USN RFIThis has Route1 written all over it...
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https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DON/SPAWAR/SPAWARHQ/SPAWAR_Headquarters_MKTSVY_9562E/listing.html
D -- RFI-Thin Client/Zero Client/Ultra-Thin Client
Solicitation Number: SPAWAR_Headquarters_MKTSVY_9562E
Agency: Department of the Navy
Office: Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command
Location: SPAWAR HQ
Solicitation Number:
SPAWAR_Headquarters_MKTSVY_9562E
Synopsis:
Added: Jul 12, 2011 11:23 am
The Space and Naval Warfare SystemsCommand (SPAWAR) in support of the
Naval Enterprise Networks (NEN)
Program Management Office (PMW-
205) / Next Generation Enterprise
(NGEN) is seeking industry comments
on thin, ultra-thin, and zero client
end user devices capable of supporting
Department of the Navy (DON)
requirements, afloat and ashore that
may be applicable to supporting
Department of the Navy (DON)
requirements.
An RFI requests responses from
Industry solely for information and
planning purposes. An RFI does not
constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP)
or a promise to issue an RFP in the
future, and an RFI does not commit
the Government to contract for any
supply or service. Respondents are
advised that the Government will not
pay for any information or
administrative costs incurred in
response to the RFI. All costs
associated with responding to this RFI
will be solely at the interested partys
expense. Not responding to this RFI
does not preclude participation in any
future RFP, if any is issued. If a
solicitation is released, it will be
synopsized on the Federal Business
Opportunities (FBO) website and the
SPAWAR E-Commerce Central website
at https://e-
commerce.spawar.navy.mil. It is the
responsibility of the potential offerors
to monitor these sites for additional
information pertaining to this
requirement.
General background information on the
Next Generation Enterprise Network can
be located at the publicly accessible
website:
https://www.public.navy.mil/spawar/PEOE
IS/NGEN/NGEN/Pages/NGENReferenceLib
rary.aspx
The DON has established a goal of
reducing its non-tactical information
technology (IT) or Business IT
budget by 25%. To achieve this goal,
the Department needs industrys best
thoughts and ideas on appropriate and
effective enterprise implementation of
thin, ultra-thin, and zero client end
user devices.
The DON currently deploys several
commercially procured end user
devices to meet demands of the
personnel and organizations that
support the majority of its warfighting
support (Business IT) requirements.
These end user devices perform a
broad spectrum of functions, including
Command and Control (C2);
Intelligence Community Processing,
Exploitation, and Dissemination (PED);
Administrative; Legal; and the other
Business and Information Technology
requirements of the fleet in direct
support of mission requirements. The
vast majority of the end user devices
currently fielded by the DON are thick
clients that deliver computing
capabilities required to support naval
missions, but they also require an
extensive support framework to ensure
continuity of operations. As the Next
Generation Enterprise Network (NGEN),
a key component of the Naval
Networking Environment (NNE),
transitions to a cloud-based computing
delivery model, all DON applications
and databases will be analyzed, as
part of an ongoing DON Portfolio
System Rationalization effort. The
results of the rationalization effort will
be used to identify computing
capabilities within the portfolio that
have the greatest potential to
transition to thin, ultra-thin and zero
client architectures, with the intent of
achieving the associated improvements
in security, continuity of operations and
reductions in supporting infrastructure.
The vast majority of the DON systems
and computing capabilities fielded in
the future must be able to operate in a
cloud computing/shipboard
virtualization environment. This DON
strategy makes the fielding of thin,
ultra-thin, and zero client end user
devices a desirable option for a
potentially large number of users within
the Naval Network Enterprise (NNE) of
the future.
Since many of the existing networks
are limited in band-width, the vendor
should address these considerations as
part of this RFI.
End user devices issued to naval
personnel must support the following
capabilities:
o Fully comply with the latest
version of the Department of Defense
Unified Capabilities
Requirements2008, Change 1.
o Use Open Standards - All
components of the offering should
adhere to open standard best practices
to ensure interoperability
o Be capable of supporting
Intelligence Community imagery and
heavy graphics requirements
o Two-factor Authentication
Enforcement (or allow enforcement of)
two-factor authentication, including DoD
Common Access Card (CAC)/DoD
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
integration.
o A thin, ultra-thin, or zero
client that is lost or stolen must not
present an Information Assurance or
cyber-security risk.
For the purposes of this RFI a zero
client must comply with the following
key tenets; any end user device that
does not meet the specifications below
shall be classified as a thin or ultra-
thin device:
o Plug-and-Play - The device
must be a true plug-and-play
appliance, capable of working "out of
the box" without the need for any
administrative intervention. If the
installer has to do anything more than
plug it in; connect the keyboard,
mouse and monitor; record a serial
number; and place an asset tag, is not
considered plug and play.
o Zero Variation - A factory-
fresh zero client must do more than
just work. It must, from the moment it
first boots, be functionally identical to
every other similar device it shares a
network with. The ability to ship a
device pre-configured would not qualify
a device for zero client status either, as
the administrative overhead of
ensuring that the correct configuration
is available at time of shipment can be
just as burdensome as configuring it
once it arrives onsite.
o Zero Configuration - Once
powered-on, a zero client must be able
to join a network, identify and
enumerate all compatible
desktop/presentation virtualization
environments and connect to them
without further configuration.
o Zero impact updates - If
updates are ever needed to support
new functionality or address bugs,
updates must be made without any
impact to users and must not impact
end user operations.
o Zero touch updates - If
updates are ever needed to support
new functionality or address bugs,
updates must occur across the network
without the need to engage support
personnel, regardless of where the
device is installed.
o Low update frequency - If
updates are required they should only
be needed to provide additional
functionality or bug fixes. Frequent
security patching either
scheduled Patch Tuesday style or
otherwise is not acceptable.
o No driver updates - It
should not be necessary to install
device drivers to support locally
attached peripherals.
o The DON is interested in
whole or severable (partial) solutions.
The DON will entertain mitigation or
alternative solutions to include security
and may trade some requirements for
total cost reductions.
The Department is also aware that in
order for thin, ultra thin and zero state
client architectures to function
efficiently, back end communications,
processing, storage, archiving, etc.
capabilities must be enhanced.
Discussion about these factors when
deploying thin, ultra thin and zero
state client architectures should also be
part of your discussions.
Vendors with For Official Use Only
(FOUO) access should consult the
following reference documents:
Department of the Navy Networking
Capabilities Based Assessment, 22
October 2010, Appendix A
Department of Defense Unified
Capabilities Requirements
Consolidated Afloat Networks and
Enterprise Services (CANES), and Next
Generation Network (NGEN) System
Design Specifications
Interested parties are requested to
respond to this announcement by
providing questions or suggestions to
the documents. All submissions
should be in Microsoft Word for Office
2003 or a compatible format and are
due no later than 12 August 2011.
Responses shall be submitted via e-
mail only to NGEN Procuring Contracting
Officer, CDR John Windom, at
NGENPWS_NGENPWS@bah.com
Responses to this announcement shall
include the following:
a. Name, mailing address,
phone number, and e-mail of
designated point of contact;
Proprietary information WILL NOT BE
ACCEPTED. The Government intends
to use various military and civilian Navy
and Marine Corps personnel in
reviewing and evaluating any
responses to this announcement. The
DON contracts with each company
include the appropriate organizational
conflict of interest and nondisclosure
agreements.
Questions regarding this
announcement shall be submitted by e-
mail to the Contracting Officer, at
john.windom@navy.mil. Verbal
questions will NOT be accepted. Any
Government answers, responses
and/or comments will be posted to the
NGEN Reference Library. Accordingly,
questions shall NOT contain proprietary
or classified information. Additional Info:
Click on this link to access the SPAWAR E-Commerce Central Web Site
Contracting Office Address:
4301 Pacific Highway Bldg OT4 Code 02, San Diego CA 92110-3127
Place of Performance:
1325 10th Street SE Bldg. 196 Suite 301, Washinton DC
20374
USA
Point of Contact(s):
Point of Contact - John H Windom, Contract Specialist, 202-433-731