Industry_Day_7Mar12_QA_Final.docx

DTIC-IAC Industry Day Homeland Defense and Security Technical Area Tasks (HD TATs), Defense Systems Information Analysis Center (DSIAC) Basic Center Operations (BCO) and Defense Systems Technical Area Tasks (DS TATs) Acquisitions 7 March 2012 Industry Questions and Answers Teaming

1. Q - For HD TATs, will CBRN medical facilities for nerve and select agents and chemical and biological surety facilities be required to participate (as a subcontractor to the prime contractor) on a non-exclusive basis?

1. A - No, prime contractors are free to determine the terms and conditions of their arrangements with subcontractors as they see fit, the solicitations will not mandate that subcontractor relationships with primes be non-exclusive.

2. Q - If you encourage teaming, does that restrict how many teams a contractor can join?

2. A - No, the only constraints are those indicated at Industry Day (and stated herein) concerning organizational conflicts of interest (OCI).

3. Q - Can a small business prime contractor have large businesses (as subcontractors)?

3. A - Yes.

4. Q - Under the contemplated strategy of having a "full and open" award pool on the HD TATs multiple award contract, and a "small business only" reserved award pool, would a prime contractor in the full and open pool be able to serve on the team of a small business prime contractor in the small business/reserved pool?

4. A - Yes

5. Q - Upon award of a TAT contract to a prime contractor, is the prime's team locked in or may it add other subcontractors to its team post-award?

5. A - New subcontractors may be added throughout the contract period of performance.

Small Business Considerations

6. Q - Under the contemplated strategy of having a "full and open" award pool on the HD TATs multiple award contract, and a "small business only" reserved award pool, how will you determine which TATs will be set-aside for the small business pool and who will make this determination?

6. A – When competing the TATs at the task order level, the three main criteria will be the small businesses' capability, capacity and interest in performing the TAT. The contracting officer will make a small business set-aside determination for individual TAT task orders on a case by case basis, taking into consideration the FAR requirements for set-asides, recommendation of the small business advisor, input from the requiring activity (customer), and a quick turn market intelligence assessment to determine if two or more small businesses have the capability, capacity and interest in bidding.

7. Q – How can an awardee in the full and open pool be assured they will be able to compete for an opportunity that they have pushed or recommended for HD TATs, when there is a chance that it may be set aside for the small business reserved pool; how will awardees in the full and open pool be assured they will have a reasonable opportunity to compete for TATs given the chance that TATs may be set aside for small businesses only? Use of the "rule of two" at the TAT level implies that all TATs would be set aside for the small business reserved pool?

7. A - Many factors will influence the decision as to whether a HD TAT task order will be set-aside for the small business reserved pool (See Question #6). The anticipated size and scope of the requirements for this acquisition will not exclude small or large businesses from work on this contract. This certainly has not been the case historically DoD-wide or Government wide, where the small business set-aside mechanism has been in existence for many years.

8. Q – Do you expect a certain percentage or number of TATs to be issued as set-asides for small business? Will the contracting office consider setting aside a fixed percentage of TAT work for small businesses and allowing the remainder of the dollars to go to large businesses?

8. A – There is no set goal or percentage of TAT task orders or TAT dollars that will be set-aside.

9. Q – Why is FAR 52.219-14 being invoked for small business primes as this will make it very difficult for subcontractors to receive work under the contract? The 30/70 rule would be more appropriate at the TAT level.

9. A –The contemplated award strategy involves reserving a pool of awardees for small businesses, as described at FAR 19.502-4(a). FAR 19.508(e) requires that the clause 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting, be included in multiple award contracts over $150,000 if any portion of the contract is set aside or reserved for small business.

10. Q – How will large business prime contractors be held accountable to their contractual requirement to subcontract a certain amount of work to their small business subcontractors? Will this be done at the individual TAT level? That would seem appropriate based on the restrictive nature of the FAR clause (52.219-14) being invoked on the small business prime contractors.

10. A – The small business subcontracting requirement will be assessed at the contract level annually (potentially covering multiple on-going TATs). The contracting officer will monitor the large business prime contractors' adherence to their contractual small business subcontracting requirements using a variety of methods: prime contractors will regularly report on the amount of work they subcontract to small businesses through a contract deliverable report, small business subcontracting achievements under the primes' small business subcontracting plans will be reported through the Government Electronic Subcontract Reporting System (eSRS), and the Government will assess the prime contractor’s performance in this area under the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS).

11. Q – Please provide the Government's position regarding the determination for small business size standard within a joint venture construct? Is it the cumulative total of employees for all JV companies or is it determined by each individual company's number of employees (i.e., Each JV company has less than 500 employees). Additionally, will the size requirement determination take place only at the time of proposal submission or will the Government require size standard verification/validation annually and/or upon any change to the composition of the Joint Venture?

11. A - The Small Business Administration (SBA) has responsibility and authority for making rules that govern small businesses, to include joint ventures and other teaming arrangements. Those rules may be found online in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), specifically at 13 CFR §121. We encourage you to review those rules in their entirety, with attention to 13 CFR §121.103(h)(3)(i)(B) regarding determination for a small business structure within a joint venture construct; and 13 CFR §121.404(a) and (g) with respect to timing of the size determination. We also encourage you to contact your local SBA office for answers to specific questions regarding your small business.

12. Q –How will the FAR Limitations on Subcontracting clause, FAR 52.219-14, be enforced at the TAT level for small business prime awardees in the small business reserved pool?

12. A - The contracting officer will monitor small business prime contractors' compliance with this clause through a regular deliverable report in which the contractors will report on the dollars expended for personnel, distinguishing between costs for contractor employees vs. subcontractors.

13. Q – On the HD TATs Acquisition Strategy Considerations slide from the Industry day, the Government contemplates requiring that large business prime contractors agree to subcontract (to small businesses) a certain percentage of work, expressed as a percentage of total obligated dollars. What percentage is the Government considering for this small business subcontracting plan requirement? Please also provide additional goals for small business subcategories – veteran owned, women owned, small disadvantaged businesses, HUB zone, etc.

13. A – For large businesses only, there will be a small business subcontracting requirement of12% of the total obligated dollars to small business. Additionally, FAR 52.219-9 requires large businesses to address their approach to meeting each of the statutory small business subcategory subcontracting goals (SDB 5%, WOSB 5%, HubZone 3%, and SDVOSB 3%). For both large and small businesses a small business utilization plan will be submitted to address the FAR 52.219-8 requirement.

14. Q – With the contemplated strategy of seeking to make four awards to small businesses in the small business reserved pool, does the government still plan to have a requirement for small business participation on the full and open award pool, or will you just have a requirement for small business subcontracting goals?

14. A – Yes, see the answer for question 13 above. Small businesses may also compete for an award under the full and open award pool. Small businesses will not be held to the 12% small business participation (subcontracting) requirement—nor will small businesses be required to comply with FAR 52.219-14 when competing/winning efforts under the full and open award pool.

15. Q – For TATs issued under the small business reservation pool, can the 50% of personnel costs threshold requirement (pursuant to the FAR Limitations on Subcontracting clause 52.219-14) be met by a combination of the prime and qualified subcontractors?

15. A – No. Per the language of the clause, at least 50 percent of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees of the concern. The "concern" is the small business prime contractor only, not the team. However, there are some exceptions when using joint ventures (JVs); interested parties are encouraged to work with their legal advisors in exploring JV opportunities (see answer 11A above and the OSD Guidebook for Facilitating Small Business Team Arrangements located on the DoD SB website).

16. Q – Why not allow contractors in the small business reservation pool to compete for orders that are not set-aside instead of having to also win a full and open contract in order to compete for those? The implication of what was stated earlier (at Industry Day) is that small business prime contractors will be precluded from competing for work unless the task order is directed to the small business reservation pool, thereby providing a disincentive for small businesses to propose as prime contractors.

16. A –At the time of the HD TAT proposal small businesses will have to specify if they are proposing for only the small business reservation pool, the full and open pool, or both. Small businesses that are awarded a contract for both pools will be eligible to compete for all task orders. Task orders will either be set-aside for small business (which means only awardees in the small business pool may compete for them), or they will be competed in the full and open pool.

17. Q – What value do you see in a mentor-protégé teaming arrangement competing on the small business reserved pool?

17. A –This is a business decision each company must make. As stated on page 29 of the OSD Guidebook for Facilitating Small Business Team Arrangements, "The DoD mentor-protégé arrangement is designed to provide mutual benefit both to the small business and to the more established mentor business. On the one hand, the protégé business receives invaluable technical, managerial, financial, or other types of developmental assistance from the mentor business, enabling the small business to improve contract performance. On the other hand, the mentor firm is eligible to receive either direct reimbursement for allowable costs of developmental assistance or credit toward the performance of subcontracting goals for acquisitions that require the submission of a subcontracting plan. Costs incurred by a mentor firm in assisting a protégé firm are allowable to the extent they are incurred in the performance of a contract identified in a mentor-protégé agreement, or are otherwise allowable in accordance with applicable cost principles. If the procurement is sufficiently large, a small business prime contractor and the small business subcontractor may still keep their small business designation and avoid being viewed as affiliated entities. If the NAICS code is receipts based, then the dollar value of the procurement must exceed half of the size standard. If the applicable NAICS code is employee based, then the dollar value of the procurement must exceed $10 million in order for the small business prime contractor and subcontractors to maintain their small business designation."

Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI)

18. Q – Regarding OCI, what are the rules/precautions that an HD TAT prime contractor must follow to be a subcontractor on an HD BCO contract, if this is allowed?

18. A – An HDTAT prime contractor or subcontractor may serve as a BCO subcontractor; however, the responsibility for the contractor to identify and mitigate potential OCI remains. If an OCI exists at any point, it is the responsibility of the contractor to identify this OCI and to propose a mitigation plan; the mitigation plan will be reviewed by the contracting officer. If the contracting officer determines that the mitigation plan is sufficient, the contractor may perform under the OCI within the limitations of the mitigation plan. However, if the contracting officer determines the mitigation plan is insufficient, the contractor will be precluded from performing under those circumstances that would create an unmitigated OCI.

19. Q— Why is there not an OCI restriction precluding an HDIAC BCO subcontractor from serving as an HD TATs prime or subcontractor?

19. A – An OCI may still exist for an HDIAC BCO subcontractor. In such a scenario, an OCI mitigation plan would be required to be submitted by the prime contractor and approved by the CO. If the mitigation plan was not determined to be adequate by the CO, there is a possibility that the arrangement would not be accepted.

20. Q– What OCI restrictions are placed on subcontractors to the BCO prime contractor in terms of participation as a subcontractor on the HD IAC TATs contract?

20. A –A HDIAC BCO subcontractor may serve as a prime or subcontractor on HD TATs; however, the contracting officer will require that there be an adequate OCI mitigation plan in place.

21. Q – In discussing implementation, you focus on transition and how operations and maintenance (O&M) type services are not within the scope of the TATs contracts. Would performance on a TAT restrict the contractor from participation as an O&M contractor under a different, non-IAC contract vehicle? Would participation on a TAT be perceived as an OCI if a follow-on contract related to the same work is issued (by another contracting office) under a different contract vehicle?

21. A – The IAC Program cannot make this determination. Identification of potential OCI arising on a case-by-case basis is the responsibility of the contractor. Assessment of whether an OCI exists in the type of situation described above would be the responsibility of the Procurement Contracting Officer for the specific acquisition. There is a possibility that the R&D work performed under an IAC TAT could created an unmitigatable OCI with respect to that contractor participating on a related follow-on O&M requirement.

Biosafety Lab Level 3 (BSL 3) and Chemical Surety Facilities

22. Q – The current CBRNIAC contract requires both BSL 3 and chemical surety facilities – will the HD TATs contract require both?

22. A – Yes, the solicitation will include a requirement for the prime contractor to have access to both.

23. Q – For the HD TATs requirement for the contractor to have a Biosafety Level (BSL) 3 laboratory – can the team (i.e., the team member/subcontractor) possess this capability or is this a requirement that the prime contractor must possess?

23. A –The solicitation will require the prime contractor to have access to a Biosafety Level 3 laboratory and chemical surety facility. The solicitation will not require the prime contractor to possess/own/manage/control the facilities outright. Access can be demonstrated through various approaches including using a subcontractor that has the facility(ies).

24. Q – Are the requirements for a Top Secret facility clearance and BSL3 lab required for the prime contractor, both large and small?

24. A- The prime contractor, whether large or small, must possess a Top Secret facility clearance and have access to a BSL3 laboratory at the time they submit their proposal.

25. Q – Given the BSL3 laboratory requirement, will the Government publish a list of BSL 3 labs to facilitate teaming?

25. A – Offerors are responsible for identifying necessary resources and potential team members to propose on the effort.

Post-Award TAT Ordering Processes

26. Q – Does the RA decide on how a TAT task order proposal will be competitively evaluated (Best Value, LPTA, or PPT)?

26. A –The contracting officer will make a determination regarding what evaluation methodology is most suitable for the acquisition contingent on the specific circumstances of the acquisition (e.g. type and complexity of the requirement) along with input from the Requesting Activity (RA).

27. Q - Are the intelligence community's Government agencies prospective users of the IAC contracts?

27. A – Yes. DTIC can provide contracting support to all Governmental agencies (DoD and Non-DoD) in areas of mutual focus.

28. Q – Is there any expected negative impact to the average pre-award lead time for a TAT once the requirement for a BCO literature search is implemented into the process?

28. A – No, it is anticipated that the literature search will be conducted concurrently while other pre-award reviews/finalization of the requirements package is being performed, therefore any impact on award lead time should be minimal.

29. Q – Will all prospective TAT awards go through the pre-award literature search conducted by the BCO contractor; if yes, how long will the BCO have to complete its review?

29. A – Yes. A timeline goal for the review has not been established; however, the BCO generally conducts these requests within the scope of its 4-hour technical inquiry service.

30. Q – Will the post-award gap analysis be a deliverable under the TAT contract?

30. A - The TAT contractor awardee will be expected to build upon the literature search results when preparing deliverables; the post-award gap analysis will be a required deliverable under each TAT PWS.

31. Q – Will the future MAC contracts have a requirement for 10% of the total TAT ceiling value to be committed/obligated on a MIPR by the requiring activity up front as part of the TAT requirements package, as is the case with the legacy IAC contracts? Most customers get incremental funding and find this approach to be a challenge.

31. A – This policy will be applied to TATs valued at approximately $25m and higher. Since 10% of the total TAT ceiling value (for all years of the TAT combined) typically equates to the cost of approximately 3 to 4 months of effort in the base year, requiring this funding up front at time of award is considered to be an appropriate control to ensure that the contractor will not run out of funding after only 1-2 months of performance. The IAC Government team will work with Government customers requesting TATs of all dollar values to establish an appropriate, reasonable and workable initial funding level. The RFP and resultant contracts will include the intended process requirements.

32. Q - Since it was stated at Industry Day that pre-award lead time is up to 75 days for the last four steps of the ordering process (e.g., receipt and approval of a complete and "ready" TAT requirements package by the contracting officer, through TAT award), what is the average time to complete steps one through five (e.g., initiation of the requirement by the RA and completion of a complete and "ready" requirements package)?

32. A – The lead times for these steps differ significantly depending on the requirement, involvement of the customer, and other factors. A Task Order Competition and Ordering process will be delineated in the RFP and included in the resultant contracts.

33. Q –What are the maximum value (ceiling price) limits on the multiple award TAT contracts?

33. A – Total ceiling values for each of the multiple award TAT contract constructs are posted on the industry day slides (slide 34). SNIM TATs $2B, HD TATs $900M, DS TATs $3B. Individual Task orders are limited to under $100M.

34. Q – Are the Advanced Planning Matrices available on a periodic basis? Are they published on a regular basis?

34. A –The Advanced Planning Matrix is sent to all prime contract holders each time the matrix is updated, or on a weekly basis if multiple updates are made within one week.

Contract Cost Estimates/TAT Volume/Level of Effort

35. Q - Please cover results to date in ordering under the SNIM contract –how many TAT awards, areas/domains and value?

35. A – To date, there have been 8 task order awards under SNIM, representing various dollar values, and covering all of the SNIM focus areas. Recently, we have experienced a growth of interest in SNIM, such that currently, there are over 20 new SNIM task order efforts at various stages of the review process.

36. Q – Given the historical information on CBRNIAC sales/TATs can we expect this level of effort to continue on HD TATs – or is it (the sales) driven more by the contractor currently running CBRNIAC? For example, SNIM historical sales (under legacy contracts) were substantial but that did not transfer to the SNIM contract. What is a fair expectation?

36. A –There are many factors involved in determining expected value under the HD TAT contracts, as well as accounting for the throughput on the SNIM contract to date. The overall ceiling value for the HD TAT acquisition reflects the Government’s best estimate of the expected value of task order awards under these contracts over a 5-year ordering period.

37. Q – With respect to the estimate of a $900m ceiling value for the HD TATs contract vehicle, is that applicable per contractor or for all of the approximately 10 awardees combined?

37. A – The $900m ceiling applies to the cumulative value of all Task Orders issued to the multiple award contract holders.

38. Q - What are the rough cost estimates for the HD IAC BCO contract and the DS IAC BCO contract? Previous guidance was about $30M/$100M respectively.

38. A – Since the previous industry day, the government has revised several elements of the acquisition strategy, affecting estimated value of all contracts. For HDIAC BCO, the Government estimates 14 FTEs to cover the “non-CAT” work, and has incorporated $15M in CAT value across the total 5-year period of performance. For DSIAC BCO, details have not been finalized, but will be based on further market research and other analyses currently being conducted.

39. Q - Can you discuss the expected TAT expansion and expected value of requirements for medical and biological as contrasted with expected chemical program needs? What are you expecting based on what customers are describing to you that they will want to procure?

39. A –Across the federal Government, budgets for these areas provide a significant opportunity for expanded support under the IAC Program; however, the Government does not have any guarantee or commitment regarding how much of this work will be supported under the HD TAT contract.

40. Q – With respect to the HD TATs contract ceiling value, at an average of $5.7M TAT (experienced on CBRNIAC), multiplying this by the average of 50 TATs per year (experienced on CBRNIAC), this would mean that CBRNIAC requirements are approximately $1.5B over 5 years. Given that the HD TATs contract will include new scope areas in addition to CBRN, why is the HD TATs ceiling value estimated at only $900M?

40. A – There are many factors involved in determining expected value under the HD TAT contract. The overall ceiling value for HD TAT reflects the Government’s best estimate of the expected value of task order awards for all contracts over its 5-year ordering period (also see answer #36).

41. Q – As a single award contract, CBRNIAC appealed to the customer base as a rapid contracting tool. How will the DTIC PM maintain the appeal to a broad customer base given a multiple award approach? One example of "appeal" would be a short timeline from the request for proposal to award and execution.

41. A – Reference industry day slides 38-47; the Government recognizes the importance of speed and ease of use, and has incorporated a focus on these into its business processes.

42. Q – What will DTIC do to market and bring TATs to the HD TAT program? Does DTIC expect contractors to bring work to the multiple award TATs contracts?

42. A – Many Government agencies and customers are already well aware of DTIC and more will learn about HD TATs through discussions with successful HD TAT awardees. Although DTIC has a limited marketing budget for HD TATs we will market the program through various means, and the Customer Support Cell will be available to follow up in detail with prospective customers, once they express initial interest.

Acquisition Timeline

43. Q – How are you doing on your acquisition cycle timeline currently posted on the Industry Day slides (see Acquisition Planning slide)?

43. A – The estimated timelines are the most current and accurate information available at this time.

44. Q – What are the approximate planned dates for issuance of the RFPs for HD TATs and DS TATs? This was omitted from the Industry Day slides.

44. A – The draft HD TAT RFP is planned for this summer and the DS TAT RFP is this Fall. A Draft RFP will precede the formal RFPs by approximately 60-90 days.

45. Q – Why is it taking so long to award the BCO and TATs contracts?

45. A – The dates provided for the BCO and TAT acquisitions at the 7 March Industry day is the Governments best estimates and we are working hard to meet those dates. There are many factors in the award process that must all be met to ensure that awards meet stated Government requirements and represent the best value.

Source Selection

46. Q –In the contemplated "performance/price tradeoff" source selection strategy, if price and past performance are assigned equal values, then what does "tradeoff" mean?

46. A – In the contemplated strategy, past performance and price will be "approximately equal." Whenever the Government source selection approach allows for an award to be made to other than the lowest priced acceptable Offeror, as will be the case with HD TATs, a tradeoff analysis must be conducted by the Source Selection Authority to determine which proposal(s) offer the best value. Regardless of whether the Government determines that best value is offered by the lowest priced proposal or a higher priced proposal, the tradeoff analysis will justify and document the rationale for the decision. The Government will weigh whether strengths offered by a higher priced proposal, if any, justify paying a price premium over other acceptable but lower priced proposals. Section M of the RFP will describe the Government’s evaluation methodology.

47. Q – With respect to the skill set/cost pricing matrix model, please elaborate on its purpose in proposal evaluation.

47. A – Per FAR 15.304(c)(1), cost or price to the Government shall be evaluated in every source selection. For cost-reimbursement contracts FAR 15.305 states that evaluations shall include a cost realism analysis. The skill set/cost pricing matrix model will be used to accomplish this.

48. Q – Will examples of past performance be required just from the prime contractor or will they be required from subcontractors as well?

48. A – The solicitation will allow primes to submit past performance information on their subcontractors. A specific requirement regarding the number of prime or subcontractor past performance submissions has not been finalized.

49. Q – Will there be sample task requirements to cover the "new" scope areas in HD TATs (i.e., those that were not covered under CBRNIAC)?

49. A – There are two sample tasks that will likely cover four scope areas – one sample task for Homeland Defense/Security and Critical Infrastructure Protection, and one sample task for Weapons of Mass Destruction and CBRN defense. Experience and capability for Biometrics, Medical, Cultural Studies and Alternate Energy will be accessed via a separate section of the Technical volume [submittal].

50. Q – Is the proposal requirement for the small business reserved pool and the full and open pool going to be identical?

50. A – At this time the intent is for them to be evaluated essentially the same. The full and open pool evaluation will include small business utilization factors and subcontracting plan requirements, as appropriate, and the small business reserved pool may include some small business utilization factors in addition to the requirements in FAR 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting. Section M of the RFP will include the specific evaluation criteria for each of the competition pools.

51. Q – How will the evaluation strategy recognize the value of innovation that is important to the DTIC customers? The performance/price tradeoff evaluation does not allow credit for innovation.

51. A – The performance/price tradeoff evaluation approach will take into account Offerors' records of innovation and problem solving on past projects (past performance). While the technical factor will be evaluated on a "pass/fail" basis, an Offeror's demonstration that they are capable of doing innovative work will be a necessary element to earn an acceptable rating. Additionally, Innovation will be considered when evaluating proposals for individual TAT requirements.

52. Q – Would you elaborate on the "Sample TATs" component of the source selection evaluation? In other words, what will the Offeror be expected to provide in that area...is it a technical proposal of sorts?

52. A – The two Sample TATs will be a subfactor under the Technical Factor. Although specific requirements for what Offerors will need to address have not been finalized the two sample TATs will be evaluated as part of the Technical proposal. Specific evaluation criteria will be included in Section M of the RFP.

53. Q – What groups are doing the pass/fail evaluations for the TATs contracts source selections (e.g., clients, contracts)?

53. A – The technical evaluation team (part of the overall source selection evaluation team) will include representatives from the IAC customer organizations, as well as contracting officer representatives.

54. Q – Are Federally Funded Research and Development Centers and Department of Defense/Department of Energy Laboratories able to submit proposals on the full and open pool?

54. A – DTIC is not placing additional restrictions on these entities; however, each is subject to the terms and conditions of their sponsoring agreements. These entities, if proposing, will be evaluated in light of those conditions and the requirements of FAR 35.017-1 and DFARS 235.017-1.

Scope, IAC Program, Post-Award Performance

55. Q - What NAICS code(s)/size standards will apply to HD TATs?

55. A - The NAICS code and size standard for HD TATs will be, NAICS 541712 -Research and Development, Physical, Engineering, Life Sciences (except Biotechnology), with a size standard of 500 employees. The same NAICS code / size standard will apply to both the full and open pool and the small business reservation pool.

56. Q – Is there a minimum requirement for the prime contractor to participate (perform with its own employees) 30% in all tasks?

56. A – Yes. FAR 52.215-23 "Limitations on Pass-Through Charges" and FAR 52.215-22," Limitations on Pass-Through Charges-Identification of Subcontract Effort “will be included in the TATs contract and will also apply to each TAT. See FAR 15.408(n) for further details.

57. Q – When a TAT is performed at the request of a particular agency, who determines data distribution limitations on the data product? Can DTIC overrule the agency?

57. A – The TAT contract will contain mandated distribution requirements that the agency cannot overrule. The customer agency may supplement these with additional distribution requirements specific to their agency needs.

58. Q – How do you envision the revised IACs integrating with the Research and Evaluation Communities of Interest program?

58. A – The IACs are currently working together with the Communities of Interest, and will continue to do so in areas of mutual focus.

59. Q – Is there a DoD standard for conducting TATs or are we expected to apply customary and usual research and development practices for deliverables?

59. A –There is no single overarching standard. Customer agencies will specify any requirements in the performance work statement applicable to their specific TAT.

60. Q – You stated the IAC TATs can also be used for operational and tactical work besides research. Can you give some homeland defense scope examples of the differences and definitions differentiating tactical and operational work? For example, where would training fit in or planning?

60. A – It is not practical to attempt to fully answer this question here with examples, and no definitions of these terms exist, but the HD TATs PWS will contain a detailed description of the types of services that are considered to be within scope. As a general rule, R&D services or advisory and assistance services performed in support of an R&D effort would be considered in-scope. Commercial- type, routine, operations and maintenance, or staff augmentation services that do not generate scientific and technical information and do not result in furthering the scientific/technical understanding or interests of the wider S&T community would not be considered in-scope. With respect to training, please see the task description at paragraph 1.4.16 of the draft HD TATs PWS posted on FedBizOpps (Solicitation FA8075-12-R-0002).

Solicitation Terms and Conditions and Funding

61. Q – In the original Request for Information announcement (for HD TATs) issued last year, it was specified that small businesses were required to have an approved accounting system in place. Commonly, small businesses do not receive a DCAA audit prior to having sufficient cost reimbursement type contracts. Therefore, would you accept a DCAA compliant accounting system with an extensive history of Government contracting?

61. A –Per FAR 16.301-3, a cost-reimbursement contract may be used only when the contractor’s accounting system is “adequate” for determining costs applicable to the contract or order. No cost-plus-fixed-fee contract shall be awarded unless the contracting officer complies with all limitations in FAR 15.404-4(c)(4)(i) and 16.301-3. The contracting officer’s cost/pricing team may need to enlist the assistance of DCAA in determining whether an Offeror's accounting system meets this requirement. A full audit is usually not required for DCAA to make this type of recommendation. Additionally, should issues arise with DCAA scheduling/timeliness in conducting small business audits, the SBA may help in providing Certificates of Competency.

62. Q – Will the Service Contract Act with Wage Determinations be applicable to HD IAC?

62. A – No.

63. Q – What is the percentage fee for contract management?

63. A – It is assumed that the questioner is referring to the DTIC "Customer Shared Direct Cost" applied to TATs that must be funded by a customer requiring activity for each TAT. This amount is currently 0.7% (seven tenths of one percent) but is subject to change.

64. Q – What are the colors of funding that can be placed on the IAC TATs contracts?

64. A – The primary colors of funding for this acquisition will be Research and Development (R&D) and Operations and Maintenance (O&M) funding. The Economy Act is the general statutory authority that allows customers to order from DTIC on a cost-reimbursable basis. The customer (Requesting Activity) is responsible for certifying the funds submitted to DTIC are appropriate and proper for the time (period of performance), purpose (requirement being procured), and amount. Certification is made on the DD Form 448, MIPR (per DoD FMR Vol 11A, Chap 3, 030402).

IAC BCO – Specific Questions

65. Q – Areas such as "medical", "cultural studies" and "alternative energy" are very large. Will there be adequate funding for the HDIAC BCO contractor to build new information collections?

65. A – All scope areas and requirements have been accounted for in the budget for the HDIAC BCO.

66. Q – Will models, products and tools developed by the existing legacy IAC contractors be transferred or otherwise made available to the follow-on BCO contractors?

66. A – All scientific and technical information within the repository, collected/developed with Government funds, will be transferred to the follow-on BCO contractor.

67. Q – When the CSIAC BCO contractor begins performing the contract this summer, will it eventually hold an Executive Steering Committee (ESC) meeting and will all SNIM TAT contractors participate?

67. A – As described on industry day slide 46, the ESC meeting will include participation and input from both BCO and TAT contractors. A specific schedule for the meeting of the CSIAC ESC has not been finalized.

Miscellaneous Industry Day Questions

68. Q – Will there be a published list of attendees for the March 7, 2012 Industry Day?

68. A – Yes, see FedBizOpps Special Notice for solicitation FA8075-12-R-0002 – a list of attendees was posted on March 15, 2012.

69. Q – What is the website for information on the IAC program?

69. A -- http://iac.dtic.mil/

70. Q – Will the presentation slides from Industry Day be made available to attendees?

70. Q – Yes, see FedBizOpps Special Notice for solicitation FA8075-12-R-0002 – the slides were posted on March 9, 2012.

71. Q – Would it be possible to obtain a breakdown of TATs by end user/customer agency, similar to the slide presented at Industry Day with a percentage breakdown of TATs by technical area?

71. A – DTIC will provide relevant historical information, as available, specific to each of the new acquisitions; this information will be incorporated into the appropriate draft RFP(s).