RFI_Ports_&_Vessel.docx

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

For

UNITED STATES TRANSPORTATION COMMAND (USTRANSCOM)

Ports and Vessel Subscription Service

HTC711-17-Q-D050

1. Purpose

This RFI is being issued for informational and planning purposes. Information gathered will be considered in order to determine the feasibility of a small business providing the necessary support, whether adequate competition exists to set-aside the competition for small business, and the most appropriate contract type. The information requested will also be used within USTRANSCOM/Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) to facilitate decision making and will not be disclosed outside the Department of Defense (DoD).

This announcement is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) or solicitation of any kind. USTRANSCOM is not seeking or accepting unsolicited proposals for this requirement. This notice should not be construed as a commitment of any type by the Government to take or not take any action. Please note USTRANSCOM will not be responsible for any costs incurred by interested parties in responding to this RFI.

2. Background

SDDC and USTRANSCOM require renewal of Ports and Vessel Subscription Service to retrieve vessel and port reference data for the Integrated Surface Deployment and Data Cleansing Tool (iSDDC), Integrated Booking System (IBS), and USTRANSCOM Reference Data Management programs. Access to this data subscription is vital for ensuring up-to-date vessel and port information is available for tracking cargo shipments around the world.

The NAICS for this effort is 519130, Internet Publishing and Broadcasting and Web Search Portals. The Small Business Administration small business size standard for NAICS code 519130, Internet Publishing and Broadcasting and Web Search Portals is 1,000 employees. The acquisition strategy of this requirement has yet to be determined.

3. Description

The contractor shall provide current vessel and port reference data for up to 60 concurrent users with up to 50 fields of data. Due to frequent changes within the industry, i.e., vessel name/ownership changes and port capability changes etc., it is vital that SDDC and USTRANSCOM have access to the most up-to-date information for the war fighter; therefore, it is required for the data to be updated at least daily. A list of the required fields of data are as follows:

Vessel Owner

Flag Effective Date

Last Update Date

Ship Status Code

Yard Number

Ship Status Effective Date

4. White Paper

Interested parties are requested to submit capabilities statement in the format of a White Paper as outlined below. The White Paper shall be concise (no more than 5 pages) and address only the information requested below (title pages, cover letter, etc., will not count against the 5 page limit). Again, this information will support market research activities within USTRANSCOM/SDDC.

A. Company Information (General)

B. Business size

C. Capabilities: Generally describe your company’s abilities and interest in fulfilling USTRANSCOM’s Ports and Vessels Characteristics data requirement. Specifically address the information below. USTRANSCOM is not asking for disclosure of specific or detailed innovative solutions.

1) Ability to securely provide the aforementioned data elements using an automated distribution mechanism (e.g. SFTP, web services, etc.)

2) The total number of vessels and ports available for distribution and any restrictions on the data available (e.g. only ships over 100 tons, only US ships, etc.)

3) Accessibility to an online user interface to search and view ports and vessels characteristics

D. Identify the DoD contract vehicle(s) and Federal Supply Schedule(s) your company has under which this requirement could be awarded.

E. Any other information deemed useful to USTRANSCOM

5. Response Instructions

A. Please refer any questions to POCs listed below via e-mail. Questions must be submitted no later than 1000 Central Time, Thursday, 15 June 2017.

B. Responses to this RFI must be submitted to the POCs listed below via e-mail no later than 1300 Central Time, Friday, 23 June 2017.

C. Oral submissions of information will not be accepted in response to this notice.

6. Point of Contact (POC)