EIS_RFP_QTA0015THA3003_-_SF30_-_Amend_08_(1).pdf

OMB Approval 2700-0042

1. CONTRACT ID CODE PAGE OF PAGES

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT 1 7

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO. 5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

08 2/12/2016

6. ISSUED BY CODE 7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6)

CODE

General Services Administration/FAS/ITS Office of Acquisition Operations

1800 F Street, NW, 4 th

Floor

Washington DC 20405

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR () 9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

QTA0015THA3003

X 9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

1710 H. Street, NW, 7 th

Floor 10/16/2015

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

CODE FACILITY CODE

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

X The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers is __ extended, X is not extended.

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning 1 copy of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE

HOUR AND DATA SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and data specified.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required)

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS,

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

() A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor _ is not, _ is required to sign this document and return 1 copies to the issuing office.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

SEE ADDITIONAL PAGES

Except at provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print) 16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

Timothy Horan Contracting Officer

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR 15C. DATE SIGNED 16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 16C. DATE SIGNED

(Signature of person authorized to sign)

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

NSN 7540-01-152-8070 30-105 STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 10-83)

PREVIOUS EDITION UNUSABLE Computer Generated Prescribed by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.24

RFP # QTA0015THA3003

Amendment #08

Revisions, Questions, Answers and Clarifications to the EIS RFP

This amendment includes the following:

- Questions received from potential offerors regarding the RFP. All questions received thus far have been answered.

- Answers to the questions listed. Answers include changes to the RFP Sections and clarifications that do not require changes to the RFP Sections.

The revisions, questions, answers and clarifications are listed based on the UCF Sections. The question numbers are from the Acquserve portal and are not in sequential order. Please note that some answers revise more than one section of the RFP.

The Government does not intend to issue any further amendments or answer any additional questions regarding the RFP.

The RFP is amended as follows:

Question # 993 Section: Section H Section # 18

Question:

We assume the contract modification required to withdraw the service per H.18, will be awarded by the GSA CO on the proposed withdrawal date without undue Government delay to the implementation of the acceptable plan which ensure service continuity and will be in effect to each applicable Task Order. With a 15-year contract, it is unavoidable that some products and services will become obsolete during the term. Customers sometimes will continue to use obsolete services until they are completely unsupportable and the customer is forced to move.

This section could result in a situation where a customer continues using obsolete services beyond the supportable period. We request GSA allow contractors to withdraw obsolete services at a time certain, for example 18 months after notice to the contracting officer and a showing that the contractor will no longer continue to provide the service to its commercial customers.

Answer:

The notification period and process for withdrawing a service from the contract remains unchanged. Clause H.18 will be amended to state that GSA approval will not be unreasonably withheld if the contractor's continuity plan for transitioning existing users to new services is acceptable to the Government.

Question # 989 Section: Section J Section # 1

Question:

The RFP currently requires a provider bidding MTIPS to price all mandatory domestic CLINs when pricing optional NONDOM locations. Many countries do not offer T1, T3, and higher speeds. Would GSA please allow MTIPS respondents to provide only E1 & E3 prices for

NONDOM MTIPS?

Answer:

The RFP will be amended. Section J.1.2 will be amended to state that the pricing of mandatory MTIPS CLINs is optional in non-domestic regions. The requirement to price mandatory MTIPS CLINs in OCONUS regions remains unchanged.

Section B.2.8.4.4, "MTIPS Price Structure," states in part: "The contractor shall only price the optional MTIPS E1 and E3 ports in non-domestic country/jurisdictions." In order to clarify that this requirement only addresses the locations where E1 and E3 may be proposed--specifically, restricting them from domestic jurisdictions--it will be amended to state, "The contractor shall price the optional MTIPS E1 and E3 ports in non-domestic country/jurisdictions only."

The error checker will be updated the week of February 15th to reflect these changes.

Question # 991 Section: Section J Section # 2.10.1.3.3

Question:

All the WSDLs attached in Section J.2.10.1.3.3.2 ZIP file will need to be updated to incorporate the request and response operations elements. In addition, the SOCN WSDL file should include the missing data element "terminating_iconectiv_nsc". The SOCN XSD file attached in Section J.2.10.1.3.3.1 ZIP file will need to be updated to correct the order of the data elements in the footer section.

Answer:

The RFP will be amended in Section J.2.10.1.3.3.2 to update all the WSDLs with the request and response operations elements. In addition, the SOCN WSDL will be updated to include the "terminating_iconectiv_nsc" data element.

The RFP will be amended in Section J.2.10.1.3.3.1 to correct the order of the data elements in the footer section of the SOCN XSD. In addition, all XSDs were updated to ensure consistent formatting and structure.

Question # 990 Section: Section L

29.2.3

Question:

The following change was made in Amendment 06, question 961 however, Section L did not include the revised wording. A revised version of Section L with the change is included in this amendment. Please change Section L.29.2.3 to read: 2. Anticipated technical approach, for each affected service, to redirect all participating agency Internet, Extranet, and inter-agency traffic to DHS EINSTEIN Enclaves, receive processed traffic from GFP within the DHS EINSTEIN Enclave, and deliver traffic to its final destination. Descriptions shall include locations of major POPs and Enclaves, transport types and speeds, diversity, number of hops and delays per hop.

Answer:

Section L.29.2.3 will be amended to add a clarifying sentence to the end of Item 2, which will now read in its entirety:

2. Anticipated technical approach, for each affected service, to redirect all participating agency Internet, Extranet, and inter-agency traffic to DHS EINSTEIN Enclaves, receive processed traffic from GFP within the DHS EINSTEIN Enclave, and deliver traffic to its final destination.

Descriptions shall include locations of major POPs and Enclaves, transport types and speeds, diversity, number of hops and delays per hop.

Questions and Answers That Do Not Include RFP Changes

Question # 988 Section: Section B

2.1.2.5.1

Question:

As per Amendment 2, Ethernet Transport Feature Prices Table B.2.1.2.5.1 is "Reserved for future use". Is Table B.2.1.2.5.1 required to be submitted? If it is to be submitted, what is required to be input into the table as the instructions table was removed in Amendment 2.

Answer:

Table B.2.1.2.5.2, Ethernet Transport Feature Pricing Instructions, was removed in Amendment

02. Therefore, no CLINs are currently defined for use in Table B.2.1.2.5.1, Ethernet Transport Feature Prices, and it is not required to be submitted at this time. It remains in the Working Area of the EIS AcquServe portal but is reserved for future use post-award.

Question # 995 Section: Section B

B.2.2.2.1.9

Question:

The answer to question 978 says, in part: "The offeror shall price terminating CSVS calls in the list of country/jurisdictions in Table J.1.2.1, and does not need to indicate in Step 5, which country/jurisdictions they are terminating service." In the answer, does the word "terminating" refer to the J.1.2.1 requirements for CSVS off-net termination, to the CSVS Non-Domestic Mobile Termination Surcharge requirements of B.2.2.2.1.9, or to both?

Answer:

In the answer to question 978, the word "terminating" refers to the J.1.2.1 requirements for CSVS off-net termination. When satisfying the J.1.2.1 requirements for CSVS off-net termination, the offeror shall not indicate in Step 5 of the EIS Service Selection tool the country/jurisdictions for which they are pricing off-net termination.

When proposing CSVS Non-Domestic Mobile Termination Surcharge pricing in table B.2.2.2.1.9.1, the offeror shall indicate in Step 5 of the EIS Service Selection tool the country/jurisdictions that they are pricing in table B.2.2.2.1.9.1.

Question # 996 Section: Section B

B.2.10.3.2

Question:

For table B.2.10.3.2, is the value in the price column equal to the OLP from table B.2.10.2.1 multiplied by the appropriate AOW factor from table B.2.10.10.1, for each respective AOW ID?

Answer:

From table B.2.10.2.1, the OLP less the discount specified by the Device Class ID yields the CONUS SRE NRC. Per section B.2.10.3 and its subsections, the SRE NRC is calculated by the government. The government also calculates the non-CONUS SRE NRCs from the CONUS SRE NRC and the AOW price adjustment factors provided by the contractor in table B.2.10.10.1.

The contractor shall not populate table B.2.10.3.2 with prices equal to the OLP from table B.2.10.2.1 multiplied by the appropriate AOW factor from table B.2.10.10.1 for each respective AOW ID. The OLP is only used to calculate the SRE NRC and the SRE MRCs, none of which are to be populated in table B.2.10.3.2, based upon table B.2.10.3.1 and its accompanying instructions.

Table B.2.10.3.2 shall only include prices for those SRE Pricing Elements from table B.2.10.3.1 for which the Calculated Price column = "F". Pricing shall be specified by AOW ID, and pricing for non-CONUS AOW IDs shall relate to pricing for CONUS AOW ID 200000 in accordance with the AOW price adjustment factors provided in table B.2.10.10.1.

Question # 997 Section: Section B

B.2.10

Question:

Table B.2.10.3.2 contains an area of the world ID (AOW ID) field. It appears this is a required field. Does that mean that the price column is specific to the AOW ID that is in table B.2.10.3.2?

If so, what is the purpose of the AOW price adjustment factors in table B.2.10.10.1? What B-tables do the price adjustment factors apply to?

Answer:

Yes, the AOW ID column in table B.2.10.3.2 is a required element that must be populated, and the price column is specific to the AOW ID.

From table B.2.10.2.1, the OLP less the discount specified by the Device Class ID yields the CONUS SRE NRC. Per section B.2.10.3 and its subsections, the SRE NRC is calculated by the government. The government calculates the non-CONUS SRE NRCs from the CONUS SRE NRC and the AOW price adjustment factors provided by the contractor in table B.2.10.10.1.

AOW price adjustment factors are used by the contractor to populate table B.2.10.3.2 and used by the government to calculate the SRE NRC and SRE MRCs that are derived from data provided by the contractor in tables B.2.10.2.1, B.2.10.2.2, and B.2.10.4.1.

Question # 992 Section: Section E

2.2.5

Question:

Exception: Section E.2.2.5 (Test Results and Acceptance) states "Waiver of the acceptance testing may be considered in those instances when the contractor has demonstrated that the problems encountered are not the fault of the contractor and government has determined that the contractor has taken all reasonable actions to correct all problems. The waiver issued by the GSA CO or the OCO will specify the grounds for the waiver. If the waiver is not granted, the contractor shall be obligated to continue to attempt correction of the deficiencies encountered in order to successfully accomplish the acceptance testing." Where a waiver of acceptance testing is granted in those instances when the contractor has demonstrated that the problems encountered are not the fault of the contractor and the government has determined that the contractor has taken all reasonable actions to correct all problems, or where circumstances are beyond the Offeror or its subcontractor's control and where a waiver is not issued by either the GSA CO or OCO, we maintain that Section H.18 Force Majuere will become applicable for the contractor.

Answer:

Clause H.18 is not the Force Majeure clause. If a contractor cannot complete acceptance testing due to one of the conditions cited in Clause H.38 Force Majeure, it may submit a notification in accordance with Item c of the clause for consideration.

Question # 994 Section: Section J

2.4.1.9

Question:

Exception: Section J.2.4.1.9 currently states; "An order submitted by the customer may contain multiple line items for unrelated services, or otherwise require provisioning efforts that are not logically related. Upon confirmation of such an order, the contractor may split the order into logical suborders using its standard provisioning process with the following restrictions: 1.

Services logically linked by a Service Grouping ID as described in Section J.2.10.1.1.2 Unique Billing Identifier, shall not be split across multiple suborders 2. The contractor shall not split any SO into suborders if the SO or the TO contains instructions prohibiting such splitting" We take exception to this requirement to allow the Contractor to split SO or TO into suborders in instances where this is required to coordinate with third party providers to meet the customer want date, and notification is provided the COR. The Government directly benefits with timely delivery of services, orders categorized by service delivery by following commercial best practices.

Answer:

The exception raised is not clear. The contractor is permitted to split orders under the scenario described in most circumstances, which appears to be the desired outcome based on the exception noted.

It is only in cases where the TO or SO specifically prohibits splitting orders that the contractor is not permitted to split an order - this may be the actual intent of the exception although it is not clear. However, even in cases where the TO or SO prohibits order splitting there is no restriction that prohibits the contractor from splitting the order internally in their own provisioning systems.

The only requirement is that the order be reported in all CDRLs as submitted by the agency.