Questions and Answers 02 17July2026 - Final CFS 1.pdf

Responses to Questions concerning W912CG-26-S-0001 July 14, 2026

# Question Response 1 Are offerors allowed to use information about accomplishments or advances in technology from prior contracts that assists in explaining their core competencies in addition to the three past performance examples that are requested?

Yes. Your experience should focus on the relevance, scope, size, and complexity of your previous projects which demonstrate your ability to perform the desired Center attributes. Your past performance should focus on the quality and outcomes of your previous work, such as cost control, timeliness, customer satisfaction, and meeting metrics that were used to evaluate your work.

2 What level of detail should be provided when utilizing the ROM template such as a breakdown of personnel types as opposed to a single budget line for Personnel?

No additional detail is required. Offerors may modify the template and include information such as personnel types, labor categories, hours, etc. or use their own template provided the required information is included.

3 Are footnoted references allowed?

If so, are smaller font sizes allowable for such citations?

Footnotes are allowed; however, the Government will not consider external sources including cited documents, inserted textboxes/pop-ups or internet links to additional information in its evaluation. Footnotes should be no smaller than 11pt Arial. Solution Brief margins should be no less than 1 inch on all sides. Footnotes should not extend into the margins. The permitted smaller font allowed for graphics, figures, tables, and diagrams should not be used as a means to circumvent the 10 page limit by captioning text as a graphic, figure, table or diagram.

4 Should the ROM template be submitted as a workbook image in the Solutions Brief or a separate EXCEL file?

The ROM template should be submitted as a separate EXCEL file.

5 The ROM’s example entries include ‘specialized equipment and facility and equipment costs’. Since this ROM is for the operation of the Center only and not project based is there another expectation for these entries offerors should consider?

In the context of the Center, ‘specialized equipment and facility and equipment costs’ are any ancillary equipment that are needed to achieve initial operating capability (IOC).

6 This Call for Solutions describes the submittal content as “Solution Briefs” and mentions briefs throughout. Other similar Call for Solutions describe the format as either X written pages or Y briefing slides. It is not clear whether the expectation is a briefing (slides) or a written document. Can you clarify?

The term “Solution Brief” refers to a written document as described in Section 7.3 of the Call for Solutions.

7 Since CUI is not allowed in the Solutions Brief and the bulk of our work is CUI or classified, is it possible to submit Past Performance as an addendum that is CUI?

No. Please generalize the content to the point that it is no longer CUI or classified.

8 Can a certain level of direct support for center management and administration be included in the proposed center ROM cost beyond year 1 to ensure that the center is meeting all minimum reporting and administrative requirements independent of the number of funded tasks in a given year?

The Government intends to fund the management staff and overhead associated with setting up and administering the Center up to 12-months under an initial task order to achieve Initial Operating Capability (IOC). However, the ROM should project the full costs of running the Center for the first five years.

9 Page 22 of the solicitation says, “Costs associated with obtaining Facility Clearance (FCL), Personnel Clearances (PCL), CMMC compliance, or technical capabilities are not allowable;

however, these costs should be identified in the ROM as “Non- Federal Cost Share"

Our applicant entity has already achieved CMMC compliance as an organization. However, there is a cost to provide secure access to users via a software license and to provide continuous monitoring for CMMC compliance. Are these compliance costs, which are not for “obtaining” compliance but for “maintaining” compliance, allowable on the federal budget?

Maintenance costs are allowable indirect costs.

10 Page 22 of the solicitation says, “Costs associated with obtaining Facility Clearance (FCL), Personnel Clearances (PCL), CMMC compliance, or technical capabilities are not allowable;

however, these costs should be identified in the ROM as “Non- Federal Cost Share.”

When the solicitation says that clearance/technical capabilities costs “should be identified in the ROM,” does the government mean:

a. Option A: These costs are not allowable on the federal budget. If the applicant wants to represent these costs in a budget, then the applicant can list the costs as cost share – but cost share is not required.

b. Option B: Cost share is required.

The types of costs that the government expects to see on the cost share budget are clearance/compliance/technical capability costs.

There will be no cost-share requirement associated with any awarded contract. However, the "cost-share" column in the ROM Template should be used to identify the unallowable costs the university expects to incur to fulfill the requirements of the Call for Solutions and to reach initial operating capability (IOC).

11 What level of classified facility does the Government expect (Secret collateral, SAP facility, or SCIF), and approximately how much square footage?

The Center shall operate at the Top Secret/ Secret Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security level. No minimum square footage is required. You should budget the Center operations at the TS/SCI security classification.

NOTE: This response supersedes the answer to question 65 under the Draft Call For Solutions.

12 Are leasehold/office costs for center staff allowable on the federal budget? The solicitation indicates that costs of obtaining facility/personnel clearance and CMMC compliance are unallowable, but the center staff offices would be non-cleared/non- SCIF space

Yes

13 Are brief-stage expressions of interest or non-binding support statements from industry partners permitted within the 10 pages?

See response to Draft Call Q&As:

Q66. Will you accept Letters of Support from commercial and government entities as part of the Solution Briefs, and if so, should they be included within the page limit or attached as a separate appendix excluded from the page count?

A66. No. Letters of support will not be accepted.

14 Based on the DoW press release from today, can we assume that the requirement for CMMC L2 self assessment in the call for proposals for the AdvM IDIQ (notice #W912CG-26-S-0001) is no longer needed?

https://www.war.gov/News/Release s/Release/Article/4542329/forging-the-arsenal-of-freedom-department-of-war-suspends-cmmc-phase-ii-require/

Our requirement is to obtain a CMMC level 2 self-certification. The second phase of the CMMC program (which has been suspended) is a level-2 third party assessment which is not required that in the Call for Solutions.

Therefore, we will still require the CMMC Level 2 Self Certification per the Call instructions.

https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4542329/forging-the-arsenal-of-freedom-department-of-war-suspends-cmmc-phase-ii-require/ https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4542329/forging-the-arsenal-of-freedom-department-of-war-suspends-cmmc-phase-ii-require/ https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4542329/forging-the-arsenal-of-freedom-department-of-war-suspends-cmmc-phase-ii-require/ https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4542329/forging-the-arsenal-of-freedom-department-of-war-suspends-cmmc-phase-ii-require/ https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4542329/forging-the-arsenal-of-freedom-department-of-war-suspends-cmmc-phase-ii-require/