RFI ECommerce Backend Environment.pdf

U. S. Department of Justice

UNICOR

Federal Prison Industries, Inc.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION/MARKET SURVEY

SV0234-26 August 19, 2026

RFI DISCLAIMER

This Request for Information (RFI) does not create any representation, either express or implied, that if a procurement process does proceed, that the participant will be given any preference or special consideration.

Participants are still required to follow any procurement process that may take place in the future. If a solicitation is released, it will be advertised in under “Contracting Opportunities” in SAM.gov. It is the responsibility of potential offerors/bidders to monitor these sites for the release of any solicitation.

This RFI does not indicate a commitment to any course of action. Responders are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party’s expense

Subject: Comprehensive Assessment of the UNICOR.gov Ecommerce Backend Environment The primary objective of this RFI will be used by the Contracting Staff to develop an acquisition strategy to seek a contractor that can provide the following:

Federal Prison Industries FPI is issuing this Request for Information to gather market insight and capability information from vendors capable of performing a comprehensive assessment of FPI's ecommerce environment, specifically the backend systems that support UNICOR.gov and the associated webstore. The focus of this assessment is modernization.

General:

Federal Prison Industries, (UNICOR) UNICOR is a self-supporting government corporation within the U.S. Department of Justice, and has a two-fold mission:

1. To train and provide inmates within the federal prison system with marketable skills upon release, and to productively employ them during incarceration to manage the population.

2. To produce quality, market-priced goods, and services for sale to both the Federal and commercial markets, while operating in a self-sustaining manner.

All interested parties shall furnish the following minimum information:

1. Name of Company

2. Telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address

3. Business Size (i.e., Large, Small, Socio-economic category)

4. Estimated Pricing Breakdown

5. Any other information Contractor deems pertinent to this request

Question Submission:

All questions regarding this RFI must be submitted in writing to Chad Privett at chad.privett2@usdoj.gov

Response Deadline: September 02, 2026 AT 4:00 PM EST For planning and scheduling purposes, to insure being included in our market research for these products, responses must be received no later than 4:00 PM (EST) on Wednesday, September 02, 2026.

Responses shall be sent via email only to Chad Privett at chad.privett2@usdoj.gov

Please provide the following information regarding the services listed below:

1. Services Required: Comprehensive Assessment of the UNICOR.gov Ecommerce Backend Environment

2. Location: E-Commerce Branch, Federal Prison Industries, Washington, DC.

Statement of Work

Background

UNICOR.gov and its webstore rely on backend systems that have been fully documented throughout their operational history. These systems include SAP integration, EDI workflows, nightly batch utilities, cloud hosted components, and several ecommerce application layers. FPI seeks a modernization focused assessment to understand what the environment needs to become rather than a detailed review of existing legacy code or historical implementation details.

mailto:chad.privett2@usdoj.gov

Assessment Scope

Environment Review The vendor will evaluate the following environments:

• DEV Development

• QA Quality Assurance

• PRD Production

• These environments operate in the cloud. Modernization recommendations should assume cloud aligned architecture.

Backend Architecture Assessment

• Review of application architecture including layers, APIs, BAPIs, and integration points

• Evaluation of performance, scalability, resiliency needs, and modernization readiness

• Review of nightly jobs, scheduled utilities, and data workflows

SAP and EDI Interactions

• Analysis of SAP integration methods such as IDOCs, middleware, and custom interfaces

• Mapping and evaluation of all EDI workflows

• Identification of modernization opportunities

Resiliency and High Availability Needs

• FPI does not currently have high availability components

• Any HA content must be framed as an evaluation of resiliency gaps and recommendations for future HA modernization

Security Considerations

• FPI already conducts internal security audits and penetration testing

• External cyber inspection is not requested

• The vendor should focus on modernization aligned secure architecture expectations

Historical System Complexity The assessment may use the documented history of the system's twenty four year evolution, but the focus is modernization. Vendors should emphasize future state architecture, not legacy code or past implementation details.

Required Deliverables

1. Target State Architecture: A modern future state architecture vision suitable for federal ecommerce operations

2. Gap Identification and Analysis: Evaluation of deficiencies, inefficiencies, and risks across backend systems

3. Modernization Roadmap: Recommended technologies, architecture direction, and sequencing steps

4. Staffing Model: Estimated full-time equivalents needed to modernize the environment. Focus must be exclusively on modernization, not legacy code maintenance

5. Modernization Sequencing: A phased modernization plan outlining transition stages and priorities

6. Rough Order of Magnitude ROM Cost Estimate: A broad early stage estimate suitable for budget planning. ROM should represent modernization cost expectations, not detailed cost modeling Personnel Security Requirements

• All vendor staff must be United States citizens

• All vendor staff must hold a United States security clearance

• Vendors must indicate clearance levels for proposed personnel

• Environment access is granted only after FPI security vetting and onboarding

Requested Vendor Response Content

• Company overview and relevant federal experience

• Capability statement for performing the assessment

• Proposed assessment methodology

• Modernization staffing expectations

• ROM level modernization cost guidance

• Identification of constraints or dependencies

• Confirmation of ability to meet clearance requirements

Response Format

Responses should be concise and focused on capabilities. Implementation proposals or detailed pricing are not requested.

Disclaimer

This RFI supports planning, budgeting, and acquisition strategy. A contract will be awarded for the assessment only.

The vendor awarded the contract will be excluded from the modernization phase of this project.