RFQ_Solicitation_No__15Q00006.pdf

REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (RFQ) - SOLICITATION NO. DTFH6115Q00006

CONDUCTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH FAR 13.1

Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration Office of Acquisition & Grants Management

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, D.C. 20590

Attn: Kevin Hardy

(W) 202-366-4214 kevin.hardy@dot.gov

PART I

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has a requirement for a powerful and flexible commercial-off-the-shelf Integrated Library System (ILS) service. Please provide a technical (16 page limit) and price quotation in accordance with the Part II, Section 2.4 - Statement of Work.

Technical Questions Due Date/Time: Thursday, April 15, 2015 / 12:00 PM (Noon) ET.

Please direct all questions via email to kevin.hardy@dot.gov.

Quotation Due Date/Time: Thursday, April 23, 2015 / 4:00 PM ET

Evaluation Criteria

The Government will evaluate quotations and make an award to the offeror that provides the lowest-price-technically-acceptable quotation in accordance with the minimum specifications for technical acceptability identified below.

In order for an offeror’s quotation to meet the minimum standards for technically acceptability, the quotation must demonstrate the following, at a minimum:

Technical Capability

All items noted below are considered equally important in the overall evaluation of technical capability:

• Demonstrated ability to meet the required technical functionality/minimum specifications outlined in Section 2.3 and ability to successfully complete work outlined in Section 2.4;

• Demonstrated high system access availability and low downtime; and

• Demonstrated ability for timely resolution of customer support issues.

mailto:kevin.hardy@dot.gov mailto:kevin.hardy@dot.gov

In responding to this quotation, your quotation MUST include the following mandatory business information regarding your firm:

a. Business Size (Small, Woman-Owned, Disadvantaged, Hub-Zone, Large, Non- Profit, etc)

b. Proposed Payment Terms (Government Standard is NET 30)

c. Dunn & Bradstreet Number

d. Federal Tax Identification Number (9-Digits)

e. Proposed Completion Date of Services/Delivery Date

f. Correct Mailing Address for the Purchase Order (include name, telephone, email address)

g. Government Discount/Savings provided (if applicable)

h. Verify System for Award Management (SAM). NOTE: All contractors must have a current registration in SAM in order to be eligible to receive an award under this RFQ.

NOTE: Failure to furnish all information required above may result in your quotation being considered non-responsive and eliminated from further consideration.

PART II

“FHWA Library Integrated Library System (ILS) Service”

1.0 General

The Contractor shall furnish all products and non-personal technical, administrative, and other support services to perform the tasks described under this Purchase Order entitled, “FHWA Library Integrated Library System (ILS) Service.” The Contractor shall furnish all products and non-personal services in support of the mission of the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center’s (TFHRC) Office of Corporate Research, Technology & Innovation (HRTM) located at 6300 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 22101.

This is a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) Purchase Order and Offerors shall propose a total price breakdown based on the proposed contract line item (CLIN) chart below.

CONTRACT LINE ITEM

NUMBER (CLIN)

DESCRIPTION FIRM FIXED PRICE

0001- Base Year Integrated Library System including:

• Conversion of the Integrated

System

• Training of the Integrated

Library System

• Service, support and maintenance service agreement

0002 - Option Year 1 • Training of the Integrated Library System

0003 - Option Year 2 • Training of the Integrated Library System

0004 - Option Year 3 • Training of the Integrated Library System

0005 - Option Year 4 • Training of the Integrated Library System

The Total Maximum Potential Price for all work under this Purchase Order:

NOTE: Unless otherwise negotiated and approved, the contractor will be paid the FFP of each CLIN upon successful completion and Government acceptance. The contractor may also request milestone payments in accordance with work completed and accepted by the Government. Satisfactory completion and acceptance will be made by the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC).

2.0 Statement of Work

2.1 Background

Over the past 10 years, the FHWA Research Library has used specialized library cataloging software to catalog library holdings, including videos, graphics, periodicals, databases, and other publications—both online and in printed copy. The agency started with software that was housed on FHWA servers, but 5 years ago, switched to an online, commercial-off-the-shelf, Web-based service hosted by the ILS service provider. The FHWA Research Library has approximately 28,000 records in MARC 21, machine-readable, barcode compatible format.

The ILS serves as a dynamic central repository of data describing and providing access to a broad variety of library resources and holdings that facilitate the maintenance and expansion of library service and research. Those resources might include publications, videos, graphics, or articles. In addition, the system enables cataloging of unpublished material and e-books. Librarians use the system to catalog and upload/download information about library holdings, share records with other libraries, generate queries and reports, communicate notifications to library users, and track borrowing/circulation. Library users (OPAC users) perform searches in the system for holdings and borrowing status, save searches, and export search results.

2.2 Objective

The objective of this order is to enable the FHWA to catalog electronic and hard copy documents in a database system. The system shall be Web-based and hosted by the vendor and shall include cataloging/bibliographic control, public access, circulation, serials control, knowledge management, reference/request tracking, robust and user-friendly search engine, and report generation.

2.3 Specifications/Minimum Requirements – Integrated Library Service

A. General

1. The ILS system shall comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and be MARC 21 compatible. Upon industry acceptance of the new standard (that may replace MARC 21), the ILS should have the capability to change to the new frame format currently called BIBFRAME, for the bibliographic frame initiative. The system shall fully integrate cataloging, circulation, serials, and public access catalog (OPAC), with a full MARC database. A sample FHWA Research Library record is included in appendix 3;

2. The system shall be machine readable and capable of interfacing with other institutional data through industry-defined standards;

3. The system shall have the ability to import and export data at any time in a variety of formats, including MARC and XML;

4. The system shall enable the library to upload records from the ILS to other catalog databases seamlessly;

5. The system shall be Z39.50 compliant;

6. The system shall support standard barcode readers (scanners). The system shall utilize industry standard barcode labels, specifically Code 39. The system shall include barcode numbers on items and user IDs shall be able to be scanned or manually entered into the system;

7. The ILS shall reduce the likelihood of incorrect or conflicting information (such as duplicate record check, missing data, URL checker, etc.) being entered into the database, and speed users through any operations;

8. The system shall be modular in design so components can be purchased separately in a phased approach;

9. The system shall be designed for ease of use by nontechnical personnel and library patrons;

10. The system shall provide sophisticated searching capabilities in all modules;

11. The system shall include the ability to customize fields and metadata and manage nontraditional data sources;

12. The system shall include a report generator allowing staff to create, run, and publish reports in various outputs;

13. The system shall allow for four to five library staff accounts (record data entry, and record management) to have concurrent access to administrative functions and enter/manage information in modules. The system must accommodate additional users without noticeable performance issues such as slower rate of record upload or long waits between screens;

14. The system shall support unlimited Web OPAC users;

15. The system shall have a mechanism for receiving and addressing feedback and problems with the system from the library staff, such as enhancement requests, problems, and feedback;

16. The ILS service shall be able to limit access to internal USDOT employees (by IP address recognition or some other means other than sign in); and

17. The contractor shall have a proven service and maintenance record in regard to the ILS System. That is, it is important that the system is operational 24/7, and that the system shall not go down for long periods of time since OPAC users may use the system outside of normal business hours. In addition, the system should be able to handle multiple OPAC and library users at the same time so that users do not experience slow access speeds. For the librarians performing data input, fast access is needed so that they can efficiently perform data input, without waiting minutes for data entry screen transitions or system latencies due to contractor server or system inadequacies. The ILS hosting service shall ensure that data records are safely stored, secured, and protected so that catalog records are not lost. Finally, customer support shall be accessible within a reasonable amount of time (1-2 hours), and that timely repairs are made to the hosting system after notification of any problems.

B. Cataloging

1. The system shall encode all bibliographic records in .MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data with the ability to transition to the BIBFRAME format without limitation on record length;

2. The system shall be capable of importing and exporting bibliographic records in .MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data from utilities like OCLC Connexion browser and client, without vendor intervention and with full preservation of all content designators;

3. The system shall provide for display of all MARC content designators (field tags, subfield codes, indicators) in the cataloging module and suppress display of codes in the online public access catalog display;

4. The system shall be flexible, i.e., enabling librarians to develop cataloging templates for multiple workflows to create data entry shortcuts and save work on repetitive tasks, especially with regards to original cataloging;

5. New relationships, new queries, and new reports shall be able to be added or modified without changing the program source code;

6. Users shall be able to get needed information without moving hierarchically between ILS functional subsystems; and

7. The system shall allow a seamless flow between modules, i.e., multiple views of the different modules simultaneously without having to constantly sign-in and sign-out. For example, working in the cataloging module, jumping to the authority module to fix a heading and then going back to work in the cataloging module.

C. Authority Control

1. The system shall support .MARC 21 Format for Authority Data and allow all relevant bibliographic fields to be authority controlled;

2. The system shall generate SEE and SEE ALSO references from authority records and display them in the OPAC;

3. The system shall be capable of importing and exporting authority records in .MARC 21 Format for Authority Data from bibliographic utilities like, OCLC Connexion browser and client, without vendor intervention and with full preservation of all content designators;

and

4. The system shall be capable of editing bibliographic and authority records individually and globally and allow easy access to authority records editing from within the cataloging module.

D. Serials

1. The system shall provide publication patterns for regular and irregular titles a n d must be user friendly to set up and maintain;

2. The system shall support check-in of serial issues, including serials received out of sequence or combined issues, irregular titles, indexes, supplements, and other variations;

3. The system shall be able to search by ISSN;

4. The system shall have the ability to generate claims and other memos on demand;

5. The system shall have the ability for the serials check-in system to automatically update the MARC 21 holdings record; and

6. The system shall adhere to MARC 21 Format for Holdings Data, and ANSI/NISO Z39.71 Holdings Statements for Bibliographic Items standards, and retain this format when exporting holdings data. In addition, the system shall include the following:

a. the ability to automatically generate summary holdings; and

b. the ability to export holdings data to allow participation in union lists or library data exchanges.

E. Circulation

1. The system shall allow for customizable check-out, check-in, renewals, holds, and interlibrary loans;

2. The system shall support staff configuration of loan periods, patron types, and other circulation parameters;

3. The system shall support the delivery of pre-due-date and overdue notices by email;

4. The system shall display circulation status information in the public access catalog without revealing the identity of patrons;

5. The system shall allow a material lookup by partial or complete tile, author, call number, or item barcode;

6. The system shall allow the librarian to perform a patron lookup by partial or complete patron name;

7. The system shall allow for the creation of a temporary item record to facilitate circulation of materials that have not been cataloged; and

8. The system shall have the ability to create messages that show up in circulation module and the OPAC.

F. Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC)

1. The full range of information in the ILS must be available from a variety of locations to the research community, library staff, and to remote users;

2. The system shall allow users to search the collection by using both keyword and key phrase elements;

3. The system shall allow full Boolean searching capability across or within all fields of the full bibliographic record;

4. Search Function shall be sophisticated with a simple and advanced search. The simple search shall enable Web OPAC users to search records and then narrow searches by filtering and sorting the results. The ILS also shall enable librarians to add additional fields such as one or more dropdown tables of terms that would enable topic-based or other means of providing users with filtering mechanisms. OPAC users shall be able to export searches to a useable format such as Microsoft Excel;

5. The system shall allow the user to browse and filter searches by specific categories, such as title, author, subject, series, etc., with system displaying closest match if exact match not found;

6. The system shall provide the user the ability to place a hold on any circulating title desired;

7. The system shall provide the user the ability to view their current records, items checked-out, and holds placed and ability to renew online;

8. The system shall provide the user the ability to print whatever is displayed on the screen;

9. The system shall provide the user the complete description of item status, including due dates, location within the collection, holdings, etc;

10. The system shall provide the user the ability to view the bibliographic record in multiple record displays: Brief, Full, MARC;

11. The system shall provide the user the capability of displaying hyperlinks with the bibliographic record; and

12. The system shall provide the user easy access to the location and status of holdings after a search.

G. Reference/Request Tracking

1. The system shall provide the ability to track material and information requests from patrons;

2. The system shall provide integration of requests with patron records;

3. The system shall have the ability of tracking and finding status, staff assigned to fulfill requests, and other related fields;

4. The system shall have the ability to generate reports with statistics such as number of requests by department, origin of request, category, and other information;

5. The system shall have the ability to customize queries and reports easily without going back to source code; and

6. The request tracking module shall have the ability to create FAQs in the system.

H. E-resources (i.e., electronic journals and books)

1. The system shall have the ability to manage subscriptions and processes for e-resources.

2. The system shall have the ability to generate reports and alerts for subscription dates or other criteria set by the library for e-resources.

3. The system shall have the ability to access notes.

4. The system shall have the ability to display/include holdings and other access information.

2.4 Delineation of Contractor Tasks

In order to meet the requirements of this Order, the Contractor shall perform the following tasks:

1. Provide all labor, equipment, materials, supplies, and services necessary for the installation of a hosted ILS, and verify normal operation (base year only);

2. Provide data conversion (that is, record migration of bibliographic and patron records), loading, and minor customization support, as well as database testing and confirmation (base year only);

3. Provide training to library staff [initial training for base year only and subsequent training, as necessary, when software updates are made that would impact library staff)] in the usage of the system through Web-based (Webinars and interactive online training), telephone, and conference-centered (both telephone conferences and videoconferences) user training, documentation, and consultation; and

4. Provide a service maintenance agreement for each year of the anticipated order. The service maintenance agreement shall provide for the following:

a. Customer support during normal FHWA Research Library business hours (7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time) and an emergency system and telephone number in place should the system go down or is not in operation;

b. System implementation (base year only);

c. IT consultation and troubleshooting;

d. Data conversion and data conversion support (base year only); and

e. Maintenance service within one to two hours upon notification of the event of failure of any unit of the ILS system, and timely repairs are made to the hosting system after notification of any problems.

NOTE ON POTENTIAL ADDITIONAL WORK/FUTURE MODIFICATION: The Government anticipates that it may require additional work (outlined below) under this task at a later date based on funding availability and the Government’s determination that this work is required. In the event this potential future work is required and funding is made available for the work, the Government anticipates modifying the purchase order award resulting from this solicitation. This future potential additional work outlined below is not an optional task, and the offeror’s quotation will not be evaluated for the ability to complete this potential additional future work. As such, neither technical capability to complete the potential additional work, nor pricing is requested by the Government.

Brief description of potential future work: Under this potential future additional task, the contractor shall make OPAC for this site available to the public outside of the United States Department of Transportation (US DOT) employees and contractors. The system shall allow customization of the home page with FHWA headers and footers and shall follow all minimum requirements as seen in Appendix 1 and 2. A public facing system shall undergo FHWA public affairs, IT, and security reviews prior to being made accessible to the public; please see Appendix 1 and 2 for additional information.

NOTE: The contractor may be asked to designate an IP address to the FHWA public view so that the agency could assign a domain name to that IP address such as http://library.fhwa.dot.gov.

3.0 Period of Performance

The anticipated period of performance for this Purchase Order is 12 months from the effective date of the award, plus four, 12-month option years. Within the specified time period, the Contractor shall complete all work defined within the Statement of Work.

4.0 Place of Performance

Unless otherwise specified, deliverables under this Purchase Order shall be delivered to:

Federal Highway Administration Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center FHWA Research Library Office of Corporate Research, Technology, and Innovation Management 6300 Georgetown Pike McLean, VA 22101 Attention: (filled in at time of award)

5.0 Schedule of Deliverables

The contractor shall comply with the delivery dates contained in this Schedule for Deliverables.

Note: All non-equipment related deliverables are due in electronic format either specified or agreed to by the Technical Point of Contract (TPOC).

http://library.fhwa.dot.gov/

Deliverable Due Date Quantity ILS System Within 30 days from the

Effective Date of the Award

Access to the ILS System at Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center and conversion of data

Within 30 days from the Effective Date of the Award

Web-based (Webinars and interactive online training), telephone, and conference-centered (both telephone conferences and videoconferences) user training, documentation, and consultation

Within 30 days from the Effective Date of the Award

Initial training for the base year only and subsequent training when applicable software updates are made that would affect library staff.

Service, support and maintenance service agreement

Base year plus any option years exercised.

6.0 Requirements for Implementing Section 504 and 508 Standards

In addition to the work requirements specified in this statement of work, vendors must ensure that all electronic documents that they prepare will meet the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. The act requires that all electronic products prepared for the Federal Government be accessible to persons with disabilities, including those with vision, hearing, cognitive, and mobility impairments. Vendors can view Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (http://www.access-board.gov/508.htm) and the Federal IT Accessibility Initiative (Home Page) (http://section508.gov/) for detailed information.

Applicable Standards:

The following standards have been determined to be applicable to this contract:

X 1194.21 Software applications and operating systems.

X 1194.22 Web-based intranet and Internet information and applications.

1194.23 Telecommunications products.

1194.24 Video and multimedia products.

1194.25 Self-contained, closed products.

1194.26 Desktop and portable computers

The standards are available at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/standards.htm. The standards do not require the installation of specific accessibility-related software or the attachment of an assistive technology device, but merely require that the Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) be compatible with such software and devices so that it can be made accessible, if so required by the agency, in the future.

The following paragraphs summarize the requirements for preparing FHWA reports in conformance with Section 508 for eventual posting by FHWA to an FHWA-sponsored website. If you have http://www.access-board.gov/508.htm http://www.access-board.gov/508.htm http://section508.gov/ http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/standards.htm further questions, please contact the FHWA Contracting Officer’s Representative listed in this statement of work.

Electronic documents with images Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element in all publications prepared in electronic format.

Use descriptions (such as, "alt" and "longdesc") for all non-text images or place them in element content. For all documents prepared, vendors must prepare one standard HTML format (as described in this statement of work) AND one text format that includes descriptions for all non-text images.

“Text equivalent” means text sufficient to reasonably describe the image. For example, an image that is merely decorative requires only a very brief “text equivalent” description. However, if the image conveys information that is important to the content of the report, then text sufficient to reasonably describe that image and its purpose within the context of the report must be provided.

Electronic documents with complex charts or data tables When preparing tables that are heavily designed, provide adequate alternate information so that assistive technologies can read them out. Identify row and column headers for data tables. Provide the information in a non-linear form. Markup shall be used to associate data cells and header cells for data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers.

Electronic documents with forms When electronic forms are designed to be completed on-line, the form shall allow people using assistive technology to access the information, field elements, and functionality required for completion and submission of the form, including all directions and cues.

While Section 508 addresses accessibility issues relative to electronic media, such as Web posting, Web sites, computer simulations, and videos, Section 504 of the Act deals with accessibility for all participants in Government training classes. Section 504 specifically addresses classroom settings, course materials and accommodations for special needs.

It has been determined that some of the deliverables to be developed under this contract are subject to the requirements of Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. Unless otherwise indicated, by submission of their proposal and acceptance of award, the contractor represents that all required 504 and 508 compliance requirements will be met.

Contractors shall provide documentation of testing of all electronic materials and submit proof of compliance testing (results, reports, etc.). This documentation shall accompany the submitted final deliverables. The Government is not responsible for providing Section 508 guidance and training.

The Government will be using Netcentric’s PAW software, or similar software to test the contractor’s deliverables for 508 compliance.

All electronic and information technology (EIT) procured through this contract must meet the applicable accessibility standards at 36 CFR 1194, unless an agency exception to this requirement exists. 36 CFR 1194 implements Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. EIT is defined as any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment that is used in the creation, conversion, or duplication of data or information, or used in the automatic acquisition, storage, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or reception of data or information. EIT includes, but is not limited to, telecommunications products (such as telephones), information kiosks and transaction machines, World Wide Web sites, multimedia, office equipment such as copiers and fax machines. It includes computers, ancillary equipment, software, firmware and similar procedures, services (including support services), and related resources.

The contractors must ensure that all EIT that they provide either (1) meets the technical provisions of the Section 508 Access Board Standards applicable to a given procurement [see below] or (2) uses designs or technologies as alternatives to those prescribed in the specified technical provisions, provided they result in substantially equivalent or greater access to and use of a product for people with disabilities.

NOTE: The standards do not require the installation of specific accessibility-related software or the attachment of an assistive technology device, but merely require that the EIT be compatible with such software and devices so that it can be made accessible if so required by the agency in the future.

7.0 Technical Point of Contact (TPOC)

The Contracting Officer may designate a TPOC to assist in monitoring the work under this Order.

The TPOC is responsible for the technical administration of the order and is the technical liaison with the Contractor. The TPOC is not authorized to change the scope of work or specifications as stated in the order, to make any commitments or otherwise obligate the Government or authorize any changes which affect the order price, delivery schedule, period of performance or other terms or conditions.

The TPOC is the exclusive technical point of contact between the Government and Contractor.

The Contracting Officer is the only individual who can legally commit or obligate the Government for the expenditure of public funds. The technical administration of this order shall not be construed to authorize the revision of the terms and conditions of this order. Any such revision shall be authorized in writing by the Contracting Officer.

8.0 Payment – Firm Fixed Price

In accordance with FAR 52.232-1 – Payments, unless otherwise approved, the contractor may invoice for the contract line items (CLINs) stated in the schedule of this task order upon completion, delivery, and official acceptance by the Government for each CLIN.

9.0 Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Clauses

The following additional FAR Clauses will apply to this Purchase Order:

52.204-7 SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (JULY 2013)

52.204-13 SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT MAINTENANCE (JULY 2013)

52.212-4 CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS – SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITIONS

(COMMERCIAL ITEMS) (DEC 2014)

52.217-5 EVALUATION OF OPTIONS (JULY 1990)

52.217-7 OPTION FOR INCREASED QUANTITY—SEPARATELY PRICED LINE ITEM (MAR 1989)

Fill in: 60 days of the scheduled end of the period of performance.

52.219-9 OPTION TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT (MAR 2000)

(a) The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the Contractor within 30 days; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 60 days before the contract expires. The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an extension.

(b) If the Government exercises this option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this option clause.

(c) The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed 60 months.

52.223-18 ENCOURAGING CONTRACTOR POLICIES TO BAN TEXT MESSAGING WHILE

DRIVING (AUG 2011)

52.232-33 PAYMENT BY ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER-- SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT

(JULY 2013)