FirstSource III Solicitation
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is issuing a solicitation for the FirstSource III contract, which will result in a series of multiple award, department-wide Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts. The solicitation is for Information Technology Value Added Reseller (ITVAR) and Software services, with two separate source selections. Proposals will be evaluated on factors such as technical approach, management, and past performance. Key dates include a pre-proposal conference on April 26, 2021, and Phase I proposals due on May 12, 2021, with awards anticipated in September 2021.
This solicitation is a 100% small business set-aside, with five separate tracks for 8(a), HUBZone, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), and all small businesses. Multiple awards will be made in each track, with the potential for over 30 total awardees across the tracks. The place of performance is the United States, and the contract value and specific quantities are not disclosed.
70RTAC21R00000003 Department of Homeland Security Office of Procurement Operations
4/20/21, 4:35 PM FirstSource III
Dear Industry Partners,
This is a follow-up to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) notice to Industry on May 19, 2020 regarding FirstSource III. The DHS CPO in partnership with the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) provides the following information regarding the upcoming solicitation for FirstSource III.
The DHS Office of Procurement Operations (OPO) intends to issue the FirstSource III solicitation as a small business set-aside with five (5) separate set-aside tracks to include the four (4) small business socio-economic contracting programs: (1) 8(a); (2) Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone); (3) Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB); and (4) Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB). Track 5 will be set-aside for all small businesses (which includes all small businesses and socioeconomic designated small business concerns). The Department anticipates the award of a limited suite of Department-wide Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts from the solicitation. The anticipated NAICS codes for this procurement are 541519 footnote 18 (Information Technology Value Added Reseller – ITVAR that meets the 150 employee limit) and 511210, (Software Publishing, that meets the $41.5M size standard).
Attached for your review are the draft statement of work, proposed evaluation factors and some questions. DHS is providing this information for your review in advance of our virtual industry day. During our virtual industry day DHS will discuss FirstSource III, answer questions submitted in advance, discuss your feedback and will provide the opportunity for you to submit additional questions. Information on how to register for this event is provided below. You may also submit your questions and comments in advance to FSIII@hq.dhs.gov. We look forward to your attendance and to hearing your comments and feedback.
For your planning purposes, the following is a high-level timeline of upcoming events:
Industry Feedback on SOW and Evaluation Factors: July 21, 2020
Industry Day: July 31, 2020
Responses to Industry Day Questions: August 5, 2020
Draft solicitation issued: late August 2020
Final solicitation issued: mid October 2020
Projected award: January 2021
Registration Instructions:
Registration is required for each attendee. Industry partners are limited to no more than three (3) individuals per company.
If you are interested in attending the Industry Day, please register at the below link no later than July 21, 2020, 5:00pm EST. Reservations through any other means will not be accepted or allowed. Please register as soon as possible. A follow up email will be sent after the registration closing date to confirm your registration status as confirmed or waitlisted.
https://cvent.me/d45Vqo
When registering to attend the Industry Day through the link provided above, companies will have an opportunity to provide topics for the industry day conversation.
Please see below for additional Industry Day details:
Date: July 31, 2020
Time: 10:30am-12:00pm
Location: virtual (link to be provided with confirmation)
Submission of Questions:
Industry is invited to submit questions and comments in writing prior to Industry Day in response to the draft Statement of Work, evaluation factors and questions posted to beta.SAM.gov. The Government will present and respond to a selected number of questions during the Industry Day Presentation.
The Government has provided a “Questions and Topics of Discussion Template,” please see Attachment I, that MUST be used for all submissions.
All questions must be received no later than Tuesday, July 21, 2020 at 5:00pm EST and should be emailed to: FSIII@hq.dhs.gov.
No questions/requests will be accepted after this date and time.
Additional Information:
The Government will NOT provide responses that include internal agency information. Please be mindful of this when preparing questions and topics for discussion.
As always, we thank you for your interest and we look forward to your participation throughout the FirstSource III industry engagement process.
70RDAD20RFI000005 Department of Homeland Security Office of Procurement Operations
6/30/20, 8:52 AM FirstSource III Draft Solicitation
The NAICS Codes for FirstSource III will be 541519 footnote18, IT Value Added Reseller and 511210 footnote 20, Software Publishing. The Product Service Code (PSC) is still to be determined.
The following is a link to the previous FirstSource III industry notice: https://beta.sam.gov/opp/79c94985b2544899bfccf43f85939780/view?keywords=%22FirstSource%20III%22&sort=-relevance&index=opp&is_active=true&page=1
Prospective Offerors:
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Procurement Operations (OPO) is pleased to present a DRAFT solicitation for the FirstSource III program. This draft solicitation is intended to provide industry with further information on the in-development, draft DHS acquisition strategy and to elicit suggestions and/or questions to improve the final FirstSource III request for proposal (RFP). In several instances throughout this package, the Government has provided a narrative (as opposed to standard solicitation language and/or terms and conditions) in an attempt to convey its current intent to prospective FirstSource III Offerors. These areas are designated by the word “Note.”
Since its inception in 2005, the FirstSource program has been a cornerstone of the DHS Small Business and Strategic Sourcing programs. With FirstSource III, DHS anticipates replacing the current suite of FirstSource II contracts with awards that are more beneficial by incorporating lessons learned from the previous fifteen years. As reflected in the attached draft solicitation, the in-development FirstSource III acquisition strategy is summarized as follows:
Objective and Target Companies: The primary objective of the FirstSource III acquisition is to establish contracts with experienced Information Technology (IT) Value-Added Resellers (VAR) and experienced Software Publishers. Under FirstSource III offerors with the aforementioned experience will provide a variety of commercially available IT commodity products and services as well as a variety of commercially available software solutions, all of which directly support DHS programs in accomplishing their missions. A primary goal of this acquisition is to generate cost avoidance and savings by leveraging the buying power of DHS and its components, ultimately resulting in the best value for the Government.
Non-manufacturer Rule Waiver for FirstSource III: The Small Business Administration (SBA) approved a waiver to the Non-Manufacturer Rule (NMR) for the FirstSource III program and all delivery orders issued under FirstSource III. The NMR waiver was approved on September 15, 2020 and applies to the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) codes under FirstSource III. For additional information regarding the non-manufacturer rule please reference 13 CFR 121.406.
Note: There are two NAICS codes for FirstSource III: 541519, footnote 18 Information Technology Value Added Resellers (ITVAR); and 511210, footnote 20 Software Publishing. This is a change from FirstSource II, which only had a single NAICS code, 541519, footnote 18, ITVAR. There will be more discussion about NAICS codes later in this document.
Small Business Strategy: FirstSource III provides for prime contracts in five functional categories to include four socio-economic set-aside categories: (1) 8(a); (2) Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone); (3) Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB); (4) Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB); and (5) a general all small business category.
DHS is currently exploring different potential solicitation, evaluation, and award strategies associated with FirstSource III requirements. It is anticipated that the outcome of such exploration will result in the release of a single FirstSource III solicitation including NAICS 541519 footnote 18 ITVAR and NAICS 511210, footnote 20 Software Publishing requirements, where evaluations are conducted and awards made separately for ITVAR and software publishing across each of the aforementioned set-aside categories and NAICS.
Note: a single draft, FirstSource III solicitation is provided here for industry review and comment. Draft solicitation requirements, terms and conditions, and evaluation criteria within this document represent combined NAICS 541519, footnote 18 ITVAR and NAICS 511210, footnote 20 Software Publishing coverage. DHS is currently exploring potential solicitation, evaluation, and award strategies associated with FirstSource III requirements, where exploration may result in the draft solicitation requirements, terms and conditions, and evaluation criteria being updated, as required, to ensure a clear delineation between the requirements associated with the aforementioned two NAICS codes. As represented within the small business strategy tables below, DHS has established draft definitions for the requirements associated with NAICS 541519, footnote 18 ITVAR and NAICS 511210, footnote 20 Software Publishing that will apply to FirstSource III. At this time DHS seeks your input regarding the draft definition content.
Information Technology Value-Added Reseller - Inclusive of all COTS IT Hardware/Equipment, Managed Services, ancillary Software, and all required Value-Added Services where applicable, IAW NAICS 541519, footnote 18.
Software Publishing - Inclusive of ONLY Software (Licensing, Seats, etc.), ancillary Software Services (Maintenance, Patches, etc.) IAW NAICS 511210, footnote 20.
Similar to FirstSource II it is anticipated that interested small businesses certified in multiple set-aside categories will have the ability to submit multiple proposals if they hold multiple small business category certifications under the aforementioned NAICS under FirstSource III.
For illustration purposes, a simplified visual depiction of the small business strategy is provided in the attached Draft Solicitation Cover. Please see the attachment for the referenced table.
Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity Contract: DHS intends to award multiple Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts from this solicitation for commercial items under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 12 (Acquisition of Commercial Items) using the source selection procedures of FAR 15 (Contracting by Negotiation). As represented immediately above, DHS anticipates awarding multiple IDIQ contracts for IT Value Added Resellers under NAICS 541519 footnote 18 separately from software under NAICS 511210 footnote 20. The contracts will be “mandatory-for-use” within DHS and its components.
Ordering under multiple award contracts will be based upon the fair opportunity procedures of FAR 16.505(b). Fair opportunity will be conducted by Delivery Order Contracting Officers selecting one (1) of the five (5) socioeconomic categories and competing the order among those firms within the selected category. For example, if the 8(a) category is selected, only the 8(a) firms will compete for the order. The delivery order Contacting Officer will select the socioeconomic category under which to compete the requirement by reviewing the Small Business Administration (SBA) guidance and advice from the DHS component small business specialist.
DHS anticipates a significant level of competition for FirstSource III. We strongly encourage interested companies to thoroughly read the evaluation criteria in the draft solicitation and final solicitation prior to preparing a proposal to determine if your experience and qualifications as an ITVAR and/or Software Publisher are strong enough, relative to the competitors in your small business category in order to have a reasonable chance for award.
To ensure continued communication associated with FirstSource III, DHS is planning additional industry engagement events. As represented in the upcoming events table further below, a recent engagement event is anticipated, which is aimed at ensuring a better understanding of small business regulations and policies fully applicable to the FirstSource III requirement. Interested Offerors are advised that attendance in the aforementioned engagement events is not required to participate in this acquisition. FirstSource III related engagement information and materials will be posted on www.beta.SAM.gov. DHS does not intend to maintain an interested vendor list, so expressions of interest are not required.
Respondent Instructions: DHS welcomes your suggestions and/or questions about the draft FirstSource III strategy and solicitation but does not intend to issue direct responses to individual suggestions and/or questions at this time. DHS will consider all suggestions and/or questions in finalizing the FirstSource III strategy and for inclusion in the final solicitation and will make an effort to ensure improved clarity for elements that prompt suggestions and/or questions. ALL suggestions and/or questions should be provided using the Excel file entitled “Template for Suggestions and/or Questions on FirstSource III Draft Strategy and Draft Request for Proposal”, which is posted on www.beta.SAM.gov along with this draft document. Suggestions and/or questions should include entries in each template cell and must be received at FSIII@dhs.gov on or before 4:00pm ET, November 20, 2020. DHS will only consider suggestion and/or question responses provided in full accordance with the Template for Suggestions and/or Questions on FirstSource III Draft Strategy and Draft Request for Proposal received by the date and time represented immediately above.
Included immediately below are those anticipated milestone dates associated with the FirstSource III requirement.
Draft Solicitation Release: November 5, 2020
Industry Draft Solicitation Suggestions/Questions: November 20, 2020
FirstSource III Virtual Industry Engagement Event: Anticipated Week Of November 30 – December 4, 2020
70RTAC21R00000003 Department of Homeland Security Office of Procurement Operations
11/5/20, 3:43 PM