Arnold Engineering Development Center, Attn: AEDC PKP, 100 Kindel Drive, Suite A332, Arnold AFB TN 37389-1332

70 -- PRODUCT DATA MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE SOL F40650-98-R-0027 POC Rick Stewart, Contracting Officer, (931)454-7844 E-MAIL: Click here to contact the Contracting Officer via, stewartwr@hap.arnold.af.mil. Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) intends to procure commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) product data management (PDM)/Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) class of software for use as a major component of an Integrated Test Information System (ITIS). AEDC operates more than 50 test facilities (e.g., jet engine test cells, hypervelocity projectile impact ranges, space simulation chambers, transonic, supersonic, and hypersonic wind tunnels) and advanced computational modeling and simulation capabilities to provide Developmental Test and Evaluation (DT&E) services and information to a wide variety of DoD and commercial aerospace customers. Test project customers, managers, engineers, technicians, and craftsmen comprising the "test team" -- will use ITIS to access and manage test-related information needed to plan, prepare, and deliver DT&E services. Test related information exists in many different forms/formats including commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) applications (e.g., Microsoft Office Professional, Oracle-based accounting and logistics support applications, AutoCAD, etc.), and custom-built applications (e.g., Analysis and Display System, Automated Cost Estimator, etc.) which store data in custom formatted binary or text files. This information is created, processed, analyzed, and stored on a TCP/IP network of heterogeneous computers (e.g., PC and UNIX workstations, file servers, mini-computers, and supercomputers). The ITIS PDM will be part of an enterprise wide solution to data management at AEDC and must interface to other COTS data managers on the base (Metaphase, Synergen and Peoplesoft ). The COTS PDM software must easily and effectively adapt these diverse data elements and processes to its database structure in order to be the "foundation" of the ITIS. Evaluation criteria for the PDM software include how well the system performs its major functions. In particular, the key functions of the PDM must include (1) data linking and association (ability to create, edit, view and manage all data elements related to a specific test project as a logical whole regardless of physical location of the data), (2) work flow automation (logically and/or physically moving/routing data elements for review, approval, and processing based on type of data element, state of work in process, and roles of test team members), (3) document configuration management (maintaining a record of multiple revisions/versions of individual data elements which comprise a larger whole project), (4) web-browser publishing/access (providing secure internet access to all or selected data elements or types of data via a standard HTML browser), and (5) ability to be "tightly" integrated with legacy applications (use PDM's application programming interface to call or be called by legacy applications to enable customized data processing). Evaluation criteria include how well the system fits AEDC's environment. Key functions of the software must include (1) highly visual interfaces with Windows look-and-feel (use easily modifiable templates to create processes and structures to store data and metadata, reduce training time for casual user, allow infrequent customers to access ITIS without formal training, etc.). (2) Efficient data capture and registration (capturing metadata through keyboard inputs once or from embedded attributes of data files and consistently representing the metadata throughout the processes and information, registering data types according to their registered application on the client, etc.). (3) Intuitive searches for information (providing easy-to-use interfaces to search through categories, keywords, or relationships of metadata describing processes or information). The PDM software shall reside and serve from a Windows NT platform, but to meet our diverse customer's security requirements, supported databases may be distributed across the network on NT and UNIX workstations. Because AEDC supports multiple, concurrent tests of varying length with a mobile workforce, the PDM software shall not restrict the access location for registered users to particular desktops. Due to the prevalent use and support of Oracle databases and MS Office software at AEDC, the PDM software shall maintain its information in an Oracle database and be able to invoke MS Office and MS Project software within the PDM, while supporting industry standard data exchange formats (ie. ODBC, SQL, and CORBA/DCOM) to other databases. ITIS will be implemented by an incremental rapid application development cycle (design, build, field, and revise within 12-18 months); each cycle building more capability . Initially, the processes to be incorporated into the PDM shall be prototyped for several of AEDC's major facilities. An initial number of licenses (20 concurrent users, 3 administrators, and 3 custom programmers) and training shall be procured with consultant support to establish the PDM software on the NT server and provide the process management skills to prototype a limited number of processes in the PDM. After 5 years, the PDM software and servers shall support 100 test projects per year with up to 500 concurrent users, 25 administrators, and 25 programmers. This is an Advisory, Multi-Step Process as described in FAR 15.202. If your company has software that meets these criteria, please respond with no more than 5 pages in MS Word format describing how your company meets these criteria. Marketing material, such as brochures, user manuals, demonstration software, or web locations, that describes your company and products are also requested. Electronic media (CD-ROM, ZIP diskette, or floppy diskettes) are preferred. Your materials specific to this announcement must be submitted within 15 calendar days from the date of this announcement. We will evaluate the information you submit and advise each respondent in writing either that it will be invited to participate in the resultant acquisition or, based on the information submitted, that it is unlikely to be a viable competitor. Notwithstanding the advice provided by the Government in response to yoursubmissions, you may participate in the resultant acquisition. Submissions should be directed to the Contracting Officer. Posted 08/12/98 (W-SN236089). (0224)

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