NOTE: Please be aware that the answers provided within this document are not captured verbatim from those provided during the Symposium. Attempts were made to provide industry with expounded answers so that a more accurate assessment of the STRATCOM environment can be made.

STRATCOM INDUSTRY DAY

OFFUTT AFB/17-18 Sep 96

CESAR QUESTIONS ASKED AND ANSWERED

DURING THE SYMPOSIUM

1. What is the value of the proposed CESAR contract?

We expect it to be in the range of $350-$500M.

1. Will a fly-off concept, previously briefed to industry during the 19 Jun 96 CESAR Information to Industry Session, be used to ultimately award the CESAR contract?

No. Our current approach will be a two-phase downselect. In the first phase the government intends to quickly identify six to eight "More Qualified" contractors. This decision will be based upon analysis of reference responses, past performance verification, and statement of corporate capabilities. The government anticipates this phase lasting less than one month. The second phase consists of site visits of the "More Qualified" contractors in order to determine two to three "Best Qualified". These offerors will then be issued the RFP. Please note that any contractor eliminated in a previous phase may still request a copy of the RFP as well.

1. What does the $350-$500M represent?

Total contract value, presuming that all envisioned aspects of CESAR are included. That is, $350-$500M includes what we expect to pay for the full range of services including integration, hardware/software maintenance, new product procurement, etc. during the seven year period.

1. Will the C4ISR results be made available to industry?

We see no reason why the C4ISR study results would not be provided to industry. How this is done could range from another Industry Day to publishing a summary report on the Web. Final determination of if/when and how these results will be disseminated will, of course, be decided by the CINC upon study completion.

1. When will the excluded contracts mentioned during the CESAR briefing be rolled into the CESAR contract? Industry needs this information in order to make teaming arrangements.

While a timetable has yet to be established for when these contracts will be included, the government's objective is to bring them under CESAR's domain "when it makes sense". The government is cognizant that industry will base teaming decisions on what is in scope, however, constructive contractor input on "when it makes sense" is most welcome. Each contract will have to be assessed for inclusion based upon who is on the CESAR team, what their relevant experience is relating to the particular domain area, and whether the program is at a development juncture where a smooth transition can be made.

1. What has convinced the government that contractors can do a better job at integration than the government has shown to date?

A number of factors have influenced this decision. First, military personnel are on station typically for a three year duration which, obviously, causes continuity problems. Industry has shown that they have a greater body of experience to deal with integration issues. Second, the government bureaucracy has built-in inefficiencies that are not always present in the commercial sector. Third, officer personnel filling technical positions are encouraged to assume a more management-oriented role when considering career progression. And finally, military personnel cannot devote 100% of their time to the job. Additional duties, training requirements, etc. restrict their time. This will not be the case for a contractor work force.

1. Will Software Capability Evaluations (SCE's), demos, or LTD's be used as an evaluation criteria?

Typically, SCE's are used for software development contracts and while CESAR most probably will eventually have development activities, SCE's are not in the current plan. However, since CESAR will be an integration contract and since the government expects the prime to have sub-contractor relationships, we will be looking hard at your Subcontract Management Plan. While we do envision demos having a role in the evaluation process the government is open to suggestions on how a contractor would demonstrate their ability to be a good integrator. The contractor's focus should be in showing the government that they have integration knowledge, experience, and past successes as an integrator.

1. Mentioned in the 19 Jun 96 CESAR Information to Industry Session, was a possible Industry Day in the Oct 96 time-frame. Is this still planned?

It's not scheduled now, although additional industry interchanges are always a possibility as we work to build the best requirements package possible.

1. Will questions and answers from today's session be placed in CESAR's WWW Home Page?

Yes. Additionally, we will also provide copies of each of the briefings presented and a list of all contractors attending the briefings.

1. Pertaining to the questions the government asks of industry, will industry responses be made public?

All industry responses to government questions will be publicized via the CESAR WWW unless those responses are of a proprietary nature. In the latter case, please indicate that your response is proprietary. Please be assured that non-proprietary responses will be sanitized to the extent that they will not be associated in any way with the organization answering the question. The government intent is to develop an RFP that is beneficial to both partners.

11. Will the government be open to face-to-face discussion with industry prior to RFP release?

Yes.

1. Regarding the C4ISR Study, there have been years of operational studies conducted within USSTRATCOM. What can industry expect to know three months from now that we don't know today?

There has been a change in the environment. There is a much more cooperative atmosphere among the Command Directorates than ever before. We can now see better through the walls of our compartments. The study itself will be a living document and will have to be approved by each of the J-cells.