U.S. Department of Education, Contracts and Purchasing Operations, CPO, 7th & D Streets SW, Room 3616, Washington, DC 20202-4443

D -- INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, INCLUDING TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES SOL SS99A POC Tony Williams (202) 708-8602 INDEPENDENT VERIFICATION AND VALIDATION (IV&V) SERVICES -- SMALL BUSINESS SOURCES SOUGHT. This serves as a SMALL BUSINESS SOURCES SOUGHT Notice and Market Survey to locate qualified sources for the procurement of Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Services. The Department of Education's Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) is responsible for managing the development, maintenance, and operations of multiple systems supporting post-secondary student financial aid programs. Changes are made to the various application systems and their related products in response to new legislative and regulatory requirements, typically in an annual update cycle; and, at other times, to make corrections, introduce application enhancements, and introduce technological improvements. The IV&V Vendor shall provide a range of services including establishment of an IV&V Program to support all stages of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC); IRM program/project assessment; security survey; acquisition planning and analysis; and other services to support the planning, implementation, and assessment of OSFA automation initiatives. The IV&V Vendor shall have the personnel and facilities necessary to provide the full range of services for applications planned, developed, installed, and maintained by or for the OSFA. Due to the nature of the work performed and the need for the complete "independence" of the IV&V Vendor, the OSFA requires that the IV&V Vendor (and its subVendors) not be affiliated with any of the Vendors or subVendors awarded contracts by OSAFA for Information Technology efforts supporting OSFA. This restriction shall stand during the entire duration of this agreement and for a period of two years following the completion of all tasks ordered under this agreement. Specific Task and Requirements for the OSFA IV&V Vendor may include: (a) Evaluate concept documentation to include Functional Requirements Documents, Feasibility Studies, Systems Design Documentation, and any other such documents required by the OSFA. (b) Conduct software traceability analyses; to ensure the systems requirements specifications trace to the concept documentation and are consistent, accurate, and complete. (c) Evaluate software requirements to determine correctness, consistency, completeness, accuracy, readability, and testability. This activity shall include an assessment of how well the systems requirements specification satisfies the software system objectives. (d) Evaluate systems requirement specifications with hardware, user, operator, and software interface requirements documentation for correctness, consistency, accuracy, and readability. (e) Evaluate system test and acceptance test plans generated by OSFAP Contractors. (f) Evaluate system design to determine compliance with established standards, practices, and conventions; assess design quality; and ensure the correctness, consistency, completeness, and accuracy of identified software and hardware relationships and interfaces.(g) Evaluate component test plans and integration test plans generated by the OSFAP Contractors. (h) Conduct source code traceability analyses and evaluate source code for correctness, consistency, completeness, accuracy, and testability; and compliance with established standards, practices, and conventions. (i) Evaluate source code with hardware, operator, and software interface design documentation for correctness, consistency, and accuracy. (j) Evaluate source code documentation to ensure accuracy and completeness. (k) Evaluate and assess test cases, procedures, and execution activities for system, integration, and acceptance tests. (l) Evaluate and assess configuration management processes and procedures. (m) Evaluate system and or application security. (n) Assist in acquisition planning and/or analysis. Any interested/qualified SMALL BUSINESS source who can provide the requirements in accordance with description above, is invited to submit a written qualification statement to include: (1) Name and address of applicant (Corporate/Principal Office); (2) name, phone and fax number of point of contact; (3) date firm started; (4) SIC Code; (5) type of business (i.e.: small business, small disadvantaged 8(a) certified, Woman-owned small business, small disadvantaged business (not 8(a) certified); (6) contractor's facility capabilities and location; (7) past performance: list your firm's 3 most significant contracts which are relevant to providing services similar to the required services for the past 2 years, list contracts and include the following information: (a) customer (b) contract number (c) contracting officer's representative (COR) name and telephone number (d) contract value (e) period of performance (f) description of product/services. (8) General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule number. All of the information sought should be conveyed in no more that 10 pages. Each response must reference the sources sought title. The applicable Standard Industrial Classification Code for this acquisition is 7379 -- Computer Related Services, N.E.C. size standard $18.0 million. Interested sources are requested to submit a package by close of business on 15 November 1999, no later than 2:00 p.m. local time to the following address: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, Contracts and Purchasing Operations, CPO, 7th & D Streets SW, Room 3616, Washington, D.C. 20202-4443. For information regarding this sources sought, contact Tony Williams (202) 708-8602. Availability of any formal solicitation will be announced separately. This is NOT a request for proposal (RFP), invitation for bid (IFB), or an announcement of a solicitation and no solicitation package exists at this time. No contract will be awarded as a result of this market survey, which is for informational purposes only. The Government will not pay for any materials provided to it in response to this synopsis and submittals will not be returned to the sender. *NOTE: IF YOUR COMPANY SUBMITTED A RESPONSE TO THE ORIGINAL SOURCES SOUGHT, WHICH WAS DUE ON SEPTEMBER 30, 1999, PLEASE DON'T RESUBMIT Posted 10/28/99 (W-SN396068). (0301)

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