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Communications Question 1: What is the deadline to submit questions and/or comments? Answer 1 [Updated May 19]:
Question 2: How and when is NASA going to post responses to questions asked by industry? June 4 Update to Answer 2: Questions from industry, in whole, in part, or consolidated with similar questions, will be posted online along with the government’s response (see answer 1 above). Individual and company identifiers will not be used in the online posting. Question 3: How will comments be handled? Answer 3: Comments will not be posted online or to any publicly accessible website but will be considered internally by the government when finalizing the RFPs and no responses will be provided. Question 4: As a potential bidder, my company may have a large number of questions/comments to submit. The I3P Questions/Answers page only allows us to post one question at a time, and posting them would be time consuming. May we e-mail the questions/comments in a document? Answer 4: To efficiently manage the questions/comments process for the draft RFPs across all five I3P acquisitions, NASA requests input through the online form; the online process is the most effective way to direct industry’s comments and/or questions to the appropriate government personnel for consideration and/or response. However to streamline the process, a potential bidder may group questions that pertain to a subject area within a procurement and post them together as one question, provided any references to the specific section within the RFP are clearly identified. The same approach may be used for posting comments. Question 5: Document Name: I3P Website /Technical Library Section Number: http://www.nasa.gov/offices/ocio/itsecurity/index.html : When we attempt to open NASA Directives and/or Procedural Documents NPD 2810.1A, NPD 2810.1C, NPD 2810.1D and NPR 1600.1, we get a message that indicates we are not authorized to view these documents. How can we get access to these documents referenced in the DRFP? Answer 5: The policies are approved for public viewing. Question 6: If an answer to one of the industry questions is changed, how would the reader know that it’s different? Answer 6: NASA uses an indicator of [Updated Mo/Da/Yr] at the beginning of the answer. For example, when ACES decided to increase the page limit for Section III, Instructions to Offerors, the answer changed to: Answer 116: [Updated 7-21-09] Copies of summary Subcontracting Reports and Individual Subcontracting Reports shall be submitted as part of the page limit. The page limit will increase to 250. I3P Question 1: The technical library has the Enterprise Service Catalog at Version 9.0. However, the link is to version 8.4 - February 2008. Is there a new version available? Answer 1: The latest is version 9; the posted documents now accurately reflect that. Question 2: Are these opportunities already wired? Answer 2: The ACES, NICS, NEDC, and EAST procurements are full and open competitions, while the WEST procurement is a small business set-aside. All responsive proposals received by the submission deadline will be considered. Question 3: Will participant lists be posted for the various site tours? Answer 3: Attendee lists for the different site visits will not be posted, but an interested parties list is available directly from the I3P web site.” Question 4: Will I3P be considering the Cloud Computing Model? Will this be part of WEST or another segment of the I3P program? Answer 4: NASA is interested in all solutions that meet the requirements identified within the I3P RFPs. Proposed solutions will be evaluated based on the specific criteria contained within each RFP. Question 5: In regards to the I3P contract/RFQ, is NASA looking for one vendor to provide one contract to support every technology requirement listed in the RFQ? Or, will they accept pricing responses for just specifics areas such as multi-functional devices? Answer 5: Responses to an individual RFP should address all requirements identified within that RFP. Question 6: Page 33 of Addendum 1 to Section I, Attachment 1 states: “Additional information concerning the ESD can be found in the Enterprise Service Desk Concept of Operations, and the Enterprise Service Desk Performance Work Statement reference documents.” Can the government please provide copies of these documents? Answer 6: These documents are available for download in the Technical Library section of the I3P website. Question 7: Do the CMDB and NProp applications feed the Remedy call tracking tool to provide the Service Desk with the information necessary to resolve or dispatch on hardware related items? Answer 7 [Updated 5-26-09]: The CMDB is an integral database contained within the Remedy system. The N-PROP application will not feed the Remedy tool. The I3P contractors' asset management tool must feed the ESD's Remedy system. I3P contractors will provide the ESD with scripts, knowledgebase, and FAQs necessary to provide TIER 0/1 service. They must be provided in a format compatible with the chosen Remedy system. Question 8: How does the government intend to handle Time to Restore SLA measurement in cases where the hand-off from the ESD was to the incorrect I3P providers? Answer 8 [Updated 6-9-09]: The ESD's Remedy system will track hand-off times to each contractor. The clock will start when hand-off occurs. Tickets handed off incorrectly must be routed back to the ESD with an annotation indicating such. The ESD will forward them to the correct contractor, and the system will track the hand-off time from that point forward. Question 9: [Relative to local service delivery, Center CIOs are accountable for the day-to-day delivery of locally-provided IT services that are not provisioned as part of one of the Agency service contracts.] Does NASA expect this to be the future model or will the Center’s CIO role be changed? Answer: As part of NASA’s ongoing efforts to strengthen service delivery, NASA will continue to evolve its IT governance model. Additional clarity around NASA’s governance approach, including roles and responsibilities, will be provided in the Cross-Functional PWS and the I3P technical library with the release of the final RFP. Question 10: [J-3 CF-PWS 1.3.a. NASA systems can be seamlessly deployed, utilized and secured across Center boundaries.] How does NASA plan to deploy a seamless concept for the out of scope localized information systems? Answer: The contractor will be expected to work closely with each NASA Center to develop an appropriate approach to integration with any relevant local systems or services. Question 11: [H.10] The Draft RFP does not contain sufficient data to support level of effort estimation or pricing for “future development” of ACAs. How does the government propose to resolve? Answer: NASA will provide additional clarity around requirements for ACAs as part of the final RFPs. Question 12: Assuming that NASA is requesting an Integration Strategy from each bidder for each of the I3P procurements, it is likely that there will be differences in the bidders’ approaches resulting in differences among the five awarded I3P contracts (i.e., vendors are likely to have different timelines for negotiating the Associate Contractor Agreements; different approaches for establishing responsibilities of the I3P Contractors, lines of communications and dispute resolution procedures; and different processes and procedures for resolving customer service requests that cross I3P contracts). How does NASA intend to reconcile the inconsistencies and incompatibilities in the multiple Integration Strategies to achieve common and agreed-to procedures? Answer: While some of these differences will be resolved by requirements provided by the government in the final RFPs (e.g., time-period for implementing ACAs, requirements for incident and problem resolution, enterprise service desk integration), there will be some elements of integrated operations that will only be able to be clarified once the contracts are awarded. NASA expects that all I3P providers will work with NASA and other providers to resolve any such issues after contract awards are made. Question 13: [1-8, Second para: "… as prescribed by defined processes…"] Clarification is requested to specify which processes are defined. Answer 13: NASA has identified the ITIL v3 processes and the priority for implementing these processes in the Cross-Functional PWS. NASA has posted to the technical library the ITIL v3 processes that will be implemented first. Question 14: [J-3 CF-PWS 5.3. The Enterprise Service Management organization in the OCIO Architecture and Infrastructure Division is responsible for the definition and development of all NASA ITIL processes.] Will ESM be providing the ITIL process definitions to the I3P contractors? Answer: Yes. ESM is responsible for NASA’s ITIL process definition. NASA has posted the initial ITIL processes to the I3P Technical Library. These do not prescribe the detailed processes and procedures that the offeror must follow, but instead present the high-level ITIL framework within which all I3P offerors must operate, including the hand-off points between NASA and industry. Question 15: [Section I Att. 3 - Retainage Pools and Performance Metrics, Section 2.2.4, page 8] How does the government intend to handle Time to Restore SLA measurement in cases where the hand-off from the ESD was to the incorrect I3P tower? Since it is expected that most calls to the ESD will originate from impacted Agency end users, there is a high likelihood of hand-off to the ACES contractor even if the incident relates to an issue with another I3P tower. Answer: In the event that an incident or problem is initially assigned to the incorrect I3P contract service provider, the responsibility of that provider is to identify the incorrect assignment and reassign the issue to the appropriate tower, at which point the time associated with their SLA is suspended. Question 16: [J-3 CF-PWS 2.1. This transformation requires changes in the way NASA manages IT across the Agency including the need to define and clarify roles and responsibilities within the NASA IT organization to assure success of the I³P initiative.] How does NASA plan to execute this transformation? Is it a step phased in approach? Answer: NASA’s overall strategy for the future of IT is to implement processes modeled after ITIL v3 processes, using a phased step approach. As part of this, the first phase describes a governance model with new roles and responsibilities. Initial concepts in the bidder’s library cover functional descriptions, the RACI chart, and detailed ITIL v3 process flows (e.g., problem management, incident management, request fulfillment, change management, service catalogue management, and service level management). Question 17: What is the scheduled completion date for the ESRS project? Answer: The ESRS is scheduled to be ready for integration with the I3P contractors on March 1, 2010. The current schedule is posted on the I3P web site as “ESD_ESRS_Timeline_v3_X.xlsx”. Question 18: [J-3 CF-PWS 6.2.4.g. The contractor shall provide a logging environment that centrally captures and retains logs from all information systems provided under this contract.] (1) Does NASA plan to provide the retention period for each type of logged data, or should the NEDC contractor use its default retention periods? (2) What is the policy for Online-Event Storage (are events to be pulled explicitly identified)? (3) What is the policy for archival and storage of Event Information? (For example, retain security logs for online for xx days and offline for xx years). Answer: Per NPR 1441.1 and per the NASA Organization Defined Values for NIST Security Controls (NIST SP 800-53 security control AU-11), audit logs are to be retained for one year and then deleted/destroyed when no longer needed for administrative, legal, audit or other operational purposes. Per the NASA Organization Defined Values for NIST Security Controls (NIST SP 800-53 security control AU-2), the list of events that are to generate an audit record can be found on the NIST website. NASA values for additional audit-related security controls are also defined in the NASA Organization Defined Values for NIST Security Controls. Question 19: [J-3 CF-PWS 3.2.f. Delivery Communication – Proactive management of communications and feedback requires the transmission of information generated throughout service creation and service delivery processes. Reporting processes need to adequately address end-to-end service delivery requirements, ensure the right information is available to the right people at the right time, and facilitate operational excellence and support NASA’s decision making requirements.] Please provide requirements and specifications that outline what constitutes “right information is available to the right people at the right time.” Answer: Requirements and specifications will not be provided for this statement of a general principle. Evidence of the offeror’s understanding of this principle will be reflected in how they describe their approach to meeting the various requirements contained in the RFP. Question 20: Some of the I3P presentations refer to Center Integration Leads. Will these be government or contractor personnel? Answer: These will be government personnel. Question 21: [J-3 CF-PWS 2.2.8 - Relative to local service delivery, Center CIOs are accountable for the day-to-day delivery of locally-provided IT services that are not provisioned as part of one of the Agency service contracts.] Does NASA expect this to be the future model or will the Center’s CIO role be changed? Answer: NASA expects the approach to the management of local IT contracts to remain the same. Question 22: NEDC Section 3.1 – Phase A, Discovery of As-Is / Formulation of To-Be; page J-1-20 p. Conduct an assessment of how the system fits into NASAs Enterprise Architecture and how the system interfaces with, replaces, and/or supports other systems documented in the NASA Enterprise Architecture. What tool set(s) does NASA use to document, maintain and control the EA? Does each NASA site have an interlocked site specific EA with the NASA EA? Do each EA include Technical Reference Models, Service Reference Models and Business Reference Models? Answer: NASA does not currently employ a standard EA tool across the Agency. Tools such as Visio, Netviz, and other commercial applications are being used at the Center Level to document “As-is” system and reference model configurations. NASA is currently developing an Oracle database to store EA data. Data can be exported or imported using XML files or web services. This will allow multiple tools to use the data within the EA database. Question 23: NEDC L.16 3.I.5, I3P Integration Approach, page L-15. This section states “The Offeror shall describe the integration of the Offeror’s proposed NEDC Service Request System with the I3P Enterprise Service Request System. Describe how the software you propose to use will be fully integrated and operational with the Government’s Enterprise Service Request System on day 1 of the contract.” Will the Government provide a System Requirements Document (SRD) and an Operations Manual to all contractors in order to determine how our proposed NEDC Service Request System will interface with the I3P Enterprise Service Request System (ESRS)? This will be necessary to price the interface requirements so that the Offeror’s NEDC Service Request System will be fully integrated and operational with the Government’s ESRS on day 1 of the contract. Answer: I3P contractors will populate services in the NASA Enterprise Architecture Repository (NEAR) in accordance with the NEAR Interface Definition Specification (IDS) posted on the I3P web site. The ESRS Remedy system will forward orders for I3P services to the appropriate I3P contractor(s) for fulfillment. If the I3P contractor chooses to use the ESD’s instance of Remedy, the data will appear in the I3P contractor’s partition within the system. If the I3P contractor chooses to use its own system, whether a separate instance of Remedy or some other product, the data will be exchanged via Remedy Distributed Server Option (DSO), web services xml, or API. Notification of service fulfillment must come back from the I3P vendor to the ESRS using these same interfaces. Question 24: [J-3 CF-PWS 5.4. To ensure a seamless user experience, another element of the I3P common architecture is the NASA Enterprise Service Request System (ESRS). Please provide specifications and requirements for interface with this system. Answer: See answer 23 above. Question 25: [J-3 CF-PWS 5.4. The ESRS will be based upon the same platform as the Enterprise Service Desk and will support the ITIL service request processes detailed in the cross-functional section of this PWS.] Please provide all specifications and requirements for interface to this system. Answer: See answer 23 above. Question 26: Can you please elaborate on the nature of ESRS interface requirements? Answer: See answer 23 above. Question 27: [RFP H.9] What will be the process for coordinating and determining who will procure enterprise software (EAST, ACES, NEDC, etc.)? Answer: Specific license requirements, for which each I3P contractor will be responsible, will be detailed in each of the RFPs. Enterprise licensing that is across I3P contracts will be handled by a Government entity and provided as GFE. ACES Question 1: Will NASA provide the current NCAD architecture documentation, as well as any planned upgrades or expected changes? Answer 1: All applicable NCAD documentation will be posted to the I3P website. Question 2: Will NASA provide the current NOMAD architecture documentation, as well as any planned upgrades or expected changes? Answer 2: All applicable NOMAD documentation will be posted to the I3P website. Question 3: In the Model Contract, pages 15 - 27 there is a table requesting prices by location for each contract period. No provision for this is made in the pricing tables. Please clarify the pricing requirement. Answer 3: Pricing is only being asked for at the Agency Level. CLIN 001 and 001A need to be completed by Offerors. Question 4: Is it NASA’s expectation that some products will be proposed, included and priced in the ACES Product Catalog with the initial submission or will all of these be defined after award? Answer 4: It is NASA’s expectation that the proposal will include sufficient detail in terms of available products, or website identification, original price, and discount factor so that the Government can evaluate the ACES Product Catalog Offering in accordance with evaluation criteria (i) (1) Technical Approach Subfactor second bullet, second subbullet. Question 5: Will the upgrades for the M and B seats be procured exclusively through the ACES Product Catalog (APC) or will the customer be able to procure items through other sources? Answer 5: Purchase of all end-user products are to be in accordance with MFR 137, which will be appropriately modified to reflect the ACES contract when ACES is executed. MFR 137 has been posted to the I3P website. Question 6: “Due to mission, business, or other special operations, there will be times when Contractor access to specific systems and areas will be restricted...Service Levels shall be maintained and corrective maintenance performed as required. These restrictions, regardless of duration and frequency, will not entitle the Contractor to any price adjustment.” It does not seem reasonable for the contractor to be held accountable for missing delivery requirements due to circumstances not in the contractors control. Request NASA reconsider this statement and only hold the contractor accountable for things they can control and allow adjustments to be made. Answer 6: The Contractor will not be held to Service Levels that are out of their control during mission freeze; therefore, no price adjustment is necessary. Question 7: Will the annual prices for each band remain constant regardless of the actual volumes within that band or is there a methodology defined for price adjustments as volumes vary within the band (e.g. - Additional and Reduced Resource Charges ARC/RRC)? Answer 7: Annual prices will remain constant regardless of actual volumes within a specified band. Question 8: The prices for the Base services are listed as annual amounts. Will the invoices be submitted monthly in 1/12th increments? Answer 8: Yes. Invoices will be submitted monthly in 1/12th increments. Question 9: Will the customer include additional CLINs for VTM seats in the final RFP? Answer 9: The RFP will be appropriately modified to include additional CLINs for the VTM seats. Question 10: “The refresh cycle of 3 years and 4 years both apply to the ‘M’ seat.” What determines the applicable refresh cycle? Answer 10: The refresh cycle is an end-user orderable Service Level. Question 11: “The Contractor shall provide increased MFD volatile storage capacity options to accommodate complex job requirements (typically size and graphics).” Does this imply that storage will be offline storage, or onboard MFD storage? Answer 11: Volatile storage capacity equates to additional on-board RAM. Question 12: How should other direct costs be captured in these tables (e.g. - travel expenses, wireless carrier costs, toner, phase-in)? Should a column be added to cover these expenses? Answer 12: Costs related to specific seats should be included in the seat cost. Other costs may be allocated at the Contractor's discretion. Question 13: Does NASA have requirements for file share services or bulk storage? The DPWS has no specific references or requirements called out for file share services. Answer 13: Yes. These requirements are within the scope of the NEDC contract. Question 14: Does NASA require wireless capabilities for desktop computers? If yes, will these only be for B seats? Answer 14: If seats with the desktop hardware platform require wireless capability, those services will be ordered through the ACES Product Catalog (APC). Question 15: “The Contractor will have no obligation for IT security or C&A for any ACES-supported system ordered with ‘Not Included’ under System Administration. The end-user shall be responsible for implementing any IT Security requirements.” Does NASA have an estimate of the likely number of such orders? Answer 15: NASA does not have an estimate of the number of these orders at this time. Question 16: Will the ACES contractor provide the security suite of products for use under any ACES-supported system ordered with ‘Not Included’ under System Administration and then simply not manage it? Or will the end-user provide the security tool suite for these machines? Answer 16: As IT Security is in the Base Services, these tools are to be provided to the entire NASA workforce. Question 17: “The Contractor shall encrypt sensitive NASA data in transit using the NASA PKI, as defined in NPD 2810.1x, NASA Information Security Policy.” Does this mean that NASA will manage the PKI solution and provide keys to the contractor or is NASA expecting the contractor to manage NASAs PKI solution? Answer 17: NASA will manage the PKI solution and provide access to Contractor personnel as required. The Contractor is not expected to manage the PKI solution for NASA. Question 18: The DRFP indicates a phased implementation approach with 90 days allocated for each wave. Will the winning vendor have access to the Centers, including NASA and Contractor personnel (including the incumbent contractor) during the period between contract award and the Phase-In Start Date, in order to prepare for Phase-In and Implementation? Answer 18: The intent of the Phase-In period is that the incoming Contractor has access to the Centers starting at the beginning of the Phase-In period and is expected to complete all necessary preparation work so that they may assume full responsibility on the Implementation date. Question 19: What is the current number of telecommuters using the ODIN contract? How many telecommuters are expected to use ACES? Does NASA have an initiative to increase this number over time? Answer 19: Every NASA employee is a potential telecommuter and may request authorization to telecommute at any time and for any given timeframe. The number of telecommuters using the ODIN contract, or expected to use the ACES contract, is not known at this time. NASA does not have a focused effort to increase the number of telecommuters at this time. Question 20: Is NASA currently using tools that can be utilized to provide enterprise-level metrics? If so, will they be provided GFE to the vendor? Answer 20: NASA does not have an enterprise-level performance metrics tool. Question 21: Will ACES replace ODIN? Answer 21: Significant portions of the services provided under ODIN will be provided under ACES. However, some services under ODIN will be provided by other contracts. In addition, there are significant changes in the method by which services are to be delivered under ACES relative to ODIN. Question 22: How will NICS and ACES directly affect downward the work currently identified as being performed within the JSC ITAMS solicitation? Answer 22: Questions relating to ITAMS should be directed to Jennifer Krause (ITAMS Contracting Officer, e-mail: jennifer.krause-1@nasa.gov). Comparisons between ITAMS and ACES may be made by examining their respective Performance Work Statements (PWS's). Question 23: Within ACES, will NASA purchase IT hardware and software outright or will the agency continue to pay a set price per seat and specific actions? Answer 23 [Updated 5-26-09]: “NASA will not purchase hardware outright. Software licenses in the standard load shall be the property of the Contractor. Software licenses provided by NASA or purchased by NASA via the ACES Product Catalog (APC) remain the property of NASA." Question 24: Section III; Per Section 14.0: “Offerors shall submit firm-fixed price proposals for each year of the procurement and phase-in.” - Section III; 14.3: “• Method for allocating these costs over the individual seat prices (allocation period/duration, affected seats”. - Section IV; “The price of the phase-in will be considered under the Price factor but will not be included in the overall price for selection purposes.” Please clarify how phase-in costs will be recovered and when invoicing for Phase-In will commence. Answer 24: The RFP will be revised to say that Offerors shall submit Firm-Fixed Price proposals for each year of the procurement. Phase-in costs are to be included in the Base Services, specifically the Program, Contract, and General Requirements, as defined in PWS Sections 1-3, 5.0 and 5.1.2. The cost associated with Phase-In may be spread over 1 or more years of the contract life. Question 25: “The Contractor shall make the Contractor’s Web-based metrics tracking tool(s) available at the ACES contract start date.” Based on the schedule listed in Section III, pages 10 & 11, is the start date the beginning of the Base period or the beginning of the first Phase-In period? Answer 25: The RFP will be revised to say that the Contractor shall make the Contractor’s Web-based metrics tracking tool(s) available on the first day of the Base Period, July 1, 2010. Question 26 [Updated 5-26-09]: How will the hardware be procured by the customer (e.g., Is this bundled into the annual service price)? Reference PWS Section 4.3, Loaner Pool Management. Answer 26: The RFP will be revised to say that the hardware will be procured by the customer in the same manner as every other seat purchased; the customer must state that the hardware will be designated for placement in the loaner pool. The cost associated with Section 4.3 is only for the Loaner Pool Management services as defined in this section. Question 27: This effort appears to based on level effort at the task order level. How does the customer expect the pricing tables to be completed on the M and B Computer seat tabs for this service? Answer 27: The RFP will be revised to clarify that the customer is to obtain local system administration support through the Enhanced Support Services. Question 28: “The Contractor shall provide at least one hardware vendor’s full non-consumer product line”. Please clarify what is meant by "non-consumer product line". Answer 28: Consumer Product Line is that which is identified by the hardware vendor as intended for 'Home' purchases. Non-consumer product line is defined as all other products outside of the consumer product line. Question 29: (Total Asset Value) “...The Government has entered the total dollar value of all M Computer Seats…” Will the government provide values in these cells? If the vendor is to provide pricing, will the government define the specific M seat requirements? Answer 29: The RFP will be revised to indicate B Computer Seats information for all instructions relating to the B Computer Seat. Question 30: The government is requiring battery replacement for ACES seats when the battery no longer holds a charge equal to 50% of its initial charge. Who determines that an ACES seat battery no longer holds the required charge and what tools or metrics will be used to make that determination? Answer 30: The RFP will be revised to say that the Contractor shall replace the battery when it is no longer serviceable. Question 31: It is stated that the time to retrofit all seats, after the standard load changes, is 3 months. Please define what the expectations are for a “retrofit”? Answer 31: The RFP will be revised to say that the Contractor shall implement Standard Load changes on all seats subscribed to the Standard Load Service Level within 3 months after the Standard Load change is approved. Question 32: “Utilize the Government furnished Remedy system for automated logging, categorization, prioritization, and tracking of end-user Incidents and Problems.” Does this mean that the contractor shall use the Government furnished tool directly or may the contractor build an interface to the Government tool? Answer 32: The RFP will be revised to allow the Contractor to supply their own Incident Management System, provided it is integrated with the Government-furnished Remedy system in accordance with PWS Addendum 1, Cross Functional Requirements. Question 33: Ref: PWS page 9 section 1.4. The contactor is to interact with a local CCB. How does the contractor merge those changes with Agency mandates? Where does the contractor go to get a consistent management process? Answer 33: The local CCB is responsible for ensuring Agency mandates are met. Question 34: Ref: PWS page 10 section 2.3. This section talks about GFE. Is the current LMIT equipment to be tracked the same way? None of the current LMIT assets are tracked via N-PROPS. If the contractor is doing self tracking of their assets, does the government want them to track them in a particular place? Is that the CMDB? Does that cover all assets GFE and otherwise? Answer 34: Current LMIT equipment is out of scope for the ACES contract. The Contractor will be required to use the Government-provided CMDB to track ACES configuration items. (See Section 2.3.1.) The RFP will be revised to state that the CMDB will be used to track configuration items, including GFE. Question 35: Ref: PWS page 16 section 2.11 item c. The contract is held at the Agency level but the records are retained at the Center level. Some records may be cross-center or Agency only. How does this work? Does the contractor submit the records requirement to the NSSC? Answer 35: The RFP will be revised to state that unless otherwise specified, records shall be delivered to the ACES Project Manager with copies to the Center records manager. Question 36: Ref: PWS page 18/19 section 3.2.3. Is it assumed that the COTR will involve the correct people to resolve a configuration issue? Is this a joint decision or a decision of the COTR working with the Center CIO? Answer 36: The COTR will involve the appropriate people (including the Center CIO, if needed) to resolve a configuration issue. Question 37: Ref: PWS page 21 section 3.4. Does this RTU also apply to other NASA contractors performing work for NASA and off-site? Answer 37: The RFP shall be revised to say that software that is provided through ACES Base Services shall be made available as Software Right To Use (RTU) to all end-users. Software that is provided as part of a Computer Seat subscription shall be available as RTU to end-users who have subscribed to the Standard Load. Question 38: Ref: PWS page 22 section 3.6 line b. Does this mean that the contractor does not charge for toner? Is the contractor allowed to charge organizations for toner? Answer 38: The RFP will be revised to clarify that consumables shall be provided at no additional cost to the Government. Question 39: Ref: PWS page 23 section 3.9. Based on the current language are we saying that a permanent seat can be 3 years? This may impact the contractor being able to predict a stable pool of loaner equipment. Answer 39: Permanent seats can be 3 or 4 years for an M seat, depending on the Service Level selected. The stability of the loaner pool is determined by the user base, not by the Contractor. The stability may vary, and the Contractor will be expected to adjust accordingly. Question 40: Ref: PWS page 34 section 4.6. The contactor is supposed to develop a software management program but working with the local TM. How does the contract deal with non-center issues? PM only? Answer 40: The Contractor will be expected to work with the ACES Project Manager to deal with non-Center issues and to work with the ACES local TM to handle local distribution. Question 41: Ref: PWS page 35 section 4.6 line c. Why are security patches excluded? Contractor should be applying all patches in a timely manner and only when the Agency needs a more expedited security patch is there a separate process. Answer 41: Security patching is covered in PWS Section 4.5.1, IT Security, of the Draft RFP and will be covered in the Cross-Functional Requirements of the Final RFP; thus it does not need repeating in PWS Section 4.6. Question 42: Ref: PWS page 51 section 5.2.2.1. Does the shared minutes pool extend between the CELL service and the PDA service? Is it the intent that a PDA user can call a CELL user at no additional minutes impact to NASA? Answer 42: The RFP will be revised to provide for a common pool for both cell phones and PDA/Smartphones. Question 43: Ref: PWS page 54 section 5.2.2.3.7. Is the intent of this language to provide for making international calls from the provided PDA/CELL service or being able to carry the PDA/CELL to a foreign country and use it to make calls? Answer 43: The RFP will be revised to clarify that the intent is to be able to provide the capability to both make calls to foreign countries and carry the device to foreign countries and make calls from there. Question 44: With the ability to surf the internet from a PDA device, is there a concern that NASA has no visibility into the PDA access to the Internet. Does the contractor need to provide logging of Internet access? Answer 44: When NASA develops policies to restrict and track end-user Internet usage via PDA/Smartphone devices, the Contractor will be required to implement those policies. Question 45: Ref: ATVR_xxxx_March09. The quantities provided in the asset valuation spreadsheets do not align with those posted at the ODIN web site. Can the Government please confirm that the volumes provided in the Asset valuation spreadsheets are accurate? Answer 45: The quantities provided in the asset valuation spreadsheet are the Government's best estimate of asset valuation as of March 2009 and should be used as the definitive quantities. Question 46: Ref: Section I – Model Contract, 1.1(n) – Title and PWS - 4.5. Can the Government clarify the terms relating to title for items furnished under this contract. Will the Government consider a proposed approach in which the Contractor retains title to all items furnished under the contract? Answer 46: The RFP will be revised to say that, unless explicitly stated otherwise, all hardware and all Contractor-supplied Standard Load software, shall be owned by the Contractor. Hardware obtained through the ACES Product Catalog, however, shall not have any asset transition value and can be transferred to the Government upon request. Question 47: Ref: Section I – Model Contract, 1.2(b)(29) – Buy American Act (52.225-1). The box for this clause is checked as applicable for this contract, but FAR 25.103(e) indicates that there is an exemption for the Buy American provisions when the contract is for Information Technology commercial items. Since the Government has designated the ACES procurement as a Commercial Items contract, will the RFP be adjusted to remove the applicability checkmark for FAR 52.225-1 shown in paragraph 1.2(b)(29)? Answer 47: The correct prescription is FAR 25.1101(a)(1) for insertion of the clause BUY AMERICAN ACT—SUPPLIES. In accordance with FAR 25.1101(a)(1)(ii), Block (29) of 52.212-5 has been deselected. Question 48: Ref: Section I – Model Contract, 2.1 - 52.216-22 Indefinite Quantity. One of the goals for the ACES contract stated in the PWS is to “consolidate the end-user services across all NASA Centers and Facilities using a single Agency solution.” The Model Contract section at paragraph 2.1, however, indicates that ACES will be an Indefinite Quantity contract (FAR 52.216-22) rather than a Requirements type contract (FAR 52.216-21). Does the Government consider the ACES contract to be a Requirements contract in accordance with the guidelines of FAR 52.216-21? Answer 48: ACES is an Indefinite Quantity contract, in accordance with FAR 52.216-22. Question 49: Ref: Section I – Model Contract, 2.3 – 1852.216-78 Firm Fixed Price. This paragraph notes that the contractor is to insert a total firm fixed price for the contract based on the CLIN prices by contract period for all respective NASA Centers/locations from the tables that follow on pages I-15 through I-27. Will the Government be providing specific CLIN quantities by Center/location for each contract period as part of the tables shown on pages I-15 through I-27 so that a total contract amount can be calculated? If so, what is the contractual basis for the quantities that the Government will provide for these tables? Can the Contractor rely on the fact that the Government will actually order the quantities provided? If not, what is the purpose and intended Government use of the total price to be inserted in paragraph 2.3? Answer 49: In reference to Section I, 2.3, the Offeror shall only complete those areas highlighted in yellow, which should correspond with the Summary Tab of the Price Model. All the other CLINs listed on pages I-15 through I-27 are to be utilized by the Government once the contract is awarded. Please reference 2.3 on page I-14: “For accounting purposes and entry into NASA’s Integrated Enterprise Management system, the firm fixed price of this contract is further broken down by contract line item number (CLIN).” Question 50: Ref: Section I – Model Contract, 2.2 – Minimum and Maximum Quantities. The minimum and maximum quantities reflected in this clause are shown as contract value dollars amounts rather than CLIN quantities. Will the Government include additional detail to define what the specific minimum quantities to be ordered by CLIN number and Center location will be for the ACES contract? Also please clarify if the Government is committing to order at least the minimum quantities stated in paragraph 2.2 during the contract initial 4 year Base Period. Answer 50: This is an Agency-wide contract. As such, minimums and maximums are defined for the contract, and not further delineated by Center or CLIN. Section I, 2.2 states: “…the minimum quantities to be ordered under this contract during the entire ten year period of performance are specified below:” Question 51: Can NASA provide an estimated percentage of users that will have elevated privileges? Will elevated privileges apply to just B seats? Or will S and M seat users also have this ability? Answer 51: We cannot provide an estimated percentage of users that will have elevated privileges. The elevated user privileges capability shall be available for all Computer Seats. The RFP will be revised to state that the ability to request elevated user privileges is governed by NITR 2810-14, which is available through NODIS. Question 52: Please provide historical printer usage rates (i.e., the number of pages per month per printer device) so that vendors may accurately calculate toner and PM kit consumption. As an alternative (or in addition to), can NASA provide the expected consumable usage rates for each printer type? Answer 52: The consumable and PM kit usage should be estimated from the required volume band. Question 53: [Ref: PWS] Will ACES support the following collaborative tools found in the Enterprise Service Catalog and not included in Attachment 1, Draft Performance Work Statement?
Question 54: [Ref: PWS Sect 6.2, pg 50] NASA states the need for security clearances for support personnel up to top-secret level. Will NASA bear the cost for the vendors personnel clearances? Answer 54: Obtaining security clearances is the Contractor's cost to bear. An estimate of the number will be provided. Question 55: [Ref: PWS Sect 5.1.6.3.1 2nd bullet, pg 41] This section states: “The Contractor shall provide a keyboard, mouse, and external speakers with each Desktop seat.” To reduce Government costs, would the Government change the requirement so that external speakers are optional for Desktop seats? Answer 55: The RFP remains unchanged in this regard. Question 56: [Ref: Sect III, 13(c), pg III-7 & 8] Section 13 implies that there are three options for prospective bidders. Would the Government consider equalizing the cost of ODIN incumbent-owned assets by assigning a unified price to both the incumbent and all other potential bidders to ensure a fair competition on ACES? Answer 56: The Government will continue to have three options for ODIN Incumbent-owned Assets. Question 57: [Ref: PWS Sect 2.3(e), pg 10] What are the specifics on the location, size, features (e.g., environmental controls), security, etc.) for the Government-provided storage facilities? Answer 57: Government-provided storage facilities will be provided in the I3P Technical Library, Center Support Considerations document. Question 58: [Sect III, 13(a), pg III-7] The Draft RFP offers three options for provisioning assets to deliver the services in the PWS. Would the Government require each bidder to make the same assumption regarding the acquisition of existing assets? Answer 58: This section will be revised in the Final RFP. Question 59: [Ref: Sect III, 14.1 (a) pg III-12] Bullet 18 refers to “License Management Servers.” However, there does not seem to be a corresponding Evaluation Criterion for this topic. Is there a corresponding Evaluation Criterion for this topic? Answer 59: In Section III, page III-12, bullet 18 will be revised to replace "license management servers" with "software license management." Question 60: [Ref: Sect III, 14.1 (c), pg III-13] Where is the line drawn on patch management between ACES and ESD? Please detail the demarcation for patch management between the ACES and ESRS contracts. Answer 60: The ESD does not have any operational responsibility for patch management. However, any customer notifications regarding patches must go to the ESD for dissemination, in accordance with the Cross Functional requirements. Question 61: [Ref: Sect III, 14.1 (c), pg III-12] Bullet eight refers to an “Approach for Early Refresh.” Early Refresh is not referred to in the Evaluation Criteria. What is the definition of “Early Refresh” and which portion of the Technical Approach Subfactor will be used to evaluate this? Answer 61: Section III page III-12, "Approach for early Technology Refresh," will be deleted. The PWS will be revised to reflect Early Seat Refresh as Section 3.16. Section 3.16 will state: The Contractor shall provide the ability to affect an early seat refresh. Early seat refresh is defined as replacing the seat before its scheduled refresh date. The Contractor shall invoice the remainder of the Asset Transition Value (ATV) for the existing seat’s hardware platform at the time of the request. The new seat shall be refreshed in accordance with Section 3.5, Technology Refresh. The refresh shall be accomplished in accordance with the corresponding SLA for the new seat type. Once the early refresh is concluded, the time to refresh is reset. Question 62: [Ref: Sect III, 14.1 (a), pg III-12] Bullet 19 refers to “Handling Changing Technical and Program Objectives” however, there does not seem to be a corresponding Evaluation Criterion for this topic. Is there a corresponding Evaluation Criterion for this topic? Answer 62: Section IV-4 a bullet will be added that states: “Approach for responding to changing technical and program objectives.” Question 63: [Ref: Sect III, 14.1(a), pg III-12] Bullet 13 requires Offerors to address “Converting Current Computing Seats to ACES,” however, it is not clear which Technical Approach evaluation criteria will be applied to this topic. Is there a corresponding Evaluation Criterion for this topic? Answer 63: The Evaluation Criterion is found in Section IV, Page IV-4, bullet 13. However, Sections III and IV will change from “Innovative solutions for converting" to "Approach for integrating". Question 64: [Ref: Sect III, 14.1(a), pg III-12] Bullets 20 and 21 (the last two bullets in this section) both refer to standards and practices. Does the Government intend to have the overlap / redundancy between these two bullets? Answer 64: Page III-12, the last two bullets will be merged to state: Approach for adopting industry best practices, business, technical and performance standards (e.g., Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)) and the extent to which standards/practices will be used during the contract performance including NASA civil servant and Contractor-run infrastructure. Section IV, Page IV-4, the last bullet will say Approach for adopting Industry best practices and standards and incorporating those during phase-in and contract execution. Question 65: [Ref: Sect III, 14.1(i), pg III-15] The items required by this proposal instruction may vary in number and detail for each Offeror, depending upon the subcontracting approaches used, creating an imbalance in various Offeror’s use of the proposal page allocations. Would the Government exclude the MS-9 Subcontracting Plan from the page allocations. Answer 65: Table III-1, Proposal Arrangement will remain the same. Question 66: [Ref: Sect III, 14.1(f), pg III-14 What is the evaluation criteria for this topic? Answer 66: The Asset Management Transition (MS-4) evaluation criterion is included on Page IV-5 and IV-6 in the Management Approach Subfactor (i)(3). Page IV-6 will include the following: The benefit of the asset transition option that was chosen, as well as the approach to mitigating any issues associated with that option. Also, Section III, Page III-14, (f) MS-4 bullet 2 will be revised to say that the benefits and approach to mitigating any concerns associated with the asset transition option chosen. Question 67: [Ref: Sect III, 14.1(h), pg III-15] Bullets 2, 6, and 7, dealing with Associate Contractor Agreements, do not seem to have corresponding Evaluation Criteria. Answer 67: See Evaluation Criteria on page IV-5, specifically bullet 2, which addresses these. Question 68: [Ref: Sect III, 14.1(h), pg III-15] Would the Government exclude the MS-8 Safety & Health Record from the page allocations? Answer 68: Table III-1, Proposal Arrangement will remain the same. Question 69: [Ref: Sect III, 14.1(e), pg III-14] The last bullet requires that a Total Compensation Plan be provided in the proposal; however, this is to be provided in a section of the proposal that is page-limited. Typical Total Compensation Plans can be lengthy and can vary from company to company, depending on the range of benefits offered. Would the Government exclude the Total Compensation Plan from the page allocations due to the differences in plan scope and details from company to company? Answer 69: Table III-1, Proposal Arrangement will remain the same. Question 70: [Ref: Sect III, 14.3(b), pg III-21] The breakdown of cost elements (especially the hardware) will be greatly influenced by each bidder’s decision on the Asset Options (A, B, C). How will the Government compare pricing when bidders’ pricing is based on different Asset Options? Answer 70: The Government will evaluate the proposed seat price. Question 71: [Ref: Sect III, 14.3(s), pg III-32] Labor rates vary greatly by geographic location. Can the bidder propose rates by mission center rather than a single rate for a particular labor category? Answer 71: No. Question 72: [Ref: Sect IV, 2 (i)(3), pg IV-5] The interface of the vendor’s financial management system with NASA’s ESRS implies that all services (even base seat management services) will be ordered through ESRS. Is this a correct assumption? Answer 72: It is intended that all services will be ordered through the ESRS. Question 73: [Ref: PWS, Sect 3.1, pg 17] In order to ensure consistent Service Desk ticket management to the end-user, can the ACES Contractor use the ESD ticketing system? Answer 73: The Service Desk ticket management tool is Remedy. It shall be the Contractor's option to use the ESD ticketing system. If the Contractor chooses not to use the ESD ticketing system, the Contractor's ticketing system must integrate with the ESD ticketing system. Question 74: [Ref: PWS, Sect 2.7.1(a), pg 13] This section states the servers shall be housed at the NEDC and the costs shall be included in ACES proposal. What costs should be included? Since NEDC pricing will not be known at the time of ACES proposal submission, can pricing for data center services be GFE or pass-through until NASA has negotiated pricing? In addition, 2.7.1.d specifies GFE pricing. Which is the correct approach? Answer 74: The cost of any additional servers to provide the required NCAD or NOMAD services shall be included in those Base Services costs. No cost for housing additional servers shall be included, as all housing costs in the NEDC are Government furnished with respect to the ACES contract. The RFP will be revised to say that only the cost of additional servers shall be included in the ACES Contractor's proposal. Question 75: [Ref: PWS Sect 2.7, pg 12] In order for the ACES Contractor to fully integrate with the ESD, it is necessary for the ACES Contractor to understand the CONOPS and services provided by the ESD. Will the Government please provide the CONOPS for the Enterprise Service Desk vendor who controls Tier 0/1, CMDB, etc.? Answer 75: The ESD and ESRS CONOPS is available on the I3P Web site. Question 76: [Ref: PWS Sect 2.7.2, pg 13] Please define “phone services.” Does that include the PBX, VoIP servers, and phone devices? Does it include Unified Messaging, which ties into Microsoft Exchange? Answer 76: The ACES Contractor shall obtain any of the phone-based services from NICS or the appropriate Center-based contract. The RFP will be revised accordingly. Question 77: [Ref: PWS Sect 3.1.1, pg 17] Can an upper limit be specified on the cumulative number of priority tickets? Answer 77: The RFP will be revised to remove the rollover of priority uplift tickets. Question 78: [Ref: PWS Sect 3.1.1, pg 17] Carrying forward the unused portion of 2% priority uplift tickets to the next month is open-ended, implying a potential for ”saving” unused percentage across many months. For example, if only ½ of the allowance is used (on average) until the final month of the basic contract, there would be a potential for a 48% no-charge uplift during that month. Would the Government set a maximum limit on uplift carry-forward, (i.e., no more than 4% in any one month) allowing bidders to price in reasonable provisions? Answer 78: The RFP will be revised to remove the rollover of priority uplift tickets. Question 79: [Ref: PWS Sect 3.2.1, pg 17] The last sentence of this paragraph refers to Table 5.1.6.3.8.5, which is not in the PWS. Is this a reference to a table in NASA-STD-2805x? Answer 79: RFP Section 3.2.1 will be updated to point to Tables 1-W, 1-M, 1-L, and 1-U in PWS Addendum 2. Question 80: [Ref: PWS Sect 3.3.1, pg 20] The ability to order monthly maintenance implies that hardware and software ordered on ACES that is outside the base configuration is only supported if the Government purchases maintenance with the product. How does the Government obtain service on equipment purchased through ACES without maintenance? Does the Government expect the ACES Contractor to have any responsibility for equipment purchased without maintenance? Answer 80: 1. For items purchased through the ACES Product Catalog (APC) without maintenance, the Contractor shall only be responsible for providing the OEM warranty, if it exists. 2. The Contractor shall have no additional responsibility other than what is described in the above answer. Question 81: [Ref: PWS Sect 3.2.2, pg 20] Who performs the C&A on Level 2 software provided to ACES for installation? Answer 81: In the case of Level 2 software, the C&A is performed by the party responsible for the C&A of the system on which the software resides. Question 82: [Ref: PWS Sect 3.9, pg 23] Since no limits are provided, would the Government provide a maximum percentage of Temporary Seats expected per center/site, after which additional charges can be negotiated? Will there be a separate CLIN for Temporary Seats? Answer 82: No separate CLIN will be provided for Temporary Seats, as they are signed up as the requested seat on a monthly basis. Question 83: [Ref: PWS Sect 4.1, pg 28] Will VoIP be integrated with Microsoft Exchange to provide Unified Messaging for the ACES end users? Please identify how VoIP will be used and managed. Answer 83: This is not a current requirement. Question 84: [Ref: PWS Sect 3.15, pg 26] The Advanced Technician role includes repair of “circuits.” Does this intrude on the NICS Contractor’s responsibility? Note that similar conflicts appear in the roles of the network peripheral technicians. Answer 84: The RFP will be revised to delete the reference to "circuits." Question 85: [Ref: PWS Sect 3.8, pg 23] Will NASA provide the space for the Developmental Test Laboratory? How much space will be provided and are there any costs that will be incurred by the Contractor? Please provide this information for each Center. Answer 85: The total amount of space that will be provided at each Center will be posted on the I3P Web site in the Other Center Support Considerations document. Question 86: [Ref: PWS Sect 4.1, pg 28] Does the requirement for “secure remote access from anywhere in the world” mean that the VPN is managed by ACES (vs NICS)? Please further define the ACES scope of work regarding remote access. Answer 86: This requirement has to do with ensuring that the NOMAD system that the Contractor is responsible for maintaining is secure for remote access from anywhere in the world. This requirement is independent of the VPN infrastructure underneath. Question 87: [Ref: PWS Sect 3.14, pg 25] This section states “The Contractor shall provide technical support and infrastructure for special events…” Would the Government please define infrastructure? Will there be a separate CLIN for Special Events? Answer 87: The RFP will be revised to remove "and infrastructure". There will not be a separate CLIN for Special Events. Question 88: [Ref: PWS Sect 3.6, pg 22] Given the extensive cost of color printer consumables, can the Government specify either a) historic color consumable usage, or b) the “pages per month” threshold for printing? Answer 88: The consumable usage should be estimated from the required volume band. Question 89: [Ref: PWS Sect 4.2, pg 30] Please describe the current NASA AD infrastructure. Is there a single AD forest for all NASA centers? Is there a single domain or multiple domains? Is there a Windows forest and if so, what is the functional level? How many users are supported in each center? How many domain controllers are located in each center? Answer 89: Available information about the NASA AD infrastructure is provided on the I3P Web site. Question 90: [Ref: PWS Sect 4.2(i), pg 31] Smartcard authentication: What is the total percentage of smartcard use in NASA currently? Answer 90: Zero percent. Question 91: [Ref: Attachment 5] During the ACES Industry Day, the Government stated that Contractors should assume 50,000 seats (for the purpose of bidding). The RFP does not appear to contain the base 50,000 seat guidance. Should the Contractor assume a solution and related pricing at the 50,000 seat level? Answer 91: The RFP will be revised to change "55,000" to "50,000" in the first paragraph of PWS Section 4, Base Services. Question 92: [Ref: Attachment 2, pg 19-21] Several documents (such as the Management Plan and the Phase-In Plan) have an initial submission due with the proposal. Are these documents to be incorporated into, and count against, the 200 page Technical Volume or are the plans not limited by proposal page count? Answer 92: [Updated 7-21-09] Yes. These documents will count against the page limit; however, the page limit will increase to 250. Question 93: [Ref: PWS Sect 5.1.6.3.5, pg 44] Section 5.1.6.3.5 seems to be inconsistent with other sections of the PWS in terms of technology refresh. This section talks about performing tech refresh as a subjective activity, with “Contractor shall periodically assess the offerings for each seat and update the seat configuration based on the best value to the Government for each seat functionality and price.” It also lists a 3-year, 4-year, and a “no hardware refresh.” Given the increased support costs inherent in old equipment, the Contractor needs to know the actual refresh schedule of the seats for the life of the contract to anticipate their costs. What is the actual refresh schedule of the seats for the life of the contract? Answer 93: The refresh cycle is user-selectable (3 years or 4 years or no refresh). The refresh cycle selected determines the monthly seat cost that should include elements like the cost to support the equipment. The RFP will be revised to say that the Contractor shall periodically assess the offerings for each seat and update the seat configuration based on the best value to the Government for each seat functionality and price and that meets the requirements of NASA-STD-2805x. Question 94: [Ref: PWS Sect 5.11, pg 37] ACES Computing Seats include provisions per NASA-STD-2804x and NASA Standard 2805x. Can we identify specific document versions? Please cite specific document revisions in the interest of maintaining baseline integrity, bidding demarcation, including NASA-STD-2804H, NASA Standard 2805H. Answer 94: NASA-STD-2804L/2805L is the current version of that standard, and NASA-STD-2804M/2805M is currently under review pending finalization. Version "M" is expected to be official by the release of the Final RFP and will be the document used for bid preparation. However, the use of the "x" in the Draft and Final RFP is deliberate to indicate that the document is revised on an ongoing basis (projected to be twice annually) and that the requirements for the seat definitions will change accordingly. Therefore, the hardware platform pricing needs to account for these changing requirements. The RFP will be revised clarify the relevant requirements regarding NASA-STD-2804/2805. Question 95: [Ref: PWS Sect 4.5.3, pg 33] Paragraph 6 makes reference to several NASA Policy Requirements and Directives with regard to the protection of NASA data in transit using NASA PKI, including NPD 2810.1x, NPR 2810.1x, NPD 1600.2x, and NPR 1600.1x. Is it possible to cite the specific revision (e.g., NPR 2810.1a) for each NASA document, in the interest of determining baseline compliance? Please cite specific document revisions in the interest of maintaining baseline integrity, bidding demarction, including: NPD 2810.1D NPR 2810.1a NPD 1600.2E NPR 1600.1 Answer 95: The use of the "x" in the Draft and Final RFP is deliberate to indicate that the document is revised on an ongoing basis. Therefore, pricing needs to account for these changing requirements. The RFP will be revised clarify the relevant requirements regarding these documents. Question 96: [Ref: Pricing Tables, “Base Services” Tab and PWS Sect 4, pg 27] We suggest adjusting the bands such that the user population falls in the middle of one of the bands rather than the edge. Answer 96: The RFP will be revised to reflect new service bands. Question 97: v[Ref: Sect III, 14.3, pg III-21] Will Tables III-7A and III-7B be provided by NASA or will the Contractor build similar tables as depicted in the instructions? Answer 97: These tables are provided by the Government on pages III-21 through III-23. Question 98: [Ref: PWS Section 3.3] The requirement from PWS paragraph 3.3 requires the ACES Product Catalog items to be “lower than any commercially available price.” Can the Government modify this requirement to conduct ongoing benchmark studies and resolve price discrepancies through negotiation? Answer: PWS Section 3.3 will be revised in the Final RFP to read as follows: “The Contractor shall provide hardware and software catalog prices that are a fixed percentage discount below the manufacturer’s suggested retail price.” The Government feels the process of conducting benchmarking and ongoing negotiations would prevent timely pricing on the catalog; therefore, this will not be added as a requirement to the RFP. Question 99: [Ref: Sect III, 14.3 (b)] Will the Government delete the requirements for cost detail tables in Section III - 14.3 (b)? Answer: See Section III, 3.0., 52.215-20 Requirements for Cost or Pricing Data or Information other than Cost or Pricing Data. The Government is requesting the offeror to complete Tables III-7A and B. Table III-7A will provide the Government with the percentages that each component of the seat comprises the total seat cost. Table III-7B will provide the Government with the percentages that each component of the base services comprise the annual base service cost. These tables will remain in the Final RFP. Question 100: [Ref: PWS Sect 2.3, pg I-14 and Sect 3.16, pg 27] In the event the Government wishes to return a computer seat prior to the end of its 36-month life cycle (either through an early tech refresh or perhaps a reduction in workforce), there appears to be no CLIN for the Government to compensate the Contractor for the unused portion of the 36-month lifecycle value of the computer seat. Answer: The Government is ordering a service on a monthly basis that includes hardware, software, etc. If the service is no longer needed, the seat will be unsubscribed, and it is the Contractor's prerogative to use the associated hardware and software as they see fit (e.g., use as temporary seats or dispose). Therefore, an additional CLIN is not needed. Question 101: [Ref: Sect III, 14.3, pg III-20 -23] The pricing guidance requires that the cost of Contractor services be allocated to the product cost. We suggest that NASA consider paying directly for certain categories of services (e.g., phase-in support, special event support). Answer: The RFP has been revised to allocate these costs over program, contract, and general computing requirements in the Base Services. Similarly, the other general requirements listed are to be allocated in this section in the Base Services and not over the seats. Question 102: [Ref: Sect III, 14.1(a), pg III-11] The second bullet and the seventh bullet both refer to addressing technology infusion; bullet 14 is also related to this same topic. This Offeror recommends that the three bullets be combined or the differences between them be made clearer. Answer: These bullets will be combined into one bullet in the Final RFP to read as follows: • Approach to meet the requirements of PWS Section 2.10, Technology Infusion and Transformation, to ensure that functions and services are effectively planned, managed and integrated with NASA mission, program, and business needs following NASA prescribed NPR 7120.7, NASA Information Technology Institutional Program and Project Management Requirements. This approach should address opportunities for technology infusion/transformation, methods to enhance NASA’s evolving mission requirements through emerging technology, and proposed frequency to submit Technology Infusion/Transformation Plans, detailed in Clause 3.5, Technology Infusion/Transformation Planning, throughout the contract lifecycle. As a method to describe their approach, the Offeror may submit Technology Infusion/Transformation Plans. Question 103: [Ref: Sect III, 14.0 (i), Table III-5, pg III-17] Please clarify which Small Business goal will be evaluated. Is it the percent of Contract Value or the percent of Subcontract Value? Answer: Reference the note above Table III-5. It specifically states "For purposes of the small business subcontracting plan, the proposed goals shall be stated as a percent of total subcontracts, not as a percent of total contract value, refer to the below example." Question 104: [Ref: Sect III, 14.2(a) and 14.2(e), pg III-19] The instructions in 14.2 (a) says to provide "up to" 5 Government or Commercial contracts. The instructions in 4.2 (e) says to provide the Questionnaire "to the five of the references identified in Paragraph (a)". Should 14.2(e) say to provide one questionnaire "to each contract reference identified in Paragraph (a)"? Answer: Section III, 14.2(e) will be revised to read: "The Offeror shall provide the Past performance Questionnaire (Attachment III-1) for each contract reference identified in Section III, 14.2(a)." Question 105: [Ref: PWS] Will ACES support the following collaborative tools found in the Enterprise Service Catalog and not included in Attachment 1, Draft Performance Work Statement? • Instant Messaging (IM) • Blogs (Web Logs) • Team Workspace (CoP) • Discussion Boards / Internet Forums • Social Network Services • Virtual Worlds (Simulated Environments) • Wikis • Content Management • Document Management • Forms Management • Multimedia Management • Records Management • Web Content Management Answer: [Updated 7-21-09]: IM is the only function described that is in the ACES contract. The ACES RFP will be modified to include requirements for Instant Messaging. Question 106: [Ref: PWS 3.3.3, pg 20] This section states that the Contractor shall allow APC items to be returned for a credit. In order to provide a better price proposal, would the Government provide a history of returns for the last 12 months? Answer: NASA does not have this type of data. Question 107: [Ref: PWS Sect 4.1, pg 28] 1. How many users (percentage) have been migrated to Exchange 2007 environment as of now? 2. What version of Exchange are non-migrated users running now? 3. What kind of e-mail co-existence environment is ACES running? 4. Will all users be migrated to Exchange 2007 environment by the time ACES is awarded? Answer: 1. 100% 2. All users are on Exchange 2007. 3. None 4. All users are now on Exchange 2007. Question 108: [Ref: PWS Sect 4(a), pg 28] Live Communication Server (LCS): among the initial population of 55,000 (base services), what is the total percentage of users who are configured and use LCS service? LCS user distribution: Do all centers or only some centers use LCS? Which centers use LCS? Please specify the centers and percentage of users that use LCS. Answer: [Updated 7-21-09]: Every NOMAD user has access to LCS; however, the percentage of users that are configured and use LCS is unknown. All centers can use LCS. The Final RFP will be modified to require a proposal on IM. Question 109: [Ref: PWS Sect 4.1(i), pg 29] 1. What are the backup windows for the e-mail system? 2. What is the average size of the mail stores? 3. What are the top five largest sizes of the e-mail stores? Answer: 1. 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. Central 2. JSC – 50.858 GB, MSFC – 35.82 GB 3. JSC – 53.92, 50.86 (3 stores), 50.67. Totals are in Giga bytes. MSFC – 44.29, 42.29, 42.91, 41.35, 40.62 GB Question 110: [Ref: Section 14.0 Proposal Preparation Instructions (General), (c)] Proposal Due Date and Copies specifies that ”all files will be submitted in Microsoft Windows XP in their native format, such as Microsoft Word, Excel, etc.” Please advise whether Office 2003 is an acceptable format. Answer: The RFP will be revised to say that Microsoft Office 97-2003 format will be required for proposal documents. Question 111: [Ref: PWS Sect 2.3.1] The last paragraph indicates the Contractor shall provide system architectures and as-built diagrams for all ACES-managed support Infrastructure (e.g., NASA Operational Messaging and Directory (NOMAD) and NASA Consolidated Active Directory (NCAD)). Where does one gain further insight as to current infrastructure information? Answer: The NOMAD SLO Measures and NOMAD System Design-Exchange 2007 (April 2009) is posted in the I3P Technical Library. Question 112: [Ref: NFS 1852.20-4-76 (May 2008 Deviation)] Request that NFS 1852.204-76 be updated to reflect NIST SP 800-53A as a functional replacement for NIST SP 800-26. Answer: NFS 1852.20-4-76 is currently being revised. Question 113: [Ref: PWS 4.5.4, pg 33] NPR 2810.1x and NIST 800-53 (Rev x) security controls are cited without regard for baseline identification/compliance. Are current Disaster Recovery / Continuity of Operations Plans for each site to be made readily available for review as part of the bidders library? Please cite specific document revisions, where possible, in the interest of maintaining baseline integrity. Answer: The use of the "x" in the Draft and Final RFP is deliberate to indicate that the document is revised on an ongoing basis. Therefore, bidder pricing needs to account for these changing requirements. The RFP will be revised clarify the relevant requirements regarding these documents. The opportunity for Contractor input to those proposed changes exists; however, pricing needs to account for these changing requirements. Question 114: [Ref: Section I, Table of Contents, pg 2, Sect 58-72] NASA has provided a table of contents which states specific titles related to HR and in-scope employee transfer requirements. There is no matching document associated to the table of contents entitled "Information Technology Resources". This document should house the data around terms and conditions of employment expected for these resources if they transfer to the winning vendor. Can NASA please provide this document? Answer: "Information Technology Resources" is in Section I, Section 6.6, entitled "1852.204-76 Security Requirements for Unclassified Information Technology Resources." Question 115: [Ref: Attachment 14, PWS Sect 34, and Sect III, 14.0(d)] When does NASA anticipate that contractor’s will begin billing for Services? Based on Section III and Attachment 34, it appears that the period of performance for billing begins July 1, 2010. Can NASA provide the flexibility in Attachment 34 to allow for an earlier billing of Base and Seat Services based on the contractor’s transition plan and the refreshes dictated by the ODIN refresh schedule (outlined in the ATV report)? Answer: The start date to providing the Base Services at each center is the Implementation date for those Centers. See Attachment 14, Phase-In Schedule. For example, the start date for the Base Services at the Wave 1 Centers would be July 1, 2010, while Wave 3 Centers would be September 1, 2010. NASA did not provide an Attachment 34 in the DRFP; however the price model will not change based upon the answer given above. Question 116: [Updated 6-16-09] [Ref: Sect III, 14(i), pg III-18] In reference to Copies of Summary Subcontracting Reports, the section indicates that they can be submitted as supporting information. Would the Government consider allowing the submission of supporting information separately outside of the page count for Mission Suitability? Answer 116: [Updated 7-21-09] Copies of summary Subcontracting Reports and Individual Subcontracting Reports shall be submitted as part of the page limit. The page limit will increase to 250. Question 117: [Ref: PWS Sect 2.8, pg 31] The Metric Retainage Pool (MRP) percentage is shown as 5% and Performance Retainage Pool as 9%. These percentages are reversed in Attachment 3, page 1. Please clarify which percentage is correct. Answer: Section I, 2.8 will match the MRP and PRP Invoice Percentages withheld in Attachment 3. Question 118: [Ref: Sect III, 14.0, pg 11] Reference to price volume preparation instructions in provision 12.3 cannot be found. Should this be Provision 14.3 instead? Answer: Section III, Page III-11, reference to Provision 12, 3, Volume III: Price Proposal Instructions will be changed to read Provision 14.3, Volume III: Price Proposal Instructions. Question 119: [Ref: Price Model] Base Services don’t show up on the summary tab in the Excel forms *.034.xls document. Is this intentional? Answer: The Price Model Summary Tab "Enterprise Services" will now read "Base Services." Question 120: [Ref: Price Model, Base Services Tab] CLIN A-8 specifies PWS Section 5.3 Network Peripheral Seats. This same scope of work is specified for CLINS E-G. Please clarify that NASA requires the work in PWS Section 5.3 included in both CLIN A-8 and CLINs E-G. Answer: CLIN A-8 is to include the cost to provide print queue management only. The actual PRN and MFD seats are to be priced in CLINS E-G. Question 121: [Ref: Price Model, Base Services Tab] CLIN A-1 specifies “Enterprise Bundle” which includes the same scope of work as CLINs A-2 through A-9. Please clarify if the “Enterprise Bundle” is the sum of CLINs A-2 through A-9 or has some other definition. Answer: The Price Model "Base Services" tab's references to "Enterprise Bundle” will change to "Bases Services Bundle." Bases Services Bundle is a sum of all the Individual Components. However, the Base Services Bundle should include any additional discount providing the Government obtains the component services as a bundled offering. The Instructions in Section III will be modified to reflect this. Question 122: [Ref: Sect IV(ii)(1), pg IV-9] Requiring the “Finance Charge”: Can NASA clarify what the dollar value of the “finance charge” that is to be added to the Offeror’s proposed price should they elect to chooses to use Option C for Existing ODIN Incumbent Owned Assets? Knowing that the Contractor will not have to procure the assets if they elect to choose Option C will there be any other costs that the Contractor will be responsible for? Would NASA consider adding the “finance charge” to all bidders to level the playing field? Or potentially develop a value for the Existing ODIN Assets that would then be included on every proposal submitted? Answer: Section IV, Page IV-9 (iii)(1) will be deleted in the Final RFP and the rest of this section will be re-numbered. Question 123: [Ref: Sect III, 13.0] The ability to choose any combination of Options A, B, and C is in conflict with Section 13 (d), which states the Contractor must take possession of all or none of the ODIN assets. Answer: Section III, 13.0 (d) only applies to the third option available as it relates to Options for ODIN Incumbent Owned Assets. Question 124: [Ref. Att. 1, PWS, Section 4.2 s, page 31] Please provide additional information on the NASA e-Authentication project. What is it comprised of and what is the status of this project? Answer: E-Authentication is one of two official centralized authentication sources for NASA, with identities seeded from the Identity Management system. It is a SAML based service (today SAML v1, very soon to be SAML v2) that uses the Sun Access Manager product. It is an operational service. There is no integration work required from the ACES Contractor. Therefore, bullet s, "Integrate authentication service to the NASA e-Authentication project” will be removed from the RFP. Question 125: Will the government provide a due diligence period as part of the ACES procurement? Answer: The Government has conducted Industry Days and Center Site Visits. As a result, no further due diligence will be conducted. Question 126: [Ref. Section III Instructions to Offerors, Section 4.0, 1852.245.80 Government Property Management Information (SEP 2007) (Deviation), pages III-2 – III-3] Section 4.0 requires the Offeror to provide a great deal of information regarding property management. Where in the proposal should these requirements be addressed? Answer: This information should be included in Attachment 17, Government Property Plan. Question 127: [Ref. Section III Instructions to Offerors, Section 14.1 (g), MS-8 Safety and Health Plan; page III-15] This instruction requires Offerors to provide a Safety and Health Plan consistent with DRD-SA-001. The list of topics specified by DRD-SA-001 and RFP Section III 7.0, which references NPR8715.3, is extensive. Since the proposal is page-limited, Offerors will realistically not be able to address all items required by the DRD and RFP Section 7.0. Please address the issue of page restrictions vs. the level of detail that can be provided. Would the Government exclude the MS-7 Safety & Health Plan from the page allocations? Answer 127: [Updated 7-21-09] The Safety & Health Plan is included in the page limit count, which will be increased to 250 pages. Question 128: [Ref. Att. 14 Phase In Schedule - Phase-In Plan, page 1] In order to plan and prepare for an effective transition of Enterprise Services, will NASA provide access to the appropriate NASA and Incumbent SMEs prior to phase-in of those services? Answer: The ACES contractor will be provided with full access to the Centers beginning with its phase-in date. Question 129: [Ref. Att. 14 Phase In Schedule - Phase-In Plan, page 1] What are NASAs expectations surrounding the timing of phase-in for Enterprise Services? Answer: Enterprise Services are now referred as Base Services. The phase-in date for the Base Services is listed in Attachment 14, 2nd column, "Phase-In Start Date." Question 130: [Ref. Section III, para. 14.0 (b)] Is a cross reference matrix desired and excluded from the page count along with the other front matter specifically listed in Section III, paragraph 14.0 (b)? Answer: Section III, 14.0(b), 2nd paragraph, first sentence will read as follows: "Title pages, table of contents and a cross-reference matrix are excluded from this page count limitation."A cross reference matrix template will be provided as part of the Final RFP. Question 131: [Ref. Section III, MS-6 Asset Management Transition] Under what factor/subfactor will the selection and approach for Asset Management Transition be evaluated? Answer: Section III, (f) MS-6 Asset Management Transition bullet two will now read as follows: "The benefits and approach to address any challenges associated with the Asset Transition option chosen." Section IV(i)(3) Management Approach Subfactor, Page IV-6 will be revised to add the following: "The degree to which the Offeror's option chosen for asset transition aligns with the offeror's overall Management Approach." Question 132: Is it the government’s intent to conduct orals as part of the post RFP submission evaluation process? Answer: Section IV will be modified to state that "The RFP contains FAR Provision 52.212-1 ‘Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items’ which allows for award on initial proposals without discussions, but also reserves the Government's right to later conduct discussions if the Contracting Officer determines them to be necessary. If the Government determines it appropriate to establish a competitive range, the Contracting Officer will conduct oral and/or written discussions with each firm determined to be within the competitive range. The purpose of these discussions is to ensure that competition is maximized and the Government obtains the best value it can based on the requirements and evaluation factors set forth in the solicitation." Question 133: [Ref. Att. 1, Draft PWS 4.2 Active Directory Services, page 30] Paragraph i. indicates that the contractor will provide an AD that supports FIPS 201 PIV Part 2 validated smartcard authentication at all NASA facilities. What is the current status of the HSPD-12/Identity Management effort at the affected sites? Please advise as to the status of HSPD-12 implementation at all applicable sites. Answer: NASA has completed its HSPD-12 implementation, and HSPD-12 compliant PIV-2 cards have been issued. Systems related to HSPD-12 are in production status and receiving lifecycle management through the NEACC’s Identity, Credential and Access Management line of business. NASA has developed an Authentication Architecture and is executing plans for enabling two-factor authentication for desktops and applications. The capability to support PIV-compliant smartcards is operational in AD. A pilot test of the middleware and readers to support smartcard authentication to AD Windows desktops is complete. Centers will have largely implemented smartcard-enabled Windows desktops for computers managed under ACES by contract award. NASA is awaiting software to support smartcard-based AD authentication for MAC desktops. NASA does not expect to have smartcard support for MAC desktops prior to award of the ACES contract. AD is one of two approved methods for enabling smartcard-based two-factor authentication in applications. The initiative to enable applications for two-factor authentication will continue through FY11. The approach for integrating applications is documented in NASA EA-STD-001, the "Application Integration Standard." Question 134: [Ref. Att. 1, PWS 4.1 NOMAD, page 28] Is the current NOMAD security baseline documented in an IT Security Plan? If so, what is its availability status? Please identify the appropriate current IT Security Plan for NOMAD, as applicable. Answer: No. The current baseline is for Exchange 2003. NASA has recently upgraded to Exchange 2007. Question 135: Can second-tier subcontractors be included toward the Small Business goals? Answer: No. Reference 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan Question 136: [Ref. ATVR_*_March09.xlsx files – Asset Refresh Schedule and 5 Year Dep. Assets worksheets] The inventory data, as provided by ATVR_*_March09.xlsx files – Asset Refresh Schedule and 5 Year Dep. Assets worksheets, please provide more detail on the column “To Be Refreshed This DO” and the date associated with DO. Answer: A "1" in this column indicates the asset is to be refreshed during the current Delivery Order. The listed ATV at the end of the Delivery Order is the ATV remaining on the newly refreshed item (which is assumed to have the same purchase value as the current asset). Question 137: [Ref. ATVR_*_March09.xlsx files – Asset Refresh Schedule and 5 Year Dep. Assets worksheets] The inventory data, as provided by ATVR_*_March09.xlsx files – Asset Refresh Schedule and 5 Year Dep. Assets worksheets, please provide more detail on the column “Dep. Value at end of delivery order” and how that value is calculated. Answer: The depreciation value at the end of the delivery order is the remaining asset transition value at that time. The ATV is calculated using monthly straight line depreciation from the original date of purchase using the useful life of the asset, as shown in the table below. For example, assuming the contract end date is April 1, 2010 and a desktop computer was last refreshed on April 1, 2008 and its purchase value was $900.00 at that time, then the depreciation value at the end of the delivery order would be $300.00. Question 138: [Ref. ATVR_*_March09 spreadsheets – Asset on Refresh Schedule and 5 Year Dep. Assets worksheets] In many cases within the ATVR_*_March09 spreadsheets – Asset on Refresh Schedule and 5 Year Dep. Assets worksheets, Current Dep Value includes a calculated value for the current depreciation value of the asset. Please describe how this value is calculated and which fields are used in this calculation. Answer: The depreciation value is the current remaining asset transition value, as calculated as described in the previous answer. Question 139: [Ref. ATVR_*_March09.xlsx files – Asset Refresh Schedule and 5 Year Dep. Assets worksheets] The inventory data, as provided by ATVR_*_March09.xlsx files – Asset Refresh Schedule and 5 Year Dep. Assets worksheets, contains many references to hardware that is over refresh age designated in the Refresh Months column. Please confirm that this is correct and that these devices are still in the refresh cycle. Answer: This is correct. Question 140: [Ref. Section III Instructions to Offerors, Section 14.1 (b), MS-2 Phase-In Plan, Pages III-12-13] This instruction requires Offerors to provide a Phase-In Plan consistent with DRD-MA-003. Additional proposal response topics are also presented in a list of bullets that follow. These bullets differ from the DRD in detail and order. Since the proposal is page-limited, Offerors will realistically not be able to address all items required by the DRD and the additional proposal instructions. Would the Government please resolve the list of topics to be addressed in the two directives (the DRD and Section III) and exclude the Phase-In Plan from the page allocations? Answer 140: [Updated 7-21-09] Section III, 14.1(b) MS-2 Phase-In Plan and DRD-MA-003 will remain unchanged in the Final RFP. The Phase-In Plan remains part of the page limit, however that page limit will be increased to 250 pages. Question 141: [Ref. Addendum #4 to PWS – Performance Based Interoperability – DT Minimum to Buy, pg 1] There is a requirement for a 19” LCD monitor with a resolution of 1920x1200. Industry standard 19” monitors provide a maximum resolution of 1280x1024 whereas 19” widescreen monitors provide a maximum resolution of 1440x900. The NASA-STD-2805L requires a minimum resolution of 1024x768 which all industry standard monitors 19” and above meet. The only 19” monitors that typically provide a resolution in the range of 1920x1200 are monitors designed for specific applications such as Radiology. These monitors would be cost prohibitive for standard office use. We therefore request that the government revise this requirement for the 19” monitor to provide a resolution of 1280x1024. Will the government please confirm this requirement will be modified? Answer: The RFP will be modified to reflect the standard Monitor in NASA-STD-2805 as the baseline, replacing the 19" monitor in the Final RFP. NASA-STD-2805 will determine the hardware requirements the ACES contractor will have to follow. Question 142: [Ref. Addendum #4 to PWS – Performance Based Interoperability – DT Minimum to Buy, pg 1] Intel does not currently provide a 2.66 GHz CPU with a 1333 Front Side Bus. Intel does provide a 2.66 GHz CPU with a 1066 FSB. Please confirm that NASA requires a 1333 FSB for the desktop? Answer: The Government’s market research reveals that at least three vendors provide an Intel 2.66 GHz CPU with a 1333 MHz front side bus. As a result, the Government’s requirement remains as a 1333 FSB for the desktop. Question 143: [Ref. Addendum #4 to PWS - Performance Based Interoperability - Workstation Minimum to Buy, page 5] We suggest that NASA modify the hard drive requirement for the Workstation specifications to require two hard drives which will provide 1 TB or more of storage. As currently written, this requirement will limit bidders to only one choice in the marketplace thereby reducing competition and likely raising the price to NASA. Will the government please confirm this requirement will be modified? Answer: Note: Addendum 4 specifies two (2) 640GB hard drives. Question 144: [Ref. Att. 1, PWS, Section 4, Base Services, b, page 28] Clients type/versions and distribution: Among the NASA-STD-2804x approved clients, what is the percentage of clients does ACES support: • Windows: % of Windows clients? • MAC: % of MAC clients? • Linux: % Linux clients? • Mobile (PDA): % of mobile users Answer: The distribution of operating systems will be determinable from the quantities distributed in the price model. Question 145: [Ref. Att. 1, PWS, Section 5.3.1, Definition/General Requirements, page 58] The next to last paragraph states: “The Contractor shall provide all other consumables…” Is the Contractor expected to build consumable usage into their seat price of the product? Or is it only a requirement that the contactor provide these items in the ACES Product Catalog and the Government would purchase the consumable through the catalog order? Answer: The Contractor should build in the cost of consumables into the seat price. Question 146: [Ref. Att. 1, PWS, Section 5.1.6.3.8, page 47] What standard software is already owned by NASA that will transfer to ACES? Are they under bacsi warranty or software assurance contracts? Answer: All software currently on ODIN computers will be transferred to the ACES contractor. The software is currently under software assurance. It is expected that the ACES contractor will have to negotiate terms with the software vendors for all software for continued support. Question 147: [Ref. Att. 1, PWS, Section 5.1.6.3.5, Hardware Technology Refresh, page 44] If NASA chooses a refresh cycle or extends a refresh cycle beyond the standard refresh cycles, will NASA purchase maintenance for the equipment? Answer: The vast majority of the computers are refreshed on or about their refresh date. If there is a request to extend beyond this date, the Contractor should contact the COTR to facilitate the system refresh. Until the system is refreshed, however, the Contractor is responsible for maintaining the equipment. Question 148: [Ref. PWS Section 3.2 Support Levels, page 17] NASA has outlined three different support levels. Can NASA provide additional clarifications if there are relations between these categories and the S, M and B seats? For example, can an S seat add a hard drive or modify their seat in any other way? Answer: There is no correlation between support levels and the Seat types. All hardware and software support levels will be implemented on all three seat types. Also, the Contractor shall provide for augmentations to the “S” seat via the APC, per PWS Section 5.1.3. Question 149: [Ref. PWS Section 5.3 Network Peripheral Seats, 5.3.1 Definition/General Requirements; 5.3.1.2 Multi-Functional Device (MFD) Seats; 5.3.1.2.4.15 Copier Assistant Software with Braille Labels, page 58] "The Contractor shall provide copier assistant software with Braille labels options, which provides for Section 508 compliance and accommodation for visually impaired personnel." Will a VPAT for the device be acceptable for meeting this requirement? Answer: The RFP will be modified to remove this requirement in this PWS Section. The Contractor shall be complaint with FAR 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities (Jun 1998) (29 U.S.C. 793) as specified in Section I, Model Contract. However, the Contractor shall accommodate special requests with Braille label options in compliance with FAR 52.222-36. The VPAT cannot replace because they are physical devices. Question 150: [Ref. NETWORK PRINTER (PRN) SEATS Tab on Excel Spreadsheet] "27) 52.223-15, Energy Efficiency in Energy-Consuming Products (DEC 2007) (42 U.S.C. 8259b)." Is Energy Star Compliance a requirement? Or can a device be bid that can be shown to be energy efficient? Answer: Reference FAR 52.223-15, Energy Efficiency in Energy-Consuming Products. Devices delivered must be complaint with this clause. Question 151: [Ref. Section I Att. 34 – Excel Pricing Model] The provider has reviewed the model and has noticed several calculation issues. For example, on the M Computer Seat tab, the Total calculations for Years 2 – 10 do not sum the entire range to create the correct calculation. Additionally, on the Base Services Tab, it seems as if CLIN A-1 should be the sum of CLINs A2-A9 as they are the specific services that go into the Enterprise Bundle. Currently, the Total (on row 16) includes A1-A9 which creates a “double count” situation. The Total then flows into the Summary tab for evaluation. These are two of the issues discovered during our review. Will NASA do a full audit of all formulas and sums and how they feed into the Summary tab to ensure the correct calculation of each bid received for the ACES procurement? Answer: The price model is currently being reviewed and revised. Question 152: [Ref. Att. 1, PWS, Section 4.1 General, pages 29-30] Please provide a description of the current public folder infrastructure. What is the total size for Public folder database? Are there any Public folder replications to other back-end Exchange servers? Answer: NASA currently has a 5.1 GB public folder database replicated between four dedicated public folder servers – two located at JSC and two located at MSFC. Public folder usage is minimal, mostly used for the offline address book and archiving solutions. A very small number of public folders were allowed to be migrated from JSC legacy e-mail system to NOMAD three years ago. Question 153: [Ref. Att. 1, PWS, Section 4.1 n, page 29] Mailbox archive: What is the current e-mail archive solution? What kind of archive policies (date, size, etc.) are used for the 300 users? Answer: Mimosa Nearpoint is the current archiving solution, for 300 licenses. The current retention policy is forever or until Records Management tells us to remove the user from the Archiving system. At that time, the data is burned to DVD and sent to Center records management. Question 154: [Ref. Sect III, 14.1(c), pg III-13] Can the Section III instructions be integrated into the DRD and the IT Security Plan be excluded from the page allocations? Answer 154: [Updated 7-21-09] The IT Security Plan shall be submitted as part of the 250 page limit. Question 155: [Ref. Section III Instructions to Offerors, Section 4.0, Government Property Management Information, (h); page III-3 AND Section 13.0, Options for ODIN Incumbent Owned Assets, (c), page III-7] Does the equipment under Option C – ATV Assets come with the remainder of the warranty period? If yes, please provide warranty levels, dates and other applicable information. Answer: Yes. All desktops have warranty for the remaining residual value. For those items that are not computer seats, they will transition as is. Question 156: [Ref. PWS Section 3.15 Enhanced Support Services p 25] Is the unit of measure for each month’s service charge equivalent to one full time staff equivalent? If it is a bundle of labor services comprised of those labor categories listed in Attachment 10, please define the mix of resources included in each "Enhanced Support Services" CLIN. Answer: No, each labor category will have to be priced separately. Refer to Attachment 10, Schedule of Fully Burdened Labor Rates (corresponds with the price model IUP labor rates tab), which is asked for in a unit of price per hour. Enhanced Support Services are a description of services that can be purchased on a monthly basis by category. Question 157: [Ref. Section III Instructions to Offerors, Section 13.0, Options for ODIN Incumbent Owned Assets, page III-7] Could NASA please provide the names of the Contractors, by NASA Site, who are currently managing the cellular, PDA, and pager services at each NASA location? Additionally, if available please provide the number of assets by provider and the monthly call volumes for the past year for both intra- and inter-cellular providers. Answer: The information has been posted on the I3P Technical Library as entitled "Mobile Providers Data Call." Question 158: [Ref. Att. 3 - Retainage Pools & Performance Metrics - 1.3, Table 1, Expected Performance Standard column, page 2] “Security Management Services. All five (5) targets below met. No more than one target below missed.” Are the five targets those referenced in Table 2.2.5-2? Answer: Yes, all five targets are referenced in Table 2.2.5-2. Question 159: [Ref. Att. 3 - Retainage Pools and Performance Metrics, Section 1.3 Small Business Utilization Pool] In Attachment 3 Small Business Utilization Pool: It appears that the RFP does not include any provision for partial SBP awards based upon meeting or achieving the majority of the goals or good faith efforts to achieve the contract goals. Would the government consider modifying the SBP for partial awards for good faith efforts that meet or exceed goals? Answer: This section will not be revised in this regard in the Final RFP. Question 160: [Ref. Att. 1 PWS Section 5.1.6.3.8 Standard Load] “The Contractor shall provide the software defined in PWS Addendum 2, Software Standard Load, for each seat selecting the Standard Load Service Level. The Contractor shall acquire, maintain, and manage the licenses for all software provided as part of the Standard Load, unless otherwise directed by the ACES CO. The Government will retain ownership of these licenses.” The first part of this section states that the Contractor shall provide the software and the last sentence indicates that the Government will retain ownership of the licenses. These seem to be contradictory statements. Can you please clarify who pays for the licenses and who pays for the maintenance fees associated with the licenses for the Standard Load? Answer: The RFP will be revised to say that NASA will not purchase hardware outright. Software licenses in the standard load shall be the property of the Contractor. Software licenses provided by NASA or purchased by NASA via the ACES Product Catalog (APC) remain the property of NASA. Question 161: [Ref. PWS Section 4.1 E-mail and Collaborative Calendaring Services p 29] Will NASA have any other E-Mail systems, either internal or external, that will require any type of synchronizing with the Global Address List? Answer: No. NOMAD’s primary goal is to host all user (people) accounts for e-mail. There can only be one Exchange Organization in an Active Directory (AD) Forest. However, there are different types of integration. The Global Address List (GAL) is coming out of AD and primarily only used by the Exchange system. Question 162: What is the total number of potential ACES users at each site? Answer: The total number of potential ACES users at each site is equal to the total number of civil service employees and associated contractors. This information is provided on the I3P Web site in the Other Center Support Considerations document in the ACES section of the Technical Library. Question 163: [Ref. PWS Section 4.3 Loaner Pool Management p 28] Will Loaner seats/PDAs/cells need to be treated as their own seat build---or as B or M types with very strict restrictions and policies for attaching to or utilizing services? Answer: No. Loaner seats are not their own build. All types of seats (S, M, and B) with a hardware platform can be purchased and designated for the loaner pool. The loaner pool service in the Base Services provides for the management and distribution of these seats. Question 164: [Ref. Section III Instructions to Offerors, Section 14.3 (b) Pricing Assumptions & Estimating Techniques (P-1A), Table III-7A, page III-21] What is meant by Column G, “Does the ratio change by more than 10% in Years 2-10?” Which ratio is the table referring to? Is this for one year or for the full nine-year period? Please provide an example. Answer: Section III, 14.3(b) Table III-7A page III-22 Column G shall read as follows: Check “Yes” or “No” as appropriate. Based on the prices proposed in Contract Years 2-10 for individuals offerings within a particular seat type, do the percentages of the major elements of cost change more than ten (10) percentage points from those specified in the table during Contract Years 2-10, i.e., on a year by year basis. Data in Columns B-F is based on prices for Contract Year 1 only. For example, if Labor changed from 49.7% to 60.1% in any one year, "Yes" should be checked. Question 165: [Ref. Att. 1, PWS, Section 4.3, Loaner Pool Management, e, page 32] Please provide additional information regarding the NASA Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). Does NASA have its own PKI or use third party PKI? If NASA has its own PKI, is it Windows-based? How is it designed and configured? Answer: NASA PKI manages digital “keys” that lock and unlock computer data. PKI users can securely send and receive encrypted or digitally signed data, such as e-mails or files. When you become a PKI user, you obtain a digital certificate that contains your user name and a “public key” for encrypting (locking) data that you send to trusted colleagues. Your colleagues with PKI certificates can then decrypt (unlock) that data by using their “private” key, which is enabled whenever they log into Entrust (NASA’s PKI software). NASA does not own PKI. Entrust PKI is available for Windows and Mac systems. Currently, Windows-based systems (XP and 64 bit systems) use Entrust Entelligence Security Provider 8.0. Currently for Mac users, Entrust Entelligence Desktop Solution (EDS) version 6.2.1 is installed on systems that do not run Leopard. If an individual is executing Leopard, then Entrust Secure Desktop for Macintosh (SDM) 7.2 is installed. Entrust software requires full admin rights for installation. + More information about the NASA PKI. Question 166: The inventory data, as provided by ATVR_*_March09.xlsx files – Asset Refresh Schedule and 5 Year Dep. Assets worksheets, designate very little devices as the Apple “Type Name”. Please define the “Type Name” and how we designate an Apple Macintosh from an Intel Based machine in the “Desktop” and “Laptop” designation. Answer: An updated version of the ATV listings will be provided before release of the Final RFP. Additional detail with respect to Apple platforms will be provided. Question 167: [Ref. Att. 13 DD254, Pages 1-2] Top Secret facility clearance is indicated, but it’s not clear if this criteria extends to contractor facilities. Request clarification on facility clearance information for contractor facilities. Answer: The current breakout of clearances on the ODIN contract is as follows: - 14 Top Secret - 56 Secret Only on-site/near-site clearances will be required under the ACES contract. Question 168: [Ref. PWS Addendum 4 - Performance Based Interoperability - Desktop (DT) Minimum to Buy] Would NASA allow either of the following four slot combinations for the standard seat in order to achieve great cost saving and greater combination: one PCI, two PCI-E, and one PCI-E X16 instead of two PCI, one PCI-E X1, and one PCI-E 16X? Answer: No. NASA-STD-2805 requirements stand. Question 169: [Ref. PWS Section 4.6 Software License Management, subpara of contractor will perform, page 34] Will NASA please provide some additional clarifications around security monitoring as it pertains to license management? Answer: The RFP will be revised to clarify that the security monitoring required for license management will be required at a level consistent with the Desktop System IT Security Plan that the ACES contractor will be responsible to maintain, and ensure Certification and Accreditation (C&A). Question 170: [Ref. Att. 3 - Retainage Pools & Performance Metrics, para. 1.1-1.2] Please clarify the statement in paragraphs 1.1 and 1.2 which states "If a Contractor fails to meet the performance standard of an individual metric at any Center, the Contractor is ineligible to receive the total percentage of MRP associated with that individual metric." What is the total number of Centers that will be used for Metric tracking purposes? Please specify the number and how all NASA service locations will align to the appropriate NASA center for Metric collection/analysis purposes. If the Service Delivery metrics within the MRP group of metrics has an apportionment of 2% for all performance of the PWS metrics for 10 Centers, and in a given metric performance review period, there are performance instances at three of the 10 Centers where all of the Service delivery PWS metrics are not met, how is the 2% total pool adjusted? Is each of the 10 Centers eligible for a .2% share of the total 2% factor, which would make the Contractor in this instance still eligible for 1.4% of the pool based on meeting all PWS metrics for seven out of the 10 Centers? If not, please clarify how the Government will evaluate performance for the MRP metric groups when there are instances when all or the Centers do not meet all of the PWS metrics for each MRP area. Answer: The MRP will be handled at the Agency level. Failure to meet the target for an individual metric at any NASA Center will result in the Contractor losing the MRP award for that individual metric for the Agency. For the example given, the Contractor would receive none of the 2%. Question 171: [Ref. Att. 1, Draft PWS 4.5.3 Security Requirements for Unclassified Information Technology Resources, page 33] Paragraph 5 makes reference to the NASA enterprise Data at Rest (DAR) encryption solution to encrypt NASA sensitive DAR. Is it possible to cite the specific NASA enterprise DAR encryption solution (by document, SOP, etc.)? Answer: NASA's DAR product is McAfee Endpoint Encryption™ (formerly known as “Safeboot”). The RFP will be revised to add additional DAR requirements. [Questions 172, 173, 174, 175, and 176 refer to Section I Att. 1 - PWS; Section III, Instructions to Offerors; and Section I Attachment 34 – Excel Pricing Model] Can NASA clarify what is included in the S, M and B seats from a services perspective through answers to the following questions?] Question 172: In General, can NASA add the PWS mappings to all tabs as you did on the Base Services tab? This is very helpful and ensures that bidders are including the correct costs in each CLIN. Answer: No further mapping will be provided as the services in section 5 which is the only remaining section not covered under base service mappings align in a direct one-to-one fashion with the price model. Question 173: Are the only services required for System Administration support (PWS Section 5.1.6.3.6), patch acquisition, testing, and deployment? Answer: Services are included throughout the seat model including, but not limited to, backup and restore, Installations, Moves, Adds and Changes (IMACs), and training, in addition to System Administration functions listed. Question 174: Please confirm that PWS Section 5.1.6.3.4 – Return to Service is the field services component of the solution which performs incident management for the deployed devices. If not, please clarify what should be included from a services perspective for this PWS Section. Answer: Return to service includes the field services and any remote management. RTS is whatever tasks are necessary to get an end-user operational within the scope of the ACES Contractor’s responsibility. Question 175: For PWS Section 5.1.6.3.5 – Hardware Technology Refresh, is this the Field Services component of the solution which performs the actual refresh? This seems to conflict with PWS Section 3.5, Technology Refresh, which outlines the process for refreshing a seat. Please clarify. Answer: PWS Section 5.1.6.3.5 defines the service levels for the refresh period (3 years, 4 years, or none). PWS Section 3.5 defines the required actions to be performed when a refresh is done. Question 176: In general, please identify the PWS sections identifying the Field Services component of the solution. Answer: NASA is not specifying a specific mapping of PWS sections to Field Service components to provide the flexibility for each bidder to determine how best to accomplish the requirements listed in the RFP in accordance with their service approach. Question 177: [Ref. PWS Section 3.16 Other General Services pg 27 - "The Contractor shall provide the capability to affect an early seat refresh."] How should the cost for an early refresh be captured in the pricing tables? Answer: The RFP will be revised to say that the Contractor shall invoice the remainder of the Asset Transition Value (ATV) for the existing seat’s hardware platform at the time of the request for the refresh. Question 178: [Ref. PWS Section 3.3.3 Returns p 20] "The Contractor shall allow APC items to be returned for a refund. Any restocking fees shall be the responsibility of the Contractor." Will time frames be created within which items must be returned? Will the value of the returned items be pro-rated based on the amount of time the item was kept or used by the customer? Answer: The RFP will be revised to say that the Contractor shall allow APC items to be returned for a full refund if returned within 15 calendar days. Question 179: [Ref. PWS Section 3.1.1 Priority Service Support p 17] "In the event that the Agency’s priority uplift tickets are not used in one month, the unused portion shall carry forward to the next month." In order to support the requirement to support 2% of the tickets as priority, the contractor will need to allocate staff whether used or not. The potential for continually growing unused priority services support will cause the contractor to continually increase their capacity to perform this service and thus increase NASAs costs. We request the ability of the customer to carry forward un-used services be removed. Answer: The RFP will be revised to base the uplift percentage on the total seat counts Agency-wide (not by Center) instead of the number of trouble tickets. The carry forward feature associated with priority uplifts will be removed from the RFP. Question 180: [Ref. Pricing Tables Tab "M Computer Seat"] There is no CLIN to reflect varying refresh cycles of three years and four years as specified in the PWS 5.1.6.2. How does NASA want the vendor to provide price variances resulting from varying refresh schedules? Answer: The RFP will be revised to reflect three-year and four-year refresh cycles for the hardware platform and monitor on the "M" seat. Question 181: [Ref. PWS PDA service page 52] Last bullet says encryption capable. Does that mean OS or other file decryption? Does the PDA need to be able to support the NASA PKI infrastructure. Answer: The PDA will need to meet NASA IT Security standards and PKI solution. The PDA will need to be able to support the NASA PKI infrastructure. The RFP will be revised to say "Encryption capable ('S' seat only)." Question 182: [Ref. Section I – Model Contract, 2.5 – Prices for Catalog Items] (1a) Can the Government clarify the type of items that are to be included in the ACES Product Catalog and (1b) how they are to be priced and (1c) tracked from a contract service perspective? 2. Are items in the APC to be strictly IT product items that are not offered within the contract core CLIN seat or devices prices? 3. Are APC items that are ordered subject to any of the contract SLA requirements and metrics? 4. Is the pricing structure for the APC items to be a one-time purchase price for the CLIN, with sub item prices for the follow on maintenance services? 5. For APC items, what is the baseline or data source that the Government will use to determine the “manufacturer’s retail price” for purposes of establishing the gross price prior to any proposed discounts. Answer: 1a. The APC shall include commercially available IT products. 1b. APC items shall be offered at a fixed percentage discount below the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. 1c. APC items shall be tracked in the ACES Configuration Management Database (CMDB). 2. No. For example, memory and hard drives are items expected to be in the APC and are also part of the core CLIN seat prices. 3. Yes. APC items that are ordered become part of the seat for which they are ordered and are subject to the SLA requirements and metrics associated with that seat. The RFP will be revised to clarify that for items that are not associated with any ACES seat and are within the OEM warranty period, an eight business hour return to service requirement will apply. 4. Yes. 5. The Government will use the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) set by the manufacturer as the baseline source data. Question 183: [Ref. Section I – Model Contract, 2.11 – Credit for Outages] Please clarify this clause and provide the specific credit amounts that may be applied by this clause. Will the Government impose credits on the contractor outside of the performance metrics described in RFP Attachment 3? Answer: RFP Section I, 2.11 will be revised to say that a seat is considered down if any service associated with that seat, as defined by the PWS, is unavailable. If the return to service period is exceeded, then the credit starts to take place with the next business day after the return to service period has been missed. A credit equal to one-thirtieth of the monthly seat invoice will be applied for each day that the seat is down. Credit provisions do not apply to outages that are beyond the control of the Contractor. Question 184: [Ref. Section III Instructions to Offerors, Section 14.1 (a) MS-1 Technical Approach, bullet 3, page III-11 AND Section IV, 2.0 (i) (1), bullet 2, page IV-3] In Section III 14.1 and Section IV (i) (1) there is a requirement and evaluation factor for configuration management as the authoritative source for the entire agency. At Industry Day, the overall CM responsibility was assigned to the Enterprise Service Desk, not ACES. Which is the correct approach? Answer: As stated in PWS Section 2.3.1, the Contractor shall use the Government-provided configuration management database (CMDB) to identify, maintain, track, and report all ACES-managed configuration items. Question 185: [Ref. Att. 1, PWS, Section 5, Seat Model and Peripherals, page 35] In order to cost the labor-intensive activity of installs, moves, adds, and changes (IMACs), the Contractor will need to know how many IMACs are expected per year. What are the anticipated IMACs required per year per center? Is there a maximum number of IMACs in the base seat price? Answer: There is no maximum number of IMACs in the base seat price. However, historical data shows that MAC demands have not exceeded an aggregate of one MAC per seat per year. NASA anticipates this trend to continue. Question 186: [Ref. PWS Section 3.14 - Support for Special Events, page 25] Will NASA provide their expected number and average size of their special events during ACES? Answer: No. However, a specific evaluation criterion for Special Events will be added to the Technical Approach sub-factor to allow the offeror to describe their approach for meeting these requirements. Question 187: [Ref. Addendum #4 to PWS - Performance Based Interoperability - Tablet (TAB) Minimum to Buy, page 4] We request that NASA remove the eSATA requirement for the Tablet because we believe that only able to find one vendor that has a tablet with an eSATA port which meets the other Tablet minimum requirements, thus limiting competition and likely increasing NASAs overall price. Answer: The Government's market research shows that several major vendors offer eSATA ports on Tablets. Question 188: [Ref. PWS Section 3.16 Other General Services pg 28] The labor categories listed in Attachment 10 do not clearly align with those service described in PWS section 3.15. Please clarify. Answer: The labor categories listed in Attachment 10 are for Infrastructure Upgrade Proposals. The enhanced support services described in PWS Section 3.15 correspond with the ACES Price Model, "Enhanced Support Services" tab. Question 189: [Ref. Section I Att. 1 - PWS, Section 2.3 Service Asset & Configuration Management, page 10] In this section it requires the contractor to utilize Government provided storage facilities for storage of hardware, software, and associated equipment. In order to provide consistency amongst the offeror’s proposals, would the Government please specify the Government-provided storage facilities available and corresponding space allocations? Answer: This information is provided on the I3P Web site in the Other Center Support Considerations document in the ACES section of the Technical Library. Question 190: [Ref. Addendum #4 to PWS - Performance Based Interoperability - Tablet (TAB) Minimum to Buy, page 4] Will the Government remove the 64-bit and 256 MB onboard graphics technology requirement for the Tablet because the major tablet vendors (HP, Dell and Lenovo) all use the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500 MHD? This graphics accelerator has no dedicated graphics memory but dynamically allocates up to 384 MB of main memory; therefore, there is no onboard graphics memory which also negates the 64-bit memory bus width requirement. Answer: Government research shows that multiple vendors offer 64-bit and 256 MB onboard graphics technology. Question 191: [Ref. Pricing Tables - Tab “MFD B&W Seat” and “MFD Color Seat”] What is the relationship between the prices for the Model Types on rows 6&7 to the options requested in the remaining rows on each tab? If the ability to meet the requirements listed in the remaining tab rows requires a higher capability device, how would that additional cost be reflected? Answer: This section will be revised in the final RFP, which will address the defined configurations. Question 192: [Ref. PWS Section 5.3 Network Peripheral Seats; PWS Section 5.3.1 Network Peripheral Seats Definition/General Requirements - Table 5.3.1-1 - Network Peripherals Feature Set] Is this table is to be used for both Network Printers and MFD devices? Does the 50-sheet Automatic Document Feeder apply to MFDs only? Answer: Yes. The subject table is for Network Peripheral seats and PWS Section 5.3 defines Network Peripheral seats as Network Printer seats and Multi-Functional Device seats. The 50-sheet feeder applies to all Network Peripheral seats. Question 193: [Ref. PWS Section 5.3 Network Peripheral Seats, page 57] “Repairs to equipment shall be performed using only new parts.” Will the Government modify the requirements to reflect compliance with meeting service delivery requirements and not product specific requirements so that refurbished parts may be used for printer/MFD repairs? Answer: The RFP will be revised to require the use of OEM parts for repair. Question 194: [Ref. PWS Section 5.3.1.2 Multi-Functional Device (MFD) Seats, page 59] “Finishing – automatic stapling that can staple a minimum of 30 sheets of 20 lb paper” Can the requirement for a minimum of 30 sheets be modified to 20 pg stapling for convenience staplers? Answer: No. The requirement is for the automatic stapler as part of the finisher. Question 195: [Ref. PWS Section 5.3.1.2.4.2 Volume Bands, page 64] “The Contractor shall provide volume bands, which determines the number of pages (averaged annually) that the Contractor includes in the seat price. All pages up to the volume band are included in the seat price. The Contractor shall invoice the Government for all pages exceeding the volume band on a per-page cost.” Is NASA expecting a product to be bid for each volume band category? Or, are the vendors being asked to check the categories that apply to their recommended products? Answer: NASA is expecting the offeror to bid a product for each volume band; however, a different product does not have to be offered for each volume band. It is up to the vendor to determine how they want to meet this requirement. Question 196: [Ref. PWS Section 5.3.1.2.4.3 Speed Bands, page 64] “The Contractor shall provide speed bands, which determine the rate of printing in pages per minute.” Is NASA expecting a product to be bid for each ppm category? Or, are the vendors being asked to check the categories that apply to their recommended products? Answer: NASA is expecting a product to be bid for each speed band. It is up to the vendor to determine how they want to meet this requirement. Question 197: [Ref. PWS Section 5.3.1.2.1 Scanning, page 60] “Scan to desktop, e-mail, or network folders to formats including but not limited to TIFF/TIFF-F/PDF/JPEG/Multi-page TIFF.” Is TIFF-F (a file format for storage of facsimile images) a requirement for scanning? Are there particular workflows that require this feature? Answer: Yes. The TIFF-F format is a requirement. Question 198: [Ref. PWS Section 5.3.1.2 Multi-Functional Device (MFD) Seats, page 59 “smartcard capable”] Will NASA be providing additional specs so that this function can be properly configured and priced? Answer: The final RFP will be revised to clarify this requirement. Question 199: [Ref. PWS Section 5.3 Network Peripheral Seats, 5.3.1 Definition/General Requirements, 5.3.1.1.2 PRN C Seat, page 58] “The Contractor shall provide a PRN 'C' seat that is a high-performance color printer capable of 30 pages per minute and a duty cycle of 10,000 pages per month.” Would NASA consider a device that performs at 27 pages per minute but is able to meet/exceed the duty cycle? Answer: No. The minimum pages per minute printing requirement must be met, regardless of the monthly duty cycle. Question 200: [Ref. PWS Section 5.3 Network Peripheral Seats, 5.3.1 Definition/General Requirements, 5.3.1.2 Multi-Functional Device (MFD) Seats, page 57] “Minimum of two (2) adjustable paper trays with a minimum of 250-sheet capacity each for various paper sizes (minimally letter, legal, and ledger)” Can the ledger-sized paper requirement be satisfied as an option? Answer: No. The ledger-sized paper requirement is a base requirement, not an option. Question 201: [Ref. PWS Section 5.3 Network Peripheral Seats, 5.3.1 Definition/General Requirements, Table 5.3.1-1 Network Peripherals Feature Set, page 57] “50-sheet Auto Document Feeder (capable of handling up to ledger-sized paper)” Can the 50-sheet Auto Document Feeder requirement be satisfied as an option? Answer: No. The 50-sheet Auto Document Feeder (capable of handling up to ledger-sized paper) is a base requirement, not an option. Question 202: [Ref. PWS Section 5.3.1.2.1 Scanning, page 59] “600 MHz processor” Given the numerous variables that can affect the time it takes to download a job to the MFD and for the MFD to process the job, can the spec for processor speed be modified to 400 MHz? Answer: No. The 600 MHz processor minimum remains as written. Question 203: [Ref. PWS Section 5.3.1.2 Multi-Functional Device (MFD) Seats, page 59] “Minimum 768MB RAM (Color) that allows augmentation” Given the numerous variables that can affect the time it takes to download a job to the MFD and for the MFD to process the job, can the minimum memory be lowered to 512MB that allows for augmentation? Answer: No. The requirement stands as written. Question 204: [Ref. MFD COLOR SEAT Tab on Excel Spreadsheet, Column B Row 19] “Speed Bands (pages per minute)” How should offerors complete Column D? CLIN F-1 and CLIN F-2 are asking for the Desktop and the Floor models but do not reference a speed band. Is NASA looking for CLINs for devices in each of the speed bands or is this a place to put a check mark for what is included? Answer: This section will be revised in the RFP to address the speed bands. Question 205: [Ref. MFD BLACK AND WHITE SEAT Tab on Excel Spreadsheet] “CLIN E-1 Black and White CLIN E-2 Color” What are the numbers of consumables to be included in the devices for cartridges and PM kits, etc.? What is the estimated number of pages? Answer: All consumables (not including paper) will need to be included in addressing this requirement. The Volume Bands will provide an estimate for the number of pages and consumables. Question 206: [Ref. PWS Section 5.3.1.2.4.11 Controller Package, page 65] “The Contractor shall provide controller package software options, which determine how the MFD processes information to the printer. High-end graphics and fiery controllers are necessary to print high-quality color graphics requirements beyond the normal color print jobs.” Is a high-end graphics print controller a requirement or an optional component? Answer: The requirement is for the base device to have the ability to add a high-end graphics print controller as an option. Question 207: [Ref. PWS Section 5.3.1.2 Multi-Functional Device (MFD) Seats, minimum feature sets for B & W Floor Model and Color Floor Model, pages 59-60] “High-capacity tray (minimum of 1500 sheets) (optional)” Would it be acceptable to meet paper capacity through multiple paper trays (that are automatically accessed) as opposed to a single tray? Answer: No. The requirement stands as written. Question 208: [Ref. PWS Section 5.3.1.2 Multi-Functional Device (MFD) Seats, page 59] “Full collation and offset stacking capability (with no sorter bins required)” On devices that are not capable of performing offset stacking, can job separator sheets be used? Answer: No. The requirement stands as written. Question 209: [Ref. Att. 3 - Retainage Pools & Performance Metrics, Table 1.0, ACES Critical Service Levels] The three categories under the Performance Retainage Pool do not show an individual Award Appointment for allocation of the five percent of the total pool. How will the five percent be allocated across the three metrics? Answer: The PRP determination is discretionary; as such, there is no set formula for determining the allocation. The final RFP will be revised to change the five percent total PRP allocation to three percent. Question 210: [Ref. PWS Section 5.3.1.2 Multi-Functional Device (MFD) Seats, page 59] “Programs up to eight (8) jobs into memory” Are jobs are being Copied? Scanned? Faxed? Stored/Saved? What is the typical size of jobs? Answer: The requirement is that eight (8) jobs, from any/or all sources, can be in memory. NASA cannot estimate the typical size of jobs. Question 211: [Ref. PWS Section 5.3.1.2 Multi-Functional Device (MFD) Seats, page 60] “TWAIN scanning (Provides alternative scanning options for networked users)” [Ref. PWS Section 5.3.1.2 Multi-Functional Device (MFD) Seats, page 60] TWAIN scanning requires a user to place an image on the device and initiate the scan from their desktop. For shared, network devices this may not be an optimum workflow. Can this feature be removed as a mandatory feature? Answer: No. The requirement stands as written. Question 212: [Ref. PWS Section 5.3.1.2.1 Scanning, page 60] “Ability to use Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) and Post Office Protocol (POP) before SMTP authentication” For which MFD functions is POP protocol required for authentication? Answer: Post Office Protocol is required for the MFD scanning function. Question 213: [Ref. Att. 3 – Retainage Pools and Performance Metrics, Section 1.1 Metric Retainage Pool] In Section 1.1 of the Metric Retainage Pool it states that the Phase In Performance Standards will be used for the first 5 Months and that the Expected Performance Standards will be used starting in Month 7. Should this read for the first 6 months? Answer: The RFP will be revised to say that the Phase-In Performance Standards will be used for the first 4 months after the ACES Contract Implementation Start Date for Wave 1. Question 214: [Ref. Section I Att. 3 - Retainage Pools & Performance Metrics, Section 1.1] “The MRP disbursement will be based on the Contractor achieving the performance standard for the individual metrics at each Center. If the Contractor fails to meet the performance standard of an individual metric at any Center, the Contractor is ineligible to receive the total percentage of MRP associated with that individual metric.” Please clarify in this instance if the contractor is ineligible to receive the total percentage of MRP associated with that individual metric (e.g., Service Delivery) for all ACES centers or only for the center where the metric was missed? Answer: The Contractor is not eligible to receive the total percentage associated with the MRP individual area in this instance. Question 215: [Ref. Section I, Model Contract - 4.5 Asset Transition from ACES Contract to Successor Contract (page I-41); and Section I Att. 1 PWS Section 5.3.1 Definitions/General Requirements, page 58] Can the four-year refesh cycle for Network Peripheral seats be relaxed? Answer: No. The requirement stands as written. Section I, Section 1 4.5 (C) (2) will be revised to indicate the useful life of Network Peripheral seats. Question 216: [Ref. PWS Section 5.3 Network Peripheral Seats, 5.3.1 Definition/General Requirements, Table 5.3.1-1 - Network Peripherals Feature Set] “Automatic Duplexing: 1-1, 1-2, 2-2, and 2-1” Please confirm that automatic duplexing is required for all printers and MFDs and the requirement for copying only applies to MFDs. Answer: Yes. The automatic duplexing requirement applies to all Network Periperhal seats, and the copying requirement only applies to MFD seats. Question 217: [Ref. Section I – Model Contract, 2.6 – FAR 52.216-3 Economic Price Adjustment – Semi-standard supplies (Jan 1997)] The FAR guidelines for use of the 52.216-3 clause are described in FAR 16.203-4(b). The instructions from FAR 16.203-4(b) indicate that use of the clause 52.216-3 is intended when contracting by negotiation which is pursuant to the FAR Part 15 terms. Will the Government consider removing the 52.216-3 clause in the final RFP? Answer: This is a FAR Part 12 procurement. The PDT is using the 52.216-3 Economic Price Adjustment - Semi-standard Supplies and referencing Clause 2.4, Schedule of Prices for Individual Seats. Fixed prices for individual seats by contract year are delineated in Attachment No. 9, Schedule of Individual Seat Prices. These prices have been negotiated on an Agency-wide basis and apply to seat purchases regardless of Center location. All delivery charges, taxes, and handling costs are included in the listed price. Question 218: [Ref. Addendum #4 to PWS - Performance Based Interoperability - Tablet (TAB) Minimum to Buy, pages 2,3,4] The Laptop, Lightweight Laptop and the Tablet all require a 16x DVD+/-RW. Will the Government modify this requirement from a 16x DVD+/-RW to an 8x DVD+/-RW? Answer: The ACES hardware requirements are driven by NASA-STD-2805x . As part of the NASA-STD-2805 revision process, all of NASA and its contractors have the opportunity to review, propose changes to, and provide input to the standard. As a result of this process, NASA-STD-2805 and Addendum 4 optical drive specifications will be modified to: - DVD+R: 16X - DVD+RW: 8X - DVD-R: 16X - DVD-RW: 6X - CD-R: 48X - CD-RW: 32X Question 219: [Ref. PWS Section 5.1.2 Requirements for All computing Seats (f) pg 38] If a Government-directed software update requires an early hardware upgrade, will the Government reimburse the Contractor for any additional costs incurred? Answer: No. The Government will not reimburse the Contractor for hardware acceleration. It is the Government's expectation that as a part of the hardware refresh the Contractor will take into account anticipated upgrades of Support Level 1 software. The RFP will be modified to require the Contractor to provide acceleration of the hardware technology refresh or upgrade of the existing platform when industry advances to Support Level 1 software require hardware upgrades. (Note: The Contractor will not be reimbursed by the Government for these changes.) Question 220: [Ref. RFP Attachment 1, Addendum 4 Section: Laptop (LT) Minimum to Buy p 2] The Laptop, Lightweight Laptop and Tablet all have maximum weight requirements and an extended battery requirement. All vendors have different size extended life batteries e.g., 4 cell, 6 cell, 12 cell. The weight of these batteries differs greatly as does their useful battery life. We know of no vendor that can meet the maximum weight requirement while providing equivalent, extended battery life performance between brands and still meet the overall weight specifications. Therefore, will the Government exclude the weight of the extended battery from the computer maximum weight requirement? Answer: The weight requirement may be met using the "standard" battery. An extended life battery is required as part of the system configuration, but is not part of the weight requirement. Question 221: [Ref. RFP Attachment 1, Addendum 4 Section: Desktop (DT) Minimum to Buy p 1] Will the Government modify the clock speed requirements for the Desktop, Laptop, and Lightweight Laptop to specify the desired performance that is needed from the processor, not just a clock speed that does not take into account processor design differences to deliver equivalent performances? Answer: The clock speed requirement is stated in NASA-STD-2805 . The Government will accept Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) processors that meet or exceed the minimum clock speed, but will not accept equivalent performance. Question 222: [Ref. PWS Section 5.1.6.3.1 Hardware Platform, p. 42, and Addendum #4 to PWS - Performance Based Interoperability - Lightweight Laptop (LLT) Minimum to Buy] Section 5.1.6.3.1 indicates a maximum Lightweight Laptop weight of 4 pounds but Attachment #38 page 4 of 6 requires a maximum tablet weight of 4.3 pounds and an extended life battery. After exhaustive research, we have found no vendor which provides both an extended life battery and Lightweight Laptop at 4 pounds. Will the Government modify the requirement in Attachment #38 page 4 of 6 to 4.7 pounds to allow a wider array of lightweight laptops with a 14.1 WXGA+ LCD display? Answer: The RFP will be modified to reference the standards and not give absolute values. Question 223: [Ref. PWS Section 5.1.6.3.1 Hardware Platform, page 42, and Addendum #4 to PWS - Performance Based Interoperability - Tablet (TAB) Minimum to Buy, page 4] Section 5.1.6.3.1 indicates a maximum tablet weight of 4.5 pounds but Attachment #38 page 4 of 6 requires a maximum tablet weight of 3.5 pounds and an extended life battery. After exhaustive research we have found no vendor which provides both an extended life battery and tablet at 3.5 pounds. Will the Government modify the requirement in Attachment #38 page 4 of 6 to 4.5 pounds so that it matches the weight requirement in Section 5.1.6.3.1? Answer: The RFP will be modified to reference the standards and not give absolute values. Question 224: [Ref. Att. 1, PWS, Section 3.1, Tier 2/3 Service Desk Support Services, page 16] Is there a detailed ticket history for the existing ODIN help desk for the last 12 months, by location, and priority level? Answer: The available information in this area has been provided in the I3P Library. Please see 05-22-2009 - Tickets By Site By Tier. Question 225: [Ref. Section III, 13.0, page III-7] Under Option B for each wave, by what date must the existing ODIN equipment be replaced? Answer: As stated in Section III, 13.0(c)(2), if Option B is chosen by the Contractor, the new assets shall replace all existing ODIN assets and be made operational consistent with Section 3.5, Technology Refresh, with installation completed during the phase-in and before the implementation date. The dates of the phase-in and implementation start are provided in Attachment 14, Phase-In Plan. Question 226: [Ref. Attachment 1 PWS, Section 3.2.1 Support Level 1, page 17] How often does NASA make changes to the NASA-STD-2804/2805 standards? Will the Contractor have to opportunity to make appropriate adjustments? Answer: NASA's cycle for reviewing and updating the NASA-STD-2804/2805 standards is every six months. The Contractor will have opportunity to review, comment on, and provide input into the standards. Question 227: Please specify the on-site facility space that will be provided to the ACES contractor at each center and facility for the loaner pool, test lab, inventory and office space. Answer: The on-site facility space that will be provided to the ACES Contractor at each Center and Facility will be provided in the Final RFP. The estimated space is available for review now in the Center Support Considerations document, which is provided in the I3P Library. Please see Rolled up Center Support Consideration (6-23-09). Question 228: Does NASA currently have a ‘keep your hard drive’ policy for obsolete computer seats that requires the removal and separate disposition of the hard disk drive from the otherwise disposed of computer? Answer: NASA has a policy of keeping hard drives in certain limited circumstances, but not for every hard drive at the Agency. Typically, the Government is responsible for purchasing replacement hard drives for systems when a hard drive is either kept or destroyed by the Government. Question 229: Will all software currently on the ACES computers be Government-Furnished for new seats to extend the current 44,000 ODIN seats to the 50,000 priced ACES seats? Answer: The current software licenses on ODIN computers will be transitioned over to the Contractor based on current quantities. The Contractor shall include the Support Level 1 software as part of the seat cost for any additional ACES seats. Question 230: [Ref. Section III, 13.0 Options for ODIN Incumbent Owned Assets and Section I Att. 34 – Excel Pricing Model] Can NASA consider having three pricing models which cover each Incumbent Owned asset scenario so that it is clear how the evaluation will be performed for each option? Answer: No. The intent is that for any Option and any year, the monthly price listed for that year includes the cost to deliver all the services associated with the seat, including a one-month portion of the three-year amortized hardware cost (in the case of a three-year refresh cycle). Since for any given year some portion of the hardware inventory will need to be refreshed that year and the remaining portion will not, the monthly amortized hardware component always has to account for this. Question 231: [Ref. Section IV Evaluation Factors for Award, Section 2.0 (iii)(1), page IV-9] Will the Government eliminate the finance charge in Option C? Answer: Section IV, Page IV-9 (iii)(1), Finance Charge, will be deleted in the Final RFP and the rest of this section will be renumbered. Question 232: [Ref. Section III Instructions to Offerors, Section 13.0, Options for ODIN Incumbent Owned Assets, Option C (d) page III-8] Is it the responsibility of the Offeror to include the ATV fee in their proposal? If yes, could NASA please provide the monthly ATV fee as well as the schedule for depreciation for each seat type? If the Offeror is to not include the ATV in their proposal, then how will the fee be accounted for when evaluating the Offeror’s proposal? Answer: Yes. The ATV shall be included in the monthly seat cost. The monthly ATV for each seat can be found in the I3P Technical Library for ACES. Please see ATVR_center_June09_Warranty_Data documents. Question 233: [Ref. Att. 1, PWS, Section 5.2.2.1, Definition/General Requirements (for PDA with Voice Seats), page 51] What are the number of minutes and traffic profiles for the international voice plan? Contractors need the number of minutes by location for pricing purposes. Answer: The number of minutes and traffic profiles for the international voice plan can be found in the I3P Technical Library for ACES. Please see ODIN International Call (05/08 –05/09). Question 234: [Ref. Att. 1, PWS, Section 4.1 g, page 29] Does NASA currently use dynamic distribution lists (DDLs)? If so, what is the total number of DDLs that are currently in use? Are DDLs membership limited to each center or are there some across-center DDLs? How often are they used? Answer: NASA currently uses 4,131 DDLs. DDLs are not limited by Center; there are some that cross Centers. NASA does not track how often DDLs are used. Question 235: [Ref. Section III - 14.3 (b)] To avoid the additional time and expense for both the Offeror to prepare, and the Government to review, the extensive cost build up information requested in the RFP, and to remain consistent with the cost realism methods set forth in FAR Parts 12 and 15, will the Government delete the requirements for cost detail tables in Section III - 14.3 (b)? If the requirement to provide this cost detail is not deleted, will the Government clarify that the requested cost information will not be certified, and will be used only for purposes of determining price reasonableness? Answer: Section III, 14.3(b) tables will remain part of the Final RFP. Reference Section III, 3.0, 52.215-20 Requirements for Cost or Pricing Data or Information Other than Cost or Pricing Data-Alternate IV: "(a) Submission of cost or pricing data is not required. (b) Provide pricing information described in Provision 14.3, Volume III: Price Proposal Instructions." Question 236: [Ref. Att. 2 - DRDs, IT-001 IT Security Plan, Pages 32-33] What is the function of NIST SP 800-53A, to include the potential role as replacement of NIST SP 800-26? Answer: NIST SP 800-26 has been withdrawn by NIST and superseded by FIPS 200, SP 800-53, and SP 800-53A. NIST SP 800-53A provides a guide to assessing security controls and includes assessment methodologies, expected results, and reporting. NISP SP 800-53A is to be used by the Contractor as the guidance for conducting and documenting the security controls self-assessments required as part of each IT System Security Plan (SSP). The RFP will be revised to address these changes in the NIST guidance. Question 237: [Ref. Section I Att. 1 - PWS; Section III, Instructions to Offerors; and Section I Attachment 34 – Excel Pricing Model] The draft RFP language currently indicates that the Base Services CLIN includes PWS Sections 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.1 – 4.6, and 5.3. The PWS defines the Base Services as “. . . tied to individuals rather than devices . . .” Additionally, Section III includes a mapping of the PWS to each tab within the Excel Pricing Model. Will NASA address several discrepancies and comments? 1. In Section III, (v) “Base Services” (P-2O), it indicates that the PWS mapping for this tab is PWS Section 4.0. Please align Section III and the Excel Pricing Model. 2. In Section III, (p) – (r) , it indicates that the PWS mapping for these tabs is PWS Section 5.3. However, in the Excel Pricing Model, PWS Section 5.3 is included in the “Base Services” tab. Please align Section III and the Excel Pricing Model. This bidder assumes that PWS Section 5.3 should be excluded from the Base Services. 3. For PWS Section 3.9, Temporary Seats, the bidder recommends that NASA define the number of temporary seats to include since this is within the Base Services CLIN. 4. For PWS Section 3.11, Return to Service Surcharge, there is a separate tab within the Excel Pricing Model for these services (Other General Services). Please clarify what the bidder is to include in the Base Services for this PWS element. 5. For PWS Sections 3.15 and 3.16, these items should be excluded from the Base Services PWS mapping as there is separate pricing for these sections in the Excel Pricing Model. Alternately, please clarify that the management of these services is to be included in the Base Services CLIN and the actual work will be recovered within the other pricing elements. Answer: The Price Model is being reviewed for accuracy, completeness, and consistency with changes made to the Draft RFP. A revised version will be posted with the Final RFP. Question 238: [Ref. PWS Section 14.1 pages 11-14] The Proposal Instructions are not clear about what section DRD MA-001 is evaluated under. Some elements of MA-001 are included under "MS-1: Technical Approach" and others under "MS-5: Program Management." Can the government please provide guidance on where the DRD will be evaluated? Answer: The RFP will be revised to move Risk Management Approach from DRD MA-001 (Mgmt. Plan) to IT-007 (COOP) and to delete Technology Infusion/Transformation Approach from MA-001. Question 239: Software ownership is unclear. Can NASA provide details around exactly what software it will provide and what software it expects the contractor to provide and include the costs for in its pricing? Answer: The Government has the right to use the current ODIN-provided software, and that right to use will continue for the ACES contract period. Maintenance and Software Assurance for all ACES Support Level 1 software on all ACES Computing seats that have Standard Load selected is the Contractor's responsibility. The ACES Contractor shall be fully responsible for providing any software necessary for the Base services. All software purchased from the APC becomes Government owned and any associated software maintenance must be purchased by the Government. Question 240: [Ref. Att. 1, PWS, Section 2.7.1, NASA NEDC, page 13] Does the ACES Contractor have input on where the NCAD and NOMAD servers will be located? Without input into that decision, it may be difficult to staff and price those administration costs. Answer: The NCAD and NOMAD servers will be housed by the NEDC. The NEDC contract calls for these servers to be taken over in place. Any relocation will be done through a process proposed by the NEDC Contractor and accepted by the Government. Work required by the ACES Contractor to support any such relocation will be handled through an Infrastructure Upgrade Proposal (IUP). Question 241: [Ref. ACES Q&A #92; Att. 2, DRDs, DRD IT-001] Is it NASA’s intention for the IT Security Plan to be more of a security management strategy document that addresses how the contractor will complete the SSP, Risk Assessment, Self Assessment and Contingency Plan; or, is it NASA’s intention for the contractor to complete a representative SSP, Risk Assessment, Self Assessment and Contingency Plan? Answer: The IT Security Plan to be included with the proposal is to be a security management strategy document. Actual IT system security plans (SSP) and supporting documentation for systems within the ACES scope are the responsibility of the ACES Contractor to develop and/or maintain during contract administration and are not to be included with the proposal. Question 242: [Ref. ACES Q&A #92; Att. 2, DRDs] The DRDs required to be delivered with the ACES proposal; MA-001 Management Plan, MA-003 Phase-In Plan, SA-001 Safety and Health Plan, IT-001 IT Security Plan, and IT-009 Completed Hardware Configuration Templates have specific content requirements that would exceed the available page count allowed for the Mission Suitability Volume, even with the increase to 225 pages. Please clarify that either :the DRDs referenced are NOT required to be delivered with the proposal and only summaries defined by the Section III Instructions are wanted, or that the full DRDs are to be delivered, but fall outside of the 225 page Mission Suitability limit. Answer: The RFP will be revised to clarify that the deliverables produced for DRDs MA-001 Management Plan, MA-003 Phase-In Plan, SA-001 Safety and Health Plan, IT-001 IT Security Plan, and DRD IT-009 Completed Hardware Configuration Templates are to be included in the Mission Suitability volume page limit. The RFP will also be revised to increase the Mission Suitability volume page limit to 250 pages. Question 243: [Ref. Att. 1, Draft PWS 1.3 Measures of Success, para. f, page 8] Is it possible to determine or better define specific Agency metrics or similar expectations (with regard to IT Security incidents? Also, near zero POAM items - is dependent on a number of variables, some of which are subjective at best in a risk-managed IT environment. Answer: The IT Security metric associated with Plan of Actions & Milestones (POA&Ms) will be revised to "On-time Completion rate of C&A POA&Ms." The remainder will remain unchanged. Question 244: [Ref. Att. 1, PWS, Section 5.2.1.3.4, Text Messaging, page 50] Given that text messaging is typically an added cost from the service carrier, the Contractor still needs either a) historic text message statistics or b) a not-to-exceed number of text messages per year. Or does NASA acquire unlimited text messaging? Answer: The RFP will be revised to require unlimited text messaging on all Mobile Computing seats (i.e., cell phones and PDAs with voice). Question 245: [Ref. Att. 1, PWS, Section 3.3, ACES APC Services, page 19] Products are ordered through the ACES Product Catalog but approvals must be approved through the ESD. Please provide an integrated process flow. Answer: The process flow is not yet defined. The APC is to be accessible from the Enterprise Service Request System (ESRS) public interface website. Question 246: [Ref. Section III Instructions to Offerors, Section 13.0, Options for ODIN Incumbent Owned Assets, (d 6), page III-8] Given transition costs and refresh costs for equipment nearing end-of-life under Option C, we recommend that the Contractor be allowed to selectively identify those ODIN assets to be assumed. Answer: Section III, 13.0 (d) Option C - Existing ODIN assets furnished by the Government as GFE has been modified to add: "This option must be applied to all equipment that has a non-zero ATV." Question 247: [Section I, Att. 1, Addendum IV] For the Tablet category, an IEEE1394 port is required. This is not available on all tablet products in the industry. Would NASA consider removing this requirement or making it an optional upgrade? Answer: No. NASA-STD-2805L states, "The waiver process set forth in NPR 2800.1, paragraph 2.2.4, applies to this standard. The desktop standards group, in cooperation with the Chief Technical Officer, will continue to process waivers on behalf of the Principal Center for Workgroup Hardware and Software." The Contractor will have the option to request a waiver from the requirements outlined in NASA-STD-2805x. Question 248: [Ref. Section I - Para. 2.8 - Retainage Pool and Performance Metrics] To create a more fair financial structure for review and analysis of performance metrics, will the Government adjust the final RFP to lower the overall performance metric % from 15% to 5%, and change the approach from a retainage method, to a method that allows the Contractor to invoice full monthly CLIN charges that would be subject to the SLA performance review and reconciliation at the end of the performance period? Should the actual performance against the metrics not meet the required levels, a credit for the pro-rated amount would be issued on the next Contractor invoice. Also, provided that retainage approach is eliminated and changed as noted above, to reduce the administrative process of the monthly MRP metrics reviews, will the Government adjust the reconciliation of the MRP group of metrics from monthly to every six months to coincide with the PRP and SBP metric reviews? Answer: This section has been rewritten. The overall retainage pool base amount will be reduced from 15% to 13%. The method of payment has been modified so that the invoiced amount is paid in full on a monthly basis and then any retained dollars will be credited on the next monthly invoice after a determination of a retainage pool (MRP, PRP, or SBUP) is made. Question 249: Would the government consider a proposal on a co-prime basis, with, for example, one company responsible for providing all required services and the other for providing the products? Answer: No. An Offeror’s proposal must cover all the requirements as specified in the RFP. Question 250: [Att. 14, Phase-In Schedule, Section: Phase-In Plan, page 1] In Griffey’s Industry Days presentation, entitled 4 Ken Griffey ESD, slide 18 indicates the go-live date for ESD is 05/01/2010. This date is after the first Phase-In start date for ACES. In order to ensure full integration into the ESD tools and processes as well as to ensure end-user calls are appropriately handled and routed, we believe the ESD go-live date should be slightly ahead of or at least aligned with the ACES Phase-In start date. Answer: The ESD go live date will be by the ACES contract award date to enable interfaces with ESD and ESRS. EAST Question 1: I can’t seem to find the "Appendix J-1A, Cross Functional Requirements" or "Attachment J-6, Application Point Requirements" referenced in the Attachment J-1Performance Work Statement (PWS). Can you tell me where I can find these? Answer 1: Appendix J-1A, Cross Functional Requirements and Attachment J-6, Application Point Requirements have not yet been published for EAST. These documents will be available in the Draft RFP. The I3P Cross Functional Requirements, however, have been published as part of the NICS Draft RFP as Append A to J-1 I3P Transformation. This is the same document that will be used for EAST and can therefore already be referenced. Question 2: Is it required that our Company have Security Clearance for this RFP? Answer 2: No. This will be defined in the EAST RFP. Question 3: During the Industry Day presentations, we have not heard anything about going Green or Greener IT for NASA. What are your plans to move toward these goal, as we see this to be a big initiative to most of the federal agencies? Answer 3: While the I3P vision focuses on achieving cost and performance efficiencies, it does not specifically call out Green initiatives. Question 4: Several questions were asked pertaining to the date of the EAST NEACC site visit and registration logistics. Answer 4: The site visit is scheduled for May 20 and details can be found on the I3P website, along with a registration link. The registration cut-off date is May 13. Question 5: RFP G.4. (a) (2). What are the responsibilities of the contractor in respect to facilities described in Section J, Attachment 14 as it relates to G.4. (a) (1-4)? Answer 5: I do not believe that this question pertains to EAST. Clause G.4 does not have a subparagraph (2) and Attachment J 14 is currently marked “Reserved” in the EAST DRFP. Question 6: Document Name: 135201-DRAFT-001-034.pdf Section Number: L.19a, Table L-19.1 Page Number: L-14: The first item in the table, "Volume I - Mission Suitability Factor/Key Personnel Resumes", shows a volume proposal page limit of "Not-to-Exceed 250 pages (firm)" in the second column, but then shows a "Specific Page Guidelines Within the 225 Page Limit" in the third column. Is the total page count for this volume 250 pages or 225 pages? Answer 6: The correct Page Guidelines should be “250 Page Limit”. This will be corrected in the Final RFP. Question 7: Document Name: 135201-DRAFT-001-034.pdf Section Number: L.25, L.27 Page Number: L-20 & L-21: Section L.25 shows a due date of 08/01/09 for proposal volumes I, II, and IV, but section L.27 shows a due date of July 30th. Could the Government please correct and confirm these due dates? Answer 7: The currentI3P schedule for receipt of proposal is 08/01/2009. This incorrect date will be corrected in the Final RFP at provision Section L.27. Question 8: Where is the SOC physically located? Answer: The Security Operations Center (SOC) is located at Ames Research Center (ARC), Moffett Field, CA. Question 9: Are current ACAs available for public viewing? Answer[Updated 8-13-09]: Current ACAs are not available for public viewing; however, the final EAST RFP will contain ACA requirements. Question 10: Can you identify which I3P acquisitions will include Maximo upgrades and/or Maximo integration work? Answer: None. Maximo is not currently an Agency-wide Enterprise application and does not fall within EAST scope or the scope of the other I3P acquisitions. Question 11: NASA has been very clear in the DRFP and Industry Day presentations to emphasize the importance of compliance with NPR-7120.7 "NASA Information Technology and Institutional Infrastructure Program and Project Management." Presentations provided by NASA at the NEACC Facility Site visit on 5/20/09 emphasized Scrum methods for the EAST procurement. Can you please, clarify NASA's perspective on the relationship of NPR 7120.7 and Scrum? Specifically, has NPR-7120.7 been amended to support Scrum? Answer: NPR 7120.7 supports the use of iterative, Agile project management frameworks. Reference Section 2.5.6.3, which reads: "The IT project life cycle shown in Figure 2-4 is illustrated like a "waterfall" methodology of system development. Individual projects may find that deliverables are better met by following a different methodology, such as iterative development or agile, that has incremental (as opposed to waterfall) characteristics. Projects may conduct their activities in accordance with non-waterfall methodologies. However, before doing so, they must present to the Governing Body, early in the formulation phase, the proposed methodology and come to agreement with the Governing Body concerning how the proposed methodology would map to the project oversight requirements of this document. Chapter 4 defines the requirements for IT projects assuming a waterfall methodology. However, the activities described in Chapter 4 will be tailored in the project plan if an iterative development methodology is used." Question 12: NPR 7120.7 is clearly a requirement in the I3P RFPs. For EAST, will Scrum also be a specific requirement against which proposals will be evaluated? Answer: A new subfactor element, TA7, will be added to the Technical Approach subfactor in Section L, of the Final RFP and will be evaluated according to the corresponding element in Section M. Question 13: "Factory is used to mean an environment that leverages fixed resources utilizing reliable, repeatable processes, best-practice competencies and techniques to manage an application portfolio in a highly efficient and high quality manner". Does NASA expect full contractor resources to be on-site in Huntsville or does it entertain a hybrid approach where NASA facing contractor resources are on-site and the rest of the resources are at an off-site (outside of Intergraph but with in the USA) and staffed with qualified resources? Answer: The Government is providing facility space and all services included in Attachment J-9 at the NEACC, which is anticipated to be sufficient for all personnel necessary to perform the EAST contract. RFP Section F.3 indicates that place of performance for the EAST contract is Huntsville, Alabama. RFP Section F.3 indicates that the Contractor may, with prior approval from the Contracting Officer, choose other locations to perform work associated with the EAST contract. The Government is open to models that utilize a combination of on-site and off-site resources. Such an approach needs to be addressed in the Offeror's proposal in Volume I under Mission Suitability, Sustaining Factory Operations Approach and in the Offeror's price proposal (Volume III). It is anticipated that the Final RFP will include some additional language relative to this topic. Question 14: NASA has made it clear during the Industry Day presentation that the Enterprise Service Desk (ESD) is the entity responsible for the integration. What are NASA's expectations for the contractors to perform the level of integration of their efforts across the 5 towers? Would the contractors work operational issues with each other, or use ESD as the communication link between them? Does the ESD tool have built in workflow capabilities to route the SRs to the appropriate contractors depending on the flow of work? Answer: J-1, Appendix A describes a basic set of standard processes that shall be used by all Contractors to facilitate integration across the 5 towers. Contractors are required to have Associate Contractor Agreements that describe the processes they will use to interact across their areas of responsibility. The expectation is that the contractors will work operational issues directly with each other; however, such activities will be coordinated through the ESD. The ESD and the Service Integration Manager (SIM) will support the cross-tower coordination of high profile incidents and outages. The ESD tool will have built in workflow capabilities to route SRs to appropriate contractors. Question 15: [Ref. NASA will provide an updated list of systems with the modules implemented.] Also include the interfaces whether internal or external (e.g., SAP to NSMS is internal vs. SAP to Treasury is external) and all systems where BW is used. Answer: In the EAST Background and Historical Reading Room, NASA has provided an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) Logical Integration Topology, as well as the Business Intelligence Accelerator - BIA Implementation. Additionally, NASA has provided an Overview of the Current NEACC Lines of Business as part of the NEACC Site Visit Presentation . Question 16: How does NASA consider performing SAP Enhancement Pack and other software version upgrades and patches? Will NASA use PWS 3.2 Enhancements or PWS 4.0 IDIQ? Answer: The Government will assign work to PWS 3.2 or PWS 4.0 based on three factors: Scope of work, Criticality of delivery, and Availability of funds. The Government may choose to assign to PWS 3.2 major enhancements to existing applications that can be handled within the bands established for PWS 3.2. The Government may wish to issue ID/IQ task orders under PWS 4.0 to address major application enhancement requirements that would be difficult to handle in a timely manner within the bounds of PWS 3.2, with the assumption that funds are available to support such task orders. An SAP Enhancement Pack or other software version upgrades or patches would be evaluated by the Government as described above and assigned to either PWS 3.2 Enhancements or PWS 4.0 ID/IQ. Question 17: [Reference the MSFC FOIA site.] The MSFC FOIA site has UNITeS mod through 173. Are there any contract modifications after 173 that relate to the EAST work? If yes, can the appropriate contract modifications be posted to this site? Also, will NASA provide copies of any task plans that relate to the work of the competency center? Answers: 1. The FOIA website is only updated when a Freedom of Information request is received. To view any additional UNITeS mods (past Mod 173), you will need to submit a FOIA request for this information. 2. The UNITeS contract does not require formal task plans; however, information relevant to NEACC tasks has been provided in Attachment L-B, Background and Historical and posted to the EAST Reading Room. Question 18: There is no reference to Orals in the Draft RFP. Are Orals anticipated? Answer: Information regarding possible Oral Presentations will be provided at a later date. Reference Section L, Provision L.4, FAR 52.215-1 (f) (4) for information on oral discussions. It is the Government's intent to evaluate and award without oral discussion, except for clarifications as described in FAR 15.305(a). Question 19: In order for the EAST contractor to meet the minimum work levels established for the defined work periods, the SLA values for availability related to the NICS and NEDC contracts must be met, otherwise EAST cannot function. What provisions are provided for the EAST contract should either of these support contracts not provide the required capabilities at the required levels, thereby preventing the EAST contractor from achieving the minimum points threshold for the periods? Will an average points generation per hour be allocated for all hours of lost work time and be added to the EAST contractors points for the period for purposes of billing and evaluation of performance? If not, how does NASA propose to handle situations where it does not provide the government provided services at the levels specified for the EAST contract, for the execution of the contract and reimbursement of the EAST contractor? Answer: In the event that it can clearly be demonstrated that failure to meet SLA values on either the NICS or NEDC contracts prevented the EAST contractor from meeting the minimum monthly application point threshold, then the Government will consider a request for an equitable adjustment for the impact that is directly attributable to not meeting SLA values on the NICS or NEDC contracts. Question 20: The “Maximum Monthly Price Deduction” of “60% of the Contractor’s price emphasis added” potentially affects a contractor’s cost as well as profit. FAR Part 15.404-4(a)(2) and (3) state that profit should be used as an efficient motivator and that “negotiations, aimed merely at reducing prices by reducing profit, without proper recognition of the function of profit, are not in the Government’s interest.” FAR 15.404-1 discusses the need to negotiate a fair and reasonable “price” which is made up of both cost and profit. Is it the Government’s intention to penalize the contractor below cost in performance of the EAST contract and if so, how does the Government reconcile this with the requirements of FAR 15.4? Answer: EAST will be a fixed price contract. The price of the contract should be based upon the Contractor's ability to perform at expected Service Levels. The Contractor's profit is dependent on the Contractor's ability to complete the work effectively and efficiently at the expected Service Levels. The Government has two types of Service Levels: Minimum and Expected. To lose the 60% total, the Contractor would have to miss all Minimum Service Levels in a given month. The FAR reference quoted in the Question is not directly relevant to the EAST Service Level framework. Question 21: Place of Performance, identifies Marshall Space Flight Center or a near site location. It does state at other such locations may be approved in writing by the Contracting Officer. Attachment J-2, DRD No.: 1293SA-001, Safety, Health, and Environmental (SHE) Plan and DRD No.: 1293SA-002, Mishap and Safety Statistics Reports, make numerous references to Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF). Are there any EAST resources required at MAF? Answer: MAF is only mentioned in DRD 1293SA-001 and 1293SA-002, because the DRDs are MSFC documents and MAF is a MSFC managed facility. However, it is anticipated that EAST resources will periodically perform ATOM-related tasks at each Center. Question 22: Paragraph (a) of Clause G.6 states that “the Government retains accountability for, and title to, the property” but then later says “under this clause, the Contractor retains accountability for all material and the Contractor assumes full responsibilities.” Please clarify. Answer: Please see FAR 45.101 for a definition of Government Property, Property and Material. Question 23: [Section I Clauses: Part 15 Procurement vs. Part 12 Procurement] The Government has included many Part 15 clauses in this draft procurement, and is establishing it as a procurement covered by the provisions of the Cost Accounting Standards. This vendor would like to request that the Government consider modifying the RFP to be a procurement for commercial items; i.e., Part 12. The type of services being solicited are the same as those which are provided by commercial companies to thousands of commercial customers on an ongoing basis and under similar (though not FAR) terms and conditions; however, the entities within organizations providing these services are driven by the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, (GAAP), not Cost Accounting Standards (CAS). If the Government were to modify the provisions of the solicitation to Part 12, it would enable the vendor to apply the processes and personnel of its commercial divisions - who are the experts in providing efficient, flexible responses to individual customer requirements; an example of which is the ability to provide "shared resources" which results in a cost savings to customers. Will the government consider removal of Part 15 clauses in lieu of Part 12; or at a minimum, the removal of the CAS-related clauses? Answer [Updated 8-10-09]: While the NEACC services are moving toward a more commercial environment with the EAST contract, both the transition from the current model to the factory model, as well as some unique application requirements, have led to a determination that a FAR Part 15 contract is in the best interest of the Government at this time. Work performed offsite (i.e., at a Contractor-provided facility) may be proposed as a commercial item in accordance with FAR Clause 52.244-6, Subcontracts for Commercial Items and in accordance with other terms and conditions in the Final RFP. Question 24: Attachment J-19 titled "Inventory or Hardware and Software Maintenance Agreements" does not list any hardware. The EAST_FFP_Excel_Pricing_Model Tab G, is for Software Licenses only. However, the Draft RFP makes reference to hardware in a number of instances. Specifically, Attachment J-1; No. 2.3.1 requires the EAST contractor to acquire hardware; No. 2.3.2 refers to Attachment J-19 with hardware in the title; No. 3.1.8 requires internal tracking of hardware; and No. 3.1.9 requires hardware maintenance. Does the EAST contractor have any responsibility to purchase, maintain or monitor any hardware or are these services to be provided by the associated contractors? If EAST doesn’t have this responsibility, how will the EAST contractor perform the disaster recovery function referenced in PWS 5.4.4? Answer: References to "hardware" will be removed from the Final RFP. The NEACC intends to utilize equipment provided by external providers, but it is an EAST contractor responsibility to define requirements, establish service relationships and execute disaster recovery functions at the application level as referenced in PWS 5.5.4. Question 25: Are all factory resources on site at the NEACC? If not, will NASA identify where additional factory resources will be located? Answer: The Government is providing facility space and all services included in Attachment J-9 at the NEACC, which is anticipated to be sufficient for all personnel necessary to perform the EAST contract. RFP Section F.3 indicates that place of performance for the EAST contract is Huntsville, Alabama. RFP Section F.3 indicates that the Contractor may, with prior approval from the Contracting Officer, choose other locations to perform work associated with the EAST contract. The Government is open to models that utilize a combination of on-site and off-site resources. Such an approach needs to be addressed in the Offeror's proposal in Volume I under Mission Suitability, Sustaining Factory Operations Approach and in the Offeror's price proposal (Volume III). It is anticipated that the Final RFP will include some additional language relative to this topic. Question 26: ["These resources shall include, but are not limited to, hardware, software, services, maintenance and licensing". "The Contractor shall provide software license maintenance and software license renewals for all licenses identified in Attachment J-19, Inventory of Hardware and Software Agreements."] SW Maintenance is identified in the FFP Pricing Model. Is Attachment J-19, Hardware and Software Maintenance Agreements a complete list of software for which the contractor shall provide software maintenance? In order to obtain accurate pricing for software maintenance renewals, please confirm that the information provided in Attachment L-B1, Background and Historical Resource Baseline is sufficient to determine the license quantities for each software listed in Attachment J-19 or provide additional information to allow for this. Answer: In the Final RFP Attachment J-19 will provide a complete list of all software agreements for which the EAST contractor is intended to provide maintenance. In order for Offerors to provide accurate pricing for the inventory found in Attachment J-19, a detailed description of the terms and conditions of each license/maintenance agreement will be provided on the EAST website no later than the release of the Final RFP. Offerors are encouraged to monitor the website for updates. Question 27: 1. How will existing Licensing and Maintenance agreements be transferred? 2. Is the expectation that multi-year agreements are negotiated as part of this Proposal? 3. If not, how are the costs for these agreements handled? 4. How are changes in providers handled? Answers: The Offeror's approach to providing maintenance and licensing agreements shall be clearly described in Volume I, Mission Suitability, Subfactor 2, TA1 and in Volume III, Price Proposal. It is anticipated that additional language will be added to the Final RFP on this topic. It is expected that any transfer of license agreements will be through a novation between the incumbent and successor during Phase-In and that agreements to cover the full extent of the EAST scope, to include option years, will be the responsibility of the successful Offeror. It is the Government's intent to provide copies of all existing License and Maintenance agreements including Terms & Conditions prior to release of the Final RFP. The maintenance agreement costs shall be included as part of your fixed price proposal. Question 28: Does NASA plan to provide a listing of services, materials, and supplies that will be provided by NASA? If not, will NASA provide additional source in order for the contractor to identify and cost these requirements? Answer: Reference Section G.6. Question 29: Is the contractor responsible for all testing (except acceptance testing)? If not, then what is NASA’s expectation of the contractor’s involvement in testing? Answer: Yes. The contractor is responsible for all testing; however, the Government will perform Testing Verification and Validation. See Question 34 for clarification of Testing Verification and Validation responsibilities. Question 30: Sections 3.1.14 and 3.1.15 state that the Government at any time can reassess the complexity factor category of any SR or enhancement. What is the dispute / resolution provision process? Answer: Further clarification will be added to Attachment J-6 of the Final RFP on the process for resolving differences of opinion on complexity factor categories. Question 31: What certifications are required by the COTS Provider? Answer: Clarification on required certification of COTS tools will be provided in Attachment J-11 of the Final RFP. Question 32: [Attachment L-B, Background and Historical Resource Baseline, PWS 3.2 Application Enhancement, Annual/Monthly Application Points, states that the Monthly Application Point for PWS 3.2 is 10,300, and the Monthly Application Point Upper Limit for PWS 3.2 is 11,000 points. Tab B of EAST_FFP_Excel_Pricing_Model_v1.xls, Application Point Band Pricing, Part A, states that the monthly Upper Limit is 6,800 points.] Which number should be used for the Upper Limit for pricing purposes? Additionally, if 6,800 points is the Upper Limit, what is the associated Monthly Application Points? Answer: NASA will ensure that the Application Points referenced in Attachment L-B1, Background and Historical Resource Baseline, PWS 3.2 Application Enhancement, Annual/Monthly Application Points and Tab B of EAST_FFP_Excel_Pricing_Model_v1.xls, Application Point Band Pricing, Part A are consistent in the Final RFP. Question 33: How much notice, if any, is required for the government to increase the capacity requirement, which is over the monthly Application Point upper limit? Answer: It is anticipated that additional clarifying language will be added to Attachment J-6 Application Point Requirements. It is the Government's expectation that the Contractor shall monitor capacity and identify the need to ARC and provide the Government with adequate notification prior to initiating an ARC. Question 34: Does the contractor perform/assist with acceptance testing? If yes, what is the NASA expectation for contractor involvement? If no, will the contractor ensue any liability in the event the testing was not conducted properly? Answer: The Contractor will not perform Acceptance Testing. Acceptance Testing will be renamed to "Testing Verification and Validation" in the Final RFP and is a Government retained authority. The Contractor may be required to assist Testing Verification and Validation by providing systems and/or data required to perform the verification and validation. The Contractor will still be required to meet all of their service levels regardless of the Government's involvement in Testing Verification and Validation. Question 35: How will NASA distinguish between a significant application enhancement and an IDIQ Task Order (major enhancement)? Answer: The Government will assign work to PWS 3.2 or PWS 4.0 based on three factors: Scope of work, Criticality of delivery, and Availability of funds. The Government may choose to assign to PWS 3.2 major enhancements to existing applications that can be handled within the bands established for PWS 3.2. The Government may wish to issue ID/IQ task orders under PWS 4.0 to address major application enhancement requirements that would be difficult to handle in a timely manner within the bounds of PWS 3.2, with the assumption that funds are available to support such task orders. The language in the Final RFP will be changed to be consistent. Question 36: What does NASA define as an enterprise application in regards to Section 4, IDIQ? Is this any new application developed by NEACC or transitioned into NEACC that is not listed in J-21? Answer: Any application that is not currently included in the NEACC Resource Baseline as defined in Attachment J-21 would be initially handled under PWS 4.0. This includes new applications and applications that are to be transitioned into the NEACC scope. Question 37: [Specific Reference: "ID/IQ APPLICATIONS IMPLEMENTATION TASK ORDERS"] Are the core team resources performing on PWS 3.0 also responsible for responding to the PWS 4.0 IDIQ task orders? Answer: The Government will evaluate the Contractor's staffing approach as described in Section M, Volume I, Mission Suitability, Subfactor 2, Technical Approach, TA1. The Government does not have any predefined expectations about how the Contractor will manage its resources across the various PWS elements. Question 38: What is NASAs rationale for not defining Business Readiness as a high level business function? Answer: Business Readiness will be added as a separate component under PWS 5.1, Factory Management in the Final RFP. Question 39: Is NASA planning to manage points allocation at the application level, Line of Business, or the Competency Center level by month? Answer: NASA is planning to manage Application Points associated with PWS 3.2 at the Competency Center level. In accordance with DRD no. 1293MA-007, the Contractor is required to track and report on the completion of Application Points at the Line of Business and application level. Question 40: [Link Referenced: http://ec.msfc.nasa.gov/apt/portal_acqDetails.php?acqNum2 Paragraph 5.1.3.2] The provided link is incomplete as it does not link directly to the NEACC Enterprise Release Management (ERM) process. Please provide a link directly to the referenced document. Answer: This link does not directly access any document, rather the documents can be found in the EAST Background & Historical Reading Room based on the document name referenced. Question 41: [J-1, Section 5.1.4.7] This section refers to a current NEACC Test Management and Requirements Management tools. Are these tools part of the inventory identified in Attachment J-19 and if yes, which tools are they? Answer: Refer to Attachment L-B, Background & Historical, pages L-B-67 and L-B-68 for a description of the current NEACC Test Management and Requirements Management tools. Attachment J-19 will be updated in the Final RFP. Additionally, as referenced in Attachment L-B1, Background & Historical Resource Baseline, LoB-Appl tab, page L-B1-12, the PLM LoB currently uses the Cradle product for test management and requirements management. Question 42: In the final RFP will NASA provide a list of items to be included under Configuration Management? If not, where would the offeror find those requirements in order to propose them correctly? Answer: No. It is not NASA's intent to provide a list of configurable items with the Final RFP. Offerors should refer to DRD 1293CF-003 and Section L, Subfactor TA3 Factory Management approach for instructions related to the Offeror's proposed Configuration Management Plan. Question 43: In the final RFP, will NASA provide a list of vendors the contractor is required to interface with in support of this requirement? If not, will NASA provide information in order for the offeror to access these vendors? Answer: The EAST contractor is required to interface with the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) vendors of the COTS applications listed in J-21 Resource Baseline. Question 44: Please provide the required existing "GOVERNMENT Coding Standards and Naming Conventions" information or a link to where this can be found. Answer: The existing Government SAP Coding Standards and Naming Conventions are located on the EAST website under the "Other Documents," under the "Background & Historical Reading Room," under "Other Supporting Documentation." The file names are: "NEACC ABAP Naming Standards NASA" and "NEACC SAP ABAP Development Standards." Additional coding standards will be posted to the website no later than the release of the Final RFP. Offerors are encouraged to monitor the website for updates. Question 45: Please provide the list of management software currently installed to provide Account Management functions for all EAST applications? Answer: A list of management software currently installed to provide account management functions within the NEACC is listed in Attachment L-B1, Background & Historical Resource Baseline, LOB-APPL tab, pgs. L-B1-8 thru 11. Question 46: Does NASA have standard software to provide this function or can the software be vendor selected? Answer: Yes. The software listed in Attachment L-B, Background & Historical and L-B1, Background & Historical Resource Baseline is NASA's standard software for account management functions and must be utilized by the successful offeror. Question 47: Please provide the list of monitoring and management software currently installed to monitor and manage all scheduled jobs throughout the entire NEACC landscape? Does NASA have a standard toolset or can these tools be vendor supplied? Administration/Support Systems and BMC Control M are stated as being used in Attachment L-B1. Answer: The predominant NEACC tool for managing and monitoring automated "jobs" is BMC Control M. The NEACC makes use of NetIQ AppManager and Security Manager in various ways for some monitoring. The NEACC uses the legacy tool "What's Up Gold" to provide ping monitoring at the system level. The SAP BASIS team utilizes SAP CCMS for SAP transaction monitoring as well. It should be noted that the Application Operations team makes extensive use of custom, application-specific scripts to monitor the health of application processes as well. The successful offeror is free to design, implement and operate monitoring solutions it deems necessary to meet service levels. Clarifying language will be added to the ATOM section of Attachment L-B, Background & Historical in the Final RFP. Question 48: Does the requirement 5.4.12, monitoring abnormal terminations, and 5.4.13, console operations, include the Development, Test and Production environments? Answer: Yes. EAST ATOM support personnel will be required, in some cases, to monitor the health of "non-production" (support) application and system processes. Clarifying language will be added to Attachment J-1 PWS, Section 5.4, in the Final RFP. Question 49: Please provide the list of monitoring and management software currently installed to monitor messages for abnormal terminations, and to perform console operations for applications including start, responding to message, monitoring message and stoppage? Does NASA have standard software for this function or can this software be vendor selected? “What’s Up Gold” is listed as a legacy application and host monitoring system in Attachment L-B1. Answer: The predominant NEACC tool for managing and monitoring automated "jobs" is BMC Control M. The NEACC makes use of NetIQ AppManager and Security Manager in various ways for some monitoring. The NEACC uses the legacy tool "What's Up Gold" to provide ping monitoring at the system level. The SAP BASIS team utilizes SAP CCMS for SAP transaction monitoring as well. It should be noted that the Application Operations team makes extensive use of custom, application-specific scripts to monitor the health of application processes as well. The successful offeror is free to design, implement and operate monitoring solutions it deems necessary to meet their service levels. Clarifying language will be added to the ATOM section of Attachment L-B, Background & Historical in the Final RFP. Question 50: Does the entire NEACC landscape referred to in Requirements 5.4.9, interfaces, and 5.4.10, scheduled jobs, include Development, test and Production Environments? Answer: Yes. The integrated landscape also includes "non-production" application instances. Clarifying language will be added to Attachment J-1 PWS, Section 5.4, in the Final RFP. Question 51: Please provide the list of management software currently installed to apply software updates and patches? Does NASA have standard software to provide this function or can the software be vendor selected? Answer: Patchlink is the only automated software update solution used by the NEACC. This is used to patch operating systems. The NEDC will be providing O/S management after I3P contract award. Therefore, NEACC will no longer need or use Patchlink. There are no other automated software patching tools in use. Clarifying language will be added to the ATOM section of Attachment L-B1, Background & Historical Resource Baseline in the Final RFP. Question 52: [Specific Reference: Resolution of SLA disputes] We do not see a process for resolving SLA disputes. Will the government create a process for this purpose? Answer: It is the Government's intent to add language to Attachment J-4A of the Final RFP to address this topic. Question 53: [Specific Reference: "Critical Application Availability" vs. "Support Application Availability"] Please provide a list of Applications that are classified as "Critical" vs. "Non-Critical." Also, please provide the criteria for categorizing an application as critical. Answer: The term "Critical Application" in this instance refers to Production systems. Support systems are all non-production instances of applications listed throughout the Attachment J-21, Resource Baseline, as well as all instances including production instances of applications listed under the Support systems LOB clarification. Refer to Attachment J-4C, Critical Service Level 2.1, Definitions. Question 54: [J-4A Service Level Method] This attachment only describes penalties and must include incentives, especially with a FFP contract where the contractor is already taking on all of the cost risk. Suggest adding incentives for exceeding the ESL and MSL that parallel the corresponding penalties with the same percentages. Answer: The EAST contract is a Firm Fixed Price contract and is structured to acquire the Government's expected requirements. Sufficient funds are not available to incentivize Contractor performance above the expected requirements stated in the contract. Penalties are included to ensure that expected requirements are met. Question 55: [2.8 Incident Service Level Failure Rate] Please explain how this section is different from 2.6 - Incident Resolution Time/2.7 Master Data On-Time Completion Rate? It seems that 2.6, 2.7 are measuring percentage of individual categories of incidents remain open, and 2.8 is measuring the total incidents remain open. It’s the same cause, but being measured twice in slightly different ways. The issue is that the contractor has to take price deduction twice for the same failures. Answer: 2.6 Incident Resolution Time and 2.7 Master Data On-Time Completion Rate measures are intended to achieve timely resolutions of incidents and Master Data within the specified service level target. The 2.8 Incident Service Level Failure Rate measure is to incentivize the contractor to manage the backlog of SRs, so that SRs that have missed their initial target do not continue to remain open. Question 56: [Specific Reference: 2.3 Application Security Compliance ; ESL 100%; MSL 99%] An ESL of 100% and a MSL of 99% for security compliance is not realistic based on this contractors experience. NASA, after performing a security vulnerability assessment, should allow a set time for closure of vulnerabilities (See App A-1-35 #5 where there is reference to a schedule). Typically after the contractor is provided a vulnerability report, the contractor will provide a Plan of Action to resolve the vulnerabilities based on severity. Once NASA and the contractor agree on the schedule/plan for closure of the vulnerabilities, would NASA consider measuring the contractor on their ability to resolve the vulnerability within the agreed to time frame documented in the scheduled Plan of Action? Answer: The Security Compliance measure will be updated in the Final RFP so that the metric is based on an agreed-to scheduled resolution date for each finding. Question 57: [Specific Reference: 2.3 Application Security Compliance; ESL 100%; MSL 99%] Since the NASA East applications include a large suite of COTS products, it is expected that security vulnerabilities will be reported against these vendor COTS products. The timeline to obtain vulnerability fixes, test them and then deploy them will not meet the ESL and MSL percentages and the contractor will always be in default. If a fix is immediately available, the contractor will make all attempts to obtain the fix, test them and deploy them as quickly as possible. We therefore request to add the following to Exclusion and Exceptions - "Exclude updates that were not delivered by contractor (COTS vendors)." Answer: Exclusion will be added to the Final RFP. Question 58: [2.6 Incident Resolution Time: Exceptions and Exclusions] If a service failure is caused by a third party vendor, but the contractor is the main service provider, the contractor should not be penalized with a price deduction. Request to add the following: "Excludes updates that were not delivered by the contractor (COTS vendors)". Answer: Updates will be made to the Final RFP in J-4C Service Level Surveillance Plan and J-17 NEACC Process Guidelines to incorporate these exclusions. Question 59: [2.6.1 Quality Measure 1: Severity 1 Resolution w/n 4 Hours; 2.6.2 Quality Measure 2: Severity 1 Resolution w/n 8 Hours] Please explain the definition of "resolved"? Can the PTR be considered resolved if the PTR is downgraded in severity? If yes, then does the clock reset for the downgraded PTR? What is the exit criteria for resolution. Answer: "Resolved" indicates that the incident reported on the Service Request (SR) has been closed by the ESD. The SR is not considered resolved if the severity is downgraded. The clock does not restart when the severity associated with the SR is downgraded; however, the service level target associated with the SR would be based on the revised severity level. The exit criteria is resolution of the SR; see above for definition of resolved. Question 60: For Sev 3 and Sev 4 issues, the hold time is not excluded from the resolution time. But, if there is a dependency that NASA can’t control, it could still impact the resolution time. Hence, we request that hold should still be listed as an exception. Answer: When an SR is placed on "Hold" the clock associated with the resolution of that SR is stopped. Therefore, the time that an SR is placed in a Hold status is not considered in calculating these measures. Question 61: [Specific Reference: 3.3 Timely Tracking of Application Point Burn Down] "Timely tracking means that Application Points are reflected as burned down as soon as possible after the work has been completed." Would NASA consider altering the phrase "as soon as possible," which is not measureable, to a more quantified statement, such as “within x hours of completion?” Answer: Clarification will be added to this section in the Final RFP. Question 62: ["Incident Closure – Complete CMDB (# of tickets audited / # of tickets with complete CMDB entries) * 100."] Is this formula reversed? It appears that the formula should be (# of tickets with complete CMDB entries / # of tickets audited). Answer: The formula will be corrected in the Final RFP. Question 63: Attachment J-4C provides the “OCIO Monitor Survey Questionnaire” which includes a Question on “contractor’s successful execution of Small Business utilization goals.” Since the “Technical Monitors” will be providing the response to the Questionnaire, please clarify how the Technical Monitors will be able to assess this specific Question in order to fairly evaluate the contractor? Answer: Clarification will be added to the Final RFP to describe how the Small Business utilization goals will be monitored in adherence to Forms 294 & 295, FAR 52.219-25. The Government will expect sufficient information from the Contractor on a monthly basis to gauge adherence to the Small Business utilization goals. Question 64: What is the basis for measuring application enhancement delivery dates based on number of SR versus the application points? Example: NASA shows on-schedule delivery ((# of completed Applications Enhancement Requests)/(# of Applications Enhancement requests delivery after their agree-to delivery date)) X 100% versus on-schedule delivery ((# of completed Application Enhancement Points)/(# of Application Enhancement Points delivery after their agree-to delivery date)) X 100% Answer: On Schedule Delivery is intended to insure that Application Enhancements requests are completed and delivered on their target delivery date. It is irrelevant how many points have been burned down if the request has not been completed by its target delivery date. Question 65: [Specific Reference: "2.8 Incident Service Level Failure Rate Incident Service Level Failure Rate ((# of open Incidents and Master Data Requests) / (# of open Incidents and Master Data Requests open past their target resolution date/time)) x 100%] For example, if 100 requests are open during a Measurement Window, and 10 of the requests have not been resolved within their original targeted resolution date/time, the Incident Backlog Rate is 10%." Formula seems to be reversed. Should the formula be ( (# of open Incidents and Master Data Requests open past their target resolution date/time) /(# of open Incidents and Master Data Requests) ) x 100%? Answer: Formula will be corrected in the Final RFP. Question 66: Specific Reference: "Definitions A 3.1 Incident is an Incident that is logged and worked as part of 3.1 Applications Maintenance. A direct link between a 3.1 Incident and an Applications Enhancement exists if the Incident was caused by any area or component associated with the Enhancement."] Please confirm that these Incidents are found in the enhancement code only. Also please confirm that if the enhancement code triggered a latent defect in the original system, it would not be classified as 3.1 incidents. This scenario is likely to happen when taking over maintenance of legacy systems. Answer: Clarification will be added to this section in the Final RFP. Question 67: [Reference Attachment J-4C, Section 4 Delivery Functions] The examples used in 4.1-4.5 yield a 90% score for each Resource Continuity KPI. Each is below both the ESL and MSL in ATT J4B. Also, both the current MSL and ESL criteria may be impossible to reach since there needs to be sufficient resources assigned to make the percentages reasonable. For example, if four FTEs are assigned to Information Assurance, then any resource that leaves the contract would result in a failure to meet the MSL and ESL percentages. This holds equally true for the other KPIs. Has NASA considered that the number of people assigned to the function would need to be large enough that even nominal yearly turnover still would permit the percentages to be met? [NOTE: Tab: N page L-A6-2, last row. Computer Operator III should be Computer Operator V.] Answer: The MSL and ESL associated with Attachment J-4C, Section 4 Delivery Functions will be reconsidered in the Final RFP. Tab N will be corrected in the final RFP. Question 68: Given Master Data and Job Requests consume significant capacity, why do these types get 0 complexity points? Answer: All Master Data and Job Requests must be completed as part of the PWS 3.1 Applications Maintenance Firm Fixed Price. Due to the high volume of these requests, the Government considers the overhead of assigning Application Points to these request types to be onerous and of little value. Data is provided in Attachment L-B1, Background & Historical Resource Baseline to assist the Offeror in forecasting the volume of these requests that can be anticipated across the NEACC Lines of Business. Question 69: What does NASA constitute as “objective evidence of the conversion of Application Points to working functionality (realized value) in a credible manner?” Answer: Objective evidence is visible, verifiable evidence of working functionality or an equivalent realized value as defined in the Contractor's Application Point Capacity Management Plan in accordance with DRD 1293MA-007. Question 70: [J-6, Section 1.3.3, pg. J-6-7] The terminology implies that NASA will measure ARCs and RRCs on a monthly basis and that the contractor should then invoice accordingly. Would NASA consider measuring the earned Application Points over a six month time frame, and then making adjustments accordingly? This technique will avoid monthly outliers and smooth the curve for calculating the average number of Application Points per month actually incurred during the six month period. The contractor would then make any necessary adjustments to the next invoice to account for any ARCs or RRCs based on the average. Answer: Government will give consideration to this recommendation. Question 71: Attachment J-19 invokes FAR Part 39.2, the Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) Accessibility, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. However, the SOW is silent regarding Section 508. In order for any offeror to develop and cost a technical approach that is responsive to the Section 508 requirements, we respectfully requests that we be advised of NASA’s requirements strategy for compliance as provided for under the Rehabilitation Act (29 USC § 794d) and FAR Final Rule (48 CFR Parts 2, 7, 10, 11, 12, and 39), as outlined on the government’s Web site (www.section508.gov), consisting of: i) Listing of applicable Accessibility Standards specific to the contracted effort: ii) selection of assistive technologies to be used in the technical effort, based upon the requiring activity’s market research or agency guidance: and iii) Listing of legacy conditions or interoperability requirements (if applicable) that may affect our ability to meet the Accessibility Standards selected as applicable. Answer: Clarification around requirements related to Section 508 will be added to Attachment J-1, PWS 5.3 of the Final RFP. Question 72: Attachment J-19 provides a listing of "Inventory or Hardware and Software Maintenance Agreements. Are the vendors that are defined in J-19 directed vendors? If not, may the offeror pursue its own vendor of these items? If so, will NASA provide access to the existing agreements for these vendors? Answer: No; the vendors identified in J-19 are not directed vendors. Yes; the EAST offeror is free to pursue their own vendor agreements, but the offeror should pursue the arrangements within the context of the current agreements. Yes; NASA will provide access to the existing agreements for these vendors. Clarification will be provided in the Final RFP. Question 73: [Specific Reference: Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) - w/Insight] How does the introduction of Application Points affect the implementation of EVM with wInsight? Answer: Application Points are a mechanism used by NEACC Management and the EAST Contractor to manage the output of the NEACC factory and monitor EAST Contractor performance levels. Application Points are unrelated to the EVM implementation with wInsight. Question 74: [Section L, pg. L-31, Sample ID/IQ Task Order Description] It states “The Government requires that the Offeror perform a Solution Assessment with thirty (30) days.” Does this mean start or complete within 30 days, or that the Solution Assessment can only take 30 days? Answer: The Solution Assessment must be completed within 30 days. The Final RFP will be updated accordingly. Question 75: The only reference to web work is in L.30, Subfactor Technical Approach, TA6 Maintenance and Optimization of Key Platforms Approach. Attachment J-1, Draft PWS Section 5 does not define any web site work. However, the EAST_FFP_Excel_Pricing_Model_V1.xls asks for Labor Rates bid for PWS 5.0 Line of Business - Internal Facing Web. Will NASA clearly define what "Internal Facing Web” work will be required? Answer: The Web Application work referred to in L.30, Subfactor Technical Approach, TA6 Maintenance and Optimization of Key Platforms Approach, refers to the Web Application platforms described in L-B, Background & Historical, Section 5.3.3. The pricing models will be updated for the Final RFP. Question 76: [Specific Reference: a) Submission of certified cost or pricing data is not required. (b) Provide information as described below in the Price Proposal Volume Instruction per Provision L.31] Although this section states that certified cost or pricing data is not required, the Price Proposal Volume and associated Pricing templates require cost and pricing detail that is essentially equivalent. FAR 15.403-3(b) states that "when adequate price competition exists...generally no additional information is necessary to determine the reasonableness of price...." Would NASA consider removing the requirement to provide this cost and pricing detail, but instead instruct the contractor to provide alternative information to substantiate the reasonableness of its resource strategy supporting its Fixed Price Bid? Answer: Submission of certified cost or pricing data is not required. However, the Government requires pricing information to ensure 1) the Offeror's understanding of the EAST requirements, 2) the adequacy of the Offeror's compensation plan relative to the ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, and 3) the Government's understanding of the Offeror's rates that will be utilized in performing ID/IQ tasks. Question 77: Paragraph L.31.E, Section 2-7 requires the offeror to assume 150 Government directed trips per year for proposal purposes. Given that this is a FFP proposal, please provide additional detail regarding the distribution of trips between probable locations. Answer: Government will consider providing additional information in the Final RFP. Question 78: Section L of the solicitation requires submission of detailed pricing and basis of estimate (BOE) data for EAST. FAR Part 15.305(a)(1) clearly states that “when contracting on a firm-fixed-price basis, comparison of the proposed prices will usually satisfy the requirement to perform a price analysis, and a cost analysis need not be performed.” FAR 15.305(a)(1) further indicates that cost and pricing data shall be obtained on a limited basis and specifically references FAR 15.403-(c)(1)(i)(B) as to when it may be appropriate to perform a cost analysis. Please clarify why NASA is requiring such detailed cost and pricing and basis of estimate data as it pertains to FAR 15.305(a)(1) and 15.406(c)(1)(i)(B). Answer: Submission of certified cost or pricing data is not required. However, the Government requires pricing information to ensure 1) the Offeror's understanding of the EAST requirements, 2) the adequacy of the Offeror's compensation plan relative to the ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, and 3) the Government's understanding of the Offeror's rates that will be utilized in performing ID/IQ tasks. Question 79: Tab G of the Excel Pricing Model (EPM) requires the offeror to price the COTS software. Is it correct to assume that the software to be specifically priced is in Attachment J-19. In order for any offeror to be able to provide accurate software maintenance cost, the following additional information is required: 1) contract or existing license number and 2) maintenance term for support. Answer: In the Final RFP Attachment J-19 will provide a complete list of all software agreements for which the EAST contractor is intended to provide maintenance. In order for Offerors to provide accurate pricing for the inventory found in Attachment J-19, a detailed description of the terms and conditions of each license/maintenance agreement will be provided on the EAST website no later than the release of the Final RFP. Offerors are encouraged to monitor the website for updates. Question 80: Tab I of the Excel Pricing Model (EPM) requires the offeror to indicate the G&A ceiling by contract year. Why is NASA requiring the Offeror to establish a G&A ceiling by contract year on a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract? Answer: Section L, Tab I instructions will be revised to remove the reference to G&A ceiling by year. Question 81: Is the assumption correct that the PWS Section numbers in the top row of the table will be specifically limited to the second level, i.e., “X.X” implies 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, etc. and not to the third level (2.1.1, 2.1.2, etc.)? Answer: In reference to Table L.32-2 the Offerors will only be required to match Past Performance at the second level of the PWS. Question 82: Regarding Pricing Templates, Section L.6 identifies that Cost & Pricing Data is not required; however, the data which is being requested in the Pricing templates is equivalent to Cost & Pricing Data in its level of information and detail. FAR 15.403-3(b) identifies specifically that "when adequate price competition exists...generally no additional information is necessary to determine the reasonableness of price...." It is clear that the Government is seeking competition for this procurement. Should the Government require further information which will provide data that can make the Government comfortable that staffing levels are appropriate to the scope of work, this vendor suggests that the BOEs being solicited will satisfy that requirement. Will the Government please consider deleting these templates and permit the offerors to provide their Fixed Price bids in another format and without this level of cost breakdown/detail? Answer: Submission of certified cost or pricing data is not required. However, the Government requires pricing information to ensure 1) the Offeror's understanding of the EAST requirements, 2) the adequacy of the Offeror's compensation plan relative to the ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, and 3) the Government's understanding of the Offeror's rates that will be used in performing ID/IQ tasks. Question 83: Maintenance and Optimization of Key Platforms Approach requires the contractors approach for "User Facing Web Infrastructure platforms going forward." How is the EAST contractor going to maintain or optimize these platforms if the hardware is being maintained by an associated contractor? Answer: Refer to Attachment L-B, Background & Historical, Section 5.4 for a definition of "Platforms" as used within the EAST RFP. The User Facing Web Infrastructure platforms referenced in Section L, Subfactor 2, TA6, include those tools, technologies, and platforms described in Attachment L-B, Background & Historical, Section 5.3.1. Question 84: Per Index, tab should read "Labor Category Definitions", but instead Tab M reads" Materials Cost". Answer: The Excel Pricing Model index is incorrect and will be corrected in the Final RFP. Question 85: [Reference pricing model on EAST web site: EAST_FFP_Excel_Pricing_Model_V1.xls. The EAST_FFP_Excel_Pricing_Model index worksheet, Line 16, Tab M: Labor Category Definitions.] The title and description do not match what is requested in Tab M. Tab M is the Material by WBS Cost Summary Template. Answer: The Excel Pricing Model index is incorrect and will be corrected in the Final RFP. Question 86: [Reference pricing model on EAST web site: EAST_FFP_Excel_Pricing_Model_V1.xls and the EAST_IDIQ_Excel_Pricing_Model_V1.xls.] Both files make reference to Computer Operators I, II, III, IV, and V. Given that the NEDC contractor will take over the hardware operations, will these labor categories likely be required? Answer: These labor categories are being reviewed and may be removed in the Final RFP. Question 87: [Assumption: 20 WYEs removed from original EAST Technical Operations Resource Baseline to NEDC.] Does the 67.6 WYEs under the Application Technical Operations already account for the removal of the 20 WYE’s? Answer: The 67.6 WYE number reflects the removal of the 20 WYEs from the current NEACC Technical Operations staff to reflect the transition of those responsibilities to the NEDC. Question 88: Traditionally, the NEACC fielded and managed a large part of the infrastructure internally, with the exception being the NASA data center to provide facility “housing” and NISN to provision data center network and wide area network services. When are the other I3P towers, NICS, NEDC and ACES, scheduled to be brought online? Answer: The date of Full Contract Assumption is currently closely aligned across all the contracts. As the official dates have not yet been announced, we suggest that you monitor the Consolidated Acquisition Schedule that is published on this website. Question 89: SharePoint® 2003: This application was implemented as part of the MSFC NDC service catalog. This application is slated to become absorbed into the Agency SharePoint 2007 implementation. Is the EAST contractor to perform the SharePoint 2007 implementation? Answer: The Internal Portal & Collaboration Line of Business is part of EAST scope. However, at the current time, NASA is still formulating its technology roadmap with respect to collaboration tools and approaches. No decision has been made in terms of when or if the EAST Contractor will perform a SharePoint 2007 implementation. This decision is expected to occur after EAST contract start-up, and the work would be managed under an ID/IQ mechanism as part of PWS 4.0. Be reminded that the EAST contractor will be responsible for managing the existing SharePoint 2003 application until it is replaced as noted in the L-B, Background & Historical, Section 3.3.10 and L-B1, Background & Historical Resource Baseline, LOB-APPL tab, pgs. L-B1-14 & 15. Question 90: [Reference - Attachment L-B1 Background and Historical Resource Baseline pages L-B1-2 through L-B1-16 categorize the “roughness of the documentation.”] Will these documents be made available on the EAST web site? Answer: The application-specific documentation will not be made available on the EAST website. These documents will be made available to the Contractor during the Phase-In period. Question 91: [Reference Attachment L-B1, Background and Historical Resource Baseline] The Resource Baseline shows 7.2 WYEs in Transitional NASA Data Center (NDC) Services. What will these EAST contractor staff be doing in the new EAST contract after the NEDC contractor “walks-in-and-takes-over”? Answer: Refer to Attachment L-B, Background & Historical, Section 3.2.10, pgs. L-B-56 through 57. Additional clarifying language will be added to this section in the Final RFP. Question 92: [Reference Attachment L-B1, Background and Historical Resource Baseline] A significant risk for the contractor under the requested FFP approach is not adequately pricing the requested work. This risk usually translates into a higher price being bid for the contract. Request NASA provide the FY08 cost associated with the NEACC Lines of Business by the WYE By Support Area? Also can NASA show the Government Standard Labor Category distribution by NEACC Lines of Business by the WYE By Support Area? Answer: The Government is analyzing this request and may provide additional information in the Final RFP. However, the Government does not consider this information essential to prepare a fixed price proposal. The Government considers the other Background & Historical information, as well as the other information contained in the RFP, to be more pertinent in preparing a fixed price proposal. Question 93: [Reference Attachment L-B1, tables in pages L-B1-18 through L-B1-24] They do not contain any information on the EACC Support Systems Service Requests. Will these data be provided in the final RFP? Answer: Please reference Attachment L-B1, Background and Historical Resource Baseline, NEACC Support Systems SR Data tab, page L-B1-27, for this information. Question 94: [Reference Attachment L-B1, tables in pages L-B1-18 through L-B1-24] To assist in refining the staffing profiles, will NASA provide the average number of hours and the range spent to complete low, medium, and high complexity service requests for the data in the Discrepancy / Break Fix, Master Data Job Request, Change Request/Discrepancy, NASA Policy, Regulatory, Performance /Design, User Enhancement, and IDIQ Project /Activity SRs columns? Answer: No. The Government does not routinely track the average number of hours spent to complete low, medium, and high complexity service requests. Furthermore each individual Offeror may apply different approaches and skill levels to performing the work, which could result in differing levels of efficiency. Question 95: [Reference Attachment L-B1, page 25] If the 288.2 Work Year Equivalent historical data is representative of the first year of the EAST contract, does this data represents the work identified in the EAST contract WBS 1.0-5.0? That is, do the 288.2 WYE include the work that will be performed as part of WBS 4.0 (ID/IQ portion)? Answer: The 288.2 WYE represent a historical view of the level of effort for NEACC operations (PWS 3.0) in FY-08. The WYE does NOT include any ID/IQ (PWS 4.0) effort. Question 96: Will data for the Internal Portal & Collaboration be provided in the final RFP? Since the pricing model requests pricing be provided for the Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) and EACC Support Systems, will the WYE data be re-factored to show the WYE by Support Area rather than the statement that “WYE are currently spread across the other lines of business”? Answer: No data will be provided in the Final RFP for Internal Portal & Collaboration because this LOB is not in the initial scope of the EAST contract and does not need to be priced. WYEs are not currently tracked separately for ESB and NEACC support system LOB. Question 97: How were application point totals for Low, Medium, and High SR types derived? Point totals do not appear to be based on 5 (low), 25 (Medium), and 125 (High). Answer: Application Points and the associated complexity factors are based on the historical SR data provided in the Resource Baseline (reference Attachment L-B1, Background & Historical Resource Baseline, LoB SR Data tab, pp. L-B1-18 through L-B1-24 and NEACC Support Systems SR Data tab, p. L-B1-27). The Application Point complexity factors and the distribution, as well as Application Point totals, will be revised in the Final RFP. Question 98: How are points rebaselined as NEACC applications are added, removed or significantly enhanced? Answer: The Government anticipates that a new application will be implemented under an ID/IQ. Once a new application becomes operational and is moved to the baseline it will be negotiated as a contract change. Removal of an existing application from the baseline will be negotiated as a deductive contract change. Major enhancements that are performed as part of the baseline under PWS 3.2 are not expected to result in a change to the baseline. Major enhancements that are performed as a task order under PWS 4.0 / ID/IQ will be assessed on a case by case basis to determine the need for a rebaselining as a contract change. Question 99: Does the average time to complete the application enhancement SRs is the same time necessary to complete Discrepancy /Break Fix SRs since they use the same application point conversion complexity factors? Answer: The Government's assumption in creating the Application Point Complexity Conversion factors is that approximately the same time is required to complete PWS 3.1 service requests and PWS 3.2 service requests of the same complexity factor. Question 100: Attachment L-B1 has an extensive list of EAST Servers. Is it correct that the support and maintenance of these servers will be performed by the NEDC contractor? If not, who will perform the support and maintenance for these servers? Answer: Yes. Reference Attachment L-B, Background & Historical, Section 5.4. Question 101: [L-C Forms] This chart is requiring that the vendor disclose salary information for all Key Personnel. This vendor suggests that such sensitive information is not required by the Government. Vendors bear the responsibility of adequately compensating its employees, and the Government is otherwise getting information about the vendors Compensation Plan elsewhere in the proposal response. Will the Government please consider deleting this requirement from Attachment L-3 (should be L-C) for the reasons identified above? Answer: Key Personnel salary information will be removed from the Final RFP. Question 102: [ATT C, Contracts Transitioning into the EAST Contract] This table identifies UNITeS PWS 3.0 NEACC Lines of Business that are transitioning to EAST. Will NASA provide specific UNITeS contract modifications and paragraph numbers that describe the work requirements being transitioned to EAST? Answer: The purpose of this table is to provide a high level mapping of the NEACC LOBs to the current UNITeS PWS. As part of the EAST acquisition process, the Government does not plan to provide additional detail on specific UNITeS contract modifications and paragraph numbers that describe the work requirements being transitioned to EAST. The Government believes that the detail required to understand the requirements being transitioned to EAST are available in Attachment L-B, Background and Historical and in Attachment L-B1, Background and Historical Resource Baseline. Offerors should note that Internal Portal & Collaboration is not part of the current NEACC LOBs and is therefore not included in the UNITeS PWS. Question 103: [ATT C, Contracts Transitioning into the EAST Contract] This table does not refer to the current NASA web contract. Is it correct to assume none of the work in the current NASA web contract is part of the EAST requirements? Answer: Refer to L-B, Background & Historical, Section 3.2.9, pg. 55, the Government may add additional clarification in the Final RFP. Question 104: Our company is a global company of over 60 billion with quals working with space centers around the world, to bring the best of the best to NASA for this proposal we would bring in some of our top talent from all over the world. One thing we could do if it is ok is to use our delivery centers in the US for the technical work and the onsite functional people be US citizens if this acceptable. Using this model would not only bring the best of the best but also greatly reduce cost. Is this possible? Answer: The Government is providing facility space and all services included in Attachment J-9 at the NEACC, which is anticipated to be sufficient for all personnel necessary to perform the EAST contract. RFP Section F.3 indicates that place of performance for the EAST contract is Huntsville, Alabama. RFP Section F.3 indicates that the Contractor may, with prior approval from the Contracting Officer, choose other locations to perform work associated with the EAST contract. The Government is open to models that utilize a combination of on-site and off-site resources. Such an approach needs to be addressed in the Offeror's proposal in Volume I under Mission Suitability, Sustaining Factory Operations Approach and in the Offeror's price proposal (Volume III). It is anticipated that the Final RFP will include some additional language relative to this topic. Question 105: Reference the NASA Enterprise Applications Competency Center (NEACC) Site Visit for Enterprise Applications Service Technologies (EAST) briefing. The priceable units consumed by the NEACC are the Operating System Instances and the Terabytes of Storage by Tier. Since these are not specifically identified in the Pricing models, it appears that NASA will pay for these items. Is this correct? If not, then where are these prices included in the pricing models? Answer: Yes, NASA will pay for these items. Question 106: NASA encourages the prime contractor to flow down the small business requirements to 1st tier large business subcontractors. Will the prime contractor receive small business credit towards its small business goals for a second tier small business sub of a large business subcontractor? Answer: Prime contractors who are large businesses are not allowed to count Small Business subcontractors under the first tier large business subcontractors. Question 107: Can you please provide me a list of the Contractors that have shown an intent/interest in bidding on the RFP as PRIME Contractor(s). Answer: Reference EAST website and "Interested Parties List" document under the "Other Documents" section. Question 108: Will NASA provide the ESRS Interface Requirements Definition document to bidders prior to contract award? Answer: It is NASA's intent to provide the ESRS Interface Requirements Definition documentation to Offerors prior to contract award. NEDC Question 1: The posted draft RFP files for NEDC do not include sections L & M. When will these sections of the draft RFP be available? Answer 1: Please continue to monitor the I3P website and the NAIS website for posting of L&M. Question 2: There are 3 documents in the NEDC DRFP zip folder we cannot open. We thought it was just a word and/or excel version problem, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. The files we are having issues opening are as follows: 134503-DRAFT-001-007.doc 134503-DRAFT-001-008.doc 134503-DRAFT-001-015.xls Answer 2: The files identified in the question above are readable in Microsoft Office 2007. NASA anticipates that when the final RFP is released all documents will be in Microsoft Office 2007 format. In addition proposals shall be required to be submitted in Microsoft Office 2007 format and in Adobe PDF version 9. Question 3: Which locations represent the greatest concentration of data centers that will remain intact or expand? Are there locations where data centers will be eliminated or added? Answer 3: Offerors are expected to propose their best technical solution at the most competitive price. Refer to the Performance Work Statement (PWS) attachment J-1. It is anticipated that as new technical requirements are added to the NEDC contract, the contractor shall operate the “as-is” data center environment at the associated NASA facilities prior to transformation to a “to-be” environment. If appropriate, the “to-be” architecture may include moving some or all applications to an off-site data center facility. Question 4: Paragraph 2.17, IT Security, states "The Contractor shall comply with all requirements of Section 6.0 of the CF-PWS." I cannot find the referenced CF-PWS in the document library. Can you assist? Answer 4: The CF-PWS is posted on the NASA Acquisition Internet Services (NAIS) website with the NEDC files “J3 NEDC I3P PWS DRFP” in the description column. Question 5: Which sites should we visit if we are interested in the NASA Enterprise Data Center solicitation? Answer 5: Offerors are encouraged to visit all NASA sites. The anticipated initial content under the NEDC will include: end-user back office data center services at all NASA facilities, data center services supporting NASA enterprise applications and mainframe services which are currently located at MSFC. Question 6: We downloaded the documents posted on 4/20/09 for the draft RFP for NEDC. There were a total of 22 files initially posted. The data now posted on the web page is different from the files we down loaded on 4/20/09. The current posting has only 16 files and the names associated with the file numbering are different from those we downloaded on 4/20/09. Since it is imperative we have the correct data available for evaluating these programs, can you please respond and let us know what files we should use. Answer 6: The second posting of the DRFP on 4/21/09 contains the correct files which should be used. The Wage determination files were combined from 7 files to 1 file which decreased the total from 22 to 16. Question 7: Are there any specific power/space requirements for this solicitation? Does NASA have a preferred amount of cabinet density? Would the Enterprise Data Center need to be in Florida or would for example, Atlanta be acceptable? Answer 7: Offerors are expected to propose their best technical solution at the most competitive price. Refer to the Performance Work Statement (PWS) attachment J-1. Question 8: I am interested in responding to the NASA Enterprise Data Center Solicitation that was posted on April 20, 2009. In order for my organization to be considered as a vendor/contractor for this contract, what and when do I need to submit? Answer 8: Section L, Proposal Instructions to Offerors, will provide the requested information. Question 9: On the web site several of the documents don't match up with their corresponding file in the .zip. Example… J-14 Government Furnished Facilities. The file name is 134503-DRAFT-001-012.pdf. It won't open from the web-site. Also, that file (with that filename) in the .zip file is a Wage Rate Table… not a list or table of GFF items included in the procurement. Are you going to be correcting? Answer 9: On the NAIS site all files have a title in the “description” column and the file name is in the corresponding “file name” column, therefore no correction is necessary. Question 10: Would it be possible for you to identify which of the DRFP files have changed since the version that was posted late yesterday? Answer 10: When the NEDC bidders’ library is activated the files that were replaced by the second posting of documents will be identified. The documents that were removed contained erroneous and irrelevant information. Question 11: I was reviewing the NEDC Draft RFP requirement under the I3P initiative and noticed that a due date for the comments/questions regarding this acquisition is missing. Can you please provide me with due date for the NEDC Draft RFP? Answer 11: Please monitor the I3P website for the question/comments due date on the DRFP. Question 12: We noticed that you have posted section L and M on NAIS, however, not all of section L and M are in the document (i.e. pricing sections). In addition it appears that all previously posted files have changed as they are now listed below the “Amend Draft 01” line. Can you identify the specific changes in each document? Answer 12: The pricing area of sections L and M are still in review and should be posted in the near future. Please continue to monitor NAIS. When the section L and M files were posted to NAIS all previously posted files were inadvertently deleted. The files below the “Amend Draft 01” line are the previously posted files and there are no changes within any of those files. Question 13: I was hoping to find out who the incumbent is for this opportunity and where they are located? Answer 13: A listing of incumbent NASA IT contracts is listed in the NEDC Industry Day briefing package which can be found on the I3P website. Question 14: Please provide insight on anticipated personnel security clearance levels such as minimum requirements and areas requiring higher level security clearances. Answer 14: At this time we have not identified any classified data requirements. Attachment J-15 was included in the Draft RFP to accommodate potential future classified data requirements. Question 15: File name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: 4.0.4 Server Hardware and Supporting Software Page Number: J-1-30 Question: Letter m specifies that the contractor shall "implement and maintain Server interfaces between internal and external systems including use of encryption where required by NASA and/or Customers". What is the scope of the encryption requirement in terms of number of servers and associated storage? Is encryption of Data at Rest (DAR) of any storage/SAN data required? Is encryption being performed today, and if so, what tools are used? Answer 15: PWS section 4.0.4.m is included to accommodate potential future NEDC customer requirements. We have not identified any Wave 1 requirements for DAR encryption requirements. Offerors are not required to price this requirement in their proposal. If future customers require DAR encryption, the Government and the Contractor shall negotiate a new service and price to be added to the contract Resource Baseline price schedule. Question 16: File name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: 4.2.3 Storage, Backup and Restore Page Number: J-1-41, Letter d specifies the contractor shall "provide support of storage and replication services performed by a third party". Who is the third party, and what, specifically does the third party do to support storage and replication services? Answer 16: A third party, such as the ACES contractor, may provide backup and restore services to end-user devices (e.g., desktop, laptops) on NEDC provided storage infrastructure. Other examples of third parties may include, but are not limited to other NASA Center IT support contractors, other NASA contractors and potentially some NASA application owners. Question 17: Document Name: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 4.2.3, Storage, Backup and Restore Hosting Service; item d Page Number: J-1-41 Question: Item d states "Provide support of storage and replication services performed by a third party." What storage services are being performed by a third party and not part of this contract? If storage services are being performed by a third party and not part of this contract, what kind of support for these storage services is required? Answer 17: A third party, such as the ACES contractor, may provide backup and restore services to end-user devices (e.g., desktop, laptops) on NEDC provided storage infrastructure. NEDC contractor provides the supporting storage and replication infrastructure for third party provided end-user support services. Question 18: Document Title: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 4.2.3, Storage, Backup and Restore Hosting Service; item d Page Number: J-1-41 Question: Item d states "Provide support of storage and replication services performed by a third party." What replication services are being performed by a third party and not part of this contract? If replication services are being performed by a third party and not part of this contract, what kind of support for these replication services is required? Answer 18: A third party, such as the ACES contractor, may provide backup and restore services to end-user devices (e.g. desktop, laptops) on NEDC provided storage infrastructure. NEDC contractor provides the supporting storage and replication infrastructure for third party provided end-user support services. Question 19: DRFP-134503-DRAFT-001-002.doc DRFP Section: DATA REQUIREMENTS LIST (DRL) Page Number: C.2, Page 8, Paragraph 2 of this provision allows NASA to extend the delivery date of any data submission indefinitely at no additional cost. Is it permissible to establish a reasonable maximum for such delays? Answer 19: We will delete the first sentence of the second paragraph of clause C.2 in the final RFP. Question 20: File name: DRFP-134503-DRAFT-001-002.doc DRFP Section: F.2, PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE & I.2 FAR 52.217-9, OPTION TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT Page Number: Pages 10 and 38: F.2 specifies a 5-year term and 4 one-year option periods. I.2 specifies that the maximum duration of the contract will be seven years. Which is correct and will these be revised to agree? Answer 20: Clause I.2 is incorrect and will be revised in the final RFP to specify a five-year term and four one-year option periods. Question 21: File name: DRFP-134503-DRAFT-001-002.doc DRFP Section: FAR PROVISION 52.216-12, COST-SHARING CONTRACT--NO FEE Page Number: Page 35: To which portions (line items and PWS sections) of the contract does this clause apply? Answer 21: This clause will be deleted in the final RFP. Question 22: File name: DRFP-134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: SECTION 2.15, RECORDS MANAGEMENT Page Number: J-1-15 Question: This section requires delivery of data in an electronic format that is usable by the Government. Will NASA provide a listing of acceptable data formats or the programs we can use which will be acceptable? Answer 22: The NEDC contractor is free to use data formats of their choice when submitting electronic data consistent with PWS 2.15. Question 23: File name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP-134503-DRAFT-0010003.doc DRFP Section: 4.0.1 LIST OF SERVICES INCLUDED WITH CLIN 1, FIXED UNIT PRICING Page Number: J-1-25 Question: The section specifies, "The Contractor shall provide hardware upgrades; systems and applications software licenses, renewals, and enhancements; services and maintenance." Will NASA provide clarification on what is meant by "applications software licenses" and why such licenses would be in scope for NEDC? Answer 23: “Application software licenses” was intended to be limited to software used in performance of the NEDC contract requirements. This section of the PWS will be revised in the final RFP to read “The Contractor shall provide services and maintenance to include hardware upgrades, operating systems and data center software licenses and renewals, and enhancements. Data center software includes but is not limited to software used in the operations of the data center and in the delivery of data center services.” Question 24: Document Name: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 2.3.1 Property/Inventory Management Page Number: J-1-9: Item d states "Identify excess and obsolete out-of-service Government-provided assets, and initiate disposal in accordance with NPR 4300.1A." The contractor can not locate NPR 4300.1A on the I3P web site. Is this document going to be supplied by the government? Answer 24: All NPRs can be accessed at NODIS. Question 25: Document Name: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 2.3.1 Property/Inventory Management Page Number: J-1-9: Item e states, "Ensure that all items removed from service have all data removed prior to excess in accordance with NPR 2810.1A, “Security of Information Technology.” The link to this document on the I3P website seems to be broken and cannot be accessed. Can the government please resolve the issue? Answer 25: All NPRs can be accessed at NODIS. Question 26: Document Title: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 2.9 Risk Management Page Number: J-1-12 Question: The section makes reference to NPR 8000.4. The contractor can not locate NPR 8000.4 on the I3P web site. Is this document going to be supplied by the government? Answer 26: All NPRs can be accessed at NODIS. Question 27: Document Name: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 3.1 Phase A – Discovery and Assessment of “As-is”, Formulation of “To-be” & Section 3.2 Phase B – Preliminary Design and Technology Completion of “To-be” Page Number: J-1-18 & J-1-22:Item z in 3.1 and item g in 3.2 reference NPR 7150.2. The contractor can not locate NPR 7150.2 on the I3P web site. Is this document going to be supplied by the government? Answer 27: All NPRs can be accessed at NODIS. Question 28: Document Name: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 2.11.2, NICS Page Number: J-1-14: This section states "Via the NICS contract NASA will provide all data center network services at all on-site data centers." Please clarify what is meant by "on-site" data centers. Does "on-site" data centers mean "NASA-owned" data centers? Answer 28: On-site data centers are NASA owned data centers located at a NASA facility. Question 29: Document Name: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 4.0.1, NICS Page Number: J-1-25: This section states, "The Contractor shall provide all services and perform all requirements of this section and Section 1, 2 and the CF-PWS as part of fixed unit pricing unless expressly identified otherwise within the PWS or other sections of this contract." Does "this section" refer to all of section 4 in its entirety? Answer 29: Yes. CLIN 1 fixed unit pricing for the services in the contract Resource Baseline shall include all the requirements in PWS Sections 1, 2 and 4 and all of the Cross Functional PWS. Question 30: Document Title: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 4.2.3, Storage, Backup and Restore Hosting Service, first paragraph Page Number: J-1-40: The first sentence states "The Contractor shall provide a Managed Storage Service." Who owns the Managed Storage Service assets, Government or Contractor or a combination of both? Answer 30: The “as-is” environment will be provided as Government furnished property (GFP); however, with regard to the “to-be” environment, Offerors are expected to propose their best technical solution at the most competitive price which could include a combination of both GFP and Contractor furnished property (CFP). Question 31: Document Title: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 4.2.3, Storage, Backup and Restore Hosting Service, first paragraph Page Number: J-1-40: The second sentence states "The Data Storage Service requirements are designed around the Customer’s Disaster Recovery tiers." Can the Government please provide additional details on the "Customers Disaster Recovery tiers." Answer 31: The phrase “Customer’s Disaster Recovery tiers” is incorrect. This section of the PWS will be revised in the final RFP. The data storage service requirements are designed around the Customer’s data availability needs. Question 32: Document Title: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 4.2.3, Storage, Backup and Restore Hosting Service; item a Page Number: J-1-41 Question: Item a states "Provide all plans, build, design, engineering, and deploy services for Equipment and software composing bundled and unbundled services (e.g., storage, Backup and Recovery, LAN);". Does the contractor decide which services are bundled versus unbundled? Answer 32: The phrase “composing bundled and unbundled services” is not appropriate and will be removed from the PWS in the final RFP. Question 33: Document Title: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 4.2.3, Storage, Backup and Restore Hosting Service; item e Page Number: J-1-41: Item e states "Provide compression and security encryption services of customer defined backup media." Are there any specific compression and/or security encryption standards that this contractor is expected to meet? Answer 33: NPR 2810.1A, Security of Information Technology, lists applicable encryption standards. Question 34: Document Title: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 4.2.3, Storage, Backup and Restore Hosting Service; item e Page Number: J-1-41 Question: Item e states "Provide compression and security encryption services of customer defined backup media." Does backup media include disk as well as tape? Answer 34: Yes. Backup media include disk as well as tape. Question 35: Document Title: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 4.2.3, Storage, Backup and Restore Hosting Service; item g Page Number: J-1-41: Item g defines the data storage application tier levels. Tiers 1, 2, and 3 specify "minimum SAN" and Tier 4 specifies "minimum SATA storage". Does the contractor define what is minimum based upon analysis performed by contractor as part of this contract or will the Government be defining this? Answer 35: The minimum storage service requirements are already specified in 4.2.3(g) at a level which does not restrict the offeror's ability to propose their most effective and efficient solution. Question 36: Document Title: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 4.2.3, Storage, Backup and Restore Hosting Service; item g Page Number: J-1-41: In item g, tiers 1, 2, and 3 specify SAN high/mod/low performance respectively. Can the Government further define high/mod/low performance? Answer 36: Low is at least 7200 RPM drives, medium is at least 10000 RPM drives, and High 15000 RPM drives. Question 37: Document Title: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 4.2.3, Storage, Backup and Restore Hosting Service; item g Page Number: J-1-41: Item g defines tier 4 as "minimum SATA storage / direct attached". Does this mean that tier 4 storage has to be both SATA storage and direct attached? Answer 37: The minimum requirement stated in PWS 4.2.3(g)(4) is direct attached SATA storage technology. Question 38: Document Title: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 4.2.3, Storage, Backup and Restore Hosting Service; item g Page Number: J-1-41: Item g defines four data storage application tier levels. Can the contractor propose additional tiers? Answer 38: The Government will revise the final RFP to include one or more additional Tier levels. Offerors will be expected to only price the tier levels included in the final RFP. Question 39: Document Title: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 4.4, Web Site Hosting Services Page Number: J-1-45: All storage necessary to support these web site hosting services (for example, the content hosted on the web sites) will be provided by the Managed Storage Service described in section 4.2.3? Answer 39: Yes. All storage necessary to support web site hosting services will be provided by the Managed Storage Service described in PWS section 4.2.3. Question 40: Document Title: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 4.5, Shared File Services Page Number: J-1-45, J-1-46: Why isn't Shared File Services part of the Managed Storage Service described in section 4.2.3? Answer 40: The Shared File Service includes live end-user support for all shared file services. All storage necessary to support shared file services will be provided by the Managed Storage Service described in PWS section 4.2.3. Question 41: Document Title: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 3.1, items l & hh; Section 4, 1st paragraph, 2nd sentence; Section 4.2.4, 1st paragraph, 3rd sentence. Page Number: J-1-20, J-1-21, J-1-25, J-1-42: Item l of section 3.1 states "Populate and deliver a Resource Baseline for the operation of the “as-is” environment." Item hh of section 3.1 states "Populate and deliver a Resource Baseline for the operation of the “to-be” state". Section 4 states "As determined by NASA, the Contractor shall walk in and take over “as-is” pre-existing services, and operate data center services described in the Resource Baseline and associated SLA(s) priced under CLIN 1." Section 4.2.4 states "The database service areas extend across a number of platforms and operating systems, and database products listed in the resource baseline." Could the Government please fully define the necessary contents of the Resource Baseline and confirm the Contractor is responsible for creating it? Answer 41: The government will be releasing Attachment L-5 Resource Baseline, which includes the Governments best estimated quantities for price evaluation purposes. After contract award the Government will issue a Phase A, B, C task order (CLIN 2) and a deliverable of that task order will be a resource baseline identifying the base unit quantities by service for Wave 1. This deliverable will be used to price the CLIN 1 WITO operations for Wave 1. Question 42: Document Title: NEDC Service Level Agreement Matrix Section Number: Row 26, Storage Infrastructure Availability Tier 5 Page Number: N/A: The NEDC PWS, Section 4.2.3, Storage, Backup and Restore Hosting Service, item g, only defines 4 Storage Tiers, but this row 26 references a fifth tier - please explain. Answer 42: The Government will revise the final RFP to correct this discrepancy. Question 43: Document Title: DRFP main document Section Number: Section H.6 Page Number: p.23: Will the Government be defining key personnel in Section H.6 or in the contract schedule? Answer 43: See Section L.16 I.3 of the DRFP. Question 44: Document Title: DRFP main document Section Number: Section G.4 c (2)(i); Section H.14 (a), first sentence Page Number: p.15, p.28: Section G.4c(2)(i) states "Equipment to be made available is listed in Section J, Attachment 13." Section H.14 (a) states "The Contractor shall purchase new hardware and replace existing Government Furnished Property listed in Section J, Attachment 13, as Contractor Property for the purpose of performing the work described in the PWS." Is Attachment J13 the document with filename "134503-DRAFT-001-011.pdf"? Were not sure since we don’t see any documents in the NEDC DRFP zip file containing titles labeled as Attachment J-13 and the title located within this document ("NDC Equipment Greater than $5000") doesn't match the title shown in section J.1 Table ("Government Furnished Property List)." Answer 44: Attachment J.13 is file134503-AMDR-001-012.PDF on the NAIS website. The correct title will be added to this document at final RFP release. Question 45: Document Title: DRFP main document Section Number: Section H.19 Page Number: p.33: This paragraph speaks about allowing the contractor to propose enhancements above and beyond the NEDC PWS and contract terms and conditions and says they are to be proposed and negotiated. It appears as if the contractor is expected to propose such enhancements at proposal submission time. What is the level of detail the contractors need to include for such proposed enhancements? Also, what is the process for negotiation of these proposed enhancements? Finally, how and where do the pricing of such enhancements get reflected? Answer 45: Refer to DRFP Section L.16 1. General and Section M.1.(f). Question 46: Document Title: Filename "134503-DRAFT-001- 011.pdf", believed to be Att J-13 Section Number: N/A Page Number: N/A Question: Is this listing complete for all sites? Answer 46: Yes. This document includes all known GFP at this time. Question 47: Document Title: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 2.15 Page Number: p. J-1-15: What Records Management system does NASA currently utilize? Is any of the I3P procurements responsible for providing a new Records Management system/service? Answer 47: The contractor is not required to deliver a records management system. The contractor must meet the requirement of PWS 2.15 and provide a records management plan in accordance with DRD RM2.15-01. Question 48: Section B.1, Supplies and/or Services to be Provided, Table B.1-1, Contract Value, page 4. The period of performance on the tables in Section B do not match the period of performance in Section F.2, or the limitation of contract duration stated in Section I.2. Please clarify the period of performance. Answer 48: The period of performance of the NEDC contract is 5 year base period and 4 one year options for a total potential period of performance of nine years. The tables in B.1 are separated by base period of performance and each option year. Question 49: B.1, Supplies and/or Services to be Provided, (c) pages 6-7. This pricing requirement is unclear as to how the Government is requesting pricing for CLIN 001 (and the respective Option-Year CLINs) and what type of Fixed Unit Price (FUP) will be used. The contractor needs definition as to the data centers and their transformation status in each contract period in order to price CLIN 001 (and the respective Option Year CLINs). Even with that specificity it is unclear how the CLINs in the out-years can be priced at this time as the to-be state is not only unknown but will continue to be defined through each wave of transformation. Please clarify the Governments intent of what the units and quantities will be on a FUP base for these CLINs. Answer 49: Table B.1.1 reflects the then current contract value during contract performance based upon the services ordered under the respective CLINS 1, 2, and 3. The pricing sections for the DRFP should be released in the near future. Question 50: Will the software and tools necessary for ongoing operations be available as GFE? Additionally, will the maintenance and ongoing support agreements for the life of the NEDC contract be provided as GFE? Answer 50: Software and tools are to be provided by the contractor and priced within the appropriate firm fixed prices within CLIN1. Question 51: H.14, Equipment Refresh, page 28. How is the Contractor to price the equipment refresh as part of a fixed price CLIN if the Government reserves the right to provide the equipment as GFP? Answer 51: NASA will consider revising the clause to allow for an upward price adjustment due to industry wide trends that result in price increases. Question 52: Table B.1-1, Contract Value, page 4. Will CLINs 001, 004, 007, 010, and 013 have two separate pricing distinctions (i.e., one for NASA-provided facilities and one for Contractor-provided facilities)? Answer 52: No. The Pricing schedules and associated instructions should be released in the near future. Question 53: Attachment J-1, PWS, Section 1.2 NEDC Objectives, d, page J-1-5. In the final RFP, will the full equipment list include a list of systems that cannot be migrated to the outsourced data centers? Answer 53: At this time, NASA does not have a list of systems that cannot be migrated to an outsourced data center. The results of the phase A, B, C study are expected to identify which may not migrate to an outsourced data center. Question 54: Attachment J-1, PWS, Section 2.5, Outsourced Data Center, page J-1-10. This section states “The location of the outsourced data center must support a latency of 10 milliseconds between the outsourced data center and a NASA Carrier Independent Exchange Facility (CIEF).” Where are all the NASA CIEFs located? Answer 54: CIEF locations will be provided in the procurement library in the near future. Question 55: J-1 NEDC DPWS DRFP Section: 2.5 Outsourced Data Center Page Number: J-1-10: The third paragraph requires dual path connectivity between contractor DC and CIEFs. Is it NASAs intention to permit the dual paths to the same CIEF, or should the dual paths terminate at two different CIEFs? Answer 55: The final RFP will be revised to clarify the requirement. Dual paths to the same CIEF is acceptable. Question 56: Attachment J-1, PWS, Section 2.5, Outsourced Data Center, page J-1-10. Can the Contractor data center be a shared commercial facility? Does the Data Center require a SCIF? Answer 56: The Contractors outsourced data center may be a shared commercial facility. Data must be protected in accordance with NPR 2810. There is no requirement for a SCIF. Question 57: Attachment J-1, PWS, Section 2.8, Configuration Management, page J-1-11. Does NASA want a Cable Management System to track cables and wall plates for the NEDC equipment in the data centers? Answer 57: The offeror may propose the best technical approach in accordance with the requirements of PWS 2.8 and provide a Configuration Management Plan in accordance with DRD CM2.8-01 and DRD CF-03. Question 58: Attachment J-1, PWS, Section 2.8, Configuration Management, page J-1-11. Paragraph 2 specifies “system to manage the end to end configuration of assigned network systems.” Is the NEDC Contractor responsible for the configuration management system for network equipment supported by NICS? Can you provide additional information (including demarcs) on the NICS Contractor’s responsibility in the data centers? Answer 58: The NICS contractor shall provide the NEDC contractor the ability to configure network assets within the data center through role-based security. The NICS contractor shall respond to requests for Data Center Network services by providing consultation and direct technical assistance for the development of requirements for Data Center Network solutions. According to PWS 2.8, the Contractor shall maintain the system to manage the end to end configuration of assigned network systems described above and ensure that CMDB accurately reflects the current system configuration. For outsourced data centers the NEDC contractor maintains responsibility for data center network functions. Question 59: Attachment J-1, PWS, Section 3.1, Phase A, page J-1-18-19. Will a Task Order be issued for each Data Center environment for Phase A, Discovery and Assessment? As one objective of Phase A is to “prepare the Contractor for “walk-in-and-take-over,” will NASA issue a subsequent task order after Phase A for the Contractor to “Take-Over” operations? If so, will that “Take-Over” task order be part of CLIN 0001/004/007/etc? Or, will the task continue with a PDR to develop a migration plan? Note: Without knowing the content of the data centers or the take-over schedules, the contractor is not able to price CLIN 0001 with any certainty. Answer 59: Each Phase A, B, C task order will individually identify the requirements. All "walk-in-and-take-over" operations will be covered by a CLIN 1 task order. Question 60: Attachment J-1, PWS, Section 3.1, Phase A, cc. (2), page J-1-21. The Phase A task directs development of a “preliminary cost estimate ……… for Phases A through E”. This Contractor agrees that the prices for the subsequent phases are best priced as the transition assessment and design phases progress. However, Phase A will already be underway and presumably priced prior to this portion of the Preliminary Project Plan/integrated baseline being developed. Presumably the “price” for Phase A would have been provided prior to task order award but through what contractual mechanism is not clear. Requesting the cost estimates at this point in the transition tasking further supports the questions and clarifications around the detail needed as to the data centers and their transformation status in each contract period in order to price the CLINs as currently requested. The specificity is not available to price the CLINs in the out-years as this information will be developed as part of the tasking as each wave of transformation is defined. Answer 60: The final RFP will be revised to clarify that this cost estimate is not related to the firm fixed price for phases A, B and C. The purposes of the cost estimate is to identify the phase D and operation activities' (CLIN 1) anticipated price. Question 61: Attachment J-1, Draft PWS, Section 4.0.1, List of Services included with CLIN 1, Fixed Unit Pricing, page J-1-25. Will the Government provide waivers be provided on hardware and software that is no longer supported by the original manufacturer? Answer 61: Refer to PWS 4.0.4 (j)(9)(e). Question 62: Attachment J-1, Draft PWS, Requirement k (8), page J-1-30. Can the Government provide a list of current off-site tape storage contracts and authorization to discuss the contracts with the vendors? Answer 62: NASA does not intend to provide a list of current off-site tape storage contracts. Offerors are expected to propose their best technical solution to meet this requirement. Question 63: Attachment J-1, Draft PWS, Requirement k (8), page J-1-30. What security classification of data is contained on the off-site tape storage? What is the percentage of tapes for each security level? What is the maximum time allowed for a tape to be retrieved from off-site storage? Answer 63: It is anticipated that all NEDC data needs to be treated as Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU). The final RFP will be revised to identify the maximum time allowed for a tape to be retrieved from off-site storage. Question 64: Attachment J-1, PWS, Section 4.1.6 Database Support and Management, page J-1-39. What database management systems are supported in the current “As-Is” environment? Answer 64: The Offeror is only required to provide fixed unit pricing for those database services listed in the Resource Baseline. There may be situations during contract performance where the contractor will be requested to provide fixed unit pricing for new database hosted services and previously unidentified legacy database hosted services to be negotiated and incorporated into the contract. Also NASA may choose to have application owners and their IT support contractor support legacy DBMSs. In these circumstances the NEDC supports the OS and below as described in PWS 4.2. Question 65: Attachment J-1, PWS, Section 4.2 Hosting Services, page J-1-40. What operating systems are supported in the current “As-Is” environment? Answer 65: The Offeror is only required to provide fixed unit pricing for those OS services listed in the Resource Baseline. There may be situations during contract performance where the contractor will be requested to provide fixed unit pricing for new Operating System hosted services and previously unidentified legacy Operating System hosted services to be negotiated and incorporated into the contract. Question 66: Section J, Attachment 16, Applicable Policies and Procedures for NEDC. This attachment contains a list of NASA Policies and Procedures the Contractor will have to comply with. Are copies of these available and where are they be found? Answer 66: To the extent we identify any documents which are not already publicly available, we will post them to the NEDC procurement library when it is operational. Most if not all of the identified documents are readily accessible through the internet. Question 67: L.6 NFS 1852.215-81 Proposal Page Limitations, viii, page L-4. Due to the large number of requirements to be addressed in Section L.16.3 I (Management Sub-factor) and Section L.16.3 II (Technical Sub-factor), will the Government increase the Proposal Page Limitations for Volume I from 100 pages to 200 pages? Answer 67: NASA will reassess the proposal page limitations prior to issuing the final RFP. Question 68: L.6 NFS 1852.215-81 Proposal Page Limitations, viii page L-4. Due to the number of plans required in L.16 Volume II, Plans and Other Data on page L-24, will the Government increase the Proposal Page Limitations for Volume II from 150 pages to at least 225? Answer 68: NASA will reassess the proposal page limitations prior to issuing the final RFP. Question 69: L.16.3.I .2 (c), page L-12. This section states “For all Key Personnel, clearly describe the function, areas of responsibility, and authority for each key position.” There does not appear to be any evaluation criteria for this requirement. Will the Government please clarify if this requirement should be included or add an evaluation criterion for it? Answer 69: The evaluation criteria stated in section M of the DRFP for the Management Subfactor of the Mission Suitability factor adequately addresses how this will be evaluated. Question 70: L.16.3.I .2 (k), page L-13. This section that addresses the integration of the Tier 2 Service Desk to the Government’s I3P Tier 1 Service Desk, Remedy 7.x. states “In addition, provide a detailed plan and schedule including design, development, integration, and testing that demonstrates your software is fully integrated and operational.” Should this plan be in Volume II, Plans and Other Data? There is also no evaluation criteria in Section M for this Plan. This Contractor recommends that an evaluation criterion be added. Answer 70: The evaluation criteria stated in section M of the DRFP for the Management Subfactor of the Mission Suitability factor adequately addresses how this will be evaluated. Question 71: L.17 List of Section L Attachments, page L-27. This section lists seven attachments to Section L. The Government has only issued the first four attachments in Draft 002. Does the Government intend to issue the last three attachments before the Final RFP is issued? Answer 71: Attachments L-1, L-2, L-3, L-4 and L-7 have been posted. Attachments L-5 and L-6 should be posted in the near future. Question 72: M.4 II (b) Plan, Design, Build, Test and Deploy, (10), page M-18. This section requires the Contractor to establish and maintain a real-time asset and Configuration Management Database (CMDB). Is this separate from the CMDB that the ACES Contractor will establish and maintain? Answer 72: Yes. Question 73: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP-134503-DRAFT-0010003.doc DRFP Section: 4.0.4 Server Hardware and Supporting Software Page Number: J-1-27: Section g. (3) "(3) Evaluate, certify (outside of the Customer’s Pre-Production and Production environment), acquire, test and install Operating Systems and make any changes necessary for compatibility purposes" Will NASA verify that "any changes for compatibility purposes" does not include altering NASA specific applications? Answer 73: NEDC contractor must make changes at the level of the service (e.g. OS, DBMS, drivers, patches, security, etc.) and support customers that need to alter their applications. Question 74: NEDC Section A-K DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-002.doc and NEDC Sections L and M - without pricing - 134503-DRAT-002-001.doc DRFP Section: I.3 Page Number: Page 37/38 and page L-25 Question: Given references to unions, is any in-scope work currently being done by personnel represented by unions? If so, will you please provide relevant collective bargaining agreements? Answer 74: NASA has not identified any union covered positions at this time. Question 75: File Name: 134503-DRAFT-002-001.doc DRFP Section: L.6 Proposal Page Limitations Page Number: Page L-3 Question: "A page is defined as one side of a sheet, 8 1/2" x 11", with at least one inch margins on all sides, using Times New Roman font not smaller than 12 point type". Is a font other than Times New Roman and a size smaller than 12 point acceptable for tables? Answer 75: No. Question 76: File Name: NEDC Sections L and M - without pricing - 134503-DRAFT-002-001.doc DRFP Section: L.16.3.I.2(k) Management Subfactor-Management Approach Page Number: L-13 Question: The requirement states the Tier 2 service desk is to be fully integrated and operational with the Tier 1 service desk on day 1 of the contract. Did the government intend the requirement to be day 1 of WITO which would occur after the 30 day phase in period and after the Phase A (discovery) period? Answer 76: This section will be revised in the final RFP. Question 77: Section 3.0 - Transition / Transformative Optimization, page J-1-18… Phase E encompasses all activities necessary to deploy, operate and maintain and continuously improve the NASA Enterprise Data Center “to-be” state.Can you provide clarification on the transition period? How long is it? What work is the contractor expected to perform during transition? Does this include running the existing as-is environments for the NEDC equipment located at the each of the NASA sites? ……prepare the Contractor for “walk-in-and-take-over”. The Contractor shall take over the operation of the “as-is” environment and provide all data center services meeting service level agreements and customer data center requirements in accordance with section 4 of this PWS. Questions: Does the WITO start before, during, or after Phase A? Due to the distinct and unique requirements of operating the WITO service and “to-be” service; would NASA be receptive to separate Fixed Unit Pricing for each service? Does NASA have a notional schedule for Phases A-D for Wave 1? Answer 77: Offerors are expected to propose their approach including timeframes for performing phases A, B, and C. The work the contractor is expected to performed for phases A, B, and C. is detailed in Section 3 of the PWS. Operation of the "as-is" environments is covered by Section 4 of the PWS. The contractor shall first perform items (a) through (n) as specified in PWS 3.1 for the "as-is" environment prior to "walk-in-and-take-over." Operation of the "as-is" environment is covered in PWS 4. It is contemplated that operation of the "as-is" will commence prior to fully completing phase A. NASA has considered and decided not to have separate fixed unit pricing for services to be delivered for the "as-is" and "to-be" operations. NASA does not have a notional schedule for phases A through D and offerors are expected to proposed their best technical solution. Question 78: Section 4.0.1– List of Services in CLIN 1, Fixed Unit Pricing (FUP) …perform all requirements of this section and Section 1, 2 and the CF-PWS as part of fixed unit pricing… Does the FUP exclude all application and database specific costs (e.g., SAP, PTC, Microsoft email,etc.) Is NASA to expect a single blended FUP for CLIN 1 or a separate FUP for CLIN 1, WITO price and Phase E? Does the FUP only include OS level software to operate the CPU and application software only to support and maintain system and contract operations? Is the FUP to include equipment refresh costs for the equipment identified in J13? On or before the final release of the RFP, will NASA provide the detailed configuration data required by all contractors to price the services (hw and software indentified in J13 such as make, model, sn#, OS version and release level, age of equipment; applications, application retirement dates and databases running on such equipment? Answer 78: The pricing for Section L & M and associated pricing schedules will be posted in the near future. FUP will exclude application costs unless expressly identified otherwise. Fixed unit pricing shall be blended to include the operation of the "as-is" and the "to-be". The FUP includes OS level software to operate the CPU and application software only to support and maintain system and contract operations. The FUP is to include equipment refresh (PWS 4.2.2). NASA does not intend to provide the detailed configuration data requested to support J-13 as contractor is expected to discover these details as part of phase A. We do anticipate to release a large majority of this information associated with the Wave 1 content on the NEDC procurement library when the library is operational. Question 79: Section 4 – Data Center Service Offerings; page J-1-25 The Contractor shall operate the “as-is” until such operations can be transformed to a single consolidated “to-be” data center state. In order for NASA to benefit from a commercial outsourced atacenter(s); is there an anticipated point at which the contractor will no longer be required to support an “as-is” data center environment? Answer 79: Yes. However, we anticipate there will always be some requirements for on-site NASA data center operations in the "to-be" environment. Question 80: Section 4.04 – Server Hardware and Support Software; item j.9; page J-1-29 Maintain Server Platforms at no less than Latest Minus One of currency over the life of this agreement for Server Platforms that are within Latest and Latest Minus One Version/Release level… Will detailed information regarding the current level of OS and Servers be provided in the final RFP? Section 4.0.4, number 9. b, c, and d address platforms that are at Latest Minus Two plus. Can you clarify the differences? How will situations be handled where hardware and/or software can not be upgraded to current technology because of the viable upgrade path does not exists? Are costs for the upgrade to these currency levels to be part of the FUP? Answer 80: NASA does not intend to provide the detailed configuration data regarding OS level and servers as the contractor is expected to discover these details as part of phase A. NASA intends to release a large majority of this information associated with the Wave 1 content in the on-line NEDC procurement library when the library is operational. Refer to PWS 4.0.4(j)(9)(e) regarding platforms with unsupported OS and hardware. With regard to clarification of the version release level NASA will revise this section in the final RFP. Question 81: Section 4.2.2 OS Hosting Services; page J-1-40 …Continue to support Server Platforms that NASA may require not refreshed per requirements. What criteria will NASA use to determine which servers will not require refresh and will this information be available on the final RFP? How is a FUP to be determined with the possibility that NASA may or may not choose to require a refresh? What criteria will NASA use to determine which servers will move to a centralized outsourced location? Answer 81: NASA anticipates that foregoing refresh will rarely be a requirement. Although, there may be circumstances in which a retiring project/program may require NEDC services for a short duration, and H/W refresh would not be appropriate. Question 82: Section 4.6 – Security Services for non-NEDC Servers, page J-1-46… shall provide a NASA approved enterprise anti-virus/spy-ware software service for use by NASA servers not yet managed by the Contractor... Maintain and operate a virus signature file push/pull service…Does this require an Enterprise Security solution for all 14000 servers across the 75 NASA Data Centers? With the requirement to “push” the signature file; that implies that each server would require an active agent be installed on each of the non-NEDC server. Is it the intent of NASA to require the NEDC to require software be installed on each and every server within the organization? In cases where there is no available security solution for a vendor-supplied operating system; how is this requirement to be handled? Is this solution to be included as part of the FUP? Answer 82: The NEDC hosted servers would need to meet NPR 2810.1A anti-virus/spyware requirements as well as the NEDC providing an anti-virus/spyware solution for non-NEDC servers. NASA expects that the number of non-NEDC servers will decrease as systems are migrated to the NEDC. The Offeror should propose their best technical solution. The application/system owner of the vendor supplied operating systems that do not have a security solution would be responsible to meet the security requirements of NPR 2810.1A and it would not be the responsibility of the NEDC. Question 83: [File Name: J-1, NEDC PWS DRFP DRFP Section: Section 4.03] Item J says the contractor shall support all agency or federally initiated audits and security assessments, including the independent certification necessary to achieve system Authorization to Operate (ATO) status. Is the contractor responsible for booking/organizing the 3rd party testing (ST&E) activity with one of NASAs preferred vendors, or is NASA responsible for that activity? In addition, who is responsible for making payment, NASA or the vendor? Answer 83: NASA is responsible for the booking, organizing, cost and making payment for the third party audits. The contractor is responsible to support the physical audit and answer the auditor's system questions up to the level of the service. Application owners are responsible to answer auditor's questions regarding the application. Question 84: [J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: 4.0.4 Server Hardware and Supporting Software Page Number: J-1-29] Item J, 2.0 - provide third party support agreements on all hardware and system software components. Would this be for CFE equipment only or for all equipment either CFE or GFE owned? If for GFE equipment, please provide a list of the current hardware and software that the contractor is to provide third party support agreements within each wave? Answer 84: Third party support agreements for all CFE and GFE hardware and system software are to be provided by the Contractor. For the Wave 1 content, the GFE listing is provided in Section J, Attachment J-13. All GFE information is gathered and validated, by the Contractor, during Phase A (PWS 3.1) activities. Question 85: [File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: 4.0.4 Server Hardware and Supporting Software Page Number: J-1-30] Item K - 4 states, provide monitoring of equipment and software at sites other than data centers. What type of equipment and software is to be monitored? What tools are in place today and is it expected that the provider will take over the current operations equipment? Answer 85: Any equipment or servers operated by the NEDC contractor at identified sites other than the data centers shall be monitored. Any equipment, software and tools needed will be defined in Phase A,B,C. The Offeror's should propose their best technical solution. Question 86: [File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: 4.2 Hosting Services Page Number: J-1-40] For Items A-F, what are the contractor responsibilities for GFE equipment? Answer 86: The requirements in PWS 4.2 apply to both CFE and GFE. File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: 4.2.6 Application Monitoring Page Number: J-1-44 Question 87: Items K - N discuss reporting and data collection for application monitoring? Is this strictly for the application being up/down or are other specific items being monitored. If so please list the types of applications and monitoring events that are being collected and is the contractor to provide the tools? Answer 87: The final RFP will be revised to remove "application monitoring services." Question 88: [File Name: J-5 NEDC SLAs Matrix DRFP (134503-DRAFT-001-007).xls, J-6 NEDC Service Level Methodology - 134503-DRAFT-001-008.docx DRFP Section: General Provisions] In the service level methodology document (J-6) the max and min service level allocation for any service level category are defined as 65% and 10% respectively. The SLA matrix spreadsheet (J-5) has a number of service level category allocations set at 85% and 5% which is outside the range as defined in the service level methodology (J-6). Will the government update the service level matrix spreadsheet (J-5) to be consistent with the defined methodology? Answer 88: In the final RFP the SLAs Methodology document and the SLAs Matrix will be updated for consistency. Question 89: [File Name: J-5 NEDC SLAs Matrix DRFP (134503-DRAFT-001-007).xls] The service level matrix states that all service levels are effective on month 1 of the contract (contract start). The offeror will not have operational responsibility on contract start as they are expected to conduct a phase - A discovery in preparation for a phase E WITO. Will the government change the effective date of the SLAs to coincide with the start of WITO? Answer 89: The government will revise the final RFP and change the effective date of the SLAs to coincide with the start of WITO. Question 90: [File Name: J-5 NEDC SLAs Matrix DRFP (134503-DRAFT-001-007).xls] The service level matrix states "Contractor enters Measurement Interval in Green cells". How does this differ from the hours of operation listed for each SLA in J-7 and if different, (e.g. frequency of transactions measured) wouldn’t that also be captured in J-7? Answer 90: The measurement interval is the time between the polling of a metric (e.g., every 30 seconds, minute, five minutes). Only the measures taken during the identified hours of operation will count toward the metric requirements. Question 91: [File Name: J-5 NEDC SLAs Matrix DRFP (134503-DRAFT-001-007).xls DRFP Section: Production System Updates first time right] This appears to be a sub-category but is detailed as a Critical Service Level on J-7. Can you provide the Expected and Minimum Service Level percentages? Answer 91: This will be revised in the final RFP. Question 92: When will the CLIN and Base Case be released for review and will the vendor have an opportunity to submit questions/comments relative to the CLIN and Base Case? Answer 92: The pricing portions of sections L and M were posted to the NASA Acquisition Internet Site on May 21, 2009, and they clarify how offerors are expected to propose. Question 93: Page 16, NIST SP 800-26 is no longer part of the 800- series. Clarification is requested if NIST SP 800-53A functionally replaces NIST SP 800-26. Answer 93: The final RFP will be revised to replace NIST SP 800-26 with NIST SP 800-53A. Question 94: [J-3 CF-PWS 7.7.b] Documenting, tracking and managing all Service Assets and Configuration Items in Government CMDB in accordance with Government SACM Process. Will the government CMDB also track I3P contractor owned equipment? Answer 94: The NEDC Contractor must keep the Government I3P CMDB up to date and in sync with the contractor's CMDB, if the contractor maintains a separate CMDB. Question 95: [J-3 CF-PWS 5.4] Will entities other than the NEDC contracting officer be able to place a service request for 10 new servers to be hosted in the NEDC contractor data center via the ESRS? If all work is to be issued via Task Order how can the facility be provided to essentially order the services on-line? Answer 95: This is addressed in the ordering clauses that were posted to the NAIS website on May 29, 2009. Question 96: [J-3 CF-PWS 1.4.a. ACES (Agency Consolidated End-user Services): End-User Services – to include NASA desktops, cell phones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), Agency-wide Active Directory, e-mail and calendaring functionality] Does NASA expect that Active Directory and messaging servers will be owned and managed by the NEDC contractor? Will the ACES contractor own the design of these systems? Answer 96: The ACES contract will design, own and manage the Active Directory (AD) service and will use NEDC provisioned services in their implementation of AD. Question 97: [J-3 CF-PWS 2.2.7] Located at each of the sites hosting an I3P service contract, project offices are accountable for the day-to-day management and delivery of the enterprise services that they manage. Does NASA plan to locate a Project Office at the NEDC data center? Answer 97: The NEDC Project Office will be located at the Kennedy Space Center. Question 98: I.4. Language indicates the statement is for informational purposes only. Is this in fact a requirement? Answer 98: Yes. It is a requirement. The statement "This Statement is for Information Only:" will be deleted in the final RFP. Question 99: [H.28.14] The paragraph only states that the contractor will purchase the equipment and there is not an option to lease. Does the contractor have the option to lease new hardware in relation to the equipment refresh addressed in Section H.14? Answer 99: The final RFP will be revised to clarify clause H.14 such that the contractor has the option to lease. Question 100: [H.19 and H.20] If enhancements are proposed how will they be priced in the B Tables (Fixed Unit Price or Fixed Labor Rate). Also how will they be evaluated? Answer 100: Refer to DRFP Section L.16 1. General and Section M.1.(f). Question 101: [H.15. (b)] What is the definition of “no degradation of service?” Answer 101: The intent of H.15(b) is that during NEDC contract Phase-out (PWS 2.14) the Contractor shall fully cooperate and support the successful transition of all NEDC services to a follow-on contractor while maintaining the NEDC service levels through the end of the contract. Question 102: [H.15] Does this section refer to assets that will be transitioned immediately upon award of the contract (or task order)? Or, are you referring to any assets acquired by the contractor during the execution of this contract and then any subsequent transition of those assets to a subsequent contractor? Answer 102: This section refers to assets and services acquired by the contractor during the execution of this contract and then any subsequent transition of those assets and services to a subsequent contractor. Question 103: [RFP G.4.(b)(1)] If contractor acquires property (title to which will vest in the government). Can you describe scenarios where the contractor would acquire property that would vest in the government? This procurement is generally structured such that the contractor will hold title to all acquired property? Answer 103: The Government will provide GFP at contract start. Refresh of GFP shall be replaced with contractor owned property as defined in clause H.14, Equipment Refresh. Offerors are expected to include equipment refresh as part of the fixed unit pricing in CLIN 1. Question 104: [RFP G.4. (a) (2)] What are the responsibilities of the contractor in respect to facilities described in Section J, Attachment 14 as it relates to G.4. (a) (1-4)? Answer 104: Reference PWS 2.4 Facilities Management requirements. Question 105: [RFP G.4] Can GFP be collocated at a contractor site? Government furnished property… (a) indicates that the GFP can only be used within the confines of the NASA installation that provided it. Answer 105: GFP may be collocated at a contractor site; however, the Government has not identified any GFP that will be located outside a NASA installation. If the contractor proposes to move GFP to an outsourced datacenter and the Government approves it, that GFP will be managed in accordance with I.1 FAR 52.245-1. Question 106: [RFP F.3] What is the complete list of locations? Answer 106: Section J, Attachment J-14 provides a listing of all Government furnished facilities. In addition, the Government will release a large majority of this information associated with the Wave 1 content on the NEDC procurement library when the library is operational. Question 107: [RFP C.2] Can a complete listing of the DRL/DRD be identified in one single attachment? If yes, please provide. Answer 107: Attachments J-2 and J-4 contain the DRLs/DRDs and have been released on NAIS. Question 108: B.6.c states that CLN1 will be paid through monthly invoices based on current quantities of services ordered. Does this mean that CLIN 1 will be fixed rate per labor hour? Will this also be LOE? Answer 108: The pricing portions of sections L and M were posted to the NASA Acquisition Internet Site on May 21, 2009 and clarify how offerors are expected to propose. CLIN 1 uses Fixed Unit Prices. Question 109: Section B - Please clarify the milestone payments in the five year base period for CLIN2. The table indicates that there will only be 3 milestone payments in a 5 year period for each task order. Is this NASA’s intent? Or will there will be 3 milestone payments for CLIN 2 base year per calendar year/GFY? Answer 109: The section B tables are intended to capture the value of all task orders issued under a particular CLIN. The pricing portions of sections L and M were posted to the NASA Acquisition Internet Site on May 21, 2009, and should clarify the milestone payments. Question 110: Section B – Will NASA allow for monthly progress payments for each task order CLIN? The progress payments can we worked out within in each task order based on final price and POP. Answer 110: For data center operations, NASA anticipates monthly billing. For phase A, B, C task orders, payments will be made at milestone completion. For Build Test and deploy task orders, monthly progress payments may be considered. Please refer to Clause B.1 items (b), (c) and (d) at the end of the tables. Question 111: CLIN 001 Data Center Services and associated options are fixed unit prices (FUP), CLIN 002 Transformation Design and associated options are Firm-Fixed Price, and CLIN 003 Build / Deploy and associated options are fixed price labor rates. A separate firm fixed price purchase order will be issued for phase-in. When will NASA release a description of the CLIN 2 associated options? Answer 111: The pricing portions of sections L and M were posted to the NASA Acquisition Internet Site on May 21, 2009, and should clarify the milestone pricing. Question 112: Would NASA consider making CLIN 002 and 003 a T&M delivered service since the breath of scope for each individual task order could significantly vary making it very difficult for the NEDC contractor to generate accurate price models? Does NASA plan to provide additional information to help the NEDC contractor complete Table B.1-1 Contract Value? Answer 112: NASA has considered various contract types and approaches for pricing services and determined that the approach contained within the Draft RFP is the most appropriate. The section B tables are intended to capture the value of all task orders issued under a particular CLIN. Oferors are not to fill out the tables in B.1-1 as part of proposal submission. This contract will incrementally consolidate these servers and transform NASA’s data center infrastructure. Question 113: What percentage of the 75 data centers will be in scope to the NEDC contractor? Answer 113: All data center activities within NASA are considered in scope of the NEDC contract. As individual task orders are issued the specific work content will be identified. Question 114: [The Contractor shall provide the NASA PMO and NEDC Customers access to service performance information via a single web-based portal that provides a customizable, role based home page.] Does NASA expect to provide the web site for the I3P contractor to host this portal? Answer 114: NASA views this web portal as a NEDC contract management tool to be provided by the NEDC contractor who must provide all assets to meet this requirement. Question 115: Is there is geographic preference or requirement for the new NEDC and/or DR facility? Answer 115: The Government does not have a geographic requirement; however, reference PWS 2.5 for network latency and CIEF requirements for outsourced data center facilities. Question 116: Will a list of servers that will be candidates for movement be in the final RFP? Providing volume estimates would help vendors provide competitive pricing in a commercial model. With regards to FUP; how is the bidder to price a movement of each server if it is not yet determined if that server will be included the wave to move to the contactor’s data? Answer 116: The GFE for the Wave 1 content is included in the DRFP, Section J, Attachment J-13. Question 117: Section B.1, Supplies and/or Services to be Provided, Table B.1-1, Contract Value, page 4. CLINs 002 and 003 are repeated as CLINs 005, 006, 008, 009, 011, 012, 014, and 015 in the Option Years. What are the requirements for the pricing of Transformation Design Phases A through C and Build/Deploy Phase D in the option years? Given that data center content will be added via task orders during the period of the contract, the contractor does not know what “wave” will be in the as-is, the to-be, or in transition in any given year. Answer 117: The pricing portions of sections L and M were posted to the NASA Acquisition Internet Site on May 21, 2009, and address how to price the referenced CLINS. During the contract period, the Government plans to issue task orders for data center operations (CLIN 1), task orders for Phases A, B, C (CLIN 2), and task orders for Phase D (CLIN 3). It is anticipated that the NEDC contractor will initially operate the data centers in an "as-is" state prior to transformation to a "to-be." Question 118: How does NASA envision their roles and responsibilities, ITIL methodologies, etc. to work in a COCO model? These appear to be contradictory to have an outsourced solution and yet have NASA specific policies and methodologies apply. Answer: The contractor shall be responsible to provide ITIL processes for the NEDC; however, those processes shall be seamlessly integrated into NASA's IT service delivery model, processes, and governance. Question 119: [File Name: J8_Migration Strategy] Can the government provide further information on the timing and as-is profiles of the sites to be transitioned in Wave 1? Profiles would include the number of hosting vs. housing servers, the amount of storage at each storage tier. Answer: The Government has released a large majority of the information associated with the Wave 1 content on the NEDC procurement library. FedBizOpps Question 120: In order to determine accurate staffing support levels throughout the in-scope NASA Centers or any other facilities, it would help if NASA outlined on-site staffing requirements. Will incumbent employees or NASA technical support staff be available to join the new NEDC contractor staff? Answer: The Government does not prohibit the Contractor from recruiting incumbent employees or NASA civil servants. Question 121: The Offeror is required to meet all contract requirements on the first day of the contract period of performance. Does NASA define the first day of the Phase-in period as the first day of the contract? Answer: The contract start date is preceded by a 30 day phase-in period. The Offeror is required to meet all contract requirements on the first day of the contract period of performance. Question 122: Does NASA expect that the NEDC contractor will only be permitted to discuss potential employment with incumbent support staff during the Phase-in period? Answer: The Government does not prohibit the NEDC Contractor from discussing employment with incumbent support staff prior to the Phase-in period. Question 123: Does NASA expect the NEDC contractor to execute Phase A at 75 facilities within 90 days? Answer: NASA does not expect the NEDC contractor to execute Phase A at 75 data centers within 90 days. NASA will initially issue a CLIN 2 task order for Phases A, B and C for the Wave 1 content. The Wave 1 content includes approximately 16 locations. The Government has released a large majority of the information associated with the Wave 1 content on the NEDC procurement library at FedBizOpps. As IT service contracts approach expiration or other content is identified at the various NASA installations, NASA will issue subsequent CLIN 2 task order(s). Question 124: The Government anticipates a phase-in period not exceeding 30 days prior to contract start for the purpose of obtaining full Phase A capability on the first day of the contract. NASA says Phase A period encompasses all activities required to document the “as-is” architecture, establish feasibility, and formulate a high-level “to-be” architecture. Does NASA expect the NEDC contractor to execute Phase A across (agency wide) the entire NASA IT environment or only at NASA designated data centers? Answer: The Government requires the NEDC contractor to execute Phase A only at NASA designated data centers identified in Wave 1, which includes approximately 16 locations. Subsequent CLIN 2 task orders will be issued for additional content as it rolls into the NEDC contract. The Government has released a large majority of the information associated with the Wave 1 content on the NEDC procurement library at FedBizOpps. The Government anticipates a phase-in period not exceeding 30 days prior to contract start for the purpose of obtaining full Phase A capability on the first day of the contract and operational readiness for WITO within 90 days of the contract effective date. Question 125: Can NASA explain the difference between the contract start date, day 1 of the contract and contract effective date? Answer: Contract start date, day 1 of the contract and Contract effective date are synonymous. The final RFP will be revised to use consistent phrasing. Question 126: The Technical Proposal must comprehensively explain how the bidder proposes to comply with the applicable specifications, including a full explanation of the techniques and procedures to follow. How does NASA expect the contractor to satisfy this requirement since it has clearly stated in its released documents that the contractor is to adhere to NASA's established processes and procedures? Answer: NASA's documented processes and procedures are broad and general. The Offeror shall propose detailed and specific implementations that meet and comply with NASA's requirements. Question 127: Offerors may, but are not required to, propose costs associated with phase-in activity. This implies that the incumbent provider will still be providing CLIN 1 data center services throughout NASA facilities; is this a correct assumption? Answer: The NEDC contractor will not provide data center services during phase-in. The incumbent contractor(s) will continue to provide data center services during the phase-in period. Question 128: [File Name: L.16.b, DRFP Section: L.16 VOLUME IV, PAST PERFORMANCE Page Number: p. L-25] The RFP states that "The Offeror shall submit information on all (except those where information is provided above) contracts and subcontracts that have been completed during the past three years, and those currently in process." This requirement will generate a significant volume of material, for a large corporation that currently has over 15,000 contracts. Will the government please clarify their intent behind this requirement? Answer: Reference RFP, Section L.16, VOLUME IV, PAST PERFORMANCE. The Government is only interested in offerors providing information on "recent and relevant contracts (performed within the last three (3) years and similar in size, content, and complexity to NEDC requirements)." Question 129: CLIN 001 Data Center Services and associated options are fixed unit prices (FUP), CLIN 002 Transformation Design and associated options are Firm-Fixed Price, and CLIN 003 Build / Deploy and associated options are fixed price labor rates. A separate firm fixed price purchase order will be issued for phase-in. When will NASA release a description of the CLIN 1 associated options? Answer: The pricing portions of sections L and M were posted to the NASA Acquisition Internet Site on May 21, 2009. These portions address how to price CLIN 1. Question 130: CLIN 001 Data Center Services and associated options are fixed unit prices (FUP), CLIN 002 Transformation Design and associated options are Firm-Fixed Price, and CLIN 003 Build / Deploy and associated options are fixed price labor rates. A separate firm fixed price purchase order will be issued for phase-in. When will NASA release the current staffing totals needed to delivery these “pre-existing services” and operate the in-scope data centers? Answer: The Government will not release incumbent staffing information. The Offeror shall propose the best technical solution at the most competitive price. Question 131: CLIN 001 Data Center Services and associated options are fixed unit prices (FUP), CLIN 002 Transformation Design and associated options are Firm-Fixed Price, and CLIN 003 Build / Deploy and associated options are fixed price labor rates. A separate firm fixed price purchase order will be issued for phase-in. When does NASA expect to notify the NEDC contractor which data centers it expects the contractor to “walk in and take over” “as-is pre-existing services? Answer: The Government has released a large majority of the information associated with the Wave 1 content on the NEDC procurement library at FedBizOpps . Throughout the contract period of performance, as new content is identified, the CO will issue the Contractor a CLIN 2 task order to perform Phase A, prior to "walk-in-and-take-over". Question 132: We are concerned, given the number of plans requested and the number of items required for Volume I and Volume II, the page limits are too restrictive in allowing us to truly explain our solution. Will the government consider increasing the page count of both volumes by 50 pages to 150 and 200 pages respectively? Answer: The Government will reassess the proposal page limitations prior to issuing the final RFP. Question 133: [Attachment J-1, PWS, Section 1.1; Background, page J-1-5, AND Attachment 11 Equipment List] The background information states NASA has approximately 14,000 servers spread across 75 data centers. The Equipment List (Attachment 11) identifies only 461 systems/servers at 16 sites. Should the Contractor solution to the equipment listed in Attachment 11 or use the 14,000 servers and 75 data centers? Please clarify the correct number of servers and at what sites are they located. Answer: The GFP listed in Section J Attachment J-13 is what NASA has currently identified for the Wave 1 content to be operated by the NEDC. As IT service contracts approach expiration or other content is identified at the various NASA installations, NASA will issue subsequent CLIN 2 task order(s). Question 134: RFP G.8 (a) identifies that GFP (Section J, Attachment 13) will be furnished to the contractor on a no-charge-for-use basis for performance of work under the contract. However, Section H.14 indicates that the contractor shall purchase new hardware and replace existing GFP described in Section J, Attachment 13 (as contractor property) for purposes of performing the work described in the PWS. It further states that the contractor shall refresh hardware such that no hardware is ever more than five years from the date of original purchase. It would appear that the majority of the equipment listed is or will beyond end of useful life by the award of the contract. Is it expected that the contractor will immediately replace all end of life equipment upon contract award? Further, how will the government coordinate and implement H.14 (b)? Answer: The final RFP will be revised to clarify which property requires refresh and when. Question 135: [File Name: J-5 NEDC SLAs Matrix DRFP (134503-DRAFT-001-007).xls DRFP Section: Schedule attainment: Security Services] Schedule attainment: Security Services SLA is not listed in J-7. Is it the same as the Security Testing CSL? Answer: Yes, it the same as the Security Testing CSL. The J-5 SLA Matrix will be corrected in the final RFP to read Schedule Attainment: Security Testing. Question 136: [File Name: J-5 NEDC SLAs Matrix DRFP (134503-DRAFT-001-007).xls DRFP Section: Section 5 - Service Level Failures] Please define the following terms as they are used but not defined: • Critical Service Level Failure • Minimum Service Level Failure • Expected Service Level Failure • Service Level Failure Section 5 - Service Level Failures a) and b) should be updated to reflect these definitions. Answer: The final RFP and attachment J-6 will be revised to clarify and define these terms. Question 137: [File Name: J-5 NEDC SLAs Matrix DRFP (134503-DRAFT-001-007).xls DRFP Section: Section 3- Additions, deletions & modifications of KPIs] The document notes a section for KPIs yet all Service Levels in J-5 appear as CSLs. Is this a placeholder for future measurements or was the intent to have some measurements in J-5 treated as KPIs? Answer: The final RFP will be revised to identify critical services (e.g., Hosting services and Housing) and KPIs (e.g., OS Instance Availability and Storage Infrastructure Availability). Question 138: It is strongly recommended that the WAVE I tasks be clearly defined in the NEDC Attachment J document. For example, provide mainframe services is a very broad requirement. It is not clear if the execution of WAVE I tasks as outlined at industry day requires the NEDC contractor to relocate all the assets to an off-site Tier 3 location. When does NASA expect the NEDC contractor’s off-site Tier 3 data center to be available? What about the DR site? Answer: The proposed tier 3 off-site data center facility must be available no later than 90 days after contract effective date. The DR capability is required for the "walk-in-and-take-over" of the Wave 1 content which begins 90 days after contract effective date. Question 139: Does NASA expect the 12% total small business goal to be of the total contract revenue or scope of work? Answer: Refer to L.16 (IV) Small Business Utilization Sub-Factor, which states 12% of total contract value. Question 140: Comingling hardware refresh costs and support labor will likely lead to unrealistically low pricing. Please consider separate line items for hardware purchases, hardware maintenance, software purchases, and software maintenance. If not, will NASA provide assumptions around refresh volumes and timelines? Answer: The final RFP will be revised to clarify which property requires refresh and when. Question 141: Do the Housing IMAC prices include the cost of moving the equipment from a NASA facility into a contractor data center? Answer: The Offeror shall price IMAC within a single facility and should not include transit cost between facilities. Question 142: [File Name: NEDC CLIN 1,2,3 End User, Phase In Pricing Forms - 134503-AMDR-002-002.xls DRFP Section: Form A NEDC ARC RRC Table RFP Document: Web Hosting Services] Will you provide additional details regarding what is included within the unit of measure "Instance" for the Web hosting resource units? Answer: Web Services and File Services are being revised and will be clarified in the final RFP. Additional details regarding what is included within the unit of measure for Web hosting services will be provided. Question 143: The description in NEDC Attachment J-1 about how each wave project shall consist of distinct phases needs additional clarification with respect to the material presented (see A below) at the industry brief day. A. Wave I – Includes mainframe services, hosting and housing of midrange servers at MSFC NDC (NEACC, CBACS, ESMD/ICE ~ 800 OS, NOMAD/NCAD ~ 400 devices), ACES Back-Office (at all NASA Center Locations ~ 480 OS) and EGLS at KSC (~ OS Qty TBD). Answer: Detailed Wave 1 information is provided in the Procurement Library. Question 144: [File Name: DRFP-134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: SECTION 1.1, BACKGROUND Page Number: J-1-5] This section specifies, "The goal is a NEDC model consisting of at least two centralized facilities augmented by smaller facilities at each of the major NASA installations." Is it NASAs intent to provide the "smaller facilities" as GFE? Answer: Yes. It is NASA’s intent to provide onsite facilities as Government Furnished Facility, referenced Attachment J-14. Question 145: NASA currently has approximately 14,000 servers spread across 75 data centers. What percentage of the 14,000 servers will be in scope to the NEDC contractor? Answer: All 14,000 servers are within the scope of the NEDC contract; however, the actual quantities of servers that will be added throughout the life of the contract is indefinite. Question 146: [J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: 2.1 Program/Project Management Page Number: J-1-8] The last sentence indicates the contractors portal should integrate with the Contractor financial systems. Please clarify the type and/or functions of financial system integration expected. Answer: Integration is to allow for access to financial information to include invoicing and billing and back up information (e.g., quantities, base price, ARC/RRC price, average price, per customer/center, etc.) that allows Government access to this information on a self-service basis through the portal. Question 147: [J-1 PWS 2.1. “The contractor shall adhere to various NASA policies, procedures, rules and guidelines”.] Define the extent to which this applies (i.e., only to GFP at Government Sites or also to Contractor Outsourced Data Center Facilities)? Answer: These requirements shall apply to all NASA data and NASA applications regardless of location (e.g., Contractor Provided Facility and Government Provided Facility). Question 148: [J-1 PWS 2.1] When will NASA provide contractors with interface and design requirements for the "single Web-based portal that provides a customizable, role based home page…" Which CLIN with this software development function be authorized and paid under? Answer: PWS 2.1 describes the requirements. The offeror is to propose their best technical solution. Fixed unit pricing under CLIN 1 shall incorporate all costs for the associated service. Question 149: [Attachment J-1, PWS, Section 2.5, Outsourced Data Center, page J-1-10] Can the Contractor data center be a shared commercial facility? Does the Data Center require a SCIF? Answer: The Outsourced Data Center can be a shared commercial facility. There are no SCIF requirements. Question 150: [NEDC Attachment J-1 PWS Draft, Section 1.1 - Background, page J-1.5…a NEDC model consisting of at least two centralized facilities augmented by smaller facilities at each of the NASA major installations.] Is it the intent of the NEDC to maintain two distinct and autonomous commercial class tier3 data centers? Within the purview of the RFP; is it NASA’s vision that the two centralized facilities both house Production workloads? Is each data center to have the available capacity to perform as the Disaster Recovery site for the other centralized facility or is the Disaster Recovery site, in fact, a third and separate site? With regard to the two centralized facilities; does NASA prefer a geographically dispersed solution? What criteria will NASA use to determine which server(s) will move to a centralized outsourced location? At the industry day, it was stated that some of the equipment would need to stay at the centers due to security and latency issues. Would NASA consider a FISMA compliant data center more secure than the current locations? Answer: The final RFP will be revised to require two geographically dispersed tier 3 Contractor Furnished Data Center Facilities, both of which are expected to host and house production workloads. Regarding the disaster recovery requirements of the RFP, Offerors shall propose their best technical solution at the most competitive price. The contractors’ transformation approach, performance requirements and continuity of operations requirements are major factors when considering the location for hosting and housing services. All current on-site NASA data centers are FISMA compliant or have an approved "Plan of Action and Milestones" to become compliant. Question 151: [Section 2.8 - Configuration Management, page J-1-11: The Contractor shall develop and deploy a system to manage the end to end configuration of assigned network systems. The system shall contain a minimum set of information about the physical configuration of the networks including wall plate number, communications room patches, circuit number, switch, port, hub and/or router number, building number, and room number(s) of wall plates and network devices. The system shall also contain a minimum set of information about the logical configuration of the network including IP address, hardware and/or machine addresses, Virtual LAN (VLAN) data, speed and duplex information.] What Configuration Management tool(s) are used today by NASA for NEDC assets? Is it NASA’s desire for the contractor to implement a new Configuration Management tool or build upon the existing? What is NASA’s expectation as to when this Configuration Management system would be operational? How many physical inventories are currently performed per year? Answer: Section 2.8 will be revised in the final RFP. The offeror may propose the best technical approach in accordance with the requirements of PWS 2.8 and provide a Configuration Management Plan in accordance with DRD CM2.8-01 and DRD CF-03. There are numerous systems utilized across the Agency; however, NASA does not plan to provide information regarding those systems, because the NEDC contract is expected to provide a CMDB system that meets the PWS requirements at the start of the contract. Generally, physical inventories are performed once a year. Question 152: [Other Q – Terms, Conditions, Pricing] Are unit commodity service prices intended to be for the commercial data centers only versus the BAU environment? We recommend NASA standardize the Unit Price Measurement and Volumes for all contractors to receive comparable prices? Please describe the Task Ordering Procedures for CLINS 1-3. Has the government considered not owning title to the equipment and allowing the Contractor to source and own the equipment and include the cost as part of the FUP amount? This would allow the government to obtain maximum pricing. Can properly documented and cleared US Foreign Nationals citizens participate on the contact either at the NASA facility or in the Contractor’s outsourced data center? In other words, would use of non-US citizens be acceptable? It is assumed that NASA will be responsible for administration and management of the end user Charge Back Process to the centers. Is this correct? Is it correct to assume that NASA is responsible for the end user charge back process? Answer: The pricing portions of sections L and M were posted to the NASA Acquisition Internet Site on May 21, 2009, and clarify how offerors are expected to propose. The ordering clauses will be released in the near future. The Government will provide GFP at contract start. Refresh of GFP shall be replaced with contractor owned property as defined in clause H.14, Equipment Refresh. Offerors are expected to include equipment refresh as part of the fixed unit pricing in CLIN 1. Utilization of non-US citizens under NEDC contract must comply with all federal regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulation (EAR). Invoicing instructions will be released in the final RFP. Question 153: [Document Name: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 4.2.3, Storage, Backup and Restore Hosting Service; item h (1) Page Number: p. J-1-41] What are the stated Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) for this Backup and Restore Hosting Service? Answer: The SLA Matrix and Descriptions will be revised in the final RFP to clarify RTO and RPO. Question 154: [File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: 2.6 Safety, Health & Environmental Page Number: Page 11/J-1-11] There are references to hazardous environments including asbestos exposure. Is any current in-scope work for NEDC being performed in hazardous environments? If yes, please provide details. Answer: The intent is if a hazardous condition is discovered in a NASA facility NASA will mitigate the hazard, but the Contractor is responsible to comply with safety and health requirements. Currently, there are no known NEDC hazardous environments. Question 155: [File Name: Attachment J-1 DRFP Section: PWS Page Number: Page 25] Do security incident management procedures and coordination of incident response include incident investigation (including digital forensics) at each data center or supported site? Answer: The final RFP will clarify the requirements for incident investigation. The focus of Incident Management procedures is the restoration of the service. Incident Management typically focuses on investigation to assist in developing incident work-around(s). Investigation and root cause analysis is a significant part of Problem Management process and procedures. Question 156: [File Name: J-1 NEDC DPWS DRFP Section: 2.8 Configuration Mgmt Page Number: J-1-11 "The Contractor shall develop and deploy a system to manage the end to end configuration of assigned network systems."] Should this section be expanded to represent configuration management of all devices in the data center? Answer: PWS 2.8 will be revised in the final RFP. Question 157: [File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP and CLIN List DRFP Section: 4.1.2 Mainframe Secure Printing Services Page Number: J-1-34] Please provide a list of the current FTEs by center supporting mainframe print operations. Answer: The Government will not provide staffing information. The Offeror shall propose its best technical solution at the most competitive price. Question158: [File Name: Industry Days Briefing DRFP Section: 4.1 Mainframe services] What are the long term plans for the mainframe once the shuttle is retired? Do you anticipate any applications, including those from Research Centers, residing on the mainframe to be required going forward to access applications and historical data? If so, could you provide a list of the applications, identify the software utilized, and CPU processing consumption? Answer: NASA currently plans to shut down shuttle mainframe applications six months after the shuttle retirement. All non-shuttle mainframe applications are currently planned for migration off the mainframe prior to the start of the NEDC contract. Question 159: [File Name : J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP DRFP Section: 4.1 Mainframe services, Resource Baseline Services] What size Mainframe is required to process the current and future workload? Please provide MIPS capacity required. Answer: NASA currently plans to shut down shuttle mainframe applications six months after the shuttle retirement. All non-shuttle mainframe applications are currently planned for migration off the mainframe prior to the start of the NEDC contract. The Government expects the NEDC Contractor to operate the mainframe "as-is" with no transformation. The current IBM Z9 hardware will be provided as GFP to the NEDC Contractor. The IBM mainframe is a 47 Million Service Unit configuration and is expected to carry a 23 MSUs/Month load. Question 160: [Section 2.5 Outsourced Data Center: The Contractor shall provide hosting services from Contractor provided outsourced data centers that meet TIA-942 TIER 3 standards and ensure compliance with all service level agreements for NASA ordered services under this contract. The Contractor shall maintain adequate bandwidth at all times between outsourced data centers and NASA customers. The Contractor shall provide end to end service performance of interconnections with the NASA network that meet or exceed the bandwidth necessary to satisfy the application performance required in SLAs. The location of the outsourced data center must support a maximum latency of 10 milliseconds between the outsourced data center and a NASA Carrier Independent Exchange Facility (CIEF). The Contractor shall provide dual path connectivity between the Contractor’s outsourced data centers and NASA CIEFs.] Could the government please define “adequate?” This could use a better definition as "adequate" means lots of things. If this is destined for specific location(s), contractors could respond "sure we have plenty," NASA should specify at least in concept initial needs and a 12-month growth expectation. Answer: The final RFP will be revised to clarify that adequate bandwidth is defined as sufficient bandwidth to support a maximum latency of 10 milliseconds between the outsourced data center and a NASA CIEF. Question 161: [Section 4.0.1 List of services included with CLIN 1, Fixed Unit Pricing: The Contractor shall provide all services and perform all requirements of this section and Section 1, 2 and the CF-PWS as part of fixed unit pricing unless expressly identified otherwise within the PWS or other sections of this contract. The Contractor shall provide replacement and spare parts or equipment, temporary labor services, vendor maintenance agreements, software subscription services, hardware engineering changes or updates, IT-related supplies and special general-purpose software packages necessary to perform the operations and maintenance functions of this contract.] [NASA Draft RFP NNK09274726J Page 3: The Contractor shall provide hardware upgrades; systems and applications software licenses, renewals, and enhancements; services and maintenance.] Assuming a 3 yr. refresh cycle, is NASA going to be willing MOD the contract as needed if costs for refresh increase the cost? (i.e., Oracle, etc. have variable rates for Maintenance contracts.) Answer: The contract requires that no equipment older than 5 years shall be used in performance of the contract. Offerors are expected to include all costs associated with replacement, spare parts or equipment, temporary labor services, vendor maintenance agreements, software subscription services, hardware engineering changes or updates, IT-related supplies and special general-purpose software packages necessary to perform the operations and maintenance functions within the fixed unit pricing for each data center service. Question 162: [Section 4.0.3 Security: The Contractor shall: m. Perform periodic security self-assessments and report results ; Question A: Please define what areas of IT security you deem critical to test on a regular basis? o. Provide access to the NEDC for NASA Security Operations Center (SOC) host intrusion prevention services and respond to host intrusion events as notified by NASA SOC; Is the Software provided or currently in use via GFE or is contracted expected to source and then deploy? Question B: Regarding software, is the contractor expected to source replacement software/hardware in the event a vendor EOL's a specific version, or would the contractor be expected to maintain an unsupported platform (Windows NT 4.0 Servers in a Win2008 world). 4.0.4.j.5, 4.2.2 Answers: The final RFP will be revised that the Contractor is required perform periodic security self-assessments and report results based upon the approved contractor IT security plans. PWS 4.0.3(o) will be revised in the final RFP to clarify then NEDC Contractor's responsibilities. If hardware and software (platform) support is discontinued by OEM, the NEDC Contractor shall maintain the platform on a best efforts basis to ensure all systems institute information security controls are met in accordance with NIST SP 800-53. The Government's current policy is to isolate systems from networks if a system cannot meet the applicable security controls. Question 163: [Re: Offsite Retention of Archive Media] Is there existing solution in place to store offsite either using NASA remote locations or Third Party solution (Iron Mountain, etc.)? PWS should detail How long should this be stored off site for, and the Guideline for rotation back into a common pool or requirements for media sanitation (NPR 2810.1A is not a widely public document like NIST 800-88) Answer: The Government will revise the final RFP to clarify retention of archive media. Question 164: ["4.2.3.h.3"] Are you asking the hosting provider to dictate the files and directories you want backed up? Answer: The customer will specify files and directories to be backed up. PWS 4.2.3(h)(3) will be revised and clarified in the final RFP. Question 165: [File Name : J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: g. Provide Data Storage Application Tier Levels Page Number: J-1-41] Letter g identifies the storage tiers for NASA. Can the government specify the storage tiers where local and remote replication is required associated with each Wave? Answer: The Government will provide additional information for Wave 1 in the NEDC procurement library when the final RFP is released. Question 166: [File Name : J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: g. Provide Data Storage Application Tier Levels Page Number: J-1-41] Can the government provide additional information on the amount of storage currently in each storage tier along with the GFE or GPE management and backup tools to be provided for each of the sites to be transitioned in Wave 1? Answer: The Government will provide additional information for Wave 1 in the NEDC procurement library when the final RFP is released. Question 167: [File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: 2.4 Facilities Management and Services on NASA Installations Page Number: J-1-10] The requirements are for the contractor to manage the facilities requirements and interface with NASA Center Facilities offices. For each wave, can the government please identify how many facilities will be required to be managed short term during the WITO phase, and then long term once all transformation phases are complete? Answer: The final RFP will be revised to clarify the Government furnished data center facility space to be provided to the Contractor. The Wave 1 facility space at each NASA installation is identified in the NEDC Procurement Library. For future waves, on-site space allocation is dependent upon Wave content and Offeror's transformation approach. Question 168: [File Name : J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: 4.0.4 Server Hardware and Supporting Software Page Number: J-1-26] For supporting software, is this to mean the OS and tools for management and monitoring but excludes specific application software? Answer: [Reference PWS 4.0.4(g)] Yes. This is excluded provided "specific application software" means "customer application software." There are no requirements for the Contractor to provide customer application software management and monitoring. Question 169: Does the government intend to have an oral presentation be part of the selection process? And, if so, what is the anticipated timeframe? Answer: No. Please refer to the NEDC draft sections L & M posted to the NASA Acquisition Internet Service. Question 170: [J-1 PWS 2.4.f] Will Facilities Office planning activities information be made available prior to bidding? Answer: PWS 2.4.f will be deleted in the final RFP. Question: J-1.7 2 PWS section 2 doesn't seem to have a CLIN associated with it. Under which CLIN should the costs associated with the work in section PWS section 2 be priced? Is transparency required or should this be rolled into an overall CLIN price? Answer: PWS Section 2 requirements shall be included in each of the CLIN prices (i.e., CLIN 1, CLIN 2, CLIN3). Question 171: [J-1 PWS 2.4. (e)] Who is responsible for the “lease and maintenance costs” of the NASA assigned facilities? Previous language in the draft indicates that the facilities are provided as GFP for our use on a “no charge” basis. When can detailed information about the number and location of leased space and well as associated lease agreements be made available for inspection prior to bidding? Answer: The contractor will not be responsible for the "lease and maintenance costs" of NASA owned or NASA leased facilities. Question 172: J-1 PWS 2.14 activity is to occur within the last 120 days of the NEDC contract. Is NASA inferring that this will only occur within the final year of the total 9 year period of performance? Regarding information to be provided by the incumbent contractor to the successor contractor: isn’t all the requisite data listed already being continuously updated by the contractor and managed by the NASA system integration organization? Why can’t the system integration organization provide all asset, configuration, interface, and dependency data directly to the successor contractor? Would not the successful successor contractor already be aware of transition items required (i.e., they won the subsequent contract)? Answer: PWS 2.14 requires the contractor to support phase out to a successor contractor during the final 120 days of performance. The final 120 days of performance could occur at the end of the basic contract period or at the end of an exercised option extending the period of performance. The requirements in PWS 2.14 ensure that all data needed for successful transition is available to a successor contractor. The time period of 120 days may be revised in the final RFP. Question 173: [J-1 PWS 2.11.4] Are the referenced “interface agreements” the same thing as the Associate Contractor Agreements? If they are, then this conflicts with timeframes required for execution (i.e., 30 days from contract award). If not and this is something different, please provide detailed information about specific agencies and center facility contractors referenced. Also, please describe requirements for draft, review and execution oversight required by NASA. Answer: PWS 2.11.4 will be deleted in the final RFP. Question 174: [J-1 PWS 2.15.(b)] Please provide a listing of all legacy federal records inherited from previous contracts. Answer: This will be revised in the final RFP to clarify the Contractor's responsibility. Question 175: [J-1 PWS 2.15.(e)] Please provide specifications and requirements for the format and software required in this section. Answer: There are no specifications or requirements for format and software. The intent of this requirement is to ensure that all electronic data delivered to the Government is always accessible and readable should the Contractor maintain data in a proprietary manner. Question 176: [J-1 PWS 2.3.1.c.] When will NASA provide specifications and requirements for the asset management tool referenced in the section? When will NASA provide the specifications and requirements for the "on-line" access to NASA personnel? Answer: PWS 2.3.1 is only for Government Furnished Property. N-PROP is a Web-based database tool that supports management of NASA-tagged equipment. The Contractor will be provided an N-Prop account(s) to perform the following functions for GFE on NASA on-site facilities: accept/reject property, transfer property, change property location, initiate excess request, create tag, create removal passes, display property (assigned to end user or property transfer history), and search equipment agency-wide (active and excessed). The PWS will be clarified in the final RFP to identify "on-line" access requirements. Question 177: [J1 – 4.04 Server Hardware and Supporting Software] In the case of GFP hardware and software, how will licenses and access to support agreements with vendors be provided to the winning contractor so that they may perform the required tasks? Answer: NASA will provide existing licenses and support agreements to the NEDC Contractor for GFP. When existing licenses, service and support agreements expire, the contractor is responsible for all necessary renewals and updates and all associated costs. Question 178: [J-1 PWS 4.0.1 “the Contractor shall provide replacement and spare parts… necessary to perform the operations and maintenance functions of this contract.”] Can NASA provide a complete inventory listing and lifecycle usage data of all current replacement and spare parts that are being managed for execution of current contracts? Will all current replacement and spare parts inventories be provided as GFP to the NEDC contractor? Will the same end of useful life requirements be applicable to the replacement and spare parts inventory? Answer: The Wave I NEDC data is available at the NEDC Procurement Library. The final RFP will be revised to clarify the Contractor's responsibility for replacement and spare parts inventories. Question 179: [J-1 PWS 2.18 (h-p)] Define “appropriately protect”. Is this section applicable to both NASA on-site and NASA off-site facilities, as well as contractor owned facilities? For NASA facilities provided (on-site and off-site) GFP, would not NASA already be providing the services listed? For NASA off-site leased facilities would not this already be provided as part of the lease agreement? Can NASA provide complete facility and device data for current facilities where the listed services might be provided? Answer: The final RFP will be revised to clarify which requirements of PWS 2.18 apply to on-site (GFF) versus off-site (CFF) facilities. Question 180: [(b) Plan, Design, Build, Test and Deploy. (11) Migrates applications seamlessly and with no application performance impacts from the As-Is architecture to an optimized To-Be architecture] When does NASA plan to provide the NEDC contractor with a report outlining current application performance metrics? Answer: The intent of this objective is to ensure that "to-be" system SLAs do not impact application performance adversely. The Contractor through Phase A, B, and C will identify all information necessary to build out a "to-be" system. Question 181: The description in NEDC Attachment J-1 about how each wave project shall consist of distinct phases needs additional clarification with respect to the material presented (see A below) at the industry brief day. A. Wave I – Includes mainframe services, hosting and housing of midrange servers at MSFC NDC (NEACC, CBACS, ESMD/ICE ~ 800 OS, NOMAD/NCAD ~ 400 devices), ACES Back-Office (at all NASA Center Locations ~ 480 OS) and EGLS at KSC (~ OS Qty TBD) Answer: Detailed Wave 1 information is provided in the Procurement Library. Question 182: [The goal is a NEDC model consisting of at least two centralized facilities augmented by smaller facilities at each of the major NASA installations.] Can NASA provide a definition for what it construes as being a “centralized” location? Answer: The final will be revised to replace "centr alized facilities" with "Contractor Furnished Facilities." Question 183: [The Contractor shall provide the NASA PMO and NEDC Customers access to service performance information via a single web-based portal that provides a customizable, role based home page.] When does NASA expect the I3P contractor to have this portal interface in-place? Answer: The Government expects the NEDC contractor to have this portal in place by Day 90 of the contract. Question 184: [J-1 PWS 4] Please clarify WITO language conflicts. One section indicates you will provide services consistent with the resource baseline and associated SLA’s priced under CLIN 1. In the next sentence it indicates that the contractor shall operate the “as is” at the same level of service currently being provided. This language is contradictory if current data center activities under UNITeS, ODIN, Center and Mission specific activities aren’t the same as the SLA’s priced in CLIN 1. Further, please provide all current service level requirements for all contractors providing data center services. Also, please provide all applicable SLA trending data showing compliance (or non-compliance) of the current incumbent contractors against the current SLA requirements. Answer: PWS Section 4 will be revised in the final RFP to remove the inconsistency. Current service level requirements and SLA trending data of current incumbent contractor performance is not readily available. The NEDC contractor will identify the "as-is" service requirements as part of Phase A, PWS 3.1 (g). Question 185: [J-1 PWS 4.0.4.k (8)] Please provide requirements and specifications for secure off-site tape storage. Answer: The final RFP will clarify the requirement for secure off-site storage of tape media. Question 186: [NEDC CLIN 1,2,3 End User, Phase In Pricing Forms - 134503-AMDR-002-002.xls DRFP Section: Form A NEDC ARC RRC Table Page Number] The Tape Backup resource unit price is designated as "Included Above." Is it your intention for this to be built into the pricing of the other Storage resource units? If so, would the Government consider asking for this to be priced separately, as including it within the other resource unit pricing would be difficult because the cost drivers affecting price such as total GB backed up (via incremental daily backups), total retained, etc. are not necessarily aligned to the total storage volumes. Answer: The final RFP will be revised to price tape backup services separately. Question 187: The Database volumes received in the spreadsheet, named “NEDC CLIN 1,2,3 End User, Phase In Pricing Forms - 134503-AMDR-002-002.xls “,does not designate Production versus Dev or Test environments. Is it possible to add a designation for Category 1, Category 2, or Category 3 for the DB instances, much like you have provided for the server environment? Answer: Database management services will be revised in the final RFP to clarify the types of database services required. Question 188: J-3 CF-PWS 6.2.4.f. The contractor shall follow NASA IT security incident management procedures in accordance with NASA policies and ensure coordination of its incident response team with the NASA Security Operations Center (SOC).] Does NASA plan to monitor all NEDC owned equipment from the SOC? Answer: The NEDC Contractor will monitor NEDC servers and follow the requirements of CF-PWS 6.2(f) for incident management and reporting to the SOC. Question 189: [Section 4.2.5 - Disaster Recovery Services, page J-1-42 Provide the capability to recover data and restore operations at a secondary site in the event of a disaster…] Have critical applications and hardware for disaster recovery been identified? Can you provide the current SLA requirements for disaster recovery? Answer: The NEACC defines critical applications and re-evaluates the list of critical applications annually. The SunGard® agreement provides a secondary DR site; however, data is not available in real-time. Instead NASA carries the data to the DR site. Restoration time is 72-96 hours. The maximum length of operations at the SunGard site is limited to six weeks (additional cost is incurred beyond this time period). The document "DR Hardware Requirements NEDC.doc" will be added to the Procurement Library. NASA has received several Industry questions and comments regarding Disaster Recovery. The Disaster Recovery requirements will be revised in the Final RFP. Question 190: [Section a: page J-1-43: Provide for all aspects of a hot secondary site recovery up to the level of the service per SLA: The industry defines a “Hot” and “Warm” site as: Hot backup sites have a virtual mirror image of your current data center, with all systems configured and waiting only for the last backups of your user data from your off-site storage facility. A warm backup site is already stocked with hardware representing a reasonable facsimile of that found in your data center. To restore service, the last backups from your off-site storage facility must be delivered, and bare metal restoration completed...] When the DRFP refers to a “Hot” site; is it the understanding that a duplicate of every type of server that NASA operates is to reside at the hot site and be available in a moment’s notice? Does NASA currently possess a “Hot” or “Warm” Disaster Recovery agreement with an outside vendor? Answer: The PWS 4.2.5 will be revised in the final RFP to state a "warm" DR site. NASA does not expect a duplicate of every type of server that NASA operates to reside at the DR site. The document "DR hardware requirements NEDC.doc" that will be in the Procurement Library lists the hardware currently required to be duplicated at the "warm" DR site. The Procurement Library will contain a set of documents that describe the current requirements for DR for the Wave 1 content. NASA currently possesses a contract with SunGard for a "warm" DR site. NASA has received several Industry questions and comments regarding Disaster Recovery. The Disaster Recovery requirements will be revised in the Final RFP. Question 191: Please provide insight on anticipated personnel security clearance levels such as minimum requirements and areas requiring higher level security clearances. Answer: At this time NASA has not identified any classified data requirements. Attachment J-15 was included in the Draft RFP to accommodate potential future classified data requirements. Question 192: [File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: 4.2.5 Page Number: J-1-42] Please briefly describe the current disaster recovery organization. By location, how many people are dedicated to IT DR planning activities? Answer: The Procurement Library will contain a set of documents that describe the current requirements for DR for the Wave 1 content. The Offeror shall propose the best technical solution at the most competitive price. Question 193: It is recommend that NASA FAR Supplement Clause 1852.204-76 (May 2007) be replaced by the May 2008 version, which reflects a class deviation, per NASA Procurement Information Circular (PIC) 08-09 (May 1, 2008). Answer: The final RFP will reflect the latest NFS 1852.204-76. Question 194: [File Name: J-5 NEDC SLAs Matrix DRFP (134503-DRAFT-001-007).xls DRFP Section: Configuration Management] Configuration Management sub-section of Cross functional Services is not covered in J-7. Should it be removed from this schedule also? Answer: The final RFP will be revised to include Configuration Management in Attachment J-7. Question 195: [The goal is a NEDC model consisting of at least two centralized facilities augmented by smaller facilities at each of the major NASA installations.] Does NASA expect that one of these centralized facilities will function as the DR site? Answer: NASA expects at least two Contractor furnished data center facilities (CFF). NASA expects the Contractor to provide DR services at each CFF data center for the other CFF data center and GFF data centers. NASA expects the Contractor to balance content across multiple CFF data centers with no one CFF data center providing more than a 60% annual average of the off-site data center services content. However, for Mainframe DR, the Offeror may propose a third party solution like NASA's current Mainframe DR solution. The Offeror shall propose its best technical solution at the most competitive price. Requirements for CFF data center and DR will be clarified in the final RFP. Question 196: [The Contractor shall implement IT procedures and requirements that are aligned with NASA’s Strategic Plan and integrated with its strategic management process.] Does NASA plan to provide the NEDC contractor its documented procedures at the time a task order is issued? Answer: Reference Attachment J-16. Contractor shall discover and/or document existing data center operating procedures during Phase A, PWS 3.1, Discovery and Assessment of "As-is" and Formulation of "To-be". During "WITO" the contractor shall follow those operating procedures. The Contractor shall develop the "to-be" operations procedures during PWS 3.4, Build Test & Deploy. Question 197:[J-1 PWS 2.13] What is the frequency of this tasking? Will this be initiated via specific task order? Answer: PWS 2.13 will be deleted in its entirety and the Contractor will be required to meet NASA FAR Supplement Clause 18-52.227-70. This requirement is not a separate tasking and the costs associated with this and all other items in PWS section 2 are to be included within the fixed price. Question 198: [Section 2.5 - Outsourced Data Center, page J-1-10 “… shall provide hosting services from Contractor provided outsourced data centers that meet TIA-942 TIER 3 standards…”] What/where is the NASA Carrier Independent Exchange Facility (CIEF) point for contractor provided networks? Does the prime contractor need to provide and operate the tier 3 data center? Or is it acceptable for the prime to provide the Business As Usual services and team with a sub to obtain the Tier 3 center. The J13 DRFP lists 462 servers as GFE for wave 1. Is this the complete list for Wave 1? Are the systems (NEACC, CBACS, etc.) listed in the NEDC Industry day presentation on page 35 part of Wave 1? Answer: The CIEF locations have been posted to the NEDC Procurement Library. Offerors shall propose the best technical solution at the most competitive price to meet the requirements of the NEDC contract, including operation of the tier 3 data center. Attachment J13 is not a complete list for wave 1. Attachment J13 will be updated with the final RFP. The Government contemplates the following systems to be included in the Wave I effort: NASA Datacenter (NDC) Mainframe, hosting and housing of midrange servers at Marshal Space Flight Center NDC (NASA Enterprise Application Competency Center (NEACC), Identity Credential, and Access Management (ICAM)(formerly known as CBACS), Integrated Collaborative Environment (ICE), NASA Operational Messaging and Directory Service (NOMAD), NASA Consolidated Active Directory(NCAD), ACES Back-Office (at all NASA Center Locations) and housing and hosting services for the Exploration Ground Launch Services (EGLS) contractor at KSC. The final RFP will identify the Wave 1 systems and the services the Government will require from the contractor for those systems. Question 199: [Document Name: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 2.8, Configuration Management Page Number: J-1-12] This section states, "Historical data older than one year shall be archived off-line and be capable of being retrieved within 72 hours when requested." What is the archival retention period of this data? Answer: PWS 2.8 will be revised in the final RFP. The retention period for historical data is for the duration of the NEDC contract with delivery of all data to the Government at the end of the NEDC contract. Question 200: If CLIN 002 tasks do not apply to the above Wave I consolidated service requirements, where does NASA expect the NEDC contractor to provide pricing to execute Wave I tasks. Answer: CLIN 2 tasks are for Phase A, B, & C activities as described in PWS Section 3. Data center operations are covered by CLIN 1 task orders. Question 201: File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: 4.0.4 Server Hardware and Supporting Software Page Number: J-1-31] Item R. states distribute application loads to maximize efficiency. Are there specific hardware and software configurations for load balancing applications and if so, please provide additional details. In addition, what wave or volumes of servers does load balancing apply to? Answer: Load balancing information is gathered during Phase A (PWS 3.1). NEDC Load Balancing is under review and the Government may exclude this from the CLIN 1 FUP. Question 202: [File Name : J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: 4.0.4 Server Hardware and Supporting Software Page Number: J-1-26] Item A states the provider will plan, build, design, engineer and deploy services for equipment and software and lists ISP as one of the services. Does ISP refer to Internet Service Provider? If so, please provide requirements regarding Internet connectivity at the Center and Off-site outsourced data centers. Answer: Yes, and the acronym ISP will be removed from this list of services in the final RFP. The intent of PWS 4.0.4(a) is to describe the types of service strategy and service design specifications and attributes that the Contractor will provide (e.g., on-site WAN and LAN providers, on-site facility provider) to improve NEDC services and deliver new NEDC services. Question 203: [File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: 4.0.4 Server Hardware and Supporting Software Page Number: J-1-30, Item M - Implement and maintain Server interfaces between internal and external systems including use of encryption where required by NASA and/or Customers] Is this encryption performed just for the transmittal of data or data at rest as well? What software is being used and is it expected to be CFE software? IF CFE then what systems does it reside on as well? Answer: The referenced encryption requirement is for transmittal/transmission of data. The Offerors should propose their best technical solution. NPR 2810.1A, Security of Information Technology, lists applicable encryption standards. Question 204: [J-1 PWS 4.0.4.k] Please provide a complete listing and location of sites other than data centers that will require support operations. Please define “support operations equipment.” Answer: PWS 4.0.4(k) will be revised and "support operations equipment" will be deleted in the Final RFP. Question 205: [File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP DRFP Section: 4.1 Mainframe services, Resource Baseline Services] What are the tape volumes for the mainframe? Will you please provide the total number of GBs of active tape, total tape count, offsite tapes, and near-line tape volumes? Answer: Tape volumes are listed in attachment "Question regarding tape volumes.doc" which will be posted in the Procurement Library. Question 206: [File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP DRFP Section: 4.1 Mainframe services, Resource Baseline Services] How many userids are required per LPAR? Answer: The Userids for LPAR are listed in attachment "Mainframe accts 06092009 Q150.xls" which will be located in the Procurement Library. Question 207: [File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP DRFP Section: 4.1 Mainframe services, Resource Baseline Services Page Number: J-1-32] Please provide an inventory of all mainframe software including vendor release and maintenance levels. Answer: An inventory of mainframe software is listed in attachment "z9 Software Renewals - FY10 (a) Q162.xls" which will be located in the Procurement Library. Question 208: [File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP DRFP Section: 4.1 Mainframe services, Resource Baseline Services] Are the Mainframe LPARs listed connected in a jesplex? If so, how many are in each jesplex? Answer: The mainframe LPARs are not connected in a jesplex. Question 209: [File Name : J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP and CLIN List DRFP Section: 4.1.2 Mainframe Secure Printing Services Page Number: J-1-34] What are the hours of coverage by location for mainframe print? Answer: The final RFP will be revised to change "Mainframe Secure Printing Services" to "Mainframe Printing Services." Mainframe Printing Services are required 24x7. Question 210: [File Name : J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP and CLIN List DRFP Section: 4.1.2 Mainframe Secure Printing Services Page Number: J-1-34] Will supplier need to provide post printing services for mainframe print, such as burst, decollate, fold, insert, mail deliver or courier? If yes, please provide a description of services and volumes by location per month. Answer: Post printing services such as burst, decollate, fold, insert, etc is not required under Mainframe Printing Services. Question 211: [File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP and CLIN List DRFP Section: 4.1.2 Mainframe Secure Printing Services Page Number: J-1-34] Is service provider responsible for forms design or scripting? If so please provide the number of requests per month per location. Answer: The service provider is not responsible for forms design and scripting. Question 212: [File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP and CLIN List DRFP Section: 4.1.2 Mainframe Secure Printing Services Page Number: J-1-34] Are there any disaster recovery requirements for the mainframe print operations? Answer: NASA has received several Industry questions and comments regarding Disaster Recovery. The Disaster Recovery requirements will be revised in the Final RFP. Question 213: [File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP and CLIN List DRFP Section: 4.1.2 Mainframe Secure Printing Services Page Number: J-1-34] What HW/SW is currently being used to perform mainframe print by site? Answer: All Mainframe print is controlled by DRS/VPS software from the vendor named Levi, Ray and Shoup. Hardware is user owned/ ODIN Printers. Question 214: File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: 4.1.5 Page Number: J-1-34] Item g states, write, test, and maintain operational and disaster recovery procedures for all systems. Which critical applications and systems are in-scope for DR per facility/Data Center? Answer: NASA has received several Industry questions and comments regarding Disaster Recovery. The Disaster Recovery requirements will be revised in the Final RFP. Question 215: [File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: 4.1.5 Page Number: J-1-34] Item d (2) speaks of Disaster Recovery Plans. Please provide additional detail regarding the number of current and expected DR plans per facility/site/center. Answer: NASA has received several Industry questions and comments regarding Disaster Recovery. The Disaster Recovery requirements will be revised in the Final RFP. Question 216: [J-1 PWS 4.1.5.q] Please provide additional information about current third party providers providing disaster recovery services for mainframe operations. Is NASA’s current mainframe DR function outsourced? Answer: NASA's current mainframe disaster recovery services are provided by the UNITES contractor who subcontracts with SunGard. Question 217: [H. 17, NEDC Benchmarking Process and Procedures, page 29] The Benchmarking Review, subparagraph (d), refers to reducing the price for the service if the benchmark results are less than the service price by 15% or more. Should there not be a corresponding increase to the price if the benchmark results are 15% or greater than the price of the service? This situation might result from any number of unpredictable changes in the environment or IT marketplace. Left without relief, these are the types of situations that stress the capabilities and options available to a contractor that cause degradation of service and relationships. Answer: We will consider revising the clause to allow for an upward price adjustment due to industry wide trends that result in price increases. Question 218: [Section 4.3 Housing Services, page J-1-44 … housing services (Co-location) at data centers in NASA facilities located on NASA installations and at Contractor furnished facilities not located on any NASA installation] Please define the Housing service as it applies to FUP? What is the housing service charging instrument that will be utilized? Answer: Reference Attachment L-5 which lists the resource baseline and fixed unit pricing in the ARC/RCC table. Question 219: [Document Name: NEDC, Att J-1, PWS Draft Section Number: Section 4.2.3, Storage, Backup and Restore Hosting Service; item h (2) Page Number: p. J-1-41] Does the customer require the contractor to create or maintain special scripts on backup for this project? Answer: Yes, if necessary based on individual application customer requirements. Question 220: Will all subfactors under management be given the same weight in proposal evaluation? If not, what are the relative weights of each subfactor? Answer: All mission suitability sub-factor weightings are identified at the end of section M.4. Question 221: [File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: 4.2.5 Page Number: J-1-42] Please list all third party vendors who have disaster recovery responsibilities and their role. Answer: NASA currently possesses a contract with SunGard for a "warm" DR site. Question 222: [File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: 4.2.5 Page Number: J-1-42] Please describe what software is used to create and maintain your current DR plans. Will it be provided to the vendor? Answer: Current DR plans are maintained in MS Word and Excel. Question 223: [File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: 4.2.5 Page Number: J-1-42] What production infrastructure needs to be recovered by site and what are the specific recovery time and data loss tolerance requirements? Answer: The NEACC defines critical applications and re-evaluates the list of critical applications annually. The SunGard agreement provides a secondary DR site; however, data is not available in real-time. Instead NASA carries the data to the DR site. Restoration time is 72-96 hours. The maximum length of operations at the SunGard site is limited to six weeks (additional cost is incurred beyond this time period). A set of DR Hardware Requirements for NEDC documents will be added to the Procurement Library. Question 224: [File Name: NEDC PWS, J-1 DRFP Section: 2.4.2 Database Management Services Page Number: J-1-42] To properly quantify the support services to be included for each wave please provide the following information for each wave: 1) what are the different types of database environments used by NASA? 2) What is the volume and sizes of each type of database? 3) Are any of the database instances duplicated between Centers? If yes, which ones and how large are they? 4) What DB management tools are being used to support the DB instances? 5) Will those DB tools convey as part of the WITO process? Answer: Reference Attachment L-5. This attachment lists the database types under the "Database Admin Management Services" section in the resource baseline for which the Offerors are to propose a fixed unit price. Volume sizes, locations, replication and tools will be identified during Phase A by the Contractor. For "as-is" operations the Contractor may use the existing Government DB management tools. For "to-be" operations the Contractor is expected to provide all DB management tools necessary to meet the service requirements. Question 225: [File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP and CLIN List DRFP Section: 4.1.2 Mainframe Secure Printing Services Page Number: J-1-34] What are mainframe print volumes by location? Please provide a break-out of volume printed by location by month and the expected growth or decline each year. Will this volume be impacted by the phase out of the Space Shuttle program? Please provide the expected mainframe print volume projects by month by location. Answer: The mainframe monthly print volumes are as follows: MAF* MAFDEVP 13,017 Lines/record MAFPROD 143,047 JSC* IMICA 1,687,481 IMICB 714 MSFC** MSMIS 214,478 All remaining Centers** NAPROD 6,233,941 NALIB01 561,069 NACOMN 11,061 * Will be phased out six months after last Shuttle flight. ** Will be phased out FEB 2011 Question 226: [File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP and CLIN List DRFP Section: 4.1.2 Mainframe Secure Printing Services Page Number: J-1-34] Are there any special print or handling requirements? If so, please describe and at what location is this performed? Answer: The final RFP will be revised to remove Secure Printing Services and clarify printing requirements. Question 227: [J-1-34/35] Are general printing services included in the secure printing services requirements? Answer: PWS 4.1.2 will be revised to delete mainframe secure print requirements. Question 228: [4.2.6.K. Provide for Customer self service chart creation] Is this a customer driven portal dashboard? Answer: PWS 4.2.6 will be deleted from the final RFP. Question 229: [4.6 Security Services for Non-NEDC Servers] This section is will have issues with application owners if there is a mandate to allow software to be loaded on machines not under the same security posture as the NASA, as these software products operate at near kernel level. Does NASA expect to mandate the service to connect to non-NEDC servers? Answer: The Government intends to mandate the use of the NEDC enterprise anti-virus/spy-ware software service by all Non-NEDC servers unless specific application requirements prevent its use. Question 230: [File Name: J-1 NEDC PWS DRFP - 134503-DRAFT-001-003.doc DRFP Section: 4.0.4 Server Hardware and Supporting Software Page Number: J-1-28] Item H, refers to providing the system hardware and software in support of infrastructure design and infrastructure architecture. Are you asking the provider to provide the architecture and design for all hw/sw of the servers? If so, can you give an expected growth rate on servers and number of projects by size each year? Answer: PWS Section 4.0.4(h) will be deleted, and the remainder of this Section is under review for the final RFP. Question 231: [Attachment J-1, Section 2.3, Logistics] Will NASA require the contractor to provide Secure logistics? Answer: Section 2.3 does not identify any requirement for "Secure Logistics." Question 232: [Attachment J-1, Section 2.3.1, Property and Inventory Management] Will the contractor assume financial responsibility for lost or stolen GFE equipment? Answer: The Contractor is responsible for lost or stolen GFE in accordance with FAR Clause 52.245-1. Question 233: [Attachment J-1, Section 2.10, Tier 2 and 3 customer support capability] Will NASA require the contractor to provide Tier 2 & 3 support for the existing infrastructure? Answer: The Contractor will be required to provide Tier 2 and 3 customer support capability to ensure successful delivery of all data center services. Question 234: [J-1-16] Physical protection and safety countermeasures are typically provided by the “owner” of the host computing environment. Will the requirements only apply to contractor-provided data center facilities? Answer: The requirements apply to contractor-provided facilities. The Government will revise the PWS to clarify the contractor's responsibility regarding NASA on-site data centers. Question 235: [Page 35] Clarification is requested regarding the “standards and procedures manual.” Is this a NASA manual or an in-house operational manual? Answer: This is a generic term used to reference documents specific to the mainframe operations. The documents listed in PWS 4.1.3a will be posted to the NEDC Procurement Library. Question 236: [Page 42] Clarification is request regarding the baseline called out as"...listed in the resource baseline." Answer: Reference the resource baseline in Attachment L5. Question 237: [J-1-40] Clarification is requested on what hardware and software technologies are currently in use for backup/recovery? Answer: The Government does not currently have a list of hardware and software technologies in use at the "as-is" data centers. PWS 3.1 states, "During Phase A, the Contractor shall fully discover, assess, document...the “as-is” environment." Question 238: J-1-43, Clarification is requested on what kinds of monitoring systems/software are presently in use? Answer: PWS 4.2.6 will be deleted from the final RFP. Question 239: Clarification is requested of the definitions of "Mission systems" and "Enterprise systems." Answer: The Government is unaware of any use of the term "mission system" in the NEDC PWS. Question 240: [CLIN 001 Data Center Services and associated options are fixed unit prices (FUP), CLIN 002 Transformation Design and associated options are Firm-Fixed Price, and CLIN 003 Build / Deploy and associated options are fixed price labor rates. A separate firm fixed price purchase order will be issued for phase-in.] Does NASA expect the NEDC contractor to provide a staffing list and an associated hourly rate for each skill required to deliver data center services (CLIN 001) as the method to fulfill the FUP requirement? Answer: The pricing portions of sections L and M were posted to the NASA Acquisition Internet Site on May 21, 2009. These portions address how to price CLIN 1. Question 241: [J-1 PWS 2.1: "The contractor shall adhere to NPR 2830, NASA Enterprise Architecture Procedures. The Contractor shall work with the NEDC PMO to meet NASA Enterprise Architecture (EA) goals and objectives. The contractor shall make recommendations to the NASA PMO for changes to the NASA EA"] Why should the contractor adhere to NASA EA procedures in a commercial outsourced data center environment? Answer: These requirements apply to all NASA data and NASA applications regardless of location (e.g., Contractor Provided Facility and Government Provided Facility). Question 242: [J-1 PWS 4.3.2.(g)] Will the NEDC contractor be required to provide maintenance of NASA Data Center facility auxiliary power systems? Will replacement and spare parts inventories be provided for the auxiliary power units? Will maintenance management logistics records of auxiliary power equipment be furnished for review prior to bidding? Will the same end of useful life assessments be required for auxiliary power equipment? Answer: The requirements of PWS 4.3.2 (g) apply to contractor provided data center facilities. The Government will revise the PWS to clarify the contractor's responsibility regarding NASA on-site data centers. Question 243: [J-1 PWS 4.2.5.(e)] Who is responsible for paying for and managing (per SLAs) the “other” communication networks (as directed by the NEDC PMO)? Answer: The NEDC Contractor is not responsible for the "other" communication networks. The NICS PMO and NICS contractor are responsible for the communication networks between the DR site and NASA users. The NEDC Contractor shall support any configuration changes required to restore service. Question 244: [J-1 PWS 4.2.5] NASA requires the contractor to provide the capability to recover and restore operations at a secondary site. NASA further requires that the site be “hot.” However, language also references secondary site(s). Is it NASA intent to require the contractor to provide multiple “hot” secondary sites? Answer: PWS 4.2.5 will be revised to clarify Disaster Recovery requirements. Question 245: [Discovery and Assessment of “As-Is,” Formulation of “To-Be”] Identify the detailed information needed for the Offeror to complete Phase A and perform “walk-in-and-take-over” (WITO). What metrics did NASA utilize at deriving a 90-day WITO readiness period? Answer: The Government has established that 90 days is sufficient to complete the walk-in-and-take-over of the NEDC Wave 1 content, based on NASA's experience in transitioning IT service contracts from incumbents to successors. Question 246: The statement in H.14 related to depreciated value doesn't coincide with an FFP type contract with annual milestone payments. This type of cost allocation lends itself to a CPFF or T&M type contract, or an FFP contract with progress payments. Is the Government's intent to allow monthly progress payments in which the depreciated value can be invoiced for? Answer: The purpose of clause H.14 is to allow the Government to purchase Contractor furnished property (CFP) at a Government furnished facility at the end of the NEDC Contract. It is not the Government's intent to purchase CFP at a Contractor furnished facility. Regarding depreciation, Offerors are expected to comply with their established accounting procedures and the Federal Acquisition Regulations; fixed unit pricing under CLIN 1 shall incorporate all costs for the associated service. The final RFP will be revised for clarification. Question 247: The Government anticipates a phase-in period not exceeding 30 days prior to contract start for the purpose of obtaining full Phase A capability on the first day of the contract What metrics did NASA use to derive a 30 day Phase in period? Answer: The contract start date is preceded by a 30 day Phase-in period. Phase-in period is not for performance of any work as described in the PWS. Question 248: Does NASA expect the NEDC contractor to execute Phases A-C on the NOMAD IT support environments, and document a “To-Be” architecture? Answer: No. When housing services are provided by the Contractor, Phases A-C will not be performed under the NEDC contract. The Government currently plans to order only housing services for the NOMAD system. Question 249: [J-1 PWS 4.2.2.b] Please provide service level requirements for server platforms that NASA has elected not to refresh. If NASA elects not to refresh server platforms when they are beyond end of useful life (and manufacturer support) then will stated service level agreements be adjusted to a “best effort” basis? Answer: PWS 4.0.4 (J)(9)(e) addresses this Question. If server platforms are no longer supported by their manufacturers the SLA will be adjusted accordingly. Question 250: [J-1 PWS J.2.5, Requirement for 10 millisecond latency] The industry average latency in the US is 45 MS. By incorporating this requirement aren't you limiting the competition? Answer: PWS 2.5 states: "The location of the outsourced data center must support a maximum latency of 10 milliseconds between the outsourced data center and a NASA Carrier Independent Exchange Facility (CIEF)." This is not an end to end latency but refers to the latency only between the outsourced data center and a NASA CIEF. Question 251: Section L.15 on page L-10 states "The offeror is required to meet all contract requirements on the first day of the contract period of performance." Understanding that all contract requirements cannot be met on the first day, please explain the intent of this statement. Answer: This will be revised in the final RFP. The Contractor shall be ready start Phase A, B, & C on the first day of the contract after the 30 day Phase-in. The Contractor shall be ready to perform "walk-in-and-take-over" of the "as-is" of the Wave 1 content. Question 252: Please provide SLIN numbers for each line item in CLINs 1, 2 and 3. Answer: There are no SLIN numbers. Question 253: Will "Phase In" have its own CLIN or do we include it in another? Answer: Phase-In will be executed in a separate purchase order outside of the contract. Question 254: Please explain what is to be included in base pricing and ARC/RCC pricing with regard to fixed and variable components, and how the given quantities for each are related. Answer: Oferors shall include all fixed and variable costs in their base and ARC/RCC pricing. The given quantities for each item are solely for evaluation purposes. Question 255: Do the Run and Maintain prices on Form A, CLIN 1 include the hardware costs beginning at the time of hardware refresh? If so, is the cost for hardware prior to refresh being paid for by NASA directly? Answer: Under CLIN 1, The Contractor runs the "as-is" Government provided property (GFP) until the app/system is migrated to "to-be" Contractor provided property. Once operating on Contractor provided property, the requirement is that no hardware is older than 5 years begins. Question 256: Please explain the definition of Category 1, 2 and 3 included on most of the Hosting Services line items. Answer: Section J Attachment J-7, "Service Level Performance Metrics and Descriptions," provides descriptions for Category 1, 2, and 3. Question 257: Please explain why Unit quantities are not cumulative on the NEDC Resource Baseline, but are cumulative on the NEDC ARC/RRC Table. Answer: The unit quantities on the resource baseline represent new wave content rolled in per year for evaluation purposes only. Question 258: [File Name: NEDC CLIN 1,2,3 End User, Phase In Pricing Forms - 134503-AMDR-002-002.xls DRFP Section: Form A NEDC ARC RRC Table, Resource Baseline Table RFP Document: Mainframe Datacenter Operations] In the Resource Baseline table the resource unit for mainframe support is "CPU Hours" however in the ARC RRC table the unit is "MIPS", could you clarify which is the correct billing unit for Mainframe? If the unit is CPU hours, could you provide the full specifications of the Mainframe to be operated under this service offering? Answer: Mainframe resource unit is "MIPS". Mainframe information will be located in Procurement Library. The Government expects the NEDC Contractor to operate the mainframe "as-is" with no transformation. The current IBM Z9 hardware will be provided as GFP to the NEDC Contractor. The IBM mainframe is a 47 Million Service Unit configuration, and is expected to carry a 23 MSUs/Month load. Question 259: [File Name: NEDC CLIN 1,2,3 End User, Phase In Pricing Forms - 134503-AMDR-002-002.xls DRFP Section: Form A NEDC ARC RRC Table RFP Document: Mainframe Datacenter Operations] The unit of measure for "Tape Mounts" is shown as hours/month. Did you intend to show number of mounts per month? Answer: The unit of measure for tape mounts will be revised to mounts per month in the final RFP. Question 260: File Name: NEDC CLIN 1, 2, 3 End User, Phase In Pricing Forms - 134503-AMDR-002-002.xls DRFP Section: Form A NEDC ARC RRC Table RFP Document: Web Hosting Services] Within Web Hosting Services, the "Utilized File Space" price reads "See Storage Section." Does that indicate that these volumes are included in the storage baseline? Answer: The quantities identified in the Resource Baseline provided in attachment in L-5 are for price evaluation purposes only. However, the Government will correct the Resource Baseline and remove the storage quantities from the Web Hosting Services - Utilized File Space and correct the quantities in the Storage section. Question 261: File Name: [NEDC CLIN 1,2,3 End User, Phase In Pricing Forms - 134503-AMDR-002-002.xls DRFP Section: Form A NEDC ARC RRC Table RFP Document: Mainframe Datacenter Operations] For mainframe services, the CY3 net unit quantity (base unit QTY + ARC/RRC QTY) is Zero. Could you clarify the exact date that this volume is anticipated to reach zero? Answer: According to Section L & M for evaluation purposes only the resource baseline reflects the mainframe reaching zero on Contract Year 3. Question 262: [File Name: NEDC CLIN 1,2,3 End User, Phase In Pricing Forms - 134503-AMDR-002-002.xls DRFP Section: Form A NEDC ARC RRC Table RFP Document: Database Admin Management Services] Are the resource unit prices for Database Admin intended to cover only the labor to support the database, or are they intended to include software, maintenance, and other non-labor costs as well? Answer: The unit prices are intended to cover everything necessary to deliver the hosted database service, including labor, software, and maintenance. Question 263: [File Name: NEDC CLIN 1,2,3 End User, Phase In Pricing Forms - 134503-AMDR-002-002.xls DRFP Section: Form A NEDC ARC RRC Table RFP Document: Disaster Recovery Services (Server Hosting)] Within Disaster Recovery (hosting), the only resource unit for which pricing is requested is "# of Instances to Restore Per Test". Do you expect the number of tests per year will be restricted to the Base Unit QTY shown for the "# of DR Test per Year" unit? If not, could you clarify what billing mechanism would be utilized for additional tests above the baseline? Answer: The quantities identified in the Resource Baseline provided in attachment in L-5 are for price evaluation purposes only. CLIN 1 uses FUP per quantity. Each additional quantity would be purchased and paid for under the FUP for that category. Question 264: [File Name: NEDC CLIN 1, 2, 3 End User, Phase In Pricing Forms - 134503-AMDR-002-002.xls DRFP Section: Form A NEDC ARC RRC Table Page Number: All] The tables direct that the volumes shown are not to be modified by the Offerors. Given that, what is the appropriate method for an Offeror to propose cost reductions achieved through transformational activities such as server consolidation and storage rationalization? How will such savings be included in the price evaluation? Answer: The quantities identified in the Resource Baseline provided in attachment in L-5 are for price evaluation purposes only and the quantities shall not be changed by Offerors. Proposed transformational approaches will be evaluated under the Mission Suitability, Technical Sub-factor. Question 265: Will you provide a detailed list of activates to be included in the Form E Phase In Price? Answer: L.16 I.6., "NEDC Contract Phase-in Plan," provides instructions to Offerors regarding items to address in their proposed Phase-in plan. Offerors are expected to propose their best technical solution at the most competitive price. Question 266: Will you provide detail regarding the locations of the servers identified in the incremental resource unit volumes contained within the Resource Unit Baseline table? It is critical to most cost effectively price our proposal to know the number of servers at each location that will be transitioned into the contract. Answer: The quantities identified in the Resource Baseline provided in attachment L-5 are for price evaluation purposes only. The Procurement Libraryprovides details for Wave 1 content. Question 267: [File Name: J-1 NEDC DPWS DRFP Section: 2.5 Outsourced Data Center Page Number: J-1-10] Does the dual path connectivity between the contractors outsourced data center and the NASA CIEFs have to be to two different CIEFs or can it be to the same CIEF location? Answer: Dual separate paths to the same CIEF is acceptable. Question 268: For CLIN0003, how are travel, tools and other direct costs to be included within the fixed price? Answer: Only fully burdened labor is to be included in CLIN 3. Question 269: [RFP H.2] Will an acceptable OCI mitigation plan remove this restriction from participating on ensuing NASA contracts? Answer: Whether the contractor will be able to participate on future contracts depends on the nature of the conflict and the OCI mitigation plan. Question 270: 1-37: This requirement states that Sys admins are to hold industry-standard certs. Clarification is requested to specify which certifications are acceptable. Answer: The government expects the provider to ensure that all personnel with system administration responsibilities have the necessary training and experience to perform the functions assigned to them. One way that this competency will be demonstrated is through industry certification. NASA expects Offerors to identify which certifications they require their system administrators to maintain. Question 271: [J-3 CF-PWS 7.12.a. Designing and implementing knowledge management procedures and tools to support knowledge capture and dissemination in accordance with Government Knowledge Management Process] Does the incumbent provider have a knowledge management system in place? Answer: No. There is no existing KM system spanning all data center services across the Agency. Question 272: [J-3 CF-PWS 6.2.4.j. The contractor shall support the integration of NASA SOC IT security services and technologies into systems provided under this contract and in support of this contract, in accordance with NASA guidance.] Does NASA expect the NEDC contractor to include the cost to perform security monitoring for hosted information systems? Answer: Security monitoring is performed by the SOC, the NEDC Contractor is expected to support the required SOC activities to include access to systems and data center LAN in both the Contractor Furnished Facilities and Government Furnished Facilities to support security monitoring, scanning and intrusion detection. The requirements within the Cross-Functional PWS, including those related to IT Security, are expected to be priced within CLIN 1. The provider is expected to ensure that the systems provided in support of NASA requirements and the data on those systems are secure and comply with all NASA policies. Question 273: [J-3 CF-PWS 2.2.8: Ensure the provisioning of local infrastructure to enable effective and efficient delivery of enterprise services while overseeing the Center’s overall IT portfolio and managing demand for both local and enterprise services.] Under the I3P contract, will the Center CIO oversee the NEDC’s operations? Answer: The NEDC contract will be administered by the NASA NEDC Project Management Office (PMO). Center CIOs will have relationship management responsibilities at their respective Centers in addition to their strategic role on the IT Management Board at the Agency level. Center CIOs will raise service delivery or other performance issues at their local Centers to the NEDC PMO and, at times, may raise significant concerns to the Agency level. Question 274: [J-3 CF-PWS 2.2.2.c. Service Operations direction on achieving effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery and support of IT services so as to ensure value for the customer and the IT service providers, including effective coordination across all service providers] What is the level of direction that NASA anticipates that ESM will be providing the NEDC contractor on daily data center operations? Answer: The ESM will focus on Agency-wide integration including incident/problem trend analysis, end-to-end IT service delivery assessment, and continuous service improvement. Day-to-day contract management will occur at the NEDC PMO level, with input from the various locations where services are delivered throughout the Agency. The ESM may become involved if an incident or problem escalates to the point where coordination across multiple providers is no longer effective. This ESM involvement would be to coordinate an effective response involving the appropriate NASA and contractor representatives through a problem resolution team. Question 275: [J-3 CF-PWS 5.1. Finally, to reduce redundancy and promote interoperability and collaboration, applications within the NASA environment must be integrated through the NASA Application Portfolio Management process.] Does NASA have this portfolio process in place today? If so, how many applications have undergone this process? Answer: In 2007, the NASA Strategic Management Council directed the establishment of an Agency Application Portfolio Management (APM) process to ensure organization, integration, and eliminate unnecessary duplication in the Agency portfolio of applications. Currently, as part of the Enterprise Portfolio Management Division (EPMD) of the NASA OCIO, the APM team is in the process of developing and fully implementing this methodology. The APM team is currently assessing all of the NASA applications captured in our existing authoritative database as part of this mandated initiative. Question 276: [J-3 CF-PWS 2.4. Strategy Development: Contractors will participate in the Agency’s annual portfolio management process by providing design, cost, benefit, risk and other information necessary for the SIM to prioritize as recommended list of projects aligned with user requirements.] Will NASA release a task order for this activity? Will the SIM have the authority to not approve a NEDC contractor’s transformation project to consolidate a data center? Answer: The NEDC will not release a task order for this activity; the CF activities are expected to be priced within the FUPs in CLIN 1. The NEDC PMO will give approval of the NEDC Contractor’s transformation project. Question 277: [J-3 CF-PWS 2.4. Process Interface: Contractors are responsible for ensuring that cross-tower service integration and delivery touch-points are aligned with both Government and other I³P Contractors so that seamless service delivery and management occurs.] Please provide detailed requirements and specification for the tool suites to integrate? Answer: The two primary integration points in this regard are the Enterprise Service Desk (ESD) and the Enterprise Service Request System (ESRS). These two capabilities are built upon Remedy. Specific interface requirements and specifications will be provided along with the final RFP. Question 278: [J-3 CF-PWS 2.2.5. Service Integration Management (SIM) is the ESM’s transformation arm responsible for process architecture and design leading to the implementation of ITIL best practices across the enterprise.] Will SIM dictate the breadth of detail for the ITIL processes that the NEDC must support? Answer: The ESM/SIM will provide a high-level architecture (set of processes) describing NASA’s ITIL framework for IT service delivery. It is the responsibility of each I3P provider to develop and implement processes and procedures consistent with and supportive of this framework. Question 279: [J-3 CF-PWS 2.2.2.a. Service Strategy direction on how to design, develop and implement IT Service Management] Does NASA plan to have ESM architect and design the environment and platforms for the NEDC contractor? Answer: No. While NASA is responsible for the overall enterprise architecture and IT service strategy, the ESM will not architect or design the specific NEDC environment or platforms necessary to comply with these. Question 280: [J-3 CF-PWS 6.2.4.f. The contractor shall follow NASA IT security incident management procedures in accordance with NASA policies and ensure coordination of its incident response team with the NASA Security Operations Center (SOC).] Does NASA plan to monitor all NEDC owned equipment from the SOC? Answer: For systems residing on NASA networks (NASA IP Address space), as stated in the Cross-Functional PWS, the contractor may not deploy IT security services unless approved by the NASA Deputy CIO for IT Security or designee and coordinated and integrated with the NASA Security Operations Center (SOC). Monitoring on these NASA networks is an IT security service performed by the NASA SOC. For NEDC systems and networks outside of the NASA IP address space (e.g., in Contractor Furnished Facilities), the NEDC contractor must, at a minimum, provide NASA Security Operations Center (SOC) personnel physical and logical access to systems and data center networks to support intrusion investigation and forensic investigation activities and to remediate identified vulnerabilities. The NEDC contractor must also support the NASA SOC’s ongoing security monitoring, scanning and intrusion detection operations through regularly providing automated security logging data and/or by allowing NASA SOC monitoring of NEDC networks and systems supporting NASA as mutually agreed upon by the NEDC contractor and NASA and documented in the contractor’s Information Security Management Plan. NEDC PWS Section 2.17 IT Security will be revised to clarify the NASA network perimeter as follows: “Contractor furnished data center networks and systems that provide NEDC data center services shall be considered within the NASA network perimeter.” Question 281: NASA was contacted by the Mississippi Development Authority regarding use of the National Center for Critical Information Processing and Storage (NCCIPS) for the NEDC Procurement. Can an offeror propose a data center facility as “contractor furnished” for performance of the NEDC contract even though it is a facility provided under an arrangement between a governmental entity and a prospective offeror? Answer: Offerors submitting proposals in response to the NEDC solicitation are free to propose their most competitive solution to satisfy the solicitation’s requirements. A proposal that provides for a contractor furnished facility through an arrangement with a governmental entity is permitted. Each prospective offeror is responsible for establishing an appropriate arrangement with any proposed federal or state entity for use of their facilities. NASA will evaluate each proposal submitted in accordance with the solicitation evaluation criteria and select the offer that provides the best and most cost effective technical solution to meet the solicitation requirements. Offerors proposing to provide an NEDC contractor furnished facility through an arrangement with a governmental entity must ensure the facility meets all solicitation requirements, including TIA-942 TIER 3 data center standards, and include all costs associated with the offered facility and operations therein in their proposal. Question 282: [J-3 CF-PWS 5.4 An ESRS interface requirements definition document will be provided after contract award to all I3P service providers to facilitate the integration of provider systems with the ESRS.] Will work to perform this interface work be issued via Task Order? Which CLIN will be used to order the interface development work? Answer: The NEDC will not release a specific task order for this activity; the CF activities are expected to be priced within the fixed unit prices in CLIN 1. NICS Question 1: In section L.1 (page L-1) of the Draft RFP, it states that “Comments are due no later than 11:00 am, CDR, May 6, 2009.” However, the synopsis provided with the Draft RFP states that both the Original Response Date and Current Response Date are May 27, 2009. Can the Government please clarify if responses are due on May 6 or May 27? Answer 1: In accordance with NASA HQ direction, all I3P Draft RFP questions and comments are due by May 20, 2009. Question2: Is there a requirement for the contractor to perform outside of a NASA premises? Answer 2: The contractor will be required to maintain presence at locations listed in Clause F.4, Place of Performance. In addition, the contractor will be required to perform work at locations outside of NASA premises (e.g. CIEFs, universities, customer locations, remote mission sites). See Attachment C, Background and Historical, for information on other sites. Question 3: I was looking in the reading room for the NPR 2830.1 and DRD 1294MA-005 and it seems that only some of the NPR and DRD’s are uploaded. Is there a location we can get all them? Answer 3: NPRs may be accessed at: http://nodis.hq.nasa.gov/search_ft.cfm. DRDs may be accessed in Attachment J-2, Data Procurement Document, of the Draft RFP (FileName: 134784-DRAFT-003-012.pdf on the NAIS site). Question 4: Your response to Communications Question Number 3 says that the responses to questions submitted will be posted to the website, but the draft RFP transmittal letter says they will be. Which is the correct response? Answer 4: Subsequent to posting of the NICS Draft RFP, the decision was made to post responses to Draft RFP questions on the I3P website. Question 5: Is the due date for NICS dRFP questions and comments May 6 or May 20 and are questions/comments to be emailed to Jeff Jackson or posted online via the Q&A NAIS tool? Answer 5: Both questions and comments must be provided via the I3P website no later than May 20, 2009. However, only responses to questions will be posted. Comments will be utilized to assist in formulating the Final RFP. Question 6: Question on NICS DRFP Documents: Both NIC DRFP documents with filenames "13784-DRAFT-003-005.pdf" and "13784-DRAFT-003-006.pdf" are the same - a cover sheet with the title "Attachment J-1, Appendix B (Draft), NICS Approaches and Innovations" and the cover sheet states "To Be Provided by Offeror". Why are these the same - should one of these be Appendix A? 2) What is Appendix B? It isn’t referenced by the PWS document. Answer 6: During the initial posting, Appendix A was inadvertently omitted. Amendment 1 to the Draft RFP provided Appendix A, I3P Transformation Objectives and Requirements. Appendix B is reserved and has no content at this time. Question 7: Ref: SF33 and DRFP Section L.3 – The phone numbers for Jeffrey Jackson are different in the two references. Which is the correct one? Answer 7: The contact number in both references is changed to (256)961-2041 and will be reflected in the Final RFP. This change was also made in provision L.10. Question 8: How will NICS and ACES directly affect downward the work currently identified as being performed within the JSC ITAMS solicitation? Answer: Questions relating to ITAMS should be directed to Jennifer Krause (ITAMS Contracting Officer, e-mail:jennifer.krause-1@nasa.gov). Comparisons between ITAMS and ACES may be made by examining their respective Performance Work Statements (PWS's). Question 9: Please provide any IS/IT audit reports for past 12 months. Answer: This data cannot be provided for IT security reasons. NASA believes Attachment C, Background and Historical, contains sufficient information to allow preparation of a comprehensive proposal. Question 10: Please identify the Intrusion Detection System (IDS) in use. Answer: The Corporate network IDS is part of the SOC and is not part of NICS. Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 3.7, will be updated to clarify the Mission IDS. Question 11: Please describe the platforms and access control systems supported in your environment, e.g., OS 390 MVS /RACF, AS/400 native, RS 6000 AIX etc as well as the number of users supported for each platform. Answer: This data is not available to potential offerors for IT security reasons. All systems have current certification and accreditations in compliance with NPR 2810.1, Security of Information Technology. Question 12: Please detail the policies and standards for physical and logical security, network security, Internet use and privacy? Answer: Refer to NPD 2810.1, NASA Information Security Policy. Question 13: Is a Disaster Recovery planning tool in use? Please identify the tool and associated vendor. Answer: No tool is currently in use. Question 14: Identify and describe the nature of any SLAs in use including details on response and resolution target time frames, percentage resolved on initial call. Answer: NASA receives similar metrics from existing contracts that are relevant to the NICS Performance Measures (Attachment J-4) and Performance Specifications (Attachment J-1, Appendix C) from existing contracts that are consolidating into NICS. Although NASA believes this data is not essential for proposal preparation, the offeror can request, through FOIA, the contract metrics from each Center responsible for contracts that are phasing in/transitioning as delineated in Attachment J-19. Question 15: [Estimated annual Network/LAN/Voice Video Tier 2 and Tier 3 budget] Please include fully burdened salary costs, the cost of software and hardware used for the direct purpose of help desk support, out-sourced services, and any maintenance, rental and leasing contracts. Answer: Budget data is not available to potential offerors. As for salary costs, NASA will evaluate the offerors’ Mission Suitability Volume in conjunction with the Cost Volume to determine the offerors understanding of the services to be provided by NICS. As for hardware and software for the help desk, all property presently identified for provision to the NICS contractor will be incorporated into the listing Attachment J-9, Installation Accountable Government Property (IAGP) in accordance with NFS 1852.245-71, Alt I, Installation Accountable Government Property. Additionally, refer to Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 3.6 for Corporate WAN (ENMC), Section 3.8 for Mission WAN (IONet), and Section 4.x for each Center’s LAN support. Question 16: Please describe any defined Communications (Voice Network) Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Answer: NASA receives similar metrics from existing contracts that are relevant to the NICS Performance Measures (Attachment J-4) and Performance Specifications (Attachment J-1, Appendix C) from existing contracts that are consolidating into NICS. Although NASA believes this data is not essential for proposal preparation, the offeror can request, through FOIA, the contract metrics from each Center responsible for contracts that are phasing in/transitioning as delineated in Attachment J-19. Question 17: [Communications (Voice Network)] Please provide Vendor Equipment Records (ERs) for voice services in all locations. Answer: This information is not available at this time. Question 18: [Communications (Wide Area Network)] Describe in detail any maintenance agreements and/or support contracts in place. List all vendors or suppliers and their contacts. Answer: A listing of the WAN maintenance agreements awarded by UNITeS contractor SAIC or subcontractor Arcata Associates will be provided in Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 3.6.4. These agreements contain assignment clauses that allow for assignment of the agreement to the Government or a third-party contractor selected as a result of re-competition activities. Question 19: [Communications (Wide Area Network)] Describe your network backbone Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) readiness. Answer: This data cannot be provided for IT security reasons. Question 20: [Communications (Wide Area Network)] Describe remote access to routers (in the event of primary link failure). Answer: Refer to Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 3.6.1, applicable document “Network Management Case Study.” Question 21: [Communications (Wide Area Network)] Provide detail of any network diversity, contingency or redundancy currently implemented. Answer: This data cannot be provided for IT security reasons. NASA believes Attachment C, Background and Historical, contains sufficient information to allow preparation of a comprehensive proposal. Question 22: [Communications (Wide Area Network)] Describe the generic security policies of the firewalls with regard to inbound and outbound traffic control? Answer: This data cannot be provided for IT security reasons. NASA believes Attachment C, Background and Historical, contains sufficient information to allow preparation of a comprehensive proposal. Question 23: [Communications (Wide Area Network)] Please describe any defined Service Level Agreements (SLAs)/Operating Level Agreements (OLAs). Answer: NASA receives similar metrics from existing contracts that are relevant to the NICS Performance Measures (Attachment J-4) and Performance Specifications (Attachment J-1, Appendix C) from existing contracts that are consolidating into NICS. Although NASA believes this data is not essential for proposal preparation, the offeror can request, through FOIA, the contract metrics from each Center responsible for contracts that are phasing in/transitioning as delineated in Attachment J-19. Question 24: [Communications (Local Area Network)] List the total number of Networking Staff supporting the LAN (dedicated/non-dedicated staff/3rd Party). Answer: This information is not available. Question 25: [Communications (Local Area Network)] What are the maximum allowable lost connection hours per week as defined in Service Level Agreements for each LAN/Network? What are the historical performance levels for the past 12 months? Answer: NASA receives similar metrics from existing contracts that are relevant to the NICS Performance Measures (Attachment J-4) and Performance Specifications (Attachment J-1, Appendix C) from existing contracts that are consolidating into NICS. Although NASA believes this data is not essential for proposal preparation, the offeror can request, through FOIA, the contract metrics from each Center responsible for contracts that are phasing in/transitioning as delineated in Attachment J-19. Question 26: [Staffing and Human Resources] Will NASA provide Employee Profiles (can be provided by job title or function) to include the following information:
Answer: This information is not available. Question 27: [Staffing and Human Resources] Please provide organizational charts of all departments to be transferred to the NICS contractor, including staff by skill level, function, and current employer. Separately identify staff that will not transition. Answer: The organizational charts of incumbents are considered proprietary by the current contractors. The offerors proposed solution will dictate the approach for transitioning incumbent staff. Question 28: [Financial] Please provide detailed monthly budgets for the current fiscal year and annual budgets for the budget run out, detailed by function and product groups consistent with defined service requirements. Answer: This data is not available to potential offerors. NASA will evaluate the offeror’s Cost Volume in conjunction with the Mission Suitability Volume to determine the offeror’s understanding of the services to be provided by NICS. Question 29: For all Network/LAN/Voice Video function to be performed by NICS, please include the specific support requirements and any service level requirements. Please outline the nature and type of performance commitment, Service Level Agreement, or Operating Level Agreements required. Answer: NASA receives similar metrics from existing contracts that are relevant to the NICS Performance Measures (Attachment J-4) and Performance Specifications (Attachment J-1, Appendix C) from existing contracts that are consolidating into NICS. Although NASA believes this data is not essential for proposal preparation, the offeror can request, through FOIA, the contract metrics from each Center responsible for contracts that are phasing in/transitioning as delineated in Attachment J-19. Question 30: Project your Center’s total budget profile and Network/LAN/Voice and Video budget profile over the budget run out. Answer: This information cannot be provided to offerors. Question 31: Describe the general structure of your Network/LAN/Voice Video function organization and projected changes included in your five-year budget run out. Emphasize the relationship between the support contractors and civil servant staff. (Please supply organizational charts if available.) Answer: This information cannot be provided to offerors. Refer to Attachment J-1, Appendix A, I3P Transformation Objectives and Requirements. Question 32: Also identify the relationship between the Network/LAN/Voice Video function and other IT functions at the center. Answer: Refer to Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 4.0. Question 33: Is the proposed small business participation derived as a percentage of labor dollars or subcontracted dollars? Answer: Small business subcontracting goals are based as a percentage of total contract value. Question 34: Will NASA provide any information on the number and type of staff that will be migrating from contracts other than UNITeS (e.g. MOMS, ACITS) into the NICS contract? Answer: No. NASA will evaluate the offeror’s Mission Suitability Volume in conjunction with the Cost Volume to determine the offerors understanding of the staffing necessary to provide NICS services. Additionally, refer to Attachment C, Background and Historical, for workload indicators for contracts consolidating into NICS. Question 35: Please confirm that each worksheet is formatted to print as desired. As currently formatted, some worksheets do not appear to paginate correctly. In others, the print range does not appear to include all of the data. Answer: The offerors should format the forms to print in a manner consistent with the delivery of their volumes. Question 36: In some cases, external links appear to have been used to pull data from one cost sheet to another (e.g., indirect rates). In other cases, it appears that the offeror is required to manually enter the data into various workbooks (e.g., direct labor rates and productive work year). To facilitate the offerors’ understanding of linkages between the Cost Sheets, please identify any external links between workbooks within the Index tab for each worksheet. Answer: Offerors should access the linking through Excel’s edit menu, as follows: Click Edit Menu, Select Links, and a list of the links will be presented. Question 37: Is procurement of WAN via GSA a Federal requirement? Answer: It is the Government’s preferred method of acquiring services for WAN requirements. Question 38: [“all mission communications within scope of NICS—not just GSFC”] Will GSFC be the only Center with Mission communications to be part of NICS 1st day? Answer: Yes. NISN Mission WAN is part of NICS, as described in Attachment C, Background and Historical, from contract start. Also, GSFC Local Mission Communications services are part of NICS, as described in Attachment C, from contract start. Question 39: Where is NASA in the process of bringing more Mission communications into the fold? Answer: It is anticipated that any future Center-specific Mission Services will be added through the task ordering procedures clause as part of PWS 3.7.6. No additional data is available at this time. Question 40: How many networks move corporate, mission support, and mission data across same network? Would you speak to how big an issue this may be and whether there is a blurring of how various data is treated due to changes in how technology is being used? Answer: NASA maintains two distinct enterprise networks, Corporate and Mission, which do not share common infrastructure. The NICS baseline maintains these as two separate networks. NASA will evaluate under TA8, Mission Suitability Volume, Scenario 2, Mission and Corporate Network Consolidation, as a possible future IDIQ project. To move forward with scenario 2 will require significant vetting within NASA Centers, programs and projects, and approval through the NASA governance process. Therefore, offerors should not include in their proposals the implementation of scenario 2. Question 41: Please provide the latest planning data for the procurement schedule. Section L.29, reflects proposal due dates of 7/15/09 and 7/30/09, while the NICS synopsis reflects an anticipated offer due date on or about 8/30/09. Answer: Refer to the I3P website for any updates to schedule. Section L.29 will be updated accordingly. Question 42: Please provide Word documents for the attachments that are not spreadsheets so they can effectively be utilized. Answer: The Final RFP will be published in Microsoft Word format. Question 43: For GSA contracts recently awarded, what is their duration? Will NICS eventually absorb some/all of those contracts, or will we continue in an integration role only? Answer: The duration of the four separate RFQs for the Networx contracts are on or about the following dates:
At this time it is anticipated that the follow-on to the GSA Networx contract will also be a GSA procurement vehicle. For cost proposal preparation purposes, assume NASA will continue to fulfill these requirements through this follow-on. Refer to Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 3.13, for additional information. Question 44: Will offerors be permitted to enter formulas for calculation of Contract Year 2 - 10 rates, or will these be linked to the escalation table in a later release of the EPM? Answer: Yes, the offerors should add to the Cost form formulas to these cells in order to generate rates consistent with their accounting practices. Question 45: Please confirm that the period for CLINs 6-10 (page B-3) should be Option 1; CLINs 11-15 (page B-4) should be Option 2; and CLINs 16-20 (page B-5) should be Option 3). Answer: Clause B.2, Contract Funding, Recapitulation of Funding tables 2 and 3 will be changed to read Option 1, Option 2, and Option 3 throughout, respectively. Question 46: [Draft 003-002; DOCUMENT TITLE: NICS Draft Request for Proposals; PAGE, SECTION, AND TITLE: Page B-2 thru B-6, Section B.2.c – Racapitulation of Funding Table; STATEMENT/QUOTE FROM DOCUMENT: CLINs 1-20 are titled as "Base Period", whereas the table in B.4 (on page B-6) has the CLINs titled differently (e.g., Option 1, etc.).] Is this an error? If so, will this be revised in the final RFP? Answer: NASA will revise Section B.2.c as follows CLINS 6 -10 will be labeled as Option 1, CLINS 11-15 will be labeled as Option 2, and CLINS 16-20 will be Option 3. Question 47: [Section B] Will NASA allow for monthly progress payments for each task order CLIN? Answer: Progress payments are not applicable to cost reimbursement contracts; however, NASA will update B.6, Award Fee for Service Contracts, to specify that monthly provisional billing will be allowed for IDIQ task orders. Question 48: [Section G.6 (c ) (1)] Section G.6 indicates that on-site office and work area space will be provided for all NICS personnel and requirements, yet Attachment C, Background and Historical Information, indicates that off-site space is leased near MSFC (section 2.7), GSFC (section 4.4.7), and JSC (section 4.7.7). Please confirm that the offeror will not be required to propose off-site facilities to satisfy NICS requirements. If off-site facilities are required, please provide additional requirements information related to these facilities (e.g., purpose, location, size). Answer: Clause G.6 does not state that on-site facilities will be provided for all NICS personnel and requirements, only that space will be provided. Attachment J-1, PWS Section 2.8(l) requires offerors to provide off-site office space, as necessary. NASA cannot provide sufficient on-site or near-site space for NICS requirements. Attachment C, Background and Historical, provides guidance on the amount and type of space available at each Center. NASA will clarify in Section L the NASA available space, including entities that must remain in their current location. The offeror should include in their approach any facilities required over and above that provided by the Government, including purpose, location, and size. The offeror should also include the cost of the communications, both LAN and WAN, to connect to NASA’s networks in the Off-Site Facilities cost form. Question 49: [H.15] Please clarify if Agency Consolidated End-User Services (ACES) services will be provided as a Government Furnished Service. If not, are the costs associated with ACES services included in the Government’s ODC estimates that will be provided in Section L.35.3, Section 2, item (j)? Answer: Yes. NASA will update clause H.15(a) as follows “The ACES services are Government-provided.” Question 50: It is our assessment that the NICS prime contractor is not required to perform Asbestos Remediation activities at any NASA locations in accordance with the PWS requirements. We believe there are specific requirements associated with paragraph H.17; 1) Be able to identify suspected asbestos in a designated work area, 2) In the event asbestos is suspected in a work area, notify Center Environmental Health Office and request guidance, 3) Resume work in area if directed by Center Environmental Health Office in a manner ensuring non-disturbance of suspected asbestos material. The contractor will ensure personnel are trained in compliance with this provision. Please confirm that our assessment based on H.17 is correct or provide clarification. Answer: The contractor will not be required to perform any asbestos remediation work under the NICS contract. Potential offerors shall refer to Center-specific safety requirements delineated in Attachment J-10, Applicable Regulations and Procedures. Attachment J-1, PWS, will be amended to include a new item u. under each applicable Center in Section 4.0, Cable Plant Services. Question 51: This provision references scheduled legal holidays. Some of the Wage Determinations and Collective Bargaining Agreements provided incorporate Holidays in addition to those detailed in paragraph H.59 (a). For example, the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) observes Mardi Gras as a scheduled holiday. a. Will paragraph H.59(c) be modified to permit “holiday or other premium compensation” reimbursements in those cases? Answer51 a: FAR clause 1852.242-72, Observance Of Legal Holidays (Aug 1992) Alternate II (Oct 2000), will be moved to cover all NASA Centers. Alt I will be deleted. b. If not, how will NASA accommodate those other holidays? Answer 51 b: A new clause will be added to Section H (H-60) under MSFC-Specific clauses which will address alternate holiday schedules for MAF. Question 52: We noted that the Corporate (encrypted) VPN, which formerly was the subject of PWS 3.4.6, has been eliminated as a requirement and now appears as “RESERVED” in the draft RFP. Who will be responsible for maintaining the encryption aggregation devices, switches, and cabling? For example, if a problem develops that impacts firewall functionality, is the NICS contractor still accountable for the resultant downtime? Answer: Correct; for the Draft RFP, the PWS was updated such that 3.1.2, Remote Access Services, includes the Corporate network VPNs. The NICS contractor will be responsible for this service. Yes, the contractor is accountable. The firewalls of PWS 3.4.4 are included in NICS. Question 53: [Central to the I3P initiative is the recognition that responsibility for major elements of the Agency’s ‘As-Is’ IT environment must be consolidated into a smaller number of integrated Agency-wide I3P contracts. The I3P vision for the NICS contract is………initiate other transformational projects formulated by NASA, and will partner with NASA to identify future projects to further transform NASA communications.] Can the government elaborate on the timing of the movement to the “to-be” architecture and how that impacts the Performance Measures? Answer: Refer to Attachment J-19, Contract Phase-In/Transition Schedule, for timing of consolidation of contracts. Transformation of the “to be” architecture is achieved through the I3P governance process and results in projects as described in Attachment J-1, PWS Section 5.0, to include future IDIQ projects, as required. In the event a project (PWS 5.0) requires a change to a performance measure, Attachment J-4, Performance Measures, will be updated at that time with a contract modification. Question 54: Paragraph d mentions several continuation and new infrastructure projects, including Network Communications Initiative (NCI) Continuation Project, Center Zone Architecture Program (CZAP) Continuation Project, NICS Consolidated Configuration Management System, Consolidated Corporate Network Operations Center Project. Where can one gain further insight into these projects? Answer: Refer to Attachment J-1, Appendices D-1 through D-4, for each project listed in PWS 5.0. Question 55: This section identified a property custodian function required for Attachment J-9, Installation of Accountable Government Property, with listings to be supplied. Please clarify the type of equipment envisioned to be included in this category, which can have significant consequence to the NICS contractor’s approach and processes for property management. This category of equipment will require considerable involvement and dependency upon external (to NICS) organizations for several property management functions, such as shipping, receiving, tagging, and inventory activities. It is suggested that the efficiencies of I3P consolidation could be enhanced, as well as more responsive service delivery, by effectively streamlining the property management requirement to minimize the installation accountable category, and maximizing the contractor accountable category. This approach would also provide similar streamlining benefits to PWS 2.3.1 (j). Answer: All property presently identified for provision to the NICS contractor will be incorporated into the listing Attachment J-9, Installation Accountable Government Property (IAGP) in accordance with NFS 1852.245-71, Alt I, Installation Accountable Government Property. However, the Government will assign to the contractor property management (custodial) responsibilities as described in PWS 2.5, including tagging, shipping, receiving, and inventory management. The offeror is encouraged to propose, within the guidelines of IAGP, the most efficient property processes that align with their technical approach for service delivery. Question 56: This section references Attachment J-20 “Contract Phase-In Plan. However, the title for Attachment J-20 is “Advanced Agreements – Reserved”. Please clarify the correct Attachment numbers. Answer: Attachment J-1, PWS, Section 2.4.1, will be revised to delete reference to the Contract Phase-in Plan which will not be an attachment to the contract. Question 57: [The contractor shall maintain a quality system compliant with ISO9001:2000 and AS9100. The contractor may satisfy……….the contractor shall support the applicable Center’s registration process for these procedures.] a. Is the current quality system under the incumbent contractor (UNITeS) compliant with ISO9001:2000 & AS9100 so the winning contractor can leverage the documented operational process and procedures to maintain the certification? Answer 57 a: Yes. NASA will update Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 2.9, to include the following applicable document: “UNITeS Quality Management Manual.” b. Have external audits been performed by certified registrars? Answer 57 b: Yes. c. If so, what was date of last audit? Answer 57 c: Audit was performed September 29, 2007. Question 58: PWS 2.9 requires ISO 20000 compliance within two years of contract start, yet Section L.34, MA8(j) requires Offeror’s to describe their approach and schedule for achieving ISO 20000 certification. Please clarify whether compliance or certification is required for NICS. Answer: ISO 20000 will not be required by the NICS contract. Attachment J-1, PWS, will be changed to reflect the deletion of ISO 20000 compliance and the two-year compliance requirement. Additionally, Section L, provision L.34, MA8(j), will be changed to replace ISO 20000 certification with ITIL v3 compliance. Attachment C, Background and Historical, will be changed to reflect the above change. Question 59: Will NASA provide staffing data for years 2007 and 2008 for the contracts listed in the Draft RFP that currently provides the center unique services that will transition to NICS? Will NASA also provide the WYE by service area? For example, Cable Television support at HQ. Answer: Additional staffing data is not available. However, NASA will provide additional data in Attachment C, Background and Historical, relative to workload indicators. Question 60: Based on Attachment C, there is no current project approval for centralized RAS services. Does the work specified in the PWS entail the support of Center-based RAS services at Contract Start? Answer: Yes Question 61: Should this paragraph read “at all Centers transitioned to the NICS Contract?” in lieu of “at all Centers”. Attachment J-19 “Contract Phase-In and Transition Schedule” describes a staggered approach with some transition dates remaining to be determined. Please clarify if it is NASA’s intent for the Prime Contractor to have responsibility for NASA Center’s that have not transitioned to the NICS contract at the contract start date. Answer: PWS has been updated to include “at all Centers transitioned to the NICS Contract.” The NICS contractor will have responsibility for UNITeS NISN WAN services at all Centers at the conclusion of Phase-In at contract start. Other services may transition at times other than contract start. Question 62: [The contractor shall provide systems and sustaining engineering and capacity management in support of NASA Switched Voice Services (SVS) to all NASA Centers, associated component facilities, Headquarters, JPL, and non-NASA locations as designated by the COTR.] Does NASA Agency plan to implement VoIP at all Centers, in lieu of TDM? If so, what is the current transformation plan/timeline for this implementation? Answer: PWS 3.2 does not include VoIP services. VoIP services are located at specific centers as identified in PWS 4.0. NASA currently has no plans/projects to implement an enterprise VoIP solution. Question 63: [The contractor shall provide systems and sustaining engineering and capacity management in support of NASA Switched Voice Services (SVS) to all NASA Centers, associated component facilities, Headquarters, JPL, and non-NASA locations as designated by the COTR.] a. Does NASA own and manage the voice switches at each Center/facility, or are these devices owned & managed by GSA and/or external vendors? Answer 63 a: Yes. NASA owns and manages the voice switches at each Center/facility. However, this section (3.2) is about the carrier connections and long distance services. Therefore, all equipment and circuits under this section are GSA-provided. NICS provides oversight support of the GSA contracted service for NASA. Refer to Attachment J-1, PWS, Section 4.0 for Center voice switch requirements. b. What is the number of switched versus non-switched circuits? Answer 63 b: For Attachment J-1, PWS, Section 3.2, these are all switched circuits. c. What is NICS responsibility relative to non-switched circuits? Answer 63 c: N/A to Attachment J-1, PWS, Section 3.2. d. What ACA’s or agreements exist relative to non-switched circuits? Answer 63 d: N/A to Attachment J-1, PWS, Section 3.2. Question 64: [The contractor shall provide systems and sustaining engineering and capacity management in support of NASA Switched Voice Services (SVS) to all NASA Centers, associated component facilities, Headquarters, JPL, and non-NASA locations as designated by the COTR.] a. Can a more detailed breakout of voice services (e.g., number of phones, number of circuits supporting voice, VTC, etc.) be provided per NASA Center/facility? Answer 64 a: PWS 3.2 Voice Services is an enterprise service that does not include Center-specific telephone services. Refer to Attachment J-1, PWS, Section 4.0, Telephone Services, for discussions relating to Center-specific services included in NICS (e.g., PBX, phone numbers). b. What’s SLA? Metrics and accomplishments against metrics? Answer 64 b: No NICS SLA or metrics apply, as PWS section 3.2 is a GSA-contracted service which the NICS contractor monitors for compliance. c. Is there more complete data other than what is posted in the RFP documents? SLAs Metrics Software Loads on PBX Total list of any OEM maintenance agreements Answer 64 c: No data is available. See Answer a above. Question 65: [The contractor shall be responsible for Corporate data services, including routed data, data center networks, custom networks, firewall services, proxy services, layer 2 VPN services, and international services.] a. Can a more detailed breakout of data infrastructure components (e.g., number & types of routers, switches, firewalls, topology, VLAN’s, etc.) be provided for each NASA Center/facility? Answer 65 a: NASA will update Attachment J-9, Installation-Accountable Government Property (IAGP), which will reflect what equipment is located at each Center/ building. As a reminder, NASA will provide, as part of the Cost forms, the baseline costs for equipment, software, vendor maintenance, direct (expendable) materials, and non-GSA circuits that all offerors will use. This will include refresh costs. Also refer to Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 4.0. b. What is the nature of the average trouble ticket for the infrastructure? and are they applicable to the NICS scope? Can additional detail be provided about the nature of the calls? And what contract they currently fall into? Answer 65 b: Refer to Attachment C, Background and Historical, specifically applicable document entitled, “UNITeS NISN Trouble Ticket Summary” for the WAN. For Center LAN trouble tickets, refer to the I3P website, Technical Library, ACES Contract Documents, files beginning with “ATVR_”. c. What OEM maintenance agreements (i.e., SmartNet, etc.) are in place for network components? Answer 65 c: A listing of the WAN maintenance agreements awarded by UNITeS contractor SAIC or subcontractor Arcata Associates will be provided in Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 3.6.4. These agreements contain assignment clauses that allow for assignment of the agreement to the Government or a third-party contractor selected as a result of recompetition activities. Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 4.0, will be updated to include the relevant maintenance and service agreements. However, the offerors are reminded that vendor maintenance costs will be provided by the Government as part of the cost sheets. d. Will these requirements be funded under NICS? Answer 65 d: Yes. Question 66: What plan does NASA have for complying with the Federal Trusted Internet Connection (TIC) requirements? Will this plan be made available? Answer: Refer to Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 3.4.1.3, Corporate Routed Data Peering. Question 67: [The contractor shall provide continuity of service for legacy custom data network solutions for point-to-point network connections until their transition to an OMB-mandated Trusted Internet Connection (TIC). Engineering support to transition these connections to an approved NASA TIC are to be included in PWS 5.0.] a. How many legacy custom networks need to be supported at each NASA location? Answer 67 a: There are 11 legacy custom networks. b. Can more detail be provided for these networks (e.g., architecture, hardware, number of users, number/types of data circuits)? Answer 67 b: NASA will update Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 3.4.4 as required. Question 68: What center-wide best practices and standards are currently in use for maintaining and controlling the security posture of the wired and wireless Guest networks (e.g., wireless 801.1x)? Please provide NASA center-wide best-practices and standards currently in use. Answer: Refer to Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 4.0 as each Center has a unique Guest Network implementation. Question 69: What security measures (e.g., zones, segments, firewall) are taken to isolate and control the convergence points of traffic between the NASA LANs and Guest networks? Answer: Refer to PWS 5.0, specifically NCI Continuation Project, relating to security architectures. Question 70: Paragraph g mentions the requirement to "Establish and maintain monitoring points between all IT Security zones, as directed by the Security Operations Center (SOC)." Where are the provisions/components of these IT Security zones defined, and will the related document be provided as part of the bidders library? Answer: Attachment J-1, PWS, Section 3.4.4. will be updated to remove “Establish and” from item g. The monitoring points will already be established at contract start, or if not yet established, will be included in future initiatives (e.g., NCI). For additional information, refer to Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 5.1, applicable documents. Question 71: [Draft 003-004; DOCUMENT TITLE: Attachment J-1: Performance Work Statement; PAGE, SECTION, AND TITLE: J-1-31, Section 3.6 – Corporate Management and Operations; The contractor shall implement service requests (including Move/Adds/Changes) and perform incident management / problem management within the bands delineated below, and within the estimated/target cost of the contract.] Are more detailed definitions available for high / medium / low / routine MACs, or are MACs strictly defined by the number of days to implement? Answer: The definitions are not strictly based on number of days to implement. Refer to Attachment J-1, Appendix C, Performance Specifications, for additional guidance on timelines for service implementation. Question 72: [The contractor shall provide NISN network monitoring and management 24 hours a day/7 days a week in support of all the services described in PWS sections 3.1 through 3.4; Reference: Table on same page showing total NISN Corporate Trouble Ticket per year.] Can you provide an estimation of the volume of trouble tickets in terms of weekday/weekend and time of day (8AM-5PM vs. after hours) in view of the referenced table above? Answer: Available WAN data is provided in Attachment C, Background and Historical, applicable documents, as follows: UNITeS NISN Trouble Ticket Summary NISN UNITeS/MOMS Mission Trouble Tickets FY08. In addition, representative LAN data can be found on this website under Technical Library, under ACES Contract Documents (files beginning with file name “ATVR_”). Question 73: Under PWS Paragraph 3.6.1 with respect to network management, what responsibilities will the NICS contractor have with regard to the Change Control Board (CCB)? For example, will the NICS contractor provide change impact analysis, or will that be another contractor’s responsibility? Answer: With respect to network management, the contractor’s staff provides performance data to the sustaining engineering staff of PWS 3.1 – 3.5. The sustaining engineering team performs the change impact analysis for NASA change approval (i.e., CCB). Refer to Attachment J-1, sections 3.1 – 3.5. Question 74: Should subparagraph 3.6.1.i, which addresses launch and mission readiness requirements, be included in Section 3.8, Mission Management and Operations, instead of its current location in the section on Corporate Management and Operations? Answer: No. The Corporate network provides mission support data (e.g., BlackBerry devices, Emails, outage coordination) and is checked for readiness prior to missions/flights. Question 75: Subparagraph b states: “Utilize the MSFC Remedy system provided by MITS for automated logging, categorization, prioritization, and tracking of NISN Corporate incidents. In collaboration with MITS, the contractor shall be responsible for interfacing the MSFC Remedy system with the I3P Tier 1 Service Desk.” Will MITS provide the Remedy system to be used by NICS or should this reference a requirement for the NICS contract to have a Remedy system to interface to the NSSC Remedy? Please clarify. Answer: Attachment J-1, PWS, Section 3.6.6.b, will be changed as follows: “Provide an automated logging, categorization, prioritization, and tracking system for NISN Corporate incidents. The contractor shall be responsible for interfacing the contractor’s system with the I3P Tier 1 Enterprise Service Desk, in accordance with Attachment J-1, Appendix A. If the contractor proposes to use Remedy, the contractor shall utilize a Government-provided Remedy system.” Question 76: [PWS Paragraph 3.6.6.c references the “NISN work flow.”] a. Where is this work flow documented? Answer 76 a: Refer to Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 3.0; specifically the applicable document “NISN Service Request Processing Procedure.” b. What tool provides the “automated logging, categorization, prioritization and tracking” called for in the requirement? Answer 76b: Refer to Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 3.6.6. Question 77: [Mission services include the Agency Mission WAN services (e.g., routed data, dedicated data and custom networks, and communication integration services for missions, projects, and launches), the GSFC-specific Mission services (e.g., GSFC LAN, Voice, and Video), and Center-specific Mission services.] Does GSFC-specific mission include the CNE per the following statement: the GSFC-specific Mission services (e.g., GSFC LAN, Voice, and Video), and Center-specific Mission services? Please expand upon this information. Answer: No. The CNE is not a Mission Network. It will be part of the Corporate Services described in Sections 3.1-3.5. Question 78: The PWS provides examples of current video distribution services. Will the Government please provide which missions are to be supported and their numbers and durations as a basis for a BOE for PWS 3.7.2? Answer: Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 3.7.2, will be updated to include the number of Mission events supported during FY08, which is reflective of the projected future workload. Question 79: The requirements given in list items 3.7.4b.4 through 3.7.4b.10 seem to contradict the Enterprise Service Desk CONOPS. In particular, the Mission Outage Notification System (MONS) is in direct contraposition of the Enterprise Service Desk contractor’s role as the only point of contact for communication with users. Will the Government please clarify its intent for handling mission incidents, problems and outages? Answer: The handling of Mission incidents, problems, and outages are not included in the Enterprise Service Desk scope. Question 80: [RE: Provide and maintain software and hardware systems for customer-facing tools including the voice conferencing Online Registration System (ORS), NISN Customer Scheduling Awareness (NCSA), Mission Outage Notification System (MONS), Activity and Outage Posting Notification System (AOPNS), VoTS usage, NISN Customer Survey, NASA Collaborative Infrastructure Resource Scheduler (NRS), Desktop Appliance Video Conference (DAVC) and NISN Call Detail to be made available to authorized users.] Can more detail (e.g., hardware, software requirements) be provided about these systems? Answer: This Question appears to apply to PWS Section 3.10.2, not Section 3.7.5. Therefore, refer to Attachment C, Background and Historical, specifically the applicable document entitled, “UNITeS NISN Corporate Network Tools.” Question 81: [The contractor shall maintain any highly specialized software for systems whose requirements cannot be met using Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) Software (e.g., Small Conversion Devices, Tracking Data System), as determined by the Government.] Approximately how many highly specialized software systems need to be supported? Can details (e.g., development language/software tools) be provided on the specific systems? Answer: Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 3.7.5, will be updated to include additional data. Question 82: [In support of the Mission IT Security, the contractor will provide support to incident investigation and IT security incidents/emergency response, to include SOC notification.] a. What is the current interface structure or inter-system connectivity between the SOC and Mission IT Security? Answer 82 a: Interface with the SOC is via PKI encrypted e-mail notices, phone calls, and web access to the SOC Incident Management System. PWS 3.7.7 will be updated as follows: “to include SOC notification when required.” b. Are there any limitations to proposing other inter-system solutions? Answer 82 b: No. However, NASA retains the authority to approve all SOC interface requirements. If the offerors want to propose other inter-system solutions, refer to Section L, Provision L-34, subfactor TA9, Offerors Transformation Innovations. Question 83: What infrastructure is in place today for the Security Incident Response Team? Answer: Attachment C, Background and Historical, will be updated to add a new paragraph as follows: “The Mission Security Incident Response Team has a private (isolated) Mission LAN. All Mission network probes, on the Mission LAN, send data to Mission servers where the raw data is stored on RAID drives.” Question 84: How do the functions described in this section relate to the communications/services described in the GSFC NOSP (Network Operations Support Plan)? If there is any relevance, will access to the NOSP be provided as part of the bidders’ library? Answer: Refer to Attachment C, Background and Historical, NISN Network Services Document (NSD), as it is the authoritative document for the NISN and GSFC Mission Services. The GSFC NOSP is a document prepared by a NISN Customer for their internal use only. Question 85: Are these functions directly related to Network Control Center (GSFC) spacecraft communications scheduling functions (for satellite services), with various customers (NASA, DoD, etc.)? Please confirm. Answer: The GSFC Network Control Center is one of the customers that the NISN Network Scheduling Group coordinates with to schedule activities that are identified as potentially impacting services on portions of the Mission Network and to schedule freezes or critical coverage for specific customer activities. Question 86: The PWS in list item 3.8.4a requires that the Security Control Center be staffed 24x7. The Background and Historical document in Paragraph 3.8.4.2b indicates that the Security Control Center is only staffed 8x5 unless requested otherwise by Code 731. Can NASA please clarify these apparent staffing discrepancies? Answer: Attachment J-1, PWS, and Attachment C, Background and Historical, will be updated to clarify that the function is 24x7. Question 87: [RE: The contractor shall maintain the system to manage the end-to-end configuration of assigned network systems as described in PWS 5.4, NICS Consolidated Configuration Management Database. The contractor shall ensure that the stored configuration information accurately reflects the current system configuration and is verified at least quarterly.] a. Is there an ITIL-based Consolidated Configuration Management Database of NISN currently? Answer 87 a: NASA will update Attachment C, Background and Historical, Sections 3.10.2, 3.7.8, 3.15, to describe the two existing NISN configuration management databases that currently exist within UNITeS: Corporate Network/NISN Integrated Information System (NIIS) and Mission Network/NISN Management Services Integration System (NMSIS). b. What is the status of ITIL implementation through the existing contract (UNITeS)? Answer 87 b: The two existing NISN configuration management databases are not fully ITIL-compliant and are not consolidated. Question 88: [RE: In support of the VoIP services, the contractor will configure, operate, and maintain Quality of Service (QoS) on the network to give priority to VoIP traffic.] Will all centers with VoIP deployments use Cisco’s AutoQos technology? Answer: Each center has a unique VoIP implementation. Refer to Attachment C, Background and Historical. Question 89: [Telephone Services; VOIP; Cable TV] Are there other GSFC-related documents that support other communications services (telephone, voice, data, TV, etc.) that would be provided as part of the bidder’s library? Answer: Refer to Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 3.0. Question 90: Does NASA anticipate operating to a single Configuration Management Database (CMDB) for the Enterprise, or do they plan to use a federated model? If NASA uses a single Enterprise Model, how will security be handled since there will be multiple touch points from multiple contract vendors? If a Federated Model is used, is it their desire to replicate the data to a master CMDB at the Enterprise Level? Answer: NASA intends to have a Consolidated Configuration Management System for NICS (see Attachment J-1, PWS, Section 5.3). It is anticipated that the NICS Configuration Management Database (CMDB) will be part of a federated I3P CMDB. Only a subset of the NICS CMDB will be included at the Enterprise Service Desk (ESD) level CMDB. Question 91: Will there be an SOW for each of the CZAP initiatives at the various NASA sites? Answer: NASA is gathering current status, implementation plans, and schedules for the implementation of the CZAP initiatives at the various NASA sites. The requirements for completion of the CZAP network activities for each Center are anticipated to be provided with the final RFP in Attachment J-1, Appendix D-2. Additionally, Attachment C, Background and Historical, is anticipated to include completed CZAP network activities. Question 92: Both NICS DRFP documents with filenames "13784-DRAFT-003-005.pdf" and "13784-DRAFT-003-006.pdf" are the same - a cover sheet with the title "Attachment J-1, Appendix B (Draft), NICS Approaches and Innovations" and the cover sheet states "To Be Provided by Offeror." Why are these the same - should one of these be Appendix A? What is Appendix B? It isn’t referenced by the PWS document. Answer: During the initial posting, Appendix A was inadvertently omitted. Amendment 1 to the Draft RFP provided Appendix A, I3P Transformation Objectives and Requirements. Appendix B is reserved and has no content at this time. Question 93: [Performance Standard for PWS 3.1.1 states “DNS, DHCP data accuracy: 99%.”] The term “data accuracy” also is used on page J-1-C-5 – PWS 3.8.8 and 3.10.3. “Data accuracy” is not defined in the draft RFP documents and a definition/explanation is necessary to devise a formula for tracking/capturing “data accuracy.” What is the Government’s definition of “data accuracy”? Answer: Data accuracy is defined as the percentage of database elements that are verified as accurate, based upon regular checks for data updates. The Government expects the contractor to perform monthly audits of DNS, DHCP, and configuration management systems and provide results of those audits. Question 94: The only performance standards given against PWS 3.6 are those for PWS 3.6.2. Why is there not correspondence between these standards and the Performance Measures given in Table 1 of Attachment J-4, which also covers PWS 3.6? Answer: Attachment J-1, Appendix C, Performance Specifications, includes all services. Attachment J-4, Performance Measures, is the subset of specifications that will be measured for award fee. Also, Attachment J-1, Appendix C, Performance Specifications, will be modified to correctly reflect the J-4, Performance Measures as corresponding to PWS 3.6. Question 95: [RE: Network Communications Initiative (NCI) project will define Agency network zone architecture and deploy the supporting Center border network infrastructure establishing Intranet, Extranet, and Public network security zones.] How many NOCs does NASA currently operate? Where are these NOCs located? Answer: It should be noted that NOC Questions are immaterial to NCI Continuation. Refer to Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 3.0, that describes the current NISN NOCs that exist within UNITeS, specifically ENMC and IPNOC. Additionally, refer to Section 4.0 that describes the current Center LAN NOCs. Question 96: Are all the performance standards listed in Attachments J-4 and J-1 Appendix C being reported currently? If so, will the Government provide these performance measures for the last six months? Answer: NASA receives similar metrics from existing contracts that are relevant to the NICS Performance Measures (Attachment J-4) and Performance Specifications (Attachment J-1, Appendix C) from existing contracts that are consolidating into NICS. Although NASA believes this data is not essential for proposal preparation, the offeror can request, through FOIA, the contract metrics from each Center responsible for contracts that are phasing in/transitioning as delineated in Attachment J-19. Question 97: Please clarify how the number 99.8%, given in the individual service level descriptions, is related to the standards presented in Table 2 of these measures? Answer: The service availability standard for Table 2.1 Mission Real-time Critical WAN is 99.98% as reflected in the NISN Services Document (see J-10) for each of the approximately 20 data sets. Note that a data set represents a synchronous point-to-point transfer of raw spacecraft telemetry data. Performance measure 2.1 measures the percentage of data sets that meet the performance standard. Appendix J-1, Attachment C will be updated to reflect the NSD performance standard. Question 98: Will NASA scale the counts of misses in measures 2.6 and 2.7 to reflect the number and duration of missions conducted during any given reporting period? Answer: No, requirements are accurately stated. Question 99: [Communications (Voice Network)] What is the total number and type of end-user devices, including handsets, Switch Board equipment, printers and terminals? Answer: NASA will update Attachment J-9, Installation-Accountable Government Property (IAGP), which will reflect what equipment is located at each Center/ building. As a reminder, NASA will provide, as part of the Cost forms, the baseline costs for equipment, software, vendor maintenance, direct (expendable) materials, and non-GSA circuits that all offerors will use. This will include refresh costs. Question 100: [Communications (Wide Area Network)] Describe in detail, any firewalls installed in the network. Answer: NASA will update Attachment J-9, Installation-Accountable Government Property (IAGP), which will reflect what equipment is located at each Center/ building. As a reminder, NASA will provide, as part of the Cost forms, the baseline costs for equipment, software, vendor maintenance, direct (expendable) materials, and non-GSA circuits that all offerors will use. This will include refresh costs. Question 101: [Communications (Local Area Network)] What is the total cost for network hardware/software in the following categories?
Answer: NASA will update Attachment J-9, Installation-Accountable Government Property (IAGP), which will reflect what equipment is located at each Center/ building. As a reminder, NASA will provide, as part of the Cost forms, the baseline costs for equipment, software, vendor maintenance, direct (expendable) materials, and non-GSA circuits that all offerors will use. This will include refresh costs. Question 102: [Communications (Local Area Network)] What is the total number of Gateways, FEPS, controllers or other communications servers? Answer: NASA will update Attachment J-9, Installation-Accountable Government Property (IAGP), which will reflect what equipment is located at each Center/ building. As a reminder, NASA will provide, as part of the Cost forms, the baseline costs for equipment, software, vendor maintenance, direct (expendable) materials, and non-GSA circuits that all offerors will use. This will include refresh costs. Question 103: [Communications (Local Area Network)] What is the total number and types of network devices deployed on the LAN? Answer: NASA will update Attachment J-9, Installation-Accountable Government Property (IAGP), which will reflect what equipment is located at each Center/ building. As a reminder, NASA will provide, as part of the Cost forms, the baseline costs for equipment, software, vendor maintenance, direct (expendable) materials, and non-GSA circuits that all offerors will use. This will include refresh costs. Question 104: What is the total number of systems and processes monitored? Answer: NASA will update Attachment J-9, Installation-Accountable Government Property (IAGP), which will reflect what equipment is located at each Center/ building. As a reminder, NASA will provide, as part of the Cost forms, the baseline costs for equipment, software, vendor maintenance, direct (expendable) materials, and non-GSA circuits that all offerors will use. This will include refresh costs. Question 105: Provide a detailed list of all assets currently used to perform the Network/LAN/Voice Video function that will not transfer to the NICS contractor. Answer: NASA will update Attachment J-9, Installation-Accountable Government Property (IAGP), which will reflect what equipment is located at each Center/ building. As a reminder, NASA will provide, as part of the Cost forms, the baseline costs for equipment, software, vendor maintenance, direct (expendable) materials, and non-GSA circuits that all offerors will use. This will include refresh costs. Question 106: Provide a detailed list of all assets to be managed by the NICS contactor. This list should include the date of purchase, purchase price, depreciation rate, accumulated depreciation, net book value and location of each asset. Answer: NASA will update Attachment J-9, Installation-Accountable Government Property (IAGP), which will reflect what equipment is located at each Center/ building. As a reminder, NASA will provide, as part of the Cost forms, the baseline costs for equipment, software, vendor maintenance, direct (expendable) materials, and non-GSA circuits that all offerors will use. This will include refresh costs. Question 107: Will Attachments J-8 “Government Furnished Property” and J-9 “Installation Accountable Government Property” be available before the RFP is released? If not, will they be completed for release with the Final Request for Proposal Documentation? Answer: The listing of Government Furnished Property (Attachment J-8) and Installation-Accountable Government Property (Attachment J-9) will be provided as soon as available, no later than release of the Final RFP. Question 108: Please describe your processes for vulnerability assessments and enabling of required services. Answer: Refer to Attachment J-10, Applicable Regulations and Procedures, NPR 2810.1, Security of Information Technology . Question 109: Are external security audits required on an annual/bi-annual basis? If so, please describe. Answer: Refer to Attachment J-10, Applicable Regulations and Procedures, NPR 2810.1, Security of Information Technology. Question 110: Do you require any special training or certification for your security staff? Answer: Refer to Attachment J-10, Applicable Regulations and Procedures, NPR 2810.1, Security of Information Technology. Question 111: There are quite a few other documents within the J-10 attachment whose traceability, by nomenclature, is confusing (reference, the “Russia IT Services Policies and Procedures” beginning on Page J-10-29, or the “Contractor Documents” beginning on Page J-10-23). Also, the "footnoted" asterisk (denoting restricted documents, viewable on site only) was not found anywhere. Will these documents be provided to interested parties, form a part of the bidders library, etc.? Answer: Please refer to the NICS page on the MSFC acquisition portal. NASA has posted items here that were not accessible outside of NASA. These include many of the Center-specific documents and the Russian documents. Go to the NICS page, click on J-10, Applicable Regulations and Procedures, and then select the applicable section. Also, many of the UNITeS SOP’s are posted on the MITS reading room. Question 112: The reader is referred to a NODIS (NASA Online Directives Information System) link (Goddard) for access to (NASA) IT Security SOPs, although one apparently has to be either a NASA employee (or be able to access from a NASA site) to gain read access. This has been a continuing concern when attempting to access certain NODIS documents from contractor sites. Will these documents be provided as part of bidders library? Answer: Please refer to the NICS page on the MSFC acquisition portal. Click on J-10, Applicable Regulations and Procedures, and then IT Security SOPs. Additionally, other documents are linked at the I3P Website /Technical Library Section, such as NPD 2810.1A, NPD 2810.1C, NPD 2810.1D and NPR 1600.1, and are now available for public viewing. Question 113: Will NASA implement an Agency Wide badging process in conjunction with the PIV system for all Centers? If not, will the Prime Contractor be required to comply with each Center’s unique policy? Answer: Clause H.21, Government Premises – Physical and Logical Access and Compliance With Procedures, provides contract-level PIV requirements applicable to all NASA Centers. Attachment J-15, Personal Identity Verification Procedures, also provides details for badging requirements for all NASA Centers. FAR clause 52.204-9, Personal Identity Verification of contractor Personnel and NASA Procurement Information Circular (PIC) 06-01 entitled Personal Identity Verification of Contractors, dated January 18, 2006, also provide PIV details. Any Center-specific requirements are delineated as distinct clauses in Section H. Any conflicts between Agency level guidance and Center-specific requirements should be brought to the attention of the Contracting Officer. Question 114: Attachment J-19 does not specify the transition dates for the ODIN scope in the NICS Phase-In and Transition schedule. The ACES Draft RFP contains an Attachment 14 which specifies Three Waves of Phase-in and Implementation dates. Are these the dates that will be established for the NICS transition? If not, what are the dates NASA plans to establish? Answer: NASA will update Attachment J-19 with the approved ODIN transition schedule. Question 115: Section L.24 indicates the Marshall Space Flight Center will provide facilities for Phase-In efforts in Building 4207, Management Information Center (MIC) Conference Room 20. Will other NASA Centers (Ames Research Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, Johnson Space Center and Langley Research Center) provide any facilities to accommodate phase in activities? If so, when will NASA provide this information? If not, does NASA expect the Prime Contractor to provide their own facilities and include these costs in the proposal? Answer: Provision L.24 will be updated to reflect available facilities space, by Center, to accommodate Phase-In activities. Offerors will be expected to provide Phase-In space for Centers which will not provide facility space and should reflect such costs on Attachment B7, Tab AA, Phase-In Cost Template, subject to the $100,000 Phase-In cost limitation. Question 116: Does the Phase-In and Transition Schedule for the NASA Centers apply to the NASA Satellite locations? Answer: Yes. The transition schedule for NASA Centers and their Associated Component Facilities are considered to be the same. Question 117: Please clarify under GSFC 5/1/10 you state PWS 3.2 and at the end you state part of PWS 3.2. Please clarify what part of PWS 3.2 will transition to NICS on contract start. Answer: NASA will update the GSFC UNITeS table entry as follows: UNITeS PWS 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, and 3.9. Question 118: Do the PWS elements (in right column) represent PWS numbers from the various incumbent contracts (e.g., UNITeS), or do the PWS numbers correspond to NICS PWS elements? Answer: PWS elements in the right-most column represent the PWS numbers from the various incumbent contracts. Question 119: Per J-19 on Day 1 of contract start are there any permanent staff required at the NASA centers that are not phasing in on May 1 to support corporate or enterprise services? Answer: Yes, as it relates to Corporate WAN (e.g., Customer Support Reps and Gateway Technicians). Refer to Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 3.0. Question 120: What are your current Network/LAN/Voice Video function support contractor contractual timelines and the plan for completing/transitioning the management and operations of these functions to NICS? Answer: Refer to J-19, Contract Phase-In/Transition Schedule. Question 121: STATEMENT/QUOTE FROM DOCUMENT: Categories Under the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program. X (iii) 52.219-22, Small Disadvantaged Business Status. X (A) Basic. (B) Alternate I. Size representation has been checked. Is this a requirement for the subcontractors? Answer: NASA will revise Section K, Clause K.1, and remove the checkmarks. Question 122: Please provide guidance regarding the extent to which IT-related SBU information can or should be considered in the preparation of NICS proposals. Can IT-related SBU information be included in a NICS proposal if suitably marked? Answer: Note Section L reference is not applicable to SBU. NASA determines what information is classified as SBU. At this time, NASA has released no SBU data to the vendors. Therefore, offerors can not include SBU data in their proposals. NASA believes Attachment C, Background and Historical, contains sufficient information to allow preparation of a comprehensive proposal. Question 123: Are Past Performance response documents to be sent to all Centers? Answer: No. Send them only to MSFC. Question 124: NASA would like responders to deliver copies of their RFP to all Centers. Will NASA consider making MSFC as the “authoritative” site for deadline compliance purposes? Answer: Section L, Proposal Instructions, provision L.29 will be amended to reflect that all copies and CD/DVDs will be delivered to MSFC. Question 125: [RE: (b) The Cost Volume preparation instructions set forth herein are applicable to the offeror as a prime contractor and any proposed major subcontracts. For cost volume purposes only, interdivisional and/or intra-company effort in excess of $10,000,000 shall be considered “major subcontractor” effort. For purposes of this solicitation, major subcontracts are defined as any subcontract effort in excess of $10,000,000 over the life of the contract.] Please confirm that the government requests a separate cost volume for any subcontractor with 10-year total value greater than $10,000,000. Answer: Yes. Major subcontractors (i.e., >$10M) are required to submit separate cost volumes. Question 126: [RE: In furnishing all IT technology management services related contracts and subcontracts within the last five years (paragraphs a – p, RFP pgs. L 71-74), using a table at Times New Roman, 8 pt. font, as well as your provided chart form for item j, our template per reference is roughly 2 pages each.] With 10 references, this puts us at 28 pages without the insertion of data. Please consider extending the page limitation for Volume III. Answer: The page limitation for Volume III will be revised to 70 pages total. Question 127: The Standard Labor Categories defined in Section L, Appendix 2 are different than those shown in the EPM. Please reconcile. Answer: Section L, Appendix 2, will be changed as follows: Telecommunications Tech/Mechanic Lead will be changed to read Telecommunications Tech/Mechanic III, and Customer Service Representative will be changed to read Customer Support Representative. Section M, provision M.5.d.(2) will be changed as follows: Telecommunications Tech/Mechanic Lead will be changed to read Telecommunications Tech/Mechanic III. Question 128: [RE: MA1.c Section L “… proposed organizational structure with the proposed general management approach for accomplishing the requirements (i.e., managing and controlling tasks, experimental work, and management interfaces, essential for the delivery of services.”] Can the government explain what is meant by experimental work? Answer: Section L will be revised to delete “Experimental work” from MA1.c. Question 129: [RE: The offeror shall describe the approach for identification, analysis, and mitigation of potential conflicts of interest as it relates to the offeror’s approach……..of possible organizational conflicts of interest resulting from access to sensitive information that might flow from the award of a contract.] Are the subs required to provide an OCI Plan in accordance with MA11 Organization Conflict of Interest Avoidance under the Mission Suitability Factor? Answer: NASA will revise Section L, MA11 as follows: “The offeror shall describe the approach for identification, analysis, and mitigation of potential conflicts of interest as it relates to the offeror’s approach, including all teammates, subcontractors, and subject matter experts in a subcontracting role, for executing... ” Note the ‘approach’ is provided in Mission Suitability Volume not the OCI Plan (DRDMA1294-007) which is required during Phase-In. Question 130: L.35.3, Section 2 (k) states that “the offeror shall propose 3% overtime for all labor categories.” Please clarify if this is applicable to only non-exempt personnel or if this is a requirement for both exempt and non-exempt personnel. Answer: Section L, Provision L.35.3, Section 2(k), will be updated to clarify how this 3% overtime is applicable to exempt categories. Question 131: Section L.20 indicates that plans (SHE, SB Subcontracting Plan, Phase-In Plan, and Infrastructure Project Plans) should be included in Volume I, Mission Suitability. Section L.26 indicates the Total Compensation Plan, is required to be submitted as part the Mission Suitability volume. However, L.37 states that “all required plans (as specified in Section L) must be completed” as part of Volume IV. Please clarify where all plans are to be submitted. Answer: Provision L.37 will be revised to include the following: “NOTE: Plans delineated in the table above are to be submitted as part of Volume I and will be incorporated as attachments to the contract at award.” Question 132: Per Section L.20, we understand the Key Personnel position descriptions/resumes are limited to three pages each, not to exceed 45 pages total; Letters of Commitment are limited to 15 pages, and Job Descriptions/Qualification forms are not to exceed 25 pages total. Are these pages (85 total) included in the 350 page limit for Volume I? Answer: As stated in L.20, Key Personnel position descriptions/resumes, letters of commitment, and JDQ forms are excluded from the 350-page limit of Volume 1. Provision L.20(a) will be revised to remove the 25-page limit for JDQs. Question 133: Does the page limitation apply to all of Mission Suitability Subfactor 2 or does the limitation apply only to the plan requested in Subfactor 2? Answer: Provision L.20 does not specify a page limit by subfactor but does provide a 350-page limit for the Mission Suitability Volume in total. Within this limit, the offeror will be expected to provide a Safety, Health, and Environmental Plan in accordance with DRD 1294SA-001 that should not exceed 15 pages. Question 134: [RE: Small Business Subcontracting Plan (should not exceed 20 pages)] Does the page limitation apply to all of Mission Suitability Subfactor 3 or does the limitation apply only to the plan requested in Subfactor 3? Answer: Provision L.20 does not specify a page limit by subfactor but does provide a 350 page limit for the Mission Suitability Volume in total. Within this limit, the offeror will be expected to provide a Small Business Subcontracting Plan that should not exceed 20 pages. Question 135: [RE: Re-competition of service contracts may in some cases result in lowering the compensation (salaries and fringe benefits) paid or furnished professional employees. This lowering can be detrimental in obtaining the quality of professional services needed for adequate contract performance. It is therefore in the Governments best interest that professional employees, as defined in 29 CFR 541, be properly and fairly compensated. As a part of the proposals, offerors will submit a total compensation plan setting forth salaries and fringe benefits proposed for the professional employees who will work under the contract.] Will the subcontractor’s be required to provide a separate compensation plan? Answer: The offeror’s total compensation plan, as defined in Sections K-M, will be a single plan that includes both prime and subcontractor’s compensation approach. The Cost Volume for both Prime and Subcontractors shall include any proprietary rate and factors data. Question 136: Will there be a requirement to provide copies of the Cost Volume and Cognizant Audit Office Template (CAOT) to DCMA/DCAA? Answer: Yes. NASA will revise the Table as follows (to be inserted into the DCAA address box): “NOTE: Both prime and subcontractors must submit Cost Volume and Cognizant Audit Office Template (CAOT) to DCMA/DCAA." Question 137: STATEMENT/QUOTE FROM DOCUMENT: (a) The form checked below is attached to the end of this solicitation and shall be submitted prior to award of any contract resulting from this solicitation……. X DD Form 1149 – Requisition and Invoice/ Shipping Document X DD Form 1419 - DOD Industrial Plant Equipment Requisition, if applicable. Are subcontractor’s required to meet the forms requirement? Answer: Paragraph (a) relates only to submission of a Certificate of Current Cost and Pricing Data prior to award per FAR 15.406-2. This form is not checked because such certification will not be required prior to contract award. Paragraph (b) delineates forms that will be utilized by both the prime and subcontractor(s), as appropriate, during NICS performance. These forms are available online and in part 53 of the FAR. Question 138: Please clarify the last column in the exhibit. Should “% of Contract Value” actually be “$ of Contract Value”? Answer: The last column in the exhibit will be changed to read “% of Contract Value” in lieu of “$ of Contract Value.” Question 139: [RE: Section L.34, Paragraph MA13 “Corporate Investment”: This paragraph discusses “The offeror shall identify and describe any proposed Corporate Investments in the NICS contract including type, benefit to NASA, magnitude, and how those investments will be recouped through the life of the contract.“ Not all investments provided by a contractor are recouped directly but are provided to support a contract and the contractor recoups some value by performing on the contract as a whole. Is the intent of this requirement to gather information about how the investments will benefit NASA or to identify if the contractor is planning to recoup the value of the investment directly in some manner or indirectly by performing on the contract? Please clarify what is required as a response to the proposal. Answer: The offeror will be expected to specifically describe any corporate investments that the offeror will provide to the Government as part of the response. Such investments will be incorporated in Attachment J-21 to the model contract. The offeror will also be expected to clarify if such investments will be recovered either directly or indirectly, as charges to the contract. Question 140: [RE: Section L.34, Paragraph MA3 (e): This paragraph states “The offeror shall describe the proposed cost center structure, including any NICS-specific impacts to the cost structure.”] Is NASA asking for a description of the cost structure the offeror intends to apply to this contract or a NICS WBS structure that provides the details of the cost aggregation? Answer: The offeror is expected to describe the cost structure that will be utilized to perform the NICS contract (e.g., not a WBS structure), including any impacts that NICS may have to the offeror’s existing cost structure that will be applied to the NICS contract. If the offeror proposes a NICS-specific cost center structure, then that too must be explained. Additionally, MA3 has been updated as follows: "...for both the prime and significant subcontractors. A “significant subcontractor” is defined as any single subcontractor/teammate that performs more than 20% of the work." Question 141: The text states that the offeror is to provide an “approach and timeframe for providing ITIL v.3 training to all personnel.” Will ITIL training be considered a billable expense on this contract? Answer: ITIL training would be considered an allocable cost to the NICS contract for personnel who charge direct to the NICS contract. In addition, Section L, Provision L.34, MA8.i will be changed to read “training for appropriate personnel.” Question 142: To further the contractor’s ability to meet NASA’s SB goals and promote a more robust SB program, can the Government allow 2nd tier subcontracting, exclusively to support small business requirements? Will the Government consider allowing multiple tiers of subcontractors to be included as part of the small business utilization goals? Answer: No. While second tier subcontracting is allowed as part of the offeror’s small business approach, small business goals apply to the prime contractor only. Therefore, any second tier subcontracts will not apply to the prime contract small business subcontracting goals. Question 143: Per the descriptions of the various IDIQ scenarios (including the consolidation of corporate and mission service/communications networks), where does one gain access to the network infrastructure diagrams to determine the breadth and scope of the task(s)? Answer: Refer to Attachment C, Background and Historical, Section 3.0. Question 144: Section L.34, TA12, Technical Approach Risk Assessment, item (b) states, “The offeror shall submit a risk assessment and mitigation approach for each center.” Are the risks/mitigation requested in item (b) specifically related to PWS 4.0, Center and Associated Component Facility Services, with the remainder of NICS SF4 technical risks covered under TA12 (a)? Answer: TA12 (a) is targeting the risk associated with the offeror’s overall technical approach, and (b) is targeting the specific risk that is applicable to the Center (to include HQ) enterprise services (e.g., 3.1 through 3.5 and 3.6) and Center Unique services (e.g., 4.0). Question 145: We recognize that TA7, Infrastructure Project Plans and Scenario essay include their own risk assessments and mitigations. Is our assumption correct that HQ services should be addressed within the risks for each center? Answer: HQ risks are to be included in TA12 (b) and treated equal to a ‘Center.’ Question 146: [RE: (c) …Offerors and their team members, if any, are required to state ceiling G&A rates that they will be willing to accept for each contract period.] Without privity of contract on the Government side, or prime contractor visibility into team member indirect rates, how will the Government or the prime contractor enforce the G&A ceiling requirement for subcontractors (without relying heavily on DCAA audits)? Answer: The G&A ceiling rate, delineated in B.10 Allowable Items and Cost, (a) applies to the prime contractor only. NASA will revise Section L.35.c as follows: “Offerors are required to state ceiling G&A rates that they will be willing to accept for each contract period.” Question 147: Section L.35 (j) states that “should there be discrepancies between the OPM and the EPM data, the EPM takes precedence.” Will the government reconsider the requirement that bidders not modify the EPM? Answer: The offerors are permitted to modify certain cells within the EPM to be consistent with their accounting practices. The final electronic version of the EPM will include instructions for those cells that can be changed. Question 148: Please clarify what is required by L.35 (k) in response to “All assumptions shall be fully quantified.” Answer: The offeror must specifically delineate any assumptions that were used to prepare the offer as they relate to RFP requirements that may have been ambiguous or unclear. Any other assumptions that the offeror made to prepare the proposal submission must also be fully explained. NASA will change “quantified” to “explained.” Question 149: The DRFP states that "major subcontracts are defined as any subcontract effort in excess of $10,000,000 over the life of the contract." The Past Performance requirements state that "Additionally the same level of information is required from each proposed major subcontractor/team member that exceeds the estimated subcontract value in the matrix below." Please confirm that Offerors are required to submit no more than ten (10) Past Performance responses, which may include contracts and subc |