CHS-6 Request For Information 2

Solicitation Number: W15P7T-21-R-CHS6 Classification Code: D -- Information technology services, including telecommunications services NAICS Code: 334 -- Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing / 334111 -- Electronic Computer Manufacturing This Request for Information (RFI) is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered as an Invitation for Bid, Request for Quotation, or Request for Proposal (RFP) or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services described herein. Your response to this RFI will be treated as information only. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges to the Government will arise as a result of a contractor's submission of responses to this announcement or the Government's use of such information. This request does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter into negotiations to award a contract. No funds have been authorized, appropriated or received for this RFI. The information provided may be used by the Army in developing its acquisition strategy, Performance Work Statement (PWS) and/or Performance Specifications. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or to otherwise pay for the information submitted in response to this RFI. Background: The US Army Contracting Command-Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC APG), MD is seeking feedback from industry concerning the planned competitive follow-on to Contract Number W15P7T-18-D-0008 for the Common Hardware Systems-5th Generation (CHS-5) contract. The CHS-5 contract provides commercial information technology (IT) hardware [e.g. Non-Developmental, modified commercial off the shelf (COTS) items (i.e. ruggedized and militarized)] and services to a variety of Army, Department of Defense (DoD), and Federal Government organizations utilizing Firm Fixed Price Delivery Orders and Firm Fixed Price and Cost Plus Fixed Fee (Term and Completion Type) Task Orders (TOs) issued against a single award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. CHS-5 is a five-year contract awarded in August 2018 consisting of a three-year base ordering period and two, one-year option periods. Purpose: The Government appreciated industry's candor in response to the information provided and the questions posed in the initial RFI for solicitation number W15P7T-20-R-CHS6 released on 14 February 2020. This RFI builds upon industry's feedback in response to the initial RFI. The purpose of this RFI is to: Continue to gauge industry interest in a competitive follow-on to the CHS-5 contract. Provide data to assist industry with developing a better understanding of the scope of support provided to Army and DoD programs through both the CHS program office and the CHS contract. Announce a CHS 101 for industry. Use industry feedback to shape development of an acquisition strategy and contract requirements in a way that will enable and promote maximum competition in the source selection for the CHS-5 follow-on contract Performance Work Statement (PWS): The Government continues to build a draft PWS for the CHS-5 follow-on contract. Based on feedback received from both industry and CHS customers the Government is considering making the following key updates to the PWS: Product Ruggedization: Remove the requirement to deliver contractor-ruggedized commercial IT hardware (i.e. V1+, V2, and V3 hardware versions) at the contract part number level. Require the contractor(s) to possess the capability to ruggedize hardware, which would be a service offered to customers to purchase through a task order, separate from the contract part number level. Applicable CHS-5 references: PWS Para 3.4.2.2 PWS Para 3.4.2.3 PWS Para 3.4.2.4 PWS Para 3.4.3 PWS Para 3.4.7.2.1 PWS Appendix A Design and Engineering Support: Remove the requirement to provide design and engineering support as part of the Technology Insertion process. Require the contractor to possess the capability to provide design and engineering support, which would be a service offered to customers to purchase through a task order. Applicable CHS-5 references: PWS Para 3.1.1 PWS Para 3.4.6 CHS Data: Attachment 0005 and Attachment 0006 to this RFI are two (2) Excel workbooks, dating from 2011, that provide the below listed data. These are provided to facilitate an enhanced understanding of the scope of support provided to Army and DoD programs for CHS-4 and CHS-5 respectively. Hardware and Warranty Services History Product Repair History and Summary Number and dollar amount of Delivery Orders (DOs) and TOs from FY14 to FY20 Number of Technical Insertions (TIs) from FY14 to FY20 2. Attachments 0007 to this RFI are samples of Technical Insertions (TIs) Acquisition Requirements Packages (ARP) requests the Government sent to the prime to add new hardware on the contract. 3. Attachments 0008 to this RFI are samples of Task Orders (TOs) ARP requests the Government sent to the prime for services on the CHS-5 contract. CHS 101: The Government is planning to present a - CHS 101 for industry in 2QY21. The intent of this - CHS 101 event is to provide industry with a better understanding of the CHS mission in support of Army, DoD, and Federal Government organizations; CHS key capabilities; and an overview of CHS processes. The - CHS 101 event will be hosted as a Microsoft Teams live event. A read-ahead slide deck will be provided about one week prior to the CHS101 presentation. Companies interested in participating in the - CHS 101 event must pre-register to receive an event invitation. The information how to pre-register will be provided at a later date. You will be provided with a URL to attend this event. Instructions: The Government requests industry feedback on the current CHS-5 contract strategy and requirements documents in order to better understand what actions the Government could take to establish a competitive environment for a planned follow-on contract. Specifically, please address the items listed below: Description of Capabilities: Interested parties that did not respond to the RFI posted on February 14, 2020 are requested to provide a description of current capabilities providing the types of commercial IT products and services described in this RFI and in the CHS-5 PWS, appendices, and corresponding CDRLs. 2. PWS Updates: Interested parties are requested to comment on the potential PWS updates highlighted earlier in this RFI. With these PWS updates would your company be more likely, less likely, or neither more nor less likely to submit a proposal in response to a CHS-6 solicitation? Please provide the rationale for your position. Given your company's understanding of the commercial IT hardware marketplace coupled with your knowledge of the U.S. Army's priorities with respect to network modernization what, if any, additional updates would you recommend for consideration in a CHS-6 PWS? 3. Organic Depot Support: For CHS-6 the Government is considering using Tobyhanna Army Depot to implement all requirements relating to a CHS-6 Hardware Warranty. Please provide your feedback regarding the feasibility of exclusively using Tobyhanna Army Depot to administer the CHS-6 Hardware Warranty. Please provide your feedback regarding a process whereby the CHS-6 Hardware Warranty could be administered via a Public-Private Partnership between the CHS-6 Prime Contractor(s) and Tobyhanna Army Depot. 4. CHS Historical Data: Interested parties are requested to comment on the data provided in all Attachments to this RFI. Specifically, what additional data would enable your company to better understand CHS and/or to make more informed business decisions once a CHS-6 solicitation is released? 5. Contract Strategy: The Government is interested in your feedback to the following contract strategy-related questions: Given the data supplied and your accumulating body of knowledge regarding the CHS program office and the current CHS-5 contract, please indicate your company's current position regarding whether the Government should pursue CHS-6 as a single award contract or a multiple award contract. Please provide the rationale for your position. 6. The Government is exploring ways to provide hardware equipment where customers do not need all non-separately price (NSP) benefits on the CHS program. NSP include: (a) Configuration Management; (b) Bonded Storage for up to one (1) year; (c) Design & Engineering Support for Operational Transit Cases; (d) Design & Engineering Support for Populated Transit Cases; (e) Three (3) 1 hour weekly meetings with CHS Management; (f) Average five (5) hour IPT meetings; (g) Program Management Review twice a year; (h) Failure Trend Analysis for high failure rate hardware; (i) Technical and Trade Studies; (j) Proposal Preparation for Technical Insertion, and (k) First Article Test for V1+ hardware. Please provide your feedback about the Government separating these NSP from the base contract. In your response, please mention which benefits are best suited for NSP, Task Order, or Fixed Price as a CLIN on the contract. 7. The Government is contemplating removing Bonded Storage requirement as a Non-Separately Price (NSP) benefit. Please provide cost effective ideas for how the Bonded Storage can be priced as a separate FFP item and purchased prior to a unit being part of a Technical Insertion. Please note hardware can be held in Bondage Storage for up to one (1) year. 8. The Government is contemplating removing Design & Engineering Support requirement as a Non-Separately Price (NSP) in order to reduce the unit cost of hardware that does not require Design & Engineering Support. Please provide ideas for how Design & Engineering Support can be priced as a separate FFP item and purchased prior to a unit being part of a Technical Insertion. 9. Direct Vendor Shipments: The Government is exploring ways to lower costs and expedite delivery timelines for commercial IT hardware required by CHS customers. Please provide your feedback on how to lower costs and expedite delivery timelines. 10. The following is a list of services contemplated for the CHS-5 follow-on contract. Please consider these services in your response to the questions below: Design & Engineering Support Procure and Deliver Commercial IT Hardware (inclusive of hardware configuration management) Procure and Deliver Commercial IT Hardware (not inclusive of hardware configuration management) Technical Assistance and Support Services Placing and Holding Hardware in Bonded Storage Perform CHS Hardware Warranty Repairs Provide CHS Hardware Warranty Perform Hardware Requirements Analysis (i.e. Trade Studies) Ruggedize Hardware to meet Military Product Survivability Standards Test Hardware to meet Military Product Survivability Standards For All Businesses: Please answer this question if you would consider proposing on a CHS-5 follow-on contract as a prime contractor. The Government is considering the feasibility of implementing a small business set aside for a portion of the CHS-5 follow-on contract. Based upon your review of the current CHS-5 contract PWS and the list of hardware/services procured via previous CHS contracts, are there any hardware/services mentioned above which your company believes would be suitable for a small business set aside on a future contract? If so, please indicate the applicable hardware/services. Additionally, please state how you envision a process to procure and provide these hardware/services, as applicable. For Small Businesses Only: The Government is considering the feasibility of implementing a small business set aside for a portion of the CHS-5 follow-on contract. If a small business set-aside is used, then the Government intends to utilize FAR 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting (DEVIATION 2020-O0008). Based upon your review of the current CHS-5 PWS and the list of hardware/services procured via previous CHS contracts, are there any hardware/services mentioned above which your company is able to perform? Please describe how you plan to coordinate your requirements with other contractor(s). Teaming Arrangements: If your company is unable to meet the full scope of requirements communicated in the current CHS-5 PWS, then would your company consider pursuing a teaming arrangement to meet the full scope of requirements? If so, then please explain how you might approach achieving a teaming arrangement. 11. Provide your company profile (i.e., company type, US or non-US ownership, Cage code, DUNs number, size and status as listed in the System for Award Management (SAM)). 12. Responses to this RFI should be submitted within 21 days from release of this survey at 1600 hours Eastern Standard Time on 16 February 2021 Responses are to be sent via email to Lead Contract Specialist, Mr. Todd Strasavich at todd.m.strasavich.civ@mail.mil and copy furnished to Contracting Officer Mr. Phillip Vitakis at phillip.s.vitakis.civ@mail.mil. All material submitted in response to this RFI must be unclassified. Interested parties possessing the capacity to provide the requirements outlined above are requested to provide a response including: Name, telephone number, fax number, street address and e-mail address for Program and Technical points of contact information. The Government hereby notifies potential RFI responders that the Government intends to use contractor support in the collection of information and development of the acquisition strategy, Performance Work Statement and/or Performance Specifications. The Government intends to allow contractors from Bowhead Business Technologies and Solutions, Booz Allen Hamilton, Sev1Tech, Netwerx, JANUS Research Group Inc., and Piper Solutions, performing advisory and assistance services, to view the RFI responses to aid in the development of this effort. By submitting a response to this RFI, responders understand and consent to the release of any and all data contained in RFI responses, to include proprietary data and other marked information, for development of this effort only, to the contractors performing those services for the Government. The Government will allow for Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA) to be signed amongst the support contractors and the responders at the responder's request. Contracting Office Address: ACC-APG - Aberdeen Division B, HQ CECOM CONTRACTING CENTER, 6001 COMBAT DRIVE, ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD 21005-1846 Place of Performance: ACC-APG - Aberdeen Division B HQ CECOM CONTRACTING CENTER, 6001 COMBAT DRIVE ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD 21005-1846 US Point of Contact(s): Lead Contract Specialist, Mr. Todd Strasavich, 443-861-4959 Contracting Officer Mr. Phillip Vitakis, 443-861-4960