Attachment 2 Questions and Answer_20221003.xlsx
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Master Questions and Answers
| FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | |||
| HC101322R0005 | |||
| ATTACHMENT 2 - QUESTION TEMPLATE | |||
| Question # | Questions / Comments | RFP Reference | Government Response |
| 001 | Would the government provide the PWS in word format for vendor utilization in replying to the RFP? | Document "HC101322R0005" PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT | Posted MS Word version of the PWS to sam.gov RFP listing. |
| 002 | Table L2.5.1 lists the Volume 2 contents as: Technical/management Volume - 20 Pages Service Readiness (Gate) (Factor 1) - 5 Pages Example Service Management Plan (Factor 2) - 15 Pages Are these 3 separate sections totaling 40 pages of content or do the 5 pages for Factor 1 and the 15 pages for Factor 2 total 20 pages of content for the volume? | HC101322R0005L2.5.1Page 162 | The Technical/Management volume is in addition to the factor page limitations of (Factor 1 (5), Factor 2 (15) requirements. The Technical Volume should be no more than 40 pages, apart from exclusions previously allowed in Section L. |
| 003 | Section M2.1(b) states in part "Offerors shall submit an Example Service Management Plan as part of their proposal. The Government will evaluate whether the Example Service Management Plan sufficiently meets the following requirements…"What criteria will evaluators apply to determine if the Example Service Management Plan sufficiently meets these requirements? | HC101322R0005M2.1(b)Page 172 | Section M2.2 states how the offeror will be rated acceptable, The Government’s technical evaluation team will evaluate the technical proposals on an acceptable or unacceptable basis, assigning one of the ratings described below in Table 2-1 for each subfactor. Proposals must address all the criteria in Section M2.1 to be rated “Acceptable.” M2.1(b) will be used to evaluate whether the Example Service Management Plan sufficiently meets the following requirements listed under PWS Section 6.6.10: |
| 004 | The SAM.Gov posting does not include the CDRLs. |
• Section L2.3 (page 161) states in part “The offer shall be compliant with the requirements as stated in the Performance Work Statement (PWS), and Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL).”
• Section L2.7 (page 164) states in part “The offeror shall fill out the Requirements Traceability Matrix Attachment 4 of this RFP indicating the proposal reference information as it relates to the RFP, PWS, CLIN numbers, and CDRL references found therein.”
• In our read of the solicitation package, no Contract Data Requirements List was provided. In the remainder of the package, only one CDRL (CDRL 0018) is referenced (Table 6-4, page 30), the numbering of which suggests that there are additional CDRLs not mentioned in the text.
• In order to ensure bidder compliance with the instructions, will the Government provide the complete Contract Data Requirements List? HC101322R0005 L2.3 Page 161 L2.7 Page 164 Table 6-4 Page 30 Reference to CDRLs in the PLEO RFP is an error; there is no CDRL List for this procurement. All deliverables associated with the PLEO PWS are defined in PWS Table 6-3 Task 7, Initial Task Order Deliverables; PWS Table 6-4, Section 6 Deliverables and Table 7-3, Section 7 Deliverables. The following changes will be made to the RFP:
1. Parenthetical reference to CDRL 0018 in Table 6-4 (RFP Page 30) will be removed. 2. Reference to Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL) in section L2.3 a. (page 161) of RFP will be removed.
3. Reference to Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL) in second paragraph of section L2.7 (page 164) of RFP will be removed.
| 005 | Page 124 of the RFP lists attachment 9 Acronym list. Would the government add this to the attachment provided? (We only see 8 attachments) | Section J - List of Attachments | Acronym List attachment reference is in error no acronym list was provided, acronyms are spelled out with first use in the documentation. Reference will be removed. | |
| 006 | Vendor seeks clarification regarding the language in paragraph 12.2 of the Performance Work Statement, which reads, “All personnel performing on or supporting a DISA contract in any way shall be United States citizens. The prime vendor will utilize domestic and foreign vendors to accomplish the contract with foreign employees for this global requirement touching several countries (For example shipping). Would utilizing a Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence (FOCI) - mitigated entity, having received approval from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency prime awardee vendor U.S. citizens to coordinate foreign employees for contract execution meet the PWS 12.2 requirements? | PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT 12.2 Security Clearance | Yes. Utilizing a Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence (FOCI) - mitigated entity, having received approval from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency prime awardee vendor U.S. citizens to coordinate foreign employees for contract execution would meet the PWS 12.2 requirements. | |
| 007 | Section M2.1 describes an evaluation that addresses only Factors 1 and 2, which are limited to 5 and 15 pages respectively in table L.2.5.1. However, Question 2 references an additional 20 page section, described as a "Technical/Management Volume”, of the 40-page technical approach submission that is not part of the source selection approach described in section M. Can the Government confirm that the additional 20 pages ascribed to Technical Volume will be evaluated as part of Factor 1. (Note that if these additional 20 pages are not evaluated as part of Factor 1 then they cannot be evaluated at all, per instructions in Section M.) | Q&A 002, Q&A Response 20220926. The Government’s response states: The Technical/Management volume is in addition to the factor page limitations of (Factor 1 (5), Factor 2 (15) requirements. The Technical Volume should be no more than 40 pages, apart from exclusions previously allowed in Section L. | Offerors are required to address all solicitation requirements, such as terms and conditions, representations and certifications, and technical/management requirements, in addition to those identified as factors or subfactors. The technical volume is provided from the Offerors to demonstrate to the Government how they meet all solicitation requirements. Per DoD Source Selection Procedures, Evaluation factors and subfactors represent those specific characteristics that are tied to significant RFP requirements and objectives having an impact on the source selection decision and which are expected to be discriminators or are required by statute/regulation. The Government has allocated 5 page(s) to factor 1, and 15 pages to factor 2. The remaining 20 pages are for the Offeror to respond technically to the needs of the solicitation/PWS requirements that are not otherwise called out/addressed in the technical factors. | |
| 008 | Similar to FCSA, can an organization be both a Prime on one proposal and a Subcontractor on another? Due to the extensive nature of the RFP PWS, an 'over and under' approach with certain organizations will benefit CSCO in obtaining the best TO proposals and options. Please confirm that an organization that submits a Prime bid will be allowed to support another organization's Prime bid as a Subcontractor? | General | Yes an orgainzation can submit a Prime bid and support another organization's Prime bid as a subcontractor. There is no restriction on the number of subcontracting or partnership relationships one company can establish. The Government wanting to see the most robust competition and options possible. | |
| 009 | Q&A 002 provides 40 pages total for the technical/management volume. Section M only provides evaluation for factor 1 (5 pages) and factor 2 (15 pages). Will the Government please clarify the third evaluation factor, what content it should include, and update Section M to include evaluation of this additional content? | Q&A / M2.1 | Confirming there is NO factor 3. Offerors are required to address all solicitation requirements, such as terms and conditions, representations and certifications, and technical/management requirements, in addition to those identified as factors or subfactors. The technical volume is provided from the Offerors to demonstrate to the Government how they meet all solicitation requirements. Per DoD Source Selection Procedures, Evaluation factors and subfactors represent those specific characteristics that are tied to significant RFP requirements and objectives having an impact on the source selection decision and which are expected to be discriminators or are required by statute/regulation. Additionally, The Government has allocated 5 page(s) to factor 1, and 15 pages to factor 2. The remaining 20 pages are for the Offeror to respond technically to the needs of the solicitation/PWS requirements that are not otherwise called out/addressed in the technical factors. | |
| 010 | The RFP request that a Vol III Price Narrative be submitted as well as the Attachment 3 Pricing Spreadsheet Template but does not give any direction as to what the customer is looking for to be included in the Price Narrative. | |||
| Question: Would the government please provide additional guidance on what information is to be provided in the Price Narrative. | L.5.2 | The pricing narrative shall provide any pricing details not covered in the Attachment 3 Pricing Template (e.g., discount structures). The bidders proposal shall provide sufficient detials to convey a complete description of the items proposed and their associated pricing. | ||
| 011 | Executive Summary page count is listed N/A - Please clarify the page count for the written Executive Summary | L.3.0 Vol I | The page counts for each volume are listed in Table L2.5.1. Proposal Organization. The subparts of the Executive Summary have a page limit listed for them individually. The N/A aligned with the Executive Summary and the other volume titles of the proposal organization is to show there is no page limit at the volume level and all applicable page limits are at subpart level of each of the volumes. | |
| 012 | Is the intent of connection into the DOD NIPR/SIPR to provide an extension of said network or is it to provide access to an existing DOD gateway /POP that allows a user to connect via existing DOD VPN solutions? | 6.5 and 6.6 and 12.1 and 12.2. It is also referenced in the DD254. | The specific details of a solution required to support a Task Order (requirement) will be requested in the RFQs. The scope of the IDIQ is to include a wide range of technical solutions for procurement at the Task Order level. | |
| 013 | If this is a commercial solution, provided as a service are the IA/Cybersecurity requirements for ATO applied to the existing commercial infrastructure or only to the solution connecting to the DOD infrastructure? | RFP C.3,C.4, Sec 5, Sec 12.6.6, H.2.1 | The specific details of a solution required to support a Task Order (requirement) will be requested in the RFQs. The scope of the IDIQ is to include a wide range of technical solutions for procurement at the Task Order level. | |
| 014 | What pricing is required for individual service for the initial proposal? Is this really only a list of capabilities we can present? Much of the cost of a commercial service will depend on the footprint of access and number of devices | RFP L.5, Attch 3 | Contractors shall provide pricing for the services they intend to offer under this contract. Attachment 3 provides columns for prices as well as other service parameters. Bidders are invited to define cost dependencies using Attachment 3 and the pricing narative portion of their proposal. The pricing narrative shall provide any pricing details not covered in the Attachment 3 Pricing Template (e.g., discount structures). The bidders proposal shall provide sufficient detials to convey a complete description of the items proposed and their associated pricing. | |
| 015 | What are the locations to enter the DOD networks? Do we have to build our own gateways for access (such as the EITaaS solutions) or is it a dedicated connection from teleports/downlink sites to DOD POPs? | RFP L.5, Attach 3 | The specific details of a solution required to support a Task Order (requirement) will be requested in the RFQs. The scope of the IDIQ is to include a wide range of technical solutions for procurement at the Task Order level. | |
| 016 | What Classified work does the government anticipate being required if this is a commercial solution? | PWS Section 12 | The specific details of a solution required to support a Task Order (requirement) will be requested in the RFQs. The scope of the IDIQ is to include a wide range of technical solutions for procurement at the Task Order level. | |
| 017 | Will the contractor be expected to deliver, configure and connect satellite terminals in classified workspaces? | PWS Section 12 | The specific details of a solution required to support a Task Order (requirement) will be requested in the RFQs. The scope of the IDIQ is to include a wide range of technical solutions for procurement at the Task Order level. | |
| 018 | Will the contractor be responsible to connect the commercial satellite terminals into classified facilities and if so, who is responsible for any ATCs to put a satellite terminal in those spaces? | PWS Section 12 | The specific details of a solution required to support a Task Order (requirement) will be requested in the RFQs. The scope of the IDIQ is to include a wide range of technical solutions for procurement at the Task Order level. | |
| 019 | Will the connection through the commercial satellite service be encrypted by the end-user or will the contractor be responsible for configuring COMSEC devices at the satellite terminal and decrypting at the point of entry into a DOD classified network? | Paragraph 12.2 | The specific details of a solution required to support a Task Order (requirement) will be requested in the RFQs. The scope of the IDIQ is to include a wide range of technical solutions for procurement at the Task Order level. | |
| 020 | Is the operational network from Satellite Terminal H/W to the entrance into the commercial internet or DOD provided connection at a ground station required to support COMSEC equipment thus requiring a commercial ground station to have the ability to support at least SECRET level hardware? | Paragraph 12.2 | The specific details of a solution required to support a Task Order (requirement) will be requested in the RFQs. The scope of the IDIQ is to include a wide range of technical solutions for procurement at the Task Order level. | |
| 021 | Is the COMSEC, TEMPEST and SIPRNet access required for the sharing of adversary and threat data or is it expected for the commercial connection to user equipment? | Paragraph 12.2 | COMSEC, TEMPEST and SIPRNet access is required for the sharing of adversary and threat data. The specific details of a solution required to support a Task Order (requirement) will be requested in the RFQs. The scope of the IDIQ is to include a wide range of technical solutions for procurement at the Task Order level. | |
| 022 | Table 6-3 Task 7 lists all items are due 30 days after contract award. Can the Government please confirm these deliverables are not due with the IDIQ submittal? | Table 6-3 of PWS | These items are NOT due with the IDIQ proposal submittal. These items are required for delivery 30 days after contract award as part of the Initial Task Order (minimum order) CLIN 0007 to be awarded at time of contract award. | |
| 023 | Section 6.6.10 - States "The contractor shall provide the service management plan within 30 days of base contract award". But Factor 2 of the evaluation criteria lists 6.6.10 as an evaluated requirement. Can the Government please clarify when the service management plan is due? | Section 6.6.10 of PWS | The formal Service Management Plan will be required for delivery 30 days after contract award as part of the Initial Task Order (minimum order) CLIN 0007 to be awarded at time of contract award. | |
| 024 | Can Government clarify what is meants by item xii? | RFP, Section L3.0.xii | Item L3.0(xii) is listed in error and will be removed. | |
| 025 | The pricing template indicates the CLIN 1007 is applicable to "on-ramped" contractors". Is this pricing due after IDIQ contract award? | Pricing Template; RFP Section B Item 007 | No CLIN 1007 pricing is not provided by contractors. The pricing is set at the minimum order amount ($2,000) and is the same as CLIN 0007. The CLIN 1007 will be used for the Initial Task Order of any future contracts awarded due to an on-ramp event. | |
| 026 | Does Government require separate DD254s from a prime's subcontractors or partners that are not included in a JV or CTA? | RFP, Section L6.4 | DD254's are provided by the Government to the Prime Contractor and may be flowed to Subcontractors based upon established security procedures and programatic need. | |
| 027 | Can Government please provide additional instructions to bidders as to how to complete the Small Business Subcontracting Plan template? It is a $900M IDIQ but there are no guaranteed task orders and Government did not provide a SB goal, which will make completing the SB Subcontracting Plan with anticipated workshare for SBs an exercise in guesswork. We are requesting Government provide a SB Subcontracting Template with anticipated SB goals or remove the need for a SB Subcontrating Plan at the IDIQ level and make them required for individual Task Orders, which will be properly scoped for the specific requirement. | RFP Section L6.2 | Question is under review, response to be detemined. | |
| 028 | Regarding Question 009 released on Sept 27, 2022, Government states in their response to Evaluation Factors for the Technical/Management Volume: "Confirming there is NO factor 3. Offerors are required to address all solicitation requirements, such as terms and conditions, representations and certifications, and technical/management requirements, in addition to those identified as factors or subfactors. " Is Government indicating that completed representations & certifications and terms & conditions are to be included in the Tech/Mgmt Volume, rather than in the Contract Volume? We believe this statement was phrased incorrectly as it is typical for those elements to be completed and submitted as separate attachments, as including those elements in the 20 pages of the Technical/Management Volume allotted to address remaining PWS factors ourside of Factors 1 and 2 would leave very few pages for the technical/managment approach. | Government Q&A, 9.27.22 | No, the Government is not advising for certifications and terms & conditions responses to be included in the Tech/Mgmt Volume, rather than in the Contract Volume. The answer provided to question 0009 was coming from a perspective of a general/clarifying response that the remaining page allocation for the technical factor are provided for the offeror to otherwise meet remaining technical solicitation requirements. Occaisionally, a clause requirement ties back similarly to a technical requirement, and is therefore why it states, "solicitation requirements, such as terms and conditions, representations and certifications, and technical/management requirements." For example, (cyber security clauses tie back to cyber standards within the PWS). | |
| 029 | Does Government require the Supply Chain Risk Management plan to be submitted with the IDIQ proposal response or submitted per Task Order? If required with the IDIQ proposal, will Government accept as an unlimited page attachment included with the Contracts Volume? | RFP Section C2 | As stated in sections C2 and PWS 14.h, Supply Chain Risks Management Plans apply at the individual Task Order Level. | |
| 030 | Supply Chain agreements must be provided with the submission. Are the Supply Chain agreements to be included within the 5 page limit of Factor 1 - Service Readiness for Task 1 or, can they be supplied as a separate attachment to the Technical/Management Volume? | Section L.4.1 | Section L.4.1 requires that Supply Chain Agreements should be annotated in the Technical/Management Volume. This is not a requirement to provide the agreements in their entirety. Contractors should identify their supply chain agreements in their response in accodance with Section L.4.1 | |
| 031 | Section L.4.1 states that Supply Chain Agreements should "align with the proposal validity period specified in Section L.2.3." Should the Supply Chain Agreements also include commitment from suppliers to provide the prescribed goods and services to the Prime contractor for the duration of the base contract and option years should the Prime contractor be awarded the contract? | Sections L.4.1, L.2.3 | The Supply Chain Agreements are to be "annotated" in the contractor's proposal. This annotation should summarize the key terms of the Supply Chain Agreements. | |
| 032 | Is CMMC certification required at proposal submission or contract award? Which level of CMMC certification is required? | RFP Page 91, Clause 252.204-7021 | Offeror should indicate in their proposal their approach for providing the required CMMC certification. | |
| 033 | Section H20 requires a statement certifying offerors understanding and compliance with the Critical Infrastructure Compliance provision. Can the Government please clarify where in the our proposal we should include this statement? | RFP Section H.20 | Unless otherwise stated, reps and certs should be provided under Volume IV - Contract Volume. Reference L6.0/6.1 | |
| 034 | Section H21 requires a statement certifying offerors understanding and compliance with the Approved Products List provision. Can the Government please clarify where in the our proposal we should include this statement? | RFP Section H.20 | Unless otherwise stated, reps and certs should be provided under Volume IV - Contract Volume. Reference L6.0/6.1 | |
| 035 | From a formatting and page restriction perspective, instruction language says we should not reference between Volumes; the Volumes should be stand alone (L2.7). |
Instruction language further states the SLAs are to be part of the Technical/Management Volume (per Table L2.5.1) and we are allowed 3 pages per SLA, which will be quite large.
Yet, language in section L2.6 of the Cost volume says each service must have an accompanying SLA.
| Is it the Governments intent to have the SLAs as an attachment to the Technical/Management Volume that can be cross-referenced to the Cost Volume or does the Government prefer to have the Attachment 5 SLAs also included with the cost volume? | L2.6, L2.7, L2.5.1 | Yes it is the Governments intention is to have the SLAs as an attachment to the Technical/Management Volume that can be cross-referenced to the Cost Volume |
| 036 | TextTables/Graphics specified as 10-point Arial or TNR. | |
| Would the Government consider 8-point font for graphics, since this is an electronic submission and not a hard copy submission? | L.2.5.3 a & c (pg 163) | No, the Government would like the graphics to be 10-point font. |
| 037 | L3.0.a.xii states "Offeror's preference for award if found awardable in both suites" | |
| Is "both suites" an obsolete reference or if not, please clarify what is meant by "both suites". | HC101322R0005 |
L3.0.a.xii
| Page 165 | Item L3.0(xii) is listed in error and will be removed. | ||
| 038 | Should the Volume 1 Glossary contain the acronyms and abbreviations used in the entire proposal (similar to the Table of Contents in Volume 1 that provides the TOC for the entire proposal?) | HC101322R0005 |
L3.0.d
| Page 165 | Yes the Government will accept the acronyms and abbreviations to be contained the the Volume 1 Glossary for the entire proposal. | |
| 039 | PWS 12.1 states "The work to be performed under this contract and subsequent task orders is up to the Top-Secret level and may require SCI access eligibility for some personnel. Therefore, the company must be eligible, apply for and receive (post award) a Top-Secret Facility Clearance from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency Facility Security Branch." (emphasis added) |
L6.4 states"Completed DD254’s must be submitted with proposals provided in Attachment 1. Security classification requirements must be met at time of proposal submission." (emphasis added) Will the Government please clarify that the phrase "at time of proposal submission" refers to Task Order submittal and not the base contract proposal submittal, or provide additional guidance that helps align the contractors' understanding of PWS 12.1 and L6.4 when taken together? HC101322R0005 C12.1 & L6.4
| Page 38 & 160 | PWS 12.1 requires that the contractor be eligible, apply for, and receive a facility clearance post award. Section L6.4 requires the contractor complete Block 6 of the furnished DD254 with their response and that the contractor must meet the eligility requirements as stated (in section 12.1). | |
| 040 | 14.h states in part "Each individual delivery and/or task order will submit a SCRM Plan as part of the technical proposal, which addresses, at a minimum, Supply Chain Security Controls as specified in the delivery/task order and described in the Committee on National Security Systems Instruction (CNSSI) 1253 Appendix D (companion publication to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP)). |
The contractor shall submit a SCRM plan as part of its technical proposal that describes how the contractor will reduce and mitigate Supply Chain Risk…."
Can the Government please clarify if the contractor is required to submit a SCRM Plan in the technical volume of Task Order proposals, in the technical volume of this MATOC proposal, or both. HC101322R0005 14.h; para 2
| Page 41 | As stated in sections C2 and PWS 14.h, Supply Chain Risks Management Plans apply at the individual Task Order Level. | |
| 041 | 7.1.5 states "In this case the Government will provide routers to the contractor for installation. Deliverables are listed in Table 7-4 below." |
Table 7-4 does not exist in the document. Can the Government provide Table 7-4 or correct the reference? HC101322R0005 C7.1.5; para 3
| Page 33 | The correct reference is Table 7-3, this reference will be corrected. | |
| 042 | L2.9 states "Each volume, except the Cost/Price Volume III shall contain a glossary of all abbreviations and acronyms used, and with an explanation for each" | |
| Please clarify if "explanation" implies anything more than spelling out the abbeviation or acronym. | HC101322R0005 |
L2.9
| Page 164 | The Government is only requesting the abbreviations and acronyms be spelled out. | ||
| 043 | Section H.1 states, “DISA requires the review and approval of any Press/News Releases for Task Orders and ID/IQ Contracts, Marketing/ Promotional Materials and Brochures by a Contractor that is PLEO related, including information on the Contractor’s webpage. Requests for reviews and approvals shall come through the KO.” (Emphasis added.) It is unclear if these review and approval requirements pertain to the PLEO MATOC as defined in Section B2, or rather to offerors’ PLEO constellations and services more broadly. It would be difficult for a commercial contractor to comply with the Section H.1 requirements if they were required to seek DISA review and approval of all marketing and promotional materials related to their commercial PLEO offerings. Would the Government modify Section H.1 to read: “DISA requires the review and approval of any Press/News Releases for Task Orders and ID/IQ Contracts, or PLEO MATOC-related Marketing/ Promotional Materials or Brochures created by a Contractor, including any such PLEO MATOC information on the Contractor’s webpage. Requests for reviews and approvals shall come through the KO.” | HC101322R0005 |
Section H.1
| (page 56) | The Government will revise Section H.1 to clarify the approval of Marketing/ Promotional Materials and Brochures will only be for PLEO MATOC related items. | ||
| 044 | Section G2 notifies offerors that they are “expected to collaboratively share ideas and work together with each other and the Government for the purpose of determining best courses of action.” Although the solicitation states “the Government will continue to adhere to appropriate protections for intellectual property and other proprietary information,” the RFP also expects competitors within this MATOC to “negotiate and enter into private Non-Disclosure Agreements between themselves and Contract holders, as required by FAR 9.505-4(b), in order to facilitate an open exchange of information.” The solicitation provides few details regarding the types of information the Government intends Contract holders to share amongst themselves. Can the Government strike Section G2 or revise the solicitation to provide greater clarity about what information it intends Contract holders to share amongst themselves, both directly (business-business) and via the Government? | HC101322R0005 |
Section G2
| (Page 49) | Section G2 applies to the contractor's participation in government information sharing activities regarding on-going operations and missions, identified threats and other information and issues that impact/are of interest to the SATCOM community (industry and goverment). This includes participation in the Commercial Integration Cell and Regional SATCOM Support Center activities. There is no requirement for the contractor to provide any proprietary information against their will. If the contractor elects to participate in these activites, they will be required to protect the propietary and confidential informaiton of other industry participants disclosed in these and similar forums. Lack of participation in these exchanges limits the contractors usefulness in providing national security capabilities which is why this is stated as an expectation in Section G2. | |
| 045 | Section G2 notifies offerors that they are “expected to collaboratively share ideas and work together with each other and the Government for the purpose of determining best courses of action.” Although the solicitation states “the Government will continue to adhere to appropriate protections for intellectual property and other proprietary information,” the RFP also expects competitors within this MATOC to “negotiate and enter into private Non-Disclosure Agreements between themselves and Contract holders, as required by FAR 9.505-4(b), in order to facilitate an open exchange of information.” |
Will the Government please explain what “appropriate protections” it has or will put in place to protect Contract holders' intellectual property and other proprietary information?
Will the Government confirm that it will not transfer properly marked proprietary information from one Contract holder and to another Contract holder, even if a private party Non Disclosure Agreement exists between the two companies? HC101322R0005 Section G2
| (Page 49) | Reference the Government response to question 044. Additionally, all government personnel and contractors have signed non-disclosure agreements that protect industry's confidential and proprietary informaiton. Between industry participants, execution of mutual non-disclosure agreements for these purposes has been the normal operating procedures. Information exchanges between companies will be between those companies, the goverment does not provide industry confidential information to other industry members without consent. | ||
| 046 | Section G2 notifies offerors that they are “expected to collaboratively share ideas and work together with each other and the Government for the purpose of determining best courses of action.” The RFP also expects competitors within this MATOC to “negotiate and enter into private Non-Disclosure Agreements between themselves and Contract holders, as required by FAR 9.505-4(b), in order to facilitate an open exchange of information.” (Emphasis added). FAR 9.505-4(b) only applies to “advisory and assistance services.” This MATOC does not appear to include any advisory and assistance services, as that term is defined in FAR 2.101. Will the Government confirm that the private Non-Disclosure Agreement requirement is inapplicable to this MATOC and remove it from this solicitation? | HC101322R0005 |
Section G2
| (Page 49) | Please reference the the Government responses to questions 044 and 045 above. | ||
| 047 | Attachment 3 Pricing Spreadsheet Template, cell J45 in the annual pricing table tabs is prepopulated with a value of $2,000. Please confirm that this only represents the minimum Task Order price to achieve the minimum contract value, or is the Government indicating this as an expected price for the initial Task Order. Please also confirm that this cell should only be completed in the BPY1 tab, or does the Government anticipate the initial Task Order to be active for multiple contract years? | HC101322R0005 |
Attachment 3
| The $2,000 is the minimum contract value and is the expected price for the Initial Task Order. The Initial Task Order is populated for all contract years to allow for the possible on-ramping of new contractors receiving contracts and associated Initial Task Orders. | ||
| 048 | On-ramp/off-ramp: Will the Government consider adding an off-ramp trigger for equipment or services that the contractor has discontinued commercially or wishes to discontinue based on the addition of services/equipment that offer greater value? | |
| For example, using the offerings in the Government-provided Pricing Template instructions, contractor has discontinued offering the “mop” as specified in line 29 to commercial customers, in favor of a lower-price and more absorbent synthetic sponge mop. Contractor wishes to on-ramp the new mop and requests that the Government open an on-ramp event under provision #2 New PLEO services become available that are of benefit to the Government. Will the Government also include/allow an off-ramp trigger such that the contractor can remove the originally-specified mop from the contract? | HC101322R0005 |
H2 (page 56)
| The Government would consider the new equipment to fall under the current #2 trigger listed. The Government will revise the triggers for both on-ramp and off-ramp triggers to clarify the addition of new equipment and removal of discontinued items. | ||
| 049 | In broad terms, is the Example Service Management Plan submitted per section L4.1 intended to be a representative template of the Service Management Plan deliverable document due 30 days after base contract award? There are slight differences in the wording in sections 6.6.10 and M2.1 decribing these documents, because of which we would like to clarify the intent of this submittal to be included with the proposal. | HC101322R0005 |
L4.1; M2.1; C6.6.10
| (page 27; 165; 172) | Yes, the Government would like to evaluate an advanced copy (example) of the Service Management Plan. Since this final deliverable is not due until 30 days after contract award, the Government would like to review an ‘advanced’ or ‘example’ Management Plan that should outline documents, policies, procedures, briefings, explanations, and diagrams regarding the approach taken to manage the offered services in support of the Government’s requirements and requests. The Service Management plan shall also address system and service operations, security, vulnerabilities, functions, performance, supply chain including key partnerships. | |||
| 050 | Section C, 12.2 states "All personnel performing on or supporting a DISA contract in any way shall be United States citizens". The personnel security requirements for this contract cover the individuals supporting the task areas delineated below." (Emphasis added). The first sentence is extremely broad and without clarification could be interpreted to encompass employees performing well beyond the tasks identified in the second sentence (Tasks 5 and 6 of this contract). As a follow-up to the question on this topic and the Government's response provided in the Q&A released on 27 September 2022, can the Government clarify the meaning of "supporting a DISA contract in any way," or delineate specific roles and responsibilities that must be performed only by US citizens? | HC101322R0005 | ||
| Section C, 12.2 (PDF pg 38) | Efforts performed by the supplier under this contract must be performed by US citizens. Please reference the Government response to question 006 as one way of addressing this requirement. Specific concerns will be addressed at the task order level. | |||
| 051 | Are bidders expected to provide Table 15-2 of FAR.408 which is back up like a cost plus proposal without the certification? Are bidders expected to provide an analysis of rates in the financial volume though it is limited to 2 pages? | Section H- Special Contract Requirements 2.215-21 REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTIFIED COST OR PRICING DATA AND DATA OTHER THAN CERTIFIED COST OR PRICING DATA -- MODIFICATIONS (NOV 2021)—ALTERNATE IV (OCT 2010) | No the contractors are not required to provide Table 15-2 contained in FAR clause 15.408. Contractors are required to provide sufficient detail to demonstrate price reasonableness. | |
| 052 | How should bidders interpret, L5.2.1 Price Reasonableness and Completeness "price submissions should be sufficiently detailed to demonstrate their reasonableness and be adequate enough to support and sustain a DCAA audit" since this is expected to be awarded on the basis of commerciality as per L5.1 Cost/Price General Information? | Section L: L5.2.1 Price Reasonableness and Completeness L5.1 Cost/Price General Information | Section L5.2.1 states the Government reserves the right, but is not obligated, to review prices for realism. Secion L5.1 does not state on the basis of commerciality. If the contractors pricing is commercial pricing the details for establishing the commercial pricing should be sufficient to demonstrate reasonableness and completeness. | |
| 053 | The model title is ,"Cost for Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) Commercial Services" Are we expected to provide cost or price? | Attachment 3 | Contractors are required to complete the Pricing Template (Attachment 3) of the RFP package. This is a procurement for commercial items and is not a cost type contract. | |
| 054 | In the proposal it states, "If an offeror’s proposal is found to be incomplete, meaning the offeror did not propose a price for each item, the proposal could be excluded from further evaluation." We assume that 0002/ 1002 which says Not priced at IDIQ Level is exempt. | M1.2.1 Procedure for Source Selection/Attachment 3 | This is correct the CLINs 0002 and 1002 are exempt and will not be priced at the contract level. | |
| 055 | Does “on ramping” mean a later award to a new contractor or on-mapping of a new service, and, could a new PLEO provider already engaged in the regulatory process, bid a year from now and if acceptable, receive a reward? | 1. Section 5.0 PWS, | The Government, at its sole discretion, may exercise on-ramp and/or off-ramp events to maintain a pool of qualified, competitive contractors and for the addition of evolutionary PLEO service(s). This includes new services and or new contractors offering applicable services throughout the period of performance of the contract. | |
| 056 | Please clarify regarding FCC licenses or other applicable regulatory filings required before start of actual service, or at time of submission of this bid? | 2. Section 6.0 PWS, | As shown in the SLA Template, SLAs submitted with this proposal must include coverage area commitments. Per PWS section 6.6.8, corresponding regulatory approvals "shall be available prior to contract award." PWS sections 6.1 and 6.3 specify timeframes within which services "shall be available" for activation. Proposals should include evidence of regulatory approvals pertaining to the proposed coverage areas within the timeframe specified. | |
| 057 | Would government consider the “limited use” option to be available at 3 years versus 12 months | 2. Section 6.0 PWS, | No the Government will not consider the “limited use” option to be available at 3 years versus 12 months. If the contractor would like to propose limited use service as an option, it may be on-ramped at a later date. | |
| 058 | I see the Word version of the PWS as well as the Q&A, but I do not see any of the other required attachments such as the Pricing Spreadsheet, NDA, etc. Can you advise as to where I can download these, or whether the government will put them up in the near future? | Attachments | Open up the RFP PDF document and then click the paperclip displayed in the upper left of the screen it will open the list of attached PDF documents. The PWS in MS Word version was only posted separately as a response to a contractor question. | |
| 059 | From a formatting and page restriction perspective, instruction language says we should not reference between Volumes; the Volumes should be stand alone (L2.7). |
Instruction language further states the SLAs are to be part of the Technical/Management Volume (per Table L2.5.1) and we are allowed 3 pages per SLA, which will be quite large.
Yet, language in section L2.6 of the Cost volume says each service must have an accompanying SLA.
| Is it the Governments intent to have the SLAs as an attachment to the Technical/Management Volume that can be cross-referenced to the Cost Volume or does the Government prefer to have the Attachment 5 SLAs also included with the cost volume? | L2.6, L2.7, L2.5.1 | Yes it is the Governments intention is to have the SLAs as an attachment to the Technical/Management Volume that can be cross-referenced to the Cost Volume. The Government does not prefer to have the SLAs also included in the cost volume. | ||
| 060 | TextTables/Graphics specified as 10-point Arial or TNR. | |||
| Would the Government consider 8-point font for graphics, since this is an electronic submission and not a hard copy submission? | L.2.5.3 a & c (pg 163) | No, the Government would like the graphics to be 10-point font. | ||
| 061 | PWS Section 6.6.9 requires "Not more than 30 calendar days following base contract award, the contractor shall provide a completed COMSATCOM Information Assurance Questionnaire (CIAQ) that details the contractor solution IA security posture". Can the Government please provide the CIAQ template that will be used as deliverable? | PWS 6.6.9 | The COMSATCOM Information Assurance Questionnaire (CIAQ) is a controlled document. The Government will provide a copy of the CIAQ to be completed after contract award. | |
| 062 | PWS section 7.1.5 In the last sentence the Government states "Deliverables are listed in Table 7-4 below." Will the Government confirm that the sentence should read Table 7-3 and not Table 7-4? | PWS 7.1.5 | The correct reference is Table 7-3, this reference will be corrected. | |
| 063 | Since this is an IDIQ and there is no Sample Task to price, how does the government want vendors to complete the Services portion of the SF1449 [items 19-24]? | Page 1-11 and L2.6 - L6.1.1 | Items 19-24 on the first page of the RFP SF1449 document states "See Schedule", there is nothing for the contractor to complete in this location. The information for these items is provided in the CLINs and associated documents. | |
| 064 | 6.7 Task 7 - Initial Task Order: only awarded vendors can respond to this item. Recommend removing this item from evaluation in the 20 pages of the Technical Volume. | Task 6.7 | The evaluation factors do not specify PWS Section 6.7 Task 7 specifically for evaluation, nor do the evaluation factors state evaluation of the 20 pages of the Technical Volume. |
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .