Response to Questions and Comments received under the RFP NIHJT2010001
Response to Questions and Comments received under
Request for Proposal NIHJT2010001 for CIO-SP3 (Unrestricted) Following are responses to the questions and comments received in response to the Request for Proposal (RFP) NIHJT2010001, entitled, “Chief Information Officer – Solutions and Partners 3 (CIO-SP3) (Unrestricted).
Several questions were slightly modified in order to clarify intent. Further, similar questions/comments were consolidated, where practical.
The responses are organized by RFP Section, beginning with a general category.
General Questions and Comments
| 1 |
| Are the incumbents eligible to bid on the new contract? |
| Yes; incumbents are eligible to bid on the new contract. |
| 2 |
| What is the mechanism for submitting questions after October 5, 2010? |
| There is no mechanism for submitting questions after October 5, 2010 under this solicitation. The solicitation provided a defined in time, beginning on September 17, 2010 for submission of questions. The period closed on October 5, 2010. |
| 3 |
| Will a bidder's conference be held? |
| No. A bidder’s conference will not be held. |
| 4 |
| Will there be another CIO-SP3 RFP for Small Business only (including 8(a), HubZone, SDVOSB) participation only please? If the answer is “yes’, is there a timeframe for the release of the RFP? |
| Yes; a separate solicitation will be released. The solicitation will be a total set-aside for small businesses, including 8(a), HubZone, and SDVOSB, |
| 5 |
| With two separate NIH contracts, is it allowable to be a prime contractor for one response and team with an 8(a) company, or be part of a CTA on the other? |
| Yes. For this solicitation, an entity can be identified as a prime contractor under one contract, and also be identified as a team member or part of a CTA on another contract. |
Section A – Solicitation/Contract Form
| Question/Comment |
| Response |
| 1 |
| SF33 |
| Page numbers referenced in the Table of Contents do not match the numbers in the solicitation. |
| The Table of Contents has been amended to correctly reflect the numbering of the solicitation. |
| 2 |
| SF33 |
| Could the Government please provide an editable version of the Solicitation SF 33 to make it easier to fill in with the required information? |
| Offerors may use a program (e.g., Adobe Writer, PDF Writer Nuance, etc.) that will allow editing of the SF 33. |
Section B – Supplies or Services and Prices
| Question/Comment |
| Response |
| 1 |
| B.4 |
| To estimate the labor category rates, should the offeror assume the contract award date of June 20, 2011 to also be the Period of Performance start date (Ref. also L.1.4)? |
| Yes. Offerors should use June 20, 2011 as the estimated start date for the award. |
| 2 |
| B.4 |
| The Government removed all references to the ACO (Administrative Contracting Officer) that were in the draft solicitation except the reference at the top of page B-2 under Article B.4 where it states "the contractor will provide to the ACO complete supporting schedules. . . ". To whom should the contractor provide the schedules since the ACO is no longer referenced in the solicitation? |
| The solicitation has been amended to replace “ACO” with “OCO.” |
| 3 |
| B.5 |
| Article B.5, regarding period between contract award and September 30, 2011 ... is this correct in light of L.1.4 (page L-6) which states awards will be made on or about June 20, 2011? That is, on September 30,2011 may any awardee who has not received a task order award in the approximately72 working days since June 20, 2011, immediately invoice for the $250 payment? |
| Yes. Any prime contractor who has not received a task order award prior to September 30, 2011 will receive a task order in the amount of $250.00 that will satisfy the minimum guarantee. |
| 4 |
| B.6 |
| If records in OCONUS locations require scanning, will NIH send the materials to the US at their cost or is the contractor required to use an in-country US Citizen to mail the forms to the contractors nearest US facility? |
| Specific OCONUS requirements will be determined at the task order level. |
| 5 |
| B.6 & L-19 |
| The Government states "The contractor will be compensated for work performed OCONUS based on the methodology proposed by the contractor and accepted by the OCO for award of an individual task order." However, an OCONUS methodology is not listed as a requirement in section L. Is an OCONUS methodology required in response to this solicitation, or is this only necessary post award at the time of task order? |
| An OCONUS methodology is not required in response to this solicitation. Pricing for OCONUS work will be determined at the task order level. |
| 6 |
| B.6 |
| Does the potential OCONUS work pertain to certain tasks, or is applicable to all tasks? If it is envisioned to pertain only to certain tasks, please identify which ones. |
| It is not possible to predict the potential ONCONUS work that may be ordered during the life of the GWAC. OCONUS requirements will be determined at the task order level by the Ordering Contracting Officer (OCO). |
| 7 |
| B.7 Tables 1 & 2 under “Key” |
| On pages B-3 and B-7 of the solicitation, reference is made to Levels II, III, and IV. However, none of the labor categories have Level IV included in the tables. Would these levels be added after the contract award? |
| The reference to Level IV has been deleted from the solicitation. |
Tables 1 & 2 and Attach J.1
| Please confirm the item number for Program Administration Specialist should be "0001 CM00" instead of "0001 CM02". |
| The line item number for the Program Administration Specialist should be 0001 CM00”. The solicitation has been amended, accordingly. |
| 9 |
| B.7 |
| Are any of the labor categories for the ten task areas reserved for staff augmentation, or can an offeror offer only staff augmentation services? |
| No; none of the labor categories for the ten task areas are reserved for staff augmentation. As it relates to Tables 1 and 2, (see also Attachment J.1.) offerors should use their discretion in determining what staff will be associated with the categories identified in these tables. As indicated in the solicitation, the form provided in Attachment J.1. is required to be completed by each offeror for the purpose of proposing loaded labor rates for individuals that will be offered under any firm fixed price, labor-hour, or time-and materials task order. |
Section C – Description/Specifications
| Question/Comment |
| Response |
| 1 |
| C.1 |
| Does Government's want descriptions of only entire projects devoted to the sample subareas? Or can one project satisfy more than one subarea? |
The examples provides under the Statement of Work, are simply examples to help illustrate some, but not all of the types of potential solutions and services that may be required under task orders.
Offerors are required to follow the proposal submission instructions contained in Section L of the solicitation.
| 2 |
| C.1 |
| Article C.1., subparagraph 4) states in part "...execution of IT functions, customer relationship management..." NIH using this term to describe live agent interactions with callers, or to describe a CRM software platform? |
| The examples provided are aspects of FEA that, if required, by a customer agency, may be fulfilled under this contract. |
| 3 |
| C.1 |
| Regarding the statement in the solicitation: “These IT services include health, health science and biomedical-related IT services to meet scientific, health, administrative, operational, managerial, and information management requirements,” are there any IT areas that are specifically excluded from the scope of this solicitation? |
| No; the solicitation is structured in order to meet federal-wide needs for IT services and solutions for the next 10 years. |
| 4 |
| C.2.1 |
| The objectives for Task Area 1 include "performing studies and analyses". Does this indicate that the offeror must demonstrate expertise in performing scientific and clinical research studies, or is this intended to indicate that the offeror must perform Technical studies and analyses? |
| Task Area 1 requires that offerors be capable of support initiatives in the biomedical research, health sciences, and healthcare areas, by performing IT-related studies and analysis. |
| 5 |
| C.2.1 |
| Task Area 1, subparagraph i): Scientific Computing Services, is mentioned as a requirement. How is this sub-task different from sub-task a, Health Sciences Informatics and Computational Services? |
Task Area 1, subparagraph i), Scientific Computing Services, is intended to be general, encompassing a broad range of services. Subparagraph a), Health Sciences Informatics and Computational Services, while categories under the general area of scientific computing services, pertains to the health sciences and biomedical research.
Again, these are simply examples designed to provide offerors with a sense of the range of possible solutions and services that may be requested by Federal agencies.
| 6 |
| C.2.1 |
| Task Area 1, subparagraph k): Would NIH please provide a brief description of this example --differentiate "Telemedicine" from "Call centers" (that deploy licensed healthcare professionals)? |
Telemedicine is a rapidly developing application of clinical medicine where medical information is transferred through interactive audiovisual media for the purpose of consulting, and sometimes remote medical procedures or examinations.
Call Centers that deploy licensed healthcare professionals may be used in the context of telemedicine.
However, please keep in mind that that the examples provided under each Task area are not requirements, but rather, a sampling of work that may be required under the respective task area as further detailed under a specific task order. .
| 7 |
| C.2.1 |
| Task Area 1, subparagraph m., "Health Emergency Preparedness & Response...”: Does this include automated telecommunications emergency notifications & alerts? |
The example is provided, along with other examples under each Task Area, to provide offerors some sense of the range of solutions and services that may be required under the awarded GWACs. Ultimately, any task order requirements issued by a Federal agency seeking solutions around the example provided will include the level of detail necessary to address this type of questions.
| 8 |
| C.2.1 |
| Task Area 1, subparagraph p., “Healthcare Systems Studies": Does this include conducting clinical studies/trials? |
| Healthcare system studies could involve the conduct of studies/trials. |
| 9 |
| C.2 |
| We recognize that the solicitation at this stage of NIH’s procurement process does not specify certain information that this vendor would need to design a hosting solution as part of one or more Task Orders (TOs). Yet, it would be useful if NIH can respond to some or all of the questions about known application support required. |
| The specific needs of the federal government for IT services and solutions will be defined subsequent to the award of GWACs in the form of individual task order requirements. So, it would not be worthwhile for NIH to detail, at this point, potential application support that may be required. |
| 10 |
| C-3 |
| Workforce Management would appear to be an inherent Government function. Would the Government please clarify the definition of Workforce Management in the context of Task Area 2, CIO Support? |
| “Workforce Management” in intended to refer to the IT services and solutions that support Chief Information Officers in workforce management. |
| 11 |
| C.2.4 |
| Task Area 4, subparagraph b), Management of Call Centers": Would NIH please provide a description of this line item? e.g. contractor owned & operated? Govt-owned/contractor operated? 2. Is it NIH's expectation that any specific CRM software required at the Task Order level be priced separately at that time? |
Management of a Call Center could be contractor- owned and operated, or, it could be government-owned and operated.
Yes. Any specific software required at the Task Order level will be priced separately at this time.
| 12 |
| C.2.4 |
| What software applications (“footprint”) does NIH have? Or its agency customers under CIO-SP2? |
| Such detail will be defined at the task order level. |
| 13 |
| C.2.4 |
| What might be the numbers/trends for end-users of the more popular applications (internal self-service users? internal professional users? public users?) |
| The NIH does not have readily available data on federal-wide numbers/trends of end-users of the more popular applications. It should be emphasized, that the CIOS-SP3 GWACs are designed to accommodate the needs of the federal government for a myriad of IT services and solutions. Given the dynamics of the IT environment, and the fact that the GWACs are planned to cover Federal needs over the next 10 year period, the NIH does not believe that providing such information will be worthwhile to offerors. |
| 14 |
| C.2.4 and C.2.5 |
| Section C.2.4 includes “Management of Call Centers” as a sample subtask, while Section C.2.5 includes “Help Desk/IT Support” as a sample subtask. Is there a difference in these two subtasks? If there is a difference, please describe. |
| Under Section C.2.4., the Management of Call Centers is an example of a potential activity under Task Area 4, Outsourcing. Help Desk/IT Support pertains to Task Area 5, IT Operations and Maintenance. |
| 15 |
| C.3 |
| Will NIH consider changing the monthly CAF reporting to quarterly? |
| No; the Contract Access Fee Report will be required to be submitted on a monthly basis. |
| 16 |
| C.3 |
| Please confirm that the last bullet should be Quarter 4 vs. 5 |
| The solicitation has been amended to reflect Quarter 4. |
| 17 |
| C-3 |
| Are reports required in Article C.3 to be provided only at the Prime Contractor level? |
| Yes. All reports required in Article C.3. are to be provided only at the prime Contractor level. |
| 18 |
| C.3 and H-16 |
| Article C.3 addresses CIO-SP3 Reporting Requirements and Article H.16, Electronic Access to Contract, requires that contractors develop a public contract web page within 30 days of contract award. How are costs for these and other CIO-SP3 program management tasks to be recouped? Will a program management task order be issued, or should the cost of these activities be included in the labor category rates? |
| Historically, GWAC holders have not charged such costs directly to the contract. |
| 19 |
| C.6 |
| Task Area 7 - Critical Infrastructure Protection and Information Assurance: This section mainly discusses Information Assurance type activities. However, it references physical security type activities also. For instance, item e. is for Facility Protection Planning. Is this task area only for Information security or does it include requirements for physical security activities also? |
| Task Area 7, Critical Infrastructure Protection and Information Assurance, and more specifically, Facility Protection Planning, may cover both information security and physical security activities. |
Section D – Packaging and Marking
| Question/Comment |
| Response |
There were no questions pertaining to Section D
Section E – Inspection and Acceptance
| Question/Comment |
| Response |
| 1 |
| E.4 |
| Does the 30-day calendar day inspection and acceptance period supersede all Task Orders? Or, can a Task Order specify different periods? |
The 30-day inspection and acceptance period, specified in Article E.4, will be applicable to any task order, unless a different inspection and acceptance period is specified in the task
| 2 |
| E.4 |
| Does the 30-day calendar day inspection and acceptance period add an additional interval to payment of contractors by the Government? |
| No. |
Section F – Deliveries or Performance
| Question/Comment |
| Response |
| 1 |
| F.2.1 |
| Please clarify the length of the Base and Option Periods within the 10 year contract performance period. |
| The CIO-SP3 GWAC is a 10-year contract. There are no option periods. |
| 2 |
| F.2.1 |
| For pricing purposes, please confirm whether the offeror should assume the contract start date of 01 January 2011. |
| The anticipated contract start date is June 20, 2011. |
Section G – Contract Administration Data
| Question/Comment |
| Response |
| 1 |
| G |
| For contract administrative planning purposes, please advise if the Contractors will be required to notify the Government if they decide to not bid on a specific task order Request for Quotation. |
| There is no requirement for contractors to notify the Government should they decide not to bid on a specific task order. |
| 2 |
| G |
| If NITAAC will allow Task Order specific teaming during the contract term, describe the process NITAAC will require the Prime to employ for proposing Task Order specific sub-contractors. |
| The Federal agency with responsibility for administering the Task Order will determine the procedures to be utilized for proposing Task Order specific subcontractors. |
| 3 |
| G.3.2 |
| Article G.3.2, Contractor Key Personnel, on Page G-2 includes a "space" to enter the name of proposed Key Personnel. Section L.3.2.3 requires the contractor to identify the key person or persons. Do we need to enter the name of the Contractor’s key personnel specifically in Section G.3.2 ? |
| The offerors are only required to identify the key personnel in their proposals. The blank in Article G.3.2. will be completed at the time of contract award. |
| 4 |
| G.5 |
| Will the government allow a hybrid FFP task order that has cost reimbursable ODCs and travel as not to increase risk and costs? |
| Hybrid task orders are permissible under the contract. |
| 5 |
| G.5.1 |
| If ODCs and travel are FFP within a task order, will profit on these items be allowed? |
| The extent to which profit will be allowed on ODCs and travel under a FFP task order will be determined at the discretion of the OCO. |
| 6 |
| G.5.1 |
| Would the Government consider including the option to also allow travel and ODC’s to be cost reimbursable plus any applicable burdens and/or fee on FFP task orders? |
| The pricing structure of any task order will be determined at the discretion of the OCO. |
| 7 |
| G.5.2 |
| Will the Government permit award under the base contract without a pre-audited accounting system? |
| Paragraph L.3.6(c) requires offerors to submit with their proposals verification of an adequate accounting system to be eligible for award of the contract. |
| 8 |
| G.5.2 |
| Must a Joint Venturer bidder whose joint venture has a DCAA-approved accounting system meet the requirement for DCAA review and approval in order to receive cost-reimbursement type task orders from the Joint Venture, where the joint venture uses the approved accounting system of its managing member, and where, of the four JV members, two members have approved systems and two members have not been reviewed by DCAA? |
| In the case of a formal Joint Venture, in which the Joint Venture has formed a separate legal entity, the requirement for a DCAA-approved accounting system applies to the Joint Venture, and not the individual members. |
In the case if a Contractor Team Arrangement (CTA), as indicated in paragraph L.3.6(c), each member of a CTA must show evidence that it has verification of an adequate accounting system.
| 9 |
| G.5.2 |
| Will the Government recognize this distinction between CTAS and JVs? Specifically, will the Government require DCAA review and approval in order for a JV member to receive cost-reimbursement type subcontract task orders from the JV Prime entity where the JV Prime entity has and maintains an audited and acceptable accounting system? |
| In the case of a formal Joint Venture, in which the Joint Venture has formed a separate legal entity, the requirement for a DCAA-approved accounting system applies to the Joint Venture, and not the individual members. |
| 10 |
| G.5.3 |
| Will the government confirm that rates awarded in Table 1 and 2 will not be subject to the Certificate of Current Cost and Pricing Data, if adequate price competition does not exist for a task order solicitation? |
| Table 1 and 2 pertains specifically to FFP, labor hour, and time and materials task orders. However, if adequate price competition does not exist, then the task order will be subject to the requirement for Certified Cost or Pricing Data. |
| 11 |
| G.5.6 |
| Will the CIO-SP3 GWAC be subject to the Service Contract Act? |
| The GWAC is not subject to the Service Contract Act of 1965. However, on the task order level, depending on the nature of the work and the type of employees involved, the Service Contract Act may apply. |
| 12 |
| G.5.8 |
| Will subcontractors have access to the E-GOS system? |
| No. Only prime contractors will have access to E-GOS. |
| 13 |
| G.6 |
| Would NITAAC be willing to make it mandatory for contractors and OCOs to price the Contract Access Fee as a separate contract line item number on all task orders for easier identification, collection, and payment of the fee? |
| No. NITAAC prefers to allow Federal agency contracting officials to determine the appropriate structure for task orders as it relates to the pricing the Contract Access Fee. |
| 14 |
| G.6 |
| Does NIH issue an invoice to the contractor for CAF payments or a standard report to validate CAF payment requirements? |
| The NIH does not issue an invoice to the contractor for CAF payment or a standard report to validate CAF payments. |
| 15 |
| G.6 |
| Will guidance regarding the pricing of CAF be provided on the Task Order Request? In Section B.7, it is clear that the CAF is not to be proposed within the labor categories. In G.6, the CAF may be requested to be added to the labor rates. |
Note 2 under Table 1 of Article B.7 states that the labor rates under Section B shall not include the Contract Access Fee (CAF), as the completed tables (Attachment J.1) will contain labor rates that will be contained on the contractor’s website.
However, under an individual task order, the OCO has the discretion to require the contractor to include the CAF to the labor rates contained in the task order or to include the CAF as a separate line item.
| 16 |
| G.9 |
| Is there a defined location where the NITAAC Industry Advisory Council meets every other month and, if so, what is it? |
| The IAC usually meets in Rockville, MD. The specific building location may vary. |
Section H – Special Contract Requirements
| Question/Comment |
| Response |
| 1 |
| H.1 |
| Please confirm if the last sentence in Article H.1. should refer to an upper limit for T&M type task order solicitations vice Cost Reimbursement task orders. |
| This sentence will be removed from the solicitation. |
| 2 |
| H.3 |
| Does the solicitation allow us to carry out some of the work by our technical experts based in our India office? |
| For the purposes of responding to this solicitation, there is no restriction on where a contractor’s employees may work. |
| 3 |
| H.8 |
| Does the Year 2000 compliance requirement pertain to any other areas beyond new information technology acquisition? |
| The Year 200 compliance requirement would apply to any task order requirement that meets the conditions for use as set forth in the parenthetical statements appearing in Article H.8. |
| 4 |
| H.9 |
| Can the Government provide further clarification and detail into what they would expect when they “may require the contractor to coordinate an activity with other contractor(s),” including whether it means in part overseeing other contractors? And will the contractor be notified prior to contractor reports being provided to other contractors in order to arrange Non-Disclosure Agreements between the companies? |
The language contained in Article H.9.pertaining to the need to require contractors to coordinator certain activities with other contractors has been deleted.
Concerning reports, the contractor will not be provided prior notification in instances where NITAAC shares contractor reports with its internal contractors for the purpose of assisting the government in reviewing information. However, non-disclosure agreements will be obtained from any internal contractors to ensure that they safeguard and maintain strict confidentiality of information contained in such reports. .
| 5 |
| H.13 |
| Can the Government provide further clarification and detail into what they would expect with the inclusion of “hardware/software acquisition on a task order?” Would the offeror, for example, be required to issue RFPs and contract in our own name for certain acquisitions? |
| Contractors should acquire hardware/software incidental to performance of the task order in accordance with guidelines established under their Purchasing Systems. |
| 6 |
| H.14 |
| Will the restricted CIO-SP3 Solicitation, due out in October, be open for all business that qualify as a small business, or will that solicitation be restricted to only Small Disadvantaged businesses such as 8A, etc. |
| Please refer to the Pre-solicitation Notice published in Federal Business Opportunities on October 8.2010 for information on the Small Business CIO-SP3 solicitation. The solicitation will be restricted to all businesses that qualify as a small business, to include 8(a), HubZone, and Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business. |
| 7 |
| H.14.1 |
| Can you provide additional background on the task areas where Security Clearance requirements are anticipated? |
Specific task areas that may require Security Clearance requirements can only appropriately be defined under specific task orders by the agency with a need for such requirements.
| 8 |
| H.16 |
| Please confirm that labor categories added to the master contract after contract award will be subject to Article B.7, Posting Requirements for Rates. |
| Yes. Successful contractors will be required to post their rates and keep this information current. |
| 9 |
| H.16 |
| One of the requirements under Article H.16 is for contractors to include on their website a link to contractor’s CCR page. The CCR system will not allow you to link directly to an individual report. |
| The solicitation has been amended to delete the requirement for a link to the CCR webpage. |
Section I – Contract Clauses
| Question/Comment |
| Response |
| 1 |
| I.3 |
| Since this is a competitive procurement, does the FAR provision 52.215-12 apply? |
| FAR 52.215-12 applies as applicable at the task order level. |
| 2 |
| I.5 |
| Article I.5 states: "Any authorized substitutions and/or modifications other than the General Clauses which will be based on the type of contract/Contractor will be determined during negotiations." When the Government uses the term "negotiations" under Article I.5, does it mean negotiations of the master GWAC contract or does it mean negotiations of the individual task order? |
| The language is intended to indicate that the clause listing will be adjusted to reflect the specific contract type (pricing tool) applicable at the task order level. so, in this context, the term “negotiations” refers to the task order. |
J - List of documents/exhibits & other attachments
| Question/Comment |
| Response |
| 1 |
| Attach J.1 |
| Are subcontractor rates permitted as a basis of estimate or source for the proposed rates? |
| Yes. |
| 2 |
| Attach J.1 |
| Will the government confirm that CM02 should be CM00 (both tabs--onsite and offsite)and that this labor category is not a Level II as also indicated in Section B, Article B.7 Tables 1 and 2? |
| CM02 has been be changed to read CM00 in both tabs--onsite and offsite. There is one base level for this category. |
| 3 |
| Attach J.1 |
| In the 'Contractor Site-Hourly Rate' sheet, the escalation rate formulas for labor categories (row 6 through 141) for contract years 2-10 (column E through M) are incorrect EXCEPT for the first labor category (row 5). Will this discrepancy be corrected through an amendment to the solicitation or are contractors expected to correct the formulas at will? |
| The discrepancy in the Pricing Tables (Attachment J-1) has been corrected. |
| 4 |
| Attach J.1 |
| In both 'Contractor Site-Hourly Rate' and 'Government Site-Hourly Rate' sheets, cell C105 is blank (other cells in column C all show 'HR'). Will this omission be corrected through an amendment to the solicitation or are contractors expected to enter 'HR' at will? |
| Cell C105 has been corrected in Tables 1 and 2 in Attachment J-1. |
| 5 |
| Attach J.1 |
| Please confirm that offerors forming CTAs may submit one version of Attachment J-1 that contains a single set of rates for all of the CTA members to use. |
| Yes; offerors forming CTAs shall submit one version of Attachment J-1 containing a single set of rates for all of the CTA members. |
| 6 |
| Attach J.1 |
| Do the selected labor categories need to be the same for both on and off site? |
| Yes. Per Section L.3.6(b), contractors are required to propose on all labor categories for both on and off site. |
J.2
| Throughout J.2, Description of Labor Categories, we assume that various sentence fragments (e.g., "Commensurate experience and education." or "Knowledge of relational database environment.") should be read as implying subject-verb such as "position requires"? |
| Yes. |
J.1 and J.10
| L.2.12.1.f - In addition to Attachments J-1 and J-10 Pricing tables, is the offeror required to submit Tables 1 and 2 - Contractor/ Government Site Loaded Labor Rates during the contract listed under Section B? |
| No. Just the pricing sheets contained in Attachments J.1 and J.10. Section B will be completed at time of contract award. |
J.2
| In The Description of Labor Categories section of Attachment J.2, it states that these descriptions are neither mandatory nor exclusionary. Does this mean it is acceptable to submit a proposal with fewer labor categories than specified and is it also acceptable to submit additional labor categories such as Senior Medical Informaticst? |
| Per Section L.3.6(b), Contractors are required to propose on the labor categories provided in Attachment J.1. Additional labor categories may be proposed after award or at the task order level (see Article H.1). |
J.2
| For the labor categories series BN and BO, it appears that the labor descriptions do not match the title and have been switched between the two categories. Can you clarify? |
| The labor descriptions for labor categories BO and BN have been corrected in attachment J.2. |
J.2
| Will the government confirm that the labor category descriptions for DF02 and DF03 should be the same and that the differences would be the type of education and experience required for the project or task complexity as stated in other labor category series? |
| Yes, the labor descriptions are correct as stated. The labor category descriptions for DF02 and DF03 are similar in scope with the differences being the type of education and experience required for the project or task complexity. |
J.2
| The first two sentences of this labor description do not seem applicable to the labor category: “Provide highly technical and specialized solutions to complex imaging problems. Perform analyses, studies, and reports related to imaging.” Shall these two sentences be removed from the Bioinformatician labor description? |
| The first two sentences have been deleted from the labor category description for Informatic Specialist/Bioinformatician (Series BV). |
J.3
| For the references, is it a requirement that the references fill out the reference questionnaire online, sign the documents and submit those themselves? |
| Yes, This will be accomplished electronically through AcquTrak. See L.3.5(b). |
J.3
| What timeframe must past performances fall under? |
| Per Section M.2.5 Factor 4 – Past Performance - Only past performance data regarding IT efforts completed within the last three years, or work that is ongoing, will be evaluated. The solicitation has been amended to clarify the time period in Section L.3.5. |
J.3
| Please clarify whether the information requested as part of Attachment J.3 – Summary Reference Information Sheet - will be collected electronically or whether it will need to be submitted as part of the Technical Proposal. |
| Attachment J.3 will need to be submitted as part of Section 5, Past Performance, for the proposal submission, which is excluded from the page count limitation for this section. |
J.3
| If the person listed is, for any reason, unavailable to complete the survey during the evaluation period, would the Government allow and send the survey to a secondary contact noted on the past performance contract data in Section 5 of the proposal or provided by the contractor? |
| Contact fields for an alternate POC have been added to the Past Performance Reference form. The questionnaire will be sent first to the primary POC. If no response is received in a timely manner from the primary POC, the questionnaire will be sent to the alternate POC. |
J.4
| Does the government expect offerors to submit Attachment J-4 with the proposal? |
| No. The government will contact each of these references with instructions on completing the Past Performance Customer Survey Questionnaire (Attachment J.4) through AcquTrak. Per Section L.3.5(b). |
J.5
| The solicitation includes a Compliance Checklist table that the offeror is to complete in AcquTrak. That table did not include RFP Section L.5, Other Administrative Data; and L.5.1, Property. Does the offeror need to address these sections and add them to their Compliance Checklist? |
| Attachment J.5 has been amended to include reference to Section L.5. |
J.5
| In Task Area 9, the compliance matrix lists e) IT Software Package Selection and f) Business Systems Modernization. Section C lists them as e) Business Systems Modernization and f) IT Software Package Selection. This reversal may cause confusion during evaluation. Will the Government please change the Compliance Matrix to match Section C? |
| In Task Area 9, the Attachment, J.5 Compliance Checklist, has been amended consistent with the sequence in Article C.2.9. |
J.5
| Are page numbers required in the Compliance Checklist? Because page numbers will not be set in our proposal until final editing is complete, may the proposal identify compliance items by section and subsection rather than by page numbers? |
| Yes. The instructions for Attachment J.5 request offerors to provide the section “and/or” page numbers. |
J.8
| We subcontract with a number of companies to complement our company’s resources and expertise. Should the potential subcontractor company names be listed in the proposal? |
| No, there is no requirement to identify potential subcontractors in the proposal. |
J.8
| What estimated dollar value should the offeror use for small business subcontracting goals since this is an ID/IQ contract? |
| The solicitation has been amended to use a hypothetical amount of $2 billion for purposes of the small business subcontracting plan |
J.8
| The bottom of page J.8-4 states the following: “Note: Federal prime contract percentage goals may serve as objectives for subcontracting goal development: Total Small Business (SB) 19.50%, 8(a) Program Participants 5.00%” and so on. There are some slight differences in the percentages in this section to those on page J.8-2. What was the Government's purpose for stating those percentages on J.8-4? How is the offeror to use the numbers on page J.8-4? What is the correlation/connection between those 2 sets of percentages? |
| Attachment J.8, has been amended to eliminate the goals set forth under the note on page J.8.4. The HHS goals set forth on page J.8.2 and also listed in Section L.4,are applicable to this solicitation. |
J.8
| The referenced text in J.8 defines Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) to include 8(a) program participants. Yet, some 8(a) businesses do not qualify as small businesses under this NAICS code. Moreover, many Alaska Native Corporations (ANC) are very large businesses. Is it the government's intent to include large 8(a) businesses and large ANC businesses as Small Disadvantaged Businesses for purposes of this solicitation? |
| The government will use the definition of small disadvantaged business as described in FAR subpart 2.101. L.3.4 states: The definition of a "small disadvantaged business" is cited in FAR 2.101. |
J.8
| Attachment J.8. states a subcontracting goal of 3.00% for each VOSB and SDVOSB. Page L-22 shows 3% for VOSB and SDVOSB combined. The HHS Small Business Goals for Fiscal Year 2010 (http://www.hhs.gov/about/smallbusiness/sb2010goals.html) only state an SDVOSB goal of 3%.Please confirm 3% combined total for VOSB and SDVOSB. |
| Section L of the solicitation has been amended and now states a subcontracting goal of 3% for VOSB, and a subcontracting goal of 3% for SDVOSB. |
J.8
| In the Small Business Subcontracting Plan, Attachment J.8, there is a table on page J.8-8 that refers to a Contract Completion Report, and then refers to the report as the Year End SDB Report with a due date 30 days after completion. Can you please clarify if the report is due at the end of each year? |
| Yes. The Year End SDB report is only required 30 days after the end of the contract performance period. |
J.8
| Attachment J-8 states “HHS expects all proposed subcontracting plans to contain at a minimum the aforementioned percentages”. Are the minimums for the “aforementioned percentages” required for the total planned contract value or the total planned subcontracted dollars? |
| The Small Business Subcontracting Plan should be based on total planned subcontracted dollars (see FAR 19.704). |
J.8
| For each of the different small business classifications under 2 (b, c, d, e, f, & g), the solicitation states in parenthesis (% of “a”) where “a” is all subcontracted dollars. Typically the percentage for small business categories is based on small business dollars. Which of these methods should the offeror use? |
| The Small Business Subcontracting Plan should be based on total planned subcontracted dollars (see FAR 19.704). |
J.10
| Please define the relationship between 'Direct Labor Rate (Composite)' and 'Loaded Labor Rate' (Column J). |
| The “Direct Labor Rate” is the base rate with no additional elements included; the “Loaded Labor” rate is the sum of the direct labor rate and all other labor-related costs, plus fee. The word “composite” has been removed from Table 10. |
| 30 |
| Attach J.10 |
| The table in Attachment J-10 has specific and limited cost elements listed that may not be representative of a company’s regular or DCAA disclosed pricing practices. In order to accurately represent regular and/or disclosed pricing practices, is it allowable to change or add to the cost elements (columns) listed on the table to correctly reflect the companies pricing build-up? |
| Yes. The solicitation has been amended to allow offerors to change or add to the cost elements (columns) to reflect their cost-buildup. |
J.10
| Can you explain what is desired in the “Labor Escalation” column? (If the direct labor rates we provide are in the current year then escalation would not normally be applied.) |
| The “Labor Escalation” column has been deleted from Attachment J-10. |
J.10
| Please confirm whether the 'Loaded Labor Rate' should account for Contract Year 1 only. |
| The Loaded Labor Rate should account for Contract Year 1 only. Section L3.6(d) states that the rate factors should reflect the current accounting year. |
J.10
| How will the cost and pricing data submitted with Attachment J.10 be used in the Factor 5 evaluation? |
| Paragraph M.3.2 explains how the government may use this information in the evaluation of proposals. |
Section K - Representations/certifications & other statements of bidders
| Question/Comment |
| Response |
| 1 |
| Section K |
| If a prime contractor candidate's pending 8a or HUBZone status is finalized during the CIO-SP3 evaluation period, can the contractor firm status be updated? |
| No. Section K requires the contractor to submit its Small Business Program Representations certification with its proposal (see FAR 52.219-1) to reflect its status at the time the proposal is submitted. |
Section L - Instructions/conditions and notices to bidders
| Question/Comment |
| Response |
| 1 |
| L.1.1 |
| Table 11 includes FAR 52.222-46 Evaluation of Compensation for Professional Employees, which requires Offerors to submit a compensation plan. Is submission of a compensation plan required for this contract? If so, in which section of the proposal should it be included? |
| The Solicitation has been amended to delete FAR 52.222-46 Evaluation of Compensation for Professional Employees as not being applicable to the GWAC. |
| 2 |
| L.1.2 |
| In reference to L.1.2, where in the proposal format and in AcquTrak does the government want the responses and items required by these FAR items to be placed? |
| The FAR provisions in Paragraph L.1.2 are general provisions. The specific requirements for the proposal submission are detailed elsewhere in Section L beginning with paragraph L.2. |
| 3 |
| L.1.2 |
| Assuming an offeror accepts all the T&C's of the solicitation, please confirm that offerors may also offer complimentary terms and conditions in its proposal in response to the GWAC solicitation. |
| Yes. Complimentary terms and conditions may be proposed provided that the proposal meets the specific requirements detailed elsewhere in the applicable parts of Section L. |
| 4 |
| L.2 |
| Is a subcontractor permitted to participate on more than one bidding team? |
| Yes. A subcontractor may participate on more than one bidding team. |
| 5 |
| L.2.3 |
| Given that certain proposal elements may be evaluated electronically, are there any submission requirements for proposal graphics such as embedded text that can be read and searched by evaluation software? |
| No. Any specific requirements for electronic submission are detailed in Paragraph L.2.3. |
| 6 |
| L.2.3 |
| The solicitation states that Files provided shall be written in MS Word, but in the next page it states that offerors are responsible for ensuring the integrity of other types of files such as .pdf. Does that mean we can submit our files in a .pdf format to keep the integrity of the files? |
| No. The proposal shall be written in MS Word except as specified in Paragraph L.3.1. |
| 7 |
| L.2.3 |
| As it relates to L.2.3 - Electronic Submission of Proposal (No Paper), Is it acceptable to the Government if each file is partitioned at the Subfactor level (and not lower) if no single word processing document is more than 50 “pages” in length and no single file is more than 10 megabyte (MB) in size? |
| The offeror may partition its proposal at the subfactor level provided the proposal meets the submission requirements of Section L.2.12. |
| 8 |
| L.2.3 |
| In the AcquTrak web-based portal, will offerors be permitted to submit test files and is there a process by which the government will verify receipt of test files, and when will AcquTrak be open for submitting final proposal files? |
| Offerors can upload files at any time and verify that the files are on the server by re-opening the proposal document and viewing or opening the file link. The proposal will not be submitted until the "Submit Proposal" button is selected. The submission process will lock the entire proposal from any further editing. The “Submit Proposal” button will be activated on or about November 1, 2010. |
| 9 |
| L.2.3 |
| The solicitation noted that a single file should be no more than 10 megabyte in size but did not specify an upload limitation capacity when all proposal volumes are combined. Please clarify if there is an upload limitation capacity. If so, how many megabytes? |
| There is no upload limitation capacity for the entire proposal. The only limitation is per file, which the solicitation limits to 10 megabytes per single file. |
| 10 |
| L.2.4 |
| May offerors submit proposals under both the Unrestricted and Small Business solicitations? If so, can offerors win an award under both the Unrestricted and Small Business solicitations or just one or the other? |
| Yes, offerors may submit proposals under both the Unrestricted and the Small Business (Restricted) solicitations. Each solicitation will result in separate and distinct contracts. |
| 11 |
| L.2.12 and L.2.3 |
| Various sections of the proposal do not have page limitations (i.e., SF 33, Abbreviations & Acronyms). However in section L.2.3 it mentions that “no single word processing document should be more than approximately 50 “pages” in length to facilitate scrolling, searching, etc.” Is it correct to assume that all proposal documents have a page limit of 50 pages unless otherwise stated? |
| No. The 50 “page” limitation under Paragraph L.2.3 is a recommended size limitation for a single word processing document suggested as a practical guideline to facilitate scrolling and searching. |
| 12 |
| L.2.12(c) |
| Does the page count under paragraph L.2.12(c) mean 30 pages per each of the 10 Task Areas (for a total of 300 pages) or 30 pages total to describe the approach to all ten? |
| Paragraph L.2.12.1(c) states that the page limitation for Section 3, Technical Capability, is “30 pages total.” |
| 13 |
| L.2.12.1 |
| Can the offeror provide a Cover/Title page that is separate from the cover letter at the beginning of the proposal? If so, will that be excluded from the page count? |
| An offeror may provide a cover/title page separate from the cover letter, but the additional cover/title page will be included within the page limitations. |
| 14 |
| L.2.12.1 |
| Is the requirement for "verification of adequate accounting system part of the 5-page limitation? |
| No, Section L.2.12.1(f) states that the verification of an adequate accounting system is excluded from the page limitation. |
| 15 |
| L.2.12.1 |
| Will the government confirm that Attachments J-1 and J-10 do not need to be re-formatted to meet any of these requirements such as margin, fonts, etc? |
| Yes, this is confirmed. Offerors shall use the documents provided in Attachments J-1 and J-10 in the formats contained therein. However, the solicitation has been amended allowing offerors to add columns to Attachment J-10 to account for their specific cost elements as necessary. |
| 16 |
| L.2.12.1 |
| Are title pages and tables of contents expected to be included with each section (where applicable), and if so are these pages excluded from each section’s page limitation? |
| There is no requirement for title pages or tables of contents for each section. If such information is included, it will be counted against the page limitations. |
| 17 |
| L.2.12.1 |
| Can we assume that the Small Business Program Representations (J.6), Small Business Subcontracting Plan (L.4), and statement on potential Conflict of Interest (L.3.1.7) are to be included in Section 1? |
| Yes, Section L.2.12.1 lists the small business subcontracting plan and the small business program representations (part of Section K) as being part of Section 1. The solicitation has been amended to include the statement of potential Conflict of Interest in Section 1. |
| 18 |
| L.2.12.1 |
| The Small Business Subcontracting Plan (SBS Plan) is listed as being part of the items which all go into Section 1 (General) of our response. However, the evaluation criteria for the SBS Plan are separate from the other sections. In what section should the SBS Plan appear? |
| The SBS Plan should appear in Section 1 as stated in paragraph L.2.12.1(a)(8). |
| 19 |
| L.2.12.1 |
| Does the Government require each of the six proposal sections to be stand-alone or will the offeror be allowed to make references to other sections of the proposal? |
| How the offeror includes references to other sections of its proposal is at its discretion as long as the proposal adequately addresses the requirements under each factor and subfactor. The contractor must present a proposal that demonstrates that it complies with all of Section L. |
| 20 |
| L.2.12.1 |
| When we submit the proposal electronically, how would we get a receipt for the submission? If proposal is in multiple files, would we receive one or multiple receipts? |
| One proposal receipt is generated for all the files submitted with the proposal. The proposal receipt is viewable on-line in the offeror's submission portal. When the proposal is submitted, an e-mail confirmation is sent with a link to the proposal receipt. |
| 21 |
| L.2.12.1 |
| Is each CTA member required to submit its most recent annual financial statement and uncompensated overtime policy with no page limitation? |
| Yes, each CTA member is required to submit these items. Paragraph L.2.12(f) states there there is no page limitation for the annual financial statement and uncompensated overtime policy. |
| 22 |
| L.2.12.1 |
| Section L.2.12.1. states that proposals shall be divided into six sections. Will the government accept a seventh section entitled “Appendices”? |
| No, paragraph L.2.12.1 limits the proposal to the six sections identified. |
| 23 |
| L.2.12.1(a) |
| What is the Agency’s preference on how Offerors should save the Readme file – as .txt or .rtf? |
| The solicitation does not identify any specific preference for how the Readme file is saved. |
| 24 |
| L.2.12.1(a) |
| The instructions in this section exclude the statement on Potential Conflict of Interest (see section L.3.1.7). Where should this item be included in the proposal volumes? |
| The solicitation has been amended to clarify that the statement on Potential Conflict of Interest should be included in Section 1. |
| 25 |
| L.2.12.1(d) |
| Please confirm that the intent of L.2.12.1(d) and L.3.4 is for bidders to provide SDB participation information above and beyond what is already addressed in the Small Business Subcontracting plan. |
| The requirements of Sections L.3.4 and L.4 are separate and distinct. Paragraph L.3.4 explains what is required in the proposal to address Small Disadvantaged Business Participation and Paragraph M.2.4 explains how the government will evaluate this factor. |
| 26 |
| L.2.12.1(f) |
| Would the government consider increasing the page limitation in this section to properly describe all the elements? |
| Yes, the solicitation has been amended to increase the page limitation to 10 pages. |
| 27 |
| L.2.12.1(f) |
| Please confirm that the financial report and travel policy documents should be included in Section 6 – Pricing and Cost. |
| Yes, Section L.2.12.1(f) states that the recent annual financial report and travel policy are to be included in Section 6. |
| 28 |
| L.2.12.1.(a)(2) |
| The Compliance Checklist (Attachment J.5) will be completed in AcquTrak. Will there be an opportunity to review the data and validate prior to submitting the form? |
| Yes, the offeror can review and validate the information in the Compliance Checklist up to the time the offeror submits the proposal to the government. |
| 29 |
| L.2.12.1.a Section 1 – General and L.3.1.2 – Readme file and Compliance Checklist |
| Section L.2.12.1a of the solicitation indicates that the compliance checklist will be completed in AcquTrack and has no page limitation. Section L.3.1.2 indicates that the compliance checklist found in attachment J-5 will be available in AcquTrack. In order to ensure accuracy, please confirm that offerors may download the form and include it with the electronic submission. |
| The Compliance Checklist is to be completed on-line. There is not a downloadable version. |
| 30 |
| L.2.12.2 |
| Understanding the solicitaiton requirement for paper sizing, if there is a need for content to be sized to 8½x14 or 11x17 paper, is this acceptable? And, if so, will the 8½x14 or 11x17 be counted as two pages (or more) if these paper sizes are not located in an Appendix? |
| Paragraph L.2.12.2 states that the acceptable page size is 8.5x11. |
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