Questions and Answers.pdf

DISTRIBUTION: DoW COMMUNITY ONLY

1. Can we, as a small business, use [a subcontractor]’s past performance in our proposal?

You may use a subcontractor’s past performance in your proposal, but the Government anticipates it will assign more weight in past performance evaluations to work performed as the prime contractor.

2. Can we use a subcontractor to sponsor our Facility Clearance?

You may use a subcontractor to sponsor your Facility Clearance. However, please keep in mind that this contract requires the prime contractor to have Facility Clearance on day one of performance of the contract, a requirement that is not satisfied by the Facility Clearance status of its subcontractors.

3. The Synopsis lists 15 representative work locations, while Technical Exhibit 3, Table 1 identifies 40 positions across approximately 38 distinct locations — including a full CENTCOM footprint (Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia (2 sites), and UAE) not reflected in the Synopsis. Can the Government confirm whether the CENTCOM/Middle East presence in TE3 is firm scope, and whether the Synopsis location table should be considered illustrative rather than exhaustive?

Yes. The CENTCOM/Middle East locations identified in Technical Exhibit 3 are within the anticipated scope of the requirement. However, staffing locations and requirements may change during contract performance based on operational needs. The work locations identified in the Synopsis are representative and should be considered illustrative rather than exhaustive.

4. Technical Exhibit 3 states its 40-position table represents "the Government's estimate of the baseline effort" and invites offerors to propose an optimized staffing mix. Is there a minimum staffing floor by labor category or location, or is the 40-position table intended purely as a planning benchmark?

The Program Manager (PM), Distribution Process Advocates (DPAs), and Distribution Process Expeditors (DPEs) are designated as Key Personnel and represent firm requirements. The remaining positions identified in Technical Exhibit 3 are the Government's current planning estimate of the baseline effort and are intended as a planning benchmark. Offerors may propose an optimized staffing approach consistent with meeting all performance requirements.

5. Is the anticipated set-aside for this requirement SDVOSB-specific, or small business generally under NAICS 541614? The Synopsis references small business/NAICS eligibility but does not specify a socioeconomic set-aside category.

The purpose of the Sources Sought Notice is to assess industry capability and determine the most appropriate acquisition strategy, including consideration of potential socioeconomic set-aside categories. No final set-aside determination has been made at this time.

6. What is the Government's anticipated RFP release date, and will the resulting award use a tradeoff/best-value evaluation methodology or lowest-price technically acceptable (LPTA)?

The Government currently anticipates releasing the solicitation during the January– February 2027 timeframe. The Government presently anticipates utilizing a best-value tradeoff source selection methodology; however, the acquisition strategy remains under development, and the Government reserves the right to revise the evaluation methodology prior to solicitation release.

7. Section 1.1 of the Draft PWS refers to a "six-month base period," while the explicit dates in Section 1.4 (22 June 2027 – 21 June 2028) span a full 12-month base year.

Which governs — will the Government correct this discrepancy in the RFP?

The reference to a six-month base period in Section 1.1 is incorrect. The intended base period is twelve (12) months, consistent with the dates identified in Section 1.4. This discrepancy will be corrected in the solicitation.

8. The stated Option to Extend Services period (22 June 2032 – 21 December 2033) spans approximately 18 months, exceeding the 6-month period typically associated with a FAR 52.217-8 extension. Can the Government confirm the intended duration of the extension period?

The Option to Extend Services period was intended to reflect a six-month extension period.

The current dates are incorrect and will be corrected in the solicitation.

9. Is the Synopsis's stated ~$20.0M aggregate contract value inclusive of all CLINs (FFP labor plus CR travel and surge), or does it reflect FFP labor only? Additionally, does this figure represent full concurrent staffing of all TE3 positions for the entire period of performance, or an incrementally funded/ramped level of effort?

Yes. The estimated contract value is inclusive of all anticipated CLINs, including Firm- Fixed-Price labor, Cost-Reimbursable travel, and surge requirements. The estimate assumes full staffing during each contract period, subject to the availability of funding.

10. Technical Exhibit 6 defines minimum qualifications for a "Logistics Analyst" and a "Transportation Financial Analyst," neither of which appears as a labor category in Technical Exhibit 3, Table 1. Do these qualification tiers correspond to the "Business Process Analyst" positions in TE3, or are they intended to be separate, currently unlisted labor categories?

Yes. The minimum qualification requirements identified for the Logistics Analyst and Transportation Financial Analyst correspond to the Business Process Analyst positions identified in Technical Exhibit 3.

11. Technical Exhibit 3, Table 2 (Surge Requirements) is referenced in Section 1.8 of the Draft PWS but does not appear populated in the version made available. Can the Government provide the surge staffing table — labor categories, quantities, and locations — so offerors can accurately plan and price the Surge CLIN?

The Government intends to provide surge staffing information with the solicitation. Surge labor categories, quantities, locations, and associated funding requirements are still being developed.

12. Technical Exhibit 4 ("DMSS Staff Requirements" / System Access Requirements) appears as a heading without populated content in the Draft PWS. Can the Government provide the list of required systems (e.g., APSR, SBSS, WMS) and the associated access/credentialing process and timeline for a non-incumbent contractor?

Technical Exhibit 4 is included in the Draft PWS. The required Government systems and associated access requirements are identified therein. System access and credentialing procedures will be coordinated after contract award in accordance with Government procedures.

13. Given the Day-1 Secret facility clearance requirement, is the DD Form 254 (Section J, Attachment 003) available for offeror review prior to RFP release, to support clearance sponsorship planning — particularly for the 22-plus OCONUS positions identified in TE3?

A draft DD Form 254 is anticipated to be provided with the solicitation and finalized after award.

14. Section 5.4 states that PPE is Government-furnished only where "explicitly specified in Technical Exhibit 5," and TE5 lists a CBRN/tactical equipment set including a combat helmet and ballistic eye protection. Part 5 (Sections 5.1–5.3) separately identifies ballistic helmet and ballistic eye protection as contractor-furnished items whose cost is to be included in the offeror's proposed price. Can the Government clarify which party is responsible for supplying helmet and eye protection — is TE5 a Government-furnished carve-out from the Part 5 requirement, or an additional, separate issue?

The contractor shall furnish the required ballistic helmet, ballistic eye protection, and other applicable contractor-furnished PPE as identified in the solicitation. Offerors shall include these costs in their proposed pricing. The solicitation will clarify any inconsistencies between the PWS and Technical Exhibit 5.

15. The PWS's own Attachment/Technical Exhibit Listing enumerates only Technical Exhibits 1 through 4, while Technical Exhibits 5 (Required PPE) and 6 (Minimum Requirements) appear later in the document body. Can the Government confirm that TE5 and TE6 are official, binding parts of this PWS?

Yes. Technical Exhibits 5 and 6 are intended to be part of the PWS. The Attachment/Technical Exhibit Listing will be updated in the solicitation to accurately reflect all included Technical Exhibits.

16. Will the Government consider capability responses from small businesses interested in performing specialized portions of the DMSS requirement as subcontractors or teaming partners rather than performing the entire requirement as the prime contractor?

Offerors may form teaming arrangements as part of their proposal. However, the Government requires a single prime contractor to meet the requirement.

17. May respondents supplement corporate past performance with directly relevant experience of key personnel acquired while supporting other Government contractors or while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces?

Past performance will be evaluated based on the offeror’s corporate entity’s proven performance on other Government projects.

18. Does the five-year experience requirement apply exclusively to the responding corporate entity, or may relevant experience of key personnel and/or contemplated teaming partners also be considered?

The five year experience requirement applies exclusively to the responding corporate entity.

19. Please identify, by position and place of performance, which OCONUS employees the Government anticipates sponsoring or supporting for SOFA or equivalent status.

Please identify the locations where SOFA status is not expected to be available.

All positions in Japan are usually covered under SOFA based on past agreements with Japan (no application required). Australia, Singapore, and PI are non-SOFA countries. Italy and Germany (EU countries) are on a case-by-case basis and must be vetted through the DOCPERS system using ECOPS.

The Government applies for SOFA status after each contract award, and if expansion to other locations occurs, pursues SOFA consideration per location.

20. For positions not covered by SOFA or an equivalent agreement, please confirm the contractor’s responsibility for obtaining work visas, residence authorization, local employment sponsorship, payroll administration, taxes, and mandatory benefits.

Responsibility resides with the vendor. The Government does not provide any assistance for visas or residence authorization. Sponsorship, payroll, taxes, and benefits are the contractor’s responsibility as the employer

21. Please clarify whether the Government has any restriction on using a local hiring company, employing entity, or Employer of Record for cleared U.S.-citizen employees at OCONUS locations. Please identify any consent, disclosure, subcontract approval, DD Form 254, security flow-down, installation-access, or data-protection requirements.

The Government does not currently restrict the use of a local hiring company or Employer of Record (EOR), provided all contract, security, installation-access, and host-nation requirements are met. Personnel requiring classified access must be U.S. citizens with the required active clearance. Classified access will occur only at authorized Government facilities. All use of subcontractors must adhere to the applicable DD Form 254, security flow-down, subcontracting, and data-protection requirements present in the base contract.

22. Please define the expected duties, outputs, and Service Domain responsibilities of the Distribution Process Advocate and clarify how much site-specific variation is anticipated.

See PWS 1.4.8 & TE6. DPAs are Key Personnel, but site-specific variances are not defined.

No site variance is expected in performance of key duties.

23. Please define the expected duties and outputs of the Distribution Expeditor and clarify whether the role includes physical cargo handling, packing, marking, tagging, pallet building, or container preparation.

Distribution Expeditor is both administrative in nature and may require very minimal physical handling of cargo. This position will be focused on paperwork and coordination of follow-on actions to address frustrated or stray shipments.

24. Please clarify what routine in-scope priorities local Government stakeholders may give directly to on-site personnel, what must be entered into the Workload

Management Interface, and what requires prior Program Manager or COR coordination.

Individuals at the outstations are under operational control of LOGCOM and tactical control of customers at their assigned location. At times, individuals will be contacted by stakeholders/customers for assistance with their cargo. Tasking will be coordinated with the COR to enable effective performance monitoring and compliance with the PWS. All tasking, cargo expediting priorities, and process analysis requirements will be routed through the Workload Management Interface to ensure the Contractor retains sole supervisory control over its personnel while meeting Government-prioritized objectives.

25. Please identify which physical freight and container tasks contractor personnel must personally perform and which tasks will be performed by military or Government personnel with contractor guidance, oversight, or assistance.

CTRs will assist the MEFs CCOs and ACCOs with the management of the MEFs ISO Container Program with the ability to directly reach back to the LOGCOM Service Container Managers for assistance. CTRs will utilize the DTR 4500.9-R Part VI and MCO 4690.1B while supporting the DoD Biennial asset inventory through LOGCOM. Provide oversight and assistance to the CCOs for JCM, the sole system of record for managing Marine Corps Iso Container Inventory for accuracy and data quality.

26. Please provide a position- and location-specific training and certification matrix identifying all required qualifications, including hazardous-material preparer, inspector, or certifier; load planning and airlift-load certification; pallet or container preparation; RFID/AIT; customs; applicable information systems; and any other transportation or logistics training. Please identify the required certification level, issuing authority, renewal or expiration period, whether each qualification is required at the start of performance or may be obtained after award, and whether the Government or contractor provides and funds the training.

The Contractor is responsible for proposing and providing personnel with the qualifications, training, certifications, and experience necessary to perform the PWS requirements applicable to its proposed staffing approach and locations. Applicable training and certification requirements are identified in the DTR and other governing references cited in the PWS.

Government-provided training is limited to Government-specific systems, processes, and local procedures necessary for contract performance and does not relieve the Contractor of its responsibility to provide qualified personnel capable of performing the underlying PWS tasks at the start of performance, unless otherwise specifically identified in the PWS.

The Government does not intend to prescribe a position- and location-specific staffing or qualification matrix. Offerors are responsible for proposing the staffing and qualifications they determine provide the best value approach to meeting the PWS performance objectives.

27. The narrative describes a six-month base period, while the listed base dates—June 22, 2027 through June 21, 2028—and the Sources Sought Synopsis describe a 12-month base period. Please confirm that the intended base period is 12 months.

Answered. The Government confirmed it is a 12-month base period (May 22, 2027 – May 21, 2028).

28. The PWS states that services may be extended for up to six months, but the listed extension dates—June 22, 2032 through December 21, 2033—span approximately 18 months. Please confirm the intended extension end date and total potential period of performance.

Answered. The Government confirmed the intent is a standard 6-month extension, ending November 21, 2032.

29. Please confirm whether the Government anticipates competing the resulting requirement as a total small-business set-aside under NAICS 541614 and identify the anticipated contract vehicle or acquisition channel, if determined.

Answered. No final set-aside or vehicle determination has been made yet.

30. Does the approximately $20 million estimate include all labor, travel, surge support, equipment/PPE, and option periods? If available, please provide the Government's estimated value or level of effort by performance period or major CLIN.

Answered. Yes, it includes all CLINs (FFP, CR travel, surge) and assumes full staffing.

31. The table is described both as 'Minimum Government Required Staffing' and as a historical workload/estimated profile that offerors may optimize. Please identify which positions, quantities, duty hours, and locations—if any—will be mandatory, and confirm whether the Government will evaluate an offeror's performance-based staffing solution in lieu of duplicating every table row.

Answered. PM, DPAs, and DPEs are Key Personnel (firm requirements). The rest are benchmarks for the contractor to optimize.

32. Please reconcile the locations identified in the Sources Sought Synopsis with the broader set of CONUS and OCONUS locations in TE 3. Which locations are expected to be staffed on day one, and which are anticipated, optional, rotational, or contingency locations?

Answered. TE3 (including CENTCOM) is firm scope; the Synopsis was just illustrative.

33. The attachment list references a Table 2 for surge requirements, but no populated surge table was identified in the draft PWS. Please provide the table or state the planning assumptions for surge labor categories, quantities, locations, activation lead times, and duration.

The Government acknowledges Table 2 is missing due to uncertain requirements and will provide it with the formal RFP.

34. Please provide a crosswalk between all TE 3 positions and the qualifications in TE 6.

In particular, please identify the applicable minimum qualifications for the Business Process Manager, Business Process Analyst, and Container Control Advocate positions, and confirm the intended system-access exhibit references.

It is the responsibility of the contractor to propose the optimal staffing mix to perform the work under the PWS.

35. Key personnel and vacancies. Please identify which labor categories are anticipated to be designated as key personnel and whether the 30-day CONUS/45-day OCONUS vacancy-fill standards apply to all positions or only to key personnel.

See PWS 1.4.8. Key personnel are PM, DPAs, and DPEs. The 30/45-day vacancy standards explicitly apply only to Key Personnel.

36. Please confirm whether each proposed employee must possess an active Secret clearance at proposal submission, task-order award, or the first day the employee performs work. Please also confirm whether all subcontractors performing classified work must hold their own Secret Facility Clearance and be included on the DD Form 254.

See PWS 1.12. Facility Clearance is required on the first full day of performance.

Subcontractors also require their own Facility Clearance per 32 CFR 117. Contractor personnel performing work under this task order shall be United States citizens, have a Secret security clearance at time of work and must maintain the level of security for the life of the task order

37. Please provide a role-by-role and location-by-location access matrix for the required systems, including JOPES/JPES, JFRG, SSDM, IGC, RF-ITV, PDK, CMOS, AMS-TAC, GATES, IBMS/COGNOS, GCSS-MC, One Touch, and Power BI. Which accesses must personnel possess before day one, and which may be obtained after award with Government sponsorship?

See PWS 1.19.1. TE4 lists the systems. Access is gained during the 30-day phase-in period, meaning it is sponsored after award.

38. Will the 30-day phase-in occur before the first day of full performance, overlap the predecessor contract, or begin on the task-order start date? Please describe the expected incumbent cooperation, knowledge transfer, badge/CAC processing, account sponsorship, and access-continuity arrangements.

The 30 day phase in is incorporated with the updated period of performance of the contract.

39. Technical Exhibit 2 — Deliverable cadence. Several deliverables are listed with a combined 'Daily/Weekly/Monthly/Quarterly/Annually' frequency. Please identify the required cadence, due date, format, recipient, and estimated monthly volume for each deliverable, and provide existing Government-approved templates where available.

Report format and cadence will be agreed upon after award based on operational priorities.

40. Please provide at least 12 months of available workload data by location and function, including cargo-expedite actions, frustrated-cargo cases, container-control transactions and inventories, financial/TAC/Transportation of Things reconciliations, data calls, ad hoc analyses, reports, and physical cargo-preparation events.

A pricing workbook will be provided with the RFP to reflect historical workload.

41. Please clarify whether the 95 percent accuracy and timeliness thresholds are measured by individual deliverable, sampled transaction, labor category, location, performance period, or enterprise-wide result. Please also identify the response-time standard for requirements described only as 'timely' or 'as required.'

The threshold is measured by individual deliverable. Individual deadlines will be established based on operational priorities.

42. The adjectival-rating scale defines 'Excellent' as exceeding the AQL by at least two percent, while several standards require a 100 percent AQL. Please explain how the Government will assign adjectival ratings where performance cannot mathematically exceed the AQL, and whether a correction made within the Government's review period changes the initial-delivery score.

100 percent AQLs will be deemed excellent where required.

43. Please identify the locations where contractor personnel will perform hands-on cargo or container work, including packing, labeling, RFID, customs/SSDM processing, pallet buildup, and material handling. For each such location, please provide expected workload, shifts, Government-furnished facilities/equipment, and required operator or hazardous-material certifications.

Every location with a Distribution Expediter will perform hands-on cargo or container work, including packing, labeling, RFID, customs/SSDM processing, pallet buildup, and material handling. Actual hours of operations will shift per location due to changing operational requirements. Offerors will be encouraged to propose staffing of a typical 40 hour work week. The Government anticipates providing the appropriate facilities and equipment to perform the work; no contractor-furnished property is expected to be required.

44. The draft directs personnel to validate RFID and Military Shipping Label data before release into the 'Defense Travel System (DTS).' Does the Government intend to reference the Defense Transportation System, another transportation system of record, or the Defense Travel System?

DTS refers to the Defense Transportation System.

45. Please clarify whether OCONUS positions are expected to be locally hired, expatriate, rotational, or a mix. Please identify Government support and contractor cost assumptions for SOFA sponsorship, work permits/visas, housing, relocation, transportation, medical support, country clearances, and life support.

Responsibility of the permit/visa, housing, and relocation is the responsibility of the contractor. Employees must be US Citizens. The Government will not pay separate COLA, BAH, or initial stationing cost.

46. Please identify which PPE/equipment items are required for baseline personnel versus deployable or surge personnel; the anticipated number of deployable positions; and the expected contingency locations, frequency, notice, and duration.

Please also confirm responsibility for fitting, training, inspection, replacement, storage, and reimbursement of required equipment.

The listed PPE is for contingency personnel. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to provide personal PPE based on the locations for individuals that need for them to complete tasks, i.e. APOEs may need hard hats or gloves etc.