Contracting for the FAA’s
Next Generation Air
Transportation System
Breakout Session # 614
Name: Elizabeth Soltys
Program Manager, Systems Engineering
2020 (SE-2020)
Date: July 20, 2010
Time: 4:00 – 5:15 PM
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Agenda

NextGen and SE-2020

SE-2020’s Unique Contracting Issues

SE-2020’s Contracting Approach

Lessons Learned

Questions
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What is NextGen?
 Next Generation of the National Airspace System (NAS)
 Portfolio of programs (across numerous government agencies
and the private sector) designed to transform the NAS by:
• Increased capacity to meet demand
• Increased efficiency and flexibility
• Fuel savings
• Improved environmental performance
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What is SE-2020?
 One of the primary contract support programs for
NextGen Integration and Development Activities:
• Research on emerging procedures and technologies
• Systems engineering to determine the best way to deploy
the NextGen initiatives on a wide-scale
 Approximately $6.4 Billion portfolio of
contracts – one of the largest in agency
history
 Up to six contract vehicles with hundreds
of Task Orders expected
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SE-2020 Contracting Challenges

Coordination among geographically-dispersed teams

Thousands of documents to review; extremely large number of
evaluators and contracting personnel

Multiple document repositories – shared drives and hard drives;
different document naming conventions

Difficulty in ensuring security of sensitive data

Convoluted and overwhelming numbers of email chains

Effective and secure communication with hundreds of interested
vendors

Adherence to procurement timelines
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Two-Pronged Approach
Redesign contracting process

Conduct two market surveys involving over 100 vendors

Conducted unprecedented procurement outreach to identify lessons
learned – over 300 vendor meetings, over 100 FAA user meetings

Categorized contracts by services rather than products

Posted an interested vendor list to simulate teaming opportunities

Assigned evaluators to different parts of submission to expedite award

Reviewed IG and GAO reports for contracts managed well or poorly

Used staggered response deadlines to expedite process

Obtained early insight as to number of submissions by requiring
vendor teams to be formally declared prior to first submission
Effectively use technology to enable process changes
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Technology Solution:
Go Paperless!
By automating the acquisition process via the
Knowledge Sharing Network (KSN) portal, we:
 Share and manage large numbers of
complex documents
 Review and edit documents online
 Manage Q&A online without email
 Efficiently track all contract information
. . . built within Dept. of Transportation security protocols –
guaranteeing a fully secure government web site
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Paperless Pre-Award Process
 Web portal with over 400 active users
 High-level analysis of 200 Offeror and Sub-contractor cost
submissions completed in 3 days
 Over 3,000 documents received between cost and technical
submissions
 2,800 technical sheets evaluated in 4 weeks (44 evaluators)
 1st award made in 3.5 months
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Paperless Post-Award Process
Current:
 Leveraging of all features of Pre-Award site (e.g., security,
collaboration, document management, etc.)
 Access to Pre-Award site document library
 Online processing of 4,000+ task orders over 10-year contract
 Application for resume review – standardized online format
(100% resume review required by contract – over 10,000
resumes over life of contract)
Future: Automated intelligent workflow
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KSN’s Key Functions
Team Site
 Collaboration
Public Site
 Information Access
Offeror Site
 Central repository
Technical
Evaluation Site
 Automated workflow
Cost
Evaluation Site
 Real time data
Post Award Site
 Targeted information
Sr. Executive
Board Site
 Easily accessible status
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Team Site -- Collaboration
 Easy access to shared document repository with Instant
Messaging, team meeting spaces
 Controlled read / write / edit / approve access to folders via
administrator’s permission control
 Auditable validation of version control
 Ability of all team members to view project plans
 Transparency of team calendars
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Team Site: Sample
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Public Site – Information Access
Through the KSN public site, bidders have easy access
to well-controlled information:
 See the latest information
(e.g., SIRs, amendments)
 Sign up for ALERTS – get
only the information they want
 Pose questions
 Automated workflow
 Controlled access
 No email chains
 See all their questions plus
FAQs
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Public Site – Available Data
 Current: Solicitation documents and public announcements
 Future:
• All SE-2020 prime contractor awardees
– Prime contractor Point of Contact and contact
information
• All Task Orders issued
– Prime contractor
– Period of performance
– Solicitation number
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– Dollar value
– Statement of work
Public Site – Main Page: Sample
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Public Site – FAQ: Sample
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Public Site – Industry Q&A:
Sample
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Offeror Site – Central Repository






Well-controlled, efficient cost submission process
Single point of entry
Automated workflow with online reviews and approvals
Electronic format in centralized repository
Identification of process delays – managed by exception
Standardization of Offeror and Sub-contractor input
 Significantly reduced processing time
 Shortened response and award times
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Offeror Site: Sample
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Cost Evaluation Site –
Automated Workflow

Offeror and Sub-contractor workbooks have protected cells
and worksheets

If possible, calculations are included in submission of
workbooks

Eliminates duplication of input and chance of
formula changes and broken links

Maximizes standardized, automatic calculations for
all cost submissions
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Technical Evaluation Site –
Real Time Data
 Over 40
evaluators
 ≈3,000 score
sheets
 Numerous
criteria for
tabulation
KSN
 Electronic score
sheets and
submission
 Exports directly
to Excel which
rolls up scores;
ties to live data
in score sheets
 Real time view
of data ready
for review
 Dynamic view
of changing
scores as data
is added to
score sheets
Benefits
Data
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Technical Evaluation Site –
Score Sheet: Sample
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Senior Executive Board Site
 Senior executives have instant
access to pertinent data
 Development of special reports
or multiple versions of reports is
no longer necessary
 Data is automatically presented
at a level appropriate for senior
executives
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KSN Rule
Users (internal or external) can access all of their pertinent data:
 Contacts
 Folders
 Security documents
 Vendor and Sub-contractor lists
 Schedules and project plans
. . . within 3 clicks!
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Lessons Learned
Technology is key!
 Scalable for large or small efforts
 Cost-effective for small firms through
use of hosting services
 Benefits (efficiency, speed, control)
outweigh costs
Could not have met our goals without it!
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Questions
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