Electronic Tax Preparation and Transmission Software and Support (ETSA)

The Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communication (SPEC) organization within Customer Assistance, Relationships and Education (CARE) administers programs that provide free electronic tax preparation for taxpayers who are generally low-income, elderly, disabled or have limited English proficiency. SPEC intends to use information from this RFI to assess industry efforts that will help us improve our services and identify software and customer service capabilities to help shape the path forward for future software acquisitions. Description: This is a Request for Information (RFI) (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 RFI is for the Government to increase our knowledge of and obtain information from the tax return preparation software industry for project planning purposes. The IRS will utilize the RFI to identify solutions and approaches that currently exist in the marketplace and compile innovative ideas or concepts regarding the service in question. The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance/Tax Counseling for the Elderly (VITA/TCE) Programs provide free electronic federal, state and local tax return preparation and transmission for taxpayers. The VITA/TCE Programs use commercial off the shelf (COTS) tax preparation software to prepare these tax returns. The software is used by preparers with varying degrees of experience including tax professionals and non-tax professionals. This includes IRS partners, volunteers, employees, (referred to hereafter as IRS licensees) and taxpayers at approximately 12,000 volunteer sites worldwide, with diverse technical operating environments. We wish to identify software and customer service capabilities that meet the unique needs of the VITA/TCE Programs. The software must take advantage of current and commercially proven technology. It must also meet the requirements and is compliant with IRS electronic e-file for tax preparation capability and operate out-of-the-box with minimal configuration/customization to meet IRS regulatory, security and privacy standards. The minimal requirements for the commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) tax preparation software which may be customized to meet IRS regulatory, security and privacy standards, software maintenance, reporting capabilities, customer support services, help desk support, training for software users, and training materials for IRS use; must include contractor support and facilitation of the following: - Satisfy certain functional, technical, performance, quality, availability and reporting requirements to meet the needs of both the IRS and its partner organizations. - Licenses to support English and Spanish versions, which includes the ability to print in both versions, for the following products: o Professional Web-based Version for volunteer-assisted tax preparation o Professional Desktop Version with networking capabilities for volunteer-assisted tax preparation o Self-Preparer Web-Based Version - Capable of accurately preparing and filing any individual federal, state and local income tax returns for all possible tax situations prescribed by the IRS that may occur among those served by the VITA and TCE programs. This includes the capability to electronically prepare the following 1040 Series Family Forms - 1040, 1040NR, 1040NREZ, 1040PR, and 1040X. - Method for the software to function as Web-Based, Self-Preparer Web-Based, and Desktop Version. - No limit as to the number of local, state, and federal tax returns that can be filed per licensed copy. - A disaster recovery, business continuity plan in the event of a catastrophic event (e.g. natural disasters, technological failures, human threats, etc.). - Capability to re-establish IRS licensees' data files to a condition that existed no more than 2 hours before the interruption in the event of system failures or facility disasters to prevent loss of data and provide business continuity. - Software that provides for reporting capability at the site level. The software shall provide the ability for appropriately authorized users to create and run customized (also called "ad hoc") management reports, based on a selection of data fields. - A website, toll-free telephone number, email and chat help desk to support volunteer sites. The help desk will provide timely issue resolution to the licensee sites and detailed reporting to the IRS. Help desk support is defined as assistance that provides successful resolution of questions relating to software/hardware compatibility and functionality issues of the Contractor's software. This includes providing support for trouble-shooting technical issues related to the installation and operation of the software (hardware, printers, etc.). - A method to mass-communicate with licensees regarding outages, planned/unplanned maintenance, and other relevant issues twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. (i.e. email, website availability, etc.). - A method to deliver training that is effective, efficient and feasible to ensure that up to 96,000 volunteers and employees are trained to use the software. - A printed user guide to accompany each software package delivered and online user guide accessible to all users. - Contractor's facility, systems, and procedures, must successfully pass the IRS' Contractor Review. - Because of heightened security awareness, the IRS may, from time to time, notify the contractor of increased risks, and request changed security procedures. The contractor will negotiate with the IRS to determine the timing, scope, and resolution of the problems. - Must be accessible or usable by individuals who are blind or visually impaired, individuals with disabilities, and individuals with limited reach or strength. - Must be able to operate with 1.0 GB of free hard drive space and must be compatible with older operating systems. - The software is tested for compliance with the IRS Common Operating Environment (COE) to ensure the software will work in the IRS IT environment. Requested Information: The software contractor must complete a separate spreadsheet and respond directly to each capability itself. See Attachment_1_RFI_Requested Information.xlsx. A brief description of the product and the current conformance level of the product being offered should be described. The contractor may propose products or services other than the products or services commercially available provided the result of the substitution will provide a substantially equivalent or greater functional capacity. All products or services shall meet the appropriate Voluntary Product Accessibility Template or other document describing conformance with Section 508 accessibility standards and guidelines.? Other Information Requested: Contractors are requested to respond to the following items: 1. Organization Name (if organization has experienced name changes, please list all previous names used). 2. Company's technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. 3. Industry (NAICS) Codes (North American Industry Classification System) and business size for each NAICS code. 4. Vehicles and contracts held (vehicle, agency, expiration date inclusive of Best In Class contracts, GWACs, IDIQs, and BPAs) - please highlight contracts with the Federal Government clearly. 5. Year company was established/founded. 6. Company ownership (public, private, joint venture). 7. Business Classification/Socio-Economic Status (e.g., large, small, 8(a), women owned, hub-zone, SDB, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned). 8. Location of corporate headquarters. 9. Locations of facilities within the Continental United States (CONUS). 10. Locations of facilities Outside of the Continental United States (OCONUS). 11. Location of data centers and/or hosting facilities. 12. Location where incorporated. 13. Overview of products and services provided. 14. Identification of any Best In Class contract vehicles including Government Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWAC) (e.g. GSA schedule) they may possess or are aware of that would support this possible requirement. 15. Provide at least three past performance summaries (Commercial and/or Federal Government), including the contract type, contracting vehicle, dollar value, service level agreements and associated performance metrics of relevant requirements of similar, size, scope, and complexity to that contemplated here. 16. Demonstrate compliance with Section 508 conformance and accessibility requirements of your firm's software product(s) and/or services by providing your solutions VPAT. 17. What is the suggested contract type and pricing structure for a requirement such as this that will provide the Government a maximum level of cost efficiency to be obtained? If pricing of services is available, please provide as market research data to allow for the Government to be able to create an independent government cost estimate, including but are not limited to: a. Cost per license b. Credit options for unused software c. Volume discounts 18. Any other information that may be helpful.? Pending a review of the responses, the quality of submissions and the level of specificity of the information provided, Government may conduct follow up discussions (if needed) with respondents. Please note, however, that the Government is under no obligation to conduct these follow-up Q&A sessions. Response submissions should be submitted in Microsoft Word format and should not exceed fifteen (15) pages with Arial font greater than or equal to 10 pt. The Excel spreadsheet attachment requesting additional information is not included in this 15-page limitation. Respondents are strongly urged to adhere to this page limitation as well as to limit marketing material in order to provide more substantive information in their response. Questions and responses are to be submitted via e-mail to Justin Dewitt at Justin.C.DeWitt@irs.gov. All questions are due NLT January 10, 2019. NO PHONE CALLS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Terms and Conditions regarding this Notice: 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. 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 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. 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 notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Responses to this notice 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 notice. Responses to the notice will not be returned. Not responding to this notice does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if one is issued. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in responses to this Notice, unless otherwise appropriately marked by the Respondent. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information received in response to this Notice in any resultant solicitation(s). Do Not Submit any Proposals/Offers in response to this Notice.