HSHQDC-17-R-00006_P00002.pdf

(x)

HSHQDC-17-R-00006

x x

1 copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted ; or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT

THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted , such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

x

Washington DC 20528-0115

DHS/OPO/S&T/CHEMBIO

245 Murray Lane, SW, #0115 S&T Acquisition Division Office of Procurement Operations U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security

01/12/2017000002

13. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO MODIFICATION OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS. IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required) is not extended.is extended, Items 8 and 15, and returning

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended , by one of the following methods: (a) By completing

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

FACILITY CODE CODE

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., street, county, State and ZIP Code)

7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6)CODE 6. ISSUED BY

PAGE OF PAGES

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.3. EFFECTIVE DATE2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

12/16/2016

CHECK ONE A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority) appropriation date, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not, is required to sign this document and return __________________ copies to the issuing office.

ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

The purpose of this amendment is to:

1) Revise Attachment J-8 with answers to additional questions.

All other terms and conditions remain unchanged.

DO/DPAS Rating: NONE

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

15C. DATE SIGNED 16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR 16C. DATE SIGNED

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer)

Shelby Buford, Jr.

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 10-83)

Prescribed by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

NSN 7540-01-152-8070

Previous edition unusable

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9 A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect .

HSHQDC-17-R-00006 P000002

Attachment J-8 – Responses to Vendor Questions on the RFP

RFP Reference RFP Section Question/Concern Response

SF-33 Period of Performance: 12

Months from date of award

For purposes of pricing, what is the anticipated start date? The anticipated start date is in

March or April 2017.

Standard Form 33 SF 33 Would the Government please confirm that the signed

Standard Form 33 should be submitted with the Cost Volume and not the Technical Volume?

Confirmed. Please see revision to Section L.9.

B.6 “Fixed Fee” This is a term form of Cost Plus

Fixed Fee contract. As such, the

Contractor may invoice for the associated fixed fee amount upon the conclusion of each period of performance.

As written, Contractor is not allowed to invoice fixed fee as part of monthly invoice, only at conclusion of each CPFF

CLIN period of performance? Is this correct or will the

Contractor be allowed to invoice a percentage of the fixed fee monthly?

Please see the revised Section

B.6.

B.6 “Fixed Fee” “As such, the Contractor may invoice for the associated fixed fee amount upon the conclusion of each period of performance.”

Waiting 12 months to be paid the fixed fee for the Analytical

Support work places financial hardship on the contractor. Will the Government change this sentence to read, “As such, the

Contractor may invoice for the associated fixed fee amount with their monthly invoices.”

Please see the revised Section

B.6.

C.1.1 “This Contract will also require subject matter expertise to support and inform policy formulation and decision support to the DHS Joint Requirements

Council (JRC)/Science and

Technology Directorate (S&T) and all DHS Components and

Headquarters entities that engage with the JRC.”

If components require work under this contract, will they order it directly or can S&T use component direct fund cite? Or will the funding have to be transferred from the

Component to S&T ORA then the work issued by ORA?

S&T ORA will initiate all tasks.

The funding arrangements between the components and

S&T ORA will require minimal contractor involvement.

C.2. 2.1.5. Preliminary Documents In accordance with the latest revisions to DHS Acquisition

Directive 102-01, the Department of Homeland Security has eliminated the need for P-MNS, P-CONOPS and P-ORD documentation. Given this, does the government still require a response to 2.1.5 Preliminary Documents?

Although these documents have been eliminated per AD 102-01, specific DHS customers may request that these documents be prepared.

According to the JRIMS manual published in April 2016, P-

MNS and P-CONOPS are no longer applicable. Is this the common understanding across DHS components, or will S&T institute this in their local processes?

C.2.1.8

Modeling and Simulation Support

Can DHS provide a current list of simulation tools and their version number currently in inventory

A complete list of simulation tools at DHS is not available.

C.2.2 “It is anticipated that program management support positions will be located onsite at

Government facilities in the

Washington, DC metropolitan area.”

Is it the Government’s expectation that the Lead Technical

Analyst be located full time onsite at Government facilities?

Yes, it is the Government’s expectation that the Lead

Technical Analyst be located full time onsite at Government facilities with the option of occasional telecommuting.

C.4.3.3 Secret level safeguarding/storage will be needed at the Contractor site. An appropriate

DD254 will be issued after award.

Section C.4.3 lays out clearance requirements for personnel, but the only reference to contractor facility clearance (FCL) is that Secret safeguarding will be required and that an appropriate DD-254 will be issued upon award. Does this mean that an FCL is not required at time of submission, and that DHS will sponsor the FCL for a winning offeror that does not already possess one?

Yes, DHS will sponsor the contractor facility clearance as needed.

H.7

“Telecommuting”

In accordance with 41 U.S.C.

3306(f), a Federal Government agency shall generally not discourage a contractor from allowing its employees to telecommute in the performance of Government contracts. Per

FAR Subpart 7.108, Contractor staff working on this Contract are generally permitted to telecommute unless the CO determines that the requirements of the agency, including security requirements, cannot be met if

Should telecommuting personnel be proposed at Contractor-site or Government-site rates?

The Government anticipates awarding a CPFF Contract as a result of this RFP. As such, Contractors should not propose specific labor rates. Contractors shall propose labor at the cost specific to the labor and labor mix determined appropriate in order to meet the needs of the requirements as expressed in the

RFP.

telecommuting is permitted. If such a determination is made for specific portions of the work of this Contract, the CO will inform the Contractor and: 1) the

Contractor shall not permit its employees to perform that work while telecommuting, and 2) the

Contractor must make such other arrangements necessary for the work’s successful performance.

H.12 “Use of

DHS Laptops and

Network”

All work shall be performed using DHS issued computer hardware (including laptops)

Will DHS provide laptops to personnel working on

Contractor site as well as those personnel working on

Government site or only for personnel working on

Government site?

DHS will provide laptops to all personnel working under the contract.

H.12 “Use of

DHS Laptops and

Network”

“All work shall be performed using DHS issued computer hardware (including laptops).”

Can the DHS issued computers be used on the contractor’s system?

DHS issued computers may use a Contractor’s network to connect to the DHS Virtual

Private Network (VPN), however, the computers cannot be connected to or integrated with other Contractor systems.

H.13

“Safeguarding of

Sensitive

Information” and

H.12 “Use of

DHS Laptops and

Network”

“Authority to Operate.”

Section H.13 (e) defines procedures that a contractor must follow in order to use contractor IT systems in support of this contract. It appears to conflict with Section H.12, which directs that all work shall be performed using DHS issued computer hardware.

Will contractors be allowed to apply for an “Authority to

Operate” in order to use contractor IT systems in support of this contract?

If not, recommend revising the paragraph to direct that

“Authority to Operate will not be granted.”

S&T may pursue the need to acquire “Authority To Operate” at the DHS Enterprise Level for tools/visualizations that have been created under this contract and transitioned to Components.

Possible examples include, but are not limited to, modeling and simulation, an ATO for Decision

Lens in support of prioritization methodologies, or any other item

If yes, recommend removing Section H.12, which currently requires the use of DHS issued computer hardware (including laptops).

that supports the successful execution of the SOW.

H.13(i)(1)(2)(3)

“Safeguarding of

Sensitive

Information”

(1) Provide notification

(2) Provide credit monitoring services

(3) Establish a dedicated call center

Should there be a need to provide credit monitoring services and establish a dedicated call center, will those costs be covered by the Government or will the Contractor be responsible for any associated costs?

The Contractor will be responsible for any associated costs should a sensitive information incident occur that involves PII or SPII data that was under the control of the

Contractor or resided in the

Contractor IT system at the time of the incident.

I.1. “FAR 52.252-

2 Clauses

Incorporated by

Reference”

52.211-11 Liquidated Damages-

Supplies, Services, or Research and Development (Sept

2000), Fill-in: $15,000.00

According to FAR 11.501 (a) Liquidated damages must only be used when:

“(1) The time of delivery or timely performance is so important that the Government may reasonably expect to suffer damage if the delivery or performance is delinquent;

and

(2) The extent or amount of such damage would be difficult or impossible to estimate accurately or prove.”

This clause is not appropriate for this work given that the deliverables for the CPFF portion are ad-hoc (Attachment J.7 page 13) and thus the time of delivery is undefined. Will the

Government remove this clause?

FAR 52.211-11 has been removed from the solicitation.

I.1. “FAR 52.252-

2 Clauses

Incorporated by

Reference” and

L.1. “52.252-1

Solicitation

Provisions

Incorporated by

Reference”

Clause 52.215-17 Waiver of

Facilities Capital Cost of Money

(Oct 1997); Clause 52.215-16

Facilities Capital Cost of Money

(June 2003)

FAR Clause 52.215-17 is included by reference as is FAR

Clause 52.215-16. Will the Government clarify which clause is applicable?

FAR 52.215-16 is a required solicitation provision that directs that contract clause FAR 52.215-

17 should be included in the resulting contract if the awardee does not propose Facilities

Capital Cost of Money. The clause in Section I.1 includes a note that it may be deleted at time of award (i.e. should the awardee propose this cost).

I.7 “3052.209-72

Organizational

Conflict of

Interest”

Organizational Conflict of

Interest

Please advise if the Government intends for the offeror to complete this Section and include as an attachment under

Volume III – Cost Proposal after issuance of Advisory letter, rather than with the initial proposal submission.

Section L.9(e)(4) has been revised to state that this information is required as part of

Volume III.

I.7. “3052.209-72

Organizational

Conflict of

Interest”

Determination. The Government has determined that this effort may result in an actual or potential conflict of interest, or may provide one or more offerors with the potential to attain an unfair competitive advantage. The nature of the conflict of interest and the limitation on future contracting is that the Contractor may prepare complete or essentially complete statements of work or specifications to be used in competitive acquisitions and will have access to information, such as Department plans, policies, reports, studies, financial plans, internal data protected by the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C.

§552a), or data which has not been released or otherwise made available to the public.

Does the Government have an existing list of other DHS contracts or work that would be deemed a Conflict of Interest or will the determination be made on a case-by-case basis?

There is not an existing list. The determination will be made on a case-by-case basis.

I.7. “3052.209-72

Organizational

Conflict of

Interest” and I.8.

“3052.209-73

“The nature of this conflict is that the Contractor may prepare complete or essentially complete statements of work or

The task areas and deliverables identified in Section C.

Statement of Work, do not include drafting statements of work or complete specifications to be used in competitive acquisitions. Please confirm that Section C. Statement of

Work does not involve these activities.

In order to generate the deliverables expressed under

Section C.3.1, the Contractor will have access to internal data protected by the

Limitation of

Future

Contracting” specifications to be used in competitive acquisitions.”

Privacy Act of 1975 (5 U.S.C.

§552a), or data which has not been released or otherwise made available to the public. The data, as well as the produced deliverables, represent an OCI per HSAR 3025.209-72. The data from the deliverables may be used as a specification document as part of a DHS competitive requirement.

Attachment J.6

“Past

Performance

Questionnaire”

This Past Performance

Questionnaire must be sent to three of your current or previous government or commercial customers for whom you have performed relevant, comparable work within the last three years.

For subcontractors/teammates, please clarify that PPQs must be sent to one current or previous customer.

The first page of Attachment J-6 has been deleted to avoid confusion with the directions given in Section L.9(d)(4)(C).

Either Attachment J-6 from the initial RFP or the Attachment J-6 associated with amendment

P00001 will be accepted by the

Government.

Attachment J.6

“Past

Performance

Questionnaire”

Please complete the following questionnaire and e-mail your responses to Robin Jones at robin.jones@hq.dhs.gov, no later than January 9, 2017 at 9:00

AM Eastern Time.

Will the Government please clarify the due date for past performance questionnaires?

Attachment J-6 has been revised to provide the correct due date.

Either Attachment J-6 from the initial RFP or the Attachment J-6 associated with amendment

P00001 will be accepted by the

Government.

Attachment J-6

“Past

Performance

Questionnaire”

Past Performance Questionnaire Attachment J-6 requests questionnaire to be turned around on

Jan 9, RFQ L.9.(d).E states by solicitation due date of Jan 11.

Please confirm Attachment J-6 is due by solicitation date of

Jan 11.

Attachment J-6 has been revised to provide the correct due date.

Either Attachment J-6 from the initial RFP or the Attachment J-6 associated with amendment

P00001 will be accepted by the

Government.

Section K

“Representations, Certifications, and Other

Statements of

Respondents”

Section K Representations, Certifications, and Other

Statements of Respondents

Is the Government expecting the Contractors to complete

Section K? If so, under which volume would the Government like Section K submitted and will it count against page count?

Section L.9(e)(4) has been revised to state that this information is required as part of

Volume III.

Section K

“Representations, Certifications, and Other

Statements of

Respondents”

Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of

Respondents

Are offerors required to submit Section K input at the time of proposal?

Section L.9(e)(4) has been revised to state that this information is required as part of

Volume III.

Section K.1 – K.6

“Representations, Certifications, and Other

Statements of

Respondents”

Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of

Respondents

Please advise if the Government intends for the offeror to complete this Section (as applicable) and include as an attachment under Volume III – Cost Proposal after issuance of Advisory letter, rather than with the initial proposal submission.

Section L.9(e)(4) has been revised to state that this information is required as part of

Volume III.

Section L.5, (a)

“Point of Contact for Proposal

Submission”

Written Technical Proposals and

Past Performance

Questionnaires must be submitted to robin.jones@hq.dhs.gov and shelby.buford@hq.dhs.gov via email by or before 9 am Eastern, Time on January 11, 2017.

Will the Government please clarify the due date for past performance questionnaires?

Attachment J-6 has been revised to provide the correct due date.

Either Attachment J-6 from the initial RFP or the Attachment J-6 associated with amendment

P00001 will be accepted by the

Government.

L.9.a “Proposal

Volumes and

Contents” and

L.5.b “Point of

Contact for

Instructions to Offeror RFP L.9.(a) stats "The offeror's submission shall consist of three (3) volumes…". RFP L.5.(b) states "Cost Proposals must be submitted to robin.jones@hq.dhs.gov and shelby.buford@hq.dhs.gov via email by or before the date and time stated in the letter to be sent advising each Offeror

Confirmed. Volume III “Cost

Proposal” must be submitted by or before the date and time stated in the advisory letters. It is not due on January 11, 2017 (nor on mailto:robin.jones@hq.dhs.gov mailto:shelby.buford@hq.dhs.gov

Proposal

Submission” whether or not the Government considers them to be viable competitors for the contract." Please confirm that the

Government expects Cost proposals from Offerors by the due date indicated in issued Advisory Letters issued by the

Government, rather than with initial proposal response to

Government on Jan 11.

the extended due date of January

18, 2017 for Volumes I and II).

L.5.(b) “Point of

Contact for

Proposal

Submission” and

L.9.(e)(7)(D)

“Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”

Cost Proposals must be submitted

… before the date and time stated in the letter to be sent advising each Offeror whether or not the

Government considers them to be viable competitors for the contract.

In consideration that cost proposals will be requested and submitted at a date later than the 11 January submission date, can the Government please clarify the following:

“Subcontractor information must be clearly marked with the name of the subcontractor and the name of the prime Offeror, and it must be submitted by the same deadline as the rest of the proposal.”

Will submission of subcontractor cost information be required at the later date with the Prime’s cost proposal, and not with the rest of the proposal on 11 January?

Correct. All elements of Volume

III “Cost Proposal”, including information from subcontractors, must be submitted by or before the date and time stated in the advisory letters. It is not due on

January 11, 2017 (nor on the extended due date of January 18, 2017 for Volumes I and II).

L.5.(b) “Point of

Contact for

Proposal

Submission” and

M.2.(e)

“Technical

Evaluation

Methodology”

Cost Proposals must be submitted

… before the date and time stated in the letter to be sent advising each Offeror whether or not the

Government considers them to be viable competitors for the contract.

In consideration that cost proposals will be requested and submitted at a date later than the 11 January submission date, can the Government please clarify the following:

“Therefore, the initial written technical and cost proposals should contain the Offeror’s most advantageous proposals from a technical and cost standpoint.

Should we assume that “initial cost proposal” refers to the cost proposal submitted at a date later than 11 January?

Correct. Initial cost proposal refers to the Volume III “Cost

Proposal” that must be submitted by or before the date and time stated in the advisory letters. It is not due on January 11, 2017 (nor on the extended due date of

January 18, 2017 for Volumes I and II).

L.6 “General

Proposal

Submission and

Formatting

Information”

General Proposal Submission and

Formatting Information

Please advise if the Government has a minimum proposal validity period that the offeror must include in the Technical and Cost Volumes

Proposals shall be valid for at least 90 days from the closing date of the solicitation.

L.7(c) “Proposal

Format”

“Cost proposal information must adhere to the following additional guidelines:

According to FAR 15.403-3 (b) “When adequate price competition exists (see 15.403-1(c)(1)), generally no additional data are necessary to determine the reasonableness

No.

• Although Certified Cost or

Pricing Data are not required, Offerors shall follow the format and instructions described in FAR

Table 15-2. This information will be evaluated as Data Other than

Certified Cost or Pricing Data.

• The offeror must propose a fully detailed basis of estimate and substantiate the costs proposed.

The basis of estimate must include a detailed breakout of all costs elements including labor, materials, overhead, G&A, and proposed profit/fee.”

of price. However, if there are unusual circumstances where it is concluded that additional data are necessary to determine the reasonableness of price, the contracting officer shall, to the maximum extent practicable, obtain the additional data from sources other than the offeror.”

The questions released from the draft RFP indicate that adequate price competition exists (2 or more responsible offerors). Will the Government consider removing the requirement for Other than Certified Cost or Pricing Data and the breakout of all cost elements for the FFP portion of this work?

L.8 Page Size and

Format

All text must be no smaller than

12 point Times New Roman font.

Font in graphics, charts, spreadsheets, and tables must be no smaller than 8 point Times

New Roman font.

Will the government consider reducing font size to 11pt

Times New Roman for text?

No.

L.9(a) “Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”

“The offeror’s submission shall consist of three (3) volumes with the maximum number of pages for each proposal Volume as listed in this Section.”

Is a cover letter and Executive Summary permitted? If yes, will it be evaluated? Will these be included in the page count?

Cover letters and executive summaries, if submitted, would be included in the page count.

Any pages in excess of the page limitations will be removed from the end of the document.

L.9 “Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”

(a) The offeror’s submission shall consist of three (3) volumes with the maximum number of pages for each proposal Volume as listed in this Section.

Section M.2.F states that only Volumes I and II are required for initial submission and that Volume III (Cost) will be submitted separately after downselect and sample problem received. Can the government please verify that Volume III is not to be included in the original submission on January 11, 2017?

Verified. Volume III “Cost

Proposal” must be submitted by or before the date and time stated in the advisory letters. It is not due on January 11, 2017 (nor on the extended due date of January

18, 2017 for Volumes I and II).

L.9. “Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”

File counts are included here for reference purposes only and do not establish any limits.

Are offerors required to submit File Sections as separate files, or will the Government accept one file per Volume (e.g., can we submit “Past Performance References” and “List of

Ongoing or Completed DHS Contracts” as a single file)?

Please submit file sections as separate files to assist the

Government’s compliance review of the established page limitations.

L.9.(a) and (C.3) L.9 (a) The offeror’s submission shall consist of three (3) volumes with the maximum number of pages for each proposal Volume as listed in this Section.

L.9 (c.3) The following chart summarizes the information required to be submitted - …..the table list three separate files for volume 1.

Is Volume I to be submitted as a single file or broken out into three separate files (PDFs) as suggested by REF section L.9

(c.3)? If it is broken out into separate files should the table of contents be added to the first file within the Volume or attached to within each file? The same questions apply to each of the Volumes.

Please submit file sections as separate files to assist the

Government’s compliance review of the established page limitations. Offerors may make their own decisions regarding the number of cover pages and tables of contents submitted.

L.9(c)(1) & (3)

“Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”

(1) Page limitations for discrete elements, where cited, are treated as maximums. If exceeded, the excess pages will not be read nor considered in the evaluation of the proposal. The specific content of each volume shall only be presented within its respective volume. A cover page, table of contents, and Key Personnel resumes and letters of

Should the ‘letters of commitment’ be included at the end of the Key Personnel Resume File section?

Letters of commitment may be included at the end of the Key

Personnel Resumes file. Placing them at the end of the file instead of after each resume will assist the Government’s compliance review of the established page limitations.

commitment will not count against the page limit for the

Volume.

(2) Key Personnel Resumes – page limit 6

L.9(c)(1) & (3)

“Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”

(1) Page limitations for discrete elements, where cited, are treated as maximums. If exceeded, the excess pages will not be read nor considered in the evaluation of the proposal. The specific content of each volume shall only be presented within its respective volume. A cover page, table of contents, and Key Personnel resumes and letters of commitment will not count against the page limit for the

Volume.

(2) Key Personnel Resumes – page limit 6

Section (1) states that ‘Key Personnel resumes and letters of commitment will not count against the page limit for the

Volume’ but Section (3) states 6 page limit for Key Personnel

Resumes is 6 and this is included in the total for the volume.

Please clarify

Please see revision to Section

L.9. The resumes do have an associated page limit.

L.9(c) “Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”

Volume I – Small Business

Subcontracting Plan

FAR 52.219-9 requires the Subcontracting Plan to include separate goals, expressed in terms of total dollars subcontracted, and as a percentage of total planned subcontracting dollars, for the use of small businesses as well for various socio-economic categories. Since the price proposal will be submitted at a later date, will the

Government accept a notional award value that the Contractor may use to arrive at the total dollars to be subcontracted for small businesses and each socio-economic category? Or, should the Subcontracting plan also be provided separately at a later date in conjunction with the Cost Volume submission?

Please see the revisions to

Sections L.9, M.3, and M.4. The

Small Business Subcontracting

Plan itself is now required as part of Volume III and will have its own evaluation factor.

However, Offerors should still discuss subcontracting in a more general way in Volume I (please reference Section M.3(d)).

Evaluation Factor 4 –

Management Approach has not changed.

L.9(c)(3)

“Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”

Small Business

Subcontracting Plan

Will the Government please clarify the requirement to submit a Small Business Subcontracting Plan as part of Volume I?

The Small Business Subcontracting Plan typically contains cost data, and the solicitation instructs that "no cost or pricing information" can be included in this volume. Additionally, due to the two-phased nature of this opportunity, offerors will only be required to submit cost data if they are deemed to be a technically acceptable bidder.

Please see the revisions to

Sections L.9, M.3, and M.4. The

Small Business Subcontracting

Plan itself is now required as part of Volume III and will have its own evaluation factor.

However, Offerors should still discuss subcontracting in a more general way in Volume I (please reference Section M.3(d)).

Evaluation Factor 4 –

Management Approach has not changed.

L.9(c)(4) Key Personnel Will the government allow for a one-page summary to be included with resumes so that Offeror’s can clearly articulate positions and rationale behind each candidate? The one-page summary would be accompanied by a three-page resume for each Key Person.

No, this information, if provided, should be incorporated into the

Technical Approach, Experience, and Management

Approach within its established page limit.

L.9(c)(5)

“Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”

Small Business Subcontracting

Plan

“In order for the technical volume and the past performance volume to be evaluated strictly on the merit of the material submitted, NO PRICING OR COST

ESTIMATION INFORMATION

IS TO BE INCLUDED IN

THOSE VOLUMES.”

FAR clause 52.219-9 requires a subcontracting plan that includes both a percentage of work and an associated dollar estimate. Since Volume I MUST not contain any pricing or cost estimation information, will the government accept a subcontracting plan with percentage workshare only?

Please see the revisions to

Sections L.9, M.3, and M.4. The

Small Business Subcontracting

Plan itself is now required as part of Volume III and will have its own evaluation factor.

However, Offerors should still discuss subcontracting in a more general way in Volume I (please reference Section M.3(d)).

Evaluation Factor 4 – changed.

L.9(b)

L.9(c)(5)(a)

•RFP Section L.9(b) “In order for the technical volume and the past performance volume to be evaluated strictly on the merit of the material submitted, no pricing or cost estimation information is to be included in those volumes”

(page 62)

•RFP Section L.9(c)(5)(a) states

Small Business Subcontracting plan should address elements listed in FAR clause 52.219-9

(page 63)

RFP Section L.9(b) states that Vol I should not include pricing or cost estimation information. FAR clause 52.219-

9(d)(2)(i) requires subcontract plan to include “Total dollars planned to be subcontracted for an individual contract plan; or the offeror’s total projected sales, expressed in dollars, and the total value of projected subcontracts to support the sales for a commercial plan.” Please clarify if Small Business

Subcontracting Plan should be included in Volume 1 without subcontract cost data specified in the FAR clause.

Please see the revisions to

Sections L.9, M.3, and M.4. The

Small Business Subcontracting

Plan itself is now required as part of Volume III and will have its own evaluation factor.

However, Offerors should still discuss subcontracting in a more general way in Volume I (please reference Section M.3(d)).

Evaluation Factor 4 –

Management Approach has not changed.

L.9(b) In order for the technical volume and the past performance volume to be evaluated strictly on the merit of the material submitted, NO PRICING OR COST

ESTIMATION INFORMATION

IS TO BE INCLUDED IN

THOSE VOLUMES.

This requirement conflicts with Section L.9(c)(5) Small

Business Subcontracting Plan (A) “The Offeror must review the FAR clause 52.219-9, ‘Small Business Subcontracting

Plan,’ included in this RFP with its Alternate II, for the elements that must be addressed as part of the Small Business

Subcontracting Plan.” FAR 52.219-9 requires pricing information to be included in the Small Business

Subcontracting Plan (SBSP). Given that pricing information is not permitted in the Technical Volume, we recommend that the SBSP be submitted as an attachment to the Cost Volume rather than as a component of the Technical Volume. If DHS requires that the SBSP remain as part of the Technical

Proposal, we recommend that only goal percentages be submitted at this time. Then, if desired, an updated plan with subcontracted dollar amounts could be submitted with the

Cost Proposal.

Please see the revisions to

Sections L.9, M.3, and M.4. The

Small Business Subcontracting

Plan itself is now required as part of Volume III and will have its own evaluation factor.

However, Offerors should still discuss subcontracting in a more general way in Volume I (please reference Section M.3(d)).

Evaluation Factor 4 – changed.

L.9(d)(4)

“Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”

If exceeded, the excess pages will not be read nor considered in the evaluation of the proposal.

Are cover page and TOC included in page count for the

Volume II, Past Performance?

Please see the revision to Section

L.9.

L.9(d)(4)

“Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”

If exceeded, the excess pages will not be read nor considered in the evaluation of the proposal.

Can offerors provide a brief introduction to the Volume II contents that is not included in the page count?

Please see the revisions to

Section L.9 allowing for cover pages and tables of contents.

Any other information submitted will count against the page limitations.

L.9(d)(4)(B)

“Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”

Past Performance Volume

Contents

For the metadata requested for past performance references, please clarify: is Reference Name (item i) the customer or the company that performed the work?

Please see the revision to Section

L.9. The reference name is the name of the customer providing the reference

L.9(d)(4)(C)

“Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”

Past Performance Volume

Contents

For the metadata requested for list of on-going and completed contracts and task orders with DHS, please clarify: is

Reference Name (item a) the customer or the company that performed the work?

Please see the revision to Section

L.9. The reference name is the name of the customer providing the reference

L.9(d)(4)(C)

“Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”

“These references [past performances] should also be from different contracts or task orders.”

May the proposed prime contractor and a proposed subcontractor use the same reference contract if they worked together on the contract with separate and distinct roles?

A prime Offeror and one of their proposed subcontractors may reference the same contract if they had separate and distinct roles and both roles are relevant to the current requirement.

L.9(d)(4)(C)

“Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”

“Further, Offerors must include a list of all on-going or completed contracts and task orders with the

DHS relevant to the work to be performed …”

“The list of ongoing contracts and task orders shall include: …”

Should Offerors assume that the last sentence cited refers to both ongoing and completed contracts, not just ongoing contracts?

Correct. The last sentence should refer to ongoing and completed. Please see revision to

Section L.9.

L.9(d)(4)(C) “References submitted based on performance under an Indefinite

Can the government confirm if this applies to a single award

IDIQ as the intent of such an award is to act as a single

Offerors should identify specific task orders regardless of if the

Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract or Blanket Purchase

Agreement must identify a specific task order(s).”

contract award to one company with additional scope flexibility if needed? Can all work performed under a single award IDIQ serve as acceptable Past Performance Citations?

work was performed under a single award or multiple award vehicle.

L.9(d)(4)(e)

“Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”

“The Offeror shall ensure that the past performance customer references return the Past

Performance Questionnaire directly to the solicitation

Contracting Officer via email by the solicitation due date and time.”

For an opportunity that an offeror is a Subcontractor to a

Prime (first tier), should the Past Performance Questionnaires

(PPQs) be sent to the Prime or to the Government for completion?

The reference should be sent to the Government (or other customer organization) that the work was performed for.

L.9(d)(4)(e)

“Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”, Amendment 1, Attachment J.8

In the Government responses in

Amendment 0001 to the question

“For an opportunity that an offeror is a Subcontractor to a

Prime (first tier), should the Past

Performance Questionnaires

(PPQs) be sent to the Prime or to the Government for completion?”, the Government responded “The reference should be sent to the Government (or other customer organization) that the work was performed for.”

In the case of a subcontractor performing as a first-tier subcontractor to a Prime, the Government does not have privity of contract with the first-tier subcontractor and, as a result, many Government customers will not assess a subcontractor’s PPQ reference.

Given privity of contract, can the government confirm that in the case of a subcontractor performing as a first-tier subcontractor to a Prime the “customer organization” that is to complete the past performance questionnaire is the Prime contractor?

In the case of a subcontractor performing as a first-tier subcontractor to a prime, either the Government (or other customer organization) that the work was performed for OR the prime contractor for that work may complete the past performance questionnaire.

L.9(d)(4)(e)

“Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”

Past Performance Questionnaire RFP L.9.D.4.E refers to Past Performance Questionnaire as

Attachment J-2. Please confirm that this should be

Attachment J-6

Confirmed. Please see revision to Section L.9.

L.9(e) “Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”

(6) Level of Effort Are offerors allowed to propose new labor categories? Offerors may propose different labor mixes, including different labor categories.

L.9(e) “Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”

(6) Level of Effort Are offerors required to provide experience and qualifications for each Labor Category bid or will the government provide minimum qualifications for each?

The Government will not provide minimum qualifications for different labor categories.

L.9(e) “Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”

(6) Level of Effort The government states that offerors should assume a total level of effort (LOE) for the life of the contract of 388,750 hours; this is the Government’s estimate and is not necessarily the best, or final, LOE for the resulting contract. It also clarifies that a full time equivalent is considered to be 1950 hours. Is it the government’s intent that offerors provide a pricing solution that meets the total LOE but provide flexibility in allocating hours by LCATs?

The LOE breakdown is provided only to help potential Offerors understand the scope of the requirement. Offerors should use their best judgement and understanding of the requirement to develop their pricing solutions.

L.9(e)(7)(D)

“Proposal

Volumes and

Contents”

“Proposed subcontractors concerned about providing proprietary information to their prime Offeror may submit the information directly to the

Contracting Officer using the submission instructions identified for the rest of the proposal.

Subcontractor information must be clearly marked with the name of the subcontractor and the name of the prime Offeror, and it must be submitted by the same deadline as the rest of the proposal.”

As the BOE is detailed at the Prime Contractor level

(Offeror), will the Government clarify that Subcontractors are not required to submit their own BOEs?

Prime Offerors may provide the entire BOE; however, if a proposed subcontractor does not wish to provide all of the information required to support the section of the BOE related to them, they may send that information directly to the

Government.

L.9(e) (4) Summary Chart of Volume III requirements

Are subcontractors required to provide the same level of detail for their cost volumes as the Prime contractor, i.e., as listed in the Volume III Table under the referenced RFP

Section?

The Offeror should ensure that their cost proposal and basis of estimate include a detailed breakout of all costs elements including labor, materials, overhead, G&A, and proposed profit/fee and must document the thought process, approach, rationale, and assumptions the offeror used to arrive at its proposed estimate.

Section L.10 Accounting System Would the Government please confirm that the information required under Section L.10 should be submitted with the

Cost Volume and not the Technical Volume?

Confirmed.

L.11 “Oral

Presentations”

Oral Presentations The RFP states that the offeror must submit an electronic MS

PowerPoint file no later than 24 hours before the oral presentation is scheduled to take place. If a presentation is scheduled for a Monday will the government accept electronic submission of PowerPoint files on a Sunday, or will the government agree that no oral presentations will be scheduled on a Monday? If not, a company scheduled for a

Monday presentation is at a significant disadvantage due to

33% reduced planning and preparation time (4 days vs 6 days).

The Government will attempt not to schedule oral presentations for Mondays.

However, if a presentation is scheduled for a Monday, the

PowerPoint file may be submitted on a Sunday.

L.11 “Oral

Presentations”

Oral Presentations The RFP states that “Offeror’s application of those techniques and methodologies outlined in its proposal to the sample problem included in this RFP. Offerors will not be contacted to schedule oral presentations until the advisory letters are sent.”

Can the Government confirm that the sample problem or sample task will be included with the advisory letters and is not included in this RFP?

The sample problem will be sent to each Offeror participating in the oral presentations by 10 am

Eastern Time five business days before their oral presentation is scheduled (e.g. on Monday for an oral presentation the following Monday).

L.11(a) “Oral

Presentations”

“Notwithstanding the advice provided by the Government in response to their submissions, all

Offerors may participate in the oral presentations if they so choose.”

Can offerors who do not receive letters of viability be told if their proposal has one or more deficiency? That information is important to the decision on whether or not to ask to do oral presentations, since award can’t be made with deficiencies, and the government may not hold discussions to allow offerors to correct deficiencies.

While the Government understands the Contractor’s concern, because it is an advisory letter versus an exclusion or elimination from the rest of the competition, the

Government cannot include that information in the letter.

M.2(f)(4)

“Technical

Evaluation

Methodology”

“For planning purposes only, the

Government anticipates that the cost proposals will be due approximately two weeks after the advisory letters are sent.”

Can the Government please confirm the Cost Volume is required after the Oral Presentations?

The due date for Volume III will be shortly after the completion of all oral presentations.

M.3(b)

Evaluation

Factors

Factor 2 – Experience

The government states that “Offeror’s experience will be evaluated to determine the degree to which the Offeror demonstrates relevant experience and cites specific examples, to include individuals who can be contacted by the contracting officer as part of the evaluation under the past performance evaluation factor.” Can the government confirm if experience cited in the Offerors response can only be tied to the Past Performance references used in Volume II?

No, Experience is a separate evaluation factor from Past

Performance. However, as “the

Government may use present and/or past performance data obtained from a variety of sources” as part of its evaluation of Evaluation Factor 5 – Past

Performance, Offerors should be aware that points of contact listed for contracts described in support of Evaluation Factor 2 –

Experience may be contacted by the Government during its evaluation of Evaluation Factor

5.

M.3(b)

Evaluation

Factors

Factor 2 – Experience

If experience is not tied only to the Past Performance references, is experience bound by the relevancy requirements of Past Performance (3 years, etc.) as called out in section

L.9?

Please see the revisions to

Section M.3. Offerors should provide documented evidence of their experience during the last three years in providing operational analysis services relevant/similar to the effort outlined in the SOW.

M.3(g)

“Evaluation

Factors”

“Unrealistically low estimates may indicate an inability to understand requirements and a high risk approach to contract performance.”

Will the government potentially conduct cost realism?

As stated in Section M.3(g), cost proposals will be subjected to cost analysis per FAR 15.404-

1(c) and cost realism analysis per FAR 15.404-1(d).

M.3(h) Evaluation Factors, (h) Factor 8 –

Small Business Subcontracting

Plan

Will the Government provide the Pass/Fail evaluation criteria for the Small Business Plan? Specifically, if the offeror does not have named small business teammates in its proposal, but the offeror presents a plan that meets each of the DHS Small

Business Category goals (i.e. 39% of subcontracted dollars allocated to All Small Business over the life of the Award), will the offeror receive a Pass score for Factor 8?

The evaluation criteria are as stated in Section M.3(h):

“Small Business Subcontracting

Plans will be evaluated to determine if they meet all of the requirements stated in FAR clause 52.219-9, “Small

Business Subcontracting Plan,”

Alternate II and the

Government’s stated small business subcontracting goals.

Plans that meet all of the requirements and goals will receive an evaluation of “Pass.”

Plans that do not meet all of the requirements and/or goals will receive an evaluation of “Fail.””

FAR 52.219-9 does not require that the plan name the small businesses that the Offeror plans to subcontract with.

Amendment

000001

Standard Form 30 Would the Government please confirm that Offerors are to submit the signed Amendment pages (Standard Form 30) at the same time that Offerors submit their Technical Proposals, and the signed Amendment pages will not count against the

Page Limits specified in the Solicitation?

Offerors shall submit signed

SF30s for all amendments along with their Volumes I and II.

Signed SF30s will not count against the page limits specified in Section L.