Questions and Answers to FA4452-24-R-GTPAS.pdf

Question 1: Please clarify what counts as an AMC Base. According to AF.mil, the following are AMC Installations:

The following bases meet the criteria for an AMC base:

AMC Installations:

• Dover AFB, Delaware

• Fairchild AFB, Washington

• Little Rock AFB, Arkansas

• MacDill AFB, Florida

• McConnell AFB, Kansas

• Scott AFB, Illinois

• Travis AFB, California

Answer: The following bases are AMC bases but are joint bases and will cause challenges as they are joint bases, and AMC does not have full authority to add, remove, or modify network connections.

Coordination with non-AMC organizations would be required, delaying implementation and hindering the sustainment and maintenance of the network:

Joint Bases:

• Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina

• Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington

• Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey

Question 2: Please clarify the rationale behind the distance of two nautical miles.

• If this is to ensure the USG can easily visit the contractor at the contractor's facility on short notice without requiring USG travel, two nautical miles seems to be an arbitrary and unreasonably short distance.

• The USG can extend this number to six or even ten nautical miles without adding any undue burden on personnel who need to visit the contractor facility.

• If this is for contractor availability, perhaps a physical response time is a more appropriate measure (one hour, or one day response time, as an example).

• If this is for a technical reason, such as to permit individuals located at every AMC base to have two miles direct line-of-sight to a specific piece of hardware to be located at a contractor facility, more information is required to understand this requirement.

Answer: The distance is not related to personnel visiting the site. The personnel required to make site visits are located at Scott AFB. The need for close proximity is based on the need to complete and maintain local circuit actions and perform the appropriate network configuration, sustainment, and repairs at both the vendor location and on the AMC base where the secure entry points are housed

(vendor site) and where the circuit connecting the secure entry points to the Air Force SIPR and the Air Force JWICS domains (AMC Base). The Air Force JWICS PMO office has strict policies on circuit accreditation and connections. If the location is not near an AMC Base, the Air Force JWICS PMO would require the connection to be made to the closest regional transfer node. Because AMC/A2 staff does not have physical access nor network rights at any location that is not physically on an AMC base and housed in an AMC accredited SCIF, we would be unable to complete the necessary steps required to allow the vendor to complete the scope of work required for GTPaaS. Additionally, all circuit actions require the Defense Information System Agency (DISA) to provide either a government-owned or contracted fiber optic line. When DISA receives a request to have a fiber path assigned, they determine if there is an available DISA-owned connection. If there is a connection available, there is zero cost to the organization. If no DISA-owned connection is available, DISA will provide a commercially leased line, and the requesting organization must pay a monthly fee to lease the line. If no lines exist to complete the request, DISA will contract with telephone and internet service providers to have a line run and set up a lease agreement. In this scenario, the organization has no ability to predict pricing. If the organization does not have the funds available within thirty days of being notified of the quoted price, the circuit request is canceled, and the requester must complete another circuit request. There is no guarantee that the quoted price will stay the same. The mission risk of going through this process and the unknown cost associated directly supports our need to have the vendor facility near an AMC base. Due to the nature of fiber trunk lines, there are ample amounts of DISA-owned fiber available within the immediate area of military bases. If no DISA-owned lines are available, the lease cost for connecting a facility close to an AMC base will be minimal as the cost is directly related to the distance of the two connecting points.

Question 3: Please define whether having a presence in a government facility counts, or if the facility must be managed by the contractor.

Answer: Having a presence in a government facility does not count. The facility must be managed by the vendor and have the capability to house all items outlined in the PWS as part of the services provided.

This includes having an NSA-certified SCIF.

Question 4: Please clarify if there are certain personnel or functions that must be present at said facility. It is unclear why having a contractor facility would be necessary unless there is some expectation of what is present at that facility.

Answer: Because the facility is housing our deployable communications kits and the two secure entry points needed for the kits to work, the vendor facility is vital. Since the facility will be providing SIPR and TS/SCI level network capabilities, the vendor’s location must have a SCIF. At a minimum, the facility must have staff on hand that meets the requirements for an NSA-certified SCIF. Most notably, physical security staff and Personal Security Officers. Additionally, they would be required to have someone present to provide the 24-hour technical support obligation outlined in the PWS, and a program manager, a network engineer, and a Risk Management Framework subject matter expert on hand during normal business hours. Any additional staff they require for the care and feeding of their facility are outside the scope of the PWS, as the intent is that the vendor has an established facility with an NSA-certified SCIF. If a vendor says they can provide these kinds of services, but they would need to build or lease a new facility first, then they are not actually capable of providing the service. Accrediting a SCIF typically takes two years and averages around $10M. The mission need is now and working to build or lease a new facility is not a feasible solution.