Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF DECEMBER 25, 2005 FBO #1490
SOURCES SOUGHT

D -- Request For Information (RFI) for Department Homeland Security - Transportation Security Administration - Office of Security Technology, Security Technology Integrated Program (STIP) Initiative

Notice Date

5/11/2005
 

Notice Type

Sources Sought
 

NAICS

518210 — Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services
 

Contracting Office

DHS - Border and Transportation Security, Transportation Security Administration, Headquarters TSA, 601 S. 12th Street TSA-25, 10th Floor, Arlington, VA, 22202
 

ZIP Code

22202
 

Solicitation Number

Reference-Number-HSTS04-05-I-DEP024
 

Response Due

6/10/2005
 

Point of Contact

Connie Thornton, Contracting Officer, Phone 571-227-3880, Fax 571-227-2911,
 

E-Mail Address

Connie.Thornton@dhs.gov
 

Description

This is a Request For Information for the purposes of conducting market research. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) plans to issue one or more solicitation(s) to create an enterprise wide system that traverses on the existing and future TSA network infrastructure designed to communicate security equipment text and data between various TSA sites, at both local and national level. This RFI does not constitute a future contract and vendors shall not be compensated for providing information. There is no solicitation available at this time, TSA is currently performing a market survey to determine if vendors exist that can meet the following concept. The concept that is being investigated will be to develop a gateway between all existing and future airport security equipment across 450 airports nationwide and a centralized data collection/distribution management center. The goal will to be to provide TSA with a dynamic and completely configurable system that supports near real time information about existing and future deployed airport security equipment. The types of airport security equipment being considered as part of this RFI includes Threat Image Projection (TIP) Ready X-rays, Explosive Trace Detectors, Explosive Detection Systems, and Walk Through Metal Detectors. The concept will provide for administrative and technical communications such as remote maintenance monitoring (RMM), property management, configuration management, resource management and collection/distribution of equipment and screener performance information. Specifically, TSA seeks to obtain (1) information about solutions based on vendor experience in environments similar to TSA, (2) information about products and services offered by industry that provides a turn key solution that meets the above concept, and (3) suggestions on alternative approaches to minimize total life cycle cost. Background: TSA is responsible for “protecting the Nation's transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce.” The proposed concept is an initiative being investigated by TSA that incorporates enterprise management of assets, training efficiencies, data collection, trend analysis and remote maintenance monitoring from a local and national level as a business process improvement solution. There are over 12,000 pieces of airport security equipment installed nationwide including Explosive Detection Systems TIP Ready X-ray, Explosive Trace Detectors and Electronic Metal Detectors. These machines contain performance information that is collected through manually intensive processes. Thus, TSA is seeking an automated cost-effective solution to transmit specific data from the airport security equipment located within an airport to centralized data management center. The concept that is being investigated includes the following properties: • Provide near-real time remote maintenance monitoring of security assets. The RMM will support an improved maintenance strategy and concept. • Provide near-real time monitoring of screener and equipment performance; • Provide security equipment inventory management and movement tracking; • Provide a COTS solution that adheres to Industry standards including open systems architecture. 1. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Vendors should refer to the DHS website at www.dhs.gov and the TSA website at www.tsa.gov for information about the TSA mission, organization, locations, customer services, and current initiatives. 2. RESPONSES TO THE RFI: TSA is seeking information from vendors with expertise and experience in: • Large scale application implementation and support; • Automation and standardization of processes; • Remote Maintenance Monitoring (RMM) engineering efforts; • Large scale Data retrieval, interpretation, distribution and storage. The following sections provide a recommend outline for a response to this RFI. This outline is intended to minimize the effort of the respondent and structure the responses for ease of analysis by the Government. Section 1 – Corporate Expertise: Briefly describe the company, products and services, history, ownership, financial information, and other information deemed relevant (1-2 pages) Section 2 – Conceptual Alternatives: The Government is interested in conceptual alternatives for the concept describe above. TSA encourages creativity, and cost saving responses to this RFI. Briefly describe one or more high-level alternative application concepts, assumptions based on information provided. Responses to this RFI should discuss the architecture of the alternatives and the capability for the architecture to expand. Identify proposed products and services compatible with total solution (e.g., products, software, etc.) Address security-related issues, current government security certifications. Discuss the feasibility and tradeoffs of each alternative, cost tradeoffs as well as maintenance and/or reoccurring cost. Estimate the time required to design/develop/implement conceptual alternatives. Section 3 – Program Management Approach: Proposed strategies should consider TSA’s changing inventory of security equipment, TSA’s role, responsibilities, technical environment and budget constraints that drive the need for an agile, responsive, cost effective system. Indicate the types of deliverables that might be provided and performance metrics to be used to measure the success of the program. Describe perceived potential technical risks and how those risks could be effectively mitigated through the acquisition strategy, source selection, and performance management process. (sections 2 and 3 should not exceed 15 pages combined.) Section 4 – Experience: Describe three key projects the company participated in that are similar in size, scope, and complexity to the TSA environment, potentially within the Federal Government arena. Briefly describe the customer environment, application solution designed/implemented, project management methodology, security requirements, best practices implemented, and relevant lessons learned. In addition, vendors should indicate their General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contract number, if applicable. Indicate the size (e.g., number of client sites, transaction volumes, bandwidth availability, distance), scope, and complexity of the efforts cited. Include a description of the dollar value of each contract/project and the total cost to implement a given solution. (3 pages) 3. REVIEW OF VENDOR RESPONSES: The Government will review vendor submissions to ascertain: • Relevance of technical approaches to the TSA environment and goals based on assumptions made by the vendor with regards to information provided by the Government in the RFI and information provided on the DHS and TSA websites • Relevance of projects identified for past performance information to the TSA in terms of size, scope, and complexity • Life cycle cost of the proposed concept, associated benefits, modularity and interoperability. 4. INFORMATION EXCHANGE MEETINGS: Prior to review of vendor responses to the RFI, TSA may at their discretion hold a technical information exchange meeting with respondents. The meeting will focus on industry experiences related to application development/design, including processes and methodologies, technical solutions, best practices and lessons learned, associated cost, risks and programmatic benefits information about this meeting will be made available at a later date. 5. DISCLAIMER: This RFI is issued for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked Proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responses to the RFI will not be returned. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not an offer and can not be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. The TSA makes no implied or in fact contract by issuing and publishing this market survey. 6. VENDOR SUBMISSION OF RESPONSES AND CONTACT IFORMATION: Electronic responses to this Request for Information are required. Please submit responses via e-mail in Microsoft Word format (using a font no smaller than 11 point) no later than 4:00 p.m. EST on Friday June 10, 2005, to: Connie.Thornton@dhs.gov. Please contact Connie Thornton , Contracting Officer, via e-mail with questions related to this RFI. No telephone calls please. APPENDIX A: To be technically and economically viable, the concept solution may have the following capabilities: • A coherent, consistent, distributed means to manage large data sets. The solution should accommodate: - Staged data storage amongst on-line, near real time, and off-line data. - Transparent access to security equipment data independent of its physical location - Open systems approach to accommodate diversity in airport security equipment operating systems, databases, languages, and communications. • Robust distributed computational support to catalog, search, and process data. Appropriate system integrity to protect the value of large data collections. • Automated maintenance alerts and notification. The solution should accommodate: - Analysis of equipment anomalies, failures and alarm data • Automated analysis of end-user performance. The solution should accommodate - Real time evaluation of airport security equipment screener performance data that determines the accuracy of the screener to identify a threat • Configuration management. The solution should accommodate the ability to: - Upload airport security equipment software changes and revisions - Interrogate airport security equipment systems to ensure configuration management revision levels and security adherence • Networked architecture to deliver equipment health and performance data to local (i.e. airport maintenance personnel), and national levels (i.e. a centralized command center). NOTE: THIS NOTICE MAY HAVE POSTED ON FEDBIZOPPS ON THE DATE INDICATED IN THE NOTICE ITSELF (11-MAY-2005). IT ACTUALLY APPEARED OR REAPPEARED ON THE FEDBIZOPPS SYSTEM ON 23-DEC-2005, BUT REAPPEARED IN THE FTP FEED FOR THIS POSTING DATE. PLEASE CONTACT fbo.support@gsa.gov REGARDING THIS ISSUE.
 

Web Link

Link to FedBizOpps document.
(http://www.fbo.gov/spg/DHS-BT/TSA/HQTSA/Reference-Number-HSTS04-05-I-DEP024/listing.html)
 

Place of Performance

Address: Transportation Security Administration 601 South 12th Street Arlington, Virginia

Zip Code: 22202

Country: United States
 

Record

SN00957959-F 20051225/051223213134 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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