Inactive

Please see attached Question and Answer (Q&A) Document. This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE for a Market Research ONLY to determine the availability of small business firms for a potential small business ... Please see attached Question and Answer (Q&A) Document. This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE for a Market Research ONLY to determine the availability of small business firms for a potential small business category type set-aside. No proposals are being requested or accepted with this synopsis. NO AWARD will be made from this Sources Sought. NO SOLICITATION, SPECIFICATIONS, OR DRAWINGS ARE AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME; therefore, do NOT request a copy of a solicitation. Potential offerors having the skill, and capabilities necessary to perform the described project are invited to provide feedback via email to Ms. Lashanda Areghan, lashanda.d.areghan@usace.army.mil. All responses will be used to determine the appropriate acquisition strategy for a potential future acquisition. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this notice or any follow up information requests. Particularly, the purpose of this NOTICE is to gain knowledge of potential small business sources to include small business in the following categories: Certified 8a, Certified HUB Zone, Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB), and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) for a Market Survey for a Service Contract for Research and Development for the Engineer Research and Development Center. The capabilities will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining to set aside the action for the Small Business Community or to conduct as an Other Than Small Business Procurement. Other than Small Businesses may respond to this NOTICE in the event the market does not indicate Small Business interest, however, preference will be given to the Small Business categories listed above. The government must ensure there is adequate competition among the potential pool of available contractors. The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) requires research and advisory subscriptions that will deliver objective research, expert strategy guidance and a variety of implementation toolkits. Licensed access to research, tools, executive peer advisors and expert analysts will empower ERDC leaders to advance critical priorities and initiatives, such as: Modernizing organizational processes to enhance and leverage internal data as strategic assets. Formulating organizational processes in line with the USACE Enterprise D&A strategy and principles for collecting, assessing and using internal data. Enhancing ERDC priorities with energy, infrastructure and quantum computing capabilities. Defining, accelerating and achieving research priorities. Developing digital stress testers to defend against cybersecurity attacks and enhance organizational resilience. The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) has an upcoming research advisory subscription license acquisition that may include tasks similar to the following examples: Inquiry Discussions and Document Reviews with Technology Strategy Research Experts License shall provide access to an unlimited number of 30-minute inquiry discussions with strategic IT research experts. Inquiry discussions may also be used for document reviews of strategic plans, job descriptions, assessment results, RFPs and other types of IT strategy documents. Inquiry Discussions and Document Reviews with Supply Chain Strategy Research Experts License shall provide access to an unlimited number of 30-minute inquiry discussions with supply chain strategy research experts. Inquiry discussions may also be used for document reviews of strategic plans, job descriptions, assessment results, RFPs and other types of supply chain strategy documents. CDAO Executive Peer Advisor License must provide a dedicated partnership with an Executive Peer Advisor who possesses demonstrated leadership background or subject matter expertise in the D&A domain. CDAO Executive Peer Advisor must possess at least 15 years of IT/D&A experience. Executive Peer Advisor shall perform a role solely dedicated to delivering strategic recommendations and serving as a sounding board for the license holder. At a minimum, the CDAO Executive Peer Advisor will engage with their aligned Government license holder on at least a monthly basis in virtual strategy meetings focused on their critical priorities. Objectivity and Independence in Research Industry Best Practice Research and Tools All research agendas and tools available through research subscriptions must be grounded in a verifiable approach that demonstrates practices of complete objectivity and absence of vendor bias. No past or planned research shall have been done on a “sponsored” or “commissioned” basis. Both sponsored research documents and commissioned white papers create an unacceptable risk of conflict of interest. Deep, Broad and Current Library of Technology Strategy Research License must demonstrate a proven capability to equip the Government with access to at least 3,000 new IT-focused research documents published each year. All research must undergo a formal publication and review process. The Government only considers reports and tools as valid pieces of research. Social media posts, webinars, event titles, podcasts, press releases and duplicated reprints of the same research reports do not meet the Government’s defined need for deep research analysis, industry best practices, case studies, actionable recommendations and usable tools. Proprietary Vendor and Technology Evaluation Research Methodologies License must provide access to proprietary vendor research methodologies designed to assist IT executives and technology end users in making unbiased decisions and evaluations of vendors. License must provide access to a research methodology that helps technology end users assess and monitor the risks and opportunities of specific technologies. License must provide access to a research methodology that provides an unbiased assessment of how well technology providers within a specific market are performing against a uniform set of evaluation criteria. License must provide access to a research methodology that provides deep insight and analysis into vendor product/service offerings and rate those solutions against common use cases. License must provide access to a research methodology that helps monitor vendors, trends and significant attributes within specific markets. License must provide access to a research methodology that provides detailed analysis on a single major technology provider within the technology industry, assessing various aspects of that vendor’s products, support capabilities, pricing models, technologies, financials, corporate strategy and organizational structure. Strategic Business Content for Technology/IT Leaders In addition to research covering traditional and emerging IT topics and trends, license shall provide access to research on business topics that intersect with the technology industry. Business content must demonstrate non-IT coverage within the domains of Finance, HR, IT, Legal & Compliance, Audit & Risk, Product/Service Management, Marketing and Customer Support/Experience. License must include, at a minimum, business focused content and coverage of the following topics: corporate strategic planning, risk response strategies, enterprise risk management process, finance technology, product/service management and organization design/change management. Executive Leadership Content License must provide access to research agendas and content targeted to executive leadership topics. License must provide, at a minimum, executive leadership content and coverage focused on the following topics: digital strategy, driving sustainability, navigating innovation and disruption, leadership dynamics, strategic risk management and workforce dynamics. Technical Implementation (“How To” Roadmaps) and Deployment Research License shall provide access to IT technical implementation research that provides advice and roadmaps on “how to” deploy specific IT related programs for enterprise IT staff. This research must be distinctly different insight compared to guidance on “what to” select for solutions available in the Technology Strategy Research Library. Research must consist of blueprints, guidance frameworks, solution comparisons and other deeply technical analysis. License library shall include specific coverage for technologists in applications/software engineering, data and analytics, infrastructure & operations, security & risk management. Reference Architectures License must provide access to specific guidance frameworks and reference architectures for deploying IT related programs and initiatives. License must offer access to over 100 different pieces of reference architecture content spanning over 50 different use cases, including editable blueprints, implementation roadmaps and alternatives for developing technical architecture. Reference architectures must be organized based on capabilities that include, at a minimum: Data & Analytics Services; Platforms; User Experiences & Devices; Applications, Systems and Services; Software Delivery & Operations; Infrastructure; and Security and IAM. Deep, Broad and Current Library of Supply Chain Strategy Research License must demonstrate a proven capability to equip the Government with access to at least 500 new supply chain-focused research documents published each year. All research must undergo a formal publication and review process. The Government only considers reports and tools as valid pieces of research. Social media posts, webinars, event titles, podcasts, press releases and duplicated reprints of the same research reports do not meet the Government’s defined need for deep research analysis, industry best practices, case studies, actionable recommendations and usable tools. Regional CIO and IT Executive Research License must demonstrate a proven capability to provide the Government with access to research produced specifically for regional CIOs and IT executives delivered in a community-style collaborative experience. The Government’s representative must have the opportunity to vote on regional CIO and IT executive research topic(s) and participate in regular meetings among this defined community. The license must include access to a peer-driven reports produced by a specific community of analysts and based on a topic of the Government’s choosing. Time-Saving Tools for Defining Requirements License must demonstrate an ability to assist the Government in defining requirements through tools that communicate industry best practices for effective procurements and acquisitions in specific technology topic areas. Templates that assist Government leaders in building Requests for Proposals (RFPs) or Requests for Information (RFI) must be provided through the research license. Team-Based Workflow Tool for Technology Purchase Decision-Making License shall provide access to a collaborative workflow tool that creates a structured process designed to streamline vendor evaluations in a centralized workspace. The tool must contain at least 100 templates for purchasing IT products and must be accessible through a self-service application that allows participation by team members, including non-license holders. Benchmarking Data and Key Metrics License must provide access to IT benchmarking metrics that are timely and relevant to Government technology leaders. Metrics must have been collected from at least 1,500 sources. Source of benchmarking metrics must provide Government-specific metrics and guidance, including IT Resource Distributions, IT Spending per Employee, and IT Spending Percent Change annually. IT Budgeting Tool Based on Benchmarking Data License must provide a web-based DIY benchmark tool that provides visibility into current IT spend to help the Government manage IT cost and identify cost and value optimization. This IT budget-specific benchmark shall include metrics for comparison such as total IT spend and staffing, strategic IT spend, IT spending by technical function, IT spending by asset category, IT staffing by technical function and IT security spending and staffing. Maturity Assessment Tools for Technology Functions License shall provide access to editable, self-service maturity assessment tools that assess the current capabilities and maturity levels of specific IT and technology functions within the Government enterprise. Each self-service maturity assessment tool shall intake provide a customized report for each assessment, provide an enterprise maturity score and ratings for different roles and functions, and allow surveys to be delegated to anyone in the organization. Survey capability must allow regular or repeated completion as needed, and a library of previously completed assessments must be accessible in the online research platform. Maturity Assessment Tools for Supply Chain Functions License shall provide access to editable self-service maturity assessments in areas relevant to the Government, including supply chain logistics, supply chain plan as well as supply chain budget process evaluation that the Government can use to assess its current capabilities and prioritize investments and focus on specific functions. Each self-service maturity assessment tool shall intake provide a customized report for each assessment, provide an enterprise maturity score and ratings for different roles and functions, and allow surveys to be delegated to anyone in the organization. Survey capability must allow regular or repeated completion as needed, and a library of previously completed assessments must be accessible in the online research platform. D&A Function Maturity Assessment License must provide access to an editable self-service maturity assessment for the D&A organization that the Government can use to assess its current capabilities and prioritize investments and focus in specific areas. The self-service maturity assessment should provide a customized report for each assessment, provide an enterprise maturity score and ratings for different roles and functions, as well as allow surveys to be delegated to anyone in the organization. D&A Functional Leadership Effectiveness Diagnostic License must provide access to an online self-assessment and diagnostic tool that enables the user to benchmark and understand their personal effectiveness as a D&A leader compared to peers and receive tailored, actionable insights to improve effectiveness in their role. The tool must measure performance against top-performing CDAOs across key functional areas, including leadership, skills, culture, operational excellence and business outcomes. In addition to providing an overall effectiveness measure, the tool must provide tailored, actionable recommendations and resources on areas to improve, as well as identify key areas of strength that can be leveraged to improve effectiveness. Data Literacy Assessment License must provide access to a data literacy assessment tool that enables the Government to assess an individual’s overall data literacy, gauging strengths and weaknesses while targeting areas for development. I&O Function Maturity Assessment License must provide access to an editable self-service maturity assessment for the I&O organization that the Government can use to assess its current capabilities and prioritize investments and focus in specific areas. The self-service maturity assessment should provide a customized report for each assessment, provide an enterprise maturity score and ratings for different roles and functions, as well as allow surveys to be delegated to anyone in the organization. I&O Functional Leadership Effectiveness Diagnostic License must provide access to an online self-assessment and diagnostic tool that enables the user to benchmark and understand their personal effectiveness as an I&O leader compared to peers and receive tailored, actionable insights to improve effectiveness in their role. The tool must measure performance against top-performing I&O executives across key functional areas, including leadership, workforce development, I&O optimization and enabling an I&O-driven enterprise. In addition to providing an overall effectiveness measure, the tool must provide tailored, actionable recommendations and resources on areas to improve, as well as identify key areas of strength that can be leveraged to improve effectiveness. I&O Initiative Guidance Tools and Research. License must provide access to research that provides step-by-step guidance on how to execute specific I&O initiatives. The research must include access to tools such as case studies, downloadable templates, keys to success, common mistakes to avoid and tools to facilitate initiative execution. To successfully achieve ERDC’s data and analytics, cybersecurity and supply chain goals, ERDC requires continued access to D&A industry best practices, supply chain resilience tools and expert guidance spanning both IT and supply chain. North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) Code applicable to this sources sought is 541511, Custom Computer Programming Services. The Small Business Size Standard for this sources sought is $34 million. Interested companies responding to this sources sought should include the following information: Company Name, mailing address, email address, point of contact, phone number, statement regarding small business status (including small business type(s)/certifications(s) such as SDB, 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB, etc.) 2. A copy of SAM.GOV active registration. Must reflect Entity Unique Identification Number, Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code, and Reps/Certs. 3. Capability statement displaying the contractor’s experience and ability to provide the services, to include past performance information. If past performance information is provided, please include only relevant past performance on the same/similar work within the last 5 years. Please also include in past performance information the contract numbers, dollar value, and period of performance for each contract referenced. 4. Identify whether your firm is interested in competing for this requirement as a prime contractor or not. Identify subcontracting, joint ventures or teaming arrangement that will be pursued, if any. 5. Does your company have a facility clearance? Yes or No. If so, what level of facility clearance (SECRET/TOP SECRET)? DD254 may be required.