5_-_Questions_and_Answers--01.22.2015.pdf

UNITED STATES OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

SOLICITATION NUMBER OPM16-15-R-0001

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. Question: Is the Centralized Campaign Administration Services replacing the need for

PCFO’s??

Answer: The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) Centralized Campaign Administration (CCA) Services will centralize many of the services currently being performed by the Principal Combined Fund Organizations (PCFOs). The local outreach services currently performed by PCFOs will be handled by Outreach Coordinators as defined in the new regulations. As such, there will be no PCFOs under the new regulations.

2. Question: Regarding the pending Request for Proposals (RFP) to provide Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) Central Campaign Administrator (CCA) Services, in reading the various appendices and their line items, I don’t see any provisions for training Employee Campaign Managers (ECMs) or Keyworkers in the new systems and processes. Are the ECM and Keyworker functions being eliminated with the centralization of campaign administrator services?

Answer: The functions stated in the question are not being eliminated; however, the functions will not be handled by the CCA. This solicitation is only for CFC CCA Services.

Therefore, the functions stated in the question are not addressed in this solicitation.

3. Question: Any review of this solicitation will conclude that the bidder accepts considerable risk in performing this contract considering the firm-fixed-price contract type to deliver complex IT systems. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (The FAR), Part 16.202 describes a firm-fixed-price contract as follows:

“A firm-fixed-price contract provides for a price that is not subject to any adjustment on the basis of the contractor’s cost experience in performing the contract. This contract type places upon the contractor maximum risk and full responsibility for all costs and resulting profit or loss. It provides maximum incentive for the contractor to control costs and perform effectively and imposes a minimum administrative burden upon the contracting parties”

The FAR further describes the suitable application of this contract type as follows:

“A firm-fixed-price contract is suitable for acquiring commercial items (see Parts 2 and 12) or for acquiring other supplies or services on the basis of reasonably definite functional or detailed specifications (see Part 11) when the contracting officer can establish fair and reasonable prices at the outset, such as when—

(a) There is adequate price competition;

(b) There are reasonable price comparisons with prior purchases of the same or similar supplies or services made on a competitive basis or supported by valid cost or pricing data;

(c) Available cost or pricing information permits realistic estimates of the probable costs of performance; or

(d) Performance uncertainties can be identified and reasonable estimates of their cost impact can be made, and the contractor is willing to accept a firm fixed price representing assumption of the risks involved.”

It seems that none of the above situations are true for this procurement.

Please provide the rationale for selecting this contract type.

Answer: The Contracting Officer has determined that a firm-fixed-price contract is appropriate for these commercial items. Furthermore, the Contracting Officer anticipates adequate price competition.

4. Question: Section D.1.2, bullet 4 states as an objective:

“A mechanism to completely and accurately reconcile pledges and receipts at the individual donor level;

There are several impediments to accomplishing this objective and, to our knowledge, the information and data required to meet it do not exist and the contractor will be completely dependent on the government obtain it. This affects how the contractor is to account for incoming receipts.

Please state whether or not this is considered to be a contract performance requirement.

Answer: Yes, this is a performance standard. See Performance Standard # 4.2 of the

Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan, which was added on Page 67 of the amended solicitation. See Amendment Number 0001, Number 4. A key part of the information comes from Federal payroll offices since the program relies on payroll deductions.

5. Question: Does the government consider this to be performance-based contract?

Answer: Yes, the Government has determined that this is a performance-based contract.

6. Question: At the bottom of page 74 the instructions state:

“Microsoft Office XP software must be used to create the required “.XLS”, “.PPT” and “.DOC” files.”

It further states:

Offerors must save their files in a format that is fully compatible with Microsoft Office 2007 and Microsoft Project 2007. These statements are in conflict and we recommend OPM revise the RFP to exclude any reference to MS Office XP, which was offered by Microsoft in

2001.

Answer: We have revised the above sentence regarding Microsoft Office on Page 84 of the amended solicitation. See Amendment Number 0001, Number 7.

7. Question: In order to understand the total documentation requirements and their associated costs, it is necessary to obtain OPM’s Software Development Lifecycle documentation. The SDLC documentation has a considerable impact on our bid, especially considering the fixed price contract type. Will OPM provide this documentation or some link to it?

Answer: The link to OPM System Development Life Cycle Policy and Standards is as follows:

http://www.opm.gov/about-us/our-people-organization/support-functions/cio/opm-system-development-life-cycle-policy-and-standards.pdf

8. Question: Page 38 cites clause 1752.239-78 Federal Reporting Requirements (November

2012), which requires the contractor to provide “monthly data feeds”, which “may change each reporting period”. In order to consider this requirement as part of our pricing, we must know more about what is required. Please provide specifics on the nature of the data, the required format of the data, how the data is to be transmitted, and specific data elements if known.

Answer: This information is not available at this time.

9. Question: Page 33, 1752.239-70 Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPV6) (November 2012) states

“OPM reserves the right to require the respondent’s products to be tested within an OPM or 3rd party test facility to show compliance with this requirement.” If OPM exercises this option, who will bear the cost, contractor or government?

http://www.opm.gov/about-us/our-people-organization/support-functions/cio/opm-system-development-life-cycle-policy-and-standards.pdf http://www.opm.gov/about-us/our-people-organization/support-functions/cio/opm-system-development-life-cycle-policy-and-standards.pdf

Answer: Respondents are responsible for testing their products and for the cost of testing their products.

10. Question: Section 508 – will the contractor be required to complete a Section 508 VPAT for each system provided?

Answer: See Clause 1752.239-73 Section 508 Standards (July 2005) on Pages 35-36 of the amended solicitation for Section 508 standards.

11. Question: Page 38 - 1752.239-77 Privacy Act Compliance (November 2012). We are concerned that, due to our status as a contractor, the government can simply “consider” our firm and its employees to be employees of OPM to include us as a party to a civil suit.

Our inclination is to take full exception to this clause. Please describe what impact this exception will have on the acceptance of our offer.

Answer: We cannot answer this question until after we evaluate your offer.

12. Question: We understand that invoices will not be paid until funds are generated from charity applications. Is the contractor to submit monthly invoices each month or hold them until funds are available? Assuming they are submitted monthly, will the government approve them as they are received?

Answer: We will review submitted invoices in a timely manner. We will provide payment for approved invoices once we receive charity application fees.

13. Question: Page 54 - D.1.5.2.d. System Administration and Architecture Requirements. Is the contractor required to comply with Federal Enterprise Architecture requirements and

OPM’s specific business and technical reference models?

Answer: Yes, the contractor is required to comply with Federal Enterprise Architecture requirements and OPM system administration and architecture requirements.

14. Question: Page 54 - D.1.5.2.e. Program Management, bullet 1 states:

“…developing various outreach mechanisms to communicate with Federal employees, agencies, payroll providers and charities about CFC service offerings, latest events, and updates to plans impacting service to Federal employees”

Q: Is the CCA contractor also performing as an Outreach Coordinator as described in 5 CFR

950?

Answer: No, the CCA is not performing as an Outreach Coordinator as defined in the new regulations. There is a difference between “developing various outreach mechanisms” and developing actual outreach strategies and communications.

15. Question: Page 54, bottom paragraph states: “Necessary travel to conduct one-on-one meetings, conferences, and/or present at OPM-approved conferences should be separately priced.” We are unclear how travel is to be priced. Should OPM desire a one-on-one meeting not included in our project plan, would such travel be reimbursed without consideration to the fixed price contract ceiling?

Answer: As stated on Page 8, paragraph (4)(a) of the amended solicitation, “All pricing is all-inclusive and FFP with the exception of Travel, which is cost-reimbursement with no fee and must be proposed at a not to exceed (NTE) amount.” The offeror has to propose a NTE for the applicable Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) in the CLINs tables on Pages 3-7 of the amended solicitation.

16. Question: Page 61 - D.1.12 Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). The government has not provided a draft or completed QASP. It is difficult for a contractor to provide services on a fixed price basis without knowing the quality levels to which we must adhere.

Additionally, on page 8 it is stated that the contractor’s fixed rate for services may be impacted by the attainment, or failure to attain, quality measures established in the QASP.

Lastly, page 61 states that the offeror must respond to the standards stated in the QASP, which is not provided. In our view, if the QASP is not included in the RFP, the government will not have the latitude to produce it after our proposal has been submitted and have the standards apply to the contract. It is also somewhat unclear whether the bidder is supposed to develop the QASP as part of the proposal or if the government will prepare it at some point (the QASP is traditionally a government-prepared document). If the offeror is to provide it in the proposal, please state where it is placed and how it affects page count.

Answer: We inadvertently omitted the QASP. We included the QASP in the amended solicitation on Pages 63-71. See Amendment Number 0001, Number 4.

17. Question: Page 86 – Evaluation Criteria. In numbered paragraph 2, you state you will evaluate the offeror’s Quality Assurance Plan. In other areas, you refer to a Quality Control

Plan. Please clarify your use of the terms which, of course, are different.

Answer: The referenced paragraph is on Page 96 of the amended solicitation. Quality assurance is ensuring the deliverables meet the requirements. As stated on Page 97 of the amended solicitation under Technical Factor 5: Quality Control Approach, quality control is

“The degree to which the offeror’s approach to quality control identifies processes, procedures, and metrics which are likely to predict successful outcome within cost and on schedule.”

18. Question: Is the offeror required to be registered in CCR to receive an award?

Answer: The System for Award Management (SAM) is the official U.S. Government system that consolidated the capabilities of the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) System.

Entities may register at no cost on the SAM website at https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/#1. User guides and webinars are available under the

Help tab on the SAM website. The successful offeror must register in SAM prior to contract award.

19. Question: If the offeror acquires a commercial loan, is the interest on the loan a cost reimbursable item or simply a factor in the development of total price?

Answer: As stated on Page 8, Paragraph (4)(a) of the amended solicitation, “All pricing is all-inclusive and FFP with the exception of Travel, which is cost-reimbursement with no fee and must be proposed at a not to exceed (NTE) amount.” Therefore, the interest on the loan must be included in the FFP. Furthermore, as stated on Page 8, Paragraph (4)(b) of the amended solicitation, “All costs must be allowable, allocable and reasonable as defined in

Part 31 of the FAR.”

20. Question: In the event that the contract is terminated by the government for any reason before application or pledge receipts are received, will the contractor be reimbursed for costs incurred?

Answer: In accordance with FAR Clause 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions –

Commercial Items (Dec 2014), which is referenced on Page 11 of the amended solicitation, Paragraph (l) Termination for the Government’s convenience, “Subject to the terms of this https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/#1 contract, the Contractor shall be paid a percentage of the contract price reflecting the percentage of the work performed prior to the notice of termination, plus reasonable charges the Contractor can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Government using its standard record keeping system, have resulted from the termination.” In accordance with

FAR Clause 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Items (Dec 2014), Paragraph (m) Termination for cause, “In the event of termination for cause, the

Government shall not be liable to the Contractor for any amount for supplies or services not accepted, and the Contractor shall be liable to the Government for any and all rights and remedies provided by law. If it is determined that the Government improperly terminated this contract for default, such termination shall be deemed a termination for convenience”

See Amendment Number 0001, Number 2.

21. Question: At Page 8 of the solicitation, sections (4)(a) and (4)(d) use the term “confirmed participants”. The term is not used elsewhere. What is the definition of a “confirmed participant”?

Answer: The term “confirmed participant” refers to a Federal employee whose eligibility status with regard to the CFC has been established on the CCA’s system, whose eligibility can be corroborated by the government, and who has submitted a pledge through the CFC.

22. Question: At several points, the solicitation references support for retiree giving. For example, Page 42 of the solicitation (D.1.1, bullet 1) defines CCA services to include “a single point of entry… for Federal employees, retirees, and contractors… interested in making a contribution through the CFC system.” Page 16 of Appendix A lists annuity payroll providers. Please explain the roles and responsibilities of the CCA in supporting retired employee giving, and if possible provide an overview of OPM’s roadmap regarding this initiative.

Answer: Although the current regulations do not authorize participation by retirees and contractors, other than via one-time credit card/check donation, the CCA’s system should be scalable to accommodate these potential donors in the event that they can be accommodated in the future, per recommendations made by the CFC-50 Commission. A

“roadmap” of this evolution of the CFC is not available at this time.

23. Question: Page 46 of the solicitation (D1.3.3) states that the CFC system “processes and facilitates refunds through the payroll provider so that final earning and leave statement is correct at the end of the year.” What is the role of the CCA in the refund process, if any?

Answer: As the central administrator of CFC receipts and disbursements, the CCA’s role with regard to refunds will be that currently performed by PCFOs. The CCA will be charged with tracking erroneous withholdings by payroll providers and, when necessary, returning funds to payroll provider.

24. Question: Page 49 of the solicitation (D1.3.5) states: “A successful pre-validation does not guarantee eligibility.” Under what circumstances would an employee receiving pay from a payroll provider not be eligible?

Answer: This information is provided in Section 950.701 (b) of the regulations taking effect in 2016.

25. Question: Row 19 of the Requirements Traceability Matrix (“RTM”) requires the contractor to “accept and process paper pledges”. Processing paper pledges is a time-consuming process that frequently requires resolution of donor errors or illegible entries.

Paper pledges may also be completed by donors as late as the last day of the solicitation period, and not be delivered to the CCA by federal volunteers until well after the end of the solicitation. What is the requirement for the contractor’s processing and entry of paper pledges into the system after they are received by the contractor?

Answer: Federal employee volunteers will no longer be collecting pledges under the new regulations. Federal employees wishing to use paper pledges will be required to provide these to the CCA directly. The offeror must propose a process in their offer to meet this requirement.

26. Question: Row 23 of the RTM and page 47 of the solicitation (D.1.3.5) state that the system will “will be required to read the PDF documents provided to verify/collect certain information.”

Does the ability of the system to accept and attach PDFs to charity application documents and/or to scan and attach hard copies of such documentations to the electronic application file meet this requirement? If not, what further processing is required?

Answer: Row 23 of the RTM states, in fact, that “The systems shall scan PDF documents provided to verify/collect certain information” (emphasis added). With that said, this requirement is intended to convey the need to extract information from documents.

Merely accepting and/or scanning documents will not meet this requirement.

27. Question: Row 38 of the RTM states that “the system shall be able to transmit information on changes to pledges and terminations to the CCA(s) responsible for that donor’s pledge on a monthly basis.”

(a) Does this refer to the system provided by the single CCA implementing the on-line pledging system providing information to all payroll offices and their associated CCA regarding pledges that change after the end of the solicitation period?

(b) Since a CCA other than the donation system provider may learn of changes or terminations of pledges without that data being provided to the donation system provider, is there a similar process to notify the provider of the central database of changes that become evident through the Payment File provided by a payroll provider to its associated CCA?

Answer:

(a) Yes, this refers to the system provided by the single CCA implementing the on-line pledging system providing information to all payroll offices and their associated CCA regarding pledges that change after the end of the solicitation period.

(b) The phrase “changes to pledges” means, primarily, changes in deduction amounts being forwarded by payroll providers. Since no other change to pledges is authorized, it is not entirely understood how a CCA would find out about a change in pledges before payroll providers or, in turn, the system in question. It is intended that all such changes would be communicated from payroll providers through a reporting mechanism in the system;

therefore, we stated the requirement on row 38.

28. Question: Row 85 of the RTM requires the contractor to “be able to authenticate a user’s personal demographic information either real time or post enrollment.” Page 49 of the solicitation states: “Some payroll providers are unable to pre-validate. In those cases, demographic verification should occur through the regular bill file process…”

Does authenticating via a payroll provider’s pre-validation process or (when that is not available) through the payroll provider’s inclusion of a payment or status code to indicate eligibility in the bill file meet this requirement? What is the contractor’s responsibility if the payroll provider does not provide the required donor level information in either the Billing

Error File, or in the Payment File?

Answer: The contractor is required to work with the payroll provider to ensure the necessary information is provided and advise OPM of any issues.

29. Question: General Question. The system is highly dependent upon a uniform interface between the CCA and payroll offices. Will OPM ensure that all payroll offices at minimum, and in a time to test their interfaces with the system:

(1) have implemented a process to provide eligibility files and/or respond to pre-validation requests from the CCA,

(2) Accept CCA Bill Files,

(3) Generate Billing Error Files, and

(4) Provide detailed Payment Files corresponding to each payment made?

Answer: The contractor is required to work with the payroll provider to ensure the necessary information is provided and advise OPM of any issues.

30. Question: File 3_-_Appendicies_A-C- -12.24.20114.PDF, page 17 Section “Background” CFC has almost 200 campaigns…

a. How have all the cost for administering the CFC in the past been covered, i.e. percent of donations?

b. After the CCA contractor is selected, how many different CFC regional agencies will be active for out-reach coordination and marketing?

i. Will the funding for these CFC regional agencies need to be included in the pricing of the response?

ii. Will each CFC regional agency require special reporting and administrative access to the system?

iii. Will the CCA be responsible to build and execute the out-reach campaigns for each regional agency?

c. In prior years, how many of the participating charities received total donations between:

i. $0 and $250

ii. $251 and $500

iii. $501 and $1,000

iv. $1,001 and $5000

v. above $5001

a. Under current processes, PCFOs fund the cost of the campaign and are reimbursed for these costs from donor pledges prior to distribution to the charities.

b. We are in the process of making this determination. It will be no more than the current

151 regions and will most likely less.

i. Yes, the funding for these CFC regional agencies must be included in the FFP.

ii. Local Federal Coordinating Committees (LFCCs) will need access to the system in order to assist with the review of the applications and access reports regarding donations within their region. These reports would not include detailed employee pledge information, but would include high level data, such as per Federal agency in their region.

iii. No, just provide mechanisms for the regions to use the centralized systems for their outreach.

c. The total donations for 2013 are listed in the below table.

Dollar Range Total Donations

i. $0 and $250 7,311

ii. $251 and $500 2,368

iii. $501 and $1,000 2,882

iv. $1,001 and $5000 6,586

v. above $5001 4,223

31. Question: File 2_-_CFC_CCA_Services_Solicitation_Number_OPM16-15-R-001_-_Pages_2-

105- -12.25.2014.pdf, page 43 Section “Background”

What is the expectation of the CCA in regards to out-reach, education and marketing of the CFC campaign(s) nationwide? There seems to be no information on how the CFC program has been communicated in the past nor what the expectation is moving forward.

Answer: The CCA is not directly responsible for outreach, education and marketing of the

CFC.

32. Question: File 2_-_CFC_CCA_Services_Solicitation_Number_OPM16-15-R-001_-_Pages_2-

105- -12.25.2014.pdf, page 46 D.1.3.5 Section “Key Data and Errors”

a. What are the specific criteria for an applying charity to be approved for participation in the CFC campaign?

b. In determining approval, will the CFC regional agencies need to have the ability to approve local charities or will there be one entity and approval process

c. eligibility file” What are the parameters for eligibility to participate in the campaign as a federal employee?

d. Are there any specific designations for employees that will either limit or eliminate their eligibility to take part in the campaign?

a. Sections 950.201 through 950.204 of the regulations taking effect in 2016 provide this information.

b. Various personnel (estimate, 3 to 20) in each of the LFCCs will require access for application review purposes.

c. Section 950.701 (b) of the regulations taking effect in 2016 provides this information.

d. Section 950.701 (b) of the regulations taking effect in 2016 provides this information.