Taxpayer Experience and Intake

Sources Sought - THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) IS RELEASED PURSUANT TO FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (FAR) PART 10, MARKET RESEARCH. This RFI/Sources Sought is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as either a solicitation or the obligation on the part of Government. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts or quotations. This notice is for market research purposes only. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this announcement or any follow-up information requests. 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 the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. IRS will not entertain questions regarding this market research. 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 IRS is seeking responses from potential contractors with the skills and capabilities necessary to perform the requirements outlined in the attached draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) Taxpayer Experience and Intake (TE&I) document. 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 PWS. Large businesses that can perform the requirements outlined in the draft PWS, including large businesses that are able to incorporate a small business participation plan. 1. Background The Office of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) leads the organization and advises the Commissioner on information technology (IT) matters, manages all IRS information system resources, and is responsible for delivering and maintaining modernized information systems throughout the Service. Located within the CTO, the Information Technology Services (ITS), Customer Service (CS) Domain has goals to provide access to systems and data that enables the IRS to deliver service and information to taxpayers. The IRS has increased focus on the creation and reuse of Common Services to enable additional business capabilities. To support this effort, the Common Business Services (CBS) development section develops and maintains enterprise level, entity services which can be used to support Applications Development (AD) applications requiring the update of legacy and modernized data stores while maintaining Enterprise Life Cycle (ELC) compliance. CBS is following the Common Services Development Life Cycle (CSDLC). Current CBS infrastructure is Linux/JBoss EAP (Enterprise Application Platform) 6.6 with FUSE 6.2 with supporting Oracle databases. The eServices (eSVC) which are set of web-based taxpayer support systems/application allowing taxpayers to do business and compliance with tax requirements with the IRS; and the Integrated Customer Communications Environment (ICCE) and FATCA which are group of web and phone applications allowing taxpayers to do business and compliance with tax requirements with the IRS using self-service features. The support will include O&M and DME activities of eServices and ICCE application and legislatives changes related to these systems. 2. Objectives The objective of this PWS is to obtain Contractor support services for eServices and ICCE systems, Operation and Maintenance (O&M), Development Modernization and Enhancements (DME) activities, implement legislative changes and enhancements. The eServices and ICCE supports the following Goals and Objectives of the IRS Strategic Operating Plan 2022 - 2031 Goal 1- Improve Taxpayer Service Objective: Improve service options for the tax paying public. Objective: Facilitate participation in the tax system by all sectors of the public. Objective: Simplify the tax process. Goal 2 - Enhance Enforcement of the Tax Law Objective: Ensure that attorneys, accountants, and other tax practitioners adhere to professional standards and follow the law. Goal 3- Modernize the IRS through Its People, Processes and Technology Objective: Increase organizational capacity to enable full engagement and maximum productivity of employees. Objective: Modernize information systems to improve service and enforcement Objective: Ensure the safety and security of people, facilities, and information systems. Objective: Modernize business processes and align the infrastructure support to maximize resources devoted to front-line operations. The IRS programmatic objective are to: Increase Customer Satisfaction. Facilitate proactive monitoring of eServices and ICCE operational. Obtain effective Project Management practices that increase and enhance the likelihood of positive project work performance and outcomes. Provide effective Risk & Resource Management to minimize negative impact of risk items on cost, schedule, and/or performance. Provide effective Problem Management to ensure a positive trend in the frequency and duration and magnitude of incidents. Ensure that Contractor Quality Assurance (QA) activities directly contribute to the minimization of negative cost and schedule impacts associated with re-work. Ensure that documentation of systems and processes to operate and maintain the eServices and ICCE environments are sufficient and current. Ensure that all operations and maintenance and development efforts ensure achievement of project goals within budget. Reduce the time duration to respond and repair testing application defects. Ensure that all developmental efforts ensure quality and secure code. Reduce the time duration to respond and repair testing application defects. Maintain and execute Capability Maturity Model Integration Level 3 or above (CMMI 3) and Earned Value Management (EVM) requirements as needed. Ensure Contractor actions are not responsible for any Information Security or Privacy incidents or violations. 3. Submission Information Responses to this notice shall demonstrate the respondent's capability to perform the services outlined in the draft PWS. Potential small and large businesses shall demonstrate their knowledge, expertise, and experience in accordance with the PWS task requirements. The IRS is requesting Technical Capabilities - Responses may not exceed 10 pages, excluding the cover page. Each response should include the following information: 1. Company Name and Unique Entity Identifier Number 2. Company Address 3. Company Point of Contact, Phone number and Email address 4. 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. 5. Company socio-economic standing(s); 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. 6. Contract holder's capability statement that addresses organizational and staff experience and expertise. 7. List three organizations that have similar types of services, size, scope, and complexity 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. 8. Briefly describe your company's technical approach and methodology to the listed PWS tasks. 9. List your company's key technical personnel qualifications. Are there qualifications/ certifications requirements for individuals or to the contractor who is performing the services? If so, what are they and do they apply to this acquisition? 10. Has your company had multiple Cloud Implementation Experiences, Technical Implementation Criteria, using Standards, Guidelines, etc.? 11. Does your company have experience with AWS Cloud Implementation? 12. Does your company have any Middleware Platform Projects, and COTS implementation experience? 13. Does your company have the capability to provide personnel with the requisite security clearances? 14. Can your company meet all the performance objectives outlined in the PWS? 15. Will any PWS tasks require a subcontractor? 4. Submission Requirements All capability statements shall be submitted via email to the point of contact listed below. The title of the email shall read - Responses to IRS Taxpayer Experience and Intake (TE&I). 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 5:00 PM EST, February 20th, 2024 at 5:00 EST. Responses should be sent electronically to Margarita Bruther at contact@example.gov, Sayan Ghosh at contact@example.gov, and Mabel Kan at contact@example.gov with a courtesy copy Adrienne Spruill at contact@example.gov. ** THE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT RESPOND TO PHONE CALLS. **