SOURCES SOUGHT
D -- Implementation of Electronic Records, Document and E-mail Management System - ERDEMS-09-0001 Attachment A
- Notice Date
- 4/2/2009
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541512
— Computer Systems Design Services
- Contracting Office
- Office of the Chief Procurement Officer, Washington, District of Columbia, 20528, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20528
- Solicitation Number
- ERDEMS-09-0001
- Archive Date
- 4/21/2009
- Point of Contact
- Elizabeth Walsh, Phone: 202 447-5622, Johnnie D Lewis-Banks,, Phone: 202-447-5583
- E-Mail Address
-
elizabeth.walsh@dhs.gov, johnnie.lewis-banks@dhs.gov
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Attachment A to Request for Information (RFI) ERDEMS-09-0001 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) 1. INTRODUCTION The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Records, Publications and Mail Management and the DHS Office of Procurement Operation (OPO) are issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to gain knowledge of qualified and interested business concerns with experience in providing IT integration and change management and training services for the implementation of an electronic records management system in accordance with National Archives and Records Administration standards and guidelines. 2. BACKGROUND The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was formed after the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001 to protect the nation against future threats to the homeland. Within the newly formed department are 25 components with varying Records Management programs. In order to document the business of DHS, protect the rights and interests of the public and the government, and ensure resumption of business in the event of a disaster, not only is a strong Records Management program required, but also a method of managing electronic records and email. Agencies are mandated to implement records management systems through the Government Paperwork Elimination Act wherever practicable. Many other statutes require some form of protection for electronic records, ensuring reliability and authenticity. This is particularly important since most business transactions are now conducted electronically. 3. REQUIREMENT Purpose The DHS Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (OCAO), Office of Records, Publications, and Mail Management, Records Management Program is leading the Departments Electronic Records, Document, and E-mail Management System (ERDEMS) efforts. DHS is transitioning toward a department-wide ERDEMS application. DHS Headquarters along with all 25 Components Headquarters and their field operations will be utilizing the enterprise wide ERMS application for records management. During the first year, DHS will implement on a small scale (3-5% of users) the ERDEMS application in order to test the IT integration, Organizational Change Management, and process adjustments within the Department’s Records Management Program. Upon collecting, analyzing, and understanding the impact with all data associated with the small scale implementation, the Department will make the necessary adjustments and begin the large scale transition and implementation to ERDEMS Department-wide. While improved efficiencies are driving the transition toward ERDEMS, many legal requirements equally drive this necessity. Through the ERDEMS transition, DHS will be able to achieve efficiencies in the business process enabling greater front line mission focus as well as meet legal requirements. An example of meeting the requirements of the many federal statues, DHS must, in order to meet the requirements of the Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA), develop a means of maintaining records in electronic format, particularly those involved in transacting business with the public requiring electronic signatures. To that end, DHS needs to establish an enterprise-wide records management application (RMA) with the forward-thinking plan of implementing it DHS-wide in a phased approach. The ultimate goal is to identify and implement procedural and technological solutions business area by business area and system by system throughout DHS. Organizational Change Management and Training The contractor will be responsible for executing an effective change management plan for the transition toward ERMS. Change management will need to be planned and managed in a systematic fashion for each of its components as well as DHS HQ. This will require understanding organizational framework, the organizations function, processes and workflows and then developing a change management approach that best meets the needs of that organization. The contractor will be required to manage and control the process of change and should treat it separately from the issue of ERDEMS, until such time when the blending of the change process and IT integration of ERDEMS should occur. A contractor will need to change management through two dimensions; content and a process dimension. Contractors may rely on some similarities in past change management activities. However, it will be important for the contractor to understand that the organizational languages, values, and culture may differ and at the root and detailed level the problems differ. Principally though the overall process of change and change management will remain uniform and it is this fundamental understanding of the change process across various organizations and structures that the contractor will need to utilize to effectively implement change toward records management and transition toward ERDEMS. The contractor will need to complete the change process as “unfreezing, changing, and refreezing” in order for change management to be considered a success. The process will need to address the change issues of “how”, how do we get an organization to change from X to Y? In addition, the contractor will need to address the change issues of “what”, what is this change trying to accomplish? What indicators will signal success? What standards will apply? What measures of performance are we trying to affect? The third change process issue will be to manage the “why”, why are we implementing this change? Why does the previous why of doing business not work? Why is productivity affected through this change? While the contractor will need to address the change process through the unfreezing, changing, and refreezing process, the contractor will also need to address the how, what, and why aspects of change management in its approach and planned execution. While providing variance in change management training to an organization is important towards its acceptance of change management, the contractor will need to categorize and framework its approaches into the least amount of training variances to meet this objective efficiently and effectively. Some training will need to be conducted by classroom training, while others may be hands on approach, and other still may be web based learning. The contractor will be responsible for executing the best approach to ensure effective and efficient change management training. An important element of this change management training is to ensure the comprehensive of the value add of records management to the business and its process. The next level of change management will be to train an organization on how to use electronic records management, specifically the selected COTS product identified for the department-wide implementation. The initial change management initiative will not be hinged upon the IT solution. However, the understanding and use of the IT solution will be a critical step in the overall success of change management. The contractor will need to manage both aspects of this program separately, until such time it makes sense to blend the two requirements. In all cases the contractor will need to lead the change management activity in front of the IT solution rollout. The success of the IT solution rollout will be based on the success of an effective change management approach and execution. A final deliberation point is that the Contractor will need to consider in its change management approach with Components throughout the Department. Many components have Records programs at various stages ranging from no program to a well established program. Establishing a solid records program with sound internal controls and measures is vital prior to transitioning into an ERDEMS system. Many components have additional complexities when dealing with records at the field operations level. Field operations generate and manage records along with Component HQ. Ensuring effective records management requires considering impact and effectiveness to field operations as well as component HQ. Transition into ERDEMS will occur at the HQ as well as the field operations. IT Implementation and Services The contractor will be required to identify the best platform and network approach for hardware, hosting, servicing, and managing the ERDEMS system. The contractor will need to work with the DHS Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) as well as Component CIOs throughout the IT implementation and services phase of this program. OCAO will approve the final selection of hardware, servers, platforms, and network requirements in collaboration with the OCIO. The contractor will need to develop a phased implementation approach, manage the IT change management aspect for the IT implementation, which is separate from the organizational change management. The contractor will need to assess the various IT information management systems that collect, house, and manage data as well as records. The contractor will need to develop a solution to connect all IT information systems to the ERDEMS system through a phased approach. The contractor will need to assess the IT information systems and categorize them based on mission and information risk. A common thread to connect these systems will need to be identified by the contractor and ultimately connected to a single ERMS system. This will also include developing a back up system either through a mirrored system, various redundancies and ability to utilize the ERDEMS during a COOP situation. The contractor will need to develop a system that is capable of handling simultaneously connecting up-to 30% of all Department users on a server, either through load balancing, caching system, or a distributed network. Bandwidth needs will need to be identified as the ERDEMS system will also contain compressed and uncompressed digital video, audio recordings, and compressed and uncompressed photos as well as many other types of non-document types of digital records. The contractor will need to ensure the system is capable of handling both 30% of all Department users simultaneously as well as upload and download bandwidth for the users across various digital media ranging from 50 MB to 1 GB in size. IT Integration While the DHS Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) is not the program lead, the OCIO play a vital role in the successful IT integration of the ERMS system. Along with the DHS OCIO, Component CIOs will also be a major stakeholder for a successful integration. Each component has multiple information management systems that create, manage, and retain records for mission effectiveness and efficiencies. The ERDEMS system will need to manage and connect to these varying systems if they are compliant with the DoD 5015.2 Chapter 2 and 4 requirements, or if not compliant, the non-compliant system(s) will be phase-out and its records will be rolled up into the DHS ERDEMS system. The contractor will need to plan and execute the phase-out for non-compliant systems. DHS will review available COTS products that best meets the needs of the Department as well as seek advice on COTS products and best practice on IT integration as it relates to ERDEMS. While DHS will select the COTS product, it will consult the contractor during the selection process. However, the contractor will need to purchase the selected COTS product, plan and execute the implementation of the selected COTS product. The contractor will also need to work with various organizations within DHS and its Components. The ERDEMS system will also act as the background database server for intranet portals within DHS. For example, the DHS Directive System will utilize the ERDEMS system for retaining and keeping the most current DHS Directives. Users though will interface with the DHS intranet for access to the most current DHS Directive. When a user clicks on the link for a Directive, the Intranet should pull the Directive from the ERDEMS system and display the record copy as a read and print only option. The user will never see the ERDEMS system and how the information was provided; only know that the information is up-to-date and readily available at a click of a button. Many internal portals will need to have the same capability. Only those that create, update, and have the authority to manage the record will have access to modify the back-end. The contractor will also need to plan and execute integration with various agency document portals. For example, Share Point and Executive Correspondence Tacking Systems will need to connect to the ERDEMS system. The contractor will need to conduct an appraisal of these systems throughout the Department to determine the impact and scope of this integration. The contractor will need to work with the DHS Mail Management Division for conversion of physical mail to digital mail and managing of official mail as a record as well as easy access for individual end users receiving digital mail. The DHS ERDEMS integration covers multiple systems, processes, and applications. The contractor will need to plan and execute the integration considering the impact, mission risk, and business process for each integration phase. The Department-wide integration is a multi-year effort. It is expected to take between 5 to 7 years to successfully plan, execute, and fully implement a Department-wide ERDEMS system. Alpha and Beta Test The contactor will need to plan and execute an Alpha and Beta test of the ERDEMS system. A proof of concept going from physical records to electronic records is not considered a success as many agencies already have implemented an electronic records management system. An Alpha and Beta test success will be determined by the connection and management of various information systems ability to be successfully managed by the ERDEMS system. The contractor will need to identify and select Components, their information and business processes and test the information relationship between the various Component information systems and ERDEMS. As the Alpha and Beta testing prove successful, the Contractor will rollout the integration across a systematic and process approach. The contractor will need to consider whether Component by Component, or information system by information system is a more effective approach. 4. RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS Responses to this RFI should be submitted via e-mail to Elizabeth.Walsh@dhs.gov, Johnnie.Lewis-Banks@dhs.gov and Victoria.Short@dhs.gov by 5:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time on April 20, 2009. In order to meet the objectives of this RFI, certain key issues need to be explicitly addressed. All responses should clearly address the matrix capabilities outlined in Attachment A and may include any additional information the vendor deems appropriate surrounding the transition towards electronic records system. Each vendor should also describe its capabilities, approach and any unique qualifications it possesses that could benefit DHS. Furthermore, DHS is requesting that all responses to this RFI include the following information: 1. Name and address 2. Phone and fax no. 3. Website address 4. Business size and type of ownership (i.e. large, small, small disadvantaged, woman-owned, hub-zone, service disabled veteran, etc.) 5. Years in business 6. GSA Schedule Number, if applicable (Please also specify if your firm’s solution is available via the referenced GSA Schedule) 7. Description of client base, including all Federal customers 8. Brief statement of capability Responses are encouraged to be short and comprehensive with sufficient relevant supporting sources, and should not exceed 50 pages. 5. DISTRIBUTION OF RFI RESPONSES Distribution of responses to this RFI will be exclusively within DHS and its contractor support on the ERMS Program. No public distribution of the responses will be made. All information obtained through this RFI will be used internally as part of the DHS’ evaluation of key technologies and capabilities in support of development of the ERDEMS program. 6. REIMBURSEMENT This document is for information and planning purposes only. It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for the information submitted in response. Respondents will not be notified of the results of this evaluation.
- Web Link
-
FedBizOpps Complete View
(https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=21a6e7694f8ddd983168ccd32e0b205c&tab=core&_cview=1)
- Record
- SN01783886-W 20090404/090402220143-21a6e7694f8ddd983168ccd32e0b205c (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |