B -- ECOMMERCE TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION AND METHODOLOGY

Notice Date

October 20, 2000

Contracting Office

NASA/Langley Research Center, Mail Stop 144, Industry Assistance Office, Hampton, VA 23681-0001

ZIP Code

23681-0001

Response Due

November 6, 2000

Point of Contact

Sandra S. Ray, Contracting Officer, Phone (757) 864-2428, Fax (757) 864-8541, Email S.S.RAY@larc.nasa.gov

E-Mail Address

Sandra S. Ray (S.S.RAY@larc.nasa.gov)

Description

This is a Request for Information (RFI) for e-Commerce Technology Information and Methodology. NO SOLICITATION EXISTS; THEREFORE, DO NOT REQUEST A COPY OF THE SOLICITATION. If a solicitation is released , it will be synopsized in the CBD and on the NASA Acquisition Internet Service. It is the potential offerors' responsibility to monitor these cites for the release of any solicitation or synopsis. Prospective offerors are invited to submit comments or questions to Sandra S. Ray, Mail Stop 134, no later than November 6, 2000. In responding, reference 1-016-RFIv1.21. Comments may be forwarded to Sandra S. Ray via electronic transmission at s.s.ray@larc.nasa.gov or by facsimile transmission to 757-864-8541. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the review. Any questions regarding this announcement should be directed to the identified point of contact. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, through a partnership between the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Marshall Spaceflight Center (MSFC) and Langley Research Center (LaRC), is currently researching the potential for an agency-wide electronic commerce acquisition/management system. Using this system, NASA's researchers, managers, support and administrative personnel will identify best-value acquisitions to meet their needs. The system will address processes and requirements for the full scope of NASA's supply chain, including requirements definition, supplier identification, order placement, inventory management, and receipt/acceptance for a wide variety of material and services, utilizing commercially available technology. The focus shall be on exploring tools that meet the requirements, comply with government regulations, and function in concert with the Agency Integrated Financial Management Project (IFMP). Because many aspects of the planned system represent a significant departure from the Agency's historical methodology for acquiring these products and services, NASA will conduct a series of experiments to gain experience with the technologies and commmercial processes related to e-Marketplaces. As a first step, this RFI is being presented for information and comment. The results of this campaign will permit the Agency to resolve whether it should pursue this strategy and what functional requirements should be met. Should such an approach be viable, a formal solicitation would be developed for selection of a supplier or suppliers of such services. LaRC is most interested and strongly encourages your insight, comments and creative suggestions, on how your company could help us fulfill our effort for the electronic acquisition of products and services, tracking, inventory, and electronic reporting and cataloging. Even if your company only distributes product, or provides a single element of the eCommerce process, please feel free to provide us feedback with what you could provide us, as well as any information or networking leads as to what partnering relationships and innovative approaches other organizations are implementing to this end. In an effort to expand on the general information provided to solicitations of this type, below are specific questions that have been developed to generate discussion focused around issues currently confronting the Agency and the Government with regard to electronic commerce. Please peruse these questions and issues and provide as much or as little feedback as possible to provide further education for the future preparation of a requirement specification. Four major objectives are to be achieved by the experiment: 1) How does an e-Marketplace deliver value to the end users? 1a) How does the system ensure the maximum amount of information is available to the end user to permit them to make a best value selection? 1b) How does the system achieve a reduction in the lead time to the end-user for acquired goods and services? 1c) Qualitatively, do your current customers (end users) perceive an improved satisfaction by using this technology and its related processes? What are the measures of effectiveness by which their opinion is formed? 1d) How is your product/service's philosophy different than the alternatives, and what do you believe to be the strengths and weaknesses of each (this is not a product comparison, but a functionality comparison)? 1e) What are the implications of using a vendor-managed catalog instead of a buyer-managed catalog? 1f) How would the system support the Government concept of reverse auctions? 2) What is the role of the Government procurement office in e-Marketplace? 2a) How are pricing models, discounts, and volume pricing contracts established and maintained within an eCommerce/service provider/exchange relationship? 2b) What is the role of the Government procurement professional within the environment of an e-Marketplace? 2c) How does the contracting agency ensure the use of preferred sources? 2d) How does a system conduct and enforce review and approval processes to different types of acquisitions, organizations, and funding streams? 2e) How is the system configured to accommodate different types of review and approval cycles (i.e. different rules exist at Langley Research Center from those at Marshall Spaceflight Center)? 2f) To what extent do procurement operations personnel need to monitor changes to the eCatalog? 2g) Is it typical to expect a shift in the procurement labor force out of the administrative and into the more strategic activities? 2h) Is there any method to ensure or to monitor regulatory adherence within a system? 2I) How are small and small, disadvantaged businesses encouraged to particpate in the e-Marketplace? What are the advantages of this approach over the set-aside approach? How does your solution comply with set-aside programs? 3) What are the advantages and disadvantages of using an Application Service Provider over a NASA-operated e-Marketplace? 3a) How does your approach cover the operations and support costs? 3b) How does your approach ensure full and open competition and compliance with the Competition in Contracting Act for the sources accessible via the e-Marketplace? 3c) Once an ASP has been selected and is operating, how do we ensure the ability to select competitively a follow-on ASP vendor? 4) How do we interface e-Marketplace systems to the existing legacy and planned Agency systems? 4a) How does a customer interconnect new technology to an existing legacy business management software and systems? 4b) How does one generate the appropriate reports from within these systems? 4c) To what extent can the user Agency identify fields and designators to tag transactions for subsequent reporting? Please provide freeform narrative on these questions and issues regarding your company's approach to this type of electronic system requirement. This is a request for information only and will be used for planning purposes. It does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that JPL, Langley Research Center or Marshall Spaceflight Center will take procurement action in this particular matter. The Agency or The Government will not be responsible for any cost incurred in furnishing this information. Recipients are advised that any information provided shall be deemed to be furnished with unlimited rights, we assume no liability for the disclosure, use, or reproduction of such data. It is emphasized that the documents provided are "preliminary" and are subject to change as the requirement is refined. Although all comments received will be carefully reviewed and considered for inclusion in a later action, the initiators of this request make no commitment to include any particular recommendations. If issued, a formal request will take precedence over this document. If your organization wishes to receive further correspondence, please provide the following information to assure efficient transmittal of future correspondence. Legal Company Name: Division Name: Direct attention to: Telephone Number: Facsimile Number: Mailing Address: Physical Address: City: State: Zip Code: E-Mail Address:

Web Link

Click here for the latest information about this notice (http://nais.msfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/EPS/bizops.cgi?gr=D&pin=23#1-016-RFIv1.21)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20001024/BSOL006.HTM (D-294 SN5048H2)