RFP_Q+A_171011_FINAL_Published.pdf

Question Number

Page Number

Section Paragraph Question / Comment 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?

FedBizOp ps Synopsis 3 In what capacity may a DOE (FFRDC) respond to the final solicitation?

In accordance with FAR 35.017-1( c) (4), an FFRDC is prohibited from competing with any non-FFRDC concern in response to a Federal agency request for proposal for other than the operation of an FFRDC. Accordingly, a FFRDC may not respond in any capacity to the final solicitation.

NO N/A N/A N/A

2 Section C

Some of the "Contractor shall" requirements in the PWS may get lost in the informational verbiage describing NOAA's approach, mission, etc. Please consider separating informational verbiage in a background/introduction to clearly delineate requirements.

Section C has been revised to more clearly isolate background information from requirements.

Notwithstanding, the Government advises that some of the integral background information was left in tact for context.

No N/A N/A N/A

3 Section C There are instances of "Government shall" statements (e.g., Section C.5.2.1 - IT Security Services) that may need to be reviewed. Should these be "Contractor shall" statements?

Section C.5.2.1 has been revised for clarity.

Notwithstanding, the statements are correct as written.

The Government provides the Program Security Lead, and the overall security policy and direction. The Contractor provides a Security Engineer to work with the Government security team and to ensure delivery of other Contractor security responsibilities, as outlined in C.5.3.

No N/A N/A N/A

4 Section C

Will NOAA consider a separate Transition section be provided to include additional details on the one-year transition that clearly delineates outgoing and incoming contractor responsibilities, and identifies the expectations for each phase of the transition during the "observation period?" (See metrics in Section C. 5.4.1.2)

Additional details will be provided in a transition task order to be issued after contract award.

No N/A N/A N/A

5 Section C Please consider further clarification of the roles for the HPCC R&D contractor and the facilities contractor (HVAC, power, etc.) in the PWS since site visits indicated that these are two separate contracts.

The facilities/power/HVAC responsibilities for all government-furnished facilities are NOAA or GSA responsibilities. The Contractor is responsible only at the rack level, as well as for inter-rack communications between RDHPCS racks, unless a requirement for alternate data center is established and mutually agreed upon between the Contractor and the Government in the future, during the life of the contract.

No N/A N/A N/A

6 Section C Consider reviewing the metrics in Performance Requirements Summary with references to metrics throughout Section C for consistency. (Ref. C.7.7)

Due to the vagueness of the question, the Government is having difficulty responding. However, we have reviewed the availability levels in Section C (including Section C.7.7) to ensure consistent references are made throughout the document.

No N/A N/A N/A

7 Section C The ORNL facility in Oakridge, TN is discussed in Section C.4.3.1 as possibly being transitioned to the HPCC contract in the future. Will the final RFP require the transition of the facility to be addressed?

No. If done at all, this requirement would be further defined at the task order level.

No N/A N/A N/A

8 Section C

Section C.4.3.4 states "Contractor shall retain the capability to provide an alternative facility and data center support to house HPC resources." Would NOAA consider providing additional information related to the requirement?

This requirement is intended to address potential circumstances where additional data center support is required to house new compute increments, or if HPC capability were to be provided as a turnkey solution. "If done at all, this would be done by a future task order, and only by mutual agreement between the Contractor and the Government.

No N/A N/A N/A

9 Section C Does the one-year transition "observation period" need to be addressed in the technical/management approach and/or pricing for the Sample Task Order? (Ref. C.5.4.2.2 - Continuity of Operations)

The Sample Task Order does not cover specific transition tasking, as this will be issued via subsequent task order.

However, the Sample Task Order does include 6 months of PMO support, which will be in place to support the management of any subsequent orders issued thereafter, including the eventual transition task order.

No N/A N/A N/A

Attachment 8 R&D HPCC Request for Proposal ST-133R-17-RP-0057 (DRAFT RFP)

Industry Questions and Answers Template

10 Section C

Please provide clarification or further explanation regarding the statement that the Government will seek "reducted invoice payments" for vacancies open longer than 90 days. (Section C.5.1.4.5)

The Government will award the resultant task orders based on the proposed staffing level determined to be in the best interest of the Government. If during the period of performance, a FTE position becomes vacant, the Government will seek consideration for that vacancy if it exceeds 90 days.

NO N/A N/A N/A

11 Section C

Section C.5.2.3.2 references all solutions proposed must conform to the NOAA Enterprise Architecture controlled document that is only available through the CO or COR. Will this controlled document be made available for proposal preparations?

References to the Enterprise Archtecture have been removed from the document.

No N/A N/A N/A

12 Section C Is the ISSO a Government position? The ISSO is a Government-provided position. No N/A N/A N/A

13 Section C Section C.5.13 references help desk services required 24x7x365, but industry days indicated only one of the three sites support 24x7x365.

Please consider clarification on this requirement.

C.5.13 has been updated to remove references to telephone support or personnel support 24x7x365.

YES SECTION C C.5.13 YES

14 Section L In Section RFP L-5(b)(2)(i)(C), what is meant by "related corporate documentation" in the technical volume?

Section L-5(b)(2)(i)(C) has been deleted in its entirety. NO N/A N/A N/A

15 Section L Would NOAA consider allowing the following portions of RFP L- 5(b)(2)(ii) as outside the 100 page limit: (A) Table of Contents; (B) List of Tables and Figures, and (C) Summary of Technical Proposal

The Government has considered this request. Accordingly, the (A) Table of Contents is excluded from the 100 page limitation. The (B) List of Tables and Figures has been removed from the solicitation. The (C) Summary of Technical Proposal shall be included in the page limitation.

YES Section L.12.3

Section L YES

16 Section L For item L-5(b)(2)(ii)(C) - Summary of Technical Proposal; is this requesting the same information as what will be provided via Volume 1, Section 1 - Executive Summary?

No. The Summary of Technical Proposal summarizes the contents in the technical proposal. The Executive Summary is for the Business Proposal Section.

NO N/A N/A N/A

17 What is the practical effect of the RFP being released in October?

There is no practical effect of the RFP being released in October.

NO N/A N/A N/A

On average, what is the length of time NOAA needs to review RFP's and make a down-select?

Given that each procurement differs based on size and complexity, the Government prefers not to provide an average estimate. Notwithstanding, the estimated award date for the subject requirement is no later than July 2018.

NO N/A N/A N/A

When the article says 99 percent of scientific data and 97 percent of system availability, are those NOAA performance goals or is that benchmarked against industry standards?

These are NOAA availability goals/requirements based on the Government's experience in what is needed to accomplish its mission.

NO N/A N/A N/A

20 Why is the cloud not ideal for archiving back-up material?

The Government has performed several assessments on potential use of the cloud, and thus far, it has not been found to be sufficient in meeting our HPC requirements.

Should this change in the future, the Government would reconsider.

NO N/A N/A N/A

I know we had previously discussed the $550 million. I just want to confirm that the contract may be considerably less than this amount, and that this would be the maximum if all conditions were satisfied.

Correct?

Correct. The $553 million ceiling is to ensure all possible upgrades over a ten year period are captured so there is a single complete solution with minimal changes to the integration team supporting the effort.

NO N/A N/A N/A

22 NA B.3/L.2 B.3/L.2

Contract Type: The Draft RFP identifies potential task order contract types as FFP, T&M, Cost Reimbursable and Cost Plus Fixed Fee. Based on the contractor's role in fulfilling contract requirements and our understanding that the government expects most cost risks associated with the offerors' proposed solutions to be borne by the contractor, we assume that the resulting contract will be virtually all FFP. Can the government confirm that this is what is envisioned for the contract?

The award will be a single award IDIQ. The resultant task orders will be either FFP, T&M, Cost-Reimbursable and Cost Plus Fixed Fee or hybrid which will be determined at the time of task order award. To date, the majority of the task orders have been FFP.

NO N/A N/A N/A

23 NA L.12 L.12

This section states offerors' proposals shall be valid for a period of 365 days. Given the need to include vendor quotes in our proposal, the industry practice by vendors to provide quotes with 30-day validity period, and the current volatility of prices by vendors supporting high-performance computing environments, we request that the government require that proposal prices be valid for no more than 90 days.

The estimated receipt of proposals is December 2017 with an estimated award date of July 2018. The validity of proposals shall remain at 365 days. The Government is aware of the uncertainty of pricing in the high performance computing environment; however, the Government also requires proposed pricing to remain valid throughout the source selection process.

YES L.12 L YES

24 NA

C.5.1.1/C.5.1

C.5.1.1/C.

5.12

Requirements: Identifies the duties of the Project Manager and Contract Manager however the duties of the Engineering/Architecture Lead or System Architect are missing. Please provide.

Section C.5 has been revised to include duties for the Lead System Architect.

Yes C.5.1.1, C.5.1.2, C.5.2.1

C YES

25 NA

C.5.15.3/L.5 Eval Factor

2/M.2.2./Att achment 2

Labor Category

Descriptions

C.5.15.3/L .5 Eval Factor

2/M.2.2./ Attachme nt 2 Labor Category Descriptio ns

C.5.1.5.3 Identifies two of the Key Personnel positions as Engineering/Architecture Lead and Project Manager L.5 Eval Factor 2 identifies a System Architect and Project Manager Attachment 2 Labor Cat Descriptions also references a Program Manager and Systems Architect Are these the same positions?

Sections C, L, M, and RFP Attch. 2 have been revised to consistently reference the subject key personnel as Program Manager and Lead System Architect. Of note, the Program Manager is key personnel. The Program Manager is key personnel. The Project Manager is one of the labor categories listed in Attachment 2 Labor Category Descriptions as a potential requirement in a subsequent Task Order.

YES

SECTION C

SECTION L

SECTION M

ATTCH 2

C, L, M and Attachment

YES

26 118

L-5(2) Volume II- Technical Proposal

Paragraph (C)

RFP Section L-5 states: "The technical proposal must be typed, double-spaced, with one inch margins, using elite font, 12 pitch type (or equivalent) and printed, unreduced in size, on 8 1⁄2 ″ by 11″ paper, not exceeding 100 pages, single-sided, exclusive of resumes and related corporate experience documentation."

However, RFP Section L.12.2 Format Instructions (page 126) states:

"Pages shall be single-spaced and each paragraph shall be separated by at least a 6 point spacing. The Offeror will use a standard, Times New Roman 12-point minimum font."

Please confirm the formatting requirements for the Technical Proposal in Section L.12.2 supercede the requirements in Section L-5.

Section L-5(b)(2)(i)(C) has been deleted in its entirety. The following language in Section L.12.3 has been added, "Any pages in excess of 100 will be disregarded, and will not be included in the proposal evaluation. Failure of the Offeror to comply with the page limitations, resulting in the excess pages not being evaluated, shall not constitute grounds for a protest.".

YES L-5 and L-12 L YES

27 C 3.2

This paragraph states that three subsystems comprise NOAA's R&D HPCS, but lists five subsystems. Please clarify what support to the NOAA system at ORNL (C.3.2.1) and to Other Federal Agencies (C.3.2.5) are included within the scope of this contract.

Section C.3 and C.4 have both been revised to clarify this area. The NOAA system at ORNL is currently supported via Interagency Agreement with DOE. This support is also within scope of the subject contract, may be transferred via Task Order issuance, though not anticipated at this time. For other agencies, this section was for informational purposes only, to advise that NOAA partners with other agencies to further its mission. The scope of HPC support under the subject contract is specific to NOAA-derived requirements.

YES C.5.3 and C.5.4

C YES

28 C 4.1.5,5.9.9

,5.9.10

There appears to be some wording missing at the front of this paragraph. Note that this language is identical to language at 5.9.10, which follows from 5.9.9.

C.4.1.5 is no longer in the document. The language in C.5.7.1.9 and C.5.7.1.10 has been corrected.

YES C.5.7.1.9 and C.5.7.1.10

C YES

29 C 4.1.6,5.9.1

In C.4.1.6, NOAA requires the offeror to provide technology roadmaps. However, the specific requirements in this section are limited to storage architecture. We believe that the technology roadmaps should address all technology (storage, compute, interconnect, etc.), and is not intended to be limited to storage. Can NOAA confirm this is the case?

NOAA confirms that technology roadmaps applies to all technology. The Government looks to the Contractor to assist in tracking technology trends and roadmaps for all aspects of HPC. Concerning this question, C.5.9 addresses storage management; therefore, the references to technology roadmaps in that section are specific to storage. C.4.1.6 has been removed.

Yes C.5.9.11 C YES

30 C Fig 5.1.1

This figure is not called out or referred to anywhere in the text. Please clarify the purpose of this figure.

This figure is generally in the form of a PRS, however there is a PRS provided in C.7.7. Please clarify the relationship of Figure C.5.1.1 to the PRS at C.7.7.

Section C has been updated to make reference to the subject figure to explain that this figure is a requirement in managing the contract. The figure has also been edited to reduce resemblance to the PRS now in Section C.8.

Yes C.8 C YES

31 C 5.1.3.2.1.1 d Please define “dependability” as used in this list of metrics. Dependability will be changed to reliability and availability. Yes C.5.1.4.2.1.1.

d

C YES

32 C 5.1.6.3 This paragraph requires the PMP to "document support requirements…" Suggest that this be changed to state "Contractor shall provide a PMP within 30 days."

After consideration, the Government's requirement shall remain within 30 days of contract award.

NO N/A N/A NO

33 C 5.2.1 This provision requires that the Contractor provide a Security Lead.

We suggest that this role be added to the list in C.5.1.5.2.

Section C.5.1.5.2 has been updated to address staffing for security requirements for this effort.

Yes C.5.1.5.2. Section C YES

34 C 5.2.1 This provision requires that the Contractor provide a Security Lead. In the next sentence, it refers to a security engineer. Please clarify whether the reference to security engineer should be Security Lead.

The Security Engineer is a labor category to be provided by the Contractor. Section C has been revised to change Security Lead to Security Engineer wherever it appears.

YES C.5.2.1 C YES

35 C 5.2.3

This paragraph requires that solutions proposed conform with NOAA's Enterprise Architecture. Since this provision flows down to the Sample Task, please provide the most recent in force version of NOAA's Enterprise Architecture to allow offerors to comply with this requirement in their solution to the Sample Task.

All references to the NOAA Enterprise Architecture have been eliminated from the RFP.

YES Solicitation Solicitation YES

36 C 5.4.1.2

This paragraph requires the contractor to support additional computational capabilities received by NOAA from external sources.

Please clarify what support will be required for such additional computational capabilities.

This simply refers to support for the data flow into the archive and post-processing resources to turn the model data into products for scientific research.

No N/A N/A N/A

37 C 5.8 This paragraph refers to the descriptive information in Appendix A but states no requirements. Please clarify the requirements intended for this paragraph.

This language has been removed from the solicitation. Yes C.5.8 C YES

38 C

5.10.3.3 Please provide definitions of “total performance,” “available performance,” “consumed performance,” and “lost performance.”

Appendix H, "Glossary" to the Performance Work Statement has been revised to include the definitions of "Total Performance", "Available Performance" and "Consumed Performance". "Total performance" is the number of core hours in the month, and is the product of the number of compute cores supplied multiplied by the number of hours in the month. "Available performance" is then the number of core hours in the month associated with cores that could actually performance user work.

"Consumed performance" is the amount of "Available performance" used at a certain point in time and "lost performance" is the number of core hours associated with compute cores not available for User applications for whatever reason.

YES Section C - Appendix H

Section C - Appendix H

YES

39 C 5.13 This provision refers to telephone support as required in C.5.13.5 but C..5.13.5 does not address telephone support. Please clarify the telephone support requirements.

The telephone support requirement in C.5.13 has been removed. If such a requirement emerges after contract award, it will be further defined and negotiated at the Task Order level.

YES C.5.13 C YES

40 C 5.16.5.5 Also, please clarify whether Contractor owned equipment may be connected to the NOAA R&D HPC systems.

Yes, as specified in C.5.16.5.5, with prior approval from the Government.

NO N/A N/A N/A

41 C 6.3.4.2 through 6.3.4.7

It appears that 6.3.4.2 and 6.3.4.3 should be a single sentence; also

6.3.4.4 and 6.3.4.5 as well as 6.3.4.6 and 6.3.4.7

Sections 6.3.4.2 have been revised for clarity. YES C.6.3.4.2 C YES

42 C 7.7

The PRS states a scalability performance standard for improved system performance proportional to the capacity added, based on benchmarks. This is not definitive enough to serve as a performance standard. For example, what is the measure of “system performance”? Please clarify the interpretation of this standard.

Where benchmark performance was required for acceptance, it shall not be degraded by software or firmware upgrades or hardware fixes.

NO N/A N/A N/A

43 C 7.7 The PRS AQL for scalability is "“System scales 100% of the time when upgrades are provided.” What is the definition of scaling with respect to the AQL?

Same general response as Q# 42. System performance as measured by the benchmarks must never be reduced as a result of a software or hardware upgrade.

NO N/A N/A N/A

44 Atch 4 1.1, 1.2.1, 3.2.1

SOO 1.1 states that this SOO is applicable to upgrade of the HPCS at the NESCC. SOO 1.2.1 states a requirement for Project and Program Management services for the R&D HPCS IAW the PWS of the IDIQ contract. SOO 3.2.1 states that “The Contractor shall establish and maintain the overall project and program management of the R&D HPCS contract.” Please clarify the scope of work in this SOO is related only to the NESCC upgrade address in the sample task and does not include program management for the overall R&D HPCC contract.

The PMO support requirement in the Sample Task Order is intended to cover all Project Management Organization (PMO) activities needed in the first six months after contract award. That includes the PMO support needed for the Sample Task Order, but it also includes all other PMO labor and any other PMO costs the bidder will incur during the first six months and which will later be invoiced to the Government. It would include, for example, project management activities needed to respond to the transition task order and any other task orders which might be issued in the initial six month period, and other project management responsibilities as outlined in the solicitation.

This contrasts to the labor support requirements in the Sample Task Order which are targeted for implementation of the Sample Task Order, e.g., administrators needed to install and configure the equipment to be delivered under the Sample Task Order. That labor requirement is for the Sample Task Order only, and does not include any legacy equipment suppport, or site support not directly required for implementation of the Sample Task Order.

NO N/A N/A N/A

45 Atch 4 1.1, 1.2.1, 3.2.1

Please confirm whether the offeror is to include staffing in the Sample Task response and pricing to provide project and program management across all sites and systems addressed by the R&D HPCS contract.

The PMO support requirement in the Sample Task Order is intended to cover all Project Management Organization (PMO) activities needed in the first six months after contract award. That includes the PMO support needed for the Sample Task Order, but it also includes all other PMO labor and any other PMO costs the bidder will incur during the first six months and which will later be invoiced to the Government. It would include, for example, project management activities needed to respond to the transition task order and any other task orders which might be issued in the initial six month period, and other project management responsibilities as outlined in the solicitation.

This contrasts to the labor support requirements in the Sample Task Order which are targeted for implementation of the Sample Task Order, e.g., administrators needed to install and configure the equipment to be delivered under the Sample Task Order. That labor requirement is for the Sample Task Order only, and does not include any legacy equipment suppport, or site support not directly required for implementation of the Sample Task Order.

NO N/A N/A N/A

46 Atch 4 1.2.5

This paragraph requires a Configuration and Change Management Plan that complies with the Requirements Statement for the NOAA R&D HPCS. Please clarify what the Requirements Statement is referred to here. We could not locate any such Statement.

This language has been removed from the solicitation, and is no longer a requirement. As a note, NOAA does have a Change Managment Plan in place which the contractor must adhere to in making changes to the system.

YES

Attachment

4, Section 1.2.5

Attachment YES

47 Atch 4 3.3.2.1

This paragraph requires that an Acceptance Test Plan be delivered with the offeror's proposal. Section L does not state a requirement for an Acceptance Test Plan to be included with the proposal. Please confirm that ATP can be provided as an Appendix outside of page count.

The Acceptance Test Plan is included in the page count.

Section L has been updated accordingly.

Yes Section L.12.3

Section L YES

48 Atch 4 3.3.16

This paragraph requires substantial system documentation to be delivered with the proposed PWS. Please clarify whether the Government intends for all of this documentation to be delivered with the offeror’s proposal.

Yes, this information is required as part of the Contractor's proposal. However, Section 3.3.16 has been revised to remove some of the documentation requirements.

Yes Attch 4 3.3.16 YES

49 Atch 4 3.3.16 This paragraph requires substantial system documentation to be delivered with the proposed PWS. Please confirm that this information can be provided outside of page count.

Please see Section L for updated page limitation counts. Yes Section L.12.3

Section L YES

50 L L.5 (b) (1)

(ii) (A) (1)

This paragraph states “The Proposal Form (Standard Form 33), is to be executed with signature fully.” There appear to be some words missing. Please clarify.

Section L-5(b)(1)(ii)(A)(1), the sentence has been revised to read, "The Proposal Form (Standard Form 33), is to be executed with the signature of an authorized company offical and used as the cover sheet (or first page) of Volume I."

YES L.5 (b) (1) (ii)

(A) (1)

L YES

51 L L.5 (b) (2)

(i) (C), L.12.2

The first cited paragraph states a font requirement of "elite font, 12 pitch type (or equivalent)" while the second requires Times New Roman 12. Please clarify. We recommend Times New Roman and suggest 11 point.

Section L-5(b)(2)(i)(C) has been deleted in its entirety. YES L.5(b)(2)(i)(C) L YES

52 L L.5 (b) (2) (iii), Eval Factor 1

This paragraph requires the offeror to describe facilities and equipment which will be used in performing the contract. Please clarify whether this refers to facilities and equipment other than Government provided facilities and equipment.

Yes, this refers to facilities and equipment other than Government-provided facilities and equipment. Please note that proposing alternate facilities to house the existing R&D HPC infrastructure, while in scope of this requirement, is not part of the requested proposal for the base IDIQ.

NO N/A N/A N/A

53 L L.5 (b) (2) (iii), Eval Factor 3

This paragraph states that “The technical narrative shall also include a proposed Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) with performance measurement criteria for monitoring performance on the effort." Since the government provides an extensive QASP is Section C.7 of the SOW, we suggest that the Technical Solution only include additions needed to accommodate the Sample Task, including any recommended additions to the PRS.

The QASP/PRS in Section C.7 provides general performance requirements which apply to all task orders. The referenced QASP requirement in the Sample Task Order refers to the offeror proposing additional QASP elements which are specific to the tasking in the Sample Task Order.

Thus, the approach suggested is in fact in line with the Government's intent for the aforementioend sections.

NO N/A N/A N/A

54 L L.5 (b) (2) (iii), Eval Factor 3

Can the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) be provided outside of page count?

No. However, please note that the Contractor is only providing the QASP for the Sample TO.

NO N/A N/A N/A

55 L L.5 (b) (2)

(ii) (E)

Items (1) and (2) under this section appear to be out of place. Please clarify whether item (1) should be under (C) Summary of Technical Proposal and item (2) under (D) Technical Proposal.

This section has been renumbered. YES L.5(b)(2)(iii) L YES

56 L 12.2

This paragraph specifies submission in .pdf format but then refers to .doc files. Please clarify the allowed file formats for non-spreadsheet files.

Section L.12.2 has been changed from ".doc" to ".docx" and ".xlsx."

YES L.12.2 L YES

&27 C.5.2.5.3 and

C.5.3.1

C.5.2.5.3 and

C.5.3.1.

The numbering scheme of requirements goes from C.5.2.5.3 to C.5.3.1. No C.5.3 is displayed. Is this a numbering/documentation error?

Section C.5 has been revised clear up numbering inconsistencies such as this one.

YES SECTION C C YES

Pages 117 and 126

Past Performance:

(2) VOLUME

II-TECHNICAL

PROPOSAL

Instructions page 117 and L.12.3 Page

L.5. b. (2) L.12.3

In the description of Volume II - Technical Proposal (page: 119) it notes Past Performance as being placed in Vol II Factor 4 - Past Performance. On page 126, L.12.3 Past Performance is noted as Volume III. Would the government please clarify into which Volume the Past Performances should reside?

L-5 has been changed to make the past performance response Volume III and the price proposal as Volume IV.

YES L-5(b) L YES

59 L

L-5 (b) (2)

(ii) (C) (D), and (E); L-

12.3

"Referenced sections of L-5 include ""(C) Summary of Technical Proposal"", ""(D) Technical Proposal,"" and ""(E) Exceptions and Deviations"" within Volume II. L-12.3 lists 100 pages for Volume II, listing ""Technical Approach, Management Approach, and Technical Solution.""

Please clarify that the entire 100 pages stated in L-12.3 is allocated for Volume II, (D) Technical Proposal, comprising Technical Approach, Management Approach, and Technical Solution.

Section L-12.3 has been revised. Accordingly, the (A) Table of Contents is excluded from the 100 page limitation. The

(B) List of Tables and Figures has been removed from the solicitation. The (C) Summary of Technical Proposal shall be included in the page limitation.

YES L-12.3 L YES

60 L

L-5 (b) (2)

(ii) (C) (D), and (E); L-

12.3

Referenced sections of L-5 include "(C) Summary of Technical Proposal", "(D) Technical Proposal," and "(E) Exceptions and Deviations" within Volume II. L-12.3 lists 100 pages for Volume II, listing "Technical Approach, Management Approach, and Technical Solution."

Please clarify whether there is a page limit for Volume II, (C) Summary of Technical Proposal.

Section L-12.3 has been revised. Accordingly, the (A) Table of Contents is excluded from the 100 page limitation. The

(B) List of Tables and Figures has been removed from the solicitation. The (C) Summary of Technical Proposal shall be included in the page limitation.

YES L-12.3 L YES

Attachment

3.1.3.9.2

This paragraph states that system performance will be measured by the SpecFP rate based on the Spec2006 version of the SpecFP benchmark. We note that the CPU2006 version of the benchmark is being retired in favor of the CPU2017 version. After September 19, 2017, all submissions have to include the CPU2017 and after December 26, 2017, no CPU2006 submissions will be accepted and shortly all support to COU2006 will be terminated by the SPEC organization.

Since the new system will be installed in 2018, will NOAA change the requirement to CPU2017 from CPU2006?

Attachment 4 has been revised to make it very clear that all SpecFP numbers are to be based on SpecFP2017, not

YES

Atch 4:

3.1.3.9.2 also benchmark instructions for BM1 various YES

Atch 4; Part 1 and 2 questions and answers

Atch 4 para

3.1.3.2, 3.1.3.9 and Appendix B; Q and A question 1

While Appendix B states that the application benchmarks will be provided after selection and the Q&A stated that the benchmarks would only be provided to the successful offeror as part of TO-1 due to the large size of the file, we believe that it is necessary to have these benchmarks at this time in order to prepare a compliant and optimal system in response to the RFP and to reduce risk related to the cited requirements of the SOO for a system that will execute all benchmark codes and that is optimized for the benchmarks. The application benchmarks will also serve to ensure no delay in the 50 day acceptance test by verifying that there are no issues with running full scale applications on the new CPUs on the market (such as AMD, ARM, Skylake, etc.).

For these reasons, we request that NOAA provide the 3 applications benchmarks and instructions for running them.

The Government has considered this request, but has decided to stay with the benchmarks currently provided in the RFP for proposal preparation and evaluation. The benchmarks provided are used for Sample Task Order evaluation purposes only; however, acceptance testing on the actual delivered system shall use additional codes and metrics as appropriate.

No N/A N/A N/A

We request access to the five R&D HPCC benchmarks per Appendix B of Attachment 4 of the DRFP (ST-133R-17-RP-0057).

It is necessary for us to have the benchmarks at this time in order to prepare a compliant and optimal response to this upcoming procurement. There will not be adequate time during the response period to the anticipated RFP to work with vendors to prepare their responses to us, including providing benchmark results fully in accord with the benchmark rules.

Benchmarks (1-3) and instructions can be retrieved by emailing benchmarks.ocio@noaa.gov with the subject “Benchmark Request”. A tar file containing the benchmarks and instructions will be emailed back to the requestor and anyone CCed on the email. Results should be in a compressed tar file following the same directory structure and returned to the above email with the subject “Benchmark Results”. Please do not return executables and objects in the tar file. Benchmarks 4 and 5 may be accessed as described in Sections 3.1.9.3 and 3.1.10.5.

Yes

Appendix B of

Attachment

Appendix B of

Attachment

YES

L-5(b)(2)(iii) L.12.3

L-5 shows Evaluation Factor 4 - Past Performance as part of Volume II Technical Approach.

L.12.3 shows Past Performance as Volume III.

Please clarify.

Section L has been revised to address the numbering and labeling discrepancies with regards to the proposal volumes.

YES L-5(b) L YES

65 65 L-5(b)(3) L.112.3

"L-5 shows Volume III as Price/Cost Proposal.

L.12.3 shows Volume IV as Price Proposal.

Please Clarify."

Section L has been revised to address the numbering and labeling discrepancies with regards to the proposal volumes.

YES L-5(b) L YES

66 125 L-5(b)(2)(i)(C)

L-12.2

L-5 (b) (2) (i) (C) states that the technical proposal must be double-spaced. L-12.2 states that the pages in the contractor submission must be single-spaced. Please clarify.

All references to double-spaced have been removed from the proposal instructions, Section L.

YES L-5(b)(2)(i)(C) L YES

67 29 C.5.4.1.2.2

Attachment 4 - 3.1.3.5

C.5.4.1.2.2 states that "System availability of 97% and scientific data availability of 99% shall be met or exceeded". Attachment 4, Sample Task Order Statement of Objectives 3.1.3.5 states that "New equipment and software enhancements for the CS shall be designed to meet an availability/reliability goal of a minimum of 96.0% for the projected production life of the CS, which is a minimum four (4) years". Please clarify the availability requirement for the Compute System at NESCC.

Availability requirements are clarified in the final solicitation. They are covered in C.5.10.3, Availability. The defaults are 99% for scientific data availability and 97% for system availability. However, as it says in the final C.5.10.3, if a task order specifies an availability target, it supersedes the defaults. Therefore the system availability requirement for the Sample Task Order is 96%, as stated in the Sample Task Order Statement of Objectives.

YES SECTION C

C.5.10.3 YES

68 3 Attachment 4 - 3.1.3.4

If the TDS were to be delivered to NESCC early to facilitate the early access requirement, is there a "not to deliver before" timeframe (to the NESCC site, not remote access), similar to what was specified for the larger compute system in Section 3.1.3.3?

No, there is not a "date not to deliver before". One (1) TDS rack can be accommodated, using one 480V and/or one 208V source, at any time. However, more than one (1) rack would require the Contractor to follow the procedures for facility modifications, to verify availability. As part of this procedure, rack requirements would need to be provided by the Contractor.

Yes Attachment

4, Section 1.2.5

Attachment

YES

69 7 Attachment

4 - 3.1.3.24.1.2

Do current COTS software license maintenance costs need to be included in the pricing for this Sample Task? If yes, please provide the specific software list and license count needed for maintenance over this six month period of performance.

Yes, the RFP has been revised to include additional software lists and license counts.

YES Attch 4 Attch 4 YES

70 10 Attachment 4 - 3.1.6.1

Is there a minimum memory per core guidance to be followed for the Big Memory Nodes?

The big memory nodes should have at least 256GB per node. There is no per core guidence for the big memory nodes.

YES Attch 4 Attch 4 YES

71 10 Attachment 4 - 3.1.6.4

1 Please provide the maximum bidirectional bandwidth of the WAN.

Currently, 40Gb per second, but this is expected to be updated in the medium term.

NO N/A N/A N/A

72 11 Attachment 4 - 3.1.8.2

Please clarify which components must be included in the TDS for full environmental testing besides the CS and HPFS - so that the TDS can be as representative as desired. Are test components required to be included to represent the Big Memory nodes, Data Transfer Nodes, and Batch Queuing System?

In accordance with Section 3.1.8.2, Big Memory nodes are not required. However, the transfer nodes, login nodes, Batch Quering system nodes, and high performance file system are required.

YES Attch 4 Attachment

YES

73 11 Attachment 4 - 3.1.8.2.3

Please clarify if the minimum sizing requirements for the test HPFS attached to the TDS must follow the guidelines for the full-scope HPFS for per SpecFP performance/capacity (specifically each of 3.1.10.5.1, 3.1.10.5.3, 3.1.10.5.4, 3.1.10.5.5, 3.1.10.6). If not, please clarify if there are minimums to be followed for this test instance.

The minimum size would be large enough to replicate all the essential functions of the HPCS, and at least 50TB.

Yes Attch 4 Attch 4 YES

74 15 Attachment

4 - 3.1.11

In order to cover expected BRS backup tape growth for the STO period of performance, is the offeror required to purchase tape of this kind up front or will tapes be purchased under a separate task orders as needs arise?

Tapes will be purchased under a separate task order as the need arises.

NO N/A N/A N/A

75 16 Attachment 4 - 3.1.11.13

Is there an SLA to restore a back up file in a certain amount of time, with or without operator assistance?

Due to the restoration time variability associated with the various components for the back up file system, the Government shall provide provide requirements on a case-by-case basis, to be further defined at the Task Order level, or via technical direciton from the CORs.

No N/A N/A N/A

76 12

Appendix B - 2.6

Appendix B - 3.2.4

Section 2.6 of Appendix B, Facility Concept of Operations, states that the Maximum HPC System Power for HDDC-A is 1144 kVA. Section 3.2 states that the power usage in that room is 660kVA and 1144 kVA.

The current power usage is now higher than what is stated to be available, leaving no available power for the incoming resources to utilize. Please clarify.

Available power is the difference between the current usage and capacity. For clarity, a specific row for available power and cooling has been added.

Yes Appendix B Appendix B YES

77 12

Appendix B - 2.6

Appendix B - 3.2.4

Please provide the individual power usage and chilled water usage or heat loads of equipment that may be decommissioned as part of the sample task order.

The option for partial decommissioning of the current system has been removed from the Sample Task Order.

Yes Appendix B Appendix B YES

78 12

Appendix B - 2.6

Appendix B - 3.2.4

Section 2.6 of Appendix B, Facility Concept of Operations, states that the Maximum HPC Chilled Water Capacity for HDDC-A is 322 tons.

Section 3.2 states that the chilled water usage in that room is 175 tons and 305 tons. The current chilled water usage is now higher than what is stated to be available, leaving no available chilled water for the incoming resources to utilize. Please clarify.

The data in section 3.2 is referring to the power and cooling for the RDHPCS at NESCC. Available power and cooling is the difference between capacity and usage, and it has now been explicitly stated in its own row for clarity.

Yes Appendix B Appendix B YES

79 22 Appendix B -

3.2 All

Please clarify what the empty "Period" column in the site Resource Usage tables should be understood to mean.

The "Period" column in the table has been updated to reference Usage for clarity.

Yes Appendix B Appendix B YES

80 12 Attachment 4 - 3.1.9.3.2

Please clarify the number of NFS volumes in use today on the Home File System.

10 NFS volumes are in use today. No N/A N/A N/A

81 125 Section L

L.12.2 Format

Instructio ns

Directions indicate "the electronic submission for each volume as separate electronic files shall contain one copy of the proposal in ".pdf" on CD-ROM". The next sentence indicates that "Security permissions on the "xls" and "doc" files shall be set to...". Is the customer requesting both pdf files and native file formats be delivered on the CD-ROM?

The proposal instructions in Section L.12.2 have been revised to clarify the formatting requirements.

YES L.12.2 L YES

82 121 Section L L.5.2

Proposal Schedule

Directions are "Proposals are due in electronic and CD ROM format…".

Please clearly define the requirements for "electronic format" and "CD ROM format".

Section L.5.2, "Proposal Schedule" has been revised accordingly.

YES L.5.2 L YES

83 118 Section L

L-5 (b)(2)

(i) (C)

Proposal Preparatio n

Printing instructions in the cited paragraph appear to apply only to Volume II. Please indicate the number of copies required. Please indicate if there is a requirement to provide hard copies of any other volumes.

The paragraph L-5(b)(2)(i)(C) has been deleted in its entirety. Section L has been updated to require proposal submission to be both via e-mail, as well as via DVD-ROM to be mailed to the Contracting Officer.

YES L-5(b)(2)(i)(C) L YES

84 1 Appendix A.5 N/A Please provide additional detail on which specific Moab products and Add-ons are used and licensed within the R&D HPCC infrastructure.

Torque is being used as the Resource Manager. Moab is being used as the local and in somce cases, Grid Scheduler.

Moab Accounting Manager is being used as the core hour allocation manager. Allocation usage is being provided through a vendor supported script. Although all products are supported under a vendor contract, only Moab requires a license.

No N/A N/A N/A

Question for Draft NOAA

RDHPCS SOW

C.5.1.1

Are the Performance Objectives and Performance Expectations, in Figure C.5.1.1, best practices or SLA’s? Some performance objectives, like “Responsive Staffing” look like SLAs

Figure C.5.1.1 is a list of what some best practices are, but in the context of the PWS, these practices are requirements for the offeror. This section has been revised for clarity.

YES C.5.1.1 Section C YES

Question for Draft NOAA

RDHPCS SOW

5.1.2.2.1.1 . d

Please clarify what the Govt means by dependability? Does the Govt mean reliability and % availability?

Yes, dependability refers to reliability and availability. All references in Section C have been updated thusly.

Yes C.5.1.3.2.1.1.

d

C N/A

Question for Draft NOAA

RDHPCS SOW

C.5.2.4.4 / C.5.2.4.5

Please confirm whether the Govt means A&A (Assessment & Authorization) or C&A (Certification and Authorization)?

The correct term is A&A. The instance of C&A in C.5.4.1.3 is corrected.

Yes C.5.4.1.3 Section C YES

Question for Draft NOAA

RDHPCS SOW

C.5.2.5.3

Section shows the ORNL system as being connected to N-Wave via the Internet/External Partners network. Does that imply that GFDL users access the ORNL system via the Internet?

Yes. No N/A N/A N/A

Question for Draft NOAA

RDHPCS SOW

C.5.9.9

Section mentions “silent error” as a problem in long running environmental simulations. Can you provide more information on silent error and the acceptable levels of silent error?

Silent error is undetected error. The text cites a maximum allowable amount.

No N/A N/A N/A

NOAA

Princeton Site Visit

How many simultaneous users are supported at GFDL today with no service degradation? What is the performance level of the analysis cluster at GFDL today?

The post-processing nodes have 8 or 16 cores and filesystems supporting 2GB throughput or better. Because the emphasis is on I/O, we run with maximum job counts per node of 3 or 6. The analysis nodes have 8-16 cores per node and filesystems supporting 3GB/sec throughput or better. The analysis nodes do not have limits on the number of interactive sessions, but the number is usually small (under 10).

No N/A N/A N/A

NOAA Site

Visits Can the Govt make available trouble tickets for the last 6 months and the associated resolution enable a better understanding of the systems operation?

At this time, the Government cannot give bidders access to our trouble ticket system, or provide help desk tickets outside of that system.

No N/A N/A N/A

NOAA Site

Visits

What are the specific technical issues, or category of issues in meeting performance requirements today?

The most important constraint is resources. In specific cases, applications may also hit I/O throughput limits and scaling limits.

No N/A N/A N/A

Question for Draft NOAA

RDHPCS SOW

Section M

Is there a reason why the Labor Rate Table is fixed for the 10-year contract term? Can the Labor Rate Table be expanded to have separate rates for each year?

The Contractor is allowed to propose escalation for the proposed labor categories at the IDIQ level. Regarding Attachment 5, the labor rate tables for Program Management and Site Support are specific to the 6-month period of performance at the task order level (sample task order). Sections L, M, and Attachment 5 have been updated to reflect this response.

YES

Section L- 10(b)(4)

Section M.4(b)

Attachment

Section L Section M

Att. 5

YES

NOAA Site

Visits What is the approximate, anticipated mix of FP, CP, etc. for the program task orders?

The award will be a single award IDIQ. The resultant task orders will be either FFP, T&M, Cost-Reimbursable and Cost Plus Fixed Fee or hybrid which will be determined at the time of task order award. To date, the majority of the task orders have been FFP.

NO N/A N/A N/A

95 Att 4

Does the Government have the budget required to acquire new solutions proposed by the awarded contractor that will result in significant improvements to the HPC infrastructure, assuming those acquisitions can be backed up by the appropriate documentation?

Does that budget exist immediately upon award or will the Government have to request appropriations to accommodate said purchases?

The Budget is driven by Congress from which the requirements are driven.

NO N/A N/A N/A

Att 4:

3.1.10.8.1

All NESCC HPFS file systems must connect to each compute system's

HSI at 1.5x the aggregate bandwidt h of all file systems.

As an example if there are 10 filesystems each with 10 GBytes/s for a total of 100 GBytes/s then this implies each filesystem needs to have 150 GBytes/s of link bandwidth to each of the 10 GBytes/s filesystem.

Is this the intent of the requirement?

Yes. No N/A N/A N/A

Appendix B _- _Facilities_C

ONOPS_2017

The NESCC Facility Conops is unclear and inconsistent about how much power is available and used by other HPC equipment. It impacts the power requirement for the Compute and HPFS. In Draft RFP - Appendix B - Facility CONOPS_2017 Section 2.6 -Maximum Power and Cooling Limitation HDDC-A : Power: 1144 kVA Cooling:

322 Tons (Chilled Water) Section 3.2 - Current and Projected Resource Usage from Other HPC Equipment 3.2.4 NESCC HDDC-A Computer Room Resource Usage Power: 660 kVA and 1144 kVA Cooling: 175 Tons and 305 Tons If you add the current power usage (660+1144) it is more than the maximum usage (1144) allowed.

Please clarify maximum, current and available power and cooling.

The relevant tables and text have been updated to improve clarity. Available power is the difference between the capacity and the usage. For clarity we have added a row explicitly showing available power and cooling.

Yes Appendix B Appendix B YES

98 6 C.4

C.4.3.3 Would the additonal facilities be located in proximity to the locations listed in C.4.3.1?

This decision is unknown at this point. In the event of additional facilities, the requirement will be driven by a task order.

No N/A N/A N/A

99 32 C.5 C.5.9

Does/will NOAA leveraging Software Defined Storage solution, i.e.

ceph, to lower the total cost of ownership for the data storage requirements?

The Government leaves it up to the offeror to provide the best value based upon its expertise.

No N/A N/A N/A

100 43 C.6 C6.3.2.1 Does/will NOAA have a preference or requirement for a OS platform based on Linux as the standard for running the agencies HPCC environments?

There are no prefererences for the OS; however, the Government requires consistency across its systems. An OS platform change would require substantial recoding of a large existing code base, which offerors should be aware of in developing proposed solutions.

No N/A N/A N/A

101 3 B.3 Does NOAA directly award 8(a) Women Owned Small Business entities portions of the contract? Does a 8(a) Women Owned Small Business work as a subcontractor working through the primary contractor?

This procurement will be competed under FAR Part 15, Contracting by Negotiation, under a Full and Open competition, to issue a single award IDIQ. Thus, NOAA does not plan to subdivide portions of this requirement.

Subcontractor selection and small business participation plans will be a prime contractor responsibility to propose and adhere to throughout contract performance.

No N/A N/A N/A

102 12 C.4.3.3

In addition, during the life of the contract, the Government may offer additional facilities to house HPC resources.'Question:Over the years what other facilities locations did the government house additional HPC resources?

The facilities currently available have been mentioned in the solicitation. The government wants to make a potential contractor aware of the fact that the government needs to be able to respond to potential new or replacement facilities.

No N/A N/A N/A

103 13 C.4.5.

Can the government provide an itemized timeline for transition activities outside of the first task order?

The transition timeline, and other transition requirements, will be the subject of the transition task order.

No N/A N/A N/A

104 19 C.5.1.5.1.

Does NOAA anticipate including a certification requirement such as CMMI? If yes, which one(s)?

No, NOAA does not anticipate a certification requirement such as CMMI.

No N/A N/A N/A

105 28 C.5.4.1.2.

(now 5.5.1.2)

Does the government anticipate implementing any specific or pre-identified pilot programs?

No. This language will be removed from the solicitation. Yes Section C.5.4.1.2

Section C Yes

106 36 C.5.13. 1 Please define the help-desk areas of responsibility according to each site location (understanding that the help desk is currently de-centralized)

Tickets are submitted to…