RFP QAs from 30 May through 14 June 2017 MBAS v5.pdf

N65236-16-R-0018 MBAS Effort Date: 14 June 2017 Subject: Questions and Answers on the Request for Proposal (RFP)

# Question Answer

1. Will the Government allow a cover page for each section that is not included in the overall page count?

A cover page for each section will not count against the page count and will be used for reference purposes only and not considered in the evaluation.

2. Will the government allow an acronym list for each section (if prudent) that is not included in the overall page count?

It is not required to have a table of contents or list of acronyms; however, including this information will not count against the page count and will be used for reference purposes only and not considered in the evaluation.

3. Will the government allow a table of contents for each section that is not included in the overall page count?

It is not required to have a table of contents or list of acronyms; however, including this information will not count against the page count and will be used for reference purposes only and not considered in the evaluation.

4. For the project management resumes in Section L- Factor D (p. 104 of 116), it lists 4 as being required (2 for C4ISR); however, in Section C- 252.237-9601, "(d) list of key personnel" (p. 31 of 116) it only requires "Names_2 through 4" for the project manager (3 total). Is this correct?

The chart in 252.237-9601 in section C has been updated in amendment 0002.

5. For the Subject Matter Expert 5 resumes in Section L- Factor D (p. 104 of 116), it lists 2 as being required (1 for Financial Management and 1 for Project management); however, in Section C- 252.237-9601, "(d) list of key personnel" (p. 31 of 116) it only requires "Name_5 " for the Subject Matter Expert 5 (1 total). Is this correct? If so, will the Financial Manager or Project Manager be considered key?

The chart in 252.237-9601 in section C has been updated in amendment 0002.

6. Is a Master in Business degree (for example a Master's in Business Analytics) sufficient to meet the education requirement of the "Project Manager- Business Analytics" position?

Yes. Labor category education requirements are the minimum necessary to qualify. Higher level degrees in the identified areas will meet labor category education requirements.

7. In the SAnDS task model, the Technical Analyst 4 has 9,600 hours required; however, the overarching MBAS model only has 3,840. Please

The MBAS Model 4A will be increased to 9,600 hours for the Technical Analyst 4. Please the updated pricing model 4A.

clarify.

8. In the SAnDS task model, the SME 4 is listed in Norfolk on Contractor Site;

however, the overarching MBAS model has the SME 4 in Charleston on the Government Site. Please clarify.

Primary Government support for the SAnDS SME 4 is located in Norfolk. MBAS Attachment 4A Pricing Model has been updated.

9. In the BFM task model, the SME 3 is listed at the Government site;

however, the overarching MBAS model has the SME 3 on the Contractor site. Please clarify.

The BFM model is correct. The MBAS Attachment 4A Pricing Model has been updated.

10. In the Health task model, there is a Management Analyst 3 for 1,920 hours located in Norfolk at the Government site; however, the overarching MBAS model does not have a corresponding labor category listed at that location. Please clarify.

The Health task model is correct. The MBAS Attachment 4A Pricing Model has been updated.

11. In the Health task model, the Management Consultant (Sr) is listed at the Government site; however, the overarching MBAS model has this position listed on the contractor site.

Please clarify.

The Health task model is correct. The MBAS Attachment 4A Pricing Model has been updated.

12. In the Management Approach, Factor C, sub-para (a), (page 103), the RFP specifies that the offeror should “Provide a description of your management approach including your management and organizational structures….” However, this appears to conflict with Section L-317, sub-para (b), Proposal Format which specifies a “Management Approach Introduction” and “Management Plan” in a separate file, “MAIntro” and “ManPlan” respectively. Request clarification on where the offeror should address its Management Plan—within the Management Approach or as a separate file.

RFP is updated; the organizational structure will be evaluated in the Staffing Plan Factor (B). For Management Approach (Factor C) offerors should address and submit the Management Plan response in file “ManPlan” as outlined in Section L-317.

13. For the eight resumes included in the proposal, please clarify geographic location and contractor or govt. site.

RFP is updated to reflect that the most Key Personnel will be located in Charleston, SC, at a Government Location.

The only Key Personnel location exception is “SME 4 Organization Survey Management” which is located in Norfolk on a contractor site.

14. Does the Survey Management SME specified in the SAnDS Task Order need to be in Norfolk?

Primary support for this SME is located in Norfolk.

15. Task Order "A," Attachment 5(A) identifies a SME 5 in Norfolk at Contractor Site. The overarching contract pricing model, Attachment 4(a) identifies this labor category as Government Site. Is this for evaluation purposes only, or should one of these attachments reflect a different work location?

Attachment 5A does not identify a SME 5 for the SAnDS task order. If the question is pertinent to SME 4, see answer above in Question/Answer 8.

16. Request the government delete its requirement (and any follow-on references) that proposed personnel agree to remain available as part of a signed “contingent hire” agreement.

Given that SSC LANT admits it will take at least 240 days to award this contract, it appears very unlikely that key personnel identified within the proposal will be readily available to execute this contract upon award.

The Government will not remove this requirement.

17. Please clarify whether tasks A, B, and C in the RFP equate to Attachment 5 (SAnDS), Attachment 6 (BFM), and Attachment 7 (Defense Health) respectively.

Task orders A, B and C equate to Attachment 5 (SAnDS), Attachment 6 (BFM) and Attachment 7 (Defense Health), as stated in Factor B Staffing Plan and Factor C Management Plan of the RFP.

18. Does SSC LANT have a fully functioning BI environment established now? If not, how complete is this environment? What analytic models are being used or planned? What user tools are in use or under development?

The Government has a fully functioning BI. This environment uses SAP Business Objects, Enterprise Resources Planning, and other SPAWAR Atlantic tools as specified in the RFP.

19. Are any of the identified labor categories required to be Cybersecurity Workforce (CSWF) certified/credentialed? If so, which labor categories require this certification?

No.

20. In Section L, under Factor G:

Professional Employee Compensation Plan (d), it states: “Prime offerors shall complete the “Fringe Benefits” and “Salary Data” charts contained in the Pricing Model. These spreadsheets are considered part of the total compensation plan.”

However, there do not appear to be “Fringe Benefits” or “Salary Data” tabs in Attachment 4A N65236-16- R- 0018 Prime Model v1.2 – 27APR2017 or any other areas within the file to provide Professional 2 of 2 Employee Compensation Plan data. Can you please provide the required charts and/or tabs for this?

The MBAS Attachment 4A Pricing Model has been corrected and now includes Benefit Summary and Salary Data charts.

21. Please specify what clearance level is required to work on government site.

As stated in Section 8.1 of the RFP, “A favorable background determination is determined by a National Agency Check and Inquiries (NACI) investigation and favorable Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) fingerprint checks. “

22. Please confirm that escalation may be applied to the proposed labor for Base Years 2-5 in addition to the Option Period. In Section L, under 52.215-20, Part 1 Cost Information (1), it states “All labor categories shall be escalated for the option years.”

However, escalation is included in the pricing models for Base Years 2-5 as well as the Option Period.

The FAR Clause 52.215-20 Part I – Cost Labor Information has been updated in amendment 0002.

23. The table on page 99 identifies FFP Ceiling Rates Charts to be submitted in MS Excel format. There are no additional instructions or references to these charts identified elsewhere in the solicitation.

A. Is Contractor format for these charts acceptable, or will the Government be providing a specific format template in a later amendment?

B. Is this a requirement for the Prime

Attachment 11 is now provided. Subcontractors should submit their own separate attachments directly to the Government.

only, or are proposed subcontractors required to provide this chart with their un-sanitized submittal as well?

24. Will more recent Wage Determinations for Charleston, SC and District of Columbia be provided (e.g., WD 15-4427 (Rev.-2) dated 01/03/2017 and WD 15-4281 (Rev.-6) dated 05/16/2017)?

Yes, see updated Attachment 9.

25 In Personnel Qualifications for non-degree, non-SCA labor categories, 19b. Project Management SME 5 (page 40) under specific experience, there is not an amount of years specified. Does the government have a specific number of years’ experience required for this labor category?

Under specific experience for Project Management SME 5, there is no specific experience required. However for Project Management SME 5, the labor category under “Experience” does required Eighteen (18) years of hands on experience with managing projects, to include three (3) of the following four (4) areas; Systems Requirements, Operational Requirements, Test & Evaluation and Training.

Recognized expert who has demonstrated industry and public service leadership in DoD C4ISR Acquisition Programs and Projects.

26. In Personnel Qualifications for non-degree, non-SCA labor categories, items 15-19, SMEs (pages 39-40) under Education, there is not a degree specified. In the notes section on page 41, note 4 says that when not specified, higher education above a labor category’s minimum “can be credited as years of experience,” but there is no educational credit for an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. Does the government intend that in the case of SMEs, an associate’s or bachelor’s degree would reduce the numbers of years required? If so, to what extent?

Under the SME non-SCA labor categories, no reduction in years of experience is provided for either an associates or bachelor’s degree.

27. On page 99 of 116, the section L-317 table lists “FFP Ceiling Rates Charts” with a description of “Ceiling Rates for 5 Year Ordering Period and Six Month option.” After we reviewed the solicitation as well as the cost models, we cannot find any additional details of what the

Please see the answer to question 23.

Government would like provided to meet this requirement. Can you please clarify what this is and what is expected?

28. On page 105 of 116, “Factor G:

Professional Employee Compensation Plan” states: “Prime offerors shall complete the “Fringe Benefits” and “Salary Data” charts contained in the Pricing Model. These spreadsheets are considered part of the total compensation plan.” It is not apparent that these charts are included within the "ATTACHMENT 4A N65236-16-R-0018 Prime Model v1.2 - 27APR2017" model that is being referenced. Can the Government please provide clarification?

Please see the answer to question 20.

29. Within Section B on pages 3 and 4 (of 116), Item numbers 0002 and 1001 (for Option 1) requests net amounts for FFP items. The cost models provided only support CPFF calculations. Does the Government expect the FFP items to not be separately priced until a FFP task order is awarded or is there another value the Government desires for these CLINs (and what would it be based on)?

Pricing model and RFP has been updated to reflect 60% CPFF for Task Orders and 40% FFP Task Orders on this effort. CLINS should reflect this percentage difference in the overall effort and options estimation of the offeror’s proposal. FFP Ceiling Rates will be used for future FFP Task Orders.

30. Within Attachment 1B, the last page is titled “Subcontracting Plan Matrix.”

Is this required for small (where a subcontracting plan was not required) as well as large businesses?

What specific information is requested?

Attachment has been corrected.

31. In the Health task model, there is a Management Analyst 3 for 1,920 hours located in Washington DC at the Government site; however, the overarching MBAS model does not have a corresponding labor category listed at that location. Please clarify.

This is corrected in the MBAS Attachment 4A pricing model.

32. Background: There is a material No contradiction exists. In order for a contract contradiction in the solicitation that we believe needs to be corrected.

Section M Factor A: Technical Capability, last paragraph on page 111: “If an offeror fails to include the minimum number of current and relevant contract references for both prime and each significant subcontractor as stated in provision L-317 Submission of Proposals, a rating of “unacceptable” will be assigned to the Technical Capability Factor, the proposal will be rejected, and the offeror will not be considered for contract award”.

Provision L-317 of Section L, Factor A Technical Capability, page 100 states:

“Relevant is defined as a contract with an invoiced amount equal to or exceeding $9 Million (prime contractor) for efforts similar in scope to the requirements of this RFP. The more relevant the referenced work performed is to the requirements, the more valuable the experience is to the Government.”

However, Section M, Factor E, Past Performance, on page 114 states:

“The minimum acceptance criterion is a reasonable expectation that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort. For the purposes of evaluation, a neutral rating will be considered acceptable. Past performance information will be evaluated on an Acceptable/Unacceptable basis.

Note: Offerors that have no record of past performance (i.e., new businesses) must submit a signed and dated statement to that effect.

The two evaluation criteria contradict in that a contract reference to include a new business or business with less than $9M in reference to be evaluated under Factor E, it must be determined relevant under Factor A.

For prime contractors, to be considered relevant a reference must also meet the invoice threshold. In the example provided, if a reference is from a prime contractor, it would not be evaluated under Factor E because it would not meet the definition of relevant.

L-317 Factor E Past Performance States, (a) Offerors (prime and significant subcontractor) are only to provide past performance information for each contract reference cited under Factor A.

M-307 Factor E Past Performance states, “The past performance evaluation will result in an overall assessment of the offeror’s probability of meeting the solicitation requirements. The past performance Evaluation considers each offeror’s demonstrated current and relevant (as defined in Section L, Factor A) record of performance of services that meet the contract’s overall requirements.

invoices having otherwise highly relevant and exceptional (Management and Business Analytics Support) past performance for another agency is acceptable, yet the same contract reference provided for Technical Capability is not acceptable.

How does the Government intend to reconcile the contradiction with regards to acceptability of contract references between Technical Capability and Past Performance?

33. Is a Master of Business Administration (MBA) an acceptable substitute for a “BS degree in Business or Statistics, Mathematics, or Management Information Systems?”

Yes.

34. Is internship and graduate research assistant acceptable for meeting LCAT general and/or specific experience?

35. In addition to the MS 4-year Educational credit, does an MBA also count for 4 years of Educational credit?

36. In the Health task order (Attachment

7C MBAS DEFENSE HEALTH IT TO

Support V4.1_fp.pdf) on page 14 of 15, there is a requirement for five (5) IAT-II level personnel. Is this correct and, if so, what labor categories does this requirement apply to?

Attachment 7C has been updated.

37. The page limits on pg. 95 state that 1 page is allotted towards the Management Approach, and 6 total are allotted to the Management Plan.

On pg. 100, bullet a. of the Management Plan includes a description of the Management Approach. Does this mean that there

Management Approach as specified in L-317 is limited to one page and should be submitted to the Government with the file name, “MAIntro” as stated in the RFP.

The Management Plan is limited to six pages as specified in L-317. This file should be submitted to the Government with the file name, are 6 pages total for the Management Plan and that one of those should be specifically allocated to the Management Approach?

“ManPlan”.

The total page count is 7 page in response to the Management Approach Factor C.

38. What does the Government mean by 'completed?' Is a page acknowledging these representations and certifications sufficient? Or should the offeror print and fill out all of Section K, and include that as an attachment?

In accordance with L-317, The Prime offeror should print out and fill out all required items in Section K, and include it as an attachment as part of their proposal.

“Completed” as used in the FAR Clause 52.204-8 Annual representation and Certifications, refers to the System of Award Management (SAM.gov) self-certification/registration which is required of any offeror wishing to do business with the Government.

39. Pg. 2 of attachment 1B has the heading of "Subcontracting Plan Matrix." There are no instructions in L-317 defining what is required under this heading. Can the government clarify what they expect to see under this heading?

Please see the answer to Question 30.

40. L-317 Factor C identifies two (2) Program Management Project Managers as Key Personnel.

However, under the Labor Categories for Project Management on page 36 of the solicitation no such labor category is defined. Is the description for Program Management Project Manager missing, or should the Key Personnel requirement be for C4ISR Project Managers?

Please see Amendment 0002 to the RFP. The Key Personnel and Section L-317 sections have been clarified.

41. The electronic files referenced request one of these items per subcontractor. Can the Government please clarify if this is applicable to all subcontractors, or only those which are considered significant subcontractors (with at least 20% workshare)

Electronic files and Teaming Agreements are required from all priced/proposed subcontractors.

42. Bullet (2) states:

“(2) A statement of the offeror’s normally used nomenclature for each labor category included herein, together with a copy of the offeror’s own position description (to include education and experience requirements) for each labor category. “ If the offeror chooses to use the RFP provided labor category descriptions, can the offeror state to that fact and not provide an alternative offeror provided labor category description?

43. Bullet a.(3)(D) states:

“(D) Subcontractors. Subcontractors need only submit total cost with labor categories and hours to the prime contractor. Costs, with the same level of detail as submitted by the prime contractor for the task/delivery order, shall be submitted directly to the Government by the subcontractor.”

Does this procedure describe how the current IDIQ task orders (attachments 5, 6, and 7) are to be submitted?

Yes.

44. Who is the Incumbent Contractor?

What is the incumbent contract number?

This is a new requirement. No incumbent contractor or contract is in place.

45. Page 107 of the RFP document, section L-335 states that “For proposal purposes the estimated effective date of contract award is 30 March 2018.” For estimation purposes, what calendar date should be used for start of work?

Please use 30 March 2018.

46 Are the systems listed on Slide 15 (NERP, FPDS, P2MC, PD2, and CIMS) from the March 31, 2017 Industry Day representative of the “Authoritative Data Systems” referenced on page 101?

Yes.

47 Will the Cover Page and Table of Contents count towards the page limits for the Factor A Technical Capability, Factor B Staffing Plan, and Factor C Management Approach?

Please see answers to Question 1 and 3.

48 For Attachment 1B, Reference No.

Information Sheet – Contract Specific Data, will questions 1 – 11 count towards the 20 - page limit for the TechCap document, as specified on page 98?

49 In the personnel qualifications section starting on page 34, certain positions such as Business Intelligence Project Manager, C4ISR Project Manager, Project Analysts 1/2/3 require a B.S. in Business or other academic field. Many candidates with Business degrees have a B.A. vs. B.S. Will the government accept candidates with a B.A. in Business vice B.S. where specified in the LCAT descriptions?

Yes. Please see Amendment 0002 for updates to the personnel qualifications.

50. Section L-317 Table, p 100: What is required for the Prime/Subcontractor Teaming Disclosure? It also appears on p 106 under Other Proposal Requirements (#4), but there is no guidance.

Please see updated Amendment 002 Section L- 317 for this clarification.

51. For Factor A, can you clarify whether we should be submitting one Attachment 1A that covers all Attachment 1Bs, or one Attachment 1A for every 1B?

Attachment 1A should be submitted for both the prime and the significant subcontractors proposed on this effort.

As stated pg 101, “Factor A Technical Capability” Offerors (prime and significant subcontractors) shall submit the information below pertaining to relevant Technical Capability using the Reference Information Sheets provided as Attachments 1A and 1B.

52. Are all of the offeror (both prime and subcontractors) past performances (1a and 1b attachment) provided evaluated as a combined offeror team past performance submission with an overall singular rating? Or is each rated individual and weighted differently based on role within offeror submission (i.e. Prime or Subcontractor)?

One overall assessment Past Performance Rating will be given to the offeror and significant subcontractors. There are no different factor “weights” applied to factor the Prime over significant subcontractors. Past Performance is being rated on an Acceptable or Unacceptable basis as stated in Section M-307 Factor E.

53 Can you push back the date for past As per RFP Section L-317 Factor E: Past performance documents until the end of this month?

Performance (a) “The Government may consider questionnaires received after the closing date and time for receipt of proposals under the solicitation. The Government reserves the right to contact references for verification or information.

54 Following up on question #51, please confirm that the government expects to see distinct Attachment 1As for the prime and significant subcontractors. For example, if a prime has two significant subs, three distinct 1As would be submitted.

Yes.

55 Please confirm that the Attachment 1A(s) do not count against the 20-page limit for contract specific technical capabilities data.

Yes.

56 In the Pricing Model 4A, on the Benefits Summary tab, please define “% of Salary/Fringe Rate.”

Please put the fringe rate in this block.

57 In the Pricing Model 4A, on the Salary Data tab, can we add lines in order to represent salaries for labor categories in different locations, e.g.

Management Analyst 3 in Charleston, New Orleans, Norfolk, and DC?

Yes.

58 The prime cost model (ATTACHMENT 4A N65236-16-R-0018 Prime Model v1.5.4 - 06JUN2017.xlsx) includes 9,600 hours for the TA-4 in Option Period 1 (reference “TEAM HOURS” tab, cell BS21). Is this value correct?

This formula has been corrected in the Pricing Model 4A v1.5.5.

59 Is it required to acknowledge all amendments in the proposal response?

Yes.

60 Column “L” of the “Rates” tab totals the “Burdened Rate” through G&A, while the burdened rate column for all later contract years totals this burdened rate only through OH. I believe Column “L” of the “Rates” tab should only sum columns “H” though “J” to be consistent and to properly flow to the “Summary” tab.

Attachment 4B v1.5.3 corrects the pricing model formula calculation in Column L of the Rates tab.

61 Additionally, Attachment 4B Yes. G&A is added on line 48 of the Summary

Subcontractor Model should cell “A41” of the “Summary” tab reflect “Labor Cost (excluding G&A)”?

Tab.

62 In the FFP Ceiling Rates Charts, please confirm that the government expects the rates to include fee, and that the fee should be applied to the same rate buildup as in the cost models.

The Government expects a fully burdened labor rate to be provided, including profit in the FFP Ceiling Rate Chart. Profit is what is proposed on the FFP Task Orders and therefore should not be excluded in the rate buildup for the FFP Ceiling Rates. Offerors are reminded that they may choose to submit FFP prices less than those established in the FFP Ceiling Rates Chart.

63 Will the government reissue Attachment 4A such that the order of the labor categories is the same on all tabs?

Yes, please see amendment 0004, Attachment 4A Prime Model V.1.6

64 Following up on Question 23, please confirm that the Prime is to submit Attachment 11, FFP Ceiling Rates Charts, with rates for the prime and all subcontractors.

Attachment 11 shall be submitted by both the Prime and the Subcontractor in their cost proposals.