Backup_of_Q A_Part_8.wbk

SOLICITATION SSA-RFP-14-1012

Q. Will SSA extend the proposal submission date an additional 2 weeks for development of a viable solution that meets all the requirements?

Bullet 1

p. 6 SSA: The contractor’s solution shall operate on agency owned computers running Windows 7. Contractor must have capability to make upgrades to their solution that will match upgrades in Windows software.

Q (1): Will the contractor be responsible for all software (Image including recording software and security requirements)?

Contractor is responsible for COTS software provided to meet the requirements of the SOW and modifications to that software made by the contractor.

Q (2): Will the contractor need access to SSA network?

No

Bullet 3

p. 6 SSA: provide the ability to record up to 8 participants independently.

Q: Can SSA clarify if the recording is required to support eight- (8) independent recording channels or if the system needs to support eight- (8) independent sources that could be combined into four recording channels?

As stated in sections 2.1 and 2.2 in the SOW, up to 8 participants shall be recorded independently, and the recording shall be played back with the ability to listen to the audio of each participant independently.

Bulllet 1

P 7 SSA: The contractor’s solution shall run on Windows 7 and have the capability to upgrade to future Windows upgrades.

Q: Will the contractor be responsible for all software (Image including recording software and security requirements)?

Contractor is responsible for COTS software provided to meet the requirements of the SOW and modifications to that software made by the contractor.

Bullet 1

p. 8 SSA: The contractor shall “Customize software to automate user experience by creating forms, macros, and capturing events in the software to run scripts, when requested by the COTR”

Q: Can Agency provide more specific details or a few examples to make sure we fully understand just what the customer’s expectations are?

Details are based on the software to be provided.

p. 9 SSA: The contractor shall “Provide the ability to customize all software to integrate within the agency’s organization and business needs”.

Q: Can Agency advise as to the specific type of integration that is required to support the organization needs, the interface protocol such as real time web services or batch mode scheduled jobs to integrate between the agency’s system and DRAP, and the data to be exchanged between the systems?

p.6 bullet 1 SSA: Limit access of certain operations of the contractor provided solution to specific operational groups.

Q: Wouldn’t this be a function of the PC access that SSA will provide?

Certain functions of the COTS software must be able to be limited to administrative users.

p.6 bullet 3 SSA: Perform administrative work remotely over the agency’s network.

Q: Wouldn’t this be a function of network and PC access that SSA will provide?

The contractors solution does not have to provide remote administration on its own if the usage of Windows Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is sufficient.

p. 9 Bullet 3 SSA: Provide a carrying case for the mobile solution which shall: not to exceed 20 lbs. with the mobile solution inside.

Q: With the addition of wheels, retractable handle and locking specifications the weight limit should be adjusted for the contractor to supply cases that can meet the required specifications. Typically, these cases weigh in the 10-15 pound range for an empty case. Can the weight limit be increased to 28 lbs.

No, based on SSA’s physical exertion requirements, users of this system are not rated for above “Light Work”. http://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/cfr20/404/404-1567.htm

p. 11 bullet 1 SSA: The contractor shall “Attach a government supplied asset tag to all contractor supplied hardware devices prior to installation”.

Q: Will the Government supply asset tags to the contractor prior to the equipment being shipped to site?

Yes

Bullet 1

p. 12 SSA: “Any airfare purchased shall be the most economic fare available”.

Discussion: In order to achieve economic airfares we need to purchase non-refundable tickets as far in advance as possible but the government. Under “Delivery” and “De-Installation” sections it states that Government has right to cancel within 3 or 5 business days, respectively.

Q: Will Contractor receive reimbursement for airfare or other travel expenses since Contractor purchased low price, non-refundable tickets to save Government money?

The requirement of "most economic fare available” takes into account the other requirements of the contract.

Bullet 3

p. 14 SSA: “Support the agency’s current software version for the life of the contract without requiring version upgrades. Version upgrades will be at the discretion of the agency”.

Q: What is the Agency’s definition of “current software” and its version since there are situations that we cannot support this request? For example, we cannot support Microsoft XP OS because it will not be supported by Microsoft from 4/2014. The Microsoft Server 2003 OS will not be supported by Microsoft after mid-2015.

"Current software" refers to the version of software currently installed at SSA at the time an upgrade is made available to SSA.

Bullet 4

p. 14 SSA: “Provide a Software Development Kit (SDK) to the COTR 30 days after award, including examples of how to customize functions within the software. The SDK shall allow a developer to automate the user experience by creating forms, macros, and capturing events in the software to run scripts”.

Q: Can the Agency provide the scope and features sets of the SDK in order for us to develop it and support it?

Bullet 6

p. 15 SSA: “Provide major software upgrades upon request by the agency”.

Q: Will the contractor be responsible for the complete image as well as other software updates or would SSA be responsible for all software other than the digital recording software?

Contractor is responsible for COTS software provided to meet the requirements of the SOW and modifications to that software made by the contractor.

Bullet 4

p. 15 SSA: Hardware support shall consist of:

Acceptance of equipment repair/replacement/troubleshooting orders from the agency’s help desk or the COTR.

Discussion: It appears that the Agency’s Help Desk will make the determination of whether a replacement system needs to be replaced and shipped to a site.

Q: If it turns out that the Agency’s Help Desk made an inaccurate determination, will the Government reimburse the shipping, dispatch, and the cost of troubleshooting to properly corrected the incident?

phase 2, bullet 5

p. 18

SSA: The contractor shall: “Provide demonstration to present code completed in Development – Stage 1 within 2 weeks of beginning Phase 2”.

Q. Will contractor be responsible for the computer’s operating system/configuration image?

Yes

p. 25 SSA: The solution will “Provide automatic detection of any change in a recording solution component (e.g. a microphone) and allow for an operator to configure the new component with minimal technical expertise”.

Q: Can the agency expand on the automatic detection of a system component change requirement? Audio mixers and or recorders do not have the capability to determine if a component has changed from one make/model to another. The system interface will detail the operational status of the components via on screen metering, but will not detect a change in components.

An example would be switching from a Permanent unit to a Mobile unit. If the user disconnects one, and connects the other, it should be automatic and require minimal operator support. If an audio interface component is changed, this process should also require minimal operator support for the new device to start communicating.

Pricing Tables and SOW 2.5 p. 9

Can SSA change the transition software development phase into a T&M effort instead of a firm fixed price? Without having a detailed breakout of exactly what software development is required, how would the contractor price it?

Pricing tables and SOW 2.5 p. 9

SSA has prices for software customization and has broken it out into 4 phases. SSA has anticipated that the transition phase will require approximately 240 hours of effort. Can SSA break this amount of hours by phase?

No, that is based on the software to be provided.