QuestionsPosted15Aug13.docx

Questions and Answers, 15 August 2013

1. Question: Page 17 - concerning the Organization Table: Management Ballet - Do you want our structure, our plan or our resumes?

Answer: Please include the structure of your organization that would be in place to implement this contract if selected. You may include a structure for implementation that would be different from ongoing services.

2. Question: Since the solution requires hosting in GDC’s data center in St. Louis with a fail-over in Omaha Nebraska, will Forest Service (FS) provide detailed architectural drawings of the network infrastructure and the hosting platform (Network focus: Token rings, Ethernet, T1, etc.)?

Answer: FS will provide additional detail to the selected vendor after award.

3. Question: Does GDC’s hosting platform include the Oracle database plus necessary tools to replicate the solution between St Louis and Omaha (Database focus)?

Answer: Vendors should assume that the hosting environment can perform the necessary actions to replicate to the Disaster Recovery site. Vendors should propose a solution that includes all necessary application and database elements in order to run their solution.

4. Question: Please describe the technical architecture of GDC’s hosting platform (Equipment/Software focus: servers, operating systems, software, database, firewall, monitoring tools, VPN, etc.?)

Answer: The selected vendor will have the opportunity to coordinate with the hosting vendor during the transition phase. Vendors should include in their transition approach any particular hosting requirements they may have.

5. Question: Will FS/GDC provide a list of the inherited and hybrid security controls associated with GDC’s Certification and Accreditation?

Answer: In general, the selected vendor will need to assure application security and testing for Certification and Accreditation (C&A) compliance.

6. Question: We were recently informed that Oracle no longer provides concurrent user licenses. They now offer Enterprise or Core Processor Licenses. Therefore, to effectively cost this out, we will need the number of core processors contained within GDC’s targeted hosting platform for this solution.

Answer: Vendors should assume licensing necessary to implement their solution based on the data provided. Details of core processors required for the solution should be included in the vendor’s approach.

7. What is the proposed GoLive plan for the new solution?

Answer: It is up to the vendor to propose what they believe to be the most effective GoLive plan as part of their strategy. That being said, however, the Government anticipates having resources available to thoroughly test the solution in User Acceptance Testing (UAT) prior to GoLive and to use existing media (email, HR bulletins, web pages) to announce GoLive information to the field.