Responses_to_Q A_Part_2.pdf

QUESTIONS FOR RFP PART II

General Solicitaiton Questions Answers

B pg 7 ‐ Regarding CLIN 0008/0009 and the corresponding option year Travel and ODC CLINs, the Government states it will administer these as cost with no‐fee or performance incentives, as indicated in Section L. Is it the Government's intention to take exception to the FAR‐defined contract types of CPFF and CPIF, and include only some (versus all) of the total allowable costs in the CPFF and CPIF CLINs?

We are not making an exception to the total allowable cost. As a hybrid contract, work under this contract is not exclusively a CPIF or CPFF as there are

FFP elements as well. Please note the

Travel and ODC CLINS are Cost

Reimbursable CLINS. Actual costs plus approved burden rates only (no fee/profit) are allowed to be billed for these CLINS. The numbers provided are a

'Not to Exceed' amount.

C6 pg 34 ‐ This states that Task 5, Transition Support, is a set‐ aside for small businesses only. However, section L.4.2.2.3 on page 109 of the RFP requires all Offerors to submit a transition plan as part of Volume II. Furthermore, section

M.3.1 on page 119 of the RFP states that, "The Government will evaluate the the offeror's Transition Plan as outlined under Section C..." Please clarify proposal instructions for large business Offerors as they relate to Task 5 Transition

Support which is designated as a set‐aside for small businesses?

Transition Plans are required for both small and large businesses, and will be added via Amendment. The Task and

Evaluation criteria will be the same for large businesses as it is currently is for small businesses.

C 6.1.12 pg 40 ‐ There does not appear to be corresonding labor categories for the ACSSOs and ISSOs in Attachment 6.

Please clarify pricing instructions for those categories.

Page 50, Par. 12.e., clearly defines positions as Senior System

Administrator, Mid‐level System

Administrator, and Entry‐level System

Administrator. Offerors must introduce additional labor categories in the

"Offeror's Internal Labor Category" portion of the pricing template. Please note that additional labor categories must still meet the corresponding education and experience requirements listed in Attachment 6.5. At the IDIQ level, we are looking for the ceiling price for each position listed in the pricing matrix, and to document the other contractor specific labor categories that would fall under the listed position.

C.8 states in part: However the primary place of performance for ‘key personnel’ will be the DSO facilities, as these positions will be based in a SCIF environment.

G.3.a states: Contract‐level key personnel will be responsible for managing this program, including program management and/or technical management, as well as the individual assigned as the single interface with the Government’s contracting organization, shall be identified by the Offeror.

G.3.c states in part: Notwithstanding any of the foregoing provisions, key personnel shall be furnished …

Question: Given that this is a solicitation for an IDIQ contract, will the Government please clarify how the Government intends to contract for key personnel required to be based in a SCIF environment in the absence of one or more task orders with the same requirements.

Key personnel will be specified at the task order level. Offerors must also introduce additional (i.e. SCIF/non‐SCIF) labor categories in the "Offeror's Internal

Labor Category" portion of the pricing template. Please note that additional labor categories must still meet the corresponding education and experience requirements listed in Attachment 6.5.

At the IDIQ level, we are looking for the ceiling price for each position listed in the pricing matrix, and to document the other contractor specific labor categories that would fall under the listed position.

"C.8 states in part: However the primary place of performance for

‘key personnel’ will be the DSO facilities, as these positions will be based in a SCIF environment.

G.3.a states: Contract‐level key personnel will be responsible for managing this program, including program management and/or technical management, as well as the individual assigned as the single interface with the Government’s contracting organization, shall be identified by the Offeror. Question: If the offeror elects to designate a key person whose sole responsibility is to be the single interface with the Government’s contracting organization, will the

Government still require the primary place or performance for that individual to be at a DSO facility and in a SCIF environment?

C.8 states in part: However the primary place of performance for

‘key personnel’ will be the DSO facilities, as these positions will be based in a SCIF environment.

G.3.a states: Contract‐level key personnel will be responsible for managing this program, including program management and/or technical management, as well as the individual assigned as the single interface with the Government’s contracting organization, shall be identified by the Offeror. Question: If the offeror elects to designate a key person whose sole responsibility is to be the single interface with the Government’s contracting organization, will the

Government still require the primary place or performance for that individual to be at a DSO facility and in a SCIF environment?"

No. Key personnel location and SCIF requirements will be specified at the task order level. Key personnel who are required in a task order with SCIF elements will be expected to have their primary place for performance to at a

DSO facility and in a SCIF environment.

Section F states to provide current information on all three individuals, yet there are only 2 POCs listed: F.1 Program

Manager and F.2 Contracting Officer.

Question: Is there a third point of contact to be listed? Is so, what is the role or title of that POC?

This will be corrected via Amendment.

Please provide the two individuals listed.

G.3 pg 57 Per the RFP, the Program Manager is to be priced in

Attachment 6. Please provide direction on where the other

"Contract Level Key Personnel" should be priced.

Key personnel LCATs and any other

LCATs that will be used in the task orders must be indicated in Attachment 6 which will feed Section B labor rate tables.

Offerors must introduce additional labor categories in the "Offeror's Internal

Labor Category" portion of the pricing template. Please note that additional labor categories must still meet the corresponding education and experience requirements listed in Attachment 6.5.

At the IDIQ level, we are looking for the ceiling price for each position listed in the pricing matrix, and to document in

"Offeror's Internal Labor Category" the other contractor specific labor categories that would fall under each listed position.

Facility Clearance – Is the Top Secret Facility Clearance needed at award date or proposal submission date?

TS Facility clearance is not needed to bid on the contract, but a contractor will not be able to work on a TS requirement until the such time as they have a TS facility clearence.

We currently have a Secret Facility Clearance and have submitted our paper work for a Top Secret Facility Clearance and we have been sponsored. DSS has told us and our sponsor this process could take up to 3‐6 months. Would the

Government consider relaxing the Facility Clearance until time of award or require it only to bid on the Task orders that are

Top Secret?

TS Facility clearance is not needed to bid on the contract, but a contractor will not be able to work on a TS requirement until the such time as they have a TS facility clearence.

Facility Clearance

Ref: Page 50, SECURITY CLASSIFICATION AND CLEARANCE paragraph b states that the contract level DD254 requires a

Secret level facility clearance, and that a Task Order level

DD254 will be issued if a higher level facility clearance is required in performance of the task.

Is a SECRET or TOP SECRET facility level clearance is required?

At the minimum, a Secret facility level clearance is required. The highest level of facility clearance required under this contract is TS. As such, if a contractor intends to bid on a TS task order, then a

TS faclity clearance is required.

Teammate Facility Clearance

Ref: Page 50, paragraph d states that the Contractor must have a TOP SECRET facility clearance, and Attachment 5, DD254 block 1a indicates a TOP SECRET facility clearance.

Can a Prime Offeror leverage a Teammate’s facility clearance and be compliant with the security requirements?

No. A Prime will need to have it's own TS clearance in order to manage a TS subcontractor.

Does the Small Business need a TS Facility clearance at the start of the contract? We have had a TS Facility clearance in the recent past, but don't have an active TS contract at this time. Page 50, Item d

The contractor does not need to have facility clearance at the time of the award of the ID/IQ but must have the appropriate TS clearance before working on a TS task order award.

Will the Small Business proposal be favorably scored for demonstrating capabilities in the non‐SBSA Tasks/Subtasks?

No.

Attachment 6 pricing spreadsheet Base Period contains a sum of 157,907

Government Site labor hours, which is roughly equivalent to

75 fulltime people onsite. A staff of that size does not represent typical Small

Business levels.

Does the government expect the Small Business proposal to submit rates assuming those staffing levels?

The estimated hours provided in the pricing spreadsheet are for evaluation purposes only and should not be assumed in proposing rates for the individual labor categories.

Can small businesses bid on only parts of the set aside portions of the PWS or must they provide a proposal covering all the set aside portions of the

PWS?

The Government's intent is to have each small business respond to all of the small business set‐aside tasks. This will allow the Government to assess each of the small businesses capabilities to perform all the tasks collectively and on an individual task basis.

L‐1.1 j. pg 105; M.5 pg 123 ‐ The provided template is locked for the non‐labor elements (Travel and ODCs). Please clarify whether the Government provided estimates for travel and

ODCs are provided as raw costs or fullly burdened?

Travel and ODC CLINS are Cost

Reimbursable CLINS. Actual costs plus approved burden rates only (no fee/profit) are allowed to be billed for these CLINS. The numbers provided are a

'Not to Exceed' amount.

H.11 (i) pg 64 ‐ This states "Free" instead of "Fee". Please confirm this is intended to read "fee".

Will correct via Amendment. It should say

"FEE."

Section C and Section L.1.1 ‐ Task 6.5 (Task 5, Transition

Support) is set‐aside for Small Business, yet Section L.4.2.2.3 identifies Subfactor 3 ‐ Transition Plan as an element of all proposals.

Question: Is it correct to assume that Subfactor 3 should address transition for individual Task Orders for both large and small businesses throughout the contractual Period of

Performance?

Transition Plans are required for both small and large businesses. "PWS Section

6.5. Task 5‐ Transition Support" provides

support to the Government for managing the overall transition effort, whereas "Section

L.4.2.2.3 Subfactor 3 ‐ Transition Plan" documents the contractor's plan to transition work from existing tasks to their company.

L.1.1.h pg 105 and Attachment 6 ‐ pg 113 ‐ Oftentimes, PMO charges are direct. To facilitate a like comparison among offerors, will the Government consider adding labor categories for program management support?

Key personnel will be specified at the task order level. Offerors must introduce additional labor categories in the

"Offeror's Internal Labor Category" for program management support. Please note that additional labor categories must still meet the corresponding education and experience requirements listed in Attachment 6.5. At the IDIQ level, we are looking for the ceiling price for each position listed in the pricing matrix, and to document the other contractor specific labor categories that would fall under the listed position.

L.3 pg 107 In reference to Table 3.1 titled Proposal

Organization, the Government specifies a 3 page limit for

Volume III Factor 2 ‐ Past Performance. This appears to conflict with RFP section L.4.3.3 on page 110 of the RFP which allows the Offeror to submit past performance information on no more than three (3) recent contracts. Please clariify the page limit for each past performance citation as well as for

Volume III itself.

Attachment 1 will have a limit of (3) pages per reference including the template. Attachment 2 will have a page limit of (6) pages per reference including the template. The maximum page limit for all past performance references will be (18) pages.

Section L.3 Past Performance indicates that there is a 3 page limit, with the past performance from the prime and up to two from each major sub contactor. However the

Government Provided Attachment 1 past performance

Information is 2 pages without any contractor information filled in. Would the Government consider revising the page count for this section to up to 12 pages?

Attachment 1 will have a limit of (3) pages per reference including the template. Attachment 2 will have a page limit of (6) pages per reference including the template. The maximum page limit for all past performance references will be (18) pages.

Table 3.1. Proposal Organization lists the page limit for

Volume III Factor 2 ‐ Past Performance to be 3 pages.

Section L.4.3.2 states that the Past Performance volume shall be organized into 5 sections.

The first paragraph in Attachment 1, Past Performance

Information states "Limit the number of references submitted and the length of each submission to the limitations set forth in the solicitation."

Question:

Is it correct to assume that the 3‐page limit applies to each past performance information sheet and not the entire

Volume III?

This will be corrected via Amendment.

Attachment 1 will have a limit of (3) pages per reference including the template. Attachment 2 will have a page limit of (6) pages per reference including the template. The maximum page limit for all past performance references will be (18) pages.

Section L.3.1, Page 107 of 125 and Section L.4.3.2, Page 110 of

125. How does the Volume III Factor 2 Past Performance page limit of 3 apply to the Past Performance components of Part A

– Summary Page and Page E – Organizational Structure

Change History?

Organizational Structure Change History will be independent from the Past

Performance Page Count, and will not have a page limitation.

Section L.4.3.2, Page 110 of 125. What is the page limit for the

Past Performance components of Part A – Summary Page and

Page E – Organizational Structure Change History?

Organizational Structure Change History will be independent from the Past

Performance Page Count, and will not have a page limitation.

Attachment 1 ‐ Attachement 1 requests "current information on all three individuals" but lists only two POCs ‐ Program

Manager and Contracting Officer. Please clarify the third individual.

This will be corrected via Amendment.

Please provide the two individuals listed.

Attachment 6 ‐ Will the Government authorize additional labor categories under specific task orders in the event the labor categories are deemed necessary for the execution of a task order?

if offeror's believe that additional LCATs are required that they identify those now in the "Offeror's Internal Labor

Category." At the IDIQ level, we are looking for the ceiling price for each position listed in the pricing matrix, and to document in "Offeror's Internal Labor

Category" the other contractor specific labor categories that would fall under each listed position. The estimated hours provided in the pricing spreadsheet are for evaluation purposes only and should not be assumed in proposing rates for the individual labor categories."

On RFP Attachment 6, E3 Engineering and Strategic Planning

Labor Rate Spreadsheet, Column I, Contractor Site Dollars, on each cost tab will not show values over $1M…but displays

######## instead The cell is too narrow. Since the form is locked, we cannot expand the cell width or reduce the font to show totals over $1M. Is there a fix to this issue?

If you scroll over the ######## you will see the total amount for the Contractor

Site Dollars.

Attachment 6 ‐ Can the Government confirm that the total dollars proposed in Attachment 6 will be used for evaluation purposes only?

This is correct. The estimated hours provided in the pricing spreadsheet are for evaluation purposes only and should not 'be assumed' in proposing rates for the individual labor categories

Section J: Attachment 6.5, Labor Category Descriptions ‐ Since there is only one labor category for management personnel, is it the intent of the Government that the Program Manager function as the manager of each Task Order?

Under performance‐based contracting, it is at the contractor's discretion to determine what the best labor skill mix is to meet the Government's requirements.

If offeror's believe that additional LCATs are required that they identify those now in the "Offeror's Internal Labor

Category." At the IDIQ level, we are looking for the ceiling price for each position listed in the pricing matrix, and to document in "Offeror's Internal Labor

Category" the other contractor specific labor categories that would fall under each listed position.

The labor category definitions provided combine technical managers and senior technical individual contributors into the same labor categories. This blending will have the effect of raising the price of the offer and may also increase the proposed price of individual task orders.

Question: In order to provide a more cost‐effective solution, will the Government confirm that contractors can propose additional labor categories in task order proposals following contract award? If not, would the Government please consider adding a new labor category for a Technical Manager and a Task Order Manager?

If offeror's believe that additional LCATs are required that they identify those now in the "Offeror's Internal Labor

Category." At the IDIQ level, we are looking for the ceiling price for each position listed in the pricing matrix, and to document in "Offeror's Internal Labor

Category" the other contractor specific labor categories that would fall under each listed position. The government will not add any additional categories to the pricing matrix.