Social Security Administration, Deputy Commissioner for Finance, Assessment and Management, Office of Acquisition and Grants, 1710 Gwynn Oak Avenue, Baltimore, MD, 21207-5279

70 -- INFORMATION SYSTEMS SECURITY-BENCHMARKING SERVICES SOL Reference-Number-ISBSMY400 DUE 050800 POC Monica Yankle, Contract Specialist, Phone 410-965-9591, Fax 410-966-5982, Email monica.yankle@ssa.gov WEB: Visit this URL for the latest information about this, http://www.eps.gov/cgi-bin/WebObjects/EPS?ACode=R&ProjID=Reference-Number-ISBSMY400&LocID=2422. E-MAIL: Monica Yankle, monica.yankle@ssa.gov. This is a Request for Information: When responding to this announcement, respondents should refer to ISBSMY400. The Social Security Administration (SSA) is seeking a contractor with expertise in providing information systems security-benchmarking services to assess the strength of its security program relative to other organizations. SSA administers retirement, survivors and disability benefit programs, other monthly benefit programs based on need, enumeration and wage reporting activities, and additional related functions. SSA operates from its headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland and from local offices and centralized processing facilities throughout the U.S. To support its mission and organization, SSA manages an automated information retrieval, data processing, and telecommunication system protected by a variety of security protocols and techniques. SSA also has an ongoing, vigorous information systems security program that includes technological controls, employee training, monitoring, and oversight activity. The contractor should have expertise in the following areas: (1) benchmarking techniques and procedures to quantify a large organization_s security program across a wide range of relative measurements common to modern, large-scale information systems and organizations; (2) data collection techniques that utilize strategies and tools for efficient data collection throughout a large geographically dispersed organization; (3) comparative analysis techniques for comparing SSA_s benchmark results with those of other organizations of similar size and/or mission, using automated tools; and (4) presentation techniques for demonstrating SSA_s performance in specific systems security categories and functional areas compared to other organizations whose benchmark results were produced in a similar manner. The contractor should have an automated database of systems security benchmark measurements, obtained from a variety of organizations, that can be used for comparison with SSA_s results. The database shouldcontain information from government and non-government organizations such as large financial, manufacturing, insurance or service companies. The database should reflect recent as well as historical benchmarking activity taking into account improvements in information systems security technology and procedures. Only contractors with actual benchmarking experience are invited to respond to this request for information. Respondents should site specific examples of their experience in the area of systems security benchmarking, in accordance with the above-mentioned expertise requirements, and should submit examples of their comparative analysis and presentation techniques. Respondents also should summarize and provide an overview of the content of their benchmarking database, including an overview of the organizations from which the data was obtained. 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 announcement, respondents should refer to ISBSMY400. Posted 04/17/00 (D-SN445859). (0108)

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