Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF APRIL 07, 2006 FBO #1593
SOURCES SOUGHT

D -- Geospatial Line of Business

Notice Date

4/5/2006
 

Notice Type

Sources Sought
 

NAICS

541519 — Other Computer Related Services
 

Contracting Office

General Services Administration, Office of the Chief Acquisition Officer (V), GSA Headquarters Contracting Division (VC), 18th & F Streets, NW Room 4020, Washington, DC, 20405
 

ZIP Code

20405
 

Solicitation Number

GSV06PD00089
 

Response Due

5/5/2006
 

Archive Date

5/20/2006
 

Point of Contact

Kisha Emmanuel, Contracts Specialist, Phone 202 219-3457, Fax 202 501-3161,
 

E-Mail Address

kisha.emmanuel@gsa.gov
 

Description

NO QUESTIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED BY TELEPHONE. ALL QUESTIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED TO geospatial@gsa.gov . THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NO PURCHASE WILL RESULT FROM THIS ACTION. The General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Government-wide Policy, in conjunction with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), seeks information related to Federal-wide geospatial data and capabilities. Obtaining this information will help to further refine the opportunities for optimizing and consolidating Federal geospatial-related investments to reduce the cost of government and, at the same time, improve services to citizens. Cross-agency coordination of geospatial activities can identify, consolidate, and reduce or eliminate redundant geospatial investments. Developing the Geospatial Line of Business (LoB) will result in a more coordinated approach to producing, maintaining, and using geospatial data, and will ensure sustainable participation from Federal partners to establish a collaborative model for geospatial-related activities and investments. This is a Request for Information (RFI) issued solely as a research and investigative tool. Information provided will help OMB form budget policy and assist in developing a more complete understanding of the Federal geospatial market. This RFI is not a solicitation for services. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP). The Geospatial LoB Task Force will assess the contributions of proposed solutions to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Federal Government’s geospatial activities. This effort may lead to the issuance of one or more RFP’s at a later date. Responses to this RFI will not affect a potential offeror's ability to respond to any RFP that might follow. Please ensure that any sensitive or protected information is marked as such to ensure the confidentiality of this information. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NO PURCHASE WILL RESULT FROM THIS ACTION. Practitioners Day Respondents are invited to attend the Geospatial Line of Business Practitioners Day for Government, Industry, Non-profit organizations and other stakeholders. The Geospatial Managing Partner and representatives from OMB and the PMO will be present to discuss the LoB. Practitioners Day for the Geospatial LoB will be on April 18, 2006 from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm EDT in Washington, DC. The location of this event will be emailed to registrants. Due to limited space, please register in advance and limit your participation at this event to two attendees per company or organization. You may register to attend at http://www.estrategy.gov/lineofbusiness/ through COB April 14, 2006. Registered attendees as well as those who are interested, but not able to attend, are requested to submit their questions related to the Geospatial LoB in advance to geospatial@gsa.gov by COB EDT, April 14, 2006. Questions and Answers will be available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/egov/c-6-8-glob.html approximately ten days after the event. RFI Questionnaire Response Responses to the RFI must be submitted by e-mail to geospatial@gsa.gov by 5:00 p.m. EDT, May 5th, 2006. In responding to the RFI, please use the template attached to this notice and place your responses in-line in Part II of the document, retaining the question number and question text before each answer. Your e-mail should be clearly marked with reference to RFI-#GSV06PD00089 and include a point of contact for your organization. E-mail your response in Word (version 2000 or higher) to geospatial@gsa.gov. Please respond in the format provided for each question in the RFI Questionnaire section. The Government recognizes that respondents may have information pertaining to only some geospatial areas. Limited, “best of breed”, information can still be of high quality and significant value to the ultimate common solution(s) for the Geospatial LoB. Therefore, while the government seeks to define common solutions that address the full spectrum of geospatial activities, it does not discourage partial responses. If you choose not to respond to a question, indicate “no response” and identify the rationale. No more than 20 additional single-sided pages with print no smaller than 11 point is suggested; however, text included in graphics, tables, and figures can be smaller than 10 point. The submissions must be in sufficient detail and clarity to provide the information needed to assess your solution approach. Please do not include marketing materials with your response at this time. Geospatial Line of Business Request for Information (RFI) April 6, 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 PART I: BACKGROUND INFORMATION 1 1.1 Overview 1 1.2 Purpose 1 1.3 Scope 2 1.4 Guiding Principles 3 1.5 Vision, Goals, Objectives 3 1.6 Components Included in the Geospatial LoB 4 1.7 Instructions for Responding to the RFI Questionnaire (Part II) 4 2.0 PART II QUESTIONS – INCLUDED IN ATTACHED TEMPLATE 1.0 PART I: BACKGROUND INFORMATION 1.1 Overview The General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Government-wide Policy, in conjunction with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), seeks information related to Federal-wide geospatial data and capabilities. The objective is to further refine the opportunities for optimizing and consolidating Federal geospatial-related investments to reduce the cost of government and, at the same time, improve services to citizens. Cross-agency coordination of geospatial activities can identify, consolidate, and reduce or eliminate redundant geospatial investments. Developing the Geospatial Line of Business (LoB) will result in a more coordinated approach to producing, maintaining, and using geospatial data, and will ensure sustainable participation from Federal partners to establish a collaborative model for geospatial-related activities and investments. In addition, optimization and consolidation of geospatial activities offers an opportunity to realize future cost savings and new ways of doing business by taking a more coordinated approach to spending. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.215-3, Request for Information for Solicitation and Planning Purposes (October 1997), this notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP). The Geospatial LoB Task Force intends to assess the responses to inform its decision-making. This notice is not to be construed as a commitment by the government to contract for services. The government will not pay for any information provided as a result of this notice and will not recognize or reimburse any cost associated with RFI submission. Responses to this RFI will not affect a potential offeror's ability to respond to any RFP that might follow. Please ensure that any sensitive or protected information is marked as such and the government will ensure this information is not released externally. The overarching objective for this RFI is information gathering and not development of possible government acquisition of products or services. 1.2 Purpose The purpose of this RFI is to provide industry, government (Federal, state & local, and tribal), academia, and non-profit organizations with a vehicle to describe solutions and implementation approaches for achieving the government’s geospatial vision, goals and objectives through the development of common solutions integrated with the Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) and aligned with the FEA Geospatial Profile . This will enable the government to incorporate strategies, alternatives, experiences and innovative practices in developing and implementing common solutions. The ultimate goal is to achieve optimized Federal geospatial activities to better serve the citizen. This requirement builds upon the existing E Government framework and facilitates a Federal enterprise-wide effort. Responses to this RFI should come from the perspective of being a geospatial user, provider or consultant. The government does not need information marketing a firm’s products for use in a common solution. The RFI is to: • Solicit information from industry, government, academia, and non-profit organizations on strategies, alternatives, and experiences in developing and implementing programs and innovative practices that have been effective in increasing geospatial effectiveness and efficiency; • Solicit lessons learned from enterprises that have overcome similar challenges as those faced by the government (e.g., large geographically dispersed work force, decentralization, multi-platform environments, legacy systems, and limited resources); and • As necessary and appropriate, support development of joint business cases to implement any common solutions and to inform agencies’ FY 2008 budget requests and OMB’s decisions. 1.3 Scope This RFI is soliciting information to support the development of a common solution for the Federal government-wide Geospatial LoB. The Managing Partners for this initiative are the: • Office of Management and Budget (OMB) • General Services Administration (GSA) • The Department of Interior (DOI) The Geospatial LoB Task Force comprises: • Executive Sponsor; • Managing Partners; as well as • Participating Federal agency partners. The following high-level milestones provide the context of this RFI activity: • RFI released: 4/6/06 • Geospatial LoB Practitioners Day: 4/18/06 • RFI responses received: 5/5/06 • Final Common Solution, Concept of Operations and Target Architecture: 6/9/06 • Final Joint Business Case for Geospatial LoB Common Solutions: Early August 2006 1.4 Guiding Principles OMB and the established Task Force are focused on business-driven, common solutions integrated with the Federal Enterprise Architecture and aligned with the Geospatial Profile. The definitions of these key characteristics include: • Common Solutions – Service solutions needed to meet operational requirements through a target architecture that includes common business processes and services • Concept of Operations (CONOPS) – Common solutions for the Geospatial LoB will be organized, governed, and measured through a defined CONOPS • Federal Enterprise Architecture – Common solutions will be integrated within layers of the FEA and aligned with the Geospatial Profile • Business Driven vs. Technology Driven – Solutions address distinct business improvements that directly impact Geospatial LoB performance goals 1.5 Vision, Goals, Objectives The Federal Government’s vision for the Geospatial LoB is: The Nation’s interests are served, and the core missions of Federal agencies and their partners are met, through the effective and efficient development, provision, and interoperability of geospatial data and services. The goals and objectives supporting this vision are: Goal 1: Productive intergovernmental collaboration for geospatial-related activities and investments across all sectors and levels of government • Objective 1.1: To improve governance processes and results in alignment with common geospatial solutions • Objective 1.2: To identify, evaluate and implement common geospatial services, processes and best practices • Objective 1.3: To enhance coordination across geospatial community stakeholders Goal 2: Optimized and standardized common geospatial functions, services, and processes which are responsive to customers • Objective 2.1: To implement guidance provided through the FEA Geospatial Profile • Objective 2.2: To adopt, deploy and promote effective use of geospatial interoperability standards • Objective 2.3: To establish an LoB-wide business architecture for common functions associated with geospatial information Goal 3 Cost efficient acquisition, processing, and access to geospatial data and information • Objective 3.1: To coordinate geospatial requirements and capabilities • Objective 3.2: To identify opportunities and consolidate geospatial acquisition activities • Objective 3.3: To enhance LoB-wide portfolio management • Objective 3.4: To develop and implement geospatial requirements language for Federal grants and contracts 1.6 Components Included in the Geospatial LoB Revised OMB Circular A-16 provides for improvements in coordination and use of spatial data, affirms the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), establishes the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) as the interagency coordination body for NSDI, and outlines roles and responsibilities of the FGDC and Federal agencies. Key components of the NSDI that are to be addressed in this Geospatial LoB are: • data themes – framework and other themes of national significance; • metadata – information about data and services; • clearinghouse or portals – electronic networks and services for query, access and distribution; • standards – common and repeated rules, conditions and guidelines for data, processes, technology and organizations; • partnerships – collaboration of federal, tribal, state, local, academia, and the private sectors. 1.7 Instructions for Responding to the RFI Questionnaire (Part II) The RFI Questionnaire (Part II) is divided into the following sections. • Section 2.1 - requests information about your organization. You MUST respond to this section. • Section 2.2 - requests responses to general questions related to Federal agency responsibilities and reporting requirements as defined by OMB Circular A-16. These activities are described as lifecycle activities for the purpose of this RFI. • Section 2.3 – requests responses to more specific questions related to scenarios. Scenarios provide a context for your response and are based upon various common information discovery, retrieval, aggregation, and sharing needs. • Section 2.4 – provides an opportunity to provide additional information, beyond the questions found in Section 2.2 and 2.3 that you feel should be considered to meet the goals and objectives of the Geospatial LoB initiative. Please respond to the appropriate Sections based on your experience coordinating the use of geographic information or optimizing related spatial data activities. The Government recognizes that respondents may have information pertaining to only some geospatial areas. Limited, “best of breed”, information can still be of high quality and significant value to the ultimate common solution(s) for the Geospatial LoB. Therefore, while the government seeks to define common solutions that address the full spectrum of geospatial activities, it does not discourage partial responses. If you choose not to respond to a question, indicate “no response” and identify the rationale. We are interested in both your actual experience and your recommendations about what would work best to achieve the goals and objectives of the Geospatial LoB. For purposes of this RFI, the term “optimization” means implementation of common solutions to improve effectiveness and efficiencies in order to improve services to citizens and reduce the cost of government. Common solutions can vary widely but may include consolidation, shared services, establishment of centers of excellence, standardization, aggregate buys, or similar activities. Respondents must factor key public values as defined by the NSDI into each response whenever applicable. Key public values include: • Privacy and security of citizens’ personal data and accuracy of statistical information on people, both in raw form and in derived information products • Access for all citizens to spatial data, information, and interpretive products, in accordance with OMB Circular A-130 • Protection of proprietary interests related to licensed information and data • Interoperability of Federal information systems to enable the drawing of resources from multiple Federal agencies and their partners Part II presents the questions asked by this RFI. To assist the government Task Force in analysis of the submissions, this section has been pre-formatted with tagged fields and attached as a file to the RFI. Please download this section as a template, and use the template to respond to each question. NOTE: THIS NOTICE WAS NOT POSTED TO FEDBIZOPPS ON THE DATE INDICATED IN THE NOTICE ITSELF (05-APR-2006); HOWEVER, IT DID APPEAR IN THE FEDBIZOPPS FTP FEED ON THIS DATE. PLEASE CONTACT fbo.support@gsa.gov REGARDING THIS ISSUE.
 

Web Link

Link to FedBizOpps document.
(http://www.fbo.gov/spg/GSA/V/VC/GSV06PD00089/listing.html)
 

Place of Performance

Address: Washington D.C.

Zip Code: 20405

Country: USA
 

Record

SN01021649-F 20060407/060405221614 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

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

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