Request for Information, Pilot IRS EDCMO SPM

PILOT IRS- Request for Information (RFI)

Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Enterprise Digitalization and Case Management Project

Digitization Technology Pilot

Submission Processing Modernization (SPM)

1. High-Level Summary/Future State

This RFI is associated with a potential Pilot IRS procurement for the Enterprise Digitalization and Case Management Office (EDCMO).  The IRS EDCMO seeks information on technologies capable of high-capacity (over 100M pieces of mail annually) digital intake. We are primarily interested in solutions that:

1. Handles high volumes of various sizes of mail (varying sizes, thickness, and mixed mail) with minimal and infrequent occurrences of damage to the contents, by automatically opening/slicing mail
2. Counts and sorts envelopes
3. Produces reports of receipts
4. Reads barcodes and detects remittance
5. Prints a Received Date and Timestamp on every envelope
6. Sorts mail by indicators or codes
7. Extracts and images all mail content (including envelope with date and time stamp)
8. Sorts, batches, and numbers (sprayed or stamped) like content
9. Captures data from images through Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
10. Passes captured data to system/s
11. Deposits Remittance data through system/s
12. Will perform a complete digital intake for all incoming mail (envelopes and contents)
13. Performs a scan of envelope(s) after contents are extracted and provide systemic verification that no additional content remains within
14. Interfaces and are compliant with IRS systems, cybersecurity requirements, hardware, and software, etc.  Interfaces and schemas included in potential solutions would need to be approved for use by the IRS Chief Information Officer.

We are anticipating solutions will perform a complete digital intake of all incoming mail in accordance with current processes and procedures. Because the initial users of this solution will be working to identify trends across multiple sets of information, we also anticipate a solution with robust and configurable search capabilities. All aspects of this solution should be scalable and easily updated as needed.

1. Background/Current State

The IRS received millions of paper mailings annually (100M).  These mailing are sent to over 100+ unique addresses at processing centers and must be rapidly opened, sorted, etc. within quick/minimal timeframes. To ensure we continue to meet our demand and improve taxpayer service, we are seeking a new and inventive way to complete these tasks while maintaining our standards and timeframes.  Currently, the sorting of mail does not involve digitization/digitalization, but rather focuses on manual sorting based on size, batch, and visible indicators or codes. The IRS is looking to gather information on the current state of capabilities in the marketplace for this precise use case but would also like to understand mail-opening solutions that also include the potential for scanning/digitization at intake.  The IRS is not interested in solutions which do not provide the capacity to sort and open mail so that it can be handled in a manual process.

The IRS is committed to creating an environment where IRS data is available, accessible, and usable in a format that enables data-driven decision-making at all levels of the organization.  These efforts will support improvements to taxpayer service, enhance the fairness of our compliance efforts, address federal guidelines (e.g., Office of Management and Budget (OMB) M-19-21, NARA 2022 mandate), and reduce teleworking challenges that emerged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

1. Specific Areas of Input Requested/Questions

EDCMO respectfully requests input from industry partners and other parties regarding the following inquiries/topics:

1. 1. 1. Provide summary background on any existing solutions that you have deployed in government or industry which address this requirement.
      2. Are there known infrastructures/interface issues that will make this effort more difficult (i.e., is/can scanned images be provided to both a cloud and on-premises environment)?
      3. Provide recommendations regarding our primary areas of focus and provide recommendations on process improvement.
      4. Provide any overarching recommended approaches for solutions in this space that we may not be aware of.
      5. Provide a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) for contract costs to support this initiative.
      6. Provide a Return on Interest (ROI) summary that the EDCMO could reasonably expect to attain with the adoption and implementation of solutions in this space.
      7. Provide itemized price listing for machine(s), equipment, and maintenance.
      8. Provide itemized listing of machine(s) and equipment specifications for weight and space.
          
2. Disclaimer

This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes. This notice should not be construed as a commitment by the Government for any purpose other than market research.  This announcement does not commit the Government to any contractual agreement. The Government is not seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this announcement or any follow-up information requests. Respondents will NOT be notified of the results of the analysis. All data received in response to this Sources Sought synopsis that is marked or designated as corporate or proprietary information will be fully protected from release outside the Government. The Government shall not be liable for or suffer any consequential damages for any proprietary information not properly identified.  Proprietary information will be safeguarded in accordance with all applicable Government regulations.  All documentation shall become the property of the Government and will not be returned.

The deadline for responses to this RFI is 08:00AM EST, May 13, 2022.  Responses should be forwarded via email to both the primary and secondary points of contact below.  Responses shall not exceed 5 pages and shall not contain any brochures, advertising or any other type of extraneous, graphic literature or documents that have not been requested and are not relevant or essential in demonstrating the company’s ability to provide the required services.  Vendors may provide links to relevant websites, as appropriate.

Vendors shall reference “RFI_EDCMO_PILOT_IRS_SPM” in the subject line of their response as well as in the subject line of any other e-mail correspondence referencing this notice. Please continue to monitor https://www.sam.gov for updates. The IRS and EDCMO appreciate your interest in our mission and look forward to engaging with you. ** THE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT RESPOND TO PHONE CALLS. ** Thank you for your interest.

Contracting Office Address:

IRS, 1111 Constitution Ave. NW

Washington, District of Columbia 20024

Primary Point of Contact:

Marcy Almeida

Marcela.a.almeida@irs.gov

202-317-4087

Secondary Point of Contact:

Marty Graham          

douglas.m.graham@irs.gov

202-317-3338