CENTAM L and M Draft.pdf

SECTION L - INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO QUOTERS

L.1. OVERVIEW

The USCB is issuing this competitive Request for Quotation (RFQ) under the General Services

Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) for its CenTAM Acquisition

Framework requirements. Through this effort, USCB intends to establish four (4) blanket purchase agreements (BPAs) under the MAS to acquire application development, modernization, data engineering, geospatial, and related technical services in support of its mission.

All four BPAs under this RFQ are being competed as total small business set-asides.

Only small businesses holding the applicable GSA MAS IT Category SIN 54151S are eligible to submit quotes.

The Government will accept only quotes submitted by small businesses under GSA MAS SIN

54151S. Any quote submitted by a Quoter that is not a small business will not be accepted and, therefore, not considered for evaluation or award.

For the purposes of this RFQ “quoter” means a small business concern. Contractors that submit a proposal will be referred to as quoters.

The Government intends to execute and award the initial orders for the single award BPAs based on initial quotes. Therefore, quoters are highly encouraged to propose their best technical and pricing quotes in their initial submissions.

L.2. AUTHORITY (GSAR 538.71 – FSS ORDERING PROCEDURES)

This RFQ is issued under GSAR Subpart 538.71 – Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) Ordering

Procedures, as implemented via GSA’s Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) class deviation.

Ordering will be conducted using RFQs and evaluation of quotations under FSS procedures.

Unless otherwise prescribed, FAR Parts 5, 6, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 19 do not apply to these ordering procedures.

These procedures constitute “competitive procedures” under 41 U.S.C §152, including 152(4) for procurements conducted under the Small Business Act. They enable the Government to conduct best-value evaluations consistent with GSAR 538.71 - FSS ordering procedures.

L.3. COMMUNICATING INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES WITH INDUSTRY

This solicitation encompasses several innovative procurement techniques (see GSAR 538.7102-2 for more coverage of streamlined processes and innovative procurement techniques). To increase transparency of them with industry, they are listed below. The Periodic Table of Acquisition innovations (PTAI), https://acquisitiongateway.gsa.gov/periodic-table, includes a full tile sharing the description, problems solved, benefits of use, small business benefit, and real sample documents (including training aids) for each:

• Communicating Innovative Techniques with Industry (CITI) https://acquisitiongateway.gsa.gov/periodic-table

• Confidence Ratings

• Down-Selects

• Fusion Procurements

• Highest Technically Rated Vendors

• On-the-Spot Consensus Evaluation

• Streamlined Documentation

L.4. CENTAM BPA STRUCTURE

The CenTAM Acquisition Framework will consist of four BPAs to support the full spectrum of

USCB application modernization, data engineering, analytics, geospatial, and related IT services needs. The Enterprise BPA is intended to support large-scale, more complex efforts across all

USCB programs requiring broad technical depth and integration. The Systems and Program

Support (SPS) BPA is intended to support smaller-scale, narrowly scoped efforts across all

USCB programs. The Decennial BPA is dedicated to supporting the Decennial Program only, while the Geospatial BPA supports Geospatial initiatives across USCB.

Table 1. Task Areas and Contract Awards supported by the CenTAM Acquisition Framework RFQ

BPA

Program

Area(s)

Supported

Task Areas Contract

Award Type

Enterprise Census-wide programs

• Contract Management

• IT Project and Program Management

• Architecture & Engineering

• Application Development & Management

Services

• Advanced Data Science & Data Management

Multiple

Award – Small

Business Set-

Aside

Decennial Decennial

Program only

• Contract Management

• IT Project and Program Management

• Architecture & Engineering

• Application Development & Management

Services

• Advanced Data Science & Data Management

Single Award –

Small Business

Set-Aside

Geospatial Geospatial initiatives for

USCB

• Contract Management

• IT Project and Program Management

• Architecture & Engineering

• Application Development & Management

Services

• Advanced Data Science & Data Management

Single Award –

Small Business

Set-Aside

SPS Census-wide programs

• Contract Management

• IT Project and Program Management

• Architecture & Engineering

Multiple

Award – Small

Business Set-

Aside

The Government also intends to award initial orders with the single-award BPAs:

• Decennial Order 01 (DTAM) with the Decennial BPA

• Geospatial Order 01 (GeoTAM) with the Geospatial BPA

Orders under any BPA may be issued as Firm-Fixed Price (FFP),Time and Materials, (T&M)

Labor Hour (LH), or any other authorized contract type.

L.5. QUOTER ELIGIBILITY AND TEAM PARTICIPATION LIMITATIONS

L.5.1 QUOTER ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible to submit a quote under this RFQ, Quoters must hold the applicable MAS SIN for the BPA(s).

Participation as a Joint Venture (JV) or SBA-approved Mentor-Protégé JV (MPJV) is permitted, subject to the following conditions:

• The JV or MPJV entity itself must hold the required MAS SIN at the time of the quotation submission.

MAS Certified Teaming Arrangements (CTAs) are not permitted under this RFQ.

L.5.2 TEAM PARTICIPATION LIMITATIONS

A Quoter may participate in this acquisition either as a prime contractor or a subcontractor, but only on one team.

Participation on multiple teams, whether across BPAs or within a single BPA, is prohibited.

Enterprise, Decennial, and Geospatial BPAs:

• A Quoter may submit a quote for one or more of the following BPAs: Enterprise, Decennial, or Geospatial BPAs.

SPS BPA:

• Submitting a quote for Enterprise, Decennial, and/or Geospatial BPAs precludes participation in the SPS BPA in any capacity (Prime or subcontractor).

• Quoters submitting a quote for the SPS BPA may participate only in the SPS BPA and may not participate (as a Prime or subcontractor) in Enterprise, Decennial, or

Geospatial BPAs.

L.5.3 PERMITTED PARTICIPATION PATHS

Each Quoter must choose one of the following participation paths:

• Enterprise BPA only; or

• Decennial BPA only; or

• Geospatial BPA only; or

• Any combination of Enterprise + Decennial + Geospatial; or

• SPS BPA only

Participation (Prime or subcontractor) in the SPS BPA mutually excludes participation (Prime or subcontractor) in the Enterprise, Decennial, or Geospatial BPAs.

L.5.4 RESPONSIBILITY FOR TEAM COMPLIANCE

It is the Quoter’s responsibility to ensure that all proposed subcontractors fully understand and comply with the solicitation’s BPA quoting restrictions. If any proposed subcontractor is found to be in violation of these restrictions, either at submission or at any point during evaluation:

• The non-compliant subcontractor will be removed from the Quoter’s team; and

• If the Quoter relied upon that subcontractor for Demonstrated Prior Experience or

Key Personnel, those portions of the submission will also be removed from consideration.

Removal of such required information may result in the quote being deemed incomplete and non-compliant, and therefore ineligible for award for the affected BPA(s).

L.6. GENERAL

Quoters are instructed to read the entire RFQ document, including all attachments, prior to preparing your quote. Omission of any information from the quotation submission requirements may result in the quote being deemed “Noncompliant” and disqualified from further evaluation.

To aid in the evaluations, quotes shall be clearly and concisely written, neatly prepared, properly indexed, and logically assembled. Quoters are asked to bear in mind that all material submitted should be directly pertinent to the solicitation requirements. Extraneous narratives, elaborate brochures, marketing materials, and so forth, shall not be submitted. All pages of each part shall be appropriately numbered, identified with the name of the Quoter, the date, and the solicitation number to the extent practicable.

Quoter’s submissions shall address all requirements identified in Section L and the evaluation factors set forth in Section M of the solicitation.

In responding to this RFQ, it is the Quoter’s responsibility to provide current, complete, and accurate information in their quotes. If in reviewing the quotes, the Government identifies or otherwise learns that the provided information is not accurate or misrepresents the Quoter’s status or capabilities, that information may be used by the contracting officer to determine the

Quoter not being eligible for award.

Quotes must be received on or before the due dates and times specified in the RFQ, and any subsequent amendments. Only information received on or before the due date and time shall be considered for award. Any submission, modification, or revision received after the time specified for receipt of quotes is “late” and will not be considered unless it is received before award is made AND the Contracting Officer determines that accepting the late quote would not unduly delay the acquisition. Facsimile quotes and hard copy quotes via portal mail will not be accepted.

Quotes shall be submitted via email to Matthew Gore at matthew.s.gore@census.gov and Bryan mailto:matthew.s.gore@census.gov

Shearer at bryan.allan.shearer@census.gov and the submission email shall be entitled “Quoter

Name – (BPA(s))”))

The quotes shall be valid for no less than 210 calendar days from the quote due date. The Quoter shall make a clear statement that the quote is valid for the specified number of calendar dates in the Business & Price Volumes of the quote. The Government reserves the right to request additional information after receipt of the Quoter’s response to the solicitation.

This RFQ does not commit the Government to pay any cost for the preparation and submission of a quote.

Penalty for False Statements: Quoters are advised that 18 U.S.C. 1001 prohibits the knowing and willful submissions of false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements, representations, or certifications to the Government. Any such submission may result in criminal penalties, administrative remedies, elimination from this competition, or other actions as permitted by law.

L.6.1 COMMUNICATIONS

Prior to releasing the Draft RFQ, the Government will issue drafts of Sections C, J, L, and M.

The intent will be to receive questions and comments solely during the pre-solicitation period to identify discrepancies and clarify requirements for the final solicitation.

The Government does not intend to conduct a formal questions & answers (Q&A) period after the final RFQ is issued. However, the Government reserves the right to open an additional round of questions if deemed necessary and in the Government’s best interest.

All correspondence in conjunction with this solicitation must be directed to the Government

Contracting Officer and Contract Specialist identified below:

Contracting Officer: Matthew Gore

E-mail address: matthew.s.gore@census.gov

Contracting Specialist: Bryan Shearer

E-mail address: bryan.allan.shearer@census.gov

L.6.2 ANTICIPATED SOLICITATION SCHEDULE

The dates included in the table below are intended to be helpful with planning purposes and reflect the Government’s anticipated solicitation schedule. It is the Government’s intent to adhere to this schedule. However, these dates are subject to change. Any changes will be clearly communicated to the Quoters.

mailto:bryan.allan.shearer@census.gov mailto:bryan.allan.shearer@census.gov

Table 2. Anticipated Solicitation Milestone Schedule

Activity Anticipated Date

Final RFQ Release May 2026

Phase1 Submission Due May 2026

Advisory Down-Select Notifications, Schedule of Oral Briefings June 2026

Phase 2 Submission Due June 2026

Oral Briefings June – July 2026

CenTAM BPA Award Notifications July 2026

Decennial BPA Order 01 (DTAM) Award Notification July 2026

Geospatial BPA Order 01 (GeoTAM) Award Notification July 2026

L.6.3 QUOTATION PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

The instructions below establish the required format and content so quotes can be evaluated equitably and efficiently.

Two-Phase Process

This solicitation uses a two-phase approach to streamline submissions for each of the 4 BPAs:

• Phase 1 – Demonstrated Prior Experience (Written) o Mandatory. Quoters must submit a Phase 1 response for each BPA they intend to pursue.

• Advisory Notifications: after Phase 1, the Government will advise, per BPA, whether the quoter should proceed to Phase 2.

o Each BPA is evaluated separately and independently and will receive its own individual confidence rating for each Phase 1 Factor.

o A Quoter may be advised to proceed for one BPA (e.g., Decennial) but not for another (e.g., Enterprise).

• Phase 2 – Technical & Management Oral Briefing (Oral & Written); Key

Personnel (Decennial BPA & Geospatial BPA only) (Written); and Price (Written)

NOTE (Decennial and Geospatial dependency on Enterprise): Decennial and Geospatial

BPA work relies extensively on core Enterprise capabilities; therefore, Enterprise topics (Phase

1 Demonstrated Prior Experience Examples #1–4 and Phase 2 Technical & Management Oral

Briefing Topics #1-3) as well as prior experience are required inputs for Decennial and

Geospatial Quoters.

NOTE (SPS independence): The SPS BPA is independent of the Enterprise, Decennial, and

Geospatial BPAs. SPS quoters respond only to SPS-specific requirements.

Quotation Requirements

Table 3 below identifies all required submission files for each Phase, including the applicable format and page or time limits.

For efficiency, Quoters may submit a single, combined file for certain quote requirements when submitting quotes for multiple BPAs. However, some quote requirements must be submitted as separate, stand-alone files for each BPA. The table below identifies, for each requirement, whether a combined file is permitted or whether individual files are required for each BPA submission.

Table 3. Required Files by Phase and Factor

Phase BPA Quote Requirement(s) Format Page/Time

Limit

File Format for Multiple

BPA Quote Submissions

Phase 1

All Quoters

Signed Attestation Adobe PDF 1 page Combined

Subcontractor Letters of

Commitment, if applicable Adobe PDF No Page Limit

Combined

Enterprise

BPA

Demonstrated Prior

Experience

(Examples #1–4)

Adobe PDF 8 pages total for

Examples #1–4

Combined

Decennial

BPA

Demonstrated Prior

Experience

(Examples #1–5)

Adobe PDF

8 pages total for

Examples #1–4 and

2 pages total for

Example #5

Combined

Geospatial

BPA

Demonstrated Prior

Experience

(Examples #1-4 and #6-7)

Adobe PDF

8 pages total for

Examples #1–4 and

4 pages total for

Examples #6-7

Combined

SPS BPA

Demonstrated Prior

Experience

(Examples #8-9)

Adobe PDF 4 pages total for

Examples #8-9

Combined

Advisory Notification

Phase 2

Enterprise

BPA

Oral Briefing

(Topics #1–3)

PowerPoint and Oral

1hr 30mins for

Topics #1–3 Combined

BPA Price Quote MS Word &

Excel N/A Stand-Alone

BPA Business Quote Adobe PDF N/A Stand-Alone

Decennial Oral Briefing PowerPoint 1hr 30mins for Combined

Phase BPA Quote Requirement(s) Format Page/Time

Limit

File Format for Multiple

BPA Quote Submissions

BPA (Topics #1–6) and Oral Topics #1–3 and

1hr 30mins for

Topics #4 - 6

DTAM Order Key Personnel

Resumes Adobe PDF

22 pages (2 pages per resume x 11

KP)

Stand-Alone

BPA Price Quote MS Word &

Excel N/A Stand-Alone

DTAM Price Quote MS Word &

Excel N/A Stand-Alone

BPA Business Quote Adobe PDF N/A Stand-Alone

Geospatial

BPA

Oral Briefing

(Topics #1–3 and #7–8)

PowerPoint and Oral

1hr 30mins for

Topics #1–3 and

1hr for Topics

#7-8

Combined

GeoTAM Order Key Personnel

Resumes Adobe PDF

4 pages (2 pages per resume x 2 KP)

Stand-Alone

BPA Price Quote MS Word &

Excel N/A Stand-Alone

GeoTAM Price Quote MS Word &

Excel N/A Stand-Alone

BPA Business Quote Adobe PDF N/A Stand-Alone

SPS BPA

Oral Briefing

(Topics #9–13)

PowerPoint and Oral

2hr 30mins for

Topics #9-13 Combined

BPA Price Quote MS Word &

Excel N/A Stand-Alone

BPA Business Quote Adobe PDF N/A Stand-Alone

File Packaging & Naming

• Phase 1:

o Signed Attestation (Combined File), for example:

• "[Quoter Name] –Signed Attestation

(Enterprise+Decennial+Geospatial).pdf"

• or "[Quoter Name] – Signed Attestation (SPS).pdf" o Demonstrated Prior Experience (Combined File), for example:

• "[Quoter Name] – Experience (Enterprise+Geospatial).pdf" o Subcontractor Letters of Commitment, if applicable (Combined File), for example:

• "[Quoter Name] – Experience (Enterprise+Geospatial).pdf"

• Phase 2:

o Oral Briefing (Combined File), for example:

• "[Quoter Name] – Phase 2 Oral (Enterprise+Decennial).pptx" o Price Quote (Stand-Alone Files), for example:

• "[Quoter Name] – Price – Enterprise.xlsx"

• "[Quoter Name] – Price – Decennial.xlsx"

• "[Quoter Name] – Price – DTAM.xlsx"

• "[Quoter Name] – Price – Geospatial.xlsx"

• "[Quoter Name] – Price – GeoTAM.xlsx"

• "[Quoter Name] – Price – SPS.xlsx" o Key Personnel (Decennial & Geospatial BPAs only; Stand-Alone Files), for example:

• "[Quoter Name] – Phase 2 Key Personnel – Decennial (DTAM).docx"

• "[Quoter Name] – Phase 2 Key Personnel – Geospatial (GeoTAM).docx" o Business Quote (Stand-Alone Files), for example:

• "[Quoter Name] – Business – Enterprise.xlsx"

• "[Quoter Name] – Business – Decennial.xlsx" (plus DTAM files)

• "[Quoter Name] – Business – Geospatial.xlsx"

• "[Quoter Name] – Business – SPS.xlsx"

Size & Structure: Individual file sizes shall not exceed 20MB. NOTE: if the Quoter’s file exceeds the maximum upload size, the Quoter may submit the document in multiple parts, notating the parts in the file name (e.g., Part 1, Part 2, etc.).

Formatting Standards:

• All quotes’ pages shall be single sided and formatted for standard 8.5 x 11 paper size.

• The font size shall be 12-point Times New Roman. Font in tables, charts, and other graphic illustrations shall be no smaller than 10-point Times New Roman.

• Each page shall have at least one-inch margins on each side of the page. Header/footer information (which shall not include any information to be evaluated) may be contained in the one-inch margin space.

• Government-provided attachments (solicitation source files) may contain fonts or margins other than the type and size listed above. Quoters may submit completed attachments preserving the source file font types and sizes.

• Government-provided attachments may NOT be augmented to contain information not immediately relevant to the attachment’s content or which reference other quotes sections to circumvent page count limits.

L.6.4 ASSUMPTIONS, CONDITIONS, OR EXCEPTIONS

Within the appropriate quotation, the Quoter shall make a definitive statement as to whether any exceptions were taken to any terms and conditions contained in the RFQ or whether assumptions were made concerning portions of this RFQ. All exceptions and assumptions will be detailed with location information of where they are found in the RFQ and the quote.

L.7. PHASE 1 INSTRUCTIONS

Phase 1 will consist of the following submissions:

• Signed Attestation

• Demonstrated Prior Experience

Subcontractor Letter of Commitment (if applicable)

L.7.1 SIGNED ATTESTATION

With the Phase 1 submission, Quoters shall include a signed attestation that:

• Identifies the specific BPA(s) for which the Quoter is submitting a quote;

• Acknowledges and agrees to the BPA quotation restrictions contained in this solicitation; and

• Lists all subcontractors the Quoter intends to utilize under any resulting BPA award.

L.7.2 DEMONSTRATED PRIOR EXPERIENCE

Combined Response for Multiple BPAs:

Quoters submitting for one or more BPAs shall submit their Demonstrated Prior Experience responses in one combined file and provide demonstrated prior experience for all relevant

BPAs, per Table 4. Demonstrated Prior Experience Requirements, for example:

• If submitting quotes for Enterprise and Decennial, the Quoter must respond to

Demonstrated Prior Experience Examples #1 - 5.

• If submitting a quote for Decennial, the Quoter must respond to Demonstrated Prior

Experience Examples #1 - 5.

• If submitting a quote for Geospatial, the Quoter must respond to Demonstrated Prior

Experience Examples #1 – 4 and #6-7.

• If submitting a quote for SPS, the Quoter must respond to Demonstrated Prior

Experience Examples #8-9.

Table 4. Demonstrated Prior Experience Requirements

Page Limit Demonstrated Prior

Experience

Enterprise

BPA

Decennial

BPA

Geospatial

BPA

SPS BPA

8 pages total for

#1-4

Example #1: Application

Modernization using

Open Source

X X X

Example #2: Cloud

Application

Modernization

X X X

Example #3: Advanced

Data Science including

Artificial Intelligence

(AI) & Machine

Learning (AI/ML)

X X X

Example #4:

Organizational Change

Management & Training

X X X

2 pages total for #5

Example #5: Data

Architecture X

4 pages total for #6 and 7

Example #6: Geospatial

Data Management X

Example #7: Geospatial

Application and Data

Modernization

X

Page Limit Demonstrated Prior

Experience

Enterprise

BPA

Decennial

BPA

Geospatial

BPA

SPS BPA

4 pages total for

#8 & 9

Example #8:

Implementation, Change Management, and Governance

X

Example #9:

Architecture and

Engineering

X

The page limits established for the Demonstrated Prior Experience are strict and will not be increased for any reason. Offerors are responsible for ensuring their submission comply with the specified page limitations.

Any content that exceeds the stated page limits will not be reviewed or evaluated by the

Government. Only the material that falls within the permitted page limit will be considered in the evaluation.

Demonstrated Prior Experience Requirements:

For each demonstrated prior experience example, the Quoter must include the following:

• Contract/call order/agreement number

• Brief scope of work

• Period of performance

• Total contract value

• Total obligated dollars

• Customer

• Role performed on experience example (prime or subcontractor)

• Partners/team members, if applicable

• Reference point of contact (name, title, email, and phone number)

The Government may contact the Reference POC to confirm the level and quality of the demonstrated prior experience submissions. In addition, the Government reserves the right to review any information contained within the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting

System (CPARS) or any other Government system, source, or individual.

Recency Requirement:

Unless otherwise stated, each Demonstrated Prior Experience example must meet the following recency standards:

The work must have been performed within five (5) years immediately preceding the quotation submission date.

• If the experience example is based on a current, ongoing contract, the Quoter, or subcontractor, must have completed at least six (6) months of performance as of the proposal submission date for the experience to be considered.

Additional Requirements:

Each Demonstrated Prior Experience example must be the performance of the entity submitting the quotation or from a proposed subcontractor. The Government will not accept experience from any affiliated, subsidiary, parent, or otherwise related organization.

At least one prior experience must be from the Prime Quoter. If the Prime is a JV or

MPJV (possessing the requisite MAS), then at least one prior experience must be from the JV Managing Partner.

• Demonstrated Prior Experience examples may be experience as the Prime or subcontractor.

• Demonstrated Prior Experience examples cannot be repeated across examples within a single BPA response.

• Responses should be numbered, follow the requested order, and clearly demonstrate how each requirement is met.

L.7.3 DEMONSTRATED PRIOR EXPERIENCE EXAMPLES

Prior Experience Example #1 - Application Modernization using Open Source (Enterprise, Decennial, Geospatial)

The Quoter shall provide the following information for one prior experience for a U.S. Federal agency in which they provided application development services to modernize a large mission critical application from a legacy on-premises COTS / proprietary technology platform to a cloud- native, open-source based technology platform:

• A high-level overview of the functional scope of the application and how it fits into the federal agency’s mission.

A technical overview of the application to include: i) the pre-modernization on-premises technology stack (tools, languages, frameworks, database, storage, operating system, security, etc.) and size (hereinafter size refers to data storage, transactions per day, number of interfaces, number of microservices, code size, etc.) and ii) the post-modernization cloud technology stack, including open-source languages used, and size. What criteria was used to determine the post-modernization technology stack?

The open-source technologies (e.g., code, libraries, solutions, etc.) used and the approach for i) accessing and ii) updating / maintaining the code within the federal IT environment so that reliability, scalability, security, and licensing needs are continually met.

The method used to integrate security early in the development lifecycle, implement automated testing (including unit, integration, and security tests), and manage automated releases. Provide details on the tools, processes, and any challenges faced in maintaining security, testing reliability, and deployment efficiency.

The steps taken to ensure compliance, security, reliability, and support for the open-source tools used in the post-modernization application.

Prior Experience Example #2 – Cloud Application Modernization (Enterprise, Decennial, Geospatial)

The Quoter shall provide the following information for one prior experience for a U.S. Federal agency in which they provided architecture, engineering, and software development services to modernize a portfolio of survey lifecycle applications (systems for data ingest, extraction, transformation, editing, imputation, weighting, review, analysis, disclosure avoidance, and dissemination), with diverse technology stacks and a variety of workload profiles, going from legacy on-premises applications to cloud-native applications:

• A high-level overview of the functional scope of the portfolio of applications and how it fits into the federal agency’s mission.

The technical overview of the portfolio to include: i) pre-modernization architecture, technology stack and size and ii) post-modernization architecture, technology stack and size.

The approach and decision criteria used to perform application rationalization and modernization prioritization.

Examples of how cloud-native services for different workloads was utilized.

The approach and decision criteria used to perform the modernization of applications and services used to perform modernization of applications and services, including but not limited to software development practices, languages, etc.

The Government desires that a significant portion of the portfolio progress from initial discovery through final production go0live within approximately two years.

For reference, survey lifecycle applications refer to the suite of software tools and systems that support the entire process of conducting surveys and censuses. These applications manage various stages of the survey lifecycle, including:

• Design and Planning: Tools for designing survey instruments, sampling methods, and data collection strategies.

• Data Collection: Applications that facilitate the gathering of data through various modes, such as online surveys, paper, telephone interviews, and field enumeration.

• Data Processing: Systems for cleaning, validating, and processing the collected data to ensure accuracy and consistency.

• Data Analysis: Tools that enable statisticians and analysts to interpret the data, generate insights, and produce statistical reports.

• Dissemination: Applications that support the publication and distribution of survey results to stakeholders, policymakers, and the public.

• Evaluation and Feedback: Systems for assessing the effectiveness of the survey process and incorporating feedback for future improvements.

These applications are integral to ensure that the Census Bureau can efficiently and accurately conduct its surveys and censuses, providing valuable data for decision-making and policy development.

Prior Experience Example #3 - Advanced Data Science including Artificial Intelligence

(AI) & Machine Learning (ML) (Enterprise, Decennial, Geospatial)

The Quoter shall provide the following information for one prior experience for a mission critical production application for a U.S. Federal agency in which they successfully developed, deployed, and maintained advanced data science including artificial intelligence and/or machine learning for data processing application data using open-source programming in a cloud environment:

• A high-level overview of the objective of the project, the functional scope for the use of advanced data science, and the logical foundation for the application of advanced data science to the project.

• A technical overview that includes solution architecture: i) the software / languages and packages / models used, ii) size, type, and preparation of data, iii) development, training, evaluation, and scaling of models and the AI/ML pipeline, and iv) analysis and visualization of data or results to extract actionable insight.

• The lessons learned and adaptations or adjustments implemented post-production.

• An overview of how the security review, authorization, and governance of AI/ML in a federal government environment was achieved.

Prior Experience Example #4 – Organizational Change Management & Training

(Enterprise, Decennial, Geospatial)

The Census Bureau seeks to drive transformative change through the implementation of innovative digital solutions and a robust organizational change management strategy. A key objective is to upskill the federal workforce in cutting-edge technologies such as cloud computing, cloud-native development, and advanced data science, including artificial intelligence. This will be achieved through a collaborative approach where contractors not only deliver high-quality technical solutions that meet stringent requirements, schedules, and budgetary constraints but also actively mentor and educate federal employees. Success will be measured by the successful adoption of these new technologies and the demonstrated ability of federal employees to become fully productive and independent contributors within these domains.

This strategy aligns with the broader federal mandate to reskill the workforce for the digital age, addressing skill gaps in critical areas such as cybersecurity, cloud computing, advanced data science and artificial intelligence, emerging technology, and other IT disciplines. By fostering a culture of continuous learning and upskilling, the Census Bureau aims to enhance employee engagement, improve performance management, and ensure our workforce is equipped to leverage emerging technologies effectively.

The Quoter shall provide their prior experience demonstrating their expertise in implementing organizational change management initiatives with federal staff that fostered a culture of continuous learning and upskilling in cloud architecture, cloud engineering, cloud native application development, advanced data science including artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. The Quoter’s response shall include the following:

• The objective and scope of each initiative.

The strategies and methodologies employed to manage organizational change and encourage continuous learning for federal staff.

An explanation on how they ensured successful adoption of new technologies, methodologies, and best practices among the federal employees with development teams.

Educational programs or training implemented/offered to enhance federal employees’ skills.

Metrics used to measure success, such as federal employee adoption rates, skill enhancement levels, project performance improvements, and overall impact on organizational goals. Please provide the associated quantifiable data.

Challenges encountered during each initiative and how they were mitigated and resolved.

The role of government leadership and stakeholder engagement in the success of these initiatives.

Prior Experience Example #5 –Data Architecture (Decennial)

The USCB manages a complex portfolio of more than 100 enterprise and mission applications supporting multiple programs, including the 2030 Decennial Census. Our objective is to manage solutions from a wide variety of service providers (i.e., enterprise infrastructure, Census Business

Ecosystem (BE), third- party contractors, internally purpose-built systems, SaaS solution providers, etc.) in an organized and consistent manner while balancing multiple and/or competing priorities.

Additionally, the 2030 Decennial Census Program is seeking to modernize its approach to the enterprise data ecosystem, to include data governance and supporting processes, through the implementation of modern, open-source, cloud-native technologies and services (including

AI/ML), supporting data capture and ingestion, data processing environments, data quality analysis, data storage, and many other data-centric functions.

The Quoter shall describe one prior experience covering:

a) Managing a large-scale enterprise IT program involving multiple Agile delivery teams responsible for interdependent System-of-Systems. This includes establishing program-level coordination and governance to oversee SDLC activities, manage cross-team dependencies and integrations, align delivery timelines across projects, and provide consolidated reporting and oversight for stakeholders. Include examples of the structures, practices, planning cadences, and tracking mechanisms implemented to ensure effective collaboration, transparency, and delivery process.

• Coordinating large-scale, cross-program IT initiatives involving the integration of diverse systems with varying levels of maturity in cloud-native and modular architectures. Given the complexities involved, such as ensuring effective interoperability, data synchronization and managing dependencies across multiple systems and providers.

• Implementing SAFe to manage large-scale, cross-program IT initiatives, particularly those involving the integration of diverse systems with varying levels of maturity in cloud-native and modular architectures. Given the complexities involved, such as ensuring effective interoperability, data synchronization, and managing dependencies, the Quoter shall also include how the implementation supports collaboration across teams, prioritized work, and will be aligned to a shared vision for delivering business value.

• Evaluating existing System of Systems architectures, data architectures, and data governance processes, perform a gap analysis based on current and future needs, make recommendations, develop a roadmap, and design a data architecture platform and governance processes to modernize and implement an enterprise-class data ecosystem that is scoped to handle petabytes of data from multiple internal and external sources.

The Quoter’s response shall include, but is not limited to, their experience with:

o Data Quality and Integrity o Data Governance o AI/ML o Security and Compliance (to include Zero-Trust and MFA design and implementation) o Integration o Scalability and Performance o Legacy Systems o Cost Management o Data Accessibility o Data Access o Real- and Near-time ingestion and processing

Prior Experience Example #6 - Geospatial Data Management (Geospatial ONLY)

The Quoter shall provide the following information for one prior experience for a U.S. Federal agency in which it managed and analyzed large, complex national geospatial databases using the

Oracle Spatial and the Topology Data Model, encompassing data types like addresses, boundaries, and roads:

• A high-level overview of the geospatial database that was managed, including the functional scope (with attributes such as addresses, boundaries, and roads data) and the technical architecture, stack and size.

The subject matter expertise of topology and geospatial management provided using industry standards.

The subject matter expertise provided, and federal government experience obtained with national address datasets, including the implementation of address standardizing, matching, and geocoding across many levels of geography.

Prior Experience Example #7 – Geospatial Application and Data Modernization

(Geospatial ONLY)

The Quoter shall provide the following information for one prior experience for a U.S. Federal agency in which they have managed geospatial data databases similar to the MAF/TIGER

System. Their experience should include the migration of applications to open-source alternatives, managing system performance and vulnerabilities, refactoring legacy applications, and management of interactive applications designed to support the review and update of geospatial data.

• The key technical and functional considerations used when refactoring geospatial data and capabilities to an open-source alternative.

The compatibility and performance challenges during this process and how they were addressed.

The subject matter expertise provided, and federal government experience obtained in refactoring legacy spatial applications into modern, open-source, cloud-native solutions. This includes the optimization of batch applications that manage large volumes of geospatial data, involving ETL processes, quality edits, and data processing.

The subject matter expertise provided, and corporate experience obtained with interactive applications that support visual geospatial functionality, including editing, validating, and updating geospatial databases for a significant number of concurrent users.

Prior Experience Example #8 – Implementation, Change Management, and Governance

(SPS ONLY)

The Quoter shall provide the following information for one relevant prior experience for a U.S.

Federal agency in which they have successfully demonstrated the ability to implement processes, procedures, and governance frameworks to ensure the effective management, execution, and delivery of large-scale projects and programs that directly implement major technology transformation. This should include strategic oversight, change management, continuous process improvement, and effective coordination between infrastructure and system/application teams throughout the project or program lifecycle.

NOTE: The government is only interested in major transformations in which the agency modernized its technologies and/or modernized its overall approach to using new technologies.

• High-Level Overview of the Project or Program: Provide a summary of the project or program, including its objectives, functional scope, and alignment with the federal agency’s mission. Outline how governance structures and processes helped ensure successful coordination and delivery, to meet operational requirements.

• Project and Program Management Approach: Describe the overall project or program management methodology employed, including any frameworks (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, Hybrid) used to govern project execution. Detail how key project management principles—such as scope management, risk management, resource allocation, and quality assurance—were applied to ensure successful implementation.

• Change Management Strategy: Outline the approach and tools used to manage organizational change during the project or program. Describe how the agency’s stakeholders were identified, engaged, and supported through the transition. Explain how the collaboration between infrastructure and system/application teams was managed to support smooth transitions, minimize disruptions, and foster adoption of new systems and processes.

• Governance and Oversight Framework: Detail the governance framework established to ensure alignment with both project goals and organizational priorities.

This includes oversight mechanisms, decision-making processes, accountability structures, and risk management protocols. Explain how governance supported effective coordination between teams, ensured alignment of infrastructure and application efforts, and drove resolution of cross-team issues. Describe the processes and procedures put in place to manage the day-to-day execution of the project or program.

• Ownership of Coordination Between Infrastructure and System/Application

Teams: Explain how you took ownership of managing the coordination and alignment between infrastructure teams and system/application teams. Describe the mechanisms used to ensure that infrastructure changes and application requirements were aligned, minimizing conflicts, and promoting cross-functional collaboration throughout the project lifecycle. Describe how decisions were made regarding resource allocation, scheduling adjustments, and scope changes, and how these decisions were communicated and coordinated between infrastructure and system/application teams to ensure smooth project execution.

Prior Experience Example #9 – Architecture and Engineering (SPS ONLY)

The Quoter shall provide the following information for one prior experience for a U.S. Federal agency in which they have provided architecture and engineering services to modernize enterprise applications and capabilities, with diverse technology stacks and a variety of workload profiles, going from legacy on-premises applications to cloud-native applications.

The Quoter’s response shall include:

• A high-level overview of the functional scope of the applications and how it fits into the federal agency’s mission.

The technical overview of the applications to include: i) the pre-modernization technology stack and size and ii) the post-modernization technology stack and size.

The approach and decision criteria used in performing the current state assessment and developing recommendations for the modernization of target-state architecture.

The approach and decision criteria used to perform application rationalization and modernization prioritization.

The approach and decision criteria used in performing current state assessment and developing recommendations for modernization of system engineering and infrastructure engineering processes, procedures, and practices.

L.7.4 SUBCONTRACTOR LETTER OF COMMITMENT

If a Quoter relies, or plans to rely, on a proposed subcontractor for any portion of their Demonstrated Prior Experience or Key Personnel, the Quoter shall provide a Subcontractor Letter of Commitment for that subcontractor as part of its Phase 1 submission.

All quotation restrictions contained in this solicitation apply to all subcontractors. Each Quoter is responsible for ensuring that subcontractors understand and comply with those restrictions.

The purpose of these letters is to support the Government’s validation of:

• Any Demonstrated Prior Experience provided by a subcontractor; and/or

• Any Key Personnel identified by the Quoter who are employed by, or contingent hires to, that subcontractor.

The Government will not consider subcontractor experience or key personnel proposed by a

Quoter if a conforming Subcontractor Letter of Commitment is not provided.

For a Subcontractor Letter of Commitment to be considered conforming, it must include the following information. Any additional information will NOT be reviewed and the Government may consider the Quoter’s inability to follow instructions in its holistic evaluation of

Demonstrated Prior Experience:

• Commitment Statement: A statement confirming the subcontractor’s commitment to support the Prime Quoter in performing BPA orders under any resulting BPA.

• Authorization to Use Experience/Personnel: A statement authorizing the Prime Quoter to use the subcontractor’s Demonstrated Prior Experience and/or Key Personnel in its

BPA quote(s).

• Prime Quoter & Subcontract Identification: Legal name and Unique Entity ID (UEI) of the Prime Quoter and proposed subcontractor.

• Validation Contact Information: Name, phone number, and email address of the subcontractor representative authorized to validate the letter’s content.

L.8. ADVISORY NOTIFICATION

After the Government completes Phase 1 evaluations, Quoters will receive an advisory notification via email from the Contracting Officer. This notification will provide the

Government’s recommendation on whether the Quoter should proceed with a Phase 2 submission for each BPA individually.

Separate and Independent BPA Evaluations:

Each BPA (Enterprise, Decennial, Geospatial, (SPS) quote will be evaluated separately and independently based on its unique requirements.

• Each BPA quote will receive its own individual and independent confidence rating for the Demonstrated Prior Experience Factor.

• If a Quoter submitted for multiple BPAs, being advised to proceed for one BPA does not guarantee they will be advised to proceed for another.

Rated Most Highly Quoters:

The most highly rated Quoters for the Demonstrated Prior Experience Factor for each specific

BPA will be advised to proceed to Phase 2 for that BPA.

Rated Not Among the Most Highly Quoters:

Quoters who are not among the most highly rated for a specific BPA will be advised that they are unlikely to be a viable competitor for that BPA.

Important Notes:

• The Government’s recommendation is advisory only. Quoters who are advised not to proceed may still elect to continue participation in Phase 2.

• The intent of this advisory is to minimize quotation development costs for Quoters with little to no chance of award.

Phase 1 is mandatory. Failure to participate in Phase 1 will preclude further consideration. Quoters who do not submit a Phase 1 quotation will not be allowed to participate in Phase 2.

Phase 1 Brief Explanations:

The Government does not intend to provide brief explanations following the issuance of advisory notifications.

Phase 2 Intent Confirmation:

All Quoters who choose to participate in Phase 2 shall send an email to Matthew Gore at matthew.s.gore@census.gov and Bryan Shearer at bryan.allan.shearer@census.gov no later than the date specified in the advisory notification, indicating their intent to participate in

Phase 2.

mailto:bryan.allan.shearer@census.gov

Failure to respond within the specified timeframe may preclude further consideration for award. The advisory notification will include further details.

L.9. PHASE 2 INSTRUCTIONS

Phase 2 will consist of the following submissions for all BPA’s as described below:

• Technical & Management Oral Briefing (Oral & Written Slides)

• Key Personnel Resumes (DECENNIAL BPA & GEOSPATIAL BPA ONLY)

(Written)

• Price Quotation (Written)

• BPA Business Quotation (Written)

Mandatory Participation:

To be eligible for award, Quoters must participate in the Technical & Management Oral

Briefings relevant to the BPA(s) they submitted quotes for in Phase 1. Failure to participate in the Technical & Management Oral Briefings associated with the BPA for which a quote was previously submitted will result in the response being considered non-compliant for that BPA, and the Quoter will be ineligible for that BPA award.

L.9.1 TECHNICAL & MANAGEMENT ORAL BRIEFINGS

Single Briefing for Multiple BPAs:

Quoters shall prepare and deliver one combined briefing covering all BPA(s) for which they are submitting a quote in Phase 2. For example:

• If submitting a quote for Enterprise & Decennial, prepare one combined briefing covering Topics #1 - 6.

• If submitting a quote for Decennial, the briefing must include Topics #1-6.

• If submitting a quote for Geospatial, the briefing must include Topics #1 – 3 and #7 –

8.

• If submitting a quote for SPS, the briefing must include Topics #9 -13.

Table 5: Technical & Management Oral Briefing Topics

Time

Limit Oral Briefing Topics

Enterprise

BPA

Decennial

BPA

Geospatial

BPA

SPS

BPA

1hr 30 mins

Topic #1: Enterprise Contract Management, Teaming & Staffing X X X

Topic #2: Data Collection and Ingestion X X X

Topic #3: Data Processing and Data Quality X X X

Time

Limit Oral Briefing Topics

Enterprise

BPA

Decennial

BPA

Geospatial

BPA

SPS

BPA

1hr 30 mins

Topic #4: Decennial Contract Management

& Staffing

Topic #5: System of Systems Engineering and Architecture

Topic #6: Security

1hr

Topic #7: Geospatial Data Management

Topic #8: Staffing, Contract, and Risk

Management X

2hrs

Topic #9: SPS Contract Staffing X

Topic #10: Program Level Testing X

Topic #11: Systems Engineering and

Architecture X

Topic #12: Security X

Briefing Format and Timing:

The Government intends for the Oral Briefings to follow the format and time allocations in Table

5. Quoters are responsible for managing briefing flow and slide coverage within the allotted time.

Material not presented within the established time limit will not be considered or evaluated by the Government.

The Oral Briefing allows the Government to assess its level of confidence in the Quoter’s technical and management approach based on the selected topics and the interactive dialogue conducted during the session.

Slides must use:

Minimum 18-point Times New Roman for text

• Minimum 12-point for graphics or tables

Standard (4:3) slide format

Only content delivered verbally during the Oral Briefing will be evaluated, although slides may be used as a reference for evaluation on covered topics discussed during the oral briefing.

Oral Briefing Logistics:

• The order in which Quoters are scheduled for Oral Briefings will be determined by the Government.

• Detailed requirements for each of the Oral Briefing topics will be provided by the

Government at least 1 week prior to the start of their scheduled Oral Briefing.

• Oral Briefings will be held via video conferencing. Quoters and the Government attendees will participate remotely.

• The briefing may be recorded by the Government. The Quoter SHALL NOT record any part of the briefing.

Oral Briefing Team Composition:

The Quoter’s Oral Briefing team is limited to five (5) individuals who must be current or contingent employees of the Prime Contractor or its identified subcontractors.

For Quoters bidding ONLY for the Enterprise BPA or SPS BPA, Key Personnel participation is not expected, however subject-matter experts who can effectively address the relevant topics are encouraged.

For Decennial BPA and Geospatial BPA, the Government encourages Quoters to include subject-matter experts who can effectively address the relevant topics. Attendance by Key

Personnel is optional but encouraged.

Recommended Personnel for Oral Briefings:

While not mandatory, the Government recommends that Quoters include personnel with the technical…