Amendment 1: Questions and Answers

United States
Department of
Agriculture

Forest
Service

Washington
Office

Procurement and Property Services
National Procurement Operations
IT Contract Branch
4000 Masthead ST NE
Albuquerque, NM 87109

RFQ 12760426Q0212, Dell Hardware and Firmware Maintenance

Amendment 0001 Questions and Answers
1. Attachment 5: The RFQ lists Attachment 5, USDA Contract Security Language, but it isn't posted on SAM.gov. Can you please provide it?
Government Response – Attachment 5 USDA Contract Security Language has been posted. 2. Submission instructions: Please confirm how quotes should be submitted (for example, by email to you), and whether there are file format, size or page limits. Is there a deadline for questions? Government Response: Please submit quotes to [email protected]. Please submit questions no later than Monday, November 16, 2026, 3pm est.
3. Current coverage: Can you share the current contract or support end date for these 25 service tags, and the current contract number? We want to make sure there is no lapse in coverage that would trigger OEM reinstatement fees
Government response – There is currently no contract in place. 4. Service level: The BOM specifies 9x5 support. Is Dell Next Business Day onsite hardware support with 9x5 coverage acceptable, or is a specific response time or Dell support tier (for example, ProSupport) required?
Government Response: Yes, this SLA is acceptable.
5. Hard drive retention: SOW Section 6 says hard drives and media remain Forest Service property. Please confirm that Dell's Keep Your Hard Drive service (or an equivalent) is required for all 25 systems. Government response: Yes, no government owned hardware is to leave the government facility. Should a HD require replacement, the Forest Service requires the retention of the failed HD. 6. Brand name or equal: The RFQ includes AGAR 452.211-70, Brand Name or Equal. If Dell can't renew OEM support on certain service tags through November 2029 because of end-of-service-life limits, is equivalent third-party maintenance acceptable for those tags or periods? Government Response: Yes. If EOL coverage is unavailable, please indicate which SN# are not covered under Dell OEM support and define the method for acquiring support on those units. 7. Pricing format: Should pricing be entered per service tag on the three BOM tabs in Attachment 2 (Base, OY1, OY2), or is a separate price quote acceptable? Also, what quote validity period does the