SOURCES SOUGHT
70 -- Customer Relationship Management Initiative
- Notice Date
- 5/1/2014
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 518210
— Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Acquisition Management Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Building 301, Room B130, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899-1410, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20899-1410
- Solicitation Number
- TADA00001401451
- Point of Contact
- Jemal Williams, Phone: 202-482-1459, Tiffany Johnson,
- E-Mail Address
-
jemal.williams@trade.gov, tiffany.johnson@nist.gov
(jemal.williams@trade.gov, tiffany.johnson@nist.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The Department of Commerce (DOC) seeks information on commercial vendors that are capable of providing both licenses and professional services in order to determine the capabilities of software vendors to help meet requirements of Cloud-based, Department-wide, Software as a Service (SaaS) Customer Relationship Management initiative. After results of this market research are obtained and analyzed and specifications are developed for DOC's minimum requirements, DOC may conduct a competitive procurement and subsequently award a Contract. If at least two qualified small businesses are identified during this market research stage, then any competitive procurement that resulted would be conducted as a small business set-aside. BACKGROUND: The CRM will provide information tracking to support a global operation including, a unified view of that information, opportunity identification and generation, and mission support features which allow all Department Operating Units (OU's) to sustain lasting relationships at critical touch points, as well as give DOC staff the ability to understand, anticipate, manage and personalize interactions with current and potential customers and staff. DOC and its supporting OU's (total of 12) currently utilize many existing CRM systems (combination of homegrown/custom developed and commercial off-the-shelf) products which support a total user base of approximately 6,000+ users. Due to a variety of factors such as organization mission, funding, and system capabilities, the feature set and user adoption of the systems vary greatly. Some organizations are using the system primarily for basic contact tracking, while others are performing detailed client, case, and marketing management. Some other organizations are functioning as citizen service centers, leveraging CRM call center and web feedback features. In addition to agencies using a variety of CRM platforms and feature sets, the fundamental requirements for CRM vary from OU to OU, and even within the OU's themselves. A sampling of these requirements includes: • Tracking of business information • Case management • Online inquiry tracking • Constituent and Capitol Hill communication activity tracking • Marketing and outreach campaign management • Partner and educational contact tracking • Online knowledge base. Specific Government objectives emerged that have unique requirements and challenges that have elevated the DOC's CRM software requirements, i.e. the Open Government Directive and Cloud First Policy issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). These objectives include: • Meet the Cloud First Policy established by the OMB • Adhere to all statutory compliance measures (audit trails, rules-based policy enforcement, etc.) • Offer configurable redesign of work flow processes for simplified adaptation to changing business requirements and regulations • Integrate previously disparate departments and isolated information systems • Centralized shared services to reduce existing licensing and administrative support costs • Realize best value cost savings • Meet mandated security compliance, including FIPS 199 and NIST A & A (National Institute of Standards and Technology, Authorization and Accreditation) • Improve Customer Service and Marketing Outreach • Enhance Performance Management and Analytics • Enable Cradle to Grave Performance Tracking • Facilitate ‘Open Data' initiative to improve Transparency. The Department of Commerce is seeking a CRM solution with the ability to address a number of operational challenges as well as take advantage of emerging technologies. The CRM system must ensure absolute ease of use, intuitive navigation and on-demand help and reference materials. Other challenges include: • Handle inconsistent formats for email, data collection and distribution. • Manage lack of formal change controls to coordinate highly customized workflows and business processes • Ability to effectively and centrally track, document, and/or retrieve records of communications and activities with customers on a department-wide basis. • Centralize multiple, "stovepipe" systems that require staff to access and manually organize relevant information from several different source systems when interacting with customers. • Provide streamlined, automated systems which can replace manual and time-consuming processes to both track and organize customer communications records. The impact of these significant challenges affects all OU's ability to maximize a broad range of its mission focused activities.   STATEMENT OF REQUIREMENTS: In support of this approach, DOC seeks to obtain specific information in writing from software vendors on their current capabilities to provide CRM functionality in support of the following requirements: • Analytics: Provide the ability to manage and integrate multiple taxonomies and languages; integration to web-based third-party analytics (Example: Google Analytics); to create a detailed breakdown of online traffic sources (Example: search traffic, click-through, referring sites and direct traffic), use text analytics to identify customer comments that require action; facilitate descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analytical data evaluations; and the ability to have a single solution to access CRM data, transactional data, and reports. • Campaign Management: Track and analyze any marketing activity within the campaign or view the details for the campaign as a whole and offer extensive marketing performance evaluation capabilities. • Case Management: Capture public inquiries and requests for assistance, tracks customer cases and referrals, provide real time metrics and dashboards to guide program decisions (i.e. case load), enhance data accuracy and offer detailed analytics, help create and deliver training, offer collaboration tools, and establish an on-going knowledge base. • Change Management and Workflow: Manage multiple change requests from inception through resolution. Manage each change request through multiple review, evaluation, and authorization stages in accordance with existing change control procedures. Optionally link change requests status to designated groups, projects and campaigns. Finally, build automated workflows thru drag and drop functionality. • Client Management: Client Management capture, research and analyze information such as client behavior, preferences and demographics. Create and document a strong client base to help ensure the services they provide are in line with the Department's mission. A core function of Client management at is to identify further opportunities to increase both the scope and impact of its outreach initiatives. • Cloud Service and Deployment: -SaaS 3rd party-hosted solution -Central web-based repository for data entry -Redundant and secure hosted environment • Data Duplication/Data Enhancement Tools: Provides robust off the shelf capability for built-in or integrated Data Duplication prevention and Data Enhancement tools. Customer and Client data should go through a data verification check to ensure a new contact/business does not currently exist in the database prior to allowing it to be added as a new individual record or through a bulk data load (import). Tools/integration for data enhancement such as address verification, Congressional District, NAICS codes, should be off the shelf. • Document Management: Provides the ability to ensure information is securely accessible from a centralized database through web enabled devices (Example: Ensure compliance with National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records management requirements). Allow users to tag, update, index, store and subscribe to existing and future documents. • Email Management: Manage email marketing processes, leads, and contacts. Create traceable email marketing campaigns, from the CRM system including compressive tracking of delivery, read-rates and response type. Solution must also integrate with Office 365. • Event Management: Event management is an important marketing and communication tool used to create and manage events to help communicate its mission nationally and around the world. • Extranets: Provide self-service functionality by extending CRM secure access to select government and non-government users (Example: other government organizational units and agencies, vendors, suppliers, customers, etc...) outside of DOC. • Knowledge Repository: Provides the ability to create a searchable knowledge base of solutions, FAQ's, best practices and other supporting documents. • Marketing Management: Five-step process for all marketing activities: Plan, implement, conduct, manage and analyze the performance in a comprehensive, configurable format. The CRM system should seamlessly integrate online and offline marketing initiatives. • Mobile Access: Provide out of the box core CRM functions (Search, Add, Modify Company and Contact information) as well as extend the global reach of the CRM solution via mobile devices (IPhone, IPAD, Blackberry, Smartphones, Tablets, etc...), offers a consistent GUI and is configurable. The CRM solution should also provide mobile access functionality that supports popular web browsers (i.e. Internet Explorer, Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, etc...). • Off-Line Capability: Provide the ability to access selected CRM features offline; while users are not connected to the core system, via the internet. Allow data synchronization, once user has re-established connection to core CRM system. • Performance Management: Performance management is the systematic process by which the Department of Commerce involves its employees, as individuals and members of a group, in improving organizational effectiveness in the accomplishment of agency mission and goals. The performance management process is used to communicate organizational goals and objectives, reinforce individual accountability for meeting those goals, and track and evaluate individual and organizational performance results. • Reporting/Metrics/Queries: The Department needs a wide range of prepackaged marketing reports, providing detailed analysis across multiple marketing campaigns. Campaigns are analyzed in terms of return on resource investment, market impact, contact role response type, etc... Flexible ad/hoc report creation is needed to provide a complete view of the diverse customers and services as well as to create more effective marketing campaigns. The need for strong performance management metrics is also required. Data also needs to be exported into a variety of formats (PDF, XLS etc...). • Social Media: Provides the capabilities to leverage the existing and upcoming popular social media platforms (Example: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc...). • Surveys and Survey Management: DOC employs and manages a variety of survey techniques in support of its mission, including: statistical sampling, Census surveys, opinion polls, quantitative marketing research surveys, and targeted questionnaire used to gather information on a wide-range of topics. Tools to consolidate easily consolidate survey results is necessary. • Third-party tools/Software libraries incorporated with the CRM solution: Includes integration (API's) with third party tools (i.e. Dunn and Bradstreet, Piers, business card scanners etc..) and includes on-line libraries of downloadable programs for users to access (i.e. customer redundancy check). • Training and Training Management: Provide a structured and repeatable framework that helps identify, create and deliver effective targeted training for a global workforce. Solution also provides users the capability to self-certify without attending formal classroom or web-enabled training classes. DOC is seeking responses from all responsible sources, including large, foreign, and small businesses. Small businesses are defined under the associated NAICS code for this effort, 518210, as those domestic sources having average annual gross receipts that do not exceed $30 Million for the past three years. Please include your company's size classification in any response to this notice. Companies that can provide such services are requested to email a detailed written response (see requested information defined below) describing their abilities to jemal.williams@trade.gov and a cc: to tiffany.johnson@nist.gov no later than the response date for this sources sought notice. The report should include achievable specifications and any other information relevant to your product or capabilities. Also, the following information is requested to be provided as part of the response to this sources sought notice: 1. Name of the company(ies) that are experienced in providing the described services, their addresses, and a point of contact for the company (name, phone number, fax number and email address), and DUNS number. 2. Indication of whether the services for which specifications are sent to jemal.williams@trade.gov and a cc: to tiffany.johnson@nist.gov are currently on one or more GSA Federal Supply Schedule contracts and, if so, the GSA FSS contract number(s). 3. Any other relevant information that is not listed above which the Government should consider in developing its minimum specifications and finalizing its market research. THIS SYNOPSIS IS FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION ANNOUNCEMENT FOR PROPOSALS AND NO CONTRACT WILL BE AWARDED FROM THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO REIMBURSEMENT WILL BE MADE FOR ANY COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH PROVIDING INFORMATION IN RESPONSE TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND ANY FOLLOW-UP INFORMATION REQUESTS. DISCLAIMER: It is emphasized that the requested information is for preliminary planning purposes only and does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that Department of Commerce will solicit you for such procurement in the future. The Government shall not be responsible for any costs incurred by you in furnishing this information. You are advised that any information provided shall be deemed to be furnished with unlimited rights to the Department of Commerce and the Department of Commerce assumes no liability for the disclosure, use, or reproduction of such data. Your submission of a response to this market research shall be deemed as your understanding and acceptance of these terms.   Each vendor should submit written responses within the following framework: 1. Vendor profile/background information (Include DUNS Number) a) Company Background 1. Date Incorporated, Size, Core Competencies 2. Litigations (pending or active) 2. Key Arrangements/Strategies/Prior Experience (Elaborate on each) a) Teaming Arrangements/Agreements (sub-contractor agreements to be utilized for a possible future DOC RFP submission) b) CRM Cloud Hosting Arrangements/Agreements in place (SAAS Hosting Partners, Service Level Agreements, Performance Monitoring to ensure SLA's are met) c) Prior project methodologies successfully utilized for supporting an agile, ‘out of the box', implementation approach. d) Prior experience implementing global CRM solutions that integrate with existing legacy-based systems for a minimum of 2,000 geographical dispersed users in the Federal Government space. Please provide reference contact details. e) Training strategies with limited travel funds to successfully support a 24x7 global roll-out of the CRM solution. 3. Each CRM function listed below is a core system requirement. Vendors should indicate that their CRM application includes out-of-the-box functions by providing a "Yes" or "No" answers to each item listed below. Out-of-the box means no custom coding, third party integration, or third party tools required to meet the requirement. Vendors should elaborate on each answer to ensure it shows how they can meet the function, 100% out of the box without customization (i.e. custom coding and third party integration or tools). Note more details explaining each requirement can be found in the section entitled Statement of Requirements. • Analytics • Campaign Management • Case Management • Change Management and Workflow • Client Management • Cloud Service and Deployment • Data Duplication/Data Enhancement Tools • Document Management • Email Management • Event Management • Extranets • Knowledge Repository • Marketing Management • Mobile Access • Off-line Capability • Performance Management • Reporting/Metrics/Queries • Social Media • Surveys and Survey Management • Third-party tools/Software libraries incorporated with the CRM solution • Training and Training Management 4. The vendor services listed below are anticipated to be core influencers in the evaluation process. Vendors should elaborate on each with a response to the listed services. a) Customer Service: Methods used by the vendor to provide recurring support such as: 24x7 tier 2 helpdesk (Application), user group meetings to share best practices, conferences etc... b) Business Process Re-Engineering: Ability of the vendor to understand diverse, sometimes, disjointed business processes and requirements and then translate them into effective system workflows and configurations within the CRM solution. c) Product Strategy/Innovation: Vendors approach to product innovation, product development and delivery that emphasize reusability, functionality, industry best practices and features that map to current and future requirements in the marketplace. Strategy for releasing new CRM product enhancements and addressing defects is also pertinent. d) Global Strategy: Vendor's strategy to meet the specific needs of global customers with significant presence outside the United States, either directly or through sub-contractors, partners, channels and subsidiaries. e) Professional Services: Vendor's ability to bring together in a timely manner a team of seasoned CRM contract resources (project manager, business analyst etc...) with varying skills sets and technical expertise to support a successful global implementation. f) Performance/Reliability/Redundancy: Methods used to ensure optimal system performance for all end-users, especially those located in low-bandwidth, international locations. Capabilities to monitor system performance ensure maximum system up-time and timely failover in case of disaster recovery is critical. g) Risk Management/Quality Assurance: Structured and repeatable methodologies used by the vendor to manage both risk and quality assurance when it comes to producing project deliverables, testing, defect management, configuration management and release management. 5. FEDRAMP and 508 Compliance. a) Is your cloud-based SAAS CRM solution FedRAMP compliant? If so, when was the compliance obtained? If not, please provide an estimate of when compliance will be achieved and/or specific status in the compliance process? b) Is the CRM solution 508 compliant? When was 508 compliance obtained? 6. Please provide pricing information for the software and services described in your response. Response should include the pricing for any required licenses as well as pricing for professional support by labor category. Please indicate if volume pricing discounts are available and how they would be structured. 7. Written responses are limited to a total of thirty (30) pages. The responses must be in MS WORD FORMAT (OFFICE 2010).
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOC/NIST/AcAsD/TADA00001401451/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Washington, District of Columbia, 20585, United States
- Zip Code: 20585
- Zip Code: 20585
- Record
- SN03354598-W 20140503/140501235529-bc5884a800cc00ca5631eb4c334bf184 (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 |