HRLOB_Non-Core_Solutions_RFI_February_2013-Revised.pdf

Request for

Information:

Human Resources Line

Of Business

Non-Core Solutions

February 4, 2013

I. Request for Information

II. Background

III. Current State

IV. Scope

V. Assumptions Associated with this RFI

VI. Prospective Vendors Questionnaire

VII. Instructions to Prospective Vendors

APPENDIX A

I. Request for Information

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Office of the Chief Financial

Officer, National Finance Center (NFC) seeks input on establishing Blanket Purchase

Agreements (BPA) with one or more GSA Federal Supply Schedule vendors to provide

Human Resources (HR) non-core solutions to Federal Government entities.

The NFC is requiring non-core solutions software to address Human Capital

Management (HCM) within the Federal sector with Human Resources Line of Business

(HRLOB) products. These products must be innovative, highly tailored, Federalized and must seamlessly operate within NFC’s existing framework.

This is a Request for Information (RFI) issued solely for information and planning purposes. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP). USDA intends to assess the responses to the RFI and may then issue an RFP.

II. Background

NFC is a Federal government agency that provides human resources, financial, and administrative services to agencies of the United States Federal Government. NFC is a designated Public Sector Shared Service Center (SSC) provider under the Office of

Management and Budget/Office of Personnel Management HRLOB initiative. NFC currently provides its integrated “HRLOB core” payroll and personnel action processing to approximately 170 Federal Government agency customers, which collectively have over 655,000 employees.

The mission of NFC is to provide reliable, cost-effective, employee-centric systems and services to Federal organizations, thus allowing its customers to focus on serving this great Nation through their mission delivery.

III. Current State

NFC’s current HR system is a Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) HCM System which utilizes Oracle PeopleSoft HCM, version 9.0. The HR system acts as a front-end interface to NFC’s legacy Payroll/Personnel System (PPS), which shares information with personnel, payroll, financial management, and other related systems at NFC.

IV. Scope

In issuing this RFI, NFC seeks input on establishing BPA with one or more vendors to provide solutions for each HR non-core target area.

The NFC is interested in obtaining the following functionality either independently and/or integrated (defined below and detailed in Appendix A):

1. Organization and Position Management

2. Staff Acquisition

3. On Boarding

4. Performance Management

5. Employee Relations

6. Labor Relations

7. Workforce planning “Succession Retention analysis”

8. Human Resources Development “Learning Management”

(HRLOB business areas are identified in the HRLOB Business Reference Model (BRM), version 2, at http://www.opm.gov/egov/documents/architecture/BRM_Report_V2.pdf

V. Assumptions Associated with this RFI

NFC intends to partner with one or more vendors.

Vendor must provide a configurable Federalized product requiring no customization.

The product must seamlessly operate within NFC’s existing application interface with a web service using the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) over a

Secure Socket Layer (SSL).

The product must meet Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) requirements.

The product must meet Section 508 compliancy for all system feature functionality.

The product must adhere to all Federal Information Security Management

Act/National Institute of Standards and Technology (FISMA/NIST) certification and accreditation requirements.

The contractor and product must be compliant with Federal Personally

Identifiable information (PII) regulations.

The product must include the capability to produce online, real-time, standard and ad-hoc reports.

The vendor must provide full life cycle management and maintenance of the software, including integration and interfaces.

The product must include ongoing software application and database management and administration, including updates and upgrades.

The product must include online tutorials and help functionality.

The product must be web-based..

If you do not meet these requirements today, please describe in your response when and how you will meet them.

http://www.opm.gov/egov/documents/architecture/BRM_Report_V2.pdf

VI. Prospective Vendors Questionnaire

A. Vendors should provide their answers to the following questions:

1. Based on the scope of this RFI, what best practices should be implemented when establishing this type of agreement? Please provide examples of industry standards, lessons learned and any additional information that would provide substantial benefit to the NFC. (Not to exceed 2 pages.)

2. What would be the optimal pricing model for this type of agreement between

NFC and a vendor? (Not to exceed 2 pages.)

B. Vendors should describe their solution and current users for the solutions identified in this RFI. Please indicate:

1. Your recommended solutions:

Software functionality for applicable modules listed in Appendix A and relevant agencies utilizing the solution. Month/year implemented and number of users. (Not to exceed 2 pages per module.)

2. Your approach to working with NFC to integrate/interface your solution with the core HR solution. (Not to exceed 2 pages.)

3. Please describe your model and options for hosting. (Not to exceed 2 pages.)

VII. Instructions to Prospective Vendors

A. The response must include the following information:

Cover Letter – Must include the following:

o Company Name o Company point of contact (including email address and telephone number) o Date submitted o Applicable company Government Services Administration schedules

Section 1 – Responses to the (2) questions listed under the Prospective

Vendors Questionnaire VI, Section A.

Section 2 – Responses to software functionality and current user base listed under the Prospective Vendors Questionnaire VI, Section B.

B. Submitting information for this RFI:

All responses must be submitted in electronic format. Print should be no smaller than 10-point. However, text included in graphics, tables, and figures can be smaller than 10-point.

All text, tables, and drawings must use the Microsoft Office Suite (2003 or later) and be provided in readable formats. Submissions must be in sufficient detail and clarity to provide NFC with the information it needs to assess undertaking this effort and, if applicable, to appreciate your company’s capabilities and track record with specific services. Please ensure that any sensitive or protected information is marked as such.

Based on the feedback received from vendors, NFC will make a determination as to proceeding with an RFP. If there are any questions or concerns that require clarification, they must be addressed to the Contracting Office in writing, via email, and received by Friday, February 15, 2013 at 4:00PM Eastern Time. Please reference the RFI number on all correspondence. Interested parties SHALL NOT contact USDA technical personnel about this RFI.

The deadline for submission of vendor information is no later than Friday, February 15, 2013 at 4:00PM Eastern Time. Submit response electronically to:

Email: Deidre.Phillips@nfc.usda.gov

APPENDIX A

HR Non-core Requirements

The NFC is interested in obtaining the functionality listed below. The Vendor shall provide the functionality either independently and/or integrated. The Vendor may or may not choose to provide all modules listed below.

(1) Organization and Position Management

The HRLOB BRM defines the Organization and Position Management requirement area as the design, development and implementation of organizational and position structures that create a high performance, competency-driven framework that both advances the agency mission and serves agency human capital needs.

(2) Staff Acquisition

The HRLOB BRM defines the Staff Acquisition requirement area as the establishment of procedures for recruiting and selecting high-quality, productive employees with the right skills and competencies, in accordance with merit system principles. This area includes:

developing a staffing strategy and plan; establishing an applicant evaluation approach;

announcing the vacancy; sourcing and evaluating candidates against the competency requirements for the position; initiating pre-employment activities; and hiring employees.

(3) Performance Management

The HRLOB BRM defines the Performance Management requirement area as the design, development and implementation of a comprehensive employee performance management approach to ensure agency employees are demonstrating competencies required of their work assignments. This area includes: design, develop and implement a comprehensive performance management strategy that enables managers to make distinctions in performance and links individual performance to agency goal and mission accomplishment. This area also includes managing employee performance at the individual level and evaluating the overall effectiveness of the agency’s employee development approach.

(4) Human Resources Development “Learning Management”

The HRLOB BRM defines the Human Resources Development requirement area as the design, development, and implementation of a comprehensive employee development approach to ensure that agency employees have the right competencies and skills for current and future work assignments. This area includes conducting employee development needs assessments; designing employee development programs;

administering and delivering employee development programs; and evaluating the overall effectiveness of the agency’s employee development approach.

(5) Employee Relations

The HRLOB BRM defines the Employee Relations requirement area as the design, development and implementation of programs that strive to maintain an effective employer-employee relationship that balances the agency’s needs against its employees’ rights. This area includes: addressing employee misconduct; addressing employee performance problems; managing administrative grievances; providing employee accommodation; administering employee assistance programs; participating in administrative third party proceedings; and determining candidate/employee suitability based on information collected outside of the HR process (e.g., background investigation, drug testing, etc).

(6) Labor Relations

The HRLOB BRM defines the Labor Relations requirement area as the management of the relationship between the agency and its unions and bargaining units. This includes negotiating and administering labor contracts and collective bargaining agreements;

managing negotiated grievances; and participating in negotiated third party proceedings.

(7) Workforce Planning “Succession Retention Analysis”

This module must have the capability to assist line managers and staff professionals in analysis, scenario planning, and forecasting of organizations for the purpose of succession planning. The module must have a capability to use workforce behavior profiles to project key events across multiple years and their resulting impact on people, the organization’s costs, and the manager’s overall plans. This includes projecting retirements, attrition, cycle time to fill positions, typical length of service, and similar factors. These profiles should indentify key events that will require managerial intervention, such as when to begin recruiting or discussion of promotions.

(8) On Boarding

This module will allow potential employees to complete paperwork online to provide required information for employment. Collecting this data online will allow the agency to validate information for pre-hire. This module must have the ability to integrate with existing applications. It must allow for completion of the following forms: I9

(Employment Eligibility Verification), Beneficiary Designation, Federal W4, State Tax

Form, Payroll Direct Deposit Authorization, Employee Payroll Deduction, etc.