Questions_1-_136_December_16_2015.pdf

Questions for Draft RFP HQ0034-16-R-0133: Systems Engineering Support Services November 4, 2015

No. Section

Number Pag e No.

Questions

1 Section B 2 Section B - Supplies or Services and Prices CLINs 0001 through 4002 refers to “Effort As Required by the PWS” but does not specify which PWS. Could the government please clarify if this is for the PWS within the RFP (Section C) or is it for one of the PWSs provided as Attachments?

Sections B has been revised. Please review the revised sections.

2 Section B 2 Item Number 0001 states “This CLIN will be used for those task orders that are issued for cost reimbursable work as described by the PWS” Which Task Order is this referring to? Which PWS is this referring to?

It will be be specified in the solicitation

3 Section B –B.3 Min/Max Task Order Value

6 The maximum task order value is listed as $48,000,000. How many task orders are anticipated?

Sections B has been revised. Please review the revised sections.

4 Section B –B.3 Min/Max Task Order Value

6 Why is the limit for each task order $48,000,000? Is the limit $48,000,000 per PWS? How does that equate to Task 1, which includes two PWSs?

The maximum value for individual task order’s awarded is $48,000,000

Section B – B.5.1 6 Section B.5.1 of the draft RFP states “The Contracting Officer must determine fair and reasonable pricing, analyze and negotiate profit for all Cost- Reimbursement Orders” In order to enable the Contracting officer to determine fair and reasonable pricing, please provide offeror’s a pricing template for each task order to include labor categories, minimum numbers of hours by year per labor category, and minimum labor category qualifications (years of experience, degrees, and clearance levels).

A template is not possible as there are wide variations in the manner in which firms distribute cost.

6 Section B – B.5.2 6 The “Contract Minimum/Maximum Quantity And Contract Value” and “CLIN Delivery/Task Order Minimum/Maximum Quantity And CLIN Order Value” fields in Section B.5.2 of the draft RFP are blank. Could the government please fill in these tables?

The amounts will be provided in the solicitation

7 Section B.4 6 Section B.4 and Section G.5 of the draft RFP have a discrepancy between the contract types that will be awarded under this IDIQ. Section B.4 states “The type of orders authorized under this contract are as follows: Cost-Plus- Fixed Fee (CPFF).” Section G.5 (a) states, “The Contracting Officer may issue a Firm Fixed Price; Firm Fixed Price (Level of Effort); Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (Completion); or Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (Level of Effort) type task/delivery orders under this contract.” Can the government please provide clarification on the contract type(s) that will be awarded under this IDIQ?

The contract type is Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF), this will be reflected in the solicitation

8 Section C 8 Can the government please provide clarification on the relationship between Section C – Performance Work Statement in the draft RFP and the 5 PWS attachments?

How do the PWS attachments and Major Tasks (as defined in Section C, Para 2.0) relate to Task Orders?

Section C and the attachments are one PWS:

Task 1 (Attachment 2): PWS 1 Major Program Support:

Task 1 (Attachment 3): PWS 2 Major Program Support:

Task 2 (see Attachment 4) Support Engineering Enterprise (D,EE) Task 3 (see Attachment 5): Support to ODASD(SE) Front Office and

PD-DASD(SE)

There will be 4 PWS attachments, not 5.

The AMIN PWS was removed

9 Section C – 2.0

Objective 8 Will each “Major Task” (as defined in Section C, Para 2.0) be one task order? Will Task Order 1 = Major Task 1? Task Order 2 = Major Task 2? Task Order 3 = Major Task 3?

Yes

10 Section C – 2.0 Objective

When one task order has two PWSs, are the PWSs to be managed and executed individually or combined?

Executed individually

11 Section D 12 Per Para D.2, “shipment in accordance with requirements set forth in the Order”. Can the government please define “the Order”? We are assuming that the “order” means task order, is this correct?

The order means task order.

12 Section F Deliveries or Performance

14 The period of performance for each Labor year CLIN, listed in Section F, is inconsistent, and at times, overlaps with the next POP. Can the government please clarify the Period of Performance?

This is corrected in the solicitation.

13 Section F Deliveries or Performance

14 Can the government please confirm all travel CLINs should have a POP which aligns with the corresponding Labor CLIN of that year? If so, can Section F be updated to correspond?

The POP for travel is listed in the solicitation section B.

14 Section D and G 16 Can the government please define and distinguish the difference between the terms “Order”, “Delivery Order”, and “Task Order” used throughout the RFP?

“Task-order contract” means a contract for services that does not procure or specify a firm quantity of services (other than a minimum or maximum quantity) and that provides for the issuance of orders for the performance of tasks during the period of the contract.

Delivery Order has been removed

15 Section H.3 Substitution of Team Members

20 Section H.3 references the term “key persons”. This is the only location “key persons” is referenced in the draft RFP.

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections.

and Substitution of Personnel

What is the definition of “key persons”? How are these persons to be denoted in a technical response from the offerors?

16 Section H.3 Substitution of Team Members and Substitution of Personnel

20 Section H.3 Substitution of Team Members and Substitution of Personnel states, “the Contractor agrees to assign to the task order those key persons identified with the Task Order response necessary to fulfill the requirements of the task order”. The current requirements of section L or section M do not refer to a task order response, but instead the entire PWSs. Are Key Persons to be identified in Factor 2 – Personnel?

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections.

17 Section H – H.5 Security Clearances.

Paragraph A

21 Para H.5. A states that “Each task order will specify the type and level of security required.” Please provide additional information for each PWS (Attachment 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6): how many people by task order require Secret, Top Secret, or Top Secret SCI clearances. What is the annual Level of Effort for each person by clearance level?

DD-254s are being prepared for each Task Order.

18 Section H – H.6.

OCI

21 Where in the technical response should offeror’s certify that they are free of Organizational Conflicts of Interest, per the requirements of Section H.6? Does the Government have a template for the Organizational Conflict of Interest certification? Is it a requirement to include this certification for all proposed subcontractors?

An OCI ANALYSIS/ DISCLOSURE FORM Will be attached. Offerors should include OCI information in Volume 3.

19 Section H – H.6.

OCI

21-

The support for these PWSs involve working with ACAT ID, IC, II, and III level programs. Many of these programs are supported by contractors who are potential bidders for the DASD(SE) support work.

Section H.6 states “The contractor agrees that if it provides, under a contract or task order, systems engineering and technical guidance for systems and programs, but does not have overall contractual responsibility, it will not be allowed to be awarded a contract or task order to supply the system or any of its major components or be a subcontractor or consultant to a supplier of the system or any of its major components (FAR 9.505-1).”

How will this be enforced? How will this be evaluated in the technical response? Please provide a full list of all programs so that offerors can certify that they are free of Organizational Conflicts of Interest.

The analysis of OCIs is separate from the evaluation of proposals.

Offerors are aware of the contracts a firm holds and they shall review their OCIs and report all potential OCIs in Volume 2.

20 Section H – H.13 24 Per the requirements of Section H.13, which training courses, qualifications, or certifications are the contractors expected to maintain?

This clause applies to the recovery of training expenses. The determination of a training program is within an offeror’s discretion

21 Section H – H.14 24 In section H.14 (a.) of the draft RFP it instructs that “The Nondisclosure Agreement for Contractor Employees shall be signed by all indoctrinated personnel and forwarded to the Task Order Monitor (TOM) for retention, prior to commencement of work.” This is only referenced in Section H of the draft RFP. Is the TOM the COR? If not, please define the TOM role?

TOM is the COR

22 Clause 52.217-9 Option to Extend

31 Section I, FAR Clause 52.217-9 states “(a) The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the

The number of days will be added in the solicitation the Term of Contract (Mar 2000)

Contractor within 1; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 1 days before the contract expires. The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an extension.”

The first sentence currently omits the unit of time (i.e. days, months) for notification. The second sentence specifies notification of at least 1 day. In previous contracts, typically notification is 30 – 90 days in advance notification. Would it be possible provide at least a 30 day notification? This is necessary for government badging and continuity of operations

23 Section K – Rep & Certs.

39 What is the NAICS code for this acquisition? 541330

24 Section L 44 The first sentence of Section L states, “The Washington Headquarters Services, Acquisition Directorate (WHS/AD) intends to award a Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) Multiple Award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract and the first Task Order.” How will the additional Task Orders be awarded? Will they be competed once the IDIQ contracts are awarded?

The first task orders will be competed using this solicitation and awarded concurrent with the basic contract.

25 Section L 44 The introduction to Section L uses the term “first Task Order.” Which PWS Attachments are included in this task order? Which “Major Task” will the “first Task Order” support?

This information will be listed in the solicitation.

26 Section L (1.2) 44 Section L 1.2 states the offeror’s response shall consist of 2 separate parts:

Volume 1 – Non-cost factors, and Volume 2 – Cost factor (3 subfactors)

However, this contradicts Section L (1.8):

Volume 1 – Technical Volume 2 – Cost

See section L

Section K/Representations & Certifications

Does the government wish to have Section K/ Representations & Certifications separate from Volume 1 or Volume 2 or should Offeror include it within one of the 2 volumes?

27 Section L (1.2) 44 Section L 1.2 (pg 44) states the offeror’s response shall consist of 2 separate parts:

Volume 1 – Non-cost factors, and Volume 2 – Cost factor (3 subfactors)

However, this contradicts Section L (1.8):

Volume 1 – Technical Volume 2 – Cost Section K/Representations & Certifications

The naming conventions suggested for each volume is not consistent. Can the government please state if it has a preference?

See section L

28 Section L.1.5.1 44 Is PDF an acceptable format for submission for Volume 1? No. See solictation section L

29 Section L (1.6) 44 Section L 1.6 states that all pages shall be numbered consecutively. Can the government please confirm that this is required only for the sections that fall within the stated page limitations? Should the pages be numbered consecutively by volume or by factor?

See solictation section L

30 Section L 45 In Table 1.8 - What is the response expected for “Response to FAR 52.252-1”? This is the FAR clause for Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference which would appear to not require a respone.

FAR 52.252-1:

“Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (FEB

Sections L and M have been

1998) This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):

[Insert one or more Internet addresses] (End of provision)”

31 Section L –2.1.1 Factor 1

46 Section L, Para 2.1.1. states: “Offerors shall provide the specific and actual means and methodology that will be used to satisfy the requirements of the attached PWS’s.”

Is it the Government’s intention that the 20 page Program Management Plan cover the requirements of all five attached PWSs and the attached 2016 contract deliverable listing in its entirety?

Sections L and M have been

32 Section L –2.1.1

46 Section L 2.1.1 states “The offeror shall submit a proposal, which must include a project schedule, staffing plan and their proposed approach to meet or exceed the minimum performance or capability requirements of the Performance Work Statement (PWS).”

Can the government please define what is considered a “project” and what should be included in a “project schedule”?

Sections L and M have been

33 Section L –2.1.1

46 Section L, Para 2.1.1. states: “Offerors shall provide the specific and actual means and methodology that will be used to satisfy the requirements of the attached PWS’s. “

The draft solicitation’s 20 page limit in the Factor 1 response does not give the offerors enough space to be compliant in a response with the number of requirements contained in the 75 page PWS (all five PWS attachments).

Will the government please consider revising as follows:

Factor 1 – IDIQ Program Management Plan – 20 pages Factor 2 – Technical Response to Task 1 (PWS 1 & 2) – 20 Pages Factor 3 – Personnel Response to Task 1 (PWS 1 & 2) - 10 pages (excludes resumes) Factor 4 – IDIQ Past Performances – 3 pages Factor 5 – Cost for Task 1 and IDIQ Labor Rates – Unlimited pages

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections.

34 Section L – 1.8 Page Limitations

45 The table in the draft RFP under Section L – 1.8 has conflicting information. The individual page limitation for the Table of Contents and Factors 1 through Factor 3 add up to 35 pages. The reference to the Total page limitation in the same table has a 25 page limit.

Can the government please clarify the total number of pages for Volume 1 and updated Section L – 1.8 accordingly?

Sections L and M have been

35 Section L (1.8) Section L (2.1.4) Section L (1.8) Section L (2.2) Section M (M.0)

45 The Cost Factor is identified as Factor 4 in some sections of the draft RFP and Factor 5 in others.

Can the government please update the Draft RFP to provide clarification on which factor number offerors should use to refer to the Cost factor?

This information will be listed in the solicitation.

36 Section L (1.9) Subcontracting

45 Can the government please provide clarification on the requirements of Section L – 1.9 Subcontracting?

Can you please confirm if Government requires a copy of each executed Teaming Agreement or a statement affirming an executed Teaming Agreement is in place? If a copy is required, please specify where Offerors should include this information and if it is excluded from the page count.

The Government will recognize the integrity and validity of contractor team arrangements; provided, the arrangements are identified and company relationships are fully disclosed in an offer or, for arrangements entered into after submission of an offer, before the arrangement becomes effective.

37 Section L (1.9) Subcontracting

45 The RFP states, “If an offeror is subcontracting or teaming with another offeror, provide a clear distinction between functions performed by the subcontractor and the prime to include: nature of work, criticality of work, and the percentage of overall effort performed by each subcontractor in each area of work provided. Failure to provide the information for each subcontractor in a teaming arrangement shall render submitted proposal nonresponsive and unacceptable.” Can the government please clarify where this information should be included in the offeror’s proposal submission? Will it count against page limits?

This information should be included in Volume 1 and will count towards page limits.

38 Section L (1.10) Cover Letter

Section L (1.8)

45 Section L (1.10) Cover Letter states the cover letter shall not exceed one page. However, this contracts Section L (1.8) (pg 45) Volume 1 Technical page count restriction of 2.

Can the government please clarify the page limitation on the

See solictation section L

Cover Letter?

39 Section L (1.11) 45 In Section L – 1.11 of draft RFP it lists the requirements for the Cover Sheets to include “(7) Teaming arrangements (if applicable);”.

Can the government please provide details on what is required on the cover sheets with relation to teaming arrangements? What information is required for each subcontractor/consultant?

Sections L and M have been

40 Section L 1.8 and 1.10

45 Section L-1.8 states that a cover letter is required for each volume. Can the government please confirm that this is this correct? If so, should the offeror submit assumptions and exceptions in the cover letter specific to each volume?

Sections L and M have been

41 Section L –2.1.1

46 Section L states that Factor 1- Program Management Plan should include a staffing plan but Section M states the Government will evaluate the staffing plan against Factor 2 – Personnel. Can the government please clarify this inconsistency on where the staffing plan should be included and how it will be evaluated?

42 Section L- 2.1.1 Factor 1 Program Management Plan

46 Please provide the requirements and criteria the government will use to evaluate the “Staffing Plan”. Specifically, does the government intend to review and evaluate all personnel who are to perform all of the PWS requirements by name, utilization and qualifications? If not what criteria will be used to evaluate the acceptability of the staffing plan?

Sections L and M have been

43 Section L – 2.1.2 Factor 2

46 Section L, Para 2.1.2 states that the offeror shall provide a list of personnel.

To ensure a fair competition, please provide offerors the total number of personnel expected. What are the labor category requirements (minimum years’ experience, minimum degrees and clearance levels) for each personnel?

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections

44 Section L – 2.1.2 46 Please define “Senior Subject Matter Experts (SME)s.” What Sections L and M have been

Factor 2 are the minimum qualifications (minimum years’ experience, minimum degrees and clearance levels) for Senior SMEs”?

What are the minimum annual hours by PWS paragraph for Senior SMEs? Are Senior SMEs full-time staff? Are Senior SMEs part-time/reachback?

extensively revised. Please review the revised Solicitation Sections

45 Section L – Para

2.1.1 and Attachment 1

46 Can the government please elaborate on the requirement for a “project schedule.” As stated, it could be inferred that the project schedule should include all deliverables in Attachment 1.

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections

46 Section L (2.1.3) Factor 3 – Past Performance

46 Can the government please confirm Prime Contractors can use the Past Performance of subcontractors?

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections

47 Section L-2.1.1 46 Section L-2.1.1 states, “The offeror shall submit a proposal, which must include a project schedule, staffing plan and their proposed approach to meet or exceed the minimum performance or capability requirements of the PWS.”

What is required to be included in the staffing plan and how will it be evaluated?

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections

48 Section L-2.1.1, L-2.1.2

46 Section L-2.1.1 states, “The offeror shall submit a proposal, which must include a project schedule, staffing plan and their proposed approach to meet or exceed the minimum performance or capability requirements of the PWS.”

Section L-2.1.2 states, “The offeror shall provide a list of personnel made up of members of the management plan and Senior Subject Matter Experts (SME)s.”

How is the staffing plan requirement in Factor 1 different from the list of personnel required in Factor 2?

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections

49 Section L-2.1.2 46 Section L-2.1.2 states, “The offeror shall provide a list of personnel made up of members of the management plan and Senior Subject Matter Experts (SME)s.” Is there a minimum requirement on how many people should be listed?

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review

50 Section L-2.1.1 46 Should the response to Factor 2 (personnel), the staffing Sections L and M have been and 2.1.2 plan, and resumes be submitted against Task 1? extensively revised. Please review

51 Section L 46 There are two different factors listed for Past Performance, Section L-2.1.3 (Factor 3 – Past Performance) and Section L-

2.1.4 (Factor 4 – Past Performance). Is this a typo?

If not, can the government please update Section L – 1.8 Page Limitations to include the addition Past Performance Factor? If this is not a typo can the government also update Section M to include the second Past Performance reference?

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections

52 Section L – 2.2.1 Factor 5

47 Should the offeror’s bid labor costs to support all PWSs (attachment 2 through attachment 6)? If not, which PWS(s) should the offeror bid?

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections

53 Section L – 2.2.1 Factor 5

47 Please provide labor categories, minimum qualifications (minimum years’ experience, minimum degrees and clearance levels), and hours by labor category and PWS for the offerors to respond.

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections

54 Section L – 2.2.1 Factor 5

47 Our assumption is that Task 1 (as defined in Section C, Para 2.0) is the project to be priced on the SF33 and Schedule B.

Is this correct? If not, please provide clarification of what is to be priced.

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections

55 Section L – 2.2.1 Factor 5

47 Section L 2.2.1 states, “2.2.1 The Offeror shall provide their proposed cost for this project on the SF33 as set forth in the RFP. The Offeror shall also provide a basis for the cost, identifying all prospective labor categories, showing labor hours and rates for all labor categories, any materials or supplies to be used and discounts offered.”

Since this solicitation is not based on list prices, offerors cannot provide “discounts.” Can the government please clarify how discounts should be used for this pricing volume?

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections

56 Section L – 2.2.1 Factor 5

47 Is it the Government’s intent that offerors bid IDIQ rates? If so, where do offerors provide this response? Please provide

The Government will provide information on past procurements.

labor categories and minimum requirements (including education and years of experience) by labor category for offerors to bid IDIQ rates against to compute the total evaluated cost.

As the Government is interested in receiving innovative proposals, each offeror is encouraged to provide an individualized staffing approach

57 Section L – 2.2.1 Factor 5

If labor categories, years of experience, and education requirements are not provided, what procedures are used to evaluate comparable costs for the task order and IDIQ level?

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections

58 Section L 44 Section L states WHS/AD “intends to award a Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) Multiple Award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract.”

How many IDIQ awards will be made?

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections

59 Section M Evaluation Criteria

48 This section states that “The Government will award a Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) Multiple Award IDIQ and first Task Order.” How does the government plan award the other Task Orders?

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections

60 Section M Evaluation Criteria

48 This section states that “The Government will award a Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) Multiple Award IDIQ and first Task Order.” What will be the basis for the evaluation of other Task Orders, since the requirements in Section L require the offeror to propose to the entire PWS?

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections

61 Section M Evaluation Criteria

48 This section states that “The Government will award a Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) Multiple Award IDIQ and first Task Order.” What additional information will be required for Task Order competitions? If additional information is required how will the government evaluate this information versus information provided in the IDIQ submission for all PWS requirements?

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections

62 Section M – M.1 48 Can the government please confirm that the “first Task Order” is Task 1.

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections

63 Section M – Factor 1

48 Section M states that Factor 1 will be evaluated by the offeror’s “demonstrating knowledge of DASD(SE) requirements”

Section L states that Factor 1 should include “Offerors shall provide the specific and actual means and methodology that will be used to satisfy the requirements of the attached PWS’s”.

Can the government please clarify or elaborate on this inconsistency? Section M seems to evaluate only a top-level understanding of DASD(SE) requirements whereas Section L seems to require addressing how the contractor will support every “shall” statement and requirement in the five PWS attachments.

the revised sections

64 Section M – Factor 2

48 Please provide clarification on the following statement: “This evaluation will exclude a separate “personnel” assessment to not provide a competitive advantage to the incumbent.”

What is the “personnel assessment”? How is this different than an evaluation which “assess the depth and appropriateness of the experience of the Offeror’s proposed personnel for their intended position(s),” per Section M.0 Factor 2 – Personnel?

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections

65 Section M – Factor 2

48 Please provide clarification on the following statement: “This evaluation will exclude a separate “personnel” assessment to not provide a competitive advantage to the incumbent.”

How does the “personnel assessment” advantage the incumbent?

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections

66 Section M 49 Will the government please provide the Past Performance Questionnaire template?

Past Performance Questionnaire template will be attached to the solicitation

67 Section M 49 and

Page 52 has a list of Adjectival Ratings for Past Performance.

52 Page 49 has a list of Past Performance Relevancy Ratings.

What is the relationship between the relevancy ratings and adjectival ratings? How will relevancy be evaluated in relation to the past performance record? What color ratings are assigned for each past performance adjectival and relevancy rating? Please provide clarification.

the revised sections

68 Section M Factor 4

50 What is the relative weighting of the three subfactors which comprise the evaluation for Factor 4 - Cost?

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections

69 Section M Factor 4 Cost.

Will the government permit the use of uncompensated overtime? If so, how will the government baseline offers with varying amounts of uncompensated overtime in comparing costs? The amount of uncompensated overtime will proportionately reduce the number of LOE provided.

Uncompensated overtime will be evaluated using the method of FAR 52.237-10

70 Section M Factor 4

50 What methodology and data sources were used to determine the government cost estimate, to include labor categories, minimum degrees, security clearances, and minimum years of experience?

This information is not public information.

71 Section M Factor 4

50 Please explain how the three cost factors will be evaluated in relation to each other. Which offer would be rated as superior: An offer which was the lowest cost to the government but significantly below the government cost estimate, and not highly rated regarding cost data support; an offeror who was 20% higher in costs to the government but very close to the government cost estimate and a high rating relative to cost data support.

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections.

72 Section M – Factor 4 – Cost

50 Section M, Factor 4 states, “The Government will perform a technical analysis and review of the Offeror’s cost data, including comparison to the Government estimate for the work specified in the PWS.” Please clarify what type of “technical analysis” will be performed on the cost data.

Sections L and M have been

Section M – 50 Section M, Factor 4 states, “The lowest projected cost to the Sections L and M have been

Factor 4 – Cost to the Government

Government will be considered most favorable.”

This is inconsistent with Section M.1 which states, “The evaluation will be conducted in accordance with the FAR Part 15 competitive procedures using a trade-off.”

FAR Part 15.101-1 Tradeoff Process States, “(a) A tradeoff process is appropriate when it may be in the best interest of the Government to consider award to other than the lowest priced offeror or other than the highest technically rated offeror.” Can the government please clarify why the lowest projected cost to the government will be considered most factorable when this solicitation does not appear to be a low price technically acceptable competition?

74 Section M Factor 4 Cost Data Support

What data will be used to evaluate the “use of historical cost data from previous jobs”?

The Government may use all possilbe sources of data while performing the cost analysis.

75 Section M – Factor 2

50 Subfactor – Cost to the Government states: “The projected cost to the Government for each other Offeror will be compared to the lowest projected cost to the Government and considered less favorable by an amount proportionate to the ratio derived from that comparison.”

Will unrealistic costs be thrown out prior to this comparison?

Sections L and M have been

76 Section M –

50 Since FAR 52.219-4 is referenced in Section I, how will this be factored into the lowest projected cost comparison?

Sections L and M have been

77 Section M –

50 Please provide a set of labor categories, minimum qualifications, and hours by labor category for the offerors to respond. This would ensure a fair competition and evaluation.

The Government will provide information on past procurements.

As the Government is interested in receiving innovative proposals, each offeror is encouraged to provide an individualized staffing approach.

78 Section M – Other Information states, “The basis of award will be a total Sections L and M have been

Factor 4- Cost evaluated cost of the base period and four one year option periods for the IDIQ and the first Task Order.” Please confirm that the PWS associated with the IDIQ is Section C.

Please confirm that Task 1 is the PWS associated with the “first Task Order”.

79. Section M, Factor 4-Cost, Other Information states, Other Information states that: “The basis of award will be a total evaluated cost of the base period and four one year option periods for the IDIQ and the first Task Order.”

What formats will be used to provide this information? The SF33 has one labor line per contract period. Should the IDIQ and first Task Order be combined on the one line? Should two SF33s be submitted?

Sections L and M have been

80. Section M - Evaluation Factors for Award Cost Data Support/ Estimating Methodology (Subfactor)

51 Will the government please clarify if subcontractors’ cost proposals are required to be submitted to the government as supporting data at the time of submission?

Sections L and M have been

81. Section M -

Factors for Award Cost Data Support/ Estimating Methodology (Subfactor)

51 Are subcontractors required to submit sealed bids in order to support the, “assumptions made concerning labor rate and overhead base/expense projections will be evaluated” as required in this section? If so, please provide guidance on how to submit sealed bids.

Subcontractors can provide a cost proposal to the prime or they can submit it directly to the Government if proprietary data is involved. See section L

82. Section M -

Factors for Award Certified Cost and Pricing Data.

51 Will the government please clarify if the Certified Cost and Pricing Data form is required at the time of submission or upon award?

Upon award

83. Section M – Factor 4, Financial Capability Determination (Responsibility)

51 Can the government please clarify what information is required from the Offerors to demonstrate “Financial Capability” to perform the contact?

FAR 9.104-1(a) requires that contractors “Have adequate financial resources to perform the contract, or the ability to obtain them.” Obtaining financial resources is covered in FAR 9.104- 3.

84. Definitions 53 Page 53 states: “Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) is a process used in competitive negotiated contracting where the best value is expected to result from selection of the technically acceptable proposal with the lowest evaluated price. See FAR 15.101-2.”

This requirement is not LPTA.

ID# Attachment/

PWS Section Number

Attachment /PWS Page No.

Question

86. Attachment 1 Tab 3 (EE List) Tab 3 (EE List) provides a partial list of FTE estimates. Please provide a full list of the required labor categories, education requirements, years of experience, and annual hours per year for all task orders. Please provide the labor qualifications (years of experience, clearance levels and education) for incumbent personnel.

The FTE references have been removed. It is up to the offeror to determine the FTE requirements for each task order. The Government will provided a list of FTEs by Labor Catagories used on the CURRENT CONTRACT. This is not firm and can only be used as a guide line.

87. Attachment 1 Tab 3 (EE List) The attachment refers to “Junior/Mid-Level” “Mid- Level” “Subject Matter Expert” “Senior Level”. Can the government please define each of these terms?

What is the education requirements, clearance requirements and years of experience requirements for each of these?

See above

88 Attachment 1 Tab 1 and Tab 3 (MPS List and

PD-FO)

Tab 1 and Tab 3 are missing FTE estimates. Can the government please denote the number of FTE? What are the minimum education requirements, years of

An estimate of the FTEs used on the current contracts will be provided

Why is this included? Does this mean that this is a LPTA evaluation?

85 Definitions 52-

Most of the definitions included in this section are not referenced throughout the solicitation requirements. Can the government please clarify why these definitions are included and if not relevant, please consider removing them from the final solicitation document to eliminate confusion?

Sections L and M have been

Number

Attachment /PWS Page No.

Question experience requirements, security clearance, and work location requirements for each FTE?

but this is only a guide line and NOT expected to be a firm staffing estimate.

89 Attachment 1 All What number of hours were used to compute the LOE throughout Attachment 1?

Up to the vendors

90 Attachment 3 (PWS 2), Section 9.2

17 PWS stated “The SRCA database currently exits and is maintained by the Government.”

Is there a task for system administration activities and database maintenance? If so, please update Para 9.2. If not, will the Government perform system administration activities and database maintenance?

YES – the PWS has been edited to add maintenance and quarterly updates of the SRCA database

91 Attachments 2 and (PWS 1 and PWS 2)

All There is significant overlap in the requirements of PWS 1 and PWS 2. The same paragraphs are duplicated (e.g., Systems Engineering Plan (SEP) Outline, Program Metrics and Technical Performance Measures).

What is the Government’s intent? How can two PWS have identical requirements and deliverables?

The two MPS PWSs have similar requirements in support of DIFFERENT areas of expertise supporting different aspects of Major Program Support. The overlap in tasks is related to separate areas of work.

92 Attachments 2 and (PWS 1 and PWS 2)

All Due to the synergy in the PWS requirements in the two attachments, is a single award planned to be given or could this effort be bifurcated amongst two contractor teams?

No – Each Task order / PWS will be awarded separately

93 Attachment 2 and 3.

All MPS currently supports Nunn-McCurdy reviews, Critical Change Report reviews, and NARs. This is not included in attachments 2 or 3. Is this support expected in the future? If so, please revise.

These reviews are defined as FOCUS area reviews.

The PWS has been changes to highlight this.

Number

Attachment /PWS Page No.

Question

94. Attachment 2, 3, and 4

All Is there an intentional overlap in the “system assurance and program protection” tasks in PWS for EE and the “program protection/systems security engineering” PWS tasks in support of MPS?

Yes is some cases these functions exist in EE as Guidance and Policy work and apply across all major programs as well.

95. Attachment 2, 3, and 4

All What is the distinction in the software engineering workforce PWS task that support MPS and the Workforce tasks supporting EE which has the lead for Workforce Development efforts?

MPS provides review and assistance to major programs where EE provides guidance and policy for these areas.

96. Attachment 4 and 6 All What is the distinction between the front office operations tasks in Attachment 6 and the Principal Deputy and ODASD(SE) Front Office PWS tasks in Attachment 5? Will the PWSs for attachments 5 and 6 be competed in the same task order? If so, will there be a 20 page limit when responding to both task orders?

If not, won’t the synergy in these efforts be lost when competing them separately?

Attachment 6 will not be competed under this IDIQ contract but will be competed under the AT&L strategic sourcing vehicle. Attachment 5 covers analyst /workflow/outreach/Cyber/DIB support.

97. Attachment 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6

Work Location Please confirm the number of on-site office spaces per PWS is correct?

Task 1: Major Program Support– 110 office spaces (PWS 1 and 2) on-site Task 2: EE Support - 5 office spaces (PWS 3) On-site Task 3: Front Office & Admin - 10 office spaces (PWS 4 and 5) On-site Total: 125 On-site

CWRB limits will be provided

98. Attachment 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6

Work Location On-site office spaces are addressed. How many Off-site office spaces are required per PWS?

Above

Number

Attachment /PWS Page No.

Question

99. Attachment 4 11.4.3 This EE PWS Support Attachment indicates that the “government will provide space for up to five contractor personnel in support of this task” which is currently below the number of seats applied to like tasks under the prior BPA; for example, 5 is the number of EE seats in the Pentagon offices, but additional EE support currently reside at the Mark Center. Does this intend to indicate a reduction in available government seats?

A table of SEATS supported at Government facilities will be provided for each Task Order.

100. Task 1 (Attachment 2 and 3) Task 2 (Attachment 4) Task 3 (Attachment 5 and 6)

General Can the government please provide the anticipated period of performances associated Task 1, Task 2, and Task 3.

Please see Section F

101. Attachment 4, 5, and 6

General Attachments 4, 5, and 6 do not provide annual travel dollar amounts which are provided in Attachments 2 and 3. Can the government please clarify if a travel figure should be estimated for those PWSs?

The solicitation will provide plug numbers for travel

102. Section B.2 Please clarify if the not to exceed $210M is spread across all awardees or each individual awardee.

The not exceed vlaue applies to all task orders issued against all contracts.

103. Section G Section G.5(c) and G.5(e) reference CPAF contract types, however that contract type is not listed within the allowable contract types in Section G.5(a). Please confirm that CPAF is not an allowable contract type and, if so, please remove all references to CPAF and respective terms and conditions.

The contract type is cost plus fixed fee.

104. Section L:

Instructions

Does the government plan to award a single Task Order that includes all the requirements in all 3 Tasks / 5 PWS attachments? Or does the government plan to award a separate Task Order for each PWS? If separate Task Orders, does the Government plan to modify the CLIN structure in Section B and/or Section L 2.2, Cost, to reflect labor and travel pricing by Task Order?

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections.

105. Section L:

Instructions

Assuming the government intends to award 5 Task Orders (1 for each PWS), does the government intend to distinguish the deliverables in attachment 1 for all 5 task orders? For example, the deliverables in Attachment 1 Deliverables, Tab 1 MPS are consistent with Attachment 2 PWS for Director MPS Software Engineering and Schedule Risk Assessments but not with Attachment 3 PWS for Director MPS.

106. Section L:

Per the draft RFP, "WHS/AD intends to award a CPFF mulitple award IDIQ contract" How many IDIQ contract awards does the government anticipate making?

107. Section L:

Section L, 1.8, states that the page limitation for the cover letter is 2 pages. Section L, 1.10, however, states that the cover letter shall not exceed one page. Please clarify the page limitation for the cover letter.

108. Section L:

1.3 Solicitation Questions

Does the date of October 23rd at 10 am that Questions/Clarifications are due, cited in Section L.1.3 of the RFP pertain to the draft RFP, or does that date pertain only to the Final RFP?

Does the date of October 30th at 10 am when the government will start staffing answers to these questions, cited in Section L.1.3 of the RFP pertain to the draft RFP, or does that date pertain only to the Final RFP?

All dates pertain to the draft solicitaiton

109. Section L, 2.1.2, Factor 2 Personnel

Please clarify whether "each employee" means only those on the provided list of members identified in the management plan and the Senior SMEs, or whether it means each employee who the offeror intends to assign to this effort. ("The offeror shall provide a list of personnel made up of members of the management plan and Senior Subject Matter Experts (SME)s. ... For each employee the offeror shall provide a resume

110. Section M:

Personnel

Please provide more information on how the government plans to evaluate proposed personnel "for suitability" and "exclude a separate 'personnel' assessment to not provide a competitive advantage to the incumbent". For this assessment, what information does the government expect us to provide?

111. Section L & M

Because this effort is so critical and complex, in addition to proposed executio processes and procedures, we believe having a solid transition plan between the current contract and the new contract is essential. To effectively evaluate performance risk, we recommend that the government include a requirement for transition in Sections L and M, specifically:

Section L, para 1.8, Factor 1 (add a sub factor 1.1 Transition to the Program Management Plan with a page limitation of 5 pages)

Individual Task Orders may require the submission of transition plans. A transition plan will not be used as an evaluation factor or subfactor.

Section L, para 2.1.1, Add a sentence:

“Offerors shall provide a detailed transition plan describing how the transition to the new contract will be completed in 30 days.”

Section M, Factor 1, add to Factor 1: “The offeror shall as a part of the proposal include a program management plan, including a transition plan demonstrating knowledge . .

112. Is there an incumbent contractor for this project?

The incubment contractos are American Systems, Inc., Engility Corporation , Decisive Analytics Corporation, High Performance Technologies Innovation

113. To increase and ensure fair competition, does the Government intend to provide estimated LOE/FTE and qualifications for proposed personnel for Attachment 1, Task 1 and Task 3 consistent with Task 2? When will the Government update Task 1 and Task 3 deliverables in Attachment 1 with similar LOE/FTE information?

The Government will provide Labor categories as an attachment. As the Government is interested in receiving innovative proposals, each offeror is encouraged to provide an individualized staffing approach.

114. Is the incumbent eligible to bid on this? Yes

115. How many FTE's will be needed to satisfy this requirement?

The Government will provide Labor categories as an attachment. As the Government is interested in receiving innovative proposals, each offeror is encouraged to provide an individualized staffing approach.

116. Section H – H.5 Security Clearances.

Paragraph A

21 Please provide clarification on the security requirements for each task order. How many people by task order who require a Top Secret clearance?

How many people by task order require TS/SCI? Are any specific positions designated as requiring a TS/SCI?

A DD-254 will be provided for each task order. The Government will provide information on past procurements. As the Government is interested in receiving innovative proposals, each offeror is encouraged to provide an individualized staffing approach.

117. Section H – H.6.

OCI

21-22 Please provide additional information on Organization Conflict of Interest. Can the Government provide a list of all programs which, if the offeror worked on as a technical perform/vendor/supplier, would cause the offeror to have a conflict of interest?

How will Conflict of Interest be addressed in Section M?

A new section on OCIs had been added to Section L.

OCI’s are evaluated separately from the selection process in Sections L & M.

118. Section L 44 How many task orders will be released under the IDIQ?

Below are the task orders:

Task Order 0001- PWS 1 - Major Program Support:

Software Engineering and Schedule Risk Assessments

Task Order 0002- Engineering Enterprise (D,EE)

Task Order 0003 - PWS 2 Major Program Support

Task Order 0004 - Support to Principal Deputy and ODASD(SE) Front Office

There will be two intitial task orders, followed rapidly by two task orders. Thie Intitial Orders are Task 0001 and 0002.

119. Section L 44 How many IDIQ contracts will be awarded as a result of this solicitation?

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections.

120. Section L Para 1.9 Subcontracting

45 Where in the proposal should the offeror provide the information required in Paragraph 1.9? Can it be excluded from page count limits?

This information must be provided in both volumes of the proposal. Pages limits apply to Volume 1. Page limits do not apply to Volume 2.

121. Section L – 2.1.2 Factor 2

46 Can the Government please provide a list of billets (labor categories and hours) by task order the offeror should propose against?

The Government will provide Labor categories as an attachment. As the Government is interested in receiving innovative proposals, each offeror is encouraged to provide an individualized staffing approach.

122. Section L – 2.1.4 Factor 4

46 Will the Government increase the timeframe for the 3 past performances to be submitted with the proposals from 3 years to 5 years. A three year limit favors the incumbents due to the period of performance for the current contracts being five years in duration.

123. Section L – Para

2.1.1 and Attachment 1

46 Should the project schedule include all deliverables in Attachment 1?

Sections L and M have been extensively revised. Please review the revised sections.

124. Section L – 2.2.1 Factor 5

47 What discounts is the Government expecting per Section L 2.2.1? How should these discounts be addressed in Volume 2?

125. Section L – 2.2.1 Factor 5

47 Should the offeror bid IDIQ rates?

Where should the offeror include this information? What are the labor

Under a cost type contract the government expects to pay the actual expense associated with each employee. To propose one labor rate for a labor category implies that all qualifications, minimum years’ experience, and categories for the IDIQ rates?

employees in that labor category receive identical compensation packages. If this is the case an offeror may propose labor rates. The Government will provide Labor categories as an attachment. As the Government is interested in receiving innovative proposals, each offeror is encouraged to provide an individualized staffing approach.

126. Section M – Factor 2

48 Can the Government provide additional information on how a “personnel” assessment is separate from the evaluation listed in Section M, Factor 2?

What will the Government be doing in the evaluation to prevent such an assessment?

127 Section M – Factor 2

48 What is a “personnel” assessment and how does it favor the incumbent?

128 Section M 48 Section L includes the following factors Factor 1 – Program Management Plan Factor 2 – Personnel Factor 3 – Past Performance Factor 4 – Past Performance Factor 5 – Cost Proposal

Section M includes the following factors Factor 1 – Program Management Plan Factor 2 – Personnel…