RFP QandA num_82-199_v1_2.pdf

Questions and Answers for the Connections II RFP

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# RFP Section Redacted Question Redacted Answer 82 To submit a response as prime, the Past Performance requirement reads as if all references need to come from the Federal Government in each of the Solution Sets. Is that Correct?

No. Section L.22.3, Section L22.5, and Section M.2.4 are very explicit regarding an offeror’s submitted past performance references. Please follow the instructions referenced.

83 Will various State and/or Commercial accounts throughout the U.S. of similar projects be accepted?

See answer #82.

84 Past Performance References can be a combination of Prime Contractors and Sub-Contractors experience. Is that correct?

Yes. L.22.5 will be amended to reflect this.

85 L.20: General Proposal

Instructions

The Corporate Experience Volume page count maximum is listed as 25 pages. Does this include or exclude the offeror’s contract agreement with subcontractors required under L.22.3, in the last sentence of the second paragraph.

Yes, they are exceptions to the page limit. Providing subcontracting agreements will only reside in Volume 2.

Section L was amended to reflect this.

86 L.20: General Proposal

Instructions

The Business Volume page count maximum is listed as 50 pages. Does this include or exclude the offeror’s and subcontractors Annual Reports required under L.22.6, 3., h.?

The annual report is an exception to the page limit. Section L was amended to reflect this.

87 L.22.3: Volume 2:

Corporate

Experience

Is it acceptable to provide the subcontract agreements as attachments to the electronic submission?

Yes.

88 L.22.6: Volume 5:

Business

Is it acceptable to provide the annual reports as attachments to the electronic submission?

Yes. Section L was amended to reflect this.

89 L.22.4: Volume 3:

Management

May the offeror provide a commercial subcontracting plan in lieu of an individual subcontracting plan? The required plan format within Section J.3 provides templates for both an individual plan and a commercial plan.

See Section L.22.4 (4). Section J will be amended to remove references to the commercial subcontracting plan.

90 L.22.4: Volume 3:

Management

1st para

Will the government clarify/update the clauses referenced within this section? The current references are not accurate.

See Amendment 3’s updated Section L.

91 L.22.6: Volume 5:

Business

Will the required Standard Form and Representations and Certifications count towards the maximum page limit of 50 pages?

The Standard Form does count toward the page count.

Representations and Certifications are submitted electronically per Section K.2 and would not be part of the page count.

92 L.20: General Proposal

Instructions

Section L.20 states: “The proposal shall be presented with a Conformance Checklist and six separate volumes as shown in Table L-1.” Is the Conformance

See Section L.22.1.

The Conformance Checklist resides within the Connections

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Checklist to be included in one of the proposal volumes or is it to be submitted as a standalone file? If the former case, in which volume should offerors include the Conformance Checklist and is it included in the page limits for that volume?

Hosting Center. The Checklists are separate from the six proposal volumes and do not have a page limitation.

Offerors will respond to the Checklist based on Hosting Center User Instructions.

93 L.20, General Proposal

Instructions and L.22.4, Volume 3 –

Management.20 #1.; L.22.4, #2, f and g

Item #1 of Paragraph L.20 states: “ The maximum number includes all text and fold-out pages regardless of whether the pages are in the main portion of the volume or in an appendix or attachment to the volume.” Are the Supply Chain Risk Management and Sustainable Equipment, Services and Solutions plans required as appendices to the Management volume to be included within the allotted 50 pages?

The Draft SCRM Plan and Draft Sustainable Equipment and Services Plan are excluded from the page count. Section L

94 Section J – Sample Task Order –

Operation, Administration, and

Management

(OA&M)

Section J, Sample Task 3 (OA&M) 2.b. states “The government’s trouble ticket and service request processes (Remedy) are Government Furnished Equipment (GFE).” What is the current version of Remedy in use today? Which modules are active and are any near future upgrades / module additions planned?

The Remedy software package is provided as GFE is at the current version (ver 7.1).

95 Section J – Sample Task Order –

Operation, Administration, and

Management

(OA&M)

Section J, Sample Task 3 (OA&M) 2.f. states “The government does not require staff on site for help desk and NOC (if applicable).” Does the government allow remote access into all voice infrastructure components for the purpose of monitoring, alarm investigation and configuration support? What are the requirements to allow this access? Does the government provide Remedy client software and licensing from government system for remote support center referenced in 2.b?

Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Any assumptions made by offeror that supports proposed solution need to be documented.

96 Section J – Sample

Operation, Administration, and

Management

(OA&M)

Section J, Sample Task 3 (OA&M) Table 3 provides quantities & SLA information. What hours of operation are these metrics applied to? Section 3.c.i.

references hours of operation for fault management.

Are their different hours of operations intended for completing service orders versus fault management?

Metrics supplied in Table 3 of the Sample Task Order represent the total average activity per month for each category along with performance objectives.

Fault resolution time begins when the trouble ticket is initiated.

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Service order moves, adds and changes are normally completed on the next business day.

Any assumptions made by offeror that supports proposed

97 Section J – Sample

Operation, Administration, and

Management

(OA&M)

Section J, Sample Task 3 (OA&M) 3.a.i. states “Assume responsibility for all voice communications infrastructure equipment and its required life-cycle sustainment and maintenance.” Are all components of the existing infrastructure currently within manufacturer supported versions? If no, what percentage is not? Are any existing support services or maintenance agreements in place with the equipment manufacturers today? If no, what percentage is not?

The existing voice infrastructure equipment products are versions supported by the manufacturers.

There are no maintenance agreements in place for the voice infrastructure equipment.

Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Any

98 Section J – Sample

Operation, Administration, and

Management

(OA&M)

Section J, Sample Task 3 (OA&M) 3.a.iv. states “Maintain an inventory of equipment and services.” Is the database or system currently providing this functionality GFE? If yes, what is the current application / system / database the government uses?

Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Any

99 Section J – Sample

Operation, Administration, and

Management

(OA&M)

Section J, Sample Task 3 (OA&M) 3.b.iii. states “Track call patters such as source, destination and duration and provide reports and recommendations for improvements such as cost reduction.” What is the current call accounting system in place today? Is the system considered GFE?

The vendor is to “Consolidate and manage all billing via a web-accessible tracking, consolidation and reporting system.” Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW.

100 Section J – Sample

Operation, Administration, and

Management

(OA&M)

Section J, Sample Task 3 (OA&M) 3.b.vi. states “Provide a business case analysis for applying VoIP technology upgrade to the voice network which includes estimates for the total cost of ownership.” Is the business case to be developed based on the number of voice lines provided in the initial table for section 3 starting on page 61? Is this business case included within the 50 page limit for sample tasks?

The vendor is to write a proposal to a sample task order that describes the offeror’s technical and management approach to the work specified in the sample task, including the approach to the business case analysis.

101 Section J – Sample Section J, Sample Task 3 (OA&M) 3.c.ii. states Remedy software supports the trouble ticket and service

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Task Order –

Operation, Administration, and

Management

(OA&M)

“Provide end-user interface using current government trouble ticket and service request processes.” What are the current end-user interfaces in place today?

Could the government provide a copy of the current trouble ticket and service request processes?

request functionality as an integral part of the application.

Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Any assumptions made by offeror that supports proposed solution need to be documented.

102 Section J – Sample Task Order –

Operation, Administration, and

Management

(OA&M)

Section J, Sample Task 3 (OA&M) 3.d.i. states “Consolidate and manage all billing via a web-accessible tracking, consolidation, and reporting system.” What is the current system in place today?

Is this system considered GFE or provided by the contractor? Will it be hosted from GFE hardware, facilities or contractor provided hardware and facilities?

Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Any

103 Section J – Sample

Operation, Administration, and

Management

(OA&M)

Section J, Sample Task 3 (OA&M) 3.e.ii. states “Ensure host servers are located behind a correctly and securely configured firewall.” Will host servers be housed in GFE premises on GFE hardware? Behind GFE firewalls?

Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Any assumptions made by offeror that supports proposed solution need to be documented.

104 Section J – Sample Task Order –

Operation, Administration, and

Management

(OA&M)

Section J, Sample Task 3 (OA&M) 3.e.iv. states “Shall actively monitor the existing Intrusion detection system for any attack or unauthorized access attempt.” What is the existing Intrusion detection system? Does the system provide SNMP trap information or generate notifications in other ways?

Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Any

105 Section J – Sample

Communications and Networking

Solutions

Attachment 1, Sample Task Order for Communications and Networking Solutions, paragraph 4, g describes a …backup site with appropriate hardware and software to accommodate recovery of telephony features. Will the backup site also require the ability to provide “ local survivability at all remote offices… and …ability to make PSTN calls from all locations in the event of a total call control application failure at the main location” as outlined in paragraph 4.f?

No, the backup site does not provide local survivability at all remote sites. The backup site is not considered a remote office. Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW.

106 Section J – Sample

Communications

Attachment 1, Sample Task Order for Communications and Networking Solutions, paragraph 2.b states: This support infrastructure is

Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Any

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Solutions government furnished and available to the customer at no charge.” Can the offeror assume that any ancillary servers such as a DHCP server, DNS server, and LDAP servers will be Government Furnished Equipment and be available to support the VoIP solution for this sample task?

107 Section J – Sample

Communications and Networking

Solutions

Attachment 1, Sample Task Order for Communications and Networking Solutions, paragraph 3.a.vi states: "Connection to the Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) network is with a clear channel T3." Is the offeror to assume that the MPLS network is already in place by the Service Provider or an existing GSA configured MPLS network?

Yes.

Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Any

108 B.3.1.1: Equipment Products Table B-

1.: Equipment Table

Can the government clarify how the SCRM_Applied and SCRM_Applied Date are to be used? There does not appear to be a final NIST SCRM standard version that is finalized.

Offerors are required to specify whether the proposed equipment items are SCRM certified in the SCRM_Applied field. If certified, specify which NIST SCRM standard version that applies and also specify the date which it was applied in the SCRM_Applied_Date field. If not certified, or not applicable, specify either “Not Certified” or “Not Applicable” in the SCRM_Applied field. Section B will be amended to reflect this.

The Government recognizes NIST standards for SCRM have not yet been finalized. The tables were designed to accommodate standards when published.

109 B3.1.1: Equipment Products Table B-

2.: Equipment Price Tables

Are the following fields to be populated after contract award/when this information and not during response to this solicitation: Start_Date, Stop_Date, Replace_Date? Please clarify.

The Start_Date and Stop_Date fields are required to be populated during pre-award as well as post-award. Detailed instructions on how to populate these fields are specified in the Connections II Hosting Center User Instructions document. Replace_Date is an auto-filled field.

110 General Instructions

How and when will the Connections II Hosting Center User Instructions Document be provided?

As stated in Step 5 of the Connections II Hosting Center Access Instructions:

“Once the application forms have been received and accepted by the Connections II Contracting Officer, a “VPN Helper CD” will be mailed to the user to complete the

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Connections II Hosting Center Access process.

The CD will contain the following files:

1) Setup conn2-VPN.bat (for running the VPN helper utility)

2) Connections II Hosting Center User Instructions.doc

3) psqlodbc.msi (an ODBC Driver)

4) readme.txt – which will contain

a) Connections II Hosting Center Help Desk Phone #

b) Vendor Number and PIN (to be used when calling the help desk)

c) Usernames and passwords based on the usernames supplied on the application form IP address of the Connections II Hosting Center for web-browsing and ODBC access”

111 L.10: Identification of Restricted Rights in Computer Software

Does this apply to software products being priced and provided as part of the solicitation response?

Yes.

112 C.1.4 C.2

L.22.7 M.3

Is the offeror required to only propose the equipment necessary for the sample task orders and no other equipment at this time?

Equipment items proposed and priced under the Sample Task Orders will form the initial Equipment Catalog for offerors who receive a Connections II contract award.

113 Section B - Supplies or

Services and Prices B.1.1

Can bidders propose Other Direct Costs as part of the response for Task Order pricing?

Un-Priced CLINs (referred to as Other Direct Costs/ODC) are not to be used for the Sample Tasks. Equipment items proposed and priced under the Sample Task Orders will form the initial Equipment Catalog for offerors who receive a Connections II contract award. Any additional labor category proposed as part of the sample task orders not already identified in Section J.1 will also be added to a vendor’s catalog upon receipt of a Connections II contract award.

In the post-award environment, products or services proposed in response to a task order request that is not priced by a pre-existing contract line item will be considered an Un-Priced CLIN. Awardees may propose such items.

Price reasonableness of the overall task order will be determined by the Ordering Contract Officer (OCO) based on standards in FAR 15.4.

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114 Section C -

Description/ Specifications/Work

Statement C.2.1.12

Section C.2.1.12 requires a Sustainable Equipment, Services and Solutions Plan.

Does this plan count in the 50 page count limitation for Volume 5 – Business?

The Draft Sustainable Equipment and Services Plan are excluded from the page count. Section L was amended to reflect this.

115 Section J – List of Attachments

J.1

Please change the HDI certification requirement to allow it to be obtained within 12 months of award.

This provides the time needed for an otherwise qualified person to become certified. Alternately, it allow the substitution of other help desk certifications, such as, CompTIA’s A+ or Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) certifications. This will give GSA access to a greater pool of qualified personnel.

Section J will be amended to state, ”Additionally, certifications referenced in Table J.1 may be replaced by the OCO with other industry standard, best practice certifications which are specifically aligned with the skills and experience required by the task order.”

116 Section J – List of

J.1

Recommend that GSA expand its requirement for Cisco certified technology network administrators to include other certifications and equivalent experience to be considered in lieu of Cisco certifications. This will give GSA access to a greater pool of qualified personnel.

Section J will be amended to state, ”Additionally, certifications referenced in Table J.1 may be replaced by the OCO with other industry standard, best practice certifications which are specifically aligned with the skills and experience required by the task order.”

117 Section J – List of

Page J-61

The RFP states, “the project is unclassified. However, full time on site support personnel may require a secret clearance and a completed National Agency Check (NAC) to gain access to the network.” Will a secret clearance be required for an off-site resource accessing the network remotely?

Off-site resources will be required to have the same clearance level as on-site.

118 Section L - Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors

L.20(1)

Section L, General Proposal Instructions, directs that these are the only pages excluded from page counts:

Front Cover Page and Back Cover Page; b) Table of Contents; c) List of Tables; d) List of Figures; e) Pages Intentionally Left Blank.

Section L also requires Resumes for all Key Personnel, L22.4, 2b (with additional reference to Section H-25); L22.4, 2c Draft Connections II Marketing Plan (with additional reference to Section G.7 [Program Development]); and L.22.4, 2f Draft Connections II SCRM Plan (with additional reference to Section C.3.3 [Supply Chain Risk Management]).

See proposal Amendment 3, Section L

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Are all key personnel resumes and required Draft Plans subject to the 50 page count limitation for Volume 3 – Management or can that limitation be expanded?

119 Section M - Evaluation Factors for Award M.2.3(4)

H-5

The Evaluation Criteria for the Small Business goals and the Draft Subcontracting Plan (for Large Business Offerors Only) appear to be tied to Volume 3, Management, rather than to Volume 6, Business. Is this correct?

Does the Draft Subcontracting Plan count against the 50 page count limit of whichever volume it is presented?

Yes, the subcontracting requirement is tied to Section M.2.4(4).

Yes, it is an exception to the page limit. Section L was amended to reflect this.

120 B.1.1 The RFP States “For orders extending beyond the Basic Contract expiration date in accordance with FAR 52.216-22, there shall be no increases to the year 10 prices for labor and equipment specified in Section B. ”

Question:

Does this statement mean that the offeror could enter into a task order that goes 60 months beyond the contract life with no year over year escalation in the labor rates?

Yes.

121 B.1.1 The RFP States, “The offeror shall also provide fixed prices for all proposed equipment required to perform each of the sample task orders, as described in Section J.4 [Sample Tasks]. Equipment and labor prices are required for each year of the ten-year period. The contract prices shall stay in effect for the duration of the contract until contract modifications (refer to Section G.2 [Contract Modifications]) have been executed to delete or update the prices. ”

Question:

Does the Government want equipment priced for the task order or for the life of the contract?

Equipment items proposed and priced under the Sample Task Orders will form the initial Equipment Catalog for offerors who receive a Connections II contract award. Those prices will stay in effect for the life of the contract.

122 B.3.1.1, Table B-2 Equipment_Price

The RFP States, “Start Date The date which the equipment price

Detailed instructions on how to populate these fields are specified in the Connections II Hosting Center User

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Table becomes effective.

Stop Date The date which the equipment price is no longer effective. ”

Question:

Does the equipment pricing start with the award of the contract or the task order? Is the Stop Date when the task order is complete or is it when the contract is complete?

Instructions document.

123 Section J, Attachment 2, Conformance

Checklist p J-67

The RFP States, “Attachment 2 refers to Section L requirements.”

Question:

Does the Conformance Checklist only apply to Section L?

Yes. The Conformance Checklist addresses only Section L requirements.

124 Section L, L.20, Page L-7 & 8

The RFP States, “The Conformance Checklist and each proposal volume shall be limited to the maximum number of pages set out in Table L-2, Component Page Counts.”

Question:

Can the Conformance Checklist be outside of the limited pages – it is 4 pages as provided and would limit a very short 25 page volume.

The Checklist is not included in the page count in any of the six (6) volumes. Section L.22.1.will be amended to reflect this.

125 L.22.3, Volume 2:

Corporate

Experience, 2 nd paragraph, last sentence

The RFP States, “A contract agreement between prime offeror and subcontractor must be submitted to verify availability and commitment of subcontractor resources.”

Question:

Although a contract agreement between the prime offeror and subcontractor would not exist until after contract award and Teaming Agreements between the prime offeror and subcontractor are considered confidential between the two parties, plus they are lengthy and would adversely affect the volume page count, would the Government accept a signed letter of commitment on the prime offeror’s and subcontractors’ letterhead?

Copies of signed contract agreements between the prime offeror and subcontractors are required as specified in L.22.3.

They are exceptions to the page limit. Section L was

126 L.22.6.3.h The RFP States, “A copy of the organization’s most Annual Reports are exceptions to the page limit. Section L

Page 10 QTA010ABA0023 July 30, 2010 recent annual report shall be submitted as part of the business proposal. Annual reports shall also be submitted for all proposed subcontractors expected to perform at least 20 percent of the contract work or responsibility or receive at least 20 percent of the contract revenue. ”

Question:

Volume 5: Business is limited to 50 pages; most Annual Reports are between 20 – 100 pages. Will the Annual Report(s) count against the page count?

Would the Government accept a link to the web site where the Annual Report(s) is located or accept the Annual Report(s) as attachments that does not go against the page count of this volume?

127 Amendment 1, E-122, Level 1

Question:

What is the existing pathway depicted by the line from the cable tray to the drop locations or breakout boxes?

The paths of the existing cabling that will be removed.

128 Amendment 1, E-122, Level 1

Question:

Breakout boxes are defined in the Sample Task Order 2 as triangles within a square, what is the definition for the single triangles not surrounded by a square?

Wall outlets.

129 Amendment 1, E-122, Level 1

Question:

Room 2_E401 is not on the identifier list in the Sample Task Order 2, what is the purpose of this room?

See answer to question 28. Assumptions should be made by the offeror in establishing the basis for their proposed solution.

130 Section J Building/Campus Facility Preparation Sample Task Order

1. Task Summary, pg J-59, para 1.b.

Task Summary states that existing cable is being removed because it’s a fire hazard. Should the offeror assume that replacement cable has to be Plenum Rated to mitigate the fire hazard?

See answer to question 28. Assumptions should be made by the offeror in establishing the basis for their proposed solution.

131 Section J Building/Campus Facility Preparation Sample Task Order

2. Scope, pg J-59, para 2.a

Scope states that the offeror will be responsible for connectivity between TRs and end user locations.

Networking between end user locations and with services outside the building is out of scope.

Connectivity between the TRs and the NOC is not addressed. Should the offeror assume TR NOC connectivity is also excluded? If not, what size and

See answer to question 52. Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Any assumptions made by offeror that supports proposed solution need to be documented.

Page 11 QTA010ABA0023 July 30, 2010 type of fiber would be required (i.e. 12 strand single mode/multimode?)

132 Section J Building/Campus Facility Preparation Sample Task Order

3. Description – Building Layout, pg

J-59, para 3

The Sample Task description indicates the vertical distance between floors and the approximate distance from the breakout boxes to the end user locations, but not the distances between the TRs and the breakout boxes. Since the drawings are not scaled, the offeror is unable to determine this distance from the drawings provided. What average wire distance should be used for bid purposes?

See answer to question 30. Scale drawings are provided as part of the RFP. The note “Not to Scale” refers only to the width shown for the cable trays.

133 Section J Building/Campus Facility Preparation Sample Task Order

3. Description – Building Layout, pg

J-60, para 3.b

The Sample Task states each breakout box serves four end user locations and each end user may have up to two appliances. Should Bidders assume that 8 physical network connections (one for each appliance) per breakout box are required?

See answer to question 33. Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Vendor’s proposed solution is not prescribed. Any assumptions made by offeror that supports proposed solution need to be documented.

134 Section J Operations, Administration, and Management

(OA&M) Sample Task Order, 2.

Scope pg J-61, para. 2.a

The scope requires the contractor to assume responsibility for operations, administration and maintenance of the voice communications system, but the Sample Task doesn’t identify the specific voice communications systems installed by site. Since performance of this task requires access to equipment spares, can the offeror assume that the Government will purchase and provide the actual spares to the contractor as GFM, and the offeror will only be responsible for identifying spares and replenishment needs? If this is not an appropriate assumption, the offeror will need a specific list of installed equipment and quantities in order to accurately provide a Bill Of Materials for spares.

Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Any

135 Section J Operations, Administration, and Management

(OA&M) Sample Task Order, 3.

Description, pg J-

Do the 33,600 voice lines equate to 33,600 Direct Inward Dial (DID) numbers or are there multiple DIDs per voice line?

The offeror should be familiar with DID capabilities. Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Any

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62, 136 Section J Operations, Administration, and Management

(OA&M) Sample Task Order, Requirements, pg J-63, para c Fault

Management

The Sample Task requires a staffed help desk 12x5 with toll-free telephone support during off-hours. Is the toll-free number expected to be staffed during off-hours to answer calls? If so, is this equivalent to 24x7 staffed help desk support. Or is the Government asking for a voice message on the toll-free number stating to “call back during regular business hours?”

Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Any assumptions made by offeror that supports proposed solution need to be documented. As stated in the government response to vendor question number 16, “During off-hours periods, agency users should be able to report a communications problem via a toll free call to someone that will take the specifics of the issue, generate a trouble ticket initiating the trouble resolution process.”

137 Section J Customer Service and Technical Support Sample

Task Order, pg J- 66, Para 4.b

Reference paragraph states that: “There is no equipment expected for this order other than what may be needed for access associated with a service.”

Section L.2.22.4.2 (pg L-10) requires that:

“Corresponding to the WBS, provide for each sample task un-priced level of effort, labor mix, and bill of materials/equipment”

Question: Should the offeror assume that for the “Customer Service and Technical Support Sample Task Order” no bill of materials/equipment need be provided other than what may be needed for access associated with a service?

Offerors are to use the instructions in section L.22.2. Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Any

138 Section J Customer Service and Technical Support Sample

Task Order, pg J- 66, Para 4.c

Reference paragraph states that: “The sample task will be evaluated from a technical standpoint only, as described in Section L.22.2 [Volume 1: Sample Tasks].”

Section L.22.2 (pg L-10) calls for both a Technical Approach and a Management Approach for each Sample Task.

Question: Should the offeror assume that only L.22.2.4.1 “Technical Approach” need be addressed and that L.4.22.2.4.2 “Management Approach” is not required for this Sample Task?

Offerors are to use the instructions in section L.22.2. Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Any

139 Section J.6 Incorrect reference sample task descriptions are in Section J will be amended to correct.

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Conformance

Checklist, pg J-69 Attachment 1.

140 L.20 General Proposal

Instructions, 2.

Fold-Out Page, pg

L-8

An additional 10 hardcopies of fold-out pages shall be supplied with the proposal…”

Since the proposal is being submitted electronically how does the Government want the 10 additional hardcopies of fold-out pages delivered?

See Section L.20, per Amendment 3.

141 L.21 Electronic Submission

Requirements, pg L-9

“Instructions on using the Hosting Center to submit proposal components are provided in Section J.4 [Connections II Hosting Center User Instructions].”

Incorrect reference. Instead of Section J.4 did the Government mean Attachment 4?

Section L will be amended to correct reference to J.5. See answer #110.

142 L.22.2 Volume 1:

Sample Tasks, pg

L-9

Sample Task Schedules:

Section L does not specify a format for the Sample Task schedules. Should the offeror assume that schedules are to be inserted as a graphic into the Sample Task Volume, even though they might have been created using a project planning tool such as Microsoft Project?

Annual Reports are exceptions to the page limit. Section L

143 L.22.2 Volume 1:

Sample Tasks, para. 2.c, pg L-10

Within each Sample Task the offeror has to provide a Bill of Materials (BOM). For some of the Sample Tasks the BOM can be large. Is it the Government’s intent that the full BOM be included within each Sample Task or can each Sample Task identify the major components of the BOM with the detailed BOM included in the product catalog in the Price Volume?

See Section L.22.2

144 L.22.2 Sample Tasks, 3. Additional Information, pg L-

Incorrect reference sample task descriptions are in Attachment 1

Section L will be amended to correct reference from J.6 to J.4.

145 L.22.4 Volume 3:

Management, para

2.c, pg L-12, This section of the RFP requires the offeror to submit a “draft Connections II Marketing Plan” as part of their proposal response. Will the Government exclude this draft plan from the total page count for the Management Volume?

146 L.22.4, Volume 3: This section of the RFP requires the offeror to submit See Section L.22.4, Amendment 3.

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Management, para

2.f, pg L-12, a “draft Connections II Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) Plan” as an appendix to the Management Volume. The Government has stated that the maximum number of pages is inclusive of pages submitted in an appendix or attachment to the volumes (Page L-8). Will the Government exclude the draft Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) Plan from the total page count for the Management Volume? Will the Government consider excluding all appendices submitted under the Management Volume from the total page limitation for that volume?

147 L.22.4 Volume 3:

Management, para

2.g, pg L-12, This section of the RFP requires the offeror to submit a “draft Connections II Sustainable Equipment, Services and Solutions Plan” as an appendix to the Management Volume.

The Government has stated that the maximum number of pages is inclusive of pages submitted in an appendix or attachment to the volumes (Page L-8).

Will the Government exclude the draft Sustainable Equipment, Services and Solutions Plan from the total page count for the Management Volume? Will the Government consider excluding all appendices submitted under the Management Volume from the total page limitation for that volume?

See Section L.22.4, Amendment 3.

148 L.22.4 Volume 3:

Management, para 4, Subcontracting

Plan (for Large Business Offerors only), pg L-13

This section of the RFP requires only large businesses to submit an “individual subcontracting plan, specific to the Connections II procurement.”

Since this is only required for large business offerors rather than all offerors, small businesses would have a significant advantage in page count for this volume if the Subcontracting Plan was included in the page count for large business offerors. For this reason, will the Government exclude the page count for the Subcontracting Plan from the total page limitation for the Management Volume?

149 L.22.5 Volume 4 Past Performance, pg L-14

Section L states, “NOTE: A past performance questionnaire is included in Section J. Offerors are responsible for distributing the customer past

Amendment 03 (posted Thursday, July 22, 2010) changed the date in Section J to September 7, 2010.

Page 15 QTA010ABA0023 July 30, 2010 performance questionnaire to each reference with the request that the customer reference complete and return the questionnaire to the GSA Procuring Contracting Officer not later than the due date for offers.”

However, the Past Performance Questionnaire in Section J, Attachment 3, pg J-71 states, “Please return this questionnaire by email directly to the GSA Procuring Contracting Officer at the address below no later than August 20, 2010.”

Can the Government please clarify when Past Performance Questionnaires are due?

150 L.22.6, Volume 5:

Business, pgs L-14 and L-15

The Draft RFP specified an “unlimited” maximum number of pages for the Business Volume. The Final RFP specifies a 50 page limitation for this volume.

Inasmuch as the page count includes submittal of the Prime’s annual report (and possibly those of multiple subcontractors), will the Government exclude the annual reports from the total page limitation for the Business Volume? This company’s annual report alone exceeds the maximum page limitation for this volume.

See L.22.6, Amendment 3.

151 L.22.6 Volume 5:

Business, pgs L-14 and L-15, para 3, Offeror Responsibility

“Demonstration of adequate financial resources or the ability to obtain such resources as required during the performance of the contract.” This Offeror Responsibility section requires submittal of a completed GSA Form 527 (Paragraph 3.a.) and a copy of the organization’s most recent annual report (Paragraph 3.h.). Will the Government consider deleting Paragraph 3.b. as the submittal of the GSA Form 527 and Annual Report would serve to demonstrate a company has adequate financial resources to perform on this contract?

Paragraph 3.c, requires - “Demonstration of the ability to comply with required or proposed delivery schedule, taking into consideration all existing

3.b through 3.g has been deleted. Section L will be amended to reflect this change.

Page 16 QTA010ABA0023 July 30, 2010 business commitments, both commercial and government.” Will the Government consider deleting paragraph 3.c. from this volume as the Management Volume should clearly serve to demonstrate the offeror’s ability to respond to this requirement?

Paragraph 3.e, requires - “Demonstration of the necessary organization, experience, accounting and operational controls, and technical skills, or the ability to obtain them.” Will the Government consider deleting Paragraph 3.e from this volume as the Corporate Experience and Management Volumes should clearly serve to demonstrate the offeror’s ability to respond to this requirement?

Paragraph 3.f. requires – “Demonstration of the necessary production, construction, and technical equipment and facilities, or the ability to obtain them.”

Will the Government consider deleting this Paragraph 3.f from this volume as the Management Volume should clearly serve to demonstrate the offeror’s ability to respond to this requirement?

Paragraph 3.g, requires – “Demonstration that the offeror is otherwise qualified and eligible to receive an award under applicable laws and regulations.” Will the Government specify what documentation or other forms of proof would be acceptable to demonstrate this requirement?

152 L.22.7 Volume 6:

Price, pg L-15

Will the Government please indicate how bidders will be able to provide their price narrative through the Hosting Center?

A price narrative is not required.

153 L.22.7 Volume 6:

Price, pg L-15

The Government has not requested price for the sample task orders. The equipment necessary for each sample task order needs to be priced on a unit basis in the Section B Pricing tables. Will the Government please indicate where price discounts can be provided for the sample task orders? List price and order price can vary significantly. There are

For the purposes of the solicitation, unit prices for labor and equipment proposed and priced under the Sample Task Orders will be the Labor Category awarded prices and form the initial Equipment Catalog for offerors who receive a Connections II contract award. After award, Connections II vendors participating in task order competition can price their labor and equipment solutions as appropriate.

Page 17 QTA010ABA0023 July 30, 2010 economies of scales with larger orders. By the same logic, labor could also be discounted for larger orders.

Where does the offeror indicate the discount on labor for the sample task orders? Where does the offeror indicate bottom line discounts for a sample task order?

154 L.22.7 Volume 6:

Price, pg L-15 and L-16, Paragraphs a and c.

There does not appear to be any differences between the list of labor categories required under a) and c).

Both a) and c) are essentially requesting the same thing, all mandatory labor categories from Section B.4, Table B-9 and described in Section J-1, Table J-1.

Was it the Government’s intent to have paragraph a for the sample task order labor only and paragraph c for the complete list of labor categories identified in Section B.4, Table B-9? Will the Government please clarify the requirements for a) and c)?

Yes, it was the Government’s intent to have paragraph a) for the sample task order and paragraph c) for the complete list of labor categories identified in Section B.4, No, the Government does not feel further clarification for requirements a) and c) are necessary, based on above answer.

155 Section J Operations, Administration, and Management

(OA&M) Sample Task Order

To facilitate evaluations of contractor responses, please indicate which of the following items are GFE:

•Help Desk Software

•Firewall System

•Intrusion Detection System

•Virus Protection System

•Call Detail Record Processing System

Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Any

156 Attachment: e- 122_baseline-01-

14-10-a.edrw

3.a.i gives instructions how to measure the distances on the floor plans supplied as amendment 001.

However, those attachments are marked "** NOT TO SCALE **". Will the Government release drawings tro scale or provide horizontal cable distances in order to estimate total cable needs for this task order?

See answer to question 30. Scale drawings are provided as part of the RFP. The note “Not to Scale” refers only to the width shown for the cable trays.

157 L.22.3 In the referenced paragraph the Government provides conditions for using subcontractor past performance in Volume 2. It requires that contract agreements between prime offeror and subcontractors be submitted with proposals to establish a "bona fide"

Copies of signed contract agreements between the prime offeror and subcontractors are required as specified in L.22.3.

They are exceptions to the page limit. Section L was

Page 18 QTA010ABA0023 July 30, 2010 relationship. These legal agreements are typically several pages long. This bidder recommends that the agreements be submitted as appendices of Volume 2 and not be included in the page count for Volume 2.

158 Section J Building/Campus

Facility Preparation Sample Task

For scheduling purposes, does the Government intend for the work on this task order to be accomplished during normal business day work hours.

Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Any assumptions made by offeror that supports proposed solution need to be documented.

159 L.22.4 Paragraph 4 requires large business offerors (only) to submit a subcontracting plan per references provided and the sub-contracting plan outline in Section J.3.

This plan represents significant page count in Volume 3 for large offerors. We request that the subcontracting plan be excluded from Volume 3 page count.

The Subcontracting Plan is excluded from the page count.

Section L was amended to reflect this.

160 L.20 (2) Per instructions in the RFP, bidders are expected to supply hardcopies of fold-out pages. Will the government please confirm the delivery address to be the Eaton Place facility shown in Section L.8?

Section L was amended to remove the requirement for hardcopies. See Section L.21.

161 Section J Operations, Administration, and Management

(OA&M) Sample Task Order

In the description of the voice lines, the Government indicated that "With only a minimum of exceptions, the vast majority of voice lines are served via PBX hosted DID trunks. " Please clarify if the number of PBX systems to be supported is the same as the number of locations, e.g. 972.

Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Any assumptions made by offeror that supports proposed solution need to be documented.

162 Section J Operations, Administration, and Management

(OA&M) Sample Task Order

Please provide a description of the "service invoices" in paragraph 3 to include what type of service is being invoiced.

The service invoices originate from voice telecommunications service providers.

163 L.22.4.2.g RFP section L.22.4.2.g calls for a section on Sustainable Equipment, Services and Solutions and includes a requirement for submittal of a draft Sustainable Equipment, Services and Solutions Plan.

Section L indicates that this section should be

The draft Sustainable Equipment, Services and Solutions Plan was excluded from the page count and Section L was amended to reflect the change.

Page 19 QTA010ABA0023 July 30, 2010 submitted as an “appendix to the Management Volume.” Is it the government’s intention that both the narrative related to this and the draft Sustainable Equipment, Services and Solutions Plan be included as an appendix or should only the draft Sustainable Equipment, Services and Solutions Plan be in the appendix?

164 L.22.4.2.g RFP section L.22.4.2.g calls for submittal of a draft Sustainable Equipment, Services and Solutions Plan.

Is there any guidance as to content for this plan?

See Section C.2.1.12.

165 L.22.4.2.g RFP section L.22.4.2.g calls for a section on Sustainable Equipment, Services and Solutions and includes a requirement for submittal of a draft Sustainable Equipment, Services and Solutions Plan.

Section L indicates that this section should be submitted as an “appendix to the Management Volume.” Is the appendix included in the 50 page maximum for the Management Volume?

The draft Sustainable Equipment, Services and Solutions Plan was excluded from the page count and Section L was amended to reflect the change.

166 L.22.4.2 RFP section L.22.4.2, pages L-11 and L-12, states that “A contract agreement between prime offeror and subcontractor must be submitted to verify availability and commitment of subcontractor resources.” Also, on L-11, “proposed subcontractor agreements shall be provided.” The contracts or subcontract agreements are lengthy documents and there are several which would need to be submitted as a part of the Management Volume. The total length of these documents may well exceed the page count available for the Management Volume. We would therefore request that these documents be submitted as an appendix and not included in the page count.

Copies of signed contract agreements between the prime offeror and subcontractors are required as specified in L.22.3. They are exceptions to the page limit. Section L

167 Section F Section F.5, Contract Deliverables, in Table F.5.1, referencing RFP Section C.2.1.12, the Sustainable Equipment and Services and Solution Plan indicates that the submittal date is in the proposal, annually thereafter, and as requested at the task order level. In

The draft Sustainable Equipment, Services and Solutions Plan is a contract requirement and was excluded from the page count and Section L was amended to reflect the change.

Page 20 QTA010ABA0023 July 30, 2010

Section C.2.1.12, the requirement states that specific sustainability requirements will be specified at the task order level, but no indication that a Sustainable Equipment and Services and Solution Plan be submitted in the proposal. Section L.22.4.2.g calls for a Sustainable Equipment Services and Solutions Plan in the proposal but does not specify any task order.

Can you please clarify if this Plan is to be submitted with our response, or if it should be specific to individual task orders and only submitted when requested by a task order?

168 Section L RFP Section L.22.5, Past Performance indicates that completed Past Performance Questionnaires must be submitted to the GSA Procuring Contracting Officer “not later than the due date for offers.” RFP Section J, Attachment 3, page 71, states “Please return this questionnaire by email directly to the GSA Procuring Contracting Officer at the address below no later than August 20, 2010.” Please clarify when the Past Performance Questionnaires are due.

Amendment 03 (posted Thursday, July 22, 2010) changed the date in Section J to September 7, 2010.

169 Section L Page L-15, paragraph L.22.6,3, g. includes a requirement for submittal of annual reports. Some of the annual reports required are for public companies and are lengthy documents. We would therefore request that the requested annual reports be submitted as an appendix and not included in the page count.

The Annual Report is excluded from the page count.

Section L was amended to reflect this.

170 Section B Section B.1.1. indicates that “items not specifically listed in these price tables may be proposed in response to an order request, provided that the items proposed fall within the scope of the contract as defined in Section C.1.” Given the guidance in Section B.1.1., can labor categories in addition to the Mandatory Labor Categories be proposed to respond to the sample task orders as long as those additions are within the scope of the contract and are in the best

Un-Priced CLINs (referred to as Other Direct Costs/ODC) are not to be used for the Sample Tasks. Equipment items proposed and priced under the Sample Task Orders will form the initial Equipment Catalog for offerors who receive a Connections II contract award. Any additional labor category proposed as part of the sample task orders not already identified in Section J.1 will also be added to a vendor’s catalog upon receipt of a Connections II contract award.

In the post-award environment, products or services

Page 21 QTA010ABA0023 July 30, 2010 interests of the government? proposed in response to a task order request that is not priced by a pre-existing contract line item will be considered an Un-Priced CLIN. Awardees may propose such items.

Price reasonableness of the overall task order will be determined by the Ordering Contract Officer (OCO) based on standards in FAR 15.4.

171 Section J Sample Task 1, Communications and Networking Solutions, page J-54, states “The data switches and cabling support Power over Ethernet (PoE).” Does this statement mean that the switches are power sourcing equipment or that the switches are compatible with POE but do not supply power?

Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Any

172 Section J For Sample Task 2, Building and Campus Site Preparation, page J-59, indicates that patch panels and breakout boxes are available for reuse. What are the make and model of the patch panels and breakout boxes? With what type of modules (make and model) are the breakout boxes equipped?

Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Any

173 Section J For Sample Task 2, Building and Campus Site Preparation, page J-59, the drawings which were referenced are not drawn to scale and there are no measurement references from which to derive distances. These distances are the basis for estimating needed cables and other materials for the task. Please provide either scale drawings or distance references.

See answer to question 30. Scale drawings are provided as part of the RFP. The note “Not to Scale” refers only to the width shown for the cable trays.

174 Section J For Sample Task 2, Building and Campus Site Preparation, page J-59, is the building in which this work will be performed a plenum or non-plenum environment?

Scope of work is specified in Sample Task’s SOW. Any

175 Section J Sample Task 2, Building and Campus Site Preparation, page J-59 states: “The contractor is only responsible for…