70 -- SOFTWARE INTENDED TO BE THE REPOSITORY FOR TEST DATA AS A DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.

Notice Date

July 2, 2001

Contracting Office

U.S. Army Robert Morris Acquisition Center, AMSSB-ACW, Bldg 126W, White Sands Missile Range, NM 88002-5201

ZIP Code

88002-5201

Solicitation Number

DATM05-01-T-0004

Response Due

July 16, 2001

Point of Contact

Ms. Chrisite P. Martinez, Contracting Officer, (520) 538-3978

E-Mail Address

Click here to contact the contracting officer via (martinezcp@epg.army.mil)

Description

The original synopsis/solicitation was posted in CBDNet on Jun 8, 2001. The date for receipt of offers has not changed. Offers are due no later than 1300 hours Monday 16 July 01. Questions from industry are listed in order of receipt. 1. Question: How many users are required for the system? 1, 100, 1000? Answer: Presently out of an organization of approximately 400, we will begin with approximately 20 concurrent users. As the repository grows and more functions are added, additional users will be added. Concurrent use will not exceed 50. 2. Question: Is web-only interface and software a requirement? (This allows system to work over web without loading software on desktops.) Answer: As per the CBD, for global access, interface will be web-based. Local users must be able to use web-based interface as well. 3. Question: Is full text searching required? Answer: Searching the metadata is required, searching full text is value added. 4. Question: Does the system require expandability in meeting future requirements? Answer: Yes, see question 1. 5. Question: Does GSA schedule pricing help? Answer: The evaluation criteria are listed in the synopsis/solicitation. Award will be made to the responsible, technically acceptable, low price offer. 6. Question: Does the capability to view 140 different file types help meet the requirements for this system? Answer: Not a requirement. This capability would add value to the system. 7. Question: Are there any other written requirements available? Answer: All requirements have been provided in the synopsis/solicitation. 8. Question: Do collaboration tools help add value to the system? Answer: Not a requirement. This capability would add value to the system. 9. Question: Will this help us get evaluated higher? Answer: See question 5. 10. Question: Is this a low cost or best value opportunity? Answer: See question 5. 11. What platform (hardware and software) does the proposed solution need to run on? NT, Solaris, Intel or Unix based processor.....what versions of the OS need to be supported? Answer: Our architecture requires a Microsoft platform utilizing WIN2000 and NT4.0 Server. The client side may run NT4.0 Workstation, WIN2000 Professional, and ME. There may be a few laptops running WIN98. 12. Question: How many electronic documents are expected to be in the repository? How many concurrent users? Answer: There could be 2-4 million files over the course of a five-year period. Also, see question 1. 13. Question: How many concurrent users? Answer: See question 1. 14. Question: What is the standard web browser used in this environment? What is the version number? Answer: While Internet Explorer 5.5 is the present browser, there may be older or new versions of this browser on different workstations. 15. How many end users will be using this proposed solution? Answer: See question 1. 16. Please provide additional information on the requirements for different media for the repository? Is it sufficient for example that the solution have the ability to Move and copy files to different media or does the solution need to automatically generate output on different media based on the end-user request? Answer: The system should be able to automatically generate output based on end user requests. 17. Does the requirement for "links to where the data is located" imply that some electronic data will not be able to reside in the proposed solution repository? If so, must this data also be indexed for searching capabilities? Answer: Not only will data exist on other servers, but it may also be off-line. All of these documents metadata must be included in the proposed solution. 18. Question: What does EPG stand for? Answer: The Electronic Proving Ground (EPG), headquartered at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, is assigned to White Sands Missile Range, a subcommand of the U. S. Army Developmental Test Command. As a member of the Army acquisition team, EPG provides its customers with comprehensive electrical, electronic, communications, environmental, and software engineering test support. The services of EPG can be used to satisfy the testing of Department of Defense (DOD) Directives 5000.1 and 5000.2. EPG performs most of its work at three locations: Fort Huachuca and field offices located at Fort Hood, Texas and Fort Lewis, Washington. 19. Question: What is the VEPG architecture? Is it Oracle, SQL, or some other integrated platform. Answer: See question 11. 20. Question: How many concurrent users/total users will require access to the repository? This information will allow per seat pricing. Answer: See question 1 21. Question: What is the expected size of the repository? Answer: Within the first year, we should not exceed 50GB. 22. Question: Is it to be multi-site (more than one location)? Answer: There will be remote users who will need to access/update the system. 23. Question: How large is the repository expected to grow (how long will records be archived)? Answer: There could be 2-4 million files over the course of a five-year period. We are projecting up to 150 GB with additional growth capabilities. See question 21. 24. Question: Does EPG already possess a DBMS and if so which one (Oracle, MS SQL Server 2000, etc.)? Answer: The architecture is a Microsoft platform 25. Question: What are the unique characteristics, if any, of the "VEPG Architecture"? Answer: See question 11. 26. Question: In this solicitation, is "meta data" being used to refer to a database index "about EPG document/files/data and have links to where that data is located"? Answer This is one solution. 27. Question: How many Government employees and government contractors will be contributing documents and other EPG test data into the Test Data Repository / Document Management System? Answer: See question 1. 28. Question: Per the requirement, "interface will be web-based and implemented in a WIN32 environment compliant with the VEPG Architecture", Are there any specific requirements to be compliant with the VEPG Architecture outside of the standard WIN32 environment? Answer: See question 11. 29. Question: Is there a need or desire to re-purpose the content in the repository such that it can be viewed from a standard web browser without the need to download the native document or data into its native application? For example, convert a Word document to HTML or PDF for viewing from a web browser as opposed to downloading the native Word file from the repository to the desktop and opening in Word. Answer: No, there are documents that are in binary format and extremely large (gigabytes) and will not be able to be viewed without downloading them if the user has permission. However, this capability would add value to the system. 30. Question: Is there a requirement for a Back-up or Load Balancing Server for the core Repository? Answer: Yes 31. Question: What is VEPG Architecture? Answer: See question 11. 32. Question: Where can information about VEPG Architecture be found? Answer: See answer to question 1. 33. Question: In the handling of the references to EPG hardcopies. Is this information going to be stored in the repository "meta data"? Answer: Yes, metadata information will be stored in the repository for hardcopies. 34. Question: The references to the EPG hard copies. Is this going to be multiple hard copies, meaning different documents and possibly different revisions of the same document? Answer: Yes, there will be different documents and possibly different revisions of the same document. 35. Question: "The item shall allow users to add and make changes to the repository and allow users the ability to maintain version control". What is meant by "item"? Is this the software maintaining the repository? Answer: Yes, this refers to the software maintaining the repository. 36. Question: "users to add and make changes to the repository". Are the additions and changes the data files themselves that are uploaded into the repository? If not, what types of additions and changes? Answer: Qualified users will have the ability to download a document, update that document and check it back into the repository. If the document has been modified/changed, the system software will assign it a revision number. 37. Question: "users the ability to maintain version control". Should this be a function of the software or the user maintaining the repository? Answer: This shall be a function of the software within the repository and not a user function. 38. Question: Meta-data changes trigger a revision number change? Is a meta-data change considered a revision to the meta-data only or also the file version? Answer: While there is some information within the meta-data that cannot be changed (i.e. revision number and date), the meta-data is not a revision. 39. Question: Is a demonstration of the software application going to be possible? Answer: No. 40. Question: Will the Solicitation amendments be emailed to the bidding companies? Or is there a registration process that we need to go through? Answer: No. An amendment to the synopsis/solicitation will be published in the Commerce Business Daily. 41. Question: Will the system require different meta-data field set per "repository" or the same meta-data field set for al "repositories". Answer: There will be one repository. 42. Question: Question: Does the software need to be able to view and/or redline the files? Answer: No, there are documents that are in binary format and extremely large (gigabytes) and will not be able to be viewed without downloading them if the user has permission. However, this capability would add value to the system. 43. Question: Off the shelf software, 1 each. How is the pricing being measured per seat or per server? We have a per server model. How many users are expected in total for the software? Answer: Presently out of an organization of approximately 400, expect approximately 75% will eventually use the software, but not concurrently. See question 1. 44. Question: What data base is in use? Answer: Our architecture requires a Microsoft platform. 45. Question: What software is in use? Answer: See question 11.

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010705/70SOL007.HTM (W-182 SN50Q5W6)