O M_Questions_ _Answers_Received_12-31-15.xlsx
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- FEMA OCIO Operations and Maintenance (O&M)
- Solicitation number
- HSFE30-16-R-0009
About this file
This draft request for proposal from the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency seeks offers for operations and maintenance services in support of the agency's Office of the Chief Information Officer. The solicitation intends to consolidate six existing contracts into a single award contract providing program and project management, IT system operations and maintenance, telecommunications, help desk, and network operations services. Offerors should submit resumes for key personnel including the project manager. The contract aims to transition existing services within 60 days of task order award and obtain services meeting FEMA's performance requirements.
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Sheet1
| O&M Questions Received on 12/31/2015 | ||||
| No. | Page | Reference | Question | FEMA Answer |
| 1 | 17 | 2.2.1 Lines (624-627) | Can FEMA provide the list of software systems that the Contractor will need to support under this contract? | Mostly custom developed systems. |
| 2 | 18 | 2.2.1 Lines (647-648) | Will FEMA include SLAs in the individual Task Order Request for Proposal? | The requirements will be captured in the Task Order |
| 3 | 22 | 2.2.9 Lines (830-831) | Will FEMA provide hardware and software specifications of the systems that would require periodic technology refresh in order to estimate cost of the upgrade? | TBD |
| 4 | 22 | 2.3.1 Lines (829) | Can FEMA list specific activities associated with PBX support? Does it include hardware software upgrades? If so, can FEMA provide details of its current PBX environment or will FEMA include this information in the individual Task Order Request for Proposal? | Details will be provided in TO, support to include upgrades, maintenance and troubleshooting issues. |
| 5 | 25 | 2.3.4 Lines (929-937) | Can FEMA provide locations where secure satellite communications services will be required? Can FEMA provide list of applications that need to be supported over SATCOM? If voice needs to be supported over SATCOM then can FEMA provide number of simultaneous calls that need to be supported over the SATCOM? Will FEMA specify in the Task Order the number of mobile satellite units it will require at each location? | CONUS & US territories. Primarily voice, which can support up to 200, however there is no requirement to be the provider of SATCOM services. |
| 6 | 26 | 2.3.5 Lines (959-978) | Will this contract serve as the replacement vehicle for the FEMA MSC contract that was just awarded to Ambit? | Yes |
| 7 | 27 | 2.4 Lines (995) | Where will be the Help Desk located? What trouble ticketing system does FEMA currently use for Help Desk services? Will the Contractor need to deploy its own trouble ticketing system? Would FEMA consider a managed service offering, if it reduced overall operating costs? | Mount Weather and Denton TX, Remedy system, No |
| 8 | 33 | 3.1 Lines 1238-1243 | Will the government work with the contractor to process DHS Suitability Clearances for Surge Staff prior to the disaster? | Yes |
| 9 | 3 | C. Scope, Subpoint 1 | In line with the selected contractor "provide[ing] a reliable, stable, and secure operating environment that is aligned with the FEMA enterprise infrastructure," what percentage of its personnel will the contractor need to station permanently during the period of performance at FEMA locations outside the National Capital Region? | Small percentage, most contracting staff will be located in DC, Mount Weather and Winchester VA - details will be in TO |
| 10 | 8 | E. Specific Tasks, 1. Task 1, Subpoint d | FEMA states, "The contractor shall operate and maintain at the highest level of performance and reliability twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week." Will FEMA require the selected contractor to have personnel on duty onsite 24 hours per day, 7 days per week to address technical support issues? | Mainly for Enterprise Service Desk and Network Operation Center |
| 11 | 20-21 | Section H - Place of Performance | Is the vendor expected to have fulltime staff onsite at all locations listed, or will work be performed primarily in the NCR, with travel to these locations anticipated? | Primarily in NCR, but there are some other locations |
| 12 | OCI Question | If the vendor is a prime contractor on the O&M work, does this conflict the vendor out of being a subcontractor on all other OCIO contracts, including IT Security? | TBD | |
| 13 | OCI Question | If the vendor is a subcontractor on the O&M work, does this conflict the vendor out of bidding on all other OCIO opportunities? | TBD | |
| 14 | All - OCI Question | If a vendor is a prime on the ISSO contract, is it still accurate that the vendor can also prime the emerging technology contract? | N/A to O&M | |
| 15 | All - General Questions | Does the government intend on releasing revised draft SOO’s for the PMO and/or Mission Needs/Requirements as well? | N/A to O&M | |
| 16 | All - General Questions | Would the government consider releasing PMO or Mission Needs/Requirements off EAGLE II Unrestricted track vs. SBSA? Expanding and opening up to the unrestricted track vendors will provide DHS with access to a broader pool of capable firms resulting in increased competition. | N/A to O&M | |
| 17 | All - General Questions | What is the estimated timeframe for releasing final acquisition documentation across the OCIO Modernization efforts? | N/A to O&M | |
| 18 | All - General Questions | How many primes per area do you anticipate making awards (single vs. multiple)? | O&M is anticipated to be a single award contract | |
| 19 | Page 1. | The DRFP is dated July 21, 2015 and is identified as Version 1. Does FEMA anticipate releasing another DRFP prior to release of the final RFP? | O&M is anticipated to be a single award contract | |
| 20 | Page 5. Para 1.2 | FEMA references the suite of IT Systems in Appendix A and states "the systems shall be operated and maintained at the highest level of performance and reliability" which can be extremely expensive. For planning purposes, can FEMA share SLAs and AQLs for each system listed in Appendix A? | Will be detailed in the TO | |
| 21 | Page 6. Para. 1.3.1 | Would FEMA please confirm the six contracts (contract # and contractor) to be transitioned within 60 days of award? | Within 60 days of Task Order award, not IDIQ. | |
| 22 | Page 6. Para. 1.3.1 | Will all current contract / task orders for these six contracts transition within 60 days of award? | Within 60 days of Task Order award, not IDIQ. | |
| 23 | Page 6. Para. 1.3.1 | For those task orders formerly under COMMIT, which appear in scope of this SOW, will they transition back from other contracts? Is this anticipated to happen within the 60 days of award or at a later date? What planning information can FEMA share for work that appears in scope of this SOW and is now performed under other contracts. | Within 60 days of Task Order award, not IDIQ. | |
| 24 | Page 6. Para 1.3.1 | FEMA mentions the requirement for "ensuring accurate and timely invoicing"; Does FEMA have financial showback information? If not, is FEMA interested in the capability for showback information at the service level? | Yes, FEMA uses chargeback | |
| 25 | Page 6. Para. 1.3.2 | For services to be performed at MWEOC, will FEMA please confirm the highest security clearance required for personnel who will perform on that site and some planning information on how many team members may require security clearances? Will any other areas require special clearances? | Will be detailed in TO, but most will require a TS or a high Public Trust; an elevated privilege account requires an SSBI. | |
| 26 | Page 7. para 1.3.2 | FEMA states the "Service Operations Division oversees and manages all introductions into the production and test environments (as needed)." Can you clarify the meaning of the term "introductions" in this context? | Deployments of software applications | |
| 27 | Page 7. Para 1.3.4 | Does the requirement for helpdesk services outlined in this paragraph include the FEMA headquarters service desk? If so, is that planned for transition within the first 60 days of award? If it is planned for transition on some other schedule would FEMA please provide as much forward planning information on that transition as possible? | Within 60 days of Task Order award, not IDIQ. | |
| 28 | Page 7. Para 1.3.5 | Does this requirement include the Video Operations Center (VOC)? If so, is it planned for transition within the first 60 days of award? | Within 60 days of Task Order award, not IDIQ. | |
| 29 | Page 10. Para 1.5.2 and 1.5.3 | Does FEMA intend to provide a "reference library" for potential bidders to use during the acquisition? If so, when will it be made available to bidders? When will the FEMA Risk Management Plan and FEMA Configuration Management Plan, both identified as TBD, be available to bidders? | AQ - provide documents in a reading room | |
| 30 | Page 15. Para 2.1.2.1 | This paragraph outlines that systems engineering support for technology refresh efforts may be required. Would FEMA please clarify which areas of the existing Systems Engineering Technical Assistance (SETA) IDIQ may be migrating to the scope of this SOW? Are there any existing SETA IDIQ Task Orders that are anticipated for transition within 60 days of award? | No SETA task will be transition to this contract | |
| 31 | Page 17. Para 2.2.1 | FEMA refers to "outside the Continental United States (OCONUS)" support. For planning purposes, can FEMA share details of the OCONUS locations supported? What OCONUS locations may require deployment or on-site support? | TBD based on US supported disasters - only on site contractor support | |
| 32 | Page 18. Para 2.2.1 | For planning purposes, can FEMA share the SLAs and AQLs for the Hardware and Software maintenance activities? | Requirements will be outlined in task orders | |
| 33 | Page 18. Para 2.2.1 | FEMA references the Service Level Agreement (SLA) Contract. For planning purposes, can FEMA share any of the existing SLA information? | Requirements will be outlined in task orders | |
| 34 | Page 18. Para 2.2.2 | Agile Approaches. The second paragraph outlines that the Contractor may work along side other teams (plural) of FEMA contractors for new applications development and sustainment. How many different development contractor teams should the Operations and Maintenance contractor anticipate working with? | The Systems Development and Engineering Division contracting or government staff, unknown as to how many development contractors at the time. | |
| 35 | Page 18. Para 2.2.2 | Agile Approaches. The second paragraph outlines that the Contractor may work along side other teams (plural) of FEMA contractors for new applications development and sustainment. With multiple development contractors, and one Operations and Maintenance contractor, what software development and configuration management tool sets are to be used – are there standards over the multiple development teams that will be delivering baselines to the Operations and Maintenance team? Which contract will manage the configuration control of the toolsets? | Quality Assurance will manage the configuration control. | |
| 36 | Page 18. Para 2.2.2 | Agile Approaches. The second paragraph outlines that the Contractor may work along side other teams (plural) of FEMA contractors for new applications development and sustainment. With multiple development contractors, and one Operations and Maintenance contractor, will FEMA anticipate the Operations and Maintenance contractor to help FEMA establish common standards and procedures for Service Transition (in ITIL context) that must be followed by the multiple development contractors to help ensure consistent delivery standards to operations? | Quality Assurance will manage the configuration control. | |
| 37 | Page 18. 2.2.2.1 | For planning purposes, can FEMA share the list of "selected FEMA systems" to be maintained by the contractor Agile teams? | TBD | |
| 38 | Page 18. Para 2.2.2, 2.2.4 and Appendix A | FEMA states work includes "use of cloud services" - "New Database technology in Cloud environments" - "Cloud Management Technologies"; Does FEMA have any Production workloads operating within a Cloud Service Provider's environment? Is FEMA interested in expanding more development, test and production systems to an appropriate cloud service? | TBD | |
| 39 | Page 23. Para 2.3 | Telecommunications Operation and Maintenance. Are the services outlined in this section all now being performed under the six contracts that are referenced for transition within the first 60 days? Are there any other contracts now supporting these types of services that are anticipated to transition within the first 60 days? Are there task orders from the six, or other, contracts supporting these types of services which are planned for transition after the first 60 days? | After the current POP from existing contract. Yes | |
| 40 | Page 27. Para 2.4 | Help Desk Services. Are the services outlined in this section all now being performed under the six contracts that are referenced for transition within the first 60 days? Are there any other contracts now supporting these types of services that are anticipated to transition within the first 60 days? Are there task orders from the six, or other, contracts supporting these types of services which are planned for transition after the first 60 days? | After the current POP from existing contract. Yes | |
| 41 | Page 29. Para 2.4 | Can FEMA provide more details on the definition of a favorable response related to the performance standard for customer satisfaction inquiries related to Help Desk Services. Do the inquiries also support performance of other contractors? Does FEMA have plans to identify the Service Integration and Management contractor to ensure end-to-end performance? | There is currently no dependencies to other contractors | |
| 42 | Page 29. Para 2.4.6 | Can FEMA provide more details related to the current Help Desk Metrics, Service Level Objectives and number of compliance reports? | Will be detailed in TO | |
| 43 | Page 29. Para 2.4.6 | Can FEMA provide information for metrics for management reporting and trend analysis for the various functional areas? | Will be detailed in TO | |
| 44 | Page 30. Para 2.5 | Network Operating Services. Are the services outlined in this section all now being performed under the six contracts that are referenced for transition within the first 60 days? Are there any other contracts now supporting these types of services that are anticipated to transition within the first 60 days? Are there task orders from the six, or other, contracts supporting these types of services which are planned for transition after the first 60 days? | Within 60 days of Task Order award, not IDIQ. | |
| 45 | Page 34. Para 4.1 | Qualified Personnel. Would FEMA please clarify the anticipated need for key personnel resumes as outlined in this paragraph? Does FEMA anticipate the need to see resumes of personnel for specific task orders that may be issued under the IDIQ, or is there some IDIQ level list of key positions FEMA anticipates are associated with the IDIQ? | Resumes will be required for key personnel on task orders. Any IDIQ key personnel will be identified | |
| 46 | Page 34, Para 4.2 | FEMA mentions the need to pass or sustain certification requirements; For planning purposes, can FEMA provide a list of the required certifications to be obtained or sustained? | ITIL for the IDIQ and required certification will be identified on task orders | |
| 47 | Page 34. Para 4.3 | Security Clearances. The requirement for all positions to meet DHS and FEMA suitability, badging and site access requirements is understood. Is there also a subset of the overall staff at MWEOC that will also require DOD security clearances for access to specific work areas, in normal support or surge? If so, please clarify the level of DOD security clearance and some planning information on how many of the overall staff may also require DOD security clearance. | Security clearance information will be included in each task order. Mount Weather personnel will likely require Secret or Top Secret clearances. | |
| 48 | Page 34. Para 4.5 | Key Personnel. Please clarify the use of the term Key Personnel in this paragraph in relation to the use of Key Personnel in paragraph 4.1. Will FEMA issue a separate Task Order under the IDIQ for the Key Personnel? If so, will the positions be clearly defined in the final RFP? How many Key Personnel does FEMA anticipate beyond the PM and an alternate? | Yes in individual task orders | |
| 49 | Page 34. Para 4.5 | In the third sub paragraph, the draft SOW indicates “…any individual designated as key by the government….” When and how will the government designate the key personnel? With each task order? Is this really the FEMA intent to designate all the key personnel beyond the PM and the alternate, or are key personnel including the PM and alternate to be identified by the contractor at the task order level? | Identified by the government in task orders | |
| 50 | Page 35. Para 4.6 | Project Manager. Would FEMA please clarify the intent on the number of alternate PMs anticipated? The paragraph outlines “….and the name(s) of any alternates(s)…” and then later in the same paragraph indicates “…only one alternate shall have full authority.” How many alternate(s) does FEMA desire be named by the contractor as key? | Any other PMs will be defined on Task orders | |
| 51 | Page 37. Para 5.3 | Hours of Operations. Would FEMA please clarify expectations around "there may be occasions when contractor employees shall be required to work other than normal business hours at no additional cost to the government to fulfill requirements under this SOW." | Shift work for NOC and ESD | |
| 52 | Page 39. Para 5.5.5 | Access to Classified and Confidential Unclassified Information. What is the highest classification level anticipated to be specified on a subsequent DD Form 254? What planning information can FEMA share as to the number of personnel from the entire team that may need that access level, and at what duty locations? | Will be detailed in TO, but most will require a TS or a high Public Trust; an elevated privilege account requires an SSBI. | |
| 53 | 6 | 1.3 | To best enable Industry to plan and price a transition, please clarify if each of the 6 contracts are to be concurrently transitioned during the same 60day timeframe; or if FEMA has plans to offset, stagger the transition of each of the six; or other approach is required. If FEMA were to offset or stagger the transition, what would be the priority order for consolidating the six contracts? | Within 60 days of Task Order award, not IDIQ. |
| 54 | 14 | 2.1.1.2 | To enable a clear understanding of FEMA requirements as well as to accurately price the service efforts needed to meet all requirements, Industry will benefit from identification of all deliverables. Please clarify if an (draft/initial) incoming transition plan is required as part of the IDIQ RFP response OR if it will be the deliverable of a subsequent TO issued under the IDIQ. Should it be required for the IDIQ RFP submittal and not for a subsequent TO, Industry will require additional data from FEMA to adequately prepare a realistic transition plan. |
| At a minimum, please provide Industry with the following requirements for transitioning each of the six contracts: expected LOE per labor category, expected LOE per location, locations that require 24/7 operation, and clearance level. Additionally, please identify the anticipated levels of outgoing transition contractor support and training (per site and labor category) to ensure full coverage of FEMA mission during this phase. | General plan for IDIQ and a detailed plan for the task orders | ||||
| 55 | 11 | 2.1 | To enable a clear understanding of FEMA requirements as well as to accurately price the service efforts needed to meet all requirements, Industry will benefit from identification of all deliverables. Please clarify if a PMP is a required deliverable due with the IDIQ response or delivered in response to a Program Management TO subsequent to the award of the IDIQ. The PMP does not appear in Section 9, Deliverables Table (line 1825) | Added to Table | |
| 56 | 12 | 2.1 | To enable clear understanding as well as to accurately price the service efforts needed to meet all requirements, identification of all deliverables is important. Please add a monthly status report (MSR) to Section 9, Deliverables Table (line 1825). | Added to Table | |
| 57 | 12 | 2.1 | As written, the requirement may not be sufficiently clear for industry to propose a consistent solution for FEMA. Please clarify the term "4 monthly earned value reports". Later in the Section 2.1.3 Reporting, additional requirements are provided on the weekly Earned Value Reports--are these the same 'monthly' reports. Please provide additional reference and detail on the requirements for the CPR and the format of "1, 3, and 5". | Added to Table | |
| 58 | 12 | 2.1 | Please identify where to find the additional CPR requirements on content and delivery formats 1, 3, and 5 and identify the delivery dates for the report. |
| Please clarify if the CPR is a separate deliverable for inclusion into Section 9, Deliverables Table (line 1825). | Clarified in PWS | |||
| 59 | 12 | 2.1 | To enable a clear understanding of FEMA requirements as well as to accurately price the service efforts needed to meet all requirements, Industry will benefit from identification of all deliverables. Please identify the content, delivery format and dates of the CFSR report. |
| Please clarify if a CFSR is a separate deliverable for inclusion into Section 9, Deliverables Table (line 1825). | Clarified in PWS | ||||
| 60 | 12 | 2.1 | To enable a fuller understanding by industry of the content and purpose of the IBR, we recommend one or more of the following options: 1) state if the details, agenda, content, etc. will be provided in a future TO allow the contractor to prepare; 2) clarify if the IBR review and its scheduled date is dependent apon successful award of a task order under the IDIQ and its award date; 3) clarify if FEMA intends to conduct a single IBR or does FEMA reserves the right to hold multiple IBRs should it be in FEMA's best interest. | Details of the will be outline in task orders. | |
| 61 | 13 | 2.1 | We recommend moving the paragraph so that it is lead-in for Section 7 (line 1796) for completeness in defining all contractor acquisition requirements. | TBD | |
| 62 | 6 | 1.3 | To best enable Industry to plan and price a transition, please clarify if each of the 6 contracts have contract requirements to provide a minimum of 60 days of outgoing transition support | TBD | |
| 63 | 14 | 2.1.1.2 | Offerors should be required to provide a comprehensive Transition Plan in response to the IDIQ RFP. However, at the IDIQ proposal submission stage, requirements for identifying the names of team members (with exception of the PM and perhaps a Transition Manager) will likely not be realistic (even for the incumbent's staff) due to the anticipated multiple month timeframe from proposal submittal to contract award, task order issuance, and the start of the transition. FEMA may have little ability to assess the quality of the transition team member named without visibility into the resumes as well as qualifications of each individual. |
| Hence, we recommend the following, "Transition team composition, roles, and responsibilities are required for inclusion in the Draft Incoming Transition Plan submitted with the offeror's proposal in response to the RFP. A transition team organizational chart and accompanying documentation that provides the full name, certifications/accreditations, active security clearance level, and current resume of each transition team member is required for the Final Incoming Transition Plan." | General plan for IDIQ and a detailed plan for the task orders | ||||
| 11 | 2.1.1.3 | Please clarify if an Outgoing Transition Plan is a required deliverable due with the IDIQ response or is to be delivered in response to a Program Management TO subsequent to the award of the IDIQ. Transition Plans do not appear in Section 9, Deliverables Table (line 1825). | Not available | ||
| 65 | 14 | 2.1.1.2 | To enable a realistic transition plan that incorporates the risk of transitioning from multiple incumbents, please provide the outgoing transition plans from the incumbents. It is upon that review, that industry can fully assess the risks to FEMA's mission and operations support as we build new incoming plans with risk mitigation strategies. | Not available | |
| 66 | 15 | 2.1.2 | Lines 529 through 547 are relevant to the Telecommunications requirements which are now part of the new 2.3 Functional Area 3 section (line 834). We recommend incorporating the requirements on lines 529-547 into the new Section 2.3 for completeness in describing all of FEMA's telecommunications requirements. | PWS is broken into functions and the program management falls into the current function | |
| 67 | 16 | 2.1.3 | Please clarify if an Incident/Degradation Services/Outage report is a required deliverable. These reports do not appear in Section 9, Deliverables Table (line 1825.) | Type of reports will be defined on the Task Orders | |
| 68 | 16 | 2.1.3 | As written, this section on Reporting centers on the technical status of the systems being supported under Section 2.2 IT System Operations and Maintenance (line 602) and not part of the overall program/project management of the IDIQ and/or Task Order efforts. For completeness in specifying the requirements (to include reporting) it is recommended that the 2.1.3 Reporting section be moved to become a 2.2.x subsection. | Different functional area - not moving to O&M pillar | |
| 69 | 17 | 2.2.1 | This sentence is a duplicate of the first paragraph (Line 612) and can be removed. | ??? No duplication | |
| 70 | 18 | 2.2.1 | To adequately prepare a technical approach and meet requirements of this RFP, Industry will need to read all SLAs of relevance to this section. Please also add in references to all SLAs to Section 1.5 Applicable Documents (line 260) so that all offerors are explicitly aware of all FEMA requirements and their quality of service specifics. | SLA requirements will be defined in task orders | |
| 71 | 22 | 2.3.6 | The terms and requirements of 'demonstrate' and 'comprehensive restoration' require additional criteria, scope, and validation constraints in order to be analyzed for Industry to respond. For instance, without clarity, the statement can be misunderstood to read as requiring the successful offeror to demonstrate a full restore of the entire FEMA Enterprise IT system of systems (petabytes of data) each quarter and conduct a validation of each file. Such an effort has the potential to severely disrupt mission operations. Alternatively, the existing requirement can be misinterpreted to mean that a restoration can be demonstrated by displaying a virtual simulation of restoration and 'how it might work'. Neither example above is sufficient to mitigate the risk of system restoration. |
| To enable a consistent understanding from Industry, FEMA may be best served by identifying the requirements, validation methods, timing, and resources required at the Task Order level and not as part of the IDIQ. This approach may also enable FEMA to adjust its requirements as newer architectures and/or backup technologies are integrated into the baseline. This can be accomplished as, "The Contractor's system restoration approach shall include the provision to demonstrate comprehensive restoration from backups on a quarterly basis --individual task orders will contain FEMA's detailed restoration requirements, systems/repositories, methodology(is), validation/verification requirements, etc. | Defined at the Task order level. | ||||
| 72 | 22 | 2.2.7 | Integrating Change and Release Management into a Master Schedule of activities allows for a much clearer view into the modernization efforts completed, in progress, and planned. We recommend additional requirements be placed into this section to ensure coordination of changes and releases of new or upgraded system components with the rest of the enterprise activities. The awarded Contractor must be required to support that integration and communicate all updates/modifications, etc. across FEMA's components. | This is done within the PMO | |
| 73 | 23 | 2.3.2 | To enable clearer understanding of FEMA requirements as well as to accurately price the service efforts needed to meet all requirements, Industry will benefit from identification of all deliverables. Please clarify the intended scope and contents of the referenced Transition Plan, update frequency, and if it is a required deliverable due with the IDIQ response or delivered in response to a TO subsequent to the award of the IDIQ. Currently, the Transition Plan referenced on Line 865 does not appear in Section 9, Deliverables Table (line 1825) | There should be an general transition plan and as the Task Orders are awarded, there should be a defined plan. | |
| 74 | 23 | 2.3 | Just as identified in the Section 2.2.9 Functional Area 2 (IT O&M), technology refreshment and modernization of telecommunications, mobile devices, mobile security, etc. require refreshment. We recommend adding a new subsection as 2.3.x that is similar to Section 2.2.9 | Added | |
| 75 | 25 | 2.3.4 | Inefficient provisioning of SATCOM/COMSATCOM links can add significant costs to a project. One method of optimization is the upfront planning and engineering of bandwidth compression techniques--leading to substantial savings on required bandwidth. The addition of subject matter expertise of data compression / bandwidth optimization solutions would be warranted and of benefit to FEMA for this effort. Therefore, we recommend the addition of requiring the O&M contractor to have bandwidth compression subject matter expertise. |
| We suggest line 916 be modified as follows, "The service design that uses the Fixed-Satellite Service (FSS), including but not limited to: COMSATCOM/SATCOM engineering (e.g., development of link budgets, transmission plans, transmission security/cryptography, bandwidth compression techniques/solutions); basic customer training (e.g., acquiring satellite signal, peak and polarization); core management and control of the transponder capacity; and required approvals (e.g., frequency clearances, landing rights)." | Will only be contractor support for management, not to be a provider of services | ||||
| 76 | 23 | 2.3 and 2.5 | In review of the requirements for telecommunications and mobile technology as well as network operating services, we did not find requirements for supporting other communications technology architectures (e.g., handheld 2-way radio, amateur radio (HAM radio), wireless technology to extend connectivity via wireless access points (WAP) and WiFi) which are used. Please clarify if in addition to services in 2.3 and 2.5, that the O&M contractor may be required to provide other communications technology support services to best support FEMA and its mission | No handheld radio support | |
| 77 | 27 | 2.4 | To ensure Industry fully understands FEMA's mission requirements for a Help Desk, please confirm the standard hours for supporting the Help Desk conform to Section 5.3 Hours of Operation (line 1352). Additionally please clarify if the contractor may be required to extend those hours to support a contingency/disaster, major exercise, or other FEMA mission event. | 24X7 | |
| 78 | 27 | 2.4 | As written, the current requirement ("...in-person and phone-based...) mistakenly restricts the contractor to only supporting phone and in-person services, conflicts with the requirements in 2.4.1, and does not reflect the current services of Help Desk Services in place today. Additionally, Industry best practices of help desk/call center support have advanced significantly beyond the systems in use today at FEMA, to include improvements in user self-help (i.e., Tier 0) online repositories/documentation/FAQs/Training materials, online web portals to request services , mobile apps that also connect to the help desk system, and other advancements to increase the ability of handling requests from users with speech or other disabilities. Many of these Help Desk solutions that are available in the market bring significant advantages to the user and host organization including: reduced user downtime, significantly lowered operating costs, faster call response rates, requirements for fewer Help Desk technicians, increased user satisfaction, etc. |
| To allow for future modernization efforts of the FEMA Help Desk services, we recommend the requirements be modified to allow for additional/new capabilities to be supported by the O&M contractor. "At a minimum, the Contractor shall provide in-person and phone-based technical and end-user support for end-users systems (desktops, laptops, tablet PC’s, and other peripheral devices) through the FEMA Help Desk and its capabilities." | TBD | ||||
| 79 | 16 | 2.4.6 | To enable a clear understanding of FEMA requirements as well as to accurately price the service efforts needed to meet all requirements, Industry will benefit from identification of all deliverables. Please clarify if the Monthly Help Desk Service Level Objective Compliance report or other Metrics Reports are required deliverables OR are to be included within other Deliverables. These metrics reports do not appear in Section 9, Deliverables Table (line 1825) | Required report will be outlined in the Task Order | |
| 80 | 30 | 2.5 | FEMA's network operations span multiple sites and are supported today with a mix of network specialists, some of which sites require onsite 24/7 support. To enable Industry to best solution and fulfill FEMA's requirements for Section 2.5, please clarify if all sites specified in Section 1.3 Scope (line 204) and 5.2 Place of Performance (line 1329) require permanent onsite staffing on a 24/7 basis or if the site and Section 2.5 requirements will be managed by individual TO's to best satisfy FEMA's needs | NOC will be located at Mount Weather, VA | |
| 81 | 31 | 2.5.1 | The requirement is unclear as written. Please clarify or reference the location of the "the following minimum Government cyber security requirements". | If allowed, will be defined in Task Order | |
| 82 | 31 | 2.5.1 | For purposes of the IDIQ and subsequent TO's, we recommend removing the vagueness of the existing requirement and clarifying to read, "Verification of compliance with these requirements shall be provided to the contractor officer representative or their designee on a monthly basis. Specific requirements for the content, delivery method, and date will be specified in task orders." | Corrected. | |
| 83 | 40 | 5.9 | As written, it is not clear if the Post Award Conference is conducted for the award of the IDIQ or for each and all subsequent Task Orders. Please clarify. | Post award conference is for IDIQ award and all task orders. | |
| 84 | 40 | 5.1 | Please confirm that the "Contractor Project Management Plan" (Line 1492) is the same deliverable as identified in Items 2 and 3 of the table in Section 9 Deliverables (line 1825) referred to as Draft/Final "Contractor Project Plan". | Yes | |
| 85 | 44 | 5.16 | To enable a clear understanding of FEMA requirements as well as to accurately price the service efforts needed to meet all requirements, Industry will benefit from identification of all deliverables. Please clarify if the SPII plan is intended to be a separate deliverable or may be incorporated into the Contractor Project Management Plan. Currently, the SPII Plan does not appear in Section 9, Deliverables Table (line 1825) | Added | |
| 86 | 48 | 6.1 | To enable a clear understanding of FEMA requirements as well as to accurately price the service efforts needed to meet all requirements, Industry will benefit from identification of all deliverables. Please add the Monthly Asset Management Report to Section 9, Deliverables Table (line 1825). | Tracked in SAM by Government Accountablitiy Property Manager | |
| 87 | 50 | 10 | To ensure proper security of sensitive data during transmission, please confirm that the system can accept encrypted / otherwise protected files. | They can be password protected | |
| 88 | 11 | 2.1 | In reviewing the Applications Engineering services Draft SOW (released to Industry on 30 Nov2015) and comparing the description of the requirements for the performing contractor, we recommend the O&M SOW Section 2.1 and its subsections be updated with the additional detail and definition of project/program management requirements found in the AE SOW (Draft) from pages 8-12 (lines 237 - 411) and its subsections for 2.1.1 Hardware Procurement, 2.1.2 Risk Management, 2.1.3 Configuration Management, 2.1.4 Task Order Project Management, 2.1.5 Facilitation of Product Reviews, and 2.1.6 Status Reporting. Many of the AE requirements are directly applicable to effectively managing task orders for the operations and maintenance sustainment services required by FEMA. | TBD | |
| 89 | 1.5.2 | Should the FEMA SELC be added to this list? | TBD | ||
| 90 | 1.5.3 | Draft PWS states that all EA-related components will be IPv6 compliant. Are there any IPv4 components on the network? | TBD | ||
| 91 | 2.1.1.1 | How is FEMA currently tracking GFE inventory? | SAMS system | ||
| 92 | 2.1.1.3 | Reference is made to un-compiled source code. What systems are currently supported with software development activities and what software languages are used? | SDEI Question | ||
| 93 | 2.1.1.3 | What is the current GFE inventory management system? | SAMS system | ||
| 94 | 2.2.1 | What GOTS software is currently being supported and what software languages are they written in? | SDEI Question | ||
| 95 | 2.3.3 | What Ticketing system is currently in place? Will workload data be provided for each of the Functional Areas? | Remedy | ||
| 96 | 2.3.4 | Is MILSATCOM used for fulfilling satellite requirements, e.g. Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) and UHF Follow-On (UFO)? | No | ||
| 97 | 2.3.4 | What is the difference between SATCOM and COMSATCOM? Does SATCOM refer to MILSATCOM? | Equivalent and No | ||
| 98 | 2.5.1 | What scanning solution is DHS/FEMA using? | Separate IDIQ not Ops. | ||
| 99 | 6.1 | Will the SELC and other reference documents and GFI be provided in a Reading Room / Bidder's Library before the final TOR/RFP is released? | TBD | ||
| 100 | 4.3 | What clearance level is required to support each of the functional areas? | Will be detailed in TO, but most will require a TS or a high Public Trust; an elevated privilege account requires an SSBI. | ||
| 101 | 5.2 | Please clarify the Places of Performance, e.g. "other sites located in the NCR" and "Logistic Centers". | MW, Winchester, DC, Denton TX, Hyattsville MD | ||
| 102 | 5.2 | Please identify which functional areas are performed at each of the places of performance. | All functional areas performed at MW, Winchester, VA - Functional area 4 performed at MW, Winchester, DC, TX, MD | ||
| 103 | General | N/A | Does FEMA intend the scope of work to include deploying improvements to the operational baseline capability, either as operational upgrades or prototypes, for innovative technical or business improvement capabilities developed by the prime contractor or any potential providers associated with the prime contractor? | yes | |
| 104 | General | N/A | Request FEMA publish relevant documents to a reading room to provide bidders with a common understanding of the existing enterprise size, scope, and complexity. While Appendix A provides a list, it is insufficient to develop a technical and management solution. Documents should include configuration, inventory, locations, devices, help desk statistics, outage trends, user data, application design overviews, and other relevant materials. | Will post non sensitive information to reading room | |
| 105 | General | N/A | There is a mix of methodologies (Agile, ITIL, DHS SELC) referenced in the draft. Can the government please clarify the methodology to be used for each functional area? | Mix Methodology , mostly ITIL and SELC for development | |
| 106 | General | N/A | Can the government provide their current IT, Network and SATCOM architectures? | No | |
| 107 | General | N/A | What is the current Mobile Data Management (MDM) solution? | GOOD or Mobile Iron | |
| 108 | 6 | 1.3, lines 193-195 | The implication of the statement is that the contractor must provide/maintain the infrastructure necessary to COOP the entire OCIO operations (e.g., "all aspects of the SOW"). Is that what was intended? | System and end user support | |
| 109 | 6 | 1.3, lines 198-200 | The statement that "The objectives of this acquisition are to consolidate six contracts into one contract, transition existing services within 60 days of task order award, ensure accurate and timely invoicing, and obtain O&M services that meet FEMA performance measures." Request FEMA provide copies of all contracts, task orders, and performance work statements. | It is not likely that FEMA will release current contract information. | |
| 110 | 6 | 1.3, lines 208-209 | Request FEMA provide locations of all LTROs and MDRCs. | N/A | |
| 111 | 8 | 1.4, lines 255-257 | Request FEMA provide a comprehensive architecture and configuration diagram for "the current hardware infrastructure" and the "telecommunications infrastructure to include mobile and satellite". | Will post non sensitive information to reading room | |
| 112 | 9 | 1.5, lines 328-331 | Reference contractor owned EIT, the implication that not all equipment will be used or available to federal employees is orthogonal to the first question above. | Will post non sensitive information to reading room | |
| 113 | 10 | 1.5.3, lines 354-363 | Request copies of the HLS EA, the HLS EA TRM, the DHS Data Reference Model and Enterprise Architecture Information Repository, and DHS Data Management Policy 103-01. | Will post non sensitive information to reading room | |
| 114 | 12 | 2.1, line 411 | Request copy of a or the FEMA Risk Management Plan. | Will post non sensitive information to reading room | |
| 115 | 12 | 2.1, lines 428-431 | Does the contractors EVM have to be certified by any government organization prior to award? | TBD | |
| 116 | 14 | 2.1.1.2, 2.1.1.3, lines 508-517 | Request copies of all compiled and un-compiled source code (versions, updates, patches), all documentation, all training materials and GFE/GFI) to support development of the incoming transition plan. | Sensitive information | |
| 117 | 15 | 2.1.2, line 533 | Regarding billing reconciliation, request copies of a typical monthly set of invoices/bills that must be reconciled. | Wireless, Wireline and Satellite invoicing | |
| 118 | 16 | 2.1.3, line 576-578 | Request copies of a typical daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly incident report. | Sensitive information | |
| 119 | 16 | 2.1.3, line 596 | Request copies of typical weekly capacity management report, as well as the browser based dashboard. | Sensitive information | |
| 120 | 18 | 2.2.2, line 658-659 | How many other FEMA Contractor teams will we "work alongside" with? What is their scope? How does it overlap with the scope of this effort? | TBD | |
| 121 | 21 | 2.2.5, lines 791-792 | Is the FEMA Project Manager identified in this area the same as the Government PM, or are their multiple Project Managers based on application, infrastructure, or task orders? | Multiple PMs based on task orders | |
| 122 | 22 | 2.2.7, line 802 | How many Change Requests are processed each week, month, quarter? Request copy of the last 90 days worth of Change Requests. | Configuration management question - Quality Assurance | |
| 123 | 23 | 2.3.2, lines 861-864 | The statement that "The Contractor is responsible for helping FEMA quickly and smoothly transition wireless, wire line and satellite service (i.e., inventory, contracts, invoices, and usage data) from one vendor to another as per the schedule and with little or no notice by FEMA’s users." implies the existence of schedule for the transition. Please provide details of planned or conceived transitions for which the contractor will be responsible. | Will be defined in Task Order | |
| 124 | 25 | 2.3.4., lines 926-929 | The sentence "The design and change all COMSATCOM shall provide pre-existing, pre-engineered…" doesn't make sense. Are we to provide ALL COMSATCOM services? Are we to change ALL? | Just contractor support for management of services | |
| 125 | 27 | 2.4, line 996-999 | Request a report that shows metrics for typical daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual Tier I and Tier II call volume. | Will provide in reading room | |
| 126 | 28 | 2.4, line 1026 | Request SLAs for service request fulfillment by "class of service requested". | System uptime, deployment, patching and support | |
| 127 | 29 | 2.4.3, line 1069 | Request a report that shows metrics for typical daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual incident volume (to include network incidents noted in subsequent paragraphs). | Will provide non-sensitive information in reading room | |
| 128 | 30 | 2.5, line 1119 | Request the schedule for all planned, desired or required Technology Refresh for the period of performance of the contract. | TBD | |
| 129 | 31 | 2.5.1, line 1149-1151 | The sentence states that all CFE must meet "the following minimum Government cyber security requirements", and then does not clearly define what those minimums are. If they begin with line 1152, that is not clear. | CFE requirements will be included in each task order. | |
| 130 | 33 | 3.1, line 1237 | Regarding "surge staffing", what is the relative size of the surge (10%, 25%, 100%)? | 10% for disaster support to backfill onsite positions so government staff can be deployed, if needed | |
| 131 | 34 | 4.5, line 1270-1271 | The paragraph implies that "qualified personnel" are key personnel, but does not list specific positions. Can the government please be more specific and list key personnel for the IDIQ? | Labor categories will be provided with requirements | |
| 132 | 34 | 4.5 | Will the PM be the only key personnel requirement for this solicitation? Is there a required amount of time the PM must be on the job before he/she can be replaced or substituted for another key person? | Yes for the IDIQ. All other key personnel will be defined on Task Orders | |
| 133 | 38 | 5.5.3, Suitability Determination, lines 1390 - 1403 | How is FEMA processing approved contractor employees already in EOD status from other DHS components that have equal or more stringent requirements ? | DHS security question | |
| 134 | 51 | Appendix A | Can the government provide the applicable versions of all primary systems and services as provided in the appendix? | Non- sensitive information will be provided | |
| 135 | 51 | Appendix A | Which systems/applications listed are compliant with HSPD-12 PIV card integration? | TBD | |
| 136 | Functional Areas 3 Telecommunications Operations and Maintenance and Functional Area 4 Help Desk Services | The Functional Areas 3 Telecommunications Operations and Maintenance and Functional Area 4 Help Desk Services appear to include tasks that were recently competed as DHS EAGLE II Functional Category 1 Small Business and Functional Category 2 Small Business Task Orders. The period of performance for those Task Orders extends to the year 2020 if all option years are exercised. Is it FEMA’s intent to move that work back to this O&M IDIQ contract? If so, what would be the timeframe for doing so? | Yes, after the expiration of the current year's POP | ||
| 137 | Section 1.3 Scope | Under Section 1.3 Scope in the PWS FEMA states “The objectives of this acquisition are to consolidate six contracts into one contract, transition existing services within 60 days of task order award, ensure accurate and timely invoicing, and obtain O&M services that meet FEMA performance measures.” Based on this statement, we have the following questions: a. Can FEMA identify the “six contracts” it intends to consolidate, providing the contact number and contractor name? |
b. Will FEMA stagger the task orders associated with consolidating these six contracts, allowing for a 60 day transition for each with no, or minimal, overlap?
c. Another term for consolidation is bundling. The FAR defines a Bundling as “Consolidating two or more requirements for supplies or services, previously provided or performed under separate smaller contracts, into a solicitation for a single contract that is likely to be unsuitable for award to a small business concern due to – (i) The diversity, size, or specialized nature of the elements of the performance specified; (ii) The aggregate dollar value of the anticipated award; (iii) The geographical dispersion of the contract performance sites; or (iv) Any combination of the factors described in (i), (ii), and (iii) of this definition. If any one of the six contracts FEMA intends to consolidate into this requirement is awarded to small business, this would require FEMA to meet the FAR requirements as outlined in FAR 19.202-1. Are any of the six contracts to be consolidated small business contracts?
| No and they will be staggered, there will be TO for each business area | ||||
| 138 | During the Industry Day, 5 December 2014, it was stated all software development would be accomplished through the new Applications Engineering Services contract. Functional Area 2 in the Production Management (O&M) PWS appears to allow for the possibility of new Agile Software Code development. As such, will this contract be used as an alternative to the application development contemplated associated with the contract(s) awarded addressing FEMA’s Applications Engineering PWS? Or does the Agile Software Code development described in the Production Management (O&M) PWS only apply to changes made to production software? | TBD | ||
| 139 | The list of contracts provided as part of Amendment 1 does not appear to include work currently being performed by small businesses under the existing SETA contract. Will some or all of this work be consolidated in the Production Management (O&M) contract? | Yes, will be defined in Task Orders | ||
| 140 | Given the amount of work currently being performed by small businesses would the government consider a second single award Production Management (O&M) small business IDIQ? This could provide additional options for non-competitive awards to either the small or large business awardee, help FEMA meet small business goals and provide opportunities for competition, if appropriate, resulting in more effective competition for the government. | O&M is anticipated to be a single award contract | ||
| 141 | The “Mission Needs (Requirements)” and “Application Development and Engineering” contracts are highly dependent on each other to succeed. Since it is possible for a contractor to support both, will FEMA allow contractors to put in place an OCI mitigation plan? | N/A for O&M | ||
| 142 | Are there any certifications or particular experience required by the contractor staff? | Details will be provide in Labor Categories | ||
| 143 | Will FEMA allow industry to submit multiple prime proposals on different procurements? If not, can you submit one prime and be a sub on others? | Each Line of Business is separate. In accordance with the method of competition if contractors are eligible to compete on different acqusitions they may do so. | ||
| 144 | 1.1 | Can FEMA describe its planned governance model for the desired “teaming approach” that enables successful collaboration and cooperation with respect to the contractor’s performance and deliverables? | TBD | |
| 145 | 1.3 | Is it FEMA’s intent to have all task orders from the existing 6 contracts fully transitioned to the new contract, and be fully operational within the 60 day specified period from the award of the IDIQ contract? If so, would FEMA provide the details of all existing task orders in advance of the final RFP in order to allow offerors to submit a plan with their proposal submission? | N/A to O&M |
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