CMS RFI Amendment 1 QA.pdf

No. Question Answer

Is there an incumbent on this contract? If so, please provide the incumbent name, current contract number, Period of performance , value of the contract. Incumbent information will not be released at this time.

2 What are some of the challenges with the current case management system? The information in the RFI should be adequate for a submission.

3 Has the budget already been allocated for this requirement? N/A

4 When does the government anticipate releasing the RFP?

USPTO has not finalized the acquisition strategy. RFP release date has not been determined.

Of those 100 users, how many concurrent users do you expect (meaning logged into the system at the same time)? There are four systems. Concurrent users vary by system.

6 Is the work expected to be performed remotely?

Yes, but expectation is that contract support is 100% dedicated and available during ET business hours, and present on the USPTO network.

Please note that the National Institutes of Health IT Acquisition and Assessment Center

(NITAAC) has extended CIO‐SP3 Small Business through October 29. Would the government consider that acquisition vehicle for this requirement? USPTO has not finalized the acquisition strategy.

Will the government consider setting this requirement aside to Small Business if two or more qualified Small Businesses submit an RFI response? USPTO has not finalized the acquisition strategy.

Is the requirement to install new technology, or to provide operations and maintenance support to an existing technology already in use at USPTO?

USPTO hopes to receive a course of action for both. Decision is "to be determined."

What are the user authentication requirements for this platform and does the solution require integration with USPTO authentication tools? Yes, the systems are integrated with OKTA.

Regarding the requirements for the Reasonable Accommodation Case Management System

(Section III, Req 1), is the customizable web form for users that are external (or outside)

USPTO? Internal and external users.

Is all the data that needs to be migrated to the new system currently contained inside the legacy case management system? If not, how many additional data sources are there? Yes

Can you provide a ballpark estimate of the number and size range of the files that will need to be migrated as part of the legacy data migration to the new system? 10 TB

Can the government provide some more details on the desired integrations? How many total interfaces are required?

1. Examples of external integrations include: Investigation

Services/eDelivery

2. Examples of internal integrations include: Security Controls, Data Transfers, Identity and Authentication Services, and Secure

Network Infrastructure

3. Approximately five user interfaces

During the initial implementation, other than the EEOC Form 462 and quarterly No Fear reports, how many pre‐built reports are expected to be needed at launch? Approximately 85

In the Company Overview section, the government mentions "time and attendance services."

Those services are not listed in the scope section. Is this a typo?

Yes this is a typo and should read "Case Management Systems."

This is corrected on RFI Amendment 1.

We understand from the RFI instructions that the page limit for the response submission is 3 pages. However, there are more than 15 items of information being requested, including 3 past performances. Would the government consider increasing the page count to 10 pages?

The page count is increased to 10 pages. The 10 pages includes any cover page, cover letter, table of contents, etc. This is corrected on

RFI Amendment 1.

18 Will the USPTO be replacing one CMS, or are multiple CMS’ being replaced? USPTO is considering replacing 1 or more of the 4 CMS systems

“Integrate with other USPTO products” – Will the integration between products be bi‐ directional? Data integration will need to be bi‐directional

20 “data migration from existing tools to the new system” – What format is the data currently in? The data is currently being hosted on Oracle databases.

“data migration from existing tools to the new system” – Are there documents associated with the case data to be migrated? Yes.

22 "On‐demand training” – Is this referring to on‐demand instructor led, live training?

Initial instructor led training to be converted to a Computer Based

Training for later reference, updated at customer request.

“On‐demand training” – Does the availability of training materials (user manuals) and customer phone and email support satisfy this requirement? No.

24 “On‐demand training” – Will the option of additional paid training satisfy this requirement?

No. Training will be required as a part of the contract, not as an optional CLIN.

“On‐going collaboration with the USPTO product team” – Could you elaborate on the goal of this collaboration?

To ensure that daily work and the delivery meet customer identified priorities.

“On‐going collaboration with the USPTO product team” – What is the desired frequency of this collaboration?

Daily, standard and ad hoc Agile meetings as needed, using existing USPTO project and collaboration tools.

Will the USPTO provide further documentation on the requirements of the USPTO’s New Ways of Working, or direct offerors on where to find this information? Additional documentation will not be provided at this time.

28 Pricing Model and Information – Is pricing information preferred in an offeror’s response? No.

Pricing Model and Information – Will included pricing information be considered in determining which potential offerors the USPTO may or may not choose to meet with? No.

Has the USPTO participated in any demonstrations of products that satisfy the requirements described in this RFI? No.

Which systems has the USPTO participated in a demonstration of that satisfy the requirements described in the RFI? None to date.

Would USPTO consider allowing graphics and charts included in vendor responses to be 10pt font? No.

33 Does the USPTO have an anticipated award date/time for this requirement? An award date has not been determined.

Questions in Section 1. (h) and Section 2. (d) both ask for relevant past experience and customers. Would USPTO consider consolidating the questions considering the limited page count for the response?

The page limit is increased to 10 pages. This is corrected on RFI

Amendment 1.

Do you require the COTS product have pre‐built modules for ERLRCMS, BITS, RACMS, and

EEOCRMS, or would you be willing to consider a case management solution that can be customized as desired, but not pre‐built to those processes?

USPTO may consider a customized solution depending on the time to market.

36 When does USPTO envision the solution should be actively deployed in production? Timeframe not available at this time.

In Section 3.2.b, what is meant by “use existing assets”? Is this referring to IT infrastructure needed to support the solution?

"Existing assets" refers to USPTO software solutions that are currently in place along with existing assets that may be required to connect to other government systems.

What are the expected number of users of the envisioned case management solution (RFI mentions approximately 100 users in current solution). There are four systems. Concurrent users vary by system.

Are there requirements to store and manage the lifecycle (archive, delete, legal retention) of records generated through the case management system? Records retention requirements are federally mandated.

Although it mentions project management twice, there are no references to project management requirements in the RFI. Is USPTO looking for information about a ready project management system?

The Agency is not looking for a project management system.

Project management support services are required for implementation and Agile delivery.

Is the USPTO a DCSA client agency for national background investigations? If so, does the

USPTO utilize NBIS for this function?

Yes, DCSA is our investigative service provider. Yes, the agency uses NBIS.

Please confirm the BITS process for USPTO is in the following (sequential) order: preliminary suitability review to determine employment eligibility, release of security form for a national background investigation (granting of interim security clearance for personnel associated to clearance‐holding positions), review of completed national background investigation, adjudication of background investigation (and provision of 'full' clearance) This generally represents the process.

43 What is the anticipated number of interfaces the prospective solution will require? Five

The RFI states, "The agency’s current Case Management Systems (CMS) components are utilized by about 100 USPTO employees and contractors," What systems support USPTO's CMS today?

In accordance with RFI Section 2, the systems are: ERLRCMS, BITS, RACMS, EEOCRMS.

The RFI states, "Candidate suitability (applicants for employment and internships, and contractors to be onboarded)"

How many contractors and interns support USPTO? If we're calculating total profiles to be stored in the system (employees + contractors + interns), is this 13,000 profiles? If no, what is the total? There are more than 13,000 active profiles.

The RFI states, "Enable the OEEOD Entry Point Team to manage the Reasonable

Accommodations review and approval processes and track the cases in compliance with

Federal law, Executive Order, and USPTO Policy"

Do USPTO reasonable accommodation workflows require collaboration between OEEOD, HR, IT, and facilities teams? If yes, which systems do IT, HR, and facilities use to manage these requests?

The reasonable accommodation process is partially automated and some of the collaboration is done outside the system.

The RFI states, "Enable the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity(OEEOD)

“Entry Point Team” and “Formal Complaint Team” professionals to collect, track, and report on

EEO discrimination, harassment, and retaliation inquiries and complaints from intake to resolution. "

Does USPTO require a portal for external (non‐USPTO employees) stakeholders to log in and submit/track their self‐reported EEO cases? Specific requirements are to be determined.

The RFI states, "Candidate suitability (applicants for employment and internships, and contractors to be onboarded) "

Candidate suitability is a component of onboarding personnel. But there dozes on additional activities between tentative job offer, entry on duty, and first 30/60/90 days of employment.

Has USPTO considered automating the entire onboarding lifecycle as part of this CSM effort? This RFI is limited to the agency's requirements as outlined.

The RFI states, "The agency’s current Case Management Systems (CMS) components are utilized by about 100 USPTO employees and contractors, enabling them to support the organization’s 13,000+ employees."

Understanding that EEO, reasonable accommodation, background investigation, and employee relations are the primary objective of this requirement/RFI.... Has USPTO considered expanding this requirement to support automated case management for all employee‐lifecycle service requests (payroll, benefits, performance awards, PAR processing, transfers, offboarding, etc.? This RFI is limited to the agency's requirements as outlined.