AF Netcents2 - Application Services Contract Task Areas

Cheryl Dalby |  IBM GWAC COE |  1-405-844-0294 | cheryl.dalby@us.ibm.com  

Is your information capability ready for combat?

The nature of warfare is changing as sophisticated new technologies are becoming readily available to a wider range of enemies.

The contractor shall accomplish the following disciplined activities in support of tasks under this contract. These services shall include, but are not limited to, systems engineering, architecture and system design, information assurance, security, testing, technology refresh, and the provision of COTS manuals and supplemental data as described in the paragraphs that follow.

Contractors Use of NETCENTS-2 Products Contract
The contractor shall obtain all products and associated peripheral equipment required by each individual task order from the NETCENTS-2 Products contract.

Systems Engineering
The contractor shall employ disciplined systems engineering processes in accomplishing contract taskings, using commercial best practices in accordance with of AFI 63-1201, Life Cycle Systems Engineering or applicable ISR guidance, for systems engineering processes in planning, architecting, requirements development and management, design, technical management and control, technical reviews, technical measurements, integrated risk management, configuration management, data management, interface management, decision analysis, and test and evaluation, verification and validation. Task orders may further refine the systems engineering processes according to MAJCOM policies and practices. The contractor shall employ the principles of open technology development described in the DoD Open Technology Development Guidebook (http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA450769, link resides outside of ibm.com) and in Net-Centric Enterprise Solutions for Interoperability (NESI) body of knowledge and systems engineering activities used in developing contractor solutions shall adhere to open architecture designs for hardware and software, and employ a modular open systems architecture approach. The contractor’s systems engineering planning and design activities shall also adhere to the DoD’s Information Sharing and Net Centric Strategies published by the DoD CIO (see http://www.defenselink.mil/cio-nii/ (link resides outside of ibm.com) ) and the engineering body of knowledge and lesson’s- learned accumulated in NESI.

All services provided under this contract shall be in compliance with the Federal Desktop Core Configuration (FDCC), Information Assurance guidelines, and Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGS) for collateral networks and systems. Services for Top Secret and SCI networks, systems and applications will be in compliance with standards, policies and guidelines identified in the task order.

Configuration Management
The contractor shall accomplish Configuration Management (CM) activities as described in the task order. CM activities include baseline identification, change control, status accounting, and auditing.

Architecture and System Design
The contractor shall support the design and development of systems and associated enterprise architectures. The contractor shall provide all required architectural documentation in compliance with Department of Defense Architectural Framework (DoDAF) Enterprise Architecture guidance or other frameworks as identified in the task order.

Information Assurance (IA)
The contractor shall ensure that all application deliverables meet the requirements of the DoD Information Assurance Certification and Accreditation Process (DIACAP) and DoDI 8500.2, ICD 503, or the most current standards and guidance that are applicable. This includes Certification and Accreditation (C&A) activities. The contractor shall provide applications services that are in compliance with and support DoD and USAF Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) policies or IC PKI policies as applicable. The contractor shall support activities to make applications PK-enabled (PKE) in order to achieve standardized, PKI-supported capabilities for digital signatures, encryption, identification and authentication. The contractor shall assist in defining user and registration requirements to Local Registration Authorities (LRAs). The contractor shall provide solutions that meet confidentiality, data integrity, authentication, and non-repudiation requirements. Contractor solutions shall comply with National Institute for Standards and Technologies (NIST) and Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) standards or IC standards as applicable.

Security
The contractor shall provide security and information assurance support, protecting information and information systems, and ensuring confidentiality, integrity, authentication, availability and non-repudiation. The contractor shall provide application services support for Certification and Accreditation (C&A) processes, DIACAP processes, SISSU processes, Enterprise Information Technology Data Repository (EITDR) certification or ICD 503.

Testing
The contractor shall conduct rapid testing and deployment of Core Data Services and Aggregation and Presentation Layer Services using distributed testing environments. The contractor shall develop dynamic testing environments to support C&A and functional testing. For mission systems and Top Secret networks, the contractor shall perform testing IAW standards, policies and guidelines identified in the task order.

Test Lab
When requested and specified in the task order, the contractor shall establish and maintain a system integrated test lab that is capable of supporting a full range of integration test activities for both the currently fielded system as well as maintenance/modernization releases. The currently fielded system includes the most current version and up to three previous versions for products that have not yet been declared ‘end of life.’ The contractor shall support test activities in areas which include, but are not limited to, product testing (regression testing and new capability testing), operational scenarios (real world simulation testing considering system topology and concept of operation, disaster recovery, clustering, and load balancing), stress and longevity (throughput, speed of service, and duration), interoperability, security (VPN, Firewall, security configuration of products and operating systems, and CAC Middleware testing), usability, transition (upgrade paths), and packaging/installation.

Product/System Integration Testing
The contractor shall perform testing and inspections of all system services to ensure the technical adequacy and accuracy of all work, including reports and other documents required in support of that work. The contractor shall conduct on-site testing when requested. When specified by the Government, the contractor shall participate with the Government in testing the complete communications system which may include premise equipment, distribution systems or any additional telecommunications equipment or operating support systems identified in the task order. After appropriate corrective action has been taken, all tests including those previously completed related to the failed test and the corrective action shall be repeated and successfully completed prior to Government acceptance. Pre-cutover audits will consist of verification of all testing completed by the contractor such that the system is deemed ready for functional cutover. As part of this audit, any engineered changes or approved waivers applicable to the installation will be reviewed and agreed upon between the contractor and the Government. Post­cutover audits will verify that all post-cutover acceptance testing has been performed satisfactorily IAW the standard practices and identify those tests, if any, which have not been successfully completed and must be re-tested prior to acceptance. Testing shall be performed in two steps: operational testing, then system acceptance testing. The contractor shall provide a logical test process that minimizes interruptions and avoids sustained downtime and presents a contingency procedure to be implemented in the event of systems failure during testing.

Simulated Operational Testing
The contractor shall conduct testing ranging from data entry and display at the user level combined with system loading to represent a fully operational system. The contractor shall accomplish operational testing IAW the Government-approved test plan as specified in the task order. The plan shall consist of a program of tests, inspections and demonstrations to verify compliance with the requirements of this contract. The contractor shall document test results in the test report(s). The contractor shall furnish all test equipment and personnel required to conduct operational testing. During the installation/test phase, the Government reserves the right to perform any of the contractor performed inspections and tests to assure solutions conform to prescribed requirements. The contractor shall be responsible for documenting deficiencies and tracking them until they are resolved. The Government will not be expensed for correcting deficiencies that were the direct result of the contractor’s mistakes.

Acceptance Testing
The contractor shall provide on-site support during the acceptance-testing period. Acceptance testing shall be initiated upon acceptance of the operational test report and approval of the acceptance test plan. If a phased installation concept is approved in the Systems Installation Specification Plan (SIP), acceptance shall be based on the increments installed IAW the SIP. This on-site support shall be identified in the acceptance test plan.

System Performance Testing
The contractor shall provide system performance testing. The acceptance test will end when the system has maintained the site-specific availability rate specified in the task order. In the event the system does not meet the availability rate, the acceptance testing shall continue on a day-by-day basis until the availability rate is met. In the event the system has not met the availability rate after 60 calendar days, the Government reserves the right to require replacement of the component(s) adversely affecting the availability rate at no additional cost.

Data Rights and Non-Commercial Computer Software
In order to implement the provisions at DFARS 252.227-7013(b) and (e) and DFARS 252.227-7014(b) and (e) and DFARS 252.227-7017, the Contractor shall disclose to the ordering Contracting Officer and ordering office in any proposal for a task order, or after award of a task order if not previously disclosed in the proposal, any technical data or non-commercial computer software and computer software/source code documentation developed exclusively at government expense in performance of the task order. This disclosure shall be made whether or not an express requirement for the disclosure is included or not included in the PWS or solicitation for the order. The disclosure shall indicate the rights asserted in the technical data and non-commercial computer software by the Contractor and rights that would be acquired by the government if the data or non-commercial software was required to be delivered under the task order and its CDRL requirements and any cost/price associated with delivery. This disclosure requirement also applies to segregable routines of non-commercial software that may be developed exclusively at Government expense to integrate Commercial Software components or applications provided under a commercial software license or developed to enable Commercial Software to meet requirements of the Task Order. This disclosure obligation shall apply to technical data and non­commercial computer software developed exclusively at Government expense by subcontractors under any Task Order. Performance of this disclosure requirement shall be considered a material performance requirement of any task order under which such technical data or non-commercial computer software is developed exclusively at Government expense.

COTS Manuals and Supplemental Data
The contractor shall provide documentation for all systems services delivered under this contract. The contractor shall provide COTS manuals, supplemental data for COTS manuals, and documentation IAW best commercial practices (i.e. CD-ROM, etc.). This documentation shall include users’ manuals, operators’ manuals, maintenance manuals, and network and application interfaces if specified in the task order.

Enterprise Software Initiative
In situations where the purchase of new COTS software is needed to satisfy the requirements of a particular task order, the contractor shall first use available existing enterprise licenses, then products obtained via the DoD's Enterprise Software Initiative (ESI) Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs), and then the NETCENTS-2 products contract. The updated listing of COTS software available from DoD ESI sources can be viewed on the web at http://www.esi.mil (link resides outside of ibm.com). The NETCENTS-2 Application Services full and open task order Contracting Officer will authorize the contractor to use existing enterprise licenses or ESI vehicles for task orders issued under this contract. For mission systems and Top Secret networks, the contractor shall perform in accordance with and as specified in the task order.

Software License Management
When required at the task order level, the contractor shall provide maintenance and support to control the entire asset life-cycle, from procurement to retirement, which includes applications, license agreements as well as software upgrades. The contractor shall provide asset inventory and services that track the financial aspects of an asset to include cost and depreciation, contract management, leases, maintenance agreements and service contracts. The contractor shall provide support summary information to include the general terms and conditions, benefits, strategic and tactical directions, license ordering information, internal billing process, pricing and deployment and support of the products included in the agreement. The contractor shall support common practices for ordering assets, tracking orders and assets, and tagging the assets. The contractor shall support application installation, operations, customer support, training, maintenance, sustainment and configuration control, to include the procurement of supporting software licenses.

Transition and Decommissioning Plans
The contractor shall create transition and decommissioning plans that accommodate all of the non-authoritative data sources (non-ADS) interfaces and ensure that necessary capabilities are delivered using approved ADSs.

Prototypes
The contractor shall develop prototypes as required in task orders. The contractor shall operate and maintain prototype applications, models and databases to determine optimal solutions for integration concepts and problems integral to the integration process. The contractor shall develop schedules and implementation plans with definable deliverables, including parallel operations where required, identification of technical approaches, and a description of anticipated prototype results.

Application Services Full and Open Performance Work Statement