RFI ISF 70RSAT24RFI000020.pdf

Notice ID: 70RSAT24RFI000020

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

Department of Homeland Security(DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate

Information Sharing Framework (ISF)

FY25

NOTE: THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and market research planning purposes. This RFI shall not be construed as an obligation on the part of the Government. This is NOT a Request for Quotations or Proposals. No solicitation document exists, and the Government may or may not issue a formal solicitation as a result of the responses received to this RFI.

The Government will not pay for any response or demonstration expenses. All costs incurred responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense. Failure to respond to this RFI will not preclude participation in any future solicitation. Any information received will become the property of the Government and will not be returned to the submitter. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or sensitive information.

The Government’s explicit intent, in this request for information, is to not receive from respondents any proprietary data, trade secrets, business sensitive information, or information considered CONFIDENTIAL under 18 U.S.C. §1905. The Government’s constraint does not in any way relieve contractors from their responsibility to properly mark proprietary data when it is provided, nor does it alleviate any requirement for the Government to protect marked data. The Government is not obligated to protect unmarked data.

The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. All submissions become the property of the Federal Government and will not be returned.

Government technical experts drawn from staff within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other federal agencies may review responses. The Government may use selected support Contractor personnel to assist in the review of the RFI responses. These support Contractors will be bound by appropriate non-disclosure agreements to protect proprietary information.

I. PURPOSE OF THIS RFI

The purpose of this RFI is to collect information from qualified and interested sources with the capability and experience in providing services identified in the RFI.

II. BACKGROUND/DESCRIPTION

DHS deployment of secure and prioritized emergency communications services on 4G/5G networks which are highly beneficial to National Security/Emergency Preparedness (NS/EP), public safety, and critical infrastructure personnel. However, information sharing will not happen without addressing data interoperability.

The sharing of relevant and timely incident information is particularly challenging during larger scale emergency events, due to the likelihood of interoperability challenges that come with multiple jurisdictions and organizations responding to the same event (e.g., different networks, different equipment brands, and different software applications). To add to the complexity, communications networks may be degraded, and information can be provided and consumed by both human and machine with different needs, bandwidths, and capabilities.

In addition, public safety personnel may be operating on different wireless and wireline networks and working in different organizations and from different jurisdictions while responding to an incident. In addition to priority and security, it will be necessary to make data interoperable and enable information sharing across platforms that will span beyond technical and traditional organizational boundaries.

During incidents first responders should be able to discover, access, and consume any relevant information on a need-to-know basis, regardless of jurisdiction, affiliation, or location. NS/EP, public safety, and critical infrastructure personnel can have secure and prioritized emergency communications but if they cannot share information due to disparate data sets, applications, and equipment, then they cannot meet their mission.

For additional background regarding the ISF:

Please refer to:

a) Whitepaper Approach for Developing an Interoperable Information Sharing Framework,” SAFECOM and National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC) document “Approach for Developing an Interoperable Information Sharing Framework” on the CISA website at:

https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/21_0929_cisa_approachfordevelopin g_isf_v3_508.pdf

III. QUESTIONS FOR INDUSTRY

Based on your understanding of the "Approach for Developing an Interoperable Information Sharing Framework” (see link above) and the Statement of Objectives (SOO) (attached), please answer the following questions:

Interest in Project *The Government would appreciate receiving negative responses to assist with planning future requirements.

1. Would your organization consider itself qualified to perform this work? Why or why not?

2. Would your organization be likely to respond to an RFP for this work? Why or why not?

Concept and Requirements Feedback

3. Would your organization agree that the theoretical ISF can be materialized into a proof of concept?

4. What are the Key Performance Parameters and metrics that are best suited to assess the performance of an ISF service platform?

a. Prioritize the top three interoperable technical challenges your company would address, and the reasoning for this choice.

5. What current 5G technologies would be most beneficial for realizing an ISF proof-of-concept?

Where do you anticipate innovations or enhancements are needed beyond what is currently offered in 5G, such as emerging technologies anticipated for 6G?

https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/21_0929_cisa_approachfordevelopin https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/21_0929_cisa_approachfordeveloping_isf_v3_508.pdf

6. Does the SOO requirement’s document allow for the theoretical ISF to be materialized into a proof of concept without limiting innovation? Is there anything you feel should be added, deleted, or changed about the SOO to allow for innovation and realization of the theoretical ISF?

Experience

7. Does your organization regularly complete work that aligns with the concepts found in the "Approach for Developing an Interoperable Information Sharing Framework”?

8. Describe if your company have the knowledge and experience performing similar work such as:

a. developing and deploying Integration Layer functions such as data exchange, identity management, data discovery, analytics, and transport

b. deploying and maintaining similar projects as Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)

i. Provide experience and middleware toolsets used for:

1. Database

2. Web

3. Application server

4. Message-oriented

5. Transaction-processing monitors

c. designing and enacting Public Safety data security measures and securing data transactions across multi-platforms

d. developing customized traffic prioritization or Quality of Service (QoS) mechanisms for mobile applications and aligning them between separate entities (ex. carrier networks and cloud service providers)

i. Detail any experience designing and operating a hybrid model that has migrated to a multi-cloud model. (Provide timelines required and what resource specialties involved.)

e. working with network automation tools as part of a Radio Access Network (RAN) Intelligent Controller (RIC) (ex. xApps and rApps) to improve overall network performance

f. designing, deploying, and operating Software-Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WAN) including defining the potential role of trusted interconnections in secure data exchanges

g. working with complex, hierarchical networks across vendors and jurisdictions as well as overcoming any technical and operational challenges related to such networks

h. integrating traditional workloads with cloud-native deployment and management

i. using AI/ML or other analytics for the purposes of information-sharing and data interoperability

Labor

9. Based on your knowledge and experience, labor mix below appropriate for the effort? Why or Why Not? Is there anything you would add, delete, or recommend changing?

Base Period (24 mo) FTE Option Period 1(12 mo) FTE Senior Project Manager 0.50 Senior Project Manager 0.50 Senior Engineer 0.25 Senior Engineer 0.25 Cybersecurity Engineer SME 1.00 Cybersecurity Engineer SME 1.00 Senior Network Architect 1.00 Senior Network Architect 1.00 Telecommunications SME 0.50 Telecommunications SME 0.50 Software Engineer 0.25 Software Engineer 0.25

10. Provide a non-binding Rough Order Magnitude (ROM) estimate of cost?

IV. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Responses from all interested sources are encouraged to respond. Responses shall be a maximum of 15 pages and shall in include a cover letter with the following information:

1) Response to RFI Notice 70RSAT24RFI000020

2) Company Legal Business name and Physical address;

3) Identify business socio-economic status;

4) Recommend the NAICS Code most aligned with the requirement;

5) Company points of contact including phone numbers and email addresses;

6) A comprehensive response that addresses the 10 questions delineated above;

7) Identify if you firm currently holds any Best-in-Class (BIC) vehicles (e.g. OASIS, GSA

GWAC, GSA MAS contracts, etc.), to include the applicable contract number; and

8) Identify if your company would be interested in competing for this requirement as prime contractor or subcontractor, if solicited. If subcontracting, identify any joint ventures or teaming arrangements that would be pursued.

Submissions shall be made using Microsoft Office applications. Font shall not be smaller than 12-point Times New Roman.

All Responses shall be submitted to the Office of Procurement Operations (OPO) at the following email address: Contracting Officer (CO) Danette Williams; Danette.Williams@hq.dhs.gov, and Contract Specialist: Debra.Bryce@hq.dhs.gov no later than 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Friday May 26, 2024.

V. INDUSTRY DAY

The Government may hold an Industry Day for this requirement. Details regarding an Industry Day will be provided at a later time.

Note:

The Government reserves the right to hold one-on-one meetings as a result of responses received from this RFI as part of its market research. Meetings may be held with companies who provide comprehensive and relevant responses to the topic and questions in this notice.

Data Scientist 1.00 Operations Research Analysts 1.00 Computer Systems Analysts 1.00 Computer and Information Research Scientists 1.00

Base Total FTE 3.50 Option Period 1 Total FTE 7.50 mailto:Danette.Williams@hq.dhs.gov mailto:Debra.Bryce@hq.dhs.gov