9531BM23Q0019A0001 - Evidence Management SW.pdf

AMENDMENT CONTROL NUMBER :

SUMMARY OF CHANGES :

9531BM23Q0019 A0001

Evidence Management So�ware

9531BM23Q0019 – EVIDENCE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

Amendment 0001 - Questions & Answers

Q1: The solicitation states the NTSB is looking for a cloud-based solution. Would the NTSB like pricing for both standard cloud and private cloud options?

NTSB Response: The NTSB requests that offerors propose a solution that they feel best meets the technical requirements as outlined in the Statement of Work and offers the best value to the Government.

Q2: Does the NTSB have a laboratory management system they desire vendor to interface?

NTSB Response: The NTSB does not currently have a laboratory information management system. Per Section 3.1 of the Statement of Work, the software solution shall allow for a laboratory information management system and allow for the laboratory to assign and monitor case workflow.

Q3: Is NTSB looking to streamline evidence collection by having a capability to collect evidence and scene information electronically in the field?

NTSB Response: Yes.

Q4: Is NTSB looking to have the ability to print barcode labels and evidence custody documents in the field?

NTSB Response: Yes.

Q5: Does NTSB know how many different locations the initial deployment of the software will be?

NTSB Response: This software will be used by employees at NTSB Headquarters in Washington, DC and the various regional offices, as well as employees conducting accident investigations in the field.

Q6: Does the NTSB want to have their field evidence collection tool to be compatible with the Federal Bureau of Investigations evidence collection tool?

NTSB Response: No.

Q7: Does NTSB want real time tracking for evidence collection in the field on scene?

NTSB Response: Yes.

Q8: What is NTSB's desired method for training end users? In-person user training, train the trainer, remote training, or video-based training?

NTSB Response: In order of preference- in person training for administrators, train the trainer, remote and/or video-based training.

Q9: Do you have a Laboratory Information Management System in place, or do you wish for the solution to have one included in this RFQ?

NTSB Response: The NTSB does not currently have a laboratory information management system. Per Section 3.1 of the Statement of Work, the software solution shall allow for a laboratory information management system and allow for the laboratory to assign and monitor case workflow.

Q10: Could you please explain your meaning of digital evidence?

NTSB Response: Photographs, audio files, digital scans (Jpeg, Tiff, Raw formats), documents (word, pdf,text) and other digital files from electronics and equipment.

Q11: Do you intend to do inventory remotely? If so, how?

NTSB Response: Yes. The requirement is for a cloud-based inventory system with the ability to remotely do audits and inventory in real time.

Q12: Can the quote submission deadline of August 4, 2023 be extended?

NTSB Response: The quote submission deadline has been extended to 4:00pm Eastern time on August 15, 2023.

Q12: Our software is not currently tested for 508 compliancy. Is it possible to incorporate this work to occur within first year of contract award?

NTSB Response: The Revised 508 Standards states that if an agency cannot find an accessible commercial solution, an agency should procure the ICT solution that best meets the standards consistent with business needs. Therefore, all vendors are encouraged to create an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) using the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template.

Even if the ACR shows that not all the applicable Section 508 Technical Standards have been met, it allows your product to be evaluated against comparable products for accessibility. If you have an ACR and a competitor’s product doesn’t, you will always be the most conformant with the Section 508 standards. Completing an ACR raises your awareness of your product’s accessibility and allows you to take steps to make your product more accessible and reach a broader customer base.

Q13: Has the government considered that if you bring in a system that has a knowledge store as the core of its Evidence Management Software (EMS) solution, that this can then be expanded upon to be a single source of truth for more than just the chain of custody documentation? A knowledge store enables external AI/ML systems to easily reach into the data tracked by the EMS

– to both read the data for processing, as well as run analysis for other types of analytics – to potentially enhance the tracked data or improve the analysis reporting system.

NTSB Response: The NTSB requests that offerors propose a solution that they feel best meets the technical requirements as outlined in the Statement of Work.

Q14: Is there any requirement to support open workflow standards such as the Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) so that there is ease of integration into other process automation system – and, more importantly, there is the ability to extend this system outside the bounds of

Evidence Management to help automate other aspects of NTSB that either feed or depend on the capabilities of this system.

NTSB Response: Section C – Statement of Work of the solicitation describes the NTSB’s requirement in detail. The NTSB requests that offerors propose a solution that they feel best meets the technical requirements as outlined in the SOW.

Q15: Section 3.1 of the SOW states that the solution must integrate with other NTSB database systems. What type of systems, how many, and are they proprietary to the NTSB?

NTSB Response: NTSB proprietary systems are CAROL, SAFTI which allow for an open API.

Q16: Are vendors required to be FedRAMP certified or will StateRAMP certification be sufficient for this procurement?

NTSB Response: Per Sections 3.1 and 3.7 of the Statement of Work, the software solution shall meet federal agency cloud requirements, including FISMA and FEDRAMP.

[END OF AMENDMENT 0001]