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FBO DAILY - FEDBIZOPPS ISSUE OF JUNE 12, 2013 FBO #4218
DOCUMENT

D -- Questions and Answers for VA118-13-R-0227 - Attachment

Notice Date

6/10/2013
 

Notice Type

Attachment
 

NAICS

541519 — Other Computer Related Services
 

Contracting Office

Department of Veterans Affairs;Technology Acquisition Center;260 Industrial Way West;Eatontown NJ 07724
 

ZIP Code

07724
 

Solicitation Number

VA11813R0227
 

Archive Date

8/9/2013
 

Point of Contact

Brian Klug
 

E-Mail Address

8-5590<br
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Description

How many internal users of this system exist today (internal only - not self-service Kiosk users)? 500 Internal Users What percentage of their day is spent accessing the images stored within the current ECM solution? Images are utilized constantly throughout the workday. What is the current technology being used for the insurance application? Stellent (which bought out "Optika") scanning system. The system was installed in 2000. For the imaging solution are there current solutions being used within the VA that a potential vendor must provide or is the VA open to any solution as long as they meet the technical requirements outlined in this RFP? VA Insurance is open to any solution as long as it meets the technical requirements outlined in the RFP. Can the VA define the 12 month period - is this for deliverables including software, hardware and services to be delivered during this 12 month time period after award? Or is the VA looking for a cloud solution or shared service to be provided? The 12 month period is for deliverables including hardware, software, and services. There are specific timeframes listed within the RFP for each respective category. Is IPD a solution or a division within the VA that will allow for the insurance application integration? Insurance Products Division (IPD) is a division with the Insurance Center that works directly for Insurance, and only Insurance. The IPD is staffed with our in-house developers and programmers. This staff will be working directly with the contractor to develop/code any integration components. Is there an imaging reference architecture already established within the VA - and where can this be viewed on the portal? The Insurance imaging system is separated from any other VA imaging initiative. We are a stand-alone system. The contractor is responsible for the front end imaging and integration per the PWS, we already have our own workflow system established. What kind of bar codes are being used in the current application? Please see attachment titled "Barcode Imaging Examples". It is an image of what are majority of our regular barcodes look like. We print them out on separate barcode printers. Also attached is a copy of the patch code that we utilize just for VMLI. We note 25 users of the Capture application. How many users will be accessing the repository? Approximately 10 users will have this type of permission. Clarification to previous question: How many total users will be accessing the repository for retrieval, viewing, editing etc? Is it going to be more than 35 total users including the repository and capture application? For viewing: approximately 500 Insurance staff members For editing: Less than 10 (Administrator privileges) IBM Filenet P8 and IBM Business Process Manager are listed in TRM. These products come bundled by IBM in a package called Production Imaging Edition which includes Datacap. Can Production Imaging Edition be used to answer the solicitation in light of the fact that Filenet P8 and BPM are listed in TRM? As long as the Production Imaging Edition meets the criteria within the PWS as well. Does the current Dell Chassis have available empty slots to accept additional blade servers? If yes, how many slots are available? What type (i.e. 1u, 2u, etc.) of slots? (in reference to PWS 5.2.1 Imaging Application and Scanner Hardware) Insurance will need a new disk shelf for expansion. Our current shelf is full, and utilizes 2u slots. Does data center have spare power/space to accept additional chassis? If yes, please provide the type and amount of additional power that is available, the amount of floor space available for additional racks, and the amount of space available in current racks that may be utilized for additional chasses. (in reference to PWS 5.2.1 Imaging Application and Scanner Hardware) Insurance will have room for any solution that is provided by the contractor. Is the current SAN capable of being expanded? If yes, how many slots are available? What type (i.e. 1u, 2u, etc.) of slots? (in reference to PWS 5.2.2 Storage Hardware) Yes the current SAN can be expanded. Insurance will need a new disk shelf for expansion. Our current shelf is full, and utilizes 2u slots. Does the data center have space power/space to accept additional chassis for the SAN? If yes, please provide the type and amount of additional power that is available, the amount of floor space available for additional racks, and the amount of space available in current racks that may be utilized for additional chassis. (in reference to PWS 5.2.2 Storage Hardware) Insurance will have room for any solution that is provided by the contractor. Please provide the Model and type of SAN. (in reference to PWS 5.2.2 Storage Hardware) SAN is a Dell Compellent Is PowerVault expandable? If yes, how many slots are available? What type (i.e. 1u, 2u, etc) of slots? (in reference to PWS 5.2.3 Backup Expansion) Yes the current SAN can be expanded. Insurance will need a new disk shelf for expansion. Our current shelf is full, and utilizes 2u slots. Does the data center have space power/space to accept additional chassis for the PowerVault? If yes, please provide the type and amount of additional power that is available, the amount of floor space available for additional racks, and the amount of space available in current racks that may be utilized for additional chassis. (in reference to PWS 5.2.3 Backup Expansion) Insurance will have room for any solution that is provided by the contractor. How is Commvault software licenses? (in reference to PWS 5.2.3 Backup Expansion) Our current licenses from Commvault come in sets of 8. In order to develop a project plan to migrate the documents we need Application Programming Interface (API) for the current system. Can the Government please provide the API for the current system? (in reference to PWS 5.5 Data Migration) We do not have the API readily available. In order to develop a plan and process to develop the taxonomy for the new system, we need the taxonomy for the current system. Can the Government please provide the taxonomy of content for the current system? (in reference to PWS 5.5 Data Migration) Our current taxonomy is setup as such: We have clerical staff that opens, sorts, and preps documents. This staff also affixes barcode labels to the mail. The pages are then scanned, and the barcode labels will allow the software to read which Veteran Account, and which "profile/folder" within that account the image should be placed. Examples of profiles are: Claims, Correspondence, Applications, Returned mail (There are more than what are listed) After the images are indexed into their proper accounts and profiles, then Insurance's VICTARS database is updated, and Insurance's workflow generates a new task. PWS paragraph sates that the contractor "shall provide maintenance and technical support for both Insurance imaging solution hardware and software during the hours and days listed under section 4.1." Section 4.1 does not list the required hours of support, what are the system support hours required? Regular System Support is between 6am-6:30pm. However, during installation of the system, upgrades, and any time system problems occur, the contractor shall provide service outside of regular business hours if necessary. These timeframes will be mutually approved between the COR and contractor before service occurs. What are the parameters concerning folder structure, inherited permissions, naming, etc? (in reference to PWS 5.2.2 Storage Hardware) Folder structure is a traditional hierarchical tree structure. They are organized by batch, and then by day, and then by month/year. Future permissions will be decided between the contractor and Insurance. At this moment they are custom designed, user-specific permissions. At what times and days I the system being accessed during the day, or is availability required 24 hours per day? (in reference to PWS 5.2.2 Storage Hardware) Regular System Support is between 6am-6:30pm. However, during installation of the system, upgrades, and any time system problems occur, the contractor shall provide service outside of regular business hours if necessary. These timeframes will be mutually approved between the COR and contractor before service occurs. What is the current software solution being used to print and manage barcodes? (in reference to PWS 5.3.4 Interface to Existing Barcode Printers) The barcode printers are all Intermec barcode printers. We will not be replacing them. We currently have a few PX4i Intermec printers, the others are older and are 'Intermec EasyCoder' barcode printers. We have approximately 25 printers total. The software is part of our current Stellent Software package. A new solution will need to be provided in order to interact (print and read) with the barcode printers Please provide a complete list of all CFE currently utilized to execute this project. All equipment shall be furnished by the contractor for this project. Does the Government anticipate that any GFE will be utilized by the awardee in the execution of this effort (image capture, metadata capture, content and source file storage, and retrieval system)? If so, please provide a list of all GFE. Insurance already has a workflow system. The contractor's imaging solution will have to integrate with Insurance's workflow system. The workflow system is written in VB.NET. How many FTE's does the current incumbent provide? How many of those are dedicated to the infrastructure and how many are dedicated to production? There are currently approximately 6 FTEs on this project. They are split about evenly between infrastructure and production. For document pages that are larger than 11" x 17" what is the maximum width of a page? On average with 11x17 long Death Certificates, Insurance can get anywhere from 50 to 100 per day. Any 8x14 we receive is minimal. Sizes should not exceed 11" in width. Is there a current requirement to convert color documents? If so, what is the approximate breakdown (by percentage) of color and b/w documents? The percentage is unknown. Color documents are currently converted to black and white/grayscale documents. Please follow NARA guidelines/best practices for the proper percentage. What reassembly is required for source documents after scanning? This is how our current Stellent system works: After the image has been scanned, the image goes through a program called E-scan, which pushes the image through to another program called Filer. Once Filer has the image into it's batch, the image is deleted from E-Scan after being successfully migrated. Filer then places the image into the VICTARS database. Once the image is successfully in VICTARS' database, the image in Filer is deleted. Will a transition period be provided for the purpose of educating new staff in the procedures and software of the scanning system and to assure an orderly handoff from the incumbent contractor? There will be a transition period provided, the exact timeframe TBD between the contractor and Insurance after award. Is it required that our proposed solution to be aligned with the department's established IT architecture and information assurance policies? If yes, please provide all applicable architecture and policy documentation. VA Insurance requires that the contractor follow VA's guidelines for Standard Images and Utilities. Any other guidelines are listed within the RFP. Is it desired that our solution leverages the currently licenses ECM in place at the VA (VBMS), or are you looking for an autonomous departmental solution? Yes, VA Insurance has a separate scanning/workflow system from VBMS What is the square footage of the current work spaces available for this project? TBD. The square footage that will be provided will depend on the solution that contractor supplies. What is the room size(s) (length and width) of the GFE office space provided for this task? TBD. The square footage that will be provided will depend on the solution that contractor supplies. How many 110 volt electrical outlets are available in the GFE office space? TBD. We are able to work with what the imaging solution requires. How many 220 volt electrical outlets are available in the GFE office space? TBD. We are able to work with what the imaging solution requires. How many electrical circuits are used for the available 110 volt outlets? TBD. We are able to work with what the imaging solution requires. How many electrical circuits are used for the available 220 volt outlets? TBD. We are able to work with what the imaging solution requires. What is the size of the door opening to the GFE office space? Insurance has standard door openings, as well as double doors. Insurance also has a loading dock and freight elevator. We will make accommodations (within reason) to get the imaging system into the building. What is interconnect technology is utilized between the Compellent san and the dell blade servers? (i.e. SAS, FC, etc) SCSI and FC Are there available SAN connectivity ports on the Dell chassis? Yes. Is the requirement for an individual scanner capable of scanning a minimum of 200 pages per minute? Is the requirement for scanning hardware capable of scanning a minimum of 200 pages per minute met if two 100 page per minute scanners are provided? (in reference to PWS section 5.2.1 IMAGING APPLICATION AND SCANNER HARDWARE) RFP Adjusted to reflect each scanner should be capable of "scanning a minimum of 100 PPM". Please verify that products bid for this procurement are either not required or required to be listed on the One-VA TRM. (in reference to PWS 6.1 ENTERPRISE AND IT FRAMEWORK) At this time, One-VA TRM is utilized as guidelines for products that have already been approved and tested on VA IT Infrastructure. It is not required that products be listed on One-VA TRM, however, VA Insurance will have to provide a justified system need if there is a product that is not listed on One-VA TRM. Per Section 5.2.1, section f, the system must be able to scan 10,000 pages a day. That is up to 40 bankers boxes of paper. What happens to that paper post scanning? Is it destroyed? Do you send it to a Federal Records Center? The average workload per day is 4,000 pages. However, we have had days of much higher workload, thus the 10,000 page per day requirement. Post paper scanning is either kept off site or destroyed. VA Insurance has business rules to make that determination. Who is the incumbent? MTS Software VICTARS integration: To help size this integration effort, is there a detailed list of specific capabilities that the integrated solution must support? What VICTARS documentation can we have right now in order to understand the extent of effort for this integration? Integration with Insurance Self Service website: Same questions as VICTARS integration Is the Test system allowed to have its own updatable storage area (in addition to read-only access to production images) to test image ingestion? Is there a need for a Development environment in addition to Production and Test environments? Is the current "1.5 million Terabytes of data" a typo? Are there 16 million documents or pages? The RFP references 16 million documents as well as 16 million images. We will need to know the average number of pages per document if there are 16 Million "documents". Are the documents versioned? If they are versioned, do they need all versions and the version information retained or do they only need the most recent version of the document? Do the documents have associated annotations that need to be converted? If so what type of annotations and can we get samples of each type? Is the target storage for documents a filestore (SAN) or protected storage (Centera, Netapp Snaplock, Hitachi HCAP)? How is the metadata stored (i.e. in a database or some other way)? Can the VA extract the metadata and content into a flat file format or do they require us to extract the content and metadata? Is any conversion of the content required (i.e. convert from existing format to pdf)? 1. Existing imaging system: a. Will there be a pre-proposal submission opportunity for vendors to participate in a walk-thru of the current system? b. What environment houses the existing image repository? E.g., Oracle? Are images stored inside of database cells or via hypertext links? c. Are only images stored in the image repository? (vs. versionable documents and/or metadata/administration fields.) d. Are original documents to be scanned hand-written or machine printed? If hand-written, what percentage of each image (page) is hand-written? Is the information that gets stored in the barcode handwritten? e. How many people are doing data entry today? How many scanners are used? What type of connection (cables) are used today to provide an interface between data entry stations and existing scanners? f. Does the scanning workload have 'peaks and valleys'? If so, what is the peak requirement? g. What percentage of new forms/documents scanned relate to a pre-existing case/File Number? h. Does every barcode or patch code always imply a new document? I.e., are the bar codes at the batch level or at the document level? 2. Development: a. Is the Agile Integrated Database Environment (AIDE) available for vendor development use? b. Will the VA allow access to existing licenses (e.g., for Oracle and Web Logic) or must the vendor provide their own licenses? c. Are end users retrieving images directly thru VICTARS or is VICTARS providing metadata which the users use to retrieve images directly from the image repository? d. Does the VA expect the vendor to provide new data entry workstations for the new imaging system? e. What fields will be involved with the integration between the new Imaging Solution and the VICTARS? f. Is it acceptable to design/provide a solution that allows end users to log directly into the proposed image repository to retrieve an image, vs. going thru the VICTARS system? g. Does the VA expect the vendor to provide new data entry workstations for the new imaging system? 3. Storage: a. Section 5.2.2 - Storage Hardware (page 23) i. Please describe the current storage environment, e.g., the number of Dell Compellent arrays and the type connectivity to be provided. ii. Please clarify the current capacity, the RFP states that "approximately 1.5 million Terabytes of data is currently contained in the Dell Compellent system". A million terabytes is equal to approximately 1 Exabyte, is the government stating the requirement for this RFP is to provide a storage solution that contains the capacity of 1.5 Exabytes? iii. Please provide the approximate capacity of each image that is being stored. iv. Section 5.2.3 states that a backup solution of disk-disk-to-tape is being used; is the storage required for backup included in the total listed in Section 5.2.2? b. Section 5.2.3 - Backup Expansion (page 23) i. What is the amount of data that is being backed up? ii. What is the retention period of the data that is written to tape? iii. Is the data being written to tape for recovery or archive purposes? iv. What is the change rate of the data that is being backed up? v. Please identify the number of tapes that are being written daily, and the number of tapes that are being stored off site. vi. Is back up to tape a requirement or is Disk to Disk to Disk acceptable? vii. What is the backup schedule, i.e. daily, weekly, monthly, Incremental, full? i. Is there a retention period on disk vs. physical tape? What is it? ii. How much data is being backed up in each incremental backup and each full back up? iii. How large is the backup window? c. Section 5.5 - Data Migration (page 29) i. Section 5.2.3 states that the government is currently using a backup methodology of disk-disk-to-tape, is the government requesting the vendor migrate the backup data that is stored on tape? d. Section 5.9 - Hardware Disaster Recovery (Optional Task) (page 32) i. Regarding the requirement, "The Contractor, in case of a disaster, shall deliver all imaging hardware necessary to replicate the imaging solution production environment to VA IC designated disaster location within one week of exercising the Hardware Disaster Recovery optional task."; is the contractor being asked to electronically "replicate" the production environment to a DR location, or is the contractor being asked to provide replacement equipment that will be a replica of the production environment? 4. Integration: a. What fields will be involved with the integration between the new Imaging Solution and the VICTARS? b. Regarding 5.3.4 (page 26), please provide information on the interface to the existing Intermec barcode printers. 5. Users: a. How many users of the Imaging Solution will there be? Maximum users? Concurrent users? How many add documents to the repository? How many access documents from the repository? b. Section 5.8, page 31, states that 25 VA staff members will require training for the proposed imaging system. How many users search for and retrieve images from the existing image repository on an hourly basis? Are there additional staff that access the image repository on a daily or weekly basis? c. How many names in the Active Directory?
 

Web Link

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(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/a78b1a85a2c29b79cc4f8095a1fb1122)
 

Document(s)

Attachment
 

File Name: VA118-13-R-0227 VA118-13-R-0227_1.docx (https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/FBODocumentServer/DocumentServer.aspx?DocumentId=799478&FileName=VA118-13-R-0227-008.docx)

Link: https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/FBODocumentServer/DocumentServer.aspx?DocumentId=799478&FileName=VA118-13-R-0227-008.docx

 

File Name: VA118-13-R-0227 Barcode Imaging Examples.pdf (https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/FBODocumentServer/DocumentServer.aspx?DocumentId=799479&FileName=VA118-13-R-0227-009.pdf)

Link: https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/FBODocumentServer/DocumentServer.aspx?DocumentId=799479&FileName=VA118-13-R-0227-009.pdf

 

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Record

SN03085462-W 20130612/130611001011-a78b1a85a2c29b79cc4f8095a1fb1122 (fbodaily.com)
 

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