SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- REQUEST FOR INFORMATION - Department of State Innovation Platform (Design Thinking, Big Think, Hackathons, UX, and more!)
- Notice Date
- 5/26/2017
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541611
— Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of State, Office of Acquisitions, Acquisition Management, 1735 N. Lynn St., Arlington, Virginia, 22209, United States
- ZIP Code
- 22209
- Solicitation Number
- SAQMMA-17-RFI-SGP
- Point of Contact
- Terence G. Lord,
- E-Mail Address
-
lordtg@state.gov
(lordtg@state.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This is only a Request for Information. The Government is collecting this information to determine a path forward for a potential procurement. There is no procurement strategy identified. We request that industry provide capabilities, comments, questions, responses to our questions, and any other information deemed relevant or valuable. We ask that you keep your responses as clear and concise as possible. Please do your best to limit responses to 10-15 pages, however, we welcome any and all relevant information and feedback in response to this RFI. Purpose of this Request The U.S. Department of State (Department) is interested in building upon our expertise and experience in using innovative tools for our diplomacy and development initiatives. The Department's bureaus, offices and our overseas posts are looking for ideas from the private sector on how we can incorporate innovation into our diplomacy initiatives, specifically moving to a partnership and collaboration approach. To that end, the Secretary's Office of Global Partnerships (S/GP) is proposing an innovation platform and toolkit that offers a variety of services that support innovation tools, techniques and practices. Our vision is to modernize the way the Department engages in diplomacy by institutionalizing private sector collaboration across bureaus and missions within the Department through a web-based one-stop resource center that captures our range of services and technical assistance, as well as provides offices guidance on how to integrate and implement innovative tools and practices (e.g. challenges, competitions, crowd sourcing, etc.) within their missions. This effort was started in response to sequestration, tightening federal budgets and uncertainty about future commitments with the belief that: (a) Offices need to collaborate with private sector partners that share similar visions and engage in innovative practices that promote our diplomacy initiatives which, in turn, enables the Department to continue to carry out our mission critical functions in challenging budgetary times. (b) There must be a shift in the old paradigm of "government think" of relying solely on government assets, resources, and abilities to solve complex challenges to more of a "group think" paradigm where collaborative relationships and innovation drive new solutions to these challenges. (c) Innovation will encourage cost savings and business ideation throughout the Department. Specifically, the platform and toolkit is intended to aid embassies and regional bureaus with limited budgets in identifying and securing innovative services (for purchase and no cost), and guiding them through the process of creating and operationalizing innovative practices such as prizes and challenges. Bottom line, Department offices still need to carry out their global priorities and initiatives during lean budgetary times to promote our diplomacy mission. What we would like assistance in trying to answer is how can S/GP introduce them to and guide them through utilizing, leveraging and implementing innovative methods and practices to aid them in continuing their vital, mission critical work? Scope or Mission To solidify a strategy and comprehensive set of innovative tools and methods that will prepare Department offices to advance diplomacy through interactive partnerships. The Request for Information (RFI) provides an opportunity for interested parties to supply S/GP with information on industry capabilities and perspectives for deploying a Department-wide innovation platform and toolkit, as well as feedback and metrics, on free and for-purchase services. Services to include the following: Hackathons: An event in which a large number of people meet to engage in collaborative computer programming. Challenges, Competitions, Prizes: Mechanisms that allows the public to solve problems for an organization and receive awards for the best solutions Crowd Sourcing: The practice of obtaining information or input into a task or project by enlisting the services of a large number of people, either paid or unpaid, typically via the Internet. Design Thinking: A methodology used by designers to solve complex problems and find desirable solutions for clients. Round Tables: A facilitated discussion with members from outside the Department that generates ideas on a common subject. Big Thinks: A knowledge forum that helps organizations find smarter ideas faster by catalyzing conversations around topics most critical to business success. Diplomacy Lab: A public-private partnership that enables the U.S. Department of State to crowdsource research and innovation related to foreign policy challenges by harnessing the efforts of students and faculty experts at colleges and universities across the U.S. Accelerators: Innovative, startup funding mechanism that helps entrepreneurs with a business idea of their own and professional development. Incubators: Spaces that specifically target and help new and startup companies to address their needs and develop their business ideas to transform them into sustainable realities S/GP is asking for specific industry perspectives and business models that will, if deemed in our best interest, enable S/GP to move towards a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a comprehensive innovation platform and toolkit. S/GP urges all interested parties, including the public, industry, associations, academia, small businesses, etc. to participate by providing information that would further this effort. The aim of the RFI questions is to have all available information from any and all respondents delivered to S/GP as accurately and quickly as possible. Additionally, S/GP is pursuing feedback on this draft SOO that will help to structure a critical piece of the ultimate RFP. Background Information The Secretary's Office of Global Partnerships is an entry point for collaboration between the U.S. Department of State, the public and private sectors, and civil society. Launched in 2008, S/GP aims to strengthen and deepen U.S. diplomacy and development around the world through partnerships that leverage the creativity, innovation, and core business resources of partners for greater impact. S/GP works with partners across sectors, industries, and borders to promote economic growth and opportunity; to invest in the well-being of people from all walks of life; and to make democracy serve every citizen more effectively and justly. S/GP recognizes that when governments engage in cross-sectoral collaboration with non-governmental partners, we leverage each other's unique individual resources, expertise, and experiences, better enabling us to create innovative solutions for the challenges impacting business, government and society. The proposed innovation platform and toolkit will offer a variety of services that support innovation tools, techniques and practices, and will encourage innovation for cost savings and business ideation throughout the Department. More importantly, these types of innovation platforms have a proven track record of spurring innovation and enabling Federal agencies to: •Pay only for success and establish an ambitious goal without having to predict which team or approach is most likely to succeed; •Reach beyond the "usual suspects" to increase the number of solvers tackling a problem and to identify novel approaches, without bearing high levels of risk •Bring out-of-discipline perspectives to bear; •Increase cost-effectiveness to maximize the return on taxpayer dollars; and •Establish clear success metrics and validation protocols that themselves become defining tools and standards for the subject industry or field. Current Potential Operating Constraints Budget: The FY 2018 budget proposed by the Office of Management and Budget reduces foreign assistance funding and reprioritizes funds to make the U.S. Department of State "leaner, more efficient, and more effective." As a result, offices may be facing significant budget cuts and will have fewer funds for new programming. Staffing: As a result of the negotiated budget and new administration priorities, there will likely be a shift in personnel and staffing resources. Offices may be combined, divided, or closed depending on shifts in priority. Questions for Industry S/GP seeks a better understanding of existing market capabilities to construct a future RFP. We ask that, in your response to this RFI, your firm provide substantive responses to as many of the following questions as applicable: • What are your core capabilities and service offerings? Where have they been implemented? • How long have you been in business and how many employees do you have? How many clients do you currently have? • Is your product scalable? • Is your product ADA compliant? • How do you define an innovation platform and toolkit? What are the advantages and disadvantages to having an internal vs. external interface for the platform and toolkit? How do you measure if the platform is successful? • What resources are needed to implement this platform and toolkit? How long would it take to implement and go live? • What collaboration do you expect from your clients? • What services would you offer to meet our business issues, as you understand them? How would you bring value? • How do you manage customer satisfaction? • What tools do you always use on your innovation projects? What do you charge for this? Can you quote a sample project? • Can we use your product or does it have to be managed by a technical team? If a technical team is needed, what type of technical support is offered for your product? Does it require additional fees? • Will your company be the administrator for this product, or can it be done remotely or by a U.S. Department of State representative? • Will you provide training for your product exclusively to us? • What, if any, contract/BPA vehicles do you provide these tools or services under? • What questions haven't we asked that we should be asking? What is this draft SOO missing? • What questions do you have of us, based on this request or the objectives listed?
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