Attachment 7 - Question and Answer FLASH (24 Aug 2021).xlsx
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- Solicitation number
- W91CRB-21-R-0018
About this file
This federal solicitation seeks an indefinite-delivery indefinite quantity non-personal services contract to provide professional legal support services for the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps. Required services include hardcopy and electronic document acquisition, preparation and processing; scanning; photocopying; document coding; electronic files processing; database creation and hosting; translation services; project management; pre-trial, trial, and post-trial support; specialized professional services; managed review; and facility space setup and maintenance. Services will generally support worldwide litigation but may include non-litigation requirements. The Department of the Army Materiel Command Army Contracting Command Aberdeen Proving Ground is the contracting agency.
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Q&A
| FLASH W91CRB-21-R-0018 | |||
| NOTE: The solicitation superceeds the Government responses stated herein. | |||
| No. | RFP Reference | Offeror Question | Government Response |
| 1 | Section L, General Instructions, 5 Letters of intent, page 183 | The RFP states "With the exception of salary information contained in the Letters of Intent no pricing information shall be included in the technical volume." Salary information is considered PII. Please clarify why the salary information should be included in the letter of intent and in this volume. | Section L, General Instructions, bullete #5 has been revised. See RFP Amendment. |
| 2 | 5.4.2.1 and 5.4.2.2 | CLINS 0001 and 0002 are hardcopy and media acquisition, FFP. Specifically what does the government consider acquisition? Making arrangements to ship boxes and media? Searching for and collecting hard copy at government locations? | Government considers acquisition to include searching, identifying, and collecting hardcopy documents/boxes and physical media, remotely or on-site, including from government or third party locations, throughout the U.S. and/or overseas locations. Collection of hardcopy documents/boxes and media includes maintaining proper chain of custody controls, and making arrangements to ship or transfer them to facilities where contractor will prepare, scan, index the records collected, and their return to the source once completed. |
| 3 | SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/ SERVICES: CLIN 00019, page 4 | Attachment 6 (Price+Proposal+Model) stated a plug amount of $861,900 for Other Direct Cost. Will travel/materials/facilities be funded separately by subCLIN? Putting Other Direct Cost in one CLIN may create billing challenges in WAWF. | At this time ODCs will remain one CLIN. |
| 4 | SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/ SERVICES: CLIN 0020 and 0021, page 12 | CLINS 0020 and 0021 are not included in Attachment 2 (CDRL+FLASH+(28+May+2021)v2.docx). Are these CLINS supposed to be priced as NSP? | CLIN 0020 and 0021 has been changed to NSP. See RFP Amendment. |
| 5 | 252.232-7006 WIDE AREA WORKFLOW PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS (DEC 2018), page 120 | Offeror is assuming a monthly invoicing in accordance with the Offeror's invoicing schedule and format. Please confirm if incorrect. | Invoicing shall be in-accordance-with the RFP and Contract Award instructions to include WAWF. |
| 6 | Section 5.4.4.1 (aa), Section 5.4.4.2 (k), Section 5.4.4.4 (f) and Section 5.4.4.5 (f) | Section 5.4.4.1 (aa), Section 5.4.4.2 (k), Section 5.4.4.4 (f) and Section 5.4.4.5 (f) all state that “[a]ll deliverables…shall be delivered within three business days of the date the source documents were made available to the Contractor. This 3-days requirement fails to consider scanning tasks where the volume of source documents will take longer than three days to complete. How should a Contractor view this 3-day requirement in light of this possibility? In our experience, the turn time is likely dependent on the size and condition of the source document. Would it be acceptable for the govt timeline to be determined by the lead attorney in conjunction with provider and case needs? | These four sections have been amended as follows, "[a]ll deliverables…shall be delivered within the time frame determined by the COR in conjunction with the Contractor. |
| 7 | Section L, Volume 1, Page 175 | The RFP states "The OCI Plan shall identify at a minimum all current contracts involving audits, systems design, or consulting work that may impact Army auditing and compliance or otherwise creates the appearance of an OCI as anticipated by the FAR." This requirement appears to be related to audit issues rather than litigation support and we respectfully request that this requirement be deleted. | Volume 1, bullet #2 has been revised. See RFP Amendment. |
| 8 | Section L, Volume 1, Subfactor 1 Technical Volume Page Limit - Currently 20 pages | In order for the Offerors to provide sufficient detailed response, will the government consider increasing the page limitation to 25 pages? | Section L, Volume 2, Factor 1 - Technical Capability, Sub-factor 1 - Understanding the Requirements: the page limit has been amended from 20 pages to 25 pages. |
| 9 | Section L, Volume 2, Subfactor 3.2, page 178 | Are resumes to be considered as part of the 15 page limit for the staffing plan? Or should they be submitted as an appendix? | Resumes may be included as an appendix, and do not count towards volume page count. See RFP Amendment. |
| 10 | Page 187 | "In the context of acceptability/unacceptability, 'unknown' shall be considered acceptable." Should this read that the "unknown" will be considered unacceptable? | The RFP language is correct, and will not be revised. |
| 11 | NAICS Code | Would the Government consider changing the NAICS Code from 541199 to NAICS Code 541990 (Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services) or NAICS Code 561410 (Document Preparation Services) as this increases the small business opportunities? | The NAICS will not be revised. |
| 12 | Section K: Representations, Certifications and Other Statements of Offerors, pages 133- 172 | Please confirm if Offerors are required to complete Section K in its entirety though FAR 52.212-3 OFFEROR REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS--COMMERCIAL ITEMS (FEB 2021) is incorporated in the solicitation. | Complete Section K per the RFP instructions. |
| 13 | Section L: General Instructions/Proposal Submission, page 173 | Is there a file size limitation for electronic submission? If so, it is our understanding that Offerors will be allowed multiple email transmission. Kindly confirm. | Limit your email file size to 15MB. Multiple emails are acceptable. Include 1 of X, 2 of X, etc. |
| 14 | Section L: General Instructions/Proposal Submission, page 174 | The solicitation stated "Pricing information may only be included in Volume 1 - Executive Summary, and Volume 5 - Price". Executive Summary is not listed in the Volume 1 Section Titles. Are Offerors required to provide an executive summary for Volume 1 and 5 or is this optional? Please clarify the requirement. | Bullet #8 under Section L General Instructions has been revised chnaging Executive Summary to Introductory Volume. See RFP Amendment. |
| 15 | Section L: General Instructions, Volume 1-Introductory Volume, page 175 | Please confirm Executive Summary is the same as Proposal Summary. | Bullet #1 under Volume 1 introductory Volume has been revised. See RFP Amendment. |
| 16 | Section L: General Instructions, Volume 1-Introductory Volume, Facility Clearance, page 175 | Please confirm a report/print out from the Industrial Security Facilities Database (ISFD) that shows Facility clearance levels is adequate to address evident of Facility Clearance. This database is what is used to verify facility clearance levels. | Letter (m) under Volume 1 - Introductory Volume has been revised. See RFP Amendment. |
| 17 | Section L: General Instructions, Volume 1-Introductory Volume, list of any assumptions or contingent conditions, page 175 | Please clarify if Offerors are allowed to include assumptions or contingent conditions. It is stated on page 175 (n) states Offerors to include "A list of any assumptions or contingent conditions with a narrative describing the rationale for them." This statement contradicts what is on page 173, "Proposals containing assumptions, exceptions or disclaimers will result in a finding of material noncompliance or solicitation non-responsiveness, which may make a proposal unawardable." | Volume 1 - Introductory Volume, #1, letter n has been deleted. No assumptions or contingent conditions are permitted. |
| 18 | Section L: General Instructions, Volume 2 – Factor 1 – Technical Capability, page 178 | For Subcontractors with 20% workshare of subcontracted dollars, kindly confirm Offerors are to submit both the Commitment Letter and Teaming Agreement in Volume 1. | Section L, Volume 2, Factor 1, bullet #4 has been revised. See RFP Amendment. Also note that RFP Section L, General Instruction, bullet #7, states, "Each volume shall be written on a stand-alone basis…" |
| 19 | Section L: General Instructions, Volume 5 – Factor 4 – Price, page 181. | Please confirm the Summary Section required in Volume 5 is the same as Proposal Summary | Section L, Volume 5 language has been revised. See RFP Amendment. |
| 20 | Attachment+3+-+DD+Form+254 | Please clarify if the Offeror and Subcontractors are required to complete Block 6 and 7 of the draft DD 254 for proposal submission. If so, are they to be included in Volume 1? | No that is not required. |
| 21 | 5.1.3 LCAT Descriptions, pages 42 and 43 | Please clarify the difference between Scanning Operator (Key Personnel) on page 42 and Scanning Operator on page 43. | Scanner Operator (Key Personnel) on page 42 and Scanner Operator on page 43 have the same educational background. However, the Scanner Operator (Key Personnel) on page 42 has the ability to monitor and maintain scanning equpment, and perfom functions of preparing and scanning records, while the Scanner Operator on page 43 is not responsible to monitor and maintain scanning equpment but is responsible for preparing and scanning records. When paper documents are to be handled, the Contractor must resource a Scanner Operator (Key Personnel) but may not need to resource a Scanner Operator, depending on volume, due dates, etc. |
| 22 | 5.1.3 LCAT Descriptions, page 45 | For the LCATS Senior Auditor, Financial Analyst, and Accounting Technician, will the government consider revising the requirement for 1 year of experience with DoD information systems to experience with DoD information systems preferred, as is required for Fraud Analyst? | Base PWS Section 5.1.3 has been revised for LCATS Senior Auditor, Financial Analyst, and Accounting Technician have been amended as follows, "…experience with DoD informtion systems preferred", as is required for LCAT Fraud Analyst. |
| 23 | 5.2 General Contract Requirements, page 46 | This clause appears to be out of scope for this contract, as it is targeted toward audit issue response; we suggest that this clause be removed from the RFP. Section 5.3 provides General Contract Requirements relevant to this contract. | Base PWS Section 5.2 language has been amended as follows to be in scope, "5.2 General Contract Requirements: These requirements are intented to provide the Army with professional legal services to augment the existing eDiscovery support services offered by the Army EDD." |
| 24 | Amendment 01, Attachment 8: Base PWS, Section 5.4.14(a)1 Database Utilization, page 96 | This section of PWS requires contractor support for training and education for JAGC staff on eDiscovery tools. Two elements: 1) Train JAGC personnel on requirements for supporting audit samples; and, 2) Educate workforce on lessons learned from prior year audits. They appear to be related to audit support not litigation support. Could the government confirm the correct scope of this section? | Base PWS Section 5.4.14(a)(1) bullet points have been amended as follows to be in scope: |
* Train JAGC personnel on the litigation support database (legal review tool) used
* Educate workforce on eDiscovery best practices, including new or amended workflows and procedures
| 25 | 5.4.10.1 Managed Web Hosting, page 92, and 5.4.14(a)2 , page 97. | The requirements for Help Desk Support/User Support on Pages 92 and 97 are in conflict. Page 92 requires "24/7 Sunday – Saturday user support to JAGC personnel via telephone, email and/or Web/Distance (i.e., MS Teams). Page 97 requires "At a minimum, the help desk must be staffed 8 am to 6 pm Eastern Time on weekdays, and be able to respond to off hour and weekend calls within 3 hours. The Contractor must also be able to accommodate the government’s request for evening and weekend coverage with seven days’ notice." Please clarify requirement. | Base PWS Section 5.4.1.0.1(e) and 5.4.14(a)(2) have been amended to reflect that the help desk must be staffed 8 am to 6 pm Eastern Time on weekdays, and be able to respond to off hour and weekend calls within 3 hours via telephone, email and/or Web/Distance (i.e., MS Teams). The Contractor must also be able to accommodate the Government's request for evening and weekend coverage with seven days' notice. The Contractor must also be able to accommodate the Government’s request for local time in the case of worldwide eDiscovery support. The Government recognizes that it may incur additional cost for these extended hours. The Contractor shall provide support accounts if/when necessary to log support questions, and shall track resolutions. | |
| 26 | Amendment 1, Attachment 8, Base PWS, Section 5.4.20 (c ) SCIFs, pages 101-102 | The PWS states "The Government will generally provide the Contractor with at least two weeks’ advance notice when leased facilities are needed." Given the government needs to conduct an audit and all other activities associated with a SCIF, the 2-weeks timeframe is not sufficient for the Offerors to identify, lease, and equip a SCIF within 2 weeks. Will the government please reconsider the timeframe? | Base PWS Section 5.4.20(c) has been amended to reflect SECRET/COLLATERAL spaces (SIPR rooms), and updated with thirty business days notice for setup and/or identification of the space. All other sections of PWS referencing SCIF have been amended also to reflect the same. Additionally, the time-frame has been adjusted to be 30 business days. The requirements of task orders will determine the needs to setup a SECRET/COLLATERAL spaces (SIPR room). The Contractor will not be required to setup and maintenance TOP SECRET (TS)/SCI facilities, nor support TS work. | |
| 27 | Pricing -- Pricing CLIN 0008 Load Image and Data Files | For this CLIN, please confirm that the billing unit is GB. | This CLIN envisions when overlay metadata load files (i.e., DAT) and/or image load files (i.e., OPT) are provided after data has been loaded, so the billing unit as stated is a flat rate per overlay load file. | |
| 28 | Pricing -- CLIN 0009 Web Hosting | Given the type of legal matters to be addressed under this procurement, particularly with regard to contract matters, we believe that the total volume of web hosting may exceed that described in the RFP. Is the Government open to a tiered pricing approach, based on volume of data hosted? | Tied pricing may be provided. However, the quantities in Attachment 6 - Price Poposal Model shall not be changed. The prices proposed in Attachment 6 - Price Proposal Model will be used for calculations. | |
| 29 | Pricing -- CLIN 0014 Specialized Professional Services | The type of services contemplated under CLIN 0014 are highly matter-specific, with different levels of expertise/subject matter expertise required. We suggest leaving the pricing for this CLIN open-ended so that the Government can obtain the specific set of skills required at the time of TO issue. The rate for this CLIN would be proposed and approved at that time. | Propose to the labor categories as stated for CLIN 0014. | |
| 30 | Section 1.3, 1.6.13, pages 16 | For previous components of this project, or for expected future needs, is there a list of locations (CONUS & OCONUS) that are within expectation of on-site support? | There is no list of travel locations, CONUS and/or OCONUS. Travel may be required anywhere including, but not limited to worldwide government installations, non-installations (i.e., Federal Record Centers (FRCs)), or third party sites. | |
| 31 | Section 1.6.5, page 18 | Regarding location support, are all personnel expected to be working from government sites or will contractor need physical space/proximity to location(s)? | While many situations could leverage military installations, it is envisioned that some requirements would not, thus requiring the contractor to obtain physical space/proximity to locations. | |
| 32 | Section 1.4, page 16 | What is the work breakdown structure (WBS) regarding task orders? I.e., are individual matters / projects given task orders or do whole divisions issue a single task order to assist with all EDRM needs for their specific group across multiple matters? | A task order would encompass all tasks required to support the matter (i.e., a single task order might require collection, data hosting, managed review, production, and project management support). | |
| 33 | Section 5.4.4.1(o), page 54 | Regarding the referenced "magnetic tape" evidence type - is tape restoration an expected service? If so, what types of tapes are expected within scope? | Tape restoration may be required in some circumstances where, for example, archived data is identified to be on a collected magnetic tape but the legacy environment is no longer available. There is no defined list of types of tapes that may require restoration, as it is dependent on what is identified during collection, but examples could include: Digital Linear Tape (DLT), CompacTape, Linear Tape-Open (LTO), IBM tape, StorageTek tape (STK), Quarter-inch cartridge tape (QIC), 9 Track tape, 8mm or 4mm tape. | |
| 34 | Section 5.4.18, page 105 | Are document review needs primarily confined to review of email / digital file artifacts or are there additional common review materials (such as video, audio, etc.) | While the vast majority of review needs will be email/digital file artifacts, video and audio review may be occasionally required. | |
| 35 | Section 5.4.19.1, pate 109 | Regarding document translation (both manual and machine), is there any available data on past or expected projects that could be used to establish what languages are commonly being encountered? | There is no data available regarding this requirement, but languages such as Spanish, German, Korean, and Arabic related languages should be expected. | |
| 36 | Section 5.4.9.1 (b), page 84 | What is the approximate existing size of stored data hosted in relation to the FLASH program? | The existing data size hosted internally by Army EDD is about 0.75 TB, but is expected to grow significantly. The expected size of data hosted by the contractor in the FLASH program is expected to be much larger than what is hosted in-house, but cannot be predicted or determined at the onset as it is dependent on the number of cases and case-sizes that come up that require the short-suspense and large scale capabilities of the FLASH contractor. | |
| 37 | Section 5.4.12 (a), page 95 | Is there any data available around upload-download speed capabilities between key locations within the network or across service locations? | No these metrics are not available. | |
| 38 | Section 5.4.12 (a), page 95 | Are any collection sources available via data-lake or similar structure (as opposed to requiring device/account access) | Such collection sources are not available in-house to Army EDD. | |
| 39 | Section 5.4.15.2(d), page 98 | What version of Relativity is currently being used internally? Is Relativity Processing also being used? | The Army is currently using Clearwell v. 10, but expects to transition to the most current on premises version of Relativity beginning in 3Q FY 22. The platform will include Relativity Processing modules. | |
| 40 | Section 1.3, 1.6.13, pages 16 | Can the Government provide an estimate of the percentage of work to be performed CONUS vs. OCONUS? | The vast majority of work will be CONUS, estimated at approximately 90%. | |
| 41 | SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/ SERVICES: CLIN 0013, page 9 | CLIN 0012 and CLIN 0013 appears to be duplicative of each other (Electronic Data and Documentation Acq | ||
| T&M). Please clarify if CLIN 0013 should be Database Creation as listed in Attachment 6, (Price+Proposal+Model). | Section B, CLIN 0013 and 0014 have been revised. See RFP Amendment. | |||
| 42 | SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/ SERVICES: CLIN 0014, page 10 | CLIN 0014 is listed Database Creation in the SF 14449 vs Database Utilization in Attachment 6 (Price+Proposal+Model). Kindly confirm the correct CLIN description. | See answer #41. | |
| 43 | 1.6.19, Transition Plan RFP Page 30 | Please confirm that the Transition Plan period is considered part of POP. | Transition is included in the period of performance. | |
| 44 | Attachment 6, Price Proposal Model, Instructions | Item 2 appears to request that Offeror input its Bill Rate in the same manner as Item 1. Item 1 references yellow highlighted column. Please confirm that instruction for Item 2 is to enter proposed bill rates and quantities in the respective columns (“Bill Rate” and “Quantity”) of the Task Order spreadsheet. | Attachment 6 has been revised. See RFP Amendment. | |
| 45 | Attachment 6, Price Proposal Model, Pricing Sheets (all years) | Please confirm the unit rate of measure for EFP Native File Ingestion under CLIN 0007 is a one time GB charge based on data ingested. For all successive time periods the monthly charge is the Managed Web Hosting (GB/Month) | Refer to Base PWS Section 5.4.8.4(d) for EFP Native File Ingestion, which is confirmed to be a one time GB charge. For all successive time periods, it is confirmed that the monthly charge is the Managed Web Hosting. | |
| 46 | Attachment 6, Price Proposal Model, Pricing Sheets (all years) | The number of units specified for Web Hosting (unit of measure = GB/month) is 2,500 each period, effectively approximately 200 GB hosted for a full year. Given the quantities of data and files to be scanned and electronically processed, together with other amounts specified in the PWS regarding number of database records and required daily loading capacity amounts, this amount appears to be substantially understated. Can the Government confirm the specified quantities for this item? If these quantities are significantly increased, would the govt consider tiered pricing? | The Managed Web Hosting number of units in the Price Proposal Model has been amended to reflect 2,500 GB/month x 12 months = 30,000 GB/year (equivalent to 30 TB/year). The unit of measure for each annual tab for Web Hosting has also been amended to reflect GB/Year. This is a rough estimate and is dependent on number of cases and case-sizes that require the FLASH program services (see answer #36). Regarding tiered pricing, see answer #28. | |
| 47 | SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/ SERVICES: CLIN 0012-0014, page 10 | The CLIN description in the SF30 for CLINs 0012 to 0014 are not consistent with the CLIN description stated in Attachment 6, (Price+Proposal+Model). Please clarify which CLIN description between the 2 documents are correct. | Section B CLIN 0012 matches Attachment 6. Section B CLINs 0013 and 0014 have been revised. See RFP Amendment. | |
| 48 | DD254, Section 5.4.13(1), page 96 | The RFP and DD254 require "A non-classified internet protocol router (NIPR) managed solution to web host unclassified native, image and text files…" and then further states "Contractor must provide support for Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) cases on the Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRNET) and/or Internet connected information systems." The DD254 also indicates “Contractor must also provide a secret internet protocol router (SIPR) stand-alone/physical solution accessed by resources with appropriate clearance and need-to-know basis in a sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF)” |
| 1. | Please confirm that a FedRAMP approved (Moderate) solution will meet the requirements for NIPR. | |
| 2. | Please confirm that a SIPRNET solution will only be required if so requested in a Task Order that also requires the contractor to establish as SCIF, with sponsorship and funding under this contract including sponsorship for building and certifying the SIPR and SCIF. | 1. Base PWS Section 5.4.13(a)(1) refers to Database Creation for NIPR. DoD IL 5 / FedRAMP+ approved solution will meet the requirements for NIPR. FedRAMP approved (Moderate) solution will not meet the requirements for NIPR. RFP Sections 1.4; 1.6.7; 5.4.1; and 5.4.9.1(p) have been amended to reflect the DoD IL 5 / FedRAMP+ requirement for cloud hosting for NIPR. |
2. A SIPRNET solution would only be required if requested in a task order that also requires the contractor to establish a SECRET/COLLATERAL space (SIPR room), with funding under this contract to include building and accredidation of the space. There could be instances where the contractor need not establish a SECRET/COLLATERAL space (SIPR room) and instead gets access to a government spacce, in which case the contractor would not need to establish a SIPRNET solution in the government SIPR room. The Contractor will not be required to setup and maintenance TOP SECRET (TS)/SCI facilities, nor support TS work.
| 49 | Sections 4.3; 5.4.9.1(c ); 5.4.13; 5.4.20; pages 36, 84, 96, and 110, respectively | Will the Government sponsor a SECRET SCIF to include SIPRNet systems? Will classified standalone systems be required to support classified tasks? If a SCIF is required, will government security require TEMPEST as part of the SCIF AIS accreditation? | See answer #26 and #48. | |
| 50 | Section 5.1.3 | Would the Government consider accepting directly relevant experience in lieu of education requirements. For example accepting 6 years of experience in lieu of a Masters Degree? In addition, some of the certification requirements for technical roles could limit the Government's ability to obtain qualified personnel, even at non key roles. For example, the PC Technician requires DoDD 8570.01-M IAT II Certification or higher. This requirement would limit the pool of qualified candidates for this role. For certifications, will the Government consider making all certification requirements "preferred" instead of mandatory. | Refer to Base PWS Section 5.1.3, which states, "The Government reserves the right to waive education or experience requirements on a case by case basis. The Contractor shall obtain written COR approval to waive any education or experience requirements." | |
| 51 | Volume 4 - Factor 3 - Small Business Utilization. | Within Volume 4, Factor 3, Small Business Utilization it references the volume shall summarize the offeror’s SB participation goals for the total five-year ordering period. Further detailed within the volume, it references the offeror’s plan shall depict the percentage values of the option requirements separately. Will the government confirm for offerors submitting a SB Subcontracting Plan and SB Participation Plan, the goals shall be expressed within the plan reflecting the dollars and percentages for the five (5) individual years (Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5)? | Section L, Volume 4, paragraph has been revised. See RFP Amendment. | |
| 52 | Volume 5 - Factor 4 - Price., | |||
| and item e). | Please confirm that all subcontractor pricing will be determined fair and reasonable by the Prime's competitive procurement process and corresponding price analysis equired to be included in the Volume 5 submission, and that subcontractors are not required to submit individual subcontractor pricing packages. | Section L, Volume 5, paragraph has been revised. See RFP Amendment. | ||
| 53 | Attachment 8, Base PWS, Section 5.4.1.3, paragraph 2 | For classified data, will the government accept a cloud-based solution that is only accessible from a SCIF through SIPR and is assessed at IL 6? This will provide a lower-cost and more robust solution to the Government while maintaining security of Secret data. | Yes, for classified data, the government will accept a cloud-based solution that is only accessible from a SECRET/COLLATERAL space (SIPR room), through SIPR and is accessed at DoD IL 6. | |
| 54 | W91CRB21R0018_approved, page 178 #2 Key Personnel Qualifications/Resumes | Are Key Personnel required to have a Secret clearance at time of proposal submission? | Refer to Section 1.6.7.2 - Clearance, which states "Contractor personnel shall possess a minimum of an Interim SECRET security clearance..." This includes Key Personnel, who must have an interim SECRET security clearance at the time of award and issuance of task order(s). | |
| 55 | RFP Section L, A, 3, page 71 | Please confirm that initial questions can be submitted up to July 30, 2021. | The deadline for submitting questions will be posted to betaSAM.gov once a deadline has been decided. | |
| 56 | Attachment 8 - Base PWS FLASH 1.6.7 Security Requirements, page 5; and 1.6.7.10 NIST SP 800-171 Security Requirement, page 12 | Can you describe which components of the system will fall under FedRAMP and which components will be covered by NIST 800-171? Both standards are listed as requirements in the PWS. | The system requirements will fall under the FedRAMP+ requirements, which encompass the NIST 800-171 requirements. Accordingly, all components of the system will comply with both sets of requirements. | |
| 57 | Attachment 8 - Base PWS FLASH 1.4 Scope, page 4 | For the FedRAMP requirement, can the Contractor use AWS or other FedRAMP infrastructure/platform as the platform on which the Contractor would build the Army's solution? | PWS Section 5.4.13(a)(1) refers to Database Creation for NIPR. DoD IL 5 / FedRAMP+ approved solution will meet the requirements for NIPR. FedRAMP approved (Moderate) solution will not meet the requirements for NIPR. RFP Sections 1.4; 1.6.7; 5.4.1; and 5.4.9.1(p) have been amended to reflect the DoD IL 5 / FedRAMP+ requirement for cloud hosting for NIPR. |
Contractor can use a DoD IL 5 / FedRAMP+ approved infrastructure/platform for NIPR. Contractor can use DoD IL 6 / FedRAMP+ approved infrastructure/platform for SIPR.
| 58 | Attachment 8 - Base PWS FLASH 5.4.20 Facility Space (for legal review, SCIF, etc.), (C) SCIFS, page 101 | Please clarify the timeframe on standing up a SCIF and SIPR. Two weeks' advance notice is reasonable for identification of a suitable space, but DoD controls the timing of approval of SCIFs. Per PWS 5.4.20 (A)(3)(i), the Contractor is required to notify the Contracting Officer two weeks prior to the date of an intent to sign a lease. | See answer #26 and #48. |
| 59 | Attachment 8 - Base PWS FLASH 4.3 Facilities, page 23 and 5.4.20, page 101 | The PWS references Contractor setting up a SCIF “worldwide” and “OCONUS.” It is our understanding that Contractors are not permitted to stand-up a SCIF OCONUS. We suggest that this requirement be removed from the solicitation. | See answer #57. |
| 60 | Attachment 8 - Base PWS FLASH | Please confirm that all Key Personnel identified in the Base PWS will require resumes to be submitted in the Contractor proposal. | Base PWS Section 1.6.11 and 5.1.3 have been amended to state, "The Contractor is to provide a resume for the Lead Program Manager at the issuance of the first Task Order. This Key Personnel will be required during the duration of the FLASH Program. The Contractor is to provide resumes for Key Personnel who are required at the issuance of a Task Order that necessitates that Key Personnel." |
| 61 | RFP Section L, A, Volume 2, Sub-factor 3 Staffing Plan, 2, page 76 | Please confirm that the resume for the Senior Electronic Files Specialist for PWS Task Order 1 can be the same for the Base PWS. | Yes, the resume for the Senior Electronic Files Specialist for PWS Task Order 1 can be the same for the Base PWS. |
| 62 | Attachment 8 - Base PWS FLASH 1.6.19 Transition Plan, page 17 | What is the proposed time period between date of award and the start of the Transition-In period? The PWS states that “all Key Personnel shall begin performance on the first day of the transition-in period.” Contractor would need time to submit the Key Personnel for interim secret clearance prior to starting work. | Base PWS Section 1.6.19 have been amended to state, "The Lead Program Manager (Key Personnel) shall begin performance on the first day of the transition-in period, or Task Order award date. All future Task orders will provide specific guidance on start date for other positions required." |
Base PWS Sections 1.6.7.2 and 5.1 have been amended to add, "The Interim SECRET security clearance for Contractor personnel is required prior to the start of performance, unless exception is granted by the COR.
| 63 | Attachment 8 - Base PWS FLASH 1.6.7.2 Clearance, page 7 | What is the expected turnaround time for receipt of Interim Secret clearances once the Contractor submits a candidate? | We are not able to provide a time table for the turnaround on clearances. |
| 64 | Attachment 1 - Base QASP FLASH, page 7 | The Performance Threshold for OCR is 100% accuracy. This does not follow EDRM Best Practices which is below 100% accuracy and is very dependent on the quality of the paper scanned. The FFP CLINS in the QASP are all at 100% and would be challenging to impossible to meet. Can the Performance Threshold accuracy percentages be reduced for all FFP CLINS? | Base QASP for OCR has been edited to be 99% accuracy. Government has also adjusted the threshold accuracy percentages for all FFP CLINs to be 99% accuracy. Non-FFP CLINs remain 100% accuracy. |
| 65 | Attachment 1 - Base QASP FLASH, page 15; and Attachment 10 - QASP FLASH TO1, page 5 | The Performance Threshold for Electronic Files Specialist is five (5) business days. To identify a candidate with an Interim Secret clearance, unless already a cleared employee on the program, within the Threshold would be challenging to impossible to meet consistently. For this specific CLIN which is Key Personnel, the candidate will need KO approval (PWS 1.6.11). All T&M CLINS in the Base QASP are between 3, 5, or 7 days (14 for Expert – consultant). Can the Performance Threshold timelines for all T&M CLINS be extended to 30 business days? | The Performance Threshold timelines for some of the other T&M CLINs has been extedned to 30 busines days, and the Base QASP has been amended to reflect the change. Government will not amend the timelines for all T&M CLINs. |
| 66 | Attachment 1 - Base QASP FLASH | Would the Government consider removing the Base QASP from the Solicitation and replace it with a Service Level Agreement (SLA) plan negotiated with the Contractor during the Transition-In period? | The QASP will not be removed. |
| 67 | Attachment 5 - Performance Risk Assessment Questionnaire | Can the Performance Risk Assessment Questionnaires be due on the date the proposal submission is due rather than 30 calendar days from the release of the RFP? | Revised to read by noon on the proposal due date. |
| 68 | Attachment 1, QASP | Given the following fine as stated in the QASP of ,"Fine equal to hourly rate stated in contract for the period of non-performance." in its relation to all FUP descriptions under the contract, can the Government provide clarification as to how the fine calculation will be done on a "labor rate" basis as opposed to a FUP calculation basis? If it is the Government intent to calculate fines on the FUP basis will the Government please provide a correction? | The Base QASP remedies have been amended. |
| 69 | Attachment 1, QASP under Performance Requirements table; page 8 | First item under Blowback is missing Performance Objective; please confirm if it is Blowback from Digital Image - Whole Media. | Confirmed. The Base QASP has amended the last item on page 7/first item on page 8 to state, "Blowback from Digital Image - Whole Media". |
| 70 | Attachment 1, QASP under Performance Requirements tables pages 5 - 20 on Remedies | Please clarify if "Upon second occurrence below 90%, a 10% reduction of monthly invoice" is associated with corresponding product CLIN and not the entire invoice. | The Base QASP remedies have been amended to clarify "Upon second occurrence below 90%, a 10% reduction for the corresponding CLIN of each monthly invoice for the period of non-performance." |
| 71 | Attachment 3, DD254 | Is the requirement to provide a SCIF for Secret level processing? Will a Secret level facility certification serve the needs of this contract? | See answer #26. |
| 72 | Attachment 3, DD254, PWS | At what level of processing (IT), storage, and discussion does the facility need be accredited? | The facility accreditation / classification is dependent on case needs as outlined in the task order. Majority of cases will be dealing with CUI. Some cases may reach the level of SECRET classification. | |
| 73 | Attachment 3, DD254, PWS | |||
| Attachment 8, PWS, Section 1.6.7.11 Physical Security | When will the Offeror be required to have the required primary accredited facility? Upon award? Upon contract start-up? At end of transition period? Other? | See answer #26. | ||
| 74 | Attachment 4, Page 2, Qualifications and Experience | Attachment includes "Documented in Attachment 02, LCATS", but Attachment 2 does not include Labor Category descriptions. It is a planning/documentation based CDRL. Are we missing an Attachment for Labor Category Requirements? If so, could this be provided to the vendors? | This attachment has been revised. See RFP Amendment. | |
| 75 | Attachment 4, Resume Format, Years of Relevant Experience | Attachment includes "List years of relevant experience". Please clarify what is sought here: is it literally the years in which the relevant experience occurred, or should it include the Employer and Work performed as often found in the chronology section of a standard resume? | It is the total number of years (not the specific literal years) in which the relevant work was performed (as often found in the chronology section of a standard resume) (i.e., "relevant experience is 8 years"). | |
| 76 | Attachment 6, Price Model, FFP | 0001 Hardcopy Document and Media Acquisition - Since some collections described are quite small, would the Government consider providing a minimum volume for field-site collections? Payment for Travel is appreciated, but at field sites, there can be waits to get through Security, Meet with the Contact, Visit the collections site(s), and otherwise spend a significant amount of non-productive time, which, if it has to be accounted for in the unit rates, will drive those prices up far higher than otherwise would be needed. | There is no minimum volume for field-site collections. The specific task order issued will advise if field-site collections are required. | |
| 77 | Attachment 6, Price Model, FFP | 0001 Hardcopy Document and Media Acquisition, Are cleared (Secret) vendor staff authorized to transport hard copy or digital media via public transport? | Public transportation (i.e. trains, Uber, bus, taxi, etc.) is highly discouraged when it comes to accompanying classified information. A government sponsored vehicle and/or personal vehicle will be fine as long as there are no unscheduled stops during transport. | |
| 78 | Attachment 6, Price Model, FFP | 0001 Hardcopy Document and Media Acquisition, can/will the sites at which collections will occur be identified? Will they all be short-term activities conducted at Government sites? How many will there be at what volumes for each? | The sites at which collections may occur cannot be identified at this moment, and neither can the volumes for each collection. The specific task order issued will advise the locations where collections are required, and the volumes may be unknown at that time. The collection sites may include Government sites or third party sites. Locations for collection work may include, for example, Government installations, NARA/FRC facilities, Army museums, historian repositories, state libraries and historical society resources, Pentagon library, college libraries, Library of Congress (Sanborne Maps), Defense Technical Information Center or DTIC repository, Army Center for Military History, Army Heritage and Education Center, DCMA repositories (DoD Electronic Data Access (EDA) system, Standard Industrial Financial System (SIFS), Federal Procurement Data System), Defense Visual Information Center, etc. (Army Research Lab Technical Library in Adelphi, MD, Joint Munitions Command’s WARP database, Picatinny Arsenal Technical Research Center, Fort Gordon, Army Transportation Museum, Fort Eustis, Army ordnance museum Fort Lee, Army Environmental Command repository, and CECOM historical databases | |
| 79 | Attachment 6, Price Model, FFP | 0001 Hardcopy Document and Media Acquisition, for acquisition site visits, since there can be significant time lost in security, site movement, contacting, meeting, and discussion with document and data custodians (often multiples), and so on, would the Government consider allowing either minimums for a days collection, or a half day equivalent in supplemental billing against a unit rate so that the price need not be burdened by tasks/events out of the control of the vendor? | Government is amenable for Contractor to bill half day equivalent in supplemental billing against a unit rate. | |
| 80 | Attachment 6, Price Model, FFP | 0001 Hardcopy Document and Media Acquisition, will the Government provide secured courier support from any location? Or will the vendor need to supply a cleared courier in addition to the staff needed to directly support the production work? | Contractor to provide a cleared courier in addition to the staff needed to directly support production work, if the production is made on media and requires delivery (i.e., not via SFTP). | |
| 81 | Attachment 6, Price Model, FFP | 0003 Scan to Digital Image - If this work is to be performed at the Vendor/JAGC primary site, can the Government provide guidance regarding short term throughput requirements that may need to be supported? | Refer to Base PWS Section 5.4.4.1(v) and 5.4.4.1(z). |
| 82 | Attachment 6, Price Model, FFP | 0003 Scan to Digital Image - If this work is to be performed at the Vendor/JAGC primary site, will the work be accumulated and processed or on an ad hoc basis? For instance, would the off-site person who is called in to do this work ever be called in to scan 25-50 pages? | Refer to Base PWS Section 5.4.4.1(v). |
| 83 | Attachment 6, Price Model, FFP | 0003 Scan to Digital Image / OCR - is this rate or price to include paper of all sizes? Microfilm? Microfiche? Books? Over-sized documents? If yes to more than one media-type, can the Government provide separate anticipated volume levels for each media type to ensure vendors are each pricing the same type of work? In the alternative, could the Government provide a different CLIN for each type of scanning to be performed? | Refer to Base PWS Sections 5.4.4.1 - 5.4.4.8 . Government will not provide separate CLIN for each type of scanning to be performed. |
| 84 | Attachment 6, Price Model, FFP | 0005 Photocopying - Can the Government provide guidance on required copy capacity that must be made available? Will color capability be required? And, for supplies associated with this task, will the Government provide either a "plug" number for these supplies or the monthly anticipated volume in each of color and black and white? | Refer to Base PWS Sections 5.4.6.1 - 5.4.6.3. |
| 85 | Attachment 6, Price Model, FFP | 0005 Photocopying - Since this work can commonly be both ad hoc and for production or exhibit reproduction, will the Government allow all labor categories to perform this work at an hourly rate, with production/volume photocopying to be performed by a clerical category and charged in this Firm Fixed Price (Or Fixed Unit Price),and a separate charge for the supply and maintenance charge--since the hourly charged labor would be otherwise need to be supplemented with a supplies and maintenance fee? | This is a fixed unit price as stated in attachment 6. |
| 86 | Attachment 6, Price Model, FFP | 0006 Document Coding - If this work is to be performed at the Vendor/JAGC primary site, can the Government provide guidance regarding throughput requirements that may need to be supported? Weekly? | Refer to Base PWS Section 5.4.7.1(d), 5.4.7.2(b), 5.4.7.3(b), 5.4.7.4(b), 5.4.7.5(b)(2), and 5.4.7.6(b)(2). |
| 87 | Attachment 6, Price Model, FFP | 0009 Web Hosting, does this apply to the FedRAMP web solution, to the internal application, or to both. | Refer to Base PWS Sections 5.4.10 and 5.4.13. |
| 88 | Attachment 6, Price Model, FFP | 0010 Other Services, Please explain what tasks this may involve, and what volume and frequency vendors may expect. In the alternative, please consider making this CLIN either T&M or an ODC. | Refer to Base PWS Section 5.4.19. |
| 89 | Attachment 6, Price Model, FFP | Does this reference to FFP mean a unit rate for each item produced (e.g., a scanned image, a GB of electronic processing)? Or is this asking for an annual firm fixed price rate for performance of the work regardless of the actual volume or timing - so that the numbers provided are "just" guidance on most likely scenarios? | The quantiies stated on each tab are yearly estimates. |
| 90 | Attachment 6, Price Model, FFP | If the documents/data are non-classified, must these tasks be conducted at the vendor/JAGC facility or Ft Belvoir, or can it be produced at the vendor's primary processing facility? If these tasks must be performed at the vendor's JAGC facility, will the Government provide the equipment (copier/printers, scanners of various types, servers, and so on) or will the vendor need to acquire each of the necessary tools solely for use in the Vendor/JAGC facility? If the latter, the PWS references ordinary scanning, microfiche, and oversized. Are there any other such capabilities which the vendors must provide equipment and supplies ? Aperture cards? Books? Microfiche Readers (such as for preliminary reviews or QC)? Microflim Scanners and Readers? | Refer to Base PWS Section 5.4.4. Scanning tasks related to unclassified documents/data may take place at Contractor site or at Government and non-Government sites, CONUS or OCONUS and will be specified by the task order issued. Contractor will need to acquire the necessary tools to perform the task. The Government cannot determine non-standard document-types at this point, as those will be specified by the task order issued. |
| 91 | Attachment 6, Price Model, FFP | Will service personnel (to fix scanners, printers, servers, etc) be required to have Secret Clearances? If not, what Security rules will apply? | Servicing of classified equipment is typically handled by vetted contractors or government personnel that have appropriate clearances. Third party (cleared) contractors are authorized to service, destroy, or maintain classified equipment if required. |
| 92 | Attachment 6, Price Model, T&M | Are we required to have a courier? If so, there is no labor CLIN for this. How would we bill? | Contractor may bill under ODCs. |
| 93 | Attachment 6, Price Proposal Model | 0017 Specialized Professional Services - As a catch-all for incidental expert services, we note that miscellaneous expert consultants, historians, and/or specialized work analysts can cost a wildly different amount of money to acquire. Would the Government consider making these ODC categories in which, if the Government approves the expert and cost, the contract is served by an ODC mark-up rate? | See answer #29. |
| 94 | Attachment 8, PWS | In establishing one or more secure facilities, will the vendor be responsible for daily cleanup and trash removal? | Contractor is responsible for maintenance of its established facility. Government shall not dictate the time for cleanup and trash removal. |
| 95 | Attachment 8, PWS | Will any employees be based outside of the National Capital Region? If so, please identify where this will occur? | See answer #30. |
| 96 | Attachment 8, PWS | Will any employees be based outside the US? | See answer #30. |
| 97 | Attachment 8, PWS | Will the awarded vendor be permitted to start the needed personnel security process immediately upon award? | See answer #54. |
| 98 | Attachment 8, PWS Section 1.6.7.2 Clearance | Do key personnel already have to have an active/adjudicated clearance (Secret) or can they be submitted for an interim clearance at time of award? | See answer #54. |
| 99 | Attachment 8, PWS, 1.4 Scope; Page 4 | "The prime Contractor shall be a FedRAMP certified (moderate level) litigation support provider." Please confirm (or deny) that the requirement is to have a FedRAMP certified solution, not necessarily that the hosting solution must be owned and operated by the Prime? | See answer #48. |
| 100 | Attachment 8, PWS, Page 101 - 102 | What is your anticipated timeline from identification to execution of each new SCIF? | See answer #26. |
| 101 | Attachment 8, PWS, section 1.6.4 | Regarding vendor control of staff for employees based at government facilities: will the contractor have the discretion to schedule employees as needed? | The Contractor will have the discretion to schedule employees as needed but within the permissible business hours for any given Government site. |
| 102 | Attachment 8, PWS, section 5.1.3 Labor Category Description, Education, and Experience Requirements | The Labor Category Description, Education, and Experience Requirements includes no job duties or tasks listed. Please provide a description of the types of work provided by each Labor Category. | Base PWS Section 5.1.3 provides LCAT descriptions that correspond to the relevant sections in the Base PWS describing those categories (i.e., Base PWS Section 5.4.11 for services under "Program and Project Management and Technical Support" corresponds to LCAT Description for services under "Program and Project Management and Technical Support"). |
| 103 | Attachment 8, PWS, section 5.1.3 Labor Category Description, Education, and Experience Requirements | There are job titles for a Senior Auditor and an Auditor. In section 5.4.17 Specialized Professional Services, there are references to a Senior Auditor and a Junior Auditor. Is the Junior Auditor in Section 5.4.17 the same as an Auditor in section 5.1.3? If so, should the position be referred to as an Auditor, or a Junior Auditor? | Base PWS Section 5.1.3 LCAT Description for "Auditor" has been amended to be "Junior Auditor", which is the same as Section 5.4.17 reference to "Junior Auditor". |
Base QASP reference to "Auditor" has also been amended to be "Junior Auditor".
| 104 | Attachment 8, PWS, section 5.1.3 Labor Category Description, Education, and Experience Requirements | There are no job duties or tasks listed. Will the specific job tasks and duties be left up to the contractor’s discretion to define? | See answer #102. | |
| 105 | Attachment 8, PWS, section 5.1.3 Labor Category Description, Education, and Experience Requirements | Where educational degrees apply, can experience be used as a substitute? For example, 2 years experience in lieu of an Associates Degree; 4 years experience and an Associates Degree in lieu of a Bachelor's Degree; 4 years experience and a Bachelors Degree in lieu of a Masters Degree? | See answer #50. | |
| 106 | Attachment 8, PWS, section 5.4.10.1 Managed Webhosting part (e). | Will the contractor have the discretion to set the schedule for weekend hours for the help desk? | See answer #25. | |
| 107 | Attachment 8, PWS, section 5.4.18 Document Review Services. |
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