36C10B26Q0402.docx

Sources Sought Notice

RFI: 36C10B26Q0402

GENERAL INFORMATION

SET-ASIDE

Technology Acquisition Center

23 Christopher Way Eatontown NJ 07724

POINT OF CONTACT*

Contract Specialist Terricia Lloyd Terricia.Lloyd@va.gov 512-981-4453

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

ADDRESS

POSTAL CODE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

AGENCY’S URL

URL DESCRIPTION

AGENCY CONTACT’S EMAIL ADDRESS

EMAIL DESCRIPTION

This Sources Sought notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes. Do not submit a proposal. This notice does not constitute an Invitation for Bid, Request for Task Execution Plan, Request for Quotation, or Request for Proposal, and shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to award a contract or otherwise acquire any products or services. In accordance with Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul VA Class Deviation (RFO) 15.101(c), responses are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government will not reimburse any costs incurred in responding to this notice; all participation is strictly voluntary. No funds have been authorized, appropriated, or received for this effort.

Respondents are responsible for properly marking proprietary, restricted, or competition-sensitive information. Information marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly.

Any Service-Disabled Veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) or Veteran-owned small businesses (VOSBs) responding to this RFI must include their intent and ability to meet set-aside requirements for performance of this effort in accordance with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Acquisition Regulation (VAAR) 852.219-73, VA Notice of Total Set-Aside for Certified SDVOSB (DEVIATION) or 852.219-74, VA Notice of Total Set-Aside for Certified VOSB; specifically the requirement for at least 50% of the cost of manufacturing or 50% of the services be performed by yourself and/or other eligible/verified SDVOSB/VOSB concerns; and be listed in the Small Business Administration certification database at the time of submission.

DESCRIPTION

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Information and Technology (OIT), is conducting market research to identify industry capabilities, best practices, and delivery models for enterprise Geographic Information System (GIS) services and operations supporting large-scale federal environments. VA is particularly interested in understanding proven approaches that improve platform performance, scalability, security, user experience, and operational efficiency while minimizing implementation and operational risk in complex enterprise settings.

The potential North American Industrial Classification (NAICS) code for this effort is 541519. The attached draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) and below information outlines preliminary requirements and is provided for context only; it does not represent final specifications:

Operating Environment (Informational Only)

VA’s enterprise GIS Environment supports a large, geographically distributed user base across multiple administrations and operational components. The environment includes on-premises and cloud-based platforms, large geospatial datasets, internal and public-facing users, and integrations with other enterprise IT and data services.

Scope of Interest

VA is seeking information from vendors with experience delivering, operating, securing, and modernizing enterprise GIS platforms and services, including environments that support:

· Large-scale geospatial datasets

· Hybrid and cloud architectures

· High availability and mission-critical operations

· Secure access for diverse user communities

Where feasible, VA is interested in approaches that leverage and enhance existing enterprise GIS capabilities rather than wholesale platform replacement, while improving performance, reliability, and user experience.

REQUESTED CAPABILITY INFORMATION

Respondents are requested to provide concise, factual descriptions addressing the areas below. Responses should focus on demonstrated experience, approaches, and outcomes relevant to enterprise GIS operations.

Please do not respond with pre-printed organizational marketing material, boilerplate capability statements, or generic product descriptions, as such content does not provide value to VA’s market research objectives.

Respondents are encouraged to organize their responses using the numbered sections below to facilitate review.

1. Enterprise GIS Platform Experience

Provide examples of enterprise GIS solutions delivered using:

· ArcGIS Enterprise

· Enterprise Geodatabases

· ArcGIS Indoors

2. Large-Scale Data & Geoprocessing

Describe experience with:

· Geoprocessing workflows

· Managing and analyzing large-scale datasets (greater than 100 million records)

· Techniques used to optimize performance at scale

3. Platform Operations, Configuration, and Security

Describe experience managing, upgrading, configuring, and securing ArcGIS enterprise platforms in:

· On-Prem environments

· Microsoft Azure Cloud

· ArcGIS Online

Include approaches for availability, patching, backup, recovery, and access controls.

4. Direct Database GIS Data Management

Describe experience transferring or modifying GIS data directly within databases (e.g., SQL Server) without using ArcGIS software, including:

· Methods used

· Controls implemented to maintain the integrity of SDE system tables

5. GIS System Consolidation and Integration

Describe experience consolidating and integrating multiple GIS systems into a unified enterprise platform, including:

· Reduction of redundancy

· Operational improvements

· Risk or cost reductions achieved

6. Performance Troubleshooting

Describe your standard troubleshooting approach when users report:

· Slow ArcGIS application performance

· Degraded web map or service performance

7. Geospatial Analysis and Reporting

Describe experience conducting geospatial analysis and producing reports or visualizations to support operational or leadership decision-making.

8. Federal Experience

Describe experience managing GIS or IT systems within a federal agency, including scale, governance, and compliance considerations.

9. Customer Experience (CX) Support

Describe experience providing customer experience services within complex GIS environments, including:

· CX strategy development

· CX analysis and identification of experienced drivers

· Operationalizing insights across large, multi-stakeholder environments

10. Transition-In Approach

Describe your standard transition-in approach for assuming operations of an existing GIS environment, including:

· Knowledge transfer

· Stabilization activities

· Risk mitigation

Include recruiting approaches used to identify GIS experts with experience in:

· Database management

· System administration

· Application development

11. Contractor Onboarding

Provide examples demonstrating how contractors are onboarded and granted full system access within 30 days of hire while maintaining federal security requirements.

12. Workforce Stability

Describe approaches used to minimize attrition and maintain continuity of operations in enterprise GIS environments.

13. DevSecOps and Product Engineering

Indicate experience with DevSecOps practices within Product Engineering Services relevant to enterprise GIS platforms.

14. Versioning and Environment Promotion

Describe how GIS services and data pipelines are:

· Versioned

· Tested

· Promoted across development, test, and production environments

15. Alternative Delivery Models

Describe any alternative or non-traditional delivery models used to provide enterprise GIS services, such as:

· Platform-as-a-Service

· Managed services

· Automation-first approaches

16. Automation Opportunities

Identify GIS operational tasks well suited for automation and provide examples where automation reduced cost, improved performance, or reduced operational risk.

17. Near Real-Time Data and Streaming

Describe experience supporting near real-time geospatial data ingestion, streaming data, or event-driven analytics.

18. Performance and Experience Metrics

Identify metrics used to proactively monitor:

· Platform performance

· Availability

· User experience

19. Scalable Architecture and Cost Control

Describe architectural patterns used to scale enterprise GIS platforms while controlling infrastructure and cloud costs.

20. Zero Trust Implementation

Describe how Zero Trust principles are implemented within enterprise GIS platforms, including identity, access, and monitoring considerations.

21. Outcome-Based Management

Identify aspects of GIS services that may be suitable for outcome-based or service-level-based management rather than labor-hour-based models and provide examples where such models were used.

22. Industry Recommendations

A. Based on experience, provide recommendations for improving enterprise GIS operations to enhance performance, reduce cost, or reduce operational risk.

B. The Government is contemplating a Firm Fixed (FFP)/T&M hybrid contract type. State whether the information provided is sufficient to price the requirement as a FFP as written or explain why the tasks may not be suitable for an FFP arrangement.

C. Based on your experience, are the FFP and T&M categories appropriate for the work stated in the PWS?

D. Do you have any suggestions of what contract vehicle this should be and why?

E. Has the draft PWS provided sufficient detail to describe the technical requirements that encompass the software development and production operations support services to be performed under this effort. If “NO”, please provide your technical comments/recommendations on elements of the draft PWS that may contribute to a more accurate proposal submission and efficient, cost-effective effort.

F. Are there alternative solutions to the existing requirements that could better meet the VA’s needs?

G. What challenges have you encountered in the past that have impeded your ability to deliver on like contracts. How did you overcome them? How do you recommend we address them in this contract?

RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS

Respondents are encouraged to reply if they have the capabilities to meet the VA’s requirements. Proprietary information must be clearly marked

Responses must be concise and limited to a maximum of 10 pages (excluding transmittal page) describing your company’s ability to meet the requirements outlined in this RFI. Company Information must include the following:

1. Provide Company Information name, address, email, and telephone number.

2. CAGE/UEI Number under which the company is registered in SAM.gov.

3. Company Business Size and socioeconomic status, including business type(s)/certifications(s) such as HUBZone, SDB, 8(a), SDVOSB, VOSB, WOSB, etc.

4. Point of contact having the authority and knowledge to clarify responses with VA representatives.

5. For small business concerns, indicate whether at least 50% of the total amount paid by the Government will be paid to firms that are similarly situated.

6. If your company is a small business:

a. Clearly identify what socioeconomic category you are recommending for this effort.

b. State whether you can comply with RFO 52.219-6 and 52.219-14 in execution of this effort.

c. State whether you can comply with subcontracting limitations in 13 CFR 125.6 in execution of this effort, if required.

7. Identify whether your company is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of the solution or a reseller? If you are the OEM, identify whether you have any resellers available.

8. Indicate whether your company is a current contract holder on any vehicles that could be used to procure the required services, such as General Services Administration Multiple Award Schedule, Government Wide Acquisition Contract, NASA Solution for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC), etc.

9. Provide your company’s intent and ability to comply with the set‑aside requirements in accordance with VAAR 852.219‑73 (JAN 2023) (DEVIATION) and 13 CFR §125.6, which require that no more than 50 percent of the amount paid by the Government be subcontracted to firms that are not certified SDVOSBs listed in the SBA certification database.

10. If proposing an alternative NAICS code, identify the code and provide a brief justification for its applicability to this requirement.

Do not wait until the last minute to submit your responses. To avoid submission of late responses, we recommend the transmission of your response file 24 hours prior to the required response due date and time. Please be advised that timeliness is determined by the date and time an Offeror’s response is received by the Government not when an Offeror attempted transmission. Offerors are encouraged to review and ensure that sufficient bandwidth is available on their end of the transmission.

Questions and responses must be submitted via email to Terricia Lloyd, Terricia.Lloyd@va.gov. Information submitted any other method will not be considered.

· Submit questions no later than 10:00 am EST on May 27, 2026.

· Submit response no later than 10:00 am EST on June 5, 2026.

The VA reserves the right to not respond to any, all, or select responses or materials submitted. All VA current requirements identified herein are subject to change at any time. VA appreciates your time and anticipated response.

See attached document: P02 Draft PWS GIS Support.