70RSAT25RFI000011 SAVER Support RFI.pdf

National Urban Security Technology Laboratory U. S. Department of Homeland Security 201 Varick Street, Suite 900 New York, NY 10014-7447

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) 70RSAT25RFI000011

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology (S&T)

National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) Market Research and Test Evaluation for SAVER

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and market research planning purposes. This RFI shall not be construed as an obligation on the part of the Government. This is NOT a Request for Quotations or Proposals (RFQ or RFP). No solicitation document exists, and the Government may or may not issue a formal solicitation as a result of the responses received to this RFI.

The Government will not pay for any response or demonstration expenses. All costs incurred responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense. Failure to respond to this RFI will not preclude participation in any future solicitation. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organizations’ capabilities.

The Government’s explicit intent through this RFI is to obtain general product information. The Government is not requesting and does not want to receive from respondents any proprietary data, trade secrets, business sensitive information, or information considered CONFIDENTIAL under 18 U.S.C. §1905. The Government’s constraint does not in any way relieve contractors from their responsibility to properly mark proprietary data when it is provided, nor does it alleviate any requirement for the Government to protect marked data. The Government is not obligated to protect unmarked data.

The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. All submissions become the property of the Federal Government and will not be returned.

I. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) is seeking information from potential contractors capable of conducting market research and test and evaluation of first responder tools and equipment. The SAVER Program, managed by NUSTL, is a critical component of the Department of Homeland Security's effort to assist emergency responders in making informed procurement decisions. The program conducts impartial, practitioner-relevant, operationally oriented assessments and validations of emergency response equipment, tools and technology, providing essential information to the first responder community.

II. SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION

The SAVER program is seeking information from companies with the capability to:

1. Conduct market and product research and write reports for a first responder audience (fire, police, EMS, and emergency managers).

2. Conduct test and evaluation activities encompassing objective comparative assessments of first responder tools and equipment based on first responder-driven criteria and requirements.

More information about the needed capabilities to successfully support SAVER’s work can be found in the accompanying Statement of Work (SOW) file.

To be responsive to this RFI, respondents must answer the following questions:

1. If applicable, provide Federal ordering vehicle contract numbers and details for current or recent similar work.

2. Describe your approach to conducting market research on equipment/technology product types for first responders.

3. Describe your ability to recruit a diverse range of first responders to participate in SAVER activities including, but not limited to, first responder technology and equipment assessments.

4. Explain your ability to conduct comparative assessments of emergency responder tools and equipment, including methodology for:

a. Identification and development of assessment criteria collection for technology assessment;

b. Scenario development and test design for comparative assessments; and

c. Execution of comparative assessments.

5. Detail availability of SMEs to research, write, and conduct test and evaluation activities for specialized emergency responder equipment, as well as to act as expert resources on specific public safety hazards and threats.

6. Describe your access to a testing venue for operationally realistic assessments of first responder equipment. Provide the following information about venue(s):

a. Location;

b. Venue capability; and

c. At-will availability.

7. Briefly describe your in-house experience with product standards related to first responder technologies, including familiarity with Tentative Interim Amendments.

Responses must be submitted to NUSTL by 4:00 PM EST, February 06, 2025. Questions should be directed to Khadijah Dark at Khadijah.Dark@hq.dhs.gov and John Whipple at John.Whipple@hq.dhs.gov.

Please use the subject header “RFI 70RSAT25RFI000011 “Market Research and Test Evaluation for SAVER” for submissions and inquiries.

Submissions must:

Include the RFI number (70RSAT25RFI000011) in the subject line of the email

Be a maximum of five (5) pages in length (counting the cover letter)

Be in either read-only Word or PDF format

Include Point of Contact (POC), phone number and email address of the person (in the body of the email) to be contacted regarding any correspondence between the Government and the Vendor. The POC shall be capable of addressing questions or issues associated with the submission and content of the RFI.

Responses must have a cover letter that includes the following information:

• Company Name

• Company Address

• Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Number mailto:Khadijah.Dark@hq.dhs.gov mailto:John.Whipple@hq.dhs.gov

• Company’s Size and Socio-Economic Status information (using NAICS code 541330 or 541990)

• Technical Point of Contact(s) (Name, title, email, and phone number)

• Contracting Point of Contact(s) (Name, title, email, and phone number)

To aid the Government, please segregate proprietary information. Submissions containing sensitive or proprietary information are highly discouraged unless excluding such information would inhibit vendors’ ability to provide a complete submission. Only unclassified submissions will be accepted. Submissions that are strictly generic marketing materials may be discarded if received.

Any unsolicited proposals or quotes in response to this RFI will not be considered.