1. Release 3 Classroom Session – Day 4
November 2016

2. Special Brown Bag Session
Day 4 Agenda
Day 4
Morning
MAP Case Study: SOO Selection
Putting It All Together
Security Considerations
LUNCH
Special Brown Bag Session
Afternoon
Acquisition Package Vendor Roundtable
Facilitator: Melissa
Duration: 10 minutes
Timing: 8:00-8:10 pm
Facilitator Notes:
Explain that we’ll be reviewing the process of building the key elements of the RFQ.
There is a special “brown-bag” lunch if you would like to have lunch in the classroom and ask any questions you have to the USDS team and facilitators.
Then, in the afternoon, we’ll be joined by a guest panel for a round table.

3. MAP Case Study: SOO Selection
Duration: 5 minutes
Timing: 8:10-9:30 am
Facilitator: Traci/Will

4. Activity Overview The Situation The Challenge
Using the MAP Case Study, you choose the SOO that best suited your acquisition strategy as individuals.
The Challenge
Duration: 5 minutes
Timing: 8:10-8:15 am
Facilitator: Traci/Will
Facilitator Notes :
Briefly read over the background info on the slides. In this activity, the students will get into tables based on the SOO they choose. Move to the next slide for instructions.
In teams, work together to determine the best SOO for your strategy.

5. Case Study Activity Overview
Work in your teams to choose a “team SOO” for your case study
Structure
Work in your teams to prepare a briefing on why you choose a certain SOO over another; what were the tradeoffs?
Be prepared to share your results with the class
Instructions
Facilitator: Will Randolph
Duration: 30 minutes
Timing: 8:15-8:45 am
Facilitator Notes :
Tell participants:
To work in your teams to prepare a briefing on why you choose a certain SOO over another; what were the tradeoffs?
Facilitators will sit in with each group and assist if needed.
Be prepared to share your results with the class
Take 15 minutes to discuss, analyze, and formulate a verbal briefing to share your findings with the class.
Time

6. Team Briefings What SOO did you choose? Why? What were your tradeoffs?
Team Brief Out
What SOO did you choose?
Why?
What were your tradeoffs?
Team
Briefings
Facilitator: Will Randolph
Duration: 45 minutes
Timing: 8:45-9:30
Facilitator Notes :
Each group will report out on their decisions, answering the following questions:
What SOO did you choose?
Why?
What were your tradeoffs?
Discuss:
Which groups chose the same SOO. Did they have the same reasons for changing it?
Did anyone think of something new after listing to the other groups report out?

7. Putting It All Together
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Timing: 9:30-11:00 pm
Facilitator: Will Randolph
Facilitator Notes :
Begin setting up the exercise.

8. Evaluation Criteria
Eval Criteria and examples – goal is to find companies that are great in this space!
Wiki content review and plug data
Duration: 30 minutes
Timing: 9:30-10:00 am
Facilitator: Traci/Will
Facilitator Notes :
How do you handle a situation where a program office spends two months writing a requirements document that’s not what you need? There are tradeoffs associated with requirements (e.g., what’s the true cost of documentation?), the impact on your relationship with the program office, and determining what will really “break” the agile process and what won’t.
If the PMO sends you an SOW or PWS all scripted out, how do you recognize that is not the right strategy? What elements can break the agile process? How do you mitigate that, if the PMO is going be too prescriptive? What can the CO control? How do you communicate this strategy change? The CO could change PoP, change to a SOO, etc.

9. Building the RFQ
Now that you have filled out the lean canvas and selected a SOO as a team, the next step is to develop evaluation criteria (sections “L and M”), and complete the RFQ.
Duration: 2 minutes
Timing: 10:00-10:02 am
Facilitator: Traci/Will Randolph
Now that they have filled out the lean canvas and selected their SOO, the next step is to develop the following sections of the RFP:
Section L: Instructions for formatting, organizing, and submitting the proposal
Section M: Source selection, and evaluation factors

10. Morning Break Duration: 15 minutes Timing: 10:00-10:15 am
Facilitator: Melissa
Facilitator Notes :  
10:00-10:15 Break

11. Case Study Activity Overview
In the same teams, you are now moving from SOO selection to development of evaluation criteria.
Choose a team leader to report out to the class, as well as a person to document your evaluation criteria.
Structure
As a team, write your evaluation criteria language, based on your SOO and strategy.
Be prepared to share your results with the class.
Instructions
Facilitator: Will Randolph
Duration: 20 minutes
Timing: 10:15-10:35 am
Facilitator Notes :
First, teams will work together to write a simple evaluation criteria. Circulate the groups and try to help them think outside the box.
Then, they will brief out on what they developed and the tradeoffs/considerations that went into what they developed.
Finally, facilitators will be designated for each group to encourage “outside the box” thinking.
You will have 45 minutes to discuss, analyze, and formulate a verbal briefing to share with the class.
Time

12. Team Brief Out
Each team will take 5 minutes to brief out their evaluation criteria and provide any tradeoffs or considerations they had to resolve.
Class Discussion:
Any use of downselects and other ways to do “fast acquisitions”?
What challenges did you have in developing your solicitation package?
What roadblocks do your foresee, if any?
Are you confident that your solicitation package will bring you a vendor that can support your product vision?
Facilitator: Will Randolph
Duration: 30 minutes
Timing: 10:35-1:00 pm
Facilitator Notes
Facilitate the team brief out. Give them 5 minutes each.
Make sure they have a person assigned to documenting the eval criteria and posting it to the Discussion board.
Each team will talk about:
What they developed
The tradeoffs/considerations that went into what they developed.
Then, hold a large group discussion to go over the questions on the slide.

13. Security Considerations
Evan Cook
Duration: 15 minutes
Timing: 11-12:30 pm
Facilitator: Evan Cook

14. 12:00-1:00 : Special Brown Bag Session
Lunch
12:00-1:00 : Special Brown Bag Session
Facilitator: Melissa
Duration: 1 hour
Timing: 12:00-1:00 pm
Facilitator Notes:
You will have _ minutes to pick up lunch and bring it back before it starts.

15. Acquisition Package Vendor Roundtable Discussion
Facilitator: Heather
Duration: 1 hour
Timing: 1:00-4:00 pm
Facilitator Notes:
To start this discussion, welcome and introduce the vendors who will be joining the roundtable.
You may recognize a few of our guests from the Influence Conversations activity, but we have a few new faces as well. Each of our guests will introduce themselves. Guests, if you could, please share your name, organization, your job in 1-2 sentences, and your favorite tech read.

16. Activity Overview
Teams will present their draft acquisition packages to vendors who have had experience responding to innovative RFQs
Vendor will provide feedback based on their past experiences in the digital services space
Teams will update their acquisition packages based on feedback
Report-Outs
5 minutes to present on what your group discussed
5 minutes for questions & answers
Panel on vendor perspective responding to innovative acquisitions (e.g., Challenges)
Duration: 5 minutes
Timing: 1-1:05 pm
Presented by: Heather
Facilitator Notes:
For the next several hours, we’ll be working on an activity that will have each of your teams engage a vendor who has worked in digital services. Each team will be working with a different guest that we have brought in for this activity.
First, your team will present what you have for your draft acquisition packages to your vendor.
You’ll take some time getting feedback from the vendor, and after that you will update your acquisition feedback based on your discussion with them.
We’ll have each team give a 5 minute report-out to the cohort, with 5 minutes for each team to answer questions.
Finally, we’ll wrap up this activity with a roundtable discussion with the vendors, who will share other examples of acquisitions they’ve responded to that were particularly effective in encouraging innovation.

17. Why This Activity is Important
By the end of this activity, you will be able to discuss/analyze a draft acquisition package and incorporate feedback from vendors.
This activity builds on the Iteration 3.B performance objectives:
Develop your acquisition package for procuring digital services, including proposal and source selection methods.
Define evaluation criteria, given evaluation strategy discussed in your acquisition strategy.
You will also continue developing your ability to think innovatively around how to effectively procure digital services that deliver outcomes for the government.
Duration: 5 minutes
Timing: 1:05-1:10
Presented by: Heather
Facilitator Notes:
You will be hearing from people who have experience responding to innovative digital services RFPs. They will be able to provide you with a unique perspective on your acquisition package.
By hearing their perspective, you can see how you should adjust your approach to attract vendors.
This activity builds on two of our Iteration 3.B performance objectives:
Develop your acquisition package for procuring digital services, including proposal and source selection methods.
Define evaluation criteria, given evaluation strategy discussed in your acquisition strategy.
This also helps you to continue thinking innovatively about procuring digital services that will deliver positive outcomes for your agency.

18. Introducing Our Guests!
Name
Organization
Your Job in 1-2 Sentences
Favorite Tech Read – Blogs count too!
Duration: 10 minutes
Timing: 1:10-1:20
Presented by: Heather
Facilitator Notes:
You may recognize a few of our guests from the Influence Conversations activity, but we have a few new faces as well. Each of our guests will introduce themselves. Guests, if you could, please share your name, organization, your job in 1-2 sentences, and your favorite tech read.

19. Ideas/Tradeoffs/Thought Process
For the first 15 minutes of this activity, each team will share their acquisition package
Share the SOO selected (give your vendor background on it) and evaluation criteria your teams worked on with our guests
Which SOO did you select? Why did you select it? What impact do you think this will have on vendors?
What evaluation criteria did you develop? Why? This should be the majority of your discussion
Duration: 15 minutes
Timing: 1:20-1:35
Presented by: Heather
Facilitator Notes:
For the first 15 minutes of the activity, you should share and explain your acquisition package to our vendors as it stands.
Share your story with the vendors.
What led you to this point?
How did you decide to use the evaluation criteria that you did?
What decisions were made along the way?
Did you encounter hardships that required you to pivot?

20. Vendor Feedback
Take the next 30 minutes to listen to your vendor’s feedback.
Vendors will be responding to the following types of questions:
Would you respond to an RFQ like this? Why or why not?
Is the planned method of evaluation and associated criteria going to get the government what it wants?
What questions would you have on this type of solicitation for the government?
Feel free to ask other questions you have as well as they come up
Duration: 30 minutes
Timing: 1:35-2 pm
Presented by: Heather
Facilitator Notes:
You will now spend some time hearing your vendor’s thoughts on your draft acquisition package. Your vendors will be giving you several pieces of information, ranging from whether they would respond to the RFP, to what stood out as exciting about it.
After this half hour block, you will spend some time incorporating their thoughts into your draft acquisition package.

21. Acquisition Package Revisions
Based on the feedback you received from your vendor, spend 30 minutes revising your Acquisition Package with your group
Reach out to your assigned vendor or our facilitation staff if you have any specific questions
Prepare to report out on your findings
5 minutes to report out on what your team discussed - highlight your understanding of the vendor’s perspective and feedback and how it impacted your acquisition package
5 minutes of Q&A from the other teams
Duration: 30 minutes
Timing: 2:00-2:30pm
Presented by: Heather
Facilitator Notes:
Based on the feedback you have received from your vendor, you should spend 30 minutes revising your acquisition package. Let us know if you have any questions as you are making your revisions

22. Break
Duration: 15 minutes
Timing: 2:30-2:45 pm

23. Team Report-Outs and Vendor Feedback
Report out on your team’s discussion
Your understanding of the vendor’s perspective and feedback and how it impacted your acquisition package
Final vendor insights on digital acquisition and innovative procurement strategies (particularly Challenges)
Duration: 45 minutes
Timing: 2:45-3:30pm
Presented by: Heather
Now let’s hear from each of our teams. We will be spending the next hour on this, with 5 minutes for each presentation, and 5 minutes per group for questions and comments from the cohort.

24. Preview of Tomorrow Duration: 5 minutes Timing: 3:55-4:00 pm
Facilitator: Melissa

25. Day 5 – Preview of Release 3 and Demo Day
Day 5 Agenda
Day 5 – Preview of Release 3 and Demo Day
Morning
Release 4: Awarding & Administering Digital Service Contracts Introduction
Metrics Activity
Lunch (12:00-1:00 pm)
Afternoon
Feedback gathering
Live Digital Assignment Presentations
Final wrap-up
Duration: 5 minutes
Timing: 3:55-4:00 pm
Facilitator: Melissa
Facilitator Notes:
Expectations: Finish any remaining preparation for your team Live Digital Assignment and bring all of your notes and materials to class tomorrow.

26. HAPPY HOUR!