IS Media RFQ Questions and Answers II.pdf

DFAS – Indianapolis IS Media SAM.gov RFQ Questions

Q1. The SF 1449 (Block 10) lists NAICS code 541519, while the Solicitation Instructions document references NAICS 561990. Which NAICS code governs this procurement for small business size standard determination purposes?

Answer: The correct NAICS code is 561990 and has been applied via Solicitation Amendment to this file.

Q2. Will the Government schedule or accommodate a site visit to DFAS-IN prior to the quote submission deadline so that offerors may assess facility access, dock/loading areas, available workspace, and power availability for destruction equipment?

Answer: No site visit will be scheduled or accommodated prior to quote submission or award.

However, after award, the successful Contractor may coordinate with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) to arrange a site visit prior to the start of performance. Facility access will be escorted IAW the SOW paragraph 8 Security Requirements.

Q3. What are the physical access and badging requirements for contractor personnel to enter the DFAS-IN facility, including required background check type, estimated credentialing lead time, and escort policy during performance?

Answer: Regarding the staging area, that will be the dock that the truck will pull up to. The govt will stage pallets of Hard Drives/Tapes. The Govt will not be providing power or a dedicated work space. DFAS will provide access to the Dock where the mobile destructing truck can pull up.

Q4. Will the Government provide a staging area, electrical power supply, or dedicated workspace for the contractor's destruction equipment, or must the contractor be entirely self-sufficient on-site?

Answer: Please review paragraph 8, Security Requirements in the SOW. Access to DFAS-IN facilities will be escorted.

Q5. Can the Government provide an estimated ratio of HDDs to SSDs within the 7,891 mixed media quantity to assist offerors with accurate pricing?

Answer: Please review the SOW paragraph 6, Media Destruction Requirements. The Government anticipates that hard drives requiring destruction will consist of a mixed population of media types, including both Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) and Solid-State Drives (SSDs). The Government will not segregate or identify hard drives by type prior to destruction, and the exact quantity of each type is unknown with approximately 7891 Hard Drives.

Q6. Will all 1,353 tapes and 7,891 hard drives be available and ready for destruction simultaneously at contract award, or will they be released in batches? If batches are anticipated, what is the expected release schedule or frequency?

Answer: All 1,353 tapes and 7,891 hard drives be available and ready for destruction.

Q7. Does the Government require witnessed destruction, meaning a Government representative must be present during each destruction event? If so, what advance scheduling notice is required?

Answer: Please review the SOW paragraph 6.3, General Requirements. All destruction shall occur on-site in the presence of the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) or designated Government personnel. Government personnel will stage the materials for destruction at the designated location.

Q8. The solicitation references the statement of work (SOW); I don’t see a SOW posted in SAM.gov. Can you please post the SOW in SAM.gov and a possible extension?

Answer: the Government apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused. The SOW has been added to SAM.gov posting on 4/17/26.

Q9. Please could you specify which data tape storage type is to be destroyed?

RO Response required? pending C.O. input

1. Linear Tape-Open (LTO)

2. Digital Data Storage (DDS)

3. DLT (Digital Linear Tape)

Answer: The majority of the tapes are LTO, but there are some of the older types as well waiting to be destroyed.

Q10. Please clarify whether offerors may:

Answer: Base CLIN 0001 pricing on a bulk, containerized tape-destruction approach rather than on individual contractor-counted tapes at the point of service; and please submit any quote being compiled according to the SOW, RFQ and Pricing Schedule. The above varies from the Unit of Measure and how the performance outcome will be assessed.

Q11. Do you know if the DBDs will be pre-scanned for serial number and all we have to is rescan at time of destruction for validation? Or will we be required to scan each hard drive prior to destruction?

Answer: No, the govt is not pre scanning all the drives. Vendor will be required to scan each hard drive prior to destruction.

Q12. - It’s clear pricing should be submitted in the Pricing CLIN Structure Destruction Services document. Do you also want pricing entered in the Supplies/ Services & Prices/ Costs chart on pages 3-4 of the solicitation document?

Answer: Please refer to the Solicitation Instructions “Submission Instructions” “Pricing” paragraph: The Contractor shall complete and submit the Government provided Pricing/CLIN Structure document. The document establishes the required CLIN structure and pricing format for this solicitation. Offerors shall ensure all pricing is presented consistent with this structure.

Q13. - SOW – Final 4-14-26, p. 2, 6.1. If we degauss the SSDs before destruction, is reaching a specific particle size required during the shredding process?

Answer: Please refer to paragraph 6.1 of the SOW: SSDs shall be physically destroyed by shredding to a particle size where the majority of particles are 2 mm or smaller, and no fragment exceeds 10 mm in any dimension.

Q14. - SOW – Final 4-14-26, p. 6, 9.3. This states that the CMMC Level 1 self-assessment must be completed prior to award. On page 3 of the Solicitation Instructions, it states that the CMMC UID received after completing the self-assessment must be provided with the bid package. Please confirm if our CMMC UID is required to be submitted with the bid package or if it is required pre-award.

Answer: The Solicitation Instructions under “CYBERSECURITY MATURITY MODEL CERTIFICATION (CMMC) REQUIREMENTS” state the following:

The offeror shall provide the CMMC Unique Identifier (UID) once the self-assessment is complete and includes the UID as part of their response to this RFQ.

This requirement ensures that all vendors are compliant with applicable cybersecurity standards prior to award and in compliance with DFARS 252.204-7020 and 252.2047021. Completing the self-assessment and obtaining a UID is advance is beneficial to vendors for several reasons such as:

1. Eligibility for Award: The Government must verify compliance prior to award and avoids delays or potential ineligibility.

2. Streamlined Evaluation: Including the UID allows the Government to efficiently validate your status in the Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS), which supports a timely award decision.

3. Future Readiness: Once completed, your self-assessment remains valid for DOW solicitations requiring CMMC Level 1, positioning vendors for future opportunities without needing to repeat the process immediately.

4. Reduce Risk of Award: Waiting until after submission or selection may result in administrative delays or disqualification if compliance cannot be verified in time.

- Same question as above for any subcontractor used during the project – should their CMMC UID be provided with the bid package or if it is required pre-award.

Prime Contractor: must provide their CMMC UID with the quote. Please refer to Q&A #3.

Subcontractor: only needs a CMMC Level 1 self-assessment and UID if they will process, store, or transmit FCI under this contract.

Q15. - Same question as above for any subcontractor used during the project – should their CMMC UID be provided with the bid package or if it is required pre-award.

Answer:

Prime Contractor: must provide their CMMC UID with the quote. Please refer to Q&A #3.

Subcontractor: only needs a CMMC Level 1 self-assessment and UID if they will process, store, or transmit FCI under this contract.