Attachment V - HSCG7910T1112 List of Q As 9-9-10.doc

SMALL CUTTER CONNECTIVITY KU BAND SYSTEM AND AIR TIME SERVICES SOLICITATION

HSCG79-10-R-PT1112

QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES LIST

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Questions/Responses

1. Can 8 pitch font be used by Offerors for the Confidential and Proprietary legends on the cover pages of each section and in the footer of each page of the proposal?

3. The proposal instructions state: “To corroborate the accuracy of the stated discounts for supplies the Offeror should submit copies of relevant commercial price lists and/or catalogs for those items.” Please confirm if this information will count toward the 5 page maximum for the Administrative and Price section.

4. Please confirm if the CLIN sheets will count toward the 5 page maximum for the Administrative and Price section.

No, this Attachment is provided by the Government and should be used to incorporate your pricing.

5. Please clarify the Sections A, B, and K that Offerors are to include in the Administrative and Price section. Does this information count toward the 5 page maximum for the Administrative and Price section?

No, SF 1449 was provided to reflect what the CLIN structure will look like. Attachment II – CLIN Structure and Pricing spreadsheet should be utilized to incorporate price proposals.

6. The Item Numbers in the SF 1449 and the Solicitation Notice, which vary for each year, are different from the Item Numbers in Attachment II, SCC CLIN Structure, which are the same every year. Please clarify which are the correct Item Numbers to use. If the correct Item Numbers are from the Solicitation, will a new Attachment II be issued?

The CLIN structure provided in Attachment II is correct. The SF 1449 was based on this Attachment; however, somehow CLIN 00001AA shows up before CLIN 00001. All other CLINs are correct as to numbering. The first five years there will be six CLINs set up and the remaining five years there will be four CLINs set up.

7. . In the solicitation Notice, under Factor 5: Price, there is a statement that reads: “Offerors shall complete the CLIN Structure/Pricing Spreadsheet – Attachment II of the solicitation including all fixed price line items and cost-reimbursable amounts.” Please confirm that Offerors should provided a “Unit Price” for all items, even though the Unit Price may not extend to the “Total Price” as no quantity was provided.

Yes, a unit price should be provided for all CLINs even though that CLIN may not be required for that year.

8. Please explain the reference to an option period in the Solicitation, “Minimum Dollar Guarantee and Maximum Contract Limitation.” [NOTE: This is similar to KB Question #2, but slightly more specific.]

There will not be options periods, this IDIQ will be for 120 months. No options year will be exercised.

9. Please clarify the reason for a Period of Performance in SF 1449 that is not the same as the ordering period in the Solicitation (at B.5, Ordering Period).

The SF 1449 will be corrected; however the 1st task order awarded may be shorter than a year due to when the IDIQ is awarded. Year One CLINs will be from date of award until 31 July 2011. Years Two through Ten will be 1 August to 31 July for the preceding years.

10. Please identify the contract value that should be used to prepare a Small Business Subcontracting Plan.

The small businesses contracting plan should be based on the maximum value of $50 Million.

11. Please confirm inclusion of FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services, in the Solicitation at C.5.

C.5 – FAR 52-217.8 is applicable to this solicitation/contract for extension of services.

12. Please confirm that resumes of Key Personnel shall not be counted in the page limit of Section I, Technical. [NOTE: May want to combine this one with KB #10]

No, Resumes are not included in Key Personnel page limitations.

13. Please indicate in the Solicitation at Section E.12 (FAR 52.212-3) whether (k)(1) or (k)(2) is applicable to this procurement.

Section E.12 – FAR 52.212-3 (k) (1) applies to this procurement.

14. When will Offerors receive responses to submitted questions?

It is anticipated that the list of questions/responses shall be posted NLT COB 9 September 2010.

15. Will the U.S. Government grant an extension to this solicitation to enable Offerors to reflect responses to questions in their proposals?

Due to the very short timeline to award this contract before the end of this fiscal year and to notify Congress, this contract must be ready for award NLT 21 Sep. As such, no extensions will be considered.

16. Typo in RFP as to small business set-aside.

This solicitation is issued as a full and open competition. There was a typo in the solicitation which has since been corrected with this Amendment.

17. Small Business Sub contracting plan goals

For large businesses, a small business sub contracting plan shall be required. For utilization of Small Business sets/sub-sets, DHS has provided statutory goals under www.sba.gov. CG shall review small business sub contracting plans for adequate support of these goals. Since this is not a small business set-aside, the 51% small business set-aside goal is not a requirement only “adequate” support to small businesses and there sub-sets is required.

Technical Team Questions/Responses

1. The Statement of Work (SOW) states that the purpose of the acquisition is to obtain a Small Cutter Connectivity (SCC) system for up to 216 systems, but the CLINs cover a total of 161 systems. Please explain the discrepancy.

The scope of the entire SCC project is for 216 small cutters but for the purpose of this solicitation we are requesting vendors provide pricing for only 161 systems as outlined in the CLIN structure.

2. The SOW states that the period of performance will be 120 months from the date of award, while the CLIN sheets refer to Year One and Option Years Two through Ten. Please clarify the period of performance for this solicitation.

The total POP for this contract will be 120 months from the date of contract award.

3Section 1.13.4 of the SOW states: “all network hardware shall be IPv6 compatible without modification, upgrade, or replacement. All Information Technology assets being developed, procured, or acquired shall be IPv6 capable.” Section 5.1.2.4.3 states: “The Ku Band BDE shall be capable of interfacing with a Local Area Network (LAN) via an IEEE standard RJ-45 Ethernet connection compatible with Internet Protocol version 5 or version 6 (IPv5 or IPv6).” Section 5.1.2.6 states: “The Ku band BDE satellite modem shall be capable of supporting Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). The capability to support IPv6 shall be available by the start of option year 2. If IPv6 is not currently available, the contractor shall provide a timeline for IPv6 availability as part of the technical proposal.” Please clarify the Internet Protocol version requirements for the hardware covered by this solicitation.

Internet Protocol 4 (IPv4) is the minimum required for contract award. IPv6 capability shall be available by the start of option year 2. If IPv6 capability is not available currently the contractor shall provide a timeline for IPv6 implementation as part of the technical proposal.

4. . What is the number of VOIP enabled phones that will be required per vessel? This will determine the selection of network hardware in terms of required RJ-11 ports to support VOIP enabled phones on each vessel. Section 5.1.2.4.2 of the SOW states, “Telephone. The Ku band BDE shall be capable of interfacing with a Voice-Over-IP (VOIP) telephone system via a standard RJ-11 connector/interface”. This does not state how many RJ-11 interfaces are required per vessels to support VOIP calls. Section 5.1.3.2.2 of the SOW states, “The SCC system shall be able to process up to 2 VOIP calls simultaneously with data activity;”. Does this mean that only 2 VOIP enabled phones will be required on each vessel or could more phones be required? If more phones can be required, what is this number?

2 VOIP enabled phones per cutter are required.

5. Section 5.1.3.2.2 of the SOW states that VOIP calls “shall not reduce the bandwidth available for data communications”. Realizing that VOIP calls will take up some satellite bandwidth, if the defined data plans in Section 5.4.2 of the SOW, which are defined as “1MB/512Kbps, 512Kbps/256Kbps, 512Kbps/128Kbps, 256Kbps/128Kbps and 128Kbps/128Kbps” are reserved for data communications, how much should be reserved for VOIP calls if these calls are made simultaneously with data activity?

At least 32Kbps per line - at least 64Kbps for 2 simultaneous calls.

6. Section 5.4.2.2 states: “Contractors must be succinct in bandwidth costs specific to coverage areas. If a bandwidth plan will cost more due to its location, that should be clearly described in the proposal.” Please clarify if any such description should be placed in the Technical or Administrative/Price sections of the proposal.

Administrative/Price sections of the proposal.

7. Please clarify whether the telephone interface onboard the cutters should be RJ-11/FXS or RJ-45/IP?

RJ11 FXS

8. What is the maximum number of telephones the contractor is required to support per cutter?

2 VOIP enabled phones per vessel.

9. When comparing the various antennas for use at high sea state conditions, only antenna with 3 axis provide the necessary cross level stability needed to maintain accurate polarity alignment. Cross level stability becomes particularly important when used on linear polarity satellites. Misalignment of polarity will result in lost data and tracking problems in heavy seas. The current weight restriction of 65 lbs disqualifies all 3 axis antenna available on the market today. Will the USCG consider waving the current 65 lbs. weight restriction to 105 lbs.?\

No

10. Operation in NE Alaska will be at low elevation angles. What is the specification for total elevation range-of-motion?

There is not a government specification for low elevation threshold - just a coverage requirement for the NE Alaska area.

11. In 5.1.4.4, please define the term “acceptance.”

Systems will be considered accepted by the government upon satisfactory installation and registration with the supporting hub or 30 days from government receipt of the equipment, whichever is sooner. See change to SOW 5.1.4.4.

12. 5.1.3.2.2 states that VoIP calls shall not reduce the bandwidth available for data communications. There are no CLINs associated with VoIP bandwidth. Please specify how the USCG intends to procure airtime associated with VoIP calls (i.e. what CLIN).

IT is not the intent of the government to provide a separate VOIP CLIN. The vendor shall provide VOIP as a service and incorporate VOIP required bandwidth as part of their overall bandwidth proposal.

13. Please be more specific as to requirements provided in SOW Section 5.1.1.5: “If GPS is used for acquisition and tracking it shall have a protected feature that masks or does not allow the ground station to derive exact cutter location.”

The GPS position can be shown by the below deck modem onboard the cutter. However, GPS should only be used for local acquisition or reacquiring lock, this is known as 'discrete mode'. When in discrete mode the cutter modem will not broadcast it's GPS position to the supporting hub.

14. In SOW Section 5.1.2.4.3, what is meant by the reference to “IPv5”? Should this be “IPv4”?

IPv4 is correct.

15. Is all data and VoIP/PSTN traffic to be routed via the MPLS interface? (Reference SOW sections 5.1.3.1 / 5.1.3.2.)

No.

16. In SOW section 5.1.3.12.2, is the bandwidth to support VoIP to be in addition to the levels of configuration defined in 5.4.2 for minimum data communications?

Yes.

17. SOW Section 5.2.7 states: “The contractor shall provide security plans to the government; these plans shall be adequate for the government to develop accreditations for the government’s equipment/network.” Please provide more details regarding the minimum security requirements for government to develop accreditations.

See changes to SOW 5.2.7. Contractors shall provide a copy of their physical security plan as an attachment to the technical proposal (this will not count against the total number of pages allowed). The requirement for these plans to be adequate for the government to develop accreditations has been dropped.

18. . Are the configurations listed in SOW Section 5.4.2 considered usable IP information data rates or do they include overhead?

Fully usable by the government.

19. Please provide the deadline for completing the NTIA Certification request referenced in SOW 5.5.1.3.

At the kickoff meeting.

20. Please define what is covered by the term “this information” in the first sentence of SOW 5.5.1.4.

As stated in the SOW, a description of this information can be found in paragraph 10.8 of the NTIA Manual of Regulations and Procedures for Federal Radio Frequency Management, January 2008 Edition, September 2009 Revision. That is available at: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/osmhome/redbook/Manual.pdf

21. Please confirm that the stated quantities in the CLINs for the Airtime Plans are correct. For example, by the end of Option Year 2, 64 vessels will be equipped with See Revised CLIN List an SCC system, but Option Year 2 only covers airtime for 32 vessels. By the end of Option Year 3, 96 vessels will be equipped with an SCC system, but Option Year 3 only covers airtime for 32 vessels. If the stated quantities are incorrect, will a new Attachment II, SCC CLIN Structure be issued?

See Revised CLIN List

22. In Attachment II, SCC CLIN Structure, the words “No FAP” appear after Ku-Band Airtime. Please define “No FAP”

FAP stands for “Fair Access Policy”. The intent of this statement is to ensure the government will not incur an additional fee based on usage or have a cap or threshold for bandwidth usage within each air time plan.

23. In Attachment II, SCC CLIN Structure, if it is correct that the Quantity for the Airtime Plans should match the quantity for Ku-Band Equipment (ABE/BDE), then it would appear that the Unit Price must be an annual price. Please confirm if this assumption is correct.

See Revised CLIN List

24. Given that the quantity in the Attachment II – SCC CLIN Structure appear to be the evaluation quantities for determining Total Price, please confirm if these quantities are correct. If the quantities are not correct, will a new Attachment II be issued?

See Revised CLIN List

25. The CLIN quantities indicate procurement of 161 set of equipment. In Year 6, there is also 161 units of Airtime, however, there are 33 units at 512/256, whereas based on the quantities in Years 1, 4 & 5 it would appear this number should be 47. Also in Year 6, there are 87 units at 128/128, whereas based on quantities in Year 2, 3 and 4, it would appear the number of units should be 73. Please confirm if the quantities as listed are correct or if a new Attachment II is going to be provided.

See Revised CLIN List

26. Section 5.1.4.2 states the Contractor shall ship equipment via overnight delivery when so specified in the Delivery Order. There is no CLIN to price expedited shipping. Please clarify if this is an item that can be priced at the time of the task order.

See Revised CLIN List

27. Using the definitions on the U.S. Coast Guard Web site at http://www.uscg.mil/datasheet/#cutters what classes of vessels will be covered by this solicitation? How many vessels in each class will be covered?

At this time the government plans to use this system on the WLBB-240, WMEC-210, WLB-225, WPB-110, WPC-179 and WPB-87. However, the government may, at its discretion, use these systems elsewhere. Refer to the applicable CLIN for quantities.

28. Why do certain airtime CLINs in the SF 1449 display a quantity number, while other airtime CLINs have no quantity specified? [NOTE: This is similar to Kim’s question #4. If we don’t want to ask two questions, please add a reference to SF 1449 in KB Question #4]

See Revised CLIN List. For CLINs that do not have a quantity specified, vendors are encouraged to provide pricing should these CLINS be necessary throughout the life of the contract.

29. Please explain use of the phrase “task order” at Section 4.0 of the SOW.

The term “task order” has been replaced by “contract” in that section of the SOW.

30. SOW, Section 5.1.4.4 specifies that the warranty period shall start upon acceptance by the government at the installation site (i.e. cutter). Section 5.1.4.3 describes storage of a system if it will not be installed immediately. Please confirm that the government intends to accept the system before placing it in storage.

Systems will be considered accepted by the government upon satisfactory installation and registration with the supporting hub or 30 days from government receipt of the equipment, whichever is sooner. See change to SOW 5.1.4.4.

31. SOW, Section 5.4.2 states configurations of download/upload plans “as a minimum.” If the Government requires a plan that is not one of the stated configurations, will it be sole sourced from the awardee? If a configuration is required, but not stated in the SOW, how can the CLIN structure outlined in Attachment II apply? (See Solicitation at B.4., Contract Type and Ordering.)

Vendors are required to propose the configurations described in the SOW as a minimum. Vendors may propose additional configurations if desired; these may be incorporated into the base contract. If, after award, the government requires a configuration not included in the base contract, it is anticipated that the government will work with the awardee to develop a modified CLIN for air time which meets the governments need.

32. SOW, Section 5.4.2.1 states that the SCC coverage area shown is a “minimum” area. If the Government requires coverage in an area that is not shown in figures one through three, will it be sole sourced from the awardee? If a coverage area is required, but not stated in the SOW, how can the CLIN structure outlined in Attachment II apply? (See Solicitation at B.4., Contract Type and Ordering.)

The government has defined its minimum coverage areas for normal government missions. However international events and operational missions may dictate otherwise. If such a requirement does occur it is anticipated that the government will work with the awardee to develop a modified CLIN for coverage which meets the governments need.

33. SOW, Section 5.1.4.1, states that shipments shall be anywhere within the US as well as Guam and Puerto Rico. The Solicitation, Section B.1.A.3., states that “In general” shipments shall be within the US and Guam and Puerto Rico. Please confirm whether the locations are the exclusive shipment areas, or if shipment outside of these areas will be required.

No shipments will be required outside of the US, Guam and Puerto Rico.

34. Please identify where homeports are listed in the SOW. See Solicitation at B.6.

Homeports are located within the U.S.

35. Is the antenna size requested a minimum or maximum, and or is it the actual size of the antenna the customer was looking at using? The size requirement appears to be directed towards a certain Ultra Small Aperture Terminal system.

The antenna size requested is a maximum.

36. Is it the government’s intention to limit the equipment offered by limiting the size of the antenna to that of a specific equipment manufacturer

No.

37. Has the government taken into consideration the size of the antenna aperture and the varying EIRP of different satellite footprints and the affect this will have on the required link budgets and the 97% availability?

Yes.

38. If an 8W BUC is required to ensure the proper link budget, and the weight of the 8W BUC causes the maximum weight of the antenna to be exceeded, will this disqualify our submission?

Yes.

39. 3.1 Installation Services: Will the equipment contractor be allowed to bid on the installation portion?

See Sow 3.1, Installation services is not part of this requirement.

40. 5.1.2.4.2 Will the government accept an RJ11 adapter for interface to the satellite modem?

Yes

41. Paragraph 5.1.2.4.2 requires that the Ku Band BDE shall be capable of interfacing with a Voice‐ Over‐IP (VOIP) telephone system via a standard RJ‐11 connector/interface.

a. Is the government providing Voip equipment to interface to our Ethernet RJ‐45?

b. Or does the government expect an FXS port?

The government is not providing any VOIP equipment. The system shall support VOIP by providing RJ11, RJ11FXS to the government cutter telephone units.

42. Paragraph 5.2.3 requires that the contractor shall provide one or more MPLS hub interfaces between the contractor's teleport(s) and the Coast Guard's IP‐based ONENET network.

a. Is the vendor expected to provide PSTN terminations at each teleport?

The government MPLS router at the vendor teleport will support the cutter data communications only. The vendor is expected to have a PSTN presence at their teleport to support the vendor VOIP service.

43. Page 9 of 59 of the solicitation requires that “The COTR will provide shipping instructions for the second and third first‐article systems within 30 days of contract award. Shipments will be directed to two of the homeports listed in the SOW. Shipping documentation for all three systems shall contain this contract number and the First Article Contract line Item number

(CLIN). The characteristics that the first article must meet and the testing requirements are specified elsewhere in this contract.”

a. We observe that there is not a first article CLIN in the CLIN structure, will one be added or should we add this charge to an existing CLIN?

See revised CLIN structure.

44 Paragraph 5.1.1.1 specifies the size as follows: “The SCC antenna shall be no larger than 30" in diameter and 30" in height.”

a. Does this requirement refer to the size of the radome, or the antenna?

Radome.

45. What is the average voice usage (minutes per month) to and from each cutter?

The government does not have this information available.

46. For the throughput requirements specified in section 5.4, do these refer to Committed Information Rates (CIR) only? Is there a requirement for Burstable Information Rate (BIR) throughput as well? If yes, what is the required contention ratio?

These refer to the CIR only.

HSCG79-10-R-T10000

ATTACHMENT III – LIST OF QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES