Electronic Business Center RFI

The United States Patent and Trademark Office is seeking to procure comprehensive technical support and electronic filing assistance services for its Electronic Business Center (EBC) through this Request for Information (RFI). The EBC provides help desk support and technical assistance to external stakeholders utilizing USPTO's patent and trademark electronic systems, platforms, and tools, including services such as Patent Center assistance, application management, system troubleshooting, and testing support. Key contract requirements include operating help desks with specific hours of operation (9:00 AM to 8:00 PM ET for Patents and 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET for Trademarks), maintaining an average call answer speed of two minutes or less, creating incident records for email inquiries within one business day, and supporting work primarily performed off-site at the contractor's facility or through approved telework with some on-site support at the USPTO Alexandria Campus. The government will evaluate contractor performance using a rating system ranging from Unsatisfactory to Exceptional, assessing technical expertise, schedule and timeliness, management relations, and regulatory compliance through routine oversight activities including randomized inspections, monthly invoice reviews, and bi-weekly meetings. Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically by December 19, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. EST in PDF format, limited to 10 pages, addressing experience in technical support for IP electronic filing systems, customer support models, system defect resolution using agile methodology, and system development testing.

This contract opportunity is designated as a Total Small Business set-aside, with the current contract held by Epsilon Inc. under a GSA Schedule Contract valued at $9,718,639.75 for a base year and one 12-month option period. The upcoming Electronic Business Center contract recompete is estimated at a total value of $25,614,906.24, which includes a 12-month base period from June 15, 2026 to June 14, 2027, followed by four 12-month option periods and a 6-month extension, extending through December 14, 2031. The RFI specifically seeks responses from small businesses across various socioeconomic statuses capable of meeting the comprehensive technical support requirements outlined in the draft Performance Work Statement. The contract falls under NAICS 54151 (Computer Systems Design and Related Services) and PSC R499 (Support - Professional: Other), reflecting the technical nature of the services required. The USPTO is utilizing this market research phase to identify qualified small business contractors prior to issuing the formal solicitation for this significant modernization effort in intellectual property electronic filing support services.