IBDSS_IDIQ - QandA - FA564121R0006.pdf

Integrated Base Defense Security Systems (IBDSS) Solicitation FA564121R0006

FA564121R0006 – Questions and Answers 1

# Reference Section Para Question Response

1. General N/A N/A The offeror is considering forming a teaming arrangement, as a Joint Venture, with an Italian defense contractor, NATO-CTS, as a major Joint Venture partner with substantial, but less than 50% workshare. Would such a Joint Venture be eligible for award?

In accordance with the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors, Section 2.4.1.2, a Joint Venture may be eligible for award. However, the Joint Venture has to adhere to all terms and conditions of the solicitation. Note the facility clearance required by Section 2.4.2.1 of the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 is CAGE code specific and is a pass/fail criterion in the Addendum to FAR 52.212-2. Note also Section 1.10 of the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1.

2. General N/A N/A Would non-US citizens NATO-S and NATO-CTS personnel be eligible to perform classified work under this contract?

Non-US citizens are not eligible to perform classified work under this contract, as they do not qualify for a security clearance.

3. General N/A N/A Are non-US citizens eligible to perform any of the non-classified work under the contract?

Non-US citizens are allowed to perform non-classified work under this contract (as required).

4. SF 1449, Block 8 SF 1449 Block 8 If the Government modifies the SSA requirement (see questions 17 and 18), would the government grant a two week extension to 9/22/2021?

Amendment 01 extended the proposal due date as stated in the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1. The SSA requirement is not modified and is required at time of proposal submission (see the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors, section 2.4.2.2). This is a pass/fail criterion in the Addendum to FAR 52.212-2 (see also response to Questions #10 and #18).

5. SF 1449, Special Contract Requirements, H001 ON-RAMP

SF 1449 H001 Clause H001 On-Ramp indicates the Government’s procedures and criteria for exercising an On-Ramp to the resultant awarded contract vehicle. Will the Government affirm its intent to Exercise an On-Ramp at least one time during Contact Period of Performance?

Clause H001 ON-RAMP was added to allow the Government maximum flexibility throughout the contract period. The Government reserves the right to exercise on-ramping as needed but cannot confirm any intent to exercise it at least once during the Contract’s Period of Performance.

6. “Offerors shall use at least 1 inch margins on the top and bottom and ¾-inch side margins unless stated otherwise within this document.”

• Appendix B (Work Sample Cover Sheet)

• Appendix C (Self-Scoring Matrix)

• Appendix D (Cross Reference Matrix)

• Appendix E (Team Structure Format)

ITO 1.9.2.1,

2.4.1.1, 2.4.2, 2.4.4

Can the Government confirm that the Offeror can adjust the margins of the Appendices to match the margin requirements in 1.9.2.1. General Page Instructions?

Please adhere to the formats in the Appendices provided by the Government.

In the event of a conflict between a Government-provided appendix and the written instructions in the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1, the Government-provided appendix prevails.

FA564121R0006 – Questions and Answers 2

7. For tables and charts, the text shall be no less than 10 point Times New Roman or Arial Font, and margins shall be no less than ½ inch on all sides unless stated otherwise within this document.

ITO 1.9.2.2 For Graphics, will the Government allow text no less than 9 point font?

For tables and charts, the text shall be no less than 10 point Times New Roman or Arial Font, and margins shall be no less than ½ inch on all sides unless stated otherwise within the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors.

8. “Offerors shall provide each work sample as a single separate electronic file.”

“Work Samples. The Offeror shall submit a maximum of six (6) work samples (contracts/delivery orders) which demonstrate their technical experience in the required elements, and which comply with the work sample qualifications established in 2.4.1.2 below.”

ITO 1.9.2.3,

2.4.1

Can the Government clarify if the Volume II Work Samples are part of Volume II or if they need to be submitted as single separate files? If they are separate files, does the Offeror reference them in Volume II?

IAW Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors, Section 2.2, the work samples shall be part of Volume II, Technical Experience. Section

1.9.2.3 of the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 is revised accordingly

9. “All Offerors intending to submit a proposal in response to this solicitation via DoD SAFE shall request a DoD SAFE link no later than 0900 Central European Summer Time, 30 August 2021 via email addressed to the PCO, Ms. Jennifer Schneider at jennifer.schneider.7.de@us.af.mil, and the CS, Ms. Antje Veit at antje.veit.de@us.af.mil.”

ITO 2.1 What is the file size limit for files uploaded via DoD

SAFE?

The maximum file size of a package is 8 (eight) GB.

10. Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors, Section 2.3.2

SF 1449, Block 8

ITO

SF 1449

2.3.2

Block 8

Because of the short response time following issuance of the RFP, complications with remote work by many parties due to COVID related telework limitations, and the fact many of our European participants are on Holiday, we are experiencing delays in completing all of the required final paperwork, registrations, etc. of our Joint Venture:

a. Would the Government consider either allowing us to submit our proposal with our Joint Venture not finalized and fully registered so long as it is completed prior to award?

a. In accordance with the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors, Section 2.4.1.2, a Joint Venture may be eligible for award. However, the Joint Venture must adhere to the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 and has to meet the evaluation criteria in the Addendum to FAR 52.212-2. Any Joint Venture must be finalized and fully registered at the time of proposal submission to satisfy the solicitation requirements and enable proposal evaluation.

b. In the Government’s experience it takes several months to receive the required Facility Clearance Level (FCL). Further, the FCL is issued by CAGE code, i.e., the entity receiving it must be fully finalized before the process can begin. For these reasons, the Government will not further extend the RFP

FA564121R0006 – Questions and Answers 3

b. Or, grant at least a 30 day extension to allow our team additional time to be able to complete the process in time?

closing date because doing so is not reasonably expected to increase competition.

11. “The work samples shall consist of only official contract documentation which may include Performance Work Statements, SOW’s, CDRLs… etc.”

ITO 2.4.1 Some Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contracts may not require labor hour reporting requirements/CDRLs. Would the Government accept an MS Excel file certified by the company contracting officer showing labor hours that were derived from company archives?

The Government concurs with the request, provided that data submitted for evaluation is part of a work sample and clearly labeled as such.

12. • Appendix B (Work Sample Cover Sheet)

• Appendix C (Self-Scoring Matrix)

• Appendix D (Cross Reference Matrix)

• Appendix E (Team Structure Format)

ITO 2.4.1.1,

2.4.2, 2.4.4

Can the Government confirm that the required appendices be inserted/included in the main Volume II PDF document?

IAW Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors, Section 2.2, the appendices shall be part of Volume II, Technical Experience.

Volume II shall include Appendices B-E IAW the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors, Section 2.4.

13. “For purposes of this solicitation, a Man Year (MY) is defined as a single full-time employee working 1,880 work hours per year.”

ITO 2.4.1.2 Within the past 10-years, Primes have supported large, multi-year Government contracts and projects that have long periods of performance (PoP), by providing a constant workforce throughout these long PoP cycles.

For these opportunities, Primes have hired and retained a number of FTEs to perform the contract work, and they are able to report individual Man-Year labor hours for these contracts/projects.

However, many other ESS projects, which are of a shorter duration, often require the Prime to use a blended manpower approach to accomplish the LOE within a shorter timeframe. While these smaller-duration projects fall short of the 1,880 man-year threshold for one individual, Primes are able to report their EUCOM ESS experience and past performance by counting the cumulative workhours for various Prime staff.

No, based on the limited information in the question, the hours would not be disallowed. See the revision to Section 2.4.1.2, Addendum to FAR 52.212-1.

Division of employee support over a specified period of time is acceptable, provided that the submitted employees and corresponding labor hours are included as part of the work sample reference required in the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors, Section 2.4.2.3.

FA564121R0006 – Questions and Answers 4

We believe that this type of consolidated reporting still provides an accurate picture of the Prime’s capabilities to perform on the current opportunity. We therefore respectfully submit the following questions:

Q – Some projects required by this RFP may require less than a year to complete. As such, would the hours from 10 employees working 8 months on an ESS installation be disallowed?

14. Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors, 2.4.1.2 “Work Sample Qualifications…

(2) Shall only use Prime Offeror work samples.”

ITO 2.4.1.2 Will the Government expand qualifications beyond the submitting prime contractor to include the full capability of offering teams (Subcontractors) that have served in a prime capacity?

Per the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors, Section 2.4.1.2, all work samples required by the Government shall be those in which the offeror is the Prime Contractor. Offerors may also include joint ventures and subsidiaries or legal entities which fall under the parent corporation (see the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors, Section 2.4.1.2 (2)).

15. “Offeror shall submit a maximum of six (6) work samples (contracts/ delivery orders) [italics added] which demonstrate their technical experience in the required elements … The work samples shall consist of only official contract documentation which may include Performance Work Statements, Statements Of Work (SOWs), Contract Data Requirement Lists (CDRLs), Government Furnished Property Lists, Subcontracts, Invoices, etc.

ITO 2.4.2 Numerous ESS project work is currently and has been performed at multiple site locations across the EUCOM AOR, but under the umbrella of a single contract/ delivery order which is a component of an IDIQ. This work is issued in the form of a memorandum for record (MFR) or contracts letter directive tasking from a COR.

May contractors interpret “official contract documentation” to include COR ESS work taskings via a memorandum for record (MFR) or contracts letter directive from the COR or other authorized Government representative?

Multiple work samples may be provided by the offeror under one Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, provided that each work sample(s) has an unique task order/delivery order or other identifying number as issued by a Government Contracting Officer (CO) - see also the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors, Section 2.4.1.

16. “Do you have a current office/warehouse space (e.g., staging facility) within the

USEUCOM AOR?”

ITO 2.4.2.2 Request the Government clarify/define the required secure storage requirements for the office/warehouse as noted in section 2.4.2.2.

In accordance with the ICD 705 Physical Security Construction Requirements, the SSA is required to be rated at the SECRET level and is characterized by true floor to ceiling, slab-to-slab construction of some substantial material, and a solid wood-core or steel-clad door with an approved security lock, under the control of U.S. personnel holding at least a U.S. SECRET security clearance.

17. Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors, Section 2.4.2.2

Attachment 1 – SOW, 9.0 Contractor Facilities

SOW

2.4.2.2

9.0

Would the Government clarify the timing for having an established local facility? (Section 2.4.2.2 indicates a pass/fail requirement at time of RFP submission and paragraph 9.0 of the attachment 1 – (SOW) states at time of contract award.)

The RFP establishes the Government’s requirement for the purpose of awarding a contract; the SOW governs contract performance after award.

The contractor must have an office/warehouse facility within the USEUCOM AOR at the time of proposal submission as required by the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors and Addendum to FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation, FA564121R0006 – Questions and Answers 5

18. Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors, Section 2.4.2.2

Attachment 1 – SOW, 9.0 Contractor Facilities

SOW

2.4.2.2

9.0

In order to increase competition, would the Government consider delaying the Secure Storage Area (SSA) requirement (2.4.2.2 and 9.0) from the initial prime contract award to the delivery order awards, when applicable?

The SSA requirement is not modified and is required at time of proposal submission (see the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors, section 2.4.2.2 and Addendum to FAR 52.212-2). The Government requires the SSA in order to determine the contractor’s capability and eligibility for award. See also previous response to Question #17.

19. “The proof that a current office/warehouse space (staging facility) exists within USEUCOM AOR will not be part of the work samples, but must be provided as a separate document together with the work samples.”

ITO 2.4.2.2 It’s not clear where the Government wants the warehouse proofs. Is it acceptable to insert warehouse documentation after the work samples provided in Section 2.4.1?

The proof that a current office/warehouse space (e.g., staging facility) exists within the USEUCOM AOR will not be part of the work samples, but must be provided as a separate document together with the work samples. Therefore this documentation shall be part of Volume II, Technical Experience.

20. “The offeror shall provide signed teaming agreements between the Prime Offeror and each team member.”

ITO 2.4.4 Since there is a 2-page limit for 2.4.4 Team Structure, can the Government remove the required Teaming Agreements from the page limit? It seems the 2-page limit is for Appendix E – Team Structure Format.

Correct, the 2-page limit pertains to Appendix E. Sections 2.2 and 2.4.4 of the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 have been revised accordingly.

21. Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Evaluation – Commercial Items, Section 3.2

Eval Criteria

3.2 In the attachment “ADDENDUM TO 52.212-2

EVALUATION – COMMERCIAL ITEMS” The Evaluation Criteria list "Technical Experience" as the only factor used to evaluate a response. Can the government clarify how the information, documents, and narratives within Volume 1 - Executive Summary will be evaluated or used?

The information provided as part of Volume I will be used for the Responsibility Determination IAW section 2.3 of the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Item.

22. Attachment 1 – SOW, paragraph 8.1.1 Security Classification

SOW 8.1.1. Please verify that Top Secret safeguarding is required at contractor’s facility within the USEUCOM AOR?

The TS FCL is an overarching requirement of the IDIQ to enable maximum flexibility and competition at the Delivery Order level.

23. Attachment 1 – SOW, paragraph 8.1.1 Security Classification

SOW 8.1.1. Does the warehouse portion of the USEUCOM AOR facility need to be a cleared facility?

See the responses to Question #16.

24. Attachment 1 – SOW, paragraph 8.1.1 Security Classification

SOW 8.1.1. It is the Joint Venture’s intent to lease the required classified storage facility space within our intended Joint Venture partner’s Production, Integration, Test and Lab facilities in our Joint Venture’s facilities, that are a NATO Cleared Facility located in Italy. Assuming our Joint Venture works through the appropriate US Department of Defense Certifications and Inspections, will the Government validate the space as

The SSA must already be compliant with the requirements stated in the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors at the time of proposal submission. As stated at Section 2.4.2.2, the offeror shall include in its proposal “a letter from a cognizant Government representative indicating secure storage compliance or contact information for a Government POC that will be able to validate the Offeror’s secure storage capabilities.”

FA564121R0006 – Questions and Answers 6 meeting the classified storage requirements of the contract?

25. Attachment 1 – SOW, paragraph 9.0 Contractor Facilities

SOW 9.0 Would the Government clarify if the Secure Storage Area (SSA) is an office/warehouse (e.g. staging facility) under lock and key OR is the SSA required to be in a facility which requires a Facility Clearance Level (FCL) of top secret (TS)?

The TS FCL is a company-level capability issued by CAGE code. The Secret rated SSA is specific to the office/warehouse space as defined in ICD 705 Physical Security Construction Requirements (see also response to Question #16).

The contractor’s facility is not necessary for the exclusive use of this contract and can be utilized on a shared basis. (see SOW, paragraph 9.0)

26. Attachment 1 – SOW, paragraph 9.0 Contractor Facilities

SOW 9.0 Please define Secure Storage Area (SSA). See the previous response to Question #16.

27. Attachment 1 – SOW, paragraph 9.0 Contractor Facilities

SOW 9.0 Would the Government further define and clarify the requirements of a sufficient Secure Storage Area (SSA), as well as the governments requirements for the facility offices to include offices, conference rooms and lab work? It is unclear of the governments criteria regarding:

“Facility space shall include offices, conference rooms, lab work, and a staging area for materials and equipment, as required…”

See the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors, Section 2.4.2.2, PWS Section 9.0 and the previous response to Question #16.

28. Attachment 1 – SOW, paragraph 9.0 Contractor Facilities

SOW 9.0 Would the Government clarify if the Secure Storage Area (SSA) requirements include a Facility Clearance Level (FCL) of top secret (TS)?

See previous responses to Questions #16 and 25.