Chat with Lisa! We Need YOUR Help to Identify Mission-Related Categories for the Integrations Soliciation

Submitted by Integrations Blogger on Thursday, February 2, 2012 - 8:41 AM

Welcome back to the Integrations Blog!

This week I would like to follow on to a previous blog post regarding mission-related categories for the Integrations solicitation.

To recap the previous posting:

During GSA's analysis, the following professional service disciplines were identified as most often required when acquiring complex, integrated professional service requirements with an Information Technology component:

Program Management and Consulting services;
Financial services;
Logistics services;
and Professional Engineering services.

In addition to requiring total solutions made up of the identified disciplines, our customers told us that their agency mission drives the specialized capabilities required of industry. For example, the Department of Health and Human Services' requirements most often contain a healthcare and scientific focus and they are interested in firms who have excelled in this arena in the past. The requirement itself may contain one, two or all of the four disciplines identified above.

As such, GSA is considering various mission-related categories in which proposing firms would identify their core industry expertise.

Since that blog posting, GSA researched executive and larger agency missions and developed the following list of potential mission-related categories. I would like to hear your thoughts as to whether these categories resonate as core competencies to focus on, ensuring agencies are able to access firms with mission-related areas of expertise. If these categories do not fit the need, please provide a revised list for consideration by GSA.

1) Protecting American interests at home and abroad through security and diplomacy.

Agencies with related missions:
DoD
Homeland Security
Department of Justice
Department of State

2) Improving the quality of life for Americans and others throughout the world.

Agencies with related missions:
Department of Education
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Veterans Affairs
Social Security Administration
US Agency for International Development

3) Maintaining and improving commerce and economic growth, stability and prosperity in America.

Agencies with related missions:
Department of Commerce
Department of Treasury
Small Business Administration
Department of Labor

4) Protecting America’s great outdoors and natural resources.

Agencies with related missions:
Department of Agriculture
Department of Interior
Department of Energy

5) Maintaining a robust transportation infrastructure.

Agency with related mission:
Department of Transportation

6) Enact and rule on laws, policy, and regulations.

Agencies with related missions:
Executive Office of the President
US Congress
Office of Management and Budget
Judicial Branch

7) Acquisition and federal buildings

Agency with related mission:
General Services Administration

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Comments

Integrations Blogger

<span style="widows: 2; text-transform: none; background-color: rgb(255,255,255); text-indent: 0px; display: inline !important; font: 13px 'Droid Sans', arial, sans-serif; white-space: normal; orphans: 2; float: none; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(32,32,32); word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px">Thank you for your thoughtful response on how to improve the mission categories I presented in my blog as well as the idea of utilizing the FEA Groupings.  I will incorporate your suggestions into the presentation of the concept of mission related categories to our customers via the Working Group and elicit their feedback!

Posted 02/09/2012 2:42 PM

Mark Youman

Complex projects require an effective combination of mission-area consulting services (e.g. health, disaster management, environment) with world-class technical expertise. (e.g. engineering, training, program management, logistics). We agree that the ability of GSA Integrations to offer this combination of services is critical to attracting agency users and to helping prevent development of redundant IDIQs at the agency level. Your categories are comprehensive.  We suggest a few changes:<ol><li>Adding HUD (under category 2) and EPA (under category 4) would make the list inclusive of the cabinet-rank agencies (see <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/cabinet">http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/cabinet</a> ).  </li><li>Based on our experience in natural resources, energy, transportation, and other infrastructure areas, we suggest that the Department of Energy is a better fit with the Department of Transportation under a revised category 5 “Maintaining a robust energy and transportation infrastructure.”</li><li>We suggest that adding Strategic Communications and Human Capital/Training (similar to GSA Schedules AIMS and Human Resources) to the list of professional service disciplines would more comprehensively represent disciplines needed for complex, integrated professional service requirements.</li></ol>I would also offer a possible alternative mission categorization that has been accepted and in use across government for years.  The Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) from OMB does a great job of identifying and grouping Federal mission areas.  Since almost all Departments cut across multiple mission areas, the FEA is organized by the core functions of government rather than agencies.   OMB uses the FEA to categorize investments, and it serves as an accepted way to organize Federal missions.  It is probably the best guide for identifying industry expertise areas valuable to GSA’s customers across government.  The FEA lists 19 mission areas, which is probably an unwieldy list for your purposes.  I’ve grouped them in logical areas to make the list more manageable. Logical FEA Groupings<ol><li>Community and Social Services / Income Security / Workforce Management</li><li>Defense and National Security / Intelligence Operations</li><li>Education</li><li>Energy</li><li>Environmental Management</li><li>General Science & Innovation</li><li>Health</li><li>Homeland Security / Disaster Management</li><li>International Affairs and Commerce / Economic Development</li><li>Law Enforcement / Litigation and Judicial Activities / Correctional Activities</li><li>Natural Resources</li><li>Transportation</li></ol>

Posted 02/06/2012 12:19 PM

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