SOURCES SOUGHT
D -- Market Reserach/Request for Information for Redesign Automated Timber Sale Accounting system - SOW
- Notice Date
- 10/22/2013
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541519
— Other Computer Related Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, WO-AQM IT Support, Albuquerque Service Center, Pan American Bldg, Suite 200, 101 B Sun Ave NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87109, United States
- ZIP Code
- 87109
- Solicitation Number
- WOAQMITRFI008
- Archive Date
- 11/30/2013
- Point of Contact
- Laurie K Mahalla, Phone: 505-563-7264
- E-Mail Address
-
lauriekmahalla@fs.fed.us
(lauriekmahalla@fs.fed.us)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Statement of Work This Request for Information (RFI) is for planning/information purposes only and shall not be construed as a commitment or a promise of a contract by the Government. This is not a solicitation. This notice does not constitute an Invitation for Bid (IFB), Request for Quote (RFQ), or Request for Proposal (RFP), nor does it restrict the Government as to the ultimate acquisition approach. 1. PURPOSE: The US Forest Service (FS), Washington Office (WO) Acquisition Management (AQM), Information Technology (IT) Support Branch is conducting a market analysis with this RFI to refine the requirement and determine the most suitable approach for acquiring and fulfilling the needs associated with providing the full range of information technology for the Automated Timber Sale Accounting (ATSA) system listed in paragraph 3 below, entitled Overview of Capabilities. The information collected in this RFI will be used to further define the government's requirements and create the appropriate acquisition strategy. Consequently, do not submit proprietary information in response to this request. All submission information will be considered in finalizing the FS ATSA requirement. 2. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND: The FS is issuing this RFI to obtain information on the latest offerings, best practices, and approaches for information technology Automated Timber Sale Accounting system. This RFI shall not be construed as a decision or obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services cited in this notice. The Government will not reimburse respondents for any costs incurred in preparation of a response to this notice. ATSA System is currently a Cobol-coded mainframe application with an Oracle front-end to upload data. The ATSA System houses information for every timer sale for the FS. The ATSA System has been long recognized as a core, mission critical system of the FS. This recognition applies to both the accounting and program support attributes of ATSA for timber sale and stewardship contracts and agreements. Currently, there are over 4,361 timber sales and stewardship contracts and agreements. In FY2010, there were 40,740 summary forest product permits on the active ATSA database. ATSA annual receipts exceed $118 million. The accounting attributes of the system support the information from ATSA that is interfaced to the USDA's Financial Management Modernization Initiative (FMMI), an SAP ERP-2005 application. The ATSA System services managers at every level in the FS by both managing the program details and complying with internal and external reporting requirements. 3. OVERVIEW OF CAPABILITIES: The FS is seeking a total solution to include design, develop and document a new Timber IT application. Services to be provided that must be met by the replacement system include: • The application shall be integrated into an intranet interface, and make use of the USDA e-Authentication and security access protocols already in place. • An interactive, Web-based view of the current state of the Contracts, Permits, and Agreements will be integrated to allow faster, more efficient access to all interested parties who have the necessary access to those views. • Connectivity to the Timber Information Management (TIM) system for permit data. • Real-time or dynamic, interactive processing on the affected database records. • Allow for Ad hoc report creation with the ability to save report queries and user-defined database views. • On demand access by user for historical and standardized reports. • Full, paperless functionality in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This could include interactive views, e-mail, or paperless statements, online billing, and payments. • Online vendor, contracting officer, and contracting officer representative interface for contract and agreement information relevant to their specified and granted access. • Full security of Personally Identifiable Information (PII). • Audit trails to support Certification and Accreditation efforts, as well as annual program and financial audits. • Compliance with the Forest Service System Development Life Cycle specifications, the Computer Security Act of 1987, and OMB A-130 Appendix III. • Compliance with applicable Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) clauses for contracts and agreements. • Compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. • Compliance with Regulations, to include 7 CFR 2.3, 36 CFR 223, 40 CFR 1500-1508. • Compliance with FS Manuals (FSM) and Handbooks (FSH), to include FSM 2400, FSH 6509.17, FSH 2409.15. 4. SUMMARY OF REQUESTED INFORMATION: FS is not seeking elaborate replies, but rather concise, meaningful responses from vendors with the required expertise. In 15 single-sided 8.5" X 11" pages or less (title page or table of contents do not count against the page count), contractors are requested to provide the following information: 1. Company Information. a. Name, address, and DUNS. b. Current contract vehicles (such as GSA Schedules, GWACs) with ATSA services within scope. c. Number of contracts for 1) government, and 2) commercial ATSA services of similar scope, size, and complexity in the last three years. d. Indicate whether they are/are not a small business, a small disadvantaged business, 8(a), hub-zone certified, woman-owned, or Historically Black College or University Minority Institution. 2. Describe the capabilities, features, and benefits of your similar ATSA solution, paying special attention to new capabilities and features. 3. Describe your similar ATSA platform and its capabilities in knowledge management, web interfaces, data collection, reporting (user-friendly real-time, canned, ad hoc) and other features. 4. How much of your system is already developed vs. what will require customization? 5. How would you transition the FS/USDA owned data for reuse in your tool? 6. What pricing approaches have been used in your federal contracts? 7. What performance standards are used in your current contracts held by your company? 8. Provide three references within the past three years for contracts similar in scope. References should include: a. Customer b. Name, phone number, and email address for the customer's program manager c. Contract Name d. Contract Number e. Contract Value f. Contract type g. Brief description of system. h. If a transition period existed, note the length of the transition period, the sufficiency of the transition period and recommended transition best practices from previous experiences. 9. Any additional information that may be helpful to the FS. 5. QUESTIONS: All questions must be submitted electronically to lauriekmahalla@fs.fed.us by 5:00 MT on October 28, 2013. 6. SUBMISSION INFORMATION: All responses shall address each item of paragraph 4 above and shall be provided electronically in Word or PDF to Ms. Laurie Mahalla, Contract Specialist, at lauriekmahalla@fs.fed.us. All responses must be submitted via email by 5:00 MT on November 15, 2013.
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