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U.S. Department of Education
Officer of the Chief Information Officer
ITIM and EA Support
Solicitation Number # ED-CIO-09-R-0017 Responses to Offerors’ Questions
The U.S. Department of Education provides the following answers to questions received in response to the above-referenced solicitation.
| # |
| DOCUMENT |
| REFERENCE |
| QUESTION |
| GOVERNMENT RESPONSE |
| 1 |
| RFP |
| NAICS CODE |
| Please confirm that any qualified 8(a) firm may submit a proposal under this RFP. It appears that the NAICS Code 541611 ($7M Size Standard) does not apply, as the solicitation does not state that this is a Small Business set-aside. Please confirm that an 8(a) firm whose average revenue exceeds the $7M size standard of the stated NAICS Code qualifies for this RFP. |
| The pre-solicitation Notice posted on FedBizOpps on May 15, 2009, states that this acquisition is an Small Business, 8(a) competitive action. Item The NAICS Code 541611 has a size standard of $6.5 M. Please review the NAICS Code size standards published by the U.S. Small Business Administration, to determine if your company is considered a small business for purposes of this solicitation. |
B Tables
(Evaluation of Pricing for Optional Task 4)
| Will any proposed pricing for “Optional Task 4” be used in evaluating the overall total price to the government to assess the validity and realism of the pricing volume? Attachment D – ITIM EA B Tables makes very little provision for providing a price for this task and the SOW provides almost no detail on which to develop any costing. |
| Pricing for Optional Task 4 will be considered separately from the overall total price. |
(Incumbent)
| What are the current labor hours expended each month and annually by the incumbent contractors for each task area? |
| The Government expects each offeror to provide its own by-task, level of effort. |
(Task/Subtask)
| What is the current and/or anticipated Level of Effort (LOE) for each of the tasks/sub-tasks? |
| The Government expects each offeror to provide its own by-task and subtask, level of effort using the information provided in the PWS. |
| 5 |
| RFP |
| Quality Assurance Plan |
| Is a Quality Assurance Plan required as part of the submission? |
| The Government has provided a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) for the anticipated contract. |
Period of Performance The stated period of performance is September 25, 2009 to March 24, 2009 whereas the Business Proposal instructions and Section I.37 (page 22 of 42) indicates a Base Year plus Three (3) option periods. Please confirm the following period of performance (as listed in Section I.37): a. Base Year: September 25, 2009 – March 24, 2010 (Total = 6 Months)
b. Option Year 1: March 25, 2010 – March 24, 2011 (Total= 12 Months)
c. Option Year 2: March 25, 2011 – March 24, 2012 (Total=12 Months)
d. Option Year 3: March 25, 2012 – March 24, 2013 (Total=12 Months) The period of performance in Item F.3 is for the Base Period, which will be the total duration of the contract, at contract award. The option periods are not referenced in Item F.3, as the Government does not intend to exercise any option period at the time of contract award.
Sections I and L contain the total period of performance, if options are exercised at the Government’s discretion.
| 7 |
| RFP |
| Section H.15 Competition Restriction |
| What other opportunities are the winning contractor excluded from, based on the ‘Competition Restriction’ clause? |
| Please read Section H.15 for full details regarding this topic. |
Conflict of Interest
| What are the potential organizational conflicts of interest (COI) associated with this requirement? |
| Offerors are required to make their individual assessments of potential organizational conflicts of interest, after thoroughly reviewing the total requirement. Please refer to Section H.5 for information on COI’s. |
Conflict of Interest (COI) Certification
| Section K - Does the Department of Education want offers to insert a signed copy of the “Conflict of Interest Certification” in their proposals/responses? If so, please specify the proposal(s), i.e. Business Proposal, where this language needs to be inserted. |
| Offerors shall submit all business-related information in the appropriate proposal volume. Please also review Section L.4 of the RFP for details concerning COI Certification. |
Certification of Subcontracting
| Please clarify if the “Certification of Subcontracting” should be included as part of the Business Proposal response. |
| Please read Section L.4 of the RFP for the required contents of the Business Proposal. |
General Financial and Organizational Information
| Please clarify if the “General Financial and Organizational Information” should be included as part of the Business Proposal response. |
| Please read Section L.4 of the RFP for the required contents of the Business Proposal. |
Technical Volume Instructions
(Detailed Work Plan)
| Does the Technical Volume’s 30-page limit include the “detailed work plan” referenced in this section? |
| Please read Sections L.3 and L.9 of the RFP to see the items included in the 30-page limit. |
Present and Proposed Facilities Section L.3-Page 31 of 42: The “Technical Proposal Instructions” indicate that the technical proposal must include a discussion of “present and proposed facilities and equipment which will be used in the performance of the contract”. Please clarify if the
Department expects all project team members to be on-site. If not, is it possible to provide specifications on how many resources need to be on-site vs. off-site?
Please see the response to Question 36 for details regarding the place of performance. Offerors shall propose facilities, resources, and equipment that are aligned with their respective technical approach to executing the total requirement.
Technical Proposal Instructions
| Section L.3-Page 31 of 42: The “Technical Proposal Instructions” indicate that the technical proposal must list related contracts, name of the customer, dollar amounts, time of performance, and names/telephone numbers of project officers. Please clarify if the Department requires past performance information to be included in both the “Past Performance Report and the Technical Proposal.” |
| Offerors are required to provide all past performance information, as required by Section L.3 and Section L.7 Past Performance Report. |
Business Proposal Instructions
Conflict of Interest Plan
| The Government requests a Conflict of Interest plan. What other efforts, ongoing or planned, is the offeror and subcontractor precluded from performing? |
| Please read Item H.15 Competition Restriction to obtain the information you seek. |
Business Proposal Instructions
Conflict of Interest (COI) Plan
| The “Business Proposal Instructions” describes the requirements for a Conflict of Interest Plan. Please clarify if offerors are required to include this Plan as part of the response or if this plan needs to be developed/submitted to the Department of Education after award. |
| Please read Section L.4 Business Proposal Instructions, for instructions regarding placement of the COI Plan in your response. |
Business Proposal Instructions
| Section L.4 (Page 32 of 42): The “Business Proposal Instructions” indicates that “These descriptions and statements should also be included in the technical proposal, as conducive of separate examination by the technical evaluators during the process of technical evaluation”. Please clarify which descriptions and statements described in the Business Proposal Instructions also need to be included in the technical proposal. |
| Please read Section L.4 and other business proposal instructions provided in the RFP, to obtain the information the “descriptions and statements”.. |
Past Performance Report
| If a firm only has references for Time & Materials (T&M) augmentation, are these types of references acceptable? |
| Respective offerors shall propose past performance references they deem to be meet the provisions set forth in Section L.7 of the RFP. |
Past Performance Report
| Will the Government accept an offeror’s key personnel’s past performance as a substitute for the offeror’s past performance? |
| Item L.7, Past Performance Report, states that “If the offeror has no relevant corporate or organizational experience, the offeror may substitute past performance of … proposed key personnel who have relevant experience”. |
Table of Contents
| Both sections refer to Tables of Contents. Is a Table of Contents for each Volume sufficient, or is a master table of contents spanning all 3 volumes required? |
| Please read Section L.9, Item H. of the Specific Proposal Preparation Instructions section of the RFP. |
Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms
| Paragraph F indicates that “each volume shall contain a glossary of all abbreviations and acronyms used.” Does the glossary count towards the overall page limit of the technical/business volumes or can it be included as an appendix? |
| The glossary of all abbreviations and acronyms does not count towards the overall page limitation of 30 pages. Offerors shall provide all required proposal elements, in accordance with the instructions and parameters set forth in the RFP. |
Additional Proposal Instructions
(Specific Proposal Instructions – Staffing Plan)
| The page limitation for the proposal is 30 pages or less with a staffing plan of 5 pages or less. Is the staffing plan included in the 30 page limit? |
| Yes, the staffing plan is included in the 30 page, proposal limit. |
Additional Proposal Instructions
(Specific Proposal Instructions – Staffing Plan)
| Does the Department have any specific requirements for the “staffing plan”? Do both the business and technical proposals need to include a staffing plan? |
| Please read Section L9, for the appropriate placement of the Staffing Plan. Each offerors staffing plan is reflective of their respective technical approach/methodology for task execution. |
Additional Proposal Instructions
(Specific Proposal Instructions – Double Space formatting)
| Page 35 of the solicitation instructions indicates that double space formatting is required. Will the Government consider changing this requirement to single spacing to allow respondents to provide more detailed and more fully developed responses to the RFP? |
| This requirement for double-spaced formatting remains. |
Additional Proposal Instructions
(Specific Proposal Instructions – Compliance Matrix)
| Please define the “proposal submission requirements” that need to be included in the Proposal Compliance Matrix (paragraph K) that is submitted to the Department. Does the Department want the tasks described in the PWS to be included in the compliance matrix as well? |
| Please read Sections L. 2, L.3, L.4 and L.9, to obtain the proposal submission requirements for the Proposal Compliance Matrix. |
Additional Proposal Instructions
(Specific Proposal Instructions – Compliance Matrix) This section calls for a Proposal Compliance Matrix to map submission requirements to specific sections of the proposal.
(a) Should the Proposal Compliance Matrix include the numbered tasks from the PWS (such as those in section 5.1) or the requirements documented in the RFP (such as those in sections H, I, L, etc.)?
(b) If the Proposal Compliance Matrix refers to requirements specified in the RFP document, how should compliance with general requirements such as font and spacing requirements, delivery instructions, etc. be indicated in the Matrix?
(c) If the Proposal Compliance Matrix refers to the numbered tasks in the PWS, is it the same as the “listing and description” of each task referenced in section L.9 (l) A.?
(d) Is the Compliance Matrix included in the specified page limits?
(a) Please see the response to Question 25.
(b) Section L.9 provides the specific font and spacing requirements for proposals.
(c) See the response provided to question (a). The Proposal Compliance Matrix is not simply a listing of the task in the PWS.
(d) The compliance matrix is not included in the specified page limits.
Additional Proposal Instructions
(Specific Proposal Instructions – Key Personnel)
(a) Does the 10 year minimum of Project Management experience for key personnel imply the role of “Project Manager” or management of projects?
(b) Are all key personnel required to have a minimum of 10 year project management experience or does this requirement apply only to the Project Manager.
(a) The 10 year minimum of Project Management experience applies to experience required for all key personnel.
(b) All key personnel are required to individually possess a minimum of 10 years Project Management experience.
Additional Proposal Instructions
(Solicitation Response Requirements)
| The “Solicitation Response Requirements” under the “Additional Proposal Instructions” heading (paragraph b) indicates that the “first page of the proposal must show….” Please clarify if each proposal (Business, Technical, and Past Performance) is required to include the referenced items 1-4 and if this counts towards the total page limit of the Business and Technical Proposals. |
| Please read all proposal instructions contained Sections L. 2, L.3, L.4 and L.9, for information on proposal volume content and format. |
The first page of the proposal , inclusive of the required information in Items 1 -4, is not included in the 30-page proposal limit.
Specific Proposal Preparation Instructions
(Page Limitations for Proposals)
| The “Specific Proposal Preparation Instructions” (Section J – Page Limitations for Proposals) indicates that proposal must be in 12 point font. Does this font size include tables/charts? |
| The 12-point font size is applicable to tables and charts. |
Additional Proposal Instructions
(Page Limitations for Proposals)
Reference: Section L.9.j states that “Page Limitations for Proposals – Technical and Business/Price proposals must be 30 pages or less, double-spaced, 12 point font, with a staffing plan consisting of 5 pages or less in a 12 point font.”
Please clarify that each of the Technical and Business volumes has a 30 page limit? B) Please clarify if the table of contact, transmittal letter, title page, acronym list, proposal compliance matrix, and tabs is excluded from the page limit.
The Technical and Business volumes each have an individual 30-page limit, non- inclusive of the transmittal letter, title page, table of contents, acronym list, proposal compliance matrix, and tabs.
Additional Proposal Instructions
(Staffing Plan)
| Reference Section L.9.J states, “Page Limitations for Proposals – Technical and Business/Price proposals must be 30 pages or less, double-spaced, 12 point font, with a staffing plan consisting of 5 pages or less in a 12 point font” and Section l.9.1.D Qualifications of Proposed Personnel. Please clarify which section in the instructions refers to Staffing plan that has a 5 page limit. |
| Section L.9.J of the RFP refers to the Staffing Plan that has a 5-page limit. Section 1.9.1.D of L.9 contains the specific qualifications for proposed staff. |
Additional Instruction for Proposal for ADP Security Compliance
| Section L.14 311-17 Additional Instructions for Proposal for ADP Security Compliance states that “Technical proposals must include a separately detailed plan for meeting these requirements, including any necessary subcontract applications.” Is this “separately detailed plan” included or excluded from the 30 page total for the Technical volume? |
| The separately detailed plan required under Section L.14 is included in the 30-page Technical Proposal volume page limitation. |
Period of Performance
| Section I.37 (c) states that “the total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed 48 months.” However, the base period and 3 twelve month option periods total only 42 months. Is the total duration of the contract 42 or 48 months? |
| Item. I.9 of the RFP contains a provision for an extension of services for a period not to exceed six months. This six month period is the difference between the 42 month total duration of the contract, inclusive of any exercised options and the not-to-exceed, optional 48 month timeframes. |
| 34 |
| RFP |
| Section M. Evaluation Factors for Award |
| (C) Technical Evaluation Criteria II. Corporate Experience, the guidance provided indicates that a full 50% (10 of 20 points) of the total value associated with past performance is assigned to “expertise and experience in building integrated shared data repositories” which, in prior instructions is considered solely an “optional task 4.” However, under the prior point, “I. Technical approach,” this optional task rates only 17% (5 of 30 points) of the evaluation criteria. Is it the government’s intention to so disproportionately weight this specific past performance requirement vs. it’s weighting as a part of the technical evaluation criteria? |
| The Government shall evaluate offeror responses regarding Optional Task 4, from the prospective of each offerors’ prior corporate expertise and experience in executing this task . |
When evaluating Offerors’ Technical Approach, the feasibility of the technical approach for executing the task , not the prior experience in executing said task, will be the primary focus of the evaluation.
| 35 |
| PWS |
| General |
| (a) Please clarify the nature and extent of documentation that is available for the 13 Segment Architectures. |
(b) Will the Department make the existing documentation for the 13 Segment Architectures available for review by potential bidders?
Segment Architectures (SAs) are described in word documents and spreadsheets. The SA’s describe the specific modernization plans of the Department’s 13 business areas. The Department will not make this information available to prospective offerors.
| 36 |
| PWS |
| Place of Performance |
| Please confirm the location of the Project Staff for this effort? |
| The work shall be performed at the Department of Education’s facilities located in Southwest, Washington, DC. |
| 37 |
| PWS |
| Incumbent Information |
(Page 1, Introduction)
(a) Is there an 8a incumbent contractor providing services for this contract?
(b) The introduction refers to IAMT and EA programs. Can the Government identify who the incumbents are for these two programs that are combined in this solicitation?
The current IAMT contractor is ICOR Partners, LLC and the current EA Support contractor is Global Tech, Incorporated.
| 38 |
| PWS |
| Section 2.2, page 5 |
| Please identify what other models the System Architect repository contains in addition to the “process models of the Department’s architecture.” |
| The System Architect repository contains Data Models . |
| 39 |
| PWS |
| Task 3. Enterprise Architecture Program Office Support |
| The current Enterprise Architecture Support Contract ends in January, 2010. The PWS States ( for Task 3: Enterprise Architecture Program Office Support) indicates that “This task shall be performed only during the Option Periods, if exercised”. The first option period begins on March 25, 2010. Does this mean that the Department’s EA Program Office will not have support from January 2010 through March 24, 2010? |
| The base period of the anticipated contract will be for six months and will primarily include ITIM requirements, as EA Support services will not be needed until after January 28, 2010. |
| 40 |
| PWS |
| Section 4 and Section 5.1.4 |
| Please clarify the intent related to Task 4. Does the government anticipate the identification, selection and implementation of a single, new replacement repository for System Architect, HP PPM and the BFDB, or does the government desire integration services amongst these existing products? |
| Offerors shall determine their respective proposed solution for the repository. |
| 41 |
| PWS |
| Section 5, page 6 |
| Please characterize the state of As-Is and To-Be definition of the 13 Segment architectures. |
| The AS-IS and TO-BE definition of the 13 Segment Architecture is Current and Comprehensive. |
Overlap between existing IAMT and EA contracts and anticipated contract.
| Approximately what period of time does the government anticipate the overlap to be between the start of work under this PWS and each of the existing contracts supporting IAMT and EA? |
| Please review the Government’s response to Question 39. |
Subscriptions
| Does the government have an existing subscription to one such industry source, or does the government expect such access to be provided via the contractor’s subscription? |
| The Government expects that access to be provided via the contractor’s subscription. |
Ad Hoc Reporting
| Please elaborate on/provide examples of the type of ad hoc reporting or analysis capability that may be required and the anticipated frequency thereof. |
| See review the Tasks in the PWS to determine the type of ad hoc reporting or analysis capability required. |
Budget Formulation Database
| What commercial product or technology is the Budget Formulation Database built on? |
| The Budget Formulation Database is built on a Microsoft SQL-Server, with Cold Fusion powering the front-end. |
Exhibit 300
| How many Exhibit 300s will the contractor have primary responsibility for preparing? How many in a supporting/advisory capacity? |
| There are currently 28 Exhibit 300s the contractor will have the primary responsibility for preparing. |
Exercise of Optional Task 4
| 5.1.4.1 states “the Contracting Officer shall unilaterally exercise this optional task by written notice to the Contractor within 30 business days of task execution.” What does this mean and when over the course of the base and 3 option periods does the government anticipate awarding optional Task 4? |
| The timeframe for exercising this optional task has yet to be determined. The decision shall be made after consultation with the Department’s Office of the Chief Information Officer, with consideration of the successful offerors’ technical approach for task execution. |
| 48 |
| PWS |
| Tasks 5.1.3.1, 5.1.3.3, 5.1.3.12 |
Future State Vision, Transition Strategy Plan, IRM Strategic Plan, and Technology Roadmap
| When were the Department’s Future State Vision, Transition Strategy Plan, IRM Strategic Plan, and Technology Roadmap last updated? |
| These documents are updated annually. |
Business Architecture
| Have incorrect entries in the Business Architecture already been identified, and if so, are they currently in remediation? |
| The Business Architecture is current. |
| 50 |
| PWS |
| Tasks 5.1.3.9 – 5.1.3.11 |
Department’s Technology Standards and Guidelines
| Does the Department have a formal policy requiring compliance with the Department’s Technology Standards and Guidelines? |
| Compliance is managed through the EA Review Board. |
| 51 |
| PWS |
| Information Technology Investment Management (ITIM) and Enterprise Architecture (EA) |
| Are the IT Security and EA functions currently integrated through existing governance? |
If so, to what extent? How does this [process] currently operate?
Information Assurance and EA are integrated through the EA Review Board.
| 52 |
| PWS |
| Investment and Acquisitions Management Team (IAMT) Charter |
| Is it possible to receive a copy of the IAMT Team’s Charter? |
| A copy of the IAMT Team’s Charter will not be provided. Please use the information provided in the PWS to determine your response. |
| 53 |
| PWS |
| Life Cycle Management Framework |
| Is the Life Cycle Management Framework v1.0 from December 2005 the most recent framework? |
| Yes, the Life Cycle Management Framework v1.0 from December 2005 is the most recent framework. |
| 54 |
| PWS |
| Enterprise Architecture Review Board (EARB) |
| What are the Department’s technical standards with respect to gate reviews and tasks associated with the EARB? |
| The EARB conducts stage gate reviews of projects to ensure alignment with technical standards. |
| 55 |
| PWS |
| Enterprise Architecture Review Board (EARB) |
| Does the EARB share responsibility with any other business or IT governance bodies for conducting "stage gate reviews in accordance with the Department's Life Cycle Management (LCM) Framework"? |
| No, the EARB does not share responsibility with any other business or IT governance bodies for conducting "stage gate reviews in accordance with the Department's Life Cycle Management (LCM) Framework". |
| 56 |
| PWS |
| Enterprise Architecture (EA) |
| The PWS references IBM System Architect (SA) as the ED EA repository. Over the years, ED has deployed and used a variety of EA tools. Have all of the other EA tools been phased out and the various artifacts merged to the IBM System Architect tool? Will ED consider the use of other industry, open source EA tools? |
| All EA models are in the SA. Offerors may propose an alternative solution. |
| 57 |
| PWS |
| Enterprise Architecture (EA) |
| Does the library of EA Training materials currently exist? Is so, when was it last updated? What is the date of the last training session for government FTEs? |
| EA Training materials exist and are updated weekly. The last training session for Government FTE’s was held in July 2009. |
