Final Draft_RFI 0325.pdf

Request for Information (RFI)

Website/App Development for Relocation Resources for Prospective Applicants of U.S. Customs and Border Protection

This is a request for information (RFI) pursuant to FAR 15.201(e). This RFI is solely for information, planning purposes, and market research only; it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quotation (RFQ), or a promise to issue an RFP or RFQ. This RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service.

CBP will not pay for any costs associated with responding to this RFI. All costs will be solely at the interested party's expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP or RFQ. If CBP releases a solicitation, it will be posted on the System for Award Management (SAM.gov). CBP advises interested parties to monitor this website for any information that may pertain to this RFI. The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. A Vendor’s response to this RFI should address all questions in Sections 3 and 4 of this RFI. All responses become the property of the Federal Government upon submission and will not be returned to vendors.

1. Introduction

U.S Customs and Border Protection is seeking qualified vendors to develop a user-friendly, web-based platform or mobile application to assist prospective job applicants who have been given a job offer and may need to relocate for a position within our organization. The platform will provide critical community-specific information to help applicants make informed decisions about relocation. This community information should include (but not be limited to): real estate (shopping tool), school information/ratings, home values, weather reporting, other community info (e.g. demographics, population, amenities, etc) crime rates, public transportation, ability to compare two communities with each other, moving companies/local moving services logistics and recommendations, moving/settling checklists and tips. The platform must meet specific usability, accessibility, and technical standards to ensure it delivers a seamless experience across multiple devices.

We invite interested vendors to submit their qualifications, along with a detailed description of how they will meet the baseline functionality expectations for the platform.

2. Project Overview

The Government/CBP seeks a solution that will:

• Provide detailed, localized community information such as housing prices, schools, cost of living, local amenities, and community resources for prospective applicants.

• Allow applicants to search for information by city, county, or state, and must include community information on all CBP duty stations and nearby communities within a 100 mile radius.

• Ensure a seamless user experience across devices, including desktops, tablets, and mobile phones (Android & iOS).

3. Basic Functionality Expectations

The platform must meet the following core functional and technical expectations, and interested vendors should provide a detailed description of how they will achieve these requirements:

• Effective and Intuitive Navigation:

o Baseline Expectation: The website or app must have an easy-to-navigate interface with clear and logical menus, breadcrumbs, and search functionality and training on how to navigate for the end user.

o Vendor’s Response: Describe how you will design the site’s navigation to ensure users can learn and easily access community data, search results, and customizable reports. Include details on menu structure, use of icons, and search/filter mechanisms.

• Fast Load Times:

o Baseline Expectation: Pages must load quickly (ideally within 3 seconds), ensuring a smooth user experience.

o Vendor’s Response: Outline the strategies you will use to optimize page load times, such as image compression, lazy loading, minimizing HTTP requests, and using a content delivery network (CDN). How will you ensure that performance remains consistent across devices?

• Browser Consistency:

o Baseline Expectation: The platform must render correctly on all major browsers

(Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, etc.) and their latest versions.

o Vendor’s Response: Detail how you will ensure cross-browser compatibility.

Will you be using responsive design frameworks (e.g., Bootstrap) or testing tools to ensure consistent behavior across browsers?

• Usable Forms:

o Baseline Expectation: Forms (e.g., contact forms, community report generation, search) must be easy to use, with clear labels, validation, and proper error handling.

o Vendor’s Response: Describe how you will design the forms to be intuitive and user-friendly, ensuring appropriate field validation and error messages. How will you handle form submission on mobile devices?

• Data and Reporting:

o Baseline Expectation: The product should have reporting capabilities that will provide information on website/app usage, e.g. how often it’s used, most searched locations, amenities of higher interest, etc. Data/reporting pulls should be accessible by CBP or through vendor and if the latter, must be provided within two hours of request.

o Vendor’s Response: Describe how you will provide data and reporting metrics and what information will be made available.

• Accessibility:

o Baseline Expectation: The platform must meet basic accessibility standards

(e.g., WCAG 2.1), ensuring users with disabilities can interact with the website/app.

o Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act: Ensures that all federal agencies' digital content is accessible to people with disabilities.

o Vendor’s Response: Explain how you will ensure the platform is accessible and meets these government standards, including:

Support for screen readers and keyboard navigation Color contrast for visibility Alternative text for images Text resizing for users with visual impairments

• Mobile Compatibility (Phone, Tablet, Desktop):

o Baseline Expectation: The platform must be fully responsive, providing an optimal experience on Android and iOS phones, tablets, and desktops. This includes easy navigation, fast load times, and readable content across devices.

o Vendor’s Response: Describe your approach to mobile responsiveness. Will you use a mobile-first design? How will you ensure the app/website works across different screen sizes and devices? If you are proposing a native mobile app, explain how it will work across both iOS and Android.

• Interface:

o Baseline Expectation: The product must be integrated into CBP’s software platform/environment and may require system integration.

o Vendor’s Response: Describe your how your product will be integrated into

CBP’s network and systems platform(s).

• Readable Font & Zoom Features:

o Baseline Expectation: The platform should use readable font sizes (at least 16px on websites) to ensure legibility, especially on mobile devices. The system must allow users to zoom in if necessary.

o Vendor’s Response: Outline how you will ensure that the font size is legible across devices, particularly on mobile screens. Will you use responsive typography techniques? How will you accommodate users who need to zoom or adjust font sizes?

• Clickable Links and Buttons:

o Baseline Expectation: Links and buttons should appear visually clickable (e.g., underlined or colored links, button hover states) and be clearly distinguishable from other text or elements.

o Vendor’s Response: Describe how you will ensure that links and buttons are styled to appear clearly clickable. Will you implement hover states, active states, and provide visual cues for call-to-action elements?

• Regulations and Security/Privacy Standards/Protocols:

o Baseline Expectation: Product should meet all basic government regulations and security/privacy standards and may need to meet additional DHS and/or CBP requirements o Vendor’s Response: Describe how your product complies with government regulations and federal security/privacy standards and protocols? Please provide details on which regulations and security/privacy standards you comply with and any known DHS and/or CBP requirements. Have you experienced data breaches?

If so, how have you handled them, and how do you ensure privacy and security of the data collected during the user experience? Are there any certifications or accreditations your system holds that validate its effectiveness or security?

Other Question(s):

o If requested, would your company be willing to provide a demo on the basic functionality of the product at no cost to the government?

4. Vendor Qualifications

Interested vendors should provide the following information in their response:

1. Company Overview:

o A brief description of your company, including relevant experience in developing user-friendly, responsive websites and mobile applications.

Indicate Your Small Business Status (NAICS: 541512 – Computer

Systems Design Services, 541511- Custom Computer Programming Services)

Indicate any Government Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWAC) that your company is on.

Indicate your recommended acquisition strategy for this requirement (e.g., full and open competition, ALLIANT 2, CIO- SP3, GSA Multiple Award Schedule, etc.)

2. FEDRAMP Certification:

o Is your company FEDRAMP Certified for the capabilities outlined in the

Statement of Work.

3. Relevant Experience:

o Provide examples of projects that demonstrate your ability to meet the basic functionality expectations outlined above, especially those focused on usability, performance optimization, and accessibility.

4. Detailed Approach to Achieving Basic Functionality:

o A detailed description of how your team will achieve each of the basic functionality expectations

5. Project Timeline:

o A high-level timeline for the development of the website/app, including milestones for design, development, testing, and deployment.

6. Cost Estimate (Rough Order of Magnitude) o For market research purposes, can you please provide a rough order of magnitude cost estimate? Please indicate contract type in your response. The Government desires firm-fixed price pricing structures, however we are open to feedback on all pricing structures.

7. Post-Launch Support:

o Describe your plan for ongoing maintenance and updates, including handling user feedback, performance monitoring, and technical support for both CBP and end-users.

5. Submission Instructions and Contact Information

All information provided in response to this RFI will be treated as confidential

• Submission Instructions and Contact Information A Vendor’s response to this RFI should address all questions in Sections 3 and 4 of this

RFI.

Please submit all questions to the RFI by April 3rd, 2025, to the following email addresses: Peter.A.Giambone@cbp.dhs.gov and Matthew.Coniglio@cbp.dhs.gov

Please submit your RFI response by April 15th, 2025, to the following email addresses:

Peter.A.Giambone@cbp.dhs.gov and Matthew.Coniglio@cbp.dhs.gov

Subject: RFI Response – Website/App Development for Relocation Resources Responses should be in PDF format, no longer than [X] pages. For any questions or additional information, please contact [Your Name] at [Phone Number] or [Email].

For any questions or clarifications regarding this RFI, please contact:

Contract Specialist: Matthew Coniglio Email: Matthew.Coniglio@cbp.dhs.gov

Contracting Officer: Peter Giambone Email: Peter.A.Giambone@cbp.dhs.gov mailto:Peter.A.Giambone@cbp.dhs.gov mailto:Matthew.Coniglio@cbp.dhs.gov mailto:Peter.A.Giambone@cbp.dhs.gov mailto:Matthew.Coniglio@cbp.dhs.gov mailto:Matthew.Coniglio@cbp.dhs.gov mailto:Peter.A.Giambone@cbp.dhs.gov