QTF0017HM1000_Q&A's_dated_6.27.17.pdf

Vendor Question GSA Response

With the process in Attachment 1 being dependent on other authoritative data sources – D&B, SAM.gov, PPIRS, etc.

What are some of the data types that the FAStLane Program hopes to track with DLT? What data will this proof of concept be the authoritative data source for?

The following examples are not an exhaustive list of reviews. For SAM, GSA must verify representations and certifications (including business type), expiration date, and NAICS (preponderance of work). For PPIRS, GSA reviews for any available records particularly any poor performance reviews. For D&B, information on company's financial status is reviewed.

Is the “proof of concept” intended to handle actual currency transaction data or just provide the information and approved suppliers? The proof of concept will not handle any currency transaction data. It will only provide information to GSA systems.

What is the minimum set of "Disparate IT Systems” that must be integrated? Can a general description of each and the data they provide be provided?

See Attachment 2 FASt Lane Legacy Systems. Any additional systems will be identified in the discovery or requirements definition phase provided by the offeror.

Does the FASt Lane Program have a preferred platform/technology to manage the workflow and content of the process described in Attachment 1? Is the architecture of this workflow automation system part of the proof of concept or should it only focus on interfaces with DLT, AI, Machine Learning etc.?

GSA has no preference as long as the proof of concept can be demonstrated to interact with GSA's existing systems. Yes, a description of the architecture must be included in the proof of concept. The design should be included in CLIN 0001 Design Concept for FASt Lane Automation.

For the Oral Presentation, will this be by telephone or face to face at your location?

Oral presentations may be face to face (Washington DC) or via Adobe Connect. GSA will provide the Adobe Connect information when the oral presentations are scheduled. Please also identify your preference in the quote.

6 Is there an Incumbent or is this a new requirement? This is a new requirement.

7 How do we submit questions? Please submit questions to Heidi McFall, heidi.mcfall@gsa.gov NLT 4:00 pm on Jun 23, 2017.

In section C.4.1.c, it says, "Operate within an open source, open platform and open data to maximize interoperability with GSA systems." Our question is: does this mean the entire solution must utilize open source software, or is it permissible to propose a hybrid of open source software and best-of-breed commercial software where the latter is necessary or optimal to meet the performance, security, scalability, and other requirements of the RFQ?

GSA's goal in this procurement is to maximize open source technology. If a proposed solution includes a proprietary technology, then vendor must justify why this proprietary solution would be in the government's best interest to select versus an open source solution. Clear benefit of the proprietary solution must be justified and contrasted with an open source solution. That said, as long as a proprietary solution does not prevent interoperability as well as having the ability to scale to expand it and add functionality, the solution would be considered for review.

We are a small business entity, however due to our focus on blockchain identity and trust systems, meeting some the performance objectives in this RFQ would require us to partner with at least one other small business entity, and most likely with a third entity that would not qualify as a small business entity. Is it permissible to have a partner or subcontractor that is not a small business entity?

National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 (NDAA), Public Law 112-239, 126 Stat. 1632 (Jan. 2013) provides that a small business awarded a small business set-aside, 8(a), SDVO small business, HUBZone, or WOSB/EDWOSB award “may not expend on subcontractors” more than a specified amount. However, work done by “similarly situated entities” does not count as subcontracted work for purposes of determining compliance with the limitation on subcontracting requirements. Proposed § 125.6(a)(1) and (a)(2) addressed the limitations on subcontracting applicable to small business set-aside contracts requiring services or supplies. The limitation on subcontracting for both services and supplies is statutorily set at 50% of the award amount received by the prime contractor. See 15 U.S.C. 657s(a).

Is there a specific deployment target for the POC UI/UX components, i.e., smartphones, tablets, laptops/desktops?

Or should we assume a responsive UI? GSA seeks a responsive design for the user interface for the proof of concept.

In section C.4.1.p, it says, "Provide for a minimum of a three-month period for testing and demonstration of the functionality of the proof of concept." Should we assume that this three-month period is immediately following the Sept 30th deadline for the prototype?

The minimum of three-month period extends past the delivery of the proof of concept. The proof of concept is required to be delivered on or before September 30, 2017.

12 Is there an award-ceiling in the budget for this budget ? Yes; $149,999

Why is the following performance objective a requirement?

b. Be cryptocurrency agnostic and not monetize mining.

GSA will delete this statement in Amendment 1.

Are there specific descriptions of what "smart" means in this requirement? d. Have the ability to configure smart contracts based on multiple decision rules and workflows. Smart contracts are a concept that the software code executes predetermined actions based on a set of criteria.

When you state "The PWS shall address element and and (sic) include performance-based metrics" does element refer to the Objectives listed in C.4?

The offerors shall develop performance-based metrics to which their delivered solution will be evaluated. These performance-based metrics must be included in the PWS (Section A of the quote). For more information on performance-based acquisition, see https://gsa.gov/graphics/fas/VETS_Attach_8_Seven_Steps_to_PBA.pdf.

Since MAS FAStLane is currently focused on certain types of Schedule 70 contracts, should the Design Concept and Proof of Concept address only those listed Schedule 70 contracts (e.g., Agile Services BPA, National IT commodity program, etc.)? The proof of concept should only address FASt Lane process.

Does the government have a prototype Distributed Ledger Technology protocol or platform that it prefers to use in conjunction with the Design Concept and Proof of Concept? No

Does the contractor need to include Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) in its Design Concept and/or Proof of Concept? If so, does the government have a designated EDI protocol that the offeror should include? GSA currently uses APIs and will not change user interfaces. More information on this will be provided after award.

Must the Design Concept and Proof of Concept address separately how (1) DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology),

(2) automated machine learning technology, and/or (3) artificial intelligence based exchange implementation, will be used?

Yes, the offeror must describe in the design concept how they use one or more technologies. The proof of concept should execute the design concept.

After award, will the government make a process SME employee (s) available during the development of the Proof of Concept to ensure process compatibility, accuracy, efficiency and completeness? Yes, we will have a product owner available to answer questions.

For the proposal submission and evaluation process, please explain how the concept of cryptocurrency is applicable for this Proof of Concept and explain how the government intends to use cryptocurrency in the future. See response to question 13.

Are the three technical applications referenced in C.4.1, Performance Objectives, Page 4, mutually inclusive for purposes of the Design Concept and Proof of Concept or can the proof of concept address only one or two of these technical applications?

The solution can be DLT, automated machine learning technology, and/or artificial intelligence based exchange to automate part of the processes for FASt Lane proposal reviews.

Please define “not monetize mining” in the context of the design specifications? See response to question 13.

Please further elaborate on the government’s definition of “open source, open platform and open data”? See response to question 8.

When the term “open source” is used, does that mean the government wants the source code used in managing the system and conducting data review to be available to third parties outside of the contractor and government? See response to question 8.

Can the proposal include both proprietary source code and open source code? See response to question 8.

Does the government have specifications and/or preferences for the type of DLT platform to be used? No

Is the selection of an existing DLT platform, or one developed from open source code, absent a government specification and/or preference, by the offeror required for the Proof of Concept? No

Can “proprietary code” be used for certain applications, within the platform that are licensed from third parties, if these codes are not “open source” as defined in previous question? See response to question 8.

What is the government intent for smart contracts, e.g., is it the actual vendor application for products or services and/or the verified interim evaluation or as a legal contractual instrument? Yes, it is listed in the FASt Lane business process, and the product owner will provide additional information after award.

Who develops the smart contract ‘multiple decision rules and workflows’? Are the smart contracts defined already and if so, how does offeror get copies of them? Yes, it is listed in the FASt Lane business process and product owner.

What does the term “integrate” mean in the context of this objective? Is the term “interface to extract data” a more appropriate terminology? Integrate means integrating business processes, data, and systems.

What protocol is used for each of the underlying databases of each system (e.g., SQL, Btrieve, etc.)? What are the structures of the underlying databases of each system (relational, flat, etc.)? Can the databases be available for export to an ASCII flat text file? If so, what is the process for access and export?

Additional data will be made available after award. The main database is FSS-19. It is the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) operations and management system that supports the GSA mission to procure and distribute supplies across the Federal Government. Orders for supplies and services are sent to FSS-19 via the DAASC AUTODIN Replacement System (DARS), GSA Advantage!, TTOS, CSC and the FSS ON-LINE Data Entry System. Customer information and reports are output via DARS, FTP, SMTP, EDI, and FAX. Major interfaces are with the GSA Office of Finance and the Federal Procurement Data System. FSS-19 is predominantly a batch system that runs on a Unisys mainframe. It also supports over 210,000 external customers.

Will the offeror have full access to the legacy systems data base structures for each of the “disparate legacy systems,” in order to evaluate how to interface and/or integrate? No, additional data will be made available after award.

Please define the concept of “interim evaluation”? Will GSA provide the criteria / metrics for the interim evaluations?

The FASt Lane process outlines how the venders are evaluated. GSA personnel will make the official determination of the evaluation.

Please provide a description and example of an authorized node (e.g. is this a FAStLane site, agency, contractor or an individual user)? Should your solution require access to an authorized node it should be included as part of the quote.

What type of “cloud platform” services (e.g., IaaS, PaaS, etc.) does the government intend to use? This should be determined by the offeror in line with the specific information listed in FedRamp.

Will there be a central trusted party to own, control and manage the permissioned ledger or will it be a group of participants in the form of a consortium? GSA seeks a permissioned ledger solution.

Will the Design Concept and Proof of Concept be required to use one of the ready and approved cloud vendors of the FedRamp program? Will the government designate which vendor to use?

The solution should employ a FedRamp moderate approved hosted environment. Please see https://www.fedramp.gov/ for a list of Fedramp ready products.

Will GSA provide access to FedRamp Moderate cloud platforms or will the contractor select vendors? The FedRamp solution will be determined by the offeror.

41 What does the term “identity” mean in this objective? GSA must be able to confirm that each vendor is who they say they are and have a secure relationship with that vendor.

Please define an acceptable secured identity solution. Is this different from the three GSA Access Card PKI systems currently used?

Yes, GSA Access Card PKI systems are for employees and contractors supporting GSA. GSA also requires the validation of vendors in the FASt Lane process.

Does the government have a timeframe or deadline for the solution to be scalable across the MAS? No

Is interoperability limited to the 16 legacy systems within GSA or are their other possible systems inside and outside of the government that will be required to be accessed? If so, please provide a list.

The proof of concept will be limited to the systems listed in the attachments (Attachment 2 - FASt Lane Legacy Systems and Attachment 3 - Publicly Available Data).

Without having access to the various legacy systems, what is the standard to determine scalability and interoperability across the MAS program? The proof of concept must demonstrate that the technology works. The decision to scale will be made after this acquisition.

Will the contractor be provided a copy of the PKI access card software in use? If necessary, additional data will be made available after award.

In which physical location, and on what IT systems, will the Proof of Concept be conducted, e.g., will testing and demonstration occur on the contractor’s equipment or on government equipment? The solution will be tested/developed in contractor’s environment.

Which government employees will be involved with the Proof of Concept testing and demonstration? That information will be provided after award.

Will Proof of Concept deliverable be used by GSA personnel onsite at GSA facilities or in contractor facilities? Potentially both locations.

What are the criteria that the government will use to confirm acceptance of the proof of concept? The criteria will be included in the offeror's PWS.

Does the proof of concept need to include all components of the performance objectives? Yes

CLIN 0001 states the design concept is due NLT 10 days after contract award. Objective C.4.1.a. states that the design concept is part of our proposal (currently due July 10). Is this objective different from CLIN 0001 deliverable?

If so, please clarify. The design concept is a deliverable (CLIN 0001).

Are there page, format, and/or other guidance including limitations and instructions, for CLIN 0001, Design Concept? If so, please provide guidance. No, offerors may place limitations in the PWS response.

Are the databases in the three public systems in attachment 3, available for export to a single, flat text file? If not, in what format is the data available? They are available on the website referenced.

Will GSA provide Attachment 4, “Proposal Documentation Review Process,” which is missing or omitted? This is an error and will be removed in Amendment 1.

Please clarify the instructions for selecting the number of dates and times for oral presentations. This section conflicts with Section L.5.2, Section B, Oral Presentation, Paragraph 4, Page 40. Amendment 1 will use the same language in both sections.

Please clarify if the selection of dates and times should be on the cover letter (Page 37) or cover page (Page 40) of the proposal? Are the cover letter and cover page included or excluded from the page count? Yes

For the proposal and oral presentations, can offeror use any font type and size, margins and spacing we desire? If not, please provide formatting guidelines. The cover page is excluded from the page count. See Amendment 1.

Please clarify what the government means by “demonstration” of the Offeror’s proposed solution.

The purpose of oral proposals is to substitute for, or augment, written information in the quote. Offerors must sufficiently demonstrate the technical approach proposed in their quote.

Will the government provide access to the legacy systems to the offeror(s), in order to understand and explain how their solution will integrate into legacy systems for the proposal? No

Is it permissible to use subcontractor/partner past performance in place of, or to supplement, prospective prime contractor’s specific lack of past performance? Yes, as long as the subcontractor is significant.

What is the government’s deadline to exercise the Proof of Concept for FAStLane automation (CLIN 0002) option after the oral presentations?

GSA may exercise the option after the acceptance of the CLIN 0001. Should the offeror require a minimum time to deliver CLIN 0002, it should be stated in the quote.

How do we get access to FedRamp system and documentation?

See https://www.fedramp.gov/

Do we need a Digital Certificate to be able to do business with GSA for the purpose of this quote? If required, the offeror must identify a need of a digital certificate in the quote.

Regarding Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Supporting Documentation IAW SCP- 30 FSS-001(j)(3) iii - (i.e., contracts, invoices, cost build up, quotes, market prices, etc.): Does this refer to equipment (hardware, software) to complete the project? No, this is for the FASt Lane proposal review process. It is supporting documentation supplied with the Schedule 70 proposals.

What are the performance based metrics and what are they to be based on?

The offerors shall develop performance-based metrics to which thier delivered solution will be evaluated. These performance-based metrics must be included in the PWS (Section A of the quote). For more information on performance-based acquisition, see https://gsa.gov/graphics/fas/VETS_Attach_8_Seven_Steps_to_PBA.pdf.

an you provide details of how the oral presentation is to be done, for example, is it in person or online; and in what format is the proposed solution typically demoed (mini-prototypes, wireframes, etc.)?

Oral presentations may be face to face (Washington DC) or via Adobe Connect. GSA will provide the Adobe Connect information when the oral presentations are scheduled. Please also identify your preference in the quote. The format will be left to the offeror.

Would the Government elaborate on what information it expects to see in the 5 pages of Section B of the response?

Is it the Government's expectation that the slide deck that we use for the oral presentation must be a maximum of 5 pages? See Section L.5.1 for a detailed list of items to be included in the oral presentation. Should the offeror include a written component to the oral presentation, such as a slide deck, it shall not exceed five pages.

Past Performance: From our industry knowledge, there are only limited small business blockchain implementation in production. Would the Government elaborate on what is the expectation on past performance?

Use of similar technologies for past performance is permissible. Should an offeror not have any past performance, it will be given a neutral rating.

70 Is there a font and size requirement/restriction for this response?See Amendment 1 for change to Section L. The minimum size font is 10 points.