Government-wide Technology Business Management (TBM) Solution Announcement and Request for Information (RFI)
INTRODUCTION
Congress and taxpayers have long pressed for better and more transparent information about how federal government information technology (IT) dollars are spent. Using industry best practices, the federal government can improve strategic management of its IT portfolio by leveraging publicly available government data to analyze tradeoffs between cost, quality, and value. In spring 2017, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-11 guidance called on agencies to begin adopting elements of the Technology Business Management (TBM) framework—an open source standard for IT costs that will provide more granularities in IT spend based on a taxonomy broadly accepted across both private and public sector organizations. In June 2019, OMB again updated Circular A-11 with additional guidance to help agencies mature their TBM implementation.
In support of the President’s Management Agenda (PMA) Cross-Agency Priority (CAP) Goal 10 to increase IT spending transparency, the Office of Government-wide Policy (OGP) within the General Services Administration (GSA), in partnership with OMB, recommends the use of GSA’s IT Schedule 70 (SIN 132-40 for TBM Tools and SIN 132-51 for TBM services) as a common government-wide TBM solution. The government solicited ideas from industry on June 18, 2018, on how to efficiently aggregate and analyze data across the federal enterprise, leveraging TBM. We found that a variety of tools and services can, and should, be leveraged to advance this effort; not just IT financial management solutions, but advanced data science techniques/tools (e.g., Robotic Process Automation [RPA], Artificial Intelligence [AI], Natural Language Processing [NLP], and Machine Learning [ML]) as well. We also learned the importance of a scalable solution that permits flexibility over time, and the critical nature of change management services and employee training. Lastly, we heard how strong data standards can ensure that systems will align across bureau, agency, and federal enterprise levels to tell a cohesive story.
A holistic analysis of IT investments will help agency executives identify areas of potential savings or increased investment. As agencies work to fully implement TBM by 2022, they may choose to acquire TBM-related tools and/or services. As they do, they will be instructed to use GSA’s IT Schedule 70 to pursue their own TBM procurements. This will help to ensure that the TBM tools and services procured are designed to meet each agency’s needs. Likewise, to support the intended government-wide TBM outcomes, OMB and GSA are partnering to establish a TBM Task Order Review Board (TORB). Agencies looking to procure TBM tools and/or services will be required to use the TORB.
The TORB will support agencies through a streamlined acquisition process, providing TBM expertise, guidance, and draft documents to expedite the procurement process, as well as materials to help agencies assess their TBM needs, design their implementation process, and execute their TBM implementation plans. The TORB will provide templates that agencies can use for acquisition preparation, solicitation, and evaluation.
The TORB will simplify TBM acquisition processes, ensure that TBM-related procurements support the government-wide TBM initiative, and ease the solicitation process for industry by streamlining the format of TBM acquisition requests.
Through the TORB process, agency TBM procurements will be assessed for:
Alignment with OMB TBM Policy objectives;
Consistency with the TBM Framework;
Ongoing maturity of agency TBM implementations; and
Incorporation of established federal government TBM best practices
TORB reviews will result in either a recommendation to proceed with the TBM acquisition, or a list of recommended revisions to the procurement package to address deficiencies or concerns. Agencies must receive TORB approval before proceeding with a TBM acquisition.
QUESTIONS FOR INDUSTRY
OMB and GSA are pursuing the use of GSA’s IT Schedule 70 as a common government-wide TBM solution in support of CAP Goal 10. Previous market research indicated that Schedule 70 offers TBM tool and service providers, and has the flexibility to accommodate additional vendors, including small businesses.
The federal government invites all interested parties (including, but not limited to, vendors and vendor partnerships) to provide responses to the following:
Identify the TBM tool you offer, and describe the government contract vehicles on which it is currently available.
For tool providers, please specify if you are currently: FedRAMP certified, in process, or considering certification.
For tool providers, what is your company’s business size classification? If small, identify the socioeconomic status.
SUBMISSION INFORMATION
Vendors should submit responses in electronic format, not to exceed two (2) pages typed single-spaced Times New Roman size twelve (12) font in Microsoft Word or PDF format to TBMteam@gsa.gov by 6:00 pm ET on Friday, August 23, 2019. Responses should be based on the information contained in this notice and any other relevant information referenced herein. Respondents will not be notified of the results of this notice and responses presented will not be returned, but it will be made available to agencies to use for market research. The government is not responsible for any costs incurred by a vendor in relation to preparation of a response to this notice.
Lisa Yimbo, Contracting Officer, Email lisa.yimbo@gsa.gov
