Request for Information (RFI): A06-OFP-001; Identification of Industry Suggestions and Best Practices for the Development/Design of a Forecasting and Cash/Investment Management System. The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of the Fiscal Assistant Secretary, Office of Fiscal Projections (OFP) is issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to identify industry suggestions and best practices for the development/design of a forecasting and cash / investment Management system. The OFP is seeking sources for a possible future acquisition. This RFI solicits the contractors’ interest and capability to meet stated objectives, and is for information and planning purposes only. It does not constitute a Request for a Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue one in the future. Furthermore, Department of Treasury is not liable for any costs incurred as a result of vendor responses to the RFI. The Government does not intend to award a contract for any supply or service on the basis of this request or to otherwise pay for the information. This request is issued for the purpose of 1) to identify solutions that allow for complex cash flow planning and forecasting, and 2) to inform the Government on the type and scope of work expected in implementing a cash forecasting system; and 3) to receive information and feedback on interest and capabilities of potential sources. Respondees are also requested to address the following two questions as part of their response to the RFI. 1. What key evaluation factors should the Department of Treasury use to distinguish whether or not a vendor possesses the ability to provide a system with the functionality described in this RFI? 2. What are the key cost elements that will drive a vendor’s cost proposal in response to a solicitation for a system described in this RFI? Please submit no more than 20 pages total single-sided pages with print no smaller than 12 point; however, text, included in graphics, tables, and figures can be smaller than 10 point. The submission must be in sufficient detail and clarity to provide the information needed to assess your solution approach. Marketing material and reference material may be placed in appendices. Responses must be submitted in Microsoft Word 2000 or later. Please address your company’s core competencies for the response to this request. Interested parties may submit their responses to the RFI to the Contracting Officer, John A. Palmieri, through email requests at
[email protected]. Responses to the RFI should address how responder would meet the Government’s requirements, in the form of questions for clarification, suggestions for additional requirements that the Government should consider, and the installed base that the responder currently has for systems similar in nature to the one described in this RFI. Responses should be submitted to the Contracting Officer by email at
[email protected] by December 14, 2005. Request for Information Office of Fiscal Projection’s plan for a Forecasting and Cash / Investment Management System Designed to perform Mission Critical Functions at the Treasury Department Background The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of the Fiscal Assistant Secretary, Office of Fiscal Projection’s (OFP) is responsible for two mission-critical treasury functions: (1) producing daily forecasts of cash balances to determine Treasury’s marketable borrowing requirements, and daily debt levels to ensure that total debt outstanding does not exceed statutorial limitations, and (2) managing Treasury’s cash position and short-term investment portfolio. The daily cash forecasts, prepared for up to nine months in advance, are used by Treasury debt management officials to borrow sufficient funds to meet the Federal Government’s obligations as they become due. Increasing the accuracy of its cash flow projections would enable Treasury to reduce its borrowing costs. The daily debt estimates, also prepared for up to nine months in advance, provide early notification of future periods when Treasury debt levels are approaching (or expected to exceed) legislatively established levels. To further improve its efforts to maintain an optimum level of liquidity, OFP needs to enhance the accuracy of its cash and debt forecasts. To achieve the ultimate goal of reducing errors in forecast, OFP needs to move towards a more rigorous cash / investment management system that can effectively address the two interdependent mission-critical responsibilities of the office. Much of the work today currently is accomplished using hundreds of intricately cross-linked spreadsheets. To gain operational efficiency, OFP needs to streamline the current process to the maximum extent possible. PURPOSE and SCOPE OFP is seeking information from private entities that are qualified and experienced with development/design of forecasting and cash / investment management systems. The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to identify solutions to store information in a centralized database and allow for complex cash and debt forecasting and cash / investment management. OFP requests that RFI responses address the requirements identified in this document. Special emphasis should be placed on the need for a robust system that is flexible in information retrieval and that can be customized to meet users’ requirements, and is easy to modify. Responses should reflect the following points as well as any additional recommended requirements or factors that the Government should consider. • Innovation - Ideas and suggestions that provide alternative approaches to designing, developing, acquiring, operating, and managing an integrated forecasting and cash / investment management system. • Risk Management – help identify areas of opportunities for effective methods to forecast revenues and expenditures and manage a portfolio consisting of cash balances and short-term investments that mitigate potential risks in projecting Government’s fiscal position. • Effective cash / investment management – provide an efficient way to streamline processes, ensure accuracy of data, and provide strong oversight of cash flow. Include real-time database updates upon data capture and entry. Requirements The functional requirements that the Government has identified for the proposed forecasting and cash / investment management system are detailed below. Responders are requested to provide the Government with their input related to these requirements. Additionally, responders are requested to suggest criteria or factors that the Government should consider in the development of the Request for Proposals should it choose to issue one. • A secure central database to store both actual and forecasted data at detailed and summary levels as well as different time horizons (can assign receipt, outlay and debt estimates on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual basis as well as user defined). • The database should be able to accommodate data collected from a variety of sources and mechanisms (including through various automatic system-to-system connections) and store information over time. It is also critical to have a system that allows for a wide range of fast, flexible query capabilities, including ad hoc queries and statistical analysis. • An easy to use system with a relatively low learning curve. • A capability that permits analysts to manipulate and analyze data. The system should be designed to handle the unique and frequently changing needs of OFP. • A reporting system that captures forecasts and tracks and updates estimates. Also required is the ability to easily change reporting structure to support requirement changes. The system should have extensive tracking and reporting capabilities on the data in the warehouse and should be able to satisfy OFP’s reporting needs. • An ability to calculate and analyze forecast errors and improve procedures to improve forecast accuracy. • An ability to provide Disaster Recovery capabilities with exceptionally limited down time. • An ability to provide secure Virtual Private Network (VPN) access. • An ability to support the collection of data from a wide variety of sources while meeting and maintaining all Federal Government security requirements.