How to Win the Technical Management Support Services for the IPPS-A Project Management Office Contract

Introduction

The Integrated Personnel and Pay System – Army (IPPS-A) is a project office that oversees acquisition programs for the Army’s human capital solutions. IPPS-A aims to standardize business practices, provide authoritative data for military personnel, and facilitate a continuum of services across all three components of the Army. IPPS-A is one of the largest and most complex enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems in the world, with over 1.1 million users and 2.8 million records.

To support the development and implementation of IPPS-A, the Army requires technical management support services (TMSS) from qualified contractors. The TMSS contract will provide a range of services, such as project management, systems engineering, testing, training, data management, cybersecurity, and help desk support. The TMSS contract is a competitive acquisition with an estimated value of $160 million and a duration of term to be determined.

In this article, we will provide a brief historical background of the IPPS-A project, describe the main features and requirements of the TMSS solicitation, explain who should participate in this opportunity, and discuss the challenges and benefits of pursuing this contract. We will also share some insights and tips from GDI Consulting, a leading provider of proposal writing and capture management services for federal contractors.

Historical Background

The IPPS-A project originated from the need to consolidate and modernize the Army’s legacy personnel and pay systems, which were fragmented, outdated, and inefficient. The Army had over 200 different systems for managing human resources, each with its own data standards, business rules, and interfaces. This resulted in data inconsistencies, errors, delays, and duplication of efforts. Moreover, the legacy systems could not support the Army’s Total Force Policy, which requires seamless integration of active duty, reserve, and National Guard personnel.

To address these issues, the Army initiated the IPPS-A project in 2009 as a part of its Business Systems Transformation initiative. The project was divided into three phases:

• Phase I: Design and develop the IPPS-A system architecture and core functionality.
• Phase II: Deploy IPPS-A to the Army National Guard and migrate data from legacy systems.
• Phase III: Deploy IPPS-A to the active duty and reserve components and implement full personnel and pay capabilities.

The first phase of the project was completed in 2014, with the award of a $159 million contract to CACI International Inc. The second phase was completed in 2019, with the successful deployment of IPPS-A Release 2 to over 54,000 users in the Army National Guard. The third phase is currently underway, with the planned deployment of IPPS-A Release 3 to over 1 million users in the active duty and reserve components by 2023.

The TMSS contract is a follow-on to the previous contracts that supported the IPPS-A project. The current TMSS contract was awarded to Accenture Federal Services LLC in 2015 for a base period of one year and four option years. The contract is set to expire in September 2023. The new TMSS solicitation was issued by the U.S. Army Contracting Command – New Jersey (ACC-NJ) on August 23, 2023 under solicitation number W15QKN23X0WS4.

RFP Description

The TMSS solicitation is a request for proposal (RFP) that seeks to award a single-award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract with firm fixed price (FFP) and cost reimbursable (CR) task orders. The scope of work includes providing technical management support services for the IPPS-A project management office (PMO) and functional management division (FMD). The contractor will be responsible for performing the following tasks:

• Project Management: Provide project planning, scheduling, risk management, quality assurance, configuration management, performance measurement, reporting, and stakeholder engagement support.
• Systems Engineering: Provide systems analysis, design, development, integration, testing, verification, validation, deployment, maintenance, and enhancement support.
• Testing: Provide test planning, execution, evaluation, defect tracking, reporting, and remediation support.
• Training: Provide training needs analysis, curriculum development, course delivery, evaluation, and feedback support.
• Data Management: Provide data governance, quality, conversion, migration, cleansing, and reconciliation support.
• Cybersecurity: Provide cybersecurity planning, assessment, authorization, monitoring, and remediation support.
• Help Desk Support: Provide Tier 1, 2, and 3 help desk support for IPPS-A users, including incident management, problem resolution, and customer satisfaction support.

The contractor will also be required to comply with various standards, policies, and regulations related to IPPS-A, such as:

• Department of Defense Architecture Framework (DoDAF)
• Defense Business Systems Investment Management Process
• Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA)
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-53
• Army Regulation 25-1
• Army Regulation 25-2
• Army Regulation 380-5

The RFP consists of three volumes:

• Volume I: Technical Proposal
• Volume II: Cost/Price Proposal
• Volume III: Past Performance

The technical proposal will be evaluated based on the following factors:

• Technical Approach
• Management Approach
• Staffing Plan and Key Personnel Qualifications
• Transition Plan

The cost/price proposal will be evaluated based on the following factors:

• Reasonableness
• Realism
• Completeness
• Balance

The past performance proposal will be evaluated based on the following factors:

• Relevance
• Quality
• Recency

The RFP also includes a sample task order that describes a hypothetical scenario and requires the offerors to provide a technical and cost/price response. The sample task order will be used to assess the offerors’ understanding of the requirements and their ability to provide a feasible and realistic solution.

The RFP states that the award will be made to the offeror whose proposal represents the best value to the government, considering both technical and cost/price factors. The technical factors are significantly more important than the cost/price factor. The RFP also states that the government reserves the right to award without discussions, so offerors are encouraged to submit their best and final offers.

The RFP was posted on beta.SAM.gov on August 23, 2023. The estimated period of performance is five years, with a one-year base period and four one-year option periods. The estimated value of the contract is $160 million.

Who Should Participate

The TMSS opportunity is open to all contractors who have the capability and experience to provide technical management support services for the IPPS-A project. However, not all contractors are equally qualified or competitive for this opportunity. Some of the factors that may influence the likelihood of winning this contract are:

• Experience: The contractor should have relevant and recent experience in providing similar services for large-scale ERP systems, preferably in the federal government or the Department of Defense (DoD) domain. The contractor should also have experience in working with IPPS-A or other Army human capital systems, such as eMILPO, RCAS, or FMS.
• Past Performance: The contractor should have a proven track record of delivering high-quality services that meet or exceed customer expectations and requirements. The contractor should also have positive feedback and ratings from previous or current customers, especially from the Army or other DoD agencies.
• Key Personnel: The contractor should have a qualified and experienced team of key personnel who can perform the required tasks and roles. The contractor should also have a robust staffing plan that ensures adequate coverage and continuity of service.
• Technical Approach: The contractor should have a sound and innovative technical approach that demonstrates a clear understanding of the requirements and objectives of the IPPS-A project. The contractor should also have a comprehensive and realistic plan for executing the tasks and delivering the deliverables.
• Management Approach: The contractor should have an effective and efficient management approach that ensures proper coordination, communication, and control of the project activities and resources. The contractor should also have a proactive and responsive risk management strategy that identifies, mitigates, and monitors potential issues and challenges.
• Cost/Price: The contractor should have a reasonable and realistic cost/price proposal that reflects the scope and complexity of the work. The contractor should also have a balanced and transparent cost/price structure that supports auditability and accountability.

These are some of the potential competitors for the TMSS opportunity, but they are not the only ones. There may be other contractors who have the capability and interest to pursue this contract. Therefore, it is important to conduct a thorough market research and competitive analysis to identify and assess the strengths and weaknesses of each competitor.

Challenges and Benefits

The TMSS opportunity is a challenging but rewarding contract for any contractor who wants to support the IPPS-A project and the Army’s human capital transformation. Some of the challenges and benefits of pursuing this contract are:

• Challenges:
  • The TMSS contract is a complex and demanding contract that requires a high level of technical expertise, management skills, and customer service. The contractor will have to deal with multiple stakeholders, changing requirements, tight deadlines, and rigorous standards.
  • The TMSS contract is a competitive contract that will attract many qualified and experienced contractors. The contractor will have to differentiate itself from the competition by demonstrating superior value proposition, innovation, and performance.
  • The TMSS contract is a follow-on contract that has an incumbent contractor who has established relationships and reputation with the customer. The contractor will have to overcome the incumbent’s advantage by offering better solutions, lower prices, or higher quality.
• Benefits:
  • The TMSS contract is a strategic and lucrative contract that will provide a steady source of revenue and growth for the contractor. The contract has an estimated value of $160 million and a duration of five years, which is significant for any contractor.
  • The TMSS contract is a prestigious and influential contract that will enhance the contractor’s reputation and credibility in the federal market. The contract will showcase the contractor’s capabilities and achievements in supporting one of the largest and most complex ERP systems in the world.
  • The TMSS contract is a rewarding and satisfying contract that will enable the contractor to make a positive impact on the Army’s mission and vision. The contract will support the IPPS-A project’s goal of transforming the Army’s human capital management and improving the lives of soldiers and their families.

Conclusion

The TMSS opportunity is a rare and exciting opportunity for any contractor who wants to support the IPPS-A project and the Army’s human capital transformation. The opportunity requires a high level of technical expertise, management skills, customer service, innovation, and performance. The opportunity also offers a high level of revenue, growth, reputation, credibility, impact, and satisfaction.

However, winning this opportunity is not easy or guaranteed. The opportunity is complex, demanding, competitive, and challenging. Therefore, it is important to prepare a compelling proposal that demonstrates a clear understanding of the requirements, objectives, challenges, risks, and benefits of the IPPS-A project. It is also important to leverage past performance, key personnel, technical approach, management approach, and cost/price proposal to differentiate from the competition and convince the customer that the contractor is the best choice for the TMSS contract.

If you are interested in pursuing this opportunity, you will need a professional and experienced partner who can help you with proposal writing and capture management. GDI Consulting is your trusted partner for winning the TMSS contract. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you achieve your business goals. Visit our website at www.gdicwins.com, we look forward to hearing from you soon.