U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, Purchasing Division, Room 1230, 844 North Rush St., Chicago, IL 60611-2092

R -- ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT IMAGING AND WORKFLOW SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION PLAN -- ADVISORY SERVICES AND REPORTS ON ANALYSIS OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING DOCUMENTS SOL 98-C-02 DUE 021298 POC Mr. Paul T. Ahern, (312) 751-7130 I. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. Proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. II. This solicitation is issued as a Request for Quotations (RFQ) 98-C-02. III. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions are those in effect through the FAR Subpart 12.3. IV. This solicitation is not a small business set-aside. V. The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is an independent agency in the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and is responsible for the administering the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA) and the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA). The Railroad Retirement System is administered by claims examiners processing and posting claims in claims files located in a folder/file bank. About 12,000 new claim folders are created each year and approximately 175,000 claim folders are extracted from the claim bank each year for adjustment or inquiry purposes. The RRB intends to acquire an electronic document imaging and workflow system to alleviate the problems attendant to the handling of paper claims folders. It intends to image newly filed claims and the claims annually extracted from the file bank. The focus shall be image only folders with current activity. The RRB desires to provide access to the imaged folder documents to about 300 users on Local Area Network (LAN) equipment. Later phases will increase users to about 800 both at the Chicago, Illinois Headquarters facility and in 53 field offices nationwide. Under Phase I (Feasibility Study) of the Document Imaging Project, the RRB Office of Programs (RRB-OP) has completed a Documents Control Requirements Analysis under contract with GTE Government Systems Corporation. VI. The RRB-OP is currently in Phase 2 (Planning) of the Document Imaging Project. The planninghas been distributed to multiple teams working on various aspects of planning for the introduction of this technology. These teams and their charters are as follows: DOCUMENT TEAM -- this team has been studying what RRA claims materials will be imaged. This team is determining the external and internal (computer generated) material associated with the claims processing. IMAGING TEAM -- This team has been studying the options for an imaging operation. It is considering the following items: the use of in-house versus a service bureau for imaging; purchase versus leasing of equipment; centralized versus de-centralized imaging operation; and the development of a cost-benefit-analysis document for imaging. WORKFLOW TEAM -- This team is documenting the current workflow processes to optimally configure the workflow software. USER TEAM -- This team is documenting the users of the imaged files to determine equipment and bandwidth requirements. UNEMPLOYMENT CONVERSION TEAM -- This team is studying the requirements for converting a small existing document imaging system for unemployment and sickness claims (PaperWise software) to the new system. The contractor shall assist the teams in analyzing imaging and workflow requirements, and evaluating design alternatives that incorporate work management product functionality. The contractor shall provide the RRB-OP with written feedback assessment of the teams' proposed solution documents. The contractor, in response to a submitted team draft report and their initial on-site meeting with the team(s), shall review and comment on specific aspects of any and all of the proposed team reports listed above. Due to the daily interface of the RRB-OP benefits system, with that of the Social Security Administration (SSA), the document imaging and workflow system that is developed must be compatible with the SSA's document imaging and workflow system. VII. Scope -- the contractor will provide assistance in evaluating the functional and technical specifications developed bythe RRB-OP teams for the installation of a document imaging and workflow management system. VIII. Specific Tasks -- The contractor shall commence work on the effective date of the order and complete the tasks within 90 calendar days from the start-up meeting. The goal of this task order is to provide advisory and assistance and technical engineering services on a scheduled and responsive basis. The schedule of required services and performance standards are as follows: (1) (Line Item 001) within 15 calendar days after receipt of the order (ARO), the contractor shall participate in a start-up meeting with the team members to define and clarify schedules, tasking, and administrative procedures. (2) The contractor shall provide advisory and assistance and technical engineering services to assist the teams in the development of their solution documents as follows: (a) each of the teams identified above will provide its draft report to the contractor; (b) (Line Item 002) the contractor shall review the draft reports, meet with the teams as necessary, and provide a written report of their comments/recommendations on the draft reports to each team; (c) the teams will review the contractor s written response to the draft report and provide written feedback (questions, request for clarification, etc.) to the contractor; (d) (Line Item 003) the contractor shall provide a final written report (including feedback on all six team reports and an executive summary) and an on-site briefing, as required by the RRB, to Senior management at the RRB. IX. Contractor review work and feedback preparation shall be performed at the contractor's site. Meetings, site reviews and interviews shall be conducted at the RRB headquarters building located at 844 North Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois. Telephonic clarifications with the RRB-OP task team leader can be acceptable if these telephonic communications are annotated as such in the written feedback assessment to the team. X. Government Furnished Property -- The RRB will provide the contractor with adequate office space, including furniture and telephonic service when the contractor is performing tasks at the RRB headquarters location. XI. Deliverables under the proposed contract include: (1) (Line Item 001) attendance at an opening on-site meeting with the RRB-OP teams; (2) (Line item 002) written feedback and recommendations on each submitted team report after review of the draft reports and consultation with the teams; (3) (Line Item 003) final written report (including five (5) (sub) team reports and an executive summary), and attendance and participation, as required and requested, at a close out meeting, with Senior RRB Management. XII. RRB documents available for review are the current team draft reports. XIII. Professional requirements: to be considered for award a firm must provide documentation from third parties detailing proof of their experience and qualification in providing integration services of a document imaging and workflow system, involving Eastman Software's (formerly WANG) document imaging and workflow software. If applicable the firm should document this provision of integration services in their proposal. The line item pricing must be inclusive of all fees, materials, travel expenses and production of the required printed materials. The line item 003 price offer must incorporate the cost of a one day on-site briefing at the RRB headquarters facility in Chicago, Illinois. The RRB will pay the vendor in accordance with the Prompt Payment Act. Vendors interested in competing for this engagement must provide the following: (1) Statements of work addressing all the team reports and each deliverable. This statement should include detail about required research and analysis activities, staff qualifications and estimated time needs, the work steps involved in satisfying the requirement, and dollar amounts for each assigned deliverable task. (2) Documentation of expertise and experience of specific contractor employees who would be assigned to this project to provide the required technical engineering and advisory and assistance services as required above. (3) A detail of corporate experience including at least three references demonstrating successful past performance of the required technical engineering and advisory and assistance services for Document Imaging and Workflow Management systems implementation plans. Vendors must provide a narrative outlining the above information and experience in formulating both strategic and practical implementation plans in light of available imaging technology in the marketplace and sound workflow practices. The RRB requires four (4) copies of the vendor's written proposal. XIV. FAR Provision 52.212-1, Instructions to Commercial Offerors -- Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and is hereby included by reference. XV. FAR Provision 52.212-2 is incorporated by reference with the following addenda: In paragraph (a), (1) Proposals will be evaluated using the following technical and past performance criteria -- A. Quality of workplan to achieve defined tasks; B. Expertise and experience of staff; C. Past performance in similar engagements. The relationship of price to all other factors is 1:2. Following the evaluation of proposals, the government will select the proposal providing the best value to satisfy this requirement. XVI. FAR Provision 52.212-3, Offeror's Representations and Certifications -- Commercial Items, must be completed and submitted with the offer. XVII. FAR Clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions -- Commercial Items, applies to this solicitation. XVIII. FAR clause 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders -- Commercial Items hereby applies to this acquisition. In accordance with the FAR clause 52.212-5, the following clauses are hereby incorporated by reference in paragraph (b): 52.203-10 Price or Fee Adjustment for Illegal or Improper Activity (41 U.S.C. 423); 52.222-26 (Equal Opportunity (E.O. 11246), 52.222-35 Affirmative Action for Special Disabled andVietnam Era Veterans (38 U.S.C. 4212), 52.222-36 Affirmative Action for Handicapped Workers (29 U.S.C. 793), 52.222-37, Employment reports on Special Disabled Veterans and Veterans of the Vietnam Era (38 U.S.C. 4212). XIX. Offers are due no later than 1:00 P.M. local time on February 12, 1998 to the above Contracting Office. Mark outside of envelope clearly with "RFQ 97-C-02 enclosed" and offeror's name and address. XX. No telephone calls will be accepted . Any further questions regarding this request for quotation (RFQ) must be in writing on company letterhead and can be sent (to the above address) or faxed to Mr. Paul T. Ahern of the RRB Purchasing Division at (312) 751-4923. The RRB will not send out an acknowledgment of receipt of any firm's submission. (0027)

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