The US Agency for International Development (USAID) selected Devis to perform the deployment and operational support for USAID's Global Acquisition and Assistance System (GLAAS). Devis is responsible for training users in the system, performing data migration into GLAAS, and providing global post production support to GLAAS users. Additionally, the project involves project and contract management for the implementation of international web-based procurement system. The GLAAS project, which began in 2007, improves USAID's operational efficiency by bringing both its mission and its Washington office onto the same Acquisition and Assistance (A&A) system. Devis has been extremely reliable on a project where, due to the global nature of the deployment, change is constant by being able to effectively adapt to schedule and scope changes when they occur.
"You and your team were all so well prepared and knowledgeable; you not only put us at ease, but folks actually enjoyed the week and came away eager for the roll out...I've been in USAID for 20 years, and this is probably the first time I've seen us do so well at implementing a system that will have Agency-wide benefit across multiple functions."
~ Deputy Director Dominican Republic USAID Mission
Global Support & Deployment
The Devis GLAAS team is well trained, responsive, multi-lingual, and fully integrated with the USAID OAA policy team. Devis has already completed successful deployments to Washington and dozens of missions including Latin America and the Caribbean, Ethiopia, and RDMA/Thailand. The team's deployment activities include providing deployment logistics, creating then revising deployment plans, and analyzing those plans for gaps, issues, and risks. Once identified, Devis collaborates with the government and other contractors to address those issues. The Devis configuration team creates and maintains sites and user profiles for Washington and the missions to support implementation and training activities.
Training for GLAAS Users
Devis instructors plan, develop, and administer GLAAS training for all USAID missions and USAID Washington. Training courses, which take place in a classroom setting, address both Acquisition and Assistance functionality and USAID business process. Trainers create reference data for classes and update training materials to reflect the latest GLAAS functionality.
Users' impressions of Devis Trainers:
"Very well skilled in presenting the course to the class and responding to questions. Though there were a variety of people/divisions in the class, the instructor tried to engage individual experiences."
"Outstanding job done. They know the subject inside and out."
The Devis Trainer "was very informative and kept your interest in learning the system and had the answers to all questions/concerns brought forth."
Helpdesk Support
The Devis GLAAS Solution Center (Tier 2) is staffed with experts who possess an average of 5+ years of experience supporting GLAAS functionality and/or supporting the USAID acquisition and assistance processes. The Solution Center supports a broad range of complex GLAAS issues, from troubleshooting system errors to providing assistance in performing A&A procedures. The GLAAS Solution Center's hours of operation are extended to ensure users have access to the Solution Center during normal business hours.
Data Migration
The Devis team conducts data migration activities to migrate data from legacy sources into GLAAS. Transition plans, database schema mappings, and conversion routines ensure each deployment is successful. Devis has successfully migrate data by collecting, analyzing, extracting, transforming, validating, loading and testing data for each completed site implementation. The conversion program includes several scripts and data validation checks to ensure that the integrity of the information matches the strict business rules of GLAAS application. In addition, the Devis Team is making improvements to the process and the scripts to reduce the length of time needed to migrate acquisition and assistance data.
Project Management
The Devis team performs all activities in a timely and cost effective manner while maintaining the highest quality of performance. Devis is utilizing a comprehensive management approach that includes PMI's PMBOK best practices for integration management, scope management, schedule management, cost management, risk management, personnel management, quality management, and communication management.
Project management activities have included:
- Transitioning successfully onto the USAID GLAAS team and taking on responsibility for GLAAS training, data migration, configuration, Help Desk support, and system administration activities;
- Working with integrated project teams to identify schedule dependencies and develop collaboration plans to ensure end-to-end coordination of the project;
- Ensuring that changes approved by the Change Control Board (CCB) are incorporated in the Project Management Plan (PMP), the GLAAS schedule, and other documentation (i.e. training materials);
- Collaborating with USAID and other GLAAS contractors to identify and mitigate risks regularly;
- Employing Earned Value Management (EVM) to provide visibility into the status of the project activities including cost and schedule performance;
- Coordinating closely with each mission and other GLAAS contractors to prepare for deployments, collect data on users, gather data to migrate into GLAAS, and ensure that they are ready for the training and deployment;
- Managing subcontractors on the Devis team who were chosen for their PRISM and USAID expertise.
System Integration
GLAAS is based on a COTS software application, PRISM, which is being configured to meet USAID's requirements. PRISM is an Acquisition and Assistance (A&A) system that includes out-of-the-box integration with several e-Government initiatives including FedBizOpps, Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation (FPDS-NG), and Grants.gov. GLAAS has already been configured and integrated with other USAID systems to support the agency's acquisition and assistance activities including: advance acquisition planning, requisitions, solicitations, funding opportunities, awards (such as contracts and grants), post-award management, and reporting.