DE10--Digital Signage System

1. Installation timeframe. Factor 3 states the Government will evaluate the ability to complete installation within the required timeframe. We were unable to locate a required installation timeframe or completion milestone in the PWS, Section B, or Attachments A C. Will the Government specify the required installation period (for example, days after contract award, or a required completion date), or should offerors propose an installation duration for evaluation? Within 60 days. Monday through Friday except nation holidays. 8am to 4:30pm 2. Attachment D Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan. PWS 7.3 states the Government will monitor performance in accordance with Attachment D Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). Attachment D was not included with the solicitation. Will the Government issue Attachment D by amendment before the offer due date? Attachement is in this email. 3. Response and restoration times. Attachment B, Performance Standards Matrix, requires the contractor to restore failed equipment within the contract response and restoration timeframes and to respond to Government service requests within contractually established response times. We were unable to locate defined response or restoration times in the PWS or Section B. Will the Government establish required response and restoration times, or should offerors propose service level commitments as part of their technical and implementation approach? Within 24 hours 4. System availability standard. Factor 1 states the Government will evaluate reliability and uptime capability. Does the Government have a required minimum system availability or uptime percentage, or should offerors propose one? 98% of the time 5. Help desk hours of operation. PWS 5.12 requires help desk support but does not specify required hours. Please confirm the required coverage (for example, business hours Monday Friday, extended hours, or 24/7), or confirm that offerors should propose coverage. 24/7 Just in case an emergency arises. 6. Warranty period. PWS 5.11 refers to the applicable warranty period, and PWS 10.8 states the warranty period commences upon Government acceptance of each facility. PWS 5.3 separately requires that equipment that must be replaced during the period of performance be replaced at no additional cost to the Government. Please confirm whether the Government requires warranty and equipment-replacement coverage for the full five-year potential period of performance, including all exercised option periods. This is a service contract The government will own nothing 7. Custom content response times. PWS 5.10.2 states that the quantity of custom content requests, response times, revision limits, and associated performance standards shall be identified in Section B of the resulting contract or the applicable Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs). Section B identifies quantity (up to five per month) and revision limits (up to two per item) but does not identify response times. Will the Government establish required turnaround times for custom content, or should offerors propose them? Within 24 hours 8. Information system security and accreditation (VAAR 852.239-70, 852.239-71). PWS 2(e) and 5.5 require a solution that operates independently of VA network infrastructure, and PWS 9.5 makes the contractor responsible for the security of contractor-furnished, cloud-hosted systems. The proposed commercial content management platform would reside entirely outside VA networks and would not store, process, or transmit VA sensitive information, personally identifiable information, or protected health information; it would display only Government-approved public messaging. Please confirm whether VAAR 852.239-71 (Information System Security Plan and Accreditation) requires a VA Authority to Operate or FedRAMP authorization for the contractor s commercial cloud content management platform under these conditions, or whether contractor-provided commercial security documentation (for example, SOC 2 Type II) is sufficient. We have submitted the VAAR and received it back. Since the vendor will not utilize VA Mainframe this is not necessary. 9. Section 508 accessibility (VAAR 852.239-75). Please confirm the expected scope of Section 508/ICT accessibility conformance. Specifically, does the requirement apply to the content management platform s administrative user interface, to contractor-developed displayed content, or to both, and is a completed Accessibility Conformance Report (VPAT) required with the offer or after award? Section 508/ICT accessibility requirements apply to all electronic information and technology provided under the contract. This includes both the administrative user interface of the content management platform and any contractor developed content that will be displayed. A large library of VA appropriate content must also meet Section 508 requirements and will be reviewed and approved by VA Public Affairs personnel prior to publication. 10. Display specification minimums. PWS 5.3 requires displays that provide high-resolution image quality but does not establish a minimum resolution or brightness. Attachment A specifies size ranges by facility. Will the Government establish a minimum resolution (for example, 1920×1080 or 3840×2160) and a minimum brightness in nits, to ensure comparable quotations? At most we have said commercial grade and high resolution. We want the best value for the Government. 11. Display size bands. Attachment A identifies displays in three ranges: 45" 50", 45" 55", and 55" 65". Please confirm that a single display size falling within more than one specified range (for example, a 50" display, which satisfies both the 45" 50" and 45" 55" ranges) is acceptable to satisfy quantities in each of those ranges. There is no range. Each location is specified of the size required for that location. It is not a range. 12. Quantity adjustments. PWS 4.1 states display quantities are estimates and may be adjusted by the Government before installation, and that the total contracted quantity will not be increased. If the Government reduces the total quantity of displays after award, please confirm how the firm-fixed-price CLINs will be adjusted. This is just for protection in case a determination is made to remove a display. 13. Attachment A data. (a) The Existing Electrical Available column is blank for the Compensation and Pension clinic at 5415 SW 64th St., Gainesville, while all other facilities indicate Government will Provide. Please confirm the electrical availability status at that facility. (b) The address listed for the Valdosta VA Clinic reads 348 Cloud-Based Dr. Suite B, Valdosta, GA 31601. Please confirm the correct street address. The address is correct and yes electrical is available at these locations. 14. Page limitations and attachments. The Technical Capability Volume is limited to 15 pages, and Factor 1 states the Government may evaluate product specifications, cut sheets, technical architecture descriptions, and sample screenshots. Please confirm whether manufacturer cut sheets, specification sheets, and architecture diagrams provided as appendices count against the 15-page limitation. Please also confirm the required page format (for example, 8.5" × 11", minimum font size and margins) and whether a cover page, table of contents, and transmittal letter are excluded from page counts. Manufacturer cut sheets, specification sheets, and architecture diagrams provided as appendices count against the 15-page limitation cover page, table of contents, and transmittal letter are excluded from page counts.. 15. Invoicing frequency. Section B.1, paragraph 3, provides checkboxes for quarterly, semi-annual, or other invoicing, none of which are marked. Please confirm the required invoicing frequency for the recurring services CLINs. Offerors would propose monthly invoicing in arrears, consistent with the monthly CLIN structure. Monthly 16. Attachment B nomenclature. PWS 7.1 refers to Attachment B Performance Requirements Summary (PRS), while the issued attachment is titled Attachment B Performance Standards Matrix. Please confirm these refer to the same document. Attaached to email. 17. Past performance recency. The Relevant Experience / Past Performance Volume requires at least three references for similar projects performed within the last five years. Please confirm whether a reference for a project that began more than five years ago but continued into the last five years is acceptable. Yes 18. Site verification and connectivity risk. PWS 4.3 requires site verification after award, and PWS 5.5 makes the contractor solely responsible for all communications services. Because cellular signal conditions inside individual buildings cannot be verified before award and no pre-award site visit is permitted, please confirm how the Government will treat any facility where post-award verification establishes that contractor-furnished wireless connectivity is not…