HQ085925RE001_QA_Dated_20251007 - Complete List.pdf

HQ085925RE001

SHIELD Questions and Answers

DATE POSTED Question

ID

Question Government Response MDA File Name Original Page

Original Paragraph

POSTED

10/2/2025

On-Ramp and Off-Ramp provisions; off-ramp may occur if 12 months elapse without a compliant proposal;

exclusive teaming discouraged.

Please define “compliant proposal” for off-ramp (does a No-Bid with rationale reset the clock?), and whether exclusive teaming may ever be allowed at the order level.

A "compliant" proposal or quote in this context refers to a submission that meets the minimum submission requirements as outlined in the order solicitation instructions. It does not necessarily need to be deemed technically acceptable, but it must adhere to the basic requirements set forth in the solicitation. Per H-03, the Government will contact contract holders before off ramping to discuss circumstances which may include specialized capabilities that align with only a subset of task orders and may discuss potential exemptions on a case-by-case basis. Offerors may still be contacted in the event of a no-bid submission. Exclusive teaming is discouraged. Please also see SHIELD H-01 Ordering Procedures, which has been updated

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19 all

POSTED

10/2/2025

Please confirm the off-ramp triggers and whether “no compliant proposals for 12 consecutive months” includes “no-bid/no-proposal” responses.

A "compliant" proposal or quote in this context refers to a submission that meets the minimum submission requirements as outlined in the order solicitation instructions. It does not necessarily need to be deemed technically acceptable, but it must adhere to the basic requirements set forth in the solicitation. Per H-03, the Government will contact contract holders before off ramping to discuss circumstances which may include specialized capabilities that align with only a subset of task orders and may discuss potential exemptions on a case-by-case basis. Offerors may still be contacted in the event of a no-bid submission. Please also see SHIELD H-01 Ordering Procedures, which has been updated

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19 Paragraph 3

POSTED

10/2/2025

Section H-03 states that a contract holder may be off-ramped if "12 consecutive months have elapsed without the offeror submitting a proposal or quote that is compliant with the solicitation instructions." Could the Government clarify the definition of a "compliant" proposal or quote in this context? Does this refer to a proposal that meets minimum submission requirements, or does it require a proposal that is deemed technically acceptable? Additionally, would the Government consider exemptions for specialized providers whose capabilities may align with only a subset of task orders, resulting in periods of non-bidding due to lack of relevant opportunities, rather than lack of participation? Can a contractor, through cross teaming, receive bid credit for acting as a vendor for another contractor?

A "compliant" proposal or quote in this context refers to a submission that meets the minimum submission requirements as outlined in the order solicitation instructions. It does not necessarily need to be deemed technically acceptable, but it must adhere to the basic requirements set forth in the solicitation. Per H-03, the Government will contact contract holders before off ramping to discuss circumstances which may include specialized capabilities that align with only a subset of task orders and may discuss potential exemptions on a case-by-case basis. Regarding cross teaming, bid credit is not typically granted for acting as a vendor for another contractor; the focus is on the submission of proposals or quotes directly by the contract holder. Please also see SHIELD H-01 Ordering Procedures, which has been updated.

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19 H-03 Off-Ramp (July 2025)

POSTED

10/2/2025

The statement states that if a contractor does not submit a compliant proposal in 12 months. What happens if a contractor submits a single proposal for a TO in the 12-months period, but it is deemed as non-compliant by the agency?

A "compliant" proposal or quote in this context refers to a submission that meets the minimum submission requirements as outlined in the order solicitation instructions. It does not necessarily need to be deemed technically acceptable, but it must adhere to the basic requirements set forth in the solicitation. Per H-03, the Government will contact contract holders before off ramping to discuss circumstances which may include specialized capabilities that align with only a subset of task orders and may discuss potential exemptions on a case-by-case basis.

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19 There may also be other circumstances that lead to off ramp of a contract holder.

The Government will contact contract holders to discuss off ramping if contract holders are 1) non- responsive to modifications made at the IDIQ contract level, or 2) where 12 consecutive months have elapsed without the offeror submitting a proposal or quote that is compliant with the solicitation instructions.

Dated 10-07-2025 Page 1 of 196

DATE POSTED Question

ID

Question Government Response MDA File Name Original Page

Original Paragraph

POSTED

10/2/2025

To avoid off?ramp under H?03, does a timely 'No Bid' response with rationale count as responsive for the 12?month lookback, or must a fully compliant quote be submitted to reset the clock?

A "compliant" proposal or quote in this context refers to a submission that meets the minimum submission requirements as outlined in the order solicitation instructions. It does not necessarily need to be deemed technically acceptable, but it must adhere to the basic requirements set forth in the solicitation. Per H-03, the Government will contact contract holders before off ramping to discuss circumstances which may include specialized capabilities that align with only a subset of task orders and may discuss potential exemptions on a case-by-case basis. Offerors may still be contacted in the event of a no-bid submission. Please also see SHIELD H-01 Ordering Procedures, which has been updated

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N/A N/A

POSTED

10/2/2025

Is a completed C3PAO audit, along with supporting evidence, required at the time of proposal submission in order for an offeror’s response to be considered valid for this procurement?

A completed C3PAO audit is not required at the time of proposal submission.

Main Solicitation N/A C3PAO

POSTED

10/2/2025

How does the government define "teaming" in this context? Is a teaming partner considered a subcontractor, as referenced in the RFP? What are the specific teaming requirements and their definitions?

A contractor team arrangement is defined as:

(1) Two or more companies form a partnership or joint venture to act as a potential prime contractor; or (2) A potential prime contractor agrees with one or more other companies to have them act as its subcontractors under

SHIELD

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19 SHIELD H-04 Teaming Exclusive teaming is discouraged under the IDIQ; see FAR

3.301 (Reports of Suspected Antitrust 778 Violations)

POSTED

10/2/2025

Is a DCMA approved accounting system necessary to receive this IDIQ contract?

A DCMA approved accounting system is not necessary for award of an IDIQ contract. However, DCMA approval may be a requirement of some orders. Order specific details will be detailed in the order.

N/A N/A N/A

POSTED

10/2/2025 9

After awards are made, will the Government be publishing a forecast of task orders to the awardees?

A forecast of orders may be provided during the administration of the IDIQ. No forecast is available at this time.

N/A N/A N/A

POSTED

10/2/2025

Request MDA publish examples of expected early task order types or a rough forecast by scope area (e.g., RF sustainment, AI prototyping, etc.) to help offerors tailor teams.?

Rationale: Helps Long Wave identify where we can be most competitive and target relevant partners pre-award.?

A forecast or examples of expected early orders will not be published for this solicitation.

Solicitation N/A - General

Comment

N/A - General Comment

POSTED

10/6/2025

Please clarify/explain whether a Joint Venture that includes an existing IDIQ contract holder can submit a proposal in any Shield On-Ramp competition.

A Joint Venture that includes an existing IDIQ contract holder can submit a proposal in any future SHIELD on-ramp, provided that the Joint Venture meets all the requirements outlined in the RFP and has a unique UEI.

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19 Under SHIELD H-02 On-Ramp, paragraph 2 states in part: "Any existing IDIQ contract holders will not re-compete for an IDIQ contract, as this is unnecessary."

POSTED

10/2/2025

Can an individual company be a prime on one team and a subcontractor on another team for the same solicitation?

A prime awardee can also be a subcontractor to another prime at the order level. However, please see Section L-

3.0 for parameters on what experience may be submitted for small and other than small business offerors.

HQ085925RE001_Solicitation.

pdf

N/A N/A

POSTED

10/2/2025

Can an individual company be a prime on one team and a subcontractor on another team for the same solicitation?

A prime offeror can also be a subcontractor to another prime. However, please see Section L-3.0 for parameters on what experience may be submitted for small and other than small business offerors.

Solicitation_HQ085925RE001.

pdf

N/A N/A

POSTED

10/2/2025

Can a company submit a proposal as a Prime and also be a subcontractor on another proposal?

A prime offeror can also be a subcontractor to another prime. This is not considered a "duplicate proposal."

However, please see Section L-3.0 for parameters on what experience may be submitted for small and other than small business offerors.

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115 "4th - ""Each offeror is only allowed to submit one proposal. In the instance an entity has more than one Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) code, it will be allowed to submit one proposal per unique UEI.

Duplicate or identical proposals will be considered non-responsive and therefore ineligible for award."""

POSTED

10/2/2025

Can a prime Offeror also be a subcontractor on another team or is that considered a “duplicate proposal”?

A prime offeror can also be a subcontractor to another prime. This is not considered a "duplicate proposal."

However, please see Section L-3.0 for parameters on what experience may be submitted for small and other than small business offerors.

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115 4

Dated 10-07-2025 Page 2 of 196

DATE POSTED Question

ID

Question Government Response MDA File Name Original Page

Original Paragraph

POSTED

10/2/2025

Can we submit as response to the RFP as both prime and/or sub?

A prime offeror can also be a subcontractor to another prime. This is not considered a "duplicate proposal."

However, please see Section L-3.0 for parameters on what experience may be submitted for small and other than small business offerors.

N/A N/A N/A

POSTED

10/2/2025

Will the Government allow an offeror to submit a proposal as a prime contractor while also being listed as subcontractor in another offeror's proposal?

A prime offeror can also be a subcontractor to another prime. This is not considered a "duplicate proposal."

However, please see Section L-3.0 for parameters on what experience may be submitted for small and other than small business offerors.

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115 Fourth paragraph. "Each offeror is only allowed to submit one proposal."

POSTED

10/2/2025

14. Section H requires inclusion of a Supplier Compliance Supplement. Can the Government provide a sample format or template to standardize responses?

A Supplier Compliance Supplement is not required for proposal submission.

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Page 8 of

3.1.2

POSTED

10/6/2025

Block 14 requires acknowledgement of each amendment. This would require an offeror who has already submitted their proposal to resubmit should an amendment be issued. Would the government consider the following as acceptable language in the Administrative file in lieu of acknowledging each amendment: "We hereby acknowledge receipt of all current and subsequent solicitation amendments and confirm our acceptance of the terms and conditions set forth therein."

Acknowledging an amendment by completing block 14 of the SF33 does not require resubmission of the entire proposal.

SF33 1 block 14

POSTED

10/2/2025

Can the Government please clarify if each work area can have its own respective acronym list (for a total of 2-3 pages) or if the 1-page acronym list should contain content for all 2-3 submitted work area responses?

Additionally, in either case, will the Government please consider making the acronym list unlimited pages as it is just a reference and not essential reading for reviewers?

Acronyms and abbreviations are limited to 1 page in total, for the entire Corporate Experience submission.

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117 Last row in the table, “(L-3.0) Technical:

Acronyms and Abbreviations – 1 Page Limit”

POSTED

10/2/2025

Updated to include an Acronym and Abbreviation list in the Factor I file.

Please confirm the A&A page is allowed only within the L-

3.0 file and not for other submission files (e.g., L-2.1 Admin).

Acronyms and abbreviations are limited to 1 page in total, for the entire Corporate Experience submission.

Offerors may include acronym and abbreviation data in their Administrative Submissions, but these will be included in the page count if a page limitation is noted.

HQ085925RE001___Helpful_I nformation.pdf

4 Bullet

POSTED

10/2/2025

3. Section L-1.3 requires an Acronym/Abbreviation List.

Can the Government confirm that this list will be excluded from the page count (similar to FPDS reports)?

Acronyms and abbreviations are limited to 1 page in total, for the entire Corporate Experience submission.

The text regarding the 8 page form has been revised for clarity.

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116 -117 of 128

Section L-1.3

POSTED

10/2/2025

Is the Acronyms & Abbreviations page strictly 1 page and counted separately from the L-02 8-page total?

Acronyms and abbreviations are limited to 1 page in total, for the entire Corporate Experience submission.

The text regarding the 8 page form has been revised for clarity.

HQ085925RE001 –

Solicitation

Approx.

1-page limit for Acronyms & Abbreviations section.

POSTED

10/2/2025

Would the government allow more than one page of acronyms?

Acronyms and abbreviations are limited to 1 page in total, for the entire Corporate Experience submission.

The text regarding the 8 page form has been revised for clarity.

Attachment L-02, Offeror Response Template pg 1 of 8 N/A

POSTED

10/2/2025

Table L-1.3 PROPOSAL ORGANIZATION indicates an 8-page limit for SF 328, Attachment L-01. Will the government please confirm that addendum(s) to the SF 328 describing the organization are not included in the 8-page limit?

Addendum(s) to the SF 328 describing the organization are not included in the 8-page limit.

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116 Table L-1.3

POSTED

10/2/2025

Can the Government confirm that once MAC IDIQs are awarded, that individual Task or Delivery Orders will permit contractors to identify place of performances at facilities beyond the CAGE Code listed on the SF33?

After award individual Orders may permit contractors to identify places of performance at facilities beyond the CAGE Code listed on the SF33, as long as they comply with the terms and conditions of the order. However, each offeror is allowed to submit one proposal. In the instance an entity has more than one Unique Entity Identified (UEI) code, it will be allowed to submit one proposal per unique UEI.

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N/A N/A

POSTED

10/2/2025

Will the Government evaluate subcontractor past performance equally to prime past performance in determining relevance, complexity, and quality, in accordance with FAR 15.305(a)(2)(iii)?

All corporate experience that is submitted IAW the solicitation instructions will be evaluated under the same criteria, without weighting or preference.

HQ085925RE001_Solicitation N/A

Dated 10-07-2025 Page 3 of 196

DATE POSTED Question

ID

Question Government Response MDA File Name Original Page

Original Paragraph

POSTED

10/2/2025

Can the Government confirm that the Administrative Information document and the Foreign Ownership document should be submitted online by the proposal deadline of October 10, 2025 and PDF copies should be submitted with our proposal in PIEE?

All documents identified in the solicitation must be submitted by the proposal deadline. In addition, please see Section L to identify which documents are to be submitted via PIEE. Please note, the Microsoft Form at L- 2.1(d) is to be submitted online. A PDF copy of does not need to be provided.

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116 L-2.1, L-2.3.3.3

POSTED

10/2/2025

Can offerors highlight innovation from prior SBIR efforts, such as AFWERX-funded projects under Operational Imperative 5, as relevant to SHIELD Work Areas such as

2.1 (Science and Technology), 2.2 (R&D), and 2.5 (Disruptive Technologies), even if those technologies have not yet been transitioned to a program of record?

All experience must meet the definition of recency and relevancy as stated in Section L-3.0. Offerors may use experience from SBIR/STTR contracts, if they are recent and relevant. See Section L-3.0 and M-3.0 for more details.

HQ085925RE001_Solicitation.

pdf

7 2.1-2.5

POSTED

10/2/2025

The Helpful Information document states that "Offerors with SBIR/STTR contracts are not excluded from this requirement." For small business offerors, can SBIR/STTR Phase II contracts with relevant work areas count toward the minimum two work area requirement if they demonstrate recent and relevant corporate experience?

All experience must meet the definition of recency and relevancy as stated in Section L-3.0. SBIR/STTR contracts are not excluded and can count toward the minimum two work area requirement if they demonstrate recent and relevant corporate experience.

HQ085925RE001_Helpful Information

3 N/A

POSTED

10/2/2025 31

Will the evaluation emphasize the quality of experience over the quantity of contracts provided?

All experience must meet the definition of recency and relevancy as stated in Section L-3.0. See Sections L-3.0 and M-2.1 for more details.

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122 N/A

POSTED

10/2/2025

In the Table L-1.3 Section L-2.0 Administrative Submission, does the offeor submit each title area as separate files?

All items listed for submission would be contained in files. There are 6 submissions listed therefore 6 or less files (as applicable) would be submitted to the Government.

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116 Table L-1.3

POSTED

10/2/2025

Please confirm that offerors can submit the completed SF328 on file as opposed to completing the Attachment L-01 contained in the RFP files.

All Offerors are required to complete and submit Attachment L-01, SF 328 as provided in the RFP. A previously completed SF328 on file cannot be submitted in place of Attachment L-01.

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120 of 128 Offerors shall complete and submit Attachment L-01, Standard Form (SF) 328

(CERTIFICATE PERTAINING TO FOREIGN

INTERESTS) with the proposal.

POSTED

10/2/2025

Attachment L 01 SF 328 is required with the proposal.

Please confirm this is required for all offerors including those without a facility clearance at time of proposal.

All Offerors shall complete and submit Attachment L-01, SF 328

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115 - 118 L 2.3.3.3

POSTED

10/2/2025

If an Offeror indicates that they have a Facility Clearance (FCL) per Section L 2.1(d), are they still required to complete and submit Attachment L_01 (SF 328) with their proposal, given that Section M.1.1 allows either an FCL or successful completion of the Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI) review?

All Offerors shall complete and submit Attachment L-01, SF 328.

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119, 120, and 126

Section L-2.1(d) states, “Offerors should indicate if they do or do not have an active FCL.” Additionally, Section L-2.3.3.3 states, “Offerors shall complete and submit Attachment L_01, Standard Form

(SF) 328 (CERTIFICATE PERTAINING TO

FOREIGN INTERESTS) with the proposal.

However, Section M.1.1 states, “To be eligible for award, the Offeror must have a Facility Clearance (FCL) or successfully cleared the Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI) review process.”

POSTED

10/2/2025

Please confirm that Offerors that already have an active FCL are not required to complete and submit Attachment L-01, SF 328 with the proposal.

All Offerors shall complete and submit Attachment L-01, SF 328.

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Pages 120 & 126

Foreign Ownership Exclusion. To be eligible for award, the Offeror must have a Facility Clearance (FCL) or successfully cleared the Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI) review process.

POSTED

10/2/2025

Please confirm that Offerors that already have an active FCL are not required to complete and submit Attachment L-01, SF 328 with the proposal.

All Offerors shall complete and submit Attachment L-01, SF 328.

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Pages 120 & 126

Foreign Ownership Exclusion. To be eligible for award, the Offeror must have a Facility Clearance (FCL) or successfully cleared the Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI) review process.

Dated 10-07-2025 Page 4 of 196

DATE POSTED Question

ID

Question Government Response MDA File Name Original Page

Original Paragraph

POSTED

10/2/2025

Section LL-2.3.3.3

FOREIGN OWNERSHIP Offerors shall complete and submit Attachment L-01, Standard Form (SF) 328

(CERTIFICATE PERTAINING TO FOREIGN INTERESTS)

with the proposal. In accordance with 32 CFR Part 117, National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM), a U.S. company is considered to be under FOCI when: 1. A foreign interest has the power to direct or decide issues affecting the entity's management or operations in a manner that could either: a. Result in unauthorized access to classified information, or; b.

Adversely affect performance of a classified contract or agreement. 2. The foreign government is currently exercising, or could prospectively exercise, that power, whether directly or indirectly, such as a. Through ownership of the U.S. entity's securities, by contractual arrangements, or other means, or b. By the ability to control or influence the election or appointment of one or more members to the entity's governing board.

Offerors without an active FCL are highly encouraged to visit the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency website here https://www.dcsa. in order to gain more information related to FOCI and FCL mil/Industrial- Security/Entity-Vetting-Facility-Clearances- FOCI/Facility-Clearances/

All Offerors shall complete and submit Attachment L-01, SF 328.

M2.1 & LL 2.3.3.3

POSTED

10/2/2025

Section M states "To be eligible for award, the Offeror must have a Facility Clearance (FCL) or successfully cleared the Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI) review process;" whereas, Table L-1.3 Proposal Organization requires an (L-2.3.3.3) Foreign Ownership submission requirement of a completed SF 328, Attachment L-01.

Please confirm that companies with an active FCL granted by DCSA are not required to submit a completed SF328 Certificate Pertaining to Foreign Interests in their proposal response.

All Offerors shall complete and submit Attachment L-01, SF 328.

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126 M.1.1

POSTED

10/2/2025

Section states: "Offerors shall complete and submit Attachment L-01, Standard Form (SF) 328 (CERTIFICATE PERTAINING TO FOREIGN INTERESTS) with the proposal." However, Section M.1.1 states: "To be eligible for award, the Offeror must have a Facility Clearance (FCL) or successfully cleared the Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI) review process." Will the Government confirm whether firms with an FCL are required to submit the SF 328? If not, would the Government accept a printout from NISS showing the active FCL instead?

All Offerors shall complete and submit Attachment L-01, SF 328.

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120 N/A

POSTED

10/2/2025

If the “Unfair Competitive Advantage” statement under FAR Part 3 and SF 328 (Certificate Pertaining to Foreign Interests) are not applicable, are they still required to be included in the proposal, or can they be omitted entirely?

All Offerors shall complete and submit Attachment L-01, SF 328. In accordance with L-2.3.3.5, Offerors shall include an affirmative response in the event there are no such disclosures.

HQ0859-25-R-E001

Solicitation

N/A N/A

POSTED

10/6/2025

REVISION

POSTED

10/7/2025

If the contractor is proposal as a SBA MP JV that has not received an FCL yet, will the government accept the individual FCLs from the individual JV members OR is a non-affirmative SF 328 required to be submitted by the MP JV UEI to be deemed eligible for award?

REVISED FOR CLARITY

All Offerors shall complete and submit Attachment L-01, SF 328. Offerors may note that the JV members have FCLs. The Government will accept FCLs if they are from all JV members.

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126 2 - “Foreign ownership Exclusion - To be eligible for award, the Offeror must have a Facility Clearance (FCL) or successfully cleared the Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI) review process.”

POSTED

10/2/2025

If our company has a signed copy of a SF-328 as part of its active Facility Clearance Level (FCL), is it required to complete the form provided in the solicitation packet or will the existing document suffice?

All Offerors shall complete and submit Attachment L-01, SF 328. Offerors are allowed to submit their most recent SF 328 on file with the DCSA, unless one of the exceptions in the DCSA guidance released along with the May 2025 form applies.

L_01_SF_328__May_2025_ N/A N/A

Dated 10-07-2025 Page 5 of 196

DATE POSTED Question

ID

Question Government Response MDA File Name Original Page

Original Paragraph

POSTED

10/2/2025

Section I includes both FAR Part 15 and FAR Part 12 terms and conditions (52.212-4 & 52.212-5). Is it the intent of the Government to issue task orders under either a FAR part 15 or 12 basis? Suggest language be included to state the applicable procurement type will be determined at the task order level. Additionally, 52.212-3 and 52.212-5 are missing.

All orders will be competed in accordance with FAR 16.5.

The applicable procurement type will be determined at the order level and could be under FAR Part 12 or Part 15.

The Government will review the solicitation to ensure all necessary clauses, including 52.212-3 and 52.212-5, are included.

Solicitation 29-33

POSTED

10/6/2025

The draft RFP includes clauses that pertain to both commercial and non-commercial contract types. Please confirm that at the order level the Government will designate whether an order is issued under FAR Part 12 (commercial) or FAR Part 15 (non commercial), and that only the clauses applicable to that designation will apply to that order.

FAR and DFARS Clauses will apply to orders in accordance with the clause prescriptions and the text in the subsequent order. All orders will be issued under FAR Part 16, and will provide details on commerciality.

HQ085925RE001_Solicitation 3–5, 27+ Section B (Supplies or Services & Prices or Costs), Section I (Contract Clauses)

POSTED

10/2/2025

What is the deadline for the OCI notification to the Contracting Officer per L-2.3.3.4 CONFLICT OF INTEREST 3rd Paragraph ?

All proposal submissions must be submitted prior to the proposal due date. If there are any actual or potential conflicts of interest, additional details or a mitigation plan may be required as determined by the Contracting Officer.

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120 Contractors must notify the Contracting Officer if they have/have not participated in the SHIELD RFP development, have/do not have a current SETA contract with MDA, or have/do not have a DFARS 209.5 "Organizational and Consultant Conflicts of Interest" restriction upon submission of a proposal for the IDIQ. The Contracting Officer may, if needed, require a Mitigation Plan.

POSTED

10/2/2025

When completing Attachment L-02 to document corporate experience (contracts), may we include a copy of the referenced contract to support our response to Template Item #6? If so, should these contracts be submitted with the (L-3.0) Factor I – Corporate Experience volume, as indicated in Table L-1.3 and will not count against the page count?

All submission requirements are outlined in Section L. If the appropriate FPDS record is attached, no additional signatures or subcontract excerpts are required or requested.

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122 N/A

POSTED

10/2/2025

Please provide guidance on allowable costs and rate structures.

Allowable costs and rate structures will be determined in accordance with the FAR, DFARS, and any specific guidelines provided in the order solicitation. IDIQ awardees should ensure that all costs are reasonable, allocable, and allowable under the applicable cost principles.

Draft Solicitation - HQ085925RE001 0725.pdf

19 G.3

POSTED

10/2/2025 49

For classified task orders, will an active facility clearance be required at IDIQ award, or only prior to receiving a classified order?

An active facility clearance will be required prior to receiving access to classified information.

HQ085925RE001_Solicitation N/A N/A

POSTED

10/2/2025

Please confirm an amendment will be issued incorporating answers to questions into the solicitation.

If an amendment is not issued, per section l.1.1, the questions will not be given precedence over the solicitation in the event of an inconsistency.

An amendment will be issued to incorporate updates informed by the Q&A submissions.

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115 1

POSTED

10/2/2025

If an FPDS report has multiple mods for a corporate experience contract, would the government want the initial award FPDS entry and the final mod FPDS? Or does the government want inclusion of all mods of the contract included in the offeror submitted documentation.

An FPDS record from the initial award or a subsequent modification action in FPDS can be used to validate corporate experience, as long as it includes evidence of recency.

L_02_Factor_I_Corporate_Exp erience_Template

N/A N/A

POSTED

10/2/2025

Please clarify whether an image of the base contract listed in FPDS is appropriate or the base and most current option must be included.

An FPDS record from the initial award or a subsequent modification action in FPDS can be used to validate corporate experience, as long as it includes evidence of recency.

HQ085925RE001___Solicitati on of 128

L-3.0 TECHNICAL FACTOR I: Paragraph 4 states, “in lieu of a signature, the offeror may choose to provide one Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) record for each contract action via the FPDS eZ search (https://www.fpds.gov).”

POSTED

10/2/2025

Section L-3.0 states: "In lieu of a signature, the offeror may choose to provide one Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) record for each contract action via the FPDS eZ search." Please clarify what the Government means by "for each contract action". Does this mean a record for each contract modification? Or can Offerors provide the FPDS record for only the latest contract action/modification?

An FPDS record from the initial award or a subsequent modification action in FPDS can be used to validate corporate experience, as long as it includes evidence of recency.

HQ085925RE001___Solicitati on

122 4

Dated 10-07-2025 Page 6 of 196

DATE POSTED Question

ID

Question Government Response MDA File Name Original Page

Original Paragraph

POSTED

10/2/2025

When validating corporate experience with FPDS, will a record from the latest modification action (if the base award record is insufficient) meet the requirement, or are other authoritative award artifacts acceptable?

An FPDS record from the initial award or a subsequent modification action in FPDS can be used to validate corporate experience, as long as it includes evidence of recency.

L_03_FPDS_Instructions.pdf N/A N/A

POSTED

10/2/2025

Can an Offeror be a small business, and are there any restrictions on business size that would affect eligibility for award under this IDIQ contract?

An offeror can be a small business, and there are no restrictions on business size that would affect eligibility for award under this IDIQ contract.

N/A N/A N/A

POSTED

10/2/2025

Will the anticipated Ordering Guide (post-award) specify response timelines for RFQs/RFPs under SHIELD, or will this vary by order?

Anticipated response times are included in Section L-04.

However, response timelines may vary by order. Specific details will be provided in the order solicitation.

HQ085925RE001___Helpful_I nformation

3 "General – The Government intends to produce a post-award Ordering Guide or Ordering Procedures manual for use and reference by both the ordering contracting o??icer and industry."

POSTED

10/6/2025

Are there limitations or documentation requirements for invoiced or reimbursed costs and expenses?

Any limitations or documentation requirements for invoiced or reimbursed costs and expenses will be specified at the order level. Refer to DFARS 252.232- 7006.

Draft Solicitation - HQ085925RE001 0725.pdf

19 G.3

POSTED

10/2/2025

For Factor I Corporate Experience, if a contract was awarded more than five years ago but has had active performance within the last five years, will the Government consider that experience “recent”?

Any part of performance that occurred within 5 years from the date of the solicitation release is considered recent.

HQ085925RE001___Helpful_I nformation.pdf

Page: 3 of

All experience must meet the definition of recency and relevancy as stated in Section L-3.0.

POSTED

10/2/2025

Will the Government please clarify whether the reference should be to Section C-2.0 Work Areas or to Section C- 1-0, Paragraph 2?

Any references to Section C Paragraph 2 are referring to Section C-2.0 Work Areas.

HQ085925RE001___Solicitati on

122 of 128; 127 of 128; 7 of

L-3.0 paragraph 1; M-2.1 paragraph 1; C-

1.0 paragraph 2; C-2.0 Work Areas Section C paragraph 2 states: The MDA MAC IDIQ will support national defense objectives by ensuring continuous, layered protection against air, missiles, space, cyber, and hybrid threats originating from any vector - land, sea, air, space, or cyberspace. This effort supports commercial and non-commercial services and commodities of both classified and unclassified efforts on multiple security domains. Only DoD departments and agencies may be authorized to use the IDIQ if their requirement is for the same or similar supplies or services.

POSTED

10/2/2025

Can you identify compliance requirements (IT and others) for the NAICS we are qualified/capable of (e.g., SOC, HIPAA, CMMC, FEDRAMP, GCC-HIGH, PCI/DSS, PII, etc.)?

Any such compliance requirements would be addressed in future Delivery or Task Order solicitations, if and when prudent.

C-01 SHIELD NAICS

Codes.docx

1 N/A

POSTED

10/2/2025

Reference Text: “Offerors shall not deviate from the format or the templates provided and shall not exceed page limits set forth in Table L-1.3; however, the addition of legends and markings as provided in FAR 52.215-1 Alternate I is allowed.”

Question: Can you please confirm offerors will be deemed compliant when they apply the markings from FAR 52.215-1(e) of the basic provision to each sheet of RFP attachment “L_02_Factor_I_Corporate_Experience_Template” while following the formatting directions in L-1.4 Proposal Format?

Applying markings in accordance with FAR 52.215-1 Alt I will not make an Offeror's proposal non-complaint.

Solicitation 117 1

POSTED

10/2/2025

If the government uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the evaluation of Factor I, Corporate Experience, how will it be used?

Artificial intelligence will not be used in the evaluation of Factor I, Corporate Experience.

HQ085925RE001___Solicitati on

Page 127 Paragraph 4; No qualitative assessment will be made of the experience described;

the information will be used solely to ensure companies have experience making some effort related to that covered by the Section C work areas. All offerors whose proposals demonstrate recent and relevant corporate experience in at least two IDIQ Section C scope of work areas will be considered to have submitted a technically acceptable proposal.

Dated 10-07-2025 Page 7 of 196

DATE POSTED Question

ID

Question Government Response MDA File Name Original Page

Original Paragraph

POSTED

10/2/2025

Government intends to issue an Initial $500 DO for post-award conference, capability statement, and CDRLs (e.g., IMCP).

Please confirm the capability statement format and whether it may include teammate capabilities or must be prime-only.

As noted in Section L-4.0, the template will be provided between award and the post-award conference.

HQ085925RE001___Solicitati on.pdf

123 all

POSTED

10/2/2025

How often does MDA anticipate exercising the on-ramp provision (H-02), and will there be advance notice for existing IDIQ holders?

As noted in the solicitation, the frequency of on-ramping is at the Government's discretion; however, notice of an on-ramp opportunity would be publicly available.

HQ085925RE001___Solicitati on.pdf

19 SHIELD H-02 On-Ramp (July 2025) All interested parties are placed on notice that after award the Government may at its discretion from time to time reopen the competition under this solicitation if it is in the Government's best interest to increase the pool of competition among the IDIQ contract holders. When/if the Government decides to reopen the solicitation, an announcement will be posted via SAM.gov allowing new offerors the opportunity to compete for an IDIQ contract. The award decision for the on-ramp solicitation will be based upon the same evaluation factors as the original solicitation. Any existing IDIQ contract holders will not re-compete for an IDIQ contract, as this is unnecessary. Subsequent to a reopened competition, existing and new IDIQ contract holders can compete for future task or delivery orders as set forth in the terms and conditions of the contract. The contract ordering period for any firm selected in accordance with the solicitation's On-ramp procedures will run concurrent with the existing IDIQ ordering period. The award of any new firm(s) does t i th i l f th POSTED 10/2/2025

There is no Section A listed on the SF33, will the Government please confirm that the 180 days should be listed in Block 12?

As shown on the Page 1, Block 11 Table of Contents, Section A is pages 1-2 of the solicitation. Please enter 180 days in Block 12 of the 1st page.

HQ085925RE001___Solicitati on

115 3. The Offeror shall make a clear statement in SF 33 Section A of the solicitation that the proposal is valid for 180 days from proposal submission date.

POSTED

10/2/2025

Given the 10-year potential duration, what economic factors will trigger price adjustments, particularly for labor-intensive sustainment work affected by wage inflation?

As there is no pricing at the IDIQ level, price will be evaluated for each order with the proposal for that order.

The Government will follow the terms of the price adjustment clauses and regulations to determine if a price adjustment is warranted for an order.

HQ085925RE001___Solicitati on.pdf

Page 41 N/A

POSTED

10/6/2025

The Helpful information states "Contractors without an accounting system that has been deemed acceptable as provided in DFARS 242.7501 are not precluded from submitting a proposal for this effort. There are no business system requirements for the IDIQ, but there may be requirements at the order level". Because the Government states there are no business system requirements, this appears to speak counter to the requirement for EVMS. Please clarify the Government's definition of business system requirement here.

As this may have caused confusion, please disregard this statement in the helpful information document. EVMS is still a requirement where applicable.

HQ085925RE001___Helpful_I nformation

3 Last Bullet

POSTED

10/2/2025

Please confirm the intent was to leave all blocks under 52.212-5 unchecked.

At the IDIQ level, that is correct. The Ordering Contracting Officer will determine which blocks (and associated clauses) apply at the Delivery or Task Order level.

HQ085925RE001_Solicitation 35 52.212-5(b)

POSTED

10/2/2025

The solicitation references FAR 16.505 fair opportunity procedures. Will certain work areas (particularly sustainment and facilities) be subject to different competition thresholds given their operational nature and potential for long-term sole-source requirements?

At the IDIQ level, there are no different competition thresholds for offerors submitting to various work areas.

Once awarded, there are no work area restrictions;

awardees can propose on any listed work area, regardless of the work areas they submitted experience for in their IDIQ proposal.

HQ085925RE001___Solicitati on.pdf

Page 18 Paragraph b

POSTED

10/6/2025

What is the schedule for debriefings and how will unsuccessful offerors be notified?

At this time, the Government has not developed a timeframe. The Government will adhere to all FAR Part 15 procedures related to debriefings and notification to unsuccessful offerors.

Solicitation n/a n/a

Dated 10-07-2025 Page 8 of 196

DATE POSTED Question

ID

Question Government Response MDA File Name Original Page

Original Paragraph

POSTED

10/6/2025

The Government indicates Offerors "should include a statement to that effect in their proposal". Please identify in which file submission this information should be included, how it should be included, and if there is a preference for additional subcontractor company details, such as CAGE Code, Socioeconomic status, etc.

Attachment L-02 contains fields for the offeror to indicate their relationship to the entity referenced within the corporate experience. As such, offerors would include this statement in L-02, and identify the subcontractor as provided in L-2.1.

HQ085925RE001___Solicitati on

123 Under CORPORATE EXPERIENCE, Paragraph 9: Small business offerors seeking to rely on the experience of their small business first-tier subs under 13 CFR 125.2(g) should include a statement to that effect in their proposal and identify the small business first-tier subcontractors they want the Agency to consider as provided in L-2.1(e).

POSTED

10/2/2025

If an offeror is submitting more than one distinct contract reference for Corporate Experience, they will have to alter Attachment L-02 in order to distribute the form to multiple parties for signature, and then combine the signed forms into one document to be submitted IAW L-1.4, 6. This will alter the form. The primary way to combine signed PDF documents without losing all of the field data entered is to use an image of the PDF and paste it into a Word document, rendering signature validation null and at the risk of poor readability and lack of form field functionality or retention for the purposes of evaluation.

Suggest allowing multiple Attachment L-02 documents to be submitted for Factor 1 – Corporate Experience, so that field data and signature validation can be maintained for every contract reference submitted.

We strongly encourage the Government to test the L-02, specifically how they would send it to multiple parties for signature and then combine the signed forms back into one document while retaining all data and form functionality to understand the challenges presented by the current instructions and Attachment L-02.

Attachment L-02 has been updated and is available on SAM.gov.

HQ085925RE001___Solicitati on.pdf -AND- L_02_Factor_I_Corporate_Exp erience_Template.pdf

118, 122 of the solicitatio n -AND- All of Attachmen t L-02

Table in paragraph 6 of L-1.4 and paragraph 1 of L-3.0 L-3.0 reads “Responses that do not use Attachment L- 02, or alter the field properties of Attachment L-02, will not be evaluated and may not be eligible for award.” And The Table in L-1.4, 6. indicates the file naming convention to be used for proposal files, indicating that Factor I - Corporate Experience must be one file.

POSTED

10/2/2025

In Attachment L-02, pages 2, 4, and 6, field 4 (Award Date) is not editable/fillable. Can the government please provide an updated template?

Attachment L-02 has been updated and is available on SAM.gov.

Attachment L-02 2, 4, and 6 NA

POSTED

10/2/2025

In Attachment L-02, pages 3, 5, and 7, field 6 (detailed description of the experience…) is not editable/fillable.

Can the government please provide an updated template?

Attachment L-02 has been updated and is available on SAM.gov.

Attachment L-02 3, 5, 7 field 6 (detailed description of the experience…)

POSTED

10/2/2025

On the Corporate Experience Template, the box titled “Client Phone Number and Email” when we try to complete that box, it auto corrects or overwrites the other boxes for the “Client Phone Number and Email” for all three corporate experiences. Our projects have different clients, so we need to be able to list those individually and we are unable because of the overwriting on the form. Will you please provide a corrected template?

Attachment L-02 has been updated and is available on SAM.gov.

N/A N/A Factor 1 Corporate Experience Template

POSTED

10/2/2025

The "Client Phone Number and Email" box in Corporate Experience Number 1 (page 2) is linked to the same box in Corporate Experience Number 2 (page 4). As we will be using different client contact details for separate contracts, we kindly request that these boxes be unlinked.

Attachment L-02 has been updated and is available on SAM.gov.

L_02_Factor_I_Corporate_Exp erience_Template.pdf

2 Client Phone Number and Email

POSTED

10/2/2025

The “Client Phone Number and Email” entries for Corporate Experience Number 1 (page 2) and Corporate Experience Number 2 (page 4) are linked. Entry of data in one of the boxes overwrites the data in the second box. Can the Government please fix and reissue the template?

Attachment L-02 has been updated and is available on SAM.gov.

L-02 Pages 2 and 4

N/A

Dated 10-07-2025 Page 9 of 196

DATE POSTED Question

ID

Question Government Response MDA File Name Original Page

Original Paragraph

POSTED

10/2/2025

The 1st and 2nd corporate experience references has a linkage between the Section 3 POC "Client Phone Number and Email" on pages 2 and 4 respectively within the attachment. Would the government please provide an updated PDF template that does not link the Section 3 of the first and second reference POC information?

Attachment L-02 has been updated and is available on SAM.gov.

Attachment L-02, Offeror Response Template pg 2 and pg 4 of 8

Section 3, Client Phone Number and Email for the 1st and 2nd references

POSTED

10/2/2025

The current Attachment L-02 has a cell that is linked between the 1st and 2nd examples under Question 3 for Client Phone Number and E-mail where when you update this cell it automatically changes the same cell of the other example (only in examples 1 and 2). Please provide an un-linked file so the correct information can be provided.

Attachment L-02 has been updated and is available on SAM.gov.

Attachment L-02 Attachmen t L-02

L-02

POSTED

10/2/2025

The current template lacks fields to enter the Award Date and Completion Date for cited contracts on all corporate experience entries. Additionally, Attachment L-02 has been updated and is available on SAM.gov.

L_02_Factor_I_Corporate_Exp erience_Template

N/A 4

POSTED

10/2/2025

The fields for Client Phone Number and Email in CORPORATE EXPERIENCE NUMBERS 1 & 2 are linked;

when updates are made to one, they automatically copy over to the other, meaning the contact information in one of the two fields is necessarily incorrect. The same field in CORPORATE EXPERIENCE NUMBER 3 does not do this. Can this be fixed?

Attachment L-02 has been updated and is available on SAM.gov.

L_02_Factor_I_Corporate_Exp erience_Template

Pages 2 and 4

Client Phone Number and Email

POSTED

10/2/2025

The form fields for "Client Phone Number and Email" on CORPORATE EXPERIENCE NUMBER 1 and 2 appear to be linked to each other. Filling one out, duplicates and overwrites the information on the other and vice versa.

Thus, the client phone and email field for either Experience 1 or 2 will always be incorrect as it will be associated with the other Corporate Experience. We request the issue be resolved in order for us to provide the correct contact information for all Corporate Experience Client POC information.

Attachment L-02 has been updated and is available on SAM.gov.

L_02_Factor_I_Corporate_Exp erience_Template.pdf

2, 4 N/A

POSTED

10/2/2025

The pulldown menu for the experience contract number does not allow for the contract number to show in the window. Please revise the template so that the contract number is allowed to show on the form.

Attachment L-02 has been updated and is available on SAM.gov.

Attachment L-02 Factor 1 Corporate Experience Template

N/A N/A

POSTED

10/2/2025

The response field for Client Phone Number and Email carries over from Corporate Experience Number 1 to Number 2. Will the Government revise the L-02 attachment without linked cells?

Attachment L-02 has been updated and is available on SAM.gov.

L-02 Factor I Corporate Experience

4 1

POSTED

10/2/2025

The Section 3 fields for Client Phone Number and Email for CORPORATE EXPERIENCE NUMBER 1 and NUMBER 2 appear to be linked, causing unintended changes between the two entries and resulting in inaccurate client contact information for at least one corporate experience entry.

Attachment L-02 has been updated and is available on SAM.gov.

L_02_Factor_I_Corporate_Exp erience_Template

N/A 3

POSTED

10/2/2025

There seems to be an issue with the template in Section 3 - "Client Phone Number and Email" form field. When one enters details for this field in Corporate Experience 1, it repeats the information for Corporate Experience 2.

If one manually enters new information in Corporate Experience 2, the data in Corporate Experience 1 is overwritten for that field. Can the Government please provide offerors with a corrected template?

Attachment L-02 has been updated and is available on SAM.gov.

Attachment L-02 Several Client Phone Number and Email:

POSTED

10/2/2025

Can the government confirm that the L-03 Offeror Response Template is the only required format for technical and business proposal submission at the RFP stage?

Attachment L-02 is the only format for the submission of…