ATTACHMENT_A_EUS_Consolidated_Questions_DLF_04SEPT2015_MASTER_FINAL.pdf

DOC52PAPT1500005

QUESTIONS RECEIVED BY MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015 NO LATER THAN 9 A.M.

LOCAL TIME OF THE CONTRACTING OFFICER

ATTACHMENT A

1. We are seeking clarification in regards to the End User Support solicitation for USPTO - #DOC52PAPT1500005. The notice released on FedBizOpps states that the solicitation is pre-solicitation; however RFP Section L.15 (d) has the proposals due on August 25th.

Could you please advise which is correct at your earliest convenience?

Ans: The solicitation was released on July 16, 2015. The description stated that this is the official release of Solicitation DOC52PAPT1500005 for Information Technology (IT) End User Support Services and its associated attachments. To provide review time of Q&As, Amendment 0004 extends the due date for proposals and questionnaires to Friday, September 18, 2015 NLT 12 PM local time of the Contracting Officer, Alexandria VA. See revision to Section L.15(d) of the solicitation.

2. Solicitation Document, Page 73, J.3.a.4 references Attachment 4 - Warehouse Operations Historical Data. We do not see Attachment 4 with the materials posted on FBO. Where can we find or get access to Attachment 4?

Ans: Attachment 4 was provided via Amendment 0001 dated and posted July 17, 2015.

However, Attachment 4 is revised as a result of Questions #109 and #212. See Amendment 0004.

3. In section L.14.1 Factor A: Past Performance (Section A) on Pg. 90 it is unclear whether all 5 of the requested past performances must come solely from the prime, or whether some of the 5 could be from subcontractor team members?

Ans: An offeror may submit all five (5) references. However, the solicitation clearly states in Section L.14.1(d) that three (3) of the five (5) required past performance contract references must be from the offeror in the capacity of a prime contractor. The two (2) remaining references may be submitted by an offeror who performed in the capacity of a first-tier subcontractor or by an offeror’s proposed teaming partner. All references must meet the criteria outlined in Section L.14.1, Past Performance. See Amendment 0004 for revision to Section L.14(d) and (j).

4. In section L. 14.3 Factor C: Management Approach (Section C) on Pg 93 under L. 14.3 Factor C (a) it states “the Management Plan portion of the management proposal shall not exceed ten (10) pages in total”, however L. 14.3 Factor C (c) states “Charts, graphs, diagrams, etc. shall not exceed two (2) pages and may not be larger than 11 x 14 for this section and are not included in the seven (7) page count for Management Approach”.

Please clarify the Management proposal page count?

Ans: The offeror’s management approach shall not exceed ten (10) pages. See Amendment 0004 for revision to L.14.3(c).

5. Under Pg 91, Section L.14.1.(c)(2)i, Currency. Each contract reference must have a period of performance of at least 12 consecutive months that fall within a three (3) year period from the release of the Request for Proposal.

a. Must the reference contract’s Period of Performance be longer than 1 year, and must all 12 consecutive months fall within the three-year period prior to the release of the RFP?

Ans: Contract reference period of performance must be 12 consecutive months or longer within a three (3) year period from the release of the Request for Proposal. Please see Section L.14.1(c)(2)(i).

b. If not, must all 12 consecutive months have taken place as of the release date of the RFP?

Ans: Yes. All 12 consecutive months must have taken place within a three (3) year period from the release date of the RFP.

c. If a contract is ongoing, and will have met the 12-consecutive-month mark by the due date of the proposal, for example, may we use that contract as a past performance example?

Ans: No. The 12 consecutive month mark must have been met by the release of the RFP.

6. (a) The PTO ITSS Solicitation issued in July 2013 contained a provision allowing two of the required five past performance contract references to be submitted by a subcontractor, providing that a signed teaming agreement and plan was submitted with the Past Performance volume. That provision does not appear in the current EUS RFP, is there a plan to amend the Solicitation to include it?

Ans: An offeror’s teaming arrangements or plans are to be addressed under Section L.14.3:

Factor C, Management Approach.

(b) More specifically, can subcontractor past performance be cited to satisfy one or more of the required five past performances?

Ans: Two (2) references may be submitted by an offeror who performed in the capacity of a first tier subcontractor or by an offeror’s proposed teaming partner. All references must meet the criteria outlined in Section L.14.1. “Past Performance”. See revision to Section L.14(d) and (j) and Amendment 0004.

7. The Previous USPTO End User Support contract solicitation in 2009 required past performance revenue at $1,000,000 per year average. The USPTO reviewers were able to select and award to a small business that successfully managed and support the USPTO EUS operations for 5 + years with this previous criteria. Will the USPTO contracting office lower the $2,000,000 per year contract revenue threshold for past performance submission to the previous $1,000,000 per year? This will allow businesses to provide a more diverse set of applicable past performance submissions and provide USPTO reviewers better insight into a company’s full capabilities.

Ans: In 2009, all five (5) references were required from the offeror. Section L.14.1 requests three (3) of the (5) references to be provided by the offeror with a threshold of one (1) contract at $5M per year and the remaining contracts at $2M per year over the life of the contract. USPTO has relaxed the past performance criteria allowing the submission of the remaining two (2) references to be submitted by the offeror’s proposed teaming partners or by the offeror as a first tier sub-contractor. The required thresholds per year are substantially lower than the estimated contract life of this procurement and reasonable in relation to this being a total small business set aside. The government has also determined that this solicitation is a more accurate reflection of the work to be performed.

8. Will you please issue an amended Standard Form 33 containing RFP Issue Date, SBSA designation, and proposal due date/time.

Ans: No. Amendment 0001 provided the RFP release date. The solicitation provides all other information. Please see Section B, page 2, and Section L.2(a) for the requirement’s designation as a 100% small business set aside. Please see Amendment 0004 and Section L.16(d) for the revised proposal due date, time and any additional submission requirements.

9. RFP Section L. 14.3 Factor C: Management Approach (Section C) - Will you please verify the page count allocation? The RFP references both ten (10) pages and seven (7) pages allocated for Section C.

Ans: The offeror’s management approach shall not exceed ten (10) pages. See Amendment 0004 for revision to L.14.3(c).

10. Please let me know if there has been any progress with respect to an RFP release.

Ans: The solicitation was released on July 16, 2015. The description stated that this is the official release of Solicitation DOC52PAPT1500005 for Information Technology (IT) End User Support Services and its associated attachments.

11. Attachment 4 not distributed

Ans: Attachment 4 was provided via Amendment 0001 dated and posted July 17, 2015.

However, Attachment 4 is revised as a result of Questions #109 and #212. See Amendment 0004.

12. FBO notice (below) Attachments 4 and 5 seem to be the same document (i.e.

Attachment 5). Would you provide attachment 4?

Ans: Attachment 4 was provided via Amendment 0001 dated and posted July 17, 2015.

However, Attachment 4 is revised as a result of Questions #109 and 212. See Amendment 0004.

13. Will the government consider relaxing the past performance requirement outlined in Section L, L.14.1 (c), by retracting the minimum contract value from annual to the value over the entire performance period of the contract? This stipulation will more than likely eliminate quite a few vendors.

Ans: No. The required thresholds per year are substantially lower than the estimated contract life of this procurement and reasonable in relation to this being a total small business set aside.

14. In reviewing the subject solicitation, we request clarification re Past Performance

• L.14.1(c) says References provided shall pertain to the proposing corporate organization (prime contractor).

• (c)(1) says the $5,000,000.00 or more per year reference must be from the offeror performing in the capacity of a prime.

• (c)(2)I says at least three (3) of the required five (5) contract references must be where the offeror performed as a prime contractor.

• (c)(2)ii says References where the offeror performed as a prime contractor will be considered more relevant to the solicitation requirements

Do all 5 references have to be/have been performed by the prime offeror or are teammate past performance citations also acceptable?

Ans: An offeror may submit all five (5) references. However, the solicitation clearly states in Section L.14.1(d) that three (3) of the five (5) required past performance contract references must be from the offeror in the capacity of a prime contractor. The two (2) remaining references may be submitted by an offeror who performed in the capacity of a first-tier subcontractor or by an offeror’s proposed teaming partner. All references must meet the criteria outlined in Section L.14.1, Past Performance. See Amendment 0004 for revision to Section L.14(d) and (j).

15. The following is excerpted from the Solicitation L.14.1 Factor A: Past Performance (Section A).

The requested five (5) past contract references shall meet the following requirements:

(1) “Shall be valued at a minimum of $5,000,000.00 or more per year for one (1) reference and any remaining references at $2,000,000.00 a year or more over the life of the contract.

The $5,000,000.00 or more per year reference must be from the offeror performing in the capacity of a prime. “

The previous RFP DOC52PAPT0801009 language stated “In addition to the aforementioned requirements, the proposed contract references shall also meet the following requirements:

1. Shall be valued at a minimum of $1,000,000.00 a year over the life of the contract.

(a) Why did the Government increase the size of the contract references to $5,000,000 annually for 1 of the past performances so dramatically? That gives the appearance that the government is favoring a particular size of small business or with the unintended consequence of potentially slanting to specific companies known to meet that threshold to increase the requirement to that level.

Ans: Market research conducted revealed a number of firms capable of meeting the past performance thresholds set forth in this solicitation. USPTO has relaxed the past performance criteria allowing the submission of the remaining two (2) references to be submitted by the offeror’s proposed teaming partners or by the offeror as a first tier sub-contractor. The required thresholds per year are substantially lower than the estimated contract life of this procurement and reasonable in relation to this being a total small business set aside. The government has also determined that this solicitation is a more accurate reflection of the work to be performed.

(b) Would the government consider making that primary contract reference $3,000,000 annually? It would still be significantly higher than the previous RFP’s ”$1,000,000 over the life of the contract” requirement. We hope you will favorably consider this to allow the maximum competition possible for this important requirement.

Ans: No. The required thresholds per year are substantially lower than the estimated contract life of this procurement and reasonable in relation to this being a total small business set aside. The government has also determined that this solicitation is a more accurate reflection of the work to be performed.

16. Section L.14.1 Factor A: Past Performance We are required to provide five (5) contract references. All the five references have to from the prime contractor. Our team consists of companies that have adequate and relevant past performance that will show their added value to PTO. We request that we add their (subcontractors) past performance references as part of the five (5) references.

Ans: An offeror may submit all five (5) references. However, the solicitation clearly states in Section L.14.1(d) that three (3) of the five (5) required past performance contract references must be from the offeror in the capacity of a prime contractor. The two (2) remaining references may be submitted by an offeror who performed in the capacity of a first-tier subcontractor or by an offeror’s proposed teaming partner. All references must meet the criteria outlined in Section L.14.1, Past Performance. See Amendment 0004 for revision to Section L.14(d) and (j).

17. CLINS 0001, 1001, 2001, 3001, 4001, 5001 and 6001 contain estimated hours. Please provide us distribution of these hours among the labor categories shown in Attachment 1.

Ans: The requirement has been revised from the current contract requirements and is subject to further changes based on fluctuations in usage by the USPTO. As a result, USPTO is looking for new and innovative ideas that will provide any cost savings, improvements and efficiencies.

Therefore, it is the responsibility of each offeror to provide the necessary labor mix including hours to meet the contract requirement. In addition, specific labor mix of the current contract may be considered proprietary to the incumbent.

18. (a) For Contractor site work, will contractors be issued GFE or will they be expected/allowed to connect with contractor equipment?

Ans: No, GFE will not be issed for Contractor site work. See section B.5.2(c).

(b) If contractors will only be using GFE, will the contractor still be required to submit a C&A package?

Ans: For GFE, the government is responsible for doing the C&A.

19. Will the Government please provide statistics on the current contract numbers for how many security infrastructure “failures” occur on an average per month?

Ans: Your question is unclear. If the question refers to “accessing the fragility of USPTO’s infrastructure”, the hardware is reliable and the software changes are very controlled, so “failures” may only occur once a quarter or less.

20. What are the provisions and weightings for submissions of past performance for teaming partners who will serve as subs to the offeror? Will these count against the total of 5 contract references?

Ans: The provisions and weightings for all past performance are outlined in Sections L.14.1 & M.5(a)(1). Past performance references from a teaming partner does count against the total of 5 contract references. Three (3) of the five (5) required past performance contract references must be from the offeror in the capacity of a prime contractor. The two (2) remaining references may be submitted by an offeror who performed in the capacity of a first-tier subcontractor or by an offeror’s proposed teaming partner. All references must meet the criteria outlined in Section L.14.1, Past Performance. See Amendment 0004 for revision to Section L.14(d) and (j).

21. FYI, it looks like you posted Amendment 4 (Tech Writer Historical Data) twice instead of posting Attachment 5 (Warehouse historical data).

Ans: Attachment 4 was provided via Amendment 0001 dated and posted July 17, 2015.

However, Attachment 4 is revised as a result of Questions #109 and #212. See Amendment 0004.

22. Reference: Note (a) of the CLIN pricing instructions states that the “Offerors are to provide a completed Attachment 1 (Labor Categories Description and Rates) for the TAs and each option year.”

(a) Are these entries for the combination of the Base and Option Years?

Ans: As stated in Section L.14.4(a), Attachment 1 is to be completed for the Base Year and each option year. Attachment 1 has been revised to allow offerors to provide separate pricing for each year of performance. See Amendment 0004.

(b) How do we show a variation in the number of FTEs and/or labor mix for the Base and Option Years?

Ans: As stated in Section L.14.4(a), Attachment 1 is to be completed for the Base Year and each option year. Attachment 1 has been revised to allow offerors to provide separate pricing for each year of performance. See Amendment 0004.

23. Reference: Data contained in the “Up to Est Hours” block in CLINs 0001 and if options are exercised, CLINs 1001, 2001, 3001, 4001, 5001 and 6001.

(a) Are there numbers binding on an offeror’s approach in any way?

Ans: The hours provided are USPTO’s best estimate of the level of effort required to fulfill its requirement and are provided for evaluation purposes only. Section B.5.1 states that it is the Government’s intent to order up to the number of estimated direct labor hours specified under CLIN 0001 and all associated CLINs specified in Section B.3; however, it is the responsibility of the offeror to propose what is needed to fulfill this requirement.

24. Reference: CLIN 0002 and if options are exercised, CLINs 1002, 2002, 3002, 4002, 5002 and 6002.

(a) Since the ODCs are Task Order dependent and will be procured on a cost reimbursable basis, will the USPTO consider inserting a “plug” number for these CLINs?

Ans: No. ODCs will be listed at the individual task order level.

25. Reference: L.14.3. (3)(c) Charts, graphs, diagrams, etc. shall not exceed two (2) pages and may not be larger than 11 x 14 for this section and are not included in the seven (7) page count for Management Approach

(a) Can charts, graphs, diagrams, etc. be embedded with the text as long as they don’t exceed 2 pages total?

Ans: Yes. Charts, graphs, diagrams may be included within the ten (10) page limitation for Management Approach and the twenty-five (25) page limitation for Technical Approach as long as the USPTO is not required to click on links for access and does not exceed the page limitation for this section. If needed, offerors are allowed two (2) additional pages not to exceed 11 x 17 for additional stand-a-lone charts, graphs, diagrams only. Please see revisions to Sections L.14.2(b) and L.14.3(c) and Amendment 0004.

(b) Do they need to be done separately from the text?

Ans: Charts, graphs, diagrams may be included within the ten (10) page limitation for Management Approach and the twenty-five (25) page limitation for Technical Approach as long as the USPTO is not required to click on links for access and does not exceed the page limitation for this section. If needed, offerors are allowed two (2) additional pages not to exceed 11 x 17 for additional stand-a-lone charts, graphs, diagrams only. Please see revisions to Sections L.14.2(b) and L.14.3(c) and Amendment 0004.

(c) Is (7) seven pages an error? Do they mean 10 (ten) pages?

Ans: The offeror’s management approach shall not exceed ten (10) pages. See Amendment 0004 for revision to L.14.3(c).

26. Page 6, Section B-4 – Contract Type. This section states, “This award will consist of a base year (effective date of award for one (1) year) and six (6) one (1) year options.”

However, the FBO Notice Synopsis indicates a period of performance consisting of “a 12-month base period, with four (4) 12-month option periods for a maximum period of five (5) years.” Could you please clarify the period of performance for this contract?

Ans: This requirement is for a base year with six (6) option periods.

27. Page 12, Section C.6.2 Desktop Deployments and Moves – Requirements, Subsection (a) (5). Regarding historical move quantities, how often do they occur and how far is the equipment being moved?

Ans: This is totally dependent on the requestor’s location. Locations included can be both on campus and off campus (Alexandria and Arlington locations). However, the majority of the requests are on campus.

28. Page 14, Section C.7.2 Desktop Field Support – Requirements, Subsection (a). Please provide the customer service survey. Is there a “percentage of returns” requirement before the Service Level Objective (SLO) kicks in?

Ans: No, the percentage of survey returned is not relevant to this requirement.

29. Page 19, Section C.8.2 Warehouse Operations Support – Requirements, Subsection (o).

Please describe the support requirements for the quarterly reconciliation process.

Ans: The USPTO requires all assets to be certified that are under the contractor’s control, quarterly. The process is straight-forward, a report is pulled from the system. The contractor checks all assets and reports any that cannot be accounted for. The Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or the Task Order Manager (TOM) signs off certifying the results.

30. Page 20, Section C.9.2 Audio Visual Support – Requirements, Subsection (b) (general question) Would you please provide the average number of meetings that require audio visual support? Is a technician required to be physically present at these meetings?

Ans: The average number is 2 per day. No, Technicians would only be physically present at these meetings if requested by Government personnel.

31. Page 33, Section C.16.2 Collaborative Services and Support – Requirements, Subsection

(b) (9). Would you please quantify the number of client deployments typically required?

Ans: Approximately, twice a month.

32. Page 35, Section C.17 Authorization& Assessment (A&A). We are unable to locate clause H.25 CAR 1352.239-73, Security Requirements for Information Technology Resources. Would you direct us to this clause or provide it for our reference?

Ans: The correct clause for Section C.17 is CAR 1352.239-72, Security Requirements for Information Technology Resources which is located at Section H.24. See Amendment 0004.

33. Page 38, Section C.19.2 Electronic Business Center (EBC) Customer Service Requirements, Subsection (f). Please describe the skills expectation for this resource (i.e., Is this a high level database programmer or a lower level access or SQL position?).

Ans: This requires lower level access to write and develop queries.

34. Page 39, Section C.19.2 Electronic Business Center (EBC) Customer Service Requirements, Subsection (q). Is it acceptable for agents to work virtually? Is the contractor responsible for Service Level Objectives (SLOs) if the disaster has rendered the Government systems inoperable for some period of time?

Ans: It is acceptable for agents to work virtually within the given parameters listed within Section C. 19.2(q), i.e. should the Federal Government be closed, delayed in opening, or closed due to inclement weather, natural or unnatural disasters or emergencies. Service Level Agreements (SLAs) missed due to circumstances that have rendered Government systems inoperable for any period of time will be documented to justify any missed SLAs per Section C.19.2(r).

35. Page 39, Section C.19.2 Electronic Business Center (EBC) Customer Service Requirements, Subsection (r). Does this metric kick in after a designated number of scorecards are received?

Ans: No. The metric is in reference to the cards received. All are evaluated. There is no minimum number to trigger review.

36. Page 47, Section F.7 Contractor Reporting of Actual Expenditures/Deliverables, Subsection (b). Will the USPTO supply the templates referenced in this section?

Ans: Yes. These templates are provided for informational purposes only. See Amendment 0004.

37. Page 83, Section L.3 5.215-1 Instructions to Offerors – Competitive Acquisition (Jan 2004), Subsection (c) (2). Do you consider the Proposal Cover Page to be page one (1) of the Proposal, or is page 1 a separate page?

Ans: Offerors are permitted to submit a one (1) page cover page for Volume 1 only. The proposal’s cover page is a separate page. The cover page should at a minimum contain the company’s name, point of contact, phone number, email address, expiration date of the proposal and Duns & Bradstreet number. The cover page is not part of the overall page count. It will be used for informational purposes only and it will not be evaluated. Additional cover pages are not to be provided for each section or evaluation factor. See Section L.13(g). See Amendment 0004.

38. Page 89, Section L.13 Proposal Requirements, Subsection (a) (chart) – Technical Proposal, Number of Copies Required Column. Solicitation states one (1) electronic copy on CD. On page 95, Section L.16, Subsection (a) (1) it states 2 electronic copies. Which is correct?

Ans: The USPTO requires one (1) electronic copy for the technical approach under Section L.16(a)(1). Also, please see L.13(a) & (b). See Amendment 0004.

39. Page 89, Section L.13 Proposal Requirements, Subsection (a) (chart) –Page Limitation Column. Are the following items included as part of the overall page count of Volumes 1 and 2, or could these items be excluded in the page count for each Proposal section:

a. Cover and Divider Pages

b. Cover Letter

c. Table of Contents

d. Acronym List

e. Compliance matrix

Ans: The offeror shall include a one (1) page Cover Page, a one (1) page Compliance Matrix, Table of Contents and Dividers. The offeror may include a one (1) page Title Page. The Table of Contents shall indicate the page numbers of each section, figures or table. The cover page, compliance matrix, table of contents, and dividers are not included in the overall page count for each section and will not be evaluated. No other items such as acronym list, appendices, definition list, executive summary, glossary, etc. are permitted. See revised Section L.13(g) and Amendment 0004.

40. Page 90, Section L.14.1 Factor A: Past Performance (Section A), Subsection (c) (1). The USPTO is requiring that the Prime have one reference of $5 million in one year and $2 million for the remaining 4 references within the past 3 years. However, this is a small business set-aside with a NAICS Code 541513 (a $27.5M business size). Would the Government consider relaxing the revenue thresholds to $4 million and $1 million, respectively, or allow the Prime to use a subcontractor's references for the $2 million dollar references?

Ans: An offeror may submit all five (5) references. However, the solicitation clearly states in Section L.14.1(d) that three (3) of the five (5) required past performance contract references must be from the offeror in the capacity of a prime contractor. The two (2) remaining references may be submitted by an offeror who performed in the capacity of a first-tier subcontractor or by an offeror’s proposed teaming partner. All references must meet the criteria outlined in Section L.14.1, Past Performance. See Amendment 0004 for revision to Section L.14(d) and (j).

41. Page 93, Section L.14.3, Factor C: Management Approach (Section C), Subsection (a).

Solicitation states that “the Management Plan portion of the Management Proposal shall not exceed ten (10) pages in total.” Subsection (c) references a seven (7) page count for the Management Approach. Which is correct?

Ans: The offeror’s management approach shall not exceed ten (10) pages. See Amendment 0004 for revision to L.14.3(c).

42. Page 94, Section L.14.5 Certifications and Representations (Sections 5 & 6), Subsection (a). If the contractor has an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM), are they still required to complete solicitation Sections I and K for inclusion in the Price Proposal?

Ans: Yes, offerors are required to complete and submit the requirements identified under Section L.14.5.

43. Page 95, L.16 Submission Requirements, Subsection (a) (4) stipulates that charts and graphics “shall be black” while Subsection (a) (9) says “they may be submitted in white or color graphics.” Which would the USPTO prefer?

Ans: The text and graphics type for all proposal documents shall be black. See Amendment 0004.

44. USPTO EUS Attachment One (1), Labor Category Descriptions and Rates, is password protected from data entry. Would you specify a password to unprotect this sheet or provide an unprotected version?

Ans: Attachment 0001 has been revised and will not be password protected. See Amendment 0004.

45. Document, Section, Page #: Solicitation, L.14.3 (b) (2) & (3); Statement/Issue:

Duplication of the same solicited information, Will the Government clarify if the requirement for L.14.3. (b) for, "Offeror shall describe its experience as it relates to the type, size, and complexity of the requirements specific in Section C of this RFP" is satisfied with the Offeror's response to L.14.3(c), "the offeror shall demonstrate its previous corporate experience providing services required by Section C of this RFP".

Recommendation: Eliminate this requirement in L.14.3(b) or add it directly to L.14.3( c) and consider bolstering the page count for management

Ans: “Offeror shall describe its experience as it relates to the type, size and complexity of the requirements specified in Section C of the RFP” is deleted from Section L.14.3(b)(2) and added to Section L.14.3(b)(3). In addition, USPTO will not increase the page count for Management Approach. See Amendment 0004 and revisions to Sections L.14.3(b)(2) and L.14.3(b)(3).

46. Document, Section, Page #: Solicitation, L.14.3 (c); Statement/Issue:The management approach states 7 pages where elsewhere it is clearly indicated as 10; Question: Will the Government revise the solicitation to meet the already established 10 page requirement?

Ans: The offeror’s management approach shall not exceed ten (10) pages. See Amendment 0004 for revision to L.14.3(c).

47. Document, Section, Page #: Solicitation; Question: Will the Government allow a 2 page Executive Summary to be submitted with responses that is outside of the alloted page count?

Ans: No.

48. Document, Section, Page #: Solicitation; Question: Will the Government allow for cover letters, glossaries/acronym lists, and table of contents to be included with offeror's responses and be outside the current allocated page counts

Ans: The offeror shall include a one (1) page Cover Page, a one (1) page Compliance Matrix, Table of Contents and Dividers. The offeror may include a one (1) page Title Page. The Table of Contents shall indicate the page numbers of each section, figures or table. The cover page, compliance matrix, table of contents, and dividers are not included in the overall page count for each section and will not be evaluated. No other items such as acronym list, appendices, definition list, executive summary, glossary, etc. are permitted.

Offerors are permitted to submit a one (1) page cover page for Volume 1 only. The proposal’s cover page is a separate page. The cover page should at a minimum contain the company’s name, point of contact, phone number, email address, expiration date of the proposal and Duns & Bradstreet number. The cover page is not part of the overall page count. It will be used for informational purposes only and it will not be evaluated. Additional cover pages are not to be provided for each section or evaluation factor. See Section L.13(g).

See Amendment 0004.

49. Document, Section, Page #: Solicitation, L.4; Question: Is there specific narrative or compliance the Government wishes to see to satisfy this requirement pre-award? It is not clearly stated if the Government requires any action of offerors pre-award.

Ans: No action is needed by the offeror.

50. Document, Section, Page #: Solicitation, C.12.2.m; Statement/Issue: Clarification of task responsibility; Question: Our understanding is that we are responsible for testing hardware/software/firmware upgrades; Recommendation: Please confirm or clarify.

Ans: Yes, your understanding is correct.

51. Document, Section, Page#: Solicitation, C.12.2.a; Statement/Issue: Clarification of hours; Question: Please confirm that on-site staff is required on a 24x7x365 basis including weekends and Holidays

Ans: Yes.

52. Document, Section, Page#: Solicitation, C.14.2.m; Statement/Issue: Detail requested on work volume; Question: Please specify the volume for each of the following tasks:

• corrective actions

• authorization and assessment (A&A) packages

• Continuous Monitoring

• FISCAM

• related efforts

Ans: This information is not readily available. Please use the existing requirements to develop your response to the solicitation.

53. Document, Section, Page#: Solicitation, C.14.2.n; Statement/Issue: Detail requested on after hour workload; Question: Please clarify the number of incidents received after hours by month on average.

Ans: This information is not readily available. Please use the existing requirements to develop your response to the solicitation.

54. Document, Section, Page#: Solicitation, C.14.2.z; Statement/Issue: Unclear term;

Question: Please clarify what the government means by “spares”

Ans: Spares are parts that the EUS contractor must have on hand in order to meet the requirements in C.14.2(y). Section C.14.2(y) states “The Contractor shall configure, maintain and repair WAN Accelerator, Application Load Balancer and VPN switches.”

55. Document, Section, Page #: Solicitation, C.22; Statement/Issue: Further detail on individual clearance requirements by role; Question: Do any of the security personnel require clearances unique to their position?

Ans: Yes. Section C.22 (g) states, “The requirement for Security Operations & Enterprise Monitoring must be employed by resources that are able to maintain a Secret Clearance.”

56. Document, Section, Page #: Solicitation, C.14.2.x; Statement/Issue: Clarification of hours; Question: Please confirm USPTO’s production hours of 5:30am to 12:00am rolling across time zones based on C3 location.

Ans: Production hours are 5:30am to 12:00am Eastern Standard Time (EST).

57. Document, Section, Page #: Solicitation, C.12.2.aa; Statement/Issue: Clarification of methods of submitting requests; Question: Do LAN/WAN port activations and patch management requests come through Remedy, email, or physical walk up? Are all of these request methods subject to the same 1 hour response time?

Ans: There is no section C.12.2.aa. If the section is C.14.2.aa, all requests come in a form of a Remedy/ITSM ticket.

58. Page 6, Section B-4 – Contract Type. This section states, “This award will consist of a base year (effective date of award for one (1) year) and six (6) one (1) year options.”

However, the FBO Notice Synopsis indicates a period of performance consisting of “a 12-month base period, with four (4) 12-month option periods for a maximum period of five (5) years.” Could you please clarify the period of performance for this contract?

Ans: This requirement is for a base year with six (6) option periods.

59. Page 7, Section B.5.2 Labor Hour Pricing Rates, Subsection (b) (1). Relating to Contractor Site Rates, is office space provided for the contractor’s direct workers or are some of the workers expected to not work at USPTO facilities?

Ans: Of the fifteen (15) Information Technology (IT) support services, the USPTO currently provides office spaces for all with the exception of the following:

1. Desktop Deployments and Moves (§C.6.2): The USPTO currently provides up to 9 office spaces.

2. Desktop Field Support (§C.7.2): The USPTO currently provides approximately 36 office spaces.

3. Warehouse Operations Support (§C.8.2)

4. Electronic Business Center Support (§C.19, §C.20)

Also, please see Amendment 0004 for clarification of Government Site Rates and Contractor Site Rates.

60. Page 11, Section C.5 Description of Requirements, Subsection (b). Of the 15 IT support services required, which of these are expected to be on your premises and which are to be on the contractor’s?

Ans: Of the fifteen (15) Information Technology (IT) support services, the USPTO currently provides office spaces for all with the exception of the following:

1. Desktop Deployments and Moves (§C.6.2): The USPTO currently provides up to 9 office spaces.

2. Desktop Field Support (§C.7.2): The USPTO currently provides approximately 36 office spaces.

61. Page 12, Section C.6.2 Desktop Deployments and Moves – Requirements. Does the contractor or USPTO provide any required vehicles?

Ans: The Contractor is responsible for determining and providing the transportation needs to fulfill this requirement.

62. Page 12, Section C.6.2 Desktop Deployments and Moves – Requirements, Subsection (a) (5). Regarding historical move quantities, how often do they occur and how far is the equipment being moved?

Ans: This is totally dependent on the requestor’s location. Locations included can be both on campus and off campus (Alexandria and Arlington locations). However, the majority of the requests are on campus.

63. Page 14, Section C.7.2 Desktop Field Support – Requirements, Subsection (a). Please provide the customer service survey. Is there a “percentage of returns” requirement before the Service Level Objective (SLO) kicks in?

Ans: No, the percentage of survey returned is not relevant to this requirement.

64. Page 19, Section C.8.2 Warehouse Operations Support – Requirements, Subsection (o).

Please describe the support requirements for the quarterly reconciliation process.

Ans: The USPTO requires all assets to be certified that are under the contractor’s control, quarterly. The process is straight-forward, a report is pulled from the system. The contractor checks all assets and reports any that cannot be accounted for. The Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or the Task Order Manager (TOM) signs off certifying the results.

65. Page 20, Section C.9.2 Audio Visual Support – Requirements, Subsection (b) (general question) Would you please provide the average number of meetings that require audio visual support? Is a technician required to be physically present at these meetings?

Ans: The average number is 2 per day. No, Technicians would only be physically present at these meetings if requested by Government personnel.

66. Page 33, Section C.16.2 Collaborative Services and Support – Requirements, Subsection

(b) (9). Would you please quantify the number of client deployments typically required?

Ans: Approximately, twice a month.

67. Page 35, Section C.17 Authorization& Assessment (A&A). We are unable to locate clause H.25 CAR 1352.239-73, Security Requirements for Information Technology Resources. Would you direct us to this clause or provide it for our reference?

Ans: The correct clause for Section C.17 is CAR 1352.239-72, Security Requirements for Information Technology Resources which is located at Section H.24. See Amendment 0004.

68. Page 38, Section C.19.2 Electronic Business Center (EBC) Customer Service Requirements, Subsection (f). Please describe the skills expectation for this resource (i.e., Is this a high level database programmer or a lower level access or SQL position?).

Ans: This requires lower level access to write and develop queries.

69. Page 39, Section C.19.2 Electronic Business Center (EBC) Customer Service Requirements, Subsection (q). Is it acceptable for agents to work virtually? Is the contractor responsible for Service Level Objectives (SLOs) if the disaster has rendered the Government systems inoperable for some period of time?

Ans: It is acceptable for agents to work virtually within the given parameters listed within Section C. 19.2(q), i.e. should the Federal Government be closed, delayed in opening, or closed due to inclement weather, natural or unnatural disasters or emergencies. Service Level Agreements (SLAs) missed due to circumstances that have rendered Government systems inoperable for any period of time will be documented to justify any missed SLAs per Section C.19.2(r).

70. Page 39, Section C.19.2 Electronic Business Center (EBC) Customer Service Requirements, Subsection (r). Does this metric kick in after a designated number of scorecards are received?

Ans: No. The metric is in reference to the cards received. All are evaluated. There is no minimum number to trigger review.

71. Page 47, Section F.7 Contractor Reporting of Actual Expenditures/Deliverables, Subsection (b). Will the USPTO supply the templates referenced in this section?

Ans: Yes. These templates are provided for informational purposes only. See Amendment 0004.

72. Page 83, Section L.3 5.215-1 Instructions to Offerors – Competitive Acquisition (Jan 2004), Subsection (c) (2). Do you consider the Proposal Cover Page to be page one (1) of the Proposal, or is page 1 a separate page?

Ans: Offerors are permitted to submit a one (1) page cover page for Volume 1 only. The proposal’s cover page is a separate page. The cover page should at a minimum contain the company’s name, point of contact, phone number, email address, expiration date of the proposal and Duns & Bradstreet number. The cover page is not part of the overall page count. It will be used for informational purposes only and it will not be evaluated. Additional cover pages are not to be provided for each section or evaluation factor. See Section L.13(g). See Amendment 0004.

73. Page 88, Section IV REMEDIES, L.8 Incumbent Contractor, Subsection (a). Please provide the current contract head count by job title along with the unit price provided by Evolver, Inc.

Ans: The current organization structure is provided by the incumbent contractor. This information may be considered proprietary to the incumbent’s solution. It is the responsibility of the offeror to determine the labor mix to fulfill this requirement.

74. Page 88, Section IV REMEDIES, L.8 Incumbent Contractor, Subsection (a). Please provide the current contract value by year of DOC50PAPT0901027.

Ans: The requirement has been revised from the current incumbent’s contract and may be subject to further change based on fluctuations in usage by the USPTO. Please see Section L.8 for the total estimated contract value to date. However, please note that the information provided is not indicative of the current requirement. Please refer to Section C.

75. Page 89, Section L.13 Proposal Requirements, Subsection (a) (chart) – Technical Proposal, Number of Copies Required Column. Solicitation states one (1) electronic copy on CD. On page 95, Section L.16, Subsection (a) (1) it states 2 electronic copies. Which is correct?

Ans: The USPTO requires one (1) electronic copy for the technical approach under Section L.16(a)(1). Also, please see L.13(a) & (b). See Amendment 0004.

76. Page 89, Section L.13 Proposal Requirements, Subsection (a) (chart) –Page Limitation Column. Are the following items included as part of the overall page count of Volumes 1 and 2, or could these items be excluded in the page count for each Proposal section:

a. Cover and Divider Pages

b. Cover Letter

c. Table of Contents

d. Acronym List

e. Compliance matrix

Ans: The offeror shall include a one (1) page Cover Page, a one (1) page Compliance Matrix, Table of Contents and Dividers. The offeror may include a one (1) page Title Page. The Table of Contents shall indicate the page numbers of each section, figures or table. The cover page, compliance matrix, table of contents, and dividers are not included in the overall page count for each section and will not be evaluated. No other items such as acronym list, appendices, definition list, executive summary, glossary, etc. are permitted. See revised Section L.13(g) and Amendment 0004.

77. Page 90, Section L.14.1 Factor A: Past Performance (Section A), Subsection (c) (1). The USPTO is requiring that the Prime have one reference of $5 million in one year and $2 million for the remaining 4 references within the past 3 years. However, this is a small business set-aside with a NAICS Code 541513 (a $27.5M business size). Would the Government consider relaxing the revenue thresholds to $4 million and $1 million, respectively, or allow the Prime to use a subcontractor's references for the $2 million dollar references?

Ans: An offeror may submit all five (5) references. However, the solicitation clearly states in Section L.14.1(d) that three (3) of the five (5) required past performance contract references must be from the offeror in the capacity of a prime contractor. The two (2) remaining references may be submitted by an offeror who performed in the capacity of a first-tier subcontractor or by an offeror’s proposed teaming partner. All references must meet the criteria outlined in Section L.14.1, Past Performance. See Amendment 0004 for revision to Section L.14(d) and (j).

78. Page 93, Section L.14.3, Factor C: Management Approach (Section C), Subsection (a).

Solicitation states that “the Management Plan portion of the Management Proposal shall not exceed ten (10) pages in total.” Subsection (c) references a seven (7) page count for the Management Approach. Which is correct?

Ans: The offeror’s management approach shall not exceed ten (10) pages. See Amendment 0004 for revision to L.14.3(c).

79. Page 94, Section L.14.5 Certifications and Representations (Sections 5 & 6), Subsection (a). If the contractor has an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM), are they still required to complete solicitation Sections I and K for inclusion in the Price Proposal?

Ans: Yes, offerors are required to complete and submit the requirements identified under Section L.14.5.

80. Page 95, Section L.16 Submission Requirements, Subsection (a) (4) stipulates that charts and graphics “shall be black” while Subsection (a) (9) says “they may be submitted in white or color graphics.” Which would the USPTO prefer?

Ans: The text and graphics type for all proposal documents shall be black. See Amendment 0004.

81. USPTO EUS Attachment One (1), Labor Category Descriptions and Rates, is password protected from data entry. Would you specify a password to unprotect this sheet or provide an unprotected version?

Ans: Attachment 0001 has been revised and will not be password protected. See Amendment 0004.

82. Are the Program Manager and the Quality Manager meant to be onsite 100% of the time or can they be housed at a nearby vendor location?

Ans: No, they don’t have to be on-site 100% of the time. It is the contractor’s decision on where they will be based or housed.

83. According to the documentation, USPTO has 2 warehouses near Springfield and the vendor has to have their warehouse within 10 miles of the USPTO. Would it be acceptable for the vendor to have their warehouse in the Herndon/Dulles Corridor? Does the vendor need to staff all 3 warehouses?

Ans: Section C.8.2 (c) states “The Contractor shall provide a facility located in Virginia adequate to house USPTO purchased Information Technology (IT) equipment within a ten (10)-mile radius of the USPTO Headquarters.” The EUS Contractor is required to provide support to the two warehouses near Springfield only, and is required to staff the warehouse to be provided under Section C.8.

84. What current tasks are being conducted onsite? And what tasks are being conducted offsite?

Ans: Of the fifteen (15) Information Technology (IT) support services, the USPTO currently provides office spaces for all with the exception of the following:

1. Desktop Deployments and Moves (§C.6.2): The USPTO currently provides up to 9 office spaces.

2. Desktop Field Support (§C.7.2): The USPTO currently provides approximately 36 office spaces.

3. Warehouse Operations Support (§C.8.2)

4. Electronic Business Center Support (§C.19, §C.20)

Also, please see Amendment 0004 for clarification of Government Site Rates and Contractor Site Rates.

85. In Reference to Pricing

a. RE B.3 Schedule of Prices on Page 2:

It appears that CLIN 0001 is based on a general staff matrix where the vendor distributes the number of hours. Is the vendor meant to fill out CLIN 0001 using Attachment 1? If so what summary elements of Attachment 1 are to be used to fill out CLIN 0001 in B.3?

Ans: Yes. From Attachment 1, offerors are to provide the cumulative for estimated total cost (onsite and offsite) and the total estimated hours to complete Section B.3 for CLINs 0001 and all associated CLINs.

b. Is it the expectation of the USPTO for the vendor to provide firm fixed pricing for CLINs 0004-0008 based solely on the Statement of Work, Section C and the attachments?

Is there any further detail on the level of work for these CLINs? For example: Is there any correlation between the CLIN 0001 hours and the firm fixed price? The Senior Technical Writer needs to be priced out in CLIN 0001, but how does the pricing for the Senior Technical Writer in CLIN 0001 relate to CLIN 0005? Please provide further clarification and instruction on the pricing.

Ans: Offerors are to provide firm fixed pricing (FFP) for CLINs 0003-0008 using the Statement of Work and historical information provided for each task. None of the estimated hours in CLIN 0001 apply to the fixed price CLINs. The only correlation is that you may use some of the labor categories to perform under the FP CLINs.

c. RE CLIN 0001:

Is Attachment 1 supposed to be filled out to represent a total of 245,000 hours?

Ans: Yes. Also, please see the responses to Questions #17 and #23.

86. Though not requested, would the Government allow a compliance matrix to be included in proposals outside the page count to better enable the government to see how proposal structure meet solicitation requirements?

Ans: The offeror shall include a one (1) page Cover Page, a one (1) page Compliance Matrix, Table of Contents and Dividers. The offeror may include a one (1) page Title Page. The Table of Contents shall indicate the page numbers of each section, figures or table. The cover page, compliance matrix, table of contents, and dividers are not included in the overall page count for each section and will not be evaluated. No other items such as acronym list, appendices, definition list, executive summary, glossary, etc. are permitted.

Offerors are permitted to submit a one (1) page cover page for Volume 1 only. The proposal’s cover page is a separate page. The cover page should at a minimum contain the company’s name, point of contact, phone number, email address, expiration date of the proposal and Duns & Bradstreet number. The cover page is not part of the overall page count.