SB Questions Answers.xls
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- TIPSS-4 Small Business (SB) RFP Federal contract opportunity
- Solicitation number
- TIRNO-09-R-00013
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| TIPSS-4 SB Questions & Answers TIRNO-09-R-00013 | ||||
| # | RFP Reference | Question | Response | |
| 1 | Section B.2 (Page B-3) | CLIN Numbers | See Amendment 0001 to Solicitation TIRNO-09-R-00013. | |
| Please provide clarification on the numbering scheme | ||||
| We understand the last 4 digits of the CLIN represent the functional area | ||||
| xxxx- 1001 MBOSS | ||||
| xxxx- 1002 Cyber Security | ||||
| For example: CLIN for MBOSS specified is 0101-1001 and the CLIN for Cybersecurity specified is 0002-1002. What is the interpretation for the four digits in the CLIN (0101 versus 0002). There seems to be an inconsistency in the numbering convention. | ||||
| How do we relate the base and option years to the CLIN? How do we relate the labor categories to the CLIN? | ||||
| 2 | Section B.2.1, Pg B-5 | Should we assume the contractor will propose labor rates and the number of hours for their corporate level personnel solution to be assigned to TIPSS-4 ITS and include those labor categories, rates and hours within Cost and Price Proposal? | Yes. | |
| 3 | Section B.2, ** note, Page B-4 | The double asterisk note (**) states in the fifth line that the fixed fee proposed "may be negotiated up or down during task order performance depending upon the complexity of the requirement." This indicates that the fixed fee may change after the task order is awarded. Should it be revised to state: "may be negotiated up or down prior to final issuance of the task order depending upon the complexity of the requirement."? | See Amendment 0001 to Solicitation TIRNO-09-R-00013. | |
| 4 | Section B.1, Pg B-2 | The RFP states that “(a) Multiple awards will be considered for a full range of information processing support services for all organizations within the Department of the Treasury and its bureaus, to include the IRS, and other federal agencies.” – How many awardees does the government anticipate for each small business type (i.e., SDVOB, HUBZone, other?) | The Government will award at least one award to SDVOSB and HubZone. | |
| 5 | Section B.2.1, J.5, Pg B-4, J-29 to 33 | Hours breakouts do not include hours for Corporate Level Management described in C.7 (such as a Program Manager, Business Manager, Quality Manager, etc.). Page B-4 lists corporate level personnel as a breakout but there is no corresponding breakout in the pricing template or in the hours table in J. Under TIPSS-3 we were directed to bill the Corporate Management (PMO) directly. DCAA has told us that the FAR requires us to directly bill the Corporate Level Management. Are these to be bid on top of hours presented? Should the Offeror provide its own labor categories for the Corporate Level Management? | See Response to Question 2. | |
| 6 | SECTION B.2.1 | How does the Government intend to use the tables starting at B.2.1 after Contract Award? The RFP speaks to CPFF and FFP Task Orders while the tables starting at B.2.1 appear to make this a Time and Materials contract. | Response: The Government will populate the tables starting at B.2.1 after completion of negotiation with each awardee. Moreover, the Government reserves the right to negotiate T&M task orders. | |
| 7 | Sec B2.1, Pg B-5 | Are we to use the labor categories at Sec C.9 for key personnel? | It is not required, but it is allowable | |
| 8 | Sec B.1, Pg B-2 | Does the base period begin in 2009 as indicated in B.1(c) or after TIPSS-3 expires in Oct. 2010, as indicated in Sec C.1, pg C-2? For pricing purposes, what start date shall we utilize? | April 1, 2010. See Amendment 1. | |
| 9 | Section B.3 (b), Pg B-25 | This subparagraph states that the TIPSS-4 SB contract ceiling value is estimated to be $2 Billion. We assume that since Cybersecurity and MBOSS are two separate IDIQ contract vehicles that each possess a $2 billion ceiling value. Is this assumption correct? If not, is the Government prepared to estimate how much of this $2 Billion is for MBOSS and how much is for Cybersecurity work? | No, the $2 billion ceiling is the overall ceiling for the TIPSS-4 SB contract. The ceiling is set at the contract level not for each task area. | |
| 10 | Section B-2, paragraph 2, pg B-4 | Can the offeror submit their approved GSA rates as the basis for formulating their pricing strategy and, therefore, not need to submit a breakdown of their fully burdened rate? | No, follow the instructions in Section L. | |
| 11 | Section B.1, page B-2 | The Base Year POP is TBD 2009. What is the anticipated award date for this solicitation? | Response: The anticipated award date is the 3rd quarter of GFY 2010. | |
| 12 | Section B.2.1, page B-5 and Attachment J.1.1 | The table will be completed at time of award using cost data submitted in the offeror’s Volume III. The table includes Key Personnel hours and rates which are not included in Attachment J.1.1, Sample Pricing Schedules. | Offerors shall propose hours for the Key Personnel in accordance with their corporate solution. | |
| a) Please verify that the offeror is not to price key personnel in Attachment J.1.1 since no hours have been allocated. | ||||
| b) If the answer to a) above is correct, where is the offeror supposed to price the fully loaded hourly rates for key personnel (that are to be completed at time of award) in the Labor Category Rate Table on page B-5? | ||||
| 13 | Sec B.1(b), pg B-2; | |||
| Sec B.2.1, pg B-4 | The pricing schedule requires two (2) pricing templates be completed - one a T&M with buildup to loaded rates and a CPFF schedule which lays out the buildup from direct labor to total cost plus Fixed Fee (Fee to be negotiated at Task Order level). Where is the total cost going to be determined and value judged - via the T&M schedule or the CPFF schedule? | The total evaluated cost is summarized in Section B.2. | ||
| 14 | Section B.2.1; Attachment J.1.1 | In the draft RFP, each of the positions were assigned a unique CLIN identifier. In the RFP Section B.2.1 these CLINs have been removed, however in the sample forms provided in Attachment J.1.1 CLIN lines are present in all of the staffing forms. Since the assigned CLINS were removed from the RFP, can it be assumed that these columns are no longer necessary in the Government summary forms? | Section J.1.1 is just an illustration. Use the labor categories and hours specified in Section J.5. | |
| 15 | Section B.1 General, Pg B-2 | Award is contemplated to be an IDIQ, cost reimbursement and fixed price basis. |
| Are Subcontractors required to provide sealed packages and proprietary information to the Government? | Offerors may include the subcontractors proposals as a separate section in the Prime proposal. However, most subcontractors object to the release of proprietary data to the Prime and will only release detailed information to the Government. | |||
| 16 | Section B.2.1., Pg B-4 | |||
| Section J.4 Labor Categories and Hours, Pg. J-11 through J-20 | How are the number of hours by labor categories and by years supposed to be proposed by Govt site and contractor site? Should the offeror bid the total number of hours for Govt site and then also bid the total number of hours by contractor site for a grand total of 20,931,246 for Years 1 - 10? | The Government plans to evaluate both contractor site and Government site indirect rates (which is why the Government requested pricing of both per Section J.1.1). However, since Government site rates are normally reduced, offerors are instructed to include contractor site rates in Section B.2 to show the maximum cost the Government could incur. | ||
| 17 | Section C.7; Pg C-7 | For an IDIQ contract such as TIPSS 4 SB Key Personnel usually include positions such as Project Manager, as well as positions reporting to the Program Manager. However, The Section Heading ("Corporate Level Management" ) as well as language such as "...corporate level personnel solution to be assigned to TIPSS-4 ..." could be interpreted as positions in the corporate management structure higher than the TIPSS 4 Project Manager (i.e., indirect corporate management positions). Please clarify if the intent of this section is to propose key personnel such as a Project Manager, that directly lead and manage the TIPSS 4 SB contract, and who have the authority to negotiate and make binding decisions for the company or corporate management (usually in indirect positions). | For the corporate level positions the Government is looking for the offeror's solution for management at the contract level, these are the positions that are higher than the task order level project management position(s). | |
| 18 | C.9 Task Order Labor Category Descriptions (Page C-8) | (a) Following Labor Categories are missing: | a. noted b. yes, the Sr. Database Analyst/Programmer position will perform the same function as a data base administrator. C. Each labor category position pricing will be based on the requirements in the solicitation. | |
| Sr Data Architect | ||||
| Sr Systems Architect | ||||
| Sr Software Developer | ||||
| Sr. Enterprise Architect | ||||
| Enterprise Architect | ||||
| Sr. Systems Analyst | ||||
| Sr. Database Administrator (DBA) | ||||
| Database Administrator (DBA) | ||||
| Sr. Network Engineer | ||||
| Sr. Systems Software Engineer | ||||
| Sr. EVM Specialist | ||||
| (b) Is the Sr Database Analyst/Programmer same as DBA? | ||||
| (c ) There are no education and level of years of experience for any labor category; Can IRS please provide this guidance | ||||
| 19 | Section C.8, Pg C-8 | Resumes shall be submitted for all task order key personnel that identify the education and experience required… The final determination for contractor personnel selections will be made by the task order level Contracting Officer, based on the required experience qualifications demonstrated in their resume. Does the government intend to have the task order level Contracting Officer make final determination for contractor personnel selections only for key personnel or for all personnel working on the task order? | The CO will have the authority to make a determination regarding any employee on a task order. However, the CO typically will only address the key personnel. | |
| 20 | Section C.8, Page C-8 | The second sentence of this Section states: Labor categories are not limited to any one functional area and represent the minimum requirements. (bold added) Most of the labor categories include a wide list of requirements for which it would be difficult to find individuals who meet EVERY one of them. Would the Government consider removing "minimum" from the sentence and replacing it with "general"? It would then read: "Labor categories are not limited to any one functional area and represent the general requirements." | No. | |
| 21 | Section C.7, Pg C-8 | States “These proposed solutions shall have the authority to negotiate and make binding decisions for the company.” Assume in this context “solutions” refers to the desire to have the contractor identify which individuals are authorized to negotiate on behalf of the company. Please clarify. | Yes, that is correct. | |
| 22 | Section C.6.1, Pg C-6 | What tools are in place to support the current MBOSS mission (tools for managing, tracking and reporting and transitioning large-scale systems, and maintaining configuration management controls? | For example, the Enterprise Life Cycle (ELC) is the primary methodology and standard approach that the IRS employs in implementing business change and information systems projects. | |
| 23 | Section C.6.2, Pg C-6 | What tools are in place to support the current CyberSecurity mission (tools for managing, tracking, reporting, transitioning large-scale security systems, maintaining configuration management controls) | Current Cybersecurity tools include, but are not limited to, server backup and audit trail processing, vulnerability scanning, inventory management (servers, workstations, routers, switches, etc.), user recertification, and incident reporting/resolution. | |
| 24 | Section C.9, Pg. N/A | There is no labor category for support to the Project Manager. Will the IRS add a Project Management Support labor category for task-level administration for duties such as WBS, reporting, tracking of hours and dollars, E300, etc? | No | |
| 25 | Sections C.9.1.4, C.9.1.7 Pg C-9, C-10 | The Senior IT Specialist and Senior IT Technician descriptions are the same. What is the difference between the 2 labor categories? | Corrected. See Amendment 1 | |
| 26 | Sections C.9.1.5, C.1.5.6, C.9.1.8, C.9.1.9 Pg C-9 to 11 | The IT Specialist, Junior IT Specialist, IT Technician, and Junior IT Technician descriptions are the same. What is the difference between the labor categories? | Corrected. See Amendment 1 | |
| 27 | Section C.9.1.14, C.1.9.35, Pg C-12, C-19 | The System Architect description states the SA gets information from the "information engineer(s)". The description of Information Engineer is specific to security. The SA deals with many areas including security and should not be restricted to security only. Will IRS broaden the SA description to get information from all IT and Business personnel? | See Amendment 1 | |
| 28 | Section C.1.9.35, Pg C-19 | This description is specific to security only, but an Information Engineer deals with all aspects of the Software Development Life Cycle. Will IRS broaden the description to include the full life cycle? | See response # 27 | |
| 29 | SECTION C.6.2 | Given the duplication in the ITS and SB SOWs, how will the Government determine whether a particular task will be released under ITS or SB post award? | The Government reserves the right to determine which vehicle to use during any procurement. | |
| 30 | SECTION C.6.2 | After comparing the SB (Cybersecurity) draft and final SOWs, we realized that several IT services were added to the Cybersecurity scope. Are these IT services that have been added to the CS scope related to other IT systems or are they related specifically to security? | They are more focused toward security. | |
| 31 | SECTION C.6.2 | Will the applications development scope area include experience in utilizing enterprise life cycle and development of ELC deliverables facilitating the Transition Management process and developing Transition Management Plans? If not, is this work not included in the Cybersecurity RFP or is it contained in another scope area? | Yes | |
| 32 | SECTION C.6.2 | The Government has included ITIL as a potential task area under the scope of the Cyber Security RFP Section C—Statement of Work. Will the government please elaborate on the scope of work that may be included under the ITIL category? | The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) defines the organizational structure and skill requirements of an Information Technology organization and a set of standard operational management procedures and practices to allow the organization to manage an IT operation and associated infrastructure. The operational procedures and practices are supplier independent and apply to all aspects within the IT infrastructure. | |
| 33 | Sec C.8, Pg C-8; C-20-22 | What education and experience level does the Government desire to differentiate between Senior IT Specialist, IT Specialist, and Junior IT Specialist? If any labor category other than Security Engineer requires a degree, will the Government specify the degree and level (e.g., BS, MS)? Will the Government specify educational and experience levels for all labor categories to common expectations and equivalence of labor category pricing? | See amendment 1 | |
| 34 | Section C.3, Pg C-3 | Under C.3 Scope of Contract, the TIPSS-4 SB awardees will be eligible for support services to Department of Treasury Bureaus and other Federal Agencies. Can the Contracting Office provide TIPSS-4 SB estimated percentages of work for the IRS, Dept of Treasury Bureaus and other Federal Agencies? | A majority of the work to be performed by TIPSS-4 SB will be for the IRS. The exact percentages are not currently available. | |
| 35 | C.6.2 | The work item bullets in Cyber Security task (page C-7) include software development related work. The labor categories also have multiple software development related categories. Is software development expected as part of the Cyber Security task? | Information Technology is constantly developing; although there is no development work currently being performed in Cybersecurity, there is expectations that development work will be performed within the Cybersecurity organization. | |
| 36 | Section C.5; Page C-5 | Is there a facility clearance requirement? | Yes | |
| 37 | Section C.6.1, Page C-6 | The bulleted list under the MBOSS Principal Task Area includes an item listed as "Case Studies". Since this can be interpreted in a number of ways, is additional clarification available regarding what is being requested? Narrowing the scope of this request will allow bidders to provide a more beneficial response to the Government. | Typically case studies have a tax compliance implication in that IRS personnel will study case (e.g., examinations of off-shore bank accounts used to hide assets/income) trends and proposed solutions for perceived tax compliance problems. However, cases can exist in other non-compliance environments along with studies of those cases (e.g., court cases) for future resolution. | |
| 38 | Section C.6.2, Page C-7 | The bulleted list under the CyberSecurity Principal Task Area lists "Security Certification and Accreditation" and later "Certification and Accreditation." Is this a redundancy in the list? If not, can the Government provide any clarification or differences regarding the requested C&A support in these two areas? | Corrected. See Amendment 1 | |
| 39 | Section C.6.2, Page C-7 | The bulleted list under the CyberSecurity Principal Task Area lists "Application Development" and later "Software Development." When undefined, both terms can carry a very similar meaning. Is this a redundancy in the list? If not, can the Government provide any clarification regarding the requested development support in these two areas? | See response to question #35 | |
| 40 | Sec B.2.1, pgs B-4 to B-24; |
Sec C.9, pg C-8 to C-20;
Sec J.4, pgs J-11 to J-20 Section B labor categories for MBOSS and CS appear to be identical. We propose that the following labor categories be included under MBOSS:
Task/Project Manager Information Technology Subject Matter Expert Business Subject Matter Expert Senior Business Process Reengineering Specialist Business Process Reengineering Specialist Junior Business Process Reengineering Specialist Senior IT Specialist IT Specialist JR IT Specialist Sr Database Analyst/Programmer Database Analyst/Programmer Software Developer/Programmer Systems Software Engineer Systems Architect Web Designer Privacy Analyst Systems Analyst Senior IT Training Specialist IT Training Specialist Junior IT Training Specialist Data Architect Information Engineer Network Engineer
| EVM Specialist | These positions are reflected in the RFP. | |||
| 41 | Sec C.9, pgs C-8 to C-23 | In order to ensure price realism, we would like to propose that IRS ask Offerors to provide education, skill sets, certifications, and years of experience for each labor category bid. | See response #33. | |
| 42 | Sec C.8, pg C-8; | |||
| Sec G.9, pg G-16 | Are there any other key personnel requirements for this RFP (aside from what is listed in section C.8 page C-8 - task order PM considered key personnel; section G.9 page G-16 - Key Personnel - Corporate Personnel; section M page M-8)? The draft RFP had three (3) key positions related to the Program Manager, Business Manager, and Quality Assurance Manager. | The offeror will propose corporate level key personnel based on their technical solution. | ||
| 43 | Ref Section C.6.1 MBOSS Principle Task Areas. | Q. The program management function has been eliminated as a separate category within MBOSS SOW. |
a. Is the intent of IRS to include the program mgmt portion in every area of the SOW?
| b. If not, how would IRS like to see Program Management addressed? | See Amendment 1 | |||
| 44 | Section C.1, Page C-2 | With the TIPSS-3 contract due to expire on October 28, 2010, what is the expected award date and start date of TIPSS-4? | See Response #11 and Amendment 1. | |
| 45 | Section F.3, Pg F-2 | "No orders may extend more than 5 years after the expiration of the Basic Contract. Order options, if included at the initial issuance of the order, may be exercised after the expiration date of the Basic Contract." Can you please clarify this statement as it is difficult to understand? | See Amendment 1. | |
| 46 | F.12, pg F-9 and H.2, Pg. H-3 | Both sections referenced discuss small business size recertification. However, there are more events/milestones that trigger recertification in Section F-12 than in H-2. Which set of conditions is the complete set of conditions that trigger small business size recertification? | See Amendment 1. | |
| 47 | Section F.6 (a), Pg F-4 | There is a an error in the identification of the relevant Section J Attachment. The reference should be to Section J.8 rather than Section J.9 | Corrected. See Amendment 1 | |
| 48 | Section F.3 | Please define "Basic Contract". | See Amendment 1. See response to #45 | |
| 49 | Section F.8.1, Pg F-7; and Figure J.8.3, Pg J-39 | As offerors bidding in the MBOSS area are not required to have an EVMS, is Section I, Earned Value Information, required for the TIPSS-4 TO Status Report? | Yes. | |
| 50 | Section G.4.1, H.31, Pg G-3, H-35 | Is the $3.5 million per year of the task or for the life of the task? | The 3.5 million standard applies to the life of the task order. | |
| 51 | Section G.6, Pg G-9 | Does IRS really want the Contractor to provide time sheets for all work done under each voucher? A task with 25 people, working 4 weeks in the accounting period, means the Contractor would submit the voucher and 100 time sheets. The email with the voucher and supporting documentation will then be too large to be transmitted through the IRS Security Firewall, forcing the Contractor to provide the documents in hard copy. We are concerned that having COTRs review time sheets could violate the personal services rules. Or is IRS just stating that IRS can ask for this documentation as needed? | The task order Contracting Officer and COTR will determine the level of detailed that is required to perform receipt and acceptance. The contract specifies the level that may be required based on the specific task order. | |
| 52 | Section G.9, Pg G-16 | Does this section get completed and submitted as part of Volume I? | Please see Section L.8.1 Instructions for Proposal Submission. | |
| 53 | Section G.6.2 (h), Pg G-13 | This Section states that on FFP task orders that the contractor may bill for fixed fee only up to 85 percent of total fee. Our assumption is that the remaining 15 percent of the fee is collectable upon satisfactory task order completion. Is this assumption correct? | Section G.6.2 does not apply to FFP task orders. | |
| 54 | Sections G.4.1, page G-3 and H.31, page H-35 | All task orders valued at $3.5 million or less under the Cybersecurity Principle Task Area will be set-aside for HUBZone and SDVOSB. Please include the MBOSS Principle Task Area in this statement as well. What was the reason for the omission? | The requirement remains as written. | |
| 55 | Section G.2, Pg G-12 | The reporting description seems to indicate Cost Plus Fixed Fee reporting elements versus the Fixed Price which is the Title of the Section. Should the title of the section be Cost Plus Fixed Fee? | The complete title for Section G.6.2 is Standard Form (SF) 1035 Requirements For Other Than Fixed Price task Orders. | |
| 56 | H.4 EVM Compliance (Page H-9) | Companies not having EVMS certification, can the company submit an EVMS plan with the proposal response? Will this be considered compliant with the RFP requirements? | Section L.11.5 indicate that offerors may submit either (a),(b),(c),(d) or (e), which includes an EVMS comprehensive plan. | |
| 57 | Section H.4(a) | Per Section H.4(a), the hyperlinks that link to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Earned Value Management Guide (September 30, 2008) at address: https://hqapps.treas.gov/CPICResourceCenter/Earned%20Value%20Management/Treasury%20EVM%20Policy%20FINAL%2009302008.pdf, are not functional and result in a "Page Load Error", or possibly represent an internal link behind a US Treasury firewall that is publicly inaccessible. An understanding of this document is necessary to be compliant with the specific processes and practices, mandated by the US Treasury of the IRS that expand upon the ANSI-748 Standard. Is important know the content of this document. Can you please provide a public facing location where this document can be accessed, or directly provide it as an Amended RFP attachment? | The Department of Treasury Guide for EVMS will be an attachment under Section J. See Amendment 1. | |
| 58 | Section H.4 and Section L, Binder 2D | Section H.4 specifies "The MBOSS area is exempt from EVMS compliance", however there is no guidance in Section L regarding Binder 2D Earned Value Management System that states that EVMS compliance is only meant for the CyberSecurity area and is not a requirement of MBOSS as there is for the CMMI requirement. Therefore, one could reasonably expect that Earned Value Management is still a part of an MBOSS only proposal submission based on the Section L proposal instructions. This conflict is compounded by FAR and US Treasury policy that specifies "all Major IT Investments" require EVM and that there really isn't EVM relevance to CyberSecurity that isn't relevant to MBOSS. Can you clarify whether or not EVMS is required by MBOSS as part of the proposal response? | See Amendment 1. | |
| 59 | H.31, Pg H-35 | Some of the requirement areas making up the Cybersecurity Principal Task Area are also included in the TIPSS 4 ITS RFP, Section C.6. Thus, it is assumed that some Cybersecurity TORFPs will only be issued through the ITS contract, while others will only be issue through the SB contract. Section H-35 of the TIPSS 4 SB RFP indicates that cybersecurity task order requirements estimated at $3.5 Million and below will be set aside for HUBZONE and SDVOSB under the CYBERSECURITY task area. What are the customers expectations for Cybersecurity TORFPs to be issued on the SB contract, that are larger than the $3.5Million to be set aside for HUBZONE and SDVOSB Small Business prime contractors, yet not meeting the conditions to be issued on the ITS contract? | Under the TIPSS-4 SB, the customers expect any SB selected under Cybersecurity (CS) to perform CS requirements, especially any that exceeds $3.5M. The goal of the Government is to ensure that all customer needs are met. | |
| 60 | H.1 Rolling Admissions (Page H-16) | Does IRS have plan for a scheduled rolling admissions for the Small Business Set Aside? | No. See the last sentence of Section H.13. | |
| 61 | H.5 Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) (Page H-11) | (a) If a JV is submitting the Cyber Security Proposal Response and one of the partners has CMMI Level 2 Certification and the other partner ISO 9000, does the JV entity qualify to bid on Task Orders? | ||
| (b) What type of CMMI documentation needs to be provided if a company is already certified as CMMI Level 2 | (a) The offer should come from the company that will be performing the work if awarded the contract. (b) refer to Section L.11.4.2 for the documentation to be included in the offer. | |||
| 62 | Section H.29, Pg H.34 & Section L.12 TAB C, Pg L-20 | Section H.30 Indirect Cost Ceiling Rates states, The Government seeks to incorporate indirect cost ceilings… Therefore, all offerors are encouraged to propose indirect cost rate ceilings. Accordingly, all proposed indirect cost rate ceilings will be contractually binding. Section L.14 TAB C states, … Whether its indirect costs have been recently approved... The offeror shall also clearly identify indirect rate ceilings and state the ceiling rate proposed (for cost reimbursement orders). Section H.30 appears to be voluntary in nature while Section L.14 appears to be prescriptive in nature. Will the government clarify whether they are directing contractors to establish indirect cost rate ceilings and state the ceiling rate proposed (for cost reimbursement orders)? | Indirect rate ceilings are not mandatory. The intent of Section L.14 is to provide clear instructions to those offeror that plan to use ceilings. | |
| 63 | Section H.5, Pg H-11 | Are offerors proposing under the M/BOSS Task Area required to be CMMI-SW or CMMI-DEV Level 2 certified at time of proposal submission? | No. | |
| 64 | Section H.2, Pg H-3 | We assume that IRS will continue to exercise options on existing tasks if the Offeror becomes "other than small", correct? | The TIPSS-4 Office will exercise the options on existing task orders if it is determined to be in the best interest of the Government. | |
| 65 | Section H.3.1, Pg H-4 | Section H.3.1 states that this section is applied at the task level. We assume the Contractor does not need to complete the tables in Section J.7 until after contract award, correct? | Yes. | |
| 66 | Sec H.15, Pg H-17 | Is the contractor required to have a approved purchasing system? | No. | |
| 67 | Section H.2, Pg H-3 | There is an error in the identification of the reference Section F Small Business Recertification Report. The reference should be to Section F.12 rather than Section F.13 | See Amendment 1. | |
| 68 | Section H.4, Pgs H-9 thru H-11; Section I.6, Pg I-27 | Section H.4 EVM Compliance states that only contractors who submit proposals under the Cybersecurity task area have to comply with this requirement (pg H-11). However, in Section I.6 Treasury AB 09-01-1052.234-4 states that "… the CFA .. has ..determined ... <that> a contractor self certification of ANSI/EIA Standards - 748 (EVMS) <is required> to manage this contract." Our assumption is that MBOSS does not require EVMS compliance. Is this assumption correct? | See Amendment 1. | |
| 69 | H.4 EVMS | Is the contractor required to have a DOT-compliant EVMS at proposal submission date or is the requirement to have one developed prior to submitting to specific Task Orders? | Section L.11.5 indicate that offerors may submit either (a),(b),(c),(d) or (e), which includes an EVMS comprehensive plan. | |
| 70 | H.4 | Is approved EVMS (or documentation of Self Validation or Plan) required for subcontractors as well? | In accordance with FAR Part 34.201(d) EVMS requirements will be applied to subcontractors using the same rules as applied to the prime contractor. In addition FAR Subpart 52.234-3 the plan is outlined in this section. See solicitation amendment 1. | |
| 71 | H.5 | To receive a task order award under Cyber Security contract, do subcontractors need to have a CMMI Level 2 certification? | Refer to Section H.5.2 IRSAP 1052.239-9006 Software Development Prerequisite - Supplement (JAN 2006) on page H-14 | |
| 72 | H.15 | Is an approved purchasing system required from offerors? | No | |
| 73 | H.28 EXCESSIVE PASS-THROUGH COSTS, Pg H34 | It states the subcontractor shall not exceed 65% of the total cost of work; is the 65% value an error? | Section has been removed. See Amendment 1. | |
| 74 | Section H.26, 5., pg H-33 | Please confirm that the government is requesting that a candidate be submitted within 5 days of notification of need for replacement and that the new candidate is not required to be ready to work within 5 days. | The replacement personnel will be required to report within the specified 5 days of notification. | |
| 75 | Section H.29, pg H-34 | Is the government looking for proposed indirect cost rate ceilings with submission of this proposal or just at the task order level? | Indirect rate ceilings are not mandatory. The intent of Section L.14 is to provide clear instructions to those offerors that plan to use ceilings. | |
| 76 | Sec H.4, pg H-9; |
Sec C.6.1, pg C-6;
Sec J.4, pg J-18;
| Sec J.12, pg J-101 | The MBOSS area is exempt from EVMS compliance (and CMMI) as it is only a requirement solely for Cybersecurity (as stated in section H.4 page H-9). However, EVMS is referenced in various places throughout the document (e.g. Section C.6.1 page C-6; Section J.4 page J-18, Section J.12 page J-101, etc). Do these various references apply only to the Cybersecurity responses? | See Amendment 1. | ||
| 77 | Section H.2, Paragraph 1 | Comparing the period of performance as referenced in Section B.1 and the small business recertification requirement, please confirm "the 5th year of the contract" is Option Year 4. | Yes. | |
| 78 | Section H.2, Paragraph 3 | This paragraph references Section F.13 for Recertification of Small Business Size Status Reports. Should the reference state F.12? | See Response # 67. | |
| 79 | Section H.2, Pg H-3 | There is no Section F-13 for small business recertification reporting schedule? Should this be Section F-12? | See Response # 67. | |
| 80 | Section H.19.f, Pg H-21 | Are the reporting days calendar or business days? | Calendar days | |
| 81 | Section H-4, Pg H-10; Section L.11.5, Pg L-17; and Section M.4, Factor 4, Pgs M-8 and M-9 | RFP H-4 states that, "The MBOSS area is exempt from EVMS compliance." Please clarify that offerors bidding exclusively in the MBOSS area do not need to submit Volume II, Binder 2D, Earned Value Management System. Please clarify also that the Evaluation Criterion for EVMS (Factor 4) will not be applied to MBOSS offerors. | See Amendment 1. | |
| 82 | Section I.3.1, Pg I-7 | The proposal states that offerors “should contact the agency activity designated below to obtain all requirements that they or their products or services, or their subcontractors or their products or services, must satisfy to become qualified and to arrange for an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities to meet the standards specified for qualification.” However, the contact information for CMMI compliance questions is blank. Please provide. | If an appraisal team member does not have a copy of the appropriate certificate the offeror can use the release in Attachment J.5.1 to give permission to SEI to validate the training requirement for the team. See Amendment 1. | |
| 83 | Section I.3.7, Pg I-10 | This clause indicates that “Offers are solicited only from small business concerns expressly certified by the Small Business Administration (SBA) for participation in the SBA’s 8(a) Program”, but this seems to conflict with other set-aside language in L.8.1 and M.3. Does the government plan to have additional set-asides for 8(a) certified businesses? | The TIPSS 4 RFP has been issued as: (1) an 8(a) Competitive RFP, (2) a HUBZone Small Business Set-Aside RFP, (3) a SDVOSB Set-Aside RFP, and (4) a Small Business Set-Aside RFP. There are clauses included in the RFP which are applicable based on the business size of the offerors. Offerors will be evaluated based on how provision K.25 is completed. | |
| 84 | Section I.3.7, pg I-10 | Please clarify if there is any 8(a) requirement associated with this proposal. | Please see the response to question 83 above. | |
| 85 | Section I Paragraph 1.6 | "offeror’s self-validation that the EVMS complies with the ANSI Standard" How does the IRS define self-validation? | In accordance with The Department of Treasury's Guide EVMS. Offeror's will have to validate that they have implemented an ANSI-compliant EVMS as required by OMB Circular A-11, Planning, Budgeting, Acquisition, and Management of Capital Assets and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). | |
| 86 | Attachment J.1.1 | Sample-Govt site Tab, Sample 3: Please define the acronym FCCM? | The sample pricing schedules are illustrative and offerors should propose in accordance with their normal accounting structure. FCCM=Facilities Capital Cost of Money | |
| 87 | Attachment J.1.1 | Sample-Govt site Tab, Sample 2: As a prime, how can we complete the information for Overhead and G&A for subcontractors who are unwilling to provide us with that information. | A subcontractor may provide a sealed cost proposal directly to the Government if they object to the release of proprietary data to the Prime. The address is included in the solicitation. | |
| 88 | Attachment J.1.1 (Row 25, 26, 27) | CLIN Numbers | Section J.1.1 is just an illustration. Use the labor categories and hours specified in Section J.4. | |
| (a) CLIN Numbers - Does the same labor category have different CLIN numbers for each base/option years? | ||||
| (b) Sample shows CLIN 5 for PM CLIN 6 for SME and so on. What is the correlation of the CLIN# to the Labor category and Option years? Is this a sample CLIN Number and we can assign a CLIN for each Labor Category or has it already been assigned by the Govt. If so what about CLINs 1-4? | ||||
| ( c ) How does the CLIN specified in this sample table relate to Section B.2 CLIN Numbers? | ||||
| 89 | Section J.4 (Labor Categories and Hours); Page J-11 | There's a discrepancy in the hours for Jr. Security Specialist. Option Year 3 hours allocated = 429,414. Option Year 4 hours allocated = 429,850. In most cases the hours (unless they are 2080) reduce each year. Is this accurate? | ||
| Also for this same line item, the total listed for Base Year through Option Year 4 is 2,266,014 hours. When we totaled it comes to 2,286,014.What is the correct total number of hours for Jr. Security Specialist? | These estimates are not actual and should be used for pricing evaluation purposes. See amended solicitation for the corrected total number of hours for the Jr. Security Specialist. | |||
| 90 | Section J.1.1 Sample Pricing Schedules (Page J-6) | Tab 3 refers to Section L.13; Shouldn't this be Section L.12? | Corrected. See Amendment 1 | |
| 91 | Attachment J.1.1 and Instruction L.12 (Page L.18) | Is the Prime required to allocate the hours to ALL the subcontractors at proposal time as this is an IDIQ. The work they perform is dependent on the Task Orders hence any allocation is a guestimate | Yes, the hours included in Section J.4 are for evaluation purposes. | |
| 92 | Section J.4 MBOSS, Pgs J-18 - J-20 | The FY Totals stated at the bottom of pages J-18 and J-20 do not agree with the totals when adding the hours in each individual labor category for each year. Will the government clarify whether the number of hours in each labor category is correct or the FY Totals are in error? | Corrected. See Amendment 1 | |
| 93 | Section Attachment J.1.1 | Pricing asks for CLIN Numbers for skill categories but there are no CLIN numbers listed for the skill categories. What are the CLINs? | See Response #14. | |
| 94 | Section J.4, Pg J-16 to 18 | For Base-OY4, the right hand totals for 2 categories are incorrect. They should be Application Systems Analyst (40,000), EVM Specialist (180,690). | Corrected. See Amendment 1. | |
| 95 | Section J.4, Pg J-18 | The bottom totals for Base-OY4 are incorrect. They should be Base: 780,880. OY1: 741,955. OY2: 705,228. OY3: 668,374. OY4: 633,222. TOTAL: 3,529,659. | Corrected. See Amendment 1. | |
| 96 | Section J.4, Pg J-18 to 20 | For OY5-OY9, the right hand totals for 5 categories are incorrect. They should be Task/Project Manager (350,086), Information Technology Subject Matter Expert (262,567), Junior Business Process Reengineering Specialist (26,258), Senior IT Specialist (227,557), JR IT Specialist (105,025). | Corrected. See Amendment 1. | |
| 97 | Section J.4, Pg J-20 | The bottom totals for OY5-OY9 are incorrect. They should be Base: 602,552. OY1: 573,118. OY2: 545,143. OY3: 518,545. OY4: 493263. TOTAL: 2,732,621. | Corrected. See Amendment 1. | |
| 98 | Section J Page 12 | Junior Security Engineer - The hours for base year is "500,00" . The total "2,266,014" for the labor category for Base yr and Option Yr 1-4 does not add up. | Corrected. See Amendment 1. | |
| 99 | Section J Page 12 | Junior Security Specialist - The total "2,266,014" for the labor category for Option Yr 1-4 does not add up. | Corrected. See Amendment 1. | |
| 100 | Section J Page 13 | FY TOTAL - The total does not add up. It is off by order of magnitude. For example, Year 1 total "1,818,705" instead of 3,580,960 . | Corrected. See Amendment 1. | |
| 101 | Section J Page 15 | IT Administrative Specialist - The total hour does not add up. | Corrected. See Amendment 1. | |
| 102 | Section J Page 16 | FY TOTAL - The total does not add up. It is off by order of magnitude. | Corrected. See Amendment 1. | |
| 103 | Section J Page 18 | FY TOTAL - The total does not add up. It is off by order of magnitude. | Corrected. See Amendment 1. | |
| 104 | Section J Page 20 | FY TOTAL - The total does not add up. It is off by order of magnitude. | Corrected. See Amendment 1. | |
| 105 | SECTION J.1 (k) on page J-3 | Please define what the IRS means by Job Order, Process, and Standard Cost? | The IRS definition is the same as that found in any Accounting or Cost Accounting Manual. | |
| 106 | SF33 Block 11 Section J & Section J Table of Contents | In SF33 Block 11 Section J the pages are listed as J1-105. However, in Section J Table of Contents, pages are listed through J-115 yet the actual Section J pages run through J-105. Our assumption is that Section J is complete and that the Section J Table of Contents pagination was not refreshed. Is our assumption correct? | See Amendment 1. | |
| 107 | Section J.4, Pgs J-11 through J-20 | This Section provides labor categories and hours for Cybersecurity and MBOSS, from Base Year through Option Year 9. On all the tables, the vertical labor category / hours summation for each year do not equal the actual summation of the indicated hours. For instance, MBOSS Base Year FY TOTAL summation (pgs J-16 to J-18) state 740,900 hours (see pg J-18). When adding all the hours in this column up, the summation is actually 780,880 hours. Additionally, there are similar summation errors when adding labor category rows. Our assumption is that the hours listed in the table for each labor category and for each contract year are correct. Is this assumption correct? | Corrected. See Amendment 1 | |
| 108 | Section J, p 18 | What does CPFF stand for ? | Response: CPFF is the acronym for cost-plus-fixed fee. | |
| 109 | Section J, p 91 | When is the PIV form required? | The process begins at the start of task order award. | |
| 110 | J.1.1 | On what forms or by what method should subcontractor rates be submitted? | See Response #111. | |
| 111 | J.1.1 | What level of detail is required to support subcontractor costs and how should that information be submitted as part of a proposal? | Offerors are required to conduct appropriate cost or price analyses to establish reasonableness of proposed subcontract prices in accordance with FAR 15.404-3. However, the Government is also responsible for determining the price reasonableness of subcontract cost as it is an element of the Prime's cost. Therefore, subcontract cost proposals will be evaluated in the same manner as the Prime to the extent necessary to determine price reasonableness. | |
| 112 | J.1.1 | In the worksheet supplied by the Government, J.1.1 Tab 3 – “Matrix”, references are made to CLINs 5, 6, and 7. What do these CLINs describe? | See the Response #14 and 88. | |
| 113 | J.1.1 | In the worksheet supplied by the Government, J.1.1 Tab 3 – “Matrix”, references are made to using guidance offered in Section L.13 for the development of subcontractor costs. Section L.13 does not offer this guidance but discusses NAICS codes and size standards. Will the Government provide the information originally designated to be found in L.13? | This information is found in Section L.12. | |
| 114 | J.1.1 | Does the Government prefer a specific formulation (or apply specific restrictions) regarding rate buildups for the nine (9) option years? Given recent events involving unforeseeable economic changes in the national economy, will it be possible during the contract period of performance to submit requests for amended rates? | See Cost Instructions in Section L. | |
| 115 | J.1.1 | Generally speaking, what TIPSS 4 SB budgetary elements qualify for the category of other direct costs?ory of other direct costs? | Travel, which will be proposed on individual task orders. | |
| 116 | Section J.4 | There are several labor categories where the hours provided for MBOSS do not add across (cross foot) to the totals provided in the Total column. For each year of Cyber Security and MBOSS, the total hours for each labor categories do not add down (foot) and agree to the amount provided in the FY TOTAL row. What hours should we use and can the govt issue it in an Excel format? | Corrected. See Amendment 1 | |
| 117 | Section J, Table of Contents, Pg J-1 | Indicates "sample pricing schedule" on page J-7, but J-7 illustrates systems/platforms. Can you please clarify? | Corrected. See amendment 1 | |
| 118 | Section J, Pg J-55 | There are two identical lines on the Past Performance Questionnaire that read Contract Number. Should the second line be replaced by some other piece of data? | Corrected. See amendment 1. | |
| 119 | Section J, pgs J-6 & J-7 | Please confirm that the page numbers and section numbering is correct. (ex. J.1.1 is listed in the TOC as being on page J-7, but is actually found on J-6.) | Corrected. See amendment 1 | |
| 120 | Section J.1, page J-2 | J.1.(f)(1) Sales: Please confirm that T&M prime contracts and subcontracts are included in the cost-reimbursement type line. | Yes. | |
| 121 | Section J.4, page J-16 | For the MBOSS area, the Sr. Security Engineer, Security Engineer, and Jr. Security Engineer labor categories are missing along with corresponding hours. Please provide. | That information has been provided. | |
| 122 | Section J.11, Attachment J.11.1 | Limitations on Subcontracting Compliance Report only computes the dollar percentage for the prime. Section I, page I-3 includes FAR 52.219-27 states at least 50% of the cost of personnel will be spent for employees of the concern or employees of other SDVOSB concerns. For the SDVOSB awards, please revise Attachment J.11.1 to include all SDVOSB subcontracted dollars in the calculation of Column I. | FAR 52.219-27 does take precedence over 52.219-14 for SDVOSB set-aside awards. Attachment J.11.1 will be revised at time of award for any SDVOSB awardees. | |
| 123 | Sec J.4, pg J-16 | As noted in Sec J.4 there are 100000 hours allocated for Task/Project Manager for the Base Year which equates to almost 50 Task/Project Managers per year using the IRS’s calculation of 2080 hours per task year. Is this what the IRS intended? | The labor hours are estimates for pricing evaluation purposes only. | |
| 124 | Section J.4, Page J-16 | The Sample Labor Categories and Hours provided for MBOSS states a CPFF contract type. Will other contract types such as FFP and T&M be considered for task orders? What would be the preferred contract type? | The Government reserves the right to use FFP and T&M contract type task orders. The preferred type is FFP. | |
| 125 | Section J.4, Pg J-18 | Labor Totals for the MBOSS hours estimates by labor category do not sum to the values listed at the bottom of the table. | Corrected. See Amendment 1 | |
| 126 | Excel Attachment J-1.1, Page 1 | Please explain what the column FCCM stands for in the Sample 3 Illustration: Hourly Labor Rates by Contract Year. | See Response #86. | |
| 127 | Attachment J.1.1 | Sample-Govt site Tab, Sample 2: How do we determine the mapping between CLIN # and Labor Category. CLIN 5, 6 and 7 are defined in the Attachment, but what are CLIN 8, 9 10, etc.? | See Response #88. | |
| 128 | Attachment J.1.1 | Sample 1 - Grand Total Summary - Should the Grand Total be completed only once for the proposal and include all Prime and Subcontractor costs even though L.12 Tab C on page L-20 states "The offerors shall provide separate cost proposals for each subcontractor in the same format required for the prime." | Yes, the Government requirement for separate cost proposals for each subcontractor is so that offerors will furnish a breakdown to allow the Government to properly evaluate the sub's costs. | |
| 129 | Attachment J.1.1 | As a prime, do we only estimate the subcontractors hours as we plan to allocate them at the task order level, or do we need to provide a complete cost estimate (Sample 1 - Grand Total Summary) for each subcontractor for all labor hours specified in J.4? For example, Prime A's cost proposal will not reflect the total hours specified for each labor category, but Prime A's + Subcontractor B's hours will reflect the total hours. | Follow the Cost Instructions in Section L.12. | |
| 130 | Section J.9, Page J-57 | Where on the questionnaire do we identify the individual who filled it out? Do we have them sign and date the questionnaire? The questionnaire only asks for identification of the "Customer of Agency Name" and "Customer Address". | Past Performance reference form Section J.9.1 | |
| 131 | Section J.9.1, Page J-58 | Should we include J.9.1 in the questionnaire sealed envelope? Is this where we identify the point of contact who finished the questionnaire? | Yes | |
| 132 | SECTION K.8 and SECTION L.13 | The NAICS Code in SECTION K.8 (a)(1) is listed as 541519 yet the NAICS Code in SECTION L.13 is listed as 541511. Please clarify what the correct NAICS Code is for the solicitation. | The proper NAICS code for this solicitation is 541519. See Amendment 1. | |
| 133 | Section K.25, Pg K-29 | The proposal allows offerors to assert to the following: “I am a certified 8(a) small business concern submitting a proposal under the 8(a) Competitive portion of the TIPSS 4 SB RFP.” Please provide additional information on the 8(a) competitive portion of the RFP, as there are no corresponding completion instructions for this category in L.8.1. or evaluation instructions in M.3. | See Response #83. | |
| 134 | Section K.18, Pg K-21; Section M.1, Pg M-2 | RFP Section K.18 contains a Note that states that this provision for cost accounting standards does not apply to small businesses. Our assumption is that since the TIPSS-4 SB solicitation is a total set aside for small business (See Section M.1) that K.18 is irrelevant. Is this assumption correct? If our assumption is incorrect, please provide an explanation why it is relevant. | Small businesses are exempt from Cost Accounting Standards. | |
| 135 | Sections K.5(a)(1)-(2) (Pg K-7), K.8 (a)(1)-(2) (Pg K-12) and L.13 (Pg L-21) | Section K.5(a)(1)-(2) states no NAICS code and no size standard. Section K.8(a)(1)-(2) states a 541519 NAICS code and a $25M size standard. Section L.13 states the 541511 NAICS code and a $25M size standard. Our assumption is that the NAICS code for this acquisition is 541511 with a $25M size standard. Is our assumption correct? | See Response #132. | |
| 136 | Section K.8(a)(1), Pg K-12 Section L.13, Pg L-21 | Indicates NAICS code as 541511, but Section K.8, pg K-12 indicates the NAICS code as 541519. Can you please clarify which is the correct code? | See Response #132. |
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