VA118-10-RP-0052_DraftPWS.docx

Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology (T4)

Performance Work Statement (PWS) for the

Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology (T4)

Program

April 16, 2010

PWS Version 9.9

Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Acquisition and Logistics (OAL) Technology Acquisition Center (TAC)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SCOPE

This Performance Work Statement (PWS) establishes the requirements for Contractor-provided solutions in support of Information Technology. The Contractor shall provide a total IT services solution encompassing, but not limited to software and IT products incidental to the solution, in conjunction with all services needed to integrate a system, network, or other IT service in order to meet a client’s mission requirements. Accordingly, Task Orders may include acquisitions of software and IT products. Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology (T4) is not intended as a mechanism to solely purchase IT products. Such products may be purchased to the extent that those products are necessary to deliver the solution required. Services shall include technical, systems engineering and other solutions encompassing the entire range of IT requirements. Services, as well as related IT products, may encompass the entire life-cycle of a system, including but not limited to program management and strategy planning, systems/software engineering, enterprise network, cyber security, operation and maintenance and IT facilities. Moreover, services and related products covered under this contract shall be global in reach and the Contractors must be prepared to provide services and deliverables worldwide.

Contractor-provided solutions may support the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and its joint initiatives, other Federal Agencies, and if so authorized by specific Legislation (e.g. Public Law 108-136 Section 803), tasks for State and local Governments involving information technology and telecommunications that are federally funded.

This PWS provides general requirements. Specific requirements shall be defined in individual Task Orders. Functional area requirements are described in Section 4.0 and are not mutually exclusive for Task Order requirements. Requirements may fall within one specific functional area but in many cases, the requirements will encompass and apply across multiple functional areas to provide the total life cycle solution.

APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

Applicable documents are listed below. Additional documents may be listed in individual Task Orders.

A. Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) of 2008 B. VAAR 852.273-75 Security requirements for unclassified information technology resources (interim Oct 2008) C. Federal Information Process Standards (FIPS) Pub 201, Personal Identity Verification for Federal Employees and Contractors, February 25, 2005, D. Public Law 93-579, 109-461, 5725 E. Section 2224 of title 10, United States Code, "Defense Information Assurance Program" F. Software Engineering Institute Capability Maturity Model Integration, (CMMI) G. Privacy Act of 1974 H. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 I. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Directive 0710 dated September 10, 2004 J. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Directive 6102 K. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Handbook 6102 (Internet/Intranet Services) L. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); 45 CFR Part 160, 162, and 164; Health Insurance Reform: Security Standards; Final Rule dated February 20, 2003 M. Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards (36 CFR 1194) N. OMB Circular A-130 O. U.S.C. Section 552a, as amended

P. 32 CFR 199

Q. An Introductory Resource Guide for Implementing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule, March 2005 R. Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. Section 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220), August 7, 1998 S. Homeland Security Presidential Directive (12) (HSPD-12) T. VA Handbook 6500 U. OED ProPath Process Methodology ) (See Embedded File Below) V. NOTE: In the event of a conflict, OED ProPath takes precedence over other processes or methodologies

W. NBS SP500-153, “ Guide to Auditing for Controls and Security: A System Development Life-Cycle Approach,” April 1988 X. Program Management Accountability System (PMAS) portal (See Embedded File Below) Y. Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) (www.gsa.gov/federaltravelregulation) Z. Technical Reference Model (TRM) AA. Federal Segment Architecture Methodology (FSAM) v1.0, December 2008 AB. National Institute Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publications 800 series AC. Department of Veterans Affairs Strategic Plan, Dated XXXXXX AD. ANSI/EIA-748-B Earned Value Management Systems (2007) AE. VA Policy and Procedure for IT Investments AF. OMB Guidelines for Capital Planning Investments (Circular A-94)

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall provide and/or acquire the services, hardware, and software required by individual Task Orders pursuant to the general requirements specified below.

Contract Type This is an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Multiple Award Task Order (MATO) contract. Individual Task Orders shall be issued on a performance-based Time-and-Materials (T&M), Cost Reimbursement (CR), and/or Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) basis.

Period of Performance The period of performance for the basic contract shall be five (5) years from the effective date of award.

Work at a government site shall not take place on Federal holidays or weekends (but may require off-hour work due to network loading or other disruptions that could occur) unless directed by the Contracting Officer (CO). The Contractor may also be required to support 24/7 operations 365 days per year as identified in individual Task Orders.

There are ten (10) Federal holidays set by law (USC Title 5 Section 6103):

Under current definitions, four are set by date:

If any of the above falls on a Saturday, then Friday shall be observed as a holiday. Similarly, if one falls on a Sunday, then Monday shall be observed as a holiday.

The other six are set by a day of the week and month:

Place of Performance The place of performance shall be identified in individual Task Orders. Locations will be Government or Contractor sites within the continental United States (CONUS) and/or outside the continental United States (OCONUS). Locations may include Federal, State, VA, or military data centers, facilities, treatment facilities, health clinics and Tricare facilities as defined in individual Task Orders.

Travel Travel shall be in accordance with individual Task Order requirements. Travel details must be provided to and approved by the Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR), or the Government designee prior to the commencement of travel. All travel shall be in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR). OCONUS travel may require additional authorization and approvals as specified in the individual Task Order.

Materials, Equipment and Facilities Government-Furnished Government Furnished Property (GFP) which includes Government Furnished Material (GFM), Government Furnished Information (GFI), and Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) may be provided and shall be identified in the individual Task Order. The Contractor shall be responsible for conducting all necessary examinations, inspections, maintenance, and tests upon receipt. The Contractor shall be responsible for reporting all inspection results, maintenance actions, losses, and damage to the Government through the VA Technology Acquisition Center (TAC) website.

The VA may provide VA specific software as appropriate and required in individual Task Orders. The Contractor may utilize VA provided software development and test accounts, document and requirements repositories and others as required for the development, storage, maintenance and delivery of products. Contractors shall comply with VA security policies and procedures with respect to protecting sensitive data. See Section 6.0 for detailed security requirements.

Contractor-Acquired The Contractor shall acquire and/or provide any hardware and/or software required to accomplish each Task Order that is not provided as GFP. Software integrity shall be maintained by the Contractor within the licensing agreement of the producer until such software is delivered to the Government, or otherwise disposed of in accordance with Government direction. See Section 6.0 for detailed security requirements.

Non-Developmental Items and Commercial Processes Non-Developmental Items (NDI), Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) and Government-Off-The-Shelf (GOTS) products shall be used to the maximum extent. The Contractor shall apply commercially available and industry best processes, standards and technologies to the maximum extent.

Connectivity The VA will provide the Contractor use of Virtual Private Network (VPN) as appropriate. The VA may install equipment at the Contractor’s site to ensure security requirements are in place. The Contractor will bear the cost to provide connectivity to the VA through VPN, and VA will provide the required account access accordingly. Other connectivity to VA systems may be authorized as appropriate in individual Task Orders.

Facilities Work may be performed at either a Government or Contractor facility. Each Task Order shall delineate the facility requirements.

Government Facilities Certain Government office or laboratory space may be made available for performance of individual Task Orders. Contractors may be required to establish operations and support Government facilities and shall comply with VA and/or Federal certification and accreditation requirements. Such facilities shall be specified in the individual Task Order.

Contractor Facilities Personnel may perform at a Contractor facility or remote locations. The Contractor shall disclose this information during the Request for Task Execution Plan (RTEP) process.

Warranty Items acquired under this contract may require warranty protection. Commercial warranties shall be transferred to the Government. The type of warranty and extent of coverage shall be determined on an individual Task Order basis.

Marking, Handling, Storage, Preservation, Packaging, & Shipping The Contractor shall establish/maintain procedures for handling, storage, preservation, packaging, and shipping to protect the quality of products and prevent damage, loss, deterioration, degradation or substitution of products.

Export Control The Contractor shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations regarding export-controlled information and technology and shall not use, distribute, transfer or transmit technology (even if incorporated into products, software or other information) except in compliance with such laws and regulations. In addition, the Contractor shall plan for, obtain, and maintain any and all export licensing required to satisfy individual Task Order requirements.

Section 508 Requirements On August 7, 1998, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was amended to require that when Federal departments or agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use Electronic and Information Technology, they shall ensure it allows Federal employees with disabilities to have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access to and use of information and data by other Federal employees. The Contractor shall comply with all required Federal or agency standards, as specified in the individual Task Order. Section 508, the Federal Information Technology Accessibility Initiative (36 CFR 1194), is incorporated into and made a part of this contract. Section 508 applies to all Task Orders. Specific Section 508 standards or other 508 requirements shall be stated in each Task Order. The standards and information on how to administer the Section 508 requirements are covered at http://www.section508.gov. Compliance with the applicable Section 508 standards is a material requirement of the contract.

Safety and Environmental Safety and environmental procedures shall be identified in individual Task Order requirements.

The Contractor shall comply with the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Green Acquisition initiatives as identified in individual Task Orders in accordance with the policies referenced at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/procurement_index_green.

Enterprise and IT Framework For VA specific task orders, the Contractor shall support the VA enterprise management framework. In association with the framework, the Contractor shall comply with OI&T Technical Reference Model (One-VA TRM) for VA acquisitions. One-VA TRM is one component within the overall Enterprise Architecture (EA) that establishes a common vocabulary and structure for describing the information technology used to develop, operate, and maintain enterprise applications. One-VA TRM includes the Standards Profile and Product List that collectively serves as a VA technology roadmap. Enterprise Strategy, Policy, Plans & Programs (ESPPP) has overall responsibility for the One-VA TRM and may be accessed at (outbound link.)

For VA specific task orders, the Contractor shall comply with the PMAS that mandates all new VA IT projects/programs use an incremental development approach, requiring frequent delivery milestones that deliver new capabilities for business sponsors to test and accept functionality. Implemented by the Assistant Secretary for IT, Program Management Accountability System (PMAS) is a VA-wide initiative to better empower the Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) Project Managers and teams to meet their mission: delivering world-class IT products that meet business needs on time and within budget. PMAS initiatives associated with existing projects/programs shall be identified in individual Task Order requirements.

For VA specific task orders, the Contractor shall utilize ProPath, a VA-wide process management tool, as a central resource that builds upon the Office of Enterprise Development (OED) Program and Development managers' delivery of high-quality products. ProPath provides an 'at-a-glance' perspective of nearly every step in the software development process.

Additional frameworks may be specified in individual task orders.

Commercial Development Methodologies The Contractor may support a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) that is a flexible set of design principles used during the phases of systems development and integration. The deployed SOA-based architecture will be deployed on a secure, scalable, interoperable and dynamic platform that has the end to end visibility and manageability from application services to the networking components level and that can be used within multiple domains.

The Contractor may support a cloud computing environment. Cloud computing is a delivery model for IT services based on the Internet, typically involving the provision of dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources as a service over the Internet. Cloud computing delivers common business applications online which are accessed from a web browser, while the software and data are stored on servers. These applications are broadly divided into the following categories, but not limited to Software as a Service (SaaS), Utility Computing, Web Services, Platform as a Service (PaaS), Managed Service Providers (MSP), Service Commerce, and Internet Integration.

Additional methodologies may be specified in individual task orders.

Integrated Product Teams The Contractor may be required to serve as a member of, or provide Subject Matter Expertise to Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) or Integrated Business Teams (IBTs) within the VA. Their role(s) will be identified in individual Task Orders. IPTs and IBTs are cross-functional teams that work collaboratively to develop strategies and approaches to meet particular objectives. IPTs and IBTs bring together the principal stakeholders and focus efforts on establishing critical elements of all phases of the acquisition lifecycle.

Quality Assurance If a Contractor is required to develop a significant portion of any mission critical systems/software product under this contract, the Contractor may be required to demonstrate they, or the Subcontractor performing the task, are operating at a specified Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Level, ISO/IEC 20000, NIST 800, IEEE 1012, or ISO 9001:2008. If required at the task order level, the rating of CMMI Level III or below shall be stated as well as the date of the rating (not older than three years), the identification of the rating organization, the projects/divisions that were evaluated as part of the evaluation and the rating achieved by the specific business unit the Contractor is proposing on systems/software efforts. The Government reserves the right to validate the systems/software developers' process assertions and representations by conducting an evaluation or appraisals of the Contractor's organization and Subcontractors using commonly accepted Industry/Government validation practices.

Transition and Orientation Support The Contractor shall perform transition and orientation services (e.g. develop Phase-In/Phase-Out Transition Plan) to insure continuity of services as specified in the individual Task Order. Transition and orientation support may include transitioning to Government or Contractor personnel.

TECHNICAL FUNCTIONAL AREAS

Individual Task Orders may encompass more than one functional area listed below. Further functional area details are described to provide greater insight into the complexity and uniqueness of some potential Task Order requirements covered by this PWS. Functional area requirements are not mutually exclusive and may apply across multiple functional areas. Efforts to be performed by the Contractor under this contract are of such a nature that they may create a potential organizational conflict of interest as contemplated by Subpart 9.5 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).

Program Management, Strategy, Enterprise Architecture and Planning Support The Contractor shall provide Program and Project Management, monitoring and analysis, strategy, enterprise architecture and planning support on an enterprise or individual project level. Program Management support is critical to the organization achieving strategic goals and fulfilling mission requirements within programmatic constraints.

Strategy and Planning The Contractor shall provide services that facilitate strategic decisions for an organization with respect to its current and future IT structure and program integration. This includes conducting a systematic assessment and redesign of the key technologies, business processes, and organizational structures; streamlining processes, properly aligning the organization to reflect the way work gets done, and deploying proven supporting technologies where appropriate. The outcome of future studies and assessments may contribute to an overarching IT strategy, aligned with business goals and objectives that leverage innovation to define new opportunities for success. The outcome of studies and assessments may also serve as a critical input into designing a set of metrics, which are measureable objectives related to the overall IT strategy and operations. All recommendations and plans must comply with Federal legislation and be consistent with Federal policy, standards, and guidelines such as: the Government Performance and Results Act, Clinger-Cohen, the Federal Activities Inventory Reform Act, the Paperwork Elimination Act, among others.

Standards, Policy, Procedure and Process Development, and Implementation Support The Contractor shall provide support in the development/and or evaluation of new Standards, Policy Directives, Operating Procedures, Processes and/or assessments on their impacts when implemented.

Requirements Development and Analysis Support The Contractor shall provide requirements development support as required by individual Task Orders. Contractor personnel performing such services shall be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Requirements associated with iterative methodologies may occur at any phase of the development lifecycle. Therefore, requirements definition shall be structured to meet the incremental delivery needs of a particular project or program. Requirements support may include, but not limited to:

A. Enterprise analysis B. Business and Application architecture C. Business Process Reengineering D. Feasibility studies E. Requirements planning and management F. Requirements gathering G. Use Case development H. Agile requirements methods I. Requirements analysis J. Change management K. Peer Reviews L. Solution Assessment and Validation M. Business Process Modeling Requirements Packages The Contractor shall provide requirements package support that may include, but not limited to:

A. Assistance in developing Statements of Objectives, Statements of Work, Performance Work Statements, Performance Specifications, Rough Orders of Magnitude (ROM), cost estimates, Quality Assurance Surveillance Plans, and associated acquisition documentation B. Technical advice and assistance regarding proposal evaluation C. Market research, evaluation, and recommendations of technical alternatives Technology Refresh and Configuration Reviews The Contractor shall perform technology refresh and configuration reviews to include any structure or process for realizing innovations that provides for business or technical changes. Technology refresh allows for upgrading technology or improving processes as well as helping enterprises move their businesses forward by adopting formal procedures to manage business and technical innovations. Technology refresh ensures new innovations are reviewed and adopted as required. The Contractor shall provide appropriate domain specific recommendations commensurate with unique organizational requirements.

Studies and Analyses The Contractor shall perform studies and analyses. Such studies/analyses may include, but not limited to logistics/supportability, engineering, financial, operational, and business processes. The Contractor shall perform non-recurring engineering studies and analyses to evaluate the viability of potential solutions, alternatives to various technical issues and challenges, and emerging products or technology. The Contractor shall perform the evaluation of unproven technology applications and identification of potential risks. The development of pre-production or COTS-based prototypes may be required.

Program Management Support The Contractor shall provide program management support to accomplish the administrative, managerial, logistical, integration and financial aspects specified in individual task orders. The Contractor shall identify an individual as the primary contact point for all programmatic issues/concerns/status. The Contractor may be required to provide subject matter expertise to coach, mentor and/or consult with Government Program Managers to plan and execute the processes prescribed by industry and government best practices consistent with organizational policies and procedures as specified in individual Task Orders. The Contractor shall support project management functions and reporting which include, but not limited to:

A. Project Planning B. Schedule Management C. Financial Management D. Earned Value Management (EVM) E. Quality Management F. Resource Management G. Requirements Management H. Communications Management I. Project Change Management J. Risk Management K. Performance Management L. Knowledge Management (KM) M. Asset Management Product Data The Contractor shall review, develop and/or submit Product Data that shall be identified in individual Task Orders as deliverables. Product Data may define configuration items, associated processes and procedures, and other items throughout the applicable life cycle. Various types of Product Data, including engineering drawings, specifications, software configuration documentation, interface control documentation, quality assurance provisions, and/or commercial item descriptions may be required. The Contractor may be required to apply Computer-Aided Design (CAD), and Computer Automated Engineering (CAE) methods/systems to support concurrent design integration with manufacturing and logistics considerations. Product Data may include, but not limited to:

A. Complete design disclosure B. Form, fit and function requirements C. Performance specifications IT Services Management Guidance The Contractor shall be responsible for recommending and supporting the development of IT service management plans, practices, infrastructures and systems utilizing industry best practices to minimize negative impact on the IT enterprise. IT services management includes, but not limited to:

A. Change Management B. Release Management C. Configuration Management D. Incident Management E. Problem Management F. Service Desk Management G. Availability Management H. Capacity Management I. Event Management J. Data & Storage Management K. Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Development Toolkit Guidance The Contractor shall be responsible for recommending and supporting the utilization of development toolkits (e.g. IBM Rational ClearCase).

Systems/Software Engineering The Contractor shall provide engineering expertise to analyze system concept, system design and interoperability, and provide recommendations for optimization. The Contractor shall review and analyze development, production, and system support proposals. The Contractor shall conduct trade-off/best technical approach analyses including cost estimation and cost benefit (e.g. Return on Investment (ROI)), analysis of alternatives, engineering studies, develop System Engineering Plans (SEPs), design plans, and technical reports as specified in the individual task order.

The Contractor shall provide systems/software engineering support for any or all phases of the system/software lifecycle to include Acquisition Strategy, Requirements Development, Requirements Management, Use Case Development, Risk Management, Architecture Design, Performance Engineering, Capacity Planning, System/Software Development, Test and Evaluation, and Sustainment. Requirements Development associated with iterative methodologies may occur at any phase of the development lifecycle. Therefore, requirements definition shall be structured to meet the incremental delivery needs of a particular project or program.

During the lifecycle process, software engineering support includes, but not limited to software system reliability assessments, participation on governance boards and IPTs. The Contractor shall ensure the dependencies, interoperability, availability, reliability, maintainability and performance of the system as a whole within government provided guidelines specified in the individual task order.

The Contractor shall provide Business Process Modeling (BPM) and Business Process Reengineering (BPR) support to system/software engineering efforts. This includes developing activity and process models for analysis of requirements and identification of improvement opportunities. BPM may be a requirement for some software development projects.

Design and Development The Contractor shall provide services with respect to all aspects and life-cycle phases which includes, but not limited to planning, requirements analysis, design, coding and unit testing, system integration testing, implementation, maintenance and updating of systems, applications, and/or services. This includes, but not limited to healthcare information processing, payroll processing, financial management systems, decision support systems, and workflow management systems. The Contractor shall be fully cognizant of the implications of the VA strategic plan.

Architecture Development The Contractor may support the enhancement of the Enterprise Architecture and Technical Reference Model, as well as the development of Business Line Architectures and Solution Architectures. The Contractor may be involved in enterprise architecture assessments as well as infrastructure assessments. The Contractor may support the development of strategies and governance processes for architectures.

The Contractor may:

A. Develop the architecture, common infrastructure and services needed to support systems development (e.g. Service Oriented Architecture) B. Use common infrastructure and services to minimize the effort required to deliver new functional capabilities at a lower cost C. Retire older systems and build new systems that are scalable and extensible by building them based on reusable services on commodity IT products D. Conduct audits/assessments of the architectures and/or infrastructure IT Service Management Implementation The Contractor shall implement IT service management plans, practices, infrastructures and systems utilizing industry best practices to minimize negative impact on the IT enterprise. IT services management includes, but not limited to:

A. Change Management B. Release Management C. Configuration Management D. Incident Management E. Problem Management F. Service Desk Management G. Availability Management H. Capacity Management I. Event Management J. Data & Storage Management K. Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Enterprise Application/Services The Contractor shall perform requirements analysis, system analysis, development and implementation support for core functional business and support applications and services, process re-engineering and adaptation of information technology solutions in support of environments internal and external to the organization. Application support may include, but not limited to advanced collaboration capabilities, workflow, business process modeling, business process modeling translation, system modeling and simulation, software development, executive dashboards, enterprise search and discovery, project management and scheduling tools and applications and advanced multi-media support for training and marketing requirements.

Web Application Design and Development The Contractor shall provide services for evaluation, planning, requirements analysis, design, coding and unit testing, system integration testing, implementation, deploying, providing service to, maintaining or updating a web-based application or web-enabling a current system. This may also include secure mobile extensions of these applications.

Human-Computer Interaction The Contractor shall provide services related to analysis, design, evaluation, implementation, and testing of interactive computing systems for human use to include, but not limited to 508 compliance assessments.

System/Software Integration The Contractor shall provide systems/software integration support to include planning, updating architecture models, interoperability specifications and analysis, system interface specifications, service definitions, and segmented architecture for the transition, integration, and implementation of IT systems.

Modeling and Simulation The Contractor shall provide the personnel, equipment, tools and facilities necessary to model, simulate, and/or analyze IT services, systems, networks and other infrastructure or IT components in operation in the computing environment or under development. The Contractor may be required to model, simulate, or predict performance, based on variables such as network latency, end-user device performance, and system-component upgrades. Modeling and simulation support may also include creating prototype implementations or developing mathematical models. The level and type of modeling and simulation support required will be specified in the individual task order.

Informatics Services The Contractor shall provide the following informatics services to include, but not limited to assisting in the evaluation, analysis and recommendation of potential improvements and technology insertions, particularly in the areas of e-business technologies and architectures, collaboration tools and software, exchanging information and integrating systems and using data and KM. The Contractor shall analyze and estimate the impact, operational effect, and supportability that the new technology will have on the existing processes, lifecycle cost, schedule, tradeoffs, interoperability, performance, suitability and other salient characteristics. The Contractor shall design, develop, implement, and maintain information management structures, systems and applications. In addition, the Contractor shall analyze new requirements and existing systems to determine and identify separable functions that are common across systems and potentially can be accommodated by COTS software, or alternatively by custom developed software. The Contractor shall conduct software engineering assessments on business process support systems to provide evaluation of modifiability, portability, reusability, performance and other quality areas. The Contractor shall also develop guidelines to include system/software architecture, software development processes, management indicators/quality metrics, requirements specifications and documentation standards. Data architecture repository and data architecture services are also included

The Contractor shall develop, recommend, and implement KM strategies, policies, procedures, and best practices. The Contractor shall identify authoritative sources for The Contractor shall educate senior management on the benefits and use of KM and conduct training on incorporating KM into daily business processes.

Engineering and Technical Documentation The Contractor shall prepare and/or revise/update Engineering, User and Technical Documentation, Reports, and Manuals for existing or newly developed projects, software applications or systems.

Current System and Data Migration These systems are in various stages of the lifecycle from Concept Exploration through and including Production and Deployment. The migration of current systems and corresponding data to a common and enforced architecture within the VA Network is the goal. Software engineering, data management, and Database Architecture support is required from the Contractor in the areas of computer resource management, analysis of technical documentation, participation in technical reviews, evaluation of test plans, system and integration testing, applicability studies and analysis of common software, and in the decommissioning of current systems.

Development toolkit support The Contractor shall provide services that may include, but not limited to acquisition and installation, administration, and maintenance of development toolkits (e.g. IBM Rational ClearCase).

Software Technology Demonstration and Transition The Contractors shall provide demonstrations and transition support for advanced software technologies. This functional area involves evaluating existing and emerging software technology products against the needs of current system development and support efforts, demonstrating specific technologies in the context of supported systems, and transitioning effective technology solutions into use. Current technology areas of focus for the VA include software architectures, databases, web-based applications, enterprise solutions, wireless, and security. This mission is a critical aspect of the VA's ability to improve and advance its software engineering capability.

Test & Evaluation (T&E) The Contractor shall provide Test and Evaluation (T&E) support in all phases of the systems/software development life cycle, to include preparation of test plans and procedures, design tests cases, conduct tests, witness tests and provide technical support, coordinate test plans in accordance with appropriate regulations, and analyze/evaluate/document test results. The Contractor shall participate in technical analyses, code reviews and other reviews as required.

Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) The Contractor shall review, evaluate, validate and verify procedures and methodologies used in developing, testing, maintaining and securing third-party systems/software.

Enterprise Network The Contractor shall provide systems/network administration and infrastructure support, as well as data, voice and video systems services to meet the organization requirements.

Systems/Network Administration The Contractor shall provide comprehensive support for the establishment, operation, administration, maintenance, migration, monitoring, analysis, and retirement of information systems, storage systems, network systems and security systems in locations worldwide for information technology equipment currently within, or under consideration for procurement by the VA, or other agency. This includes, but not limited to systems that support end-to-end Fault, Configuration, Administration, Performance, and Security (FCAPS) aspects of managing a network.

Network and Telecommunications Infrastructures The Contractor shall provide services related to delivering solutions up to turn-key communications systems. This may include, but not limited to planning networks, designing infrastructure, engineering, installing, testing, and maintaining these network infrastructures. This includes all types of voice, data, and video networks, including converged networks of all three.

Data Communications Systems The Contractor shall provide services related to designing, delivering and maintaining solutions for both secure and non-secure data communications systems which may include network management equipment, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) equipment, Internet Protocol (IP) equipment, channel banks, high-to-low level multiplex equipment, switching systems, Private Branch Exchange (PBX) systems, computer telephony interfaces, Channel Service Units (CSU), Digital Service Units (DSU), wireless, encryption tools and interfaces, signal conversion and interface equipment. This also includes all systems residing on the customer premise, beyond the carrier demarcation point.

Voice Systems The Contractor shall provide services related to designing, delivering and maintaining solutions for both secure and non-secure voice systems. This includes both existing systems as well as new installations.

The voice systems will vary in size, location, network configuration, and functionality. This may include, but not limited to engineering, furnishing, installing, and maintaining of legacy Private Branch Exchange (PBX) systems, Hybrid Voice over Internet Protocol-Time Division Multiplex (VoIP-TDM) systems, VoIP Systems, Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) systems, Intelligent Call Routing Systems, Healthcare specific systems, call center specific systems, and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Systems. This will include working with leased voice solutions from telecommunications carriers.

Video Systems The Contractor shall provide services related to designing, delivering and maintaining solutions for both secure and non-secure video systems which may include Closed Circuit Television (CCTV), Cable TV (CATV), Video Teleconference (VTC) and desktop Local Area Network (LAN) VTC systems and web-based collaboration tools. These video systems may include, but not limited to cameras, recorders, multipoint bridges, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and dial up systems, amplifiers, microphones, compression equipment, equalizers, remote controls, special optical enhanced equipment and video interface equipment. Video distribution may be over fiber optics, coaxial cable or twisted pair copper cable. The Contractor shall provide technical support for web-based collaboration training and other advanced VTC solutions.

Local Area Network (LAN)/Wide Area Network (WAN) Systems The Contractor shall provide services related to designing, delivering and maintaining solutions for both secure and non-secure turn-key LAN and WAN systems and components. This may include, but not limited to engineering, furnishing, installing, testing, operating and maintaining systems and components.

These systems may include the components of the physical layer including, but not limited to inside and outside cable plant, wireless LAN, and WAN components, in terms of equipment, this may include, but not limited to routers, Ethernet switches, multiplexers – Synchronous optical networking (SONET), Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM), network test equipment, network management systems.

Transmission Systems The Contractor shall provide services related to designing, delivering and maintaining solutions for both secure and non-secure transmission systems which may include, but not limited to single and multi-mode fiber optics, fiber optic multiplexing equipment, wireless, Radio Frequency (RF), satellite communications, fiber-to-copper and copper links, repeaters, switching protection and encryption.

Enterprise Management Framework:

The Contractor shall provide services in support of executing the enterprise management framework, to include, but not limited to:

A. Development of Open Database Connectivity (ODBC)/ Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) connectors from existing software tools (for example: solar winds, SMS) to a federated data repository B. Performance, Functionality and Validation testing and documentation of technologies (for example: WAN optimization, thin computing, virtualization, de-duplication, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)) C. Testing which may involve the comparison of multiple technology vendors in support of a specific technology direction D. Evaluation of the emerging technologies that enable organizational efficiencies E. Development of solution driven architecture F. Analysis and review of proposed solutions (internal and external) for technical merit and compliance to Organizational Technical Standards and published Standards Cyber Security The Contractor shall define and deliver strategic, operational and process aspects of cyber security solutions. The Contractor shall ensure adequate LAN/Internet, data, information, and system security in accordance with organization standard operating procedures, conditions, laws, and regulations. The Contractor shall follow all applicable organization policies and procedures governing information security. The VA mandates compliance with the protection of Personal Identification Information (PII).

Information Assurance (IA) The Contractor shall identify, mitigate and resolve IA issues and concerns. The Contractor shall develop/contribute to guidelines/plans/policies, analyses and reviews that require IA expertise in the areas of assessments, monitoring, maintaining, reviewing and processing, accreditation/certification, Program Protection Plan (PPP) evaluation, and other cyber security related activities and mandates.

Logical Security The Contractor shall establish, using National Institute Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publications as a guide, secure logical and physical infrastructures for Information Systems (IS) environments including, but not limited to security plans, risk assessments, access controls, directory services, compliance monitoring, firewalls, intrusion detection/scanning systems, anti-virus tools, privacy data assessment, and PII and other data protection policies. This function includes providing details for security awareness training, personnel security, policy enforcement, incident handling procedures, and separation of duties within an organization. In addition, the Contractor shall recommend and implement current best practices for the widest range of operating systems, database, networks, and application security, taking current best practices, industry standards, and Government regulations and policies into account.

Certification and Accreditation The Contractor shall obtain commercial and/or organization specific certifications/authorizations for new or modified systems, applications, designs, equipment or installations in accordance with applicable organization standards specified by individual Task Orders. Specific activities include, but not limited to security certifications, or comprehensive assessments of the management, operational, and technical security controls in an information system to determine the extent to which the controls are implemented correctly.

Security Operating Support The Contractor shall provide operations support for Security Services including, but not limited to Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) and Intrusion Prevention Service (IPS), Security Device Monitoring, Vulnerability Scanning Service (VSS), Vulnerability Management assistance, Patch Management, Anti-Virus Management Service (AVMS), Incident Response capabilities, Digital Forensics, Computer Network Defense, and Managed E-Authentication Service (MEAS). The operation support shall include, but not limited to Managed Firewall Service (MFS), Web Content filtering monitoring, Virtual Private Network (VPN) maintenance and monitoring, and Web Application Firewalls. The Contractor shall provide services on a local or enterprise level. The Contractor shall also participate in security functions required to ensure the integrity and availability of computer systems including, but not limited to security safeguard reviews, audits, reporting suspected security violations, acting to secure system environments, monitoring and responding to computer security alerts.