Industry Qs and Govt Responses HQ0860-26-S-C008.pdf

Industry Questions and Government responses: HQ0860-26-S-C008

1. Section 1.10 requires the Offeror to possess the DD 254 minimum clearance at White Paper submission. For firms which do not hold a Facility Clearance, may those firms submit a White

Paper (a) as the capability provider to a cleared Offeror of record, or (b) as the Offeror with FCL sponsorship in process at submission?

Offerors must have a valid U.S. security clearance of Secret or higher and an active Facility

Security Clearance (FCL) issued by DCSA under the NISP at the time of White Paper submission for AOI 1. AOIs 2 and 3 do not require a Facility Clearance or Safeguarding requirements.

2. Is the DD 254 requirement the same across all three AOIs, and does it require a possessing

(safeguarding) FCL or a non-possessing FCL?

AOIs 2 and 3 do not require a Facility Clearance or Safeguarding requirements.

3. Is the "Government Antenna Broker" referenced in each AOI the Joint Antenna Marketplace /

TREx, and is the JAM TREx ISD v1.1.2 in the Offeror's Library the governing interface for API-driven tasking?

Yes, JAM TREx ISD v1.1.2 in the Offeror's Library is the governing interface for API-driven tasking.

4. May a company participate in more than one team's White Paper for the same AOI?

Yes, it is allowable for a company to participate in more than one team’s White Paper for the same AOI.

5. For the AOI 03 growth plan, is the "100 simultaneous contacts" target global across the network, or per geographic region?

This is a requirement for the White Paper submission to allow the Government to evaluate the

Offeror’s “concept for providing a guaranteed level of service (i.e., a fixed number of simultaneously available contacts in a specified region at specified performance)” to scale capacity from the prototype proposal to a future follow-on production OT or contract.

6. What facility clearance level does the DD Form 254 require, and does it differ by AOI

The Facility Security Clearance (FCL) and Safeguarding Requirements are both Secret.

7. (Section 2.2.3 API-driven tasking interoperable with the Government Antenna Broker operations inclusive of contact scheduling and execution) Can you confirm that the referenced 'Government

Antenna Broker' is the Joint Antenna Marketplace (JAM)?

Yes, the Government Antenna Broker is the Joint Antenna Marketplace (JAM)

8. (Section 2.2.3 Solutions must be a mature, commercial capability (TRL 8–9) operating on existing infrastructure, implement appropriate security controls to protect Government data streams and system capabilities within the multi-tenant environment, and be immediately fieldable in accordance with section 3.3.) Will the SCAR vendors be required to utilize the JAM-

CCAP?

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Yes, vendors will be required to utilize the JAM-CCAP.

9. (The service should utilize a fully commercial, multi-tenant ground station network that consists of a shared global pool of physical antenna assets) Is it the Government's intent for the AaaS provider to connect to the SCAR System exclusively via the Government Antenna Broker, or does the Government contemplate additional connections either with 'multiple independent customers' or additional parts of the SCAR System?

Yes, the Offeror will connect exclusively through JAM.

10. (Section 2.2.3 The service can serve multiple independent customers through secure, virtualized logical pathways.) Does the Government anticipate sponsoring vendors' systems to obtain an

Authority to Operate for either AOI2 or AOI3?

No, an ATO is not required for AOI 2 or 3. Vendors will be required to utilize the JAM-CCAP.

11. (Section 2.2.5 The service should utilize a fully commercial, multi-tenant ground station network that consists of a shared global pool of physical antenna assets. The service can serve multiple independent customers through secure, virtualized logical pathways. This will shift the

Government from asset ownership to buying a dynamic, capability-as-a-service model.)

Does an AaaS provider have to own the assets that are being proposed to the Government under

AOI3?

No. The Offeror shall provide a description of the proposed solution aligned to the selected AOI and explain how the proposed solution is innovative.

Is the Government open to an AaaS provider brokering access to antennas owned by other companies?

Yes. The Offeror shall provide a description of the proposed solution aligned to the selected AOI and explain how the proposed solution is innovative

12. Is there a minimum number of antenna time or satellite contacts to be purchased under AOI 03?

No, there is no minimum antenna time stated in AOI 3. The minimum number of contacts is one.

Section 9 of the solicitation, CSO Offeror’s Library, states that the SCAR TRD allows tailoring to support the White Paper submission while retaining the performance and functional capabilities identified in the TRD.

There is latitude in the White Paper submission process to allow the Offeror under AOI 3 to provide a description of the proposed solution with a concept for providing a guaranteed level of service (i.e., a fixed number of simultaneously available contacts in a specified region at specified performance).

13. Is the Government open to purchasing antenna time on a per minute basis with no guaranteed minimum purchase?

Based on how the question is stated, nothing in the described potential White Paper appears to be non-responsive to the CSO technical requirements.

Note that Phase 2 proposals have Price Volume requirements in Section 7.2.3.1. states, “FFP contracts are highly desired by the PMO and will be maximized. As an FFP, all costs/prices proposed shall be fixed and inclusive for the entire performance period. Other fixed-price type contracts including fixed price incentives may be considered when supported by risk analysis.”

Therefore, cost reimbursable pricing arrangements will not be awarded.