ITCC Industry Day Q and A 22 - 24 Oct 2019.pdf

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and FAR 3.104

ITCC INDUSTRY DAY Q&A RESPONSES

FA8201-19-R-ITCC Hill AFB Information Technology Consolidated Contract (ITCC) Request for Information (RFI) was created on FBO. The Notice for Industry Day for ITCC was posted on FBO.gov under RFI FA8201-19-R-ITCC. ITCC Industry Day was held on 22-24 Oct 2019. Beta.SAM.gov replaced FBO.gov and FA8201-19-R-ITCC cannot be amended to post the ITCC Industry Day Questions and Answers.

FA8201-20-R-ITCC Hill AFB ITCC has been created and is related to FA8201-19-R-ITCC. For ease of reference, the ITCC Industry Day Slides and the updated ITCC PWS 6 Feb 2020 are also posted.

ITCC Industry Day 22-24 Oct 2019 Questions and Answers

1. What percentage of work can be subcontracted out by the 8(a) Prime?

Answer: 8(a) companies can subcontract 50 percent of work IAW 13 CFR 125.6 Limitations on subcontracting. Reference 13 CFR 125.6 and Industry Day Slides Small Business Administration (SBA) slides 15 to 20.

2. What information will be provided to help offerors prepare complete and competitive proposals?

Answer: In addition to the Performance Work Statement (PWS), 12 months of Remedy data will be provided with the draft Request for Proposal (RFP) to help potential offerors understand the different areas of the PWS (i.e., Program Manager, Consolidated Service Desk, etc). Reference Sections L and M for comprehensive instructions. The Remedy data provided will include the date and time the ticket was created, what the issue was, the solution, and the date and time the ticket was closed.

In regards to the equipment such as servers and printers, the PWS provides estimates of the total amount being supported (i.e., x number of printers, x number of servers). The estimates are provided to help potential offerors to evaluate resource allocation. The totals in the PWS are estimates and are subject to change.

3. What is most important to the government in terms of the overall performance to meet requirements?

Answer: For assistance on identifying what is most important to the government in regards to the ranking of requirements in the PWS, please reference the Industry Day slides, starting with Program

Manager slide 26. Requirements are ranked in order of importance from slide 26-29.

4. Has the Government looked into using Government Services Administration (GSA) 8(a) STARS II contract?

Answer: Yes, the government looked into the use of STARS II Indefinite Quantity Indefinite Delivery

(IDIQ) contract. To allow for flexibility and to meet the government’s need, an IDIQ contract is the anticipated contract vehicle for this requirement. Therefore, the STARS II vehicle will not be used.

Reference FAR 16.504(b) Application.

5. What is the anticipated Period of Performance (PoP)?

Answer: The government intends to award Annual Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) Task Order (TO) in

Mar 2021, with a 12 month PoP of Mar 2021 to Mar 2022. Separate task orders may be needed for additional support (i.e., WIN10 deployment) and would have a different PoP. If the work in the separate task orders are needed on a continuing basis, the work will be rolled up into the Annual CLS TO.

6. Will a transition period be allowed?

Answer: Yes, a minimum 30 day transition IAW with PWS paragraph 3.24 is planned. The government intends to award a task order for a 30 to 60 day transition period in Jan – Feb 2021, with the award of the Annual CLS TO in Mar 2021.

7. If there is Service Contract Labor Standards (formerly known as the Service Contract Act) requirement, will there be a right of first refusal?

Answer: No, 31 Oct 2019 revocation of Executive Order 13495, Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers

Under Service Contracts, removed the right of first refusal.

8. How is different workload tracked between government vs contractor server workload?

Answer: The majority of the workload is tracked through Remedy tickets. There are multiple people working together, but work is delineated through the Remedy ticketing system and does fluctuate. The contractor will be responsible for specific tasks described in the Remedy tickets assigned to them. These tasks will be wholly in control of the contractor to complete.

9. How is ISSO requests supported?

Answer: The PWS paragraph 1.4 and 1.4.1 identify the level of the Server Administration Services performed by the contractor in support of requests made indirectly by the ISSO (Civilian employee).

10. Can you explain surges?

Answer: Surges are described as an increase of call volume outside normal call volume. Monday mornings, historically, will reflect high call volume outside of traditional call volume. During these times, it is important for the contractor to have a contingency plan in place that allows additional support of the CSD. Also, the Program Manager must be cognizant of call volume and able to implement the contingency plan at first notification of call surge.

The contractor will be required to manage call volume and ticket volume on a day to day basis. But, in the event of a planned increase in LONG TERM workload, the government will request a proposal for additional personnel to support the planned workload increase. An example of planned workload increase would be deployment of WIN10 across Hill AFB UT.

11. Will the government provide full time equivalent (FTE) counts?

Answer: No, the government will not provide FTE counts. In addition to the Performance Work

Statement (PWS), 12 months of Remedy data will be provided with the draft Request for Proposal (RFP) to help potential offerors understand the different areas of the PWS (i.e., Program Manager, Consolidated Service Desk, etc) that reflects adequate staffing.

12. Will there be a discussion on proposal submissions?

Answer: Information regarding proposal submissions will be provided in the draft Section L and M when the draft RFP is released. This will include instructions to offerors regarding page limitations, format, the type of source selection and the evaluation criteria being used, etc. The draft RFP will provide an opportunity for potential offerors to address areas that need further clarification and answer questions prior to release of the official RFP.

13. Is Government looking to maintain or improve performance?

Answer: The current performance is meeting government needs and the government would like to continue to receive this standard of performance. If improvements are suggested, the government is open to reviewing potential improvements.

14. What is the contract type?

Answer: The contract type is a Single Award, Firm-Fixed Price (FFP) IDIQ contract.

15. Will there be separate CLINs for supplies and parts?

Answer: There are no CLINs for supplies or parts. The government purchases supplies and parts separate from this contract and provides the items to the contractor.

16. Will the operating system (OS) modernize?

Answer. Microsoft Windows 10 is the current OS. The Standard Desktop Configuration (SDC) is based off of Windows 10 Versions. It is produced and required for use by the Air Force Enterprise

Configuration Management Office (AFECMO). As new versions are released, the SDC is updated and pushed to client devices.

17. What is required for software sustainment?

Answer: Software sustainment is not part of this effort.

18. What items are under warranty and what items have spares?

Answer: For items under warranty, the contractor contacts the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) on behalf of the customer for elevated troubleshooting to repair or replace items. The costs associated with the repair of the under warranty items are covered by the customer and are not included in this effort.

For items not under warranty, the contractor will respond to the ticket and take the necessary action to identify what is needed to repair or replace an item. The government has spares for some items in bench stock. When items need to be replaced and are not replaced due to the lack of availability of spares, the lack of spares is taken into account in regards to meeting the metrics and the contractor is not held responsible for areas not in their control.

19. With FFP, how will surges be dealt with?

Answer: Reference questions 5 and 10. The government provides the averages and Remedy data, but the contractor is responsible to manage workload to meet metrics. Separate task orders may be needed for additional support (i.e., WIN10 deployment) and would have a different PoP. If the requirement in the separate task orders are needed on a continuing basis, the requirement will be rolled up into the

Annual CLS TO.

20. In PWS paragraph 1.4., do admins work with virtualized servers?

Answer: Yes, there are virtualized machines for VMWare and Microsoft Hypervisor.

21. Why is Time and Material (T&M) not being used as the contract type?

Answer: The use of FFP contract type is appropriate for this commercial service. The approval to use

T&M is extensive and is not being pursued for this requirement.

22. Is Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) being used?

Answer: The acquisition strategy with the use of LTPA or Tradeoff has not been approved and is not determined at this time. The goal is to award using Tradeoff, but the strategy is subject to change and requires approval from both the Source Selection Authority (SSA) and Clearance Approval Authority

(CAA).

23. Has government considered including a past performance evaluation if using Tradeoff?

Answer: Reference answer to question 12. Information regarding proposal submissions will be provided in the draft Section L and M when the draft RFP is released. This will include instructions to offerors regarding page limitations, format, the type of source selection and the evaluation criteria being used, etc. The draft RFP will provide an opportunity for potential offerors to address areas that need further clarification and answer questions prior to release of the official RFP.

24. Has the government evaluated the increase in tickets including the root cause, the increase of users, and expected growth?

Answer: Yes. There is not a specific reason that has been identified for the increase, but many factors could contribute to the increase of tickets. Factors impacting the increase in tickets range from Hill AFB growing in the number of users and the users’ confidence in having their issue resolved to email going down over weekend or a JAVA push that usually tanks the system.

25. What type of vehicle support is needed for Expeditor services?

Answer: PWS paragraph 1.0 and 1.2.4. identifies the contractor shall provide transportation. PWS paragraph 1.3.6 describes the Expeditor services including asset delivery. The contractor will determine the appropriate vehicle(s) to use for equipment that ranges from palletized items, i.e., 300 computers, to boxes of laptops. The government provides a parking space for the contractor vehicle used for

Expeditor services at Building 850, Hill AFB UT. Transportation of equipment occurs regularly on this contract.

26. With Giant Voice, what is needed in regards to the personnel and vehicle for Preventative

Maintenance Inspection (PMI)?

Answer: PWS paragraph 1.7 Giant Voice Support and paragraph 1.2.4 Transportation and Parking addresses Giant Voice PMIs.

27. Where is the section for cyber security in the PWS? What is required in regards to cyber security management of the system?

Answer: Reference PWS paragraph 1.2.8. In addition to the answer provided to question number 9, the contractor will perform the items listed in the PWS paragraph1.4.1. Cybersecurity related examples are vulnerability management using enterprise patching tools to implement security updates and patching, automation including scripting/scheduling basic and advanced server administration tasks, and reporting

(patch status, project status).

28. What software is used, can the contractor make recommendations to the software list, and who has control over?

Answer: Reference PWS paragraph 1.3.1.4. The contractor shall only install approved and licensed software listed in the Hill Air Force Base Enclave Software List. The government controls the approved and licensed software on the list. Recommendations are welcomed, but software but must be tested and approved before using on the AFNET.

29. Is the government more comfortable with contracts that have a subcontractor or subcontractors?

Answer: Reference answer to question 1. Other than an 8(a) participant’s eligibility and limitations on subcontracting, the government does not have a preference in regards to an 8(a) Prime contractor’s decision to subcontract.

30. When will the RFP be released?

Answer: The estimated acquisition schedule is included in the Industry Day slide 11. The final RFP release is projected for March 2020, but is subject to change.

31. Will the government provide labor categories, what certifications are needed, and when are certifications required?

Answer: Yes, the government will provide labor categories. Reference answer to question 2. In addition to the Performance Work Statement (PWS), 12 months of Remedy data will be provided with the draft Request for Proposal (RFP) to help potential offerors understand the different areas of the

PWS (i.e., Program Manager, Consolidated Service Desk, etc). Reference Sections L and M for comprehensive instructions. The Remedy data provided will include the date and time the ticket was created, what the issue was, the solution, and the date and time the ticket was closed.

The PWS identifies required certifications including certifications and qualifications that are required to be completed at the time of award for the contractor to be qualified for award.

32. When is the contractor required to have the approved DD254 DoD Contract Security Classification

Specification?

Answer: The PWS paragraph 3.11 and 3.12 address security requirements including the DD254 requirements. To be eligible for award, the Prime 8(a) and all subcontractors will require an approved

DD254 with a Secret facilities clearance to be in place at the time of award.

33. What monitoring tools are in place, if any, for the performance and health monitoring of the service and network system and is the government open to additions?

Answer: SCCM, BMC, and McAfee HBSS are in place and we are open to other tools if IAW PWS paragraph 1.3.1.4.

34. Has the government considered an 8(a) direct award?

Answer: The estimated total award value of this requirement would exceed the $22M limit for an 8(a) direct award.

35. What commercial mobile technology (laptops, tablets, or phones) are being used?

Answer: Various technology is being used across Hill AFB, most notable to this requirement is the use of ruggedized laptops in the maintenance areas.

36. What is the greatest risk the government is looking to minimize?

Answer: The evaluation factors will identify the risks the government is looking to minimize.

37. Is the government seeking a J&A to award a sole award in excess of $22M?

Answer: No, the government is not seeking a justification or determination to award a sole source contract for this requirement.

38. Who is responsible for consumables for the printers?

Answer: Each organization is responsible for the purchase of consumables for each printer, as well as replacement parts and devices.

39. For Host-based Security System (HBSS), does the contractor control HBSS to support this requirement, or is HBSS provided as a service requiring work with a separate group?

Answer: The HBSS tool (agent) is provided. The contractor will monitor the functionality by using the tool to ensure proper connectivity between device and end sensor.

40. Is there a list or inventory of equipment of to be maintained that includes the number and model/type of printers, number and type of servers, and the software on the servers?

Answer: The PWS includes estimates (i.e., 4,500 printers). The estimates in the PWS are subject to change.

41. How is travel reimbursed on the contract?

Answer: Travel required in the performance of duties (i.e., expeditor support), are not priced as separate travel. Employee travel, if compensated, is included in their compensation and compensated by the employer. Employee travel includes trips to the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR), Little

Mountain, etc. There is no travel CLIN anticipated on this contract and any travel reimbursement would be the responsibility of the contractor.

42. Is overtime required?

Answer: Overtime is not required to support core hours of 6 am to 6 pm. There are times work is required other than the core hours (i.e., a software patch completed on a Saturday). The contractor is responsible to adjust work schedule from week day to Saturday to complete a software patch on a

Saturday.

43. What training is required to be performed by the contractor?

Answer: Training is not a substantial part of this requirement. Training usually consists of preparation of a word document with step by step instructions for a new feature to be provided to users and is not podium type training.

44. How many total ruggedized laptops are there for e-tools, how many laptops are in each cart and how many total carts? Are devices already configured or is contractor required to load for each aircraft?

Is there a standard disk, receive image and patch?

Answer: The exact total number of ruggedized laptops or carts is not currently available. The average ticket count per month is approximately 180. All devices are already configured and devices will receive updates via the network. The Remedy data to be provided with the draft RFP includes the tickets for the e-tools ruggedized laptops and carts.

45. What is expected with cross utilization?

Answer: Having a wide diversity to resolve both Leve1 1 Tier end device and help desk and Level 2 tier back shop is beneficial.

46. How is the government organized functionally and how does the contractor line up?

Answer: The contractor is expected to complete the requirement in accordance with the PWS. The contractor shall provide services compliant with 75 ABW/SC and AFNet policy and standards for end device support and IT equipment management.

47. Does the government see metrics of whole performance or just the contractor’s performance?

Answer: The government tracks metrics for all Remedy use, contractor and government equally. The contractor’s performance is based off of tickets assigned to contract personnel only; government metrics are not included in contractor metrics.

48. Are metrics for both incidents and work orders?

Answer: Yes, work orders are for new but common tasks, not big projects. Tickets are a subset and include CST tickets. Service desk and CST tickets that are not resolved on first call and are a subset, there is a subset but only 1 ticket.

49. What is the break out of Unclassified Internet Protocol Router (NIPR) and Secret Internet Protocol

Router (SIPR) users?

Answer: Reference the PWS for the approximate number of end users and devices (i.e., para 1.3.4 for

Consolidated Service Desk (CSD), para 1.5.2 Network Operations, etc.).

50. For e-Tools, are there any technical refreshes in process or expected?

Answer: No major technical refreshes are expected at this time.

51. Is the government transitioning to mobile or cellular enabled tools?

Answer. The government is not transitioning to mobile tools (cellular or tablet) at this time.

52. Have you looked at Tier 0 self-help?

Answer: Yes, Tier 0 is being used for self-serve areas and is accessed by end users with an ICON on their desktop.

53. Will resumes be required to be submitted with the RFP?

Answer: If resumes are required, the instructions for submission of resumes will be included in the draft

RFP.

54. For network administration, some items are not identified like cable management, and/or dusting, what is required?

Answer: The contractor performs minor maintenance, cable maintenance, dusting and cleaning up the work area once the work is complete. Other maintenance requires the contractor to submit a work order for ground, power, etc., into a separate system and track the work order until completions.

55. What is the work schedule like for the program manager?

Answer: The PWS outlines the responsibilities and requirements of the program manager. The PM office is on site, co-located with help desk and leadership. Issues are expected to be worked through and resolved real time.

56. Does the contract repair the e-Tools cabinet or just the laptops?

Answer: The contractor repairs hardware, both laptop and the e-Tools cabinet. If cabinet or laptop is unrepairable, the contractor will respond through the ticket that the items is unrepairable and needs to be replaced.

57. Is there a time and attendance kiosk being used?

Answer: Yes, reference PWS paragraph 1.3.3.

58. Is the support agreement for Linux less than the required time from contractor?

Answer: The proprietary Linux in the TAA kiosks is not a standard Red Hat version, and may be a closed version of Linux. SCOO is still investigating these kiosks for the level of support required for Server

Administration Services.