246-20-Q-0067 Questions 06112020.docx

Questions:

1. Will each location provide the Servers for the software to be installed?

No, a single server will need to be provided and located at our Oklahoma City Area Office

1. How many Specific Location are there in total? And how many users in each location?

9 total. The number of users varies, but I would estimate it could be as little as 60 and as many as 500 at each location

1. How is policy program processes conducted today?

The program is currently with a Policy Management System and is cloud based.

1. How many users are there and what type of users?

I cannot provide the total # of users and get this response back to you timely. If the number of users is a limitation, please advise and I can attempt to get that number. I don’t understand the question regarding user types. We have administrators, policy creators, and employees who only require view only access.

1. For technical requirement #1, what is the current format of the policies and procedures that need to be imported?

PDF

1. For technical requirement #4, for those policies that are archived, are you looking to move them to a backup system or retain them within the policy tool?

Retain them within the policy tool

1. For technical requirement #6, exporting of policies, are you also looking to export policies into certain reports and/or templates for reporting and/or distribution purposes? What other types of outputs are you looking for if applicable?

Ability to export to our secure server as a backup

1. For technical requirement #12, this is looking into changing facility locations for the user in case of a personal transfer, would this also require other updates such as reassignment of duties?

Correct. We have personnel transfer from facility to facility and their duties may change upon transfer. We need to have the ability to change the user to mirror the facility they are currently active at and the responsibilities of that facility. In other words, someone should not be getting notifications from their old facility and should only receive notifications, etc.. from their new facility.

1. For technical requirement #14, could you elaborate on this requirement such as instances on when this would occur?

Each facility has their own policies. That being said, we often reference one another’s policies and we want the ability to copy the policies to make them our own with little burden such as retyping.

1. For requirement #4.1.2, are you looking for the vendor to provide the appropriate hardware along with the software, or just the specifications as to what would be required to run the software.

If an on-site solutions approach is being taken; we are looking for an all-inclusive service. We need the servers and the software that will be hosted at our facility.

1. For requirement #10.1, #10.1.1, #10.2, and 10.3 – are you requiring a full time onsite vendor personnel to address these requirements?

No

1. Can Most Professional Services for configuration be done remotely with some on-site visits when needed?

Correct. Upgrades or patches to software will need to be coordinated with our Local IT personnel. They will monitor the work as you remote in to make corrections.

1. Are you expecting the contractor to maintain the administration of the system for each site? Can it be done remotely?

Administration will be maintained by representatives at each site. That being said, it is being asked that vendor provide support to staff to resolve any issues associated with vendor server/software to ensure the vendor is compliant with requirement #10.1, #10.1.1, #10.2, and 10.3

1. Is there an incumbent contractor for this procurement and are they eligible to bid on this procurement? If yes, would you please identify the incumbent contractor(s)? Yes there is an incumbent contractor. Yes they are eligible for bid. The current vendor is PolicyStat

15. Will offerors be allowed to submit quotes via email, as pdf attachments? If so, a. To what email address(es) should quotes be submitted? Yes, you can make arrangements with Contracting Officer to send quotes to Edson.Yellowfish@ihs.gov. Please include solicitation number in the header.

16. With respect to section 2.1 of the SOW: a. Is there currently a template being used by each facility? Yes, there is a standardized template

b. Is the expectation that a single template will be used across all 7 facilities? Yes, the template will be standard across all 7 facilities

17. With respect to section 2.2 of the SOW: effective policy workflows depend upon thorough process mapping to identify who is responsible for updating, approving, and disseminating policies. What proportion of time does IHS expect will be dedicated to process mapping and training, vs. software development? Asking for clarification of question. We have no intent on developing software.

18. With respect to section 2.2 of the SOW: will each facility have a POC to lead the policy management software implementation that the contractor will work with? Yes, each facility will have a POC

19. Does IHS currently have an Office 365 account for all respective facilities? Yes

20. Is there a current solution in place for policy management? Yes there is a current solution.

21. Are there any collaborative tools or document management software currently in use by IHS? (e.g. SharePoint, Teams, etc.) No answer to this question at this time. We can get IT involved if this response is critical to vendor response.

22. Do offerors need to consider any localization requirements for this effort (i.e. support for multiple languages)? Not required.

23. If no out of the box solution is found for the requirements outlined, is there any flexibility for a hybrid or custom solution? At this time we have no desire to create or customize a policy management program.

24. Are all IHS users in all facilities managed through a single Active Directory tenant? Not for our Policy Management System

25. Are there any disaster recovery or retention policies in place? If yes, can they be shared with offerors? No.

26. Some software solutions require the client to update their internal systems on a regular basis. Is the contractor, in addition to managing the policy management system, required to maintain or update all dependent client systems or computers to meet basic update requirements? The contractor is only responsible for the policy management software and their server that is being hosted locally if this is the route they so choose.

27. Is on-site visit required, and if so, is the contractor responsible for travel expenses? On-site visit is not required. Server can be shipped and our I.T. staff can collaborate with vendor for getting system online.

28. Does the recommended solution need to adhere to any IHS web related rules (like HIPAA, GDPR, Accessibility, etc.)? Yes if applicable. There shouldn’t be patient data or personal information associated with this.

29. Does the recommended solution need to be responsive (i.e. cross platform for Web, Mobile, Tablet)? No

30. Are all the listed service units federally operated, or are some tribally operated? If all are tribally operated, will they have the same systems? All Federal facilities.

31. 4.1.1 Be FedRAMP approved, if a cloud based system is being offered for service

4.1.2 If not FedRAMP approved, have on-site solutions such as a server or other ancillary equipment that enable them the ability to provide the services at individual facilities.

4.1.3 Provide a consultant that has excellent technical communication and people skills.

My question is: for 4.1, do we need to either support 4.1.1 or 4.1.2, with the addition of 4.1.3, or would providing only 4.1.3 suffice? Please advise on what is required to be considered.

You will need either 4.1.1 or 4.1.2, and in addition to either of those, you will need 4.1.3.