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150 AUTOMATED FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEMS

ules will be developed. A detailed ConOps will help the project development
team focus its efforts and ensure that all approved functionality is included in
sufficient detail to allow the vendors to propose appropriate systems. The
ConOps will also be used to ensure that additional, non-approved functional-
ity is not added to the requirements. Any approved changes should be added
to the ConOps so it remains up to date.
An example of the knowledge required to do this successfully can be seen
in the performance–response time area. If you need an AFIS response in 10
seconds to support a border security capability, do not specify a response time
of 10 seconds. It is fairly easy for almost any AFIS to give a 10-second response
time if there are no other searches running in the AFIS. However, in normal
operations there will be multiple transactions arriving at some non-Gaussian
arrival rates, queuing delays, simultaneous searches, throughput tradeoffs, and
possible contention from higher priority transactions. The ConOps, and later
the requirements documentation, should address this by specifying the average
response time for 95% of the transactions with a minimum queue length of so
many transactions at each priority level. The vendors have complex models that
can translate these numbers into the number of fingers to be matched, the
number of matchers, the match rate per second for each matcher, and the
allocation of queues to matchers.

7.4.2 ACQUISITION STRATEGY DOCUMENT

Before you can get permission to procure an AFIS, secure funding, or release
a request for proposals (RFP), you will need to document your acquisition strat-
egy. As with the ConOps, a facilitator can lead you through the process of
creating this document in a few days. The scope of the acquisition strategy doc-
ument is, for a large part, a function of local policy and practice. A good list of
topics to cover should include the following:

• Scope of the project—list the high-level tasks to be contracted [what]
• Sources to be invited to bid [who and how]
• How will it be acquired—open competition or sole source? [how]
• What type of contract will be used—firm fixed price or cost plus fee? [how]
• Budgeting and funding, including an estimate of anticipated costs by fiscal
year [how and when]
• Priority and linkage to the appropriate strategic plan [why]
• Local management information standards and requirements (e.g., use of
XML for certain interfaces) [how]
• Test and evaluation before and after shipment [how and who]
• Logistics considerations to include shipment, training, and facility implica-
tions such as power and air conditioning [what]