GSA Equity Study on Remote Identity Proofing

This is a request for information notice only. This is not a request for an offer or proposals. This notice does not represent a commitment by the government to issue a solicitation or award a contract. Information received will be used to determine the availability of technically capable and otherwise responsible firms that would be interested in submitting offers. The release of this Sources Sought should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. The information provided in the Sources Sought is subject to change and is not binding on the government nor does it restrict the government as to the ultimate acquisition approach. Further, the government is not at this time seeking quotations and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Not responding to this Sources Sought does not preclude participation in any future RFQ, if so issued. All submissions become government property and will not be returned. The Government may engage Sources that respond to this notice by seeking further information about capabilities or even direct or non-competitive awards. 1.0 Background/Statement of Need The GSA - Equity Study on Remote Identity Proofing will assess the impact of demographic factors on both biometric and non-biometric proofing checks. Using the NIST SP 800-63-3 as a framework, GSA will test how one-to-one (1:1) remote identity-proofing methods like facial verification technology perform across various demographic groups. To conduct this study, GSA is working with sources that are compatible with the study architecture and can meet agency compliance requirements. GSA will release the study's results in a peer-reviewed publication. The report will present a statistical analysis of failures and successes for the proofing checks and explore the causes behind negative or inconclusive results. These results will help GSA understand the current technological barriers to equitable identity-proofing services for the public. The study will be designed, executed, and analyzed by a team led by TTS Solutions assisted by contractor support including an academic institution and an accredited Institutional Review Board (IRB). The proposed scope includes 2,000-4,000 participants. Study results will be incorporated into an de-identified peer-reviewed report published by GSA and the Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR) which will assist government agencies and the identity proofing community to make better informed decisions regarding identity proofing capabilities and provide more equitable access to diverse populations that need to verify their identity. This notice seeks identity-proofing sources that have the skills and interest to support this effort. The Government is estimating the purchase of 5,000 proofing transactions (4,000 participants from the public and 1,000 for testing) for this study, and anticipates that each purchase will be below the micro-purchase threshold of $10,000. See Sources Sought attachment and Appendix A for additional details.