SAM.gov Sources Sought AI Code Generation.docx

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY. This Sources Sought Notice is a means of obtaining feedback from contractors concerning the requirements stated below, under Description of the Requirement, which is part of the acquisition planning and market research phase for this procurement. The industry input received from this Sources Sought Notice will aid in finding available sources that can meet the Government’s below stated requirements and may be considered in the preparation of the official solicitation package.

This Sources Sought Notice does not constitute a solicitation. Instead, it is an opportunity for the Department of Energy (DOE) to maximize participation in this procurement by measuring the capacity and competency of businesses to perform in all areas of this acquisition.

SUBJECT: Sources Sought Notice for AI-Enabled Code Assessment and Generation

INTRODUCTION:

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is the statistical and analytical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). EIA collects, analyzes, and disseminates independent and impartial energy information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding of energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment. EIA is the nation's premier source of energy information, and, by law, its data, analyses, and forecasts are independent of approval by any other officer or employee of the U.S. Government.

To accomplish its mission, EIA conducts a comprehensive data collection program that covers the full spectrum of energy sources, end uses, and energy flows. EIA also prepares informative energy analyses, monthly short-term forecasts of energy market trends, and long-term U.S. and international energy outlooks. EIA disseminates its data products, analyses, reports, and services to customers and stakeholders primarily through its website. EIA has a broad range of stakeholders, with its major customers including Congress, Federal and State governments, the private sector, the broader public, and the media.

EIA is seeking information from sources that may be able to provide AI capabilities to assess and generate developer code in multiple programming languages, meeting or exceeding minimum specifications in the attached draft Specification Sheet.

If your firm is interested in this requirement and is able to meet or exceed the requirements in the attached draft Specification Sheet, we request a response to the information shown below. All business sizes under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 541512, Computer Systems Design Services, should consider submitting a response to this notice.

As permitted by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10, this is a market research tool being utilized for informational and planning purposes. Your responses will assist the Government in the development of its acquisition strategy for a possible Request for Proposals (RFP), to be issued at a later date, and in determining whether there are contractors capable of completing these requirements.

This notice shall not be construed as an RFP or as any commitment or obligation on the part of the Government to issue a solicitation. The Government does not intend to award a contract based on this request, so quotes will not be considered. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this synopsis or any follow-up information requests.

Response is strictly voluntary – it is not mandatory to submit a response to this notice to participate in any formal RFP process that may take place in the future. However, it should be noted that information gathered through this notice may significantly influence our acquisition strategy. All interested parties will be required to respond separately to any solicitations posted as a result of this Sources Sought Notice.

DESCRIPTION OF THE REQUIREMENT:

The anticipated period of performance for this requirement is a 1-year base with four 1-year options. This will be a Firm-Fixed-Price award.

Project Requirements

See attachment entitled, “SAM.gov Sources Sought Draft Specification Sheet AI Code Generation” for the full Project Requirements.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:

All interested contractors who believe they can meet the requirements described in this Sources Sought Notice are invited to submit, in writing, information describing their ability to provide the deliverables under this effort.

Qualified firms shall submit a statement of interest on company letterhead demonstrating the firm’s qualifications to perform the defined work. Responses must be complete and sufficiently detailed to address the specific information. The documentation shall address, at a minimum, the following:

A. Company Profile, to include:

1. Company name and address;

2. What other procurement vehicle(s) (e.g. GSA MAS, SEWP, etc.) do you hold contracts under and what is the contract number(s)?

3. Point of contact (name, title, phone number, and e-mail address);

4. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number;

5. Whether your company is registered in SAM. If not registered in SAM, identify plans for completing this registration; and

6. Business designation/status (must correlate with SAM registration) under the applicable NAICS:

Small business HUBZone WOSB _____ EDWOSB

8(a) VOSB SDVOSB

Small Disadvantaged Business

Other than Small Business

B. The following table of minimum requirements, with a checkmark response answering Yes or No to each question:

1. Is this solution a COTS product?

2. Is this solution used by any other federal agency?

3. Is this solution FEDRAMP moderate approved?

4. Is this solution compatible with multiple programming languages, including but not limited to Python, R, SAS, HTML, Java, and PHP?

5. Is this solution compatible with GitLab/GitHub?

C. Documentation of firm’s ability to meet or exceed the requirements as described in the draft Specification Sheet via a capability statement not to exceed 3 pages. (This page limit is included in the total page limit of 6-pages described in Format of Responses, below.)

In addition, please address the following questions:

1. How and to what extent is the AI model relied upon by the tool explainable, tested, and protected against potential bias risk?

2. To what extent is the AI model relied upon by the tool developed in-house, by third-parties, or based on open-source code?

3. How does your AI-enabled tool provide data privacy and protection controls for user data?

4. How does your tool handle code validation and security/compliance?

5. If you answered “Yes” to number 2 in Section B (above), which agency are you providing this solution for and for what purpose?

6. What are known potential risks for using AI Code Generation tools? What are speculative risks? What governance and oversight are necessary for responsible federal government use of these tools?

7. Are there any other considerations for federal government use of these tools that EIA should be aware of that are not covered in previous questions?

D. If a solicitation is posted for this requirement at a later date, would your company be able to provide access to a currently maintained account or guest account that evaluators could view/navigate to determine ease-of-use?

E. If requested by the Contracting Officer, would you be able to provide a virtual (not in-person) demonstration of your portal, to include a question-and-answer period from EIA staff, at no cost to the Government?

F. Additional comments or questions from vendor.

FORMAT OF RESPONSES

Please provide a synopsis of your company’s capabilities and contact information with no more than six (6) single-sided pages, 12-point font, minimum one-inch margins, in Microsoft Word format with a “.docx” or “.doc” extension or in Adobe format with a “.pdf” extension. To the extent possible, all responses should be unclassified and for general access by the Government. Any proprietary information submitted must be clearly and separately identified and marked and will be appropriately protected. The Government will NOT be responsible for any proprietary information not clearly marked. Any material provided may be used in development of future solicitations.

All responses shall be submitted via e-mail on or before 5:00 PM Eastern Time (ET), Thursday, December 5, 2024, to Contracting Officers Katherine Bowen (Katherine.Bowen@hq.doe.gov) and Alexa Zamba (Alexa.Zamba@hq.doe.gov), and must include the information requested above. Late responses will not be accepted. This is strictly market research, and the Government will not entertain any questions.

As part of this market research effort, and at the discretion of the Contracting Officer, respondents may be contacted to request additional information on their product or offered the opportunity to provide a demonstration of their product at no cost to the Government.

Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. We appreciate your interest and thank you in advance for responding to this Sources Sought Notice.