TSA IV Whats New - 3 Mar 22.docx

TSA IV What’s New???

This file will provide a running log of what is placed on SAM.gov concerning the Training Systems Acquisition (TSA) IV acquisition (Solicitation #FA8621-21-R-0030). We’ll not only identify the item(s) posted but also what has changed, as applicable. All questions/thoughts/concerns should be addressed to our Contract Specialist, Marcia Hall at 937-238-9224 [cell], marcia.hall@us.af.mil.

3 March 2022: This update is to inform offerors of a change in our projected award schedule. If the Government determines the need to enter into Discussions, we are projecting that to occur mid-January 2023 with anticipated award late May 2023. To ensure we have accurate contact information, we request all offerors send an email to Marcia Hall (marcia.hall@us.af.mil) with your primary and secondary contacts (include email and phone numbers) for receipt of evaluation notices.

28 January 2022: This update is to issue Amendment 0002 of the TSA IV RFP. Upon contract award, TSA IV will be available to other USAF organizations for decentralized ordering to include CONUS and OCONUS organizations. The purpose of this amendment is to add the following Section I clauses: 52.229-11, 52.229-12, and 252.225-7040; and modify Section H TSA IV-H-017 to remove the statement that orders may be placed by AFLCMC PCOs only. In addition, the SOO has been modified to add a paragraph allowing for decentralized ordering. All other terms and conditions of the model contract remain unchanged. Current TSA IV offerors must sign and return this amendment by 3:00pm EST 10 February 2022 via email to Marcia Hall, marcia.hall@us.af.mil.

If there is interest (from new companies who did not previously submit a proposal) in submitting a proposal based on this change in the TSA IV strategy, please contact Steve Godby, steven.godby@us.af.mil and Marcia Hall, marcia.hall@us.af.mil by 3:00pm EST 10 February 2022, for instructions on submitting a proposal.

30 April 2021: This update is to provide answers to questions received regarding mailing the CD/DVD for proposal submission. Note: offerors who have base access may hand deliver the proposal to the address provided in Section L, 2.5.

Q1 - Section L, 2.2.6 requires CUI markings on submitted proposals. Additional CUI Security Shipping Requirements: Mailing CD-R/DVD containing CUI requires the data be encrypted or employing alternative physical safeguards such as shipping in a locked container.

1. Will encrypted CD-R/DVDs be accepted?

a. If yes, please identify the email address where the decryption key should be sent.

b. If you would rather have the encryption key sent under separate packaging unrelated to the digital content, please let us know.

c. If no, are offorers expected to send the CUI CD-R/DVD in a locked container with the container key in a separate mailer to the same address?

A1 - Section L, 2.2.6 requires markings on each page of the proposal, not on the packaging of the proposal (e.g., CD/DVD, packaging containing CD/DVD). DO NOT send encrypted proposal data or CDs/DVDs, it will not be accepted.

Air Force Guidance Manual 2020-16-01 for Controlled Unclassified Information in paragraphs 6.2. states:

IAW DoDI 5200.48, Paragraph 4.1.e. (2), CUI information and material may be transmitted via first class mail, parcel post, or bulk shipments. {emphasis added} When practical, CUI information may be transmitted electronically (e.g., data, website, or e-mail), via approved secure communications systems or systems utilizing other protective measures such as Public Key Infrastructure or transport layer security (e.g., https). Avoid wireless telephone transmission of CUI when other options are available. CUI transmission via facsimile machine is permitted; however, the sender is responsible for determining whether appropriate protection will be available at the receiving location before transmission (e.g., facsimile machine attended by a person authorized to receive CUI; facsimile machine located in a controlled government environment).

Q2 - The recent update removed DoD Safe as an option as a delivery method, would the government consider it’s use as a guard against delays in the delivery of FEDEX, UPS and USPS we have experienced due to COVID?

A2 - We extended the due date to allow for mailing. We understand some companies (e.g., current TSA III primes) hold CAC cards and can easily submit their proposal via DoD SAFE; however, in an effort to be fair to all offerors, we have eliminated that option. Plus, the burden on the Government of having to send out drop-off codes to a lot of companies and then companies blaming the Government for late submissions if codes are not received.

27 April 2021: This update is to issue Amendment 0001 of the TSA IV RFP, which updates Section L and several of Section L attachments (Proposal Cross Reference Matrix, PPI Tool Instructions, and PP Questionnaire [PPQ]). The PPQ has been updated to reflect a due date of 3:00pm EST 20 May 2021. Q&As received to date have also been posted. The requested date for PP Volume III submission has been extended to 3:00pm EST 10 May 2021 and the due date for all proposal volumes has been extended to 3:00pm EST 20 May 2021.

15 April 2021: This update is to announce the official release of the TSA IV RFP. Please ensure you read all and follow the current RFP documents when preparing your proposal as there may be changes from the draft documents posted previously.

31 Mar 2021: This update is to provide recent Q&As received from industry. The schedule remains current with RFP release date expected 15 April or shortly thereafter.

10 Mar 2021: This update is to provide recent Q&As received from industry. In addition, for planning purposes, we expect to release the final RFP on 15 April or shortly thereafter, with the PP volume requested 6 May and complete proposal submission 17 May.

19 Feb 2021: This update is to inform industry of another slip in our schedule for RFP release by approximately a month. This slip is due to the review process taking longer than anticipated. In addition, we start to run into schedule conflicts with Spring Break vacations for scheduling our business clearance. I will provide another update in late March.

29 Jan 2021: This update is to inform industry of a slip in our schedule. We are now anticipating RFP release 10 March with PP volume being requested 5 April and the remaining proposal required 19 April. We will continue to inform industry if any other changes occur.

7 Jan 2021: We have received several inquiries about the page limit for the Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP). After consulting our engineering staff, we have determined that an increase in page count for the SEMP may be beneficial to offerors; therefore, the page count for the SEMP (only) will be increased from 30 pages to 45 pages. As stated previously, TOC, acronyms, etc. will not be included in the 45-page limit.

17 Dec 2020: This update is to provide awareness of a couple of changes to Section L resulting from industry feedback:

· Section L, 4.2 has been modified to state that the TOC, acronyms, etc. will not be included in the 25-page limit for the Volume II plans (SEMP, CMP, RMP, and QAPP). This will allow the offerors the full 25 pages to use for plan content.

· Section L, 5.2 has been modified to add the following: In addition to the three contracts submitted by the offeror, the Government requests a list of contracts the offeror considers to be relevant to TSA IV. This list will aid the Government when searching for additional contracts through the CPAR System. Please provide the contract number and a point of contact for each contract listed. This listing is excluded from the volume page count.

Wishing Everyone A Safe And Happy Holiday!!

7 Dec 2020: This update is to provide the Q&As for the 2nd posting of the Draft RFP documents. Many folks asked about our confidence in the acquisition schedule provided during industry day; we thought it was pretty good . After looking at the required reviews before RFP release, as well as the fact that many folks will be off during the Christmas holiday because of “use or lose” leave, we think our schedule for RFP release will move to the right a couple of weeks. We anticipate RFP release the week of 15 February 2021.

In addition, a Notification of Intent to Bid form is posted. We would like industry to complete and return the form to Marcia Hall if you are planning to submit a proposal for TSA IV. The sole purpose of this form is for the TSA IV Team to get a good estimate of how many proposals we may be receiving. We will also use this information to assess the size of our source selection team and modify our evaluation to award schedule, as appropriate.

20 Nov 2020: This update is to provide industry the PPI tool and instructions. Note: the instructions document has the PPI tool as an embedded file within the Word document. Simply double-click on the embedded file and it should open on your computer.

The following questions were received after the industry day presentation and during the 1-on-1 sessions:

Q1 - Regarding the Subfactor 3 - Training Management. Given that all ATS “TIMS” on current programs are either USG owned or proprietary developed with limited data rights. I am not sure if a “sound process” to operate and maintain would be totally possible unless “all data rights” were totally GFE’d to the task order upon award. Can you there be a statement from the USG addressing their position regarding the data rights?

A1 – We are looking for a top-level process for the ID/IQ response. If you need to make some assumptions when presenting your process, then state that. Data rights will be addressed appropriately at the task order level. The USG cannot provide a position on data rights at the ID/IQ level because it will be addressed at the task order level.

Q2 - Will SB Primes get to team with LB Primes and other SB Primes?

A2 – At the task order level, TSA IV primes may team with whomever they deem necessary for that task order. This may include other LB and SB primes.

Q3 – Will you post the attendee list from industry day? Will you provide the schedule for the 1-on-1s?

A3 – The attendee list generated from the industry day provides a list of names only, and sometimes just phone numbers. There are no company names or contact information associated with that list of names. Therefore, the list will not be posted as it would provide little if any benefit for prospective teaming at the task order level. The schedule for the 1-on-1s will not be posted. This information is considered private as the companies who participated in the 1-on-1s are doing it to gather additional information and have specific questions answered.

Q4 - Were there any TOs under TSA III, or do you anticipate any situations under TSA IV, where the contracting officer might request a size status recertification by a TSA IV small business contract holder prior to the 120 days prior to the end of the 5th year of the [base IDIQ] contract?

Reference the following excerpts from the CFR: 121.404:

· “When is the size status of a business concern determined?... (g) A concern that represents itself as a small business and qualifies as small at the time of its initial offer (or other formal response to a solicitation), which includes price, is considered to be a small business throughout the life of that contract. This means that if a business concern is small at the time of initial offer for a Multiple Award Contract (see § 121.1042(c) for designation of NAICS codes on a Multiple Award Contract), then it will be considered small for each order issued against the contract with the same NAICS code and size standard, unless a contracting officer requests a new size certification in connection with a specific order. Where a concern grows to be other than small, the procuring agency may exercise options and still count the award as an award to a small business.”

· “(3) For the purposes of contracts (including Multiple Award Contracts) with durations of more than five years (including options), a contracting officer must request that a business concern recertify its small business size status no more than 120 days prior to the end of the fifth year of the contract, and no more than 120 days prior to exercising any option thereafter.”

A4 - The CO is required to verify the company’s status via SAM.gov with each task order proposal submission. In addition, for those task orders issued as set-asides in the SB Pool, a 5-day size challenge period will be implemented before the winning offeror is announced to allow offerors of that task order to challenge the size of the apparent awardee.

Q5 - If a company that intends to submit a TSA IV proposal as a prime offeror is the Protégé and Managing Member of an existing All Small Mentor-Protégé Program (ASMPP) Joint Venture on another contract, and is thus acting in a Prime contractor capacity, can that company reference the Past Performance for the work the JV has performed, or only the work that the individual partner has performed?

A5 - If PP is submitted for an existing JV, that PP must be based on the TSA IV offeror’s performance on the JV.

Q6 - As the USG is going to monitor the number of TOs to which TSA IV seat holders respond for off-ramp purposes, with the minimum number being two during the first five years of the PoP, will the USG count prime seat holder responses, who have teamed with another TSA prime seat holder and responded on a TO competition as a subcontractor, as part of the two responses?

A6 - The Section H clause will state, “TSA IV awardees will be required to propose on a minimum of two competitive task orders during the 5-year base period. This includes task orders proposed as a prime or a subcontractor.”

Any questions received from the 2nd draft document review will be consolidated and posted at a later time. Happy Thanksgiving!

12 Nov 2020: This update is to provide industry with a read-ahead copy of the Industry Day briefing to be held on 16 November, 0900 EST. In addition, the following draft documents are posted for industry review: 2nd draft SOO, 2nd draft Sections L&M, draft Past Performance Relevancy Matrix, Q&As from 1st draft industry review, and DIDs and other documents needed to develop the required master plans.

Note: The TSA IV Acquisition Strategy was approved on 10 November 2020, and as a result, there have been significant changes from the 1st draft Sections L&M to the 2nd draft Sections L&M, so it’s important to read the documents thoroughly.

Please provide your questions/comments to Marcia Hall by Monday, 30 November 2020. We will post the consolidated Q&As and comments as soon as we can.

29 Oct 2020: The TSA IV Industry Day will be held Monday, 16 November 2020 at 0900. This industry day will be held virtually through Microsoft Teams at the following link: Click here to join the meeting or call +1 571-388-3904,,645645827#. The link works best through Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. Briefing slides will be posted to betaSAM by 12 November 2020.

Following the industry day, we will hold 1-on-1 sessions with interested companies. The 1-on-1s will be held virtually through Microsoft Teams and run from Monday, 16 November 2020 through Friday, 20 November 2020.

The following are rules of engagement for the virtual 1-on-1s:

1. Each session is limited to 30 minutes. There must be strict adherence to this allotted time to ensure all registrants have the same availability to meet with the Government.

2. The primary purpose of these sessions is to allow industry to ask specific questions to Government personnel that remain after the industry brief.

3. To ensure meaningful dialogue between industry and the Government, please do not plan to provide a capabilities brief.

The available time slots are noted below. Please send an email to Marcia Hall, marcia.hall@us.af.mil to reserve a spot. The time slots will be assigned based on the order of email receipt and a reply email will be sent with confirmation of your assigned date and time. Phone call requests will not be accepted. Several days before your scheduled time, you will receive a meeting invitation with the meeting and Microsoft Teams connection information.

9 Oct 2020: This update is to release the TSA IV draft Sections L and M and Statement of Objectives (SOO) for industry review. Please provide your questions/comments to Marcia Hall by Monday, 26 October 2020. We will post the consolidated Q&As and comments as soon as we can.

24 Sep 2020: This update is to inform industry that the Government intends to release draft TSA IV Sections L and M and Statement of Objectives (SOO) the week of 12 October for industry review/comment. In addition, since I/ITSEC has been cancelled for 2020, we intend to hold a virtual industry day and industry 1-on-1s the week of 16 November. More information will be posted for registering for 1-on-1s in early November.

29 July 2020: As the Government continues to work the acquisition strategy for TSA IV, we’d like to gather industry feedback on some possible approaches. Our intent is not to make TSA IV a “logical” follow-on to TSA III, but to ensure we are acquiring and modernizing our training systems to support the warfighter with the new technologies and innovation needed to meet the ever-changing warfighting environment. The following options are being considered:

1. Evaluate the prime offeror only to ensure all awardees can meet TSA IV SOO as a whole. Offerors would be evaluated for technical acceptability for all subfactors. Past performance (PP) would be evaluated and rated at the subfactor level (there would not be an overall PP factor rating). The subfactors would have an order of importance for the PP evaluation and award would be made via tradeoff based on the PP subfactor ratings.

2. Evaluate the prime offeror only. As part of the source selection methodology, to be eligible for award, offerors must be technically acceptable and demonstrate past performance in the Program Management subfactor, as well as at least two other subfactors. Offerors will not be required to “perform” all of the SOO paragraphs. The SOO provides a top level scope of TSA IV and what task orders may encompass. The offerors for the TSA IV ID/IQ would provide their processes/approaches at a corporate level for each subfactor and then provide past performance that demonstrates their ability to perform in those areas.

The following are the subfactors that will be used for both the Technical and PP evaluations. These are top-level subfactor descriptions and will be fleshed out as we proceed with the acquisition strategy.

Subfactor 1: Program Management

· Program Management and control

· Quality Assurance, including Quality Control Plan (QCP) Master Plan

· Risk management, including Risk Management Plan (RMP) Master Plan

· Cybersecurity and obtaining and maintaining an Authority to Operate (ATO) Subfactor 2: Engineering and Innovation

· Systems engineering, including a Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) Master Plan. the SEMP shall address the offeror's adoption and application of emerging Systems Engineering initiatives and practices, such as Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA), across their enterprise

· Configuration Management including Configuration Management Plan (CMP) Master Plan

· Concurrency modifications (e.g., ECPs), including change management process. This would also include the opportunity for the offeror to provide “innovation” concepts

· Integrating new technologies into the AF Simulator environment, generally across 2 or more “families” of simulators i.e., “innovation” Subfactor 3: Sustainment

· Contractor Logistics Support (CLS)

· Distributed Mission Operations (DMO)

· Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Materiel Shortages (DMS/MS)

· Operate Aircrew/Maintenance Training Systems, Training System Support Center (TSSC) Subfactor 4: Courseware Development/Instruction

· Training System Requirements Analysis (TSRA)

· Courseware development process

· Training management approach, which may include flexibility of providing instruction and student; adaptive types of training; Pilot Training NEXT; virtual instruction, etc.

Please direct any questions/comments/concerns to Steve Godby, steven.godby@us.af.mil and Marcia Hall, marcia.hall@us.af.mil. To assist in strategy development, request feedback be received by 6 August 2020.

9 July 2020: This is the introduction of the What’s New document to keep industry abreast of what’s happening on the TSA IV acquisition. AFLCMC/WNS (Simulators Division) has established a dedicated team to work TSA IV. This team includes:

Ms. Andrea Heeley – Program Manager, andrea.heely@us.af.mil Mr. Steve Godby – Contracting Officer, steven.godby@us.af.mil Ms. Marcia Hall – Contract Specialist, marcia.hall@us.af.mil Note: The team has changed since the program announcement in September 2019 and I/ITSEC Industry Day in December 2019.

We are progressing with the acquisition strategy process and anticipate releasing a draft Statement of Objectives (SOO), Section L, and Section M in November 2020. In addition, we intend to hold an Industry Day and one-on-one meetings with industry during the 2020 I/ITSEC.

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