Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF DECEMBER 06, 2007 FBO #2201
MODIFICATION

R -- Database Managment

Notice Date

12/4/2007
 

Notice Type

Modification
 

NAICS

541511 — Custom Computer Programming Services
 

Contracting Office

Farm Credit Administration, Office of Management Services, Personnel and Purchasing Team, 1501 Farm Credit Drive, Mclean, VA, 22102-5090, UNITED STATES
 

ZIP Code

22102-5090
 

Solicitation Number

08-RFQ-04
 

Response Due

12/12/2007
 

Archive Date

12/27/2007
 

Point of Contact

Tracy Reeves, Contracting Specialist, Phone 703-883-4111, Fax 703-883-4151
 

E-Mail Address

reevest@fca.gov
 

Description

Amendment 2 (one more to follow) questions/answers General Questions 1. Please provide us with the statement of work for the current contract in place. Is there an incumbent contractor currently providing these services? If yes, who is it? Is the contractor who developed the Access database bidding on this contract? Please provide any information available on the previous contractor including costs as there is not enough time to request a FOIA? There is no current contract in place and there is no incumbent. The work completed to date on this project has been performed by FCA personnel. 2. What is the current annual budget for maintaining the access database? What is the hourly rate charged for maintenance of the MS Access database? This project has been planned for and has been funded through the Agency?s budget. 3. Can you please provide us with the period of performance for this opportunity? The period of performance for Task 1-5 is January to December, 2008. The period of performance for Task 6 will depend on the level of maintenance and support needed by FCA and will be specified in task orders issued by FCA after Tasks 1-5 are complete. 4. Where will the work be done? At your site or ours? Is the contractor expected to perform all the work at the Agency's office? If not, what is the expected amount of time the contractor needs to be present at the Agency's office? Can all or some of the work on this project be done remotely at the contractor's site? If some, then how much time on the FCA site would be required? All work will be completed on-site at the FCA office in McLean, VA. 5. Is there travel required outside of the McLean office? No 6. The RFP states that the contractor ?will assist? ? who will they be assisting? Does the organization have a development team or will the contractor be doing all of the work? The contractor will be performing the task assignments under the COTR as defined in the SOW who is Doug Valcour, Chief Information Officer. In addition, the contractor will work closely with the Agency Contacts as defined in the SOW who are knowledgeable on the work completed to date on this project. The contractor will be expected to perform all the tasks as defined in the SOW in close coordination with the Agency Contacts. 7. At the bottom of page 2 of the SOW, it states, "Contractor's project tasks will include, but not be limited to:" Since this is a fixed price contract, please provide all tasks so that we can provide you with comprehensive costs. The project is defined in Tasks 1-5 with maintenance and support included for Task 6. We do not envision adding additional tasks as long as Tasks 1-5 provide us with the end-product we desire as detailed in the SOW 8. Is funding allocated for this project? What is the budget for the project? Funding is available for this project. 9. Is there any pending or new legislation relative to FCA or rural lending that would impact what should be included in this solution? No. Technical Questions ? General 1. What is the type of database in use? ( Oracle, Microsoft SQL server, MySQL etc.) The work completed to date on this project is in MS Access. However, the server database that will be used for this project is Microsoft SQL Server. 2. What is the operating system being used? Microsoft Windows 2003. 3. What is the version of Access DB? FCA accepts any version of MS Access from the institutions. 4. When will the FCA decide which database management system to use? Can this decision be made before bids are submitted? FCA has selected Microsoft SQL Server 2005. 5. Can we use SQL Server 2005 to consolidate the data from other sources? Yes, FCA expects that the contractor will consolidate the disparate data into a central SQL Server database for easy access by FCA staff. 6. Please provide the version of Microsoft SQL Server that FCA currently owns. Microsoft SQL Server 2005. 7. Please advise what Oracle products you currently own and plan to utilize outside of the standard DBMS (if any such products exist). We do not plan to use our Oracle 10 database for this project. 8. In the introduction paragraph under SCOPE - Will this solution run on a new server or a currently installed server. The database will run on an existing server. If it will be a currently installed server, can we get the specifications on the machine that will host the new application prior to its installation? FCA?s server is appropriately provisioned. FCA is using Microsoft SQL Server 2005 running on Windows 2003. 9. Are there any restrictions on other technologies used apart from Oracle/SQL Server? For example: Could we use a desktop based application built in Microsoft's .Net for tasks like loading and monitoring of dataloads and rules configuration? FCA would like programming to be done using any of the following tools: MS Office, Microsoft Visual Studio, and Actuate Reports. FCA will own the code produced by the contractors. 10. In the database management what portion of the work involves development? FCA defined the work to be performed in the SOW. 11. What level and kind of documentation is expected? A workflow diagram and complete description of how the developed solutions work. FCA also expects that a data dictionary will be developed for each table, view and column. 12. Is there a preferred project planning tool? FCA does not have a preferred project planning tool. 13. Can we substitute other database design, management and administration experience in the place of loan portfolios? No. 14. Are there existing tools to access the database? Yes, FCA uses MS Access, MS Excel, MS Query, Powerbuilder, and Actuate. 15. Could we get the table structure of any existing Oracle/SQL Server databases? No, there are no existing Oracle/SQL Server databases that hold these databases. 16. At what point in time is the agency willing to share the structures and schema of the Microsoft Access databases, including the tables, queries, reports, etc, in order for preliminary design work to be undertaken by vendors? FCA will share the details on the database once the contract is awarded. 17. What are the hours of required support? (e.g. 9-5, 24/7, etc). Support will only be provided for Task 6 which FCA may optionally choose to invoke on an hourly rate. For this task the contractor will actually perform the data load on a periodic basis. 18. Is there any need to develop a front end web application for reporting purposes, once the data is loaded into a new database, assuming it is MS SQL Server 2005? The contract does not call for the development of reporting tools. 19. How many end users currently use the existing data? Approximately 100 users. And how many systems does the proposed new database serve? Tables and views will be created in an existing SQL Server installation. FCA will develop its own reports that query the data in the new tables and/or views. 20. Can we assume that there is no additional work needed to support the legacy process other than automatically upload the files to the database? Yes. 21. Is FCA open to using BizTalk Server 2006 integrating external FCAs, so that we can continue to accept the submissions from external agencies and keep populating a proposed SQL server 2005 database? No. Task 2 - Data Upload 22. What is the frequency and the size/transactions per file of the data files coming in? We understand that they vary; we are looking for peak load, the largest files and the most number of files in a given day/week/month/quarter. The AgFirst, Texas District and Wichita databases are received monthly. The plan is for the remaining datasets to be submitted quarterly. See Question 39 below for the size. 23. Can the MS Access database be provided with the data removed? Can the current schema be provided prior to proposal submission? Would it be possible to provide the current schema definitions for the files uploaded by en or whether a new column will be added to the SQL Server table. 43. Can you provide the details of the current mapping that has been identified so far as described in the task 4? See Question 39 above. Task 5 ? Data Views 44. Can you specify the approximate number of views need to be created for task 5? 12 views or less. 45. Do you require that the views created in task 5, be accessible via a web browser? If not, how do you envision that users/offices view the data? FCA users do not require a web browser to access the views. They will use MS Office tools to query the data. 46. Please advise what reporting tool FCA plans to use. Will it simply be custom views created in Oracle/SQL Query or is there a different COTS product that will be utilized? FCA will query the tables as well as the custom views. 47. How many standard views are being requested under this fixed price portion of the contract? 12 views or less. Can these be determined before the data model is finalized? Are there some existing today that can be shared before submission? One of the evaluation criteria is "Understanding of the desired data warehouse and related views." Is there a description of the desired views available? No. 48. Project task #5 requires the contractor to "develop a collection of standard data views based on user requirements." ? Do user requirements already exist? No. ? If not, does the requirement gathering effort need to be accounted for in the proposal cost? No. ? If requirements do exist, is there an approximate number of known views that need to be created? 12 views or less. ? If requirements do exist, what are the views that need to be created? Details will be provided once the contract is awarded. ? Is there a standard format/tool/technology that FCA uses for data views? No. 49. In Task 5 - Will the end users for the central database be only the "Offices" (OE, ORP and OMS)? Only FCA staff will access the views. 50. In Task 5 - Does each Office have a list of the data and concept of how they want to see the data displayed in the final product? If so, can they give more details about what type of information they would like to see in their individual reports, or would FCA prefer to wait until the contract has been awarded to address the particulars of the reports? The contract does not call for the development of reporting tools. 51. In Task 5 ? Each office (OE, ORP and OMS) would like to see segregated data views. Do they require entirely different screens to view the data or just an ability to see the data differently? Does each office require a web-based interface that is accessible from various locations, or will access to the database be restricted to use at OE? Or is a different type of access required? FCA will provide more detailed specifications on the views after the contract is awarded. 52. In Task 5 - If each "Office" (OE, ORP and OMS) needs different data views, would these screens or views be accessible only by the office requesting them, or should the screens be available to all three Offices (i.e., should OE have access to the customized screens requested by ORP?). The views will be available to all FCA staff with access to the database. The Farm Credit Administration (FCA) has an immediate need for services from a qualified person(s) who is knowledgeable of and experienced in relational database management design and development, as well as data loading and mining operations. The Contractor will assist FCA in developing a database to accumulate and store the loan portfolio data submitted by FArm Credit System institutions to the FCA. The database will enhance the data interrogation capabilities of the FCA's examination and regulation and policy development staff by consolidating System data into a single database with comparable data fields. The data tables will facilitate macro analysis of oversight of the System. Interested parties should contact Reevest@fca.gov for a complete Statement of Work. Questions will be received through November 30, 2007, at 2:00 PM EST. An amendment will be posted answering questions December 4, 2007. Proposals should be sent to Reevest@FCA.gov no later than 3:00 PM EST, Wednesday, December 12, 2007. CLAIMS FOR RELIEF The FCA is a nonappropriated fund activity not subject to GAO's bid protest provisions. Any claim for relief filed by an offeror shall be adjudicated by the FCA Contracting Officer. If the parties cannot reach an agreement mutually satisfactory after diligently pursuing a solution through discussions and negotiations, the FCA Contracting Officer shall make a final decision. The FCA Contracting Officer's decision shall prevail unless the offeror submits an appeal to the FCA Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Stephen G. Smith. The decision of the CFO shall be final and binding on the parties. NOTE: THIS NOTICE WAS NOT POSTED TO FEDBIZOPPS ON THE DATE INDICATED IN THE NOTICE ITSELF (04-DEC-2007); 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/FCA/OCAO/FCAASD/08-RFQ-04/listing.html)
 

Place of Performance

Address: 1501 Farm Credit Drive McLean, VA

Zip Code: 22102-5090

Country: UNITED STATES
 

Record

SN01463450-F 20071206/071204230448 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

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

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