Attachment 05- Questions and Answers.docx

Questions and Answers for Solicitation N0018926RD013.

Q.1. On page 4 of the solicitation, the Level of Effort table lists four software-related positions with "Maine" as the anticipated location. Question: Are the Software Developer, Senior Developer, Senior Web Developer, and Web/Data Content Manager Labor Categories expected to be located in Maine?

A.1 – No, PWS section 10 of the PWS has been revised to clarify offsite work requirements.

Q.2. On page 4 of the solicitation, the Level of Effort table lists many positions as "offsite" with the NCR as the anticipated location. Question: Are the anticipated locations for offsite team members directive to the contractor, or would the government be open to alternate locations for offsite personnel, such as Hampton Roads?

A.2 – Section 10 of the PWS has been revised to clarify offsite work requirements.

Q.3. Can the government clarify between the solicitation Section B (page 4, Level of Effort table) and Section L, paragraph (2)(f) (page 27):

- Level of effort table indicates ~44% of hours on government site, ~55% of positions "offsite."

- Section L directs pricing as follows: "f) For quote purposes, the following ratios of Contractor’s and Government's facilities labor performance are established for all labor categories: Contractors Facilities - 0% & Government's facilities - 90%."

Question: Could the government please clarify which breakdown of locations applies to pricing for this solicitation?

Question: Is the Contractor Facilities percentage in Section L correct at 0% vice 10%?

A.3 Section B (solicitation page 4, Level of Effort table) is the correct breakdown of locations.

Q.4. On page 25 of the solicitation, Section L, paragraph (5) Page Limitations, the instructions specify "using a font with a point size of 12 or greater," with exception for past performance information forms. Question: Would the government allow use of 10 point font inside of graphics and/or tables in the non-cost submission?

A.4 Use of 8 point font or greater inside of graphics and/or tables in the non-cost submission is allowed. Section L has been updated to reflect this.

Q.5. On PWS page11, paragraph 5.3.13.1, Risk Management Frame Work/Authority to Operate/Cybersecurity Management, the level of certifications listed in this section (IAT level I) were part of the DoDM 8570 and no longer applicable and were superseded by DoDM 8140.03 which specifies basic, intermediate, or advanced levels of a combination of certifications, training, or education. Question: Which level is required for these functions based on DoDM 8140.03 (Basic, Intermediate, or Advanced)?

A.5 PWS sections 4., 5.3.3, and 5.3.13.1 have been revised to address the required levels.

Q.6. PWS page12, paragraph 5.3.13.3, Risk Management Framework and Authority to Operate, states “The contractor shall maintain continuous monitoring of the JDEIS information system through the RMF to maintain and sustain the system's ATO.” Question: How many RMF packages currently require maintenance?

A.6 PWS section 5.3.13.1 has been revised to address the number of RMF packages.

Q.7. PWS page13, paragraph 5.3.13.6.1, Support to Cloud Migration, states “If required by policy, the authorization official of JDEIS, and/or network provider, the contractor shall support migration to a cloud environment,”. Question: Will other LCATs be considered or authorized post award to allow for surge support not covered under the RFP if required to accomplish this mission?

A.7 No.

Q.8. PWS page 13, paragraph 5.3.13.7, Upgrade to other Mandated Technologies, Features, and Applications, states “The contractor shall be responsive to all DoD, DISA and/or joint staff mandated changes in technology, system, processes, and/or application changes that affects the system and adapt systems accordingly, such as adopting a Zero Trust Architecture, data cataloging, encryption of data, data ethics, and/or applying a new host-based security system, when needed.” Question: Will other LCATs be provided to accomplish this mission? Or will they be provided post award?

A.8 No.

Q.9. PWS page 29, paragraph 14.1, Access to Joint Staff Information Systems, states "all Contractor personnel involved in any way with upgrading, maintaining or otherwise servicing (JEL, JEL+, JEL+ SIPRNet, JDDT, SIPR JDDT, JAMIS and UTDT) servers and infrastructure in the Pentagon shall have a TOP SECRET security clearance and will be sponsored for and issued a Pentagon badge." Question: Does the government require all servers to be located at the Pentagon, or would the government consider servers at other locations (e.g., Suffolk, VA)?

A.9 The servers shall remain at the Pentagon.

Q.10. PWS page 29, paragraph 14.1, Access to Joint Staff Information Systems. Question: What is the estimated amount of time offsite personnel (per Solicitation Section B) are required to be onsite at either primary work location?

A.10 PWS section 5.3 has been revised to the estimated amount of time.

Q.11. On PWS pages 35-37, paragraph 15. Labor Categories, the Cybersecurity Analyst, Senior Systems Administrator, Senior Software Engineer, and Senior Web Developer, the Training/Certification requirements appear to reference the superseded DoDM 8570 (IAM/IAT certifications). Question: What are the qualification requirements in terms of the PWS DoDM 8140.03 reference (Basic, Intermediate, or Advanced)?

A.11 In PWS Section 15., the training and certification requirements for the designated Labor Categories are updated to align with DoDM 8140.03 and the DoD Cyber Workforce Framework (DCWF).

Q.12. On PWS page 37, paragraph 15. Labor Categories, the labor category requirements for the Senior Web Developer position appear to be the same as for the Cyber Security Analyst on page 35. Question: Are the labor category requirements for Senior Web Developer and Cyber Security Analyst intended to be identical?

A.12 Yes.

Q.13. Will the government consider additional LCATs for potential surge requirements to Section B of the Solicitation?

A.13 No.

Q.14 Is the JEDD RFP Full and Open (for all large businesses and small businesses) or is this a small business set aside for SDVOSBs? If the JEDD solicitation is to be released on SeaPort NxG under 541330, can you verify that the appropriate size standard for 541330 will be $47M? " A.14 The JEDD RFP is Full and Open (for all large businesses and small businesses).

Q.15 The Level of Effort table reflects a date of Sep 2015 – is this still current A.15 The effective date on the solicitation for the Cost Type Contract clause has been changed to March 2026.

Q.16 "The column for “Anticipated Location” shows: Suffolk / Pentagon / NCR / Hampton Roads / Maine: Are these the current locations for the SAIC Staffing Plan? Do these locations represent the “mandated” government requirement for work location? Which billets can be subject to the vendors’ staffing plan?"

A.16 Section 10 of the PWS has been revised to clarify offsite work requirements.

Q.17 The hours listed for some billets indicate 1920 hours which would represent one (1) full time equivalent contractor. Other billets indicated a multiple factor of 1920 hours which would indicate two (2) full time equivalent contractors .For the billets that indicate a number of hours not divisible by 1920, does this indicate the government is expecting a part time equivalent contractor or is this odd number of hours representative of a “surge” capacity where the full time equivalent contractor would work overtime hours? " A.17 The billets that indicate a number of hours less than 1920 indicate the government is expecting a part time equivalent contractor.

Q.18 The RFP states that some of the billets in Suffolk may need TS access. Can you identify which Suffolk billets require TS access so that we may properly recruit for, and price these billets?

A.18 2 billets - Senior Doctrine Analyst; UJTL Analyst and/or Senior UJTL Analyst Q.19 For JDEIS applications (JEL, JEL+, JDDT, UTDT, JAMIS, etc.), the PWS references multiple applications but does not define the current technical baseline. Will the Government provide an inventory of the current software stack, hosting environments, code repositories, database technologies, and current ATO status?

A.19 This would be part of the incumbent transition. A comprehensive inventory and knowledge transfer will be provided to the awardee as a formal part of the incumbent transition phase. PWS Sections 5.3.3 covered some of this but 5.3 has been updated to reflect the contractor’s ongoing responsibility to maintain and transition this baseline.

Q.20 Is there an incumbent transition period, and if so, what level of cooperation and knowledge transfer will be required from the outgoing contractor?

A.20 There is a 30-day phase-in/phase-out period. All materials become the property of the government. The incumbent’s phase-out team will coordinate with new contractor’s phase-in team, and other key contractor members.

Q.21 The PWS encourages the use of Government-approved AI/LLM tools. Will the Government identify currently approved AI tools and environments available to contractor personnel for performance of this task order?

A.21 Not at this time. The currently approved AI tools and environments within government approved networks or environments are constantly evolving.

Q.22 The PWS requires maintaining ATOs but does not clearly define the division of responsibilities. For JDEIS applications, is the contractor expected to act as the primary RMF/ATO package maintainer and author, or provide support to a Government-led cybersecurity team?

A.22 The government retains the role as Information System Owner (ISO) as a government-led cybersecurity team. All other RMF and ATO work is performed by the ISSO and ISSM. This was covered in 5.3.13; however, PWS section 5.3.13.1 has been revised to address the expectations more thoroughly.

Q. 23. Pages 25-26 – III. Quote Content, (b) Past Performance Information Form To complete the form as provided while maintaining a minimum 10-point font, a minimum of two pages would be required to deliver a sufficiently detailed response. Given that the solicitation indicates the “Performance Approach” is of greater importance than past performance, will the Government consider excluding the Past Performance Information Forms from the Volume I page count?

A.23 Section L, III., b. is clear on its face.

Q.24 Section B of the RFP includes a Level of Effort table with a detailed breakdown of on-site and off-site positions and hours reflecting roughly 45% of hours on-site at a Government location. In contrast, Section L of the RFP states “For quote purposes, the following ratios of Contractor's facilities and Government's facilities labor performance are established for all labor categories: Contractors Facilities - 0% & Government's facilities - 90%.” Respectfully request the Government please clarify whether the split in Section B should be utilized for pricing purposes.

A.24 Section B (page 4, Level of Effort table) is the correct breakdown of on-site and off-site positions and hours.

Q.25 Section M states, “all non-cost factors (other than Past Performance), an offeror's quotation must be determined to be Acceptable or better in order to be eligible for award.” Will a Performance Approach rating above “Acceptable” be treated as a discriminator in the best-value tradeoff, or is the factor evaluated on an acceptability basis with the tradeoff decided primarily on the Past Performance and cost factors?

A.25 Section M is clear on its face.

Q.26 Can the Government please confirm if the Labor Category locations listed under the 'Anticipated Location' are suggestive, and whether quoters are permitted to propose alternative locations?

A.26 Quoters are permitted to propose alternate locations only for those Labor categories under the Off-Site locations with the exception of the Sys Admin, Software engineer, Lead Editor who may be required on-site at the Pentagon or in Suffolk once a week.

Q.27 Can the Government please confirm that the 12pt font requirement does not apply to tables and that 8pt font is acceptable for tables?

A.27 Use of 8-point font or greater inside of graphics and/or tables in the non-cost submission is allowed. This has been updated in section L of the solicitation.

Q.28 Can the Government please advise as to its anticipated use of ODC funds? What ODCs does the Government anticipate being included?

A.28 PWS Section 11.2 has been revised to reflect the anticipated use of ODC funds.

Q.29 The solicitation states that the travel amounts specified do not include associated indirect costs and that the quoter should include the estimated travel costs in their cost quotation, loading them appropriately with indirect costs. Can the Government please confirm quoters can apply the same approach for pricing Other Direct Costs (ODC)?

A.29 Yes, quoters can apply the same approach for pricing Other Direct Costs (ODC) as stated for estimated travel costs.

Q.30 The solicitation requires documentation supporting Direct Labor Rates and Indirect Costs to substantiate cost realism. However, this information is controlled unclassified information (CUI) and cannot be transmitted via email. Will the Government provide a DoD SAFE link for secure submission? If not, how does the Government expect to receive supporting documentation?

A.30 Upon bidder request, the government will send a drop-off request via DoD SAFE no more than 7 days and no less than 2 days in advance of the submission date. Bidders shall be notified of the drop-off request via an automated email which will include instructions for dropping off file(s). Bidders submitting CUI information (up to 8 GB total) must check the “Encrypt every file” box in DoD Safe before dropping off the file(s). Bidders must email the bidder-generated Decryption Passphrase separately from the dropped-off file(s) to kevin.m.brennan21.civ@us.navy.mil. The files must be uploaded to DoD SAFE and bidder-generated Decryption Passphrase sent to Kevin Brennan no later than the 1 July 2026, 3:00PM deadline.