FSA_BTO_Sources_Sought_Questions_Responses_071316.pdf

July 13, 2016 Page 1

United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency

(USDA FSA)

Bridges to Opportunity Sources Sought Notice Number: UDAFSABTO06292016

Sources Sought Questions/FSA Responses

Attention: Dhavidson M. Cayanan, Contract Specialist /Daniel Bowker, Contracting Officer Dhavison.cayanan@wdc.usda.gov

Daniel.Bowker@wdc.usda.gov mailto:Dhavison.cayanan@wdc.usda.gov mailto:Daniel.Bowker@wdc.usda.gov

July 13, 2016 Page 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 QUESTIONS……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………1

Section Question General Wondering if an incumbent exists for the requirement – “Request for Information -

Bridges to Opportunity” and if so, could you please provide the vendor and the corresponding contract number?

FSA Response:

There is no existing contract. BTO is currently a pilot.

2.2.1.1 Based on these sites and later scenarios, it appears that FSA expects that the producer/farmer will go to an FSA office to create the request? Is that correct?

May the producer/farmer access BTO remotely and query the system for the information that they are seeking?

FSA Response:

Yes, it is expected that the producer/farmer will go to an FSA office to create the request. All services will be rendered exclusively through county office personnel.

However, the FSA is interested in alternatives that can scale over the long term to support public access.

2.2.1.3.1 A second site, where the need to go to an FSA office to initiate the request is mentioned. Is this the intent of FSA?

FSA Response:

Section 2.2.1.3.1 describes a use case where the county office representative provides direct service to a producer. Paragraph 2 of sec. 4.3.1 describes a second site intended to be a public site for producers and service partners to log in directly to review and/or update their profile information only. The second site is not for the initiation of requests.

2.2.1.2.1.2 Can a new producer/farmer establish their CIP remotely? If so, what is FSA’s current means of authenticating a producer/farmer so that they may access the relevant system

(s) ?

FSA Response:

Currently, a new producer/farmer cannot create a customer information profile remotely but they are allowed to modify existing profiles from a publicly accessible site.

Profile creation is performed in the County office by FSA county office representatives.

The FSA does use a SiteMinder-based authentication product called eAuthentication.

This system and the associated requirements can be found in the RFI under sec. 3.1.5 titled “Security”.

July 13, 2016 Page 3

2.2.1.3.1 Is the producer/farmer only able to get from the Resource Library that information that was initiated/triggered as a result of their initial request or may they modify their information request? Remotely?

FSA Response:

The resource library is only available to the county office personnel. Information requests cannot be modified once completed, a new request must be initiated. Public access is only for the purpose of viewing and/or updating the customer information profile.

2.3.1 1st sentence

Direct Service is another place where the producer/farmer is in the office and during th visit initiates the request? Is it intended that the farmer producer must go to an FSA office to initiate the BTO support? Information? If so, may the producer/farmer go into any FSA office to request the information? Do they have to go to an “assigned” office based on some factor?

FSA Response:

Yes, Direct Service is an example where the producer/farmer is in the county office and initiates a request. Yes, it is intended that BTO services will be delivered exclusively through the county office. Farmers/producers may go to any county office to request BTO services. There are no assigned offices.

2.3.1 Last Paragraph

Does the solution need to retain in the RL all information provided to the farmer/producer over the year? Over multiple years? How many years?

What is the estimated size of the library/storage resource requirements that FSA anticipates for BTO ?

FSA Response:

The solution should not retain information provided to farmers/producers in the resource library. The resource library is a catalog of service providers and the services they offer. Transaction information such as specific information provided should be stored separately in a case or transaction history.

For estimating purposes, the solution should retain seven years of transaction/case data with at least one year of live (non-archive) storage. The exact anticipated volume of data is not known at this time. There are approximately 12 million individual producers served by the FSA. Estimates of resource requirements should assume 2-3 BTO transactions for approximately 30% of the total customer base over the first year.

2.3.2 Will Partners be able to update their information, profile as well as any papers etc.

remotely? Thus will each Partner entity have a designated FSA contact/POC who would serve as the “administrator”?

FSA Response:

Yes, partners will be able to update their profiles remotely. No, partners will not have a designated FSA contact/POC or administrator.

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3.1.1 Does FSA expect the offeror to use an existing cloud offering under contract to USDA?

For example, the NITC offering? R the MS Azure offering that is currently being stood up?

FSA Response:

Vendors responding to this RFI are encouraged to work within the guidelines set forth by this RFI. This RFI places no priority on any particular platform or solution. Vendors responding to this RFI are further encouraged to carefully read the security and integration requirements of this RFI to ensure that proposed solutions can be shown to meet these requirements.

3.1.5 Has FSA made a determination re: the security level of the data? FISMA Low? High??

FSA Response:

The FISMA security level of the data is FISMA Moderate.

4.1 Is FSA expecting that the offerors solution will be a COTS based solution? If yes, is it to be 75% + COTS with minimal custom code? If custom code is that expected to focus in integrating with e-Authentication? Are there any tools for which FSA or USDA currently hold a license that the offeror is expected to use to provide their solution?

FSA Response:

Vendors responding to this RFI are encouraged to work within the guidelines set forth by this RFI. This RFI places no priority on any particular platform or solution. Vendors responding to this RFI are further encouraged to carefully read the security and integration requirements of this RFI to ensure that proposed solutions can be shown to meet these requirements.

4.3 Does FSA require that there be a log/record of all changes to the data -including the who and date of the chg. and what was chgd?

FSA Response:

Yes. All BTO transactions should be logged. Changes to customer information profile, partner information profile, and other information changes should be executed through a transaction or case that captures all relevant supporting information.

1.0 Questions……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………1