ATEPS_SBSA_DRAFT_RFP_Q A_through_16_October_2015_.pdf

Solicitation DTRT5715R20015 [DRAFT] Air Traffic Engineering and Program Support (ATEPS) Small Business Set-Aside (SBSA)

Government Responses to Industry Questions Received as of: 16 Oct 2015

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This document serves as a running tally of questions received from industry regarding subject DRAFT solicitation (Request for Proposal - RFP) [POSTED 25 Sept 2015], and the Government responses. Some of these answers may have been provided during the Q&A session of the Pre-solicitation conference held on 30 September 2015 and are provided here on a non-attribution basis to all interested parties via Federal Business Opportunities (www.fbo.gov). A separate Government Responses to Industry Questions document will be created for the final solicitation, should one be issued.

No further updates to this document are anticipated, however, the contracting officer reserves the right to address questions prior to the release of any solicitation if deemed in the best interest of the Government.

SPECIAL NOTICE: Due to the number and nature of the questions received on the DRAFT RFP posted 25 September 2015, a SECOND DRAFT RFP with the same controlling number is expected to be posted on or about 13 November 2015 for which interested parties will be invited to submit questions for a period not to exceed seven (7) calendar days. This notice does not commit the Government to issue a SECOND DRAFT RFP and the date for posting of the SECOND DRAFT RFP and/or the timeframe to submit questions are subject to change.

Question 1:

In accordance with FAR Subpart 16.306 (c), a Prime Contractor is not eligible to receive a cost reimbursement contract or a task order award unless its accounting system has been reviewed by a Government audit agency and determined the CO toe adequate for determining costs under a cost reimbursement contract. The sole responsibility rests with the Offeror to perform whatever preparatory work is required so that its accounting system will be approved should the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) be engaged to perform the review.

Please clarify if offeror will be required to have their accounting system certified and approved by DCAA prior to (that is before) they submit response to the impending RFP? And will Volpe require DCAA approval before award of contract is made?

(NOTE: This question and answer was contained within the pre-solicitation webinar and is included here for completeness)

Response: An Offeror’s accounting system does not have to be certified/approved prior to the submission of a proposal. However offeror’s accounting system must meet the criteria for having a system that is capable of accumulating and reporting of direct and indirect cost as well as unallowable costs (FAR Part 31). In the event that an Offeror’s system has not been reviewed by the Government, the Government may elect to perform a preaward survey. http://www.dcaa.mil/preaward_accounting_system_adequacy_checklist.html http://www.dcaa.mil/preaward_accounting_system_adequacy_checklist.html

Solicitation DTRT5715R20015 [DRAFT] - Government Responses to Industry Questions Received as of: 16 Oct 2015

Question 2:

L.7.II.B: Regarding the oral presentations, the draft RFP mentions the Principal Investigator as someone who can present with the Program Manager, however the Principal Investigator is not one of the labor categories. Can any others participate, for example Senior Staff?

Response: The reference to “Principal Investigator” is incorrect and will be corrected in the Final RFP.

Question 3:

H.5: Cleared personnel, if required, must be available at the transition of the contract or task order. Some task orders may require access to classified information. The requirement for a Secret or Top Secret Facility clearance for individual task orders will be determined at the time a Task Order Request for Proposal (TORFP) is issued and whether or not the clearance will apply to the Prime and/or any of its subcontractors. Is there a requirement for the contractor to have a Secret of Top Secret Facility Clearance for the IDIQ, and is this a requirement of either of the initial CLIN 0100 and 0200 tasks?

Response: No clearances are required to submit a proposal under this solicitation, to include the initial task orders. Future clearance requirements are unknown at this time.

However, Offerors are cautioned that the successful offeror may be expected to handle classified information or access Federal facilities with Secret or Top Secret areas during contract performance, and as such, will need to have personnel with clearances to handle this information or access these facilities in order to meet the requirements of the resultant contract.

Question 4:

H.16. Accounting System, In accordance with FAR Subpart 16.306 (c), a Prime Contractor is not eligible to receive a contract or a task order award unless its accounting system has been reviewed by a Government audit agency (such as the DCAA or DCMA) and determined by the CO to be adequate for determining costs under a cost reimbursement contract. What evidence does the contractor need to provide that its accounting system has been reviewed and determined adequate by DCAA?

Response: See Response to Question 1.

Question 5:

Section/Page: N/A. Who are the incumbents currently performing the specific work under CLIN 0100 and CLIN 0200?

Response: The scope of work for this effort is currently being performed within the much larger scope of the Traffic Management Infrastructure Services (TMIS) and Communication, Navigation, Surveillance and Traffic Management (CNS&TM) contracts, for which the prime contractors on these efforts have the responsibility of ensuring that the work is performed by appropriate personnel/subcontractors. Specifically, the CLIN 0100 work has been conducted under the TMIS contract from the beginning of the contract; the CLIN 0200 work started under the CNS&TM contract. In order to facilitate proposal development for interested parties for this work, the Government will provide appropriate position lists, organizational charts, samples, etc. in the final RFP to describe the portion of TMIS scope to be transitioned to the successful offeror(s) under this solicitation.

Question 6:

Section/Page: L.7.II.B/61 & L.7.IIIB/67

Statement: Each Offeror's proposed Program Manager, alone or with the assistance of the Principal Investigator(s), will deliver a 20-minute oral presentation for the Technical understanding factor and subfactors (Task Order and Master Contract) and a 10 minute oral presentation for the Management Approach factor and subfactors (Task Order and Master Contract) to the Technical Evaluation Team.

Question: Can the Government verify the requirement for Principal Investigators as Key Personnel or requisite Oral Presentation participants? Can the Government please provide a detailed position description for this labor category?

Response: The Government acknowledges the presence of inconsistent personnel terms in the draft RFP, which will be resolved in the Final RFP. The Term “Principal Investigator” will be removed. See also the response to Question 2.

Question 7:

Section/Page: L.7.II.A/57 & L.7.III.A/64

Statement: Additionally, the Offeror shall submit the resume for the proposed Contract Program Manager and the proposed Contract Manager.

Question: If an offeror plans to bid on both CLINS, can they use the same Program Manager and Contract Manager for both CLINs?

Response: Yes. However, Offeror’s should be aware that personnel for which resumes are submitted in the successful proposal will be considered by the Government to be key personnel for this effort. If the Offeror is proposing the same individual for multiple roles, the Offeror should address how the single individual will be able to allocate sufficient time to the roles assigned in order to meet the contract requirements. This language shall be added to the final RFP.

Question 8:

Section/Page: Factor 2.Subfactor B/62

Statement: In this section the Offeror shall describe its understanding of the FAA’s Program Management Organization; why it was created and what its function is. Additionally, the Offeror shall describe its technical understanding of the programs within the PMO; what they are and where each program is within the project life cycle.

Question: Does this imply that the Contractor must have direct knowledge of FAA's Program Management Organization to bid on this opportunity? If so, how can any vendor other than the incumbent respond to this requirement?

Response: Based on this comment, this requirement will be revised prior to the issuance of the Final RFP. See also the response to Question 5.

Question 9:

Section/Page: L7.III.A/64

Statement: Risk, Issue and Opportunity Management – 4 resumes consisting of one lead and three alternates

Question: What is the purpose of submitting alternate candidates? Will the Government select/confirm one of the candidates as Lead?

Response: The Government is seeking resumes for several personnel who might be expected to perform in this area. The Offeror shall identify which individual is proposed as the “Lead” for that area. Alternates are considered to be individuals in the Offeror’s organization who are also capable of performing the function of the “Lead” in the particular task area.

Question 10:

Section/Page: L7.III.A/64

Statement: Risk, Issue and Opportunity Management – 4 resumes consisting of one lead and three alternates

Question: Will the Contractor have the opportunity to staff other labor categories with the alternates Lead candidates?

Response: Depending on Task Order requirements, the Contractor must use qualified personnel to perform the required services.

Question 11:

Section/Page: H.20/Page 34. Is subcontract consent required solely at the task order level? Once a subcontractor has been approved at the task order, does that approval suffice for all subsequent task orders.

Response: Subcontract consent is provided at the Master Contract level, not at the Task Order level. Once a Contractor receives a subcontract consent, the Contractor may use the subcontractor for which consent was granted on subsequent task orders within the limits of the terms and conditions of the Master Contract and the Task Order(s).

Question 12:

Section/Page: L.4 VII/Page 40

Statement: Each request for subcontract consent package, if required, must be submitted to the CO by the proposal due date.

Question: To comply with this provision, is it the Government's intent that the Offeror will submit subcontract consent package(s) with its proposal submission - to comply with "by the proposal due date?"

Response: Yes. This language will be revised to state that the subcontractor consent packages must be included with the Offeror’s proposal.

Question 13:

Section/Page: L.5.II/Page 42 Was the Cost and Business Proposal Checklist and Schedules included in the Draft RFP?

Response: The Cost and Business Proposal Checklists (for both the Master Contract and Task Order proposals) were inadvertently omitted from the list of attachments in Section J.

These will be added to the list in Section J and the actual attachments will be provided in the final RFP. The Cost and Business Schedules are listed in Section J for both the Mater Contract and the Task Orders at J.5 and J.11, respectively. These attachments shall be provided with the Final RFP, as indicated.

Question 14:

Section/Page: L.6.II/Page 46

Statement: In this section, the Offeror shall submit the following information:

• Completed and signed Standard Form (SF) 33 (page 1 of the solicitation);

• Acknowledgement of any amendments to the solicitation; and

• Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of Offerors (see Section K of the solicitation)

Question: Was Section K inadvertently left out of the solicitation? Or is the Government's intent that Offerors will submit their respective Representations & Certifications shown on www.sam.gov?

Response: Every Offeror must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) and have completed on-line Representations and Certifications. However, the on-line Representations and Certifications are not a substitute for a completed Section K. Section K will be provided with the final RFP.

Question 15:

Section/Page: L.6.II/Page 48

Statement: It is expected that subcontracts will be either time-and-materials or cost type. Small dollar value “consultant type” subcontracts may be Time-and-Material (T&M). Larger dollar value subcontracts should be cost type unless the subcontractor’s accounting system has not been reviewed by a Government audit agency (such as the DCAA or DCMA) and determined by the CO to be adequate for determining costs under a cost reimbursement contract. The guidance in FAR Part 16 should be followed.

Question: Please distinguish between "small dollar value" and "larger dollar value."

Response: The intent of allowing Time-and-Material (T&M) subcontracts is to allow flexibility for subcontractors/consultants who may not have an approved accounting system and for whom their engagement is expected to be limited. Under no circumstance should the Offeror proposed T&M subcontracts for its major subcontractors (as defined in the solicitation – see Volume 2 Section 3). Offerors are cautioned that, IAW FAR 16- 601(b)(2), T&M subcontracts should only be proposed, and will only be accepted, on a limited, case-by case bases where T&M type subcontracts have been determined to be in the best interest of the Government.

Question 16:

Section/Page: N/A. What is the anticipated start date for the contract?

Response: Expected dates for the Periods of Performance will be provided in the Final

RFP.

http://www.sam.gov/

Question 17:

Section/Page: C.1.B/13

Statement: “Logistics Center Support System (LCSS)” under PART I, under SCOPE.

Question: Will the contractor awarded the contract need to perform logistical support services?

Response: Logistics Center Support System (LCSS) is a representative program within the PMO for which contractor support, in the form of Strategic Planning/Management Development and Integration and Risk, Issue and Opportunity Management, may be required. The successful offeror will not perform the actual logistical support services themselves.

Question 18:

Section/Page: C.1.b/14

Statement: Support to the strategic and business planning and management processes such as management team development, leadership and management training, consultation and coaching.

Support will consist of participation in, leading, observation of and/or facilitation of meetings to provide analysis of issues, recommendations for courses of action, and development of strategies to achieve management development, organizational performance and change management

Question: Is the requirement for training of Government or contractor staff?

Response: The requirement may include support of (in terms of strategic and business planning and management processes) the requiring activity’s (FAA’s) need for leadership and management training of its personnel (may be Government or other contractor personnel).

Question 19:

Section/Page: C.1.A./12

Statement: The Contractor shall develop a Transition Plan to document how it will transition the work of the incumbent Contractor to the awardee of the ATEPS-SBSA CLIN 0100 contract.

Question: Is the Contractor expected to work at the peak level of performance immediately, or is there a ramp up schedule the Government wants? (i.e. 50% staffing at 30 days and 100% staffing at 60 days).

Response: The successful Offeror will be expected to perform at 100% performance level by the end of the transition period. The transition period shall not exceed 60 days.

Question 20:

Section/Page: CLIN 0100/ 8 - 10

Statement: The contractor shall provide consultation and support to the ATO PMO to enhance the Senior Leadership ability to identify critical issues impacting operations, further the achievement of strategic goals, and development collaborative behaviors and a culture.... Assess current state operation model

Question: What would the client consider to be a reasonable period of time for discovery?

Response: If this question is in regards to discovery for Transition, a reasonable period of time is considered to be within the 60 day transition period. If the question is referring to discovery as it relates to strategic planning, this is program and organization specific, and the time period required for discovery will vary depending upon the complexity of the effort.

Question 21:

Section/Page: CLIN 0100/ 8 – 10. Are there any existing individual PMO coaching engagements related to developmental needs or succession planning? If so, would the individual contractor coaches be integrated into the Contractor's team?

Response: Yes, there are existing individual coaching engagements. If the question is asking if the Government’s intent is to have the coach for the awardee under this effort sit with an “incumbent” coach from the TMIS and/or CNS&TM contract during existing individual coaching engagements, that is unlikely. Rather, if existing individual coaching engagements would be handled as team meetings with the current TMIS/CNS&TM coach, the awardee under this effort, and FAA customer to discuss what has transpired in the past and what the plans are for the future.

Question 22:

Section/Page: CLIN 0100/ 8 - 10

Statement: Provide services to support facilitation, presentations…and actions for change management, communications, cost and performance management, and performance measurement

Question: What legacy and/or customized management development training is currently being deployed?

Response: It is a customized approach that applies a strength-based methodology that assesses individuals according to their unique talent mix. An individual’s core talents are those recurring patterns of thought, feeling and behavior that are determined by the basic ‘hard-wiring’ of the brain. The coaching process currently utilized provides a disciplined approach to identifying and understanding an individual’s core talents and how those innate competencies affect daily decisions, career choices, learning preferences and motivations, as well as how they drive personal and professional relationships.

Question 23:

Are the "representative programs" shown here intended to describe the full scope of the work to be addressed? Or does the full scope to be addressed by the proposal include all programs within AJM-2 & AJM-3?

Response: No, this is not necessarily the full scope; it encompasses a sampling of the majority of current work. The entire project scope could entail any program within the FAA PMO.

Question 24:

This sections states, "any narrative must be submitted in Microsoft Word 2010 (or compatible format)." Does this mean that .PDF files will not be accepted?

Response: Submissions in any format other than Microsoft Word 2010 (for narratives) and Microsoft Excel 2010 (for the Cost and Business Proposal Schedules), as described in Section L paragraph L.5.IV, are unacceptable.

Question 25:

Under the second paragraph of L.6.I, it states, "…accounting system has not been reviewed by a Government audit agency (such as the DCAA or DCMA)…" Is there a requirement on the audit having taken place within a certain time period (e.g., within last x years)?

Response: If the offeror’s accounting system has been previously reviewed and determined to be adequate for determining costs under cost-type contract, and the offeror may be in doubt as to the current validity of that determination (due to a business change, lapse of time, etc.), it is incumbent upon the Offeror to verify with the cognizant Government audit agency’s office if the previous determination remains valid. It is the responsibility of business entities interested in entering into cost-type contracts to maintain the adequacy of their accounting systems.

Question 26:

Under Section 1 - Factor 1 - Subfactor A, the first sentence states: "The Offeror shall provide the 7 resumes identified below". including "the resume of the proposed Transition Manager." (found in M.3.II.B - Factors for Evaluation - CLIN 0200 under Transition (Written)). Is it possible for the Offeror to submit only 6 resumes if the Transition Manager is the same as the Contract Program Manager or RIO Management Lead?

Response: Yes. Resumes must be provided for all seven (7) task areas identified in the SOW. This language will be clarified in the final RFP.

Question 27:

Under Section 2 – Factor 1 – Subfactor B – Contract Staffing, it states that, "the Offeror shall submit the resume for the proposed Contract Program Manager and proposed Contract Manager." Does the Contract Manager need to be an employee of the winning team or can they be a consultant?

Response: While the Government will not prohibit any Offeror from proposing a consultant for a position for which a resume must be submitted, as stated in the response to Question 7, these positions will be considered key personnel under the effort. Offeror must demonstrate/provide evidence of a binding commitment between the Offeror and the consultant(s) for the consultant’s performance on this effort.

Question 28:

In Section 3 - Factor 3 - Contract Past Performance, it states, "The list must include those applicable contracts reflecting the involvement of the proposed Task Order Program Manager and/or Department Managers." In Section 2 - Factor 1 - Subfactor B - Contract Staffing, it states, "the Offeror shall submit the resume for the proposed Contract Program Manager and the proposed Contract Manager."

Is the Task Order Program Manager in Section 3 the same as the Contract Program Manager in Section 2?

Response: See Response to Questions 2 and 6.

Question 29:

In Section 3 - Factor 3 - Contract Past Performance, it states, "The list must include those applicable contracts reflecting the involvement of the proposed Task Order Program Manager and/or Department Managers."

Department Managers are not resumed positions. Should this be describing other positions that need resumes? Is the Department Manager the RIO Management Lead?

Response: The intent of the sentence above is to request information on past actions involving the use of managers for task orders or other personnel that may have management responsibility for individual efforts/areas under a broader contract effort (i.e. not only should past performance contain information on the Offeror’s personnel that have oversight of entire contracts, but should also address those individuals who may manage a task or other discrete area of effort under the broader effort.) The use of the term “department manager” is intended to convey a similar role under a larger effort and is not intended to require a specific title for this effort.

See also Response to Questions 2 and 6.

Question 30:

Under Contract Past Performance, it states, "The offeror must provide a list of the five most relevant contracts…" If a company does not have 5 contracts within the last 3 years, which would be difficult for a small business, will they get penalized in the evaluation?

Response: No. An Offeror without past performance would receive a neutral/unknown confidence rating for Past Performance rather than an unfavorable rating as potentially in the case of an Offeror with adverse past performance.

Question 31:

(Suggestion) For Contract Past Performance, it is recommended to allow less than 5 contracts or allow Task Orders on large contracts, such as TMIS, to be counted as individual contracts if they exceed the $150,000 threshold.

Response: The use of “contracts” does not preclude the offeror from submitting performance on individual Task Orders under other efforts. It is up to the Offeror to determine what efforts will best convey its past performance in relation to the requirements of this effort.

Question 32:

In the first paragraph, last sentence, it states, "past performance information must be clearly marked and separated from the other sections of the Cost and Business Proposal." Should this be the Technical Proposal instead of the Cost and Business Proposal?

Response: Yes. The final RFP will clarify this.

Question 33:

Is there a standard contractor evaluation report that should be used? The RFP lists CPARS and PPIRS as possible options, but states that these could be used IF the contract activity has not developed their own form.

Response: It is the intention of the Government to revise the RFP to include the provision of a Past Performance Questionnaire, which shall be used in conjunction with the Client Authorization Letter (when appropriate), to have past performance assessments on efforts not in CPARS sent directly to the Contracting Office.

Language will be added to the final RFP to fully explain this process.

Question 34:

In the second paragraph, the first sentence states: "Each Offeror's proposed Program Manager, alone or with the assistance of the Principal Investigator(s), will deliver…"

Is this the Contract Program Manager referred to previously in the RFP & whose resume is to be submitted?

Question 35:

In the second paragraph, the first sentence states: "Each Offeror's proposed Program Manager, alone or with the assistance of the Principal Investigator(s), will deliver…"

Who is the Principal Investigator(s)? Is this intended to be the RIO Management Lead referred to previously in the RFP & whose resume is to be submitted?

Question 36:

The second paragraph states, "The oral presentation will consist of one section: (1) Technical Understanding and (2) Management Approach…" Recommend changing the sentence to: "will consist of two sections"

Response: This will be clarified in the RFP.

Question 37:

The table lists the Presenters as the "Program Manager and/or any of the Task Area Managers Only".

Is this referring to the Contract Program Manager and RIO Management Lead referred to previously in the RFP & whose resumes are to be submitted?

Question 38:

The Contract Manager is listed as needing a combination of experience and education totaling 15 years. However, in the Summary Table of Labor Categories, it shows needing 10 years of experience without a degree. The other levels (PhD, MS, BS) appear correct.

Response: Offeror’s should rely on the information contained in the Summary Table of Labor Categories with regard to the experience/education requirements. This is will be clarified in the final RFP.

Question 39:

Is there a schedule missing from this workbook for ODC costs?

Response: As stated in the Draft RFP, further information on ODCs will be provided in the Final RFP.

Question 40:

Schedule 10 notates CLIN 0100, is this a typo? Should this be for CLIN 0200?

Response: The titles for all of the worksheets in attachments at J.5 for both CLINs 0100 and 0200 will be corrected in the Final RFP.

Question 41:

With the SBSA having an award for each CLIN does that mean a proposal can be submitted for a single CLIN or does the proposal need to cover both?

Response: If an offeror wishes to propose on both CLINs, they must submit two proposals (one for each CLIN).

Question 42:

Can this requirement be facilitated as a SBA 8 (A) Set-Aside?

Response: Market research conducted for this requirement reveals that a total small business set-aside is most appropriate for this effort. Concurrence has been received from both the Volpe Center Small Business Specialist and the Small Business Administration.

Question 43:

Does the US Department Of Transportation (DOT) have the requisition in-house for this particular solicitation (Number DTRT5715R20015)?

Response: Funds are not presently available for this acquisition. No award will be made until certified funds are available.

Question 44:

Is this the first issue of this solicitation - Is this a re-compete of an existing US Department Of Transportation (DOT) requirement or a new requirement?

Response: The scope of work for this effort is currently being performed within the much larger scope of the TMIS and CNS&TM contracts, for which the prime contractors on these efforts have the responsibility of ensuring that the work is performed by appropriate personnel/subcontractors. This is the first time that this portion of that work is being separately competed.

Question 45:

Has US Department Of Transportation (DOT) held preliminary meetings with specific contractors interested in responding to this solicitation?

Response: No, the Contracting Activity has not held individual meetings with prospective offerors for this effort. The only exchanges with industry have been for the purposes of conducting Market Research and to explore the capabilities within the Small Business community in order to determine the suitability of a small business set-aside for this requirement.

Question 46:

Can you advise on whether or not there were/are incumbent provider(s) for these services?

If Yes – Who is/are the incumbent(s)?

Response: See Questions 5 and 44.

Question 47:

Is it estimated that full funding exists for this solicitation? If so, is there an intended funding threshold and what is the minimum for this threshold?

Response: Funds are not presently available for this acquisition. See also Question

43. There are no funding thresholds other than the minimum guarantee and the maximum order ceiling, which will be stated in the Final RFP.

Question 48:

Is this requirement on schedule to execute a contract with the selected vendor doing the current fiscal period?

Response: Award is anticipated sometime during Fiscal Year (FY) 16.

Question 49:

Is there a prescribed procedure for technical evaluation on this solicitation? If so, can you describe procedures?

Response: In accordance with FAR 15.304(d), while the rating method need not be disclosed in the solicitation, all factors and significant subfactors that will affect contract award and their relative importance, shall be stated in the solicitation.

Specifically, the evaluation criteria will be provided in Section M of the RFP.

Question 50:

Can you assist us by sending a copy of the solicitation, as we have had difficulty downloading the documents?

Response: It is the responsibility of the interested parties to obtain the documents from the Government-wide Point of Entry (GPE), which is the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website at www.FBO.gov. The Government cannot assist every interested party in obtaining these documents, which are readily available on this http://www.fbo.gov/ public website. If you have questions on the location of the documents within the posting, you may contact the Government POC for assistance. If you have having technical difficulties downloading documents, you may contact the FBO helpdesk if it is not a matter for your local IT support to resolve.

Question 51:

Does this requirement stipulate that the proposed bidder most hold an active Form DD254 Facility Clearance "PRIOR TO BEING AWARDED” this contract?

Response: See the response to Question 3.

Question 52:

If an active Form DD254 Facility Clearance is required will arrangements be made to assist and provide adequate time to process the required paperwork or are bidders without DD254 Facility Clearance not advised to participate.

Response: See the response to Question 3.

Question 53:

Reference: RFP Page 8 - Analysis of technical and integration issues of proposed architectures and operations.

Suggestion: Change to "Analysis of technical and integration issues of proposed architectures, systems, subsystems, and operations.

Response: The Government believes that the requirement is more accurately stated with the present wording.

Question 54:

Reference: RFP Page 14 - Analysis of technical and integration issues of proposed architectures and operations.

Suggestion: Change to "Analysis of technical and integration issues of proposed architectures, systems, subsystems, and operations.

Response: See Response to Question 53.

Question 55:

Offerors must complete the Cost and Business Proposal Checklist provided in Section J.

These do not appear on the list of attachments. Does Volpe intend to make Cost and Business Checklists available with the release of the final RFP?

Response: See the response to Question 13.

Question 56:

"Each Offeror must submit one original and two copies of the Cost and Business Proposal (Volume I) and one original and six copies of each of the Technical Proposal Volume (Volume II)”. Please indicate how many original and copies of Volume III Oral Presentation Slides should be included.

Response: Oral Presentations are augmentations of, and are part of, the Technical proposal. One original and six copies of the oral presentation slides must be provided.

Question 57:

The cost and business proposal schedules must also be submitted on a virus-free CD in Microsoft Excel 2010 (or compatible format) and any narrative must be submitted in Microsoft Word 2010 (or compatible format). Does 'compatible format' include Microsoft Office 2013 Excel and Word products?

Response: Only if the files can be opened in Microsoft Office 2010.

Question 58:

"Program Manager and/or any of the Task Area Managers Only". “The Draft RFP cites ‘Task Area Manager’ as a participant in orals. This role is not defined anywhere else in the RFP, and there is no mention of the LCAT in J-2. Please clarify if this is role already defined elsewhere or a different role. If a different role, please describe it in some additional detail.”

Response: See Response to Questions 2 and 6.

Question 59:

Reference: RFP Page 66, SECTION 3 – FACTOR 3 - CONTRACT PAST

PERFORMANCE

Question: In instances where an offeror would like to cite past performance for work in which it was a subcontractor, is there alternative documentation that could be provided in light of the fact that CPARs cannot be completed for subcontractors?

Response: See Response to Question 33.

Question 60:

RFP Page 71, The Offeror will be evaluated on the qualifications of the proposed Contract Program Manager and Contract Manager. The DRAFT RFP references two positions as being key for evaluation for Subfactor B – Contract Staffing., which are Contract Program Manager and Contract Manager. But Contract Program Manager is not identified in Attachment J-2 (p. 78) for the Labor Categories. What are the differences in roles and qualifications for this labor category? Is Contract Manager synonymous with Task Area Manager?

Question 61:

The Offeror will be evaluated on the qualifications of the proposed Contract Program Manager and Contract Manager. Could the Contract Program Manager and Contract Manager functions be performed by the same individual?

Question 62:

The Government will calculate probable cost for initial Task Order transition CLIN 0101.

Suggestion: Suggest that it read ".....initial task order AND transition FOR CLIN 0101

Response: This will be clarified in the Final RFP.

Question 63:

Transition: Evaluation of this factor will be based on the Offeror’s written transition plan, the resume of the proposed Transition Manager.

Question: The Draft RFP asks that a resume of proposed Transition Manager be evaluated.

Is this in addition to the 6 resumes that demonstrate the qualifications of the Offeror's proposed staff for the two task areas identified in the SOW (Page 57) and/or should it be included as part of our response to Volume II, Section 4 - Factor 5 - TASK ORDER

TRANSITION.

Response: Yes. See also Response to Questions 2 and 6.

Question 64:

RFP Section M states: "Consistency between the Cost (both Master and Task Order) and the Technical Proposals."

Question: Will the FINAL RFP have hours for the TO and hours for the master? The instructions say neither "use the hours in table x to price out this effort" nor do they say "Offeror must estimate the resources required to accomplish the statement of work."

Response: The Final RFP will state the level-of-effort for the Master Contract and the initial Task Order.

Question 65:

Attachment J.2. J-2 does not indicate qualifications of the Transition Manager, the Task Area Manager or the Contract Manager. Will these qualifications be provided in the

FINAL RFP?

Response: See Response to Questions 2 and 6.

Question 66:

Oral Presentations. Where will orals take place? Physical location?

Response: Oral Presentations will take place at the Volpe Center, Cambridge, MA.

Question 67:

Oral Presentations: Is there an anticipated timeframe between FINAL RFP submission date and Oral presentation?

Response: The Final RFP will state the estimate timeframe for when the oral presentations will be scheduled. Generally oral presentations take place within 30 days of the proposal due date.

Question 68:

It appears there will be Two Cost and Two Technical proposals for each area: one for the master contract and one for the initial task order. There are several references to Master Technical proposal. Is the intent to have a Master Cost Proposal AND an Initial TO Cost Proposal, AND a Master Technical Proposal AND an Initial TO Technical Proposal?

Response: Yes. Offerors are also cautioned to carefully consider what is required for oral vs. written technical proposal contents, as described in section L, for the Master Contract and Initial Task order.

Questions 69:

Is past performance with US Department of Transportation required from a contractor? Or will relevant experience be sufficient?

Response: Past Performance with the US DOT is not a requirement. Offerors should present the most recent, relevant past performance as described in the RFP.

Question 70:

Are references required by contractor?

Response: See Response to Question 33.

Question 71:

Is this a new requirement or is there an incumbent? If so, who is the incumbent(s)?

There are 2 solution numbers for this opportunity, DTRT5715R20014 and DTRT5715R20015. Is this accurate and both active for this opportunity? If so, does it mean that a contractor can respond to one or both opportunities. Can you clarify?

Response: Solicitations DTRT5715R20014 and DTRT5715R20015 are not the same.

Solicitation DTRT5715R20014 is for a much broader scope of work and is being solicited under full and open competition. Solicitation DTRT5715R20015 is for a much narrower set of requirements for which Market Research has determined is appropriate for a Small Business Set-Aside. Together, the requirements under these two solicitations comprise the work being presently performed under the TMIS and CNS&TM contracts. Any interested party that is able to submit a responsible, responsive proposal in response to Solicitation DTRT5715R20014 may compete for that effort. Only businesses which qualify as small businesses for the NAICS code applicable to solicitation DTRT5715R20015 may compete for that requirement. Any business meeting the criteria for both of these efforts may compete for both. See also the responses to Questions 5 and 44.

Question 72:

Where will the work be performed?

Response: Most of the effort shall be performed at the Contractors facility, however, work will also be performed at the FAA headquarters. The Offeror’s attention is directed to the proximity requirements for certain personnel contained in section C.

Question 73:

What is the estimated value of the contract?

Response: Because each CLIN under this solicitation will result in a single award, Offeror’s will be required to price the entire 5-year effort for the Level Of Effort (LOE) (to be included in the final RFP); and the Maximum Value shall be based upon cost/price competition.

Question 74:

What is the estimated value of similar awards?

Response: N/A. There are no similar awards.

Question 75:

What is the period of performance?

Response: See the response to Question 16.

Question 76:

What certifications will be required by the contractor? If so, are all companies in a teaming agreement required to hold all certifications, if any?

Response: There are no specific certifications other than the qualifications described in the labor category qualifications.

Question 77:

What security clearances will be required? If so, are all companies in a teaming agreement required to hold all clearances, if any?

Response: See the response to Question 3. However, Offerors are cautioned that there are position sensitivity requirements that will be detailed in the Final RFP.

Question 78:

Can a team include small and medium or large firms, where the disadvantages business is the prime?

Response: Offerors may have appropriate subcontracting/teaming arrangements as long as any teaming arrangement does not disqualify the prime contractor from meeting the small business criteria (such as a joint-venture that would be deemed as other-than-small by the SBA) and that the Small Business prime still meets the 51% self-performance threshold as required by the solicitation. Failure to meet either the small business size standard or the 51% self-performance will eliminate the Offeror from consideration.

Question 79:

What’s the background on this opportunity?

Response: See the Response to Question 5.

Question 80:

What is the vision of the Next Generation Air Transportation System?

Response: The vision for NextGen was formed in the early 2000s. It officially began taking form in December 2003 as part of the Vision 100- Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act. In January 2004, the Department of Transportation announced the plan for NextGen: It would be a multi-agency, multi-year modernization of the air traffic system that would extend into the future at least 25 years. See the following link for further information: http://aviation.about.com/od/ATC-Technology/p/What- Is-Nextgen.htm

Question 81:

What challenges exist in the current Air Traffic system?

Response: You may use this link to a GAO report, which contains some information on these challenges and talks about NextGen in general:

http://www.gao.gov/assets/670/665782.pdf

Question 82:

Will the Government consider having Small Business goals under the Full & Open award?

If so, what percentage?

Response: Please direct questions concerning the Full and Open effort, solicitation DTRT5715R20014, under separate cover to the POC for that solicitation.

Question 83:

Would the Government consider increasing the size standard to $27.5M in order to have more competition for the SBSA contracts?

Response: The Contracting Activity cannot increase the size standard. The size standard is correctly stated for the NAICS code determined to be most appropriate for this effort.

Question 84:

What does the Government anticipate as the ceiling value for ATEPS SBSA contracts?

Response: See the response to Question 73.

Question 85:

Does the Government expect the final RFP to be released and submitted by December 31, 2015?

Response: Yes. Please monitor the Federal Business Opportunities website for information regarding the final RFP.