Detroit_Arsenal_Information_Technology_-_QA_Vol_II_Final.docx

Detroit Arsenal Information Technology (IT) Services: Question and Answer Vol. II

1. Is the Government willing to accept 8(a) firms with 50 or more cleared people under contract be that a prime or subcontract. If the subcontractor is being held to contract flow downs and the 8(a) firm has a compliant accounting system then they are essentially held to the same standards as a Prime Contractor. We ask that the Government reconsider this requirement and allow the past performance be allowed in both a prime or subcontractor capacity as long as it meets the requirements of 50 cleared people.

The Government appreciates your request; however, the requirement will not be revised.

2. This offeror interprets the requirement to mean that the presented past performances must demonstrate an ability to offer IT services/support to a Department of Defense facility/facilities composed of at least 50 full-time personnel; is this interpretation correct?

Per L.4.1.1.(b), relevant past performance will consider the extent to which the submitted contract efforts are comparable in scope and magnitude of effort and complexity to the following statement of work requirements: On-site I.T services/support for a U.S Department of Defense facility/facilities of at least 50 or more full-time personnel.

3. Would the Government consider changing the requirement to require past performances offering “On-site I.T services/support for a U.S Department of Defense facility/facilities of at least 50 or more full-time personnel (or man-year equivalent) with a similar or higher command complexity”? This offeror anticipates that requesting a “similar or higher complexity of command” past performance will likely enhance the IT services/support offered to the TACOM LCMC and should allow for the Government to assess an offeror’s ability to provide the necessary innovative solution that the Army’s Detroit Arsenal can expect while mitigating against possible risks.

The Government appreciates your request; however, the requirement will not be revised.

4. The original solicitation has a 42 days long window between RFQ release and responses due. We request that 42 days be maintained from release of answer to new response due date, so that companies which defer response preparation pending satisfactory answers to questions can have sufficient time to prepare responses. We request that after you answer question for the subject RFP that you extend the time period for responses by at least 42 days.

The Government appreciates your request; however, the response date for the RFP will not be extended at this time.

5. Should the past performance reflect a facility of 50 or more personnel who are supported by the contractor or does it mean the past performance should reflect where we employ 50 or more personnel to provide support to the facility/facilities?

Per L.4.1.1.(b), relevant past performance will consider the extent to which the submitted contract efforts are comparable in scope and magnitude of effort and complexity to the following statement of work requirements: On-site I.T services/support for a U.S Department of Defense facility/facilities of at least 50 or more full-time personnel.

6. Regarding Section L.4.1.1: Given the fact that this is an 8(a) set aside the Government should encourage the use of teaming partners to assure coverage for all technical areas. The absence of a Technical Volume combined with the Government’s intention not to consider past performance of subcontractors dramatically reduces the pool of respondents. Will the Government reconsider the use of subcontractors past performance?

No. The Government will not consider subcontractor past performance.

7. Regarding Section L.4.1.1(b): There are many ways to establish that a past performance reference is relevant. This requirement as stated eliminates many projects that would otherwise qualify by narrowing the meaning of relevant to 50 full time FTEs. Will the Government please eliminate this barrier to bidding?

The Government appreciates your request; however, the criteria will not be changed.

8. Can the Government please advise what the transition or phase-in period would be for the contract awardee?

The contract will not have an phase-in or transition period.

9. Regarding Pricing Attachment 0001, if some Contractor employees are to be on-site and some are to be at the Contractor-site, how is this to be accounting for in the pricing matrix?

Contractor employees are expected to work on-site. Labor categories will remain consistent regardless of location.

10. Regarding Pricing Attachment 0001, should pricing be provided for each site location? If so, would the Government please provide a breakdown of what positions should be priced at which site location?

One price is required for each labor category. Labor categories will remain consistent regardless of location.

11. Regarding Pricing Attachment 0001, are the FTE numbers listed for each labor category comparable as to what is currently on contract?

The numbers on the pricing attachment are an estimate based on what is currently on contract and the future need for FY18.

12. Regarding Attachment 0002, it does not agree in content to what is provided in RFP pages 121-123, FAR 52.215-4405 (TACOM). Which is the correct format or are both required?

The Non-Disclosure Attachment (0002) is the form to complete. FAR Clause 52.215-4405 will be removed from the solicitation.

13. Regarding Attachment 0003, should “SP” be added to the acronyms list?

In the description for GFP, the acronym has been spelled out to read ‘service provider.’

14. Attachment 0005, page 1, states: upon completion of the questionnaire, please forward by electronic email to Melissa Bays, melissa.c.bays.civ@mail.mil by XX March 2017. What is the submission date?

This is an error, the date will be corrected to show 17 April 2017.

15. Attachment 0005, Section L instructs the Prime contractor to provide past performance questionnaires (Attachment 0005) for evaluation. Will the Government consider receiving past performance from both the Prime and Subcontractors in response to this requirement?

No. The Government will not consider subcontractor past performance.

16. Attachment 0006, Box 13, Reference 10j and 10k. Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI & U//FOUO); additional guidelines listed in Attachment A. No Attachment A is provided. Please provide this attachment.

The correct Attachment is 0012. The reference in Attachment 0006 has been updated.

17. Attachment 0007, 125 laptop units are listed, while the staffing needs listed in Pricing Attachment 0001 show 113 staff for the initial year. Is it anticipated that some staff will have more than one laptop assigned to them?

Yes. Some contractor personnel will be issued more than one laptop.

18. Attachment 0007, Will the Government be providing cellphones or blackberries as part of the GFE?

No. The Government will not be providing cellphones or blackberries for this requirement.

19. Attachment 0008, Section C.1.3.1., 14, is there a current breakdown of FTE at each satellite site?

No, there is no current breakdown.

20. Attachment 0010, Is Attachment 0007 GFE list the complete list? It doesn’t appear to match what is listed in Attachment 0010 Technology leveraged at NEC-DA. 1. Blade Servers 2. Server Virtualization 3. NAS and SAN Mass Storage 4. Advanced Recovery Technology (e.g. Snapshot Backup/Restore, Bare Metal Recovery, Instant Availability) 5. Advanced Monitoring, Notification, and Reporting Tools. 6. Defense Research and Engineering Network (DREN).

Yes. Attachment 0007 is the complete list and only lists Government furnished property that will be issued to the contractors.

21. Attachment 0012, should the documents referenced in Attachment 0013 – Contract Data Requirements List (CDRLs) be listed in Attachment 0012?

No. Documents listed in Attachment 0012 do not need to be referenced in Attachment 0013.

22. Understanding that this is an 8(a) set aside, would you consider setting it aside for a WOSB?

The Government will not change the type of set aside for this procurement.

23. Section C.1.3.2. Is there a current breakdown of travel for the last year?

In the past year, there was one instance of travel to send a contractor from the Detroit Arsenal to Aberdeen, Maryland for less than one week.

24. Section C.1.4.6. Will the Government provide historical data identifying the amount of IT-I, IT-II, and IT-III positions required to support the mission?

This information is not currently available.

25. Section C.1.7.6. When is the Quality Control Plan to be delivered?

The Quality Control Plan shall be delivered 90 days after the start of the Period of Performance. This information has been added with an amendment.

26. C.1.9. Will the Government provide a copy of the QASP in advance of the award?

No. A copy of the QASP will not be provided before award ever.

27. C.3.1. Will the Government provide a list of Legacy and COTS applications currently being used?

No. The Government will not provide a list of legacy and COTS applications being used.

28. C.3.10.3. The contractor shall serve as IT Specialist for customer support for PC's, office automation, software, general office automation, e-mail, telecommunications, cell phones and blackberries, LAN and CAC. Will the Government provide a list of cell phones and blackberries? If so, would the Government provide the quantities of these devices?

After award, the contractor will be provided a list of wireless devices they will support for task orders under the contract.

29. C.3.2.1. Will the Government provide a list of GFE at TACOM LCMC Mission Processing Center-Application Architecture Support (MPC-AAS)?

The list of GFE for work under this contract will be provided once all equipment is issued. No specific list of GFE for MPC-AAS will be provided.

30. C.3.2.1.2. Has TACOM fully migrated to the Risk Management Framework or is Migration still happening? If the migration is in progress, when is it expected to be completed?

This information is considered FOUO and on a need to know basis only.

31. Section C.3.2.3 references “see Exhibit for a list of all CDRLs.” Page 92, Section J lists Attachment 0013 – CDRLs. Please confirm that the Exhibit referenced in Section C.3.2.3 is Attachment 0013.

Yes, the exhibit referenced in C.3.2.3 is Attachment 0013.

32. C.3.3.13. Will the Government provide the current list of mission applications?

No.A current list of mission applications will not be provided in the solicitation.

33. C.3.3.13. When was the last Approval to Operate granted for mission critical systems/applications?

This information is considered FOUO and on a need to know basis only.

34. C.3.3.13. Are all mission critical systems/applications covered under one enclave?

This information is considered FOUO and on a need to know basis only.

35. C.3.3.13. The contractor shall address and troubleshoot customer issues received via email or phone, as well as through monitoring tools, for videoconferencing endpoints, infrastructure, integrated A/V systems, and networks. The contractor shall provide test, configuration, and troubleshooting of IP and ISDN networks in support of videoconferencing and A/V equipment. Are the standard DOD monitoring Tools in place? Please provide a list of the monitoring tools (i.e. ACAS, HBSS, REMEDY SCCM)?

This information is considered FOUO and on a need to know basis only.

36. C.3.3.4. Are the TACOM ITSS support contract personnel at the Detroit NEC-DA the Government Enterprise hosting environment?

No.

37. C.3.3.4. Does the Government Enterprise Hosting environment have a testing and staging environment to test customizations and fixes, upgrades, etc.?

Yes. Testing environments are used before going to production.

38. C.3.3.7. Will the Government provide the current TACOM LCMC Enterprise Architecture?

This information is considered FOUO and on a need to know basis only.

39. C.3.4.2a. This section states “The Contractor shall research and identify current solution alternatives that meet the given project’s requirements and shall prepare a cost/benefit analysis. The Cost/Benefit Analysis of Alternatives shall provide a comparison of the following data items for each solution: feasibility, cost and time required for implementation and usage, hosting requirements, access requirements, maintenance, security, disposal, and integration/compatibility with other current Government systems. The Contractor shall recommend the most feasible and cost effective solution from all analyzed solutions for implementation by the Government.” Are we expected to provide CBA of alternatives in our proposal?

No. A cost benefit analysis is not a required part of the proposal. This section describes work that can be awarded under this contract.

40. C.3.8, C.3.8.2., and C.3.8.3. The contractor shall provide Senior IT Consulting Services. Is this Consultant assumed to be part of the LCATs listed in the pricing attachment or a separate added FTE LCAT?

Consulting would be part of the labor categories listed in the pricing attachment.

41. C.3.9.2. This section references C.1.9.4.3. The document doesn’t have this section. What is the correct section?

The NDA form is included on Attachment 0002. The language in Section C.3.9.2 will be corrected in an amendment.

42. Section I, FAR 52.215-4405. Please confirm that the duplication of FAR 52.215-4405 (TACOM) Access to the Detroit Arsenal; Identifying Contractor Employees; Non-Disclosure Agreement Statement (April 2013), which is listed twice in succession, was a typo, and that the second instance will be removed?

This is an error. Clause 52.215-4405 will be deleted in an amendment.

43. H.2.9. Section H.2.9 references Attachment 0002 for the Non-Disclosure Agreement. This does not agree in content to what is provided in the RFP Pages 121-123, FAR 52.215-4405 (TACOM). Which is the correct format or are both to be required?

The Non-Disclosure Agreement is contained in Attachment 0002. All other references to the NDA have been updated to reflect this.

44. H.7-H9.7, L.4.2.3-L.4.2.3.2.2. Based on the tasks identified in Section C.3, may we assume that all Contractor employees will be on-site for this effort? If not, how are we to identify the different rates between on-site and off-site in Attachment 0001 Pricing?

Yes. Contractor employees will work only on-site for this effort.

45. L.1.1. Is the “.1” before the first sentence a typo or is there a missing Section L.1.1 and this is meant to be Section L.1.1.1.?

This is an error and will be corrected in an amendment.

46. L.4.1.1. Section L.4.1.1 states that all past performance must be from the Prime. Will the Government reconsider allowing relevant past performance for Prime’s Subcontractors be included in the response and for evaluation?

No. The Government will not consider subcontractor past performance.

47. L.4.2.3.4. Are the Prime’s Subcontractors’ DCAA and DCMA contact information to be provided in the proposal response?

Only the prime contractor’s information needs to be submitted with the proposal.

48. L.5.1.6. Are the Prime’s Subcontractors’ approved letter from DCAA or DCMA to be provided in the proposal response?

Only the prime contractor’s information needs to be submitted with the proposal.

49. Section K, FAR 52.212-3(2)(i). Section K, FAR 52.212-3 (2)(i) has Affirmative Action Compliance checked as “has not developed”. Wouldn’t this be blank and the company responding provide their response? We are a small business and we are “has developed” for this FAR sub-clause.

Yes. This is correct. The language has been removed.

50. If only one of the members have a facility clearance, do you consider the response as “not meeting the requirement?” Does this mean JV can bid (with one of the partners having FCL), and then if JV is awarded the contract, the other JV partner can apply?

Only one of the JV’s must possess a SECRET FCL to be eligible for award.

51. The solicitation states, "For the Past Performance Factor, provide information for a total of up to two (2) recent and relevant contracts.” This statement reads as if one (1) qualifying past performance is acceptable as well as two (2) for a total of "up to two (2)". If only one qualifying past performance is submitted will it satisfy the quantity requirement and be evaluated?

The solicitation states UP to two relevant contracts. This is not a quantity of the requirement to be evaluated.

52. Section L.4.2.3.5 Cost Accounting System on page 119 of the RFP. It clearly states the following: If our system is not already reviewed by DCAA, Offeror shall coordinate with PCO to obtain an Accounting System review prior to submitting the proposal. Can you please either revise this instruction or help us with a review?

A Cost Accounting System Attachment (0014) has been included with an amendment, as well as additional language in Section L.5.1.6.1. If a contractor does not currently have an approved cost accounting system, they shall complete Attachment 0014 immediately and submit it to the Government in order for the process to begin.