RFP_ID09190001_Q&A_18_Dec_2018.pdf

Questions and Answers – RFP ID09190001

18 December 2018

# Question Answer

1 Will the government consider a delay of the requested due date of 3 Jan 2019?

The Government extends the proposal due date to 11:00 AM Pacific Time on 7 January 2019. Please see RFP Amendment.

2 Can you provide the current overall incumbent contract value and the value of each discrete task order?

The incumbent contractor is Data Recognition Corporation located at 13490 Bass Lake Road in Maple Grove, Minnesota 55311. Data Recognition Corporation was awarded contract number H98210-16-D-0001 with a total awarded contract value of $4,720,539.71, including all options. Please note, the estimated maximum contract amount in this Request for Proposals (RFP) # ID09190001 is $30,000,000, unless a higher contract amount is awarded. The scope of work in the Contract PWS (RFP Attachment 3) is larger than that in the previous incumbent contract. Historical task order pricing is not necessarily representative of the pricing for the task orders in this RFP. This is all of the historical contract information the Government will be releasing in response to this question.

3 Does the government plan to award a bridge contract to the incumbent in the event the award to any new vendor is not made in time for the first planned 2019 survey?

No bridge contract is currently planned.

4 Will the incumbent be awarded the first task order?

The Government has not yet determined the awardee for this procurement. This RFP is soliciting full and open competition and will result in a single award Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. The plan is to issue Task Order 0001 to the awardee of the IDIQ contract resulting from this solicitation.

5 For RFP Exhibit A, is it possible to have both the prime and a subcontractor use the same labor category (such as programmer) at their respective rates? If so, how would the government propose that this information be entered into the budget shell, since modifications are not permitted?

Offerors may propose both prime and subcontractor labor hours for the same labor category and may propose different fully burdened labor rates for prime and subcontractor labor. See amended instructions in RFP Provision 52.212-1 Addendum paragraph (b)(3)(i)(c) and RFP Exhibit A (instructions tab, row 11).

6 RFP Provision 52.212-1 Addendum states the type used shall be no smaller than Times New Roman, 11-point. Would the Government consider allowing a smaller sized font for text inside of proposal tables and charts?

Please see amended RFP ID09190001 with revised font restrictions in FAR Provision 52.212-1.

7 Will the Government increase the page limitation in RFP Provision 52.212-1 Addendum for Factor III - Technical Element A?

Please see amended RFP ID09190001 with revised page limitations in FAR Provisions 52.212-1 and 52.212-2.

8 What document do vendors follow if a document has been amended?

The most recent amended document supersedes all previous versions of the document posted to www.fbo.gov. If a document has been amended, follow the most recent amended version when preparing a proposal. RFP ID09190001 was posted on www.fbo.gov on 30 November 2018; however the due date in block 8 was inaccurate, so the Government posted Amendment 0001 (without a Standard Form 30 (SF30)) on 30 November 2018 with another version of RFP ID09190001 revising only the due date.

9 Should vendors complete the SF 1449 found in the RFP, or any amendments issued to the

RFP?

Vendors shall complete blocks 17a and 17b and blocks 30a through 30c of the most recent SF 1449 posted to www.fbo.gov for RFP ID09190001. Vendors shall also complete and sign any SF30 documents that are posted to www.fbo.gov.

10 Will the government need surveys programmed in any languages other than English?

No, surveys are historically only programmed in English.

11 The Q&A released for the preceding RFI [14 Sept 2018] stated the following: Q#27 = “PWS Section 8.5 requires contractors to be CAC/PIV ready. Is this a requirement for day 1 of the project? Will the Government sponsor individuals requiring CAC or PIV?” A = “All contractor personnel assigned to this effort with access to Government facilities, computer networks, and systems shall be eligible for issuance of a Common Access Card (CAC). The Government will sponsor CAC applicants. The PWS will be revised accordingly.” Can you please indicate that this change was made to the PWS and how sponsorship is defined?

See RFP Attachment 3 - Contract PWS paragraph 12.5 and subparagraphs 12.5.1 through 12.5.3. Applicants for a Common Access Card (CAC) must be sponsored by a Department of Defense (DoD) employee. The DoD Government sponsor will verify and authorize the applicant's need for CAC, and work with trusted agents who are responsible for enrolling contractors in the Trusted Associate Sponsorship System (TASS).

12 RFP Attachment 3 - Contract PWS states the following in para. 12.4 : “Contractor systems and information networks that receive, transmit, store, or process nonpublic government data must be accredited according to DoDI 8510.01 "Risk Management Framework for DoD IT” (RMF) and comply with annual Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) security control testing. All systems subject to RMF must present evidence of authorization in the security plan, Security Assessment Report (SAR) Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) and authorization decision document or show that the system has successfully went through the Risk Management Framework Process in order to integrate information security and risk management activities into the system’s life cycle. The RMF decision must be current and cannot exceed a 3 year timeframe.” Please clarify how any firm other than the incumbent can meet this standard without access to and use of the relevant data that enable one to apply for and meet the standards required for certification.

The requirements in PWS 12.1 and 12.4 need to remain to ensure compliance with information security laws and DoDI 8510.01. Other organizations other than the incumbent have received RMF accreditation. See amended RFP provision 52.212-1.

13 How many years should the ATO remain active? During the data collection period only? Or the entire period of performance?

Authority to Operate (ATO) shall be active while systems receive, store, display, or transmit DoD information. ATO is typically reassessed and reauthorized every three years in accordance with Appendix III to OMB Circular A-130.

14 For the paper surveys, is it acceptable to use manual data entry of the content and only scan the surveys for record keeping purposes or is it a requirement for the contractor to use ICR/OCR (intelligent character recognition/optical character recognition) to extract the data from the paper surveys, which adds time, cost, and risk of errors?

Assuming this question is referring to open-ended comments only, yes, it is acceptable for the contractor to manually enter open-ended comments on paper surveys.

15 Can the government please clarify the distinction between questions and decision points?

A question can have several decision points. For example, a question with subitems a-g. You can view examples of surveys at https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/appj/dwp/dwp_surveys.jsp

16 Can SRT surveys be imported into commercial online survey platforms, or only into

SURVANT?

SRT surveys can be imported into commercial online survey platforms.

17 Will the contractor be conducting data analysis in support of this contract, or will we only be tasked with collecting, cleaning, and presenting data?

The contractor will not provide analysis on survey data (i.e., XX% of respondents are satisfied with BLAH). The contractor will perform meta analysis about the fielding of the survey.

18 Does SURVANT integrate with any pre-existing or off the shelf Survey Control Systems?

It is unknown if SURVANT will integrate with off the shelf products.

19 Will the contractor be required to code the open-ended responses?

No, the contractor is only responsible for cleaning the open-ended comments (removing identifiers, etc.) not with coding the comments.

20 Can the government please clarify the intended use for the significant ODC budget?

The Government anticipates that other direct costs to be ordered under the contract may include printing, shipping, and other costs necessary to prepare and distribute paper surveys and related documentation (such as notification letters) to large sample sizes.

21 Are there additional base period surveys planned beyond those listed in Technical Exhibit 1?

No, there are no additional planned surveys beyond those listed. There may be unplanned surveys that will need to be conducted.

22 This question is regarding RFP Attachment 3 - Contract PWS section 4.8.22. Please confirm if Personally Identifiable Information (PII) must be cleaned and removed from written open-ended responses before delivery to the government.

Yes, unless otherwise specified, PII must be removed from open-ended comments prior to delivery to the government.

23 This question is regarding RFP Attachment 3 - Contract PWS section 12.4. Please confirm if subcontractors providing services for ODC’s (i.e., printing and other costs necessary to prepare and distribute surveys, CATI) must also adhere to RMF accreditation.

PWS paragraph 12.4 applies to both prime contractors and subcontractors. If subcontractors will have PII on their systems; they too need to comply with PWS paragraph 12.4 and RMF.

24 This question is regarding Sample Task Order A.

Will the Government be providing a postage account to use permit imprint at the contractor's servicing postal facility for mailing?

Yes, the government will provide a postage account.

25 This question is regarding RFP Attachment 3 - Contract PWS section 4.7.1. Please confirm if letterhead contains a 4-color logo and a black signature.

We normally include a blue logo on the letter head. The logo is the DoD crest in line art.

26 This question is regarding RFP Attachment 3 - Contract PWS section 4.7.1. Please confirm if all letterhead is 8 1/2 by 11 inches for notification, announcement and reminder letters.

Not all letterhead is 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches. Some letters will be 8 1/2 inches by 14 inches.

27 With respect to the requirement in the RFP for a document certifying compliance with DoDI

8510.01 Risk Management Framework, will the

Government accept a memorandum indicating the offeror’s capability to obtain the relevant Authority To Operate (ATO)?

See amended RFP provision 52.212-1. Submit a document with the proposal certifying the Offeror’s compliance with DoDI 8510.01 Risk Management Framework. The RMF decision must be current and cannot exceed a 3 year time frame from date of proposal submission. For the purposes of the proposal submission only, the Government will accept a document certifying RMF accreditation for systems used on this project or on other projects that would provide confidence that RMF compliance could be obtained for systems to be used on this requirement.

28 Can GSA clarify if the RMF document must be presented with the proposal or can be submitted post-award

An RMF document must be submitted with the proposal in accordance with RFP Provision 52.212-1.

29 At what phase of the evaluation process is the certification of compliance with DoDI 8510.01 Risk Management Framework considered?

Material omissions and noncompliance with the RFP instructions will be considered when the Government determines the acceptability of each offer on a pass or fail basis. The Government will evaluate offers in accordance with the evaluation criteria in the RFP.

30 Regarding RFP Attachment 3 - Contract PWS section 4.3.6, does daily statistics for web surveys refer to accumulative or separated counts for each day?

Daily statistics refers to both cumulative and daily counts.

31 This question is regarding RFP Attachment 3 - Contract PWS section 4.3.10. Can you provide further details on when telephone screening and telephone surveys are required?

Telephone screening and surveys will be used as needed. Most surveys will not use the telephone screening and telephone survey capability, but we may have a need for this on an order within this contract's ordering period.

32 Please explain further about what is meant by a file diagnostics report in RFP Attach 3 - Contract PWS section 4.8.12 and 4.8.19?

This report serves the purpose of verifying that the OPA provided sample was correctly loaded into the offeror's Survey Control System. It would include, for example, the frequencies of the variables to confirm receipt of correct dataset.

33 RFP Attachment 3 - Contract PWS section

4.8.15 requires contractors to send mail out to new address and a new reminder/thank you letter three business days after initial survey is mailed out. Please clarify that new materials related to Postal Non Deliverables (PNDs) are to be sent within 3 business days of PND receipt versus within 3 business days of initial survey. In our experience PNDS are typically received no earlier than 1 week after initial posting of a letter.

Postal Non Deliverables (PNDs) are to be sent within 3 business days of PND receipt. See revision to section

4.8.15 in amended RFP Attachment 3 - Contract PWS.

34 Does the ODC estimate for the IDIQ contract include licensing costs for SURVANT?

SURVANT is owned by the Government and there are no licensing costs.

35 Please provide more information about SURVANT, including its current usage in support of operations and specific costs associated with SURVANT?

See RFP Attachment 3 - Contract PWS paragraph 2.2 for a description of how SURVANT is used. Costs related to SURVANT include maintaining the servers, SAS license, and MS Word.

36 Can the Government please add the planned year(s) of data collection, in addition to the anticipated month, to each survey in the Data Collection column of RFP Attachment 3 - Contract PWS Exhibit 1? (ex June 2019, June 2021, etc.)

See revision to Technical Exhibit 1 in amended RFP Attachment 3 - Contract PWS.

37 This question is regarding RFP Attachment 3- Contract PWS Technical Exhibit 1. Which of these surveys would be the first to be administered after contract award?

The plan is for Task Order 0001 to be the first task order to be awarded under this contract. Task Order 0001 is for the 2019 Status of Forces Survey of Reserve Component Members (SOFR1901).

38 Task Order 0001 PWS section 4.2 states the DoD sample members will receive 2 postal letters (one notification and one reminder), and that sample members will also receive up to 6 emails. In what sequence are these communications sent? For example, is the first email sent simultaneously with the first postal notification? Or is the first email invitation sent before the first letter? If the first email is sent before the first postal communication, how much time elapses between the first email and the first postal letter?

Usually a postal letter is sent a week before the survey opens, as a prenotification letter. On the survey open date, the first email is sent. Remaining letters and emails are sent throughout the field period. A schedule of dates to send postal and email notifications will be sent for each project.

39 Task Order 0001 PWS states work location is Minnesota. Is this correct?

Work shall be performed at the contractor's work location, which is not required to be in Minnesota.

Please see amended RFP Attachment 4 - TO 0001 PWS.

40 Sample Task Order A PWS states the WGRS will be administered online but will include a 16 page paper survey, and that sample members receive 3 postal mailings and up to 10 emails.

In what sequence are these communications sent? For example, is the first email sent simultaneously with the first postal notification? Or is the first email invitation sent before the first notification letter? If the first email is sent before the first postal communication, how much time elapses between the initial email and the initial letter?

See the answer to question 38.

41 For Sample Task Order A, will all 735,329 sample members receive a paper survey?

Those who haven't returned a survey at the time the survey is mailed will receive a paper survey. Anticipate that 95% of the sample will receive a paper survey.

42 For Sample Task Order A, what percentage of completed surveys does OPA expect to be submitted online vs. returned paper questionnaires?

Anticipate that 94% will be submitted via web, and 6% via paper.

43 Sample Task Order A PWS Section 4.2 states the vendor should purchase email addresses for subgroups with 70% more missing email addresses. Since the sample task is a survey of active duty personnel, the Service member would have a service-issued email address.

What subgroups of Service members does OPA believe will not have a government-issued mail address?

Some junior enlisted do not have email addresses.

44 What success rate has the Office of People Analytics had with identifying and purchasing personal email account addresses from commercial services? For example, if 100 service members are missing government-issued email address, what percentage of the 100 can we expect a vendor to locate a personal email address for?

OPA has been able to successfully purchase emails.