BAMC_IT_Q A__PART_2.docx

Question submitted in last Q&A that was not answered:

Q17: Is a Facility Clearance required? If so, what level?

A17: A Facility Clearance is not required.

Q26: Is this a new contract or an existing contract that is up for renewal?

A26: Please refer to Q&A # 9 posted to FBO on 4/15/16.

Q27: If this is an existing contract who is the contractor?

A27: Please refer to Q&A # 3 posted to FBO on 4/15/16.

Q28: Is existing contractor allowed to submit a bid this time?

A28: The incumbent contractor is not an 8(a) vendor, and therefore, cannot bid as a Prime.

Q29: Would you upload a user friendly copy of the solicitation that will allow vendors to type in the required information?

A29: The solicitation was uploaded to FBO in Microsoft Word format. The Solicitation Attachment 0001, CLIN Structure, was uploaded to FBO in Microsoft Excel format.

Q30: Where do we include the following requirement in our proposal? “The contractor’s proposal shall include a plan for obtaining any special tools designed and used by the OEM for maintenance.”

A30: Volume II Technical.

Q31: How many vehicles are currently used to perform work at remote locations within San Antonio, BAMC Campus and Corpus Christi NAS? Can historical data for accomplished travel be provided?

A31: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q32: Can a historical list of "supplies, tools, test equipment, and other services" required to meet the terms of the contract be provided?

A32: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q33: With respect to supplies, will the contractor be reimbursed for maintenance supplies (hard drives, memory, patch cords, etc.) utilized for maintenance and repair purposes?

A33: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q34: What is the historical usage of such purchases by the contactor?

A34: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q35: Will the government please elaborate on the required contractor facilities requested in section 4.1 or elaborate on the intended use of contractor facilities to meet PWS objectives?

Q35: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q36: Please confirm that there is not a Pre-Proposal Conference for this RFP.

A36: Please refer to Q&A # 3 posted to FBO on 4/15/16.

Q37: RFP Technical Exhibit E provides additional scope areas. Please clarify what is expected in Offeror’s response to this requirement. If the Government expects a technical approach for all these areas, we ask that the Page Limit for Volume II be expanded to 50 pages.

A37: No response is required for Technical Exhibit E. However, the Page Limit for Volume II is hereby increased to 50 pages.

Q38: Is the Government asking for resumes for all proposed personnel as stated above (“The plan shall address how proposed personnel meet or exceed all minimum qualification requirements specified in the PWS”)? We ask that the Government clarify what resumes are required to be submitted with our Offer.

A38: Only key personnel resumes are required.

Q39: Can the Government provide potential Offerors a list of vacancies by labor category and the length of time for the vacancy?

A39: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q40: Can Offerors use an 8 Point font for graphics and 9 Point for Tables?

A40: Yes.

Q41: The current contract value $20,594,208.49. Is this value a yearly value?

A41: This is the total contract value.

Q42: What is the total number of staff to be provided per year all profession combined for this contract?

A42: This is at the discretion of the contractor. Also, refer to Attachment 3, Historical Workload Data.

Q43: Volume II is listed as having page limit of 30 pages. Recommend page limit for Volume II be expanded or exempt the proposed personnel qualifications from the page count (similar to the other exemptions in Paragraph 4 of this section).

A43: The Page Limit for Volume II is hereby increased to 50 pages.

Q44: Paragraph 1.25 requires the back-fill of a Project Manager position(s) within 5 business days of a vacancy. Recommend this be changed to 30 calendar days. Rationale: Most candidates have to give 2 weeks’ notice to their current employer and the background checks, etc. require at least another week. This includes a minimum of 4 day notification to the COR of when new personnel are hired.

A44: Concur. The PWS will be updated at time of award.

Q45: RFP Reference (page 37) states the key personnel are: Contract Manager and Alternate Contract Manager. The PWS Key Personnel paragraph (Page 54) only lists the Contract Manager as key personnel. Please clarify.

A45: Key personnel are: Contract Manager and Alternate Contract Manager.

Q46: Paragraph 1.25 States: “Contractor agrees not to charge the Government for unfilled vacancies beyond 10 business days.” The same paragraph provides for 30 calendar days to back-fill a vacancy. The 2 requirements are in conflict. Since this is a Firm Fixed price contract, does the Government intend to change the contract to a FFP-Level of Effort contract?

A46: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q47: Paragraph 1.6.5.1 States the contract requires travel to and from all BAMC supported buildings. Para 1.7.1 authorizes the lease of a vehicle for bulk items. Does the Government intend to provide Government vehicle support for this requirement?

A47: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q48: Paragraph 1.7.3 requires the submission on Monthly Utilization reports to validate mileage reimbursements. Paragraph 1.7.1 states that travel reimbursements for use of personal vehicles to conduct local travel is not authorized. Please clarify.

A48: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q49: Is it the Government’s intent that Offerors submit the signed Standard Form 1449 (SF1449) as part of Volume I, General, or as part of Volume IV, Price.

A49: The signed SF 1449 may be submitted as part of Volume I, General.

Q50: Does the 30 page limitation include resumes of key personnel or are the resumes outside of the page limitation?

A50: Page limitation does not include resumes. Additionally, the Page Limit for Volume II is hereby increased to 50 pages.

Q51: Can Offerors modify the format of the relevant contracts sheet? Specifically, can Offerors provide the information on the 2nd page of the contracts sheet in a table, rather than in text format?

A51: Yes.

Q52: #5 on page 1 of the Relevant Contracts Sheet is titled “Government or commercial technical representative or COR”. The required narrative would suggest that the title should be “Contract relevancy” or something similar. Can the Government please confirm the title is correct?

A52: The title is correct.

Q53: Please confirm the price volume submission is only the CLIN Structure Excel spreadsheet and there is no requirement for a price narrative, including basis of estimate, price justification, etc.

A53: The price volume submission may consist of only the CLIN Structure Excel spreadsheet. The price volume does not have a page limitation. Therefore, if a contractor needs to add any other information such as a price narrative, basis of estimate, price justification, etc., they may do so.

Q54: What percentage of time are the key personnel expected to be onsite?

A54: There is no minimum percentage of time Key Personnel are expected to be on-site.

Q55: Can they be completely offsite and be available via phone between 6:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Monday thru Friday except Federal holidays or when the government facility is closed.

A55: This is at the discretion of the contractor.

Q56: Do the key personnel (contracts manager / alternate contracts manager) map to these two labor categories in Attachment 3: Historical Workload Data- IT Project Management Project Engineer (IT Project Manager) and Managed Systems Engineer - Senior (IT Project Management)?

A56: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q57: How will the Government evaluate key personnel resumes for technical acceptability or unacceptability?

A57: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q58: How will the Government ensure an awardee possesses the financial resources to successfully perform the contract over the 60-90 day timeframe expected for initial invoice payment? Without a method to verify that 8(a) firms with no record of past performance possess existing liquidity or sufficient line(s) of credit, the likelihood of contract default and failure to pay employees is very high.

A58: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q59: Brooke Army Medical Center is the second largest DoD Medical Facility in the world; as such, the systems sustained on its networks are critical to ensuring patient safety and providing clinicians with the ability to sustain life in emergency situations. Are the technical IT staff at BAMC aware of the potential liability/risk of negligent management of critical life-sustaining IM/IT applications/systems (i.e. Pharmacy systems, Essentris, ARMD, Surgical Scheduling System, Cardiology applications, etc.) if this contract is awarded to a company that has no relevant past performance (has never performed work of this size and complexity as a prime)? Serious consideration should be made for the potentially grave impacts pertaining to the allowance of a technically acceptable rating for firms with no verifiable and relevant past performance.

A59: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q60: Has the BAMC Patient Safety office been coordinated with on the decision to solicit this requirement as LPTA with no technical or past performance discriminators in the evaluation criteria that are strong enough to ensure that vendors are sufficiently qualified to sustain multiple and critical clinical systems? The current evaluation criteria provide no means for Government to ensure insufficient / unqualified vendors are not awarded this contract.

A60: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q61: Currently, there is a Government van that cable installers use for local travel. Will that van be available under the new contract, or is the contractor required to provide a utility vehicle for cable installers, etc. for daily transport between facilities around SA? Alternatively, can employees use their personal vehicle for daily travel between facilities, and if so, will the Government reimburse mileage?

A61: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q62: This section states: “The contractor shall provide: supplies, tools, test equipment, transportation and other services required to meet the terms of this contract.” Will the Government provide standard GFE for on-site contractor personnel including desks, telephones, personal computers, and access to printers?

A62: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q63: Since the Government allows the contractor 30 calendar days to backfill a vacancy, would the Government amend the language in this section to read “Contractor agrees not to charge the Government for unfilled vacancies beyond 30 business days?”

A63: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q64: Will the government allow for 10 point font in tables and 9 point font in graphics, headers and footers?

A64: Yes. Additionally, see Q40 and A40.

Q65: If the job descriptions/tasks do not provide an IAT Level, should we assume that one is not required?

A65: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q66: For job descriptions that do not include years of experience, does that mean that no experience is required?

A66: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q67: Should there be different requirements for CSS vs CSS and Hardware Maintenance? There is only one defined in section 1.6.4.3.7.

A67: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q68: Can you verify if the Cyber Security positions are IT-I, IT-II, or IT-III? This is to help us determine which certifications are required.

A68: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q69: You have several systems engineer job categories listed. However, which one is specifically for Security Support?

A69: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q70: Do the key personnel (Contract Manager and Alternate Contract Manager) have a clearance? If yes, any specific level?

A70: A security clearance is not required for key personnel (Contract Manager and Alternate Contract Manager).

Q71: There are several discrepancies regarding the comparison of Attachment 3 to PWS job categories. You have only one IT project manager listed in the solicitation for a tasks/requirement. However, there are two different job cats listed in the historical workload data (pg. 90) of the solicitation IT Project Management Project Engineer (IT Project Manager) and Managed Systems Engineer - Senior (IT Project Management). What is the difference in these two roles?

A71: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q72: There is not a job description for the Sr. Systems Administrator for systems servers and storage. Can the government provide one?

A72: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q73: Is the Help Desk Support position the same as the Customer Service Support (1.6.4.3.7)? If yes, should the person doing the hardware maintenance have the same description as the other? If not, please provide different description?

A73: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q74: Due to the fact that the DoD and most government organizations are moving into the FISMA NIST Risk Management Framework, it is essential that the government have this capability. Would the government consider requiring this position to have this certification?

A74: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q75: With regards to Disaster Recovery support, it is understood that the contractor is responsible for the development of a DR plan. Does the government currently possess one?

A75: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q76: With regards to Disaster Recovery support, does the government maintain a Continuity of Operations site? If so, is it manned? What level of operation is expected (Cold, Warm, Hot)?

A76: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q77: Paragraph 1.25 States: “shall back-fill Project Manager position(s) within 5 business days of a vacancy.” This does not allow for any resignation notice to a previous employer. It essentially assumes the contractor will have a bench containing fully qualified personnel. The vast majority of 8a primes will not have the financial capacity to maintain a talent bench. Would the government reconsider this requirement?

A77: Please refer to Q&A #44.

Q78: With regards to PWS Technical Exhibit E: Mentions that MCITP is required in the first bullet point. MCITP is no longer offered by Microsoft. The main section requires an MCSE. Is this an oversight?

A78: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q79: PWS Technical Exhibit E: 8570 direction requires certification OR certificate of training (i.e., via SkillPort) for access to network computing environments (CE). As certifications restrict the pool of talent and increase the cost of that talent, would the government consider allowing certificate of training in place of certification?

A79: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q80: In cases where certifications are no longer offered or supported, who will have authority to identify replacement certification?

A80: The answer to this question will be provided NLT 28 Apr 2016.

Q81: Will the Government confirm that resumes are required to be submitted for the following key personnel: Contract Manager, Alternate Contract Manager?

A81: Please refer to Q&A # 38.

Q82: Will the Government confirm that the required resumes are to be submitted under Sub-factor B: Staffing Plan?

A82: Volume II Technical Proposal- Sub-factor B: Staffing Plan.

Q83: Will the Government confirm that Letters of Intent are not required to be submitted for offeror’s key personnel?

Q83: Letters of Intent are not required to be submitted for offeror’s key personnel.