Cloud Broker RFI QandA 5Oct12
Content
Cloud Broker RFI Q and A As of 5 Oct 2012
Question Response
Is there an incumbent contractor/ contract number associated with this potential effort? Will an industry day be held for either RFI? The recent Presidential Records Management Memo that was released by NARA August 24, 2012 strongly directs agencies to develop cloud-based records management strategies. Does DISA anticipate incorporating cloud-based records management into this solicitation? Does it intend to include a DOD 5015.2 records management requirement? Will there be a separate "cloud service catalog", or will the cloud offerings be included in the current DISA Service Catalog? Please clarify what the existing DoD private cloud services are.
No. This is a new initiative. The plan is to hold a separate industry day for each RFI. The Government anticipates putting the appropriate language into any relevant solicitations.
Will this negotiating of the fulfillment requirements be part of the provisioning process of the service, or will it be conducted and completed within the IDIQ RFP selection and award process? Will this negotiating of the service delivery arrangements be part of the provisioning process of the service, or will it be conducted and completed within the IDIQ RFP selection and award process? What is DISA's expectation of how to maintain awareness, and who would be performing this maintenance within DISA? The information in the reference to PL8 on the DISA website does not mention brokerage services. Is there any other information that provides a better understanding of what Brokerage Services PL8 is actually providing?
The format of the cloud service catalog is TBD pending industry input, but it will not be the current DISA Service Catalog. Examples of DoD private cloud services include Global Content Delivery Service (GCDS), Defense Enterprise Email, Forge.mil development platform tools, and Rapid Access Computing Environment (RACE). The specifics of the implementation are TBD pending industry input.
The specifics of the implementation are TBD pending industry input.
The specifics of the implementation are TBD pending industry input. There are currently no cloud broker services offered by the Agency. The reference to PL8 is merely an example of a related acquisition model for a currently supported service.
Cloud Broker RFI Q and A As of 5 Oct 2012
It is our understanding that the DISA Service Catalog is a document available on the DISA.mil site. However, this does not represent an "on-line" catalog as this section refers to. Will the development, management, and maintenance of an actual on-line service catalog be part of this requirement? Is the "cloud service portal" referred to here part of the anticipated DISA online service catalog, or will it be a separate piece of technology or functionality? Will the "integrated" service desk become a TIER 2 service desk as a "roll up [aka integration]" of the cloud service provider service desks? Is DISA expecting that the contractors responding to a potential solicitation are existing [or planned] Cloud Service Brokers (CSBs)? If so, can this CSB capability be within a commercial space? Is the "depth" of penetration that DISA is expecting for the CSB contractor being measured by years of CSB experience, scope of CSB services, or some other measurement that DISA will define? What measurement is DISA expecting that the provisioning of the cloud services would be faster than? How does DISA plan to provide pricing visibility to enable pricing discounts? Will the vendors see the "open market pricing" of other providers [to instill this "competitive spirit"] or will the "open market pricing" only be visible to the Cloud Service Broker who would then "advise" their respective client on what may be the "most competitive pricing"? How does DISA envision the ability to track and accurately charge back for a "pay-per-use" type of provisioning service, especially within a cloud environment? Will this "pay-per-use" be for the bundled services [at the time of provisioning] or does DISA expect that these would be "transactional" based "pay-per-use" services? The specifics of the implementation are TBD pending industry input.
The specifics of the implementation are TBD pending industry input.
The specifics of the Service Desk implementation are TBD pending industry input. Any vendor who has capabilities that meet the solicitation “requirements” may respond. The specifics of the implementation are TBD pending industry input. The specific criteria are TBD pending industry input.
The target is faster than DoD's current process for contracting for cloud services. The Government will consider industry’s responses before determining the appropriate way to provide pricing information.
The Government is seeking industry input and recommendations on optimal billing model(s).
Cloud Broker RFI Q and A As of 5 Oct 2012
If the Cloud Service Brokerage will be an IDIQ solicitation and award, does the ability to "add new services" mean that there will be an ability to "add new vendors" to the IDIQ collection of vendors post-award of an IDIQ contract [e.g. will there be a "rampon" provision with any potential IDIQ contract award to allow "new" vendors who have "new services" to be added to the IDIQ vendor list]? Are the items in the bulleted list the only elements that DISA is looking for governance over, or are these just a representative sample of the processes or functions that DISA needs a governance model for? If these are just a "representation", does DISA have a complete list that can be provided for their total expectation for governance? Are the number of users identified in this section merely an example [to represent the ability to scale] rather than providing an actual upper limit to the number of concurrent users? If there is an anticipated "upper limit", can DISA share what that limit would be? Does DISA plan to conduct an Industry Day following the RFI response submittal? If so, when is that planned? Is DISA open to seeing a demonstration of a company’s cloud brokerage capabilities? When does DISA plan to finalize the list of Government and Contractor responsibilities? Will the Government accept comments from Industry that show how a contractor can also cover the responsibilities that are currently targeted for the Government? The Government is looking for industry feedback in this area. The goal is to be able to on-ramp and off-ramp vendors and services.
The specifics are TBD pending industry input. There is no existing master list.
The specifics are TBD pending industry input. There is no defined upper limit.
There are plans to hold an Industry Day before the end of 2012. Any opportunities for demonstrations will be communicated via FedBizOpps. The solicitation will define the allocation of roles and responsibilities. Input from industry regarding the appropriate split of roles and responsibilities is welcome.
Cloud Broker RFI Q and A As of 5 Oct 2012
Does DISA anticipate any crossover of data and information from unclassified to classified clouds? If so, what are the risks and liabilities anticipated if information is compromised? The same question applies for information passing among and between all forms of the unclassified clouds. In Section 5.0, Section B, Question 10, it states “Describe your approach to ensuring that CSPs will mitigate privacy risks, and comply with applicable privacy laws and regulations….”. We would like to confirm that this is a request to the CSP and not a typographical error where the CSB was intended? What is the anticipated contract vehicle DISA hopes to establish as part of this procurement process? The scope of this RFI is the unclassified environment only. The Government welcomes industry input on how interaction or exchange between vendor clouds will be handled.
Yes, it is a reference to the Cloud Service Provider.
The contract vehicle selection will be determined by the Government based on industry's feedback.
Question Response
Is there an incumbent contractor/ contract number associated with this potential effort? Will an industry day be held for either RFI? The recent Presidential Records Management Memo that was released by NARA August 24, 2012 strongly directs agencies to develop cloud-based records management strategies. Does DISA anticipate incorporating cloud-based records management into this solicitation? Does it intend to include a DOD 5015.2 records management requirement? Will there be a separate "cloud service catalog", or will the cloud offerings be included in the current DISA Service Catalog? Please clarify what the existing DoD private cloud services are.
No. This is a new initiative. The plan is to hold a separate industry day for each RFI. The Government anticipates putting the appropriate language into any relevant solicitations.
Will this negotiating of the fulfillment requirements be part of the provisioning process of the service, or will it be conducted and completed within the IDIQ RFP selection and award process? Will this negotiating of the service delivery arrangements be part of the provisioning process of the service, or will it be conducted and completed within the IDIQ RFP selection and award process? What is DISA's expectation of how to maintain awareness, and who would be performing this maintenance within DISA? The information in the reference to PL8 on the DISA website does not mention brokerage services. Is there any other information that provides a better understanding of what Brokerage Services PL8 is actually providing?
The format of the cloud service catalog is TBD pending industry input, but it will not be the current DISA Service Catalog. Examples of DoD private cloud services include Global Content Delivery Service (GCDS), Defense Enterprise Email, Forge.mil development platform tools, and Rapid Access Computing Environment (RACE). The specifics of the implementation are TBD pending industry input.
The specifics of the implementation are TBD pending industry input.
The specifics of the implementation are TBD pending industry input. There are currently no cloud broker services offered by the Agency. The reference to PL8 is merely an example of a related acquisition model for a currently supported service.
Cloud Broker RFI Q and A As of 5 Oct 2012
It is our understanding that the DISA Service Catalog is a document available on the DISA.mil site. However, this does not represent an "on-line" catalog as this section refers to. Will the development, management, and maintenance of an actual on-line service catalog be part of this requirement? Is the "cloud service portal" referred to here part of the anticipated DISA online service catalog, or will it be a separate piece of technology or functionality? Will the "integrated" service desk become a TIER 2 service desk as a "roll up [aka integration]" of the cloud service provider service desks? Is DISA expecting that the contractors responding to a potential solicitation are existing [or planned] Cloud Service Brokers (CSBs)? If so, can this CSB capability be within a commercial space? Is the "depth" of penetration that DISA is expecting for the CSB contractor being measured by years of CSB experience, scope of CSB services, or some other measurement that DISA will define? What measurement is DISA expecting that the provisioning of the cloud services would be faster than? How does DISA plan to provide pricing visibility to enable pricing discounts? Will the vendors see the "open market pricing" of other providers [to instill this "competitive spirit"] or will the "open market pricing" only be visible to the Cloud Service Broker who would then "advise" their respective client on what may be the "most competitive pricing"? How does DISA envision the ability to track and accurately charge back for a "pay-per-use" type of provisioning service, especially within a cloud environment? Will this "pay-per-use" be for the bundled services [at the time of provisioning] or does DISA expect that these would be "transactional" based "pay-per-use" services? The specifics of the implementation are TBD pending industry input.
The specifics of the implementation are TBD pending industry input.
The specifics of the Service Desk implementation are TBD pending industry input. Any vendor who has capabilities that meet the solicitation “requirements” may respond. The specifics of the implementation are TBD pending industry input. The specific criteria are TBD pending industry input.
The target is faster than DoD's current process for contracting for cloud services. The Government will consider industry’s responses before determining the appropriate way to provide pricing information.
The Government is seeking industry input and recommendations on optimal billing model(s).
Cloud Broker RFI Q and A As of 5 Oct 2012
If the Cloud Service Brokerage will be an IDIQ solicitation and award, does the ability to "add new services" mean that there will be an ability to "add new vendors" to the IDIQ collection of vendors post-award of an IDIQ contract [e.g. will there be a "rampon" provision with any potential IDIQ contract award to allow "new" vendors who have "new services" to be added to the IDIQ vendor list]? Are the items in the bulleted list the only elements that DISA is looking for governance over, or are these just a representative sample of the processes or functions that DISA needs a governance model for? If these are just a "representation", does DISA have a complete list that can be provided for their total expectation for governance? Are the number of users identified in this section merely an example [to represent the ability to scale] rather than providing an actual upper limit to the number of concurrent users? If there is an anticipated "upper limit", can DISA share what that limit would be? Does DISA plan to conduct an Industry Day following the RFI response submittal? If so, when is that planned? Is DISA open to seeing a demonstration of a company’s cloud brokerage capabilities? When does DISA plan to finalize the list of Government and Contractor responsibilities? Will the Government accept comments from Industry that show how a contractor can also cover the responsibilities that are currently targeted for the Government? The Government is looking for industry feedback in this area. The goal is to be able to on-ramp and off-ramp vendors and services.
The specifics are TBD pending industry input. There is no existing master list.
The specifics are TBD pending industry input. There is no defined upper limit.
There are plans to hold an Industry Day before the end of 2012. Any opportunities for demonstrations will be communicated via FedBizOpps. The solicitation will define the allocation of roles and responsibilities. Input from industry regarding the appropriate split of roles and responsibilities is welcome.
Cloud Broker RFI Q and A As of 5 Oct 2012
Does DISA anticipate any crossover of data and information from unclassified to classified clouds? If so, what are the risks and liabilities anticipated if information is compromised? The same question applies for information passing among and between all forms of the unclassified clouds. In Section 5.0, Section B, Question 10, it states “Describe your approach to ensuring that CSPs will mitigate privacy risks, and comply with applicable privacy laws and regulations….”. We would like to confirm that this is a request to the CSP and not a typographical error where the CSB was intended? What is the anticipated contract vehicle DISA hopes to establish as part of this procurement process? The scope of this RFI is the unclassified environment only. The Government welcomes industry input on how interaction or exchange between vendor clouds will be handled.
Yes, it is a reference to the Cloud Service Provider.
The contract vehicle selection will be determined by the Government based on industry's feedback.
