OCFO responses to FS Audit solicitation questions.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 25 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- FRTIB1-24-Q-0014
About this file
This document contains a set of questions and answers related to a federal contract opportunity for financial statement audit services for the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB). The key details are:
The solicitation is for a contract to perform a financial audit of the FRTIB's Thrift Savings Plan accounts, books, records, financial system controls, and policies. The audit is to be conducted in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and government auditing standards (GAGAS) for the calendar year ending December 31, 2024, with a comparison to prior year.
The solicitation addresses questions regarding contractor eligibility requirements, personnel security clearance levels, acceptable audit certifications, IT auditor requirements, audit standards, service providers, IT systems, and past performance. The government has provided clarifications and revisions to the solicitation, including extending the proposal due date to August 9, 2024. Additional details are provided regarding quality control processes, page limitations, and data transfer requirements.
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Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| FRTIB1-24-Q-0014 PPQ_Revised Aug 7 2024.docx | DOCX document | |
| Amendment 2 Follow Up Q and A.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| FRTIB1-24-Q-0014_Amendment 1.docx | DOCX document | |
| B.05 Attachment 002 - FRTIB Banned Technologies.pdf | ||
| B.05 Attachment 001 - NDA Contractor (CTR) Company.docx | DOCX document | |
| B.05 Attachment 004 - Past Performance Questionnaire.docx | DOCX document | |
| B.05 Attachment 003 - QA Template.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| B.05 RFQ FRTIB1-24-Q-0014_SF1449.pdf | ||
| B.01 DRFQ Solicitation_FINAL.docx | DOCX document |
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Text version
Sheet 1
| Question No. | Reference | Question Category | Question | OCFO Responses | |
| 1 | B.01, C.1.3.4 | Contractor Eligibility | Will the government revise this eligibility requirement to include the CISA certification as acceptable for the IT Partner/Principle role? | Yes, please see revised sections C.1.3.4.1.2 IT Auditors and L.2.3 (2) Key Personnel | |
| 2 | B.01, F.1.5 | Personnel Security | What specific level of investigation (Tier 2/Tier 4) is required for this work? | ||
| Will the government accept reciprocity for those with existing DOD clearances (secret/TS)? | Please see revisions to section F.1.5 Security Requirements and Standards | ||||
| 3 | B.01, L.2.3 | Personnel Skills & Knowledge | This section states that the following four certifications are acceptable for senior auditors: CPA, CIA, CGFM, CGAP). However Section C.1.3.4 states that only the CPA & CIA designations are acceptable. Will the government please confirm what certificates are acceptable for the senior level financial auditor? | The government confirms the following certifications are acceptable for the senior level position: CPA, CIA, and CGAP. Please see revisions to sections C.1.3.4.1.1 Financial Auditor and L.2.3. (2) Key Personnel | |
| 4 | B.01, L.2.3 | Personnel Skills & Knowledge | For the information technology certifications, please confirm that they only apply to personnel at the senior and above levels. | As stated in section C.1.3.4.1.2. IT Auditors, IT certification requriements are applicable to the Senior level auditors and above. Lower level junior/associate staff may substitue the 24 semester hours of accounting for a CPA or CISA. | |
| 5 | B.01, C.1.2 | Requirements | The SOW states that the 2024 audit should be conducted in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards (GAGAS) in addition to generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS). However the prior audit report was issued under only GAAS. Will the government please confirm whether GAGAS standards should be followed for the FY2024 audit? | The government confirms GAAS and GAGAS standards are required. | |
| 6 | B.01, C.1.2 | Requirements | The SOW states that a report on internal control and compliance should be issued for the FY 2024 audit. Since the FY2023 audit report did not report on internal control or compliance, would the government share details about any unremediated control or compliance matters identified in prior audits? | The Agency does not have any unremediated control or compliance matters that have been identified in prior financial statement audits. | |
| 7 | FY 2023 Audited Financial Statements | Service Providers | The FY 2023 audited footnotes refer to service providers used by the FRITB including Blackrock and State Street Global Advisors for the Investments business cycle. Will the government provide a listing of all service providers used by the FRITB for accounting and financial reporting including a description of relevant findings noted by the independent service provider auditor and whether appropriate CUECs are in place. | Service Providers include Department of Interior - IBC and Accenture Federal Services | |
| 8 | C.1.2 | Requirements | Would the government provide a description of all financially relevant information technology systems that are subject to evaluation as part of the audit? | Oracle Federal Financial software, Cash Management and Investment system, and PRISM (Procurements) | |
| 9 | What was the award amount for the previous contract? | The total five year contract amount was $855,594.52. The government notes that the scope of the prior contract is not identical to the current solicitation. | |||
| 10 | What was the total FTE hours? | Unknown to current management. The prior contract was firm-fixed price. | |||
| 11 | N/A | Would the government please extend the due date for proposals by five (5) business days, in order to allow offerors enough time to incorporate the government's answers to questions? | The government will extend the due date to August 9, 2024. See revision to section L.6 Submission Deadline | ||
| 12 | L1. Quote Submission | Would the government please confirm the 12-pt font limitation does not apply to headers, footers, footnotes, tables, and graphics? | The 12pt font limitation does not apply to headers, footers, footnotes, tables, or graphics | ||
| 13 | L2.3, 1. Methodology, iii. Quality control process | Would the government please allow offerors to include their quality control process(es)/plan as an appendix to Volume 1: Technical Approach, and thus exempt from the 10-page limit for this volume? | Any descriptions of the offerors quality control process/plan should be included within the 10-page limit for Volume 1:Technical Approach. However, as noted in section L.2.2, the Peer Review report and any associated letter of comment is exempt and can be added as an Appendix. | ||
| 14 | L2.3., 2. Key Personnel, Personnel Skills and Knowledge | The solicitation states, "At minimum, the offerors shall provide personnel at the following levels retaining one or more of the identified certifications to ensure sufficient knowledge, skills, and abilities to complete the required services...iv. Information Technology (CISA, CISSP, CISM)." |
| Would the government please clarify the levels of personnel required for Information Technology support? | The government has set the requirements for the skill and knowledge levels of the various labor categories. However, the governmet is requesting the offerors to propose the key personnel labor mix it believes will be sufficient to meet the audit requirements in the SOW. | |||
| 15 | L3.1, 2. | Would the government please consider allowing offerors to submit CPARS in lieu of past performance questionnaires (PPQs), if available? | CPARS will not be accepted in lieu of the PPQs. | |
| 16 | L3.1, 3. | The solicitation states, "Offerors may provide data on non-Government efforts of comparable scope and complexity. The Offeror will provide examples, with references, of its relevant audit experience in the following areas: |
i. Timeliness;
ii. Delivery or Performance;
iii. Responsiveness;
iv. Quality of Audit Services;
v. Cost Control; and
vi. Technical Support"
| Would the government please clarify whether this information should be provided for each of the three (3) past performance references required, or for additional examples from the offeror's experience? | The government is requesting a max of (3) past performance references for Volume II to include all applicable past performance information requested in the SOW. | |||
| 17 | L3.1.2. | Given the level of detail the government has requested, would the government please increase the page limitation for each past performance narrative to three (3) pages? | The government will increase the page numbers to a max of 3 for each past performance reference. | |
| 18 | N/A | Can the Government confirm this is not being solicited under a GSA MAS Award Schedule? | The government has not solicited for this work under the GSA schedule. | |
| 19 | N/A | Does FRTIB anticipate any significant changes to the Thrift Savings Fund (the Fund), including the Thrift Savings Plan (the Plan), during the contractual period? Significant changes include, but are not limited to, the following: |
i. Changes in third-party service providers (i.e. the Plan's recordkeeper, investment custodians/advisors, etc.)
ii. New lease agreements or capital purchases
iii. Changes to the Plan's investment line-up
iv. Merger or divestiture of any assets
| v. Plan termination | There government notes there is a potential for change in lease agreements in FY 2026 or later. | |||
| 20 | B.1 | Can the Government clarify that the calendar year audits for CLINs 1001, 2001, 3001, and 4001 should be 2025, 2026, 2027, and 2028, respectively? | Yes, please see revised section B.1 Contract Line Item (CLIN) Structure | |
| 21 | H.5 (a) | Offerors are not developing software internally for this engagement, as such will the government clarify if this is applicable? | This clause is not applicable to the contract SOW. | |
| 22 | H.3 | Would the government clarify what data we would receive that would entail compliance with FISMA (800-53)? | The FRTIB's annual FISMA report can be made available. | |
| 23 | H.3 | Does FRTIB expect to provide CUI as part of the data that contractors will receive? | CUI is anticipated to be provided | |
| 24 | H.3 | Will the government confirm that it expects all data transfer/access will be through Teams Channels, provided by the government? | As noted in section F.1.6 - Teams Channels may be a utlized for file transfer/access in addition to or in place of email. This platform will be utilized if operationally feasible for the government and the offeror. | |
| 25 | F.1.5 | “Information Security: Confidential information issued via email will be encrypted with a password.” Will FRTIB confirm that “Confidential Information” is not synonymous with CUI? | Confidential information and CUI are not synonymous. However, the government may use methods of encryption via email exchange to transfer CUI. | |
| 26 | C.1.3.4. Contractor Eligibility Requirements | Is the offeror permitted to propose additional labor categories beyond those identified in C.1.3.4? | The offeror is permitted to propose additional labor categories. See revised SOW with added section C.1.3.4.1.3 Additional Personnel. |
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