2.2.1- Combined Synopsis - Solicitation.pdf

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Acquisition Management (OAQ) Detention, Compliance & Removals (DCR) 500 12th St. SW, Washington, D.C. 20024

January 20, 2026

TO: Industry Partners

FROM: Genna Braden, Contracting Officer, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Office of Acquisition Management (OAQ), Detention, Compliance & Removals (DCR)

SUBJECT: Combined Synopsis/Solicitation - Request for Quote (RFQ) 70CDCR26Q00000001

Dear Industry Partners:

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Acquisition Management (OAQ) is releasing this solicitation for a web-based access, evidence-based Utilization Management (UM) care guidelines product and support. ICE anticipates that this combined synopsis/solicitation will result in award of a single Firm-Fixed Price (FFP) Purchase Order (PO). The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 513210 – Software Publishers with a small business size standard of $47M in annual receipts. The Product Service Code (PSC) is 7A21 - IT and Telecom - Business Application Software (Perpetual License Software).

Attachment(s):

1. Attachment 1 – Statement of Work (SOW)

2. Attachment 2 – Terms and Conditions

3. Attachment 3 – Pricing Template

4. Attachment 4 – Quoter Questions

1. DESCRIPTION

1.1. Description: This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products or commercial services prepared in accordance with part 12. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. Offers are being requested and a separate written solicitation will not be issued.

Solicitation number 70CDCR26Q00000001 is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ) for a web-based access, evidence-based UM care guidelines product and support.

This acquisition is not set-aside for small business concerns. This solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses by reference. The full text of provisions and clauses may be accessed electronically at www.acquisition.gov.

The provision at 52.212-1 (Aug 2025) (DEVIATION 25-21), Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Products and Commercial Services, applies to this acquisition and this entire document represents the addenda to the provision. If there is any conflict between the terms in 52.212-1 (Aug 2025) (DEVIATION 25-21) and this document, the terms in this document shall govern.

1.2. Place of Contract Performance: The place of performance/delivery location is:

See Statement of Work (SOW).

1.3. Period of Performance: See Statement of Work (SOW). All deliveries if applicable shall be Free on Board (FOB) destination.

2. SOLICITATION GENERAL INFORMATION

2.1. General Conditions. Quoters shall fully understand and accept the terms of the solicitation, as well as all other terms and conditions stated in the attachments, before deciding whether to participate in this solicitation. OAQ is releasing this RFQ in electronic format only. The government will not be obligated to pay any costs incurred by a quoter in preparation and submission of a quote in response to this solicitation.

A quoter who includes data in their quote it does not want to be disclosed to the public for any purpose, or used by the government except for evaluation purposes, shall mark the text accordingly.

All responsible sources may submit a quotation which will be considered by the agency. However, failure to meet any requirement described anywhere in this RFQ may result in rejection of the entire quote submission, i.e. the quote will not be accepted, evaluated, or considered for award. If the government is unable to verify that the quoter’s submission has met all RFQ requirements, the entire quote submission may be considered incomplete and the quote may be rejected, i.e. the quote will not be accepted, evaluated, or considered for award.

All communications related to this solicitation shall be provided electronically to all POC(s) listed in the Government Points of Contact (POCs) section via the email address(es) listed therein. The “Subject” line of ALL correspondence shall at a minimum include “[Insert quoter name] RFQ for 70CDCR26Q00000001”.

Electronic copies shall be formatted using Microsoft Office with file names that are consistent with the structure of the quote.

Lastly, the quoter must have an active System for Award Management (SAM) registration at the time of http://www.acquisition.gov/ quote submission in order for the quote to be accepted. If a quoter does not have an active SAM registration at the time of quote submission, the quote will be rejected, i.e. the quote will not be accepted, evaluated, or considered for award.

2.2. Government Points of Contact (POCs). Unless otherwise indicated in this RFQ, all correspondence and submissions relating to this solicitation shall be directed to the Contracting Officer (CO) identified below:

Contracting Officer:

Genna Braden Email: Genna.Braden@ice.dhs.gov Phone: 682-218-7283

2.3. RFQ Questions. The cutoff date and time for questions relating to this RFQ is January 27, 2026, at

12:00 PM Central Time (CT). Quoters shall email questions utilizing Attachment 4 – Quoter Questions to the POC(s) listed in the Government POC section via the email address listed therein. Questions submitted after the cutoff date and time may be responded to at the discretion of the CO. Please be advised that the government reserves the right to publish those questions and answers to all prospective quoters. As such, quoter’s shall refrain from including proprietary information in their questions. Please note, the government may not provide a response to every question received.

2.4. Submission Due Date. Quotes shall be emailed to all POC(s) listed in the Government Points of Contact

(POC) section via the email address(es) listed therein no later than February 3, 2026, at 12:00 PM CT.

Quotes submitted by any other means not described in this solicitation will not be accepted, evaluated, or considered for award. All required quote volumes, including modifications, must be received by the POCs via the email address(es) cited in the Government POCs section of this RFQ by the date and time cited above. Late quote submissions received after the time and date cited above, or to the incorrect email addresses, will not be accepted, evaluated, or considered for award.

Additionally, ICE shall not be responsible for late or non-delivery of quotes due to IT problems, server or other technical issues. As such, to ensure timely receipt of quotes, quoters should NOT wait until the last moment to electronically submit quotes.

3. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS.

3.1. General. Quoters must follow all the below quote preparation instructions.

3.2. Quote Documents and Contents.

3.2.1. Format and Page Limitations. The government has not specified detailed formatting requirements for the quoter’s written submissions (such as minimum margins, font size, and so forth), but expects thoughtful and purposeful engagement and professionalism focused on meeting the government’s needs for the acquisition. Unnecessarily elaborate submissions in response to this notice are not desired and will not instill confidence in the government evaluators. Written submissions should contain enough detail to give the government confidence that the quoter understands the requirement and can successfully complete the work.

Note, quote contents that exceed the stated page limitations will be removed from the quote by the CO prior to turning the quote over to the government evaluation team, and the excess pages will not be considered or evaluated. See below for applicable page limits.

3.2.2. Volumes and Organization. Quoters must submit their written response in four separate volumes:

mailto:Genna.Braden@ice.dhs.gov

Volume I: Quote Summary Volume II: Factor 1 – Product Offering Volume III: Factor 2 – Technical Capability Volume IV: Factor 3 – Price

Pricing data is prohibited in, and shall be omitted from, Volumes I, II, and III. Any conditional assumptions taken with respect to the requirements and the solicitation shall be fully explained in Volume I of the quote. Any pricing assumptions shall be fully explained in Volume IV of the quote.

The page limitations shown below do not include any “front matter” information such as a title page, table of contents, definitions, or acronyms. Any information submitted within the “front matter” will not be considered or evaluated.

The government intends to evaluate and award without discussions. Therefore, the initial submission should include the most favorable Product Offering, Technical Capability, and Price that the quoter can submit to the government. However, the government reserves the right to conduct discussions if later determined by the CO to be necessary.

3.3. Volume I: Quote Summary. The Quote Summary shall include the following:

a. RFQ Number & Title

b. Name and address of prime/Joint Venture (JV)/lead quoter

c. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number

d. Name, title, contact information, and signature of authorized representative. The cover letter must be signed by a responsible officer or partner/principal of the quoter that is authorized to bind the organization contractually.

e. Shall indicate in writing that the quote is valid at least through 6/23/2026.

f. List of any subcontractors, JV, or teaming partners and relationship.

g. Acknowledgment of solicitation amendments.

h. All assumptions to the RFQ must be identified in Volume I with the exception of any pricing assumptions. Pricing assumptions shall be included in the quoter’s pricing volume if applicable.

i. All contractor provision fill-ins as required by Attachment 2 – Terms and Conditions.

3.4. Volume II: Factor 1 – Product Offering. The quoter’s Product Offering submission shall specifically address and include all the following:

• Provide a description of the offered solution which confirms the product has web-based access to an evidence-based Utilization Management (UM) care guidelines solution.

Volume Volume Title RFQ Reference Page Limits

I Quote Summary 4.2 None

II Factor 1 – Product Offering 4.3 Eight (8) pages

III Factor 2 – Technical Capability 4.4 Four (4) pages

IV Factor 3 – Price 4.5 None

• Confirm that the solution is a Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) product which requires no modifications.

• Confirm the solution is a non-interactive web-based read-only access system.

• The submission must demonstrate that the quoter is an authorized distributor/reseller of the quoted solution. The quoter shall provide explicit evidence such as an email from a manufacturer representative or a letter from the manufacturer, on the manufacturer’s official letterhead, to support such.

• The quoter must hold a current Utilization Review Accreditation Committee (URAC) certification. The quoter shall submit evidence such as URAC verification or documentation. Evidence must include URAC certification status and expiration date of current URAC certification.

• Confirm that the solution functions as a standalone application, maintaining full functionality even without interoperability with IHSC health information platforms and without exchange of Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

• Confirm the solution has the ability to support up to 30 users, with the flexibility to accommodate an increased number of users at the government’s discretion at no additional cost.

3.5. Volume III: Factor 2 – Technical Capability. The quoter’s Technical Capability submission shall specifically address and include all the following:

3.5.1. Understanding, Ability, and Approach.

The submission must include a description of the quoter’s understanding of the effort as well as their ability and approach to meet all requirements outlined in the SOW. Note, if the quoter’s submission will not be able to meet all SOW requirements, the quoter shall explicitly outline the specific SOW requirements which their solution will be unable to meet.

3.5.2. Evidence-Based Guidelines Solution.

The submission must provide a description, specifications, functionality, etc. of their solution. The solution must demonstrate that it provides an enterprise license for a set of nationally recognized, evidence-based guidelines.

3.5.3. Training.

The submission must demonstrate that the solution provides access to online, self-paced training and comprehensive user guides.

3.6. Volume V: Factor 3 – Price. Quoters shall use Attachment 3 - Pricing Template, without deviation, for submission of their price quote. Quoters must follow all instructions included in Attachment 3. The submitted pricing must outline the total price for all equipment, tasks, etc. outlined in the SOW and be inclusive of all pricing associated with this effort. The quoter shall not hide any cost cells and provide viewable formula access to all cells if applicable. Quoters are encouraged to offer the best discounts available. As part of the pricing volume, quoters may also submit a written narrative.

All items covered under option periods may be ordered and performed during the scheduled period of performance of this contract. Quoters are required to provide prices for these items under option periods.

The prices for all option items will be evaluated in accordance with FAR 52.217-5 (SEP 2025) (DEVIATION 25-36). This includes options under FAR clause 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services, which applies to this solicitation. The government makes no guarantee that the option periods will be exercised. It will be the government’s unilateral right to exercise the option periods. Once the option is exercised, the quoter is required to perform the work when ordered during the scheduled period of performance of this contract.

4. BASIS FOR AWARD, EVALUTION FACTORS, AND EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

4.1. Basis for Award. The government anticipates awarding a single Firm Fixed Price (FFP) Purchase Order

(PO) to provide a web-based access, evidence-based UM care guidelines product and support as described in Attachment 1 – Statement of Work (SOW) to the quoter whose quote offers the best value to the government in terms of following factors: Factor 1: Product Offering, Factor 2: Technical Capability, and Factor 3: Price. The government may award the PO to other than the lowest priced quoter, or other than the quoter with the highest non-price rating.

4.2. Evaluation Factors. Each quoter’s submission will be evaluated based on the following non-price factors and price.

• Factor 1: Product Offering (non-price “go/no go” factor)

• Factor 2: Technical Capability (non-price tradeoff factor)

• Factor 3: Price (tradeoff factor)

4.3. Evaluation Factor Order of Importance. As noted in the Evaluation Process section of this RFQ, Factor

1: Product Offering will be evaluated first on a go/no-go (“Acceptable/Unacceptable”) basis. While Factor 1: Product Offering will be considered in the overall best value award determination, it is not a trade-off factor. The trade-off evaluation factors are listed below in descending order of importance.

• Technical Capability (non-price trade-off factor)

• Price (trade-off factor)

The non-price trade-off factor, Factor 2: Technical Capability, is more important than Factor 3: Price. If the non-price factor evaluation of quotes determines there are no substantial differences between quotes, then price becomes more important, but not necessarily determinative, in making the award decision. Note, award may be made to other than the quoter with the lowest priced quote, if the government determines that a price premium is warranted due to technical merit. The government may also award to other than the highest technically rated quote, if the government determines that a price premium is not warranted.

4.4. Evaluation Process. The government will employ a two-step evaluation process. Factor 1: Product Offering will be evaluated first on a go/no-go (“Acceptable/Unacceptable”) basis. Quoters whose submissions are rated Unacceptable for Factor 1: Product Offering will be ineligible for award, will be eliminated from the competition, and their trade-off factor quotes (Technical Capability and Price) will not be evaluated. Quoters whose submissions are rated “Acceptable” for Factor 1: Product Offering will have their Factor 2: Technical Capability and Factor 3: Price quotes evaluated. Evaluation results from both evaluation steps (i.e. evaluation results for all factors) will be considered when making the final award decision.

Note, the government may:

• Reject the entire quote submission if such action is in the public interest;

• Reject the entire quote submission if the CO determines that the quote does not comply with the RFQ instructions or any other RFQ requirement, term, etc.

• Waive informalities and minor irregularities in quotes received.

4.5. Step 1 – Evaluation Process for Factor 1: Product Offering. Factor 1: Product Offering will be evaluated first on a go/no-go (“Acceptable/Unacceptable”) basis. The quoter’s Factor 1: Product Offering submission will be evaluated to determine whether the quoted product and support meets all of the requirements outlined in section 3.4 of this RFQ. The Factor 1: Product Offering quote will be rated acceptable or unacceptable, based on the rating definitions in the table below.

Rating Definitions

Acceptable The product offering and quote meet ALL of the below requirements:

1. The offered product has web-based access to an evidence-based Utilization

Management (UM) care guidelines solution.

2. The solution is a Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) product which requires no modifications.

3. The solution is a non-interactive web-based read-only access system.

4. The quoter is an authorized distributor/reseller of the quoted solution.

5. The quoter holds a current URAC.

6. The solution functions as a standalone application, maintaining full functionality even without interoperability with IHSC health information platforms and without exchange of PII.

7. The solution has the ability to support up to 30 users, with the flexibility to accommodate an increased number of users at the government’s discretion at no additional cost.

Unacceptable The product offering and quote fail to meet one or more of the below requirements:

1. The offered product has web-based access to an evidence-based Utilization

Management (UM) care guidelines solution.

2. The solution is a Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) product which requires no modifications.

3. The solution is a non-interactive web-based read-only access system.

4. The quoter is an authorized distributor/reseller of the quoted solution.

5. The quoter holds a current URAC.

6. The solution functions as a standalone application, maintaining full functionality even without interoperability with IHSC health information platforms and without exchange of PII.

7. The solution has the ability to support up to 30 users, with the flexibility to accommodate an increased number of users at the government’s discretion at no additional cost.

4.6. Step 2 – Evaluation Process for Factor 2: Technical Capability. The government will evaluate and assess its level of confidence that the quoter understands the SOW requirements, has sound approaches, and will be successful in performing the SOW requirements based on the quoter’s Factor 2 – Technical Capability submission. Note, submissions which simply offer to perform in accordance with the government's requirements, merely paraphrase the requirements document, or use simple statements of compliance or reiteration (e.g. “understood”, “will comply”, “has the capability to”, “well-known techniques will be used”, etc.) may not provide confidence to the government evaluators which may result in a rating of Low Confidence. The government will evaluate the technical capability submission and will document its evaluation through Confidence Findings as defined in the table below.

Confidence Findings Definitions

Element that Increases Confidence An aspect/element in the quote that has an appreciable positive impact on the government’s confidence.

Element that Decreases Confidence An aspect/element in the quote that poses a risk of unsuccessful contract performance and has an appreciable negative impact on the government’s confidence.

Deficiency

A material failure of a quote to meet a government requirement or a combination of elements in a quote that increases the risk of unsuccessful contract performance to an unacceptable level. A deficiency finding will automatically result in a rating of Low Confidence for the submission.

Observation An aspect/element which the government wishes to highlight that does not have a positive or negative impact on the government’s evaluation.

A quoter’s submissions to Factor 2 will be evaluated as outlined above and assigned a Confidence Rating as described in the table below.

Confidence Rating Definitions

High Confidence The government has high confidence that the quoter understands the requirement, has a sound approach, and will be successful in performing the contract requirements with little to no government intervention.

Some Confidence The government has some confidence that the quoter understands the requirement, has a sound approach, and will be successful in performing the contract requirements with some government intervention.

Low Confidence The government has low confidence that the quoter understands the requirement, has a sound approach, and will be successful in performing the contract requirements even with government intervention, and/or has one or more Deficiency findings.

4.7. Step 2 – Evaluation Process for Factor 3: Price. Price quotes will not be assigned a confidence rating but will be evaluated with respect to completeness and reasonableness based on the information submitted in the quoter’s price submission. As part of the price evaluation, the government will evaluate the extension period authorized by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.217-8, “Option to Extend Services.” The pricing for evaluation of FAR 52.217-8 will be derived by dividing the total amount of Option Period 4 by a factor of two. Thus, for the purposes of evaluation under this RFQ, the quoter's total evaluated price will include the base period, all option periods, and the FAR 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services pricing. Note, a separate Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) will not be included in the contract for the FAR 52.217-8 pricing.

4.7.1. Completeness. The government’s price evaluation will assess the completeness of the price quote, which involves verification of all of the below. If the government is unable to verify the quoter has completed all of the below items, the price quote may be considered incomplete, which may affect the government’s ability to determine whether the quoted price is reasonable.

• All line items in Attachment 3 – Pricing Template are priced.

• All figures are correctly calculated, and no formulas are hidden.

4.7.2. Reasonableness. The government will evaluate the total quoted price for reasonableness. The government may utilize one or more of the following methods, or alternate methods, to evaluate price reasonableness:

• Comparison to other quotes received.

• Comparison and/or analysis based on Independent Government Cost Estimate.

• Comparison/analysis to historical prices.

• Comparison with competitive published price lists.