COMM ISP Questions and Answers.pdf

Last Updated: 20 July 2026

COMM ISP Request for Information

1. Please confirm the deadline for submitting offeror questions and whether Government responses will be issued through a formal solicitation amendment.

a. Requests for Information (RFIs) and site visit requests are due by 30 July 2026, and the Government's responses will be posted to SAM.gov with the most updated date.

The solicitation deadline has been extended to 13 August 2026.

2. Please identify all required proposal volumes, sections, page limits, file formats, naming conventions, and the minimum documentation required for an offeror to receive an “Acceptable” Technical Capability rating.

a. The solicitation does not specify proposal volumes, page limits, file formats, or naming conventions; however, to be "Acceptable," an offeror must demonstrate the ability to design, install, terminate, and test the infrastructure as per the Statement of Work, RFI’s, and Government end goal.

3. Please clarify the required past performance submissions, including number and recency of projects, and identify what must be submitted for the Small Business Participation factor.

a. The solicitation does not restrict submissions to a specific number or recency of past performance projects, but offerors must provide sufficient relevant history. Contractor Small Business registry in SAM will satisfy the Small Business Participation Factor.

4. Section M contains blank evaluation-factor placeholders. Please confirm that the LPTA factors described in the solicitation narrative control and provide any additional evaluation criteria.

a. The evaluation will be conducted using the Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) factors listed on the first page of the solicitation, which include Price, Technical Capability, Small Business Participation, and Past Performance. It will be added to Section M as well.

5. Please confirm that this acquisition is a Total Small Business Set-Aside. The solicitation narrative and clauses indicate a total small-business set-aside, while the face page marks Full and Open Competition.

a. This acquisition is a Total Small Business Set-Aside, and the solicitation face page has been corrected to reflect this.

6. Please provide a definitive room-by-room schedule identifying the total number of standard telecommunications outlet locations included in the firm-fixed-price requirement.

a. Room by room all outlets marked in black and/or red with a 4 port wall plate (3 cat6 and 1 duplex single mode fiber). All outlets marked with a “C” or “R” are of ceiling access points for WAPs.

7. Please confirm whether each triangle shown on Sheets T-101 and T-102 represents one standard location consisting of three Cat6A copper cables and one duplex single-mode fiber connection, and clarify the requirements associated with each symbol variation.

a. Yes, each plain red and/or black triangle represents a standard location. One standard location WILL consist of three Cat6A copper cables and one duplex single-mode fiber connection. All outlets marked with a “C” or “R” are of ceiling access points for WAPs.

And will be singular termination for each triangle represented with a “C” or “R”

8. Please confirm that all locations included in the firm-fixed-price requirement will be identified before award. How will locations added or directed after award be authorized and compensated?

a. The locations shown in T101 and T102 are the only pathways that will be there.

Any additional pathways needed will need to be identified separately and included in this contract. Once the contract is issued, any additions after that will have to go through the change order process and be approved by the contracting officer.

9. Please provide the number of standard locations included in the base requirement for the areas served by Frame Room 137 and Secure Communications Room 170.

a. These will be two separate enclaves and there will be no secure pathways between the two rooms.

10. Will native AutoCAD background drawings be provided to the awardee for development of the Installation Plan and final as-built drawings?

a.

11. Please confirm whether engineering drawings, a stamped Installation Plan, or proposed designer credentials must be submitted with the proposal, or whether these are post-award deliverables required before installation.

12. Please identify the recognized master-level telecommunications design certifications acceptable in lieu of a licensed Professional Engineer. If a PE is proposed, must the individual be licensed in Oklahoma, and what documentation is required to demonstrate telecommunications infrastructure expertise?

13. Please provide the controlling TEMPEST criteria, including required physical separation, pathway segregation, grounding and bonding, inspection requirements, and required acceptance documentation.

a. The reg that drives TEMPEST is AFSSI 4212.

14. Please identify the Government authority responsible for approving the TEMPEST and secure-area design and provide drawings clearly identifying each contiguous Open Storage boundary and approved penetration point.

a. The 137th SSO’s are the government authority responsible for the open storage aspect and the 137th COMM personnel are responsible for TEMPEST.

15. Is there a required or existing structured-cabling manufacturer that must be used or matched? Please identify the required manufacturer system-warranty duration and whether both copper and fiber must be covered.

a. No, there is not a specific manufacturer that is required. Standard 1 year labor warranty is expected. Please follow current standards IAW EIA/TIA industry standards outlining copper and fiber specifications. Please terminate all cat6 copper IAW T568B.

16. Please provide the required quantities, sizes, rack-unit capacities, and wall-mounted versus floor-standing configurations for Rooms 116, 137, and 170.

a. Room 170 has room for 1 full-height floor mounted server rack to be added, with possibility for additional infrastructure and equipment to expand into preexisting full height server racks. Room 137 will need 2 full size floor mounted securable server racks to be installed with a minimum separation of 24” between the racks. Room 116 has limited room to expand but has existing infrastructure (2 post racks) that can be utilized. Space is and will be a limiting factor in this room. Please conduct a site survey of these rooms.

17. Please confirm whether Cat6A certification is required as permanent-link or channel testing. For fiber, please confirm whether OLTS, OTDR, or both are required, including wavelengths, directionality, launch/receive-cord requirements, and acceptable loss limits.

a. Fiber – OTDR that is current on calibration. With test results 100% passing IAW current industry standards. Cat6 – Yes, cat6a certification is required. With test results 100% passing IAW current industry standards.

18. Please confirm LC/UPC for horizontal duplex fiber and LC/APC for the 24-strand backbone fiber. Please also confirm the controlling TIA standard revisions where the SOW references 568-B, 568-C, and the most current standards.

a. All fiber terminations in racks will be SC/APC to match base standard. Preferably terminating in a CCH housing using SC/APC cassette modules. Standards below are cited from TO 00-33d-2002-2. If industry has a more current standard, please follow the most current industry standard.

TIA-568-C.1 Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard

TIA-568-C.2 Balanced Twisted-Pair Telecommunications Cabling and Components Standards

TIA-568-C.3 Optical Fiber Cabling Components Standard

TIA-568-C.4 Broadband Coaxial Cabling and Components Standard

TIA-569-C Telecommunications Pathways and Spaces

TIA-570-C Residential Telecommunications Infrastructure

TIA-598-C Optical Fiber Cable Color Coding

TIA-606-B Administration Standard for Telecommunications Infrastructure

TIA-607-B Generic Telecommunications Bonding and Grounding (Earthing) for Customer Premises

TIA-758-B Customer-Owned Outside Plant Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard

19. Please provide the wage determination and confirm the applicable labor-standard clauses.

a. Follow Wage Determinations Service Contract Act WD # 2015-5315.

20. Will AF Form 332 approval occur before Notice to Proceed, or is it included within the 149-calendar-day period? Please identify anticipated Government review durations for the Installation Plan, PSA, AF Form 332, final design, and as-built drawings, and confirm whether the period of performance will be adjusted for Government-caused delays.

21. Will monthly progress invoicing or milestone-based invoicing be permitted under

CLIN 0001?

a. The Government is not inclined to approve contract financing or progress payments at this time.

22. On the provided drawings we are assuming the red dots indicate the proposed drops to be placed and the Black dots represent existing drops. Is that correct?

23. Section 6.1 indicates we have to provide detailed drawings up front signed off by a PE? We have done projects before for the Airforce and this type of request has never been made. Is the PE stamp a firm requirement?

24. Section 1.0 requires a TEMPEST-compliant network infrastructure; however, the SOW does not identify the governing TEMPEST standard in 12.0. Which AF standard governs this design?

* If the TEMPEST requirements for this offering are controlled distribution can the below clarifications be provided?

- Which grounding and bonding standard governs the 2-inch RGS TEMPEST conduit system?

- Where are the conduit runs required to be bonded?

- Are they required to be bonded only at each endpoint or at intermediate locations?

- Are bonding jumpers required across threaded couplings, expansion fittings, or other fittings where electrical continuity may be interrupted?

- Are the (4) 2-inch RGS conduit runs required to function as a continuous TEMPEST shield? If so, what continuity testing or acceptance criteria will the Government use to verify compliance?

- Are the four (4) 2-inch RGS conduit runs required to be painted red and visually identified for their entire exposed length below the suspended ceiling?

- For the required junction boxes or pull boxes, what size is desired for the 2” RGS conduits when the conduits change direction by more than 90 degrees? For the required junction boxes will a threaded coupling suffice for bonding to the TEMPEST conduit system?

* If the required TEMPEST grounding, bonding, shielding, or conduit construction differs from 12.0 standards NEC or TIA installation practices, will those TEMPEST requirements be provided prior to award, or will they be furnished after award as Government Furnished Information (GFI)?

25. Will higher-resolution PDF versions of drawings T-101 and T-102 be provided so the drawing notes are legible?

26. Will higher-resolution PDF versions of drawings T-101 and T-102 be provided so room numbers and drop locations are legible?

27. On drawings T-101 and T-102, what is the distinction between the black and red drop location symbols?

28. On drawings T-101 and T-102, which drop locations are designated as Standard drop, NIPR drop, and SIPR drop?

29. For each NIPR drop location, should the cable count consist of three (3) Cat6A cables or four (4) Cat6A cables?

30. For each SIPR drop location, should the cable count consist of one (1) duplex SM fiber or two or three or four duplex single-mode fiber cables?

31. For the NIPR cabling in open storage areas, is there a specific size or preferred manufacturer for required surface-mounted raceway to accommodate the required Cat6A cables?

32. On drawings T-101 and T-102, can the "Open Storage" area served by Frame Room 137 (Rooms 131, 132, 134, 135, and 136) be more clearly delineated?

33. On drawings T-101 and T-102, can the "Open Storage" area served by Communications Room 170 (Rooms 163, 164, 165, and 166) be more clearly delineated?

34. During the site visit, it was not identified which existing rack(s) or cabinet(s) within Telecommunications/Switch Room 116 will house the required fiber terminations.

Could this be identified? Please provide the same clarification for Communications Room 170.

35. During the site visit, it was not identified which existing rack(s) or cabinet(s) within Telecommunications/Switch Room 116 will house the required copper terminations.

Please provide the same clarification for Communications Room 170.

36. During the site visit, it was not identified where any new rack(s) or cabinet(s) are to be installed within Telecommunications/Switch Room 116 for the required fiber and copper terminations. Please provide the same clarification for Communications Room

170. Where is this space or area in the room?

37. What size and type of new rack(s) or cabinet(s) are required to be installed to house the fiber and copper terminations in Telecommunications/Switch Room 116? Please provide the same clarification for Communications Room 170.