SOLICITATION NOTICE
70 -- Development and Technical support
- Notice Date
- 4/24/2007
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 518210
— Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Office of Administration, 6011 Executive Blvd, Rm 538, Rockville, MD, 20892-7663, UNITED STATES
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- 263-2007-Q-(GZ)-0143
- Response Due
- 5/4/2007
- Archive Date
- 5/19/2007
- Description
- SREA Payment System ? This request for a quotation under the Commercial Test Program as authorized under FAR 13.5. The period of performance shall be for one twelve (12) month period, with options to renew for four (4) successive twelve (12) month periods. The NIH/Office of Financial Management?s current Scientific Review and Evaluation Awards (SREA) Payment and Reporting System (SREAPRS) is a custom-designed client/server software that was developed on a Visual Basic 6 platform back-ending to a separate Microsoft SQL Server 2000 database which fills a niche not previously available by allowing staff to follow the payment flow process of SREA grant conferences. OFM seeks developer and project management resources for the ongoing development (Life Cycle Maintenance) and support of the SREAPRS. Requirements will continue to be defined by the Program Analyst and the Chief of the Government Accounting Branch, OD, OFM, NIH. Objective is to have a completed and operational system which will be maintained and supported by the OFM Systems group. A. CONTRACTOR REQUIRED EXPERTISE - The contractor is required to have the following expertise: 1) An integral knowledge of the existing SREA software system and related OFM processes. The contractor will need to constantly interact with SREAPRS system users and stakeholders to discern business needs, formulate optimal solutions, and implement them. This requires a thorough understanding of all current functionality and procedures, as well as the ability to take conceptual goals and ultimately put them into practice in a manner that best suits OFM?s needs. The Contractor shall provide support for several initiatives to the SREA software system for several different areas which include OFM, CSR and the Scientific Review Administrative (SRA) Offices at NIH. Additional business process tasks outside of OFM shall be assigned to the Contractor at the direction of the Chief, of Government Accounting Branch, OFM/OD. This requirement is of primary importance to ensure ongoing success of the effort. 2) Senior web development and database administration expertise (at least seven years of experience developing web applications and databases that interface with them). Specifically, senior-level expertise in developing ASP.NET web applications that interface with SQL Server is required, as well as thorough expertise in designing and implementing complex SQL Server database structures. Development staff must have total self-sufficiency to program and support all functional aspects of the SREAPRS system. 3) A core understanding of processing electronic payments through various government channels and significant experience with OFM?s financial systems (at least five years). Development staff must also have the capability to support all aspects of the SREAPRS system?s data interface and transmission process with all relevant NIH- and government-interfacing systems. 4) Extensive senior project management experience with IT efforts (at least ten years), with a focus on web applications. B. CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS - The contractor is required to complete the following tasks in the indicated timeframes: 1) Determine and develop the best solutions for current requirements defined by OFM to complete the core functionality of the SREAPRS application. These requirements include continued automation and fool-proofing of the CCR import function, file exports and uploads to the Department of Treasury?s Secure Payment System (SPS), NIH?s Central Accounting System (CAS), the Center for Information Technology (CIT), DUNS number entry, credits importing, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1099 generation, and administration, as well as engineering requested canned reports, providing a limited ad hoc reporting utility, expand the statistics page to include filters by IC and other criteria, handling overpayment refunds, and providing a fiscal year control. Replace existing software developed on a Visual Basic 6 platform with ASP.NET 2.0 platform back ending to a separate Microsoft SQL Server 2000 database. Note: All development enhancements must be completed by the end of the first six months of the base year of the award. a) Put in a safety so that the same CCR file cannot be imported more than once b) Complete steps needed to ensure DUNS verification for pre-payment reviewers c) Design and create reports (summary reports of payments/non-payments; paid/not-paid per payout) d) Configure system to not allow conferences without reviewers to be auto-accepted e) Modify stats page to add stats by Fiscal Year (FY) and IC (drop down) f) Design system to handle overpayment refunds like credits g) Provide full automation of FTP and other external processes h) Review request to handle manual exceptions after the fact i) Modify credits page to correctly display holds (if a payment is paid, then credited, then paid, then credited again, both payments show up as being on hold instead of just the second one) j) Add filter to credits and search results page to include only unpaid/unprocessed records k) Review data entry methods l) Develop query to return all reviewers missing Social Security Numbers (SSN) or Tax Payer Identification Numbers (TPIN) (filter for multiple returns of same reviewer for different ICs so minimal research is done); allow manual entry into separate field or allow designation as foreign, with comments. m) Include a checkbox to indicate whether the reviewer should receive a 1099. n) Create admin tool to delete Credits erroneously added by upload. o) Create a query to provide total outstanding (unpaid) by IC by FY p) limit displays by FY q) Configure the system to allow data aging to limit repetitively failing payouts r) Ensure sensitive data is secure and is encrypted with the most up to date software s) Provide reviewer search on schedule number for both payments and credits t) Provide enhancements to the system as needed in a prioritized manner. 2) Create and provide training manuals and written documentation of full functionality of the SPEAPRS system. Note: At least one hard copy of the training manual and one CD copy should be completed and provided to the Chief of GA prior to the base training session. Enough time should be allowed for Chief of GA to make additional manuals to provide at training session to be held within first six months of the award. 3) Provide training of system to user community of approximately 50 people as well as to the OFM systems group, which may include follow-up training sessions if multiple changes or enhancements are made to the system. Training will be coordinated by the Chief of GA, OFM/NIH and given by the Contractor. Note: Base training session should be given within the first six months of the award. Follow-up training - as needed which will be determined by the Chief of GA, OFM/NIH in coordination with CSR staff and Contractor. 4) Conduct Question & Answer (Q & A) sessions with user community during each training session. Additional Q & A?s may be needed throughout the course of system development. Q & A?s will be coordinated by Chief, of Government Accounting and given by the Contractor. Note: A Q & A session should be included with any training session given. Additional Q & A?s will be provided as needed. 5) Written documentation on system design and functionality to be provided along with one CD copy by end of Base year of award. As updates and enhancements occur, contractor is to provide updated CD for instructional manual and system design. 6) Provide ongoing consulting and development support for new requests that OFM regularly receives to enhance functionality of the SREA system. This requires a detailed understanding of the existing processes and systems so that the contractor can formulate complex solutions to needs which are defined at a basic level by OFM. Note: Ongoing as required for one Base plus four option years. 7) Proactively make suggestions for adding features to the SREAPRS that will improve the payment process for OFM staff, provide better management oversight through such means as reporting, and enhance the overall productivity of system users. Note: Ongoing as required for one Base plus four option years. 8) Assist with biweekly payouts. Note: Biweekly or as scheduled by the Chief of GA, OFM/NIH. 9) Assist with annual creation of 1099s. November 1st ? January 31st of each tax reporting year. 10) Utilize expertise of the system?s database architecture and complex data relationships to accurately generate ad hoc reports for management where canned reports are not provided in the system. Note: Ongoing as required for one Base plus four option years 11) Provide ongoing administration of the application server and associated database. Development staff will need to interact with the appropriate IT authorities at NIH to ensure all internal processes are followed. Note: Ongoing as required for one Base plus four option years 12) Provide ongoing consulting and technical support as well as troubleshooting for the user community via the Chief of GA, OFM/NIH. Note: Ongoing as required for one Base plus four option years. 13) Meet with the Chief of GA, OFM/NIH and provide progress reports-Monthly. Note: Ongoing as required for one Base plus four option years C. GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES & REPORTING REQUIRMENTS AND DELIVERABLES - 1) The SREAPRS system runs within the existing NIH environment and will continue to do so. Development resources must provide and oversee their local hardware and software environments used for all development efforts. 2) OFM will be responsible for communicating the requirements and priorities of all SREAPRS development efforts to be undertaken by the contractor. 3) The contractor will be responsible for reporting the progress status of all development efforts to the appropriate OFM staff within reasonable timeframes requested by OFM. 4) Concrete deliverables and delivery schedule shall vary depending upon the requirements of the specific tasks as indicated under ?Contract Requirements? above and as specified by the Chief of GA, OFM/NIH. D. PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL REQUIREMENTS -The contractor will adhere to internal NIH system policies when developing and implementing all SREAPRS system updates. The contractor will hold periodic meetings with NIH staff to discuss the progress and to identify any issues that may prevent a successful completion of the objectives of the procurement. The contractor or NIH may call for emergency meetings if warranted to address emerging issues of importance. E. INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA - OFM will perform acceptance testing of all SREAPRS system updates, based upon the requirements they have provided. All system updates are to be implemented and made available to the user community only after approval by the Chief of the Government Accounting Branch. F. RIGHTS IN DATA - 1) The Contractor agrees that upon completion (or termination with or without cause) of this contract, it shall have no property or possessor rights to any of the information of whatever kind or description, whether developed or prepared by it or furnished to it by the Government in connection with the performance of the contract; and that upon demand it shall surrender immediately to the Contracting Officer such items, matters, materials, and copies. 2) The Contractor shall not provide any Government information of whatever kind or description in any form to sources not authorized by the Government, during or after performance of this contract, without the written approval of the Chief of the Government Accounting Branch, OFM/NIH. 3) All data/information first produced as a result of performing task assignments under this SOW shall become the Federal Government?s property and the Contractor shall surrender any and all rights to its ownership. To this end, the Contractor here by agrees to accept the terms and conditions of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clause 52.227-17, Rights in Data ? Special works (June 1987) which is incorporated into this SOW by reference. 4) For purposes of this SOW, the FAR 52.227-17, Rights in Data ? Special Works (June 1987) clause supersedes the following FAR clauses: FAR 52.227-14, Rights in Data ? General (June 1987) and FAR 52.227-18, Rights in Data ? Existing Works (June 1987). G. CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT OF SENSITVE INFORMATIONS - 1) The Contractor shall guarantee strict confidentiality of the information/data that it is provided by the Government during the performance of the contract. The Government has determined that the information/data that the Contractor will be provided during the performance of the contract is of a sensitive nature. 2) Disclosure of the information/data, in whole or in part, by the Contractor can only be made after the Contractor receives prior written approval from the Contracting Officer. Whenever the Contractor is uncertain with regard to the proper handling of information/data under the contract, the Contractor shall obtain a written determination from the Contracting Officer. H. ACCESS TO THE NIH ELECTRONIC MAIL - All Contractor staff that have access to and use of NIH electronic mail (e-mail) must identify themselves as contractors on all outgoing e-mail messages, including those that are sent in reply or are forwarded to another user. To best comply with this requirement, the contractor staff shall set up an e-mail signature (?AutoSignature?) or an electronic business card (?V-card?) on each contractor employee?s computer system and/or Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) that will automatically display ?Contractor? in the signature area of all e-mails sent. I. REQUIRED TRAINING FOR IT SYSTEM SECURITY - 1) DHHS policy requires that contractors receive security training commensurate with their responsibilities for performing work under the terms and conditions of their contractual agreements. 2) The successful offeror will be responsible for assuring that each contractor employee has completed the following NIH Computer Security Awareness Training course prior to performing any contract work: http://irtsectraining.nih.gov/. The contractor will be required to maintain a listing of all individuals who have completed this training and submit this listing to the Government. 3) Additional security training requirements commensurate with the position may be required as defined in OMB Circular A-130 or NIST Special Publication 800-16, ?Information Technology Security Training Requirements?. These documents provide information about IT security training that may be useful to potential offerors. Interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirement or submit capability statements to the Contract Specialist by May 4, 2007 at 3PM EST. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based on responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Address responses to the attention of Doris Vaughn at National Institutes of Health, 6011 Executive Blvd., Room 539B, MSC 7663, Rockville, Md. 20852 The NAICS Code for this requirement is 518210.
- Place of Performance
- Address: National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Md 20852
- Zip Code: 20852
- Country: UNITED STATES
- Zip Code: 20852
- Record
- SN01279931-W 20070426/070424220354 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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