Questions_and_Responses_8_Aug_2018.pdf

LCAC SIU Pre-Solicitation Conference Questions/Answers 8 Aug 2018.

*Any questions not directly answered at the time of the conference have been addressed with a Government Response in this memo.

Industry Question 1

Please explain the First Article Process. Does 1st Article require 4 or 8 units?

Government Response 1

Four units are required to run the LCAC. All four submitted units will be tested at the same time; the units should be represented as close to production as possible, e.g. no wires hanging from box, no temporary adapters needing fabrication, SIU must fit in space provided with all cables correctly interfacing, able to withstand environmental factors, etc.

Industry Question 2

Proposals are good for 180 days. Does this mean our firm fixed price is negotiable after 180 days?

Government Response 2

180 days is the standard for a proposal to be valid, although complexity of end item may drive timeline beyond 180 days. If process extends past 180 days, Contract Specialist [Vincent Tomasi] may ask the vendor to extend their current rates. At this point, the decision is completely up to the vendor if they wish to extend their pricing, but not doing so may impact the likelihood of award based on an increase in price. As of 8 august, the process is not expected to extend beyond 180 days.

Industry Question 3a

So the Government is planning to “own” the design?

Government Response 3a

Yes. This requirement is based on the future needs of the government to acquire or modify SIU designs as necessary.

Industry Question 3b

Is the Mid-October submittal realistic since it has to include design information?

Government Response 3b

Probably not. We targeted 30 days because of our aggressive timeline but, if possible, would like to do 60 days. It may end up in the middle (45 days). The RFP will include that information.

Industry Question 4

Has AS9100D initial requirement been waived and requirement now moving towards an ISO rating?

Government Response 4

This has been kicked back and forth for a number of reasons. Because of the feedback from potential vendors, the requirement is being reduced from AS9100 to ISO 9001.

Industry Question 5

AS9100 is a “heavyweight” process. Is it a requirement that the winning bidder be AS-9100 complaint?

“Must conform to…..”doesn’t necessarily mean nor imply “company is complaint”

Government Response 5

Company does not need to be certified but processes must be documented and included with proposal.

Intent was that potential vendor would show how/why their processes were at the standard of AS9100 without needing to show a certification. See Government Response#4 .

Industry Question 6

Can you provide any details on the tester today? Differences between old and new tester?

Government Response 6

The old tester gives a) the status of the unit overall and b) detailed status of all internal components.

Because the internal components of the new SIU will be different, we do not expect the new tester to provide this information on the old SIUs nor the old tester to provide this information on the new SIUs.

However, we expect either tester to be capable of an overall pass/fail rating of the either the new or old

SIU.

Industry Question 7

In reference to the 28V excitation; is it just a “turnaround” with a breaker?

Government Response 7

Leaving this up to the vendor. The SIU is provided 28VDC for power so there isn’t any reason we see for the unit to include more than a turnaround and breaker but there may be some other technical reason that we are unaware of at this time.

Industry Question 8

3.5.3 PDR is listed in the draft RFP as a milestone 40 DCA. Slide stated preliminary design ins RFP item, is there an updated meeting and review schedule?

Government Response 8

PDR is no longer included in the SOW due to the RFP including a request for preliminary designs.

Industry Question 9

Due to the tight timeline, can the specifications referenced in section 2.2 of draft SOW be released prior to issuance of final SOW?

Government Response 9

Documentation is Distribution D; the contract office will need to make the determination of when/how the information can be released. Refer to Government Response #3b.

Industry Question 10

Will the contractor be required to develop an RMF package for the SIU?

Government Response 10

No! One of the reasons that the SIU TDP is to be so extensive is so that government personnel can take ownership of the RMF process.

Industry Question 11a

Does this SIU need to be compatible with previous versions of SIU?

Government Response 11a

As a drop in replacement, yes. The SIU should have the same electrical / mechanical interfaces as the existing SIU. If the item is smaller, it should still mount using the same pattern. The internal components of the old and new SIU are not intended to be interchangeable.

Industry Question 11b

If one current SIU goes bad, do you need to replace all four units? Do you replace 1 unit at a time or in sets of four?

Government Response 11b

No. The SIUs are replaced on an as-needed basis. The expectation is that an LCAC could have 4 new SIUS, 3 and 1, or 2 and 2.

Industry Question 12

Environmental, radiated, & conducted testing prior to first article?

Government Response 12

Included as part of first article. By the time the unit arrives at NSWC PCD for integration testing in the lab, environmental testing should have already been completed and reports provided to government personnel for evaluation.

Industry Question 13

Historical life cycle- how many for baseline development investment? How many consumed on aa yearly basis?

Government Response 13

Expected failure rate of current units is between 4 and 10 per year. Contract year 1 includes 10 units to support current government obligations; out years are intended to cover failures in the fleet and other potential needs by DLA and the Navy. As the LCAC 100s start coming on line, needs for replacement SIUs will decrease but that will be based on the LCAC 100 delivery schedule, which is not releasable.

Additional Points Made During Briefing:

Ensure to perform thorough reviews of price proposals for any calculation errors, especially on out-years and provide clarity on indirect rates.

Please ensure correct CAGE and DUNS code on all proposals to ensure correct entity identification

Don’t wait until the last minute to submit your proposal. The FAR provides guidance that allows “safe harbor” and mandatory acceptance of documents submitted 24 hours prior to submission deadline.

Please don’t confuse past performance with Factor 1 technical approach. Write proposal as if government has never had previous contact with company; i.e., provide sufficient detail in technical approach.

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