ESS Draft SOO_vRFI.pdf

Enterprise Software Services (ESS) Statement of Objectives (SOO)

1. Background Information

Program Executive Office Defense Healthcare Management Systems’ (PEO DHMS) Architecture and Service Excellence team currently manages a test infrastructure that utilizes a combination of an on-premises data center and an offsite lab facility. This environment provides the infrastructure and physical lab space necessary to support a range of programmatic and enterprise needs, including:

• Development, integration, and test environments, as needed, for Defense Health Agency (DHA) programs and interests.

• A software testing pipeline for three client products for a key program.

• Physical lab space for hands-on testing of several dozen client devices and peripherals for 2 of our 3 major programs.

• Hosting and infrastructure support for enterprise-wide project management and systems engineering management tools.

2. Problem Statement

A recent current state analysis of operational use cases, facility utilization, and resource footprint has identified significant opportunities to reduce cost and improve efficiency across PEO DHMS’s test infrastructure (see Attachment 1). The current contract provides operational support, but no single entity is accountable for the performance, cost efficiency, or optimization of the environment as a whole. The government relied on a decentralized model in which individual programs were allocated infrastructure resources and assumed responsibility for their own configuration and management. While this provided initial flexibility, the absence of centralized governance led to uncoordinated growth that now significantly exceeds operational demand. The government also deferred several hardware refresh cycles, resulting in aging infrastructure with increasing maintenance burden.

The result is an environment where the government is paying for capacity it does not use, programs are diverting technical personnel from product delivery toward infrastructure administration, and costs are disproportionate to the value delivered. The government lacks the transparent utilization and cost data needed to validate that spending is aligned with mission requirements.

These inefficiencies are structural and cannot be resolved through improved management of the existing contract alone.

3. Desired Outcomes

The objective of this effort is to transition from the current state to a solution that is optimized, cost-effective, and transparently operated. This effort seeks to ensure the test infrastructure is expertly managed to achieve the following overarching outcomes:

Outcome Description

1. Optimized and Consolidated Infrastructure and Facilities

Delivery of modernized infrastructure and consolidated physical facilities that are secure, efficient, and cost-effective.

The solution should address challenges posed by aging hardware, inefficiencies, and an oversized physical and virtual footprint, including the rationalization and reduction of physical space such as facilities. The approach should evaluate and implement the appropriate mix of on-premises, cloud-native, or hybrid architectures to achieve a right-sized environment that eliminates waste, reduces the attack surface, optimizes resource utilization, and effectively supports operational needs.

2. Modernized, Secure, and Operationally Aligned Service Delivery

The development, integration, and test infrastructure is operated to ensure it is secure, resilient, and capable of supporting high-fidelity testing and validation that accurately replicates production configurations and reflects real-world conditions. The solution should prioritize infrastructure improvements that enhance the speed and efficiency of product delivery while strengthening the resiliency and performance of hosted applications. Success is measured by the ability to demonstrate tangible improvements in service delivery, security posture, and operational efficiency.

3. Integrated and Efficient Testing and Validation Services

Developmental Testing and Evaluation (DT&E) and Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) services are provided to ensure the delivery of high-quality products that meet mission requirements. The solution should enhance the efficiency, accuracy, and scalability of testing processes while reducing operational risks. Testing and validation services reduce the time and effort required to establish and maintain test environments, including test data provisioning. Success is measured by defect detection effectiveness, test cycle time, environment readiness, and the ability to support program release cadences.

4. Enterprise Tooling and Operational Support to Enable Product Delivery

Enterprise development, test management, and collaboration platforms within the ESS environment are operationally managed and continuously optimized to support program delivery. Asset Lifecycle Management (ALM), Configuration Management (CM), risk management, and Enterprise Architecture (EA) are delivered as services to PEO DHMS and its program offices at both the enterprise and program levels.

Redundant tooling capabilities are rationalized, separately-managed instances are consolidated, and program-managed tooling is migrated to Software Development Lifecycle Next (SDLCNext) as the enterprise standard. SDLCNext is fully operational and consistently managed across its complete scope, supporting standardized processes, integrated workflows, and unified reporting across all programs. The offeror's approach shall account for the current operational scope of each discipline as described in the Current State Analysis.

5. A Transparent and Cost-Effective Platform Service

The service delivery model is transformed from providing a digital workspace that tenants configure to delivering a transparent, cost-effective platform service that supports the standardization, consistency, scaling, and cost-effectiveness of development, integration, test, and pre-production environments. Licensing across the ESS portfolio, including both enterprise and program-level tools, is continuously rationalized to eliminate redundancy and optimize cost at each renewal or procurement decision. The solution should provide stakeholders with clear visibility into how environments are managed and optimized. Success is measured by the ability to reduce the Total Cost of Ownership

(TCO), improve resource utilization, and deliver consistent service quality while maintaining operational transparency.

6.Cybersecurity and Authorization Accountability

The environment maintains continuous authorization status across all associated security packages, with demonstrable progression toward Zero Trust maturity. The offeror is accountable for security control implementation, vulnerability management, incident response, and coordination with the Cyber Security Service Provider (CSSP) and DHA Cyber Operations Center (CyOC). Performance is measured by authorization currency, vulnerability remediation timeliness, and Zero Trust milestone achievement.

7. Seamless Operational Continuity and User Support

All current operational workloads are transitioned with minimal disruption to end-users, excluding government-approved planned maintenance windows and migration activities.

Disruption thresholds and measurement methodology are defined in the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan. Established external interfaces are maintained throughout transition and the period of performance. A high level of User satisfaction is maintained through responsive and effective technical support.

4. Known Constraints

• The service must be delivered under a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) structure. The government acquires infrastructure as managed capacity rather than discrete resources. Testing, validation, and tooling services are acquired based on the outcomes and performance standards defined in this SOO. To support this model, the solution must include a capacity management approach aligned with the proposed technical approach. The approach should address four notional phases:

1. Transition and Stabilization

2. Analysis and Consolidation

3. Modernization and Transformation

4. Optimization and Continuous Improvement.

The capacity requirements are expected to decrease progressively as optimizations are implemented, demonstrating measurable reductions in the TCO over the life of the contract.

• Any tools, automation, code, or documentation developed under this contract will be owned by the government, including but not limited to release management pipelines, Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) configurations, and operational procedures. The partner will ensure that all tools and platforms used to deliver services can be fully transferred to or replicated by a successor without dependency on the partner’s proprietary systems or licenses.

• The current Medical Enterprise Test Innovation Center (METIC) facility is operated under a lease held by the incumbent contractor and does not transfer with the contract. The current lease expires on October 30, 2026. Government-furnished equipment will be made available to the partner. The partner is responsible for providing a facility that meets DHA accreditation and security requirements to support testing operations. Government personnel supporting test operations are currently located in the National Capital Region

• All hardware, software, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud hosting required for the solution must be procured through the government to ensure alignment with approved hardware and software requirements. This approach supports the realization of economies of scale across the DHA enterprise, enabling cost-effective purchasing and standardization while maintaining compliance with enterprise-wide policies and standards. The government retains approval authority over all licensing and asset changes.

• The infrastructure must operate on DHA-authorized network address space and natively consume DHA enterprise services.

• All services must maintain full compliance with DHA cybersecurity directives, including Risk Management Framework (RMF), Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG), and including Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) requirements.

• SDLCNext is the mandated enterprise development, test management, and collaboration platform. All tooling consolidation efforts under Outcome 4, including migration of separately-managed instances, must target SDLCNext as the enterprise standard.

• SDLCNext is a government-furnished platform. The government provides all licensing and hosting. The offeror is responsible for operational management and integration but not platform procurement.

• The government anticipates a transition-out option period at the conclusion of the current period of performance. During this time, the partner will continue to provide all services at established performance levels while supporting the transfer of platform operations, infrastructure access, and institutional knowledge to a successor partner or back to the government

5. Period of Performance The period of performance for this contract begins on August 28, 2026, and will be structured to align with the progression through the four notional phases in an offeror’s proposal: Transition and Stabilization, Analysis and Consolidation, Modernization and Transformation, and Optimization and Continuous Improvement.

Attachments:

1) Current State Analysis