CIDER Software Maintenance and Enhancements
Added: Aug 17, 2009 1:17 pm The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has a requirement for a Time and Materials Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to acquire Crash Investigation Data Extraction and Readout (CIDER) software application maintenance and enhancements. The price ceiling for this contract is $3,000,000 over five (5) years.The requirement is to provide CIDER software maintenance and enhancements in the tee (3) following task areas:Task Area 1 - System Maintenance As the system is mainstreamed and put into full operating mode, the NTSB may identify unintended programming errors that will require revision. The NTSB maintains a database that logs system errors, and the NTSB shall issue individually funded fixed price task orders to the contractor to re-program, correct, and repair all programming errors identified to that point.Task Area 2 - New Features and FunctionalityAs more NTSB staff use the CIDER application, the NTSB may identify new features and functionalities to be added to enhance the NTSB's ability to perform data extraction and readout.Task Area 3 - System Enhancements As the system is mainstreamed and used by additional NTSB staff, the NTSB may identify system enhancements and improvements of dealing with and presenting the data. These improvements do not necessarily add additional functionality to the program but usually make the overall process of data reduction, analysis, and presentation easier and faster for the NTSB. The NTSB maintains a database that logs improvements and enhancements.Use of a Time and Materials type contract is recommended because the NTSB has identified the types of labor hours required, however it is not possible at the time of placing the contract to estimate accurately the extent or duration of the work or to anticipate costs with any reasonable degree of certainty. Materials are necessary to perform the contract, however, the exact extent can not be estimated before the contract begins. The contract shall include a ceiling price of $3,000,000 that the contractor exceeds at his own risk.Use of an IDIQ type contract is recommended because the exact quantity of requirements for system maintenance, new features and functionality, and system enhancements over the course of a year are not known at the time of award. Once a requirement is identified in a task area above, the NTSB shall provide a Statement of Work (SOW) to the contractor specifying the requirement. The NTSB will then obligate funds under firm-fixe-price task orders.The period of performance of the base year is from August 17, 2009 tough August 16, 2010.General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems (GDAIS) was the contractor who developed CIDER for NTSB. GDAIS has a unique understanding of the programming language, structure, and nuances of CIDER and is the only known company with extensive knowledge and understanding of flight recorder data generated from various flight data recorders AND experience/knowledge in Java, Microsoft SQL, WebDav and JavaViews software products. See attached Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition (JOFOC) for additional information. SYNOP090001 National Transportation Safety Board
8/17/09, 1:17 PM CIDER Software Maintenance and Enhancements
Added: Nov 18, 2008 3:43 pm THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS, AN INVITATION FOR BIDS, OR A REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS. FURTHER, IT DOES NOT REPRESENT A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT TO PAY FOR COSTS INCURRED IN PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF DATA OR ANY OTHER COSTS INCURRED IN RESPONSE TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.This is a Sources Sought notice with the intent to award a sole source contract to General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems (GDAIS) under the authority of FAR 6.302 because DGAIS is the original developer of the software product described in this notice and is uniquely qualified to perform the tasks described below. Notice is provided as information to the marketplace, market research, and is an invitation for any other qualified companies to express their interest in and demonstrate their capability to perform the anticipated work.BackgroundPursuant to contract number NTSB-C-04-0009, GDAIS developed and implemented the first generation of the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB's) Crash Investigation Data Extraction and Readout (CIDER) software application. CIDER is used to read and analyze information from all types of Flight Data Recorders (FDRs). CIDER is a Java application that currently consists of approximately several million lines of source code developed by GDAIS, who has a unique familiarity with the CIDER system and maintenance of it. CIDER has been fully commented using Java Docs. Contract NTSB-C-04-0009 was completed on January 31, 2007, and the NTSB received and accepted all deliverables. The NTSB has begun rolling out CIDER in a full operational mode, but requires continuing CIDER support and maintenance. Additionally, the NTSB anticipates further related software development requirements to extend CIDER's functionality, perhaps including the addition of railroad event recorder readout and analysis capabilities. As a result, the NTSB has identified the following tee (3) Task Areas for support:1. Task Area 1 - System Maintenance2. Task Area 2 - New Features and Functionality3. Task Area 3 - System Enhancements and ImprovementTo fulfill its CIDER requirements during Fiscal Year (FY) 2009, the NTSB anticipates issuing Delivery Orders on a sole-source basis to GDAIS under General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contract GS-10F-0237L issued under FSS 874, titled "Mission Oriented Business Integrated Services" (MOBIS). This requirement falls within North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code 541511 - Custom Computer Programming Services. Because the NTSB's CIDER requirement will extend into FY2010 and beyond, this Notice is being published to permit qualified companies to express their interest in and demonstration their capability to perform the anticipated work during FY2010 and beyond.Required CapabilitiesCIDER was developed with Java, Microsoft SQL, WebDav and JavaViews software products; consequently, the NTSB requires a contractor-provided team of Java Developers to accomplish the tee (3) Task Areas of support described above. A contractor capable of providing such a team must also demonstrate prior past performance developing and delivering similar top-quality software for use in an engineering or scientific environment. Further, a contractor must be able to satisfy the Government, preferable tough past performance, that it is capable of developing the intimate knowledge and expertise required for it to successfully and efficiently assume software maintenance and development responsibilities for a software package that it did not develop. Finally, the NTSB requires a Contractor with an extensive understanding of FDRs, how data are stored, extracted, and converted from FDRs to engineering units, and the engineering graphics, animation, and analyses that aviation accident investigators require of FDR data. In addition to FDR capabilities, because the NTSB contemplates adding railroad event recorder readout and analysis capability to CIDER, expertise with such recorders or the engineering analysis of the data recovered from surface vehicle recording systems would also be desirable.Sources capable of fully satisfying the above requirements are invited to submit capability statements/expressions of interest providing the Government the necessary information to determine actual capability. At a minimum, this information, which must be prepared specifically in response to this notice should, must include: (1) identification of company or organization; (2) an assertion of existing, full capability to meet proposed requirements; (3) business/contracts/marketing office point(s) of contact; (4) notification of business size and /or special status; and (5) any additional information that may be useful to the successful procurement of the requirements, if solicited. These expressions of interest shall adhere to a ten (10)-page submission limit plus web links and any specialized product descriptions. The statement of qualifications should include only information that clearly demonstrates the respondent's capabilities, expertise, and experience to perform the requirements described in this notice. General marketing material should not be included. The NTSB prefers that companies do not submit proprietary material. However, the Government recognizes that proprietary data may be a part of your submittal. If so, clearly mark such restricted or proprietary data and present it as an addendum to the non-restricted/non-proprietary information. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. A determination by the Government not to compete the proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement, which shall be considered by NTSB. Parties must submit information within fifteen days of publication of this notice. NTSB will not return capability statements and the supporting documentation submitted in response to this notice. Telephone responses and inquiries will not be accepted. You may email questions regarding this notice to the issuing office to Bryan Moy via email at: bryan.moy@ntsb.gov. SYNOP090001 National Transportation Safety Board
11/18/08, 3:43 PM