Questions_&_Answers-Set_3.pdf

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS-SET 3

Software Development IDIQ

140R8119Q0010

***THE NUMBERING IS A CONTINUATION FROM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SET 2***

Q148. Which IT resources would be doing the most traveling?

A148. Neither the Project Manager nor the Business Analyst will be expected to travel. Each independent task order will designate the location of the position and will indicate if travel is required. It is not expected any of the IT resources will require anything more than occasional travel (no more than 2 days per month).

Q149. Although the frequency of travel has not been clearly defined, which resources will be doing the most traveling?

A149. Neither the Project Manager nor the Business Analyst will be expected to travel. Each independent task order will designate the location of the position and will indicate if travel is required. It is not expected any of the IT resources will require anything more than occasional travel (no more than 2 days per month).

Q150. How many times per month will the resources be traveling?

A150. Neither the Project Manager nor the Business Analyst will be expected to travel. Each independent task order will designate the location of the position and will indicate if travel is required. It is not expected any of the IT resources will require anything more than occasional travel (no more than 2 days per month).

Q151. From Denver, which of the 17 western states will be traveled to the most?

A151. Neither the Project Manager nor the Business Analyst will be expected to travel. Each independent task order will designate the location of the position and will indicate if travel is required. It is not expected any of the IT resources will require anything more than occasional travel (no more than 2 days per month).

Q152. From Denver, which of the 17 western states will be traveled to the least?

A152. Neither the Project Manager nor the Business Analyst will be expected to travel. Each independent task order will designate the location of the position and will indicate if travel is required. It is not expected any of the IT resources will require anything more than occasional travel (no more than 2 days per month).

Q153. Will this solicitation cover software development projects from a cross functional perspective?

A153. No.

Q154. I see that Infrastructure Requirements are a deliverable on Attachment C bullet 4.5.114, but the roles listed in Attachment B did not call for Infrastructure Manager or Hardware Engineer. Will this be a role that is added to the IDIQ or will the USBR assign FTEs in these roles to projects where needed?

A154. Infrastructure Manager and Hardware Engineer will not be roles added to this IDIQ.

Q155. What type of Technology hardware (Mobile, Servers and/or IBM Mainframe) will the software be developed on?

140R8119Q0010

A155. The individual software development Task Order will describe the technology hardware for the task.

Q156. Does any of the Enterprise Software Applications requirement real-time data movement between platforms?

A156. No.

Q157. Are any of the Enterprise Software Applications required to be up and running in production 365 days a year by 24 hours a day by 7 days a week?

A157. No.

Q158. How many data centers does USBR operate?

A158. Approximately twelve-tiered, valid data centers as defined by Department of Interior.

Q159. Does any of the Enterprise Software Applications execute a batch process on a nightly basis?

A159. Yes.

Q160. At the present time, are there any 3rd party vendors that perform application processing on behalf of USBR?

A160. Yes.

Q161. What is the different software skills required for developers?

A161. The individual software development Task Order will describe the software skills for the task.

Q162. How many IT Resources at the different levels listed in Attachment B will be required to deliver Enterprise Software Projects at USBR? At the moment, Attachment B gives the impression of one (1) resource per level.

A162. Each individual Task Order will describe the level of effort for that task.

Q163. Since the traveling requirements are not clearly defined to come to a calculated number, can the travel cost be listed separately from the overall contract amount?

A163. Neither Task Order One or Two for the Project Manager nor the Business Analyst will be expected to travel.

Q164. From a Project Management perspective, I noticed in Attachment C for Business Analyst deliverable a reference to User Stories. Therefore, is Agile the preferred PM methodology for USBR?

A164. Yes.

Q165. From the Software Delivery Life Cycle Information, it implies Waterfall is the preferred Project Management methodology. Is Waterfall the preferred Project Management methodology?

A165. No.

Q166. Within the IT Environment at USBR, is Agile the strategic way forward?

140R8119Q0010

A166. Yes.

Q167. Is USBR a 100 percent Agile Environment?

A167. No.

Q168. Currently, does USBR utilize a hybrid approach using Waterfall for business requirement development and Agile for build and deployment to deliver software?

A168. USBR utilizes a hybrid approach for business requirement development and for build and deployment to deliver software.

Q169. Does USBR utilize middleware technologies? If so, what are they?

A169. Each Task Order will describe the middleware technologies used.

Q170. What types of databases are used?

A170. Oracle and SQL Server.

Q171. What types of data transmission protocols are used to move data at USBR?

A171. Each software development Task Order will describe data transmission protocols if applicable to the project.

Q172. If Agile is used, how many weeks are the sprints?

A172. It varies depending on the project.

Q173. Within the IT Environment at USBR, is the PM methodology a hybrid of Waterfall and Agile?

A173. Yes.

Q174. From Attachment B perspective, the IT resource Project Manager implies Waterfall. Should Scrum Master be added for managing Agile Projects? If so, how many Scrum Masters would USBR would need for estimation

A174. No.

Q175. What is the preferred Defect Management Software used with IT at USBR? For example, HP ALM or JIRA

A175. Currently JIRA.

Q176. For Testing at USBR, What is the preferred testing method used at USBR, manual or automated?

If automated, what tools are used to perform the testing?

A176. Manual.

Q177. Does this services contract cover Business Continuity Processing?

A177. No.

Q178. Will the contractor resources be interacting with offshore resources? If so, what countries are these offshore resources working from?

140R8119Q0010

A178. No.

Q179. Will any of the contractor resources be utilized for production support services?

A179. Potentially depending on the Task Order scope.

Q180. In reference to Attachment D, Project Manager Deliverables, there are deliverables slated for the Project Manager, but based upon industry practice, some of these deliverables are assigned to different resources. For example, a Quality Assurance Plan would be created by the Lead Quality Assurance resource but tracked by the Project Manager. Another example is Design Document. Based upon industry practice, the Project Manager is only responsible for creating the Business Requirement Document and tracking the Functional Design and Low Level Design Document. Therefore, can we add Quality Assurance as a role to Attachment B, separate from Test Engineer?

A180. No.

Q181. Will Enterprise Architect or Solution Architect be added to the IDIQ Attachment B for hourly rate(s)?

A181. No.

Q182. Can you extend the date that quotes are due?

A182. The Quote due date has officially changed and is now due on or before April 26, 2019 at 1300 MDT, no quotes will be accepted after that date and time.

Q183. Where are we supposed to include our Past Performances?

A183. Submit your Past Performance under Factor 2: Past Performance which is in Section III.

Q184. When does the Government anticipate the start date of this award?

A184. The Government will award and will start the task orders for this IDIQ after going through all the required evaluations and reviews.

***FINAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR SOLICITATION 140R8119Q0010***