TACLAN Draft RFP _Q and A_- for posting 17 Feb 11x.pdf

SOCOM TACLAN DRFP

QUESTION

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Questions / Comments

Response

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1. I respectfully request the name of the incumbent contractor or contractors.

Also, will you consider an 8A Direct Award with a teaming of three highly qualified 8A team members? After reviewing the Draft RFP the I’ve identified multiple synergies in our team that meet all requirements. Thank you in advance for your time and response.

The incumbent contractor is iGOV Technologies, Inc.

We have decided to solicit this as a small business set-aside

2. L-2.1 "All text shall be printed in black ink using 12-point, Courier font. Printed lines shall be spaced a minimum of one character height apart (i.e., double spaced) and each ........"

Question/Recommendation:

The font and spacing limitations presented in Section L-2.1 are extremely limiting and negatively affect readability. Will the Government consider using the font and spacing requirements required by the other 6 SITEC

Towers:

- Color allowed

- Times New Roman 11 point for text

- Space and a half spacing

- No smaller than Ariel or Times New Roman 8 for Graphics and Tables

- Single Spacing for text in tables when tables are not predominantly text

Font size shall be uncompressed Times New

Roman, in no smaller than

11-point for text and no smaller than 8 point for text spreadsheets, tables, and graphics.

One and one-half spaced with at least one inch margins on all sides. Single

Spacing for text in tables when tables are not predominantly text.

3. L-2.2 Question/Recommendation:

"Pages that are predominantly drawings or graphics will not be counted against the page limitation."

Can the Government articulate their definition of "Predominantly Drawings or Graphics" as stated in Section L-2.2.

Any page where drawings or graphics cover at least three quarters of the area of the page.

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4.

DRFP Section B, CLINs

0002-0014 (pages 3 -11)

Can the Government specify what is included in CLIN 0002 – CLIN 0014? Is this just hardware or is some degree of associated labor included, such as training, engineering, etc?

We will add additional text in the FRFP to clarify these requirements.

5.

DRFP Section L.3.4.2 Part

IV-C

The DRFP states that “The pricing proposal shall include T&M labor Rates for each Labor Category listed in Attachment entitled Time and Materials Labor

Rates.” The referenced attachment is not listed in Section J of the DRFP or provided as an attachment to the DRFP. Will the Government release the

T&M Labor Categories and their required experience and education with the

RFP?

This attachment will be provided with the FRFP release.

6.

DRFP Section L.3.4.2 Part

IV-D

Will contractors be allowed to recover their allowable, allocable indirect costs on travel?

If the cost is allowable and allocable, in accordance with the JTR, reimbursement will be approved.

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7.

DRFP Section L-2.1 (page

60)

This section states: "All text shall be printed in black ink using 12-point, Courier font. Printed lines shall be spaced a minimum of one character height apart (i.e., double spaced) and each ........"The font and spacing limitations presented in Section L-2.1 are extremely limiting and negatively affect readability. Will the Government consider using the font and spacing requirements required by the other 6 SITEC Towers:

- Color allowed

- Times New Roman 11 point for text

- Space and a half spacing

- No smaller than Ariel or Times New Roman 8 for Graphics and Tables

- Single Spacing for text in tables when tables are not predominantly text

Font size shall be uncompressed Times New

Roman, in no smaller than

11-point for text and no smaller than 8 point for text

One and one-half spaced with at least one inch margins on all sides. Single

Spacing for text in tables when tables are not predominantly text.

Same as question 2

8.

DRFP Page 71, mentions

DFAR 252.216-7002

Alternate A

This DFAR clause modifies FAR clause 52.216-29. However, FAR 52.216-29 is not included in the DRFP.

• Should this DFAR clause be included in Section I or H?

• Please clarify the pricing instruction for T&M labor categories.

52.216-29 will be added to

Section I. Clarification will be provided in the FRFP.

Labor categories will be provided. Please submit your company’s labor rate for each category.

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9.

DRFP L-3.3 Volume – Past

Performance pg 62

The current Past Performance requirement does not specify that any of the

5 past performance citations have to be from the prime contractor, so you are able to bid all subcontractors references?

The Government will evaluate offeror, subcontractor, teammate, joint Venture, etc. past performance if the

Government determines it is relevant in regards to overall organizational size, technical scope, geographic complexity, and extent of the services provided by the Offeror to the reference customer as stated in the

RFP.

10.

DRFP M-3.3, third paragraph, first bullet

The instruction refers to “projected units to be serviced under each CLIN times 12”. How does this evaluation criterion relate to the CLIN structure for the delivery of new units? What is the significance of “12”?

That language will be corrected.

11.

Draft RFP Section L-

3.2.1.1.1 (page 61), PWS

6.1, PWS 9.8

Draft RFP requires “a detailed description of its approach for the required transition plan in accordance with PWS section 6.1, 9.8”. PWS 6.1 pertains to Geographic Coverage which does not seem to pertain to Transition and

PWS Section 9.8 does not exist. Please clarify which PWS sections addresses

RFP L-3.2.1.1.1

DRFP L-3.2.1.1.1 does not mention PWS 6.1 and PWS

9.8. Para 6.1 and 9.8 are

mentioned in DRFP L-

3.2.1.1.2

The correct PWS reference is

18.0.

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12.

DRFP Section B, CLIN 0001

(page 2)

CLIN 0001 –Are there options in the current baseline for storage drives to be either 1 TB or 2 TB? If so how should these options be priced?

Drives are either 1TB or 2TB depending on the application. The current baseline is as follows:

- TACLAN NIPR Segment: 1TB

- TACLAN SIPR Segment: 2TB

- TACLAN JWICS Segment:

1TB

- FMV VDH: 2TB

13.

DRFP Section B, CLINs

0015, 0018, 0020, and

0021 (page 11, 13, 14), Section M-3.3 (page 71)

In order to evaluate the T&M CLINs, will the govt be providing plug number hours which will be multiplied by the proposed labor rates?

Yes

14.

DRFP, Section B, CLINs

0016, 0017 (page 12)

Can the Government please define the word “lot” under “unit”. For instance, is this for the entire x-week class? If this is the case, then is the

“Max Quantity” number of “25” indicating 25 x-week classes?

Lot is the unit measurement which in this case is the total cost for a maximum of 25 classes for the year.

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15.

DRFP, Section I (page 32) The Solicitation incorporates DFAR clause 252-226-7001 – Utilization of

Indian Organizations and Indian-Owned Economic Enterprises and Native

Hawaiian Small Business Concerns. However as this award is to be made as a total small business set aside, please confirm that the contractor, as a small business, would not be required to comply with this regulation.

The clause is required in solicitations and contracts for supplies and services exceeding $500,000.

The contractor would not have to comply with this clause.

16.

DRFP CLINS 1 - 14 Will the govt provide shipping plug numbers or more information on shipping locations to support accurate pricing?

No plug numbers will be provided. Ship to CONUS and anything OCONUS will have additional monies to cover excess costs.

Possible shipping clin for

OCONUS

17.

DRFP Section L-2.1 (page

60) and L-3.3 (page 62)

The RFP allots a maximum of 27 pages to the Past Performance volume.

This includes no more than 5 summaries, each no more than 5 pages

(maximum total of 25 pages). In addition, the Government requests a

“Summary Page”. This summary page plus the 25 pages of project information equate to 26 pages. Can we interpret this as meaning that the introduction can be longer than one single “Summary Page”, provided the entire Volume does not exceed 27 pages? Is there a minimum requirement for the prime?

The summary page can be a maximum of two pages.

There is no minimum requirement for the prime.

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18.

DRFP Section M, last sentence

This paragraph with three bullets. This should include 4, not 3 bullets with

CPFF CLINs as a separate bullet. The last sentence references clause “H1” which does not exist

CPFF will be a separate bullet.

H1 will be identified in the

FRFP.

19.

DRFP Section L-3.4.2 There are several references to section “IV” in the table provided under

L.4.2. Should these be labeled “III“ since they refer to proposal Volume III

Price?

These will be renumbered.

20.

PWS 12.2.2 PWS 12.2.2 references CDRL A018 “Asset Management Process” and PWS 18 references CDRL A018 “Exit Plan”. Are these the same documents?

No – CDRL references, etc., will be resolved in the FRFP

21.

Sources Sought submitted

June 11, 2010

One of the requirements in the Sources Sought for this procurement had a requirement for a “Letter from bonding agency indicating your performance and payment bond capacity, or evidence of a line of credit for at least $25M, or means that demonstrate financial capacity to perform the work.” Will something similar be required for the proposal submission to validate the prime contractor’s ability to execute this contract?

We will be asking for this information along with your proposal documents in response to the RFP.

22.

DRFP Section L-3.3 (pg 62) and Section L-3.3 (pg 63)

There are two Section L-3.3. One entitled “Volume II – Past Performance” and one entitled “Volume III- Price”. Recommend you renumber the second as “Section-L3.4” and recommend the 5 rows in the subsequent tabled be numbered consistently with the rest of the RFP (numbers rather than roman numerals)

Paragraph will be renumbered to 3.4. Table numbering wil be updated.

23.

DRFP Section L-3.3 (page

62)

Of the 11 items to be included in the “Past Performance Information sheets”, items number 7 and 9 are repetitive and item numbers 8 and 11 are repetitive. Will the Government delete the repetitive items?

Yes, duplicate lines will be removed.

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24.

DRFP Section L-3.4.2 block

Part IV-E: Cost Plus Fixed

Fee CLINs (Page 63)

The last line of text in this table appears to maybe have been cut off. Is there more to this bullet than: “The pricing proposal shall include a proposed fixed fee percent to be applied to System Engineering Support Task Orders in accordance with Section H clause entitled “System Engineering Support,”

Language will be corrected in the FRFP.

25.

SB Set-Aside - Will this procurement be released as a small business set-aside? This is not expressly stated in the DRFP, BUT it does include FAR

52.219-6 Notice of Total Small Business Set Aside, page 30

This effort is a SB Set-Aside.

It was stated in the FBO posting.

26.

DRFP Section L-3.3 Volume

II Price

This header is incorrectly numbered. It should be Section L-3.4. It will be renumbered to 3.4.

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27. paragraph 3.1 of the

Performance Work

Statement (PWS) and

Attachments 1-6.

I have a question regarding clin 001. It states "The contractor shall provide

TACLAN Suites with Laptops as defined in paragraph 3.1 of the Performance

Work Statement (PWS) and Attachments 1-6. THE PWS and the attachments identify this product as the COTS product Panasonic CF52.

The Taclan System Specifications (TSS), section 3.6.1 outline the specs that the gov't is expecting from the new Panasonic CF52 offering. There are other manufacture COTS ruggedized notebooks offerings that meet exactly or exceed every spec outilined in the TSS attachment. COTS ruggedized notebooks that meet the TSS spec whether that be Panasonic or a nother vendor should be able handle the specific TACLAN software load. Hence, the term COTS.

Can a contractor bid an or equal COTS Ruggedized notebook product that meets the TSS spec requirement? If so, can there be an or equal provision language mentioned either DRFP clin 001, the PWS, or the TSS documentation?

The TSS is provides the next generation performance parameters for the TACLAN

Family of Systems. They are not intended to be the specifications utilized at contract award. There will be avenues in the contract for offerors to make recommendations for next generation capabilities that should be considered in further TACLAN Family of

System components.

No – for the initial award the offerors are requested to propose in accordance with the requirements and instructions in the RFP.

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28. Are the brand names for the required hardware set in stone or will other brands be considered?

Replacements will not be considered for this RFP except where resolving parts obsolesence or addressing a proprietary issue. There will be avenues after contract award for the offeror to propose next generation replacements for the

TACLAN Family of Systems.

29. Draft RFP ITEM No. 0001, states, “The contractor shall provide TACLAN

Suites with Laptops as defined in paragraph 3.1 of the Performance Work

Statement (PWS) and Attachments 1-6.” Attachment 1, Appendix B identifies all Laptops for the Version 10.0 release supported by the TACLAN program. Of the 8 laptops listed none meet the all of the specifications listed in Attachment 13 Technical System Specifications as set forth in section

3.6.1 LAPTOPS and several vendor equipment part numbers listed are obsolete.

Question: Are the LAPTOPS required to meet or exceed the specifications listed in Attachment 13 Technical System Specifications as set forth in section 3.6.1 LAPTOPS.

Additional Question:. Are functionally equivalent substitutions permitted?

Replacements will not be considered for this RFP.

There will be avenues after contract award for the offeror to propose next generation replacements for the TACLAN Family of

Systems.

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30. REF RFP Pg. 2, Item B.3 Ordering Discounts. With regard to ordering discounts, does the

Government envision issuing FFP orders unilaterally, which would then be followed with a monthly reconciliation process for billing purposes at the beginning of the following month? If so, it appears applicable delivery orders will require administrative modification each month to adjust the funding allocation. Is this assumption correct?

The ordering discount would apply to the whole order if another level is reached based on the numbers

(including previous orders) for the month. We would not modify all previous order. This is a change from what was in the draft.

31. REF RFP Pg. 12, CLIN 0016 Sustainment Training Class-CONUS, CLIN 0017, Sustainment Training Class-

OCONUS, and PWS Section 16.0, TACLAN Sustainment Training. In CLIN’s

0016 and 0017 the Government is requesting that these CLINs be proposed as FFP, based on a LOT quantity of 25. However, PWS Section 16.0 does not mention the exact locations for the training, either CONUS or OCONUS. In addition, while the offer is to be made on a FFP basis for contract award purposes, the Government is also requesting submission of the Sustainment

Training Plan for approval “post award” which could affect pricing. It does not appear that this requirement is defined well enough to propose on a FFP basis. Can the Government provide additional clarity in order to ensure that all offeror’s propose against the same baseline?

The OCONUS locations will be provided in the FRFP.

Post award approval of the

Sustainment Training Plan will not affect pricing.

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32. REF RFP Pg. 15, CLIN 0023 Commercial Training and PWS Section 17.0, TACLAN Commercial Training.

The Government is requesting that this CLIN be proposed as FFP, based on a

LOT quantity of 25 . However, PWS Section 17 does not identify the exact locations for training. This section also mentions, “Courses include, but are not limited to….” which is an open ended requirement. Training content, duration, class size, and course material expectations are also not defined.

It does not appear that this requirement is defined well enough to propose on a FFP basis. Can the Government provide additional clarity in order to ensure that all offeror’s propose against the same baseline?

A list with specific courses will be provided in the FRFP.

33. REF RFP Pg. 62, Section L-

3.2.1.2.1, Delivery

Schedule

The Government is requesting a detailed plan to meet a delivery schedule that is TBD. In order to develop a proposed plan with dates, major events and milestones and schedule interrelationships it would help if the

Government could provide a delivery scenario “sample task” in order to adequately evaluate all offeror’s against the same baseline. Will a delivery scenario “sample task” be provided in the final RFP?

NO The delivery schedule

34. REF RFP Pg. 62, Section L-

3.2.1.2.2, Quality

Assurance

The last sentence in this paragraph references PWS Section 9.13 which does not exist in the PWS. Please clarify.

Para 10.12 is the correct reference. FRFP will be updated with the correct reference.

35. REF RFP Pg. 62, Section L-

3.3, Volume II – Past

Performance

Does the maximum number of 5 past performance references include those of both the Prime Contractor and any proposed first-tier Subcontractor?

Will first-tier Subcontractor past performance be evaluated along with the

Prime Contractor past performance in order to allow the relevant past performance of the “collective team” to be considered for evaluation purposes?

Yes for both questions.

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36. REF RFP Pg. 62 and 63 Both Past Performance (Vol II) and Pricing (Vol III) are identified as Section L-

3.3. We believe the Past Performance Volume should be identified as

Section L-3.2. Please clarify.

The numbering will be corrected in the FRFP.

37. REF RFP Pg. 63, Section L-

3.3, Part IV-E Cost Plus

Fixed Fee CLINs

The Section H fill-in clause for System Engineering Support referenced in this section does not appear in the Draft RFP. Please clarify.

Language will be corrected to clarify this in the FRFP.

38. REF RFP Pg. 64, Section L-

5, Program Classification

While the RFP is clear with regard to the minimum number of personnel

TS/SCI clearance requirements, there is no mention of the requirement for the facility clearance and there is no draft DD254 in the Draft RFP Package.

PWS Section 4.2, Contractor Security, also does not address facility requirements; especially with regard to SIPR-net and JWICS requirements.

The initial RFI for this effort indicated that a TS Level Facility would be required. Can the Government please provide additional information concerning the final facility clearance requirements?

The DD 254 will be included in the FRFP. Offerors will be required to have a TS Facility

Clearance and a Secret

Safeguarding Clearance for this effort.

39. REF PWS Pg. 26, Section

10.12.1,Coordination and

Maintenance of Test

Environment Reflective of

TACLAN.

This section of the PWS indicates that the contractor must possess a test lab facility in order to accommodate SIPER-net and JWICS hardware, software and integration “as needed for any TACLAN integration project”. This would require a SCIF. However, the second paragraph indicates maintaining a test log for use in the Government SCIF and a test environment for SIPER-net and

JWICS (if not available at the contractor facility). Can the Government please provide additional clarification on this requirement?

All JWICS testing will be accomplished in a government lab facility.

Although the goal is to accomplish SIPRNET testing at the contractor facility, the government recognizes that this capability will likely not be available at contract award. Until this capability is available, SIPRNET integration/testing will also be conducted in the government lab facility.

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40. What is the anticipated release date of the FINAL RFP? TBD

41. Destination Address(es) for Supply Shipments: Per Section B.4, Ordering/Option Periods, are any of the destination addresses for these supplies classified?

No

42. Design Authority and

Technical Specifications

Is the Government the Design Authority for this contract?

If so, will the Government provide specifications for the equipment lists similar to Attachment 13, TACLAN Technical System Specification

Yes, the Government is the

Design Authority.

All required specifications have been provided in the attachments.

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43. Technical Support: Please provide more definition of

Technical Support as referenced on Pg. 61, Section L-3, Technical

Support.

Specifically:

Is Level 1 Support (Help Desk, phone support, troubleshooting) required?

Is Level 2 Support (detailed technical support both on phone and in the field, including Unplanned Depot Level Maintenance (UDLM) and Emergency

Depot Level Maintenance (EDLM) support) required?

No – Level 1 Help Desk

Support will be accomplished by ITSM (Svc

Desk)

Level 2 support will be accomplished by the

Distributed Computing

Contractor. If Distributed

Computing Contractor is unable to resolve the issue, said issue would be upgraded to Level 3 and assigned to TACLAN

Production contractor for resolution.

What does in most cases mean? Are there instances where someone other than the DCC would provide Level

2 support?

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44. Help Desk: What is the expectation of the Level 1 Help Desk?

Are there service level agreements for Help Desk support?

Does the Help Desk need to handle ITAR conversations?

Does the Help Desk need to handle classified conversations?

No Level 1 Help Desk activity.

45. RFP REF Section L-5, Program Classification

This section states, “This program is classified at the TS/SCI Level and all offerors must have appropriate facility and personnel security clearances.”

Please clarify what an “appropriate facility” means.

For this contract, offerors must have a TS Facility

Clearance and Secret

Safeguarding Clearance.

See DD254 on FRFP

46. Returned Material: Will any returned material need to be handled in a classified fashion?

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47. Spares Is there workload data that indicates projected volume and type of spares?

Will there be a requirement for a spares pool? If so, how large does that pool need to be?

There are numerous

Monthly Status Reports and

Quarterly Warranty and

Maintenance Status Reports in the Bidders’ Library which can be used to determine the volume and type of repair and maintenance actions. There are also

Spare Parts Lists in the

Bidders’ Library which can as historical reference.

There will be a requirement for spares. It will be up to the TACLAN contractor to determine the numbers and types of equipment necessary to establish the spares pool.

Costs for spares used to support the new production systems will be captured in the cost of the systems.

Spares for equipment maintained under the Legacy

CLIN will be funded by the

Government.

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48. RFP REF Pg. 71, Section

M-3.3, Area III: Price.

Bullet 1 of this section states, “All FFP CLINS shall be computed by multiplying the projected units to be serviced under each CLIN times 12.”

Please clarify what is meant by this statement.

This bullet will be removed.

49. ITAR: Are there ITAR requirements around training, shipping to point of use abroad, or for any communications with coalition or OCONUS forces?

No

50. Configuration Tool What is the name of the configuration tool(s) used for imaging? Is it only the

Universal Imaging Utility (UIU)?

Is this tool GFE?

Is the image itself GFE and will updates be made to the image by the

Contractor or by the Government?

Attachment 1, Section 1.2, Applicability, states, “Most importantly, the number of TACLAN Client builds has been reduced to only one unique image by using the Universal Imaging Utility (UIU).” Is it the same image for all kits?

Yes

Updates are maintained by the contractor.

Yes The image is the same for Full Suites, MPK, and

FCD.

Nothing to add

51. EMSEC What level of EMSEC (Emanation Security) is the Contractor accountable for?

The contractor is responsible to adhere and follow all DoD and SOCOM standards/policies.

52. Encryption Is there any level of encryption required on delivered units? There will be crypto equipment delivered with each suite or segment.

However, the delivered installation media (and all system hard drives) is unencrypted.

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53. Does “Corporate level” past performance count toward relative and relevant past performance? For example, Company A and B are both wholly owned subsidiaries of Corporation C. Company A has a contract with SOCOM. If the proposal is submitted under the name of Company B who has no work with SOCOM or very little C4I past performance, could the past performance of subsidiary Company A be used to count toward the rating for Company B?

54. Draft RFP, page 22, Section

G Contract Administration

Question –Do you anticipate deployments greater than 30 days into

CENTCOM AOR? If yes, what will be the requirements for these personnel traveling into the CENTCOM AOR?

Discussion – It is not at all clear from the draft RFP what requirements the contractor will be required to meet in order to send personnel into

CENTCOM Hostile areas for greater than 30 days.

Recommendation – SOCOM clarify minimum requirements for deploying

TACLAN support personnel into hostile CENTCOM AOR areas. Recommend adding Specific contract clauses to define requirements for personnel to travel in CENTCOM AOR in excess of 30 days.

The Government does not anticipate deployments into

CENTCOM AOR greater than

30 days.

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55. Draft RFP, page 62, Section

L, Para: L 3.3

Question – Is there a minimum level of work share at which the prime is required to show past performance of a “3 rd

Party team member” in their proposal?

Discussion – It would seem that a 3 rd party team member with a significant amount of work share, should be included in the primes past performance citation.

Recommendation – Recommend adding the following definition of a significant subcontractor: defined as a subcontractor that will be performing at least 25 percent of the total proposed labor hours and/or dollar value of the contract. Significant sub contractors past performance must be included in the past performance section. This past performance must be relevant and recent as it pertains to the tasks being performed as part of the TACLAN program.

The Government will evaluate offeror, subcontractor, teammate, joint Venture, etc. past performance if the

Government determines it is relevant in regards to overall organizational size, technical scope, geographic complexity, and extent of the services provided by the

Offeror to the reference customer as stated in the

RFP. The prime may submit subcontractor past performance.

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56. Draft RFP Section L-1.1 requires the CLAN, MPK, ROIP and FMV to be compliant with both the

BOMs provided in

Attachments 7-10 and the

TSS.

The following TSS paragraph references pertain to TSS requirements that conflict with the attached BOMs. In such cases, the offeror’ cannot be compliant with both the BOM and the TSS. Please provide clarification for the following:

3.3.1 Server Specification calls for memory to be provided in at least two (2) units (module, chips) for redundancy. Please confirm that the BOM takes precedence over the TSS.

3.3.1 Server Specification calls for a parallel port. Current COTS servers do not have integrated parallel port as most have eliminated the parallel port from their designs. Please confirm that the BOM takes precedence over the

TSS.

3.4 Storage calls for 10K RPM hard drives (T) and 15K RPM hard drives (O).

Current high capacity drives are 7200RPM hard drives. Requiring 10K drives will cause the overall design of the suite to increase in size and weight to meet the requirements in para 3.4.1. Please confirm that the BOM takes precedence over the TSS.

3.6.1 Laptops calls for processor speeds to be 2.6GHZ with 800FSB. Current processor technologies no longer utilizes FSB technology and has incorporated multicore technology. Please confirm that the BOM takes precedence over the TSS.

3.6.1 Laptops calls for 2 PCI-E slots. Most laptops currently available as

COTS equipment have a single express slot/PCMCIA slot. Please confirm that the BOM takes precedence over the TSS.

3.6.2 FCD calls for a 10.4” display. Full ruggedized product identified in this paragraph does not meet this requirement. Please confirm that the BOM

The BOM takes precedence for offerors proposal. The

TSS is provided to allow offerors the visibility into the next generation performance requirements for TACLAN.

Same as above

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57.

B/ CLIN 0001/ 2

CLIN 0001 states that the LRIP (full suites with laptops) are to be provided as defined in paragraph 3.1 of the PWS and Attachment 1-6. This PWS paragraph states the LRIP shall be provided in accordance to PWS paragraphs 4-11 and 16. This leads the Offeror to the interpretation that all of the Non Recurring Engineering (NRE) costs identified in these paragraphs

(e.g. Start Up, PDR, CDR, Software engineering, ILS Plan and support, IPRs, PMR, SAR) are to be captured in this CLIN.

A) Is this interpretation correct?

B) If the answer to part A) is no, will the government provide a NRE CPFF

CLIN?

That is correct.

58.

B/ CLIN 0002 - 0009/ 2-7

CLINs 0002-0009 states the CLINs must be delivered IAW the PWS and

Attachments 1-6. This leads the Offeror to the interpretation that all of the

Non Recurring Engineering (NRE) costs identified in these paragraphs (e.g.

Start Up, PDR, CDR, Software engineering, ILS Plan and support, IPRs, PMR, SAR) are to be captured in this CLIN.

A) Is this interpretation correct?

B) If the answer to part A) is no, will the government provide a NRE CPFF

CLIN?

Start up costs are to be captured in CLIN 0001 only.

59.

B/ CLINs 0001 - 0014/ 2 -

A) How will the Government evaluate pricing for current Enterprise Licensing

Agreements (e.g. Microsoft) specifically created for the TACLAN program?

B) Will the Government please provide, by each CLIN structure, current billing for Software Assurance associated with the TACLAN program?

C) If the answer to part B) is no, will the Government provide a separate

CLIN for new Enterprise Licensing Agreements to be evaluated?

We are not evaluating ELAs.

Currently, we do not have separate CLINS for software assurance and do not intend to add separate CLINS for the new contract.

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60. B/ CLINs 0002 - 0006/ 3-5 Will the Government include the words "excluding Laptops" in the

Stepladder pricing for clarification?

Yes

61.

B/ CLIN 0016, 0017/ 45

Upon award, will the Government provide all legacy training materials in editable format for LRIP, Production/Lifecycle, and Legacy TACLAN Family of

Systems in order to enable execution of CLIN 0016, 0017 and PWS paragraph

16.0?

Yes

The Government will provide all available legacy training materials for

TACLAN Family of systems in whatever format was provided as a CDRL requirement under the current contract. However, there are no training courses developed for CLAN, ROIP, or

FMV VDH-Lite. The new

TACLAN contractor would be responsible for developing a training course for each system.

62.

B/ CLIN 00010/ 8

A) CLIN number is CLIN 00010, did the Government mean 0010?

B) Did the Government mean to say "FCD-Fully Ruggedized" for the

Stepladder pricing for CLIN 0010?

CLIN will be renumbered.

63. B/ CLIN 0007/ 6

Did the Government mean to say "Laptops in Transit Cases" for the

Stepladder pricing for CLIN 0007?

Yes

64.

C (Attachment 12)/ 3.1/ 7

Will the Government provide all the available current/legacy TACLAN

IA/C&A artifacts?

All available information has been posted in the Bidder’s

Library.

SECTION /

PARAGRAPH /

65.

C (Attachment 12)/ 3.1/ 7

For the LRIP, the Offeror is required to build an image that is a delta from a stable and accredited baseline which should result in a delta-certification vs.

a new certification. Is this correct?

For the LRIP, the government will provide the image as GFE. This image will be tested and certified.

Yes, if any changes are required to the accredited baseline image provided for

LRIP by the Government, then the Contractor is responsible for those changes and for all non-

Governmental work required for a new certification/ATO.

66.

C(Attachment 12)/ 3.3/ 8

The last line of para 3.3 states that Attachment 7 is the TACLAN suite of hardware but attachment 7 is the C-LAN. Could the Government please clarify?

Numbering will be corrected in the FRFP.

67.

C(Attachment 12)/ 3.3/ 8 Please define Legacy Equipment as referenced in 3.3?

Equipment already fielded in a contract previous to the new TACLAN contract.

68.

C(Attachment 12)/ 7.2/ 16

PWS paragraph 7.2 states “The Contractor shall integrate Government approved COTS/GOTS software into a stable and accredited TACLAN software baseline.”

A) Is there a list, with manufacturer part numbers and CAGE Codes, of

COTS/GOTS software that is to be integrated?

B) Please confirm the goal is to produce a “certifiable” TACLAN software baseline and Offeror provided support for certification and accreditation leading to an ATO.

All hardware/software has been identified in

Attachments 1 – 6.

SECTION /

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69.

C(Attachment 12)/ 8.3/ 18 Please define "manufacturers extended warranty" and "manufacturer's standard one year warranty".

All COTS hardware comes with a standard one year warranty. If requested and procured, all manufacturer’s offer extended warranties

(ranging from 2 – 5 years).

70.

C(Attachment 12)/ 8.4/ 19 A) Should the Offeror include spare parts costing in the response?

B) If the answer to part A) is yes, what CLIN should the costs be under?

Costs for spares for new production systems (CLINS

0001 – 0014) should be included in the equipment price.

For Legacy support (CLIN

0021), a contractor developed spares list will be approved and paid for by the

Government.

71.

C(Attachment 12)/ 8.4/ 19

Does a PPL exist today for existing/legacy TACLAN Family of Systems and will the Government please provide this list?

All available information is included in the Bidder’s

72.

C(Attachment 12)/ 8.5/ 19-

Should paragraph 8.5 include updates to all manuals via supplements, as required?

Yes – that requirement is identified in the PWS and includes all documents referenced in 8.5

SECTION /

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73.

C(Attachment 12)/ 10.11/

The PWS states that Service Desk support training is part of the release management process.

A) Will the Government describe the frequency, duration, scope, location, students to be taught for each session of this class?

Frequency will be dependent on the number of releases per year (typically 2 – 3).

Duration will be dependent on the changes in the release. Location will be primarily be conducted in the Tampa, FL geographical location.

74.

C(Attachment 12)/ 10.11/

Paragraph 3.3 for legacy systems requires execution of paragraphs 4-11 and

16.

A) Does the release management process in paragraph 10.11 apply to legacy systems?

B) If the answer to part B) is yes, then will the Government describe the frequency, scope, location, number of students, and number of classes to be taught to the Service Desk support training?

The paragraph 10.11 release management process applies to legacy systems to the extent there is a requirement for new SW baseline releases to be backward compatible with previously fielded hardware.

The TACLAN contractor is only responsible for TACLAN

Family of Systems NET and/or sustainment training.

There is no Service Desk support training associated with the TACLAN contract.

75.

C(Attachment 12)/ 10.11/

Will the Government confirm that the "training pertaining to operations, administration, and maintenance" is NET or Sustainment training package?

Both

SECTION /

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76.

C(Attachment 12)/ 10.12/

Will the Government further describe what is intended and for whom by the phrase "The TACLAN contractor will also research, write, revise, and edit technical documentation developed and used by technical personnel"?

This means the contractor is responsible for creating, editing, revising, etc ALL

TACLAN Family of systems documentation, to include

O&M Manuals, Installation

Guides, System

Administrator Guides (SAG), Version Description

Documents (VDD), Software

Requirements Specification

(SRS), Software Product

Specification (SPS), all training material, etc.

77.

C(Attachment 12)/ 10.13/

A) Does the Government require the publication of separate documents to support Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 support personnel and Self Help support?

B) Will new documents be required in addition to the existing O&M, SAG, and Install Guide documentation for legacy systems to meet this requirement?

No – only as supplemental material based on software updates that will impact those legacy systems.

78.

C(Attachment 12)/ 10.13/

Can the Government provide their Knowledge Management (KM) process and what is the Service Knowledge Management System (SKMS) automated tool that will be used?

The standard KM tool used in the SIE to document break/fix information/action is Remedy.

SECTION /

PARAGRAPH /

79.

C(Attachment 12)/ 10.16/

28-29

How many TACLAN training sessions does the Government anticipate to execute per calendar year? (for bidding and planning)

There will be one NET training course for each newly produced TACLAN system (Suite, FMV, etc).

Anticipate approximately 20 per year. Sustainment training is on an as requested basis. Anticipate approximately 9 per year.

80.

C(Attachment 12)/ 10.16/

28-29

What are the geographic locations that the Government anticipates will require TACLAN training? (for bidding and planning)

Any location a TACLAN system might be delivered within the CONUS

(USSOCOM Components, TSOCs, USACAPOC locations); OCONUS

Component and TSOC locations: SOCEUR, SOCFRICA, SOCKOR, SOCPAC, SOCCENT; other examples:

Mildenhall, UK; Al Udeid, Qatar; Okinawa, Japan.

Pacific, Europe, Qatar

SECTION /

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81.

C(Attachment 12)/ 10.16/

28-29

Will the Government provide a comprehensive list of existing/legacy TACLAN training materials (CBTs, commercial training and lesson plans)?

The Government will provide all available legacy training materials for TACLAN Family of systems in whatever format was provided as a

CDRL requirement under the current contract.

Commercial Training is to be provided by a third party

(e.g., Global Knowledge) via a sub-contract that the

TACLAN prime contractor administers and manages for the Government.

Commercial Training material will not be provided.

There is no TACLAN CBT.

82.

C(Attachment 12)/ 10.6/

A) Does the Government expect asset tracking and management for all legacy TACLAN Family of Systems?

B) If the answer to Part A) is yes, will the Government provide all required data at transition?

C) If the answer to Part B) is no, will the Offeror be required to conduct on-site verification of ALL legacy assets to bring the asset management system into full compliance?

SECTION /

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83.

C(Attachment 12)/ 10.6/

Will the Government provide the list of attributes required to comply with the asset management process?

Yes. The contractor must comply with all asset management, tracking, and accountability requirements as specified by DoD and

USSOCOM/J4 regulations and policies. Reference

USSOCOM Directive 700-2, “MFP-11 Funded Asset

Visibility and Accountability, 29 Jul 2008”.

84.

C(Attachment 12)/ 10.8/

Could the Government please provide a comprehensive list of all

Configuration Management policies and procedures?

All available Command CM policies and procedures are posted in the Bidder’s

85.

PWS: The TACLAN Contractor shall define, document, and manage all configurations for the TACLAN Family of Systems, including legacy systems delivered under other contracts, throughout the TACLAN service management lifecycle and shall manage and update the baseline of these configurations.

A) Will the Offeror be required to update all legacy deployed systems deployed upon contract award to the approved v.10 baseline?

B) Also, should the Offeror assume this is covered under CLIN 0021?

Upgrade of which, if any, Legacy systems that will require upgrade will not be determined until after contract award.

SECTION /

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86.

C(Attachment 12)/ 10.8/

Will the Government specifically describe what is meant by the phrase "and related end-user infrastructure equipment and software…." as it relates to the contractor's responsibilities for the initial deployment of a TACLAN suite?

The installations of TACLAN suites, in some cases, are at locations where the network components of the suite must be integrated with the locations network infrastructure to be fully operational.

87.

Does configuration management apply to all legacy TACLAN Family of

Systems entities?

Yes

88.

C(Attachment 12), 10.8, 23

Will the Government provide the logical models for all legacy TACLAN Family of Systems in order to comply with the USSOCOM configuration management policies and procedures?

All available information is included in Bidder’s Library.

89.

Will the Government require all changes/updates to Configuration Items

(CIs) to be submitted and approved via a Request For Change (RFC)?

The PMO may direct changes which are not yet formally approved via an official

Request For Change. All changes will be captured via

Engineering Change Proposal

(ECP) Documentation and approved.

90.

Will the Government provide more guidance and/or specifics on the

"tracking" of TACLAN component configurations and all subsequent component configuration changes within the govt Configuration Mgmt system?

All available information is included in Bidder’s Library.

SECTION /

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91.

C(Attachment 12)/ 10.9/

Will the Government please provide "USSOCOM's enterprise-wide change management standardized methods and procedures?"

All available CM policy and procedures have been

92.

C(Attachment 12)/ 11.1/

What are the current metrics with respect to IA relevant change request and trouble tickets assigned to the J2 and J62?

All available IA policy and procedures have been

93. C(Attachment 12)/ 17/ 40 For bidding purposes, which commercial courses should the bidder quote and at what frequency?

A list of courses and location

94.

C(Attachment 12)/

10.12.3/ 27

At what point during the TACLAN Testing Requirements will the Offeror be required to load classified images (a.k.a. bricks) onto the TACLAN Family of

Systems?

TACLAN bricks are unclassified. Any classified material required to test or build a TACLAN system is downloaded from a classified TACLAN website.

95.

C(Attachment 12)/

10.12.3.2/ 27

Will Baseline Acceptance Testing (BAT) be required outside of LRIP or future baseline releases (e.g. normal production of an approved baseline)?

No

96. C(Attachment 12)/

10.12.3.2/ 27

Is USSOCOM planning to issue Interim Authority To Test (IATT) and/or

Interim Authority To Operate (IATO) prior to an ATO?

This is a determination of the local DAA, but in some cases those are issued.

97. C(Attachment 12)/ 10.6, 10.8/ 22, 23

Is there a classified Bidder's Library for the Government to provide all the data for configuration and asset management for all systems? (for bidding and planning)

SECTION /

PARAGRAPH /

98.

C(Attachment 12)/ 10.7, 10.8/ 23

If the configuration and asset management information provided by the

Government is inconsistent with USSOCOM's configuration management and asset control policies will the offeror be required to bring the data into compliance and under which CLIN would this effort be performed?

It will be billed under the

Legacy Support CLIN.

99. C(Attachment 12), 12.2.1, Will that "central knowledgebase" (our assumption is that this will be the

SKMS or a subset of the SKMS) also be a repository for known error records, root cause, work arounds, etc?

This will be the Remedy

Database.

100.

C(Attachment 12)/ 12.2.1/

The PWS states "Command-specific software images".

A) Will the Government specifically identify what constitutes Command-specific software images?

B) Will the Government provide these Command specific software images as part of section J?

There are many applications included on the TACLAN image, Enterprise and

Command Specific.

Available information has been included in the Bidder’s

101.

C(Attachment 12)/ 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 8, 8.2, 10.6, 15/ 7, 8, 17, 18, 29, 39

The PWS makes several references to "shipping".

A) Will the Offeror be required to ship the TACLAN Family of Systems to the gaining unit after acceptance of BAT?

B) Will the contractor be required to coordinate the shipment of COMSEC?

C) Will any part of the TACLAN Family of Systems have a "classification" (e.g.

Secret, Top Secret) at any point of shipment?

D) If the answer to Part C) is yes can the Government briefly describe those situations in which the contractor will be required to ship these items?

E) Will the Offeror be required to ship OCONUS?

a) Yes

b) Yes

c) No

d) N/A

e) Yes

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102.

F/ Delivery Schedule/ 21

Delivery of CLINS 0002-0006 – 60 days ARO

A) Does the Government intend to issue the Offeror a task order for these

CLINs within the first 30 days of contract award?

The issuance of any order is based on funding. If a funded requirement comes forward in the first 30 days, we would issue a delivery order.

103. I/ 5652.245-9001/ 29 Please change "Statement of Work" to "Section C, PWS" and add required paragraph reference.

Text will be corrected.

104.

I/ 252.211-7003/ 40

Is the Offeror required to UID any LRU/Spares costing $5,000 or more or is marking at the transit case level acceptable?

You must UID the actual item and not the transit case.

105.

J/ 45 and Attachment 2 - 4

After contract award, will the Government provide editable versions of the

O&M manual, Installation Guide, SAG and other Help Desk trouble shooting/repair documentation for all LRIP, Production/Lifecycle, and Legacy

TACLAN Family of Systems (Full, C2, MPK, FCD, C-LAN, RoIP, FMV) to execute life cycle support requirements in the PWS?

SECTION /

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106.

L/ L-1.1/ 60 and

Attachments 7, 8, 9, 10

Section L-1.1 states the Offeror can offer no deviations from approved baseline release or equipment lists, Hardigg and Pelican part numbers provided are custom and proprietary to the incumbent.

A) Will the Government provide a commercially available replacement part number and CAGE Code or allow the Offeror to propose alternatives?

The offeror can propose an alternative if the product or part number is proprietary or no longer available.

However, the replacement item must be a suitable equivalent for the part. We are not looking for a system redesign in regards to the

LRIP. The proposed system must remain as close to the original design as possible.

107.

L/ L-2/ 60

Can a cross-reference matrix be provided with each proposal Volume which will NOT be counted against the total proposal page count?

The cross-referenced matrix can be one page in length and will not be included in the total page count.

108.

L/ L-2.1/ 60

Please clarify, Section L-2.1 states page size shall be 8 ½ X 11 with the exception of illustrative foldouts, which shall not exceed 11 X 17 inches.

Foldouts will count as two pages, and the following paragraph L-2.2 which indicates that pages that are predominantly drawings or graphics and will not be counted against page limitations. Will foldout pages which are predominantly drawings or graphics and are on 11 x 17 inches count against page count?

SECTION /

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109.

L/ L-2.1/ 60

L-2.1 states all text shall be printed in black ink using 12-point, Courier font.

Printed lines shall be spaced a minimum of one character height apart (i.e., double spaced) and each page shall have a minimum of 1" margin from the paper edge to the text on all four sides.

A) Will the Government accept 1.5 line spacing?

B) Will the Government also reconsider going to a more reader friendly font such as Times New Roman or Arial for this proposal?

a) Yes

b) Times New Roman

110.

L/ L-3.2.1.1.2/ 61

This section states the description shall include but not be limited to part/software obsolescence, depot maintenance, spare part provisioning, ILS, training, technical support, shipping, Configuration Management, maintenance of PMO funded software licenses and a detailed description of its approach for the required transition plan in accordance with PWS section

6.1, 9.8.

A) Paragraph 9.8 does not exist in the PWS, can you provide or correct this reference?

The correct PWS reference for transition is 18.0. Text will corrected in the FRFP.

111. L/ Table - Part IV-E/ 63 This portion of the table references a Section H clause entitled "System

Engineering Support," which does not appear to be provided. Please clarify.

Text will be corrected in the

112. L/ L-4.3/ 64 Will the Government accept printed and bound copies of each Volume, in addition to the required CD-ROM copies?

SECTION /

PARAGRAPH /

113.

L/ L-2.1/ 60 Are tables and graphics subject to the line spacing and font requirements?

Yes Font size shall be uncompressed Times New

Roman, no smaller than 8 point, One and one-half spaced , for text

114.

L/ L-1.1/ 60

Section L-3.1 states that "the offeror shall provide C-LAN Kits, MPK's, RoIPs and FMVs in accordance with Attachments 7 - 10 and the Technical System

Specification (TSS)."

A) Is the intent of this statement to require that each of these deliverables meet all applicable sections of the TSS?

B) If yes to question A), who is responsible for TSS compliance if the

Government specified equipment identified in these Attachments do not comply? For example, the TSS identifies an operating temperature range of

-20 F to + 130 F but the NetApp 2040 of Attachment 8 is temperature rated from +50 F to +104 F (per page A-4 of Attachment 2), and thus non-compliant.

C) If yes to question A), is the offeror required to verify compliance for all applicable TSS requirements for these deliverables?

D) If yes to question C), will this include testing the environmental requirements for each of these deliverables?

a) No

b) N/A

c) N/A

d) N/A

SECTION /

PARAGRAPH /

115.

M/ M-2.1.1, M-2.1.2 and

M-3.1.3/ 69 - 70

There appears to be an error of the subfactor numbering in these cited paragraphs; subfactors in Factor 1 of M-2.1.1 are identified as "2A", "2B", "2C", and "2D"; subfactors in Factor 2 of M-2.1.2 are identified as "3A" and

"3B"; and subfactors in Factor 2 of M-3.1.3 are identified as "2A" and "2B".

Please clarify.

Text will be corrected in the