RFI_TSS.doc

Request for Information

Transformation Support Services (TSS)

VA-24-00022828

1. Introduction

This Request for Information (RFI) is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered an Invitation for Bid, Request for Task Execution Plan, Request for Quotation or a Request for Proposal. Additionally, there is no obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services described in this RFI. Your response to this RFI will be treated only as information for the Government to consider. You will not be entitled to payment for direct or indirect costs that you incur in responding to this RFI. This request does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter into negotiations to award a contract. No funds have been authorized, appropriated or received for this effort. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary, restricted or competition sensitive information contained in their response. The Government does not intend to pay for the information submitted in response to this RFI.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) for this requirement is 541512 with a size standard of $34.0 million.

2. Submittal Information:

All responsible sources may submit a response in accordance with the below information.

There is a page limitation for this RFI of 15 pages. The Government will not review any other information or attachments included, that are in excess of the 15 page limit. NO MARKETING MATERIALS ARE ALLOWED AS PART OF THIS RFI. Generic capability statements will not be accepted or reviewed. Your response must address capabilities specific to the services required in the attached PWS and must include the following:

a. Interested Vendors shall at a minimum, provide the following information in the initial paragraph of the submission:

Name of Company

Address

Point of Contact

Phone Number

Fax Number

Email address

Company Business Size and Status

For VOSB and SDVOSBs, proof of certification in SBA VetCert.

NAICS code(s)

Socioeconomic data

Unique Entity ID

Existing Contractual Vehicles (GWAC, FSS, or MAC)

b. Provide a summary of your capability to meet all the requirements contained within the draft PWS.

c. These requirements were previously awarded as a single task order, to a single awardee. The Government is exploring the possibility of executing these requirements through multiple task orders.

1. After reviewing the draft PWS, do you think it is feasible for the PWS requirements to remain under one task order for a single awardee?

2. Based on your review and analysis, which approach (single task order vs. multiple task orders) do you think will best suit these requirements? Please provide an explanation.

3. Staffing Resources:

a. Provide details on the qualifications and expertise of your technical team, specifically as it relates to the PWS.

b. What is your approach to ensuring the availability and continuity of skilled personnel throughout the duration of a project?

4. Application and Infrastructure Performance Monitoring:

a. Please describe any tools or methodologies you use for proactive identification and resolution of application and infrastructure performance issues.

b. Please provide examples of your experience with configuring and implementing Application Performance Monitoring (APM) tools in an environment similar in size, scope, and complexity to the VA? What were some of the challenges? How did you overcome those challenges?

c. What experience does your company have with providing 24/7/365 Event Management services at a large Federal Agency?

i. Please describe how this experience improved operations.

ii. Please describe how you were able to provide early warning of service degradations.

d. Does your company have experience with leveraging monitoring tools to perform automated self-healing? Please provide some details on what was implemented and how the strategy for self-healing was developed.

e. Please provide your experience with end-to-end monitoring, including front-end, back-end, real user monitoring, server level, application programming interface (API), application code level, log monitoring, network device, etc.

5. Surge Support Flexibility:

a. What mechanisms do you have in place to accommodate surge support requirements during peak project phases or unforeseen challenges?

b. How quickly can your organization scale up or down in response to fluctuations in project workload?

6. Resource Management:

a. Please provide examples of staffing a 24/7/365 organization with skilled resources? What were some of the challenges?

b. Can you provide examples of successful resource management strategies implemented in similar large-scale projects?

7. Training and Skill Development:

a. What initiatives do you have in place for continuous training and skill development of your team to stay current with industry trends and technologies?

b. How would you ensure that your team maintains the necessary skills / certifications relevant to this PWS?

8. Communication Protocols:

a. What communication protocols and reporting mechanisms do you have in place to keep stakeholders informed about project progress, challenges, and achievements?

b. Provide examples of effective communication strategies you have employed in past projects with federal agencies.

9. Risk Management:

a. How do you identify, assess, and mitigate risks associated with technical project management, especially in the context of federal projects with stringent regulations?

b. Describe instances where your risk management approach led to successful project outcomes?

10. Quality Assurance and Compliance:

a. What measures do you take to ensure that your technical project management processes align with federal regulations and standards?

b. How do you address compliance challenges unique to federal agencies in your project execution?

11. Performance Metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs):

a. What KPIs and metrics do you track to evaluate the success of your technical project management services?

b. How do you use these metrics to drive continuous improvement in your processes?

d. Your company’s intent and ability to meet the set aside requirement in accordance with VAAR 852.219-73 (JAN 2023) (DEVIATION) VA Notice of Total Set-Aside for Certified SDVOSBs and 13 CFR §125.6, which states the contractor will not pay more than 50% of the amount paid by the Government to the prime for contract performance to firms that are not certified SDVOSBs listed in the SBA certification database (excluding direct costs to the extent they are not the principal purpose of the acquisition and the SDVOSB/VOSB does not provide the service, such as airline travel, cloud computing services, or mass media purchases). When a contract includes both services and supplies, the 50 percent limitation shall apply only to the service portion of the contract.

Your response shall include information as to available personnel and financial resources; full names of proposed team members and the PWS requirements planned to be subcontracted to them, which must include the prime planned percentage or the names of the potential team members that may be used to fulfill the set aside requirement.

e. Has the draft PWS provided sufficient detail to describe the technical requirements that encompass the remediation support services and Information Technology operations and services to be performed under this effort.

______ YES _______ NO (if No, answer question f)

f. If “NO”, please provide your technical comments/recommendations on elements of the draft PWS that may contribute to a more accurate proposal submission and efficient, cost effective effort.

NOTE: Technical questions may be submitted as part of your response, however, questions directed to the customer are prohibited. All questions in response to this RFI shall be included in a separate word document titled, TSS_RFI_Questions. The answers to all questions received will be posted prior to the Solicitation.

Responses are due no later than 3:00 P.M EST on April 1, 2024 via email to Mina Awad, Contract Specialist at Mina.Awad@va.gov and Summer Spalliero, Contracting Officer at Summer.Spalliero@va.gov. Please note “TSS RFI” in the subject line of your response. Mark your response as “Proprietary Information” if the information is considered business sensitive. The email file size shall not exceed 5 MB.