RFI for Enterprise Document Management Solution (EDMS)

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION/SOURCES SOUGHT FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY. AS OF THIS DATE, THERE IS NO SOLICITATION PACKAGE AVAILABLE.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of the Chief Financial Officer - New Orleans (OCFO-NO) seeks input on the cost and feasibility of employing Electronic Content Management (ECM) technology to transform their current paper-based processes into more effective and efficient digitally-enabled processes.  This will include the scanning of paper documents and the management of those electronic images as well as other native electronic documents.

This is a Request for Information (RFI) issued solely for information and planning purposes.  It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP), and is not to be construed as a commitment by the US Government. No award will be made as a result of this RFI. All information is to be submitted at no cost or obligation to the Government. NFC intends to assess the feasibility of implementing an ECM, and may then issue an RFP.

Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP. Any comments provided may or may not be used in a formal solicitation. The Government will not release any information marked with a proprietary legend received in response to the RFI from any firms. It is requested that information in response to this RFI be received NOT LATER THAN 5:00PM CT, FRIDAY, 22 MARCH 2013.

Overview of Business Needs

Currently, many business processes within the organization are dependent on paper documents that are submitted to the OCFO-NO from external sources.   OCFO-NO also creates paper documents - primarily electronic documents that are printed for signature and paper reports that are generated from the mainframe business systems.  This dependency on physical paper has many inherent disadvantages, including limiting the OCFO-NO's ability to respond to a COOP event and limiting telework opportunities.   In addition, it impedes opportunities to employ technology tools that could facilitate re-engineering and optimization of business processes. 

As part of an internal document management assessment, the following high-level business requirements were identified:
· Capture and convert paper documents to a non-proprietary digital format
· Capture computer reports in digital format
· Capture Fax transmissions in digital format
· Capture documents and records created in common desktop applications in their native format (e.g. Microsoft Word and Excel, Adobe PDF)
·  Manage documents throughout their lifecycle including initial creation and version control
·  Enforce Records Management principles including security, retention periods and record destruction.
·  Classify all captured documents for retrieval
·  Digitally sign electronic documents
·  Enforce security over all documents and data
·  Route documents and work tasks to support business processes

In order to address these business requirements, the following major ECM system functionalities were identified as critical in meeting the OCFO-NO's needs:  Image capture, Document Management, Records Management, Social Content Management, Workflow, and Fax Capture. 

Enterprise Reporting has also been identified as a desired capability that may be phased into the solution during later stages of the project.  OCFO-NO intends to implement digital signatures internally, using PKI certificates encoded in employee identification badges.  ECM components that address Web Content Management may be of interest in the future; however, these capabilities are not currently driving business requirements. 

Many of the documents processed at OCFO-NO contain Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Personally Identifiable Information (PII) data.  Therefore, it should be noted that document and data security are paramount.

Additional Information and Instructions for Responses are attached.