RFI_129988_-_Devolution_Support.pdf

THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION #129988

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This request is issued solely for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) to obtain technical information for planning purposes; it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This request for technical information does not commit the Board to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI via e-mail, directly to:

Name: Helen Nguyen Title: Contract Specialist E-mail Address: Helen.H.Nguyen@frb.gov Phone: 202-452-3404

Proprietary information, if any, shall be clearly marked. The Board will NOT be responsible for any proprietary information that is not clearly marked.

The due date for submission is 12:00 P.M. (NOON) EST on October 5, 2018.

Interested vendors are requested to include, at a minimum, the following information:

1. Name of organization, cage code/DUNS, and point of contact information

2. GSA Schedule Contract or other government contract vehicle, if applicable.

3. State the overall approach to implementing the services as described in this RFI.

4. Describe in the submission the capabilities/qualifications/skills the organization possesses to provide the services as described in this RFI.

5. Provide examples of where the organization has implemented this service in the past, including outcomes.

QUESTIONS

Questions regarding this RFI shall be submitted in writing via e-mail to Helen Nguyen, Contract Specialist at Helen.H.Nguyen@frb.gov no later than 5:00 P.M. EST on September 28, 2018.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

DESCRIPTION

Title: Devolution Support

Point of Contact: Helen Nguyen, Contract Specialist, Helen.H.Nguyen@frb.gov

A. BACKGROUND

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) is the independent governmental agency at the center of the Federal Reserve System, which also includes twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks located in major cities throughout the nation. Together, these components are the nation's central bank and are responsible for conducting the nation's monetary policy and maintaining the stability of the financial system. The Board and regional Banks also share responsibility for supervising and regulating bank holding companies and state charted banks that are members of the System; for providing banking services to depository institutions, foreign official institutions, and the federal government; and for ensuring that consumers receive adequate information and fair treatment within the banking system.

The Board is required to have a devolution plan in place in the event that Board personnel are unable to perform their duties. The Technology Services (TS) section of the Management Division (MGT) at the Board is seeking an outside organization to support the Board during such a devolution situation. “Devolution” in this document implies that technical resources, other than the Board’s, are needed to support Disaster Recovery (DR)/Business Continuity (BC) operations.

The Contractor shall be required to become familiar with TS’ roles, operational procedures, and guidelines. Having an understanding and knowledge of TS practices will enable the Contractor to adequately fill-in for TS staff during the time when they are unavailable to perform duties as they relate to Essential Supporting Activity (ESA) 15-ASAP and IS Systems. ESA 15 covers the responsibilities to bring up and/or maintain the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications, including Oracle EBS and PeopleSoft HCM, during and following an incident that impacts their functionality.

The initial contract will be for one (1) year, with options to renew for two (2) additional calendar years following a review of services rendered during the preceding contract period.

B. PURPOSE

The purpose of this RFI is to gather information from Offerors and organizations offering technical resources to support TS’s devolution plan for the E-Business Suite (current version 12.1.3) and PeopleSoft HCM (current version 9.2) applications.

C. SCOPE OF WORK

At the Board’s direction, the Contractor shall provide technical resources to support TS’s devolution plan. The services shall be provided in three (3) distinct phases.

1. Initiation Phase

Labor and duration: Three (3) resources; three (3) weeks per resource.

During the Initiation phase, the Contractor shall perform the following tasks:

a. Review TS’s DR and BC strategy, plans, and processes

b. Review TS’s technical DR and BC documentation and run-books

c. Participate with the TS team as TS tests its DR processes

d. Provide an “Engagement Summary Document” that identifies any gaps in DR/BC processes against industry accepted practices and provides recommendations to close the gap.

e. Incorporate recommendations from d. into documentation that enables future phases to guarantee continuity, regardless of which resources participate in any given phase.

The following resources are required:

• One (1) Technician resource with at least five (5) years experience in application infrastructure, application development, and system administration/security with Oracle EBS for one (1) week

• One (1) Technician resource with at least five (5) years experience in application infrastructure, application development, and system administration/security with PeopleSoft HCM for one (1) week

• One (1) Technician resource with at least five (5) years experience in Oracle Database Administration (DBA) for one (1) week

2. Ongoing Continuity of Knowledge Phase (“Continuity”)

Labor and duration: Three (3) resources; two (2) times a year (spring and fall); 2-3 days per resource.

During the Ongoing Continuity of Knowledge phase, the Contractor shall perform the following tasks two (2) times a year for a total of one (1) week: one (1) resource for each application – Oracle EBS, PeopleSoft HCM, and Oracle Database.

a. Review changes to TS’s technical DR and BC documentation and run-books since the Initiation phase

b. Review “Engagement Summary Document”

c. Participate with the TS team as it tests its DR processes

d. Update Engagement Summary Document that captures the tasks accomplished during the DR testing activities, any recommendations, and any updates for subsequent activities.

e. Incorporate recommendations from d. into documentation that enables future phases to guarantee continuity, regardless of which resources participate in any given phase.

The following resources are required:

• One (1) Technician resource with at least five (5) years experience in application infrastructure, application development, and system administration/security for Oracle EBS for one (1) week: 2-3 days, two (2) times a year

• One (1) Technician resource with at least five (5) years experience in application infrastructure, application development, and system administration/security for PeopleSoft HCM for one (1) week: 2-3 days, two (2) times a year

• One (1) Technician resource with at least five (5) years experience for Oracle Database Administration (DBA) for one (1) week: 2-3 days, two (2) times a year

3. On-Demand Phase. As needed.

During the On-Demand phase, the Contractor shall perform the following tasks on an as needed basis by TS (undetermined number of days):

a. Execute the technical DR steps identified in the DR and BC documentation reviewed in the Initiation and Ongoing Continuity phases

b. Update Engagement Summary Document that captures the tasks accomplished during the DR activities, any recommendations, and any updates for subsequent activities.

c. Incorporate recommendations from b. into documentation that enables future phases to guarantee continuity, regardless of which resources participate in any given phase.

The following resources are required:

• One (1) Technician resource with at least five (5) years experience in application infrastructure, application development, and system administration/security with Oracle EBS

• One (1) Technician resource with at least five (5) years experience in application infrastructure, application development, and system administration/security with PeopleSoft HCM

• One (1) Technician resource with at least five (5) years experience in Oracle Database Administration (DBA)

D. ACRONYMS/ABRREVIATIONS

ASAP Administrative Systems Automation Program

BC Business Continuity

DBA Database Administrator

DR Disaster Recovery

EBS Oracle e-Business Suite

ERP Enterprise Resource Planning

ESA Essential Supporting Activity

FRB Federal Reserve Board of Governors

HCM Human Capital Management

IS Information Systems

MGT Management Division

RFI Request For Information

TS Technology Services

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Title: Devolution Support