Clarification of Submitted Questions .pdf

Clarification of Submitted Questions

Administrative:

1. The combined synopsis lists NAICS 334111; SOW Section 12 states the contractor must fall under 423430. Which controls for this procurement?

• Please use NAICS Code 334111 – Electronic Computer Manufacturing

2. The SOW lists place of performance as Sterling, Virginia and Norfolk, Virginia. Are workstations delivered to both locations, and if so, how are the quantities split?

• All workstations can be delivered to Sterling, VA. We will distribute to the places of performance.

3. The SOW describes a "lowest bid, technically acceptable" contract, while Section 5 and the Instructions for Offerors describe a trade-off evaluation where award may be made to other than the lowest price. Please confirm which evaluation method applies.

• The SOW has been updated to firm-fixed price. Please review updated SOW. Instruction to Offers attachment has been removed. Please refer to the Updated Solicitation (Contract Type).

4. The solicitation refers to the Technical Specification Worksheet as a PDF, but the Government provided the worksheet as an Excel workbook. Please confirm whether offerors should submit:

The completed native Excel workbook;

b. A PDF export of the completed workbook; or

c. Both formats.

• Please refer to Section 11: Instructions (page 26) of the solicitation. Please complete the Excel Technical Specs Worksheet and submit an Excel document as well. The PDF version refers to the Technical Specifications sheet we provided showing the minimum technical specifications required for submission. Failure to complete all attachments that require input will result in non-responsive quote.

5. Please confirm whether the Supply Chain Risk Management Plan, NIST SP 800-161 Appendix E self-assessment, and supporting evidence must be included with the initial quotation or provided only following award.

• This will be required of the awardee only.

Contractual:

6. The solicitation states a $200,000 ceiling against five workstations over the contract life. Our configurator pricing to date on partial builds meeting the processor, memory, GPU, and RAID requirements has exceeded $70,000 per unit before storage is complete. Is the $200,000 figure the total contract ceiling for all five units, or a per-order or annual ceiling? Confirming this will let vendors scope realistically against the specification.

• Based upon current marketplace pricing, we will adjust our contract ceiling estimation to $325,000 for the length of the contract in order to allow for the purchase additional workstations in Option Year One and Option Year Two.

Technical:

7. Processor architecture. The specification calls for dual Intel Xeon 6740P. In practice, platforms offering that exact processor are general-purpose server chassis, while platforms offering the required GPU and storage are single-socket workstations. Would a single-socket processor that equals or exceeds the dual-6740P configuration in core count and processing performance be considered compliant under the "equal or better" language?

• A single socket workstation would be considered compliant.

8. Chassis form factor. The specification calls for a workstation/tower configuration as a standalone local system. Would a rack-mountable workstation chassis be acceptable if all other requirements are met?

• The chassis form factor should be a workstation/tower configuration

9. Forensic bridge integration. The Tableau T356789iu and T3iu write blockers are third-party forensic devices not offered by any major workstation manufacturer as factory-installed options.

Does the Government require them installed in the workstation at delivery, or may they be supplied as separate line items for installation by ATF personnel?

• The Forensic bridge integrations should be installed and tested prior to delivery.

10. Workstation-class features on server-class platforms. The specification requires Wi-Fi 6E/7 triband, ASIO-compatible 7.1 audio, an optical drive, and front-panel port counts of eight USB 3.0/3.2 Gen 1 Type A and four USB4 Type C. Server-class platforms that meet the processor, memory, and storage requirements generally do not offer these natively. Are these requirements satisfiable through add-in cards and chassis options, and are the front-panel port counts firm minimums?

• These requirements are satisfied through add-in cards installed and tested prior to delivery. The front-panel port counts are minimums.

11. May compliant PCIe expansion cards, internal hubs, front-panel modules, and active display adapters be used to satisfy the required USB, HDMI, and DisplayPort quantities? The specified NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 workstation GPU provides DisplayPort outputs but does not provide the required quantity of native HDMI outputs.

• Yes, compliant PCIe expansion cards may be used to satisfy required quantities

12. Does the minimum three-year warranty requirement apply to all third-party forensic bridge components, including the Tableau T356789iu and T3iu, or may those components retain their standard manufacturer warranties while the overall workstation carries the required three-year warranty?

• The three year warranty applies to the overall workstation.

As a result of multiple vendors submitting specification questions, the Program Office has updated the Technical Specification Sheet to match the current industry supply.