SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Market Research for SBA's Online Communications Support Services
- Notice Date
- 10/1/2010
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541511
— Custom Computer Programming Services
- Contracting Office
- Small Business Administration, Office of Administration, Office of Procurement and Grants Management, 409 Third Street, S.W., 5th Floor, Washington, District of Columbia, 20416
- ZIP Code
- 20416
- Solicitation Number
- SBAHQ_MarketResearch_for_OI
- Archive Date
- 11/20/2010
- Point of Contact
- Gary P Fontaine, Phone: 202-205-6492, Eugene M. Feinberg, Phone: 2022057029
- E-Mail Address
-
gary.fontaine@sba.gov, Eugene.Feinberg@sba.gov
(gary.fontaine@sba.gov, Eugene.Feinberg@sba.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE This is a Sources Sought Notice only and does not constitute a solicitation announcement. The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is to conduct market research in accordance with FAR Part 10 and to gain knowledge of potential qualified sources and their size classifications. The market research includes the determination of Small Business set-aside concerns. Responses to this sources sought notice shall not constitute responses to solicitation, which is not currently available. As stipulated in FAR 15.201, responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. The decision to solicit for a contract shall be solely the Government's discretion. This sources sought notice 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 any government assessments. The information received will be used to assist in formulating the strategy for competitive procurements. BACKGROUND: The intent of this notice is to gather industry input on SBA's Online Communications Support Services Contract. In 2010, the SBA is taking strides to improve its overall web presence, strengthen its ability to provide enhanced information services, and to build a personalized and dynamic web site. Our intent is to strongly encourage citizen engagement and to fully support the tenets of open government. As such, SBA is currently improving its primary SBA.gov web site to make it more user-centric and focused on the needs of the small business and lender communities. The new web site merges key elements of current SBA resources, in particular the SBA.gov and Business.gov web sites. The SBA is investigating sources that could provide a combination of technology management, product and content strategy, content development, user training, architecture and system development, process and policy documentation, and operations and maintenance support for this new, dynamic SBA.gov website, which is slated to come online in early 2011. While the web site is being redesigned, SBA integrated some basic social media tools into its communications strategy. Continued expansion of social media across the enterprise is planned and day-to-day support in messaging and moderating the use of these tools is required. SBA would also like to develop other information and service delivery mechanisms including mobile applications, video podcasts, and other citizen engagement tools and requires support to do so. DESCRIPTION This project requires work in the following areas: • Web Design and Development. Develop and implement new templates, tools and features in accordance with the agency's standards and online strategy. Update the user interface and navigation approach to enhance ease of use and the user experience. Develop and implement strong usability testing procedures. • Product Management and Product Strategy. Develop and maintain Product Strategies, develop and maintain Business Processes, and conduct Business Processes in accordance with SBA requirements. • Content Development and Management. Develop and maintain an ongoing Content Strategy, develop and maintain a Content Plan, publish content, ensure quality control and provide training on content management processes and tools to SBA employees. Develop and update policies, plans and procedures. Anticipated Content Management software is Drupal 6.x. • Social Networking Management. Sustain and update social networking capabilities with SBA systems in a manner that effectively conveys program content, fosters a community environment, encourages communication, and sustains a safe and productive social network for users. Develop and maintain social media content, monitor and respond to public comments, provide training to SBA employees, develop and maintain social media processes and policies. • System Architecture Design and Development. Coordinate architecture creation. Provide system upgrade design and development. Assist the Program Office in developing and updating a realistic Concepts of Operation and mission objectives; update and extend these to support anticipated system releases. Manage system release schedule. Support and sustain system configurations and Configuration Management processes. If directed, procure, sustain, and manage services and applications required to support SBA systems capabilities. • System Operations Support. Assist in developing and sustaining a robust operating environment. Devise and implement comprehensive metrics for monitoring system operations and take action to ensure the portal operates effectively and reliably. Participate in operational and business process planning and ensure appropriate maintenance milestones are incorporated into the schedule. • System Maintenance Support. Develop and sustain robust reliability and availability standards. Develop and support comprehensive preventive and corrective maintenance procedures and ensure that such procedures are incorporated into all system-related plans and activities. Ensure the maintenance of strong system backup and Disaster Recovery plans and procedures. Closely coordinate activities with the SBA.gov hosting facility. Anticipated system software: IIS 7.0, Windows Server 2008 R2, and.NET 3.5. Search application: Google Custom Search. • Technical Analyses and Documentation. Conduct market research, requirements analyses, and technical analyses including analysis across all online communication activities (e.g., web, social media, etc.). Provide reports, white papers and presentations as needed. • Usability and Performance. Provide analysis based on trends, site metrics and usability results. Create plans for ongoing Usability Testing and conduct sessions according to those plans. Of note, strong support is required for the following: • Rehabilitation Act Section 508 Accessibility. The Small Business Administration intends to use the new SBA.gov website be a showcase for application of accessibility provisions expressed in Section 508 and in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and requires robust support to ensure that Section 508 provisions are incorporated wherever practicable within the SBA.gov website, tested, and maintained up to date. • Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) and the Open Government Initiative. The PRA presents challenges as it is applied to the use of dynamic websites and social media to convey governmental content. In particular, how the PRA works in unison with the Open Government Initiative continues to be an area of growth for Federal websites. The SBA is committed to ensuring its online communication activities fully embrace the principles of the PRA and the requirements for an Open Government. Strong support in citizen engagement and collaboration and its provisions within the framework of the Open Government Initiative is essential. • System Security Compliance. The SBA requires that all SBA systems are properly certified and accredited in accordance with OMB Circular A-130. This process requires constant monitoring and interaction between the program office, the SBA's Office of the Chief Information Officer, SBA's Security Office and the agency's hosting provider. The SBA requires proactive support to ensure that the system and its upgrades are up to date as regards the requirements of the C&A process. • Capital Planning and OMB Circular 300. The SBA requires support of the capital planning requirements as expressed in OMB's Circular 300 to ensure that the technical aspects of OMB 300 planning and management are incorporated into program planning and the system management cycle. • Also, experience with cloud computing and with transitioning system hosting to the cloud is of great interest. CAPABILITY STATEMENT: The government is seeking input from the business community regarding their interest and capability in performing the tasks reflected above. The government requests demonstration of capability by interested parties through submittal of a brief capability statement. The government will evaluate the qualification of interested parties based on their response. The government anticipates that the required level of effort for the work involved will be approximately 25,000 to 26,000 staff-hours annually. The SBA desires that no more than 25% of the anticipated work be sub-contracted. A Subcontracting Plan will be required as part of the solicitation. All capability statements should: 1. Not exceed seven (7) pages. 2. Be electronically submitted to the email address below. 3. List references and experience in conducting similar projects for the past 3 years. The Government intends to consider all comments and the responsive qualification packages when developing its final acquisition strategy and resulting RFP(s). The North American Industry Classification Standard (NAICS) Code for this requirement is #54151, Computer Systems Design and Related Services. This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing expertise in the field of information technologies through one or more of the following activities: (1) writing, modifying, testing, and supporting software to meet the needs of a particular customer; (2) planning and designing computer systems that integrate computer hardware, software, and communication technologies; (3) on-site management and operation of clients computer systems and/or data processing facilities; and (4) other professional and technical computer-related advice and services. 4. The synopsis, amendments and other information related to this sources sought as well as any subsequent procurement notifications will be posted on FedBizOpps
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/SBA/OOA/OPGM/SBAHQ_MarketResearch_for_OI/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: 409 3rd Street SW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20416, United States
- Zip Code: 20416
- Zip Code: 20416
- Record
- SN02304462-W 20101003/101001234212-73a3be785cb6c636ed98103e0e7ef7fc (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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