Attachment 18 QA from AMD006.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 30 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- HC104725R0005
- Issued by
-
Defense Information Systems Agency
About this file
This file is a Questions and Answers (Q&A) document for the Spectrum Information System (SIS) Sustainment and Enhancement solicitation (HC104725R0005) issued by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). The Q&A covers 45 detailed questions addressing proposal submission requirements, technical environment specifications, and contract performance details. Key highlights include clarification that the solicitation involves sustaining and enhancing the Global Electromagnetic Spectrum Information System (GEMSIS), with proposals submitted in two phases - Phase One due by 12:00 PM ET on 1 April 2025, and Phase Two due by 12:00 PM ET on 5 May 2025.
The document provides specific guidance on proposal organization, page limitations, facility clearance requirements, and technical environment details. Notable technical specifications include managing environments across NIPRNet, SIPRNet, and JWICS, with approximately 17 full-time employees supporting the current effort. The contract involves developing and maintaining spectrum-related data tools, integrating various data sources, and supporting electromagnetic spectrum operations. The incumbent contractor is not explicitly named, but the government indicates one current contractor is performing related work under the SIS program. The total contract includes government-provided infrastructure, with the contractor responsible for software installation, maintenance, and development of DevSecOps pipelines.
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Instructions
| Q&A INSTRUCTIONS: The purpose of these specific instructions is to expedite the process of answering questions. Please do not change the format of this document. |
| Complete the spreadsheet tab below named "Q&A" with all questions, comments, and recommendations about the RFP. Examples provided in the spreadsheet. **Please delete the examples before submitting your questions. |
COLUMN A: Complete the "Page" column. This is the page number from the RFP located in the upper right hand corner of the page. Do not include the total page number. Enter only the page number where the topic begins.
COLUMN B: Complete the "Section/Paragraph" column with the applicable section and paragraph number (if applicable) of the RFP. For example: B2, C, or L5.1.2. For a section and paragraph number reference do not place a dot between the letter and the first number. Additional subparagraph references should be separated with a dot regardless of the format in the RFP, for example, L5.1.2.a. Do not including any other extraneous identifiers or other information other then instructed here. If the reference is to a CLIN, Clause, Appendix, or Attachment etc. the entry goes in the next column. At a minimum you will always insert at least the Section letter A through J in this column.
COLUMN C: Complete the "CLIN/Clause/Other" column. Insert the CLIN, Clause, Provision, Appendix, or Attachment number. For example: CLIN 0001, 52.217-8, Appendix A, or Attachment L3. Insert the section letter only in the Column B. This column will be completed only when there is not a more precise RFP reference number. NOTES: CLINs are in Section B. Most sections contain clauses so ensure you reference the correct section.
COLUMN D: Complete the Questions/Comments/Recommendations column. Start the question by referencing the topic. This may help the sort process. For example: Minimum Qualifications Checklist or Performance Area 10. Then insert the question or comment.
Issues must be submitted to the Contracting Officer and Contract Specialist listed in L2.1.1 (edit as necessary).
Q&A
| Question Number | RFP Page | RFP Section/ Paragraph | CLIN/ Clause/Appendix/Attachment/Other | Questions/Comments/Recommendations | Government Response |
| 1 | N/A | N/A | Attachment+18+-+Question+and+Answers+from+Draft+RFP.xlsx | It appears that the intention of this file was to provide answers to vendor questions about the draft RFP. The spreadsheet on SAM.gov is an empty template and contains no Q&A. Can the Government please provide these Q&A, and defer the Phase 1 submission date to provide time to process them? | There were no questions recceived during the draft RFP phase. Attachment 18 was not included in the final solicitation (Section J) and the attachment has been removed from SAM.gov. |
| 2 | 100 | L2.1 | Notional Schedule | Will the Government consider adding the opportunity for a Phase II round of Q&As? | Please reference Section L4.0, Advisory Notification. Phase I and Phase II and both part of this solicitation and will not be posted separately. All questions regarding Phase II must be provided in Phase I and no additional Q&A's will be conducted after the 25th of March 2025. |
| 3 | 102 | L2.2.1 | Table 1.1 | Can Part A and Part B documents be submitted in PDF format, to prevent inadvertent editing? | Yes. |
| 4 | 102 | L2.2.1 | Table 1.1 | Re. Part C Table of Contents, what items should this TOC cover? Are Parts A through F meant to be submitted in a single PDF file, where the TOC relates to all parts in this single file? | The Table of Content (TOC) should cover Volume I, Parts A-F. The TOC refers to all parts. Parts A-F can be submitted in a single file. However, each part must adhere to the page limit specified in Section L2.2.1, Table 1.1 - Proposal Organization and L2.2.2-L2.2.8 and L2.3. |
| 5 | 102 | L2.2.1 | Table 1.1 | In Part D, what does the "Facilities Clearance" in the title refer to, given that proof of facility clearance is provided in Part E? | Please reference Section L3.4.5.1 - L3.6.1 and Section M2.1.1. |
For Volume I, Part D, the prime will indicate whether or not they have the appropriate facilities clearance to be determined to be acceptable (must indicate what facilities clearance they have). The facilities clearance levels for all subcontractors/independent consultants will also be listed in Part E (must indicate if it is INTERIM or FINAL). Reference Factor 1, subfactor 2 of Section M2.0, Evaluation Factors (Specifically M2.1.1).
For Volume I, Part E must include proof of facilities clearance (Facilities Verficiation Notification) for the prime and all sub-contractors and independent consultants proposed from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency Facility Clearance branch.
For Volume I, Part F, the offeror must complete the DD254, blocks 6a-6c, 7a-7c (if subcontracting), and 8a/8a-c of the DD254 with appropriate information for their company in accordance with L3.6.1 and M2.1.1. A completed DD254 must be submitted for the prime and all subcontractors/independent consultants that are included in the proposal.
| 6 | 103 | L2.2.2. | Page Limitations | The Government states that "page limitations shall not be circumvented by including inserted text boxes/pop-ups...". Can the Government please confirm that textboxes are allowed if they are not pop-ups? | No, text boxes are not allowed. IAW L2.2.2, text boxes and pop-ups or internet links to additional information are not acceptable and inclusion of these components will not be considered part of the proposal. |
| 7 | 127 | M2.1 | N/A | Please specify what "Component technologies of GEMSIS JSDR" refers to. | Components technologies of GEMSIS JSDR include, but are not limited to, experience with similar COTS products as depicted in the Appendix 1 – CSCIs and Appendix 2 – System Architecture Diagrams in support of Access Control, Data Services, Analytics, and UI/UX; with an integrated content management platform, such as Alfresco Content Services; development and sustainment of custom JavaScript UIs; interface, display, and manipulation of disparate data sources, such as Background Environmental Information, Joint Equipment Tactical and Space database, intelligence data, Spectrum XXI, Electronic Warfare Planning and Management Tool, Spectrum Services Framework, Foreign Coordination spectrum supportability data, EMBM-J EMS data; development and sustainment of REST APIs to provide data in SFAF and JSON formats, and for the distribution of Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) reporting. |
| 8 | 76 | N/A | N/A | Regarding DFARS 252.204-7012, is this clause applicable if all work is done at the Government's site? | Yes, it is applicable even if all work is completed at the Government site as this requirement contains CUI. Covered Defense Information (CDI) refers to unclassified, controlled technical information or other information, as described in the Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) Registry, that requires safeguarding or dissemination controls and is either marked/identified in a contract and provided by the DoD or collected, developed, received, transmitted, used, or stored by the contractor. |
| 9 | 101 | L2.1.13 | N/A | The directions ask that emails to be sent “encrypted”. Should the questions be sent through DoD SAFE? Or can they be submitted through email? | Questions and comments are not considered source selection information. A consolidated and sanitized questions and comments attachment with answers and clarifications on the RFP will be shared to all offerors after the Q&C deadline as an RFP amendment. |
| 10 | 102, 104 | L2.2.1; L2.2.5 | N/A | Document Submission: Can the Government please clarify the volume submission format? Does the Government want Offerers to submit Part A, B, C, D, E, and F as standalone volume submissions adhering to section L2.2.5 "Labelling. Each volume of the proposal should be separately labeled to include the volume number, title, solicitation identification, and the offeror’s name" and the different document formats in Table 1.1. Or does the Government want Part A, B, C, D, E, and F submitted as a single file with section breaks, since they are all considered part of Volume I in Table 1.1. | Parts A-F can be submitted in a single file. However, each part must adhere to the page limit specified in Section L2.2.1, Table 1.1 - Proposal Organization and L2.2.2-L2.2.8 and L2.3. |
| 11 | 102, 103, 105 | L2.2.1; L2.2.2; L3.1 | N/A | Does the cover page count within the Part A Cover Page/Exec summary count towards the 3 page limit? | Yes. |
| 12 | 104 | L2.2.7 | N/A | Does the Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms count towards page count in each Volume requirement? | No. |
| 13 | 107 | L.3.4.1, L.3.5.1 | N/A | Since 3.5.1 is requesting proof of facility clearance, could the Government remove the facilities clearance requirement from 3.4.1? | Section L3.4.1 requires offerors to provide relevant and recent (from the last three (3) years) experience that demonstrates that the offeror has relevant expertise in accordance with specifications defined in Section M, Evaluation Factors for Award. While Section L3.5.1 Offerors shall demonstrate they have a FINAL TS Facility Clearance from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency at the time of proposal submission by providing their Facility Verification Notification. Section L.3.4.1 requires you to demonstrate the work you have completed while Section L3.5.1 requires you provide proof of your facility clearance. L3.4.1 and L3.5.1 tie into Section M, Factor 1, Subfactor 1 and 2. Facilities clearance requirement will not be removed as it is an important subfactor under Factor One of Phase One evaluations. |
| 14 | 109 | L.7 | N/A | Could the Government provide the number of FTEs supporting the current effort? | Approximately 17 FTEs for TO 001. |
| 15 | 103/113 | L2.2.1. L8.0, L8.1 | N/A | Table 1.1- Proposal Organization for Phase Two Submission requires a Volume V Past Performance Questionnaire with a 3-page limit. The instructions for L8.0. Volume V - Past Performance/L8.1. General states "Submission of past performance is not required..." and "This Volume shall be included in the proposal with a completed Past Performance Questionnaire (Attachment 3)." There are no instructions on the number of Past Performance Questionnaires allowed to be submitted. Can the Government please provide clarification on submission of Past Performances (i.e. required/not required; max number of Past Performance Questionaires, etc.)? | Section L8.1 has been amended via Amendment 0001. Past Performance Questionaires (PPQ) are required; however, past performance will be reviewed as part of a responsibility determination but will not impact the technical evaluation. Contractors shall submit no more than 3 recent PPQs for evaluation. Recent efforts are those which have been performed during any portion of the last 3 years, including those efforts currently being performed. |
| 16 | 116/117 | L7.1.7 | Attachment+12+-+TO+001+PWS | Attachment+12+-+TO+001+PWS, Section 5 says: "Surge support over the life of the contract will not exceed 15% of the contractor’s total proposed cost/price for the base and all option periods", but the Solicitation section L7.1.7. says: "The Government is providing a percentage value to be used by all offerors when proposing surge: surge support will be equal to 45% of the Offeror’s total proposed cost/price for the five (5) year ordering period." Please provide clarification regarding the surge percentage and calculation. | |
| L7.1.7 identifies two separate surge percentages. The ID/IQ contract’s surge percentage is 45%. The TO’s surge percentage is 15% (Attachment 14). To prevent further confusion, language on the ID/IQ surge has been removed from L7.1.7 in AMD04 as Attachment 9 is only a labor rate schedule. | |||||
| 17 | N/A | N/A | Attachment+14+-+TO+001+CLIN+Pricing+ | Attachment+14+-+TO+001+CLIN+Pricing+Worksheet calculates a surge of 15% per option period (except the transition out); however the formula provided in the template looks to be incorrect. In the CLIN Summary tab, the subtotal (row 23) does not include CLINS x008, x009, and x0010. Can we edit the formula or will you provide a new pricing template? | Attachment 14, TO 001 CLIN Pricing Worksheet has been updated to correct the formula on the CLIN Summary Tab. Formulas for all other tabs in this spreadsheet can be customized to suit the offerors needs. However, all |
solicitation requirements must be priced, figures correctly calculated, and prices presented in a clear and useful. To provide clarification, the 15% surge applies to the transition out CLIN, but not to the six-month extension amount.
| 18 | N/A | N/A | Attachment 9 - ID/IQ Labor Rates Spreadsheet | In Volume IV, Attachment 9, step 6 of the instructions say "6) Title Excel workbook as "Offeror'sName"_"EvaluationP2"_Attachment 11". Attachment 11 is the IDIQ QASP. Should we title the excel workbook as "Offeror's Name"_"EvaluationP2"_Attachment 9"? | Yes, please title the the spreadsheet as: "Offeror's Name"_"EvaluationP2"_Attachment 9". Corrections have been made on the spreadsheet template for Attachment 9 and a revised attachment has been uploaded to SAM.gov. |
| 19 | 107-108/119 | L2.2.1 and L9.0 | N/A | 1. The Phase II instructions state "Proposals for Phase Two (Volumes II – V) are due NLT 12:00 PM ET 5 May 2025." Is Volume VI (Contract Documentation) also due on May 5, 2025 at 12:00PM ET? | Yes. All of the Phase Two proposal, including Volume VI, must be provided by 5 May 2025 at 12:00 PM ET. |
| 20 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | N/A | In Task 13, the government requests that the contractor maintain the license with Ansys Government Initiatives (AGI) for maintaining the terrain server and satellite TLE data. Is this related to the request to provide the government with data, and/or does this include licensing for the software to be operated on the government network? | This includes licensing for the software to operate on the government network. |
| 21 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | N/A | Can the government provide the current state data flows and workflows, indicating which are manual and which are systematic (i.e. automated)? | Unable to answer the question without specific references within the PWS. |
| 22 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | Attachment 13 - TO 001 Materials ODC Breakout | In the ODC list, we find software license and counts, but no mention of cloud/platform costs. Can the government please clarify if software is to be installed in contractor owned infrastructure (cloud), or if the government will be providing cloud account and access where the contractor will install the lower environments? | Software shall be installed using Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) owned and operated by the Government. The operating system and cyber security compliance is provided as part of IaaS. Applications on top of IaaS are installed and maintained by the Vendor. The Vendor's administrative personnel will have appropriate access rights to perform contractual duties. |
| 23 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | N/A | The provided architecture diagrams suggest that all tools are operating on virtual machines (rather than cloud-native). Can the government please confirm if this is an accurate understanding, or if some components have been migrated to cloud-native architectures? | Confirmed, understanding is accurate. |
| 24 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | N/A | The solicitation appears to describe the following government owned environments, and contractor owned environments. Can the government confirm if this is a correct understanding of the number of environments? * Government Established, Contractor Supported - SIPRNet: Production (1) - NIPRNet: Production (1), |
- JWICS: Production (1)
* Government Established, contractor Administered:
- NIPRNet: Pre-production, COOP (2)
- SIPRNet: Pre-production, COOP (2)
* Contractor Established, Contractor Administered:
- NIPRNet: Development, Test, Demonstration (3)
- SIPRNet: Development, Test, Demonstration (3) Government owned IaaS
- SIPRNet: Production (1)
- SIPRNet: Pre-production (1)
- NIPRNet: Production (1)
- NIPRNet: Pre-production (1)
Contractor Established, Contractor Administered
- NIPRNet: Development, Test, Demonstration (1)
| 25 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | N/A | Is the contractor expected to host a physical COOP environment, or may the COOP be implemented via replicated cloud-based environments within DISA Stratus or equivalent? | No. COOP environment currently exists. |
| 26 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | Attachment 13 - TO 001 Materials ODC Breakout | Can the government confirm if the license counts in the ODC attachment cover only contractor controlled environment, or if the count also includes government controlled environments. | ODC value covers both environments. Please note the ODC value is a plug number per page 116 of the conformed PWS. |
| 27 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | N/A | Can the Government provide baseline specifications for the Development, Test, Pre-Production, and COOP environments (e.g., number of servers/VMs, CPUs, RAM, storage)? | No. |
| 28 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | Attachment 10 - ID/IQ GFP Attachment | For this program, will the contractor provide their own laptops, or will the government provide laptops? – yes GFE attachment estimates that 10 laptops will be provided. | Ten (10) laptops will be provided per Attachment 10. |
| 29 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | N/A | Is there a unified process for ATO across systems/environments? | Yes, it is based on the Risk Management Framework. |
| 30 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | N/A | Can you confirm whether contractor-hosted environments (DEV/TEST/PREPROD) must be FedRAMP High authorized, or just meet CUI protections? | CUI protection is required. Use of FedRAMP is not. |
| 31 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | N/A | Will the Government provide RMF package templates and prior ATO artifacts (System Security Plans, POAMs, SCTMs), or does the contractor need to build them from scratch? | Yes, templates provided as needed. RMF artifacts for the existing system are in eMASS. |
| 32 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | N/A | Is the contractor expected to operate within an existing DISA-provided DevSecOps pipeline, or build and maintain a separate pipeline? | The vendor is expected to create, operate, and maintain the development environment DevSecOps pipeline. A DISA-owned pipeline has not been selected at this time. |
| 33 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | N/A | Can the government confirm that the contractor is responsible for sustaining, improving, and preparing Spectrum XXI for modernization, or simply integrating with it? | Integration only. |
| 34 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | N/A | Will full access to the Spectrum XXI source code and all necessary components be provided at contract start? | SXXI source code is not applicable. |
| 35 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | N/A | What mechanisms are currently in place for capturing user feedback (other than annual surveys)? | ServiceNow provided by DISA Global Service Desk and the Spectrum Operations Support (SOS) team capture feedback. |
| 36 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | N/A | Are there requirements for user behavior metrics (e.g., usage tracking, application feedback ratings like an "App Store" model)? | No. |
| 37 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | Attachment 13 - TO 001 Materials ODC Breakout | Is there an evaluation framework that the Government prefers us to use for selecting COTS/GOTS/open-source tools, or would the government like us to use our existing decision framework? | Cost benefit analysis would be performed and a recommendation provided to the Government for consideration. |
| 38 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | N/A | Are there Government-wide licensing agreements (like ESI) that must be leveraged for tool selection and purchasing? | A determination is made on a cass-by-case basis. |
| 39 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | N/A | Will the Government require reporting on license consumption/utilization during the period of performance? | Yes. |
| 40 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | N/A | Will contractor personnel be provided access to current operational, test, and COOP environments immediately after award? | Yes, upon award. |
| 41 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | N/A | Are there existing test datasets and representative environments available for contractor validation and testing activities? | Yes. |
| 42 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | N/A | Can the Government clarify how many vendors are currently performing related work under the SIS program (particularly for GEMSIS and Spectrum 21)? | One (1) incumbent. See first page of section C for incumbent contract information. Note, SXXI development, maintenance, operations, and sustainment is not included in this PWS. |
| 43 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | N/A | Does the Government expect measurable reductions in training burden directly resulting from applying Human-Centered Design (HCD) methods? | No. |
| 44 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | Attachment 9 - ID/IQ Labor Rates Spreadsheet and Attachment 16 - Labor Category Description | What types of labor categories and activities are expected to require surge support (e.g., developers, cybersecurity, test engineers)? | All labor categories found in Attachment 16 - Labor Category Description. Surge may use and incorporate any of the labor categories provided in Attachment 16 and Attachment 9. |
| 45 | 109 | L.7.1.5. Cost/Price Narrative | N/A | Will the government grant an extension of one week so that responses can be incorporated? | The Government does not intend on providing an extension for Phase Two proposal. Proposals are due NLT 05 May 2025, IAW with the RFP. |
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