24-IRA-038-OITA IR MOD Program Management Support RFI.docx

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Information Returns Modernization (IR Mod) Program Management Support Request for Information (RFI) April 5, 2024

RFI for IRS IR MOD PM support | ii Introduction SOURCES SOUGHT– THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) IS RELEASED PURSUANT TO FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (FAR) PART 10, MARKET RESEARCH.

This RFI is only issued for information and planning purposes. It shall not be construed as either a solicitation of the obligation on the part of the Government. All information received from this RFI will be used for Market Research purposes only. The Department of Treasury solicits vendor responses to this RFI for market research purposes only. This RFI will not result in a contract award.

The Government does not intend to award a contract based on responses to this RFI nor otherwise reimburse vendors for the preparation of any information submitted or Government use of such information. There is no guarantee of a solicitation resulting from this RFI.

Acknowledgment of receipt of responses will not be made, nor will respondents be notified regarding the outcome of the information received. All data received in response to this Sources Sought synopsis marked or designated as corporate or proprietary information will be fully protected from release outside the Government.

The Government shall not be liable for or suffer consequential damages for proprietary information not properly identified. Proprietary information will be safeguarded in accordance with all applicable Government regulations. All documentation shall become the property of the Government and will not be returned.

Request for Information Number: 24-IRA-038-OITA Project Title / Short Description: Information Returns Modernization (IR Mod) Program Management Support PSC or FSC Code: R408 – Program Management/Support Services NAICS Codes: 541512 – Computer Systems Design Services Release Date: April 5, 2024 Response Date: April 19, 2024 Primary Point of Contact and Contact Information:

Name: Sandra R. Anderson Title: Business Operations Specialist Email: sandra.r.anderson@irs.gov Phone number: 240-613-7462

Information Returns Modernization (IR Mod) Program Management Support The IRS is seeking to procure IR MOD PM support to consolidate, standardize, and simplify intake and validation systems and implement consistent processing. Additionally, support is needed to Migrate all IR forms, data, volume, and functions to a common platform, increasing consistency in processing across channels.

Background The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has set a goal to fully modernize the Information Returns processing pipeline by leveraging and building on the opportunity presented by legislative mandates, such as the Taxpayer First Act (TFA), Provision 2102, American Rescue Plan (ARP) Modernization Portfolio, and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The long-term IR modernization solution will be scalable and compatible for information returns and other intake forms, such as tax returns and W2s. By using the IRS Enterprise Data Strategy and Cloud First vision, the end state will enable improved data access and data integration and enhanced compliance processing, while providing high availability and resiliency.

In January 2023 the IRS completed Release 1 (R1) of the IR Mod strategy which addresses the 1099 family of information returns (IRs) in compliance with the TFA, Provision 2102 by introducing a new IR internet platform via which IR issuers and transmitters can prepare forms online and submit them electronically to the IRS. To support this new functionality, R1 delivers a modernized intake system that receives and checks IRs submitted electronically and stores the returns as received. Validation, posting, and certification processes are performed prior to distributing IR data for downstream compliance and information sharing.

To achieve end-to-end modernization of the IR pipeline from Intake through Data Certification and downstream compliance, the agency must continue to add capabilities and support for the entire array of IRs, and then retire the legacy intake and processing systems. The IR Mod Strategic Product Roadmap (see Appendix A) lays out the high-level plan for building out the IR Mod platform to completion. This roadmap provides guidance on prioritization of capabilities and will be reviewed and updated quarterly as well as when priorities are reassessed and new requirements emerge. While the Strategic Product Roadmap identifies development of capabilities through approximately December 2025, for purposes of the IR Mod Solution Delivery PWS, the program assumes additional requirements will be identified for continued Development, Modernization, and Enhancement through December 2028.

The IR Mod Program is looking for a vendor to provide Program and Agile Portfolio Management support to include program management transformation support, stakeholder engagement and organizational readiness support, and delivery management support.

Description of Services The Government, in support of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is seeking information from the vendor community interested and capable of supporting the development and delivery of the target state Information Returns Modernization (IR Mod) Intake Platform. This IR Mod Program and Portfolio Management team, i.e., the Contract Holder (CH), will work closely with the IR Mod Program Management Office (PMO), and Delivery Partners (DP) across IRS to meet program objectives. These include replacing legacy intake and processing systems with a modern solution, improving the customer experience, and enabling earlier compliance processing.

Vendor Inquiries and Questions Please email questions to both primary and secondary points of contact listed below with the following in the Subject Line: Questions to RFI - Information Returns Modernization (IR Mod) Program Management Support. Responses to questions will be available to all vendors through Sam.gov and GSA e-buy for this RFI. The Government reserves the right to respond to some, all, or none of the questions submitted. Respondents may use the “Part III Question and Comments” tab located in the attached 24-IRA-038-OITA Information Returns Modernization (IR Mod) Program Management Support Information and Questions.xlsx to capture and submit questions and/or comments.

RFI Response Submittal Instructions Vendors are encouraged to be as specific as possible in addressing each section of the RFI. Feedback of a general or non-specific nature is less useful and may not be used in refining the acquisition strategy and impacting the content of a possible RFP/RFQ.

Vendors that meet the requirements described in this announcement are invited to submit their capability statements/RFI response. Vendors shall reference “Response to RFI - Information Returns Modernization (IR Mod) Program Management Support “ in the subject line of their response, as well as in the subject line of any other e-mail correspondence referencing this notice.

Respondents shall fill and include the file 24-IRA-038-OITA Information Returns Modernization (IR Mod) Program Management Support Information and Questions.xlsx as an attachment to their response.

Respondents are strongly urged to adhere to this page limitation as defined in the designate sections as well as to limit marketing material in order to provide more substantive information in their response. Vendors may provide links to relevant websites, as appropriate.

Parties shall respond to this RFI in accordance with the instructions provided in the table below:

Page Size: 8 ½ in X 11in, Adobe (.pdf) format

How and where to respond

Electronic responses to this request for information are required. All SAM.gov responses/documentation shall be sent to the below points of contact (note GSA e-buy responses can be sent to the below points of contact or e-buy) prior to the submission deadline above:

Primary Point of Contact Sandra R. Anderson e-mail: sandra.r.anderson@irs.gov

Secondary Point of Contact Victoria L. Smith e-mail: victoria.l.smith2@irs.gov

Proprietary Information (PROTECTION OF PRIVILEGED OR CONFIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL INFORMATION) Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552, provides individuals with a right to access certain records in the possession of the Federal government, subject to certain exemptions. Exemption 4 of the FOIA permits information to be withheld that is in the nature of "trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential." The term "person" refers to a wide range of entities, including corporations, banks, state governments, agencies of foreign governments, and Native American tribes or nations, who provide information to the government. Information that does not qualify for withholding under the Exemption will be disclosed.

The IRS may, at its own determination, invoke Executive Order 12600 in accordance with FOIA Regulation 45 C.F.R. § 5.42. Information provided by entities to the IRS in response to this notice may be subject to FOIA disclosure requirements unless protected under Exemption 4 of the Freedom of Information Act. Should entities wish to protect any trade secret or confidential information under Exemption 4, they should mark their submission, accordingly, citing applicable redactions and non-disclosure rationale. Pre-disclosure redactions and non-disclosure rationale shall be sent via e-mail to the requesting contracting officer with a copy to the IRS FOIA Office at email address.

If an entity’s submission is not marked and the IRS receives a FOIA request related to this notice, the IRS Contracting Officer will notify the entity. The entity will have 10 working days to object to the release of any part of their information submitted to IRS citing relevant case law. Final determination on the applicability of Exemption 4 of the FOIA are made on a case-by-case basis by the IRS. The statutory language of the FOIA is codified at 5 U.S.C. § 552(b). Additional information and resources, including the FOIA resources are found on the IRS FOIA site (https://www.irs.gov/privacy-disclosure/irs-freedom-of-information).

The Government will not respond to phone calls regarding this RFI.

Thank you for your interest.

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