Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC)

Request For Information (RFI)

Air Education and Training Command (AETC) Learning Management Solution

1. Introduction

AFLCMC located at Randolph AFB, TX, requests information from industry to identify qualified, experienced, and interested sources for the procurement of a Learning Management System Solution.  The Government is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) in an effort to understand market availability, technical characteristics, cost, and functionality of Information Technology (IT) tools, applications or products capable of satisfying the life-cycle technical, functional, operational, and/or support, of the capabilities described.

Any information submitted by respondents to this request is strictly voluntary.  The Government will not pay for any information that is submitted by respondents to this RFI.  The Government requests interested parties submit a statement of their qualifications with respect to the criteria described herein.  To the maximum extent possible, please submit non-proprietary information.  Any proprietary information submitted should be identified as such and will be properly protected from disclosure.

Any response submitted by respondents to this request constitutes consent for that submission to be reviewed by Government personnel, and Advisory & Assistance Services contractor employees supporting the HR Systems Division, AFLCMC/HIH, unless the respondent clearly objects in writing to the release of this information to Advisory & Assistance Services Contractor employees supporting the HR Systems Division, AFLCMC/HIH, in a cover letter accompanying your capabilities package.

All information received in response to this request for information that is marked ‘Proprietary’ will be handled accordingly.  The Government shall not be liable for damages related to proprietary information that is not properly identified.  Proprietary information will be safeguarded in accordance with the applicable Government regulations.  Responses to the RFI will not be returned. 

1. Purpose

AETC requires an enterprise system that will provide machine learning based analytics, mobile and distributed learning capability to ensure the accuracy of training information and reduce the overall cost of training information systems by retiring duplicative, stove piped, and sometimes contradictory systems.  The resulting system must provide a common operating picture (COP) of the training and education (T&E) environment through a net centric, data governed, and architecturally compliant system.  Currently, there is no centralized system that provides Commanders and other users the situational awareness and collaborative tools that enable a T&E COP so they can effectively plan, prepare, execute, and assess training.  The resulting system must allow for modular implementation and be in compliance with both DoD and cyber security laws, regulations and cloud strategic objectives. 

A Commercial off the Shelf (COTS)/Government off the Shelf (GOTS)/Existing System solution is the recommended approach for achieving the desired business outcomes.  The COTS/GOTS/Existing Systems approach allows industry to recommend any combination of COTS, GOTS, Existing Systems development to provide the AETC capabilities, custom development is highly discouraged. 

1. Intent / Requirements

The purpose of this RFI is to gather information from industry’s best practices and cost estimates for the development of an enterprise solution with the ability to implement a combination of information technology infrastructure, technologies, services, and support resources available to help Airmen learn anytime and anywhere.  This environment will provide on-demand/on-command backbone of teaching, learning, cataloging, and assessing which enables content/faculty management, planning, and design to manage an Airmen’s talent/training lifecycle.  This solution would be able to provide the following capabilities:

R-1: Enterprise Level Framework

1. Provide an approach that implements a flexible and agile environment to support Air Force Learning Management and Data Analytics solutions
2. Identify an approach that provides information analysis capabilities for command-level users and course management personnel that standardizes reporting functions to include ad hoc instances

R-2: Cloud Hosting

1. Describe industry standard best practice for transferring locally hosted services (applications and data) from multiple legacy systems to a core hosting solution
2. Provide an approach to utilize cloud computing and software as a service concepts to ensure high availability, reduce acquisition costs, application footprint, and the risk of vendor lock-in
3. Provide an approach that implements a cloud native solution that scales according to user workload and is not locked to any cloud hosting vendor

R-3: Existing System Integration/Interoperability

The recommended solution allows LMS to incorporate existing systems and requires it to interface with external systems. Anticipating LMS will be a System of Systems, it will have to exchange data with systems.

1. Provide a strategy for incrementally incorporating existing systems into the LMS baseline
2. Recommend a data model and data services to enhance internal and external interoperability

R-4: External Interfaces  

The AETC/LMS will interface with external systems on different domains and with other enterprise services.

1. Provide an approach that will allow for automated interfaces with other systems and avoids tightly coupled connections
2. Describe and quantify the interface architecture; 1) identify if a service module within the recommended LMS integrates with items 1-4 below and 2) identify if a separate system requiring system-to-system interfaces is needed to deliver items 1-4 below:

1. 1. Course Catalog
   2. Learner Management
      • Student Information
      • Student/Faculty/Venue and Course Scheduling
      • Competency/Badging Management
      • Workflow Function
      • Student Information Management/Registrar
   3. Learner Interaction
      • Instructional Design - Course Content Management/Development
      • Course Delivery Function
      • SCORM and xAPI Delivery Support
      • Collaboration
      • Course Testing
      • Course Surveys and Assessment
      • Identity and Access Management
      • Account Management
   4. Reporting and Analyses
      • User Records / Learning Records Store
      • Data Analytics
      • Statistical Analytics
      • Data Visualization
      • Reporting, including ad-hoc
      • Decision Support

R-5: Architecture Governance and Change Management

As a large and complex system, AETC/LMS will face many governance and change management challenges.  The incremental deployment approach LMS intends to use increases the need for strong and effective governance and change management.

1. Provide a governance and change management approach for LMS

R-6: Legacy Data Migration 

AETC faces two challenges with its data: 1) migrating data from existing systems, and 2) standardizing data schemas

1. 1. Provide a data migration approach for importing and cleansing existing system data to minimize cost and schedule impact to the program
   2. Provide methods for legacy data transfer and validation into a new system
   3. Provide methods to refactor legacy data into a cloud-based Learning system

R-7: Usability  

Ensuring high usability is critical to AETC/LMS, because AF military and civilians depend heavily on accurate, timely training related data entry and accessibility.  Ensuring usability will require formal, empirical testing with actual users.

1. Provide a strategy to increase user acceptance
2. Recommend an empirical usability testing process
3. Recommend what usability metrics can be utilized

R-8: Embedded Training

Embedded LMS training is defined as training provided by capabilities built into or added onto operational systems, subsystems, or equipment, to enhance and maintain the skill proficiency of personnel. 

1. Provide a strategy to incorporate embedded training

R-9: Testing

Testing capability is integrated within the LMS to deliver secure online tests for AETC courses.

1. Provide an approach for an integrated, enterprise-wide, web-based system that manages, reports on, and provides analytics for testing capabilities for all Total Force members  

R-10: Performance and Scalability

LMS must be capable of supporting the active, reserve, guard, and civilian components of the Air Force.  LMS must also be able to support large data along with custom reporting, analysis, and queries.  The LMS hub/splash page/web site must be responsive for 40K sustained, concurrent, geographically disbursed users with periodic surges to 80K total users.

1. Provide a scalable and robust data collecting, reporting and analysis capability
2. Provide an architecture design pattern that will help LMS reach its scalability and responsiveness goals

R-11: Security

AETC has an obligation to protect its system and user data from unauthorized and malicious access.  The hosting environment for the LMS must maintain/achieve Information Impact Level 4 compliance to protect Personally Identifiable Information.  Additionally, the LMS must comply with DoD Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Cyber Security regulations at all times by ensuring that all Air Force Authority to Operate standards are met, that all products that perform encryption are FIPS 140-2 certified, and that all products must be on the UC-APL.  

1. Provide an approach for integrating with the DOD PKI to provide centralized, two factor authentication and single sign-on
2. Describe an automated mechanism to allow DoD users to self-register based on preexisting user information such as Common Access Cards (CACs) and/or Active Directory accounts
3. Describe a mechanism to allow DoD administrators to configure temporary login accounts with variable expiration times
4. Provide an approach to allow account management from a central management service (but not rely upon central account management)
5. Provide an approach to detect the health status of client devices and provide policy compliance checking (ensure current antivirus definitions and prevent Operating System modifications)
6. Provide an approach for enterprise, cloud based, and mobile application security

R-12: Solution Categorization Matrix

The recommended solution allows for the use of GOTS, COTS, existing systems, and custom developed code.

1. Provide a matrix indicating the category of product that your solution would use to deliver LMS capabilities.  For each capability area, identify a product and/or set of products, the type of product (i.e. GOTS, COTS, Existing System, or Custom Code), if the product requires configuration, if the product requires customization, and a rationale for selecting the product.

R-13: Cost Model

In order to calculate the costs of providing a service, it is necessary to establish a costing framework in which costs can be reordered and allocated.   

1. Describe the costing model, for example, identify licensing cost on a per user basis, or unlimited user costs, or flat fees (rates), etc. 

1. Responses

Please provide answers to the following questions and identify whether any of the information provided is proprietary; responses will be used in the market research process for this acquisition:

1. 1. Identify whether your entity is a small or large business.  Small businesses should specify Small Disadvantaged Business, 8(a), Women-Owned Small Business, Historically Underutilized Business (HUB)-Zone Small Business, or Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business concern under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 334210
   2. State if your entity is U.S. or Foreign owned
   3. Please provide company address, webpage URL, Commercial and General Entity (CAGE) Code, Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number, and points of contact with name(s), telephone number(s), and e-mail address(es)

Any questions regarding this RFI can be submitted no later than 3:00pm Central Standard Time on 15 Jan 2021 via email to Ms. Tineaka Lollar at [email protected].

Submit responses to this RFI in electronic format to the Program Manager, Ms. Tineaka Lollar, at [email protected] no later than 3:00pm Central Standard Time on 29 Jan 2021. Limit response to maximum of 15 pages of data (required format: compatible with Microsoft Word for Windows, 8.5 inch x 11 inch paper, Times New Roman Font, 12 pitch, 1-inch margins, single spaced).  An additional 5 pages of information, such as cover sheets, marketing materials, brochures, etc. may be included.  Delivery of a Compact Disc (CD) is an acceptable submission.  The stated requirements within this sources sought contain all of the required criteria; AFLCMC will provide no other requirement information to this sources sought. 

Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to provide feedback with respect to any information submitted.  All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.  All Government, DoD contractor and MITRE personnel reviewing RFI responses will have signed non-disclosure agreements and understand their responsibility for proper use and protection from unauthorized disclosure of proprietary information. 

This RFI is issued solely for information purposes.  It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future.  This RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service in any manner.  Respondents are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested parties’ expense.  Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. 

Attachment(s):

1. System to System Services “ The Platform Concept”.pptx
2. Legacy System Overview.pptx