PTL_-_Responses_to_Vendor_Questions_A004.docx

S-AQMMA-12-R-0413 A004 Department of State

I. SOLICITATION CHANGES

1. Section B, CLIN X006 titled, "Administration includes all database, network, and underlying system administration and configuration services (Monthly)" is hereby deleted in its entirety and the remaining CLIN's are renumbered accordingly."

2. Section B, a new CLIN X005 titled "Program Management" is hereby added.

3. Section B, a new CLIN X009 titled "Material" is hereby added.

4. Section C, Paragraph C.4 titled, "Contractual Overview." The third paragraph is hereby deleted in its entirety and a new third paragraph is substituted in lieu thereof.

5. Section C, Paragraph C.5 titled, "Personnel Tracking Locator (PTL) systems." The first paragraph is hereby deleted in its entirely and a new first paragraph is substituted in lieu thereof.

6. Section C, Paragraph C.5 titled, "Personnel Tracking Locator (PTL) systems." The third paragraph is hereby deleted in its entirely and a new 3rd paragraph is substituted in lieu thereof.

7. Section C, Paragraph C.5.1.30 has been amended to read as follows, "Have the ability to zoom to a specified tracker, at street-level resolution, meaning streets must be distinctly identifiable, for both geospatial imagery and street maps.

8. Section C, a new requirement C.5.4.9 stating "The PTL shall have the ability to store all tracking data for a minimum of two (2) years" is hereby added. The previous C.5.4.9 has been renumbered as C.5.4.10.

9. Section C, a new Paragraph C.6 titled, "Installation and Deployment Services" is hereby added.

10. Section C, Paragraph C.6 titled "Engineering and Technical Support" has been renumber as Paragraph C.8 under the same title.

11. Section C, Paragraph C.7 titled "Operations, Maintenance and Sustainment Services." A new first paragraph, associated bullets, and subparagraphs C.7.1 and C.7.2 have been added.

12. Section C, Subparagraph C.6.2.2 is renumbered as Paragraph C.7.2 titled "System Administration."

13. Section C, Paragraph C.7.2 titled "Software or Architecture Modifications" is renumbered as Paragraph C.8.1 under the same title.

14. Section C, Paragraph C.8.2 titled "Certification and Accreditation (C&A)." A new first paragraph is hereby added.

15. Section C, A new Paragraph C.8.3 titled "Device Integration" is hereby added.

16. Section F, Paragraph F.4 titled "Deliverables" is hereby amended to include delivery dates for CLINs 0001, 0002 and 0003. PWS Paragraph references have been updated to reflect the changes annotated in this amendment.

17. Section H, Paragraph H.4 titled "Security Classification" has been renumbered as Paragraph H.3 under the same title.

18. Section H, a new Paragraph H.5 titled "Key Personnel" is hereby added.

19. Section H, Paragraph H.6 has been amended to include the sentence, "The DOS will consider the substitution of direct and progressive job experience in lieu of the educational requirements, as stated in the paragraphs below, on a case-by-case basis."

20. Section H, a new Paragraph H.6.1 titled "Program Manager" is hereby added.

21. Section H, a new Paragraph H.6.6 titled, "Systems Engineer" is hereby added.

22. Section H, a new Paragraph H.6.7 titled, "Software Engineer" is hereby added.

23. Section I, FAR Clause 52.232-18 titled "Availability of Funds" is hereby deleted in its entirety.

24. Section L, Paragraph L.19 titled "Certification and Accreditation Documentation." A new subparagraph 2 is hereby added.

25. Section M, Paragraph M.3 titled, "Basis of Award." A new paragraph titled "Note:" is hereby added.

II. AMENDMENT INSTRUCTIONS

1. Delete the document titled "Solicitation PTL System A002" released October 19, 2012 in its entirety and substituted the attached "Solicitation PTL System A004" in lieu thereof.

2. Delete the document titled "Attachment 1 Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan" released October 17, 2012 in its entirety and substituted the attached "Attachment 1 Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan A004" in lieu thereof.

3. Delete the document titled "Attachment 2 Price Proposal Worksheet" released October 17, 2012 in its entirety and substituted the attached "Attachment 2 Price Proposal Worksheet A004" in lieu thereof.

4. A new Attachment 5 titled "ITCCB Approved Hardware and Software A004" is hereby added.

III. VENDOR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. Can you confirm the estimated number and types of devices currently supported?

Answer: The State Department has approximately 5500 tracking devices fielded globally. There are some legacy systems still in the inventory, but our immediate future is to baseline the DOS-issued tracking devices in our tracking program to Iridium-Based NAL-built SHOUTs, SHOUT-NANOs, and 9602-LP devices. These devices transmit messages in the PECOS message structure.

2. Can you confirm the estimated percentage growth in the number of devices that will need to be supported per year moving forward?

Answer: The State Department estimates a per year growth of approximately 20% for Department devices, however, this estimate may change based on world events and/or budget constraints. More significant and unpredictable is the number of tracking devices procured and fielded by other federal agencies. Integrating the data from these other, unknown type/number, tracking devices is critical to situational awareness for DOS posts overseas.

3. Can you confirm how many international "nodes" or remote access sites will need to be supported outside of the USA?

Answer: The State Dept. is worldwide, thus requires unrestricted global web access for approximately hundreds to thousands of users. System should easily handle 1000 simultaneous users.

4. In accordance with Section L.8 the DOS has stated alternate proposal are not desired nor will be considered. However, please note that Section C.4 Paragraph 5, Bullet 1 specifically states that the desire is for COTS products yet the detailed list of nearly 50 requirements in Section C.5 does not lend itself to a Commercial off the shelf solution.

(1) Will the Government consider adjusting these requirements, as they eliminate the option of presenting Alternative COTS solutions that can be provided at a better value to the DOS?

Answer: The government will not adjust these requirements; all requirements are bona-fide.

5. Provide copies of all C&A documentation controls tested and the test results acquired during the system accreditation by another entity of the federal government. The Contractor shall provide copies of all C&A documentation, assessments, controls tested and the test results.

Question: In accordance with Section L.8 the DOS has stated that alternate proposals are not desired nor will be considered. However, please note that Section C.4 Paragraph 5, Bullet 1 specifically states that the desire is for a COTS product; yet Section L.19, Volume 3: Certification and Accreditation (C&A), Item 2, requires C&A test results from accreditation by another entity of the federal government to be provided.

Answer: The government will save significant time and cost by leveraging previous government investment in C&A by requiring pre-existing accreditation of a system already approved for use by another federal entity.

6. The PTL Systems shall employ state-of-the-art hardware and software technologies to provide the capability to monitor and ingest multiple device formats over varied transmission paths (i.e., worldwide cellular SMS messaging and data, and satellite based tracking devices).”

Provide the capability to export live track data and emergency messages in real-time through a one-way guard.

The PTL Systems shall be capable of obtaining a DOS C&A as demonstrated through previous federal certifications and authority to operate.

Question: With the Personnel Tracking Locator system having a C&A it would be residing on a secure, closed network. Please clarify how Section C.5.4.9 is Optional for a one-way guard, given that the system is required to ingest data from transmission paths including worldwide cellular SMS messaging and data which would be on an open network?

Answer: The DOS requires C&A for all systems depending on system type, whether the system is hosted or not. The optional guard is to export data from the system at an UNCLASS level to an external destination at another classification level.

7. The PTL Systems shall employ state-of-the-art hardware and software technologies to provide the capability to monitor and ingest multiple device formats over varied transmission paths (i.e., worldwide cellular SMS messaging and data, and satellite based tracking devices).”

Question: Please confirm if the DOS is requesting the contractor to make COTS system modification on contract for the development of the new interfaces to ingest new device formats post contract award?

Answer: The Department of State’s current approved inventory of devices includes only devices from Question 1. The government desires to expand the data access from other agencies’ inventory of devices some of which use other communication paths including cellular/satellite, as long as the devices are FIPS-level encrypted. The Contractor shall be responsible for adding new, currently unidentified device data to the PTL system.

The contractor shall provide a list of currently existing device ingest interfaces, as well as currently-compatible, FIPS encrypted devices per the proposal instructions contained in Section L.

8. Please confirm if Rich Internet Application products such as Flash, WPF are acceptable web interface technology?

Answer: RIA would only be acceptable for a built-in map viewer, but not the entire web application. The government desires HTML/CSS/Javascript for multiple reasons, among them: RIA products can introduce 0-Day vulnerabilities and introduce additional constraints, such as code-signing, that can make the Department's internal approval process much lengthier.

9. In order to leverage the existing DOS infrastructure and approved assets the PTL Systems shall provide compatibility with Oracle Version 11 with Oracle Advanced Security - Transparent Data Encryption (TDE).

Question: Clarification is requested of “compatibility” in this requirement for the COTS solution.

Answer: Compatibility means that the contractor's system shall use an Oracle database with the TDE plug-in. This requirement exists for several reasons: As this system should immediately meet “Medium” accreditation requirements, and eventually be accredited at the "High" level ( requiring data-at-rest encryption). Additionally, this will lead to pre-existing compatibility with other Department initiatives using existing Oracle infrastructure. The department runs approximately 70 in-house Oracle databases and can leverage in-house Oracle DBAs and economies of scale, so requires that this database be used.

10. Provide an authorized user the capability to export live tracking data and emergency messages via unencrypted UDP, unencrypted TCP, and HTTPS protocols to any other IP address and port. An authorized user shall be able to switch between export protocols at any time.

Question: What is the format of the UDP, TCP and HTTPS message protocols? Please provide. While a contractor can utilize these data transports, please confirm that the specific data schema is to be developed by the contract post-contract award.

Answer: There is no required format for the UDP/TCP/HTTPS protocols, as long as the message format is fully documented. The government is not seeking a new development effort, so does not wish to develop a schema post-award; the schema should already exist. The message format must be consumable by non-proprietary software.

11. The PTL Systems shall be device agnostic and capable of ingesting data from currently deployed devices to include PECOS-based, Commercial Iridium, Global Star based devices, and cellular devices.

Question: Please clarify; is the Government’s intention for pre-existing interfaces to ingest the data from the currently deployed devices or is the intent to have a system that is capable of ingesting data from these devices once these interfaces are developed?

Answer: See the response to Question 1. For interface development, see the response to Question 7.

12. The availability of proposed individuals to work on the project for its duration as well as the availability of cleared personnel.

Question: What is the projected scope and level of effort for task orders to be issued under this contract?

Answer: Paragraph C.8 lists the services to be accomplished under the task order process (i.e., software or architecture modifications; C&A, and device integration).

13. The Department of State (DOS), Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS), Office of Security Technology (ST), Personnel Tracking and Locator Section, has a requirement for a Government owned, contractor operated enterprise personnel tracking system which can ingest the full spectrum of personnel tracking devices on the market currently and with the ability to ingest future next generation devices at minimal cost to the government for adaptation.

The PTL Systems shall employ state-of-the-art hardware and software technologies to provide the capability to monitor and ingest multiple device formats over varied transmission paths (i.e., worldwide cellular SMS messaging and data, and satellite based tracking devices).

Question: The COTS PTL System will need to be customized to accommodate future, state of the art technologies. What is the planned data rights ownership of future PTL System development as part of the task orders under this contract?

Answer: Having funded the development the Government shall retain unrestricted data rights.

14. The section below delineates the minimum personnel requirements for the Contractor’s personnel. The positions are considered professional in nature and are therefore exempt from the Service Contract Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act. The labor categories provided below provide some specific requirements for performing the work as stated in Section C.

Question: The Labor Categories identified in Section H.6 Personnel and the Attachment 2 Price Proposal worksheet do not include any technical development resources for product enhancements based on the need for the system to meet Section C.1 objective: “with the ability to ingest future next generation devices at minimal cost to the government for adaptation. It is suggested that software and systems engineer labor categories be added.

Answer: Labor category descriptions for a Systems Engineer and Software Engineer have been added to Section H.6 as new subparagraphs. Section B and Attachment 2 Price Proposal Worksheet have been amended to reflect the addition of these new labor categories.

15. In Section C.4 Para 5, Bullet 3 it identifies that “Operations maintenance, technical support, and sustainment services required to support a 24x7x365/6 DOS activities worldwide.”

Question: Can the government identify the physical location(s) of contractor performance?

Answer: Contractor performance will take place in the National Capital Region

16. Section G.5 is completely missing – is this an oversight or just a mis-numbering?

Answer: Paragraphs G.6 and G.7 have been renumbered to G.5 and G.6 respectively.

17. The Contractor shall submit to the designated billing office a single invoice for the products and services rendered under this contract to the address listed below.

Question: The solicitation states that invoicing is at the contract level. Can DOS explain how this works when work is authorized at the Task Order level, or does DOS mean invoicing is to be at the Task Order level?

Answer: As revised, CLIN X001 through X006 are firm-fixed priced and are not at the task order level. CLIN X007 are the task order CLIN's. The Contractor shall provide a single invoice reflecting either the FFP or Task Order services rendered upon Government acceptance.

18. The Government considers the Program Manager (PM), the Security Specialist; Network Engineer; Database Administrator and Systems Engineer to be a key personnel under this contract. The Offeror shall provide a detailed resumes for the key personnel proposed for this contract. The resume should state the relevant experience as it relates to tasks and responsibilities to be performed under the position qualifications stated in this solicitation.

Question: Can the Key Personnel resume requirement be removed and replace with a Key personnel staffing summary showing qualified, cleared personnel are available to support the staffing requirements since the staffing level needed to support the Task Orders has not been identified?

Answer: No. However, Section L, Paragraph L.18.3 titled Key Personnel is hereby modified to reflect the Program Manager as the only key personnel. See the response to Question 14.

19. Have the ability to zoom to a specified tracker, resolution less than or equal to 250m for geospatial imagery and street level for street maps.

Question: Would geospatial imagery be provided as GFE/GFI? Please confirm that a map imagery server would be provided as GFE for Contract use based on the usage of 250 meter coverage.

Answer: Geospatial imagery will not be provided as GFE/GFI. A map imagery server will also not be provided as GFE/GFI. Paragraph C.5.1.30 has been amended to read as follows, "Have the ability to zoom to a specified tracker, at street-level resolution, meaning streets must be distinctly identifiable, for both geospatial imagery and street maps." .

20. The production, backup, and test servers shall be installed at a secure Government facility. The DOS will provide all necessary data communications.

Question: In Section H.5, is the government installing the production, backup, and test servers?

If the contractor is expected to provide the server(s), then please provide sizing information of the planned number of users, devices and duration of data storage in order for the contractors to be able to identify the servers.

Answer: The government is not installing the servers; the Contractor is responsible for all installation services. For number of users, see the response to Question3. For number of devices, see the responses to Questions 1 and 2. Paragraph C.5.1.30 has been amended to reflect that data storage shall be for a minimum of two years.

21. In that this will be an IDIQ, will there be multiple awardees, or a single awardee? Relatedly how would the work be divided into Task Orders - by years, or by positions, or deliverables, or a combination thereof? Finally, will the IDIQ be available only to the State Department clients or other federal government clients?

Answer: Paragraph B.2 titled, "Type of Contract" is hereby deleted in its entirety and the following is substituted as a new Paragraph B.2. "The Government contemplates single award of a stand-alone, hybrid contract resulting from this solicitation. Contract types will be firm-fixed-price for CLINS X001 through X007, and labor hour or time-and-materials for CLIN X008."

Although the PTL system will be required to accept data from other government entities purchases under this contract are limited to the State Department.

22. A reference is made to "intra site hot failover," however, is geographically separated hot site failover also required (is that where the backup server will be located)?

Answer: Geographically separated hot failover is not required.

23. Does the requirement that the "contractor [] assume all costs associated with any required licensing or maintenance" mean that the license and maintenance costs should not be included in the price quotes?

Answer: Yes, all license and maintenance costs shall be included in the unit prices of CLIN 0001, 0002, and 0003.

24. Can you specify the exact locations where contractor personnel will need to report in order to deliver PTL services? Also, can you specify the amount of travel expected of contractor personnel? Relatedly, who is responsible for service provider and other network service fees?

Answer: All services are to be delivered in the national capital region. No travel is currently expected of contractor personnel. The State Department will provide all connections between U.S. government facilities hosting PTL services.

25. The requirement for 24x7x365/6 - does this require contractors to be onsite at an operations center during this period, or just having contractors on call to cover this period?

Answer: The 24/7/365 requires on-call support within 2-hours from notification.

26. Can you clarify the requirement to "provide compatibility with Oracle Version 11 with Oracle Advanced Security - Transparent Data Encryption (TDE)", specifically, does this mean the proposed solution must have an Oracle DB, or can the solution have a different DB as long as the DB can interoperate with the Oracle DB?

Answer: See the response to Question 9.

27. The requirement that the solution proposed already be approved by another federal Government entity seems to imply DoS already has a specific solution in mind that is currently deployed elsewhere in the Government - is this the case? If this is the case, where is it?

Answer: No. The State Department's intent is to leverage existing approved solutions in order to 1) maximize previous US Government investments in tracking solutions that support a variety of Federal agencies, and 2) save substantial time and costs in operationalizing a tracking data solution/system by leveraging pre-existing US Government Certification and Accreditation (C&A) efforts.

28. There are very specific requirements listed in Section C, so what portion of the proposed solution must have been authorized to operate by a prior federal Government entity?

Answer: The government is seeking to acquire a PTL system that is authorized to operate at 100% of the specified requirements. However, the offeror shall include a specific statement in their proposal per the instructions in Paragraph L.19 as to which portion of the offeror’s solution is not yet authorized and the estimated cost/time to obtain that authorization.

29. C&A documentation provided to federal Government clients are under the control of the respective agency - as a contractor, I envision permission from the Government client would be necessary. Is it possible to provide the contact information of Government clients where we have deployed same/similar solutions and/or platforms so that the Government client can provide the C&A documentation to DoS?

Answer: Yes. We understand that the C&A documentation may be under the control of the other supported agency. We will accept government POC information and require the offeror's support/assistance in order to gain the documentation.

30. Will the State Department's EA approved technologies list be provided so that we can verify that the hardware selected has been approved by the State Department IT Change Control Board? Relatedly, is the "approved federal IT baseline" referring to the USGCB, or some other standard/documentation? If something other than the USGCB, can this documentation be provided to the contractor? Will the solution be considered unacceptable if a component of our solution is not on the IT baseline list or the State approved list?

Answer: No. The solicitation will not be considered unacceptable. A new Attachment 5 titled, "ITCCB Approved Hardware and Software" is hereby added.

31. Please provide more detail on: 1) user-modifiable tracker’s association data, 2) tracker’s alias or call-sign Answer: In most tracking data services DOS has been exposed to, a tracking device has "association data" e.g. owning organization, type element, POC, etc. that relates to an icon or position report from that tracking device. Another like-term might be "registration data." Some of this data is modifiable by the user. An authorized user, e.g. a system administrator, must be able to update this "association data." A tracking device's alias or call-sign generally relates to name or identification displayed on an end user's dispay of tracking data. Example: device #1 may display the alias "RSO" today, but be updated to display "Deputy RSO" the next day.

32. Is there an expectation to integrate with the current directory services platform, or is it preferred that local user roles be created within the solution? Relatedly, what directory services platform is being used?

Answer: Local user roles should be created within the solution. Current directory service information will not be released

33. Please clarify what is meant by “all configuration settings”? Does this refer to the asset configuration settings, or the configuration settings of the web interface and related software itself?

Answer: This refers to device settings as well as the web interface settings.

34. Currently, we support, Google Map, Bing Map and ESRI. Do you need them all?

Answer: Yes, interfaces are needed to all the platforms listed in C.5.2.1

35. Please elaborate on what you mean by “external viewing application”. We support iOS, Android, Windows 8 and all major browsers.

Answer: The intent is an external viewing application is a non-web, desktop-installed application that displays geospatial data and tracker overlays, (e.g., Google Earth. iOS, Android, Windows 8) are operating systems and not external viewing applications.

36. Does the State Department already have monitoring equipment setup at the locations where PTL will be deployed, or is it expected that the contractor will provide this equipment on behalf of the Government? If the State already has the security and network monitoring equipment, can you provide the details of this equipment? Also, are host-based monitoring tools and firewalls being referred to?

Answer: The contractor shall provide this monitoring equipment on behalf of the Government. Network monitoring, firewalls, and intrusion detection system are minimum requirements. Additional software needed, as well as security configuration fine-tuning will be provided during the C&A process.

37. What latitude do we, as the contractor have, in recommending the device types, services, and wireless service providers? What if the device type does not support any encryption?

Answer: There will be full latitude for the contractor to make recommendations. All devices must be encrypted

38. Is the “High” level intended to mean {Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability} = {High, High, High} Answer: Please review new paragraph C.8.2 for clarity

39. Regarding the requirement that “the Contractor provide a task order proposal necessary to support DS during the accreditation process”, is the proposal to be included as a part of the broader proposal for the entire IDIQ? Should pricing for this proposal be prepared/provided separately from the pricing of the overall IDIQ using the Price template?

Answer: No, Paragraph H.17.2 titled "Section B" states that the Attachment 2 Price Proposal Worksheet is for the development "Direct Labor."

40. In Section C.4, the requirement seems to be for a COTS solution, but in this section C.7.1, it seems a custom developed solution is envisioned. Can you clarify the expectation? Is the clarification what’s described in C.7.2?

Answer: Section C.7.1 is intended to allow for the normal updates/fixes process associated with any fielded system/solution. It was not intended to promote "develop cycles" as may be more traditionally associated with a custom solution built from scratch. Section C.7.2 is closer to the intent of the development cycle in limited scope.

41. Is it anticipated that an aspects of the current 9-year old PTL solution will be leveraged/utilized for the new system? There was mention of Oracle compatibility, so is it just the DB that needs to be incorporated into the new solution?

Answer: No. See the response to Question 9.

42. If there is NO PAST PERFORMANCE then this seems to imply that the proposed solution/component of the solution likely has not been deployed to another federal Government entity and therefore would not have C&A documentation. If that’s the case, then does NO PAST PERFORMANCE automatically disqualify the contractor/vendor?

Answer: Paragraph C.8.2 states the proposed PTL Systems shall be capable of obtaining a DOS certification and accreditation (C&A) as demonstrated through previous federal certifications and authority to operate. See the response to Question 4.

43. Please clarify the requirement for a turnkey COTS system – is this just to say that all functionality must be built into the solution and only the remaining activities are installation and verification that the solution works as required?

Answer: Yes, all functions must be built into the system. Other activities will include assisting in DOS C&A as well as interfacing to future devices

44. Are the devices/trackers that are considered in the scope of this project, GFE devices only, or are the personnel’s personal devices also within scope? Can you provide a list of all the device types that are currently deployed?

Answer: The State Department does not, at this time, require the integration of DOS personnel's personal devices. Please refer to question #1.

45. The solicitation calls for compatibility with PECOS communications. 1) Is Pecos a vendor? 2) Data format? 3) A specific device?

Answer: The PECOS message structure is a well-known industry standard for many tracking devices. Many agencies (including the State Department) have tracking devices that use the PECOS format. There are also several agencies that use other formats in their tracking devices.

46. Is S-AQMMA-12-R-0413, Personnel Tracking Locator Integrator Software and Support, a new procurement or a follow-on to previous work? If it is a re-compete, could you please provide the incumbent name, contract number, period of performance dates, and contract award dollar amount?

Answer: This information would have to be requested through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

47. In regards to the State Department solicitation number S-AQMMA-12-R-0413, can you disclose the interested vendor list?

Answer: Requests for the interested parties list will be responded to on a case-by-case basis.

48. The RFP outlines types in two different sections (B.2 and L.3) but the information does not seem to match? Is this an IDIQ?

Answer: See the response to Question 21.

49. Are small businesses required to submit a Subcontracting Plan?

Answer: No, small business are not required to submit subcontracting plans.

50. Reference Section L.17.3. Shall offerors complete their Reps and Certs in SAM?

Answer: Yes, the ORCA database is now part of SAMS.

51. How many people will be trained during initial user training sessions and advanced user training sessions? Will travel be required? Where will training take place? Will it be in-person or remote?

Answer: State Department foresees the training outlined in section C.8 to be local (NCR) most likely in DOS facilities, in-person, and will be small in size, 2-4 personnel per session.

52. For a newly established small business responding to the RFP, would a proposal be compliant if 2 years of certified, third party financial statements were provided in the proposal with the third year financial statements being management certified?

Answer: Yes

53. Will DoS provide Oracle licenses?

Answer: See the response to Question 23.

54. Which network(s) does DoS intend to deploy the servers on?

Answer: Servers will be deployed on a DOS approved network

55. Will this be deployed in a disconnected fashion from the required network?

Answer: No. The PTL system will not be deployed in a disconnected fashion.

56. How many users does DoS anticipate will be accessing the production server and the backup server?

Answer: See the response to Question 3.

57. How many users does DoS anticipate will be accessing the test server?

Answer: At most there will be 50 simultaneous users accessing the test server

58. What format would geofence files come in?

Answer: The chosen solution will provide the format for geofence files

59. Do DoS expect an on-site 24/7/365 contract support desk or an “on call” service that will support needs 24/7/365?

Answer: The 24/7/365 support requires on-call support with 2-hour response.

60. What versions of ESRI, Falcon View and Google Earth must be supported?

Answer: Current versions of these platforms must be supported

61. Can DoS please provide that make and model of mobile devices that support remote audio?

Answer: State Department currently has no approved/fielded mobile devices that support remote audio. See the response to Questions 1 and 2. However, for integration purposes, other federal agencies possess these type devices. DOS may adopt similar capabilities in the future. The DOS has no intention under this contract to remotely activate audio on tracking devices.

62. What is the desired message format to be sent by a UDP, TCP or HTTPS?

Answer: See the response to Question 10.

63. Will the government provide hardware as GFE?

Answer: Yes, the PTL systems purchased under CLINs 0001, 0002 and 0003 will be provided as GFE.

64. Will this be installed on a secure government facility or should the contractor propose a secure facility?

Answer: The system shall be installed in a secure government facility.

65. Can you provide an estimate of the total amount of data (all data sources combined) that the Department of State wishes to integrate?

Answer: See the responses to Questions 2, 4, and 7. The DOS is currently unable to provide the total amount of data. The only immediate data sources required for integration by the contractor are tracking device data sources. There may be integration with other systems, this will be accomplished using the required API mentioned in C.5.4.4, C.5.4.7, or through the UDP/TCP/HTTPS export mechanism and may be done by the government or a third party.

66. For each data source the Department of State wishes to integrate: A) Approximately how many objects or rows are in the data source? B) What is the size (e.g. 500GB) of the data source? C) What is the format of the data source?

Answer: The government does not require the contractor to integrate with any data sources, other than the devices mentioned in #7.

67. What is the approximate user scale?

Answer: See the response to Question 3.

68. How many users does the Department of State expect will use the system concurrently (logged in and performing search and/or analysis at the same time)?

Answer: See the response to Question 3.

69. One method for accessing our platform utilizes a Java Client accessible through Java Webstart, a technology that allows users to access the platform without installing the software on their computers. Users access a Webstart link through a browser which automatically initiates a Client Session on their computer. Is a Java Webstart client a “Web Interface” for purposes of C.5.1?

Answer: See the response to Question 8.

70. Several requirements involve sending messages and remotely configuring or controlling trackers. Will the proposed solution plug into an existing framework with interfaces that allow for the control of trackers?

Answer: No framework currently exists; however, neither has the government yet identified specific trackers to receive messages/remote configuration. As part of the solution, the contractor would be responsible for helping to identify and then to integrate existing trackers.

71. Section C.7.2 states that support for C&A modifications “shall be provided through the task order process. See H.13.” However no H.13 section exists. Is there an additional task order section we should be aware of?

Answer: The reference to Paragraph H.13 in Paragraph C.7.2 has been corrected to read "See H.9."

72. Which network does the current system utilize?

Answer: Servers will be deployed on a DOS approved network

73. Can you describe the current system’s architecture?

Answer: No. The Department of State desires a system architecture which fulfills all of the requirements laid out in section C.

74. The sixth entry references PWS Paragraph C.8.1 and requires the C&A documentation to be delivered as required or instructed by the COR. However, paragraph C.8.1 refers to training, is there another paragraph this should reference?

Answer: Section F, Paragraph F.4 titled, "Deliverables." The reference to C.8.1 is hereby amended to read "C.8.3" and the reference to C&A Documentation is hereby changed to read "Training Plan."

75. When are Visitor Authorization Requests under Section H.2 due?

Answer: The successful Offeror shall submit Visitor Authorization Requests forms immediately following the award of the contract for all contractor staff requiring DoS building access badges.

76. As a productized solution, we prefer firm fixed pricing inclusive of services. Our Operations and Maintenance typically includes all training, systems, engineering, and technical support. Does the Department of State prefer a line by line cost description of services or is O&M inclusive of services an acceptable pricing alternative?

Answer: All Offerors are required to submit the Price Proposals in accordance with the instructions enumerated in Section L, Paragraph L.17.

77. If we list “0” for line items that would be covered appropriately by other line items, will we be considered noncompliant? For instance, we usually include CLIN 0006 (Administration) in our Operations & Maintenance pricing.

Answer: See the response to Question 76.

78. Are all key personnel required to have active TS Clearances, or will the Department of State administer the clearance process for proposed key personnel who are not yet cleared to a TS level?

Answer: TS Clearances are required at the time of contract award.

79. The RFP requires technical support for DOS operations worldwide on a 24x7x365/6 basis. Is on-call response within a specific amount of time (i.e., 1 hour, 2 hours, etc.) sufficient, or does DOS require an around-the-clock manned operations center?

Answer: The 24/7/365 support requires on-call support with 2-hour response.

80. This section states that "Hardware required (for the PTL system) must be on the approval of the federal IT baseline, preferable approved by the State Department Information Technology Change Control Board." Please provide the DOS-approved hardware list so offerors can obtain hardware quotes for proposed equipment.

Answer: See the response to Question 30.

81. This section states that the "Contractor's support for C&A modifications shall be provided through the task order process" and references a subsequent Section H.13. The RFP does not contain Section H.13. Is there another section that this should reference?

Answer: The reference to H.13 has been changed to read H.9.

82. This section requires the installation and implementation of three PTL systems - production, back-up, and test - at a secure Government facility. Will the Government provide the specific geographic location (s) for all facilities in which the PTL systems are to be installed for travel planning and pricing purposes?

Answer: All PTL systems will be installed in the National Capital region

83. Section B specifies that we propose a Systems Administrator, and Section H.6.4 provides a labor category description for a Systems Administrator. However, the key personnel requirement in L.18.3 is for a Systems Engineer. Please clarify the key personnel requirement and the related labor category description.

Answer: See the responses to Questions 14 and 18.

84. Section B.2 states this is an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract and contract types for the individual task orders will fall under fixed-price, cost-reimbursement, labor-hour, and/or time-and-materials contract types. Section L.3 states the contemplated award is stand alone, hybrid contract with firm-fixed price and time-and-materials types. Please clarify which section is correct.

Answer: See the response to Question 21.

85. In the Price Proposal Worksheet, only CLIN 0008 is listed. Do we need to show a price buildup for CLINs 0001-0007 in the Price Proposal Worksheet?

Answer: No, the Price Proposal Worksheet is for the CLIN X008 labor categories.

86. The tables in Section B indicate we propose a unit price for CLINs 0001-0007 and an hourly rate for CLIN 0008. Is it the Government's intention to award CLINs 0001-0007 as firm-fixed price and CLIN 0008 as time-and-materials?

Answer: Yes.

87. In Section H.6, the labor category descriptions are all specifically for Certification and Accreditation (C&A) support. If this is to be an IDIQ contract, how do we price future task orders in accordance with Section H.9.1 for support that is not C&A related? The only two labor categories that are not C&A related are the Trainer and Program Manager (which are not described in Section H.6).

Answer: See the response to Question 14.

88. Our approach uses additional labor categories to perform work under CLIN 0008 that are not included in Section B; may we add categories to Section B tables and to the Price Proposal Worksheet?

Answer: No. See the response to Question 14.

89. Section H.9.1 describes the process to submit a Task Order Proposal Request under the future contract, and includes the following instruction; "The Contractor's task order proposal shall utilize the pre-negotiated labor rates provided in Section B." Section B includes rates for only five positions; we anticipate there may be a need to add categories to the Section B tables in anticipation of future required work under the contract. Please clarify.

Answer: See the response to Question 14.

90. The proposal instructions indicate that we should use TNR 12-point font. May we use a smaller font for tables and graphics if it is legible?

Answer: Yes a smaller font for tables and graphics is acceptable as long as remains legible.

91. The labor categories described in Section H.6 specify that the individuals shall have a bachelor's degree. May years of related experience and/or specific related technical training and certification be substituted for the degree requirement?

Answer: Paragraph H.6 has been amended to include the sentence, "The DOS will consider the substitution of direct and progressive job experience in lieu of the educational requirements, as stated in the paragraphs below, on a case-by-case basis."

92. Pricing matrix for the Base Year does not provide FFP CLINs for development or customization. Should all development and tailoring efforts be charged as T&M labor hours, using the labor categories indicated?

Answer: Yes, in addition see the response to Question 14.

93. Will the government accept additional CLINs being added to the T&M labor CLINs provided to provide to other/alternate labor categories which may be needed during development?

Answer: No, however see the response to Question 14.

94. Will the government consider/accept changes to the labor hours shown for the T&M labor categories listed in the RFP?

Answer: No.

95. Will the government accept a contractor owned system, e.g. an existing mobility/cellular application that could be modified to the government’s specifications?

Answer: The government seeks the best value system that meets the requirements defined in Section C and can be expeditiously granted State Department authority to operate.

96. What is the specific list of these devices requiring integration? Will DoS provide a list of protocols/specs/commands for the varied device/manufacturers to be supported?

Answer: Besides the current DOS fleet of Iridium-based tracking devices. See the response to Question 1. The DOS needs to integrate tracking data from other Departments and Agencies. We do not have a specific list of devices from each of the departments. Rather, we believe that an offeror with a technically advanced system of tracking data integration would have a large portfolio of different device types it currently supports. Moreover, being device agnostic would relate to the expected capability to integrate more than just an offeror's own proprietary data.

97. Is DoS requesting a new system, since the RFP refers several times to a COTS system, which apparently will be a government-owned system, contractor-operated? It does not appear that upgrading/developing/modifying the current system as part of this contract effort.

Answer: Yes, Paragraph C.1 Introduction states, "The proposed system will replace the current nine year old system that supports Personnel Tracking and Locating (PTL) operations both domestically and overseas." The government seeks the best value system that meets the requirements defined in Section C and can be expeditiously granted State Department authority to operate.

98. Will select contractor support staff be designated as “authorized administrators” for the system or will those designations be limited to government employees only?

Answer: Select contractor support staff will be designated as authorized administrators.

99. Is this statement applicable only to costs incurred by the contractor in order to achieve the necessary authority to operate, but not including costs incurred to modify/tailor a system to meet other government technical specifications?

Answer: Yes.

100. The past performance requirement is not for 1, 2 or 3 references but for all such work performed as a prime or subcontractor over the past 5 years. That will not be insignificant to gather. Would the Government consider allowing limiting that to the offering organization?

Answer: The first paragraph, first sentence of Paragraph L.18.6 titled "Past Performance and Experience" has been amended to read as follows, "List up to a maximum of five (5) contracts and/or subcontracts your company has held over the past five years for the same or similar work."

101. Will Department of State (DoS) accept a custom solution despite the “COTS” language in the documentation?

Answer: A proposed solution must fulfill all requirements described in Section C.

102. Will DoS accept a cloud/hosted solution in lieu of on premises?

Answer: No.

103. Will DoS provide a list of international countries to be supported by the PTL system?

Answer: The Department of State has approximately 147 domestic and 285 overseas locations (i.e., embassies and consulates).

104. What are the number of data sources, device volumes, or length of time data is to be retained for devices to be integrated with the PTL system?

Answer: For # of devices (data sources), see responses to Questions 1 and 2. For data retention time, see the response for Question 20.

105. Will DoS clarify what “compatibility” with Oracle version 11 will be required?

Answer: See the response to Question 9.

106. The solicitation does not provide an architectural diagram or describe how data is to be extracted from devices. Will this information be given to respondents?

Answer: No.

107. Will DoS clarify its definition of Personnel Tracking Devices? Does that include M2M trackers such as may be installed in vehicles or on other assets that send/receive telemetry data?

Answer: Please refer to C.2 Opening Background for definition. This does not include M2M.

108. The sale or activation of new M2Mdevices, cellular data plans and other equipment is not mentioned within the scope of the solicitation. Is this not required by DoS?

Answer: These items are not within the scope of this solicitation.

109. Will DoS permit Cloud-based offerings or will it require ONLY premise-based solutions?

Answer: Only a premise-based solution.

110. Will the government please provide a breakdown of technology types and carriers?

Answer: See to responses for Questions 1 and 96.

111. Responses to several of the clarifying questions that we have submitted are fundamental to our ability to provide a best value architecture. We have experience providing personnel tracking solutions; however we are concerned that there will not be enough time between the Government’s responses to the questions submitted on October 30 and the proposal delivery on November 19 to take these important Government clarifications into consideration. We respectfully request for the Government to extend the proposal due date to at least three weeks from the date the Government provides answers to these questions.

Answer: The proposal due date was extended to January 07, 2013, see Amendment 0003.

112. There is no mention of GPS accuracy required. Does the Government want GPS accuracy incorporated?

Answer: This would be a feature of a new tracker, and is not required in the PTL System at this time.

113. In reviewing the updated version of the primary document, Solicitation PTL System A001, I notice that the number of section 5.1 changes mid-stream. In C.5.1.10 Provide the capability to authorized administrators to assign a user separate permissions for each nested device group. These permissions include but are not limited to the ability to view or modify devices within the device group. In C.5.1.3.11 Provide system-wide notifications to all users upon software updates, maintenance.

Answer: Paragraph numbers C.5.1.3.11 through C.5.1.3.33 have been renumbered sequentially to C.5.1.11 through C.5.1.33.

114. Similarly, I notice significant overlap between the two of these items. In C.5.1.7 provide users the capability to filter live/historical tracks individually or as part of a device group. Each user approved to do so shall be able to filter by device, device name/alias, date/time or device group. In C.5.1.3.20 provide users the capability to filter live/historical tracks individually or as part of a device group. Each user shall be able to filter by device, device name/alias/call sign, date/time, or device group. The only differences between the two being C.5.1.7 indicates “approved” and “call sign”. The addition of the word approved could imply that C.5.1.3.20 is not a correct assertion. Alternatively because these items may be from a different section (although not shown as such), maybe these are for different systems, (e.g., web interface vs. application).

Answer: Paragraph C.5.1.3.20 provides the correct information. All users should be able to filter live and historical tracks individually or as part of a device group. Alias and call-sign should be considered equivalent.

115. Section C.5 states that PTL System shall provide compatibility with Oracle Version 11.