Agile Development to Modernize Existing Data Management System

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) Division is seeking capabilities information from vendors that have at least 3 to 5 years of experience developing applications using Agile processes such as Scrum/XP/Kanban to create flexible, open-standards-based applications. The PACA Division wishes to modernize its existing data management system. The modernized data management system will have the ability to collect, analyze, summarize, store, and disseminate PACA Licensee information; Customer Relationship Management (CRM) information, complaint file processing (legal case processing) and general business documents. This system contains personally identifiable information (PII) information and falls under the laws related to the storage and protection of this information. The system will require integration with Pay.Gov, USDA's single sign-on e-Authentication service, and data will need to be migrated from Oracle and SQL Server databases in the existing legacy system. PACA was enacted at the request of the fruit and vegetable industry to promote fair trade in the industry. The PACA protects businesses dealing in fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables by establishing and enforcing a code of fair business practices and by helping companies resolve business disputes. The PACA system is comprised of three distinct parts. The PACA National License Center (NLC) collects information on potential PACA Licensees, investigates to determine if the business entity falls under the PACA statute, and if so, have that business apply for a PACA License. All information related to prospecting, investigating, issuing and renewing of licenses for PACA customers is tracked in the PACA database system. The PACA Dispute Resolution Branch (DRB) handles both informal and formal complaints filed against PACA licensees. This is a case management process that is initiated by the informal filing of a complaint by a trade member. The complaint then moves through a variety of steps that follow statute-mandated timeframes. The files associated with each complaint move from PACA regional offices, to the DRB, then sometimes back to the regional office or, if they move to the formal complaint status, the files are forwarded to the Office of the General Council. Companies or individuals may receive sanctions if they have violated the statute. Other penalties may include administrative actions for those companies that continue to violate the statute. When companies or individuals receive administrative actions, employment and/or license bonds may be required to allow them to continue operating or working within the produce industry. . Also included in the complaint module of the system is information pertaining to past legal precedence. The PACA system is also used as a document management system for storing and retrieving information related to licensees. The legacy PACA database system is accessed through an Oracle Forms user interface and reports are generated through an Oracle Report server. Data is captured through several processes. PACA employees enter data through the Oracle Forms interface. Bank Transaction information and PACA prospect information are loaded through a data transfer process. A data transfer process also occurs nightly between the Oracle database and the Agency's Internet-facing database to update license information for public access through an AMS PACA Internet site. Other processes generate specific datasets for use by government and non-government entities on a nightly and monthly basis. PACA wishes to move the legacy Oracle Forms and Reports application to a platform that will provide a modernized environment for efficient document storage and management, an easily accessible web and mobile interface for marketing specialists performing investigations, and a summary dashboard and management interface for senior management using customizable user interfaces. The system must also protect the PII contained in the system from unauthorized access. The new data management system should use COTS or open-source software and be capable of supporting: - A data-centric platform o Use standard database architecture for storing information about all PACA licensees and ongoing and past PACA complaints, investigations and precedents. - A flexible data capture capability o Use web-based and mobile-phone data capture screens driven by user roles. - Use existing USDA user authentication services to determine user identity and authorization and provide the appropriate data screen access. - An interface for the loading of bank and prospect data - Dynamic report generation o Generate reports on revenue collected, license and complaint processing. -Generate basic statistics for time-series comparison - Support the use of data visualization tools for internal data quality review of proprietary and aggregated data sets - Dissemination of data sets o Distribute aggregated data sets or summary reports to trusted third parties - Data confidentiality o Use best-practice techniques to protect confidentiality of sensitive PII information. - Provide auditing for all database transactions to ensure data quality Additionally, all products developed must comply with Section 508 of the Disability Act of 1978. Responses to this publication will not result in a contract and will only be used for market research data. This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) for competitive proposals. The Government will NOT award a contract based on the information received, nor reimburse participants for information they provide. Interested sources who have at least 12 months experience developing flexible, open-standards-based systems utilizing Agile processes such as Scrum/XP/Kanban with the ability to respond to changing requirements in a fast-paced environment with frequent business owner interactions may notify AMS of their interest in performing this type of work. Responses must include:1) Name of Company; 2) Contact Information to include telephone and e-mail; 3) Business Size (Large Business, Small Business, HubZone Small Business, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), 8(a), Women- Owned, Small Disadvantaged); 4) Duns Number; 5) Able to submit three past performance references from vendors to demonstrate the company's ability to perform this type of work and/or literature that supports the company's capability to perform this work; and 6) List of contract vehicles your company may have such as a GSA Federal Supply Schedule, 8(a) Certification, etc., OR if only able to compete under Open Market. Interested sources that submit a response are responsible for appropriately marking information that is proprietary in nature. Information requested is strictly voluntary. Responses must be e-mailed to [email protected]. No telephone communication will be honored and sources that submit a response will not be entitled to the results of this notice.