70RSAT26RFI000001 RFI SDO Catalogue Service.pdf

RFI: 70RSAT26RFI000001

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Title: Standards Catalogue Service

NOTE: 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. 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. Any information received will become the property of the Government and will not be returned to the submitter. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or sensitive information.

The Government’s explicit intent, in this RFI, is to not 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.

DESCRIPTION

The Standards Program within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate's (S&T) Office of Science and Engineering (OSE), Systems Engineering and Standards Division, provides critical enterprise-wide support to DHS in the areas of technical standards and conformity assessment. S&T can provide DHS and its components with Standards that will contribute to the mission critical assessments and programs.

A catalogue service assists components such as the USCG, CPB, ICE, and FEMA in having access to critical mission standards. The decision to fund access to specific standards is primarily determined by the level of activity or engagement of DHS staff across its components in the activities of these groups. Determination of which Standards Subscriptions are acquired is determined through a rigorous outreach process and extensive market research.

Subscription options rates vary based on factors such as the size of the organization and the range of technical topics offered by the standards provided and the platform in which the standards can be accessed.

To that end, S&T Standards has established a goal to acquire the most broadly applicable catalog of standards to support the mission research goals of DHS components. A universal catalog of technical standards creates an efficiency for the DHS enterprise, “enabling each component to obtain standards via a convenient portal access.

PURPOSE OF THIS RFI

The purpose of this RFI is to identify contractors who can provide universal access to a catalogue service that can provide mission critical standards to DHS and its components. Catalog breadth would provide a range of standards available, including international, federal, and industry-specific standards.

INFORMATION REQUEST

S&T is seeking responses on an effective catalogue service that will enable DHS and its components to access Standards that provide safety information to conduct critical mission business, international, federal and industry-specific standards.

• Identify catalog services that provide comprehensive access to mission-critical standards.

o International Standards (ISO, IEC, ASTM International, IEEE).

o Federal Standards (NIST, ANSI).

o Industry Specific Standards (Maritime, Physical Security, Transportation, Cybersecurity, Emergency Management).

• Ensure the catalog supports DHS’s operational needs, including safety, security, and compliance.

• Evaluate vendor capabilities to deliver timely, scalable, and secure access to standards.

o Searchable access for obtaining standards.

o Create a collaborative data base, comprised of DHS components need.

• . Ensure that technical systems can efficiently integrate with in DHS and align with DHS requirements and policies.

o Support technical models that have integration capabilities with DHS systems and workflows.

Interested parties should submit responses addressing all the above topic areas within the organizational development focus. Responses must be comprehensive as to all standards access that can be provided. Negative responses, such as which standards access cannot be provided, while appreciated, are not required. Additionally, the following factors should be incorporated into responses:

• Availability of training, technical support, and customer service.

• Mechanisms for reporting issues and ensuring timely resolution.

• Adherence to DHS cybersecurity requirements to protect sensitive information.

• Secure access and user authentication mechanisms.

• A detailed description of their catalog service, including features and capabilities.

• Information on standards coverage and update processes.

• Respondents are requested to provide rough cost information and describe how their services align with DHS’s needs for accessing standards.

o Administrative/Operational cost: Encompasses expenses related to project management, training, and other support functions.

o Multi-User Cost: Requesting a multi-user service. Centralized user-based pricing helps the government forecast expenses more accurately.

o Yearly increase in cost: Anticipation in rising cost year over year. Some agreements include clauses specifying allowable annual cost increases, giving the Government the ability to budget and plan accordingly. (e.g., Consumer Price Index).

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

o Company Name o Company Address o Point of Contact, phone number, and email address of the point of contact regarding any correspondence between the Government and the vendor o SAM Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Number o Company’s Size and Socio-Economic Status information for NAICS code 813920 o Technical Point of Contact(s) (Name, title, email, and phone number) o Contracting Point of Contact(s) (Name, title, email, and phone number) o List of any and all contract vehicles your company is an awardee under (e.g.

Blanket Purchase Agreements, Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity contracts, etc.) and the administering Federal agency

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

All Responses shall be submitted to the Office of Procurement Operations (OPO) at the following email addresses: Jennifer.Koons@hq.dhs.gov and Dorothy.Woolfolk@hq.dhs.gov no later than NOON Eastern Time, January 6, 2025.

The Government reserves the right to hold one-on-one meetings as a result of responses received from this RFI as part of its market research. Meetings may be held in particular with vendors who provide comprehensive responses to the questions posed.

mailto:Jennifer.Koons@hq.dhs.gov mailto:Dorothy.Woolfolk@hq.dhs.gov