FA8604-16-R-7005_DRFP_QA_Answers_FINAL.pdf

FA8604-16-R-7005

AFRL ITSS Draft RFP Questions/Comments

|Answers|

1. How can I be notified when this requirement is ready for bidding?

A. By monitoring FedBizOpps.

2. Will you consider making this an SDVOSB set aside?

A. No.

3. Will you consider making ISO 9001 a requirement?

4. Will you consider making ISO 20000 a requirement?

5. Will you consider making a successfully audited DCAA financial system a requirement?

A. Not a requirement at this time.

6. Do you have an estimated date for the final RFP release?

A. Not at this time but looking to release in a summer 2016.

7. Who is the incumbent contractor?

A. RCF Information Systems

8. If this is categorized as a new requirement, who is currently performing these services?

A. See answer to question 7 above.

9. Under what contract number are these servicing being performed today?

A. FA8604-11-D-7450

10. Will you consider making this an electronic submission only, via CD, rather than the 5 hard copies?

11. This effort requires a current Top Secret Facility Clearance. We currently possess a Secret

Facility Clearance, with our Top Secret Clearance application underway. Will the AFRL sponsor the Top Secret clearance for us, if we are awarded and still need sponsorship at that point?

12. Why is the contractor/vendor required to hold a Top Secret facility clearance at time of proposal submission even when the place of performance is at a government's location (WPAFB)?

A. The effort has been determined to require a Top Secret Facility Clearance.

13. This was a single vendor award in 2011. Why is this changed to multiple award this time?

A. A multiple award contract has been determined to be in the best interest of the Air

Force.

14. Is the Contractor Point of Contact (POC) a direct labor/billable resource?

A. The POC specified in PWS 4.6, Contractor Point of Contact, is part of the overall requirement and it is up to the Contractor to propose how to satisfy the requirement.

15. Could you please let us know the number of current incumbent vendor personnel by labor category?

A. The historical data provided on labor categories was provided in an attachment to the

DRFP.

16. Will any specific quantity or percentage of work be set-aside for 8(a) and/or other small and disadvantaged businesses?

A. No, this is a competitive small business set-aside.

17. Please confirm that claiming no past performance will result in an acceptable Past Performance Factor rating.

A. Please reference Section M, paragraph 2.3.

18. How do companies claiming no past performance use the PPI tool?

A. The PPI Tool is required to be completed to the maximum extent possible as part of your proposal.

19. Who is the incumbent? Who was the incumbent prior to the current incumbent?

A. See answer to question 7 for both questions.

20. What was the incumbent's contract period of performance?

A. Period of Performance varied by individual task order. The current IDIQ ordering period ends 31 May 2016. All task orders must be completed within 18 months of that date.

21. What was the incumbent's contract value?

A. Value varied by individual task order. The current IDIQ ceiling is $111,800,000.

22. Is the proposed work (quantity and type) identical to the incumbent contract? If no, what are the differences?

A. No, there are minor differences. The PWS provided defines the current Air Force requirements and any minor differences are irrelevant to this acquisition.

23. Is this contract covered by the Service Contract Act (SCA)? If so, please provide the appropriate

DOL wage determination.

A. Historically, the labor categories were determined to not be covered by the SCA and we do not anticipate the current labor categories to be covered by the SCA.

24. Assuming the Service Contract Act (SCA) applies, please provide a FAR 52.222-42, "Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires" (applicable DOL Wage Determination labor category and $$).

A. N/A

25. Was the incumbent contract covered by the SCA?

A. See answer to question 23.

26. Is a previous DCAA review necessary to be considered for award?

A. Not at this time.

27. Is a DCAA review necessary for final award?

A. This cannot be determined at this time.

28. Please update Section L, attachment 5, Labor Category Descriptions (each labor category) with required certifications (i.e., CompTIA+, Network+, Security+, etc).

A. DoD 8570.01-M specifies the appropriate security certifications required by function.

Each labor category in the Historical Manning Information and the sample Labor Category Descriptions identify the certification requirement for that labor category.

Additional specific certifications, if required, will be called out on individual task orders.

29. Please update Section L, attachment 5, Labor Category Descriptions (each labor category) with required clearances (i.e., Secret or Top Secret).

A. Section L will be updated to reflect those positions requiring specific security clearances.

30. Is this a FFP contract where the contractor's monthly invoice will remain the same regardless of actual hours worked?

A. Yes, as long as the vendor is meeting all requirements of the contract and PWS.

31. If this is an IDIQ contract, why are bidders being asked to populate the hours column (attachment 4, Table B, Task Orders 1,2,3). The Government will be ordering the hours; correct?

A. All requested information is necessary for the Government to properly evaluate proposals. No, as a performance based acquisition it is the contractor’s responsibility to identify the labor categories and hours to accomplish the requirements. The Government will not specify the number of hours. For proposal purposes, 1920 hours shall be used as a one person full time equivalent (FTE).

32. If bidders are required to estimate hours for each task order for this initial contract award, how does it work when the Government requests a different quantity of hours?

A. The Contractor proposes the hours necessary to satisfy the requirements identified in the PWS. The Government does not specify hours.

33. Please provide a plug-in travel value since bidders have no way of estimating contract required travel during the 5 year period.

A. Travel values will vary on individual task orders and is unknown. Not To Exceed (NTE) values will be provided on individual task orders but are not evaluated as part of the Total Evaluated Price (TEP).

34. Please provide a plug-in Equipment & Material value since bidders have no way of estimating contract required equipment & materials during the 5 year period.

A. Other Direct Cost (ODC) values will vary on individual task orders and is unknown. Not to

Exceed (NTE) values will be provided on individual task orders but are not evaluated as part of the Total Evaluated Price (TEP).

35. Was the incumbent contract also bid as an LPTA procurement? This is relevant to the fact that LPTA procurements typically result in a reduction of productive labor hours. Back-to-back LPTA procurements need to be weighed very carefully by bidders.

36. Are contract winners allowed to reduce their bid direct productive labor hours during the contract? (i.e, a contract winner finds efficiencies and reduces head count).

A. It is incumbent upon the bidder to propose appropriate number of hours to meet the requirement of the PWS for the individual task orders. The contractor is expected to staff the effort as proposed to meet all requirements.

37. Are all 3 task order PWSs identical except a) where items have been crossed out and b) appendixes)?

A. Yes.

38. Who is the incumbent contractor(s)?

A. See answer to question 7.

39. Is 100% of the work to be performed at Wright-Patterson?

A. Yes, please reference paragraph 1.1 of the PWS.

40. Is the Service Contract Act (SCA) applicable to this effort? Many labor categories listed in the task orders appear to be easily mapped to the DOL wage determinations.

41. Rather than having bidders guess at the appropriate number of hours each task order requires, can you give bidders plug hour quantities? Most bidders will simply take your historical values and reduce them to win.

A. It is incumbent upon the bidder to propose appropriate number of hours to meet the requirement of the PWS for the individual task orders.

42. What is considered a reasonable reduction in historical work force to maintain client expectations (i.e., <20%)? What reduction in historical workload would be considered unacceptable (i.e., >20%)?

A. See answer to question 41. The historical numbers are provided to assist contractors in understanding the requirement’s general magnitude.

43. Is workload data available (beyond helpdesk tickets) so we can formulate hours required to successfully execute all the proposed work? If accurate data is not available, how can non-incumbent companies know how many hours or FTEs are required?

A. All necessary information has been provided in the DRFP.

44. Over the course of the 5 year contract, can the contractor reduce staffing hours or are they held to the bid hours?

A. See answer to question 36.

45. Will the Government be ordering hours or is the contractor expected to staff on day 1 with their bid number of bodies?

A. The contract is expected to be fully staffed on day 1.

46. How much a) travel and b) materials are expected under the 3 task orders? We have nothing to base our estimates on. Could you give bidders required "not to exceed" values for bid purposes?

A. See answer to questions 33 and 34.

47. Will total evaluated price include the travel and materials line items?

A. See answer to questions 33 and 34.

48. Does the current contract have a phase-out requirement? If so, please provide it with the final

RFP so it can be taken into account in our phase-in plan.

A. The phase-out requirement for the current contract is the same as what is provided in the DRFP PWS paragraph 4.14.

49. There is no Project Manager mentioned in the Labor Rate Matrix. For efforts of this size, not having a Project Manager to manage/supervise staff equals personal services. Please explain.

A. It is up to the Contractor as to how they manage/supervise their staff on the individual task orders. Historically any “task order lead/project managers” were covered under the provided labor categories in the matrix.

50. Are there any planned technology insertions planned that could affect required staffing levels during the contract? If yes, please explain.

A. At this time, there are no known planned technology insertions.

51. Will the 3 winners (one per task order) have comingled staff? Or is there physical separation between the 3 contracts.

A. While the task orders are independent of each other, there may be times when staff is physically located in the same area.

52. Please verify the contractor facility clearance requirement consistency in the RFP. It varies between TS and Secret.

A. See answer to question 12.

53. What is the dress code for contractors under this contract?

A. Appropriate business attire required.

54. If a bidder does NOT have a TS FCL, but has an active Secret FCL, will a DD254 be provided to secure a TS FCL?

A. See answer to questions 11 and 12.

55. Does a bidder have to have an active TS FCL at the time of proposal submission?

A. Yes, see answer to questions 11 and 12.

56. Does the DD254 sponsor the bidder for securing the necessary Top Secret FCL?

57. If the bidder is sponsored, at what date does the Top Secret FCL need to be achieved?

A. At the time of proposal submission.

58. How is the government expecting industry to bid on the various Task Orders? Specifically, the indirect costs applied to the labor rates of a task order will vary according to the number of FTEs required, so a 50 FTE task order rate will differ from a 19 or fewer FTE task order rate. If respondents bid the 50 FTE rate for all task orders and only win the 17 FTE task order, they may not be able to cover indirect costs or, will industry be allowed to add the IT manager position as a billable position on a task order as task order lead/project manager after contract award?

A. Task orders will be awarded on a fixed-price basis. It is incumbent upon the contractor to determine how to bid their rates for the matrices and task orders. Historically any “task order lead/project managers” were covered under the provided labor categories in the matrix.

59. Will the project lead for a task order(s), even if not directly billable, work in government facilities and be provided access to government furnished equipment as outlined in the PWS?

A. If the project lead is not directly billable to a specific effort, he will not be supported on base. It is up to each contractor to determine how to “manage” the work performed under each individual task order. Historically any project managers, if necessary, were covered under the provided labor categories in the matrix.

60. Are these services provided through any guidance from the government or the Air Force (1.1, Scope, pg 2)?

A. Paragraph 1.1 of the PWS specifies the general scope of the contract. The specific requirements are defined in section 1.4 of the PWS.

61. Does the continuity of operation plan describe specific steps for restoring service? Or is the vendor responsible for defining the continuity of service recovery plan (1.1, Scope, pg. 2)?

A. Yes. Each organization has their own COOP. The COOP describes critical functions/information for the organization and how quickly those functions need to be restored. The government is responsible for identifying those functions/data in an approved plan.

62. Is the testing and operations execution of the continuity of operations plan defined by an existing document (1.1, Scope, pg. 2)?

A. No. Random periodic testing is performed to ensure proper documentation of continuity of operations and to account for any changes in the physical environment.

63. Are the existing IT services support documented (1.3, Objective, pg. 2)?

A. Paragraph 1.3 of the PWS provides the overall objective of the work to be accomplished.

Specific requirements are defined in section 1.4 of the PWS.

64. Is there an existing board chart for these services (1.4.1 Computer Support, pg. 3)?

A. No. See answer to question 63.

65. What qualifications are needed for the telephone support helpdesk (1.4.1, Computer Support,

pg. 3)?

A. See PWS para 1.4.1.1 and the appropriate labor category descriptions.

66. Are there specific hardware support certifications required (1.4.1.2 Help Desk Field Service Operations, pg. 3)?

A. No. It’s the contractor’s responsibility to propose appropriate certifications to fulfill the requirement. Reference 1.4.1.1.2

67. What are the specific multiple generations of Microsoft Windows UNIX Linux and other proprietary operating systems (1.4.1.2, Help Desk Field Service Operations, pg. 3)?

A. Please refer to the environmental information provided as part of Section L.

68. What is the specific guidance for handling materials (1.4.1.1.5, Help Desk Field Service

Operations, pg. 4)?

A. Guidance is provided in 1.4.1.1.5, 1.4.9 and covered by AFI 33-153, 26 June 2015, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Supplement

69. How is specific warranty repairs reconciled with the manufacturer's policy (1.4.1.1.6, Help Desk Field Service Operations, pg. 4)?

A. The requirement is to coordinate and facilitate those warranty repairs, not actually repair items under warranty.

70. What are the specific regulations for information assurance? Are these in NIST, Air Force or other government guidelines (1.4.1.1.8, Help Desk Field Service Operations, pg. 4)?

A. AFI 33-200, Air Force Cybersecurity Program Management

AFI 33-210, Air Force Certification And Accreditation (C&A) Program (ACAP) AFI 33-141, Air Force Information Technology Portfolio Management and IT Investment Review AFMAN 33-282, Computer Security (COMPUSEC) NIST 800-53, Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations ICD 503, Intelligence Community Information Technology Systems Security Risk Management, Certification And Accreditation AFMAN 33-282, Computer Security (COMPUSEC) AFMAN 33-283, Communications Security (COMSEC) Operations AFI 10-712, Cyberspace Defense Analysis (CDA) Operations And Notice And Consent Process AFI 10-1701, Command and Control (C2) for Cyberspace Operations AFI 33-150, Management of Cyberspace Support Activities AFI 33-115, Air Force Information Technology Service Management AFMAN 33-285, Cybersecurity Workforce Improvement Program And Others, as Applicable

71. What is the definition of immediate (1.4.1.1.9, Help Desk Field Service Operations, pg. 4)?

A. Occurring, acting, or accomplished without loss or interval of time.

72. What is the existing call management system and will training be provided by that vendor (1.4.1.1.11, Help Desk Field Service Operations, 1.4.1.1.11, pg. 4)?

A. Each organization may have a unique call tracking system, either commercial (i.e.

Remedy) or internally developed. Due to the simplistic nature of the systems, only informal training is necessary during the transition to the new contract.

73. Is existing user training in place and currently being delivered (1.4.1.2, User Training, pg. 4?

A. Yes, training is provided on an as-needed basis.

74. What is the definition of medium and the definition of high priority (1.4.1.3, Incident Priorities,

pg. 4)?

A. PWS will be corrected to reflect priority levels 1-4 as defined in revised paragraph

1.4.1.3.

75. What are the guidelines for configuration management (1.4.2, Application Development and Configuration Management, pg. 4)?

A. Reference Section 1.4.2.10.

76. What data acquisition and data analysis processes are specifically being applied today (1.4.2.2, Application Development and Configuration Management, pg. 5)?

A. They vary by organization. The contractor will develop the tools to allow the government researchers to perform data acquisition and data analysis.

77. Are there specific software development lifecycle, requirements gathering and specifications, and solutions frameworks to meet this requirement (1.4.2.4, Application Development and Configuration Management, pg. 5)?

A. They vary by organization. The contractor is to assist the government in the areas specified in 1.4.2.4.

78. For the development requirements what skill sets are required beyond knowledge of Oracle

Microsoft SQL and other database systems and the web services? Is knowledge of the applications the use of those applications and the outcomes of those applications require (1.4.2.5 , Application Development and Configuration Management, pg. 5)?

A. It is the contractor’s responsibility to bid appropriate skill sets to meet the requirements specified. Environmental information for each task order is provided which indicates common software tools used. All developers must meet the requirements for IASAE-type positions for the baseline certifications IAW DoD 8560.01-M and further refined by

AFMAN 33-285.

79. Is the configuration management process defined by any external guidance? In this section what is the definition of government configuration control manager and is that definition guided by external regulations? In this section is the CM DB defined and in use currently (1.4.2.10, Application Development and Configuration Management, pg. 5)?

A. No, each of the organizations supported by one or more of Task Order(s) may have their own CM Process. The Government configuration control manager is the manager in charge of the functional and physical characteristics of the software.

80. Is there any existing network management and configuration management software in place and being used today (1.4.3, Planning, pg. 6)?

A. Yes, varying by organization and level.

81. Are there specific certifications required to support the network implementation (1.4.4, Network Implementation, pg. 6)?

A. See answer to questions 28, 66 and 80.

82. Are there existing integration architectures to be used to guide this work (1.4.5, Systems

Integration, pg. 6)?

A. Existing architecture & interface diagrams exist for the major networks used by AFRL.

83. Are there standard maintenance release cycles in place? Do these release cycles follow any external guidelines for certification and use prior to deployment? For hardware maintenance what skill sets training and certifications are required to maintain the hardware (1.4.6.1, Software Maintenance, pg. 7)?

A. No, cycles are based on either random vendor or Government releases. All releases must be prior approved by appropriate office. It is the contractor’s responsibility to bid appropriate skill sets to meet the requirements.

84. What skill sets certifications and training are required to manage Microsoft Windows UNIX and

Linux (1.4.6.3, System Administration, pg. 7)?

A. It is the contractor’s responsibility to bid appropriate skill sets to meet the requirements. System administrators must meet the requirements for IASAE-type positions for the baseline certifications IAW DoD 8560.01-M and further refined by

AFMAN 33-285

85. What prior knowledge and experience is required to assist the users of scientific applications

(1.4.6.4, System Administration, pg. 7)?

A. It is the contractor’s responsibility to bid appropriate knowledge and experience to meet the requirements. This support is for commercial software applications.

Contractor will not be required to use the applications, but successfully install and manage the overall systems.

86. What experience skills and certifications are needed to conduct analyses and develop solutions

(1.4.6.6, Systems Support, pg. 7)?

A. It is the contractor’s responsibility to bid appropriate skill sets to meet the requirements.

87. What governance frameworks are used to apprised managers organizational state-of-the-art technologies (1.4.6.9, Systems Support, pg. 7)?

A. This question is unclear.

88. Are there existing asset management software systems in place? If so what are their names (1.4.9, Asset Management, pg. 8)?

A. In addition to the Air Force ADP System, each organization has their own internal process for tracking their IT assets.

89. Are there existing continuity of operations plans (1.6, COOP, pg. 9)?

90. Are there existing continuity of operations plans that will be updated (1.6.2, COOP, pg. 9)?

A. Yes, they are living documents.

91. Which skills and certifications are required for the preparation and use of continuity of operations plans (1.6.2, COOP, pg. 9)?

requirements.

92. For a "contractor shall provide an intensified visitor control external and internal building entrance security," does that mean a separate security organization (1.6.2, COOP, pg. 9)?

A. No separate security organization is required.

93. What does it mean to be always ready (1.6.3, COOP, pg. 10)?

A. It is explained in paragraph 1.6.3.

94. Is the handling of classified material design defined by external guidance (1.6.3, COOP, pg. 10)?

95. Is the physical relocation of personnel the responsibility of the contractor? And if so what vehicle access and support for transport of personnel will be provided by the Air Force or is this to be provided by the contractor (1.6.4, COOP, pg. 11)?

A. It is the responsibility of the contractor to relocate contractor personnel. Any further information would be dependent upon actual events.

96. In this section the units of measure need further definition (see for example section 1.4 customer satisfaction). What is the customer satisfaction survey questions that must be 90% or greater (2, Services Summary)?

A. Please refer to paragraph 1.4.1.1.13.

97. What policies and procedures must be adhered to with 100% compliance (2, Services Summary)?

A. All applicable policies and procedures.

98. For the four hour assessment and prioritization of tickets what types of tickets must be done within four hours? Are there any categorizations of help desk tickets (2, Services Summary)?

A. All tickets shall be assigned and prioritized within the four hours.

99. Is the 99% availability of support areas is defined with what performance measures (2, Services

A. Contractor shall comply with the referenced performance objective 1.4 as specified.

100. If 90% of the calls are to be answered within five rings, who is responsible for ensuring the staffing support to support that SLA (2, Services Summary)?

A. The contractor.

101. If 30% of all problems are to be resolved in the first call, what is the category of problems subject to that requirement? If 80% of the tickets are to be resolved within four business hours what are the priority classifications for each ticket? Is there any directive for the underlying technical support requirements to resolve priority 1, 2, 3 and 4 tickets (2, Services Summary)?

A. Overall, 30% of all calls are expected to be resolved in the first call. Reference paragraph

1.4.1 of the Services Summary for classification of category resolution times. It is the contractor’s responsibility to propose a solution to resolve tickets in accordance with the Services Summary.

102. What are the specifications for all the required documentation for each test? Are there existing test specifications test databases and test data (2, Services Summary)?

A. Documentation varies by organizational test procedures.

103. The 99% availability for websites does not define the redundancy available today to support that. What enhanced high reliability services may be needed to support 99% availability? What is the existing configuration of the high-availability network (2, Services Summary)?

requirements. See environmental data for network information.

104. To support 99% availability, technology user errors in software application errors must be controlled. What facilities are in place to address each of these today (2, Services Summary)?

A. This requirement deals with the availability and supportability for networks and services within the control of the contractor. If there are outages outside the control of the support contractor, then those don’t count against the availability numbers.

105. For 99% availability, what is the associated budget to create a high reliability network (2, Services Summary)?

A. The network already exists and does not need to be created. Budget information is irrelevant to a proposal.

106. To reach 90% land outages resolved in four business hours, what is the service level agreement with the land provider? Can that agreement be changed to support this service level agreement (2, Services Summary)?

A. The PWS makes no references to “land” outages and as such, there is no “land” provider or agreement. If you are referring to “LAN” outages, this requirement deals with the availability and supportability for LAN connectivity within the control of the contractor

107. Meeting 99% availability of servers and connectivity requires high-availability systems.

What is in place at the moment and what is the budget to install them if needed (2, Services

A. See answer to question 105.

108. Meeting a metric of 90% server outages resolved in four business hours may require redundant hardware and backup systems. What is in place today and what is the budget to install them if not present (2, Services Summary)?

A. See answer to question 105.

109. Meeting 95% outages for video teleconferencing require service level agreements with long-haul providers. What SLAs are in place today (2, Services Summary)?

A. See answer to question 104.

110. What is the definition of minimized impact of personnel turnover as a percentage of staff (4.5.2, Personnel Management and Training Requirements, pg. 22)?

A. The statement is self-explanatory. Paragraph 4.5.2 further details this requirement.

111. Is there a list of required certifications training experience level and security clearances for personnel (4.5.3, Personnel Management and Training Requirements, pg. 22)?

A. See answer to question 28.

112. Are there quality control standards in place to be applied for this section? ISO 9000 or other Air Force quality control standards (4.10, Quality Control, pg. 26)?

A. Paragraph 4.10 specifies it is the responsibility of the contractor to develop and maintain a quality program to ensure services are performed in accordance with commonly accepted commercial practices.

113. What existing quality assurance performance plans are in place (4.11, Quality Assurance,

pg. 26)?

A. Current performance plans not applicable for this new effort.

114. What does the existing quality assurance surveillance plan look like (4.15, Non-

Personnel Services, pg. 28?

A. Quality Assurance Plans vary dependent upon requirements specific to each individual order and will be provided on individual order basis.

115. Section L Attachment 4, Labor Rate Matrix. There is a pricing requirement for a Database Analyst I, Database Analyst II, Database Analyst III, Database Analyst IV and Database Analyst V in the template. There is no Position Description provided in Section L Attachment 5.

Will the government be providing a position description for these levels of Database Analyst? If not, what are the delineating factors (i.e., experience, education, certifications, etc.) which differentiate the Database Analysts I-V? If the government is unable to provide position descriptions or the delineating factors for these positions, will the government remove these positions as it is impossible to price them accurately.

A. Government will update Section L, Attachment 4 of the RFP to include the appropriate labor descriptions.

116. Section L, Attachment 4 Labor Rate Matrix. There is a pricing requirement for Technical

Writer I, Technical Writer II, Technical Writer III and Technical Writer IV in the template but there is no corresponding position description in Section L, Attachment 5. Will the government provide these position descriptions? If not, what are the delineating factors (i.e., experience, education, certifications, etc.) which differentiate the Technical Writers I-IV? If the government is unable to provide position descriptions or the delineating factors for these positions, will the government remove these positions as it is impossible to price them accurately.

A. The Technical Writer categories are not required and will be deleted from the attachment.

117. Section L, Attachment 5 has position descriptions for a Network Administrator, Senior, a Multimedia Specialist, and a Networked Multimedia, A/V System Design & VTC Specialist. These positions are also listed in Appendix 2 Historical Manning Information, but Section L, Attachment 4 Labor Rate Matrix does not have those categories shown. Will the government be updating the Labor Rate Matrix to include these positions?

A. The Government will review the requirements for these categories and update the attachments as necessary.

118. Please confirm that it is the government’s intent that the rates on the basic contract are ceilings. If so, please also confirm it is the government’s intent to allow awardees to discount rates proposed for each task order.

A. The rates established on the basic contract will be ceilings. The contractor will be permitted to discount or reduce rates in competitions for task orders. Please be aware however, the contractor’s rate information will be evaluated on more than just the Total Evaluated Price (TEP), including being unbalanced. See Section M para 2.4 for specifics.

119. To ensure the government receives adequate and appropriate industry response to this solicitation, would the government consider hosting an Industry Day? Would the government also consider one-on-one sessions with interested companies?

A. Not at this time. The Air Force has determined that the draft RFP provides sufficient information for solicitation.

120. To facilitate responsiveness to AFRL mission requirements, is it the government’s desire to require Prime Contractors to have an office in the local vicinity of Wright-Patterson AFB?

A. Not a requirement.

121. Section B, CLIN 002 Travel – This CLIN is designated as an FFP contract type. CLIN

Descriptive Data states that no profit on travel expenses is permitted. Is it the government’s intent for this CLIN to be Cost Reimbursement type (no fee)?

A. Travel and ODCs are cost CLINs. This will be corrected.

122. Section B CLIN 003 – This CLIN is designated as an FFP contract type specified with no profit. Is it the government’s intent for this CLIN to be Cost Reimbursement type (no fee)?

A. Travel and ODCs are cost CLINs. This will be corrected.

123. Task Order PWSs – Each task order PWS is for a different division of AFRL (TO0001 – AFRL/RQ; TO0002 – AFRL/DOS (HQ); and AFRL/RCB). Request the government expand paragraph 1.1, “Scope” and 1.2 “Background” in each Task Order PWS to discuss the mission and function of each appropriate division (TO0001 – AFRL/RQ; TO0002 – AFRL/DOS (HQ); and AFRL/RCB) allowing industry to respond to the specific applications and needs of these three AFRL divisions.

A. Each PWS is already tailored to the requirements of that specific organization. Each PWS has sections “lined out” that removes specific support that is not required on that specific task order. The historical manning and the environmental information is also specific to each task order. The Government will review the task orders to determine if any further “labeling” is required.

124. Has the government considered using any GSA Contract Vehicles, such as GSA Alliant SB for this acquisition? Utilizing GSA Alliant SB will provide the best value to meet the AFRL’s ITSS requirements as well as provide a fair competition among qualified SBs.

A. The Government has determined that the current acquisition strategy is appropriate for this action.

125. How many incumbent contractor(s) are current fulfilling this requirement? If there are incumbents, would the government please provide the incumbent contractor(s) information?

A. One, see answer to question 7.

126. Would the government consider providing historical estimates for the current Level of

Effort (LOE) to support this requirement (e.g. hours, labor categories with PWS alignment) at the Task Order Level to assist in building a cost-effective solution that is closely aligned with current operations?

A. Historical manning and environmental information is provided at the task order level.

127. Will the government on-site and off-site support (PWS Section 4.1 Page 20)?

A. As specified in Section 4.1, all support is at Area B, Wright-Patterson AFB.

128. Section L states “Each volume shall contain a more detailed table of contents to delineate the subparagraphs within that volume”. Would the government please clarify the minimum Table of Contents level (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, …) required to include in the Table of Contents? (Section L Paragraph 3.6 Page L-5 of 14

A. The level needed in the Table of Contents is that which clearly outlines the proposal. It is up to the contractor to provide the level of detail sufficient to clearly present the required information.

129. Is the Cross-Reference Matrix part of the page count for Volume II – Technical (Section L

Paragraph 3.5, Page L-5 of 14)?

130. In a LPTA Source Selection process, Past Performance Questionnaires are usually not required as a submission requirement. Would the government please confirm if PPQ submissions are required (Section L Paragraph 4.3.6 Page L-10 of 14)?

A. Yes, they are required.

131. Section M identifies this procurement as a Lowest Price/Technically Acceptable (LPTA) source selection. However, the evaluation Factors are Ordered as follows:

Factor 1: Technical Factor 2: Past Performance Factor 3: Price

a. Would the government please confirm that the source selection process will be LPTA?

b. Please clarify the purpose of the Past Performance evaluation requirement for this solicitation, as a non-price evaluation factor, since it does not appear to be necessary per LPTA Source Selection guidelines pursuant to FAR 15.101-2(1). (Section M Paragraph 1.1 Page M-1 of 7)

A. Yes this is LPTA award. Past Performance evaluation will be part of the process and a contractor must have an “Acceptable” past performance rating to be eligible for award.

The Government will review the Section M wording to determine if further clarification is required.

132. Part I, Section B, Item 0002 – Travel: Contract Type is listed as “J - Firm Fixed

Price”. Should this be a cost type similar to the current task orders which is listed as “S – Cost”?

A. See answer to question 121.

133. Part I, Section B, Item 0003 – Equipment & Material: Contract Type is listed as “J - Firm

Fixed Price”. Should this be a cost type similar to the current task orders which is listed as “S – Cost”?

A. See answer to question 122.

134. Section L, Attachment 5, Labor Category Descriptions: Would the Government consider establishing a trade-off between education and experience for personnel who have substantially more than the required experience and are otherwise qualified but do not have the required degree?

A. The Government will review the request to determine if trade-offs are acceptable and make any appropriate changes, as necessary, to the final RFP.

135. Are the teaming arrangements exclusive, or can companies prime and sub on several bid teams?

A. Teaming arrangements are at the purview of the bidder.

136. PWS 1.4.1.1.14 Is the Benchstock inventory and MTBF data available to bidders for better understanding?

137. PWS: 1.4.2.1 Can the government elaborate on types of data, nature of collections

(automated or manual or both) etc for this requirement?

A. See answer to question 76.

138. PWS: 1.4.3 Please make available current Network plan so that bidders and articulate areas where they can demonstrate value added and understand the scope of the work A. The requirement calls for the contractor to accomplish the tasks under this paragraph over the life of the contract, not propose changes as part of their proposal.

139. PWS:1.4.6/1.4.7 We understand that the distinction between these is internal and external support, 1.4.7: being in the form of Warrantee management, SLA management etc. Is this correct?

140. PWS: 1.7 In the VPP definition, the PWS states that it is applicable to contractors whose employees worked at least 1,000 hours at the site in any calendar quarter within the last 12 months. Contractors generally work about 1900-2000 hours per year and rarely if ever work 1000 hours in a quarter. Is this definition correct?

A. Refers to total contractor support for a three month period, not one person’s support.

(i.e. 3 employees together exceed 1000 hours for a quarter)

141. PWS: Sections 4.2 (and all of the Task Orders) identify core hours as the period from

0700 – 1700, Monday through Friday. Pls confirm that the contractors 8 hour work shift is to be scheduled within this band of time and that this is not a 10 hour shift?

A. This is the time period that coverage is required to be provided for support. How a contractor provides that coverage to ensure that the entire period is covered, is up to them.

142. Task Order 1 identifies the Call Tracking system for the help desk to be Remedy? Is there a current call tracking system for Task Order 2 and 3 or is the bidder expected to identify and provide the system for those task orders?

A. Each Organization may have a unique call tracking system, either commercial or internally developed. The incoming Contractor will be using the existing call tracking capability for that order.

143. Section B CLIN 2 (Travel), CLIN 3 (Equipment and Material) and CLIN 4 (Data) are identified as FFP. The verbiage under CLIN 4 does say it is NSP but within the CLIN itself it is FFP. Is this the Government’s intent or should these be cost only?

A. See answer to questions 121 and 122.

144. Section L 2 General Instructions paragraph i) reads "A DD 254, DOD Contract Security Classification Specification, at the Secret level applies to this procurement. All offerors are required to possess a Secret facility clearance at time of contract award." However the block 1 Facility Clearance Level" states the level to be Top Secret. Which clearance level is necessary?

A. A TS Facility Clearance is required. This will be corrected.

145. Section M: The nature of the award of up to three DO’s to the three lowest bidders seems to have great potential to disenfranchise all three of these bidders. For example, the lowest priced bidder has no opportunity to win work on either of the other DO’s. Recommend that the government use TO001 as the representative TO and award it to the LPTA winner. Then compete all remaining work individually among the three BPA primes.

A. This is a multiple award IDIQ with each winning contractor receiving one of the three initial task orders. Future orders will be competed among the three selected contractors.

146. Section M: Is it the intent to establish a multi award IDIQ to a pool of 3 contractors?

Section M para 1.3 states up to 3, but the Govt can award more or less? This implies one contractor may be awarded more than one T.O. Is that the intent? Will there be a BPA established from which the initial 3 T.O.’s and all subsequent awards would be based?

A. Yes. If circumstances warrant, the Government reserves the right to award other than three contracts. Task orders will be awarded in accordance with the terms of the solicitation. These are IDIQ contracts, not BPAs.

147. Section M: para 1.3.1 states the award eligible contractor w/ the lowest TEP will be awarded T.O. 1, second lowest TEP will be awarded T.O. 2 and third lowest T.O. 3. How are you evaluating the TEP against the most competitive price per task order? If the task orders are not identical in scope and size how do you fairly award to the contractor who bid the lowest price for that task order? Will the contractor who is award eligible with the lowest TEP receive the largest task order?

A. The three initial task orders will be evaluated and awarded fairly in accordance with the solicitation including the overall TEP as specified in 1.3.1. The task orders are identified by size with Task Order 1 the largest, Task Order 2 the second largest, and Task Order 3 the smallest. The contractor whose proposal meets all of the requirement of the solicitation, is award eligible, and has the lowest overall TEP, will receive the largest task order.

148. Sec M page 3 Transition Approach calls out PWS 1.14. Should this be PWS 4.14 ?

A. Yes. The transition approach is Section 4.14. This will be corrected.

149. Will the Government help make clear how to meet the requirements of Section L and M with regards to the PWS. How does the bidder constructively respond to the duplications of content in the three Task Orders while adhering to the page limit and not providing excessive duplication in the Volumes.

A. It is incumbent upon the contractor to organize their proposal in a manner that supports their ability to meet the requirements. The Government will review Sections L and M to see if further clarification is necessary.

150. Will the Government provide base pay rate information for incumbent work force, or like skills at same Air Force locations?

151. Does the multiple award of smaller contracts dis-incentivize the participation of well qualified subcontractors?

A. The Government anticipates awarding three equally sized IDIQ contracts which should not dis-incentivize any potential awardees.

152. Will the Government consider making this a SDVOSB procurement as it had been previously?

A. This is a Small Business Set-aside as was its predecessor.

153. Will the past performance of a parent company vest to a joint venture or newly formed company or must that past performance be accrued as the entity bidding for the work?

A. Past performance must be accrued by the entity bidding the work.

154. Are any Service Contract Act positions included in this procurement?

155. Are any Represented employees included in this procurement

156. Would the Government please provide an estimated RFP release date?

A. See answer to question 6.

157. Due to the extensive scope of the anticipated procurement we have past performance for all functional areas however some fall beyond the three (3) year relevancy period. Would the government consider changing the requirement to include a relevancy period of five (5) years?

We have noted that a number of recent DoD procurements have included the five (5) year relevancy period rather than the three (3) year period detailed in the Draft PWS which permits more bidders to address the scope with past performance reflecting a more accurate picture of full capabilities for a longer period.

A. No, the past performance period requirement is within the previous 3 years.

158. How do you plan to operate centralized efforts today like helpdesk if all three TOs are standalone projects under separate contracts? Is the intent to replicate activities across each organization? If so where is the cost of this activity to be proposed?

A. The efforts currently are standalone. If certain centralized functions (such as Enterprise Business System Helpdesk) cross task orders, the PWS and environmental information for particular task orders already indicate that.

159. Based on our analysis and projected workload there will be several personnel with minimal work to justify a full time position on a single Task Order. Has the AF considered looking at breaking the work by function rather than organization?

A. No. The current structure is necessary to meet the Government’s requirements.