Atch_3_-_C2_PPC_Q As_from_industry.pdf

FA4890-13-R-0126 C2, CAT, CWD, DL Re-compete Q&As from Industry

Questions for the Pre-Proposal Conference Numbering continued from previous Q&As with Industry

Questions Answers

34. Reference: Final RFP, Page 6, Section 3, Schedule of Supplies and Services AND

C2 PWS, Page 7, Section 1, Para 1.3.4 DLA Architecture and Page 47, Appendix 1, A.1.5 C2 Learning Management System Support

Question: No CLIN exists for the Distant Learning (DL) Architecture C2 LMS

Support. Will the government provide one or advise on where these costs should be captured in the CLIN structure?

Each offeror is responsible to price IAW the scope of work in the PWS.

Note the positions (Workgroup Manager, Senior Technical Training

Specialists, Distance Learning Manager) in CRC, BCC, and ACC/A3CO

Staff Support CLINs directly support the DLA.

35. Reference: C2 PWS, Page 9, Section 1, Para: 1.3.4.2.1.3

Questions: The PWS states “System design shall interface with the emulator providing for the capability to record student events”.

2a.What is the emulator referred to in this statement?

2b.What type of database is used to store emulator activities and completions?

2c.How are individual user records uniquely identified?

2d. Is the emulator Government Furnished Property (GFP)?

2e. Is there an interface between the incumbent’s LMS system and the emulator?

There is no longer a requirement for the LMS to interface with an emulator. The PWS will be revised to remove all references to an emulator.

This change will be included in Amendment 0001

36. Reference: C2 PWS, Page 16, Section 1, Para 1.5.2 OPTIONAL CLIN PACAF

MAJCOM Operations Specialist I

Question: The PWS lists the location of this position as at JBER (Joint Base

Elmendorf-Richardson). Would ACC/PACAF consider locating this position at Joint

Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam to be closer affiliated with HQ PACAF while supporting

PACAF units rather than JBER?

No. This position interacts with the 178th Air Defense Squadron operations and subject matter experts at JBER in daily performance of duties. Approximately 90% of all duties involve air defense. Having it positioned with the 176 ADS has worked well and the Government will keep it that way.

37. Reference: C2 PWS, Page 20, Section 1, Para 1.5.9 Custom Forms Developer AND

Page 9, Section 1, Para 1.3.4.3.9

Question: PWS para 1.5.9 states: “Contractor shall provide a CFD to develop reports using commercial best practices and Crystal Reports, XML, and/or Oracle views that can be imported, displayed and operated within the LMS” and PWS para

1.3.4.3.9 provides descriptions of the types of LMS generated reports the government expects the offerer to deliver.” Will the contractor be able to provide our solutions to deliver the custom reports or will we be required to use Crystal Reports, XML, and/or Oracle as the software language to create and deliver reports?

The contractor may propose their own solutions for custom reports.

Reference PWS para 1.3.4.1.7, your proposed PWS must be fully functional at the end of phase-in (to include existing reports in these formats) and any proposed upgrades must be functional by the end of the base year.

PWS Para A1.4.3. will be revised to change “Forms Developer” to

“Custom Forms Developer”.

38. Reference: C2 PWS, Page 20, Section 1, Para 1.5.9.5

Question: The PWS states: “Use the repository object capability of Crystal Reports to hold common “hardcoded” type values or formulas so that when they need to be

The contractor may propose their own solutions for custom reports.

Reference PWS para 1.3.4.1.7 your proposed PWS must be fully changed they can be done centrally instead of within each report.” Is the use of

Crystal Reports as our CFD mandatory or will the government allow offerers to present alternative methods and applications to replicate data stores and centralize common formulas based on more advanced methods and applications?

functional at the end of phase-in and any proposed upgrades must be functional by the end of the base year. Reference PWS para 1.5.9.

Contractor shall provide a CFD to develop reports using commercial best practices and Crystal Reports, XML, and/or Oracle views. These formats will be part of the existing reports reference in PWS para 1.4.3.4.9.

PWS Para A1.4.3. will be revised to change “Forms Developer” to

“Custom Forms Developer”.

This change will be included in Amendment 0001

39. Reference: C2 PWS, Page 21, Section 1, Para 1.5.11 CRC Training System

Support/Mission System Interface (USAFE)

Question: What is the level of SOFA status associated with this position?

This position will be submitted as a Technical Expert (TE) under Article

73 of the NATO SOFA. The current contract position has Technical

Expert Status Accreditation (TESA) and the Government will submit the new contract position for the same approval upon award. Also note: The contractor’s proposed hire for the position will require approval by the

DoD Contractor Personnel Office (DOCPER) and the German

Government.

40. Reference: C2 PWS, Page 21, Section 1, Para 1.5.11.2 AND C2 PWS, Pages 40-47, Appendix 1 Work Load Estimates

Question: PWS Para: 1.5.11.2 states: “Coordinates all DMON activities for all daily/weekly/monthly simulation activities (unit and DMO level) and work directly with the Operations Training Specialist to develop, schedule and support DMO training opportunities within squadron training plan”. There is no Operations

Specialist position at USAFE indicated in the government’s work load estimates. Is this an omission in Appendix 1? Is there an Operations Training Specialist in

USAFE?

PWS para 1.5.11.2 will be changed to remove “Operations Training

Specialist” and replace with “606 ACS/DOT Training Branch”.

41. Reference: C2 PWS, Page 12, Section 1, Para 1.3.6 Electronic Attack Training

Questions: The PWS describes using the USAF Multi-Band Advanced Digital Radio

Frequency Memory (DRFM) Jammer Portable Jammer (MADJAM-PJ); a specialized

USAF ground jammer.

a. Is the MADJAM-PJ considered GFP and are technical drawings, manuals, etc.

available?

b. Paragraph 1.3.6 states that “maintenance” is required; please elaborate on the level of effort required to maintain this system so that bidders may derive a cost/price.

c. Are parts for the MADJAM-PJ available through the government or does the bidder need to plan on providing parts?

d. Ref 1.3.6.8 does the bidder need to estimate the cost/price to transport this device

a. Yes, this is considered GFP. See PWS para 3.2.

b. Level of effort depends on usage and equipment malfunctions.

Contractor is responsible to maintain the equipment in a serviceable condition to perform required EA training events.

PWS will be modified to include this statement.

c. Required parts will be purchased by the contractor and reimbursed through the EA Maintenance CLIN. PWS will be modified to include this statement.

d. Travel and equipment transportation cost is reimbursable under or is the cost covered under the travel CLIN 0003?

the EA Travel CLIN.

42. Reference: C2 PWS, Page 34, Section 1, Para 4.2.15 Electronic Attack Operator

Personnel Qualifications

Question: Are these qualifications, as described, widely available, or is there one uniquely qualified individual with whom the government would prefer the offeror contract directly?

Each offeror is responsible to ensure their employees meet the qualifications of the PWS, to include the EA Operator. The government will not be providing recommendations as to who should be hired for this position.

43. Reference: C2 PWS, Page 41, Appendix 1 Workload Estimates

Question: Will the government provide a Seniority Chart for incumbent SCA positions to aid offerors in calculating H&W and other compensation considerations?

The Seniority list will be provided to the successor in accordance with

52.222-41(n).

44. Reference: Final RFP, Page 113, Appendix 2 to Section 6, Past Performance

Questionnaire and Cover Letter

Question: In reference to item M on the Past Performance Questionnaire, if CPARs exists this form would not be used. Recommend removing item M.

PPQ are primarily used when the offeror was a subcontractor for another requirement; which item M applies to the applicable Prime contractor.

45. Reference: Final RFP, Page 128, Section 4, Para 4.1.1

Question: The RFP states “In the case of an offeror without a record of relevant past performance, or for whom information on past performance is not available or so sparse that no meaningful past performance rating can be reasonable assigned, the offeror may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance (see FAR

15.305 (a)(2)(iv)). Therefore, the offeror shall be determined to have “Unknown” past performance.

In the context of acceptability/unacceptability, ‘Unknown’ shall be considered

‘Acceptable’”. If an offeror submits past performance that is not deemed relevant, would their past performance be determined to be “unknown” and therefore

“Acceptable” or “Unacceptable”?

Yes, if all references are not relevant then the offeror would have unknown past performance and be deemed acceptable.

46. Reference: Final RFP, Page 130, Section 4, Para 4.1.7.2 Relevancy

Questions: The RFP states that “Relevant performance for this acquisition is to have effectively managed an aircrew or aviation operations training program that consists of academic or simulator instruction or courseware development which utilizes an

Instructional Systems Development (ISD) model where cost, schedule, and performance were measured/evaluated”.

a. The C2 CWD CAT DL contract makes no reference to aircrew training or aviation operations. The elements of C2 included under this contract are not normally considered aircrew, only the AWACS is, which would mean the requirement is to provide aircrew training to no-aircrew personnel. Will the government remove that wording from the relevancy requirement?

a. No. The PWS will be modified to include a mission description section to help offerors understand how personnel trained under this contract are all considered “aviation operations personnel” due to the fact that they work directly with aircraft in flight while performing their mission.

b. No.

b. We hold that training program management, courseware development, Instructional Systems Development (ISD), and instructor support are relevant regardless of whether it was specifically performed in support of “aircrew or aviation operations training”. Proper management and ISD experience supplemented with the right subject matter expertise (including the recruiting and hiring of incumbent personnel) should demonstrate an offerors ability to execute the contract. Will the government consider removing the “aircrew or aviation operations training” wording from the relevancy requirement?

47. Reference: C2 PWS, Page 41, Appendix 1 Workload Estimates

Questions: for clarity and understanding, will the government please provide full course names for all courses mentioned in the workload estimates appendix (e.g. ST, WD, EPT, ICT, AWO)?

Yes. These acronyms will be added to PWS para 4.5. They are as follows: ST = Surveillance Technician; WD = Weapons Director; EPT =

Electronic Protection Technician; ICT = Interface Control Technician;

AWO = Air Weapons Officer This change will be included in Amendment

48. Reference: C2 PWS, Page 41, Appendix 1 Workload Estimates

Questions: Will the government please provide a matrix cross referencing SCA and

Staff and other contract positions/labor categories?

52.222-41, Service Contract Act of 1965, applies to this contract. As such, services for this requirement fall under the SCA.

49. Reference: Final RFP, Page 102, Section 5, Para 5.3 Proposal format

Question: Is a font type other than Times New roman acceptable for figures

(graphics, charts)?

Para 5.3.b. will be changed to add "; graphics and charts shall have font size and type that is reasonable and easily readable."

50. Reference: Final RFP, Page 99, Section 6, Para 52.215-1 Instructions to Offerors

AND Final RFP, Page 6, Section 3, CLIN 0001 Phase-In.

Question: the Instructions to Offerors state that proposals must be valid for 180 days. CLIN 0001 indicates the Period of Performance will begin 1 Feb 15. Does this mean the government intends to make an award within 6 months of proposal submission and 4 months before Phase-In is to begin?

The number of days will be increased to 250 days.

51. Reference: Final RFP, Page 103, Section 5, Para 5.6 Copies and Page Limit

Question: The referenced paragraph states that the executive Summary is limited to

2 pages in length and the entire Technical Volume is limited to 100 pages. Does the 2 page Executive Summary count against the 100 page total, leaving 98 pages for technical discussion? Or is the 2 page summary outside of the 100 page volume limit?

The Executive Summary is counted as part of the 100 pages. Reference

RFP Section 6 para 5.7 for pages excluded from the 100 page limit.

52. Reference: Final RFP, Page 107, Section 7, Para 7.5 E.2.

Question: The instructions say to “submit completed CPARs or similar reports”.

Does the government want the actual CPARs submitted or only the information

Submit the actual CPARs if those reports were generated for your contracts.

necessary for the government to locate the assessment in the CPARs system?

53. Reference: C2 PWS, Page 22, Section 1, Para 1.7 Training Workload Management

Plan.

Question: the PWS states “The contractor shall develop, produce, and provide a

Training Workload Management Plan as part of the contractor’s proposal.”

21a. Does the government provide the contractor with a CRC CAT schedule for each

FY?

21b. If yes, will the government please provide last year’s and this year’s CRC CAT course schedule to each offerer since, presumably, the incumbent has access to that schedule?

a. Yes.

b. The PWS will be modified to include the FY 15 CRC class schedule.

54. Reference: Per question number 6 on previous Q & A’s:

Should the noted requirement to ship, be priced as a reimbursable ODC or does that need to be factored into the EA Training CLIN?

Travel and equipment transportation costs are reimbursable under the EA

Travel CLIN.

55. Reference: C2 PWS Pg 12.1.3.6.6.1. “4 events at 607 ACS and 12 events will be taught at field units with locations to be determined by A3CG. “

What locations are currently envisioned as those requirements so an accurate price can be determined?

Training is conducted at Active Duty and Air National Guard units throughout the Unites States and Puerto Rico. Travel and equipment transportation costs are reimbursable under the EA Travel CLIN.

56. Questions: It appears there will be significant overlap of sessions and courses during device/PTT training.

a. Can you confirm the relationship of WD and AWO courses in the Training Device in light of the published 1 to 1 instructor to student ratio? Is there a possibility/likelihood of overlap?

b. Same question for ST courses. Can you confirm the relationship of ST courses in the Training Device in light of the published 1 to 1 instructor to student ratio? Is there a possibility/likelihood of overlap?

a. The WD and AWO programs are staggered. The overlap is rare if it happens at all. For the purposes of this contract, it should be assumed that training device support will not be required for both programs simultaneously. Any shortfall would be handled by government personnel. The PWS will be modified to include the FY 15 class schedule.

b. Reference PWS Appendix 1, para A1.2.2.1. There is no contractor work requirement for ST course Training Device Support.

57. What is the Learning Management System (LMS) being used?

Is it being provided to the offeror?

Per PWS para 1.3.4.1.1. the current DLA uses the Oracle 11 database and

Success Factors software for the Evaluation Database. The current DLA meets the requirements of the current contract. For this solicitation your proposal should thoroughly describe your proposed systems to comply with PWS requirements.

No. The DLA is contractor furnished per PWS para 3.6

58. What is the Knowledge Management System being used?

Is it being provided to the offeror?

Per PWS para 1.3.4.1.1. the current DLA uses the Oracle 11 database and

Success Factors software for the Evaluation Database. The current DLA meets the requirements of the current contract. For this solicitation your proposal should thoroughly describe your proposed systems to comply with PWS requirements.

No. The DLA is contractor furnished per PWS para 3.6

59. The Database Management is Oracle 11. Is it Licensed for each person or just the main server(s)?

Number of annual users (student records) for the DLA are listed in PWS para A1.5.2. Reference PWS para 1.3.4. and 3.6.1.; software licenses are not Government furnished, the contractor will provide the DLA which would include any licenses necessary.

60. Is the Distance Learning Architecture required to be loaded on a NIPR system…or is a commercial server that complies with 1.3.4.1 allowed for the DL server?

The DLA is not required to be on the NIPR system. The contractor will furnish the servers per PWS para 3.6.2.

61. Since computers are considered incidental to the place of performance what is the current inventory for contractors providing academic training?

There are sufficient computers to provide one for each current academic instructor.

62. Are all of the positions/locations identified in the in the Industry Day briefing part of the current contract.

Yes, all positions or locations discussed at the Pre-Proposal Conference are in the current contract. However offerors are cautioned that there are differences in workloads, responsibilities and procedures between the current contract and this solicitation’s PWS.

63. What specific actions are required to maintain 7,500 student records? Are there daily tasks, monthly tasks, etc? A1.5.2 C2 Learning Mgt System Support.

Number of “student records” is a reference to the number of annual users for the DLA. PWS para A1.5.2. will be modified to clarify.

64. PWS 1.3.4.3 “The KMS will interoperate with the LMS and allow other C2 applications…” What are the other C2 applications? Are they government owned or commercial?

There are no other C2 Applications. PWS will be modified to delete the phrase “and allow other C2 application to access its database”

65. Current database questions for LMS/KMS/CMS. As we’ll need to transfer all current training materials/courseware we have the following questions:

a. Where is the unclassified courseware currently stored? Is it in

PowerPoint/Word format and stored on a NIPRNet LAN drive via Oracle

11 or is Oracle 11 a cloud environment accessible from any computer via internet with proper credentials?

b. For Courseware marked Classified (Confidential or Secret), where is the

a. The current courseware master files reside on the contractor-furnished

DLA servers. The current DLA complies with the current contract to be available worldwide.

b. All classified courseware is stored on stand-alone Government computers/hard drives. The DLA is all unclassified.

classified courseware currently stored? Is it in PowerPoint/Word and stored on a SIPRNet LAN drive via Oracle 11 and accessible from any computer via with proper credentials or is it just on the SIPRNet LAN/WAN?

c. How much of the current courseware (UNCLASS and Classified) is

SCORM 2004 compliant?

d. Will Oracle 11 database and Success Factors software for Evaluation

Database licenses be GFE until the courseware is transferred to the new

LMS/KMS/CMS database?

c. All of the CRC and BCC courseware is SCORM 2004 compliant.

d. No, the incumbent will maintain a functional DLA until the end of the current contract. The incoming contractor is required to transfer data so their DLA is functional no later than the end of the phase-in period per

PWS 1.3.4.1.7.

66. Will any future courseware need to be TS and therefore be required to be stored on

JWICS?

No. Secret is the maximum classification level for courseware.

67. Do we need to launch and run content in multiple classification levels? That is, do we need separate servers/LMS/CMS/KMS licenses for NIPRNet, SIPRNet, JWICS?

No. The DLA is all unclassified. All classified courseware is on stand-alone Government computers.

68. How many users will need to access the training material concurrently for each classification level ((NIPR/SIPR/JWICS)? This helps to determine the licensing costs for the server and Client Access Licenses (CAL).

Number of annual users (student records) for the DLA are listed in PWS para A1.5.2. The DLA must be robust enough to support continuous access by all users per PWS para 1.3.4.1.7. The DLA is all unclassified.

69. Reference: C2 PWS, Page 7, Section 1, Para 1.3.4.1.1 AND Page 9, Section 1, Para

1.3.4.3.11

Questions: The PWS states in para 1.3.4.1.1: “Ensure all data, files, records, lessons, reports, etc. from the current DL architecture (Oracle 11 database; Success Factors software for ED) will transfer to any proposed DL architecture without loss of data” and in Para: 1.3.4.3.1 (Last Sentence) states: “Every effort will be made to use existing data bases for individuals’ information such as AFSC, Last 4 SSN etc.”

1a. Does the current DL architecture contain Personal Identifiable Information (PII)?

[PII is defined in OMB Memorandum M-07-16 and DoD Directive 5400.11 as information about an individual that identifies, relates or is unique to, or describes him or her, e.g. SSN or truncated SSN, medial history, biometrics, Date of Birth, home address/telephone number.]

1b. If the current DL database does contain PII, does the government intend for the offeror to comply with SECDEF Policy and DoD Directive 5400.11 and AFI 33-332 to reduce/eliminate the use of PII, especially on public-facing internet systems and including SSNs and/or truncated SSNs?

1c. If PII exists in the current DL architecture and the government intends for the offeror to comply with SECEF and DOD policy on PII, will the incumbent be required to eliminate all PII before transfer of data to the new contractor prior to phase in, or will this responsibility and cost be transferred to the incoming contractor?

a. The data in the current DLA has been reviewed and is not considered

PII per the references cited.

b. The contractor is responsible to provide a DLA that complies with all

DoD and Air Force requirements per PWS para 1.3.4.

c. The data in the current DLA has been reviewed and is not considered

PII.

70. Reference: C2 RFP, page 106, Section 7.5.E.1 (Past Performance Contract

References)

Question: The referenced paragraph states “Submit one (1) sheet for each contract reference to include…” Please confirm – does the government want each reference to be limited to one (1) page, or is the term “sheet” not meant to correlate to the number of pages submitted per reference since there is no page limit in this volume?

The term “Sheet” is not meant to correlate to a number of pages.

71 On page 34 of the PWS, section 4.2.1.3 references the Courseware

Developer/Subject Matter Expert position requirements for BCC/AOC. There is no corresponding CLIN for this position.

Should we reflect the pricing of this position in the CWD CLIN, the PACAF CLIN, or the BCC Squadron Staff Support CLIN? Or does the government intend to provide a separate CLIN for this position?

The offeror's Instructional System Development Management Plan

(ISDMP, ref PWS para 1.3.3.2.) will determine the number and type of personnel/positions required to produce courseware. Any CWD-related positions required by your ISDMP, such as Courseware Developer/SME, Instructional Developer, Education Technician, etc. should be priced in the CWD CLINs.