Solicitation FA303026Q0029 - Q and A Document 28 Jul 26.xlsx
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- Solicitation number
- FA303026Q0029
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This is a Questions and Answers document addressing inquiries received through July 17, 2026, regarding Solicitation FA303026Q0029 for a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) project at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas. The Q&A document provides clarifications on technical requirements, compliance standards, and submission procedures related to the competitive HUBZone set-aside solicitation under PSC DG01 (IT and Telecom-Network Support Services) and NAICS 541519 (Other Computer Related Services).
The solicitation requires contractors to engineer, procure, configure, deploy, and install a VDI system on a classified network supporting no more than 300 zero clients, along with associated software licensing, hardware (client and server), on-site support, and optimized network infrastructure. All solutions must utilize only Air Force-approved software and hardware from sources such as the Enterprise Approved Product Listing, CCS-3, and 2GIT approved devices. The original quote due date of July 23, 2026, was extended to July 30, 2026, and subsequently to August 3, 2026 (12:00 PM CST) via Amendment 0002. Quotes must be submitted via email only to MSgt Elzara Kimalova at elzara.kimalova@us.af.mil. The Q&A document reflects responses to contractor questions posed before the July 17, 2026, question deadline and supplements the evaluation criteria outlined in FAR 52.212-2, Instructions to Offerors (52.212-1), and the Statement of Work included in the original solicitation package.
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Q&A
| RFI # | Date Received | No | Solicitation Reference | Page | Question | Responses |
| RFI #1 | 16-Jul | 1 | SOW, Section 1, Scope | 4 | What VDI platform is Goodfellow AFB standardizing on (VMware, Citrix, Hyper-V, Nutanix, etc.)? | Goodfellow AFB ( 17 CS) does not currently have a VDI platform, the SOW scope requires "engineer, procure, configure, deploy, and install a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) to reside on a classified network at Goodfellow Air Force Base. " |
| RFI #1 | 16-Jul | 2 | SOW, Section 1, Scope; SF 1449, CLIN 0001, Schedule of Supplies/Services | 4 and 3 | What server hardware currently exists, and what new hardware is expected? | Currently we have approximately 17 servers in production that are supported using VxRail-based storage solution connected via fibre channel switches. Additional servers will be added during the project to support a VDI environment as per the solution developed as outlined in the requirement scope in the SOW. 17 CS does not have existing hardware that is utilized for VDI support. Goodfellow AFB is not dictating the new hardware that is expected. We are expecting "The scope of this project is for the contractor to engineer, procure, configure, deploy, and install a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) to reside on a classified network at Goodfellow Air Force Base. In this solution the contractor will provide all necessary software, licensing, hardware (client & server) and on-site support for deployment of no more than 300 zero clients. Additionally, the contractor will optimize network traffic by configuring, deploying, and integrating onsite network infrastructure. The solution in its entirety must only incorporate Air Force approved software and hardware. (e.g., Enterprise Approved Product Listing, CCS-3, 2GIT approved devices)." |
| RFI #1 | 16-Jul | 3 | SOW, Section 4, Specific Requirements | 10 | The SOW states: “The contractor shall assist with the deployment, configuration and installation of network hardware that encompasses no more than ten government provided CISCO devices with all associated peripheral equipment to include but not limited to power cables, SFPs, and rack mounted power strips.” What Cisco hardware models will be provided? | 4 (four)- Catalyst 9500 28x100G + 8x400G, Advantage (includes associated power cords, extra memory, cooling fans, and APC rack mounted power strip), 2 (two) - Nexus 9300 48p 1/10/25G, 6p 40/100G, MACsec,SyncE(includes associated power cords, port side intakes, Nexus fand and associated smart licensing), 2 (two)- Nexus 9300 48x 100M/1/2.5/5/10GT, 6x 100G Switch (includes associated power cords, port side intakes, Nexus fand and associated smart licensing). Government will have a minimum of 30 (thirty)100G QSFP28 Transceiver 100GBASE-DR, 500m SMF, duplex, LC, 14 (fourteen) QSFP to SFP10G adapter, and 16 (sixteen)10GBASE-LRM SFP Module on hand to assist with the network optimization as well 8 (eight) 100GBASE-CR4 Passive Copper Cable, 2m and 8 (eight) 1000BASE-T SFP transceiver module for Category 5 copper wire available. |
| RFI #1 | 16-Jul | 4 | SOW, Section 1, Scope; Addendum to FAR 52.212-1, Item (e)(3) | 4 and 40 | What GPU hardware and virtualization technology are required? | The government is not establishing the GPU hardware or virtualization technology. The requirement is to ""The scope of this project is for the contractor to engineer, procure, configure, deploy, and install a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) to reside on a classified network at Goodfellow Air Force Base. In this solution the contractor will provide all necessary software, licensing, hardware (client & server) and on-site support for deployment of no more than 300 zero clients. Additionally, the contractor will optimize network traffic by configuring, deploying, and integrating onsite network infrastructure. The solution in its entirety must only incorporate Air Force approved software and hardware. (e.g., Enterprise Approved Product Listing, CCS-3, 2GIT approved devices)." |
| RFI #1 | 16-Jul | 5 | SOW, Section 2.C, Security Requirements; DD Form 254 | 5–7 | Is there a current ATO on this system, or is this a new requirement? | Our secure network is already accredited, the virtual solution provided as a part of this requirement must be approved to be installed on AF systems falling in-line with DoW, DISA, and AF requirements. |
| RFI #1 | 16-Jul | 6 | SOW, Section 2.C, Security Requirements; Salient Characteristics, Items 4, 7, and 10 | 5–7 and 1 | Does the Base currently have Continuous Monitoring and scans? | Yes, there are continuous scans performed by our HHQs agency not controlled locally. |
| RFI #1 | 16-Jul | 7 | SOW, Section 1, Scope | 4 | Is this a new deployment or a migration from an existing VDI environment? | This is a completely new deployment that requires a fully developed solution. |
| RFI #1 | 16-Jul | 8 | SOW, Section 5, Schedule and Acceptance; Addendum to FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation Criteria | 11 and 41–42 | What are the detailed performance and acceptance criteria for 150 concurrent users? | The government is seeking the contractor to provide recommended performance criteria that are inline with best practices for the applicable solution. |
| RFI #1 | 16-Jul | 9 | SOW, Section 1, Scope; Addendum to FAR 52.212-1, Item (e)(3) | 4 and 40 | Who owns software licensing for the VDI platform, operating systems, GPUs, and Cisco devices? | The government will own the licenses that are acquired as apart of the overall solution and currently owns the CISCO devices that will be deployed. |
| RFI #1 | 16-Jul | 10 | SOW, Sections 1 and 5, Scope and Schedule and Acceptance | 4 and 11 | What backup, disaster recovery, and high-availability requirements apply? | Back-up, disaster recover, and high availability elements should comply with the best practices as established by the engineered solution. Ref 4.A of the SOW |
| RFI #1 | 16-Jul | 11 | SOW, Appendix B, List of Deliverables; CDRLs A001–A006 | 16 | What additional engineering deliverables are expected beyond the six listed CDRLs? | No additional deliverables outside of what has been detailed in the SOW |
| RFI #1 | 16-Jul | 12 | SF 1449, Item 0001, Schedule of Supplies/Services; Addendum to FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors, Item (e)(3) | 3 and 40 | CLIN 0001 is titled “VXRail, VDI Equipment and Software.” Is Dell VxRail a mandatory platform for this CLIN, or is the title descriptive only? If not mandatory, will an alternative HCI/VDI platform be acceptable provided it meets STIG, EPL, CCS-3, and 2GIT requirements? | Dell VxRail is not a mandatory platform but the platform provided must meet all HHQ, DISA, STIG compliance prerequisites to exist on the Af network. |
| RFI #2 | 17-Jul | 1 | Solicitation FA303026Q0029, CLIN 0001; SOW Sections 1 and 4 | Are Dell VxRail and VMware/Broadcom products required? If yes, please provide the required models, quantities, software, licenses, storage, compute, GPU, and network specifications. If not, are equivalent Air Force-approved solutions allowed? | The government is not mandating Dell VxRail and VMWare Broadcom products. The government's requirement is that the solution meets all established regulation and authority to be installed on the AF network in secure environments. Additionally, the solution must be capable of integrating/coexisting with the existing Dell VxRail VM server environment. The contractor is required to develop a solution that meets those requirements. |
| RFI #2 | 17-Jul | 2 | Evaluation Criteria | Since this is an LPTA procurement and offerors are responsible for proposing the equipment and software solution, will technical acceptability be evaluated solely against the performance requirements in the SOW, or does the Government have a target architecture or preferred Bill of Materials that offerors are expected to follow? | Technical acceptability will be evaluated against the following: 1. Does contractor acknowledge understanding of all requirements outlined in the Statement of Objectives, standard operating procedure, and salient characteristics? 2. Does contractor proposal included all components as specified in the SOO/SOW/IGE? 3.Does contractor acknowledge understanding of applicable standards listed in Appendix A? 4.Does the contractor proposal demonstrate knowledge in the network infrastructure being installed? 5. Does the contractor proposal demonstrate knowledge in the client systems being installed? 6. Does the contractor proposal demonstrate knowledge in the DISA STIG guidance? 7.Does the contractor possess requisite security clearance? 8.Does the contractor provide the technical methodology/approach to be used in performing the requirements of the SoO/SOW? 9.Does the contractor outline the standards, tools, and methodologies of how the solution/approach is developed? |
| RFI #2 | 17-Jul | 3 | SOW Sections 4.A through 4.C | Will the Government provide the information needed to size the VDI environment? This should include the number of desktops, concurrent users, user types (# of power users vis. general users), CPU, memory, storage, GPU, growth, performance, backup, redundancy, and disaster-recovery requirements. | Reference 4.A and 4.B which details the number of devices required, the number of concurrent users, and that the solution should meet best practices as established the solutions developed. |
| RFI #2 | 17-Jul | 4 | SOW | Can the Government provide any additional information regarding the existing infrastructure, including the current virtualization environment, server platform, and storage environment to support accurate solution design and pricing? | While the existing server infrastructure used on SIPRNet is DellVXRail it is not applicable to the requested VDI solution, as the requirement is "The scope of this project is for the contractor to engineer, procure, configure, deploy, and install a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) to reside on a classified network at Goodfellow Air Force Base. In this solution the contractor will provide all necessary software, licensing, hardware (client & server) and on-site support for deployment of no more than 300 zero clients. Additionally, the contractor will optimize network traffic by configuring, deploying, and integrating onsite network infrastructure. The solution in its entirety must only incorporate Air Force approved software and hardware. (e.g., Enterprise Approved Product Listing, CCS-3, 2GIT approved devices)." |
| RFI #2 | 17-Jul | 5 | SOW | Is there an existing VDI environment that will be upgraded or migrated, or is the Government expecting the contractor to design and deploy a completely new VDI environment? | "The scope of this project is for the contractor to engineer, procure, configure, deploy, and install a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) to reside on a classified network at Goodfellow Air Force Base. In this solution the contractor will provide all necessary software, licensing, hardware (client & server) and on-site support for deployment of no more than 300 zero clients. Additionally, the contractor will optimize network traffic by configuring, deploying, and integrating onsite network infrastructure. The solution in its entirety must only incorporate Air Force approved software and hardware. (e.g., Enterprise Approved Product Listing, CCS-3, 2GIT approved devices)." |
| RFI #2 | 17-Jul | 6 | SOW - VDI Requirements | Please confirm the current operating system(s) within the existing SIPRNet environment and identify the expected guest operating system(s) for the proposed VDI solution (e.g., Windows 11, Windows Server, Linux, or a combination). | Windows 11 will be environment needed for the VDI thin clients, the government will provide the needed ISO files at kick-off |
| RFI #2 | 17-Jul | 7 | Solicitation - Equipment and Price Instructions; SOW Sections 1, 2.M and 4.A | Which software licenses and support agreements must the contractor provide? Please identify all Government-provided and contractor-provided licenses, quantities, versions, and support periods. | The contractors is responsible to identify the necessary software to perform the following actions" The scope of this project is for the contractor to engineer, procure, configure, deploy, and install a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) to reside on a classified network at Goodfellow Air Force Base. In this solution the contractor will provide all necessary software, licensing, hardware (client & server) and on-site support for deployment of no more than 300 zero clients. Additionally, the contractor will optimize network traffic by configuring, deploying, and integrating onsite network infrastructure. The solution in its entirety must only incorporate Air Force approved software and hardware. (e.g., Enterprise Approved Product Listing, CCS-3, 2GIT approved devices)." |
| RFI #2 | 17-Jul | 8 | SOW Section 3 and Sections 4.E through 4.H; Salient Characteristics | Does the work include new fiber, copper cabling, trenching, boring, splicing, grounding, asbestos work, or facility modifications? If yes, please provide exact locations, quantities, distances, drawings, and restoration requirements. | Not applicable |
| RFI #2 | 17-Jul | 9 | SOW Sections 1 and 4.D; Salient Characteristics | Must offerors provide and install exactly 300 zero clients? Please provide the required model or specifications, peripherals, cables, mounting equipment, installation locations, and instructions for replaced equipment. | Scope of work states contractor will provide solution capable of supporting deployment of no more than 300 thin clients, meaning the number may decrease. Specific locations will be provided during site kick-off meeting. Peripherals will remain in place. |
| RFI #2 | 17-Jul | 10 | SOW Section 4.C; Salient Characteristics, Items 9 and 10 | Do the two Master Gold OS images and the two user images refer to the same two images? Please provide the required operating systems, applications, licenses, security settings, test accounts, and acceptance criteria. | The government will be responsible for providing the ISO images that will be utilized for both images, and will clarify the exact application requirement after kick-off. |
| RFI #2 | 17-Jul | 11 | SOW - Network Infrastructure | Can the Government provide the anticipated quantities and models of Cisco networking equipment requiring installation, staging, or configuration, or confirm that offerors are expected to determine the complete network equipment requirements? | 4 (four)- Catalyst 9500 28x100G + 8x400G, Advantage (includes associated power cords, extra memory, cooling fans, and APC rack mounted power strip), 2 (two) - Nexus 9300 48p 1/10/25G, 6p 40/100G, MACsec,SyncE(includes associated power cords, port side intakes, Nexus fand and associated smart licensing), 2 (two)- Nexus 9300 48x 100M/1/2.5/5/10GT, 6x 100G Switch (includes associated power cords, port side intakes, Nexus fand and associated smart licensing). Government will have a minimum of 30 (thirty)100G QSFP28 Transceiver 100GBASE-DR, 500m SMF, duplex, LC, 14 (fourteen) QSFP to SFP10G adapter, and 16 (sixteen)10GBASE-LRM SFP Module on hand to assist with the network optimization as well 8 (eight) 100GBASE-CR4 Passive Copper Cable, 2m and 8 (eight) 1000BASE-T SFP transceiver module for Category 5 copper wire available. |
| RFI #2 | 17-Jul | 12 | DD Form 254; SOW Security Requirements | Will the Government provide a readable DD Form 254 and clarify all security responsibilities? Please confirm clearance requirements, facility-clearance requirements, approved configuration locations, Government-provided accounts, tools, escorts, and authorization support. | Readable DD 254 was provided in the contracting package, and FCL requirements are outlined on pg. 7 of SOW and on DD254 |
| RFI #2 | 17-Jul | 13 | Proposal Submission Requirements | The solicitation requires offerors to provide proof of an active Facility Clearance (FCL). Could the Government please confirm whether a DISS screenshot reflecting the active Facility Clearance would be considered sufficient to satisfy this requirement, or if a separate Facility Clearance Letter is required? | DISS Screenshot clearly reflecting the active Facility Clearance would be sufficient. |
| RFI #2 | 17-Jul | 14 | Section K - Contractor Personnel | Section K identifies a Project Manager, Site Point of Contact (POC), and alternate personnel. Are these considered Key Personnel under this solicitation? If so, are offerors required to identify these individuals in their proposal and submit resumes at the time of quotation? | The Project manager and Site POC are considered key personnel but their identification during the proposal is not required. The contractors is still required to "1. Does contractor acknowledge understanding of all requirements outlined in the Statement of Objectives, standard operating procedure, and salient characteristics?" |
| RFI #2 | 17-Jul | 15 | SOW / Price Proposal | The solicitation does not prescribe labor categories or staffing levels. Are offerors expected to determine the appropriate labor mix, labor categories, and level of effort necessary to successfully perform the requirement? | Offerors are required to determine staffing needs as required to meet scope outline in SOW. |
| RFI #2 | 17-Jul | 16 | Solicitation - Delivery Schedule; SOW Sections 5 and 6 | Is the total performance period eight months, with two months for CLIN 0001 and six months for CLIN 0002? Does CLIN 0002 begin after CLIN 0001 is delivered and accepted? | The total performance period is 8 months this timeframe is not attributed to the CLIN structure. The proposal should reflect the design to assess technical acceptability. |
| RFI #2 | 17-Jul | 17 | Solicitation - Site-Visit Instructions | Will the Government release the July 16, 2026 site-visit information to all offerors? This should include notes, briefing materials, questions and answers, attendee companies, photographs, drawings, equipment inventories, cabling details, access restrictions, and outage requirements. Will the deadlines be extended if this information is released late? | Site visit sign in sheet will be made publically available with all attendees information to include name, organization name and phone numbers. No photographs were taken or shared during the site visit due to the sensitive nature of these locations. |
| RFI #2 | 17-Jul | 18 | N/A | Can the Government identify the incumbent contractor currently supporting this requirement and provide the incumbent contract number, if applicable? | Not applicable |
| RFI #2 | 17-Jul | 19 | SF1449 Block 8; Solicitation Instructions | The solicitation contains a discrepancy regarding the proposal submission deadline. Block 8 of the SF1449 identifies a due date of 2:00 PM CST, while the solicitation instructions identify the deadline as 12:00 PM CST. Could the Government please confirm the official proposal submission deadline? | This will be corrected to 12:00PM CST in all blocks. |
| RFI #2 | 17-Jul | 20 | Solicitation Instructions | The solicitation does not specify the proposal submission method. Could the Government please confirm whether proposals shall be submitted via email, through an electronic portal, or by another method, and provide the applicable submission instructions? | The instructions in clause 52.212-1 will include clear langauge on method of proposal submission via email only to MSgt Elzara Kimalova at elzara.kimalova@us.af.mil |
| RFI #2 | 17-Jul | 21 | Technical Evaluation Criteria | The Technical Evaluation Criteria states that all hardware products utilized will be new Original Equipment Manufacturer items only, and that all items will fall in line with the applicable standards outlined in Appendix B of the Statement of Objectives/Work. However, the applicable hardware standards appear to be contained in Appendix A, while Appendix B does not address these standards. Could the Government please confirm whether the reference to Appendix B is a typographical error and whether Appendix A is the intended reference? | Yes, the Appendix B reference in the technical evaluation criteria is a typographical error, the correct reference should reflect Appendix A as outlined in the SOO. |
| RFI #3 | 17-Jul | 1 | Ref: SOW Sec.4.D; Salient Characteristics Sec.11(a); approx. 300 clients per SOW Sec.1 | For each building/room where zero clients will be installed, can the Government provide the | ||
| quantity and media type (copper vs. fiber) of the existing SIPRNet drops, and confirm whether a live, terminated drop already exists at every intended seat? | All thin client installations will only take place in locations where existing live drops exist conciding with the currently installed systems. | |||||
| RFI #3 | 17-Jul | 2 | Ref: SOW Sec.3.A–K, Sec.2.L | Is any new cabling installation, extension, retermination, or splicing within the contractor's scope, or does scope begin at connecting zero clients to drops the Government has already installed? SOW Sec.3 (Technical Requirements A–K) and the ECMRA reference in Sec.2.L describe outside-plant fiber splicing, OSP grounding, and singlemode fiber “from ITB to ITB. | The scope should include no required new cabling installation, extension, retermination or splicing. Regarding thin clients they will be connected to already existing drops. | |
| RFI #3 | 17-Jul | 3 | Ref: SOW Sec.4.E; Salient Characteristics Sec.11(a) | For any fiber drops serving zero clients, please specify the connector/mode (e.g., SC or LC, single- vs. multimode) and confirm whether zero clients connect via fiber directly or via media converters/SFPs. Are those converters, SFPs, and patch cables Government-furnished or contractorfurnished? | We do not have any zero/thin clients deployed at this time. | |
| RFI #3 | 17-Jul | 4 | Ref: SOW Sec.4.D | What end-user devices are being replaced (make/model/quantity of current thick or thin clients), given SOW Sec.4.D requires “removal of old equipment”? | Not relevant, the scope states that no more than 300 thin clients will be deployed meaning that no more than 300 devices will be removed and they will all be thick clients and/or laptops. | |
| RFI #3 | 17-Jul | 5 | Ref: SOW Sec.1,Sec.4.A | Please identify what will remain in place for compatibility — existing SIPR core/distribution switches, servers, storage, KVM, and CAC readers | KVM, CAC readers and other peripheral will remain in place for connection to thin clients | |
| RFI #3 | 17-Jul | 6 | Ref: SOW Sec.4.E | For the up to ten Government-provided Cisco devices, can the Government provide the models/part numbers, IOS versions, and licensing, and confirm whether they replace existing switches or are net-new additions? | 4 (four)- Catalyst 9500 28x100G + 8x400G, Advantage (includes associated power cords, extra memory, cooling fans, and APC rack mounted power strip), 2 (two) - Nexus 9300 48p 1/10/25G, 6p 40/100G, MACsec,SyncE(includes associated power cords, port side intakes, Nexus fand and associated smart licensing), 2 (two)- Nexus 9300 48x 100M/1/2.5/5/10GT, 6x 100G Switch (includes associated power cords, port side intakes, Nexus fand and associated smart licensing). Government will have a minimum of 30 (thirty)100G QSFP28 Transceiver 100GBASE-DR, 500m SMF, duplex, LC, 14 (fourteen) QSFP to SFP10G adapter, and 16 (sixteen)10GBASE-LRM SFP Module on hand to assist with the network optimization as well 8 (eight) 100GBASE-CR4 Passive Copper Cable, 2m and 8 (eight) 1000BASE-T SFP transceiver module for Category 5 copper wire available. | |
| RFI #3 | 17-Jul | 7 | Ref: SOW Sec.4.D; Salient Characteristics Sec.11(a) | Which peripherals will be reused versus newly furnished — monitors, keyboards/mice, CAC readers, KVM — and in what quantities? | All client side peripherals will be reused. The number will vary but will not exceed the peripherals that are applicable to the no more than 300 thin clients. | |
| RFI #3 | 17-Jul | 8 | Ref: Salient Characteristics Sec.1 | Salient Characteristics Sec.1 requires the contractor to “perform an inventory of equipment (hardware/software).” Will the Government provide a current asset inventory at kickoff, or is discovery entirely the contractor's responsibility? | This inventory is over the new equipment/licensing that is provided as a part of the VDI solution not existing hardware.But the government will outline locations where thick clients will be replaced. | |
| RFI #3 | 17-Jul | 9 | Ref: SOW Sec.4.E | For the new VDI compute, is sufficient rack space, power (circuits/whips), and cooling already available and Government-furnished in the server room, or must the contractor provide racks and PDUs | no racks should be provided, PDUs already in place. Cooling system already in place | |
| RFI #3 | 17-Jul | 10 | Ref: CLIN 0001; Evaluation Factors addendum | CLIN 0001 is titled “VXRail, VDI Equipment and Software,” but the Evaluation addendum states the Government “is not dictating a mandatory equipment list” and the contractor is “solely responsible for determining and proposing the appropriate equipment.” Please confirm whether Dell VxRail is mandatory, or whether offerors may propose an equivalent hyperconverged/VDI platform that meets the Salient Characteristics and DISA STIGs. | The government is not mandating the VDI platform but the "The scope of this project is for the contractor to engineer, procure, configure, deploy, and install a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) to reside on a classified network at Goodfellow Air Force Base. In this solution the contractor will provide all necessary software, licensing, hardware (client & server) and on-site support for deployment of no more than 300 zero clients. Additionally, the contractor will optimize network traffic by configuring, deploying, and integrating onsite network infrastructure. The solution in its entirety must only incorporate Air Force approved software and hardware. (e.g., Enterprise Approved Product Listing, CCS-3, 2GIT approved devices)." | |
| RFI #3 | 17-Jul | 11 | Ref: SOW Sec.4.B | For the GPU-sharing requirement, what is the target use case and how many of the 300 provisioned / 150 concurrent seats require GPU/vGPU acceleration? Is there a specific | ||
| application driver (e.g., CAD, GIS, imagery)? | As this will be on a secure environment, the target use case includes maintaining a secure and compliant environment that is standardized. As most of the users will be standard workers a 20% GPU acceleration should be sufficent resulting in approximately 30 seats requiring accerlation. There are not specific application drivers that are known at this time. | |||||
| RFI #3 | 17-Jul | 12 | Ref: SOW Sec.4.A | Please confirm the sizing basis: 300 provisioned with 150 concurrent minimum — should compute be sized to 150 concurrent, or to a higher peak/growth target? | The government confirms 300 provisioned with a 150 concurrent minimum. | |
| RFI #3 | 17-Jul | 13 | Ref: SOW Sec.4.C; Salient Characteristics Sec.9 | Will the Government furnish the current approved SDC ISO(s) and the mandatory application list at kickoff, and confirm two Gold images? Are there domain-join/GPO dependencies the contractor should plan for? | Yes the government will provide the SDC ISO , which includes mandatory applications. | |
| RFI #3 | 17-Jul | 14 | Ref: SOW Sec.2.A.1 | Does the asbestos requirement in SOW Sec.2.A.1 (Texas DSHS-certified O&M personnel) apply to the actual work areas for this equipment installation, or is it nonapplicable to a thin-client/VDI effort? | This is not applicable to the thin/client VDI effort | |
| RFI #3 | 17-Jul | 15 | Ref: SOW Sec.3.A–K | Please confirm whether SOW Sec.3 in its entirety (splicing, cable racks, OSP grounding/bonding, utility separation, directional-drilling slurry disposal) applies to this effort, so offerors price only in-scope work | No splicing or grounding will be required | |
| RFI #3 | 17-Jul | 16 | How many clients copper, fiber? | The number of copper versus fiber clients is unable to be determined the government at this time a specific count can be provided at project kick-off | ||
| RFI #3 | 17-Jul | 17 | Who is the VDI broker? | This is apart of the solution that must be provided by contractor IAW with the SOW scope. "The scope of this project is for the contractor to engineer, procure, configure, deploy, and install a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) to reside on a classified network at Goodfellow Air Force Base. In this solution the contractor will provide all necessary software, licensing, hardware (client & server) and on-site support for deployment of no more than 300 zero clients. Additionally, the contractor will optimize network traffic by configuring, deploying, and integrating onsite network infrastructure. The solution in its entirety must only incorporate Air Force approved software and hardware. (e.g., Enterprise Approved Product Listing, CCS-3, 2GIT approved devices)." | ||
| RFI #3 | 17-Jul | 18 | What’s the protocol? | Unclear question, unable to answer. | ||
| RFI #3 | 17-Jul | 19 | Do we need to supply networking switches or servers ? | The vendor is not supplying the networking switches but is supplying the servers as the requirement is to "The scope of this project is for the contractor to engineer, procure, configure, deploy, and install a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) to reside on a classified network at Goodfellow Air Force Base. In this solution the contractor will provide all necessary software, licensing, hardware (client & server) and on-site support for deployment of no more than 300 zero clients. Additionally, the contractor will optimize network traffic by configuring, deploying, and integrating onsite network infrastructure. The solution in its entirety must only incorporate Air Force approved software and hardware. (e.g., Enterprise Approved Product Listing, CCS-3, 2GIT approved devices)." |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 1 | Facility Infrastructure | What power and cooling capacity is available in the space(s) designated for the new infrastructure? | The facility where equipment will be located has necessary power and cooling capacity. | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 2 | Facility Infrastructure | How much rack space (in rack units) is allocated for this installation? | would need to be room for 5 servers | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 3 | Facility Infrastructure | What electrical service and receptacle/plug type will be provided (e.g., voltage, NEMA configuration) for rack-mounted equipment? | There are NEMA L6-30R outlets deployed within the datacenter environment pulling 240v/208v 30 amp. | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 4 | Facility Infrastructure | Will an uninterruptible power supply (UPS)/battery backup system be government-furnished, or is the contractor responsible for providing one? | Any required UPS will be the responsibility of the contractor | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 5 | Facility Infrastructure | Will fiber uplink cabling between racks/rooms be government-furnished, or is the contractor responsible for procuring and installing it? | The government will be responsible for providing fiber connection to the network switch that currently exists in the data center as well as any cabling for the inclusion of additional network devices as a apart of the network optimization. As the newly installed devices will be replacing already existing equipment new cabling will not be required to connect thin clients. | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 6 | Facility Infrastructure | Will power strips (PDUs) be required as a contractor-furnished item, or will they be government-furnished? | PDUs will not be required for the network opimization element of the project, btu contractors will be required to provide PDUs for any VDI server equipment. | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 7 | Cabling — Workstation/Desktop Areas | Will fiber (or copper) cabling and jacks already be installed and terminated at each workstation location, or is the contractor responsible for extending cabling to the desktop areas? | As the project is only replacing existing devices, cabling/jacks will already exist in the desktop area. | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 8 | Cabling — Workstation/Desktop Areas | Please confirm that the contractor's scope is limited to installing patch cables between existing jacks/ports and end-user equipment, and does not include pulling or terminating new permanent fiber or copper runs. | As the project is only replacing existing devices, cabling/jacks will already exist in the desktop area. | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 9 | Cabling — Workstation/Desktop Areas | Please specify the required patch cable type/category (e.g., Cat6A copper, OM4/OS2 fiber) and the length range needed, both for workstation drops and rack-side connections throughout the project. | As the project is only replacing existing devices, cabling/jacks will already exist in the desktop area. | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 10 | Network Equipment & Configuration | Please confirm: after staging and installation, will the Government provide the devices/software needed to STIG and scan all equipment on the classified network? | The contractor will be responsible to obtain/apply/validate all applicable DISA STIGs. | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 12 | Network Equipment & Configuration | How many 25Gb ports will be available? | We do not currently have any in use or available | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 11 | Network Equipment & Configuration | How many 10Gb ports will be available? | We have a few available in some buildings but not enough to support every device | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 13 | Network Equipment & Configuration | How many 1Gb ports will be available, and are these intended for out-of-band management (OOBM)? | Our network has enough 1 Gb ports to support this project. for the out-of-band route to plans | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 14 | Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) | Is a separate/dedicated storage tier required for user profile and user data, distinct from OS/image storage? If so how much space per user is required? | Best practice states there should be a dedicated storaget tier for user profile separate from the OS/Image storage, and users should be allocated 30-50 GB but contractor is responsible for providing a solution that takes into account these factors in accordance with researched best practices. | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 15 | Document clarifications: | Section 6.F (Minimum Contractor Qualifications) is cut off mid-sentence in the draft ("Qualified contractors must meet DoD..."). Please provide the complete requirement — is this referencing DoD 8140/8570 IA workforce certification (e.g., IAT Level II), and if so, which specific certifications are required? | Yes, this is referencing DoD 8140/8570 IA workforce certifiation requirements, Personnel must possess a minimum IAT Level II certification. | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 16 | Document clarifications: | Item 12 appears to be missing from the Salient Characteristics document (the list jumps from item 11 to item 13). Please confirm what work is captured under item 12. | This mis-numbering from 11 to 13 is an error/typo. | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 17 | Document clarifications: | Section 2.C references a "Site Visit Request Letter" in one sentence and a "spreadsheet" in the next — please confirm which format/template is required and provide it if available. | The site visit request letter format will be provided at kick-off | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 18 | Document clarifications: | Please confirm whether Section 3 (Technical Requirements — splice conductors, cable racks, utility separation, etc.) applies to this project, as it appears to describe outside-plant fiber installation work not reflected in the Section 4 scope. | There is no Outside Plant work inscope of this requirement/project. | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 19 | Document clarifications: | Section 2.L (ECMRA) references "single mode fiber optic cable (FOC) from ITB to ITB" — please confirm this is the correct scope description for labor reporting under this SOW. | This statement was included in error and will be removed, the government confirms this project does not include any OSP or ITB to ITB action. | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 20 | Security & compliance: | Will a DD Form 254 be issued with the solicitation, and is a Facility Clearance (FCL) required at time of proposal submission or by time of award? | Yes a DD254 will be issued with solicitation, and an FCL is required at time of award | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 21 | Security & compliance: | Please confirm the format, page limit, and submission requirements for the OPSEC plan referenced in Section 2.F, which the SOW indicates will be incorporated from the RFP response. | There is not a mandated format | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 22 | Security & compliance: | The SOW requires Texas DSHS asbestos O&M certification for personnel (Section 2.A.1). Is asbestos-containing material anticipated to be disturbed under this scope, or is this a standard boilerplate requirement not applicable to this installation? | This is a standard notification regarding the possibility but as the project requires no constructrion it is not expected that asbestos will be disturbed as a part of the project. | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 23 | When removing legacy equipment from the classified network, is the contractor responsible for media sanitization/destruction of storage devices, or will the Government handle sanitization prior to equipment removal? | The government will be in charge of any needed sanitization actions as the devices belong ot individual customers. | ||
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 24 | Deliverables & documentation: | Please define "SDC" as referenced in Section 4.C ("most current and approved SDC ISO files") and confirm these files will be provided to the contractor at kickoff. | SDC stands for Standard Desktop Configuration, most recently renamed Enterprise Secure Host Baseline (ESHB), Mandatory applications are apart of the ISO image and will be provided at kick-off. The mandatory applications that are inherently included are: 90meter Smartcard Manager Plus1.6.46,Adobe Acrobat Pro DC25.001.20997 | |
| Adobe Acrobat Forms Designer 2024.7.0, Axway Desktop Validator 5.2, Forta Data Classification | 24.7.2531.2 Microsoft Office 2024 16.0.17932.602 (upgraded to Microsoft 365),Oracle Java Runtime Environment (JRE) Version 8 | 8.0.4610.11, Microsoft NetBanner 2.5.1, Microsoft C++ Redistributables 10.0.40219, 14.32.31332.0, Microsoft Edge (Chromium Based browser) | 138.0.3650.80, Microsoft Teams | 25306.804.4102.7193, Microsoft Defendedr for Endpoint. and Intune | ||
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 25 | Deliverables & documentation: | Please provide the list of "mandatory applications" referenced in the Salient Characteristics document (item 9.b) that must be tested and validated on the Master Gold OS images. | Mandatory applications are apart of the ISO image and will be provided at kick-off. The mandatory applications that are inherently included are: 90meter Smartcard Manager Plus1.6.46,Adobe Acrobat Pro DC25.001.20997 | |
| Adobe Acrobat Forms Designer 2024.7.0, Axway Desktop Validator 5.2, Forta Data Classification | 24.7.2531.2 Microsoft Office 2024 16.0.17932.602 (upgraded to Microsoft 365),Oracle Java Runtime Environment (JRE) Version 8 | 8.0.4610.11, Microsoft NetBanner 2.5.1, Microsoft C++ Redistributables 10.0.40219, 14.32.31332.0, Microsoft Edge (Chromium Based browser) | 138.0.3650.80, Microsoft Teams | 25306.804.4102.7193, Microsoft Defendedr for Endpoint. and Intune | ||
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 26 | Deliverables & documentation: | Please clarify the scope and expected deliverable format for the equipment inventory task referenced in Salient Characteristics item 1 (hardware/software inventory). | There is not outline format but the contractor is required to provide an inventory of all hardware/software that is procured as a part of this contract. This requirement does not extend to the existing government furnished devices. | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 27 | Deliverables & documentation: | For the weekly IPT meeting agenda, action register, and meeting minutes is a government template available, and will the "Meet Me" teleconference bridge be contractor- or government-furnished? | The government can provide a template, and the contractor is requried to to provide the meet-me teleconference bridge. | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 28 | Schedule & sustainment: | Please confirm when site-specific information (building/room list, quantities per location) will be made available — prior to the proposal due date for estimating purposes, or only after award at kickoff? | Specific site locations for installation of thin clients will be provided at kick-off. | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 29 | Schedule & sustainment: | Does the Government anticipate any follow-on maintenance, licensing renewal, or sustainment period beyond the one-year warranty and 6-month period of performance? | One-year warranty is standard, and follow-on licensing after the initial r will be a government responsibility | |
| RFI#4 | 17-Jul | 30 | Schedule & sustainment: | Please clarify the scope of "knowledge transfer" required under Sections 4.B/4.C — number of personnel, expected format (hands-on training, documentation, or both), and any specific deliverable required to demonstrate completion. | Knowledge transfer will occur for no less than 6 individuals via OJT/observational learning in combination with documented configuration settings for the virtual environment. Knowledge transfer will include how the VDI is configured and the process to create and modify OS images in a virtual environment. |
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .