Q&A_With_Industry.pdf

Industry Questions and Answers - Draft Request for Proposal (RFP), FA8750-17-R-0001 13 February 2017

Reference Section F; Page 15-18, CLIN 0001, etc.

Question Language states” The ordering period is a total of 120 months after effective date of contract. However, after the first sixty (60) months of the ordering period, the only ordering permitted is the exercise of options contained in orders properly issued within the first 60 months of the ordering period.”

Does this mean that performance of all tasks during the first 60 months must be completed by the end of month 60 unless there is an associated option to continue work? If this is the case, the Government will only be able to order a one-month task if money arrives during month 59 unless an option to continue work is incorporated. This seems overly restrictive and could possibly create problems obligating O&M funds during the final year of the ordering period due to the Bona Fide Need rule. Also, there will be an incentive to include all possible options before month 60 which could unintentionally lead to unused ceiling if some of those options are never exercised. Is it possible to simply establish a 120 month ordering period? If not, is it possible to state that any tasks ordered during the first 60 months can continue performance for 12 months after the end of that ordering period except for options that were negotiated within the initial 60 months which may continue performance for 60 months thereafter.

Answer No, it means that after the first 60 months of the ordering period, new orders cannot be issued, only the exercise of options that were established under existing orders will be permitted. This allows the Government to have a total period of performance of 10 years or 120 months. Any orders placed within the first 60 months, can be any duration (within our limitations set forth in the basic contract, Section I, FAR 52.216-22) specified in the individual TO. One example would be, if an order is placed on the last day of the ordering period (month 60), the period of performance for that order can be up to 60 months (one RDT&E CLIN for 60 months, and multiple option CLINS for any O&M or Procurement funds). Performance (base and all options) for a 60 month TO that may be issued on the last day of the ordering period must be completed by the 120th month of the contract.

Reference Section I; C. AFFARS Contract Clauses; Page I-27; 5352.223-9001 Health and Safety on Government Installations (NOV 2012) Question Would the government please provide the full text for this clause?

Answer Please reference: http://farsite.hill.af.mil/vfaffara.htm Reference Section L; RIK-L006 (a), Page L-8 Question The page limitation, format paragraph states the table of contents and tabs are exempt from page count. Does that also apply to the cover and title pages?

Answer Title pages are considered tabs, and are exempt from the page limitations; however, any cover letter is included in the page count.

Reference Section L; RIK-L006 (a); Page L-8 Question Since the requirements within Volume IV have remained the same as the original ACT RFP with a page limit of 50, would the government consider increasing the page limit for ACT2 Volume IV Management to 50 pages?

Answer No, the Management Volume will remain at 30 pages. Please reference the Industry Days Slides, which were posted to FBO on 17 November 2016, and labeled Proposal Recommendations and Comments, which explain the Government’s lessons learned from ACT 1. The Government is looking for focused and concise Management Approaches. Link:

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=3d783ab39a1b8421f2d2751076f59e8c&_cview=0

Reference Section L; RIK-L006 (c)(3); Page L-9, Question Type size, characters, and font have been stated as no smaller than 10-point height and 12 characters per inch using Arial 10 or TNR 11. Can a smaller size be used in graphics, charts, figures and tables? Can headers, footers, and citation references within a footnote be of smaller size? Please confirm Offerors may use page header/footers for page numbering, proposal volume name, and other vital data. If allowed, confirm header/footers should be within the one-inch page margin. Request Government permit Offerors to use minimum font size 8 for the proposal disclosure statement that must be incorporated on title pages for each Volume.

Answer No, the minimum font size is Arial 10 or TNR 11, which should be used throughout the proposal, including for graphics, charts, figures, headers, footers and citation references, and disclosure statements etc. In addition, headers and footers may be used for page numbering, proposal volume names, and other vital data, and should be within the one-inch margin.

Reference Section L; RIK-L007(a)(2); Page L-1 Question Section 2 states that award will not be made based upon initial proposals. Should FAR 52.215- 1 Alt. 1 be incorporated on page L-1? Currently only

Alt II allowing alternate proposals is identified.

Answer Yes, 52.215-1 Alt 1 will be incorporated in the final version of the RFP.

Reference Section L: RIK-L011 (b)(2),Page L-18; Section L: RIK-L012(a)(5), Page L-21; Section M: RIK-M (1)(iii), Page M-2 Question Can names of individuals be used within the Technical Volume to reference past performance qualifications? In citation within the Technical

Volume? Within the Management Volume to reference past performance qualifications? And in citation within the Management Volume?

Answer No, as stated in RIK-L011, proposal preparation instructions – technical (Volume III), no specific names of personnel shall be provided. This statement will also be incorporated into RIK-L012, management (Volume IV), in the final RFP.

Reference 12. Section L regarding resumes - Referencing the following paragraphs relative to submission of resumes:

Section RIK-L006 (a); Page L-8 The paragraph states: “**Excluding resumes of management/engineering/scientific personnel. No more than 20 resumes representative of your team will be accepted.

Section RIK-L011(b)(2)(c)(1) (B); Page L-19

(B) Resumes of engineering/scientific personnel may be appended to this volume; resumes are not counted toward any page limitation set forth elsewhere herein. ……” Section RIK-L011 (b)(2)(c)(viii)(B)

(B) Resumes of engineering/scientific personnel may be appended to this volume; resumes are not counted toward any page limitation set forth elsewhere herein. ……” Section RIK-L012; Page L-21 “…(resumes of management personnel may be appended to this volume; resumes are not counted toward any page limitation set forth elsewhere herein).”

Question Please clarify how many total resumes can be submitted per volume since there are three distinct areas requesting resumes across two separate volumes (Technical SOW & SO 0001 plus Management).

Answer Per RIK-L006, no more than 20 resumes representative of your team will be accepted. Therefore, a total of 20 resumes may be submitted across all volumes.

Reference General Question The RFP and subsequent contract should state the mutually shared ceiling price for all awardees is $950M.

Answer At the time the official RFP is released, the Government will add this statement to Section B.

Reference Attachment-7 Cross Reference Matrix and Sections L & M Question Attachment-7 Cross Reference Matrix and Sections L and M appears to be inconsistent. Recommend that the Government assign a separate evaluation Factor and Subfactors to Management Volume IV. Or, please provide clarification on the use of the Management Volume Factors/Subfactors.

Answer As stated in RIK-L012, The Management volume will be evaluated as outlined under Section M, Evaluation Factors under Factor 1: "Technical" and subfactors 2 (Management Approach) & 3 (Experience and Qualifications, excluding non-management personnel), which corresponds correctly with the Cross Reference Matrix. RIK-L011 and Attachment 7 have been corrected accordingly.

Reference Para 4.4 of the Sample order (Attachment 9)

Question Please confirm that the requirement can be rewritten to say: “Formulate and execute an experiment. The experiment will test and document the effectiveness of the capabilities developed in 4.3 on SCORE.”

Answer No. The requirement must state “demonstrate.”

Reference Para 4.1.7.1-4.1.7.2.1. of the Statement of Work Question Please clarify how “correctness” is defined and the metrics used for the evaluation of each degree or level of “correctness.”

Answer See SOW Para 3.3.6 through 3.3.6.4.

Reference General Question We recognize that Higher Order Languages will be designated on an individual task order basis. However, in order to secure proper teammates to be responsive to future task orders, we ask the Government to provide some representative HOLs that it has approved.

Answer HOLs that have been approved are: C, C++, Java, JavaScript and Ada are most common DoD Programming languages.

(http://www.acqnotes.com/acqnote/careerfields/programming-language-selection) Reference General Question Can the Government provide the Security Classification Guide (SCG) from Cyber Command?

Answer Only the SCG referenced in the DD254 for this solicitation will be provided.

Reference RIK-L006 Proposal Preparation Instructions – General (a), Page L – 8 of 24 Question Please confirm the Offeror is required to submit a title page and acronym list for each volume. If it is required, please confirm that it is excluded from page count.

Answer The Government is not requiring a title page or acronym list for each volume. However, at a minimum acronyms should be spelled out as they are introduced.

Reference RIK-L006 Proposal Preparation Instructions – General (c).(5), Page L – 10 of 24 Question Since numbering on each page must be sequentially numbered from the first to the last page using only Arabic numerals, request the Government allow Offeror to submit resumes at the end of each relevant proposal volume in an appendix. This will support conformance with volume page limitations.

Answer Per the applicable proposal preparation instructions, RIK-L011(c)(1)(vi)(B), RIK-L011(c)(2)(viii)(B), and RIK-L012(a)(5), resumes may be appended to the appropriate volumes. In addition, resumes to do not count towards specific volume page limitations.

Reference RIK-L006 Proposal Preparation Instructions – General (e) – Adequate Accounting System, Page L – 10 of 24 Question As Offerors are to demonstrate they have an adequate accounting system in place, please clarify in which proposal volume this data should be incorporated.

Answer The Government recommends including the statement regarding an adequate accounting system be placed in the Contract Forms Volume (Volume

I). It is also suggested to include the Offeror's formal letter received from DCAA.

Reference RIK-L011 Proposal Preparation Instructions – Technical Volume III, Page L – 18 of 24 Question Request government clarify the definition of “Offeror”. Specifically, please confirm if “Offeror” is defined as the “team,” to include the Prime contractor and its subcontractors.

Answer The term "Offeror" is the legal entity submitting the proposal and would receive an award, e.g. that which oversees the entire team.

Reference RIK-L011 Proposal Preparation Instructions – Management (Technical) Volume IV, Page L – 20 of 24, RIK-M001 Evaluation Criteria – (d) (1) Factor 1 –

Technical, (iii) Subfactor 3: Experience and Qualifications, Page M – 2 of 3 Question Request the Government confirm if Prime Offeror can include experience and resumes of its subcontractors and clarify any specific limitations on such inclusion. The RFP also requires Offerors to present their experience and the qualifications of the types of personnel and the quantity and quality of the Offeror’s corporate experience relevant to the requirements. Request the Government confirm that Prime Offerors can include the qualifications of the personnel and corporate experience qualifications of its subcontractors and clarify any specific limitations on such inclusion.

http://www.acqnotes.com/acqnote/careerfields/programming-language-selection http://www.acqnotes.com/acqnote/careerfields/programming-language-selection

Answer Yes, the Prime may include experience, resumes, qualifications of the personnel and corporate experience qualifications of its subcontractors and there are no limitations other than those already placed on the proposal as a whole. (Total limit of 20 resumes, for both prime and subcontractors).

Reference RIK-M001 Evaluation Criteria – (d) (1) Factor 1 – Technical, (iii) Subfactor 3: Experience and Qualifications, Page M – 2 of 3 Question The RFP requires Offerors to present experience and the qualifications of the types of personnel and the “quantity” and “quality” of the Offeror’s corporate experience relevant to the requirements. Please confirm that “quantity” is equivalent to “magnitude” or “size” of the cited experience. If, not, please define “Quantity.”

Answer Quantity will take into account all factors (amount of experience, number of similar projects, dollar value of those project, etc.).

Reference RIK-M001 Evaluation Criteria – (d) (1) Factor 1 – Technical, (iii) Subfactor 3: Experience and Qualifications, Page M – 2 of 3 Question The RFP requires Offerors to present experience and the qualifications of the types of personnel and the “quantity” and “quality” of the Offeror’s corporate experience relevant to the requirements. Please confirm the maximum number of citations the Government requires in response to Offeror’s corporate experience.

Answer There is no maximum number of citations. Contractors should propose what they deem to be relevant.

Reference RIK-L003 Program Structure and Objectives, Page L – 5 of 24 Question In reference to FAR 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting, the Government has instructed Offerors to propose based on the new Limitations on

Subcontracting statute, but no awards will be made until the interim rule is issued. Request the Government provide a timeline when the rule will be issued.

Answer Currently, the drafting of the final rule is in process. However, no specific time frame is available. The Government anticipates that the final rule will be finalized in time to make award in July 2018.

Reference RIK-L006 Proposal Preparation Instructions – General, Page L – 8 of 24 Question In the table, the COST Volume is annotated to indicate the pages should be limited to the minimum number necessary. However, it says the 50-page cost proposal is a goal not a limit. Request the government clarify if Vol II COST Volume has a page limit.

Answer The Cost Volume (Volume II), does not have a page limit. However, the Government encourages Offerors to stay at or close to the suggested goal, while at the same time ensuring all required cost/price information is submitted.

Reference RIK-L006 Proposal Preparation Instructions – General (6) (d) Content, Page L – 10 of 24 Question In paragraph 6(d), the Government indicates each amendment must be acknowledged. Provided no more than four (4) amendments are issued, is it sufficient to acknowledge amendments only on the SF33 vice individual SF30s?

Answer Yes, using the SF33 would suffice.

Reference RIK-L007 Proposal Preparation Instructions – Contract Forms Question In paragraph (a) (1) (iii), the Government is requesting information as required by FAR 52.215-22, Limitations on Pass-Through Charges –

Identification of Subcontract Effort. Is this information required at the IDIQ level or only at the Task/Delivery Order level?

Answer The Task Order Level.

Reference RIK-L007 Proposal Preparation Instructions – Contract Forms (Volume I) (a) (1) (iii), Page L -10 of 24 Question If the information in FAR 52.215-22, Limitations on Pass-Through Charges – Identification of Subcontract Effort is required at the IDIQ level, how does the Government want the Offeror to provide the required information? For example, should the Offeror provide the information from the Sample Task Order 0001 for the CPFF CLINs only?

Answer N/A - See Question and Answer 25.

Reference RIK-L007 Proposal Preparation Instructions – Contract Forms (Volume I) (a)(1)(iv), Page L – 10 of 24 Question In paragraph (a)(1)(iv), the Government requires the Offeror to complete the Identification and Assertion of Use, Release, or Disclosure Restrictions pursuant to DFARS 252.227-7017 based on the Offeror's approach to fulfilling the requirements as set forth in the Statement of Work, Sample Order 0001, and the First Order (SEMP). If an Offeror does not assert any limited or restricted rights for the Basic Contract, can the Offeror still make assertions on each subsequent task order?

Answer Yes, completion of the form will be required on an Order by Order basis.

Reference RIK-L007 Proposal Preparation Instructions – Contract Forms (Volume I) (a)(1)(iv), Page L – 10 of 24 Question In paragraph (a) (1) (iv), the Government indicates its desire for unlimited rights. If an Offeror asserts other than unlimited rights, will the

Government view the assertion(s) as an exception to the terms and conditions?

Answer No, asserting other than unlimited rights will not be viewed as an exception. Although unlimited rights are desired, they will be negotiated on an order by order basis. The Government views assertions in light of satisfying the minimum needs of the agency per DFARS 227.7103-1(a) and 227.7203-1(a).

Reference RIK-L008 Proposal Preparation Instructions – Cost (Volume II) (h)(i)(2)12, Page L – 17 of 24 Question The RFP states: “12. Computer use by type, rate and quantity. (Include computer usage even if it is an indirect cost.)”. Please clarify the explanation/definition of computer usage.

Answer "Computer usage" refers to use of Information Technology (IT) or an IT facility that is proposed as a separate direct cost element, or as an indirect cost element (e.g. rate x number of labor hours). Offerors do not need to separately provide these costs if they are included as a portion of another indirect rate (e.g. engineering overhead).

Reference RIK-L005 Program Effort (C) Scoping for Sample Order 0001 Question The Government has provided estimated travel requirements relative to Sample Order 0001. Request the Government clarify the place(s) of performance for the sample task order.

Answer Offerors should assume the place of performance will be at the Contractors Facility, as there is no base support included within Sample Order 0001.

Reference RIK-L006 Proposal Preparation Instructions – General (a) Page limitation, format, Page L – 8 of 24 Question Request the Government confirm if it desires an Executive Summary(s) for any of the proposal volumes and which ones. If it does, please confirm if the Executive Summary is excluded from page count?

Answer Executive Summary's are not desired for any volume, and if submitted, would count towards the page limitations set forth in each individual volume.

Reference RIK-L006 Proposal Preparation Instructions – General (a) Page limitation, format, Page L – 8 of 24 Question Volume III Technical is limited to 50 pages for both Sections 1 and 2. Request the Government confirm that there are no specific page count maximum limitations with respect to individual Sections 1 and 2 of Volume III Technical Volume.

Answer Correct. The 50 pages may be split within the volume however the Offeror sees fit.

Reference RIK-L011 – Technical Volume III; RIK-LO12 Management (Technical) (Volume IV); Attachment 2 (ACT 2 SOW); Attachment 7 Cross Reference Matrix;

and Attachment 9 Sample Order Work Description Question Reference Attachment 7 Cross Reference Matrix, the specific locations for addressing ACT 2 SOW (Attachment 2) and Sample Order Work

Description (Attachment 9) within Volumes III and IV are unclear. Request the Government provide guidance to Offerors within RIK- L011 and RIK- L012 on specific order/locations within the proposal for addressing the Attachment 7 items.

Answer See question 10.

Reference RIK-L018 Submission, Modification, Revision, and Withdrawal of Proposals, Page L -23 of 24 Question Request clarification as to the Government's inclusion of submission instructions for Classified proposals. Specifically, please confirm that the ACT 2

IDIQ proposal submission is Unclassified. Also, please confirm that the cited instructions apply to future task order proposal submissions that may be Classified.

Answer In accordance with Section L, RIK-L018, proposals may be submitted up to the Top Secret/SCI Level. It is up to the Offeror to determine the level at which they will propose. In addition, instructions on the submission of classified information will be cited on an Order by Order basis.

Reference RIK-L011 – Technical (Volume III) (b)(2) Section 2 (Sample Order 0001), Page L -18 of 24

Question Reference estimating software development level of effort in support of Sample Order Work Description (Attachment 9). Given that it is not possible to provide an estimate of the level of effort without additional data/information on quantity of software development requirements, request the Government provide sizing information, such as number of lines of source code to be developed, function points, etc. If this cannot be provided, request the Government confirm that Offeror should provide assumptions on the amount of code to be developed and to provide estimates on level of effort and price based on those assumptions.

Answer The Offeror should provide assumptions on the amount of code to be developed and provide estimates on level of effort and price based that adequately match the Offerors approach. Number of estimated person years is provided in RIK-L005 as a general indication of the scope of this effort.

Reference RIK-L011 –Technical (Volume III)(b)(1)Section 1; Statement of Work Act 2 (Attachment 2), p. 11 Question SOW is missing Task Numbers 4.1.4.1.4-4.1.4.1.6. Request the Government correct numbering or provide missing task items.

Answer This was an error, there are no missing paragraphs. The numbering will be corrected in the final release of the RFP.

Reference RIK-L011 – Technical Volume III, (c) (1) section 1 (vi) (A) and (B), and (2) section 2.(viii) (A) and (B), Pages L-19 - 20 of 24 Question In Section 1 (vi) of the Technical Volume III, the Government requires Offeror to, “Describe related experience and qualifications of proposed engineering/scientific personnel that the Offeror considers central to performance, including: (A) Related Experience and (B) Resumes of engineering/scientific personnel may be appended to this volume”. However, Attachment 2 ACT SOW does not call for a discussion of personnel resumes. Rather, this requirement does support Section 2(viii) (Sample Task Order) Request the Government confirm if it requires Offeror to provide the cited information for Section 1 or only for Section 2.

Answer Both sections, one for the contract in general and another for the Sample Task Order (i.e. may be utilizing different personnel).

Reference RIK-L011 – Technical Volume III, (c) (1) section 1 (vi), (A) and (B), and section 2. (viii) (A) and (B). Pages L-19 - 20 of 24 Question Please confirm if Offerors may include the experience of proposed personnel within the resumes. As currently written, resumes and experience are listed separately. As a result, it is unclear if Offerors have the option of incorporating this information within each resume.

Answer Experience should be incorporated into the Offerors technical volume as shown in RIK-L011(c )(1)(vi) and RIK-L011(c )(2)(viii). Resumes inherently include specific personnel experience, however that is considered different than the experience of the corporation.

Reference RIK-L011 – Technical Volume III, (c) (1) section 1 (vi), (A) and (B), and section 2.(viii) (A) and (B), Pages L-19 - 20 of 24 Question Reference resumes. Request the Government confirm that one representational resume per LCAT proposed for the performance of the sample order work description is sufficient.

Answer This will be up the Contractor to determine the best way to represent themselves.

Reference RIK-L011 – Technical Volume III, Pages L – 18 – 20 of 24 Question Please clarify in which section of Volume III Technical Proposal that Offerors should describe the composition of their team and subcontractors.

Answer Reference question 37.

Reference Reference RFP FA8750-17-R-0001_5_Jan_v3 Question Request that if the government opts to release another draft RFP after the questions are submitted from Industry that it highlight any changes made in the subsequent draft version.

Answer The Government may take this into consideration, until then all changes are listed herein.

Reference Reference RIK-L011 (a), Page L- 18 of 24; SOW ACT 2 (Attachment 2); Sample Order Work Description (Attachment 9)

Question RIK-L011 (a) states that, “The Technical Volume will describe, in complete detail, all aspects of the proposed Sample Order and SOW”.

However, RJK-L011(2) states that the, “Technical proposal will be prepared in the same sequence as the Statement of Work and Work Description for Sample Task Order 0001.” These two requirements appear to contradict one another. Request the Government clarify the organization of the Technical Volume relative to ACT 2 SOW (Attachment 2) and the Sample Order (Attachment 9)

Answer Please reference Section L, RIK-L011(b), which states that the Technical volume shall consist of two (2) Sections, one for the Statement of Work and one for the Sample Order.

Reference RIK-L012 – Management Volume (5) \, Page. L-21 of 24 Question Request the Government clarify what is required for Offeror’s corporate experience as part of Volume IV Management. For example, is corporate experience defined as contract citations that include total value (magnitude), period of performance (PoP), work description, relevancy, and other data? If this is the case, how many corporate experience examples are Offerors to provide for Volume IV?

Answer Yes, all of the above (total value, pop, work description, relevancy will all be evaluated for experience), and Offerors should provide as many examples as they deem necessary.

Reference Attachment 14, First Order: Vol V, Work Description for the SEMP paragraph 4.1.1.1, 2d bullet Document history Question Request the Government clarify the specific content to be included in document history.

Answer All document revisions including the created date of the document.

Reference Attachment 14, First Order: Vol V, Work Description for the SEMP paragraph 4.1.1.2, 2d bullet Technical environments for the Project and how they will be managed.

Question Request the Government clarify the requirement to discuss the “management of the technical environments”. Relatedly, request if Offeror can address how it will manage the SEMP development effort within this section vice having a separate management section in Volume V

Answer There are many sample SEMPs from osd.mil, NASA, and other DoD templates that demonstrate ‘management of technical environments’. The management of technical environments would refer to the configuration and change management processes to include engineering and integration risk management of the environments. The Government recommends utilizing those samples to facilitate accomplishing the SEMP task. In addition, yes, please address the management of the SEMP in the section referenced above.

Reference RIK-L019 Volume V First Order Question Request Government confirm that there is no Section M evaluation criteria for Volume V First Order Answer Correct. However, in accordance with Section L, RIK-L019, First Order (i) Proposals will be evaluated by the Government and any substantive overlap between the Management Plan and the SEMP may require an adjustment in price to be negotiated.

Reference RIK-L019 First Order, (b), (c), (i), (j); RIK-L008 Volume II Cost Question Request the Government confirm that it requires Offeror to present cost information in support of Volume V First Order. Also request that if the

Government does require this Volume V cost information that it should be incorporated into Volume V rather than inserted into Volume II Cost.

Answer Cost information for the First Order should be incorporated into Volume V.

Reference RIK-L011 Technical Volume III (b) (1) Section 1 (Technical VOL III and RIK-M001 Evaluation Criteria, Factor 1 and Subfactor 1; Attachment 2 ACT 2

SOW; Attachment 9 Sample Order Work Description

Question Section 1 of the Technical Volume requires the Offeror to submit a technical response to requirements spelled out in Attachment 2 ACT 2 SOW.

However, RIK-M001 indicates that this material is not evaluated. In addition, it appears that the response to the Sample Task in Section 2 is redundant with the material requested in Section 1. Request the Government confirm that it is not evaluating the Section 1 ACT 2 SOW material. If, indeed, it is not evaluating this material, request the Government remove the requirement to submit a detailed response to the ACT 2 SOW and require, instead, a detailed response to the Sample Task Work Description, Attachment 9, alone.

Answer In accordance with RIK-L011(a)(1), the SOW will be evaluated under subfactor 3. Both Sections 1 & 2 are required in the technical volume. See para.

(c )(1)(vii) for no duplication of information between Sections 1 & 2.

Reference RIK-L011(c )(1)(vi), RIK-L011(c )(2)(viii) Question Please go into further detail on the referenced Section:

Answer Describe related experience and qualifications of proposed engineering/scientific personnel that the offeror considers central to performance, including but not limited to:

(A) Experience managing federal contracts that involve performance at the Top Secret security level.

(B) Experience issuing and managing subcontracts under federal contracts.

(C) Experience competing for and simultaneously managing multiple Task Orders or contracts of a similar value and magnitude as anticipated under ACT 2. TOs under ACT2 are anticipated to have a face value of up to $50M.

(D) Experience composing teams that can adequately contribute to solving problem sets similar to those expected under ACT 2.

(E) Experience in each of the 8 technical areas and be able to reference previous examples of solutions delivered to the government within the scope of the ACT 2 SOW.

(F) Experience in transitioning cyber solutions from developmental stages into actual operations.

(G) Experience in using novel and unique technical approaches to address cyber requirements in an effective and affordable manner.

(H) Knowledge of, and experience working with, operational cyber systems currently deployed throughout the US Department of Defense (and other US Government organizations).

(I) Knowledge of, and experience working with, various players in the cyber research community and any areas where contributions were made to the research communities to advance the "state of the art" in cyber practices.

(J)Resumes of engineering/scientific personnel may be appended to this volume; resumes are not counted toward any page limitation set forth elsewhere herein. List the applicable labor category on each resume. No specific names of personnel shall be provided.

Reference Statement of Work Paragraph 3.3.6.

Question This section does not clearly define what is meant by “Cyber Infrastructure.” Cyber infrastructure can be interpreted as meaning the systems

(computers, database, routers, hubs, etc.) or very large scale integrated circuits / very large scale integration (VLSI). Correctness and acceptability apply to circuits/integrated circuits, and a few have tried to extrapolate these concepts to network infrastructure to little success. Can the government please define how they intend to apply the concepts of correctness and acceptability?

Answer Cyber Infrastructure in this effort includes all levels of granularity, ranging from individual circuits to systems of systems. The concepts of correctness and acceptability are at the core of cyber infrastructure. The Government expects the offeror’s approach to match the appropriate level of granularity for the cyber infrastructure in question. Also reference question 12.

Reference Statement of Work Paragraph 4.1.9.5 Question This section requests “the documentation required to permit the demonstration, testing, and evaluation of the cyber applications and systems.”

Please clarify what documentation the Government anticipates requiring for each event (i.e., demos, tests, evaluations).

Answer Documentation would include things like; user manuals, CONOPS, CSD (Capability Specification Documents), Testing documentation (usually developmental testing results), etc.… Reference Attachment 1, Anticipated CDRLs.

Reference AFRL/RI Supplement Requirements, 3. Conduct of research involving human subjects Question Please clarify if this is just standardized boiler plate required for AFRL and not a specific requirement for ACT2.

Answer It will be determined on an order by order basis.

Reference Section L, 5352.215-9000 Facility Clearance Question 5352.215-9000 Facility Clearance (May 1996) (tailored): This section specifies the contractor must meet Top Secret facility clearance and Secret safeguarding requirements at the time of “proposal submission.” During Industry Days, there was mentioned that the Government would grant/release DD-254 which would cover all contractors which currently don’t meet these requirements. Secondly, it was previously heard that the “Secret safeguarding” requirement would not be enforced until time of award (~Aug 18). Can the Government please clarify the precise timing of when these two security requirements will be enforced? Would the Government consider changing the requirement to a condition for award? If the Government feels the risk is too great, would the Government consider allowing companies without a clearance to provide a plan and schedule to achieve their clearance prior to award?

Answer There is a draft DD Form 254, Contract Security Classification Specification, listed as Attachment 4 to the draft RFP. This form will be completed at the time Offerors are selected for award. Additional DD Form 254's may be completed on an order by order basis. Secondly, the Government has decided to maintain its position on requiring Offerors to have a Top Secret Facility Clearance at the time of proposal. The following data points were taken into account to reach this determination:

1. IDIQ Performance: The Government requires Offerors to possess a Top Secret Facility Clearance at time of proposal submission to ensure timely and compliant performance, staffing of key positions, and avoidance of delays or increased costs that would introduce unacceptable risk to the acquisition.

2. Source Selection Discussions: The Government requires the ability to conduct discussions and clarifications with offerors at the Top Secret level during the Source Selection process.

3. Adequate Competition: The Government has determined through extensive market research that there is an adequate pool of qualified potential offerors that currently possess the required facility clearance for this solicitation.

Reference General Question Will awardees be allowed to submit unsolicited proposals to the ACT-2 Program consideration?

Answer No, the Government does not desire unsolicited proposals.

Reference General Question Will awardees be allowed to bring innovative solutions to the vehicle for sole source consideration?

Answer The Government intends to competitively solicit orders under ACT 2, unless a fair opportunity exception applies and is approved.

Reference General Question Will awardees allowed to submit multiple proposals in response to TO request?

Answer No, the Government is requesting one (1) proposal from each Offeror per TO. However, alternate proposals are acceptable for the Sample Order for award of the basic contract.

Reference Statement of Work Paragraph 4.1.9.19

Question What is the required scope of training and to what staff proficiency level? Is general vendor training of the application acceptable? Or is training to be provided to showcase application / tool usage at mission specific levels? Is training expected to be provided at various levels (e.g., User, Power User, Admin, etc.)? What is the expected delivery method of training (e.g., Documentation only, in-person classes / boot camps, web based training?)

Answer Training will include documentation, in-person training, over the phone assistance, etc... However, these will be determined on a TO basis depending on the requirement.

Reference Statement of Work Paragraph 4.1.9.20 Question Are there preferred tools (either existing currently or planned) to be utilized in support of the configuration management / software development process (e.g., JIRA / Confluence, Rational, etc.)?

Answer The government may specify which preferred tools to use on a TO basis. However, the majority of the time it can be contractor preferred format.

The government has used JIRA, Redmine, and others.

Reference General Question To facilitate transition of an operational product, it is understood there will be some initial O&M and training to the staff. In order to ensure smooth transition, will there be a dedicated O&M/Transition Lead to manage and identify the priority staff and order of training?

Answer This will be determined on a task order basis. Typically, the Government COTR is the person responsible for aiding in the transition of the capabilities to the end user. If a separate point of contact (POC) is necessary, they will be identified at that time.

Reference General Question Are there required CCB / ERB boards that we will need to collaborate with to move the proposed technology through the development lifecycle?

Answer This will be determined on a Task Order basis and the performer will work with the government points of contact at AFRL as well as the transition partner’s location.

Reference Section L, RIK-L008, (i), 1 Question Are the Contractors to propose a matrix which includes detailed unburdened direct labor rates (IAW Attachment 8) + the applicable, appropriate burdens for not only the direct labor rates but also fully burdened IDIQ rates?

Answer No, this is not a requirement.

Reference Section L, RIK-L008, (a) Question Will the Government request electronic, native calculation files (example: Excel) to support Cost/Price Volume?

Answer Yes, an Excel format document will be added as an attachment to the final RFP. Please look for further instructions to be included in RIK-L008.

Reference Section L, RIK-L005, (c), 2 Question Are the estimated travel data points per year travel, or representative of total Sample Order 0001 stated PoP (60 months starting 7/31/2018)? We assume full 60 months unless corrected.

Answer The estimated travel data points are representative of the total Sample Order 0001.

Reference RIK-L006(c) 5 Question Paragraph (c)5 under RIK-L006 states pages should be numbered with only Arabic numerals. Will the government permit sections exempt from page limit (i.e. resumes) to be labeled to clearly indicate the difference between page 1 of the resume appendix and page 1 of the volume? For example, Page 1 of volume = 1, Page 1 of Resume Appendix A = App A-1

Answer Yes, this is fine.

Reference Section B Question Should offerors insert total evaluated price for sample order 0001 in Section B CLINs 0001-0012 even though Section B specifies CLINs on an individual order basis?

Answer No, follow the instruction for Cost Proposal Prep in RIK-L008 Reference Section L Question Proposal skips from RIK-L008 to RIK-L011. Are there additional clauses anticipated here numbered 009 and 010?

Answer RIK-L009 and RIK-L010 were inadvertently skipped. For proposal consistency, these will be added as "reserved."

Reference RIK-L0011(a)(2) Question

On Page L-18 of 24, the Government specifies that the “Technical proposal will be prepared in the same sequence as the Statement of Work and Sample Order…”, which, when following the SOW Technical Requirements Section 4.0 order, for example, our Technical Proposals would be organized by Cyber Technologies (4.1), then Program Management (4.2), then Software/Hardware (4.3), and then Safety (4.4). However, on Page L- 19 of 24, the Government specifies that “as a minimum, the Technical Volume shall address the following” that goes on to include approaches to Configuration Management, Quality Assurance, lifecycle management, urgent requirements, etc. Our interpretation is that Offerors should organize their proposals according to Page L-19 of 24 and incorporate the SOW tasks within the approaches. Will the Government confirm this is correct?

Answer Yes, this would be a sufficient way to approach a proposal.

Reference Section M Question

On Page M-2 of 3, the Government specifies the Evaluation Criteria for Factor 1: Technical to include Subfactors 1, 2, and 3, which are of equal importance. It continues to specify that Subfactors 1, 2, and 3 apply to the Sample Task Order, and that Subfactors 2 and 3 apply to the SOW. Can the Government clarify why Subfactor 1: Development and Design Engineering does not apply to the SOW?

Answer Subfactor 1 only applies to the Sample Order 0001 due to the fact that Sample Order 0001 is intended to be technically representative of the type of development and design engineering anticipated to be ordered under the contract.

Reference General Question Can the Government please clarify the role of the management personnel? Is it the management personnel of the prime offeror or is the

"management personnel" inclusive of subcontractor expertise?

Answer It may consist of either depending the approach each Offeror takes.

Reference Industry Day Slides/ STO 0001 Question The industry day slides under Proposal Suggestions has the following bullet:

* Did you propose to build a team of “X number” of companies to solve a technical problem? Are each one of those companies included in your cost proposal?

And while the Sample Order does address many aspects of the SOW, it is much less extensive, and does not allow the full representation of the team from a cost standpoint.

With a max level of effort of 30 FTEs/yr., in years 3-5 as a combination of the RDT&E and O&M CLINs (on CLIN 0001 of the Sample Order), it isn’t feasible to represent the majority of team members mapped to all of the proposed labor categories.

Basic question is, is it the expectation of the Gov that all team members will be included in our cost proposal per the industry day slides, or is the cost proposal based on the Sample Order expected to a limited sub set of the team? If it is the latter, how else should we expect to represent the full team from a cost/price stand point.

Answer Currently, the Draft Request for Proposal (RFP) should be your only reference for preparing a proposal for the forthcoming RFP. Once the final RFP is released, that should be your only reference. The industry day slides should not be used as a reference for specifics while proposing. In addition, the intention is for the cost proposal to reference the team put together for sample task order (STO) 0001. A cost proposal for the Basic IDIQ SOW effort is not requested, and therefore all of the potential team mates that may be used over the lifetime of the overall IDIQ are not expected to be listed in a cost proposal for the overall effort. The team in its entirety (for the overall effort) should be depicted within the management volume, as deemed necessary by the Offeror to provide sufficient information for evaluation of subfactors 2 and 3. The Government is not requiring Offerors to utilize every labor category in the STO. The Government is not restricting teaming throughout the life of the contract and therefore wouldn't expect Offerors to propose every team member. While the STO is representative of the work to be expected under this effort, the Government expects Offerors to provide an approach with a team that will address those specific requirements. Offerors should focus on a solution and not so much how they can utilize all team members/labor categories.

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