Amendment_3.docx

USCA14R0006 /0003 - Page of

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO.

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

See Block 16C

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO. 5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

6. ISSUED BY

Mary Mace, 202-502-1298 Procurement Management Division Administrative Office of the United States Courts One Columbus Circle, N.E.

Suite 3-250 Washington, DC 20544-0001

CODE

PMD

7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6)

CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., street, country, state and ZIP Code) (X)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

USCA14R0006

X 9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

02/13/2014

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

CODE FACILITY CODE

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

X The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers is extended, X is not extended, Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods: (a) By completing items 8 and 15, and returning copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required)

13. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO MODIFICATION OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS.

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14.

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not, is required to sign this document and return copies to the issuing office.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

The purpose of this modification is to provide answers to questions received and revise the solicitation as necessary. Questions regarding this amendment shall be emailed to mary_mace@ao.uscourts.gov by 2:00 pm, April 3, 2014. The closing date remains 2:00 pm, April 15, 2014.

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remain unchanged and in full force and effect.

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

(Signature of person authorized to sign)

NSN 7540-01-152-8070

Previous edition unusable

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 10-83)

Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

AMEND 0003 Amendment 0003 to USCA14R0006 Question 1

Page 4; Section B Supplies or Services and Page 42; Section L; L.3.4 Part 4 Contract Pricing/Completed Pricing Schedule – Attachment A and Attachment A Pricing Schedule a) The instructions in Section L.3.4 do not in- clude how vendors are to complete Section B of the solicitation. The instructions explain how to calculate the “Total” cost that will be evaluated. Please confirm vendors are to use the “Price Per Unit Per Day” on Attach- ment A for the “Unit Price” in Section B and the “Total” cost on Attachment A for the “Extended Price” in Sec- tion B. b) Please clarify the formula vendors are to use to calculate the “Total” cost on Attachment A. The in- structions in Section L.3.4 (and Section M; 2.4 Price Evaluation) state “The total evaluated price will be com- puted by multiplying the proposed ‘price per unit per day’ for each CLIN by the ‘total # of units utilized per year’ by the ‘average days per year.’” Are vendors to first divide the total number of units used per year by the average days per year and then multiple the resulting quotient with the price per unit per day

ANSWER: Offerors are not required to complete Section B. The extended prices on Attachment A will be used in the contract.

An example for computing the price for CLIN 1000 in Attachment A is as follows:

“Price Per Unit Per Day” is $1.00 (offeror’s price) multiplied by the “Total # of Units Utilized Per Year” 6143 (as provided by the AOUSC) which totals 6l43 multiplied by the average days per year 210 (as provided by the AOUSC) which totals $1,290,030.00 for the extended price of CLIN 1000.

Question 2

Page 6; Section C; C.1 Please confirm vendors must propose equipment and services to meet each of the six types of monitoring listed in the section.

ANSWER: Offerors are required to propose on the total requirement, including all equipment and ser- vices. Partial proposals will not be considered.

Question 3

Page 6; Section C; C.2 Size and Scope of the Contract and Page 41; Section L; L.3.4 Part 4 Contracting Pricing/ Completed Pricing Schedule – Attachment A Please clarify if the AOUSC will award the contract to more than one vendor. Section C.2 states in part “The Contractor(s) shall be responsible for monitoring approximately 6,500 defendants/offenders at any given time during a contract year.” However, Section L.3.4 states “The judi- ciary intends to make a single award from this solicitation.”

ANSWER: The AOUSC intends to make a single award. Clause C.2 has been amended to change the reference from contractor(s) to contractor.

Question 4

Page 8; Section C; C.4 Inventory, Spares and Maintenance This section states in part “The contractor shall bar code all equipment that can be swiped and easily recorded by software to capture the following....” please clari- fy who is to swipe the equipment – the supervising agents in offices across the nation or the vendor. If the su- pervising agents are to swipe equipment, please clarify if the vendor is to provide the swiping equipment for each office or if the bar code must conform to equipment already used by the officers that is already in each of- fice.

ANSWER: Clause C.4, Inventory, Spares and Maintenance has been amended to delete the barcode re-quirement. The amended clauses follow the questions and answers. Question 5 Page 9; Section C; C.5.2 RF Tamper Detection - This specification states the transmitter “shall have a proximity tamper detection capacity (i.e., density, temperature) should the defendant/offender remove the device from his or her body while leaving the transmitter intact.” This type of tamper detection technology is outdated – de- veloped more than 20 years ago. The technology generates a burdensome amount of false alerts due to improper installation, interference from legwear and even physical labor. Consequently, no leading manufacturers of RF monitoring equipment use proximity sensors. The current industry standard is the use of a fiber optic cable em- bedded inside the strap, which is more reliable than proximity sensors. If the defendant/offender tries to cut or stretch the strap, the fiber optic cable breaks, which causes the transmitter to record a tamper violation. Please clarify if fiber optic technology embedded in the strap is an acceptable alternative to proximity tamper detec- tion.

ANSWER: The clause has been amended. The amended clauses follow the questions and answers. Fiber optic technology is an acceptable alternative to proximity tamper detection.

Question 6

Page 10; Section C; C.5.4 RF Transmitter Power Source - This specification states in part, “The contractor shall provide a 12-volt vehicle adaptor for each participant upon request ....” The battery powering a traditional RF transmitter is not rechargeable and is not replaceable in the field or by a supervising officer. A traditional RF transmitter battery generally powers the device for 12-24 months. We respectfully request deleting this require- ment.

ANSWER: The clause has been amended to delete the 12-volt vehicle adapter. The amended clauses fol- low the questions and answers.

Question 7

Page 10; Section C; C.5.5 RF Signal Range and Page 12; Section C; C.7.3 GPS Transmitter Signal Frequency We need clarification on several aspects of this specification.

a) Please explain how hybrid GPS/RF equipment fits into the six types of monitoring (RF, RF Cellular Add- on, Voice Verification, Active GPS, Low Intensity GPS and High Intensity GPS) listed in C.2. The request for hybrid GPS/RF equipment is also found in the GPS equipment specifications.

ANSWER: Clause C.5.5 RF Signal Range has been amended to delete the paragraph regarding hybrid equipment. The amended clauses follow the questions and answers.

b) Please explain the AOUSC’s expectation of the functionality of the hybrid GPS/RF equipment.

ANSWER: Regardless of whether the device has dual functionality, the offeror’s device shall fall within one of the GPS types of monitoring.

c) This type of equipment is not separated out on the price sheets. Please explain if vendors are to provide separate pricing for this equipment since only RF equipment, RF Cellular Add-On, Voice Verification and the various types of GPS monitoring are listed on the price sheets.

ANSWER: No, do not provide separate pricing. The pricing should be specific to one of the GPS types of monitoring. Provide only one price per CLIN.

Question 8

Page 11; Section C; C.7.0 Global Positioning System Monitoring (Active) and Page 13; Section C; C.7.7 Global positioning System High Intensity GPS Please clarify if a one-piece GPS monitoring device is an acceptable device to meet the requirements for Active GPS and High Intensity GPS because Low Intensity GPS specific- ally describes functionality for a one-piece device and a two-piece device.

ANSWER: Yes, a one piece device can meet the requirements for the Active GPS and High Intensity GPS, as well as low intensity.

Question 9

Page 13; Section C; C.7.4. Tamper Detection This specification states the transmitter “shall have a proximity tamper detection capacity (i.e., density, temperature) should the defendant/offender remove the device from his or her body while leaving the transmitter intact.” This type of tamper detection technology is outdated – de- veloped more than 20 years ago. The technology generates a burdensome amount of false alerts due to improper installation, interference from legwear and even physical labor. Consequently, no leading manufacturers of GPS monitoring equipment use proximity sensors. The current industry standard is the use of a fiber optic cable em- bedded inside the strap, which is more reliable than proximity sensors. If the defendant/offender tries to cut or stretch the strap, the fiber optic cable breaks and the device reports a tamper violation. Please clarify if fiber op- tic technology embedded in the strap is an acceptable alternative to proximity tamper detection.

ANSWER: The clause has been amended. The amended clauses follow the questions and answers. Question 10 Page 14; Section C; C.7.8 Global Positioning System Low Intensity GPS This specification states in part the GPS equipment shall “collect GPS points a minimum of every 12 hours and report the data to the officer every 12 hours for one-piece units or upon docking the GPS tracking device ….” Please clarify if the following de- scription is the functionality the AOUSC expects: the GPS monitoring device receives one GPS location point every 12 hours and immediately reports the one GPS location point after receiving it to the vendor’s monitoring software. We understand the supervising officer determines the time when the device reports the one GPS loca- tion point.

ANSWER: The clause has been amended. The amended clauses follow the questions and answers. Question 11 Page 14; Section C; C.9.0 RF and GPS Key Alerts for Monitoring System; 5th Paragraph and Page 19; Section C; C.11.2.5; 4th Paragraph Both of these requirements reference the use of telephone for closing alerts or notifying officers of events. Please clarify if the AOUSC requires the contractor to provide Monitoring Center service, where the vendor’s personnel receives notifications for events, such as tampers, and manages the events by following protocols provided by the AOUSC. We understand the protocols may require the vendor’s personnel to communicate with the defendant/offender and/or supervising officer.

ANSWER: Manual outbound calls will not be required. However, the monitoring center shall have manpower available 24/7 to troubleshoot technical matters.

Question 12

Page 42; Section L; L.4.1 Section 1 Location Monitoring Equipment and Services and Section L.4.1.1 Section 1 Instruction Matrix for Statement of Work Requirements

a) Please clarify if Section L.4.1 is a broad description of the information vendors are to include in their re-sponses to the Statement of Work Requirements Matrix since the items listed in the paragraphs in Section L.4.1 are also covered in the Matrix.

b) In order to maximize available page space, please clarify if vendors can deviate slightly from the Instruction- al Matrix table, but still identify each section and any subsections before their response. Below is an example of the deviation.

C.2 Size and Scope of Contract The vendor’s response to this requirement begins here. C.3 Equipment Requirements The vendor’s response to this requirement begins here.

ANSWER: The matrix is provided as a tool to ensure offerors address each requirement in the solicita- tion. The AOUSC recommends following the matrix, however it is not a mandatory requirement.

Question 13

Please identify the incumbent(s) for each type of monitoring equipment and service used by the AOUSC.

ANSWER: There are two incumbent contractors that currently provide all the services required by this solicitation. The incumbent contractors are as follows:

1. 1. B.I. Incorporated 6400 Lookout Road Boulder, CO 80301 Contract No.: USCA13C0248

1. 2. Sentinel Offender Services, LLC 201 Technology Drive Irvine, CA 92618 Contract No.: USCA13C0249

Question 14

Please list the make and model of all monitoring equipment and all services provided by the incumbents(s).

ANSWER: This information is not provided. Each offeror is required to propose its own recommended equipment and services to meet the requirements of the solicitation.

Question 15

Please list the pricing including any tiered pricing if applicable for each piece of equipment and each service used by the AOUSC.

ANSWER: It is impractical to provide this information during the re-solicitation of the requirement. Therefore, this information is not provided. Offerors are required to propose their best price for the equipment and services offered.

Question 16

Page 6; Section C; C.2 Size and Scope of the Contract The solicitation provides the volume of equipment needed within 90 days after the award of the contract, but not the number of offices using the equipment. Please provide a list of all the offices using the current contract, along with the city and state in which they are located and the average usage of each type of equipment during

2013.

ANSWER: This information will not be provided. The total number of units per year is provided for each technology and offerors should plan on providing each technology to all 94 districts.

Also, please confirm the transition period is 90 days after awarding the contract. If not, please provide the cor- rect number of days for the transition period for transitioning the equipment from the incumbent to the new vendor.

ANSWER: All services are anticipated to be transitioned to the new contractor within 90 days of con- tract award.

Question 17

Page 30; Section C; C.30 Contract Transition Please clarify if the Transition Plan vendors are to include in their proposals is if they are the incumbent and a new vendor is chosen at the end of the contract issued from this solicitation or if it is to transition the incum- bent’s equipment to the new vendor’s.

ANSWER: Transition Plan is not required in offeror’s proposal. However, at the conclusion of this con- tract, a transition plan may be required.

Each contractor will provide their own equipment whether transitioning in or transitioning out. Question 18 Page 8; Section C; C.4 Inventory, Spares and Maintenance - We need clarification on several aspects of this specification.

(a) The specification states in part, “The contractor shall maintain inventory/spare equipment at each agency’s specified location(s)….” Please clarify if our understanding of the specification is accurate: The contractor keeps track of the on-site inventory at each AOUSC location and ensures the volume is sufficient to meet the location’s needs.

ANSWER: Your understanding is accurate.

This does not require an employee of the contractor to be physically at an AOUSC location to count/maintain the inventory.

ANSWER: Correct.

(b) The specification states in part, “In case of equipment failure, the contractor shall be responsible for provid- ing replacement equipment to the participant, in addition to a diagnostic report of the equipment’s failure.” Please clarify if the contractor must have an employee to remove the inoperative equipment and install new equipment. If so, please explain (a) in what timeframe the equipment is to be replaced and (b) how the en- rollee’s supervising agent helps to coordinate the replacement of equipment.

ANSWER: The contractor does not need to have an employee to remove the inoperative equipment and install new equipment.

(c) The specification states in part, “The contractor shall maintain a total of the following spare equipment/units inventory which will be distributed to the districts upon request.” Then a chart identifying the volume required for each type of equipment is listed. Please clarify if the contractor is to set aside and maintain in its own ware- house the volumes listed in table or if the contractor ensures all of the AOUSC locations collectively maintain the volumes for each type of equipment distributed amongst them and on- site for immediate use.

ANSWER – The contractor shall have the capability to provide the volume of devices cited in this list in their warehouse for the entire system, in the event the district orders the amount cited.

Question 19

What is the current contracted daily rate for all equipment by make and model?

ANSWER –See Response to 15 above. Question 20 Does the daily rate include all monitoring costs? If not, what is the current daily rate for the additional monitor- ing?

ANSWER – Yes. See Response to 15 above. Question 21 Requirement C.5.4, RF Transmitter Power Source, on page 10, states, “The transmitter shall have internal power capacity of at least one year without need for recharging or replacement The contractor shall:

• Provide a 12-volt vehicle adapter for each participant upon request of the probation/pretrial services office. As a rule, RF transmitters do not allow for external charging because a charging connector may defeat the need to waterproof the transmitter. Is this is an accurate solution that you are currently getting from your current pro-vider? We respectfully request the requirement to provide vehicle charging adapters be removed.

ANSWER: The clause has been amended to delete the 12-volt vehicle adapter. The amended clauses fol- low the questions and answers.

Question 22

Please provide the exact unit on leg count as of today, for each technology type.

ANSWER - This information is not provided. Offerors should price proposals based upon the quantities provided in the solicitation.

Question 23

How many districts are currently utilizing the current contract? Please provide the names/locations of each dis- trict using the current contract and their current daily utilization for each product type including the make and model of the equipment.

ANSWER - We have 94 Districts of which all are utilizing one of the two incumbent contractors. Addi- tional information is not provided as offerors are required to propose the equipment they plan to use based on the quantity in Attachment A.

Question 24

Section C.9.0 states “The notification of alerts shall be automated notification, utilizing a notification tree (closed-loop notification). Are there ever any circumstances when the districts require “manual” processing of alert notifications? This would include vendor monitoring center staff placing manual “live operator” outbound USCA14R0006 /0003 - Page of calls to agency staff to verbally notify them of an alert condition? If so please advise under what circumstances this would be required and the volume to which it is utilized under the current contract. This is a significant cost issue for vendors as there are dramatically increased costs associated with providing manual processing versus automated.

ANSWER - Manual outbound calls will not be required. However, the monitoring center shall have manpower available 24/7 to troubleshoot technical matters.

Question 25

Does the AOUSC require a “beacon” or base unit to be provided with the One Piece GPS offering for the Act- ive, High Intensity or Low Intensity level of supervision? If this is not a requirement but the AOUSC would like this as an “option” we respectfully request you modify the pricing schedule to allow for submission.

ANSWER - A beacon is not required but may fulfill the functionality requirement for either category of device. Optional proposals will not be considered.

Question 26

Please define and provide additional information on the expectation of the vendors interface between their mon- itoring software and the Probation and Pretrial Services Automated Case Tracking System (PACTS).

ANSWER – The offeror shall demonstrate functionality by which their software and/or network plat- form can interface with a “portal” created within our case management system by which “key alerts” will populate the chronological records of our case management system.

Question 27

Section C.7.8 reads "The contractor shall provide the capability to record a participants’ movement in the com- munity and/or home via GPS equipment that shall collect GPS points at a minimum of every 12 hours and re- port the data to the officer every 12 hours for one piece units or upon docking for two piece units. The AOUSC is clearly interested in both one piece and two piece GPS options. As such, a number of vendors two piece GPS devices options offer significantly increased levels of supervision including 2 way voice communication with the offenders. This increased level of supervision and associated technology results in different pricing struc- tures for the one piece device and the two piece device. Under the current pricing schedule the AOUSC has three levels of supervision identified for GPS technology but does not differentiate between one piece and two piece technology.

We respectfully request the AOUSC modify the pricing schedule to include CLIN No's for both 1 piece and 2 piece GPS tracking devices each with the associated Active, High Intensity and Low Intensity level of supervi- sion.

ANSWER: Regardless of whether the device has dual functionality, the offeror’s device shall fall within one of the GPS types of monitoring.

No, do not provide separate pricing. The pricing should be specific to one of the GPS types of monitor- ing. Provide only one price per CLIN.

Question 28

Will the AOUSC consider extending the RFP due date to at least 2 weeks after the AOUSC responds to these questions, so the vendors will have ample time to review the answers and respond with an appropriate bid?

ANSWER: The AOUSC will consider an extension when/if the necessity occurs.

Question 29 –four parts

General questions:

a. Will proposal responses be subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provisions?

b. May offerors hold commercially sensitive portions of their response confidential?

c. Will reports provided to the agency throughout the life of the contract be subject to FOIA provisions?

ANSWER – The AOUSC is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Each request will be handled in accordance with AO policy. Please refer to Clause 1-15, Disclosure of Contractor Information to the Public and Clause 3-100, Instructions to Offerors.

d. May offerors include supplemental, optional advanced technology offerings with the proposal, as a separ- ate attachment for consideration.

ANSWER – Optional proposals will not be considered. Question 30 Reference Section B, p.4 (section in entirety)

Is Section B Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs required to be completed in an offeror’s response?

i. If so, where should offerors include this information?

ii. If so, please provide specific instructions for populating the form.

How are offerors to populate the information in Section B when not all CLINs from Attachment A are present in this section?

ANSWER – Offeror’s are not required to populate Section B. However, all offerors are required to com- plete Attachment A.

Question 31

Reference specification C.2. p.6 (specification in entirety)

Will the agency please disclose the unit counts provided by all incumbents?

ANSWER: This information is not provided. Offerors are required to propose on the units listed in At- tachment A.

Question 32

Reference specification C.3.1, p.7 (specification in entirety)

1. Do FY13 lost and damaged equipment numbers include equipment that was lost or damaged for both con- tract holders?

ANSWER: Yes.

1. Will the agency allow the contractor to invoice participants for any lost and damaged equipment?

ANSWER: No.

Based on the lost, damaged, and stolen chart provided in this section, combined with our experience, we believe that the numbers may be under reported. We respectfully request confirmation of these numbers from all incum- bent providers.

ANSWER: The numbers reported are accurate and based on the total number of lost/damaged units for which the incumbents invoiced the districts.

Question 33

Reference specification C.4, p.8

“The contractor shall maintain inventory/spare equipment at each agency’s specified location(s) at the request of the agency and in accordance with the requirements of this section. Any discrepancies or issues as to the number of required units shall be directed first to the officer and then to the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) to resolve. In case of equipment failure, the contractor shall be responsible for providing replacement equipment to the participant, in addition to a diagnostic report of the equipment’s failure. The contractor shall replenish or increase the inventory within 24 hours after notification of a need from the respective user agency. All such replacements shall be provided by overnight delivery at the contractor’s expense.

1. Because the agency has a 100% spare ratio, please confirm that overnight delivery is only required in situ- ations when replacement equipment is required, as stated in the RFP.

ANSWER: The clause has been amended to delete the overnight delivery requirement. The amended clauses follow the questions and answers.

The contractor shall bar code all equipment that can be swiped and easily recorded by software to capture the following:

# Received date

# Install date

# Terminate date (real time)

# Level of monitoring (e.g., RF, V.V., Active, etc.)

Last known defendant/offenders’ (D/O’s) name and Probation and Pretrial Services Automated Case Tracking System (PACTS) number”

b. Please confirm that equipment scanning will be performed by the contractor at the contractor’s shipping and receiving facility.

c. Where will inventory data collected from the scanner be stored?

ANSWER: The clause has been amended to delete the barcode requirement. The amended clauses fol- low the questions and answers.

Question 34

Reference specification C.5.4, p.10:

“Provide a 12-volt vehicle adapter for each participant upon request of the probation/pretrial services office.”

a. While GPS devices require battery charging, RF transmitters have a continuous battery life that does not require recharging. We respectfully request that this requirement be removed.

ANSWER: The clause has been amended. The amended clauses follow the questions and answers. Question 35 Reference specifications C.7, p.11 (specification in entirety)

a. Consistent with your current service levels, please confirm that the agency requires the following service level for Active GPS monitoring:

# GPS collection rate of one point per minute.

ANSWER: Yes

# GPS transmission rate of at least every 15 minutes.

ANSWER: Yes

# Officers can “ping” (on-demand location request) once every 5 minutes.

ANSWER: Yes

# When in violation, the unit transmits data at least once per minute.

ANSWER: Yes. The clause has been amended to reflect this requirement. The amended clauses follow the questions and answers.

b. What GPS collection rate and reporting frequency is currently being provided by other incumbent vendors?

ANSWER: This information is not provided. Offerors are required to propose on the requirements as stated in the solicitation.

Question 36

Reference specification C.7.2, p.12 (specification in entirety)

a. Please confirm that the device (not internal components such as a cellular modem or chip set) must be FCC certified.

ANSWER: Correct. Question 37 Reference specification C.7.3, p.12:

“The transmitter shall emit a signal at least once every 30 seconds. The signal content shall identify the parti-cipant, power status, and tamper/removal status, and be encrypted to discourage duplication.

In instances of hybrid GPS/RF units, the transmitter’s signal range shall be no greater than 300 feet under nor- mal household conditions, with a typical range of 100-150 feet. The transmitter shall emit a composite radio fre- quency signal at least once every 30 seconds. The signal content will identify the participant, power status, and tamper/removal status, and be encrypted to discourage duplication.”

a. These requirements apply to RF equipment or a two-piece GPS solution. How should offerors respond to this requirement if they are not proposing a hybrid GPS/RF unit or two-piece solution?

i. May offerors respond with “not applicable” in response to this requirement, if appropriate?

ANSWER: See answer to 7 above. Clause has been amended. Question 38 Reference specification C.7.4, p.13:

“The transmitter shall have a proximity tamper detection capacity (i.e. density, temperature) should the defend- ant/offender remove the device from his or her body while leaving the transmitter intact.”

1. This requirement applies to RF equipment or a two-piece GPS solution. How should offerors respond to this requirement if they are not proposing a hybrid GPS/RF unit or two-piece solution?

1. May offerors respond with “not applicable” in response to this requirement, if appropriate?

ANSWER: Also, see answer to 7 above. Clause has been amended to delete the reference to the word “proximity.”

Question 39

Reference specification C.7.6, p.13:

“The transmitter shall have internal power capacity of at least one year without need for recharging or replace- ment. The contractor shall:

# Provide technology only requiring battery recharge a minimum of once every 12 hours (Specific to GPS technology);”

a. These two specifications contradict each other regarding GPS unit charging requirements. We respect- fully request the deletion of the phrase “for recharging” from the first specification.

ANSWER: The clause has been amended. The amended clauses follow the questions and answers

Question 40

Reference specification C.7.8, p.14 (specification in entirety)

a. Consistent with your current service levels, please confirm that the agency requires the following service level for Low Intensity GPS monitoring:

# GPS transmission rate of at least every 12 hours

# When in violation, the unit continues to transmit data at regularly scheduled intervals

b. The specification requires a GPS collection rate of one point collected every 12 hours. The industry standard, as well as the current service level in use by the agency, mandates that a GPS point is collected every minute. Please clarify the frequency of GPS point collection.

ANSWER: The clause has been amended. The amended clauses follow the questions and answers.

c. What GPS collection rate and reporting frequency is currently being provided by incumbent providers?

ANSWER: This information is not provided. Offerors are required to propose on the requirements as stated in the solicitation.

Question 41

Reference specification C.7.7, p.13 (specification in entirety)

a. Consistent with your current service levels, please confirm that the agency requires the following service level for High Intensity GPS monitoring:

# GPS transmission rate of at least every 4 hours

c. What GPS collection rate and reporting frequency is currently being provided by incumbent providers?

ANSWER: The clause has been amended. The amended clauses follow the questions and answers.

The GPS collection rate under the current contract is not provided. Offerors are required to propose on the requirements as stated in the solicitation.

Question 42

Reference specification C.9, p.14-15 (specification in entirety)

Please confirm that there are no key alerts associated with voice verification technology as stated in the RFP.

ANSWER: None that require a response from the contractor other than email.

Please confirm that the agency only requires email notifications for voice verification alerts and events as stated in the RFP.

ANSWER: Correct.

Please confirm that manual notification methods must be performed by a live operator on-site at the contractor’s monitoring center.

ANSWER: No, manual outbound calls will not be required for notifications although the monitoring center should have manpower available 24/7 to troubleshoot technical matters.

Question 43

Reference specification C.10, p.16-17:

“No more than 5 percent of the total alerts reported may be false alerts and the contractor shall provide this per- centage in their monthly reports to the contracting officer’s Technical Representative (COR).”

a. We are requesting the agency to further define a false alert. If the equipment or software is malfunction- ing, false alerts may be generated. However, if the equipment and software are functioning properly, alerts are generated based on the agency’s alert protocols. Only an investigation by the officer will ascertain if the alert is a situation where the participant is in noncompliance.

For example, an RF unit generates an “out of range” alert. The officer is notified of the alert and contacts the participant at the participant’s residence. Should the participant be within their residence and answer the phone, would this be considered a “false alert?”

ANSWER: Yes, this would be considered a false alert if the officer can confirm that the defendant/offend- er was in fact in range during the “out of range” alert.

Alternatively, the participant may have left the residence, is out of range of the receiver, but able to answer the officer’s call after the alert was generated. This is one example of the many, many instances of alert generation that could be labeled as “false” while the equipment and software is properly functioning.

ANSWER: This would not be considered a false alert.

Please provide a concise definition of what qualifies as a false alert.

ANSWER: A false alert is typically technical in nature – equipment or software malfunctions. Question 44 Reference specification C.10.1, p.16:

“In the event of cellular signal loss, the tracking unit shall be able to operate and store data for a minimum of 20 hours without charging.”

a. Please confirm that this requirement mandates equipment to continue to collect and store GPS data in the absence of cellular coverage.

b. Please confirm that this requirement mandates that when equipment regains cellular connectivity all stored location information (minimum of 20 hours) must be communicated to the contractor’s central monitor- ing computer.

ANSWER: The clause has been amended. The amended clauses follow the questions and answers

Question 45

Reference specification C.11, p.17:

“One software platform for officer “log-in” purposes is required to access data pertaining to any of the services and the platform shall have the capability to interface with the national case tracking system and management database which is currently Probation and Pretrial Services Automated Case Tracking System (PACTS).”

Please confirm that this requirement mandates a single user name and password for log-in activities.

Answer: Correct

“There are five types of transactions targeted from the interface between the contractor’s database and PACTS. The contractor shall establish functionality that will allow the following transactions:

# Key alerts from location monitoring software as a chronological (chrono) record.

# Schedule changes captured as chrono entries.

# Enroll (add, update, list, inactivation, reactivation) clients from PACTS. This could be via a portal in

PACTS.

# Inventory equipment at the office (not merely district) level. This could be via a portal in PACTS.

# Transmit invoice data electronically for upload/insertion into PACTS.”

b. Please describe the current functionalities and data fields of the PACTS system: Does PACTS currently have enrollment capabilities?

Does PACTS currently have inventory management capabilities? Does PACTS currently have electronic invoicing capabilities?

Please clarify what invoice data will be required for upload into the PACTS system.

ANSWER: The requirement for the contractor’s database to establish functionality with PACTS regard- ing the five types of transactions targeted above is deleted. The clause has been amended. The amended clauses follow the questions and answers

Question 46

Reference specification C.11.1, p.17:

“The contractor shall not relocate the monitoring center or any of the operations of the monitoring center to a separate location without notification of the COR. This notification shall be received at a minimum of 6 months prior to the operational change to allow the COR to formally inspect the proposed location and operations.”

a. Please confirm that an inspection of the offeror’s monitoring center will also be performed as part of this proposal evaluation.

ANSWER: No, an inspection will only occur if after an award, the monitoring center relocates. Question 47 Reference specification C.11.2.1, p.18 (specification in entirety)

a. Please define the number of additional fields and the extent of customization that will be required.

b. Please provide a list of reports, and the content required in each report, that are expected to be provided to meet this specification.

i. Can the agency please provide examples of the content and customization required?

ANSWER: The clause has been amended to delete the requirement for “additional fields to allow for loc- al customization.” The amended clauses follow the questions and answers

Question 48

Reference specification C.11.2.3, p.18:

“The system shall provide management/supervisor’s reports, including caseload by officer, total units, inventory control, and names of defendant/offender and number of days removed for violation or order of the court.

a. Please define “number of days removed for violation.”

ANSWER: The clause has been revised to delete the “number of days” language. deleted. The amended clauses follow the questions and answers

Question 49

Reference specification C.11.4, p.19 (section in entirety)

a. Please confirm that full time, on-site staff located in the monitoring center 24/7/365 are required to meet this specification.

ANSWER: Yes, correct. Question 50 Reference specification C.11.4.2, p.20:

“The contractor shall “suspend” charging the daily rate any time there are inoperable units which are not the fault of the government, including in the event of a natural disaster.”

a. Please confirm that the definition of inoperable means the equipment is no longer functioning in any ca- pacity, at the fault of the vendor and not on third party systems that all vendors rely upon, such as GPS satel- lites, cellular networks, etc.

ANSWER: Yes, Correct. Question 51 Reference specification C.16, p.22:

“The contactor shall provide hands-on training that must be approved in advance by the COR and shall not ex- ceed a total of 5 trips per year. All technology and travel expenses associated with any training shall be the fin- ancial responsibility of the contractor.”

a. Please confirm that these five trainings occur at potentially each of the 94 districts.

ANSWER: No, the contractor is not required to provide more than 5 total trips per year nationally. Question 52 Reference specification C.20, p.22:

“Billing shall terminate once an officer notifies the contractor via telephone or via the contractor’s activity web- site that monitoring has been terminated.” add more spec to confirm that we are talking about billing the parti- cipant and not the agency.

ANSWER: When the contractor has been notified that monitoring has terminated, that is the last billing date - regardless of who the contractor is billing.

Please confirm that co-payment participant billing is complete when location monitoring is finished.

ANSWER: Yes.

If not, how will the vendor know when a participant’s supervision is complete?

ANSWER: N/A Question 53 Reference specification C.28.6, p.28:

“The contractor shall provide each agency with remote access to the monitoring system. The following item totals as needed by the agency shall be made available by the tenth day of every month:

Payments made by districts to the contractor.”

Please confirm that “payments made by districts to the contractor” means payments received from each district during the last billing month.

ANSWER: Correct. Question 54 Reference specification C.29, p.29 (specification in entirety)

1. Please confirm that the beta testing requirement is to be met by offerors at the date of proposal submis- sion.

1. Please explain how the agency will validate that all monitoring equipment has completed beta testing.

1. Please confirm that the agency will review, as part of the beta period, evaluation criteria such as: the length of time in the field, number of customer agencies using the device, how long each agency used the device, number of offenders monitored, etc.

ANSWER: The requirement for beta testing has been deleted. The quality of the proposed devices will be evaluated through the past performance evaluation analysis.

Question 55

Reference Section G, p.31 (Section in entirety)

Is this section required to be populated and returned with an offeror’s proposal? If so, where should this documentation be located within an offeror’s response?

ANSWER: The name and contact information for the Contractor’s Representative is required. It is not a mandatory requirement that it be provided in Section G, Clause 7-10. However, the information should be easily accessible in your Business Proposal.

Question 56

Reference specification L.2, p.40 (specification in entirety)

a. Are offerors required to separately seal Volume I: Business Proposal?

ANSWER: No. Question 57 Reference Attachment A – Pricing Schedule

CLINs 1006, 2006, 3006, 4006, and 5006

1. Most offerors provide cellular RF monitoring from a single unit, as opposed to two pieces of equipment.

We respectfully request that the agency change CLINS 1006, 2006, 3006, 4006, and 5006 from a “cellular add-on” to RF cellular total unit price (consisting of all components of an RF cellular solution).

ANSWER: Attachment A has been amended to replace “cellular add-on” with “RF Cellular”. The amended clauses follow the questions and answers

1. b. Please verify the “Total # of Units Utilized Per Year/Average Days Per Year.”

ANSWER: The Total # of Units Utilized Per Year/Average Days Per Year has been reviewed and is ac- curate with the exception of GPS (Active). CLIN 1003 has been increased to 700 for the base year with incremental increases throughout the option periods. Attachment A has been amended to reflect this in- crease.

Question 58

The PDF file version of this solicitation that is posted on FedBizOps is imaged, thus it is not conducive for cut- ting and pasting necessary for preparing questions & answers, proposal responses and other preparatory steps. Will you please provide the complete solicitation, or minimally the Description/Specifications/Work Statement, in an editable MSWord format via an updated file posting on FedBizOps?

ANSWER: The amendment including Sections C and L will be posted as an editable version. Question 59 – Several parts When does the AOUSC anticipate distributing answers to questions?

ANSWER: All amendments are posted to FedBizOps as soon as possible.

The AOUSC’s responses to questions are essential, directly relate to our proposal preparation and thus, upon re- ceipt of the AOUSC’s answers, these require integration into proposer’s business cases and proposals. Please also note that leading vendors commonly ship proposals two days in advance to mitigate the potential for delays in shipment/delivery. These points made, will the AOUSC please provide any necessary extension of the pro-posal due date to allow at least two (2) weeks from the AOUSC’s distribution of answers to vendor questions until the proposal due date?

ANSWER: The AOUSC will consider an extension when/if the necessity occurs. When is the anticipated intent to award and/or award date?

ANSWER: The anticipated award date is June 1, 2014.

When is the anticipated date for commencement of services under the new contract?

ANSWER: Services shall begin upon award of the contract.

When are services anticipated to be fully transitioned to the new contract/contractor?

ANSWER: All services are anticipated to be transitioned to the new contractor within 90 days.

Will all proposers be simultaneously advised of the intent to award and, if so, by what method (email?, posting on FedBizOps? Other?)

ANSWER: All offerors will be advised on the same date via email. The award announcement will also be posted on FedBizOps.

Are price/business proposals evaluated by the same or different evaluation committee members?

ANSWER: No.

Are evaluation committee members who score technical proposal elements apprised of pricing/business propos- als in advance of scoring technical proposal elements?

ANSWER: No, Question 60 Solicitation pages 6 & 7, item “C.2 Size and Scope of the Contract” calls out:“…The Contractor(s) shall be re- sponsible for monitoring approximately…………….

a. With regard the plural use of the term “The Contractor(s)”, is this indicative that the AOUSC will consider awards to multiple “Contractor(s)”?

ANSWER: No. A single award is anticipated.

Is “Contractor(s)” indicative that the AOUSC will consider awards to multiple “Contractor(s)” per technology type?

ANSWER: No. The contract will be awarded to one contractor that can provide all technology types at the most advantageous price to the government.

Is there a maximum number of “Contractor(s)” the AOUSC would consider awarding in each technology type?

ANSWER: N/A

Is Attachment A, column labeled “Total # of Units Utilized Per Year/Average Days Per Year” for “Base Period 0001” indicative of the average daily population inclusive of all federal districts nation-wide?

If NOT, will you please provide the average daily population for all districts nationwide and depict this for each specified technology/service type?

ANSWER: N/A

As a general indicative footprint necessary for post-award deployment, training, support, etc., will you please provide how the “Total # of Units Utilized Per Year/Average Days Per Year” for “Base Period 0001” is anticipated to breakdown by federal district via a listing of federal district names and the associated volume for each model (Radio Frequency (RF), Active GPS Transmitters, High In- tensity GPS, Low-Intensity GPS, Voice Verification, Cellular Add-On (RF)) (Please note: If the AOUSC PMD does not have this data, your incumbent contractors do and are required under contract to provide it to you upon request – If necessary to obtain it, will you please request it from your incumbent contactor(s) and provide it in response to this question so as to establish a level playing field/visibility to all prospective proposers?)

If not, will you please provide a listing of federal districts who are present users and kindly indicate which mod- els (Radio Frequency (RF), Active GPS Transmitters, High Intensity GPS, Low-Intensity GPS, Voice Verifica- tion, Cellular Add-On (RF)) are of interest to each district?

ANSWER: This information is not provided. The total number of units per year is provided for each technology and offerors should plan on providing each technology to all 94 districts.

What percentage of the existing federal districts using the “Location Monitoring Equipment and Monitoring Services” that make up the “Total # of Units Utilized Per Year/Average Days Per Year” for “Base Period 0001” have confirmed a general indication to utilize the contract resulting from this solicitation versus contracting for their own district level contract via independent purchase order?

ANSWER: We will not provide percentages. Offerors should price proposals based upon the quantities provided in the solicitation.

With regard to “…NOTE: *The number of active units may also be represented in the high and low intensity unit counts” - Is this indicative that the…