Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF JANUARY 30, 2008 FBO #2256
MODIFICATION

D -- Request for Information was due on 31 Jan 08, but is now extended to 8 Feb 08.

Notice Date

1/28/2008
 

Notice Type

Modification
 

NAICS

541512 — Computer Systems Design Services
 

Contracting Office

ACA, ITEC4, Directorate of Contracting , 2461 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22331-0700
 

ZIP Code

22331-0700
 

Solicitation Number

W91QUZ-08-RFI1
 

Response Due

2/8/2008
 

Archive Date

4/8/2008
 

Point of Contact

Kathleen Jones, 703-325-1723
 

E-Mail Address

Email your questions to ACA, ITEC4
(jonesk@us.army.mil)
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Description

No changes are made to the request for information. If you are having difficulty reading the data due to format, please email the POCs for a copy of this notice in word format. 1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION 1.1 Purpose The purpose of this Re quest for Information (RFI) is to provide industry, government service providers, and other interested parties a vehicle to describe solution(s) and implementation approaches for an enterprise-wide funds distribution capability for the Department of Defens e (DoD). Responses to this RFI will assist the Enterprise Funds Distribution (EFD) initiative incorporate best-practice strategies, alternatives, and experiences into an Acquisition strategy for developing and implementing an enterprise-wide solution(s) fo r the Department. 1.2 Description The EFD initiative was established in 2006 as a key initiative to provide full visibility of funds distributed throughout the DoD and to streamline and modernize disparate funds distribution systems. At an enterpri se level, there exist gaps and inefficiencies among the separate and distinct funds distribution practices throughout the Department. Funds distribution by its nature should be a key enabler of financial visibility within DoD enterprise systems. The conc ept of a fully visible enterprise-wide funds distribution capability serves as a reference within which planned and coordinated funds development and execution takes place. Specific objectives of the EFD initiative are to transform the Departments fu nds management and distribution capabilities to provide: " Full visibility and auditability of appropriated funds as they pass through and across the enterprise; " Streamlined funds distribution processes for all appropriations and standardize funds distribution data; " Integrated funds distribution and Congressional Marks tracking processes to provide significantly enhanced funds distribution visibility. " Flexibility of the Business Rules associated with the funds distribution 1.3 Scope EFD capabilities are primarily required by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and DoD Components from the time the Presidents Budget is submitted to Congress until appropriated funds are apportioned and allocated to the Components. During that timefr ame, EFD capabilities enable tracking of congressional actions, establishment of budget authority, and the distribution of funds to the Components. Specific EFD capabilities include apportionment processing, funds distribution and redistribution of ap propriated funds, reprogramming of appropriated funds, and funds control for distributions, rescission management and enterprise reporting (e.g., production of the DD 1414, DD1415 and DD1416 reports). Additionally, EFD will serve as a key enabler to t he implementation of the Standard Financial Information Structure (SFIS), consistently providing key funding data (e.g., Department Regular Code, Main Account Code, etc.) including the Organization Unique Identifier (OUID ). EFD will leverage OUIDs to es tablish a financial management organization structure, here within referred to as the FM OUID Alias structure. The EFD capabilities will be used by all organizations down to level 3 of the Financial Management OUID Alias structure and for all levels, down to level 7 of the FM OUID Alias structure, for TI-97 appropriations. 1.4 Instructions for Responding to the RFI Questionnaire (Part II) The RFI Questionnaire (Part 2) 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 enterprise-wide funds distribution responsibilities and reporting capabilities. These capabilities are described further in section 3 of this RFI. (10 Pages Limit) Section 2.3 - requests responses related to technical-based requirements. (10 Pages Limit) Section 2.4 - provides an opportunity to provide additi onal information beyond the questions found in Section 2.2 and 2.3 that you feel should be considered to meet the purpose of this RFI. We are interested in both your actual experience and your recommendations about what would work best to achieve the goal s and objectives of an enterprise-wide funds distribution solution. The government recognizes that many potential respondents will only have information pertaining to a portion of the RFI. However, partial information may be of high quality and signifi cant value to the EFD initiative. Therefore, while the Department seeks a comprehensive approach, it does not discourage partial responses with the exception of the respondent information requested in Section 2.1. If you chose not to respond to a question, indicate so with a no response. 2. RFI QUESTIONNAIRE 2.1 Respondent Information Please fill in the table below with information about your organization. Responding Organization Name: Type of organization (e.g. Federal agency , standards body, private company, or other designation): Approximate size of your organization (e.g. number of employees, students or members, population served, annual sales in $): SBA Certification (Small, SDB, SDVOB, etc.) Location (US Sta te or Country of Origin): Are you responding as a : " User organization with experience in governmental funds distribution & funds control? " Vendor or consultant with experience in providing solutions/products and/or services to help other organ izations in governmental funds distribution & funds control? " Other (please specify): Yes / No Yes / No Yes / No For vendors, consultants and others where applicable: " Are you contributing to all aspects of the funds distri bution process? " Are you contributing point solutions to specific parts of the funds distribution process? Yes / No Yes / No Contact information (provide the name of a point of contact, including phone number and e-mail address): 2.2 Capability-based Questions Please answer the following questions from the perspective of an overall solution and approach for an enterprise-wide funds distribution capability. Be sure to include innovative practices, the applicability of the se practices to Government, and any relevant past experience. 2.2.1 Please explain your approach to improving the efficiency of each of the following enterprise-wide funds distribution functional capabilities (refer to Appendix A): 1) Execute Continu ing Resolution; 2) Execute Rescission & Deferrals; 3) Execute Apportionment & Allocate Funds; 4) Perform Reprogramming; 5) Production of the DD 1414, DD 1415 and DD 1416 Reports. Specifically, how do you plan to pull/consolidate required infor mation (e.g., lower level distributions, below threshold reprogramming actions, etc.)for these reports from other systems; 6) Analytical and Management Reports; 2.2.2 Please articulate your understanding of the differences between funds distributio n performed at the enterprise level (e.g., OSD) and funds distribution for the service and components. 2.2.3 What is your approach in providing the capability to distribute funds by FM OUID aliases while maintaining support for Limits as described in D FAS Manual 7097.01. 2.2.4 When storing and managing the different appropriations (e.g., Operations and Maintenance, Procurement, RDT&E, BRAC, etc.), what is your approach to accommodating their heterogeneity in terms of the following: 2.2.4.1 Inconsi stent structure across appropriation types (e.g., Levels of decomposition). For instance TI-97 O&M appropriation decomposes into two levels (Budget Activity (BA) and Budget Sub-Activity) while TI-17, 21, 57 O&M appropriations decompose into three levels ( Budget Activity (BA), Budget Sub-Activity (BSA) and Budget Line Item (BLI); 2.2.4.2 Disparate naming conventions of Appropriation budget items across depart ment; 2.2.4.3 Business rules applied at different levels of the appropriations (e.g., reprogramming thresholds, ceilings, floors, Congressional Interest Items, etc.); 2.2.5 What is your approach to capturing the cost accounting elements unique to th e different service and agencies. 2.3 Technical-based Questions 2.3.1 If you are suggesting the development of a new application, what is your approach to ensure end user requirements are captured and addressed appropriately in the application? 2.3.2 What is your approach for adding or modifying the large number of business rules without requiring code modification? 2.3.3 How flexible is your solution in meeting changing data needs in terms of minimizing the long-term data maintenance costs to the Government, such as might be required by business rule changes? 2.3.4 What is your technical approach (e.g., proposed system capabilities) to providing visibility of distributed funds from an organizational perspective? 2.3.5 What is your techn ical approach (e.g., proposed system capabilities) to providing visibility of distributed funds from an appropriation perspective? 2.3.6 Please explain your approach to improving the efficiency of each of the following enterprise-wide funds distributi on technical capabilities (refer to Appendix A): 1) Integrated Funds Distribution Execution; 2) Established Funds Data Standards; 3) Centralized and authoritative funds data source. 2.3.7 What is your approach to the integration of funds dis tribution processes with accounting systems so that funds controls and baselines are updated automatically? Specifically, how does your solution(s) integrate with core financial software adopted by Components including SAP, Oracle Federal Financials and C GI-AMS Momentum Financials? 2.3.8 Please describe any operational and proven software applications currently used within the Federal government or elsewhere may satisfy EFD requirements. 2.3.9 If your solutions architecture makes use of COTS, plea se specify the product(s). 2.3.10 How will migration from existing legacy system(s) to the chosen solution(s) be achieved? 2.3.11 Describe any alternative solution(s) and/or approaches considered and why they were rejected. 2.4 Additional Informat ion The questions posed in Sections 2.2 and 2.3 were intended to cover both functional and technical requirements of an enterprise-wide funds distribution capability. There may be aspects of the subject that have not been covered or only covered in pa rt. Please use this section to provide any additional information that you think ought to be considered in meeting the goals and objectives of the EFD initiative. 3. EFD CAPABILITIES 3.1 EFD Capability Descriptions Descriptions of each of the EFD functional and technical capabilities are provided in the table below. Technical capabilities are annotated with an asterisk. FV Objective refers to the Financial Visibility Business Enterprise Priority (FV BEP) objective that a particular E FD capability supports. Priority FV Objective Description Parameters Minimum Value core FV-1 Execute Continuing Resolution Focuses on identifying amounts available and additional authority request for distribution under the Continuing Res olution Act. Allows for passing original CRA amounts and additional authorities to the lowest level in the organization Allows for passing CRAs and additional authorities to the Echelon I level When appropriations bill is enacted, the CRA distribution will be locked for any additional processing and will be deemed inactive. core FV-1 Execute Rescission & Deferrals Describes the withdrawal and deferral of funds as mandated by the Appropriation Act and Impoundment Act. Tracks the res cissions and deferrals at the Component level Tracks the rescissions and deferrals as mandated by appropriation Act core FV-1 Execute Apportionment & Alloca te Funds Establishes the budget authority and distribution of funds to appropriate services and agencies as the beginning of the execution process. This process records an agencys budgetary resources and supports the establishment of legal budgetary limitations within the agency, including appropriation warrants, apportionment, reapportionments, transfer allocations, and continuing resolutions. Established budget authority & distribution of funds throughout the organization Established budget autho rity & distribution of funds for each Component Supports the establishment of funding to agencies by annual, quarterly or budget activity apportionment schedules. Supports the establishment of legal budgetary limitations Congressional Interest I tems (CII) shall be marked and shall require processing IAW the instructions associated with the CII core FV-1 Manage Execution Fund Account Includes establishing an initial appropriation fund balance for each program and decrementing the amount of available funds as appending activity occurs. Provides control numbers to legacy and ERP general ledger systems Provides electronic funds controls to ERPs. Ensure distributions in excess of receipts cannot be made. core FV-1 Perfor m Reprogramming Realigns funds from the original Congressional enactment of subsequent distribution of funds to new areas. Realigns funds from the redistribution of funds to new areas Realigns funds from the original Congressional enactment core FV -1, FV-5 Manage Baseline for Reprogramming Manages the baseline for reprogramming appropriated funds within a fiscal year. This baseline will be used as the starting point for reprogramming actions such as below threshold reprogramming (BTR), internal reprogramming, or prior approvals. Manages the baseline for reprogramming appropriated funds within a fiscal year Establishes a baseline as a starting point for reprogramming actions, i.e. below threshold reprogramming Below Threshold transactions shal l not exceed Reprogramming Threshold Limitations Validation checks to ensure the current transactions do not cause the appropriated baseline to fall below zero. core FV-1 Manage Report of Programs Focuses on the creation and publication of r eport of programs once a year as of September 30th to document changes to programming levels. Supports the generation of reprogramming reports as necessary. Supports the creation and publication of report of programs once per year as of September 30th<B R> Documents historical changes to program funding Documents changes in programming levels core FV-1, FV-5 Automated Funds Authorization Documents (FADS) * Enables secure and efficient production and exchange of funds authority documents. PKI ena bled, provides audit trail of funds passed through the enterprise Enables secure and efficient production of funds authority documents Provides electronic FADs to authorized personnel Enables secure and efficient exchange of funds authority documents< BR> core FV-2, FV-3, FV-4 Integrated Funds Distribution Execution * Ensures an auditable trail between distributed funds execution environment. Supports an auditable trail between distributed funds and executed funds Provides Department Regu lar, Budget Activity, Main Account, Period of Availability, Budget Sub-Activity Group, and Budget Line Item data elements required by ERPS to tag commitments, obligations and disbursements. core FV-5 Established Funds Data Standards * Provides iden tification and definition of funds data elements while tracking changes made to the PB Standardizes Congressional Tracking and Reporting using SFIS compliant terms Provides ERPs information that is compliant with the Standard Financial Information Structu re core FV-5 Centralized and authoritative funds data source * Provides a centralized data repository at the enterprise level to manage funds data Thi s solution not required to store commitment, obligation and disbursement information. Ensures accuracy and efficiency in reporting of funds information. core FV-1 Visibility of Distributed Funds * Ensures an auditable trail for funds distributed w ithin an organization (e.g., distributed vertically) or across organizational boundaries (e.g., distributed horizontally) Supports an auditable trail for funds distributed within an organization Supports an auditable trail for funds distributed across orga nizations core FV-3 Web-Enabled Execution Environment * Provides integrated funds distribution capability via a standard web browser Web based, real time Web based REQUEST FOR INFORMATION General Information Document Type: Presolicitation Notice Posted Date: January 18 2008 Reply Suspense Date: NLT 8 Feb 2008 at 11 am via e-mail (only) Contracting Office Address Information Technology, E-Commerce & Commerc ial Contracting Center (ITEC4) Army Contracting Agency (ACA) Hoffman Building 1, 2461 Eisenhower Ave Alexandria, Virginia 22331-1700. Description The Department of Defense through its Enterprise Funds Distribution (EFD) initiative is looking to incor porate best-practice strategies, alternatives, and experiences into an Acquisition that will help in the development and implementation of an enterprise-wide solution for the Department. Point of Contact Erin Fox-Ramirez, Contract Specialist , ACA-IT EC4, Phone (703) 325-0957, Fax (703) 428-9818, Email: erin.foxramirez@us.army.mil; Kathleen A. Jones, Contracting Officer, ACA-ITEC4, Email: kathleen.jones@us.army.mil
 

Web Link

website
(https://www.itec4.army.mil)
 

Place of Performance

Address: ACA, ITEC4 Directorate of Contracting , 2461 Eisenhower Avenue Alexandria VA

Zip Code: 22331-0700

Country: US
 

Record

SN01494069-W 20080130/080128224552 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

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

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