Attachment_6_-_Questions_ _Answers.pdf

SGE50016R0067 Page 1 of 7 Internet Provider Services, Baghdad, Iraq

ATTACHMENT 6 – QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

# Description Change in a

Solicitation Document (if any, changes are marked in the margin)

Q 1 There are different statements in the package, please clarify if the proposal submission deadline 23:59 German time or 23:59 East Coast time on Friday September 16, 2016?

A 1 The deadline is 23:59 East Coast time on Friday, September 16, 2016.

Q 2 What is the required minimum proposal validity / acceptance period?

A 2 90 calendar days

Q 3 Please clarify where Attachment 5, Housing Plan, should be included within the proposal?

A 3 If applicable, Attachment 5 and a Housing Plan shall be submitted as part of the Technical Proposal. Section L, pages

51 & 53, B.a.8

Q 4 Would the USG allow subcontractors to submit a contract information sheet, or is it only for the Prime offeror to submit?

A 4 Depending on the portion / percentage of work of the SOW that a subcontractor will provide they may be included in the experience listing. However, the prime contractor shall be required to be experienced in the services to be provided in its own right as opposed to acting only as an administrator.

Q 5 Will the USG please clarify where the AQL requirements are located within the RFP?

A 5 The reference has been corrected to ‘paragraph VI.5 below’. SOW, page 7

Q 6 The SOW and pricing tables specify high speed terrestrial fiber optic, wireless internet. Is a satellite

(vice terrestrial) solution acceptable which provides the required Internet service at less than the specified 200 ms latency while achieving the required 99.7% availability?

A 6 The USG will not accept satellite service in lieu of or as an option to the SOW

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Q 7 Will the USG provide the potential bidder’s list?

A 7 As stated on FedBizOpps, it is not the USG’s intention to release this information.

Q 8 A Quality Service Surveillance Plan (QASP) is required. Will the USG provide the current contract’s

QASP to enable bidders to better understand the USG’s expectations in terms of quality monitoring?

A 8 It is not the USG’s intention to release this information as it is considered contractor proprietary information.

Q 9 Please add a line in the CLIN structure for non-recurring costs (NRC).

A 9 Such a CLIN already exists – Base Year Pricing, ‘Initial Installation and Activation’

Q 10 Paragraph H.7, Physical and Information Security Requirements, references U.S. Embassy Kabul and the U.S. Mission in Afghanistan. We believe this reference to Afghanistan vice Iraq to be an error.

Section H, paragraph H.7

A 10 The paragraph has been corrected to reference ‘Baghdad’ and ‘Iraq’.

Q 11 SOW III, IV – SOW paragraph III states “shall provide … and other locations identified in paragraph IV below”. SOW IV, ISP Responsibility for Personnel, does not specify any locations. Was the intention to refer to paragraph IX?

SOW, page 2 paragraph III

A 11 The paragraph has been corrected to reference paragraph IX’.

Q 12 Solicitation L.3, M – Task orders may be awarded on a regional basis. Under the current contract, will the USG provide the amount of funding applied for support of each region?

A 12 There is no relation between the current contract and this solicitation. This is a revised and stand-alone IDIQ requirement and it is the nature of IDIQ requirements that the quantities are indefinite.

Only the minimum and maximum amounts listed in the solicitation will be applicable. The maximum amount refers to the entire project, not to each contract should multiple awards be made.

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Q 13 Solicitation B.2 – The ceiling of this 5-year contract is $9.5M. The contract is unfunded.

• Based on financial data published by FedBizOpps, the incumbent 3-year contract ceiling is

$4.2M, and funding from inception (to include the current 6-month extension) is approximately $1.5M. The last option year with the 6-month extension (18 month period) depicts funding less than $550K.

• Is the current run-rate ($235K for 6-months of service) generally what can be expected to be provided under multiple contracts?

A 13 The USG will not enter into comparisons between currently active contract and this solicitation. This is a revised and stand-alone IDIQ requirement and it is the nature of IDIQ requirements that the quantities are indefinite. The maximum amount refers to the entire project, not to each contract should multiple awards be made.

Q 14 Section K.9 652.228-70 Defense Base Act Insurance – Covered Contractor Employees. The table in part a. does not appear to correspond with the statement checked in part b. Please confirm that offerors shall enter data into box a(3) if applicable and that box a(4) should be marked “N/A”, Section K.9, paragraphs a(3) and a(4), pages 49 and 50

A 14 We confirm the above. We also noticed incorrect numbering which has been corrected.

Q 15 Solicitation L.1.B – Please confirm that there are no page limitations for the proposal input as described in SOW L.1.A.

A 15 Confirmed. However, the USG would like to stress that it requires clear and concise input from offerors. More is not necessarily better.

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Q 16 Paragraph M.2.3 states “The lowest price will be determined by comparing the totals in Attachment 2.”

Please clarify what totals will be compared – the total base year and option price of all CLINs, the individual CLIN pricing, or the total price of all contract years?

A 16 The USG’s preference is to award one contract to cover all requirements. If proposals are received stating that offerors can cover all requirements, the USG will evaluate the total contract price including all option years (see Section L, provision 52.217-5 – Evaluation of Options).

If no such proposals are received the USG will evaluate by grouping proposals covering the same CLINS and award 1 – 3 contracts. The number depends on the complexity of the task versus the capability of a contractor, i.e. if offeror X cannot cover service Y in location Z but offeror A can, a separate contract may be awarded to offeror A.

If more than one contract is awarded, the maximum amounts will be divided among these contracts.

Q 17 SOW III; IX – Can bidders limit their proposal response only to specific service locations (e.g., the

Baghdad region or the Basra region)?

A 17 Yes. However, see A 16 above.

Q 18 Will task order start be effective with contract start?

A 18 A task order will not be issued until the contractor has provided all required documents, e.g. staff information, insurance, etc. The USG reiterates that contractor shall not be allowed to enter each compound’s demark point to conduct installation, troubleshooting and maintenance unless and until they have vetted staff to perform this work.

Q 19 Will the USG accept shipments of equipment at the specified sites prior to installation?

A 19 ‘Accept’ in the sense of ‘accept from a delivery company’ – No. The contractor may not order equipment to be delivered to a USG / address.

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Q 20 Will the USG provide storage space for equipment spares on site?

A 20 No.

Q 21 Will the USG provide workspace (desk space, phone and Internet access) for installation and FSR contractors?

A 21 No. The services terminate at the three DEMARC points as indicated the SOW.

Q 22 SOW 3.1 – Is the 2-hour maintenance response required both during normal business hours and after hours?

A 22 Yes, this requirement shall be met 24 / 7 / 365.

Q 23 The SOW states the USG will provide no equipment. Please amplify on the requirement for the vendor to install routers and a wireless network. Are wireless networks already installed at the sites for the vendor to provide connectivity for Internet service, or are complete new installations required?

A 23 The expectation is that these services require a completely new installation of equipment that will support the range of services indicated in Attachment 2 – SOW. Items purchased and provided shall be reported by make, model, serial number and cost. Bill of Materials, shipment and other related costs shall be itemized on CLIN 013 as well (see revised Attachment 1 – Pricing).

Q 24 SOW VIII.6 – A site survey report is required 30 days after award of contract.

Will the USG amplify on their plan for site surveys (length, number of people, and will the USG provide in-country transportation, etc.)? Is the cost of this survey to be amortized within the price of all Internet service across the contract?

A 24 The USG considers these points part of the contractor’s business decision and will not restrict the process with instructions except for the 30-day deadline. There will be no USG-provided transportation or housing. The survey costs shall be itemized on CLIN 013 as well (see revised Attachment 1 – Pricing).

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Q 25 Has the USG used other means in addition to the FastIraq contract to receive Internet service, and / or are requirements expected to be significantly changed under this new contract to achieve funding closer to the contract ceiling?

A 25 Yes, the USG has / had other vendors providing ISP services but wants to consolidate requirements, if at all possible, to a single contractor. Demand for greater capacity exists.

Q 26 SOW 1.4.3 – In order to calculate RTD to Washington, D.C. metropolitan area as mention in the RFP, please provide us a IP to test RTD and will attached result in proposal.

A 26 The USG had determined that based on availability and security issues potential offerors will not be authorized to ping or test any IP addresses. Any this testing will need to be arranged with what is publically available in Basrah and Baghdad.

Q 27 SOW I; 1.1.a – Could the USG provide rough overview or outline drawings for the sites and buildings where Wi-Fi connectivity will be installed.

A 27 The USG has determined that due to security considerations such information / drawings question will only be provided to vetted contractor staff.

Q 28 The required circuit availability is 99.7%. What is the average availability experienced under the current contract?

A 28 The average availability experienced under the current contract is 99.7%.

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Q 29 SOW 1.4.5 – states, “For any twenty-four (24)-hour time period where the internet connection availability falls below 99.7% for the entire 24 hours, a daily pay reduction rate of $________ (the ISP contractor’s monthly rate per task order divided by 30) of the ISP’s monthly invoice shall be applied until the internet connection availability is at or above 99.7%.”

The USG’s requirement assumes internet connection availability can be measured instantaneously. However, the operational availability measurement equation is: Ao = Uptime / (Uptime + Downtime), and is usually measured over a set period – typically, measured daily, and averaged over a 30-day period. Outage credits would be based on the period of time the internet availability was below the 99.7% during the 30 day period.

Recommend the USG clarify the internet connection availability requirement to reflect the way availability is measured and calculated, typically, measured daily, and averaged over a 30-day period, with outage credits based on being at or below 99.7%

A 29 Offerors may include this SLA language in their proposals.

Q 30 Contractors are required to install routers and wireless networks at the specified sites. Are all awardees expected to install these systems NLT 15 Nov in preparation for the potential receipt of a task order?

A 30 The USG intends to evaluate the proposals in September and make award as soon as possible. Factors impacting this will be the mandatory vetting of the proposed contractor, required legal reviews and approvals and the contractor’s ability to provide the required staff, hardware and documents required to enable the USG to allow performance to start.

Because the above factors are beyond the contracting officer’s control, the date by which contractors shall be required to install the range of services indicated in the SOW and the Pricing Attachment for each site has been revised to NLT 10 calendar days after contract award.