RFI_Questions.pdf

DEFENSE FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING SERVICE

Request for Information (RFI) Overseas Military Banking Program (OMBP)

A. BACKGROUND

DFAS published a Request for Information (RFI) in January 2019 on FedBizOpps, which may be found here: https://www.fbo.gov/spg/ODA/DFAS/Columbus/BANKINGRFI/listing.html to seek information from industry regarding the Overseas Military Banking Program

(OMBP).

The OMBP must be operated by a state or federally insured, licensed, and regulated United States (US) financial institution (FI). The OMBP services are currently provided through a contract with a US FI via a five-year Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee contract with five, one-year options. The OMBP currently provides banking services at 62 brick and mortar military banking facilities (MBF) overseas. Two district offices (one in the Pacific and one in Europe) and a home office support operations. Additionally, the OMBP currently operates and maintains 274 Automated Teller Machines (ATM), which dispense dual currency, both US Dollars (USD) and local foreign currency. The number and locations of MBFs and ATMs varies depending on Military Service requirements, which may include new locations in existing foreign locations as well as new locations in foreign locations where the OMBP does not currently operate. The authority for the OMBP to operate in current brick and mortar foreign locations is based on agreements between the US government and host nations, with the exception of the United Kingdom (UK) which requires financial institutions to be licensed in the UK to provide service.

The OMBP provides retail banking products and services similar to those provided by FIs in the US and provides local foreign currency services, and where permitted, local foreign currency accounts and bill payment services. Some levels of service delivery may not be available in all foreign locations depending on availability, capability, or existence of infrastructure necessary. The OMBP customer base consists of Department of Defense (DoD) disbursing officers, overseas DoD personnel and their families, internal and external organizations supporting the DoD mission, and others as permitted by agreements between the US government and host nations. The OMBP supports deposits of funds to the US Treasury and USD and foreign currency requirements at static and dynamic locations outside the brick and mortar footprint and is managed by the local Finance Office on behalf of OMBP (fills currency and balances). Brick and mortar MBF operations are currently located in Germany, England, the Netherlands, Italy, Korea, Japan, Okinawa, Kwajalein Atoll, Diego Garcia, and Guantanamo Bay. Honduras is currently an ATM only operation. The DoD provides funding for all operations, equipment, facilities, and personnel however all personnel required to operate the program are employees of the FI, not DoD.

https://www.fbo.gov/spg/ODA/DFAS/Columbus/BANKINGRFI/listing.html

B. OBJECTIVES

DFAS is continuing dialogue with the FI industry to determine the level of interest in competing for potential future award of the OMBP contract. Further, DFAS is seeking to learn if the FI industry feels changes to the Statement of Work could improve delivery and/or reduce cost to DoD for the delivery of banking products and services overseas.

This market research is part of DFAS acquisition planning efforts and may help inform development of a potential future requirement for acquiring banking services.

The SOW in use today for the provision of banking services on DoD installations overseas is attached to this RFI. FIs may review current program requirements required to support the OMBP to assist with responding to RFI questions.

C. RFI QUESTIONS

1. Is your FI interested in participating in a potential solicitation process to operate the OMBP as currently defined within the existing SOW? If yes, please briefly describe your FI’s qualifications. If not, please identify why your FI is not interested, to include any entry barriers that your FI may see.

2. Is your FI interested in a participating in a potential future solicitation process to have your FI operate the OMBP if changes were made to the SOW? If so, please clearly identify the changes your FI feels should be made.

3. What changes to the SOW would your FI recommend that would reduce your costs and or costs to the DoD in performance of the SOW?

4. Can your FI’s system or separate instances of those systems, be used to perform the SOW? If yes, please explain how this would be accomplished. If no, please explain what precludes this from happening.

5. What metrics or banking industry standards does your FI use to measure performance?

6. What information specific to OMBP operations does your FI need in an RFP to provide a proposal?

7. Has your FI performed other DoD contracts, to include other DoD cost contracts? Does your FI have an approved Defense Contract Agency (DCAA) accounting system? If your FI does not have an approved DCAA accounting system, please estimate what it would cost for your FI to create such an accounting system.

8. Does your FI have experience in transitioning retail banking operations from a merger or acquisition? If so, please describe the key elements of the process, the timeline, and costs.

9. Please identify the cost categories and estimate the costs your FI would need to incur to perform as the FI contractor, to include any transition costs.

10. Please provide an estimate range of the yearly fixed fee your FI would charge to perform as the OMBP contractor.

D. INFORMATION REQUESTED

Information is requested to continue dialogue with the financial industry about the Overseas Military Banking Program.

E. RESPONSES

Responses to this RFI need not address all items listed in the questions above. All replies from industry are helpful, to include replies from FIs who may have responded to the January 2019 RFI. Responses generally should not exceed 50 pages. Responses shall be e-mailed as either an Adobe PDF or Microsoft Word attachment and should include a cover letter with the institution name, points of contact (address, phone number, and e-mail). DFAS requests a response by November 15, 2019. Please e-mail responses by the date shown above to the attention of Mark Barta at mark.b.barta.civ@mail.mil and Nicholas Engel at nicholas.j.engel2.civ@mail.mil. DFAS may establish a dialog with FIs who respond if needed to gain a better understanding of their responses.

F. DISCLAIMER

This is a request for information only. It is not a Request for Proposal, a Request for Quotation, an Invitation for Bids, a solicitation, or an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect cost or charges to the Government will arise as a result of a contractor submission of responses to this announcement or the Government’s use of such information.

In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation. Neither unsolicited proposals nor any other kind of offers will be considered in response to this RFI. Responses to this notice are not offers and will not be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked Proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responses to the RFI will not be returned.

mailto:mark.b.barta.civ@mail.mil mailto:nicholas.j.engel2.civ@mail.mil