RAPID MAC RFP QA Spreadsheet_10.22.20.pdf

Question Page

Number RFP Reference Questions Answers

1 1 DD254

Please confirm that the responsibility for DD254 blocks 1a (TS FCL) and 1b (Secret safeguarding) are solely that of the prime and can not be delegated to a subcontractor.

Yes, the prime is required to hold the clearance levels

2 2 General Sample

Tasks Is the IMS excluded from page count? Recommendation: Government please exclude IMS from Technical page counts. No, the IMS is to remain as part of the technical page count

3 2 General

Will the government accept the date of mail post mark or commercial carrier transmittal image for submittal deadline if US mail or a commercial carrier is used for delivery? Will the government consider date of mail postmark as compliant delivery?

Mail delivery and commercial delays caused by COVID make transmittal deadlines unreliable. Will the government consider an email submission option?

Proposal submission is being changed to electronic submission by DoD Safe (https://safe.apps.mil/). The RFP has been amended to include updated electronic submission instructions.

4 2 Annex 2, General Is the Government asking for excerpts of SOW and contract documentation to fit within page count of Annex 2 or are Contract documentation attachments excluded from the page count? Please exclude government contract documentation from page count.

Please provide naming conventions of highlighting and comments for ease of evaluation.

see response to questions 88 and 93.

5 2 NOTES, Item 6. How many awards does NAWCAD anticipate within each Pool of this MAC? There are no limits established for awards on a per pool level.

6 2 Section SF 30

Page 2, Section SF 30 – BLOCK 14 CONTIUNATION PAGE, NOTES number 4 states that “SECRET or TOP SECRET clearance is not required at the time of contract award and will only be required at the time of actual performance on applicable TOs that require a SECRET or TOP SECRET clearance.” Does “contract award” refer to the award of WOLF RAPID MAC? If so, are contractors not required to hold the Secret safeguarding requirement stated in the DD254 at time of proposal submission?

Correct, the requirement will be at the task order level.

7 2/130 Section B, Note

#2 and Section L, part B, P.2.4

Question: We understand $249.7M is representative of the entire set of MAC awards, however what contract value should each offeror use in its plan for each pool? Recommendation: Recommend the Government clarify the contract value for each offeror and for each Pool for purposes of the Small Business Subcontracting Plan.

The Small Business Subcontracting Plan will no longer be required for submission at the MAC level and has been removed from this solicitation.

The Government will instead require Small Business Subcontracting Plan submission at the task order competition level.

8 14 Section C, SOW

3.1.1 Please clarify the internet access Others if needed and “state of the art” referred to in N00421-19-R-0074 SOW 3.1.1.

"Others if needed" will be defined at the task order level and "state-of-the-art" as related to anti-virus software means an industry recognized anti-virus software maintained at current version with all required patches executed.

9 15 Section C, SOW

3.1.2.2 Please clarify the video equipment or class of equipment referred to in N00421-19-R-0074 SOW 3.0.1.1 (3.1.2.2) No additional information will be provided

10 15/121 Section C, SOW 3.1.2.4.2, 1.1.1.1

Ref: For Pools #1-#6, SOW 3.1.2.4.2 Germany Support is marked in the SOW matrix (page 9). Question: Per above reference, the sample tasks for Pools #1-#5 do not call out any Germany support. Will such support be required in Pools 1-5 Sample Tasks? In the Pool #1 Requirements (Section L) reference is made at VII. Step 7 Continuous monitoring to SOW 3.3.5; is it the Government’s intent for SOW reference 3.3.5.3.3 be referenced to include Germany Support (SOW 3.1.2.4.2)?

Sample tasks are not specific to location of work to be performed, specific location concerns will be evaluated at the task order level when a requirement is defined by location. Vendors may document place of performance as an assumption within their technical proposal.

11 15/121 Section C, SOW 3.1.2.4.2, 1.1.1.1

Ref: “Team. Identify the contractor team members, by labor category, that are required for successful performance of the task, and if applicable, describe the roles and responsibilities of any JV team members required to perform the work. Identify certification requirements for individual team members assigned to the task, if applicable.” Does the Government intend for the offeror to identify, by name, the individual people who are members of the offerors team that will be supporting the proposed sample task for each respective Pool or simply to identify the specific companies within the team that will be assigned to each task, by company name?

See response to question 34.

12 15 Section C, 3.1.2.3, Facility Support

Please confirm that an Approved Property Management System is required on a task order basis and not at the IDIQ level.

The Government confirms that an Approved Management System is required on a task order basis and not at the IDIQ level.

13 15 Section C, 3.1.2.3, Facility Support

If an Approved Property Management System is required at the IDIQ level, please confirm that offerors are not required to have the system ready for DCMA audit until contract award.

See response to question 12.

14 16 Section C, P.3.1.4.13

Question: States, “personnel assigned to work at that facility in support of such federal employees shall follow their parent company’s policies.” Should the personnel assigned follow their company’s policies vice their parent company policies – there could be a difference between the company holding the RAPID contract and their parent company. Recommendation: Recommend this be changed to read “…shall follow their company’s policies” to avoid any confusion or conflict with parent company policies.

The solicitation has been updated to read, "personnel assigned to work at that facility in support of such federal employees shall follow their company's policies."

15 16 Section C, P.3.1.4.1.4

Question: Is the requirement for approval only applicable to overtime for which the Government will pay an overtime premium (such as for non-exempt employees)?Recommendation: Recommend overtime approval only be applicable to non-exempt employees since the Government will be charged a premium.

Overtime will only be applicable to non-exempt employees.

16 17 Section C, 3.1.6, Subcontractor Management

Since subcontractors are not allowed, are we correct in our understanding that we do not need to address this SOW requirement? Correct.

17 18 Section C, 3.1.8, Transition Out

Strategy

Since a transition out strategy was not required by the sample task, are we correct in our understanding that we do not need to address this SOW requirement?

Transition Strategy is not required to be addressed for any of the sample tasks

18 19 Section C, P.

3.2.2.1

Question: Why is there a Tier-3 investigation requirement for unclassified work in paragraph 3.2.2.1 Unclassified: All Contractor personnel must be eligible to perform Non-Critical Sensitive work as defined by SECNAV M-5510.30. All Contractor personnel are required to have a favorably adjudicated Tier-3 investigation from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Recommendation:

Recommend Tier-1 investigation instead of Tier-3.

No change will be applied as this language is a requirement per our security office.

19 25 Section C, P.3.3.1.7.3

Topic: Contractor shall assist with . . . software and network design . . .Question: If para 3.3.1.8 does not apply to Pool 5 why is the requirement in the Sample Task?

3.3.1.8 is not referenced in the sample task for Pool 5

20 33/34

In the substitution chart the last entry on Page 33 the Management Analyst (Program Manager) is at a Senior level. On Page 34 the General and Operations Manager (Program Manager) is listed as a Journeyman level.

Paragraph 3.4.15.7 states the General and Operations Manager (Program Manager) is the overall lead, manager and administrator for the contracted effort. Paragraph 3.4.15.8 Management Analyst (Program Manager) also states the Program Manager shall act as the overall lead, manager and administrator for the contract effort. This implies there are two program managers, in two labor categories, at different experience levels, doing the same tasking. Can the government delineate the difference between the two positions in greater detail?

Delineations in actual functions will be defined at the task order level. See paragraph 3.4.14 "Please note that the table below lists potential labor categories and experience requirements; however, additional labor categories may be added at the individual task order level."

21 47 Section F Topic: 5252.211-9507 Period of Performance. Question: Can a task order issued with the 60 month ordering period have a period of performance which extends beyond the ordering period?

Yes.

22 80 Section H Reference Section H, page 80 – Clause 5252.228-9501 – Liability Insurance – (d) Aircraft public and passenger liability – please confirm that this insurance is needed, or should it be N/A, as the SOW doesn’t reflect the use of aircraft in connection with performing task orders – See FAR 28.307-2.

This clause will remain. It's necessity may be revisited at the task order level for each individual requirement.

23 85-89 Section I Clauses Incorporated by

Reference

Please advise if the below clauses will be updated to: 52.202-1 JUN 2020

52.203-3 APR 1985 52.204-18 AUG 2020

52.215-2 JUN 2020 52.215-21 JUN 2020

52.219-28 JUN 2020 52.223-18 JUN 2020

52.244-6 AUG 2020 252.225-7013 JUL 2020

252.225-7021 JUL 2020

These clauses will be updated.

24 86 Section I Clauses Incorporated by

Reference Please advise if clause will be added: 52.204-26 OCT 2020 Yes.

25 90 Section I Clauses Incorporated by

Full Text Please advise if the clause will be updated to: MAR 2020 (DEVIATION) Yes.

26 90 Section I

52.219-9 Small Business Subcontracting Plan (Deviation 2018-O0018) (Jun 2020) (d)(1) and (d)(2) require the Offeror to state total planned subcontracting dollars. As this is an IDIQ award and the planned subcontracting dollars is an unknown at time of submission of the IDIQ proposal, will the government please clarify if they expect the Offeror to calculate the percentages and planned subcontracted dollars based on the RAPID MAC five (5) year ordering period maximum value of $249.7M or if Offerors will be permitted to express the goals as percentages only and not dollar values and state in the Small Business Subcontracting Plan that the proposal goals are based on total obligated dollars, similar to the method used for SeaPort NxG solicitation N00178-18-R-7000.

See response to question 7.

27 91-98 Section I, 52.217-

Question a: Would the Government identify minimum goals for SB, VOSB, SDVOSB, WOSB, and HUBZone? SDB minimum was identified as 5% in RFP. Question b: Would the Government also confirm that offeror is not required to have fully executed Teaming Agreements with SB companies meeting the size/socio-economic requirements, nor identify those companies to meet the requirements for the SBSP at proposal submission?

See response to question 7.

33 118 Section L, Part A, 1.0

This section includes “Failure to address a specific factor or subfactor clearly may be considered a deficiency.” Question: Would the Government confirm the Evaluation Factors consist only of Vol 1 Sample Task and Vol 2 Annex 2 (Attachments for relevant portions of Corporate Experience Efforts)?

Evaluation factors consist of Volume 1: Sample Tasks, Volume 2: Reps and Certs, and Annex 1: Cross Reference Matrix (CRM) for Technical

Volume, and Annex 2 for Corporate Experience Efforts (if desired)

34 118 Section L, Part A, 1.0

Page 118 of RFP states that “Subcontractors will not be allowable or evaluated at the MAC IDIQ level”. Would the Government please clarify if this means that as a Prime we should not team with anyone at the MAC level and that use of subs may be counted negatively even if we are not intending to utilize the subcontractors Corporate Experience in our prime proposal for Pool 1? Put another way, can a prime form teaming arrangements with subcontractors at the MAC IDIQ level and NOT use their Corporate Experience or any other contributing factor toward the proposal?

Subcontractor teaming arrangements will not be evaluated at the MAC IDIQ level. The Prime may form teaming arrangements as needed at the task order competition level. Offerors should not use subcontractor corporate experience in their MAC proposal submission. Per the RFP, lack of corporate experience will not adversely effect an offerors assigned rating.

Within Volume 1, the labor mix is required to be identified by Labor Category. Certification requirements can be identified by Labor Category as well. (i.e. Project Analyst 1 - will have certification X). Section 1.1.1, part 1 under Volume 1: Technical Sample Task will be updated to better reflect the desired submission and remove the references to "team" and "team members".

35 118 Section L, Part A, 1.0

Paragraph five states, “Subcontractors will not be allowable or evaluated at the MAC IDIQ level.” Since Pool 1 is set aside for small business and most small businesses bring a team of companies to most engagements to ensure full scope coverage, we recommend the Government allow subcontract corporate experience to be utilized and evaluated.

See response to question 34.

36 118 Section L, Part A, 2.0

Section L, Part A, 2.0 states “Graphs and tables. . . should contain a grid, which allows values to be read directly from the graph.”

Will the government please clarify what they mean by requiring a ‘grid’? This requirement is somewhat vague and not clear on exactly what formatting requirement the government is asking for.

A grid is a framework of spaced bars that are parallel to or cross each other.

37 118 Section L, Part A, 2.0

Section L, Part A, 2.0 states “All proposal documents must be compatible with Microsoft Office 2016 and/or the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader Portable Document Format (PDF), where applicable.” Is there any part of this proposal that cannot be submitted in PDF? Are offerors permitted to submit all parts of the proposal in PDF?

Documents may be submitted via Microsoft Office Word in addition to Microsoft PDF. All parts may be submitted as PDF if desired.

38 118 Section L, Part A,

2.0 Electronic

Proposal Format

Please confirm that font restrictions do not apply to the supporting attachments provided in Annex 2. Font restrictions apply to supporting attachments in Annex 2.

39 118 Section L, Part A,

2.0 Electronic

Proposal Format

Will the government permit 11 x 17 pages for the WBS/IMS that counts as one page? See response to question 51

40 118 Section L, Part A,

2.0 Electronic

Proposal Format

RFP Section 2.0 states that graphs and tables “should contain a grid, which allows values to be read directly from the graph.” Would the government please elaborate on what is meant by a “grid”?

See response to question 36

41 118 Section L, Part A,

2.0 Electronic

Proposal Format

Are we permitted to use larger than 12-point font on the cover page? Yes

42 118 Section L, Part A,

2.0 Electronic

Proposal Format

May disclosure statements on the cover page be smaller than 12-point font? Yes

43 118 Section L, Part A,

2.0 Electronic

Proposal Format

Will the government permit graphics with Arial 8-point font for enhanced readability? See response to question 49.

44 118 Section L, Part A,

2.0 Electronic

Proposal Format

Please confirm that action captions and call out boxes can be no smaller than 10 pt. font. Confirmed.

45 118 Section L, Part A,

2.0 Electronic

Proposal Format

Please confirm that font restrictions do not apply to headers and footers. Confirmed.

46 118 Section L, Part A Will the Government consider extending the period for questions to September 30, 2020?

The Government will provide an additional period to submit questions. This will be specified in Amendment 0001.

47 118 Section L Part

A.2.0

Proposals must be formatted…with 1-inch margins all around

Please confirm that header/footer text can be inside the 1-inch margins since the content will not be evaluated (e.g., header/footer text may include volume number, company name, proposal name, disclosure statement, RFP # and title, page #)?

Confirmed.

48 118 Section L Part

A.2.0

Proposals must be formatted using a Times New Roman 12 pt Normal font no reduction permitted…Graphs and tables shall be permitted in no smaller than 10 pt font

For text in the headers and footers of the proposal, may offerors use a smaller than 12 point font (e.g., 10 point font) since the content in the header and footer will not be evaluated (e.g., header/footer text may include volume number, company name, proposal name, disclosure statement, RFP # and title, page #)?

See response to question 45

49 118 Section L Part

A.2.0

Proposals must be formatted using a Times New Roman 12 pt Normal font no reduction permitted…Graphs and tables shall be permitted in no smaller than 10 pt font

For text in the tables, may offerors use other than Times New Roman font?

No, for graphics and tables please use Times New Roman fonrt no smaller than 10pt.

50 118 Section L Part

A.2.0

Drawings may be of any size and will count as one page.

Can the Government define drawings as referenced here? For example, if an offeror were to provide a process flowchart or organizational chart to support its approach and the graphic/chart was only 4.5 inches (1/2 page), would that count as one page by this definition?

Yes

51 118 Ref. Sec. L, Part

A, 2.0 Question 2a. Will the Government please allow graphs and tables that fit on an 11” x 17” printed page?

Question 2b. Will the Government please clarify how many pages each 11x17 will count as, if 11x17 pages are allowed?

Graphs, tables, charts, and diagrams are only allowable on an 8.5X11 or 8.5X14 page.

52 118 Section L, Part A, Paragraph 1.0 General

“… Subcontractors will not be allowable or evaluated at the MAC IDIQ level. “ However, the Sample Task Response allows for the Offeror to include the Team Members in response to Section L, Part A, Paragraph 1.1.1, Sub-Paragraph 1) Team, and Section L, Part A, also requires a Small Business Subcontracting Plan as Annex 3. Therefore, can the Government clarify that the Offeror is allowed to include their subcontractor team members and reference their experience and their roles and responsibilities as part of the Offeror’s Sample Task Response? Should team member roles and responsibilities be presented without specific reference to Prime or Subcontractor?

See response to question 34.

53 118

Section L, Part A, Paragraph 2.0

Electronic Proposal Format

“The Offeror shall submit all volumes of its proposal electronically on CD-ROM(s). Would the Government also allow for submissions on DVDs?

See response to question 3.

54 118 Section L., Part A., Para 1., sub para 5

For corporate experience in Pool 1, can the offeror submit a past performance citation with a magnitude greater than $1M but was performed at the subcontract level?

Yes, this may be provided as a corporate experience submission.

55 118 Section L., Part A., Para 1., sub para 5

"Throughout these instructions, a “JV Team Member” is defined as one of the entities that make up a joint venture (JV) formed for the purpose of responding to this solicitation. Formal Joint Ventures are allowable for all Pools. Subcontractors will not be allowable or evaluated at the MAC IDIQ level." Throughout the RFP, there is reference to a Prime's use of subcontractor support under this effort, including submission of a Small and Small Disadvantaged Business Subcontracting Plan. However, the referenced paragraph, specifically states that subcontractors will not be allowable. Will the Government provide clarification for the Prime's utilization of subcontractors to support a Prime's proposal as a named team member and included on any resultant contract?

See response to question 34.

56 118 Section L., Part A., Para 1., sub para 5

"Throughout these instructions, a “JV Team Member” is defined as one of the entities that make up a joint venture (JV) formed for the purpose of responding to this solicitation. Formal Joint Ventures are allowable for all Pools. Subcontractors will not be allowable or evaluated at the MAC IDIQ level." Will the Government confirm that the Offeror’s proposal can include Corporate Experience from Subcontractors on the team for each Pool?

See response to question 34.

57 118 Section L, 2.0

Electronic Proposal Format

This section details that the proposal should have “1-inch margins all around”. Can the government confirm whether or not this requirement applies to the cover page as well?

This requirement does not apply to the cover page.

58 118

Section L, 2.0 Electronic

Proposal Format;

Section L, 3.0

Proposal Content and Volumes

Section 2.0 states, “All pages should be numbered with section and page numbers” and Section 3.0 states, “The proposal information instructions are structured by paragraph numbers where first, second, third, and fourth parts correspond to the volume, book, section, and element, etc., in the Offeror’s proposal.” Can the government confirm what the “section” would be for Volume 1, Volume 2, Annex 1, Annex 2, and Annex 3?

Please reference the Volume and page number.

59 118 Section L, Part A, 1.0

On page 118, the RFP states that “Subcontractors will not be allowable or evaluated at the MAC IDIQ level.” Does the government mean that the Prime contractor must be capable of address all elements of the SoW without the help of subcontractors? And does the government mean that subcontractor corporate experience is not considered?

See response to question 34.

60 118 Section L, Part B, P. 2.0 Section L, 2.0, page 118 of 137. The sections states, “All pages should be numbered with section and page numbers.” What Sections are you referring to? Do you mean Volume and page number?

Yes, all pages should be numbered with Volume and page number.

61 118 Section L 2.0

Electronic Proposal Format

Considering the CDC's ongoing guidelines for social distancing and reopening workplaces as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, will the Government consider revising the proposal submission requirements stated in Section L Paragraph 1 which requires Offerors to provide CDs and instead allow for electronic only submission of proposals via the DoD SAFE website?

See response to question 3.

62 118 Section L, Part A, 1.0

Section L, Part A, 1.0 states that "Subcontractors will not be allowable or evaluated at the MAC IDIQ level." Given this statement, how are offerors to address Section L, Part B, 1.1.1.1 Team which states " Identify the contractor team members, by labor category, that are required for successful performance of the task, and if applicable, describe the roles and responsibilities of any JV team members required to perform the work. Identify certification requirements for individual team members assigned to the task, if applicable."? May offerors include subcontractor teammates in this section to show who would be utilized in performing the sample task outside of the Prime or JV Team Members?

See response to question 34.

63 118

Section L, Part A General

Instructions, 2.0 Electronic

Proposal Format

The solicitation states “Graphs and Tables that fit on an 8.5” x 14” printed page will be counted as one page.” Because the standard format for graphs and tables is 11” x 17”, we request that the Government also count as one page graphs and tables that fit on an 11” x 17” printed page.

See response to question 51

64 118 Section L, Part A,

2.0 Please clarify the instruction in L Part A 2.0 “All pages should be numbered with section and page numbers.” What does the Government consider to be a section?

See response to questions 58 & 60

65 118 Section L, Part A, 1.0

Section L, Part A, 1.0 (page 118) states “Subcontractors will not be allowable or evaluated at the MAC IDIQ level.” This is inconsistent with the initial government strategy for this effort that companies may have applied to their business strategy for this proposal. The inability to include subcontractors will significantly affect the bidding strategies of small businesses who may utilize partners to enhance their capabilities without impeding competition and to offer the government the most qualified teams to provide best value. By allowing the use of subcontractors at the MAC IDIQ Level, this may also encourage small businesses to compete on the unrestricted Pools 2 through 6. Question: Will the government reconsider the removal of ability to include subcontractors experience at the MAC level?

See response to question 34.

66 119 Section L, Part A, 3.0

Annex 2 Attachments for Relevant Portions of Corporate Experience Efforts states 10 pages per contract experience. We want to confirm that 10 pages is the maximum page allocation for each corporate experience contract and not a required page count for each corporate experience contract.

10 pages per corporate experience contract is the maximum. An offeror may submit less than 10 pages if desired.

67 119 Section L, Part A,

3.0 We want to confirm that Annex 3 Small Business Subcontracting Plan is not required for offerors submitting for Pool 1 only.

The Small Business Subcontracting Plan will no longer be required for submission at the MAC level and has been removed from this solicitation.

The Government will instead require Small Business Subcontracting Plan submission at the task order competition level. This requirement will not pertain to Pool 1 small business vendors.

68 119

Section L, Part A,

3.0 Proposal

Content and

Volumes

Are we correct to understand that the government intends for offerors to provide 2 electronic copies total, each containing the full proposal?

See response to question 3.

69 119 Section L Part

A.3.0

Annex 1 Cross Reference Matrix for the Technical Volume - The Offeror shall submit a Cross Reference Matrix (CRM) for the Technical Volume...The CRM should be a single integrated matrix and cross-reference the proposal volumes and paragraphs to specific RFP requirements, as well as other parts of the proposal that contain relevant information.

If an offeror is submitting its proposal for more than one Pool, should the offeror's CRM be provided in one file or is one CRM per pool required?

One CRM per pool

70 119 Section L Part

A.3.0

Annex 1 Cross Reference Matrix for the Technical Volume - The Offeror shall submit a Cross Reference Matrix (CRM) for the Technical Volume...The CRM should be a single integrated matrix and cross-reference the proposal volumes and paragraphs to specific RFP requirements, as well as other parts of the proposal that contain relevant information.

Paragraph 3.0 requires offerors to cross reference proposal volumes. Should the CRM cross-reference the Volume I Technical contents (multiple pools if applicable) only and not the Volume 2 requirements?

The Cross Reference Matrix should reference Volume 1 Technical Contents.

71 119

Section L Part A

3.0 and Section

L.B.2.4 Section L Part A

1.0

Small Business Subcontracting Plan Since subcontractors will not be allowable or evaluated at the MAC IDIQ level per Section L Part A paragraph 1.0, what is the expectation for the Small Business Subcontracting Plan requirement? Please provide guidance as to how you want the plan compiled at the IDIQ Level since we are not proposing subcontractors.

See response to question 7.

72 119 Section L Part

A.3.0

Please confirm that if an offeror is proposing on more than one pool that the offeror should provide separate Volume 1 Technical files (one for each pool). For example on the CD ROM, there could be a Volume I folder that contains one Sample Task Technical Approach file for each Pool being proposed (e.g., Volume I Technical Approach Pool 1.PDF, Volume I Technical Approach Pool 2.PDF, etc.)

Yes, that is correct; however, proposal submission is being changed to DoD Safe so instead of using CD ROMs, offerors should ensure all files are separate.

73 119 Section L Part

A.3.0

Each volume shall contain the following information:

-Copy number

Since this is not a hard copy proposal, may offerors exclude the copy number from the volume file title/cover page, but include the copy number on the CD ROM Label (Copy 1 of 2, Copy 2 of 2)?

See response to question 3.

74 119

Section L, Part A, Paragraph 3.0

Proposal Content and Volumes

“Offerors bidding on more than one pool shall ensure each file is a separate document within the technical proposal”. Can the Government clarify if the Offeror is to provide a separate file (ie pdf) for each Pool for Volume 1 Technical Sample Task, for each Pool for Annex 1 and for each Pool for Annex 2? Additionally, is a Small Business Subcontracting Plan required as a separate file for each Pool for Annex 3, or does the Small Business Plan cover all Pools, as one document.?

See response to question 72

75 119

Paragraph 3.0

Proposal Content and Volumes

(page 119) states within the table states that 2 electronic copies are required for each Pool. Can the Government clarify that 2 CDs are desired, one containing the original files, and the second containing copy 1 of 1 of the files; or if the request if to have 2 separate CDs (original and copy) for each Pool response?

Proposal submission is being changed to electronic submission by DoD Safe (https://safe.apps.mil/). Offerors will only need to provide one copy for each pool response.

76 119

Section L, Part A, Paragraph 3.0

Proposal Content and Volumes

Section L, Part A, Paragraph 3.0 Proposal Content and Volumes (page 119) has Annex 3 Small Business Subcontracting Plan;

however, Section L, Part B Instructions to Offerors lists the instructions under Volume 2, paragraph 2.4 (page 130). Can the Government clarify if Annex 3 is an Annex to Volume 2?

The Small Business Subcontracting Plan will no longer be required for submission at the MAC level and has been removed from this solicitation.

The Government will instead require Small Business Subcontracting Plan submission at the task order competition level. Therefore, Annex 3 will be removed in amendment 0001.

77 119 Section L, Part A, P 3.0

Section L, Part A, Paragraph 3 of the RFP requires a 1 to 1 comparison between the information presented and the proposal instruction. In section L, Part B, the instructions start with section 1.0 Understanding of the work, then jumps to section 1.1.1 (page 121). Can the Government please verify there is no section 1.1 instruction, or, should Understanding of the work actually be numbered section 1.1.

All references to paragraph 1.1.1 will be updated to 1.1 in solicitation amendment 0001.

78 119 Part A, 3.0

Proposal Content and Volumes

Ref: “Proposal information must be structured so the Volume and paragraph number matches the Proposal Instructions. Volume and paragraph number provided in section Part B Specific Instructions; to which it is responding, although, the Offeror may add lower tier subparagraphs.” Request Statement: Please clarify the wording and intent above. The second sentence is not actually a full sentence and intent is unclear.” Is the Government’s intent that offeror should follow Part B Specific Instructions, but is able to add lower tier subparagraphs?”

Yes.

79 119 Part A, 3.0

Proposal Content and Volumes

Ref: “The proposal information instructions are structured by paragraph numbers where first, second, third, and fourth parts correspond to the volume, book, section, and element, etc., in the Offeror’s proposal.” Question: Please clarify what is meant (practically) by “first, second, third, and fourth parts correspond to the volume, book, section, and element, etc., in the Offeror’s proposal. Can the Government confirm that the reference to “book” and “element” are no longer relevant/applicable?”

"book" and "Element" are no longer relevant.

80 119

Section L, Part A,

3.0 Proposal

Content and

Volumes

Ref: “Offerors bidding on more than one pool shall ensure each file is a separate document within the technical proposal.” Ref:

Volume Table, pg. 119. Question: Per above reference, can gov’t please clarify if all technical sample task pool responses should be contained within Volume 1 Technical Sample Tasks as one file (per table pg. 119) or should each pool technical sample task response be contained be a separate file.

See response to question 3.

81 119 L.3.0

“Offerors bidding on more than one Pool shall ensure each file is a separate document within the Technical Proposal. Will the Government clarify how the Pools from Volume I Technical Sample Tasks shall be submitted, Is it the Government’s intent that all the Pools in Volume I be on the same CD and if so, does the Government want a separate file for each Pool on that CD.

See response to question 3.

82 119 L.A.3 Does each Annex need to be submitted on separate CDs from Volume 1 and Volume 2 or as separate files within a Volume CD? See response to question 3.

83 119 L.B.3 Is it the Government’s intent to allow the Offeror to submit applicable portions of the Statements of Work to substantiate the use of selected Corporate Experiences?

See response to question 93.

84 119 Section L, 3.0

Proposal Content and Volumes

This section discusses the inclusion of a Cross Reference Matrix as Annex 1 to the proposal titled, “Cross Reference Matrix (CRM) for Technical Volume” and details what is required in the CRM as far as format and content. With the Title being “CRM for the Technical Volume,” are offerors to cross reference all of the elements of the entire proposal including Volume 2, Annex 1, Annex 2, and Annex 3 to the solicitation requirements, or are offeror’s only to cross reference Volume 1 Technical Sample Tasks to the solicitation requirements?

The CRM is for Volume1 Sample Task

85 119 Section L, 3.0

Proposal Content and Volumes

This section states, “The proposal information instructions are structured by paragraph numbers where first, second, third, and fourth parts correspond to the volume, book, section, and element, etc., in the Offeror’s proposal” as well as, “Each volume shall contain the following information: -Proposal volume/book number”. From the information given, are offerors to conclude that “book” is equivalent to the Pool for the technical volume (book 1 would be Pool 1, etc.)?

If this is the case, what would the book be for Volume 2, Annex 1, Annex 2, and Annex 3?

If not, can the government please confirm what the “book” would be for the volumes and annexes?

See response to question 79

86 119 Section L, Part B, P. 3.0

Section L, 3.0, page 119 of 137. The section states, The proposal information instructions are structured by paragraph numbers where first, second, third, and fourth parts correspond to the volume, book, section, and element, etc., in the Offeror’s proposal.

What does this mean and how are offerors to use this information in formatting our response? Confusing as reviewing the Section guidance does not clearly show volume, book, section, and elements. Section L, 2.0, page 118 of 137. The sections states, “All pages should be numbered with section and page numbers.” What Sections are you referring to? Do you mean Volume and page number?

See response to question 79

87 119 Section L, Part B, P. 3.0 Section L, 3.0, page 119 of 137. The Table requests 2 Electronic Copies. Is that 2 copies plus the original or is the original copy 1 and then you want another, copy 2?

See response to question 3.

88 119 Section L, Part B, P. 3.0 Section L, 3.0, page 119 of 137. The table states 10 pages per Corporate Experience Contract Effort per pool. This means that each citation gets 10 pages for a total of 50 pages if all five contract efforts are provided, correct?

Correct. Up to 5 Corporate Experience submissions per pool with no more than 10 pages each may be submitted

89 119 Section L, Part B, P. 3.0

Section L, 3.0, page 119 of 137. The table states 10 pages per Corporate Experience Contract Effort per pool. Does this mean we get 10 pages for all five contract efforts? If so, SOWs are more than 2 pages each and there is not enough page space to include the full SOWs. Can we provide snapshots of the relevant SOW sections to fit within the 10 pages?

see response to question 88 and 93.

90 119 Section L, Part B, P. 3.0

Section L, 3.0, page 119 of 137. The volume table in not clear where the corporate experience narrative should be provided. Should the narrative be included in Vol. 1? If so, is it included in the sample task pool page limit or should the narrative and backup be included in Vol. 2?

Corporate experience shall be included under Volume 2.

91 119 Section L, Part A, P. 3.0 Please provide instructions and formatting requirement for Annex 2 “Attachments for Relevant Portions of Corporate Experience Efforts”.

There is no specific format that must be follow. Annex 2 is for the submission of Statement of Work, Performance Work Statements including

Contract Number, Purchase Orders including Contract Number, etc.) in support of Corporate Experience Efforts. There is a 10 page limitation for each corporate experience effort submitted per pool. An offeror may submit up to 5 corporate experience efforts per pool.

92 119 Section L, Part A, P. 3.0 How many Corporate Experiences are required for each Pool?

There is no requirement for a specific number of Corporate Experience responses. Lack of corporate experience will not adversely effect an offeror.

Submit in accordance with guidance provided in response to question 88.

93 119 Section L, Part A, P. 3.0

1. RFP section L.A.3.0, indicates that Annex 2, Attachments for Relevant Portions of Corporate Experience Efforts, must be limited to “10 pages per Corporate Experience Contract Effort per pool.” Additionally, RFP section L.B.1.1.11 states that “Examples of previous efforts can be narratives within the scenario with supporting attachments to the proposal (Statement of Work, Performance Work Statements including Contract Number, Purchase Orders including Contract Number, etc.) in Annex 2.” Is the Government instructing Offerors to extract/submit selective Statement of Work (SOW) and Performance Work Statement (PWS) pages from official Government documents longer than 10 pages in order to meet the per contract limit? Alternatively, will the Government consider increasing the “per contact” page limit to accommodate contract’s with SOW/PWS that extend beyond 10 pages?

Yes, you may extract relevant portions of a SOW/PWS to stay within the 10 page per corporate experience effort limit.

94 119 Section L, Part A, P. 3.0 Please confirm a Small Business Subcontracting Plan is not required for an Offeror who is a Small Business Concern. Can a Small Business Concern respond to Annex 3 by stating not applicable?

See response to question 67.

95 119 Section L, Part B, P. 3.0 Page 119 of RFP: Could the Government please clarify what is meant by “2 Electronic Copies,” in the table under ‘3.0 Proposal Content and Volumes.’ Is this meant to refer to two CD-ROM copies?

See response to question 3.

96 119 Section L, Part A, 3.0

Section L, Part A, 3.0, on page 119 states that "Offerors bidding on more than one pool shall ensure each file is a separate document within the technical proposal." To clarify, should offerors submit a separate volume 1, volume 2, annex 1, annex 2, and annex 3 for each pool for which they are proposing? May all files for the pool (volume 1, volume 2, annex 1, annex 2, and annex 3) be on one CD-ROM? And then a separate CD-ROM for each pool with those same respective documents specific to that pool?

See response to question 3. Offerors will only need to provide one copy for each pool response.

97 119 Section L, Part A, 3.0

Section L, Part A, 3.0, on page 119 states that "Offerors bidding on more than one pool shall ensure each file is a separate document within the technical proposal." If offerors are bidding on multiple pools can they submit just one version of Volume 2 that covers all pools since reps and certs, etc. would not change by pool?

Yes.

98 119 Section L, Part A, 3.0

Both Section L, Part A, 3.0 (as stated on page 119) and Section L, Part B, 2.4 (as stated on page 130) ask for the small business subcontracting plan. Please advise if we should submit the small business subcontracting plan as part of volume 2 (section 2.4) or separately as annex 3.

See response to question 7.

99 119 Section L, Part A, 3.0

Source: Page 119, Section L, 3.0 Proposal Content and Volumes. Annex 2 Relevant Portions of Corporate Experience, 10 pages per Corporate Experience Contract Effort per Pool. Question: Will the government please clarify the page limit for Annex 2? Is the limit 10 pages total per pool? Or is the page limit 10 pages per Corporate Experience Contract effort, up to 50 pages per pool, if the contractor submits for the maximum of 5 corporate experience efforts?

See response to question 88.

100 119 Section L, Part A, 3.0

RFP Pg 119; Section L. Part A, 3.0 Proposal Content and Volumes; Table includes Annex 2, Attachments for Relevant Portions of Corporate Experience Efforts, 10 pages (per pool). RFP Pg 121; Section L. Part B, Vol 1, 1.1.1, 11) states that Corporate Experience examples to substantiate/ demonstrate execution of the proposed approach can be narratives within the scenario response. Statements of Work (SOW)/Performance Work Statements (PWS) for multiple Corporate Experience examples will easily exceed the 10 page limit as stated in L.3.0. Further, there are extensive technical requirements to address for the Sample Task, making it difficult to adequately include up to five Corporate Experience narratives. Question: Would the Government consider allowing offerors to put the Corporate Experience examples (narratives) in the 10 page Annex 2, and include the (up to five) SOWs/PWSs as an appendix to Annex 2?

See response to question 88.

101 119

3.0 Proposal

Content and

Volumes, page 119, Section L, Part B, 2.4 Small Business

Subcontracting Plan

The solicitation appears to request separate submissions of the Small Business Subcontracting Plan as Annex 2 per the table in Part A, paragraph 3.0, as well as in Part B, paragraph 2.4, since in the latter paragraph there is no mention of its inclusion as Annex 3. We request that the Government confirm that Offerors are to submit two separate Small Business Subcontracting Plans in the places previously indicated or confirm specifically where the Small Business Subcontracting Plan must be placed within the Offeror’s proposal.

See response to question 7.

102 119

Section L, Part A General

Instructions, 3.0 Proposal Content and Volumes

Per the table specifying proposal content and volumes, the current page limit for Sample Tasks 2-6 is 20 pages. In consideration of the detailed requirements for each task’s technical approach as listed in paragraph d. of each scenario, along with appropriate levels of detail for the required WBS/IMS, we request that the Government please increase page limit on each of the aforementioned tasks to 30 pages.

Sample task page count will not increase

103 119 Section L, 3.0

Proposal Content and Volumes

On page 119 of Section L, under “3.0 Proposal Content and Volumes,” the Government notes “Offerors bidding on more than one pool shall ensure each file is a separate document within the technical proposal.” Accordingly, does the Government expect offerors to create separate documents that include Volume 2 Representations and Certifications, and all three annexes for each pool being pursued?

No.

104 119 Section L, 3.0

Proposal Content and Volumes

On page 119 of Section L, under “3.0 Proposal Content and Volumes,” the Government notes “Offerors bidding on more than one pool shall ensure each file is a separate document within the technical proposal.” Does the Government require each pool sample task within Volume 1 to include paragraphs 1.0 Understanding of the Work and 1.1.1 sample task response?

Yes.

105 119 Section L, Part A,

3.0 Please clarify the intended title nomenclature for Volume 1 if an offeror is only responding to one pool.

Volume 1: Pool "X" Sample Task. The "X" shall represent the pool an offeror is responding to.

106 119 Section L, Part A,

3.0 Please confirm that it is the intention of L Part A 3.0 that Annexes will require a table of contents the same as Volumes 1 and 2?

A table of contents is required for technical volume 1 and 2. It is not required for each Annex. However, if a table of contents is included with an

Annex, it will not count towards the page count limitations.

107 120 Section L, Part A,

3.0 CRM Matrix

Table

The Cross Reference Matrix sample in Section L (on page 120) has a column for “CLIN reference”. This does not seem relevant to the purpose of the matrix nor is it clear what is being asked for. Will the government remove this column? If not, please clarify what CLIN-type information is expected to go in this column of the Matrix?

This column will be deleted in the amended solicitation

108 120

Section L, Part A,

3.0 Proposal

Content and

Volumes

The example Cross Reference Matrix (CRM) includes a column for “CLIN Reference.” What are offerors expected to put in this column?

See response to question 107

109 120 Section L, Part A,

4.0 Proposal

Submission

May offerors hand deliver proposals a day prior to the proposal due date?

See response to question 3. Hand delivered proposals will no longer be allowable.

110 120 Section L, Part A,

4.0 – Proposal Submission

Are there any specific instructions or requirements for hand delivered proposals?

See response to question 3. Hand delivered proposals will no longer be allowable.

111 120

Section L, Part A, Paragraph 4.0

Proposal Submission

(page 120) states “Hand-carried CD-ROM proposals may be delivered to the address above, attention Brandon Reaser”. Does the Offeror need to make any pre-arrangements for drop-off of the CD-ROMs (i.e. arrange date and time in advance) to ensure that someone is available to accept and provide a delivery receipt?

See response to question 3. Hand delivered proposals will no longer be allowable.

112 120 Section L, Part B, P. 3.0, Annex 1, CRM

Section L, 3.0 Annex 1, CRM, page 120 of 137. The table header starts with Section L. Is the intent to cover all Section L requirements in the CRM (e.g. proposal format, proposal packaging, etc) or just those starting under Part B, Specific Instructions?

Just those under Part B, Specific Instructions.

113 120 Section L, Part A,

3.0 The example CRM creates some confusion of what is required for reference. Can the Government please clarify this requirement or provide a revised example?

See response to question 84.

114 121 Section L, Part B, 1.1.1

Under Section L, Part B, paragraph 1.1.1, item 11 allows offerors to submit up to 5 contracts to demonstrate corporate experience.

This section does not specify whether the offeror can submit subcontractor teammates’ corporate experience. Given that Section M indicates the corporate experience will only serve to improve an offeror’s technical/risk rating, will the government allow subcontractor references to be included? Allowing subcontractor experience to be included would only further strengthen and demonstrate the experience of the offeror and their teammates.

See response to question 34.

115 121

Section L, Part B,

1. Volume 1:

Technical Sample Task, 1.1.1

The RFP states “Offerors shall utilize the SOW matrix in Section C to correlate which SOW paragraphs apply to each Pool.” Are offerors expected to address each SOW task and sub tasks, as specified in Section C, for the respective pool or only the SOW tasks and sub tasks called out specifically in the Sample Task?

SOW paragraphs not called out in the sample task will not be called out as a deficiency in the Sample Task response, however please note that if a higher level SOW task is identified it is implied that all subtasks are included

116 121

Section L, Part B,

1. Volume 1:

Technical Sample Task, 1.0

Understanding of the Work

Question: Subparagraph 1) under 1.1.1 includes the requirement to “Identify the contractor team members, by labor category, that are required for successful performance of the task”, and “Identify certification requirements for individual team members assigned to the task, if applicable”. As proposed subcontractors/team members are not included as part of the RFP requirements, will the Government please clarify the requirement for identifying the contractor team members and what information is required for the contractor team member identification?

See response to question 34.

117 121 Section L, Part B, P. 1.1.1

Section L, Part B, paragraph 1.1.1, subparagraph 3 Technical Approach (page 121) requires Offerors to provide a technical approach for each task (except for Pool 6). Subsequently, each sample task then contains additional instructions for Offerors to follow the outline provided in 1.1.1, and also address the task specific approaches (except for sample task 4, which does not contain the reference to 1.1.1). Sample task 6 also includes the reference to follow the outline provided in 1.1.1. Can the government please confirm Offerors are to follow the outline provided in 1.1.1 for responding to all sample tasks except for Pool 6?

Pools 1 & 4 shall follow outline in 1.1.1 - solicitation to be amended to address

Pool 6 shall follow 1.1.1 with the exception of 1.1.1.item 3) technical approach (no changes to solicitation to be applied to Pool 6)

118 121 Section L, Part B, P. 1.1.1

If subcontractor use is discouraged at the MAC IDIQ level, would the Government clarify what they are asking for on Page 121 of the RFP under Part B, Volume I, 1.0, 1.1.1, bullet 1 – TEAM “Identify Contractor Team members, by labor category…Identify certification requirements for individual team members assigned to this task, if applicable”. Who does the Government consider “Contractor Team Members”? Is this reference to individual employees of the prime that may support the sample task or is this meaning other companies (such as Subcontractors) that will contribute to the execution?

See response to question 34.

119 121 L.B.1.1.1(3) “Technical approach. Provide a detailed description of the technical approach, including a step-by-step procedure and methodology which would be used in accomplishing the…