SOLICITATION NOTICE
D -- THE BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS (BIA) IS SEEKING NATIVE AMERICAN OWNED FIRMS TO PERFORM CERTIFICATION AND ACCREDITATION WORK (C&A) WORK FOR THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER
- Notice Date
- 5/23/2007
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- Contracting Office
- BIA/ABQ ACQUISITION OFFICE; 1001 INDIAN SCHOOL ROAD, NW, SUITE 347; ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87104
- ZIP Code
- 87104
- Solicitation Number
- RBK00070004
- Response Due
- 6/23/2007
- Archive Date
- 6/23/2007
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- D--The following are the answers to the questions submitted for RFP RBK00070004: 1. Q: The solicitation identifies resources with associated hours for this opportunity. Could you please explain how these resources were identified, how hours were determined, and whether this information was determined by an independent contractor A: This information was determined based on historical data from previous years. 2. Q: Is there an existing project plan with the resources and hours? Can this be provided as an attachment to the solicitation? A: No 3. Q: Can bidders propose resources and hour different than what is provided in the solicitation A: No. 4. Q: Will there be an opportunity for follow-up questions based on the answers that come back A: No. There is just not enough time to go back and forth on follow up questions regarding answers given. 5. Q: Section B, CLIN 0001 ? since this is an IDIQ contract with task orders to be awarded using labor rates provided, and sine the cost of C&A tasks varies for different systems, what is the purpose of CLIN 0001, Basic Year Certification and Accreditation A: It is just information. The quantity, unit price and total cost will be removed to exclude any confusion. The contracting writing system automatically inserts the lines. They will be deleted manually. 6. Q: Section B, CLIN 0003 ? the purpose of this CLIN is not clear ? O/T rates would be tied to specific labor categories for which overtime was approved by the Government. For salaried personnel this would be at the normal hourly rate quoted; for wage determination personnel this would normally be at 1 ? times the hourly rate. For this proposal, what is the derivation of what should be entered for 320 hours of O/T rates for unspecified labor categories? A: This CLIN will be removed. Overtime will be determined on a need for basis. 7. Q: SOW, Para 2, Page 1: What specific tools are currently owned and in use by BIA for accomplishing the various C&A related tasks (Tasks 1-12) in the SOW? A: No automated tools are in place to accomplish the C&A tasks. Microsoft suite of tools are available (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc). 8. Q: SOW, Para 2, Pages 1-4. Specified due dates may be unrealistic depending on the type of system, scope of the system, operating/applications software, etc. Will due dates for specific documents under specific tasks be more accurately defined in task orders that are issued A: Yes 9. Q: Does the Government anticipate the issuance of task orders which would require the use of contractor owned facilities (offices, IA labs, document storage, etc) A: No. 10. Q: The RFP states that Past Performance that started after 1 May 2005 will not be considered for the evaluation; can this requirement be modified or waived A: That date should read 1 Oct 2006. It will be amended to read 1 Oct. 2006. 11. Q: What clearances, if any, are required for contract personnel?? A: See 5.3 Security Screening in SOW 12. Q: Volume 1, section 4.2.1.3.1: Indicates that the government will not consider any new contracts awarded or where performance began on or after 1 November 2004 due to limited performance history. Is it the government?s intention to only accept work prior to the November 2004 date or work that occurred after the November 2004 date A: That date should read 1 November 2005. The government will accept work on or after 1 November 2005. 13. Q: Can you please provide the incumbent contractor name/s and contract number/s for this initiative A: The incumbent is SeNet International Corp. The contract number is SMK00050066. 14. Q: Is there a ceiling value for this Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract A: 15. Q: Table 3.1 (pg 17) and Para 5.6 (pg 22) ? Confirm that resumes are not included on the Vol. II page limitation of 20 pages A: Resumes do not count toward the 20 page limitation. 16. Q: Para 5.2 (pg 21) ? Was the cross-reference matrix sample referred to the Mission Capability Executive Summary supposed to be included A: There was not one included. It was placed in the RFP mistakenly. 17. Q: Para 4.2.1.3.1 (pg 20), para 3.3.2 (pg 26) ? The Government wants Past Performance to be current and relevant. However, there are conflicting statements in the referenced paragraphs that the Government will not consider any new contracts started after 1 Nov 2004 / 1 May 2005. Since you evaluate past performance on the merits of each contract, will you re-phrase to require past performance form relevant and current contracts of at least one year duration where that year ended between the dates 1 May 05 and 11 June 07 (proposal submission dated) A: Reference Question # 12 18. Q: Section C (SOW pg 12) Para 7 ? Will quality control guidelines be provided the contractor to ensure deliverables meet the expectations of the BIA and DOI for acceptable criteria and sub sequent payment A: Guidance and expectations will be provided. Examples of acceptable products will be provided. 19. Q: Since the answers to questions my not be available until the 18 May and due to the additional hours required to recreate and design form your PDF copy the required letters and forms included in the RFP, will you please extend the proposal due date to 18 June A: There may be a possibility of an extension. This will be determined by the Contracting Officer and the Project Personnel if an extension is merited. 20. Q: Is it expected that the C&A tasks will be performed on systems/applications that are in at least the maintenance stage of the SDLC or will C&A tasks include the creation of C&A package in support of systems still being designed or developed A: Both, majority of systems are in maintenance stage 21. Q: What are the acceptable date ranges for Past Performances A: See Question # 12 22. Q: Do resumes count within the page limitations A: See Question number 15. 23. Q: What is the anticipated workload for the first year A: One third of all systems are recertified every three years, so at least one third of total number of systems will be recertified 24. Q: When did the current contract start A: January 2005. 25. Q: How many positions are considered Key A: All ? however, Security Analysts are ?key? to accomplishing C&A tasks. 26. Q: Which specific positions are key A: See Question 25 above 27. Q: In order to provide pricing details, as required in section 6.3.2, please provide the pre-established NTE prices for the ?Travel? CLIN. A: $50,000. This will be amended to include the $50,000.00 on the Travel CLINs. 28. Q: Referring to page 26, section 3.3.2, ?the Government will only consider work performed within a 3 year period ending on or after Nov 1, 2002.? In addition, ?the Government will not consider any new contracts awarded or where performance began on or after May 1, 2005.? This appears to conflict with the timeframes provided on page 20 (4.2.1.3.1,??within the last 3 years. However the Government will not consider any new contracts awarded or where performance began on or after Nov 1, 2004?). Please clarify. A: See Question # 12 29. Q: Section 2(c), Page 14 ? This section states that offerors must agree to hold prices in the offer from for 30 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers. However, on page 17, item 2.2 under ?instructions to offerors? states that the offeror shall make a clear statement that the offer is valid for at least 180 days beyond the due dated, and this is reiterated in section 6.2. Please clarify which is correct. A: Section 2 (c) states that ?The Offeror agrees to hold the prices in its offer firm for 30 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of Offers, UNLESS another time period is specified in an addendum to the solicitation. So the 180 days is the correct amount of days. 30. Q: For the electronic copies, is Adobe PDF an acceptable format, or BIA want the information presented in Microsoft Office programs as appropriate (Word, Excel, etc.). If Microsoft Office is the desired format, which version should be used A: Word 2003 31. Q: In Volume II, Mission Capability, do the resumes count against the 20 page limit? Also, it?s stated that glossaries do not count against page limitations; is this true for tables of contents, lists of figures, and tabs if used A: See Question number 15 regarding resumes. 32. Q: With regard to BIA site visits, is there a listing of sites that the contractor can be provided to assist with determining the level of effort for travel A: See Question number 27 regarding the Not To Exceed amount for travel. 33. Q: Can BIA provide the current total number of systems/applications that will be covered by the scope of work A: BIA currently has 42 systems 34. Q: How many systems are included, MA/GSS A: 42 systems, 6 GSS?s; 35. Q: How many IP addresses are there in the internal network A: Information not available- considered confidential. 36. Q: Will the system assignments take place sequentially A: There will be concurrent projects 37. Q: Is there an incumbent for the current project A: See Question number 13. 38. Q: In Volume I past performance sections3.3.2, 4.2.1.3.1, 4.2.2; what are the correct date boundaries for acceptable past performance, there is a conflict of dates that is stated? A: See Question # 12 39. Q: Do the required matrices and cross-references count against the page limit A: No. 40. Q: Please clarify and amplify 4.2.17 Organization Structure Change History, in particular, the structure/format of the required ?roadmap?? Are strategic partners or sister organizations included A: Covers Bureau of Indian Affairs Information Technology (IT) ? no partners or sister organizations are included. 41. Q: Please clarify the phrase ?appropriately cleared for performance prior to contract start? in 3.2.2 Mission Capability Subfactors, 3.2.2.1 Subfactor 1, Phase In/Transition. Are the personnel expected to have DOI/BIA clearances/badges prior to beginning work? If so, at what level A: See 5.3 Security Screening in Statement of Work (SOW) 42. Q: Will BIA provide a Past Performance questionnaire in Microsoft Word format, for example, that we could provide to our customers electronically? Of should offerors create their own form or should offerors use the form in the government-provided PDF document A: Offerors should use the form in the government provided PDF document. 43. Q: If an offeror is a subcontractor on a past performance reference, would that offeror send its past performance questionnaire to its prime contractor (e.g., ABC, Inc) or to its customer (e.g., the U.S. Department of Defense). A: To the U.S. Department of Defense. You may need to provide DoD the contract number, the title of the project, and the name of the project officer. 44. Q: Is there an incumbent already fulfilling these requirements or is this RFP for new work A: See Question number 13. 45. Q: What other companies received copies of the RFP A: This information cannot be divulged at this time. 46. Q: What automated application is currently being used (if any) for the C & A process by BIA A: None at this time 47. Q: Are there any subcontract provisions or limitations A: Yes. FAR 52.219-14, entitled ?Limitations on Subcontracting.? 48. Q: What percentage of the work will be performed in New Mexico, if any A: At this time, all work will be conducted in Herndon, VA. 49. Q: May we have an updated listing of all BIA locations in the U.S. A: Not available ? not needed for the purposes of this SOW 50. Q: Is there an incumbent contractor on this BIA C&A project, if yes, which one A: See Question number 13. 51. Q: What would be any work interaction (reporting, co-operation, etc) between Contractor and other BIA managers, i.e.: Patrick Ragsdale, Ross Swimmer, Brian Burns, Joan Tyler, Thao le, John Messano, or Pat Moloney A: Work is accomplished through interaction with the management and staff affiliated with the Office of IT Security and Privacy. Any other interactions are accomplished via interface with an ?Office? not necessarily a person, i.e., Operations, Systems, Development, Telecommunications, etc. 52. Q: How many BIA systems Contractor needs to Certify and to Accredit during the contract (current number systems) A: One third of systems are re-accredited on an annual basis. 53. Q: Please provide more details about potential traveling trips, how often (how many times a year) would be such as trips, for how long at the time, how many contractors need to travel together in a team, to which US BIA locations, etc A: Majority of systems are managed at the Herndon, VA location. When site visits are necessary, the team makeup is two contractors with a government oversight person. Six trips on an annual basis is about the norm. 54. Q: When Contractor employees have already active Secret or Top Secret clearances, is it still necessary to obtain NACI A: Yes, but it becomes easier for employees who already have active clearances, see 5.3 Security Screening in SOW. 55. Q: How many Major Applications and General Support Systems does BIA own and of these, how many require C&A in the base year award A: 42 systems in total, 6 general support systems, one third of systems are recertified on an annual basis. 56. Q: Proposal guidance says that resumes count toward the 20 page limit for Volume II Mission Capability ? each resume is limited to 2 pages. In addition, the proposal guidance from Volume II indicates ?The Offeror shall provide a resume for each respective individual who plans to work on this contract. The resumes should be explicit and detailed as to the employment experience each resume has regarding Certification and Accreditation work.? Assuming we submit 4-5 resumes to demonstrate experience and capability of our Key Personnel, this would take up 50% of the page limit for Volume II. Did BIA intend for resumes to count towards the 20 page limit assigned to Executive Summary, Transition plan, Management, and Technical capability discussion A: See Question number 15. 57. Q: Are we required to use our own laptops and desktops? A: No - equipment is provided. 58. Q: Did the government intend for the project start date before 1 November 2004 with a project end date within the last 3 years/pending or can offeror?s submit past performance for projects that began in 2005 A: See Question # 12 59. Q: Task 7 ? indicates deliverables are Contingency Plans, Test Plans, and Contingency Test Results. The Task does not specify that contractor will lead contingency test exercises and document results. Please advise whether the Contractor is required to lead or participate in Contingency Test exercises and document the results. A: For a new system, the C&A team initiates the Contingency Plan, devises the Test Plan, implements the test plan and documents the results. For existing systems, annual contingency plan testing is NOT the responsibility of the Office of IT Security and Privacy, it is handled outside the scope of this contract. 60. Q: Task 12 ? User approvals ? Will the contractor implement and/or record approvals that have been authorized by the BIA A: No ? approvals are sought and recorded by BIA management - as deemed necessary. Any recorded approvals needed by a C&A team to complete its work, are made available to the team by the Office of IT Security and Privacy management and staff. 61. Q: Who is the incumbent, and are they a Native American Firm A: See Question number 13. 62. Q: Page 22 of the RFP, paragraph 5.3, states ?The Offeror shall also exhibit that its personnel and facilities are properly cleared for contract performance upon contract award.? What facility clearance is sufficient to meet this requirement A: None 63. Q: Page 22 and 23 of the Attachment 2, paragraph 19. Key Personnel; this paragraph lists five labor categories for key personnel. How many resumes are required for each one of these categories A: We request that you provide a resume for each individual that plans on working on this contract, be it one or ten. We request that you provide 2 pages max for each resume. 64. Q: Are the information systems covered by POA&Ms, and if so are they available to the contractor A: Yes, each system has an associated POA&M and it is available to the C&A team. 65. Q: For the information systems that are to be covered by the contract, please provide the following information: (a) Number of systems; (b) Security categorization of the systems; (c) Development and definition status; (d) Size; (e) Major technologies used; (f) Status of IT security-related documentation, including the latest SAR or ST&E reports; (g) Current C&A status and related time-line; (h) Degree of compliance with SP 800-53, Revision 1; and (i) Common security controls identified, assessed, and documented. A:  BIA has 42 systems (6 are GSS)  Categorizations are based on FIPS 199 and NIST 800-60 guidance  No ?high? classifications (most are moderate)  All systems have an Authority to Operate (ATO)  All system are NIST SP 800-53 compliant  All systems have Risk Assessments, System Security Plans, ST&E Test Plans and ST&E Reports, POA&Ms, Contingency Plans, and Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA).  C&A documentation is readily available to C&A team in both hardcopy and softcopy format  Common tools are used in testing (Nessus, Microsoft Baseline Analyzer, Internet Security Scanner, Oracle Auditing Scanner, SQL Plus, Enum)  No automated tools are in place at this time to assist in the C&A tasks.
- Place of Performance
- Address: BIA/CENTRAL OFFICE EAST HERNDON, 625 Herndon Parkway, HERNDON, VA
- Zip Code: 20170
- Country: U.S.A.
- Zip Code: 20170
- Record
- SN01301626-W 20070525/070523230315 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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