Attachment_7_-_Questions_and_Answers_for_FA7000-14-T-0037_Dated_17_June_1530.pdf

Q&A to RFP FA7000-14-T-0037 Current as of 17 June 2014, 1530 Mountain Time

Questions and Answers for FA7000-14-T-0037 A&AS Services at USAFA

1. Who is the incumbent contractor for the likely awardable task order? This task order is a new requirement which has not been ordered previously under a United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) Advisory and Assistance Services (A&AS) contract.

2. Will you widen the columns in Attachment 2? The columns were widened on 6 June 14.

3. What is the budget for acquisition or lease of hardware/software necessary to the conduct the specified research? This solicitation is for advisory and assistance services. The solicitation does not contemplate a budget for the acquisition or lease of hardware/ software. $0 budgeted. No R&D work is contemplated on this task order.

Refer to Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Subsection 3. Addenda to FAR 52.212-1 Proposal Preparation Instructions, FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation-Commercial Items, Attachment 1 Performance Work Statement dated 9 May 2014, Attachment 4 Task Order and other relevant sections detailed in the 1449 solicitation to address budget, hardware, software, Air Force objectives regarding Remotely Piloted Aircrafts (RPAs), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) questions 3-16. After contract award, subsequent A&AS requirements within the scope of the basic contract Performance Work Statement (PWS) will identify the specifics of each individual TO PWS at the time a Request for Quotation (RFQ) is released.”

4. Is the Air Force interested in seeing the roles for RPA expanding beyond their use in ISR missions? See response to question 3.

5. The term RPA (remotely piloted aircraft) implies that a human operator will at all times be in control of the drone. Is the Air Force interested in autonomous-modes of operation where a human operator is not required for every phase of a flight? See response to question 3.

6. If the Air Force is interested in autonomous-modes of operation, would the Air Force be interest in autonomous operation during takeoff? See response to question 3.

7. If the Air Force is interested in autonomous-modes of operation, would the Air Force be interest in autonomous operation during landing? See response to question 3.

8. If the Air Force is interested in autonomous-modes of operation, would the Air Force be interest in autonomous operation during in-flight navigation? See response to question 3.

9. If the Air Force is interested in autonomous-modes of operation, would the Air Force be interest in autonomous operation during defensive combat? See response to question 3.

10. If the Air Force is interested in autonomous-modes of operation, would the Air Force be interest in autonomous operation during offensive combat? See response to question 3.

11. If the Air Force is interested in autonomous-modes of operation, would the Air Force be interest in autonomous operation during coordination with other RPAs flying on the same mission? See response to question 3.

12. Which of the following types of research would be in alignment with the Air Forces' objectives for this proposal? For question(s) 12a-12c, see response to question 3. This solicitation, to include the PWS and likely awardable task order, is for Advisory & Assistance services. The solicitation is not categorized as a research solicitation.

a. Computer simulations?

b. Research based on testing with small-scale models?

c. Subsystem research (e.g. models or simulations of components of RPAs such as a propulsion system)?

13. Does the Air Force place greater importance on research based upon simulation (e.g.

Matlab) versus on experimental research based on small models operating in the physical world? See response(s) to questions 3 and 12.

14. Traditionally, the ISR missions flown by the Air Force have been of a long-range nature and thus have involved larger drones with the capacity to fly fast enough and for long enough to be useful for these types of missions. Other branches of the military are currently exploring the use of smaller drones for close-in work. In terms of mission scope, what does the Air Force consider to be lower bound on its interest in smaller drones these types of missions? See response(s) to questions 3 and 12.

15. If the contractor wishes to use an existing small-scale UAV platform for research and experimentation purposes, will the Air Force assist in acquisition of such if the manufacturer limits sales to qualified military or law enforcement organizations only?

See response(s) to questions 3 and 12

16. If the Air Force is interested in expanding the scope of RPA missions beyond ISR missions, which of the following types of missions would be of interest? For question(s) 16a-16e, see response(s) to questions 3 and 12.

a. Bombing?

b. Combat escort?

c. Electronic warfare?

d. Transport (troop and/or equipment)?

e. Delivery of packages to allied forces operating behind enemy lines?

17. Are there Government staff performing this work now which the contractor would replace? No.

18. If there are Government staff performing this work now which the contractor would replace, how many existing staff are there? See response to question 17.

19. Are there Government staff performing this work now which the contractor would augment? See response to question 17.

20. If there are Government staff performing this work now which the contractor would augment, how many existing staff are there? See response to question 17.

21. Would the contractor decide on research and development (R&D) directions, or would the Government determine all R&D directions and the contractor will only support those Government-directed activities? See response(s) to question(s) 3 and 12.

22. Typically, how many different projects would the Government expect to be done in a typical year with contractor support? As detailed in the solicitation minimum and maximum, the Government may issue a minimum of $20,000.00 and a maximum of $6.5 million in TO support during the contract Base plus two (2) options period of performance.

23. Typically, what percentage of projects done in a typical year are support of student R&D versus USAFA staff R&D? See response(s) to question(s) 3 and 12. The Contractor will support the requirements of the office specified under each individual TO as opposed to supporting specific students, staff, and Federal Government employees.

24. What is the typical duration and size of a R&D project anticipated? See response(s) to question(s) 3, 12, and 22. TO duration will not exceed 12 months. Orders have historically ranged from $3,000.00 to $500,000.00.

25. How many simultaneous R&D projects could be anticipated? See response(s) to question(s) 3, 12, 22 and 23.The Government cannot anticipate the number of simultaneous TOs required for future requirements.

26. What percentage of the time will the contractor typically expect to be doing circuit design (digital or analog). See response to question(s) 3 and 12.

27. Does the Government expect that there is any need for digital design work using VHDL or Verilog? See response(s) to question(s) 3 and 12.

28. How many existing research UAV platforms does USAFA currently possess which are available for the contractor's R&D work, and roughly what are they? See response(s) to question(s) 3 and 12.

29. What percentage of the work will fall into different categories outlined in the statement of work (for example, what percentage of the time will be doing MATLAB programming

vs. analog circuit design vs. preparing papers to publish, etc.)? Solicitation Attachment 4 “Performance Work Statement (PWS) for Electrical and Hardware Engineering Support to the Academy Center for Unmanned Aerial Systems Research (ACUASR)” is the likely awardable task order/performance work statement for this solicitation. This is a new requirement which has not been ordered previously under a United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) Advisory and Assistance Services (A&AS) contract. Percentages of work by category are not available.

30. Will this work involve mechanical engineering (that is physical construction or modification of a UAV test platform)? The contractor is asked to respond to the solicitation requirements as written.

31. Is this a full-time position? See the 1449 solicitation, 52.212-2 Evaluation—Commercial Items (Jan 1999) (a)(2) Non-Price Evaluation Factors, Factor 1: Technical, b) Subfactor 2: Formal response to a likely awardable task order/performance work statement (on solicitation page 11 of 49). See also Section 1.5 Magnitude of Effort found in Solicitation Attachment 4 “Performance Work Statement (PWS) for Electrical and Hardware Engineering Support to the Academy Center for Unmanned Aerial Systems Research (ACUASR)” which is the likely awardable task order/performance work statement for this solicitation .

32. Is this only one position (one FTE)? See response to question 31.

33. Will the contractor staff member be giving presentations to students? The contractor is asked to respond to the solicitation requirements as written.

34. Is this staff member to serve as a "teaching assistant" or "research assistant" in aiding student learning or research? If so, approximately how many labor-hours per month would be spent on this and approximately how many students will be aided each year?

See response to question 33.

35. Approximately how many meeting per month are expected between contractor staff and the Government staff or students? See Solicitation Attachment 4 “Performance Work Statement (PWS) for Electrical and Hardware Engineering Support to the Academy Center for Unmanned Aerial Systems Research (ACUASR)” Section 2.1.9 of this likely awardable task order/performance work statement. Upon TO award, the contractor may choose to hold additional ad hoc meetings as necessary to fulfill the requirements contained in the solicitation.

36. Will the Government make available to the contractor its library of UAV-related books, publications, and periodicals, via access to an online library database? USAFA information found in the public domain is accessible for Contractor-use.

37. Can the Government provide some guidance on an acceptable structure of the 2-page write up on the likely task? (For example, does the Government want to hear about potential research projects or just how an offeror is capable of handling the scope of the task? Does the Government want to hear about specific indicative/example resources?

Does the Government want to see research time lines over the course of the base year?)

The contractor is asked to respond to the solicitation requirements as written, taking into consideration the response to question 12. Page limitations are identified in the Addenda to FAR 52.212-1 Proposal Preparation Instructions, Subsection 5. Part II—Technical “…PAGE LIMITATIONS: The Technical proposal is limited to no more than twenty

(20) pages…”. The solicitation does not contain a reference to a 2-page write up on the likely awardable task. The reference to 2-pages, found on page 45 of 49 of the SF 1449 is tied to the number of pages contained in the solicitation attachments.

38. Are there minimum technical requirements for the 2-page write up on the likely task order? See the requirements contained in the solicitation and the response to question 37.

39. Are the tasks mentioned in this Task Order currently being performed? See response to question 1.

40. Will all government facilities, equipment, software and network capability to be supplied? See the solicitation Attachment 1, Performance Work Statement, Section 3 entitled Property, Equipment and Information.

41. Do FAA Certificates of Authorization exist for Fort Carson and the USAFA location?

The contractor is asked to respond to the solicitation requirements as written.

42. Do specific wage determinations or potential union participation apply to this PWS? If so, can you please supply that data? The Service Contract Act (SCA) does not apply to professional services or contracts containing minor use of SCA employees.

43. The PWS lists additional constraints for the employee. Are there “preferred” qualifications among these areas where more than one is listed, i.e. “and either C, C++, or C#”. Which language would you prefer? No. There are no preferred qualifications with regard to minimum qualifications required for SubFactor 2: formal response to a likely awardable task order/performance work statement. The contractor is asked to respond to the solicitation requirements as written.

44. Can I propose labor rates or overhead rates outside of the Labor Rate Pricing Schedule (Attachment 2)? No, only propose fully burdened rates for the labor categories listed in attachment 2.

45. Attachment 3 has equivalencies in column F. Please confirm that the Equivalencies given in this column are additive. For example, that Skill Level 3 which requires BA/BA + 1 yr experience could be substituted by [(HS + 2) + 5] + 1 or a HS + 8 yrs experience (negotiably). No, the Equivalencies given in column F are not additive.

46. Attachment 3: For Skill Level 1 positions where only a HS degree and one year experience (Novice level), and especially for “Administrative 1” (and potentially even “Administrative 2”), these appear to non-professional service employee positions, yet the Government has not included a Wage Determination for these. At a minimum, “Administrative 1” must be a service employee position since it is a clerical staff member with 1 year of experience after high school, so it could not possibly be considered “professional”. Can the Government confirm that SCA applies to these Skill Level 1 positions? See response to question 42.

47. Page 47 of the solicitation states, “This will include detailed information on the accessibility and qualifications of the contractor’s labor pool.” Please define what the Government means here by “accessibility”. Is the Section 508 compliance being referred to? Section 508 compliance is not being referred to. See the 1449 solicitation, 52.212-2 Evaluation—Commercial Items (Jan 1999) (a)(2) Non-Price Evaluation Factors, Factor 1:

Technical, b) Subfactor 1: Staffing Plan content (on solicitation page 11 of 49).

48. Page 47 of the solicitation states, “The offeror is required to identify labor category(ies) and submit name-redacted resume(s) to fulfill requirements of this task order. Submission of a formal response illustrating a capability to perform the requirements is mandatory.

Pricing is NOT a factor in determining acceptability for this subfactor.” Please provide the acceptable format for a “formal response” or what such a response must contain (besides labor categories and resumes) in order to be considered responsive. For example, besides labor categories and resumes, what else must be contained in a formal response?

The contractor is asked to respond to the solicitation requirements as written. The Government will not dictate a Contractor’s approach to the “submission of a formal response illustrating a capability to perform the requirements” (Page 47 of 1449 solicitation, Part II Technical, SubFactor 2).

49. Page 47 of the solicitation states, “The offeror is required to identify labor category(ies) and submit name-redacted resume(s) to fulfill requirements of this task order. Submission of a formal response illustrating a capability to perform the requirements is mandatory.

Pricing is NOT a factor in determining acceptability for this subfactor.” Although pricing is not a factor, it is not clear if pricing should be included in the formal response. Please clarify if pricing should be included in the formal response even though it is not a factor.

Requirement for pricing in response to Technical SubFactor 2 will not be a factor in the Total Evaluated Price; however, the 1449 has been amended to require an extended TO price with the formal response to Technical SubFactor 2 for the likely awardable task order.

50. Page 47 of the solicitation states, “The Technical proposal is limited to no more than twenty (20) pages. Documentation provided in response to FAR 52.212-2(a)(2), Factor 2

Technical Subfactor 1(a) Measure of Merit will not be counted towards this page limitation.” The Government's statement here is not clear since Factor 2 is Past performance which is in a different volume of the proposal (Part III), while Subfactor 1(a) is part of the Technical factor in Part II. Does this sentence mean that neither the Part III Past performance information volume nor the portion of the Part II volume which is written to address Technical Subfactor 1(a) I (which is documenting the source of manpower) enter into page count limits of their respective volumes? Please clarify the exact meaning of this exception to the page count limitation. The page limitation of 20 pages DOES NOT include Past Performance OR documentation provided in response to FAR 52.212-2(a)(2), Factor 1: Technical Subfactor 1(1) Measure of Merit. Clarifications have been amended on the 1449.

51. Page 47 of the solicitation states, “The Technical proposal is limited to no more than twenty (20) pages. Documentation provided in response to FAR 52.212-2(a)(2), Factor 2 Technical SubFactor 1(a) Measure of Merit will not be counted towards this page limitation.” Is there a page count limitation for SubFactor 2? See response to question 50.

52. Page 46 of the solicitation states, “A page is defined as one face of an 8 ½” x 11” sheet of paper (white or ivory in color) containing information. Charts, tables, or diagrams, may not exceed 11” x 17” and each face will be counted as one page.” Please confirm that 11” x 17” pages count as two faces per each. Each face will be counted as one page. If the 11”x 17” chart, table or diagram sheet contains information on both sides of the 11x17 sheet of paper, the document will be counted as two pages.

53. The Government has not requested any electronic submission or CDROMs to accompany the hardcopy submission. Please confirm that no electronic or CDROM submissions are needed. Correct, no electronic or CD ROM submissions are required.