QandA-AI Inmate Call Monitoring-dtd-16AUG2026.pdf

1. The RFQ references 650+ inmates. Can you provide current or anticipated inmate population by facility, annual/monthly call volume, and approximate total talk time?

RESPONSE: The population estimate is 650 inmates with some upward adjustment ability to go beyond that number. The annual estimated minutes calls to include United States Disciplinary Barracks (USDB), Mid-West Joint Regional Correctional Facility (MWJRCF), and Northwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility (NWJRCF) is 4.5M minutes annually.

2. Is there a required retention period for source audio, transcripts and associated analysis?

RESPONSE: 1 Base Year

3. Is ViaPath the sole source system today? Are additional audio, video, messaging or other communication sources anticipated during the period of performance?

RESPONSE: ViaPath is the system being utilized where there are no known replacements at this time.

4. The RFQ references messaging / electronic communications. What systems and content types are included, and how will that communication data be made available to the chosen platform?

RESPONSE: Telephones, video visitation, and tablet messaging. ViaPath.

5. Is there a defined allowable latency threshold for “near-real-time” transcription, monitoring and alerting?

RESPONSE: Not more than 2 minutes

6. Will privileged communications be excluded upstream by ViaPath / DoD staff, or is the solution expected to identify and exclude them?

RESPONSE: No privileged communication systems will be affected.

7. For Pricing Schedule A1 / CLIN 0001, what period of performance should bidders assume? Are option years or a multi-year structure contemplated or preferred?

RESPONSE: One year only requirement to validate quality of service.

8. Should pricing be structured as a fixed enterprise unlimited processing model, or, should bidders model proposals based on usage / volume thresholds?

RESPONSE: 4.5M minutes CAP “Not to Exceed”

9. Can you confirm the required CMMC level and whether information processed under this effort will be treated as CUI?

RESPONSE: None of these communications should be privileged or controlled unclassified.

This is open communication between the inmate and their contact.

10. Can you confirm the evaluation methodology and basis of award; e.g., LPTA versus best value and any weighting among technical capability, past performance and price?

RESPONSE: See latest amendment clarifying LPTA.

11. Lastly, want to confirm the quote submission deadline as 2 pm CST August 13, 2026, along with the required submission method.

RESPONSE: See amendment 0005 where amended closing date is now Wednesday 26 August 2026 at 2pm CST.

12. The requirement description posted on SAM.gov describes CLIN 0001 as "Price for coverage of 12 Months - Payable in Monthly Increments to cover maximum 650 Inmates with CAP 4.5M Call minutes or more if unlimited plans are more advantageous." Would the Government clarify whether 4.5M call minutes is a not-to-exceed ceiling against which offerors should price, or an estimate? Would the Government also confirm whether offerors are invited to propose an unlimited-minutes plan as an alternative, and if so, how a capped quotation and an unlimited quotation would be compared under the

Lowest Priced Technically Acceptable methodology?

RESPONSE: There are no tradeoffs, therefore either 4.5M capped or unlimited meets the requirement however, no deference is given to unlimited plans on an LPTA award basis.

13. The pricing terms described above — the twelve-month period, monthly billing, the 650-inmate basis, and the 4.5M minute cap — appear in the SAM.gov requirement description but not in the conformed copy of the solicitation, where CLIN 0001 is stated only as Quantity 1 Each. Similarly, the salient characteristic reading "Customer support by POST certified experts as required" appears in the posted description but in neither the conformed copy nor the Salient Characteristics attachment (REV-1). Would the

Government identify which documents govern for purposes of preparing quotations, and amend the solicitation as necessary to reconcile them?

RESPONSE: 4.5M minutes “Not to Exceed” cap. Post Certified expert not in Salient Characteristics and as such removed from front facing post. Complete instructions 52.212-1 Instructions to Offeror’s. Salient Characteristics and CLIN Description encapsulates requirements where Q&A responses serve as addendum for final clarifications.

14. Block 8 of the SF 1449 in the conformed copy and the summary of changes to

Amendment 0003 both state a closing time of 01:00 PM, while the response to Question

11 states 2:00 PM CST. Would the Government confirm the correct closing time on 20

August 2026?

RESPONSE: Amendment 0005 clarifies closing date as Wednesday 26 August 2026 at 2pm CST.

15. Would the Government confirm the complete list of amendments issued against this solicitation, so that our acknowledgement is accurate and complete?

RESPONSE: 5 amendments.

16. The response to Question 9 addressed the treatment of communications as controlled unclassified information but did not identify a CMMC level, and the fill-in at DFARS

252.204-7021(d)(1)(i) remains blank in the conformed copy. What CMMC level does the

Government require? Relatedly, given the Government's statement that these communications are neither privileged nor controlled unclassified, does the Government require a current NIST SP 800-171 summary level score in the Supplier Performance

Risk System prior to award?

RESPONSE: ViaPath phone system is on Commercial Internet and as such CMMC requirement has been removed.

17. DFARS 252.215-7012 requires that the cost portion of the proposal be submitted via a specified electronic medium, but the format field is blank in the conformed copy. What format does the Government require?

RESPONSE: ViaPath phone system is on Commercial Internet and as such DFARS 252.215-7012 has been removed.

18. The response to Question 4 identifies telephones, video visitation, and tablet messaging as the communication types in scope. Would the Government confirm that CLIN 0001 encompasses monitoring of all three? Would the Government also confirm whether the

4.5M annual minute estimate covers all three communication types or telephone calls only?

RESPONSE: 4.5M “Not to Exceed” cap encompasses all monitoring.

19. Does the Government require the solution to be operating within AWS GovCloud at the time of quotation, or is deployment into AWS GovCloud prior to the delivery date acceptable?

RESPONSE: ViaPath phone system is on Commercial Internet and as such AWS GovCloud has been removed as a requirement.