Consular Affairs Queue Management Modernization

Purpose This is a Sources Sought notice as outlined in FAR 15.201(d). The purpose of this notice is to accomplish market research pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10, and to identify qualified and experienced small and/or large businesses capable of and interested in providing the services described herein. The Government is requesting information regarding the availability and feasibility of obtaining Q-Flow hardware, software, and technical support services OR other Enterprise Queue Management Platform Cloud based solutions, for The Office of Consular Systems and Technology (CA/CST) Consular Affairs Queue Management (CAQM) program. Additionally, this notice seeks to determine if the services can be acquired using a Government Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWAC). This notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a(n) Invitation for Bid (IFB), Request for Quotation (RFQ), or Request for Proposal (RFP). Additionally, there is no obligation or commitment on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services described within this notice now or in the future. The Government does not intend to award a contract(s) based solely on the submissions submitted in response to this notice. Respondents are advised that the Government will not pay for information submitted in response to this Sources Sought notice, nor will it compensate respondents for any costs incurred in the development/furnishing of a response. The Government will not entertain telephone calls or questions pertaining to this notice. Please note that a decision not to submit a response will not preclude a vendor from participating in any future solicitation. Background and Statement of Need The Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of Consular Systems and Technology (CA/CST) develops, deploys and supports complex Information Technology (IT) systems and infrastructure that are the foundation for achieving CA's mission at domestic offices and overseas posts. One of CA/CST's current initiatives is the deployment of a CAQM system worldwide to a potential target of approximately 230 overseas posts, 29 domestic Passport agencies, and 2 domestic Visa processing centers. In response to the business need for a highly reliable, scalable, secure, and fully redundant enterprise CAQM to support CA's mission, the Government-off-the-Shelf (GOTS) product of Q-Flow, version 5.2, was installed at 20 domestic and 10 overseas posts. CA/CST has upgraded this pilot platform to Q-Flow 5.8 and has deployed this version to all domestic passport agencies as well as 30 overseas Posts and 85 overseas Posts at varying stages of construction. CA/CST seeks additional support to execute approved worldwide implementation schedules to include the review of network drawings, provide analysis of hardware requirements and placement, application configuration, implementation of design plans and integration of SMS gateway, queue management Kiosks, and digital signage into the current Q-Flow platform (or other Enterprise Queue Management Cloud based Platform). Additionally, the program is seeking Operations and Maintenance (O&M) support, Tier III Technical Support, and deployment for Q-Flow 5.8 (or other Enterprise Queue Management Cloud based Platform) until all Posts and Passport Agencies are on the same version as well as development and implementation of Cloud Platform Q-Flow 6.X. Scope of Work/Required Capabilities In order to maximize performance, innovation and competition, the Performance Work Statement (PWS) will utilize the Performance-Based Services Acquisition (PBSA) strategy to the fullest extent possible. The goal of the PBSA strategy is to gain greater access to technological innovations and to obtain the best technical solution while efficiently achieving savings for the Government. The Government anticipates requiring a team of personnel to accomplish the CAQM programmatic mission, to include, but not limited to the following labor categories: Program Manager, Project Manager, Application Systems Architect, and Development Engineers to support Windows Queueing System SME, and Sr. Operations Engineer. The Scope of Work is to obtain Q-Flow Enterprise Licenses, Q-Flow Hardware, Q-Flow Software, Q-Flow Tier III Technical Support, and Q-Flow Integration Support OR other Enterprise Queue Management Platform Cloud based solutions. The Government wishes to simultaneously acquire Project Management, Training and Technical Support Services to continue ongoing operations and maintenance, as well as the technical implementation of the existing Enterprise Queue Management (EQM) and CAQM systems to include up to five (5) installs a month of the CAQM system. Additionally, the Government requires the development implementation for Q-Flow 6.X cloud base solution (or higher), such as Q-Anywhere OR other Enterprise Queue Management Cloud based Platform. The integration includes but not limited to, SMS gateway services, Digital Signage, existing Appointment Scheduler, and 508 compliant kiosks. In addition, the contractor shall have experience in the development and worldwide implementation of HA implemented using Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC) and SQL Server Availability Group (AG) technologies. The qualified Contractor must have an active SECRET facility clearance and be located within a 25-mile radius of 600 19th Street, NW, Washington, DC. Responses A viable interested party shall demonstrate, in any capability statement submitted, the company's capabilities to meet the performance objectives and the customer's requirements. A viable interested party shall provide relevant, applicable examples of previous global implementation of equal or great scope and complexity. Responses should be limited to twenty (20) pages and must be submitted as a Microsoft Word Document (.doc or .docx) or Portable Document Format (.pdf) to the Bilal Kayani, Contracting Officer at KayaniBA@state.gov. To the maximum extent possible, submit Non-Proprietary Information. All information received in response to this notice that is appropriately marked - Proprietary will be handled accordingly. Submissions should include responses to the following categories: Company Profile, Recent/Relevant Experience and Questions for Industry.