The task order will be the primary vehicle to obtain professional services in development of new and enhancement of existing capabilities in advanced analytics and reporting of USCIS data as well as the brokering of data for information technology systems and applications. The development scope of the program involves transforming agency-wide analytical capabilities and enhancing the agency’s ability to use its large data pool for decision-making, operational improvement and predictive and prescriptive analytics; any USCIS, DHS, or external federal agency system can become a source of data for DBIS, if dictated by the mission. Priority tasks will also support in accordance the OIT Strategic Plan and the USCIS Data Strategy.
This task order support will include program management, operations and maintenance of all DBIS system components in the cloud, research and analysis of emerging technologies, training and security, while complying with all Federal, DHS and USCIS standards, policies and procedures.
PLANXS II will include the following task areas:
- Advanced Data Analytics: The contractor shall provide capability for USCIS to invest in advanced forms of analytics to leverage big data and find new business intelligence discoveries using advanced technologies to do deep learning and analysis on data. Implement self-service models and data visualization for next generation business analytics and business intelligence. Make advanced data discovery accessible to business users irrespective of their technical knowledge and skills.
- Incorporation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML): The contractor shall capitalize on advances in AI and ML creating intelligent data models and automated analytics. The goal is to make acquiring new data easy, so it can be available for data science explorations and quick decision-making analysis for past and future predictions.
- Dashboard Metrics and Reports Development: The contractor shall develop and communicate valuable and insightful business metrics along with the partnership various product owners and stakeholders and project metrics. Metrics may include but are not limited to dashboards, Agile burn down charts, release roadmaps, and schedule.
- Systems Integration: Coordinate, integrate with internal and external engineering divisions and sections to achieve and implement sustainable and manageable end-to-end digital workflow processing.
- Architecture Design, Implementation and Support: The contractor shall continuously improve and evolve the product architecture as per industry standards and adapt to the evolving modern technologies to produce cost effective leaner architecture. Empower and enable user experience, manage fast paced Agile and Scrum development cycles, and DevSecOps practices. This includes establishing consistent and effective use of cloud-based environments and continuously seeking better advanced and efficient methods to meet USCIS mission requirements.
- Modernization of digital services and security operations (DevSecOps): The contractor shall work collaboratively and cross functionally with engineering and operations to implement automated continuous integration, continuous delivery, production monitoring, and production support. The contractor shall support its own code while in production.
- IT systems Innovation: The contract shall review, experiment with, and potentially adopt different technologies, tools, practices, processes, and techniques in order to drive innovation and facilitate continuous delivery, continuous feedback, continuous improvement, and encourage rapid and flexible response to change.
- Enterprise Solution and Code Delivery: The contractor shall use a modern technology stack to define, author, and deliver application code that conforms to requirements and application architecture provided by the government (see Technical Stack). This includes but is not limited to customizing COTS products for government use, developing, executing, and reporting on unit testing, and performing and documenting software code peer reviews. The contractor shall discover and reuse existing code, along with making newly developed code reusable on other government projects.
- Operational Maintenance (O&M): The contractor shall continue to sustain current capabilities and maintain the current existing Architecture and Capabilities.
- Automated Testing and Deployment Activities: The contractor shall create and maintain an automated test suite for the purposes of performing automated testing on user stories and for ongoing regression testing to ensure functionality and quality of the overall system. This includes but is not limited to, testing methodologies such as Behavior Driven Development (BDD), Test Driven Development (TDD), and Acceptance Test Driven Development (ATDD). The contractor will work with the DevOps and Testing Services (DOTs) vendors for additional testing. The contractor shall also plan, create and validate the implementation and deployment of scripts for use during application deployment.
- Configuration Management and Change Control: The contractor shall support effective and efficient release planning/configuration management and change control to support the agile development processes.
- User Training: The contractor shall provide user-centered, task-based training to users in support of system deployment and relating to capabilities in operation. This includes structured training courses and customized training, as required by USCIS users.
- Cross-functional Collaboration: The contractor shall participate in integrated program/project teams and agile teams to enhance communication, share lessons learned and facilitate rapid identification of dependencies between various functional entities to ensure that the projects deliver the right solutions and value to the business and end-users. This collaboration may include coaching government staff as the government attempts to stand up or execute an agile project. This includes developing and communicating project metrics, such as dashboards, Agile burn down charts, release roadmaps, and schedule.
- Graph Data Service (GDS) and knowledge graph: The contractor shall maintain and enhance the GDS that models relationships between people, locations, accounts, assets, events and case details, knowledge graphs give investigators a 360-degree analytical view of the case context in accordance with Government priorities and feedback.
- User and Identity Access Management: The contractor shall maintain and own Identity and User management to securely govern and manage user access to various system resources and data. Enable and have proper vigilance and control to these data sources to protect sensitive information by enforcing policies and processes related to user access and identity within an organization.
- Data and Schema management: The contractor shall develop and implement strong data governance to include privacy, security, and management as per USCIS mission. Revolutionize and improve data management by automating processes, improving data accuracy, and enhancing decision-making capabilities. Design advanced data management automated tools and platforms that can streamline these processes and enhance data accuracy and can significantly improve data handling and reduce risks.
- Decommissioning of Legacy Technologies: The contractor shall brainstorm ideas to remove or upgrade from legacy applications and tool set to improve efficiency and sustainability of the product life cycle. The contractor will be responsible for designing and transition plans to new modernized solution that meets the performance and cost effectiveness.
- Documentation on SOP (Standard Operation Procedure and CONOPS (concept of operations)): The contractor shall be responsible for completing and updating timely documentations as part of standard cycles to manage and maintain smooth operations on all technology that they support and regularly meet with the USCIS security team to make sure they have the risks mitigated.
