Response_to_Questions_Amended_21_Sept_17.pdf

COMMAND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (CIMS) III

DRAFT & FINAL SOLICITATION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Updated 21 September 2017

Question # Contractor Question/Comment Government Response

1 Section K.5.5.3.5 describes

"Offerors will be required to certify, at the time of proposal submission, that they are currently registered in SAM as a

WOSB. Prior to award, the KO will verify that the offeror is registered as a WOSB in SAM and will not award to an offeror that does not meet this requirement."

Will you please clarify if an offeror certifies as a WOSB at time of proposal submission but graduates to a large business at the end of the calendar year, prior to award, are they still eligible for award?

This question is referring to L-5.5.3.5 not K-5.5.3.5. L-

5.5.3.5 is updated to L-5.5.3.6.

It is changed to read as follows:

“Offerors will be required to certify, at time of proposal submission, that they are currently registered in SAM as a

WOSB.”

If an offeror graduates from a WOSB to a large business after proposal submission, but prior to award, they are still eligible for award.

2 Will the government provide a historical level of effort (LOE) which delineates work locations?

While the government will not provide historical LOE based on work locations, the CIMS III technical library provided historical TO performance locations.

3 Does the offeror (prime contractor) have to have a purchasing system? Would the subcontractor’s purchasing system be sufficient?

The prime contractor is required to have a purchasing system, the subcontractor’s purchasing system will not be sufficient.

4 Does the contract require all subcontractors to have a purchasing system?

Not all subcontractors are required to have a purchasing system, only those anticipated to purchase quantities of materials. See L-5.4.4.2.4.

5 Can the offering company holding a TS Facility clearance sponsor a company for a Secret Facility Clearance for the purpose of an awarded contract?

IAW DoD 5220.22-M, a currently cleared contractor may sponsor an uncleared company for a facility clearance.

6 Will the Government sponsor Secret Clearances? For Facility clearances, since all Prime offerors are required to have a current TS facility clearance, and based on the answer to Question 5 above, the Government will not sponsor facility clearances.

For Individual Secret clearances, the Government will not sponsor.

7 Does a prime offeror need to have an approved purchasing system at time of contract award?

The offeror does have to have an approved purchasing system at time of contract award. Per H-7.1, the purchasing system can be approved by either DCMA or the KO. KO approval will be based on the documents submitted in response to L-5.4.4.5.

8 If an offeror must have an approved system, will the

Government accept an approved system for cost-type contracts in lieu of an approved purchasing system?

No, the Government will not accept an approved accounting system in lieu of an approved purchasing system. An approved accounting system is already required IAW L-

5.4.4.6.

9 Do subcontractors need an approved purchasing system at time of contract award?

If subcontractors are anticipated to purchase quantities of material, an approved purchasing system is required at time of award. See L-5.4.4.2.4.

10 Reference M-2.6.4 - Does Section M-2.6.4 only apply to major subcontractors?

See L-5.4.4.2.4.

“The Government expects the subcontractors to provide the following data IAW the associated solicitation paragraph, as needed: 1) IAW paragraph L-5.4.4.5, if the subcontractor is anticipated to be purchasing quantities of material; 2) IAW paragraph L-5.4.4.6, if a cost- or incentive-type subcontract arrangement is established; and 3) IAW paragraph L-5.4.4.7.

All required data must be received by the same date and time as the offeror’s proposal. This information is required for all subcontractors anticipated for the contract.”

11 Reference L-5.4.4.5 Tab 5 - In the draft, section H-7.1 indicates the KO can approve the contractors purchasing system. Is the approval based on the documents submitted as required in section L-5.4.4.5? If not, when does the KO approve the purchasing system?

The approval is based on the documents submitted IAW L-

5.4.4.5. The KO will review and approve the purchasing

system prior to award.

12 PWS Para 2.8.5 Statement: “A Program Management system should exist to oversee, direct, and coordinate all contract and

TO support activities.”

Question: Does “program management system” refer to an offeror-provided system (such as SharePoint, MS Project, etc.)

for use in directing activities or would this be a program management approach/plan?

A Program Management system refers to a program management approach.

PWS para 2.8.5 has been changed to clarify, “A Program

Management approach should exist to oversee, direct, and coordinate all contract and TO support activities.”

13 PWS Para 3.8 Statement: The contractor shall ensure the required Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Video

Services (DVS) Level II certification is obtained prior to award of any VTC TO.

The statement referenced pertains to para 3.7, not 3.8.

This requirement no longer applies and will be removed from the PWS.

Questions:

1) Please clarify if the company responding to a TO must be certified, or the individual operator/employee who will complete the task must be certified.

2) Please confirm that if this certification is required for a specific TO, it will be included as a requirement for responding to the TO solicitation document.

14 Draft RFP L-4.2.3 Instructions state: “Offerors are encouraged to submit Volume II (Past Performance) as early as one week after release of solicitation, but NLT 1300 MST, on

TBD. Please contact the POC in paragraph L-4.1 above to arrange for early delivery.”

Questions:

1) Please provide clarification regarding expected timeframes for delivering the Past Performance volume.

2) Please clarify if this includes early return of PPQs, which may be very difficult to obtain within one week following release of the solicitation.

3) Please provide indications of any bonus points/demerits in the evaluation process resulting from early delivery

vs. on-time delivery.

Per L-4.2.3, offerors will be encouraged, not required, to submit Vol II early. The specific time and date for submission of all volumes will be provided in the release of the official solicitation. The date in L-4.2.3 will match the submission date for all volumes. No bonus points or demerits will result from early delivery vs. on-time delivery.

15 PWS Para 2.8.5 Statement: “The POC shall be required to possess a TOP SECRET (TS) clearance or be eligible for immediate adjudication by the cognizant security authority upon award of the contract. The POC may eventually require a

Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) clearance to provide Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF)

Operations Support.”

Comment: As the clearance process for TS/SCI can be lengthy.

Suggest that the government revise language to clarify that this would be discussed in advance of requirement.

The Program Manager is required to possess a TS clearance, or be eligible for immediate adjudication upon contract award. This verbiage will not be changed in the PWS. It is anticipated that the awarded contractor will be working on the award of several TOs to begin prior to the end of FY 18.

Also, requirements are constantly changing and new requirements arise throughout the life of the IDIQ, we cannot guarantee a change or new requirement to be awarded prior to the end of FY18 will not require a TS.

This has been verified with the customer several times.

16 Attachment 5 PPI Instructions: Instructions regarding Key

Personnel require resume information and correlation to current

PWS.

The page limit will not be changed. The Government feels

3 pages for a narrative will be sufficient to provide the information required for a key personnel or a Contract or

TO. As stated in L-5.3.1, no resumes will be accepted.

Comment: 1) Suggest the government provide no page limit for this section as a result of this requirement.

2) Suggest the government specify “key personnel” for the purpose of this section, as there may not be corresponding position titles/labor categories.

3) Suggest the government abbreviate information required to show similar labor categories, rather than professional background of project personnel, as retrieving information for employees no longer with the company would be unduly burdensome for offerors, when attempting to meet proposal deadline.

When an offeror is submitting a key personnel qualification summary in lieu of a Contract or Task Order Citation, the

Government is looking for cross-reference to the relevancy areas identified in M-2.5.3.1, there is no requirement to cross-reference position titles or labor categories.

17 Attachment 10 Draft Accounting System Checklist: Heading indicates that this would be a “pre-award survey”.

Comment: It is unclear whether this would be part of proposal and the length of time prior to award this information would be required. Suggest the government revise language to indicate the timing of the completion of the document (e.g., to be attached with the proposal as part of price volume, to be provided within

30 days of RFP release as part of down select process).

L-5.4.4.6 revised to state, “If the Government has not determined your accounting system to be adequate or approved, complete and provide Section J, Attachment 10, as part of Cost Volume III”.

18 L-5.3.3.2 states, “Provide PPI IAW with the format contained in

Section J, Attachment 5 on all efforts included in the Relevancy

Matrix.” This is the only reference to a relevancy matrix in the

RFP. Is the Government referring to the Relevancy Criteria at

M-2.5.3.1? Or to Attachment_11_-

_Draft_Team_Composition_Matrix? Or does the Government expect Offerors to develop a relevancy matrix and, if so, does it count against the 32-page limit in Volume II?

The Government is referring to the Relevancy Criteria in M-

2.5.3.1. L-5.3.3.2 revised to state, “Provide PPI IAW the

format contained in Section J, Attachment 5 on all efforts included in the Relevancy Criteria”.

19 L-5.3.3.2.1 states, “For the Relevancy Criteria 1: Program

Management, all citations must be of the Prime. If the Prime is a

JV, each JV partner must submit at least one citation. For the

Relevancy Criteria 2: CIMS III Requirements, at least two citations must be of the Prime.” Does the Government expect a minimum of three (3) separate prime citations to cover Criteria 1 and 2? Or can the same citation count for both Criteria?

Offerors can use the same citation to cover both Relevancy

Criteria.

20 L-5.4.4.2 states, “Provide in an electronic spreadsheet format compatible with Microsoft Excel a cost summary by major cost elements by contract year, for the five-year PoP and six-month extension, in the format at Section J, Attachment 8. Show direct labor cost (unburdened hourly rate), indirect costs (e.g., fringe, overhead and G&A).” Attachment 8 only allows indirect rates.

Where should indirect costs be captured?

Reference to indirect costs was updated to reflect indirect rates.

21 L-5.4.4.3 states, “Provide, in an electronic spreadsheet format compatible with Microsoft Excel, a cost summary by identified cost elements by contract year, for the five-year PoP and six-month extension, in the format at Section J, Attachment 9. Show the burdened hourly rate, indirect costs (e.g., fringe, overhead and G&A).” Attachment 9 only allows indirect rates. Where should indirect costs be captured?

Reference to indirect costs was updated to reflect indirect rates.

22 H-14.1 states, “The composition of the contractor’s core team structure is an integral part of the basis for award of this contract. As such, any changes (additions or deletions) to the existing major subcontractor/team member structure must be approved by the KO.” Can the Government provide an anticipated timeline for this approval process?

IAW H-14.2, the KO will provide approval/disapproval within 30 calendar days.

23 PWS Para 2.14, what are the anticipated end dates of the current active Task Orders?

The end dates of current, active TOs will vary throughout the year. Specific dates cannot be provided at this time, as there are several TOs which will require a new PoP in order to ensure coverage prior to CIMS II ending, for which we do not have a PoP.

24 PWS Para 2.8.3 states, “The contractor is expected to cooperate with third party contractors in the capacity of their duties under this contract.” Can the government provide details on any existing ACAs on CIMS II?

The Government cannot provide any details on this information. Proposing on CIMS III is not contingent upon this information.

25 PWS para 2.8.5 states, “A Program Management system should exist to oversee, direct, and coordinate all contract and TO support activities. The contractor shall provide a senior-level point of contact (POC) i.e. Program Manager with a professional background in all aspects of IT who shall be responsible for the performance of the work specified in this

The Government cannot direct the offeror how to charge positions. Offerors should bid IAW their acceptable accounting practices.

contract and applicable TO’s….” Will the Government confirm whether or not this is a direct charge position?

26 PWS para 2.8.6.2, Will the Government provide number and types of certifications held by the current CIMS II personnel?

The Government will not provide this information.

Proposing on CIMS III is not contingent upon this information.

27 PWS para 3.18 states, “Prior to purchase, the contractor shall show proof of competition for all purchases over the micro-purchase threshold and document why the recommended source was selected.” Can the Government provide background information on how many competitive purchases were made on

CIMS II?

The Government cannot provide this information. At this time, the Government can identify that of the current

$9,863,625 ceiling for ODCs on CIMS II, $7,020,545.27 has been awarded overall.

28 The Q&A from 30 May 2017 states 21 FTEs currently with no plans to decrease work. Is the Government still expecting 21

FTEs or should the contractor go off of the number of positions estimated in Attachment 9?

For purposes of the proposal, follow L-5.4.4.3. The Q&A on 30 May was providing information that presented a snapshot of FTE on CIMS II at that time.

29 M-2.5.3.1, Are past performances from the Prime Offeror limited to prime experience? Given that proposing WOSB primes in this revenue threshold may have minimal prime experience and may leverage the resources of large business subcontractors, we recommend changing the “Very Relevant” requirement to references performing as prime or subcontractor to ensure fair competition.

Section M-2.5 does not limit offerors past performance experience to prime or subcontractor experience. It is up to the offeror to determine what past performance best meets the Relevancy Criteria in M-2.5.3.1.

Section M-2.5.3.1, Relevancy Criteria 1: Program

Management has been updated to specify the Program

Management experience must be in direct support of the government.

Also, the Very Relevant dollar threshold has changed from

$40M to $35M.

30 L-5.5.3.9, Does the government request that subcontractors submit a compensation plan in addition to the prime contractor's?

There is no requirement for a subcontractor to submit a compensation plan.

31 Section M-2.6.4 indicates that subcontractors or team members will be evaluated for Estimating System, Purchasing System, and Accounting System. The corresponding sections of L-

5.4.4.4 L-5.4.4.5, and L-5.4.4.6 indicate the offeror's

requirement, but do not designate requirements for

See L-5.4.4.2.4 which identifies when a subcontract is required to provide data IAW L-5.4.4.4, L-5.4.4.5, and L-

5.4.4.6.

subcontractors or team members (although L-5.4.2 includes subcontractors in its requirements). As subcontractors will not be responsible for purchases and estimating and will not bill the

Government, we recommend that subcontractors and team members be excluded from this requirement if, indeed, it is the

Government’s intention to evaluate those systems.

Any data submitted by the subcontractor IAW L-5.4.4.2.4 will be evaluated IAW M-2.6.4.

32 Attachment 3, Please define “Purpose” within the Position

Descriptions. Our concern is that within the context of CIMS

III, it may be an unfair advantage to the incumbent, especially if

“Purpose” extends to coordinating with specific government personnel.

Purpose block title changed to “CIMS III Performance

Work Statement (PWS) Cross-Reference”. Description added to clarify purpose of this section. Description states, “Cross-reference which service(s) under Attachment 1 –

CIMS III IDIQ PWS, Paragraph 3.0 the position will support”

33 Will the government designate a tab within the cost volume for

Basis of Estimate Narrative?

No, the Government will not designate a tab within the cost volume for Basis of Estimate.

34 Do all subcontractors have to have a Top Secret (TS) clearance? Subcontractors do not have to have a TS facility clearance.

Subcontractors may require an individual TS clearance depending on the TO requirement. Some TO requirements may require an individual TS clearance. If it is anticipated that a subcontractor will perform these requirements, then the subcontractor employee performing the work will be required to have a TS clearance.

35 Solicitation L-4.2.2, Page 93. Can the Government clarify if entire Past Performance Volume should be submitted as early as one week after release of solicitation or is it the PPI that should be completed and sent out early?

Per L-4.2.3, the entire Volume II is encouraged to be submitted early.

36 Solicitation L-5.2.3.1 Tab 1: Executive Summary, Page 94. Can the Government clarify if the offeror shall provide a concise executive summary highlighting any key or unique features of the “company” as written or the “team”?

L-5.2.3.1 has been changed to reflect “team”.

37 Solicitation L-5.5.3.11 Evidence of a TS Facility Clearance, Page 99. Can the submitted evidence of a TS Facility Clearance be a major subcontractor?

L-5.5.3.11 has been updated to L-5.5.3.12. M.2.7 now references L-5.5.3.12.

The prime contractor is required to have a TS Facility

Clearance.

38 Attachment 4, CIMS III Sample Task: Is this sample task representative of the operating environment for all locations identified as Place of Performance for CIMS III? Will the operating environments (hardware, software, networks) be thoroughly defined on all tasks issued under this contract?

The sample task order is typical of the work performed under Attachment 1, CIMS III IDIQ PWS paragraph 3.9 for all places of performance. Requirements are initially defined and further defined through discussions and site surveys, as needed.

Recommend following the instructions provided via FBO on

5 Jun 2017 to review the current TO PWS’ on CIMS II located in AKO.

39 The PWS states: “ESS services comprised of Intrusion Detection

Systems (IDS), Access Control Systems (ACS), Closed-Circuit

Television (CCTV) systems, supporting network and electrical infrastructure, and supporting computer servers and/or workstations. ESS operations may include monitoring of currently-installed intrusion alarms in conjunction with an

Underwriters Laboratories (UL)-certified Government

Contractor Monitoring station (GCMS).”

1. Can the government state who the current UL GCMS is that is currently providing the monitoring capabilities?

2. Is the Security Services Lead Technician position responsible for all alarm monitoring, or is the GCMS currently providing alarm monitoring, dispatch, etc., and the Lead

Technician works with the GCMS when an alarm occurs?

1. The current GCMS is proprietary information and is not required to prepare a proposal. A new contractor would not be able to assume the current accounts with the current

GCMS, but would have to purchase new monitoring accounts with a UL-certified GCMS if the proposer did not operate his/her own GCMS. The alarm accounts connect to the current GCMS via an Internet connection, so any UL-certified GCMS available via Internet connection would be acceptable to the Government.

2. The current GCMS provides alarm monitoring, and notifies the Government upon receipt of alarm signals/conditions; the Government then dispatches the appropriate response force personnel to the facility in alarm.

The integrator or Lead Technician would not be involved unless there were an alarm malfunction and the Government notified the contractor to request service.

40 Attachments 8 & 9 are pricing spreadsheets related to CPFF

CLINs only. How should the FFP CLINs in Section B be priced?

Section B pricing for each CLIN does not need to be completed. Since this is an IDIQ, the ceiling has been set, see solicitation pages 9-10 for CLIN ceiling amounts.

The only part of Schedule B required to be completed by the contractor is the maximum fee percentages for the CPFF

CLINS. The following language is added to the solicitation, “L-5.5.3.3 Tab 3: Section B. Provide maximum fee percentages for CLINs 0002, 0003, 1002, and 1003”.

Attachment 8 and 9 are developed and evaluated as CPFF.

A future FFP Task Order contract type will be determined at the time a FFP requirement materializes and a FFP proposal will be requested at that time.

41 Do the hours by labor category in Attachment 9 include surge hours?

Yes

42 How should the surge CLINs be priced? Section B pricing for each CLIN does not need to be

CLINS. The following language is added to the solicitation, Attachment 9 is a cost model which does include pricing of surge CLINS.

43 Attachment 9 provides a single plug number for ODC and

Travel. However, ODCs and Travel are separate CLINs in the

Section B. How should ODCs and Travel be priced?

Section B pricing for each CLIN does not need to be

CLINS. The following language is added to the solicitation, Attachment 9 is a cost model used for evaluation. The combined ODC/Travel plug numbers are provided for

Attachment 9 and should only be used for Attachment 9.

44 Referencing Section L-5.4.4.2.4, The solicitation states, “Unsanitized subcontractor proposed prices must match any adjustments made by the prime.” As Prime contractor pass-

Per L-5.4.4.2.4, “the prime contractor shall conduct appropriate cost or price analysis to establish the reasonableness of proposed team member prices and include through information is proprietary and would not be shared with subcontractors, can the Government clarify the meaning of this statement?

the results of these analyses in the cost proposal. Proposed labor rates are expected to match the cost model and therefore should be the same.”

If any price adjustments are made based off the prime contractor’s analysis, the adjustments need to be reflected accurately in both the prime’s cost proposal, and the subs unsanitized cost proposal.

45 The Government expects adequate price competition on this acquisition. In order to simplify the proposal process, will the

Government consider removing the sealed package requirement for minor subcontractors?

IAW FAR 15.404-3(a), the contracting officer is required to make a determination of a fair and reasonable price, to include subcontractor costs. Without proposals from all subcontractors, to include minor subcontractors, the KO will not be able to make a price fair and reasonable determination.

46 Does the Service Contract Labor Standards (formerly Service

Contract Act) apply?

The Government considers this contract to be a professional service contract using professional employees as defined by

FAR 22.1102 and 29 CFR 541. How the contractor proposes their labor employees is the offerors business decision.

47 Reference L‐5.3.1 General Information (Past Performance) and

M‐2.5.3.1 – Past Performance Relevancy Criteria for Program

Management – Will the Prime Contractors’ past performance in a Subcontractor role be deemed relevant?

See answer to Question 29.

48 Reference H‐14.1 and L‐5.3.3.2.1 – Please clarify the definition of “Major Subcontractor” as these referenced clauses have different definitions.

Solicitation para H-14.1 updated to say, “Major subcontractors/team members are entities that the prime contractor anticipates will fulfill a substantial portion of the services in performance of the PWS. Substantial portion is defined as performing more than 20% of the overall contract labor value or will be performing an entire functional area

(i.e. Help Desk, Systems Administration, etc.).”

49 In reference to Section B in Draft Solicitation and Attachments 8 and 9, what data needs to be populated from

Attachments 8 and 9 into Section B Item Nos? We did not see a reference between the Attachments and Section B item

Solicitation updated in the following areas: Table under L-

3.2.2, L-5.5 to include Schedule B.

Nos in the Draft Solicitation. The only part of Schedule B required to be completed by the

CLINS. The following language is added to the solicitation, No other information is required to be completed. The ceiling amounts per CLIN are already provided on pgs. 9-10 of the solicitation.

50 Reference Section H14.1, 1st paragraph, last sentence which states “Substantial portion is defined as 20% or more of the anticipated Direct Productive Person Hours (DPPH) for any individual PWS functional area, or 20% of total DPPH regardless of the level of individual functional area involvement.” And Section L‐5.3.3.2.1 which states “A contractor is considered a significant subcontractor if they will be performing more than 20% of the overall contract labor value or will be performing an entire functional area (i.e. Help Desk, Systems Administration, etc.).”We cannot identify how the hours in Attachment 8 and 9 and Section B ultimately ties back to the PWS. Can the Government please provide clarification so that we can properly identify the mapping to the PWS.

See L-5.2.3.3, Attachment 3, and answer to Question 32. It is up to the offeror to determine which labor categories support each functional area in the PWS. Labor categories can support more than one functional area.

51 Reference L‐5.2.3.4 Tab 4: Subfactor 2: Program Management, item c). It states “Using the Sample TO PWS (see

Section J, Attachment 4), the offeror shall describe its approach to: c) Providing a warranty on craftsmanship of work;”. We understand providing a warranty on the equipment/system purchased and we also understand the requirement for providing quality assurance to ensure that all requirements are met (or exceed) for work. Can the government please clarify what the intent of “warranty on the craftsmanship of work” and what expectations the contractor will be required to meet.

The Gov’t wants a warranty that will guarantee the services performed and will also guarantee the services will be conducted in a skillful manner in accordance with the standards, practices, methods, and procedures ordinarily expected from a skilled and experienced IT operations and maintenance services and software development services.

52 Does the government have a record of the average number of non-core hours service calls logged during the incumbent contract?

The Government does not have a record of this information.

53 Reference paragraph 3.6: Is the Help Desk to be operated only during “standard duty hours” with accommodation to be made for “non-standard duty hour emergencies”?

See Attachment 1, CIMS III IDIQ PWS paragraph 2.4, which addresses hours outside of the core hours.

54 Reference paragraph 3.6: Per this paragraph, the contractor is responsible for “configuring end-users’ personal computers

(PCs)/laptops/Zero Client/ notebooks”. Is the contractor protected from employee claims related to configuration changes which alter the performance of the employee’s device?

Configuration changes will be based on Government-provided guidance and specifications. End user concerns will be directed back to the Government for resolution.

Since the changes are provided by the Government, it protects the contractor from employee claims.

55 Reference paragraph 3.10: Under “Maintenance Services”, the

USG stipulates “modification of system software”. Is the USG specifying software configuration changes or are they including coding changes to the system software base code?

Modification of system software stipulated in PWS para

3.10 concerns software/application based configuration changes only and not coding. PWS paragraphs 3.14 and

3.15 have been updated to include coding.

56 This Small Business Administration (SBA) certified minority woman owned small business has significant dollar value past performance on U.S. Army contracts during the last four or five years for very relevant work, including cybersecurity, information assurance and Information technology/ security services and with consistent Excellent to Very Good past performance ratings from the customers. This company has the technical qualifications, personnel, and all required security clearances to perform the scope of work in the draft solicitation. However, due to sequestration and a slow economy over the past several years, the company does not have relevant past performance to cite for the most recent three-year period required by the draft solicitation. As currently worded, the draft solicitation would require that this company not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance in accordance with FAR §15.305(a)(2)(iv). In order to maximize competition and allow this company to be reasonably evaluated for its relevant and highly rated past performance, please consider changing the requirement to specify that the offeror must provide past performance information for the most recent five-year (or at least four year) period.

Due to the evolving nature and constantly changing environment associated with IT technologies and services, a recency of past experience (prior three year period) is most relevant and advantageous to the Government

57 Paragraph H-1.3.2.6 states, The Prime is not allowed to charge a direct pass-through fee on subcontractor labor. If the prime is

The prime is not allowed to charge direct pass-through fee on subcontractor labor. However, the prime is allowed to not able to put fee on the subcontractor rates, is the government requesting that we provide separate rate sets for each team member as opposed to one set of program rates?

burden subcontract labor with respective indirect rates in accordance with their company practices

58 Paragraph L-5.4.2 states, The Government expects to receive a written cost proposal for all Tabs listed below for all prime contractors and subcontractors, and Excel cost proposals for Tab

2 and Tab 3 for prime contractors and subcontractors. The cost proposal appears to be comprised of two separate spreadsheets at Attachments 8 and 9 with multiple worksheets in each.

Attachment 9 contains pre-populated Labor Hours as well as a summary of EST Labor Cost. Is it the government’s desire that only the prime contractor complete Attachment 9 for the evaluated pricing?

Yes, only the Prime Offeror should submit Attachment 9 for the evaluated pricing. Attachment 9, Schedule 2 must include the Subcontractors’ sanitized Rates.

59 Paragraph L-5.4.4.2.1 Supporting Detail. Will the government consider dictating the use of the IHS Global Insight rates depicted? Rationale: Contractors may otherwise bid unrealistically low escalation rates to be more cost competitive which may negatively affect the Option Year wages of the staff and retention.

The Government will not dictate the use of the IHS Global

Insight rates. Escalation rates will be evaluated for realism and a probable cost adjustment may be determined appropriate and a probable cost adjustment may be made on

Attachment 9

60 Attachment 9 Pricing Spreadsheet:

a. According to the instructions in Attachment 9, Summary EST

Labor Cost, “If a particular labor category is performed by both the Prime and subcontractor, divvy up the labor hours accordingly and duplicate the labor category in the summary tab to capture both the Prime and subcontractor’s Burdened Totals.

It is unclear how hours would be divvied up by labor category given there is not necessarily a one-to-one relationship between labor category and the PWS requirements as defined in the

Team Composition Matrix (Attachment 10) Can the government offer more clarification?

b. Depending upon a contractor’s standard man-year, the pre-populated hours in Attachment 9 equate to approximately 40

FTEs in year one declining to approximately 38 FTEs for years

3-5. This differs from current operations based upon previous

a) See the answer to Question 50.

b) This is an accurate estimate based on a mix of historical data and estimated future needs. While However, this is an

IDIQ contract, where requirements are unknown until a TO award is initiated. this is a best estimate, FTE levels fluctuate constantly, depending on current and future customer needs.

The Q&A response provided previously based on a snapshot of CIMS II at that time. Attachment 9 is based on a mix of historical data and an estimation of future needs.

c) The Government is not looking to compare apples-to-apples. Per L-5.2.3.3 and M-2.4.2.2, the Government is looking for the contractor to provide their own definition of

Q&As. Is this an accurate depiction of the number of

FTE’s/hours the government intends to execute?

c. The approach stated for completing Attachment 9 does not provide a uniform standard from which an equivalent price evaluation can be performed for all offerors. The hours, per the

Q&A, are historical and estimated CIMS II hours based upon the incumbent contractor labor category definitions. However, per the L instructions, the rates provided by CIMS III offerors will be based on each offerors definition of the labor category which may vary significantly from each other as well as the incumbent CIMS II definitions. Comparing offered prices against varied labor category definitions does not provide an apples-to-apples comparison between offerors. A suggested approach would be to assign the same number of hours for each labor category (e.g. 1,880 hours/LCAT) and total up the price for all labor categories. This avoids contractor efforts to game the system by lowering rates on labor categories with many hours while proposing high rates on categories with fewer hours.

each labor category in order to determine that offerors have the knowledge and understanding of the IT services identified within the CIMS III IDIQ PWS, Section 3.0. We understand there will be differences amongst offerors. The technical evaluation team will evaluate each PD provided

IAW M-2.4.2.2.

IAW M-2.6, cost analysis will be performed to include realism. The cost analysis will take into account all technical and past performance evaluations performed by the evaluation teams.

61 Will the government dictate which labor categories the contractor should bid during task order proposals or is it up to the contractor to choose?

For Task Order proposals, it will be up to the contractor to dictate which labor categories to propose.

62 Based upon the price model templates provided, there does not appear to be a way to complete Schedule B. Do contractors need to provide a completed Schedule B?

See answer to Question 49.

63 Regarding CIMS III, can you please clarify the minimum requirement for contractor past performance? Section L‐

5.3.3.2.1 of the Draft RFP states "The offeror shall provide no more than eight recent (performed during the past three years)...". Are contractors required to have a minimum of 3 years experience?

IAW M-2.5.2, “To be recent, the effort must be ongoing or must have been performed during the past three years from the date of issuance of this initial solicitation.”

64 If we propose teammates that are doing part of the work on the contract bid…can they also do the purchasing under CLINs

0004 and 1004. Or, does the purchasing need to be done by the prime?

The purchasing can be done by either the prime or their teammates.

65 If a prime currently has a Secret facility clearance and is eligible for a TS Facility Clearance and has submitted the necessary paperwork to obtain a TS Facility Clearance, would this be acceptable?

IAW L-5.5.3.12, pending TS facility clearances will not be accepted.

66 L-5.3.3.2 reads "On IDIQ contracts, contract level information and TO information may be cited to identify relevant general experience such as program management or contract management; however, only awarded contracts (non-IDIQ) and

TOs may be cited for technical past performance requirements."

Question - Will the government accept a single award IDIQ citation for meeting relevance of technical past performance requirements as long as the scope, nature of projects and complexity is similar to the requirements being compared?

Per L-5.3.3.2, only awarded contracts which are non-IDIQ and TOs will be accepted as citations.

We are looking for requirements which were actually performed. The technical requirements in an IDIQ are not performed until a TO is awarded.

67 In L-5.2.3.3, it requires a PD be written for each labor category in Attachment 8. There are 49 labor categories in Attach. 8, but only 28 labor categories in Attach. 9. Attach. 8 lists “all” labor categories while Attach. 9 only lists “select” labor categories. It appears this will require the contracting office to review and evaluate information that will be immaterial in the long run.

Was this requirement properly stated in L-5.2.3.3 or should it read Attachment 9?

The reference to Attachment 8 in Para L-5.2.3.3 will not be changed. However, after further discussion the labor categories in Attachment 8 have been updated. Attachment

8 has been reduced to 25 labor categories.

Attachment 9 has been updated to reflect the change in labor categories.

68 For the subject solicitation, we asked a question and would like further clarification.

Original Question:

“Can the offering company holding a TS Facility clearance sponsor a company for a Secret Facility Clearance for the purpose of an awarded contract?”

Government Response: “IAW DoD 5220.22-M, a currently cleared contractor may sponsor an uncleared company for a facility clearance.”

We would like to clarify our question for your consideration:

See Response to Question #5.

I believe the Government response provided still answers the questions as it does not delineate between prime or sub.

Any cleared contractor can sponsor a contractor with no clearance.

Clarifying Question:

“If the Prime does not hold a TS Facility Clearance, can one of their proposed subcontractors sponsor them for a Security

Clearance?”

69 *The PPI form says “The narrative may not exceed three pages.”

*The solicitation on page 91 says “Not more than eight citations

(not to exceed a total of 32 pages in length for all citations submitted)” which would make it four pages in length for each citation.

Should we follow the Solicitation guidance and ignore the PPI form guidance?

Both the PPI form page count for the PPI narrative and the solicitation page count on pg. 91 should be followed.

Per pg. 2 of Attachment 5, the PPI Narrative cannot exceed

3 pages. However, each citation will include the PPI table

(Pg. 1 of Attachment 5). Therefore, each full citation submitted (PPI table plus 3 page narrative) should not exceed 4 pages.

Per solicitation pg. 91, the total should not exceed 32 pages.

70 Reference: Attachment 4 – Sample TO PWS

Question: Does the Government expect a separate Task Order response for the Sample Task Order PWS? If so, does the response include pricing? What is the period of performance for the Sample Task Order? How will the Sample Task Order be evaluated in accordance with Section M – Evaluation Factors for

Award?

Per L-5.2.3.4, Attachment 4 will be used to help complete

Subfactor 2: Program Management.

Offerors are not proposing prices to Attachment 4 Sample

TO PWS. See L-5.4 for the Cost Volume requirements.

A period of performance is not required to propose to L-

5.2.3.4.

See M-2.4, which identifies how the Technical/Management

Subfactors in L-5.2 will be evaluated.

71 Reference: H-15 Key Personnel

Question: Can the Government clarify which positions are considered “Key Personnel”?

The Contractor will provide a list of positions they consider

Key Personnel.

72 Reference: Attachment 9_EST_Labor_Hour_Template

Question: The hours on the Labor Hour Template are

“Estimated”. Are all offerors required to bid this number of hours and labor mix as provided?

Yes, per L-5.4.4.3, we are only asking offerors to complete the cost elements identified in this paragraph.

73 The Solicitation does not specific a time on Wednesday, 20

September 2017 as to when the questions are do.

Could you provide a time as to when the questions are do on

Wednesday?

Close of Business.

74 RFP :page 24, para. H_7.1:How will the KO review the contractor's or a subcontractor's purchasing system if the companies have not had a CPSR? What is the procedure?

Review of the purchasing systems submitted IAW L-

5.4.4.2.4 and L-5.4.4.5 will be reviewed following FAR

44.303 and supplements.

75 What is the current level of effort on the program by category? The current level of effort is not being provided as this information is not required to propose on the CIMS III solicitation.

However, Attachment 9 provides a mix of mostly historical data and some estimated future needs.

76 Attachment 8, Contract Cost and Price Template, and

Attachment 9, EST Labor Hour Contract Cost Template. There are six (6) labor categories in Attachment 8 which are not included in Attachment 9. Will the Government please clarify which Attachment has the correct number of labor categories.

Both attachments have the correct number of labor categories for its purposes.

Attachment 8 will be submitted to meet L-5.4.4.2 and will be evaluated for reasonableness and realism of contract cost elements IAW M-2.6.1. Attachment 8 consists of labor categories that are anticipated to be used on the CIMS III

TO requirements.

Attachment 9 will be submitted to meet L-5.4.4.3 and provides estimated hours based on a mix of mostly historical data and some estimated future needs in order to allow for evaluation of the total estimated contract cost IAW M-2.6.1.

77 Solicitation, Offer and Award, Section L paragraph L-5.3.3.2.1, states” Note that work performed as subcontractors shall reference their prime contractor’s POC and not indirect customer”. Based on this statement, as a subcontractor to a prime contractor are we supposed to use the total contract ceiling of the prime? Also, are we supposed to use the type of contract i.e. cost plus fixed fee and or FFP of the prime

The sentence quoted within the question is referring to

Points of Contact section on Pg 1 of Attachment 5 – PPI.

When you identify the POCs, there needs to be/have been a direct contract relationship IAW L-5.3.3.2.1.

For the total contract ceiling, you put the value of the prime contract, there is a block in Attachment 5 where the percentage of total dollar value accomplished by the offeror is identified. This will help identify the dollar value worked by a subcontractor.

For the contract type, input the contract type of contract identified in the citation.

78 PWS, page2 paragraph 1.4 b., can the government confirm that there are full time position(s) at Kwajalein Atoll/Reagan Test

Center Site or is the work to be performed based on an as needed temporary basis? This information is needed to be able to adequately price the labor at this remote location.

Work will be performed on an as needed basis at the

Kwajalein Atoll/Reagan Test Center Site.

79 PWS, page 5 paragraph 2.8.5 Program Management, line 6, states “Program Manager shall be Project Management

Professional (PMP) certified. Will the government accept DAU

Program Manager Level III as a substitute to PMP certification?

The Program Manager shall be Project Management

Professional (PMP), and/or DAU PM Level III Certified.

Attachment 1, PWS Para 2.8.5 added the following sentence, “An acceptable substitution to the PMP certification is the DAU Level 3 certification in Program

Management.”

80 Attachment 9, Est Labor Hour Contract Cost Template. Does the Government anticipate any positions to have minimum hours or no hours? Also, what is the Government using for labor hours per man year?

Since this is an IDIQ contract and requirements are unknown until a TO award is initiated, a definite answer cannot be provided. While the Government doesn’t anticipate any labor categories to have “minimum hours” or no hours, the labor categories performing on CIMS III will depend on what the CIMS III contractor proposes in response to each TO solicitation.

For Attachment 9, the labor hours per man year were based on what the current CIMS II contractor uses for labor hours per man year and labor hours estimated for future needs.

The Government relies on this information to be provided by the contractor. This information cannot be provided as it is considered proprietary.

81 8, Export controls and markings are required by the PWS

2.18.2.3.4. Does the government require certification from the

State Department for AECA and ITAR registration?

AECA and ITAR do not apply to the CIMS III contract.

82 The RFP states in L-5.4.4.2.1 Supporting Detail IHS Global Insight Rates are based on the calendar year.

The Government considers the escalation rates from IHS Global

Insight to be realistic, IHS Global Insight escalation rates for the

US Computer Systems Design & Related Services category are currently as follows: 2.4% for 2019, 2.8% for 2020, 2.8% for

2021, 3% for 2022, 2.9% for 2023, and 2.8% for 2024.

The offeror shall identify the Government fiscal year labor rates and explain how the labor rates were weighted for the performance period.

Are the escalation rates provided for Government fiscal year?

Attachment 8 and 9 have 2018 to 2024 referenced, are those dates Government fiscal year end or Contractor fiscal year end?

The dates referenced in Attachment 8, 2018 to 2024 are based on Government fiscal year. L-5.4.4.2 was updated to reflect fiscal year.

For Attachment 9, see L-5.4.4.3, which states “by contract year”. The PoPs are found starting on Pg. 14 of the solicitation.

83 Paragraph L-5.3.3.3 Tab 3: Questionnaire Recipients states in part, “…Use the client authorization letter to transmit the past performance questionnaire to each commercial customer. Use the sample cover letter at Section J, Attachment 6 to transmit the questionnaire to each Government POC.” Did the Government intend to provide a client authorization letter template for our use?

The client authorization letter is the sample cover/consent letter found at Attachment 6.

84 Paragraph L-5.4.2 states, “The Government expects to receive a written cost proposal for all Tabs listed below for all prime contractors and subcontractors, and Excel cost proposals for Tab

2 and Tab 3 for the prime contractors and subcontractors.” Tab

3, Estimated Contract Cost Model, is comprised of Section J, Attachment 9. In the Draft Solicitation Questions and Answers dated 23 August 2017, the answer to Question 58 indicates that only the Prime Offeror should submit Attachment 9 for the evaluated pricing. Please clarify.

Since only subcontractor sanitized information is required for Attachment 9, we are not looking for a copy of

Attachment 9 from each subcontractor. Attachment 9 will only be submitted by the Prime, with all subcontractor information filled in on one complete proposal.

85 Paragraph L-5.4.4.2.1 states, “The offeror shall identify the

Government fiscal year labor rates and explain how the labor rates were weighted for the performance period.” Are the hours and rates provided in Attachments 8 and 9 intended to be on the

Government Fiscal Year (Oct – Sep) or the contract period of performance (July – July)?

See response to Question #82.

86 Paragraph L-5.4.4.2.4, Team Member and Subcontractor

Cost/Prices states, “The Government expects the subcontractors to provide the following data IAW the associated solicitation paragraph, as needed: 1) IAW paragraph L-5.4.4.5, if the subcontractor is anticipated to be purchasing quantities of material; 2) IAW paragraph L-5.4.4.6, if a cost- or incentive-type subcontract arrangement is established; and 3) IAW paragraph L-5.4.4.7.” Since only the Prime Contractor has privity of Contract with the Government, is it necessary for subcontractors to answer the Financial Capability portion found at Paragraph L-5.4.4.7?

IAW FAR 15.404-3(a), the contracting officer is required to make a determination of a fair and reasonable price, to include subcontractor costs.

In order to determine price fair and reasonable a subcontractor is required to submit IAW L-5.4.4.7 as stated in L-5.4.4.2.4.

87 Attachment 1, CIMS III IDIQ PWS, para 2.8.5, 2.8.5.1 states the contractor must provide a POC, i.e. Program Manager, with full authority to commit the contractor on all matters relating to the performance of the contract. An alternate is required to act for the POC when the POC is absent. The draft RFP included a provision for three levels of Program Manager (i.e. I, II &

III). The final RFP, Attachment 9 assigns over 7000 hours annually to a single Program Manager labor category (~ four

FTEs). This implies that program managers other than the POC and alternate are anticipated and causes some confusion regarding the government’s intent for this labor category. Furthermore, it will cause pricing difficulty blending different levels of Program or Project Managers depending upon the government’s intent for this position. We recommend reverting to the draft RFP breakout of multiple levels of

Program Manager. In any event, we ask for clarification of the government’s intent for the number of hours requested for the

Program Manager category.

Attachments 8 and 9 have been updated to include a

Program Manager – Entry/Mid level and a Program

Manager – Senior lever.

The labor hours provided, as stated previously, are based on mostly historical labor hours and minimal labor hours estimated for future needs. These hours were based on the approach used by the current CIMS II contractor.