Inactive

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION Microsoft Unified Support Alternatives Introduction: This is a Request for Information (RFI) only issued for conducting market research. Accordingly, this RFI constitutes neith... REQUEST FOR INFORMATION Microsoft Unified Support Alternatives Introduction: This is a Request for Information (RFI) only issued for conducting market research. Accordingly, this RFI constitutes neither a Request for Quote (RFQ), Request for Proposal (RFP), nor a guarantee that one will be issued by the Government in the future; furthermore, it does not commit the Government to contract for any services described herein. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is not, at this time, seeking proposals or quotes, and therefore, will not accept, review, or evaluate unsolicited proposals or quotes received in response hereto. This notice is not to be construed as a commitment on the part of the Government to award a contract, nor does the Government intend to pay for any information submitted because of this request. The Government does not reimburse respondents for any costs associated with submission of the information being requested or reimburse expenses incurred for responses to this RFI. The information provided may be used by VA in developing its acquisition strategy and Performance Work Statement (PWS) or Product Description (PD). Any information submitted by respondents to this RFI is strictly voluntary; however, any information received shall become the property of the Government and will not be returned to the respondent. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary, restricted, or competition sensitive information contained in their response. This is a request for information and does not obligate the Government in any way, nor does it commit the Government to any specific course of action. Product information, brochures, part numbers, and/or other description information may be included with the submission. Objective: VA is seeking information about the availability of third-party Microsoft Professional Support Services in the marketplace in order to replace our current Microsoft Unified Support services. Specifically, VA requests information and statements regarding company capabilities which match our Microsoft Unified Support needs. Background: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Information Technology (OIT), has a requirement to obtain Microsoft Professional Support Services to provide reactive problem resolution and high-end technical support for all deployed Microsoft products. The day-to-day functions of the VA infrastructure rely on many Microsoft (MS) products. While many companies are authorized to support MS products, VA has a routine need to bring in specialized support, technicians, engineers, and architects to assist with outages and other issues related to MS products. Due to the complexity of Microsoft products (multiple versions running and continual upgrading and patching), it is often necessary to have a MS expert immediately available to provide support. Having highly specialized certified MS professionals on contract cuts through layers of intermediate support and brings the specialist right to the source of any MS problem VA may encounter. During the performance of these services, VA will also undergo several projects and endeavors to optimize and mature the Microsoft products deployed within our environment, supporting our enterprise IT Platform in providing and delivering continuous improvement and maximizing our Microsoft investment. Scope: The purpose of this RFI is to gather information about the current market environment to fulfill VA s requirement for MS Professional Support services. MS Professional Support Services are required to support VA efforts in using and maintaining the Microsoft software, solutions, and technologies deployed throughout the Enterprise. These services include, but are not limited to, product support, trouble-shooting, and hot-fix issues required to sustain critical business information technology services and product optimization. The scope of the Microsoft Professional Support Services includes, but is not limited to, support for the Microsoft products currently deployed throughout the VA environment, as follows: Microsoft M365 Application Suite for Gov Community Cloud (GCC) M365 Security M365 Compliance Azure (Commercial and Gov Cloud) Azure Remote Desktop Services Active Directory and Azure Active Directory Visio Project GitHub Enterprise Services Visual Studio Exchange Online Dynamics 365 PowerBI PowerApps Common Data Services Bing Maps Core Infrastructure Suite SQL Windows Server Windows 10 and newer Alternative Microsoft Professional Support services will provide efforts in planning, implementing, deploying and optimizing Microsoft software, solutions, and technologies as needed. These services include, but are not limited to architectural design, knowledge transfer, and new product implementation. This RFI also constitutes a need for Consulting Services which include IT strategic planning, IT architecture design and deployment, knowledge transfer, and Microsoft Technology Strategy Services (MTSS) for the VA enterprise. Hours of Operation: The Contractor shall be available during normal business hours for the Government, between 8am to 5pm, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal Government holidays. The Government requires the Contractor to manage the hours in which staff operates so that service is provided when required within normal business hours. The Government hours of operation are 8am to 5PM, Monday through Friday, excluding Government holidays as follows: New Year s Day Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Washington s Birthday Memorial Day Juneteenth National Independence Day Independence Day Labor Day Columbus Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day Observance of such days by Government personnel shall not be reason for the Contractor to request an additional period of performance, or entitlement of compensation except as set forth within the contract. Place of Performance: The Contractor shall comply with the geographic requirements as specified by providing support within the Continental United States (CONUS). Majority of the work can be performed remotely, but may include in person on site meetings or work as deemed necessary by VA. Description of Requirements: VA has a requirement for Microsoft Professional Support Services to complete end-to-end managed support across the full Microsoft spectrum of products and services within the VA environment. Specifically, Microsoft Professional Support Services will assist in day-to-day Microsoft-related problem resolution, actively lead performance enhancement efforts, disaster recovery, and configuration management all while focusing on seamless knowledge transfer and continuity of services. Support is required, but is not limited to the following key areas: Support Account Management Problem Resolution Support Support Assistance Designated Support Professional specializing in specified products Information Services The Contractor shall provide dedicated support personnel to provide a comprehensive support experience that enables the VA enterprise to go beyond break-fix problem resolution by providing digital, proactive, and solution-specific services tailored to the needs of VA. The Contractor shall provide an end-to-end programmatic service approach, with proactive services and prioritized 24x7 reactive support spanning the full range of supported products. The Contractor shall provide Designated Support Engineers who shall manage the Government s incidents that are submitted to the Designated Support Team, known as Dedicated Support Engineers (DSEs). Specifically, the engineers will provide Designated Support for Platform technologies and support managers which includes both Support Assistance and Support Account Management (SAM). The SAM represents the administrative support for the ticket hours as well as the professionals provided by this contract and as such, acts as VA s advocate to Microsoft. This individual providing this support is known as a Technical Account Manager (TAM). The TAM validates calls and facilitates solutions from Microsoft. The TAM also provides VA a single point of contact for any emergency support that we require. Description of Engineering Services The Engineering Services include end-to-end managed support across the full Microsoft spectrum of products and services. The Microsoft Professional Support Services focuses on VA business priorities and on-premises or cloud-based software to achieve optimal performance of VA investments. For purposes of this RFI, a history of past Microsoft Unified Support staffing is provided below. Unified Field Support Categories Personnel Designated Support Engineer (Engineering Support) 16 Enterprise Architecture Support 5 Enterprise Development & Deployment Manager 4 Enterprise Support Consultant 8 Support Account Manager 7 Support Application Development Manager 2 Enterprise Task Manager 2 Ad-Hoc Professional Support Design, Development & Deployment Flex Credit Negotiated Amount Problem Resolution Support Credit Negotiated Amount For further clarification on this RFI, VA is seeking engineers to support the following tasks: Create a strategic program plan for delivering services aligned to the needs of our business Provide guidance, knowledge transfer, environmental assessments, troubleshooting services Proactively address risks, minimize downtime, streamline operations to improve efficiency Proactively identify and lead product improvement initiatives Provide lead product management for day-to-day special initiative activities and projects Ensure continuity of knowledge and expertise in support of all Microsoft products Ensure seamless transition of platform support by being involved in or aware of current engagement progress, deliverables, and key milestones. Address issues as directed by Federal POCs. Develop project tasks to provide to the IT PM for the completion of project schedules Review design plans, make recommendations, and be familiar with the VA systems that apply to their field of expertise. Be available to assist with system failures and outages on short notice. Recommend reporting methods and tools to keep VA systems operating at top proficiency. Conduct spot checks and assist with system updates and patching as needed. Provide developmental expertise prior to, during and after platform implementation. Provide knowledge transfer for new platforms and environments. Identify and assist in implementation of platform enhancements, upgrades, and preventative maintenance to prevent critical problems from occurring. Serve as an escalation path for reoccurring or complex Tier 2 incidents and provide further analysis, support, and optimization opportunities to minimize future risks and costs associated with reoccurring issues. Recommend and provide proactive services and offerings (e.g., risk assessments, health checks) that align with VA key initiatives. Provide Platform product knowledge and industry best practices to ensure VA is equipped with latest Platform information and resources; and Integrate into the VA Engineering team as a key resource for platform projects and initiatives. The Designated Support Professionals and support managers shall be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (inclusive of all holidays) when required support escalates or planned deployments are arranged. Problem requests submitted to the Designated Support Team may require resources from standard product support professionals for resolution, although the Designated Support Professionals shall retain responsibility for the request. Incidents will be opened using the standard product support process as described herein depending on the severity of the issue. When Designated Support Professionals from the Designated Support Team are not available, backup designated support professionals shall be made available. RFI Submission Information: All interested vendors shall submit a brief capability statement, limited to not more than 15 pages, that addresses the tasks identified in the requirements listed above. Areas of specific interest to the Government are related experience or past performance providing Microsoft Support to organizations of similar size and complexity to VA (limited to two per area and within the past three years) related to the following: I. Activity with migrating on premises resources to a cloud (Azure or AWS). II. Activity implementing Azure Virtual desktop. III. Examples of types of support that you have for Active Directory. IV. Do you have experience completing implementation of new administrative permission structures in Active directory (includes Group Policy creation, Organizational Unit (OU) permission delegation etc.)? V. Experience creating a user migration strategy for Certification Based Authentication from Active Directory Federation Service (ADFS) and Web Application Proxy (WAP)? VI. Switching and building Configuration Manager environment to fit administrative model within Azure. VII. Examples from situations when your team was faced with of high visibility, demand, and conflicting urgency. VIII. Do you have a designated Government onboarding staff member to ensure seamless execution of required Government Background Investigations? IX. Examples when you have used roadmaps successfully to execute an IT project in an agile manner. X. Affirmation of available personnel to meet labor requirements including Non-critical sensitive/Tier 3 position sensitivity background investigation in accordance with Department of Veterans Affairs 710 Handbook, Personnel Suitability and Security Program Appendix A. Each response should also include: Company name and UEI Company address Company points of contact, phone, and email address Company Business Size/Socioeconomic Data: If a small business, what type of small business are you? Are you able to comply with FAR 52.219-6 and 52.219-14 in execution of this effort? Are you able to comply with VAAR 852.219-10, VA Notice of Total Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside and with subcontracting limitations in 13 CFR 125.6 in execution of this effort? Any Schedules held on General Services Administration (GSA), Government-Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWAC) held on SAM.gov or any other schedule not mentioned above to assist in determining acquisition strategy if you are included in one or more. Please also include Contract Number, expiration date, etc. Comments about the requirements listed above Recommendations the Government should consider in drafting a solicitation Responses are due no later than April 24, 2023 at 10:00AM EST via email to Matthew.newell@va.gov and Kalil.ONeal@va.gov Mark your response as Proprietary Information if the information is considered business sensitive Post RFI Phase Based on market research results, the RFP/RFQ may be made available on Contracting Opportunities found at SAM.gov. It is the responsibility of interested parties to regularly monitor the SAM.gov for updates. The government will not provide hard copies of the solicitation once issued. Interested parties are responsible for monitoring the website and downloading the solicitation, its attachments, and any amendments from the internet site identified above when/if issued. All information regarding the procurement is provided herein, and no additional information shall be provided at this time.