DRAFT RFP Q A 05July.docx

Industry Questions, Government Answers Draft Request for Proposal FA8750-12-R-0002 05 July 2011

Section L

1. Is the Contractor required to have SCI access in place at time of contract award?

RESPONSE: No, SCI access is not required at time of contract award per the pre-solicitation notice which states:

"At time of award, the successful Offeror must have Secret facility security clearance and Secret safeguarding capability at the prime level and at any tier where work will be performed. After award, the successful contractors must obtain, or be able to obtain, a Top Secret facility clearance."

Also, please reference 5352.215-9000 FACILITY CLEARANCE (MAY 1996) (TAILORED) in Section L of the draft RFP which states:

"To qualify as a responsible Contractor, the Offeror must possess, or acquire prior to award of a contract, a facility clearance and safeguarding capability at the Secret level. Within 12 months after award, the successful Contractors must acquire or be able to acquire a TOP SECRET/SCI facility clearance as stated on the Contract Security Classification Specification (DD Form 254) attached to this solicitation."

2. What is the minimum order amount mentioned in RIK-L001 (c) page L-5 of 25 to be awarded to prepare the Program Management Plan (PMP)?

RESPONSE: The amount of the first order constitutes the minimum ordering amount for the IDIQ (See FAR 16.504) and is dependent upon the negotiated amount for the order (not to exceed $2,000).

3. RIK-L006 (c) 5 states all pages must be numbered sequentially from the first to the last page using only Arabic numerals. We recommend all pages that count towards the page limits be numbered sequentially from the first to the last page using only Arabic numerals, while the pages which do not count towards the page limit be numbered sequentially from the first to the last applicable page using only Roman numerals.

RESPONSE: Only pages that count towards the page limitations are subject to the Arabic numerals as indicated in RIK-L006 (c)(5). Contractors may use their discretion when numbering all other pages which do not count towards the page limit.

4. The font size requirements defined in RIK-L006 (c) (3) on page L-7 seem to define text paragraphs. Typically there are different requirements on table and figure font sizes. Recommend the government allow 8 point font for use in tables and figures.

RESPONSE: The minimum font size is 10 point for use in all tables and figures.

5. RIK-L007 (a) (4) (ii) on page L-9 defines the various socioeconomic categories of small businesses to be evaluated by the government yet does not stipulate any measurable goals for the large prime contractors to strive to achieve.

a. What are the specific requirements for subcontracting to small businesses?

b. Are these goals to be applied on a task order or total contract level?

c. Are the goals specified as a percentage of contract value or subcontracted value?

RESPONSE:

a. Contractors are encouraged to meet the minimum DoD subcontracting goals. These goals have been added to RIK-L007

b. Goals are applied on a total contract level.

c. Goals must be expressed as both a percentage of contract value and a percentage of subcontracted value. Reference FAR 52.219-9(d)(1) and AFFARS 5319.704(a)(1).

6. Section RIK-L013 refers to “Unclassified Proposals…” Please confirm the contractors will be required to prepare classified proposals and define the delivery requirements for these proposals. Recommend the government specify UNCLASSIFIED for the Cost Volume and SECRET for the Management and Technical Volumes.

How many unclassified copies of electronic media would the Government like for each volume?

To whom and how should the offeror submit classified proposal documents (RIK-L013)? Will there be instructions or a security classification guide made available for marking classified proposal documents?

RESPONSE: Classified proposal and addendum submission instructions will be added to RIK-L013. The Cost Volume must be unclassified, but the Technical and Management may be classified up to the TS/SCI level. Contractors will only be required to submit one copy of electronic media. Instructions will be provided in the RFP and a security classification guide, stated on the DD 254s for the Sample Orders, will be distributed to qualified offerors upon request.

7. RIK-L018 (a) states that “One or all orders (in whole or in part) may be awarded to the successful offeror at the time of award of this IDIQ contract.” Please confirm if the “Sample Tasks” are in fact samples or awardable.

RESPONSE: The language in RIK-L018 has been changed. The Sample Tasks are NOT awardable.

8. While Section RIK-L012 states Oral Presentations will not be allowed, Section M, RIK-M001 (c) includes Oral Presentations. Please confirm that Orals will not be requirement for this procurement.

RESPONSE: Oral presentations will not be accepted. RIK-M001(c) refers to responses to questions, not proposals.

9. RIK-L006 (a) indicates that the Technical (Mission Capability) Volume addresses the SOW and the 2 sample tasks. RIK-L009 (b) indicates that the Technical Volume addresses only the 2 sample tasks. Please clarify.

RESPONSE: RIK-L009 (b) will be corrected to state that the Technical Volume applies to the Statement of Work and Sample Orders 0001 and 0002.

10. RIK-L006 states that Volume III Technical and Volume IV Management each include the technical and management sections of the two sample orders (0001 and 0002), respectively. We recommend, for clarity, that the sample task orders 0001 and 0002 be developed as separate volumes, each containing their own Technical Approach and Management sections. This format would provide the Government with a more representative model of future task order proposals after IDIQ award.

RESPONSE: Because the Management Volume is expected to contain information that applies to how the offeror would manage the contract as a whole, the Government does not desire separate sections for management of each order and the SOW like the Technical Volume. However if there is information an offeror desires to submit that is unique to Sample Order 0001 and/or Sample Order 0002, offerors should consider sub-dividing this unique information by SOW, Sample Order 0001, and Sample Order 0002 while complying with the specified page limitations.

11. RIK-L007: Does a foldout chart count as one page or two pages?

RESPONSE: Proposals will be prepared on 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper except for foldouts used for charts, tables, diagrams, which may not exceed 11 x 17 inches. Foldouts will not be used for text. Pages will have a one inch margin. Foldouts following these guidelines (reference RIK-L006 (c)(1) and (2)) will be counted as one page.

12. RIK-L008: Section (a) of RIK-L008 states that each Offeror should assume a contract award date of 2/28/2012 for Sample Order Number 0001 and 0002. Given that a propensity of Government contractors base their pricing rates upon the Government Fiscal Year (October 1 to September 30) and that Attachment 5 requires NTE Hourly Rate information by Calendar Year should an Offeror be submitting any special pricing cross-reference tables in support of Volume II?

RESPONSE: A special pricing cross-reference table is not necessary. The rate information in Volume II and Attachment No. 5 should be submitted in accordance with their respective instructions. Note that paragraphs 4, 5, and 6 of the cost proposal table of contents in RIK-L008 are clear on specific rate information required to be submitted. The FFP NTE Hourly Rate Tables will be revised to state “Government Fiscal Year.”

13. Can AFRL provide insight into the business and mission functions that the system developed in Task Order 0001 must support? Such as: reverse engineering of malware?, software development?, interchanges with malicious Internet sites and content?, administrative functions? Can AFRL identify the operational users of the system? (e.g. AFRL Researchers, others?)

RESPONSE: The question identifies several types of business and mission functions (reverse engineering of malware, software development, interchanges with malicious Internet sites and content, administrative functions) but is not all-inclusive. Offerors should describe the types of functions the proposed approach can support. Operational users of the system are AFRL engineers.

14. The following duplicative requirements are requested in the Proposal Preparation Instructions for Volume III, Technical and Volume IV, Management: integration management, configuration management, quality control, certification and accreditation, software and hardware installation, and transition to operational environment. Clearly on p. 18, the Government states it desires this information related to the specific Task Order requirements to be included within Volume III, Technical. However, given the duplication and possible redundancy, what level of information shall the contractor provide for these requirements in Volume IV, Management?

RESPONSE: Volume III refers to the technical approach to meeting the requirement. Volume IV refers to the contractor’s management approach to meeting the requirement.

15. Section (e) of RIK-L008 requires that a Subcontractor’s proposal must be similarly structured to what a prime Offeror is required to submit. Given that Section (h) of RIK-L008 requires that the Cost Volume shall consist of a section for Sample Order 0001 and a section for Sample Order 0002 it raises the question of whether or not any cost proposal information for any subcontractor not selected to participate in either Sample Order 0001 or Sample Order 0002 needs to be submitted to the Government. Please advise.

RESPONSE: Any subcontractors not participating in Sample Orders 0001 and 0002 should be included in the offerors Technical Volume III. Cost information for these subcontractors is not required to be submitted.

16. Sub-Section (h)(1) of RIK-L008 includes the wording “The Offeror shall base the cost proposal on the Government-defined direct labor categories contained in Attachment No. 5 (see section J) ….”, should it have stated “Attachment No. 4 rather than “Attachment No. 5?

RESPONSE: Yes, changed.

17. Sub-Section (h)(2) of RIK-L008 indicates that an Offeror needs to refer to RIK-H003 for certain information. Does AFRL intend to allow the potential Offerors to see/review Section H prior to the release of the final RFP?

RESPONSE: The following is RIK-H003 which will be included in the final RFP:

RIK-H003 FIXED FEE FOR INDEFINITE-QUANTITY CONTRACT (APR 2011)

The fee which shall be established on any individual order shall be (percentage to be proposed by offeror) of all estimated costs, excluding facilities capital cost of money. Both parties retain the right to request renegotiation of the established fee percentage, on individual orders, in the event the work and associated risk on an individual order deviates substantially from the parameters used to establish the fixed fee percent.

(Applies to Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee CLIN(s) only.)

18. RIK-L009: Sub-Section (c)(1)(viii) of RIK-L009 appears to require an Offeror to provide a description of the staffing requirements by labor category, number of personnel, and security clearance anticipated to be used by the Offeror to accomplish sample Orders 0001 and 0002, as well as provide a description of the facilities that an Offeror plans to use. Is an Offeror required to identify by name and geographic location the personnel that it anticipates, at time of proposal submission, utilizing to accomplish sample Orders 0001 and 0002?

RESPONSE: Yes, Offeror’s are required to identify by name. See RIK-L009 (c)(2)(ii). Geographical location is not necessary.

19. Does an offer need to identify by labor category and geographic location any staffing slots where it anticipates utilizing new hires rather than currently identified/designated individuals?

RESPONSE: Offerors shall identify new hires by labor category. Geographical location is not necessary.

20. Sub-Section (c)(2) of RIK-L009 appears to be missing, please clarify whether or not any wording is missing.

RESPONSE: The DRFP contained a numbering error. (c)(3) in the DRFP should be (c)(2).

21. Sub-Section (c)(3)(ii) of RIK-L009 includes the words “ … names of persons to be assigned for direct performance” does this mean that an Offeror is required to provide the name of each individual it anticipates utilizing to accomplish sample Orders 0001 and 0002?

Also, do the resumes and/or biographies of each person to be assigned for direct performance need to list the applicable RFP/Contract Labor Category on it?

RESPONSE: Yes, the offeror is required to provide the name of each individual it anticipates utilizing to accomplish sample Orders 0001 and 0002. Yes, resumes and/or biographies need to list the applicable labor category.

22. The first two sentences in Section (a) of RIK-L018 indicate that the sum of the pricing of the two sample Orders will be used to establish the overall cost that is to be evaluated for determining a value for Factor 2 – Cost and used in conjunction with the Factor 1 value in making a best value award decision. Does this mean that Attachment No. 5 will not be used to assist in determining any sort of evaluation value for Factor 2 – Cost?

RESPONSE: Attachment No. 5 will be used in conjunction with cost proposals for Sample Task Orders 0001 and 0002 to assist in determining cost of doing business with offerors. The final RFP will clarify the extent Attachment No. 5 will be used during evaluation of Factor 2 - Cost.

23. The Government has provided as a benchmark a Government estimate of the person-years needed to complete each sample Task Order, is the Government willing to provide a percentage estimate (or a range of percentages) of how much work they anticipate will be needed to be performed at Government Site versus how much they anticipate will need to be performed at Contractor Site?

RESPONSE: There is no pre-established percentage estimate or range of percentages established. Offerors should propose any mix of contractor and Government site work that best defines their approach to meeting the requirement.

24. RIK-L006: “**” Note refers to resumes. Which resumes are required? Specific or all personnel or labor categories?

RESPONSE: Resumes should be supplied for management/engineering/scientific personnel for direct performance that the offeror considers central to its performance. Section L proposal preparation instructions have been revised accordingly.

25. RIK-L006: Does same sequence mean same paragraph sequence and number as SOW and Work Description? Please explain meaning of same sequence.

RESPONSE: Yes, same sequence means same paragraph sequence and number as SOW and Work Description.

26. RIK-L007: Will the requirement for a Past Performance volume be waived in lieu of inclusion of past performance data in the Technical Volume?

RESPONSE: The Government is not requesting a Past Performance Volume.

27. RIK-L007: Sub-Section (a)(4)(iv) of RIK-L007 states that “For IDIQ contracts the offeror should insure the plan reflects the entire acquisition value of $300,000,000.00”, does this essentially mean that the intended “quantity limit”, as the term is used in FAR 16.504, or the not-to-exceed value of each contract awarded by AFRL under the solicitation is intended to be $300,000,000.00?

RESPONSE: All primes will be working towards a cumulative quantity limit of $300,000,000.00.

28. RIK-L008: Sub-Section (h)(1) of RIK-L008 includes wording in it that requires each Offeror to propose direct hourly rates for each Government-defined labor category that are based upon “… the Offeror’s own labor categories”, please clarify whether or not the use of the term “direct hourly rates” as used in Sub-Section (h)(1) means the unburdened (no fringe benefit factor or other indirect costs applied) hourly dollar amount or the fully loaded (all indirect expenses (including the Fee amount proposed by each subcontractor) without any prime contractor Fee added) hourly dollar amount.

RESPONSE: For the purposes of preparing the cost proposals for Sample Orders 0001 and 0002, direct hourly rates shall be unburdened and each cost factor shall be separately listed as shown in RIK-L008 cost proposal table of contents.

29. RIK-L008: Section (h) of RIK-L008 states that “The Cost Volume shall consist of two (2) sections, one for each Sample Order (Sample Order 0001 and 0002)”, however, RIK-L008 does not include any definitive wording that would require each Offeror to submit a filled-out Attachment No. 5 – NTE Hourly Rate Tables as part of the Cost Volume. If an Offeror is specifically responding to the requirements of these two Task Orders it is highly likely that their proposals would not utilize many of the labor categories that are listed on Attachment No. 5. Please clarify whether or not the filled-out Attachment No. 5 needs to be submitted by each Offeror as part of Volume II – COST or if the filled-out Attachment No. 5 needs to be submitted as part of Volume I – CONTRACT FORMS.

RESPONSE: Attachment No. 5 will be included in the Cost Volume. Wording has been added to RIK-L008.

30. RIK-L009: A response by an Offeror to Sub-Section (c)(1)(vii) of RIK-L009 would seem to fit better in Volume IV - Management rather than in Volume III – Technical as it would seem to work well in conjunction with Section (4) of RIK-L010 which requires an Offeror to provide an approach regarding the recruiting/hiring of technical personnel; is the Government willing to consider revising the Volume in which an Offeror responds to this requirement?

RESPONSE: The approach to recruiting/hiring of personnel is applicable to Sample Orders 0001 and 0002 in addition to the entire effort and is appropriate for Volume III. The words “…and during the life of the contract” have been removed from RIK-L009 (c)(1)(vii).

31. Sub-Section (c)(3)(ii) of RIK-L009 includes the words “ … names of persons to be assigned for direct performance.” Does this mean that an Offeror is required to provide the name of each individual it anticipates utilizing to accomplish sample Orders 0001 and 0002?

RESPONSE: An offeror is required to provide the names of persons to be assigned for direct performance that the offeror considers central to its performance. Due to a numbering error, the RFP sub-section to RIK-L009 will be (c)(2)(ii).

32. RIK-L008, Table of Contents, Item 3 states: “Summary for each cost element and fee for each Contract Line Item (CLIN) (e.g., CLINs 0001 and 0002) using the format in Item 2 above. Data CLINs are not separately priced…” For the sample tasks, there is only one work CLIN 0001; CLIN 0002 is a data CLIN and therefore not separately priced. Please confirm that the Sample Task cost proposals require breakout of only one CLIN, or clarify.

RESPONSE: Yes, Cost proposals only require a breakout of CLIN 0001 for each Sample Order.

33. Reference Section I, FAR 52.219-14 and Section L, RIK-L007 Proposal Preparation Instructions – Contract Forms (Volume I), (a) (1) Section 1 (iii), page L-8 of 25, Information required by FAR 52.215-22, Limitations on Pass-Through Charges – Identification of Subcontract Effort.

a. Can a small business prime offeror team with a group of small business subcontractors and collectively satisfy the small business subcontracting requirement of at least 50%?

b. Will the small business requirement of at least 50% be applied to each task order or the cumulative value of the task orders under the IDIQ as a whole?

c. Under a multiple award IDIQ, how can one determine (calculate) the total cost of work to be performed by the prime and each subcontractor?

RESPONSE:

a. Yes, but only if a small business joint venture was legally created and awarded as the prime contractor.

b. The small business requirement of at least 50% will be applied to each order that is awarded under a small business set-aside.

c. The intent of FAR 52.215-22 and 52.215-23 is to ensure that the Government does not pay excessive pass-through charges. The total cost of work to be performed by the prime and each subcontractor will vary based on each Offeror’s ability to satisfy the requirements within each order. If an offeror intends to subcontract more than 70% of the total cost of work performed under the basic contract overall, and for Sample Orders 0001 and 0002, then information must be provided per FAR 52.215-22 so that the CO can determine whether excessive pass-through charges exist. This requirement will apply to each order awarded under the multiple award IDIQ.

34. Section L, RIK-L007 Proposal Preparation Instructions – Contract Forms (Volume I), (a) (3) Section 3 (i), pg L-9 of 25, mandates an approved EVMS. If the customer deems there is value for EVMS even in this short duration task order environment, we request that provisions be made to establish the EVMS at award and be certified within a specified duration after contract award (i.e. 3 months).

RESPONSE: Given the overall value of the ACT contract ($300M), EVMS is applicable, however it will only apply to orders equal to or over $20M. The Government may also consider waiving EVMS for orders over $20M at their discretion. It is noted that the current maximum order limit stated in FAR 52.216-19 is $20M.

35. Section L, RIK-L007 Proposal Preparation Instructions – Contract Forms (Volume I), (a) (3) Section 3 (iii), pg L-9 of 25, names and SSN of personnel assigned upon award.

As this is a Task Order contract, specific personnel will be defined by the nature of the task orders. A small management team will be established to work closely with the customer in responding to task order RFPs and managing the overall effort. Are these personnel “key personnel”? If so, will the customer define labor categories defined as key? If these are not “key personnel”, are they specific personnel proposed against Sample Task 1 and 2.

Key personnel are referenced but not defined. Please define the positions of the key personnel.

RESPONSE: The offeror should list personnel managing the overall contract as well as personnel performing the sample tasks that the offeror considers central to performance. The contractor should identify those labor categories that are central to satisfying the requirements. Section L has been revised accordingly.

36. Section L, RIK-L008 Proposal Preparation Instructions – Cost (Volume II) (b), submission of cost or pricing information in accordance with FAR 15.408, Table 15-2, is still required as part of the proposal in order for the Government to adequately evaluate the proposed costs. Please confirm this level of cost detail is only required for the sample task order pricings.

RESPONSE: This level of cost detail is required for the Sample Orders.

37. Section L, RIK-L018 Program Effort, assumptions for pricing purposes: for sample order 0001 and sample order 0002 the Government has provided estimates on a person-year basis. (i.e., order 0001 is 106 person-years and order 0002 is 20 person-years). Is a “person-year” the same as a full time equivalent (FTE)? And is the Government using 1920 hours as the basis for an FTE or person-year?

RESPONSE: A person-year is the same as a Full-Time Equivalent. The Government estimates 1,920 hours as a basis for a person-year.

38. RIK-L007: This section references a “Proposal forwarding letter.” Please confirm that this is synonymous with a proposal cover letter.

RESPONSE: Yes, this is synonymous with a proposal cover letter.

39. RIK-L018: Does the Government’s estimate of 106 person-years mean 106 people “level of effort” over 18 months?

Does the Government’s estimate of 20 person-years mean 20 people “level of effort” over 15 months?

RESPONSE: 1 person-year is equal to 1 FTE, but the actual number of hours may differ by offeror. We avoid using the term “level of effort” since it implies a specific type of contract per FAR part 16.

40. RIK-L018: Does the Government’s estimate not include Program Management?

RESPONSE: The Government estimate does not include Program Management. It only includes engineering, scientific and/or technical labor.

41. Can you confirm bidding a Program Management Office (PMO) is allowed per Section L?

RESPONSE: The offeror’s proposal may include any resources the offeror deems appropriate to execute the contract. All approaches will be reviewed competitively to assure the best technical solutions and value for the Government.

42. RIK-L008 - Need clarification on the following statement within the DRFP: “Identify perspective subcontractors and the basis on which they were selected. If noncompetitive, provide selected source justification.”

RESPONSE: If subcontractors are selected on a sole source basis, the prime needs to provide appropriate justification for not competing subcontracted work.

43. RIK-L007 and RIK-L008: Contracts Forms (Volume I), Section 5 (ii) indicates that “your proposal must include a listing of Government property you desire to use…”. Cost (Volume II) (c) (7) states that the cover sheet should contain, “whether you will require the use of Government property in the performance of the contract, and if so, what property;”. It is unclear as to what Volume the Government would like to see this Government property listing appear, Volume I or Volume II?

RESPONSE: Volume I is asking for the Government property the offeror expects throughout the life of the contract in a detailed fashion. Volume II is only requesting a listing of Government property for the Sample Orders 0001 and 0002.

44. Section L pg. 4 Section (e), Subcontracting Plan: Should the small business subcontracting plan be developed specifically for this effort or can the offeror utilize our existing comprehensive small business subcontracting plan?

RESPONSE: An offeror with an existing comprehensive small business subcontracting plan established per DFARS 219.702 is not required to submit an individual subcontracting plan for this effort. See RIK-L011 (e).

45. Section L (L010 (a)(5)): Is quantity and quality referring to the company or each individual manager?

RESPONSE: It is the quantity and quality of the offeror’s corporate experience relevant to program requirements.

46. Section L (L010 (a)(5)): Is experience relevant to program requirements referring to this program or other programs?

RESPONSE: Relevant experience should be in relation to the requirements of this contract.

47. Section L, (L010.a.5) Can you give an example of ‘Experience and qualifications of proposed types of management personnel and the quantity and quality of the Offeror’s corporate experience relevant to program requirements’?

RESPONSE: In an attempt to receive unique responses, the Government will not provide a model.

Section M

1. Please confirm the requirement for past performance citations/references. Only Corporate Experience is required per RIK-M001 (d) (1) (iii). Recommend the government require specific past performance citations for similar scope task orders and management of large IDIQ TO contracts to prove capability.

RESPONSE: Experience and qualifications may include citations and descriptions of previously awarded contracts of similar magnitude. It is up to the discretion of the offeror to submit that experience which is relevant in order to represent the Offeror's ability to manage the contract and successfully fulfill the requirements."

2. RIK-M001 (d)(1)(iii) talks to the experience and qualifications of the types of personnel and the quality and quantity of our corporate experience relevant to the requirements. Are we to construe this as a Past Performance section of Volume III or Volume IV?

RESPONSE: Volume III requires offerors to describe the experience and qualifications of proposed personnel as applicable to Sample Orders 0001 and 0002. Volume IV requires offerors to describe the experience and qualifications of proposed types of management personnel and the quantity and quality of the Offeror's corporate experience relevant to program requirements. Describe related experience, types of management personnel, and names of persons to be assigned for direct performance pertaining to SOS and Sample Orders 0001 and 0002.

3. If Section M.RIK-M001 (d)(1)(iii) implies a Past Performance section is desired, what are the scope and relevance criteria by which this section will be evaluated? (SOW or Sample Orders, or other criteria?)

RESPONSE: Offerors are expected to provide experience and qualifications relevant to the scope of work identified in the umbrella SOW and Sample Orders 0001 and 0002.

4. If RIK-M001 (d)(1)(iii) implies a Past Performance section is desired, may references be requested from our subcontractors? If Section M.RIK-M001 (d) 1 (iii) implies a Past Performance section is desired, how will these Past Performance references overall all be evaluated?

RESPONSE: Offerors should submit relevant experience and qualifications of all members of their team while complying with page limitation requirements. Relevant experience and qualifications will be evaluated to the extent which it represents the Offeror’s ability to meet the requirements of the contract.

5. Sub-Section (d)(2) addresses Factor 2 - Cost OR PRICE and states “Proposed labor categories and rates, both direct and indirect, and any associated fees, are analyzed to determine the overall cost of doing business with offerors ...” however it does not specify whether or not the analysis will be limited to the information included in the two required sections of the Cost Proposal, namely the Sample Task Order No. 0001 section and the Sample Task Order No. 0002 section of the Cost Proposal. Please advise whether or not the analysis will be limited to the information that an Offeror submits to support its cost proposal for Sample Task Order No. 0001 and Sample Task Order No. 0002.

RESPONSE: Factor 2 analysis will be based on cost proposals for Sample Orders 0001 and 0002 and the Total Evaluated Price derived from RFP Attachment No. 5.

6. RIK-M001: Please clarify whether or not the Attachment No. 5 NTE Hourly Rates are to be utilized by the Government in analyzing the cost of doing business with each offeror.

RESPONSE: The rate table at Attachment No. 5 will be used to establish cost reasonableness and realism in addition to the cost proposals for Sample Orders 0001 and 0002. For evaluation purposes only, the Government will develop notional hours for each labor category (added to Attachment No. 5) which will be multiplied by the proposed rates to compute the Total Evaluated Price (TEP). The notional hours used in calculating the TEP will be generally based upon actual labor mixes from similar types of efforts as well as from projections by the Government. Please also note that, as identified in Section M, Factor 2: Cost or Price is significantly less important than Factor 1: Technical.

Attachments

1. The Statement of Work defines eight (8) Task Areas in paragraph 2.1 (1) through (8). In paragraphs 4.1.1 through 4.1.9, seven of these Task Areas are discussed in lower level detail. However, Task Area 6 is not discussed and two (2) other Task Areas are introduced.

a. Is Task Area 6 included in the scope of the SOW and if so will the government be providing detail as to its content in Section 4.1.x?

b. Is the Task Area discussed in paragraph 4.1.8 in fact included and if so will it be added to the list of tasks in paragraph 2.1?

c. Is the Task Area discussed in paragraph 4.1.9 in fact included and if so will it be added to the list of tasks in paragraph 2.1?

RESPONSE:

a. Task Area 6 has been included in the SOW, section 4.1.6.

b. The Task Area discussed in Draft RFP paragraph 4.1.8 (4.1.9 in the RFP) pertains to integration and is not part of the 8 technology areas, therefore it will not be added to the list of Tasks in paragraph 2.1.

c. The Task Area discussed in Draft RFP paragraph 4.1.9 (4.1.10 in the RFP) pertains to the facilitation of technology transition and is not part of the 8 technology areas, therefore it will not be added to the list of Tasks in paragraph 2.1.

2. What is the intended purpose of the table in Attachment No. 4 following the labor category descriptions?

RESPONSE: Unable to find additional table in Attachment No. 4.

3. Instruction #1 on the Cost-Type NTE Hourly Labor Rates Table, Contractor Site differs slightly from the instructions for the other labor rate tables. The instruction requests rates that “are fully loaded and include all applicable direct labor, indirect labor, G&A, FCCOM costs and fee” whereas the other labor rate tables request rates through FCCOM. Please clarify whether rates are to be through profit/fee or only through cost.

RESPONSE: The Cost-Type NTE Hourly Labor Rates Tables have been removed from the final RFP.

4. The Cost-Type Labor Rate Tables include a separate line in which to include a Fixed Fee factor to cover CPFF task orders. Since there is not a separate line for Incentive Fee, how will CPIF task orders be handled?

RESPONSE: The Cost-Type Labor Rate Tables have been removed from the final RFP. The parameters for fixed-price incentive and cost-plus incentive task orders will be negotiated on an order by order basis.

5. Sample Order 0002 as written is very broad and effectively allows offerors to define the problem and the solution. As currently described, there could be considerable differences in the responses and making it difficult to compare technical capabilities as well as pricing. Please consider providing more detailed requirements for this task.

Since the solution to each of the sample orders could be a range of solutions, is it the Government’s intent to add specificity to the individual sample orders to help bound the scope of the effort(s)? If not, would the Government share their methodology for determining best value?

Would the Government consider including a scenario for each of the sample order(s) to provide clarification to the environment in which the sample order will operate?

RESPONSE: The problem for Sample Order 0002 is defined in Section 3.2 of the Work Description for the order and the requirement is defined in Section 3.3. The Government has reviewed the task and found it to provide adequate direction while still allowing offerors to propose novel and innovative approaches. The Government has reviewed comments to Sample Orders 0001 and 0002 and have determined that they are adequately defined, allowing contractors to submit new and novel approaches.

6. Due to the Air Force’s stated Sample task order 0002 requirements which demands a SCI level classification response in order to receive the optimal solution requested, is it the Air Force’s expectation to accept an SCI classified proposal?

RESPONSE: The question implies that only TS/SCI proposals will be sufficient, which is untrue. The Government will accept proposals up to and including TS/SCI through the proper channels. Instructions for submission will be provided in the RFP.

7. Attachment 3: The Synopsis provides the following bid-eligibility criteria: "At time of award, the successful Offeror must have Secret facility security clearance and Secret safeguarding capability at the prime level and at any tier where work will be performed. After award, the successful contractors must obtain, or be able to obtain, a Top Secret facility clearance." Also cited was 5352.215-9000 FACILITY CLEARANCE (MAY 1996) (TAILORED), in which the contractor must possess a facility to process and store up to SECRET at the time of the award. It is also understood that after contract award, the facility and storage must be upgraded to TS.

RESPONSE: It will not necessarily be required that the contractor possess storage at the TS level. The contractor must however be able to perform work at the TS and SCI levels or be able to obtain TS and SCI level clearances.

8. Attachment 3 (DD254) sample provided in the draft RFP provides for both SCI and non-SCI information. No mention of a requirement for a contractor SCI Facility (SCIF) is made in the Draft RFP, Attachment 3, except for the statement "Access to SCI is limited to Government or contractor SCIFs" on Section 3, Item 8a.. Attachment 2 places no requirements for a SCIF at the contractor facility. Can we assume that an on-site contractor SCIF is not a requirement for this contract, and that SCI access if for the purposes of threat briefings at a Government SCIF?

RESPONSE: It will not necessarily be required that the contractor possess an onsite SCIF. The contractor must however be able to perform work at the TS and SCI levels, or obtain the ability to do so, at government sites.

9. Section 10f of the DD 254 mentions Special Access (SAR/SAP). Attachment 4 does not make any statements on SAR/SAP physical security requirements. Does this mean that safeguarding SAR/SAP are procedural in nature? If physical security requirements exist, they should be described somewhere in the

DD254.

RESPONSE: It will not necessarily be required that the contractor possess SAP/SAR safeguarding at their facility. After award, the contractor MAY be required to perform work at the SAP/SAR levels (or obtain the ability to do so) at government sites.

10. Often, CDRLs identify the number of hours, on average, needed to prepare a specific CDRL. This information was not included in any of the sample CDRLs in the Draft RFP. Was this information deliberately omitted, or will it be added to the RFP?

RESPONSE: AFRL/RI does not include estimated hours to complete a specific CDRL in its R&D acquisitions, nor will it be included in the final RFP. Due to the unpredictable nature of R&D work, solutions cannot be estimated with any given accuracy and the number of hours will vary by contractor solution.

11. The RFP states that minimum education requirements may be waived after award. It is unclear how offerors will address this (i.e., factor that possibility into the rates, or conservatively bid, assuming requirements will not be waived. This is directly relevant to the cost realism analysis.

RESPONSE: The Government has removed the requirement for waivers to the labor categories. The Government will evaluate all proposed individuals as part of its technical evaluation of an Offeror’s proposal.

12. Is the fee/profit ceiling for Cost-Type rates in Attachment No. 5 applicable to all cost-type delivery orders (CPIF as well)?

Do the proposed cost-type NTE hourly rates that are to be listed in the Tables (Attachment No. 5) need to incorporate the Fee (profit) amount for each of the applicable hourly rate(s) that a subcontractor proposes to the prime Offeror?

RESPONSE: The rate tables for cost-type orders has been removed from the RFP.

13. Will the cost-type rates in Attachment No. 5 be put in the contract?

RESPONSE: See previous answer. The FFP NTE hourly rate tables will be attached to each respective awardee’s individual contract.

14. The Government desire to award contracts on the basis of adequate price competition appears to be the analysis of the reasonableness and realism of the cost or pricing information submitted for the sample orders 0001 and 0002, as well as the other supporting information required in the DRFP. What relevance does the Cost NTE matrix serve in support of the adequate price competition determination? Given the current and projected economic conditions, rates will be conservatively priced making any realism and reasonable comparison of cost proposals to support adequate price competition difficult, if not precluded.

RESPONSE: The rates in the offeror’s FFP NTE hourly rate tables will be incorporated as an attachment to the resultant basic contract award and will be used by successful awardees to propose all FFP ACT task orders. Successful offerors for the basic contract may, and are encouraged to, discount the contract labor rates and factors when bidding on FFP task orders. For evaluation purposes only, the Government will develop notional hours for each labor category (added to Attachment No. 5) which will be multiplied by the proposed rates to compute the Total Evaluated Price (TEP). The notional hours used in calculating the TEP will be generally based upon actual labor mixes from similar types of efforts as well as from projections by the Government. The rate tables for cost-type orders have been removed from the RFP.

15. Attachment No. 4 is not clear enough. A breakout of education and experience minimum requirements by column would be helpful.

RESPONSE: In order to keep the file to a reasonable size, the education and experience minimum requirements were combined and will stay as such for the RFP.

16. The DD Form 254, page 1 of 17 does not provide for fabricating, modifying, or storing classified hardware. Is this DD Form 254 only for Sample Tasks 0001 and 0002 or the entire IDIQ?

RESPONSE: The Government does not anticipate requirements that would require the DD254 to reflect the “fabricating, modifying, or storing classified hardware.” The DD Form 254 at Attachment No. 3 is for the umbrella contract. The DD Form 254’s at Attachment No. 9 and 12 are for Sample Orders 0001 and 0002 respectively.

17. Attachment No. 4: Given that the second paragraph under the heading labeled as “PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS” states “These labor categories represent the Government’s currently known labor categories and experience/education requirements and are provided for information purposes only. Offerors may propose alternate or additional labor categories if they will be required in the performance of this contract” is it acceptable for an Offeror to utilize its own corporate labor categories altogether rather than utilize the ones listed in Attachment No. 4?

RESPONSE: Offerors may utilize its own corporate labor categories, but must provide a description of how they match the Government-defined categories per RIK-L008. The final RFP will contain a mapping worksheet as part of Attachment No. 5 to compare corporate labor categories to the Government’s labor categories listing.

18. The “Subject Matter Expert” labor category does not have any wording included in the block for “Experience/No. of Yrs.” or the block for “Duties/Responsibilities”. If an Offeror were to propose “Subject Matter Expert I”, “Subject Matter II”, and “Subject Matter III” as alternate or additional labor categories, would the Offeror also be required to define the “Experience/No. of Yrs.” and “Duties/Responsibilities” for the alternate and/or additional labor categories?

There is no SME Labor Rate. Please confirm whether SME Labor Rate is required or how it will be defined.

RESPONSE: The SME category has been removed from Attachment No. 4 and is no longer required.

19. Attachment No. 5: Should the “$” symbol included on the “Profit” line for each Rate Table be replaced with a “%” symbol?

RESPONSE: There will not be a profit line in the Attachment No. 5 of the final RFP. The profit will be included in each NTE rate for each labor category.

20. Attachment No. 5: Item 2 of the “Notes and Instructions” listed on each Table states “Do not add labor categories or change worksheet columns or rows” while the words “Offerors may propose alternate or additional labor categories if they will be required in the performance of this contract” appears in Attachment No. 4. Please advise how an Offeror is able to propose alternate and/or additional labor categories given the restrictive wording of Item 2.

RESPONSE: A mapping worksheet provided in the RFP will allow offerors to provide a comparison of their corporate labor categories to the Government’s labor category descriptions in Attachment No. 4. The government encourages offerors to propose any labor category deemed necessary that may not be called out in the RFP, but must provide a description of how they match the Government-defined categories per RIK-L008. This information is necessary for evaluation purposes of Factor 1, Subfactor 3 in Section M of the RFP. The rate table at Attachment No. 5 shall not be modified.

21. Attachment No. 4: Paragraph refers to educational requirement waiver but does not address educational degree substitution for years of experience. Please confirm whether educational degrees can be substituted for years of experience.

RESPONSE: The Government has decided to remove the requirement for waiver requests to labor categories on each Order. The Government will evaluate all proposed individuals as part of its technical evaluation of an Offeror’s proposal.

22. Item 6 of the “Notes and Instructions” states that “The contractor is encouraged to voluntarily reduce these rates on the competitive Task Order proposals”. Please advise what method and/or process should be or otherwise needs to be followed to indicate that any of the NTE Hourly Labor Category Rates have been reduced by an Offeror in a Task Order proposal.

RESPONSE: Offerors should indicate any rate reductions within the cost proposal for each individual task order.

23. Item 7 of the “Notes and Instructions” states that one labor rate will be used for all team members including the Prime Offeror, interdivisions, and all subcontractors. Please advise whether or not the Government intends to analyze or otherwise assess the “reasonableness” and/or “realism” of the NTE Hourly Rates that an Offeror provides for Attachment No. 5.

RESPONSE: For evaluation purposes only, the Government will develop notional hours for each labor category which will then be multiplied by the proposed rates to compute the total evaluated price (TEP). These notional hours will be added to the rate table in Attachment No. 5. The notional hours used in calculating the TEP will be generally based upon actual labor mixes from similar types of efforts as well as from projections by the Government.

24. NTE Hourly Labor Rates Table has an additional sentence that is not on the other tables. “The proposed/negotiated NTE fee percentages will be applied to the prime contractor’s cost for (1) the Prime’s own labor, and/or (2) a Subcontractor’s labor.” Is this statement also true for the other labor rate tables?

NTE Hourly Labor Rates Table has a row for Fixed Fee. Is this supposed to be a dollar amount or a percentage?

RESPONSE: The rate tables for cost-type orders have been removed from the RFP.

25. Do the proposed Fixed-Price NTE hourly rates that are to be listed in the Rate Tables (Attachment No. 5) need to include the Fee (profit) amount for each of the applicable hourly rate(s) that a subcontractor proposes to the prime Offeror?

RESPONSE: The Fixed-Price NTE hourly rates should include the Fee (profit) amount for each of the applicable hourly rate(s) that a subcontractor proposes to the prime offeror.

26. If an Offeror does not propose any facilities capital cost of money for itself, is the facilities capital cost of money (FCCOM) proposed by each subcontractor viewed by the Government as an unallowable cost at the prime contract level?

RESPONSE: FCCOM is allowed at the prime and/or subcontractor level as long as it is part of their approved accounting system and Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) disclosure statement, if applicable.

27. There are no requirements listed against Subject Matter Expert (SME). Please identify requirement associated with SME.

The requirement for Senior Manager is confusing. What is this position relative to Program Manager and Project Manager? To whom, is this person responsible and which positions are responsible to him? Please identify requirement associated with Senior Manager.

Waiver is Required under Academic Equivalent. Is there an associated increase in required years of experience beyond degree if academic waiver request is approved? Please address the impact of academic waiver on required years of experience with degree.

Experience Column requires 0 to 2 years of directly-related experience. Academic Equivalent Column requires 10 years of directly-related experience. Which is required? Please confirm experience requirement.

RESPONSE: Attachment No. 4 has been revised to provide a clearer definition of the labor categories and qualifications. The requirement to request waivers for labor category variations has been removed.

28. Cross-Reference Matrix: Do entries in Order 0001 Paragraph Column represent paragraph numbers in Sample Order 0001? If so, why are there two 4.0 entries in this column? Please confirm that two 4.0 entries in column are correct.

RESPONSE: Paragraph 4.0 for Sample Order 0001 applies to both Subfactor 3 of Factor 1 as well as Factor 2 (reference Section M column). This is why there are two 4.0 entries in the Sample Order 0001 column.

29. Sample Order 0001 CDRL Page 3: Should this be A002 instead of A003, since next CDRL Data Item Number is A003 also?

Sample Order 0002 CDRL Page 3: Should this be A002 instead of A003, since next CDRL Data Item Number is A003 also?

RESPONSE: Yes, corrected.

30. Attachment No. 5: The following question(s) only need to be answered if the Government intends to analyze, for the purpose of determining the overall cost of doing business with an Offeror, the NTE hourly rates that an Offeror may provide in response to the Attachment No. 5 requirement.

Given that an Offeror would essentially need to use the highest team member hourly rate for each labor category in order not to constructively preempt the potential participation of that team member on any of the competitively issued Task Orders, does the Government intend to analyze the mean (average) and/or median hourly rate for each labor category submitted by an Offeror? In other words, rather than the Government relying on the highest possible hourly rate for each labor category as validly reflecting the “realism” and/or “reasonableness” of an overall teams’ cost of doing business with the Government, will the Government be evaluating each “piece” (each proposed subcontractor’s hourly labor category rates) to determine the “more likely” cost of doing business with each Offeror?

RESPONSE: The government will be evaluating the “Not to Exceed” rate for each offeror. Please reference additional Q&A relating to this matter.

31. Attachment No 10, Page 2: Would the Government provide a technical reference for protocol…