Attachment_6_-_RFP_Questions_and_Answers.pdf

DARPA Physical Security Support Services HR001118R0003 Questions and Answers

# Section / Reference Page Number Solicitation Requirement / Discussion Question / Recommendation Answer

1 Section L-7.3 4 of 8

Offerors shall submit up to three (3) projects identified by contract number (and task/call order as applicable) that reflect recent and relevant past performance. At least one project must be for the prime contractor.

In accordance with FAR 15.305 (a)(2)(iii), will the Government take into account past performance information regarding predecessor companies, key personnel who have relevant experience, or subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirement when such information is relevant to the instant acquisition?

Yes; however, it is the offeror's responsibility to prove the information is relevant to the instant acquisition. The Government will also independently evaluate the relevancy of each submission.

2 Section L-7.3 4 of 8

Offerors shall submit up to three (3) projects identified by contract number (and task/call order as applicable) that reflect recent and relevant past performance. At least one project must be for the prime contractor.

In accordance with GAO rulings, will the Government permit the use of sister company experience and past performance if a meaningful relationship is documented in a commitment letter? If yes, would you exclude these letters from the page count?

Yes; however, it is the offeror's responsibility to prove the information is relevant to the instant acquisition within the page count. The Government will also independently evaluate the relevancy of each submission.

Yes, the actual commitment letter as described may be included in the "Other Information (No Page Limit)" section described in Section L- 8.2.

3 Section L-6 2 of 8 Print shall be of a minimum 10-point font size or a maximum 10 characters per inch (10-pitch, Times New Roman) spacing including graphic presentations and tables.

Will the government allow the use of smaller fonts and sans serif fonts within graphics and tables, as long as the text is still legible? No.

4 L-7.2 iv 4 of 8 Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) Please confirm that the Government would like us to provide our approach to the QASP in our proposal, as the PWS states the actual plan is not due until 30 days following the contract POP start date.

The QASP proposal submission requirement is now removed. See revised RFP.

5 L-8.2 ii 7 of 8 Offerors shall include a statement certifying that they possess a Top Secret facility clearance. Will the Government please issue a draft DD254 with security requirements?

No, a final DD254 will be issued upon award. The Government determines that a draft DD254 is not necessary prior to then as this is an UNCLASSIFED soliciation, and all applicable Security requirement are outlined in the RFP.

6 PWS: 1.3.1 6 of 57

The contractor shall be licensed as a provider of unarmed security officer services under the laws of the [Commonwealth] of Virginia and shall possess such other licenses and/or permits as may be required by state, federal, or local governments to provide these services.

Does the entity providing the uniformed security services require the appropriate licensing and/or permits or does the prime contractor require it even if not physically performing the service?

Only the employer of the uniformed guard service will require the certification. If this employer is a proposed subcontractor, please provide their licenses and/or permits in response to Section L-8.2iii.

7 PWS: 3.1 11 of 57 The contractor shall provide a full-time senior on-site company representative, hereinafter referred to as “program manager” (PM) to manage the overall contract.

Will the contractor PM be provided with an office to conduct his/her duties and appropriately secure contract and personnel-related documents? Yes.

8 PWS: 4.5 31 of 57 Work Areas Are contractor employees provided parking or is that limited to direct-hire employees only?

Parking is available on-site for a fee to both Government and contractor support staff, but there is currently a wait list. There are numerous other parking and public transportation options within walking distance.

9 L-7.2 iv 4 of 8 Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) Does the government have a QASP in place on the incumbent contract? If yes, please provide a copy of that QASP for reference. No.

10 PWS: 9.5 42 of 57 Key Personnel shall be available full-time immediately upon contract award.

If this requirement is true, this necessitates full-time key personnel staffing in August, long before Period of Performance start. Can the reference to “contract award” be changed to “Period of Performance start date”?

Yes, see revised PWS.

11 Attachment 5 N/A Attachment 5

Has the incumbent contractor or DARPA submitted a SF 1444 - Request for Authorization of Additional Classification to the Department of Labor (DOL) to recommend the classification of any position listed on Attachment 5 – Pricing Spreadsheet as a “service employee” under the Service Contract Act? If so, what was DOL’s determination on the positions recommended for conformance and listing on the Wage Determination?

No.

12 Attachment 2 - Wage Determination

Wage Determination (WD) 2015-4282 R9 was included with the solicitation. This WD (even numbered) requires that Health and Welfare (H&W) be paid on all hours worked. The more common or odd numbered WD (2015-4281 R9 for this solicitation’s place of performance) requires that H&W be paid on all hours paid up to 40 hours per week.

Will the Government confirm the WD that is applicable to this solicitation? The Wage Determination is now revised to WD 2015-4281 (Rev. 9).

13 PWS Section 1.4.2 PWS Section 1.4.2 states that each contractor employee is required to attend a basic DARPA security training session. How long is the transition orientation training?

Orientation training includes one partial day, in-person session followed by several Computer Based Training (CBT) sessions. The total time for training is less than one week.

14 PWS Section 1.4.2 PWS Section 1.4.2 states that each contractor employee is required to attend a basic DARPA security training session. Will the training be completed outside of the employee’s normal workday? No, training may be conducted during the normal workday.

15 PWS Section 1.5 and

PWS 3.4.3.1-3.4.3.2

PWS Section 1.5 states that “all contractor personnel, including replacement personnel, shall meet the training requirements set forth herein prior to performing any on-site security services under this contract, or to continue to work on this contract, unless otherwise specified on a case-by-case basis by the Government.” PWS Sections 3.4.3.1-3.4.3.2 discuss training requirements for the Security Officers;

however, it doesn’t provide the length of time required for each training topic.

Will the Government clarify the training requirements for both new hire training and annual refresher training and provide the length of time required for each course?

See Question 13 for new hire training. Annual refresher training is done via CBT. See PWS Sections 1.5 and 3.4.3.2 for revisions.

Section L-7.2 Factor 1, Technical Expertise, pages 3-4.

Technical Expertise (38 page limit) shall include the following:

Management Approach / Staffing Plan, Technical Approach, Purchasing System, Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP), Key Personnel

A typical QASP can sometimes extend beyond 20 pages, if developed with sufficient detail. Will you exclude the QASP from the page limit?

The QASP proposal submission requirement is now removed. See revised RFP.

Section L-7.2 Factor 1, Technical Expertise, pages 3-4.

Technical Expertise (38 page limit) shall include the following:

Management Approach / Staffing Plan, Technical Approach, Purchasing System, Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP), Key Personnel

Typical resumes can be 2-3 pages each. Will you exclude the resumes from the page limit? No.

Section L – Volume II – Price/Cost and Other Information

In reviewing the section L requirements for the Price/Cost proposal, it is not clear if subcontractors are required to submit a separate sealed package to the Government.

Are proposed subcontractors required to submit a separate “sealed” Volume II Price/Cost and Other Information? If yes, is there any information in the Section L instructions that would not be required of the subcontractor (i.e. an executed copy of the solicitation cover page)?

No, proposed subcontractors are not required to submit a separate “sealed” Volume II Price/Cost and Other Information. However, see revised Price/Cost sections (L-8.1vii and M-6) in RFP addressing this.

An executed copy of the solicitation cover page would not be required in a subcontract proposal sent directly to the Government.

19 PWS Section 1.3.12 states "All candidates... must undergo drug testing prior to hire and be subject to random testing after employment."

Will the government please clarify what "random" testing constitutes? (e.g., Is it roughly 10% of the workforce on a monthly basis, 5% of the workforce each week, etc.)

Random drug testing is not currently defined by the Government using a rough percentage. Drug testing plans shall be submitted by the awardee for approval by the Government prior to the PoP start date.

All approved drug testing is covered under the ODC CLIN. Initial drug testing of individuals prior to hire will not be covered by the Government under the ODC CLIN.

Paragraph 9.3.2 says employees must be currently [already] adjudicated for SCI access. Paragraphs 9.6.1 thru 9.6.19 says employees simply must be eligible for SCI access.

Please clarify which requirement is correct. See revised PWS Section 9.3.2.

For the PWS Paragraph 9.6.11 'Special Qualifications', is it okay if the key personnel obtains these tests and medical examination after award of contract but before start of work, or do they have to possess the test and examination at the time of proposal submission so it is included in their resume?

If these tests and medical examinations are not obtained by time of proposal submission, a submitted actual resume may state whether they will be obtained prior to the PoP start date. A submitted representative resume "shall provide information to substantiate the extent to which...meets or exceeds the functional position descriptions and other minimum personnel qualifications and eligibility requirements." (L- 7.2iv)

PWS 9.6.2 states a requirement of "Antiterrorism Program Lead Experience Minimum of eight years’ experience as an Antiterrorism Officer within the past seven years." 8 years of experience within the last 7 years is a likely typo.

Please clarify the actual required years of experience. Please see revised PWS Section 9.6.2.

The table in PWS Section 9.7.1 contains multiple rows that show a discrepancy between the quantity in parentheses and the equivalent number of hours to be worked. (e.g., USS Supervisor shows a quantity of 1 but hours worked (24), which is equal to 3 FTEs, while other roles show a quantity and estimated hours that match up in a 1:8 ratio of 1 FTE per 8 hours worked.

Can the government clarify the intention of the numbers in parentheses, the number of hours worked, and the correlation between the two where they are not in a 1:8 ratio?

For clarification using the example provided, one (1) USS Supervisor shall be on duty 24 hours per day. Alternatively, one (1) VWC Manager shall be on duty 8 hours per day from 0800 - 1700. The offeror shall determine how many individual people and shifts to propose to fulfill those post requirements.

Section L, Administrative Matter ii. asks for the prime and subs.

Administrative Matter vii. asks for other team members.

Does "other team members" refer to the subcontractors already referenced in item ii, or is it asking for any additional team members outside of the ones previously mentioned in item ii.?

"Other teams members" refers to team members in addition to those previously referenced in L-7.1ii.

Section B – Supplies and Services and Prices

Are offerors required to complete and submit pages 2 of 48 through 6 of 4[8]? If yes, which volume should this information be included)?

No, pricing shall be submitted using the Government-provided spreadsheet.

26 1.4.1 Transition-In 9 of 57 "The contractor shall establish a transition-in management team, consisting of at least all Key Personnel, . . . ." What is the required Transition-In period for this contract? The required Transition-In is approximately three (3) weeks from 10

Dec 2018 through 31 Dec 2018.

27 4.3.1 Visitor Welcome Center (VWC) Staff 30 of 57 This section lists the uniform items required for the VWC staff;

however, it does not specify the quantities of each item per staff. Please specify the quantity of each item required for each VWC staff member.

The Government will not specify a quantity at this time. While the quantity is not specified, the awardee shall provide personnel with a sufficient quantity of uniforms to maintain a professional appearance.

Uniforms shall be charged under the ODC CLIN upon approval by the Government, and the Government-provided ODC Not-to-Exceed amount accounts for this.

28 4.3.2 Uniformed Security Officer Staff 30 of 57 This section lists the uniform items required for the security officer staff; however, it does not specify the quantities of each item per staff. Please specify the quantity of each item required for each security officer?

The Government will not specify a quantity at this time. While the quantity is not specified, the awardee shall provide personnel with a sufficient quantity of uniforms to maintain a professional appearance.

Uniforms shall be charged under the ODC CLIN upon approval by the Government, and the Government-provided ODC Not-to-Exceed amount accounts for this.

29 N/A N/A

Background: On July 13, 2017, the Department of Defense issued Class Deviation 2017-O0006 which raised the micro-purchase threshold from $3,500 to $5,000. The Deviation allows authorized DoD buyers to make purchases of supplies and services up to $5,000 using streamlined procedures.

Has DARPA instituted the $5,000.00 threshold for micro-purchases? DARPA institutes all DoD Class Deviations if applicable.

30 PWS Sections 4.3 and 4.6

29 of 57 and

4.3 Uniforms -- The contractor shall provide separate and distinct uniforms for the staff assigned to the Visitor Control Center and for staff assigned as security officers. The proposed uniform scheme shall be submitted to the government for approval.

4.6 Other Direct Costs -- Other Direct Cost (ODCs) purchases shall be made in accordance with the FAR and pre- approved by the COR.

Typical ODC purchases include, but are not limited to: uniforms for Security Officer/Visitor Welcome Center personnel…

The PWS states that uniforms are to be provided by contractor but also states uniforms are a direct cost for the USS and VWC. Can you confirm that uniform costs can be billed directly and are not included in the bill rates?

Yes, confirmed.

31 PWS 1.4.2 Page 9 of 57

1.4.2 Transition Orientation for New Employees -- The training will be presented by the Security and Intelligence Directorate (SID) training team… The training package consists of a combination of Computer Based Training (CBT) modules and lectures.

The PWS outlines training to be provided by the SID, including CBT and lectures. Are these training hours billable as a direct cost to DARPA? If not billable, can DARPA provide an estimate of the hours of training required to cover the topics?

Yes, training hours shall be included within the firm fixed price and may be conducted during the normal workday as long as it does not affect normal operations.

32 PWS Section 3.4.3.2 Page 18 of 57 3.4.3.2 Phases of Field Training Program (FTP) Work requirements include training and three day OJT training, are these training hours billable as incurred? If not billable, can DARPA provide an estimate of the hours of training required to cover the work requirements training content?

Yes, training hours shall be included within the firm fixed price and may be conducted during the normal workday as long as it does not affect normal operations.

33 L-8.1vii 6 of 8 Offerors shall provide a total compensation plan per FAR 52.222-46 setting forth salaries and fringe benefits proposed for the professional employees who will work under the contract.

In order to accurately calculate fringe benefit requirements necessary to comply with the provisions of the applicable wage determination and service contract act it is requested that the Gov’t provide the seniority dates of incumbent contract employees.

See seniority percentages chart below.