The California Institute of Technology’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) under a Prime Contract to NASA, is in the process of developing an acquisition strategy for the procurement of a Managed Service Provider/Vendor Management System to address JPL’s contingent workforce needs.
The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to gain information to use in this planning process on industry’s capabilities in providing performance based Managed Service Provider (MSP) functions and the software capabilities available in your Vendor Management System (VMS), and to obtain your interest in participating in a possible future competitive procurement.
BACKGROUND: Currently, JPL is acquiring our contingent workforce from three (3) small business contractors, in what JPL calls our Temporary Support Effort Personnel (TSEP) contracts. There are approximately 400 to 500 individuals being provided under these contracts with approximately $57M being encumbered in FY07 and $40M in FY08.
At this time JPL’s acquisition strategy for a MSP/VMS includes the following:
(A) MSP having complete responsibility and providing one point of contact; (B) Limiting JPL’s co-employment exposure; (C) Coverage for a wide base of hard to find technical skills that follow, but also including administrative, secretarial, shipping/receiving, etc., categories of jobs: (1) Oracle financial application experts; (2) Fluids engineering, including hardware fabrication and integration; (3) Software engineering; (4) Spacecraft system engineering; (5) Mechanical design engineering; (6) IT engineers; (7) Metrology/optical metrology; (8) Manufacturing engineering; (9) Machine shop programmer/operators; (10) Power electronic circuit designers; (11) Electronic technicians; (12) Structural analysts; (13) Integration and test engineers; 14) Precision cleaning technicians; (15) Java developers; (16) System administrators; (17) Space flight technicians; and (18) Cable technicians; (D) High level of vendor neutrality; (E) Robust web-based workforce management tool; (F) Ability to interface with Oracle and other JPL software tools; (G) Process for managing customer satisfaction and vendors; (H) Pricing model that is market based; and (I) Past performance on government efforts similar to JPL.
REQUIREMENTS: In developing this strategy further, this RFI is requesting the following: (1) Describe your Managed Service Provider program, including but not limited to, supplier base to find hard to find workforce skills, level of vendor neutrality, your training program to train workforce prior to arrival at JPL and how JPL requirements are passed down to vendors. Describe the type of project manager and other staff that would be assigned to the JPL program; (2) Describe your Vendor Management System software, its architecture and its capabilities (i.e., requisition, resume submission, interview, hiring, time and expense reporting), including capabilities to interface with Oracle and other JPL software tools, how electronic invoicing and payments against multiple project/task numbers for each individual can be handled, system security capabilities, third party licenses, how upgrades/enhancements are handled, and how JPL users and new vendors are trained on the use of the software. Address your experience with software modifications and schedule and cost implications for implementation. Describe the metrics available and ability to measure vendor performance and customer satisfaction. Has your VMS been audited by the government? (3) Describe your preferred pricing model. Discuss how pricing is determined for each job category (direct labor) and how the contract price for an individual is determined (with overheads and profit), and how this contract price is flowed down to the vendors. Discuss how your model addresses market forces. What is the vendor’s requirement for payment to the individuals based on this contract price? Discuss how the MSP is reimbursed for their services. Provide Rough Order of Magnitude pricing information for your overhead, G&A and profit requirements, etc., to be added to the direct labor rate, your estimate for your service charge for the MSP service, and other charges that may apply to JPL for implementation, integration and optional features; (4) Describe how your program limits JPL’s co-employment exposure, and specific efforts included in the price of your program to train both JPL and vendor employees on co-employment issues; (5) Provide your major MSP/VMS customers, especially government, and describe the type of program being provided to them, number of vendors used, skills provided, and number of people supplied; and (6) Provide information on your company, including gross revenue and discuss what percentage of gross revenue is attributable to MSP/VMS related work. Describe if you are a large or small, small disadvantaged, women owned business, etc., and the NAICS codes you are certified under if a small business. A small business set-aside procurement is a JPL strategy consideration.
EXPRESS OF INTEREST: JPL is requesting the above information and your interest to participate in any future procurement to be provided electronically by September 24, 2008 to Suart Imai.The above requirements should be provided to Stuart Imai, Manager, Project Acquisition Management Office by email at stuart.t.imai@jpl.nasa.gov or by phone at (818) 354-2070 for any questions.
DISCLAIMER: It is emphasized that this RFI and the information requested is for preliminary planning purposes only and does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that JPL will solicit you for such a procurement in the future. Neither JPL nor the Government will be responsible for any costs incurred by you in furnishing this information. You are advised that any information provided shall be deemed to be furnished with unlimited rights to JPL with JPL assuming no liability for the disclosure, use, or reproduction of such data.
