ITSS_Questions_and_Answers_-Syl.pdf

Information Technology Support Services – Questions and Answers

No. Question Response

Because it is not possible to fill out PDF versions of the forms that Offerors are required to fill out (e.g., Relevant Experience Worksheet, Past

Performance Questionnaire, Pricing Attachment, etc.), will the

Government provide Word and Excel versions of these forms?

The Government will provide Attachment 1 in Excel and Attachments, 6, 7, & 8 in Word.

Sect. L.15.a reads, “(a) Volume 1 – Technical Proposal: (One (1) original and four (4) copies; two (2) CD ROM copies in Microsoft Word 2010).” Will the Government provide Attachments 6, 7 and 8 in Word format?

See the answer to Question No. 1

Please provide editable versions of the pricing attachments in Excel format since delivery is required in this format. Otherwise, please confirm that offerors are expected to duplicate the format as closely as possible in

Excel for submission.

Sect. L.15.b: Does the Government mean that Attachment 1 must be provided in Excel, but all other requirements may be provided in pdf such as the signed RFP cover page, reference to "Representations and

Certifications" and amendments?

Sect. L.15.b: “Volume 2 – Price Proposal: (1 original and four (4) copies;

two (2) CD ROM copies in Microsoft Excel Version 2010)” Will the government accept any versions of Excel newer than 2010?

Since the price proposal must be submitted in Excel, will the Government provide Attachment 1 in Excel format?

Sect. L.15.b reads, “-a completed Attachment 1 entitled “ITSS Labor

Categories” with supporting detail. The price shall include proposed fully burdened hourly rates. The price proposal is required in Microsoft Excel.”

Will the Government provide Attachment 1 in Excel format?

Section L.15, Page 60: Attachment 1 is provided as a PDF file, but the requirement is for us to provide it in MS Excel. Can the government please release Attachment 1 as a PDF file so that we may properly respond to this requirement?

Attachment 1: Will the Government provide Attachment 1 in Excel format?

Attachment 1 Price Tables: Would the government provide the pricing table attachments in excel format?

Could the Government please provide editable copies (MS Word or MS

Excel) of Attachments 1, 6, 7, and 8 for ease of completion by offerors?

To facilitate the completion of the past performance questionnaires, will the Government provide Attachment 8 in pdf fillable or Microsoft Word?

L.15: Factor 2 – Page 63: Do the Letter of Commitments count towards the 3 Page resume limit?

No, the letter of commitment it is not part of the page count. The other documents that are not included in the page count are the table of contents and the dividers. See Section L.15 (d) Page 60.

14 RFP p.63 Section L – “Instructions, Conditions and Notices To Offerors”

L.15, “Proposal Requirements,” (c), Factor 2, “Management Approach,”

“Key Personnel”: Will the government please clarify if the page limit for resumes is 3 pages each plus an additional page for the Letter of

Commitment (for 4 total pages), or if the 3 pages must include the Letter of Commitment (for 3 total pages)?

See the response to Question No. 13

Sect. L.15.e.1, Factor 1 reads, "If listing contract references from a proposed subcontractor, then a signed teaming agreement and plan must also be submitted with the Past Performance volume...The teaming plan shall not exceed 5 pages and is not included in the 25-page limit for this factor." A teaming agreement typically exceeds 5 pages. Will the

Government accept a teaming plan with a letter of commitment from the teaming partner in order to meet the 5-page limit?

Yes, The teaming plan and letter of commitment is not included in the page count and will not be evaluated.

Section L.15.b, Page 63: Are letters of commitment required by employees that are the current employees of the prime or its subcontractors?

No, letters of commitment are not required by key personnel (who are the prime offeror’s employees.) The Program Manager must be the prime offeror’s employee. However, if the proposed Quality Manager and Customer Service Manager are proposed subcontractors positions, these positions must have commitment letters.

Does the Government require letters of commitment for key personnel, whether they are employees or contingent hires?

See the response to Question No. 16

In Section B.3, Schedule of Prices, and in the Pricing Attachment, the price tables contain columns for Hourly On-Site Rate with and without

Furniture. What types of furniture are Offerors expected to price in their on-site rates?

The Contractor shall be responsible for providing all computer equipment necessary to accomplish the requirements in Section C.

Contractors shall provide furniture i.e., desks, chairs, cubicles, bookcase, conference tables; whatever is necessary to create an office environment. The only time USPTO will provide a PC is when the requirement you are working on is specialized, i.e. software that is only used by the USPTO. The B.3 Schedule of Prices and Pricing Attachment is revised to read: “Equipment/Furniture” to include equipment and furniture.

Attachment 1: The columns on the Schedule B request Fully Loaded Rates for On-Site to include with Furniture and w/o Furniture. Can the government please clarify what it is asking for? What Furniture should be included in one rate and not the other?

See the response to Question No. 18

In Attachment 1, we are asked to provide rates for “on-site with furniture” and “on-site without furniture.” Can the government please clarify what furniture will be provided, if any, for on-site locations?

Attachment 1: Fully Burdened Hourly Labor Rates: Column 1: ON-SITE

(Furniture) / Column2: ON-SITE (W/O Furniture)

The prices per labor category in Attachment 1 include an on-site rate with furniture and an on-site rate without furniture. What is included in the

USPTO provided furniture in the first column, and what is to be provided by the contractor if not provided by USPTO in the second column?

Attachment 1 Price Tables: The column headers include categories for

“On-Site (Furniture)” and On-Site (w/o Furniture). Please clarify the meaning of “Furniture” as it applies to the Price table.

B.3 What are the space requirements with which this furniture might be located, we do not want to price desks which are oversized compared to the available square foot of space and can the Government provide the dimensions of the desks so that all contractors will be pricing the same requirements?

B.3 Will the furniture only include desk and chairs or will we need to provide cubicle type arrangements, conference room furniture, and chairs and white boards etc.? We are uncertain what is the intent of

See response to question No. 18 requirement for Contractor provided furniture on-site?

B.3 Has the Government given thought and consideration to post closure of this task order when the chosen incumbent will have to remove all of his or her furniture provided? In lieu of all the ambiguities surrounding the request to provide marked up government site pricing for providing furniture, will the Government consider removing this requirement?

The Government will allow the incumbent contractor an adequate time to remove the furniture from the Government space.

In Section L.17 the RFP states “No joint venture proposals will be accepted.” Will USPTO accept proposals from small business joint ventures approved by the SBA under the 8(a) Mentor-Protégé Program at

13 CFR 124.520? If not, please provide the rationale for excluding SBA approved small business joint ventures from competition.

No, joint ventures have been determined not in the best interest of the

USPTO.

L.17 - Indicates that NO Joint Venture (JV) Proposals will be accepted. We understand PTO has supported the Small Business Administration (SBA)

8(a) Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP) under 13 CFR 124.520 in the past.

For Woman Owned Small Businesses who are also 8(a) and participating in the SBA MPP, will PTO please allow JVs to be approved by SBA under this program for this procurement? If not, could the Government please provide the rationale for excluding SBA approved small business joint ventures from this important competition.

See response to Question No. 26

Section K, page 52 and Section L.15, page 64:

Section K references completion of Representations and Certifications as noted in L.15. Section L.15 references annual Reps and Certs in SAM, but no RFP specific Section K Reps and Certs are provided for completion in the solicitation document. Does the Government intend to provide Reps and Certs?

No – you can access the Systems for Award Management (SAMS) site and print this information and fill-in the required information and forward it with your proposal.

SECTION K – REPRESENTATION, CERTIFICATIONS, AND OTHER

STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS

REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED WITH

THE PROPOSAL. (SEE SECTION L.15

If the Offeror is registered in SAM, is it necessary to submit SECTION K with the proposal. Please advise.

Yes – see the response to Question No. 28

Section L.14.b (p. 58) of the RFP states that all proposal documents shall be submitted as one original and three copies, plus one copy on a CD.

However, Section L.15 (p. 59-60) states that Volumes 1 and 2 should be submitted as one original and four copies, plus two CD-ROM copies.

Please clarify how many hard copies and electronic copies of each volume

Offerors should submit.

Section L.14 is being corrected. The correct answer is as stated in

Section L.15(a). “ paper form (one original and four copies”…… “and two copies on a CD formatted for Microsoft Office 2010………”

Sect. L.14.b reads, “paper form (one original and three copies)...” and

“one copy on a CD…” Also, Section L.15 (a) states “One (1) original and four (4) copies; two (2) CD ROM copies..” Will the Government clarify how many hard copies and CD copies the Government would like?

See response to Question No. 30

Section l.14 Due Date and Submission Requirements (Page 58): Instruction in section (b) requests for one original copy of proposal and three copies.

However, section L.15 requests for one original and four copies. Please clarify.

Section L – “Instructions, Conditions and Notices To Offerors”, L 14 Due

Date….. pg 58 and SF-33, “Solicitation, Offer, and Award”:

Section L.14 on page 58 specifies that the offeror must submit, “one original and three copies” and “one copy on CD.” However, Section L.15 on page 59 specifies “one original and four (4) copies; two (2) CD ROM.”

Section 9 of the SF-33 also indicates “one original and four (4) copies.”

Please clarify the number of copies and CDs required for submittal.

RFP p. 58 Section L “Instructions, Conditions and Notices To Offerors”

L.14, “Due Date and Submission Requirements for Proposals,” (b) specifies that the offeror must submit, “one original and three copies” and “one copy on CD.” However, Section L.15 on page 59 specifies “one original and four (4) copies; two (2) CD ROM.” Section 9 of the SF-33 also indicates

“one original and four (4) copies.” Please clarify the number of copies and CDs required for submittal.

L.14 and L.15--Please confirm that L.14.b is incorrect requiring one original and three copies of the proposal and that L.15 has the correct number of copies required for each volume.

RFP Sections L.14(b) and L.15: Does the Government require 1 Original plus three copies or 1 Original plus for copies? There is a contradictions between L.14 and L. 15. Please advise.

May Offerors use a font smaller than 12-point Times New Roman, but still legible, for graphics and tables included in their proposals?

Fonts smaller than 12-point Times New Roman are allowed for graphics, charts and tables ONLY.”

Will the Government allow the use of 10-point font in tables and graphics?

See response to Question No. 37

Section L.14, Page 59: Can text for graphics and tables be less than 12 point font?

RFP p. 58 SECTION L -- Instructions, Conditions And Notices To Offerors

L.14 (b): Is it acceptable for the type in graphics, other than charts or tables, to be no smaller than 12 point and be other than Times New

Roman font? (For example screenshots of websites.)

41 Attachment 6, p. 1 “Relevant Experience Worksheet” Experience

Worksheet 1 of 2: The RFP requires the use of 12-point font for the development of the body of the proposal. In order to maintain the format of the Relevant Experience Worksheet, can the offeror use the font used in the current worksheet layout as provided by the government?

Yes

Section L -- INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS, L.14, pg 58: Is it acceptable for the type in graphics, other than charts or tables, to be no smaller than 8 point and be other than Times New Roman font?

L.14 DUE DATE AND SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR PROPOSALS

(Page 58) “- paper form (one original and three copies) on white, untextured paper;

- one copy on a CD formatted for Microsoft Office 2010 and formatted for

8-1/2" by

11" single-spaced print;

- page margins shall be one (1) inch on all sides;

- the type for all proposal documents (including charts and graphs) shall be black;

- the characters per inch shall not exceed twelve (12) characters per linear inch or be smaller than twelve (12) point”

May we use 10 point font for graphics and tables?

Please verify that we may use color for the graphical elements – just not the font within the graphics.

See the response to Question No. 37

As stated in the RFP Section L.14(b) “the type for all proposal documents

(including charts and graphs) shall be black;”

Regarding the font standard of "Times New Roman 12 pt," will the

Government accept a font-size of 10pt for tables and graphics? Please also confirm that the 12pt font restriction does not apply to Government-issued forms and templates (i.e. Attachment "6" which is <12 pt font).

Sect. L.14.b reads, “the type for all proposal documents (including charts and graphs) shall be black;” Will the Government clarify if the font in graphics is limited to black? Will the Government clarify if the use of color is permitted in any form in graphics?

See response to Question No. 43

L.14(b) specifies that "the type for all proposal documents (including charts and graphs) shall be black"; will the Government accept white font for tables headers or graphics with dark backgrounds?

See response to Question No. 43

L.15 Experience (Page 59): Is the QASP draft excluded from the 25 page limitation of technical proposal?

Yes

Section C.1, Table line 7; F.13, L.15(e), Pages 14; 61-64: The table on p. 14 states that the offeror is to provide a draft QASP “as part of the technical proposal.” The instructions for the technical proposal, in section L.15(e), request a Quality Control Plan. Are we to assume that these are the same plans?

No – They are 2 different documents. These documents will not be included in the page count.

Section C.1, Table line 7; F.13, L.15(e), Pages 14; 61-64: If the QASP in section F.13 is meant to be the same document as the Quality Control

Plan in L.15(e), can the government please clarify the contents of the plan? Section F.13 asks for different content than what is asked for in the

Quality Control Plan in L.15(e).

See the response to Question No. 48

Section C.1, Table line 7; F.13 L.15(e), Pages 14; 61-64: Can the government please provide a list of current SLAs and OLAs that we may include in our QASP/Quality Control Plan?

No, it will be provided at the task order level.

Deliverable 7” on page 14 is a QASP, and the table says that a draft QASP is due with the technical proposal. Section L.15(e) on page 63 requires offerors to draft and submit a Quality Control Plan (vs. a QASP) as part of our Management Approach. Is it the Government’s intention that the

See the response to Question No. 48

QASP is the same document as the QCP, and if not, does it fall within the

30-page limit?

In Section C.9 (p. 14), when discussing Deliverables/Reports, the RFP identifies a Draft Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (Item 7) that is due with the technical proposal. This plan is not referenced in the rest of the instructions. How should Offerors submit this plan? Will it be excluded from the page limits?

The QASP has no page limit – however it needs to be sufficient to articulate the QASP.

L.15: Factor 2 – Quality Control – Page 63: Does the government want our

QCP submitted as part of the proposal? If so, is the QCP part of the page count as a normal QCP is about 10 pages in length. Can we attach the

QCP as an attachment at the end of the proposal?

See response to Question No. 51

Sect. L.15.e.1, Factor 2: Does the Government intend for the Offeror to address the Quality Control Plan and Transition Plan within the 10-page limit provided for this Factor?

Factor 2, Management Approach shall be 25 pages. The Quality Control and Transition Plan have no page limit and is not included in the page limit of the Management Approach.

L.15.e - Factor 2 indicates that offerors must submit both a Quality

Control plan and a Transition Plan as a part of the ten page Management

Approach. Given that the Transition Plan is a contract level deliverable requiring significant description of tasks, and that a full Quality Control

Plan can be multiple pages in and of itself, would the Government consider raising the page count limit for the Management approach to 25 pages, or could the Government make the Draft QA Plan and Draft

Transition Plan attachments not included in the Management Approach page count?

No. See the Response to Question No. 48 & 54

In Section C.5 (p. 13), when discussing Phase-In Support, the RFP states

“USPTO plans for approximately 10 to 30 days of contract transition, …”.

However, in Section L.15.e (p. 63), when discussing the Transition Plan in

Factor 2 – Management Approach, the RFP states “The Offeror shall provide a transition plan that will allow the Offeror to be fully functional two weeks after the contract is awarded.” Please clarify the Government’s

Offeror should provide its solution for transitioning which is estimated to be 10-30 days.

expectations for the duration of the transition.

In Section C.9, page 15, when discussing Deliverables/Reports, the RFP identifies a Draft Transition Plan (Item 8) that is due with the technical proposal. Assuming this is a separate document from the “Transition

Plan” requested as part of Volume 1, Factor 2 (p.63), how should Offerors submit this plan? Will it be excluded from the page limits?

Section L.15.(e) 1 Factor 2 – Management Approach; Transition Plan is revised to read: “ The Offeror shall provide a “draft transition plan” that will allow the Offeror to be fully functional two weeks after the contract is awarded. (The Offeror’s plan and schedule to acquire needed facilities, equipment and supplies and to recruit and train personnel; feasibility in meeting required contract start date will be evaluated).

Note: This “draft transition plan” is to be submitted with Offeror’s proposal. The final Transition plan as stated in C.9, “9.1.1 Item No. 8

(Reports/Deliverables for Task Orders” is due NLT five (5) business days after Kick-off Meeting”.

Sect. C.5.1: “USPTO plans for approximately 10 to 30 days of contract transition, if necessary, during which the successful Offeror will provide the minimum staff to perform necessary transition at the task order level.

To meet this requirement, the Contractor shall provide a final Transition

Plan. The final Transition Plan shall demonstrate understanding of the transition tasks and the complexities of assuming responsibility for the task orders. The Transition Plan shall include a transition management plan, labor mix (categories and hours), schedules, and milestones, and shall identify any technical or management issues requiring resolution.

The Contractor shall provide rationale for the composition of the transition team. The Transition Plan shall be developed to have minimal

Yes, task orders will be issued after award and will be included in the total price ceiling under the Base Period 1.

schedule/technical support impact. The labor mix information provided must be fully consistent with the price proposal.” Is transition cost part of the Base Period?

L.15 Experience (Page 59): Is the Transition Plan draft excluded from the

25 page limitation of technical proposal?

See the response to Question No. 54

Section C.5.1, Page 13: Can the Government please clarify whether offerors should provide a full 30-day transition plan? The difference between a 10-day and 30-day transition is significant.

See the response to Question No. 56

Section L.15, Page 63: The management section is only 10 pages, but we have to include a Quality Plan, a Transition Plan, and a “detailed plan describing the resources required to provide the services specified in the

RFP.” To more thoroughly address each of these areas, can the government extend the page limit to at least 15 pages for the

Management section?

No, see responses to #s 52 & 54

Section L.15, Factor 2, Page 63: Since this is an IDIQ with no associated task order, are we supposed to provide a sample transition plan/approach that we will implement upon a future task order award?

As stated in Section B.2, this is “a Hybrid type contract, which incorporates Labor Hour/Time and Material and Fixed-Price task orders.”

This is not an IDIQ contract. This contract has estimated hours, not a

Min or a Max. A final transition plan is based on the requirements of the

SOW and how you will execute assigned task orders per section C. The attached 4 sample tasks as listed in Section 3b of the RFP would be inclusive of this transition plan.

Section L.15, Factor 2, Page 63: Normally a task order proposal will be issued and upon award of the task order, we will transition onto the program. However, since this is an IDIQ with no associated task order, can the government clarify what part of the program needs to be “fully functional within two weeks after the contract is awarded?”

You should be fully functional based on the requirement of the contract and shall be notified on the date of award of any and all subsequent task orders. In Section F.10 (d) it states “The Contractor shall be fully staffed on the first day of task order performance………..

Also, see the response to Question No. 62

Section C.5.1 Phase In Support, H.7 Task Order Procedures, F.10 Staffing

(d), pg 23 & L.15 Factor 2 – Transition, pg. 63:

C.5.1 USPTO plans for approximately 10 to 30 days of contract transition, if necessary, during which the successful Offeror will provide the minimum staff to perform necessary transition at the task order level

F.10 Staffing (d) states “The Contractor shall be fully staffed on the first day of task order performance, and prepared to maintain a fully trained staff throughout the life of the task order”.

L.15 Factor 2 – Management Approach – Transition Plan states “The

Offeror shall provide a transition plan that will allow the Offeror to be fully functional two weeks after the contract is awarded. (The Offeror’s plan and schedule to acquire needed facilities, equipment and supplies and to recruit and train personnel; feasibility in meeting required contract start date will be evaluated).”

From a Transition and Staffing perspective, should the Offeror assume all task orders will be issued at the time of contract award, if not what is the expected time frame for issuance of Task Orders under this contract listed in the SOW? Should we put a schedule around 10-30 days or 2 weeks?

It is not our intent for the new contractor to be fully staffed on the date of award.” There will be an appropriate transition period for phase-in and phase-out activities between the incumbent contractor to the new awardee.

Section 3.2 Remote/Off-site Work requirements (Page 11) “Accordingly, all performance under this Contract shall continue without delay, interruption or disruption, under an agreed upon time in the COOP, CP, DRP, and/or IRP.

Where are the locations of the DRP, and/or IRP?

How will the cost be covered for any outside of the metro-DC locations?

DR site is located at the Boyer’s facility in Pennsylvania. Costs are based on the comparable Government rates and are considered an ODC.

66 Section C 3a. Scope of Work – Page 13: 3. Continuity of Operations Plan

(COOP) and Remote Support lists subparagraphs 3.1 – 3.2 and is

It is a separate task.

immediately followed by paragraph 3.b Technology Stack per Task – is that intended to be part of section 3. COOP or is it a completely separate topic?

Sect. C.3.2.i reads, “Contractor personnel may be required to relocate to the DR site or the COOP site in Boyers, PA during an emergency.” Can reasonable travel costs associated with relocation be charged as an Other

Direct Cost?

See the response to Question No. 65

Will the Government allow the inclusion of a List of Acronyms that is outside of the page limitation for Volume I?

Yes - Any tabs, cover pages, title pages, tables of contents/list of exhibits, acronym lists and one cover letter per Volume will not count against the page count.

List of Acronyms: Why are CP, DRP and/or IRP, excluded from the List of

Acronyms and Terms?

CP = contingency plan

DRP= disaster recovery plan

IRP= incident response plan

The RFP instructions related to Factor 3 – Past Performance on page 63 indicate that this section of Volume 1 “shall consist of past performance questionnaire responses.” Section L.15.d (p. 60) allocates 10 pages for this section. However, since the questionnaire responses are returned directly to the Government from the Offeror’s references, what information does the Government expect Offerors to provide in the 10 pages?

The Past Performance Questionnaire, which is Attachment 8, shall be submitted directly to the USPTO from your reference sources. The page limit of 10 pages was a mistake. Therefore, Section L.d (page 60) is reduced from 10 pages to 0 pages.

Sect. L.15.e.1, Factor 3, reads, "The past performance section shall consist of past performance questionnaire responses." This instruction contradicts the one in RFP, L.15.e.2, which reads, "The Offeror is responsible for exercising due diligence to ensure references submit completed past performance questionnaires directly to the

See the response in Question No. 70

Government..." and Attachment 8, "Return to the Offeror you evaluated for inclusion in the Offeror's proposal..." Will the Government revise the instructions to read that past performance questionnaires must be sent directly to them?

Sect. L.15.e1, Factor 3 reads, "The past performance section shall consist of past performance questionnaire responses (Attachment 8)." The page limit for this section is 10 pages. Each past performance questionnaire is

5 pages, and 5 are required. Given these requirements, there would be

25 pages of past performance questionnaires, which greatly exceeds the

10-page limit for this section. Nevertheless, the Relevant Experience

Worksheet Attachment 6 is limited to 2 pages and 5 are required, which does fit in the 10-page limit. Will the Government confirm that the section

Factor 3 - Past Performance consists of the Relevant Experience

Worksheet Attachment 6 for the 5 references?

See the response to Question No. 70

Section Factor 3 – Past Performance (Page 63) “1. The past performance section shall consist of past performance questionnaire responses (Attachment 8)”

Please clarify whether past performance questionnaire should be submitted directly to the government or included in the Volume 1 under past performance.

Sections L.15(e) Factor 3, 2; L.15(e) Factor 3, 1; and Att.8: The

Government states “The Offeror is responsible for exercising due diligence to ensure references submit completed past performance questionnaires directly to the Government no later than the RFP submission due date

August 29, 2013.”

This conflicts with the instructions in L.15(e), 1, which state “The past performance section shall consist of past performance questionnaire responses (Attachment 8).”

This further conflicts with the instructions in Attachment 8 that state:

“(2) Place in a sealed envelope which contains your agency’s/company’s letter head and (3) Return to the offeror you evaluated for inclusion in offeror’s proposal to be submitted to the USPTO by the closing date of the

RFP.” Can the government clarify whether we must submit the questionnaire with our proposal, or whether our clients should submit the questionnaire directly to the government?

Section L.15, Factor 3, Page 63: If past performance questionnaires are submitted directly to the government, then what are we expected to include in the 10 pages designated for the Past Performance section?

RFP p. 63 Section L – “Instructions, Conditions and Notices To

Offerors”L.15, “Proposal Requirements,” (e) Factor 3, section 1: If an

Offeror is submitting subcontractor Relevant Experience (Attachment 6), should the subcontractor submit Past Performance Questionnaires

(Attachment 8)?

RFP p. 63-64 Section L – “Instructions, Conditions and Notices To

Offerors” L.15, “Proposal Requirements,” (c), Factor 3 - Past Performance

Attachment 8, “Past Performance Questionnaire”: In section 1, the government gives direction that the Past Performance section “shall consist of past performance questionnaire responses. . . .” However, section 2 states: “The Offeror is responsible for exercising due diligence to ensure references submit completed past performance questionnaires directly to the Government.” Will the government clarify what information is required for the past performance section of the proposal given it has a page limit of 10 but the past performance questionnaires will be sent in from the contract references?

78 RFP p. 64 Section L – “Instructions, Conditions and Notices To Offerors”

L.15, “Proposal Requirements,” (e) Volume 1, Factor 3, “Past

Performance, Section L.15(e) Factor 3, item 2: states “Offeror is responsible for exercising due diligence to ensure references submit completed past performance questionnaires directly to the Government” and provides Ms. Brown’s e-mail address. However, the instructions in the

Attachment 8 Past Performance Questionnaire on page 1 state: “ (2) Place in a sealed envelope which contains your agency’s/company’s letter head and (3) Return to the offeror you evaluated for inclusion in offeror’s proposal to be submitted to the USPTO by the closing date of the RFP.”

Please clarify if contract references should submit past performance questionnaires directly to the Government by e-mail, or should they be sent in an Agency-sealed envelope back to the Offeror, who will then submit them with the response?

See the response to Question No. 70

Section L – “Instructions, Conditions and Notices To Offerors”, L.15, “Proposal Requirements,” (e) Factor 3, section 1, pg 63:

If an Offeror is submitting subcontractor Relevant Experience (Attachment

6), should the subcontractor submit Past Performance Questionnaires

(Attachment 8)?

Yes

Also see the response to Question No. 70

Section L – “Instructions, Conditions and Notices To Offerors”, L.15, “Proposal Requirements,” (e) Volume 1, Factor 3, “Past Performance, section 2, pg 64:

Section L.15(e) Factor 3, item 2 (page 64) states “Offeror is responsible for exercising due diligence to ensure references submit completed past performance questionnaires directly to the Government” and provides

Ms. Brown’s e-mail address. However, the instructions in the Attachment

8 Past Performance Questionnaire on page 1 state: “ (2) Place in a sealed envelope which contains your agency’s/company’s letter head and

(3) Return to the offeror you evaluated for inclusion in offeror’s proposal

The past performance questionnaires can be sent by email to:

marva.brown@uspto.gov to be submitted to the USPTO by the closing date of the RFP.” Please clarify if references should submit past performance questionnaires directly to the Government by e-mail, or should they be sent in an

Agency-sealed envelope back to the Offeror, who will then submit them with the response?

Section L -- INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS, L.15 Proposal Instructions (d) and (e) Factor 3 Past Performance, pages 60 and 63: The proposal instructions specify that the maximum page limit for

Section 3 Past Performance is 10 pages. However, the instructions for

Factor 3 Past Performance states “1. The past performance section shall consist of past performance questionnaire responses (Attachment 8).

However, the instructions for the past performance questionnaire in the following paragraph (2.) on page 64 states that the completed questionnaires should be submitted directly to the Government. Please clarify what information you want included within the 10 pages allocated to the Factor 3 Past Performance section.

Would the Government please consider accepting recent CPARS reports in lieu of Past Performance Questionnaires?

No

Section L.15(d)3 lists a 10-page limit for Past Performance section of the

Technical Proposal, but on page 63, Factor 3 – Past Performance states in paragraph 1 that “The past performance section shall consist of past performance questionnaire responses (Attachment 8).” Paragraph 2 states

“The Offeror is responsible for exercising due diligence to ensure references submit completed past performance questionnaires directly to the Government no later than the RFP submission due date…” [emphasis added]. In light of the instruction that Section 3 consist of past performance questionnaire responses that should be submitted directly to the government, we respectfully request that the government eliminate the 10-page allocation to this section, or to more clearly define the content offerors should include here.

Section C 3a. Scope – Page 8: At the start of the topics under “3a. Scope of

Work” the header numbering appears to skip the number 1, as the first header is numbered 2.1 Data Maintenance. Is this correct?

The numbering was inadvertently incorrectly numbered and has been re-numbered.

Section C 3a. Scope of Work – Page 10: The header numbering jumps from

2.10 Enterprise/Project Support to 3.11 Service Level Agreements (SLAs) is that correct or should it be 2.11?

See the response to Question No. 84

Section C 3a. Scope of Work – Page 13: Heading numbers 6 and 7 appear to be skipped in the SOW because it lists 5. Phase-In Support and immediately after 8. Phase-Out Support is this correct?

See the response to Question No. 84

Factor 1- Experience – Page 61: Can a single IDIQ that has multiple Task

Orders be submitted as a single reference to meet the size standards? We have a Prime contract that has 20 Task Orders of varying sizes and would like to reference them under the main Award Number as a single contract.

Factor 3 – Past Performance – Page 63: May we include Attach 6 as an appendix rather than interspersed with pages that count against the limit?

No

Factor 3 – Past Performance – Page 63: Attach 8 (PPQ) is 5 pages long and

Factor 3 has a 10 page limit. Is it the intention to put the Attachment in for each of the 5 references or will the Govt increase the page count for

Factor 3?

Attachment 8 is the Past Performance Questionnaire; it is separate from the 10 page Past Performance Factor (PPQ). The Past Performance factor is for you tell us about the contracts that you have worked on that were similar to of the ITSS requirement. The 10 pages is appropriate for the Contracting Officer(CO) to consider past contract performance of an offeror as an indicator of the likelihood that the offeror will successfully perform a contract.

Section L.15.e (p. 61) of the RFP states “Three (3) of the five (5) contract references must be for work that the Offeror performed and completed as a prime contractor.” Please confirm that, for purposes of this solicitation, the definition of “Offeror” includes both the proposed

Woman-Owned Small Business Prime and proposed Subcontractor(s).

No. The Offeror is considered the Prime which shall be the Woman-

Owned Small Business; not subcontractors. Any subcontractors is the choice of the prime.

In reference to the instructions in Section L.15.e (p. 62) of the RFP related to the Relevancy subfactor of Factor 1 – Experience: If the five contract references submitted for Factor 1 collectively involve the full range of

SOW program management and technical activities, can the Government deem these references compliant with the Relevancy subfactor instructions, even if certain individual contract references do not involve the full range of SOW activities on their own?

Each contract reference must demonstrate the offeror’s ability to perform the activities specified in §C. If an offeror does not have five contract references where this can be demonstrated, the offeror may submit the experience of a proposed subcontractor(s) so long as a teaming plan has been submitted and the offeror has provided at least 3 out of the 5 contract references.

The Government references “the Contractor’s facilities” in Section F.8

(Place of Performance) and mentions facilities in other parts of the RFP.

What types of off-site facilities does the Government expect Offerors to provide and what staff will be located at such facilities?

Occasional, limited support may be required outside the USPTO Virginia locations. Relocation is not anticipated. If there are travel costs associated with any required support at the other locations identified in

§F.8, those travel costs will be covered as an ODC.

Section M.1(c)2(c) of the RFP (p. 67), when discussing the evaluation factors related to the Resources subfactor of Factor 2 – Management

Approach, lists “the reasonableness of production rates” as one of the criteria. However, the instructions related to this subfactor in Section

L.15.e (p. 63) do not contain any reference to this criterion. Was this phrase included in error? If not, how does the Government define

“production rates” in this context for the purposes of evaluation?

This sentence will be deleted

The numbering of subheadings in Section C.3 appears incorrect, leading to some confusion. For example, are “Service Level Agreements” (numbered

3.11) intended to be included with the technical support services numbered as 2.1 through 2.10? Are the Limited Assigned Telework

(numbered 3.1) and Remote/Off-site Work Requirements (numbered 3.2) supposed to be included in the Scope of Work? Please clarify.

See response to Question No. 84

95 On pages 13 and 14 of the RFP, the heading numbering jumps from C.5 to

C.8. Are there any subheadings missing in this section?

See response to Question No. 84

In Section L.15.e (p. 62), related to contract references, the RFP states

“the Offeror shall also complete a Relevant Experience worksheet.” This worksheet contains areas for several pieces of information (e.g., value, Numbers 14 and 15 of Attachment 6 “Relevant Past Performance

Worksheet” is asking for a high-level description summarizing the relevant work performed by the offeror and any significant problems.

period of performance, summary of relevant experience) similar to those requested in the instructions related to Factor 1 – Experience. Should

Offerors duplicate this information in the page-limited section of the volume, or is it sufficient to include this information only on the Relevant

Experience worksheet?

The experience factor asks to demonstrate your previous company experience, which allows you to elaborate a little more.

Attachment 6 submissions will not count against the 25 page limit.

1) Sect. L.15.e.1 reads, “If listing contract references from a proposed subcontractor…" Based on the current wording, is it the Government's intention that if the Offeror does not use references from a subcontractor that a teaming plan is not required?

This is correct.

2) Sect. L.15.e.1 reads, "The offeror shall also complete a Relevant

Experience worksheet (Attachment 6)." Did the Government intend for these worksheets to be included in the section divided by the tab labeled

"Factor 3 - Past Performance"?

The Relevant Experience worksheet shall not be included under the

Factor 3 (Past Performance) tab.

3) Sect. L.15.e.1 reads, "For each reference contract, the Offeror shall be limited to the two-page worksheet." Attachment 6 consists of a one page form and one page of instructions. Did the Government intend that the

Offeror may alter the form to use up to two pages to respond, and delete the instructions?

No – The first page shall be completed only. Each reference is limited to one page. Instructions are provided for informational purposes.

Sect. L.15: Proposal Requirements and L.15: Questions and Responses - It appears the section L.15 has been duplicated as it references both the, “Proposal Requirements” and “Question/Response” sections. Should the second L.15 be Section L.16?

This will be corrected. L.15 will now be L.16 and L.15.1 will now be

L.16.1

Sect. C.3.1 reads, “The Government will not consider any personal costs incurred during the emergency event, for which, telework has been invoked for the assigned timeframe (i.e., Internet Service Provider fees, telephone line, utilities, meals, lodging, etc.) as Other Direct Costs.” If telework is invoked for an extended period of time and the contractor incurs labor hours that are directly related to the contract, can they be charged as a Direct Cost?

No

Sect. I: The Service Contract Act is not incorporated by reference. Will the

Government please confirm that the Service Contract Act does not apply to this procurement/contract?

The Service Contract Act does not apply to this contract.

Sect. F.8: “The effort required under the contract shall be performed at the USPTO Headquarters currently located in Alexandria, VA, the

Contractor’s facilities, and/or associated facilities on the USPTO campus -which occupies five interconnected buildings; Randolph Square in

Arlington, VA; and occasional support at Boyers, PA; Detroit, MI; Denver, CO; Dallas, TX; Silicon Valley, CA and/or any other facilities/sites designated by the USPTO. Each Task Order will specify the place of performance.” Can reasonable travel costs associated with relocation be charged as an Other Direct Cost?

See the response to Question No. 65 and No. 92

Sect. G.5: “The Contractor shall submit a separate monthly invoice for each task order issued under this contract.” Are there any additional invoice deliverables or backup documentation required during the invoice submission process?

Yes, the Contractor Actuals Report, which is Attachment 3, must be submitted.

Sect. L.15: “All questions pertaining to the RFP shall be submitted electronically to ITSS@uspto.gov. Questions must identify the author and company name. All questions and responses pertaining to the RFP will be published and made available at http://www.uspto.gov/about/vendor_info/current_acquisitions/index.jsp.

The identity of the author and associated company name of the question will not be published. All questions regarding the RFP are due by 10:00 a.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST), August 5, 2013.” Will answers to questions be posted dynamically or will they are be answered and posted at one time?

If possible, all responses will be posted at the same time.

Attachment 1: No labor category education or experience ranges/minimums were disclosed. The incumbent has an inherent advantage if this information is not provided. Will this information be provided?

107 Sect. F.7: What is the anticipated start date for the contract? Estimated start date is Feb. 1, 2014.

Sect. L.15.b: Price proposal - Are there any restrictions on hidden tabs or hidden cells?

We are not aware of any restrictions or hidden tabs or cells. The requirements stated in the RFP should be followed. As stated in L.15 (d) there is not a page limit to the price proposal.

109 Sect. L.15.b: Are there any submission requirements for subcontractors?

In Section L.15 (e) Note; states” If listing contract references from a proposed subcontractor, then a signed teaming agreement and plan must also be submitted with the Past Performance volume”.

110 Sect. L.15.b: Is cost or pricing data required with the proposal submission? No

Sect. B.3: On page 2 of the RFP (Schedule of Prices) it reads that the estimated man-hours for CLIN 1001A is 183,519 yearly. Then, in

Base_Contract_Year_Pricing_Attachment_1, the entry for the estimated man-hours is 150,000. Can the Government clarify which number represents the estimated annual man-hours?

This section B.3 is corrected. The hours are as follows:

Base - 185,000 hours

Opt 1 – 185,000 hours

Opt 2 - 185,000 hours

Opt 3 - 185,000 hours

Opt 4 - 185,000 hours

Attachment 1 is corrected to read: 185,000

Sect. L.15.b: Comment: “The Price proposal shall consist of: -a signed RFP cover page” What is meant by “RFP cover page”, is it the RFP Cover Letter or is the Government referring to the SF 33?

Yes – the Government is referring to the SF-33.

Section L.15.e. – Volume 1 – Factor 1- Experience: Is it required that the 5

Contract references mentioned have to be from the Prime Contractor or can one or more be from a proposed sub-contractor.

Yes, at least 3 of the past performance references must be from the

Prime contractor. See answer to Question 98. See Section L.15 (e); read the Note.

Section L.15.e. – Volume 1 – Factor 1- Experience: Can we provide more than five references?

No

115 With this being a small business set aside, will the Government accept past performance from the team versus from the prime only?

See the response to Question No. 113.

Can the government specify when the task orders for the current incumbent expire?

This information is not necessary to respond to the RFP.

Are the sample task orders the government provided indicative of the actual initial task orders that will awarded under this IDIQ?

No

Section 3.b Technology Stack per Task (Page 13) “For informational purposes, Attachments 5a-5d as listed below are examples of tasks that are likely to be issued after contract award:”

Please clarify the relationship between the sample tasks and evaluation factors. Does the offeror need to address the content of sample tasks in volume 1?

The Offeror shall address the content in the sample task. This can be included in a separate tab in the Management Approach. See the revised RFP Section L.15(e) Factor 2 under the Management Approach entitled “Use of Resources”.

Section 5 Phase-In Support (Page 13): Please identify/ estimate the number of ongoing tasks and the level of effort at the time of Phase-In

Support.

This information is not necessary to respond to the RFP.

Section D.2 Equipment Removal (Page 18): For Government site activities, please identify what contractor-own equipment, accessories, and devices are expected to be brought on the government property?

See the response to Question No. 18

Section F.10 Staffing (b) and (c) (Page 23) “(c) A list of suggested labor categories has been provided in Section J, Attachment 1 for evaluation purposes. Please note that the titles of these categories are examples only.”

Please verify that our understanding correct in reference to pricing: that

Each labor category is to be priced at an hourly rate. These categories and proposed hourly rates will become part of Section B.3 Schedule of

Prices (Attachment 1 Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs is revised) which will be used to price task orders. The Government requests the

Offeror to provide its comparable labor category title for each one of the labor categories in Attachment 1, if different from the Government’s labor category.

the pricing is for evaluation only – and we are to price the labor hour rate for one FTE for each labor category.

Volume 1- Factor 1 – Experience – Note (Page 61) “The teaming plan shall not exceed five (5) pages and is not included in the (25) page limit for this factor”

Please clarify what the teaming plan refers to. What kind of information should be included in the teaming plan?

A teaming plan represents your agreement with your proposed subcontractor. It should include the parties’ roles and responsibilities under any resulting contract. The teaming plan is not your signed agreement for teaming with your team members.

What is the ceiling price for ITSS contract? This information is not necessary to respond to the RFP. See Section B.4 in the RFP. The ceiling price will be determined at award.

Please provide statics for the number of tasks performed at the contract’s site and on-site with contractor’s furniture within the last 5 years.

The contractor’s main task requirements are being performed on site at the USPTO with the contractor providing equipment and furniture.

Section 2 – ITSS Attachment 5: What is the process of tracking physical inventory?

This information is not necessary to respond to the RFP.

ITSS Attachment 5: How are new assets added and does USPTO use any kind of discovery tools?

127 Section 2.7 – ITSS Attachment 5: What does EAMS & Aperture Vista do?

EAMS is used for incident management

Aperture vista is used for asset discovery tool

128 Section 2.1.7 – ITSS Attachment 5: Is there a configuration management Yes system?

129 ITSS Attachment 5: How is Change Management managed? This information is not necessary to respond to the RFP.

130 ITSS Attachment 5: Does USPTO have any cloud?

Yes. It is Google and Amazon Public Cloud. Also, there is a USPTO private cloud.

Section 2.5 - ITSS Attachment 5: How is software inventory tracked and are there any automated discovery tools used?

Section 2.1.8 - ITSS Attachment 5: What kind of SLA’s are there and how are they managed?

SLAs will be identified at the task order level.

133 RFQ Section 2.8: What kind of SaaS does USPTO offer or planning to offer?

Do not understand the question of “..USPTO offer or planning to offer?”

Section 2.5.1, Page 9: Is this requirement expected to support end users systems troubleshooting?

Section F.10(a), Page 23: Can the government please clarify the definition of US Citizens? Are permanent residents (Green Card holders) allowed to work on this contract?

According to 305.01 Definition U.S. citizens are:

• individuals born in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or Swain’s Island;

• foreign-born children, under age 18, residing in the U.S. with their birth or adoptive parents, at least one of whom is a U.S.

citizen by birth or naturalization; and

•…