Part_1_and_2_-_Pre_and_Site_Visit_Questions_-_Fairmont,_Princeton,_Boulder_FBO.pdf

QUESTION

SITE WHERE

QUESTION

OCCURRED

QUESTION GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

DOES

RESPONSE

REQUIRE RFP

EDITS?

(YES or NO)

SECTION OF

RFP TO

CHANGE DUE

TO Q&A

RFP SECTION CHANGES TO BE

MADE

Fairmont, WV

What functions of the current system have worked well?

The functionality of integration of the infrastructure has worked well.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

What improvements are needed beyond performance and consolidation?

The Government is consistently researching new technologies and expects for the successful offeror to this solicitation to provide its expertise in this regard.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

Do you have any hardware accelerations besides GPU, like DSP, or FPGA? If not, are you thinking of including these on the system?

Yes, we have hardware accelerators on our engineering development system at Fairmont, West Virginia. This is not a production system. Currently, Fairmont is the only location with accelerators.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

How many jobs are scheduled daily or monthly on Theia?

At Fairmont, there are approximately 25,000 / day (Theia). At Boulder, there are approximately 56,000/day (Jet). At GFDL, there are approximately 15,000 /day (Post-Processing).

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

Is MOAB/Torque used for both Theia and Jet Systems? If not, what batch management systems are used?

Yes, MOAB/Torque is used for both Theia and Jet Systems.

NO N/A N/A

Pre-Site Visit and Site Visit Questions in Support of Solicitation No. ST-133R-17-RP-0057 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Research and Development High Performance Computing and Communications (R&D HPCC) Program Date Issued: August 15th, 2017

Fairmont, WV

Are users managed separately for each site or managed holistically across sites (Federated)?

NOAA manages user accounts. This was originally managed by each site; however, we are working on a holistical approach (Federated). For purposes of the successful offeror of this solicitation, there is a single process for getting staff accounts.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

What technology is used for remote desktop access?

The technology currently utilized for remote desktop access is CAC's and Tectia software, with xtogo to mitigate latency.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

Is there any post processing done at the Fairmont site?

Post-processing is accomplished at the Fairmont site using large-memory login nodes.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

Are there any gaps in the current support model?

Every effort is made to eliminate gaps in the current support model which is criticial to our scientists;

however, some gaps exist.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

Why was the Panassas file system chosen at Fairmont?

The Panassas file system is utilized at Fairmont as it was selected through a competitive procurement process as providing the best value to the Government.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

Are there any latency issues across the sites that reduce staff efficiency?

Yes, there are latency issues across the sites that reduce staff efficiency; however, these are mitigated significantly by x2go.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

What are the current workflows across the three sites for 1100 users?

Workflows vary by project. There is significant traffic to and from Fairmont, and to and from GFDL for

NO N/A N/A

WV

Does NOAA control the IT infrastructure in Oak Ridge, or is that a service delivered by the Lab?

Support for the Gaea equipment, for which NOAA currently receives systems integration and data center support services through an Interagency Agreement with DOE ORNL, is also included in the scope of this contract; however, requirements for supporting this system under the subject contract are not anticipated unless otherwise specified in the future. Notwithstanding, NOAA reserves the right to transfer systems integration and data center support requirements from DOE ORNL to the subject contract at any time during the life of this contract, as specified via Task Order issuance.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

What percentage of the $553M would be used for material purchases?

The estimated budget for hardware and software vs.

IT services is approximately 50%.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

How many FTE's per year do you estimate per location? And total? To Support this effort?

The Government has determined that the current FTE count supporting each site is proprietary proposal information to the incumbent, and cannot be shared to the public. Notwithstanding, please keep in mind that previous solicitations for this requirement did NOT include FTE counts from previous incumbents.

Finally, based on the stated requirement, the Government expects the conforming offerors in response to this solicitation to provide its technical solution.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

How many copies of the data are made?

The majority of the data has a single copy; however, for small data efforts, two copies are made.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

How much fuel capacity is stored locally?

10,000 gallon belly tanks per generator, filled to 80%, provide 72 hours of run time at Fairmont.

WV

What is the preventative maintenance scheduled for clean agent suppression system?

Every six months at Fairmont; however, this function is not the responsibility of the successful offeror of the subject solicitation.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

Who is the contract incumbent? CSRA, LLC is the incumbent contractor. NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

What is the HPC File System?

The HPC filesystem is Panasas. The Home File Server is Hitachi.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

What power/HVAC units are maintained by NOAA/GSA, and what is to be maintained by the HPCC contractor?

The facility power HVAC for all Government-furnished facilities are NOAA/GSA responsibilities. The Contractor is responsible only for the equipment racks at Fairmont. Facilities-related tasks will only be the Contractor's responsibility if the contractor negotiates furnishing an alternate data center.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

We understand that any modifications to power/cooling contractor must provide specifications to NOAA Building/Facilities Management for sizing/resizing? Please elaborate.

The Government will revise Appendix B, Section 4.2 in the final RFP where this information will be provided to answer this question.

YES

Section C, Appendix B, Section 4.2

Appendix B, Section 4.2 is not clear and should be edited.

Fairmont, WV

Do the operations staff mentioned at GFDL and ESRL monitor the systems 24X7? If not, how does 24X7 monitoring occur?

The operations staff at GFDL monitors Gaea, GFDL, and Theia 24x7, and provides high-level 24x7 monitoring of ESRL. ESRL also houses a operations monitoring staff for full monitoring of the ESRL location; however, the ESRL operations staff is not 24x7.

WV

Is the new contract responsible for Zeus?

This function is not the responsibility of the successful offeror of the subject solicitation.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

What is the system/facilities demarcation between contractor and NOAA?

NOAA has full facilities responsibility. The successful offeror as a result of this solicitation is responsible at the rack level, as well as for inter-rack communications between RDHPCS racks, unless a requirement for alternate data center support is established and mutually agreed upon between the Contractor and the Government in the future over the life of the contract.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

Panassas capacity? The Panassas capacity is 10 PB. NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

Will Zeus be removed?

Internally, the Government is evaluating potential long-term locations for housing Zeus. However, this function is not the responsibility of the successful offeror of the subject solicitation.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

Any power/cooling/floor space concerns?

We have no immediate concerns. This function is not the responsibility of the successful offeror of the subject solicitation.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

Using any LTFS for archive?

LTFS is not being utilized for archive; however, the capability exists.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

Is the data direct disk cache…..for archive?.....for production?

The data direct disk cache is for archive. NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

Considered cloud for archive on back up?

The Government has conducted market research regarding utilizing the cloud for archive on back-up.

To date, the use of the cloud has been determined to be not in the best interest of the Government.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

Are there requirements for operating above unclassified security level?

There are no requirements for operating above the unclassified security level.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

Are all ODC procurements for hardware and software part of this HPC R&D scope?

Yes, Other Direct Costs for hardware and software are allowable.

WV

Is the physical access control (badge readers and systems) part of this scope?

The physical access control (badge readers and systems) are not part of the scope of this requirement.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

Is maintenance and sustainment of power distribution/HVAC/Electrical part of this contract for each center or is it part of the GSA facilities contractor's scope?

Other than at the rack level, this function is not the responsibility of the successful offeror of the subject solicitation on any Government-furnished facilities provided.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

Is the HPC R&D contractor responsible for providing vendor-supplied HW/SW maintenance for all systems? If so, are there specific coverage/service-level agreements required? (e.g.

same day service restoration, onsite vendor support, etc.)

The successful offeror as a result of this solicitation is responsible for HW/SW maintenance of all RDHPCS equipment. Specific coverage and service level agreement requirements are found at the task order level. The default availability requirements may be found at Section C.10.3.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

Other than NOAA, who are the other co-use customers using the resources?

This is a NOAA responsibility. Use of RDHPDCS resources is via NOAA-granted user accounts.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

What kind of tapes are in the tape drive?

Currently, Oracle T10K-C and T10K-D are the tape drive types.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

Where is the network located?

The network connecting the various RDHPCS sites together as one system is called N-Wave. The NOAA N- WAVE WAN runs between RDHPCS sites and centers, as well as more widely among NOAA facilities. The Network Operating Center is currently at Indiana University. NOAA N-WAVE is not a Contractor responsibility.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

Where are the bastions located? The bastions are located at Princeton and Boulder. NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

In the HDDC A Computer and Control Room, how high is the floor to the ceiling?

In the subject room, the measurements are from the floor to ceiling is 15 feet and from the ceiling to the decking is 12 feet.

WV

Will all the questions be answered all at one time or piece mealed?

All of the questions received prior to this meeting (Fairmont,) and at all of the remaining sites, will be published on FBO in one comprehensive correspondence with a target date of August 15, 2017.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

When is the final RFP expected to be issued?

The final and formal RFP is scheduled to be released during the middle of October.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

How many HPC users? There are 1100 HPC users. NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

How much of the hardware refresh? 100% or augmented?

The successful offeror as a result of this solicitation will provide labor and enhancements as well as hardware/software. Theia recapalization in the next year or two is anticipated. Annual appropriations is a constaint to refresh versus recapitalization.

NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

What is the PEU efficiency of the system? The PEU efficiency of the system is 1.4 (Fairmont). NO N/A N/A

Fairmont, WV

The system is largely scaled up, will there be any scaled up platforms in the future?

There are no planned scaled up platforms; however, the potential exists for the future.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

To develop a baseline to assist in developing an efficient solution, please provide the average number of contractors that is or has supported the problem from a historical perspective?

The Government has determined that the current FTE count supporting each site is proprietary proposal information to the incumbent, and cannot be shared to the public. Notwithstanding, please keep in mind that previous solicitations for this requirement did NOT include FTE counts from previous incumbents.

Finally, based on the stated requirement, the Government expects the conforming offerors in response to this solicitation to provide its technical solution.

Princeton, NJ

Does bidding on the HPCC R&D effort conflict with bidding on the WCOSS program?

There is no potential conflict of interest in providing a proposal for both the HPCC R&D and WCOSS program. Please note to adhere to all clauses within both solicitations specifically conflicts of interest and future contracting clauses.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

Does the government plan to provide a technical library with great details of the GFDL and other location HPC details pertaining to the scope of work? Government may wish to review such a library that was provided for another NOAA solicitation (CLASS). Providing such a library of information will greatly enhance the quality of proposals. Thank you.

The Government recommends reviewing the Section C appendices for additional detail regarding the various sites. Also, additional detail concerning the RDHPCS infrastructure will be provided at the task order level.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

Some HPC facility(ies) measure costs to the user in Standard Billing Units (SBU's). How does NOAA measure this cost to the end user? (cost per unit time)

Currently, NOAA allocates and charges users by core hours.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

How many personnel are at this location? How many Federal employees? How many contractors?

See response to Question #48. Based on the stated requirement, the Government expects the conforming offerors in response to this solicitation to provide its technical solution.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

Help Desk-Are statistics available that show the number/volume of calls received?

The RDHPCS Help Desk for Princeton/Theia/Jet gets an average of ~285 tickets, with a maximum of ~420 and a minimum of ~225. Note that resolving Help Desk tickets is a responsibility distributed among multiple staff and not the sole responsibility of the successful offeror of this solicitation. Under the respective task order, the Government will delineate the number of personnel to specifically support this function.

NJ

Are there currently any restrictions on vendor engagement meetings? If not, will there be, and at what time?

The Contracting Officer is available for vendor engagement meetings.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

Configuration management tools - what CM tools are being used now? Reference C.5.15

Trac is the configuration management tool being used.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

Does the 24x7 Ops Center here support monitoring of resources at the other 2 sites? Does it serve as primary role for monitoring all 3 sites.

GFDL operations monitors GFDL, Gaea and Theia, and provides some top level monitoring of ESRL.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

Do the other 2 sites have similar 24x7 Ops capabilities as here?

ESRL has its own operations staff, but it's not 24x7. NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

Will you consider providing historical info in the Final RFP related to a staffing profile? (e.g.

historical FTE or CME for each task order)

See response to Question #48. Based on the stated requirement, the Government expects the conforming offerors in response to this solicitation to provide its technical solution.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

Are the analysis and post-processing nodes multi-user or single-user logical tenant?

The analysis and post-processing nodes are multi-user.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

Are all interconnects for analysis and post-processing nodes Ethernet?

All post-processing and analysis nodes utilize Ethernet. The analysis nodes have fibre channel as well.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

Can you share the current failure rates of the current hardware; compute nodes, compute data paths, data storage, front-end user networking?

The failure rate varies significantly from one type and piece of equipment to another. Despite the failure rate(s), the Government is meeting the required SLAs.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

Are you looking for an evolution to a new type of media for long term storage?

The Government is consistently researching new technologies, including those for long term storage, and expects for the successful offeror to this solicitation to provide its expertise in this regard.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

Can you provide your technology roadmaps in an elibrary?

This level of detail is provided at the task order level. NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

Princeton Ops Center is operating 24x7. Does Princeton monitor the other locations?

GFDL operations monitors GFDL, Gaea and Theia, and provides some top level monitoring of ESRL.

NJ

Will the contractor be responsible for power and cooling? Or is it part of the Government function?

Other than at the rack level, this function is not the responsibility of the successful offeror of the subject solicitation on any Government-furnished facilities provided.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

You mentioned "NOAA" HPCC wants to move towards a more uniform hardware infrastructure e.g. running virtual machines). Can you clarify, give more detail?

A more uniform hardware infrastructure is part of a Government consolidation effort to lower cost.

Network infrastructure already uses virtual machines in blade servers. Compute and post-processing remains more diverse.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

What does the software infrastructure look like?

Across all centers….compilers, libraries, operating systems, etc.? 3rd party software, open sources, The HPC R&D program has multiple compilers: Intel, PGI, GNU -- see the software list in Appendix A.5.

Further, the Government does use third party and open source software.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

What parallel programming models need to be supported (MPI, CUDA, OpenMF, …….?)

The HPC R&D program utilizes MPI and OpenMP extensively. CUDA is used experimentally only.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

What is the PUE of this facility? (Note: In Fairmont has a PUE of 1.4 with excurtions to 1.25 for certain periods of time)

The PUE for the facility in Princeton, New Jersey is 1.68.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

How many personnel are at the different sites contractor vs. Federal presence?

See response to Question # 48. Based on the stated requirement, the Government expects the conforming offerors in response to this solicitation to provide its technical solution.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

What are the user profiles?

We have 1100 researchers at the three NOAA centers and at other locations.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

Are there any interagency partnerships?

NOAA has an interagency partnership with the Department of Energy.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

What type of help desk support?

Based on the stated requirement, the Government expects the conforming offerors in response to this solicitation to provide its technical solution. Please see the answer to question #53 for further details.

NJ

What are signficant amount contractors versus scientists?

Please see the answer to question #48. NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

Is the help desk centralized or decentralized? The help desk is decentralized. NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

Are architecture studies and assessments of the HPC equipment part of this contract?

Architecture studies and assessments of the HPC equipment are part of this requirement and the Government expects the successful offeror to this solicitation to provide its expertise in this regard.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

What are the software or tools for software version control?

The software or tools for software version control are git and svn.

NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

What are the tools for monitoring? The primary tool for monitoring is NAGIOS. NO N/A N/A

Princeton, NJ

Do you have cycles to your users? Do you have measurements of units? i.e. refresh? Fork lift?

The Government is not 100% clear of the question.

With that understanding, the following information is provided: Some of our projects do have cycles, but some are more constant. We don't have any yardsticks for this variability. We use both refresh and forklift upgrades, as appropriate. The details of this requirement will be delineated at the task order level.

NO N/A N/A

80 Boulder, CO

What is the procedure or lines of communication between users/scientists, etc. to assure HPC Cluster performance and SLA's are met? Is there a need for more flops?

The lines of communication are accomplished through the user help desk ticket system. The Government delineates the prioritization of the help desk tickets within the system. The successful offeror of this solicitation is responsible for the overall management of the help desk service.

81 Boulder, CO

Given the geographic distribution of the Federal program staff, what are NOAA's expectations and/or preferences for interfacing with contractor program management and offsite corporate resources? i.e. regular video conferencing, prefer PM staff to sit local to HPC sites, etc.

Aside from onsite technical support for managing the operations and maintenance of the system, there are no specific expectations aside from the contents in the Draft RFP. The offerors shall provide its technical solution for interfacing with the contractor program management and offsite corporate resources.

NO N/A N/A

82 Boulder, CO Power and Node communications are run overhead. Is there any issues with EMI/EMC issues? Any cross talk problems?

There are no issues with the EMI/EMC. Further, there are no cross talk problems as the power and communication wires are separated.

NO N/A N/A

83 Boulder, CO How much facility margin does this system have?

Approximately how much current cooling HPC system growth capability is available?

In the current facility configuration (without additional construction) there is ~50KW power/cooling available for expansion (Boulder).

NO N/A N/A

84 Boulder, CO What [contract] vehicle will be used?

This requirement will be awarded under FAR Part 15, "Contracting by Negotiation" which doesn't include the utilization of any existing contract vehicles.

NO N/A N/A

85 Boulder, CO What is the RFP date; award date?

The tentaive release date for the RFP is October 16, 2017 with an estimated award date of July 2018.

NO N/A N/A

86 Boulder, CO Multiple Award or single award?

The resultant award for the subject solicitation, ST- 133R-17-RP-0057, will be a single award IDIQ.

NO N/A N/A

87 Boulder, CO How much of budget will be used to acquire: HW or SW vs. IT services?

The estimated budget for hardware and software vs.

IT services is approximately 50%.

NO N/A N/A

88 Boulder, CO Can you breakdown activity by place of performance?

See Question # 48. Based on the stated requirement, the Government expects the conforming offerors in response to this solicitation to provide its technical solution.

NO N/A N/A

89 Boulder, CO In room CA405 you mentioned that there are not hard drives. Is this an in memory or scaled-up system configuration?

In the referenced room, all 5 Jet clusters are diskless nodes. Each clusters' nodes are provisioned via management servers which have disks.

90 Boulder, CO Do you maintain spares inventory for items such as replacement hardware and/or materials?

Yes, spares are in inventory for replacement of hardware and/or materials.

NO N/A N/A

91 Boulder, CO What is the contractor to Federal employee percentage ratio for this location (Boulder)?

"The Government estimates that a Contractor to Government ratio which supports the R&D HPCC Program is approximately 80/20."

NO N/A N/A

92 Boulder, CO

How does the HPCC facility defend against dust?

How often does the HPC systems are serviced for basic checks (daily, weekly, etc.?) And is that facilitated by the contractors or Federal employees?

The Government provides professional data center cleaning twice a year and after any event. Computer Room Air Conditioner's (CRAC's) have hepa filters as well as tacky mats are at the doors which limit dirt/dust entry.

NO N/A N/A

93 Boulder, CO

The computer site is monitored 9-5 Monday through Friday. If an alarm sounds, it shows up in Princeton. Does it also alert the Boulder monitoring team will phone call, text, email?

The monitoring system sends notifications via text and e-mail 24x7x365 to the Boulder team.

NO N/A N/A

94 Boulder, CO Is there a similar 24x7 text/email notification for monitoring off-hours at other sites or is this capability specific to this facility?

Boulder system is unique to Boulder. Other sites have their own monitoring systems. They are not interconnected

NO N/A N/A

95 Boulder, CO

Providing historical info such as FTE at each facility on this contract will help to provide the Government more competitive proposals and allow us to offer innovations in staffing solutions.

See Question # 48. Based on the stated requirement, the Government expects the conforming offerors in response to this solicitation to provide its technical solution.

NO N/A N/A

96 Boulder, CO

Is there consistency in tools used in operations center for monitoring across all sites, or do sites have autonomy to implement site-specific solutions?

Boulder DCIM system is unique to Boulder. Other sites have their own monitoring systems. They are not interconnected. These monitoring systems will be available to the Contractor for use in managing system and data availability during contract performance

NO N/A N/A

97 Boulder, CO Is there a fee-for-service model that charges users for resources utilization?

The Compute System priorities are set by a monthly allocation mechanism administered by NOAA and implemented by the batch system on each of the compute systems.

98 Boulder, CO

Are IT services such as HelpDesk, Account Management and Security managed centrally at the Enterprise level, or are they implemented and managed autonomously at sites?

Help Desk, User Account Management and Security are managed centrally by the RDHPCS Program, not at the NOAA or Department of Commerce (DOC) level.

NO N/A N/A

99 Boulder, CO Are you concerned about floor space and power?

There are no concerns regarding the floor space and power.

NO N/A N/A

100 Boulder, CO How much cooling margin do you have ?

There is currently ~50 KW of cooling margin (Boulder).

NO N/A N/A

101 Boulder, CO Power/COMS overhead, any issues with EMI's? There are no issues with the EMI's. NO N/A N/A

102 Boulder, CO How would we compare JET structure to Princeton? Redundacy? PUE?

The comparison, redundancy and PUE is delineated in Appendix B, "Facility Concept of Operations". Please see the appendix for this information.

NO N/A N/A

103 Boulder, CO Is all the code written in house?

The Government is not 100% clear of the question.

With that understanding, the codes that run on the systems are developed both within and external to NOAA. There are varying degrees of contributions from within the Weather/Climate community to the various codes.

NO N/A N/A

104 Boulder, CO What happens when you run out of resources?

The Government is not 100% clear of the question.

Requirements are funded based on the contract type determined appropriate at the task order level.

NO N/A N/A

105 Boulder, CO Does the Government have a common DCIM solution across all facilities?

Boulder DCIM system is unique to Boulder. Other sites have their own monitoring systems. They are not interconnected.

106 Boulder, CO Any cost re-imbursables within the NOAA community or outside of NOAA?

The Government is not 100% clear of the question.

The anticipated follow-on contract resulting from the solicitation will be a single award, Indefinite-Delivery- Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract, with the ability to issue Firm-Fixed Price (FFP), Time-and-Material (T&M), Cost-Reimbursable (CR), and Cost-Plus-Fixed- Fee (CPFF) delivery and task orders thereunder.

NO N/A N/A

107 Boulder, CO What are the IT services? Specifics?

Based on the stated requirement in Section C.5 of the Performance Work Statement, the Government expects the conforming offerors in response to this solicitation to provide its technical solution.

NO N/A N/A

108 Boulder, CO Is the draft pretty mature before the release of the final?

The Government does not anticipate major changes to the requirement from the draft RFP to the release of the final RFP. Any updates will be for purposes of adding clarity to the requirements specified. The Government anticipates revisions to Sections C, I, L, and M to that effect.

NO N/A N/A

109 Boulder, CO Will there be a revised draft solicitation if there is a pre-solicitation conference?

If the Contracting Officer makes the decision to have a pre-solicitation conference, a revised draft solicitation will be published on FBO.

Q U

ES

TI

O N

# DOCUMENT SECTION PAGE TITLE QUESTION GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

DOES

RESPONSE

REQUIRE RFP

EDITS?

(YES or NO)

SECTION OF

RFP TO

CHANGE DUE

TO Q&A

RFP SECTION

CHANGES TO

BE MADE

CHANGE

MADE?

1 N/A N/A N/A Scientific Model Input Data

Would the Government be able to provide small data sets for the GFS, GSI, WaveWatch III, and WRF models that require less than 50GB of memory to execute?

Benchmarks will only be provided for TO-1 to the successful offeror as a result of this solicitation, as copies of these benchmarks are very large (~50GB in size).

NO N/A N/A N/A

2 DRAFT_SOW C.5.1.4 16 Key Personnel

The list of key personnel ends at section C.5.1.4.3, but the function list begins at C.5.1.4.7 with a gap in the numbering. Are there additional key personnel or other requirements that are not included?

The numbering in the key personnel section will be corrected in the final Request for Proposal.

YES

Sections

C.5.1.4.3 and C.5.1.4.7

Section C YES - Made prior to Draft RFP release

3 DRAFT_SOW C.5.1.4.8 16 Organizational Structure

The header for paragraph C.5.1.4.8 appears incomplete. It lists "Operations, Administration, and". Is there a third item for this function to encompass?

It should read "System Administration, Operation and Maintenance". The entire list in C.5.1.4 will be revised in the resultant final RFP.

YES Section C.5.1.4 Section C NO - To be done by Final RFP Release

4 DRAFT_SOW C.5.4.1.4 25 NESCC Data

System and Scientific Data Availability numbers are provided for GFDL but not for NESCC. Please provide availability requirements for these systems.

The default IDIQ requirement for Scientific Data Availability is 99% and for System Availability, 97%.

These default targets will be added to Section C.5.4.3 in the final RFP. Availability targets may be modified by individual task orders.

YES Section C.5.4.3 Section C YES - Made prior to Draft RFP release

Pre-Site Visit Questions in Support of Support of Solicitation No. ST-133R-17-RP-0057 Research and Development (R&D) High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) Program

Date Issued: August 15th, 2017

5 DRAFT_SOW C.5.1.5 25 ESRL Data

System and Scientific Data Availability numbers are provided for GFDL but not for ESRL. Please provide availability requirements for these systems.

The default IDIQ requirement for Scientific Data Availability is 99% and for System Availability, 97%.

These default targets will be added to Section C.5.4.3 in the final RFP. Availability targets may be modified by individual task orders.

YES Section C.5.4.3 Section C YES - Made prior to Draft RFP release

6 DRAFT_SOW

C.4.1.1.

and C.5.13.5

5, 33 Help Desk Tickets

Please quantify the number of tickets and other metrics currently being addressed by the help desk. What is the volume and number of staff supporting help desk services? What is the time for resolved tickets? What is the mix of basic infrastructure and user assistance requests versus advanced scientific application assistance?

Monthly RDHPCS help desk ticket count averages 285, with a high of 420 and a low of 225. All systems and applications staff assist in answering help desk tickets, and the response times vary depending on the difficulty of the questions. Advanced applications questions are the responsibility of the successful offeror as a result of this solicitation only to the extent that advanced applications expertise or staff have been required by the Government via task order.

NO N/A N/A N/A

7 DRAFT_SOW C.5.4.1.2 24 COOP

Continuity of Operations:

Please provide an example of a pilot program and the amount of capacity it uses.

Also, please provide examples of specific “computing capabilities received by NOAA from external sources” beyond ORNL, for example, that would require support services from this contract.

Please explain the type and level of support services for this effort.

The Government gets time via grants on a number of HPC machines across the country, and the post-processing and archiving of data from these production runs may be done on RDHPCS program resources. The post processing and archiving by program scientists of externally generated data get the same level of support by the program as post processing and archiving of internally generated data. Section C.5.4.1.2 will be rewritten in the final RFP to read, "Of particular concern is maintaining continuity of essential services such as user trouble ticket support, configuration management and security. The Contractor is expected to work with the Government to develop transition support plans during the third and fourth quarters of CY2018, and ramp up to full support by 5/6/2019."

YES

SECTION

C.5.4.1.2

SECTION C

YES - Made prior to Draft RFP release

DRAFT_SOW and Appendix

D_GFE_AND_LEAS

ED EQUIPMENT

C.5.3.1.4 23 GFE/Inventory

Appendix D includes GFE and Leased Equipment. Does that list represent the inventory discussed in SOW C.5.3.1.4? Is there a specific inventory system that NOAA uses? Is there equipment outside of that listed in Appendix D included in the scope of this contract?

Yes, Appendix D is an example of inventory referenced in C.5.3.1.4. However, the Contractor is responsible for maintaining inventory lists for ALL Contractor-provided and non-Contractor provided equipment that serve as components to the RDHPCS over the life of this contract. This includes equipment purchased under the subject contract, Government-owned equipment previously purchased or otherwise acquired, as well as any equipment to be otherwise purchased, leased, or provided as contractor-acquired property through other contract vehicles.

The Government does not require a specific format, database, or application for this inventory list, aside from the accessibility requirements referenced in C.5.3.1.4. Separately, the entire inventory of equipment which is the responsibility of the Contractor should be in this inventory. For the contractor maintained inventory list which will be the responsibility of the successful offeror, the Government does not require a specific format, database or application. Separately, for its own internal property tracking, the Government maintains a list of all property in the program in a NOAA-managed application called Sunflower, which the Contractor is not responsible for maintaining the list within this database.

NO N/A N/A N/A

9 DRAFT_SOW C.5.10.3 31 Availability

What has been the actual versus goal of the system and scientific data availability rates of the current systems at each site over the last 48 months?

Availability targets have been met in the last 48 months.

NO N/A N/A N/A

10 Appendix_A.2- Fairmont-2017 A.2 X NESCC Facility

In the update to the SOW/RFP, will there be additional detail on the NESCC facility and architecture, similar to the information provided for ESRL in Appendix A.1?

Examples of details are:

- Facility Organization and Subsystem Overview

- Computer Room Diagrams (detailed and current)

- Logical Network Connectivity Diagrams

- High Speed Network (HSN) Layouts

We will provide some additional detail, particularly on the computer room layout. We will not necessarily provide the same level of detail for all locations.

YES

SECTION C and

APPENDICES

SECTION C and

APPENDICES

NO - To be done by Final RFP Release

11 Appendix_A.3- Princeton-2017 A.3 X GFDL Facility

In the update to the SOW/RFP, will there be additional detail on the GFDL facility and architecture, similar to the information provided for ESRL in Appendix A.1? Examples of details are:

- Facility Organization and Subsystem Overview

- Computer Room Diagrams (detailed and current)

- Logical Network Connectivity Diagrams

- High Speed Network (HSN) Layouts

The final RFP will include additional detail, particularly on the computer room layout. The same level of detail for all locations may not be consistent.

YES

SECTION C and

APPENDICES

SECTION C and

APPENDICES

NO - To be done by Final RFP Release

12 Appendix_A.4- CollegePark-2017 A.4 X College Park

Facility

In the update to the SOW/RFP, will there be additional detail on the College Park facility and architecture, similar to the information provided for ESRL in Appendix A.1?

Examples of details are:

- Facility Organization and Subsystem Overview

- Computer Room Diagrams (detailed and current)

- Logical Network Connectivity Diagrams

- High Speed Network (HSN) Layouts

College Park is not a primary RDHPCS equipment location. It mostly houses a small amount of network infrastructure. No additional detail will be provided for College Park.

NO N/A N/A N/A

Appendix_B_- _NOAA_Facilities_ CONOPS_Vers02_ 05172017_Update

1.2 4 GFDL Overview

This GFDL description appears to be outdated. Will an updated GFDL Overview be provided in the revised

SOW/RFP?

The GFDL description and diagrams in Appendix B will be revised and updated.

YES

SECTION C,

APPENDIX B

SECTION C,

APPENDIX B

NO - To be done by Final RFP Release

Appendix_B_- _NOAA_Facilities_ CONOPS_Vers02_ 05172017_Update

1.3 5 NESCC

Overview

HDDC-A at NESCC is stated to currently house the former supercomputer (Zeus). Is Zeus still physically located at NESCC?

Are there plans for it to remain through transition to a new system integrator?

Will the integrator have any responsibility for this system if it remains? If so, what are those requirements?

The successful offeror as a result of this solicitation will not have any responsibilities involving the former supercomputer, Zeus.

NO N/A N/A N/A

Appendix_B_- _NOAA_Facilities_ CONOPS_Vers02_ 05172017_Update

2.7.3 15 GFDL Computer Room

The provided drawing of the GFDL computer room appears to be outdated as it displays Sun/StorageTek Powderhorn silos, but the Draft SOW description in Section C.4.4 states that “Both the GFDL and NESCC subsystems employ Sun/StorageTek SL8500 silos.” Please provide updated information in the revised SOW/RFP.

The GFDL description and diagrams in Appendix B will be revised and updated with the release of the final RFP.

YES

SECTION C,

APPENDIX B

SECTION C,

APPENDIX B

NO - To be done by Final RFP Release

Appendix_B_- _NOAA_Facilities_ CONOPS_Vers02_ 05172017_Update

3.1.3 18 GFDL Computer Room

The provided drawing of the GFDL computer room is dated August 2009. Please provide updated information in the revised SOW/RFP.

The GFDL description and diagrams in Appendix B will be revised and updated.

YES

SECTION C,

APPENDIX B

SECTION C,

APPENDIX B

NO - To be done by Final RFP Release

Appendix_B_- _NOAA_Facilities_ CONOPS_Vers02_ 05172017_Update

4.3 24 GFDL Electrical Utility Usage

Section 4.3 appears to be outdated. Will this section be updated to reflect the current state of projecting electrical utility usage at GFDL in the revised

SOW/RFP?

The GFDL description and diagrams in Appendix B will be revised and updated.

YES

SECTION C,

APPENDIX B

SECTION C,

APPENDIX B

NO - To be done by Final RFP Release