SOURCES SOUGHT
D -- Competency Assessment Tool
- Notice Date
- 10/24/2018
- Notice Type
- Synopsis
- NAICS
- 541519
— Other Computer Related Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Veterans Affairs;Technology Acquisition Center;23 Christopher Way;Eatontown NJ 07724
- ZIP Code
- 07724
- Solicitation Number
- 36C10B19Q0047
- Archive Date
- 1/31/2019
- Point of Contact
- David.Melton@va.gov
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Request for Information (RFI) for a Competency Assessment Tool Overview The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) summarizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office Acquisition and Logistics (OAL), Human Capital Management Service (AHCMS) interest to find a competency assessment tool to aid acquisition personnel in identifying specific training and learning interventions needed for meeting the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) mandated requirements for obtaining and maintaining Federal acquisition certifications (FAC). VA is looking for a system/process to objectively assess an individual s knowledge and understanding of Federal Acquisition Institute s (FAI) and VA business and technical competencies based on their certification and level held. FAC certifications are like a professional license, especially when they pertain to employees who request, review, prepare and manage VA contracts. At a minimum, the competency assessment tool (CAT) will measure requirements for contracting personnel (FAC-C Levels I, II, and III); program/project managers (FAC-P/PM, Levels Entry, Mid and Senior); and, contracting officer s representatives (FAC-COR, Levels I, II and III). The assessments will be used to target training and development opportunities for individuals both to prepare for certification and to plan for continuous learning. It will also enable VA managers to target limited training funds and valuable staff time to specific competency gaps identified by the assessment, thereby leveraging resources. This RFI is for planning purposes only now, and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of VA. Background The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office Acquisition and Logistics (OAL), Human Capital Management Service (AHCMS) is looking for a competency assessment tool that can measure knowledge and understanding of the Federal Acquisition Certification (FAC) requirements to include, but not be limited to, all levels of Contracting (FAC-C), Program/Project Management (FAC-P/PM), and Contracting Officer Representatives (FAC-COR). The AHCMS Directorate is responsible for administering and maintaining Federal Acquisition Certifications (FAC). Depending on the certification, the initial certification requirements may include education while some have an additional experience requirement commensurate with the certification level. AHCMS also provides Acquisition Workforce (AWF) and human capital metrics to internal and external stakeholders. This Directorate s mission focuses on devising and implementing various Federal and Departmental initiatives to enhance and promote the professional development of VA s acquisition workforce. Currently, there is no tool in place to measure the AWF s knowledge and understanding as it pertains to their certification responsibilities. From an organizational perspective, the competency assessment enables organizations to assess workforce competencies and proficiency levels helping to ensure its current workforce has the right knowledge and skills to accomplish the mission. Competency assessment results enable an organization to prioritize training resources and create annual training plans and funding reserves that are based on quantifiable data outlining workforce development needs. From an individual perspective, competency assessments help employees to: Customize their individual development and career planning activities; Identify relevant competency based training and development opportunities for sustained career growth; Discuss with their supervisors the employee s strengths, areas for growth, and suggested training, and developmental activities; and, Understand the competencies they would be expected to have to move into a new job, particularly for employees who are interested in becoming supervisors and managers or in changing career fields. From a managerial perspective, competency assessments help organizations to: Identify specific strengths and skill gaps among staff; Assist with selecting appropriate competency based training offerings, curricula, and certifications; Guide employee development efforts; Assess the knowledge, skills, abilities, interest, and talents of the organization; and, Identify available workers with the required skill sets. The primary objectives of this RFI are to collect information regarding: The availability of Industry fielded solutions in the marketplace that: Can measure competency knowledge and understanding, Map training and professional development to close competency gaps and recommend professional growth avenues, Provide individual and aggregate reports to participants and management, to include but not limited to: Government wide comparison data Respondent demographics Individual training recommendations report Individual skill improvement report Organization specific reports Supervisor perceptions, based on participants responses Resources used to develop assessment content, Type of questions, How potential solution providers evaluate and estimate pricing to include, but not limited to, design, development, administration, analyze, report, follow-up, and maintenance, Identify resources impacting employee engagement and retention, Coordinate training and professional growth opportunities with VAAA, The timeline associated with initial development through first launch of each of the certifications and levels. Important things to consider when responding to the RFI The solutions will be required to conform to the Veteran-Focused Integration Process (VIP) project management methodology currently required for these types of solutions for the VA. Please see VIP website for details, https://vaww.oit.va.gov/veteran-focused-integration-process-vip-guide/. The solution, when delivered, even if a COTS product or proprietary offering, should be built/bought/highly configured and owned by the VA. Interfaces and data exchanges with existing VA systems, or other third-party service providers, such as FAI, DAU, etc. will need to be present in the response as well as fees associated with those exchange services if any. The CAT solution shall interface with internal systems already in use such as LMS/TMS, etc. The solution will be capable of supporting more than 20K users, with different administrative and participant levels. The proposed solution should allow VA the ability to generate retrieve Data/Metrics/Reports on demand. CAT Questions Describe your approach to meeting the primary objectives stated in this RFI. Please include in your approach how all identified business requirements will be met and how you are addressing the important things to consider. Do you have an existing commercial-off-the-shelf- product that can be configured or modified to meet this requirement? If so, please describe this product. Please describe your approach to implementing your solution in VA. Please include a notional schedule to scale your solution to 20K + users. Please describe any previous experience you have implementing your solution to an organization similar in size and complexity to VA. Please describe how your proposal will differentiate assessing business and technical skills? Please identify any risks with implementing your solution to VA. Describe how accessible your proposed solution is in terms of: Adding, deleting, changing assessment questions/responses Maintaining a questions bank Changing mediums to notify participants of upcoming assessments, results, recommended training, etc. Generate ad hoc reports as requested Please provide a rough order of magnitude cost estimate for implementing your solution to VA. Please itemize the cost to include any necessary license and/or yearly maintenance fees, etc. Business Requirements Assessment questions will be aligned with Federal acquisition regulation requirements. Members of the AWF will have the option to take the assessment. Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) will be awarded for successful completion of the assessment. Participants will be provided an analysis of their results. Training and professional growth recommendations will be provided based on the participants results. Managements will be provided reports as identified, but not limited to those listed above. Data/Metrics/Reports will be available on demand During the assessment period Immediately after the assessment closes The assessment tool will be continually updated. Regulations change. Federal guidance changes. Questions are not valid and/or reliable. Procedures for assessment will be easy to understand. Marketing Notices sent with upcoming assessment availability Reminders Responses to this notice shall be submitted to David.Melton@va.gov and are due no later than 1:00PM Eastern Time on Wednesday October 31, 2018. NOTE: THIS NOTICE MAY HAVE POSTED ON FEDBIZOPPS ON THE DATE INDICATED IN THE NOTICE ITSELF (24-OCT-2018). IT ACTUALLY APPEARED OR REAPPEARED ON THE FEDBIZOPPS SYSTEM ON 22-MAY-2019, BUT REAPPEARED IN THE FTP FEED FOR THIS POSTING DATE. PLEASE CONTACT 877-472-3779 or fbo.support@gsa.gov REGARDING THIS ISSUE.
- Web Link
-
Link To Document
(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/2f52142c3457ecaeb6746aeb7b1b658f)
- Record
- SN05319529-F 20190524/190522230022 (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 |