USCA18R0090_Questions_and_Answers.docx

Question 1 For market research and education purposes, will AOUSC accept proposals from companies that do not meet all of the BPA requirements (i.e. software providers)?

No.

Question 2 In BPA document USCA18R0090 under L-1 Instructions on page 26 it states, “the technical proposals shall be Microsoft Word documents with no smaller than Times New Roman 11-point font." Based on industry readable standard, will the government allow 9-point font for graphic and tables?

Yes. Times New Roman 9-point font is acceptable for graphics and tables.

Question 3 May the offeror's BPA and Call proposal documents include figures and tables with a font smaller than Times New Roman 11-pt (for example, 9-pt or 10-pt)?

See question 2.

Question 4 Is there a ceiling value for this BPA?

A ceiling value is not available at this time.

Question 5 For pricing purposes, what is the estimated BPA period of performance start date?

The start date will be determined based on when an award is made.

Question 6 For pricing purposes, would the Government please specify the anticipated ordering period start date for the BPA.

See Question 5.

Question 7 Is there an incumbent on this contract? If so, please provide the incumbent name, current contract number, length, value of the contract?

An incumbent, Salient CRGT, exists for some aspects of the operations and maintenance part of the work envisioned under this BPA.

Question 8 We are inquiring if there are incumbents in place for this BPA and/or the two other BPA calls as well, or if this is a new opportunity altogether?

See Question 7. An incumbent exists for some aspects of the operations and maintenance part of the work. All other work under this BPA is considered new.

Question 9 Could the government please provide with the historical level of effort for this?

There is no historical level of effort available for the scope of this BPA.

Question 10 How many incumbent resources are currently supporting the existing contract?

The number of resources varies depending on the work effort required.

Question 11 Are there any firms currently providing support as defined, or similar to, the work scope identified by the BPA and the Calls? If so please identify these companies. If so please identify when their current agreements expire.

See Questions 7-10.

Question 12 Is there an incumbent provider for any of the three BPA calls?

See Question 7-8.

Question 13 How many awards does AOUSC intend to make?

The Government intends to make a single award. See “Basis of Award” under M-1 Evaluation Criteria in solicitation document USCA18R0090.

Question 14 There is a lot of synergy between the three documents - USCA18R0090, USCA18BPAC1012, USCA18BPAC1011. We presume these are meant to be taken individually and independently, correct?

All the documents are related and to be taken individually and independently. USCA18R0090 will eventually become the base blanket purchase agreement (BPA) defining the scope of work envisioned for the duration of the BPA. BPA Calls USCA18PAC1010, USCA18PAC1011, and USCA18BPAC1012 are specific work efforts to be performed and executed by the awardee.

Question 15 For the development of the data models (USCA18BPAC1012), we presume that we will be integrating and synthesizing from existing data sources into a cohesive union. We were wondering whether introducing an industry standard (e.g., Justice Standard XML Data Dictionary) was considered as well as a starting off point.

The Government anticipates that data will be integrated and synthesized from data sources into a cohesive union utilizing a mature industry standard process.

Question 16 Will the enterprise data warehouse being built as part of USCA18R0090 be used to physically implement the logical data models defined in USCA18BPAC1012? Is there an interdependency between the two (e.g., the models must be defined before they can be implemented in the data warehouse)?

At some point, the Government does anticipate a convergence of work.

Question 17 Can offerors assume that the output of the modeling required in BPA Call 3 (USCA18BPAC1012) is available before this work on BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) will commence?

No. The Offeror should not expect that all models required in USCABPAC181012 will be available before work under USCABPAC181010 will commence.

Question 18 For BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) in section C.3.1 and CLIN 0001, can the Government provide details on the ETL jobs required for each of the eight systems to be migrated to IEDW? For each, how many sources? What are the ETL technologies in use? How many jobs? How many entities and attributes for each?

The Government cannot anticipate how many ETL jobs, data sources, entities, or attributes that will be needed for the eight programs, as this info will not be known until comprehensive requirements analysis has been completed.

Question 19 For BPA Call 1(USCA18BPAC1010), which technologies in section C.2 have been selected for IEDW?

Please refer to section C.2, as the Government does not currently anticipate a change in technologies.

Question 20 For the enterprise data warehouse (USCA18R0090), we do have a modern best practice reference architecture and software stack in mind that meets their requirements. Can we presume that our proposal will include the design, development and operational maintenance services for the enterprise data warehouse but not include the software until after the design is approved? Obviously, our assumptions on maintenance and support will be based on the technology solution selected.

Work under this BPA will not include software purchases. Please refer to section C.2 of BPA Call USCA18BPAC1010, as the Government does not currently anticipate a change in technologies.

Question 21 For BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) Clause H-4 and BPA USCA18R0090 Clause H-5, what are the business continuity/availability/disaster recovery requirements for IEDW?

For BPA Call 1, the Government expects all contract staff to work from an alternate location (if possible) such as their residence or other public places where access to the internet is available and in accordance with the AO’s Operational Status.

Disaster Recovery/COOP focuses on performing only a limited set of critical agency-level essential functions immediately after a crisis. COOP activation typically must be sustained for at least or up to 30 days at an alternate location. AO Essential Functions are identified at the agency-level and approved by the AO’s Executive Management Group.

Question 22 For BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010), will the selected offeror be responsible for the ultimate sunset and decommissioning of the eight selected systems to be migrated to IEDW?

It is reasonable to anticipate that the Offeror will be expected to sunset all eight systems listed in BPA Call 1.

Question 23 For BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) section C.4.1.5, will the IEDW gap analysis be limited to identification of errors or issues found in the as-is systems or will it also address new requirements and future needs?

The Gap Analysis will include errors, missing functionality, or issues found in the as-is systems, but future and new requirements will be addressed in future BPA calls.

Question 24 For BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) section C.4.1.10, what is the Government's preferred process for performing Database Validation and addressing issues that may be identified from that process? What role will the Government play in this process?

The Government will not recommend a particular process, as the contractor shall employ a mature industry standard process. The Government will provide oversight and serve as the approval authority.

Question 25 What licensing for Tableau does the government currently use? Is it Core, Named User, or Subscription licensing?

The Government has Enterprise Server core based and named desktop user licenses.

Question 26 What is the current software version of Tableau in use at AOUSC?

The Government utilizes Tableau version 10.4.3 Question 27 For BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) section C.3.4, are there existing telephony or email solutions that will be provided by the Government or will the offeror provide?

The Government will provide email and telephony resources.

Question 28 For BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) section C.3.4, are the instances of HEAT and JIRA mentioned in Task 1 managed by the Government?

Yes. The instances of HEAT and JIRA mentioned in Task 1 are managed by the Government.

Question 29 For BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) section C.3.4 and C.4.4.1, The severity level 1-4 requires response times ranging from 15 minutes to 8 hours. Section C.3.4 says “All reported issues shall be acknowledged within 24 hours.” Section C.4.4.1 provides target response times ranging from 15 minutes to 8 hours based on severity level. We recommend revising Section C.3.4 to read “All reported issues shall be responded to in accordance with Section C.4.4.1.” How does the 24-hour requirement align with the severity matrix in C.4.4.1?

The Government agrees with the recommendation and the text of section C.3.4 of this BPA call is updated to say, “All reported issues shall be responded to in accordance with Section C.4.4.1”. Please see the updated BPA Call document “USCA18BPAC1010 v2”.

Question 30 On BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) section C.4.4.2, it is stated that "used to record, track, route, and report on issues that have been escalated from Tier I to Tier’s II and/or III." Are all of these accompanied by direct calls, emails, or chats from Tier I, or created and escalated through HEAT from Tier I to Tiers II and/or III?

All issues are to be recorded, tracked, routed and reported on using HEAT, but can be accompanied by direct calls, emails, or chat messages.

Question 31 On BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) section C.4.4.3, is there a centralized knowledge management system within HEAT that will be used for publishing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)?

Yes. HEAT does have centralized knowledge management system functionality that can be used for publishing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

Question 32 On BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) section C.4.4.4, it states, "The contractor shall install, test, and validate all Linux, Windows, Oracle, SQL Server, MY SQL Informix, and third-party patches applicable to JDAO's applications, including the on-premise version of SharePoint, existing data warehouses and the IEDW each month." Please provide existing knowledge documents and/or SOPs for the existing environment and warehouses that will be furnished.

The Government will provide the necessary documentation to the contractor post award.

Question 33 On BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) section C.4.4.1, the Help Desk response times listed are for issues reported during normal business hours. Will the Government please identify the response time requirements for issues reported outside of normal business hours?

The Government does not have published Help Desk response times for issues that are reported outside normal business hours, as the response time will vary based upon the ‘occasional’ after hour/emergency work that is expected to be performed.

Question 34 On BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) section C.4.4.1, the Help Desk resolution times do not indicate whether these are for issues reported during normal business hours. Will the Government please clarify?

The resolution times with the noted exceptions listed in C.4.4.1, are for issues reported during normal business hours.

Question 35 On BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) section C.4.3, would the Government please identify all tools, specifically cyber-security tools, in use today?

Cybersecurity tools in use are based on known business needs and subject to change. Some of the cybersecurity software tools in use include, ‘Host Intrusion Prevention System’, Cyber Security Asset Management (CSAM) tool, Fortify, Nessus, AppDetectivePRO, and Splunk. For other software, please refer to section C.2 Question 36 On BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) section C.4.4, can these services be performed remotely (within the United States), or does the government require these services to be performed from the Administrative Office location?

Yes. These services can be performed remotely within the United States.

Question 37 On BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) section C.2, will the Government please provide additional volumetrics information on the data (for example, how much data is undergoing ETL daily, what are the sizes of the current databases)?

The databases vary in size from 20 gigabytes to over 4 terabytes and continue to grow, as some require data to be replicated in real-time. In addition, the number of ETL jobs will depend on the program/project.

Question 38 On BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) section C.2, would the Government please provide their SDLC, including roles and responsibilities for configuration and release management. In addition, would the Government please describe the technical environments, including development, test and production?

The SDLC process currently followed varies by project/program, as some are waterfall, some are agile, and some are iterative and incremental. However, as referenced in C.3, the Government expects the contractor to employ a mature industry standard process for the management and execution of all project/task activities required to support the Government with the work outlined. Please refer to section C.2 for the technical environment information.

Question 39 For BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) section F-2, Place of Performance is defined as "The AOUSC building located at One Columbus Circle Northeast, Washington, DC 20002 or at contractor site pending approval by the COR." What are the exact requirements that need to be met for approval of an offeror site by the COR (e.g. distance from Washington Metro Area, any special security requirements for facility)?

The specific Government requirements related to working offsite can be discussed with the Government COR post award, as there are some security considerations.

Question 40 On BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010), C.2 Current Environment it is identified that, "The development and testing environments are located in the Ashburn Data Center, and the production environment is located in the San Diego Data Center." Is there an expectation that the Contractor will be staffing personnel at those locations or is there anticipation that there will be travel of some periodic to those locations and if so how frequently and for what duration?

The Government has no expectation of requiring contract resources to staff our Data Centers. Any work related to the technical environments, can be accomplished via remote access.

Question 41 For BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) section F-2, if an offeror's site is approved, will the Government furnished remote access capability be provided by the Government? Would this consist of enabling a network endpoint at an offeror site or VPN/VM access? This directly impacts software chat capabilities identified as one of three channels for support.

Yes, the Government will provide remote access capabilities.

Question 42 On BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010), for pricing purposes, what is the estimated Call order period of performance start date? The period of performance is stated as from the date of award for twelve months.

The exact period of performance is not known at this time and is dependent on making an award decision. The period of performance is expected to be from the date of award for twelve months.

Question 43 On BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010), how many on-site spaces will be provided by the government to support this BPA Call?

The number of spaces will depend on many variables, such as, the priority of a particular effort, status, deadline and the phase the project is in.

Question 44 On BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010), the period of performance is indicated at twelve months from date of award. Is it expected that a fully integrated EDW will be completed by that time?

The Government anticipates that the eight program areas identified in Call 1 can be fully integrated into the IEDW during that time period. But, future BPA calls are anticipated for additional work to eventually establish a fully integrated IEDW.

Question 45 For BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010), how many people are performing this function today?

The number of resources fluctuate based on project priority, and tasks, and assignments.

Question 46 For the BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) Price Proposal, pricing for CLIN 0001 and CLIN 0002 shall be based on the labor categories and rates on Attachment A – BPA Pricing Sheet. Are offerors permitted to provide discounts on the proposed rates contained within the Attachment A - BPA Pricing Sheet?

Offerors are permitted to provide further discounting of the rates for CLIN 0001 and CLIN 0002 on BPA Call USCA18BPAC1010 if desired. The offeror must make this clear to the government in their price proposal if any rates are further discounted for BPA Call USCA18BPAC1010.

Question 47 For the BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) Price Proposal, for CLIN 0003, in a separate Microsoft Excel document, the offeror shall provide a breakdown of the labor categories and rates used to calculate the fixed price for CLIN 0003. In accordance with RFP Section G-2 Ordering Procedures, please confirm that offerors are not required to use the rates contained within Attachment A - BPA Pricing Sheet to develop their FFP bid, but may use other rates as appropriate.

Correct. Per Section G-2 Ordering Procedures, the offeror can use other rates as appropriate for FFP pricing.

Question 48 Per clause G-2 Ordering Procedures on document USCA18R0090, it states travel is to be include in BPA Call proposals and separately priced, however, there is no travel CLIN specified in BPA Call 1 (USCA18R0090 for the T&M and FFP CLINS). Would the Government please add a travel CLIN to Call 1?

No travel CLIN will be added to BPA Call 1 USCA18BPAC1010 as the government does not anticipate travel for this effort.

Question 49 For BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010), the experience qualifications for the Key Personnel Data Architect labor category says 12 years of progressive experience, which does not match the labor qualifications in Attachment A – BPA Pricing Sheet (10 years of relevant experience). Please confirm the Attachment A labor qualifications take precedence.

The Government will revise the Attachment A - BPA Pricing sheet to reflect 12 years of relevant experience for the Data Architect. Please see “Attachment A – BPA Pricing Sheet v2”.

Question 50 On BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010), the Government is requiring help desk support services, but did not include a labor category in Attachment A – BPA Pricing Sheet other than the Help Desk Coordinator. Will the Government consider adding a new labor category for help desk services?

The Government does not intend to add a new labor category for help desk services.

Question 51 For BPA Call 2 (USCA18BPAC1011), will the Government be responsible for deployment of the publicly available dashboard/visualization on existing publicly accessible platforms? If not, can the Government describe the selected Offerors responsibilities in this area?

The Government will provide oversight for this task. However, the contractor shall assist the Government with the entire SDLC process, which will involve requirements, analysis, design, development, and testing (which includes functional integration, security, performance, and user acceptance testing. The Contractor may need to modify the JavaScript may need to be modified based on the code generated by Tableau in order to enable the views. Extensive security and performance testing of a workbook, data visualization, and prototype on different servers/platforms leveraging firewalls/proxy servers, etc. may be required. For more information, please refer to sections C.3 and C.4 of this BPA Call.

Question 52 For BPA Call 2 (USCA18BPAC1011), how many people are performing this function today?

The number of resources fluctuate based on project priority, tasks, and assignments.

Question 53 For BPA Call 2 (USCA18BPAC1011), how many on-site spaces will be provided by the government to support this BPA Call?

The number of spaces will depend on many variables, such as, the priority of a particular effort, status, deadline and the phase the project is in.

Question 54 On BPA Call 2 (USCA18BPAC1011), for pricing purposes, what is the estimated Call order period of performance start date? The period of performance is stated as from the date of award for six months.

The exact period of performance is not known at this time and is dependent on making an award decision. The period of performance is expected to be from the date of award for six months.

Question 55 For BPA Call 3 (USCA18BPAC1012), does the Government have a preferred metadata management tool in which they would like the metadata to be populated for use by the Data Governance Board and user access? There is no mention of a metadata tool in this call.

No. There is no preferred metadata management tool within the agency.

Question 56 For BPA Call 3 (USCA18BPAC1012), does the Government have a metrics driven data quality program that the Offerors work will need to support? If so, please provide.

The Government captures and utilizes various metrics in order to assess data quality, but we have not implemented a specific data quality program.

Question 57 For BPA Call 3 (USCA18BPAC1012) section C.4.1.3, can the Government provide the number of roles and entities that will be required in the respective CRUD matrices?

In order to provide this information, a comprehensive requirements analysis will need to be completed first.

Question 58 For BPA Call 3 (USCA18BPAC1012), how many people are performing this function today?

The number fluctuates based on project priority, tasks, deadlines and deliverables.

Question 59 For BPA Call 3 (USCA18BPAC1012), how many on-site spaces will be provided by the government to support this BPA Call?

The number of spaces will depend on many variables, such as, the priority of a particular effort, status, deadline and the phase the project is in.

Question 60 On BPA Call 3 (USCA18BPAC1012), for pricing purposes, what is the estimated Call order period of performance start date? The period of performance is stated as from the date of award for eighteen months.

The exact period of performance is not known at this time and is dependent on making an award decision. The period of performance is expected to be from the date of award for eighteen months.

Question 61 In neither the BPA nor the Calls is there any reference to "transitioning" from the existing support service. What is the expectation for the Contractor in proposing and pricing a transition effort and period so as to ensure continuity of service? Does the current support service arrangement provide for transitioning and, if so, can AOUSC make the requirements known for planning, BOE and pricing purposes?

The government may require transition, but the details are not known at this time. The government will provide details of any transition, as needed.

Question 62 Does the Government anticipate transition as part of these 3 BPA calls?

See Question 61.

Question 63 As it relates to USCA18R0090 C-1 3.0 Functional Area 1, the Government requires seamless data integration with other existing systems. Will the Government please provide a list of the existing systems?

The Government cannot provide a complete list of systems that require seamless integration with the IEDW as some of these initiatives are still in the planning stages and have not been approved. Once approved, work will be included in future BPA calls. Please refer to BPA Call USCA18BPAC1010 for some of the approved systems.

Question 64 As it relates to USCA18R0090 C-1 3.0 Functional Area 5, the Government identifies the requirement to build and test processes in enterprise platforms including but not limited to SharePoint Online. Will the Government please identify the other platforms that may be required?

Other enterprise platforms that may require building and testing processes are the Enterprise Data Warehouse, Enterprise Metadata Management tool.

Question 65 For Attachment A - BPA Pricing Sheet in regard to Labor Category education requirements, will the government allow a substitution of experience for a degree? For example, substituting 4 years additional experience for a bachelor’s degree or bachelor’s plus 2 years additional experience for a master’s.

No. The Government will not allow a substitution of experience for a degree.

Question 66 Does the Government anticipate software or tool purchases under this BPA?

No.

Question 67 Per L-1 Instructions for all the BPA Calls, we assume that the offeror may provide key personnel in addition to those specified in the solicitation that are consistent with their approach to each Call Order. Please confirm.

No. The offerors shall only provide key personnel for the specific roles identified for each BPA call. For BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010), the offeror shall provide key personnel for one Technical Project Manager, one Data Architect, and one Help Desk Coordinator. For BPA Call 2 (USCA18BPAC1011), the offeror shall provide key personnel for two Data Visualization Developers and one Data Analyst. For BPA Call 3 (USCA18BPAC1012), the offeror shall provide key personnel for one Technical Project Manager.

Question 68 Per L-1 Instructions for all the BPA Calls, as integrated teams have formed to provide the Government with best of breed resources and skill sets, will the Government allow subcontractors to fulfill Key Personnel positions.

No. Subcontractors are not permitted to fulfill key personnel positions.

Question 69 For our proposed Key Personnel, is their prior experience with AOUSC required or preferred?

No.

Question 70 Would AOUSC giving more weightage points for key personnel with prior experience from AOUSC?

No. Key Personnel will be evaluated in accordance with the stated evaluation criteria in M-1 Evaluation Criteria of the solicitation.

Question 71 Will the government consider allowing subcontractor resumes for one of the Data Visualization key personnel positions under BPA Call 2 (USCA18BPAC1011)?

See Question 68.

Question 72 Will the government allow more than one resource to be submitted as the data architect on BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010) or can the proposed resource be part-time with other senior data architects identified as non-key personnel?

The offeror shall provide one individual to serve in the Data Architect key personnel role.

Question 73 On document USCA18R0090 for the key personnel position of Help Desk Coordinator on BPA Call 1 (USCA18BPAC1010), can the government define the acronym ADP that is listed under Experience?

The acronym ADP stands for Automated Data Processing environment (leverages resources to gather, store, modify, prepare and distribute data).

Question 74 On USCA18R0090, under Past Performance in L-1 Instructions, Part A – Base BPA, item 2b, it is clear that 5 past performances are important in the evaluation criteria. It is also clear that teaming is valued to bring the best resources together from across industry. Will the government accept up to 2 of the 5 past performance references from a subcontractor on the prime offeror’s team?

No. The Government will not accept up to 2 of the 5 past performance references from a subcontractor on the prime offeror’s team.

Question 75 On USCA18R0090, under Past Performance in L-1 Instructions, Part A – Base BPA, item 2b, can the government define what encompasses the term Offeror? Does that include any subcontractors that would be bid?

The offeror is the one who is submitting the proposal and is considered the prime. The proposal can include subcontractors if the offeror chooses to utilize subcontractors in performing the work for this requirement. As it relates to Past Performance in L-1 Instructions, Part A – Base BPA, item 2b, the offeror can have performed the work in either a prime or subcontractor capacity.

Question 76 On USCA18R0090, under Past Performance in L-1 Instructions, Part A – Base BPA, item 2b, for the Data Visualization past performance, does it have to be a Tableau only or any other similar COTS products would suffice?

The data visualization past performance does not have to be Tableau. It can be Tableau or any other similar COTS product.

Question 77 On Page 25 of the solicitation, under 2.0 Instructions, 2)b. Past Performance, the following is stated:

“Performance can have occurred in either a prime or subcontractor capacity provided that the offeror was directly responsible for successful performance and delivery.” In this statement does the term offeror refer to the Team submitting the proposal, or the Prime contractor of the team submitting the proposal? For example, If A Corp was going to put together a team of A Corp, B Corp, and C Corp (Team A Corp being the offeror for the response to solicitation), if C Corp brought a past performance to the table that A Corp was not directly responsible for, would it be allowed under past performance requirements of this solicitation?

The offeror is the prime contractor submitting the proposal. For past performance, the prime contractor shall have performed the work in either a prime role or as a subcontractor. In the example above, A Corp must have been directly responsible for the work. A C Corp past performance that A Corp was not directly responsible for is not permitted.

Question 78 Evaluation factor 4 states the evaluation of the offeror's risk management plan. However, the Call 1 task description states that the Risk Management Plan and Register will be produced for each program area/project as part of the Call scope of work. Will the Government please clarify what will be evaluated for Factor 4 related to Risk Management?

The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s Risk Management Plan, as described in Evaluation Factor 4. Risk Management will be evaluated based on how the offeror plans to identify and mitigate risks for the work required under BPA Call 1 USCA18BPAC1010.

Question 79 Clause 1-5 Conflict of Interest on solicitation USCA18R0090 says work under existing contracts may create a future conflict of interest that could prohibit the contractor from competing for, or being awarded future judiciary contracts due to: a) Unequal Access to Information, b) Competitive Advantage, c) Impaired Objectivity. Will the AOUSC preclude contractors performing such or similar services from participating on the procurement, to include offering services, as this is a new requirement and not a “follow-on” to an existing arrangement?

The government sees no conflict of interest for this solicitation.

Question 80 Document USCA18R0090 L-1 Instructions, 2.0 Instructions, Part A Base BPA, item 2a says “Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Certification – The offeror shall provide evidence they have achieved an organizational CMMI Maturity Level 3 or higher. Evidence shall be any documentation that clearly indicates this status. The Government reserves the right to verify and validate the offeror’s rating. If the offeror does not provide evidence, its proposal will be rejected and not evaluated further.” Please discuss the Government’s willingness to allow past performance as a substitute for the CMMI-3 requirement. The typical purpose of CMMI-3 certification is to demonstrate evidence of being able to perform consistently using established processes. Those processes can be whatever processes the certifier wishes them to be, and while they may not even be effective or efficient, they will at least be consistent. In the past, the Government required CMMI-3 when supporting traditional waterfall-type development, and the Government wanted to see younger, smaller companies without a rich history of past performance to demonstrate that they have documented approaches towards executing projects. Today, agile-style approaches work better than waterfall-style, and there is debate on both sides as to how well CMMI-3 enhances the outcome of the former. The Department of Defense recognized this and removed CMMI certification requirements from its acquisition strategies. Our suggestion is to remove the requirement to allow qualified bidders who can provide significant value to Courts to bid as prime and allow their past performance to be used as a yardstick for process consistency, quality, and effectiveness.

While we cannot speak to the decisions made by the Department of Defense, the Judiciary will leave the CMMI – Level 3 requirement as is for this solicitation.

Question 81 Would the Government extend the proposal submission time by 4 weeks to allow offerors time to analyze responses to the questions and develop a comprehensive solution?

The government will extend the due date of proposals to Wednesday September 12, 2018 at 12PM EST.

Question 82 We request a three (3) week extension for the proposal submission given the answers to our questions have a significant impact on our assessment of how we would/can proceed in preparing a response to the requirements.

See Question 81.

Question 83 We hope that with the interest of increasing competition the Government will grant our request for a two-week extension of the due date to September 13th, 2018 so we may respond. We thank you for the consideration of this request.

See Question 81.