FSS 19 Systems Modernization (FALCON)

The Contractor shall provide IT services to re-engineer and modernize the operations and management of a suite of applications known as FSS-19, which supports the procurement and distribution of supplies across the entire Federal Government.

Change Management

The contractor must manage application changes using a SAFe Agile methodology, including a master schedule, CCB/ECB approval, and coordinated O&M releases. They are also responsible for creating and maintaining system documentation, delivering it with each release according to specified timelines.

Release Management

Release management services focus on deploying enhanced system functionality based on change request priorities, using SAFe Agile best practices. This includes tracking deployment progress, delivering release notes, ensuring deployment plans are in place, validating GSA-IT compliance, and maintaining code and deployment artifacts in repositories using relevant tools.

Database Management

Database management services are needed to support cloud NoSQL and relational data sets, ensuring data integrity, performance, and integration. These services include monitoring databases, supporting new development, facilitating data sharing, and providing support for user data requests that cannot be completed through the application's standard functions.

FSS-19 (FALCON) Application Functions and Environment Support

As new FSS-19 functionality (FALCON) is deployed, the O&M team takes over support and maintenance, focusing on site stability. This includes collaborating with FCS to support, manage, and monitor VPCaaS environments, ensuring systems are running, and proactively addressing issues. The O&M team must also maintain compliance with changing FCS cloud service conditions and perform disaster recovery activities as needed, potentially involving redeployments, upgrades, user management, and service migrations.

Problem/Defect Management

Problem and defect management services are required to resolve issues in the production environment based on their priority and severity. The contractor will perform problem management and implement fixes identified by the government, coordinating with Tier 1 Help Desk Support to capture incidents. Response times must adhere to defined SLAs. System testing and validation include unit tests, functional testing (manual), regression testing (automated), performance/load/stress testing, and integrated security testing.

Information Assurance

Information assurance services are essential for managing information and system security throughout the application lifecycle, addressing vulnerabilities identified by GSA Security Engineering. This includes providing ISSO support for modernized FSS-19 functionality, such as validating system inventories, interpreting vulnerability scans, writing security documentation (like FIPS-1099, Privacy Impact Assessments, and System Security Plans), managing POA&Ms, supporting security assessments, ensuring compliance with GSA security policies, and responding to security incidents. The services also require maintaining PCI DSS and NIST SP800-53 compliance, adhering to the latest GSA-approved revisions.

Enhancements

Enhancements to existing FSS-19 (FALCON) system functionality, once deployed to production, are managed based on prioritized requests. The contractor, with government approval, uses existing development methods to provide artifacts, perform impact analyses, and develop requirements using agile methods. They are responsible for technical architecture development within the existing framework, programming/coding with secure techniques, and comprehensive testing (including test plans, execution, and documentation) to ensure quality.