Industry Day QandA_Final.pdf

Please be advised that any information contained herein is for informational purposes only, is offered in response to specific questions posed by prospective Offerors and is subject to change throughout the question-and-answer process. Accordingly, in the event that there is any discrepancy between the information contained within this document, any subsequent Question and Answer document(s), and/or the Solicitation, Offerors are hereby advised that the terms and conditions contained within the final Solicitation control.

ELMS – Industry Day Questions and Answers:

Question Answer

1. Is there a timeline for implementation of the specific solution?

Please review Draft Performance Work Statement

(PWS) for information regarding the phased approach of implementation.

2. Is there a desire for the solution to include external

(i.e., non-VA) training content that may be useful to

VA employees?

No, requirements do not include acquisition of external training content, please see Draft PWS

Section 5.16.1 for course/content requirements, Section 5.4.5.1 for Training Plan requirements, and

Section 5.4.5 for Systems Training requirements.

3. We see great potential in forming a partnership with the large-scale vendors who will be submitting proposals to you. Often these prominent vendors need subcontractors for more detailed content delivery, ideally through minority businesses. We are 100% women owned. How can we best made to be known to the large company applicants who may need a qualified subcontractor to strengthen their offering and target it to your needs?

The Government cannot assist with this request.

4. Can we make this a SDVOSB set-aside?

The Government currently anticipates the solicitation will be issued as a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned

Small Business (SDVOSB) set-aside.

5. Will the Government hold another Industry Day, or will they release a solicitation?

a. If they decide to release a solicitation, can you let us know which quarter we should expect to see it released?

b. Will this solicitation be released on T4NG or any other BIC vehicles or will it be released on SAM.gov?

i. If the Government decides to release on T4NG or other BIC vehicle, how will the Government make that determination?

1. Will a RFI be released

The Government does not intend to hold another

Industry Day Event but does anticipate releasing a solicitation in the near future.

a. The Government has not determined a date the anticipated solicitation will be released.

b. The Government is contemplating soliciting via Contracting Opportunities @Sam.gov

1. A RFI was released in May 2022. The

Government does not intend to release another RFI at this time.

Please be advised that any information contained herein is for informational purposes only, is offered in response to specific questions posed by prospective Offerors and is subject to change throughout the question-and-answer process. Accordingly, in the event that there is any discrepancy between the information contained within this document, any subsequent Question and Answer document(s), and/or the Solicitation, Offerors are hereby advised

Will the Government be open to demonstrations of proposed ELMS solutions?

Please refer to Request for Proposal (RFP), when issued, and Proposal Submission Instructions for the explanation of vendor demos.

6. In reference to: Enable use of Learner Records Store.

Please clarify if this is external system or internal capability?

The Government is looking for a Learning

Management Solution (LMS) solution that is integrated with a Learner Record Store (LRS) that has the ability to store and transmit data, analyze data, and has reporting and dashboard capabilities. The LRS capability can be either internal to the LMS or integrated via a third-party external LRS.

7. In reference to: Manage organization associations

Please clarify if this means using ELMS to manage and administrator the overall organizational structure or interfacing with another SOR?

Veterans Affairs (VA) manages organizations based on VA organizational hierarchy, please refer to Draft PWS Section 5.16.2 for more detailed requirements around learner/user management.

8. In reference to: Clinical Accreditation.

Indicate user-preferred accreditations - Does "user-preferred" mean "user-selected" accreditations?

Yes

9. In reference to: Export of all data and information to external systems for analysis and reporting.

Please clarify if this also includes course content.

The only course content for which the vendor would be responsible would be content created in the virtual classroom environment. However, this may change before a final solicitation is issued.

10. Reference: Page 21, Paragraph 2

Will current system architecture documentation be provided in the solicitation?

All documentation pertaining to the current solution will be provided to the vendor after award.

11. Is it expected that the new ELMS will host all of the current content on the legacy platform?

Any non-proprietary legacy content will be migrated and hosted on the new ELMS. Please refer to Draft

PWS Section 5.16.1 for additional Course/Content requirements.

12. Will any new learning content (modules) will be developed under this contract?

The only content the Government anticipates being developed is referenced in PWS Section 5.4.5

Please be advised that any information contained herein is for informational purposes only, is offered in response to specific questions posed by prospective Offerors and is subject to change throughout the question-and-answer process. Accordingly, in the event that there is any discrepancy between the information contained within this document, any subsequent Question and Answer document(s), and/or the Solicitation, Offerors are hereby advised

13. What contract vehicle will this solicitation come out under?

The Government is contemplating posting the solicitation via Contracting Opportunities. The solicitation will be issued as a SDVOSB set-aside and will result in a single award.

14. What is the timeline for releasing the solicitation?

The Government anticipates releasing a solicitation in the near future.

15. Has the competition type been determined?

If so, is it a set-aside?

The Government anticipates the solicitation will be issued as a SDVOSB set-aside.

16. Has the type of award been determined

(IDIQ, single-award, sole-source, etc.)? If so, what is it?

The Government anticipates a single award as a result of the solicitation.

17. Has the budget for this work been appropriated?

N/A

18. What is the anticipated contracting vehicle if an RFP is released in the future?

The Government is contemplating posting the solicitation via Contracting Opportunities resulting in a single award.

19. What is the anticipated set-aside requirement if an RFP is released in the future?

The Government anticipates the solicitation will be issued as a SDVOSB set-aside.

20. Reference Draft PWS section 5.10.1.1

Is an integration to VistA required?

No

21. Would the government accept a proposed solution that had not completed its FedRAMP certification prior to proposal submission but that subsequently receives a FedRAMP certification prior to the solution being fully deployed?

Yes. The Contractor shall provide a Commercial-Off-

The-Shelf (COTS) Software as a Solution (SaaS) that must be FedRAMP approved at a Moderate FISMA impact level after award. The timing that the

FedRAMP approval will be required is still being formulated and will be based on the performance work schedule and in accordance with required deliverables that will be provided within the solicitation documents.

22. Are there planned SDVOSB or other small or disadvantaged business requirements that will be required via the final RFP?

The Government anticipates a SDVOSB set-aside.

Limitations on subcontracting will apply and will be subject to 13 CFR 125.6 and VAAR 852.219-10, VA

Please be advised that any information contained herein is for informational purposes only, is offered in response to specific questions posed by prospective Offerors and is subject to change throughout the question-and-answer process. Accordingly, in the event that there is any discrepancy between the information contained within this document, any subsequent Question and Answer document(s), and/or the Solicitation, Offerors are hereby advised

Notice of Total Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small

Business Set-Aside

23. Section 1.0 Background, Page 4 - Currently the existing HCSC learning platform is TMS

Host version 2 - which runs on SAP -

SuccessFactors - Is the intent of the

Government to retain total cost of ownership and licensing of SAP - or completely replace

TMS with ELMS running on a completely different platform?

The Government has not pre-selected any solutions and will be evaluating all available options.

24. Is the intent for ELMS to run on SAP?

The Government has not pre-selected any solutions and will be evaluating all available options.

25. Should ELMS take the place of MyCareer, HRIS, EDR, DSIM, VMS (replacing these systems) or integrating with these or will these be customers of ELMS?

N/A – As stated in the Industry Day announcement and slides, the Government will not be addressing questions relating to the current solution.

26. Are the list of customers and Primary stakeholders inclusive of MyCareer, HRIS, EDR, DSIM VMS?

questions relating to the current solution.

27. Section 3.0, Scope of Work, Page 9 – Has the

Government completed a preliminary

Analysis of Alternatives based on HCM “best in breed” systems in the market or does the government have a preselected SaaS solution in mind?

Market research has been completed however, there is no pre-selected SaaS solution in mind. A Request for

Information (RFI) was completed in June of 2022.

28. Will the Government consider different options to meet the ELMS requirements?

The Government is considering all options to meet the

Enterprise Learning Management Solution (ELMS)

Draft requirements.

29. What categorization of FedRamp ranking is the Government requesting for EMS (low, medium, high)?

Reference Question 21. The Contractor shall provide a

Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Software as a

Solution (SaaS) that must be FedRAMP approved at a

Moderate FISMA impact level after award. The timing that the FedRAMP approval will be required is still being formulated and will be based on the performance work schedule and in accordance with

Please be advised that any information contained herein is for informational purposes only, is offered in response to specific questions posed by prospective Offerors and is subject to change throughout the question-and-answer process. Accordingly, in the event that there is any discrepancy between the information contained within this document, any subsequent Question and Answer document(s), and/or the Solicitation, Offerors are hereby advised required deliverables that will be provided within the solicitation documents.

30. Will the Government consider an ELMS proposed solution in VAEC to optimize integration points and minimum outside traffic?

The Government will require that the solution be accessible via the internet as VA has users who will access the solution when not logged on to the VA network. The Government will consider all options that ensure this level of access.

31. System 5.4, System Design, and

Implementation

Is the Government not expecting to leverage the

Service Now (enterprise service desk) as ESD currently supports TMS tickets?

questions relating to the current solution.

32. How is the estimation of 10-15 tickets per month calculated based on concurrent

30,000 users base and expected 600,000 user base?

questions relating to the current solution.

33. Has the Government considered a structured tiered approach?

e.g.: Tier 0 - Self-service; Tier 1.0 Account

Management Tier 2 – non-technical issues etc.?

Yes, the Government has considered a structured tiered approach.

34. System 5.4.2.1 Data Migration - The

Government refers to current ELM system -what is this system - how long has it been running, how many users, what does it run on

(technology) is this the same as TMS 2.0?

Has the Government created a baseline for the type of data to migrate such as content management, talent and development, videos, certifications?

While the Government will not address the specifics of the Legacy System, the VA is a large organization with

24/7/365 operations. The ELMS will support the

Veteran Affairs, Veteran Benefits Administration, National Cemetery Administration, and the Veteran

Health Administration. There are approximately

700,000 active users of the system and over 50,000 daily unique user logins. The ELMS will receive heavy use of up to 18 million learning completions recorded annually, peak single-day learning completions of up to 250,000, and 10,000 daily administrator reports.

The Government has created a baseline of the type of data that needs to be migrated and will be offered at time of award.

Please be advised that any information contained herein is for informational purposes only, is offered in response to specific questions posed by prospective Offerors and is subject to change throughout the question-and-answer process. Accordingly, in the event that there is any discrepancy between the information contained within this document, any subsequent Question and Answer document(s), and/or the Solicitation, Offerors are hereby advised

35. System 5.4.3 UAT. Page 27 – How often is the

Government intending complete a full UAT cycle, how many UAT cycles is the contractor expected to support in a year? How many

SME's is the Government planning to dedicate to support UAT?

The Government anticipates conducting user acceptance testing (UAT) on all aspects of the solution at least annually and more often depending on the schedule of solution releases/project management plan (e.g., Agile approach). The number of SME’s needed to support UATs will be dependent on the cycle and what is being tested, for an average UAT we anticipate 15-50 SMEs to participate. Proposals should address the vendor’s intentions in response to

Draft PWS Section 5.4.3.

36. System 5.4.4 Defect Management, Page 28 -

For full traceability of defects will the

Government allow the contractor to utilize the Jira portal and licenses to the contractor or will the contractor be expected to stand up a new Jira environment in VA or a Jira instance that is not hosted in VA?

The VA has an enterprise license for Jira, and at time of award a helpdesk ticket can be put in to request a

Jira project. Any key stakeholders will be provided the instructions for gaining access to the Jira project site.

The Contractor will be the primary stakeholder who manages the requirements and Jira project.

37. Section 5.6, System Hosting Page 34

What is the concurrent user load in TMS 2.0?

How were the 30,000 user’s requirement calculated for ELMS?

questions relating to the current solution.

38. Is ELMS as a SaaS system (not hosted in VA), not required to be installed on at VA desktop or does the VA require the SaaS solution to be approved in the TRM?

The Government is seeking a cloud solution, not installed on a VA desktop. That said, industry should be aware of, familiar with, and abide by the VA

Enterprise Architecture guidelines of which the VA

Technical Reference Model is a component.

Additionally, as a cloud solution the vendor and users must abide by VA Directive 6517 and follow any guidelines set forth by the Enterprise Cloud Solutions

Office. This work will be done upon procurement of the SaaS product with guidance from the Government.

39. Section 5.4.5.1 Training Plan, Page 30

Is a SME - same as learning admins/coordinator?

As referenced on page 11, Draft PWS Section 5.0, Subject Matter Expert (SME) is the High-Level VA

ELMS Administrative users.

Please be advised that any information contained herein is for informational purposes only, is offered in response to specific questions posed by prospective Offerors and is subject to change throughout the question-and-answer process. Accordingly, in the event that there is any discrepancy between the information contained within this document, any subsequent Question and Answer document(s), and/or the Solicitation, Offerors are hereby advised

40. Section 5.5 Operations and Maintenance, Page 32 - Is the Government intent that the product backlog review be conducted using

Jira?

The Government is open to other methods of product backlog review outside of the Jira application.

41. Does the government have an electronic product backlog?

Yes

42. Is the refinement of the backlog inclusive of establishing and prioritizing the backlog and task sizing so we can plan for development capacity?

The Government requires a Software as a Service

(SaaS) solution using one or more Commercial -Off-

The-Shelf (COTS) products. The Government expects the product backlog will reflect work needed to configure the solution and/or introduce integrated elements of the solution. Industry should consider prioritization and task sizing in their proposal responses to relevant section of the RFP as reflected in the Draft PWS.

43. Is the Government planning to develop against the product backlog by utilizing agile methodologies with multiple teams, development capabilities within two-week sprint cycles?

The Government requires a SaaS solution using one or more COTS products. Industry should address this topic in their proposal responses to relevant section of the RFP as reflected in the Draft PWS.

44. Section 5.10.1.1 Item g Page 45 - Is ELMS not required to comply with PIV authentication and MFA requirements?

ELMS will be required to comply with VA requirements for secure login. Personal Identity Verification (PIV) authentication, multi-factor authentication, and all other features needed to meet VA and Federal security requirements will be required.

45. 5.10.1.1 Page 44 - What is legacy LMS mentioned as Page 44 Base year b?

The Legacy LMS is our current solution.

46. 5.8.1, Page 40 - In reference to running apps in the VA environment, will the Government please clarify of apps that need to run within

VA environment?

Application within this section refers to the solution as a whole, please refer to Draft PWS Section 5.10.1.1 for information regarding system integrations.

Please be advised that any information contained herein is for informational purposes only, is offered in response to specific questions posed by prospective Offerors and is subject to change throughout the question-and-answer process. Accordingly, in the event that there is any discrepancy between the information contained within this document, any subsequent Question and Answer document(s), and/or the Solicitation, Offerors are hereby advised

47. 5.6, Page 34, #8 - How soon after contract award is the Government expecting the contractor to obtain ATO - 3 - 6 or 9 months?

The vendor shall be required to meet the performance work schedule and deliverable requirements for both

FedRamp and ATO as outlined within the PWS. The

Government anticipates an ATO to be granted within the base year period to successfully maintain and meet the required performance schedule.

48. Does the ELMS solution need to have a valid

FedRamp package at the time of award, or will the Government sponsor contractor to coordinate with 3PAO to obtain FedRamp for

ELMS?

The Contractor shall provide a Commercial-Off-The-

Shelf (COTS) Software as a Solution (SaaS) that must be FedRAMP approved at a Moderate FISMA impact level after award. The timing that the FedRAMP approval will be required is still being formulated and will be based on the performance work schedule and in accordance with required deliverables that will be provided within the solicitation documents. If the

Vendor does not have FedRAMP and the Vendor chooses to pursue FedRAMP authorization, the VA will be the sponsor for the vendor through the authorization process upon procurement of their SaaS.

However, please note that any cost associated with

FedRAMP authorization if the VA is sponsoring a

Vendor is the sole responsibility of the contractor.

49. In relation to the listed instances can the

Government clarify which users will require access to which instances by roles and by number (Admins, regular users?).

Please refer to Draft PWS Section 5.7 for a detailed explanation of instances and licensing requirements.

50. 5.14, Page 51 - Is the intent to use a data dictionary so users will have the ability to query the ELMS repositories directly?

The Data Dictionary is for use by ELMS Solution

Administrators and to inform the VA Enterprise Data

Catalog.