RFI - NOC Network Management Support Services Revised.docx

Request for Information and Sources Sought Office of Information & Technology (OIT) Networks Operations Center (NOC) Network(s) Management Support Services

Purpose:

This public posting is for informational, planning, and market research purposes only and constitutes a Request for Information (RFI) and a Sources Sought Request (SSR) only for United States, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This announcement does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise that a solicitation or procurement will be issued. This is not a solicitation, Request for Proposal (RFP), or Invitation for Bids (IFB). No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this announcement or any follow-up information requests.

All information received resulting from this RFI will be used by CBP for acquisition planning and market research purposes only. However, your response may be releasable to the public under the Freedom of information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552, and the DHS FOIA regulation, 6 C.F.R. Chapter 1 and Part 5. If you wish CBP to consider any portion of your response as "confidential commercial information", you should clearly mark the portion as "confidential commercial information". The procedures for identifying "confidential commercial information" are set forth in the DHS FOIA regulation cited above and are available on the DHS website: http://www.dhs.gov/xfoia/editorial0579.shtm. CBP, at its discretion, may request respondents to this RFI to meet with CBP program and contracting officials and to elaborate on information in their written response. Respondents to this RFI will not be notified of any results derived from a review of the information provided. All information contained in this RFI is preliminary and is subject to revision and is not binding on the Government.

The purpose of this public posting is to give contractors the opportunity to provide information regarding their capability to provide Network(s) support services.

Background:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Information and Technology’s (OIT) Network management support services for the Network Operations Center (NOC) facilities located in Ashburn and Springfield Virginia and the Wireless Network Operations Center (WNOC) located in Orlando, FL.

Draft Requirement Overview:

Contractor shall provide Network management support services to ensure CBP is able to maintain Network(s) Management, Operations, and Maintenance for all CBP Network(s) infrastructure on a 24x7x365 basis. Support includes providing real-time incident monitoring, predictive and proactive analysis and reporting, incident resolution and escalation, problem management and resolution, coordinating of events related to network communications, network utilization and availability analysis and reporting. CBP Network Management also provides Local Area Network (LAN), Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), Enterprise Data Management and Engineering (EDME) Directorate LAN, and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). The CBP Network is the focal point for network troubleshooting, updating, router and domain name management, and coordination with affiliated networks.

Information Request:

1. Given Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is a large organization with a complex network, can you provide examples where you’ve provided NOC support for a federal government agency with a similar size and complex network?

2. CBP NOC Received 230,796 inbound emails in FY23 and 193,405 in FY24 requesting services or assistance in troubleshooting even though we have self-serve tickets setup in our ticketing system for them to use. Can you provide examples in current (or previous) efforts whereby you successfully initiated a process improvement resulting in customers using self-serve tickets instead of email?

3. Can you provide examples in current (or previous) efforts whereby you successfully modernized a NOC to increase operational efficiencies?

4. Can you provide examples in current (or previous) efforts whereby you successfully automated traffic analysis, trend analysis, and predictive analysis to facilitate early detection of potential network problems?

5. Can you provide examples in current (or previous) efforts whereby you successfully automated capacity planning based on Network trend analysis?

6. Can you provide examples in current (or previous) efforts whereby you have successfully automated initial troubleshooting of events/issues for quicker response?

7. Can you provide examples in current (or previous) efforts whereby you have successfully automated the resolution of Tier 1 incidents to streamline processes?

8. Can you provide examples in current (or previous) efforts whereby you have successfully provided stakeholders with recommendations on real-time monitoring and reporting, to include recommendations on metrics/KPIs and dashboards?

9. Can you provide examples in current (or previous) efforts whereby you have successfully automated the patching process (or streamlined it) with minimal impact to 24x7 monitored sites?

10. Can you provide examples in current (or previous) efforts whereby you have successfully streamlined maintaining standard network configurations?

11. Can you provide examples in current (or previous) efforts whereby you have successfully automated restoration of a network after a network outage (or remediation of a network degradation)?

12. With the introduction of Internet of Thing (IoT) devices and video surveillance cameras on the enterprise network, how would you propose CBP monitor such devices and what are some risks or issues that CBP should address with regards to monitoring the new devices?

13. Can you provide examples in current (or previous) efforts whereby you have successfully automated network checks to be run during an investigation to quickly clear the network?

14. Please identify any issues or recommendations the Government should consider with respect to the Transition-In Plan as detailed in the PWS. Ref: PWS Paragraph 4.7.5 (Transition Support) and sub paragraphs 4.7.5.1 through 4.7.5.3.

15. Are you aware of any pertinent pricing issues that CBP should consider or cost control measures which CBP should consider adopting for this effort?

16. Based upon the PWS, what documentation would CBP need to provide (e.g., SOPs, guidelines, etc.) in order for you to produce a viable proposal for Hours of Effort (in lieu of FTEs) to support 24x7x365 Network Operations support services?

17. Are there any issues, comments, or questions you have regarding the draft performance requirements in this RFI?

18. What recommendations would you propose to improve how the draft performance requirements are defined in order to help you develop a comprehensive proposal?

Instructions:

The anticipated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 541512 (Computer Systems Design Services). Interested parties are encouraged to respond to this notice if they have the capability and capacity to provide the identified services. Please do not submit capability statements at this time. If provided, the vendor will be considered non-responsive to this RFI.

Please be advised, no questions will be addressed at this time. Please be advised, the Government has not identified a contractual vehicle or contract type at this time.

The due date and time for responses is no later than 2 PM EST, November 29, 2024. The RFIs shall be submitted via email to: monica.y.watts@cbp.dhs.gov with the subject line "NOC Network(s) Management Support Services RFI" to be considered.

All responses must adhere to the page limits of 16 pages total. Please note, cover pages do not count towards the page limit. The submission shall be logically assembled. Each response section shall be clearly identified and shall begin at the top of a page. All pages of each response section shall be appropriately numbered and identified by the complete company name, date, and referenced number listed on the Notice in the header and/or footer.

Attachments:

DRAFT Performance Work Statement Sample Price Format

Primary Point of Contact:

Monica Y. Watts Contracting Officer/Branch Chief Enterprise Network Technology Services (ENTS) Contracting Branch Information Technology Contracting Division DHS Customs and Border Protection 1331 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington DC 20029 MONICA.Y.WATTS@cbp.dhs.gov 571-363-7066