Cisco BPA_Questions and Answers.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 22 KB Posted
- Attached to
- Cisco Products and Services BPA
- Solicitation number
- USCA25R0207
- Issued by
-
Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
About this file
This file is a Questions and Answers (Q&A) document for Solicitation USCA25R0207, a Cisco Products and Services Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. The BPA will provide Cisco network products and services, including switches, networking software, wireless services, servers, security products, maintenance, and data center solutions. Key requirements include that the prime contractor must be a Cisco Gold Certified Authorized Reseller, with a dedicated customer portal providing real-time discounted pricing and the ability to place and track orders.
The solicitation specifies a five-year BPA with a total estimated ceiling of $94 million, consisting of five 12-month ordering periods. The Government will award a single BPA to the technically acceptable offer with the lowest price. Unique requirements include mandatory warehouse and configuration services owned and operated by the contractor within the continental United States, TAA-compliant hardware, quarterly reporting, and specific delivery timelines (30 days for CONUS, 90 days for OCONUS). Proposals must include two volumes: a Price Proposal using the provided pricing schedule and a Technical Proposal, with strict guidelines for submission and evaluation.
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Sheet1
| USCA25R0207 Cisco BPA Solicitation - Questions & Answers (Q&As) | ||||||
| No. | Solicitation Section | Paragraph | Page Number | Offeror's Question | Response | Requires Amendmnet? (Y/N) |
| General: | ||||||
| 1 | USCA25R0207 | General Question | n/a | We would like to clarify if the Prime contractor has to be Certified Authorized Reseller, or let say our partner is for example and we want to go prime and they want to be subbed out since there is multiple locations. Apologies for the confusion of the email we were just curious if we can subcontract the Authorized Reseller. | Yes, the Prime Contractor has to be a Cisco Gold Certified Authorized Reseller. Cisco Gold Partner means trusting your business to an established company with a track record of success to meet their clients' technology needs effectively. An advantage of teaming with a Cisco Gold Partner is access to Cisco devices with high levels of customization and configurability. | Y (See Attachment J.2 SOW) |
| 2 | USCA25R0208 | General Question | n/a | Will the Government allow use of third-party logistics providers for warehousing and configuration services? | No. Please carefully read Sections C.3.10 and C.3.11 of the Statemnet of Work (Attachment J.2). | N |
| 3 | SOW C.3.10 Warehouse Services | C.3.10 – WAREHOUSE SERVICES |
The BPA holder must have a distribution center to hold inventory for the US Courts.
Facility requirements:
• Must have secure access.
• Must be owned and operated by the BPA holder.
• Must be in the continental United States. 5 The AOUSC has identified a requirement for warehouse services; however, the current solicitation does not provide a designated section to confirm compliance with this requirement or to include associated pricing within the Pricing Volume.
We respectfully recommend the following updates to ensure clarity and alignment with the solicitation structure: Include a requirement to address compliance with Section C (Warehouse Services) within the Technical Volume response.
• Reference this requirement explicitly in Section L to guide offerors appropriately.
| • Update Section M, under Factor 2 – Technical Acceptability, to evaluate compliance with the warehouse services requirement. | Please see Q&A #37 and Section G.1.6(c) of the solicitation. | N | ||
| 4 | SOW C.3.11 Configuration Services | C.3.11 – CONFIGURATION SERVICES |
Awardee must have a configuration center to modify equipment prior to delivery.
Facility Requirements:
• Must have secure access.
• Must be owned and operated by awardee.
• Must be within the continental United States (CONUS). 5 The AOUSC has outlined a requirement for configuration services; however, the current solicitation does not include a designated section to confirm compliance with this requirement or to provide related pricing within the Pricing Volume.
To ensure clarity and consistency in proposal responses, we respectfully recommend the following updates: Include a requirement to address compliance with Section C (Configuration Services) within the Technical Volume response.
• Reference this requirement explicitly in Section L to guide offerors accordingly.
| • Update Section M, under Factor 2 – Technical Acceptability, to evaluate compliance with the configuration services requirement. | Please see Q&A #37 and Section G.1.6(c) of the solicitation. | N | ||||||
| 5 | Section H | H.1 Commercial Agreements Unenforceable Terms and Conditions (APR 2024) | ||||||
| H.2 Unenforceability of Unauthorized Obligations (APR 2024) | 9-11 | Will the Government consider exceptions to any of the terms in Section H (e.g., Commercial Agreements or Unenforceable Terms)? | The government does not anticipate any changes to the clauses included in Section H. In addition, please carefully read Section H.1 Commercial Agreement Unenforceable Terms and Conditions (APR 2024) of the solicitation, including paragraph (vi) Udating Terms. | N | ||||
| 6 | Section L | L.1.1 | 17 | Will you consider a multiple-award BPA to allow for better competition and supply chain resiliencey? | The government anticipates a single-award BPA. | N | ||
| 7 | Section L | L.1.6 | 18 | Is there a naming convention required for the 2 volumes to be submitted? | Yes. Please carefully read Section L.1.3 - Submission of Proposals and Section L.1.6 - Volumes of the solicitation. | N | ||
| 8 | Section L | L.1.6(ii) Price Validity | 19 | Please confirm that is acceptable to include the price validity period on the cover page. | Confirmed. | N | ||
| 9 | Section L | L.1.6(ii) Cover Page | 19 | Does the government require that the cover page be in the form of a signed cover letter on letterhead, or a plain cover page with the required information? | Please follow the guidance provided in Section L.1.6(ii) Volume II: Technical Proposal of the solicitation. | N | ||
| Technical: | ||||||||
| 10 | Attachment J.2 (SOW) & Section L | C.3 & L.1.6(ii) | 2 and 19 | Would you please confirm if you would release an amedment to accept quotes from Cisco premier partners? | No. Please follow the instructions in Section L of the solicitation. | N | ||
| 11 | Attachment J.2 (SOW) | C.3 | 2 - 5 | Will the Government accept equivalent products or only Cisco-branded hardware and services? | No. Please follow the instructions in Section L of the solicitation. | N | ||
| 12 | Attachment J.2 (SOW) & Section L | C.3.1.a - b; OEM Products Certifications & L.1.6(ii) | 2 and 19 | The five certifications listed in Section C.3.1.a and C.3.1.b do not correspond to the current Cisco certification and authorization framework. In order to ensure a fair and accurate evaluation under Factor 2 (Technical Acceptability), will the Government consider revising the Statement of Work (SOW) to incorporate Cisco-specific certification nomenclature? | Yes. Please view the revised Statemnet of Work (Attachment J.2). | Y (See Attachment J.2 SOW) | ||
| 13 | Attachment J.2 (SOW) & Section L | C.3.1.a - b; OEM Products Certifications & L.1.6(ii) | 2 and 19 | 1. Certified Government Authorized reseller. This is an authorization, not a certification. Please confirm that a screenshot from the Cisco partner portal showing this authorization will satisfy the requirement "shall maintain the following certifications for the relevant OEM products they are providing under their BPA." | No. | N | ||
| 14 | Attachment J.2 (SOW) & Section L | C.3.1.a - b; OEM Products Certifications & L.1.6(ii) | 2 and 19 | 3. Certified service provider that is authorized under contract with vendor to provide onsite warranty service to vendor direct customers. This is an authorization, not a certification. Please confirm that a screenshot from the Cisco partner portal showing this authorization will satisfy the requirement "shall maintain the following certifications for the relevant OEM products they are providing under their BPA." | No. | N | ||
| 15 | SOW C.3 & L.1.6(ii) | C.3.1.a - b; OEM Products Certifications | 2 and 19 | 1. Federal Government Authorized reseller. This is an authorization, not a certification. Please confirm that a screenshot from the Cisco partner portal showing this authorization will satisfy this requirement "shall maintain the following certifications for the relevant OEM products they are providing under their BPA." | No. | N | ||
| 16 | Attachment J.2 (SOW) | C.3.1 | 2 | Please clarify difference between Partner and OEM Partner. | A company has received official permission from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to sell, distribute, or use the OEM's products or technologies. The Prime Contractor has to be a Cisco Gold Certified Authorized Reseller. Cisco Gold Partner means trusting your business to an established company with a track record of success to meet their clients' technology needs effectively. An advantage of teaming with a Cisco Gold Partner is access to Cisco devices with high levels of customization and configurability. | Y (See Attachment J.2 SOW) | ||
| 17 | Attachment J.2 (SOW) | C.3.2 A & B | 2-3 | Can AOUSC provide an estimate or percentage of orders placed off of previous BPA agreement between how much percentage were fulfilled Conus vs, Oconus? | No. | N | ||
| 18 | Attachment J.2 (SOW) | C.3.2 C | 3 | Regarding delivery of products within 30 days to CONUS and 90 days OCONUS, while this should align with most Cisco products, there will be occasions it could take longer. For example, new products, supply chain issues, etc. Given that we have no control over the supply chain, we want to ensure there is flexibility from AOUSC in those lead times should issues arise. | No. Section 3.2.C remains unchanged. | N | ||
| 19 | Attachment J.2 (SOW) | C.3.4 A | 3 | For the portal requirement, Cisco does not currently provide programatic linkage for partners to allow customers to develop custom configurations, place, and track orders through a portal. Is the AOUSC looking to place and track orders after a bill of materials is created? | Yes. | N | ||
| 20 | Attachment J.2 (SOW) | C.3.4 A | 3 | Considering that OEM's products are configured by technical resources in most cases, best practices would be to create a standard group of configurations for each proposed product code category. In addition, the OEM requires configurations to be validated. Is it the intention of Courts to provide standard configuration data for offer on the contractor portal? | No. | N | ||
| 21 | Attachment J.2 (SOW) | C.3.4 A | 3 | Is there any additional specific functionality that is required of the order portal? | No. | N | ||
| 22 | Attachment J.2 (SOW) | C.3.4 | 3 | Dedicated customer portal that provides real-time pricing-is the pricing referred here the list price? or the discounted price? | The discounted price. | N | ||
| 23 | Attachment J.2 (SOW) | C.3.5 | 3 | Hardware and equipment-are they required to be TAA-compliant? | Yes. | N | ||
| 24 | Attachment J.2 (SOW) | C.3.8 | 4 | Does the government intend to provide barcodes for the equipment/products, or is it expected that the contractor will generate and supply these barcodes? | No. The Government will not provide barcodes. | N | ||
| 25 | Attachment J.2 (SOW) | C.3.8 | 4 | Is there a required naming convention or specific guidelines that must be followed for labeling the equipment/products? | Please view Clause 2-45 - Packaging and Marking (AUG 2004) as included in Section D of the solicitation. The full text of each clause may be accessed electronically at this address: | |||
| http://www.uscourts.gov/procurement.aspx. | N | |||||||
| 26 | Attachment J.2 SOW C.3.8 (quarterly reports to the COR) |
Solicitation E.1 - Service Level Agreements
SOW C.3.8 - The BPA holder shall furnish a quarterly report to the COR by the 15th day after the close of each calendar quarter unless no sales were received during the prior quarter. If no sales were received during the prior quarter, then a report does not need to be provided.
The BPA holder shall report, by category, on all products ordered and delivered through the BPA for that quarter. The BPA Holder shall include at minimum the following information in the Quarterly BPA Status Report:
C.3.8.A - DELIVERY STATUS:
a. BPA Call Number
b. Site identification
c. Category
d. Manufacturer Part Number
e. Quantity
f. Equipment description
g. Order date
h. Delivery date
i. Quantity shipped
j. Quantity received/accepted
k. Confirmed delivery date SOW p. 4; Solicitation p. 6 In the SOW, AOUSC outlines the requirements for a quarterly report, by category, on all products orderd and delivered through the BPA for that quarter, including information on delivery status, delivery status issues, category data, and new BPA calls received. Is this quarterly report considered to be the "Management Report" as defined in E.1 Service Level Agreements in the Solicitation file, on page 6?
| If not, please outline the requirements and expectations for the "Management Report" as defined in E.1 Service Level Agreements. | Yes. The Management Report must be submitted by the 15th business day of each reporting period. The Contractor shall submit a quarterly contract status report covering the previous reporting period. Please view Section E.1 of the solicitation for more detail infromation. | N | |
| (Cont'd): C.3.8.B - DELIVERY STATUS ISSUES: |
a. Reason for late delivery, if applicable
b. Problems with delivery (with resolution), if applicable
c. Partial shipment information, if applicable
d. Date order rejected, if applicable
e. Reason for rejection, if applicable
C.3.8.C – CATEGORY DATA:
a. Total quantities ordered by category.
b. Total cost of equipment/software by category.
C.3.8.D - NEW BPA CALLS RECEIVED:
A listing of new BPA calls received including the following: A summary of new BPA calls received during the previous month listing BPA call numbers, locations, quantities, total cost, and planned delivery dates and any BPA calls that did not include hardware.
Solicitation E.1 - Service Level Agreements; Management Reports
| 27 | Attachment J.2 (SOW) | C.3.10 – WAREHOUSE SERVICES | ||||||
| C.3.11 – CONFIGURATION SERVICES | 5 | Could you please specify the types of configuration services that are expected as part of the response to this RFP? | As required by the Courts needs. If necessary, configuration services may be negotiated and ordered at the BPA call level. Please view Section G.1.6 of the solicitation for more detail information. | N | ||||
| 28 | Attachment J.2 (SOW) | C.3.11 | 5 | Are there specific certifications, standards, or capabilities required for the configuration center? | See Q&A #27. | N | ||
| 29 | Attachment J.2 (SOW) | C.3.11 | 5 | Could you provide more detailed information on the configuration procedures, including any documentation or guidelines? | See Q&A #27. | N | ||
| 30 | Section E | E.1 Service Level Agreements | 6 | Are there any penalties or remedies for failing to meet the 95% performance thresholds outlined in the SLA? | Please view the clauses incorporated by reference in Section D of the solicitation. The full text of each clause may be accessed electronically at this address: | |||
| http://www.uscourts.gov/procurement.aspx. | N | |||||||
| 31 | Section G | 7-20 Security Requirements | 12 | Could you please clarify the level of security required for the services and/or facility? Are there specific security standards we need to meet? | Please view the clauses incorporated by reference in Section I of the solicitation. The full text of each clause may be accessed electronically at this address: | |||
| http://www.uscourts.gov/procurement.aspx. | N | |||||||
| Price: | ||||||||
| 32 | Section D | D.2 | 5 | To accurately assess shipping costs, will the government please provide the historical average weight/size of the individual shipment? | Please follow the guidance in Section L.1.6(i) Volume I: Price Proposal - Pricing Schedule Workbook BPA Cisco (Attachment J.1) of the solicitation. The provided Average Estimated Annual Spendings in Column E are inclusive of standard shipping costs. If necessary, offerors may provide assumptions and other additional information in Tab 3 Notes (Attachment J.1). Geographic locations may be found in Attachment J.2 - Statement of Work (SOW). | N | ||
| 33 | Section D | D.2 | 5 | Is there a plug number that all vendors can use? | See Q&A #32. | N | ||
| 34 | Section D | D.2 | 5 | Will the government please clarify, are you looking for one shipping price for CONUS and one shipping price for OCONUS or are you looking for 1 shipping price for both CONUS and OCONUS? | See Q&A #32. | N | ||
| 35 | Section G | G.1.4 (a)(1) Extent of Obligation | 8 | The RFP states that the estimated volume of purchases through the BPA will be $94M. Attachment J.1 - Pricing Schedule has a total value of $87.9M. What is the discrepency? Is there a missing category on the Pricing Schedule? | The total estimated ceiling amount of the BPA is $94M for the base and all option periods. This ceiling amount will cover the estimated annual spendings and any additional costs, if necessary (i.e., non-standard shipment per Section D.2), warehousing and/or configuration services per Section G.1.6). | N | ||
| 36 | Attachment J1 (Pricing) | n/a | Tab 2. Proposed Pricing | Looks like estimates are already provided based on the attachment. Can you please provide the access key or BOM so we can move forward validating the estimates. | Please follow the guidance in Section L.1.6(i) Volume I: Price Proposal - Pricing Schedule Workbook BPA Cisco (Attachment J.1) of the solicitation. The Government will not provide access keys or price/cost breakdown for the Average Estimated Annual Spendings included in Attachment J.1. | N | ||
| 37 | Attachment J1 (Pricing) | n/a | Tab 2. Proposed Pricing | Could you please clarify where the pricing for warehousing and configuration services should be included within the Attachment J1 | Pricing for warehousing and configuration services shall not be included in Attachment J.1. Please follow the guidance in Section L.1.6(i) Volume I: Price Proposal - Pricing Schedule Workbook BPA Cisco (Attachment J.1) of the solicitation. Please carefully read Section G.1.6(c) for more detailed information. | N | ||
| 38 | Attachment J1 (Pricing) | n/a | Tab 2. Proposed Pricing | We understand that we have the capability to provide warehousing and configuration services in support of this RFP. Could the Government please clarify whether pricing for these services is required at this stage? If so, should this pricing be included in Attachment J.1 – Pricing Schedule, or addressed elsewhere in the proposal response? | See Q&A #37 and Section G.1.6(c) of the solicitation. | N | ||
| 39 | Attachment J1 (Pricing) | n/a | Tab 2. PROPOSED PRICING, Column C | The AOUSC has identified a requirement for warehouse and configuration services; however, the current solicitation does not provide a designated section to include associated pricing within Attachment J1 of the Price Proposal. | ||||
| We respectfully recommend the following update to ensure clarity and alignment with the solicitation structure: Update Attachment J1 to include CLINs for warehousing and configuration services. | See Q&A #37 and Section G.1.6(c) of the solicitation. | N | ||||||
| 40 | Attachment J1 (Pricing) | n/a | Tab 2. PROPOSED PRICING, CLIN 0007, Row 10 | Can AOUSC provide clarification on what is classified as a data center product? | Cisco’s Data Center products enhance networking, compute, storage, automation, and security for scalable and efficient operations. Examples include Cisco Nexus switches for high-performance networking, Cisco UCS for integrated compute and storage, and Cisco ACI for automated network management. Cisco HyperFlex simplifies infrastructure, while Cisco Secure Firewall protects applications. These solutions ensure reliability, agility, and security in modern data centers. | |||
| N | ||||||||
| 41 | Attachment J1 (Pricing) | n/a | Tab 2. Proposed Pricing, Column B | The OEM categorizes discount structures in a different manner than requested on the RFP. Partners are able to provide better discounts over the life of the contract if the categories are aligned with the AOUSC pricing schedule. Propose that AOUSC aligns their category discounts with the OEM to maximize beneficial pricing and ensure consistency for the life of the contract. | Please follow the guidance in Section L.1.6(i) Volume I: Price Proposal - Pricing Schedule Workbook BPA Cisco (Attachment J.1) of the solicitation. If necessary, offerors may provide assumptions and other additional information in Tab 3 Notes (Attachment J.1). | N | ||
| 42 | Attachment J1 (Pricing) | n/a | Tab 2. Proposed Pricing, Column B | The Product Category for each CLIN is broad and open to interpretation with some products able to fall into multiple CLINs, how should the contractor determine what CLIN to assign a product? | Please use the product code in Column C in the Pricing Schedule - Workbook BPA Cisco (Attachment J.1). | N | ||
| 43 | Attachment J1 (Pricing) | n/a | Tab 2. Proposed Pricing, Column C Product Code | Are the referenced Product Codes (Column C) for each CLIN intended to be the only items used to calculate the Discount Percentage for a given CLIN? | See Q&A #32. | N | ||
| 44 | Attachment J1 (Pricing) | n/a | Tab 2. Proposed Pricing, Column A CLIN | Cisco discounts are based on the following product categories, and vary between them: |
- Core
- Compute
- Market
- Services
- Training
| Can the customer specify which category aligns to which CLIN? | CLINs, product codes and product categories are defined in the Pricing Schedule - Workbook BPA Cisco (Attachment J.1). | N | ||||||
| 45 | Attachment J1 (Pricing) | n/a | Tab 2. Proposed Pricing | Could you please provide the Manufacturer Part Number (MFR PART#) for each Product Category Code? This information will help us quote the products accurately and ensure alignment with your requirements. | See Q&A #44. | N | ||
| 46 | Attachment J1 (Pricing) | n/a | Tab 2. Proposed Pricing | Could the Government please clarify whether it is mandatory to provide quotations for all Cisco product categories listed in Attachment J.1, or if partial submissions will be considered acceptable? | Please follow the guidance in Section L.1.6 Volumes and Section M.1 Evaluation Factors and Basis for Award of the solicitation. Proposals that are incomplete or do not comply with the requirements outlined in Section C - Statement of Work (Attachment J.2), Section L – Instructions/ Conditions/ Notices to Offerors and other requirements of the solicitation, may be deemed non-responsive and excluded from further consideration. | N | ||
| 46 |
Sheet2
| C - Descriptions/SOW |
| Applicable Clauses |
| F - Deliverables/PoP |
| G - Administration |
| H - Special Clauses |
| I - Clauses |
| Attachment 1 - Price Sheet |
| Attachment 2 - EDW LCAT Desciptions |
| Attachment 3 - PP Questionnaire |
| Attachment 4 - BPA Call SOW |
| Attachment 5 - NDA |
| L -Instructions to Quoters |
| M - Basis for Award |
| General |
| Other |
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .