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1 October 2024

Addendum 1 for RFP 25‐14 Trusted Autonomy Portal

This addendum provides answers to questions submitted by prospective bidders. The University’s answers are shown in RED.

Amber Floyd

Buyer, Procurement, and Contract Services

1. Scope of Work and On‐Site Requirements

1. Is there an expectation for any on‐site presence during the project, particularly for testing, validation, or collaboration with USM’s teams, or can all work be completed remotely?

FINAL TRAINING SHOULD BE ONSITE

2. How frequently does USM anticipate needing direct interaction with the autonomy and modeling teams? Would virtual meetings suffice, or is physical presence required for certain milestones?

DURING THE DEVELOPMENT VIRTUAL SHOULD WORK

2. Integration Requirements

1. Can USM provide additional technical details about existing models (Bellhop 2D/3D, HYCOM, NGOFS2)? Are there specific integration challenges that vendors should anticipate?

NO

w10010857 Amber Floyd

2. Does USM have preferred or required APIs or adapters for integrating these models, or is the vendor expected to propose these solutions?

VENDOR SHOULD PROPOSE THESE SOLUTIONS

3. Blockchain Implementation

1. Could you clarify the specific role of blockchain in the platform? For example, will the blockchain architecture be used purely for logging interactions and retraining AIs, or are there other blockchain functionalities USM anticipates?

2. Does USM have any existing blockchain infrastructure or preferred blockchain frameworks that vendors should align with?

NO PREFERENCE

4. Hardware and Infrastructure

1. Are there any specific hardware constraints or preferences (e.g., specific laptop/server brands, configurations) that USM requires for the Generative AI platform deployment?

HIGH PREFERENCE COMPUTERS, SPECS IN THE BID DOCUMENT

2. Does USM require vendors to provide the hardware (e.g., laptops, servers), or is it expected that USM will supply these?

YES, VENDOR SHALL PROVIDE

5. Data and Model Availability

1. Will USM provide the data required for model training and testing? If so, what data formats and types are expected to be handled by the system (structured/unstructured)?

MODEL DATA IN READILY AVAILABLE THROUGH NUMEROUS WEB SITES AND FROM USM’s

CUBEnet ENVIRONMENT

2. Are there any restrictions or assumptions around the availability of the necessary models and data during the project (e.g., proprietary models or data sources)?

6. Security and Compliance

1. Regarding PII data protection and other compliance requirements, are there any specific federal, state, or university regulations that the vendor must adhere to beyond standard security practices?

2. Does USM have any specific security certifications (e.g., ISO, NIST) that vendors should follow during development?

SEE SECTION IV SECURITY IN RFP

7. User Interface and SME Tools

1. Can you provide more details on the expected SME interfaces? Are there existing preferences for the UI/UX design of tools such as Jupyter Notebooks, or should the vendor propose these based on best practices?

YES, BEST PRACTICES

2. Is there a need for real‐time collaboration features in these SME tools, or will they be single‐user interfaces?

NO PREFERENCE

8. Proof of Concept and Performance Benchmarks

1. What specific performance benchmarks are expected for the Proof of Concept (POC) and final platform? Are there defined metrics (e.g., processing speed, accuracy) that must be met?

VENDER PROPOSES PLATFORMS AND SETS THE HIGH PERFORMANCE METRICS

Does USM have a preferred process or format for delivering the performance reports and validation results?

9. Training and Documentation

1. What level of training and support documentation is expected for USM’s SMEs and technical staff? Should the vendor plan for on‐site training sessions, virtual sessions, or a mix of both?

2. Can you clarify the scope of support documentation (e.g., detailed technical guides, troubleshooting manuals) expected beyond the initial user

SEE SECTION VII OF RFP

10. Warranty and Maintenance

1. Beyond the one‐year minimum warranty requirement, are there preferred warranty terms (e.g., extended warranty periods, specific response times for repairs) that USM would like to see in proposals?

2. Will the vendor be responsible for ongoing platform updates, retraining of AI models, or additional maintenance services after the initial deployment?

11. Evaluation and Scoring Criteria

1. Could you clarify the specific criteria that USM will use to evaluate proposals? Are there any particular areas of emphasis (e.g., cost, technical capability, previous experience) that vendors should be aware of?

2. Will preference be given to vendors with experience in similar ocean data analysis projects, or will other relevant AI projects be considered equally?

12. Submission Process

1. Are there any additional submission requirements, such as redacted copies of the proposal for public records, or specific formatting instructions for electronic submissions?

2. Is there flexibility regarding the bid submission method (e.g., email or online portal), or must all bids be physically submitted?

AS STATED ON THE BID WEBSITE, ALL BID SUBMISSIONS MUST

BE SUBMITTED VIA MAIL, PHYSICAL DROP OFF, OR VIA

MAGIC. THE INSTRUCTIONS TO REGISTER FOR MAGIC ARE

ALSO LISTED ON THE WEBSITE WHERE THE BID PACKET IS

LOCATED. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT EMAILED BIDS ARE

SUBJECT TO IMMEDIATE ELIMINATION AS ALL BIDS MUST

REMAIN SEALED UNTIL THE OPENING DATE AND TIME.