Sources Sought Notice - Department of Homeland Security: Market Research for Ten-Print Fingerprint Analysis Identity Examination Reports

Sources Sought Notice:  This sources sought notice is being issued solely for information and market research and planning purposes.  This notice shall not be construed as an obligation on the part of the Government.  This is NOT a Request for Quotations or Proposals (RFQ or RFP).  No solicitation document exists and the Government may or may not issue a formal solicitation as a result of any information received in response to this RFI.

The Government will not pay for any response or demonstration expenses.  All costs incurred responding to this notice will be solely at the interested party's expense.  In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.  The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate.  Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine that organization’s capabilities.

The Government’s explicit intent through this notice is to obtain general product/service information.  The Government is not requesting and does not want to receive from respondents any proprietary data, trade secrets, business sensitive information, or information considered CONFIDENTIAL under 18 U.S.C. §1905.  The Government’s constraint does not in any way relieve contractors from their responsibility to properly mark proprietary data when it is provided, nor does it alleviate any requirement for the Government to protect marked data.  The Government is not obligated to protect unmarked data.

The information provided in this notice is subject to change and is not binding on the Government.  All submissions become the property of the Federal Government and will not be returned.

USCIS Requirement: The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is seeking companies that have the capability to provide contractor support to conduct ten-print fingerprint analysis identity examination reports inclusive of verification and technical and administrative review services.  USCIS will leverage existing International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/ International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) ISO /IEC 17025:2017 accredited laboratories for forensic testing and calibration (2023) embedded within the Department of Homeland Security and is seeking contractor support to conduct the ten-print analysis services off-site leveraging Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) and systems.

USCIS anticipates requiring full-time dedicated support for twelve (12) full-time equivalent (FTE) ten-print examiners for a period of performance of 12-months in support of an urgent emerging need and will require expert witness testimony to be provided by the examiner up to three (3) years beyond the initial 12-month period of performance.  The ten-print examiners will be required to successfully complete a background investigation prior to performance of services under the initiative.

USCIS requires Latent Print Examiners to be properly certified and current with International Association for Identification (IAI) standards.  The latent print examiners must be able to produce ten-print analysis detailed reports for each case, documenting methodologies, findings, and conclusions. Reports must be clear, concise, and suitable for use in federal court proceedings and at a minimum include exhibits, findings, remarks, and any other reporting requirements. Examiners must be familiar with the following:

• Be familiar with and able to abide by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Testing and Calibration Laboratories 17025:2017 accreditation standards and the American National Accreditation Board (ANAB) 3125 supplemental accreditation standards.
• Be able to provide written reports communicating findings.
• Be familiar with and able to utilize an external collaboration site to upload and/or download all case images and required documentation.
• Be familiar with, accept and follow all USCIS internal policies as necessary which may pertain to case documentation, retention, etc.
• Be familiar with, have access to and be able to utilize Photoshop or another digital documentation source to record Analysis, Comparison, and Evaluation activities.
• If accessible, have access to the FBI’s Next Generation Identification (NGI) database to conduct automated friction ridge searches.
• Be able to provide expert witness testimony for federal litigation in any cases completed by the contractor in either a report preparer or reviewing official capacity that are requested for trial.

USCIS requires contractor latent print examiners in addition to having proper and current certifications to also possess expert knowledge and experience to perform the following:

• Analysis, Comparison and Evaluation (ACE) of ten-prints. Proper documentation of ACE.
• Verification of identified ten-prints (V). Entry of unidentified ten-prints suitable for search into the Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems.
• Conduct technical and administrative reviews.
• Render sound opinions, conclusions, and interpretations.

Submission Information: The Government requests that interested parties respond to this notice in writing including details of your company’s ability to deliver services for certified ten-print examiners.  Please include in the subject of your e-mail: the sources sought number 70SBUR26I00000023 and title of this potential requirement “Certified ten-print examiners.”

Please include in the body of your e-mail:  your company name, Unique Entity ID, a point of contact (name, e-mail, address, and telephone number) technical questions, a point of contact (name, e-mail, address, and telephone number) contractual questions, a list of any federal contracting vehicles (for example, General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedules (MAS) or GSA One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS), etc.) you have that are available for use. Additionally, please provide the following information:

1. Affirmation that the respondent has the capability to meet the certification requirements to provide the services as outlined
2. A brief description of similar experience the respondent has provided to Federal partners in the past three (3) to five (5) years
3. Information regarding the capability of the respondent to recruit and onboard latent print examiners who already hold or are likely to receive a background clearance to receive and process sensitive information  
4. Provide any recommendations and/or concerns.

Do not submit pricing information in response to this Sources Sought.

Responses to this Sources Sought should not exceed 5 single-sided pages in length.

Please send responses via email with the subject heading “Certified ten-print examiners” to: Vanh Phun, Contract Specialist, Vanh.Phun@uscis.dhs.gov, and Gregory Forrest, Contracting Officer, Gregory.E.Forrest@uscis.dhs.gov, by 5:00 pm (Eastern) July 27, 2026.  The information in this notice is current as of the publication date but is subject to change and is not binding to the Government.  Oral submissions of information are not acceptable.