ABMC Human Resources Information System

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document contains vendor questions and agency answers regarding the HRIS and Payroll opportunities (74330226R0044 and 74330226R0045).

• FedRAMP Requirement: A U.S.-based FedRAMP Moderate authorized environment is required for the HRIS solution. Alternative hosting models will be considered if they meet or exceed this security posture and are clearly justified. For the payroll system, FedRAMP is highly preferred but not mandatory, with alternative IT security requirements detailed in Q&A #37 of the HRIS tab.
• Data Migration: ABMC has a 25-year history in its HR database and data from the current Activate payroll system needs to be migrated. A sample, anonymized data extract can be provided with an NDA upon request.
• Integration: The HRIS system will need to integrate with payroll in at least 7 countries (excluding the US) and with the agency's Enterprise Service Management (ESM) solution. The ESM platform is currently under evaluation, and integrations should be standards-based and adaptable.
• AI and Mobile Access: ABMC supports AI-enabled functionality within the solution, provided it is secure, governed, transparent, and human-supervised. AI is an enhancement, not an autonomous decision-making authority. Mobile access is permitted for HR-related work and self-service, provided it adheres to federal security requirements and Zero Trust principles.
• Customization: The HRIS platform must be flexible and extensible to support ABMC-specific and country-specific data elements, including custom fields and interfaces for multi-currency payroll.
• Timeline: The current contract for the payroll provider ends February 28, 2027. A project kickoff at the end of June with a go-live around January 25th for the defined scope is aligned with expectations.
• Reporting: ABMC requires 17 specific reports at go-live, in addition to the TDA report. No regulatory or statutory reports are required at go-live.
• Contract Type: ABMC will accept firm-fixed-price structures for SaaS subscriptions, potentially including an annual true-up mechanism. Per-employee-per-month models are also acceptable if well-structured and auditable.

These clarifications provide essential details on technical requirements, security, data handling, integration, and contract structure, which will significantly impact proposal development and pricing.

Statement of Work (SOW) / Performance Work Statement (PWS)

The primary objective is to implement a Human Resources Information System (HRIS) platform that will establish a single, authoritative system of record for all locally employed (LES) and US employees for core HR services. It aims to provide reliable reporting on headcount, FTEs, and organizational structure, and to strengthen internal controls, audit trails, and compliance monitoring.

The scope includes implementing a Core-HR system, Performance Management module, Compensation module, Recruitment module, and Time and Attendance/Leave Management. It also requires live training sessions for administrators, managers, and users in all required languages, and integration with the Agency Service Management solution. The system must integrate with a multi-country payroll service for LES employees (US citizen payroll is explicitly excluded). Services also include system integration, data migration, testing, training, go-live support, and steady-state operations.

The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) has approximately 575 full-time civilian employees, with foreign nationals employed in 10 countries (France, Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Tunisia, Philippines, Panama, and Mexico). The goal is to select a provider in time for go-live by January 2027.

• ABMC is part of the US government's foreign mission but is not considered an "embassy" and is subject to local labor practices.
• The majority of ABMC employees do not have computer access, requiring timekeepers to manage timecards and leave on behalf of other employees.
• Proposals must be clearly written, technically sound, detailed, and tailored to the PWS. Generic or AI-generated proposals without human analysis will be considered non-responsive.
• The system must support global payroll requirements for LES employees, integrating with a separate payroll contract. US citizen payroll is excluded from this HRIS system.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This Request for Proposal (RFP) is for a Human Resources Information System (HRIS) for the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). The HRIS must be capable of integrating employee data with the global payroll provider.

• The PWS outlines the government's overall objectives for the HRIS.

• The system must integrate with the global payroll provider.

• Offerors must address all aspects of the PWS in their proposal.

• ABMC intends to utilize a firm-fixed-price contract type, but other types may be proposed.

• The period of performance is a base year plus four option years.

• Proposals must be submitted via email to nerenga@abmc.gov by 4:00 pm EDT on May 29, 2026.

• Questions must be received no later than May 5, 2026.

• Product demonstrations may be requested.

• Proposals will be evaluated on a best-value approach, considering past performance, technical proposal (including capability, approach, functionality, scope compliance, management plan, schedule, user interface, customer support, and data protection), and price.

Not specified in this document.

• The Performance Work Statement (PWS) is attached as Attachment 1.
• A Questions Matrix Checklist is provided as Attachment 2.
• An ITS Standard File Format is provided as Attachment 3.
• Offerors must acknowledge any applicable RFP Amendments in their cover letter.
• If any portion of the PWS cannot be complied with, it must be noted in the proposal.
• Alternative CLIN structures are permitted.
• ABMC is exempt from all taxes, including VAT.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document outlines the file specifications for "FOREIGN WIRE PAYMENT ADVANCED RATE PAYMENT" and is intended to guide vendors on the required format for submitting payment information electronically. It details the structure and content of both header and detail records for wire payments.

File Header Record:

• File Name (XXMMDDYY.001 format)
• Current Date
• Batch Sequence Number
• Descriptive File Title

Wire Payment Detail Record:

• Record Type ([FXR])
• Agency ALC (:ALC:)
• Schedule Number (:SCHEDULE:)
• Value Date (:30 VALUE DATE:)
• Base Amount (:BASE AMT:)
• FX Amount (:FX AMT:)
• Pay Through Date (:57D PAY THRU:)
• Bank Name and Address fields
• Beneficiary Name and Address fields
• Payment Information fields
• Receiver Information (:72 RECEIVER INFO:)
• Bank Details fields
• TAS (Treasury Account Symbol) fields
• BETC (Businss Event Type Code)
• Amount (:AMT:)

Trailer Record:

• End of File marker (ENDFILE)

• Record Count (total number of payments)

• File Total (total USD amount)

• Specific data types (AN for alphanumeric, N for numeric), lengths, and positions are defined for each field.

• KFC Validation Rules are provided for each field, indicating requirements and actions (e.g., 'If invalid or missing, reject the file').

• Notes provide additional context, such as date formats, currency codes, and specific requirements for foreign wires.

• Certain fields, like TAS/BETC, can repeat up to 100 times per payment.

This document is crucial for vendors to ensure their payment submission files adhere to the government's required format. Correctly formatted files are necessary for successful processing of wire payments and avoiding rejections or delays. Bidders must pay close attention to the field specifications, validation rules, and notes to prepare accurate payment data.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is an Excel spreadsheet containing a detailed matrix of questions and expected answers related to various aspects of a Human Capital Management (HCM) system. It serves as a structured format for vendors to provide specific information about their system's capabilities.

The matrix is organized into several main sections, each with numerous sub-points:

• Human Capital Management Functionality: Covers organizational charts, system configuration for structures, handling reorganizations, tracking hierarchical history, workforce reporting, data models for analytics, and mass reorganization management.
• Remuneration: Details compensation features, integration with HRIS/payroll, salary history, compensation reports, bonus/award management, severance pay, salary changes (individual and bulk), mid-period changes, international compensation, online compensation modeling, and performance-based compensation.
• Absence Management: Addresses absence identification and processing, history tracking, monitoring employee compensation during absences, leave without pay, open enrollments, leave accrual calculations, paid absence tracking, self-service views for employees and managers, absence request workflows, and leave balance management.
• Pension Benefits: Outlines system features for pensions, managing seniority for re-hires, tracking pension payments to terminated employees, managing years of service, identifying re-employed pensioners, calculating employer contributions, providing information to third parties, and handling IRS maximum contributions and "catch-up" contributions.
• Positions/Jobs: Covers job application and position creation processes, tracking employee counts and FTEs, history of shift assignments and compensation changes, standard job information maintenance, FTE calculation rules, job turnover rate calculation, vacancy and staffing management, and AI use for position descriptions.
• Purposes of Employment: Details configurable termination workflows, tracking terminations by reason, different termination workflows, departure maintenance, automatic benefit cancellation, notifications to relevant departments, and post-payroll events.
• Onboarding: Presents onboarding solutions and employee profile updates for new hires.
• Document Management: Describes document distribution, acknowledgment tracking, e-signatures, and employment contract functionality.
• Reporting: Requests examples of standard reports.
• Manager Self-Service: Covers available features, integration with HRIS/payroll, access control levels, manager access to employee self-service features, data managers cannot access, report generation by managers, and administrator monitoring.
• International Dimension: Addresses support for international languages and currencies, globally unique identifiers, local employment data for cost comparisons, displaying team pay in a single currency, viewing transactions in local and reference currencies, compensation plans and allowances, diversity data monitoring, and international postings.
• Recruitment: Details tracking item requests, budget correlation, due dates for filling positions, routing to multiple approvers, sourcing candidates, candidate pools, updating recruit start dates, internal/external job postings, mobility optimization, capturing interview notes, current employee application processes, resume analysis, and posting jobs on external sites.
• Talent Optimization: Includes tools for internal mobility, agile team structures, identifying short-term opportunities, skills library management, employee development and retention strategies, performance evaluation history, multi-evaluator evaluations, multiple evaluation forms, unlimited performance review history, configurable review workflows, tracking assessment progress, performance and talent calibration, setting employee targets, associating organizational goals, monitoring appraisal results, attaching appraisals to employee files, feeding evaluation data into analysis, integrating in-house performance systems, capturing talent information, storing personal reporting information for talent planning, assessing team potential/risk of departure, managing succession plans, viewing succession plans hierarchically and organization-wide, succession planning reports, searching employee population by criteria, and supporting career development plans.
• Platform Administration and Features: Covers continuous surveys, automated investigation schedules, local vs. organizational schedules, digital surveys for different worker types, analysis availability timelines, data querying possibilities, experience in digital transition, impact of people data on business metrics, handling employee cost center/legal unit changes, and pre-configured business processes.
• Reporting and Analysis: Details feedback analytics, employee engagement tracking, data transfer security and GDPR compliance, database access for querying/extraction, and manager access limitations.
• Access Control: Addresses flexibility of access control/permissions, retroactive changes, and Azure Entra ID SSO integration.
• Support Services: Inquires about reaching the support center, unlimited service inclusion, staff experience and tenure, customer satisfaction metrics, permanence of support, staff turnover rates, implementation and post-implementation support, security measures for phone calls, number and location of support centers, and availability of online/on-site technical support and remote troubleshooting tools.
• Professional Services: Includes deployment methodology, project team composition, conflict resolution contacts, project management tools, deployment duration, system deployment and customization support, testing procedures, team availability confirmation, data integration time, initial deployment support, failover to production planning, and governance models for deployment stages.
• Data Conversion: Details the conversion process, history extraction/import, initial data import support, and conversion process support.
• Training: Covers trainer expertise, future training offer changes, training locations (online, in-person, webinars), availability of manuals/guides, training duration for end-users, and advanced training options.
• Documentation: Inquires about available documentation within the system.
• Customer Success: Asks about help sessions, webinars, seminars, or conferences.
• Support for Updates/Upgrades: Covers release frequency, migration processes, consulting services for upgrades, upgrade pace control, support for system configurations during upgrades, impact of upgrades on personalization, cost of new versions, testing processes for new versions, additional upgrade costs, annual maintenance plan costs, and customer notification for upgrades.
• Technology: Includes data structure, standards, formats, export/import capabilities, industry-standard data feeds, third-party HRIS/payroll interfaces, auditable data lineage, API/batch interface support, data residency and sovereignty controls, security controls (role-based access, MFA, encryption, logging, vulnerability scanning, secure baselines, session timeouts, privileged access monitoring, backup/recovery, environment segregation, production data masking, API security, NIST SP 800-63-4 compliance, SBOM, vulnerability disclosure policy), Zero Trust and network access, privacy controls (privacy-by-design, data minimization, purpose limitation, field-level visibility, consent handling, GDPR/Privacy Act requests, disclosure logging), accessibility (Section 508 compliance, accessibility testing), records management (retention policy, official record designation, metadata preservation, retention/disposition controls, legal hold, export formats, auditability, portability, linked artifact retention, U.S. federal regulations compliance), cloud and hosting (FedRAMP certification, NIST SP 800-53 rev5 compliance, shared-responsibility model, tenant isolation, disaster recovery objectives, data extraction rights), workflow and internal control (configurable workflows, incompatible role combinations, compensating controls), application specifications (custom fields/interfaces, responsive design, browser support), audit and traceability (payroll transaction audit trails, tamper-resistant logs), performance and service (availability, RTO/RPO targets, response-time targets, batch processing windows, scalability, interface failure monitoring, release management, peak scenario architecture), migration and transition-in (data mapping, validation, document migration, parallel testing, interface cut-over, legal/audit integrity preservation), transition-out requirements (orderly transition support, transition-out plan, data export formats, data dictionaries, successor system import tools, documentation provision, knowledge transfer, operational support, security/privacy compliance, Certificate of Data Destruction), architecture (system overview, SDLC, module integration, effective date transactions, hardware/software/network requirements, existing hardware use, Mac/PC compatibility, browser compatibility, licensing/hosting/SaaS options, employee population limits, web system configurability, data transfer process, data ownership, online processing/data refresh frequency, post-dated transaction handling, pending transaction display/modification, audit report transaction tracking, history storage, history size limits, web system accessibility, mobile/GPS device support, mobile strategy, mobile submission/approval, receipt attachment via mobile, mobile applications, open source software, mobile deployment costs, app store availability, mobile language support, application patching, innovation cycle, update application to configurations, UI adaptation, user experience consistency, update installation responsibility, mobile authentication, cached management data, ISP details, virus scanning/intrusion detection), infrastructure and operations (data center count, security audits, system availability/SLA, maintenance windows, planned maintenance schedules, performance commitment, API list), extensibility (customization/extensibility capabilities, configuration change location, customization update responsibility, custom scripting, system requirements/expansion, integration (standard interfaces, custom interface architecture/tools, third-party integration costs, vendor communication during testing, custom interface support, code synchronization, bidirectional integration, external authentication, pre-configured integrations, integration update responsibility), management process structure (workflow services, hiring/termination notifications, workflow tools, global/regional business processes, non-disruptive changes, business process visibility, upgrade impact on workflows, approval limits, IT involvement for workflow/integration, screen sequence control, automatic notifications, module coverage, other workflow steps), corporate security and trust (formal security program, security model organization, backup policies, unauthorized access protection, compliance regulations, default idle time, unique user ID/password, breach notification, encrypted data transfer, SOX 404 compliance, regular audits, security policy, sensitive data protection, high availability environments, security certifications, employee data ownership, remote access security, SOC1/SOC2 audits, business application security certifications, password file encryption, perimeter data access restrictions), application security and auditing (user view/update security, role-based access controls, supported roles/configuration, authentication/confidentiality/integrity, reporting tools security), and reporting and analysis (standard report access, report creation capabilities, in-house report generation, report builder features, exception reports, business process report viewing, website links, historical data reports, aggregated analytics reports, large report performance, native reporting/analytics platform, analytics user experience, audit report of access).

This document is crucial for bidders as it outlines the specific functional and technical requirements the government expects from a Human Capital Management system. Bidders must address each question and provide detailed answers to demonstrate their system's capabilities and compliance. The responses will form a significant part of the evaluation process, allowing the government to compare different vendor solutions against a comprehensive set of criteria.