Questions_and_answers_DJF-16-1800-PR-0013521_Amend_0001.pdf

1/20/2017

RFP-DJF-16-1800-PR-0013521 Amend 0001

Questions Answers

# Question* Sect. Title Section # Page #

Q1

Subsection B.1.3.6 states “Any hours worked in excess of a normal work week are not subject to premium wages.”

Whereas services performed under the contract must comply with the Services Contract Act (FAR 52.222-41) that stipulates hourly workers be paid a minimum rate of one and one-half the base hourly rate for work in excess of 40 hours per week, RFP Section B.1.3.6 is in direct conflict. If the Government requires work in excess of a normal

40—hour work week, will the Contractor be permitted to propose premium labor rates and will the premium charges be allowable under the contract?

RFP: Services B.1.3 7

A1 The Government will not require work in excess of 40 hours per week, therefore permium labor rates will not be allowable under this contract.

Q2

Section H.5 requires the contractor to certify: (i) "that costs performed under this [DOJ/FBI] contract are not duplicative any other Government contract, subcontract or Government source"; and (ii) "any and all work performed under this contract shall be directly and exclusively for the use and benefit of the Government, not incidental to any other work, pursuit, research or purpose of the Contractor, whose responsibility it will be to account for it accordingly". In light of the fact the Government solicitation specifies parts and supplies must be non-developmental, commercial-off-the-shelf products (SOW Section 3.1), that by definition, are sold or offered for sale to the general public; the fact Government agencies have purchased or may purchase the same or substantially the same parts and supplies; and the fact the

Contractor is responsible for introducing new products to the contract (RFP Section H.4 Technology Enhancement;

SOW Section 3.1.1 Technology Refresh) that are developed exclusively at private expense, the required certifications appear to be irreconcilable with the contract requirements. How does the Government reconcile contact requirements with contract certifications of non-duplicative funding and contract specific Government exclusivity?

RFP: Duplication of

Efforts H.5 14

A2

Per section H.5 the Government is relying on the contractor to advise the Contracting Officer, in writing, of any other

Government contracts or subcontracts it is performing which involves work directly related to the purpose of this contract. Should it later be suspected that a contractor is billing the government with duplication of efforts, the governments internal control procedures will fully investigate and if necessary the contract will be terminated for default.

Q3 Section H.10 requires the COR to approve all travel requests in advance. What is the maximum number of days required for the COR to provide approval?

RFP: Travel H.10 18

A3 Ten (10) business days as a general rule overall. Task orders requiring travel will provide more specifications.

Q4

Section 3 states that "the solution should support sending and receiving data wirelessly from sensors that transmit data over Wi-Fi", but Wi-Fi support is not listed as a requirement in section C.2, Tactical Mesh/Mobile Adhoc Network

Requirements Document." We believe this capability provides value to the FBI and their mission and recommend this requirement be added to the Tactical Mesh/MANET Requirements Document.

Statement of Work, Requirements 3 4

A4 Government will modify requirements document to reflect WiFi. 49. The solution should support Wi-Fi communications between nodes, devices, and egress points.

Q5

Will the Government award an IDIQ contract to an Offeror who’s COTS products have a roadmap to be 100% compliant with the technical requirements during the life of the contract, and are compliant, with some exceptions, at time of IDIQ contract award?

Tactical Mesh/Mobile Ad hoc Network

Requirements Document

Network and

Routing

A5

The government is seeking solutions which meet or exceed the "shall" requirements as stated.

Roadmap may be used to show plan to comply with "should" statements as well as maintain industry standards and best practices.

Q6 Request the Government supply the latest "DOJ Channel Plan" so that bidders can confirm compliance.

Tactical Mesh/Mobile Ad hoc Network

Requirements Document

Network and

Routing

Questions Answers

A6

Government is modifying requirement to: 18. The solution shall be compatible with the NTIA Federal Government

Channel Plan (S and C Bands). NTIA Federal Government Channel Plan (S and C bands) S- Band (between 2200-2300

MHz) C-Band (4400-4990 MHz).

Q7

Requirement 41 states that "solution shall support built-in encryption support for SHA-3-HMAC." In order to maximize competition, and given that FIPS 180-4 accepts SHA-2, we recommend the Government change the requirement to accept either SHA-2 or SHA-3-HMAC.

Tactical Mesh/Mobile Ad hoc Network

Requirements Document

Security/

Integrity

A7

Government will modify requirements document to reflect SHA-2 (minimum of 256) or SHA-3-HMAC.

41. The solution shall support built-in encryption support for Secure Hash Algorithm-3-Hashed Message Authentication

Code (SHA-3-HMAC) or SHA-2 (minimum 256) for data transmission.

Q8

Requirement 48 states that "solution shall support 16-128 QAM." In order to maximize competition, and given that the

802.11n standard only supports up to 64-QAM, we recommend the Government change the requirement such that the solution shall support 16-64 QAM with a desired 128-1064 QAM.

Tactical Mesh/Mobile Ad hoc Network

Requirements Document

Deployability 3

A8 Government is modifying requirement to: 48. The solution shall support 16 - 64 Quadrature Amplitude modulation

(QAM) with a desired 128- 1064 QAM.

Q9 Since this is an IDIQ contract and the proposal requires only CLIN pricing by range and labor rates, how will the

Government "evaluate the total proposed price of the base year and option years" as stated in Section M.4.3.1?

RFP: M - Evaluation

Factors for Award M.4.3. 75

A9

Price will be evaluated to assess the completeness and resonableness of the proposed pricing to determine if they are reasonable for the work being performed, reflect a clear understanding of the requirement, and are consistent with the offerors technical proposal. The government may use but is not limited to comparing proposed prices received in response to the solicitation, comparing proposed prices to historical prices paid for same or similar items, comparison with competitive published price lists and market prices, and comparing proposed prices received to the Independent

Government Estimate.

Q10 Please explain how this proposal will be evaluated as described in Section M.4.3.2 and how will this be applied to individual CLINs for H/W and individual labor rates by labor category?

RFP: M - Evaluation

Factors for Award M.4.3. 75

A10 See A9.

Q11 Reference SOW 3.0, 3.1, 3.1.3. In addition to the COTS equipment, would the Government please clarify what ancillary items (i.e. material, spare and repair parts, mounting hardware) should also be bid?

Statement of Work, Requirements, Parts and

Supplies, Equipment

Accountability

3, 3.1, 3.1.3 4-6

A11

If there are specific components or other items required for a solution, those components/items should be included in the vendors proposal and pricing to ensure all materials required to deploy and maintain fully working solutions are priced as part of solution.

Q12 Reference SOW 3.0. Does the Government desire offerors to include antennas in their bid?

Statement of Work, Requirements, Deliverables

3 4

A12 Offerors should include antennas and other ancillary equipment required to support their solutions they believe necessary in the pricing.

SECTION L

INSTRUCTIONS,

CONDITIONS, AND

NOTICES TO

OFFERORS

A13 Yes, they will count towards the page count.

SECTION L

INSTRUCTIONS,

CONDITIONS, AND

Q13 Does a compliance matrix based on technical specs and any photos and diagrams count against page count? If not is there a way to submit them?

L.9.2 64

Q14 When are the completed past performance survey’s due to the Government? L.9.8.4 67

Questions Answers

NOTICES TO

OFFERORS

A14 Past Performance Surveys are due no later than the date/time for receipt of proposals.

SECTION L

INSTRUCTIONS,

CONDITIONS, AND

NOTICES TO

OFFERORS

A15 No.

SECTION M

EVALUATION

FACTORS FOR AWARD

A16 Price will be evaluated using 1 Unit or 1 Labor Hour.

Q17 Does the Key Management Personnel sheet count towards the Vol II page limitation? RFP - Page Limitations L.9.2 64

A17 No. See Section L.9.2.1. The Key Management Personnel sheet is part of the Acquisition Risk Questions.

Q18 Is the unit required to provide connectivity to Ethernet connections for backhaul to multiple networks simultaneously?

RFP - Non-price Factor

Instructions L.9.7.3 67

A18 The government's desire is for units that should provide the capability to connect via Layer 2 in the event that data needs to go to multiple agencies or locations.

Q19 RFP states "The solution should be non-proprietary for interoperability between manufactured systems and network connection capable (layer 2)." Does this include wireless interoperability with other manufacturers as well?

RFP - Technical

Approach M.4.1.2 71

A19

All interoperability should support at a minimum layer 2 connectivity between systems. The government is not defining wired and/or wireless interoperability as the requirement only that the system should be able to connect to other sytems at Layer 2.

Q20 Is compatibility with P25 compliant LMR system a requirement? RFP - Evaluation Factors M.4.1.4 71

A20 Government is only seeking for solutions to interoperate with LMR systems via IP/Layer 2 connectivity.

Q21 It is our experience that Section 508 compliance is confirmed through a self-certification process. Is there some other industry standard Section 508 compliance confirmation the Government requires?

RFP - Factor 5 - Section

508 Compliance M.4.5 74

A21 No. Self-certification is correct. However, if it is later determined that an awardee falsified self-certification, their contract will be terminated for default.

Q22 Will vendors be disqualified if they cannot provide independent proof of Section 508 requirement?

RFP - Factor 5 - Section

508 Compliance M.4.5 74

A22 No. See A21.

Q23 Is it acceptable for vendors to self-certify Section 508 Compliance?

RFP - Factor 5 - Section

508 Compliance M.4.5 74

A23 Yes. See A21.

A24 Solution should support for sensors to connect via IP. Sensors includebut are not limited to: cameras, motion detection devices, local compute devices.

Q25 It would seem that Mobile deployment scenario and Ad hoc deployment scenario are synonymous. Please expand on differentiation of these two deployment scenarios?

Attachment 1 - Statement of Work

1.2 Purpose 3

Q24 Can the Government better articulate what type of sensors should be supported? RFP - Evaluation Factors M.4.1.4 79

Q15 Can past performance surveys be issued to non US entities? L.9.8.4 67

Q16 How will the overall price be evaluated since this is an IDIQ contract? Is there a # of units being used, or labor hours per year?

M.4.3 73

Q14 When are the completed past performance survey’s due to the Government? L.9.8.4 67

Questions Answers

A25

• Mobile – deployable for situational awareness at locations providing for connectivity and data egress as required to support events or situations; man portable or small footprint may be required to support operations in highly mobile environments

• Ad hoc – rapidly deployable short-term implementations, such as large capacity public venues, missions such as stadiums/arenas, or wide-area venues such as marathons or multi-site events in challenging RF environments, particularly in dense urban environments

Mobile is a quickly deployed with minimum planning, easily implemented by a individual or small team.

Ad hoc is intended for larger events where time is available for planning, site surveys, coordination, etc

Q26 What is meant by the statement “The vendor shall provide schedule of planned release.”?

Attachment 1 - Statement of Work 3 Requirements 4

A26 This is part of the roadmap to provide vendors planned schedule maintenance updates/patches, new features/enhancements, products.

Q27

Please clarify what is meant by the statement “The Contractor shall provide support with the receipt, tracking, inventory, issue and monitoring of all material, equipment, technical data and logistic support items throughout the period of performance of this contract?

Attachment 1 - Statement of Work

3.1.3 Equipment Accountability5

A27 This support is for hardware returned for repair, replacement, or upgrade to contractor/manufacturer during life of contract.

Q28 Statements 4 & 5 seem to be somewhat redundant. What is the difference between ‘support data exchange’ versus

‘transmission of required data types’?

Attachment 2 - SOW

ANNEX I

General, Point 4 & Point 51

A28

Statement 4 is to provide general descriptions of devices which may be managed through tactical mesh. The government's intention was to differentiate between just transmitting data types in statement 5 and being able to manage/control devices in statement 4.

Statement 4 - Control of PTZ features of a cameras. Statement 5 - Transmission of high quality video data.

Q29 Is ability to support programs that run on End User Devices (EUDs) connected to the radio required?

Attachment 2 - SOW

ANNEX I

General, Point 5 1

A29 Abiltiy to support via layer 2 IP connectivity to device.

Q30 Would you expand on what is meant by “multiple secure means for egress of separate surveillance data.”?

Attachment 2 - SOW

ANNEX I

Network and routing, Point 242

A30 Capability to egress data to different locations, systems, agencies. Egress methods include but not limited to: RF, WiFi, Wired.

Q31 What level of PoE is required to be provided to edge devices?

Attachment 2 - SOW

ANNEX I

Deployability, Point 45 3

A31 Reference IEEE 802.3at standards

Q32 Would you like the signed NDA returned now or with a proposed response to the RFP please?

Section L - Instruction to

Offerors L.9.1 64

A32 Per section L.9.1, please submit with proposal as part of the Business Volume.

Q33 Is there an incumbent? N/A N/A N/A

A33 No. This is a new requirement.

Q34 DataSoft's dongle technology as well as the MANET monitoring software is relevant to any prime who wins the contract. Are there others that you recommend I contact to team with? N/A N/A N/A

A34 The government cannot recommend who you should team with, that is an offerors business decision.

Q35 Under the Management Requirement group list. Will the government please consider removing requirement 21 or change requirement 21 to a capability desired by the Government (using “should” in the description)?

TACTICAL MESH

REQUIREMENTS

DOCUMENT

C.2 9

A35 No.

Q36 Under the Security/Integrity requirement group. Will the government please consider removing requirement 41 or change requirement 41 to a capability desired by the Government (using “should” in the description)?

TACTICAL MESH

REQUIREMENTS

DOCUMENT

C.2 9

A36 See A7.

Questions Answers

Q37 Under Deployability requirement group. Will the government please consider removing requirement 46 or change requirement 46 to a capability desired by the Government (using “should” in the description)?

TACTICAL MESH

REQUIREMENTS

DOCUMENT

C.2 9

A37 Government is modifying requirement: 47. The solutions should have the ability to put units into remote standby/activate to save power.

Q38 Under Deployability requirement group. Will the government please consider removing requirement 47 or change requirement 47 to a capability desired by the Government (using “should” in the description)?

TACTICAL MESH

REQUIREMENTS

DOCUMENT

C.2 9

A38 No.

Q39 Under Deployability requirement group. Will the government please consider removing requirement 48 or change requirement 48 to a capability desired by the Government (using “should” in the description)?

TACTICAL MESH

REQUIREMENTS

DOCUMENT

C.2 9

A39 Government is modifying requirement to: 48. The solution shall support 16 - 64 Quadrature Amplitude modulation

(QAM) with a desired 128- 1064 QAM.

Q40 Under Deployability requirement group. Will the government please consider removing requirement 48 or change requirement 48 to a capability desired by the Government (using “should” in the description)?

TACTICAL MESH

REQUIREMENTS

DOCUMENT

C.2 9

A40 See A39

Q41 Does the FBI want shipping costs included in the pricing or listed separately at the point of proposal? RFP - Section F F.1.2 8

A41 Included in the price.

Q42 Is the expectation that delivered products be packaged in hard type cases with customer foam or should pricing be based upon corrugated cardboard, best commercial?

SOW / RFP 3.1.3.1 / D.1 6 / 8

A42

Product delivery requirements will be task order specific.

As part of pricing, vendors should assume best commercial delivery.

Vendors should provide as option custom foam cases.

Q43 Regarding pricing refresh, only annually? Must the Primes use the pricing presented at RFP or will there be a means to adjust in out years? (both Obsolescence & Escalation)

SOW - Technology

Refresh vs. Section H.4

Technology Enhancement

3.1.1 / H.4

SOW p. 5

/ RFP P.

A43 On offerors pricing should include escalation for the out years. Awarded contract pricing will not be adjusted/price refreshed.

Q44

SOW Technical refresh - the agency wants new items "…as soon as commercially available." yet references

"…inclusion into the contract on an annual basis." Is the TECP process referenced in the RFP under Section H.4 the method to introduce or delete products anytime during the PoP or will it be limited to an annual refresh?

SOW - Technology

Refresh vs. Section H.4

Technology Enhancement

3.1.1 / H.4

SOW p. 5

/ RFP P.

A44 Minimum expectation is annually. Vendors may provide new products or technical refreshes of capabilities at anytime.

Vendors must notify the government prior to option year of products to be deleted.

Q45 Will a current SAM.gov registration suffice for Reps & Certs?

RFP - Representations, Certifications and Other

Statements of Offerors

Section K 33

A45 Yes.

Q46 COTS vs. Commercial. The products the agency wants to procure are primarily commercial, not COTS, as they are unavailable to the General Public, should this be changed to "commercial"?

SOW- Parts and Supplies 3.1 5

A46 Government views both of these terms to be interchangable for this procurement.

Q47 Since the agency documents for this RFP were made public (FBO) is there still a need for the NDA's to be submitted with the IDIQ Proposal or should they be addressed for only specific Task Orders?

RFP Non-Disclosure

Agreement Attachment 3 1 and 2

A47 Yes, NDA's are still required. They will cover those assigned at the Task Order level.

Q48 How often can unit prices be changed, following the initial pricing proposed?

RFP - Supplies of

Services and Prices/Costs B.1.1 5

Questions Answers

A48 Unit prices will not be changed after initial price proposed. Pricing for out years should include escalation.

Q49 In addition to the requirements, can the contractor provide additional audio (microphone), video (camera) and antenna accessory offerings in their response?

RFP - Equipment B.1.2.1 5

A49 Yes. Offerors should propose any/all equipment that may be necessary for this contract.

Q50 Are there any restrictions on timing or frequency of TECPs?

RFP - Special Contract

Requirements H.4 14

A50 No, minimum of annually.

Q51 Is a secure upgrade via AES encrypted data over the network and password protection on the upgrade process sufficient? SOW Annex 1 Management 8 1

A51 YES

Q52 What QoS functions are desired – typically Layer 2 devices have limited QoS capabilities? SOW Annex 1 Management

A52 As stated

Q53 Is the requested logging at a ‘System Solution level’ for the Mesh or stored in individual units? SOW Annex 1 Management

A53 Overall Mesh solution

Q54 What is the definition of ‘band’? For particular applications where small size is critical can a solution be proposed that includes multiple devices in a kit to cover both bands?

SOW Annex 1

Network &

Routing 20

A54

Bands are defined in Requirement 18. Solution may propose multiple devices. Devices must be able to be changed without sending devices or parts of solution to manufacturer.

18. The solution shall be compatible with the NTIA Federal Government Channel Plan (S and C Bands). NTIA Federal

Government Channel Plan (S and C bands). S- Band (between 2200-2300 MHz) C-Band (4400-4990 MHz).

Q55 What is the desired method of authorizing traffic? Our understanding is typically a Layer 2 device is a switched hub. SOW Annex 1 Network &

Routing 28

A55 Proposed solution address how prevents unauthorized data transmissions/network use by other than sensors deployed as part of deployment scenario

Q56 Regarding WIFI capability – does the government have a preferred external WIFI ‘dongle’ or ‘device’ that meets some of the criteria requested in Annex 1 SOW Security / Integrity questions 35,36 and 37?

SOW Annex 1

Security /

Integrity 25, 36

& 37

A56 Government has no preference. Any devices/dongles should be fully capable of operation without connectivity to internet. Solution must include any hardware and/or software required.

Q57 Please confirm that meeting the data rate should take precedence over the exact modulation types used. SOW Annex 1 Deploy ability

A57 Confirmed

Q58 What specific criteria will the government use to determine how many responsive, compliant proposals receive award?

The government does not specify such criteria or the anticipated number of awards.

RFP-Evaluation Process M.1 69

A58

The government will use the evaluation criteria in Section M to determine how many responsive, compliant proposal are received. The government has not set an expected number of awards but intends to make a sufficient number of awards to maintain competition for task orders expected to be issued under the Master IDIQ contract awards.

Q59

In absence of real or sample task orders, and/or a uniform price matrix utilized by all offerors, how will the government compute the “total proposed price of the base year and option years” and/or “the price projected over the life of the contract covered by the proposal” as referenced in these sections?

Factor 3 - Price M.4.3.1/2 73

A59 See A9.

Q60 For offerors proposing only commercial items and services, will commercial small business subcontracting plans be accepted for Factor 4 in accordance with FAR 52.219-9?

Factor 4 - Subcontract PlanM.4.4 74

A60 In accordance with M.4.4 - Large businesses shall ensure the Subcontracting Plan adequately responds to each of the required elements of FAR clause 52.219-9. No other plan will be accepted.

Questions Answers

Q61

Attachment_1_-_IDIQ_SOW.docx and Attachment_2_-_Tactical_Mesh_MANET_Requirements_Doc.docx incorporate technical requirements for the MANET radio. However, these requirements are not included in section -- M.1.

EVALUATION PROCESS. Is this an oversight? Please explain how these requirements will be evaluated in order to determine a best value award?

RFP Evaluation Process

Attachment 1 - SOW &

Attachment 2 MANET

Requirements

M.1 69, 2-8, 1-3

A61 This was an oversight. Section M.4.1.1 has been updated to include the updated Tactical Mesh MANET requirements doc.

Q62

Section L asks for specific inclusion of Factor 1 information that is not part of the stated evaluation methodology in

Section M. How will the government reconcile these sections to ensure consistency and clarity between proposed and evaluated information?

RFP L.9.7 & M.4.1 64-65 & 70

A62 Section L is instructions on how an offeror is to propose, Section M is how the government will evaluate what was proposed. These sections will be different.

Q63

Section L asks for specific inclusion of Factor 2 information that is not part of the stated evaluation methodology in

Section M. How will the government reconcile these sections to ensure consistency and clarity between proposed and evaluated information?

RFP L.9.8&M.4.2 65 & 71

A63 See A62.

Q64 What is the desired range and expected data rate of each deployment use: fixed, mobile, and man-portable? Is 25 mbps throughput a threshold requirement in all deployment scenarios?

SOW

A64 See technical requirement 22.

Q65 What is the effective range and data rate that is expected across the full 10 hops described on attachment 2, page 2, line

25?

Attachment 2 - MANET

Requirements

A65 Vendor should provide ranges and data rate as part of proposed solutions.

Q66 Does the government intend for some or all products/features offered by multiple-award contract holders to interoperate? If so, interoperability standards including common waveforms must be provided.

Attachment 2 - MANET

Requirements

A66 Interoperability at Layer 2 between products, systems and networks is required.

Q67

Many of the requirements in attachment 2 are specific to a specific product configuration and/or commercial offering.

Limiting the scope of prospective offerings may overlook the risk of the specified product working well in all environments and situations; for instance, it precludes a UHF lower-bandwidth backup. Would the government consider relaxing the requirements of this section to maximize offerors’ ability to propose more flexible comprehensive system solutions?

Attachment 2 - MANET

Requirements

A67 No.

Q68

Given the RF environment in a majority of urban environments, how does the FBI anticipate overcoming heavy RF interference with the “tactical mesh” solution given its requirements to only operate in license-free bands that are heavily used and limited to transmit and receive power by the FCC?

Attachment 2 - MANET

Requirements

A68 The specific bands are DOJ United States and Possessions (US&P) Radio Channels. Vendor should propose solutions which mitigate inteference within the bands.

Q69

The FBI has asked for the “tactical mesh” solution to operate in license-free bands, which are also commonly used in the COTS market for both domestic and international civilian customers. How can the FBI ensure the frequencies cannot be jammed or altered since such jamming devices exist in the market today and are readily available?

Attachment 2 - MANET

Requirements

A69 Vendor is free to propose channel hopping or other solutions to mitigate nefarious activity.

Q70 There are two different paragraphs numbered the same: L.9.7.2. Would the government please re-number that section to remove the duplication?

A70 This was an oversight. When referring to these paragraph please use L.9.7.2(a) or L.9.7.2(b).

Q71

Given that the FBI has required the “tactical mesh” solution only use license-free bands, with the same security capabilities as a Wi-Fi hotspot (such as may be found in coffee shops), what other security and frequency levels has the

FBI considered to ensure operational security of a tactical unit operating in proximity to such an environment?

Attachment 2 - MANET

Requirements

A71 Vendor should propose as how their solution accounts for inteference from other devices and networks.

Q72 Will the FBI consider a “demo day” providing vendors the opportunity to present a briefing of technologies that would demonstrate their capabilities, and to discuss in some detail the above-mentioned questions?

Attachment 2 - MANET

Requirements

A72 No. The government is not considering a "demo day" for this requirement.