USDA FSIS - Public Health Information System (PHIS) - MRAS

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), through the General Services Administration (GSA), is conducting market research to support the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) in enhancing its Public Health Information System (PHIS). The PHIS is a critical web-based software application designed to streamline and integrate various food safety functions such as import management, export management, domestic production inspections, and risk analysis. By leveraging this system, FSIS aims to ensure that the nation's commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products remains safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled in compliance with federal law.

The primary objective of this solicitation is to secure services that will facilitate the modernization and maintenance of the PHIS. This includes project management, sprint management for iterative development cycles, solutions management encompassing code and database updates, as well as operations and maintenance support. The intent is to utilize a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) with reusable components like Authorization Service and User Notification Service. Additionally, the system incorporates a Python analytics environment for data analysis and pattern detection within disparate datasets.

Contractors will be expected to work within an Agile Development Life Cycle (ADLC) framework to support continuous improvement of the PHIS. The contract type is anticipated to be Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) or Fixed Labor-Rate basis under a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA). The period of performance for this single-award BPA includes a 12-month base year followed by four optional 12-month extensions. This structure ensures that FSIS can maintain its commitment to food safety through sustained technological enhancements over a potential five-year span.

In addition to technical expertise in software development and system integration, contractors must adhere to stringent security requirements outlined by federal standards such as FIPS 199. This includes safeguarding information systems against unauthorized access while ensuring confidentiality, integrity, availability of data, privacy compliance under applicable laws like the Privacy Act. Successful implementation will require close collaboration with USDA stakeholders while maintaining compliance with all relevant security protocols.