Attachment 0009 Industry and Email Q and A.pdf

No. Vendor Question/Comment Contracting or Technical Government Response:

1 It is our understanding during the industry day Q&A that the base year is only to be priced for course delivery with slight revisions to the current curriculum? Is that an accurate assessment as the PWS 2.1.2 and 2.3 verbiage appears contradictory to the above?

Technical

Superficial revision is required. All identified sections that need significant revisions will be provided after each module to OPM-SANG for determination of what will be executed under this contract for Curriculum revision.

Are all course materials being taught being revised under the current contract and by the current vender?

Technical

All revisions needed have been captured by the previous contractor according to their determination and provided as a suggested requirement. No revision has occurred to the actual material.

3 Was the current course developed using the ADDIE process (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation) and are these products available to guide course refinement?

Technical

No. It was developed according to the Saudi model.

4 Is curriculum translation from English to Arabic continuing for the 24-25 academic year by the vendor or MNG staff?

Technical Vendor.

5 When can the winning bidder expect all course material (including digital, electronic, web based, lessons learned, student critiques, etc.) to be delivered?

Technical Upon award, the contractor will be provided the POI in full, through digital copies.

6 Is the 24-25 academic year staff ride to the US expected in the 2025-26 academic year?

Technical Yes, but has not yet been explicitly authorized.

7 What should the vender expect for the duration of the field study portion for the current campaign case study?

Technical 15 day total, to include travel and recovery days.

8 Can the contractor expect the Campaign Case Study Development listed in the PWS

2.1.3.3 to be taught in the 25-26 academic year and is it a replacement for or an addition to the current US based case study?

Technical

The contractor should propose to their plan for timelines for development and execution. The US SAMS course develops a new case study staff ride over 12-18 months, and then executes within 6 months of development completion.

9 Can we assume that the vendor will be financially responsible for only the instructors (vendor and MNG instruction staff) during the field portion of the campaign case study?

Technical

The contractor should propose for all costs except MNG service member flights.

10 CDRL A.009 requires an accreditation plan delivery 90 days after A.007 is complete, but the PWS 2.1.3.5 states this as an Option year 3 and 4… what is the actual requirement?

Technical This shall be proposed and delivered during Option Year 3 and the Contracting Officers direction

11 Has the MNG determined what scholastic instituion and what accreediting agency will provide an accreditation decision? Technical

Currently AMSP has a Saudi Accreditation. The US institution has not been determined. The contractor can choose its institution of choice in determining the price proposal for the accreditation CLINs.

12 Is there a vender requirement to maintain student IT equipment (is this just laptops) and refresh the equipment on a 3-5 year cycle? Contracting

IT equipment is to be provided by the winning offeror.

A full list of equipment can be found in Section 5 Annex C. The offeror shall propose an Equipment Life Cycle Plan. Refer to PWS.

13 It is our understanding that an IQAMA is required for this contract. When can the winning bidder expect the MNG to assist with the application process?

Technical

OPM-SANG can assist in this process. The expectation is for MNG to provide supporting documents to the contractor within 15-30 days of award.

Who will replace MAJ Woleben as the COR? Technical The COR will be identified upon award.

Will there be a replacement COR that is a military service member eventually replacing Mr. Hunte?

Technical This will be identified upon award.

Civil Questions

Is the War College an equivillent to SAMS?

Technical

No. The equivalent courses are School of Advanced Warfighting (SAW), Joint Advanced Warfighting School (JAWS), Maritime Advanced Warfighting School (MAWS), and School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS).

Do instructors have to have been Colonels before retiring?

Technical

No. They must have been previous graduates of SAMS (or Equivelent), former instructors of those courses, or have significant planning experience at the Division level or higher with teaching experience.

Do instructors have to be previous US military?

Technical

Instructors must meet the qualifications as defined in the Attachment 0001 PWS.

Is this a continuation of the previous contract?

Technical

No. This is the same program and POI, but this is a new and separate contract.

Are MNG instructors graduates of SAMS? Technical No. they are graduates of the first year of AMSP.

What is the difference between Development and Revision? Technical

Development: New material that is not currently in the

POI.

Revision: Updates or changes to the current POI.

Does the contractor have to propose to all options in the PWS?

Technical

Yes. All options need to be proposed to. We need to evaluate how the contractor would execute any option listed in the PWS. Otherwise the proposal will be viewed as lacking key information or deemed that the contractor does not intend to support those options.

Will all options be executed? Contracting Options will be exercised at the discrection of the

Contracting Officer and the MNG.

Does the course focus on doctrine?

Tech Yes. It combines doctrine, theory, and history to view problem solving as a wholistic approach.

MNG is inwardly focused in mission. Should they even focus on strategic level planning? Technical

The RFP identifies the requirement. OPM-SANG and the MNG are not seeking input on the need for the requirement at this time.

Does this class focus on history and doctrine to train the students to have the answers to planning?

Technical

No. It does not supply answers, but instead uses history and doctrine to give context on how problems have been approached in the past, in order to expand their perspectives for future novel problem sets. The aim is to produce planners, capable of supplying novel solutions to novel problems.

What is the timeline and Government support for the issuance of Saudi business visas to contractor employees assigned to this project?

Technical

The contractor must obtain IQAMAs for this contract.

This is for security and badging process that is required by MNG. Ultimately, the issuance of visas is determined by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and cannot be guaranteed by the US government.

In addition, will visas be issued to spouses and dependent and dependent children of contractor employees assigned to this project?

Technical Ultimately, the issuance of visas is determined by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and cannot be guaranteed by the US government.

Is there any government support or guidance for the education of any school-age dependents of contractor employees asssigned to this project?

Technical

No. This is the sole responsibility of the individual or contracting company. The US government has no input in dependent affairs.

What is the cost of any meal plans (food and beverage) at KAACSC available to contractor employees?

Technical

Coffe and Dates can be provided by the college at a current rate of 50 SAR per month. This is at the cost of the individual receiving these services and will not be provided as a part of the contract.

For the contractor employees, are there any specific US and or Saudi Arabian tax implicatoins derived from working on this project in Saudi Arabia?

Technical

All normal taxes apply unless negotiated by the contractor with the respective governments. OPM- SANG and MNG are not a part of this process.

What health care or health insurance, if any, is provided to contractor employees and their families in Saudi Arabia?

Technical Healthcare must be provided by employers.

Why was the 2021 SAMS curriculum selected as the best method to achieve the objectives listed in the PWS?

Technical This was selected by MNG while it was the current curriculum at the time of initial development.

Can you provide any information regarding the initial effort to teach the SAMS curriculum at

KAACSC?

Technical There was a great deal of effort put into teaching.

Within the context of current and future curriculum lateral limits, what governing body/standardization organization will the contractor employees be expected to work within?

Technical

The MNG College.

If awarded the contract, will information be obtained immediately regarding the experience, education background, and Engligh language capability of the students selected for instruction?

Technical

Post Award: Once the students have been selected, the contractor will receive this information immediately.

Regarding the required readings, do the students have access to the copyrighted books assigned to them?

Technical Yes

Does this class include collaberative work or is it solely individually based acheivement?

Technical

While each student will have to write their own papers and brief their prescribed staff position during assignments, the development and work to arrive at solutions must be collaborative. These will be planners, acting as a part of a staff and must be ready to thrive in that environment.

Are trips involved in the curriculum?

Technical

The intended objectives involve staff rides to battlefield locations. Campaign analysis, paired with student briefings and discussion, helps the students to better envision the problem set faced by the planners and commanders at the time of the battle. Campaign Case Studies will be delivered as the Contracting Officer directs and MNG funds are made available.

Will MNG instructors accompany contractors on the Staff Ride? Technical

Yes. This should be a part of faculty development program to train MNG on how to plan and conduct in the future.

Can interpreters and instructors be female?

Technical

Yes. Four of the interpreters for the previous year were women and there are no barriers to women being instructors.

How does the contractor propose to the cost of staff ride delivery if there is a potential multitude of locations that it could occur?

Contracting

The contractor should propose to what factors would be a part of costing and how the contractor would structure and staff a generic staff ride. This will provide a framework for how a staff ride would be costed when proposed under this contract.

For trips, will the contractor pay for MNG flights? Technical

No. MNG has a designated system for paying for flights. The contractor will be responsible for its contracted employee flights.

Is the curriculum in Arabic and English?

Technical

Yes. All lessons are in English and Arabic. Not all readings are currently available in Arabic due to the source being US papers.

Can the contractor propose to translation of untranslated readings? Contracting

Yes. The contractor can include anything that they need to accomplish the requirements of the PWS in their proposal.

Is revision automatically included in this contract?

Technical

Minor revisions, such as spelling, misleading explanations, or references, are a part of the expected work. Additionally, a list of all identified material needing significant revision shall be supplied to OPM- SANG at the end of teaching Module 100, 200, 300, and 400. OPM-SANG will determine with MNG whether the option for major revision will be executed by the contractor and then only if the KO authorizes

it. Otherwise, MNG will be responsible for completing major revisions.

How much of the additional readings are translated into Arabic? Technical

Roughly 20,000 pages out of 30,000 pages of additional reading resources are translated into Arabic.

Will digital copies of the POI be provided to the contractor?

Technical Yes. Upon award, OPM-SANG will provide a digital copy of the entire POI.

Will the current equipment remain with te contract?

Contracting All previous equipment purchased for this program will remain dedicated to AMSP.

Will the contractor need to purchase equipment?

Contracting

Yes, contractor must determine if additional equipment needs purchased and Offeror must meet all requirements of the PWS.

Can the contractor purchase different equipment for AMSP? Contracting

Yes, but if the costs will be charged to the government, it must be included in the proposal or authorized by the KO post award.

Will these be dedicated students, or will they have MNG roles outside of class as well?

Technical

Unknown. The previous class had multiple students that still had other assigned positions that they were forced to maintain. Students will still be expected to competitively perform with their peers and absences are not allowed due to other commitments.

Will the contractor need to purchase copyright licenses?

Technical

No. If the contractor wishes to have that responsibility, it must be included in their proposal.

The contractor is expected to not knowingly violate copyright laws.

Will there be a local staff ride?

Technical

The contractor may plan and execute a local staff ride to expose the students to the process and expectations of briefing and analysis, in addition and prior to the US based staff ride, as part of the campaign case study.

Who is responsible for grading the monograph and monograph defense?

Technical

The MNG Staff is responsible for grading the monograph and defense, but the contractor is responsible for mentorship and guidance in monograph development.

What are the topics for monographs?

Technical The instructors will guide the selection of topics with the specifics selected by the student.

Does this program award a Master's degree?

Technical Yes. It is accredited by a Saudi University in partnership with the college.

Is US a requirement for this contract?

Technical

No, but the contractor should work towards elevating the program to the level of US accreditation worthy by the end of the contract and support the start of the acreditation process, if the option is executed by the KO. The contractor must propose to how they would facilitate this process in their proposal.

Is there a reqirement for a specific housing site?

Technical

No. The contractor is free to select any housing location for US contractors. Given that the location is within a drivable location, safe and adequate for the health and security of the instructors.

Is wargaming a part of the curriculum?

Technical Yes. It is a part of the Military Decision Making Process and is a necessary part of planning exercises.

Is wargaming digital or analog?

Technical

Currently, it is all analog. MNG does not possess that capability to conduct digital wargaming across all levels of its organization and therefore the students must be able to conduct wargaming unaided by digital programs.

Can digital solutions be a part of the proposal?

Technical Yes, but analog methods are preferred.

Does the college provide office space for instructors?

Technical Yes. Each instructor will have an office.

How many students will be in each class? Technical 16 students Is there an intended career path for graduates?

Technical Yes. They will be planners at the Brigade Level and higher. Additionally, they will be used to staff MNG

HQ G5 section.