Questions and Answer for (AFRISS).docx

SOLICITATION QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

AIR FORCE RESERVE INSTRUCTOR SUPPORT SERVICES (AFRISS)

05 June 2025

1. QUESTION: Is there a page limit for each of the separate sections of the proposal (i.e., Technical, past performance, Price)?

ANSWER: There is no page limit for any of the separate sections.

2. QUESTION: Along with a page count, can the Government provide a detailed outline or format for the Technical Proposal (e.g., Cover Letter, Management Approach, Resumes for Key Personnel, Corporate Experience, etc.)?

ANSWER: There is no specified outline or format. All instructions have been outlined in the Proposal Preparation Instructions.

3. QUESTION: Is Past Performance limited to contracts performing as a prime or are contracts performing as a subcontractor allowable?

ANSWER: As it is not specified either way in the Proposal Preparation Instructions, both will be considered.

4. QUESTION: The Government requests including “discount terms (if applicable). What basis for discount is the Government alluding to (e.g., GSA Schedule, etc..)?

ANSWER: Any basis for which an offeror is willing to offer discounts is acceptable.

5. QUESTION: Are Instructors required to take Paid Time Off (PTO) on Military approved Family Days or other previously unplanned authorized Government days off?

ANSWER: There is no requirement to take PTO per Attachment 1 – Performance Work Statement (PWS).

6. QUESTION: Will all Instructors receive a Common Access Card (CAC)? If not planned currently, would the Government strongly consider granting all Instructors a CAC?

ANSWER: Reference PWS para. 1.13.3.6, “Employees requiring access to Government systems in order to perform services under this contract shall obtain a CAC”.

7. QUESTION: Will overtime hours for weekend and additional duties for Instructors be authorized? If so, at what applicable rate (e.g., straight time, premium time, etc.)?

ANSWER: No overtime is authorized. As stated in PWS para 1.7.1 “Support services at the Detachments may on occasion be required at irregular hours including early mornings, evenings, and weekends.”

8. QUESTION: In section 1.4.2 where the Government estimates 70-80 hours per week workload for Scholarships and Accessions Support Services are these the only administrative support services to be provided by the contractor? If not, what are the estimated per week workload hours to support these other services?

ANSWER: Yes, these are the only administrative support services provided by the contractor. All workload for Scholarship and Accessions Support Services are identified in PWS para. 1.4.2.1-1.4.2.12.

9. QUESTION: What is the current volume of student records across all three programs?

ANSWER: All workload requirements have been identified in PWS para. 1.4.1 for Aerospace Studies Instruction Services and 1.4.2 for AFROTC HQ Administrative Support Services.

10. QUESTION: Are records maintained in a centralized system or distributed across multiple platforms?

ANSWER: Records are maintained in WINGS, which is referenced throughout the PWS.

11. QUESTION: What is the record retention timeline and archival process?

ANSWER: There are no record retention or archival process requirements included in the PWS or the references.

12. QUESTION: How frequently are records updated and what triggers updates?

ANSWER: Records may be updated at any time to update applicant information or documentation; offers, activation, modification, removal, and/or completion of scholarship.

13. QUESTION: What level of security clearance is required for record access?

ANSWER: There are no requirement for a security clearance included in the PWS.

14. QUESTION: What is the expected timeline for completing record management tasks (daily, weekly, monthly)?

ANSWER: There is no dictated timeline for completing record management tasks. It can be considered as a continuous process as the timeline may vary depending on the required task.

15. QUESTION: What is the typical processing timeline from student selection to WINGS enrollment?

ANSWER: WINGS enrollment takes place prior to scholarship consideration so almost all cadets will already be in WINGS. Refer to the WINGS User Guide for procedures to add a cadet if needed.

16. QUESTION: Are there prerequisite documents or clearances required before WINGS entry?

ANSWER: There are prerequisite documents and clearances that are required prior to cadet selection to AFROTC. However, there are no separate or unique documents or clearances required for WINGS entry. Refer to the WINGS User Guide for further information.

17. QUESTION: How many students are processed annually for each program?

ANSWER: This information is not readily available; however PWS para. 1.4.2.1 states, “Manage cadet personnel actions for approximately 15,000 cadets”.

18. QUESTION: What administrative actions are considered "appropriate" and who validates completion?

ANSWER: The word “appropriate” has been removed from PWS para. 1.4.2.3. The contractor’s quality control personnel would validate completion.

19. QUESTION: Is there an established Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for WINGS integration procedures?

ANSWER: WINGS User Guide is attached.

20. QUESTION: What is the expected timeline for completing each student's WINGS enrollment and administrative processing? (daily, weekly, monthly cycles)?

ANSWER: Depending on the exact process being worked, scholarship application, offer, activation, modification, review, removal, and/or completion can take several months to only several minutes.

21. QUESTION: How many cadets currently receive pay and/or scholarships requiring monitoring?

ANSWER: See response to Question 17.

QUESTION: What is the scholarship application review cycle (quarterly, semi-annual, annual)?

ANSWER: There is no review cycle for application review. It can be considered as a continuous process as the timeline may vary depending on the required task.

22. QUESTION: What criteria are used for scholarship recommendations and who makes final award decisions?

ANSWER: See AFROTCI 36-2011, vol 3, Chapter 4, specifically paragraph 4.8 and Tables 4.4 and 4.5, for details on AFROTC scholarship application, eligibility, and activation criteria. See chapter 18 for details on SLECP-A and NECP. Final award decision for scholarship rests with the AFROTC/DA

23. QUESTION: Are there different scholarship categories requiring specialized knowledge?

ANSWER: See AFROTCI 36-2011, vol 3, Chapters 4 and 18 for the knowledge required for AFROTC scholarships in accordance with PWS para. 1.4.1.7 and 1.4.2.1.

24. QUESTION: What financial systems interface with cadet pay processing?

ANSWER: Cadet pay is processed through the military pay system and DFAS. There is no system interface.

25. QUESTION: What is the expected timeline for processing scholarship applications and implementing pay/scholarship updates? (daily, weekly, monthly cycles)?

ANSWER: This is an on-going process throughout the year; portions of all scholarship programs and processes are touched continuously throughout the entire year.

26. QUESTION: What types of waivers are most commonly requested?

ANSWER: PWS para. 1.4.2.4 - 1.4.2.7 have been updated, removing the need for this requirement.

27. QUESTION: What is the average processing time for waiver approval/denial?

ANSWER: See response to Question 26.

28. QUESTION: Who has final approval authority for different waiver categories?

ANSWER: See response to Question 26.

29. QUESTION: Is there a standardized waiver tracking system in place?

ANSWER: See response to Question 26.

30. QUESTION: How many waiver requests are typically processed annually?

ANSWER: See response to Question 26.

31. QUESTION: What is the expected timeline for processing different types of waiver requests from submission to final decision? (daily, weekly, monthly cycles)?

ANSWER: See response to Question 26.

32. QUESTION: How many candidates require flight screening annually?

ANSWER: See response to Question 26.

33. QUESTION: What is the current scheduling lead time with USAFSAM and AETC/SG?

ANSWER: See response to Question 26.

34. QUESTION: Are there geographic limitations or preferred testing locations?

ANSWER: See response to Question 26.

35. QUESTION: What happens when candidates fail initial screening - is there a retest process?

ANSWER: See response to Question 26.

36. QUESTION: How are scheduling conflicts and delays managed?

ANSWER: See response to Question 26.

37. QUESTION: What is the expected timeline for coordinating and completing flight screening from initial request to final results? (daily, weekly, monthly cycles)?

ANSWER: See response to Question 26.

38. QUESTION: How are congressional offices notified of appointment status changes?

ANSWER: See response to Question 26.

39. QUESTION: What is the current application-to-appointment ratio?

ANSWER: See response to Question 26.

40. QUESTION: What is the expected timeline for processing each congressional appointment from application receipt to final authority completion? (daily, weekly, monthly cycles)?

ANSWER: See response to Question 26.

41. QUESTION: What is the required reporting frequency for each stakeholder group?

ANSWER: PWS para. 1.4.2.8 references reporting; however, the task is to “Communicate, coordinate and deconflict…” Metrics and reporting would be provided to the contractor to perform these functions.

42. QUESTION: Are there standardized metrics and reporting formats already established?

ANSWER: See response to Question 41.

43. QUESTION: What is the expected timeline for routine communications, reporting cycles, and resolution of coordination issues with each stakeholder group? (daily, weekly, monthly cycles)?

ANSWER: There is no expected timeline identified in the PWS for routine communications, reporting cycles, and resolution of coordination issues with each stakeholder group. These can be considered continuous, as needed, processes.

44. QUESTION: Where shall the contractor submit the CMR?

ANSWER: CMR submissions are processed through SAM. See updated PWS para. 1.4.4.4.

45. QUESTION: Does 42nd CONs have a web site to post this report or is this requirement sent via email? If so, to whom?

ANSWER: See response to Question 44.

46. QUESTION: The Government requires the PM to “be available to the COR, either telephonically or virtually, during the normal hours of operation, 7:30 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., Central Time, Monday through Friday, exclusive of any Federal holidays. When the PM is not available, the Contractor shall designate an individual to act for the PM.” and that “Contractor Program Manager shall be responsible for all work assignments, supervision and management of their employees at all times, whether on site or remote.” However, there are no estimated workload hours per week designated for the PM nor is there a sperate CLIN (e.g., CLIN 003 – Project Management, etc.) that provides a basis for renumeration for this level of PM support. Can the Government please add the estimated workload for the PM and a separate CLIN or other mechanism to provide for the pricing and legitimate compensation of these required PM services?

ANSWER: The PM is responsible for 10 instructors, each of which has assigned tasks that will basically remain the same throughout the contract. There will not be a separate CLIN for Contractor Program Management.

47. QUESTION: The TE 1 Contract Deliverable Requirements and the Service Deliverable Summary in this PWS are essentially the same as they were in the previous solicitation. As such, wouldn’t they require the same or similar estimated level of effort?

ANSWER: The contractor should calculate their expected workload from this PWS and solicitation, not any previous solicitations.

48. QUESTION: How has the Government deemed such a vast reduction in the estimated workload for administrative support to be viable? Are there newly implemented technologies and methodologies, the results from a detailed operational analysis, or other bases to substantiate these reductions without imposing significant operational risks to the Government and the awarded contractor alike?

ANSWER: This is a one-year firm fixed price contract. The estimated workload for the administrative support is identified in PWS para. 1.4.2 (70-80 hours per week total workload).

49. QUESTION: Will the Government provide TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 4 – AFROTC INSTITUTION ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS?

ANSWER: Yes, it should have been included with the solicitation.

50. QUESTION: Will the Government provide TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 5 – AFROTC LOCATIONS?

ANSWER: Yes, it should have been included with the solicitation.

51. QUESTION: Section 1.4.3 is missing. Will the Government please provide section 1.4.3 or mark it as Reserved?

ANSWER: It is marked Reserved. See updated PWS para 1.4.3.

52. QUESTION: What is the Government preferred submission formats, to include margins, fonts, font size, and document types?

ANSWER: There are no preferred submission formats for this solicitation.

53. QUESTION: Is there a page maximum for the technical and Past Performance sections of the Proposal?

ANSWER: No.

54. QUESTION: Will the Government provide incumbent information, if there is an incumbent?

ANSWER: The incumbent and contract number from the previous contract are as follows: Crittenton Consulting Group, Inc.; Contract# FA330022C0041.

55. QUESTION: Will the Government confirm that one (1) FTE is required to support the HQ AFROTC at Maxwell AFB?

ANSWER: The contractor shall provide the services identified in the PWS and is responsible for determining the appropriate level of support required to provide to the standards required.

56. QUESTION: Will the Government provide an estimated yearly labor hours for Administrative Support services?

ANSWER: See response to Question 48. Contractor can extrapolate as needed for yearly numbers.

57. QUESTION: Will the Government clarify if the Administrative Support services' place of performance is on-site or remote?

ANSWER: Administrative Support services are to be provided remotely per PWS par. 1.8.1.

58. QUESTION: Combined Synopsis and PWS 1.9 states that the Period of Performance is 21 June 2025 – 20 June 2026. Can the Government confirm the Period of Performance is only one (1) year?

ANSWER: Confirm Period of Performance is only one year.

59. QUESTION: Will the "Just In Time" IQT be provided at the Government's expense?

ANSWER: Yes, the Government will prepare and provide the IQT material required. See updated PWS para. 3.6.1.1.

60. QUESTION: Will the Government provide the medical and fitness requirements for instructors?

ANSWER: No. “The Contractor’s medical and physical fitness standards shall ensure its employees possess and maintain the degree of physical fitness required to fully perform the required tasks” per PWS para. 1.15.2.

61. QUESTION: What is the lead time for the University/College vetting process?

ANSWER: There is no standard vetting lead time. Timeline may vary per University/College. Per PWS para. 1.15.3., “Contractor shall ensure compliance with University/College vetting process before hiring personnel to perform instructor duties.”

62. QUESTION: TE 3 states that instructors are to be hired by contract start date, given the short time between submission and PoP start, it may not be possible for the instructors to be vetted as required in 1.15.3 by the College/University. Will the Government provide leeway if the College/University vetting is not completed prior to PoP start?

ANSWER: While Instructors should be hired by start date, there should be time to complete vetting prior to start of the academic instruction at each college. The Government will work with contractor to accommodate any deviations provided the contractor keeps the Government informed of all issues as they arise.

63. QUESTION: Will the Government reimburse the cost of the CPR training?

ANSWER: No, this is a contractor requirement per PWS para. 1.15.6.

64. QUESTION: What level of CPR qualification is required (i.e. Adult/child/infant; just adult; AED certification)?

ANSWER: To the standard of the American Red Cross as outlined in PWS para. 1.15.6.

65. QUESTION: Is first aid training required as well? If so, will the Government reimburse costs?

ANSWER: There is no PWS requirement for first aid training.

66. QUESTION: What is the PPE required for Labs that is to be provided by the contractor?

ANSWER: There is no PWS requirement for PPE.

67. QUESTION: In addition to the GPE, are there any clothing or other equipment (including PPE) that the contractor is required to provide?

ANSWER: There is no PWS requirement for additional clothing or other equipment the contractor is required to provide.

68. QUESTION: Will the Government confirm this includes computers, access to printers, and office supplies?

ANSWER: The instructors shall be provided with access to computers, printers, and office supplies. For HQ Admin Support Services, the contractor is responsible for all computers necessary to access Government systems.

69. QUESTION: Will the Government provide a pricing template or a specific format for the price proposal submission?

ANSWER: There is no specific format. The Proposal Preparation Instructions para. 5.c. Price must be followed.

70. QUESTION: Are there any Government Furnished Equipment (GFE), facilities, or services beyond those specified in the PWS that should be considered when developing pricing?

ANSWER: No.

71. QUESTION: Will the Government allow for pricing adjustments based on changes in scope, locations, or TE3 modifications during the contract period?

ANSWER: Any changes to scope, location, or TE3 would require a bilateral contract modification agreed upon by both parties.

72. QUESTION: Attachment 1 – Performance Work Statement states that “Technical Exhibit 3 -Places of Performance and Staffing Levels” defines a Masters Required for Detachments 890 and 006. However – No such definition of the Masters degree is published.

a. Can the USG please define the specific Masters degree requirements for both Detachment 890 and 006?

ANSWER: Refer to Technical Exhibit 4 which should have been included with the solicitation.

73. QUESTION: The document labeled “Combined Synopsis Solicitation – AFRISS.docx” Paragraph 5.a. states that the proposal shall define the Technical capability of the offeror.

a. Can the USG please confirm the Technical volume requirements (scope, number of pages, and constraints)?

ANSWER: There are no additional Technical volume requirements outside of those specified in the Proposal Preparation Instructions para. 5.a.

74. QUESTION: The document labeled “Combined Synopsis Solicitation – AFRISS.docx” Paragraph 5.e requests a written quote.

a. Can the USG please confirm the pricing requirements and formatting desired for proposal submission?

ANSWER: See response to Question 69.

75. QUESTION: The document labeled “Combined Synopsis Solicitation – AFRISS.docx” Paragraph 6 requires a full proposal submitted NLT 4:00PM CDT on 06 June 25. However – Referencing the above statements and questions, there is not enough adequate data available to reference to support an adequate proposal as of 30 May 25. Currently, there are only 5 workdays available, and inadequate information is available to fulfill the proposal requirements.

a. Is the USG able to adjust and extend the proposal submission date? Request 20 June 25, if able.

ANSWER: Solicitation response due date has been extended to 10 June 2025.

76. QUESTION: Paragraph 1.9 of the PWS states the period of performance starts on 21 June 2025, which is less than 30 days from today, 30 May 25. Without notice of contract award, offerors do not currently have enough time to recruit and hire qualified applicants to meet the APAS objectives IAW Technical Exhibit 3.

a. Will the USG please confirm the authorized on-boarding timeline to hire and train qualified applicants?

ANSWER: Instructors must be hired, on site, vetted and ready to commence teaching Cadets NLT start of the Academic period of instruction at each university, which may vary from site to site.

77. QUESTION: Will the Government be including Other Direct Cost (ODC) funding for staff training, conferences, APAS Instructor training, etc. at Maxwell? These costs were not included in the current CLIN structure.

ANSWER: No, there are no requirements for staff training, conferences, APAS Instructor training, etc. at Maxwell.

78. QUESTION: Can you provide an estimate of the labor hours required per position at each performance location?

ANSWER: See response to Question 55.