Draft Statement of Objectives - PUP Apps_PMO (Attachment 2).docx

Internal Revenue Service Office of Online Services Statement of Objectives for Public User Portal Applications

1.0 Background and Purpose

1.1 Background

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) strives to provide organizations services to meet their tax filing responsibilities. The IRS.gov website is the IRS gateway to online self-service options for taxpayers, tax professionals and other customers. This Statement of Objectives (SOO) is to support the Public User Portal (PUP) applications which launched from IRS.gov.

The Public User Portal (PUP) applications require compliance updates based on the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA) mandate, requiring all digital services to be consistent, modern, and mobile-friendly. Updates would include making PUP applications mobile-friendly, consistent with IRS design standards, and available in other languages.

Contract staff will work in concert with the IRS Technical Team and Product Owner. The infrastructure for PUP applications is located within the Integrated Enterprise Portal (IEP). Coordination and collaboration with the vendor supporting the IEP will be required.

1.2 Problem

IRS digital product capabilities need to be easily understood and used by taxpayers as well as easily updated and maintained from an Information Technology system and business perspective.

2.0 Scope

The core objective of this effort is to enhance the PUP applications to provide a more user-friendly 21st Century IDEA compliant version of the application, while considering the overall user journey experience as we aim to provide consistency across IRS applications, address policy changes, reduce visitor frustration and increase confidence.

Enhancements to the Tax Withholding Estimator (TWE) would occur first followed by the remaining PUP applications which would be enhanced with prioritization.

The scope of this requirement encompasses Contractor support for web-based services project management, customer web coordination, user-centered design, requirements specification analysis, planning, usability testing and other user research methods, and technical services such as: - project management/coordination; web application development; Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) processes and documentation. The government requires knowledge of IRS development procedures, Agile SCRUM, Kandan and Rapid Delivery methodologies, tools (such as Atlassian Jira), techniques, and standards to support web-based services in the technical support services. IRS mission requires a contractor who has expertise in program and project planning, huma-centered design, creating web-based applications, databases, and associated utilities for service-wide communications, developing and refining solution options for taxpayer experience improvements and the underlying technology to support those improvements, program management and administration, performance measurements, cost reporting, and recommending solutions based on understanding of user needs, web-based information architecture, infrastructure, and organization.

2.1 Product Vision

The IRS is creating seamless, inclusive, digital experiences for taxpayers and tax professionals, so they can make informed decisions with confidence and understanding.

The IRS intends the PUP applications software, delivered under this contract, be committed to the public domain. The Contractor must post all developed code, to a version control repository designated by the IRS.

2.2 Period of Performance

The amount not to exceed ceiling on this contract will be $9 million and will consist of a one-year base period plus two, one-year option periods

3.0 Backlog

The set of preliminary user stories set forth below are provided only for illustrative purposes, and do not comprise the full scope detail of the project. The IRS expects that the Contractor will work closely with the Product Owner to perform regular user research and usability testing. The products identified in the user stories below should not only be considered as individual applications, but evaluated in the context of delivering a cohesive, seamless IRS digital experience oriented around taxpayer needs. The Contractor, Product Owner, and IRS technical team will work as an integrated project team to develop and prioritize a full gamut of user stories as the project progresses.

Individual user stories may be modified, added, retracted, or reprioritized by the IRS at any time, and the IRS expects that the user stories will be continuously refined during the development process.

4.0 User Stories

4.1 TWE User Stories

4.1.1 As an individual taxpayer, I want to enter my tax information to estimate my federal withholding on W-4 so that my employer can take out the correct amount from my paycheck to meet tax compliance.

4.1.2 As an individual taxpayer, I want a personalized experience based on my life events and tax scenarios. I want to answer a minimal number of questions to get a result. I want the results to be clear and concise, with access to additional help tip information.

4.1.7 As an individual taxpayer, I want the ability to produce next year’s estimated W-4.

4.1.8 As an individual taxpayer, if I have an income source that is not reported on a W-4, I want to be able to use TWE.

4.2 Political Organizations Filing and Disclosures (POFD) User Stories

4.2.1 As a political organization, I am required to file forms 8871, Political Organization Notice of Section 527 Status, and 8872, Political Organization Report of Contributions & Expenditures. I want to be able to digitally file them with IRS so that I can reduce the time it takes to apply and have my forms processed.

4.2.2 As a taxpayer, I want to be able to search on IRS.gov so that I can determine if an organization is a qualified political, tax-exempt organization and have an option to download approved organizations’ current 8871 and 8872 filings in a format that can be sorted and manipulated (i.e., comma delimited format).

4.2.3 As a charitable organization, I want to access information and data in a form I can download and manipulate so that I can conduct research related to my own or other tax-exempt organizations.

4.2.4 As a tax-exempt organization, I want to check and validate my organization’s eligibility in order to make sure the information I’ve submitted has been captured accurately by the IRS.

4.2.5 As an individual taxpayer, I want to enter my tax information to estimate my federal withholding on W-4 so that my employer can take out the correct amount from my paycheck to meet tax compliance.

4.2.6 As a political organization representative, I want to file my disclosure forms online so that my organization can meet tax compliance deadlines.

4.2.7 As a political organization representative, I want to complete the disclosure filing process online so that my organization may be notified of any compliance errors in a timely manner to avoid tax compliance errors.

4.2.8 As a political organization representative, I want to complete the disclosure filing process online so that my organization may ensure accurate tracking and reporting of campaign expenses.

4.2.9 As a political organization representative, I stay updated on changes to tax regulations impacting political organizations so that my organization can avoid penalties and manage unique filing requirements.

4.2.10 As a political organization, I want to be able to store and share previous submitted and saved disclosure forms to streamline the disclosure process to reduce errors.

4.2.11 As a new organization coordinator, I want to easily find out the previously filed disclosures, so that I can ensure appropriate data is updated year over year.

4.2.12 As a political organization, I want the online forms to be clear and concise with access to additional help tip information.

4.3 Sample Overall User Stories

4.3.1 As a Product Owner, I want to be able to rapidly update text only content without code changes.

4.3.2 As a Product Owner, I require enhanced analytic capabilities to enable better decision making.

4.3.3 As an IT developer, I want to be able to run regression tests automatically and create auto-generated test results notification to applicable recipients.

4.3.4 As an Organization, I want to be able to store / share results with other tax processing applications.

5.0 Desired Outcomes

The objectives for the deliverable of web application services during the entire lifecycle of the Office of Online Services Public User Portal (PUP) are:

· Sustained industry leading web application development (ADaaS) practices and innovations to ensure a seamless service delivery Ensure an integration of IRS and Contractor service delivery processes to provide a seamless end user experience by outsourcing end-to-end (web application development as a service ADaaS)

· More agility and better security because of new and innovative technologies Enhance software application portfolio monitoring and version control, upgrade the forecasting and planning of web application development services, and identify opportunities for becoming more agile with respect to the IRS end-to-end. Leverage commodity provisioning options to streamline and improve service delivery.

· A high-performing partnership between the IRS and the web application development Services Contractor Optimize organizational alignment, roles, and responsibilities to best leverage system support services resources, maximize organizational efficiency, and deliver continuous improvement. Build a strong, mutually beneficial partnership with clear, mutual accountability and delivery of services that are firmly aligned with IT’s dynamic business requirements throughout the period of performance.

· An optimized network of tools and processes that delivers better value to users Promote process and quality management methodologies that incorporate industry-leading practices, standards, and innovations, and products that will interface as required to IRS systems.

· Single point, end-to-end operational accountability and visibility Provide visibility into the new operations with access to performance and operational data for IRS to guide management decisions. Implement responsive issue resolution and change management processes that provide acceptable financial, technical, deployment, and operational risk levels. Facilitate the use of consistent, integrated approaches and processes across line of business and geographies through an integrated service delivery model that employs a cohesive relationship and contract governance structure.

· A successful program transition Plan and execute a transition to the new Contractor on-schedule and with minimal adverse customer impacts.

· Ease in tax preparation Taxpayers experience greater ease in preparing and submitting documents to IRS.

· Increased User Accessibility Provide taxpayers with 24/7 access to intuitive, self-service tools for filing, updating, and reviewing tax information.

· Improved Accuracy & Compliance.

Reduce filing errors and ensure compliance with current tax regulations.

· Operational Efficiency Minimize manual processing and reduce call center volume by enabling users to independently complete common tax task online. Reduce end-to-end digital processing time.

· Secure Data Handling Ensure all user data is encrypted and stored in compliance with relevant data privacy and security standards.

· User Support & Guidance Provide contextual guidance to direct users through tax scenarios.

6.0 Deliverable (Del)/ Work Products (WIP) Table

The Contractor shall produce and deliver to the Government the work products outlined. The following chart sets forth the performance standards and quality levels the code and documentation provided by the Contractor must meet, and the methods the IRS will use to assess the standard and quality levels of that code and documentation.

Table 1: Deliverables

Government

Government

Government

Government

Government

Government

Government

Government 4th week of the active Sprint on Fridays Final Deck Same day of Sprint Review Ceremony

UR IAW 52.227-14

Government

Government

Government

TPOC

Government

COR

Government

COR

Government

COR

Government

Government

Government

Government

Government

Government

Government

Government

Government

7.0 Contract Place of Performance

The Contractor may choose the location(s) within the United States of America (USA) or USA Territories from which to perform the required software development services. The Contractor must be available during IRS’s core working hours (9:30 AM through 2:30 PM Eastern Time, Monday - Friday).

7.1 Recognized Government Holidays

The Contractor shall not perform any services on the following holidays unless specifically approved by the COR:

· New Year’s Day

· Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday

· President’s Day

· Memorial Day

· Juneteenth

· Independence Day

· Labor Day

· Columbus Day

· Veteran’s Day

· Thanksgiving Day

· Christmas Day

7.1 The U.S. Government also observes the following:

· Day designated by Federal Statute

· Day designated by Executive Order

· Day designated by Presidential Proclamation

8.0 Operating Constraints (Non-Functional Requirements)

8.1 Government-Furnished Property

The IRS will provide the Contractor Service Provider with all necessary information including software to configure the PC for each individual user. The IRS will provide staff-like access via an IRS laptop and Virtual Private Network (VPN) for ordering and ticketing information including access rights to the IRM Hardware and Software Asset Management systems.

8.2 Government-Furnished Information

It is anticipated that Government-furnished information will be required for the Contractor Service Provider’s performance, in the form of software licenses and IRS generated applications. The Contractor Service Provider will be provided access to Altiris and IBM BigFix Endpoint Manager to understand which ABAs have been used by the user in the previous 90 days.

IRS will provide Internet Protocol (IP)-based local area network and wide area network connections to the IRS network for operational use. This will include dedicated point-to-point circuits as needed. This may also include one or more secure connections to the Contractor Service Provider’s facilities for access to management and support facilities to be determined as part of design and implementation.

8.3 Environment

8.3.1 Front-end development must be consistent with the Online Design Guide.

8.3.2 The software must be designed to be hosted in Amazon Web Services.

8.3.3 Infrastructure compliance and IRS EA compliance; example: React version 18.2 or greater must be used as the development framework.

8.3.4 Textual content solutions should be fully decoupled so that content can be updated without coding changes and deployment.

8.3.5 Solutions must leverage reusable component design patterns.

8.4 Personnel Skills and Knowledge

Key Personnel – The Contractor must designate a full-time Senior IT Project Manager, a full-time Senior Web Developer, and a full-time Senior Software Application Developer as Key Personnel for this project. The Key Personnel will be responsible for the IRS Web Application Life Cycle development from initial onset to decommissioning and capacity understanding of the technical approach to be used by the Contractor’s development team and will be responsible for ensuring that the Contractor’s development team follows that approach.

Table 2: Key Personnel

Minimum Education: Bachelor’s degree Minimum Experience: 6 Years

Minimum Education: Bachelor’s degree Minimum Experience: 6 Years

Minimum Education: Bachelor’s degree Minimum Experience: 6 Years

Table 3: Additional Resources

engineer/tester is responsible for ensuring the quality and reliability of the software products developed. Plans, designs, executes and report software tests, as well as supervises a team of software testers. Collaborates with the software/product designers, developers, and managers to provide feedback and suggestions for improvement. Reviews software requirements and provides input. Prepares/reviews test plans, test cases, test scripts and test data. Implements testing procedures and oversees the QA process.

Troubleshoots quality issues and modifies test procedures. Conducts analysis, checks product specifications, reviews QA reports, ensures the successful deployment of the product.

Minimum Education: Bachelor’s degree Minimum Experience: 6 Years

Minimum Education: Bachelor’s degree Minimum Experience: 2 Years

Minimum Education: Bachelor’s degree Minimum Experience: 2 Years

Minimum Education: Bachelor’s degree Minimum Experience: 2 Years

Minimum Experience: 3 Years

Minimum Education: Bachelor’s degree Minimum Experience: 2 Years

8.5 Inspection and Acceptance

Inspection and acceptance of products and services shall be performed by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (“COR”), or designated IRS employee(s), in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (“FAR”) clause 52.246-4. The Government reserves the right to conduct any inspection and test it deems reasonably necessary to assure the services and supplies provided conform in all respects to the specified requirements. Services and supplies, which upon inspection, are found not to be in conformance with contractual requirements, will be promptly rejected and notice of rejection, together with appropriate instructions, will be provided to the Contractor by the Contracting Officer (“CO”) and/or COR.

8.6 Personnel Security Clearances

Acquired services shall comply with the following regulations and requirements:

8.6.1 Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 requires that all federal entities ensure that all contractors have current and approved security background investigations that are equivalent to investigations performed on federal employees.

8.6.2 The COR will provide onboarding kickoff briefings for new contractors. The requisite forms and documents will be provided to initiate proper security processing. Due to the complex nature on vendor onboarding and the priority of these efforts, the contractor will be expected to return fully completed security documents within 10 days of Post-Award Conference. During the onboarding process, the Contractor will be expected to respond to all COR requests related to security onboarding packages with one (1) business day and take the requested action with three (3) business days.

8.6.3 The Contractor is expected to:

a. Provide personnel security screening standards. The Contractor shall ensure that all its employees and affiliate and contractor personnel who have access to nonpublic information have appropriate personnel security background checks.

b. Provide Treasury a listing of all such background investigative requirements (e.g., FBI fingerprint check, police check, credit check, verification of lawful permanent resident status, etc.). Treasury may request additional personnel security checks.

c. All Contractor employees and affiliates and contractor personnel who have access to nonpublic information must be United States citizens performing their work in the United States, unless specifically authorized by Treasury in writing.

8.7 Security and Services

8.7.1 The Contractor shall comply with the current and future security and privacy requirements defined by Federal laws, regulations and policies across all service areas described in related Performance Work Statement (PWS), and all current and future task order performance work statements.

8.7.2 The Contractor shall provide security to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information and systems developed and maintained on behalf of the IRS, commensurate with the risk and magnitude of harm resulting from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification or destruction.

8.7.3 Data Privacy: Do not store or retain user input.

8.7.4 Encryption: Ensure HTTPS encryption for data transmission.

8.7.5 Compliance with IRS Regulations: Align with IRS Publication 505 and other applicable guidelines.

8.8 Invoicing Instructions

Invoices and/or payment requests shall be submitted in accordance with Department of the Treasury Acquisition Procedures (“DTAP”) clause 1052.232-7003.