NGEN-R AcquServe User Guide v1 20180917.pdf

2002 Edmund Halley Drive

Reston, Virginia 20191

NAVAL ENTERPRISE NETWORK PROGRAM

UNITED STATES NAVY

AcquServe User Guide

Version: 1

Date: September 17, 2018

Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems Program Manager, Naval Enterprise Networks

1325 10th Street, SE, Suite 301 Washington, DC 20374

NGEN-R AcquServe User Guide

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... ii List of Figures .............................................................................................................. iii List of Acronyms .......................................................................................................... iv

1. Executive Summary

2. Purpose

3. Access

3.1. IdenTrust

3.2. Operational Research Consultants

3.3. Installing your ECA Certificate

3.4. Initial Setup

4. AcquServe Home Page

4.1. Tool Bar

4.1.1. Tools

4.1.2. Help

4.2. Welcome Panel

4.3. Proposal Submission Panel

4.4. Proposal Progress Panel

4.5. Recent Changes Panel

5. Assembling a Proposal

5.1. Upload Proposal Files

5.2. Complete the Submission Matrix

5.2.1. Filtering Requirements

5.2.2. Complete Requirements

6. Download RFP Files

7. RFP Questions

7.1. Add Question Tab

7.2. Upload Questions

7.3. View Answers

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List of Figures

Figure 1: IdenTrust Certificate Center Figure 2: Buy ECA Certificate Figure 3: ECA Certificate Home Page Figure 4: Confirm Certificate Figure 5: AcquServe Vendor Portal Registration Figure 6: AcquServe Vendor Portal Registration Email Figure 7: AcquServe Home Page Figure 8: AcquServe Tool Bar Figure 9: Tools Menu Figure 10: Help Menu Figure 11: Contact Help Desk Figure 12: AcquServe Welcome Panel Figure 13: Proposal Submission Panel Figure 14: Proposal Progress Panel Figure 15: Recent Changes Panel Figure 16: Changes Page Figure 17: Proposal Files Figure 18: Upload Proposal File Figure 19: Submission Matrix Figure 20: Submission Matrix Filter: View Menu Figure 21: Submission Matrix Filter: Volume Menu Figure 22: Submission Matrix Filter: Search Box Figure 23: Complete / Edit Submission Matrix Requirement Figure 24: RFP Files Page Figure 25: RFP Questions Page Figure 26: RFP Questions: Add Question Tab Figure 27: RFP Questions: Choose RFP Section Figure 28: RFP Questions: Expand RFP Section Figure 29: RFP Questions: Upload Questions Tab Figure 30: RFP Questions: Upload Table Figure 31: RFP Questions: View Answers Tab

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List of Acronyms

CO Contracting Officer DoD Department of Defense CSV Comma Separated Values ECA External Certification Authority NGEN-R Next Generation Enterprise

Networks Re-compete

ORC Operational Research Consultants

PDF Portable Document Format PIN Personal Identification Number RFP Request for Proposal

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1. Executive Summary AcquServe provides electronic access through a secure website to allow potential offerors to complete all required information and submit proposals (including all attachments) offered in response to a Request for Proposal (RFP). This includes required conformance and compliance matrices and other reference information.

This document provides instructions for preparing and submitting an offeror’s proposal responses to the RFP, as well as instructions for using AcquServe to submit questions and comments concerning the RFP and proposal. Note that the instructions in this document do not supersede the proposal instructions in RFP Section L.

To access AcquServe, each individual user must have a Department of Defense External Certification Authority (ECA) certificate. No other type of certificate is accepted.

An overview of AcquServe is provided, including specific instructions on how to:

1. Download RFP files

2. Submit RFP questions and view responses

3. Download and view RFP reference tables

4. Upload Proposal Files

5. Complete the Submission Matrix and submit the proposal

2. Purpose This document provides instructions for assembling and submitting proposal responses to the Next Generation Enterprise Networks Re-compete (NGEN-R) RFP, which was released on September 14, 2018. All questions and comments regarding the NGEN-R RFP shall be submitted via AcquServe.

3. Access The AcquServe vendor portal is accessed via an internet browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox or Chrome). For Internet Explorer, version IE9 or newer is required.

The first step in obtaining access to AcquServe is acquiring a Department of Defense (DoD) External Certification Authority (ECA) certificate. The ECA program was established to support the issuance of DoD-approved certificates to industry partners and other external entities and organizations. The certificate must be purchased from IdenTrust or Operational Research Consultants (ORC) as described below.

After obtaining a DoD ECA certificate and installing it on your local machine, visit https://vendors.acqucenter.noblis.org/NGENR/EUHW for End User Hardware or https://vendors.acqucenter.noblis.org/NGENR/SMIT for Service Management, Integration, and Transport. Follow the instructions to submit your certificate details for Noblis to create your account (see Section 3.4 for additional details).

https://vendors.acqucenter.noblis.org/NGENR/EUHW https://vendors.acqucenter.noblis.org/NGENR/SMIT

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3.1. IdenTrust

To purchase an ECA certificate from IdenTrust, use a Web browser to access the following link: https://www.identrust.com/certificates/dod-eca-programs.

The web page shown in Figure 1 will display. Click the BUY NOW button.

Figure 1: IdenTrust Certificate Center

Click on the “*No ECA Agency Affiliation Is Required” check box, scroll to the bottom of the page, and click on the NEXT button. Follow the IdenTrust wizard and select the ECA Medium Assurance option. (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Buy ECA Certificate

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3.2. Operational Research Consultants

To purchase an ECA certificate from ORC, use a Web browser to access the following link: https://eca.orc.com.

The web page shown in Figure 3 will display. Click the Order button for “Medium Assurance Identity and Encryption Certificates.”

Figure 3: ECA Certificate Home Page

Proceed through ORC’s ordering steps to complete the purchase of your certificate.

3.3. Installing your ECA Certificate

After obtaining your digital certificate, install your ECA certificate on the same machine you will use to access the AcquServe Vendor Portal.

3.4. Initial Setup

After obtaining and installing the ECA Certificate onto a specified computer, you will be able to access AcquServe from that computer.

Use a Web browser to access https://vendors.acqucenter.noblis.org/NGENR/EUHW for End User Hardware or https://vendors.acqucenter.noblis.org/NGENR/SMIT for Service Management, Integration, and Transport. If you have multiple certificates installed on your machine you will be required to select the correct ECA certificate. If you need to select a different certificate after choosing one, close all browsers and re-enter the URL.

https://eca.orc.com/ https://vendors.acqucenter.noblis.org/NGENR/EUHW https://vendors.acqucenter.noblis.org/NGENR/SMIT

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Note: If the link does not access the website, copy and paste it into the Web browser.

Click the OK button to confirm the ECA Certificate (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Confirm Certificate

Your certificate information will automatically populate within the AcquServe Vendor Portal registration page (Figure 5). Verify that the “Issuer” displays the company you purchased your ECA certificate from, “Subject” displays your personal information, and “Days Left” matches the expiration of your ECA certificate.

Figure 5: AcquServe Vendor Portal Registration

If all information is correct, click on the Send Certificate Information button. Your default email program will display with the pre-populated information from the AcquServe

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Vendor Portal Registration page (Figure 6). If your email does not open automatically, copy and paste the certificate information shown on the Registration page and email to NGENRVendorHelp@noblis.org.

Figure 6: AcquServe Vendor Portal Registration Email

Please allow up to 48 hours for the AcquServe Vendor Portal team to complete your account setup and notify you.

After receiving confirmation that your account setup is complete, log into AcquServe using one of the links provided above. The AcquServe Home page will display.

mailto:NGENRVendorHelp@noblis.org

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4. AcquServe Home Page This section describes how to use AcquServe functions available from the Home page (Figure 7), which is the default starting page. It serves as a dashboard summarizing the progress of the proposal and as the primary navigation page.

Figure 7: AcquServe Home Page

The Home page is divided into four panels:

1. Welcome – Quick text links to important parts of the AcquServe site (Section 4.2)

2. Proposal Submission – Create and submit the proposal (Section 4.3)

3. Proposal Progress – High-level view of the progress of the proposal (Section 4.4)

4. Recent Changes – Recent changes to the system (Section 4.5)

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4.1. Tool Bar

To access other pages, use the Tool bar (Figure 8), located at the top of the AcquServe Home page and all other pages. The Tool bar provides the following links:

1. Tools – Access to various tools

2. Help – User assistance

Figure 8: AcquServe Tool Bar

4.1.1. Tools

To select an AcquServe tool, use the Tools menu on the Tools bar (Figure 9).

Figure 9: Tools Menu

The Tools menu links to the following functions:

1. Home (default) – Go to the AcquServe Home page (Figure 7)

2. Changes – Displays system changes and updates (Section 4.5)

3. Proposal Files – Download, view, and upload proposal files (Section 5.1)

4. RFP Files – Download RFP Files (Section 6)

5. RFP Questions – Submit questions and review/download all provided answers

(Section 7)

6. Submission Matrix – View and edit the Submission Matrix (Section 5.2)

4.1.2. Help

To access help information, use the Help menu on the Tools bar (Figure 10).

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Figure 10: Help Menu

The Help menu links to the following information:

1. Contact Help Desk – Help Desk information

2. User Guide – This user guide as a Portable Document Format (PDF) document

4.1.2.1. Contact Help Desk

To display Help Desk contact information, select “Contact Help Desk” (Figure 11):

1. The Help Desk email address

2. The Help Desk telephone number

3. Your Offeror ID and Personal Identification Number (PIN). To protect sensitive information, Help Desk personnel will only answer telephone questions after you provide your Offeror ID and PIN.

Figure 11: Contact Help Desk

4.1.2.2. User Guide

Selecting the User Guide option from the Help menu opens an Adobe PDF version of this document (NGEN-R AcquServe User Instructions for Proposal Submissions).

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4.2. Welcome Panel

Figure 12 shows the AcquServe Home page Welcome panel.

Figure 12: AcquServe Welcome Panel

The links in the upper portion of the Welcome Panel allow you to:

1. Download RFP Files (also accessible under the Tools menu; see Section 4.1.1)

2. Add RFP Questions (also accessible under the Tools menu; see Section 4.1.1)

3. Populate Your Submission Matrix (also accessible under the Tools Menu; see

Section 5.2)

4. Submit Your Proposal (See Section 4.3)

The lower portion of the panel provides a link to this user guide and important information for contacting and communicating with the Help Desk:

1. This user guide (also accessible under the Help menu; see Section 4.1.2.2)

2. The Help Desk email address

3. The Help Desk telephone number

4. Your Offeror ID and PIN. To protect sensitive information, Help Desk personnel will only answer telephone questions after you provide your Offeror ID and PIN.

4.3. Proposal Submission Panel

Figure 14 shows the AcquServe Home page Proposal Submission panel.

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Figure 13: Proposal Submission Panel

This panel allows you to submit the current proposal. Its features include:

1. Due Date – The due date for the NGEN-R Proposal Submission

2. Proposal Files Tool link – Links to the Proposal Files page (Section 5.1) to allow you to finalize the files to be included in the current proposal

3. Submit Proposal button – Submits the current proposal

4. Download Receipt button – Downloads a text receipt containing all the information provided in the submitted proposal

5. Download Archive button – Downloads a .zip archive containing all the files, Error

Checker results, reports, tables, and the receipt of the submitted proposal

6. Last Proposal Submission – Displays the time and date of the last proposal submission. During a proposal submission, this area will display a bar showing that the proposal is being submitted.

7. Warnings panel – If any errors or warnings were encountered during the last proposal submission, a high-level overview will display here

4.4. Proposal Progress Panel

Figure 14 shows the AcquServe Home page Proposal Progress panel.

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Figure 14: Proposal Progress Panel

This panel displays the overall completion progress of the offeror’s proposal, including:

1. File Volumes – Displays the completion rate of uploading the appropriate proposal file volumes. For a volume to be flagged as complete, you must attach the required minimum number of files for that volume. Click on the bar to open the Proposal Files page (Section 5.1), also accessible from the Tools menu.

2. Submission Matrix – Displays the completion rate for the submission matrix (i.e., how many required answers have been provided). Click on the bar to open the Submission Matrix page (Section 5.2), also accessible from the Tools menu.

[Note: This panel is intended to assist offerors in tracking the progress of their proposals. However, the bars are not definitive indicators that the proposal is complete.]

4.5. Recent Changes Panel

To display the most recent changes to AcquServe, use the AcquServe Home page Recent Changes panel (Figure 15).

Figure 15: Recent Changes Panel

The Recent Change panel supports the following functions:

1. Recent Changes – Displays the five (5) most recent changes

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2. View Older Changes – Opens the Changes page (Figure 16), also accessible from the Tools menu. The Changes page displays all system updates.

Figure 16: Changes Page

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5. Assembling a Proposal The process of using AcquServe to assemble a proposal includes:

• Uploading the files that constitute the narrative portion(s) of the proposal

• Completing the Submission Matrix

5.1. Upload Proposal Files

To upload, view, and download proposal files, use the Proposal Files page (Figure 17).

Figure 17: Proposal Files

Features of the Proposal Files page include:

1. Add File – Upload a proposal file to a volume of the proposal

2. Proposal Files View – Displays the names of the files that have been uploaded, organized by proposal volume. Click on a file to view or download it; click on the x next to the filename to remove the file from the proposal.

To upload a proposal file to a selected volume, use the Upload Proposal File window (Figure 18).

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Figure 18: Upload Proposal File

Features of the Upload Proposal File window include:

1. Volume menu – Select one of the five volumes (i.e., Gate Criteria, Technical

Approach, Price Proposal, Cover Letter & Contract Documents, or Other) of which the file is to become a part

2. Browse button – Select the proposal file to upload

3. Upload File button – Upload the file and associate it with the selected volume

5.2. Complete the Submission Matrix

Use the Submission Matrix page (Figure 19) to complete the Submission Matrix, indicating that the offeror will comply with each individual RFP requirement.

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Figure 19: Submission Matrix

The Submission Matrix page includes the following functions:

1. View menu – Display All Requirements, only Completed Requirements (i.e., requirements for which the Submission Matrix has already been completed), or only Missing Requirements (i.e., requirements for which the Submission Matrix has not yet been completed)

2. Volume menu – Display requirements for All Proposal Volumes or only requirements from the Volume selected

3. Search field – Click the Search icon to display a field used to search a list of requirements. The display list will include requirements that match the search criteria and the requirements selected by the View Menu and Volume Menu.

4. Requirements List – Displays the requirements that match the choices made in the View Menu and Volume Menu

5. Navigation arrows – Navigate across pages if the list of requirements requires multiple pages

6. Download button – Download a comma-separated values (CSV) file containing the currently selected requirements. This button can be used to download a “blank” version of the database table in which the offeror’s submission matrix entries are stored. This table can be used as a template for completing the offeror’s submission matrix.

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7. Upload Button – Upload a CSV file containing the offeror’s submission matrix.

The table structure is strictly defined, so if you choose to complete its submission matrix in this manner, strict care must be taken to ensure that the proper table structure is maintained.

8. Requirements Count – Display the total number of requirements included within the selections made using other menus or fields on the page

9. Additional Help can be obtained by clicking on the Help button ( ) at the top right of the Submission Matrix page

5.2.1. Filtering Requirements

Several options are provided for managing the process of completing the Submission Matrix and tracking which requirements have and have not been completed.

The “View” filter options (Figure 20) allow you to view All requirements, only Completed Requirements, or only Missing Requirements (where “missing” indicates that no entry exists in the Submission Matrix for that requirement).

Figure 20: Submission Matrix Filter: View Menu

Completed requirements are indicated on the Submission Matrix page by a green font and background, as well as by the checkmark icon () indicated on the figure.

The “Volume” menu (Figure 21) can also be used to filter the requirements display.

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Figure 21: Submission Matrix Filter: Volume Menu

A Search icon is provided in the Submission Matrix page, on the right side of the bar that contains the View menu and Volume menu. Click the icon to toggle the search box on or off (Figure 22). When the search box is on, the magnifying glass icon and the “View” and “Volume” menus are highlighted in blue.

Figure 22: Submission Matrix Filter: Search Box

5.2.2. Complete Requirements

To complete a requirement, click on the Requirements List entry to open the Edit Requirement dialog (Figure 23).

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Figure 23: Complete / Edit Submission Matrix Requirement

Click on the Yes button or No button to indicate whether the requirement has been completed. Then click on the Save button to save the selection. Click the Close button to exit the dialogue without saving.

To see a summary of the progress made in completing the Submission Matrix requirements, see the Home page Proposal Progress panel (Section 4.3).

[Note: As an alternative to using the Submission Matrix Web interface, you may upload a CSV file to complete Submission Matrix requirements. This is done by downloading the Submission Matrix to a CSV file and then using the downloaded file as a template.

When uploading a CSV file of completed Submission Matrix requirements, the CSV file must comply with the required Submission Matrix structure (i.e., column headings, number of columns, and column order).

If the uploaded CSV file includes previously completed or edited requirements, only the requirements included in the file are affected. For previously completed requirements, the new values will replace the old values. For previously missing requirements, the new values will be added, and the requirements will be marked as completed.]

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6. Download RFP Files To download one RFP file, multiple RFP files, or all the RFP files to your computer, use the RFP Files page (Figure 24). To access this page, click the “Download RFP Files” hyperlink on the Home page Welcome Panel (Figure 7), or select the “RFP Files” dropdown item on the Tools Menu (Figure 9).

Figure 24: RFP Files Page

The RFP Files page supports the following functions:

1. File list – A list of all RFP files. Click on a file to select; click again to deselect it.

File names are highlighted when selected. To select more than one file, click on each file name individually.

2. Download button – Download a .zip file containing all currently selected files

3. Download All Files button – Download a .zip file containing all the RFP files

4. Refresh button – Deselects all files

5. Files Selected display – Displays the number of files that are currently selected

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7. RFP Questions To ask questions about the RFP and proposal requirements and view answers provided by the issuer, use the RFP Questions page (Figure 25).

Figure 25: RFP Questions Page

The RFP Questions page has the following tabs:

1. Add Question tab – Allows you to submit one question at a time

2. Upload Questions tab – Allows you to submit a file containing multiple questions

3. View Answers tab – Allows you to view all answers to submitted RFP questions

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7.1. Add Question Tab

To submit a single question to the issuer, use the Add Question tab (Figure 26).

Figure 26: RFP Questions: Add Question Tab

The Add Question tab supports the following functions:

1. Section – Click the Section button to choose the RFP section for this question

(required). The Choose RFP Section window will open (Figure 27)

Figure 27: RFP Questions: Choose RFP Section

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To find RFP section names and numbers, enter a text string in the Search box.

To select the section to apply to the current question, click on the high-level section name to expand it (Figure 28). Select the most specific section level possible to help the issuer provide targeted responses.

Figure 28: RFP Questions: Expand RFP Section

2. To read help information for this tab, click the Help button ( )

3. To add a question to your list of pending questions, enter it into the Text area click the Add Question button

4. To view pending or submitted questions, click the View Questions menu

7.2. Upload Questions

To upload a file with multiple questions, use the Upload Questions tab (Figure 29):

Figure 29: RFP Questions: Upload Questions Tab

The Upload Questions tab supports the following functions:

1. To download a CSV file containing the template format for the questions to be uploaded, use the Download Template button

2. View Sections Button – Opens the Table Viewer to access sections

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3. To read help information for this tab, click the Help button ( )

4. To upload a CSV file containing previous questions, click the Upload Questions button. The Upload Table window will display (Figure 30)

5. To view pending or submitted questions, click the View Questions menu

Figure 30: RFP Questions: Upload Table

The Upload Table pop-up window supports the following functions:

1. File Selection – Browse to and select the file of questions to be uploaded

2. Append to Existing Table? – Check this box to append the uploaded questions to your currently pending questions. If the box is unchecked, all your pending questions will be replaced with the questions being uploaded.

3. Character Encoding – Choose between UTF-8 and WINDOWS-1252 character encoding for the CSV file. If the encoding is unknown, simply take the default.

4. Upload Button – Upload the selected file

7.3. View Answers

To view, search, and download the answers to submitted RFP questions, use the View Answers tab (Figure 31).

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Figure 31: RFP Questions: View Answers Tab

The View Answers tab supports the following functions:

1. To sort the Answers panel by Section or by Date, use the Sort menu

2. To read help information for this tab, click the Help button ( )

3. To search the text of the questions, answers, and sections for each provided answer, enter a search keyword into the Search field

4. The Answers panel displays the answers to all submitted questions along with the question being answered, the section of interest, and the date the answer was posted. Answers reflect the result of any applied search filter or sort order.

5. To navigate across pages if the number of answers requires multiple pages, use the Navigation arrows at the bottom left of the panel

6. To download a CSV file containing the answers to all submitted RFP questions, use the Download button. Each line contains the Section ID, the date the answer was posted, the question, and the answer. Downloaded results reflect the result of any applied search filter or sort order.