Questions and Answers as of 20220413.pdf

# Question Answer

1. Can the government please provide the incumbent contract information? W911S017C0015

2 2. Are there any differences in the incumbent staffing versus the new contract? The incumbent staffing requirement is 37. They are employing 40.

3. Can the Government please clarify which of the labor categories are subject to the Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS)? The government does not intend to tell offerors how to propose.

4. Technical Exhibit 3: Can item 26 and 29 Principal Engineer – Team Lead – be performed by 1 FTE?

Typically One Full Time Engineer combined for IESC and SWT because they are small applications

1. Can you clarify whether the solicitation # W911S022R0012 that released today (3/29/22) title Army Training Infrastructure System Legacy System Application Sustainment (ATIS) is or is not the same effort as ATIA ATSC?

is not

2. If these are two separate efforts, can you tell me if the Government plans to release ATIA ATSC under a specific contract vehicle (e.g., ITES-3S, GSA, etc) or as a single standalone contract; and whether it will be a specific set-aside (SB, 8(a), etc.)? ATSC ATS contract was competed in FY 21

7 Can you please provide that attachment 1? see updated solicitation

Will the government please provide the number of Past Performance references required for this response?

3 references 9 Will the government please provide the NTE estimate for ODC and Travel? see updated solicitation, No ODC costs

10 Will the government be providing Attachment 1 as reflected in this statement and elsewhere in the solicitation? see updated solicitation

Technical Exhibit 4 – This exhibit provides definitions for each of the Labor categories listed in this solicitation but does not provide Labor Category Qualifications. Other than in section 1.8.12, Program Manager certification (PMP) and experience (7 yrs), the solicitation does not provide Education, Years of Experience, Certification or Qualification requirements for the Labor Categories listed. As this can affect pricing, would the government please provide Labor Category Qualification requirements for all Labor Categories to include years of experience for Lead, Principal, Senior and Junior positions?

only the key positions are provided 12 The Reps & Certs are not available in the RFP, please provide? The contractor shall fill out 52.204-8 as well as provision 52.204-24, 26 and 52.219-28

What is a Consent letter in Past Performance, please provide us the details or format/template to fill out?

the consent letter and past performance are formatted by the by the contractor.

14 Attachment 1 - The pricing sheet is not available, please provide. see updated solicitation

Per PWS 5.1.4.2, is it the Government's intention that the successful offeror of this solicitation will need to develop and document the "AS IS" architectural views of the ATIS legacy applications as currently hosted at TRADOC’s Azure cloud environment using DODAF v1.5 and/or V2.0 or will it be provided post award? the DODAF will be provided post award

Double-spaced lines severely limit the amount of space needed to address 13 pages of Specific Tasks (PWS Section 5), the remaining PWS requirements, Instructions, and the Evaluation Criteria. If the Government requires additional line spacing, we recommend 1.5 lines (not double-spaced lines).

double spaced

1.8.6 of the solicitation states, “The Government may permit the contractor to perform this contract from an off-site location at no additional cost…”. Will the Government clarify which labor categories would be permitted to work on-site versus off-site? For example, the Project Manager will be on-site and the rest of the personnel may be permitted work off-site? based upon your proposal, the contractor may be required to meet on base as required

1.8.12 and 1.8.12.3 of the solicitation references key personnel, but the solicitation seems to only reference the requirements for a project manager (i.e., 1.8.12.1). Is this the project manager the only key personnel? If not, will the Government provide additional information on the expected labor categories that will be considered as “key personnel”? The Project manager and alternate is only key personnel.

L.3.2. and L.3.4. of the solicitation references an attachment (i.e., “Attachment 1”) for pricing, but one was not provided. Will the Government publish Attachment 1? If not, will the Government please provide the NTE for ODC’s and Travel CLINS? see updated solicitation

L.3.9.2 of the solicitation states, "The following page content does not count towards a Volume’s page limit: ...

Consent Letters, and Client Authorization Letters." Table L.2 in Section L.3.2 (p. 84) indicates that the Past Performance section is to include consent letters, which are not further defined in the instructions. Please give the requirements for a consent letter, or a template.

the letter of consent is not a specific format just a letter of intention stating they do plan on joining the team if the offeror wins the contract.

Evaluation Factor 1 states, "The Government will evaluate the offeror’s plan to provide key Personel for the requirement." However, while the PWS contains some language about key personnel, it does not define any key personnel." Please confirm that it is up to the offeror to designate key personnel in their offer and that there should be at least one key personnel designated by offeror.

the Project manager and alternate is only key personnel.

While Labor Positions are defined in Technical Exhibit 4, there appear to be no required certificaitons specified for any position for IAT. Can the Government confirm that it has no specific IAT Level requirements for any of the positions and that it is up to the offeror? For example, can the offeror designate the Information Assurance Lead as IAT Level 2 or IAT Level 3, based on their own solution? If not, please provide required IAT Levels for each labor position. DoDD 8570.01, DoD 8570.01-M and AR 25-2 dictate the required level

Beyond the Estimated Hours provided in Technical Exhibit 3, can the Government please also include (in Technical Exhibit 3) workload metrics for this contract. Examples are average number of service tickets, customer calls, or incidents in a given month; number of requested changes in an average month; number of customers using ATIS in a given month, etc. we do not run a help desk under this contract.

24 Will the Government specify personnel security clearance requirements for each position? this is all unsecured content

Section 5.2.2 of the PWS states, "The contractor shall present changes to the Government via standard Agile release and sprint planning sessions." Does the Government have any requirements on the length of a given sprint? typical sprints have been couple months

Section L.3.3 states that the Cover Sheet should include the DUNS number. As of 4 APR 2022, the DUNS number was replaced with the Unique Entity Identifier number. Will the Government update the requirement?

Please provide a Unique Entity Identifier number

L.3.9.2 states that signed teaming agreements do not count towards a Volume's page limit. If bidding as a team, does the Government require copies of the teaming agreements? yes please provide

The RFP Section L-Instructions state that offerors shall provide a completed SF 33; however, the Government provided Standard Form 1449 (not SF 33). Will the Government provide Standard Form 33?

please provide a completed 1449

The instructions state that offerors shall submit thoroughly completed Section K (Representations, Certifications, and other Statements of Offerors). "Clauses Incorporated by Reference" are included in the RFP; however, there is no Section K. Will the Government provide Section K for offerors to complete?

see updated solicitation

Per L.3.5. Text Requirements, "Proposal text shall be double spaced." The requirement for double-spacing severely limits the amount of space for content (effectively, cutting it in half). Is this a mistake?

double spaced

Per L.3.5. Text Requirements, "Proposal text shall be double spaced." The requirement for double-spacing severely limits the amount of space for content (effectively, cutting it in half). Did the Government intend for Offerors to use double-spacing between paragraphs (not double-spaced text)?

double spaced

With the L.3.5. requirement for double-spacing, we strongly recommend doubling the page count for the technical response for Factor 1: Mission Capability to 30 pages. We note that PWS Section 5 (alone) amounts to 13 pages when double-spaced. page count remains

How do you want us to show this requirement in the CLIN pricing? Should the DBA be added to each element or shown in 5.4 with the assumption that this task must be exercised in conjunction with any other optional task? see updated solicitation

34 Can we use the reps and certs that can be pulled from SAM.gov? The contractor shall fill out 52.204-8 as well as provision 52.204-24, 26 and 52.219-28

Should we use the FAR 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications and only complete Section B if our SAM.gov annual reps and certs are updated? yes

Item L.4.4.3 on page 88 of 92 indicates that a baseline of 1920 hours for a productive labor year should be used.

However, Technical Exhibit 3, Estimated Workload Data on pages 34-35 indicates the use of 1872 hours as a “manyear”. Can you please clarify? 1872

This procurement has been designated as Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA). However, the selection of LPTA on the best value continuum for this opportunity appears to conflict with DFARS guidance provided at DFARS 215.101-2-70 (see italicized text below). Specifically, on the list of 8 conditions that must be met to use LPTA at (a)(1), item (vi) is clearly not met with this procurement (see highlighted below). Additionally, on the list of procurements for which to avoid LPTA at (a)(2), item (i) is clearly not met with this procurement (see highlighted below). procurement remains LPTA

Page 35, TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 3 includes: Item 31 indicates 3 FTEs; however, there are only 3744 hours annually.

Can you please clarify should it be 2 FTEs, or 5616 hours annually? 2 FTEs.

Page 6, In reference to PWS 1.3.7, 1.4.1 & 1.4.4 the term “cArmy” is used but is not in the glossary. Please define what is intended here. cloud army

Page 8, PWS 1.8.9 indicates that the contractor should “propose the appropriate number of personnel, labor types, mix, and hours in the proposal and during performance to accomplish the performance work statement” yet the Basis for Award and Evaluation Criteria states “Offers received for less than the stated requirement will be considered ineligible for award.” Please clarify if offerors can propose an alternate labor mix that differs from Technical Exhibit 3? The government does not intend to tell offerors how to propose.

Page 9, PWS 1.8.12.1 states “The contractor shall provide a project manager..,” Does this requirement include identifying the Project Manager in the proposal? yes

42 Page 85, L.3.9.1 Are resumes excluded from the page limitations? yes

Page 23, PWS 5.7.5 Lists a Senior Software Engineer. Is that position intended to be a full time position, shared position, or part time position? full time position

Page 24, PWS 5.9.5 Lists a Principal and Junior Engineer. Are those positions intended to be full time positions, shared positions, or part time positions? full time positions

Page 76, The solicitation requires compliance with FAR 52.222-41 Service Contract Labor Standards. Will the Government issue a corresponding Wage Determination? see updated solicitation

Page 6, paragraph 1.3.7, paragraph 1.4.1, and paragraph 1.4.4 all include “Cloud.” Should Technical Exhibit 3 include any Cloud-related Labor Categories? cloud is the end state for this contract

47 What is the composition of the current incumbent staff, by LC? the government declines to answer

If the government desires a set level of effort, IME recommends that the government sets the hours for potential bidders to apply their labor rates and wraps while generating a FFP, which lowers the risk of the winning contractor not meeting government expectations vice bidding strictly to the requirements of the PWS.

1872 FTE is the standard 49 Please provide the not-to-exceed estimates for ODC and Travel CLINs. see updated solicitation 50 Is the incumbent eligible to compete on this opportunity? the government declines to answer

Place of performance is listed as being at government facilities, but that contractors may be permitted to perform work from an off-site location; can the government please indicate what percentage of the work can be performed off-site? based upon your proposal, the contractor may be required to meet on base as required

Is the Project Manager considered “Key Personnel”? Are there other positions that the government would prefer are “Key Personnel”? the Project manager and alternate is only key personnel.

53 Will contractors be OCI’d from future/broader ATIS opportunities if they perform this work? no

The solicitation states that the contractor shall provide a workforce possessing the skills, knowledge, and training to satisfactorily perform the services required by this contract; however, no education, certification, or experience criteria are provided for any role other than the project manager (pg. 9, section 1.8.12.1). How will the government evaluate contractors' workforces' ability to perform the required services for roles other than that of the project manager? see pws

Are there any qualifications for the labor positions? For example, education, years of experience, or certifications?

see pws

The description references the Army Training Information Architecture (ATIA); should this read Army Training Information System (ATIS) for this and all subsequent CLINs? ATIA is maintained; ATIS is the organization

(c) Period for acceptance of offers. The offeror agrees to hold the prices in its offer firm for 30 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers, unless another time period is specified in an addendum to the solicitation.

L.2.9. Period for Acceptance of Offerors -The Offeror agrees to hold the prices in its offer firm for 180 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers.

Would the government please identify whether the period for the pricing is for 30 calendar days or 180 calendar days?

180 calendar days please refer to addendum 1 as FAR 52.212-1 suggests

Does the government require vendors to submit a quality control plan as part of the proposal response?

yes

The solicitation references subject matter experts. Can the government please indicate which roles are considered subject matter experts and the criteria upon which those qualifications will be evaluated?

yes

The solicitation states that proposals shall address qualifications of all contractors; is this referencing the qualifications of teaming partners and/or subcontractors, or individual resources who will perform the work?

all proposals shall include qualifications of workforce.

The solicitation states that proposals shall address qualifications of all contractors; can the government please define the qualifications contractors are required to possess and the criteria upon which those qualifications will be evaluated? the contractor must be able to compile code and articulate how they did the process

The solicitation states that proposal will be evaluated on the processes addressing management and performance of services, scheduling and correction of defects prior to and after government review. Can the government please provide the criteria upon which processes will be evaluated and/or measured?

in accordance with the solicitation

The solicitation states that proposals shall address the offeror's plan to provide key Personnel for the requirement;

can the government please specify the roles considered to be key and the criteria against which plans will be evaluated? Project Manager and alternate are the key positions

64 How will technical capability be evaluated? in accordance with the solicitation

How will price be evaluated? Will price be evaluated based on Labor Rates, FFP CLIN amounts, or total price?

In accordance with FAR 15.404-1

Can the government please provide additional insights into how the evaluation for lowest price will be conducted? For instance, will all submissions be evaluated for Technical Acceptability first, and then the Technically Acceptable offers be ranked by lowest price? Or, will offers be ranked by lowest price first, and then evaluated individually (starting with the lowest price) until an offer is deemed technically acceptable? the government declines to answer

Can the government provide additional information on the ATIS System of Record that will replace legacy ATIS system? the program of record is currently under development

Can the government clarify if any personnel require security clearances, especially since Section 1.8.20 states that the contract is ‘Unclassified’ this is an unclassified contract

Can the government clarify how it expects to execute ‘Optional CLINS’ 0002 -0010 as depicted? Is contractor expected to price optional CLINS considering that this is FFP contract? see updated solicitation

70 Can the government provide Past Performance Questionnaire format? see updated solicitation

(L.4.2.2/Factor 1) Sections L and Evaluation Factors state that “the offeror’s proposal shall include a detailed summary description of a Quality Program including processes that address all aspects of performance.” Followed by “ The Quality Control Plan shall address all aspects of the validating and testing process prior to delivery to the Government.” in accordance with the solicitation

(1.8.1.1) The contractor shall deliver a Quality Control Plan (QCP) to the COR and Contracting Officer within 30 business days after contract award for review and approval. Does the Quality Control Plan need to be included in the proposal submission and, if so, will it count against page count? yes, this does not count against page count

Technical Exhibit 4 (Pg 36) – Would the government confirm that the Government is requesting a Junior Software Developer versus Junior Software Engineer shown in Technical Exhibit 3? Developer

Delivery Information (Page 63) – The Period of performance (on page 63) seem to be different than the Period of performance identified in PWS paragraph 1.7 (Page 7). Would the government please verify the correct Period of Performance dates? see updated solicitation

L.1.2 (Pages 80-81) – Section L.1.2 that indicates proposal submission via email is the only acceptable submission method. Will the Government please confirm that proposals should be submitted to Mr. Edward Wojtan, Contract Specialist, at edward.w.wojtan2.civ@army.mil < Caution-mailto:edward.w.wojtan2.civ@army.mil > , and Ms.

Lindsey Nicolai, Contracting Officer, atlindsey.c.nicolai.civ@army.mil < Caution-mailto:lindsey.c.nicolai.civ@army.mil > ? edward.w.wojtan2.civ@army.mil and lindsey.c.nicolai.civ@army.mil

L.3.9.2 (Page 85) – L.3.9.2 references CPARs and Client Authorization letters. Would the government please confirm that these items are required and to be submitted with the Past Performance? Also, the government did not provide a draft template for the Client Authorization Letter. see updated solicitation

L.4.1.9. (Page 87) – Section L.4.1.9 references an 8(a) Joint Venture Certification of Compliance. Does the Government require any additional information from Joint Ventures (e.g., constituent company addresses, CAGE codes, etc.)? yes please provide UEI and Cage Code

78 L.4.3. (Pages 87-88) – What is the required format and contents for Past Performance? no required format