Combined Questions RFP 75P00125R00014 IT Staffing Support Services - 6 June 2025.pdf

RFP 75P00125R00014

# Question Section Page

Number Response

What is the remainder of the last sentence in item a?

RFP attachment, Section C.3.1 Proposed

Candidates item a

All proposed candidates shall be able to read, write, speak, and understand English, shall possess good written and verbal communications skills, and shall have sufficient knowledge of proper English grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation rules to identify errors and make corrections.

Does the government require us to fill out these tables, or are we just supposed to submit pricing in the Excel sheet?

RFP attachment, Section B, 4-6 Excel sheet should match these tables.

We have performed the desired ATO work on sensitive programs. The artifacts requested are considered sensitive and the property of the

Government customer as well. We have no way to access the artifacts and believe our customer would not allow us to share even if we could access. Can you suggest alternate way that we can satisfy your requirement to demonstrate this important experience? Can this be captured as part of a past performance reference that could be validated by the CO?

L.9 168 ATO Memorandum should be submitted in lieu of other documentation sensitive.

If the Offeror or its subcontractors have supported federal systems through the ATO process but do not possess a current system-level ATO, will the Government accept: 1.

Narrative descriptions of past experience supporting ATO development and maintenance?

2. Redacted portions of ATO-related documentation? 3. Would SOW documentation information be sufficient? Security maturity evidence such as ISO 27001 certification, SOC

2 Type II reports, or FedRAMP partnerships?

L.9 168 ATO Memorandum should be submitted in lieu of other documentation sensitive.

Can the Government confirm whether a

Contractor-Owned Contractor-Operated

(COCO) environment is being procured under

2.2 9

Contractor-Owned Contractor-Operated (COCO) environment is contracted on a separate contract, only staffing support services required.

this solicitation? We do not see a corresponding

CLIN or pricing structure to support contractor-managed hosting infrastructure or services that would be required to justify the ATO submission.

Attachment J.1 – Contractor Non-Disclosure

Agreement – The solicitation requires completed

Non-Disclosure Agreements for each employee having access to non-public government information, to be submitted to the Contracting

Officer prior to performance.

- 108 To be signed at time of award

7 Are there any expected other direct costs?

· (D) Other Costs.

Unless listed below, other direct and indirect costs will not be reimbursed.

87 No

There is conflicting information presented on who is key. On page 74, it says that the Principal

Project Manager is key. But on page 169, the instructions say for offerors to identify key personnel. Please clarify who is key.

· In accordance with the key personnel terms included in the contract, key personnel are as follows:

Principal Project

Manager

74 & 169

In accordance with the key personnel terms included in the contract, key personnel are as follows: Principal

Project Manager

The content of the labor category lists is different in required Excel Price Sheet J.5, when compared to the separate file titled Attachment

J.3 Labor Categories IT Staffing. Please clarify?

Can we assume Attachment J.5 is the definitive list of labor categories?

Attachment J.3, Pricing to be provided for Labor Categories in Excel

Price Sheet J.5.

Sections C.2.2.5–C.2.2.11 describe legacy technologies (e.g., VB6, Access, custom

ASP.Net). Is there a roadmap for application modernization (e.g., cloud-native refactoring, DevSecOps, low-code adoption)?

C.2.2.5–C.2.2.11 11/14 N/A all relevant information included in the solicitation

Other then EC2, RDS and S3 buckets, what

AWS Cloud services are currently in use?

C.2.2.2 10

N/A all relevant information included in the solicitation

The PWS says external users can’t access

MERITS until a replacement for Pulse Secure is set up. When will this replacement happen, and will the awardee be responsible for Pulse Secure going forward?

C.2.2.10 13-14 MERITS is internal application. The pulse secure is no longer utilized by FOH

Section C.5.14 (p.32) indicates the contractor will implement ServiceNow as a new managed service for FOH. Are there any existing

ServiceNow modules or ITSM tools currently in use at FOH, or will this implementation be entirely new? If an existing system will be replaced, can details on its data and processes be provided for migration planning?

C.5.14 Page 32 No existing Service Now Modules for FOH.

The RFP calls for developing a testing and integration plan as part of ServiceNow implementation. What internal FOH systems or data sources will ServiceNow need to integrate with, and are there any HHS enterprise integration standards the contractor should be aware of?

C.5.14 Page 32 To be determined. No additional requirements defined.

To what extent will platform maintenance and updates be handled by OCIO versus the contractor? For example, will the contractor be responsible for ServiceNow upgrades and patches?

C.5.14 Page 32 C 5.11 (pg 28-29)

Does FOH currently have a Power BI environment and established datasets, or will the contractor be responsible for standing up new data pipelines and models from scratch?

C.5.16 Page 33 No existing

Is there an approved architecture framework

(e.g., TOGAF, FEAF) guiding FOH systems?

C.5.1 Page 32 C.8.8.2 (pg 49)

Does the Government require any specific background investigation level for non-key positions beyond the Tier 4 for key personnel stated in Section C.8.5

C.8.5 48 No

The Government mentions “PHASE 1” and

“PHASE 2”; will there be two separate submission dates for each phase?

L.9 169

Technical proposal, Business proposal, and Past

Performance Information are ALL due at the same time identified in L.7.

How will the contractor self-assessment be evaluated — as part of the technical score, past performance, or CPARS-only?

Evaluation Use 1–2 J.4 is for after award

Should past performance be its own volume? If not, please specify where this information should be included.

INFORMATION

INSTRUCTIONS

173 Past Performance will be its own Volume.

Will the agency accept the subcontractor's past performance?

L. 11 Pg 173

In accordance to section L.11, this is allowable.

Past performance references can be for the offeror, predecessor companies, key personnel who have relevant experience and/or subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirement when such information is relevant to the acquisition.

If the past performance reference is for a subcontractor, identify the major or critical aspects of the requirement that they will perform.

Will the Agency accept past performances from

State and Commercial contracts?

L. 11 Pg 173

In accordance with section L.11, this is allowable.

Relevancy to the statement of work for the subject solicitation.

The RFP states, “In order to facilitate the

Government's determination whether proposed

ICT supplies meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards, offerors must submit an

Accessibility Conformance Report, in accordance with its completion instructions and tailored to the requirements in the solicitation.”Please confirm if offerors proposals

(both Technical and Business Volumes) are to be Section 508 Compliant?

L.1.3 165 Yes

If so, are we to complete an HHS Section

508 Accessibility Conformance Checklist or

Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) based

Yes on our proposal and submit those reports in the

Technical Appendices?

Technical Volume Proposal Phase I, the RFP states, “If the Offeror proposes any subcontractor, teaming partner or other work-share arrangement that requires them to collect and maintain government data, then each subcontractor, teaming partner and entity is also subject to the requirements of Phase I and shall submit the information required above.” Please confirm if submitting as a mentor/protégé JV that one ATO for the JV is acceptable to pass

Phase I.

L.9 168

For Joint Venture (JV) entities, if one of the members has an ATO accredited and/or certified, then this will fulfill the ATO requirement. This also applies to the references required for JV team members.

General Instructions states, “Your attention is directed to the requirements for the submission of technical proposals, business proposals, and past performance information contained in

Sections L.10, L.11, and L.12, of the solicitation. Your proposal must be submitted in accordance with these instructions.”

L.8 168 No L.12. Should read L.9, L.10, L.11

The RFP states, “The Technical Volume Phase

II shall be limited to 25 double-spaced pages, with 1-inch margins, and using not less than 12-point font.”

Please confirm graphics and tables within the

Phase II section of our proposal do not need to be double-spaced and can be 10-point font.

L.9 168

Tables and figures can be single-spaced, Times New

Roman and no smaller than 9 point font. The total number of tables and figures shall be limited to 12.

PHASE 2 - FACTOR 1: Staffing/Personnel Plan

– The RFP states “The offeror shall describe its staffing approach for this effort. Resumes shall be submitted in this section for all proposed personnel. The offeror shall identify personnel they consider to be Key. There is a one (1) page limit to each resume.”

L.9 169 L.9 (ALL staff)

Please confirm resumes shall be provided for only the personnel deemed as “key” by the offeror and not all proposed personnel.

PHASE 2 - FACTOR 4: Information and

Communication Technology Accessibility –

Please confirm what content is required for this section.

L.9 170 L.1.3

Per the instructions in Section L.10.4 (b) 1 that

“Labor Estimates shall be supported with breakdowns by individual tasks including the number of labor hours estimated…” – is it the government’s expectation that offerors will modify the provided Attachment J.5 Price

Spreadsheet to reflect their proposed technical proposal.

L.10.4 (b) 1, Attachment J.5 Price

Sheet

The Offeror shall submit a price proposal based on the level of effort provided by the Government in the pricing scenario spreadsheet. The proposal must include enough detail to show that the rates and cost build-up are reasonable, realistic, and complete. The proposal should include all cost elements such as direct labor, fringe, overhead, general and administrative costs, profit, and fully burdened labor rates.

Business Proposal –Please confirm that

Attachment J.5 – Excel Price Sheet is to be submitted as a separate file from the main

Business Proposal narrative and that it should remain in Excel format (not converted to PDF).

L.10 171 Separate file and remain in Excel Format

Is there a specific subject line that offers should use for the proposal submission email.

L.7

Inquiries/Submission

The Offeror shall submit the proposal to the Contract

Specialist at the following email address: ivan.mora-juarez@hhs.gov. The email shall reflect the following

Subject Line, “Proposal: 75P00125R00014: Federal

Occupational Health (FOH) – Information

Technology (IT) Staffing Support Services.” Include

Offeror’s name in the subject line.

Could the Government please clarify how many projects are required to provide ATO documentation?

L.9 TECHNICAL

PROPOSAL

INSTRUCTIONS -

PHASE 1:

Authorization to

Operate (ATO)

Pass/Fail

168 and 169

L.9 (The Technical Volume Proposal - Phase I - shall contain documentation that demonstrates the Offeror and the proposed subcontractors have achieved and maintain any one of the following:

• a current and active signed ATO; or

• an expired signed ATO, within the past 18 months;

or

• a signed ATO Extension Memorandum, that does not exceed 18 months, with a federal agency.

• ATO Documentation

1.System Security Plan (SSP)

2. Security Controls

3. Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA)

35 Are offerors required to submit a VPAT?

L.9 Technical Proposal

Instructions 169 If applicable

Would the government consider removing or revising the requirement to accept a signed letter from the COR or ISSO confirming that an ATO was granted, as a substitute to the phase 1 ATO documentation requested?

L.9 168 C.9 (page 61-62)

Although Sections L and M require adherence to both Section B and to Excel Price Sheet J.5 pricing scenario, neither requirement is priced at any task hierarchy. Please clarify whether or not only CLIN level dollar pricing is intended in both Section B and Excel Price Sheet J.5 pricing scenario.

L.10.4 171 Only CLIN Level dollar pricing is intended for both

Section B and Excel Price Sheet.

Can the Government provide more detail as to what is expected as part of the response for L.9 -

PHASE 2 - FACTOR 4: Information and

Communication Technology Accessibility?

Section 508 compliance approach/proof?

L.9 - PHASE 2 -

FACTOR 4

170 L.1.3

L.9 TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

INSTRUCTIONS -

Technical Appendices:

The technical appendices shall only include transcripts, resumes, letters of commitment, 508

Compliance, and VPAT if applicable. Will

Technical Appendices count against the 25 page limit for the Technical Proposal?

L.9 169 No

Section L.11, Past Performance, p. 173, states, “For contracts with the Federal Government, indicate whether the government has evaluated the contractor and past performance information

L.11 173

For contracts that have performance information available through CPARS, offerors are requested to provide a copy of the CPARS report.

For contracts that do not have performance is available through CPARS or whether the reference will be providing information via the past performance questionnaire (see Attachment

J.6).”

Question: If CPARS are available, does the

Offeror need to provide a Past Performance

Questionnaire in addition to the CPARS, or can the Offeror simply provide the CPARS?

information available through CPARS, offerors are requested to provide the Past Performance

Questionnaire (Attachment J.6) directly to their reference.

Kindly request the "Disclosure of Lobbying

Activities" form released as an attachment if it is a requirement to populate and submit as the link in the RFQ does not work.

L.10.5 172 Has been included as an Attachment

Are Phase 2 Factors 3 and 4 included in the page limit or are they considered Appendices?

L.9 Technical Proposal

Instructions 170 Appendices

Regarding paragraph 3, please provide clarification on the reference to “HHSAR

352.239.71 (Deviation)”. Is this a requirement in addition to “HHSAR 352.239.72

(Deviation)”for compliance with “Phase 2 –

Factor 3 Information Technology Security Plan and Accreditation Approach”?

L.9 Technical Proposal

Instructions 170 Yes

The solicitation notes that the Principal Project

Manager is the only formally designated Key

Personnel, per Section H.2. However, Attachment J.3 requires resumes for all proposed labor categories.

To better align our response, we respectfully request clarification on the following:

• Does the Government require all proposed personnel (Key and Non-Key) to be screened and submitted with resumes as part of the proposal?

• If not all staff need to be pre-identified, what is the minimum number of proposed personnel that must be screened to meet evaluation expectations?

"ALL"

• Is there a distinction in screening expectations between Key and Non-Key personnel beyond the Principal Project Manager?

For the “Business Proposal”, does the subcontractor only need to submit Attachment

J.5 Price Sheet? Please clarify what other business proposal sections need to be submitted by Subcontractor.

RFP - Business

Proposal

Follow instructions in Section L.10 - Subcontracts - If subcontractors are proposed, a complete price proposal is required in the same format as the offeror’s price proposal.

Does the Government intend to award a BPA

(multiple potential task orders) or a single Task

Order in this solicitation?

Overall Single Award Definite contract

Is there an incumbent and if so, what is the

Contract #, period of performance, and contract value?

N/A N/A Sara Software Systems LLC - 75P00124C00021 -

September 1, 2024 - August 30, 2025

How will compliance with the Executive Order

13556, Controlled Unclassified Information

(CUI), be documented and verified throughout the contract duration? What are the specific

NIST SP 800-53 controls to be implemented, and how are they aligned with FOH's operational requirements?

RFP, C.8.1.5

Controlled Unclassified

Information (CUI)

Existing System NIST SP -800-53 only accessible to awardee after Transition-In.

What are the expectations and specific requirements for the contract transition phase, both at the start and end of the contract period?

Are there predefined milestones for the transition that the contractor must achieve to ensure continuity of services without disruption?

RFP, C.4.1 Contract

Transition In 18 C.4.1