SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE.docx

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE / REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

Title: From "Pit to Port": Strengthening Gold Traceability in Guyana and Suriname Notice Type: Sources Sought / Request for Information (RFI) Agency: U.S. Department of State

1. DESCRIPTION

This is a Sources Sought Notice / Request for Information (RFI) only.

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) seeks information from qualified and interested vendors capable of designing, implementing, and sustaining a comprehensive gold traceability application to track gold from "pit to port" and help prevent illegal and foreign gold from entering legal markets in Guyana and Suriname, in accordance with the attached draft Statement of Objectives (SOO).

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. The Government will not reimburse any costs incurred in responding to this notice or in providing follow-up information.

The Government does not commit to issue a solicitation or award a contract based on this announcement. Responding to this RFI is not a prerequisite for participation in any future solicitation.

2. PURPOSE

The Government seeks to:

1. Obtain vendor capabilities information. The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) seeks to contract a U.S. vendor to collaborate closely with the Guyana Ministry of Natural Resources, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association, and the Suriname Ministry of Natural Resources to design, implement, and sustain a comprehensive gold traceability application. This application will track gold from "pit to port" and help prevent illegal and foreign gold from entering legal markets. The project will incentivize legitimate gold miners to engage in formal mining activities and will encompass the full lifecycle of software development, stakeholder training, and ongoing monitoring and evaluation, ensuring that both countries are equipped with the tools, knowledge, and data-driven insights necessary to enhance transparency, enforce stronger compliance, and disrupt transnational criminal activity in the gold supply chain, as described in the draft SOW.

2. Obtain industry feedback on draft requirements (technical, operational, and commercial).

3. Inform the acquisition strategy and potential solicitation approach.

The Government requests focused, requirement-specific input. Generic marketing materials or generic capability statements will not be considered responsive to this notice.

3. ANTICIPATED REQUIREMENT (SUMMARY)

Background In Guyana and Suriname, illicit gold mining and smuggling present significant challenges that undermine security, fuel transnational criminal networks, and deprive both countries of critical tax revenue. Much of the gold sector in both countries is dominated by small-scale and artisanal miners who often operate informally and outside regulatory oversight. This informality creates vulnerabilities that criminal organizations exploit, using porous borders and limited enforcement capabilities to traffic illegally mined gold—including from neighboring countries such as Venezuela, Brazil, and French Guiana—and launder it into the legal market. The proceeds from these activities frequently finance other illicit enterprises, including narcotics trafficking and money laundering. The lack of effective traceability and oversight mechanisms enables these networks to operate with relative impunity, eroding government authority, contributing to environmental degradation, and threatening regional stability. Addressing this threat requires coordinated action, cutting-edge technology, and strengthened institutions to disrupt illicit supply chains and restore integrity to the gold sector while encouraging greater formality and compliance within the small-scale and artisanal gold sector.

Scope of Work INL seeks to contract a U.S. vendor to collaborate closely with the Guyana Ministry of Natural Resources, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association, and the Suriname Ministry of Natural Resources to design, implement, and sustain a comprehensive gold traceability application. The vendor shall be responsible for project assessment, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. The INL Guyana and INL Suriname Program Teams will be actively involved in the project and will work closely with the contractor to assess, develop, design, implement, and evaluate the program. Activity design and budget information shall be made available to INL upon request. The vendor will develop a work plan, in consultation with and approved by INL. The Project Manager (PM) and Subject Matter Expert(s) (SME) shall make all program-related decisions, including budgetary, staffing, and programmatic, in consultation with INL.

To accomplish the goals and objectives of this project, desired project outcomes are outlined in the attached draft SOW. Additional activities may be identified as the project is implemented and needs assessments are conducted, at which time INL and the contractor will discuss the necessary conditions for and response to those needs. INL requests the vendor first develop and implement the application for Guyana and then adapt the model for Suriname.

The attached draft SOW provides additional detail. The Government may refine the SOW and acquisition strategy based on feedback received in response to this RFI.

4. NAICS AND BUSINESS SIZE INFORMATION

Respondents shall identify:

· Their primary NAICS code;

· Any recommended NAICS code(s) that may be more appropriate for this requirement; and

· Their business size and socioeconomic status under the recommended NAICS (e.g., small business, HUBZone, 8(a), women-owned small business, economically disadvantaged women-owned small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, or other than small).

The Government has not yet finalized the NAICS code or any set-aside determination and may use input from this RFI to inform those decisions.

5. RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS

Submission Deadline:

· Date/Time: Friday, April 24, 2026, 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) Submission Method:

· Responses shall be submitted by email only.

Submit Responses To:

· Contracting Officer: Ms. Courtney Wesely

· Email: WeselyCJ@state.gov Required Email Subject Line:

· "RFI – Strengthening Gold Traceability in Guyana and Suriname" Page Limit:

· Responses shall not exceed 20 pages, excluding cover page and table of contents (if used).

Extensions:

· The Government will not grant extensions to the response deadline.

6. ELIGIBILITY FOR FUTURE SOLICITATION

To be eligible to compete for any resulting RFQ/RFP and award, vendors must, at the time of any future solicitation:

1. Possess a current Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code;

2. Possess a valid Unique Entity Identifier (UEI);

3. Be actively registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) and eligible to do business with the U.S. Government; and

4. Not appear on the Excluded Parties List at https://www.sam.gov.

7. CONTENT OF RESPONSES

Vendors are requested to structure their responses as follows:

I. Company Information

· Company Name

· Address

· UEI

· CAGE Code (if available)

· Company Website

· Point of Contact (Name and Title)

· Phone Number

· Email Address II. Socioeconomic Status

· Business size and socioeconomic classification under the relevant NAICS code(s) (e.g., small, HUBZone, 8(a), WOSB, EDWOSB, VOSB, SDVOSB, or other than small).

III. Capability to Meet Requirements

a. Technical and Operational Capability With reference to the anticipated requirement and attached draft SOW, respondents shall:

· Describe their capability to design, implement, and sustain a comprehensive gold traceability application to track gold from "pit to port" and help prevent illegal and foreign gold from entering legal markets;

· Describe their approach to delivering the solution, including methodology, technology platforms, and implementation strategy;

· Describe their capability to provide stakeholder training and ongoing monitoring and evaluation;

· Explain their capability to ensure long-term sustainability and in-country support;

· Identify any relevant technical standards, certifications, or qualifications.

b. Relevant Experience and Past Performance Provide examples of past or current work similar in scope, scale, and complexity. Relevant experience may include:

· Supply chain traceability systems;

· Software development and implementation in developing countries;

· Work with government agencies and multi-stakeholder initiatives;

· Projects addressing illicit trade or transnational crime;

· Training and capacity building programs.

For each example, include:

· Client/customer name (if releasable);

· Contract value;

· Period of performance;

· Brief description of work performed;

· Relevance to this requirement;

· Point of contact (if available).

c. Core Competencies and Performance Timeframe

· Identify core competencies relevant to this requirement (e.g., software development, blockchain technology, supply chain management, international development, training and capacity building);

· Provide a realistic performance timeline, including key milestones for design, development, implementation, training, and evaluation phases.

IV. Pricing Non-Binding Price Range

· Provide a non-binding estimated price range based on a firm-fixed-price model;

· Estimates should reflect current market conditions and your standard pricing approach, including proposed CLIN structure for a base year and three one-year option years;

· Detailed cost breakdowns are not required at this stage but may be provided voluntarily if helpful to explain pricing assumptions.

V. Existing Contract Vehicles Identify any contract vehicles through which the Department of State could access your offerings, such as:

· GSA Federal Supply Schedules (FSS);

· Government-wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs);

· Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts;

· Other agency-specific or multi-agency contracts.

For each, provide (as applicable):

· Contract vehicle name;

· Contract number; and

· Sponsoring agency.

VI. Recommendations and Risk Areas

a. Risk, Feasibility, and Clarity Identify any areas of the draft SOW that pose:

· High performance or schedule risk;

· Ambiguities or unclear requirements; or

· Requirements that may not be commercially or operationally practical, especially with respect to:

· Delivery timeline;

· Long-term in-country supportability;

· Technology infrastructure constraints in Guyana and Suriname;

· Stakeholder engagement and adoption challenges.

Provide specific suggestions for clarifying or revising these areas. Vendors may optionally submit a marked-up SOW (track changes) as an attachment.

b. Quality Assurance Recommend an appropriate quality assurance approach or standard the Government could use to measure successful performance, such as:

· Internal QA procedures and test plans;

· Applicable ISO or other certifications;

· Proposed performance metrics and service levels (e.g., system uptime, response times for in-country support, user adoption rates, data accuracy metrics).

8. DRAFT STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES (SOO)

A draft Statement of Objectives (SOO) is attached to this notice. The Government may revise the SOW and acquisition strategy based on feedback received through this RFI.

9. DISCLAIMER

This RFI is issued solely for market research and planning purposes. It does not constitute a solicitation and does not obligate the Government to issue a solicitation or award a contract. The Government may use the information obtained from this RFI to refine requirements and acquisition strategy.

Information that respondents designate as proprietary will be handled accordingly and will not be shared outside the Government review and acquisition team, except as required by law.

END OF SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

SBU - CONTRACTING AND ACQUISITIONS

SBU - CONTRACTING AND ACQUISITIONS

SBU - CONTRACTING AND ACQUISITIONS