Inactive Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Set-Aside (FAR 19.14)

****This is a Sources Sought Notice only. This is not a request for proposal, but a survey to locate potential sources. This Sources Sought does not constitute an Invitation for Bids, Request for Prop... ****This is a Sources Sought Notice only. This is not a request for proposal, but a survey to locate potential sources. This Sources Sought does not constitute an Invitation for Bids, Request for Proposals, or a Request for Quotations, and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue an order or otherwise pay for the information solicited, nor is it a guarantee of a forthcoming solicitation or contract. It is for market research purposes only. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is to gain knowledge of interest, capabilities, and qualifications of various small businesses in advance of a planned solicitation for creating a railroad bridge database. Objective: To find sources that are qualified to meet the requirements in the below draft Statement Work Statement (SOW). Note that the specific requirements are subject to change prior to the release of any solicitation. Requirements: The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), is conducting market research in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10. The purpose of this Market Research is to identify all business concerns that have the skills, experience, knowledge, and capabilities necessary to complete the work outlined below. The sources sought notice is open to all business concerns. This Sources Sought is issued to communicate FRA’s upcoming requirement to industry. FRA intends to use information gathered from these responses to gain awareness of capabilities, determine interested parties, and to support formulation of an acquisition strategy. Responses/Submissions: Responses/Submissions are due by 9:00 A.M. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Thursday, August 1, 2024 and should be e-mailed to the Contracting Officer, Brittany.Alvarenga@dot.gov, with the subject line appearing as “SS -Records Management Support.” The response/submission shall include: a. Company Name, Address, CAGE Code and UEI Number, Point of Contact b. Business Size (Small, SDVOSB, Woman-Owned, Disadvantaged, Hub-Zone, Large, Non- Profit, etc) c. To what extent each of the specifications can be met (i.e. capabilities statement) d. Past experience/performance through the description of completed projects relative to similar requirements and/or company’s ability to meet the requirement e. A not-to-exceed three (4) page capability statement Draft Statement of Work: FRA Records Management Support Services 1.0 BACKGROUND The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). FRA’s mission is to enable the safe, reliable, and efficient movement of people and goods for a strong America, now and in the future. The agency is the chief safety regulator for all passenger and freight railroads nationwide. FRA provides rigorous oversight and inspection programs based on the strategic use of data; proactive approaches for the early identification and mitigation of risk; and capital investments in rail research, development, and technology programs. The Office of Information Technology (OIT) plans, develops, and administers the FRA’s Information Technology (IT), including: Enterprise Architecture; Solutions Architecture; Data Management; Asset Management; IT Security; Web and Application Development; IT Capital Planning; IT Continuity of Operations and Disaster Response; IT Operations & Maintenance, IT support (systems, computing and wireless devices, and infrastructure, in coordination with DOT’s Office of the Chief Information Officer); Agency-wide records management, directives coordination, forms control; and implementation of applicable provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 and E-Government Act of 2002. 1.1 OBJECTIVE The objective of this requirement is to provide FRA Records Management Support specifically document management and archiving. Currently there are 1,215 cubic feet of paper records housed at FRA headquarters that are part of a backlog and they need to be inventoried and prepared for dispositions. Some of those records are permanent and would need to be transferred to NARA/ FRC once inventoried. 1.2 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The period of performance is anticipated to be from September 2024 to September 2025, with one 12-month Option period, if exercised. 2.0 GENERAL TASKS This requirement implements a comprehensive Records and Information Management (RIM) program for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). FRA’s mission is to enable the safe, reliable, and efficient movement of people and goods for a strong America, now and in the future. FRA relies on computer-based systems to support its core business functions and operations. All FRA business functions produce Records that must be maintained throughout their lifecycle. Records are comprised of administrative, mission, and policy documents. They have varying degrees of sensitivity, including Controlled Unclassified requirements. Few of FRA’s holdings have permanent electronic retention, but several collections must be maintained for decades. FRA has proactively engaged in efforts to enhance the RIM program. Despite dedicated initiative, FRA faces limited resources and workforce challenges. The absence of a comprehensive Records inventory and accurate counts for digital and paper Records reflects the need for additional support in realizing the full potential of the RIM program. 2.1 Required Tasks This initiative aims to address existing challenges, establish a robust framework, and transition FRA to a fully electronic environment that aligns with the National Archives and Records Administration’s (NARA’s) requirements and industry best practices. The initiative involves conducting a detailed Records inventory, records disposition, and completing the digitization process of paper Records. The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to perform the RIM program implementation. The tasks include: 2.1.1 RECORD & RETENTION IDENTIFICATION: The contractor shall sort records based on approved records disposition authorities and identify retentions for each record type and dates on the records inventory. Records that are overdue for destruction should be identified, logged on a record inventory and destruction form, and proposed for destruction. Records that need to be transferred to National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)/Federal Records Center (FRC) should be grouped separately from other documents using their disposition authorities and logged on the inventory with necessary information. Deliverable: A. Records Inventories and Sorted Records Stacks/Groups 2.1.2 RECORDS DISPOSITIONS The Contractor shall inventory and box records, separating by disposition authorities and dates, and preparing inventory/box list for each type. Permanent records will need more detailed inventory and will be separated based on disposition authorities. Those records which are immediately available for direct transfer to NARA will be inventoried and boxed for shipment. Those permanent records that are not yet eligible for shipment to NARA will be inventoried and boxed for shipment to the Federal Record Center. Contractor shall assist the Records Management Officer with the logistics, coordination and shipping completed boxes for pick up by NARA and/or FRC. Records that are eligible for destruction at the moment will also be annotated on FRA F 209, Destruction Form, and disposed accordingly. The Contractor might need to coordinate the use of destruction bins with DOT facilities to destroy those records once approved. Deliverables: A. Record Inventory/box Lists B. Documentation for records transfer C. Documentation for records shipment D. Documentation for records destruction 2.1.3 SCANNING The Contractor shall scan any files that cannot be shipped hardcopy to either FRA or NARA due to light volume and creating associated inventory/box list. Scanning will be done based on predetermined scanning requirements. An inventory list shall be prepared for all scanned records based on file type and retention. Deliverables: Electronic inventory/box list of scanned records Scanned files with required metadata.