II_2 2032H8-24-R-00012 Amendment 1.pdf

EA-SEE IV (2032H8-24-R-00012)

Amendment 1 – 08/23/2024

The purpose of this amendment is to do the following:

1) Extend the proposal due date from 09/03/2024 to 09/17/2024.

2) Post the questions and answers received during the question window.

Questions and Answers

We would like to know if this is a brand-new contract OR if there is (was) an incumbent performing these services. If not brand new, could you please provide the current / previous contract number?

o The current contract number is 2032H8-24-C-00008. The contractor is Prometric

LLC.

Section B Schedule, pg. 3, Period of Performance. We noted that the Section B base period lists a start date of 9/1/2024; however, that is before the proposal due date; please elaborate on the base and option periods.

o The start of the base period will depend on the new established award date. See below.

Section B Schedule, pg. 3, Period of Performance. What is the anticipated award date?

o The award date will depend on completion of proposal evaluations and Procurement review.

Section 3 General Requirements, pg. 6, 3.08 Historical Information. Please confirm that international exam delivery will be via remote proctor only, not in test centers.

o International exam delivery will be via remote proctor only. Except in cases where in-person testing accommodations are needed.

Section 3 General Requirements, pg. 6, 3.08 Historical Information. Please verify volumes across the US, Canada, and Internationally and the percentage of in-person test centers vs. remote proctoring.

o Domestic and international volumes are listed in the RFP. All volumes stated in the contract are in person testing only.

Section 3 General Requirements, pg. 6, 3.08 Historical Information. Can volumes for modalities be shared by month to understand volume changes during the exam window.

o Below are the exams administered in-person by month for the past five test cycles.

Section 3 General Requirements, pg. 8, 3.12 Meetings. Please clarify what information is needed in the configuration reports and what types of vulnerability reports (e.g., Operating System, Application, or Database scans) will be required.

o For further information on compliance scan requirements please see IRS Publication 4812 16.6 CM-6 Configuration settings. For further information on vulnerability monitoring and scanning requirements please see IRS Publication 4812 27.4 RA-5 Vulnerability Monitoring and Scanning.

Section 3 General Requirements, pg. 10, 3.17 Contractor Personnel. Are international test sites required to be staffed by US citizens? As this will limit the staffing pool, please provide additional information on this requirement and its purpose.

o Yes, anyone working on the contract must be a U.S. Citizen. subject to the Government’s citizenship and background investigative requirements. See IRM 10.23.2, IR1052.204-9000, and elsewhere in the contract document for additional information. The contract however does not call for in-person international testing except in those specific cases where a testing accommodation is needed. See Section

4.03.2. Anyone administering the test remotely would need to be a U.S. citizen with proper clearance as previously mentioned.

Section 3 General Requirements, pg. 10, 3.17 Contractor Personnel. Which personnel roles require background checks, and what is the expected timeline for completing these?

We currently screen criminal Felonies and Misdemeanors and perform Federal Criminal- National searches and Widescreen Plus National Criminal Searches. We interpret the RFP to mean that we need to add an employee credit check; please confirm.

o All personnel roles require background checks and clearance through IRS Personnel Security. Processing times vary. A tax compliance check and credit check are part of the IRS clearance process. See IRM 10.23.2.2.2. Per Publication 4812 8.3.2 Contractor Investigative Requirements, the following requirements must be met.

All contractors, subcontractors, experts, consultants, and paid/unpaid interns, like federal employees, are subject to a security screening to determine their suitability and fitness for the Department of the Treasury or IRS work, and the security screening must be favorably adjudicated. The level to which such contractor personnel and others are screened or investigated shall be comparable to that required for federal employees who occupy the same positions and who have the

Tests Administered 2023-2024 Mar-23 Apr-23 May-23 Jun-23 Jul-23 Aug-23 Sep-23 Oct-23 Nov-23 Dec-23 Jan-24 Feb-24 Cumm Total Total Parts Administered N/A N/A 1,556 1,907 1,684 3,038 1,714 3,245 2,447 3,628 3,218 3,977 26,414

Tests Administered 2022-2023 Mar-22 Apr-22 May-22 Jun-22 Jul-22 Aug-22 Sep-22 Oct-22 Nov-22 Dec-22 Jan-23 Feb-23 Cumm Total Total Parts Administered N/A N/A 1,373 1,790 1,622 2,653 2,111 3,016 2,307 2,603 2,761 3,537 23,773

Tests Administered 2021-2022 Mar-21 Apr-21 May-21 Jun-21 Jul-21 Aug-21 Sep-21 Oct-21 Nov-21 Dec-21 Jan-22 Feb-22 Cumm Total Total Parts Administered N/A N/A 859 760 1,084 2,010 1,942 3,087 2,429 3,448 2,186 2,929 20,734

Tests Administered 2020-2021 Mar-20 Apr-20 May-20 Jun-20 Jul-20 Aug-20 Sep-19 Oct-20 Nov-20 Dec-20 Jan-21 Feb-21 Cumm Total Total Parts Administered N/A N/A 0 481 892 1,325 1,485 2,169 1,718 2,456 2,155 2,657 15,338

Tests Administered 2019-2020 19-Mar 19-Apr 19-May 19-Jun 19-Jul 19-Aug 19-Sep 19-Oct 19-Nov 19-Dec 20-Jan 20-Feb Cumm Total Total Parts Administered N/A N/A 1,702 2,948 1,256 1,547 1,489 1,562 1,999 2,606 1,976 3,141 20,226 same position sensitivity designation. Security screening is required regardless of the location of the work. This includes contractor or subcontractor employees who use technology for remote access to information technology systems, as well as those who have direct physical access to any IRS documents or data outside of any IRS facility.

Section 3 General Requirements, pg. 12, 3.19 Systems Documentation Review and Approval. Is it possible to modify the documentation 60 days prior to go-live instead of 60 days after launch?

o We can accept documentation if necessary 6 months prior to go-live.

Section 3 General Requirements, pg. 15, 3.28 Access to Contractor’s Systems and Data. What are the expectations around data partitioning and access - does all historical candidate data need to be migrated to the new systems?

o IRS data shall be physically or logically partitioned within the information system and/or the IT environment of the contractor site, as appropriate, to ensure this sensitive information is not commingled with the information of any other party or entity and is accessible only to authorized personnel. Partitioning can be accomplished with the use of routers and firewalls and partitioned directories controlled by user permissions. Historical candidate data will need to be migrated to the new systems.

Section 4 Functional Requirements, pg. 15, 4.01.1. Initial Test Development. What is the average number of items in each item bank?

o A minimum of 425 questions for the SEE 1; 425 for the SEE 2; and 315 for the SEE

3. We will be able to provide previously written questions with item performance data if needed.

Section 4 Functional Requirements, pg. 15, 4.01.1. Initial Test Development. Will an import of item statistics be required?

o Yes, if not building the test item bank from scratch.

Section 4 Functional Requirements, pg. 15, 4.01.1. Initial Test Development. Do forms contain images, video, audio, or additional stimulus?

o No

Section 4 Functional Requirements, pg. 19, 4.01.1. Initial Test Development. How many exam forms are currently administered per part per year?

o 6 test forms for the SEE 1; 6 test forms for the SEE 2; and 4 test forms for the SEE 3 for a total of 16 different test forms over all three parts.

Section 4 Functional Requirements, pg. 19, 4.01.4 Industry Subject Matter Experts.

Would the successful vendor be provided with any of the current SME contact information to use in SME recruitment for future exam development?

o No. However, the IRS could contact the potential SMEs on behalf of the vendor to make them aware of the opportunity.

Section 4 Functional Requirements, pg. 21, 4.03.1.4 Test Centers and Test Administration. Is there an expectation that Canada, Great Britain, India, Japan, and Korea will be the only locations allowed to offer remote testing services? Or will remote testing be available to all domestic and international locations?

o Remote testing will be available to all domestic and international locations. At minimum, remote international testing should be offered in Canada, Great Britain, India, Japan, and Korea. See contract section 4.03.1(4).

Section 4 Functional Requirements, pg. 21, 4.03.1.6 Test Centers and Test

Administration. Regarding “Strict Security Guidelines”, are there any restrictions for authentication (i.e., facial comparison AI, biometrics, ID validation software)?

o No restrictions, however, where international authentication is needed, there could be some legal restrictions as to what methods of authentication could be used. It is expected that the vendor will comply with all international laws that may apply.

Section 4 Functional Requirements, pg. 22, 4.03.1.10a Test Centers and Test

Administration. Is the 120-day retention applicable for remote proctoring data?

o Yes.

Section 4 Functional Requirements, pg. 22, 4.03.1.11 Test Centers and Test Administration. Will the Contractor be able to review and provide input to the NDA?

o Yes.

Section 4 Functional Requirements, pg. 23, 4.03.1 Test Centers and Test Administration. Has there been remote proctor BETA testing with your current vendor to date? Yes. If the BETA does not yield desirable results, would that change this RFP/its requirements regarding online proctoring resulting in a new RFP release or a change of the existing scope of work?

o The contract requires domestic and international remote proctored testing. In the event the pilot is not successful, IRS will evaluate next steps at that time.

Section 4 Functional Requirements pg. 24, 4.03.3.1 Remote Proctored Testing. Will the remote testing pilot program be administered with IRS staff or a pilot pool of test takers?

If test takers, will the test takers be from one of the identified "minimum locations” in 4.03.1, 4, or will they be from the domestic U.S.?

o While IRS staff will certainly want to be included in the remote testing pilot program, most test takers will come from test candidates located in the U.S. and internationally. If an international candidate, we would prefer the candidate to be located in one of the “minimum locations” in 4.03.1(4).

Section 4 Functional Requirements pg. 24, 4.03.3.1c Remote Proctored Testing.

Would test administration be limited to these hours, so that support can be available to test takers during their exam? Or would administration and support be expected to extend beyond this shift?

o The hours listed are minimum requirements. Additional hours may be needed to administer international remote testing.

Section 4 Functional Requirements, pg. 26, 4.03.3 Remote Proctored Testing. Can you provide more details on the expected timeline for implementing remote proctored testing, including any pilot testing requirements (i.e., FedRAMP.)

o The remote pilot is anticipated to begin on May 1, 2026. All remote proctored testing pilot requirements should be approved and finalized prior to May 1, 2026.

Section 4 Functional Requirements, pg. 26, 4.03.3 Remote Proctored Testing. If remote proctored testing is discontinued following a pilot period, would international test sites staffed by US citizens then become the requirement?

o The contract requires domestic and international remote proctored testing. In the event the pilot is not successful, we will evaluate next steps at that time. There are currently no expectations that we will have in-person international testing apart from those specific events where test accommodations are required.

Section 4 Functional Requirement, pg. 29, 4.05 Call Center Operations- Service Delivery Program. Is there a Spanish/other language support requirement for remote proctoring, CSR, and Tech Support? If so, can operating hours be modified or limited?

o There is not a Spanish/other language support requirement.

Section 4 Functional Requirements, pg. 29, 4.05 Call Center Operations- Service Delivery Program. Do operating/support hours for candidate and/or technical support vary during the exam timing and blackout period? Please provide the current support hours during those periods if they vary.

o No. Operating/support hours do not vary. At a minimum customer service hours should be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. M-F ET.

Section 4 Functional Requirements, pg. 30, 4.05.1 Service Delivery Program. Are there any additional details available on the required IVR messaging system for the customer service call center?

o Interactive Voice Response (IVR) should have several topics and options. IRS and the vendor will collaborate to determine capabilities, options, and verbiage of messages. Below are some examples of the current IVR:

Closed Messages:

After Hours Message Holiday Message Emergency Message Weather Close Message

Messaging during business hours:

Message – SEE Call Center Introduction Message - General Privacy Information Message - General Security Information Message – Option to speak to Customer Service Representative

Section 4 Functional Requirements, pg. 32, 4.05.4 Quality Review of Call Center Operations. Please clarify the preferred means to submit daily calls/call fragments. What is meant by video communications?

o Daily calls would be recorded audio files uploaded to a secure sharing platform.

Video communications would be any activated video/camera used to communicate to candidates if used for customer service purposes.

Section 4 Functional Requirements, pg. 47, 4.06.3 Customer Satisfaction Survey – (first deliverable on the chart). Should this date read May 1, 2026, instead of May 1, 2025?

o The May 1, 2025, date is correct. We begin the development of the survey in 2025 to get OMB approval by May 1, 2026.

Exhibits and References, pg. 70, FedRAMP requirements. Are the FedRAMP requirements mandatory for all years of this contract or would a project plan and evidence of progress toward that end in the Base and Start-Up period be adequate?

o FedRAMP requirements are mandatory for all years of the contract. FedRAMP certification is required to be eligible for award.

Attachment A – Letter, “Non-Disclosure Agreement.” Is the Non-Disclosure Agreement to be returned with the proposal or separately at another time?

o The Non-Disclosure Agreement can be returned at the award Kick-off meeting.

Attachment B: Past Performance Questionnaires. If the proposal submission deadline is adjusted, will the deadline for the Questionnaires be similarly adjusted?

o Yes, we will adjust it.

General. For a solicitation of this scope and complexity, 20 business days to develop a solution and craft a comprehensive proposal is very challenging. Would the IRS Return Preparer Office consider extending the deadline for responses by two weeks, to September 17?

o Yes, deadline will be extended to September 17.

General. Would you consider allowing an additional short question window following the release of your responses to vendor questions? This would be beneficial, particularly if your responses uncover any further requirements we need to consider for our bid.

o No

General. Is the RFP Cover Sheet to be signed and/or otherwise completed and returned with the proposal?

o Yes

General. Given that there is no current remote proctoring delivery, and that the requirement is to have it as an available modality worldwide, can you expand on the desired pilot period, evaluation criteria, or any other details on the outcome decision?

o We anticipate the pilot starting May 1, 2026, and lasting for 30 days, contingent upon satisfaction of system security requirements. Adaptive technology for testing accommodations must also be provided in a locked remote testing platform.

Authentication, scheduling, customer service, and exam test question security is also a priority.