Attachment 1A - DTSS Questions and Areas for Input.v2.pdf
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- Attached to
- TSA Testing Re-competes
- Solicitation number
- TSA25-04-0500
About this file
This document is a Request for Information (RFI) containing a list of detailed questions about the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) Device Testing Support Services (DTSS) contract re-competition. The document seeks industry input on various aspects of contract structuring, including pricing models, testing support requirements, and performance incentives. Key areas of inquiry include: 1) More efficient and cost-effective contract structuring, 2) Flexible approaches to accommodate shifting testing priorities and schedules, 3) Alternative pricing structures for Program Management and test execution (currently Firm-Fixed Price and Time-and-Materials, respectively), 4) Methods to ensure appropriate labor mix with specialized skills in Transportation Security Equipment testing, and 5) Strategies for obtaining specialized engineering support and managing annual order sizes and funding allocations.
The document emphasizes the TSA's desire to obtain feedback on contract approaches that can provide flexibility, incentivize high performance, enable precise tracking of test costs and progress, and support the agency's need for specialized testing services across four main testing categories: Developmental and Qualification Testing, Integrated Testing, Acceptance Testing, and Operational Testing. The questions are designed to solicit industry perspectives on structuring a future contract that can effectively support TSA's diverse and dynamic testing requirements for transportation security equipment.
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DTSS Questions / Areas for Input
• How can the DTSS requirements be more efficiently and/or cost effectively structured?
• Testing priorities, schedules, and scopes often shift and change during the year. How can the requirements be structured in order to permit shifts/pivots or changes in scale?
• Currently, Program Management support is priced on a Firm-Fixed Price (FFP) basis while DTSS test execution is priced on a Time-and-Materials (T&M) basis. The Government is interested in receiving industry feedback on alternative structures.
• Currently, Program Management support is priced based on a fixed, steady-state level of support.
The Government is interested in whether Program Management support can be structured (and priced) proportionally to the amount of test execution. From industry’s perspective, what are the pros and cons of this approach?
• Would it be possible to structure the requirement in such a way that a steady-state amount of support (i.e. 40 hours per week for a set number of employees) is provided? From industry’s perspective, what are the pros and cons of this approach?
• If DTSS test execution is priced on a non-T&M basis, how can the requirements be structured in a way that incentivizes high performance both by the contactor and its employees?
• If DTSS test execution is priced on a non-T&M basis, what reporting would be available on individual test costs, test progress, and test schedules to assist TSA with tracking test status and costs? This reporting would be in support of earned value management practices, as required by
TSIF to track project performance.
• Successful performance of DTSS requires the right labor mix of employees with varied specialized skills. Often, these employees must have knowledge/experience with the various types of Transportation Security Equipment (TSE) that TSA utilizes, specialized laboratory testing equipment, and/or other unique experience (such as quality management and configuration management). What could the Government do in order to ensure that it receives the right labor mix?
• The Government would like the ability to obtain “reach back” support for certain special/ad hoc projects and tests which may require highly specialized engineering support (often at the PhD level). How can the requirements be structured to incorporate this type of support?
• The Government would prefer a small number of “large” orders per year versus multiple “small” orders. The Government would also like to avoid the need to re-align or roll-over unused funds from year-to-year. How can the requirements be structured to accomplish this?
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