FirstSource II RFI_03.17.11_FINAL.pdf

Office of Procurement Operations

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Washington, DC 20528

17 March 2011

FirstSource II Request for Information (RFI):

Sources Sought Notice and General Information

This exchange is being issued in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart

15.201(e) as a Request for Information (RFI). Per FAR 15.209(c), see the following clause:

Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes (Oct 1997)

(a) The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this solicitation or to otherwise pay for the information solicited except as an allowable cost under other contracts as provided in subsection 31.205-18, Bid and proposal costs, of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

(b) Although “proposal” and “offeror” are used in this Request for Information, your response will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal.

(c) This solicitation is issued for the purpose of developing the DHS acquisition strategy for

FirstSource II.

FirstSource, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) enterprise-wide vehicle for a wide variety of information technology (IT) commodities, will expire in 2012. FirstSource was competed as a Small Business set-aside. DHS currently plans on competing a similar requirement that will be called FirstSource II. The purpose of this RFI is to provide general information on FirstSource II to industry and request input from interested parties in the form of a one (1) page, single-sided capability statement. It should be noted that until a formal solicitation is issued, all general information provided in this RFI or subsequent postings is preliminary in nature, and subject to change.

General Information:

DHS plans to issue a competitive solicitation and make multiple awards for an enterprise-wide suite of indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts for value-added resellers of IT commodities. An IT value-added reseller provides a total solution to IT acquisitions by providing multi-vendor hardware and software along with significant services. Significant value-added services consist of, but are not limited to, configuration consulting and design, systems integration, installation of multi-vendor computer equipment, customization of hardware or software, training, product technical support, maintenance, and end-user support. The resulting awards will be available for use by DHS headquarters, its components, and other authorized entities. In anticipation of the upcoming FAR changes that address parity and the new Women-Owned Small Business program, as well as DHS’ ongoing commitment to the small business community, DHS is considering a small business strategy for FirstSource II that provides for prime contracts in categories where set-aside authority exists.

https://www.acquisition.gov/far/current/html/Subpart%2031_2.html#wp1095883

At this time, DHS is considering including one (1), all, or some of the following five (5) small business categories: 1) 8(a); 2) Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone); 3)

Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB); 4) Economically Disadvantaged, Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB); and, 5) all small businesses (including SB, non-

8(a) SDB, non-EDWOSB WOSB, and VOSB). For illustration purposes, please see Attachment

1 for a simplified visual depiction of the potential acquisition strategy.

DHS currently plans on emphasizing value-added reseller services in any potential FirstSource II procurement.

Sources Sought:

For FirstSource II, the anticipated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541519, Footnote #18 (Information Technology Value-Added Reseller), with a size standard of one hundred and fifty (150) employees. The full text of NAICS code 541519, Footnote #18, is as follows:

“An Information Technology Value Added Reseller provides a total solution to information technology acquisitions by providing multi-vendor hardware and software along with significant services. Significant value added services consist of, but are not limited to, configuration consulting and design, systems integration, installation of multi-vendor computer equipment, customization of hardware or software, training, product technical support, maintenance, and end user support. For purposes of Government procurement, an information technology procurement classified under this industry category must consist of at least 15% and not more than 50% of value added services as measured by the total price less the cost of information technology hardware, computer software, and profit. If the contract consists of less than 15% of value added services, then it must be classified under a NAICS manufacturing industry. If the contract consists of more than 50% of value added services, then it must be classified under the NAICS industry that best describes the predominate service of the procurement. To qualify as an

Information Technology Value Added Reseller for purposes of SBA assistance, other than for

Government procurement, a concern must be primarily engaged in providing information technology equipment and computer software and provide value added services which account for at least 15% of its receipts but not more than 50% of its receipts.”

In order to assist DHS with its market research, interested small businesses which fall within one

(1) or more of the five (5) categories listed above are hereby requested to provide a one (1) page, single-sided capability statement which includes the following information:

1. Your firm’s full name and address, as listed in Central Contractor Registration (CCR);

2. A point of contact, including full name, e-mail address, and phone number;

3. DUNS number;

4. Number of employees;

5. Average annual revenue for your firm’s previous three (3) fiscal years;

6. All federal socio-economic characteristics that apply to your firm (SB, 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, VOSB, EDWOSB, etc.) – for additional information on socio-economic characteristics, please visit the Small Business Administration’s website at http://www.sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/contracting/working-with-government/small-business-certifications-audiences; and, http://www.sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/contracting/working-with-government/small-business-certifications-audiences http://www.sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/contracting/working-with-government/small-business-certifications-audiences

7. Three (3) examples of relevant experience as a value-added reseller in NAICS 541519, Footnote #18, with the name of the agency or firm ordering the supplies, dollar value, and a brief description of the requirement.

Interested parties are requested to submit this information to FirstSourceII@dhs.gov not later than 18 April 2011. Submissions should be in Microsoft Word format, no more than one page

(single-sided) in length, and the subject line of the e-mail should read as follows: RFI Response

– Name of Your Firm.

The information provided may be used by DHS to assist it in making decisions regarding the overall acquisition strategy for FirstSource II. It is highly unlikely that DHS will issue any e-mails or respond to questions that may be included with your submission. Any costs associated with submitting a response to this RFI will not be reimbursed by DHS.

Thank you for your interest in the Department of Homeland Security.

Regards, H. Harrison Smith

Contracting Officer

Office of Procurement Operations mailto:FirstSourceII@dhs.gov

Attachment 1 – FirstSource II

For illustration purposes, the following provides a simplified visual depiction of the potential acquisition strategy if all five (5) categories are used¹:

Work Description Information Technology Value-Added Reseller

NAICS Code 541519 with Footnote #18

Small Business

Size Standard 150 employees

Small Business

Category/Target

Pool

8(a) HUBZone SDVOSB EDWOSB² Small

Business

(including

SB, non-8(a)

SDB, non-

EDWOSB

WOSB,

VOSB)

Small Business

FAR Reference

FAR 19.8 FAR 19.13 FAR 19.14 FAR 19.15³ FAR 19.5

Anticipated

Number of

Contract

Awardees

TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD

¹It is currently anticipated that in the post-award environment, the Delivery Order Contracting Officer will select one (1) of the five (5) small business categories and compete the task order among those firms within the selected category; for example, if the contracting officer selects the 8(a) category, only the 8(a) firms will compete for the delivery order. Regarding the selection of the category, the Small Business

Administration (SBA) has stated that “progress in fulfilling the various small business goals, as well as other factors such as the results of market research, programmatic needs specific to the procuring agency, anticipated award price, and the acquisition history, should be considered in making a decision as to which program to use for the acquisition.” Therefore, it is currently anticipated that the decision as to which category to use will be based on SBA guidance and advice from the DHS component small business specialist to the Delivery Order Contracting Officer.

²The NAICS code for this project is an industry in which the SBA has designated that WOSBs are underrepresented; therefore, the EDWOSB set-aside is the applicable program.

³The anticipated change to the FAR to incorporate the WOSB/EDWOSB program is in process; the coverage will be located at FAR 19.15.