Office of Acquisition and Grants, 1710 GWYNN OAK AVENUE, BALTIMORE, MD, 21207-5279

70 -- SOURCES SOUGHT FOR COTS CUSTOMER FEEDBACK SYSTEM SOFTWARE PACKAGE DUE 060899 POC MONICA YANKLE, 410-965-9591 WEB: Download Solicitation when/if available, http://www.ssa.gov/oag. E-MAIL: Contracting Officer, SSA/OAG, MONICA.YANKLE@ssa.gov. This is a REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: When responding to this announcement, respondents should refer to CFSMMY599. The Social Security Administration (SSA) is seeking a commercial off-the-shelf software package that can be used to implement an automated customer feedback system that enables the collection, storage, and tracking of SSA customer complaints, suggestions, and compliments. The system must be accessible in a controlled way by all SSA employees, be extremely user-friendly, and easily and quickly customizable to reflect SSA's terminology and information system (IS) standards. Customer complaints, suggestions, and compliments must be formatted into pre-defined transactions that will enable SSA to conduct trend and root-cause analysis of the data over specified periods of time. SSA requires a software package that has been field tested with a proven track record and a large installed base. Specifically, it must be commercially available and in production use in organizations with thousands of simultaneous users at distributed, geographically dispersed locations. The SSA must be able to contact existing users. Software that is in Beta testing or in development is not acceptable. The software package must provide for the data entry of a complaint, suggestion or compliment, identifying information about the complainant, and other related information to categorize the issues, as well as the ability to add free-form text for comments and suggested resolutions (a transaction). Where possible, data fields should be automatically populated from other data sources, system date and time, and data in SSA relational databases (i.e., DB2 and Oracle-based) when a unique key has been provided. The software package must provide for the tracking and controlling of transactions across SSA organizational components through to resolution. The software package must provide the capability to produce a list of pending actions for the individual user, for the local office, for the region, and for all transactions. Also, the package must consolidate transactions at the office, region, and national levels, and provide formatted reports for data analysis. Query capabilities must also be provided at the end user, office, regional, and national levels. The software package must provide for the capability of generating transactions or flags to SSA's current programmatic systems that are mainframe-based and client/server-based for the purposes of initiating actions in these systems. For example, the customer feedback system must be capable of generating a transaction in SSA's notices application that will result in an acknowledgement notice to the complainant that contains the data required to issue the notice. The software package must support WEB browser functionality with Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 or higher on a Windows NT 4.0 workstation with Windows NT 4.0 WEB servers. Efficient use of standard graphical user interface (GUI) objects like radio buttons and drop down menus should be deployed to minimize key strokes. The package must operate in SSA's standard IWS/LAN multi-tier environment and the application itself be functionally equivalent to an Active X server. The software package must support a scripting language in a Microsoft environment and have application programming interfaces (APIs) callable by Visual Basic, Visual Basic for Applications, or other industry standard languages. The database architecture in the software package must be in a relational format capable of utilizing Oracle database structures on HP-UNIX servers and/or DB2 mainframe database structure on IBM/390 mainframe. The software package must also provide a facility to easily import and export data to other SSA standard data formats (particularly relational formats). The software package must adhere to SSA's security requirements. In order to meet agency-mandated guidelines for visually impaired users, the software package's user interface must follow standard MS Windows conventions and use standard GUI objects. It must also provide the user the option of data entry via keystroke for every action provided by a menu, dialog box, or other mouse action. Any responsible firm that feels it has the capability to provide a software package that meets the requirements as stated herein may respond to this RFI. Respondents should provide details, clearly stating the ability to provide such a software package and submit technical literature substantiating that the software package meets all of the aforementioned requirements. Additionally, respondents are also requested to include the following additional information with the RFI to assist the Government in its evaluation of available software packages: (1) information on existing training programs and courses for developers and end users; (2) level of customer support for telephone and onsite support, including hours of service and closest technical support area; (3) version release strategy; (4) references from existing customers; (5) architectural overview, including software and hardware requirements; and (6) estimated price for budgetary purposes, GSA Schedule pricing preferred. Responses should be submitted to the address cited at the beginning of this RFI. FAXED RESPONSES SHALL NOT BE PERMITTED. This is not a request for quotations or an announcement of a forthcoming solicitation. Requests for copies of a solicitation in response hereto will not be honored or acknowledged. The Government does not intend to pay for information provided in response to this publication. When responding to this announcement, respondents should refer to CFSMMY599. Posted 05/21/99 (D-SN334177). (0141)

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