Questions and Answers 01 August 2023.pdf

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS – BASE WIFI AVIANO AIR BASE, ITALY:

1. To connect the building to the internet POP, a pair of fibers is needed between these buildings.

Are they made available by USAF? A fiber path/duct is already in place for the buildings in both phases of this project due to the existing infrastructure that supports NIPR capabilities on Aviano. However, with this being a new commercial install, new fiber lines will need to be ran to each hop (bldg.) in order to carry out commercial Wi-Fi services from the demarcation point.

The fiber cable(s) that are needed to connect the building(s) to the internet POP can be provided by USAF (31CS/SCOIN). However, with fiber supply running short within our shops, SCXC is kindly requesting the vendors to clarify the specific type of fiber needed (information requested below) so that we can ensure 31CS/SCOIN has them readily available, along with ensuring that the fiber will also be compatible with the vendors equipment.

Single-Mode or Multi-Mode Fiber?

What kind of fiber ends (SC-SC, ST-SC, LC-LC, etc.)?

Fiber length?

Quantity?

2. Please specify if “users” at point 3.1.2 are final users or buildings?

“Users” at point 3.1.2 is in reference to the representative at each building, who will decide what Wi-Fi speed they are comfortable paying for based off the CLIN listing.

3. How many users per WiFi access point do you expect to connect to internet at most? (rough order of magnitude).

At least 10 users would connect to an individual Wi-Fi access point, but this will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

4. If reuse of existing equipment is not possible, e.g. to standardize the network, will the new equipment be paid by USAF?

The new equipment will be paid by the USAF. However, per paragraph 3.2.4 the Contractor is responsible for providing a List of Materials (LOM) to the SCXC office for consideration if any additional material or funding is needed – with consideration to paragraph 3.2.4.1, the Contractor must determine if reusing extant equipment is in the best interest of the customer.

5. Does the 12-month warranty refer to hardware replacement only (shipment of new hardware)?

Or is the deployment included (installation, configuration and testing of the new hardware?)

The 12-month warranty refers to any newly installed equipment by the contractor(s) such as switches, routers, access points, etc. If at any time, any of the equipment that was newly installed by the vendors becomes faulty, a replacement is enacted due to the 12-month warranty for Maintenance Support. The contractor is then obligated to restore services as per paragraph 5.5 and 5.5.1 in the PWS.

6. Are the devices of Appendix C mandatory or is it only an example?

The devices of Appendix C are NOT mandatory, it is only for example purposes. However, any equipment purchase must adhere to paragraph “5.1 General” in the PWS.

7. Please clarify the meaning of the acronym ITB reported in “Dynamic content filtering, equipment configuration, patching and connections to interlinks within ITBs and facilities and firewall management.” ITB stands for Information Transfer Building. It is an older verbiage that is synonymous to network core node facilities. Core node is essentially the “distribution center” that the vendors have been referring to in other technical questions.

8. The proposed equipment must have 1G ports as per description, or can have 100M ports? In appendix C some models have 100M ports. The proposed equipment must have 1G ports as per description. 100M ports as stated in appendix C were only for example purposes. Any purchase must adhere to paragraph “5.1 General” in the PWS.

9. Is it possible to propose an active device instead of a passive device like the Media Converter?

“Media Device” that is mentioned under paragraphs 1 and 3 refers to electronic devices that have the capabilities to access and consume media content. These devices can include, but are not limited to smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, etc. A “Media converter” as addressed in your original question is a device that converts data from one medium to another, e.g., copper to fiber. Therefore, a media converter would not be applicable to “media devices” in paragraphs 1 and 3.

10. Please clarify if it is mandatory to propose a physical or software network controller. Is there an exact paragraph that provides more context for this in the PWS? In reaching out to our counterparts, we received information that we have physical controllers for 2GWLAN. However, we are unaware of what commercial Wi-Fi uses. Therefore, we would like the vendors to clarify what they generally use for commercial installs and propose which type of controller they think is necessary and why. From there, 31CS/SCXC will be able to make an informed decision.

11. Will Contract Manager, Alternate Contract Manager, and Quality Control Inspector 's resume count as part of the Technical document’s 15 pages? Yes, they will.

12. The installation and also the onsite maintenance in the hangars is more expensive than the one in the offices (different network connection materials, special tools like an elevating platform, etc) how to consider this higher cost? The delivery of wi-fi in the main area of Hangar 1 (bldg.

921) is not required. See Attachment 14 Bldg 921(Wi-Fi Description)

13. In the event remote maintenace is insufficient , the on-site maintenance is paid by USAF (CLIN x005AA)? Yes, it will be IAW with the submitted Price Schedule except when the on-site maintenance could be covered by the warranty.

14. Will the contract be signed by a company or in the name of individual users?

The contract shall be signed by a representative of the company submitting the quote.

15. Which is the contract duration required? The estimated duration of the contract is of five years plus a possible six months extension. The Government will exercise options at the task order level but it is not obliged to do so.

16. When is it possible to request a technical inspection? A site inspection/pre-quotation briefing was held at Aviano Air Base, Italy on July 18 2023 (See Solicitation Instructions to Offerors section).

17. Is there a possibility to extend the deadline for the call for tenders to 12 September? The current solicitation closing date is the one posted on SAM.gov.

18. The tender is mentioning phase 1 and phase 2. For the phase 2 , we need the planimetry for having the possibility to prepare the commercial offer.

Can we also have the additional missing info? The planimetry of buildings listed under Appendix B, Phase II Installation Building List (Option Year 1) will be provided to the contract awardee.

19. Reference Section Question Answer 1 Regarding the document "PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT for WIFI & Internet Services," specifically in "Appendix C," we kindly ask you to specify whether the mentioned vendors, namely Ubiquiti, D-Link, and Netgear, must be mandatory for sourcing the required network equipment. Please clarify if the adoption of these specific vendors is a binding requirement or if there is flexibility in choosing suppliers to meet the project's requirements. The contents of Appendix C were intended for example purposes only, and is not a binding requirement; therefore, there is flexibility in choosing suppliers to meet the project’s requirements. However, any equipment purchase must adhere to paragraph “5.1 General” in the PWS – especially regarding the portion discussing Section 889 to ensure that any purchase meets full compliance standards.

20. Please provide clarification regarding the responsibility for shielding the areas not to be covered by the contracting station. Please reference paragraph 3.1.3 of the updated PWS.

21. For adequate planning and sizing of the network, we kindly request the submission of floor plans for all buildings that were not inspected during the site visit. These documents are essential to determine the appropriate number of Access Points (APs) and other necessary network equipment to ensure adequate coverage. Additional building planimetry will be sent to the contract awardee.

22. Please clarify whether the interconnection of buildings to a designated distribution center is already in place or needs to be established. The buildings on base are interconnected to each other depending on their geographical location, as some buildings share the same core node. All of the core nodes around base then leads back to building 1442 (in this context distribution center). All the buildings already have a designated path/fiber route in place for existing infrastructure; however, with this being a new project that involves commercial equipment, new fiber path(s) will need to be established in the process of the installation of commercial base Wi- Fi.

23. In order to ensure continuity and efficiency during cable routing and installation of equipment, please provide clarifications regarding the accessibility of the rooms involved during the execution of the works. Kindly specify whether access to these rooms is unconditionally permitted or if special permissions are required to access them. This information is crucial for proper planning of activities and to ensure that the work can be carried out smoothly without any unwanted interruptions. The accessibility of the comm closets and buildings that need to be worked on can be accessible with the help of an escort that will be provided by 31CS. SCXC asks that the awardee develop a gameplan/itinerary that targets when they will be at each location, an approximate timeframe (date, starting time, ending time, lunch breaks, etc.), and approximately how many contractors will be present in order to properly assign escorts. SCXC asks that this information is given ASAP, to ensure that taking escorts away from their work centers will not conflict with mission requirements.

24. Regarding the explosion-proof metal ducts present within the false ceiling, please clarify if they can be used for laying new wiring. Clarification on what building this was found in is needed, in order to provide the most informed answer. Would like to make sure cable trays were not being classified as “explosion-proof metal ducts.”

25. Please clarify whether it will be necessary to provide and install new rack cabinets along with their accessories (switches, patch panels, rack-mounted power strips). SCXC would like the vendor(s) to provide a general outline on how much space is needed in a singular rack (this is to include, but is not limited to switches, patch panels, and rack-mounted power strips). In getting this information, SCXC can work with the Infrastructure and Cable shops to see if any consolidation efforts can be applied to the existing infrastructure. Reason being, most (if not all) of the comm closets that were surveyed, have limited space, and the installation of another rack may/may not be feasible.

26. Will the main hangar space (Bldg 921) need Wi-Fi? No, it will not. See answer to question #12.

27. Are existing APs located in the Hangar in use, and if so, what are they being used for? The APs located in the Hangar are currently in use and are being used for NIPR access in the main area of the hangar.

28. Provide hangar 1 measurements.

Please see attached document titled “Attachment 13 Bldg 921 (To Scale)” for Hangar 1 measurements.

29. Is the vendor responsible for providing and maintaining fiber lines between buildings or the government?

The government is responsible for maintaining the fiber lines between the buildings; however, the vendor is responsible for determining if there is a fiber cut (part of the 24/7 support as per PWS) – if a fiber cut is discovered by the vendor when they arrive on site, the government will replace the fiber line thereafter.

30. Could you please clarify if the payment between 31 CONS and Contractor will be on User subscription-based payment or monthly fixed price for the whole service? Payment will be done by Mission Partner at task order level.

31. Will you pay the contractor, or the users will pay the contractor? It is not 100% clear from the PWS document. I am referring to paragraph 3.1.2:

3.1.2 The contractor shall provide each building a price for connecting at the following speeds (download/upload): 25 Mbps/5 Mbps, 50 Mbps/5 Mbps, 100 Mbps/10 Mbps and 200 Mbps/10 Mbps. The plans shall be provided with zero data cap or unlimited data wireless internet service to their buildings or Quality-of-Life networks. Users will have the option to decide what speed they will pay for based off the CLIN listing. As future technologies become readily available, thereby affording greater bandwidth and speeds, the Contractor shall inform SCXC of additional options above the 200 Mbps standard. If desired, a contract modification shall be processes to include the newest options. Please, see answer to question #30.