FGIS RFI 3 June.pdf

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA)

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Federal Grain Inspection Services (FGIS)

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Strategy for New Generation of FGIS System

This is a REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI). This RFI is for informational and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation or commitment by the Government. This notice is intended strictly for market research.

1. OBJECTIVE

The AMS FGIS is performing market research to identify potential Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) vendor products capable of providing some or all of functions / capabilities currently provided by the existing FGIS online system. The intent is for the current FGIS online to be replaced as it faces end of life obsolescence. Accompanying material about the current FGIS online System will be provided as an attachment to this RFI. Additionally, by request of interested vendors, videos detailing the system are available to be shared.

The scope of the AMS FGIS project is to define the Strategy / Approach around replacing the FGIS online System with the Next Generation of FGIS System. This is a time sensitive deliverable from FGIS Deputy Administrator to AMS Administrator. There are no past studies or Market Research done for potential software to replace FGIS online. This RFI is the first phase of Market Research and will require very tight timelines. The findings from the FY24 market research will be used to define scope of FY25 Project and initiate it.

This Discovery initiative aligns with USDA AMS strategic goal 1

Goal 1. Prioritize customer service through access to data and system improvements.

The current FGIS online system has a list of shortcomings and pain points for the FGIS customers and FGIS as a program Area. The New Generation of FGIS System is needed to replace FGIS online System and meet the following Goals:

1. Alleviate the shortcomings of FGIS online System by Elimination of Manual processes, use of paper processing, lack of Traceability across many applications, use of non-standardized processes and forms

2. Provide more secure application code, and FGIS lab environments

3. Facilitate Controlled Record Keeping, defined System of Records, and Records Schedule

4. Provide Less Complex System with a smaller number of applications

5. Provide easy to maintain System

6. Make the system sustainable

7. Facilitate ease of understanding for technical team (i.e. developer)

8. Include newer architecture and technology

9. Facilitate Automated Weighing processes in field offices and export facilities.

The new System will improve the customer experience by modernizing and consolidating IT systems and services, strengthening facility and property management, and streamlining business practices and processes to better serve customers.

The solution shall provide the capability to the government to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure government-created or acquired applications created using programming languages, libraries, services, and tools supported by the provider. This capability does not necessarily preclude the use of compatible programming languages, libraries, services, and tools from other sources. The solution shall provide the capability to deploy software onto the government internal infrastructure mission critical functionality that is high availability compatible and withstands network disruptions and cloud outages.

AMS requires that the software provided is in compliance with the FedRAMP cloud environment framework and are able to be deployed within the FedRAMP cloud environment.

2. BACKGROUND

The Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) facilitates the marketing of U.S. grain and related products by establishing standards for quality assessments, regulating handling practices, and managing a network of Federal, State, and private laboratories that provide impartial official inspection and weighing services. FGIS establishes and maintains official standards for barley, canola, corn, flaxseed, oats, rye, sorghum, soybeans, sunflower seed, triticale, wheat, mixed grain, rice, and pulses.

The current FGIS online system is a web based (Microsoft .NET and SQL Server 2019) suite of applications in Azure Cloud at USDA that handle the Business Functions are explained in Appendix B. The Business Workflow is also provided in Appendix A and C.

3. REQUIREMENTS

The FGIS online system is built in .Net and SQL Server in terms of platform and environment with capability to run in Azure Cloud. Depending on capabilities of the Software that replaces FGIS online, there may not be a need to integrate with some components of FGIS online.

However, if there is a need, the software needs to be compatible. Also, the software needs to be customizable to meet FGIS’s workflow, tracking, and reporting needs, operating environment and to include and use FGIS industry terminology.

Additional requirements:

• Software Vendor / Software Provider Services (if applies) o Support in Core functionality customization / Integration / implementation. Install, configure, test, optimize and exercise the appropriate configurations of the software components within the known constraints of the AMS IT infrastructure.

o Extended functionality implementation, as determined by the AMS system owner. Install, test, optimize and exercise the appropriate configurations of the software components within the known constraints of the AMS IT infrastructure.

o New version deployments within the Period of Performance, as determined by the AMS system owner. Implement version control and release management procedures integrated with overall configuration management approach.

o The Vendor / Software provider will provide U.S. based Server SME support for new version deployments and Critical/Major issues as required.

o The Vendor / Software provider will provide training and instructional http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&SID=89728873dd6db7cbd4920c182863a5a1&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title07/7cfr810_main_02.tpl material for Master User Role to USDA.

o The Vendor / Software provider and FGIS will agree on response time to acknowledge the receipt of issues reported for Critical, Major and Minor Severities.

o The Vendor / Software provider and FGIS will agree on response time to resolve issues reported for Critical, Major and Minor Severities.

o Interface with AMS systems, including but not limited to the USDA Financial system, and USDA Authentication system.

o The contractor will provide below training to USDA personnel:

# Type of Training

Expected Number of Trainings

1 Remote As needed

2 On-demand pre-recorded video

As needed

All services provided and products delivered must comply with the federal IT security, Section 508, Privacy Act, and agency architecture requirements.

All services provided and products delivered must comply with the federal IT High Value Asset (HVA) requirements and must undergo a regular HVA assessment.

All RFI submissions shall address the following high-level points:

1. An approach for defining, developing, and implementing workflow processes – both simple and complex.

2. Process for fully integrating and implementing the workflow processes into the MRP IT network/cloud environment, including interfaces to applications such as SharePoint 365.

3. Create form templates for building MRP IT Expertise

4. Create training materials (i.e., video, and written materials) for end users

5. Provide technical support and licensing cost information.

6. Provide examples of how the application can support the accreditation lifecycle and workflow, to include screen shots and a network diagram of the application.

7. In addition to the service, MRP IT will require support services for the configuration and implementation of the software.

4. CONSIDERATIONS AND CONSTRAINTS

Environmental conditions are critical elements of the larger need for cloud technologies.

Support is an essential part of any service, subscription, or purchase for AMS. Indicate the type and level of code support, business continuity, help desk and other training and deployment support.

5. USE OF RESULTS AND CONFIDENTIALITY

This RFI is for informational and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation or commitment by the Government. This RFI is intended strictly for market research. This RFI is for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation for bids, proposals or quotes and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a request for proposal/quote or award a contract as a result of this request. This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a Request for Quote (RFQ). The release of this RFI does not guarantee that the Government will, in the end, complete an acquisition. The results of this RFI will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions.

The Government will not reimburse respondents for any cost associated with providing information in response to this RFI, or any follow-up information requests. The Government will not notify Respondents of the results of any evaluation of the information received. The Government will not return any information submitted in response to this RFI. No email or telephone calls will be accepted requesting a quote package or solicitation. There is no quote package or solicitation. All interested sources must respond to future solicitation announcements separately from responses to this RFI.

Any document submitted in response to this RFI that contains proprietary information must be marked on the outside as containing proprietary information. Each page upon which properiatory information appears must be marked as containing proprietary information. The proprietary information must be clearly identifiable to the reader wherever it appears. All other information will be treated as non-proprietary.

The Government reserves the right to contact, or not contact, any party responding to this RFI to obtain further information for market research purposes.

6. RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS

AMS is particularly interested in identifying interested vendors that are able to perform all scope areas listed herein. Interested vendors that believe they have the capability to address the requirements described herein are invited to respond to this RFI, as follows:

A. Submit one (1) electronic response by 9:00AM EASTERN, Monday – June 24, 2024.

• All responses shall be submitted electronically to the cognizant contracting officer, Ms. Melissa L. Kennedy at the following email address:

Melissa.Kennedy@usda.gov

• All responses should be addressed with the following E-mail Subject Line:

“AMS RFI-- RESPONSE: FGIS Discovery / Research – New Generation of FGIS System”

B. Submit response containing the following elements:

1. A cover sheet, which clearly identifies the following information:

a. Organization name, address, and contact information (email and telephone number of a designated point of contact).

b. A brief description of type of business or organization.

c. UEI Number and socioeconomic designation of the organization (i.e. small business, small disadvantaged business, 8(a), etc.)

d. Availability of the referenced products/services on existing contract vehicles, such as GSA FSS, NASA SEWP, and other federal agency IDIQ contracts: specify contract number(s), period(s) of performance, description(s), and part numbers of products/ services.

2. Organization's capability statement, and proposed approach to addressing the technical requirements detailed herein.

a. Utilize the template below to provide corporate information. Other information may be supplied in Microsoft Word or other like readable format(s).

b. Limit response to 20 pages total (not including cover sheet), using 12-point font.

Simple marketing information or reference to vendor web sites will not be considered responsive to this Notice. Faxed or mailed responses will not be considered.

c. Any document submitted in response to this RFI that contains proprietary information must be marked on the outside as containing proprietary information.

Each page upon which proprietary information appears must be marked as containing mailto:Melissa.Kennedy@usda.gov proprietary information. The proprietary information must be clearly identifiable to the reader wherever it appears.

7. CORPORATE INFORMATION TEMPLATE

AMS RFI-- CORPORATE INFORMATION TEMPLATE

Request Response Company name Company address Company web page Main products/services Main market/customers Ownership structure with ownership status in percentage

Structure of mother corporation, joint ventures, subsidiaries, partnerships or other relevant relations

Number of years on the market Company location(s) Contact person responsible for answering this RFI

Telephone Email Conditions listed in the RFI that can’t be met – see detailed requirements at end of document

Description of products or services that are already delivered to customers today, and could be comparable to what is requested in this RFI

Reference customers using comparable products or services (including contact information)

Reference customers using your products or services today, although they are not comparable with what is requested in this RFI (including contact information)

Indicate existing contract vehicles, such as GSA FSS, NASA SEWP, and other federal agency IDIQ contracts where item(s) may be purchased with current pricing

General or written responses describe requested product/services/licensing/ subscription options

Appendix A – FGIS On-line Web and Distributed Components Also see explanation of what each Component does (Appendix B)

Appendix B - FGISonline Legacy Applications

The FGISonline system is comprised of 27 stand-alone SQL databases, referred to as applications, that capture data referenced by other FGISonline applications and used by end-users for lookup and reporting purposes. The four primary FGISonline applications used in grain inspection and weighing activities are the Inspection, Testing, and Weighing (ITW) application, Certificates (CRT) application, Inspection Data Warehouse (IDW) application, and Grain Billing Application (GBA).

Grain inspection results for each component and/or sublot of grain inspected are manually recorded on the CuSum plan (inspection log). Grain weight results for each sublot of grain weighed are manually recorded on the weight loading log. First, FGIS officials manually input the CuSum plan and weight loading log results into the ITW application. Next, the final grain inspection data (the average of all sublot inspection results on the CuSum plan) and the final grain weight loading data (the total of all sublots weighed on the weight loading log) are calculated and used by: (1) the CRT application to print official inspection and weight certificates, and (2) the IDW application to store grain inspection and weighing records for customers. FGIS officials use GBA to bill customers for grain inspection and weighing services provided.

Inspection / Testing / Weighing / Certificates:

• Inspection, Testing, and Weighing (ITW & DITW) This application allows users to enter inspection, testing and weighing results onto appropriate forms (including pan tickets). It automates the calculations for the CuSum loading plan and performs grade determinations. It also supports collecting results for fumigation and phytosanitary services, along with performing necessary calculations for composite and combined lots. This application creates the necessary records to feed the certificates system and inspection data warehouse. There is also a distributed version of this called DITW that has to be downloaded on a computer for use.

• Elevator Log Viewer This distributed application provides a mechanism to obtain visibility of the inspection log at an export elevator location prior to completion. The application is installed on the elevator computer and data is pushed from the DITW machine on site to the viewer. The viewer is unable to request information, it can only accept information.

• Certificates (CRT & DCRT) FGIS official service providers enter inspection and weighing results and produce electronic or paper official inspection and weighing certificates. This program feeds data into our Inspection Data Warehouse. There is also a distributed version of this called DCRT that has to be downloaded on a computer for use, and receives a direct feed from the DITW system when selected.

• Class Y Weight Certificates (CRT_Y) Manages certificate generation from Class Y weighing that is performed by elevator personnel who do the weighing and issue "yellow" certificates which are issued by official personnel. Accepts data feeds to create documents.

• Automatic Weighing Events (AWE & DAWE) The viewer that allows for the viewing of the event logs generated by the elevators on the Automated Weighing System (AWS).

• Inspection Data Warehouse (IDW) Our customers can visit this national database to see individual service records or arrange for daily data transmissions of inspection and weighing records. The database contains the inspection and weighing records for services officially performed under the U.S. Grain Standards Act and the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946.

• Quality Assurance and Control (QAC) This application allows users to enter data, access results, and track inspector performance and ability under the authority of FGIS.

Business Reference/Support/Authorization Modules:

• FGIS Official Service Provider Licensing (FOL) Provides study materials, examinations, and score sheets for official service providers to use for administering licensing exams for personnel who perform official functions under the U.S. Grain Standards Act and the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946. Manages the official types of licenses and available official licensed functions. Manages the required exams to obtain those licenses and functions. Manages the Conflict-of-Interest declarations of official personnel.

• Delegations/Designations and Export Registrations (DDR) State and private entities can use this program to apply online to become official service providers. Grain firms can log on to register online with FGIS as grain exporters. FGIS manages the official geographic boundary assignments through this application.

• Equipment Capability Testing (ECT) Records information on equipment used for the testing of grain quality, to validate the equipment's capability to accurately test grain quality. FGIS manages the approved equipment list of allowable equipment models. Official Service Providers manage their equipment inventory.

• Equipment Results Translator (ERT) Captures information from certain official equipment, plug-in architecture that provides a standard user interface for staff interacting with official equipment. Provides command and control capabilities for certain equipment models.

Billing / Reporting Modules:

• Grain Billing Application (GBA) Records billing documents and accounting information to calculate invoice amounts. Record payment details for Cash-On-Demand (COD) type accounts and interfaces with the USDA financial system for Financial Management Modernization Initiative (FMMI) Accounts. Leverages accounts managed in MyFGIS.

• Domestic & Export Counts (DEC) This application allows users to enter data about export shipments and volume of inspections that have traditionally been captured on the paper forms FGIS-938 and FGIS-922.

Standards Modules:

• Code Variable Maintenance (CVM) Maintains the code variables that are used across the applications, so they all use the same names, definitions, and properties.

• Agricultural Product Standards (APS) Manages the hierarchy of products, commodities, classes, and subclasses for FGIS. It also provides information on the factors, grades, and grade limits for those products under FGIS authority. This is used by CRT, ITW, and IDW, so this has not yet been replaced by APS2 below.

• Agricultural Product Standards 2 (APS2) It replaces and expands APS by sending the master data interactions to include factor methods, equipment, tolerances, special grades, services, and a variety of other service attributes that support the FGIS systems. This includes management of functional areas, funded programs, services, fee schedules, rate codes, shorthand codes, unit types, and fee amounts.

Security / Organization / Accounts Modules:

• GAM Authorization System (GAS) A security system that controls user access to FGISonline. It manages the user identity captured from the USDA ICAM system. System administrators’ setup specific applications, components, roles, and attributes. Application administrators manage access to applications and types of access to those applications. Organization and Application administrators control access rights of their users.

Currently GAS manages over 140 unique roles, certain roles are available to be managed in MyFGIS by role management personnel of an organization.

• MyFGIS Use this module to set up your MyFGIS account and manage the information used by FGIS. Using this program, you can request an official MyFGIS number; manage access requests; manage contacts and contact types, manage roles for your organization users;

manage location information; and link to your FGIS financial accounts. This module will allow a person, with the proper credentials, to provide access to users in your organization by supplying them with your MyFGIS number and directing them to request access through this module. To ensure security of information and maintain compliance with USDA regulations, all roles are granted in increments of ninety days. You may also place and track requests for service, waivers and exceptions. Billing documents are reviewable and traceable to related service requests. Official Service Providers request and manage details about Specified Service Point locations, including available services, fall protection details, grain handling equipment flow paths, and tracking seals applied to control points. Houses functionality to issue the standardized FGIS sample label. Houses the Official Agency Directory, Registered Exporters Directory, Export Waivers Directory, Service Point Directory, and other reports. Customers can use this application to manage access to the national Inspection Data Warehouse.

• Organization and Personnel (OPA) This legacy application provides feeds based on information now managed in MyFGIS. FGIS administrative staff can review FGIS’s organizational structure, personnel, and service point locations.

• Customer Information Management (CIM) This legacy application provides feeds based on information now managed in MyFGIS. FGIS administrative staff can review MyFGIS profiles, users, and locations.

Administrative Modules:

• Home Pages (HPS) This application serves as a portal to provide users with links to every application in the FGISonline portfolio.

• Distributed Application Software Host (DASH) This application manages the information generated by the distributed architecture software such as registered Machine ID’s and distributed software inventory.

• Distributed Enterprise Application Manager (DEAM) This application provides a distribution platform for the distributed architecture software.

• Data Transmission System (DTS) This application provides a distributed platform for the distributed architecture software and manages the information generated by the distributed architecture software such as registered Machine ID’s and distributed software inventory.

Appendix C – Additional FGIS On-line Flows: