B08 Attachment 5 - Government Responses to Industry Questions.pdf

Attachment (5) – Government Responses to Industry Questions Reference Question from Industry Government Response Statement of Objectives (SOO);

Scope (Sections 1.0, 3.0, 4.0)

Can the Government provide greater specificity regarding the data sources and systems to which the contractor will have access (e.g., specific databases, data formats, system owners, access requirements)?

Access is role based. Access will be granted to support medical, material, operational or intelligence role. Members will not be granted several roles.

SOO; Section 4.0(d) Collaboration Requirements

Are there any pre-existing data sharing agreements, MOUs, or points of contact with external partners (e.g., Ukraine Partnership Program, NATO MMCOE, DHA TBI program)? Will the Government facilitate introductions or provide access?

Yes, the Government will provide access.

SOO; Section 3.0;

Security Requirements

Could the Government clarify the timeline and process for obtaining unclassified and classified (Secret/interim Secret) network/system access for both NIPR and SIPR? Are there anticipated wait times or known bottlenecks at the installation that should be considered?

Obtaining access differs based on how soon in processing occurs and request forms are completed and submitted. The timeline can vary from days to weeks.

SOO; Section 5.0, Security

Can the Government confirm the maximum allowable proportion of contractor personnel that may begin work with interim secret clearances? Are there any restrictions or tasks that cannot be performed until final adjudication is reached?

Maximum personnel that may begin work with interim secret clearances is three.

Access to some NIPR and SIPR systems may not be granted until full Secret clearance is granted.

SOO/Security Training Requirements

Will all required Government-furnished training (AT Level I, OPSEC, IT/cyber, HIPAA, TARP, CUI, iWATCH, etc.) be available online for contractor personnel, or will in-person attendance be necessary for any courses? Are there quotas/seat limits?

All required training will be available online.

Labor Categories/Pricing

Is there a preferred or required mapping of proposed labor categories to Government labor standards or schedules? Are there any minimum education/experience requirements beyond what is listed in the solicitation that may impact pricing assumptions?

There is no preferred or required labor categories. As stated in the solicitation, “The Government is seeking the best level of effort and labor mix that the Offeror has determined is right to successfully accomplish the mission and overall performance objectives detailed in this solicitation. Offerors are expected to provide their best solution citing the labor mix and quantity required to accomplish the scope of work.”

Onsite/Place of Performance

Will remote/hybrid work be permitted for certain roles, or does the Government require all key activities and meetings to be performed onsite at Fort Detrick? Are there workspace and IT provisions for contractors?

Work will be performed on Fort Detrick, MD in a secure space to access NIPR and SIPR systems and ensure team collaboration and integration of efforts. No remote/hybrid work is permitted.

OCI Certification & Scope

Will award of this contract preclude the incumbent or successful offeror from participating in future JTAPIC-related or MRDC contracts (for example, due to OCI or impaired objectivity as defined in the organizational conflict of interest provisions)?

No organizational conflict of interest is anticipated.

Cost Reasonableness Will the Government provide an Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) or historical

The Government is not providing an estimate labor hours/mix. As stated in the data on labor hours/mix for similar gap analysis efforts? If not, are there any preferred cost estimation methodologies?

solicitation, “The Government is seeking the best level of effort and labor mix that the Offeror has determined is right to successfully accomplish the mission and overall performance objectives detailed in this solicitation. Offerors are expected to provide their best solution citing the labor mix and quantity required to accomplish the scope of work.”

Access to Government Networks

Will contractor personnel be granted persistent credentials for SIPR/NIPR networks, or will access be coterminous with onsite schedules? Is there a process for remote access if permitted?

Work will be performed on Fort Detrick, MD in a secure space to access NIPR and SIPR systems and ensure team collaboration and integration of efforts.

Proposal Submission Are there any file size limitations, naming conventions, or encryption requirements for proposal submission beyond MS Word/Excel file type restrictions and the prohibition on zip files?

All instructions are provided in the solicitation.

Data Rights/Proprietary Data

Will the Government assert any rights in contractor-prepared background data, data analysis tools, or report drafts beyond final deliverable ownership?

See 52.227-17, Rights in Data-Special Works.

Solicitation For the labor mix, is the Offeror to utilize their GSA MAS labor categories and rates ?

Offerors are not required to utilize GSA MAS Labor categories and rates.

Solicitation 1. Does the Government want to see the build-up of the fully burdened rates?

If so, should the Offeror submit their NICRA

A build-up of fully burdened rates is not required.

Statement of Objectives

Besides the Security Training, will all over training requirements also be at the Government’s expense?

No additional training is anticipated.

Statement of Objectives

Seeing that the Contractor personnel will be accessing the controlled database, will the Government provide equipment (e.g. laptop, etc.) or should the Offeror make allowance in the price for such equipment?

Access to Government computers will be provided.

Attachment 2, Pricing Sheet

No allowance to price travel and other directs are made on the worksheet. Was this an inadvertently omission or will these costs be discussed post-award?

No travel or other direct costs are anticipated.

General 1. Are narratives required for the Cost/Price Proposal?

Can the Government please advise what it expects to be in the narrative?

A cost narrative is not required. If you need to convey assumptions or other price information that is not included in the provided spreadsheet, you may submit one.

Solicitation For the FFP CLIN, are proposed labor hours/rates for evaluation only (non-binding) or will they be incorporated as binding LOE/constraints?

The proposed labor hours/rates will be for evaluation purposes only.

Solicitation Please confirm the applicable SBA size standard (in $M) for NAICS 541990 for this acquisition.

The SBA size standard is $19M.

Solicitation If award is delayed, will the POP remain 12 months from award or the fixed dates shown (15 Sep 2025–14 Sep 2026)?

The anticipated period of performance will remain at 12 months.

Statement of Objectives

Is a company Facility Clearance at the Secret level required for this effort, or only individual Secret clearances?

Yes, see Attachment (6) – Draft DD254.

Statement of Objectives

Are monthly status reports, data calls, or a QASP with acceptance criteria required in addition to the draft and final reports?

Monthly status reports and data calls are not required.

Solicitation Please identify the governing acceptance criteria/QASP (document and section) that will be used to accept the deliverables.

A QASP for the final deliverable will be developed between the Government and Awardee based on the proposed SOW.

Solicitation Please confirm the relative importance or order of precedence among Technical Approach, Experience, Management Approach, and Past Performance.

The Government is not required to state the order of precedence for this solicitation per Part 13.106-1(a)(2)(iii).

Solicitation How many past performance references will be evaluated (maximum), and may offerors submit more than the three forms provided?

The Offeror shall submit no more than a total of three (3) past performance references per the solicitation instructions.

Solicitation Will contractor handle CUI under this effort, and must an active NIST SP 800-171 assessment score be in SPRS prior to award?

Yes, see DFARS 252.204-7019.

Solicitation Does the Service Contract Labor Standards statute apply, and if so, what Wage Determination number and locality should be used?

Service Contract Labor Standards statute does not apply.

Organizational Conflict of Interest Certification Form

Should subcontractor OCI certifications be submitted with the proposal or post-award, and is a specific format required?

The Offeror shall complete Attachment (4) - OCI Certification Form and provide, if necessary, an OCI Avoidance or Mitigation Plan.

Solicitation Are resumes and organization charts (if provided) counted within the 20-page limit, or excluded as attachments?

Resumes and organization charts are not required. If provided, these documents are subject to the 20 page limit.

Solicitation What rights in data will the Government obtain in the draft/final Gap Analysis report and any underlying datasets/analyses?

See 52.227-17, Rights in Data-Special Works.

Statement of Objectives

Will the Government furnish access to the Ukraine Partnership Program/NATO MM COE lesson-learned materials cited, or must the contractor procure them?

The Government will furnish access where data is available. If contractor has access to validated data sources, they may integrate into the product upon approval. Contractors will be granted access to data systems owned by partners and allies. Data must be authorized for release by the data owner.

Solicitation Please provide the COR name/contact information and the WAWF point of contact for invoicing/acceptance.

This information will be provided at the time of award.

Statement of Objectives

Will there be interim reviews (e.g., outline, mid-draft, validation meetings) prior to the draft and final report, and should these be scheduled in the proposed SOW?

Yes, interim spot checks with contractor and stakeholder will occur to ensure progress is on schedule and within the SOO.

Solicitation Are any Key Personnel positions and minimum qualifications required (title, degree, years, certs), or is staffing entirely offeror-defined?

Staffing is entirely offeror-defined.

Statement of Objectives What is the expected lead time for SIPR/NIPR account provisioning and base access badges

PoP and deliverable dates are static and will not change. Access to some NIPR and SIPR systems may not be granted until full Secret after award, and will delays adjust the POP or deliverable due dates?

clearance is obtained. Obtaining access differs based on how soon in processing occurs and request forms are completed and submitted.

Solicitation May body-text footnotes and tables use 10-pt font if legible, or must all body text be ≥12-pt?

Offerors shall comply with solicitation instructions.

Solicitation Please confirm the governing procedures (FAR

13.5 commercial vs. FAR 15), and whether any certified cost or pricing data could be required.

See Instructions to Offerors.

Past Performance References

Will subcontractor past performance be weighted equally with the prime’s, and are joint venture members’ references acceptable?

Past Performance will be rated as stated in the solicitation. Offerors may submit references for joint venture members.