Questions_and_Answers_v2.pdf

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation H98210-18-R-0029

Questions and Answers

1. Question: Is this a new requirement or is there an incumbent vendor? If available, can you please send along the incumbent contract number?

Answer: This is a new requirement. There is no incumbent vendor.

2. Question: Can companies from Outside USA apply for this?

Answer: Assuming you are otherwise legally eligible to do business in the United States, we require all vendors to be registered in SAM to do business with the U.S. Government.

Additionally pursuant to DFARS 239.7602-1(b)(1), the contracting officer shall only award a contract to acquire cloud computing services from a cloud service provider (e.g., contractor or subcontractor, regardless of tier) that has been granted provisional authorization by Defense

Information Systems Agency (DISA). However, please note, DFARS 239.7602-2(a) restricts physical storage of data to the 50 US States, DC, and "outlying areas of the United States."

Accordingly, the data may not be stored off-shore.

3. Question: Do the vendors need to come over there (USA) for meetings?

Answer: Yes, while not every meeting needs to be at our DHRA offices in the USA, many will.

Also, much of the training shall be conducted onsite as identified in the RFP.

4. Question: Can we perform tasks (related to RFP) outside USA?

Answer: Yes, work can be performed outside of the US; however, per DFARS 239.7602-2(a), the data has to be stored in the US and cannot be taken outside of the US.

5. Question: Can we submit proposals via email?

Answer: Yes, per the combined synopsis/solicitation, completed quotes shall be submitted electronically to constance.r.reedus.civ@mail.mil

6. Question: Is a current task management system already being used? If so, what COTS product is being used?

Answer: No, this is a new requirement.

7. Question: Is there already a contract support requirement for an existing product?

Answer: No, this is a new requirement.

8. Question: If there is an existing contract support requirement, who is the incumbent for these support services?

Answer: There is no incumbent. This is a new requirement.

9. Question: Reference PWS paragraph 3.2.1, what format is required for the bidirectional communication with CATMS? SML, JSON, other?

Answer: DHRA will accept the format you are currently using to provide automated, bi-directional communication with OSD’s CATMS software and administrator-level access to modify field mapping.

10. Question: Reference PWS paragraph 4.2.1, which version of Microsoft SharePoint is DHRA planning to use with the task management system?

Answer: SharePoint 2013

11. Question: Reference PWS paragraph 4.2.1.8.1, can this support be provided within the

Tasker System, pulling the data forward from Outlook rather than implemented into outlook and deployed to desktops?

Answer: The requirement is to allow task creation directly from Microsoft Outlook, including the ability to handle document attachments.

12. Question: Reference PWS paragraph 4.2.1.11, what is the existing Records Management system currently used to store the archived completed taskers?

Answer: Currently, an automated records management system does not exist; it is a manual process.

13. Question: Reference PWS paragraph 4.2.5, should the end user be able to create their own task-based notifications?

Answer: The system shall provide users with the capability to issue and receive notifications within the system and via email. Utilizes DoD/DISA Enterprise E-mail Service (DEE) Global

Address List (GAL) for the purpose of assigning tasks and emailing notifications.

14. Question: Reference PWS paragraph 4.2.7, what are the different roles for Dashboard visibility?

Answer: The system must provide real time charts and tables that facilitate management, oversight, and leadership review of key tasking metrics. At a minimum, dashboards shall be capable of showing the distribution of task loading by DHRA organization, the status of tasks

(e.g., complete, overdue, due within a user-selected period such as 30 days), and on-time completion rate for DHRA organizations. Dashboards must be user configurable and support

Microsoft PowerBI.

15. Question: Reference PWS paragraph 4.2.9, we can configure the DiscoverTasker system to

NOT lock down tasks and prior dispositions (concur, non-concur, abstentions, etc.) while a package is going for an approval. However, this is against DoD best practices. Should this requirement be focused on tasks that have been assigned and not on approvals?

Answer: The system should have a flexible approval engine, allowing updates even while approvals are underway.

16. Question: Reference PWS paragraph 4.5.2.4, what is the scope for all organizations that will be included in the centralized database? For instance, DT can/ does not plan on storing tasking data in the same centralized database for commercial and DoD customers, nor to keep tasking information that originates on a classified system in an unclassified repository.

Answer: One database for all of DHRA. No classified information capability required at this time.

17. Question: Reference PWS paragraph 4.6.1.1, can the government provide some examples of the “Government-provided business rules” that need to be incorporated into the training products?

Answer: Example 1: HQ Directors can task each other, but not Components.

Example 2: The Office of the Director (OoD) can task HQ Directors and Components.

Example 3: Tasks from outside of DHRA require OoD signoff before closing.

18. Question: Reference PWS paragraph 4.8.1, is there a planned floor on the license adjustments? Or, could the DHRA adjust the number of licenses on a monthly basis and possibly drop below a baseline number?

Answer: In accordance with the CLIN structure in the combined synopsis/solicitation, the

Government requires licenses that shall accommodate to up to 750 users during the base year of the contract. If additional licenses are needed, the Government will exercise its unitalleral right, in accordance with 52.217-9, to acquire more licences in accordance with the optional CLIN structures listed in the combined synopsis/solicitation

19. Question: Reference PWS paragraph 4.8.6, with the inclusion of FAR 52.212-4, Contract

Terms and Conditions – Commercial Items, would DHRA consider removing Section 4.8.6, Indemnification? Section (h) Patent Indemnity in FAR 52.212-4 already provides the

Government indemnification?

Answer: Paragraph 4.8.6 has been removed from the PWS as Indemnification is covered in FAR

52.212-4(h), which is included in the combined synopsis/solicitation. See revised PWS.

20. Question: Reference Combined synopsis Page 36, 52.212-1, Item 4 - Please clarify if a subcontracting plan is optional or required based on this statement: "Offerors are permitted to submit a Master Subcontracting plan, Commercial Subcontracting plan or Individual

Subcontracting plan."

Answer: If you are subcontracting, it is not optional. If you are not performing 100% of the requirement, you must provide a subcontracting plan.