Request for Information - Capability Statements Army Software Factory

Request for Information – Capability Statements Army Software FactoryDisclaimerThis Request for Information (RFI) is being conducted to identify potential sources that may possess the expertise, capabilities, and experience to meet the requirements for the Army Software Factory under Army Futures Command and to determine acquisition approach. While industry sources are requested to provide full and comprehensive responses to this request, they are reminded that all information is voluntary. Please note, there is no solicitation available at this time and any requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. Government response/feedback to capability statements is not guaranteed. After review of capability statements, the Government reserves the right to  request follow up information from all, none, or some of respondents at its discretion.  No award will be made under this Request for Information (RFI). The Government reserves the right to cancel this RFI, either before or

after the closing date. THIS RFI IS ISSUED FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES – IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) OR A PROMISE TO ISSUE AN RFP OR ANY OTHER SOLICITATION IN THE FUTURE. THIS RFI DOES NOT COMMIT THE ARMY TO CONTRACT FOR ANY SUPPLY OR SERVICE.THE GOVERNMENT SHALL NOT REIMBURSE RESPONDENTS FOR ANY COSTS INCURRED IN CONNECTION WITH RESPONDING TO THIS RFI.ALTHOUGH NO SOLICITATION IS GUARANTEED, ASWF ANTICIPATES FUNDING BEING AVAILABLE FOR SOME OR ALL OF THE REQUIREMENTS WITHIN FY23. DEVELOPED REQUIREMENTS ARE LIKELY TO FOCUS ON DIVERSIFICATION OF APPROACHES (METHODS/MODELS) TO PROVIDE ASWF MULTI-MODEL DATA TO VALIDATE SCALABLE FORCE DESIGN PROTOTYPE COMPONENTS. A MULTIPLE AWARD APPROACH IS LIKELY SHOULD A SOLICITATION(S) BE ISSUED.Army Software Factory OverviewThe Army Software Factory (ASWF) is an Army Futures Command unit that enables Soldiers to become software professionals. The future operating environment will be highly contested and involve disrupted communications, and the Army can no longer singularly rely on industry partners to provide software solutions given the infeasibility of transporting non-military personnel to the battlefield, especially in a high-intensity conflict with a near-peer adversary. The ASWF is developing an organic capability of Soldiers  to build software, hybrid cloud platforms, and data technologies without assistance from contracted support or higher echelons. The ASWF is developing this capability to meet warfighter needs at the point of need and at the lowest levels on the disconnected and isolated battlefields of the future. Without this capability, Soldiers will have reduced ability to make real time changes, automate decision-making, and shorten the kill chain.The ASWF envisions Soldier-led agile application teams that cover this capability gap, and is prototyping the future force design necessary to support the identification, upskilling, and employment of Soldiers to staff these teams. As such, the Software Factory finds hidden tech talent in the Army and builds in the proficiencies and masteries in emerging technologies and processes with Soldiers in its cohorts. This results in an upskilled technical force that enables the Army to become more data-centric and conduct digital operations in contested environments.The ASWF’s processes have already resulted in applications and tools used by over 24,000 Soldiers. Every six months, the ASWF welcomes cohorts of 25 and immerses them in the fields of software design, product management, and development. With over 100 participants as of October 2022, the ASWF exposes Soldiers and select Department of the Army (DA) Civilians to industry best practices in the tech hub of Austin, Texas. The ASWF demonstrates that modern human capital and technology approaches improve retention and job satisfaction in the Army, all the while leveraging cloud capabilities and novel teams of Soldiers to solve Army problems.Currently, the ASWF anticipates a sustained scale of operations by March 2024 of at least 200 Soldiers, including some in training, and staffing balanced application teams of engineers, designers and product managers.  At that time, Soldier training and enablement efforts are expected to reach initial self-sustaining pilot, with ASWF continuing to prototype the force design and scaled sustainment within the Army as an organization into CY2026. The Army anticipates full integration of scaled ASWF and Soldier application team operations during CY2026. Consistent with the ASWF’s prototyping and scaling mission, this baseline capability is expected to scale up over time outside of the ASWF and across the Army.Through its initial four cohorts of Soldiers, the ASWF has focused on experimentation around the optimal employment of application teams in the Army in order to validate its force design, especially through diversification of technologies and team structures.The ASWF seeks information on the capabilities of interested contractors in some or all of the following technical areas to facilitate market research and determine the best strategy to satisfy its requirements (as detailed further below). The Government presents these topics for market research, but may issue a solicitation for all, some, none, or a combination of the below. Your response may recommend a combination of offerings and/or you may envision various teaming arrangements.Soldier Enablement in Modern Software Development PracticesPrototyping Diverse Hybrid Cloud Hosting TechnologiesCybersecurity ServicesIndustry may choose to respond to some or all of the above requirements.PLACE OF PERFORMANCE The Government intends performance to be maximally in person at the Government site in Austin, TX.      IP and Data RightsThe Government anticipates owning the rights to work product generated through performance under the “enablement” model of vendors who enable the Government, with appropriate reservations for separate vendor proprietary offerings.     Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI)OCI will be addressed as appropriate in any follow on solicitation(s).Capability StatementsCompany Information (1 Page Maximum) Company Name:CAGE Code:Address (Including Telephone Number and Email Address):Points of Contact:Size of business pursuant to North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Codes: 541512 or 541511, size standard $30 millionBased on the above NAICS Codes, state whether your company is:Small Business                                      (YES/NO)Woman Owned Small Business              (YES/NO)Small Disadvantaged Business               (YES/NO)8(a) Certified                                          (YES/NO)HUBZone Certified                                 (YES/NO)Veteran Owned Small Business              (YES/NO)Service Disabled Small Business            (YES/NO)       7. Describe your company’s primary business product / service line.       8. Please detail any existing DoD or GWAC contract vehicles to which your company is a prime contract holder.Because one objective of this RFI is to determine the capability of small business to meet the requirements:A prime small business contractor responding to this RFI should include their past experience in managing subcontractors on similar requirements, and if applicable, include subcontractor or teaming partners’ past experience applicable to requirements specified in this RFI.Responsible small businesses planning teaming arrangements to meet the support requirements listed above are expected to articulate the portions of work that the prime small business intends to perform as well as articulate the portions that subcontractors or teaming partners (if applicable) will perform. Please include business size and business socio-economic category of all subcontractors or teaming partners identified to perform work associated with the NAICS for this RFI.Soldier Enablement in Modern Software DevelopmentPotential NAICS Codes – 541511 Custom Computer Programming Services, size standard $30 millionPotential Labor Categories: Software Engineer, Product Manager, UX/UI DesignerScopeThe Army Software Factory is building a Soldier-led capability to operate in a      prototyped environment of  in-house Soldier operations via enablement and upskilling of Soldiers and DA Civilians in modern software development practices. As part of this force design prototype, the Army Software Factory leverages industry best practices and products to rapidly deliver capabilities while posturing for future and potentially communications-disrupted environments. The Software Factory embraces Agile principles, DevOps/DevSecOps, and lean product management practices to enable Soldiers to continuously integrate and deliver software capabilities. The Software Factory embraces a culture of rapid feedback loops (e.g. build, measure, learn) and Soldier-centered design. Currently, after an initial classroom training, the ASWF enables Soldiers to progress in skills mastery as software engineers, UI/UX designers, and product managers through a paired extreme programming (XP) approach. This approach pairs cohort members in a one-on-one setting with industry experts that specialize in teaching, while still allowing Soldiers to operate modern technology platforms as part of a larger team. The ASWF anticipates the need to diversify the paired programming and paired enablement training. Diversification may include novel training/enablement models that expose Soldiers to continuous infusions of industry best practices for progressive mastery. Soldiers are anticipated to progress from a junior to a senior level with focus on generating future capability for senior Soldiers to train junior Soldiers in a self-sustaining model. Diversification enables Soldiers and also provides and validates best practice enablement models of requisite sustainable enablement capability in-house. As ASWF continues to enhance its cohorts and capabilities through this prototype phase, the Government seeks industry expertise in pairing and enabling Soldiers as the organization scales its modern software processes and capabilities, and codifies its force design. Approaches should focus on enabling Soldier UI/UX designers, engineers, and product managers, with rank/MOS agnostic balanced teaming across functional areas to enable Soldiers to learn while solving Army problems with software. Soldiers must be enabled to provide holistic solutions to Army problems arising across mission and operational contexts such that ASWF Soldiers can transfer seamlessly between teams and problem contexts.QuestionsThe government seeks industry feedback on several questions/topics related to a potential solicitation. Please note that the Government is still determining the acquisition strategy and best path forward, therefore, this RFI is solely for market research and market intelligence. Please limit your response to no more than 3 pages, single spaced, using Arial 12-point font.Based on the above scope, please provide a high-level approach and explain how your company will perform this work for between one and seven balanced application teams operating simultaneously.  All respondents considering performance as a team should describe the team’s probable membership, organization, and approach.Please describe your experience in enabling and upskilling military, Government, and/or non-Government personnel in modern software development and DevOps/DevSecOps processes.Please describe your experience in scaling organizations, processes, and software capabilities from small, bespoke capabilities to a fully-fledged portfolio and suite of capabilities.If your company has provided similar capabilities, please identify the projects, whether you were a prime or subcontractor, and the scope of the work.Please provide comments on assumptions made, aspects of the requirement that may not be clear, or information that would be important to your decision to respond to any resulting solicitation.Prototyping Diverse Hybrid Cloud Hosting Technologies    Potential NAICS: Potential NAICS Codes: 541512 – Computer Systems Design Services, size standard $30 millionPotential Labor Categories: Software Engineer, Platform Engineer, Product Manager, DevSecOps EngineerScopeAs part of ASWF’s prototype of a future force design, the Software Factory needs to master the capability to rapidly develop and deliver software across classification levels, scales, echelons, and at the edge. Soldiers engaged in Army operations need the capability to rapidly create and deploy technologies through various cloud computing and platform as a service (PaaS) COTS and/or in-house tools and services, such as containerization and Kubernetes orchestration technologies. To ensure Soldiers have the capability to adapt to emerging requirements at speed, they must be exposed to a full cross-section of technology to master how technological differences drive software architecture, design, and engineering decisions. The ASWF must also develop optimized models for software deployment mechanisms that integrate platform and application development. These must be scalable practices for resilient Soldier-led software operations and must include strategies for operation in an on premise or commercial, hybrid, or tactical cloud environment. The Government seeks industry expertise in prototyping novel methods of integration of various PaaS technologies and DevSecOps methodologies capable of supporting operations at scale while upskilling Soldiers to support commanders and users at the edges of the battlefield.QuestionsThe Government seeks industry feedback on several questions/topics related to a potential solicitation for this effort. Please note that the Government is still determining the acquisition strategy and best path forward, therefore, this RFI is solely for market research and market intelligence. Please limit your response to no more than 3 pages, single spaced, using Arial 12-point font.Based on the above scope, please provide a high-level approach and explain how your company will perform this work.Please describe your experience in managing and deploying Platform as a Service (PaaS) technologies. Please describe which technologies you have utilized (whether COTS or built in-house) and the scale of software capabilities deployed on the PaaS offering.Please describe your experience upskilling and enabling military, Government, and/or non-Government personnel in building and deploying PaaS capabilities.If your company has provided similar capabilities, please identify the projects, whether you were a prime or subcontractor, and the scope of the work.Please provide comments on assumptions made, aspects of the requirement that may not be clear, or information that would be important to your decision to respond to any resulting solicitation.Cybersecurity ServicesPotential NAICS: Potential NAICS Codes: 541512 – Computer Systems Design Services, size standard $30 millionPotential Labor Categories: Cybersecurity Engineer, Red Team Engineer, Pen Test EngineerScopeAs the Army Software Factory continues to develop and maintain multiple software capabilities, a more robust and automated cybersecurity apparatus is required. Legacy Authority to Operate (ATO) and Risk Management Framework (RMF) processes focus on compliance and “checking the box” security that does not provide a robust assessment of a system’s security posture. In addition, the Army has limited experience in cloud-native ATOs, leading to a risk aversion that impacts the ability for organizations to meet mission needs within the ATO construct. Baseline security compliance experience is an important component for development to Government security needs (including the use of eMASS), but there is also a requirement for industry expertise in more automated processes to achieve continuous assessment, authorizations, and monitoring. Utilizing continuous Authority to Operate (cATO) methodologies and processes, ASWF requires a full spectrum of cybersecurity services to include red teams, blue teams, pen testers, and security automation engineering. A holistic security apparatus enables the Software Factory to build and deploy resilient, reliable, and secure applications while maintaining a robust compliance and cATO process.The Government seeks industry feedback on several questions/topics related to a potential solicitation for this effort. Please note that the Government is still determining the acquisition strategy and best path forward, therefore, this RFI is solely for market research and market intelligence. Please limit your response to no more than 3 pages, single spaced, using Arial 12-point font.Based on the above scope, please provide a high-level approach and explain how your company will perform this work.Please describe your company’s approach to moving the Government towards a modernized Risk Management Framework (also known as a Continuous Authority to Operate). Please describe any policy recommendations you may have.Please describe your experience providing a full suite of DevSecOps cybersecurity services and security automation frameworks. Please describe the types of roles, technologies, and processes employed to support the development and deployment of software applications.If your company has provided similar capabilities, please identify the projects, whether you were a prime or subcontractor, and the scope of the work.Please provide comments on assumptions made, aspects of the requirement that may not be clear, or information that would be important to your decision to respond to any resulting solicitation.Response GuidelinesInterested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a capability statement. Submissions cannot exceed 10 pages total, if responding to all 3 topic areas and/or three pages each per topic and one page company information, single-spaced, Arial 12-point type with at least one-inch margins on 8 1/2” X 11” page size. The capability statement and any other items associated with the RFI response should not exceed a 5 MB e-mail limit. Responses must specifically answer the questions set forth in the above sections and describe the contractor’s capability to meet the requirements outlined and problems set forth in this RFI. No “sales pitch-like” white papers will be accepted or read. The Government highly encourages any interested vendor to utilize the capability statements to capitalize on its company’s capabilities and strengths.Companies who wish to respond to this RFI should send responses via email no later than Noon, Central Standard Time November 22, 2022 to Rodolfo.estrada6.civ@army.mil and Jermain.m.compton.civ@army.mil .Proprietary information is not sought or desired. If submitted, it must clearly be marked "proprietary" on every sheet containing such information, and the proprietary information must be segregated to the maximum extent practicable from other portions of the response. Respondents are responsible for adequately marking proprietary information contained in their response.If submissions contain information you believe should be withheld under FOIA on the grounds that they contain “trade secrets and commercial or financial information” [5 USC§552(b)(4)], the following notice should be placed on the title page: “Some parts of this document, as identified on individual pages, are considered by the respondent to be privileged or confidential trade secrets or commercial or financial information not subject to mandatory disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Material considered privileged or confidential on such grounds is contained on page(s) [enter page number(s)].” Each individual item considered privileged or confidential under FOIA should be marked with the following notice: “The data or information is considered by the submitter to be confidential or privileged, and is not subject to mandatory disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.”