SOLICITATION NOTICE
D -- USAF UNIT TYPE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
- Notice Date
- 11/13/2009
- Notice Type
- Presolicitation
- Contracting Office
- 201 East Moor DriveMAFB-Gunter Annex, AL 36114Montgomery, AL
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- R2286
- Point of Contact
- Bobby Perry bobby.perry@gunter.af.mil
- E-Mail Address
-
E-mail the POC
(bobby.perry@gunter.af.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- REQUEST for INFORMATION (RFI)USAF Unit Type Management:An Information Technology Service provided by 554 ELSG/FC The government is seeking contractors that have the ability to provide Unit Type Management (UTM) software to operate in a net-centric, service-oriented, technical environment. This includes prototyping and piloting new software directed by process improvement initiatives, maturing enterprise solutions supporting service-oriented architectures, and optimizing to mission need for efficient and effective technology delivery. AF Instruction 10-401 Chapter 5 describes the Air Force Unit Type Code processes that this software will support. The existing UTM applications are represented in the Deliberate and Crisis Action Planning and Execution Segments (DCAPES) as-is operational architecture and the application requirements are captured in a requirements traceability document. UTM capability underwent scrutiny during a 2008 Process Improvement to Practice engagement, resulting in a set of findings and supplemental requirements products. This is not DCAPES Increment 2b. Unit Type Management, as a capability, is contemplated independently of existing DCAPES capability or planned DCAPES Inc 2b capability. This request for information (RFI) is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered as an invitation for bid, request for quote, request for proposal, or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. Your response to this RFI will be treated as information only. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect cost or charges to the Government will arise as a result of contractor submission of responses to this announcement or the Government's use of such information. This request does not constitute a solicitation for proposal or the authority to enter into negotiations to award a contract. No funds have been authorized, appropriated, or received for this effort. The information may be used by the 554th ELSG/FC in developing an acquisition strategy and statement of work/statement of objectives and performance specifications. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive info! rmation contained in their response. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or to pay for the information submitted in response to this RFI. Interested parties should submit a white paper and limit their comments to the areas identified in Section 1, "Description of contractor capabilities." of this request. Responses to this RFI are not to exceed 30 pages in length (single sided). Please allocate only one page for company summary information. All material submitted in response to this RFI must be unclassified. Responses are to be submitted via email to Janice Woodson, Contracting Officer, 754 ELSG/ESO, janice.woodson@gunter.af.mil by 1600 CST on 04 Dec 09. Any and all requests for additional information/clarifications should be sent to the Contracting Officer at the email address above or commercial (334) 416-6116. This is an information gathering effort only and if further procurement is taken, additional publications will be ! accomplished as required. Respondents will NOT be notified of any review results. This RFI is only seeking to establish the existence of businesses with capabilities and interest in providing support. Information is sought pertaining to prototyping, piloting, and fielding Unit Type Management software that is a suitable participant in a net-centric, service-oriented, technical and mission-critical enterprise. The Government will use the information to contemplate acquistion strategies and technical approaches to implementing Unit Type Management as a capability independent of existing DCAPES capability. The Government may be interested in capability briefings after receipt of responses to the requests in Section 1. 1.Description of contractor capabilities of interest, citing of particular programs or customer references is much appreciated. a.Describe your experience supporting command and control or combat support (logistics, personnel, banking, finance, etc.) communities with software development and fielding using net-centric principles.b.Describe your experience with techniques that enabled the following:.Improving existing levels of performance and mission success through technology innovation..Identifying the magnitude, cost, and schedule of technical work to produce new service-oriented technologies incrementally replacing existing hide-bound, but never-the-less high performing solutions..Reducing the technical risks, and thereby reducing programmatic risks, associated with employing enterprise infrastructure and core technologies managed externally to your organization. c.Describe your experience delivering software (large-scale Internet applications) to a heterogeneous technical environment spanning the globe.d.Describe your experience fielding software services using service-oriented-architecture principles and/or standards. Of particular interest is fielding services that are interoperable across varying DoD standards as found in the defense Joint arena. Which standards were most helpful, most challenging?e.Describe your experience creating metadata for software services and data payloads that are easily communicated to the enterprise.f.Describe your experience with user and system security (e.g., information assurance) aspects of web-enabled, web-service environments. Include DoD and/or other government classified environments and/or commercial high security settings.g.Describe your experience with transitional architectures that support the mission without degrading business operations, allow users to assimilate technology at varying rates, and promote innovation with flexible off-the-shelf technology. h.Describe your experience relating technical qualities of applications to mission application users with particular respect to performance measurement and service level agreements.i.Describe your software services development methodologies.j.Describe your experiences with business process improvement initiatives utilizing prototypes and pilots resulting in new, fielded software. Of particular interest is understanding, experience, and collaboration under the Air Force's Smart Operations for the 21st Century (AFSO21) policies.k.See requirements-related documents listed in Section 5. What information about requirements would be needed in addition (if any) to that provided to prepare a proposal for a risk-reducing, small (e.g., less than $1M) pilot (through fielding in a production environment)?l.Have you implemented and fielded a capability similar to that described in referenced documents using service-oriented principles and/or standards? What was your experience with sizing, cost, and scheduling? Please describe the journey from earliest rough-order-of-magnitude costs and plans to variances through to fielding.m.Have you implemented and fielded a prototype service similar to that described in referenced documents using lean, risk-assessed, agile acquisition concepts? What was your experience with sizing, cost, and scheduling? Please describe the journey from early efforts to partition prototype scope, estimate cost/schedule, assess risk for development and test, and improve delivery time to warfighter. 2.Background Deliberate and Crisis Action Planning and Execution Segments (DCAPES) provide capabilities the United States Air Force (USAF) warfighter needs to support contingency operations and military operations other than war. It enables the Air Force to posture trained and equipped forces, organized in effects-based operational capability packages, to deliver effective aerospace capabilities to the Joint warfighter. a.DCAPES is the Air Force System of Record for presenting, planning, sourcing, mobilizing, deploying, accounting for, sustaining, re-deploying, and reconstituting Combat Air Power in support of Unified and Air Force Combatant Commanders' (COCOM) requirements.b.DCAPES also serves as the principal USAF interface to the Joint Operations Planning and Execution System (JOPES) - a continuously evolving system developed through the integration and enhancement of two earlier planning and execution systems: the Joint Operation Planning System and the Joint Deployment System. It provides the foundation for conventional command and control by national- and theater-level commanders and their staffs. It is designed to satisfy their information needs in the conduct of joint planning and operations. JOPES includes joint operation planning policies, procedures, and reporting structures supported by communications and automated data processing systems. JOPES is used to monitor, plan, and execute mobilization, deployment, employment, and sustainment activities associated with joint operations.c.DCAPES provides over 5,000 users with near real-time integration of USAF operations planning, manpower requirements, personnel availability, and logistics requirements. In short, DCAPES is used by Unified and USAF COCOM, Joint Staff, HQ USAF, USAF Major Commands (MAJCOMs), Numbered Air Forces (NAFs), USAF Field Operating Agencies, USAF Direct Reporting Units, Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard wing/base planners to:.Receive and analyze War Planning and Execution (WPE) taskings.Access and compare WPE data in different databases.Exchange WPE data with other Command and Control (C2) systems.Perform feasibility and capability analysis in support of operations, manpower, personnel, logistics, and transportation requirements.Develop, compare, and prioritize alternative courses of action.Prepare documents that support Joint Strategic Capabilities Plan, Unified Commands, and Air Force requirements and taskings.Create and maintain War and Mobilization Plan (WMP) data.Create and manage Unit Type Codes (UTCs).Produce and edit Time-Phased Force and Deployment Data (TPFDD); and.Develop other planning and execution documents. 3.System Overview DCAPES is an Air Force standard Automated Information System (AIS) that handles classified information in the System High Security Mode with both commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) and government-developed software. DCAPES is crucial to planners and unit deployment managers worldwide to plan for deployment of personnel, supplies, and equipment to meet various exercises, real-world contingencies, and wartime taskings. Long-term maintenance is in accordance with the HQ 554 ELSW/ Systems Engineering Process (SEP). DCAPES is a member of the Force Projection and Readiness (FP&R) portfolio managed by HQ 554 ELSG/FC. DCAPES provides the USAF with the ability to perform specific, detailed operational planning and execution that complements Joint Service planning performed through Defense Information System Agency's (DISA's) Global Command and Control System (GCCS).a.DCAPES serves as the foundation of integrated Air Force planning and execution systems that interface with GCCS and JOPES, all residing in the Common Operating Environment (COE). DCAPES is implemented at Headquarters USAF, Major Commands (MAJCOMs), Direct Reporting Units, Field Operating Agencies, Air National Guard/Air Force Reserves, and wing/base installations worldwide. b.DCAPES is currently performing development work to loosely-couple the interface solution between DCAPES and JOPES. DCAPES is engaged in four releases of content for the DCAPES program baseline, FY10 through FY12. In addition to meeting warfighter needs, these releases are early stages of an overarching evolution of DCAPES capability to net-centric operations and adaptive war planning and execution initiatives.c.DCAPES consists of a set of segments residing on the Defense Information Infrastructure Common Operating Environment (DII COE)/GCCS that is evolving to a service-oriented architecture. The future of technology for delivering DCAPES capabilities to end users includes: cooperation in an environment of service providers and consumers, a service delivery pipeline, performance baselines relevant to mission effectiveness, and flexible off-the-shelf software designed for common technology needs. 4.Background for Unit Type Management Requirement Summary An as-is operational architecture captures the Unit Type Management requirements. A Process Improvement to Practice engagement provided findings relevant to future requirements development. The overall requirements process is at a strategic crossroads as process improvement initiatives combine with other sources of warfighter priorities. The following summary is provided as background material only. The Unit Type Management component provides the USAF with a user-friendly, fast and efficient user interface to create new and maintain completely detailed Unit Type Codes (UTCs) from level-1 (summary - Mission Capability (MISCAP) Statements) to level-6 personnel (Air Force Specialty Code, Functional Area Code, Special Experience Identifier - AFSC, FAC, SEI respectively) and level-6 logistics (tool in box/National Stock Number). A complete catalog of UTM approved UTCs is known as the Air Force Manpower (Force) and Equipment Force Package (MEFPAK) summary. UTM is a capability composed of information technology services meeting the following requirements:A)UTM shall provide the ability to update and transmit the Type Unit Characteristic (TUCHA) standard reference file maintained by the joint community. UTM shall provide the capability to:a)Transmit new UTC and pertinent UTC changes to the existing TUCHA and service repository;b)Ability to pass all UTCs or one or more UTCs based on user-entered criteria; c)Allow user to generate Interface file products including the TYPREP File output product;d)Provide the ability to track and display the date/time each UTC was passed to update the TUCHA file in JOPES.e)Vocabulary: UTC - Unit Type Code, TUCHA - Type Unit Characteristic, TYPREP - Type Unit Data Report, JOPES - Joint Operations Planning and Execution SystemB)UTM shall provide the capability to update the Type Unit Characteristic (TUCHA) standard reference file maintained by the joint community.C)UTM shall provide the capability to transmit new UTC and pertinent UTC changes to the existing TUCHA and Active, Guard, and Reserve repositories (Air Force, Navy, Army, Marine Corp, Coast Guard)D)UTM shall provide ability to subscribe to one or more UTCs based on user-entered criteriaE)UTM shall provide the ability to allow user to generate Interface file products (.xml, text,.html, etc) including the TYPREP File outputF)UTM shall provide the ability to track and display the date/time each UTC was passed to update the TUCHA file in JOPES. Includes Unit Type Code (UTC), Type Unit Characteristic Updates (TUCHA), Type Unit Data Report (TYPREP), etc., updates.G)UTM shall provide the ability for Major Command (MAJCOM) users to initiate registration requests for new unit types, modify existing unit types, request for data change and cancelation and data maintenance. UTM shall provide the capability to:a)Allow user to initiate: i)Request for a new UTCii)Request to change registration data for an existing UTCiii)Request to cancel an existing UTCb)Allow user to modify a UTC registration request that is in Working or Published status by changing the status of a UTC registration request from status:i)Working to Publishedii)Incomplete to Working, and/oriii)Delete UTC registration requests that haven't been submitted to higher headquartersc)Allow user toi)Maintain reference data relating to Deployment Identification (DEPID) codes, UTC functional groupings and data associated with functional area managers (FAMs)ii)Take actions on submitted UTC registration requests appropriate for their assigned roleiii)Take actions for higher headquarters personnel to review and approve or disapprove registration requests for standard unit types.d)Vocabulary: UTC - Unit Type Code, DEPID - Deployment Identification, FAM - Functional Area ManagerH)UTM shall provide the ability for Major Command (MAJCOM) users to initiate registration requests for new unit types and modify existing unit types.I)UTM shall provide the ability to allow user to initiate:a)Request for a new UTCb)Request to change registration data for an existing UTCc)Request to cancel an existing UTCJ)UTM shall provide the ability to allow user to modify a UTC registration request that is in Working or Published status by changing the status of a UTC registration request from status:a)Working to Publishedb)Incomplete to Working, and/orc)Delete UTC registration requests that haven't been submitted to higher headquartersK)UTM shall provide the ability to allow user to:a)Maintain reference data relating to Deployment Identification (DEPID) codes, UTC functional groupings and data associated with functional area managers (FAMs)b)Take actions on submitted UTC registration requests appropriate for their assigned rolec)Take actions for higher headquarters personnel to review and approve or disapprove registration requests for standard unit types.L)UTM shall provide the ability for a user to maintain reference data relating to Deployment Identification (DEPID) codes, UTC functional groupings and data associated with functional area managers (FAMs).M)UTM shall provide the ability for a user to take actions on submitted UTC registration requests appropriate for their assigned role.N)UTM shall provide the ability for a user to take actions for higher headquarters personnel to review and approve or disapprove registration requests for standard unit types.O)UTM shall provide the capability to allow personnel to view all requests for action, review, approve or disapprove draft mission capability statements, manpower, and equipment details associated with standard unit types, and assign UTC maintenance responsibilities. UTM shall provide the capability to:a)Allow user to conduct Unit Type Management by moving working versions of mission capability statements, manpower and logistics detail data to the standard detailb)Display the status of any UTC request or approved UTC based on any status codec)View UTC registration requests with associated UTC manpower and logistics datad)Be able to enact the registration action associated with an approved request for a new UTC by:i)Change the registration data for an existing UTC and/orii)Cancel an existing UTCiii)Allow user to:(1)Designate responsible commands and pilot units for standard unit types and notify units of pilot unit changes and(2)Change the status of working version manpower force element (MFE) detail and MISCAP data between command and base levels(3)Track coordination of UTC requests within Higher HQ and MAJCOM Staff for registration and maintenance purposes(4)Provide the capability for the appropriate users to approve or disapprove the manpower and logistic data for a registered UTC.e)Vocabulary: UTC - Unit Type Code, MFE - Manpower Force Element, MISCAP - Mission Capability, HQ - Headquarters, MAJCOM - Major CommandP)UTM shall provide the capability to allow personnel to query, compare and produce reports on working and approved UTCs. UTM shall provide the capability to:a)Allow user to generate:i)Working Version UTC History reportii)Registration Request Coordination Reportiii)The following standard reports:(1)Title(2)MISCAP and Manpower Force Element Detail Listing (MFEL)(3)Title/ Summary Listing(4)Incomplete/Conflicted UTCs(5)Logistics Force Packaging (LOGFOR) UTC Summary(6)LOGFOR NSN Summary Report(7)Logistics Progress Report(8)LOGFOR Materiel List(9)Title and Detail Listing(10)AFSC/FAC Extract,(11)Manpower and Equipment Force Packaging system (MEFPAK) (One Line) Summary Report(12)Multiple MFE Comparison Listing (Detail only)(13)Two MFE Comparison Listing (Title and Detail)b)Capability to create a verification report that ensures the proper data elements exist for each UTCc)Display combat and combat support UTCs based on user supplied parameters (e.g., MAJCOM, base, or all) using an on-line systemd)Search and retrieve specific unit type data based on user- specified criteria (e.g., mission capability, pilot unit, responsible MAJCOM)e)Display with validation supportability against individual specialty code (Air Force Specialty Code), military grade, Functional Account Code (FAC) and special experience identifier reference dataf)Allow users to create, maintain, display and validate against data associated with AFSC prefixes and manpower duty titles.g)Vocabulary: UTC - Unit Type Code, MISCAP - Mission Capability, MFEL - Manpower Force Element Detail Listing, LOGFOR - Logistics Force Packaging, NSN - National Stock Number, AFSC - Air Force Specialty Code, FAC - Functional Account Code, MEFPAK - Manpower and Equipment Force Packaging system, MAJCOM - Major CommandQ)UTM shall provide the capability to create, modify, store and delete unit type detail. UTM shall provide the capability to:a) Allow appropriate users at higher HQ, MAJCOM, and unit levels to view, create, modify, and delete unit types (as-required versus the current quarterly update)b)Create:i)unit type and associated manpower detail either from scratch or by adapting an existing unit type or ii)new working version UTCc)Copy MFE detail and/or MISCAP data from a UTC into a working version UTCd)Perform mass conversions of attributes associated with manpower detail (e.g., AFSCs, SEIs, grades) for groups of unit typese)Modify existing UTC registration dataf)Delete working version manpower data from the database; delete a standard UTC from the databaseg)Maintain MFE detail through mass conversion of FACsh)Maintain data associated with the number of aircrew members in each standard unit typei)Add, modify, and delete MFE detail and MISCAP data for a working version UTC from the keyboardj)Sort the order of presentation of the extracted unit types based on user specified criteriak)Allow for Wing Level Users to have access to UTC Management information based on Roles and Permissionsl)Store Manpower and Equipment Force Packaging (MEFPAK) data which consists of:i)UTC title description which consists of the 5 alphanumeric string which uniquely identifies the UTC, the deployment indicator code which is defined in table 6.3 of AF MAN 10-401, Unit Level code which indicates the relative organizational level of the UTC (flight or element), and title which consists of number of components such as force type, basic mission, and freeform force descriptionii)Mission capabilityiii)Logistics details (e.g., size, weight, national stock number, quantity) andiv)Manpower details (employment functional code, AFSC, grade, special experience identifier, and quantity), andv)Summary of total personnel, total measurement tons, and total STONs.m)HQ - Headquarters, MAJCOM - Major Command, UTC - Unit Type Code, MFE - Manpower Force Element, MISCAP - Mission Capability, AFSC - Air Force Specialty Code, SEI - Special Experience Identifier, FAC - Functional Account Code, STON - Short TonR)UTM shall provide the capability to create, modify, store and delete UTC logistic detail. UTM shall provide the capability to:a)Allow appropriate users at higher HQ, MAJCOM, and unit levels to view, create, modify, and delete UTC logistical detailb)Integrate approval process and update UTC LOGDET from unit level to HQ USAF levelc)Provide a permissions role for:i)MAJCOM level user to identify a MAJCOM level LOGDET manager ii)MAJCOM level LOGDET manager to designate a pilot unit and approve "working copy" LOGDETsd)Limit the ability to update any UTC to the tasked pilot unite)Track the date/time/userid of LOGFOR data in a UTC was last updated (when updates are made at any level)f)Copy LOGFOR UTC data at all levels based upon roles and permissions; allow Pilot Units to copyi)Entire UTCsii)Completed increments, items and suffix items to create new UTCs iii)Increments, items and suffix itemsg)Mass change UTC data at all levels based upon user roles and permissionsh)Allow Pilot Unit user to make mass updates in UTCs for which they are the pilot uniti)Designate Pilot Unit user to be able to update LOGFOR data such as Increment (Level 4), Item (Level 5), Suffix Item (Level 6) data, and CALM dataj)Allow Pilot Units to add/modify/delete increment level detail, item level detail, and suffix item level detail to the working copy LOGDETk)Allow Pilot Unit, MAJCOM LOGDET manager, and/or the HQ USAF LOGDET manager to enter data (up to 255 characters) in the Remarks fieldl)Create and maintain National Stock Numbers (Needs to be merged with LOGFAC)m)Allow access to use standard definitions ofi)Functional Account Codesii)hazard codesn)Create and maintain multiple standard HQ USAF functional manager records for each UTCo)Associate load planning data such as dimensional data, increment type, identify hazards with increments of cargop)Allow Pilot Units to copy/add/modify/delete CALM and TCMD data to the working copy LOGDETq)Copy LOGDET (level 4-6) from registered UTCs in MEFPAK that have a status code of zero (HQ USAF Approved LOGDET) from Logistics Force Packaging System (LOGFOR) to a PID. r)Vocabulary: HQ - Headquarters, MAJCOM - Major Command, UTC - Unit Type Code, LOGDET - Logistics Detail, USAF - US Air Force, CALM - Computer Aided Load Manifesting, LOGFAC - Logistics Feasibility Assessment Capability, LOGFOR - Logistics Force Packaging System, TCMD - Transportation Control and Movement Document, MEFPAK - Manpower and Equipment Force Packaging System, PID - Plan Identification Number 5.Referenced requirements-related documentation (provided under separate cover)A)AF Instruction 10-401, Air Force Operations Planning and Executiona)AFI10-401.zipB)Capability Development Document for Deliberate and Crisis Action Planning and Execution Segments (DCAPES) a)DCAPES_CDD_V_2_3_for_J-6_Certification.zipC)Process Improvement to Practice products. In group sessions June through October 2008, the Process Improvement to Practice team constructed an end-to-end view of a portion of the business of War Planning and Execution. The initial scope of the process improvement was Unit Type Code (UTC) management. Specific goals of the PITP team were to:.Leverage existing resources to improve the management of UTCs.Identify shared services from the business view supporting UTC management.Show traceability from the needs of the business to supporting technical behaviorThe team's analysis showed opportunities to improve quality, visibility, and accuracy of data as well as increase process efficiencies and improve data sharing in the UTM process. The PITP team produced a set of documentation:a)Log_Flow_Action_Orchestration.xlsb)Log_Flow_SVCConfig_AlertMgmt.xlsc)Log_Flow_SVCConfig_DataGroups.xlsd)Log_Flow_SVCConfig_RoleMgmt.xlse)Log_Flow_SVCConfig_StateMgmt.xlsf)Log_Flow_SVCConfig_ViewMgmt.xlsg)LogicalFlow_RoadMap_UTCMgmt.doch)LogicalView_Checkpoint_Oct2008.ppti)UTC_Management_SourceSystemBaseline.docD)DCAPES Operational Architecture for UTM as of 27 Oct 09 (arch products for UTM.zip)a)UTM.docb)UTM-MEFPAK LDM.docc)UTM SV-5.xls E)DCAPES Database Design Documenta)DCAPES v4104 DBDD.zipF)Traceability to DCAPES requirements (FPJ UTM.zip)a)DCAPES Requirements by Module through 4100.xlsx (instructions for viewing: filter on Module=UTM, Cap No.=6 or NECC Requirement=fpj.01.06.01-05b)FPJ_UTM_ReqShell_01_06_06_20080229.docx
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