Inactive

This is the pre-solicitation notice for the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) - Office of Internet Freedom’s (OIF) forthcoming “Open Season” Request for Proposals (RFP). Under the forthcom... This is the pre-solicitation notice for the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) - Office of Internet Freedom’s (OIF) forthcoming “Open Season” Request for Proposals (RFP). Under the forthcoming solicitation, the agency intends to prequalify additional firms that will be eligible to compete for future task orders under task areas 1 through 6 of the OIF’s Internet Censorship Circumvention Tools Blanket Ordering Agreement (BOA). The intent of the agency is to improve competition and provide the agency with access to innovative and improved technologies and capabilities, enhanced metrics, improved performance and competitive pricing. The agency anticipates publicizing the Open Season solicitation in late September or early October 2020. The Open Season solicitation will be open to firms currently holding BOAs with OIF that wish to be considered for projects under additional task areas of their BOAs, and to all other responsible business concerns that are actively registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) and that have the requisite technical capability and experience necessary to provide Internet Censorship Circumvention solutions and related services. General BOA Information The Internet Censorship Circumvention Tools BOA is a multiple-award/multiple task-area agreement that is currently in its first year of a five year ordering period. The BOA promotes the use of performance-based contracting and accommodates task orders issued on a firm fixed- price basis. When necessary and in the best interest of the agency, task orders may be awarded on a time-and-materials basis also. The agency plans to hold competitive procurements for the issuance of new task orders after concluding the Open Season selection process. The agency anticipates that new task order solicitations will be issued during fiscal year 2021. However, the exact date for issuance of new task order solicitations is not guaranteed and may occur at any time of the year or may not occur at all. Agency Notice: The agency will conduct this procurement action under its statutory authority to conduct procurements without regard to any other provision of law relating to such procurements [See 22 U.S.C. 6204(a)(10)]. Where Congress has authorized a government entity to acquire goods or services “notwithstanding any other provision of law related to the acquisition of such goods or services…”, those transactions, by their nature, are not subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), or to other procurement-related laws, such as the Competition in Contracting Act (CICA) [See 10 U.S.C. 2304, “…except in the case of procurement procedures otherwise expressly authorized by statute…”]. Because competition requirements under CICA will not apply to the procurement, GAO will not have jurisdiction over protests related to the Open Season selection process or to any task order awarded under the BOA. All protests related to the procurement must be submitted directly to the contracting officer, whose final decisions will be appealable to the agency’s Senior Procurement Executive. Synopsis of Overall Scope of BOA The overall purpose of the BOA and the general nature of the work for Task Orders awarded under the BOA is to obtain Internet censorship circumvention tools and services. The primary supplies and services required under this contract relate to state-of-the art, specialized information technology (IT) software and systems for circumventing Internet censorship by foreign governments, and require active, ongoing maintenance and support throughout the term of the Task Orders by the Contractor to ensure required service levels. Description of Task Areas The USAGM's internet censorship circumvention requirements will fall into one or more of the task areas described below. Some task orders may require the delivery of integrated censorship circumvention platforms, which may require the Contractor to provide services encompassing several different task areas, while other task orders may require services related to only a single task area. TASK AREA 1: Circumvention Client Software Requires the provision of software to circumvent Internet censorship imposed by foreign governments and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) using client software technology, which, at a minimum, transparently proxies HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) traffic, and may, based on individual Task Order requirements, implement transparent proxy services for additional protocol traffic, up to and including full Virtual Private Network (VPN) service. The software will work on operating systems as specified in each individual Task Order, which may include various desktop and mobile computing devices. The software must allow Internet users in target countries to use the client software package to circumvent the censorship of the Internet within their country. This shall be accomplished by accessing a network of servers operated by the firm, which are distributed globally and use a diverse set of Dynamic Internet Protocol (IP) addresses which cannot easily be discovered, enumerated, and blocked. TASK AREA 2: Clientless Web Proxies Requires the provision of a network of web proxies which may be accessed by any web browser which supports Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTPS) and which can be distributed by USAGM broadcasters. The system must allow Internet users in target countries to circumvent the censorship of the Internet within their country by accessing web proxies operated by the firm, which are distributed globally and use a diverse set of domain names and dynamic IP addresses which cannot easily be discovered, enumerated, and blocked. The proxy sites will need to be changed regularly, based on the specifics of site blockages in the target countries. TASK AREA 3: Data privacy and security tools Requires the provision of software that uses cryptography to protect user privacy for digital information stored on computers and/or mobile devices from discovery and access by parties not specifically authorized by the user. The software may provide various features including, but not limited to, secure on-device storage, anonymous access to the internet, and secure communication, but the overriding principles must be to allow for user privacy and security in countries where internet freedom is threatened. TASK AREA 4: Training Requires the development and conduct/delivery of training courses in digital security and circumvention tools for journalists and stringers in various countries worldwide who produce news and other content for USAGM, as well as for trainers and other relevant personnel. Local trainers may be required to conduct/deliver the training courses in several designated languages around the world. Depending on USAGM’s needs, the training may require in-person, online and/or digital delivery. TASK AREA 5: Censorship Circumvention Technical Expertise and Support Requires the provision of technical expertise in Internet censorship circumvention to further the USAGM's other Internet anticensorship initiatives. This may consist of producing technical documentation and reports on the current state of Internet censorship in target countries; providing computer programming and software engineering for USAGM's internal software products, open source software, or the firm’s other software; or setup, maintenance, and operation of computer systems and network devices as described in the Task Order. The firm may be tasked with providing personnel on-site at USAGM offices in Washington, DC, and such personnel may be required either on a short term (e.g. Weekly) or full-time basis, and may be needed on a quick reaction basis to meet emergency operation requirements. TASK AREA 6: Promotion of Internet Freedom Tools and Techniques Requires the promotion and distribution of tools and techniques within USAGM, as well as its entities and in USAGM target regions, to provide information and awareness of the availability of such tools and techniques that allow for securely accessing and sharing USAGM broadcasting networks’ online news and other programming to counter foreign government-sponsored Internet censorship controls. Notice to firms currently holding a BOA for OIF’s Internet Censorship Circumvention Tools: The preceding task area descriptions reflect scope revisions to Task Areas 3 and 4, and the inclusion of a new Task Area 6. The USAGM will modify the existing BOAs to reflect the new requirements at the conclusion of the Open Season selection process. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION DO NOT SUBMIT PROPOSALS IN RESPONSE TO THIS NOTICE PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AT THIS TIME