Inactive

This RFI is the first request for information or tools available in the marketplace. The IRS requests responses to this RFI be provided no later than 1:00 P.M. EST on October 25, 2023, by an e-mail (w... This RFI is the first request for information or tools available in the marketplace. The IRS requests responses to this RFI be provided no later than 1:00 P.M. EST on October 25, 2023, by an e-mail (with the subject line “Small Business/Self Employed (SB/SE) Management and Strategy Support Non-IT Consulting Services RFI Response”) to the procurement email inbox Kelvin.Bogan@irs.gov or through MRAS. Although there are no specific restrictions for formatting, please keep all responses to fifteen pages or less, adhere to general formatting principles, and ensure that responses are legible. Responders should be aware that there is no guarantee the IRS will have funding or issue a solicitation generated from this RFI, nor will the IRS be responsible for reimbursing a vendor’s costs in responding to this RFI. Also list any contract number that your company have worked on or with the IRS in last 10 years on back page of your capability reporting. Background on the IRS Mission, Definitions, and Tax Processes The IRS collects the revenue to fund the government and administers the nation’s tax laws. The IRS receives revenue from a variety of taxes, including individual and business income, estate and gift, employment, and excise taxes. The IRS also routinely interacts with small and large businesses, partnerships, domestic and foreign financial institutions, governmental organizations (including Federal, state, and foreign entities), Indian Tribal governments, and tax-exempt entities (such as charitable organizations, foundations, universities, and trusts), as well as 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 over 75,000 employees in nearly 500 locations. In recent years the IRS has made several changes to modernize and improve tax processing systems, to increase electronic filing and payment options, and to expand services on IRS.gov for taxpayers and tax professionals. As the needs of taxpayers, the tax community, and the nation continue to rapidly evolve, the IRS needs to consider modern technological tools to conduct business and complete the research necessary to administer effective tax compliance. The IRS seeks to modernize its online research tools for effective administration of tax laws. This modernization will benefit both the IRS and the public. The IRS recognizes it must resolve cases in the most expeditious way possible, so it can meet the needs of taxpayers, the tax community, and its employees in an efficient and effective manner. Proposed Future Course PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS) Internal Revenue Service, Small Business/Self Employed (SB/SE) Management and Strategy Support Non-IT Consulting Services Section I 1. Introduction/Overview Small Business Self Employed mission is to provide America’s taxpayers top-quality service by helping them understand and meet their tax responsibilities and enforce the law with integrity and fairness to all. Our vision and commitment are to uphold the integrity of our nation’s tax system and preserve the public trust through our talented workforce, innovative technology, and collaborative partnerships. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) created six strategic goals to enhance performance in our small business / self-employed in the foundational capabilities necessary to achieve our mission and deliver quality service to taxpayers and stakeholders. Our strategic goals are: • Protect the integrity of the Tax System • Empower and enable all Taxpayers • Drive Increased Agility, efficiency, effectiveness and security • Collaborate with external partners • Cultivate a well-equipped, diverse, flexible and engaged workforce • Advance data access, usability and analytics 2. Background To help achieve these goals, the IRS and the Small Business / Self Employees are pursuing the following strategic objectives: • Reduce the time between filing and compliance issue resolution. • Match potential compliance issues to the most appropriate solution informed by behavioral insights. • Simplify the process of filing, correction and payment for all taxpayers and their representatives. • Expand secure digital options for taxpayers and professionals to interact efficiently with the IRS, while maintaining and improving traditional service options. • Modernize and integrate technologies and systems that support secure, flexible and accurate work across IRS functions. • Simplify policies and processes to improve operational efficiency and coordination across business units. • Update data collection and retrieval capabilities and processes to provide faster authorized access to information. • Improve analytical tools and data competencies across the IRS. • Emphasize the use of data analytics, in conjunction with qualitative information, to select high-priority work. A. Scope The purpose of this performance work statement is to seek expert and objective strategic, technical, program management and implementation advice and guidance to support our strategic objectives. Small Business Self Employed identifies business and technical challenges requiring independent analyses and assessments, including many that span across multiple organizations. a. Skill Requirements - The IRS has chosen a strategy for program management that will combine IRS team members with contractor staff to deliver maximum value for SBSE needs. As a result, the need for team members well-versed in Agile program and project management are needed to participate in the planning, creation, delivery and support. The contractor will also be expected to help improve visibility into customer needs, priorities and support active collaboration in their strategies and drive digital innovation. b. Contractor Key Personnel - A Program Manager and other key personnel shall be designated during individual Task Order quotation. Key personnel (KP) are defined as personnel: (i) identified in the quote as key individual(s) to be assigned for participation in the performance of the BPA and its associated orders; (ii) whose resumes were submitted with the quote; or (iii) which are designated as key personnel by agreement of the Government and the Contractor during negotiations. Using the Table format below, the Contractor shall identify individuals considered as KP in their quoted staffing projection to fulfill Price Quote. Key Personnel Name Position or Role Unless specified, all task orders will have a specified Program Manager. Task Order Program Manager shall be responsible for the performance of work performed under their designated Task Order(s). The Program Manager shall have full authority to act on behalf of the Contractor on all award matters relating to daily operation. The Program Manager shall be available during core hours – 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday thru Friday except Federal holidays or when the IRS facility is closed for administrative reasons. • The Contractor shall submit resume for identified PM for review and qualifications verification. • Personnel whose resumes are proposed are subject to the evaluation process for skillset accessibility. Agreement of the selection by the government and the contractor will be determined before award of Task Order(s). The Contractor must notify the Contracting Officer prior to making any changes or substitutions in key personnel. No substitutions shall be made except in accordance with below process and substitution clause located within IRS Security Clauses specifically BPA Clause #26 IR1052.204.9006 – NOTIFICATION OF CHANGE IN CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEE EMPLOYMENT STATUS, ASSIGNMENT, or STANDING. 1. Contractor promptly notifies the Contracting Officer in writing, at least fifteen (15) working days in advance of the proposed substitutions. The Government has 30 days to approve or disapprove key personnel or they are deemed acceptable substitutions. Contractor must provide: a. detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitutions, b. complete resume for the proposed substitute, and c. any other information requested by the Contracting Officer needed to approve or disapprove the proposed substitution. 2. All proposed substitutions must have qualifications that are equal to or greater than the labor category position requirements. 3. The Contracting Officer (CO) will forward request to authorized Program Office representative (usually BPA or Task Order Level COR) to conduct evaluation of request. Representative will notify CO approval or disapproval. Tasks Task orders for specific needs will be issued against the Blanket Performance Agreement, (BPA). Performance and contractual obligations will be controlled by the BPA, Task Orders, Contractor and GSA schedule contracts. SBSE Program CORs will maintain the Task Orders for their area(s). The contractor shall assist the IRS in finding ways to address both intra- and inter-organizational challenges. The contractor shall apply its business domain experience and advise on issues while helping to align solutions to current and strategic business needs. The contractor shall provide high quality deliverables that meet the delivery deadlines and shall staff all sub-tasks with qualified and skilled personnel. As part of each sub-task proposal, the contractor shall provide resumes of all personnel involved in the project. Note: Work Product means any and all works, including work papers, notes, materials, approaches, designs, specifications, systems, innovations, improvements, inventions, software, programs, source code, documentation, training materials, audio or audiovisual recordings, methodologies, concepts, studies, reports, whether finished or unfinished, and whether or not included in the deliverables, that are developed, produced, generated or provided by Grantee in connection with Grantee’s performance of its duties under the Contract or through use of any funding provided under this Contract.” Task 1: Strategic Planning and Support The contractor shall provide development of operational plans in alignment with the IRS Strategic Plan (2018 – 2022), Taxpayer First Act, and IRS Integrated Modernization Business Plan, which should include the IRS’ mission, vision, and values: • The contractor shall participate in strategy development by the Government and review, advise, assist and make recommendations to Government executives and other senior staff. • The contractor shall provide assistance with determining the existing state of the organization by providing advice and guidance. • The contractor shall provide assistance in defining the operational and organizational requirements of the future state of the organization relative to the strategic direction of the IRS. • The contractor shall provide assistance with developing and implementing an action plan and change management for transitioning between the current and future state(s) of the organization. • The contractor shall identify measures and techniques for evaluating the progress towards reaching the future state of the organization. • The contractor shall identify goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Based (SMART). • The contractor shall identify short and long-term goal. • The contractor shall create a plan to achieve the goals. • The contractor shall provide assistance with developing and implementing operational and strategic alignments • The contractor shall provide assistance with performance assessments, measures and indicators Desired Outcome – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Work Products – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Task 2: Organizational Studies The contractor shall provide support in examination of the structural and sociological elements of the organization. Task Orders for this support may include, but are not limited to assisting with the following: • The contractor shall review existing documentation about the organization. • The contractor shall review existing processes used within an organization. • The contractor shall interview employees and customers of the organization. • The contractor shall observe organizational behavior. • The contractor shall analyze findings to construct a narrative about the organizational culture. • The contractor shall provide recommendations suggesting improvement(s) to an organization. Desired Outcome – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Work Products – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Task 3: Statistical Analysis The contractor shall provide statistical analysis in the collection and mathematical Interpretation of data. These Task Orders include but are not limited to assisting with the following: • The contractor shall provide support of data relevant to business processes; • The contractor shall provide support with the collection or assemblage of data relevant to business processes. • The contractor shall provide support with the development of analytical plans to address business questions. • The contractor shall provide analysis of data to include statistical interpretation. • The contractor shall provide modeling using data to address a business need. • The contractor shall provide preparation and presentation of reports with statistical content. Desired Outcome – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Work Products – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Task 4: Business Metrics and Data Analytics The contractor shall support business metrics use quantifiable means to assess the performance of a process. The contractor shall also support evaluation, recommendation, and adoption of new and emerging data analytics capabilities across SB/SE. These Task Orders may include, but are not limited to assistance with the following: • The contractor shall identify which measurements reflect business performance. • The contractor shall associate measures with business goals. • The contractor shall identify how to measure and conduct the measurement. • The contractor shall create baseline measurements. • The contractor shall set measurement benchmarks. • The contractor shall conduct a gap analysis. • The contractor shall analyze existing business metrics and identify gaps and Improvements. • The contractor shall assess Return on Investment (ROI). • The contractor shall conduct surveys. • The contractor shall conduct focus groups. • The contractor shall support identification of emerging data analytics tools, evaluation of those tools, and recommendations for adoption. • The contractor shall support the implementation of new data collection and retrieval capabilities. Desired Outcome – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Work Products – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Task 5: Business Process Improvement The contractor shall provide support with our Business Process Improvement by improving existing business processes. These Task Orders may include but are not limited to assisting with: • The contractor shall identify the organization’s business goals, stakeholders, and Customers. • The contractor shall identify and measure customer needs, preferences, and behaviors mapping processes. • The contractor shall provide benchmarking and analyzing processes. • The contractor shall redesign processes to better meet the business goals and customer needs. • The contractor shall develop and implement an action plan and change management. • The contractor shall develop and implement measures to evaluate the performance of revised processes. • The contractor shall provide support to develop Micro Soft SharePoint workflow configurations (Non-IT) to establish case and approval routing processes and associated reports. • The contractor shall provide support, assistance, and training for SB/SE employees related to Micro Soft SharePoint workflow creation and report development. Desired Outcome – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Work Products – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Task 6: Regulatory Compliance Regulatory compliance is the organization’s conformance with laws, regulations, policy and guidance. These Task Orders may include, but are not limited to assisting in: • The contractor shall provide analysis of the regulatory framework applicable to the organization and its processes. • The contractor shall develop compliance plans. • The contractor shall provide assistance implementation of compliance plans; • The contractor shall prepare compliance reports. • The contractor shall create risk assessments. Desired Outcome – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Work Products – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Task 7: Goal Setting The contractor shall provide support in determining the short and long-term objectives of an organization. These Task Orders may include but are not limited to assistance with: • The contractor shall provide relating goals to the IRS’ and the organization’s mission, vision and values. • The contractor shall identify goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time based (S.M.A.R.T.). • The contractor shall identify timeframes for short and long-term goals. • The contractor shall create a plan for achieving goals. • The contractor shall measure progress towards goals. Desired Outcome – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Work Products – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Task 8: Instructional Design The contractor shall provide instruction to learners to acquire knowledge or skill. These Task Orders may include, but are not limited to assistance with: • The contractor shall provide relating goals to the IRS’ and the organization’s mission. • The contractor shall analyze who the learners are, what the desired performance of the learners is, when the learning is needed, and the environment the learning will take place in. • The contractor shall design the objectives, lesson plan, content, assessment tools, and formats. • The contractor shall develop the course content, materials, storyboards, graphics, and electronic tools. • The contractor shall implement the course curriculum and assessment procedures. • The contractor shall evaluate the course via formative and summative processes. Desired Outcome – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Work Products – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Task 9: Program Management and Program Integration The contractor shall provide support with developing program management plans across multiple SBSE, IRS, and IT organizations. These Task Orders may include, but are not limited to assistance with: • The contractor shall develop comprehensive project management plans, coordinating with various stakeholders as needed. • The contractor shall integrate project schedules from multiple IRS offices. • The contractor shall develop integrated business requirements. • The contractor shall develop risk management and mitigation processes and tracking at the program level. • The contractor shall prepare reports on program implementation status. • The contractor shall develop and implement contingency plans. • The contractor shall provide skill sharing opportunities for SB/SE employees to learn project management skills. Desired Outcome – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Work Products – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Task 10: Vendor Engagement SB/SE is accelerating engagement with industry partners to understand solutions that meet critical business needs (many driven by COVID-19 impacts). The purpose of this work stream is to leverage industry technical expertise to navigate industry offerings. These Task Orders may include, but are not limited to assistance with: • The contractor shall provide industry technical expertise to understand solution value proposition and connections/support of SB/SE digital strategies, accelerated implementations and rapid acquisition approaches. • The contractor shall support elements of market research and acquisition approaches that ensure SB/SE explores all options to accelerate technology insertion and accelerated implementations. • The contractor shall provide recommendations for developing a framework for vendor engagement, stabilizing the many efforts being explored today. • The contractor shall provide SB/SE Senior Leadership an understanding of all considerations, technology solution adoption possibilities, and best actions for the highest value and opportunity. Desired Outcome – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Work Products – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Task 11: Digital Services The contractor shall provide support to enhance SB/SE’s adoption of new and emerging digital capabilities. These Task Orders may include, but are not limited to assistance with: • The contractor shall evaluate and refine SB/SE’s role in enterprise efforts related to digital, customer experience and technology innovations. • The contractor shall provide guidance in positioning SB/SE to advocate for SB/SE business initiatives within the enterprise technology initiatives. • The contractor shall provide assistance with prioritizing technology and business needs for SB/SE. • The contractor shall enable SB/SE to readily adopt and scale technology solutions within the organization. • The contractor shall evaluate target SB/SE and enterprise technology initiatives to develop profiles for critical SB/SE business functions that articulate current and future business, digital, customer experience and innovation needs. • The contractor shall conduct workshops with staff and leaders across SB/SE to identify current and anticipated business technology needs and readiness/capacity to adopt new technologies. • The contractor shall provide support to continually update and socialize the SB/SE Technology Innovation Roadmap which • identifies SB/SE technology priorities and needs, • defines the SB/SE engagement plan for enterprise technology initiatives, and • provides detailed action plans for prioritized SB/SE technology programs and projects Desired Outcome – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Work Products – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Task 12: Case Management The contractor shall provide support to improve the case selection processes across SB/SE. These Task Orders may include, but are not limited to assistance with: • The contractor shall provide support to identify case selection processes, evaluate these processes, and make recommendations for streamlined processing, including automation and potential robotics process automation. • The contractor shall provide support for the use of data analytics to select high-priority work. • The contractor shall provide support for the ongoing efforts to evaluate business readiness for SB/SE processes to migrate to the over-arching Enterprise Case Management (ECM) system. • The contractor shall provide support to address requirements for decommissioning legacy systems after migration of those systems to the ECM platform. Desired Outcome – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA Work Products – To be determined by individual task order issued under this BPA B. LABOR CATEGORIES AND DESCRIPTIONS The below listed are the required Labor Categories: o Subject Matter Expert (SME) o Researcher (2) o Program Manager C. Deliverables Program Planning and Summary Meeting Within five (5) business days of award of Task Order(s), the contractor shall meet with government representatives at a mutually agreeable location or via teleconference / videoconference. • Task Order Level – The Contractor will coordinate and send “calendar meeting invite” with agenda for meeting. The meeting shall include an introduction of those in attendance, discussion of assigned personnel status, location of work, etc. The Contractor shall provide meeting notes (inclusive of follow-up actions) to the government within five (5) business days of holding meeting. Task Order Deliverables and Work Products If specific task orders issued under this BPA requires formal deliverables, the table below will be used as a guide. Deliverables (designated by a “D” in the table below”) and work products (designated by a “W” in the table below”.) Deliverables must be delivered to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) in electronic format (Work, Excel, Power Point (PPT) and/or Visio). The monitoring method for deliverables is identified by an established percentage of surveillance in the performance metrics table. The COR or his/her representative will provide written feedback on deliverables within ten (10) business days. The contractor shall provide revisions within ten (10) business days of receipt of required revisions. The COR will provide written acceptance of all deliverables. The Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) deliverables are subject to COR approval. Work products must be delivered to the task order program manager or designee in electronic format (Work, Excel, Power Point (PPT) and/or Visio). Task Order Deliverables and Work Products Table TASK AREA / DELIVERABLE NO. TITLE DUE DATE OR FREQUENCY DELIVERED TO DELIVERABLE (D) OR WORK PRODUCT (W) NA Orientation Meeting Materials Within 4 days of TO Award COR and Task Order (TO) Program Manager (TO PM) D NA Orientation Briefing Meeting Minutes Within one week of meeting COR and TO PM W NA Written Status Report Last day of each Month COR and TO PM D NA Transition-Out Plan (only if required by the IRS) 30 days prior to the end of the Task Order (TBD) TO PM W Deliverable Acceptance Criteria: Minimal “Definition of Done” By monitoring the contractor, the COR will determine whether the performance levels set forth in the order have been attained. The Contractor’s performance shall be evaluated using the following performance standards and Acceptable Quality Level (AQL). Acceptable Quality Level Table TASK STANDARD ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LEVEL (AQL) METHOD OF SURVEILLANCE FREQUENCY IMPACT ON CONTRACTOR Incentive/ Disincentive Staffing Stability 100% Contractor professionals providing continuous, highly valued support 95% Contractor achieves low turnover rate; Staff with low productivity or insufficient expertise are replaced immediately. Replacement contractor staff is at the same or higher qualifications. monthly staff roster Monthly Performance evaluation in CPARS Deliverable Submission 100% Deliverable shall be on time 95% Deliverables Submitted on time/Total Deliverables Submitted 100% Inspection Monthly Performance evaluation in CPARS Other Direct Costs Some task orders issued under this BPA may require Other Direct Costs, (ODC’s). The Program Manager and COR must approve ODC’s. Travel If required, travel shall occur at the direction of the Government and will be in accordance with and FAR 31.205-46 'Travel Costs', as applicable. The Contractor shall obtain the COR’s approval in advance for any non-local travel. Government Property All data (including variables extracted from IRS databases used for analysis), reports and their formats, and presentation materials developed specifically for the IRS will be the property of the Internal Revenue Service and may not be used by contractors without explicit permission of the IRS. The IRS recognizes the intellectual property rights of contractors. Materials coincident to this BPA, which were developed for other customers, will remain the property of the contractor(s). The contractor will disclose all analytical techniques and formulas used in analyzing survey or IRS data upon request of the IRS for exclusively internal use at no additional cost. As required, IRS staff requesting such access will sign non-disclosure agreements for all such techniques and formulas as have been developed prior to and independent of this BPA. IRS shall furnish the following to the contractor: • HSPD12 badge • IRS laptop • Access to Tax Data • Statistical tools • IRS intranet access and email account • Workspace if needed at a IRS office location with desks, chairs, phones, voicemail, network connections, and standard office equipment • As determined by an agreement between the government and the contractor, the government shall provide information that may be required in the successful performance of any task(s). At the completion of the Task Order or within 1 working day of COR request (whichever comes first), the contractor shall return any government provided equipment, specialized or off-the-shelf software, documents, data and all other materials that were provided by the government for the contractor to use to complete the assigned tasks. SECTION II: ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS A. Period of Performance The anticipated Period of Performance for this requirement will include a 12-month base period and four 12-month options. The anticipated period of performance will be: Base Period: Date of Award – Month 12 Option Period 1: Month 13 – Month 24 Option Period 2: Month 25 – Month 36 Option Period 3: Month 37 – Month 48 Option Period 4: Month 49 – Month 60 B. Inspection and Acceptance Inspection and acceptance of all work performed shall be by the assigned COR. Written deliverables shall be reviewed for accuracy, clarity, completeness, and timeliness within 5 business days of receipt unless specified differently elsewhere in this task request. The IRS will provide any concerns and comments to the contractor, who shall ensure the completion of each deliverable in a manner acceptable to the IRS. The contractor shall deliver all copies of completed deliverables to the designated COR. C. Usage Rights All products and data developed for this contract and instructions produced by this contract will belong to the IRS during and at the conclusion of the contract. If the Contractor has proprietary research, copyrighted materials, and literary property copyright material used in this contract, the IRS will have the right to use and make these results, materials, and literary property available to others outside of IRS for their use at no additional charge. IRS is the owner of data resulting from this contract D. Security All contract employees must complete a successful Drug Test and receive a favorable High-Risk Clearance Memo. Copies of drug test results must be submitted to the COR within 10 days of submission of the applicant’s background investigation documents.