The Army recently announced their plans to develop a software development support services contract exceeding $1 billion over a 10-year period of performance. This contract is anticipated to be a Multiple-Award, Indefinite Quantity, Indefinite Delivery (IDIQ) vehicle with the ability to rapidly award task orders for software development requirements across the Army. In late May, the Army released a Request for Information (RFI) for the New Modern Software Development IDIQ and will take into consideration responses from industry. This could be a huge opportunity for software development contractors, so let’s dive into what we know about this upcoming IDIQ so far.
What Do We Know So Far About the Army’s Software Development IDIQ?
While the contract is still in its early stages, we can gather a general idea of the scope and features of the IDIQ so far from the RFI. First, we understand that this RFI was released a few months after the Army announced a new policy to outline changes in how they develop and deliver software.
Software is crucial for military operations, from the ability to detect and track adversaries as well as protect operations from cyber threats, and improve the accuracy of weapons, business and training systems. As a result, the Army has a great need to rapidly develop and adapt software to remain competitive. This IDIQ is intended to be streamlined so contractors can introduce modern software solutions with a relatively short task order window, enabling the Army to keep up with the pace of their adversaries.
It’s important to note that RFIs do not always end in formal Requests for Proposal (RFPs), but since the Army has a ceiling in mind and details about the initial scope, it looks promising.
Scope of the IDIQ
The Army currently plans to select 10 vendors in the initial contract award, setting aside a pool for small business participation. Eventually, the Army wants to on-board additional contractors as needed to fulfill requirements.
In the RFI, the Army states that task orders issued against this IDIQ will provide software enablement efforts in support of Army systems. Software enablement efforts are specifically defined as:
(a) Development of a custom software solution
(b) Customization, integration, or modification of a software solution
(c) Software as a service enablement
(d) Software security and hosting modernization
In other words, the Army wants to leverage modern development practices in this vehicle including, continuous integration/ continuous delivery (CI/CD), agile, lean, and Development, Security, and Operation (DevSecOps).
Customization will also be a crucial requirement, so new products and current offerings can be modified to match the rapidly changing direction of the industry.
Task Orders
The task order time and requirements are key elements of this RFI. Response times from vendors will fluctuate depending on how task orders are classified, but currently the RFI states 5-10 days for simple and 15-25 days for complex task orders. Task orders will be labeled according to complexity (simple or complex) and response time (expedited or standard).
Task orders against this IDIQ will have evaluation criteria that establishes the offerors’ technical capabilities, availability of resources to begin work immediately, and enable task order award rapidly. Clearly time is of the essence here, but the task orders may also include qualifying technical challenges, meaning offerors will also be measured on their demonstrated abilities to fulfill the requirements.
Task order proposal responses are expected to include:
- A proposed PWS/ Agile Project Plan
- The proposed team for the task order, in compliance with rates on the IDIQ, and within the Task Budget.
- The current Army Common Access Card (CAC) status for all members of the proposed team
- Confirmation on start date
- Small Business (SB) Participation Plan o Demonstration/Challenge submission
- Written Technical Volume as required
Responding to Government Solicitations
As we wait for further information on this contract and monitor additional opportunities that will inevitably pop-up during Q4, are you prepared to provide a successful response? A lot of companies don’t know how important it is to get their foot in the door early in the RFP process and how to properly respond to a solicitation.
If you want to learn more about providing successful responses, check out our blogs:
- 3 Tips for a Successful RFP Response
- A Guide to Requests for Proposals (RFPs)
- 6 Common RFP Mistakes Contractors Make and How to Avoid Them
Of course, you don’t have to navigate this process alone. If you anticipate needing help responding to government proposals or preparing your GSA Schedule for future opportunities, we would be happy to help you.
