Next-Generation IT Services BPA

Work Scope

Program Management and Integration Support, Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V), Independent Test Range, Subject Matter Expert Support.

HHS’s Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), Office of the Deputy Chief Information Officer for Operations (DCIO-OPS) is leading development and implementation of an enterprise computing platform serving 25 HHS Operating Divisions (OpDivs), Staff Divisions (StaffDivs), and other organizations. Under the Program Management and Task Order Integration (PM-TOI) BPA, DSFederal provides program management, communications, and collaboration support to integrate activities under three additional NGITS BPA task areas: Engineering, Operations, and Application Hosting.

DSFederal is helping DCIO-OPS to achieve the NGITS program goal of a continuously improving, performance-based IT enterprise. PM-TOI comprises three separate tasks:

1. Management: Task order management and performance oversight to deliver on-time products and solutions, empower decision-making, and facilitate communications.

2. Program Management and Integration Support: Integration support to facilitate cooperative, cohesive performance across additional NGITS task areas (Application Hosting, Engineering, and Operations).

3. Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V): Verification of infrastructure component testing, and validation to ensure that NGITS contractor-engineered solutions perform as intended.

Our team performs a range of services spanning all three PMTOI tasks. Under the Management task, DSFederal uses proven strategies to maximize support, minimize risk, avoid duplication of effort, and continuously improve service quality. For example, we establish metrics and create data visualizations that allow DCIO-OPS leadership to evaluate contractor performance against service level agreements (SLAs). We also write and negotiate operating-level agreements (OLAs) and Concept of Operations (CONOPs) agreements.

For the Program Management and Integration task, we emphasize shared purpose among all performance areas. Our team schedules and facilitates program-wide meetings, develops and maintains a comprehensively integrated master schedule (IMS), and develops products and tools that improve collaboration and teamwork. For example, we redesigned the DCIO-OPS SharePoint site, which now serves as a program-wide shared workspace and communications hub.

The IV&V team performs functional, integration, regression, and security testing of contractor-engineered solutions, as well as commercial products and hardware, including vendor-configured computers and mobile devices. In addition to testing and verification/validation, we write and maintain EPLC-compliant artifacts and documentation such as test plans and procedures and test reports.

​In just over a year on the contract, our team has implemented best-in-class processes, tools, and solutions that have improved collaboration, performance, and product quality throughout the program. Dashboards and visualizations provide clear insight to empower better decision-making, and streamlined business processes support improved efficiency with less effort. DSFederal has received consistent praise from DCIO-OPS leadership; and in June 2019, our team earned a rare “Exceptional” CPAR rating.