Kessel Run Enterprise Software Toolchain (KREST) Request for Information.pdf

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PROGRAM INTRODUCTION

GENERAL INFORMATION

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

PROGRAM/CONTRACT MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS

LABOR CATEGORIES

PROGRAM INTRODUCTION

Kessel Run Enterprise Software Tools (KREST) will provide contractor led, contractor-managed, end-to-end services for Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) software. Software management includes market research, license purchasing and tracking, usage metrics, implementation, security posture, and customer support. KREST will manage the existing COTS software used by Kessel Run as well as the emergent requests for additional software that will arise through the life of the contract. The software will be used to support software and business development by ensuring product and business teams can rapidly communicate and develop applications that support warfighter needs.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Please provide the following information in response to this RFI:

• Company Name:

• Company Headquarter Address:

• Company Point of Contact (POC)

• CAGE Code:

• Company Facility Clearance Level:

• Please identify your business size to include socio-economic status for the following NAICS codes:

o 541511, Custom Computer Programming Services:

o 541512, Computer Systems Design Services:

o 541513, Computer Facilities Management Services:

o 541715, R&D in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences:

o 541519, Other Computer Related Services:

To the maximum extent possible, please submit non-proprietary information. Any proprietary information submitted should be identified as such and will be handled accordingly and protected from disclosure. Proprietary information will be safeguarded in accordance with the applicable Government regulations. The Government shall not be liable for damages related to proprietary information that is not properly identified. Any submissions in response to this RFI constitutes consent for that submission to be reviewed by Government personnel, Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) Contractor employees, and Advisory & Assistance Services (A&AS) Contractor employees supporting the All Domain Common Platform (ADCP) program and/or AFLCMC/C3C (Kessel Run). All Government and Department of Defense (DoD) contractor personnel reviewing RFI responses understand their responsibility for proper use and protection from unauthorized disclosure of proprietary information.

We will not accept classified information.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall provide a core team of FTEs to support Kessel Run in the management of Kessel Run’s software requirements. This includes a wider collection of software and programming tools already supporting the continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) of software products onto the Kessel Run Platform. The software includes a mixture of Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) and Free & Open Source Software (FOSS) business and development tools that enable Kessel Run operability, efficiency and collaboration.

The Contractor’s team shall perform the necessary services to support the existing and evolving commercially available software needs. The DevSecOps environment strives to automate core security tasks by embedding security controls and processes into the DevOps workflow, which supports Development, Security, and Platform Enablement for the All Domain Common Platform (ADCP).

The Contractor shall support a government team by managing the set of programming tools used to perform complex software development tasks or to create a software product within a DevSecOps Pipeline, as well as business tools that enable Kessel Run to communicate, function, and manage various data sources.

Software license metrics shall be tracked and services provided to include but not limited to:

• Utilize technologies to track and manage all the SW licenses and usage within Kessel Run;

• Utilize technologies to track availability and downtime of software applications to increase time efficiency to fix issues;

• Utilize technologies to track and report lead time of all Kessel Run support software;

• Maintain vendor relationships, and act as a liaison between vendors and the

Government;

• Provide license management including annual renewal reporting.

The Contractor shall integrate software and business tools into the existing software environment within ten (10) business days of acquisition. The Contractor shall perform the necessary actions to support Kessel Run’s existing and evolving software needs in all environments (development, testing/staging, and production) to support Development, Security, Platform Enablement, and Business Operations.

Please answer the following questions:

1. Does your company have any experience within a Kubernetes (K8s) environment? Please explain your level of experience.

2. How would your company utilize technologies to track availability and usage of software licenses across the entire division, portfolio, team, or individual contributor level? What specific technology would your company leverage?

3. Given that administrative credentials to some software tools within the environment are not granted to contractors, how would your company overcome the obstacle of needing to provide usage metrics and availability with limited access?

4. Do you have experience providing Software as a Service (SaaS) to include product market research, procurement, implementation into existing infrastructure, configuration management, and user-support for licenses?

5. Do you have experience conducting vulnerability scans on various types of software license types and conducting patch management?

PROGRAM/CONTRACT MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall purchase, implement, and manage software in compliance with

DAFMAN 17-1203 3.4.2.8.1-20.

The various requirements include system administration, software development and scripting tasks, creating and maintaining a CI/CD Pipeline, testing, evaluation, and resolution of software integration issues.

Best security practices shall be implemented to include security testing, monitoring information systems for potential risks/security gaps/unsecure activities and be capable of documenting and communicating these assessments. The Contractor must be familiar with the FedRAMP process and Risk Management Framework.

Upon request, the Contractor shall generate an Approval Package for the purchase of software within five (5) business days from the date of request. The Approval Package documents the best COTS solution, based on discussions with the Government during the review of the initial potential solutions proposed in the Software Capabilities Solutions report.

Please answer the following questions:

1. Can your company provide a fully ready, remote software management service solution and accommodate a 1900-person enterprise software development environment by 31 Jan 2026 after a 30-day transition period with the incumbent?

2. Please describe your approach to implementing and managing Security Risk Management (SCRM) in conjunction with appropriate security parameters and FedRAMP requirements.

3. What skills/background would your company be looking for when hiring IT service providers to manage a DevSecOps pipeline? Please provide specific skills and experience your company would be looking for. The services are expected to create and maintain a continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipeline to include testing the tools, security evaluation of the tools, and resolving any of the integration issues of the CI/CD pipeline.

4. Please explain how your company would provide and manage the representative software considering the wide range of COTS products from multiple Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and the need to assess and integrate new COTS solutions within 7 business days of a completed purchase order.

5. What barriers or complications does your company anticipate given a need date of 31 Dec 2026? Consider factors such as the current solution ending 30 Jan 2026 and having a 1-month transition period and a software environment of 60+ enterprise software tools.

6. Describe your organizational reach back capabilities and how they can be leveraged to support current and emerging requirements in a timely and efficient manner

7. What level of user-support could you provide and what would lead to escalation of issues to the vendor?

LABOR CATEGORIES

The Government anticipates the following labor categories for contractor personnel:

Lead Software Engineer - Level III. The individual(s) must have senior knowledge and senior hands-on experience in developing, implementing and leading software teams. As a senior engineer, this labor competency is responsible for maintaining and improving the performance of existing software code, with duties to design and update software databases under contract and direction from the assigned Government Product Manager.

The senior engineer shall also design, implement, and synthesis technical data and software to meet the organization’s evolving needs.

Clear communication skills are required. The individual must have an astute ability in writing test scripts in an agile software development environment with an emphasis on automated test procedures, and continuous integration and continuous delivery of software. The individual shall recommend improvements to existing software applications as necessary. The individual shall be capable of performing the software tasks identified in the contract requirements. The individual will follow up with Kessel Run users on current and prior software requests.

Software Engineer. The individual(s) must have advanced knowledge and hands-on experience in developing and implementing software programs. This labor competency is responsible to maintain and improve the performance of existing software code, with duties to write and update software code under contract and direction from the assigned Government Product Manager. This competency is required to further test and maintain software products to ensure strong functionality and optimization. The individual shall recommend improvements to existing software programs as necessary. Individual shall be capable of performing the software tasks identified in the contract requirements.

Cyber Security Engineer. The individual(s) must have advanced knowledge and hands- on experience in developing and implementing security into software programs. This labor competency is responsible to maintain and improve the performance of existing security processes for development code, with duties to write and update software code and security processes under direction from the assigned Government Product Manager.

Individual(s) must have hands-on experience in software security assessments and be capable of documenting and communicating the outcome of these assessments to leadership.

Procurement Manager. The Procurement Manager must have knowledge of technologies to track and manage software licenses. The individual shall ensure proper license management tracking and develop annual renewal reporting for the Government. The individual shall provide leadership in the use of systems to support the efficient use of technology that contributes to the performance of Kessel Run product teams. Must have strong analytical skills with the ability to manage multiple detailed projects and be skilled in building relationships with key stakeholders to gather category requirements and specifications from departments and category subject matter experts.