Sources Sought Notice – Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) Support Services

Notice Type: Sources Sought Notice

Posted Date: 24-FEB-14

Office Address: Department of Health and Human Services; National Institutes of Health; National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Rockledge Dr. Bethesda, MD; Office of Acquisitions6701 Rockledge Dr RKL2/6100 MSC 7902 Bethesda MD 20892-7902

Subject: Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) Support Services

Classification Code: R - Professional, administrative, and management support services

Solicitation Number: HHS-NIH-NHLBI-SBSS-HO-14-20

Contact: John Turner, Contracting Officer, Phone 3014029787, Email [email protected] - Marianne DiSomma, Contracting Officer, Phone 301-435-0369, Fax 301-480-3432, Email [email protected]

Setaside: Competitive 8(a)Competitive 8(a)

Place of Performance (address): Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institue, 6701 Rockledge Dr.Bethesda, MD

Place of Performance (zipcode): 20892

Place of Performance Country: US

Description: Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Rockledge Dr. Bethesda, MD

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) Information Technology Applications Center (ITAC) Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) Support Services Sources Sought Notice HHS-NIH-NHLBI-SBSS-HO-14-20

Contracting Office Address Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Rockledge Dr. Bethesda, MD, Office of Acquisitions 6701 Rockledge Dr RKL2/6016 MSC 7902, Bethesda, MD, 20892-7902, UNITED STATES

Introduction This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice set aside for 8(a) small businesses. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified 8(a) small business sources; (2) what type of 8(a) small business; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered an 8(a) small business under NAICS code 541611 should not submit a response to this notice.

Background The Information Technology Applications Center (ITAC) is a branch of the Office of Management of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). ITAC provides a full range of IT support services to the Institute including custom software development, customization and deployment of COTS products, management of the NHLBI IT infrastructure, and management of the Institute's IT Security policy. ITAC collaborates very closely with the NIH Center for Information Technology in many of its functions and serves a set of customers ranging from researchers in the Division of Intramural Research, to scientists managing a scientific grant portfolio, to personnel supporting the administrative aspects of the Institute's operations.

To support the delivery of services to its customers, NHLBI has awarded five blanket purchase agreements (BPA) to contracting companies and is currently operating nine task orders issued under those BPAs, along with a separate contract for network/system operations, help desk services, IT security, and communications. In order for ITAC to operate effectively and efficiently, the Office of the Chief Information Officer requires a range of services provided by a contractor that can act as a trusted advisor to the government without any organizational conflict of interest, separate and independent from the existing contract holders. These services include: * Enterprise Architecture * Acquisitions Support * Independent Verification and Validation * Customer Relationship Management * Quality Assurance * IT Operation and Security Policy

Enterprise Architecture As practiced at the NHLBI, Enterprise Architecture (EA) is focused on providing guidance to the contractors performing work, particularly in the definition of Solution Architectures addressing specific requirements. This focus is driven by several needs including: * Providing NHLBI with innovative solutions that will serve the Institute needs now and in the future * Helping to minimize long-term operations and maintenance (O&M) costs for the Institute through ensuring that the architectures and technologies applied to solutions delivery are as consistent across solutions as is reasonable. * Ensuring that solutions are in line with Federal, HHS, and NIH standards

The EA program therefore requires some aspects of the traditional EA program - ensuring that the business, information, application and technical architectures align with NHLBI's strategic goals, but is primarily focused on enabling innovative, effective, and efficient delivery of solutions to NHLBI staff. In addition, the EA program has an assurance function to insure compliance of solution delivery projects with the ITAC technology architecture standards, along with management of an appropriate architectural waiver process.

The EA program will work hand in hand with Customer Relationship Managers (CRMs) under this contract to operate the NHLBI IT Pilot program, a program designed to allow NHLBI staff to experience new technology and IT tools in a manner that can guide procurement decisions through the use of a rigorous Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) process. This Pilot program is about more than cost savings to the Institute as ITAC intends to work closely and collaboratively with the CRMs and NHLBI customers to research and expose technology solutions that would not normally be considered. These may provide cost-savings, increases in quality, innovation, and/or fill gaps in the technology landscape. The program will also demonstrate scalability in both the solution as well as the process to get to the solution. In addition, the contractor will work closely with the CRMs and customers to define measurable success criteria for Pilot Programs and define and recommend weighted criteria for each AoA.

Given the role of NHLBI's EA program in guiding contractors and federal staff through the development and implementation of EA standards which often include Analyses of Alternatives among commercial and open-source products, the awardee will be called upon to define, recommend, and provide acquisition process support to assist with the development of statements of work and quality assurance surveillance plans, along with support for other procurement related activities. This role in acquisitions is designed to ensure that the Institute procures services and products that best serve the needs of the Institute.

Independent Verification and Validation Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) is a systems engineering discipline to assist contractors responsible for development build quality into the application software during the product life cycle. Validation is concerned with checking that the product meets the user's needs, and Verification is concerned with checking that the product is well-engineered. Independent V&V is the set of verification and validation activities performed by an agency not under the control of the organization that is developing the software. IV&V services must be provided and managed by an organization that is technically and managerially independent of the subject product. This independence takes two mandatory forms. First, technical independence requires that the IV&V services provider not organizationally be or have been, nor use personnel who are or were, involved in the software development or implementation effort, or for that matter participated in the project's initial planning and/or subsequent design. Such technical independence helps insure every IV&V review report is free of personal or professional bias, posturing, or goldplating. Secondly, managerial independence is required of the IV&V services provider to insure that the IV&V effort is vested in an organization departmentally and hierarchically separate from the software development and program management organizations. Such managerial independence helps insure that the IV&V service provider is able to deliver to Federal executive leadership and management, findings and recommendations of an IV&V review without restriction, fear of retaliation, or coercion (e.g., reports being subject to prior review or approval from the development group before release to outside entities, such as the Federal government.)

Customer Relationship Management Establishing and maintaining strong customer relationships is a hallmark of a successful IT program. ITAC seeks to enhance our Customer Relationship Management program by providing experienced team members in the areas of research, grants, science, and administration to support tactical communications, outreach, adoption of technology, and coordination of technology efforts both within and external to ITAC. This will play a vital role in ensuring that ITAC's customers are heard, informed, and collaborated with. CRM's will support tactical communications related to ITAC activities; help support OM's Strategic Communications Plan; support the Pilot Programs and AoA activities with EA; intake, respond to, and follow up on customer requests; and generally serve as a liaison between ITAC and NHLBI.

Quality Assurance In order to ensure that contractors providing services to ITAC are producing deliverables with high quality, ITAC is establishing a Quality Assurance program based on ISO9000 principles. The program will include processes for reviewing and recommending approval of documents against defined quality standards, the review of software deliverables prior to acceptance into the NHLBI Integration Environment, testing of the integration of software with other software components and end to end functional, usability and performance testing for final acceptance of deliverables which may include some level of user based acceptance testing.

Information Technology Operation and Security Policy In order to protect the NHLBI IT Infrastructure, ITAC operates an IT Security program in conjunction with the NIH Center for Information Technology (CIT) and the NIH Incident Response Team (IRT). The program includes IT Security Strategy, policy development, compliance auditing and security operations including incident response. In order to remain compliant with Federal regulations, the contract will be required to assist the NHLBI ISSO and other security and management staff to ensure compliance with all NHLBI, NIH, HHS, and Federal security regulations and policies.

Project Requirements Specific project requirements are anticipated to be in accordance with the attached DRAFT Statement of Work.

Anticipated Period of Performance Base Period: May 2014 - April 2015 Option Period 1: May 2015 - April 2016 Option Period 2: May 2016 - April 2017 Option Period 3: May 2017 - April 2018 Option Period 4: May 2018 - April 2019

Conflict of Interest Exclusion The NHLBI has determined that performance of this contract may create an actual or apparent Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) for the awardee, to include all divisions of the prime contractor and its subcontractors, in the event that that the awardee solicit, propose, or perform under future contracts with the NHLBI, including both IT and non-IT requirements. NHLBI has determined that performance of this contract could (1) allow the awardee to set biased ground rules for future NHLBI contracts by, for example, influencing the statement of work or specifications; (2) allow the awardee unequal access to nonpublic information that may provide the awardee a competitive advantage for future NHLBI contracts; and (3) cause impaired objectivity should the contract require the awardee to assess its own performance under another contract or through the evaluation of proposals.

Thus, all potential awardees for this Statement of Work must thoroughly review and adhere to FAR Subpart 9.5 "Organizational and Consultant Conflicts of Interest". In addition, the following provision shall be included in the solicitation and any subsequent contract: "The awardee, to include all divisions of the prime contractor and its subcontractors, will be prohibited from delivering supplies/systems or performing services, as either prime contractor or subcontractor, for any requirements related to Statements of Work grown out of this contract. In addition, the awardee, to include all divisions of the prime contractor and its subcontractors, will be excluded from performing or being awarded any other contracts with NHLBI, IT or non-IT, for one year following the last day of contract performance, inclusive of all exercised option periods."

The primary purpose of this exclusion is to ensure that no actual or apparent OCI occurs and therefore the terms of this provision are non-negotiable.

Capability Statement Small business concerns that believe they possess the capabilities necessary to undertake this work should submit complete documentation of their capabilities to the Contracting Officer. The capabilities statement must specifically address each project requirement separately inclusive of all sub-tasks and sub-task areas within the DRAFT Statement of Work provided. Additionally, the capability statement should include 1) the total number of employees, 2) the professional qualifications of technical personnel as it relates to the above outlined requirements, 3) a description of general and specific facilities and equipment available, including computer equipment and software, 4) an outline of previous projects that are similar to the project requirements in which the organization and proposed personnel have participated, and 5) any other information considered relevant to this program. The capability statement must not exceed 15 single sided or 7.5 double sided pages in length and using a 12-point font size minimum.

Interested small business organizations are required to identify their size standards in accordance with the Small Business Administration. The government requests that no proprietary or confidential business data be submitted in a response to this notice. However, responses that indicate the information therein is proprietary will be properly safeguarded for Government use only. Capability statements must include the name and telephone numbers of a point of contact having authority and knowledge to discuss responses with Government representatives. Capability statements in response to this market survey that do not provide sufficient information for evaluation will be considered non-responsive. Specific Evaluation Criteria is included as an attachment. When submitting this information, please reference the Sources Sought Notice number.

Questions regarding this Sources Sought Notice must be submitted within 48 hours from the time it is posted on Federal Business Opportunities to Contracting Officer, John Turner, at mailto:[email protected].

All capability statements sent in response to this Sources Sought Notice must be submitted electronically (via email) to Marianne DiSomma, Contracting Officer, at [email protected] and John Turner, Contracting Officer, at [email protected] in either MS Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), within 15 calendar days of the date of this announcement. All responses must be received by the specified due date and time in order to be considered.

Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in the response. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After review of the responses received, pre-solicitation and solicitation notices may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. The solicitation release date is pending.

Original Point of contact John Turner, Contracting Officer, NHLBI COAC Services Branch, Phone (301) 402-9787, Email: [email protected]

Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Rockledge Dr. Bethesda, MD, Office of Acquisitions 6701 Rockledge Dr. RKL2/6213 MSC 7902, Bethesda, MD, 20892-7902, UNITED STATES

Link/URL: https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/NHLBI/HHS-NIH-NHLBI-SBSS-HO-14-20/listing.html