Request for Collaboration (RFC) 2028 Dress Rehearsal and 2030 Census Decennial as a Service (D-X)

The U.S. Census Bureau issued a Request for Collaboration (RFC) on April 14, 2026, revised on April 21, 2026, to solicit industry input on the Decennial-as-a-Service (D-X) program supporting the 2028 Dress Rehearsal and 2030 Census operations. This Special Notice represents market research and planning purposes only and does not constitute a formal Request for Proposal or commitment to award a contract. The RFC follows an initial Request for Information issued in August 2025 and seeks to gather additional industry expertise on capability areas not fully addressed in previous responses. The Census Bureau is seeking qualified vendors to provide input on acquiring a single, fully integrated, nationwide equipment and endpoint lifecycle management ecosystem. Responses are due by May 14, 2026, at 4:00 PM EST and should not exceed 12 pages in Microsoft Word format with Times New Roman 12-point font.

The primary objective of this RFC is to obtain industry collaboration on the design and approach for a Managed Service Integrator model capable of managing approximately 360,000 smartphones, 20,000 tablets, and 20,000 laptops across all states and U.S. territories, with surge capacity to handle 50,000-70,000 devices at peak staging and 100,000+ weekly shipments. Required capabilities include logistics and warehousing operations utilizing approximately 300,000 square feet of secure warehouse space, mobile device management and Unified Endpoint Management with FedRAMP authorization and NIST SP 800-53 compliance, cellular service activation and eSIM management, real-time Command Center operations, and integration with government ITSM platforms. Interested parties must submit responses in four sections covering Company Overview (1 page), Integrated Service Delivery and Operational Coordination (6 pages), Acquisition Approach and Evaluation Considerations (2 pages), and Closing Thoughts and Feedback (3 pages) to pithy.t.sar@census.gov and paul.w.boesch@census.gov. There are no stated eligibility restrictions, though respondents should demonstrate relevant capabilities in logistics, device management, and large-scale government operations. The government reserves the right to contact respondents for clarification and may issue a formal solicitation following review of responses, though no award is contemplated from this RFC.