Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF MARCH 07, 2010 FBO #3025
MODIFICATION

U -- Army Registry Transcript System (AARTS) Contractor Questions and Government Responses.

Notice Date

3/5/2010
 

Notice Type

Modification/Amendment
 

NAICS

611710 — Educational Support Services
 

Contracting Office

Contracting Center of Excellence (NCR-CC), ATTN: Policy and Compliance, 5200 Army Pentagon, Room 1D245, Washington, DC 20310-5200
 

ZIP Code

20310-5200
 

Solicitation Number

W91WAW-10-R-0074
 

Response Due

3/11/2010
 

Archive Date

5/10/2010
 

Point of Contact

Carole E. Vallejos, 703-428-0822
 

E-Mail Address

Contracting Center of Excellence (NCR-CC)
(carole.e.vallejos@us.army.mil)
 

Small Business Set-Aside

Total Small Business
 

Description

Contractor Questions and Government Responses Army Registry Transcript System (AARTS) U.S. Army Human Resource Command (HRC) Request for Proposal (RFP): W91WAW-10-R-0074 in lieu of W91WAW-10-R-0016 (NOTE: A new solicitation number was issued for this requirement, due to an error in the Army Single Face Industry System and the Federal Business Opportunities Website.) Contractor Question 1: Section 1.3 of the Revised PWS (Scope and Objectives) contains the following point: Facilitate electronic transmission to and acceptance by the academic community at large. Can the government confirm that this electronic transmission refers to transmission of the Guide as defined under Section 2.1 (Definitions) which then correlates to the requirement under section 5.1.1 to provide to HRC PDE, on a weekly basis, electronic updates of the contractors Guide in eXtensible Markup Language (XML)&. If not, please clarify (i.e., does this refer to the AARTS transcripts and their transmission to academic institutions on behalf of students). Can the government clarify what is meant by &acceptance by the academic community at large. Answer to Contractor Question 1: No, Section 1.3 does not refer to the on-line ACE Guide defined in Section 2.1. Section 5.1.1 refers to the electronic updates of ACE credit recommendations to the Department of the Army Human Resources Command (DA HRC) who further uploads the data to the AARTS Program and does not refer to the on-line ACE Guide that is open to the public. Contractor Question 2: Is there an incumbent contractor currently providing these services? If so, who? Answer to Contractor Question 2: Yes, the American Council on Education (ACE). Contractor Question 3: The description of evaluation factor 1 is limited to Acceptable and Unacceptable adjectival ratings only. As it currently stands, the highest rating of Acceptable reflects A proposal that satisfies all of the Governments requirements with minimal detail to indicate feasibility of the approach and shows a minimal understanding of the problems, with an overall moderate to high degree of risk in meeting the Governments requirements. (emphasis added) It appears that other higher ratings such as Outstanding, Good, etc. may have been inadvertently excluded. Please clarify. Answer to Contractor Question 3: The Government will use Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) Source Selection Procedures. Therefore, Acceptable or Unacceptable are the only adjectival ratings used for Evaluation Factor 1. Contractor Question 4: Who is the current incumbent contractor? We were under the impression that it was the American Council on Education, so we asked them directly if they were currently responsible for any of the aspects of the revised PWS. We were told, There remain deliverables in the amended PWS that are currently executed by ACE through the current contract. For specifics, I direct you to the COR (Robert Drake) who listed in the solicitation. He is the COR for the current AARTS contract. Paragraph 1.5 states, If incumbent is selected for the award, no transitional costs will be reimbursed and the phase-in period will not be exercised. Requirement can be increased, decreased or terminated with 30 days notice given to the contractor. Is ACE the only current incumbent contractor or is there another organization currently providing staffing to the AARTS Operation Center at Ft. Leavenworth? Answer to Contractor Question 4: The ACE is the only current incumbent contractor. Contractor Question 5: Is it the contractors responsibility to validate ATRRS with course data received from the ACE Military Guide? In other words, does the contractor who will receive this award responsible for assigning ACE exhibits to the respective training and occupations associated with each soldier to formulate the body of AARTS transcripts for individual soldiers? Answer to Contractor Question 5: No, the contractor provides the credit recommendations. The AARTS Program integrates the credit recommendations with the Soldier data. Contractor Question 6: Given the fact that questions are due in on 2/4/10 and our proposal depends on some of these answers for logistics, scope, pricing, and other critical aspects of the proposal; is there an extension beyond 2/9/10 available to allow for proper incorporation of the responses from the Government? Answer to Contractor Question 6: The Request for Proposal (RFP) closing date has been extended to 11 March 2010 (4:00 PM E.S.T.). Contractor Question 7: Is this still a set-aside RFP for small-business? As we mentioned in the previous question, ACE appears to be the incumbent contractor, however, they do not qualify as a small business under the parameters described in the RFP. As the authority for college credit recommendations for more than six decades who has been the recipient of sole source selection until now, why would the Army elect to release an RFP that presents tasking ACE, as the nations leading experts in the field, have provided for so long with small business set-aside restrictions that prevent them from directly bidding on the tasking they have been doing? Answer to Contractor Question 7: This Request for Proposal (RFP) is set-aside for small businesses. Contractor Question 8: With a release of the solicitation 22 JAN 10 after 9:00 P.M. have you considered an extension for contractors to prepare for such an important submission. Answer to Contractor Question 8: The Request for Proposal (RFP) closing date has been extended to 11 March 2010 (4:00 PM E.S.T.). Contractor Question 9: Section 1.2 of the Revised PWS contains the following incomplete sentence: AARTS operations will relocate to Ft. Knox, KY no later than. Can the government specify this no later than date. In this regard, will the AARTS database continue to be hosted by EREC in Indianapolis, or will the database be moved to and hosted out of Ft. Knox? Answer to Contractor Question 9: Yes, the AARTS Operation Center will relocate to Fort Knox, Kentucky NLT 30 September 2010. The EREC will continue to host the AARTS database. Contractor Question 10: Who is the incumbent for this effort? Answer to Contractor Question 10: ACE is the incumbent for this effort. Contractor Question 11: What software is being used and what is the language it is written in to produce the AARTS transcripts? In other words, what database is currently used to store the AARTS data? Answer to Contractor Question 11: The database being used to store the AARTS data is MS SQL 2005. Contractor Question 12: Section 1.3 of the Revised PWS (Scope and Objectives) contains the following point: Provide technical support for the AARTS. Move AARTS totally into a paperless environment. Can the government explain this paperless environment requirement further? Is the government envisioning a paperless environment wherein AARTS transcripts are: a) requested, b) generated, and c) distributed electronically to students, their counselor(s), and academic institutions as the need arises (via a central website)? In addition, is it expected that this be done both on the individual level (i.e., one transcript at a time) or batches (i.e., multiple transcripts in groupings)? Answer to Contractor Question 12: Some schools have already indicated that they prefer to receive mailed hard copies of the official AARTS transcripts only. In Section 1.3, the contractor is asked to assist whenever possible in convincing schools that electronic transcripts are beneficial to all involved. Contractor Question 13: Having worked with integrating data with ATRRS and RITM, can you tell us if your systems reach out to these systems currently? Answer to Contractor Question 13: Yes, the AARTS receives data uploads from ATRRS. Contractor Question 14: In the PWS, it is mentioned that the current contractor is ACE. I was wondering if you might be able to provide me with the contract # for this particular contract. Answer to Contractor Question 14: The current contract number is W74V8H-05-P-0019. Contractor Question 15: The Pre-Solicitation Opportunity Summary Report indicates Place of Performance Contractors Site, US. The Draft PWS (Para 1.4) identifies Work Location: Work shall be performed at the Government Site. and Part 4 of the Draft PWS suggests the Place of Performance will be determined upon award of the contract. Responses to the questions Dated 16 Dec indicate that the place of performance will be the contractors site yet the newly released Solicitation indicates the Place of performance will be government site. Since offered price is heavily dependent upon Place of Performance, please validate where the Government desires the work to be performed. Answer to Contractor Question 15: The work will be performed at the contractors site as well as the appropriate Government locations for course evaluations. Contractor Question 16: The RFP projects 200 to 250 courses will be evaluated per year. Some courses may only last 5 days or less, while others may span up to 50 weeks or more. What is the average length of time of the 200 to 250 courses that would need to be assessed for college credit recommendations per year? The length of the courses will directly impact the amount of time needed to assess the instruction. Answer to Contractor Question 16: The American Council on Education (ACE) evaluates over 300 course evaluations per year with an average prep and on-site evaluation time of approximately 45-63 days. Contractor Question 17: Are there additional Government personnel on the effort other than Dr. Drake in the current location and if so how many. If there are, will the Government re-staff those positions once at Ft. Knox or will the contractor team has to support those prior roles? Answer to Contractor Question 17: Yes, there are currently 5 full-time Department of the Army Civilian (DAC) employees besides Dr. Drake. Only four of these positions will be re-staffed at Fort Knox. Contractor Question 18: In paragraph 5.1.1, it states, Deliver to the HRC PDE, on a weekly basis, electronic updates of the contractors Guide in eXtensible Markup Language (XML) format whenever the Military Guide-On-Line is updated. The Military Guide-On-Line appears to be referring to the online version of the American Council on Educations Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Forces (ACE Guide). Does the contractors Guide referred to in the above statement infer that there is a separate Guide written in XML that is maintained by the contractor that incorporates information presented in the ACE Guide? Answer to Contractor Question 18: The ACE document is proprietary to ACE. The ACE guide is a reference document. Contractor Question 19: Section 5.2.4 of the Revised PWS states: Collect information from the colleges and universities to which AARTS transcripts are sent based on lists of colleges and universities provided by the AARTS Operations Center Manager. What information is expected? Is it the percentage of credit recommendations on individual transcripts that are accepted by colleges and universities? Or is it broader surveys to elicit information on the value of and acceptability of credit recommendations (along the lines of what is described in Section 5.3.3: Conduct continuing and periodic surveys to determine use of AARTS transcript to award college credit. Answer to Contractor Question 19: The PWS tells you what your requirements are. Contractors can obtain this answer from the PWS. Contractor Question 20: Paragraph 5.2 of the PWS, it states that it is the contractors responsibility to ensure 100% accuracy in the AARTS transcript being properly titled and have an Official Seal. As with our previous question, does this mean that the staff provided by this contract is responsible for the creation of AARTS transcripts for individual soldiers and are therefore responsible for course-to-exhibit and occupation-to-exhibit articulation and presentation on the documents? Would not the official seal remain as that of the American Council on Education, as they are the ones who evaluate military training and experiences and recommend the college credit? Answer to Contractor Question 20: a. No, the AARTS Operations Center staff create and distribute the completed Official AARTS transcripts. Contractor Question 21: When does the AARTS Operations expect to relocate to Fort Knox? The RFP states no later than, but (1.2)? Is it permissible to include relocation costs in the proposal for staff that must move from Kansas to Kentucky? Answer to Contractor Question 21: Yes, the AARTS Operation Center will relocate to Fort Knox, Kentucky NLT 30 September 2010. No it is not permissible to include relocation costs in the proposal for staff that must move from Kansas to Kentucky. Contractor Question 22: What is the level of effort for this SOW? Answer to Contractor Question 22: The level of effort for this Statement of Work is 100% performance. Contractor Question 23: Part 5, Specific Tasks: What staff members currently perform the duties of the contractor's Data Summit Team? Answer to Contractor Question 23: The contractor determines this when establishing their Data Summit Team. Contractor Question 24: Is there an incumbent for this requirement? If so, would you be able to provide me with the contract number? Answer to Contractor Question 24: ACE is the incumbent contractor for this requirement. The current contract number is as follows: W74V8H-05-P-0019. Contractor Question 25: Section 5.2.1 of the revised PWS states: Provide third party assurance of the transcript data and grant permission to the Army Human Resources Command, the Adjutant General Directorate, Education Division to use the accrediting agency as part of the transcript title. Please provide the definition of third party and accrediting agency in this sentence. Are they one and the same (i.e., the entity whose Official Seal is provided on the transcripts)? Answer to Contractor Question 25: Yes, in Section 5.2.1, Third party and accrediting agency are one in the same and the one whos seal is provided on the transcripts. Contractor Question 26: What type of technical support is currently provided for the AARTS by the incumbent? Answer to Contractor Question 26: ACE does not provide any technical support. Contractor Question 27: Are any of the systems that currently provide information using the XML-based format? If so, which ones? If not, which ones? Answer to Contractor Question 27: The American Council on Education (ACE) provides the DA HRC technical person with access to the ACE secure web site. This will give the technical person capabilities to pull up the specific XML file containing the ACE credit recommendations. There is no specific application involved. Contractor Question 28: Who is the incumbent contractor? How long? What is the annual contracted amount for the current contract. What is the level of effort for this SOW? Answer to Contractor Question 28: ACE is the incumbent contractor. The level of effort for this SOW is 100% performance. Contractor Question 29: Can the government provide a technical description of the AARTS database (i.e., database type, structure and contents) referred to in Section 5.3.11 of the Revised PWS. Answer to Contractor Question 29: A technical description of the AARTS database will be provided at the time of the award of the contract. Contractor Question 30: Will the AARTS transcript still display the ACE seal on them? After all, even if another contractor is selected under this RFP to provide support described in this PWS, it is still ACE that has reviewed the professional training and educational experiences of the soldier and provides the college credit recommendations. To display a different logo on the AARTS transcript might mislead the higher education community and deter some colleges and universities from accepting the credit. Answer to Contractor Question 30: The American Council on Education (ACE) has set the industry standard for college credit recommendations. Displaying the ACE seal is at the Contractors discretion. However, the Government requires the transcript to have an industrial standard equal or comparable to ACEs standard. Contractor Question 31: In paragraph 1.6.1 (Quality Control) or the PWS, defective services are mentioned? Could you elaborate on past problems that the Army has experienced that were considered defective services, so we will have an understanding as to what would be considered as such? Answer to Contractor Question 31: No, the Army has not experienced any defects from the ACE data uploads. Contractor Question 32: Based on the transition provided, is there an existing Phased Strategy for what is moved between contract award and 30 SEPT 2010? If so, can that be provided please? Answer to Contractor Question 32: No, there is no existing Phased Strategy for what is moved between the contract award and 30 September 2010. Contractor Question 33: Per Amendment 1, proposals are due by 11 A.M EST on 9 February 2010 and proposals are due via e-mail to Ms. Regina Foston and Mr. Rodney Cameron. Please confirm that the government will accept proposals in the form of a PDF file transmitted via e-mail to the specified e-mail addresses, and that hardcopies are not required. Answer to Contractor Question 33: Hardcopies are not required. The Government will accept proposals in the form of a PDF file transmitted via electronic-mail (e-mail) to the specified e-mail addresses. Contractor Question 34: How many requests does AARTS receive for official college transcripts on a monthly basis? Answer to Contractor Question 34: The AARTS receives 25,000 to 30,000 requests for official AARTS transcripts per month. This includes the majority that go out electronically and the hard copy official copies that are printed and mailed to schools by the AARTS staff. Contractor Question 35: Please expand on 5.3.11 (Managing the AARTS database) of the PWS as to what type of functions will this entail? Does this mean that the contractor will be responsible for providing an onsite IT person(s)? If so, how many employees currently perform this function? Is the management of the AARTS database the sole responsibility of the contractor? Answer to Contractor Question 35: The Contractor is not is not responsible for providing an onsite IT person. Contractor Question 36: The American Council on Education has had this as a sole-source contract through DANTES for several decades. Does this RFP indicate April 2010 as being the end of their last option year? Answer to Contractor Question 36: No, the current contract ends 31 March 2010. Contractor Question 37: Who is the contractor Data Summit Group (5.1.1b) and what is their function in regards to this RFP? Answer to Contractor Question 37: The contractor will determine the makeup of the Data summit Team upon award of this contract. Contractor Question 38: What is the current process and format of the completed evaluations that are being electronically delivered to HRC-PDE? Answer to Contractor Question 38: The credit recommendation data from ACE is loaded through a SQL server integration service package in eXtensible Markup Language (XML) format. Contractor Question 39: Would the AARTS Operations Center accept software that is already written to perform these? tasks? Answer to Contractor Question 39: No, the AARTS Operations Center would not accept software from the contractor. Contractor Question 40: Is there an existing information system that provides any degree of automation for these tasks to date? If so, what is it? Answer to Contractor Question 40: No, this will be the responsibility of the contractor. Contractor Question 41: How many FTEs are currently working this program and what are the position requirements? Answer to Contractor Question 41: The number required by the current contract is 1.2, however each FTE comprises of various skill types. The prospective contractor needs to provide the Government with the position requirements. Contractor Question 42: The last paragraph in section 1.2 says AARTS operations will relocate in Ft. Knox, KY no later than& but the date has been omitted. Can you please confirm that the date is 30 SEP 2010? Answer to Contractor Question 42: Yes, the AARTS Operation Center will relocate to Fort Knox, Kentucky NLT 30 September 2010. Contractor Question 43: How many current contract personnel are there in the current location? Answer to Contractor Question 43: The number required by the current contract is 1.2. Contractor Question 44: Are all information elements on the transcript currently available from some sort of Automated Information System (AIS) or not? Answer to Contractor Question 44: Yes, all information elements on the transcript are currently available from an Automated Information System (AIS). There is a data dump from the ACE credit recommendation, Army Training Requirements and Resources System (ATRRS), internet Personnel Electronic Records Management System (IPERM), Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES), and the Guard and Reserve.
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/b013c68d0f6a0f8fec31e507a227555b)
 

Place of Performance

Address: Army Contracting Command, MICC, National Capital Region Contracting Center (NCRCC) 200 Stovall Street, Room 11S67, ATTN: MS. REGINA FOSTON/MR. RODNEY CAMERON Alexandria VA

Zip Code: 22332-1800
 

Record

SN02084080-W 20100307/100305235033-b013c68d0f6a0f8fec31e507a227555b (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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