Attachment LA-3 Answers to Industry Final RFP Questions Amendment 0002.pdf

# Date Received Proprietary (P) or Non-

Proprietary (NP)

Question Reference Page # SOW Para. Government Answer

89 4/9/2024 NP Sec.L, Para. 3.0, Hyperlinks states, "The offeror shall not use hyperlinks in proposal volumes.: Please confirm that the use of MS Word's live cross-references from one section to another section in the same document are permissible.

Model Contract, Section L 58 3.0 Yes, within Amendment 0001 of RFP N61340-24-R-0007, the Government has updated

Sec. L, Para 3.0 so that an offeror may use Microsoft Word's hyperlinks/live cross-references from one section to another section within the same document. However, the offeror shall not use hyperlinks across different documents within its proposal volumes.

90 4/9/2024 NP What is the mezzanine flooring made out of? Can the drawing be provided? 16200037-009 N/A Drawing The mezzanine flooring is made of aluminum. Yes, within Amendment 0001 of RFP

N61340-24-R-0007, the Government has updated Section J, Attachment 3 ,GFI List to include the Mezzanine manual and drawings as ID No. 48, 51, and 52.

91 4/9/2024 NP Has the IOS solution been deployed on RHEL 9 yet? Should the contractor assume that the OEM provided applications and development tools will work out of the box for the

"latest version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux available at CDR, with full support that exceeds 48 months from RFT"?

PRF 19 3.1.10.1.2.h No, the IOS solution has not been deployed on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 (RHEL 9). Per paragraph 3.1.1 of the PRF, the contractor will need to verify existing applications and development tools to retain full functionality with the updated operating system (OS) so as to not degrade the baseline trainer functionality.

92 4/9/2024 NP Does the current contract already have an active ASTi cyber security / Software and IA

Maintenance Subscription on contract? Or should the effort (and cost) be included to upgrade the ASTi system to the "latest version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux available at

CDR, with full support that exceeds 48 months from RFT"?

PRF 19 3.1.10.1.2.h No, the current Contractor Operation and Maintenance Services (COMS) contract does not already have an active ASTi cyber security / software and IA Maintenance

Subscription on contract. Yes, this proposal should include the effort and cost to upgrade to procure an ASTi cyber security / software and IA Maintenance subscription, because there is no way to meet the PRF 3.1.10.2 requirement without initiating active maintenance support.

93 4/9/2024 NP Can the Government provide the existing MCAT TP as part of the bidder's library? SOW 230027 47 3.2.12.4 Yes, within Amendment 0001 of RFP N61340-24-R-0007, the Government has updated

Section J, Attachment 3 - GFI List to include the MCAT Test Procedure (TP) volumes as

ID No. 39-43.

94 4/9/2024 NP Can the Government provide the existing MCAT Training Program Structure Document

(TPSD) as part of the bidders library?

SOW 230027 65 3.2.13.13.1 Yes, within Amendment 0001 of RFP N61340-24-R-0007, the Government has updated

Section J, Attachment 3 - GFI List to include the TPSD I/O Training Course as ID No. 44

& 45.

95 4/9/2024 NP Can the Government provide the existing MCAT I/O training courses as part of the bidders library?

SOW 230027 65 3.2.13.13.1 Yes, within Amendment 0001 of RFP N61340-24-R-0007, the Government has updated

Section J, Attachment 3 - GFI List to include the existing MCAT Training Program

Structure Document (TPDS), Instructor/Operator (I/O) Training Courseas ID No. 44 &

45.

96 4/9/2024 NP What is the quantity of current spares for all systems? SOW 230027 43-44 3.2.7.3.1 The Government will provide the quantity of current spares following contract award.

97 4/9/2024 NP What is the quantity of current spares for all systems? SOW 230027 43-44 3.2.7.3.1 The Government will provide the quantity of current spares following contract award.

98 4/9/2024 NP SOW, Para. 3.2.4.10.2, line item "b." states, maintain the source code with the DVCS software that is provide with the trainer

Q1: Is there a subscription or purchase cost associated with the DVCS?

Q2: Does DVCS have any limitations imposed by the creator of the software on use by other Contractors?

Q3: Are there other software version control tools that are compatible with the DVCS software?

Att.1 SOW 35 3.2.4.10.2 R1: The subscription and cost associated with the DVCS would be determined by the selected DVCS solution. Paragraph 3.1.2.2.5 of the PRF contains the DVCS requirements.

R2: DVCS is not a specific software but type of software configuration management tool that uses P2P approach to version control, as opposed to the client–server approach. The limitations would be determined by the specific licenses of the selected solution.

R3: Yes, there are other software version control tools that are compatible with the

DVCS software.

99 4/9/2024 NP Are Request for Action (RFA) procedures a USMC-specific set of procedures? How do we determine what these procedures are?

Att.1 SOW 40 3.2.7.2.1 No, there is no USMC-specific set of Request for Action (RFA) procedures. Per paragraph 3.2.7.2.1 of the SOW, the contractor shall brief the Government on their processes/procdures to show how the RFAs will be captured and assigned during the execution of each In Progress Review (IPR).

100 4/9/2024 NP In SOW, para. 3.2.12.10, the alpha numbering starts with "d." then switches to "a.", "b.", (1), (2), (3), then back to "e.". Are there any activities/tasks missing in this alpha list related to Testing Suspension, or is the list complete?

Att.1 SOW 48 3.2.12.10 No, this is a formatting error. The "d." and "e." should not be there, all intended activities/tasking are present. The formatting error will be addressed as part of any future SOW revisions.

101 4/9/2024 NP What design data (flight test, aero models) exists for the three flight models? Are the models validated, e.g., is there a QTG?

Att. 2 PRF 12 3.1.1.8 There were no flight tests conducted or aero models created for the initial development of the MCAT flight models. The models were contractor-developed and were further tuned with Subject Matter Expert (SME) input. There was no need to validate the flight models beyond SME input, and there is not a Qualification Test

Guide (QTG).

102 4/9/2024 NP Is the requirement for encryption FIPS 140-3 validation or compliance? It is stated both ways in different places.

Att. 2 PRF 20 & 21 3.1.10.1.4 & 3.1.10.1.8 The Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-3 encryption requirement is for both compliance and validation. PRF paragraph 3.1.10.1.4 is to ensure that you are using FIPS 140-3 validated crytographic modules, while PRF paragraph 3.1.10.1.8 is to ensure that you can use a combination of things to ensure and validate FIPS 140-3 compliance.

Within Amendment 0001 of RFP N61340-24-R-0007, PRF paragraph 2.2.2 has been updated to correct the link to the FIPS 140-3 reference document. This link matches the following:

https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/FIPS/NIST.FIPS.140-3.pdf. An official revision to the

PRF will be done at contract award to denote this change.

103 4/9/2024 NP We would like to request clarification on heat load table as the total listed is different than the total calculated. What is the correct value that should be used? Total listed on table is 189,228 BTU/hr. Total calculated is 165,576 BTU/hr.

ID No. 1 TFR 16-17 Table 4 - MCAT Electrical Equipment Requirements The total is incorrect, but the rest of the figures for Heat Load in Table 4 are accurate.

Within Amendment 0001 of RFP N61340-24-R-0007, the Government has updated the

Section J, Attachment L-1 Table and will provide the amended version. The contractor should use the values on the amended table as the final, verified values of Heat Load.

104 4/9/2024 NP Is the current GPWS solution a stimulated aircraft box or is it simulated entirely within the host software?

Att. 2 PRF 11 3.1.1.7 The current Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) is simulated entirely within the host.

105 4/9/2024 NP Is the Host and IOS software based on the Veraxx toolset (VIOS, MACCE)? Att. 2 PRF 15-16 3.1.2.2.2 - 3.1.2.2.4 Yes, the Host and IOS software contain MACCE and VIOS.

106 4/9/2024 NP The MCAT solicitation, N6134024R0007, is a FFP contract with a target price of <

$20m and we would not expect EVMS to required, is this correct?

CDRL B002, DI-MGMT-

81861C 1.3.2., SOW 230027

19 3.2.1.1 Yes, Earned Value Management System (EVMS) is not applicable to the MCAT MP requirement since it will be a firm-fixed-price (FFP) contract. In accordance with DFARS

234.201(1), DoD applies the earned value management system requirement for cost or incentive contracts and subcontracts valued at $20,000,000 or more.

107 4/9/2024 NP Will the Government provide audio recordings of any new or updated tones? PRF 11 3.1.1.7 No, the Government will not be providing audio recordings of any new or updated tones.

108 4/9/2024 NP What is the mezzanine flooring made out of? Can the drawing be provided? 16200035-009 N/A Drawing The mezzanine flooring is made of aluminum. Within Amendment 0001 of RFP N61340-

24-R-0007, the Government has updated Section J, Attachment 3 -GFI List to include the Mezzanine manual and drawings as ID No. 48, 49, and 50.

109 4/9/2024 NP Unit 8 is listed in Table 3 but is listed as "not in design" on document ID No. 25 note 3. Is unit 8 used?

ID NO. 2 - TRF 16 Table 3 No, Unit 8 was removed from the design during the baseline MCAT contract (N61340-

12-D-5116-0002), and is not used.

110 4/9/2024 NP Has the TEn been deployed on RHEL 9 yet? Should the contractor assume that the OEM provided applications and development tools will work out of the box for the "latest version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux available at CDR, with full support that exceeds 48 months from RFT"?

PRF 19 3.1.10.1.2.h These questions are not applicable to the MCAT modenization requirement. The

Tactical Environment (TEn) has been updated under a separate contract effort and is not being modified in any way as part of this requirement.

111 4/9/2024 NP What does the government mean as one electronic copy in the below statement? Is the government looking for one zip folder that will have two volumes in it – the technical and price volumes? Please also note section L does not contain a section 4.1 and section 4.1 is referenced more than once.

“Offerors shall submit each Volume of the proposal as one electronic copy. The offeror shall submit all electronic copies of the proposal to the address provided in paragraph

4.1.”

RFP Section L 4.0 59 of 69 4.0 - Proposal Volume Within Amendment 0001 of RFP N61340-24-R-0007, the Government has updated

Section L, Part A, 4.0 to specify that the offeror shall submit one electronic copy of the

Price volume and one electronic copy of the Technical volume utilizing the instructions provided in Section L, Part A, 6.3.

The Government does not restrict the use of a zip folder within its RFP. However, the offeror should consider the capabilities and limitations of the PIEE solicitation module in determining whether to utilize a zip folder or any other submission formats.

Additionally, within Amendment 0001 of RFP N61340-24-R-0007, the Government has updated Section L, Part A, 4.0 so that it accurately specifies that Section L, Part A, 6.3 contains the correct information as to where electronic copies of the proposal shall be submitted as opposed to Section L, Part A, 4.1.

112 4/9/2024 NP Does the government want a cover letter as stated in the following section:

“VIRUS FREE ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION

The offeror is responsible for ensuring that its electronic proposal is virus free. The offeror shall certify, in its proposal cover letter, that all electronic proposal information delivered throughout the evaluation (e.g., original proposal submission, responses to evaluation notices, Final Proposal Revisions) are virus free and free of malware. The offeror shall specify the anti-virus software, version, and virus definition used to check the data. The offeror shall specify the methodology – including anti-malware software

(product, version, version date) used to check the data and verify the submitted media is malware free.”

If so, is it necessary for the Price Volume to have the following:

“c. Include a statement specifying the methodology – including anti-malware software

(product, version, version date) used to check data and verify the submitted media is malware free.”

Can the Government Clarify that this information is needed in a cover letter and in the

Price Volume?

RFP Section L 3.0 58 of 69:

Submission

3.0 Proposal Format/Virus Free Electronic Yes, the offeror shall certify, in its proposal cover letter that all electronic proposal information delivered through the evaluation (e.g., original proposal submission, responses to evaluation notices, Final Proposal Revisions) are virus free and free of malware. Additionally, within Amendment 0001 of RFP N61340-24-R-0007, the

Government has removed the requirement within Section L, Part B, 2.3 Administration to include a statement specifying methodology - including anti-malware software

(product version, version date) used to check data and verify the submitted media is malware free. It is now only required to be provided in the offeror's proposal cover letter.

113 4/9/2024 NP The Government is asking for offerors information for the Proposal Volume outlines to facilitates a one-for-one comparison between the information presented in Section L.

Offerors are also to complete the Cross Reference Matrix noting that columns can be added – the Cross Reference Matrix notes for Section L as “1.0 TECHNICAL FACTOR

Section B”, and for Section L “1.0”. The RFP in Section L, PART B does not have a 1.0

TECHNICAL FACTOR Section B – it references: “PART B: SPECIFIC

INSTRUCTIONS, VOLUME 1: TECHNICAL” the same is mimicked for Section M.

How would the Government like offerors to reference Volume 1: Technical for the

Volume Outlines and in the Cross Reference Matrix --- OR was including 1.0 on the

Cross Reference Matrix an error?

RFP Sections L 4.0, Part B and Section M- Part B

58,59-60,62,67 4.0 Proposal Volume, Part B (both Section L and M) Within Amendment 0001 of RFP N61340-24-R-0007, the Government has updated the

Cross Reference Matrix (CRM) within Section L , Part A, 4.0 to remove the 1.0 reference row. This will not need to be referenced within the Offeror's CRM.

114 4/9/2024 NP Can the government confirm that last in the Table on L-1 attachment could be a 1 as opposed to the referenced 3? (Highlighted the column and quantity in question)

Unit 9 Power Distribution Table | 120 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 3 | Mult.| 81 | 81

L.1 - Table of Heat Loads for Trainer Electronic

Components

1 of 1 TABLE: Last Row - Unit 9 – Power Distribution Panel 2 The "3" in the Table is correct. The error is in the Voltage AC (VAC) column. This should state 208 VAC, not 120 VAC. Within Amendment 0001 of RFP N61340-24-R-0007, the

Government has updated the Section J, Attachment L-1 Table to reflect the correct

VAC value.

115 4/9/2024 NP Can the Government please provide the Operations & Maintenance Manuals for the training device?

Bidders Library/GFI N/A N/A Yes, within Amendment 0001 of RFP N61340-24-R-0007, the Government has updated

Section J, Attachment 3 - GFI List to include the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) manuals as ID No. 46 & 47. It should be noted that there are two manuals, one for the containerized variant and one for the fixed installation variant of the MCAT. These manuals are largely exact copies of one another, with minor variations due to some dissimilarities with how the systems are deployed.

116 4/9/2024 NP Please provide the heat load for the Display System or identify where this is included in attachment L-1?

Additionally, is the personnel head count accounted for in the heat load, if so where?

Attachment L-1 N/A N/A The Display System heat loads are captured within the figure for Unit 1 in the Table.

The personnel head count is also accounted for in this figure, and calculation was made assuming a head count of 5 personnel (4 students and 1 instructor).

117 4/15/2024 NP Can the Government please identify the missing citations below (highlighted in yellow) in the following. Without the details not sure offerors can provide the functionality the government is looking for and include that in the pricing of the effort.

3.1.1.5 Video Support Computer (VSC) Functionality

“c. support the functionality and representative displays for the Aircraft Survivability

Equipment suite for each T/M/S aircraft configuration as of contract award IAW the following documents:

(1) ,

(2) , and

PARAGRAPH: 3.1.1.5.c Page 9 of 85 N/A Within Amendment 0002 of RFP N61340-24-R-0007, the Government has updated

Section J, Attachment 2 - Performance Specification for USMC MCAT FY24

Modernization Program, (PRF 230028) to the following:

"c. support the functionality and representative displays for the Aircraft

Survivability Equipment suite for each T/M/S aircraft configuration as of contract award IAW the following documents:

(1) NTRP 3-22.4-CH53E,

(2) NTRP 3-22.4-MV22B,

and

(3) NTRP 3-22.4-UH1Y;"

118 4/15/2024 NP During the Industry Day the Government had not determined if Switches and Network

Hardware Upgrades would be required. In looking over the PRF it has very general information about network systems and switches (see below) – has the Government made the determination that these will be replaced in part of or that these are being replaced as part of the cyber requirements per SOW 3.1.1.a, please clarify?

N/A Page 17 of 74 SOW 3.1.1.a Yes, per paragraph 3.1.10.1.4 of the PRF, the trainer shall use cybersecurity validated products when used as boundary defense mechanisms or network devices to consist of items such as firewalls, network Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS), routers, and managed switches, as found at the NIAP or CC scheme (http://www.niap-ccevs.org/cc-scheme/vpl/).

119 4/16/2024 NP There appear to be some missing references within the PRF. Was this intentional? Throughout Throughout N/A No, this was not intentional. Within Amendment 0002 of RFP N61340-24-R-0007, the

Government has updated Section J, Attachment 2 - Performance Specification for

USMC MCAT FY24 Modernization Program, (PRF 230028) to address the missing references. All missing references have been highlighted in green for ease of identification.

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