R--Collaborative Website SES Personnel

Collaborative Website Requirement VA798-10-RQ-0106 A. This requirement has not been extended. The due date for responses remains May 27, 2010 at 3:00 PM EDT. No additional questions will be accepted after issuance of this amendment. B. Questions and Answers 1. The comprehensive web based Program management plan with dashboard/metrics needs to be implemented three weeks from award. Can this be a web based solution, if so is there a preference as to where it will be hosted? Government Response: The design calls for VA to host the website with content provided by the contractor. 2. If the Program Management plan is provided in an online format, does it need to be 508 compliant? Government Response: Yes. 3. Will the collaborative website be hosted at the VA facility or Vendor Site? Government Response: See response to Question 1. 4. Will the vendor be responsible for the purchase of software licenses hardware? Government Response: This has not been determined at this time, but should this prove to be the most efficient way of doing business, the appropriate budgetary adjustments will be made. 5. Does any hardware to support this already exist? If so, where are the servers located? Will there be a vendor day to tour the VA facility hardware? Government Response: Yes. A pre-contractual vendor day activity is not planned. 6. Does the VA own any enterprise licenses for COTS collaboration tools that can be used for this effort? Government Response: Not to the best of our knowledge. 7. Are there any service level support requirements related to this program initiative? Government Response: Any other requirements that may be related do not affect the achievement of this program. 8. Can some of the non-customer facing development work and or hosting be performed at a nearby contractor facility? Government Response: Yes 9. Do all resources working on the project need to be US Citizens? Government Response: Contractor employees working on this project must meet the Security requirements stated in VAAR 852.273-75 which is included in the posted notice. In addition, those employees must read, write, speak, and understand the English language fluently and maintain good communication skills. 10. Will there be an oral presentation phase to the evaluation process? Government Response: No. 11. Will the contractor be responsible cost hardware/software licensing needed to develop the solution? Government Response: This has not been determined at this time, but should this prove to be the most efficient way of doing business, the appropriate budgetary adjustments will be made. 12. Is there a preferred methodology for this effort e.g. Rational Unified Process? Government Response: No. 13. Are there any specific COTS products that are envisioned to be part of the SEI collaborative portal? Government Response: No. 14. Please elaborate on required functionality at each milestones related pertaining to the collaborative website timeline: o Functionality of the collaborative website to be implemented not later than four months after project initiation? o Stage I Interactive website design and functionality at 6 months o Stage II at 8 months Government Response: Proposal are expected to determine the levels of functionality based on a realistic projection of deliverables based on the timeline provided. 15. As the VA plans to host the website will the VA provide server hardware from its own infrastructure, or is the contractor expected to quote hardware? Government Response: This has not been determined at this time, but should this prove to be the most efficient way of doing business, the appropriate budgetary adjustments will be made. 16. The solicitation states that the collaborative website will have content managed and uploaded by the contractor. However as a collaboration tool including blogs and wikis, we would expect (as in corporate settings) that end users (SES) would contribute and collaborate on content. Can the government clarify what kind of content the contractor is responsible for - e.g. is it "best practices for using a collaboration framework and tools?" Government Response: Much of the content will be determined based on the assessment. Government expects the content to go well beyond information regarding best practices for using a collaboration framework; instead it expects that the content and methods used to generate online collaboration will result in a best practice for government. The contractor will be responsible for implementing collaborative management tools for engaging the members of the Senior Executive Service such as a central, interactive repository of knowledge that can serve as an ongoing resource for current and future SES members better doing their jobs and assisting with VA transformation efforts. This will include but is not be limited to access to online educational resources and information for members of the VA Senior Executive Service.