Inactive 8(a) Set-Aside (FAR 19.8)

2/27/2025 - RFI Questions have been posted. This is a Sources Sought Request notice (hereinafter Notice). This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, request for bids or quotations, ... 2/27/2025 - RFI Questions have been posted. This is a Sources Sought Request notice (hereinafter Notice). This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, request for bids or quotations, nor, a promise to issue a solicitation in the future. The purpose of this Notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement. Responses to this Notice will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method and determining interest and capability of potential vendors for this type of requirement. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Office of Procurement is issuing this notice to identify qualified and responsible businesses within SBA's 8(a) Program that can meet this requirement and identify any barriers to entry. See attached a draft performance work statement (PWS). This Notice does not obligate the government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. All costs associated with responding to this Notice are solely at the responding party's expense. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the government will arise as a result of contractor submission of responses to this notice or the government use of such information. This notice does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter into negotiations to award a contract. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the government to form a binding contract or agreement. No funds have been authorized, appropriated, or received for this effort. The Government will not be obligated to pursue any acquisition alternative as a result of this notice. Responses to the notice will not be returned. The government reserves the right to use information provided in response to this notice by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Interested parties are solely responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. The government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in developing its acquisition strategy and Statement of Work/Statement of Objectives and performance specifications. The Government may use the responses to this RFI in developing a procurement strategy. The Government will weigh the capability, quality and expected lifecycle of the proposed solutions, technical environment, flexibility and adaptability to future needs, the quality of the implementation plan, time to implement, total cost of ownership of the system, and the level of risk in consideration of the formal procurement strategy. Further, the Government may contact the vendor for additional information regarding the information submitted as part of this market research effort. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Not responding to this notice does not preclude participation in any future solicitation if one is issued. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in SAM.gov/GSA eBuy. However, responses to this notice WILL NOT be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. SCOPE EA requires cloud architecture and design support to enable IT to modernize IRS data, applications, and services across service and deployment models. Maintaining a cloud infrastructure will reduce fixed investment, minimize the risks of aging hardware, and improve scalability and elasticity. The expansion to private and hybrid cloud will support long-term and emergent business requirements for enterprise IT orchestration and service management. IRS systems must accommodate heavy demand during peak times, resulting in the critical need for both infrastructure scalability and flexibility. The overall objective is to enable the modernization of workloads and applications in the cloud as well as provide comprehensive cloud modernization planning services. The Contractor support will enable alignment to the 2-year Cloud Transition Strategy, EA’s vision, target state Enterprise architecture, Enterprise Architecture Roadmap (EAR), IRS Modernization Plan and the IRA Strategic Operating Plan, enabling EA to achieve cloud modernization and transformation objectives. EA requires Contractor support to develop define, update, and communicate EA strategic plans and initiatives that meet objectives in support of internal and external stakeholders. The Contractor shall provide support and services in the following general areas: Cloud Architecture and Design (CAD) Digital Disruption Support Services Cloud Customer Engagement and Communication Architecture Standards and Modernization The Contractor shall produce Work Products/Deliverables that conform to, and integrate with, existing IRS standards and guidelines. The Contractor shall conform to all IRS Security and Disclosure policies. *** Prospective vendors are encouraged to review the attached draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) for an overview of the scope and objectives of this requirement. Please note that the PWS is subject to change based upon the feedback and insights gathered through this RFI. *** RESPONDING TO THIS RFI Sources able to satisfy the requirements detailed in the PWS are invited to submit information describing their capabilities. Please limit submissions to a MAXIMUM of 15 pages (including cover page, white paper response, diagrams, photos, etc.). Responses received by the Government exceeding the 15-page limit will not be reviewed beyond the first 15 pages. Responses shall be provided in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format, using 11 font size and 8.5 x 11-inch pages. No hard copies will be accepted. Submissions shall be received at IRS via email to Davida.E.Patton@irs.gov, no later than 12:00pm EST Tuesday, March 4, 2025. Early submissions are encouraged. IRS reserves the right to review late submissions, however, there is no guarantee of review of late submissions. Please include the RFI title “RFI Response to EA 4365- (Company Name)” in the subject line of your email and provide electronic submission (Word or PDF) of your response. Responses shall include the information requested below. The cover page (one page maximum) shall include the following information: Company Information and Single Point of Contact (Name, Title, Contact Information) SAM.gov Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Addresses- mailing, website, social media Brief Overview of the Company Number of Employees Business Type, NAICS code(s), Company Size (other than small, small business, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), etc.) List of any GSA, NASA SEWP, GWAC Contracts or other Federal Contracts similar to this requirement In addition to the cover page, the Government requests responses to the questions provided in the attachment “RFI Questions”. Prospective vendors shall limit the responses to the RFI questions and any supplemental documentation, such as diagrams, photos, attachments, testimonials to a MAXIMUM of 15 pages. Any company proprietary information, performance capabilities, and/or future modifications should be clearly identified and marked; please segregate proprietary information. Please be advised that all submissions are confidential between the company and the Government, shall be deemed Government property, and will not be returned. QUESTIONS RELATIVE TO THE RFI All questions regarding this RFI shall be received at IRS via email at Davida.E.Patton@irs.gov, and due no later than 5:00pm EST Friday, February 21, 2025. All answers to the questions will be posted via this publication on SAM.gov/GSA eBuy. TERMS & CONDITIONS This RFI does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. All costs associated with responding to this RFI are solely at the responding party's expense. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Further, the Government may contact the vendor for additional information regarding the information submitted as part of this market research effort. Any organization responding to this RFI should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Government Point of Entry or other similar source (e.g., GSA E-buy). However, responses to this RFI will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract or agreement. The Government will not be obligated to pursue any particular acquisition alternative as a result of this RFI. Responses to the RFI will not be returned. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future solicitation if one is issued. The Government reserves the right to contact some, all or none of the responding vendors for further discussions regarding the RFI response. The IRS will reach out to the point of contact listed on the response should we choose to contact any vendor(s). This discussion is for clarification or for further information gathering. This exchange should not be misconstrued as the Governments interest to pursue or enter into any contractual agreement or obligation.