Business Intelligence Tool

NOTE: THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION FOR PROPOSALS. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. Software License for Business Intelligence (BI) Tool Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) is conducting a market survey to determine the availability of a commercial capability in support of a Business Intelligence (BI) Software License solution. The Marine Corp is seeking industry recommendations for implementation best practices and to identify applicant tools, tool suites, and applications that have the potential to meet the capabilities as denoted in Attachment A. This Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for information and planning purposes. It does not constitute a Request for proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, MCSC is not seeking proposals at this time and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Respondents are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative cost incurred in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense. Submissions will not be returned. Small Businesses having the capabilities to perform the tasking below are encouraged to reply to this RFI. Failure to respond to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. It is the responsibility of potential Offerors to monitor beta.SAM.gov for additional information pertaining to this RFI. 1.0 BACKGROUND MCSC Portfolio Manager (PfM) Supporting Establishments Systems (SES), supports Marine Corps (USMC) efforts in procuring and sustaining an information technology (IT) framework used in garrison and tactical environments, and integrated in complex business systems. PfM SES works closely with Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC), Deputy Commandant Combat Development and Integration, and MCSC Program and Project Managers to ensure that all procured software products and services meet the requirements of USMC customers. The Information Technology Lifecycle Management (ITLM) team is the centralized management office that works with program offices, on behalf of PfM SES, to research software solutions based on user requirements, provide information and support to tactical and non-tactical program offices worldwide. ITLM also provides software media packages, updates, and support services to program offices requiring software purchased through Enterprise contracts. The concept of enterprise licensing is based on commercial best practices, and focuses on reducing the total ownership cost (TOC) and ease of use and management. PfM SES goals are to: Provide a centralized Marine Corps-wide procurement office for enterprise software. Standardize Marine Corps-wide IT infrastructure by providing standard computer configurations for use across multiple programs. Keep the IT infrastructure closely aligned with current technology through pre-planned, periodic technology refresh. Maximize the return on investment (ROI) for the Marine Corps by consolidating common software procurements across the enterprise to achieve volume discount. Provide the ability to redistribute software from programs that no longer require software, offering a cost avoidance to the recipient programs. Provide world-wide enterprise software support. The objective of this RFI effort is: To gain knowledge of BI software applications that will meet USMC program office requirements for a flexible, web-enabled reporting tool that will allow Marine Corps users and managers to deliver a full range of capabilities as listed in Attachment A, requirements. To evaluate software tools that will allow Metrics Managers to create metrics models that match responsibilities across extended organizations. Everyone who is responsible for some aspect of performance, from the executive management team to the front-line managers who oversee day-to-day operations, needs to monitor key metrics To find a flexible data analysis and decision support tool capable of using data from any source to more effectively and efficiently manage USMC IT investments. To find a user-friendly tool that can be configured for report generation without extensive programming skills. This web-enabled software will allow for enterprise definition, deployment, and ongoing monitoring of the metrics that matter most to MARCORSYSCOM. 2.0 RESPONSES Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI describing their firm's background, and experience with respect to BI Tool solutions that meet the Marine Corps capability needs generally described in Attachment A. In addition, please respond to the following questions and provide the rationale for your answers. 2.1 Corporate Experience 2.1.1 Describe your corporate experience in providing and/or implementing enterprise-level BI Tool solutions particularly involving geographically dispersed, organizationally segmented DoD, Federal, State, and/or commercial departments, agencies, or enterprises. 2.1.2 Describe your BI Tool solution, including data governance and management, training capabilities, established best practices and lessons learned to enhance the Marine Corps requirements. 2.1.3 Describe the pricing methodology with respect to data usage and equitable payment solution for your BI Tool currently available to the Marine Corps. 2.1.4 Provide an example that demonstrates your company and/or tool's ability to support the Marine Corps initiative. 2.1.5 What are the software license pricing structures and requirements for all license types, and software maintenance, and published price lists for commercial technical and systems engineering support labor, and the customer support policy for your recommended solution(s)? 2.2 Integration 2.2.1 Do you envision a single tool that can meet the Marine Corps capabilities? 2.2.2 If not, what level would be met with a single tool? And, what would be fulfilled with any additional tools and solution(s)? 2.2.3 If not, what level of integration would be needed for multiple tools to meet the capabilities? 2.2.4 What should we consider in determining external BI system interfaces? 2.2.5 What are some ways to implement a unified reporting capability? 2.2.6 Describe staffing approaches successfully applied in prior BI operational efforts where large-scale data gathering and analysis efforts were accomplished within constrained schedule, during the three phase's transition, implementation, and sustainment. 2.2.7 List BI tools from which you have been successful with integrating existing reports and programs to implement your BI solution. 2.3 Marine Corps Capabilities (Attachment A) 2.3.1 What do you believe to be the five major cost and schedule drivers among the requirements within Attachment A? 2.3.2 Which requirements do you consider - hard to meet, duplicative, unreasonable or unnecessary in Attachment A? 2.3.3 What do you believe would be the most cost-effective approach for implementing an automated BI solution for the Marine Corps? 2.3.4 Based on your experience with a BI implementation/transition, please provide resource estimates (number of people, skills) for planning and implementation of an enterprise solution during the three phases (transition, implementation, and sustainment for a medium to large organization. 2.3.5 How would Marine Corps different networks be best managed in an enterprise BI solution? In your experience, what are the cost benefits of an enterprise solution? 2.3.6 In what areas are the most significant savings/returns generated? 2.3.7 Can you provide some examples of implementation process and overall time lines for medium and large size organizations? 2.4 Lessons Learned 2.4.1 In your experience, what are the - lessons learned, potential risks, and possible mitigation strategies in large-scale BI implementation? 2.4.2 What recommendation would you offer to us to avoid the pitfalls you have seen elsewhere in the industry or other agencies? 2.5 Detailed Capabilities All capable vendors should provide a detailed explanation on how they can or cannot meet the capabilities in Attachment A. 2.6 Availability Please provide information on whether the capability, application, tool, and/or tool suite is under development or currently available. If the capability, application, tool, and/or tool suite is under development provide an estimated availability date. 3.0 OTHER INFORMATION 3.1 Please provide the estimated price for the capability, application, tool, and/or tool suite provided including any customization, development (if required), transition, implementation, integration, maintenance and sustainment. 3.2 Include your CAGE code, DUNS number and your business size in your response. 3.3 Please state whether your firm is registered with the official website of the U.S. government: System for Award Management at http://www.sam.gov. 3.4 Provide a list of any contracts your company has with all Government Agencies (i.e. U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, DoD, General Services Administration, etc.). Include the contract number and the Government point of contact for the contract at the Government Agency. 4.0 INSTRUCTIONS Responses are due no later than 24 December 2020 1700 EST, Quantico, Virginia. Please submit all responses in Microsoft Word 2016 or Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format. Published marketing materials specific to referenced products may be appended to any submission. Responses shall be limited to no more than 20 pages, less than 2.5 MB in size, and submitted via e-mail to Richard Yungwirth (richard.yungwirth@usmc.mil) and Dennis Swafford (dennis.swafford@usmc.mil). Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and must be clearly marked. To aid the Government, please segregate proprietary information from non-proprietary information in your response. Please be advised that submissions will not be returned. MCSC requests that responses are formatted into two basic sections, A and B: 4.1 Section A of the response should provide the information in Section 3, Other Information and administrative information, including the following at a minimum. Name, mailing address, overnight delivery address (if different from mailing address), phone numbers, fax number, and email address of designated point of contact. Business type (large business, small business, small disadvantage business, 8(a)-certified small disadvantage business, HUB Zone small business, woman- owned small business, very small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran owned small business) and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). 4.2 Section B of the response should address all questions and inquiries listed in Section 2.0, Responses. 4.3 Submit questions regarding this announcement by e-mail to the USMC/MCSC Contract Representative Richard Yungwirth, (richard.yungwirth@usmc.mil) and copy the Contracting Specialist Dennis Swafford, (dennis.swafford@usmc.mil). Verbal questions will not be accepted. The Government does not guarantee that questions received after 15 December 2020, 1700 EST will be answered. Please include point-of- contact information for your firm. 5.0 VENDOR DEMONSTRATIONS 5.1 Based on interest generated following a review of the responses to this RFI, vendors may be invited to present an overview and demonstration of their proposed solution, services, and/or product(s). There is no guarantee that a vendor may be asked to provide a demonstration. Because this is a RFI only and not a RFP, there will be no scheduled public opening. All demonstration costs incurred by the vendor should be borne by the vendor. 5.2 The Government reserve the right to request demonstrations is a future date. The demonstrations must be held virtually. Thank you for your interest in Marine Corps Systems Command.