Q A as of 7 July 2011 RFP FA9451-11-R-0224.pdf

Questions and Answers As of July 7, 2011

RFP FA9451-11-R-0224

Business Operations Support Services (BOSS)

Question. There is a major question where the answer has significant effect on interested companies.

- DD-254 clearly states “Top Secret”.

- PWS, Section 4.16 does not elaborate regarding the contractor’s current or the required Facility

Clearance level.

- FBO Solicitation Synopsis states: “DD Form 254, Contract Security Classification Specification applies; some positions may require a security clearance of Top Secret. Offerors must have or be able to obtain the appropriate facility clearance and employee clearances prior to award.”

As written, this presents a Catch-22.

In my experience, a TS Facility Clearance is part of the award process; in other words – a company currently holding a Secret Facility Clearance can compete for this contract opportunity without fear of being downgraded during the evaluation and upon award the Government will assist in elevating their status to TS.

Can you please clarify. My sense is, others will have the same question. Thanks!

Answer. – No offeror is precluded from proposing nor are they penalized based on their current facility clearance. If the offeror currently does not have a clearance it must address any issues involving its ability to obtain the clearance. Clearance at the appropriate levels must be obtained prior to any access to classified information or systems. The successful offeror need only demonstrate, prior to award, that it has the capacity to obtain all the necessary clearances in order to perform the work.

Question. In our review of the RFP, we noticed the requirement for a TS facility clearance as detailed in the DD254. The PWS does not specifically indicate a need for TS cleared personnel. In the past, TS was not a requirement. Please clarify the Government’s requirement with regard to clearance levels.

Answer. Top Secret (TS) is a requirement for this acquisition; see Attachment 11, BOSS Matrix Task Order 0005 RDO and Attachment 23, BOSS Matrix Task Order 0011 RDTP/SDTW, each require at least one individual with a TS clearance. Therefore, the facility clearance is at the highest level security clearance required, in this case TS.

Question. Can we submit contracts that we have performed as a sub contractor as one of the five required past performance citations?

Answer. Yes, as long as the information is relevant and recent.

Question. We request that you consider amending the subject solicitation to include additional NAICS codes to 561210, Facility Support Services, as the work described in the PWS also easily fits this code.

This will allow for increasing the firms eligible to participate in teams and/or submit proposals.

Answer. Only one NAICS code is allowed per acquisition. The preponderance of the work is under

NAICS 561110.

Question. I cannot find information on a Preproposal Conference or Site Visit for the solicitation.

Answer. There is no preproposal conference or site visit for this acquisition.