RFI_Questions_-_Digital_Platform.docx

Request for Information These questions, and the attached SOO, are provided for market research purposes only. Please send any responses to Brandon.Maness@sba.gov, and reference the RFI “Digital Platform” in the subject line.

The Small Business Administration, the Women’s Bureau of the Department of Labor, and the Department of Treasury are considering how the federal government could provide an online experiential learning environment for entrepreneurs. At a minimum the environment would provide learning paths, interactive templates/worksheets, and peer to peer interaction among the learners. The initial set of learning paths would be designed specifically for women entrepreneurs. A draft State of Objectives is attached providing more detail.

1. What commercial-off-the-shelf platform(s) can be modified to meet the needs outlined in the SOO?

2. What are key attributes of an experiential learner platform?

3. SBA has identified the following learning topics as important for women entrepreneurs. What other topics would you recommend or how would you modify this list.

a. Entrepreneurial Leadership

b. Opportunity Identification

c. Opportunity Assessment

d. Marketing

e. People (Becoming an Employer)

f. Innovation (Creating the Curve)

g. Access to Capital

h. Social Capital

i. Selling

j. Operations to include process mapping and connect to technology

k. Technology

l. Organizational Design

m. Physical Resources

4. How would you foster/promote peer to peer engagement/learning throughout the learning environment?

5. What is a recommended/best practice/industry standard contract type/format (not based on labor hours) to achieve success for this SOO? Would you use an agile approach? Why/Why not.

6. Would you use a vendor team approach to be able to deliver state-of-the art learning content and environment? Describe the types of vendors /partnerships that would make up the team?

7. What modifications/clarifications to the draft SOO are necessary to make the requirement more easily understood to ensure success of the project?

8. To ensure the success of the project what information/resources, other than the SOO, would you want the government to provide?

9. What do you think the pain points would be if you were to execute this draft SOO?

10. What are the important roles (team members/personnel) in a project of this nature? Which ones are key?

11. What metrics do you anticipate will best indicate how well the service is working for its users?

12. What is the estimated price range and the necessary time required to fulfill the content and platform objectives of the SOO?