GovCon Bid and Proposal Insights
GovCon Bid and Proposal Insights
TRANSCOM Medical Regulating and Command & Control Evacuation System (TRAC2ES)
Podcast Episode: Inside TRAC2ES – USTRANSCOM’s $23M Medical Command & Control Contract
In this episode, we unpack the newly released Sources Sought for the TRANSCOM Medical Regulating and Command & Control Evacuation System (TRAC2ES) from USTRANSCOM. Valued at $23 million, this SA-IDIQoffers a partial small business set-aside and is aimed at enhancing medical evacuation and command & control operations across global military missions.
We cover:
- Key contract details and timeline
- What small businesses need to prepare for
- Potential teaming strategies
- Technical capabilities USTRANSCOM is looking for
🎧 Don’t miss the insights – listen to the episode now to stay ahead of this strategic opportunity!
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Welcome to the Deep.
Speaker 2:Dive. Today, we're heading into the nuts and bolts of a Department of Defense system. It's one that quietly underpins this massive global operation TRAC2ES.
Speaker 1:Right T-R-A-C-2-E -S.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it stands for Transcom, Medical Regulating and Commanding Control Evacuation System. Basically think mission control for moving patients for the DOD all around the world. Handles everything peacetime transfers, wartime evacuations.
Speaker 1:Exactly, it's the essential logistical framework for military medicine and for this deep dive. We're looking at two key documents, really. There's a draft performance work statement, a PWS, which spells out what the government needs from contractors, and then there's a request for information, an RFI, and that's where they're kind of kicking the tires, seeing what industry can do as they plan for the next contract.
Speaker 2:Got it. So our mission today is to cut through these docs, pull out the really interesting bits. What does it take to keep a system like this, this vital, actually running? What support are they looking for next, and what are some of the surprising things involved in managing this global medical logistics network?
Speaker 1:Yeah, there are definitely some complexities.
Speaker 2:Okay, so let's start basic. What is TRACK2ES in simple terms?
Speaker 1:Well, at its core it manages that whole process moving patients globally for the DoD. But it's more than just code. It pulls together established medical procedures, official policies and this pretty sophisticated automated system that helps make decisions fast.
Speaker 2:So real-time decision support.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it allows for constant monitoring, helps anticipate future needs, plan movements, whether that's from a big hospital or, you know, a forward base somewhere. It handles what they call medical regulating.
Speaker 2:Right, I saw that term.
Speaker 1:Yeah, deciding the best place for a patient to get care and then the actual evacuation itself.
Speaker 2:So not just getting someone from A to B, it's about the right care, right place, right time. Now. Supporting a system like this sounds like a pretty big job.
Speaker 1:Oh, absolutely. The scope, as these documents lay it out, covers the entire software development lifecycle, the SDLC, and that means every single stage, from the initial idea for a feature through the planning, figuring out requirements, design, coding, testing, deploying it, integration and then, of course, the ongoing maintenance and, crucially, the security.
Speaker 2:And this isn't some like small internal tool.
Speaker 1:Not even close. The PWS mentions Track2ES supports up to 8,000 concurrent users 8,000.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean put that in perspective. That's kind of like the air traffic control for a medium-sized country. It just shows the constant demand how critical uptime is. It's a central platform for massive operation 8,000 concurrent users.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that really paints a picture. So where does the government need the most help? What are the key areas?
Speaker 1:Well, several things really jump out. They need support building completely new capabilities into Track2Es. They need help handling the constant flow of change requests. User needs always evolve Sure and obviously fixing software bugs, any issues that pop up. Making sure the system is highly available to just up is critical. Then there's the day-to-day user support helping folks who run into problems and this continuous effort to beef up security.
Speaker 2:Security. Yeah, that seemed huge. I kept seeing DevSecOps everywhere. What's the push there?
Speaker 1:Right DevSecOps. Well, it's a more modern way to build software, where security isn't tacked on at the end, it's integrated, baked in every step of the way.
Speaker 2:Like quality control during manufacturing, but for code.
Speaker 1:Exactly, that's a good way to put it. The documents really hammer this home. They want approved US transcom tools used really maximizing secure cloud services, building security in right from the start.
Speaker 2:Makes total sense. You can't just bolt security onto something this critical. I also saw they want to reduce reliance on CO taste products, commercial off-the-shelf software. Why move away from that?
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's interesting. Reducing CO taste dependency. It often boils down to a few things Cost is one, license for thousands of users get really expensive. Plus, sometimes getting those off-the-shelf products to play nicely with custom government systems can be tricky. And then there are security concerns, sometimes with commercial products you know vulnerabilities. So the goal seems to be moving towards more tailored solutions. Stuff built specifically for Tray 2 ES Gives the government more control.
Speaker 2:Okay, more control, less reliance on outside vendors. And how are they managing the actual software build? Sounds like a specific method is preferred.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, Agile Scrum. It's clearly the way they want to go. The PWS specifically mentions short development cycles. They call them sprints no more than four weeks.
Speaker 2:Four weeks OK.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that allows for frequent updates, quick adaptation if requirements change. The focus is really on delivering working software in small pieces regularly, continuous delivery.
Speaker 2:Okay, so we get the gist of Trade 2 ES how they want to build it out. Now the PWS gets into specific task areas. Let's walk through those First up task order management what's that cover?
Speaker 1:Task order management is basically the how, how the contractor plans and runs the project, All the coordination, defining who does what, the key people making sure it stays on track. A big deliverable here is the task order management plan, the 2MP.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:That lays out their technical approach, how they'll manage resources. Yeah, they also need a product roadmap which shows the government what's planned for the current sprint and the next two.
Speaker 2:So looking ahead a bit, and it sounds like the handoffs are a big deal when a new contractor comes in or leaves.
Speaker 1:Huge deal. The PWS requires a 45 business day transition period for a new contractor 45 days. Yeah, to get up to speed on the government's processes, the tools they use, including their cloud setups TCUGC and TCCGC, which probably handle different data classifications, and, of course, the TRAC2ES system itself. They'll even overlap with the outgoing team.
Speaker 2:Makes sense Smooth handoff.
Speaker 1:Exactly and when a contract ends, same thing in reverse, a detailed plan, all the ongoing work handed over well in advance. Continuity is key.
Speaker 2:Right, can't afford downtime here. Okay, next task Software development support. This sounds like the core technical stuff.
Speaker 1:It really is. This is about responding to the system's ongoing needs User-reported problems, security fixes, requests to change existing features. The PWS stresses using agile scrum, using practices like test-driven development.
Speaker 2:Where you write the test before the code.
Speaker 1:Exactly and constantly improving the code base refactoring. And for any new code the direction is microservices architecture. Breaking the system into smaller, independent pieces makes it more robust, easier to update parts without breaking the whole thing.
Speaker 2:And lots of automation. It sounds like.
Speaker 1:Definitely that push for CICD. Continuous integration, continuous delivery means automating tons of steps testing, security scans, configuration management, building the software, deploying it.
Speaker 2:And what comes out of this task. What are the deliverables?
Speaker 1:Significant ones the actual software code itself. This is important. The government owns it, completely Unlimited rights, no proprietary restrictions, plus detailed release documentation, updates to all the project and system docs. It's all about transparency and government ownership.
Speaker 2:Okay, next is implement new operational capability. How's that different from the software development support we just discussed?
Speaker 1:It's related, but this one is specifically about creating entirely new features, new functions within Track 2 ES, not just tweaking or fixing the existing stuff.
Speaker 2:Ah okay, Brand new things.
Speaker 1:Right, it follows the same Agile approach, same documentation rules, but there's a real focus on a minimal, viable product, an MVP.
Speaker 2:Get something basic working first.
Speaker 1:Exactly Release a core version of the new feature, quickly get it out there, then improve it based on actual user feedback, iterate.
Speaker 2:Get something useful out fast, then build on it Classic Agile. Then there's monitoring and production application support. What's involved there?
Speaker 1:This is all about keeping the live system, the production system, running smoothly and helping the users. So actively monitoring Track2ES' health, its performance, troubleshooting, problems users report. Those get tracked in the government's ALM tool, their Application Lifecycle Management System.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Managing user accounts. Looking for trends in the issues people report. A really critical piece here is cybersecurity incident reporting.
Speaker 2:How critical.
Speaker 1:They need to report cyber intrusion incidents within hours of detection.
Speaker 2:Hours. Wow, that really highlights the stakes.
Speaker 1:It absolutely does. In today's world, you need that rapid reporting for any kind of effective response. This task also covers analyzing system data to spot potential problems, suggest fixes, even creating advanced reports and dashboards to help with patient movement planning and research. And, interestingly, there's a big training piece here too.
Speaker 2:Training. I didn't expect that under monitoring and support.
Speaker 1:Me neither initially. But it makes sense. The contractor has to train a really wide range of users DOD personnel, sure, but also VA staff, even international military partners the DOD authorizes.
Speaker 2:So not just US military.
Speaker 1:Nope, and the training could happen at Scott Air Force Base, which is the main hub. They're also potentially anywhere in the world. They mentioned needing a dedicated training office support officer, careful logistics planning. Estimate at least 10 trips a year to different sites. Wow, plus remote training using things like MS Teams.
Speaker 2:That's a much bigger training footprint than I would have guessed.
Speaker 1:Okay, moving on Risk management framework support RMF Sounds like pure security paperwork. Well, it is very security focused. Rmf is the whole structured process the DoD uses to manage risk and authorize its IT systems. So this task means the contractor creates and maintains all the security documentation needed for track 2 ES to get and keep its authority to operate its ATO.
Speaker 2:Lots of compliance.
Speaker 1:Tons Adhering to DOD security standards, nist standards, national Institute of Standards and Technology lots of rules and guidelines to follow.
Speaker 2:Got it. And the last task of the PWS is DevSecOps Ecosystem Support, DSOE. It's marked optional.
Speaker 1:Right optional. This really points towards the future, a potential major shift for Track2ES's underlying tech. It involves moving the whole system to a cloud-based DevSecOps environment. Right now it mentions AWS, amcloud, amazon's Government Cloud but that could change.
Speaker 2:So full cloud migration.
Speaker 1:Potentially, the goal is using cloud-native services automation to get more efficient, more flexible. It means designing the cloud architecture, planning the migration, step-by-step building out all the environments, dev test, staging, production in the cloud. If they exercise this option, the contractor would also handle the actual cutover moving the data, making sure it's smooth. It's a big potential modernization.
Speaker 2:A really significant upgrade path. Okay, Beyond these specific tasks, how does the government plan to measure if the contractor is doing a good job?
Speaker 1:Performance standards- yeah, the PWS lays out some specifics. High system availability is key. They're targeting 99.3% uptime 99.3% okay. That's for the live system and any training or exercise environments. They'll also track if docs and software get delivered on time accurately and, interestingly, they track the change failure rate.
Speaker 2:Change failure rate.
Speaker 1:Yeah, basically, what percentage of software deployments cause problems afterward? It's a direct measure of how stable and high quality the development process is.
Speaker 2:That's a smart metric. Really tells you if the process is working and security. As we said, it's woven through everything.
Speaker 1:Everywhere. It's not just one task, it's fundamental Compliance with DOD, srgs, sdgs, security requirements guides, security technical implementation guides. That's mandatory. They're pushing zero-trust principles for identity and access.
Speaker 2:Meaning verify everyone, everything, every time.
Speaker 1:Pretty much no implicit trust just because you're on the network and, like we said, those strict cyber incident reporting timelines. Contractors have to navigate a whole landscape of DOD and NIST security rules.
Speaker 2:It sounds incredibly complex, a highly regulated space to work in. Okay, let's switch over to the RFI, the request for information. Why did the government put this out? What's the goal?
Speaker 1:The RFI is basically market research. Us Transcom is using it to gather intel from industry. They want to refine their strategy for the next contract, which looks like it'll be awarded around June 1st 2026.
Speaker 2:So, seeing what's out there, what capabilities companies have.
Speaker 1:Exactly Testing the waters.
Speaker 2:What kinds of questions are they asking?
Speaker 1:A real mix. They want to know about companies' experience with complex software, especially in government cloud environments. There are CHOPs and DevSecOps, zero Trust, rmf, data management, ux, ui design, user experience, user interface and, of course, training.
Speaker 2:The training piece again.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're also asking about commercial availability of similar services and just typical contracting practices in this space.
Speaker 2:And the draft PWS we've been digging into. That was attached to the RFI.
Speaker 1:Yep. It gives potential vendors way more detail on the requirements, allows them to give informed feedback too. It's a way for the government to get industry input maybe tweet things before the final solicitation comes out Smart? And do we know who's doing this work right now? The incumbent we do. The current contractor is Booz Allen Hamilton. Their contract runs out in May 2026, right before this new one is expected to start.
Speaker 2:Okay, wow, we've covered a lot of ground. Let's try and boil down some of the main takeaways from these documents.
Speaker 1:Okay. So I think the biggest thing is TRACK2ES is absolutely mission critical for DOD patient movement and it's undergoing a big push towards modernization, more agile, more secure, cloud-based development. Right, they're looking for experienced partners who can handle the system's whole life cycle, this complex thing with a huge emphasis on security, built in automation and moving away from proprietary COTS software where they can.
Speaker 2:Were there any details that really jumped out at you, things that were maybe surprising?
Speaker 1:Yeah, a few things Just. The sheer scale of global patient movement management is well. It's impressive. The intense level of detail in the PWS, the really stringent security and compliance rules. It just underlines how vital this is.
Speaker 2:Anything else.
Speaker 1:The global reach, the training needing trainers, potentially worldwide. That was pretty eye-opening and the really meticulous planning needed for transitions, for deployments In a military environment. It feels different from the commercial side sometimes.
Speaker 2:Oh, and that explicit unlimited rights clause for all the software developed. That's a big deal for intellectual property Unlimited rights, the government owns it, period, okay. So what does all this mean for you listening in?
Speaker 1:Well, I think watching how systems like TRACK2ES evolve gives you a really interesting window into the DoD's tech needs and strategic priorities that focus on DevSecOps, cloud migration, user-centered design those are trends you see everywhere now, not just military, and the level of detail in that PWS just shows how thorough you need to be in government contracting. It's a world with big opportunities but also, you know, unique challenges.
Speaker 2:Definitely and, if you're really interested, that draft PWS, if it's public via the RFI, could be worth a look just to see the full spectrum. Think about the challenges, the complexities of supporting something this vital. You know what kind of innovative ideas could someone bring to this?
Speaker 1:That's a great question to chew on and it kind of leads to a final thought Moving patients smoothly, securely, whether they're troops or civilians caught in a crisis, it's just fundamental, fundamental to military readiness, to humanitarian aid. The tech like TRAC-2ES and the teams behind it. They play this absolutely critical role in making sure that mission succeeds.
Speaker 2:Couldn't agree more. Thanks for joining us on this deep dive. We'll catch you on the next exploration.