SPECIAL NOTICE
D -- D - - DFAS Technology Services
- Notice Date
- 5/5/2003
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- Contracting Office
- Other Defense Agencies, Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Acquisition Services, Kansas City, 1500 East Bannister Road, Kansas City, MO, 64197
- ZIP Code
- 64197
- Solicitation Number
- RFI-DFAS-ASD-TSO
- Archive Date
- 6/17/2003
- Point of Contact
- Janet Grimm, Supervisory Contract Specialist, Phone 816-926-1783, Fax 816-926-7555,
- E-Mail Address
-
janet.grimm@dfas.mil
- Description
- DFAS Technology Services Transformation Market Research / Request for Information (RFI) PURPOSE The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) was established in January 1991 to improve Department of Defense (DOD) finance and accounting operations. Prior to DFAS, DOD performed finance and accounting functions at various installations/activities using non-standard systems and procedures. Over the years, DFAS consolidated offices, reduced manpower, reduced systems, reorganized into business line structure, and received an unqualified audit opinion on its financial statements for fiscal years 2000, 2001, and 2002. DFAS has three major business lines: Accounting Services, Commercial Pay Services and Military and Civilian Pay Services. DFAS has been designated as the finance and accounting firm for the Department of Defense. DFAS pays over 5 million DOD military and civilians worldwide. On an annual basis, DFAS processes over 11 million invoices from contractors, records over 100 million accounting transactions, and disburses over $300 billion. DFAS pays over 7 million travel vouchers, manages more than $100 billion in military retirement trust funds, and accounts for more than $12 billion in foreign military sales. DFAS is responsible for over 200 active DoD appropriations. Information technology services are critical to the DFAS mission. DFAS technology services include planning, developing architectures, designing, building, operating, and maintaining essential telecommunications and computing infrastructure and systems. These technology services must adhere to DOD and DFAS standards and procedures and are currently provided by DFAS, the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), and other government and commercial organizations. The current environment is one in which we must examine our functions and processes to ensure we have in place the best organization possible to accomplish DOD?s goals and to provide quality service and best value to our customers. On September 10, 2001, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld announced that the Department of Defense would begin examination and review of the Defense Agencies to determine if functions or processes could be improved. This announcement led to the development of a DFAS Transformation Strategy. DFAS is currently developing a Transformation Strategy for DFAS Technology Services. This notification is part of the Transformation Strategy. It is not a solicitation for services. This notification is not, in any way, a manifestation of intent to engage in any transformation strategy that will, necessarily, involve the private-sector. It is only a market survey approach to determine whether the market contains the capability to perform the functions described. No decision has been made to pursue any kind of private-sector commercial involvement. This notification is only an attempt to determine whether, at a future date, options that involve commercial involvement can be included in the list of possible transformation strategies that DFAS may consider. If, for example, at a future date a competitive sourcing were to be studied, information to support that study would be solicited at that time in accordance with the applicable regulatory and statutory requirements. OVERVIEW OF THE DFAS TECHNOLOGY SERVICES FUNCTIONS The major areas of DFAS technology services include Central Design Activities (CDA), Infrastructure Services, and Customer Support Services. CDAs perform functions related to the development and maintenance of application software to include analysis, design, programming and testing. These services are provided today by the DFAS Technology Services Organization (TSO), other DFAS organizations, DISA, commercial vendors, and other government CDAs. Infrastructure Services activities include functions related to the computing platforms, hardware, systems software, application services, and voice and data communications. These services are provided today by the TSO, DISA, other DFAS organizations, commercial vendors, and other government agencies. Customer Support Services include functions that enable DFAS customers to better use available and emerging technology. Customer Support functions include help desks, Program Management Office (PMO) support, Technical Project Officer (TPO) support, and production support. These services are provided today by the TSO, DISA, other DFAS organizations, and commercial vendors. The major functions of DFAS Technology Services are: 1. Central Design Activities. a. The CDAs perform functions related to the development and maintenance of application software to include analysis, design, programming and testing. These services are provided for more than 100 systems. b. The systems are maintained and operated on mainframe, mid-tier and personal computers using large amounts of Cobol, CICS and Oracle. Other software languages include but are not limited to: dBase, FOCUS, Mapper, Power Builder, ADA, PL SQL, Clipper, C++, C, Pascal, SAS, Assembler, JAVA, Microsoft products. The system workload exceeds 1,100,000 function points and over 25 million lines of code. c. The CDA functions include the following 5 major sub-function areas: (1) Requirements Writing - Defining functional requirements, generating the functional requirements for an application, system, or Systems Change Request in collaboration with the customer. (2) Testing - Planning, executing, and evaluating test activities, including enterprise testing, integration testing, acceptance testing, qualification testing, stress testing, and environmental testing (not unit testing). (3) Application Training - Developing, coordinating and presenting training to applications users. (4) Database Administration - Analyzing, designing, building, implementing, modifying, and documenting the database requirements. (5) Software Development and Maintenance ? They include the following areas: (a) Project Management ? Developing detailed estimates for the work to be performed, establishing the necessary commitments and defining the work plan. Tracking and reviewing accomplishments and results against documented estimates, commitments, and plans, and adjusting these plans based on the actual accomplishments and results. (b) Technical Proposals ? Preparing high level description and technical solutions that include time resources and cost and are used to negotiate project commitment with the customer. (c) Requirements Analysis -Identifying and understanding the current functional requirements; creating the logical data and process models. Performing data modeling; reviewing and/or creating software change specifications; evaluating impacts of changes to the Automated Information System based on functional requirements. (d) Design -- Translating the logical requirements and software change specifications into physical specifications. (e) Programming - Coding and unit testing to satisfy the logical and physical specifications. (f) Software Quality Assurance - Planning, executing, and recording results of software quality assurance activities including formal and informal walkthroughs, peer reviews, and software product and process reviews. (g) Documentation - Creating and disseminating software development and operational documentation. (h) Configuration Management - Planning, executing, and recording activities associated with change management and version control. (i) Release Management - Planning, coordinating, and executing actions and events to install a new application or a release to an existing application. (j) Emergency Resolution ? Post-deployment remedial, preventative, and diagnostic resolution of emergency operational problems and providing status reporting to the customer. (k) Deployment Support ? Planning, coordinating, and executing actions and events to distribute and/or install a new application or a release to an existing application. 2. Infrastructure services include Voice Communications, Wide Area Network (WAN), Computer Operations (development/test), Computer Operations (production), Message Center and System Access Control. a. Voice Communications Engineering/Operations ? Includes hardware/software and resources required for maintenance. Examples of voice communications include Interactive Voice Response System equipment and operating software, Automated Call Distribution equipment and operating software, telephone engineering services, (i.e., PBX, FTS, DSN, and commercial (local and long distance)). b. WAN includes the circuits, service, hardware and software associated with providing wide area communications between the DFAS locations and the application platforms. c. Computer Operations and Application Hosting (1) Development/Test ? Operating and maintaining hardware and operating systems for software development and test environments. Existing platforms include mainframes, mid-tier, database, and web servers. (2) Production ? Operating and maintaining hardware and operating systems for software production environments. Existing platforms include IBM OS-390 and Unisys mainframes, HP and Sun mid-tiers; IBM DB-2, CA-IDMS, CA-ADABASE, Oracle and other databases; and Windows and UNIX web servers. (3) System Access Control ? Granting and denying access to systems based upon user roles. d. Message Center Operations ? Providing Defense Message System support to the DFAS community for organization level messaging within DFAS. Support includes both classified and unclassified organization message traffic, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 3. Customer Support - Customer Support for systems is required 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. a. Application Production Services - The administration and operational support of DFAS systems. Examples include database administration, web administration, and scheduling and monitoring production applications. b. Production Troubleshooting Support - Providing support in the remedial, preventative, and diagnostic analysis providing status reporting to a customer, providing a customer liaison service, and providing a vendor liaison service. c. Help Desk Support ? Identifying and tracking all customer problems to resolution. d. PMO Support (non-technical) ? Providing the implementation and operational support of applications outside normal development activities. e. Technical Project Officer (TPO) Liaison - Providing technology consulting to customers. INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION 1. The purpose of the RFI is to gather information relative to improving the delivery of technology services. 2. Vendors must provide a brief non-binding statement of interest for each sub-function indicating that, if at a future date, some transformation option involving commercial competition were to be initiated that the vendor envisions participating. 3. Using information in this RFI as a basis, vendors must provide a brief Statement of Capabilities for each sub-function(s) in which you have interest and that you have accomplished or participated in within the last 3 years. Also describe how your experience relates to the type of work described in the RFI. a. Function/sub-functions: (1) CDA Function ? include Size (lines of code, function points) and Complexity (languages used, platforms, architecture) for each sub-function as follows: (a) Requirements Writing (b) Testing (c) Application Training (d) Database Administration (e) Software Development and Maintenance (2) Infrastructure Function - include Size and Complexity (number of locations supported, number of users supported, platforms, operating systems, database, technical architecture) for each sub-function as follows: (a) Voice Communications (b) WAN (c) Computer Operations and Application Hosting (d) Message Center Operations (3) Customer Support Function ? include Size (number of applications, number of contacts, and average problem resolution time) and Complexity (platform, technical architecture, support mainframe/mid-tier, operating systems, and database administration) for each sub-function as follows: (a) Application Production (b) Production Troubleshooting Support (c) Help Desk Support (d) PMO Support (non-technical) (e) TPO Liaison b. Company overview ? Size, locations, primary capabilities, additional information not provided by the already defined functions/sub-functions and any other pertinent information you?d like to present in response to the RFI. 4. Responses should be brief and will be typewritten using Arial 12-pitch. 5. Questions pertinent to the RFI may be submitted until May 12, 2003, to CCO-TSO-BCARFI@DFAS.MIL. Responses will be posted to www.dfas.mil/aso/contract/. 6. Vendors may submit responses via email to CCO-TSO-BCARFI@DFAS.MIL or Facsimile Number (614) 693-2492. Responses must be received no later than June 2, 2003. POCs: Janet Grimm, email JANET.GRIMM@DFAS.MIL or Donna Oscepinski, email DONNA.OSCEPINSKI@DFAS.MIL.
- Place of Performance
- Address: TBD
- Record
- SN00318089-W 20030507/030505213652 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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