This notice is issued by NASA/GFSC to post a Request for Information (RFI) for work to be performed at NASA Independent Verification and Validation Facility in Fairmont, West Virginia via internet and solicit responses from interested parties in regard to vendor capability and interest.
NASA is seeking capability statements from both large and small businesses to aid in the acquisition planning for this requirement. Small Businesses interested in this opportunity may decide to partner in a joint venture with other small and/or large businesses in order to meet the IV&V requirements in this future acquisition.
SECTION 1 – BACKGROUND
1.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The NASA IV&V Facility strives to improve software safety, reliability, and quality of NASA programs and missions through effective applications of systems and software IV&V methods, practices, and techniques. The NASA IV&V Facility applies software engineering best practices to evaluate the correctness and quality of critical and complex software systems throughout the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
Verification is the process of determining whether or not the software products of a given phase of the SDLC fulfill the established requirements for that phase. Verification answers the question, "Are we building the product right?"
Validation evaluates the software products throughout the SDLC to ensure those products meet the mission and customer's needs. Validation answers the question, "Are we building the right product?"
When applying systems and software IV&V, the NASA IV&V Facility seeks to answer the following questions:
1. What is the system software supposed to do?
2. What is the system software not supposed to do?
3. How does the system software respond under adverse conditions?
The NASA IV&V Facility's analytical approaches enable efficient, cost effective IV&V service through the usage of broad-based expertise, adaptive software engineering best practices, and tools that are in place at the NASA IV&V Facility. The analytical paradigm utilized by the NASA IV&V Facility requires a multi-disciplinary team, and a qualitative software risk and criticality assessment capability coupled with an extensive multiphase, phase-independent IV&V analytical processes.
IV&V has been demonstrated to be an effective technique on large, complex software systems to increase the probability of software being delivered that meets requirements and is safe, within cost, and on schedule. When performed in parallel with the SDLC, IV&V provides for the early detection and identification of risk elements. The NASA IV&V Facility is then able to provide this information to the development organization, allowing them to take action to mitigate these risks early in the SDLC.
The scope of work under consideration for purposes of this RFI includes the performance of IV&V on selected software systems being developed by or for NASA and other Federal, State and local government agencies. The current contracts providing these services are the GSFC Contracts NNG05CB16C and NNG05CB17C, which expire May 2010.
1.2 PURPOSE OF RFI
This notice is issued by NASA to post a Request for Information (RFI) for the NASA Independent Verification and Validation Facility in Fairmont, West Virginia and solicit responses from interested parties in regard to vendor capability and interest.
NASA is seeking capability statements from both large and small businesses to aid in the acquisition planning for this requirement. Small Businesses interested in this opportunity may decide to partner in a joint venture with other small and/or large businesses in order to meet the IV&V requirements in this future acquisition.
This Request for Information (RFI) is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government pay for the information submitted in response. This document is for information and planning purposes and to allow industry the opportunity to express the range of capability in the market. Respondents will not be notified of the results. As stipulated in FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This RFI is subject to FAR 52.215-3.
To the full extent that it is protected pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act and other laws and regulations, information identified by a respondent as "Proprietary or Confidential" will be kept confidential. It is emphasized that this RFI is for planning and information purposes only and is NOT to be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a contractual agreement, nor will the Government pay for information solicited.
SECTION 2 – SCOPE OVERVIEW
2.1 STATEMENT OF NEED
THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL, QUOTATION, OR INVITATION FOR BID NOTICE.
2.1.1 The following information is included as a description of the current KNOWN requirement scope:
Provide the personnel, materials, and facilities necessary to perform IV&V services. The IV&V services include, but may not be limited to: System and Software Modeling, Validation, Verification, and Lead Engineer for selected software systems in performing WBS tasks documented in NASA IV&V System Level Procedure 9-1 (provided as an attachment 2).
1) The typical IV&V project management support are responsible for the following:
a) Providing IV&V Services to a selected NASA Mission Project development for independent assessment of the software under development
b) IV&V project strategic planning
c) IV&V project execution using agile management techniques
d) Understanding and usage of artifacts and results
e) Risk management
f) Primary liaison with government and contractor development project personnel
g) Attending development project management and technical meetings and system reviews
h) The current NASA IV&V WBS Tasks for project management are:
i) WBS 3.1 Planning
ii) WBS 3.2 Issue and Risk Management
2) Modeling and validation is personnel are skilled in system/software modeling and validation using Unified Modeling Language and various computer based tools. The modeling and validation product line will also provide appropriate discipline, subject matter expertise, and domain expertise for the projects/missions assigned. For each project selected for IV&V, for Modeling/Validation is responsible for:
a) Performing system/software model development to support the validation and verification activities. (The SRM and the formal specification can then be used to show that the right system behaviors are specified and the associated requirements are unambiguous, correct, complete, consistent, and verifiable.)
b) Performing system/software validation of requirements using the mission projects’ operational concepts and provide artifacts for concurrence.
c) Identifying the systems/software safety and mission critical capabilities and limitations through each phase of the project’s development, and ensuring that the right behaviors have been defined in the system artifacts. (The right behaviors are those that adequately describe what the system-software is supposed to do, what the system-software is not supposed to do, and what the system-software is supposed to do under adverse conditions. Validation ensures that the software system performs to the user’s needs under operational conditions.)
d) The current NASA IV&V WBS Tasks for Modelling and Validation are:
i) WBS 1.1 Obtain/Develop a System Reference Model (SRM)
ii) WBS 1.2 Validate System Requirements
iii) WBS 1.3 Validate Test Design
3) Verification personnel are skilled in system/software modeling and verification using Unified Modeling Language and various computer based tools. For each project selected for IV&V, Verification is responsible for the following:
a) Performing system/software verification activities.
b) Verifying that the system/software is implemented in accordance with the validated requirements.
c) Assessing whether verification flows from a set of validated requirements and shows, formally or informally based on risk, that the implementation of those requirements (e.g., the desired system behavior) is correct and complete. Verification does not strictly focus on functional requirements.
d) The current NASA IV&V WBS Tasks for Verification are:
i) WBS 2.1 Verify Software Architecture
ii) WBS 2.2 Verify Software Design
iii) WBS 2.3 Verify Interface Design
iv) WBS 2.4 Verify System Behavior Implementation
v) WBS 2.5 Verify Requirements Implementation
vi) WBS 2.6 Verify Interface Implementation
vii) WBS 2.7 Verify System-Software Safety Implementation
Typically, the following sequence of events describes the workflow of an IV&V project:
1) Project management will develop a strategic plan for the expected lifecycle of the IV&V’s services. A network diagram and IV&V Project Execution Plan (IPEP) are provided as management artifacts.
2) The Modeling/Validation begins working on the system/software model using the projects’ operational concepts. The main results are to determine the system’s primary goals. The model is further elaborated based on a prioritized criticality analysis of capabilities the project will need to develop. The modelers and validaters will work together to map out the capabilities. As the development project provides requirement documents, test plans and other artifacts, the modelers will elaborate the model to the appropriate level to compare the documents with the model.
3) The analysis results generated by the Modeling, Validation, and Verification are provided to the Project Management. Communication of these results and their impacts on the development effort is the responsibility of the Project Management.
The required positions and knowledge skills are attachment 2.
SECTION 3 – RESPONSES TO RFI
3.1 RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS
Interested offerors shall address the requirements of this RFI by 10/29/2008. All written documents shall be in Microsoft Word (Windows 2003) and shall be no more than 10 pages (8.5" x 11", using not smaller than 12 point type) in length and in Arial font. NASA is seeking capabilities from both large and small businesses for the purposes of determining the appropriate level of competition and small business subcontracting goals for this requirement. Small Businesses interested in this opportunity may decide to partner or joint venture with other small and/or large businesses in order to accomplish the IV&V requirements. IV&V Facility is seeking capability statements from all potential sources for the purpose to aid in the acquisition planning for this requirement, which include sources from:
• Large Business
• Small Business
• Women-Owned Small Business
• Small Business Set Aside Program
• Small Disadvantaged Business Certification Program
• 8(a) Business Development Program
• HUBZone Empowerment Contracting Program
• Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business
• Veteran-Owned Small Business
• Small Business Subcontracting Program
3.2 Additional Information:
To facilitate a prompt review by the NASA team, a one-page summary shall be included with your capability statement(s), which identifies your company’s specific capabilities that are relevant to the requirement.
In addition to the 10 page response to this RFI, responses should also include the following:
• Name and address of company, average annual revenue for past 3 years, and number of employees, type of business ownership, and location of business. (This information is not part of the page count for the written response.)
The one page summary page will not count against the maximum page limit.
No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released it will be synopsized in FedBizOpps and on the NASA Acquisition Internet Service.
Interested offerors shall address the requirements of this RFI in written format by electronic mail to Delma Moore at: delma.j.moore@nasa.gov no later than 5:00 PM EDT on October 29, 2008. When responding reference MAC FOLLOW-ON RFI.
Comments may be forwarded to Delma Moore via electronic transmission or by facsimile transmission only.
Technical questions should be directed to: Mr. Michael Powers, michael.l.powers@nasa.gov.
This presolicitation synopsis is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government pay for the information submitted in response. Respondents will not be notified of the results.
To the full extent that it is protected pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act and other laws and regulations, information identified by a respondent as "Proprietary or Confidential" will be kept confidential. It is emphasized that this RFI is for planning and information purposes only and is NOT to be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a contractual agreement, nor will the Government pay for information solicited.
An ombudsman has been appointed -- See NASA Specific Note "B".
The solicitation and any documents related to this procurement will be available over the Internet. These documents will reside on a World Wide Web (WWW) server, which may be accessed using a WWW browser application. The Internet site, or URL, for the NASA/GSFC Business Opportunities home page is http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/bizops.cgi?gr=D&pin=51 It is the offeror's responsibility to monitor the Internet cite for the release of the solicitation and amendments (if any). Potential offerors will be responsible for downloading their own copy of the solicitation and amendments, if any.
Any referenced notes may be viewed at the following URLs linked below.
