Support Services for Employees with Disabilities (SSED 2)

Sources Sought Notice (SSN)/Draft Statement of Work (SOW) THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE FOR MARKET RESEARCH ONLY - NO AWARD WILL BE MADE FROM THIS NOTICE. This is being released for informational purposes to assist the IRS and is subject to change. This notice is published to gain knowledge of potential vendors capable of providing services for Support Services for Employees with Disabilities (SSED) SOW. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this announcement or any follow-up information requests. Respondents will NOT be notified of the results of the analysis. All data received in response to this Sources Sought synopsis that is marked or designated as corporate or proprietary information will be fully protected from release outside the Government. The Government shall not be liable for or suffer any consequential damages for any proprietary information not properly identified. Proprietary information will be safeguarded in accordance with all applicable Government regulations. All documentation shall become the property of the Government and will not be returned. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is seeking responses from businesses capable of providing the products and services listed in the attached technical specifications document. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTE OR PROPOSAL. Responses to this announcement are not considered quotes or offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government shall not be held responsible for any costs incurred in the response to this request for information announcement. Background: The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires Federal agencies to consider the needs of qualified individuals with disabilities when it develops, procures, or uses new Electronic Information Technology (EIT). The 1998 Amendments to Section 508 of the Act directed the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board), to develop technical and functional access standards for EIT that became part of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). To comply with Section 508, all Federal agencies are required to incorporate these standards into their procurement policies and directives. The IRS Information Resources Accessibility Program (IRAP) Program Office manages and oversees a Service wide program to help make EIT systems accessible to employees and customers with disabilities. The IRAP's Program Office mission is to enable accessible information technology (IT) through integrated solutions, services and standards. IRAP Program Office Assistive Technology (AT) services include: Evaluating the needs of qualified individuals with disabilities to determine the appropriate assistive computer technology to accommodate functional limitations. Evaluating new AT for potential use within the IRS. Purchasing AT with associated maintenance and training. Assisting customers with AT features and functions. Furnishing technical assistance to local Desktop Support staff to resolve complex assistive hardware and software issues. Objectives: The IRS seeks to identify potential vendors with the skills and capabilities necessary to perform the following tasks: AT (hardware and software) with associated manuals/publications in an accessible format available from the manufacturer/supplier delivered to IRS within 15 calendar days of order. Maintenance and repair for AT hardware Items. Software Maintenance Agreements (SMAs) for AT software items, as available. Technical support for AT software items from the product's vendor shall be available to assist the IRAP Program Office technical support staff with issue resolution. Support training/troubleshooting on use of AT hardware and software products. Travel required to support one-on-one and/or group client training for software and hardware products. The IRS is looking to identify small businesses (e.g., 8(a), service-disabled veteran owned small business, HUBZone small business, small-disadvantaged business, veteran-owned small business and woman-owned small business) that can perform the requirements outlined in the draft SOW. SUBMISSION INFORMATION: The IRS is requesting submission of Technical Capabilities. I. Technical Capabilities - Responses may not exceed 10 pages, excluding the cover page. Each response should include the following information: Company Name and Unique Entity Identifier Number. Company Address. Company Point of Contact, Phone number and Email address. Current Contract Number and Task Area(s) appropriate for this notice; including the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code. Company Socio-economic (i.e., large business, small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUB Zone small business, small-disadvantaged business, or women-owned small business. Contract holder's capability statement that addresses organizational and staff experience and expertise. Given the above information, what experience do you have in providing computer assistive technology, associated training and systems integration? What experience does your staff have in troubleshooting, and addressing compatibility issues? List three organizations to which similar types of services have been previously provided within the last three years - to include contract number, description of the requirement, dollar value, contract type, name, and telephone number of the customer. Are there qualifications/ certifications requirements for individuals or to the vendor as whole who is performing the services? If so, what are they and do they apply to this acquisition? Submission Requirements: All capability statements shall be submitted via email to the point of contact listed below. The title of the email shall read - Response to IRS SSED SSN. Responses shall be limited to 10 single-sided pages, not including the required business information and cover page. Pages should be single-spaced, minimum 11-point Times New Roman font with a minimum of one- inch margins on all sides. Responses shall not contain any brochures, advertising or any other type of extraneous, graphic literature or documents that have not been requested and are not relevant or essential in demonstrating the company's ability to provide the required services. Vendors may provide links to relevant websites, as appropriate. The deadline for responses to this SSN is 5:00PM EST, February 1, 2024 Responses should be sent electronically to Sharlene Weatherholtz at contact@example.gov. with a courtesy copy to Adrienne Spruill, at contact@example.gov. IRS will not entertain questions regarding this market research. ** THE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT RESPOND TO PHONE CALLS. **