SOO_Digitizing_Acquisition_with_Human-centered_Design_and_Testing_Services.pdf

Acquisition Analytics Program

“Yellow Light Contract”

Statement of Objectives for Digitizing Acquisition with Human-centered Design and Testing Services

A Statement of Objectives (SOO) is a government-prepared document incorporated into the solicitation that outlines the overall performance objectives and desired outcomes. It is used in solicitations when the government intends to provide the maximum flexibility to the offeror to propose an innovative approach. That portion of a contract that establishes a broad description of the government’s required performance objectives for acquisition data and its use to advance and inform leaders’ decision making.

(1) Purpose: The purpose of this contract is to provide expert human-centered design (HCD) and comprehensive testing services to the Department of War (DoW) in support of its digitizing acquisition initiative. The contractor shall deliver services focused on workstream design, workflow modernization, and the testing of digital and artificial intelligence (AI)-based systems. These efforts will directly enhance the acquisition domain’s ability to consistently measure performance and rapidly deliver effective, war-winning capabilities across the entire lifecycle, from Science & Technology (S&T) through development, production, sustainment, and decommissioning.

(2) Background: The Department of War’s acquisition domain currently relies on antiquated legacy data systems whose primary purpose is compliance and oversight, rather than enabling analysis and effective decision-making. Each major organization (e.g., Military Service) often operates in a functional silo, leading to a frequent misunderstanding of the value of cross-cutting technology and data integration. The result is unreliable and insufficient data for analysis, which inhibits the effective use of emerging technologies like AI, leads to undefined or misaligned strategies, and reinforces outdated, risk-avoidant organizational and system-based structures that hinder measurable transformation.

This initiative is mandated by and directly supports key national and departmental directives, including:

• Executive Order 14265: “Modernize Defense Acquisitions”

• Executive Order 14275: “Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement”

• Executive Order 14268: “Reforming Foreign Defense Sales to Improve Speed and Accountability”

• The Secretary of War’s Acquisition Transformation Strategy (ATS), specifically the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment’s (USW(A&S)) initiatives to digitize the acquisition system and implement portfolio scorecards.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Rapid Warfighting Support (RWS) is chartered to enable the rapid integration of capabilities across the Warfighting Acquisition System. As part of this charter, RWS leads the digitization efforts for USW(A&S), aiming to digitize and subsequently transform acquisition workstreams. RWS enables enterprise data governance and the broader acquisition data ecosystem, which includes the data systems, tools, and applications used for analytics and decision-making. This contract is a critical component of that mission.

(3) Objective(s) and Scope: The scope of this contract is to provide human-centered design and testing services in support of the initiatives referenced in Section (1) and (2).

The objective(s) and scope for each area is provided below.

1. Establish and Execute Strategic Product Management: institute a disciplined, human-centered product management process to guide the definition, development, and delivery of digital acquisition capabilities that meet user needs and achieve strategic goals.

1.1. Objective: define user-centric product strategy and roadmaps within 3-months. Then, achieve a 40% increase in user adoption of digitized data product/application within 12-months of launch/deployment.

1.2. Scope:

1.2.1. Conduct comprehensive user research, stakeholder interviews, and market analysis to identify unmet needs and opportunities within the acquisition domain.

1.2.2. Develop and maintain detailed user personas and journey maps to ensure a shared understanding of user goals and pain points.

1.2.3. Define, document, and manage the product vision, strategy, and multi-year roadmaps for designated digital acquisition tools and platforms.

1.2.4. Establish and track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and metrics for product success.

1.2.5. Establish Baselines: Administer initial surveys and utilize system analytics to establish baseline metrics for user adoption and satisfaction on existing or analogous systems.

1.2.6. Define and Instrument Analytics: Define and instrument the necessary analytics to track active users, feature engagement, and task completion rates.

1.2.7. Administer Surveys: Develop and administer regular user satisfaction surveys (e.g., System Usability Scale - SUS, Net Promoter Score - NPS) to measure changes in user sentiment against the baseline.

1.2.8. Track and Report on KPIs: Establish and track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for product success, reporting progress against quantitative targets to the government on a monthly basis.

1.2.9. Support Product Rollout: Manage product launch activities, including targeted user communications and training support, to drive initial adoption

2. Design Modernized Acquisition Workstreams and Workflows: to analyze, map, and redesign complex acquisition processes into smaller, more manageable, and modernized workflows that are efficient, repeatable, and optimized for both human users and digital systems.

2.1. Objective(s): design and validate human-centered, 'to-be' workflows within 6-months for a work stream after project initiation. The goal is to achieve a 30% average reduction in cycle time for redesigned acquisition workflows

2.2. Scope:

2.2.1. Facilitate discovery workshops with subject matter experts to gather requirements for future-state workflows.

2.2.2. Design optimized ("to-be") workflows that align with human-centered principles and leverage digital capabilities.

2.2.3. Develop and iterate on low- and high-fidelity prototypes, wireframes, and mockups to visualize and test proposed workflow changes with users.

2.2.4. Create comprehensive documentation for new workflows, including process flow diagrams and service blueprints.

2.2.5. Establish and execute strategic establish baselines: map existing ("as-is") acquisition workstreams and use system logs or time-and-motion studies to establish baseline performance metrics (e.g., cycle time, number of handoffs, manual steps).

2.2.6. Model efficiency gains: model and project the potential efficiency gains of proposed "to-be" workflow designs to prioritize high-value changes.

2.2.7. Measure workflows: conduct pilots or simulations of redesigned workflows to measure performance against the established baseline.

2.2.8. Analyze and report: analyze performance data from pilots and report on the measured reduction in cycle time and/or manual steps

3. Provide Comprehensive Test and Evaluation (T&E): to execute a multi-faceted T&E strategy to rigorously evaluate new digital systems, AI capabilities, and redesigned workflows to ensure they are functional, secure, effective, and meet the operational needs of the warfighter.

3.1. Objective(s): continuously validate operational effectiveness and user acceptance.

3.2. Scope:

3.2.1. Design test scenarios that reflect realistic operational conditions and user tasks.

3.2.2. Gather and analyze qualitative data on user satisfaction, trust in the system, and perceived workload.

3.2.3. Provide an independent assessment of whether a system or workflow is operationally effective and suitable for its intended purpose.

3.2.4. Conduct specialized T&E for AI systems, focusing on human-AI team performance outcomes.

3.2.5. Develop traceability matrix: develop and manage a requirements traceability matrix to ensure 100% test coverage for all specified critical path requirements.

3.2.6. Report on test metrics: generate and deliver formal test reports after each cycle, clearly stating the test case pass rate, the number and severity of open defects, and progress toward the quantitative quality gates.

3.2.7. Perform regression testing: conduct regression testing to ensure that defect fixes do not introduce new issues and that the 95% pass rate is maintained.

(4) Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL)

CDRL NO. Title SOO / PWS REF. Frequency / Due Date

A001 Program Management & Status Report

1, 2, 3 Monthly

A002 Product Strategy and Roadmap

1.1 One-Time / As Required

A003 "As-Is" Workflow Design Package

2.1 One-Time (per workstream), then as needed

A004 "To-Be" Workflow Design Package

2.1 One-Time (per workstream), then as needed

A005 Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) Report

3 One-Time (per workstream), then as needed

A006 System / AI Test Report / Scorecards

3 One-Time (per workstream), then as needed

A007 Meeting Agendas and Minutes

General As Required, within 3-days of meeting

A008 Final Program Report General One-Time