REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: IT Support, Operations & Maintenance Services

Information Technology (IT)Support, Operations, and Maintenance Services This Request for Information is for planning purposes only and is being used solely as a market research tool in accordance with FAR Subpart 10.002(b). This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP), nor is a Request for Quotation (RFQ) nor is an announcement of a solicitation. Response is strictly voluntary and the Government will not provide any reimbursement for any response for the effort expended in the preparation of a response by any vendor. The Government welcomes all comments to this RFI but is under no obligation to provide responses or individual feedback. Concise responses to the RFI are requested and marketing materials are neither requested nor desired. Submission of a response to this RFI notice will not affect any potential offeror's ability to submit a quotation/proposal in the future should funding become available and a solicitation is issued. There is no solicitation document associated with this RFI. There is no obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any product or service as a result of this RFI. Submissions made to the Government will not be returned. Information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding upon the Government. INTRODUCTION and BACKGROUND This background information is provided to set context for the RFI and is provided for informational purposes only. The U.S. International Trade Commission's (USITC or Commission) is an independent, quasi-judicial Federal agency with broad investigative responsibilities on matters of trade. The USITC's mission is to: (1) administer U.S. trade remedy laws within its mandate in a fair and objective manner; (2) provide the President, the United States Trade Representative (USTR), and Congress with independent, quality analysis, information, and support on matters relating to tariffs and international trade and competitiveness; and (3) maintain the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States. PURPOSE The purpose of this RFI is to gather information from industry to improve the USITC's understanding of market capabilities. The USITC requests information on solutions that meet the Commission's objectives, and that offer other options to improve productivity. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS The general requirements include providing an IT Service Desk to provide end user support to internal Commission users, and provide operations maintenance, support, and engineering duties for a full range of IT infrastructure systems. Ideally, the solution will: Provide a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for initial reporting of requests, incidents, and problems for staff and contractors and for agency staff that ae telecommuting or how are off-site on official agency business. Manage, configure and maintain a ticket management system to track requests, incidents, problems, and for asset management and other ITIL processes Provide management support to users including Tier 0, 1, 2, and 3 operations Provide support for technology enhancements Provide hardware and software inventory management Support, configure, and maintain a central infrastructure monitoring system Provide support, configuration and management of network systems and equipment HOW TO RESPOND Interested organizations responding to this RFI may provide a Capabilities Statement or other relevant information regarding the organization's capabilities as they relate to the information contained herein. All responses may/should include the following information: Company name, address and website Company business size, socio-economic status Any contracts the organization currently holds (GSA Schedule, NASA SEWP, NITAAC, etc.), DUNS Number and Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code Point-of-Contact name, position, telephone number and e-mail address An overview of the leading solution(s) options your firm would recommend that take into account the information provided herein. Concerns that should be considered by the USITC as part of any potential solicitation When and if a solicitation is released, is your organization prepared to respond to the solicitation requirements with a FIRM FIXED PRICE for the requirement? If not, why not? Are there any issues or questions your organization has regarding the draft requirements as described in the Draft PWS (attached)? Does your organization have any recommendations to improve how the draft PWS requirements are organized or how the requirements describe the work to be performed in order to help your organization develop a comprehensive proposal, should a solicitation be issued? Does your organization have any recommended performance standards for the objectives and tasks listed in Section 2 of the Draft PWS? How will your organization provide qualified personnel, with what will be required USITC background investigations, for performance of the work? Does your organization have any tools and/or methodologies to track industry trends and identify which emerging technologies to research, evaluate, and recommend to meet mission needs? If yes, please describe the tools and/or methodologies your organization has used for other customers and/or within your own organization? Does your organization offer a lab or test environment to evaluate and test new network technologies and solutions? If yes, can you describe your evaluation and testing capabilities? Based on performance objectives specified in the draft PWS, what does your organization suggest as essential skills and level of experience needed to accomplish those objectives and tasks? What industry best practices does your organization recommend in improving quality of service for IT support? Does your organization have any methodologies for prioritizing requests, incidents, problems, or other trackable items? If so, how has this resulted in process improvement and customer satisfaction? What organizational qualifications or personnel certificates does your organization recommend? Interested organizations may submit a response to this RFI, with the information requested above, and any other applicable information, on or before 12:00 PM, ET, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021. Please submit all documentation VIA EMAIL to contact@example.gov Please include in the subject line of the email RFI # -34300021M0001 IT Support, Operations, and Maintenance Services Organizations are discouraged from submitting any information deemed proprietary. However, if elected to submit proprietary information, the organization bears sole responsibility for marking said information as proprietary to ensure appropriate safeguarding by the Government. The Government shall not be held liable for any damages incurred if proprietary information is not properly identified. All submissions become the property of the Government and will not be returned. ATTACHMENT 1 DRAFT PWS