RFP_OPM26-12-R-0034_-_Amendment_3.pdf

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OPM2612R0034

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LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (LMS) SUPPORT (AT10142)

RFP NUMBER OPM26-12-R-0034

AMENDMENT 0003

Question 1: Can a subcontractor be on more than one 8a team?

OPM Response 1: Based on the restrictions stated in the RFP, it would be difficult for a subcontractor to be maintain independence without a perceived conflict of interest;

specifically as it relates to IT Security and Hosting. However, it is acceptable for subcontractors to team with multiple Integrator providers.

Question 2: Is hard copy submission a must? Would not an email submission be sufficient? We submit all our proposals electronically (via Email); in efforts to go green and keep our costs for submitting proposals low. Is this something that you accept or you will need the hard copies?

OPM Response 2: Offerors shall submit hard copies and electronic copies in accordance with Section L.5 of the RFP (Addendum to FAR 52.212-1).

Question 3: Do we require traveling and having meetings in person during implementation of the project? If yes, would the travel and boarding expenses be reimbursed?

OPM Response 3: Travel and face-to-face coordination may be required. These costs should be included in your proposal as appropriate. Estimates should be in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations. Some travel will depend on the requirements described in the RFP for individual BPA Calls and shall be proposed on a cost reimbursable basis.

Question 4: Where the current site is hosted?

OPM Response 4: Currently the sites are hosted in multiple locations in Virginia and Maryland.

Question 5: Do you have any specific budget identified for the project?

OPM Response 5: OPM is a preferred provider of these services across the Government. Agencies are encouraged to avail themselves of these services via inter-agency agreements with OPM; Agency budgets however, address the need for LMS services and are specifically identified.

Question 6: Is there any onsite presence required or work can be done remotely?

OPM Response 6: On-site support will vary across each implementation and will be determined by agency requirements. Most implementations will not require on-site presence.

Question 7: Do you have any reference sites that you would like to mention for designing purposes?

OPM Response 7: Design specifications are requirement driven. Current agency implementations span the spectrum of Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS), Government-off-the-shelf (GOTS),and Open Source products.

Question 8: When do you wish to start the project?

OPM Response 8: The estimated period of performance of the BPA is provided in Sections C.5, Period of Performance, and F.2, Term of Contract. The period of performance for each BPA Call will be defined in the RFP for the BPA Call. The first BPA Call is expected to be awarded to the Integrator provider and is expected to start within 30 days of award of the BPA.

Question 9: Do you have any preference for CMS that you would like to integrate in your website?

OPM Response 9: If by CMS you mean ―content management system‖, agency requirements will dictate the type and level of integration required for these systems.

This requirement is more than a website.

Question 10: Will you handle loading the content to the site, or would you like us to do that?

OPM Response 10: Individual agency requirements will dictate. We envision all possible scenarios. Some agencies will manage, create and load content other agencies may require support for these tasks. Your fixed-price estimate should cover each possibility.

Question 11: [see previous question] If we need to do it, who will be responsible for content creation?

OPM Response 11: Content creation is requirement driven and will be indicated in each Statement of Work or Objective for each BPA call.

Question 12: May vendors responding to the Learning Management System (LMS) opportunity respond and compete to support "only" one of the four (4) areas: a) Integrator, b) Hosting, c) Helpdesk, and d) IT Security Services?

OPM Response 12: Yes. Multiple teaming arrangements may be pursued, however, only one team will receive an award.

Question 13: Since the Government will issue a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with four (4) Contractors—one for each of the four areas indicated and section L.3 has guidance on how areas must independent of the others, we assume pertains to the awardees', teaming arrangements etc and it seems clear that we may respond to single area that we are interested in supporting i.e Help Desk Services and restrain responding to participate in the others, i.e. Integrator Services, IT Security and the Hosting Services or must a respondent be capable of providing all four services and demonstrate that in their respond?

OPM Response 13: Offerors do not have to be capable of providing all services under all 4 roles/areas (Integrator, Hosting, Helpdesk, and IT Security Services).

Question 14: Hello, I am interested in obtaining a contract from your company to provide professional resumes to the people of my community at low or no cost. Please advise.

OPM Response 14: This request is not relevant to this RFP.

Question 15: RFP Section: Form 1449, Page: 2, Paragraph: 2 - The eligibility to participate in this competition is restricted to 8 (a) concerns in the developmental and transitional stages. Are all 4 Required Service Areas (RSAs) identified in the solicitation within the developmental and transition stages and thus restricted to 8 (a) offerors?

OPM Response 15: All 4 roles/areas are restricted to 8(a) concerns in both the developmental and transition stages of 8(a) Program participation as defined by 13 CFR 124.507(c)(2)(3).

Question 16: RFP Section: B, Page: 6, Paragraph: Table Item 0001 – Does the government expect the offeror to provide a COTS LMS as part of the scope or is the expectation that offerors design, develop and implement a customized LMS as indicated in Section: C.4, Page: 10, Paragraph: Table a RSA 1 General Description?

OPM Response 16: Offerors should provide proposals that demonstrate the ability to provide for COTS, GOTS, Open source and/or custom implementations as agency requirements may dictate.

Question 17: RFP Section: B, Page: 6, Paragraph: Table Item 0001 – Pricing some of the items identified in the item description do not lend themselves to per user pricing such as site branding and batch integration. Can the government provide more information to help offerors better understand the scope of these requirements?

OPM Response 17: Services as listed above should be delineated and grouped under one of the subsets of the roles/areas (Integrator, Hosting, Helpdesk, and IT Security Services). For example, Technical support services would generally cover branding and batch integration. We are looking for a fixed-price or labor hour pricing for such services to be detailed, when specific requirements are provided in BPA Calls.

Question 18: RFP Section RSA/Item 01 – LMS Services - LMS Implementation Services; Paragraph RSA No. 0001, Item No 0001; Page 6; Some items identified in RSA 0001 such as End User Licenses appear to be better related to RSA 10. Would the government consider labor category pricing for RSA 1 and 2 verses pricing per user?

OPM Response 18: Offerors are encouraged to propose the most appropriate pricing consistent with the proposed solution. The example in the RFP provided the most commonly used COTS (per user/license). If Labor categories provide a better representation of the proposed solution, it may be used.

Question 19: RFP Section RSA/Item 01 – LMS Services - LMS Implementation Services; Paragraph RSA No. 0001, Item No 0001; Page 6; Would the government consider providing a set number of labor categories to price so that they can easily compare rates among all offerors?

OPM Response 19: No set number of labor categories will be provided. Offerors are encouraged to propose the number of labor categories appropriate for the proposed solution.

Question 20: RFP Section RSA/Item 01 – LMS Services - LMS Implementation Services; Paragraph RSA No. 0001, Item No 0001; Page 6; How many systems would legacy training data be migrated from?

OPM Response 20: That cannot be determined, as individual agency requirements will not be identified until BPA award.

Question 21: RFP Section RSA/Item 01 – LMS Services - LMS Implementation Services; Paragraph RSA No. 0001, Item No 0001; Page 6; How many systems would legacy training data be migrated from?

OPM Response 21: See response to question 20.

Question 22: RFP Section RSA/Item 01 – LMS Services - LMS Implementation Services; Paragraph RSA No. 0001, Item No 0001; Page 6; How many interfaces are required between the core HR system and the LMS?

OPM Response 22: See response to question 20.

Question 23: RFP Section RSA/Item 01 – LMS Services - LMS Implementation Services; Paragraph RSA No. 0001, Item No 0001; Page 6; How many agencies require special branding and what is the primary purpose for unique branding?

OPM Response 23: Each agency requires agency specific branding. The number of agencies cannot be determined until BPA Calls are awarded.

Question 24: RFP Section RSA/Item 01 – LMS Services - LMS Implementation Services; Paragraph RSA No. 0001, Item No 0001; Page 6; How many end users are in-scope?

OPM Response 24: See response to question 20.

Question 25: RFP Section Required Services Areas (RSA) Matrix; Paragraph 1; Page 7; Is OPM looking for a true customized LMS model or a SaaS which follows market trends for ongoing releases of service packs and improvements issued by the LMS vendor?

OPM Response 25: OPM is looking to provide the best solution for agency and customer requirements.

Question 26: Page 14 0f 106 c. Transition; In order to provide OPM with the most cost effective solution for providing Help Desk Support and in order to address the Transition of the Services in our Integrated Project plan, will you please provide the following information for all contractors currently providing Help Desk Support to the Learning Management System (LMS): Name of Contractor, Current Contract Number, Period of Performance, Number of Full Time equivalents, and Average Number of Tickets handled daily.

OPM Response 26: This acquisition strategy moves away from one integrated LMS provider (LMS services, help desk, hosting) to a separate model for each identified RSA.

The individual Contractors and services currently provided will be detailed by specific SOW/SOO for individual BPA Calls as new requirements are identified. The detailed integrated project plan will not be required until then. This RFP requests a strategy and proposed solution for moving from existing configurations (whatever they may be) to the new model described in Figure C.1.

Question 27: Is this a New requirement?

OPM Response 27: This requirement is based on a new acquisition strategy, therefore there is no incumbent performing work as outlined. However, numerous Contractors currently provide these services for OPM across the federal landscape using various contracts. Approximately 12% of this support is currently provided to OPM by large businesses and 88% by small businesses.

Question 28: Can you bid on all four of the requirement (Integration Hosting ,security, and Help Desk)?

OPM Response 28: Yes, however, Offerors can only be awarded a BPA in one of the four roles/areas (Integrator, Hosting, Helpdesk, and IT Security Services).

Question 29: Is there an Incumbent if so who?

OPM Response 29: This requirement is based on a new acquisition strategy, therefore there is no incumbent performing work as outlined. However, numerous Contractors currently provide these services for OPM across the federal landscape using various

Question 30: Will OPM be amenable to an open source solution for the proposed LMS systems architecture?

OPM Response 30: OPM has no preference as to the type of system provided. This acquisition is to satisfy our client agency requirements for these services.

Question 31: Can you provide a list of all of the LMS incumbent contractors including their roles and responsibilities?

OPM Response 31: This requirement is based on a new acquisition strategy, therefore there is no incumbent performing work as outlined. However, numerous Contractors currently provide these services for OPM across the federal landscape using various

Question 32: We understand only one 8(a) vendor will be selected for each RSA. Can qualified 8(a) vendors bid more than one RSA?

OPM Response 32: Each 8(a) Offeror may propose each role/area (Integrator, Hosting, Helpdesk, and IT Security Services) as defined. RSAs are subsets to these roles/areas.

For example one role is the Integrator which is responsible for RSAs 1 thru 8. However, Offerors can only be awarded a BPA in one of the four roles/areas,subject to the constraints in Section L.3, Award Conditions/Constraints, of the RFP.

Question 33: Is the OPM LMS support moving to the 8(a) space from a prior full an open competition?

OPM Response 33: This requirement is based on a new acquisition strategy, therefore currently provide these services for OPM across the federal landscape using contracts that resulted from various acquisition strategies.

Question 34: We are aware that FAR requires the 8(a) prime perform at least 50% of the work. Does the 8(a) prime also need to show 50% of the past performance?

OPM Response 34: No, prior performance is an indicator of current and/or future capability, however, vendor is only required to demonstrate the ability to perform the required services.

Question 35: Reference: RFP Section L5, Paragraph(s) D:subsection a,Page(s) 85.

Question: Does the 11 point size apply to the cover page, table of contents, and information in the header and footer?

OPM Response 35: No.

Question 36: Reference: RFP Section L5, Paragraph(s) D:subsection iv,Page(s) 87.

Question: How many candidates per labor category are required?

OPM Response 36: Offeror will determine the number of candidates to propose based on requirements as defined in the RFP for BPA Calls.

Question 37: Reference: RFP Section L5, Paragraph(s) D:subsection n/a,Page(s) 86.

Question: Are there any page limits on any sections of Volume II Business and Pricing proposal?

OPM Response 37: There is no page limit on business and pricing proposal.

Question 38: Reference: RFP Section L5, Paragraph(s) D:subsection b,Page(s) 88.

Question: Do you want a copy of the We have non GSA LMS contract is this feasible or do you need a copy of our GSA schedule?

OPM Response 38: Question is unclear – If you are using non-GSA pricing then a copy will be required and GSA pricing schedule should be provided if applicable.

Question 39: Do you have a particular vendor in mind or are you going to choose any vendor?

OPM Response 39: OPM has no preference for vendors or particular products. The Government will award in accordance with the evaluation criteria identified in Section M the RFP and the constraints in Section L.3.

Question 40: Reference: RFP Section B, Paragraph(s) 1 ,Page(s) 1. Is this paragraph stating there will be (4) contractors awarded the contract? If not, do you have in mind the number of contractors that will be awarded?

OPM Response 40: The Government intends to award BPAs for the four (4) roles/areas as identified (Integrator, Hosting, Helpdesk, and IT Security Services providers) subject to the constraints in Section L.3, Award Conditions/Constraints, of the RFP. We envision multiple BPA Calls as required under each BPA.

Question 41: Reference: RFP Section I.2.1., Paragraph(s) 1, Page(s) 26. Are we required to add 52.216-2 -- Economic Price Adjustment -- Standard Supplies (Jan 1997) clause to our proposal response?

OPM Response 41: FAR 52.216-2 should be deleted from the RFP as is not applicable for this acquisition.

Question 42: Reference: RFP Section I.2.2., Paragraph(s) 1, Page(s) 27. Was the information in I.2.2 52.216-24 Limitation of Government Liability (Apr 1984) (Note: BPA Call Level) supposed to be provided before the proposal deadline or after the award?

OPM Response 42: FAR 52.216-24 should be deleted from the RFP as it is not applicable to this acquisition.

Question 43: Reference: RFP Section SF1449 Form, Paragraph(s) BLOCK 8, Page(s)

1. It states that the proposal deadline date is 11/08/2012 at 11 am (est). However, in RFP,, under section L.5 ADDENDUM TO FAR 52.212-1, B - the proposal deadline date is listed as 11/09/2012 at 11am (est), please notate which date is correct.

OPM Response 43: Proposals are due by 11:00am (Eastern) Friday November 9, 2012.

Question 44: Is there an incumbent currently in place for this work? If so, who?

OPM Response 44: This requirement is based on a new acquisition strategy, therefore there is no incumbent performing work as outlined. However, numerous Contractors currently provide these services for OPM across the federal landscape using various contracts. Approximately 12% of this support is currently provided to OPM by large businesses and 88% by small businesses.

Question 45: Are there incumbents presently performing this work? If so please provide their names and Small business status.

OPM Response 45: This requirement is based on a new acquisition strategy, therefore currently provide these services for OPM across the federal landscape using various

Question 46: RFP Section I.4.3, Paragraph(s) 2, Page(s) 41; Are the software licenses subject to the 8(a) 51% rule?

OPM Response 46: The 50% rule says for services (except for construction), at least 50% of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees of the small business concern, AND the small business concern performs work for at least 50% of the cost of manufacturing the supplies, not including the cost of materials.

Question 47: RFP Section C.4, Paragraph(s) 4, Pages(s) 9; Is it the intent to award multiple awards to 8(a) companies that provide for all RSAs for the Integrator, Hosting, Help Desk and IT Security Services or is it the intent to award one 8(a) organization for Integrator, award one 8(a) organization for Hosting, award one 8(a) organization for Help Desk and award one 8(a) organization for IT Security?

OPM Response 47: The Government intends to award a BPA to a qualified 8(a) Offeror for each of the roles/areas as stated (Integrator, Hosting, Helpdesk, and IT Security Services providers) subject to the constraints in Section L.3, Award Conditions/Constraints, of the RFP.

Question 48: RFP Section B.1, Paragraph(s) 1, Pages(s) 5; Same as above; additional section reference.

OPM Response 48: The Government intends to award a BPA to a qualified 8(a) Offeror for each of the roles/areas as stated (Integrator, Hosting, Helpdesk, and IT Security

Conditions/Constraints, of the RFP

Question 49: RFP Section C.4, Paragraph(s) 1 Figure C.1, Pages(s) 14; Same as above question; additional section reference.

OPM Response 49: The Government intends to award a BPA to a qualified 8(a) Offeror for each of the roles/areas as stated (Integrator, Hosting, Helpdesk, and IT Security

Conditions/Constraints, of the RFP

Question 50: RSAs 1 thru 8 - Integrator Services; It is unclear from the RFP if USA Learning is looking to procure an actual LMS software or simply supporting services around LMS's that are currently in place at OPM and/or elsewhere in the Federal Government. Does USA Learning have a current LMS and LCMS product in use now? If so, which product? Is USA Learning looking for a vendor to support this existing product? If no such product exists, is USA Learning open to any LMS/LCMS product solution?

OPM Response 50: USA Learning® is looking for LMS Systems and Support services to support our continuing role as preferred provider under the HR Line of Business.

These services will be provided based on client agency requirements. Agencies have a variety of products and systems currently in use. Those products span the current LMS COTS universe. This however, does not preclude an agency‘s desire to change products, generate new requirements and take advantage of the OPM SaaS model to satisfy their emerging requirements. It is our intent with this acquisition, to expand the offerings available to our customers with no restrictions as to product and system.

Question 51: RSAs 1 thru 8 - Integrator Services; If the RFP includes actual LMS software, and the vendor model is such that only the vendor can host the software (SaaS or private ASP model) can a vendor include hosting services for their specific LMS in the response to RSA 1 thru 8?

OPM Response 51: No. Although these models currently exist, it is our intent moving forward to consolidate hosting in accordance with the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative (FDCCI). Providers currently hosting their own model will be transitioned to the new model as expeditiously as feasible.

Question 52: I responded to this notice prior to pre-solicitation as an 8(a) company.

Now that the pre-solicitation is an 8(a) set aside, I wonder if it was noted that we will no longer be 8(a) on October 29th, 2012. We lose our status on October 20, 2012, yet we have a fully developed LMS that perfectly suits the needs of OPM.

OPM Response 52: This acquisition is a 100% set-aside for 8(a) concerns. All awardees shall be an eligible 8(a) concern as determined by SBA as of the award of the

BPA.

Question 53: [I]s there a specific POC or name attached to this RFP that the proposal needs to be addressed to? I was looking for own for out internal reporting purposes.

OPM Response 53: No. Hard copies of proposals should be submitted to the address provided in Section L.5.B, and electronic copies should be submitted to LMS.BPA@opm.gov.

Question 54: RFP Section C, Paragraph(s) b, Page(s) 13; Can you explain current platforms deployed? What technologies are being used? (Learning Platforms, Databases, Application Servers)

OPM Response 54: Current platforms are not applicable. OPM is looking for the best solutions available; if current COTS are the best for client requirements, then those should be a part of a proposal. We are adamant that we will not be tied to a specific product, but be driven by the product that will best meet the requirements identified by the client agency.

Question 55: RFP Section C, Paragraph(s) 2, Page(s) 8; Can you detail how many organizations you are supporting today through Go Learn and how many different sites you maintain for organizations?

OPM Response 55: OPM provides services to over 15 cabinet level agencies and more than 40 small agencies and sub-agencies. The number of sites or instances vary from agency to agency as individual requirements differ.

Question 56: RFP Section C, Paragraph(s) Figure D.2.1, Page(s) 14; Will migration to new hosting facilities include platform migrations?

OPM Response 56: Hosting migrations may require platform migrations, however that will vary by client agency and system selected that best fits their requirements as defined in BPA Calls.

Question 57: RFP Section C, Paragraph(s) Figure D.2.1, Page(s) 14; What systems do you foresee integrating with (HR, Data Warehouse, etc.)? Can you give examples of systems you are integrating with today?

OPM Response 57: The number of systems that require some level of integration currently vary from agency to agency. The requirements are dependent on customizations in those agencies. Systems normally integrated include, content management systems, eHRI /personnel systems, mobile deployment engines, on-boarding systems and competency management systems.

Question 58: RFP Section C.4., Paragraph(s) 1, Page(s) 9; Please clarify/confirm if the deployment model requirement is On Premise or Cloud

OPM Response 58: The deployment model requirement is cloud based.

Question 59: RFP Section B.2.a, Paragraph(s) 2, Page(s) 7; Please provide guidance on preferred pricing model

OPM Response 59: Preferred pricing model is Firm-Fixed price based on either per user or per license; labor hours should be used for those RSAs that don‘t fit those models. We are looking to be able to identify a task (RSA) and associate a price with it for that service. We understand that the population to be served / level of effort would be helpful, however detailed requirements will not be available until after BPA award and specific requirements are identified in BPA Calls.

Question 60: RFP Section B.2.a, Paragraph(s) 2, Page(s) 7; Please provide total number of potential users

OPM Response 60: As stated previously, this requirement will vary by agency. The examples in the RFP provided a range of 500 to 1,000,000 users in increments of 500.

Question 61: RFP Section L.4.(h), Paragraph(s) 2, Page(s) 87 Is it required that an offers solution include all requested licensing and services? For example, could a respondent provide the end user licensing, but not all of the other services noted in the RFP?

OPM Response 61: Each offeror should concentrate on the four (4) roles/areas identified (Integrator, Hosting, Helpdesk, and IT Security Services) and their ability to provide the services (RSAs) identified in those roles/areas. The pricing model configuration and what they provide should be clear enough for the Government to determine whether the pricing is fair and reasonable.

Question 62: I am writing this email to introduce myself and my company xxxx [name ommitted by OPM] and to request a brief meeting with you to introduce myself formally. I only ask for a few moments of your time, as I know your time is both limited and precious.

OPM Response 62: Not relevant to this proposal.

Question 63: Section C.4 states: ―This procurement will lead to a single Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with four (4) Contractors—one for each of the four areas indicated— using the Required Service Areas (RSAs) listed below and described in this Section.‖ Section L.3 states: ―Integrator Services provider (RSAs 1-8) must be independent of the IT Security provider (RSA 9), and the Hosting Services provider (RSA 10), and Help Desk Provider (RSA11). IT Security Services provider (RSA 9) must be independent of the other three (3) awardees. Hosting Services provider (RSA 10) must be independent of the other three (3) awardees. Help Desk Services provider (RSA

11) must be independent of the other three (3) awardees.‖ Is the prime contractor to submit separate proposals for each of the four areas for which it wishes to bid? Is a prime contractor able to be a sub-contractor on other service areas? Is a sub-contractor able to be a sub-contractor on multiple service areas?

OPM Response 63: Prime contractor must submit separate proposals for each area for which they feel qualified. The prime may submit as a subcontractor for other areas but will be eligible for award in only one of the four roles/areas (Integrator, Hosting, Helpdesk, and IT Security Services). If you are selected as a prime in one area you may not serve as a subcontractor in another. If you serve as a subcontractor in one area it may disqualify you as a partner in another area.

Question 64: How many customers are served under the current LMS framework?

OPM Response 64: The number of customers served by agency varies from as few as 500 to as many as 750,000. Total served across multiple systems exceeds 4 million.

Question 65: Does the Government anticipate utilizing a specific technology that is already in use within the system?

OPM Response 65: The Government anticipates providing the best solutions to meet customer agency requirements. The requirements are not tied to any specific technology or system.

Question 66: COTS LMS/LCMS providers now offer a variety of pricing models for clients. Some are annual models with per named user or per concurrent user pricing.

Some vendors are looking to move to subscriptions based, software as a service models. In the SaaS model, hosting services are bundled into the software license.

These differences give rise for the potential of variances in pricing that will make it difficult for vendors to price solutions, and ultimately for the Government to compare offers. Can the Government provide any additional guidance on how configurations and pricing should be done to avoid potential disparity?

OPM Response 66: The Government will be looking for creative pricing models that are fair and provide the Government the best options. The Government will not dictate how services are priced.

Question 67: What COTS LMS and LCMS software is currently being hosted on the other GoLearn programs that would be expected to be transitioned?

OPM Response 67: It is possible that all services or no services will be transitioned - at this point it cannot be predicted. Transition of hosting services will be the primary concern during the initial phases of this requirement and the specifics will be provided upon BPA award.

Question 68: What are the top three LMS and LCMS products the Government would expect to see used on upcoming efforts by this program?

OPM Response 68: The Government has no preferences for this requirement.

Requirements will dictate the best provider and services.

Question 69: Do you expect that all your clients will be serviced from the same Government hosting environment or is it possible that commercial hosting could be used to support some programs? If so, how will experience with these environments be evaluated in this bid?

OPM Response 69: The Government intends to eventually transition to a consolidated hosting environment. It is not a requirement that these be a Government owned environment, but may be a commercial environment that is under Government control.

Experience with hosting (all aspects) will be evaluated, not commercial vs. Government environments.

Question 70: Ref M.2, Item B and Section B.2.a. Fixed Prices CLIN tables. The CLIN tables have two basic structures. The first is a table for banded prices for LMS services.

For example in a typical banded price structure, for discussion purposes:

10 users are $500/users 100 users are $50/users 1000 users are $5/users

The other CLIN table is a set of labor categories and prices. In M.2 item B, OPM states, ―The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement.‖ How will the government combine the banded prices and the labor categories summed up to a single price added for the basic option?

OPM Response 70: The Government will evaluate pricing models to determine fair and reasonable pricing models given the scenarios presented. The Government will evaluate the models for the specific RSAs / Tasks using the model provided by the offeror.

Question 71: Ref M.2, Item B and Section B.2.a. Fixed Prices CLIN tables. The CLIN

For example in a typical banded price structure, for discussion purposes:

10 users are $500/users 100 users are $50/users 1000 users are $5/users

To normalize the evaluation between vendors, could the government evaluate banded prices separate from totaling the labor hours pricing and banded pricing together?

OPM Response 71: The Government will evaluate total cost by a particular Service area. We recognize that certain RSAs will be labor hour only. The price to provide the services for a particular client will be the Government‘s concern and part of the basis of evaluation.

Question 72: Ref M.2, Item B and Section B.2.a. Fixed Prices CLIN tables. The CLIN

For example in a typical banded price structure, for discussion purposes:

10 users are $500/users 100 users are $50/users 1000 users are $5/users

For the labor hours pricing, could the government provide either representative labor categories, or representative hours for the RSA to preclude bidders from gaming a summation and averaging of rates by offering excessively low rates where the likelihood of performance is low to create an artificially low, unbalanced price.

OPM Response 72: Representative labor categories can be obtained using the GSA Schedule Labor rates and categories.

Question 73: Ref M.2, Item B and Section B.2.a. Fixed Prices CLIN tables. The CLIN

For example in a typical banded price structure, for discussion purposes:

10 users are $500/users 100 users are $50/users 1000 users are $5/users

To what degree does OPM want to address Government employee life planning and the retirement planning process (future options and issues) regarding training in increments of: a) within 6 months; b) 2 to 5 years; c) more than 5 years.

OPM Response 73: Agency requirements will dictate the content and offerings on individual implementations. OPM will not and cannot address individual agency requirements or anticipate the same.

Question 74: We have a quick question regarding the LMS RFP, looks like the existing LMS application is developed using Zope, PHP, MySQL, PostGreSQL using LINUX and APACHE servers. Are you open to the idea of developing LMS next phase using newer technologies like .net, MVC, java, Sharepoint or should we use the same techologies(Zope, PHP,..) as the old LMS application?

OPM Response 74: The Government is not sure to which LMS application this question refers. OPM is the service provider in this RFP and we are looking for multiple solutions for multiple agencies. This RFP is not to provide a system for OPM. OPM is the shared service provider that will enter into Inter-Agency Agreements with agencies to provide these services through vendors awarded through this acquisition process.

Question 75: Do you prefer open source technologies or will it be ok to go with .net, mvc, Sharepoint if they give more features that will help LMS application?

OPM Response 75: The Government does not have a preference. The proposed technology will be requirement driven.

Question 76: Section L.D.a.1.iv – Staffing Plan states that ―the offeror shall provide resumes for: a. Project Managers, b. Managers, c. Key Decision Makers on critical contracts.

a. How many resumes are required? One for each position proposed

b. Can the Government specify what is meant by ―key decision makers on critical contracts?‖_ Project Manager , Managers are key decision makers for this proposal.

c. Are there any specific labor categories for key personnel? Use GSA Schedule.

d. Are contractors expected to come up with labor categories? Use GSA

Schedule.

e. Are there any page limitations for resumes and Letters of Intent? No limit.

OPM Response 76: Resumes are required for each position proposed. Key decision makers will vary depending upon the management approach proposed by the vendor.

Project Managers may be key for this proposal. The GSA schedule may be used for labor categories. The 40-Page limit is not applicable to staffing plans.

Question 77: Section L.D.a.1 indicates several plans that shall be provided with the proposal. Will plans count against page allocations?

OPM Response 77: If plans are a part of the Technical approach, they should count against page allocations.

Question 78: What is the projected amount of users for this program?

OPM Response 78: The number of customers served by agency varies from as few as 500 to as many as 750,000. Total served across multiple systems exceeds 4 million.

Question 79: Will Executive Summaries/Cover Letters count against page limitation?

OPM Response 79: No.

Question 80: RFP Section: B, Paragraph(s): B.2.b Fixed Labor Category, Page(s):

7; Please confirm that offerors may propose on and offsite labor category rates.

OPM Response 80: Offerors are encouraged to propose labor category rates that will provide the best value to the Government. Offerors may propose on-site and off-site labor category rates.

Question 81: RFP Section: C, Paragraph(s): C.6 Place of Performance, Page(s):

19; "The place of performance will be defined in the SOO/PWS for each BPA Call requested under the BPA. However, the majority of the anticipated support will be performed at the Contractor's facility or the client facility. Some activities may be conducted at OPM Headquarters located at 1900 E Street NW Washington, DC 20415.‖ Can we propose Contractor (offsite) and Customer (onsite) rates? If a contractor does not have offsite established rates with a GSA FSS schedule, will OPM accept the contractors offsite rates?

OPM Response 81: OPM will accept Contractors‘ offsite rates.

Question 82: RFP Section: C, Paragraph(s): C.7 Ordering of Services, Page(s): 19;

Ordering of Services, "OPM will generally issue BPA Calls for one time (e.g. LMS system setup, pilot system setup) and monthly recurring services (e.g. hosted LMS services), however, reserves the right of place a credit card order if the need is urgent.‖ If a credit card order is placed by Customer, will the credit card be a GSA Purchase Card? The only ordering authority to make a purchase will be the CO, correct?

OPM Response 82: Yes, the GSA purchase card may be used. The CO is the only authorized ordering authority.

Question 83: RFP Section: L, Paragraph(s): L.5.A., Page(s): 89; Please confirm that submission in the MS Word 2007 file extension (.docx) is acceptable.

OPM Response 83: Yes.

Question 84: RFP Section: L, Paragraph(s): L.5.B, Page(s): 90; In the Agency notification for OPM LMS Support AT10142 - RFP # OPM26-12-R-0034 on the FedBizOps.gov Synopsis page and in the RFP, the Solicitation Documentation states the due date and time to submit hard copies and electronic copies as 11:00am (Eastern) on Friday, November 9, 2012. However, Block 8 of the SF1449 (page 1of

110) states the due date and time as 11/08/2012 1100 ET. Please clarify.

OPM Response 84: Proposals are due by 11:00am (Eastern) Friday November 9, Question 85: RFP Section: L, Paragraph(s): L.5.A, Page(s): 90; Instructions subsection (a) the last sentence says the ―Tabs shall be indentified on volume title pages.‖ Could the Government please confirm that they want a list of the tabs within each volume published on the title page of the document?

OPM Response 85: Yes.

Question 86: RFP Section: L, Paragraph(s): L.5.A, Page(s): 90; Please confirm that the following do not count against the page limit or require pagination:

Volume Cover Pages

External Covers

Table of Contents

Tabs

OPM Response 86: Volume cover pages, external covers, table of contents, and section tabs do not count against the page limit or require pagination.

Question 87: RFP Section: Attachment 1, Paragraph(s): Instructions to Persons Providing Reference, Page(s): 97; Will OPM consider accepting reference submission until the proposal due date?

OPM Response 87: The due date for Past Performance Questionnaires is extended to 11:00am (Eastern) Monday October 22, 2012.

Question 88: Reference: Section C, Paragraph C.4.a.5, Page 11; Please confirm that the government‘s intent is to claim ownership of course content or customization components only, as opposed to ownership of the software code of a core product.

OPM Response 88: Agency requirements will dictate ownership or availability of code.

The content becomes the property of the Government. Code for core products remain the property of the Contractor, however, where integration or migration issues are involved vendor may be required to provide code to facilitate resolution of these operations.

Question 89: Reference: Section C, Paragraph C.4.e, Page 16; Is a Data Center contingency plan required by the Hosting or IT Security vendor or all vendors? We would assume all vendors contribute to this plan, but who is primarily responsible for it?

OPM Response 89: Vendors are responsible for all contingency, business recovery and system security plans as outlined by applicable NIST Special Publications. The IT Security Vendor will validate these plans and provide guidance. OPM, as the system Owners, will confirm Contractors are in compliance with all FISMA requirements and reporting.

Question 90: Reference: Section L and Attachment 1, Paragraphs L.5.D.a.2 and 1, Pages 90 and 97; There appears to be a conflict between the two paragraphs concerning the dates for qualifying past performances. Can you clarify whether offerors should include past performances within the past 18 months or 3 years?

OPM Response 90: Offerors should include past performance for 3 years.

Question 91: Please explain the difference between 24/7 support noted in paragraph above and Help Desk Services listed as RSA 11. Para: B.2.a, page7 of 106, Rate includes licensing for LMS, user interface branding, discussion forums, chat capability, user defined customizable reports to be established in the BPA Call, and 24/7 support.

Rate also includes licensing for LMS, LCMS, user interface branding, discussion forums, chat capability, standard reports, dynamic reporting, ILT management, eIDP, resource management, EHRI reporting, analytics tool, SF-182 module, e-commerce (optional), and 24/7 support.

OPM Response 91: Based on agency requirements that will be outlined in individual requirements (SOW/SOO) identified in BPA Calls, the required operational hours will be identified.

Question 92: Please clarify Para I.4.4.C. Are additional teaming partners allowable after award provided that the contractor seeks government approval (consent) first?

Para I.4.4. c. The offeror/subcontractor agrees that it will not subcontract the performance of any of the requirements of this subcontract to any lower tier subcontractor without the prior written approval of the SBA and the cognizant Contracting Officer of the OPM.

OPM Response 92: Yes, additional teaming partners are allowed after award provided that the Contractor seeks and receives Government approval.

Question 93: Please clarify the applicable window for past performance references. There are two different time periods identified – 18 months and 36 months.

In Section L.5.D.2 Past Performance on page 91 of 106, the Government states that Past Performance must be for services within the provided within the past 18 months.

Attachment 1, page 97 of 106, Past Performance Questionnaire states, ―…the offeror shall send the questionnaires for relevant projects that are in progress or completed in the past three (3) years… ―

OPM Response 93: Offerors should include past performance for 3 years.

Question 94: What is the purpose of requiring a letter of intent for all proposed key personnel? Our experience is that at letter of intent has no enforceability and does not commit the employer or employee. Section M.3.1.A Factor 2 states the contractor shall provide a letter of intent for all proposed key personnel.

OPM Response 94: OPM wants to ensure that key personnel are available to proceed with work upon contract award. If the Contractor is unable to proceed, this could be grounds for termination.

Question 95: Request clarification on the actual pages.

Form 336 states 110 pages, but the solicitation states 106 pages.

OPM Response 95: The cover page to the RFP should state 106 pages.

Question 96: Please clarify the information the government requests for staffing and labor categories as a sample task order was not provided from which to build labor categories.

OPM Response 96: Offerors are encouraged to propose labor category rates and other pricing solutions based on the proposed RSAs and that will provide the best value to the Government.

Question 97: What is the appropriate Wage Determination that applies to this contract?

OPM Response 97: If applicable, Wage Determinations will be identified in the RFP for the BPA Call.

Question 98: Please clarify the actual proposal due date.

The first page of the SF1449 states that the due date is November 8th while page 3 of the SF1449 continuation sheet states that the due date is November 9th

OPM Response 98: Proposals are due by 11:00am (Eastern) Friday November 9, 2012.

Question 99: Please clarify the reference on page 13 of the proposal.

On page 13, the Government references Figure D.2.1. However, it appears the correct reference should be Figure C.1. Please validate.

OPM Response 99: The correct reference is Figure C.1.

Question 100: General Comments and Recommendation on Acquisition Strategy;

While we certainly recognize and appreciate OPM‘s intent to promote and increase small business participation, we do not believe that making the subject requirement an 8(a) set-aside offers the Government the optimal technical as well as most cost-effective alternative. In fact, we believe doing so will introduce significant cost and risk to OPM and participating Government agencies. We also feel that the current structure of the RSA‘s will not allow the Government to take advantage of the best available technologies and integrated support capabilities now and into the future. Specifically:

a. None of the Top 10+ Learning Management, Learning Content Management, or

Human Capital Information System applications identified by analyst firms such as Bersin and Associates, Brandon Hall, etc., are provided by 8(a) firms. This means that an 8(a) firm will likely need to establish reseller relationships with technology providers in order to meet the solicitation requirements. It is also likely that the field of available technologies will be significantly limited as technology providers may choose not to enter into required reselling relationships. Each reseller relationship adds additional licensing costs to the Government and also adds significant integration and on-going support risks. While many requirements could conceivably be met with an open source strategy, we do not believe it would be cost effective to consider that all current and future learning management requirements could be most effectively met solely with customized open source technology.

b. It is unreasonable to expect a single integration vendor to be able to successfully develop the integration expertise to support the range of potential platform technologies that will be employed to meet Government-wide learning requirements.

c. We believe it would be prohibitively costly for a single vendor to effectively manage a help desk supporting multiple agencies and a myriad of potential multi-vendor technologies.

d. Given the nature of the way technology providers license with bundled help desk, hosting, and support services, it will be extremely difficult to effectively achieve the required 51/49 large/small business splits required for 8(a) procurements.

e. We do not believe the current structure of Requiring the ultimate establishment of a separate Hosting facility for OPM Learning Management Support does not consider the many cost and technology advantages of leveraging the Cloud-based hosting and integrated Help Desk support offered by most of the Top Tier Human Capital, Learning Management, and LCMS providers in the market today.