4363 QA Responses 02-21-2025.pdf

4363 Q&A Responses

Is this requirement considered a new or follow-on requirement. If a follow-on, can you provide the incumbent vendor’s name?

IRS has issued task orders against another Department’s contract with Booze Allen Hamilton. IRS is seeking to establish its own contract vehicle for these requirements.

Will you extend the RFI time period by two weeks?

No

Is the goal to select a single vendor to handle all the activities outlined in the PWS, or is the IRS open to a strategy that involves multiple vendors?"

It is envisioned that a single Vendor will prime this requirement and have a diverse team of subcontractor in support of objectives and priorities.

What level of architectural abstraction is most e ective for IRS stakeholders (e.g., capability models, reference architecture, roadmaps)?

One or all Capability models, reference architecture, roadmaps will be leveraged by di erent Stakeholders based on their roles. Domain Architecture, Enterprise Architecture Guidance, Solution Concept, documenting Current State Architecture, develop Transition State Architecture (if applicable), develop Target State Solution Architecture, Vision, Scope and Architecture (VSA), and Enterprise Architecture Roadmap

Are there priority focus areas for EA innovation (e.g., composable architecture, AI-driven automation, cloud-native patterns, Zero Trust)?

AI Driven, Cloud Native, Zero Trust, Reusable composable architecture, etc. as communicated in IRS IT Principles including Common Enterprise Services, loosely coupled Event Driven Architecture, APIs and Microservices, etc.

What collaboration pain points have surfaced in previous technology modernization e orts?

With many legacy systems written in ALC/COBOL, IRS is also losing skillsets and lacks documentation

What are the primary integration challenges IRS faces (e.g., legacy-to-cloud refactoring, data fabric implementation, API/microservices adoption)?

Migrate legacy data into modern format and data stores, and provide technology integration between modernized systems and legacy systems.

Given the IRS Legacy footprint – to modernize, the challenges are varying.

Size and complexity of legacy systems and proliferation of stovepipe applications across the enterprise /w data challenges caused by various issues as listed below:

Lacking comprehensive Enterprise Data Catalog to document data sources, definitions, and lineage.

Lacking comprehensive framework for a data dictionary, including metadata, definitions, and relationships.

Mostly short of data pipelines (APIs for read/write access to structured/ unstructured case data, calculated data, and associated datasets).

Are there specific interoperability constraints (e.g., regulatory, data sovereignty, vendor lock-in)?

Yes, regulatory and directives constraints governing IRS, and technology constraints related to the platforms and tools in use. There are multiple interoperability constraints covering various areas for example cross environment integration, data fabrication etc. Protection of SBU/PII data access and avoiding vendor lock-in

Which regulatory mandates (e.g., FISMA, FedRAMP, FITARA) are driving the most architectural constraints?

FISMA and FedRAMP

Does IRS require a reference compliance architecture to standardize enforcement across systems?

Yes, the Vendor is expected To Deliver End-to-End Architecture Solutions and align it with existing Target State Architecture which has reference architecture for every domain including compliance

Is IRS exploring new acquisition models (e.g., SaaS-first, managed services, co-development with vendors)?

Due to the unpredictable workstreams down the road, it is di icult to articulate all aspects of the requirements in full detail ahead of time during RFI and PWS creation.

Are there pain points in aligning EA-driven technical evaluations with procurement constraints?

N/A

Which business domains face the most architectural complexity (e.g., taxpayer experience, case management, fraud detection)?

All business domains face complexity in their own form as an enterprise architecture. Every domain has its own challenges and complexities. In general Consolidation of 65+ legacy case management applications on a single platform. The goal is to get the case data to a place i.e. Enterprise Case Repository (ECR) where it can be leveraged to drive automation and AI, then it would be good to adhere to a comprehensive framework for a data dictionary, including metadata, definitions, and relationships. Creating data pipelines to migrate structured as well as unstructured data (documents and metadata) from legacy to ECR. Define data access, usage, security, and privacy rules for Exam case data in ECR and develop APIs for read/write access to structured Exam case data, calculated data, and associated datasets.

How does IRS EA currently assess technical debt and streamline legacy modernization?

IRS defined technical debt management process in conjunction with IRS Enterprise Architecture Roadmap. EA addresses technical debt through structured framework and technology roadmap. EA maintains a profile of technical concurrency of all systems, identifies legacy systems in its As-Built

Architecture, and plan and execute technology retirements projects with all stakeholders on a continuous basis under that guidance of IT Modernization programs and ultimately the Technology Strategy O ice.

The Current State Architecture Assessment (Deliverable 21) is currently due within 12-16 weeks of award and the Target and Transition State Architecture (Deliverable 22) is currently due within 12-18 weeks of award. Given the government's desire to operate in an agile manner in accordance with program and project priorities, would the government consider adjusting the due dates to be per agreed program/project schedule, instead of the single timeline proposed in the draft PWS?

Yes, info will be considered, depending on the complexity of iterative deliverables

The PWS indicates that "Key Personnel and designated Contractor personnel must be able to arrive at the New Carrollton Federal Building or the IRS National O ice for meetings within two hours’ notice". In order to provide the government, the greatest value Key Personnel at the most e ective price point, we recommend allowing Key Personnel who are geographically dispersed in the U.S. Will the government consider changing the requirement to be 2 hours to appear at the nearest IRS o ice or 24 hours to appear at NFCB?

All considerations will be made, however, specific Vendor personnel should be able to get to the New Carrollton Federal Building or the IRS National, when necessary or directed.