PTAG RFI PTSR.pdf

CUI//SP-PROCURE

Controlled by: United States Patent and Trademark Office, OCAO, RICPO, 571-272-9990

PATENT TECHNICAL SERVICES (PTS)

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION & NOTICE OF VENDOR ENGAGEMENT

SMALL BUSINESS ONLY

November 19, 2025

Facilitated by the Office for the Chief Financial Officer, Office of Procurement

Contents I. Introduction & Submission Instructions

II. Attachments

I. Introduction & Submission Instructions

The United States Department of Commerce seeks to broaden its understanding of the commercial marketplace in order to understand vendor capabilities and experience in processing, tracking and reviewing complex federal records. The USPTO has included draft Statement of Work (SOW) that outlines the requirements.

The Government contemplates utilizing the Alternative Competition Method in accordance with the Patent and Trademark Office Acquisition Guidelines (PTAG) and the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act 35 U.S.C. 2(b)(4)(A). This Request for Information (RFI) is intended as preliminary market information gathering which the USPTO will use to determine which vendor(s) is/are the most likely to successfully meet the agency’s needs and are thereby eligible to participate in an alternative competition. As a result of this market research, the solicitation will only be issued to the limited number of qualified vendor(s). Vendors that do not respond to the RFI will not be considered for the alternative competition, and will not be eligible to compete as a prime offeror. Submission of an RFI response does not guarantee a vendor’s eligibility to compete for PTS.

This RFI is not a request for competitive proposals.

The Government will not utilize formal evaluation criteria for market research associated with PTAG 6.1.1. The Government will review RFI responses to determine which vendor(s) are most likely to successfully meet the agency’s requirements for Patent Technical Services (PTS).

This RFI is not a solicitation and does not constitute a request for quotation or proposal. The USPTO is not seeking or accepting unsolicited proposals. There is no USPTO commitment or implied agreement or understanding as a result of Government action or inaction taken in response to the RFI or the accompanying documents. Telephone calls requesting a solicitation will not be accepted or acknowledged. Participation in this effort is strictly voluntary. No entitlement to payment will arise as a result of submission of a response to the RFI. Any cost for submission of responses or associated activities are at the interested respondent’s risk and interested respondent’s expense. The USPTO is not liable for costs (direct or indirect) associated with the preparation, submission, or responses to this RFI, including any costs associated with the meetings, follow on questions or additional requests for information, if any. USPTO will not reimburse the respondent for any costs incurred with responding to the RFI.

This RFI will consist of two phases as outlined below and additional information can be found in the submission instructions section of this RFI:

Phase 1: Demonstrated Past Experience Phase 2: Interactive One-on-One Dialogue

The USPTO reserves the right to requesting additional documentation or conduct additional one on one market research sessions with any of the respondent(s) of this RFI, if required.

Submission Instructions

A. Phase 1 Instructions

The following shall be completed and submitted in Word:

1. Corporate Profile – Attachment 1

2. Federal/State Past Experience References – Attachment 2

3. Phase 1 Questions – Attachment 3

a. Completion of all RFI Phase 1 Attachments

b. Respondents are responsible for ensuring each response is complete and comprehensive and exemplifies the respondent’s experience performing similar critical and complex requirements.

c. 12 Font and 5,000-character (no spaces) count limitation per question (Attachment 3)

d. The Government reserves the right to contact any point of contact included in RFI submission.

e. The Government will consider each Respondent’s Phase 1 submission to determine which vendor(s) are most likely to successfully meet the agency’s requirements for Patent Technical Services (PTS) based on the responses to questions and if applicable, any one-on-one session/additional documentation. Only respondents that are determined most likely to successfully meet the agencies needs will be invited to participate in Phase 2.

Questions regarding this RFI shall be submitted via email to Brian Carper; Brian.Carper@uspto.gov and Whitney Lee; Whitney.Lee@uspto.gov, using the following email subject format: “PTS RFI Questions - Company Name”. Questions are due no later than 10:00 a.m. ET on November 25, 2025.

All final RFI responses shall be submitted via email to Brian Carper; Brian.Carper@uspto.gov and Whitney Lee; Whitney.Lee@uspto.gov, using the following email subject format: “PTS RFI Response - Company Name”. RFI responses are due no later than 10:00 a.m. ET on December 10, 2025.

Please do not submit additional marketing materials or other unsolicited information, as they will not be considered.

Proprietary information submitted in response to this RFI will be protected from unauthorized disclosure as required by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). In their RFI submission email, vendors shall clearly identify any pages that contain proprietary information.

B. Phase 2 Instructions

The Government will advise the vendor(s) of the date and time of their interactive one-on-one dialogue, which is anticipated to be held between January 5, 2026 – January 9, 2026. The Government reserves the right to ask questions prior to, during or after the interactive one-on-one dialogue. Respondents will have ~90 minutes to answer on-the-spot questions demonstrating your capabilities and ability to successfully meet the needs of the Government.

mailto:Brian.Carper@uspto.gov mailto:Whitney.Lee@uspto.gov mailto:Brian.Carper@uspto.gov mailto:Whitney.Lee@uspto.gov

The Government will consider each Respondent’s interactive one-on-one dialogue to determine which vendor(s) are most likely to successfully meet the agency’s requirements for Patent Technical Services (PTS) based on the technical responses to questions.

The interactive one-on-one dialogue consists of the following:

One-on-One Component Notional Time Allotment Introduction and rules of engagement ~5-minutes Government and Respondent will participate on an interactive one-on-one oral dialog where the Respondent will answer on-the-spot questions to demonstrate their capabilities and abilities.

~85-minute

Logistics:

• Location: Interactive one-on-one dialogue will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams video conferencing. If vendor cannot access Microsoft Teams, they shall advise the Contracting Officer immediately so that an alternative platform can be discussed, requested, and approved prior to the meeting. The order in which respondent(s) are scheduled for the dialogue will be randomly selected by the USPTO.

• Respondent Participants: The Respondent’s team is limited to five (5) participants, three (3) of whom must be current employees of the Prime (two (2) may be subcontractors or consultants).

An individual shall not participate in more than one Respondent’s one-on-one dialogue.

• The Respondent shall not make any reference to price during the dialogue.

• No requests to reschedule dialogues will be permitted.

II. Attachments

A. Corporate Profile – Attachment 1 B. Federal/State Past Performance – Attachment 2 C. Phase 1 Questions – Attachment 3 D. PTS Draft Statement of Work– Attachment 4 E. PTS Volume Schedule – Attachment 5

II. Attachments