HSHQDC-13-R-00072_Questions_and_Answers.pdf

Vendor Questions HSHQDC-13-R-00072 RFP Question RFP Section Response/Disposition All questionnaires must concern work performed by the offeror itself (the prime contractor submitting a quote for the current requirement), not any of its past or current subcontractors”. Based upon this requirement, it appears that the Government is limiting the competition because it excludes viable companies who are proposing a complete solution with the assistance of a subcontractor. Previous bids have allowed for vendors to submit past performance for both the prime and subcontractor as they collectively represent the offeror. Would the Government reconsider this language to represent the “offeror” as the prime and subcontractor, as opposed to just the prime?

L. RFP Section L.7.2, Paragraph(s) Factor 3, Paragraph 4, Page(s) 50

The Government has considered your question, no change will be made.

Seeing as this is Phase II, was there a competitive requirement for Phase I? I have looked all over and came back empty handed. Can you please clarify? I greatly appreciate any information you are able to provide.

Phase I was originally procured through DHS S&T’s Long Range BAA 08-01, through the contract

HSHQDC-08-C-

00199, awarded to Carlow International, Inc.

Based on the fact that the pricing sheet has only one tab in the spreadsheet, should we assume that all work for the task orders will be done at Government site in Washington DC or should we assume that all work for the task orders will be done in our company site in Reston, VA?

Please see Amendment 0001 to the RFP in which J.3, Pricing Schedule, was updated to reflect that all work will be conducted at company site.

Is it anticipated that answers to questions submitted will be released all at once, or phased prior to the November 25 deadline?

All questions and answers are released under Amendement

0002.

Was the company tasked with Phase I of the Human System Integration a WOSB? What is the name of company performing the Phase I work?

Phase I was originally procured through DHS S&T’s Long Range BAA 08-01, through the contract

HSHQDC-08-C-

00199, awarded to Carlow International, Inc.

Place of performance is indicated as being determined on a TO basis. During Phase I, where was most of the work performed (location and on/off-site), and what is anticipated for this contract?

Please see Amendment 0001 to the RFP in which J.3, Pricing Schedule, was updated to reflect that all work will be conducted at company site.

Solicitation specifically exempts Resumes from the page count, but does NOT say that commitment letters (for Program Manager and SME) are excluded. Do the commitment letters count toward page limit?

Section L.7, Page 48 Commitment letters are also excluded from the page count.

Please see Amendment 0002 for further information.

Factor 2 says offerors need to provide commitment letters for all key personnel – does this include key personnel who are current employees of ours?

Section L.7.2, Page 49 Yes, this does include current employees.

What kind of psychology experience is the Government seeking?

Coursework, a degree, certification, experience?

Section L.7.2, Page 49 The primary interest is whether the bidder has experience in Human Systems Integration. It is beneficial, however, if there is experience in various areas of

Psychology (e.g., experimental design, human factors, and applied psychology, etc.). It is sufficient if this knowledge of Psychology has been gained through relevant coursework, a degree, or relevant experience in the field.

What are the qualifications/labor category descriptions for the Program Manager, Mid-level Systems Analyst and Subject Matter Expert?

Section L.7.2, Page 49 Please see Amendment 0001 to the RFP in which the labor category descriptions were included.

Must the Subject Matter Expert be a single individual who is an expert in all the applied research areas listed, or can offerors propose multiple Subject Matter Experts?

Section L.7.2, Page 49 Determined by individual task order requirement.

Can offerors include resumes for non-key personnel? If so, are these resumes excluded from the page limit?

Section L.7.2, Page 49 No, the offerors should not include resumes for non-key personnel.

Factor 2 on page 49 says “For the intent and purpose of the IDIQ, the Program Manager and Subject Matter Expert are designated as key.” This implies there will is to be one person for each labor category. However, in J.3 year 2 has enough hours (6090) for there to be multiple Program Managers. Do offerors need to propose one key person for Program Manager and one for Subject Matter Expert or do offerors need to propose multiple people?

Subject: RFP No. HSHQDC-13-R- 00072, Section HSAR 3052.215-70, Subject: RFP No. HSHQDC-13-R- 00072, Section L.7.2, Page 49 Subject: RFP No. HSHQDC-13-R- 00072, Section J.3, Page 1

This statement has been removed from Factor 2, L.7.2.

J.3 lists 6090 hours for the Program Manager (PM), which could only be satisfied if multiple people fill this labor category. Why is there more than one PM? Is the PM actually expected to do mostly

Section J.3, Page 1 See clarification provided in terms and conditions.

technical work on the project with a small amount of effort to program management?

Can a key person be supplied by a subcontractor? Section L.7.2, Page 49 Yes, but as a reminder, the prime contractor must perform at least 50% of the work.

Must each Past Performance in Factor 3 of Volume 1 correspond to one J.2 Past Performance Questionnaire that a reference completes, or can offerors include different ones (as long as all documents meet the solicitation requirements)?

Section L.7.2, Page 50 and Section M.4 pages 55-56

Past performance questionnaire must match the past performance experiences as provided in the technical volume.

Are past performance questionnaires allowed from a subcontractor on the team?

Section L.7.2, Page 50 No.

Factor 3 page 50; item 1 says the “Reference Name (Company or entity) and whether the reference is the prime or a subcontractor” – contracting agency is item 3; implication is that offerors can use our references or subcontractors references – is this correct?

Section L.7.2, Page 50 Language removed.

We have a situation where we are a subcontractor for a project and the prime for this existing contract is our subcontractor for this DHS procurement. Can we provide a past performance from the government client covering our work on this project?

Section L.7.2, Page 50 Yes.

The statement of work mentions that this is Phase 2 of the effort.

What organization completed Phase 1? What was the contract number for Phase 1?

Section J.1, Page 1 Phase I was originally procured through DHS S&T’s Long Range BAA 08-01, through the contract

HSHQDC-08-C-

00199, awarded to Carlow International, Inc.

The SOW references a knowledge product completed in Phase I that defined the HSI process and best practices. Can a copy of this

Section J.1 SOW, Page 1 All publicly available information is process document be made available? available in DHS

Instruction Manual 102-01-001 and Appendix B, which is hyperlinked in the

SOW.

The cost spreadsheet requests pricing for Subject Matter Expert, Program Manager and Mid-level systems analyst. Are these the only labor categories that can be proposed for this effort?

Section J.3, Page 1 Yes

The pricing schedule shows $43,000 for materials in year 1 (and subsequent years) and there is a brief description of the materials on page 2. Given the large dollar amount for materials (relative to the hours listed for year 1) what are the anticipated major components of materials

Section J.3, Page 1 It is anticipated that the major component for materials will be travel.

Is Program Manager full time or partial time in the base year, given that there are only 1163 hours shown in the pricing Schedule for this labor category?

Section J.3, Page 1 The solicitation requires a Program Manager to manage the IDIQ, the individual task orders may also require a Program Manager.

Is the base year less than 12 months as the hours shown on the Pricing Schedule are less than enough for one FTE?

Section J.3, Page 1 The base period is 12 months.

Does the Government anticipate making multiple awards or just a single award?

Section M.1, Page 52 As stated in section M.1, page 52. “the Government contemplates award of one IDIQ contract”.

As this is HSI: Phase II, who were the incumbent contractor(s) for Phase I?

Phase I was originally procured through DHS S&T’s Long Range BAA 08-01, through the contract

HSHQDC-08-C-

00199, awarded to

Carlow International, Inc.

Subject Matter Experts vary in cost widely based on the functional areas identified in HSHQDC-13-R-00072. Would the gov’t consider allowing a break out of each functional area for SMEs so that rates can be compared as apples to apples?

1. Human Systems Integration (HSI)

2. Represent HSI on working groups and Integrated Product Teams (IPTs)

3. Human Factors Engineering/User Centered Design

4. Psychology

5. Experimental Design and Statistics

6. Requirements Analysis

7. Training Development

8. Standards Development

9. Risk Management

10. Test and Evaluation and development of Metrics

11. Modeling and Simulation

J.3.1 HSHQDC-13-R-00072 Labor Category Descriptions and SF33 & Terms & Conditions, L.7.2., Factor 2, No change to the

RFP.

Program Manager education requirement is Ph.D with at least 10 years experience. Would the gov’t consider MA/MS candidates with 14+ years of experience and PMP certification as a trade off?

J.3.1 HSHQDC-13-R-

00072_Labor_Category_Descriptions, first labor category, paragraphs 1-4, The requirement for the Program Manager has been changed to 15 years of experience and a M.S./M.A. degree.

See Attachment J.3.1 in Amendment 0002.

What Technology Readiness Level (TRL)/level of maturity/system acquisition stage are the DHS systems expected to be evaluated?

Systems can exist across various TRLs from levels 3-9.

If not the contractor site, where is the expected place of performance for initial task orders?

Please see Amendment 0001 to the RFP in which J.3, Pricing Schedule, was updated to reflect that all work will be conducted at company site.

For the Program Manager Position, would a Master’s Degree and 10 years of management of HSI Integration Development and application projects experience be considered?

J.3.1 Labor Category Descriptions;

Paragraph 1

The requirement for the Program Manager has been changed to 15 years of experience and a M.S./M.A. degree.

Due to the page limitations of the response, would the contracting office consider allowing any tables in 10 point font and graphics in 9 point font?

L.7.2 Paragraph 1 Page 49 “No less than 8-point font on graphic illustrations and 10-point font on tables, headers and footers”.

Please see L.7, page 49, in Amedment 0002 for further clarification.

Will the contracting office allow bidders to use past performance from an individual vs. corporate past performance?

L.7.2 Paragraph 5 (Factor 3: Past Performance) Page 50

Only the past performance of the Prime Contractor will be used for the past performance examples. As stated in Section L.7.2 “All questionnaires must concern work performed by the offeror itself (the prime contractor submitting a quote for the current requirement), not any of its past or current subcontractors.”

For the required past performances, can the cited projects come L.7.2 Paragraph 5 (Factor 3: Past Only the past from the prime and teaming partners? Performance) Page 50 performance of the

Prime Contractor will be used for the past performance examples. As stated in Section L.7.2 “All questionnaires must concern work performed by the offeror itself (the prime contractor submitting a quote for the current requirement), not any of its past or current subcontractors.”

In reference to the past performance questionnaires, can they come from both the prime and teaming partners? Can they be from the past performances cited in the technical response?

L.7.2 Paragraph 7 (Factor 3: Past Performance (questionnaires)) Page

Only the past performance of the Prime Contractor will be used for the past performance examples. As stated in Section L.7.2 “All questionnaires must concern work performed by the offeror itself (the prime contractor submitting a quote for the current requirement), not any of its past or current subcontractors.”

Para B.5.1, page 7, states that the fixed hourly rates are ceiling rates and will apply to the prime contractor. Does this imply that

Para B.5.1, page 7 The prime contractor shall establish fixed subcontractors will charge their own bid rates for each labor category?

hourly rates using blended rates for each category of labor to be performed by the offeror, including all subcontractors.

Para B.5.1, page 7, states that program management support costs shall be included within each fully burdened labor category rate, and shall not be proposed as separate labor categories. Does this mean that the costs associated with planned program management support will be incorporated into the ceiling rates for each labor category?

Para B.5.1, page 7 IDIQ Contract-level program management support costs include contract-level management, reporting requirements (See Section F, Deliveries or Performance) and meeting attendance costs associated with the Contractor’s program management staff.

These program management support costs shall be included within each fully burdened labor category rate, and shall not be proposed as separate labor categories.

Para B.5.1, page 7, states that “Task Order Manager” or “Project Manager” support labor hours are billed at hourly labor rates against individual task orders for direct support to the effort performed under those task orders. This will result in direct billings at the task order

Para B.5.1, page 7 A Task Order Mamanger or Project Manager may be required at the Task level. What exactly does this mean? Order Level.

Para H.1, page 17 of the solicitation states that “This IDIQ Contract is available for use by the DHS S&T Directorate.” Does this mean that the IDIQ is limited to task orders using S&T funding or can other DHS components use the IDIQ to fund research and technology development if the funding is transferred to S&T?

Para H.1, page 17 This IDIQ is limited to S&T requirements only.

Para H.10 states that corporate identification badges are required for all personnel when on a government facility. Does this require that companies who do not currently have a corporate badge program establish one to access DHS facilities for meetings and other interactions?

Para H.10 If the contractor is awarded this IDIQ, then yes they will be required to obtain a Government furnished badge.

Para H.11 (a), (b), and (c) requires that the Contractor elicit prior approval from the TO CO if using a subcontractor under various conditions. Does this apply to subcontractors who are identified as part of the Contractor Team in the proposal or just to subcontractors that are new to the Team post contract award?

Para H.11 (a), (b), and (c) Subcontractors new to the Team post contract award.

Section K Representations and Certifications (b) (2), page 35 states that if the offeror is currently registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), and has completed the Representations and Certifications section of SAM electronically, the offeror may choose to use paragraph (d) of this provision instead of completing the corresponding individual representations and certification in the solicitation. Does this also apply to the items described under FAR 52.209-5, Certification regarding responsibility matters and FAR 52.219-1 Small Business Program representations?

Section K Representations and Certifications (b) (2) page 35

Since neither provision 52.209-5 or 52.219-1 provides for such election, the business is expected to complete the corresponding representations and provide the companies answers in the Cost Proposal.

The RFP requests three past performance examples. Is this just for the prime contractor or does it include subcontractors?

Para L.7.2 page 50 Only the past performance of the Prime Contractor will be used for the past performance examples. As stated in Section L.7.2 “All questionnaires must concern work performed by the offeror itself (the prime contractor submitting a quote for the current requirement), not any of its past or current subcontractors.”

The November 20, 2013 posting to FedBizOps includes an amended section J.3.1 that provides labor category descriptions for a Program Manager (PM), Subject Matter Expert (SME), and Junior/Mid-Level Systems Analyst. The PM and SME categories require a Ph.D.

degree and the Junior/Mid-Level specialist have a MA/MS. These educational requirements seems to eliminate many highly qualified individuals who can bring strong talent and unique expertise to the HSI program who do not have the requisite degree. Can years of experience be used to offset the educational requirements for all labor categories?

J.3.1 The requirement for the Program Manager has been changed to 15 years of experience and a M.S./M.A. degree.

The RFP states in B.2, page 6 that the maximum cumulative dollar value ceiling of all task orders is $9.5M. The hours for each labor category over the contract period are also given. If the total dollar value for the 5 year period using contractor ceiling rates for the labor categories exceeds the $9.5M value, should the contractor reduce its ceiling rates, the hours, or both?

B.2, page 6 The IDIQ maximum celing is for ordering purposes.

Section B.4 page 6 states that the types of TOs issued against this IDIQ may be Time-and-Materials (T&M), Labor-Hours (L-H), or Firm- Fixed-Price (FFP). How will the type of TO be determined?

Section B.4 page 6 The task order type will be determined once the individual requirements are determined.

In the Attachment J.3, IDIQ Pricing Schedule, the cells for the Indirect Rate for each year prohibit the entry of data. When data entry into these cells is attempted, an error bow reads “The Cell or chart you are trying to change is protected and therefore read-only.

J.3, IDIQ Pricing Schedule The IDIQ Pricing Schedule was updated with Amendment 0001, How can the Indirect Rate be incorporated? which was posted to

FBO on November 20, 2013. Please use this updated Pricing Schedule.

On page 50, paragraph 4 of SF33: Must the past performance questionnaires be completed by the prime only? May sub-contractors also submit a past performance questionnaire(s) as part of the required three questionnaires?

page 50, paragraph 4 of SF33 Past performance questionnnaires will only be accepted for the prime contractor.

As stated in Section L.7.2 “All questionnaires must concern work performed by the offeror itself (the prime contractor submitting a quote for the current requirement), not any of its past or current subcontractors.”

On page 56, paragraph 4, bullet a) of the SF33: this section states that past performance evaluations will be based upon the proposal submission that describes “no more than three contracts previously or currently being performed.” However, on page 50, paragraph 1, line 3, it states that the Offeror must provide examples from “a minimum of three customers”. Thus, on page 50, it implies that the proposal may include more than three examples. Please clarify whether the technical submission may include more than three examples of successful past performance.

On page 56, paragraph 4, bullet a) of the SF33

3 Past performance examples and questionnaires.

Please see Amendment 0002..

What is the range of anticipated response times to TOs—hours, days, weeks?

Section G.3.1, page 15, para B The response time for each individual task order will be dependent on program need and the complexity of the task order.

Does the 50% cost performed by the prime apply to each TO individually or to the overall IDIQ total dollar value?

Section H.11, page 21, para e The overall IDIQ dollar value.

Please provide a digital copy (or a publicly available web link) to the output of HSI phase I: “knowledge product that consists of a process, which is both empirically and analytically based, along with a set of best practices…” MD 102 Appendix B refers to a draft HSI policy document, but does not provide a copy.

Section J.1 SOW, page 1, para 3 All publicly available information is available in DHS Instruction Manual 102-01-001 and Appendix B. The draft policy document is not available for public distribution at this time.

Background in the SOW indicates the first Phase of S&T’s effort included application of the “HSI process over 20 Acquisition Programs and S&T projects across DHS.” Can the government indicate which projects included application of HSI?

Section J.1 SOW, page 2, 1st bullet Under the first phase, HSI support was provided to operational customers, including the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, Office of Health Affairs, Immigration and Customs Enformcement, US Coast Guard, S&T First Responder Group, and Customs and Border Protection.

HSI “Processes will be applied to a minimum of two-three projects per contract year.” Can the government indicate if these projects have been chosen, and/or whether the offeror will support this selection process?

Section J.1 SOW, page 2, Section III No, the Government can not indicate if these projecs have been chosen, and the contractor will not support the selection process.

The SOW declares the contractor shall provide recommendations for training materials but shall not be involved in actual training nor the review of training content. The RFP includes development of course content in support of existing Government requirements as an evaluation factor for technical capability. Are these two statements consistent? Please clarify the government’s requirement with respect to HSI training materials.

Section J.1 SOW page 3, para 4a, and RFP Section M.4, page 54, 7th bullet

The Government will provide the requirements for training and course objectives. The contractor shall provide the training materials for an HSI course. The HSI course shall at a minimum cover various areas based on the identified requirements.

What drives the education requirement of Ph.D. degree and at least 10 years of experience in the management of Human Systems Integration (HSI)? Other government agencies, such as Department of Defense, have similar or more complex HSI requirements but require less education and experience. The extreme requirement drives higher cost, or limits competition to by-name individuals and/or companies. To increase competition and lower price, would the government consider graduate level courses and/or related professional work equivalent to advanced degrees?

Section J.3.1, Program Manager The requirement for the Program Manager has been changed to 15 years of experience and a M.S./M.A. degree.

What drives the education requirement of Ph.D. degree and at least 10 years of experience in the management of Human Systems Integration (HSI)? Other government agencies, such as Department of Defense, have similar or more complex HSI requirements but require less education and experience. The extreme requirement drives higher cost, or limits competition to by-name individuals and/or companies. To increase competition and lower price, would the government consider graduate level courses and/or related

Section J.3.1, Subject Matter Expert. No requirements will be changed for the Subject Matter expert.

professional work equivalent to advanced degrees?

When mentioning risk management, can you clarify what you mean by that? Is it related to human system reliability or risk in managing the program (e.g., falling off schedule, etc)?

This refers to risk as it applies to the system as opposed to the program. A major step in ensuring high-quality DHS products and systems from an HSI perspective (products and systems that are usable, reliable, safe, supportable, affordable, and acceptable) is to minimize, avoid, or eliminate HSI risks to users of DHS technology and systems— specifically, risks that will impair or diminish human performance.