RFP-CMS-2014-8A-00092___J-5_Question_and_Answer__Consolidated_Round_2_updated_10-28-14.xlsx

XLSX spreadsheet 49 KB Posted Oct 28, 2014

Attached to: CHRONIC CONDITION WAREHOUSE Federal contract opportunity
Solicitation number: RFP-CMS-2014-8A-00092
Issued by: Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

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Questions and Answer Round 2

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Other files for this federal contract opportunity

Other files attached to CHRONIC CONDITION WAREHOUSE, newest first.
File	Type	Posted
RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL_amendment_3.pdf	PDF	Oct 29, 2014
Final_Copy_of_J-5_Question_and_Answer__Consolidated_Round_3_10292014.xlsx	XLSX spreadsheet	Oct 29, 2014
J-3_Consent_to_Subcontract.pdf	PDF	Oct 28, 2014
J-8_Attachment_C-CCW_Data_Files_Availability.pdf	PDF	Oct 22, 2014
Final_Copy_of_J-5_Question_and_Answer__Consolidated_Round_1_10222014_(2).xlsx	XLSX spreadsheet	Oct 22, 2014
Updated_J-7_CCW_Equipment_Inventory.xlsx	XLSX spreadsheet	Oct 22, 2014
RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages__revised_FINAL_10222014.pdf	PDF	Oct 22, 2014
J-11_Attachment_E-2_Onboarding_Worksheet.xlsx	XLSX spreadsheet	Oct 1, 2014
J-4_Non_Disclosure_Statement.pdf	PDF	Oct 1, 2014
J-6_CMS_Guide_Incident_Reporting.pdf	PDF	Oct 1, 2014
J-9_Attachment_D_-_MMLEADS_Documentation.pdf	PDF	Oct 1, 2014
J-7_Attachment_B_CCW_Equipment_Inventory.pdf	PDF	Oct 1, 2014
J-9_Attachment_D_-_MMLEADS_Documentation.pdf	PDF	Oct 1, 2014
J-2_Attachment_A_Schedule_of_Deliverables.pdf	PDF	Oct 1, 2014
J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK_7-7-14.pdf	PDF	Oct 1, 2014
RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL.pdf	PDF	Oct 1, 2014
J-5_Question_and_Answer_Template.xlsx	XLSX spreadsheet	Oct 1, 2014

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CCW Recompete Qs for Round 1.

No.	Document Name	Page	Section	Question/Comment/Suggestion	CMS Answer	Follow-up Question/Comment/Suggestion	CMS Answer
1	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	8	G.3	Please correct to reference Attachment J.3 - Consent to Subcontract Checklist	Reference corrected to J-3.
2	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	51	Section J	Attachment J-3 Consent to Subcontract Checklist is missing. Please issue this Attachment.	Attachment J-3 updated. In reference.
3	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	51	Section J	Attachment J-8 Attachment C CCWData Files Availability is missing. Please issue this Attachment.	Attachment J-8 has been updated to file
4	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	70	L.10	The submission table reflects The Hard Copies submission for all three proposal volumes to be One (1) Original Copy and Six (6) CDs, however the narrative below the Table states "The original copy of the combined proposal, signed by an official authorized to bind your organization, plus four (4) copies of the combined proposal...", indicating and original plus 4 copies. Please provide clarification as to the number of hard copies required for each volume to be submitted with the Government.	The original hard copy of the combined proposal, signed by an official authorized to bind your organization, plus eight (8) diskette copies of the combined proposal, shall be received to Rosetta Rodwell, Contract Specialist, no later than 11:00 am local prevailing time on November 20, 2014.
7	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	72	L.11	The offeror understands that the appendices are NOT part of the page count, but can the government also EXCLUDE "Preface - Transmittal Letter and Table of Contents" as NOT part of the 80 page count for Technical Proposal.	Yes, Preface - Transmittal Letter and Table of Contents is excluded from the page count and the page limit has been extended to 100 pages.
8	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	73	L.11(b)2.	The RFP places an 80 page limitation for the technical proposal, excluding Appendixes and summaries of qualificaions referenced in Section C. Would CMS increase the page restriction to 100 pages to enable offerors to more adequately address the 57 page SOW and RFP instructions?	Page limit has been extened to 100 pages.
9	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	73	L.11(b)2.	Can the offeror submit an acronym listing and cross reference matrix to assist CMS in the review of their proposal? And if so, can these be excluded from the 80 page limitation?	Yes, the offeror can submit can submit acronym lisiting and cross reference matrix which is excluded from the 100 page count.
10	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	73	L.11.(b)2.a	Due to the size and complexity of this solicitation would CMS be willing to provide an extention the submission deadline?	Proposal submission due date extended two weeks to November 20, 2014.
11	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	74	L.12	The offeror understands that the Executive Summary is 2 Pages and also NOT part of the evaluation. Can the government please first clarify whether that TWO pages is part of the overall 80 Page count? If so, can the government Exclude that 2 pages from the 80 page count so that the offeror can use those 2 pages for technical purrposes since Executive Summary is NOT evaluated	Technical proposal page count is extended to 100 pages. Executive Summary not included in page count.
12	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	77	Chapter 3	d. A transition in strategy for assumption of duties. It must include operations and support functions for the required functional areas, including the full time presence of all key personnel and sufficient additional staffing.

Are all key personnel required to be full time? This may not be necessary for some of the research experts.	Research experts do not have to be full-time for the transition in period. All other key personnel shall be full-time for the transition in period.
	13	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	77	L.12.Chapter 3	During transition to a new CCW, what is required to support those CCW/VRDC users who have already invested in the Oracle-based solution for their querying and analysis? If these users can be transitioned to an alternative platform that offers little or no disruption in their work, can the current Oracle-based solution be phased out for these users?	CMS must provide a CCW environment that continues to be operational with minimal disruptions to the current users. CMS will consider proposals utilizing optional platforms if the solution includes details of how the current users will perform their current work and transition to the new platform.
	14	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	77	L.12	"1. Key Personnel: The Offeror shall propose Key Personnel for the Contract, and the candidates’ position (title), role, and responsibilities in response to RFP. CMS shall approve all key personnel prior to award and during the period of performance." Since the offerors are providing a "Project Staffing Plan" in "Chapter 5: Managment Plan", can this requirement not be duplicated?	There is no duplication each section is asking for something diferent.
	15	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	79	Chapter 6	The technical proposal shall provide the general background regarding the experience and qualifications of the Offeror’s organization. The Offeror shall demonstrate relevant capabilities that it can bring to this program and any other advantages it offers relevant to the Statement of Work.

Can subcontractor past performance be included? Is there a limit on number of subcontractor past performance histories that can be included?	Yes, subcontractor past performace can be included and there is no limit as long as it fits within the stated period.
	16	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	79	L12, Chapter 6 Past Performance Information	The reference to Offer under this section is indicative to the past performance of the Prime Contractor as the Offeror. Please provide clarification that relevant Affiliate, Subcontractor, and/or Subcontractor Affiliate past performance information is allowable and is to be included as part of the past performance information submission under this Chapter 6.	Yes, you may include relevant Affiliate, Subcontractor, and/or Subcontractor Affiliate past performance information.	The answer to question 40 indicates that past performance should come only from the prime contractor which appears to be in conflict with the answer given here. Would CMS please clarify?	Yes, you may include relevant Affiliate, Subcontractor, and/or Subcontractor Affiliate past performance information.
	17	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	79	L.12	"The Offeror shall include a Project Staffing Plan in the form of a table listing all personnel names/positions, company affiliation, project role, level of effort in hours by task and project year. All Key Personnel positions must be specified in the staffing plan, and non-key positions identified but not staffed may be indicated as to be determined (TBD)." Can the offeror provide this staffing plan as a Appendix as we understand there could be numerous non-key personnel that needs to be added.	No, the staffing plan should be apart of the proposal.
	18	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	80	L.12.Chapter 8	The RFP requires submission of a PAT as a separate Attachment. Can the PAT attachment be excluded from the 80 page limitation?	Page 80 of 89 states the PAT should be included as a separate attachement and is not included in the 100 page count.
	19	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	80	L.12	Chapter 7: Can the Proof of CMMI Level 3 certification be provided as an Appendix?	No, it should be apart of the proposal.
	20	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	81	L.13	Is the Electronic copy of the Excel Sheet for price also be provided in Microsft Office Format 2007?	Yes
	21	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	83	L.14	Last paragraph states "Chapters 2 through 4: The contractor shall provide the completed Non-Disclosure Statement, Subcontract Consent Form and the Representation and Certification in Volume III." Further clarification is requested as follows:

1. The Non-Disclosure Statement as provided in Attachment J-4 is written as post contract to include the contract number. Please advise if this is the form that is to be completed, and if so that is should be modified to include the RFP number.

2. Subcontractor Consent Form - The Subcontractor Consent Form has not provided. Please provide the form or guidance on what is to be submitted.	1) Please put the RFP number in contract number space. 2)Attachment J-3 updated.
	22	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	83	L.14	Are subcontractors to submit the same Conflict of Information Volume III requirements as the Prime Contractor?	Yes
	23	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	85	Chapter 2: Technical Understanding and Approach
2. Architecture and Engineering	Within thie transition period, building the system elastic architecture in compliance CMS TRA's zone architecture will have hard contraints. Please explain on how the Government can quickly help to move forward.	The Offeror shall have the knowledge and expertise to comply with the TRA requirements.
	24	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	87	M.2	Can the government please provide more detailed qualifications and requirements for each key personnel mentioned in the RFP? For example: Project Director needs XX amount of experience with Managing Health IT. This helps offeror provide more strong qualified key personnels for this project.	No, in accordance with FAR 39.104 we are not required to provide you with detailed key personnel for IT personnel.	The answer to Question 36 states "Key personnel requirements are listed in the additional document provided". This appears to be in conflict with the answer provided here; would CMS please clarify? If the requirements are provided in the "additional document" would CMS please specify the title of this document?	No, in accordance with FAR 39.104 we are not required to provide you with detailed key personnel for IT personnel. No additional docunemtns will be provided please review SOW and RFP.
	25	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	87	Chapter 5: Management Plan	It appears that Item# 3 requirements require a fully-resource loaded work-breakdown structure for the entire 10 year plan. It means that the contractor should identify all non-key personnel for the entire contracting period. Please explain.	Offeror’s staffing plan demonstrates its ability to ramp up staff to meet operational readiness deadline, clearly describes the positions, core responsibilities, and accountabilities of Prime and Subcontractor personnel assigned to each task area, and clearly describes the proposed staffing levels (hours/FTEs) by SOW task for the Base Year and each Option Year.
	26	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	88	M2, Chapter 7, item 1	The SEI CMMI database of Published Appraisal Results (https://sas.cmmiinstitute.com/pars/pars.aspx) and the associated certificate is the only generally accepted evidence of CMMI ML3 compliance? What other evidence, if any, will be accepted by the government to demonstrate compliance?	Yes, the SEI CMMI database is the only accepted evidence. Must be on the list at https://sas.cmmiinstitute.com/pars/pars.aspx
	27	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	1, 68, 81, 82	B.2, L.6, L.13	Sections B.2 and L.6 denote the contract as Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF), however Section L.13 Cost Proposal Narrative, paragraph 2 denotes award fee, and G. Profit/Award Fee indicates award fee. Please provide clarification that the contract is CPFF.	The contract is CPFF
	28	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	33 of 89	H.12	Would the Government please specify the security risk level (High risk, Moderate risk, Low risk) associated with each key position?	Each key position will be at the moderate risk level.
	29	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	37 of 89	H.13	FedRAMP is listed as a security standard. Are we correct in assuming a Cloud solution for the hosting is acceptable?	Please respond to the SOW and updated J-7. Additional enhancements may be proposed as part of the Offeror's solution. CMS is willing to consider innovative approaches beyong the current solution.
	30	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	48 of 89	I.6.c.1	Will the 50% work share of the prime contractor be assessed annually or over the entire contract duration (10 years)?	Annually
	31	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	51 of 89	J	Attachment J-8 is not included in the solicitation package, but instead, J-9 has been included twice. Would the Government please provide Attachment J-8, CCW Data Files Availability?	Attachment J-8 has been updated.
	32	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	73 of 89	L.11(a)(2)	Is the Proposal Pricing Spreadsheet to be provided in Contractor format or will the Government be providing a template to ease comparison between contractors?	Yes, contract format is acceptable.
	33	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	73/79	L.11/ L.12	The offeror wants to confirm with the government that Key Personnel Resumes are 3 pages each. Please confirm that all these pages are NOT part of the overall 80 Page Technical Proposal.	Not part of the 80 pages.
	34	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	74-75	L.12, Chapter 2	Paragraph 3 bullet point 7 states "• The Offeror shall meet Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Level III requirements." If the Offeror is a Joint Venture between two companies (Partners) is it acceptable for the CMMI Level III requirements to be met/used by one of the participating Partners?	Yes
	35	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	75-76	L.12.Chapter 2: 2.a, 3.a	Two requirements of the proposal's technical approach call for an understanding of a star schema Oracle relational databse. Would support and continued implementation of the current CCW/VRDC star schema Oracle relational database and system be required for the new CCW, or can another non-Oracle solution be proposed that has equivalent functionality and capacities?	Other solutions can be recommended in compliance with J-1.III.6 which states the contractor must be capable of transitioning the CCW/VRDC infrastructure and all operational components within a 120-day period with downtime of no more than 48-72 hours.
	36	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	77 of 89	L.12, Chapter 4, Item 1.a	This items refers to Section C.5.1 of the Statement of Work for the technical knowledge, expertise, and experience of the Key Personnel. We are unable to locate Section C.5.1 in the SOW, would the Government please provide this Section?	This reference is an error. There is no C.5.1 in the SOW. Key personnel are listed in H.9 (page 32). Key personnel requirements are listed in the additional document provided.	Question 36 answer states the following, "This reference is an error. There is no C.5.1 in the SOW. Key personnel are listed in H.9 (page 32). Key personnel requirements are listed in the additional document provided."

Can the government please provide the additional document referenced?

37	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	77 of 89	L.12, Chapter 4, Item 1.c	Are we correct in assuming the commitment letters are contained in the Appendices and excluded from the page count?	Yes
38	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	77 of 89	L.12, Chapter 4, Item 2	The section "Program Management Approach" appears to be a repeated requirement (L.12.1 Program Management in page 75) and is not included as part of the evaluation criteria on page 87, Chapter 4. Corporate capabilities. Would the government please clarify this apparent repetition and disconnect between Sections L and M?	Deleted from corporate capabilites. Page 77-78.
39	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	79 of 89	L.12, Chapter 5, Item 5	Are we correct in assuming that Teaming Agreements will satisfy the requirement for "Prime Contractors arrangements with … teaming partners"?	Yes
40	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	79 of 89	L.12, Chapter 6, Item 2	Because this is an 8(a) set-aside, are we correct in assuming that "Offeror" refers to the Prime Contractor in order to demonstrate the ability to successfully execute contracts for the same or similar services?	Yes
41	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	79 of 89	L.12, Chapter 6, Item 2	Would the Government please consider accepting past performance on contracts, subcontracts, task or purchase orders within the past 7 years to enable relevant CCW work to be considered? Since the current contract is a five year period of performance, only the team including the incumbent could provide the most relevant past performance.	Updated to 7 years.
42	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	80 of 89	L.12 Chapter 6.5	Could the government clarify what is included in the "past performance references"? Are we correct in assuming the past performance references is referring to all details as instructed in Chapter 6 item 2 on page 79?	Yes, please see pass perfomecane information provided in RFP.
43	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	80 of 89	L.12 Chapter 7.1	How will the government evaluate if the bidder has maintained a working environment equivalent to CMMI Level III on a project of similar scope? What evidence does the government consider acceptable to demonstrate CMMI Level III?	Offeror must provide evidence of CMMI Level III certification per the RFP (see question 26 response)
44	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	81 of 89	L.13.C.1	We are unable to complete subcontracts until the prime contract has been completed. Are we correct in assuming that Teaming Agreements will satisfy the requirement for "subcontract agreement"?	Yes
45	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	84 of 89	M.1	The Government seeks to award this Contract to the offeror who gives the Government the greatest confidence that it will best meet or exceed the requirements for a fair and reasonable price. Would the Government please consider relaxing this requirement as it gives the team including the incumbent contractor an unfair advantage in terms of both demonstrating confidence to perform and an understanding of what price would be considered reasonable based on current performance?	No, there will be no relaxation of the requirment, the incumber is not qualified for this award and in accordance with FAR Part 15 fair and reasonable price determination is required for all contract awards.
46	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	84 of 89	M.1	This contract requires a significant transition period along with the associated transition cost. Does the Government plan to exclude the transition cost from the evaluation to avoid giving an unfair advantage to the team including the incumbent contractor?	The transition cost will be evaluated independently.
47	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	85 of 89	M.2, Chapter 2, Item 1.b	Would the Government please consider relaxing this requirement to consider work similar to the services identified in the Statement of Work to eliminate the unfair advantage currently provided to the team including the incumbent contractor.	The solicitation requires the management team's experience and knowledge relative to operation of the services identified in the SOW.
48	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	85 of 89	M.2, Chapter 2, Item 1.e	What is the definition of the "offeror's quote"? Would the government please clarify?	Offeror quote means offeror proposal
49	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	87 of 89	M.2, Chapter 4, Item 1	Evaluating the Project Director and proposed staff on their specific experience and knowledge of the CCW/VRDC provides an unfair advantage to the team which includes the incumbent contractor. Would the Government please consider relaxing this requirement to instead require experience and knowledge similar to that of the CCW/VRDC?	CMS will evaluate the proposed staffing personnel on their experience and knowledge of the SOW requirements.
50	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	87 of 89	M.2, Chapter 5, Item 3	The requirement to provide staffing levels (hours/FTE) by SOW task for the Base Year and each Option Year provides an unfair advantage to the team which includes the incumbent contractor. Would the Government please provide current activity and LOE metrics for each task identified in the SOW to enable all offerors to provide accurate resource estimates?	Level of effort should reflect the tasks idenified in the SOW as needed by the Offeror's solution.
51	RFP-CMS-2014-8A-0092_Support_Pages_FINAL	89 of 89	M.3	This section states - "The following details (bullet points) are provided to the Offeror as guidelines to demonstrate the proposal's cost reasonableness." Would the Government please provide the referenced details as no text follows this statement?	See RFP Bullets added Explain any price efficiencies for performance.

• What is the rationale for the number of proposed labor hours and labor categories?

• What is the rationale for other costs (e.g. travel, subcontractor, and other direct costs)?

• What is the rationale for why one (1) approach was chosen over another? (if applicable)

• Explain any economies of scale.	The bullets provided in this answer conflict with the response to Question 53; would CMS please clarify?
	52	RFP-CMS 2014-8A-0092	80	L.12.Chapter 7	This section states, “The contractor shall either possess an independently prepared Standard CMMI Appraisal Method for Process Improvement (SCAMPI) appraisal results assessed at CMMI Level III (or higher) or be able to successfully demonstrate maintaining a working environment equivalent to CMMI Level III on a program of similar scope to the SOW. Contractor must submit with proposal CMMI Level III certification or proof of CMMI Level III application.” What evidence does CMS need that the contractor maintains “a working environment equivalent to CMMI Level III on a program of similar scope to the SOW”? Also, would a CMMI for Services, as opposed to Development, suffice?	See question #26 response
	53	RFP-CMS 2014-8A-0092	89	M.3	Could CMS provide the bullet points as indicated in the last sentence, which states "The following details (bullet points) are provided to the Offeror as guidelines to demonstrate the proposal's cost reasonableness"?	OAGM
	54	J-7_Attachment B CCW Equipment Inventory.pdf	1-16	n/a	Is it expected that all or a majority of the hardware and software listed in the inventory (J-7) will be used as part of the proposed CCW/VRDC solution? Is it necessary in the proposal to identify which items of this inventory would not be needed and describe plans for disposing of these items?	All of the hardware/software listed in the inventory are owned by the government and will be transitioned to the new contractor. If the GFE will not be needed, there should be a plan for disposing/replacing the item.	Please confirm the 800 TB is the current storage capacity? How much of the overall storage of the 3 PB do you expect to use before the end of the contract? Can the Government please provide the expected growth rate per year?
	55	J-7_Attachment B CCW Equipment Inventory.pdf	General	Equipment Lists	In order to properly scope migration services please provide Quantity, Manufacturer, Model, and/or Size of existing racks.	Bidders shall have the expertise and knowledge to be able to scope the work based on the requirements of the Statement of Work and the updated equipment inventory.
	56	J-7_Attachment B CCW Equipment Inventory.pdf	General	Equipment Lists	In order to properly scope migration services will CMS be furnishing the existing racks as GFE or will CMS need vendors to provide replacement racks.	All existing hardware (see updated equipment inventory) will be provided as GFE.
	57	J-7_Attachment B CCW Equipment Inventory.pdf	General	Equipment Lists	In order to properly scope cage size please provide the size of the existing cage and expected growth rate per year.	The Offeror shall have the expertise and knowledge to be able to scope the work based on the requirements of the Statement of Work and the updated equipment inventory.
	58	J-7_Attachment B CCW Equipment Inventory.pdf	General	Equipment Lists	In order to properly scope power requirements please provide current maximum kW used per month over the last two years.	The Offeror shall have the expertise and knowledge to be able to scope the work based on the requirements of the Statement of Work and the updated equipment inventory.
	59	J-7_Attachment B CCW Equipment Inventory.pdf	General	Equipment Lists	In order to properly scope please provide quantity, size, and NEMA plug type of power whips currently in use (i.e. 208v 30amp L6-30).	The Offeror shall have the expertise and knowledge to be able to scope the work based on the requirements of the Statement of Work and the updated equipment inventory.
	60	J-7_Attachment B CCW Equipment Inventory.pdf	General	Equipment Lists	In order to properly scope migration services please provide a complete inventory of all hardware being moved. This should include Manufacturer, Make, and Model at a minimum.	The Offeror shall have the expertise and knowledge to be able to scope the work based on the requirements of the Statement of Work and the updated equipment inventory.
	61	J-7_Attachment B CCW Equipment Inventory.pdf	General	Equipment Lists	General comment and request Attachment J-7 lists Product, Vendor, and Number of Licenses. Since there is no column that indicates the number of corresponding devices, it is unclear what is presented as a software license or maintenance contract line item versus physical infrastructure. Please provide a physical infrastructure inventory inclusive of firewalls, routers, switches, other network equipment, servers, backup devices and silos, storage devices (SAN, JBOD, etc.), etc. (all hardware to be transitioned by type, manufacturer, model, configuration).	The Offeror shall have the expertise and knowledge to be able to scope the work based on the requirements of the Statement of Work and the updated equipment inventory.
	62	J-7_Attachment B CCW Equipment Inventory.pdf	General	Equipment Lists	Will the Government be providing and paying for all maintenance and license renewals or will the contractor bear this responsibility?	Contractor is responsible for all maintenance and license renewals	Question 62 answer states the following, "Contractor is responsible for all maintenance and license renewals"

While the offeror will be responsible for the process of licensing of software and hardware maintenance and third party vendors, can we assume the maintenance licenses will be GFE?	All current maintenance and licensing will be provided as GFE. Offeror will be responsible for all future maintenace and licensing renewals.
	63	J-7_Attachment B CCW Equipment Inventory.pdf	General	Equipment Lists	VMWare is listed in the software inventory. How many virtual instances are defined and attached to how many ESX nodes?	See updated J-7 and SOW requirements
	64	J-7_Attachment B CCW Equipment Inventory.pdf	General	Equipment Lists	How many racks/cabinets are managed under this solicitation?	See updated J-7
	65	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	1	Purpose	"Since the CCW will continue to grow, the contractor shall include the acquisition of new/replacement equipment needed beyond the current equipment listed in Attachment B. "Please quantify what percentage more equipment resources required than the current envrionment to start with."	The Offeror shall have the expertise and knowledge to recommend future replacement.
	66	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	1	Technical Assumption	Item 1 requirements indicate the contractors who have been dealing with the CMS data. How about the contractors who handles the NIH/CDC data that are in simillar in nature? Is this restriction only for Prime contractor? Please explain.	Knowledge of CMS data may come from the prime or any teaming partners/subcontractors.
	67	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	1	I, second paragraph	The CCW/VRDC contractor will be required to establish a data warehouse and acquire the equipment, connectivity, software, and licenses … Would the Government please clarify what (hardware, COTS software, application software, etc.) will be transferred from the incumbent contractor and what the successful bidder will be required to acquire at the onset of this contract?	All of the hardware/software listed in the updated equipment inventory document will be transitioned. The Offeror will need to acquire additional hardware/software needed to support their recommended CCW operating environment.
	68	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	1	I, second paragraph	Since the CCW will continue to grow, the contractor shall include the acquisition of new/replacement equipment needed beyond the current equipment listed in Attachment B. Would the Government please clarify if this additional equipment is to be included in our proposed price and also provide an estimate of the CCW's growth for each year of the contract?	Yes. Pricing should include any additional equipment required by the Offeror's solution that is not other listed in the updated equipment inventory (J-7)
	69	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	1	I, first bullet	Please provide the breakdown of 315 billion records utilizing 800 terabytes. The breakdown of data by Oracle database size, SAS datasets, data extract files etc. is required to accurately size the associated resources.	See SOW for current requirements. See updated J-7. Must be TRA compliant, FISMA Moderate, ARS 2.0. Any additional solutions may be made by the Offeror.
	70	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	1	I. Purpose	The first bullet states: "CCW/VRDC SOW (approximately 315 billion records utilizing 800 terabytes of storage with overall storage capacity of 3 petabytes)." Concerning storage requirements, how many LUNS are under management in the SAN environment? What is the rate/volume of change on the SAN platform (regular maintenance and configuration changes)? How much of the data is static? What is the expected rate of growth of the SAN environment over time? Please provide the yearly historical trends that could be used to extrapolate a plan for future growth.	Offerors shall have the expertise and knowledge to be able to scope the work based on the requirements of the Statement of Work and the updated equipment inventory.

See SOW for current requirements. See updated J-7. Must be TRA compliant, FISMA Moderate, ARS 2.0. Any additional solutions may be made by the Offeror.

71	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	1	I. Purpose	The second bullet states: "Transition the current data files and load and maintain future Medicare and Medicaid data including but not limited to enrollment, claims, assessment, quality provider, etc." Would the government please clarify what is meant by this statement? Are all CCW files contained on storage devices that are a part of the transition or is the contractor required to provide new storage devices and transition the data from the old storage devices?	The contractor will transition all existing data and existing storage devices. There is no requirement to transition current data to new storage devices. The contractor will need to plan for storage devices for future data coming into the environment (updated data, new data sources, etc.)
72	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	3	Technical Assumption	Please briefly identify the specific area size of the data center in item 2, as specified training room requirments in item 3.	Based on the SOW and the equipment inventory, the Offeror shall have the knowledge and expertise to assume size requirements of the data center and training facility size.
73	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	3	Technical Assumption	Should the CCW data center be separate or part of the anyother data center operations? Please specify in details.	The CCW data center should be operated independently. It can be housed within a data center which operates other systems but the equipment and operations of the CCW shall be independent of any other data center operations.
74	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	3	III Technical Assumptions, #4	Please provide a network topology.	Will be provided during the transition
75	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	3	III Technical Assumptions, #4	What are the uplink speed requirements (100M, 1G and etc.) or data usage?

200 MB

76	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	3	III Technical Assumptions, #4	How much bandwidth is currently utilized in the environment for replication and backups?	The Offeror shall have the expertise and knowledge to be able to scope the work based on the requirements of the Statement of Work and the updated equipment inventory.
77	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	3	III Technical Assumptions, #4	Is there a requirement to configure the network in a 3 tier layout?

See SOW for current requirements. See updated J-7. Must be TRA compliant, FISMA Moderate, ARS 2.0. Any additional solutions may be made by the Offeror.

	78	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	3	III Technical Assumptions, #4	Will this be a 100baseT or 1000BaseT environment?	The Offeror shall have the expertise and knowledge to be able to scope the work based on the requirements of the Statement of Work and the updated equipment inventory.
	79	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	3	III Technical Assumptions, #4	Will all network components be setup on redundant pairs (switches, load balancers, routers, firewalls) for network resiliency?	See SOW and updated J-7. System should be “Highly Available”
	80	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	3	III Technical Assumptions, #4	How many uplinks are required to Contractor hosting data center network devices (should we plan for 2? More?)	The Offeror shall have the expertise and knowledge to be able to scope the work based on the requirements of the Statement of Work and the updated equipment inventory.
	81	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	3	III Technical Assumptions, #4	Should all Vlan to Vlan traffic pass through a firewall or is L3 routing between Vlans permitted on the switches?	See SOW for current requirements. See updated J-7. Must be TRA compliant, FISMA Moderate, ARS 2.0. Any additional solutions may be made by the Offeror.
	82	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	3	III Technical Assumptions, #4	Will the agency be using its own public block of IPs or is this assigned by the Contractor?	Assigned by contractor
	83	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	4	Technical Assumption	Can the contractor acquire additional leading-edge hardware/software, approved by the Government, that may be required to enhance the entire system elasticity/throughput more effectively and efficiently than the current platform? Please explain.
Does the contractor use the open source tools? Please explain.	The Offeror's solution can propose enhancements meeting the requirements of the SOW.
	84	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	7	Task A4	Is NIC Teaming/Redundancy a requirement for the servers?	Environment must be “Highly Available” and must meet support needs. See SOW for current requirements. Must be TRA compliant, FISMA Moderate, ARS 2.0. Any additional solutions may be made by the Offeror.
	85	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	7	A3	Are the CCW Workbench and CCW/VRDC Enclave one in the same?
If not what is the difference?	No. The workbench is a menu-driven query tool which allows users to define the selection criteria for a particular file that will be used for anlaysis. The VRDC provides users with the environment to analyze their data and download aggregate results.
	86	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	8	Task A5	Can servers be dual homed (Isolate public and internal traffic)?	The Offeror shall have the expertise and knowledge to be able to scope the work based on the requirements of the Statement of Work and the updated equipment inventory. Servers need to be TRA compliant.
	87	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	9	Task A-7	Is the current documentation complete and up-to-date and would the government provide all the documentation during the transition?	Yes, all documentation is up-to-date and will be provided during the transition.
	88	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	9	Task A-7	Is there a Configuration Management Database maintained in the current contract?	Yes
	89	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	9	Task A-7	Does the current contract have monitoring of critical systems in place and utilized?	Yes
	90	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	9	Task A-7	Does the current contract utilize capacity planning technologies and processes?	Yes, it is expected that the Offeror will provide capacity planning technologies.
	91	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	9	Task A-7	Are there more than 2 environments targeted for this engagement (e.g. development, test, QA, DR, Production)?	Yes, development, test and production
	92	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	9	Task A-7	Has the government defined requirements for redundancy and or high availability?	See SOW
	93	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	9	Task A-7	Has the government defined requirements for acceptance testing?	See SOW
	94	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	9	Task A-7	Is the plan to use any type of replication/snapshots?

- storage level (e.g., EMC SRDF)

- app layer (e.g., Oracle)

- OS level (e.g., Double-Take)	The Offeror's solution must meet TRA and SOW requirements.
	95	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	9	Task A-7	What are the various managed services expected from an infrastructure standpoint?	The Offeror's solution must meet TRA and SOW requirements.
	96	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	9	Task A-7	Does the current contract have business to application to server relationships defined (i.e. service catalog)?	See SOW
	97	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	9	Task A-7	Are there any current performance issues related to CCW/VRDC (e.g. network bottlenecks, performance issues)?	See SOW
	98	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	9	Task A-7	Is there a plan for CCW/VRDC transformation (e.g. additional virtualization, database consolidation, OS upgrades, application upgrades, platform changes)?	Please respond to the SOW and updated J-7. Additional enhancements may be proposed as part of the Offeror's solution.
	99	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	9	Task A-7	This data center migration is primarily a lift and shift of existing infrastructure into the target DC. Is there any greenfield deployment also?	See SOW
	100	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	9	Task A-7	Would the government please provide the total number of Severs (Physical and Virtual)?	See updated J-7	Can the Government provide the number of virtual instances (VMs) that are hosted on the physical servers. This information is needed to accurately size labor to host and manage the data center.	The number of VRDC users are specified in the SOW
	101	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	9	Task A-7	Does the current data center have a 2 Tier Firewall Architecture? Are there more than 5 firewall interfaces?	See updated J-7
	102	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	9	Task A-7	Are there RPO and RTO requirements?	See SOW. The Offeror's solution must meet TRA requirements.
	103	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	9	Task A-7	Is there a requirement to consider replication strategies?	See SOW
	104	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	9	Task A-7	Is there currently a DR Plan?	Yes, see Task B1.1
	105	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	9	Task A-7	Is there currently a DR environment?	No
	106	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	9	Task A-7	Since the data center transition is primarily going to be a physical lift & shift of existing equipment to the target site, does the government have any existing vendor/OEM maintenance contracts that require re-certification or any vendor/OEM mandated relocation providers?	All maintenance contracts are with the incumbent.
	107	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	11	Task 1: Information Security	According to this requirement - "The warehouse currently houses 315 billion records utilizing 800TB of space with the capability of expanding to 3 petabytes. The size of the data warehouse will continue to grow as additional data sources and years of data are loaded. Due to the size and sensitivity of the data, the contract needs to meet all CMS information security requirements." Does the contractor require to enhance the data center capability and comply the security requirments during the transition? Does the Government have or allow purchasing extra HW/SW? Please explain.	Yes, the Offeror's solution must meet all FISMA and TRA requirements. Any additional items outside of those listed in the updated J-7 may be included in the Offeror's solution.
	108	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	11	Task B, Task B1.1	The SOW references disaster recovery in a few places, but the references appear to be in regard to a required Disaster Recovery Plan, backup/recovery from tape, or business continuity, and then only at a high level. A FISMA Moderate system, as indicated in Task B1.2 on page 12, requires remote site disaster recovery (DR) failover capabilities of the system. There doesn’t appear to be a requirement for a DR site. How is DR currently facilitated? Are all applications failover enabled? What is the automated failover solution currently employed or is failover a manual process? Are there any DR system requirements associated with this solicitation (what are they?) or is the Government meeting this requirement beyond the scope of this solicitation?	See SOW for current requirements. Any additional solutions may be made by the Offeror.
	109	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	16	Task B2.3	Is there an automated tool currently being used for performance and stress testing? If yes, what is the tool?	Yes, this will be provided during the transition.
	110	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	17	IV.B2.4	Can software with equivalent functionality supplant some of the components of the core VDRC environment software listed in Task B2.4? For example, can such software as Juniper SSL and VMWare View, which imply a particular technical connectivity solution, be replaced by software that provides comparable functionality?	CMS will consider other options as long as users are not impacted.
	111	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	18	Task B2.5	Please provide detail regarding the existing monitoring solution. Is there a dedicated monitoring server or are is this service provided by the current contractor?	This service is provided by the current contractor and will be provided during the transition.
	112	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	19	Task B2.6	Please provide average GB transferred for daily incremental and weekly full backups	Weekly 600 TB (daily is about 10% of weekly)
	113	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	19	Task B2.6	Please provide detail regarding the current DR solution	There currently is no DR infrastructure
	114	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	19	Task B2.6	Please provide detail regarding the existing backup solution. Is a dedicated tape library used?	See updated J-7
	115	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	19	Task B3	In this section, the government talks about new data sources. In other parts of this solicitation, there is mention of definite and potential new work to be performed. Is there any kind of document or release schedule that lays out these projects and prospective timeframes or relative priorities?, If so, would the government please provide this information?	The timeframes are specified in the deliverable schedule.
	116	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	20	Task B3.1	Are the files specified within full replacements or updates that have to be loaded?	The weekly data loads may include updates/adjusted records.
	117	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	20	Task B3.2	Are any of the file loads in this section currently being performed?	MAX and Alpha MAX are currently being loaded.
	118	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	21	Task B3.3	This section says that the contractor shall be prepared to load the Part D claims data. Is this being done currently? And is there a current crosswalk between encrypted identifiers and unencrypted ones?	Part D claims are currently being loaded. There is a crosswalk of encrypted and unencrypted identifiers which will be provided to the contractor during the transition.
	119	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	21	Task B3.5	Are the NPPES and PECOS data full file replacements or just monthly updates?	NPPES is currently refreshed. PECOS is schedule to be designed.
	120	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	21	Task B3.5	Is this load just for physician data files or for all provider types?	All provider types
	121	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	23	Task B5	Are we correct in assuming that all files created for VRDC users will also be created in SAS versions?	Yes.
	122	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	25	Task B5.3 and 4	Are there currently crosswalk files for CCW beneficiary identifier and HICN/SSN?	There are master crosswalks of the CCW bene id to the HICN/SSN. These will be provided during the transition.
	123	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	25	Task B5.3-5.5	Each of these areas uses the terminology "shall create". Are these files currently being created by the incumbent contractor?	These files are currently created by the incumbent. The new contractor will be required to create the files for future years of data.
	124	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	26	Task B5.6	This section seems unclear. Prior sections talk about using a beneficiary identifier for CCW rather than the HI claim number. This section talks about the need to create crosswalks to link physician identifiers. Is that the provider number? There has been no mention of a provider number to beneficiary identifier that we have seen. Can you clarify?	The contractor will be required to create crosswalks to link encrypted physician identifiers to unencrypted physican identifers.
	125	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	26	Task B5.6	There is mention of the need to link current CCW beneficiary identifiers to prior CCW bene identifiers. Is there a crosswalk with start and stop dates? This seems similar to the cross-reference number for beneficiaries.	Each research data request contains a unique encryption of beneficiary identifiers. There are instances where a researcher need a crosswalk to be able to link data from one study to another study. This task involves creation of custom crosswalks to be able to perform this linkage.
	126	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	27	Task B9	How many data requests are submitted in a month? Historically, what percentage of those are complex, requiring more than 4- 6 weeks to process?	Data request estimates are contained in the SOW and deliverable schedule. Approximately 25% of extracts take more than 4-6 weeks to process.
	127	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	36	Task B15.8	Task B15.8 – OIPDA Users:

The contractor shall provide VRDC access to approved OIPDA users. OIPDA users shall be assigned access based on the roles identified in Task B16.2. The contractor shall provide guidance and assistance to OIPDA users that have trouble accessing the CCW/VRDC.

There is no Task B16.2. Did CMS intend for this to be Task B15.2?	The reference should be B15.2
	128	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	36	Task B15.1	Is there a planned date and/or timeframe for the move to use of EIDM? Will there need to be a crosswalk built between existing user-ids given out by the CARS system and those issued under EIDM?	Yes, fall of 2014. No, a crosswalk will not be needed.
	129	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	37	IV.B15.9	Access to VRDC for several types of users is based on a description listed in section 16.2. Could CMS please provide a description of the User Role Management to clarify the basis for providing access to OIPDA and non-OIPDA/non-CMMI users? Also, the contractor is supposed to be able to support up to 900 CCW/VRDC users (as stipulated on p2, 7, 34, 35); is that number inclusive of the 500 CCW/VRDC CMMI users mentioned in section B15.9?	The reference should be B15.2. User roles restrict the user to the data they are permitted to access. The total number of CCW/VRDC users is 900 (this include the 500 CMMI users).
	130	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	39	Task B15.13	How does CMS define business hours? In this section, it states that the contractor shall make a determination of the approval or rejection of 40 output review requests per every 48 business hours. It is unclear if this means 2 business days, and how does the weekend fit into computation of business days? How many business hours are there in a calendar day?	48 hours means 2 business days
	131	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	40	Task B18	What determines a reasonable amount of time for resolving issues? What is the current average length of resolution time provided by the incumbent?	All inquiries are responded to on the same day. Lengh of resolution time shall vary by the type of issue. Typically, 1-3 days is a reasonable amount of time for resolving technical problems, issues, user access, etc.
	132	J-1_CCW_Re-Compete_2014_STATEMENT_OF_WORK	41	Task B19	Is the tracking methodology/application being performed by the incumbent today? Is it part of what will be transitioned to the new contractor?	Yes, tracking is performed and will be transitioned to the new contractor.

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File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated Nov 14, 2017.