FA8101-25-Q-0001 Q and A 24 Oct 24.pdf

Questions and Answers 24 October 2024

1. Is this the first time this service is being requested, or is there a past award that I can look into?

Response: This is a brand-new contract, there is no incumbent nor are there prior or current awards to review.

2. I see that one of the evaluation requirements is that we have 3 past performances in Red Hat Training. We have past performance in computer training but not specifically Red Hat. We have instructors who have the Red Hat System Administration (RHSA) Certification or the Red Hat System Engineer (RHSE) Certification but we have never taught a class specifically on Red Hat.

I wanted to know if that is a deal breaker for you before moving forward.

Response: The award will be made as a best-value decision based on technical, past performance, and a determination that the price is fair and reasonable. This criterion includes the past performance and the relevancy of that performance but encompasses other factors. The Government cannot give guidance as to whether you should submit an offer. We will weigh all the aforementioned criteria to make the best-value determination.

3. Were there any changes to the specs?

Response: Please see the Performance Work Statement to review the current specifications for this acquisition.

4. Is there a minimum amount of money dedicated to this contract?

Response: There is funding available for the requested service, however specifics about the amounts are not able to be disclosed.

5. Are there any other technical training projects similar to this one?

Response: This is a brand-new contract. Please search SAM.gov to locate and review similar technical training projects/contracts that have been awarded by other agencies.

6. Do you have a start date for the first class or the contract?

Response: Contract performance is anticipated to begin 6 January 2025.

7. Is Microsoft teams for a training platform approved?

Response: Microsoft teams is an acceptable platform and is a preferred method of delivery.

8. Pricing will have to be given for 14 classes since the distribution will be 12-14 classes, correct?

Response: The Government is requesting that pricing is provided per pupil with the associated instructor costs included. The vendor should price to the max number of pupils.

9. Is certification (exam vouchers) needed?

Response: No, the students will not be required to take an exam. A Certificate of Completion confirming the student attended the course will fulfill the requirement.

10. What course materials are needed?

Response: There is no physical course material required. IAW PWS 2 – Task Requirements, any digital pre-course/reference material must be accessible to the student 10 days before, during, and 90 days after course completion.

11. Are the classes/course being taught all virtually, live or a split of both?

Response: The courses will all be completely virtual, however instruction will be live IAW PWS paragraph 2.

12. We have reviewed SAM.gov and noted that the submission due date is Oct 29, 2024 at 02:00 pm CDT. Could you please confirm if this date is correct and if there have been any updates or amendments that may not have been posted yet?

Response: The current respond by date for quote submission is 2pm CDT on Tue 29 Oct 2024. There are no amendments pending currently. The notice is being updated as needed to publish answers to questions received concerning the solicitation.

13. Since the training is delivered in a virtual, instructor-led format, would it be permissible to hire qualified trainers from outside the United States, provided they meet the required certifications and experience, and can conduct the training according to the U.S. time zones?

Response: At this time, the Government is requiring that the trainers teaching the courses in the solicitation be US citizens. Trainers must have the required certifications and experience IAW PWS 3.2 – Special Qualifications.

14. Upon reviewing the task requirements outlined in the Performance Work Statement, it appears that the minimum coverage of topics for course completion does not encompass the full range of subjects included in the standard RH124 and RH134 course outlines. Could you please clarify whether this implies that completion certificates do not need to be official Red Hat certificates? Alternatively, is this RFP open to third-party completion certificates?

Response: The Government requires that the courses and the corresponding certificates be considered official (with RH124 and RH134 in the title) and not from a third party.