HTASC_Solicitation_QA_FBO.docx

HTASC W900KK-17-R-0014 Solicitation Q&A Huachuca Training and Support Contract (HTASC) Solicitation W900KK-17-R-0014 Industry Questions and Government Answers

NOTE: information provided within this Q&A is for informational purposes only and is subject to change; the solicitation will contain all official information.

SECTION A SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM.

Reference: Section A.3. Section A.3 states, “Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) are marked as Firm Fixed Price (FFP) but may be utilized for other contract types such as Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF), Cost, etc. for TOs issued under the resulting contract. Each future TO will be reviewed by the PCO to determine the applicable contract type to meet the requirements. The CLINs marked as FFP in Section B of this IDIQ are established for the sole purpose of facilitating administration of the contract in the Government’s Procurement Desktop Defense (PD2) system. Labor, travel, materials, and other direct costs will have separate CLINs, as applicable, at the TO level. The Government anticipates that most Labor under HTASC will be on CPFF CLINs with travel, materials, and ODCs on Cost CLINs.”

Question: Can you please confirm that it is the government’s intent to award the ID/IQ CLINs as FFP and, if so, do you envision that some task orders will be awarded as FFP?

Answer: IAW A.3, yes, the IDIQ “Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) are marked as Firm Fixed Price (FFP)”. Also IAW A.3: “Each future TO will be reviewed by the PCO to determine the applicable contract type to meet the requirements.”

SECTION B.

Reference: Section A.3 and Section B.1 Section A.3 states, “Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) are marked as Firm Fixed Price (FFP) but may be utilized for other contract types such as Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF), Cost, etc. for TOs issued under the resulting contract. Each future TO will be reviewed by the PCO to determine the applicable contract type to meet the requirements. The CLINs marked as FFP in Section B of this IDIQ are established for the sole purpose of facilitating administration of the contract in the Government’s Procurement Desktop Defense (PD2) system. Labor, travel, materials, and other direct costs will have separate CLINs, as applicable, at the TO level. The Government anticipates that most Labor under HTASC will be on CPFF CLINs with travel, materials, and ODCs on Cost CLINs.”

Section B.1 states, “For the purposes of TO proposal, evaluation, and determination of fair and reasonable price, the direct labor rates are binding and incorporated within Section J of this contract. Also, for the purposes of TO proposal, evaluation, and determination of fair and reasonable price, escalation factors, indirect rates, and fully burdened labor rates (exclusive of profit/fee) are binding and incorporated within Section J of this contract…” Question: Will the Government please confirm that the direct labor rates are binding for task order proposal, evaluation, and determination of fair and reasonable price, as stated, but that execution of the respective task orders will follow the guidelines of FAR Subpart 16.306, that allows billing of actual labor rates?

Answer: Confirmed. Execution, for CPFF line items, will be IAW FAR 16.306 and the terms and conditions of the contract language (A.3 and B.1).

Reference: Section B. Section B.1, SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE, states “The direct labor rates, escalation rates, indirect rates, and fully burdened labor rates (exclusive of profit/fee), as proposed (or negotiated, if applicable) in the Cost/Price Excel Workbook, for both the prime and the subcontractor(s), regardless of performance location, will be binding (and will be incorporated into Section J of the resultant contract) and shall be the rates (subject to “Language for Subsequent Contract” below) used at the TO level for the purposes of TO proposal, evaluation, and determination of fair and reasonable price.”

Question: Please clarify if it is the Government’s intent to incorporate just subcontractor’s fully burdened labor rates or to incorporate all direct labor rates, escalation rates, indirect rates, and fully burdened labor rates for each subcontractor? Subcontractor’s direct labor rates and indirect rates can be considered proprietary information and may not be provided to the prime but directly to the Government. In this case this information would not be able to be incorporated into the result prime contract. Please advise.

Answer: Rates will be incorporated IAW B.1. Section J attachment will only reference the fully burdened rates; Section J will also reference the Government’s Paperless Contract File for Government access to the direct and indirect rates to protect proprietary information.

SECTION H.

Reference: H.3 LEVEL OF EFFORT (LOE) FOR COST PLUS FIXED FEE (CPFF) LINE ITEMS. H.3(b) states, “IAW FAR 16.306(a), the fixed fee associated with each CLIN will not vary with actual cost, but may be adjusted as a result of changes in the work to be performed (LOE) under this task order. The fixed fee of __OFFEROR TO PROPOSE WITH EACH TASK ORDER___% is associated with each CLIN. The fixed fee will be paid for hours performed from X-100% of the specified LOE described in paragraph (a).”

Question: Regarding the “X-100%”, would the government please confirm that the percentage range should be 90%-100% given that the RFP states that this percentage shall be no less than 90% for any TO?

Answer: No. The language is for subsequent TOs and the “X” will vary for each TO (between 90 and 99).

SECTION I.

Reference: Section G Question: Regarding DFARS 252.232-7006, Wide Area Workflow Payment Instructions (May 2013), (f) (1) Document type and (2) Inspection/acceptance location. Request the Government please complete these clauses with the applicable information, or confirm that this information will be issued with the Task Order Requests for Proposal.

Answer: This clause has been updated to reflect that the applicable information will be provided within each individual Task Order.

Reference: Section L, Clauses Incorporated by Reference, includes DFARS 252.225-7003, and requires DD Form 2139 to be included in Offeror’s response if the criteria in DFARS 252.225-7003 are met.

Question: As the Government will identify any required TDY OCONUS locations, would the Government consider removing this clause? Or, identify in which volume the DD Form 2139 should be included, if applicable.

Answer: This clause has been removed as it is not applicable.

Reference: Service Contract Act.

Question: 1. Will the Government consider adding the exemption clauses, 52.222-52 -- Exemption From Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Certain Services—Certification and 52.222-53 -- Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Certain Services—Requirements.

2. Will the Government consider removing 52.222-62 -- Paid Sick Leave Under Executive Order 13706?

Answer: 1. No, 52.222-52, 52.222-53 are not included as 52.222-14 is not applicable (unless an offeror states that labor categories are non-exempt for the SCA in Volume V; if it is determined SCA applies to some categories, clauses will be added prior to award); IAW L.6.5.2 “The Government anticipates all categories are exempt from the Service Contract Act Labor Standard; if the offeror determines any categories are non-exempt, the offeror shall provide the details within the Volume V narrative.” 2. Yes; 52.222-62 has been removed.

Reference: Section I Clause 52.244-2 Subcontracts. FAR 52.244-2(d) indicates that there is a fill-in for offeror’s to propose.

Question: Can the government confirm that this is intentional? Typically, the government indicates within this section which types of subcontracts they will allow the Contractor to forego a formal consent request prior to establishing a subcontract.

Answer: The Government has updated 52.244-2(d) and has provided information within the fill-in.

Reference: Section I Clauses Question: Per FAR 52.208-9 – Contractor Use of Mandatory Sources of Supply or Services (May 2014), the Offeror shall obtain mandatory supplies or services to be provided for Government use under this contract from the specific sources indicated in the contract schedule. Would the Government clarify what mandatory sources of supply or services are required?

Answer: Any mandatory sources of supply or services will be specified within individual Task Order requests for proposal.

Reference: Solicitation pg 20 DFARS 252.204-7012, Safeguarding Covered Defense Information and Cyber Incident Reporting.

Question: In accordance with DFARS PGI 204.73, will the Government please identify the required Covered Defense Information (CDI) or operationally critical support, and instructions for CDI marking and CDI disposition requirements?

Answer: DFARS 204.73 refers to defense information that “resides in or transits through covered contractor information systems by applying specified network security requirements.” Contractor employees will utilize government systems to conduct work in execution of their duties and all associated products furnished will reside on government networks.

L.4 PROPOSAL FORMAT.

Reference: L.4 Proposal Format. L.4.2 – General Requirements 1st bullet states “each page shall include the offeror’s name, proposal volume number, file name, date, solicitation number (and amendment, if applicable), and “SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION -- SEE FAR 2.101 AND 3.104” in the header and/or footer.”

Question: Could the government please confirm that this information only needs to appear once per page in the header or in the footer?

Answer: Yes; header OR footer, OR, header AND footer are both acceptable.

Reference: L.4 Proposal Format. L.4.2 – General Requirements and Adobe (.pdf) files. Line 2654: (Exception: Volume V; no page setup requirements). In lines 2675-2676 the government allows exceptions to Adobe formatting requirements for SB subcontractor commitments within the SB Participation Plan.

Question: Will the Government also allow an exception to the page setup requirements (as allowed for Volume V [line 2654]), for the SB subcontractor commitments section in Volume III as they are scanned documents created before the final RFP was released?

Answer: Section L.4.2 updated to allow these types of Adobe documents to be exempt from margins, gutter, and header/footer formatting requirements.

Reference: L.4 Proposal Format. L.4.2 – General Requirements and Adobe (.pdf) files. Line 2672-2674: requirement for Adobe files to be able to be searched for text.

Question: Screen shots and scanned pdf images are not always able to be edited or transformed to a searchable/editable format. Volume III – SB Participation requires several elements that will entail pieces of our response that are screen shots as demonstration of processes or program in place or scanned images such as subcontractor commitments or eSRSs. In the case of Volume III for items such as these (only) will the government waive the requirement for that part of the pdf file to be searchable?

Answer: Section L.4.2 updated to allow these types of items to be exempt from Adobe formatting requirements.

Reference: L.4 Proposal Format. L.4.2 – General Requirements 4th bullet states: “each paragraph shall be separated by at least one blank line (EXCEPTION: tables with bullets).”

Question: Please confirm that the government does not consider a Heading a paragraph and there is no requirement for a “one blank line” between the heading and the paragraph that follows. Please confirm that a bulleted list that is part of a paragraph does not require “one blank line” between each bullet but only after the last bullet to provide one blank line between each paragraph in its entirety IAW requirement on page 68 line 2647 (above).

Answer: L.4.2 has been updated to remove the blank line requirement.

Reference: L.4 Proposal Format. L.4.2.

Question: 1. Will the Government permit the use of Arial Narrow font in graphics or tables?

2. Will the Government permit a smaller than 10 point Arial font size in graphics and tables?

3. Will the Government permit 11x17 foldout pages to provide schedules, charts or other graphics? If so, would the Government consider counting them as 1 page?

Answer: 1. L.4.2. has been updated to allow for font and font size exceptions to Arial 12-point font size. 2. L.4.2. has been updated to allow for font and font size exceptions to Arial 12-point font size. 3. No. IAW L.4.2 General requirements, 8.5” x 11” letter sized paper is required for all of the proposal with the exception of Volume V which has no page setup/page size requirements and no page limits (IAW L.5).

Reference: L.4 Proposal Format.

Question: Would the Government confirm that covers, tables of contents, and Lists of Acronyms and Abbreviations are excluded from the page counts of each volume?

Answer: No; page limits are described in Proposal Structure Table under L.5.

Reference: L.4.2 Proposal File Instructions.

Question: Would the Government please confirm that in addition to the name of the Contractor being abbreviated, that the title of the Volumes can also be abbreviated to fall under the 40 character limit? Would the following example be acceptable?

Example: XXX_Vol_V_Factor_4_TECP Answer: Yes; L.4.2 File names, last bullet, updated for clarity to: “File names shall… be 40 characters or less and use “_” instead of spaces when possible; abbreviations are permissible within file names.”

Reference: L.4.2 pg 68 Question: Would the Government please confirm that it’s acceptable to use 11” x 17” pages in our proposal, and that each 11” x 17” sheet of paper counts as one page?

Answer: No. IAW L.4.2 “General requirements”, 8.5” x 11” letter sized paper is required for all of the proposal with the exception of Volume V which has no page setup/page size requirements and no page limits (IAW L.5).

Reference: L.4.2 Proposal File Instructions states, “Adobe (.pdf) files shall be able to be searched for text and shall allow for the Government to copy and paste from the proposal. The Government will not accept scanned documents in lieu of this requirement and will not invoke the text recognition feature within Adobe.”

Question: Would the Government please confirm that all executed Contract Documentation, to include but not limited to DCAA Letters, ACO Letter, other pre-existing signed documentation, and DA documents included within the Flight/Ground Operations Procedure can be submitted in their original .pdf format?

Answer: Section L.4.2 updated to allow these types of Adobe documents to be exempt from margins, gutter, and header/footer formatting requirements.

Reference: Section L.4 Proposal Format. L.4.2 requires all pages to be formatted with Arial 12 point font, 1" margins, etc. with very limited exceptions. Throughout Section L, however, the instructions require copies of such things as SF33, Business Systems Approvals, Small Business Subcontracting Plan, Flight and Ground Operations Procedures, Solicitation Documents in Volume I, Teaming Agreements in Volume III, Subcontractor Consent Letters in Volume IV that already exist, many approved with signatures, but do not adhere to the formatting requirements of L.4.2.

Question: Would the Government please confirm that required inclusions such as these are exempt from the L.4.2 formatting requirements?

Answer: Section L.4.2 updated to allow these types of Adobe documents to be exempt from Arial 12 and margins, gutter, and header/footer formatting requirements.

L.5 PROPOSAL STRUCTURE.

Reference: L.5 The following Proposal Structure Table is to assist the offeror organize the proposal submission documents to ensure the Government can easily identify which documents apply to which criteria for evaluation purposes. Offerors must adhere to the Volume Numbers, Titles, Format and/or Templates, and Page Limitations (if any) provided in the Proposal Structure Table, any deviation will result in proposal rejection IAW M.3.1.

L.6.1.2 Proposal Table of Contents. Shall identify the location of all major topics provided in each volume.

Question: The requirement to include a Table of Contents in each Volume is acknowledged. However, to assist evaluators in navigating and understanding each volume it is standard industry practice to also include additional front matter such as lists of exhibits/ figures, acronym lists, and a cover/title page, which are non-evaluated content. For page-limited volumes such as Volume II and Volume IV, will the Government consider excluding such non-evaluated front matter from page limitations?

Answer: NOTE: A Table of Contents is not required in each Volume; THE proposal Table of Contents is required in Volume I IAW L.6.1.2. Answer: No; page limits are described in Proposal Structure Table under L.5.

Reference: L.5 Proposal Structure and L.6.1 Volume I: General. In section L.6.1.2, the Government requires a Proposal Table of Contents for all volumes to be submitted with Volume I.

Question: 1. Should offerors also provide a Table of Contents within in each volume? 2. Are title pages, tables of contents (beside the required Volume I table of contents), RFP-Proposal cross-reference matrix, and glossary of acronyms required to be included with each volume and if so, excluded from the page limits?

Answer: 1. The Table of Contents is only required in Volume I. 2. No; title pages, tables of contents, cross-reference matrices, or glossaries are NOT required in the individual volumes, that said is the offeror’s prerogative to use the pages as they see fit - page limits are described in Proposal Structure Table under L.5.

Reference: L.5 Proposal Structure. L.6.1 Volume I: General.

Question: For Volume I, are the responses to L.6.1.1 - L.6.1.11 in the proposal structure table to be submitted as one Adobe PDF file or individual files for L.6.1.1 - L.6.1.11 responses and included in the Volume I folder on the DVD?

Answer: All information associated with Volume I shall be within the Volume I folder; any number of files is acceptable.

Reference: L.5 Proposal Structure.

Question: Can the government please confirm that each row listed on the Proposal Structure Table should be submitted in a separate file within the folder named for the respective Volume. For example in Volume 1 Sections L.6.1.1 through L.6.1.11 would each be saved as a separate file in the prescribed format IAW guidelines in the table.

Answer: All information associated with each Volume shall be within that Volume’s folder; any number of files is acceptable.

Reference: Factor 2 SB Participation. Section L.6.3.1.e(3) requires subcontract agreements.

Question: Due to file size will the government allow this to be an Attachment to the Volume III SB Participation and provided in a separate file within the Volume III folder on DVR submission?

Answer: All information associated with Volume III shall be within the Volume III folder; any number of files is acceptable.

Reference: L.5 Proposal Structure.

Question: Would the Government consider increasing the page count of the Past Performance volume from 16 to 20 to allow for the required Detailed Scope of Services?

Answer: L.5 Proposal Structure Table has been updated to allow for 20 pages for Volume IV: Factor 3 Past Performance.

Reference: L.5 Proposal Structure and L.6.4 Volume IV: Factor 3 Past Performance.

Question: Would the Government allow a short introduction to the past performance volume in order to synopsize Offerors’ experience which is excluded from the page count?

Answer: Volume IV has been updated to a page limitation of 20 pages under L.5 Proposal Structure Table; offerors may use the 20 pages as they see fit (which may include an introduction to the volume).

Reference: Volume I: General.

The Proposal Structure Table at L.5 states that L.6.1.4 Statement of Compliance and Compliance Matrix shall be submitted as "Adobe". L.6.1.4 requires that the offeror complete the Compliance Matrix, Attachment 09 to the Solicitation, and provide the completed matrix with Volume I. We are assuming that the Compliance Matrix should be submitted in its native Excel format, not pdf.

Question: Would the Government please confirm the use of Excel?

Answer: Proposal Structure Table in L.5 has been updated to allow for Excel for the Compliance Matrix.

Reference: Section L.5 Proposal Structure.

Question: Please confirm offeror remittance address, if required, should follow the completed SF33 in Volume 1: General.

Answer: Confirmed.

Reference: Section L.6.5 Factor 4 TECP. L.6.5.3 states “Task Order (TO) 0001. The offeror shall provide prices for Section B of TO 0001 (Section J of the solicitation, Attachment 05). All CLINs shall be priced by the offeror.”

Question: Will the Government please confirm that the completed TO 0001 Section B should be included in Volume V?

Answer: Yes; L.5 Proposal Structure Table has been updated for clarity.

VOLUME I: GENERAL.

Reference: L.6.1.6 Business Systems Information and Accounting System. L.6.1.6 states: “The offeror shall also submit official documentation, from a successful DCAA audit, of the offeror's accounting system or letter from DCMA documenting the offeror’s accounting system as “adequate”. If the offeror’s accounting system has never been audited by DCAA, or if the current audit is more than two years old (without DCMA documentation of “adequate”), the offeror shall state as such and provide a self-completed Pre-Award Survey of Prospective Contractor Accounting System (Section J of the solicitation, Attachment 04).”

Question: Can the Government please provide clarification regarding “without DCMA documentation of “adequate”” – If the contractor has received documentation from DCMA within the past two years that its system remains acceptable, even if the formal audit was completed more than two years ago, does the contractor still have to provide the Pre-Award Survey (SF1408)?

Answer: L.6.1.6 has been updated for clarity; yes, providing DCMA documentation showing an accounting system remains adequate (or acceptable, or the like) is acceptable; in this case, the offeror would NOT need to provide a Pre-Award Survey (SF1408).

Reference: Section L. Pg. 61 (c.2): “The first page of the proposal must show – “(list of requirements).” Pg. 63 (e.1): “Mark the title page with the following legend …” Pg. 65 (L.1.5, 1st bullet): “On the title page …”. Pg. 70 (L.6.1.1): “Executive Summary: The first page (or pages) of the Executive Summary …”.

Question: Please define “first page” and “title page.” Because this is an electronic submission, please clarify if “first page” and “title page” refer to the same thing.

Answer: L.6.1.1 has been updated for clarity: “The first page (or pages) of the Executive Summary shall include information IAW FAR Clause 52.215-1(c)(2) (“first page” and “title page” as described in this clause are considered the “Executive Summary” for the purposes of this solicitation)…”.

Reference: Total Compensation Plan. L.6.1.8.

Question: Can the Government confirm that offerors should include actual direct labor dollars in response to the requirements for the Total Compensation Plan? Or can the consistent and traceable requirement be met with labor category titles and/or codes?

Answer: Each offeror’s Total Compensation Plan will be unique; IAW L.6.1.8 the following applies: “The supporting information provided shall be consistent and traceable with the labor rates proposed in the Cost/Price Workbook presented in Volume V of the proposal.”

Reference: FAR Clause 52.215-1, Instructions To Offerors--Competitive Acquisition (JAN 2004) provides the following guidance regarding proprietary marking of proposals:

“(e) Restriction on disclosure and use of data. Offerors that include in their proposals data that they do not want disclosed to the public for any purpose, or used by the Government except for evaluation purposes, shall--

(1) Mark the title page with the following legend: This proposal includes data that shall not be disclosed outside the Government and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed--in whole or in part--for any purpose other than to evaluate this proposal. If, however, a contract is awarded to this offeror as a result of--or in connection with-- the submission of this data, the Government shall have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose the data to the extent provided in the resulting contract. This restriction does not limit the Government's right to use information contained in this data if it is obtained from another source without restriction. The data subject to this restriction are contained in sheets [insert numbers or other identification of sheets]; and

(2) Mark each sheet of data it wishes to restrict with the following legend: Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the restriction on the title page of this proposal.”

The proposal Instructions to Offerors require a different legend as follows:

“L.1.5 Privileged, Proprietary, or Confidential Information. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and its amendments have resulted in an increasing number of requests from outside the Government for copies of contract qualifications and proposals submitted to federal agencies. If an offeror’s submissions contain information that the offeror believes should be withheld from such requestors under FOIA on the grounds that they contain “trade secrets and commercial or financial information” [5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4)], the offeror shall mark, within the header and/or footer, its submissions in the following manner:

• On the title page: “Some parts of this document, as identified on individual pages, are considered by the submitter to be privileged or confidential trade secrets or commercial or financial information not subject to mandatory disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Material considered privileged or confidential on such grounds is contained on page(s) __ [enter page number(s)] ____.”

• Each individual item considered privileged or confidential under FOIA should be marked with the following notice: “The data or information is considered by the submitter to be confidential or privileged, and is not subject to mandatory disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.”

Section J, Attachment 07, Cost Price Workbook, Cell A1 reads:

“This data within the yellow cells is considered to be confidential or privileged, and is not subject to mandatory disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.”

Question: 1. Can you please confirm that the Instructions to Offerors guidance supersedes the FAR Clause requirement for marking this proposal?

2. Can you also confirm that the disclaimer in the Cost Price Workbook is sufficient marking for that document, or shall we also include the legend or legends annotated above in the footer?

Answer: 1. L.1.5 language has been removed as clause 52.215-1 covers this information; 52.215-1 instructions have been added to the Section J Attachment 09 Compliance Matrix. 2. No additional marking is required for the Cost/Price Workbook.

Reference: L.6.1.1 Executive Summary. Within Section L.6.1.1, offerors are required state to whether or not your firm is listed in the OFCCP’s National Preaward Registry.

Question: Since being placed on the OFCCP registry is an arbitrary process that is government driven, would ACC-Orlando please advise of the impact to ACC’s responsibility determination if only one of the offeror’s Cage Codes are listed within the registry and not the Cage Code associated with the facility that will be referenced within an offeror’s SF33?

Answer: L.6.1.1 has been updated to “…whether or not your firm (under the HTASC applicable CAGE Code) is listed in the OFCCP’s National Preaward Registry…”. IAW FAR 22.805, the responsibility remains with the ACC-ORL contracting officer to request clearance from the appropriate OFCCP regional office before award.

Reference: Volume I: General. L.6.1.1: “Executive Summary: The first page (or pages) of the Executive Summary …”.

Question: Which portions of FAR Clause 52.215-1(c)(2) need to be included in the Executive Summary?

Answer: 52.215-1(c)(2)(i)-(v) shall be included within the Executive summary, that said, IAW L.6.1.1: “…Statement of Compliance identified in L.6.1.4 shall replace the statement described at 52.215-1(c)(2)(iii).”

Reference: Section L Clause 52.215-1(c)(2) and L.6.1.1 Question: Would the Government please confirm that the “first page of the proposal…” (as referenced in FAR 52.215-1(c)(2)) is in fact the first page of the Executive Summary (referenced in L.6.1.1)?

Answer: Confirmed. L.6.1.1 has been updated for clarity: “…(“first page” and “title page” as described in this clause are considered the “Executive Summary” for the purposes of this solicitation)…”.

Reference: L.1.5 Privileged, Proprietary, or Confidential Information.

Question: 1. Would the Government please confirm that the “title page” mentioned in L.1.5 is a cover page that should be included at the beginning of each Volume, and 2. is exempt from the Volume page counts?

Answer: 1. L.1.5 language has been removed as clause 52.215-1 covers this information; 52.215-1 instructions have been added to the Section J Attachment 09 Compliance Matrix. 2. No; page limits are described in Proposal Structure Table under L.5.

Reference: Volume I: General. Section L.6.1.4 states Statement of Compliance... “the contractor and subcontractors have validated Facility Security Clearances (as stated within the DD254)”.

Question: Pursuant to NISPOM regulations, a Prime Contractor may sponsor a subcontractor for application and holding of a Facility Security Clearance. If the Prime Contractor currently has a proposed subcontractor that is in the process of obtaining an FSC, under sponsorship of the prime, will the Government consider that in compliance with requirements for a TS FCL as stated in the solicitation?

Answer: L.6.1.4 has been updated as it relates to Facility Security Clearances.

Reference: Disclosure Statements. Solicitation pg 71 and 77. Volume 5 TECP, Section L.6.5.2, Rates, states: "The offeror (to include the prime and any subcontractors for the purposes of L.6.5.2) shall provide (in Volume V narrative [outside Appendix A completed workbook]) supporting data and rationale for the direct rates and indirect rates included in the workbook, including labor rate development methodologies, disclosure statement(s), basis for estimate (i.e.: payroll data documenting the labor rates, letters of intent, wage surveys, DCAA/DCMA audited/reviewed labor rate, etc.), overhead, fringe benefit, general and administrative (G&A), etc. The offeror shall use the escalation rates provided by the Government in the Cost/Price Workbook." and Volume 1 General, Section L.6.1.6, Business Systems Information and Accounting System states: "The offeror shall submit its current Disclosure Statement describing the offeror’s cost accounting practices and procedures.”

Question: Should offerors submit the disclosure statements in both Volumes I and V? Please clarify.

Answer: Yes; the prime offeror’s disclosure statement shall be provided in Volume I and both the prime and subcontractor(s) (if applicable) disclosure statements shall be provided in Volume V.

Reference: L.6.1.4 pg 71. Reference: L.6.1.4 Statement of Compliance and Compliance Matrix. The offeror shall indicate complete compliance with the solicitation. As part of the Statement of Compliance, the authorized official identified in 52.215-1(c)(2)(v) shall sign certifying the following:

• the contractor and subcontractors have validated Facility Security Clearances (as stated within the DD254 [Section J of the solicitation, Attachment 03]).

Question: Given our understanding from the RFP that the performance of work is anticipated to be at Government facilities, will the Government please clarify this requirement?

Answer: The Facility Clearance (FCL) requirement is not derived from the location of work to be performed (Government facilities), it is derived from security requirements as identified in the DD254. For regulations governing the processes and procedures associated with FCL requirements, recommend the contractor visit the government’s Facility Clearance Branch, Defense Security Service website at http://www.dss.mil/isp/fac_clear/fac_clear.html. Somewhat unrelated to this question, but as a result of question 39, L.6.1.4 has been updated.

Reference: Section J Attachment 10; the offeror shall provide sample Flight and Ground Operation Procedures (FGOPs). .

Questions: 1. Please confirm there is no aviation maintenance requirements on this contract. 2. Should the offeror provide only a Flight Operations Procedure (FOP)?

3. Will the Government please confirm which version of AR 95-20 should be used?

Answer: 1. Cofirmed, there is no aviation maintenance requirements. 2. No, offerors shall furnish FGOP in accordance with AR 950-20. 3. The most recent AR 95-20 is dated 05APR17 and can be found at http://www.dcma.mil/Policies. PWS Section 6 has been updated to add this website.

Reference: Section L.6.1.4 and Section J Attachment 03 DD254; Section L.6.1.4 states that contractors will indicate complete compliance with the solicitation, specifically, “the contractor and subcontractors have validated Facility Security Clearances (as stated with the DD254 [Section J of the solicitation, Attachment 03]).” The DD254 states the FCL is Top Secret.

Question: Will the Government please confirm that the Prime can carry the clearance for the employees of the subcontractors and be compliant with the RFP Section L.6.1.4 for the small socioeconomic firms?

Answer: The prime contractor may “carry” the clearance of a subcontractor’s employees however, IAW L.6.1.4, the prime and all subcontractors shall have Facility Clearances. L.6.1.4 has been updated as it relates to Facility Security Clearances.

Reference: Section L.5 Proposal Structure. Section 2.5.2 of the TO 0001 SOO requires the offeror to describe its “property management processes/procedures” in the CPWS response contained within proposal Volume II. Currently, a separate Property Management Plan is required for submittal within proposal Volume I.

Question: Will the Government please consider relocating the L.6.1.9 Property Management Plan from Volume I to Volume II, to eliminate redundancy and allow efficient presentation and review of this topic as it relates to the Volume II Program Management Plan? If approved for relocation, a Property Management Plan page limit of 20 pages is recommended.

Answer: The full Property Management Plan shall be provided in Volume I IAW L.6.1.9. The CPWS does not require the full Property Management Plan to be repeated.

Reference: L.6.1.8 Total Compensation Plan.

Question: 1. Can the Government please clarify the requirement for subcontractors to provide Compensation plan data? 2. Will the subcontractors be required to provide a Volume 1 in their sealed response for Governmental validation of traceability with sub labor rates proposed?

Answer: 1. Yes; subcontractors will need to provide Total Compensation Plan information; L.6.1.8 has been updated for clarity: “(to include the prime and any subcontractors for the purposes of L.6.1.8)”. 2. Yes; IAW L.6.1.8: “If the prime cannot submit subcontractor information related to the Total Compensation Plan due to proprietary data issues (i.e. fringe benefit details), subcontractors’ information may be provided directly to the Government separately (reference L.4.1). Offerors are cautioned that subcontractor information shall be in compliance with the deadlines and guidance established above.”

FACTOR 1 PM AND SECTION J ATTACHMENT 06 TO 0001 SOO.

Reference: L.6.2 Factor 1 PM. Section L.6.2.2 requires two version of each person’s resume in a separate file.

Question: Could the government please confirm that there are 2 total resume files to be submitted; one file of all the redacted resumes and version 2 which includes all the not redacted resumes.

Answer: Confirmed; L.6.2.2 has been updated for clarity: “The Version 2 resumes shall be provided within a separate folder within the Volume II: Factor 1 Program Management (PM) folder as Factor 1 evaluators will not have access to the Version 2 resumes during evaluations.”

Reference: Factor 1 PM. L.6.2.2 states “Key Personnel(s)’s specific first last name(s) shall NOT be included in the CPWS) (if applicable)”.

Question: Is it permissible to include specific first/last names of non-key personnel in the CPWS?

Answer: No. L.6.2.1 has been updated, accordingly.

Reference: Factor 1 PM. L.6.2.2 removes the requirement for a Transition Plan, Recruitment/Retention Plan, Quality Assurance Plan and PMP. L.6.2.1 requires the offeror to submit a CPWS (and associated QASP and PRS).

Question: Please confirm that the government is only asking for a CPWS, QASP, and PRS in response to the SOO and not the actual plans (as you would not usually see these as attachments to a CPWS).

Answer: The plans have not been removed; please reference the SOO for the plans that are included as objectives and shall be addressed within the offeror’s CPWS.

Reference: Factor 1 PM. L.6.2.2.

Question: Does the government require a Performance Requirements Summary (PRS) in Factor 1 covering performance standards and acceptable quality levels (AQLs) for all Task Orders in the RFP? Or does the TO 0001 PRS referenced in this section just contain standards and AQLs for TO 0001?

Answer: The PRS and the QASP associated with the TO 0001 CPWS is only associated with TO 0001.

Reference: Factor 1 PM. L.6.2.1.

Question: Does the government require a Performance Requirements Summary (PRS) in the associated QASP covering performance standards and acceptable quality levels (AQLs) for all TOs in the RFP? Or does the PRS in the associated QASP just contain standards and AQLs for TO 0001?

Answer: The PRS and the QASP associated with the TO 0001 CPWS is only associated with TO 0001.

Reference: L.6.2 Factor 1 PM. Section L.6.2.2 Resumes.

Question: Would the Government allow an introduction in to the resume section? The offeror could provide both a redacted and not redacted version in its respective file.

Answer: No. Any discussion regarding key personnel outside of the resume copies shall be provided within the 60 pages of Volume I (WITHOUT IDENTIFYING KEY PERSONNEL BY FIRST/LAST NAME; see addition to L.6.2.1).

Reference: L.6.2 Volume II: Factor 1 PM. L.6.2.2 states that resumes should be submitted “for any proposed Key Personnel (identified within the PMP as determined by the offeror)”.

Question: As a PMP will not be submitted with paragraph L.6.2.1 we recommend the government remove the language “identified within the PMP” at L.6.2.2.

Answer: IAW L.6.2.1, “…all objectives (and Plans, referenced by the names established in the SOO) defined in 2.0 [PMP is listed at objective 2.5] of the TO 0001 SOO, at a minimum, shall be addressed within the CPWS.” Language will remain as-is.

Reference: L.5 Proposal Structure. L.6.2 Factor 1 PM.

Question: Is the Government looking for three distinct files to be submitted for Volume II: (1) The CPWS/Plans, PRS and QASP in response to L.6.2.1; (2) Redacted Resumes; and (3) Non-Redacted Resumes?

Answer: The only specific instruction is L.6.2.2 which has been updated for clarity: “The Version 2 resumes shall be provided within a separate folder within the Volume II: Factor 1 Program Management (PM) folder as Factor 1 evaluators will not have access to the Version 2 resumes during evaluations.” All Volume II files shall be included in the Volume II folder.

Reference: L.6.2 Factor 1 PM.

Question: Will the Government please confirm that the QASP and PRS to be provided per Section L.6.2.2 should cover Task Order 0001 only and not the other task orders referenced in Section J, Exhibit A?

Answer: Yes; the QASP and the PRS should only cover TO 0001.

Reference: Section J Attachment 06 TO 0001 SOO; 2.2 Phase-In Transition Plan.

Question: Will the incoming contractor be provided access to or will the Government support in obtaining necessary data in the currently used Information System to facilitate uninterrupted service between WFF and HTASC efforts?

Answer: The Government will ensure the HTASC contractor has any/all information deemed necessary by the parties to facilitate transition. The current WFF contract includes the FAR clause 52.237-3 Continuity of Services. The WFF contractor will be responsible for completing the responsibilities described in 52.237-3.

Reference: Section J Attachment 06 TO 0001 SOO and PRS; 3.0 Operating Constraints.

Question: How much space is available for Task Order 0001 personnel at the Government’s facility?

Answer: IAW 3.1 of the SOO, “The Government will provide sufficient office space to accommodate any Key Personnel (per TO 0001 SOO performance objective 2.5.1 and IAW IDIQ Basic PWS 1.6.1).” The Government will provide adequate space so as to provide a professional working environment for Key Personnel (also, see 4.2, Government Facilities, in the Section J Attachment 01 IDIQ Basic PWS).

Reference: M.10 Volume II: Factor 1 PM. Section M is silent as to evaluation of the plans within the CPWS (Phase-In/Transition Plan, Recruitment/Retention Plan, etc.).

Question: Will the Government please clarify if the plans will be evaluated as part of the CPWS or not evaluated at all? If evaluated, please provide criteria on which they will be evaluated (i.e., language previously included on p.69 of the draft RFP).

Answer: The plans (referenced in SOO objectives 2.2-2.5) will be evaluated as part of the CPWS IAW M.10.1.

Reference: Section J Attachment 06 SOO and PRS: “2.3 Attract, hire, and retain qualified (IAW the labor category definitions provided in Solicitation Attachment 07 – Cost Price Workbook) and effective (the ability to transfer knowledge and skills to students and/or generate learning products IAW the ADDIE process [see Basic IDIQ PWS 5.2.1]) contractor personnel to meet the IDIQ Basic PWS, TO requirements while minimizing personnel turnover, and considering the Objective at 2.8 of meeting adjustments to requirements.”

Question: Will the Government please confirm that the reference to "Objective at 2.8 of meeting…" should have read as Objective to 2.5.6 of meeting adjustments to requirements"?

Answer: The SOO has been updated to correct the reference to 2.5.6.

Reference: Section J Attachment 01 IDIQ PWS pg 40 Tech Exhibit 1 PRS. Reference: The IDIQ PWS lists a PRS with four columns: PWS #, Performance Objective, Performance Standards, and Acceptable Quality Levels, however, Section J, Attachment 6, Task Order 0001 SOO and PRS, at page 3, Section 4.0 Performance Requirements Summary (PRS) Mandatory Format PRS lists 5 columns with an extra column “Incentive/Disincentive”. The Task Order 0001 PRS (at SOO 4.0) lists the IDIQ four columns, plus a fifth: Incentives/Disincentives.

Question: Which format shall we follow? Otherwise, will the Government clarify the extra column for Incentives/Disincentives in TO SOO 4.0?

Answer: Incentive/Disincentive column has been removed from the TO SOO at 4.0.

Reference: Paragraph L.6.2.1 states in part (underlining added)- L.6.2.1 The offeror shall provide a Contractor Performance Work Statement (CPWS; and associated Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan [QASP] and Performance Requirements Summary [PRS]; see the TO 0001 Statement of Objectives [SOO], Section J of this solicitation, Attachment 06, for mandatory format for the PRS) in response to the Government provided SOO (Section J of this solicitation, Attachment 06); all objectives (and Plans, referenced by the names established in the SOO) defined in 2.0 of the TO 0001 SOO, at a minimum, shall be addressed within the CPWS.

Paragraph 2.0 of the TO 0001 SOO requires a Phase-In Transition Plan, Recruitment/Retention Plan, Quality Control Plan and Program Management Plan. These contractor Plans typically contain detailed information on “how” the contractor will implement PWS requirements, beyond what is normally in a CPWS. The CPWS contains the requirements for the Plan and the details are in the Plans themselves.

Question: 1. Would the Government please confirm that in addition to the core CPWS, that separate Phase-In Transition, Recruitment/Retention, Quality Control and Program Management Plans (in Plan format rather than CPWS format) are required to be submitted with the CPWS? 2. If the Phase-In Transition, Recruitment/Retention, Quality Control and Program Management Plans are required as a part of the CPWS, is it acceptable to have them as Appendices within the CPWS?

Answer: 1. Yes; plans are required to be submitted with (or within) the CPWS. 2. Contractor format is acceptable for the CPWS (IAW L.6.2.1); the plans can be appendices to the CPWS as long as the 60 page limitation for Volume I is followed.

FACTOR 2 SB PARTICIPATION.

Reference: L.6.3 Factor 2 SB Participation. L.6.3.2 states “all offerors are to provide a description (or descriptions, no more than two) of performance, over the past three calendar years, where the offeror has complied with the requirements of FAR 52.219-8, Utilization of SB Concerns, to include a description and documentation of the methods employed to promote SB utilization, the internal methods used to monitor such utilization, and any other information which clearly demonstrates the offeror’s capability to meet the requirements of FAR 52.219-8.”

L.6.3.3 states “large business offerors shall provide a description (or descriptions, no more than two) of performance, over the past three calendar years, where the offeror has complied with the requirements of FAR 52.219-9, SB Subcontracting Plan, to include documentation of meeting the requirements (such as copies of SF 294 Individual Subcontract Report using the Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System or SF 295, Summary Subcontract Report if the offeror has a Comprehensive SB Subcontracting Plan).”

Question: It sounds like these two sections go together, with the first one being a written summary of what we do to promote SB utilization, monitor such utilization, and any other information that shows our ability to meet goals, and the second one simply being two eSRS ISR reports. However, where should this be presented if “separate from the SB Participation Plan”?

Answer: Proposal information in response to L.6.3.2 and L.6.3.3 shall be provided within Volume III, just separate from the SB Participation Plan which is also submitted within Volume III.

Reference: L.6.3 SB Participation. L.6.3.1 d. NOTE 1 states: “Small includes: SB, SDBs, WOSBs, HUB Zone SBs, VOSBs, and SDVOSBs (show breakout by socio-economic category to meet the socio-economic requirements described above). Only include each business once regardless if represented in multiple groups."

Question: If contractors are limited to list each small business once, please clarify how we are to show those companies that qualify for multiple socio economic categories and receive credit for them. An example would be a company that qualifies as WOSB, SDB, and SB. If the contractor list this company only as a WOSB, how will the bidder receive credit for the SDB and SB requirement?

Answer: Table within L.6.3.1.d. has been updated for clarity.

Reference: L.6.3.1.d. Note 3 states “The Government has NOT asked the offeror to propose travel, other direct costs, or materials within the Cost/Price Workbook. If necessary, the offeror shall describe what percentages of these costs are expected to be allocated to SBs to ensure consistency with the percentages presented in the SB Participation Plan.” and L.6.3.1.e. sates “The offeror shall populate the following table to identify all anticipated prime and subcontracted services. When combined, prime and anticipated subcontracted totals must equal 100% of the Total Contract Ceiling of $785M. The sum of the estimated total dollars for each service for the stated SB subcontractors should ultimately lead to achieving the SB Participation requirement of no less than 30% (with 7% for SDVOSB(s), 4% for WOSB(s), and 3% for SDB(s)).”

Question: For anticipated travel and ODC/material costs, should offerors leave SB information as “TBD” in the L.6.3.1.e. table?

Answer: The Government has corrected an error in L.6.3.1.e.; the value listed is now $719M (removed travel and ODC/materials estimates [values equivalent to values listed in the Cost/Price Workbook]); only anticipated prime and subcontracted services should be listed in the table included within a proposal.

Reference: Solicitation pg 19 and 32. The Small Business Clauses in Section I site FAR 52.219-9 dated Jan 2017 (Deviation) and Alt II (Dev), but later in Section I the full text version is dated Oct 2015. There is no deviation for 52.219-9 clause dated in Jan 2017.

Question: Will the Government please identify which clause was intended to be incorporated into the solicitation? These clauses are different and have different requirements.

Answer: FAR 52.219-9 DEV and FAR 52.219-9 Alt II DEV apply and Section I has been updated to incorporate these by full text (instead of by reference); FAR 52.219-9 has been removed.

Reference: Factor 2 SB Participation. M.11.1 states: “The Government will evaluate the extent to which the offeror meets or exceeds the Government’s SB Participation requirement/objective of no less than 30% of the IDIQ $785M total contract ceiling (cumulative of all TOs) for each 12-month period (starting from the period of performance start date for the IDIQ contract Section F) with representation from at least 7% SDVOSB, 4% WOSB, and 3% SDB of the overall 30% participation requirement. Proposals not meeting the required SB Participation percentage requirement of no less than 30% of the IDIQ $785M total contract ceiling (cumulative of all TOs) for each 12-month period (starting from the period of performance start date for the IDIQ contract Section F) will be considered unacceptable.”

L.6.3.1 states: “The SB Participation requirement/objective for HTASC is no less than 30% of the IDIQ $785M Total Contract Ceiling (cumulative of all TOs) for each 12-month period (starting from the period of performance start…