Questions_and_Responses_3-R.docx

SSA-RFP-13-1010

Amendment 0007 Attachment 1

Questions and Responses #3-R dated May 2, 2013

Changes are highlighted in yellow.

Question #1 Section C.3.3.1.8 Question: Does SSA require an automatic application for this utility or would complete and proper documentation of correct I/O configurations suffice?

Government Response:

The Government requires an automatic application.

Question #2 Section C.3.12.8 Question: These sites are listed as delivery locations. Is this also the complete list of sites to be covered by services in the Services Price table? If not please provide a list of sites for potential services for pricing.

The list of sites in Section C.3.12.8 is the current complete list of sites to be covered by services in the Services Price table. However, SSA reserves the right to request services at any additional SSA CONUS sites not otherwise listed.

Question #3 Section C.3.3.2.11 Question: OS 1-5 require remote replication ports, are these ports required to be a separate feature or can standard fiber channel ports be used as dedicated remote replication ports?

Government Response:

Section C.3.1.2 states “Replication Network - SSA’s remote replication network is currently Ethernet Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) based. For all remote replication connections, the Contractor shall provide any hardware and software needed to connect to SSA’s remote replication network. The remote replication network connections must have a minimum speed of 10 one (1) Gigabit per second (Gbps) and be capable of auto negotiating to one Gbps. The remote replication ports must be located on a minimum of two I/O interfaces to the storage equipment.”

If a proposed storage subsystem does not support a direct connection to an Ethernet director, then the Contractor shall supply the needed hardware and software to convert fiber channel to Ethernet.

Question #4 Sections C.3.3.5.1.1.2, C.3.3.5.2.3, & C.3.3.5.2.4 Question: These sections request GBIC transceivers. Would functionally-equivalent SPF transceivers be acceptable?

Yes, SPF transceivers are acceptable. All transceivers must support LC multi-mode cables.

Question #5 Section C.3.3.5.4.4 Question: There is no transceiver type specified for the blades. Should they be included and, if so, should they be 16Gbps or 10Gbps to match 3.3.5.2.3 and 3.3.5.2.4?

The transceiver speed must at least 8Gbps.

Question #6 Section F-2.2, Part 3 Question: Does SSA request only one resume for each position?

The Government is not limiting offerors to only one resume per position. The number of resumes submitted should demonstrate the offeror can successfully support the size and scope of this contract.

Question #7 Section C.3.8.2 Question: An SE is required 40hrs/wk on site at 3 different sites. How many other engineers will be required on-site at any one time? Will this be one single individual or multiple individuals at multiple sites at once?

For CLIN 201-2, the SE required work location(s) will be listed on the Task Order and retrieved from Section C.3.12.8. When issuing task orders for other service CLINs, the Government will supply a SOW. It will be up to the Contractor to supply the right number and type of engineers to complete the SOW.

Question #8 General Question Question: Given the level of effort to lay out a solid 5 year and beyond pricing structure, technology roadmap and responses to customer reference questionnaires, we would like to request an extension to provide the best possible and most comprehensive response in support of SSA’s needs. Can an extension be set out to mid-April?

Government Response:

The Government has granted extensions to the Proposal Due Date in Section F-2.6 through amendments to the Solicitation. Proposals currently must be received no later than 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time, April 24 May 8, 2013.

Refer to the response to Question #181 for the extended deadline for follow-up questions.

Question #9

Question: As part of the selection process, does SSA anticipate vendors down-selected to be asked to come back for oral presentations and or Q&A sessions in support of their response?

If the Government decides to hold discussions, it will establish a competitive range based on proposals received. The Government will notify those offerors who are selected to be part of the competitive range to enter into negotiations concerning the final terms of the offerors’ proposals. At the conclusion of discussions, those offerors still in the competitive range will be permitted to submit final proposal revisions. Outside of discussions, no separate oral presentations or Q&A sessions are contemplated.

Question #10 Section B Pricing Tables Question: In Section B, there was not a Customer Engineer (CE) listed on the pricing table. Please confirm if that was an intentional omission.

All CE delivery, installation and warranty services should be included in the unit price of each type of equipment. If the services of a CE are required outside of delivery, installation and warranty services, then SSA will order CLIN 201-3 “Storage Management Support Services (SMSS) (by hour).” These services are defined in Section C.3.8.3.

Question #11

Question: For the remote replication network, can you provide the model of Brocade switch(es) used for FCIP? If using DCX, what FCIP blade is being used?

The Model is Brocade MLX32 and no FCIP blades are being used. The cable connection types are LC multimode. The Brocade MLX32 will also be used at the NSC.

Question #12

Question: Please provide the make and model of current SAN Infrastructure FC switches. How much data is being replicated asynchronously from NCC to SCC? How much per OS platform?

The current SAN Infrastructure includes CICSO DS-C9509, Brocade DCX directors, and Brocade 4100 and 5100 switches. Currently 72 107 TB of data is being replicated from the NCC to the SSC. The amount of replicated storage is not being tracked by OS platform.

Question #13

Question: Can you provide a diagram for the VTL replication network showing connectivity points? What is the bandwidth?

A diagram for the replication network has already been provided in SECTION E - Attachment A. The SSA replication network has two 10 Gbps connections between the NCC and the SSC.

Question #14

Question: What applications are used by NAS connectivity, email, archiving, SharePoint, etc.?

The Applications using NAS connectivity are ColdFusion, Web Sphere, Sunflower, GlassFish, and Thunderhead.

Question #15

Question: Is CDP being currently used? If so what is the vendor and what applications and operating systems is it being used with the product? What is the technical direction and plan for this product?

SSA does not currently use Continuous Data Protection (CDP). The Government plans to test CDP then deploy CDP for applications with large amounts of data.

Question #16

Question: What is current SRM software utilized? How many servers and operating systems for each OS category OS-1, OS-2, OS-3, OS-4, and OS-5?

Government Response:

Currently EMC Control Center Storage Scope is used for SRM reporting.

SSA is not limiting the number servers or types of operating systems for each OS subsystem category.

Question #17 SECTION E - Attachment A Question: This is a spreadsheet showing the current open systems disk and VTL. Can you specify which array hosts which OS level (ie.: OS-1, etc)? For example DMX is OS-1, etc.

DMX and VMAX would be considered OS-1 or OS-2. CX4-960 would be considered OS-3 or OS-4 and CX4-120 would be considered OS-5.

Question #18

Question: What are the existing normal maintenance windows for migrations? How many per year? How long do they last?

The normal application maintenance windows for migrations occur on week-ends and differ based on the application availability requirements. Some applications limit the maintenance windows to Sunday morning starting at 1 AM and ending at 5 AM.

Question #19

Question: Is it SSA’s preference to have an application by application migration or server by server migration? For example, does SSA have applications ranked or prioritized based on RTO/RPO?

Government Response:

Migrations will occur by application or by server. Data migrations must be controlled by the storage subsystems and/or the storage vitalization appliances.

SSA does not have applications ranked or prioritized based on RTO/RPO.

Question #20

Question: When is the new data center expected to come online? When would the first servers be migrated to the new data center?

SSA plans to move to the new data center over an 18 month period in 2015 and 2016.

Question #21

Question: Are the EMC CX arrays being replicated to SCC? If so, is RecoverPoint being used for that purpose? If not, is there an appliance being used?

Yes, the EMC CX arrays are being used to replicate data. EMC Mirror View is the tool being used to accomplish replication on the EMC CX arrays.

Question #22

Question: Are Point-in-time copies used for backups or local recovery? If so, what tool is used and how many TB's per array is utilized? Are they full copies or pointer based?

Yes, EMC Time Finder and Snap View software products are being used for backups or local recovery. The backup copies are full copies. On average, 5 to 10 percent of the array capacity is used for Point-in-time copies.

Question #23 Section C.3.1.1 Question: “Commercially Available” - Is it mandatory that all equipment be Generally Available (GA) at the time of proposal submission or is time of delivery acceptable?

Yes, it is mandatory that all equipment be generally available at the time of proposal submission.

Question #24 Section C.3.1.2 Question: “Replication Network” - Will SSA provide the model number and FCIP blade type (if applicable) that are currently in use, and what will be in use at the NSC data center?

The Model currently in use is Brocade MLX32. No FCIP blades are being used. The cable connection types are LC multimode. The Brocade MLX32 will also be used at the NSC.

Question #25 Section C.3.1.3 Question: “Training”- The pricing table has only one option for ONSITE training, yet the RFP has various options, like; SSA site/Contractor site/online. Please define what needs to be bid? For example, do we add more lines to the price sheet to accommodate the options for training delivery? For example, do we bundle travel/lodging into all of the rates?

Section C.3.1.3 has been amended. The requirement to host the training at one of SSA’s sites has been removed from the RFP. Propose one firm fixed price per class duration, e.g. 1-day to 5-day. No travel costs should be necessary.

Question #26 Section C.3.2.8 Question: Can SSA clarify the requirement to connect Network Attached Storage (NAS) to (z/OS) servers?

The applications using NAS on z/OS servers will be Web Sphere and Thunderhead.

Question #27 Section C.3.3.2.12, Subsections 1-4 Question: “Subsystem Control Software Features” - Can SSA provide more clarity around what is meant by Device management and device security, Device and subsystem performance monitoring, Device and subsystem performance monitoring, and Subsystem configuration management?

Device management includes the ability to create new devices and the ability to create local and remote replication copies. Device security includes the ability to limit access to a device to one or more servers. Device and subsystem performance monitoring includes the ability to report on service time, access density, Read and Write Throughput, device utilization, and cache hit and miss ratios. Subsystem configuration management includes the ability to create devices, thin pools, manage local and remote replication, and manage automatic storage tiering.

Question #28 Section C.3.3.3 Question: “OS NAS Storage Subsystem” - Does the OS-6 storage requirements still require non-disruptive upgrades? If yes, does it matter if it’s in code family or out of code family?

All code upgrades (in-code family or out-of-code family) must be non-disruptive.

Question #29 Section C.3.3.6.4.5 Question: “Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) host-based adapter” A) This is a vendor-specific requirement that favors a single vendor (EMC) and limits competition. Per the FAR, requirement of this type requires a “Justification for other than full and open competition (JOFOC). Is it SSA’s position to provide this justification or will SSA allow for full and open competition?

B) By leveraging a technology within the array, in the event of a device installed in the array having a failure, the server would not need to be shut down for repair. Said technology can scale over a million IOPS, scale over 100TB and be leveraged by MORE than one server. If a vendor has the ability to provide the same performance and meet all the requirements for the section above, but it is within the enterprise class array, which is providing 100% availability guaranteed and scalable past the 300GB, would that be acceptable?

SSA has added an alternate choice to this requirement to allow an offeror to use technology within the array, to provide the same level of performance as the PCI host-based adapters with 300 GB of Flash storage. See Questions and Responses #4, Question #12 for an update to the response to this question.

Question #30 Section C.3.4.1.3 Question: What does integrated with Oracle RMAN mean? Are they specifying using RMAN rather that NBU Oracle Agents to control the backup?

Oracle RMAN will be managing the Backups. Symantec NetBackup NBU Oracle Agents will not be used to backup data created by Oracle RMAN software.

Question #31 Section C.3.4.2.7 Question: “De-duplication Appliance Ports” - How was the number of ports determined? For example, ingest rate, data size, etc.? Six (6) ports is vendor-specific to EMC and limits competition.

The number of front-end fiber channel ports is based on the number of directors to which the appliance must be connected. However, SSA has reduced the required number of front end ports for some De-duplication Appliances.

Question #32 Section C.3.4.4 Question: “OS Source Based De-duplication Hardware” - SSA is requesting 21TB useable storage that can be de-duped to 360TB, this is effectively a 17:1 ratio, please provide the type of data that will be de-duped as data type is critical to the ratios that can be achieved.

The data utilizing de-duplication will be backup data from applications that need daily full backups and/or applications requiring long term retentions for backup data.

Question #33 Section C.3.6 Question: “Continuous Data Protection” - Is SSA currently using CDP being currently used? If so, what is the vendor and what applications and operating systems is it being used with the product? What is the technical direction and plan for this product?

SSA is not currently using CDP hardware and software.

Question #34 Section C.3.7 Question: Position Descriptions and Key personnel” - The systems engineer position is defined as a 40 hour per week position, however the government provided SOW is silent regarding the number of hours for the CE and SAM, please provide clarification as to the number of hours the CE and SAM will be expected to work and will the resource be required to reside on-site.

It will be up to the offeror to determine the right number and type of 1) other engineers required on-site at any one time based on the install requirements of new equipment, and 2) engineers to perform warranty support work on the inventory of equipment already installed.

Question #35

Question: Would SSA grant an extension on the bid due date? We have come up with an very unique and creative potential solution that will require additional time to ensure we are compliant with the solicitation.

See response to Question #8.

Question #36

Question: Will any cloud based storage solutions be considered for this solicitation?

No cloud based storage solutions will be considered for this solicitation.

Question #37

Question: Does SSA have a preference in HubZone vendors that you have used in the past?

No. The Government, not contemplating any preferences or set-asides, is using the acquisition procedures found in FAR Subpart 6.1—Full and Open Competition. As indicated on Block 10 of the Standard Form (SF) 1449, this is an unrestricted acquisition. The North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) code and size standard listed in Box 10 of the SF 1449 are for classification purposes only.

Question #38

Question: Will SSA publish evaluation weighted percentages for evaluation factors?

SSA has not assigned weighted percentages to the evaluation factors. Consistent with FAR 15.304, SSA has identified the relative importance of the evaluation factors in Section F-3 of the solicitation.

Question #39

Question: Are the 6 de-duplication appliances static?

SSA is unclear as to this question. If the question is “Can the 6 de-duplication appliances be upgraded?”, then Section C.3.4.2.4 does require upgrades for De-duplication Appliances OS-1 and OS-3, Section C.3.4.2.6 requires a factory upgrade to 10 Gbps Ethernet, and Section C.3.4.3 requires a software upgrade for remote replication software and hardware.

Question #40

Question: Can we expand the number to accommodate the usable capacity requirements?

SSA is unclear as to this question. If the question is “Can smaller de-duplication appliances be combined to provide the usable storage capacity requirements of a larger de-duplication appliance?”, then the answer is “no.” Smaller de-duplication appliances cannot be combined to provide the usable storage capacity requirements of a larger de-duplication appliance. Larger de-duplication appliances provide better de-duplication ratios and will use less network resources for replication.

Question #41

Question: Is SSA maintaining VTL’s at the new datacenter location or migrating to an open storage architecture?

SSA will maintain VTL de-duplication appliances in the new datacenter.

Question #42

Question: Auto tiering for storage, calls out block specifically, does this include file level tiering as well?

Yes, block File level tiering is required for all NAS (file level) subsystems.

Question #43

Question: Is SSA open to a non VTL solution?

Government Response:

Yes, SSA is open to a non-VTL solution; however SSA also requires VTL based de-duplication appliances.

SSA is unclear as to what the asker of this question means by “non VTL solution.” If a “non VTL solution” means an Ethernet based solution, then Section 3.4.2.6 already requires an Upgrade from a “VTL solution” to “non VTL solution.”

Question #44 Section C.3.4.1 Question: Is the usable space defined as deduplication usable space or raw data usable space?

The de-duplication storage (space) requirements are outlined in the usable storage (space) requirements, as defined in Section C.2.2.

Question #45

Question: Is there a technology replacement planned since this is a 10 year IDIQ? Otherwise SSA is locked into potentially old technology.

Hardware and software can only be ordered in the first five-year period of the contract. Section C.3.14 defines how old technology can be replaced with newer technology.

Question #46 Section F-2.1 Question: General Proposal Packaging and Content - Are both hard copies and Email submissions required?

Yes. Offerors must submit both volumes, i.e. Volume I – Technical Proposal and Volume II – Business Proposal, in hard copy form and as email submissions.

Question #47

Question: Is the purpose of requesting past performance and corporate experience for SSA to evaluate the technology proposed or the ability to execute the contract?

The Government has requested past performance and corporate experience in order to assess an offeror’s past history and current ability to provide quality products and services to successfully perform the efforts described in the solicitation.

Question #48 Section C.1.9 Question: Section 1.9 states that the warranty support for all products must meet a 3 hour response time for problem identification and resolution. Does SSA require that all problems be resolved in 3 hours when in fact the industry standard does not provide such warranty support for a resolution time frame? This section is inconsistent with section 3.9.7 which states that the contractor must be onsite and be ready to resolve warranty problems within 3 hours from receipt of notice.

All problems do not have to be resolved within 3 hours. “The Contractor shall arrive on-site and be ready to resolve warranty problems within three hours from the time the Contractor receives notice of a problem via the hardware’s notify-home-office capability. When SSA notifies the Contractor via the help desk telephone number of a problem, the Contractor shall be on-site within three hours of problem notification.” Section C.1.9 has been updated to clarify.

Question #49

Question: Can SSA clarify when a person must show up onsite within 3 hours for a warranty problem? Will SSA allow us to attempt phone triage before dispatching a technician?

Please see the response to Question #48 as to when a person must show up onsite within 3 hours for a warranty problem. The Government will not permit telephone triage before dispatching a technician.

Question #50 Section C.3.9.7 Question: Section 3.9.7 requires that the Contractor shall arrive on-site and be ready to resolve warranty problems within three hours from the time the Contractor receives notice of a problem via the hardware’s notify-home-office capability. Does the three-hour On-Site response include non-service interrupting failures? Examples would be disk drive failures where hot spares will begin rebuilding automatically in the event of a failure.

Yes, Section C.3.9.7 includes non-service interrupting failures.

Question #51 Sections C.3.7.3, C.3.8.9 & C.3.9.1 Question: Is the SAM in section 3.7.3 required to be the same person described in in section 3.8.9 and the same person described in Section 3.9.1?

Yes, the responsibilities of the SAM are defined in Section C.3.8.9. The Government will permit the proposed SAM to be the same person defined in Section C.3.9.1, but the SAM is not required to be the Single Point of Contact.

Question #52 Section C.3.9.1 Question: Section 3.9.1 requires the SPOC to be a live person. Is SSA requiring just one phone number that a live person answers or is it the same person who must answer the phone? If so, what are the required hours of operation for this SPOC? Can a designated team for supporting government customers with single point of customer satisfaction be acceptable?

As stated above in the response to Question #52, the SPOC can be the SAM. The required hours of operation is 24x7x365; however, the SPOC can have an alternate live person in the event the primary SAM is not available. A designated team for supporting government customers with single live person dedicated customer satisfaction is acceptable. The Government is not defining the SPOC as a key position.

Question #53 Section D-11.13 Question: There are inconsistent requirements listed in Section D-11.13 for providing the names of the key personnel. Must the names for the people to work on the contract be final at the time of the contractor’s submission of the RFP or at the time of award?

Names of those individuals the offeror proposes for key positions must be included in the proposal. Section D-11.13 is a section of the contract that will be filled in by SSA at the time the award is made. The names of the individuals selected to hold key positions cannot be determined until an awardee is selected by SSA. Therefore, as stated in Section F-2.2, offerors must submit the resumes (including names) of the individuals proposed for these positions in Volume I, Part 3 of their proposals.

Question #54 Section C.3.8.2 Question: Section 3.8.2 requires that the Contractor shall provide on-site SE services in the NCC, NSC, or SSC for 40 hours per week at the times and locations specified in the task orders. Can SSA clarify the quantity of, site distribution for, and anticipated staffing start dates for the SE services specified? Based upon information in the services pricing table, will this be 3 full-time SE’s once a contract start date is determined? Will one SE be assigned to each of the three main sites or will an SE’s time be divided up between various sites?

Government Response:

The most likely location will be the NCC, but as stated Section C.3.8.2, the site will be specified in the task orders. There will not be three full-time SEs at once at the contract start date. The number of full-time SEs will be specified in the task orders. The estimated number of full-time SEs in the pricing table has been updated.

Question #55 General Question Question: What is the targeted award date?

The Government intends to make an award prior October 1, 2013, but delays and a later award date are possible. Offerors are hereby notified that their proposals should be made valid for 180 days.

Question #56 Section C.3.12.8 Question: If SSA reserves the right to have equipment delivered anywhere else not listed as stated in Section 3.12.8, would SSA require the same 3 hour support requirements at these currently undisclosed locations? If so, can SSA please provide a list of all of the other possible places that this equipment and associated support would need to be delivered?

The Government does not currently anticipate any specific possible locations for delivery, but future new locations in the Continental United States (CONUS) may possibly be established during the period of performance of the contract. At the time SSA adds an additional CONUS site, if necessary, SSA will negotiate with the Contractor for a modification to establish a support response time for that new site.

Question #57 Section C.3.12.8 Question: Incomplete addresses are listed in Section 3.12.8 for the Urbana data center and the Philadelphia ROCC. Can SSA confirm the exact addresses for both locations?

Government Response:

The street address of the NSC has not been established yet.

The Address for the Philadelphia (PH) ROCC is

Philadelphia (PH) ROCC 300 Spring Garden Street 2nd Floor Computer Room Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19123

Section C.3.12.8 has been updated to include the street address of the Philadelphia (PH) ROCC.

Question #58

Question: Cabinets: Does SSA require that all equipment that is a part of this proposal fit into industry standard rack?

The rack or cabinet requirements are defined in Sections C.3.2.5 and C.3.2.6.

Question #59 Section C.3.6 & C.3.2 Table 1 Question: What value does a CDP appliance bring to an environment where the stated maximum acceptable RPO is 15 minutes and maximum acceptable RTO is 24 hours as per “Table 1 – Storage Subsystem Requirements Table”? As written, the requirement seems tailored to lock in SSA to one vendor's specific solution. By accepting best-of-breed alternative solutions that eliminate separate CDP appliances (reducing cost and complexity but ensuring the RTO/RPO requirements are met) SSA has a greater range of options to provide best value to the government.

SSA has backup and recovery requirements for applications requiring large amounts of storage. SSA will use CDP alliances to backup these large applications.

Question #60 Section C.3.2 Table 2 Question: In Table 2 the "Usable Storage" and "Storage Expandable To" specifications for the VTL/De-Dup Dedup1 appliance is set to 560TB implying that the devices will be purchased with all the usable disk space they will need. However, the hardware upgrades section for Dedup1 specifies an additional 100TB of "Usable Storage". Under what circumstances (if any) would SSA purchase over 560TB of usable storage for configuration Dedup1?

The upgrades will be used to store NetBackup data with retention periods of greater than one year.

Question #61

Question: In Table 2 the "Usable Storage" and "Storage Expandable To" specifications for the VTL/De-Dup Dedup3 appliance is set to 140TB implying that the devices will be purchased with all the usable disk space they will need. However, the hardware upgrades section for Dedup3 specifies an additional 100TB of "Usable Storage". Under what circumstances (if any) would SSA purchase over 140TB of usable storage for configuration Dedup3?

The upgrades will be used to store NetBackup data with retention periods of greater than one year.

Question #62

Question: In the Hardware Upgrades section of Table 2 SSA has a section labeled "Increase Transfer Rate (GB/Min)". Does that row specify what the transfer rate each config must be upgraded to or the transfer rate each config must by upgraded by? For example, for config Dedup1 SSA has specified a base transfer rate of 250GB/Min and an upgrade increase transfer rate of 500GB/Min. Does that imply that config Dedup1 once upgraded have a transfer rate of 500GB/Min or 750GB/Min?

The label was changed to state “Increase Transfer Rate (GB/Min) to”. Section C.3.4.2.6 also states “The Contractor shall provide a factory upgrade to configure the appliances using 10 Gbps Ethernet interfaces. The appliances must deliver the following minimum aggregate (read/write) data transfer rates”.

Question #63

Question: SSA has provided performance data in a proprietary format only accessible by EMC software thereby putting those respondents who do not do business with EMC at an unfair disadvantage. Will SSA either provide the data in a non-proprietary format or facilitate temporary access to the necessary software in order to read the data so that all respondents can provide a solution best suited to meet stated performance requirements?

SSA has re-sent the performance data to those who requested it in a non-proprietary format.

Question #64 Sections C.3.5.2.4 & C.3.5.3.5 Question: Per sections 3.5.2.4 and 3.5.3.5, what is the current connectivity and can it support these requirements? If not will SSA be providing network connectivity between datacenters with less than 8ms latency?

The SSA replication network currently has two 10 Gbps connections between the NCC and the SSC. The current latency between the two data centers is 8ms up to 24ms. The 24ms links are for failover, and SSA intends to improve the failover link to less than 10ms.

Question #65 Section C.3.3.6.3 Question: OS Connectivity: Does SSA require encryption devices in section 3.3.6.3 because there is a need to store data on the disks in an encrypted format or because there is a need to encrypt data as it is written to the virtual tape libraries or is there a need to do both?

Encryption is needed to store data on disk.

Question #66 Section C.3.8.5 Question: Section 3.8.5 states that the Contractor shall provide on-site CE support services for all building shutdowns. For planned shutdowns, SSA will notify the Contractor 30 days prior to when a building shut down is scheduled. These services will be performed at any data center location. This task is priced per event in the pricing sheet and is specified as FFP. Can SSA provide more detail as to the expectation with shutdown services that may provide detail to assist in determining the relevant level of effort for this task? If this is not easily done, would it be possible to provide “per hour” pricing similar to the SMSS Services?

See the following “Sample Statement of Work (SOW)” for additional details on shutdown services intended as part of a task order under the contemplated contract:

Question #67 Section C.2.2.17 Question: Section 2.2.17 defines remote replication as technologies that replicate data in a source storage subsystem to a physically different target storage subsystem using a communication network. Does this include inter site migration of data between dissimilar hardware manufacturers? If so, is there fiber channel connectivity available between sites and what type of bandwidth and latency is present?

Yes, this does include inter-site migration of data between dissimilar hardware manufacturers. SSA does not have fiber channel connectivity available between sites.

Question #68

Question: The storage hardware and software must have the ability to complete a migration of one server with 50 TB of storage allocated with no more than a 30 minute outage of the server and the applications the server supports from SSA’s current storage subsystems outlined in SECTION E - Attachment A. In some cases, it may be possible to greatly reduce and or eliminate the need for an outage leveraging host or application migration techniques. Will SSA consider host or application migration methodologies where possible?

Government Response:

No, the migration must be controlled by the storage subsystems and/or the storage vitalization appliances.

Question #69 Section C.3.12.6 Question: Section 3.12.6 requires that the Contractor shall provide a CE to be on-site to assist with delivery until inventory is complete. As part of the CE services, will installation occur immediately following that delivery? If not, should such CE services be priced separately?

Installation will not occur immediately following that delivery. All CE delivery, installation and warranty services should be included in the fixed unit price of each type of equipment. If the services of a CE are required outside of delivery, installation and warranty services, then SSA will order CLIN 201-3 “Storage Management Support Services (SMSS) (by hour)” these services are defined in Section C.3.8.3.

Question #70

Question: Is 16Gb Fibre Channel speed required? Currently this will limit competition for the Fibre Channel switch components and it is widely acknowledged that hosts are unable to leverage bandwidth above 8Gb Fibre Channel speeds.

Yes, 16 Gbps Fibre Channel is required.

Question #71 Section C.3.3.5.2.2 & C.3.3.5.2.3 Question: Requirement 3.3.5.2.3 states that 16Gb GBICs be used for 8 Gbps ports specified in 3.3.5.2.2. Does SSA require the higher speed higher cost GBICs that provide no advantage over lower cost 8Gb GBICs when used in 8 Gbps ports?

Yes, 16 Gbps Fibre Channel is required.

Question #72 Section C.3.3.5.2 Question: In reference to the SAN Type OS-2 Switch section, does SSA anticipate using more than one VLAN for the Ethernet connectivity?

SSA does not anticipate using more than one Virtual Local Area Network (or VLAN) for the Ethernet connectivity.

Question #73 Section C.3.3.5.4 Question: In Section 3.3.5.4, what speed ports are required for 3.3.5.4 Director switch?

The minimum director port speed must be greater than or equal to the maximum speed of the storage subsystems front end adapters being offered. The storage subsystems must have the following minimum speed of 8 Gbps.

Question #74 Section C.3.3.6.3 Question: In Section 3.3.6.3 does encryption have to be fabric based? If so, why is there a requirement for 16Gb Fibre Channel as the encryption engines cannot support more than 8Gb of fibre channel traffic?

Government Response:

Encryption does not have to be fabric based.

SSA has updated this requirement.

Question #75 Section C.3.15 & C.3.16 Question: Where would SSA like vendors to include response to section 3.15 and 3.16, please be clear on the volume and part, if applicable?

Offerors may include responses to Sections C.3.15 and C.3.16, and any other non-mandatory subsection of Section C in Volume I – Technical Proposal, Part 1. If offerors choose to do so, they should indicate in these non-mandatory responses that they will comply with the subsections as written. Offerors must include responses to the mandatory subsections of Section C, i.e. subsections 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.9, 3.12, and 3.14. See Section F-2.2 Technical Proposal Instructions.

Question #76 Section F-4 FAR 52.212-3 Question: Where would SSA like vendors to put responses to this section, please be clear on the volume and part, if applicable? There is no direction on where to insert this section.

Responses to Section F-4 FAR 52.121-3 “Representations and Certifications” should be included in Volume II – Business Proposal.

Question #77 Section F-6 FAR 52.222-48 Question: Where would SSA like vendors to put responses to this section, please be clear on the volume and part, if applicable? There is no direction on where to insert this section.

Responses to Section F-6 FAR 52.222-48 “Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Act for Maintenance, Calibration, or Repair of Certain Equipment Certification” should be included in Volume II – Business Proposal.

Question #78 Sections C.3.7, C.3.8 & F-2.2-Volume I-Part 6 Question: Please clarify in further detail on what is meant by the following, “The Contractor shall provide the level of expertise as specified in the following position descriptions for the implementation and support service requirements set forth in Subsection 3.8.” Please note that in Part 6, SSA requests vendors to respond to 3.8 as well, please elaborate on the difference and how they would like vendors to respond.

Government Response:

The above quoted sentence from Section C.3.7 is a contract requirement for key personnel qualifications. Section C.3.8 states the contract requirements for implementation and other support services. Note that Sections C.3.7 and C.3.8 are not mandatory technical requirements that offerors must respond to in Volume I-Part 1.

Follow the proposal instructions listed in Section F-2 for how to respond to any specific section of the solicitation. Volume I-Part 6 of an offeror’s proposal must contain a project management plan addressing Sections C.3.8 and C.3.10.

Although not required, offerors may respond to other non-mandatory requirements of Section C in Volume I-Part 1 (e.g. Section C.3.7) by stating that they will comply with the subsections as written. Refer to the responses to Question #75 and #79.

Question #79 Sections C.3.8, F-2.2 Part 6 & F-2.2 Part 3 Question: Please clarify in further detail on what is meant by the following, “Providing a description of its understanding of and plan to provide and affirm compliance with the requirements and objectives for the implementation and support services as identified in SECTION C - Subsection 3.8 including mitigating potential risk.” Please note that in Part 3, SSA requests vendors to respond to 3.8 as well, please elaborate on the difference and how they would like vendors to respond.

The above quoted section refers to the required content of an offeror’s written project management plan, which must be submitted in Volume I-Part 6 of the offeror’s proposal. Follow the proposal instructions listed in Section F-2 for how to respond to specific sections of the solicitation. Offerors must submit in Volume I-Part 3 the resumes of the individuals they plan to propose for the key positions listed in Section C.3.7.

Question #80 Section C.3.1.3 Question: This section states that “The classes must be offered per SSA person.” Please confirm that the training CLINS 200-1 through 200-5 in the services price tab of the pricing worksheet are priced per person.

The training CLINS are per person.

Question #81 Section C.3.1.4 Question: This section states “The Contractor shall provide on-site installation and testing of all hardware and software ordered.” What is the extent of the testing required?

Testing was removed from Section C.3.1.4.

Question #82 Section C.3.1.4.2 Question: This section states “The Contractor shall include hardware installation costs with all hardware CLINS.” Should the contractor also include testing costs with all hardware CLINS?

Testing was removed from Section C.3.1.4.

Question #83 Section F-2.2, Part 3 Question: How many resumes should the offeror provide for each of the identified key personnel types (CE, SE, and SAM)? Is it just one for each?

The number of resumes submitted should show the offeror can successfully support the size and scope of this contract. The Government is not specifying a minimum or maximum number of resumes.

Question #84 Section C.3.2.6 Question: Cabinet for Hot Air containment, Is this requirement mandatory for all subsystems in this bid? Would the government consider making this an optional requirement?

Government Response:

No, SSA will not make Hot Air Containment optional for any equipment to be installed at the NSC or the NSC test lab currently located in the NCC. Cabinet Hot Air Containment is a mandatory requirement for all equipment to be installed at the NSC and the NSC test lab.

SSA has amended Section C.3.2.6 “Cabinet Hot Air Containment” to incorporate the following pricing choices listed below:

3.2.6.1 Sealed cabinet that blocks air from front to back and only allows front to back airflow through the equipment itself (all other areas must be blocked). Hot air must be released via a rear top mounted chimney that is not more than 24 inches deep from the back of the cabinet and no wider than the cabinet itself. Chimney must be adjustable to reach 140 inches to 144 inches with an additional 2 inch rubber seal where it meets the ceiling tiles. Together they would be adjustable between 142 inches and 146 inches.

3.2.6.2 Sealed cabinet that blocks air from front to back and only allows front to back airflow through the equipment itself (all other areas must be blocked). Hot air is released via perforated back door only.

3.2.6.3 Sealed cabinet that blocks air from front to back and only allows front to back airflow through the equipment itself (all other areas must be blocked). Hot air is released via perforated back door and/or top of cabinet. The perforated top of cabinet (no chimney) cannot exceed 24 inches from the back of the cabinet towards the front. Any area past the 24 inch limit must be blocked with a solid covering.

SSA would prefer 3.2.6.2 or 3.2.6.3 but all three choices are technically acceptable.

Question #85

Question: Will there be a data center standard for hot air containment racks including for use with other hardware such as servers and switches?

See the new Cabinet Hot Air Containment requirements listed in the response to Question #84.

Question #86

Question: Can SSA give more details on the design of the new NSC hot air containment?

Question #87

Question: Under your RFP-13-1010 section 3.2.6, this requirement will have to be satisfied by a 3rd party data center cabinet. Although most storage vendors support the use of 3rd party data center cabinets. Enterprise Storage vendors caution the use of this 3rd party cabinet approach for the following reasons: Storage arrays under OS3, OS4, and OS5 will need to be manually racked and stacked in the SSA data center, resulting in additional movement of sensitive equipment. Many vendor cabinets are specifically designed for use of the specific equipment it holds, and are fully tested at the factory (end to end) for function as well as the solution contained within. The use of 3rd party Racks does not allow for this advanced testing to take place, although the components are tested independently for function, the use of the vendor specific Factory rack allows for an additional level of solution based testing. Is it the government’s intent to have field installed enterprise storage systems into a 3rd party hot air containment rack that would satisfy the hot air containment requirement?

The Government does not believe the above statement is true. See the new Cabinet Hot Air Containment requirements listed in the response to Question #84.

Question #88

Question: 3.2.6 Cabinet questions: For clarification questions around Cabinets, please answer the following 5 questions.

1) The specification calls out “must be capable of utilizing single phase L6-30 power receptacles.” What is the plug type they need on the power strips?

2) Standard cabinets come on casters. Are casters desired?

3) Standard cabinet comes with a Power Outlet Units POU mounting bracket to attach 2 POU’s. Is that desired?

4) Are side-panels wanted on the cabinets or will they be ordered separately for just end of row?

5) By default some cabinets do not include the Power Outlet Units POU’s. Will POU’s be purchased as a separate item?

Government Response:

1) Power strips ‘outlets’ use standard C13-C14 or C-19 to C20 power cables.

2) Casters are technically acceptable if they block air flow from front to back including end of row cabinets.

3) Vendor cabinets should be supplied with what they need. Power must be capable of under-floor or overhead supply.

4) Side-panels must be supplied on all frames. In the event of ‘tightly coupled Subsystems’, SSA will decide at time of order if side-panels are needed on a ‘subsystem by subsystem basics’.

5) Vendor cabinets should be supplied with what they need. Power must be capable of under-floor or overhead supply.

Question #89 Section C.3.8.6 Question: “Moving Services” - The price of move is a function of the number of cabinets in a system and the weight. The system CLINS have variability in the number of cabinets which make pricing at the system level difficult and uncertain. Please change the CLIN to be “per cabinet”, regardless of subsystem type.

Government Response:

The Government has amended Section B Pricing Tables to add CLIN 205-7 to the Services Price Table B allowing offerors the choice to charge per cabinet. Section C.3.8.6 has been updated to include this choice.

Although previously amended to give offerors a choice of how to price this requirement in an attempt to be more flexible, SSA is further amending SECTION B Pricing Tables to add CLIN 205 and to remove CLINs 205-1, 205-2, 205-3, 205-4, 205-5, 205-6 and 205-7. SSA will now only allow offerors to price Section C.3.8.6 “Moving Services” on a per cabinet basis to ensure a fair and standardized evaluation of proposals. Section C.3.8.6 has also been amended to reflect this.

Question #90 Section C.3.8.6 Question: “Moving Services” - Since the equipment is government owned-property, will the government accept liability for loss of data and damage to the equipment under the government self-insurance policies?

Government Response: No. Refer to Section D-11.11 for the levels of an offeror’s liability insurance requirements.

Question #91 Section C.3.3.2.3.2 Question: Can the requirement for two cabinets be increased to 3 cabinet OS type 2? The requirement is for two cabinets.

The Government has increased the requirement for the number of cabinets to 3 for Storage Subsystem Type OS-2. Section C.3.2 Tables 3 and 4 have been updated.

Question #92 Section C.3.3.2.4.5 Question: Can SSA explain the required service time for the least usable capacity OS-5 Storage Systems is 0.20 IOPs/GB/sec? Please confirm this is the correct.

The service time requirements for OS-3, OS-4, and OS-5 are 5 milliseconds. Section C.3.3.2.4 has been amended to reflect this.

Question #93 Section C.3.3.2.6.2 Question: Can SSA adjust the minimum port count of 16 FC to not include replication ports?

No, reducing the number of fiber channel ports will limit the number of SAN switches and directors the subsystem will be able to support.

Question #94

Question: NAS - Does SSA require a combination of 16,000 CIFS and NFS IOPS or 16,000 CIFS IOPS and 16,000 NFS IOPS?

SSA requires a total of 16,000 Input Output Operations per Second (IOPS). Section C.3.3.3 has been updated to clarify this requirement. See Questions and Responses #4, Question #5 for an update to the response to this question.

Question #95 Section C.3.3.3.5.3, C.3.3.3.6.3 & C.3.3.3.7.3 Question: For each of these sections, would you please clarify do you want IOPS, throughput, or access time as the requirement to be met? What is the IOPs or latency requirement of the application(s) you are running? What application is it?

The requirement of these sections is service time. “SSA intends to use this subsystem for new workloads including e-mail and file archiving, business analytics, and digital media.”

Question #96 Section C.3.5.2 – C.3.5.3 Question: The pricing section lists identical CLIN numbers for OS2 and OS1 should this be configured based on capacity of 1PB (OS1) and 250TB (OS2) respectively?

The CLIN number for “Clustering for two Storage Virtualization Appliances OS-1” and “Clustering for two Storage Virtualization Appliances OS-2” was the same. SSA has amended the CLIN number for “Clustering for two Storage Virtualization Appliances OS-2.”

Question #97 Section C.3.5.2 – C.3.5.3 Question: Will SAA add CLINs to upgrade the capacity and hardware of Virtualization appliances?

Government Response:

The pricing table now has two CLINs that can be used to upgrade the capacity and hardware of Virtualization appliances.

· CLIN “106-OS-SVA-250-UPG-1” can be used for upgrade the capacity and hardware for “Storage Virtualization Appliance OS-1.”

· CLIN “106-OS-SVA-250-UPG-2” can be used for upgrade the capacity and hardware for “Storage Virtualization Appliance OS-2.”

Question #98 Section C.3.6.2 Question: Will SSA add CLINs for upgrading CDP appliance with license capacity?

SSA has amended Section C.3.6.2 to add a CLIN for upgrading the CDP appliance.

Question #99 Section C.3.1.2 Question: Please remove the auto negotiation requirements (10Gbps to 1Gbps) for network replication since industry replicates in either 10Gbps or 1Gbps mode but not in auto negotiation mode.

For Section C.3.1.2, SSA has removed the auto negotiating requirement. SSA has added a CLIN for 10Gbps network replication ports.

Question #100 Section C.3.4.2.7.2 Question: If the Data-duplication Appliance OS-2 meets or exceeds all requirements except 4 ports instead of 6 can contractors have this requirement modified to 4 ports?

For Section C.3.4.2.7.1 and C.3.4.2.7.2, SSA has reduced the port requirement to four fiber channel ports.

Question #101 Section C.3.15 Question: Is it acceptable for the bidders to utilize the quantities of subsystems provided in the pricing spreadsheets in order to ensure this requirement is met?

The Table in Section C.3.15 is for informational purposes only. No requirements need to be met.

Question #102 Section C.3.2.5 Question: “Hardware Cabinets” - To facilitate denser packing of disk components it can be more effective to exit the cooling air through the top of a frame. Is it acceptable to exit air through the top of proposed frames?

Question #103 Section C.3.2.5, Table 3 & 4: OS1/OS2 Question: Could SSA please clarify or adjust Table 3 & 4 for OS1/OS2 to reflect both the system and disk functions?