DMS_MES_RFP_Q A.docx

DMS MES RFP Questions & Answers:

1. There is no reference to Task 3 in Task Order (TO) 1 pertaining to Subfactors 2 and 4 in several instances.

For example, there are no references to Task 3 in the following paragraphs:

· Ref page 54 para D Subfactor 4: Program Management and staffing states the following: “The offeror shall present a Program Management and Staffing approach that explains how it will meet PWS requirements. (TO1, PWS titled Task Order 1 PWS for Base Operations, Tasks 1 to 5, paras. 2.1. to 2.4.).

· Ref page 54 para D Subfactor 4: Program Management and Staffing para b, ii states the following: “A sound methodology for recruiting personnel and ensuring they have the training and security clearances necessary IAW TO1, PWS Task 1 through 5 requirements by the required date.”

· Ref page 54 para D Subfactor 2: Media Emulation Support states the following:

“Establish a web portal for exercises. (Tasks 1 to 4, PWS titled Task Order 1 PWS for Base Operations, paras. 2.1. to 2.3 – 2.3.19.)” Ref page 60 para 2.1.1.2 Subfactor 4: Program Management and Staffing a states the following: “An organizational structure that provides labor categories; qualified and appropriately commercially certified personnel resources, to include any subcontracting and teaming arrangements; minimum acceptable qualifications at initiation of contract; and proposed shift hours for each site (TO1, PWS Task 1 to 5).”

· Ref page 60 para 2.1.1.2 Subfactor 4: Program Management and Staffing states the following: “Subfactor 4: Program Management and Staffing: The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s Technical Volume and its proposed approach in response to Program Management and Staffing. (TO1, PWS Tasks 1 to 5, paras. 2.1. to 2.4.).”

· Ref page 60 para 2.1.1.2 Subfactor 3: Media Emulation Support states the following: “Subfactor 3: Media Emulation Support: The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s Technical Volume and its proposed approach in response to Media Emulation Support. (TO1, PWS, Tasks 1 to 4, paras. 2.1. to 2.3.).”

The only specified requirement for the proposal regarding Task 3 is contained in the basic PWS within attachment 1 to include, as part of the pricing volume, per the following on page 55: Price list for Task 3 Non-DoD Exercises. The contractor shall provide a price for each line item to include option years for CONUS and OCONUS. The contractor shall use Attachment 4, DMS-MES Pricing (Tab 3 – Pre-priced Services).

Please clarify how offerors should respond to above listed requirements for Task 3 in the Technical and Pricing proposal.

Answer: This is Instructions to Offerors of the Factors/Subfactors and state how they will be evaluated. Although Task 3 is not included in Task Order 1, the purpose of the subfactor is for the offeror to explain how to provide Program Management and Staffing (recruiting, training and certifications that their employees possess) for the overall IDIQ contract to include Task Order 1. Task 3 is not included in Task Order 1. However, potential offerors still need to demonstrate their understanding of Task 3 for future Task Orders. Only one (1) proposal is required to be submitted and that is for Task Order 1.

2. Per page 52 para D, 2 Volume I -Technical Capability states the following:

Technical Capability is limited to no more than forty (40) pages total. Page limitations above shall include the Table of Contents, Index and Glossary. All pages after the seventy-five (75) pages will not be evaluated. The purpose of this volume is to enable the Government to make a thorough evaluation of the Offeror’s technical competence and ability to comply with the PWS titled Task Order 1 PWS for Base Operations and Service Summary requirements.

Per page 52 para D, 2, Tab 2: Table of Contents, Indexing and Glossary States the following:

Each volume shall contain a table of contents. Tab indexing shall be used to identify sections. Each volume shall contain a glossary of all abbreviations and acronyms used, with a definition for each. Use of abbreviations and acronyms should be limited. Table of Contents and Glossaries do not count against the page limitations for their respective volumes. Include a master table of contents of the entire proposal.

Contradictory statements are made regarding whether the Table of Contents and Glossaries count in the page limitations. This also raises the question whether the Index counts against page limitations.

Please clarify whether the Table of Contents, Indexing and Glossary States count against the total page count.

Answer: Technical Capability is limited to no more than forty (40) pages total. Page limitations include the Table of Contents, Index and Glossary for Volume 1, Technical. The solicitation will be amended to reflect this change.

3. Ref page 50 para 2, a, (3) Table 1 Proposal Organization states the following:

“MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PAGES Limit to no more than forty (40) pages total. Page limitations shall include the Table of Contents, Index and Glossary.”

Ref page 50 para 2,a, (7) “Table of Contents, Indexing, and Glossary states the following:

“Table of Contents and Glossaries do not count against the page limitations for their respective volumes.”

Issue: Contradictory statements are made regarding whether the Table of Contents and Glossaries count in the page limitations. This also throws into question whether the Index counts against page limitations.

Please clarify whether the Table of Contents, Indexing and Glossary States count against the total page count.

Answer: Page limitations include the Table of Contents, Index and Glossary for Volume I, Technical. The solicitation will be amended to reflect this change.

4. Ref page 54, para 2.1.1(a), TAB A Pricing (1) states the following:

“DMS-MES Labor Matrix: Contractor shall provide a matrix that shows the labor categories, labor categories’ definition (experience, education, certification), and labor rates that will be used for all Task Orders. The contractor shall use Attachment 4, DMSMES Pricing (Tab 1 – Labor Matrix)”

Issue: If all potential labor categories and rates are required in Tab 1 (Labor Matrix) of Attachment 4 for any and all potential Task Orders awarded under the IDIQ contract, what is the government’s preference on how to reflect the variation of labor rates associated with CONUS/OCONUS on Tab 3 of Attachment 4 (Prepriced Services)?

Please clarify

Answer: The offeror is required to provide pricing for CONUS and OCONUS in accordance with Tab 3, Prepriced Services.

5. Section 2.1.1 of the PWS, and Task Order 1 Section 2.1.5, indicate the quantity of DMS machines required, but do not indicate the number of media emulation software licenses (instances) necessary. Can you provide the number of exercise events and their duration that:

require MES that will NOT be run on DOD networks and can utilize an Internet-hosted instance of the MES, and number and duration of events that will require the application to be hosted on DOD networks with the appropriate ATC/ATO. The cost for the two types of application deployment are very different. Software licenses for the two types of application deployment, as well as necessary technical support, IT infrastructure, maintenance, accreditation & certification, and related simulation labor support are significantly different so this clarification is needed to accurately price this component.

Answer: DMS and MES are intended under this effort to be available singularly, in parallel, or as a fully integrated system, and on DOD networks or on standalone networks, as determined during the planning for each supported exercise. Historically, three (3) instances of Media Emulation capability have been sufficient to support its use in approximately half of the exercises using a Disaster Management Simulation; however, under DMS-MES it is expected that MES will be included in three-fourths of the supported exercises no later than the beginning of the first Option Year of the contract. Similarly, while fewer than one-quarter of supported exercises are expected to be supported from DOD networks at contract start, this fraction is expected to increase to one-half of supported exercises by the beginning of the first Option Year, and three-fourths of supported exercises by the start of the second Option Year. Regarding Certification and Accreditation (C&A) to operate on DoD networks, paragraphs 2.1.1.1. and 2.1.4. and table 2.1.5. refer not to initial C&A of DMS MES software, but only to maintenance necessary for annual confirmation of existing C&A and 3-year recertification.

6. Please clarify and provide additional detail about the anticipated need for MES. There appears to be a discrepancy between the PWS and TO 1.

The PWS states on 2.2 Task 2: “The exercise programs to be supported are existing DMS-MES support for VIBRANT RESPONSE (VR) Staff Exercises (STAFFEXs), and related Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) exercise events (ARNORTH), exercises KERIS STRIKE and US ARMY Pacific (USARPAC) EXERCISE 2, VIGILANT GUARD (VG) exercises (USNORTHCOM and NGB), and National Guard State exercises and training events.”

However, Task Order 1 seems to be less specific. It could be interpreted to either require MES support for all exercises mentioned throughout the task order, which is significantly more than currently utilize MES, as implied in the PWS. Could the government clarify the amount of exercises that will require MES support, and provide details on which exercises will require the MES to be deployed via government network?

Answer: See response to question 5 above regarding the expected increase in the use of Media Emulation software toward the availability indicated in paragraph 2.1.1. and the expected transition to greater use of DoD networks. The number of licenses (instances) of MES necessary to meet the demand in paragraph 2.1.1. will be a function of the resource pool described in paragraph 2.1.1. and the scheduling matrix described in paragraph 2.1.2.

7. Do any or all of the provisions in TO 1 2.1 Infrastructure Management apply to the MES, which must maintain ATC/ATO and annual recertification?

Answer: Yes; DMS and MES are expected to be an integrated capability with the flexibility to meet the Government’s requirement for realistic disaster management simulation and media emulation support. As noted in the response to question 2 above, the Government expects a shift during the first two (2) years of the contract toward increased use of MES, percentage-wise, and increased deployment of modeling and simulation (M&S) support from DoD network platforms. The Contractor’s Infrastructure Management strategy should be able to support this expected usage.

8. Does the government consider $22.5 million to be the estimated budget for all components of Task Order 1 over the entire five (5) year performance period?

Answer: Yes. The budget for Task Order 1 is $22.5M for one (1) base year and four (4) – 1 year option periods.

9. Based on publicly available information on past DMS-MES contract awards the anticipated $22.5 million dollar budget closely reflects the historical cost that has been required for DMS and MES for the stated requirements BEFORE the now added additional requirements Below is a representative, but not exhaustive list of additional requirements in the Performance Work Statement and Task Order 1:

a. In TO 1, 2.1 Task 1 Infrastructure Management: “Disaster Management Simulation and Media Emulation Software (DMS-MES) Modeling and Simulation (M&S) software licensing and maintenance; user registration, credentialing, and training; annual certification and accreditation for Department of Defense (DOD) networks; and hardware configuration and maintenance, to include primary software applications and integration with related components.”

b. In TO 1, 2.1.1.1. “The contractor shall conduct software modifications as required to maintain the current certification of M&S applications to operate on standalone and DOD networks and to ensure that such modifications are compliant with the Defense Information Assurance Risk Management Framework (DIARMF) process, to include any compatibility testing during exercise site surveys to ensure the software will run properly on the designated network for that exercise.”

c. In TO 1, 2.1.4 “The contractor shall maintain annual certification and 3-year recertification and accreditation for the software to operate on DOD systems.”

d. Additional requirements as implied in TO 1 for possible expanded use of MES as compared to historical use.

e. Additional MES software licenses to address need for deployment on DOD networks.

f. Additional MES technical support, IT infrastructure, maintenance, accreditation & certification and related simulation labor support on events requiring deployment on DOD networks.

g. Monthly and annual software certification and recertification maintenance actions.

h. Addition of Non-DOD exercises to Task Order 1.

In the government’s response to the questions and answers to the draft RFP, the government indicated that the budget for Task Order 1 was $35 million, which appeared to account for additional requirements. Is it the government’s intent to acquire the above additional requirements and historical DMS-MES support within the $22.5 million estimated budget?

Answer: The Draft RFP has been updated to meet the Government’s need. The RFP budget for Task Order 1 is $22.5M in accordance with Task Order 1 PWS DMS-MES support.

10. The Performance Work Statement states that, “This task unifies the basic, underlying infrastructure framework of existing hardware machines, servers, and software licenses.” However there are no existing software licenses for the MES version that is certified and accredited to operate on DOD networks. The cost for deploying MES from the Internet and deploying via a DOD network are different. Please clarify the use of ‘existing licenses’ with the apparent need to acquire additional licenses for the certified and accredited version of the MES

Answer: Paragraph 2.1. of the Basic PWS is intended to provide the background and rationale for this follow-on competitive effort, and is not intended to require use of existing Government owned or leased hardware or software. The PWS and Task Order 1 PWS describe the scope and scale of the Government’s requirement, and Offerors are free to propose a capable, flexible DMS-MES solution in response.

11. There is no indication, in the current RFP documents that a technical proposal is required for Task 3; as it is called out in the basic PWS within attachment 1. ‘If the RFP does not specifically ask for it, do not provide it. Is the only hard requirement for the proposal regarding Task 3 as contained in the basic PWS within attachment 1 be to include as part of the pricing volume per the following on page 55: Price list for Task 3 Non-DoD Exercises. The contractor shall provide a price for each line item to include option years for CONUS and OCONUS. The contractor shall use Attachment 4, DMS-MES Pricing (Tab 3 – Pre-priced Services).Please clarify

Answer: Task 3 would be a part of any potential future task orders. Task Order 1 does not include Task 3 requirements.

12. Ref page 54 para D Subfactor 4: Program Management and staffing states the following:

The offeror shall present a Program Management and Staffing approach that explains how it will meet PWS requirements. (TO1, PWS titled Task Order 1 PWS for Base Operations, Tasks 1 to 5, paras. 2.1. to 2.5.). Issue: There is no reference to Task 3 in TO 1 Issue: There is no para 2.5 in T.O. 1. Please clarify

Answer: Task 3 would be a part of any potential future task orders. Task Order 1 does not include Task 3 requirements. Para 2.5 will be changed to 2.4 and the solicitation will be amended to reflect this change.

13. Ref page 54 para D Subfactor 4: Program Management and Staffing para b, ii states the following:

“A sound methodology for recruiting personnel and ensuring they have the training and security clearances necessary IAW TO1, PWS Task 1 through 5 requirements by the required date.” Issue: There is no reference to Task 3 in TO 1. Please clarify

Answer: Task 3 would be a part of any potential future task orders. Task Order 1 does not include Task 3 requirements.

14. Ref page 54 para D Subfactor 2: Media Emulation Support states the following:

“Establish a web portal for exercises. (Tasks 1 to 4, PWS titled Task Order 1 PWS for Base Operations, paras. 2.1. to 2.3 – 2.3.19.)” Issue: There is no reference to Task 3 in TO 1 Please clarify

Answer: Task 3 would be a part of any potential future task orders. Task Order 1 does not include Task 3 requirements.

15. Ref page 60 para 2.1.1,2 Subfactor 4: Program Management and Staffing a states the following: “An organizational structure that provides labor categories; qualified and appropriately commercially certified personnel resources, to include any subcontracting and teaming arrangements; minimum acceptable qualifications at initiation of contract; and proposed shift hours for each site (TO1, PWS Task 1 to 5).” Issue: There is no reference to Task 3 in TO 1. Please clarify.

Answer: Task 3 would be a part of any potential future task orders. Task Order 1 does not include Task 3 requirements.

16. Ref page 60 para 2.1.1.2 Subfactor 4: Program Management and Staffing states the following: “Subfactor 4: Program Management and Staffing: The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s Technical Volume and its proposed approach in response to Program Management and Staffing. (TO1, PWS Tasks 1 to 5, paras. 2.1. to 2.4.).” Issue: There is no reference to Task 3 in TO 1. Please clarify.

Answer: Task 3 would be a part of any potential future task orders. Task Order 1 does not include Task 3 requirements.

17. Ref page 60 para 2.1.1,2 Subfactor 3: Media Emulation Support states the following:

“Subfactor 3: Media Emulation Support: The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s Technical Volume and its proposed approach in response to Media Emulation Support. (TO1, PWS, Tasks 1 to 4, paras. 2.1. to 2.3.).” Issue: There is no reference to Task 3 in TO 1. Please clarify.

Answer: Task 3 would be a part of any potential future task orders. Task Order 1 does not include Task 3 requirements.

18. Ref page 50 para 2, a, (3) Table 1 Proposal Organization states the following: “MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PAGES Limit to no more than forty (40) pages total. Page limitations shall include the Table of Contents, Index and Glossary.” And Ref page 50 para 2,a, (7) “Table of Contents, Indexing, and Glossary states the following:

“Table of Contents and Glossaries do not count against the page limitations for their respective volumes.”

Issue: Contradictory statements are made regarding whether the Table of Contents and Glossaries count in the page limitations. This also throws into question whether the Index counts against page limitations. Please clarify whether the Table of Contents, Indexing and Glossary States count against the total page count.

Answer: Page limitations include the Table of Contents, Index and Glossary for Volume I Technical. The solicitation will be amended to reflect this change.

19. Is the minimum amount for any future task order award to be $3.5M? IS THERE A MINIMUM AMOUNT FOR ANY FUTURE TASK ORDER? IF SO, WHAT IS THE AMOUNT? IS THAT AMOUNT $3.5M

Answer: This is an IDIQ contract with a minimum and maximum amount for a Task Order. The minimum Task Order amount of $3.5K and a maximum Task Order amount of $22.5M

20. Ref page 52, para 2, Tab 1 states the following: “Tab 1: Executive Summary and Authorized Point of Contact: Provide a one (1) page summary and authorized personnel who can obligate and negotiate for your company.” Issue: is it permissible to have the Executive Summary on one page and the Contract POC be stated on the following page? Will this count against the page limitation.

Answer: For Tab 1: Executive Summary and Authorized Point of Contact, the Offeror shall provide a one (1) page summary and authorized personnel who can obligate and negotiate for your company. No, Tab 1 does not count against the page limitation.