Integrated Enterprise Portals (IEP) 2. 0 - Initial Task Order RFI

Update:  Extend RFI closing date to June 30, 2023 at 8:00am

The Integrated Enterprise Portal (IEP) contract provides the primary digital gateway and platform connecting taxpayers, third parties, tax practitioners, and employees with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The current IEP vendor provides a range of application development, hosting, security, and operations services for over 90 IRS business applications, many of which enable delivery of the annual Tax Filing Season. The IRS anticipates awarding a new Information Technology managed services contract for IEP services during Q3 of FY2024.

The IRS is publishing this Request for Information (RFI) to communicate current plans for a future IEP acquisition, while providing industry an opportunity to comment on the current draft materials. Should you have any general questions pertaining to these instructions, please submit them in writing to Sherry.E.Carpenter@irs.gov by June 20, 2023 at 8:00am EST.  

I. Background on the IRS Mission

The IRS collects the revenue to fund the Federal Government and administer the Nation’s tax laws. During 2022, the IRS processed over 260 million tax returns and supplemental documents. The IRS administers and collects revenue from a variety of taxes, including individual and business income, estate and gift, employment, and excise taxes. In addition to interactions with individual taxpayers, the IRS routinely interacts with small and large businesses, partnerships, domestic and foreign financial institutions, governmental organizations (including federal, state, and foreign entities), Indian Tribal governments, tax-exempt entities (such as charitable organizations, foundations, universities and trusts), and a wide spectrum of intermediaries and professionals who support effective tax administration including: payment and payroll service providers, enrolled agents, Certified Public Accountants, and return preparers. The IRS employs approximately 83,000 employees who are geographically dispersed over nearly 500 locations.

In August 2022, Congress enacted the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), giving the IRS a historic opportunity to transform the administration of the tax system and the services provided to taxpayers. The IRA provides the IRS with the opportunity to significantly improve the way it serves the public. The IRS will transform service to taxpayers by using this long-term funding to update technology capabilities and invest in our employees with new tools, skills, and capabilities. These resources will also ensure the fairness of the tax system by addressing the tax gap.

The IRS is focusing on a series of improvements to the tax administration system: a more integrated and secure delivery of taxpayer services, a movement to administer taxes through more efficient customer-focused channels, and a more streamlined compliance program that identifies and resolves issues sooner, along with a stronger set of foundational capabilities to support those efforts.

Additional information about the IRS strategic plan and goals, organizational structure, program statistics, and Future State Initiative is available through the links below:

• New IRS Strategic Plan: Agency issues five-year plan with goal to help taxpayers
• Publication 3744 (Rev. 4-2023) - Inflation Reduction Act SOP
• Today's IRS Organization
• SOI Tax Stats - IRS Data Book
• Statistics

II. Current State, Challenges, and Priorities of the Integrated Enterprise Portal

The IEP has evolved into a primary gateway for external users – including taxpayers, third-party tax preparers, and other business partners – and internal users – IRS employees and contractors with staff-like access – to access IRS business services.

The current IEP contract was awarded in 2017 and is an eight-year, agency-specific Indefinite Delivery – Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) with a $1,017 billion ceiling. The IEP vendor provides a range of application development, hosting, security, and operations services for over 90 IRS business applications. Some of the IEP-hosted application suites, such as Modernized eFile (MeF) and Integrated Customer Communications Environment (ICCE), include multiple applications that are critical to the IRS’ core mission: delivering a successful Filing Season annually.

The IRS is seeking Vendors to provide services and support in the transformation of our its portals, referred to as the IEP 2.0. The IRS seeks a qualified Managed Service Provider (MSP) to deliver, operate, and manage the IEP services and to evolve IEP services as needed to support the changing dynamics of the many requirements due to Congressional mandates placed on the IRS. The IEP MSP provides the IRS with secure application hosting services, allowing it to deliver business functionality to its various stakeholders, including taxpayers, tax preparers, and employees. The IEP MSP delivers these services through fully scalable, virtualized environments and cloud services that are dedicated to the IRS. The IEP provides fully integrated core services, including IT infrastructure, operations, security, application, integration and support, and program management services, to establish a fully integrated robust platform that supports multiple workloads, also referred to as Portals and major applications, and application styles.

Additionally, the Government expects the MSP support to provide fully managed, scalable hosting services for applications that are accessed by IRS’ external stakeholders and its internal customers. The selected Contractor will be responsible for providing all labor, hardware, software, equipment, materials, communications, facilities, and other necessary IT infrastructure to implement, deploy, operate, manage, and support the IEP-hosted applications and services in a Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) moderate secure environment, as well as its underlying technology infrastructure. The IEP 2.0 contract will be the primary digital gateway and platform connecting taxpayers, third parties, tax practitioners, and employees to the IRS.

This requirement will be solicited via the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Federal Supply Schedules (FSS) Program, under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 541512, Computer Systems Design Services.  The Government intends to issue a single award Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA).  The anticipated period of performance includes a 12 month Base period with four (4) - 12 month Option periods and up to a potential three (3) additional - 12 month Award Terms based the selected Vendor’s exceptional performance.

III. RFI Questions for Industry Input/Response

The IEP solution must also be able to function within the existing enterprise architecture. To ascertain the extent to which solutions can support the future-state vision and are compatible with existing platforms, the following questions are provided.

The IRS requests that responses to this RFI be provided no later than  June 20, 2023 at 8:00am EST. via an e-mail with the subject line “IRS RFI IEP 2.0” to Sherry.E.Carpenter@irs.gov.

Please keep responses to 10 pages or less in total. Unless otherwise noted, the IRS generally expects responses to the individual questions to be a short paragraph. Format for responses shall be in Times New Roman, 12-point font with 1-inch margins.

There is no guarantee that the IRS will have funding or issue a solicitation for this potential requirement, nor will it reimburse any costs associated with responding to this RFI. The IRS acknowledges that industry partners can expend substantial resources responding to RFIs. The IRS hopes that the current volume and specificity of the information provided in this RFI underscores its interest in identifying existing capabilities and expanding competition for any potential future acquisition.

The IRS seeks responses to the following:

1.  Provide a Company Overview

a. A brief description of your company, to include size and overarching value proposition (i.e., solutions provider, value-added reseller, hardware).

b. Company capabilities.

c. Are you currently providing, or have you recently provided, similar services in scope, size and complexity to any government or commercial entity? If so, please provide the agency’s name, contract number, and contract value with a description of the work provided.

d. Which GSA Schedules does your organization hold that may accommodate the work described in the draft Performance Work Statement (PWS)? Please provide the schedule number(s).

1. Are the requirements in the draft IEP 2.0 BPA-level PWS and IEP Service Initiation and O&M task order-level PWS clear enough to allow you to submit a complete and responsive proposal to both?  If not, please identify the areas that are unclear or contradictory.  
2. Are there any elements of the IEP 2.0 PWS or IEP 2.0 QASP that may restrict the delivery of commercially available solutions and services?  If so, please identify the areas that may contribute to proposing customized solutions and services.  
3. Between the BPA-level IEP 2.0 PWS Section C.3.2 and the IEP 1.5 Current State document, is there sufficient information to propose transition planning and capacity and/or cost estimates? What additional type of information in the IEP 2.0 PWS would allow your company to improve the technical and pricing fidelity of a proposal for these services?
4. Based on your company's experience and understanding of the requirements (ref: BPA-level IEP 2.0 PWS Section C.3.7 and the Service Initiation and O&M task order PWS), what would be a reasonable timeframe to initiate services and fully transition services from the incumbent vendor? Factors to consider are: Filing Season constraints, personnel clearances, and all engineering and accreditation activities required to establish service offerings. Please provide rationale for the estimated timeframe.
5. Do you have any other comments or questions that would help you more clearly understand the intent and content of the acquisition artifacts?

The Integrated Enterprise Portal (IEP) contract provides the primary digital gateway and platform connecting taxpayers, third parties, tax practitioners, and employees with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The current IEP vendor provides a range of application development, hosting, security, and operations services for over 90 IRS business applications, many of which enable delivery of the annual Tax Filing Season. The IRS anticipates awarding a new Information Technology managed services contract for IEP services during Q3 of FY2024.

The IRS is publishing this Request for Information (RFI) to communicate current plans for a future IEP acquisition, while providing industry an opportunity to comment on the current draft materials. Should you have any general questions pertaining to these instructions, please submit them in writing to Sherry.E.Carpenter@irs.gov by June 20, 2023 at 8:00am EST.  

I. Background on the IRS Mission

The IRS collects the revenue to fund the Federal Government and administer the Nation’s tax laws. During 2022, the IRS processed over 260 million tax returns and supplemental documents. The IRS administers and collects revenue from a variety of taxes, including individual and business income, estate and gift, employment, and excise taxes. In addition to interactions with individual taxpayers, the IRS routinely interacts with small and large businesses, partnerships, domestic and foreign financial institutions, governmental organizations (including federal, state, and foreign entities), Indian Tribal governments, tax-exempt entities (such as charitable organizations, foundations, universities and trusts), and a wide spectrum of intermediaries and professionals who support effective tax administration including: payment and payroll service providers, enrolled agents, Certified Public Accountants, and return preparers. The IRS employs approximately 83,000 employees who are geographically dispersed over nearly 500 locations.

In August 2022, Congress enacted the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), giving the IRS a historic opportunity to transform the administration of the tax system and the services provided to taxpayers. The IRA provides the IRS with the opportunity to significantly improve the way it serves the public. The IRS will transform service to taxpayers by using this long-term funding to update technology capabilities and invest in our employees with new tools, skills, and capabilities. These resources will also ensure the fairness of the tax system by addressing the tax gap.

The IRS is focusing on a series of improvements to the tax administration system: a more integrated and secure delivery of taxpayer services, a movement to administer taxes through more efficient customer-focused channels, and a more streamlined compliance program that identifies and resolves issues sooner, along with a stronger set of foundational capabilities to support those efforts.

Additional information about the IRS strategic plan and goals, organizational structure, program statistics, and Future State Initiative is available through the links below:

• New IRS Strategic Plan: Agency issues five-year plan with goal to help taxpayers
• Publication 3744 (Rev. 4-2023) - Inflation Reduction Act SOP
• Today's IRS Organization
• SOI Tax Stats - IRS Data Book
• Statistics

II. Current State, Challenges, and Priorities of the Integrated Enterprise Portal

The IEP has evolved into a primary gateway for external users – including taxpayers, third-party tax preparers, and other business partners – and internal users – IRS employees and contractors with staff-like access – to access IRS business services.

The current IEP contract was awarded in 2017 and is an eight-year, agency-specific Indefinite Delivery – Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) with a $1,017 billion ceiling. The IEP vendor provides a range of application development, hosting, security, and operations services for over 90 IRS business applications. Some of the IEP-hosted application suites, such as Modernized eFile (MeF) and Integrated Customer Communications Environment (ICCE), include multiple applications that are critical to the IRS’ core mission: delivering a successful Filing Season annually.

The IRS is seeking Vendors to provide services and support in the transformation of our its portals, referred to as the IEP 2.0. The IRS seeks a qualified Managed Service Provider (MSP) to deliver, operate, and manage the IEP services and to evolve IEP services as needed to support the changing dynamics of the many requirements due to Congressional mandates placed on the IRS. The IEP MSP provides the IRS with secure application hosting services, allowing it to deliver business functionality to its various stakeholders, including taxpayers, tax preparers, and employees. The IEP MSP delivers these services through fully scalable, virtualized environments and cloud services that are dedicated to the IRS. The IEP provides fully integrated core services, including IT infrastructure, operations, security, application, integration and support, and program management services, to establish a fully integrated robust platform that supports multiple workloads, also referred to as Portals and major applications, and application styles.

Additionally, the Government expects the MSP support to provide fully managed, scalable hosting services for applications that are accessed by IRS’ external stakeholders and its internal customers. The selected Contractor will be responsible for providing all labor, hardware, software, equipment, materials, communications, facilities, and other necessary IT infrastructure to implement, deploy, operate, manage, and support the IEP-hosted applications and services in a Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) moderate secure environment, as well as its underlying technology infrastructure. The IEP 2.0 contract will be the primary digital gateway and platform connecting taxpayers, third parties, tax practitioners, and employees to the IRS.

This requirement will be solicited via the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Federal Supply Schedules (FSS) Program, under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 541512, Computer Systems Design Services.  The Government intends to issue a single award Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA).  The anticipated period of performance includes a 12 month Base period with four (4) - 12 month Option periods and up to a potential three (3) additional - 12 month Award Terms based the selected Vendor’s exceptional performance.

III. RFI Questions for Industry Input/Response

The IEP solution must also be able to function within the existing enterprise architecture. To ascertain the extent to which solutions can support the future-state vision and are compatible with existing platforms, the following questions are provided.

The IRS requests that responses to this RFI be provided no later than  June 20, 2023 at 8:00am EST. via an e-mail with the subject line “IRS RFI IEP 2.0” to Sherry.E.Carpenter@irs.gov.

Please keep responses to 10 pages or less in total. Unless otherwise noted, the IRS generally expects responses to the individual questions to be a short paragraph. Format for responses shall be in Times New Roman, 12-point font with 1-inch margins.

There is no guarantee that the IRS will have funding or issue a solicitation for this potential requirement, nor will it reimburse any costs associated with responding to this RFI. The IRS acknowledges that industry partners can expend substantial resources responding to RFIs. The IRS hopes that the current volume and specificity of the information provided in this RFI underscores its interest in identifying existing capabilities and expanding competition for any potential future acquisition.

The IRS seeks responses to the following:

1.  Provide a Company Overview

a. A brief description of your company, to include size and overarching value proposition (i.e., solutions provider, value-added reseller, hardware).

b. Company capabilities.

c. Are you currently providing, or have you recently provided, similar services in scope, size and complexity to any government or commercial entity? If so, please provide the agency’s name, contract number, and contract value with a description of the work provided.

d. Which GSA Schedules does your organization hold that may accommodate the work described in the draft Performance Work Statement (PWS)? Please provide the schedule number(s).

1. Are the requirements in the draft IEP 2.0 BPA-level PWS and IEP Service Initiation and O&M task order-level PWS clear enough to allow you to submit a complete and responsive proposal to both?  If not, please identify the areas that are unclear or contradictory.  
2. Are there any elements of the IEP 2.0 PWS or IEP 2.0 QASP that may restrict the delivery of commercially available solutions and services?  If so, please identify the areas that may contribute to proposing customized solutions and services.  
3. Between the BPA-level IEP 2.0 PWS Section C.3.2 and the IEP 1.5 Current State document, is there sufficient information to propose transition planning and capacity and/or cost estimates? What additional type of information in the IEP 2.0 PWS would allow your company to improve the technical and pricing fidelity of a proposal for these services?
4. Based on your company's experience and understanding of the requirements (ref: BPA-level IEP 2.0 PWS Section C.3.7 and the Service Initiation and O&M task order PWS), what would be a reasonable timeframe to initiate services and fully transition services from the incumbent vendor? Factors to consider are: Filing Season constraints, personnel clearances, and all engineering and accreditation activities required to establish service offerings. Please provide rationale for the estimated timeframe.
5. Do you have any other comments or questions that would help you more clearly understand the intent and content of the acquisition artifacts?

See attached document titled, "IEP 2.0 RFI Overview and Questions" as well as supporting documents.