Q_Az_DJA-13-AHDQ-R-0035_0002.pdf

Q&As for DJA-13-AHDQ-R-0035, Network Management Support Services, 8(a) Set-Aside

1. What kinds of tools do you currently use to monitor LAN/WAN?

OPNET, MRTG, & SOLARWINDS

2. Is there an incumbent for this work? ICS-Nett

3. What was the previous contract number, dollar value and performance period?

DJA09D000010, ~$6.97M, 12/1/08-11/30/13

4. How many workstations does this contract support? ~7,000

5. How many end users does this support? ~7000

6. How many FTEs currently support this effort? 10, but this could expand based on exercising optional tasks.

7. The pricing template lists 13 positions NTE 1920 hours each. Does the government expect 13 FTEs to support this contract? That was just an example – Please list however many you propose to fulfill ATF’s requirement, whether that’s 13, more than 13 or less than 13. Also the Pricing Template has been revised to hopefully be more useful.

8. The key personnel listed are as follows "Network Engineer(s), a Program Manager, a Telecom Analyst, and Technical Writer(s)". Should this indicate that there will be only one telecom Analyst required? For CLINs 0002-0006, yes.

9. There are many labor categories in the solicitation that are not listed in the price sheet such as Quality Assurance Specialists. Are we to assume at least one of each of these labor categories will be necessary to perform the work? Those were add’l positions that may be used & criteria for such. Again, the pricing template/price sheet is an example – Please complete it according to your solution.

10. Will the incumbent/current personnel be made available during the entire 3 month transition period? That will have to be communicated w/the incumbent.

11. Please confirm that this effort requires the contractor to hold a secret facilities clearance. Facilities clearances aren’t needed at this time, only clearances on the people.

12. The solicitation mentions "Cell Phone, Smartphone, iPad and Blackberry Support" will this include BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) items? ATF has not instituted that yet; if they do, it most likely would.

13. The solicitation states that the Government will provide "600 square foot of space, 8 cubicles and 1 networking station" will this include workstations for the 8 cubicles? Yes

14. The solicitation states that the Government will provide "600 square foot of space, 8 cubicles and 1 networking station" are the cubicles capable of holding more than one individual, and their desk? ATF is trying to keep it at 1 person/cubicle.

15. In the RFP, it is stated that the contractor must submit at least 3 past performances. Will

ATF consider 8(a) contractors with two past performances? If a contractor has had less than 3 past experiences, then ATF cannot hold that against the contractor. No relevant Past Performance will be given a ‘Neutral’ rating.

16. Page 15, Section 6.2.3 b): Prior to diverting any of the specified individuals assigned to key personnel positions to other programs, the Contractor shall notify the CO within thirty (30) days and shall submit justification……”. Does this apply before the contract begins?

Meaning, can we replace individuals whose resumes were submitted along with the proposal should they become unavailable due to delays in contract start date? This more so applies to the contract after award; however, ATF still needs to evaluate/approve the suggested substitution.

17. Page 18 Section 11.0: ….The Contractor shall be onsite ….during normal business hours

(7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.). Could you clarify if this means that the support team has to be on the job for 11 hours each work day? There just has to be coverage during these hours; all should work 8 hours/day.

18. Page 21, (2): Contractor employees that only require access to ATF facilities must be United

States citizens or foreign nationals legally permitted to reside in the United States.

However, page 23 ATF-12 says “NON-US CITIZENS PROHIBITED FROM ACCESS TO DOJ INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) SYSTEMS”. Could you please clarify the discrepancy? The 1st references facilities; the 2nd references IT Systems.

19. What is the anticipated Contract Award date? Anticipate NLT 3/1/14

20. What is the anticipated Contract start date? Anticipate Transition starting NLT 3/1/14 w/the Base Year starting NLT 6/1/14

21. On the Pricing Template provided, it calls for a network engineer to be priced out.

According to the SOW on page 16, it has three different levels of Network Engineer positions (Level1, Level 2, Level 3) and two different levels for the Technical Writer positions. Which level do you want us to price for the Pricing Template or do we price out all the levels on the spreadsheet? The pricing template is to be used as a guide. It has been revised so that the hourly rate & overtime rates can be inputted. Please use the Pricing

Template to price out your solution.

22. Pages 16 thru 17 of SOW, ATF lists additional/optional positions (IT Analysts, QA Specialists, Systems Analysts, Systems Architect). Does ATF want bidders to propose rates for these optional positions that may be required over the life of the contract? Yes – Please provide the hourly rate for all positions listed & then price out your own solution.

23. Does ATF anticipate using a T&M pricing model for the Optional Tasks? All should be fixed price. Before an optional task is exercised, if anything has changed after award, the parties can re-negotiate.

24. Which mobile devices does the government use? Section 4.14 calls out “cell phone, blackberry, and smart phone” and “iPhones, Blackberries, Smartphones, and cell phones.”

However, under Administrative Assistant it says that Smartphones include iPhone and Android but with no mention of Blackberry devices. Will the government please clarify which smart phone devices are in use and will be managed under this contract? ATF recently phased out the blackberries.

25. The solicitation mentions key personnel be knowledgeable of all technologies used by the

ATF. Can the government provide a definitive list of the technologies for which the contractor will be responsible? In particular, the solicitation mentions “all versions used by ATF” of Windows administration and networking, Office, OPNET, and Linux and UNIX.

Usually ATF stays within the last 2 to 3 versions of major released software, firmware, or operation system versions. Also security patching is maintained.

26. What kind of electronic signature is necessary in submitting the proposal? Do we need to obtain a certification from a specific vendor? An electronic signature is not necessary. You can sign/scan page 1 of the most recent amendment or you can simply sign/scan 1 of the pages of your proposal.

27. For which providers and situations is the government seeking assistance with billing management, review, and payment (4.17)? ATF’s landline & cellular/wireless invoices & statements which are managed by a contractor (~21 local exchange carriers).

28. For font requirements, will the government accept section headings in colors other than black? Are bold, italic, and underline call-outs of words acceptable? Per Section 2 of the Instructions to Offerors: ‘font style Calibri; font color black; and font size 12’. Bold, Italic & Underline are all acceptable.

29. What is the deadline for past performance surveys/questionnaires? They were due at the same time of the proposals as stated on the surveys (originally 9/27/13, currently 12/3/13).

30. Please confirm a hard copy submission is required as well as and electronic email submission. Please confirm address in SF is correct address to ship hard copy submissions.

Both are required per Section 1(b) of the Instructions to Offerors…The address in Block 6 of the most recent Amendment is correct: Sheray Millhouse – 99 New York Ave., NE #3.S-153

– Washington, DC 20226.

31. Page counts for Sections 1-4 in Volume I are designated; however is there an overall total page count for Volume 1. Refer to Section 2(c) of the Instructions to Offerors, ‘Total Page

Limits’.

32. Reference Section 5.0, Is there any expense to the contractor for the ATF Security background Investigation? The cost for finger printing & passport-size photos.

33. The solicitation provides detailed tasks that need to be performed; however, there is no workload data on which to base staffing. Can the Government provide the expected LOE and/or provide the historical workload data (i.e. number of users, number of systems, average number of reports, etc) for us to create a staffing plan against? Please rephrase.

34. With section 11 stating the workplace includes 8 cubicles and 1 network station, does the government allow remote access for support from a contractor site? It depends on the task at hand, but in general we want the contractor working out of HQ; otherwise, the contractor’s site will need to be cleared.

35. The government has proposed this as a FFP – Hybrid award. Can the government identify the specific tasks under each fixed price and cost contract area? Per Block 20 of the RFP, ‘ATF contemplates a Hybrid Firm-Fixed Price Contract with Cost Reimbursement for ODCs

IAW FAR 19.

36. Section 3.1.4 RFP states:

“c) Contractor shall submit a management plan for how the company intends to accomplish, administer, and manage the tasks and deliverables in the SOW. The staffing plan, detailing the labor categories, hourly rates and number of hours, shall be included in this document.”

Please confirm that hourly rates for all positions are to be included in the Staffing Plan for Volume I-Technical; as pricing information is typically restricted to the pricing volume only. ATF has revised that sentence by removing ‘hourly rates’.

37. Regarding the following question from 5 Section 2:

Contractor shall identify its turnover rate for fiscal years 2010, 2011, and 2012. Turnover rates shall be calculated using Bureau of Labor Statistics definition, which is ‘the number of total separations during the month divided by the number of employees who worked during or received pay for the pay period that includes the 12th of the month (monthly turnover); the number of total separations for the year divided by average monthly employment for the year (annual turnover).”

If we are bidding as a team, should we compute the three years turnover rates for our separate team members or combine our numbers to compute 2010, 2011, and 2012 turnover rates as one team? You can submit both & then show the combined average.

38. Would personnel with an interim ‘secret’ clearance be permitted on this contract? All must go through a background investigation/clearance process by ATF; if necessary, a waiver can be submitted for proposed personnel.

39. Can you please provide number of devices: This will be disclosed after award.

a. WAN Devices

b. LAN Devices

c. Servers

d. VoIP Edge Devices

40. Can you please provide location information:

a. Number of Sites ~200+ ATF offices & 100+ NIBIN offices

b. Size of the Sites This varies a great deal.

c. Supported organizations ATF mainly, with some communication with DOJ, U.S.

Embassies, U.S. Treasury, and some states

d. Data Centers 2

e. NOCs This contract is responsible for 1.

41. Is there any current network documentation that can be shared: This will be disclosed after award.

a. Drawings

b. NOC Requirements

c. Staffing

d. Technical Documentation Requirements

42. What Network Management System Monitoring tools and ticketing system are currently in place? OPNET, Solarwinds, MRTG, and Remedy

43. What are the agency standards for:

a. Network Devices Cisco mainly

b. Operating System Requirements This is done via internal ATF standards.

c. Patch Management requirements This is done via internal ATF standards.

d. Security This is done via internal ATF standards.

44. How many contractor personnel are currently working on this contract? 10

45. Can we include a mid-sized/large company as our sub-contractor on our team? If yes, will you allow to use their past performances also? This requirement is Set-Aside for 8(a) Small Businesses – Please refer to the Federal Acquisition Regulation 19 regarding Subcontractors.

46. Page 7 of 61, paragraph 3.0 Scope - “Such services will be for………..documentation, and invoice review and reconciliation support”. Does “support” indicate that the contractor will only review and reconcile with a government official making the final approval prior to submission for payment? Yes, there is government oversight with this.

47. In the event of an invoice payment/reconciliation error, is there a procedure described in the solicitation to address the process for corrections? They will simply work with the government official(s) to clarify and solve the issue at hand.

48. Page 12-13 of 61, paragraph 4.22 Deliverable Schedule – “Due 15 calendar days……..written notification from the COR”. Is an email message an acceptable form of “written notification”? Yes

49. Page 13 of 61, Task # 4.7.1-4.7.4, Security and Documentation Tasks, Deliverable Due Date - “Due as needed per the DOJ/ATF security document timeframe due dates”. What is the DOJ/ATF security document timeframe due date? Different security documents are due yearly at different times; due dates will be given out in advance.

50. Page 13, paragraph 5.0 Security Requirements. What is the approximate timeframe for results of the required ATF security background investigation? ~3 months

51. Are contractors permitted to begin work prior to receipt of those results? Only if they are granted a waiver (individually-based).

52. Page 15, paragraph 6.2.1. What versions of Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, OPNET are used by ATF? Currently on Windows XP – Usually ATF stays within the last 2 to 3 versions of major released software, firmware, or operation system versions. Also security patching is maintained.

53. For OPNET, it is stated “all current and future version used by ATF”. Who is responsible for providing the dollars for the cost of training for future versions? Generally OPNET has always provided free training; so we will provide the time for contractor to get trained.

54. What is the timeframe for obtaining any necessary training on future versions? That will be determined & worked into the schedule as we move forward.

55. Specifically which “CISCO hardware and software products”? This really varies, mainly this is dealing with switches and some routers.

56. In Section 6.3, Evaluation and Evaluation Factors, the Government states that Key Personnel for this effort shall be “an Admin Assistant, a Network Engineer(s), a Program Manager, a Telecom Analyst, and Technical Writers.” A similar statement is made in Section ATF-31 Key Personnel. In Section 6.2.3 and specifically in 6.2.3.1, qualifications are defined for three levels of Network Engineer, and two levels of Technical Writers. These requirements could be interpreted that the Government desires one resume for each major class of labor category, for a total of five resumes, or that the Government wants one resume for each labor subcategory within the major labor categories, for a total of nine resumes. Would the Government please clarify the number of key personnel for which resumes are to be submitted? The number of resumes is based on your proposed solution; the resumes should not be more than 2 pages per person.

57. In the table in Section 2(c) of the Instructions to Offerors, the requirements for Section 3 – Personnel Qualifications state that the response shall consist of 2 pages per discipline. In Section 3.1.5, the extended description only references resumes. Should this be interpreted to mean that the personnel qualifications section of the proposal shall only have resumes of key personnel and no other comment or discussion of personnel qualifications? Yes

58. Would the Government please provide the number of individuals currently supporting this program by labor category? 10 (4 Network Engineers, 3 Tech Writers, 1 Admin Asst, & 1 Telecom Analyst for NMSS; 1 Tech Writer for NIBIN). Does the Government anticipate any fewer or additional positions to fulfill the requirements of this solicitation? The government is interested in your solution.

59. Will the Government please identify the incumbent contractor for this effort? ICS Nett

60. In Section 2 (c) of the Instructions to Offerors, the Government specifies that Past Performance shall consist of 4 pages per reference. A note is made that past performance shall be per the Survey enclosed with the RFP. However, the Government directs that the surveys should be sent directly to the ATF by the client being surveyed, per Section 3.1.6.1.

In Section 3.1.6, the Government directs that there shall be a minimum of three past performance citations. In Section 6.3 Evaluation and Evaluation Factors, Factor 3 Past Performance, the Government specifies that the past performance references shall be no more than 3 pages in length. Would the Government please clarify whether past performance references should include a description separate from the surveys submitted by the bidders’ clients, and if so, if the allowable length of descriptions is three pages or four pages. Both: the survey & a no-more-than-3-page description for the reference should be submitted. These references can be different from those submitting the surveys. Would the Government specify a maximum number of past performance references above the minimum number of three? The government wants to see at least 3 (no more than 5). Are past performance references from subcontractors on the bidding team allowed, and if so what allocation of past performance references should be made between prime contractor and subcontractor? ATF didn’t request past performance from subcontractors; whatever contributions they made to the prime should be reflected on the prime’s survey.

61. To assist in sizing the program and in order to provide the Government with an optimal staffing solution, would the Government provide information on the size of the network, including number of users; number of smartphones deployed; distribution of on-site users and remote access users; method for management of remote access; method for managing access permissions and controls and related sizing data? There are ~7000 users & ~3700 smartphones; the rest of the information will be disclosed after Award.

62. The solicitation document has used a rather complex numbering schema, such that there are multiple paragraphs throughout the solicitation with the same paragraph number. In order to provide support for tracking compliance with the terms of the solicitation in the table of contents, would the Government consider renumbering the proposal so that each paragraph has a unique number? This will considerably simplify validating that each proposal submitted is fully compliant with Government requirements. In order to better identify/reference sections of the RFP, include the Section as well as the Section number when referencing (ie: Instruction to Offerors – 1(d) or SOW 4.2…). You can even include the page number of the RFP (ie: 14 of 61).

63. SOW 4.4.5 Help Desk, requests support for ATF’s WAN Help Desk during the hours/time frame set up by ATF. Can you provide the average number of calls per day? ~40+, but this can vary due to the nature of the call.

64. Is the Help Desk automated with tracking software? If so, can you specify the software tool in use? Remedy

65. SOW Section 3.0 Scope provides a sample of communication and computer equipment. Can you provide a more detailed list of hardware and software to manage the network? This information will be disclosed after award.

66. SOW Section 5.0 Security discusses contractor personnel to be subject to an ATF security background investigation. Does this include a security clearance such as Secret or higher?

Yes

67. Who is the incumbent on the current contract? ICS Nett

68. How many people currently staff this effort? 10. Are they FTEs or are some [of] them part time? One is part time at the moment, but we are requiring full-time pricing for all of the positions.

69. SOW Section 4.20 discusses Transition. You request a Transition Quality Plan (TQP). Can you provide more information about the kinds of tools you require or the performance management expectations? The TQP should be proposed by the contractor.

70. How many current employees of ATF does this contract support? ~7000

71. Are your systems all independent or do they interface with other DOJ or DHS systems? Can you provide any information about these systems or interfaces? This information will be disclosed after award.

72. SOW Sections 4.4.1, 4.4.2, 4.4.3. What network monitoring tools are in place to monitor traffic and equipment status (CISCO switched port analyzer (SPAN) feature? Solarwinds?

Splunk?) Other? OPNET, Solarwinds, & MRTG

73. SOW Sections 4.4.1, 4.4.2, 4.4.3. What is the level of effort (FTE -full time equivalent) assigned to the network management/monitoring Tasks? 4 FTEs usually

74. SOW 4.6. What is the level of effort (FTE -full time equivalent) assigned to the testing and configuration task? One to Four FTEs, it depends on the task and its length.

75. SOW 4.4.5 WAN Help Desk Support. What ticket tracking system is in place? Remedy.

What is the approximate volume of help desk calls? ~40+ daily to the WANDesk (this contract) How many calls are escalated from level 1 to level 2 to level 3? The regular (ESA IV) HelpDesk are under a separate contract. Does the help desk manage network incidents?

That’s a separate contract. Does the help desk include asset management? That’s a separate contract. What management statistics are required? The WANDesk produces a nightly report/email listing network system and status. What is the current level of effort (FTE -full time equivalent) assigned to the help desk? The WANDesk (this contract) has currently 4 people monitoring a 12-hour period.

76. SOW 4.6. What is the level of effort (FTE -full time equivalent) assigned to the testing and configuration task? One to Four FTEs, it depends on the task and its length.

77. SOW 4.7. What is the level of effort (FTE -full time equivalent) assigned to the Security and Documentation task? One to Three FTEs, it depends on the task and its length.

78. SOW 4.12. What is the level of effort (FTE -full time equivalent) assigned to the Contingency Planning task? One to Two FTEs, it depends on the task and its length.

79. SOW 4.14. What is the level of effort (FTE -full time equivalent) assigned to the Cell phone, Blackberry, and Smart Phone Support tasks? 1 FTE

80. Since this will be a fixed price hybrid contract, what is the level of effort for each of the following labor categories: Below is for the NMSS task; Refer to the respective Task Statements (new attachments) for their LOE.

Project Manager Only a few hours a week or under companies’ overhead Technical Lead 40 hours/week usually under one of the categories below Admin Assistant 40 hours/week Network Engineer(s) 4x40 hours/week Program Manager Telecom Analyst 40 hours/week Technical Writer(s) 3x40 hours/week IT Analysts QA Specialist (I, II, III) Systems Analyst (I, II, III) System Architects (I, II, III)

81. Page 46 Section 3.1.6 “Section 3 - Past Performance” - Should it read “Section 4” to be consistent with the table on page 45? Yes, that should’ve read as ‘Section 4’ not 3.

82. What has the annual level of effort been over the term of the current contract? 10 people in which one is on an additional task.

83. Under 3.1.5 Section 3 - Personnel Qualifications, the Government states that “Resumes are only to be provided for Key Personnel and limited to two (2) pages each which shall indicate the proposed job category to be performed.” However, at 2 Proposal Format, (c) Requirements, the table states for Section 3 – Personnel Qualifications that “2 Pages per Discipline” are allowable. The latter suggests that multiple resumes can be included per “discipline,” providing the limit for each such discipline is 2 pages. Also, the RFP refers to all personnel as “Key Personnel”, please confirm. Yes, 2-page limit for resumes per person.

Yes, the Key Personnel listed is correct.

84. Under 3.1.6 Section 3 – Past Performance, the Government states that “the Contractor shall provide references for a minimum of three (3) contracts/orders each for Network Management Support Services (NMSS) with the Federal Government and commercial customers that demonstrate recent and relevant past performance of similar scope, size and complexity for NMSS.”

A. Please clarify use of the word “each” in relation to “minimum of three.” Each seems to suggest a total of six (6) Past Performance references. However, page count requirements elsewhere in the RFP seem to indicate that only three (3) references are required. Only 3 references are required w/no more than 3 pages per reference.

B. As an 8a solicitation, please identify how many past performance references from a subcontractor the Government will accept? The Government will accept a total minimum of 3 (maximum of 5).

C. Specifically, how many Past Performance references does the Government require from the Prime Contractor, and how many from Subcontractor(s)? This is up to the contractor; ATF requires at least 3 references.

85. RFP Section 3.1.4 appears twice in the solicitation. Under the second usage, item (c), the Government states, “Contractor shall submit a management plan for how the company intends to accomplish, administer, and manage the tasks and deliverables in the SOW. The staffing plan, detailing the labor categories, hourly rates and number of hours, shall be included in this document.” Labor rates are not typically requested within a Technical/Management volume. Does the Government in fact want to the labor rates in the cited section? No, ‘hourly rates’ has been removed from that statement in the Instruction to Offerors.

86. Please identify the level of effort related to JUTNet and DOJNet. One to two FTEs, depends on the task and its length - This is a very important part of the task.

87. Please confirm if the Government will enforce the size of the bidder as expressed in the selected NAICS code of 541513 of less than $25.5 Million dollars? Companies are required to certify their size standards in accordance with FAR 19. In addition, before the Award is Final, the Small Business Administration has to provide an eligibility determination.

88. Under section 6.0 LEVEL OF EFFORT, the Government states within 6.1.1 On-site Task Lead that, “ATF does not require a full-time on-site PM. However, ATF does require a full-time on-site Task Lead to perform the day-to-day operations and assigned tasks. The on-site lead will also serve as the COR’s primary point-of-contact (POC) for providing contract status, submitting billing documents and deliverables, receiving comments on deliverables, and directing appropriate corrective actions.” Sections 4.20 Transition, Section SECURITY OF SYSTEMS AND DATA, INCLUDING PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE DATA (PII) (Revised May 22, 2008) sub-section 9 refer to a project Manager, and Section 6.1.1 on-site lead, also refers to a Project Manager. And RFP Section 6.2.3 Key Personnel includes a Project Manager labeled as “essential”. Section 6.2.3.1 Minimum Qualifications for Key Personnel includes the job description of a Program Manager. Please explain and confirm if there is a Project Manager or a Task Lead acting as a Project Manager but not billed as a Project Manager. The PM is responsible for most of the billing documents and contract support; the on-site Task Lead does his/her own assignments and gives out work to the rest of the group as needed.

89. Under Section 6.2.3. the Government has identified “in accordance with (IAW) ATF Clause #ATF-31” five (5) key personnel labor categories, but the job descriptions associated include descriptions for other labor categories such as: IT Analysts (1,2,3), QA Specialists (1,2,3), Systems Analysts (1,2,3), Systems Architects (1,2,3). Were these additional four labor categories listed in error? No; the others just aren’t key personnel but may be necessary to fulfill the requirement based on the contractor’s solution.

90. Several areas in the RFP refer to this solicitation being a “Hybrid Firm-Fixed Price contract with Cost Reimbursement for ODCs.” The assumption seems to be made that the Firm- Fixed Price applies to the services to be provided and the Cost Reimbursement applies only to the ODCs. Is this correct? Yes.

91. The Proposal Instructions state “In order to assess price reasonableness and amount, the

Contractor shall present the information via email using Microsoft Excel.” Please confirm that no separate text type documentation/volume is required to be submitted. Section 2(c) of the Instructions to Offerors states Volume II for Price.

92. The Proposal Instructions state “The price proposal must contain sufficient information to allow the CS/CO to perform an analysis of the proposed price of the work.” However, they also state, “Contractor must include sufficient detail and any support material necessary to determine price reasonableness (i.e.: labor category/rates/hours)” and “The Contractor shall submit pricing in accordance with (IAW) the Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) structure in Section 2 and the Pricing Template.” Please confirm that the offerors are only to provide labor categories x rates x hours = totals per CLIN. That is correct as the contractor prices out its solution.

93. Are offerors required to apply their appropriate indirect rates (e.g., G&A, Material Handling, etc) to the “plug number” ODCs provided, thus increasing the numbers but providing the Government with an additional price/cost analysis point? Do you require a short description, within the spreadsheet, of what the applicable indirect rates are and how these are applied? For this contract, no indirect rates (e.g., G&A, Material Handling, etc) shall be authorized for ODCs.

94. In addition to providing a completed pricing template, are offerors required to fill in the blanks in Section B? Yes, per Column E of the Pricing Template.

95. If the Services to be provided are Firm-Fixed Price not FP LOE or T&M, we do not understand the requirement for the following statement on Page 5: “Contractor will only be allowed to bill for a position that is filled. If partially filled during a monthly period, contractor will be allowed to bill proportionally based on the number of days the position has been filled.” Please explain. Although this is not TM/LH or FP LOE, ATF will not pay for services not performed/hours not worked. This contract will be for a Firm-Fixed Price Service, with Cost Reimbursement for Travel and ODC’s only. The level of service and support proposed by the offeror is part of the Firm-Fixed Price of the contract. Where the service and support delivered are less than what was proposed and agreed to, the Government is entitled to an equitable adjustment. The provision cited establishes what that adjustment will be when the level of support provided is less than proposed. Lastly, the following statement replaces the highlighted one above: “The contractor shall maintain the full level of staffing it proposed (staffing categories and the number of positions) to accomplish the Statement of Work. The monthly invoice shall be proportionally reduced based upon any reduction in the level of staffing (i.e., position vacancies, excused or unexcused absences). Proportional reduction shall be based upon the hourly rate of the position affected”.

96. For the purposes of consistency among submitted price bids, does the Government have a desired number of FTE man hours for the NMSS contract, e.g., 1880, 1980, 2000, etc.? For consistency & evaluation purposes, the hours will be changed to reflect 1920 vs ‘NTE 1920’.

97. The table on page 45 says the past performance profiles are limited to 4 pages and Factor 3 on page 49 says they are limited to 3 pages. Which is correct? 3 is correct; the Table has been updated to reflect ‘NTE 3 pages per reference’.

98. The following positions, included in section 6.2.3.1, pg 16. Are proposals expected to include price information for these positions (System architect, system analyst, quality assurance specialist, IT analyst) in relation to the SOW requirements? Yes, an hourly rate is sufficient.

99. Page 46 of the RFP, 3.1.6 says Section 3 is Past Performance. This looks like a typo, but just want to confirm: Section 3 is Personnel Qualifications, and Section 4 is Past Performance, correct? Correct; that has been updated…Past Performance should have read ‘Section 4’.

100. General: Does the hard copy of the proposal need to be mailed or can it be hand delivered? The RFP only states submission information for the electronic proposal.

a. If it can be hand delivered, are there instructions for this? The preferred method is via mail. If you choose to hand deliver your proposal(s), please send an email to Sheray.Millhouse@ATF.gov to ensure she’ll be there when it arrives. Please also call

202.648.9071 when you’re on your way & when you arrive. If no one answers, please call 202.648.7480.

b. If it should be mailed, to whom and where do we mail the hard copy of the proposal? Per Block 6 of the most recent amendment (99 New York Ave., NE, #3.S- 153 – Washington, DC 20226). It should be addressed to ATF Acquisitions Branch c/o Sheray Millhouse.

101. The table on page 45 of the RFP requires Section 1 items to be tabbed A-D. Should section

1, 2, 3, and 4 also be tabbed in the proposal with section 1 items sub-tabbed? No, just Section 1 since it has different components.

102. Section 3.1.4 on page 46 states “The staffing plan, detailing the labor categories, hourly rates and number of hours, shall be included in this document.” Should the hourly rates proposed be included in the volume I as indicated or shall this only be included in the justification of cost-build up in the Volume II for the Price Proposal? Volume I for Technical and Management Approach usually does not contain any pricing information. Yes, ‘hourly mailto:Sheray.Millhouse@ATF.gov rates’ should not have been in that sentence & has been removed. Please keep all pricing out of the technical.

103. General: Are all positions full time? Yes

104. In section 6.2.3.1, pg 16, the RFP references key personnel network engineers and technical writers in plural. Are these the only two categories that would have multiple positions? Those were made plural b/c of the ‘I, II, III’ breakout.

105. Pricing sheet: please clarify the telecom analyst request in the pricing sheet, which asks for one telecom analyst in the base year, and one in option year. Should we provide one telecom analyst in base year pricing and one in the option year one? Please explain how this should be priced. Please simply provide the hourly rates for all of the positions listed in the SOW, & then use the pricing template to show your solution.

106. In section 6.2.3.1, pg 16, please explain the three labor category tiers each for Network Engineers and Technical Writers. Are we expected to propose which tiers we would use to meet the SOW? Yes, please propose your solution using the pricing template but also make known the hourly rates for all of the positions listed in the SOW.

107. Which transition period is correct? In the deliverables section, the RFP states 76 days (section 4.22, pg 13) and in the SOW, it says 45 days (section 4.20, pg 11). The 76 is incorrect, not even sure from where that came. NMT 45-days in & NMT 45-days out.

108. Is Program Manager listed under key personnel on page 16 the same as Onsite Task Lead listed on page 14? No.

109. Section 4.3.1 – Can you describe what versions/modules for the Cisco, AVAYA, and OPNET network-management tools are being used by ATF? Usually ATF stays within the last 2 to 3 versions of major released software, firmware, or operation system versions. Also security patching is maintained.

110. Based on this language on page 46 of the RFP, “Contractor must demonstrate its complete understanding of ATF’s tasks and deliverables by fully describing its proposed technical/management approach to perform each task/deliverable specified under the SOW, including methods used and scheduling of time,” would the government consider expanding the page count for Section 2 (perhaps to 50 pages) to allow for a larger response to Section 2 based upon a large amount of requirements in the SOW that the proposal response needs to address? The Government reserves the right to keep this requirement as a max of 30-pages.

111. The table on page 45 states that Section 3 should be limited to 2 pages per discipline.

Should this read 2 pages per resume instead of discipline or is resume same as discipline?

Yes, this has been changed to read ‘2 pages per resume’.

112. Section 6.2.4 Optional Task on page 17. Describe work that might be allocated to the contract after award. Does the proposal have to describe the capability to perform such work? Please see the Task Statements attached to Amendment 0002.

113. Overall, the government has asked contractors to propose a firm-fixed-price solution;

however, there is insufficient information to determine the appropriate level of effort required for certain services. For example, offerors cannot develop a staffing plan without knowing how many calls the help desk receives (RFP Section 4.4.5) [~40+ daily to the

WANDesk (this contract) – Don’t have the Help Desk call volume numbers] and how many systems are tested and configured each year (RFP Section 4.6) This varies due to the projects at hand – In the past, there have been on average no more than 10/year. Lacking this detail, will the government provide the anticipated level of effort (labor categories and hours). See the Answer for Question #80. Providing detailed information regarding the level of effort [that] would enable the government to obtain comparable solutions from all offerors. See the Answer for Question #80.

114. (Section 4.20(a)(2), Page 11 Pricing Table) RFP states “Provide and manage a detailed TIP and a Transition Quality Plan (TQP) to ensure that the new contract is replaced in a thorough and orderly manner within 45-calendar days or less” However, the pricing table labels the transition period as NTE 3 months. Is the transition period 45 days or 3 months?

The combined Transition-in/out period is NTE 3 months (NTE 45 days in & NTE 45 days out).

115. Section 6.1.1, Page 14, states “ATF does not require a full-time, on-site PM. However, ATF does require a full-time on-site Task Lead to perform the day-to-day operations and assigned tasks.” Section 6.2.3, Page 15, then includes a Program Manager as key but not a Task Lead. Please confirm the government’s desire for the Program Manager to be key but not the Task Lead. The Program Manager & On-Site Task Lead should be different.

116. Section 6.2.3, Page 15, identifies the following as Key Personnel: Admin Assistant, Network Engineer(s), Program Manager, Telecom Analyst, and Technical Writer(s). How many key personnel are there total? How many Network Engineers and Technical Writers are key? See the Answer for Question #80.

117. Sections 6.2.1 and 6.2.2, Page 15, state that all contractor personnel must be skilled in a list of several areas of technology. We recommend that the government relax this requirement for certain positions to enable contractors to provide best value solutions. For example, an administrative assistant with those skills will be much more expensive than one without but will be no more qualified for his/her job responsibilities. The Government reserves the right to keep this requirement ‘as is’.

118. Section 11, Page 18, Under Work Hours & Work Space, the RFP refers to a networking station. What is a networking station? An ATF workstation (cubicle w/desk, chair, laptop)

119. Sections 52.252-1(b) & 1.(b), Page 44, The RFP states that “The Contractor shall submit an electronically signed and dated proposal” and proceeds to provide only email addresses for the submission. However, section 1.(b) further down on the page states “Proposals shall be submitted in one (1) hard copy and one (1) electronic copy.” Does the government desire a hard copy submission or just an electronic submission? If so, who is the POC for the hard copy submission and what is their address? Both a hard copy & an electronic copy are required. The hard copy can be mailed to the address in Block 6 of the most recent amendment (99 New York Ave., NE, #3.S-153 – Washington, DC 20226). It should be addressed to ATF Acquisitions Branch c/o Sheray Millhouse.

120. Section 2.(c), Page 44 Section 3.1.5, Page 46, Please clarify what is meant by “2 Pages

Per Discipline” under total page limits for Section 3 – Personnel Qualifications. We recommend that the government allow for a two page summary of overall experience and qualifications of proposed personnel, followed by an additional two pages for each key personnel resume. 2 pages per Resume…A 2-page summary of overall experience & qualifications of proposed personnel is optional.

121. 3.0 Scope, Will all equipment and required monitoring of applications be provided as GFE? Assume the contractor is not responsible for providing this equipment under this contract? Generally, the government provides all necessary equipment.

122. 3.0 Scope, Will the contractor be responsible for providing all test equipment to maintain the systems and infrastructure listed? The government will provide most if not all of the test equipment.

123. 3.0 Scope, Will the ATF please identify how many buildings within the campus which the contractor will have to support? They will “support” ATF office across the country; travel to these offices has been infrequent however. Will government vehicles be provided to support building to building travel? No…Depending on the location, the government will pay for travel and mileage in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulation.

124. 3.0 Scope, What is the total count of equipment? (i.e. total Cisco routers, number of T1s, total IP telephones, etc… This contract in the past has managed ~30 routers & ~100 IP telephones. The T1 information will be disclosed after award.

125. 3.0 Scope, Will the ATF please provide the complete list of PBXs which are to be supported? This information will be disclosed after award. We respectfully request the following for each PBX system:

1)Manufacturer i.e. Avaya 2)Type i.e. CM

3)software release 4)subscriber count

126. 3.0 Scope, Does the ATF require the contractor to provide Tier III Manufacturer support for each of the PBX systems? If so, where will that support need to be priced within the pricing schedule? We’ve added Optional CLINs for the Avaya tasks.

127. 3.0 Scope, Will the contractor only be responsible for providing the engineering assistance and labor to incorporate the new additions? We assume the contractor won't be responsible for providing the additional equipment/software? Steven needs clarification…new addition to what?

128. 4.4.4 Network Management Tasks, We notice the hours of operations are from 7am - 6pm IAW section 11.0. Who is responsible for performing the network monitoring and WAN help desk support after those hours listed? After those hours, calls are routed to an emergency after-hour cell phones that these contractors maintain.

129. 4.4.13 Risk Management Plans/Risk Assessments, How many Risk Management Plans/Risk Assessments does the ATF require per year? What Systems will be Assessed? Risk Management requirement will depend on the project at hand – Usually they’re for new projects.

130. 4.17.13-4.17.5, Would the government please provide a list of the billing and invoicing the contractor [is] expected to report on and manage? An example may be Telecommunication and Voices usage billing/invoices. There are ~40 invoices/month.

131. 6.1.2 Technical Writers, Will the ATF please indicate their estimated full time staffing requirement for this level of effort and/or provide the Historical Workload data for this position so that the offeror can assess the staffing requirements? Three to Four FTEs…It depends on the task and its length.

132. 6.2.3 Key Personnel, Will the ATF confirm that the Telecom Analyst will be provided by the contractor at the award of the contract? The Telecom Analyst is Key Personnel – This position was erroneously placed on the Optional CLINS but has since been removed.

133. 6.2.3.1 Key Personnel Minimum Qualifications, The Telecom Analyst is listed as key personnel, as well as listed in the pricing table, however, in the referenced section, it is identified as "optional". Is the contractor expected to provide pricing for the Telecom Analyst in the base year? If not, when will the Telecom Analyst position be exercised?

Please provide the hourly rate for all positions discussed in the SOW. The Telecom Analyst has been removed from the Optional Line items.

134. 6.2.3.2, There are several positions listed in the referenced section, including IT Analysts, Quality Assurance Specialists, System Analysts and System Architects. Yet there is no area to price them in the pricing template. Does the ATF require the contractor to propose these positions, if not, what is the purpose of referencing them in the RFP? Please provide the hourly rate for all of the positions described in the SOW. If these positions are part of your solution, please include them on the CLINs & in the Pricing Template, which is editable.

135. Hours Column, Will the ATF provide workload data in order for the contractor to accurately estimate the labor hours? Please rephrase. Will the ATF please provide direction regarding the amount of hours they expect to see listed for each of the labor categories?

1920 hours/person.

136. Category Column, Will the ATF please elaborate on the intent of this labor category?

(No labor category was expressed in this question.) This Column merely lists the Key personnel & other positions suggested by the contractor.

137. Page 8, Section 4.4.5 as it relates to Provide coverage for ATF’s WAN Help Desk during the hours/time frames set up by ATF (See Section 11.0), how many Help Desk tickets are produced on a daily basis? ~40+ daily to the WANDesk (this contract) – Don’t have the Help Desk call volume numbers.

138. Page 9, Section 4.5.4, as it relates to Incident Reports, is there a system deployed that tracks incident reports or trouble tickets? (e.g. Remedy) Yes, Remedy

139. Pages 14, Section 6.1.1 and Pricing Template, as it relates to the On-site Task Lead, The key personnel listed in the RFP and Pricing Template does not include an On-site Task Lead.

Please confirm that the Task Lead is not a separately priced FTE? The Task Lead would be under one of the other categories.

140. Page 8, Section 4.5.3, as it relates to Monthly travel expenditure report detailing the cost of all travel, including rental vehicles, per diem, lodging, manpower, training, support and miscellaneous expenditures, will travel be required? Yes – Travel Line is NTE $30K/year.

If so, what locations will be included for the contractor to support? Generally, Continental United States of America (CONUS).

141. Pages 48-49, Factor 3 – Past Performance, as it relates to Contractors shall submit a minimum of three (3) references for recent (within the past three (3) years) and relevant experience (i.e., experience in providing the services required in the SOW), please confirm that the past performance references evaluated by the government can be from all Team Members to include subcontractors. That is correct; however, if it doesn’t reference the prime contractor, it will be almost impossible to make the connection.

142. Page 8, Section 4.4.1, as it relates to Much of ATF’s network traffic is over ATM

(Asynchronous Transfer Mode), T1, or MPLS (Multi-Protocol Switching) with Cisco products routing the traffic, does the ATF plan to transition away from ATM during the period of performance of this contract? Most of the traffic is now over dynamic VPN MPLS. ATM support may or may not be needed much anymore.

143. Page 9, Section 4.6, as it relates to Testing & Configuration, Is there a lab environment to test solutions before rolling out to the production system? There is a network development environment as needed. Any other lab, ATF will stand up and tear down as needed.

144. Section 2, CLIN Items 0007 – 0011 indicates optional CLINs for Laboratory Support

Services per Section 4 of the SOW. Section 3.1, Paragraph 4 does not specify a scope of work for Laboratory Support Services. Please clarify the scope of work and labor categories necessary to support Laboratory Support Services and if it should be including in the pricing.

Please refer to the respective Task Statement for Lab & NIBIN.

145. In Section 2, Schedule of Supplies/Services, the pricing of optional CLINs 0007 – 0011 will increase our price over the base and option years. Section 3.1, Paragraph 6.2.4 identifies that optional tasks are not required at this time and will be renegotiated if there is a requirement and funding identified. Some contractors may not bid the optional CLINs to gain a cost advantage. Are we to bid the optional positions, even though they will not be awarded? Will the government base the price evaluation on CLINs 0001-0006 and 0012 only for all contractors? If not, would you please clarify what positions and pricing should be included in the submission? Yes, the cost of the Optional Lines should be included in the proposal. If you want you can provide 2 totals, 1 with those lines & 1 without those lines.

The total price will be evaluated per Section 6.3 of the RFP (page 49 of 61). ATF is expecting the vendor to fulfill all of our requirements & therefore submit a complete package to include all CLINs.

146. In Section 3.1, Paragraph 4.2, Will the government provide a copy of the Information Services Division (ISD) standardized work / project plan template as an attachment to this solicitation? This information will be disclosed after award.

147. In Section 3.1, Paragraph 4.3.5, Cisco, Avaya and OPNET all offer multiple tools and modules for network management.