Third Party Payment System

SOURCES SOUGHT For UNITED STATES TRANSPORTATION COMMAND (USTRANSCOM) DOD TRANSPORTATION THIRD PARTY PAYMENT SYSTEM (TPPS) -Summary- The United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) seeks information about a Third Party Payment System that it could employ in support of Department of Defense (DOD) and other designated Federal Agencies' transportation requirements. Through use of the system, the contractor will provide automated payments to the transportation service providers or their agents. The contractor will then be reimbursed by the appropriate government agency. The system will be expected to maintain finance and accounting information associated with all transportation-related services and payments. The system must be accessible by approved government personnel for the purposes of inputting shipment, payment, and contract information, as well as retrieving, searching, and analyzing the data therein. The DOD anticipates the awardee has a year to prepare and implement the system. 1. Purpose This Sources Sought is being issued for informational and planning purposes. Information gathered will be considered in order to determine the feasibility of an entity providing the necessary support and whether adequate competition exists to set-aside the competition for small business. The information requested will also be used within USTRANSCOM to facilitate decision making and will not be disclosed outside the agency. This announcement is not a Request For Proposal (RFP) or solicitation of any kind. USTRANSCOM is not seeking or accepting unsolicited proposals for this requirement. This notice should not be construed as a commitment of any type by the Government to take or not take any action. Please note USTRANSCOM will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by interested parties in responding to this Sources Sought. 2. Background USTRANSCOM, in conjunction with the Services, Combatant Commanders, and Theater Commanders, provides technical direction and supervision over all traffic management functions incident to DOD passenger, cargo, mobility, personal property movements, US Customs and Border Protection activities, management of intermodal containers and System 463L pallet and net assets, and the movement of human remains during peace and time of war. The DOD, under a reengineering mandate to better manage, pay, and account for transportation services, is continuing its current effort toward implementation of a fully automated transportation payment and accounting process. This initiative is directed by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, under Management Reform Memorandums #15 and #6 (MRM #15, MRM #6). The objectives of this initiative include the following: (1) Maintain readiness capability; (2) Reduce infrastructure costs; (3) Eliminate DOD-unique documentation and processes; (4) Reduce data requirements/improve accuracy; (5) Increase use of Electronic Commerce (EC); (6) Employ best commercial practices; and (7) Establish a single documentation and billing process for all modes of transportation. The first phase of the MRM #15 initiative, an electronic process to pay commercial carriers, has succeeded in dramatically decreasing the time taken to pay commercial carriers for transportation services. The focus of the next phase is a continuation of an ongoing process by which the DOD and other designated Federal Agencies reimburse the Contractor for automated transportation payments made on behalf of the Military Services, Defense Agencies and other designated Federal Agencies. 3. Description The Defense Finance and Accounting Services' (DFAS) Transportation Mission Area (TMA) TPPS requires a fully automated transportation payment system, providing an auditable, real-time electronic transportation payment environment shared by Transportation Service Providers (TSPs) for the Department of Defense. This system shall capture, retain, and provide to appropriate and designated DOD and other Federal Agencies, detailed information required to continuously improve the cost-effectiveness of seller payments and transportation movement and billing. Such information shall encompass, but not be limited to, settlement for any type of trucking, rail, air, pipeline, barge, sealift, express package, household goods, inter-modal, inter-governmental or internal DOD transportation, and each applicable accessorial charge at the individual transaction level. The primary source of shipment or order information within the system will be electronically received batch data from DOD and other designated Federal Agencies' order, shipment, and contract based upon commercial/industry standard electronic format, and the commercial carrier or carrier management systems. The system shall be designed to allow all carriers/TSPs, their agents, and transportation managers to submit delivery or terminated status reports to trigger payment and also designed to support carrier performance monitoring. The system shall provide and facilitate worldwide support of transportation payments and functional data with a mechanism that supports authorized shipments and expenses, and/or streamlines purchase and payment systems, for the DOD and other designated Federal Agencies' Automated Payment and Accounting Process initiative. The Transportation Third Party Payment System shall be capable of processing an average of 670,930 transactions per month, between all DOD and other designated Federal Agencies Shipping Offices and all DOD Approved Carriers/TSPs. The average transaction amount is expected to increase as additional Shipping Offices are rolled out into the system. The Contractor's system shall capture, in an auditable format, finance and accounting information, at the transaction level, related to the shipment and transportation services produced by all DOD and other designated Federal Agencies' shippers and agents acting on their behalf. Complete end-to-end implementation must be compliant with all statutory and regulatory requirements including the Chief Financial Officer and Federal Financial Management Improvement Acts (FFMIA) and Federal Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (FedGAAP). This continuing initiative endeavors to fully automate the processing of Government freight and personal property shipments and/or transactions. Key task areas are identified below. A. Task: Facilitate Collection and Payment of DOD Verified Transportation Activities: 1. Provide the ability to reconcile and pay the sellers of transportation services the amount verified by DOD and other designated Federal Agencies' shippers or buyers directly or systematically. 2. Electronically receive and utilize batch data from DOD and other designated Federal Agencies from order, shipment, contract, and accounting management systems based upon standard/commercial electronic formats. 3. Electronically accept and utilize invoices with event status from DOD Approved Freight Carriers/Sellers of transportation services based upon a commercial industry standard data set. 4. Provide capability to capture all appropriation code information relevant to a shipment or order provided by DOD and other designated Federal Agencies' order, shipment, contract, and accounting management systems, to be visible and linked to said activity and retained in the DOD Electronic Transportation Bill Payment Environment for posting, reporting and analysis purposes. B. Task: Implement and Administer Automated Interface Designed for TSP Components and DOD End-Users: 1. Provide the ability for DOD and other designated Federal Agencies personnel to access the DOD Electronic Transportation Bill Payment Environment via direct system-to-system interface and the Internet for purposes of establishing valid Carrier or Seller of transportation services relationships and originating, processing and approving electronic payment related transactions. 2. Create an on-line mechanism to facilitate control and monitor post- payment adjustments that automatically links the adjustment to the original shipment and provides for a detailed record of the reason(s) for adjustment. The electronic payment environment shall automatically link payment information with the underlying shipment or order information to present the user with a single combined view of the transaction and eliminate the need for an additional reconciliation process. 3. Allow capability for authorized users to enter, edit, and save all bill of lading (BOL) information including, but not limited to, carrier/TSP to be paid, amount to be paid, delivery information, origin, destination, line item detail, appropriation sub-head code, line of accounting (LOA), appropriation code(s), Transportation Account Codes (TAC), and Transportation Control Number (TCN). 1) Subtask: Data Storage & Reporting: a. Archive and maintain data in accordance with associated laws and regulations, including Defense Transportation Regulations (DTR) and Department of Defense Financial Management Regulation (DOD FMR). b. Provide users with the capability to conduct a variety of ad-hoc Web-based analysis and reporting tasks. This includes real-time and deferred reporting queries, where users can construct and execute custom, line-item detail and summary database queries and reports; and online analytical processing, which allows users to perform summary-level, multi-dimensional analysis. 2) Subtask: Interface Support: a. Provide customized training tools and materials for all DOD and other designated Federal Agencies users which incorporate any DOD-tailored requirements. In addition, web-based training shall be available to Certifying Officers, Service Representatives and Pay Technicians and shall include reference guides, system setup, on-site consulting, project management meetings, etc. b. Provide a staffed help desk and functioning toll free help desk phone number, and web address for same. C. Task: Integrate and Administer Transportation and Billing Data and File Control: 1. Implement processes and computer systems using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). The primary source of shipment information within the electronic transportation payment environment shall be data feeds (EDI x12 810, 821, 858, 997 and User Defined Files (UDFs)) from DOD and other designated Federal Agencies' various shipping activities' systems and commercial carrier and move manager systems. The design of the payment environment shall make it convenient to submit delivery status, to trigger a payment, and to support carrier performance monitoring. 2. Electronically accept and utilize verification and data changes from DOD and other designated Federal Agencies order, shipment, contract, and accounting management systems directly and systematically. 4. White Paper Interested parties are requested to submit the following information in the format of a White Paper as outlined below. The White Paper should be concise (no more than 5 pages) and address only the information requested below (title pages, cover letter, etc., will not count against the 5 page limit). Again, this information will support market research activities within USTRANSCOM. A. Company Information (General) B. Business size C. Capabilities: Generally describe your company's abilities and interest in fulfilling USTRANSCOM's and DOD's transportation directive requirements. Specifically address the information in subparagraphs 1) through 3) below. USTRANSCOM is not seeking disclosure of specific or detailed innovative solutions. 1) Commercial transportation knowledge and experience 2) Knowledge and experience with transportation-related accounting system deployment and administration 3) Experience with data maintenance process improvement efforts (i.e., identification and implementation), both commercial D. Identify contract vehicle(s) and Federal Supply Schedule(s) your company has under which this requirement could be awarded. E. Any Other Information Deemed Useful to USTRANSCOM or DOD activities 5. Response Instructions Please refer any questions to POCs listed below via e-mail. Questions must be submitted no later than 17 August 2015. Responses to this Sources Sought must be submitted to the POCs listed below via e-mail no later than 26 August 2015. All submitted information becomes property of the Government and will not be returned. The Government does not intend to issue drawings, specifications or solicitation for this effort. Respectfully, all submitted information will be handled IAW applicable markings and regulations. Be advised that this request does not constitute an obligation upon the Government to pursue any follow-on contract action, in part or whole, with current or potential vendors. 6. Point of Contact (POC) Elizabeth M. Ruckwardt Contract Specialist, USTRANSCOM Elizabeth.M.Ruckwardt.Civ@Mail.Mil