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DATA WAREHOUSE SOLUTION
Synopsis/Solicitation No. 15-FCA-601-068
| Vendor questions |
| Government Response |
| 1 |
| Would receiving an award for the scope and discovery phase preclude that offeror from being awarded the solution implementation contract? |
| No. |
| 2 |
| Is this a follow-on requirement? If so, could you please provide the incumbent contract number for this opportunity? If not, is this a new requirement? |
| No |
| 3 |
| Are security clearances required to bid? Will security clearances be required to perform on this contract? |
The solicitation notes “A list of security clearances, if any, possessed by the business analyst(s) and/or business intelligence specialist(s) being offered.”
The interviews with the business users and the meetings with FCA must be done on-site in the McLean offices of FCA.
The contractors do not have to possess security clearances to be awarded this contract. However, the business analyst must work onsite at FCA’s McLean Headquarters building at all times if the business analyst lacks a federal background investigation.
The contractor is responsible for acquiring the clearances/background investigation and must have passed the background investigation or possess the security clearance at the time the contract is awarded if the contractor desires to do some of the non-meeting and interview work off-site.
If the successful bidder needs access to the data in the FCA databases and wants to do some work off-site, then contractors accessing the data must possess a Tier 2 moderate risk background investigation at the time the contract is awarded.
If the successful bidder does not need access to the data in the FCA databases and merely needs to see the database structure and data dictionaries and wants to do some work off-site, then contractors must possess a National Agency Check and Inquiries (NACI) at the time the contract is awarded.
| 4 |
| Does the FCA want the vendor to include a road map with time line for the “Data Warehouse Contract”? |
| Yes |
| 5 |
| Does the FCA have a preferred format or template the project plan, business needs document, technical requirement document and design document? |
| No |
| 6 |
| Is the FCA open to the vendor’s evaluation of the FCA’s BI and analytic toolset from the standpoint of the FCA’s industry domain best practices? – Or is this evaluation out of scope? |
| Out of scope |
| 7 |
| On page 2 of the SOW the FCA talks about how implementation of Cognos to date has been challenging. Can you elaborate on the nature of the challenges, methods attempted, or other roadblocks you’ve encountered? |
| The data warehouses and cubes need to be designed so that they are compatible with Cognos. The implementation of Cognos has been hindered by lack of data in the data warehouse. |
| 8 |
| Does the FCA have a preferred SDLC or methodology for the implementation of this contract? Is there any additional system of oversight, documentation, or approval? |
| No. |
| 9 |
| Is the FCA working with an existing vendor or provider to support Cognos implementation? Is this vendor eligible to respond to this SOW? |
| No. |
| 10 |
| Will the FCA accept electronic submissions in lieu of hardcopy? |
| Yes. |
| 11 |
| If we are required to deliver hardcopies, can we hand deliver the proposals? |
| N/A |
| 12 |
| Are there any security clearance or citizen criteria we need to be aware of for the people we plan to place on the project? |
| See response to question 3 |
| 13 |
| Will work on discovery conflict us from bidding on the data warehouse build? |
| No |
| 14 |
| Does FCA give preference to small business or other socio-economic classifications such as 8a or HUBZone? |
| When appropriate. |
| 15 |
| Is the FCA subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulations? (FAR) |
| No |
| 16 |
| Security clearances of personnel are requested. Is a certain level of clearance required? |
| See response to question 3 |
| 17 |
| Please approximate how many stakeholder sessions and interviews would be required as part of the analysis. Or provide an approximate count of executives, managers and senior analysts that would have input into this analysis. |
| Business Users will be the primary source of requirements. There are 15 to 20 business users. FCA would like the vendor to estimate how many sessions will be necessary to gather requirements. |
| 18 |
| The SOW noted a 2013 decision to acquire Cognos as the BI tool. In Vendor Requirements, the SOW references SSAS and SSIS as well as SQL Server 2008. Is this the desired or expected technical stack or does FCA desire to migrate to another platform? |
| These are the expected technical stack. We do not want to migrate to another platform. |
| 19 |
| Does FCA have any prohibition of or interest in open source tools? |
| We are looking for the vendor to gather and translate business user requirements into actionable data architecture specifications to achieve our desired analytic environment. The contract will require a detailed design plan to develop a data architecture solution for our critical data sources. |
| 20 |
| Does FCA have an interest in cloud-based solutions? |
| We are looking for the vendor to gather and translate business user requirements into actionable data architecture specifications to achieve our desired analytic environment. The contract will require a detailed design plan to develop a data architecture solution for our critical data sources. |
| 21 |
| Approximately how many users exist, stratified by user segment if possible (report consumer, power user, etc.). |
| Report consumer 285 |
Power User 25
| 22 |
| To what degree is advanced analytics employed in the environment, such as building and implementing statistical models using tools such as SAS, SPSS and R? How many statistical modelers are involved? |
| The focus is on building the data architecture needed by the 25 power users. We currently have 1 staff member that will be using SAS. |
| 23 |
| It is mentioned on page 3 (first paragraph) that there are additional datasets that would be incorporated down the road. Is there an estimate on the data volume and/or the data source formats? |
| This is primarily a reference to the databases listed in Appendix 1 that are ranked in the 3 and 4 groups. |
| 24 |
| In regards to the two main data sources, what data quality checks are in place? What are some of the data quality challenges? |
| There are a variety of data quality checks in place. In general, the data quality is good and improving it is not a focus of this solicitation. |
| 25 |
| Is there a page limit to the solicitation's response? |
| No |
| 26 |
| In performing services under the current, “Scoping and Discovery Contract,” can you confirm that no such specifications or work statements are to be included in the resulting deliverables such that a vendor on that contract could potentially be precluded from being awarded and delivering work on the second, “Data Warehouse Contract?” |
| See response to question 1. |
| 27 |
| Similarly, would the “Data Warehouse Contract” be available for bidding to vendors who did not participate in the first “Scoping and Discovery Contract?” |
| Yes. |
| 28 |
| You note in the SOW that FCA’s “implementation of Cognos, particularly creating the data infrastructure necessary to access and analyze the Call Report and Loan database in the most efficient and effective manner, has been challenging.” Can your team share any specifics about what has been the most challenging for you in Cognos implementation? |
| See response to question 7. |
| 29 |
| How many stakeholders/members of the user community would FCA anticipate being involved in the Scoping and Discovery assessment work? |
| See response to question 17 |
| 30 |
| Regarding number of tables: on page 2, you list the Call Report dataset as containing 48 tables, and the Loan Database as containing 26 total tables. In Appendix 1, however, they are listed as having 38 and 126 tables, respectively. Please clarify if possible, and please also confirm the counts for the remaining tables listed in Appendix 1. |
| The exact count of tables in the databases is immaterial. The counts on page 2 are close to the number of tables that will be brought into the data warehouse. The counts in Appendix 1 are of all tables in the database and include ones that will not be brought into the data warehouse. |
| 31 |
| Is FCA open to alternative Data Warehousing solutions to SQL Server, as part of the “Data Warehouse Contract?” |
| No |
| 32 |
| Regarding proposal submission: will FCA accept electronic copies of proposals? If so, to whom should they be emailed? |
| See response to question 10 |
| 33 |
| How would you describe the data warehouse and other data sources in regards to Data quality, Stability and performance? What level of data cleansing is anticipated? |
| See response to question 24 |
| 34 |
| Can you provide the dimensional model and other supporting documentation of the current data warehouse(s) used? |
| No |
| 35 |
| What are your delivery expectations on the reporting provided in Appendix 2 and what are the priorities. Do you currently measure KPIs and what are they? |
| We are not expecting the reports in Appendix 2 to be deliverables for this contract. The reports are examples reports we want to use the data warehouse and Cognos to create. |
| 36 |
| How is the current data warehouse team at FCA is structured, what methodology is typically used and What is the project's team current approach to collecting business requirements? |
| We are not necessarily looking to continue with our current methodology. We are looking for the vendor to gather and translate business user requirements into actionable data architecture specifications to achieve our desired analytic environment. The contract will require a detailed design plan to develop a data architecture solution for our critical data sources. |
| 37 |
| MapInfo and ESRI — How is geo-spatial information used in the reporting/analytics at Farm Credit today? Expectation for the future? |
| We have FIPS codes in the FCSLoans database and we want to use the FIPS codes to display data from FCSLoans on maps. |
| 38 |
| FCA's primary stated objective is to "integrate the Call Report and the Loan database in such a way as to expediently and easily interrogate the data". Have the commonalities to compare between these data sets been generated and/or prioritized by the Agency? and if so, what are they? |
| Both datasets contain data about the banks, associations, and related entities of the Farm Credit System that is collected quarterly. |
| 39 |
| The RFP describes this initiative as inline with the FCA strategic plan. Would you say it is a very high priority and on the critical path? What is the expectation in timeline? |
| This initiative is a high priority for FCA. The contract is for a period of performance from September 30, 2015 to January 31, 2016. |
| 40 |
| Is Microsoft's SQL Server technology the Agency's long term solution? Are there any issues or challenges with this platform today? |
| Yes. No. |
| 41 |
| Is BI tool selection done, or needs to be Assessed? Is there a willingness to change toolset? Are your licensed reporting tools expected to be used with the new solution? Can you elaborate on challenges with existing tools? |
| The BI tool selection is complete. No. |
We are willing to change toolsets.
See question 7.
| 42 |
| Can you provide the versions of software you currently have implemented? Would FCA consider itself an early adopter for upgrading its technologies when new versions are released? |
| SQL Server 2014 |
Cognos 10.2.1 SharePoint 2013 Windows Server 2008 R2
We upgrade software when it makes sense for us to do so. As you can see from the list above, we tend to keep up with new releases.
| 43 |
| How many different sources of data are populating the loan and call report databases? |
| 1 each. |
| 44 |
| Are all processes done in a batch mode or do you have any real time processes for data ingestion? |
| We do not need real time data ingestion processes. We collect the FCSLoans and Call Report data quarterly. |
| 45 |
| Will responding and/or winning this RFP exclude us from bidding on the follow-on implementation work in the next phase? |
| See response to question 1 |
| 46 |
| We are assuming all resources will need to be US Citizens, please confirm. |
| All personnel will need to have acceptable clearances. |
| 47 |
| How many hard copies do you require? Do you require any electronic media copies? |
| Proposals can be submitted electronically or submit one hard copy |
| 48 |
| Do we perform the background check or does FCA? If we are responsible for the background check, we will need more information on the required clearances. |
| See response to question 3. |
| 49 |
| On page2, Section FCA Data and Tactical Objective, line 33, referenced text “Employee time – data on employee time by project and office. What tool is currently used to track employee time and location? |
| We have a custom employee time tracking application. We do not track employee location. |
| 50 |
| On page2, Section FCA Data and Tactical Objective, line 40, referenced “meaningful reporting” - Can FCA please provide samples of the reporting currently being generated? |
| See Appendix 2. |
| 51 |
| On page 4, Scope, line 17. Please outline the conditions that a contractor must meet to perform work at an offsite location. |
| See response to question 3. |
| 52 |
| The solicitation states a period of performance from September 30, 2015 to January 31, 2016, which is a 4-month time period. Is it acceptable to submit a proposed project plan with a time period that extends beyond 4 months? |
| No. |
| 53 |
| Does historical comprehensive artifacts exist from the discovery and procurement phases of Cognos and are they sharable before the August 31st bid submission deadline? Is there an existing Risk Inventory that includes implementation to present history? |
No. No.
| 54 |
| What internal resources have been designated to participate in the discovery phase? What are their SMEs, titles, and how does each fit into your IT culture? What are their distributable responsibilities outside of this scope and their available bandwidth to complete the discovery? |
See response to question 17
| 55 |
| Is your current IT Infrastructure documented to a schematic detail and is it shareable prior to the August 31st bid submission deadline? |
No.
| 56 |
| How are the “Call Report” and “Loan Databases “ employed today and what system(s) are primarily consuming from these databases? |
The two databases are used for a variety of purposes within FCA. We expect that the winning bidder will interview the business users to gain insight into current uses of databases and desired future uses of the data.
| 57 |
| Using the term “Warehouse” reports to a centralized DB that is multi-faceted in its employability. If in fact the “Call Report” and “Loan Databases” are warehoused, is the DBA documented and is it shareable prior to the August 31st deadline for bid submission on the discovery phase? |
No.
| 58 |
| How are the “Budget”, “Employee Time”, and “Exam Oversight” databases employed today and what systems are primarily consuming from these databases? |
The databases are used for a variety of purposes within FCA. We expect that the winning bidder will interview the business users to gain insight into current uses of databases and desired future uses of the data.
| 59 |
| How are products/platforms/technologies managed within your IT culture? How are they licensed for employment and who is responsible for their deliverables? |
This question is out of scope.
| 60 |
| How diversely are “Sharepoint”, “Cognos”, “MapInfo”, “ESRI GIS”, and SAS employed in your environment today? Who is using these products and for what purposes generally? |
This question is out of scope.
Farm Credit Administration