CISA ECD PS NSEP RFI_1.26.22 Final Document.docx

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)/Emergency Communications Division (ECD) is seeking information from industry to assist with the development and planning to meet new requirements.

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) NOTICE ONLY. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP). NO SOLICITATION IS AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.

1. Overview/Purpose/ Description of Procurement

CISA, as directed by the Department of Homeland Security, builds the national capacity to defend against cyber-attacks and works with the federal government and industry to provide cybersecurity tools, incident response services, and assessment capabilities to safeguard the networks that support the essential operations of any entity that has a role in communications during network congestion events. CISA coordinates security and resilience efforts using trusted partnerships across the private and public sectors and delivers technical assistance and assessments to essential communications stakeholders as well as to infrastructure owners and operators nationwide.

Within CISA, ECD Priority Telecommunications Services (PTS) Program Management Office manages Next Generation Network Priority Services (NGN PS) and PTS programs. The two programs provide national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) priority communications, under all circumstances, when network congestion or damage renders conventional communications ineffective and sufficient radio frequency (RF) signal is available.

PTS enhances ability for authorized users to complete calls during communication congestion events using four PTS operational components:

1. Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS): Nationwide landline telephone service that provides priority NS/EP communications for the President, Congress, federal, state, local, territorial, tribal governments, and industry organizations.

2. Wireless Priority Service (WPS): Nationwide wireless NS/EP telephone service that interoperates with GETS to provide telecommunications via selected commercial wireless service providers.

3. Special Routing Arrangement Service (SRAS): A GETS classified service for special users.

4. Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP): Authorizes NS/EP organizations to receive priority restoration and installation of vital voice and data circuits and infrastructure for telecommunications services damaged because of adverse events. Organizations designate critical circuits to receive priority restoration in an emergency and TSP provisioning authorizes prompt installation of new circuits.

The NGN PS program was developed as an evolutionary initiative to advance priority voice communications features from circuit-switched telephone networks to Internet Protocol-based packet infrastructures, along with the development and implementation of new Priority Services capabilities including Data, Video, and Information Services (DV&IS).

NGN PS utilizes service provider networks to provide priority communication services to NS/EP users and includes the expansion of communication services like DV&IS across multiple network architectures.

The fundamental goal of NGN PS is to prevent a capability gap in effective mission critical wireless and wireline voice communications with additional secure mobile capabilities for PTS users under adverse events, recovery, and reconstitution. NGN PS utilizes commercial service provider networks to provide priority communication services to NS/EP users and includes the expansion of communication services across multiple network architectures.

With the rapid proliferation of DV&IS capabilities throughout the communications ecosystem, there is a critical need for priority DV&IS to support NS/EP mission response and recovery by public and private sector Priority Services users.

2. Scope of Effort

ECD is requesting information related to available and evolving data and communication service capabilities that can provide secure and non-secure priority voice, DV&IS across all types of communications and information service networks, under all conditions, when congestion, overload, or degradation occurs and sufficient RF signal is available. In an effort to assess current and future capabilities in a rapidly changing services and communications technology environment, ECD is evaluating enhanced priority service capabilities with best practice cybersecurity and assurance, ubiquitous coverage, interoperability with other service providers, and resilience during times of natural, man-made disasters, or any congestion event, in order to ensure priority communications and information services for federal, state, local, tribal, territorial governments, other authorized NS/EP users, and critical infrastructure sectors.

The focus of this RFI is non-traditional communication service providers, specifically Cloud Service Providers, such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, as well as Web Server and Web Server Software vendors that can provide priority to NS/EP mission-supporting data, video, and information services as well as voice services over Internet (i.e., over managed service provider’s wireline (e.g., Fiber, Cable) and wireless networks (e.g., Cellular, Wi-Fi)). These might include services as simple as web browser access to crucial enterprise server data or purpose-built applications supporting the mission essential functions during a crisis. Application of this RFI is not limited to enterprise (enterprise-managed) data and applications but may include publicly sourced information services such as a news or weather feed or a publicly hosted collaboration application, such as multimedia web conferencing. Server/server application capabilities (software) that can be installed by the commercial service host in cooperation with CISA are within scope of this RFI.

The purpose of this RFI is to:

· Collect information from industry, identifying services, solutions, and methodologies across modifiable Commercial off-the Shelf (COTS) data and information services, service hosts, and managed networks (both wireline (e.g., Fiber, Cable) and wireless (e.g., Cellular, Wi-Fi) technologies) supporting the outcomes and capabilities described herein.

3. Technical Characteristics Mission Operations Capability Description NGN PS has four needed mission operational capabilities to improve probability of completing communications:

1. Priority Voice: Capability to obtain priority voice communications. This capability enables an authorized NS/EP user to obtain/be provided priority access and transport of security voice communications.

2. Priority Data: Capability to obtain priority data communications. This capability enables an authorized NS/EP user to obtain/be provided priority access and transport of secure and non-secure data communications.

3. Priority Video: Capability to obtain priority video communications. This capability enables an authorized NS/EP user to obtain/be provided priority access and transport of secure and non-secure video communications.

4. Priority Information Services: Capability to gather, process, store, communicate, and exchange multiple types of data.

5. NS/EP Mission Operations: Capability to establish, authenticate, and authorize NS/EP Priority Services users. This capability provides the mechanism to establish an NS/EP organizational Point of Contact (POC), for the POC to initiate and approve the addition of individuals within the POC organization as NS/EP users, and to provide a mechanism for each priority service to authenticate and authorize service requests in the respective service provider’s service environment.

Mission Support Capability Description NGN PS has six needed mission support capabilities:

1. Performance Management: Capability to monitor and manage priority service performance. Service providers, as part of the service provided, must collect, correlate, and report service performance to ECD.

2. Service Management: Capability to detect service defects and manage resolution. Service providers, as part of the service provided to ECD, will monitor, test (automated and manual), and manage service defects. ECD, through NS/EP customer service management and trouble ticket management, must coordinate the tracking and resolution of user reported service issues.

3. Fraud Management: Capability to detect, monitor, and report fraudulent use of priority service(s) using Identity and Access Management (IAM) techniques. Service providers, as part of the service provided to ECD, must have the ability to monitor, detect, report, and neutralize fraudulent use of priority service(s) using policy and technical implementation.

4. User Assistance: Capability to provide assistance to NS/EP users. Service providers and ECD will provide end user support including, but not limited to, Priority Services assistance, troubleshooting user issues or service/infrastructure issues that affect users, trouble reporting, education, and POC support.

5. Usage Reporting: Capability to record and report priority service usage. The service providers, as part of the service provided to ECD, will collect, correlate, and report all priority service usage; including origination, transfer/transport, and termination.

6. User Management: Capability to manage authentication resources. The service providers, as part of the service provided to ECD, will securely maintain NS/EP user and POC authentication and authorization information and provide service access control for Priority Services.

Requirements

Priority Treatment - Provide end-to-end priority treatment of NS/EP traffic to priority services users over other traffic.

Enhanced Priority Treatment - Provide a differentiated end-to-end priority treatment of NS/EP traffic for select priority services users based on profile; such that National leadership shall have priority treatment over other NS/EP users.

Security - Be resilient and maintain mission performance against attempts to deny, degrade, manipulate, exfiltrate, pivot, or otherwise negatively impact the service such that service provider networks protect 24x7x365 against corruption of, or unauthorized access to, traffic and control, support user authentication, and include encryption techniques with expanded capabilities for select users (e.g., expanded encryption and platform flexibility).

Anonymity - Provide select users priority communications without risk of identity or location exposure.

Restorability - Provide restorability of priority services for users; such that the service’s restoration measures are operationally effective to support the mission accomplishment, aligned with PTS, including government program support for restorability of NS/EP communications (e.g., ECD TSP Program).

International connectivity - Provide users access to and egress from international locations.

Interoperability - Provide users seamless interoperability such that priority communications interconnect and interoperate seamlessly with other selected government or private services, systems, and networks, as directed by ECD management process.

Mobility - Provide users mobility of communications such that service providers’ infrastructure shall support transportable, re-deployable, and mobile NS/EP priority communications.

Ubiquitous coverage - Provide readily accessible service to users such that priority service supports mission accomplishment for NS/EP national leadership and inter- and intra- agency emergency operations.

Hazard Resilience - Provide resilient service to users supporting NS/EP missions and public safety personnel during emergency response and recovery operations such that priority communications function when standard communications are stressed or congested, under a broad range of adverse circumstances, such as weather events, cyber-attacks, civil unrest, and human error.

Voice-band service - Provide voice-band service to users such that priority communications support NS/EP missions with Voice (wireless with Secure Voice and wireline).

Broadband service - Provide broadband service to users such that priority communications support NS/EP missions with voice, data, video imaging, web access, and multimedia.

Scalable bandwidth - Provide NS/EP mission support communications to users via variable bandwidth requirements such that integrated Voice and scalable Data, and a full- range of Video services are included.

Affordability - Provide priority services to users that are assessed to support NS/EP missions with relative affordability such that required capabilities and costs are assessed against existing, or potential development of, alternative solutions, and selection receives continuous Government oversight for lifecycle cost management.

Reliability - Provide priority services to users that are assessed to perform consistently as required in support of NS/EP missions such that the service is usable with high confidence in accordance with key performance parameters during adverse events.

Availability - Provide continuous service to all authorized users of priority services without requiring activation by a service provider in times of emergency such that all service-specific systems are able to provide user access with the required functionality.

Performance monitoring - Provide priority voice, data, and video service with a means to monitor service performance, measure, collect, and periodically report assessment.

System testing - Validation to meet requirements through an integrated test and evaluation (T&E) approach for evolving and implemented capabilities; such that the T&E strategy integrates the testing complexities, the expanse of service strategy design, the increased focus on security, and the structured process model of independent acceptance (validation) testing.

Trouble detection and resolution - Have effective trouble case management capabilities; such that the Service Center shall be able to log user input of NGN PS trouble notifications, determine involved network (segment), and contact that network’s trouble reporting center for follow-up.

Fraud and abuse monitoring and reporting - Have the ability to randomly test and provide protection from fraud and abuse; such that identified fraudulent activity is reported to the Service Center by each service provider’s assessment of unusual service usage— including, too many NS/EP call attempts with unauthorized personal identification number within a certain time interval—with ability to interrupt, end service, and report to the Government.

User assistance - Provide user assistance, including, but not limited to training, service familiarization, issue/question response, dialing assistance, trouble notification, and resolution 24x7x365.

Billing invoices and usage reports - Have capabilities to provide the Government with regular and on demand usage reporting for all NGN PS call and session originations such that service providers have the capability to capture and maintain detailed, location specific usage, specified time intervals, and to provide incident specific usage reporting.

Quality of Service - Provide verifiable service quality to meet NS/EP missions such that priority communications traffic is identifiable with its own class of service for monitoring and assessment against established key performance parameters.

Service registration - Provide service registration capabilities with availability to receive input 24x7x365 such that organizations can input request to verify NS/EP role and establish a point of contact to submit registration of vetted individuals.

User training - Provide instructions to users for operation of the service.

Trouble reporting - Support trouble reporting with availability to receive input 24x7x365 such that user assistance information is available to a user or POC who experiences trouble with a priority service, and an organized follow-up process is in place for unresolved issues (e.g., categorized by when received, type, and contact information).

4. Request Information

Current contracts with AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile Secure Federal Operations provide the foundation for nationwide NS/EP requirements and are nearing expiration. This notice is seeking responses from potential offerors outside of telecommunications to aid the Government in making informed decisions about how to acquire future requirements. We are seeking information from potential offerors participating as the prime or as a subcontractor.

The term end-to-end refers to a model in which NS/EP users may be communicating through a single carrier/provider, or they may be communicating through different modalities of service providers via a variety of end user equipment/devices and data sources.

Priority services may require custom capabilities be implemented into the solution’s infrastructure. Therefore, services based on reuse of non-owned equipment/facilities/networks, or where a third party has little control over the network assets are not viable solutions for the proposed requirement.

If you responded to the original RFI #822113934, you do not need to respond to this amended RFI.

Please include in your response how your company would address each of the following questions:

4.1 What new technologies (both information, data services, and network capabilities) are evolving that could enhance priority data and communication services? What standards impact and guide these new technologies?

ECD is seeking sources of new and evolving technologies that can protect and complement Priority communications and to identify the standards impacting the operational abilities of these technologies. New technologies must be able to provide differentiated services based on user profile and the type of service, provide ubiquitous and resilient services, secure communication traffic from unauthorized access and content, user or location discovery, and facilitate transport of data, video, and information services over both wireline (e.g., Fiber, Cable) and wireless access networks (e.g., Cellular, Wi-Fi) that are interoperable with other communication service providers. Describe how IAM systems can be used to support and protect as many as 10 million users within priority communication services.

4.2 What kind of real-time operational priority data and communications services dashboard can be used for monitoring, remediating, and defending NS/EP priority services? Please specify what level of control or access the Government can expect of such a monitoring system or dashboard.

ECD is seeking information about data services and communication traffic patterns in real-time to assess network threats and vulnerabilities during periods of congestion or overload. The tools and services used to protect communication traffic across many modalities must continuously evolve to address advanced and persistent adversarial penetration through threat hunting and vulnerability scanning during times of high user traffic. The Government is seeking access to this kind of real time information as a single pane of glass to have visibility into the operational aspects of the services we are pursuing.

4.3 What other technologies (e.g., cloud or SaaS (Software as s Service)) can be used to protect and transport priority voice, data, video, and information services in collaboration with the telecommunication service providers. Please describe how you have protected and secured your services, and what evidence or verification of such security the Government can expect.

ECD is seeking opportunities to maintain resilient communications in any environment where congestion, overload, or damage occurs. The ability to communicate with voice, DV&IS in situations experiencing extremely high usage and under stress is vital to NS/EP. Secure reliable communications must be scalable to support varying numbers of users in the range of 1 - 10 million users.

4.4 How can Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML) work together to provide secure priority communication services for national security and public safety officials and first responders? What AI and ML capabilities have you implemented for large operating entities?

ECD seeks to use emerging technology to enhance, complement, and secure priority voice, data, video, and information services across all communication platforms. Describe how the use of AI/ML in the communications ecosystem can benefit program users during times when networks are damaged, degraded, or overloaded. Discuss the use of 5G features, like Software Defined Networks and Network Function Virtualization, to protect, monitor, and transport priority communication traffic.

4.5 How can new and evolving technology impact the movement and interoperability of communication traffic? If you have implemented such technology, please give an example of the implementation and its successes to the industry in which it was deployed.

Describe how technology evaluation, collaboration, and insertion is best conducted for future service offerings. As an example, ECD is seeking information on the impact of pairing next generation technologies (e.g., 5G/6G) with Internet of Things networks across different data services and communication modalities and how evolving technology can or will impact the way communication traffic is managed, secured, and developed. Use case scenarios are welcome.

RESPONSE GUIDELINES:

Interested parties are requested to respond to the questions in this RFI. Submissions cannot exceed 20 single spaced pages, 12-point type using normal character spacing, with at least one-inch margins on 8 1/2” X 11” page size. The response should not exceed a 5 MB e-mail limit for all items associated with the RFI response. Responses must specifically describe the contractor’s capability to meet the requirements outlined in this RFI. Oral communications are not permissible. SAM.gov will be the sole repository for all information related to this RFI.

Responses should include the (1) Business name and address; (2) Name of company representative and their business title; (3) Small Business category if applicable, i.e., 8(a), Service Disabled-Veteran Owned Small Businesses, Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, Women- owned Small Businesses, HUBZone Small Businesses, etc.); and (4) Applicable NAICS(s).

ECD requires the assistance of Leidos, the Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) contractor for Priority Services, to support this RFI. As a result, Leidos will provide technical expertise and advice to the ECD team related to this RFI and will be reviewing all RFI’s provided.

All documents provided to Leidos will be password protected to ensure all content remains confidential. Moreover, Leidos is required by contract and its nondisclosure agreement (NDA) to handle all sensitive material according to guidelines set forth in the FAR.

Responders who wish to respond to this RFI shall sign the Acknowledgement of Non-Government Support Agreement (see below) and provide a signed copy along with their RFI submission. Failure to acknowledge and return the signed letter could result in revocation of your response to the RFI.

All responses shall be submitted via email no later than February 28, 2022 at 4PM CST to thuyduong.t.le.civ@mail.mil.

INDUSTRY DISCUSSIONS:

DISA representatives may choose to meet with potential offerors and hold one-on-one discussions. Such discussions would only be intended to obtain further clarification of potential capability to meet the requirements, including any development and certification risks.

QUESTIONS:

Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted in writing by e-mail to thuyduong.t.le.civ@mail.mil. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Answers to questions will be posted to SAM.gov. The Government does not guarantee that questions received after February 11, 2022 at 4PM CST will be answered. The Government will not reimburse companies for any costs associated with the submissions of their responses.

DISCLAIMER:

This RFI is not an RFP and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals nor will any award be made as a result of this synopsis.

All information contained in the RFI is preliminary as well as subject to modification and is in no way binding on the Government. FAR clause 52.215-3, “Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes”, is incorporated by reference in this RFI. The Government does not intend to pay for information received in response to this RFI. Responders to this invitation are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. This RFI will be the basis for collecting information on capabilities. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes. Proprietary information and trade secrets, if any, must be clearly marked on all materials. All information received in this RFI that is marked “Proprietary” will be handled accordingly. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned nor will receipt be confirmed. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.

Acknowledgement of Non-Government Support for RFI # 822113934

ECD requires the assistance of Leidos, the Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) contractor for Priority Services, to support Request for Information (RFI) # 822113934. As a result, Leidos will provide technical expertise and advice to the ECD team related to this RFI.

Due to potential Conflict of Interest, Leidos is restricted from participating as a vendor on this RFI and is further restricted from competing for this requirement.

All documents provided to Leidos will be password protected to ensure all content remains confidential. Moreover, Leidos is required by contract and its NDA to handle all sensitive material according to guidelines set forth in the FAR.

Please acknowledge receipt. If you concur with this Amendment, please sign below and return to Thuy Duong Le (thuyduong.t.le.civ@mail.mil). Failure to acknowledge and return the signed letter could result in revocation of your response to the RFI.

I, __________________________________ [COMPANY NAME] concur with Leidos’ participation in the subject RFI and Leidos’ review of the RFI documents submitted on ________ [Date RFI Submitted].

Name:______________________

Signature:___________________

Title:_______________________