RFI QUESTION AND ANSWERS.pdf

RFI QUESTION AND ANSWERS – CTS SOLICITATION

FA850126Q0056

1. PWS SECTION 4.3 - The section includes the statement that "The Contractor

Technical Quote shall include: 1. Cost Per Minute for calls 2. Monthly cost for each SIP circuit, and 3. Option to add (Preferred Interconnection Carrier PIC/Porting) additional NPA, Prefix Ranges". Which calls does "Cost Per Minute for calls" apply to? Local, CONUS, OCONUS, International long-distance?

1. Cost Per Minute for calls separately pertains to Local, Long Distance and International each. 2.

Monthly cost for SIP circuit priced separately. 3. Option to add additional NNX (10,000) numbers.

2. PWS SECTION 4.3 - The section states "The addendum is not included in the technical quote, and 10-page limitations apply to this submittal." Is the Technical Solution portion of the proposal (Element 4 of 52.212.1:

Information necessary to evaluate the factors contained in the provision at 52.212-2 or as described in the solicitation) limited to 10 pages?

Yes, it is limited to 10 pages.

3. The Amended Synopsis states "Complete Long Distance service installation, cutover, and activation prior to 1 December 2026."

The PWS states "The cutover for this site is 90 Days after contract award."

CDRL 0003 states that "Cutover for this site is: 30 days."

Solicitation, Supplies or Services & Prices or Costs lists "Transition/Cutover: 1 Nov 2026 - 31 Jan 2027" *Please confirm the projected Transition start date and the maximum number of days the awardee will have to complete the cutover. We recommend 90 days.

CDRL 0003 Initial Installation and cutover plan is due with your quote. Transition/Cutover itself is 90 days after award, estimated award is currently 31 Oct, cutover is currently 1 Nov 26 - 31 Jan 27.

4. Regarding the requirement for a current SPRS Assessment, are offerors required to provide evidence of currency with their proposal? If so, what evidence is acceptable?

Yes, the offeror must provide evidence of their current SPRS assessment. This can be the most recent scoring documentation.

5. Regarding the CMMC requirement, are offerors required to provide evidence of their current CMMC Level with their proposal? If so, what evidence is acceptable?

Yes, the offeror must provide evidence of their current CMMC level. This can be digital certification.

6. We request an extension to the quote due date by two weeks from the release of questions & answers to provide sufficient time for offerors to provide a complete, compelling, and compliant offer.

Quotes are due 30 Sep 26.

7. Is there an incumbent contractor, and if so, who?

This is a new requirement, we do have a local telecom incumbent, but not CTS. Incumbent on the LTS contract is Windstream.

8. PWS - Is there a requirement to price OCONUS and international long-distance? If so, how should they be priced? Can offerors provide a Rate card that shows per minute rate per country/OCONUS location?

Suggest offeror study a flat rate or average all countries rate.

9. PWS - Is there a set number of CONUS long-distance minutes that should be priced? If the requirement is for unlimited CONUS long-distance, can the Government provide records for CONUS long-distance for each of the last 12 months?

There is no set amount of long-distance minutes. The needs are dependent on events that may happen at a moment’s notice. The needs would vary.

10. PWS - How many concurrent call paths are required?

460 concurrent call paths are required.

11. PWS - How many DID?

All the devices use DID.

12. Is there any guidance on proposal format (font, page limit restrictions, etc.)?

There is a 10-page limit with no font restrictions.

13. Is there a requirement for e911?

Robins has its own PSAP. E911 calls placed by commercial/Cell Phones are transferred by Houston County PSAP to Robins by way of (478)222-2900.

14. PWS 4.3 - states that cutover for this site is 90 days after contract award. CDRL

A/B/C/D/E003, Block 16, states that cutover for this site is 30 days. Which applies?

The cutover is 90 days after the contract award.

15. The evaluation criteria in the amended synopsis require long distance service installation, cutover and activation to be complete prior to 1 December 2026.

Amendment 0003 establishes a Transition/Cutover period of 1 November 2026 through 31 January 2027, with the Base Year commencing 1 February 2027. Which date governs the required activation, and is the Transition/Cutover CLIN priced against the 1 December 2026 milestone or the 31 January 2027 period end?

90 Days after award, we estimate a 30 October Award. Cutover would be 1 November 2026 – 31 January 2027.

16. PWS §4.3 states that a 10-page limitation applies to the Interconnection Agreements addendum. CDRL A003, Block 16, states that no page limitation applies to that submittal. Which is correct?

There is a 10-Page Limitation.

17. PWS Appendix 1 §5.1 requires the Contractor to provide Local, Long-Distance and International commercial communications services. The CLIN descriptions in Amendment 0003 and evaluation element (d) refer to long distance service. Will all local, long distance and international traffic for the number ranges at PWS §4.6.4 traverse the 21 PRIs provided under this contract, or is the requirement limited to long-distance service with local exchange service remaining under a separate contract?

Yes, they would traverse the 21 PRIs. SIP connectivity is preferred versus PRI. Reasoning is Carriers are moving away from the Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) Legacy connections.

18. PWS §4.6.4 refers to "PIC/Ported" NPA and prefix ranges. Are the listed ranges to be ported to the awardee under Local Number Portability, or is a Presubscribed Interexchange Carrier change intended with the numbers remaining with the current local exchange carrier? If porting is intended, who is the current carrier of record for these ranges?

Yes, they are to be ported to the awardee. The current carrier is Windstream.

19. Will 911 calls originating on the Avaya S8800 or on the Base Emergency Telephone Switch traverse the circuits provided under this contract? If so, what are the serving PSAP arrangements and which party is responsible for maintaining the ALI records?

Robins has its own PSAP. E911 calls placed by commercial /Cell Phones are transferred by Houston County PSAP to Robins by way of (478)222-2900. The Government maintains the ALI records.

20. Amendment 1 confirms this is a new requirement and that the previous requirement provided local telecommunications services only. Does an existing contract for local telecommunications services remain in place at Robins AFB during this period of performance? If so, which circuits or services is the awardee expected to coordinate with, or to ensure are disconnected, under PWS §4.3?

No, this CTS requirement (local, long distance, and international) will replace the current local telecom services contract.

21. For the Avaya S8800 running Communication Manager Aura 8.1: (a) which ISDN protocol variant is currently in use — National ISDN-2, or the AT&T 5ESS custom variant; (b) are the Government's existing PRIs configured as NFAS groups; and (c) does the Government prefer a single NFAS group across all 20 spans at Building 214, or a segmented arrangement with one or more standalone spans reserved for specific traffic?

Current commercial trunks have been transitioned to SIP. ISDN is not used.

22. PWS Appendix 1 §5.2 states that the Government will provide an Edge Boundary Controller "if available". Will an EBC be provided at either demarcation point? If so, what device is it, and at which interface does the Contractor's CPE connect to it?

Robins has deployed several Session Boarder Controllers. Awardee will submit a cut-over plan detailing integration of their services.

23. How many rack units are available for Contractor equipment in the Government-provided relay rack at Building 214 and at Building 2320? What power feeds, voltage, receptacle types and amperage are available at each location, and is the emergency conditioned power source on a distribution path separate from primary power?

One 19” R/R will be available in each location. Normal power voltage is 120 VAC. The awardee will submit their cut-over plan of needed connector type after completing survey.

24. What is the cable pathway and approximate distance between the Contractor's relay rack and the Government's DSX panel or media gateway at each demarcation point, and which party terminates the cabling at the Government end?

No longer than 50’.

25. Can the Government provide an estimate of current monthly minutes of use — domestic long distance and international — and current trunk utilization? PWS §4.3 requires a cost per minute in the technical quote, and a volume estimate is needed to price that element.

No, those metrics are tracked through the vendor.

26. Will the Government make the demarcation points at Building 214 and Building 2320 available for a site survey prior to the 30 September 2026 quote due date?

Yes, however, an “Industry Day” shall be requested through the Contracting Office. All other offerors will also be invited on the same day.

27. PWS §2.1.4 specifies on-site response times for high, medium and low-priority outages, but does not specify restoration times. Services Summary element 1 sets a 99.9% availability threshold and elements 3 through 6 require timely restoration of service 100% of the time. What restoration time will the Government hold the Contractor to for each outage priority?

The high-priority outages are to be responded to within one hour of the situation. From there, the restorations are to begin with updates on the efforts no later than every four hours. The medium-priority outages are to be responded to within 24 hours with restoration efforts. The low-priority outages are to be responded to within 5 working days of the incident.

28. Will Telecommunications Service Priority assignments be established for the circuits provided under this contract? If so, is the Contractor responsible for obtaining TSP provisioning and restoration codes, or will the Government provide them with the Restoration Priority List?

The Restoration Priority List is dictated by the 78th Communications Directorate. TSP is N/A.

29. Which CLIN carries the non-recurring cost of the Contractor-provided Customer Premise Equipment and its installation — the Transition/Cutover CLIN (0003) or the Monthly Recurring Charges CLIN (0001)?

CLINS for SIP trunk are per completed call cost shall be recurring. CLIN 0003 is one time.