Q_and_A_from_Industry_Round_3.docx

Responses to Questions from Industry (Round 3) Q1. Can the Government please provide a list of the CM tools currently being used by program and in support of the COM-F? Do the tools belong to the Government? Does each C2 system share the same CM tools or are separate tools being used?

A1. The incumbent is using a homegrown Access database to track configuration management items for the current production baseline (not multiple tools for the different programs). The Government intends to turn this over to the winning offeror.

Q2. Page 7 of the PWS, paragraph 2, Technical/Task Requirements has two subparagraphs: 2.1, Program Management and 2.2, Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Support Services. The SF 1449 CLIN 0001 calls for pricing for Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Support. Should offerors include their labor/cost estimate for Program Management into this pricing with our O&M pricing, or should we expect to see an additional CLIN added exclusively for Program Management?

A2. Yes, offerors should include the labor/cost estimate for Program Management in CLIN X001.

Q3. Page 9 of the PWS, paragraph 2.1.5, states, “The Contractor shall submit a Customer Satisfaction Measurement Plan (CDRL A008) to the Contracting Officer (CO) for acceptance within 30 days of contract award.” The DD Form 1423, Data Item A008, states, “5 business days after contract start.” Please clarify as to which is correct.

A3. The PWS will be revised to be congruent with the CDRL. Five business days after contract start is correct. An amendment will be issued to correct this.

Q4. DD Form 1423-2, CDRL A003, Management Plan - Transition Plan (Phase In/Phase Out). Item 12, states, “Phase-in plan due with proposal.” Is the Phase-In Plan intended to be part of the 40 page Technical Volume or is it intended to be an attachments that is not included in the page count?

A4. The Government anticipates the offeror including the contents of their Phase-In plan in the 40 page Technical volume.

Q5. Page 70, Section 1.2 of the RFP specifies, “Limit past performance to six contracts/task orders, no more than 10 pages per past/present contract/task order submitted. Complete a separate Past Performance Information Sheet (PPIS) (RFP Attachment 4) for each contract/task submitted.”

a) Is the 10-page limit meant to be used solely for Attachment 4? In other words, is the Government allotting 10 pages just for completion of Attachment 4 for each Past Performance reference or is there flexibility to provide additional information outside of Attachment 4?

b) Similarly, will the Government allow bidders to include a brief introduction to their past performance section within the existing page constraints, more generally detailing the relevant past performance of the offeror?

c) Assuming all elements of Attachment 4 are addressed, may bidders reformat Attachment 4 to better align with the formatting of the bidder’s proposal?

A5.

a) The Government is allotting 10 pages for the completion of Attachment 4. Information additional to or outside of what is requested by Attachment 4 is not desired.

b) If the offeror wants to briefly introduce their past performance or generally detail the relevancy of their past performance, it may be included in their Executive Summary.

c) Offerors due so at their own risk; however, this is not prohibited.

Q6. Item J of Attachment 4 requests that we ‘include relevant information concerning your compliance with FAR 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns, on this referenced contract/program.’ Since this procurement is set-aside for SDVOSB small business concerns, is this requirement applicable to the procurement?

A6. The requirement is applicable to this procurement as the clause at FAR 52.219-8 applies to all solicitations and contracts Q7. Page 73, Section 2.2 of the RFP specifies that the Executive Summary, Volume I, must include a master table of contents for the entire proposal. Is the master table of contents included as part of the 10-page limit for Volume I?

A7. No, the table of contents is not included in the 10-page limit IAW the RFP page 71 para 1.2.1.

Q8. The bidder’s library included the following disclaimer: “The information, diagrams, and configurations provided in this library are for historical reference only and not meant to be a guarantee of future workload. All data provided are estimates and may increase or decrease due to operational and other factors.” The PWS does not offer specific estimates of workload or technical information that would enable a bidder to reasonably estimate the level of effort within a fixed price environment. Would the Government consider a different contract structure that may better align with a changing environment (e.g. T&M or cost plus with a fixed ceiling)? Alternatively, can the Government provide estimates of technical details such as those suggested below and/or fixed labor estimates based upon historical workload?

a) Number of physical and virtual servers by system.

b) Approximate number of users by system.

c) Anticipated number of major and minor releases by system, by year.

d) Anticipated number of patches by system.

e) Anticipated number of contingency exercises by year and system with durations.

f) Number of network devices to be managed.

g) Number of web sites and web pages to be maintained.

h) Anticipated number of databases and volume of data managed by system.

A8. The Government intends to award a Firm-Fixed Price contract. The Government believes that this is possible based upon the scope/complexity being defined in the PWS and the magnitude of the effort which was detailed by the information, diagrams, and configurations provided in the bid library. The Government has indicated that the basis for contract award is a trade-off between Technical/Technical Risk, Past Performance and Price thus recognizing that the Government may award to a higher rated, higher priced offeror, where the decision is consistent with the evaluation factors. Therefore, the Government does not intend to award using a different contract type.

Q9. The Bidder’s Library references GDAS as well as DRM/GAS/GAM as future systems to be implemented. Does the Government anticipate introducing new systems to the COM-F support environment within the anticipated period of performance (PoP) of the contract? If so, will the Government issue a change order for additional scope during execution? Or, would you like bidders to plan for the increase in scope within proposal submissions? If the latter, can the Government provide information regarding future planned system implementations and the estimated timing of implementation in the production environment?

A9. GDAS as well as DMR/GAS/GAM are not “systems” at all but rather projects under GDSS. They are expected to be supported at contract start. Equipment and software to support these projects were included in the bid library. This requirement is being solicited as a commercial service IAW FAR part 12. All modifications to the contract (to included changes in level of effort) will be done bilaterally (i.e. they will be negotiated by mutual agreement of the parties). Offerors should propose to meet the level of effort required at contract start based upon the PWS and the historical data in the bid library.

Q10. Section 2.2.2 of the PWS, Systems Administration, specifies ‘coordinate and implement software code upgrades.’ Can the Government confirm if code updates are expected to be performed by COM-F personnel?

A10. This refers to implementing the delivered and tested code changes. The Government is not expecting the contractor to write the software for the C2 Systems.

Q11. Section 2.2.3 of the PWS, network administration, indicates the COM-F contractor will repair network devices. Can the Government provide estimates relative to the frequency and volume of repairs required?

A11. The trouble ticket metrics provided in the bid library were given to help scope this requirement. No additional information is available.

Q12. Are all systems, networks and databases instrumented with monitoring software? Please specify which systems and devices have automated monitoring and which do not. Will the Government support the continued instrumentation of all systems, networks, and database instances?

A12. The systems, networks, and databases are instrumented with monitoring software. The tools were included in the bid library.

Q13. Page 27 of the PWS, section 16.1.1, specifies that ‘the contractor shall submit a phase-in/transition plan (A003) with their proposal for acceptance by the Government.’ Page 81 of the RFP, Section 2.2.2, states that ‘Offerors shall provide a plan for transitioning services that includes specific details of the timelines needed to meet all Government requirements as detailed in sections 16.1 and 16.1.1 of the PWS.’

a) Is the inclusion of the ‘Phase-In Plan’ as specified in Section 2.2.2 on page 81 of the RFP the same requirement as the request for a ‘phase-in/transition plan’ as stated in the PWS?

b) Is the Phase-In/Transition Plan required as a separate document to be submitted with the proposal, or is it to be included as part of Volume II within the page constraints of Volume II?

c) If the Phase-In Transition Plan is required as a separate document, will it be included as part of the technical evaluation? If so, please explain.

A13.

a) Yes.

b) The Government anticipates the offeror including the contents of their Phase-In plan in the technical volume. The offeror should use DI-MGMT-80004A as a guide for preparing the Phase-In plan and should include what is specifically required by the measure of merit. It will be evaluated as a part of the technical evaluation.

c) Answered as a part of b) above.

Q14. Section 16.1.1 of the PWS also states that ‘the plan shall include, as a minimum, a phase-in schedule, key personnel positions, employees, and approach to the transition from incumbent Contractor to successor Contractor.’ Can the Government please clarify what is desired in reference to ‘employees?’

A14. The reference is to the number of employees in each functional area per PWS para 16.1.

Q15. Does AMC CSPTS have a defined and documented process for problem escalation and reporting? If so, can you provide a copy to bidders as part of the RFP?

A15. The problem escalation and reporting process varies by program. Typically reporting is only required for operations reportable (OR) events and each system has their own established OR criteria. This will be provided after award. It is not necessary for bidding purposes.

Q16. Will COM-F II staff be required to travel in support of contingency operation exercises? If so, can the Government specify for what systems, what frequency, and what duration? Under such circumstances, does AMC expect the contractor to back fill positions during travel of operational staff?

A16. No, the staff will not be required to travel in support of contingency operation exercises.

Q17. In various locations in the PWS, the Government requests a Journeyman level of experience. Can the Government please define what you consider the level of education or experience required for a Journeyman?

A17. Journeyman is defined in the glossary of the PWS.

Q18. What brand of technology are you currently using?

A18. This information was presented in the bid library.

Q19. Can the Government please provide information regarding which company/companies is/are currently performing work as a subcontractor to the incumbent contractor, NCI Information Systems, Inc.?

A19. The Government does not intend to provide information regarding current subcontractors to the incumbent contractor.

Q20. There appears to be a conflict as to including salary information and fringe benefits with the Staffing Approach section of Volume II – Technical Volume. Does the Government desire pricing information such as salaries and fringe benefits for professional employees to be included in Volume II?

A20. The Government recommends that offerors review the specific requirements of FAR clause 52.222-46. The type of data and information required by this clause will be allowed in the Technical Volume to the extent necessary to satisfy the requirements of Addendum to FAR 52.212-2, section 2.2.2., para a., measure of merit 3.

Q21. Can the Government please clarify whether 1) resumes must be submitted with the proposal, or whether 2) they are not due until 15 calendar days after contract start date?

A21. The RFP requires the offeror to provide specific resumes of the key personnel listed in Section 6.3 of the PWS. The Technical Management and Work Plan requires the names of key personnel to be finalized 15 calendar days after contract start.

Q22. What is the past performance rating of an offeror who has recent DOD experience in 1 or 2 relevant areas?

A22. Based upon the relevancy definitions in the RFP, the individual contract reference would be Not Relevant.

Q23. Are program teams, such as GCCS, required to provide end-to-end support for their application offering (development, test, production install, desktop configuration, database tuning, end to end monitoring, etc.)? Where at the lines of responsibility drawn between COM-F (infrastructure) and major applications (GCCS)?

A23. For the COM-F II requirement, the winning contractor is required to perform the activities described in the PWS for the systems listed in para 1.2 of the PWS.

Q24. Who is responsible for providing the edge technology for worldwide locations?

A24. The contractor will be responsible for monitoring and responding to outages associated with the enclave external routers.

Q25. Are offerors required to submit one CD, with one copy of each volume on that same CD? If not, how many CDs and how many copies of each volume on each CD would the Government like to receive?

A25. One CD per volume is preferred, not necessarily one CD per binder.

Q26. Can the Government please clarify what is meant by the word “repair” in the following reference: “repair and recover from hardware or software failures;” “prepare system inputs, analyze system outputs, and maintain and repair various electronic systems;” “install, maintain, upgrade, modify, isolate and repair System servers, workstations, thin clients, peripherals and system software/hardware?”

A26. The standard definition of the word “repair” applies within the context of an operation and maintenance environment.

Q27. Can the Government please clarify this statement, “assist in the operational validation of application updates, enhancements and changes for the purpose of assisting in ensuring that assigned applications and related systems function appropriately and meets configuration baseline and database software requirements” A27. The Government is referring to the evaluation of software upgrades and/or patches in the process of operational implementation.

Q28. Can the Government please clarify what is meant by the word “repair” in the following references: “prepare system inputs, analyze system outputs, and maintain and repair various electronic systems;” “install, repair, and adjust network equipment;” “install, maintain, upgrade, modify, isolate and repair network devices, appliances, and system software/hardware?”

A28. The standard definition of the word “repair” applies within the context of an operation and maintenance environment.

Any repair of said devices would be extremely limited so as not to void any existing warranty. For example GATES-Comm has on occasion swapped out one of the dual power supplies on an F5 device because they are hot swappable.

Q29. Is the HQ AMC Maintenance and/or the M/ACCC considered to be the Change Management process owner? If yes, does this organization serve as the keeper/sponsor of the Configuration Management Database (CMDB)?

A29. No, HQ AMC Maintenance and/or the M/ACCC are not considered to be the Change Management process owner.