R -- SOURCES OF INTEREST IN PRPOVIDING EXPERT GUIDANCE TO IMPLEMENTING SOFTWARE CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT, QUALITY ASSURANCE AND SOFTWARE TESTING BEST PRACTICES, TOOLS AND OPERATIONS.

Notice Date

October 18, 2000

Contracting Office

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Division of Administration-Acquisition Services Branch, 550 17th Street, N.W., Room 1700PA-4139, Washington, DC 20429

ZIP Code

20429

Solicitation Number

PR00328-2000

Response Due

November 1, 2000

Point of Contact

Karen Farrington, Contracts Specialist 202-942-3246

E-Mail Address

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Contracts Office (KarenFarrington@fdic.com)

Description

The FDIC is seeking sources of interest in providing expert guidance in implementing software configuration management, quality assurance and software testing best practices, tools and operations. It is anticipated that these services would be obtained from a single vendor. Therefore, partnerships that result in the availability of industry experts for each of these key areas may be appropriate. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS. The purpose of this notice is to develop a list of qualified firms that can provide these services. A response to this request for information does not guarantee that a firm will be included on any forthcoming solicitation to procure these services; however, we encourage all interested firms to advise FDIC as to their qualifications. Background: The FDIC routinely builds customized software applications of significant size and complexity to support the specialized activities of its business areas, using both in-house and external developers to plan, code and implement systems. The systems represent a broad range of platforms, languages and technology. An effort is currently underway to strengthen the development process by implementing robust tools, procedures and development/test environments that support solid configuration management, full-cycle testing, and formal quality assurance. Experts are being sought who have demonstrated experience in designing and implementing such programs on a global basis in corporations. The new processes and any tools that would be adopted would be used across the board on all development efforts, both current and new. Anticipated Requirements: 1) A multi-year contract; 2) Intensive consultative services in the earliest phase of the contract to examine and recommend industry best practices appropriate for a nationwide organization, in the areas of CM, Software Testing and Software QA; 3) Technical expertise to recommend and construct an optimal environment for testing systems in all phases prior to production; 4) Operational expertise in subsequent phases of the contract to support the implementation of configuration management libraries and other related activities, prepare test plans/scripts and conduct tests, and provide professional quality assurance activities; 5) Experienced resources who will draft CM and testing program documentation specific to the needs and requirements of FDIC; 6) Solid evaluation services to identify optimal tools to support CM, testing and QA activities, as well as resources to assist in implementing such tools. Respondents to this Request for Information should provide the following: 1) A general statement of the respondent company's capabilities; 2) Examples of the respondent company's past experience providing services at a similar level; 3) Information as to whether the respondent company offers services under the GSA Schedule; and, 4) A brief, high-level description of how the respondent company would approach the requirements listed above, with particular attention given to how the company would provide industry experts to identify and facilitate global changes within an established development culture, and provide ongoing support to ensure the success of the proposed changes. Responses should be not more than five single-spaced pages in length. Firms responding to this announcement which fail to provide the requested information may not be considered for inclusion on any resulting source list.

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20001020/RSOL010.HTM (W-292 SN5045Y2)