BAMC_IT_Q A__PART_3.docx

SOLICITATION W9124J-16-R-0045 BID RESPONSE IS EXTENDED TO 2:00 P.M. CST 13 MAY 2016.

Questions submitted in last Q&A that were not answered:

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: No vehicles are provided by the government for contractor use.

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

A32: No.

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: These supplies are provided by the government.

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

A34: Not applicable.

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: There is no requirement for contractors to supply facilities. The PWS will be amended at the time of award.

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

A39: Contractor positions are seldom vacant.

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: Paragraph 1.25 will be changed to read “Contractors shall back-fill Project Manager position(s) within 30 days of a vacancy.” PWS will be amended at time of award.

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: Contractor employees are assigned to a specific location, and travel between locations is seldom required. Many BAMC supported buildings are located within walking distance. If an employee is assigned to two or more locations and a vehicle is required, they must travel in their own personal vehicle at their own expense. If out of the ordinary travel is required, then the government will provide government vehicles, which will be driven by government employees only. In rare instances, leased vehicles may be approved in advance by the COR.

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: PWS Paragraph 1.7.3 will be deleted at time of award. See Q&A #47.

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: No.

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

A57: Resumes for key personnel will be evaluated for technical acceptability by meeting the qualifications listed below. Resumes for key personnel shall be submitted with the Technical Proposal as part of Sub-factor B: Staffing Plan.

Contract Manager and Alternate, General Qualifications: The Contract Manager and Alternate shall have a minimum of 3 years general and specialized experience which provides a good basis or general knowledge of the principles of contract management. The following areas address the broad scope of knowledge considered necessary to the successful management of this contract: 1) Knowledge and understanding of Information Technology / Information Management Services in a hospital environment. 2) Knowledge and understanding of the Army's chain of command. 3) Ability to communicate well, both orally and in writing.

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: A Determination of Responsibility will be performed in accordance with FAR Part 9.

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: All risks associated with this requirement have been considered and evaluated.

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: Appropriate personnel from appropriate agencies were contacted and consulted.

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: See Q&A #47.

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: See PWS Part 3 for details.

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: See Q&A #46.

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

A65: Yes.

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

A66: Correct. Some job descriptions do not require experience.

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: There is no difference.

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: IT-II.

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

A69: See PWS paragraph 1.6.4.3.9.

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: There is no difference.

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

A72: See PWS Paragraph 5.2 and its subparagraphs. The PWS paragraph 5.2 will be corrected at time of award to reflect the title “Systems Administrator - Senior (SYSTEMS SERVERS AND STORAGE).”

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: See PWS paragraphs 5.5 and 5.6 and their respective subparagraphs for additional details.

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 government is not considering it at this time.

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: Yes, the government currently possesses a Disaster Recovery Plan.

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: BAMC does not have a Continuity of Operations (COOP) site.

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: Yes, this is an oversight. The new requirement is for MCSE certification. The PWS will be corrected at the time of award.

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 government is not considering it at this time.

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

A80: The Contracting Officer.