1.2.1_RFI SOO_FEMA Learning Management Ecosystem Design Phase.pdf

Statement of Objectives (SOO) for

FEMA Learning Management Ecosystem Phase 1: Design

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO)

July 2026

1. PURPOSE

Currently, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) depends on many different Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Learning Content Management Systems (LCMS), as well as additional software to provide training and education to FEMA and non-FEMA workforce include State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) and other Federal Agencies to support FEMA critical mission. The current LMS includes Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) System; the Field Operations Directorate (FOD) System; the Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCCHCO) System; the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) System; the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) System; and the National Fire Academy (NFA) System.

FEMA’s current Learning Management Ecosystem (LME) is highly fragmented, consisting of more than 20 independently managed systems. This fragmentation leads to:

• Multiple logins and separate identity records for learners and administrators

• Redundant workflows and siloed operations

• Increased complexity, cost, and security risks

• Difficulty consolidating data and scaling services efficiently

The purpose of this procurement is to acquire Technical Services for the FEMA’s LME Discovery and Design Phase to:

1. Build process and system needed to produce a software factory foundation for rapid, secure, and scalable development and deployment of a portal prototype and tools consolidation.

2. Build a unified access for student registration portal prototype for FEMA’s LME.

3. Develop roadmaps for future LMS consolidation and secure, centralized identity management across all LME platforms.

Benefits of LME are to provide:

• Unified User Experience: Simplifies access for learners and administrators through a single portal and federated identity

• Improved Security: Centralizes and strengthens identity management, reducing cyber risk and reliance on costly, system-specific controls

• Operational Efficiency: Reduces duplication of effort, streamlines workflows, and lowers long-term maintenance costs

• Scalability and Reusability: Establishes a reusable software factory foundation for future FEMA OCIO initiatives

• Stakeholder Alignment: Ensures solutions are grounded in real user needs through integrated service design and stakeholder engagement

• Compliance: Embeds Section 508/accessibility and OCIO governance requirements from the outset

Requirements aligned to the following Executive Orders:

• Presidential Executive Order on Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure (2017)

• Executive Order 14409 – Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security (2025)

Contract Vehicle: TBD

2. BACKGROUND

FEMA requires a skilled workforce to meet its mission of protecting the nation from all hazards. The agency’s workforce is responsible for steady-state activities in support of this mission, and in the event of a disaster, deploying to the incident and supporting response and recovery activities. These activities require skills and expertise that the agency’s workforce gains through training and education. FEMA’s current learning Management systems are not well-integrated, thus creating challenges for assessing needs, developing and storing curricula, and storing and sharing training and education data, among other things. These challenges can impact FEMA’s ability to track qualifications, provide training and education, and ensure it has appropriately skilled staff—which in turn can affect FEMA’s ability to meet its mission. FEMA’s OCIO is starting the FEMA’s Learning Management Ecosystem to address the LME challenges to efficiently support FEMA’s critical mission.

3. SCOPE

The scope of this SOO is to procure Technical Services to provide capabilities, not limited to, the design, development, and demonstration of a foundational software factory and a unified access portal prototype for FEMA’s LME, with supporting roadmaps and recommendations for long-term consolidation and secure identity management.

1. Objective 1 - Enable Fast Development of Software

• Design and implement a software factory pipeline (Minimum Viable Product) capable of building, testing, and deploying the portal prototype in FEMA’s ServiceNow cloud environment

• Recommend toolchain consolidation, maximizing use of common controls and minimizing reliance on custom solutions

• Align practices with OCIO governance and cybersecurity, including automated evidence collection and Plans Of Activities and Milestones (PAO&M tracking

2. Objective 2. Unified Access Portal Prototype

• Build and demonstrate a portal prototype that provides a single login and landing page for multiple LME systems in FEMA’s ServiceNow cloud environment

• Apply service design and UI/UX principles, including Section 508 accessibility validation

• Engage stakeholders to identify and address friction points and unify workflows

• Develop change-readiness and adoption strategies to support rollout and mitigate institutional resistance

3. Objective 3 - Identity Management & Consolidation Roadmap

• Develop a roadmap for federated identity management across all LME systems, moving from separate account stores to a single, federated approach

• Create a sequencing and dependency plan for backend consolidation and scaling out the software factory

• Provide recommendations for future LMS consolidation based on technical and stakeholder analysis

4. PERIOD AND PLACE OF PERFORMANCE:

The period of base performance for this procurement is from September 15, 2026 to January 31, 2027 with one option performance period from February 1, 2027 to February 28, 2027.

All work will be performed remotely unless otherwise directed by the Contracting Officer Representative (COR).

5. PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES, GOALS AND OUTCOMES:

The purpose of this SOO is to procure Technical Services as specified in the SCOPE section 2 and deliver the following:

Services and Support

• Major Deliverables:

. Objective 1: Software Factory Foundation

• Pipeline Architecture Documentation o The contractor shall design and implementation details of the MVP software factory pipeline in FEMA’s ServiceNow cloud environment

• Tool Consolidation Recommendations o The contractor shall provide analysis and recommendations for consolidating pipeline tools

• Current-State Inventory o The contractor shall validate inventory of in-scope FEMA LMS platforms, including ownership, technical stack, and stakeholder posture

• Workflow Discovery Maps o The contractor shall document workflows for account creation, login, course completion, transcript access

• Automation Design Artifacts o The contractor shall prioritize workflow automation designs

• Cloud Architecture Reference o The contractor shall provide High-level conceptual/logical architecture for future ecosystem unification

• Control Documentation o The contractor shall provide Operating control documentation, infrastructure configuration, evidence collection, POA&M tracking

• Migration and Consolidation Roadmap o The contractor shall provide Sequencing and dependency plan for backend consolidation and software factory scale-out

Objective 2: Unified Access Portal Prototype

• Portal Prototype o The contractor shall build, test, deploy, demonstrate portal with unified login (through PIV or Login.gov) and landing page linking to in-scope LMS content. The contractors shall implement the portal protype in FEMA’s ServiceNow cloud environment

• Section 508 Accessibility Validation o The contractor shall provide Accessibility testing results and conformance documentation

• Service Design Artifacts o The contractor shall provide design document, Journey maps and service blueprints for internal and external learners

• Change-Readiness Assessment o The contractors shall provide Change management and stakeholder adoption strategy

• Federated Identity Roadmap o The contractor shall provide Steps for centralizing and securing identity across all LMS platforms

• Consolidation Recommendations o The contractor shall provide Long-term recommendations for LMS consolidation

• Performance Measures

Objective 1: Software Factory Foundation

• Pipeline Functionality o Pipeline must support building, testing, and deploying the portal prototype o Evidence of automated controls, IaC/STIG-driven configuration, and continuous evidence collection

• Tool Consolidation o Recommendations must demonstrate reduction in tool redundancy and improved efficiency

• Workflow Discovery o Completion and validation of workflow maps with stakeholders

• Automation Implementation o Automation implemented only where it directly supports the portal prototype and identity roadmap

• Architecture and Control Documentation o Documentation must be reusable for future FEMA OCIO initiatives

• Migration Roadmap o Clear sequencing and dependency plan for backend consolidation

Objective 2: Unified Access Portal Prototype

• Prototype Delivery o Portal prototype delivered, tested, and validated with FEMA’s representative learner groups

• Unified Access Experience o Single login and landing page demonstrated for in-scope LMS platforms

• Accessibility Compliance o Section 508 conformance validated and documented

• Stakeholder Engagement o Journey maps and service blueprints completed and validated

• Change Management o Change-readiness assessment and adoption strategy developed and reviewed

• Identity Roadmap o Roadmap for federated identity management produced and accepted by stakeholders

• Consolidation Recommendations o Recommendations for long-term LMS consolidation delivered and reviewed

• The contractor shall support CI/CD integration, expect to collaborate with multiple business stakeholders and engage with OCIO and Cybersecurity stakeholders and program offices as needed. The Government expects seamless cooperation and productive interaction among all involved parties.

• The contractor shall conduct a kick-off meeting within 7 days after contract award.

• The contractor shall provide a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) five (5) days after contract award

• The Contractor shall discretely number and breakout all deliverables. All payments shall be tied to discrete deliverables.

• The Contractor shall complete and submit all deliverables - delivery and acceptance by FEMA COR (Plan available by 30 days after award, Implementation by Q1 FY27 and Q2 FY27) The Contractor may propose additional deliverables as part of its submitted Performance Work Statement (PWS).

• Any delay of Contractor employees’ availability to start work or turnover must be immediately reported, in writing, to the COR. The turnover contractor employee must be replaced no later than 30 business days or per FEMA program/component request. If the delay or turnover impacts the deliverables, the COR will notify the Contracting Officer for contractual action.

• All Contractor candidates’ resumes shall be made available for FEMA Program/Component to review for approval.

6. Government Furnished Equipment and Information

FEMA laptops will be required to support the scope of work being performed. FEMA will assign laptops to the contracted project staff per the direction of the FEMA Program Manager/FEMA COR.

Section 508 Requirements

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (classified to 29 U.S.C. § 794d) requires that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use information and communications technology (ICT), it shall be accessible to people with disabilities. Federal employees and members of the public with disabilities must be afforded access to and use of information https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:29%20section:794d%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title29-section794d)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true and data comparable to that of Federal employees and members of the public without disabilities.

All products, platforms and services delivered as part of this work statement that, by definition, are deemed ICT shall conform to the revised regulatory implementation of Section 508 Standards, which are located at 36 C.F.R. § 1194.1 & Appendixes A, C & D, and available at https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=e1c6735e25593339a9db63534259d8ec&mc=true&node=pt36.3.1194&rgn=div5.

In the revised regulation, ICT replaced the term electronic and information technology (EIT) used in the original 508 standards. ICT includes IT and other equipment.

Exceptions for this work statement have been determined by DHS and only the exceptions described herein may be applied. Any request for additional exceptions shall be sent to the Contracting Officer and a determination will be made according to DHS Directive 139- 05, Office of Accessible Systems and Technology, dated November 12, 2018 and DHS Instruction 139-05-001, Managing the Accessible Systems and Technology Program, dated November 20, 2018, or any successor publication.

1. 1.1 Section 508 Requirements for Technology Services

2. When providing installation, configuration or integration services for ICT, the

Contractor shall not reduce the original ICT item's level of Section 508 conformance prior to the services being performed.

3. When developing or modifying ICT, the Contractor is required to validate ICT deliverables for conformance to the applicable Section 508 requirements.

Validation shall occur on a frequency that ensures Section 508 requirements are evaluated within each iteration and release that contains user interface functionality.

4. When modifying, installing, configuring or integrating commercially available or government-owned ICT, the Contractor shall not reduce the original ICT Item’s level of Section 508 conformance.

5. When developing or modifying electronic documents and forms provided in a Microsoft Office or Adobe PDF format, the Contractor shall demonstrate conformance to the applicable to the applicable Section 508 standards (including WCAG Level A and AA Level 2.0 Success Criteria) by conducting testing using the test methods published under “Accessibility Tests for Documents” at https://www.dhs.gov/compliance-test-processes.

6. When developing or modifying ICT deliverables that contain the ability to automatically generate electronic documents and forms in Microsoft Office and Adobe formats, or when the capability is provided to enable end users to design and author web based electronic content (i.e. surveys, dashboards, charts, data visualizations, etc.), the Contractor shall demonstrate the ability to ensure these outputs conform to the applicable Section 508 standards (including WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA Success Criteria). The Contractor shall demonstrate conformance https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=e1c6735e25593339a9db63534259d8ec&mc=true&node=pt36.3.1194&rgn=div5 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=e1c6735e25593339a9db63534259d8ec&mc=true&node=pt36.3.1194&rgn=div5 https://www.dhs.gov/compliance-test-processes by conducting testing and reporting test results based on representative sample outputs. For outputs produced as Microsoft Office and Adobe PDF file formats, the Contractor shall use the test methods published under “Accessibility Tests for Documents”, which are published at https://www.dhs.gov/compliance-test-processes. For outputs produced as web based electronic content, the Contractor shall use the DHS Trusted Tester for Web Methodology Version 5.0, or successor versions. This methodology is published at https://www.dhs.gov/trusted-tester

7. Contractor personnel shall possess the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to address the accessibility requirements in this work statement.

8. 1.2 Section 508 Deliverables

1. Section 508 Test Plans: When developing or modifying ICT pursuant to this contract, the Contractor shall provide a detailed Section 508 Conformance Test Plan. The Test Plan shall describe the scope of components that will be tested, an explanation of the test process that will be used, when testing will be conducted during the project development life cycle, who will conduct the testing, how test results will be reported, and any key assumptions.

2. Section 508 Test Results: When developing or modifying ICT pursuant to this contract, the Contractor shall provide test results in accordance with the Section 508 Requirements for Technology Services provided in this solicitation.

3. Section 508 Accessibility Conformance Reports: For each ICT item offered through this contract (including commercially available products, and solutions consisting of ICT that are developed or modified pursuant to this contract), the Offeror shall provide an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) to document conformance claims against the applicable Section 508 standards. The ACR shall be based on the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template Version 2.0 508 (or successor versions). The template can be found at https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat. Each ACR shall be completed by following all of the instructions provided in the template, including an explanation of the validation method used as a basis for the conformance claims in the report.

4. Other Section 508 Documentation: The following documentation shall be provided upon request for ICT items offered through this contract:

o Documentation of features provided to help achieve accessibility and usability for people with disabilities.

o Documentation on how to configure and install the ICT Item to support accessibility.

o Documentation of core functions that cannot be accessed by persons with disabilities.

o Documentation of remediation plans to address non-conformance to the Section 508 standards https://www.dhs.gov/trusted-tester https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat