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STATE OF WASHINGTON

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES PO Box 45811, Olympia WA 98504-5811

DATE: August 7, 2017 TO: RFP #1623-610 Bidders FROM: James O'Brien, Solicitation Coordinator

DSHS Central Contracts and Legal Services SUBJECT: Amendment No. 4 – Bidder QA

DSHS amends the RFP #1623-610 solicitation document to include:

- Bidders' Questions and Answers (attached below), all questions asked and answered during the Bidders' Conference are included.

The following vendors were in attendance for the bidders conference held at 8:00 PST on Tuesday July 25, 2017: In person at 724 Quince St. SE in Olympia, Washington: 1. James O'Brien (DSHS) 2. Lonnie Paul (DSHS) 3. Gordon Ice (DSHS) 4. Setty Duddu (DSHS) 5. John Saez (NTT Data) 6. Ryan Thurston (VM Ware) 7. Geoff d'Alelid (VM Ware) 8. Jim Tanquary (NTT Data) 9. Keith Cox (Deloitte) 10. Kunal Shah (Deloitte) 11. Benush Venujipal (Deloitte) 12. Sam Park (CGI)

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On WebEx: 13. Steven Stuart (Astadia) 14. Rick Brady (Infosys) 15. Udi Fridenshtein (Most Technologies) 16. Gal Profesorsky (Astadia) 17. Duncan Gilliam (Deloitte) 18. Venkatesh D. (Infosys Public Services) 19. Dwight Cannon (Infosys Public Services) 20. Craig Marble (Astadia) 21. Mark Staka (VM Ware) 22. Paul Danielson (IBM) 23. Rick Fowler (TCC) 24. Treavor Veary (Verang LLC)

All other terms and conditions in this Solicitation remain the same.

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# Question Answer

1

Is modernization part of this solicitation?

Modernization is not part of this project and therefore not included in this solicitation. However the successful vendor will be asked to deliver a “Continuing Modernization Recommendation Report” after the mainframe re-hosting has been implemented.

2

If modernization is part of the solicitation then what are the Source Language Type(s) (version and compiler)?

See #1

3 If modernization is part of the solicitation then are there any other Languages in the applications?

See #1

4

If modernization is part of the solicitation then what are the Source Code Estimated Amounts (LOC) Per Language and Number of Comments?

See #1

5 If modernization is part of the solicitation then are there other languages than SLOC?

See #1

6 If modernization is part of the solicitation then what is the Database Type (version number)?

See #1

7

If modernization is part of the solicitation then what is the Database Estimated Amount of:

Total Tables?

Total Elements?

Total Data (Terabytes, Gigabytes, Megabytes, etc.)?

See #1

8 If modernization is part of this solicitation then what is the Hardware Platform (Model number)?

See #1

9 If modernization is part of this solicitation then What is the Operating System (version number)?

See #1

10

If modernization is part of this solicitation then what are the External Calls (Support Libraries, System Utilities, etc.)?

See #1

2

11 If modernization is part of this solicitation then what Interfaces are present to Other Systems?

See #1

12 If modernization is part of this solicitation

See #1

13

If modernization is part of this solicitation then what is the following Target System Information:

What is the target Language (version and compiler)?

What is the target Database (version number)?

What is the target Hardware Platform (Model number)?

What is the target Operating System (version number)?

See #1

14

If modernization is part of this solicitation then are Source Code, Database & Programmer Manuals Available?

See #1

15

Is the newly released Eligibility Services and ACES Remediation (ESAR) Mainframe Rehosting Project the result of the RFI issued back in 2015 for the Eligibility Rules Migration Project System Integrator (RFI #1524-541)?

No, this is part of the ESAR project but is a completely different effort and has a different scope of work from the 2015 procurement.

16 Will there be a bidders' conference for the RFP?

Yes. The Bidder’s Conference was held on July 25th.

17

Will public cloud solutions be considered? For example, re-hosting the application on the IBM cloud. Or can the application be hosted on the Watech private cloud?

Due to the timelines around this project, cloud solutions are not being considered at this time.

18

Is DSHS looking to retain COBOL on the new open Platform, therefore a COBOL to COBOL rehost project? Or would a conversion to a Microsoft platform such as C# / SQL Server be of interest?

The rehosting project is a COBOL to COBOL project. The vendor should propose a COBOL to COBOL approach and tool set. Conversions are not being considered for this project.

19 Is your target environment Linux or would a Microsoft environment be of interest?

DSHS is not prescribing one environment over another. Proposals should include the most cost effective implementation of a bidder’s solution.

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20

Would DSHS consider alternative rehosting solutions that do not emulate but remove the dependency on these legacy technologies whilst retaining the existing interfaces and transactional programs?

DSHS is expecting the rehosting to seamlessly migrate all existing ACES functionality from the mainframe to another platform, and with minimal (if any) user impact and application changes.

21

IMS-DB being the primary database used by ACES to hold application data, does the project scope include complete data migration/conversion from IMS-DB to DB2?

The project scope includes complete data migration/conversion from IMS-DB. DSHS expects the bidder to propose target database software that is best suited for the rehosting environment with minimal changes to the application code.

22

We understand that work cannot be offshored (outside USA). Can part of work be done at vendor location inside USA?

Upon agreement of DSHS, there may be the possibility of part of the work being done at other sites within the US.

23

IMS DB is listed as the primary database, but are any mainframe applications using DB2? If so, to what extent? Can a list of such programs be provided, including any programs using both database management systems?

Yes, there are applications within ACES that use only DB2, only IMS, as well as both IMS and DB2. DSHS expects the selected vendor to do the evaluation as part of assessment phase and list out these details in that phase report.

24

What are the current batch windows? The current batch windows are

8:00 PM to 4:00 AM (Monday thru Friday)

4:00 PM Saturday to 4:00 AM Monday (When ACES is scheduled to be available on Saturday)

8:00 PM Friday to 4:00 AM Monday (Due to scheduled batch processing activities for ex: monthly issuance, month begin/end processes)

25 Capacity is listed at 1417 MIPS, but what are the actual usage levels? Are MSU levels available?

The actual usage depends on the daily online, batch and other activities, and varies throughout the month.

26

100 TSO users are described - do these users use ISPF in direct support of applications, including the use of QMF, etc.?

Yes

27 20 ISPF panels are listed - are these connected to applications or are they general dialogs?

General Dialogs

28 REXX is listed as having 100 members - are these all directly related to applications and, if so, how?

REXX is used to support operations

29 CLIST is listed as having 100 members - are these all directly related to applications and, if so, how?

CLIST is used to support operations

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30

100 Assembler source files are indicated; are any of these macro level? How are they used in applications, as called subroutines, directly in JCL, or a combination?

No, they are not at macro level. The assembler source files are called directly in JCL.

The Assembler code is used to dynamically allocate and deallocate SYSOUT datasets when printing letters and alter IMS Segments when reloading databases as part of structural changes.

One Application assembler module to dynamically allocate/de-allocate SYSOUT files.

31 VSAM file size is? If the question is related to record size, then the minimum record

size is 8 bytes and maximum is 26,617 bytes.

32 Tape support is indicated; are these all virtual or are there physical tapes?

Only virtual tapes are used.

33 Does all COBOL use the same compiler dialect?

Yes

34

For DR/archival data, how is this information stored and are replication considerations being made for non-mainframe recovery?

Mainframe data is backed-up to a VTL and replicated offsite. Non-mainframe data is replicated to two separate locations. One of those locations is also offsite.

35 What emulator(s) is/are used for access to the mainframe, including for CICS usage?

QUICK 3270 is used to access the mainframe and CICS

36

For clarification, no mention appears to be made of any 4GLs, such as DYL280, Easytrieve, et al. Are no such tools in use?

No 4GLs exist in the environment.

37 Are there existing test plans/cases? Yes, there are existing test plans / cases, however, they are only

related to the change requests and problem reports.

38 Are automated testing tools in use? Are there any existing test scripts? If so, what coverage?

No automated test scripts are in use at this time. Rational Functional Tester scripts (developed few years ago) are available for the on-line application.

39

Level of documentation available (e.g., user guides, architecture documents, design specifications, functional specifications, integration, etc.)?

There is an ACES User Manual, which includes some level of architecture documents. Design specifications and functional code modification (FCM) documents are available for the changes made to the ACES application since 2007.

40 How many developers support the mainframe applications?

There are 60 development staff supporting mainframe, web and ETL/DW environments.

41

Is DSHS looking to retain COBOL on the new open Platform, therefore a COBOL to COBOL rehost project? Or would a conversion to a Microsoft platform such as C# / SQL Server be of interest?

See #18

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42 Is your target environment Linux or would a Microsoft environment be of interest?

See #19

43

Is DSHS looking to move all Mainframe data (DB2, VSAM, IMS) to a new database software on open platform such as SQL server? Or move to DB2?

See #21

44 Does the 8.95M budget include DSHS resources?

No, this is total, not to exceed value of the resulting contract and doesn’t include the cost of DSHS resources.

45

Does the 8.95M budget include Data center Equipment such as Servers, router, operating system, Disaster recovery?

The project scope and budget do not include implementation of a disaster recovery solution. However the budget does cover all of the data center equipment costs and the disaster recovery recommendations report.

46

Does the 8.95M budget include operational Software not introduced by the Rehosting Solution such as Tracking tool, Version and Configuration management tool, batch Scheduler?

The budget includes all the Software needed to support the rehosted environment. That includes tracking tool, version and configuration management tool, and batch scheduler etc.

47

In Project Scope - the sentence, “The bidder will provide and install all software and hardware ..”, does this means that DSHS expects the bidder to provide as part of the bid, the cost to procure all infrastructure hardware such as intel Servers, rack, router (all environment including PROD and DR), as well as all Dev, test and PROD software including Visual Studio, SQL server, Batch Scheduler, TFS/SVN, and so on? If so, do you require a breakdown of the individual costs as the Cost Proposal document only provides one line to provide a total of all costs?

DSHS recommends bidder to provide detailed cost break down wherever possible. (See Pg. 4)

48

How Does DSHS have a preference related to Configuration and Version control software such as TFS, SVN, or other?

DSHS doesn’t have a preference for specific tools and software and fully expects the vendor to provide the software appropriate and most cost effective for the rehosted environment.

49

How Does DSHS have a preference related to Defect, activity tracking and traceability software such JIRA or other?

DSHS uses Rational ClearQuest for defect tracking, Rational RequisitePro (migrating to DOORS NG) for traceability. DSHS does not expect the vendor to provide this software as part of this solicitation

50

What is the existing document management system software used at DSHS?

If the question is related to requirements management DSHS is using Rational RequisitePro and is in process of migrating to DOORS NG.

Imaging system software is not within the scope of this solicitation.

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51

Is test data and/or test scripts available? Will DSHS create Test Scripting/use cases if none are available?

The vendor is required to create Test scripts/use cases as needed.

Per RFP section 5.4.1.7

The Contractor shall be responsible for the testing and activities to be undertaken, and the tools and techniques to be used. The Contractor shall document all required environments, platforms, and procedures necessary for establishing the testing environment for all activities of testing including deadlines and identifying associated responsibilities of DSHS.

52

If no test data available, will the contractor be able to and be allowed to create test data from Scrambled or sanitized Prod data provided by DSHS?

Test data is available, however it doesn’t represent all the production scenarios. Under certain circumstances the Vendor may be allowed to create test data from production data if no HIPAA, federal or state policies are violated.

53

Can DSHS confirm Vendor will be allow to test the application (unit, functional, ..) using test data outside DSHS servers, specifically within the Vendors test lab/data center?

No. DSHS data is not allowed on non-DSHS servers or test environments.

54

The RFP states that offshore resources may not be used on this project. Can Canadian resources be used on this project as long as they do not have access to DSHS data?

Resources outside the US are not allowed to be used on this project. Work must be performed within the United States, which means the 48 contiguous states, Alaska, and Hawaii.

Upon agreement by DSHS, some work could possibly be performed at an offsite location within the United States.

55 How many DSHS resources are to be trained?

DSHS anticipates 30 to 40 user experts from different teams will be selected for knowledge transfer and training.

56

How many Developers will be maintaining the application after go-live, as this is needed to cost the number of Development Software License seats that will be required.

See #55 for the teams list, DSHS anticipates 60-70 development licenses.

57

Who is currently performing maintenance and support activities as listed in this RFP for mainframe and non-mainframe Environments?

IBM Global is the current M&O vendor.

58

Does the post-implementation support for a period of six (6) months include complete Application maintenance of the Rehosted code base as well as the environment (hardware, software, operation)?

Post implementation support does not include maintenance of the rehosted legacy code base. The rehosting vendor is responsible for maintenance and operations of hardware and software implemented for the rehosting solution.

59

What is the current Software used for incident and problem tracking? Is DSHS looking to the vendor to propose a new or replacement software Tool for incident and problem tracking?

See #49. The vendor will not be required to procure this toolset.

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60

Can only the resumes of the core team members be provided but not all Developers and testers as they might change depending on project start date?

Section 6.2.2. The Bidder shall identify all “Bidder Personnel” roles (e.g. System Architect, Database Administrator, Functional Lead, Test Lead, and Security Expert) that are key to the success of each Phase of the Project.

6.2.6. The Bidder shall provide a resume for all Bidder Personnel proposed for this project.

61

Does all historical data stored on tape or other mediums need to be converted? If so, please provide estimated volumes.

There are two categories of data on the virtual tape. The first application backs up data using primarily DFDSS and DB2/IMS image copy. The other is HSM backup and migrated to ML2 data. The HSM data will need to be accounted for.

There are 282K datasets on HSM ML2 tapes.

There are 27K datasets on HSM ML1 storage.

62 Can DSHS provide source code for inspection and analysis by all bidders before proposals are submitted?

No. These documents are considered confidential.

63

Are all reports/inquires generated from the Enterprise Datamart? If not, please describe the current reports generation process and the current tool used to generate reports.

Reports are generated from the enterprise data warehouse and from the database. Some reports are created by COBOL code. DSHS also uses other report generation tools such as COGNOS and Tableau.

64

Please confirm the total number of individual interface exchanges, meaning inbound and outbound exchanges per trading partner, or interfacing system. In most cases, we would assume multiple interface exchanges (IN/OUT) per interface partner.

The systems in scope of this RFP support 34 interface partners with the following interfaces (includes internal):

89 batch

36 web

10 CICS

20 MQ (are part of the CICS and batch interfaces)

65

What is DSHS’s current Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution? Does the current IAM service provide functionality related to role provisioning, authentication, authorization and multi-factor authentication?

DSHS is using RACF as current Identity and Access Management (IAM) on Mainframe. DSHS uses a home grown mainframe application called “secure task” for role provisioning and also uses IBM LDAP, Microsoft Active Directory and Secure Access Washington for web applications for role provisioning, authentication, authorization and for multi-factor authentication.

66 What is meant by the term “user experts” and what role do they play? Please define.

Business Analysts and Customer Support staff are considered “user experts”.

67

What are the expected numbers of user experts, system administrators, programmers and other technical personnel, will need knowledge transfer and training?

See #55

68 Where is the physical location of the individuals that need post-implementation support (i.e. are they

The system and staff supporting the system are physically located in Olympia, Washington.

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all co-located in the same physical location or geographically disbursed)?

69

RFP Section A and Attachment D mentions required references. Section A indicates that there should be 3 engagement references. However, Attachment D says that only 2 references must be comparable engagements. Considering the fact slightly different statements are made in each section, are vendors to interpret that there should be a total of 3 references, and 2 of the 3 references must be from comparable engagements? Or do all 3 references need to be from comparable engagements? Please clarify the RFP language to enable compliance.

Section A, page 27 of the RFP speaks to bidder engagements. 6.1.1 requires the bidder to have performed a minimum of three (3) comparable engagements.

Attachment D requires references to be provided from three (3) engagements. Two (2) of the three (3) references must be from customers of comparable engagements.

70

Regarding requirement 5.6.1.4, does the Agency have a security incident and event management (SIEM) solution in place? If yes, what is the product currently used by the Agency?

DSHS is currently analyzing log management and monitoring tools, and implementing a behavior analysis tool (Microsoft Advanced Threat Analytics). DSHS does not have a SIEM solution in place at this time.

71

We are requesting a three-week extension for this RFP submission. This is a complex RFP and there are open questions that impact our ability to complete our solution analysis for the proposal. DSHS anticipates responding to Q&A by 7/31 and depending on the answers, there may not be enough time to complete our solution analysis by the proposal submission date of 8/21. We request the additional time to incorporate the State’s responses to vendor questions.

DSHS agrees to extend the bid submission due date to 3:00 Pacific Standard Time on 9/13.

72

Section D says "Responses shall be neatly typed in 12-point font"; however, in the template provided for Attachment D, Bidder Response Form, the response fields default is 11 pt. font. Please advise whether you would like vendor responses to be in 11 pt. or 12 pt. font in this section.

Either 11 pt. or 12 pt. font is acceptable.

73 Section D says that the Bidder Proposed Solution must be "a

Please attach the 40 page document to an email.

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separate double-sided document, no more than forty (40) pages long". The "double-sided" requirement is confusing here because earlier instructions indicate that this response will be electronically submitted via email (and "double-sided" typically refers to a hard copy). Please clarify this "double-sided" requirement.

74

Is code in other languages (ex: Assembler) other than those explicitly mentioned in the RFP? If yes, what the language & total lines of code by language?

There are no languages in use other than those mentioned in the RFP.

75

As part of the 18 month duration for this project, does the State intend to replace the existing COBOL code with a modern programming language (e.g., Java, Java Script, Python, etc.)?

See #18

76

Is the intent of this RFP solely to lift-and-shift existing COBOL code off of the existing mainframe and not transform the COBOL code, JCL programs, copybooks, VSAM (and other non-relational databases) to a modern architecture?

See #18.

Please refer RFP page 5, section 2. Purpose, third paragraph.

77 Please provide a list of security tools and technologies used by the agency for protecting the ACES system.

Please refer the RFP pages 60 thru 66.

78

What tools (e.g., Tenable, Fortify, AppScan, etc.) does the Agency have for continuous security and data protection monitoring?

See #77

79

Please indicate the total Lines of Code, inclusive of all ACES modules/subsystems that are expected to be re-hosted/migrated as part of this RFP.

Please refer the RFP page number 56 thru 58 for number of objects in the legacy application.

The following list identifies some of the approximate LOCs as of 8/1/2017 but doesn’t include all the languages from Application Environment Table:

COBOL Source - 3.3 M (including commented code)

COBOL Copy members 400k

JCLs 300k

JCL Procs 132k

Sysins 105k

IMS DBD Source k

IMS PSB Source 50K

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CICS BMS maps 100k

REXX 35k

Assembler – 298

DSHS expects successful bidder to identify the remaining as part of assessment phase.

80

Please provide total number of the following mainframe components in all ACES modules/subsystems that are expected to be re-hosted/migrated as part of this RFP. Please separate COBOL programs and non-COBOL programs and list them separately.: # of user screens (online) # of programs (online) accessed by the above user screens # of batch programs (offline) Total # of batch programs (online / offline) # of mainframe data work files

286 BMS Source maps

515 Online CICS programs

746 Batch Programs

23K of Production sequential files

These counts are as of February 2017 inventory.

81

We respectfully request that the State remove the proposal rejection/disqualification clause so we are able to propose a price which reflects our effort estimate to deliver this mission critical project successfully. This will also allow the State to get proposals and solution options from vendors with broad range of experience, qualification, and capability. Based on our experience on comparable projects, the RFP budget is not congruent with the scope.

Our federal partners have granted approval of funding and scope for this project and any changes would result in unacceptable delays.

DSHS encourages any suggested enhancements should be added to the Continuing Modernization Recommendations Report. See Page 5 of the RFP.

82 In Appendix A.2, what is the number of LOC of COBOL?

See #79

83 In Appendix A.2, what is the number of LOC of Assembler?

One Application assembler module to dynamically allocate/de-allocate SYSOUT files. See#79.

84

In Appendix A.1, for CTG, which option would the customer prefer: - CTG emulator to be used so that no changes are needed to clients using the facility, OR - Will the client programs need to be adjusted to use Web Services. If so, how many of these programs exist and what source languages are used?

See #20

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85

In Appendix A.2, What are the ISPF panels used for? Where are they called from? CLIST? Will customer stay on DB2 or migrate to another RDBMS vendor? (Staying on DB2 or moving to DB2 UDB will be less risk and cost vs say Oracle or MSSQL)

See #27

Some called from CLIST

See #21

86 In Appendix A, are there JCL substitutions? From which facility?

Yes, Tivoli Workload Scheduler sets dates in JCL when the schedule is loaded every day.

87 In Appendix A, Is a Batch Scheduler being used? (If yes what is the scheduler?)

Tivoli Workload Scheduler for z/OS V9R2M0

88 In Appendix A, are there printing FORMs or OVERLAYs?

We do fully composed AFP print for ACES so the forms and fonts are included for 8 supported languages.

89 In Appendix A, do jobs use INTRDR? Yes

90

In Appendix A.2, do CICS programs have 3270 data streams coded anywhere? Are all CICS SEND operations using the MAPSET/MAPNAME? (but not printing), and is BMS paging being used?

3270 data stream coding does not exist in our environment.

CICS SEND operations use MAP names.

BMS paging is not used. Paging is handled within application logic.

91

In Appendix A.2, Are there CICS calls that cross regions? Do these include duplicate names - this is ok if there are not duplicate names.

Some CICS calls could cross regions/LPARs. Transaction names could be identical/duplicates.

92

Are there programs that write to more than one TID? Can the successful bidder also connect to the ACES environment remotely via VPN connection?

No, CICS programs do not write to multiple terminal IDs at a given time.

The successful bidder may connect to ACES environment remotely upon prior DSHS authorization. There may be restrictions.

93 In Appendix A.2, are the Sequential files contain variable lengths or each one of the 9000 files have fix length?

Sequential files contain both variable and fixed length files.

94 In Appendix A.2, what are the number of LOC of Rexx?

See #79

95

In Appendix H, the diagram has a line connecting between CICS and the Web Applications - What this line symbolize?

The line symbolizes that the web applications are using CTG (CICS Transaction Gateway) to access CICS programs that access IMS databases and invoke complex business logic that is only supported in the COBOL code.

96

In Section 6.3.3, is it acceptable for offshore development staff to be engaged in code related activities (without any data access) ? As such

See #54

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code exclusive development would not compromise any data security restrictions.

97

In Section 6, in meeting Bidder/staff requirements is there any distinction made between Bidder and Bidder's sub-contractors?

Section 6 addresses sub-contractor requirements. Section B Definitions, page 34 outlines other sub-contractor requirements.

Appendix C 18 Page 39 describes Ethics, Policies and Law surrounding sub-contractors.

Appendix L Section 7 DSHS Data Security Requirements describes responsibilities for data shared with sub-contractors.

98

Is it the DSHS expectation that the bidder will include license fee of 3rd parties' products as part of the price proposal?

Yes, the DSHS expectation is for the bidder to include license fees for all the products as part of their price proposal.

99

In Appendix B, Is there a requirement to replace AFP Toolbox for MVS? Are there any preferred products that should be considered?

See #19, #20, and #21

100

In Appendix B, are there any C/C++ programs or subroutines to be migrated? We see you have the XL C/C++ compiler.

No

101

In Appendix B, what is expected for RACF replacement? Active Directory? LDAP? GSS? Do any programs call RACF APIs?

See #19, #20, and #21

102

In Appendix B, what is the preferred replacement for Tivoli Workload Scheduler? Do we need to make a recommendation?

See #19, #20, and #21

103 In Appendix B, are the REXX programs for VM or are they run under Z/OS? For what purpose?

z/OS and operational purposes

104 In Appendix B, will MQ be retained in the new system?

See #20

105

Does the scope of this RFP migration include rehosting of ACES Linux based components that currently run under mainframe Linux?

Yes

106

Is there any expectation to facilitate on going usage of 3270 screen scraping with respect to the rehosted application?

No

107 Does DSHS have any preference with respect to COBOL code rehosted to open system. Should the COBOL be

See# 76

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converted to Java (or C#) ? Alternatively should COBOL be retained in open system environment?

108 Does DSHS have any preference with respect to open system environment to be Linux or Window?

See #19

109 Does DSHS have existing test scenarios for current ACES application?

See #37 and #38

110 Will DSHS make test data and test scenarios available to Bidder?

See #51 and #52

111

On RFP page 5, Section 1, a stated goal is to maintain compliance with several key areas; will the compliance requirement documents be provided before or after the bidder is chosen?

IRS Publication 1075, Exhibit 7

OCIO security policies 141.10

Additional DSHS security policies will be provided upon contract execution

112

On RFP page 10, Section 5.2, Bidder is asked to perform an analysis and inventory of existing ACES components and applications, which includes components not running on z/OS. Can we therefore assume that z/VM Linux related components are in scope to be migrated for this RFP? If so, please provide in scope application related counts.

See #105

All of the application components approximate counts are provided in Appendix A.

113

On RFP page 10, Section 5.2, Can we assume that Windows related components will remain on the existing Windows platform?

This depends on the bidder’s proposed solution.

114

On RFP page 12, Section 5.2.3.14, related to Disaster recovery recommendations. Is there an existing DR plan and process in place for the non z/Series environment elements? If yes, will the plan be provided?

Yes, the DR plan can be provided upon contract execution.

115

On RFP page 12, Section 5.2.3.16.4, is the UACPT environment (identified in 5.2.3.16) the test environment that needs to be equivalent to production?

The UACPT environment must be a functional approximation of the production environment.

116 On RFP page 15, Section 5.4.1, Test Plan, What percentage of online and

See #37 and #38

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batch test cases currently exist and are available to the Bidder?

117

On RFP page 16, Section 5.4.1.7, is there an existing mainframe test environment or will that need to be set up by the Bidder?

Yes, there is an existing mainframe test environment.

118

On RFP page 16, Section 5.4.1.9, what is the total number of interfaces/integration points that need to be tested?

See #64

119

On RFP page 21, Section 5.5.9, will you provide the baseline performance metrics or does the Bidder need to do that?

Yes, performance metrics are available and may be provided upon contract execution.

120

On RFP page 24, Section 5.7, Close-Out, does the post-implementation support include any testing requirements?

Yes, to the extent necessary to resolve incidents/problems related to the rehosting environment. Testing is also required for any changes/upgrades/fixes/patches prior to deployment to the rehosted environment.

121

On RFP page 29, Section 6.3 Service Location Requirements, will source code and data definitions be allowed to be moved offsite?

See #54

122 On RPF page 40, Section D.1, Bidder, will the Government allow the bidder to use 9-point font for Graphics?

See #72

123

On RFP page 42, Section D.1, Bidder Proposal Solution (Required, scored), in the Bidder Proposed Solution, will the Government allow the bidder to include a Cover Page and Table of Contents that do not count against the 40-page limitation?

In a separate double-sided document, no more than forty (40) pages long, the Bidder must describe its proposed solution.

124

On RFP Pages 38 and 40, Section C.11; Section D.1; Attachment B, do you want us to complete Attachment B as you provided it as a form, inserting our letterhead into it? Or do you instead wish us to compose a cover letter, using Attachment B as a guide and submitting the letter on our own letterhead? Also, is it your desire that each paragraph of the cover letter be numbered as you have shown?

Please use your business letter head. The form states that bidders should use their business letter head. Either using the form or composing a cover letter will be acceptable. Please number the paragraphs as listed in Attachment B.

125 On RFP page 42, Bidder Proposed Solution, can we embed or attach a project plan or additional work

See #123

15

products, and if so – will they count towards the 40-page limitation?

126

On RFP page 56, Appendix a, 1.

Mainframe Environment, Can you

provide a breakdown of the MIPS?

z/OS Platform MIPS, split as

follows:

i. Peak Production and Non-

production MIPS

ii. CICS/Batch MIPS and

Database (DB2, IMS DB)

MIPS

- Peak MIPS of z/VM Linux platform

z/OS

i. Peak production prime shift is 80% (1134 MIPS). Peak off prime shift is 90% (1275 MIPS)

ii. CICS peak is 80% (1134 MIPS). Batch COBOL is 40% (567 MIPS). IMS is reported as part of CICS and batch due to how IMS is configured. DB2 varies from 15% to 50% based on adhoc workload. Some DDF DB2 calls from clients dispatch on the 2 zIIP processors. The zIIPs have 3370 MIPS. Prime shift peaks are 30% (1011 MIPS).

z/VM Peaks

i. Prime shift 4893 MIPS

ii. Off Shift 5460 MIPS

127

On RFP page 56, Appendix A, 1. Mainframe Environment, for the production DB2 components, what are the resource consumptions by application service, e.g. DB2 on GCPU, or DDF on a zIIP/zAAP engine?

See #126

128 On RFP page 56, Appendix A, 1. Mainframe Environment, how many developers do you have?

See #40

129

On RFP page 58, Appendix A,2. Application Environment, can you provide a breakdown of the COBOL programs? e.g. How many are CICS vs. Batch based and what data types they access, e.g VSAM vs. DB2 vs. IMS DB vs. Flat/GDG files, etc.

See #80

Number of programs accessing IMS : 1021

Number of programs accessing DB2 : 178

Number of programs accessing VSAM around 400

Almost all batch programs access flat files

130

On RFP page 58, Appendix A, 2. Application Environment, can you please provide or estimate the total number of Assembler LOC?

See #79

131

On RFP page 58, Appendix A, 2. Application Environment, how many of the 91 DB2 databases are production vs. non-production. Is the bidder required to migrate non-production data?

91 databases exist in production region, mostly similar numbers exist in lower regions also.

Yes, the vendor is required to migrate production and non-production data.

132

On RFP page 58, Appendix A, 2. Application Environment, how many of the 3200 DB2 views/tables are production DB2 tables and production DB2 views?

All of these are production tables and views.

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133

On RFP page 58, Appendix A, 2. Application Environment, how many of the DB2 views do JOINs and/or UNIONs as part of the view definition?

DSHS expects a successful bidder to identify these details as part of assessment phase.

134

On RFP page 58, Appendix A, 2. Application Environment, are there any COBOL or SQL DB2 Stored Procedures? If yes, please provide counts (both programs + LOC).

Yes, 4 COBOL stored procedures with a total of 3207 lines of code.

135

On RFP page 59, Appendix A, 3. Data Size Information, is compression enabled for any of the data? Of the current on-line, near-line and off-line storage supporting the z/Series ACES complex, what is the total storage estimation in uncompressed numbers for all active data, all historical data and data to be retained? NOTE: active data is considered to be any data that is required in normal business operations (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual processing requirements).

TS7720 VTL is compressed. The VTL has 56 TB of compressed data, approximately 168 TB uncompressed. The bulk of it is backup data.

See #136 for explanation of disk usage.

136

On RFP page 69, Appendix D, what is the current utilization state and capacity of the IBM DS8870 storage complex? Is there capacity to support the newly re-hosted workloads without impacting existing host services? Can this be expanded if needed?

Annotation Tera-byte Tera-byte

Usable Capacity on DS8870 (formatted) 42.00

Total allocated space 39.72

z/OS 26.85

Free space 16.67

VM 2.18

Linux 5.22

Linux Spare 4.48

VM Spare 0.99

As the table indicates, 26.85 TB is allocated solely to Z/OS. Of that, 16.67 TB is Free Space.

Expansion of these devices is not an option, as they are part of z/13 lease.

137

On RFP page 69, Appendix D, what is the current utilization state and capacity of the IBM TS7720 VTS and IBM TS3500 tape library? Can both be expanded to support the newly re-

TS7720 is 71.84TB (uncompressed) capacity, utilization is 77%.

TS3500 has been removed from the environment.

Expansion of these devices is not an option, as they are part of z/13 lease.

17

hosted backup services without impacting existing host services?

138

In Attachment D - D9 - Problem Reports, a stated goal is to meet/exceed SLAs. Section D9 states "Upon notification by DSHS in writing (e-mail acceptable) of a SEV1, the Bidder will respond within 30 minutes in writing (e-mail acceptable) notifying DSHS of receipt." Are SEV1 tickets to be sent by DSHS via email exclusively, or would a web-based interface that generates an incident ticket and notification be acceptable?

After review by DSHS, other methods of notification may be acceptable as long as issues are logged and tracked in Rational Clear Quest and the methods used are in compliance with the contract SLRs.

139

It appears that RFP focuses on both, solution assessment and deployment activities. It may happen that during the assessment phase vendor may encounter new functionalities or scope amendments which may directly impact project effort and overall allocated budget. Would it be fine if we will propose a mix engagement model where fix price would be proposed after completion of assessment phase?

See #81

140

The scope of project is expanded in multiple areas coving all components of software development but this does not match to overall allocated budget to the project. At this stage we are finding it difficult to scope everything in allocated budget hence request State to further help in identifying the functionalities/services that are must have and good to have. This would help us in reducing our effort a bit and submitting a tailored & fit to budget proposal to state.

Please submit your proposal within the scope of the current RFP.

141

If all the functionalities/services fall under must have category, we request State to extend the overall budget to accommodate the requested services.

See #139

142 It would be great if State can extend the proposal submission date by 2-3 weeks.

See #71

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143

In Section A - Proposal Submission, Services and Deliverables and Contract Requirements, will DSHS share with vendors its ACES Modernization Strategy and approach to help vendors better shape our approach for this RFP?

There is currently a Business and IT Health and Human Services transformation project underway which will define our system’s modernization strategy. This strategy may result in future additional procurements.

144

In Section A - Proposal Submission, Services and Deliverables and Contract Requirements, related, can we take from this RFP that DSHS has determined its modernization approach is to extend its current ACES related systems, or is DSHS considering a replacement approach for modernization? Beyond near-term reduction of maintenance costs, can DSHS share how this RFP fits within DSHS’ overall ACES ‘complex’ modernization strategy?

See #143

145

In Section E - Evaluation of Responses, 4. Evaluation of Cost Proposals/Quotations, the RFP states “DSHS will reject any Response in excess of the not to exceed amount.” Will DSHS consider removing this requirement from the RFP? In our evaluation of the RFP approach and deliverables, the stated budget may be understated for the scope and complexity of this effort.

See #139

146

RFP indicates that Eligibility Service was developed to support the Affordable Care Act and Washington’s Health Benefit Exchange (HBE). Has DSHS considered/anticipated the potential impact on this project (both financial and SOW Scope) of current legislative efforts to repeal, replace or modify the ACA? How would that additional work be addressed in the contract?

DSHS closely monitors legislative activity for any potential changes.

The vendor will not be required to perform any work outside the contracted statement of work unless authorized. Changes outside the scope of the original contract will be done via an amendment.

147

RFP states: “The goal of this project is to migrate the ACES components to a more modern and open platform that is available to all of the systems and sub-systems within the ACES complex without replication. Is one of the planned results of the project is to

See #21

19

ultimately eliminate the use of IMS/DB and convert all databases to DB2? Please clarify.

148

RFP questions are due before the pre-bidders meeting. Would the State consider accepting additional questions based on information learned based on the pre-bidders meeting?

Opportunity for additional questions was provided up to and including the bidder’s conference. No further questions will be accepted.

149

To clarify, Bidder is to provide and support all infrastructure required for the modernization?

Yes, All rehosting hardware costs should be included in the proposal. Rehosting equipment includes all servers, storage, networking equipment, software, etc. necessary to implement the vendor’s solution. This equipment will connect to network infrastructure located in the State Data Center. All support and maintenance for the vendor solution will be the responsibility of the vendor throughout the life of the contract.

150

Additional clarification, the objective of this RFP is to “port” all current applications to a new infrastructure, but NOT to rewrite the applications… Existing applications would be updated to use APIs (application program interfaces) with new infrastructure and continue to support the “emulated” mainframe applications?

Yes, that is the objective of this RFP.

151 On the current Mainframe, are you currently using flash copy?

Yes

152 How much memory is the current z13 equipped with?

The current z13 Mainframe is equipped with 1952 GB memory.

153 Is the z13 running as a dedicated processor for this application/agency/department?

Yes, z13 is running as a dedicated processor for the application.

154 Does the current mainframe utilize any specialty engines on the z13 (zIIP, ZAP, IFL)?

Yes Current mainframe utilizes 2 zIIP and 10 IFL.

155 What is the serial number of the current z13?

N/A

156

On the current mainframe, how many VTS drives are installed and how much tape storage is allocated? Is that storage compressed or uncompressed?

64 virtual drives are installed.

See #135 and #137

157 Is your current DR solution utilizing replication (both DASD and VTS) to the DR provider?

Yes the DR solution utilizes both DASD and VTS. However a successful bidder is to design a DR solution based on the rehosted environment.

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158

Does the current mainframe have any OSA cards installed? If so, how many and what type?

(8) OSA-Express5S GbE SX 2 ports - 4 ports on 4 cards in use

(6) OSA-Express5S 10 GbE SR 1 port – Non in use at this time

(4) OSA-Express5S 1000BASE-T 2 ports – 2 ports on 2 cards in use for Console support

159

Will the State consider extending the response deadline for this RFP by three weeks to allow bidders to fully consider the State’s Q&A responses and develop a complete, accurate and compelling proposal?

See #71

160

Bidder and Staff Minimum requirement in paragraph 6.1.1 indicates Bidders shall have conducted at least three (3) successful engagements of similar or larger scope. If Bidders include subcontractors in their proposal, are the subcontractor’s successful engagements allowed to count towards the three (3) successful engagements?

Yes, a subcontractor’s successful engagement is allowed to count towards the three (3) successful engagements as long as that subcontractor is also bid for this contract.

161

Will the State provide Lines of Code counts for each of the Objects identified in the Application Environment table?

See #79

162

The application environment table does not indicate that IMS MFS maps are used. Please verify that IMS/DC (IMS/TM) is not used.

IMS MFS maps are not used in the application. IMS/DC is also not in use.

163 How much of the application inventory is batch versus online?

See #80

164 Are documented test cases and test data currently being used?

See #51

165

Aside from 3rd party system utilities, does the State own all rights to the application(s)? Did any application components originate from a 3rd party provider?

Yes, DSHS owns all rights to the ACES Complex application.

166 What is the preferred RDBMS for the target system (DB2 LUW, SQL SERVER, Oracle, etc.)?

See #21

167

Post migration, is there any requirement for the migrated application(s) to interface with

See #20, However, DSHS expects that all the interfaces that currently reside on the Mainframe will be migrated to the rehosted platform and will continue to work.

21

systems residing on other mainframes (including database or file access)?

168

What is the number of defined RACF users and approximate percent of current users still active in the system?

11,000 defined users

3,200 active users

169

Page 40 states “Each Attachment represents a separate section of the Response. Failure to complete and submit all required Attachments, and to sign them, if applicable, may result in Bidder disqualification. Responses shall be neatly typed in 12-point font, using proper grammar, spelling and punctuation and shall be submitted in the following order with each section of the Response clearly labeled.”

Page 40 also lists the required file naming conversion for each required response.

Page 44 then states “Bidder’s completed version of each of the submission requirements for this Competitive Solicitation shall be included as a separate attachment to the Bidder’s email(s).”

Please clarify if all section responses (Attachments B, C, D, D2. D3, D5, E, F, AND G) should be provided as separate files within the email submission or should they be embedded in a single response file?

RFP Section 3 Page 44

Each attachment should be separate document utilizing the required naming conventions.

Since there is a 30 MB limit on the email and bidder may be

required to send multiple emails.

170 Would the State accept the url for our annual reports as a substitution for the 5 separate Annual Report PDFs?

No, the annual reports must be included as an attachment to your submission.

171

The RFP states: “For every Bidder Customer Reference Form, the Bidder must use the table provided in Attachment F – Bidder Customer Reference to provide the company name, contact name, contact job title, address, telephone number and email for that reference.”

See RFP Page 43

Attachment F must be sent by the bidder to their customer reference. The customer reference must return Attachment F directly to the solicitation coordinator.

Attachment D is to be filled out by the bidder and contains a list of all of their customer references to which they sent Attachment F.

22

In Attachment F, that information is not in a table format but listed at the top of the form. Can the Bidder provide the information in a table similar to the one in Attachment D which contains the same information? (page 15 of 29 in Attachment D)

172 In section 6.3.3, please clarify what you mean by 'offshore'.

See #54

173 In section 6.3.3, would the use of Canada and/or Mexico delivery centers be considered ‘offshore’?

See #54

174

In Section 6.3.3, would the use of offshore resources be acceptable for tasks that do not involve customer/live data? Examples are monitoring and report generating activities.

See #54

175

In section 3, Project scope, page 6, will DSHS provide the ability to mask identifying data for system testing or will the vendor be required to supply a tool to perform this task?

DSHS does not currently have a tool to mask data.

176

Considering the additional option periods would the State consider a Contractor provided “Public Cloud” solution?

See #17

177 On RFP page 50, item 8, are there any limitation of locations for the data center facilities?

Yes, all rehosting IT equipment must be located in the State Data Center in Olympia.

178 Would DSHS accept redlines to the sample contract as part of the proposal response?

No. We ask that you list the stated contract language that we have in the sample contract and then follow that with your proposed alternative language.

179

Your RFP talks about database redesign and migration that would require re-engineering effort besides re-hosting. Kindly confirm that this re-engineering effort is also included in the scope of this proposal.

Re-engineering the application is not within the scope of this solicitation

180

Since the current IMS database is replicated to DB2, would it be possible for us to see the segment structure of the IMS along with any pertinent logical views as well as the

IMS segment structures and DB2 schema will be provided to successful bidder.

23

database schema of the DB2 database?

181

Section 5.2.3 asks for sizing recommendations for hardware and equipment. Item #3 of Cost Proposal, Section G1, is looking for “Software, Hardware and Equipment” costs.

a. Is the CAPEX cost of the hardware included within the budgeted funding allocation or only OPEX for the term of the project?

b. Since existing Java applications are operating in z/VM SUSE Linux environment, is there a preference to continue utilizing this hardware platform or is it envisioned that the new operating platform can be any virtualized, vendor’s hardware (including IBM)?

c. Is a HIPAA-compliant, cloud hosted alternative in keeping with DSHS’s security policies?

d. Is a HIPAA-compliant, cloud hosted alternative in keeping with DSHS’s security policies?

e. Can we have performance characteristics of the CICS transactions (rough transactions per second by type of transaction)?

a. The budget includes CAPEX and OPEX for the base term of the contract.

b. The solution is expected to migrate all capabilities to an open systems platform.

c. Not currently

d. Not currently

e.

Date Tran cnt

Averages

Resp (sec)

CPU (sec)

DLI calls

DB2 calls

6/5/2017 1920614 0.016 0.00192 44 24

6/6/2017 1895742 0.016 0.00187 43 22

6/7/2017 1793926 0.015 0.00177 43 22

6/8/2017 1655879 0.014 0.00167 43 22

6/9/2017 1550631 0.014 0.00167 44 23

Average 60 transactions/second, peak 130 transaction/second

182

Section 2, paragraph 2 expresses DSHS’s desire to “leverage its existing coding languages.” Is this expressing a preference for COBOL (e.g., Micro Focus COBOL) on the rehosting platform or Java/.NET on a SUSE Linux platform for compatibility with existing migrated applications?

See #18

24

183

Is there any requirement to incorporate existing Java/.NET applications in with the new operating environment?

Yes, both Java and .Net

184

There is no mention of number of printers or printer management/rerouting requirements other than the reference to VTAM Printer Support (VPS) for JES spool. Is there anything additional we should be aware of with respect to print output management, such as integration with a print(er) management system that is already I place with the existing Java/.NET applications?

VPS manages approximately 100 network printers used to print client letters in offices. ACP/PCL is used to transform AFP document to PCL for printing on office printers.

Central high volume print is done through the Department of Enterprises Services (DES) print services. AFP print is shipped through a JES to FSS printer that point to a network address of a print server.

Canon PRISMA is the print management system for printing through DES.

Zip 390 is used for encryption.

185

Should the Business Continuity Plan (BCP) include a cold, warm or hot DR site? And is this cost included in the budgeted funding?

The Statement Of Work requires only a Disaster Recovery Plan. The cost of preparing the plan is included in the project funding.

186

Is there a preference to continue to use a business rules engine (BRE) such as ODM or to maintain compatibility with the existing Java applications, or are other alternative COTS solutions worth considering.

There should be minimal changes to the application and to current business rules.

187

What are the RTO and RPO requirements for the Disaster Recovery Site? and is it required to remain in Boulder CO?

RTO is 72 hours

RPO is 24 hours

No, it is not required to remain in Boulder, CO.

188

As we review this RFP, it’s clear that DSHS is looking to move away from mainframe system to a modern platform. Will DSHS consider a vendor proposal that achieves that but hosts the system in vendor cloud platform. We believe this will give DSHS better TCO inclusive of services, hardware, software and hosting. If yes, will DSHS remove the maximum $ amount tied with this procurement as vendor will include cloud hosting price along with services

See #17

189 We request DSHS to grant 4 week extension for RFP response.

See #71

190 There is a requirement for onsite work, yet discussion of being onsite

See #22

25

when needed. Can you clarify? Project Manager must be onsite full time is clear. Can our team work out of our main office (in the US)?

191 What is your preferred target environment (Windows, Unix, LINUX, AIX)?

See #19

192 What is your preferred database on target environment (SQL Server, DB2 LUW, Oracle)?

See #20

193 Please clarify on expected database migration. Would you prefer to maintain IMS Database calls and data structure (moved to target environment) or migrate your IMS data to DB2 LUW (on target) and change the application accordingly.

See #21

194 Phase 1 Assessment may identify or clarify items that would affect the overall bid. Will there be an opportunity to amend the bid at that time? Alternatively, this could be handled through documented assumptions and change orders.

See #139

195 Is the budget described ($8.9M) created as a result of an assessment or 3rd party estimation?

N/A

196 You mention IV&V vendor (section 5.4.1.10), can we know who it is and what is our direct communication with this vendor?

This project is funded with CMS enhanced Federal Funding Participation (FFP) which requires IV&V. The Project’s current IV&V vendor is Public Consulting Group (PCG). IV&V PCG will review deliverables, work products, schedule, processes, and monitor overall project progress and report status, risks and issues directly to CMS on a regular basis. PCG will and also perform independent testing as applicable of any code changes made by the vendor. Regular communication between the re-hosting vendor and the IV&V vendor will be expected for coordinating any vendor reviews as mentioned above. The re-hosting vendor should make a point of including the IV&V vendor in applicable project meetings (e.g., status, schedule, risk and issue), walkthroughs, and any deliverable acceptance type of meetings.

197 Section 5.1.4 “the Bidder must demonstrate the configured software to validate the configuration against DSHS’ documented requirements and agreed-upon business processes or

Please refer to RFP sub sections 5.1.4.1 through 5.1.4.10

26

practices.” Can we see this document prior to submitting the bid?

198 External Interfaces (sections 5.2.2. & 5.3.3) are to be documented, not changed, and tested. Do you have subject matter experts for these interfaces? Would they be available to advise the project? Who is tasked with working with the external bodies to coordinate the process?

Yes

Yes

DSHS Business Analysts

199 What existing testing collateral do you have? Test scripts, test data, testing plans? Will these be available to the project?

See #37, #38, #52

200 Who is your hardware provider? Will the provider assist with install/configuration?

The bidder is required to provide the necessary hardware and software needed to implement their solution.

201 What are the issues driving the rehost project?

Operational savings.

202 Is there a compelling event (e.g. mainframe maintenance renewal) driving the target date?

Lower our operational costs as quickly as possible.

203 100 ISPF users were called out in the RFP, is this the number of developers (contractors or FTE) that maintain the application today and would require development capabilities on the rehosted system?

Yes, users include application developers, testers and technical support teams with a need to develop on the rehosted system.

204 Is it possible to get a rough estimate of Lines of Code for each of the Objects identified in the Application Environment table?

See#79

205 There was no indication that IMS MFS maps are used. Please verify that IMS/DC (IMS/TM) is not used.

IMS/DC is not used

206 Total Application MIPS usage?

a. Percent of total apps MIPS usage for production?

b. Percent of total apps MIPS usage for development and unit testing?

c. Percent of total apps MIPS usage for QA

See #126.

More granular data is not available.

27

and other (e.g. system) testing?

d. Peak MIPS usage production batch?

e. Peak MIPS usage production online?

f. Peak MIPS usage development and unit test?

g. Peak MIPS usage QA and other testing?

h. MIPS usage by DB2?

i. Anticipated two year MIPS growth for the rehosted application?

207 Do you plan to use existing servers and if so how many cores are available on each?

The vendor will propose the required servers and server configurations.

208 Roughly how much of the inventory is batch versus online?

See #80

209 How long does the daily & month-end batch processing take overall?

See #24

210 Aside from 3rd party system utilities, do you own all rights to the application(s) and did any components originate from a 3rd party provider?

DSHS owns the rights to all of the applications.

211 What is the maximum DB2 table size? 118 GB including indexes

212 What is the maximum IMS DB size? 136 GB for primary space, 1.2 GB for primary Key

213 What is the peak period online transaction rate?

250k transactions per hour at peak

214 How many JAVA user interfaces are used?

Java User Interfaces are used in the following systems:

Washington Connection – Internet Application

ACES Online – Intranet Application

ACES 3G – Intranet Application

Test Harness – Intranet Application for Testers to test MAGI Eligibility

CMS – Content Management System to Support Washington Connection

PMS – Profile Management System to Support Washington Connection

Admin site – System parameters and controls

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215 Are there any new user interfaces planned as part of the rehost?

No

216 Post migration, is there any requirement for the migrated application(s) to interface with systems residing on other mainframes? (including database or file access)

Yes, one real-time interface with the Social Security Administration (SSA) inquiry function called State Online Query (SOLQ).

217 What is the approximate number of RACF Users, Groups and Resources?

11,000 defined users

3,200 active users

1,200 dataset profiles

509 groups

2200 general resources

218 Is there a preferred security system on the target platform (e.g. Active Directory)?

See #65

219 Are there any requirements for checkpoint/restart (IMS, 3rd party products, etc)?

Currently some COBOL programs in ACES application use checkpoint/restart, DSHS expects the rehosted application will have similar capability.

220 Are SQL stored procedures used?

a. How many? How many total lines of code?

b. Are they called or used by distributed applications (e.g. Java)? How many?

c. Are nested stored procedures used? How many?

d. Are there stored procedures that call other COBOL programs?

e. Are there any non-COBOL stored procedures?

i. How many?

ii. What language is used?

Yes

a) Yes, there a 4 COBOL stored procedures used to maintain specialized DB2 tables.

b) The SQL SPs are triggered based on updates to 4 ODS tables.

DSHS expects the successful bidder to document these details during the assessment phase.

221 How many programs contain IMS calls?

90% of the COBOL inventory listed contains IMS calls

222 The conversion should have no impact on the rehosting site. Are

There should be minimal downstream changes to COBOL.

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there going to be downstream changes to COBOL? What if another database is proposed?

See #21

223 Can work be performed offsite? See #54

224 For the COBOL to COBOL migration, is there a specific vendor in mind? Would you consider doing a COBOL to JAVA migration? Is COBOL to JAVA an option in this instance?

See #18

225 Is there an advantage to not having legacy COBOL? Should COBOL be compiled to JAVA on a regular basis?

See #18

226 Why keep code in COBOL? Is the goal of the project to commoditize the cost?

The goal of this project is to reduce operating costs and while doing so reduce the risk from change by minimizing functional impact to the current systems.

227 COBOL to COBOL only offers limited solutions. Can we do COBOL to something else - are there more potential options available than COBOL to COBOL?

See #18

228 Will you provide detailed metrics on the COBOL code?

See #82

229 What are the number of interfaces to other related systems?

See #64

230 Can we perform a COBOL to JAVA transition? Or can we do a C# programming language to JAVA? Are you open to anything other than a COBOL to COBOL solution?

See #18

231 Are you open to extending the RFP timeline to submit applications? If so, how much more time would we receive?

See #71

232 Recommendations to modernization in the future - what is the scope of cost for this particular investment/RFP? What is the Agency's vision? What does DSHS expect of us?

Please see the section on “Continuing Modernization Recommendations” in Section 1 of the RFP. DSHS intends to transition from legacy technology, tools and processes in order to improve agility, responsiveness and reduce the cost of operation.

233 Can we do a IMD-DB conversion to MSDB? Will DSHS do more work outside the scope of this particular RFP?

See #21

234 Can we do a relational DB or an IMS-DB solution? Would the state be

See#21

30

open to that if there were no application changes?

235 Are there any requirements to a knowledge of public assistance programs? If not, why not?

Knowledge of State and Federal public assistance programs is helpful but not required for the scope of this project. This project objective is to migrate existing code, without code conversion. Therefore, knowledge of public assistance programs should not be necessary.

DSHS will provide subject matter expertise as necessary.

236 If the code is changed during the six year extension period, how would the vendor maintain the rehosted environment?

The rehosting vendor is responsible for ensuring the rehosted platform remains fully functional and compliant with SLRs during M&O.

If application code is changed during the rehosting period it is the expectation of DSHS that the code will be compatible with the rehosted environment.

237 What are the SLA requirements? How does that work?

Attachment D9 mandatory SLRs-

The Bidder will submit Service Level Requirement (SLR) compliance/variance reports to DSHS monthly by the 5th business day of the following month. The SLR and supporting measurement and performance reports will be reviewed with the Bidder project management on a monthly basis.

Attachment D10 Service Level Objectives-

It is the intent of DSHS that, along with the minimum required service level requirements listed above in Section D9, the service level objectives will be determined and mutually agreed upon by DSHS and the Bidder for incorporation into the final Contract.

238 Is there an MOU within this scope of this project with the M&O vendor?

The intent of this question is unclear.

The current M&O vendor is under contract to provide services to DSHS and to adhere to the agreed upon SLAs.

The successful bidder to this project will be under contract to provide the services as defined in the statement of work and to adhere to the agreed upon SLRs.

239 Who is responsible for the SLA? See #237

240 Are LINUX applications within the scope of this project?

Yes. Some Linux applications are part of the ACES environment and as such are within the scope of this project.

241 Are Windows servers in the scope of this RFP?

See #113

All other terms and conditions in this Solicitation remain the same.

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