FMS Forecast Project for FY15/16 - Requirements I. BACKGROUND: The DSCA FMS (Foreign Military Sales) Forecast, required by the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), is based upon two preceding DSCA-coordinated FMS Forecasts; one, formulated by the Combatant Commands; and, one formulated by the U.S. Military Departments (MilDep). Each FMS Forecast predicts FMS for the next two fiscal years. The FMS Forecast requirement does not need an accounting of current or past global defense spending. It must forecast, or predict, FMS for the next two fiscal years. The FMS Forecast Concept of Operations calls for applying three analytical overlays upon the FMS Forecasts in order to assess its accuracy and confidence level before DSCA makes its statutory reports under the AECA as well as other reports required by DoD and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Those three analytical overlays are Intelligence (provided by the DoD), Statistical (provided by DSCA), and Commercial (the assessments and forecasts of non-governmental sources on future defense budgets and defense spending of potential FMS nations). The commercial overlay will consist of the review and assessment by DSCA analysts of global defense economic and defense budgetary information and forecasts that are available from commercial sources that have a primary focus on global defense spending and defense budgetary resources. From these global defense spending and budgetary resources, partner nations will make FMS acquisitions of defense articles and services from the USG under the FMS program. It is the aforementioned acquisitions that the FMS Forecast seeks to record for the mandated reporting requirements. II. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this RFI is to find sources that may be able to provide the commercial overlay portion. III. REQUIREMENTS: The requirements of the Commercial Overlay: a. The Commercial Overlay must be: 1. Available as an on-line accessible global defense spending and budgetary information resource, on-demand at any time of the work day. 2. Contain global defense spending and budgetary information that is updated daily. 3. Contain global defense spending and budgetary information that encompasses over 100 of the 184 eligible FMS nations. 4. Contain global defense spending and budgetary information that is predictive in nature. 5. Include a reach-back capability to the commercial analysts who have compiled global defense spending and budgetary information. IV. OTHER INFORMATION: a. The DSCA Security Assistance Management Manual Table C4T2 lists the 184 nations and international organizations eligible for the FMS program. The FMS program typically has transactions with 130-145 of the eligible nations and organizations each year. The commercial overlay must have access to defense spending and defense budgetary information from at least 100 of the eligible entities. b. The DSCA analysts require on-line information so they can access global defense spending and budgetary information on-demand, at any time of the work day. The small number of DSCA analysts are not solely dedicated to the FMS Forecast project so they must be able to access the global defense spending and budgetary information at any time of the day in which they can devote time to the Forecast. Because DSCA analysts are not solely dedicated to the FMS Forecast, they require access to and contact with the commercial analysts who develop the global defense spending and budgetary information and predictions. c. The FMS Forecast timeline runs from March through February. Within this timeline all the AECA, DoD, and OMB reporting must be carried out each year. The peak time of the FMS Forecast occurs during the June - September time frame. Within this compressed timeframe all three overlays of the Concept of Operations must be applied. This compressed timeline requires that the global defense spending and budgetary information needs to be updated on a daily basis so the Forecast can be adjusted immediately. V. INSTRUCTIONS: a. Submit all responses by 2:00 PM EST, on 11 June 2014 to Woodrow Bell via email at
[email protected]. Woodrow's phone number is (703) 602-1464. b. When responding please provide the following information: 1. A document that discusses the capabilities of your solution. NO MORE THAN 10 PAGES. If your company cannot meet one of the requirements, please indicate what your company can provide. For example, if your company's offeroring cannot meet the "daily update" requirement, let us know how often your company's offering can be updated. 2. Indicate whether your company's size designation under NAICS 519190. Offerors may indicate if another NAICS is more appropriate. This may be submitted on a separate page that does not count against the 10 page limit established at paragraph b.1of this section. 3. A price list, if our company has one available. These will only be used to as research of industry rates for the purpose of developing a government estimate. This may be submitted on a separate page that does not count against the 10 page limit established at paragraph b.1of this section.