99 -- WEB-BASED RECRUITMENT AND HIRING APPLICATION (CONTIUNATION OF RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS)

Notice Date

November 29, 2001

Contracting Office

U.S. General Accounting Office, Acquisition Management, 441 G. Street N.W., Room 6851, Washington, DC 20548

ZIP Code

20548

Solicitation Number

OAM-2002-N-004

Response Due

December 7, 2001

Point of Contact

Darion A. Powell (202) 561-2474

Description

The purpose of the modification is to provide additional responses to questions received in response to GAO's combined synopsis/solicitation (OAM02002-N-004) published in the Commerce Business Daily November 7, 2001. This requirement is also set aside for Small Business. Continuation: Questions and Responses for Web-based recruitment and hiring applicant tracking and processing system: 36. Question: It is mentioned in the RFP: "Proposed systems must be able to accommodate GAO's scoring scheme for applicants and support a category ranking system". Can we get more details on the category ranking system". Answer: GAO's method is similar to OPM. Applicants respond to KSAs; a score is attached to the response; and three broad categories are developed from the scores in descending order, based on our judgement of the number of applicants that should be referred for selection consideration. 37. Question: Our product has the capability to automatically score an applicants qualifications. However our scoring criteria is probably different from the GAO scoring criteria. Will the GAO require customization of a product to meet the specific GAO scoring criteria? Answer: Not so long as the offeror's scoring system is based on a hundred point scale compatible with OPM. 38. Question: What is the GAO applicant scoring criteria? Answer: this depends on the individual position being announced; but generally, scoring is based on possession of knowledge, skills and abilities of the applicant as evidenced in responses to the crediting/examining plan. SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE QUESTIONS 39. Question: What is the desired availability of the hosted solution beyond the specification of "minimum or no downtime"? (1 day/year, 1 hour/year)? Answer: By "minimum or no downtime" (see Section 2 (A) of the combined synopsis/solicitation), GAO refers to an application with 24x7 availability, excepting prescheduled downtime for necessary equipment maintenance or unscheduled downtime due to software upgrades/fixes. Whatever the reason for downtime, offerors that can commit closer to 24x7 availability than others will have an evaluation advantage under this requirement. 40. Question: Because this is a web-based solution, what do you mean that the software must be compatible with Windows 95/98/NT/2000? Does this mean the client computer (where the web browser will be) or does it mean the server configuration (hosted solution)? Answer: Windows 95/98/NT/2000 compatibility refers to ability of users and applicants to access the system using a Windows 95/98/NT/2000 platform. 41. Question: Why must we recommend server configurations if this is a hosted solution? Answer: Section 2 (A) of the combined synopsis/solicitation states that offerors " must identify recommended physical server and/or workstation configurations (processor(s), random access memory (RAM)) to run this software". This pertains to the minimum characteristics of client workstations, desktops, or notebooks used to access the application, as well servers, if necessary, needing to be located at GAO for downloading application data. This latter requirement for servers is not mandatory, but we included it in the synopsis requirements as a courtesy to offerors. 42. Question: What format should GAO announcements be created in? Word? PDF? HTML? Answer: GAO draws up its vacancy announcements in Microsoft Word. GAO has not specified the format for vacancy announcements in offeror's systems. 43. Question: What type of network are the Linux Servers using? TCP/IP? Answer: TCP/IP is the network protocol. 44. Question: What operating system is used on the GAO web server that currently hosts the GAO's Intranet site that contains the internal position announcement? Answer: The operating system is Linux. 45. Question: Section 2 Specific Requirements: Will a contractor be disqualified if they meet only part of the requirements listed in Section 2 Specific Requirements Subsection A Compatibility with GAO infrastructure? Answer: As stated in Section 6 (A) of the combined synopsis/solicitation, this is a mandatory factor; offerors not able to meet the requirements of Section 2 (A) will not be subject to further consideration. That being said, offerors should note that the key elements of compatibility are the ability to access the system using Windows 95/98/NT/2000 platforms, and the ability to retrieve data in an Oracle compatible format. 46. Question: The solicitation sounds like GAO requires a service available over the web (internet, not intranet) and must be accessible via IE and Netscape on Windows platforms. Therefore, if the contractor is required to run the subscription service on its site, must the infrastructure meet the specific requirements? The theory is that the contractor may use a variety of tools which may be available on the platforms in section 2A, however, the platforms that the contractor uses may not be same as GAO. Answer: You are correct. Since this service will be hosted remotely, as long as key compatibility requirements as summarized in GAO's response to Question #45 are met, GAO will not dictate the variety of tools or platforms use by the offeror. 47. Question: Is there a particular reason that Oracle was specified? Was Oracle specified for infrastructure compatibility issues only or are there other reasons? The new system to be built will be a standalone product that shouldn't integrate with GAO's current infrastructure. The only interaction points between the new system and the current infrastructure will be when internal users use the new system to apply for positions. In that situation, database compatibility issues may arise. Answer: GAO utilizes Oracle 8i as its primary database development tool. From time to time GAO may require certain data exported from the offeror's system for analysis at GAO. For this reason, any such exported data must be Oracle compatible. 48. Question: Item 2A states that "the software should utilize a web interface to a database from which offeror can retrieve for GAO information in a format compatible with Oracle" Will GAO be more specific about format or will a tab or comma delimited file format suffice? Answer: GAO prefers that data provided for export to GAO is in a relational database table format that is Oracle compatable. ASCII file formats (e.g. tab or comma delimited) are acceptable, but will be given less credit for this requirement than an offerer who provides an Oracle compatible relational database table format. 49. Question: Could you please elaborate on Oracle compatibility? Do you consider Microsoft SQL Server database to be compatible with Oracle? Answer: Microsoft SQL Server database is compatible with Oracle to the extent that Microsoft SQL Server database can export files that can be imported by Oracle 50. Question: Under 2) A), will there be a requirement for archiving the data? Answer: Yes, data must be archived for at least three calendar years. 51. Question: Under 2) A), will there be a requirement for backing up the data? If so, are the back ups to be full or incremental? Answer: Yes, best practices dictate the offeror back up data. Typically, back up procedures include regular incremental back ups followed by periodic full back ups. 52. Question: Under 2) A), will there be a requirement for customer service system support? Specifically, should offeror have support available during "normal working hours" EST or does GAO want 24 hour support? Answer: Given GAO's goal of 24x7 system availability (see response to previous Question #39), proposals will be evaluated on how well system and operational support is provided to underpin this goal. 53. Question: Recognizing that section 1) states that the "GAO is not interested in purchasing either hardware or software...", under 2) A) will it matter if the system supplied is operating on a single server or does the GAO want redundancy with back up servers? Answer: Because GAO is simply subscribing to a remote service, the issue of redundancy is best left up to the offeror, given GAO's goal for offerors to support 24x7 system availability. 54. Question: Under 2) B) i), will the offeror have access to the GAO Internet and Intranet sites, or does GAO prefer a link (URL shell) to distribute announcements to the GAO's Internet and Intranet sites? Answer: No, the offeror will not have access to GAO's Internet/Intranet sites. GAO requires a link (URL shell) to distribute announcements, accept applications, and the like. 55. Question: What version of Oracle does the GAO have and what will the nature of the data transfer be (type of data, frequency, XML?)between the GAO and ASP? Answer: GAO's current version of Oracle is 8i. Offerors will need to identify the preferred nature of secure data transfer between GAO and the remote location.in their proposals. CONTRACT QUESTIONS 56. Question: As unlikely as it may seem, do you have any "additional" information on the request for proposal mentioned above? Answer: As per Section 7 of GAO's combined synopsis/solicitation, GAO has provided an opportunity for offerors to obtain information through questions and answers. Additionally, offerors may learn more about GAO through visiting GAO's external web site, www.gao.gov. 57. Question: Will the GAO supply a bidders list for this RFP? Answer: Since this is a combined synopsis/solicitation under FAR Part 12, GAO has not developed a bidders list. 58. Question: Are there certain existing on-line services that GAO can used as an example of their expectations? Answer: If by on-line services you refer to subscription-based automated recruiting systems, there are products available to meet this need that are able to reflect the needs of the federal sector. Given that this is a competitive request for proposals, it would be inappropriate to identify specific products prior to award. 59. Question: Are there frequently asked questions (FAQs)? If so, can you forward them to my attention? Answer: This document constitutes the extent of questions received by GAO in response to its combined synopsis/solicitation. There are no FAQs or other materials. 60. Question: Can you forward to my attention a detailed Request For Proposal? Answer: As stated in the Description section of GAO's combined synopsis/solicitation, GAO's November 7, 2001 announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This procurement is being conducted to acquire commercial items in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6. 61. Question: Will you accept E-mailed proposals in Word or PDF format as satisfying the submission requirements? Answer: Yes, proposals submitted by electronic mail are acceptable. Please be aware that proposals must be submitted no later than 2:00 PM EST, December 7, 2001 regardless of how they are sent. Section 4 of GAO's combined synopsis/solicitation lays out content requirements for offeror's proposals. 62. Question: Will we have access to GAO replies to questions from other responders? Answer: Yes, GAO's responses to all questions will be published in the Commerce Business Daily and thus will be available to all interested parties. 63. Question: Since it is required in RFP can you provide a copy of FAR 52.212-3 that we can fill out? Answer: FAR 52.212-3 is readily available from the following federal government website: www.arnet.gov/far. At this location you can access and obtain FAR 52.212-3 in either HTML or PDF format. 64. Question: In evaluating offerors (submitting companies), are there any credits or advantages given to the offeror for being any of the following: a) Woman owned firm, b) Small Business, c), Veteran owned firm, and d), Disabled veteran owned firm. Answer: This acquisition is subject to set aside for small business. 65. Question: What is the anticipated award date of this project? Answer: GAO expects to make award as soon as possible following completion of proposal evaluations. 66. Question: How many copies of the proposal do we need to submit? Answer: If emailed, one copy. If faxed, one copy. If delivered, three copies. See also GAO's response to previous Question #60. 67. Question (paraphrased): We would like to arrange for a visit and demonstration as soon as possible and to discuss your requirements. Answer: GAO is not scheduling any vendor capability demonstrations at this time. Vendor capability demonstrations may or may not be scheduled, depending on proposal evaluation and the determination of competitive range.

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20011203/99SOL003.HTM (W-333 SN5139Y4)