Benefits Enterprise Services (VA-25-00006417)

Request for Information Benefits Enterprise Services Introduction This request for information (RFI) is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered an Invitation for Bid, Request for Quotation, or a Request for Proposal. Additionally, there is no obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services described in this RFI. Your response to this RFI will be treated only as information for the Government to consider. You will not be entitled to payment for direct or indirect costs that you incur in responding to this RFI. This request does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter into negotiations to award a contract. No funds have been authorized, appropriated or received for this effort. The information provided may be used by the VA in developing its acquisition strategy and refining its Performance Work Statement (PWS). Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary, restricted or competition sensitive information contained in their response. The Government does not intend to pay for the information submitted in response to this RFI. Be advised that set-aside decisions may be made based on the information provided in response to this RFI, including the availability of Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert) certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) and Veteran Owned Small Businesses (VOSBs) that are capable of providing the services identified in the attached PWS. An SDVOSB/VOSB company that is not registered and certified in the Small Business Administration s (SBA) VetCert database (https://veterans.certify.sba.gov/) should not respond to this notice. Responses should be as complete and informative as possible. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) for this requirement is 541512, Computer Systems Design Services. 2. Submittal Information: All responsible sources may submit a response in accordance with the below information. There is a page limitation for this RFI of 15 pages. The Government will not review any other information or attachments included, that are in excess of the (#) page limit. NO MARKETING MATERIALS ARE ALLOWED AS PART OF THIS RFI. Generic capability statements will not be accepted or reviewed. Your response must address capabilities specific to the services required in the attached draft PWS and must include the following: Interested Vendors shall at a minimum, provide the following information in the initial paragraph of the submission: Name of Company Address Point of Contact Phone Number Fax Number Email address Company Business Size and Status For SDVOSBs and VOSBs - Your company s intent and ability to meet the set aside requirement in accordance with VAAR 852.219-73 (JAN 2023) (DEVIATION) VA Notice of Total SDVOSB and 13 CFR 125.6, which states the contractor will not pay more than 50 percent of the amount paid by the Government to it to firms that are not SDVOSBs. Your response shall include information as to available personnel and financial resources; proposed team members and the PWS requirements planned to be subcontracted to them, which must include the prime planned percentage or the names of the potential team members that may be used to fulfill the set aside requirement. NAICS code(s) Socioeconomic data Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Existing Contractual Vehicles (GWAC, FSS, or MAC) Describe in detail capabilities and experience providing comprehensive development, security, and operations (DevSecOps) Product support, while developing and implementing modernization, artificial intelligence, and machine learning efforts. Describe in detail how your company will ensure information security and quality requirements are continuously managed, organized, and coordinated across the SDLC for each product supported by the BAM Portfolio. Describe in detail capabilities and experience in collaboratively developing and hosting platform architecture and creating solutions, services, and data for sharing and reuse across VA products. Describe in detail capabilities and experience supporting portfolio-level requirements management intake and ensure alignment on the delivery of business value outcomes. Describe in detail capabilities and experience implementing a Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipeline and test automation across highly integrated systems on shared platforms. Describe in detail capabilities and experience implementing Site Reliability Engineering practices to include Zero Trust Architecture, proactive monitoring, and resolution of operations issues. Describe in detail capabilities and experience managing multiple large-scale DevSecOps products teams and execution of efforts that traverse more than 230 concurrent agile development teams. It is VA s intent to award the Benefits Enterprise Services (BES) contract during the final year of the BID TO (VA118-16-D-1007 36C10B21N10070021) in order to accommodate potentially a 6-month transition period between contracts to ensure that all services are fully transitioned to BES no later than May 18, 2026. Describe in detail capabilities and experience transitioning large-scale and complex modernization efforts of similar size and scale for the products supported by the BAM Portfolio. Provide feedback and recommendations regarding major technical milestones and schedule risks associated with successfully transitioning product support and development services from the BID Task Order to the BES contract, which will include the transition of approximately 15 Systems Teams and 230 Agile Development Teams supporting eMPWR, C&P, Memorials, BIA, and Appeals Product Lines. Has the draft PWS provided sufficient detail to describe the technical requirements that encompass the software development and production operations support services to be performed under this effort. ______ YES _______ NO (if No, answer question f) If NO , please provide your technical comments/recommendations on elements of the draft PWS that may contribute to a more accurate proposal submission and efficient, cost effective effort. Responses are due no later than 1:00 PM EST on December 2, 2024 via email to Vanessa Woodward, Contract Specialist at vanessa.woodward@va.gov; Sarah Kuna, Contract Specialist at sarah.kuna@va.gov and Dana Newcomb, Contracting Officer at dana.newcomb@va.gov. Please note Benefits Enterprise Services in the subject line of your response. Mark your response as Proprietary Information if the information is considered business sensitive. The email file size shall not exceed 5 MB.

Background
This Request for Information (RFI) is issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for planning purposes only, aimed at gathering information to assist in developing its acquisition strategy and refining its Performance Work Statement (PWS). The VA's mission is to provide high-quality services to veterans. This RFI seeks input from interested parties, particularly those certified as Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) and Veteran Owned Small Businesses (VOSBs), regarding their capabilities to support the Benefits Enterprise Services (BES) contract.

Work Details
The contractor will be responsible for providing comprehensive development, security, and operations (DevSecOps) product support while implementing modernization efforts that include artificial intelligence and machine learning. Key tasks include:
1. Ensuring continuous management of information security and quality requirements across the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) for products supported by the BAM Portfolio.
2. Collaboratively developing and hosting platform architecture and creating solutions for sharing across VA products.
3. Supporting portfolio-level requirements management intake to ensure alignment with business value outcomes.
4. Implementing a Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipeline along with test automation across integrated systems.
5. Applying Site Reliability Engineering practices, including Zero Trust Architecture and proactive monitoring.
6. Managing multiple large-scale DevSecOps product teams that work with over 230 concurrent agile development teams.
7. Transitioning services from the previous BID Task Order to the BES contract, ensuring a smooth handover of approximately 15 Systems Teams and 230 Agile Development Teams supporting various product lines such as eMPWR, C&P, Memorials, BIA, and Appeals.
8. Providing training and help desk support while transitioning legacy systems functionality to new platforms.

Period of Performance
The Period of Performance includes one 12-month base period with four additional 12-month option periods, allowing for a total potential performance duration of five years.

Place of Performance
The contract work will be performed at contractor facilities as specified in their Task Execution Plan submission.