IAC Sources Sought Notice_5DEC2024_Final.pdf

Sources Sought Notice (SSN):

Inventor’s Assistance Center (IAC)

ACQ-25-0296

Supported by the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of Procurement

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

INTRODUCTION & CONTEXT

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

DISCLAIMER AND NOTICE REGARDING CONTRACT AWARDS

INTRODUCTION & CONTEXT

This is a Sources Sought Notice (SSN) announcement only. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the Government. All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary, and the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the Government.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is conducting market research to determine if there exists an adequate number of qualified interested contractors capable of providing solutions to meet the Inventor’s Assistance Center (IAC) requirement. The Government may use the response to this SSN for informational and planning purposes.

The USPTO is seeking 8(a) program vendors.

This requirement is currently in the 8(a) Program under NAICS 561422. In the event that the 8(a) Program cannot fulfill this requirement, the USPTO intends to solicit this requirement as a total small business set aside. Small Businesses are strongly encouraged to respond to this sources sought notice, and all vendors must be registered in SAM against NAICS 561422.

NAICS Code: 561422

PSC: R406

Description: The mission of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is to foster innovation, competitiveness, and job growth in the United States by conducting high quality and timely patent and trademark examination and review proceedings in order to produce reliable and predictable intellectual property rights; guide intellectual property policy, and improve intellectual property rights protection; and deliver intellectual property information and education worldwide.

In support of this mission, under the administration of the Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Patents, Office of the Assistant Commissioner for Patents, Office of Patents Stakeholder Experience, Stakeholder Support Division the Inventor’s Assistance Center (IAC) provides information services to the public concerning general questions regarding patent examining policies and procedures. The IAC utilizes the USPTO’s Enterprise Call Center (ECC) system. Any questions received by the IAC regarding a particular application and the prosecution of that particular application are directed to the Technology Center or Patent Examiner to which that particular application is assigned. The IAC is staffed by former Patent Examiners with signature authority of a Primary Patent Examiner, who are able to answer general questions concerning patent examining policy and procedures and the patent examining process.

The IAC shall provide comprehensive answers to questions relating to general patent examining policy and provide general information concerning patent examining rules, policies, and procedures. The IAC staff may provide assistance with filling out necessary forms, answering questions about rule interpretations, and help with general petition information and maintenance fee questions. Guidance on where to find forms, and other types of information relevant to filing a patent application, the prosecution of the application, along with how to use the USPTO website is also provided. Forms and additional information may be forwarded to stakeholders electronically when applicable.

The objective of this requirement is to provide a comprehensive solution for guidance to the public, particularly to the inventor community concerning general patent examining policies and procedures through the IAC Contact Center. The anticipated contract type will be firm-fixed price.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The Government requests that interested parties respond to this notice in writing including details of your company’s ability to perform the Inventor’s Assistance Center (IAC) support services. Additionally, please provide the following information:

1) Company Name and Address

2) Unique Entity ID (UEI)

3) Company Business Size by NAICS code

4) Small Business Type(s), if applicable

5) Points of Contact for questions and/or clarifications

6) Telephone number and email address

7) Webpage URL (if applicable)

8) Teaming Partners (if applicable)

9) Provide any recommendations and/or concerns

Do not submit pricing information in response to this Sources Sought.

Responses to this Sources Sought should not exceed five (5) pages in length.

Please send responses with the subject heading: “IAC – SSN Response_NAICS 561422” to Mike Spatuzzi, Contract Specialist, at Michael.Spatuzzi@uspto.gov and Kelly Gustafson, Contracting Officer, at Kelly.Gustafson@uspto.gov by 2:59 PM ET December 12, 2024. The information in this notice is current as of the publication date, but is subject to change and is not binding to the Government. Oral submissions of information are not acceptable.

mailto:Michael.Spatuzzi@uspto.gov mailto:Kelly.Gustafson@uspto.gov

DISCLAIMER AND NOTICE REGARDING CONTRACT AWARDS

This Special Notice is issued for market research, information and planning purposes. This document is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Quotation (RFQ), or a promise to issue an RFP or RFQ in the future. 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 or attachments. This Sources Sought does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. The information provided in the Sources Sought is subject to change and is not binding on the Government.

Participation in this process is strictly voluntary. No entitlement to payment will arise as a result of the submission of a response to the Sources Sought or the response to any questions that the USPTO may ask as a result of the submission. The UPSTO will not incur or reimburse any costs for the submission of responses or activities associated with the preparation or response to this Sources Sought, including responses to any follow-up information or action requested by the Government. Responders are advised that the USPTO is not liable for and will not pay for any information or direct, indirect, or administrative costs incurred in responding to this Sources Sought. The USPTO has not made a commitment to procure any of the items discussed, and release of this Sources Sought should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned but will be handled in accordance with applicable proprietary markings.

The USPTO may use the results obtained from this Sources Sought to support one or more future procurements. Moreover, if a procurement is warranted, then the response to this Sources Sought will be used for the purpose of determining whether a competitive or sole source procurement is appropriate. Additionally, the USPTO may use the results obtained from this Sources Sought to make a small business set-aside determination. This means that if you are a small business and you are able to provide the content described below, your response may be critical in determining whether to set aside any future requirement in part or in total for small businesses.

Any small business provider of the content described in this document is strongly encouraged to respond to this Sources Sought.

Finally, note also that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals for the work described in the attached Sources Sought or any attached documents.