Advanced Analytics Technical Solution (AATS)

Solicitation Number: N65236-16-R-0001 Request for Information (RFI) Advanced Analytics Technical Solution (AATS) DUE: 10/11/2016 On 16 September 2016, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWARSYSCEN) Atlantic issued a pre-solicitation notice to inform industry about an upcoming solicitation (N65236-16-R-0001) and to encourage interested parties to participate in the Advisory Multi-Step Process (FAR 15.202). SPAWARSYSCEN Atlantic is also considering the use of product demonstrations as an evaluation factor for this solicitation, and is seeking Industry feedback concerning this approach. The product demonstrations would be held at SPAWARSYSCEN Atlantic facilities in Charleston, SC. The contractor would supply all necessary hardware and software required to demonstrate and validate required AATS software product capabilities in accordance with solicitation instructions for product demonstration, and the contractor would lead the demonstration. While the contractor would supply the hardware for the demonstration, the Government would provide the specifications for the hardware, and would be similar or equivalent to the technical specifications found in Attachment 6 of the pre-solicitation notice (IAS Hardware and Software Information). Demonstrations The Government is considering demonstrations of the following three capabilities: 1. The capability of the AATS software to import and manage the Government-provided AATS ontology. 2. The capability of the AATS software to support the intelligence analyst in multiple phases of the intelligence cycle, in both connected and disconnected modes of operation. 3. The capability of the AATS software to support third-party development of AATS software plugins and data integrations. For each of these demonstrations, the Government would specify the tasks to be performed and the order in which the tasks will be performed during the demonstration. These constraints are not intended to prevent the contractor from demonstrating unique aspects of the capability that may provide additional value to the Government, provided that the aspects have already been documented as part of the contractors response to the RFP. The Government would provide all source data and materials required to conduct the demonstration, and intends for all source data and materials to be UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO. Employment of the System Usability Scale (SUS) For the demonstration of the capability of the AATS software to support the intelligence analyst in multiple phases of the intelligence cycle, the Government is considering the employment of the System Usability Scale (SUS) to measure the usability of the AATS software. The SUS, per the usability.gov website (https://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/system-usability-scale.html) , is a 10-item questionnaire originally developed in 1986, and has been used to evaluate a wide variety of products and services. The SUS has become an industry standard, with references in over 1300 articles and publications. The Government evaluators would score the following ten questions with one of five responses that range from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree: 1. I think that I would like to use this software frequently. 2. I found the software unnecessarily complex. 3. I thought that the software was easy to use. 4. I think that I would need the support of a technical person to be able to use this software. 5. I found the various functions in this software were well integrated. 6. I thought there was too much inconsistency in this software. 7. I would imagine that most people would learn to use this software very quickly. 8. I found the software very cumbersome to use. 9. I feel very confident that I could the software. 10. I would need to learn a lot of things before I could get going with this software. The Government would use the SUS score as one measure in the overall (adjectival) rating of the demonstration of support for the intelligence cycle. Requested Information Respondents are requested to provide comments/feedback concerning the Governments proposed use of product demonstrations as an evaluation factor and employment of the System Usability Scale (SUS) to measure the usability of the AATS software. Comments should be provided via email to the Contract Specialist at contact@example.gov. A NOTE REGARDING THIS RFI: This RFI is for information gathering and planning purposes only, and should not be construed as a Request for Proposal (RFP) or solicitation of an offer. The Government DOES NOT intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI, or otherwise pay for the information solicited.