Development

Case Study : ITS-GWAC Post-Award Module

TechFlow formed a team to develop and deliver an ITS-GWAC Post-Award RBA application component (also referred to as a 'module' or "management module"). The module is integrated into the RBA IT-Solutions (ITSS) / Common Oracle Database (CODB) web-based environment for the GSA Integrated Technology Service (ITS) GWAC Program Management Office use as a Financial Management Information System. The purpose of the module is to provide a method for Government Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWAC) contractors to fulfill contractual responsibility in reporting procurement activities such as order data, invoice purchase data, and Contract Access Fee (CAF) payments to the GWAC program office. Supplemental information will be collected from agency Contracting Officers in the form of supporting order data to be used in financial reporting, forecasting and management of the GWAC program. GSA intends on using the system in support of Millennia GWAC contracts prior to Initial Operating Capacity (IOC) supporting the future Alliant GWAC contract. Further, adding the module into the RBA provides GSA with the proof-of-concept of extending the RBA functionality to meet emerging business needs in a cost effective manner while integrating with existing system data and system interconnections.

TechFlow has conducted extensive business analysis and workflow planning, user and functional requirements analysis, technical analysis, project management and support, J2EE software development, Oracle database schema and trigger development (DML, DDL, PL/SQL), system integration with Financial Management Information System (FMIS)/GSA general ledger data, extensive QA and testing, creation of SDLC documentation, formal user training, and transition planning to RBA operations (define RBA Help Desk, Registration and Support functions, continued user training) for this project.

TechFlow reduced project risk and improved the development cycle in cooperation with the GSA PM by well defined initial requirements and iterative development milestones with capability demonstrations tightly tied to the final software release date. The Build 1-6 milestone demonstrations were delivered either on-site at GSA Fairfax, VA (Willowwood) or by webinar all on schedule and met or exceeded client expectations.

Specific module details include the following:

Application Level: The solution is integrated into the RBA as an additional navigation tab. The module itself is built on the modern, enterprise Java/J2EE Websphere ITSS code base and Oracle (CODB) database and is fully section 508 compliant. It utilizes second generation web technologies such as AJAX and web services to improve the user experience.

Reporting Function: Reporting is a major system objective which is facilitated by integration with the GSA business objects infrastructure and through a built-in tool for gap coverage of users outside of GSA firewall.

Security: The module is tightly integrated with the existing ITSS application for user roles and security and the CODB for data persistence, record storage and reporting and leverages existing C&A infrastructure.

Testing: The system is under development and is scheduled for System Acceptance Testing (SAT) on 1-3 May 2007 and Pilot release on 18 May 2007.