JBMDL Q A Final.pdf

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst NJ

FA8773-09-R-0001

Questions and Answers

Offerors are reminded that this is informational only and that the RFP terms and conditions are revised ONLY by formal amendment thereto. Nothing stated herein shall constitute an official change to the RFP.

Q1. There are two different counties, with different Service Contract Act (SCA) Wage Determinations governing rates of pay. However, there is only one pricing structure for both sites, despite an apparent disparity in rates. How does the Government intend for Offerors to price for this difference, or is there a potential for a change to the RFP Attachment 1, Pricing Table.

A1. Contractors may use a “mixed rate” based upon estimates contained within the RFP, or any other method they feel covers the cost of doing business at the three sites. Note that two of the three are located in the same county.

Q2. Regarding the training for CVC, there is a maximum of two people that will be trained by the Government, but drawings are available for three sites. Is it possible to increase the maximum number somewhat to allow for at least one staff per site for CVC training?

A2. The PWS will not be changed. At this time, only McGuire AFB (MAFB) drawings are in CVC. Therefore, two training allocations should be sufficient at this time. When the Dix and Lakehurst sites are added to CVC, then we can consider additional training. However, the system is not complex, so it is believed that the contractors can train additional people on their own, after they are familiar with the system.

Q3. What is considered minor enough work under Davis Bacon Act (DBA) such that a work order with some DBA would actually be considered SCA instead?

A3. This is a good question, but must be determined on a case by case basis as it occurs.

I recommend you contact the Department of Labor, or visit their webpage at www.dol.gov for information about each specific labor law. We will review potential DBA work orders and forward questionable ones to the Air Force Labor Advisors for guidance.

http://www.dol.gov/�

Q4. Is network equipment that is included in the switch room included in the equipment to be maintained?

A4. No. Only the equipment shown in PWS Appendix 5.2 is included in this acquisition.

Q5. How many main cables and remotes are on McGuire AFB.

A5. There are 16 main cables on the frame in Bldg 1901 and two remotes on McGuire AFB (Bldgs 2217 and 3369) See PWS appendix 5.2.A.

Q6. How many employees are currently performing at Fort Dix?

A6. Ten. However, Offerors are cautioned to use their own technical approach, as it may differ significantly from that of other Offerors, and must meet the requirements of THIS acquisition, which differs from the current Army contract(s).

Q7. Are the Ranges included in the O&M for Fort Dix?

A7. Not the switch in itself, however the Outside Plant (OSP) is included within the Appendix 5.2.B of the PWS. Note that these cables are easily identified by the letters “RC” on the appendix.

Q8. Who will be the communication focal point for trouble calls?

A8. There is a help desk function (central phone number that is staffed by military personnel) that will open trouble calls for the contractor.

Q9. Is maintenance of the Generator(s) / Power systems included in the acquisition?

A9. Refer to Appendix 5.2 (Sections A, B, and C). PMI’s are required on the power systems at MAFB and Dix, but do not include the generators. Power systems will be added to Appendix 5.2.C (Lakehurst) via Amendment 0001. See also PWS Paragraphs 1.3.2 and 1.3.4.1.

Q10. How many channel banks are included at Fort Dix?

A10. See Amendment 0001, this information has been clarified.

Q11. Describe how the cable comes into and leaves the “Times Square” area of Fort Dix.

A11. Cable comes into this area from Lakehurst NAES, is terminated, and runs back to Ft Dix and another cable that goes on to McGuire AFB.

Q12. Please clarify Section 3 of the PWS. There is a difference between the equipment available for contractor use at the three sites. Please discuss why, and/or verify the information provided in this section is accurate.

A12. The Government will provide at least one computer to enable the contractor to connect to the Air Force network from Dix. Section 3 will be revised to include this information.

See Amendment 0001.

Q13. Is the contractor responsible for calling Avaya to get service on the equipment at Lakehurst?

A13. Refer to PWS Appendix 5.2. The equipment listed within each 5.2.2 (A, B, and C) is not covered by another sustainment or warranty contract. The O&M contractor is responsible for purchasing replacement parts, maintaining spares to cover outage situations, and provide all labor, tools, materials, and incidentals necessary to operate & maintain equipment specified within these sections in Appendix 5.2.2. See also sections 5.2.3. These sections cover equipment that DOES have a sustainment contract, other than O&M, for Tiers 2 and 3 support.

For this equipment, the contractor will not be responsible for parts, but will maintain spares provided by the Government. The contractor will be responsible for troubleshooting, ordering replacement parts, and obtaining proprietary assistance when required through the appropriate help desk. The contractor is responsible for the actual “repair” of the outage provided it does not require OEM vendor action.

Q14. See PWS Paragraph 4.2. It refers to paragraph 1.3.15.21 which does not exist. Please clarify.

A14. PWS paragraph 1.3.15.21 has been removed, as the information was not necessary.

The reference should have been removed from Paragraph 4.2, and will be corrected in Amendment 0001.

Q15. Lakehurst outside plant cable. Please clarify the Navy OSP cable specified.

A15. The cable listed in Appendix 5.2.C shall be maintained by the O&M contractor.

Other cable that may be at Lakehurst but is not listed in 5.2.C is not O&M contractor responsibility. This table has been reviewed and updated in Amendment 0001.

Q16. There appears to be a major disparity in PWS appendix 5.1, paragraph 5.1.2.2 Technical Solutions. The Lakehurst NAES numbers seem extremely high when compared to McGuire and Ft Dix, though the site appears similar in size. Please verify.

A16. The information provided will be corrected in Amendment 0001 and will be much more accurate.

Q17. Who is servicing the equipment now or in the past? Are they an 8a company? Why might this become and RFP?

A17. The incumbent contractor is Aurora Group Telecom. They are no longer considered an 8(a) company. I believe the answer to the last question refers when the RFP will be posted, and that notification is always provided the same manner as the synopsis, through the www.fbo.gov website.

Q18. Attachment 1 – Pricing Table A & B (CLINS X004-5) – Line Item 3090 thru 3116 do not have “Install” price associated with Purchase of these items. How is contractor able to recoup install costs for these items?

A18. Installation isn’t required for these items. They are basic and it is assumed most customers can install their own headsets by simply plugging them into the telephone. A technician shouldn’t be required.

Q19. Attachment 1 – Pricing Table A & B (CLINS X004-5) – Line Item 3287 thru 4284 contain Qty as “EA”, however under install column are slated at “JB”. Please clarify.

A19. Purchase items is done by EA (each), but installation, which is considered a service is identified here as JB (Job). They are both consistent with the effort identified. Purchase an item, then work a “job” to install it.

http://www.fbo.gov/�

Q20. Attachment 1 – Pricing Table A & B (CLINS X004-5) – Please clarify the acronym “JB” and “MR”.

A20. “JB” stands for Job and “MR” stands for Meter. Good catch. These are standard abbreviations used in contracting systems and have been used for years. A list will be included in the RFP.

Q21. Attachment 2, PWS –There is no mention of a switchboard operations requirement. Is this correct? And if so, how will switchboard operations be handled?

A21. That is correct, there is no switchboard operations requirement for this acquisition.

That requirement will be handled by another contracting office and the question is beyond the scope of this acquisition.

Q22. RFP, Section L, table 1 states page limitation for Past Performance is 30 to include consent letters. Will the returned letters be subject to same page configurations IAW Para 1.2.1 if they are in PDF ?

A22. Yes.

Q23. RFP states requirements for VPS. Is VPS being used at all three sites? If not, what are the configurations?

A23. VPS is used at McGuire/Ft. Dix. The O&M contractors do not have VPS responsibilities on the contract other than vendor support if called for, that is addressed in the contract.

Q24. In the preformatted spreadsheet for schedule B, we have determined that the option period CLINs do not have an imbedded multiplier. This is how we understood the new BTS template is structured. If this is truly the case, it means we must fill in each option CLIN/PID with specific pricing or for consistency, enter a formula that will calculate for us--we were led to believe that modifying the spreadsheet is not allowed. Is this an error or intentional?

A24. This is correct. The prices must be entered individually. If you choose to use a formula, you should be very careful that it does not drive a value that exceeds two decimal places IAW the RFP. Therefore, it is highly recommended that if a formula is entered for convenience, each price is re-checked to ensure it doesn’t exceed the limitations. We will be doing the same upon receipt of each proposal.

Q25. (Question underlined below in ‘d’ & ‘e’) (Refrased for publication but intent remains).

a. Appendix 5.2.A (McGuire AFB) 5.2.3.A; pg 30 states that the following equipment is

GFE and does not require contractor to replace or repair. 5.2.3.1.A lists the equipment.

b. Appendix 5.2.B (Ft Dix) 5.2.3.B states that the following equipment is GFE and does not require contractor to replace or repair. 5.2.3.1.B lists the equipment.

c. Appendix 5.2.C (NAES Lakehurst) 5.2.3.C has no similar language associated with it.

5.2.3.1.C lists equipment. 5.2.3.2.C specifically lists Lakehurst Tier 3 support for manufacturers, and Avaya is not on the list.

d. Is the Lakehurst NAES Dial Central Office Avaya Definity G3R/S8710, with Comm.

manager 4.x, and its maintenance contract GFE? Going back to the PWS doc we're not that verbiage in the same manner as provided for McGuire and Dix.

e. Would you be able to send out an addendum to the PWS stating words similar to Ft Dix and McGuire AFB, "the Lakehurst equipment specified in 5.2.3.C. is Navy GFE and will not require Contractor to provide replacement parts or to repair the defective items." This would be clear up any confusion. Or, per FA8773-09-R-0001 pg 150 3.3, we could list an assumption that Avaya Tier 3 support is Navy GFE, but I'm not sure that helps anyone and could open up questions.

A25. d. The switch listed in 5.2.3.1.C is covered by the sustainment contract the same as the other two sites that have equipment listed in their respective 5.2.3 sections. Equipment listed in 5.2.3.A, 5.2.3.B, and 5.2.3.C have tier 2 and 3 support via other sources. The O&M contractor will be responsible for tier 1 support only for this equipement.

A25.e. That’s not required – the switch is not considered “Navy” but “Joint Base” which is the same as the other equipment. NAES Lakehurst is only listed to identify the location of the equipment. Each site (McGuire – Dix – and Lakehurst) lists equipment under 5.2.2 that the O&M contractor will provide complete support for (including parts, repair, replacement, or whatever is required to keep that equipment operating as intended). The sites list equipment under respective paragraphs 5.2.3 for equipment that have tier 2 & 3 support elsewhere, usually through the helpdesk listed in appendix 5.4). The switch is still covered by sustainment in the same manner as the other switches. All are listed as 5.2.3. If your assumption is that equipment listed under any 5.2.3 paragraph is covered for tier 1 only, that’s correct. If your assumption is otherwise for the other equipment specified in any 5.2.3 then you should re-look at the requirement.

Q26. I’m with an 8(a) company that does Base Telecommunications Systems (BTS) O&M services for […]. We are exploring further entering the USAF BTS market. We are doing our due diligence and have observed your BTS postings on FedBizOps, most recently for Altus and McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. It appears these services are being done on an individual site basis.

However, in our research of commercially available databases for these type of opportunities, we came across a contract #F34608-03-D-0003 apparently titled Operations and Maintenance of the Base Telecommunications Systems – Worldwide awarded to a joint venture including Ukpik, SKE, and Aurora Telecom Group. This appears to be a contract for more than just one site. We would like to ask if F34608-03-D-0003 is a current or expired contract that is being recompeted or are all sites being handled as individual acquisitions? If this particular contract is being recompted, is there any information publicly available on it such as a solicitation number? We greatly appreciate any insight you can offer. Have a nice weekend!

A26. F34608-03-D-0003 was a contract with multiple sites. However, as the individual sites approach five years on the contract, they were pulled off and competed separately. This contract is due to expire 30 Sep 09, there is no planned follow-up of this contract, other than the individual contract efforts for each site.

Q27. The McGuire PWS section below references IAW AFCEMI 300-12….I am unable to access this document. I am told that it is obsolete….can you clarify please.

1.3.4.1. PMI Switch Power Test.

The Contractor shall perform scheduled PMI tests of the telephone switch backup power system IAW AFCEMI 300-12. PMIs shall test and document the power systems identified in Appendix 5.2. Each power system shall be tested IAW OEM specifications and AFCEMI 300-

12. Test results will be documented IAW PWS section 1.3.15.

A27. This is not obsolete. 11 JAN 09 is the published date of the document. The PWS will provide a link, if possible, or the document will be included as an attachment. See Amendment 0002 and also a copy of the document posted to the FBO as “informational only.

Q28. Could you please inform me whether or not this solicitation # FA8773-09-R-0001 is for maintenance coverage for the entire systems to include telephones?

A28. The solicitation outlines specifically what equipment is covered, and what level of coverage provided within Appendix 5.2 of the Performance Work Statement (PWS).

Q29. Would you send us a copy of this RFP

A29. Please read the Synopsis. "Telephone or verbal requests for the Request for Proposal (RFP) or questions will not be accepted or considered. The RFP will be paperless and will be released using the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOps) website at: www.fbo.gov only."

Q30. Our 8(a) firm is located nearby. We are a network integrator supporting telecom and data communications and are very interested in this solicitation.

A30: All information will be posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website, where you located the synopsis (www.fbo.gov). A solicitation will follow the synopsis, but not for at least 15 days after the synopsis is posted, IAW Federal Acquisition Regulation. That solicitation will contain all information required to submit a response on this requirement. In addition, all Questions and Answers received will be posted to that site. I encourage you to http://www.fbo.gov/� register at the site for this acquisition if you are interested so you'll receive all updated information when it's available to the public. I caution you not to rely on outside sources of information as they may be misleading.

Q31. Will the solicitation include providing personnel, purchase of equipment (test equipment, telecommunications tools, switch software, vehicles. etc.)?

A31. That information will is available within the RFP itself.

Q32. Will security clearances be required of all personnel and will offeror be responsible for providing said security clearances prior to award?

A32: That information is available in the RFP itself.

Q33. We went to web site and entered our information to be on the bidder list for the 2 upcoming bids 1) FA8773-09-R-0001 and 2) FA8773-09-R-0002. Please let me know if you need more information or if we need to fill out any other applications.

A33. Now that you've registered at the site, you should be notified by the system when something is actually posted. Once a solicitation is posted, it will have extensive instructions as to what you'll need to do to submit a proposal for each specific acquisition. I can't give you any other details at this time as it could be viewed as advance procurement information. All questions will be posted and answered on the site where you registered for each acquisition.

Q34. […] is interested in submitting a response to these solicitations. Can you please let me know when a site visit of the facility will be available? Do you currently have a bay face layout for the switches? How many individuals are currently staffed for the position? (We maintain […]). Who is the existing vendor that is currently maintaining the switch? How long has the current vendor maintained the switch? How important is it to the customer to maintain the current technicians?

A34. The pre-solicitation conference permitted an opportuity to look at the switches. No layout is currently available. Staffing for the current contract is considered technical (proprietary) and cannot be released via this forum. Each vendor should review the RFP and decide for themselves what staffing level is necessary to meet their own proposed technical approach. The incumbent at McGuire is Aurora Group Telecom, Dix is Cordev Corporation, and Lakehurst is GSTek. The current contract for McGuire has been in place since Jan 2005, I don’t have the duration of time the other contractors have maintained the Army and Navy sites. Those would have to be through a request to those contracting offices, but it has been over a year. The customer is very interested in keeping the on-site crew. Many are very experienced with the systems and provide continuity that would be lost if replaced. However, this is a business decision on the part of the offeror and not a firm requirement of the contract at this time.

Q35. PWS 1.2.4 states that an AF Form 332 is required. It has been understood in the past that the form was needed when breaking ground, but 1.2.4 says for “confined spaces entry” and that’s causing confusion on the government’s intent for this compliance. Is the form really required just to go in and observe a space or just when performing work/services within the confined space?

A35. Actually, the 103 is required for digging/trenching… manhole entry. The 332 form is for work on facilities (buildings, etc). The 103 form is a “Base Civil Engineering work Clearance Request. It is used per the form “ [..], involving excavation or utility disturbance per attached sketch.” This form is used when digging or trenching on base, or otherwise altering/affecting utilities. It would not be required for simple manhole entry for PMIs, etc not interfering with utilities (including communications). However, OSHA and AFOSH have standards for confined space entry, it is the offeror’s responsibility to understand and follow all requirements for confined space entry. See the last sentence of the paragraph.