Questions and Answers Spreadsheet USCA24R0030 05222024.xlsx

Sheet1

The Deployment Plan referenced in Section 1.F of the main solicitation and Attachment 24 shall not exceed 15 pages.

This information has been added to SOW Section L, under 1.F Deployment Plan.

Attachment 3 is to be populated and submitted by the offeror's past performance reference. The contract number shall reflect the contract number for that reference and not our solicitation number. This is for Past Performance.

3 JMS RFP USCA24R0030 – MAIN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT C.7.3.1 Attendance Business Functions

“Additionally, it is imperative to highlight that integration with the Government’s financial management system, Momentum, is a mandatory requirement for the web-based JMS.”

Please identify all financial management systems required to interface with the web-based JMS. Is FAS4T still in use or is Momentum the only financial application in production?

Government Answer:

The only financial management system the web-based JMS shall be required to interface with is Momentum (JIFMS). FAS4T was decommissioned and is not in use by the judiciary.

4 JMS RFP USCA24R0030 – MAIN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT C.7.7.6 Proximity History Entries

“The Contractor shall create a proximity solution that can record history entries in the juror’s database record following completion of specific proximity functions.”

Please define “specific proximity functions”.

Government Answer:

For the proximity solution, "specific proximity functions" is defined as the following:

• A juror checking into attendance.

• A juror checking out of attendance.

• An update to the juror's race.

• An update to the juror's gender (Male or Female).

• An update to the juror's Hispanic question (Are you Hispanic or Latino?).

• An update to the juror's date of birth (DOB).

• An update to the juror's social security number (SSN).

• An update to the juror's personal information (First Name, Last Name, Street Address, City, State, Zip Code, Contact Phone, Email Address).

• An update to the parking fee question (Do you have parking expenses today?).

• An update if the juror completes an exit survey.

This information has been added to SOW Section C.7.7.6 with Proximity History Entries.

5 JMS RFP USCA24R0030 – MAIN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT C.9 Training

“...The curricula shall reflect the diversity of employee backgrounds and their roles in the court or agency’s organization.”

Do training materials need to be developed in languages other than English?

Government Answer:

No, the training materials only need to be developed in the English language.

6 JMS RFP USCA24R0030 – MAIN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT 1.C Technical Capability (Project Management)

“Moreover, they shall outline their strategy for ensuring security of the web-based solution, including risk assessments, security protocols, and compliance with relevant standards and regulations.”

Please define “relevant standards and regulations” Government Answer:

"Relevant standards and regulations" are outlined in section C.17.2 (System Security Plan), as pertaining to security guidance, any conflicts within the following documents shall flow in order of precedence as listed below:

• Judiciary Information Security Framework (JISF) (refer to Attachment 23(a) - Judiciary Information Security Framework (JISF), Attachment 23(b) - Judiciary Information Security Framework (JISF) Appendix B, and Attachment 23(c) - Guide to Implementing the Judiciary Information Security Framework, version 2.5)

• Judiciary Security Guidance(s) and Policy

• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Guidance(s) (which includes but is not limited NIST 800-37, 800-39, and NIST 800-53 Rev 5)

• Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) Publication 140-2, 199, and 200

• PCI-DSS best practices

• OWASP best practices

NOTE: If any conflicts should arise between the above guidance and Clause 2-140 then this section should take precedence.

NOTE: Strategies must first fully comply with all relevant Government standards before aligning with prevailing best practices.

For all listed standards, the most current standard shall be used.

In addition to the above "relevant standards and regulations" include Random Number Generation (RNG) standards. These are specific standards for ensuring the randomness of the system used to select jurors. As the solicitation mentions, a letter from a certifying organization like NIST or other standards bodies specializing in RNG testing and certification would be considered relevant documentation.

Also, refer to Clause 2-140 (Judiciary IT Security Standards), specifically, section (b)(9).

7 JMS RFP USCA24R0030 – MAIN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT 1.G Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Accessibility Requirements for 508 Compliance

“Provide an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) for the software and training offered through this contract. The offeror shall create the ACR using the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template Version 2.1 or later, located at https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat. The offeror shall describe plans for features that do not fully conform to the Section 508 Standards.”

If an ACR is not yet complete, will the Government accept submission of RFP responses without the final ACR regarding the VPAT?

Government Answer:

The offeror shall include a draft ACR with the submission of the RFP. The final ACR will be due on a date agreed upon during the Project Kickoff Meeting after contract award between the Government and the Awardee.

This information has been added to Section L 1.G. within Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Accessibility Requirements for 508 Compliance.

8 JMS RFP USCA24R0030 – MAIN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT 1.C Technical Capability

"The offeror shall also include information on their property control system to ensure compliance to Judiciary clause 2-80."

Please provide more information on this requirement.

Government Answer:

Judiciary clause 2-80 states that any property provided by the judiciary for the web-based JMS contract remains our property and that the awardee of this contract is responsible for safeguarding said property, maintaining accurate and complete records of said property, making records available to the judiciary at any time, and following proper disposal procedures upon contract expiration.

The offeror's information on their property control system shall address the following:

Security measures: The offeror shall explain how they will physically secure the judiciary property. This could involve locked storage areas, access controls, or other safeguards.

Inventory tracking: The offeror shall describe their process for tracking the judiciary property. This might involve a database system, logbooks, or barcodes.

Recordkeeping procedures: The offeror shall explain how they will maintain accurate and up-to-date records of the property, including details like serial numbers, descriptions, and current location.

Disposal process: The offeror shall briefly outline their plan for following the judiciary's instructions on disposing of unused property at the end of the contract.

This information has been added to Section L 1.C. within Technical Capability.

9 JMS RFP USCA24R0030 – MAIN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT C.1 Background

My company is interested in responding to this solicitation. We believe our product meets, and, in fact, exceeds, the requirements. However, our product is a SaaS/cloud-based FEDRamp-High solution. Per the following language:

"The Contractor’s MCOTS software solution shall be on-prem, hosted on the Government’s Internet Data Centers (IDCs)."

Should we consider our solution excluded from this solicitation based on this requirement or will the Government consider a hosted/cloud-based solution used by multiple Federal agencies and which has received ATOs under a FEDRamp-High standard?

Government Answer:

The Government will not consider a cloud-based solution at this time. The solution proposed is required to be on-prem.

10 ATTACHMENT 8 – ATTENDANCE FUNCTIONS - WEB-BASED JURY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS (PG. 3) "The system shall enable the user to process daily attendance by performing the following actions:

• Mark a participant as unavailable.

• Check participant in for the day.

• Add expenses to a participant.

• Delete an attendance record."

During attendance, what does it mean when users shall "Mark a participant as unavailable."

Government Answer:

To "Mark a participant as unavailable." refers to the ability for users to mark a participant temporarily unavailable for panel section. Users shall have the ability to toggle between "Unavailable" and "Available" statuses.

This information has been added to Attachment 8, page 3.

A "returned payment" is defined as a check from a juror that was returned to the court because it was an overpayment. This term shall not be used for occasions in which a juror does not cash their check(s). The "Return Payment Notification" function does not deduct any amounts already paid.

This information has been added to Attachment 8, page 7.

A "juror sub-voucher" is given to individual jurors as a receipt for all the per diem and expenses paid to the jurors for their services.

This information has been added to Attachment 8, page 15.

13 JMS RFP USCA24R0030 – MAIN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT C.7.1.2 Pool Management Business Functions

What is the technical or operational purpose of archiving a pool?

Government Answer:

Archiving a pool is necessary to prevent the pool from appearing in the list of current active pools. This function is performed only when all activity on a pool has completed.

This information has been added to SOW Section C.7.1.2 2 Pool Management Business Functions, within Number 14.

14 JMS RFP USCA24R0030 – MAIN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT C.7.1.3 Pool Management Business Reports

Regarding the requirement for a "Remarks – Judge Review" report, what is the purpose of this report and what remarks will judges be reviewing?

Government Answer:

The Remarks - Judge Review report's purpose is to allow judges to review remarks entered either through the web-based JMS or the Online Public Access Website.

This report is populated by remarks made by court staff for excuses, partial excuses, and postponements of pool members as well as the remarks that were entered by the juror when selecting the excuse, partial excuse, and postpone only. In the Government's current JMS, remarks that have not been marked "Excluded" do not display on this report and Remarks entered through the Online Public Access Website that resulted in a request being an automatic excuse or postponement are automatically excluded on this report.

This information has been added to SOW Section C.7.1.3 Pool Management Business Reports within number 21.

The offeror can provide a narrative outside of the spreadsheet with refererence to:

(1) Section L.4.1 Factor 1: Technical Approach, Section 1.A Traceability Matrix (Attachment 5); and

(2) Section M, Section M.1.2.3 - Price Evaluation, Attachment 1 – “Web-Based JMS Price Tables."

This information has been added to both Section L and Section M.

16 JMS RFP USCA24R0030 – MAIN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT C.2.1 Interface Requirements for the Contractor

"1. The Government’s financial system JIFMS/Momentum (refer to Attachment 19: JIFMS-JMS Web Service Interface Requirements Specifications)"

Can the Government confirm the scope of the integration with the financial system (JIFMS/Momentum)? Is the financial system in question already developed?

Government Answer:

The scope of the integration is defined in Attachment 19 - JIFMS-JMS Web Service Interface Requirements Specifications.

The current Momemtum (JIFMS v. 7.0.2) is already developed, the Government will ultimately upgrade its financial system to JIFMS v. 8.2. Development activities are currently in process for the current version of Momentum product that was released to the market (v. 8.1.4) and development activities for the upgrade version (v. 8.2) will begin October 2024, noting that its market release is scheduled for July 31, 2024.

17 JMS RFP USCA24R0030 – MAIN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT C.9.2 Web-Based JMS and Online Public Access Website Systems Administration Training

"The Contractor shall provide system administrators that are technically skilled specialists responsible for supporting a variety of court-specific management information systems...".

Can the Government define "system administrators" within the context of this sentence?

Government Answer:

The Government does not require the Contractor to provide system administrators for each court/site.

SOW Section C.9.2 has been updated to state: "The Contractor shall provide training to system administrators, these that are technically skilled specialists responsible for supporting a variety of court-specific management information systems..."

18 JMS RFP USCA24R0030 – MAIN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT C.16.2 Escrow Agent's Duties

Is the Government requesting they own the source and object code or do they wish to have it in escrow?

Government Answer:

The Government is requesting that the base COTS product from the Contractor including any modified source/object code be placed in escrow. Any modified source/object code shall be owned by the Government. In its entirety, the escrow agent shall be able to bind the object code to generate executable software to be used by the Government.

This information has been added to SOW Section C.16.2 Escrow Agent's Duties

19 JMS RFP USCA24R0030 – MAIN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT C.1 Background

Does the Government host their applications in Amazon Web Services (AWS)? If not, what do they use?

Government Answer:

The Government currently hosts JMS on their own Internet Data Centers (IDCs) using on-prem. The Government will not consider a cloud-based solution at this time.

20 JMS RFP USCA24R0030 – MAIN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT C.8.1 Standard Web-Based JMS and Online Public Access Website Installation

"While it is likely that the Contractor will not need to travel for the initial installation, on-site training remains necessary for each district's implementation."

Does the Government mean that on-site training will occur at each of the 94 district court locations? Or are there additional on-site training requirements for regional offices, other court units/jurisdictions, etc.?

Government Answer:

On-site training shall occur at each of the 94 district court locations. Some district courts have divisional offices/courthouses, but each district shall only be provided on-site training at one location, one time per district. Offerors shall specify in their Deployment Plan how they intend to implement and schedule this on-site training.

Other Government sites where on-site training may occur include the Systems Development and Support Office in San Antonio, TX and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts in Washington, DC.

This information has been added to SOW Section C.8.1 Standard Web-Based JMS and Online Public Access Website Installation.

21 JMS RFP USCA24R0030 – MAIN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT C.8.1 Standard Web-Based JMS and Online Public Access Website Installation

Can the Government please provide information on the total number of JMS users or the average number of JMS users per district court? This information will help offerors with proposing and pricing training and deployment activities.

Government Answer:

Refer to C.9 Training.

"The Contractor shall plan to provide training for at least 500 users across 94 district courts, geographically dispersed."

22 JMS RFP USCA24R0030 – MAIN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT

The Deployment Plan deliverable is now due within forty-five (45) days (instead of 30 days) to provide offerors the necessary time to incorporate the final Project Plan and Staffing Plan pre-requisites into the Deployment Plan. This has been reflected within:

(1) Attachment 4 Task Order 0001, Section F-2, Subsection C.3 Deployment Plan Deliverables; and

(2) Attachment 24 - Deliverables, Section C.3 Deployment Plan

23 JMS RFP USCA24R0030 – MAIN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT

The Government is interested in all KPI/SLAs for all hotline mediums required through this contract. KPI/SLAs shall be broken down by hotline medium (phone, email, chat) as well as an aggregate of one.

This information has been added to Attachment 24 - Deliverables on page 91.

24 JMS RFP USCA24R0030 – MAIN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT C.12 Hotline Support

"Hotline support extends beyond the mere provision of assistance for the current version of web-based JMS. It encompasses ongoing support for previous versions to ensure continuity and address legacy system issues effectively."

Does the offeror need to provide the Government support for their current system(s)?

Government Answer:

Ongoing support for the current/previous versions of the JMS are not required under this solicitation as it is covered under an existing Government contract. The Government is looking for support for the current and future versions of the web-based JMS, with the additional benefit of addressing any lingering issues users might encounter while migrating from the legacy system.

25 JMS RFP USCA24R0030 – MAIN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT 1.G Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Accessibility Requirements for 508 Compliance

"Provide an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) for the software and training offered through this contract. The offeror shall Create the ACR using the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template Version 2.1 or later, located at https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat. The offeror shall describe plans for features that do not fully conform to the Section 508 Standards."

Would the Government accept a Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) template for this requirement, in lieu of a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)?

Government Answer:

No, the Government will not accept a WCAG template in lieu of a VPAT for this requirement. The VPAT is specifically designed to demonstrate compliance with Section 508 standards. It uses a clear format to map product features to specific Section 508 criteria, making it easier for the Government to assess accessibility conformance. The WCAG is a broader set of guidelines for making web content accessible to people with disabilities. While WCAG can inform VPAT creation, it does not provide the same level of detail and mapping to specific Section 508 requirements.

Also, VPAT is the recognized standard format for reporting accessibility conformance in Government procurement. The Government is familiar with VPAT and expect its use for Section 508 compliance. Using a WCAG template would introduce an unfamiliar format and potentially require additional work for the Government to evaluate accessibility.

The Government will not consider a cloud-based solution.

The Government will not consider a cloud-based solution.

The initial web-based JMS must support logins for at least 500 individual users. This number is an estimate, as the number of actual JMS users fluctuates on a daily basis. Each individual location shall be responsible for controlling the number of users, the logins for those users, and which users have access to which features within the web-based JMS for their specific location.

This information varies based on the individual district court, the specific division within the district court, the type of operational process (one-step or two-step), the stage at which the court is at for a particular set of jurors (qualification or summonsing), and whether it is from the master wheel or to create a jury pool. Ultimately, each district court pulls jurors based on need as the number of jury trials fluctuate throughout the year.

The Government is looking for a single system for the judiciary (a modified COTS - MCOTS solution). This solution will be used by each district court and not all requirements will be used by every district court. Due to operational differences, a lot of the solution shall be configurable and optional for the courts, but should nonetheless be included as stated in the solicitation's requirements. The Government is not looking for an MCOTS solution to be customized and modified 94 different ways, one for each of the 94 courts.

Yes, data migration must be performed into the new web-based JMS. There will be approximately 192 databases each ranging in size from 2GB to 30GB in size.

The Government provided the not-to-exceed (NTE) values shown below for travel:

(1) $250,000.00 under CLIN 0005-1501 for Task Order 0001,

(2) $250,000.00 under CLIN 0005-1501 for Ordering Year One,

(3) $250,000 under CLIN 0005-1501 for Ordering Year Two,

(4) $450,000.00 under CLIN 0005-1501 for Ordering Year Three,

(5) $450,000.00 under CLIN 0005-1501 for Ordering Year Four,

(6) $450,000.00 under CLIN 0005-1501 for Ordering Year Five,

(7) $25,000.00 under CLIN 0005-1501 for Ordering Year Six, and

(8) $25,000.00 under CLIN 0005-1501 for Ordering Year Seven.

The Contractor shall work with the Government (on-site, if necessary) at the AO’s Systems Development and Support Office & Enterprise Operations Center in San Antonio, TX to perfect the installation process then perform the installation process remotely with all court sites.

This information has been added to SOW Section C.8 Installation.

On-site training shall occur at each of the 94 district court locations. Some district courts have divisional offices/courthouses, but each district shall only be provided on-site training at one location, one time per district. Offerors shall specify in their Deployment Plan how they intend to implement and schedule this on-site training. Other Government sites where on-site training may occur include the Systems Development and Support Office in San Antonio, TX and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts in Washington, DC.

This information has been added to SOW Section C.8.1 Standard Web-Based JMS and Online Public Access Website Installation.

No, the Online Public Access Website only needs to be in the English language. If the base COTS product already has multi-lingual functionality built in, then it should be left in the modified product.

Yes, the Government expects there to always be a need for paper processing (using scanner technology such as Scantron). Directive regarding paper forms and mailing is written into the U.S. Code (28 U.S.C. § 1864 - Drawing of names from the master jury wheel; completion of juror qualification form). Even if all forms are completed digitally online, the option for paper forms still needs to exist.

All relevant and required reports that must be incorporated into the web-based JMS are outlined in the solicitation and detailed in the solicitation's attachments. Each attachment contains a section called "Reports" which lists each report by name: Attachment 6 - Pool Functions contains thirteen reports, Attachment 7 - Panel Functions contains seven reports, Attachment 8 - Attendance Functions contains sixteen reports, Attachment 9 - Scanning Technology Functions contains a Scantron Batch Report, Attachment 11 contains Barcoded Reports and Call Tracking Reports, Attachment 13 - Glossary of Terms & Status Definitions contains Audit Reports, Available Reports, Jury List Reports, and Outstanding Attendence Reports, Attachment 14 - General System Functions contains Database Access Reports, Attachment 15 - Customization Functions contains Supplemental Reports, Exist Survey Reports, JS12 Reports, thirty reports listed under "Reports" under Pool Functions, thirteen reports under the Reports heading under Attendance Functions, five reports under Panel Functions, four reports under Customization Functions, and two reports under Court-Specific Parameters, Attachment 18 - Statistical Reporting Functions contains Race/Gender Reports, Rool Analysis Reports, JS-11 Reports, Online Public Access Reports, and AO-12 Reports, Attachment 19 - JIFMS-JMS Web Service Interface Requirements Specifications contains a JMS Import Offline Report, a JMS Summary Report, and a JIFMS JMS Zero Dollar Transaction Report.

Refer to Attachment 21 - Current Forms Used by District Courts. There are six (6) forms listed with associated form numbers. In SOW section C.1 Background, it also states, "The Judiciary mails approximately 3,000,000 juror qualification questionnaires and postcards, and 500,000 summons each year."

39 JMS RFP USCA24R0030 – MAIN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT

ATTACHMENT 1 – WEB-BASED JMS PRICE TABLES Would it be possible to get a version of Attachment 1 – Web-Based JMS Price Tables that allows the offeror to adjust the values in the "Est. Qty" column?

Government Answer:

No, all offerors must use the estimated quantities provided by the Government. Offerors may adjust their values in the "Unit Price" column to achieve the desired "Total Price" of each line item.