Express Package Audit and Recovery Services

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION ANNOUNCEMENT FOR PROPOSALS AND NO CONTRACT WILL BE AWARDED FROM THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. The Department of Homeland Security is performing - market research. The Department of Homeland Security has a possible future requirement for express package audit and recovery services. BACKGROUND Congress has issued legislation to address the identification, prevention, and recovery of improper payments. Public Law No. 107-300, the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 (IPIA), enacted in November 2002, requires the heads of federal agencies to annually: 1) identify programs and activities susceptible to improper payments; 2) estimate the annual amount of improper payments and submit that estimate to Congress; and 3) for improper payments that exceed 2.5% of program payments and $10 million annually, the agency must report the actions it is taking to reduce improper payments, including a discussion of the causes. DHS has identified a potential opportunity for additional cost savings for the Department through auditing of any shipment that is not delivered as promised by the respective shipping company. The contracts between DHS and its express package vendors stipulate that these must provide DHS a refund when a shipment is not delivered as agreed. For this reason DHS will begin tracking shipments for which the Department has been charged incorrectly. Public Law No. 107-107, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2002 (NDAA), Subchapter VI Recovery Audits, requires all agencies that enter into contracts with an annual total value in excess of $500 million to carry out a cost-effective program to identify errors and recover amounts erroneously paid. SERVICES DHS is exploring the retrieval of invoiced refunds to support efficient use of human capital and fiscal resources. An audit and recovery vendor would provide DHS with economies of scale not only to verify that these packages were not delivered in the agreed upon timeframe but also to have the resources and technology to retrieve the refunds due to the Department. Firms should submit a detailed response that describes its capabilities, approach and any unique qualifications it possesses that could benefit DHS. Our goal is to identify vendors that are able to best meet the criteria defined below. The vendor response should address the following areas: - Unique qualifications and background. - Do you have the ability to audit shipments on the following criteria: late delivery, no proof delivery, incorrect rate, manifested not shipped, damaged and others? - Are there shipping volume minimum/limits? - What reports are available to customers? Are these reports online? - How are overcharged shipments identified? - How often area refunds processed? - Can refund checks be obtained? - For invoice credits, how are end of year refunds handled? - Is flexible price structure available? - Provide a list of current/past Federal clients including POC name, address, telephone number and e-mail address. - What type of security clearance is required for your company's data personnel? - How does your company identify shipments that are eligible for a refund? By viewing vendor reports or by tracking shipment numbers from the point of generation? - What % of the total refund amount will your company charge as payment? Billed monthly after payment is received? The applicable NAICS Code is 541614 with a size standard of $6.5 million. In the capability statements contractors should provide their size status for the above referenced NAICS code, (i.e. large, small) and whether or not they are a certified hub zone, 8(a), women-owned, small disadvantaged and/or disabled veteran owned concerns. Responses to the sources sought synopsis shall be limited to 20 pages or less and should be submitted to Johnnie Lewis-Banks and Victoria Short, Department of Homeland Security, Office of Procurement Operations, Departmental Operations Acquisition Division, Room 3051, 245 Murray Lane, S.W., Building 410, Washington, D.C. 20528 or Johnnie.Lewis-Banks@dhs.gov and Victoria.Short@dhs.gov no later than 10 business days from the date of posting.