Added: March 14, 2008
Modified: May 23, 2008 12:14 pm
Track Changes
ADVISORY MULTI-STEP NOTIFICATION
BIOMETRICS OPERATIONS AND SUPPORT SERVICES-UNRESTRICTED (BOSS-U)
Request for Corporate Qualifications
1.0 Description
This Advisory Multi-Step (AMS) requests corporate qualifications from offerors responding to the Biometrics Operations and Support Services-Unrestricted (BOSS-U) acquisition, Request for Proposal W91QUZ-08-R-0032. This pre-solicitation notice requests information from prospective offerors allowing the BTF/ITEC4 evaluation team to determine the likelihood of each respondents ability to provide the services and supplies needed to fulfill the BTFs BOSS-U requirements. Based on an evaluation of each prospective offerors response to this notice, the firm will be notified as to whether they are considered a viable competitor for the BOSS-U contract. Notification of a prospective offerors non viability is advisory, and respondents so notified can submit proposals should they elect to do so.
The authority and basis for conducting the Advisory Multi-Step process is contained in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.202. The FAR describes the process as follows:
FAR 15.202 - Advisory Multi-Step Process.
(a) The agency may publish a pre-solicitation notice (see 5.204) that provides a general description of the scope or purpose of the acquisition and invites potential offerors to submit information that allows the Government to advise the offerors about their potential to be viable competitors. The pre-solicitation notice should identify the information that must be submitted and the criteria that will be used in making the initial evaluation. Information sought may be limited to a statement of qualifications and other appropriate information (e.g., proposed technical concept, past performance, and limited pricing information). At a minimum, the notice shall contain sufficient information to permit a potential offeror to make an informed decision about whether to participate in the acquisition. This process should not be used for multi-step acquisitions where it would result in offerors being required to submit identical information in response to the notice and in response to the initial step of the acquisition.
(b) The agency shall evaluate all responses in accordance with the criteria stated in the notice, and shall advise each respondent in writing either that it will be invited to participate in the resultant acquisition or, based on the information submitted, that it is unlikely to be a viable competitor. The agency shall advise respondents considered not to be viable competitors of the general basis for that opinion. The agency shall inform all respondents that, notwithstanding the advice provided by the Government in response to their submissions, they may participate in the resultant acquisition.
2.0 Introduction
The BTF, in coordination with the Information Technology, E-Commerce, and Commercial Contracting Center (ITEC4), is seeking qualified offerors to support the DoD Biometrics Program.
The Army is seeking offerors who are willing to partner with the Army to meet its mission. Per DoD Directive 8521.01E the BTF serves to act as the DoD proponent for biometrics, providing biometrics research, technology, and information management support to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Combatant Commanders, the Military Services, the Defense Agencies, and other DoD Field Activities, as required. As such it:
1) Provides for the standardization of biometric data formats, technical interfaces, conformance methodologies, performance evaluations, and other related areas to permit interoperability, both internal and external to the DoD.
2) Develops and maintain the policy, processes, and procedures for the collection, processing, transmission, archiving, caching, and tagging of biometrics data and associated intelligence.
3) Develops the DoD Biometrics vision and strategy, in concert with the Military Services, Joint Staff, and Office of the Secretary of Defense.
4) Provides a means for unified acquisition and procurement of common biometrics systems and equipment.
5) Administers the DoDs Biometrics governance structure to enable the development and execution of common requirements, standards, architectures, and research and development initiatives to support common and joint requirements.
6) Manages authoritative DoD repositories of biometrics samples and acts as a hub for biometrics data sharing, to include providing for continuity of operations and disaster recovery in accordance with ASD(NII/CIO).
7) Coordinates all Biometrics program activities with identity protection and stakeholder organizations to ensure consistency with DoD identity management principles, directives, and vision.
8) Conducts Biometrics Science and Technology, research and engineering for DoD, and other US Government sponsors in support of the DoD S&T; roadmap.
9) Designs, builds, fields, and sustains Biometrics solutions both in CONUS and OCONUS facilities.
The BOSS-U acquisition will be conducted under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 15 Contracting by Negotiation. Performance-based contracting (as described in FAR Part 37.6) is the preferred method for acquiring services.
The DoD intends issue multiple awards, for a performance-based, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract. The resulting contract has an estimated value of $498 million, and will have a three year base period with two one-year options. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the BOSS-U acquisition is 541611 (Administrative and General Management) under Sector 54 - Professional, Scientific and Technical Services. The offeror will be required to support up to TOP SECRET security clearance.
3.0 BOSS-U Scope
The scope of this acquisition has been defined in broad terms to support the expansive mission of the Biometrics requirement, but with sufficient detail to allow vendors to ascertain BTF Biometrics program requirements. The Contractor shall provide the full range of biometric services, technical and management expertise, and solution-related enabling products in one or more of the functional categories to meet the mission needs of the BTF. While the requirement identifies six functional categories, the suite of resulting contracts is intended to satisfy the full range of biometric related requirements. With the pace of change it is impossible to anticipate how biometric requirements and individual programs will evolve over the life of the contracts. It is intended that the BOSS-U contract remains current and continues to provide the full range of biometrics capabilities/solutions and emerging technologies throughout its life.
Functional Categories
The Contractor shall furnish the full range of solutions and services necessary to meet requirements of this contract and individual Task Orders (TOs) as related to the functional categories described below. Services and supplies will be provided in support of current and emergent biometrics modalities. All solutions and services must meet BTF, DoD, and commercial policies, standards, and procedures as identified by individual TOs.
Functional Category 1 Management Support Services
The Contractor shall provide, as ordered, the full range of business and technical management services need to support on-going program management and supporting technical activities. Anticipated services under this functional category include but are not limited to:
* Acquisition management support
* Enterprise architecture engineering
* Liaison services
* Logistics engineering
* Organization change management
* Performance management
* Program management office support
* Policy, procedure, guideline, directive and standards development
* Portfolio management
* Quality assurance
* Communications management
* Requirements management
* Resource management
* Risk management
* Budget, finance, cost analysis
* Studies and analysis
* Subject Matter Expert (SME) engineering
* Strategic planning
* Transformation
* Business case development
* Business process re-engineering
* Compliance assessments
* Configuration management.
Functional Category 2 Infrastructure Procurement, Design, Development, Implementation, and Integration
The Contractor shall provide any and all phases of system/hardware procurement, design, development, integration, and deployment in order to ensure that BTF biometrics solutions will enable their users to meet their mission goals and objectives. Anticipated services under this functional category include development, implementation, integration and procurement of solutions. Anticipated services under this functional category includes but are not limited to:
* Infrastructure engineering design
* Requirements definition and analysis
* Concept planning and development
* Systems design and development
* System Test and Evaluation
* Software/hardware procurement, integration, implementation
* Deployment
* Incidental construction, component/system certification
* Training services
Functional Category 3 Operations and Maintenance
The Contractor shall provide any and all Operations and Maintenance (O&M); solutions, processes, and procedures necessary to sustain systems within the BTF Enterprise at the highest levels of service and availability consistent with cost, schedule, and performance objectives. These solutions, which may be required across the BTF infrastructure include, but are not limited to:
* System operations
* Field support services
* Network and security operations
* Collaboration services
* Infrastructure sustainment
* Technology insertion program
* Technology refresh program
* Life cycle maintenance
* Configuration management
* Training
* Facilities management
* Facility security
Functional Category 4 Studies and Analysis
Contractors will conduct in-depth research on the use of biometrics to address new challenges that have not been addressed previously or by the marketplace. They may be required to develop novel approaches to produce critical solutions to unique identity management problems. They may conduct analytical research into social impacts of biometrics such as privacy laws and their effect on the use of biometrics and other trends and patterns effecting acquisition and deployment of biometrics world wide. Anticipated services under this functional category include but are not limited to:
* Vulnerability assessments
* Technology evaluation
* Deployment and operational deployment analysis
* Architectural studies
* Logistics/supportability examination
* Engineering analysis
* Cost assessments
Functional Category 5 Advanced Technology Analysis and Demonstration
The Contractor shall provide expertise to support the integration of proven newer biometrics technologies into current DoD applications and to support the upgrading of existing application to meet current industry standards. Anticipated services under this functional category include but are not limited to:
* Requirements analysis and validation
* Concept of operations development
* Technology Evaluation
* Proof of Concept system/hardware development, procurement, integration
* Transition to acquisition and fielding planning and support
* Tactics, techniques and procedures coordination and preparation
* Biometrics Transformation/Transition analysis and plans
* Capabilities demonstration and verification
* Cost Effectiveness Evaluation
* Vulnerability Assessment and testing
Functional Category 6 Test and Evaluation
The Contractor shall provide the services and resources needed to support the biometrics test and evaluation planning, conduct, evaluate and documentation as required by applicable Task Orders. These efforts, which may be required across the BTF infrastructure include, but are not limited to:
* Develop test programs, plan, and procedures, reports
* Hardware and software component testing
* Subsystem and software component testing
* System compatibility testing
* Acceptance testing
* Functional testing
* Integration testing
* Full qualification testing
* Field-testing and evaluation
* Environmental tests and stress screening
4.0 Advisory Multi-Step
The AMS is being conducted to allow potential offerors to submit qualifying documentation demonstrating their corporate qualifications that will allow the Government to advise them about their potential to be viable competitors for a specific acquisition. The AMS process is accomplished at minimal cost to the vendors and government by asking the vendors to submit limited information that focuses on the vendors corporate capability and experience. The Government will evaluate all responses in accordance with the published criteria, and advise each offeror in writing whether they will be invited to participate in the resultant acquisition or, based on the information submitted, they are unlikely to be a viable competitor (including a general basis for that opinion). Notwithstanding the advice provided by the government, respondents identified as unlikely to be viable competitors may still participate in the resultant acquisition, as long as they recognize the inherent risks of doing so.
5. Submission Instructions
5.1 Offeror Questions
The Contracting Officer for this acquisition is William L. Giles, 703-325-5770, william.L.giles@us.army.mil. Please contact the above for any questions pertaining to this corporate qualifications request.
5.2 Format for Submissions
Potential offerors are requested to provide the information outlined below. Information beyond that requested is neither desired, nor will it be considered in the assessment.
All page limitations are based on single sided pages, 8 X 11 inch paper, single spaced, Arial or Times New Roman typeface no smaller than 12-point (smaller fonts are acceptable for graphics, figures, tables, footnotes and legends), 1 margins. Costly, complex presentations are neither required nor desired. Offerors will not be reimbursed for the cost of preparation of response to this AMS notice.
5.2.1 Submission Date, Time and Location
Electronic submissions shall be received no later than 4:00 p.m. EST on 12 June 2008 at the following email address william.L.giles@us.army.mil.
5.3 Content Requirements
All submissions must include the information described in Sections 5.3.1 through 5.3.3.
The response must be sufficient to permit an assessment of all criteria.
5.3.1 Corporate Capability
Provide a three-page corporate capability statement discussing why your company is well qualified to perform on the BOSS-U acquisition to include topics such as: organizational structure (to include company size, and facility security level); management philosophy (to include methodology for employee recruitment, training, and retention); team management; and geographical scope, to include whether the Company has facilities to support a broad geographical scope (CONUS, OCONUS, and specifically provision of services in Washington Capital Area and Clarksburg, WV). Does respondent posses NAICS Code 541611?
5.3.2 Experience
The respondent shall identify contracts on which they or their team has at least 12 months experience during the past three years. The functional categories as provided in paragraph 3.0 must be addressed in the discussion of past experience. Not all functional categories need to be addressed by a single contract. Each contract identified shall have at least a $500,000 annual dollar value (includes equipment and services). The contracts identified shall demonstrate the respondents performance or responsibility for performance of the functional categories (as further defined by the sub-functional areas) as stated in para 3.0 of this document.
a) For each identified contract, provide the following (this information may be provided in table format): PLEASE ENSURE THAT ALL INFORMATION IS PROVIDED.
* Contract number
* Contract name
* Contract type
* Contract Period of performance
* Performance based (Y or N)
* Contracting Vehicle (i.e. ITES, GSA)
* Customer Agency (i.e. Army, other DoD, other Federal Agency (i.e. DHS, FAA)
* Total dollar value of contract that respondent, to include Team members, were responsible for; includes equipment and services
* Annual dollar value of equipment and services for each year
* Status on contract (prime or subcontractor)
* Geographic scope
* Summary of the contract (include depth and breadth of the work performed to include type of services performed under each functional categories as listed in para 3.0.)
* Customer Points of Contact. (i.e. the program/project manager, contracting officer and a major end-user). Name, phone number, and e-mail address.
b) Page limit for Experience is not to exceed 20 pages.
5.3.3 Company to Company Agreements
Use of Contractor Personnel in Support of the Advisory Multi-Step Evaluation
The Government may utilize Contractor employees in the Advisory Multi-Step Evaluation Process. They may have access to respondents-provided proprietary information provided in the Corporate Qualification submission. Respondents are required to enter into company-to-company agreements with the support Contractors, as provided in FAR 9.505-4(b), in accordance with which the support Contractors agree to protect the respondents proprietary information from unauthorized use or disclosure for as long as it remains proprietary, and to refrain from using the information for any purpose other than that for which it was furnished. Although the Government is not a party to these agreements between the companies, respondents must provide copies of such agreements to the Contracting Officer. The following Contractors will provide support for the evaluation:
Name of Company: Cogent Solutions
POC: Glen Adams
Company Address:
321 Wallace Street, Suite 2
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (540) 372-7707
GAdams711@Cogent-2000.com
Name of Company: Engineering, Management & Integration Inc. (EM&I);
POC: James Fitzwilliam
Company Address:
455 Spring Park Place, Suite 350
Herndon, VA 20170
Phone: (703)742-0585
james.fitzwilliam@em-i.com
Name of Company: RTEC SERVICES LLC
POC: Barbara Romiti
Company Address:
8775 Centre Park Drive, #427
Columbia, MD 21045
Phone: 410-480-9830
Offerors shall submit 3 copies of the signed non-disclosure to the Contracting Officer with the Advisory Multi-Step submission.
Support Contractors are prohibited from participation in this acquisition, as an Offeror, or team member or subcontractor to an Offeror, including participation in the resulting contract as a subcontractor or team member.
6. Evaluation of the AMS CQP
The Government will evaluate viability based on an assessment of Corporate Capability and the depth of Experience in the functional categories.
7. Viability Notification
It is the Governments intent to provide advice to each respondent by letter whether or not considered to be a viable competitor. Viability notifications will be sent to respondents in advance of release of RFP.
