Additional_Questions_9_15_2015.pdf

DOC52PAPT1500005

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY END USER SUPPORT (EUS) SERVICES

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS

9/15/2015

1. In light of the requirement to provide estimated hours for regional sites, will the

Government provide the following:

a. Clarify which EUS services will be provided at each site by the EUS contractor and the onsite operations and maintenance support contractors identified in C.18.2.

Ans: Section C.18.2 clearly states what EUS services are to be provided.

b. Estimated number of users and historical workload data (or other data suitable for determining staffing) for the services required at each site.

Ans: The regional offices are new and there is no historical data. Please refer to Section C.14

“Background”. It states that there are approximately 250 employees at the regional offices. In addition, please refer to Q&As posted on Friday, September 11, 2015.

2. Ref. B.5.2 (b): Amendment 4 changed the wording from “assume Government provision of personal computers” to “assume Contractor provision of personal computers”. In the same paragraph, the RFP states “The Government will provide only office space, furniture, office equipment, and supplies as specified in each individual Task Order. Office equipment would include the use of personal computers and office automation software, to the extent that the Contractor personnel have been granted access to USPTO IT systems.”

a. Questions: Will the Government provide personal computers/laptops for Government site contractor employees? If the Government will not be providing personal computers/laptops for Government Site contractor employees, will the contractor be allowed to charge the purchase of personal computers/laptops under CLIN 0002 –

Material/Equipment/Travel/ODC?

Ans: For the purpose of submitting proposals, offerors are to assume the provision of their own personal computers/laptops in support of this requirement. Offerors are not allowed to charge the purchase of contractor’s owned computers and laptops to CLIN 0002.

b. If the contractor provides personal computers for Government site employees, will the

Government provide the standard office automation software for those computers?

Ans: Yes.

c. What restrictions or standards will be imposed on Contractor provisioned personal computers that will be connected to the USPTO network?

Ans: Information Technology security rules and regulations apply. Please refer to Sections H.23 and H.24

3. Ref. B.3 (a): Please clarify:

a. Future Requirements is not listed in either the services to be priced under CLIN

0001/Attachment 1 or in any of the other CLINs. Does the bidder need to provide any pricing for C.21 Future Requirements?

Ans: No.

b. The last sentence states that “Total Cost for each CLIN shall not exceed the Total Cost proposed by vendor”. Does this imply that proposed prices for CLIN 0001 and options will establish a ceiling price for the T&M work? Or will the CLIN values be increased to allow for Future Requirements and additional orders (e.g. for Remote Site End User Services)?

Ans: There will be a ceiling for the T&M work.

4. Please clarify whether the Offeror's Attachment 1 proposed labor mix for CLINS X001 are required to equal the “Up To Estimated” hours provided by USPTO in B.3 (i.e. 245,000 for base year; 269,500 for option year 1; etc.) or if Offeror's are to bid the total number of hours they see fit to perform the work as described in section C (i.e. not necessarily equal to

245,000, 269,500, etc.)

We are seeking clarification of this based on USPTO’s response to the following:

USPTO states in response to question 23 that the hours provided are “USPTO’s best estimate…however it is the responsibility of the offeror to propose what is needed to fulfill the requirement.” Then in response to Question 85(c), USPTO’s response states that

Offeror's Attachment 1 submission is meant to “represent a total of 245,000 hours.” This

2nd statement seems to indicate that USPTO is requiring the Offeror's proposed labor mix to equal 245,000 hours (presumably for the base year) which somewhat contradicts the notion of the vendor determining “what is needed to fulfill the requirement.” If USPTO is dictating the total hours that must be bid each year (i.e. 245,000 for base year; 269,500 for option year 1; etc.), Offeror’s are essentially only proposing the Labor Category rates, and how the 245,000 hours etc. are distributed amongst those Labor Categories.

Ans: Yes, your assumption is correct. Please refer to Q&As #17, 23, and 85(c) that was posted as under Amendment 0004.

Note #1: The closing date and time for submission of proposals remain unchanged as

Monday, September 21, 2015 no later than 12 p.m., local time of the Contracting Officer, Alexandria, VA.

Note #2: Submission of additional Questions may not be responded to before the deadline of the proposals.