PTAG RFI AI Driven Image Search Tool 20MAY2026.pdf

CUI//SP-PROCURE

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) DRIVEN IMAGE

SEARCH TOOL

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION & NOTICE OF VENDOR

ENGAGEMENT

MAY 20, 2026

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 Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) seeks to broaden its understanding of the commercial marketplace in order to acquire a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution to meet the USPTO’s requirement to process and grant patents. The USPTO is interested in solutions that meet the requirements outlined in the draft Performance Work Statement (PWS).

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 PTAG 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 the AI Driven Image Search Tool requirement. This PTAG 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 the AI Driven Image Search Tool.

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: Vendor Questionnaire Phase 2: Product Demonstrations and Interactive Dialogue

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

Submission Instructions

A. Phase 1 Instructions

RFI respondents shall complete RFI Attachment 1 – RFI Response Template, in its entirety.

Completion of the RFI Response Template includes:

a) Completion of the “Corporate Profile” tab. Please note that “Business Size Status,” refers to the prospective prime contractor. Respondents shall indicate whether their company is “small” or “other than small.”

b) Completion of responses for all RFI questions #1-3 (see tabs titled, “Response to Q.1-3”). Note, the models and services shall meet the definition of commercial products and services as defined in FAR Part 2. Respondents that do not submit a response to this RFI will not be considered for participation in the solicitation.

c) The Government reserves the right to contact the point of contact included in RFI Attachment 1 – RFI Response Template, if needed.

d) 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 based on the responses to questions and if applicable, any one-on-one session.

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 David.Hill@uspto.gov, using the following email subject format: “AI Driven Image Search Tool Questions - Company Name”.

Questions are due no later than 12:00 PM ET on June 3, 2026. Questions shall be submitted via RFI Attachment 3 – Question and Answer Sheet. Questions that are not submitted in the required format may be disregarded in their entirety.

Note: Respondents may submit questions regarding the RFI Attachments during the RFI phase.

However, the USPTO only intends to provide answers relevant to RFI Attachment 2 – AI Driven Image Search Tool Draft PWS during the RFI phase.

All final RFI responses shall be submitted via email to Brian.Carper@uspto.gov and David.Hill@uspto.gov , using the following email subject format: “AI Driven Image Search Tool RFI Response - Company Name”. RFI responses are due no later than 12:00 PM ET on June 19, 2026.

RFI submissions shall include a completed Attachment 1 – RFI Response Template only. 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 RFI Attachment 1 tabs that contain proprietary information.

B. Phase 2 Instructions

The product demonstrations will be held virtually. The Government will advise the vendors of the mailto:David.Hill@uspto.gov, mailto:Brian.Carper@uspto.gov mailto:David.Hill@uspto.gov date and time of their demonstration which is anticipated to be held between July 13, 2026 and July 17, 2026. Additional details for the product demonstration, will be released to the Phase 2 Respondents prior to their scheduled demonstration. The Government reserves the right to ask questions prior to, during or after the demonstration. Respondents will have up to approximately 90 minutes to complete the demonstration. The objectives for this demonstration are for the Respondents to provide an operational demonstration of their solution to demonstrate the capabilities, and functionality.

The Government preference is to obtain a complete turnkey solution for all 3 patent types, but reserves the right to issue multiple awards/solicitations if it is in the best interest of the Government. In addition, the Government preference is that the solution is already in a final FedRamp status, but reserves the right to include FedRamp in-process status if it is in the best interest of the Government.

The Government will consider each Respondent’s demonstration to determine which vendor(s) are most likely to successfully meet the agency’s requirements for the AI Driven Image Search Tool based on the technical demonstration and responses to the interactive dialogue and questions, if applicable.

II. Attachments

A. RFI Attachment 1 – RFI Response Template B. RFI Attachment 2 – AI Driven Image Search Tool PWS Draft C. RFI Attachment 3 - Question and Answer Sheet

II. Attachments