Questions_and_Responses__Posted_10_12.pdf

Question No.

Reference Question Response

7 If this is an ongoing effort or follow up to earlier work, who is the incumbent/vendor on the predecessor contract?

Applied Engineering Management Corporation; the current award number is ED-IES- 11-O-0017

8 What are the educational/experience requirements for the TA personnel?

Please refer to the solicitation for examples of types of assistance desired in the anticipated contract

9 Can the Tech Team lead be one of the minimum 10 technical assistance personnel?

If "Tech Team lead" means Technical Assistance Team Lead, yes, the "Tech Team lead" can be one of the technical assistance personnel.

10 Is there a requirement for the contractor to have a system that will supplement the Department of Education’s system? On Pg 31, numbers 1-5 imply that the contractor’s system should contain specific requirements.

It’s unclear what this question refers to.

11 There are many areas in the pricing matrix that traditionally don’t require a price. Is there a requirement to price every subtask in the matrix?

Please provide a price for every applicable subtask and task. If a price is not provided, it should be apparent on its face why it was not provided or an explanation can be given in the business proposal.

12 Is there a requirement for all personnel to be in one location? Will the Project Director and Technical Assistant Team Lead be required to be on-site?

There is no requirement for all personnel to be in one location, or for personnel to be on-site (aside from required meetings that are described in the PWS).

13 I was wondering if you would be willing to do a set aside for 8(a), SDVOSB or just Small

Market research indicates that a full and open competition is

Business or Economically Disadvantaged Women Owned.

appropriate for the anticipated contract.

14 Instructions to Offerors, Business proposal, Consultant Costs (Page 39 of 89)

Please confirm that the consultant rate of “$800 per day” only applies to consultants and does not apply to subcontractor staff.

Confirmed

15 Evaluation Criteria, 4.

Technical Approach (Page 50 of 89)

Please clarify the meaning and significance of the reference to “research questions” in bullet point #2 “…anticipated challenges in addressing the proposed research questions, and recommended solutions.”

The bullet should be revised to be "The quality of the activities proposed to accomplish each task, including the clarity, feasibility, creativity, and soundness of plans for carrying out each task, anticipated challenges in addressing the tasks, and recommended solutions."

16 PWS, Subtask 2.1: Hire Qualified TA Experts (Page 59 of 89)

Please confirm our assumption that the number of hours that equate to 1.0 FTE is 1960 hours/year.

The government recognizes that different businesses recognize a different number of hours per year for FTE purposes. Offerors should propose the number of hours they believe necessary to meet the requirements of the solicitation.

17 PWS, Subtask 2.1: Hire Qualified TA Experts (Page 59 of 89)

Please confirm that since TA is required for all states (regardless of grant status), the 10 TA Experts are required for all five years of the contract irrespective of the number of grantees awarded.

The expectation is that the 10 TA experts are required for the contract performance period (base years and option periods).

18 PWS, Task 3 (Page 63 of 89)

Please confirm our assumption that the number of hours that equate to 1.0 FTE is 1960 hours/year.

The government recognizes that different businesses recognize a different number of hours per year for FTE purposes. Offerors should propose the number of hours they believe necessary to meet the requirements of the solicitation.

19 PWS, Task 3:

TA and Monitoring Support (Page 63 of 89)

Please confirm the Department’s estimate of four FTEs are to be priced for all 5 years of the contract.

Yes, the Department’s estimate of four FTEs is to be priced for the Base Year and each Option Period.

20 PWS, Task 3:

TA and Monitoring Support (Page 63 of 89)

Please clarify if the Task 3 Support Staff are different personnel than the Task 2 TA Experts.

The Task 3 Support Staff are different personnel than the Task 2 TA Experts.

21 PWS, Subtask 3.2: Assist in the Coordination and Implementation of Monitoring and TA Activities (Page 63 of 89)

Are support staff required for monitoring visits in addition to TA Experts? If yes, how many support staff should be budgeted per trip?

Yes, support staff are required for the monitoring visits in addition to TA expert(s). Offerors should propose a solution they believe meets the requirements of the solicitation.

22 PWS, Subtask 3.2: Assist in the Coordination and Implementation of Monitoring and TA Activities (Page 63 of 89)

Please confirm our assumption that the length of the 16 required monitoring visits for the TA Experts is two days for monitoring plus up to three days for TA.

Monitoring visits typically take two days (including one day for

TA).

23 PWS, Task 4:

Online TA, Grant Monitoring, and Data Collection System (Page 65 of 89)

Once the Online TA, Grant Monitoring, and Data Collection System is implemented, will the contractor be required to implement system enhancements? If yes, how many hours should contractors budget for annual enhancements?

Yes, system enhancements are required under subtask 4.3.

Offerors should propose a budget for enhancements based on their understanding of the solicitation.

24 PWS, Task 5:

Promising Practice Products and Publications (Page 67 of 89)

Is a separate products and publication team required in addition to the TA Experts? If yes, how many Products and Publications Specialists does the Department estimate for the period of performance?

Offerors should propose a solution they deem appropriate.

25 PWS, Subtask 5.2: Develop and Edit Products and Publications (Page 67 of 89)

Please confirm that all products and publications are required to be Section 508 compliant.

Yes

26 PWS, Task 6:

Establish Online Communities of Practice (Page 68 of 89)

Once the Online Communities of Practice System is implemented, will the contractor be required to implement system enhancements? If yes, how many hours should contractors budget for annual enhancements?

Yes, system enhancements are required under subtask 6.3.

Enhancements could include improving and adding functionality for users, meeting evolving Department IT standards, and meeting evolving programmatic needs. Offerors should propose a budget for enhancements based on their understanding of the solicitation.

27 PWS, Subtask 8.1: Support the Annual SDLS Best Practice Conference

Please confirm that the number of SLDS Best Practice Conference attendees is approximately 300 for planning purposes.

This is correct.

(Page 71of 89)

28 PWS, Optional Task 10 and 11:

Increase TA Capacity and Develop New TA in Support of an Expanded Grantee Pool (Pages 75-78 of 89)

The Department indicates that “For budgeting purposes, we estimate that the program growth in size would require three additional FTEs.” (Page 75). The Department also specifies growth in the number of grantees (Subtasks 10.1-10.8 and Subtasks 11.1–11.8) in increments of five additional grantees of up to 40 new grantees for both the FY17 and FY18 new grant rounds (Pages 76-78). Please clarify the number of new grantees the additional three FTEs is based upon for Optional Tasks 10 and 11. Additionally, please specify the number and role of each of the FTEs for each increment of five grantees, e.g. 5, 10, 15,..40).

The Department's estimate is that doubling the number of grantees would require an additional three State Support Team TA Experts.

Offerors should propose a solution they deem appropriate for the increments included in Optional Tasks 10 and 11.

29 PWS, Optional Task 12: SLDS Best Practice Conference Summary Reports (Page 75 of 89)

Please confirm that the contractor is required to secure the meeting space outside of the Department of Education facilities.

Contractor should assume that the task will require the acquisition of meeting space outside of the Department of Education facilities.

30 PWS, Optional Task 12: SLDS Best Practice Conference Summary Reports (Page 75 of 89)

Please confirm the number of participants the meeting space needs to accommodate and the number of breakout rooms required.

There are approximately 300 attendees of the Best Practice Conference. Offerors should propose a solution they deem appropriate.

31 PWS, Optional Task 12: SLDS Best Practice

For budget purposes, should contractors cover travel, lodging, and per diem costs for one representative of each of the 30 states (for the

Optional Task 12 will include travel, lodging, and per diem for one representative from each

Conference Summary Reports (Page 75 of 89) base and each option year)? nongrantee state.

32 PWS, Optional Task 13:

Regional and New Conferences (Page 75 of 89)

For budget purposes should contractors cover travel, lodging, and per diem costs for 35 participants for each of the six new regional meetings specified in Subtask 8.3 Support and Participation in Regional Conferences (Page 72 of 89)?

Optional Task 13 will include travel, lodging, and per diem for one representative from each nongrantee states.

33 PWS, Optional Task 13:

Regional and New Conferences (Page 75 of 89)

For budget purposes, should contractors assume the travel, lodging, and per diem costs are for participants local to a region, from other non-local states and territories, or both?

For budget purposes, contractors shall not assume that travel, lodging, and per diem costs are for participants local to a region.

All grantees and nongrantees are invited to attend each regional conference.

34 Draft PWS Follow-Up

The draft Performance Work Statement indicated the SLDS grant applications, including states’ proposed project plans, would be available by request from the SLDS program staff (kristen.king@ed.gov) and the EDTAP Contract Specialist (Pavan.Mehrotra@ed.gov). We requested the grant applications for the most recent round of SLDS grants, but they have not yet been provided and are necessary for developing the technical proposal.

Not providing the full grant applications for the most recent grantees creates a competitive advantage for the incumbent.

All draft PWS language is subject to change based on feedback and other internal review. For informational purposes, as stated in the final PWS, offerors should look to the grant applications, including states’ proposed project plans, available on the SLDS program website (nces.ed.gov\programs\slds).

35 PP. 34-36,

Personnel

The criteria on the referenced pages refers to Technical Assistance (TA) around documentation support and “meeting support.” Our interpretation is that this reference also requires descriptions of Task 3 and Task 8 key staff. The reference on p.

35 of “management staff” indicates that the section also requires descriptions all PWS task leads or other project management staff (other than the Project Director and TA Team Lead).

Page 35 also states that resumes are required for “key personnel for this contract, including key staff from subcontractors, and consultants,” without clarifying who is considered to be “key staff.”

1. Section 1.B. Personnel/Experts: Confirm that the Department defines Experts as only the Task 2 TA Experts. If that assumption is incorrect, please clarify.

2. Clarify which proposed staff are considered to be “Experts,” “management staff,” and “key staff” for purposes of:

a. The Personnel section (Pages 34–36

b. Resumes (Page 35)

c. Letters of commitment (Page 35)

Experts are the task 2 TA Experts

Management staff are the Project Director, TA Team Lead, and Senior Managers with direct responsibility for carrying out the terms of this contract.

Key Staff include management staff and experts.

36 PP. 34-36

Personnel

Confirm that the Department requires the Offeror to provide a Time

Yes, please provide a Time Commitments table as described

Commitments table showing hour allocations to:

1. The SLDS TA project and

2. All other projects (including projects and proposals) for the Key Personnel, to demonstrate and verify that these staff have the proposed availability in the Base Year and Option Years

Verify that the Offeror can provide this Time Commitments table in an appendix. If not, provide additional location instructions.

in the question. It may be included as an appendix.

37 PP. 49-50,

Corporate Experience and Past Performance and P. 36, Corporate Experience

Page 50 identifies Past Performance as the third priority for evaluation of the proposal, referring to information from the PPIRS system.

However, Section 2 Corporate Experience on p.

36 mentions “abstracts of current work shall include the name, current affiliation and current telephone number of the study's project officer for all applicable contractor past performance.”

Please clarify

1. Whether evaluation criterion #3 will draw on PPIRS information only?

2. Whether the Offeror must report this PPIRS information as part of the proposal, and if so where and in what format?

3. Whether the abstracts required in Section 2 Corporate Experience are supposed to describe current work or past performance?

4. Whether the abstracts required in Section 2 Corporate Experience will inform the evaluation of Past

1. The Past Performance evaluation factor will draw on PPIRS information only.

2. No, the Department’s contracts office will pull PPIRS reports as of the closing date of the solicitation.

3. Corporate Experience can include both current work and completed work and is to be submitted by the offeror.

4. The Corporate Experience evaluation factor is separate from the Past Performance factor and will be evaluated separately.

Past performance reports will be

Performance identified on page 50?

Verify that the Past Performance project abstracts/descriptions are required by the Department as a separate proposal volume. If a separate proposal volume is NOT required, provide additional instructions.

pulled by Department personnel (via PPIRS) and are not to be submitted by offerors.

Corporate experience is not a separate proposal volume.

38 P. 36, Corporate Experience

Please confirm that the organizational chart mentioned in this section is intended to show the organizational/management structure for the proposed project, and not general organizational chart(s) for the participating organizations.

Yes, the organization chart should show the organizational/management structure for the proposed project.

39 P. 75, Optional Tasks 12 and 13

In a previous reply, the Department indicated that Applied Engineering Management Corporation is the incumbent.

1. Is AEM also the incumbent conference/meeting logistics supplier?

2. If not, which firm currently provides logistic support for EDTAP conferences/meetings?

Under the current technical assistance contract, AEM has provided logistics for conferences in this contract.

The Department also has Contract No. ED-IES-12-D-0016 with Coffey Consulting to provide logistics support services.

40 P. 66, Task 4.2 The PWS indicates that “System Implementation and Certification and Accreditation” shall be due “Within 60 calendar days upon contract award.”

However, the process for Security Authorization for the Department’s OCIO requires a minimum of 90 days and must be scheduled with OCIO in advance.

1. Is the Security Authorization already on the OCIO schedule?

We are researching this question and hope to provide a response shortly.

2. If not, request that the Department reconsider the 60 day timeline for this subtask.

41 PP. 81-82 Has a Federal Information Publishing Standards (FIPS) 199 security categorization been determined for the planned system and/or the current database system?

1. If so, provide the categorization.

2. If no determination has been made, provide the categorization the Department anticipates

There is no current determination of the security categorization for the system. We anticipate the categorization to be determined based upon the technical approach of the successful offeror.

42 Page 23 Conflict of Interest: The government asks that the contractor, subcontractor, employees and consultant sign the conflict of interest certification. Please confirm that these signed certifications are to be submitted after contract award. If these documents are required with proposal submission, which volume/section would they need to be incorporated into the response?

Each offeror should have one representative sign 3452.209-70 Conflict of Interest Certification prior to award. If one offeror representative signs the certification, proposed subcontractors and consultants need not sign the certification.

43 Page 36 Corporate Experience: Please clarify whether the Department is requesting an organizational chart and statement related to corporate experience that ties to the EDTAP effort. Are these two requests meant to be combined in some way in the proposal or does the Department just wish that both, individually, be included within the Corporate Experience section?

The Department wants both the organization chart and statements relating to corporate experience to be included within the Corporate Experience section.

44 Page 36 Corporate Experience: Please clarify whether vendors are required to provide past performance information as part of the Technical write-up. If so, is there a template the Department would like vendors to use? How many past performance qualifications will the Department require? How

Refer to the response to question 37.

far back can the past performance information cover?

45 Pages 54-79 All Tasks: Are the IT or other relevant data systems of the SLDS grantees designed in a consistent fashion, such as with similar variable names, software, IT architecture, etc.? Will documentation for the SLDS IT or other relevant data systems be made available to prospective bidders for this contract? If this documentation is not made available for bidders, will the documentation be made available to the winning bidder, after the contract has been awarded?

Each state has created its own unique SLDS systems to meet local needs. Information about state SLDS system development acquired for the purposes of TA will be provided to the winning bidder after the contract has been awarded.

46 Pages 54-79 All Tasks: Does the “IT platform to support the delivery of technical assistance services” already exist, or will the contractor be expected to develop the system? If either portions or all of the platform already exist, will documentation for the platform be made available to prospective bidders for this contract? If either portions or all of the platform already exist, will the new contractor be expected to migrate the legacy platform to a new platform at the start of the new contract?

The contractor will be expected to provide the system.

47 Page 59 Subtask 2.1: Will the technical assistance require the contractor to hold, transfer, or otherwise handle personally identifiable information (PII)?

If the contractor is expected to handle PII, can examples be provided of circumstances under which the contractor would likely work with PII?

No PII (aside from directory information about State SLDS team staff) is expected in this work.

48 Page 60 Subtask 2.3: Do the longitudinal data systems currently exist in all states or are they under development or awaiting development in some states? Will documentation for these systems be

It is NCES' understanding that all 50 states plus Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands have K12 SLDS.

made available to prospective bidders for this contract?

Information acquired about these systems for the purposes of TA will be provided to the winning bidder after contract award.

49 Page 61 Subtask 2.5: Approximately how many grantees will the offeror be working with when developing the TA plans?

Please see the SLDS web site at http://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/ for information concerning grantees.

50 Page 63 Subtasks 3.1 and 3.2: Will the contractor be required to perform quality control reviews or other checks on the integrity of data in the individual longitudinal data systems? Will the contractor be held responsible for the integrity of the data in the individual longitudinal data systems? Will the contractor be held responsible for the integrity of data collected prior to the start of the new contract?

No

51 Page 63 Subtask 3.2: Will the contractor be required to use SAS, SPSS, or other similar statistical software tools to manipulate, merge, and/or analyze data in the longitudinal data systems?

Offerors should propose a solution they believe meets the solicitation requirements.

52 Page 65 Subtask 4.1: Does an online data repository already exist, or will the contractor be expected to develop the system? If either portions or all of the repository already exist, will documentation for the current repository be made available to prospective bidders for this contract? If either portions or all of the repository already exist, will the new contractor be expected to migrate legacy systems to a new system at the start of the new contract?

The contractor will be expected to provide a system.

53 Page 65 Subtask 4.2: Does an online Grant Monitoring System already exist, or will the contractor be

The contractor will be expected to provide a system.

http://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/ expected to develop the system? If either portions or all of a Grant Monitoring System already exist, will documentation for the current system be made available to prospective bidders for this contract? If either portions or all of a Grant Monitoring System already exist, will the new contractor be expected to migrate the legacy systems to a new system at the start of the new contract?

54 Page 65 Subtask 4.2: Does grantee data already exist in a form that can be easily transferred to the new system? Are portions of the data easy to transfer, but other portions difficult to transfer? Will the new contractor be responsible for the accuracy and integrity of data collected under previous contracts?

Grantee data collected prior to contract award will be made available to the winning bidder after contract award. Contractor will be responsible for ensuring that the integrity and accuracy of this data is maintained as they are inputted into the Contractor's proposed solution.

55 Page 69 Subtasks 6.1 and 6.2: Does a portal already exist, or will the contractor be expected to develop the portal? Will the contractor be expected to pay for software licensing costs associated with the portal, such as SharePoint? If a portal already exists, will documentation for the current portal be made available to prospective bidders for this contract? If a portal already exists, will the new contractor be expected to migrate the legacy portal to a new portal at the start of the new contract?

Contractor will be expected to develop the portal. Contractor will be expected to migrate the legacy data to the new system.

56 Page 70 Subtask 7.2: Does a collaboration plan exist under the current contract? If so, will documentation for the current plan be made available to prospective bidders for this contract?

Offerors should propose a solution they deem appropriate.

Documentation for current plan will be made available to the winning bidder after contract award.

57 Page 71 Subtask 8.1: Would the government please indicate the number of contractors anticipated to participate in the Best Practice Conference.

Only the winning offeror is contracted for this conference.

Offerors should propose a solution they deem appropriate.

58 Page 73 Subtask 8.5: Does a Personal Exchange Network (PEN) exist under the current contract? If so, will documentation for the current PEN be made available to prospective bidders for this contract?

If a PEN already exists, will the new contractor be expected to migrate portions of the legacy PEN to a new PEN at the start of the new contract?

Yes, the PEN exists under the current contract. The new contractor will be expected to maintain information about previous PEN visits. This information will be made available to the winning bidder after contract award.

59 Page 73 Subtask 8.5: Please clarify who the Department considers meeting attendees and any additional participants as it relates to covering travel cost for those resources that do not fall under the classification contractor resources.

Additional participants in this context are nongrantee states.

60 Page 73 Subtask 8.5: Please clarify whether the government intends for the contractor to cover all costs, without reimbursement, for the contracting team and also for other meeting attendees. If so, please provide the expected number of attendees and confirm that covering the cost of participation is not in violation of Federal regulations.

No, the government does not intend for the contractor to cover all costs, without reimbursement.

These costs should be included in contract costs. Conferences will be approved by the Department of Education.

61 Page 79 Optional Task 12: What does the Department consider as a representative from a non-grantee state for purposes of covering travel cost? Is this someone other than a member of the contractor team providing support to the Department of Education?

It is up to the non-grantee state who it chooses as a representative.

62 The Project Director shall have experience leading a contract team that provides technical assistance, including the development and coordination of in-person technical assistance and the IT systems and business processes that support the delivery of technical assistance. The wording implies that the Project Director shall have expertise in technical assistance AND in IT systems. Does the Department weight one over the other or does the Project Director have to meet both criteria –technical assistance and IT systems?

The Department wants a Project Director to have experience in both areas.

63 The Department specifies one key personnel role as Technical Assistance Team Lead but does not have a similar key personnel category for IT systems while the Project Director shall have experience in technical assistance and IT systems.

As currently written it seems to narrow the competition for the Project Director role since the Project Director shall have expertise in two separate areas. Is this the intent of the Department?

The solicitation was written to find the best solution to meet the contract’s requirements.

64 The Project Director shall have experience in managing large scale contracts and coordinating across state and local agencies. Must the Project Director have direct experience at the state and local level focused solemnly in the education space? If the Technical Assistance Team Lead has extensive experience working directly with SEAs and LEAs would that satisfy the Department’s requirement or is it essential that the Project Director has experience working directly with SEAs and LEAs?

Project Director shall have experience managing large scale contracts and coordinating across state and local agencies, including SEAs and LEAs.

65 What software, technology, and hosting solution is currently in use to manage the existing SLDS data and support EDTAP?

The current EDTAP contract uses proprietary software developed by the current contractor. The contractor is also responsible for hosting.

66 What SLDC methodology does the government prefer (waterfall, agile, etc.)?

Offerors should propose the solution they believe best meets the solicitation requirements.

67 If a Small Business, by itself, fulfills all the requirements to Prime this opportunity, would it automatically also fulfill the percentage for Small Business (31%)? If the answer for the first question is affirmative, would the "Prime" Small Business still be required to meet other Small Business sub goals, such as SDB, SDVOSB, WOSB and HUBZones?

No Small Business Plan is necessary for a small business offeror.

68 Will there be a Pre-Bid Conference for this opportunity?

No

69 Will the incumbent be eligible to bid on this opportunity?

Amendment 1 to the solicitation stated AEM was the incumbent.

This acquisition is a full and open competition.

70 If a new technology is proposed, is FedRamp certification required?

We are researching this question and hope to provide a response shortly.