USAFA METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES

ANSWERS TO VENDOR QUESTIONS REGARDING THE PWS ARE LISTED BELOW. 1. QUESTION: Under 1.23.1., last sentence, Can this be done by phone / fax or does it have to be done in person? RESPONSE: Integration Support duties must be done in person. This is an Air Force Inspector General compliance checklist item. 2. QUESTION: Under 1.23.1.1., How much notice will be given for Mass briefings? RESPONSE: The weather contractor is almost always notified several days in advance of Mass aircrew briefings. Historically, Mass aircrew weather briefings have occurred several times a year. Mass aircrew briefings are normally associated with Parents Weekend (September), USAFA Graduation (May) activities, and organized flying competitions. 3. QUESTION: Is there more specific language about how much experience / minimum qualifications that personnel need to fill positions other than what is listed in 1.19.2.? RESPONSE: Specific academic and training requirements are not specified by the Government, however all contractor personnel must be certified Weather Forecasters. The Government typically does not dictate to the contractor the qualifications their personnel must have unless it is mandated by AFI, statute or DoD regulation. The Air Force Career Field Education and Training Plan (CFETP) is available via Air Force e-publishing on the internet. All qualification and training requirements for Air Force Weather Forecasters can be located at this site. The AFSC for weather technicians is 1W0XX. 4. QUESTION: Do you need a forecaster and an observer working at the same time or if someone is dual-qualified can they work with the Station Chief helping out as needed? There may be times when the Station Chief is doing a brief and the personnel will be by themselves. RESPONSE: This is a staffing question concerning time management and risk. Conceivably, there may be times when only a contract weather technician is in the weather station as other personnel may be in the flying squadrons performing Integration Support duties. Please note, we no longer have Air Force "weather observers". All contractor personnel shall be dual-qualified in weather observing and forecasting tasks, and shall be capable of performing both Airfield Services Element duties and Mission Weather Element duties as the situation dictates. 5. Question: Will the prime (contractor) be required to hold a facility clearance to bid on the solicitation? Response: No, however a DD-254 Department of Defense Contract Security Classification Specification will be included in the contract solicitation addressing security of specified documents. Access to secret material during the solicitation and response phase of the acquisition is not required. The document will be completed upon contract award. Coordination with Security Forces should take less than two weeks. 6. Question: Will the contract personnel be required to hold SECRET or TOP SECRET clearances to work on this contract? Response: Only personnel briefing classified information in the Emergency Operations Center are required to hold a SECRET clearance. Paragraph 1.21.2 specifies that approximately 3 personnel will need a SECRET security clearance. 7. Question: Which positions in the contract will require the clearance? Response: Positions are not specified. The individuals performing the briefings need to be knowledgeable and possess the appropriate clearance. 8. Question. Will the USAFA consider CPFF vice FFP as an alternative consideration for the proposed CLIN structure for the Meteorological Services Contract for CLIN XXX1 (Meteorological Services) and CLIN XXX2 (Contingency/After-Hours Services)? Comment/Position Support: Because this is a Services based requirement contract for an operational mission, it may be difficult to estimate the ever changing requirements for support. Although the PWS captures the workload from 2007-2009, this may not hold true in the future as support requirements for flight requirements tend to be fluid and ever changing. SRC currently provides Meteorological Services for the National Science Foundation for flight operations on Antarctica. As such, we have firsthand experience in supporting flight operations requirements as proposed in the PWS. SRC believes a CPFF or Time and Material contract would be more efficient for seamless transition, continuous services and cost effectiveness. Utilizing FFP the government will pay the full amount awarded by the contract, regardless of the number of the requirements actually supported. However, utilizing a CPFF or T&M model, the government will fund only the amount necessary to support the specific level of effort (LOE) required. a. A typical firm fixed price (FFP) effort generally requires a higher quantity of price breaks for supported requirements as the risks are all supported by the contractor. With CPFF or T&M, the risks are shared and the cost is generally lower. Based upon an FFP model, price breaks are calculated as an estimate based on estimated requirements. SRC believes (and has demonstrated via past performance) that efficiencies to the government both in schedule and in pricing can be realized through pricing on an at-cost basis plus fixed fee for labor and materials, paying only for actual equipment and services provided. Potential savings are passed on to the Government with a CPFF model. However, within an FFP model, the economy is generally realized by the contractor. b. A CPFF effort allows for flexibility of support requirements. The government can direct the requirements for the time period based on funding and system availability. This would not negate the support to combat failures or systems requiring repair/maintenance due to unforeseen circumstances, only provide a more accurate definition of requirements for routine or cyclic service. Out of cycle support continues without impact. c. Based on our knowledge and experience supporting flight operations on Antarctica and our support for Navy ASOS systems, requirements occasionally require crisis management actions due to unforeseen budget cuts, expanded flight operations, or weather conditions. This could potentially result in a significant increase the cost to the government as a FFP effort but would be at cost with a CPFF effort. RESPONSE: Firm fixed-priced (FFP) contracts are suitable for acquiring services that have detailed specifications such as the USAFA Meteorological Services. The current contract is a FFP contract with a cost reimbursable CLIN for travel and equipment repair costs. FFP has worked well during the current and previous contracts and the majority of DoD weather contracts are FFP. This is the Government's preferred contract type which does place more risk on the contractor, while providing a profit incentive to perform the work efficiently and effectively. To address your concerns about mission fluctuation and ops tempo changes, the misison at the USAFA Airfield does not change dramatically. 9. QUESTION: Is the level of effort for the description of services in the PWS commensurate with that currently provided by the 306 OSS Contract Weather Team? RESPONSE: Changes include: The AN/FMQ-19, Automatic Meteorological Station, has been installed and several legacy weather systems were decommissioned. The taking of manual surface weather observations changed to monitoring the generation of automated surface weather observations and augmenting the automated observation as required. Observed lightning weather warning areas increased. Observed weather advisory criteria decreased. The Mission Execution Forecast (MEF) process was developed and refined. CDRL requirements increased from 16 to 30 although most of the increase was a result of a refinement of the requirements. USAFA reinstituted a summer Combat Skills Training program for Cadets. This program has multiple training venues both on and off USAFA and resulted in an increased production of observed lightning warnings and weather watch of Cadet ground training programs. A new USAFA Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAV)/Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) program began in 2009. The contractor supports this program with MEFs and provides Missionwatch of the program during flying periods. 10. QUESTION: What is the current staffing complement of the 306 OSS Contract Weather Team? RESPONSE: Cannot release this information. How the contractor chooses to staff the operation is considered proprietary. 11. QUESTION: What is the breakdown (Superintendent, Commandant of Cadets, 10 ABW/CC, and 306 FTG/CC) of the 19 Standup (Staff, Seasonal, Mission) Weather Briefings per month as disclosed in Appendix of the PWS? RESPONSE: Currently, command staff briefings are as follows: The 10 ABW Staff Meeting is on Tuesday; The Superintendent's Staff meeting is on Wednesday; and The Commandant of Cadets' and 306 FTG Staff meetings are on Thursday. Seasonal and mission briefings round out the total. Paragraph 1.24 and its subparagraphs outline weather briefing duties. 12. QUESTION: What is the administrative burden of preparing and submitting all required reports in the CDRL to the meteorological services QAP? RESPONSE: This considered a moderate to significant administrative burden associated with completing CDRL reporting requirements. Probably the most significant CDRL requirements are the Standardization and Evaluation Program for Weather Operations Compliance and Performance Self-Inspection Checklists. Although these are annual CDRL requirements, completing the checklists requires considerable thought and a detailed written analysis of every checklist item. The three checklists contain more than 130 questions combined. The Air Force Chief of Staff has directed a re-emphasis in establishing a compliance culture across the Air Force. 13. QUESTION: Who is the manufacturer for the USAFA High Wind Alert System? When was it installed? What is the Mean Time Between Failure for the system and the current Availability of the system? Is training available from the vendor for this system? How much was spent for parts on this system in 2009? RESPONSE: The USAFA High wind Alert System was assembled and installed by Campbell Scientific, Inc., of Logan, UT in 2000. The government purchased a new server in 2008. All 12 stations are operating normally. Over the past 3 years, the government purchased a few small replacement parts, primarily batteries, for all 12 stations. The contractor installed the new batteries and disposed of the old batteries. One wind bird was repaired by the contractor in 2009. The system has been exceptionally robust and reliable. USAFA High Wind Alert data can be seen at this link: http://www.usafa.edu/tu/306ftg/weather/hwas.html. The new contract requires the contractor to perform preventive maintenance and coordinate repair, however the government will pay via GPC or purchase order all part, material and labor costs for repairs. The system is relatively simple to operate, thus there is no formal training. However, the vendor is available via telephone for consults and training to assist the user. 14. QUESTION: What is the model of the Vaisala Lightning Detection System (LDS)? When was it installed? What modifications have been made to the system since installation? What is the Mean Time Between Failure for the system and the current Availability of the system? Is training available from the vendor for this system? How much was spent for parts on this system in 2009? RESPONSE: The Vaisala LDS was installed in 1999 and was upgraded in Dec 2006. The Vaisala LDS consists of several components including a SL 2100 Earth Station, a Vaisala EFM 550, a PLWS Display Unit, a PLWS Display Unit, and an outside antenna. The software is Vaisala's Thunderstorm Warning System TWX 300. The system is operating normally. Vaisala can be contacted regarding training on the TWX 300 software. NLDN data for east-central Colorado is continually downloaded via satellite. (The data feed is funded under a National Weather Service contract.) The government pays an annual Satellite Communications Fee of $912, and purchases an annual Satellite Service Agreement of $600. No LDS components were replaced in 2009. The Vaisala system has been exceptionally robust and reliable. 15. QUESTION: How critical are the USAFA High Wind Alert and Vaisala Lightning Detection Systems for the Met Operations? RESPONSE: Supported USAFA and 306 FTG agencies view both systems as critical to safe operations at USAFA even though both systems are non-standard Air Force weather sensing systems. Both systems were installed as a direct result of weather-caused mishaps. 16. QUESTION: Can we get a copy of 306 FTGI 15-101? RESPONSE: Yes. It will be attached to the solicitation. 17. QUESTION: Can we get a copy of the standard operating procedures used by the 306 OSS Contract Weather Team? RESPONSE: The 306 OSS standard operating procedures are not necessary to submit a proposal on the contract. They will be provided to the successful contractor.