Skip Tracing Questions and Answers.pdf

Reference/Page # in Solicitation Solicitation Question ICE RESPONSE

1. Public Trust Determination Timeline, 2. Personnel Replacement Procedures, 3. System Access for Subcontractors, 4. Data Transfer Methodology, 5. Reporting Format and Template, 6. Photographic Evidence Policy, 7. Caseload Distribution, 8. Priority or Expedited Cases, 9. Performance Incentive Application, Reference: Statement of Work, Section 6.0 “Security Requirements,” Pages 14–19.

The SOW states that ICE may issue a “preliminary fitness determination” to allow personnel to commence work before completion of the full investigation. However, no timeline is provided for adjudication or expected onboarding windows.

Question: Please confirm the anticipated timeframe after award for ICE’s Public Trust background investigations and the duration before a preliminary fitness determination allows personnel to begin work.

At this time it takes approximately 5-7 weeks to get a public trust clearance once the paperwork is filed with the government.

10. Transition-In Period and QASP, 11. Incumbent Transition & Data Continuity, Reference: Solicitation Section M and Amendment 1, General Instructions.

The documents do not specify the expected transition period after award or reference any Government-furnished Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan

(QASP).

Question: Please confirm the expected transition-in timeframe after award (e.g., 30 days) and whether ICE will issue a Government QASP post-award or expects contractors to propose internal QA metrics. There is no transition time that will be built into this requirement. Work is expected to begin immediately. There will be no QASP.

Section C/ Page (1) Is this a new requirement? ( 2) If No, what is the current contract number? (3) Who are the current incumbents Yes this is a new requirement.

Page 71 Section 5 Price

1) Could ICE please clarify whether the intended pricing structure is based on a per-case pricing model, a labor category model, or a hybrid approach?

2) Will each contractor receive minimum guaranteed case volume under the IDIQ?

3) Could the Government provide additional details regarding the required labor categories and whether field personnel are considered distinct labor roles?

4) For the technical scenario response, could ICE confirm whether the scenario is limited to intelligence-driven online identification and verification activities, or if it should also address physical, in-person verification methods outlined in the SOW?

1) Intended pricing structure is based on a per-case pricing model. Each contractor will receive an initial task order valued at the minimum order of $7,500,000.00

2) No. Case volume will be determined based on number of awards and subsequent performance of each awardee.

3) The government does not intend to provide additional details regarding labor categories.

4) It is incumbent upon the vendor to provide a response on how best to meet the needs of the Government.

Section B/L.4 Special Notices to Offerors / L.5 - Price/M.7 Price / 6/69/71/74

The Government has asked contractors to provide fixed price pricing based on an assumption of 50,000 cases per batch. However, throughout the solicitation, the Government notes that batches will vary. Inasmuch as the pricing volume requires vendors to provide details for their bid by unit price, will the Government consider changing the contract type to Labor Hour? If not, please explain how the Government will issue payment to contractors upon award. Will it be the bid price of the CLIN divided by 12 or some other method of measure?

The the intent is to submit 50,000 cases per batch however this is subject to adjustment based on operational needs. It is possible that the batch sizes could either increase or decrease. CLIN structure is intended to be firm fixed unit price.

Invoicing shall be monthly based on cases completed.

p. 74 / M.7 - Price Given the ambiguity of the monthly caseloads in the IDIQ RFP, will the Government consider making IDIQ-level awards based solely on past performance and the technical scenario and consider pricing only at the Task Order level? Pricing is an evaluation factor for an IDIQ award.

SOW p. 2 / 4.0 Required Services The SOW states, "To achieve a higher level of confidence, the vendor may physically verify the alien’s location and presence, preferably confirming their home or work location." Given this is a nationwide contract, will case assignments be separated by region/ZIP code/etc.?

The vendor may request specific AORs - but they are not guaranteed. If the vendor has geographic constraints they should discuss those in their proposals.

11 / Section F

The place of performance states, "Services shall be provided at any location directed by the Government within the United States." On page 14 (Section I), the Government includes FAR 52.228-5 Insurance—Work on a Government Installation. Please clarify if it the Government's intent that this work take place at a Government site. The work will be done offsite and not at a government facility. This was an error.

The clause has been removed.

SOW p. 2 4.0 Required Services The SOW states that physical verification may be required. Please confirm that by using the word "may," physical verification is not a requirement of this work.

It is the vendors discretion as to whether or not physical verification is needed to achieve a high level of confidence.

SOW p.2 / 4.0 Required Services To best provide a firm fixed price bid, please provide an estimate of the number of cases issued monthly that may require physical verification.

It is the vendors discretion as to whether or not physical verification is needed to achieve a high level of confidence and how many may require physical verification.

L.5.5 Price / 71

While the Government provides thresholds for incentives, it does not give an acceptable quality level for either accuracy or timeliness. Is there a Performance Requirements Summary for this work? Absent a PRS, does the Government have an expected threshold for the timeliness and accuracy for the cases provided?

The government does not have an expected threshold for the timeliness and accuracy.

M.7 Price / 74 Does the Government intend to release one batch of +/-50,000 cases/month, or will the cases be released throughout the month? The Government intends to release 50K per month in one batch.

Solicitation L.5 (Price)/Page 71

"Section L.5 states "Proposed percentage amounts will be completed by the vendor." It further states "*The number of addresses per batch will vary.

For purposes of this incentive – each batch will be assigned a percentage individually."

QUESTION: Please confirm that for purposes of proposals to the IDIQ that offerors shall propose percentages in our response to this solicitation."

Yes, the vendors should propose percentages.

SOW 4.0 Required Services/ Pages 1-2

SOW: ""It is anticipated that multiple vendors will be given a monthly caseload of approximately 50k last known addresses of aliens residing within the United States of America.""

QUESTION: Please clarify if this is 50k each vendor or 50k total for all vendors. If the latter, how many vendors are anticipated to split the total?

Each vendor may receive approximately 50K monthly. It is unknown how many vendors will be awarded at this time.

SOW 4.0 Required Services / Pages 1-2

SOW: ""It is anticipated that multiple vendors will be given a monthly caseload of approximately 50k last known addresses of aliens residing within the United States of America.""

QUESTION: Please clarify that the monthly allocated case files are meant to be completed within that same month (or a rolling 30 days, etc.).

The Government is looking for the best and most up-to-date information with regards to each file submitted to the vendor. If a vendor is unable to resolve the majority of the initial case load provided within a given time, it is at the discretion of the Government to reduce further batch submissions for vendor action.

Solicitation L.1 Provisions Incorporated by Reference

RFP: The RFP includes FAR 52.215-1 Instructions to Offerors Competitive Acquisition. This FAR clause ((c) (2)) requires specific information on the ""The first page of the proposal.""

QUESTION: For this proposal, does the Government consider the first page to be the ""cover page"" or the ""Offeror Information"" page? The cover page Sol. Pg. 05 Cover Please advise if an SF1449 will be issued. An SF1449 will not be issued as part of this solicitation.

Sol. Pg. 05 Cover The solicitation document begins on Page 5. Please advise if solicitation Pages 1 – 4 will be provided.

The page numbering was an administrative error. The Cover page is the first page of the solicitation.

Sol. Pg. 06 Section B. Contract Line Items (CLIN).

The CLIN structure does not allow for the items referenced in Sect. L.5.5. Price – Incentives. Please advise where the incentives should be included in the CLINS. The incentives will be part of the CLIN description language. The CLINs will be priced as firm fixed unit price.

Sol. Pg. 06 Section B. Contract Line Items (CLIN).

Sect. L.5. Submission Summary. File #5 Price Required Format – MS Excel File.

Will the Government provide a Pricing Spreadsheet in Excel? The Government will not be providing a standardized pricing spreadsheet. The vendor should utilize their own spreadsheet.

Sol. Pg. 06 Section B. Contract Line Items (CLIN).

The CLIN structure does not allow for the items referenced in Sect. M.7 Price Factor. The total should include a breakout of the cost per case, assuming 50,000 cases are provided each month.

Please advise where the quantity for the breakout cost should be included in the CLINS. The cost per case and incentives will be part of the CLIN description language.

The CLINs will be priced as firm fixed unit price.

Sol. Pg. 06 Section B. Contract Line Items (CLIN).

The CLIN structure does not allow for the items referenced in Sect. M.7 Price Factor. The breakout should show the base cost per address and separately show each of the five incentive percentages applied.

Please advise where the quantity for the breakout for the five incentive percentages should be included in the CLINS. The cost per case and incentives will be part of the CLIN description language.

The CLINs will be priced as firm fixed unit price.

Sol. Pg. 06 Section B. Contract Line Items (CLIN).

The CLIN structure does not allow for the items referenced in Sect. M.7 Price Factor – Cost Elements. Pricing submissions that fail to identify cost elements that would reasonably be necessary and appropriate for the performance of the skip tracing program, as specified in this solicitation, may pose an unacceptable risk to the Government and may be removed from the competition.

Please advise where the required cost elements should be included in the CLINS. The cost per case and incentives will be part of the CLIN description language.

The CLINs will be priced as firm fixed unit price.

Sol. Sect. L.4 Special Notices to Offerors Pg. 69

Is this a new requirement, or is there an existing incumbent contractor?

If there is an existing contractor, please provide the name of the company and the contract number.

Yes this is a new requirement.

Sol. Sect. L.4 Special Notices to Offerors Pg. 69

The Government intends to award multiple Firm-Fixed Price Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract as a result of this solicitation.

Please advise how many FFP/IDIQ awards the Government plans to issue.

That will be determined after the government reviews the proposals

Sol. Sect. L.4 Special Notices to Offerors Pg. 69

The Government intends to award multiple Firm-Fixed Price Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract as a result of this solicitation.

Will the Government dedicate any of the FFP/IDIQ awards to firms in any of the federal socio-economic categories (i.e.: 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, SDVO, etc.)? There will not be any set asides for this requirement. It is being procured under full and open competition.

Sol. Sect. L.5 Price – Incentives. Pg. 71

*The number of addresses per batch will vary.

Please advise if the addresses per batch will be geographically located by region, by state, by city, by county, etc.

The Government intends to submit approximately 50K files per vendor per month (as appropriate). The Government may submit addresses regionally or by state and within applicable areas of responsibility (AoR). At this time, the Government does not know how large each region will be per vendor. It is reasonable to expect that files submitted to the vendors will be regional when possible. For example, the Government may give one vendor addresses in Texas and New Mexico in one batch and different batches with different regions/state.

Sol. Sect. F. Deliveries of Performance. Place of Performance. Pg. 11

Services shall be provided at any location directed by the Government within the United States (50 States and the District of Columbia).

Would the Government consider separating the Skip Tracing Program into Regions or States to allow the Offerors to adequately price each CLIN geographically? It is almost impossible for Offerors to provide one rate for the entire United States due to the potential travel costs and associated expenses.

The Government is unable to determine an appropriate amount of regions as it does not know the number of RFP submissions let alone the number of final vendors to be awarded. If a vendor faces geographical limitations it is incumbent upon them to provide that information up front.

Sol. Pg. 06 Section B. Contract Line Items (CLIN) / Usage, Billing, and Funding. Please advise if an additional CLIN can be provided for reimbursable expenses or Other Direct Costs (ODCs), such as Travel, Per Diem, Mileage, etc. All costs should be included in CLIN 0001

Sol. Pg. 06 Section B. Contract Line Items (CLIN)/ Usage, Billing, and Funding Will the successful awardees be able to be reimbursed for their variable expenses by using the latest GSA-issued Travel Category Schedule (Schedule L)? All costs should be included in CLIN 0001

Sol. Sect. L.5.3 Prior Experience. Pg. 70

The submission shall be limited to two pages total.

Will the Government consider increasing the page limit to two (2) pages per project reference? One page is very limiting to explain in detail a project reference. Due to the overall number of submissions expected, it was determined to be in the best interest of the Government to limit the number of pages to two.

SOW Sect. 6.0 Security Requirements – Background Investigations. Pg. 5.

Standard Form 85P (Standard Form 85PS (with supplement to 85P required for those with direct contact with detainees or armed positions)). Will the individuals working on this contract be allowed to carry firearms?

No.

Sol Sect. I Contract Clauses. Pg. 14

FAR 52.222-41 Service Contract Labor Standards Au 2018.

Please provide the SCA Job Code for this contract.

Will the Government provide a DOL Wage Determination(s) for this solicitation? This procurement is not subject to the Service Contract Act. References and clauses have been removed.

SOW Sect. 6.0 Security Requirements – Background Investigations. Pg. 5.

Standard Form 85P (Standard Form 85PS (with supplement to 85P required for those with direct contact with detainees or armed positions)).

What is the expected or average time frame to obtain an approved Public Trust Background Investigation? At this time it takes approximately 5-7 weeks to get a public trust clearance once the paperwork is filed with the government.

General Question

What is the expected contract award date?

What is the expected contract start date?

December 2025 for both.

Statement of Work – Skip Tracing Services, Section 4.0 “Required Services,” Page 2

Section 4.0 states that the vendor “may physically verify the alien’s location and presence, preferably confirming their home or work location,” to achieve a higher level of confidence in address validation. Can the Government please clarify whether physical, in-person verification is a required component of the contractor’s performance for all cases, or if it is expected only when other verification methods (e.g., commercial data sources, enhanced research, or other tools) are insufficient to confirm the alien’s residence or employment location?

It is the vendors discretion as to whether or not physical verification is needed to achieve a high level of confidence.

Statement of Work – Skip Tracing Services, Section 4.0 “Required Services,” Pages 2–3

Can the Government please clarify whether the contractor is required to provide or develop an IT solution (such as a dedicated platform, database, or case management system) as part of this requirement, or if the expectation is that the contractor will leverage existing commercial tools and technologies to conduct skip tracing activities?

The contractor is not required to provide or develop an IT solution. The contractor may utilize whatever tools or systems it deems appropriate to meet the objectives of this requirement.

General Question Can the government provide a number or percentage of the estimated dockets subject to physical surveillance?

It is the vendors discretion as to whether or not physical verification is needed to achieve a high level of confidence and how many may require physical verification.

Solicitation Page 70 Should the price of contractor-purchased software solutions be included in price? If a COTS solution or combination of COTS solutions are assumed to be used in the Technical Scenario, should that cost be included in the Pricing of the technical scenario? The cost of all vendor COTS products should be included in the proposed price.

General Question Will vendor invoice the services per docket performed or will services be invoiced monthly, based on the firm fixed prices provided?

Invoicing shall be completed monthly and include justification for the amount requested.

Solicitation Page 70 Can the contractor assume that any COTS or other software solutions will be provided by government to the contractor? If so, what solutions? The vendor is expected to provide their own internal skip tracing tools.

SOW., 5.0 Deliverables

5.0., Deliverables indicates that “ A detailed reporting structure and escalation process should also be included in the proposal…” Could the Government please identify where in the proposal this should be included since there is nowhere on the proposal format provided by the Government to do so.

This will be removed from the SOW as there is no where to include it in the proposal structure and it is not being evaluated as part of award.

Solicitation Page 71

Does the government have an outlined desired incentive fee structure? The solicitation calls for breakouts for 7/14/28 day address verification timelines. Does the government intend to require specific percentages of cases fall within these targets. E.g. Does the government want x% to be verified within 7 days, y% within 14 days, z% within 28 days, and fewer than (x+y+z)% greater than 28 days?

The overall desire is to complete cases as quickly as possible. The incentive structure is intended to reward for rapid completion.

SOW., 3.0 Attachment 1., Definitions, “Attempted” Is there a limitation on the number of attempts or is one attempt sufficient?

It is incumbent upon the vendor to determine how best to meet the Government's needs and requirements.

Solicitation Page 70 Should the contractor assume that visual verification and/or photographic verification of each subject at the verified address is required? If not, is there a desired percentage of visual and/or photographic verification that is required across the subjects listed in the scenario?

It is incumbent upon the vendor to determine how best to meet the Government's needs and requirements.

Page 2; Section B: Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs Please confirm that the Price Schedule B CLIN amount should be for a 50,000 case unit? Yes, the CLIN amount should be for a 50,000 per month case unit.

Solicitation Page 71 For the purposes of evaluating the price of 50,000 verifications per month, can the government provide and estimated distribution of locations of subjects (E.G. 40% in Texas, 30%, in Arizona, 20% in California, 10% elsewhere)? The Government is unable to provide this information.

4.0 Required Services Will contracting employees receive ICE Contractor credentials for identification purposes while on duty? No.

Solicitation Page 71 When proposing the total price per clin, should the contractor assume 50,000 cases per month for each 12-month CLIN? (i.e. a total of 50,000 x 12 = 600,000 cases per CLIN) For purposes of proposal pricing, yes.

4.0 Required Services Will contractors have authority to submit case comments in EARM? Vendors will not have direct access to Government systems.

Solicitation Page 71 Is it acceptable for the contractor to propose a fee outside of the incentive fees? All fees should be included in either the price per case or the incentive.

4.0 Required Services Will contractors have access to Alien Files (digitized)?

Vendors will not have direct access to Government systems and will have access only to information provided.

Solicitation Page 71 For the purposes of evaluating price, should the contractor assume a specific proportion of cases are verified within/7/14/28 days? If so, what proportions?

It is incumbent upon the vendor to determine how best to meet the Government's needs and requirements.

Page 67; Incentives The Incentive structure is stated as Timeliness and Accuracy “per address.” Can the government please clarify whether the Incentive Structure should be applied at the individual case/address basis, or will it be applied based upon the average timeliness/accuracy within the 50,000 CLIN unit?

For clarification, timeliness and accuracy should be based upon the file and individual alien, not necessarily only the address. The Government may provide multiple bits of information (or addresses) to a vendor but the overall expectation is that the vendor is to identify the best address and rule out others as part of the process.

Solicitation Page 71 For the purposes of evaluating price, should the contractor assume a specific level of accuracy? If so, what?

It is incumbent upon the vendor to determine how best to meet the Government's needs and requirements.

4.0 Required Services Will contractors be issued government laptops? No.

4.0 Required Services Will contractors have access to SECTOR / LESC to contact during field investigations? No.

4.0 Required Services Will contractors have limited authority to subpoena documents? The Government is not conveying legal authority through this award.

4.0 Required Services Will ICE issue license plate readers to contractors? No.

4.0 Required Services The ICE policy mandates the presence of a two-officer team during the execution of field operations. Is this policy also applicable to contractors?

The Government is requiring validation of information or that the vendor identify and submit more accurate and up-to-date information. If the vendor determines that to provide the best information available would require a field verification, it is left at the discretion of the vendor.

4.0 Required Services Are there any restrictions to locations where covert surveillance can be conducted?

It is incumbent upon the vendor to determine how best to meet the Government's needs and requirements. Vendors must comply with all federal, state, and local requirements and certifications as a part of this contract.

Vendors are not government agents nor is there any implied or actual designation of legal authority.

Overall Approach Will the government consider amending a vendor’s existing contract to accelerate skip tracing services vice awarding via a separate IDIQ? Not as part of this solicitation

SOW p. 1, Section 4.0

The Statement of Work notes that “multiple vendors will be given a monthly caseload of approximately 50 K”. Clarity around case volume is necessary for accurate pricing. For example, vendors will need to acquire the necessary volume of data based on annualized caseloads to conduct verifications.

oCan the government please clarify whether the 50K is a revolving average case load per vendor or the aggregate average case load for all vendors?

oCan the government please also clarify whether the 50K is a monthly caseload?

oCan the government establish an expectaƟon regarding annualized case volume per vendor?

It is the intent of the Government to submit a recurring caseload to the vendor assuming they are operating at a level of efficiency and success to warrant continued submissions. If the vendor is unable to process 50K cases per month it is not in the best interest of the Government to continue to provide 50K on a recurring basis and incur a backlog when other options for the Government may exist. Further, the Government reserves the right to alter the submission total based upon case availability and the needs of the Government.

Pricing The solicitation specifies firm fixed price based on ordering period CLIN. Will the government entertain alternative pricing models such as tiered or volume-based pricing?

The CLINs will be priced as firm fixed unit price. Future task orders will be competed and outline pricing specifics. For purposes of IDIQ award evaluation, 50,000 cases are being requested.

Section B, p. 6, Contract Pricing

The solicitation notes that “The total combined/shared ceiling for all IDIQ awards is $180M” and that the “Maximum ceiling per IDIQ not to exceed $90M.” Can the government please clarify if the intention is to (1) award a single IDIQ with a ceiling of $180M to multiple vendors with subsequent task orders or (2) award multiple IDIQs with individual ceilings not to exceed $90M followed by task orders? A single IDIQ with a ceiling of $180M would preserve flexibility for the government to align ceiling based on vendor performance.

The minimum and maximum ceiling per IDIQ have been updated to $7,500,000.00 and $281,250,000.00 respectively. The overall ceiling has been removed. Actual value to each individual vendor may varying depending on number of vendors awarded.

Solicitation Page 70 Is the government currently using Skopenow for tracking purposes. If so, will licenses be available to the contractor? Will there be a cost to the contractor. If so, what will be the cost? Licenses to Skopenow will not be provided as part of this solicitation.

Solicitation Page 70 Is the government currently using Babel Street for tracking purposes. If so, will licenses be available to the contractor? Will there be a cost to the contractor. If so, what will be the cost?

It is incumbent upon the vendor to procure whatever licenses it deems appropriate to fulfill the requirements of the RFP.

RFP: Cover Page, Para 2 Please confirm that the multi award IDIQ contracts will be single award contracts to vendors and that task orders will not be competed under the IDIQ vehicle.

It is anticipated that multiple award IDIQs will be issued and subsequent task orders will be competed.

RFP: Cover Page, Para 2, “The Government anticipates awarding firm fixed-price Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts to multiple vendors as a result of this solicitation.” If the task orders are to be competed by the vendors, please explain the process.

It is anticipated that multiple award IDIQs will be issued and subsequent task orders will be competed. Instructions for each task order will be issued at the time of request for proposal.

RFP: Cover Page, Para 2, “The Government anticipates awarding firm fixed-price Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts to multiple vendors as a result of this solicitation.” How many awards does the Government anticipate?

This will be dependent upon the number of highly capable vendors and that is not known at this time.

RFP: Cover Page Will a SF1449 be issued with this solicitation? An SF1449 will not be issued as part of this solicitation.

RFP: Section M, Section M.7 Price Factor, Page 74 “The total should include a breakout of the cost per case assuming 50,000 cases are provided each month.” Please confirm that each vendor will receive 50k new cases per month?

Each vendor may receive approximately 50K monthly, ultimately at the discretion of the Government.

Attachment 1, Page 1, 4.0 Required Services “It is anticipated that multiple vendors will be given a monthly caseload of approximately 50k last known addresses of aliens residing within the United States of America.” Please confirm that each vendor will receive 50k new cases per month?

Each vendor may receive approximately 50K monthly, ultimately at the discretion of the Government.

Attachment 1, Page 2, 4.0 Required Services “The vendor may be required to use DHS IT case management systems.” Will the vendors be able to access these DHS IT case management systems remotely? No.

RFP, M.7 Price Factor, Page 74 “The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total proposed prices for all ordering periods. The total should include a breakout of the cost per case assuming 50,000 cases are provided each month.” Since this will be a FFP award, please confirm the offeror should price 50,000 case per month (600,000 cases per year) for both ordering periods?

The CLINs will be priced as firm fixed unit price. Future task orders will be competed and outline pricing specifics. For purposes of IDIQ award evaluation, 50,000 cases per month are being requested.

Attachment 1, Page 2, 4.0 Required Services “The vendor may be required to use DHS IT case management systems.” Will vendor employees have a government email address to access these systems?

The vendor will no be granted direct access to Government systems. This part of the SOW has been deleted.

Attachment 1, Page 2, 4.0 Required Services “The vendor may be required to use DHS IT case management systems.”

This section says “may be required”. In what instances will vendors be required to use DHS IT case management systems? Should vendors assume that we need tools/systems in addition to the Government supplied systems?

The vendor is not required to use DHS IT case management systems and will not be granted access. The intent was that the information provided to the vendors was from DHS IT case management systems. This part of the SOW has been deleted.

RFP, L.5 Required Proposal Submission Elements, Page 67 5 Price – Incentives “Accuracy / Quality – Per Address* o Data provided results in an average of 98% accurate locations per batch for purposes of process serving (amount: percentage of base rate) o Data provided results in 95% accurate locations per batch for purposes of process serving (amount: percentage of base rate)” How is “process serving” assessed? Who is doing the “process serving”?

Proposals for process serving are not currently being requested although the task is captured in L.4. Scope of Services: The services and locations will fluctuate during contract performance. Similar services not specifically identified in the solicitation may be incorporated during contract performance to meet the dynamic and evolving skip tracing services program needs to include process serving and a technology platform to integrate the data for purposes of reporting and analysis.

RFP, L.5 Required Proposal Submission Elements, Page 67 5 Price – Incentives “Accuracy / Quality – Per Address* o Data provided results in an average of 98% accurate locations per batch for purposes of process serving (amount: percentage of base rate) o Data provided results in 95% accurate locations per batch for purposes of process serving (amount: percentage of base rate)” How does the vendor determine which batches qualify for incentives? And what is the timeline for that process?

All batches submitted to the vendor should be handled as efficiently and accurately as possible. How the vendor processes the information is dependent upon vendor capabilities. If the vendor is able to meet the requirements within the incentive structure then the vendor may be eligible for the incentive payment.

RFP, M.7 Price Factor page 74 “The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total proposed prices for all ordering periods. The total should include a breakout of the cost per case assuming 50,000 cases are provided each month. The price should include ordering period one and ordering period two. The breakout should show the base cost per address and separately show each of the five incentive percentages applied.”

The RFP indicates a Firm Fixed Price award. The details listed in this section indicate a per unit price. Is the intent that the firm fixed price of each task order awarded to each vendor be calculated as number of cases x unit price? The CLINs will be priced as firm fixed unit price.

Attachment 1, Page 2, 5.0 Deliverables “The vendor, upon receiving and reviewing the information provided by the Government, will be required to provide recurring updates (daily or as specified by the Government) on the status of each file.” Can you please provide what information is included in each case file from the Government?

Information may include but not limited to name, date of birth, country of citizenship, last known address, photo, telephone number, and email address (if available).

Page 5 Please explain in detail what IDIQ Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contracts are? Subpart 16.5 - Indefinite-Delivery Contracts | Acquisition.GOV

Cover Page “The Government anticipates awarding firm fixed-price Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts to multiple vendors as a result of this solicitation.”

Would the Government consider this effort to be structured as Time & Materials (T&M), given that most PI/skip tracing work is hourly, or as Firm-Fixed- Price (FFP)? The CLINs will be priced as firm fixed unit price.

Attachment 1 – SOW, Section 3.0 Definitions

Section 3.0 Definitions states “ “Attempted” means that the vendor visually observed and/or physically visited a location that, based on available information (including available information following enhanced location research), the vendor believed to be the location of residence or employment of the alien, and: (1) located the individual if required; (2) confirmed that the location was the location of residence or employment of the Alien; (3) confirmed that the location was not the previously provided residence/workplace of the alien; or (4) determined that the physical visit to the location provided inconclusive information as to the whereabouts of the alien.”

Can the Government confirm if one of the numbered items listed above is achieved, then it constitutes a complete case?

The vendor is required to make a determination on what the best address/location is and to provide any update information to the Government.

While the four examples provides are reasonable, it may not be an a complete list. Those may be considered examples. As another example, if the vendor is able to verify and provide documentation that an alien has died, that may qualify as being complete once the information is provided to the Government.

Attachment 1 – SOW, Section 3.0 Definitions

Section 3.0 Definitions states ““Attempted” means that the vendor visually observed ...”

Can the Government confirm that through Google, and/or other search engines, if through that process a visual street view is achieved that is acceptable for address verification?

While that may demonstrate that an address exists, the Government is interested in the vendor verifying that an alien lives at an address. Merely establishing that an address exists without tying it to the alien in question is not enough. It is incumbent upon the vendor to determine how best to meet the Government's needs and requirements.

RFP, M.7 Price Factor, Page 74 “The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total proposed prices for all ordering periods. The total should include a breakout of the cost per case assuming 50,000 cases are provided each month.”

Our SMEs have raised questions about the feasibility of visually verifying 50,000 individuals per month—can the Government clarify if this target is achievable?

It is incumbent upon the vendor to determine how best to meet the Government's needs and requirements. If the vendor is able to achieve a high level of confidence in the accuracy of the information it provides to the Government, visual verification may not be required.

RFP, Section M

Section M.7 Price Factor states “The breakout should show the base cost per address …”

Can the Government confirm that a single case is a single physical address?

A single case is based upon an individual and that the Government will provide numerous bits of information to include name, date of birth, country of birth, photo, telphone number (if available), email (if available), and photo. Address will be included but the possibility exists that there may be multiple addresses provided to the vendor.

Page 11 Please clarify if the contract will be award for an specific area of the Country for each contractor or for the entire Country?

The Government cannot provide this information at this time. Due to the number of potential vendor awards, the Government will not be able to make a determination on whether specific areas will be awarded. If a vendor has geographical limitations or preferences, they should clearly state that in their response to the RFP.

RFP, Section M

M.7 Price Factor states “The total should include a breakout of the cost per case assuming 50,000 cases are provided each month.”

Can the Government confirm that for pricing purposes the vendor is to provide totals for CLIN 0001 & 1001 assuming 50,000 cases per month for 12 months for each CLIN?

Confirmed. Each vendor may receive approximately 50K monthly, ultimately at the discretion of the Government.

Amendment 1 – RFP: “Proposal packages shall be e-mailed to both the contract specialist and the contracting officer listed in L.3 of this solicitation and must be received by the Government before the deadline of 5:00 PM ET Friday November 21, 2025.”

Would the Government consider granting an extension to the response deadline, as the current two-day turnaround after receiving answers to questions does not allow sufficient time for a thorough and accurate submission? Deadline for responses to the RFP is 21 November 2025.

RFP, Section M

M.7 Price Factor states “The total should include a breakout of the cost per case assuming 50,000 cases are provided each month.”

Can the Government confirm that the vendor is allowed to submit monthly invoices of completed cases with payment terms of Net 30? Confirming invoicing will be completed monthly.

RFP, Section M

M.7 Price Factor states “The total should include a breakout of the cost per case assuming 50,000 cases are provided each month.”

For pricing purposes can the Government provide estimated cases per state/region for the 50,000 cases? The Government cannot provide this information at this time.

Attachment 1 – SOW, Section 4.0 Required Services

Section 4.0 states that vendors will receive a “monthly case load of approximately 50k last known addresses of aliens residing within the USA.”

Can the Government clarify whether it’s definition of a “case” is an address of an individual or an individual? If the former, an individual may have multiple cases associated with them until their current address is verified.

If a case is defined as a last known address, once the address is verified the case would be closed; however, if the investigative process identified a new “known address” of the alien, that would trigger a new “case”. Please confirm this understanding.

Case refers to an individual. The individual may have multiple addresses associated to it.

General What is period of performance? Does the Government anticipate a transition period as part of the period of performance? Base year and option year. No transition period is anticipated.

Attachment 1 – SOW, Section 6.0 Security Requirements Will DHS ICE continue sponsoring/providing interim clearances for vendor personnel supporting this contract?

Yes. DHS-ICE will continue sponsoring security clearances required to support this award.

General Do you expect to assign vendor’s contract personnel to actual ICE/ERO teams and/or offices? If so, will office space/equipment be provided? No, personnel will not be assigned to ICE/ERO teams and/or offices.

Attachment 1 – SOW, Section 4.0 Required Services Are personnel carrying out physical visits required to be Licensed Private Investigators?

The Government cannot verify this information as it may be done on a state-by-state basis. The vendor is responsible to ensure that all appropriate licensures and/or certifications are achied by appropriate personnel.

Attachment 1 – SOW, Section 4.0 Required Services During the verification process, is it ICE’s intent for vendors to serve process? If so, do the individuals have to be certified process servers?

Not at this time although process serving is captured in L.4. Scope of Services:

The services and locations will fluctuate during contract performance. Similar services not specifically identified in the solicitation may be incorporated during contract performance to meet the dynamic and evolving skip tracing services program needs to include process serving and a technology platform to integrate the data for purposes of reporting and analysis.

Page 5 Is IDIQ per batch of individuals to research or is it by individual subjects?

The Government considers each alien to be one subject/file. Each alien may have multiple bits of information or addresses.

Attachment 1 – SOW, Section 4.0 Required Services

What specific data elements will be included in the initial batch of case files provided to vendors (e.g., names, last known addresses, dates of birth, employer information, identification numbers)?

Are there any additional data fields or documentation that vendors should expect to receive?

Data elements include, but are not limited to name, date of birth, country of birth, last known address, photo, phone, number, and email. Not every case will include all bits of information.

Attachment 1, Page 1, 4.0 Required Services “It is anticipated that multiple vendors will be given a monthly caseload of approximately 50k last known addresses of aliens residing within the United States of America.”

Will the multiple vendors that are awarded contracts be assigned to a specific region or multiple states? Or will each vendor be responsible for all 50 states?

The Government does not have this information at this time. Assignment of cases nationally or regionally is at the discretion of the Government and dependent upon the number of vendors that are higly qualified, how many are awarded, and capabilities. Regardless of how contracts are awarded, there will be no overlap in information between vendors. Each vendor will get cases unique to them and no other vendor.

Attachment 1 – SOW, Section 4.0 Required Services What format does the Government expect information will be ported from vendor system to government system? Or is the expectation that vendors will work directly in government systems?

The government typically expects information to be ported from vendor systems to government systems in secure formats such as Excel (.xlsx), CSV (.csv), or other structured data formats that ensure data integrity and compatibility.

Attachment 1 – SOW, Section 4.0 Required Services

How will the Government organize or categorize the monthly caseloads of targets provided to vendors?

Will targets be grouped by specific criteria such as geographic location, affiliation (e.g., gang membership), or other relevant attributes? If so, can the Government describe the grouping methodology.

The Government will track which targets go to which vendors. There will be no overlap of vendors working on the same cases. The Government cannot determine at this time if groups would be regional or nationwide but if the vendor has a preference, they are encouraged to submit that as a part of their response to the RFP.

General Does the government expect the vendor’s PMO to be based in Washington DC near CBP/ICE HQ or in a specific ICE office? It is not required as long as the PMO is available.

Attachment 1 – SOW, Section 4.0 Required Services

SOW Section 4 states “Technology can be COTS products, and the Government will accept the recommendations of the vendor. Multiple verification sources are recommended to achieve a high confidence level.

To achieve a higher level of confidence, the vendor may physically verify the alien’s location and presence, preferably confirming their home or work location.”

Is it the expectations of DHS that every address will be verified in person?

The requirements of the Government is that the vendor verify the best address with a high level of confidence. Whether or not the vendor goes to the address is dependent upon the vendor and their methodology to determine confidence.

Attachment 1 – SOW, Section 4.0 Required Services Does the Government have performance expectations/metrics on verifications that they expect vendors to meet?

The overall desire is to complete cases as quickly as possible. The incentive structure is intended to reward for rapid completion.

General Is there a specific line of communication/chain of command between ICE/ERO and the vendor’s PMO team? This will be established post award.

Attachment 1 – SOW, Section 4.0 Required Services Can the Government provide a detailed definition of what constitutes a “successful verification (leads)” for the purposes of this contract? Specifically, how will the Government assess the quality and reliability of such verifications (leads)?

Based upon the needs of the Government, the Government may send correspondence to the alien or take an enforcement action. If a determination is the information provided is erroneous (return to sender, bad address, subject clearly does not reside at the location), the Government may determine the information provided to be low-quality.

General Do the vendor’s admin/support staff that will support the project require any specific public trust/clearance?

Any vendor dealing directly with personally identifiable information (PII) will be expected to be able to apply for and receive public trust clearance.

Attachment 1 – SOW, Section 4.0 Required Services

Section 4.0 states “It is anticipated that multiple vendors will be given a monthly caseload of approximately 50k last known addresses of aliens residing within the United States of America.”

What is the percent breakdown expected between the vendors?

This is at the discretion of the Government and will depend on a variety of factors to include number of awards made.

RFP, M.7 Price Factor, Page 74 “The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total proposed prices for all ordering periods. The total should include a breakout of the cost per case assuming 50,000 cases are provided each month.” Is the monthly total of 50,000 assigned case files, the total among all awardees (vendors) or will each vendor receive approximately 50k monthly? Each vendor is expected to receive approximately 50K cases monthly.

RFP, Section L, 5. Price Will the Government allow for optional CLINs to be added?

The cost per case and incentives will be part of the CLIN description language.

The CLINs will be priced as firm fixed unit price. No further CLINs should be added.

Attachment 1 – SOW, Section 4.0 Required Services What is the expected scope and depth of investigation for each target provided? Is there a desire for the contractors to go beyond simply the information provided by the Government or should contractors focus on verifying ONLY the information provided?

The Government expects that the vendors review the information provided and independently determine whether that information is the most accurate or if there is more accurate information available through their work and means. The Government expects the vendors to be able to provide the most up-to-date information.

General Will the vendor’s cleared contract personnel that are assigned to work the alien files be ICE credentialed? No.

Will the contracts be awarded to the contractors by regions of the country or throughout the country? Will they be based out of their respective area of business?

Distribution has yet to be determined by the Government as it may depend upon a number of unknown factors at this time. Possible consideration include but are not limited to number of awarded task orders and vendor capabilities.

Attachment 1 – SOW, Section 4.0 Required Services

Does the Government require or encourage contractors to obtain and analyze detailed phone records, device geolocation data, or other telecommunications information as part of the skip tracing process? If so, will the Government be responsible for obtaining the necessary search warrants?

It is incumbent upon the vendor to determine how best to meet the Government's needs and requirements. The Government will not be providing warrants.

Attachment 1 – SOW, Section 4.0 Required Services

In cases where neither a home nor employment address can be verified for a target, what alternative forms of contact information (such as current phone numbers or other identifiers) does the Government expect vendors to provide to further an investigation? How should these alternatives be documented and reported?

It is incumbent upon the vendor to determine how best to meet the Government's needs and requirements. It is conceivable that the vendor may end up validating information that the Government already has. If that is the case, the vendor should state so and document rationale/providing supporting evidence.

General How is the Government going to ensure a fair distribution of simple vs complicated address confirmation among to ensure that incentives are equally attainable by all vendors?

The Government does not differentiate between simple vs complicated address confirmation. The addresses will be filtered internally and distributed accordingly.

Attachment 1 – SOW, Section 6.0 Security Requirements What are the…