Amendment1VendorQuestions.doc

1) Reference SF1449 Continuation Sheet, Page 3, Paragraph A-3: The first ordering period is defined as the 12 months following the contract award date; however, in Paragraph A-2 the Government states the contract consists of an initial ordering period of five years (base) with five one-year option periods. Isn't the first ordering period 60-months following the contract award? Wouldn't the first year of the contract be defined as the 12-months following the contract award which will likely cross Government fiscal years?

ANSWER: This requirement will result in an ID/IQ contract utilizing orders when service is required. For reseasons of economy, circuits are purchased for 12 months at a time. For clarification purposes, the word “ORDERING” is removed from page 3, paragraph A-2. It will now read as: (RFP) will consist of one (1) five year base period with five (5) additional one year option periods.

2) Reference Proposal Preparation Instructions, Page 20, Part II Past Performance Information, Subparagraph (b) Past Performance Surveys: The Government states that all surveys shall be sent directly back to the Government no later than 21 December 2007 while the survey cover letter states a return date of January 10, 2008. Does the Government intend for this to read 21 January 2008 or is the January 10 date applicable?

ANSWER: The cover letter states 10 Jan 07 but should read 10 Jan 08. Due to the confusion, we are extending the submission date for past performance surveys to 16 Jan 08. Please request your POC’s to submit them to the Government by 16 Jan 08.

3) Reference Proposal Preparation Instructions, Page 20, Part II Past Performance Information, Subparagraph (d) Subcontractor Consent and Evaluation Criteria, Page 30, Factor 2, Past Performance: Reference Proposal Preparation Instructions suggest a desire to include subcontractor Past Performance information. Reference Evaluation Criteria state that only the Prime contractor’s Past Performance will be evaluated. Please resolve the discrepancy between the Instruction and the Evaluation Criteria.

ANSWER: Paragraph (d) Subcontractor consent will be removed from the RFP.

4) Reference Proposal Preparation Instructions, Page 21, Part II, Technical Proposal, Element 1.4, Bandwidth Capacity: The solicitation refers to “contractor-provided terminals” in a number of places. Please provide more information on which contractor provided terminals are being referred to and if they are included in the requirements in any way.

ANSWER: PWS Appendix D defines services which require contractor provided satellite terminals. T-BAUD, as well as contractor provided satellite terminals installed in CONUS, Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands, will utilize satellite bandwidth provided under PWS paragraph 3.2.6.4.

5) Reference Proposal Preparation Instructions, Page 22, Part II, Technical Proposal, Element 3.2, Experience: Please provide the number and type of personnel currently supporting this contract at Belvoir and Bragg.

ANSWER: PWS Paragraph 3.5.2.1 defines the requirement for 24/7/365 coverage at the TNCCs. The contractor's proposal shall define the number and mix of personnel required to provide the required coverage.

6) Reference Proposal Preparation Instructions, Page 22, Sub Factor 3, Management Approach, and Page 23, Sub Factor 4, Management/Transition Plan: Sub Factor 3 “Management Approach” is described as a “plan to manage” the TCCS contract. In addition it seeks to evaluate compliance with “the management requirements of the PWS” which are largely contained in Paragraph 3.9.2 entitled “Management Plan”. Sub Factor 4, “Management/Transition Plan”, also seeks to evaluate the offerors approach with regard to Paragraph 3.9.2 of the PWS. In order to comply with the instruction under Part II on page 20 to format and organize the response exactly as it is presented in the PWS as well as the requirement to label each paragraph according to the nomenclature used in the instruction for Sub Factors and Elements please reconcile the disparities between the Instruction (Sub Factors and Elements) and the PWS with regard to the management response. One solution would be to define the “Management Plan” in two parts in the PWS. Part 1 would be “Management Approach” and Part II would be “Transition Plan”. Sub Factor 3 could refer to the former and Sub Factor 4 to the later. It is particularly important to understand exactly what will be evaluated under Sub Factor 4 as this will be evaluated differently than the other elements of the Technical/Management response.

ANSWER: The Government considers the Management Plan the contractor's road map to successful transition and contract management. As such, there is no specified format for the depiction of this information as long as the Management Plan portrays the contractor's specific plans for management and transition.

7) Reference Proposal Preparation Instructions, Page 23, Element 3.6, Subcontracting Plan and Evaluation Criteria, Page 29, Element 3.6, Subcontracting Plan: The Government states as part of the required submission data for the Technical Proposal Part III, that the offeror shall demonstrate meeting or exceeding the posted subcontracting goals as detailed on page 30. The Government further states that each element of the Technical/Management factor will be on a pass/fail basis and that offerors must meet or exceed all RFP requirements to be eligible for award. Are the small business goals identified on Page 30 targets for participation or requirements for RFP eligibility for award?

ANSWER: All small business information and requirements have been removed from this solicitation with this amendment.

8) Reference Evaluation Criteria, Page 31, Element 3.6, Subcontracting Plan: The small business participation goals specified are defined as a percentage of total contract dollars. Given that the majority of cost on this contract will be for space segment and there are no small businesses that can address that scope, does the government intend the subcontracting goals to apply to the services portion of the contract only?

ANSWER: All small business information and requirements have been removed from this solicitation with this amendment.

9) Reference Evaluation Criteria, Page 31, Element 3.6, Subcontracting Plan: Does the current contract require similar small business participation goals?

ANSWER: N/A

10) Reference Evaluation Criteria, Page 31, Element 3.6, Subcontracting Plan: Is the current contractor meeting similar small business participation goals as those specified for TCCS?

ANSWER: N/A

11) Reference Evaluation Criteria, Page 31, Factor 2, Past Performance, Sub Factor 2, Corporate Capability: The corporate capability criteria being evaluated under Sub-Factor 2 appears to be more consistent with the information provided under Factor 1, Sub Factor 3, Management Approach. Is this criteria misplaced in the solicitation?

ANSWER: No. Factor 2 Sub factor 2 evaluates past performance corporate capabilities. Factor 1 Sub factor 3 evaluates the contractor's proposed corporate structure and management.

12) Reference PWS Paragraph 2.0 and 2.2: Offeror requests that the Government provide copies of the Trojan Security Class Guide, Trojan Spirit Classification Guide, and the T-BAUD Operating Procedures.

ANSWER: The TROJAN Security Class Guide is classified SECRET and has been reviewed and determined not to be pertinent to the bidding process, so it will be provided after award.

The TROJAN Spirit Classification Guide and the T-BAUD Operating Procedures are attached to this amendment.

13) Reference PWS Paragraph 3.2.2.3: Will the government accept technical architectures that use earth stations at facilities other than the TNCC to support the circuits listed in Appendix D, provided that the performance requirements of PWS Paragraph 3.4 are maintained?

ANSWER: PWS Paragraph 3.2.2.3 defines this requirement.

14) Reference PWS Paragraph 3.2.5.1 c): The Government requires satellite hub service to be provided at the TNCCs located at Ft. Belvoir and Ft. Bragg. Are the hub services at each TNCC required to be able to support all the T-BAUD circuits?

ANSWER: Yes

15) Reference PWS Paragraph 3.2.5.5: Does the stated requirement to “provide 70 each satellite modems” mean the contractor is required to provide 70 satellite modems at each TNCC?

ANSWER: Yes

16) Reference PWS Paragraph 3.2.6.4.a) and 3.2.6.4 b): Reference paragraphs state that the contractor shall provide one satellite/transponder combination covering CONUS, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and best coverage Alaska (Fairbanks and south) and that the contractor shall provide two transponders (on a separate satellite from the 50-sate coverage) covering CONUS, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands. Will the Government accept three transponders covering CONUS, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and best coverage Alaska (Fairbanks and south) from a single satellite instead if all other requirements (including look angle requirements) are met?

ANSWER: No

17) Reference PWS Paragraph 3.2.7: Where is the Trojan TNOC located?

ANSWER: Paragraph 3.2.7 refers to availability of ports at the Belvoir/Bragg TNCCs. TNOC connectivity is not part of this solicitation.

18) Reference PWS Paragraph 3.2.8.2: Where will the OCONUS hub be located? Is the contractor required to provide connectivity back to the TNCC locations from this hub location?

ANSWER: The contractor will propose a location that provides services meeting the requirements of coverage and performance defined in PWS paragraph 3.2.8.2. The contractor is responsible for terminating services at the TNCCs noted in the "HUB LOCATION" column of Appendix D. If an intermediate downlink site is required in the contractors proposal, the connectivity from the downlink site to the TNCCs is the responsibility of the contractor.

19) Reference PWS Paragraph 3.3.2.1, 3.3.2.5, and 3.3.2.6: How many interfaces are required at each of the TNCC locations for each type of service (SCPC, TDMA, MF-TDMA)?

ANSWER: Appendix D defines the current interface requirements (SCPC, TDMA, MF-TDMA) for purposes of the solicitation.

20) Reference PWS Paragraph 3.4.1.1: Are there any requirements within this PWS for the contractor to provide fixed or transportable communications terminals at both ends of a required circuit or is this simply an anticipated requirement?

ANSWER: Appendix D defines requirements for contractor provided fixed terminals (TNCC to remote contractor provided terminal) at both ends of the satellite link. PWS Paragraph 3.20.9 refers to anticipated future requirements of links which utilize contractor provided terminals, at both ends of the link, which do not terminate at the TNCCs.

21) Reference PWS Paragraph 3.10: The Government states that the current contract is supported by two OCONUS HNA's, one for Korea and one for Okinawa, Japan, which were presumably obtained by the incumbent, in the name of the incumbent’s service provider. Is it the responsibility of the winning vendor to transition those existing HNA's from the current contractor or to obtain new HNA’s? What amount of time post award is estimated for the transition of the existing HNA’s?

ANSWER: It is the responsibility of the winning contractor to coordinate and obtain HNA/connection approval for OCONUS services resulting from their proposed architecture. The contractor shall provide estimation of the time required for acquiring HNA/connection approval.

22) Reference PWS Paragraphs 3.10 through 3.16: Is it the Government’s intent to evaluate reference paragraphs which are arguably part of the Management response under Factor 1, Sub Factor 3?

ANSWER: Yes

23) Reference PWS Paragraph 7.4: How many antennas in total can operate at each of the two TNCC sites?

ANSWER: There a four satellite hub antennas currently operating at each of TNCCs. Since the proposed equipment configuration of the competing contractors is unknown at this time, estimating the total number of antennas supportable at each site is impractical.

24) Reference PWS Paragraph 7.4.1: What is the maximum acceptable time (elapsed time) for: (a) service transition of the network from existing TNCC earth stations on existing space segment to new satellite capacity to transportable antennas, and; (b) transition from temporary transportable antennas to new permanent antennas (including having the incumbent vendor remove existing antennas).

ANSWER: PWS Paragraph 3.9.1.a. defines 24 hours as the maximum tolerable outage for a given site (circuit). The contractor will provide an estimation of transition time in their Management Plan.

25) Reference PWS Paragraph 7.4.1: What is the latest date that the transition needs to be completed?

ANSWER: Transition of services to the new contract must be complete within 12 months after award. The individual services will be transitioned from the existing contract to the new contract as they expire. Part of the Management Plan's evaluation will be on which vendor provides the best transition philosophy and most expedient time frame while providing the least impact on current operations.

26) Reference PWS Paragraph 7.4.1: In order to reserve bandwidth needed under the contract, please provide the anticipated date of contract award.

ANSWER: The Government anticipates contract award in Aug 08. The Government will not accept any liability incurred by the contractor for slippages in schedules which might delay activation and acceptance of satellite services subcontracted by the winning vendor.

27) Reference PWS Paragraph 7.4.1: In order to reserve bandwidth needed under the contract, please provide the anticipated date for the commencement of bandwidth use.

ANSWER: This would be dependent upon the transition plan submitted by the contractor.

28) Reference PWS Paragraph 7.4.1: If bandwidth reservation fees are required, which CLIN’s apply?

ANSWER: Bandwidth reservation fees and other administrative costs shall be incorporated into the contractor's cost proposal for each service priced out.

29) Please provide a list of Contractor (incumbent) Furnished Equipment (CFE) and Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) supporting TCCS at each Government site.

ANSWER: PWS paragraph 7.5 defines GFE resources available to the winning contractor. Listings of CFE under the current contract is proprietary.

30) Will the Government consider alternate proposals if included and clearly delineated as part of the Offeror’s response?

ANSWER: No. The contractor's proposal shall address provisions of the PWS as written

31) Reference Attachment 3, Pricing Spreadsheet: Cell F1006 for all years, except BASE YR 1, incorrectly references E1106 when it should be referencing E1006 (i.e., the formula is "=E1106*12" but should be "=E1006*12"). Will the Government please correct and confirm all spreadsheet formulas and references?

ANSWER: The referenced cell has been corrected and posted as part of this amendment.

32) Reference RFP, Solicitation Provisions, Page 20, Paragraph 2C, Part IIb: The paragraph gives the past performance surveys due date as 21 Dec 07, but that was when the RFP was posted. What is the new due date for the past performance surveys?

ANSWER: Please see question #2.

33) Reference RFP, Solicitation Provisions, Page 18, Paragraph 1: Questions are to be received within 14 days of the due date. Has that time changed, or are questions due by COB, January 8th?

ANSWER: The RFP states the inquiries may not be answered if received after the due date stated. The government makes every attempt to answer all questions asked; however, the answers must be posted to FedBizOpps for all vendors to read and incorporate into their proposals. The government will not be extending the proposal due date due to last minute questions.

34) Reference RFP, Page 20 of 42, Section C, Part II(b): It states, “Surveys shall be sent directly back to the Government no later than 21 Dec 07.” Was this date published in error? If so, please provide a revised date.

ANSWER: Please see question and answer #2.

35) Reference RFP, Page 18 of 42, Section 2 B Proposal Format: Does the Government want paper copies of Part IV – Subcontracting Plan and Contract Documentation? If so, how many paper copies are requested?

ANSWER: The subcontracting plan requirement has been deleted. Any documents requiring a signature must be submitted as an original paper copy.

36) Reference RFP, Page 1 of 42, Box 15: Box with DELIVER TO indicates “See Schedule”. We could not locate the referenced schedule. Could you please provide us the location in the document of the correct schedule?

ANSWER: The schedule is Attachment 3, the Pricing Spreadsheet, (otherwise known as Schedule B)

37) Reference RFP, Page 19 of 42, Section 2C, Part II(d): This paragraph requests subcontractor consent forms to allow the Prime to have access to their past performance information. However, in the evaluation criteria, FACTOR 2 Past Performance (RFP, page 29 of 42) the statement is made, “The Past Performance evaluation will be based on the Prime contractor’s Past Performance.” Can the Prime submit a major subcontractor’s Past Performance as one of the six relevant past performance contracts?

ANSWER: Only the Prime’s Past Performance will be used during evaluations. The subject paragraph for subcontractor consent is removed from the RFP by this amendment.

38) Reference PWS, Page 3, Paragraph 2.0: This section in addition to the FAR clauses listed in the RFP appear to be the only sections that refer to a hierarchy of documents that will be contractually binding. We presume that the proposal will also be in the hierarchy of contractually binding documents. Is this true and what is the order of precedence for this hierarchy?

ANSWER: Yes, parts of the proposal will be incorporated into the contractual document. The PWS in its entirety will be part of the contractual document and specific instructions in the PWS take precedence over referenced documents as stated.

39) Reference PWS, Title page & page 2: The PWS Title page states “Project Trojan Commercial Communication Services” while FedBizOps states “Trojan Network Communication Services”. Which title would the Government prefer as a reference title within our proposal submission?

ANSWER: Either title is acceptable to use as long as it references “TROJAN” and includes the solicitation number.

40) Reference RFP, Section B, CLIN 206 & 207: “Ft Belvoir TNCC to INTERNET Provider (Ckt ID LNS#1)(44.736MBS Full Duplex)” is listed under both CLINs. Should one of these refer to Ft. Bragg instead?

ANSWER: Both of the circuits identified in the RFP Section B are for Ft Belvoir. The circuit identifier for CLIN 207 should be identified as LNS#2 which is how it is listed in Appendix D. CLIN 207 has been updated in the attached Pricing Spreadsheet.

41) Reference RFP, Page 24 of 42, Section 4. BASIS FOR CONTRACT AWARD: “EVALUATION FACTOR, SUB_FACTORS, AND ELEMENTS” contains the text, “Technical/Management, Past Performance and Cost/Price are all approximately equal. Since Technical/Management is pass/fail on each element except Sub factor 4, the color code rating will be assigned for the Technical/Management factor at the sub factor level. Each non-cost factor will be divided into sub-factors. Offerors must meet or exceed all RFP requirements to be eligible for award.” We interpret this to mean that all sections of the Technical/Management factor will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis, where pass means to meet or exceed requirements, with the exception of Sub factor 4 which will be evaluated on a red to blue color coded scale as defined in Table 4.1. Is this correct?

ANSWER: Yes, that is correct.

42) Reference RFP Section, 3.8.2, Page 21: What is the basis of measurement (averaging time) of the accuracy and stability specifications?

ANSWER: Acceptance of TROJAN services is based on acceptance testing over a 24 hour period. Based on that, the averaging time for the accuracy and stability specifications is also 24 hours

43) Reference RFP Section 3.2.1, Page 5: 3.2.1 Fixed Site Communications, para 3.2.1.3 lists Camp Arifjan, but it is not listed in Appendix D.

ANSWER: In Appendix D, Circuit ID# R0H3 and R0H4, the "Terminal" column lists these services as "Contractor Provided". These services are currently being supported in Camp Arifjan Kuwait by a contractor owned terminal.

What antenna (per Appendix C) is used?

Answer: The contractor owned Arifjan antenna terminal does not communicate with any government owned terminals (Appendix C) and must be designed to communicate with either TNCC in CONUS.

44) Reference RFP Section 3.2.1.2, Page 5: Appendix D lists (on the first page) Ft Sheridan, but it was not included in 3.2.1.2. What is the status of this terminal?

ANSWER: Ft Sheridan was inadvertently omitted from PWS Paragraph 3.2.1.2 As defined in Appendix D, Ft Sheridan, IL services shall be provided by a contractor owned terminal, operating at 768KBS duplex

45) Reference RFP Section 3.2.5.5, Page 9: Do we have to supply the 70 modems (and spares) for Ft Bragg TNCC?

ANSWER: Please see question and answer # 15

46) Reference RFP Section 3.2.7, Page 10: Is the TROJAN Network Operations Center co-located with the TNCC?

ANSWER: The TROJAN Network Operations Center is not co-located with the TNCC. Other than providing data ports for the government to monitor TDMA services at the TNCCs, which may be used by the TNOC, connectivity to the TNOC is not part of this solicitation.

47) Reference RFP Section 3.2.8.1, Page 10: Please clarify from the serial input connector. SOTAM is an IP-based satellite network service, which means interface between the SOTAM modem and the client network is Ethernet (RJ45).

ANSWER: The IP output expected by the Government network at the TNCCs for the Satellite on the Move (SOTM) is Ethernet RJ45

48) Reference RFP Section 3.4.4.1, Page 19: What are terms and conditions?

ANSWER: The contractor will propose terms and conditions of the TDMA/MF-TDMA services to include best commercial practices for performance of their equipment and architecture for evaluation. The contractor shall define in their Acceptance Test Plan (CDRL# A0002 PWS paragraph 4.2) the test procedures for demonstrating to the Government adequate operation of the proposed services.

49) Reference RFP Section B: A comparison of Section B with the current services provided under TROJAN shows 5 items that are currently provided but are not included in the CLIN list. These add up to a total combined nonrecurring cost and annual cost of around $1 million. Does the absence of these items indicate they will not be expected to be provided under the new contract or should they be included in Section B ?

The items in question are:

ANSWER:

* 9438GWD 7KCJ This is identified in Appendix D as a requirement and has been added to Section B as CLIN 209.

* FBES 20 Modems. This was an increase in the number modes at Belvoir. It is not broken out in the new requirements because they are part of the circuits being ordered.

* 9400GWD QD67 Alaska--discontinued

* 9843GWD 7ZW6 Ft Bel/Ft Bragg Philippines This requirement is reflected in the Appendix D of the PWS and has been added to Section B as CLIN 208.

* F184 Martelsham. This is the current DS3 connectivity from Martelsham England to Ft Bragg meant to replicate the service from Martelsham to Belvoir. It will not be replicated in the solicitation as a stand alone requirement. The vendor will incorporate those prorated cost projections in the pricing of the end to end service for each circuit.

Martelsham may not be the site proposed by the vendors in their proposal.

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