BIM Industry Day 3 QnA.xlsx
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- Base Infrastructure Modernization Industry Day 3
- Solicitation number
- FA8726-EITAAS-BIM-ID04
About this file
This document contains questions and answers from an industry day held by the Department of the Air Force Materiel Command Lifecycle Management Center regarding the Base Infrastructure Modernization solicitation. Key details include that the solicitation seeks proposals for a multiple award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to modernize base infrastructure through enterprise information technology as a service. The contract ceiling is $12.5 billion over a 10-year period of performance. Small businesses will comprise 34% of total task order awards by value. Questions covered scope of work definitions, evaluation criteria, the sample task order, past performance considerations, and technical requirements.
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Sheet1
| # | INDUSTRY QUESTION | GOVERNMENT RESPONSE |
| 1 | Will the Government consider a mechanism to allow industry to respond to the draft RFP, such as an RFI? | Yes, A Government CRM will be provided on SAM.gov |
| 2 | Given the current version of draft materials, it seems the threshold for awardees is low, which makes this look like an EC2 or NETCENTS II type of acquisition, where the USAF gets too many awardees. Will the Government consider implementing a graded evaluation for the major sections to ensure a global enterprise approach at scale? | The Government will assess the evaluation criteria in IDIQ Section L & M. |
| 3 | A large pool of awardees allows for many different companies to bid and receive awards for follow on TOs, which may result in a continued basecentric approach to BIM instead of a consistent Enterprise approach. Will the government consider implementing a graded evaluation methodology for the major sections, to include global enterprise solution at scale across all DAF bases? | The Government will assess the evaluation criteria in IDIQ Section L & M. |
| 4 | Will the Government consider changing the SB dollar value from the total IDIQ value ($12.5B) to 30% of subcontractor value? We mention this, because it is unlikely that one company will won 100% of the $12.5B IDIQ ceiling. | The contractors will not be held to the dollar amount identified in the SBPCD, but they will be held to the percentages. |
| 5 | Given to Solicitation delays with BIM, will the Government consider adding an awardable task order, instead of a sample TO, as part of the BIM solicitation? | No. The Government will maintain its current approach. |
| 6 | Will the Government consider increasing the past experience scope dollarvalue from $250K a year to $50M a year to enable the government to utilize companies that can deliver an enterprise solution, both CONUS & OCONUS, at scale to meet the DAF BIM reqs? | The Government will assess the evaluation criteria in IDIQ Section L & M. |
| 7 | Can a small business 8(a) JV pursue this opportunity using past performances? | Yes. The Government will evaluate teamed prior experience as listed in Section M. |
| 8 | What is the government's position on how many awardees will be on the final IDIQ? | IDIQ awards will be made to all qualifying offerors. |
| 9 | In section L, 2.4.2. Factor 3, Subfactor 2, the government asks for labor staff mixes for normal ops and contingency ops. Neither are defined in the PWS or attachment J.4 Sample Base Prompt. Can the Government please provide its definition of contingency ops as well as its definition of normal ops(ie hours of op) as it related to the sample base prompt? | The Government will review the attachments and the language therein. |
| 10 | Attachment J.3 Prior Experience Scorecard was sent via PDF. It appears there are further instructions regarding Offeror's Task Range Score & Offeror's Total Score within the attachment. Can the Government please explain how the Offeror achieves task range score of 4 & total score of 18? | The Government will upload an excel version of the document to review. |
| 11 | There appears to be an error in reference documents. Current language states: "The SLAs utilizes for this Sample Base Prompt are included in Attachment 2." Attachment 2 shows a heat map for WIFI, but no SLAs. Will this be corrected in the next version of the RFP? | The Government will review the attachments and the language therein. |
| 12 | Please explain how total score is calculated for the Prior Experience Scorecard | The Government will upload an excel version of the document to review. |
| 13 | The as-delivered J-3 attachment file came across as 'write-protected'. Can the Government provide a MS Excel version of the J-3 scorecard and a MS Word version of the 2-page reference forms? | The Government will upload an excel version of the document to review. |
| 14 | is cross teaming permitted? ie. an 8(a) subbed to a large, but then also competing in the SB 8(a) track. | Yes. Although, mentor proteges will be restricted to 1 protege per mentor. |
| 15 | Offeror would like to confirm the Government’s instructions regarding Small Business Subcontracting Plan. Section L 2.5 states “Offerors, unless otherwise exempt due to being a small business concern or other reasons in accordance with FAR 19.702(b), shall, in accordance with FAR 19.7, 52.219-9 – Alternate II, 52.244-5, and DFARS 252.219-7003, also submit a Small Business Subcontracting Plan.” Should Offerors submit the SBSP as a separate attachment to the proposal or as part of Volume 4? If part of Volume 4, please confirm the plan will be outside of page count. | The Small Business Subcontracting Plan is not included in any of the Evaluation factors. It is not subject to any page limitations and will not count against any page limitations. The plan is a separate attachment and will be assessed for acceptability prior to award. The SBSP will be submitted as part of Volume 4, but will not count against any page limitations and does not have a page limitation. |
| 16 | The RFP states that the Government will validate each reference for paragraph 2.2.1 – 2.2.6 compliance. Does this mean the Government is not expecting a customer signature / concurrence with reference submissions? | Customer signature is not required. The Prior Experience Scorecard is completed by the offeror, and the customer for your experience do not sign the Reference. The Government will validate the experience with your customer using the contact information you provide. |
| 17 | can a large be a teaming partner to the 8a company? | Yes. |
| 18 | When TO's are put out Full and Open, that means ALL IDIQ holders (LB and SB pools) are allowed to bid? | Yes. |
| 19 | Does an awarded Task Order include all requirements listed under the PWS for any base covered under that Task Order? Or, is it possible that one Task Order will cover specific PWS requirements for a given base while another Task Order covers the remaining PWS requirements for that same base? | The Governments intention is to award the Task Orders with the full scope. BIM scope on a base will not be split across Task Orders. |
| 20 | Will use of SB affiliate past performance be accepted IAW FAR Subpart 15.305 (2) (iii)? | The evaluation of prior experience is a different evaluation than past performance and is not subject to FAR 15.305(2). Section L and M, along with the Prior Experience Scorecard, will be revised to additionally clarify how prior experience will be considered. Summarily, the experience of the offeror (as defined by the offeror associated with the CAGE code submitting the proposal), the offeror's partner in the event of a joint-venture or mentor-protege arrangement, or the offeror's prospective subcontractors wherein a Small Business Teaming Arrangement featuring that subcontractor is submitted with the proposal. |
| 21 | What type of clearances will be required to participate in the bid effort? | For Task Orders, some personnel, at a minimum, require DoD Secret. For the IDIQ, a facility clearance of Secret is required for all. |
| 22 | how will the government decide which TOs go to the SB Reserve pool versus the F/O pool? | The Government will consider base size, complexity, and other mission factors for pool designation. |
| 23 | will the SB Reserve pool be managed and companies off-ramped over the course of the PoP of the IDIQ if they no longer meet the requirements of the SB Reserve pool? | Yes, they will be required to re-certify their status at the end of the 5-year basic period. The Government may off-ramp them as part of the reserve if they outgrow their small status. |
| 24 | Will the Government have different evaluation criteria for the Large Business and Small Business Pool? | No. |
| 25 | what is the anticipated number of TO/Bases per year. Also, given there may be different companies awarded each TO, what is the plan to ensure there is an Enterprise approach to BIM in order to avoid what BIM is trying to resolve | The Government will group bases on Task Orders based on prioritization and mission needs. |
| 26 | Is GOCO still the intend model for EITaaS BIM or based on hardware/software procurement changes is the Government shifting to COCO? | The BIM program will be GOCO. |
| 27 | Does formal arrangement include prime - sub relationship, not just M-P or JV? | Yes, so long as the relationship is formalized in a Small Business Teaming Arrangement as defined in FAR 52.207-6. |
| 28 | WIll there be different NAICS Codes for Small Business? | No. The NAICS for this acquisition (IDIQ and subsequent Task Orders) is 517111, Wired Telecommunications Carriers. |
| 29 | does "Formal Arrangement" to consider past performance from a party include teaming agreement to leverage a tier one subcontractor's PP? | Formal Arrangements include Joint Ventures, DoD and SBA-approved Mentor-Protege arrangements, and Small Business Teaming Arrangements as defined in FAR 52.207-6, Solicitation of Offers from Small Business Concerns and Small Business Teaming Arrangements or Joint Ventures (Multiple-Award Contracts). Section L and M, as well as the Prior Experience Scorecard, have been revised to clarify what will constitute an attributable partner or attributable subcontractor, although the last 2 terms are described in Section M, paragraph 2.2.4. |
| 30 | With multiple TO's being awarded, multiple designs/HW will likely be used. The TO's awardee with provide day 2 operations but will the DAF have requirements for a common operations picture that they (DAF) will have access to for visibility? If so, should there be a common tool used by each TO awardee to provide a consistent COP? | The Government does not expect a single tool to be used across all Task Orders, at this time. |
| 31 | given this is a 10-year PoP, will companies who no longer meet SB or other categories, be required to submit a SBPCD | All offerors must submit a Small Busiess Participation Commitment Document, whether they are small or other-than-small. A Small Business Subcontracting Plan must be would also be required if a company recertifies as other than small at the recertification point. |
| 32 | how are the scores on the points calculated on the PES; the instructions on determining the scores is not clear. | The Government will upload an excel version of the document to review. |
| 33 | What type of clearances will be required to participate in the bid effort? | For Task Orders, some personnel, at a minimum, require DoD Secret. For the IDIQ, a facility clearance of Secret is required for all. |
| 34 | given there are current modernization and services efforts ongoing at multiple bases under contracts in execution now, what is the plan to transition those to BIM efforts under TOs. Will those continue to contract end or end early and be pulled into BIM. | The Government will group bases on Task Orders based on prioritization and mission needs. The Government is addressing how existing efforts fit into BIM effort. |
| 35 | To what extent are cellular technologies like 5G expected to be a focus of BIM? If a focus, would infrastructure upgrades to bases expected to come out at a per TO basis or as a single TO? Finally, Is it the government's intent to setup their own private networks, utilize existing commercial networks (such as cellular carriers), or a combination of both? | 5G is not a focus of BIM, but would be an option for industry proposals. The Government will assess all technical approaches and how they meet the evaluation criteria. |
| 36 | How will TOs work for Joint Bases where the Executive Agent is Air Force … but it has another Service in the Installation (i.e., JBSA). | The specifics will be answered within that Task Order RFP. |
| 37 | How will Joint bases be addressed under BIM where the AF is the executive agent for that base especially given some contracts supporting that base are under a different service…also what about those bases where the AF is NOT the executive agent. | The specifics will be answered within that Task Order RFP. |
| 38 | if a company wins a TO for a particular base, will that company have the work at that base for the entirety of the IDIQ PoP or will other work at that base be competed with subsequent TOs? | No. They will not be guarenteed work for the entire IDIQ PoP. Task Orders have different PoPs. |
| 39 | Will a certain number of past experience citations submitted for scoring be required to come from the Prime contractor to be considered for award of a Full -and Open or Small Business? | The prior experience references can come from the offeror, an attributable subcontractor, or an attributable partner as described in Section M, paragraph 2.2.4. Each experience will be counted the same regardless of which of those three sources it comes from. |
| 40 | PWS 4.9 (protect) states if a CSfC architecture is not in place, then HAIPE devices should be used. If we’re modernizing then wouldn’t the preferred way-ahead be to implement CSfC across the enterprise…what is the CSfC Enterprise approach within BIM…if any? | Industry can propose CSfC solutions. The DAF does not have an enterprise approach for CSfC at this time. |
| 41 | Will a certain number of past experience citations submitted for scoring be required to come from the Prime contractor to be considered for award of a Full -and Open or Small Business reserve at the IDIQ level? | The prior experience references can come from the offeror, an attributable subcontractor, or an attributable partner as described in Section M, paragraph 2.2.4. Each experience will be counted the same regardless of which of those three sources it comes from. |
| 42 | For offerors to make an informed bid decision, will the government release a scorable version of J-3 in advance of the final RFP? | The excel file has been uploaded to SAM.gov |
| 43 | Does the Government have an estimated number and average magnitude of task orders to be competed under this IDIQ? | The total number of Task Orders and the magnitude of each has not been determined at this time. The Government will group bases on Task Orders based on prioritization and mission needs. |
| 44 | The draft Section L, Factor 3, Subfactor 1(b) requires a breakout of the responsibilities of team members. Will the Government confirm their intention is for offerors to define responsibilities in a FAR 9.601(1) type agreement and not for offerors to describe IDIQ roles for subcontractors under FAR 9.601(2)? | The Government's intention is for the offeror to describe the responsibilities of team members in performing on the IDIQ, to include subcontractors. |
| 45 | The draft Section L, Factor 3, Subfactor 1(j) requires the offeror to describe their understanding and knowledge of applicable bilateral SOFAs. Will the Government clarify this requirement – what specific information is being requested? | The Government will assess the evaluation criteria in IDIQ Section L & M. |
| 46 | The draft Section L, Factor 3, Subfactor 1(k) requires the offeror to describe how they will conform to DCAA and DCMA auditing and compliance. The subfactor item includes a list of several internal management systems for which evidence must be provided. Will the Government confirm that third-party assessment organization evidence meets these requirements? | The Government will assess the evaluation criteria in IDIQ Section L & M. |
| 47 | Will the RFP require proof of DCAA Business System approvals? If so, recommend those artifacts be excluded from page count also. | The Government will assess the evaluation criteria in IDIQ Section L & M. |
| 48 | Recommend the following be excluded from the page limit in Volume 3: |
-- Professional Employee Compensation Plan -- SCRM Plan -- Quality Control Plan
| -- COOP and CONOPS Plans | The Government will assess the evaluation criteria in IDIQ Section L & M. | ||
| 49 | We understand the Government intent to not evaluate price, but want to confirm there will be No Cost Proposal required in the final RFP | The Government will not request a Cost Proposal for the IDIQ, however, the Government will require a Cost Proposal for all Task Orders. | |
| 50 | If a SB intends to submit a prime bid within the SB Reserve Pool, are they also eligible to sub-contract under an LB in the F/O Pool? | Yes. | |
| 51 | When answering this question "The Value of this reference is best expressed as:" for references that vendors select "Service, where the use of labor provided continuous capacities and/or support (such as operating a Service Desk, maintenance and repair services, or providing consultant or advisory support). Annual value, including all modifications and options:" - how should an offeror calculate annual value for multi-year programs? | Average annual value for services (as contrasted by the total value for a project) is calculated by taking the total value of the contract, including all modification and all options, and dividing it by the number of years. | |
| 52 | When will the follow-on Draft RFP be released, as mentioned during the Industry Day 3 on 9/28/23? | The Draft RFP was posted with Industry Day 3 post on SAM.gov Updates will be posted when available. | |
| 53 | When will the Final RFP be released? | The Government is currently estimating IDIQ RFP release Q2 FY24. | |
| 54 | How long will Offerors have to respond with a proposal after each Task Order RFP is issued? | The Government anticipates 30 days for each Task Order, but will consider complexity and the vendor pool's maturity for each Task Order requirement. | |
| 55 | What is the anticipated scope of the first Task Order? | The Government is not ready to release Task Order scoping at this time. | |
| 56 | What is the anticipated frequency of subsequent Task Orders? | The Government will issue Task Orders based on prioritization and mission needs. The frequency has not been determined. | |
| 57 | – Ref lines "Government wants to avoid being the Integrator" and "Integrator Role" within the table |
| Please clarify if the Government intends on a separate integration role contract across all IDIQ Task Orders or if each IDIQ provider will be performing the integrator role only for the respective awarded bases. | The Government is not seeking a Contractor integrator across the entire IDIQ or all of the Task Orders. Each Task Order awardee will be the integrator for a specific Task Orders scope. | ||
| 58 | What scope of work is intended for Small Businesses? | If a Small business is awarded a Task Order, the Small Business will be responsible for the entire scope of BIM within that Task Order. Using the Small Business Reserve, the Government may set orders aside exclusively for competition among Small Businesses. | |
| 59 | As presented during Industry Day 3, it was said 34% of Task Orders would be set aside for Small Businesses. Please clarify if the 34% is based on the number of Task Order awards or the value of Task Order awards. | The Government anticipates that the opportunity exists for Task Orders to be issued to small businesses for 34% of the total cumulative dollar value of the IDIQ. | |
| 60 | Will the PMO release a draft Task Order PWS prior to the IDIQ contract award? | No, The Government will only be releasing the draft Task Order documents to the IDIQ Awardees. | |
| 61 | During the BIM Industry Day 3 briefing it was presented: | ||
| a. | On Slide 12: that there would be a Small Business Reserve Pool | ||
| b. | On Slide 16: shows “Awardee E Set Aside for SBs” and “Awardee F Set Aside for Specific Concern” | ||
| c. | On Slide 17: The Reserve will include slots for SB’s, 8(a)s, HUBZone, Woman-Owned, and Service-disabled Veteran-Owned SB’s | ||
| i. | Question: Based on the above information, is it the governments’ intent to award Small Business Pool contracts to companies within each of the following categories; SB, 8(a), HUBZone, Woman-Owned, and Service-disabled Veteran-Owned SB? | ||
| Yes, at least two awards per category will be reserved for each of those SB categories at the IDIQ level. | |||
| 62 | (same references as above) Is it also the Governments’ intent to have Task Orders within the Small Business Reserve Pool set aside, or the potential to be set aside, for each of the following categories; SB, 8(a), HUBZone, Woman-Owned, and Service-disabled Veteran-Owned SB? | The Government may elect to set-aside orders for a particular category or for all SBs, according to the needs of the Government, small business goals and the business environment. | |
| 63 | If a prime offeror is a small business entity, are they still required to submit a SBPCD? | All offerors are required to submit a SBPCD. | |
| 64 | Are Small business prime offerors required to have five additional small business partners or is that requirement only for large primes? | Yes, in accordance with para. 3.2 of Section M. | |
| 65 | Per the draft Section M criteria, Recency of Experience is currently defined as performance between 1 Oct 2018 to 31 Mar 2023. The end date of that period may be passed for nearly a year by the time the RFP is released. Will the government extend the end of the period to a date closer to the RFP release date? What is that date? | The Government will assess the evaluation criteria in IDIQ Section L & M. | |
| 66 | Will primes on the Small Business Reserve be allowed to compete for task orders that come out as Full and Open on the IDIQ? | Yes. | |
| 67 | Can a small business prime have fewer than five small business partners and still be eligible for award on the IDIQ? | No, in accordance with para. 3.2 of Section M. | |
| 68 | Will a single task order vendor have responsibility for all the work within scope of the IDIQ on an installation(s) for the entire PoP of the IDIQ ordering period? | The Task Order vendor will be responsible for the entire scope descibed within each Task Order. Each Task Order will have its own PoP, which is not equal to the length of the IDIQ ordering period. | |
| 69 | Does the government anticipate task orders coming out with a standardized Period of Performance (e.g. 5 years) or will Periods of Performance vary from task order to task order? | The Government anticipates Task Order PoPs to be standardized at 5 years, but other factors may influence that length. | |
| 70 | Will all required work at a particular installation(s) be issued as part of a single task order or is it possible there may be multiple task orders issued for work at an installation(s). | The Governments intention is to award the Task Orders with the full scope. BIM scope on a base will not be split across Task Orders. | |
| 71 | Does the government foresee situations where there may be more than one prime vendor conducting task order work under this IDIQ on the same installation(s) during the same or overlapping periods of performance? | Any one installation will not be split across Task Orders. The Government does not foresee any overlapping Periods of Performance for Task Orders. | |
| 72 | Will there be some subset of task orders set aside for specific small business categories (e.g. 8(a) or SDVOSB) under the Small Business Reserve pool? | The Government may elect to set-aside orders for a particular category or for all SBs, according to the needs of the Government, small business goals and the business environment. | |
| 73 | Will the government allow 8(a) direct awards under the Small Business Reserve? | No, that is prohibited by FAR 15.304 (c)(1)(ii)(C). However, competitive 8(a) set-asides are still possible. | |
| 74 | Can a small business prime offeror submit a contract reference from a large business sub as part of their prior experience scorecard? | Offerors can submit the prior experience of themselves, their attributable partners, and attributable subcontractors. Attributable subcontractors are defined as those which the small business has a SBTA. SBTAs, as defined in FAR 52.207-6, can only be executed between two or more small businesses. Attributable partners are those which are members of the joint venture or approved DOD or SBA mentor-protege arrangement. To specifically answer the question: A small business an only submit the experience of an other-than-small if that other-than-small is the mentor and the offeror is the protege in an approved mentor-protege arrangement. | |
| 75 | Will the government accept affiliate company past performance IAW FAR Subpart 15.305 (2) (iii)? | Attributable experience will be addressed in Section L & M, on how the contractor can use its partners and affiliates to use experience to be evaluated. | |
| 76 | Will companies on the Small Business Reserve be required to recertify their small business status to remain in the Small Business Reserve pool? If so, how and when will that recertification be accomplished? | Size recertification will be accomplished at the 5 year mark of the IDIQ and as requried by FAR 19.301-2 and 13 C.F.R 121.404. | |
| 77 | Will each integrator propose a technical solution upfront that will be deployed across their awarded bases or will technical solutions be determined after award and after surveys and engineering? | The techical solution proposed for a Task Order should be for all bases within that Task Order; the Task Order's technical solution should be optimized to meet the needs of the bases mission and the capability of the Offeror to deliver all services required. | |
| 78 | Will each integrator have the flexibility to propose different solution for each base or will the technical solution be the same across their bases? | The techical solution proposed for a Task Order should be for all bases within that Task Order; the Task Order's technical solution should be optimized to meet the needs of the bases mission and the capability of the Offeror to deliver all services required. | |
| 79 | If and how will the Air Force incentivize task order awards with modernized and innovative technology solutions? And if so, will cost savings, operational efficiencies, and security improvements be the driving factors in task order selection? The current RFP doesn’t ask much about proposed technology solutions. | Task Order evaluations, to include the factors and weighting thereof, will vary and the details will be released to IDIQ awardees with each Fair Opportunity Proposal Request. | |
| 80 | Will the draft TRD (Technical Requirements Document) be published? What is its function in the BIM process? | BIM will utilized SLAs vice a TRD. | |
| 81 | Please clarify the example for “a contractor on-ramped at the start of year 3…” We believe the on-ramped contractor would have 3 years remaining on the basic 5 year ordering period, plus a 5 year option (if exercised). | In the example provided, the on-ramped IDIQ will be for a basic ordering period of 5 years, with a 3 year option. This is to account for the requirement for a small business to recertify their status as a small business at the 5 year mark of their IDIQ. | |
| 82 | What is the difference between an order set-aside for small business, and one that is set-aside for the SB Reserve Pool? | The Small Business Reserve Pool represents all small businesses that receive an IDIQ. Orders may be set aside for competition exclusively among the Small Business Reserve Pool (or specific socio-economic concerns therein). | |
| 83 | Does an offeror need to complete an SBPCD, even if they are exempt from having to submit a SB Subcontracting Plan? | All offerors must complete a SBPCD. Small business concerns are not required to provide a Small Business Subcontracting Plan. | |
| 84 | How many references should be from the prime offeror, at minimum? | Prior experience from the offeror, their attributable partners, and attributable subcontractors will all be treated the same. An offeror could provide 4 experiences performed by their attributable partner or attributable subcontractor. | |
| 85 | When using references from a Small Business Team member with a SB Teaming Arrangement, how many references (maximum number) can be from the SB Team member? | Prior experience from the offeror, their attributable partners, and attributable subcontractors will all be treated the same. An offeror could provide 4 experiences performed by their attributable partner or attributable subcontractor. | |
| 86 | Section M 3.1.1.i and Industry Day Slide 16 – IDIQ Tactical Overview – Task Order Structure: The proposed Task Order structure will award 1 or more bases to an awardee. Each awardee may bring a different solution, with a heterogeneous mix of hardware and software. How does the Air Force plan to have global visibility and operational management into the base infrastructure? Does the Air Force intend to have global visibility into this heterogenous infrastructure or is the intent to have each task order managed in a silo? | The DAF is not expecting global visibility, it is expecting visibility from the contractor within that specific Task Order. | |
| 87 | Will the Government make IDIQ awards within set-aside Small Business socio-economic categories? For example, will there be a HubZone SB IDIQ award and a separate SDVOSB SB IDIQ award? Or will all Small Businesses compete against all socio-economic categories for IDIQ awards? | The Government may set aside orders, either for small businesses in general or specific socio-economic categories, according to the needs of the Government, small business goals and the business environment. | |
| 88 | Additionally, after IDIQ award, will Small Business awardees be restricted to their specific small business socio-economic categories when competing for Task Orders, or will all Small Business awardees be able to compete for Task Orders set-aside as Small Business? | The Government may elect to set-aside orders for a particular category or for all SBs, according to the needs of the Government, small business goals and the business environment. | |
| 89 | The Contractor shall provision and maintain an Integrated Test Facility lab which is representative of the modernized base level network Hardware, software, firmware, and configurations of the actual fielded implementations. The lab installation shall functionally match fielded implementations to include support system emulations equivalent to base installations. (i.e., ICAM, Active Directory, DNS, NTP, or similar which may be out of scope for the contract.) A single ITF may be utilized to represent multiple base installations which are installed under the same baseline. |
Does the Government want the Integrated Test Facility to be provisioned and maintained at a DoD facility or at a Contractor facility?
| The location of the ITF will impact Offeror’s proposed technical design. | The Offeror would need to provide a technical approach where an ITF is at the contractor facility, but would need a transition plan to return equipment back to government inventory. | |
| 90 | The Contractor shall provision and maintain an Integrated Test Facility lab which is representative of the modernized base level network Hardware, software, firmware, and configurations of the actual fielded implementations. The lab installation shall functionally match fielded implementations to include support system emulations equivalent to base installations. (i.e., ICAM, Active Directory, DNS, NTP, or similar which may be out of scope for the contract.) A single ITF may be utilized to represent multiple base installations which are installed under the same baseline. |
Will the Government provide the network equipment required for the Integrated Test Facility, or does the Government expect the Contractor to purchase the equipment?
| Equipment purchase ownership will impact Offeror’s proposed price. | Details regarding pricing will come at the Task Order level; the IDIQ will not include an evaluation of price. | |
| 91 | All factors/subfactors are of equal importance and all must be rated as ‘Acceptable’ to qualify for award. |
Will the Government render award for all acceptable proposals? If not, how will the Government determine which acceptable proposals will receive an award?
| Award criteria clarity impacts company decisions to submit an offer. | The IDIQ will be awarded to all qualifying offerors, which is defined in Section M, para 1.1. | |
| 92 | This factor will be rated on an “Acceptable” or “Unacceptable” basis. This factor assesses whether the Offeror’s ability to meet Small Business Participation Commitment requirements. |
If a Large Business teamed with a Small Business Reserve awardee, does the Large Businesses’ portion of the award counts the small business requirement?
| Clarity on this topic will impact proposal compliance. | If a large businesses teams with a Small Business reserve awardee and the Small Business is issued a task order, then the large businesses's work on that order won't count toward the large businesses prime Small Business Participation Commitment requirement. The large businesse's SBPC requirements applies to orders issued to the large business as a prime. | ||
| 93 | PES Summary tab row 20 states Offeror’s Task Range Score (required score is 4). Does the Customer mean 4 per reference or 4 per total of the 4 references? | For the Task Range score will be calculated by the sum of all four references. The Excel version of the document has been uploaded to SAM.gov to give more insight as to how the experience scores are calculated. | |
| 94 | Please clarify how the score will be calculated. Will score from the Reference tabs get automatically calculated on the summary tab or the offerors need to fill the summary tab manually | The Excel document posted on SAM for the Prior Experience Scorecard currently requires manual entry from the offeror on the Summary tab. However, if resources permit, the Goverment may automate completion of the summary based on what offerors fill in on each Reference tab. | |
| 95 | PES Summary tab line 21 states Offer’s Total Score (minimum passing score is 18). Please verify that “Total Score” includes both Reference Consideration and Tasks 1-4, for a potential total of 32? | The Excel version of the document has been uploaded to SAM.gov to give more insight as to how the experience scores are calculated. | |
| 96 | L1.10 Proposal Organization identifies 50 Pages limit for Volume 3 Technical Proposal. Will the government please consider either increasing the page count of the Technical Volume or as an alternative consider excluding certain deliverables from the 50 page limit such as the following: |
L.2.4.1.d Provisional Staffing Plan L.2.4.1.e Professional Employee Compensation Plan, L.2.4.1.f Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) plan L.2.4.1.k Evidence of Business Systems approval L.2.4.2.c Quality Control Plan
| 50 pages is a very tight limit to accommodate the number of requirements to address listed in Section L.2.4. Volume 3: Factor 3 – Technical Proposal | The Government will assess the evaluation criteria in IDIQ Section L & M. | ||
| 97 | L.2.4.1.k asks for evidence of approval for each business system. Please clarify what is an acceptable form of evidence and whether Government will allow offerors to provide such evidence as an attachment to Volume 3 outside page limit established for Volume 3. | The Government will assess the evaluation criteria in IDIQ Section L & M. | |
| 98 | Will the Government consider changing the SB dollar value from the total IDIQ value ($12.5B) to 30% of subcontracted dollar value? | ||
| We mention this, because, it is highly unlikely that one company will win 100% of the $12.5B IDIQ ceiling. Further, subcontracting goals expressed as a percentage of subcontract dollars is consistent with the requirements of the FAR | The small business commitments in the SBPCD will be incorporated into the contract. During contract execution, the Government will review the cumulative value of the TOs per annum (reported annually per CDRL) and confirm prime is meeting their SB commitments for the percentages and socio-economic categories. Use of a SBPCD is consistent with the requirements of FAR 52.219-8 | ||
| 99 | Volume 2 Factor 1 Prior Experience: Will the Government consider requiring bidders to submit supporting documentation such as CPARS for programs used in the Prior Experience Scorecard (PES)? | ||
| Supporting documentation for Prior Experience such as CPARS can lower the risk to the Government and ensure a better quality of performance at a global scale | No, the bidders will not need to provide CPARS for past performance. Prior experience will be validated by the Government. The Government may use past performance, to include CPARS, in the evaluation of Task Orders. | ||
| 100 | Will the Government allow use of page size 11x17 inches? | No. The sizing of pages is 8.5x11 is the standard. | |
| 101 | Will the Government consider increasing the evaluation criteria, from acceptable and unacceptable , to a graded scale to limit the number of awardees to enable a consistent global enterprise solution for BIM? | ||
| One of the major BIM objectives is to transition the DAF from a “base centric” BAN construct to a Global Enterprise Construct, both CONUS and OCONUS with the ability for a contractor to “scale” to meet the rapid transformation objectives for BIM. This requires a contractor with vast experience and capabilities to deliver a consistent enterprise solution. | While the criteria for IDIQ award is based on an "acceptable/unaccpetable" basis, the Government may use other method (to include the scaled/adjectival ratings) to evaluate Task Orders. | ||
| 102 | M.2.2.1. Types of Contracts Considered | ||
| Will the Government consider raising the prior experience scope dollar value to a minimum of $50M/year and keep the SB scope dollar threshold at $250,000/year? | The Government will assess the evaluation criteria in IDIQ Section L & M, but small businesses will not have different evaluation criteria (regulatory caveats notwithstanding). | ||
| 103 | M.1.1 Basis for award |
Will the Government consider implementing a graded evaluation and adding risk as an evaluation factor for the major sections to ensure a global enterprise approach at scale?
| Given the current version of draft materials, it seems the threshold for awardees is low, which makes this look like an EC2 or NETCENTS II type of acquisition, where the USAF gets way too many awardees. | The Government will assess the evaluation criteria in IDIQ Section L & M. | ||
| 104 | M.1.1 Basis for award | ||
| Given the solicitation delays with BIM, will the Government consider adding an awardable task order, instead of a sample TO, as part of the BIM solicitation? | No. The Government will maintain its current approach. | ||
| 105 | Will the Government consider revising the acquisition strategy to full and open with a separate SB pool for services with different standards for small businesses, and increased evaluation standards for large businesses? | As small businesses will also be eligible to compete for orders that are not set aside, the Government will have the same evaluation criteria regardless of the Offeror's small business status, with any regulatory caveats. | |
| 106 | What is the timeline for the project, including start and end dates? | This IDIQ is for a baisc ordering period of 5 years from award date, plus a 5 year optional ordering period, plus a 6-month optional extension. | |
| 107 | Are there any milestones or key deadlines within the project? | All IDIQ milestones are provided within the solicitation. | |
| 108 | What is the budget or budget range for this project? | In accordance with Section H the maximum cumulative value of all Task Orders is $12.5B. | |
| 109 | Are there any preferred payment terms or schedule? | None at this time. | |
| 110 | Who are the key stakeholders or decision-makers for this project? | SAF/CN, ACC/A6, BIM PMO, and PEO C3I&N | |
| 111 | Is there a designated point of contact for questions or clarifications during the work process? | The contracts will work with the Program Management Office during the PoP. | |
| 112 | What are the evaluation criteria for selecting the winning bid? | All details are provided within IDIQ section L and M of the solicitation. | |
| 113 | Are there any mandatory qualifications or certifications required for bidders? | All details are provided within IDIQ Sections K and L of the solicitation. | |
| 114 | Have there been any previous contracts for similar work that we should be aware of? | The Government does not believe there are any contracts of similar magnitude and scope within the Department of the Air Force. | |
| 115 | Will the Government please delete the EVM requirement? | ||
| The Government threshold for earned value management (EVM) is $100 M and applies to cost and incentive contracts. While the draft solicitation include cost contract line item numbers (CLINs), it is extremely unlikely that any task order (TO) will hit this threshold; further, almost no small businesses (SBs)—and very few large businesses—have approved EVM systems. | The Government will assess the evaluation criteria in IDIQ Section L & M. | ||
| 116 | The Government requests “…an explanation of how the Offeror’s systems and procedures adhere to Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) audits and verification of Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA)-compliant accounting system. Any changes made to these business systems and/or the CAS Disclosure Statement subsequent to the date of the provided approvals shall be disclosed. The explanation must include a summary including an introduction, overview, index, and evidence of approval for each business system including but not limited to Estimating, Purchasing, Accounting, and Earned Value Management (EVM) and the Offeror's Cost Accounting Standards Disclosure Statement.” Will the Government please remove the requirement for an approved estimating system? | ||
| SBs typically do not have approved estimation systems. | The Government will assess the evaluation criteria in IDIQ Section L & M. However, the Government does anticipate a considerate portion of work to be performed on Task Orders to be on a cost-reimbursement or cost-incentive basis, so the contractor's accounting system must be adequate for determining costs applicable to each order. | ||
| 117 | The solicitation states: “References from prospective subcontractors with whom the Offeror does not have a Small Business Teaming Arrangement will not be considered a Reference attributable to the Offeror. For Offerors with any Small Business Teaming Arrangement as defined by FAR 52.207-6, or Offerors with a small business Protégé and an other-than-small Mentor forming a Mentor- Protégé arrangement, References from each member of the formal partnership will be considered as an Attributable Partner or Attributable Subcontractor, according to the following: Members or Partners of Joint Ventures, to include Mentor-Protégé arrangements: References of performance from each of the members or partners of the Joint Venture will be considered in their sum as Attributable Partners, as will any experience of the Joint Venture (to include Mentor-Protégé arrangements) itself. Example: A Joint Venture where Member 1 (or the Mentor) providing two References that cover Tasks 1 and 2, and Member 2 (or the Protégé) providing two additional References that cover Tasks 2 and 3, will be considered as the Offeror providing four References across Tasks 1, 2, and 3. Prospective subcontractors for Offerors with Small Business Teaming Arrangements with those subcontractors: References of performance from each of the proposed subcontractors will be considered for the Offeror. Example: An Offeror with a Small Business Teaming arrangement providing two References performed by those Attributable Subcontractors that cover Tasks 1, 2, and 3 will be considered as the Offeror providing four experiences that cover Tasks 1, 2, and 3.” |
Will the Government please clarify how task experience coverage is determined for partners and subcontractors? Based on the examples for ‘attributable’ teaming with an SB, can the Government please confirm that any combination of two references for a given task will count as four references? Will offerers with only one reference from the team be scored higher?
This information is necessary for us to determine which references to use. The prior experience of the offeror will consider the sum of their own prior experience, that of their their attributable partners, and that of their attributable subcontractors. For example, an offeror that performed Task 1, their attributable partner that performed Task 2 and 3, and their attributable subcontractor that performed Task 4 will have been considered to have covered all 4 Tasks.
Prior experience from the offeror, their attributable partners, and attributable subcontractors will all be treated the same.
There will be no comparative assessment of prior experience among offerors; all offerors will be required to submit sufficient prior experience across all 4 tasks to achieve a score of at least 18, per the Prior Experience Scorecard and Section M paragraph 2.2.
| 118 | How does the Government intend to purchase the hardware and software required for modernization? | |
| This information is necessary for us to develop our proposed approach/solution. | As described in the draft solicitation, the hardware and software will be purchased by the offeror on the Governments behalf. All hardware/software will be Government owned, contractor operated. | |
| 119 | The instructions to offerors include a significant number of plans under the technical subfactors. Will the Government please exclude the plans from the page count for the technical volume? | |
| These plans typically require significant content. Including such plans in the page count will limit our ability to provide a comprehensive narrative description of our approach/solution. | The Government will assess the evaluation criteria in IDIQ Section L & M. | |
| 120 | Will the Government allow the use of 11x14 size pages for tables/charts that may be too large for 8x11 size pages? If so, will 11x14 size pages count as 1 or 2 pages? | |
| Many tables/charts contain a lot of content. Allowing these page sizes will enable us to provide more details regarding our approach/solution. | No. The sizing of pages is 8.5x11 is the standard. | |
| 121 | Can the Government please explain what offerors should provide in response to the “Scheduling of Services” requirement? | |
| This information is necessary for us to develop the required content for the section in question. | The Government will assess the evaluation criteria in IDIQ Section L & M. | |
| 122 | The Government requires offerors to explain how they will “effectively implement equipment management, respond to emergencies, hazardous materials, and safety programs.” Will the Government please explain what offerors should provide in response to this requirement? | |
| This information is necessary for us to develop the required content for the section in question. | The Government will assess the evaluation criteria in IDIQ Section L & M. | |
| 123 | The Government requires offerors to provide “the Offeror’s plan for Comprehensive Threat Analysis for physical and cyber threats.” Will the Government please explain what offerors should provide in response to this requirement? |
| This information is necessary for us to develop the required content for the section in question. | The Government will assess the evaluation criteria in IDIQ Section L & M. | ||
| 124 | The Government requires offerors to provide “a plan to increase reduction in manpower for IT Asset Management, Endpoint Management, Security Configuration Management, Vulnerability Management, Threat Detection & Remediation, Integration with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) & Analytics, Program Management, Engineering Services, and Transition Services.” Will the Government please explain what offerors should provide in response to this requirement? | ||
| This information is necessary for us to develop the required content for the section in question | The Government will assess the evaluation criteria in IDIQ Section L & M. | ||
| 125 | Will the Government provide Continuity of Operations (COOP) Plan and Concept of Operations (CONOPS) of the DAF? | ||
| We will need these plans to ensure our solution complies with them. | The Government will revise its language. These documents will apply at the Task Order level. | ||
| 126 | The solicitation states: “The experience of other subcontractors on the effort, even if all subcontractors fell under the management of the same prime contractor, will not be considered a Reference attributable to the Offeror.” Paragraph 2.2.4 states that subcontractor prior experience is acceptable. Will the Government please clarify the statement in 2.2.3? | ||
| This information is necessary for us to develop the required content for the section in question. | Paragraph 2.2.3. states "the reference for the work performed must have been from the offeror working as the prime contractor or subcontractor who actually performed the work..." The Government will clarify the language. | ||
| 127 | The solicitation states: “The Contractor shall generate and maintain an Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) for each Task Order. The IMS for each Task Order shall account for all Task Orders currently being performed, shall account for each base within each Task Order, and shall identify each task and subtask associated thereof.” Does the Government expect one IMS which contains all Task Order IMS’ or a separate IMS file for each Task Order?" | ||
| This information is necessary for us to develop the required content for the section in question. | An overall IMS for a Task Order, if the Task Order has mulitple bases, the IMS should have a seperate tab for each base, with their tasks/subtasks. | ||
| 128 | Are equivalent industry/OEM certifications acceptable in place of the CWDP and CWP for wireless qualification (e.g., ACDP, ACMP, etc.)? | ||
| This information is necessary for us to develop our proposed approach/solution. | The Government will assess the evaluation criteria in IDIQ Section L & M. | ||
| 129 | Can offerors propose efficient, high-performance topologies that use less physical link redundancy than is required in solicitation Appendix A, Section 11, Capacity and Redundancy? | ||
| This information is necessary for us to develop our proposed approach/solution. | No, the Government anticipates rquirements for the redundancy specified. | ||
| 130 | The solicitation states: “The wireless system is an enterprise capability that provides the DAF BANs a single standard transport for wireless systems…The currently deployed wireless and wired systems are monitored and managed by a variety of personnel in the Active Duty Integrated Network Operations and Security Centers (INOSC), Air National Guard Network Operations and Security Center (GNOSC), and base communication squadron personnel." Will INOSC and other AF enterpise personnel continue to manage the wireless solution? If so, will they use GFE solutions or is the offeror required to propose an enterprise orchestration solution for wireless networking? |
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