Site Visit Notes Wireless Network Deployment.docx

1. General Site Observations and Government Guidance

· Building Layout and Routing Path:

The building has a data center located in the restricted portion of the facility on the second floor. This data center interconnects with two other comms rooms, one located on the first floor and the second is located on the second floor. Both are located exterior to the restricted area of the SOCNORTH facility. All single mode fiber runs needed to interconnect the comms rooms, and the data center are available and the sole responsibility of the government. The CSfC network point of presence already exists in place and is interconnected with the SOCOM Enterprise. All fiber in the facility is Single mode.

· Cabling Infrastructure: Offerors are advised that cabling on the second floor is entirely routed along the ground/floor. Cabling on the first floor is routed through the drop ceiling. Offerors should factor this into their installation approach and timeline, as utilizing the first-floor drop ceiling is expected to create installation efficiencies.

· Government-Furnished Equipment (GFE) Usage: Offerors must utilize the GFE/GFP provided by the Government (see PWS Appendix 1) as the baseline for their solution. If an offeror determines that the provided GFE is insufficient or incompatible with the required solution, the offeror must explicitly justify why the GFE cannot be used.

· Bill of Materials (BOM) Justification: Any materials, hardware, or software proposed above and beyond the provided GFE must be clearly identified and technically justified within the offeror’s proposal narrative.

2. Site Visit Questions and Answers Question 1: Is the expectation for the entire project to be completed in one continuous effort, or can it be completed in phases?

Answer: The Government prefers the installation to be completed in one continuous effort to the maximum extent practicable. However, the Government acknowledges that the project may need to move in phases based on equipment delivery schedules and supply chain constraints. Offerors must reflect their proposed phasing in their Milestone Schedule.

Question 2: Can the Government provide floor plans or CAD drawings? We cannot generate the heat maps required by the PWS without them.

Answer: Floor plans cannot be released until after award and DD254 has been approved. Please allow for this in your milestone schedule.

Question 3: Is there a fiber path to the 1st and 2nd-floor comms rooms? Is there fiber running back to the data center?

Answer: Yes, there is a fiber path to the 1st and 2nd-floor comms rooms.

Question 4: Is there existing CSfC connectivity to the enterprise?

Answer: Yes. Vendor will need to be on the NSA CSfC approved integrator list to execute this project.

Question 5: How many comms rooms are there, and what are the clearance requirements for those specific areas?

Answer: The building is classified secret with certain portions classified up to top secret. Executing personnel will require at the minimum, secret clearance. Team running cables under the prime contractor do not need to have a secret clearance. There are two comms room, one for each floor and one data center internal to the restricted space within the building which us classified top secret. To work unescorted in the Data Center, personnel must hold a TS clearance. Outside of the Data Center, there are two comms rooms (one on the first floor, one on the second floor). Both comms rooms are located in Secret-level areas. If the vendor only has Secret cleared staff, they will require escorts in the Data Center.

Question 6: Do offerors need to provide Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) units for the comms rooms?

Answer: Not required. UPS units are not required to be provided by the contractor. The comms rooms are supported by an existing building backup power provider.

Question 7: Does the Government-Furnished Equipment come with the required cabling to execute the project?

Answer: No. The Government is not providing cabling with the GFE. The contractor is responsible for procuring and supplying all necessary cabling to complete the deployment.

Question 8: If necessary for the installation, is the contractor permitted to patch and paint the second-floor walls?

Answer: Yes. However, the entire wall must be painted to match uniformly, and the work must not penetrate, bleed into, or physically compromise the adjacent Top Secret (TS) space.

Question 9: Can the Government confirm that the WLAN deployment is restricted to the West side of the building because the East side is Top Secret?

Answer: The wireless deployment solution will not be within the restricted areas of the SOCNORTH facility.

Question 10: Is there any RF blocking or shielding between the first and second floors?

Answer: RF shielding surrounds the restricted (SCIF) portion of the building.

Question 11: Can the contractor add a new rack to the downstairs comms closet?

Answer: At the moment, no. This will violate code.