SOURCES SOUGHT
D -- BILLING AND ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS FOR THE EOS DATA INFORMATION SYSTEM DISTRIBUTED ACTIVE ARCHIVE CENTERS
- Notice Date
- 2/25/2002
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- Contracting Office
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 214.6, Greenbelt, MD 20771
- ZIP Code
- 20771
- Solicitation Number
- ESDIS02423
- Response Due
- 3/29/2002
- Point of Contact
- Isabell Watts, Contract Specialist, Phone (301) 614-5298, Fax (301) 614-5267, Email Isabell.M.Watts.1@gsfc.nasa.gov
- E-Mail Address
-
Email your questions to Isabell Watts
(Isabell.M.Watts.1@gsfc.nasa.gov)
- Description
- THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. This is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) to seek industry comments and inputs concerning a Billing and Accounting System for the EOS Data and Information System Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs). The EOSDIS DAACs acquire, process and deliver very large volumes (estimated to reach at least 250 terabytes/year on media by 2002) of remote sensing and related data to research scientists and public and governmental entities that apply this physical information to understand and solve major problems in the Earth Sciences, such as global change, environmental monitoring, agricultural inventory, etc. Consistent with NASA's Earth Science Enterprise Data Policy and Federal regulations (OMB Circulars A-130 and A-25), the ESDIS Project is considering a program of recovering certain costs from users who obtain data and information services from the EOSDIS DAACs. The ESDIS Project is interested in awarding a contract for a Billing and Accounting System that would work cooperatively with the ESDIS Science Operations Office (SOO) and the DAACs. The functions of the Billing and Accounting System within the DAACs would include, but are not limited to: 1) Receive product price list from DAACs (and at least annual updates), 2) Allow DAAC users to establish accounts (including prepaid accounts or purchase order accounts), 3) Allow for NASA funded accounts, either through pre-payment or by pre-authorization and billing, 4) Receive notice of data set order from DAACs, 5) Invoice and collect payment (by check or electronic funds transfer) for order from customer (track by order number), 6) Provide notice to DAAC that data can be shipped, 7) Provide postage / shipping authorization to DAACs (e.g. Postal meter with contractor account and pre-paid UPS/FedEx shipping.), 8) Receive notice from DAAC regarding refund or replacement of data set, 9) Send refund to customer or credit customer account, 10) Supply media, postage, materials, and postal charges to DAACs for replacement data sets, 11) Respond to user queries concerning account or order payment status, 12) Provide regular activity reports. Questions to be Answered: 1. What specific operations concepts or requirements as described in the reference documentation will likely require special development or extensions to currently available off-the-shelf products? 2. If you would be proposing an off-the-shelf solution, how would price be determined if the solution were to be used by one or more DAACs? 3. What efforts would be necessary to complete integration of your solution with the DAAC search and order tools, and to the DAAC data distribution systems, as described in the operations concept and requirements documentation? 4. What changes would you suggest to the referenced operations concept and requirements to best enable use of your solution with the DAAC search and order tools and with the DAAC data distribution systems? 5. If these changes were made to the operations concept and requirements, what effort would be necessary to complete integration of your solution with the DAAC search and order tools and with the DAAC data distribution systems? 6. What changes would you recommend be made to the operations concept and requirements documents in order to reduce life cycle costs yet satisfy the goals of the ESDIS billing and accounting program? 7. What would a the billing and accounting system cost? For an understanding of the scope of operation of the Billing and Accounting System respondents should review the provided references. These documents serve as a backdrop against which respondents must frame and pose the appropriate advanced information technology topics for further consideration: Reference 1. Billing and Account Operations Concept (includes Billing and Accounting Policy documents) (Draft, January 2002) http://ramulus.gsfc.nasa.gov/ba 2. Billing and Account System Requirements(Draft, Janaury 2002) http://romulus.gsfc.nasa.gov/ba 3. EOSDIS DAAC Current and Projected User Statistics Essay (April 19, 1999) http://romulus.gsfc.nasa.gov/ba 4. Statistics Collecting and Reporting System (SCRS) Metrics http://fiacre.gsfc.nasa.gov:8000/scrs.html 5. EDGRS (EOS Data Gathering and Reporting System) http://fiacre.gsfc.nasa.gov:8000/ 6. DAAC Usage Statistics http://lyta.gsfc.nasa.gov/~imswww/statGlobalTextSummary.text Table 1 In addition, information concerning the EOSDIS DAACs is available on-line at: http://ulabibm.gsfc.nasa.gov/daac/ The on-line product search and order capability provided by NASA's National Space Science Data Center is an example of a successful implementation of an end user interface for ordering and paying for NASA data products that exemplifies how such functions may be provided in a manner compliant with NASA policy and commercial practice. It is available on-line at: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/ The ESDIS Project encourages responses from businesses or other groups interested in the opportunity of providing a Billing and Accounting System. The responses should demonstrate the operational reliability and robustness of the proposed approach, as well as simplicity and straightforwardness for users and the DAACs. The responses should show how the System could adapt to growth in the user community, the number of data centers it supports, changes in systems it interfaces with, and new technology for electronic commerce. Sources with information relevant to this request are asked to respond by submitting a white paper of no more than five (5) pages which conforms to Annex 1, "Template For Billing and Accounting System Submittal". The paper should clearly address a prospective Billing and Accounting System approach to providing a portion or all of the needed capabilities. Please provide rough costs estimates for any Commercial-Off-the-Shelf products and the effort needed to integrate the proposed Billing and Accounting System with the DAAC systems, regardless of who is proposed for performing the integration. Comments and suggestions for improving the referenced Billing and Accounting Operations Concept and the Billing and Accounting System Requirements are encouraged and solicited. All information received from this RFI will be combined and used for government procurement planning purposes. Sources are urged to describe their approach in enough detail so that NASA can plan for subsequent proposal opportunities for which proprietary information is appropriate. The information received in response to this RFI will be reviewed and summarized by a panel of experts. Some or no part of the summarized and synthesized recommendations may or may not form the basis of a future NASA solicitation, such as a NASA RFP (Request for Proposals). Annex 1 TEMPLATE FOR BILLING AND ACCOUNTING SYSTEM SUBMITTAL 8. Background and Description of Proposed Approach Describe in adequate detail the specific approach to implementing a Billing and Accounting System being proposed for ESDIS Project consideration, the current state of its development, how interfaces to DAAC-based systems would be implemented, the comparability of your approach with or its use of current and/or anticipated commercial approaches. Optionally, you may wish to provide a brief Operations Concept ("a day in the life" scenario) illustrating the use of your approach. 9. Operational Robustness and Flexibility for Growth and Evolution of Proposed Approach Address the operational reliability and robustness of your proposed approach, as well as simplicity and straightforwardness for users and the DAACs. Describe how your approach to providing the System could adapt to growth in the user community, the number of data centers the Service supports, changes in the systems it interfaces with, and new technology for electronic commerce. 4. Timeline, Cost to Develop, and Make Operational Provide a rough estimate of the time and cost to develop capabilities needed for the Billing and Accounting System and bring the System to operational status. Responses may be sent via electronic mail, regular mail, or fax to: Mr. William J. Potter ESDIS Project, Code 423 Goddard Space Flight Center Tel. (301) 614-5343 Fax (301) 614-5267 E-mail: william.j.potter.1@gsfc.nasa.gov If you respond via regular mail or fax, please provide an electronic copy in Microsoft Word format in addition to the printed version of your submission. This solicitation/synopsis is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government pay for the information solicited. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the review. Any questions regarding this announcement should be directed to the identified point of contact. An ombudsman has been appointed -- See NASA Specific Note "B". The solicitation and any documents related to this procurement will be available over the Internet. These documents will be in Microsoft Office 97 format and will reside on a World Wide Web (WWW) server, which may be accessed using a WWW browser application. The Internet site, or URL, for the NASA/GSFC Business Opportunities home page is http://nais.msfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/EPS/bizops.cgi?group=C&pin=51 It is the offeror's responsibility to monitor the Internet cite for the release of the solicitation and amendments (if any). Potential offerors will be responsible for downloading their own copy of the solicitation and amendments, if any. Any referenced notes can be viewed at the following URL: http://genesis.gsfc.nasa.gov/nasanote.html
- Web Link
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