B -- ECOMMERCE TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION AND METHODOLOGY

Notice Date

February 23, 2001

Contracting Office

NASA/Langley Research Center, Mail Stop 144, Industry Assistance Office, Hampton, VA 23681-0001

ZIP Code

23681-0001

E-Mail Address

Sandra S. Ray (S.S.RAY@larc.nasa.gov)

Description

This is a Request for Information (RFI) for ECommerce Technology Information and Methodology. NO SOLICITATION EXISTS; THEREFORE, DO NOT REQUEST A COPY OF THE SOLICITATION. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized in the CBD and on the NASA Acquisition Internet Service. It is the potential offerors' responsibility to monitor these cites for the release of any solicitation or synopsis. Prospective offerors are invited to submit comments or questions to Sandra S. Ray, Mail Stop 134, no later than March 09, 2001. In responding, reference 1-016-RFI-v2. Comments may be forwarded to Sandra S. Ray via electronic transmission at s.s.ray@larc.nasa.gov or by facsimile transmission to 757-864-8541 or Marie L. Smith via electronic transmission at m.l.smith@larc.nasa.gov or by facsimile transmission at 757-864-8863. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the review. Any questions regarding this announcement should be directed to the identified point of contact. JPL, LaRC, and MSFC are researching ECommerce products and technologies that could allow NASA to acquire goods and services from a global marketplace. This is a continuation of efforts begun under RFI Number 1-016-RFIv1.21 for ECommerce Technology Information and Methodology that was synopsized on October 20, 2000. NASA would like to see demonstrated products from vendors that are currently used by a significant number of customers to actively support those customers' ECommerce requirements and are a good representation of modern ECommerce technologies and methodologies. In order for NASA to ascertain the effectiveness of the product(s) in a production environment, we are asking participating vendors to provide three customer references with point of contact information, including phone number and email. The functionality list below is a representation of tasks typically involved in an electronic purchasing system. The respondents should be prepared to demonstrate as many of these tasks as possible with their product offering. This is not a limited list, and demonstration of additional features is welcome. Functionality to be addressed: A. Order Fullfillment: 1. Catalog Search (Ability to search an electronic or web enabled catalog from the user desktop or website) 2. Finding Goods and Services (Ability to supply products, services or both on an ECatalog and ECommerce solution) 3. Finding Vendor Sources (Source Selection) (Allows users to either search a vendor base by product, commodity, product description or otherwise locate a source for their need {new or existing}) 4. Specify Order Requirements (User has ability from desktop ordering interface to specify special requirements (i.e. shipping, configuration, etc.) 5. Filling the Shopping Cart (Requestor/end user has the ability to shop from ecatalogs or other listing and "add" items to a repository {shopping cart or basket} that will either become their order, or can be identified as a single requirement) 6. Supply Accounting Information (Parties involved in the procurement process have visibility into the accounts that are used, can generate reporting or other information sharing vehicles, can proactively/reactively check funding or spending levels, etc.) 7. Accounting Validation/Funds Check (The funding allocation/authority for a specified purchasing event can be checked somewhere during the procurement process by accessing the database on which the ECommerce solution resides) 8. Order Submission (User is able to generate the requirement, create the order, and submit it to the order fulfillment process) Order Tracking (Parties in the process have visibility, throughout the entire procurement process, to track progress and status of a purchasing event) Order Cancellation (Parties {user, funds management, etc.} have some way to cancel a requirement) 9. Receipt/Acknowledgement (Structure for displaying and transmitting receipt information {assets, payment, advance shipping notification, etc.} to the parties involved in the procurement process) 10. Delivery Options 10A. Desktop (Special features or functions that allow for delivery directly to the desktop, examples of specialized tracking that allows for scheduling delivery or service calls) 10B. Central Receiving (Functionality that streamlines, incorporates, bypasses or otherwise addressed the issues surrounding central receiving) B. Interfaces/Links/Customization 1. Funds check (The funding allocation/authority for a specified purchasing event can be checked somewhere during the procurement process by accessing the financial database that contains the account information) 2. Other local interfaces (Ability to interface to existing in house, home grown products. Examples of tools they use or suggest, or strategic ECommerce partners that allow for more efficient interface to existing systems) 3. Business rules (Product or functionality that allows the offering to map and incorporate existing business rules, policies or procedures that must be maintained for business continuity and legality) 4. Routing (Event tracking or other functionality that can be specialized by location to address special needs of each location but not change the input/output of the order) 5. Customized Catalog (The electronic catalog {eCatalog}, or other product and service listing, can be customized by location based on elements such as business rules, handling policies, cost allowability, etc.) 6. Personalization (Customized Look & Feel) (The individual web enabled site can be modified by the local user group to be more specific to the user community at that location) C. Security 1. User Authentication (Some security function that can either provide authentication or interface with an existing authentication function in the existing legacy system) 2. Encryption (Ability to either provide encryption for security or suggestion as to how that process could be incorporated into the eCommerce solution) D. Data Access (Demonstration of how the information in the database is accessed or similar tool that allows for access to the data) 1. Data Capture (Demonstration of how order information in the database is captured or similar tool that allows for capture of the data produced by the system) 2. Data Extract (Demonstration of how information (ordering, users, eCatalog, etc.) is extracted from the database or suggestion of a tool or partner that allows for extraction of the data.) Reporting 3. Site Analysis (Presentation or suggestion of a method of analysis of the ECommerce solution output that allows it to be analyzed and worked into a meaningful format) E. Vendor Management 1. Finding/Adding Vendors (Indication that the ECommerce solution offered has some methodology to add new vendors, suggest vendor alternatives, integrate an existing vendor base, etc.) 2. Supply Chain Management (The product offering demonstration indicates that the product somehow addresses the principles of supply chain management (i.e. inventory management, order tracking, frequently ordered items management, etc.) 3. Collaborative Commerce 4. Government Sources F. Pricing Models (Are there flexible or different pricing models for the ECommerce solution) 1. Pricing Methodology (How much/per) (The structure under which the ECommerce solution is priced and sold) 2. Maintenance (How is the system updated, patches applied, and otherwise maintained. What is the cost for maintenance) Along with the functionality listed above, NASA will also focus on how the product can be integrated with SAP financial software since NASA has acquired that software to be used as the core component of the Integrated Financial Management Project (IFMP) (http://www.ifmp.nasa.gov). This phase of our research invites each vendor to support a one-day effort at either NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL or NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA. The effort will consist of two parts. The first part will be a demonstration of the product(s). The second part will be to allow NASA to use the product(s) "hands on" to examine functionality, user interfaces, and test how the system can support the acquisition of actual NASA-related goods and services. Vendors are asked to examine product data on the SEWP II contract (http://www.sewp.nasa.gov) and the GSA Advantage site (https://www.gsaadvantage.gov/cgi-bin/advwel) to see a samples of types of products NASA acquires. NASA will schedule demonstration appointments by March 23, 2001. The one-day demonstrations are planned to be concluded by April 30, 2001. You may identify your preferred location and we will do our best to accommodate; subject to available time and location slots. Each vendor will be provided a data projector, an RJ45 ethernet connection to the Internet, and an environment conducive to a product demonstration. Vendors are expected to provide their own computers if specific client software, other than the standard install of Netscape Communicator 4.5, is required. This RFI requires that you respond by email to s.s.ray@larc.nasa.gov no later than March 9, 2001. If interested, your response should (1) address the above requirements, (2) include 3 customer references as specified above, (3) include a preferred location for the one day demonstration, (4) let NASA know if you plan to use the Internet connection so technical issues can be resolved beforehand, and (5) any special technical requirements you may identify.

Web Link

Click here for the latest information about this notice (http://nais.msfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/EPS/bizops.cgi?gr=D&pin=23#1-016-RFI-v2)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010227/SPMSC009.HTM (D-054 SN50E4C0)