Inactive Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

Disclaimer: THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY. THE NOTICE IS NOT A FORMAL REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL OR QUOTE. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATI... Disclaimer: THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY. THE NOTICE IS NOT A FORMAL REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL OR QUOTE. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT TO ANY CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES OR ANY FOLLOW-UP INFORMATION REQUESTS TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY. The Government will not accept unsolicited proposals. Respondents shall not seek sole source pitches, etc. to the Contracting Officer. Respondents will NOT be notified of the results of the analysis. All data received in response to this Sources Sought Notice 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. --------------------- Introduction: At this time, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has not determined an acquisition strategy. Instead, with this Sources Sought Notice, the government seeks meaningful market intelligence among CISCO Gold Partners to determine the best acquisition strategy for a future solicitation. In accordance with FAR 10.002(b)(2)(iii), the government reserves the right to conduct additional market intelligence with the Sources Sought respondents. Preliminary Objective: A single, small business set-aside award in accordance with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-22-03, Advancing Equity in Federal Procurement, for CISCO Gold Certified resellers. Potential NAICS: 511210 – Software Publishers 541519 – Other Computer Related Services PSC: 7C20 -- IT and Telecom - Data Center Products (Hardware and Perpetual License Software) Background Information: The Internal Revenue Service intends to issue a FY23 solicitation for annual refreshes of CISCO products and services. The acquisition will significantly change the agency’s approach to procuring network hardware, software, advanced services, and software support services after the expiration of the current contracts. The requiring activity is responsible for managing the design and engineering of the IRS telecommunications voice/data environment, including development of long-range enterprise networks strategy and management of telecommunications projects in support of current and future business initiatives. The requiring activity supports a decentralized organization structure of over 600 facilities across the United States. Vendors should provide feedback on the following: Section A Is your company a contract holder on any GWAC? If so, which one(s)? Section B Are you an authorized CISCO Gold Certified reseller? If so, is your company a Tier 1 provider? Does your company have any CISCO WPA contracts? Or other CISCO ELA contracts? What issues should the government consider? What supply chain risks should the government consider? What are the advantages of a hybrid award whereby one CLIN is for SaaS and the hardware refresh requirements are competed? If there are additional scenarios the agency should consider, vendors are encouraged to put forth the information for our consideration. (This information shall be limited to one page.) As a prime, does your company retain a facility clearance? If so, what level? Also, please indicate if your company retains the facility clearance or a sponsored facility clearance. Information Submittal Requirements: Title Your Document as Follows: IRS CISCO Sources Sought – FY23 Section A, (no more than 1-2 pages), is considered the executive overview and should contain the following: Coversheet Brief synopsis of the company Company name, address, telephone number, a point of contact with e-mail address, UEI number, business size, and Primary NAICS. A list of federal government contract vehicles currently awarded to the company, i.e., GSA Schedule, SEWP IV, etc. Include contract numbers, period of performance dates, whether the company is a prime or subcontractor and contact information for the Contracting Officer’s name. Section B, (no more than 1-3 pages), shall address all bullets in the “Background Information” section of this announcement. Please include any other items the government should consider for this procurement. For example, explain any particular software or hardware requirements required, or types of services required for CISCO products. Or any Lessons Learned in providing service to your customers with CISCO environments. Respondents are limited to a 1-5 page response that is clear, concise and no appearance of a proposal. All submissions shall be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word or PDF format. All information should be UNCLASSIFIED material only. Submissions may not exceed five, 8½ x 11 pages. The pages must have one inch margins and font size must be at least 12 point font. All submissions should be e-mailed no later than 1:00 PM, August 10, 2022, to Contracting Officer, Carol Mays at carol.g.mays@irs.gov. E-mail verification will be sent upon receipt.