QA-_Vendors-_OFM-FMSG-TSC__FMSG_02232017_v_3.docx

DOCX document 52 KB Posted Feb 23, 2017

Attached to: Office of Financial Management (OFM)/Financial Management Systems Group (FMSG) Technical Support Contractor (TSC)
Solicitation number: RFP-CMS-2017-8a-0006
Issued by: Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

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Balance of the 131 answers to solicitation questions submitted.

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Other files

File	Type	Posted
Attachment_J.2-_Cost-Pricing_Template.xlsx	XLSX spreadsheet	Feb 22, 2017
Q&A-__OFM-FMSG-TSC-_RFP-CMS-2017-8a-0006__20170216-Amendment_1.docx	DOCX document	Feb 22, 2017
Attachment_J.5_-_Past_Performance_Questionnaire.docx	DOCX document	Feb 22, 2017
RFP-CMS-2017-8a-0035_version_5.0_20170216-_Changes-Q&A.docx	DOCX document	Feb 22, 2017
Attachment J.4- Contractor Personal Conflict of Interest Financial Disclosure .docx	DOCX document	Feb 9, 2017
Attachment J.6-COR-Appointment-Memo-with-Appendix-A.docx	DOCX document	Feb 9, 2017
Attachment J.8-SubContract CheckList.xls	XLS spreadsheet	Feb 9, 2017
Attachment J.10 - CY2017 FTR Reimbursement for Woodlawn.pdf	PDF	Feb 9, 2017
Attachment J.3 - Contractor Business Ethics - COI - Compliance Certification.docx	DOCX document	Feb 9, 2017
Attachment J.2- Cost-Pricing Template.xlsx	XLSX spreadsheet	Feb 9, 2017
Attachment J.5 - Past Performance Questionnaire.docx	DOCX document	Feb 9, 2017
Attachment J.9- Product Accessiblity Template.docx	DOCX document	Feb 9, 2017
RFP-CMS-2017-8A-0006.pdf	PDF	Feb 9, 2017
Attachment J.7- Wage Rate Determination No. 2005-2247.pdf	PDF	Feb 9, 2017
Attachment J.1-Support Contract SOW 01172017 Version 3.pdf	PDF	Feb 9, 2017

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OFM/ /TSC

RFP-CMS-2017-8A-0006

Q&A- VENDORS; FEBRUARY 16, 2017

VENDOR Q&A; FEBRUARY 16, 2017

No.

SOW Section and Page Number

Questions

Response

Authority/ OAGM/

Who is the incumbent contractor?

What is the contract number of the incumbent contract?

Tantus Technologies Inc.

8a IDIQ Contract:

HHSM-500-2011-00032I-

Task Orders:

HHSM-500-T0001

HHSM-500-T0002

HHSM-500-T0003

HHSM-500-T0004

HHSM-500-T0005

HHSM-500-T0006

HHSM-500-T0007

HHSM-500-T0008

OAGM

RFP, B.5.1, B.5.2 Cost Reimbursement, page 14

A cost plus fixed fee contract relies on a compliant and auditable contractor financial system. Companies who have made the investment, organizational change management, financial, policy and procedural changes and have become DCAA or CMS audited are at a competitive disadvantage to companies who have not matured enough to have already taken these steps. Those non-compliant companies and their rates, indirect accounting methods, G&A and other financial measures cannot be considered for consistent evaluation against those companies who are already audited and compliant. Would the government consider making a mandatory DCAA/CMS approved and audited accounting system upon proposal submission a requirement to ensure consistent evaluation of this cost plus fixed fee contract?

Solicitation remains unchanged

Contractor selected will undergo Government audit within 9 months of award.

However, an already Government approved accounting system should be highlighted as it will be perceived by the TEP as an offeror strength.

OAGM

RFP, B.5.1, B.5.2 Cost Reimbursement, page 14

A DCAA or CMS audit would evaluate a joint venture’s responsibility for the financial management of the joint venture. A recently formed joint venture may not maintain a complete set of books and records in order to have an evaluable and auditable accounting system or estimation practices. A recently formed joint venture would not have sufficient accounting data or cost accounting practices to evaluate for audit. A recently formed joint venture would have no record of successfully combining one or more company’s G&A, B&P, IR&D costs to be considered evaluable. Would the government consider it mandatory for the prime offeror to have a DCAA/CMS approved and audited accounting system upon proposal submission a requirement to ensure consistent evaluation of this cost plus fixed fee contract?

Solicitation remains unchanged

Contractor selected will undergo Government audit within 9 months of award.

However, an already Government approved accounting system should be highlighted as it will be perceived by the TEP as an offeror strength.

OAGM

RFP, C.1 Statement of Work, page 17

Regarding the requirement that a contractor facility contain a conference room with space adequate to hold meetings with government customers – would the government establish a conference room size or define the number of attendees a conference room shall accommodate?

The conference room should allow for 15-20 Government FMSG customers. This space could be partitioned off if needed.

DPDM

RFP, M.1, Technical Approach Competency #1, page 94

Would the contracting office describe the requirements of the business manager or the tasks the business manager would be expected to complete?

The Business Manager shall be responsible for providing monthly business statistics regarding the contract. The Business Manager shall also be responsible for any related adhoc request from FMSG.

DPDM

RFP, H.2 Key Personnel, page 44

Would the contracting office define the requirements [i.e. education, experience, certifications] for the key personnel, project manager, information security officer, security lead and OBIEE developer?

Project Manager duties are found on page 94 Section: Competency #1.

Both the Security Lead and Information Security Officer positions require extensive education in Information Systems and Security Assurance or a combination of education and work experience. The positions require role-based access control and security operations management experience in an environment using the Oracle database and Oracle Financials application and strong project management skills. Both positions include all of the areas listed in the SOW pages 9-12, as well as to assist CMS security staff in reviewing firewall rule sets or change requests, network infrastructure changes, and support vulnerability management and scanning activities. Both positions shall have a security assurance background and include at least one of the following certifications:

Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT);

Certified Information Security Manager (CISM);

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP.)

The Security Lead shall have strong project management skills and have served in a management role in projects of similar size, scope, and complexity.

The OBIEE developers shall have the following: Experience with OBIEE development for business intelligence that supports Oracle EBS, Oracle Federal Financials such as HIGLAS, particularly in size and complexity. Expertise with gathering requirements, ETLs, designing data schemas, customer reports and dashboards; developing test plans; documenting procedures and user guides; conducting user training; understanding data presentation for senior management; At least 5 years of experience.

DPDM/DTO

SOW, OCI, Page 8

Would the contracting office clarify if #3, “The TSC principals, management, and support personnel shall not have any financial interest in any contractor performing work for FMSG as either a prime or first-level subcontractor” should read, “The TSC principals, management, and support personnel shall not have any financial interest in any OTHER contractor performing work for FMSG as either a prime or first-level subcontractor.”

Will be published within separate amendment

OAGM*

RFP, G.7, Service of Consultants, P31

Section G.7. states that “consultants are considered subcontractors”. Does this include employees who work as independent 1099 consultants? If so, would the contracting office consider excluding independent 1099 consultants from the G.7 Service of Consultants requirements? A significant source of talent in the Baltimore-DC labor market that would be required on this contract work exclusively as independent 1099 contractors.

Solicitation remains unchanged- consultants are considered subcontractors.

OAGM

RFP, L.5.3, Past Performance Information, P88

Would the contracting office permit an offeror to reformat the table on RFP page 88 to better fit the contents of Past Performance references (i.e., rotate 90 degrees so that information is input to rows rather than columns?)

Solicitation changed to accommodate this information

OAGM

RFP, F.2 Place of Performance, Page 19

Section F.2 Place of Performance states that there will be multiple places of performance under this contract.

1. How many locations/buildings will be supported? Where are those buildings located?

2. Does the contractor have to provide transportation to all locations, or will it be cost reimbursed if it is a sufficient distance from the primary place of performance?

Primary place of performance will be 7500 Security Blvd however there are a limited number of work stations available. Contractors may need to commute within the local area.

OAGM /DPDM

RFP, L.5.1.c, Proposal Organization, Page 86

Section L.5.1 #4.c Page Limits: states that Volume I is limited to 50 pages, excluding the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), staffing plan, resumes, and letters of commitment for proposed key personnel. We were unable to find any other mention of the WBS or Letters of Commitment in the RFP. Are these required in the proposal? If so, will you provide more information regarding these requirements and how they would be evaluated?

Solicitation changed to remove WBS and Letters of Commitment as those are not required for this procurement.

OAGM

RFP, L5.2 Technical Volume Requirements #5, Page 87

“Table of contents to clearly identify the Chapters. Please include the following information within the table of contents: Contractor Name, Corporate Address, Authorized Point of Contact with email and telephone information for the proposal, DUNS number, TIN number. If subcontractors are proposed please include the same information as requested for the prime (i.e., name address, point of contact-phone/email, DUNS and TIN numbers).”

Should this say instead to include this information on the table of contents page(s), rather than within the table of contents itself?

We need this information on the table of contents page. Bullets A-C should be shown on the table of contents page

OAGM

RFP, G.4.3.B incurred cost rate proposal, Page 28

To maintain DCAA CAS Auditability we submit a Forward Pricing Agreement (FPA) to the

DCAA and use the DCAA FPA rates upon approval. Would including the FPA in the pricing proposal submission meet the requirements for proving that indirect rates are already approved?

This is to be done at time of award All indirect and direct rates will be audited by the Government following award

OAGM

RFP, G.4 Indirect Cost Rates, Page 25

Will the contracting office clarify that a DCAA Audited CAS would have rates that are not considered interim billing rates? Would these Cognizant Federal Agency (CFA)-audited and approved rates be considered final indirect cost rates, as described in G.4.3?

This is to be done at time of award

All indirect and direct rates will be audited by the Government following award All offerors must explain in VolumeII the derivation of their rates.

OAGM

Form 33

Due to the complexity of the proposal and the importance on the responses to the RFP questions, would the contracting office allow an additional 14 days for submission?

No- not possible due to tight acquisition schedule

It is anticipated the new contract start date will be August 2017

A sources sought and pre-solicitation notice were posted previously and included the SOW

OAGM/

RFP-CMS-2017-8A-0006.pdf - B.4 TYPE OF CONTRACT / Page 14

Is the incumbent eligible to bid on this RFP?

RFP is eligible only to 8a vendors

OAGM

Attachment J.1-Support Contract SOW 01172017 Version 3 / Multiple

Government has furnished FTEs for specific areas. Is that list complete and enough to support all areas of the contract?

Yes

DPDM

Attachment: RFP-CMS-2017-8A-0006.pdf

L.5 – PROPOSAL PREPARATION

L.5.1 PROPOSAL ORGANIZATION

Is the transition plan (in and out) to be included within the 50 page limit for the technical volume?

An actual transition plan is not required however all offerors should provide a synopsis of their proposed transition efforts within the 50 page limit

OAGM

Competency 9 - Electronic Submission of Medical Documentation (esMD) / Page 33

Please confirm that the 2 FTEs identified for Transition activities (X12 Knowledge Transfer & ITIL Knowledge Transfer) will roll-off the project upon successful completion of the transition activities.

That is correct.

DPDM/DPSS

Solicitation: RFP-CMS-2017-8A-0006

Section L.5.1 Proposal Organization, #4c Page Limits Page: 86 Section L.5.3 Instructions for Submitting Past Performance Information, b.1, b.2 Page: 88 Section 4c states “Page Limits: Title pages, tables of contents and compliance matrices, as applicable, are not subject to page limitations. Volume I (Technical Approach Volume) is limited to 50 pages, excluding the work breakdown structure (WBS), staffing plan, resumes and letters of commitment for proposed key personnel.

Instructions for Submitting Past Performance Information section requirements, b.1 and b.2 state “All CMS contracts/subcontracts/task orders greater than the simplified acquisition threshold ($150,000) and all relevant contracts/ subcontracts/ task orders.”

Due to the detailed and possibly lengthy requirement to submit all CMS contracts/subcontracts/task orders and all relevant contracts/subcontracts/task orders, will the Government consider excluding from page count Chapter #4 - Past Performance-HIGLAS & esMD Systems?

Contractor should submit relevant and recent past performance within the past three years.

Past Performance submittal should consist of the listing and up to five external work references.

These external PPQ submissions are not included in the 50 page text limitation and are not mandatory

OAGM

Solicitation: RFP-CMS-2017-8A-0006

Section L.5.3 Instructions for Submitting Past Performance Information, Summary Table Page: 88 Solicitation section titled Submitting Past Performance Information states “The below table should be used when providing a summary of the past performance information.” The table is comprised of one row with eight columns.

In order to accommodate text and prevent crowding in the current eight column table format, will the Government allow the following two columns “Description of Services/Supplies” and “Additional Information” to be formatted as a second and third row of the table?

Please see question #9- Solicitation changed to accommodate this information and table is rotated

OAGM

Attachment J.1- Support Contract SOW

Competency 9– esMD Project Management, Item #9 Page: 33 Section 9 states “Provide support for day-to-day production operations.”

Can the Government please clarify expected responsibilities related to production operations?

Support of esMD Dashboard reporting to ensure that the status of production operations is accurately and fully reported. This is a secondary role.

DPSS

Solicitation: RFP-CMS-2017-8A-0006

Section H.2 Key Personnel Page: 44 Section M.3 Staffing Approach, Key Personnel The solicitation states “The key personnel specified in this contract are considered to be essential to work performance” The four key positions include: Project Manager, Information Security Officer, Security Lead, and OBIEE Developer.

Section M.3 states “Key Personnel: Mandatory key personnel positions are cited in the solicitation. Offerors may propose additional key personnel beyond the mandatory ones required to provide proper leadership, managerial, supervisory, and technical oversight of this contract.”

As stated in the referenced sections above, key personnel are considered essential to this contract. Due to the importance of these four mandatory key positions, can the Government clarify the specific requirements/criteria (i.e., knowledge and experience with Systems, knowledge and experience with HIGLAS, total years of experience, etc.)

Project Manager duties are found on page 94 Section: Competency #1.

Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT);

Certified Information Security Manager (CISM);

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP.)

The Security Lead shall have strong project management skills and have served in a management role in projects of similar size, scope, and complexity.

DFAS/DTO/DPDM

Attachment J.1- Support Contract SOW

Meeting Agenda and Minutes Page: 6 Meeting Minutes section states “The TSC shall prepare agendas for all meetings concerning the project unless otherwise stated by the individual support task order COR/business owner.”

Can the Government please specify the name(s) of the stated “project”?

The term project relates to task within the SOW such as esMD, HIGLAS, BUCS, Data Dictionary, etc.

DPDM

Attachment J.1- Support Contract SOW

Does this requirement apply to meetings lead by other contractor teams for HIGLAS, ESMD or other systems?

No.

DPDM

Attachment J.1- Support Contract SOW

Competency 1 – Project Management Support Page: 14 and 15 “A typical staff person performing assorted Project Management (PM) tasks should have project management experience, with proven expertise in earned value management, risk management, and cost and scheduling control.”

“The TSC shall assist FMSG in the support and analysis of the Project Master Plan, support review and analysis of contractor integrated baseline review materials, PM support for , earned value reporting/analyses, risk management and other related PM support.

Is the “earned value management” and “earned value reporting/analyses” requirement to support FMSG directly? Please clarify.

The TSC is required to provide earned value analysis of other contractors’ reports.

DPDM

Attachment J.7 Wage Rate Determination

Page: 1 through 10

Please confirm if CMS is requesting offerors to use the salary information from Attachment J.7, Wage Rate Determination, to estimate the direct labor rate/cost for Volume II, Cost/Price Proposal.

The Service Contract Act (SCA) is applicable to this work. The SCA is not applicable to salary professionals, only wage/hourly employees. Attachment J.7 should be used for any wage/hourly employees.

OAGM

Solicitation, H.1.c, Nature of Potential Conflict ix., Page 40

The solicitation states, “The TSC Contractor shall promptly notify the Contracting officer of any relationships with any of the following entities, ix. Any relationship with an entity which would review, consult, or does review Medicare or Medicaid Services”.

It appears the Government’s concern involves a situation where the TSC contractor/ subcontractor has any financial or contractual relationships with entities that provide consultation to Medicare or Medicaid services (such as Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC), fiscal intermediary, carrier, Medicare Part C or D payment processor, MSPRC).

Will CMS confirm this is a correct understanding?

There are three types of OCI, the TSC selectee must endeavor to avoid all three types.

OAGM

Solicitation, H.1.c, Nature of Potential Conflict x., Page 40

The solicitation states, “The TSC Contractor shall promptly notify the Contracting officer of any relationships with any of the following entities, x. Any ACA/Marketplace Engagements.”

Please clarify what type of “ACA/Marketplace engagements” would create a conflict with this work.

The HIGLAS system makes payments to ACA medical service providers as well as other contractors who build, maintain, and develop ACA systems.

OAGM

RFP Section H.1.C.ix

Please clarify what is meant by an entity that “would review, consult, or does review Medicare or Medicaid services”

The HIGLAS system makes payments to Medicare and Medicaid service providers as well as other contractors who build, maintain, and develop Medicare and Medicaid systems.

OAGM*

RFP Section L.5.1 – Proposal Organization / 4.c Page Limits / Page 86

The instruction states that “the number of pages for other volumes is limited to 50 pages.” The price volume contains a narrative in Word and Attachment J2 spreadsheet (with 25 tabs, and some tabs will be multiple pages). Additionally, the BOE will be a rather extensive Excel with multiple pages. For print/view legibility, please confirm that the 50-page limitation only applies to the narrative portion of the Pricing Volume (exclusive of Attachment J2).

Correct- only narrative portion

OAGM

RFP Section L.5.2 – Volume I – Technical Volume Requirements / Page 86

AND

RFP Section M.3 Staffing Approach / Page 98

Bullet #3 states that the Technical volume must not contain reference to cost/price, except resource information such as labor hours, categories, infrastructure categories and quantities, ODCs and subcontracts. However, under Section M.3, the fourth bullet under a. Staffing Plan requires that the offeror lists “either the average or the range of direct labor rates(s) for proposed labor categories.” Disclosing average / range of labor rates seems to conflict with the “must not contain reference to cost/price.” Please clarify.

Solicitation amended and removed reference to labor rates

OAGM

Solicitation, L.5.4.a Volume II – Price Volume Requirements,

The Solicitation states, “Unsanitized” versions of the price/cost volume only are required. No “Sanitized copies”.

Given the proprietary nature of the information requested, please confirm subcontractors may submit sealed “Business Ethics, Conflicts of Interest and Compliance, and Past Performance directly to CMS.

Yes- subcontractors may submit directly to CMS

Submittals shall identify which team they are part of.

OAGM

Solicitation M. M.1, Competency #1 on Page #94

CMS has mentioned a Business Manager. Could CMS describe its vision on role of the Business Manager as it relates to this opportunity?

The Business Manager shall be responsible for providing monthly business statistics regarding the contract. The Business Manager shall also be responsible for any related adhoc request from FMSG.

DPDM

Solicitation, M-Evaluation, M.1 Tech Approach, Competency 5 – Tech Support, Page 96

The evaluation criteria for Competency 5, Technical Support, only states security criteria. Will other elements of Technical Support be evaluated? Is so, please describe.

Yes, The TSC will provide two experienced and knowledgeable SMEs to support development, implementation and problem resolution for HIGLAS OBIEE dashboards, including upgrades to the product.

DPDM/DTO

SOW / General Requirements / Page 5

AND

RFP Section F – Deliveries for Performance / F.2. Place of Performance / Page 19

The SOW requires that the TSC shall furnish “workspace facilities.” The RFP Place of Performance states that “there will be multiple places of performance under this contract.” If the places of performance are outside the Washington Metro area, please provide the cities and states.

Primary place of performance will be 7500 Security Blvd however there are a limited number of work stations available. Contractors may need to commute within the local area.

DPDM

Attachment J.1 SOW, Travel,

Is there any need for travel outside of Baltimore region?

Travel may be required on an ad hoc basis.

The Offeror shall propose ODCs as needed.

DPDM

Attachment J.1 SOW, Competency 2, Testing, Page 15

What tool is used to manage test scripts?

The TSC will not need access to a Test Tool. The HIGLAS Maintainer is responsible for documenting test scripts and results and will deliver those completed work products to FMSG and the TSC for review and comment.

DFAS

Attachment J.1 SOW, Competency 2, Testing, Page 15

Is the HIGLAS regression testing automated? If yes, what tools are used?

The HIGLAS Regression Testing is automated, however, this is performed by the HIGLAS Maintainer. Results from the execution of these scripts will be delivered to FMSG and TSC for review and comment.

DFAS

Attachment J.1 SOW, Competency 3, Activity 9, Page 19

“The TSC shall provide oversight, maintenance, and support of the Tools (e.g. analytics, formatting, exceptions)…” Will CMS specify what tools are being referred to? Also, will CMS describe if they are COTS or custom developed? If custom developed, will CMS describe the technology used to develop these tools?

The FMSG tools refer to custom Microsoft Office tools that were developed for data analytics. These tools utilize advanced macros and visual basic scripting.

DFAS

Attachment J.1 SOW, Competency 3, Activity 10, Page 19

Will CMS specify the technical support required and what technology was used to develop the Budget Formulation Tool?

The Budget Formulation Tool is made up of MS Access and MS Excel Files. MS Access is used to manage the configuration process and the MS Excel Budget Group spreadsheets provide the source input.

DFAS

Attachment J.1 SOW, Competency 4, Page 22

Competency 4 includes many diverse activities, but only 1.5 FTEs is suggested. Will CMS provide additional detail on how the recommended level of effort was developed?

Competency 4 does cover many diverse activities, however, the TSC will not be involved in 100% of what FMSG receives. FMSG will only utilize the TSC team for the more complex or specialized reviews. Other activities that are primarily for the TSC are not as time consuming (e.g. Supporting and Deploying Setups) which may come daily however, the end to end process for this task is typically 2 hours and also involves steps performed by FMSG federal staff.

DFAS

Attachment J.1 SOW, Competency 5, Technical Support, Activity 6, User and Account Management, Page 24

It is stated that: “Furthermore, the TSC, along with DTO Security Team, shall support User and Account management on a 24/7 basis for all applicable Sev1 issues.”

Is the TSC required to provide any type of help desk support? If yes, please describe the requirements (FTEs required, response times, etc.)

The TSC is the primary support for users needing access or help getting into HIGLAS (password resets, troubleshooting, and general account management). All requests need to be addressed within one business day and prioritized based on urgency. Competency 5 in total comprises approximately 5 FTEs. These 5 FTEs do not spend all their time on this particular task.

DTO

Attachment J.1 SOW, Competency 5, Technical Support, Activity 6, User and Account Management, Page 24

Will CMS provide an estimate of the quantity of Sev1 issues that will require after hours support?

Very few after hours support is required for SEV1 issues. Estimate about 5 occurrences per year. In the rare event that TSC personnel are not available, HIGLAS has other remediating procedures in place.

DTO

Attachment J.1 SOW, Competency 5, Activity 7, Page 26

Will CMS describe in more detail maintenance activities required for the HIGLAS Account Management Tool V2.0?

The HIGLAS Account Management Tool V2.0 (HAMT) is an Oracle Web ADI Spreadsheet designed to process and correct access within the Oracle Federal Financials (HIGLAS) EBS (i.e. add or end date responsibilities, end date user access, etc). The TSC must test and maintain the tool, make any updates to the tool, and ensure the tool functions properly when changes occur in the HIGLAS environment (i.e. operating system updates, quarterly releases, cloning).

DTO

Attachment J.1 SOW, Competency 5, Deliverables, Page 27

Several deliverables (e.g., Technical Issue/Program Assessments, Technical Issue/Program Recommendations, Executive Project Briefings, Issue/Recommendation Papers) appear to be broader than the defined security scope. Will CMS clarify whether these activities are only related to security or will the contractor also be required to address technical issues outside of security?

Only related to security.

DTO

Attachment J.1 SOW, Appendix A, Page 38

The system PS&R is defined, but PS&R is not mentioned in any of the competencies. Is PS&R in scope? If so, what activities is the contractor expected to perform related to PS&R?

PS&R may be the subject of future requirements, but at the moment, the scope is limited to tangential items such as references to PS&R in action items and meeting minutes.

DPSS

General

Will CMS provide an extension of the proposal submission due date to March 15, 2017?

See question #15

No- not possible due to tight acquisition schedule

It is anticipated the new contract start date will be August 2017

A sources sought and pre-solicitation notice were posted previously and included the SOW

OAGM

L.5.5., Volume III, Section 2

This section of the proposal instructions appears to only require the offeror to either disclose any known or potential COIs or to provide a negative response indicating that there are no known or potential COIs.

Are the offerors required to include a description of the processes and procedures it has in place to detect and disclose all COIs pre-award, post-award and throughout the life of the contract?

Please clarify what the offerors are required to include in Volume III related to Conflict of Interest?

The TSC selectee must have a working OCI program which will be reviewed by CMS for completeness and effectiveness.

All offerors must describe what their project and corporate specific OCI program will entail and who is responsible. Language added to solicitation.

OAGM

RFP Section L.5.1.4 – Proposal Organization / 4.c Page Limits / Page 86

This section states the number of pages for other volume(s) (Volume II & III) is limited to 50 pages. Please clarify if this 50 page limit for the remaining 2 volumes is aggregate or for each volume. Specifically, does the Price Volume and OCI Volume each have a page limit of 50 pages? Are exhibits excluded from these page limits (i.e. price sheets, subcontractor proposals, COI disclosure forms, Certifications and Representations, etc.).

50 page limit for each volume:

Volume I- 50 pages Volume II- 50 pages Volume III- 50 pages

Exhibits are excluded from this 50 page count.

OAGM

Attachment J.1 and Attachment J.2

SOW Competencies and Total Summary Tab

Can the Government please clarify the apparent disparity between the approximate FTE count of 19.8 in the Base Year and 19.5 in the Option Years while the pricing template estimates 40,000-50,000 hours/CLIN in accordance with J2 Total Summary tab? What basis should we use?

Please use the approximate FTE count of 19.8 in the Base Year and 19.5 in the Option Years.

DPDM

52
Attachment J.1; Page 19	Competency 4 – Functional Support

The SOW states requirement definition and functional testing under Business Process Reengineering (BPR).

Are there any planned improvements to the deployment of Oracle Business Intelligence? Are there areas of Oracle BI that require BPR or improvement?

There is nothing defined or pending at this point, however, we will want to utilize the Oracle BI solution more in the future and as these requests are made known, the requirements and feasibility will need to be assessed for development and use.

DFAS

53
RFP	M.6 Socio-Economic Factor
Will the scoring being weighted and if so, can the Government specify which socio economic categories will be given greater consideration?
All proposals will be evaluated adjectively. The socioeconomic factor will become important if more than one offeror is found to be of best value to the Government.
OAGM

Attachment J.8- Subcontractor Checklist

Are offerors to submit the Attachment J.8 as part of their proposal and if so in which section and is it excluded from the page count?

The subcontractor checklist is a form which will be utilized throughout the life of the resulting contract.

Within technical proposal the information from the checklist should be explained to show the Government how, why, and in what ways subcontractors were selected.

It is the intent of the Government to identify offeror teams who will provide best value to the Government in this work performance.

OAGM

General

What does FMSG anticipate in terms of on-site availability (% of work week and % of staff)?

For the security and access management work, 100% of the staff for 100% of the work week will require onsite availability.

DTO/DFAS/DPDM

General

When does the government anticipate that ViPS Medicare System project will initiate?

There is no known date for this initiative.

DPDM

Transition-In

On transition, what in-progress projects (non-routine activities), if any, are expected to transition from the incumbent should the incumbent not be awarded?

There are no in-progress projects (non-routine activities).

DPDM

L.5.4.C, page 86

The RFP states other volumes are limited to 50 pages.

We are concerned that the required disclosures for attachments J.3 and J.4 may exceed the 50- page limit. Will the government consider eliminating the page limit?

Attachment J.3 and J.4 should be included in the volume III OCI volume and has a 50 page limit

OAGM

Clause H.1

POST AWARD BUSINESS ETHICS, CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND COMPLIANCE (DEC 2015) states the following:

“The Contracting Officer has determined that the following activities are considered to be actual, potential, or apparent COI with the work to be performed under this TSC contract. The TSC Contractor shall promptly notify the Contracting Officer of any relationships with any of the following entities: “.

The solicitation lists ten entities covering a number of contract activities that could be actual, potential or apparent contracts. The OCI disclosure requires offerors to identify any conflicts and propose a plan for mitigating those conflicts. The solicitation also defines the three types of conflicts that could exist, unequal access, biased ground rules and impaired objectivity.

Has CMS determined what type(s) of conflict(s) may exist for each of the ten listed entities covering the identified contract activities? If so, can CMS list the conflict type(s) they believe may exist for each of the entities identified?

CMS has identified three basic types of Conflict of Interest- please study the definition of each type and provide your own evaluation

OAGM

OCI (pg. 40) (v)

Nature of Potential Conflict: Although not all inclusive, the Contracting Officer has determined that the following activities are considered to be actual, potential, or apparent COI with the work to be performed under this TSC contract. The TSC Contractor shall promptly notify the Contracting Officer of any relationships with any of the following entities: Has any on-going or future business relationship with ORACLE Corp., other than as a customer for commercial products or services.

Will the government define “business relationship” and the scope of the arrangement as it relates to this solicitation?

CMS has identified three basic types of Conflict of Interest- please study the definition of each type and provide your own evaluation.

OAGM

Competency #3 & #4, pg.95

Will the government provide details on the average volume of number of Change Requests, hours by labor category per release, number of releases etc., for the HIGLAS?

The Change Requests (CRs) referenced are related to work that is primarily performed by the HIGLAS Maintainer. The TSC serves as support to FMSG in the oversight of this activity and are not performing the actual analysis and development work related to the CRs. The TSC SMEs must know Oracle Federal Financials as business functional analyst to enable the review of any assigned CRs and provide relevant feedback as to proposed solutions and impacts to HIGLAS.

DFAS

SOW pg. 16 Competency #3

Will the government please provide what product is used for Budget Formulation?

Is the same BUCS application used for budget execution (as referenced in Competency #8) used for formulation?

The Budget Formulation Tool is made up of MS Access and MS Excel Files. MS Access is used to manage the configuration process and the MS Excel Budget Group spreadsheets provide the source input.

DFAS/DPSS

SOW pgs. 19-22 Competency #4

As it relates to routine configurations (e.g., AR transaction types), what is the division of labor breakdown between the TSC and the HIGLAS application support contractor (CSRA)?

Please see response to question #42. The process for Setups assigned to the TSC is performed in collaboration with End User, FMSG staff, and upon receipt of setup request, the typical process takes approximately 2 hours which include steps performed by FMSG Federal staff.

DFAS

SOW pgs. 22-28 Competency #5

Will the government provide what version of OBIEE/OBIA is HIGLAS currently on?

As of 2/17/2017:

OBIA – 11.1.1.8.1

OBIEE – DEV with current patches -- 11.1.1.7.160719

OBIEE – PROD – 11.1.1.7.150120.

ODI – 11.1.1.7.0 while installed.

DTO

SOW pgs. 22-28 Competency #5

Does the government plan to transition the user management from EUA to EIDM?

No plans to transition from EUA to EIDM.

DTO

SOW pgs. 30-32 Competency #7

Will the government provide some information on the frequency and number/complexity or hours of website updates to enable us to determine the LOE?

Page 32 of SOW Competency #7 - The government anticipates this will require approximately .25 FTE.

DPDM

SOW pg. 32 Competency #8

Will the government provide details on the average volume of the number of BUCS related tickets, # of releases, hours expended per release, etc.?

We support an average of 10 support emails per day. We deploy 1 – 2 change requests per year based on requirements changing in systems that exchange data with BUCS.

DPSS

Competency #8 Pg. 32

Is there a separate BUCS support contractor, as is the case with HIGLAS and esMD, or is BUCS support the sole responsibility of the FSMG TSC?

There is no separate support contractor. BUCS has very limited changes – only those necessitated by changes to peer systems – and the support tickets are typically around user access issues and file loads.

DPSS

Competency #8 Pg. 32

Does the government expect to implement any change requests or enhancements for BUCS, or is this application in maintenance phase only?

See response #68.

DPSS

Competency #8 Pg. 32

Will BUCS need to adhere to CMS XLC for maintenance and does the government expect 1 FTE to cover all SDLC phases across multiple roles?

We anticipate that one FTE can cover all roles with assistance from the Federal team to avoid any critical segregation of duties issues.

DPSS

Attachment J.5 Past Performance

The template notes, “The purpose of this contract is to provide Security Controls Assessments to CMS.”

Is the government’s intent to identify past performances focused on security control or on the broader scope of the FMSG TSC statement of work?

Attachment J.5 amended- this work is not to perform the SCA rather to provide support on behalf of FMSG to those other contractors who have been hired to perform SCA.

In addition the TSC will assist FMSG to resolve any subsequent SCA findings.

OAGM

Key personnel

Pg. 7/Attch J.1, Pg 44-45 of RFP

What are the specific and different responsibilities identifying these roles (security lead and information security officer) as separate?

Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT);

Certified Information Security Manager (CISM);

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP.)

The Security Lead shall have strong project management skills and have served in a management role in projects of similar size, scope, and complexity.

DTO

SOW / Key Personnel pg. 7

Would the government please provide job description and requirements for all key personnel roles:

Project Manager OBIEE Developer Security Lead Information Security Officer Project Manager duties are found on page 94 Section: Competency #1.

Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT);

Certified Information Security Manager (CISM);

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP.)

The Security Lead shall have strong project management skills and have served in a management role in projects of similar size, scope, and complexity.

DTO/DPDM

RFP pg. 47

On page 47, there is a reference to a security official. Is the security official different from the Information Security Officer and the Security Lead?

Yes, the security official is the Organization person responsible for your Organization’s overall security policies and procedures. This is not the same personnel as the onsite ISO or Security Lead.

DTO

Section M.1/ Competency 1

RFP pg. 46-47

Will the government describe the general responsibilities for the role of Business Manager? Is this the same as Business Associate?

The Business Manager shall be responsible for providing monthly business statistics regarding the contract. The Business Manager shall also be responsible for any related adhoc request from FMSG.

The Business Manager is not the same as HIPAA Business Associate (RFP p.46.)

DPDM

L.5.4, pg. 90

Will the government clarify what travel and ODCs, if any, will be required.

Travel may be required on an ad hoc basis.

The Offeror shall propose ODCs as needed.

DPDM

Pricing Attachment J.2

Attachment J2 includes a GSA comparison worksheet. Will the government clarify if this is required considering that proposed pricing will be Cost Plus Fixed Fee?

Attachment J.2 was provided for offeror convenience if GSA rates are being proposed and used.

OAGM

L.4.9.e and f, page 87, Award Process

Will the government please clarify Technical Proposal evaluation is separate from evaluation of the Cost Proposal and all offerors’ cost proposals will be evaluated regardless of the technical rating assessed in “e”.

Yes- confirmed

Technical and cost will be evaluated separately and all proposal submissions will be read and reviewed.

OAGM

L.4.9.g, page 87, Invitation to Orals

Will the government please clarify whether evaluation of the Technical rating will re-assessed after evaluation of the Cost Proposal, particularly since this document contains the BOE and Assumptions.

Technical is separate from cost and will be evaluated separately.

However, technical and cost will be considered together to determine best value.

OAGM

L.4.9, pg. 87 Award Process

Reference L.4.9, page 87, Award Process, steps g through n – with an award date of 8/15/2017 – will the government provide estimated dates for these activities.

No- solicitation remains unchanged

OAGM

L.5.1.4.c, page 89, WBS

Will the government please clarify the information requested (page size, font, etc.). Reference L.5.1.2, 3-ring binder – please clarify this requirement applies to WBS.

WBS removed from solicitation as we are not requiring a WBS

Page size and font is listed in solicitation section

OAGM

L.5.1.4.c, page 89, WBS

Will the government clarify the number of levels in the WBS?

WBS removed- even though it is not a requirement it does not prohibit offerors from submission- and would not be included in the page count

OAGM

L.5.1.4.c, page 89, WBS

Will the government clarify whether a WBS is required for the Competencies described in Technical Proposal Chapters 1 and 2 referenced in L.5.2.5.c, page 90?

WBS not required

OAGM

L.5.1.4.c, page 89, WBS

Will the government clarify whether the labor classifications, labor hours, hardware, and software required / described in the BOE – reference L.5.4.d. page 92 – should also be provided in the WBS?

WBS not required

OAGM

L.5.1.4.c, page 89, WBS

Will the government provide a template for the WBS so that evaluation will be consistent?

WBS not required

OAGM

L.5.1.4.c, page 89, Letters of Commitment

Will the government please clarify the content desired in the Letters of Commitment

Letters of Commitment removed not required

OAGM

Introduction

Page: 4

Can CMS confirm any planned new initiatives?

CMS cannot confirm any new initiatives at this time

DPDM

General Requirement

Can CMS confirm if all the TSC Resources will be issued a CMS laptops?

For the security and access management personnel, CMS provides desktops or laptops to be used onsite.

DTO/DPDM

General Requirement

Can CMS detail the expected lines of business for the TSC?

The lines of business include HIGLAS and esMD.

DPDM

Scope

Page: 13

Can CMS clarify a LCAT to support at advisory Level?

The Offeror shall propose the required LCAT (labor category.)

DPDM

Competency 2

Page: 15

Can CMS consider sharing any details pertaining to HTCoE?

The HTCoE was established to provide focus on continual process improvements related to testing.

DFAS

Appendix A- System

Can CMS share any additional information regarding FMSG system PS&R and expected TSC Support?

See response #47.

DPSS

L.5.1/L.5.4

Page: 85 and 90

We understand CMS wants pricing in Microsoft Excel and pricing narrative in Microsoft word So, can CMS please confirm pricing proposal is require in two different parts excel and word?

Yes- narrative 50 page limit in word

Attachment J.2 in excel- not included in page limit

OAGM

SOW;

Organizational Conflict of Interest

Will CMS allow the prime contractor to deal with potential conflicts of interest with subcontractors on a task and sub-task basis and to use appropriate mitigation plans when necessary? For example, task competency #5 has several broad competency areas of support requirements. Some subcontractors may not be able to participate in specific competency areas due to potential Organizational conflicts of Interest. We assume the prime offeror will be responsible for determining subcontractor participation in these competency areas and/or by having the subcontractor propose appropriate mitigation plans. Can CMS please verify this assumption?

CMS has identified three basic types of Conflict of Interest- please study the definition of each type and provide your own evaluation.

The TSC selectee must have a working OCI program which will be reviewed by CMS for completeness and effectiveness.

All offerors must describe what their project and corporate specific OCI program will entail and who is responsible. Language added to solicitation.

OAGM *

SOW; Competency 2 –

Testing;

What are the tools that are currently being used for testing?

See Responses to Questions 38 – 39.

DFAS

SOW; Competency 3 –

System Solution Support; Page 16

What are the current systems used for defect management, package migration, and for managing service restoration and service request?

FMSG HIGLAS utilizes ServiceNow (SNOW) for logging and managing incident tickets. This is a function managed by the HIGLAS Maintainer and the TSC will have access to SNOW for the review and oversight of tickets and processes in support of FMSG.

DFAS

SOW; Competency 3 –

System Solution Support; Page 16

Can the government elaborate the future application landscape - new releases planned, new application architecture, etc.

The new releases are typically determined quarter by quarter in the review on Enhancement Requests (ER’s) submitted based on prioritization or finalized legislative actions that impact the financial system. The TSC will participate with FMSG and the HIGLAS Maintainer to review and comment on ERs.

DFAS

SOW; Competency 8 –

Budget Under Control System (BUCS) Support;

What is the tool use for tracking Budget Under Control System (BUCS) Support tickets?

We currently us an ad hoc system; we are looking to move this into the Incident Management module in ServiceNow.

DPSS

Section L-Instructions

L.4 General Instructions

Point number 8 is missing in this section. Please clarify if this is a typo?

Typo- corrected in solicitation

OAGM

100

Section L- Instructions

L.5.1.4.b Proposal Organization

Are there any font style requirements?

We prefer times new roman- added to solicitation

OAGM

101

Section L-Instructions

L.5.3.b Instructions for submitting Past Performance Information

Are we allowed to submit past performances from subcontractors? If so, how many should be from the prime, and how many from the subcontractors?

All relevant past performance within the past three years should be provided for prime and subcontractors to evidence proficiencies and expertise

OAGM

102

Section L-Instructions

L.5.3.b Summary of Past Performance Table

Can the Summary of Past Performance Table be altered in a way to best present the required information, as long as all of the required information is still present?

Table altered- see revised solicitation

OAGM

103

Section L-Instructions

L.5.3.b Past Performance Questionnaires

In addition to submitting all PPQ to the Contracting Officer by the due date, should all PPQs be included in Volume I of the proposal?

PPQ’s should be sent directly to CMS and not included in Volume I of the proposal

OAGM

104

Section L-Instructions

L.5.3.b Past Performance Questionnaires

Can the Government please confirm that a PPQ is only required for non-Federal government past performance experience?

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File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated Aug 28, 2025.