Draft_PWS_EAS OSS_10-20-20.docx

EAS Operational Support Services

VA-20-00071678

TRANSFORMATION TWENTY-ONE TOTAL TECHNOLOGY NEXT GENERATION (T4NG)

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Office of the Acquisition and Logistics (OAL) Enterprise Acquisition Systems (EAS) Operational Support Services

Date: 10/20/2020

VA-20-00071678

Task Order PWS Version Number: 3.1

Contents

APPENDIX A…………………………………………………………………………………...25

BACKGROUND

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is one of the largest consumers of commercially acquired goods and services in the Federal Government. The VA operates from many locations throughout the United States supporting our Veterans and their families. The Office of Acquisition and Logistics (OAL), under the leadership of the Executive Director (ED), OAL and Senior Procurement Executive (SPE) is responsible for department-wide Acquisition Management (AM) and oversight for policy development, workforce development, supply chain management and acquisition business systems management. The OAL represent the VA in various forums with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), Office of Inspector General (OIG), other Federal agencies, Congress and Industry providing support/services related to enterprise-wide acquisition standards and activities. The OAL is under the Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction (OALC) lead by the Principal Executive, OALC and Chief Acquisition Officer (CAO). The specific responsibilities include building on federal mandates - responsible for strategic planning related to managing the development, deployment and implementation of a suite of acquisition tools based on emerging technology and federal acquisition mandates. The overarching mandate of the Enterprise Acquisition Systems Service (EASS) office is to manage the VA Acquisition Business Systems Program. In addition, the EASS is responsible for close collaboration with partners internal and external to the VA.

The EAS office provides consultative services department-wide and intentionally collaborates internally to VA and externally (Congress, OMB, GAO, OIG, and Industry). This office directs proper program management applying proven programmatic practices and is responsible for change management, communication management, understanding technical and functional capabilities required by the VA Acquisition Workforce (AWF) aligning with the VA Strategic Objectives related to modernization and transformation. This work is vital to improving, modernizing, and transforming acquisition management across the enterprise along with intentional timely deployment of emerging technology to integrate enterprise acquisition standards for the four cornerstones:

Acquisition Policy – Builds on federal mandates and regulatory guidance develop and manages the direction of acquisition policy for the Department. Ensures compliance when making acquisition decisions. Requires the latest technology in acquisition business systems to properly align electronic processes with frequently changing acquisition regulatory and VA internal guidance.

Workforce Development - Builds, enables, and sustains a knowledgeable workforce that can execute on the acquisition business needs of the Department.

Acquisition Business Strategy - Provides support and monitors the performance of VA acquisition activities related to various federal initiatives. Conducts oversight and internal control reviews of the acquisition function in accordance with OMB Circular A-123 specific to acquisition. Assures the VA business systems include the required technology-based tools and templates required to limit manual processes, reduce non-value-added processes, and drive output that adds value.

Acquisition Systems Capabilities– Manages the collection and exchange of acquisition data using technology to create transparency, accountability, and acquisition lifecycle reform -- leading to supportable data-based decisions and improvements in the exchange of information between the government and the public.

VA AM will be improved by developing and implementing standardized business processes; innovative business practices; acquisition system enhancements; addressing challenges/gaps by implementing emerging technology, benchmarking; generating quality data/reports; and expert consultation services.

The EAS current applications are an integration of proprietary Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) products, existing Government off-the-Shelf (GOTS) software, and custom integration and software designed to meet VA specific needs, which now require updates. The system infrastructure is comprised of SharePoint, Microsoft .NET platform, ASP.NET Model-View-Controller (MVC), Core.NET, WebAPI, Web Forms, AngularJS JBoss, Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition (J2EE), Microsoft SQL Server, and Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS), access by end-users to a web-based system -- single sign-on via Microsoft Integrated Windows Authentication (IWA). The System Architecture is available and formally describes the various components, technologies and interfaces in an organized way that defines structural properties of the applications that make up the systems referred to as Electronic Contract Management System (eCMS).

The objectives are to acquire support/services to review and assess the current state of various applications in the eCMS and balance that with the VA Strategic Objectives to modernize and transform AM which includes standardization, reducing manual processes, and deploying emerging technology. The current eCMS will be assess simultaneously with the VA planned modernization effort under the Financial Management Business Transformation (FMBT) Program, which includes planning efforts to deploy an Integrated Financial and Acquisition Management Module (iFAMS) the planning efforts will be integrated into various planned improvements for AM. The objectives are below:

1. Maintenance and Enhancement Mode - Maintain current state of eCMS as necessary to continue operations while simultaneously enhancing and upgrading based on modernization/transformation efforts being implemented to improve AM enterprise wide. Ultimately assuring the VA AWF has access to the latest technology, functionality, and capability required to drive change, standardization, and innovative acquisition business practices.

2. Future State – Harnessing Technology Today - The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the VA Acquisition Regulation (VAAR), and the VA Acquisition Manual (standardized internal procedures, guidance and instructions (PGI)) drive improvements for the VA acquisition business practices. The VA Business systems are a conduit that provides the VA AWF access to functionality and capability which harness emerging technology, reduce manual processes, improve access to quality data to support management decisions, and allow for timely completion of various required acquisition activities. Focusing on People, Resources, Process, Data, and Technology.

3. Simultaneous Performance Current and Future State – Maintenance Mode and Future State – Harnessing Technology are required to align with VA Strategic Objectives of modernization and transformation as it relates to AM and Acquisition Business Systems.

APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

The Contractor shall comply with the following documents, in addition to the documents in Paragraph 2.0 in the T4NG Basic Performance Work Statement (PWS), in the performance of this effort:

1. ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119-3

SCOPE OF WORK

EAS systems are to be maintained, while Contractor identifies emerging technology and updates to the EAS Portfolio of systems, programs, and applications.

Software changes will be made to maintain existing EAS Government Off the Shelf (GOTS) applications. Updates to the EAS Portfolio are identified as new technology implementation (applications, system, etc.), functionality, enhancements, or modernization efforts as required.

The Contractor shall provide project management, change and configuration management support, release management support, business analysis, business process engineering support, documentation support, training, testing, and business requirements management support. Optional Tasks can be exercised to address new enhancements and for cloud migration, as necessary. The Contractor shall support the development, configuration, operation and maintenance, and deployment within the EAS portfolio of tools. The Contractor shall migrate the applications for inclusion into the Veterans Affairs Enterprise Cloud (VAEC) to align with VA acquisition modernization efforts.

The Contractor shall support any additions to this portfolio. The portfolio includes the systems identified in Section 5.0 of this PWS (please refer to EAS System Design Document (SDD) 2020.docx for additional technical specifications for EAS systems):

APPLICABILITY

This Task Order (TO) effort PWS is within the scope of paragraph(s) 4.1, 4.2.1, 4.2.2, 4.2.3, 4.2.4, 4.2.5, 4.2.6, 4.2.8, 4.2.9, 4.2.12, 4.2.13, 4.2.14, 4.4, 4.7, 4.8.2, 4.8.4, 4.8.10, 4.9, and 4.10 of the T4NG Basic PWS.

ORDER TYPE

The effort shall be proposed on a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) for Tasks 5.0 through 5.9, except for travel (Section 4.3) shall be on a cost reimbursable basis.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

PERFORMANCE PERIOD

The Period of Performance (PoP) shall be from date of award for 12 months, with four (4) one-year option periods, if exercised. All Tasks 5.0 – 5.11 shall be performed in the base and option periods. The overall Period of Performance shall not exceed 60 months.

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Efforts under this TO shall be performed at Contractor facilities. The Contractor shall identify the Contractor’s place of performance in their Task Execution Plan submission.

TRAVEL OR SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor may be required to travel CONUS during the performance of this effort to attend meetings, conferences, and training. The Contractor may be required to travel to off-site training locations and to ship training aids to these locations in support of this PWS. Costs incurred by Contractor personnel on official company business are allowable, subject to the limitations contained in FAR 31.205-46 and the limitation of funds specified in this contract. The Contractor shall submit all requests for reimbursable travel prior to commencing travel or training, to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) for approval. Travel is not authorized until written Government approval (COR) is received.

Travel shall be in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) and requires advanced concurrence by the COR. Contractor travel within the local commuting area will not be reimbursed.

CONTRACT MANAGEMENT

All requirements of Sections 7.0 and 8.0 of the T4NG Basic PWS apply to this effort. This TO shall be addressed in the Contractor’s Progress, Status and Management Report as set forth in the T4NG Basic contract.

GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY

The Government has multiple remote access solutions available to include Citrix Access Gateway (CAG), Site-to-Site Virtual Private Network (VPN), and RESCUE VPN.

The Government’s issuance of Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) is limited to Contractor personnel requiring direct access to the network to: development environments; install, configure and run Technical Reference Model (TRM) approved software and tools (e.g., Oracle, Fortify, Eclipse, SoapUI, WebLogic, LoadRunner); upload/download/ manipulate code, run scripts, and apply patches; configure and change system settings; check logs, troubleshoot/debug, and test/QA.

When necessary, the Government will furnish desktops or laptops, for use by the Contractor to access VA networks, systems, or applications to meet the requirements of this PWS. The overarching goal is to determine the most cost-effective approach to providing needed access to the VA environment coupled with the need to ensure proper Change Management principles are followed. Contractor personnel shall adhere to all VA system access requirements for on-site and remote users in accordance with VA standards, local security regulations, policies and rules of behavior. GFE shall be approved by the COR and Program Manager on a case-by-case basis prior to issuance.

Based upon the Government assessment of remote access solutions and requirements of this TO, the Government estimates that the following GFE will be required by this TO:

· The Contractor shall be provided access to all available Government furnished information, facilities, material, equipment, or services as required to accomplish the efforts in the PWS.

· EAS shall provide GFE within 10 business days after the individual obtains the HSPD-12 badge.

The Government will not provide IT accessories including but not limited to Mobile Wi-Fi hotspots/wireless access points, additional or specialized keyboards or mice, laptop bags, extra charging cables, extra Personal Identity Verification card readers, peripheral devices, or additional Random Access Memory (RAM). The Contractor is responsible for providing these types of IT accessories in support of the TO as necessary and any VA installation required for these IT accessories shall be coordinated with the COR.

The Status of Government Furnished Equipment Report under the T4NG Basic Contract requirements is applicable to this TO and shall be delivered to the COR/VA PM as required.

SECURITY AND PRIVACY

All requirements in Section 6.0 of the T4NG Basic PWS apply to this effort. Specific TO requirements relating to Addendum B, Section B4.0 paragraphs j and k supersede the corresponding T4NG Basic PWS paragraphs, and are as follows,

1. The vendor shall notify VA within 24 hours of the discovery or disclosure of successful exploits of the vulnerability which can compromise the security of the Systems (including the confidentiality or integrity of its data and operations, or the availability of the system). Such issues shall be remediated as quickly as is practical, but in no event longer than _3____days.

2. When the Security Fixes involve installing third party patches (such as Microsoft OS patches or Adobe Acrobat), the vendor will provide written notice to VA that the patch has been validated as not affecting the Systems within 10 working days. When the vendor is responsible for operations or maintenance of the Systems, they shall apply the Security Fixes within __3___ days.

POSITION/TASK RISK DESIGNATION LEVEL(S)

In accordance with VA Handbook 0710, Personnel Security and Suitability Program, the position sensitivity and the level of background investigation commensurate with the required level of access for the following Tasks within the PWS are:

Position Sensitivity and Background Investigation Requirements by Task

The Tasks identified above and the resulting Position Sensitivity and Background Investigation requirements identify, in effect, the Background Investigation requirements for Contractor individuals, based upon the Tasks the particular Contractor individual will be working. The submitted Contractor Staff Roster must indicate the required Background Investigation Level for each Contractor individual based upon the Tasks the Contractor individual will be working, in accordance with their submitted proposal.

SPECIFIC TASKS AND DELIVERABLES

The Contractor shall support EAS products from the current state to SAFe Agile and DevOps.

Under the Optional Task, the Contractor will provide updates to current business systems to meet needs of the end user acquisition community, complete with a business analysis plan and return on investment calculation.

The Contractor will ensure interface and interoperability, to cross cutting agency wide modernization efforts, of recommended solutions.

The Contractor will develop a comprehensive implementation plan.

The Contractor shall follow mature SAFe Agile processes and implement, in conjunction with the Government, any processes and best practices to provide new, test-based development, as well as adaptive, perfective, preventive, and corrective maintenance while delivering working software.

The Contractor shall provide qualified personnel with a minimum of two years of experience working in at least one of the following areas: SAFe Agile software development life cycle (SDLC), product and delivery management, systems architecture, software development, systems reliability engineering, user research, user experience (UX) strategy, user interface (UI) and visual design, static and dynamic content management, and DevOps.

The Contractor shall incorporate modern user research and usability testing best practices into all solutions. The Contractor shall design, develop, configure, customize, deploy, and operate solutions. Once deployed, the Contractor shall provide production support of the solution as required, including limited user support.

The Contractor shall deliver modern digital services that use the SAFe DevOps Continuous Delivery Pipeline which includes continuous integration, continuous deployment, and release on demand. In the future state, the Contractor shall deliver secure and tested EAS designs using automated testing frameworks.

The Contractor shall incorporate Agile methodology and iteration ceremonies into all work to include, at a minimum, sprint planning, daily scrum, sprint review, sprint retrospective, backlog grooming, and estimating activities. The Contractor shall also use DevOps techniques of continuous integration and continuous deployment across all environments including, at a minimum, development, staging (pre-production) and production.

All tools used in the maintenance of the EAS application and related applications must be approved in the Technical Reference Manual (TRM). Deviations from this will require a waiver from the TRM group. Request for exceptions or deviations cannot impact delivery. All tools used in the environments of the EAS and related programs and all applications produced by EAS and related program projects shall be VA Section 508 compliant.

Agile project management is evolutionary (iterative & incremental) which regularly produces high quality results in a cost effective, timely, and highly collaborative manner via VA’s value driven lifecycle. This requires open lines of communication among all participants contributing to a project/program/portfolio that include multiple consumers within the contracts/orders and with other VA offices/activities.

All releases into the production environment shall comply with VA’s current VIP release processes.

The Contractor shall, with VA concurrence, perform Product Backlog Refinement and prioritization throughout the product life cycle and as required by Agile processes.

The foundational structure for VA Agile development and project/product line management can be found in the latest VA VIP product management guide. For delivery of all project artifacts, the Contractor shall utilize the approved EAS repository for managing project execution details and for the management and storage of artifacts.

The Contractor shall utilize VA-approved templates. When no VA template exists, the Contractor shall design and develop a template to be utilized for all Tasks being developed under this Task Order that must be reviewed and approved by the COR prior to delivery of the associated artifact. The Contractor shall include only the content and artifacts that have been updated or developed in the target increment/build in deliverable packages. When no change to a package component has occurred during an increment/build, unrelated or unchanged artifacts will not be included in the associated delivery packages. The Contractor shall provide a revision history with track changes enabled to allow for easy visibility of changes between package deliverables. Although not all project artifacts will require an update for each release, the Contractor shall ensure that all necessary artifacts are delivered to the appropriate VA governance committees as mandated by VA established VIP release processes. If a project artifact doesn’t require an update, the Contractor shall provide justification to the VA PM/Product Owner (PO), and/or COR for approval.

EAS shall provide demonstrations of all the EAS applications. EAS shall provide guidance/direction to the incoming Contractor on EAS applications. The Contractor shall provide adherence to VAAR/FAR policies. EAS full-time employees shall provide guidance/direction and expect a full transition within thirty (30) days. EAS full-time employees shall provide knowledge transfer to incoming Contractor. EAS systems will be decommissioned dependent on modernization efforts and the needs of the agency.

The EAS portfolio is currently comprised of the following acquisition applications/components/integrations/technologies listed below this paragraph. The Contractor shall maintain, review, assess, evaluate and identify emerging technology of the following GOTS and COTS applications/components/ integrations/technologies below as well as any additions to the EAS portfolio.

COTS

· Automated Acquisition Management System (AAMS)

· AAMS is a COTS tool and the Contractor shall not be enhancing or utilizing 5.7 for AAMS

· MicroStrategy Reporting Tool

GOTS

· Microsoft Dynamics

· VA Task Order Management System (TOMS)

· VA Vendor Portal (eVP)

· Solicitation/Evaluation Module

· Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Layer

· Acquisition Service Bus (ASB) Layer

· VA Centralized Acquisition Datastore (CAD)

· Virtual Office of Acquisitions (VOA)

· Acquisition Task Order Management System (ATOMS)

· Electronic Business Systems (EBS)

· Electronic Contract Officer Representative File (eCOR File)

· eCERT

· Ordering Officer Delegation (OOD)

· Suspension and Debarment (S&D)

· Electronic Business Systems (EBS) Profile/EBS Administration

· Forecasting of Opportunities and Requirements Center of Excellence (FORCE)

· Forecasting of Opportunities (FCO)

· Contract Catalogue Search Tool (CCST)

· EAS Administration Module

· Integrated Funds Distribution Control Point Activity Accounting and Procurement (IFCAP) Integration Services

· Interfaces and integrations include, but not limited to: VA Financial, Logistics, and Office of Acquisitions, Logistics, and Construction (OALC) Systems(i.e. Financial Management System (FMS), Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VISTA)/ Integrated Funds Distribution Control Point Activity Accounting and Procurement (IFCAP), Centralized Administrative Accounting Transaction System (CAATS), Invoice Payment Processing System (IPPS), Integrated Financial and Acquisition management System (iFAMS), Acquisition Request Manager (ARM), Budget Tracker Tool (BTT), Defense Medical Logistics Standard Support (DMLSS), Electronic Equipment Request (EER), Onboarding Contractor Solutions, legacy web services

The following assumptions for Major and Minor releases within the EAS portfolio are the following:

Release Structure:

· Minor Releases: 20 - 25 per year

· Major Release: 1 - 2 per year

A Major Release shall contain enhancements (not to exceed twenty-five (25) enhancement Change Requests) to an existing component of the EAS portfolio or the addition of a new component to the EAS portfolio.

A Minor Release shall contain Sustainment Releases and Bug Releases.

Sustainment and Bug Releases for a new EAS portfolio component are anticipated to be increased during the first year after deployment and then reduce to the same level as an existing EAS portfolio component. Sustainment Releases and Bug Releases may be included in a Major Release, as well.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

CONTRACTOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN

The Contractor shall deliver a Contractor Project Management Plan (CPMP) that lays out the Contractor’s approach, timeline and tools to be used in execution of this TO effort. The CPMP should take the form of both a narrative and graphic format that displays the schedule, milestones, risks and resource support. The CPMP shall also include how the Contractor shall coordinate and execute planned, routine, and ad hoc data collection reporting requests as identified within the PWS. The initial baseline CPMP shall be concurred upon and updated in accordance with Section B of the TO. The Contractor shall update and maintain the VA Program Manager (PM) approved CPMP throughout the PoP.

Deliverable:

A. Contractor Project Management Plan B. Contractor Staff Roster

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall provide the COR with Weekly Progress Reports in electronic form in Microsoft Word and Project formats. The report shall include detailed instructions/explanations for each required data element, to ensure that data is accurate and consistent. These reports shall reflect data as of the last day of the preceding week.

The Weekly Progress Reports shall cover all work completed during the reporting period and work planned for the subsequent reporting period. The report shall also identify any problems that arose and a description of how the problems were resolved. If problems have not been completely resolved, the Contractor shall provide an explanation including their plan and timeframe for resolving the issue. The report shall also include an itemized list of all Information and Communication Technology (ICT) deliverables and their current Section 508 conformance status. The Contractor shall monitor performance against the CPMP and report any deviations. It is expected that the Contractor will keep in communication with VA accordingly so that issues that arise are transparent to both parties to prevent escalation of outstanding issues.

Deliverable:

A. Weekly Progress Report

TECHNICAL KICKOFF MEETING

A technical kickoff meeting shall be held within 10 days after TO award. The Contractor shall coordinate the date, time, and location (can be virtual) with the Contracting Officer (CO), as the Post-Award Conference Chairperson, the VA PM, as the Co-Chairperson, the Contract Specialist (CS), and the COR. The Contractor shall provide a draft agenda to the CO and VA PM at least five (5) calendar days prior to the meeting. Upon Government approval of a final agenda, the Contractor shall distribute to all meeting attendees. During the kickoff-meeting, the Contractor shall present, for review and approval by the Government, the details of the intended approach, work plan, and project schedule for each effort via a Microsoft Office PowerPoint presentation. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Contractor shall update the presentation with a final slide entitled “Summary Report” which shall include notes on any major issues, agreements, or disagreements discussed during the kickoff meeting and the following statement “As the Post-Award Conference Chairperson, I have reviewed the entirety of this presentation and assert that it is an accurate representation and summary of the discussions held during the Technical Kickoff Meeting for the EAS Operational Support Services.” The Contractor shall submit the final updated presentation to the CO for review and signature within three (3) calendar days after the meeting. The Contractor shall also work with the CS, the Government’s designated note taker, to prepare and distribute the meeting minutes of the kickoff meeting to the CO, COR and all attendees within three (3) calendar days after the meeting. The Contractor shall obtain concurrence from the CS on the content of the meeting minutes prior to distribution of the document.

COTS PROJECT MANAGEMENT SUPPORT

The Contractor shall provide project management support of the COTS releases for the Automated Acquisition Management System (AAMS). The project management support shall require the following activities:

· Assist in the tracking and coordination of the change requests provided to and received from the COTS provider.

· Assist in coordination and scheduling of the meetings during each release. The Contractor shall provide minutes of the meeting to the COR/VA PM.

· Assist in coordination and scheduling of the training during each release. The Contractor shall be required to provide a COTS Training Schedule to the COR/VA PM.

Deliverables:

A. Meeting Minutes B. COTS Training Schedule

RELEASE MANAGEMENT

The Contractor shall support the EAS Release Management process within the EAS Change Management Repository to track software installations, system upgrades, patch releases and implementations, special works in progress, and other deployments within the production environment.

The Contractor shall work with the Release Manager and stakeholders to develop a Build Release Package that will outline processes and documentation needed to deploy the build.

The Contractor shall:

· Develop and deliver the Requirement Traceability Matrix for the release

· Format the content of any third-party component’s Release Notes to comply with the EAS’s Business Release Notes format requirements.

· Updated Business Release Notes that describe changes to existing software and new features and functions created as a result of this build.

· Assist with the communication of releases to the user community.

· Develop a Deployment and Installation Guide to include back-out and rollback procedures, a listing of any changes to Security Keys that impact an end user’s ability to access and perform a system function

· Maintain and update technical documentation, including updates to the existing System Design Document, materials, manuals, user guides, and release notes and make a final, formal delivery to VA. If any discrepancies are found, the Contractor shall be responsible for resolution.

· Provide all documentation and artifacts required to obtain/maintain an ATO in accordance with VA Policy including but not limited to, Fortify scan, threat assessment and associated diagrams using the MS tool.

· Schedule and lead a monthly release meeting comprised of all parties (Federal staff, contract staff, and if applicable COTS representative(s)) involved in the implementation of any the release

· Provide the software source code that will be deployed with the release.

Deliverables:

A. Build Release Package B. Final Software Source Code

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

The Contract shall perform the following Change Management (CM) requirements:

· Assist the Release Manager in defining and maintaining the CM process

· Use SAFe Agile process in documenting the Change Request (CR)/Configuration Item (CI), analyzing it to determine the proper next steps, communicating with appropriate VA staff and tracking the status/VA approvals of each CR throughout the entire CM process

· Maintain the CM repository

· Generate status reports from the CM repository and provide them to the COR/VA PM on a weekly basis, communicating any CM updates that have occurred during the week

· Attend all CM meetings and provide meeting notes and minutes to the COR/VA PM within three (3) days from meeting.

configuration management The Contractor shall perform the following configuration management requirements:

· Assist the Release Manager in defining configuration management policies and procedures

· Use the EAS approved configuration management system for tracking all deliverables

· Enter and upload configuration data into configuration management database

· Attend Task related change and release management meetings

· Establish and maintain appropriate authorization controls for modifying configuration items (CI) and verify compliance with software licensing

· Maintain the process for verifying the accuracy of configuration items, adherence to configuration management process, and identifying process deficiencies

· Maintain the configuration management repository or library that contains source codes and executable files of previous versions and current production versions

· If an offsite configuration management tool exists, ensure the Government has full access to all processes and sub-processes in configuration management tools

TESTING

The Contractor shall be responsible for the testing of applications and business processes within the EAS portfolio utilizing the EAS Change Management (CM) tool and the EAS Testing Tool to execute, monitor, and track testing activities.

Testing shall be performed for all EAS releases, both GOTS and COTS components which are listed in Section 5.0.

The Contractor shall prepare, participate in, provide assistance for, and perform the following testing activities:

· Usability and other types of testing, including Smoke Testing, User Acceptance Testing (UAT), System Integration Testing (SIT), Functional Quality Testing (FQT), Automated Testing, Performance Testing, Security Testing, Section 508 Compliance Testing, and end-to-end testing.

· Creation of test data, test cases, and scripts for execution.

· Creation of a Master Test Plan (MTP) to Establish a common framework for test processes, activities and Tasks. Define the testing Tasks and recommended minimum testing activities corresponding to a release. Define the template of the test-related documentation.

· Creation of test strategies (defining the approach to software testing, testing objectives, resources, and schedule for all intended test activities associated with validation testing) and test plans (describing the scope, objective and weight on software testing Task), and test reports, recording data obtained from an evaluation (describing the environmental or operating conditions, and showing the comparison of test results with test objectives)

· Identification, documentation, and tracking of defects until they are successfully resolved or deferred.

Deliverables:

A. Master Test Plan (MTP) B. Test Plans C. Test Reports

MAINTENANCE AND ENHANCEMENT ACTIVITIES

The Contractor shall provide a team to maintain and enhance applications identified in Section 5.0 to continue operations without degradation.

Activities include:

FEDERAL COMPLIANCE CHANGES

The Contractor shall ensure all systems in Section 5.0 are within federal compliance standards. Compliance standards are to be maintained 12 times annually. The average number of hours per year on this effort is 400 hours.

SECURITY ADHERENCE

The Contractor shall ensure all systems in Section 5.0 adhere to all security compliance standards which will be maintained 12 times annually. The average number of hours per year on this effort is 800 hours.

CONTINUOUS MONITORING OF THE AUTHORITY TO OPERATE (ATO)

The Contractor shall ensure system and security compliance as it relates to assembling the approval package towards gaining an Authority to Operate (ATO).

Support the VA Authority to Operate (ATO) to obtain/maintain approval, as required. Required ATOs must be obtained prior to build release and ATO approval timelines, including time to complete all necessary security scanning and remediation. The project ATO process must be considered in build planning activities and included in the project schedule. The Contractor shall be proficient in the use of static code analysis tools i.e. Fortify or similar. The average number of hours per year on this effort is 800 hours.

Section 508 COMPLIANCE The Contractor shall ensure all systems in Section 5.0 comply with 508 standards. The average number of hours per year on this effort is 400 hours.

BUG AND DEFECT MITIGATION

The Contractor shall ensure bugs/defects within systems in Section 5.0 have a cause identified and generate a mitigation approach to the discovered bug/defect. Historically, bugs/defects identified on an annual basis 2 were deemed critical and 18 were deemed high. 400+ were identified as medium priority with 80+ identified as low. Critical and High levels are defined as security risk and/or work stoppage. Medium is defined as workaround available, however affects user productivity. Low is no impact to user functionality. The average number of hours per year on this effort is 1000 hours.

ADDITION/OMISSION OF DATA FIELDS

The Contractor shall add/omit approximately 120 data fields annually to any system identified in Section 5.0. The average number of hours per year on this effort is 800 hours.

ADDITION OF DROPDOWN LIST VALUES

The Contractor shall add or change approximately 120 values annually within any identified data field to any system identified in Section 5.0. The average number of hours per year on this effort is 500 hours.

MICROSTRATEGY REPORTING,ATTRIBUTE CREATION,AND DATABASE ANALYSIS

The Contractor shall create approximately up to 50 new reporting attributes from specific data sources from systems included in 5.0 to be usable by reports and users utilizing MicroStrategy and Power Business Intelligence. Generate approximately 50 custom MicroStrategy reports utilizing attributes usable within the business intelligence tool MicroStrategy. The Contractor shall have expertise in reporting tools, attribute creation, database tables, and data relationships for this effort. The contractor shall have relevant experience in gathering and compiling data necessary to analyze a multitude of database products. Can evaluate data to quickly identify problems, issues and gaps. Has the knowledge and skill to recommend solutions that will improve performance of databases. The average number of hours per year on this effort is 1920 hours.

APPLICATION INTERFACES UTILIZING THE ACQUISITION SERVICES BUS (ASB)

The Contractor shall troubleshoot and generate interfaces between systems identified in Section 5.0 as well as outside EAS systems utilizing the ASB framework. The average number of hours per year on this effort is 900 hours.

PROCESS RESTRUCTURING

The Contractor shall restructure existing systems in Section 5.0 to align with any changes to SOPs or acquisition processes approximately 12 times a year. The average number of hours per year on this effort is 600 hours.

USER INTERFACE CHANGES

The Contractor shall generate, change, redesign approximately 75 user interfaces to systems identified in Section 5.0. The average number of hours per year on this effort is 600 hours.

MODERNIZATION SUPPORT (OPTIONAL TASK)

The Contractor shall have Scrum Teams provide a monthly level of effort for system modernization. The Government will have the ability to exercise a Scrum Team within a Base or any Option Period.

The Contractor shall follow the Agile methodology as described in Section 5.0 and in the VA VIP Guide v3.2 and utilize User Centered Design (UCD) concept where practicable. Scrum teams for this effort shall be composed of an evolving mix of technical skill sets as required to meet the necessary stage of the software development lifecycle and technical nature of the project. The modernization efforts to the EAS portfolio shall be executed in accordance with the Release Management processes stated in VIP Guide v3.2, including incorporating the User Stories, Test Cases, and Test Scripts reflecting the latest configuration and test baseline. In addition, the Contractor shall deliver updates to VIP Critical Decision 1 and VIP Critical Decision 2 documents (Project Management Plan, Deployment Installation Roll Back Back-Out Guide, Production Operations Manual, Version Description Documents, System Design Document, System Architecture), as necessary, to reflect the current system baseline. Scrum team releases will be incorporated into the existing release cycle in 5.0.

Modernization efforts can encompass the following types of Tasks:

1. Implementation of Artificial Intelligence

2. Implementation of Robotic Process Automation

3. Implementation of Machine Learning

CLOUD MIGRATION SCRUM TEAM (OPTIONAL TASK)

The Contractor shall provide one (1) cloud migration scrum team to migrate the systems in Section 5.0.. The Contractor shall ensure all systems migrating to the cloud are compatible for migration utilizing appropriate technologies as outlined by the VA Enterprise Cloud (VAEC). The Government will have the ability to exercise a Scrum Team for a period of two months, up to six (6) times within a Base or any Option Period. The government will only exercise one scrum team at a time.

MIGRATION PLANNING

Develop, maintain, and execute the VAEC Migration Plan that defines the migration approach, processes and activities (prior to, during, and after), test strategy, setup and configuration procedure, data migration approach, inventory of IT assets, migration checklist, risk assessment, key dependencies, and schedule. In the event that a VAEC CSP has not yet been selected by VA, the Contractor shall recommend a CSP.

Develop and execute the VAEC Transition Plan, as part of the VAEC Migration Plan, that defines the approach and action plans to prepare VA stakeholders to receive and operate the solution. This includes improving stakeholder engagement, outreach, and communications.

Develop and update project’s VIP Deployment and Installation, Back-out, and Rollback Plan that describes the installation, back-out, and rollback approach, processes and activities, dependencies, and schedule. The plan shall also include the provisioning and installation procedures for VAEC resources.

Determine cloud capacity and workload requirements. VA shall review and approve cloud capacity requirements and provide the VAEC cloud capacity for the solution as GFE.

Assess input to VA to assess whether the current solution should be decommissioned.

Deliverables:

A. VAEC Migration Plan

BUILD

Support setup, configuration, and provisioning of the solution in the VAEC environments.

Work with VA to provide inputs for establishing VAEC capacity, accounts and privileges. This includes monitoring and tracking the creation, update, and deletion of application user (e.g., developer, systems administrator) accounts, and ensuring cloud capacity requirements are satisfied.

Develop necessary artifacts to obtain a VA authority to operate (ATO) for the solution and complete VA Assessment and Authorization (A&A) process. After ATO is achieved, the Contractor shall update and maintain the A&A documentation as required to ensure continued compliance. The Contractor shall monitor, track, and respond to Plan of Action and Milestones (POAM). The Contractor shall provide input to update the VAEC ATO, as needed.

Provide information and documentation to support operational and production readiness reviews and go-no-go decisions. The Contractor shall execute corrective actions to address gaps and provide all required data and prepare supporting documents/artifacts for the reviews.

IMPLEMENTATION

Implement the solution in the VAEC as defined in VIP Deployment and Installation, Back-out, and Rollback Plan, as well as the VAEC Migration Plan.

Migrate data from current environment to the VAEC. The Contractor shall validate that the data has been successfully migrated as defined in the VAEC Migration Plan.

Provide inputs and documentation for the Post-Implementation Review, within 5 days of migration completion, to review lessons learned and identify improvement opportunities.

Provide a Migration Summary Report that describes Implementation results, lessons learned, open issues, corrective action, and improvement opportunities.

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION

SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE DOCUMENT SUPPORT

The Contractor shall update the EAS System Architecture and Interface Control documentation. The Contractor shall coordinate updates with the VA EAS O&M staff. The System Architecture documents address hardware, software, configuration and external system interfacing requirements. The documentation may also include physical and logical diagrams, workflow processes, and state diagrams. The Contractor shall support a formal review for any System Architecture documentation updates through an annual peer review process prior to the finalization of the System Architecture documents. VA estimates one (1) System Architecture updates per year.

TRANSITION SUPPORT (OPTIONAL TASK)

The Contractor shall develop a Transition Plan supporting 90 days of outgoing transition support. Upon the Governments approval of the Transition Plan, the Contractor shall commence transition out activities working with the incoming Contractor or Government entity. Additionally, the Contractor shall provide formal coordination with Government staff and successor staff and management to ensure that the incoming team understands work in progress and work to be done. Copies of the most recent document deliverables provided to the Government shall be provided to the successor. The Transition Plan shall specify a training program and a date for transferring responsibilities for each division of work described in the plan. The Contractor shall provide sufficient experienced personnel during the phase-in, phase-out period to ensure that the services called for by this contract are maintained at the required level of proficiency. It shall also include delivery of copies of existing program documentation, procedures, software, and required metrics and statistics. The Transition Plan shall include, but is not limited to:

a) Coordination with Government representatives

b) Review, evaluation and transition of current support services

c) Transition of historic data to new Contractor system

d) Orientation phase and program to introduce Government and Contractor personnel, programs, and users to the Contractor's team, tools, methodologies, and business processes

e) Disposition of Contractor purchased Government owned assets,

f) Transfer of Government Furnished Information

Deliverable:

A. Transition Plan

OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE (O&M) SUPPORT

The contractor shall provide additional operations and maintenance support for the EAS portfolio of applications as listed in section 5.0. The contractor shall work with the existing EAS O&M full-time government employees in support of the systems, applications, interfaces, and databases. The contractor shall perform troubleshooting/services, but not limited to: application issues, data issues, reporting issues, performance issues, adding new servers/systems/applications as assigned by EAS O&M full-time government employees, set and manage Azure features as assigned by EAS O&M full-time government employees, research issues and offer solutions to issues, document all guides and instruction documents as determined by EAS O&M full-time government employees in the standard format used by EAS O&M. Once a month, the contractor shall provide after hours or weekend support for production releases. The estimated hours for this effort will be 5760 hours with 1920 of the 5760 hours requiring mandatory Microsoft Azure expertise.

5.13 OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE (O&M) SUPPORT (OPTIONAL TASKs) The contractor shall provide additional operations and maintenance support for the EAS portfolio of applications as listed in section 5.0. This optional task is in addition to the baseline effort of 5.13 in the case where the government requires additional O&M resources. The contractor shall work with the existing EAS O&M full-time government employees in support of the systems, applications, interfaces, and databases. The contractor shall perform troubleshooting/services, but not limited to: application issues, data issues, reporting issues, performance issues, adding new servers/systems/applications as assigned by EAS O&M full-time government employees, set and manage Azure features as assigned by EAS O&M full-time government employees, research issues and offer solutions to issues, document all guides and instruction documents as determined by EAS O&M full-time government employees in the standard format used by EAS O&M. Once a month, the contractor shall provide after hours or weekend support for production releases. The estimated hours for this effort will be 1920 hours, but additional optional tasks can be exercised concurrently for additional support as desired by the government.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

PERFORMANCE METRICS

The table below defines the Performance Standards and Acceptable Levels of Performance associated with this effort.

2. Efficient and effective in meeting requirements

3. Meets technical needs and mission…