SOURCES SOUGHT
D -- Handheld Devices
- Notice Date
- 12/3/2010
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541511
— Custom Computer Programming Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Veterans Affairs;Technology Acquisition Center;260 Industrial Way West;Eatontown NJ 07724
- ZIP Code
- 07724
- Solicitation Number
- VA11811RI0086
- Response Due
- 12/17/2010
- Archive Date
- 2/15/2011
- Point of Contact
- Julina Lee, Contract Specialist
- E-Mail Address
-
A.
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is aggressively undertaking a five year plan to end homelessness among Veterans by developing new prevention initiatives and expanding existing programs to provide shelter and comprehensive supportive services for homeless Veterans. The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to search for qualified vendors capable of meeting the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) requirements for a commercially available handheld device to assist VA staff in both capturing information about Veterans who are homeless and transmitting the data to the Homeless Operations Management and Evaluation System (HOMES) in real time when possible. In addition, when meeting with Veterans away from VA facilities, the devices will also be used by VA personnel to communicate with each other via email, text message, and phone and also query for information via the internet about community resources available to assist their clients. Timely and accurate data about this subset of the Veteran population is necessary to monitor the effectiveness of these initiatives. To that end, VA developed HOMES as a repository of information about Veterans who are homeless. The repository is populated with identity, health, and other information about Veterans for whom one of the following housing statuses apply: oLack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence oReside in a public or privately operated shelter or institution oReside in a place not designed for use as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings A field network of Veteran outreach personnel captures the information during face-to-face interviews at VA medical centers, community based outpatient centers, and while canvassing areas frequented by homeless persons. Today, VA Veteran outreach workers use paper forms to record this information; however, VA seeks to inquire about market capabilities and contractor experience in the use of handheld devices. This RFI provides an opportunity for respondents to submit their ideas and experience related to this request. The VA would like to seek information about: 1.Commercially available handheld devices that case and social workers can utilize to assist them in their duties in assisting the homeless Veteran. 2.Hardware and software solutions that are both secure and easy to use. 3.Integration of the hardware and software solution into a larger Information System infrastructure. Consider having the handheld device access HOMES and VA Systems (e.g. Vista). 4.Capability to capture digital pictures and voice recording. Ability of transmitting such pictures and voice recording to a server. 5.Examples of current installations with other homeless programs which can be at the federal, state or local level. 6.Handheld device network capability: ability to connect via a Wi-Fi network, wireless broadband, and wired broadband connection (RJ45). The following are some of the abilities relative to the work being done by the social or case workers. The handheld devices and technologies need to enable workers in the field to do their jobs and to provide and access data and information they need such as: oVeteran identification: A worker will be able to securely submit a Veteran's identifier(s) and view a photograph of that Veteran, along with descriptive information, eligibility information, and any alerts or flags about that Veteran. All text should be clearly visible and easily legible. oInformation display: A worker should easily be able to navigate any VA system that provides information of relevance. Screen size and text size should be appropriate. oData entry: Any mobile devices should include a keyboard of a size that allows proper typing for data entry. There should also be an alternative to a plug-in mouse that allows point and click but without a cable or anything that needs to be added to the device, to facilitate mobility. oResource availability: The worker should have easy access to information about available resources for that Veteran, such as available beds for a Veteran who has nowhere to spend the night. oNotes Capture: The worker should be able to easily capture case notes, verbal and/or written. oTime Charging: The worker should be able to charge their time for hours spent in the field on official duty. oDurability: Any mobile device will need to be able to withstand extended use outdoors in various environments and weather conditions. oSafety and security: Any mobile device will need to be able to prevent against unauthorized access of data, and should be locatable using GPS technology. Devices should be easy to update with any software patches that will be needed. oBack at the office: Devices should be easily adaptable to use back at the office, and be able to connect to local LANs, WANs, printer networks, etc. oEase of integration: Devices should not require unreasonable infrastructure changes or additional software purchases, installations, implementations, or other in order for them to be used by VA. In the event VA proceeds to a formal request for proposals, VA reserves the right to consider alternative engagement models. This market research is issued for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation nor does it restrict the Government as to the ultimate acquisition approach. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Any contract that might be awarded based on information received or derived from this market research will be the outcome of a competitive process. The Government is open to considering teaming and prime/subcontractor relationships for this effort. If interested, please submit a Capabilities Statement, limited to ten (10) pages for your company, your teammates and or subcontractors and also denote the business size for North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 541511 Custom Computer Programming Services. Please include company name, company address, and DUNS Number (if applicable). Also, please indicate if you, your teammates and/or subcontractors are a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business or a Veteran Owned Small Business. Respondents should address the following questions: 1.Would the listed software functionality and hardware specifications be satisfied by currently commercially available hardware? If not, which ones cannot be satisfied? 2.What specific hardware are you considering as a solution for the handheld device? Can you please share the make and model, and the operating system that will be used. Note that the VA understands that this is a preliminary view from the contractor, and certainly may change as technology enhancements occur. 3.Please describe your past experience in writing applications on handheld devices such as: tablets, smart phones, NetBooks, etc. 4.Please provide a high-level systems architecture with servers and communication infrastructure needed to support a solution. 5.Please provide examples of user interfaces that you have developed for applications designed for small screens (can be touch screens). Are these Section 508 compliant? 6.What telecom services will be required to be procured by the VA in support of the handheld device? Broadband connection? Preference on 3G or 4G? 7. Is your company currently providing similar solutions to another government agency or other non-government customer? If so, please identify the agency or non-government customer. If you are unwilling to share your customer's identity, please address whether your company offers the same or similar services commercially (outside the federal Government Responses are requested no later than close of business on December 17, 2010, via email to Julina.Lee@va.gov and/or Kendra.Miller2@va.gov. Point of Contacts: Kendra Miller, Contracting Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs Technology Acquisition Center, Phone (732) 578-5450, Email Kendra.Miller2@va.gov and Julina Lee, Contract Specialist, Department of Veterans Affairs Technology Acquisition Center, Phone (732) 578-5424, Email Julina.Lee@va.gov.
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