For the full RFP posting please go to https://pr-webs-customer.des.wa.gov/ and search for the bid request under RFP23-020 or the Military Department.

Under this SOW, the contractor will support Washington Emergency Management Division (WA EMD) in providing software that provides rapid event detection and characterization from online open-source content and social media content as well as other sources for specified event types and geographic areas.  This software will assist in building timely situational awareness of events within Washington State and surrounding areas of interest based on user-specified event types/categories and user specified geographical areas. 

Organization Overview: 

The WA EMD mission is to lead and coordinate the prevention, mitigation, response, and recovery in Washington State to minimize the impact of disasters and emergencies on the people property, environment, and economy.  The State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) is the physical location where the coordination of information and resources is conducted to support the Counties and Tribes within Washington State before, during, and after an incident, emergency, disaster, or catastrophe.  The SEOC operates 24 hours a day and 7 days per week and is always activated at one of three levels:  Level 3 – Monitoring, Level 2 – Partial Activation, or Level 1 – Full Activation. 

At Level 3 (Monitoring), two State Emergency Operations Officers (SEOO) in the Alert & Warning Center (AWC) provide notification, alert, warning, and resource coordination.  As the constant 24/7 element of the SEOC, the AWC maintains situational awareness of occurring and imminent hazards and threats that may impact the citizens, property, environment, or economy of the State of Washington. The AWC provides updates and reporting to WA EMD leadership to support situational awareness and decision making.

At Level 2 (Partial Activation), SEOC functions/sections are activated as required and Emergency Support Functions are activated based on the nature, size, and complexity of the incident. 

At Level 1 (Full Activation, all SEOC functions are activated and Emergency Support Functions are activated based on the nature, size, and complexity of the incident. 

Planned Use of Software:

Three key positions within WA EMD are planned as the primary users of the Situational Awareness Software, the personnel within the AWC, members of the Planning Section, and operational personnel in the Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) unit. 

• The AWC personnel will use this program for continuous (24/7) monitoring of events throughout the State/region with the primary purpose being rapid event detection. 
• The members of the Planning Section will use this program for collecting/analyzing incident information and providing situation updates in meetings/briefings.
• FMAG personnel will rely on this program to provide near-real-time detection and notification of wildland fire incidents which threaten properties, populated areas, critical infrastructure, national resource, and other values.

Number of Users/Licenses:  4-5 users

Required Features of Software Application:

• System will be cloud-hosted and not "on-premises".
• System algorithms do not depend on demographics of individual users.
  • Rapid event detection: System able to provide timely alerts for events of interest, both planned and unplanned.
  • System assists Users in building/expanding situational awareness on current/ongoing incidents.
  • System able to notify User of alerts during high-paced operations (email/sound/popups).
  • Users able to quickly update/modify search criteria to meet changing requirements (only change for their view).
  • System provides a variety of search criteria to support multiple User’s information needs.  Please specify if system allows User inputted text for search criteria.
  • System cost is within established budget constraints.
  • System has an intuitive user interface and can be easily navigated by a User with minimal training.
  • System must comply with OCIO 141.10.
  • Vendor must comply to an OCS security design review.

Desired Features of Software Application:

• System supports one logon displayed on multiple machines simultaneously for multiple individuals of the same position tracking the same search criteria.  This includes the AWC, the Situation Unit, FMAG unit, and the Public Information Officer:
  • AWC: Two SEOOs work together in the AWC during every shift (24/7)
  • Situation Unit: This unit is led by the Situation Unit Leader (SITL) and is responsible for coordinating the collection and analysis of the incident status. This includes processing, organizing, validating, and displaying incident information.
  • Public Information Officer (PIO): Leads and manages the External Affairs Emergency Support Function (ESF).  Establishes strategic messaging and implements a messaging plan in collaboration with the SEOC leadership and the Governor’s Office as required.
• Company is a good partner for WA EMD (business practices, length of operation, reputation).
• Availability of 24/7 Customer Support to assist with troubleshooting.
• System able to export aggregated report from system for dissemination.               
• System will have 99.9% up-time.
• Bidder provides case studies demonstrating system success in other comparable programs/organizations.
• System is mobile friendly (secure application).

Target Date for Implementation:  April-May 2023

Demonstration of Software Application (Top-Scored Bidders):  Bids will be evaluated based on the enclosed Evaluation Scoring and Criteria.  Top-Scored Bidders from the initial evaluation will be invited to conduct a System Demonstration to a select group of WA EMD personnel (WA EMD is able to support either virtual or in-person Demonstrations).  The Demonstration of these Bidders will be evaluated based on the Performance Requirements listed in Attachment C.