~ -- ~net AaVlsory Multi_S~tep Process

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D -- SBInet Advisory Multi-Step Process

Attachments tO~ec__ialNotice0004 01 - Posted on Mar 07, 2006

General Information

Document Type: Special Notice

Solicitation Number: SBInetSpecialNotice0004
Posted Date: Mar 07, 2006
Original Response Date: Mar 14, 2006
Current Response Date: Mar 14, 2006
Original Archive Date: Mar 29, 2006
Current Archive Date: Mar 29, 2006
Classification Code: D -- Information technology services, including telecommunications
services
Naics Code: 541512 -- Computer Systems Design Services

Contracting Office Address

DHS - Border and Transportation Security, Customs and Border Protection, Office of
Procurement, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Room 1310 NP, Washington, DC, 20229

Description

Please read this entire notice carefully as it constitutes the only notice that will be issued regarding
the Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Protectiongs (CBP) SBInet 9 Advisory
Multi-Step Process. ¯ .

Customs and Border Protection intends to issue a Request for Proposal that may result in the
award of an indefinite deliver/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract. This contract is to provide
services, products and management needed to ensure accomplisl-nnent of the CBP SBInet
Initiative, to achieve border control through the optimum mix of staffing, infrastructure and
technology. The focus of SBInet is securing the land borders at and between the Ports of Entry
(POEs) of the United States of America and establishing a Common Operational Picture (COP)
within DHS. The Solicitation/Request for Proposal number has not yet been assigned.
documents applicable to this special notice will be available via the Internet at All
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contrtact/sbi net/.

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Interested parties are invited to respond to this Special Notice, which is issued following the
procedures described under FAR 15.202. This method also correlates with use of a Statement of
Objectives for performance-based support under a single integration support contract for CBP?s
multi-year SBInet Program. Telephone requests for this Special Notice cannot be honored and
no prospective offerors list shall be maintained. Please note that no questions will be accepted
during Phase 1 of the Advisory Multi-Step Process, described below. The anticipated Request
for Proposal (RFP) (Phase 2) release date is March 31, 2006. Please ensure the reference
number and program title (U.S. Customs & Border Protection 9 Secure Border Initiative, SBInet)
is referenced on all correspondence. "

ADVISORY MULTI-STEP PROCESS:

This advisory multi-step process is divided into two (2) phases. Phase 1 consists of the
submission of Vendor Capability Statements, agency evaluations of the capability statements, and
subsequent advisory notifications to vendors of their likelihood of being a viable competitor. To
preserve the integrity of the on-going solicitation, the government will not entertain any phone
calls, emails, questions, or communication of any kind during this phase. Phase 2 consists of the
solicitation, proposal evaluation, and award.

Phase 1 ? Submission of Vendor Capability Statements, Agency Evaluations and Advisory

Notifications
This phase includes submissions of Vendor Capability Statements the SBInet Relevant Experience
Questionnaire, followed by CBP?s assessment and the advisory notifications.

A. Submission of Vendor Capability Statements:

Interested vendors are invited to submit Capability Statements describing the information
requested in the Vendor Capability Statement Instructions below. Vendor Capability Statements
and the accompanying Relevant Experience Questionnaire forms must be submitted via email to
SBInet@dhs.gov no later than Tuesday, March 14, 2006, 9:00 am EST. Please ensure the RFP
number and program title (U.S. Customs & Border Protection 9 Secure Border Initiative, SBInet)
is referenced in the subject line of the email. "

Responding to a performance-based solicitation, especially one utilizing a SO0 that seeks

contractor-developed solutions requires a significant effort on the part of contractors to propose to
the government. It also requires a substantial effort on the part of the agency’s evaluation team
to evaluate an array of different approaches and solutions. Though the advisory notifications are
not a competitive range determination, it is the agency?s intent and approach to limit the
competitive pool to those select few contractors most qualified to offer a successful solution thus
limiting the number of contractors that will go through the time, expense, and effort of developing
proposals. Contractors contemplating competing for this performance-based contract award are
asked to carefully review the attached SBInet Program Background, and Capability Statements
and Criteria documents to make a realistic self-assessment as to their potential viability.

B. Agency Evaluations:
The Vendor Capability Statements will be evaluated based upon the areas and criteria identified in
the Vendor Capability Statements Instructions below. The agency will complete the Phase 1
advisory multi-step process without communicating with the vendors who provide submissions.
There will be no opportunity for questions during this phase.

C. Advisory Notifications:
CPB will issue advisory notifications stating that the respondent will either be invited to

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 ~ -- blSlnet Advisory Multi-Step Process
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participate in the resultant acquisition, or, based on the information submitted, the respondent is
unlikely to be a viable competitor. As explained in FAR 15.202(b), Advisory Multi-Step
Process, ??.The agency shall inform all respondents that, notwithstanding the advice provided by
the Government in response to their submissions, they may participate in the resultant
acquisition.?

Phase 2 ? Solicitation, Proposal Evaluation and Award of an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity

(IDIQ) contract
This phase will be initiated by issuing a formal RFP. Offerors will be required to submit
detailed technical and cost proposals, management plans, proposed performance measures, and
subcontracting plans. The RFP will also identify initial (or possibly sample) tasks to be
completed by the selected offeror following contract award. To ensure that the government
receives the best proposal, prospective offerors will be provided an opportunity to participate in
a ?due diligence? period where prospective offerors meet with key agency representatives to learn
as much as possible about the SBInet program, mission goals, and requirements in order to
develop a competitive solution.

Vendor Capability Statement Instructions and Relevant Experience Form

CBP only expects capability statements from qualified prime contractors. The capabilities of any
potential sub-contractor(s) or partner(s) may be incorporated into a single capability statement.

Instructions: Firms should respond to the Presolicitation Notice by addressing the topics listed
below. The total page number should not exceed twenty-five (25), (excluding Vendor
Capability Forms and Relevant Experience Forms) and headings and topics may be consolidated
when practical.

1) Corporate History/Viability ? a brief description of the company, its services, its current
financial status, and its viability in support of a long-term initiative for SBInet.

2) Experience ?
i) Business: Identify up to three prime contract efforts that demonstrate your company?s
experience as an integrator and show your work with one or more of the following: U.S.
Department of Homeland Security; Department of Defense, Department of Energy or international
organizations involved in border control, air and coastal surveillance, communication and tactical
infrastructure; and/or the security industry.

ii) Relevant Past Performance: Identify up to three prime contract efforts of similar size,
scope, and complexity as the SBInet Program. Provide a summary of each contract using the
attached templates: (1) Vendor Capability Statement and (2) Relevant Experience Form. The
reference contracts can be with Federal, commercial or other customers.
similar to SBInet in the following areas: Efforts cited should be
(a) Infrastructure
(i) Experience constructing and/or deploying large physical infrastructure (e.g. perimeter
security, border control);
(ii) Experience conducting site acquisition (fee simple, lease, easement, etc.), feasibility
studies and design work, and construction activities for complex barrier systems, lighting systems
and personnel facilities;
(iii) Experience coordinating complex construction activities with federal government service
providers e.g. (U. S. General Services Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Joint Task

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 ~ ,- blSlnet Advisory Multi-Step Process
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Force North, etc.);

(iv) Experience conducting/coordinating environmental planning and compliance activities for
complex construction projects;
(v) Experience conducting/coordinating complex construction activities in hostile
environments (geographical remote site, conflict conditions, volatile climatic conditions, diverse
terrain, subterranean, etc.).

(b) Personnel (?human capital?)

(i) Experience in recruitment, hiring, training, staffing positions with the right people,
retaining key personnel;
(ii) Experience in advising agencies in enhancing their hiring programs, training programs,
staffing models, personnel resource allocation;
(iii) Experience in supporting organizational change management;
(iv) Experience working with large labor unions.
(c) Technology
(i) Experience with innovative use of Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS), Government-Off_
the-Shelf (GOTS) products;
(ii) Level of Effort (LOE) ? Similar integration efforts with several large scale projects that
you think are comparable in scope to what was presented at Industry Day (Reference
http ://www. cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contractingisbi net/industry_day/;
(iii) Logistics - Maintenance and support of large--scale system;
(iv) User Diversity ? Systems developed for use by internal staff, external customers and
partners with similar populations to those of CBP: internal and local, state, tribal, and other local
law enforcement;
(v) System Diversity ? System modernization efforts with a similar number of impacted
systems:
? systems that collect, evaluate and disseminate data
? interoperability, flexibility, adaptability, scalability
? Enterprise-wide processing solutions, telecommunications systems
? Detection and communications systems (e.g. border detection systems, sensors).
(d) Project Scope ? System development projects that demonstrate experience in state of the
market surveillance and decision support, including:
(i) Integrated Solution Delivery ? Developing, integrating and maintaining state-of-the-market
solutions in support of the customer?s operation;
(ii) Legacy system ? Implementing a development plan that includes evaluating and
integrating, where appropriate, legacy systems into the new system design.

(e) Legal and Regulatory Complexity ? Developing, integrating and implementing systems
that have, as their basis, statutes and regulations that require tracking, reporting, analyses and
follow-up activities.

iii) Technical Capability: Identify your company?s capabilities in the following technical
areas:
(a) CMMI: Program planning and management of large ?system of systems? at the CMMI
Level 3 or higher (indicate whether independently certified or self-certified)
(b) ISO Certification
(c) Large, distributed system development and deployment with experience in developing
software intensive surveillance, geographic information systems, communications and command
and control systems

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(d) Operator Interface design with extensive experience in human factors engineering

iv) Performance-based Contracting: Identify your staff, s and companygs experience with the
following: ¯
(a) Working in a performance-based contracting environment that includes incentives and/or
disincentives
(b) Working with a customer to develop appropriate performance measures/metrics and then
evolving those measures/metrics over time.

Point of Contact

Ronald Rosenberg, Contracting Officer, Phone 202-344-2500, Fax null, Email SBInet@DHS.gov

.Government-wide Numbered Notes

You may return to Business Opportunities at:

¯ DHS-BT USCS listed by [Posted Dat_e]

¯ DHS-BT Agencywide listed by [Posted Dat_e]

[Hom_____~e] [SEARCH synopse_ss] [P!:~-¢_ure__n_a_e3_a_t__R__.e__f_e_r_en__c_e__Li_hr__ar_y.]

http://wwwl.fbo.gov/sow, DHS_RT/! lqc~q/r~r~r~r~on,-,,,,-,,o~,

 SBinet Department of Homeland Security
Customs & Border Protection

Vendor Capability Statement

Respondent:

2) Experience (Use this matrix for each of the prime contracts you cite that demonstrate
~ant
O experience)
~ ¯
~ .. , .......

Contract Period of Performance (include [ Amount of Time Actualb, Wort-,~n

option renewals~ " / .... : ,~,,,~

b) Personnel:

c) Technology:

l integrated Solutions Delivery experience-

___1 Earned Value Mana~-~-~nt and ~

~:
Client 2 Client Name
Contract Period of Performance (include
stion renewal; Amount of Time Actually Worked
if contract is still in
a) Infrastructure:

b) Personnel:

c) Technology:

Vendor Capability Statement

 SBInet Department of Homeland Security
Customs & Border Protection

~) vroject Scope: (describe overview)

Integrated Solutions Delivery experience:
Evaluation & Integration of Legacy Systems:
Earned Value Management and reporting
e) Legal and Regulatory Complexity:

Client 3 Client Name I ’

Contract Period of Perfo~ance (include I Amount of Time Ac~ally Worked
option renewals) (indicate if contract is still in progress):
Infrastmc~re:

b) Personnel:

c) Technology:

d~ Project Scope: (describe overview)

Integrated Solutions Delivery experience:
Evaluation & Integration of Legacy Systems:
Earned Value Management and reporting
e) Legal and Regulatory Complexity:

3) Performance-based Contracting
a) Describe experience and
accomplishments working
m a performance-based
contracting environment
and implementing
incentives/disincentives:

b) Describe experience and

accomplishments working
with a customer to develop
appropriate performance
measures/metrics and then
evolving those metrics over
time:

Vendor Capability Statement

2
 SBInet Department of Homeland Security
Customs & Border Protection

SBInet Relevant Experience Questionnaire

Company Name:

Referenced Contract:

Instructions: Offerors will complete the following worksheet for each contract provided as a reference. Please fill-in the
blocks as appropriate for each question. Limit narrative to brief, pointed responses, not to exceed 5 sentences per item.
Elaboration, if applicable, should be included in the Vendor Capability Form.

ITEM DESCRIPTION
1 Is the contractor the prime for the referenced effort? UANTITY NARRATP

2 What is the total contract value (e.g., price, task amounts and/or cost

3 What is the average annual dollar amount of IT purchases (hardware

and software) from suppliers and subcontractors during the term of
the referenced contract?
4 What is the average annual dollar amount of sensors and video
surveillance e u~ent?
5 What percent of the total contract was allocated to small business,
minority, disadvantaged, veteran-owned, women owned firms and ss - (%,- (%,
WOSB $) $)
other socio-economic firms? How much was actually spent in
subcontracting and teaming with these firms? VOSB - (%, $)
DSB - (%, $)
6 What is the hours-per-day/days-per-week schedule of support
24
7 Is the contract’s scope comparable to SBlnet system integration?

8 How long does the contractor retain its key personnel?

9 Were all proposed key personnel available and started work upon
contract award?
10 Did the contractor work directly with other contractors who also
direct su_Ep_~ort to the client?
Does the contractor’s approach to systems integration include
implementing a service-oriented architecture strategy or similar
,?
12 Has the contractor integrated any command and control centers, C4
with central command centers?
13 Has the contractor standardized and integrated any command centers
to each other and other agencies? lfso, how many? (This includes
. and internet public access ~
14 Did the contract result in consolidating system interfaces
to those within CBP?
Did the contractor successfully implement and conduct a pilot test
that entailed an inte solution?
16 Has the contractor integrated networks and equipment that entailed
and authorizations to use?
What number of major program applications were developed and
 SBInet Department of Homeland Security
Customs & Border Protection

ITEM DESCRIPTION
maintaine Lperiod? YES/NO UANTITY NARRATIVE
Does the contract require development of major systems and
applications that were highly diverse in border security, incursion
detection, marine assets, aerial assets, intelligence, law enforcement,
vehicle tracking and administrative databases?
19 Cite the number of major systems (i.e., mainframes and major
applications) requiring information exchange and interoperability
with other systems (include systems under the contract and external
to the contract_.q.~_.
20 Does the contractor meet Capability Maturity Model® Integration?

21 Approximately how many different platforms exist(ed) under the

contract that were integrated and/or maintained?
22 Do the applications support a variety of transfer mechanisms (e.g.,
web services and batch files~
23 Did source codes for tailored applications convey to the
Government!commercial client?~ble, indicate "N/A"
24 Has the contractor had experience conducting site acquisition (fee
simple, lease, easement, etc.), feasibility studies and design work,
and construction activities for complex barrier systems, lighting
and_.personnel facilities?
25 Has the contractor had experience coordinating complex
construction activities with federal government service providers
(U.S. General Services Administration, U.S. Army Corps of
Joint Task Force Nort~
Has the contractor had experience conducting/coordinating
environmental planning and compliance activities for complex
construction projects?
27 Has the contractor had experience conducting/coordinating complex
construction activities in hostile environments (geographical remote
site, conflict conditions; volatile climatic conditions, diverse terrain,
subterranean, etc.?