Question 2.docx

1) Is there an incumbent contractor? If so, what is its name and contract number?

Yes, unable to disclose name and contract number.

2) If there is an incumbent contractor, has the scope or size of the contract changed in any nontrivial way between the incumbent contract and the present solicitation?

Yes. Hasn’t changed much.

3) If there is no incumbent contractor, then are there existing contractor(s) that are doing some of the work of this PWS? If so, what are their name(s) and contract number(s)?

N/A

4) If there are no contractors doing any of the work currently, then how is the work of the PWS being done? Or is it not being done at all?

Work is being done by incumbent contractor.

5) If the work of the PWS is not being done at all right now, then is there a backlog that the incoming contractor will have to handle? If so, please explain and describe how much of a backlog there is.

No backlog.

6) If there is an incumbent contract, is the scope and estimated workload for the present solicitation approximately the same as for the incumbent contract?

Yes

7) What is the estimated historical workload for this PWS?

Unknown to the government.

8) If there is an incumbent contract/contractor, are they allowed to bid with the existing solution exactly as it is now? Or is the Government requiring a brand-new solution from all offerors?

Yes, they are allowed to bid on it but it will not be the same product due to outdated database.

9) If the incumbent is allowed to bid the existing incumbent solution, which would presumably not require any modifications to meet the PWS requirements, then the incumbent will have a price advantage over non-incumbent offerors which bid new replacement solutions. If the incumbent is allowed to bid the existing incumbent solution, then:

a) Does the Government own the rights to the code of the current system?

Unknown to the government.

b) If the Government owns the rights to the code of the current system, can the Government provide this code to the awarded contractor to implement a new system based on the current system?

Unknown to the government.

c) If the Government owns the rights to the code of the current system, and can provide this code to the awarded contractor, what is the technology and "stack" (set of technology tools/products) on which the current system is implemented? (example: PHP, Python, Java, etc.)

Unknown to the government.

d) If the incumbent is allowed to bid the existing incumbent solution, but the Government cannot provide this code to the awarded contractor, then how will the Government adjust the evaluation so that it is fair and the incumbent is not advantaged by having a current running system which other non-incumbent offerors cannot bid or leverage.

Unknown to the government.

10) PWS 1.4.15: Since data migration from the current (12-year-old) system to the new online database (including importing historical student records, instructor profiles, etc.) is expected in 60-day phase in period, can the Government provide details on the current system’s technology stack, export formats, or schema documentation to help scope migration tasks?

Unknown to the government.

11) PWS 5.0: What is the approximate current size (in gigabytes) of the existing database (including historical records, files, attachments, etc.) that must be migrated or managed, so we can accurately plan hosting and storage requirements?

Unknown to the government.

12) PWS 5.0:

a) Does RCTA have a target number of concurrent users or a peak usage estimate (e.g., 5, 20, 50 concurrent users) to guide load-balancing and performance planning?

No more than 100 users logged in at the same time.

b) Will the Government be providing a Government Internet website domain/subdomain for the new system to be access at (for example, the current incumbent Internet website domain/subdomain), or will the awarded contractor need to obtain a new Internet website domain/subdomain?

Contractor will need to provide domain.

c) Will the Government provide annual SSL/TLS certificates (for encrypting data for secure website communication) for the new system, or is the new contractor responsible for obtaining the annual SSL/TLS certificates?

Unknown to the government.

13) PWS 5.0(7):

a) From an industry perspective, "virtual help desk phone support" just means "remote technical support service where users can call a designated phone number to receive assistance with IT-related issues from trained support agents". Is this what the Government means by this?

Yes

b) If this is what the Government means, will the Government provide a telephone number or will the contractor provide the telephone number?

Contractor

c) If this is what the Government means, what are the hours for such support?

M-F 0700-1500

d) What is the estimated historical monthly volume of help desk inquiries (phone calls, emails, chat sessions) from students and administrators, so that we can determine appropriate staffing levels?

Approximately 5 help desk tickets a month

e) Does the Government have any Service Level Agreement (SLA) targets (example: 95% of calls answered within 24 hours, etc.)? Or is this up to the contractor?

Prompt response to requests within 24 hours.

14) PWS 5.0(9): For “Training sessions for administrators as needed,” how many total training sessions (or participants per session) should the contractor plan for annually, to ensure we accurately estimate the level of effort?

Initial training session after setup. We will do all following training in house.

15) PWS 5.0(10): Cybersecurity and Privacy:

a) Are there specific cybersecurity or regulatory standards (e.g., FedRAMP, FISMA, or NIST SP 800-171) that the system must comply with beyond DFARS 224.103 and DoDD 5400.11, or is general commercial best practice sufficient?

Unknown to the government.

b) Will this new system contain any un-sanitized Personally Identifiable Information (PII), such as student or instructor real names (instead of student numbers, for example)?

Yes, real names, cell phone numbers, and email addresses will be in the system. This is not considered PII.

c) If the new system contains PII, then will the system require an authorization to operate (ATO)?

Unknown to the government.

d) If the new system requires an ATO, does the current, incumbent system have an ATO?

Unknown to the government.

e) If the new system requires an ATO, is it the technical and financial responsibility of the contractor to obtain the ATO including system security plan, 3PAO assessment/testing, etc.?

Unknown to the government.

f) If the new system requires an ATO and it is the contractor's financial responsibility to obtain one, then please add this CLIN to the price schedule.

Unknown to the government.

g) If the new system requires an ATO and it is the contractor's financial responsibility to obtain one, and the incumbent system already has an ATO, then we request that the Government not include the cost of obtaining an ATO in price comparisons/evaluations, as the incumbent would have an unfair advantage.

Unknown to the government.

16) PWS 5.0(13): For the “daily system backup” requirement, what is the expected retention period for backups (e.g., 14 days, 30 days, 90 days, etc.)?

30 days

17) PWS 1.4.15: During the 60-day phase-in/phase-out periods, does the Government require any specific data or code handover format, tools, or process (for example, exporting the database in a particular schema), or should the contractor propose its own methodology?

Unknown to the government.

18) Combined Synopsis/Solicitation: Is there a page-limit or format requirement (e.g., font size, margins) for the technical proposal, past performance volume, or price volume?

Unknown to the government.

19) Combined Synopsis/Solicitation: Must offerors submit past performance references within a certain timeframe (e.g., projects completed within the last three years or five years), or is there no specified look-back period?

Unknown to the government.

20) Combined Synopsis/Solicitation: Evaluation:

a) Will this solicitation be awarded on the basis of Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) or Best Value Trade Off (BVTO)?

Best Value

b) If it is BVTO, are Technical, Price, and Past Performance all weighted equally (i.e., 1/3 each), or is Past Performance included as part of Technical, or otherwise weighted relative to Price and Technical?

Please read the solicitation fully

21) CLIN 0001 (Base Year):

a) The solicitation states “Host, Support, and Maintain Custom Database.” To confirm, does the Government also expect any initial design or custom development efforts (e.g., new modules or migration from the existing system) to be included in the base-year price, or only hosting and maintenance?

Yes, initial design is required and annual support.

b) With regard to any requirements for balanced pricing in price evaluation, may offerors have a higher cost in the base year due to implementation and migration costs?

Submit a proposal

22) CLINs 0001–0005: May offeror propose its own payment schedule, given that there may be implementation and migration expenses up front?

Yes, Submit a proposal

23) PWS 5.0(5): Does RCTA require the new system/web interface to comply with Section 508 accessibility standards (or any other accessibility guidelines), or are commercial best practices alone sufficient?

Unknown to the government.

24) PWS 5.0(1) & 1.4.5.10: Will the system be required to collect full SSNs or other sensitive data (beyond name and contact details) for student registration? If yes, please confirm whether storing full or partial SSN is mandated to ensure compliance with all relevant security requirements.

No

25) PWS 5.0(5) & 5.0(1): Are there any existing external systems (besides the RCTA public website) that must integrate or exchange data with the new registration database (for example, National Guard or law enforcement systems, single sign-on services, etc.)?

No

26) PWS 5.0(5): Are there brand guidelines, logos, color schemes, or other visual identity standards that the Government requires for the web interface design?

Yes, RCTA logo will be provided.

27) PWS 1.4.5.5 & 5.0(10): Besides the stated DoD and DFARS references, does the Government require the contractor to obtain any specific security accreditation (e.g., an Authority to Operate (ATO), FedRAMP authorization, or DISA STIG hardening) for hosting the system, or is standard commercial hosting acceptable?

Unknown to the government.

28) PWS 1.4.15: During the 60-day phase-out period, does the Government anticipate concurrent production operation (dual operation of old and new systems) or is the transition expected to happen offline (cutover from one contractor to another at a point in time)?

Unknown to the government.

29) What is the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) web address for the current incumbent database, so that offerors may consider it's current capabilities?

Unknown to the government.

30) Software licensing:

a) What is the typical expected number of current students in the system (realistic range)?

There are currently over 40,000 students in the database. Not all are active.

b) What is the typical expected number of current instructors/faculty in the system (realistic range)?

c) What is the typical expected number of current system administrators in the system (realistic range)?

c) What is the typical expected number of current active courses in the system (realistic range)?

31) PWS 5.0(2): Approval workflows can range to the highly customized and very complex. Please describe the approval workflows which the new system must handle.

Students register themselves for classes and their supervisor must approve it by email. Once approved, admin enrolls student in the class.

32) PWS 5.0(8): Does Government require support of gamification badges.

Unknown to the government.

33) PWS 5.0(7): Please describe the minimum level of integration with helpdesk system?

Unknown to the government.

34) PWS 5.0(7): Does the Government have a helpdesk system which contractor will use? Or must contractor provide its own system?

Contractor will provide.

36) PWS 5.0(8): Will certificates and badges be imported from other outside sources? Such as "Open Badges" (e.g. Mozilla OpenBadges)? Or has the Government created its own certifications and badges which can be migrated from the incumbent system to the new system?

Unknown to the government.