SDI NG2 is how the contractors will help lead the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) into the frontiers of technology.
SDI NG2 Background
Although GovWin estimates the RFP will drop this April, the program leads only say it will come out “in FY-18.” This gives aspiring bidders, both large and small time to get their Capture and proposal preparation efforts rolling.
The size and complexity of this undertaking is monumental….and it’s been growing. That this is not a one-size-fits-all, generic, rolled-over-every-few-years undertaking has been clearly evidenced by the ongoing revisions and modifications to the requirement that the PTO contracting office has been making, continually, since work on NG2 IT started. (The original RFI hit the street back in May 2015.)
Since then, PTO has been moving the drop date and evaluation schedule to the right because, among other things, it’s been busy with efforts to ensure the solicitation depicts the size and scope of the effort correctly — and that bidders understand precisely what’s expected of them.
Which is a lot!
The value of the resulting contract is expected to be double — that’s right: Double! – the price tag of the legacy efforts. It now stands at a hefty $1.1B. The incumbents are: SB/S-A — Maximus (resulting from a SB acquisition), Criterion Systems, Salient Solutions, Niksoft Solutions and Phacil, Inc.; and F&O stalwarts such as Unisys, SAIC, Pragmatics, CSRA (formerly CSC); and CGI Federal.
NG2’s core components are:
- Software development and integration,
- Development testing,
- Configuration management support,
- Production support and software maintenance and transition, and
- Program management support.
What They Really Want
But there is a lot more to NG2. PTO’s overriding IT vision is transformative, to optimize Patent and Trademark quality and timeliness, and provide next generation technology and services — meaning the winners of this bid must prove they can provide solutions, continually, that are ahead of the curve and that advance technology measurably and consistently. Tasks, that any USG IT contractor can tell you, are a challenge in even the most agile, responsive and streamlined bureaucracy.
What PTO is after here is not the same old, same old IT solutions — or even better, faster, cheaper versions of legacy systems and approaches. Instead, they want the application of streamlined, advanced non-conventional iterative processes used to customize COTS software systems and tailor them efficiently and effectively to meet PTO’s unique requirements.
So above and beyond the Agile, DevOps, Scum, Kanban and Scrumban narratives, they want contractors who can cut the innovation mustard. Can your firm do this; are you ready to submit such a bid?
If you would like to discuss proposal support services such as staff augmentation or whole proposal preparation, please contact us.
Find past articles about SDI NG2 below:
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