DESCRIPTION: This is an announcement of a Request for Information (RFI). This RFI is issued for the purpose of conducting a market survey to identify potential sources of commercial off the shelf (COTS) products that support an Enterprise Data Collection Layer (EDCL) solution to communications between Automated Data Collection (ADC) and legacy logistics systems and an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. These products must have a viable commercial presence in industry and should be in use in applications similar to the planned Air Force use. This is not a solicitation. This notice does not constitute a Request for Proposal, nor does it restrict the Government as to the ultimate acquisition approach. It should not be construed as a commitment by the Government. The Government will not reimburse any costs for preparation or submittal of information in response to this RFI. In addition, the Government will not pay for any costs associated with participation in subsequent demonstrations. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Air Force Automated Identification Technologies Program Management Office (AF AIT PMO) and the Global Combat Support System - Air Force (GCSS-AF) Program is researching potential solutions for the integration and management of data collected from Automatic Identification Technology (AIT) devices. The research is focused on the capabilities of commercial products that support an enterprise data collection concept and learning about industry-leading vendors of such products. The Air Force is establishing an Automatic Identification Technology (AIT) architecture that will provide an effective transfer of data from automated data collection (ADC) capabilities to legacy systems and subsequently the Air Force Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. The architecture will enable use of the full range of AITs including, but not limited to: linear bar codes, two-dimensional bar codes, passive RFID tags, active RFID tags, contact memory buttons as well as specific AIT devices (wireless hand held terminals, printers, RFID portals, light stacks, and motion sensors). Enterprise Data Collection Layer (EDCL) solutions provide the critical software infrastructure layer that resides between the data collection devices at the point of logistics events and the back-end automated information systems (AISs) and enterprise data repositories. EDCL tools manage the communications between ADC devices, networked systems, data, and processes, enabling real-time information and event management. The Air Force EDCL is expected to: .Enable use of the full range of Air Force AITs; .Integrate with the Global Combat Support System - Air Force (GCSS-AF) architecture as a standard AIT architecture and device manager accessible to the AIT development and implementation community; .Efficiently manage AIT enabled volumes of data flowing through Air Force networks; .Support configurable data transformation and routing to legacy systems and the Expeditionary Combat Support System (ECSS), an Oracle ERP based system; and .Support implementation of business rules in device and event management layers versus legacy information systems. To accomplish this exploration, the AF AIT PMO and GCSS-AF is requesting information from Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) vendors leading to demonstrations with AF participants. TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION: the AF AIT PMO and GCSS-AF will conduct market analysis by reviewing vendor submitted EDCL Capabilities Description documents. Content requirements and specifications are described below in the EDCL CAPABILITIES DESCRIPTION CONTENT section. Any information submitted by respondents to this request for information is strictly voluntary and will be used only for the purpose of this analysis. Proprietary and Confidential Information will not be accepted. The GCSS-AF Program believes that standard specifications and capabilities should be sufficient to respond. If a vendor believes that their response must include proprietary or confidential information in order to be properly considered, they should notify the contact listed below. If applicable, a set of COTS products may be described by a team of COTS vendors to provide fuller coverage of the requested information as detailed in the EDCL Capabilities Description. PARTIES INTERESTED IN SUBMITTING A RESPONSE TO THIS RFI MUST SUBMIT A NON-BINDING LETTER OF INTENT VIA EMAIL TO - TAMI RICE,
[email protected], NLT 1700 EDT 9 NOV 2006. FULL RESPONSES ARE DUE NLT 1700 EDT 20 NOV 2006 VIA EMAIL TO
[email protected] CONSISTING OF A ZIP FILE CONTAINING THE COMPLETED EDCL CAPABILITIES DESCRIPTION DOCUMENT. All questions should be submitted via email to Tami Rice,
[email protected] in accordance with the schedule below. These questions and answers thereto will be distributed, to all vendors posted to the HERBB web site according to the following schedule: Questions submitted Answers posted by 17:00 EDT approximately 17:00 EDT 6 November 2006 9 November 2006 13 November 2006 16 November 2006 Upon review of submitted material, the Air Force will invite a limited set of vendors to demonstrate how their COTS product solutions support the identified Air Force EDCL concept. Invitations to demonstrate will be strongly influenced by the submitters "out-of-the-box" capability coverage. Invitations to demonstrate EDCL solutions and demonstration scenarios will be issued in December. Demonstration scenarios and guidelines will be provided with the invitation. The demonstrations are tentatively planned for mid January in Fairborn, Ohio EDCL CAPABILITIES DESCRIPTION CONTENT Section Page Limit Format Content Section 1. Corporate information, experience, and capabilities 2 pages Text Brief description of company background Brief description of associated partners, if applicable Brief description of available professional services (i.e., assistance in implementation) and method for pricing. Include a description of a typical engagement. Brief description of vendor experience with DoD AIDC, data elements, logistics transactions, Wide Area Work Flow. Include description of DoD-specific product capabilities. Identify whom you consider to be your major competitors. Describe your product(s) installed customer base. Identify market share percentage and number of licenses. Describe DoD and Air Force customer experience with the product(s). Section 2. Product Solution - General 1 page Graphic Architectural graphic of the components, or layer, of your product suite. Text High-level narrative description of each component Identify whether the product(s) may be classified as a middleware appliance utilizing both software and hardware. If appropriate, identify hardware. 2 pages Text Describe how the product(s) are bundled, licensed, or purchased. Identify the standards that the product(s) comply with. Describe the operating system and deployment platforms the product runs on and databases it supports. Address scalability. Identify the maximum number of simultaneously connected devices that are supported. Identify the number of transactions that can be processed per second. Describe the software development and deployment environment for your product(s). Describe the supported Application Programming Interface (API) languages. Describe how customer configurations and additions are maintained or migrated into new product releases. Describe the skill sets required by personnel to implement your product components. Specify skill sets by configuration, administration, and custom development areas. Describe supported wireless platforms and mobility capabilities. Describe support for mobile environment, download of validation data, synchronization, and store-forward capabilities. Describe RFID tag writing, IUID marking, shipping label, and barcode label printing capabilities. Section 3. Product Solution - Device Layer 10 pages Graphic Provide an architecture graphic. Text Describe the device layer. Describe the product(s) approach for handling unique device interfaces. Identify supported devices by type (i.e., barcode reader, RFID reader, controller, contact memory button reader, portable data terminal with barcode and/or RFID reading capability, barcode printers, RFID printer/encoders monitoring, sensor, responder, etc.) Describe how new devices become supported. Describe capabilities for creating device profiles, configuring devices, establishing network connections, and synchronizing devices. Describe remote device management capabilities. Describe support for updating device level firmware and application software. Describe device monitoring and alerts capability, logging and reporting capabilities. Identify supported encoding and decoding formats. Describe filtering capability and configuration to devices. Describe pre-defined filters. Describe capability to add new filters. Describe device connectivity architecture(s) that are supported. Section 4. Product Solution - Event Processing Layer 1 page Graphic Provide an architecture graphic. 5 pages Text Describe the event processing layer. Describe filtering and aggregation capabilities of this layer. Describe data storage capabilities including in-memory storage. Describe the physical schema for the data storage, databases supported, and data and schema access methods. Describe the methods for defining, managing, and automatically executing the flow of event information resulting from data collected from AIT devices. Describe the available templates or pre-defined flows. Describe how to configure flows/business processes and add new flows. Identify and describe support for EPC Application Level Events (ALEs). Describe capabilities for defining and applying business rules. Describe capabilities for defining and performing business logic. Describe capabilities for defining and applying business rules. Describe capabilities for defining and performing business logic. Describe support for custom development, including development environment, class libraries, APIs, web services, browser-based user interface, deployment, etc. Describe event tracing capabilities. Describe tracking and logging capabilities. Describe reporting capabilities. Describe information/message delivery. Identify support for both on-demand and asynchronous communication. Describe capabilities for receiving data that is destined for printer devices or device control commands. Section 5. Product Solution - Integration with Enterprise Applications and Architecture Services 1 page Graphic Provide an architecture graphic. 5 pages Text Identify and describe support for direct delivery of ALEs to the enterprise. Describe support for EPC Information Service (EPCIS). Describe support for pre-built interfaces to COTS applications such as Oracle ERP. Identify COTS enterprise applications that your product(s) have standard interfaces with. Describe methods for developing and executing custom interfaces to proprietary business applications. Section 6. Interoperability with GCSS-AF 1 page Text GCSS-AF is a real running system designed to open standards. These open standards have been instantiated using a specific set of commercial software and hardware products. Future AF applications must use the infrastructure services provided by GCSS-AF. Describe how your product(s) integrate with or complement GCSS-AF. Section 7. Communications / Interfaces / Other 2 pages Text Identify communication protocols. Identify applicability of XML and Web Services. Describe supported messaging channels/protocols/methods - e.g., e-mail, HTTP, SOAP, FTP, MQ. Describe the user interfaces for the product. Describe how device inputs and configurations, event creation, and enterprise integration are emulated. Describe any facilities you provide for verifying and testing end-to-end device input to enterprise application receipt of logistics events, and from enterprise applications to output to devices. Describe product security methods to include delivery to the wireless client, encryption, and user validation. Section 8. Summary 1 page Text Identify your product suite strengths in a bulleted list with short descriptions of the bulleted items.