shall provide a brief description of each past performance example of the services and support provided, an explanation of why the experience is relevant in demonstrating the Offeror’s capabilities for fulfilling the in-scope tasks/requirements stated in Section C of the RFP, and the dates of engagement (period of performance). The Offeror shall provide the Contract Type (Firm Fixed-Price, Time & Materials/Labor Hour; Cost Reimbursable, Cost plus award fee, etc.) and estimated contract value for each requirement. Where specifically in Attachment 3 is Part Two (2) where the above information is to be provided? | The Government has re-issued Attachment 3, Past Performance Questionnaire, to include Part Two (2). | |
| The proposal submittal time is indicated as 4PM but Section L.4, pg 74 states 2PM. Which is correct? | Proposals are due at 4:00 EST. | |
| A Transmittal Letter is identified to be included but no description of its contents is provided. Is this a requirement or it is the Cover Letter to be included as part of Volume II also? | The transmittal letter has been removed. | |
| When should we complete the company-to-company agreement with Mitre? Prior to proposal submission? | The company-to-company agreement is no longer required as contractor support is not needed. | |
| There is a documentation format specified for Volume II but not one for Volume I. Is there a format for Volume I? | Each Offeror shall submit a Technical Proposal separate from the Price Proposal. The documentation shall be single-sided and Times New Roman font no smaller than an 11 point size. No reduction in font or print size is permitted except for headers, footers, organization charts or other graphic illustrations. Each page shall have adequate margins on each side (at least one inch) of the page. | |
| Can additional team members be added to the contract after award? | Yes, see Section B.7. | |
| Reference: All Adobe PDF documents and Microsoft Word/Excel documents shall be submitted with the ability to highlight and copy the text/data of the document. Any documents submitted that are protected in such a way which does not enable the ability to highlight/copy/paste the text/data, will not be accepted. Question: For Volume II, contract documents are required (SF 30, 33, Section K, SF LLL, etc.). If those contract forms are provided in pdf, filled out, and converted to a jpeg, png, or gif, to insert into the document, in their original format, do they also need have the ability to highlight, copy the text/data? In other words, in order to keep the original integrity of the contract documents the end product is converted into a png or jpeg file and then inserted into the Volume II proposal submission document. Is this acceptable? If not, offerors must recreate each contract document in a word file, which compromises the integrity of the original documents. | All Adobe PDF documents and Microsoft Word/Excel documents shall be submitted with the ability to highlight and copy the text/data of the document. | |
| Task Orders issued in during a performance year of the IDIQ contract, may have a performance year which is not aligned with the base contract. Are offerors to price Task orders based on the IDIQ performance period? For example, is it expected that for a given Task Order performance period, the price will be the same for the entire period? Or may the price change during a Task Order performance period when the next option period of the IDIQ starts, even if this is in the middle of a given Task Order performance period? | Offerors are to price based on the IDIQ ordering period of performance. | |
| For the CLIN pricing, is firm fixed price (FFP) pricing, time & materials (T&M) pricing, or labor hour-based (LH) pricing being sought from offerors? | The Government is seeking ceiling prices for all roles and responsibilities. | |
| Will task order performance be Government site, Contractor site, or both? | The place of performance will be determined at the task order level. | |
| Can the Government estimate the percentage of the work to be performed that will require a SECRET level clearance? | The government anticipates no more than 5% of the work will require a Secret clearance. | |
| The SF 33 indicates the proposal is due by “August 16, 2016 at 4:00 PM EST”. Section L.4 indicates it is “due NO LATER THAN 2:00 PM”. We request that you give us a consistent time by which the proposal must be delivered, and recommend you make that 4 PM EDT. | Proposals are due at 4:00 EST. | |
| The Table indicates the Initial Task Order proposal is to be placed in Volume III of our submission, and that we should “see RFP Attachment 2A.” In Attachment 2A, on page 2 of 5, we are told that the Task Order proposal consists of two (2) volumes, with Volume I for the Technical Proposal and Volume II for the Price. Since the RFP instructions indicate that Volumes I and II are for the IDIQ proposal, should we provide the (optional) Task Order proposal as Volumes III and IV? | The Optional Task Order response should be provided under Volume III following the instructions in Attachment 2A. | |
| The second sentence in the paragraph indicates “All contractor support will sign non-disclosures with the Government.” We believe this refers to the Mitre personnel providing administrative assistance, but it could also be interpreted that the offerors and their subcontractors must do so. Please confirm that this sentence does not relate to offerors and their subcontractors. | This requirement is no longer required as contractor support is not needed. | |
| The RFP states “75% of each task order value to go to small business prime or small business contractors.” Please further define what this means by example. Does this statement mean that as a small business (SB) prime, if I have a team of 5 business made up of the SB Prime, 2 SB subcontractors, and 2 Large businesses: a) 75% of the task order value goes to my 5 member IDIQ team as bid? Or b) 75% of the work goes to the SB Prime and 2 SB subcontractors and no more than 25% can go to the 2 Large business subcontractors. | The Task Order CO may require up to 75% of each task order value go to small businesses. | |
| Section F.8.5 Re-representation of Small Business Size Status Report. This section requires small business re-certify annually not greater than 120 days before the end of the Base and each option period. This conflicts with FAR 52.219-28(b)(3) which requires recertification for long-term contracts within 60 to 120 days prior to the end of the fifth year of the contract; and within 60 to 120 days prior to the date specified in the contract for exercising any option thereafter. Since the period of performance is less than 5 years, than recertification would only apply during a novation or merger. Please confirm if DHS will remove the 120 annual re-certification requirement as this is not a long-term contract in accordance with FAR52.219-28(b)(3). Given the estimated value of this requirement, many small businesses (and their teaming partners) may not be eligible to compete for more than one task order if the award of an initial task order prevents them from re-certifying as a small business as required by this provision. Inclusion of this requirement does not appear to be in the best interest of the Government because it will likely adversely impact competition for two reasons: 1) the large upfront investment in B&P costs may not be worth the investment for potentially only one task |
order; and, 2) elimination of initial awardees based on their inability to re-certify will adversely impact the number of offerors who can compete for follow-on task orders.
| The language in the Section F.8.5, Re-representation of Small Business Size Report, will not be removed as small businesses will be required to re-represent following a contract novation, merger or acquisition, and before the end of the base or each option period. | |
| How will DHS issue task orders? For example, will TOs be issued via email or through a database alert notification? | FLASH is a strategically sourced vehicle with de-centralized ordering; therefore, Headquarters and its components may have different methods for issuing task orders. |
| DHS provides an anticipated volume for base and option years. Does DHS intend to provide an annual Task Order forecast? If yes, will a forecast be provided pre- or post-award? | No |
| In the event of a protest, DHS stated the initial TO will be removed from FLASH. Does DHS intend to solicit the task order under an existing vehicle in the event of a protest? If yes, which vehicle? | if the initial task order is removed from FLASH, ICE will determine what vehicle to use . |
| DHS states support of smooth task order transitions. Does DHS intend to use this vehicle for existing Agile projects other than the initial task order and if so, do all DHS components intend to solely use this vehicle for Agile projects? | FLASH is a strategically sourced vehicle that will be be mandatory for use with exceptions. |
| What percentage of the work does DHS expect to be performed at government facilities vs. non-government facilities? | The place of performance will be determined at the task order level. |
| Does DHS expect OCONUS support to be provided at government facilities or non-government facilities? | OCONUS support at government or non-government facilities will be determined at the task order level. See Section B.6. |
| What does DHS consider to be "consistent non-bidding”? Does DHS have an expected or minimum percentage of task orders Primes must bid? | "Consistent non-bidding" means that there is a pattern of contractors not submitting quotations or proposals on orders . DHS does not have an expected or minimum percentage bid requirement. |
| What time is the Proposal due, 2pm EST or 4pm EST? L.4 says "All proposals are due NO LATER THAN 2:00 P.M. Eastern Time on the date specified on the SF-33", but the SF33 says "RFP closing date of August 16, 2016 at 4:00 PM EST" | Proposals are due at 4:00 EST. |
| Does the Government require any resumes to be submitted as a part of the IDIQ proposal’s staffing plan? | No |
| Does the government prefer one file of the technical stack and tools and staffing sections, separated by headers, or would the government prefer each section as a separate document within the .zip folder? | The technical stack and tools and staffing sections shall be separate documents. The technical stack and tools shall be submitted within 1 business day of receipt of the technical challenge exercise invitation. |
| Is the proposal due NO LATER THAN 2:00 P.M. ET (per Section L.4) or 4:00 P.M., per Section A, SF 33 #9? | Proposals are due at 4:00 EST. |
| Does the government intend to evaluate all proposal submissions before assigning Challenge Day dates to successful offerors or will the dates be assigned as proposals are evaluated? | All compliant proposal submissions will be assigned a challenge day date. |
| Should we submit Past Performance References as a single workbook with 3 worksheets, one reference on each worksheet/tab or as 3 separate Excel workbooks? | Completed PPQs are to be submitted in separate files in Excel under Volume I Tab C. |
| SF 33 submission time states 4PM, but Sec L.4 says 2PM -- what time is the submission due on August 16? | Proposals are due at 4:00 EST. |
| the RFP indicates that we have 3 total pages for staffing and within the staffing section, we have 2 pages to answer a specific question (How will offeror's team successful staff the work…?) and 1 page for description or illustration of the team. If we can address the first portion in less than 2 pages, can we use the extra space for a more in depth explanation of the team and capabilities? | No |
| Are vendors allowed to propose any additional or alternative labor categories | Additional labor categories may be added at the task order level to fulfill mission requirements. See Section B.7. |
| Is the Cover Letter part of Volume 1, Volume 2, or a separate document? Does the government want one document, broken up my the sections listed in the chart in L.8? | The cover letter should be submitted in Volume I. The government wants the documents broken down up by sections as listed in the chart in L.8. |
| Is the stated closing date/time of "August 16, 2016 at 4:00 PM" correct? | Proposals are due at 4:00 EST. |
| Is the stated due date/time of "proposals are due NO LATER THAN 2:00 P.M. Eastern Time on the date specified on the SF-33" correct? | Proposals are due at 4:00 EST. |
| The submission deadline for the proposal is August 16, 2016 no later than 2 pm EST. On fbo.gov and SF 33 the submission deadline is August 16, 2016 at 4 pm. Please let us know if it is 2 pm or 4 pm. | Proposals are due at 4:00 EST. |
| If we do not have teaming partners/subcontractors can we write about our staffing process up to 3 pages. | No. |
| The space to provide description of previous contracts in Attachment 3 is very small (about ¼ of a page). Can we submit narrative about our past performance in addition to Attachment 3? | The Government re-issued Attachment 3 to allow Offeror's sufficient space to respond. |
This is the start of the file's text. The full file is on GovTribe.
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .