REQUEST FOR INFORMATION 70SBUR25I00000010
Reverse Auction Tool II
This RFI is for informational and planning purposes ONLY and is NOT to be construed as a solicitation or a commitment to issue a solicitation. It is issued for the purpose of conducting market research in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10, determine common and customary industry practices and to allow industry an opportunity to provide comments concerning this requirement. No solicitation is being issued at this time and the Government makes no assertion that a solicitation will be issued. The Government is not obligated to and will not pay for any information received from potential sources as a result of this notice.
GENERAL INFORMATION:
Document Type: Request for Information (RFI)
RFI No.: 70SBUR25I00000010
Description: Reverse Auction Tool II
Posted Date: 01/21/2025
Response Date: 01/31/2025 @ 4:00pm ET
Classification Code: R [Professional, Administrative and Management Support Services]
Product Service Code (PSC): R707 [Support- Management: Contract/Procurement/Acquisition Support]
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code: 455219 [Internet auctions, general merchandise (new and used), retail]
BACKGROUND & SCOPE:
The Department of Homeland Security and its components (collectively referred to as DHS herein) is responsible for the planning, negotiation, award, and administration of contracts of various types and sizes to support program offices within the organization. In pursuit of operational excellence and fiscal responsibility, DHS seeks to streamline the acquisition process by taking advantage of innovative eProcurement technologies. These technologies will assist DHS in leveraging limited resources, reducing administrative tasks, and lowering associated labor costs while ensuring stringent regulatory compliance, maintaining high levels of competition, obtaining fair and reasonable prices, and meeting the agency's socio-economic Small Business goals.
eProcurement technologies, such as reverse auctions, offer the Government the ability to conduct robust, real-time price competitions, which may allow for multiple rounds of bidding for continued price reduction. These interactive bidding processes not only strengthen competition but also promote transparency and facilitate participation from both small and large businesses, thereby ensuring a more inclusive and equitable procurement environment.
To further enhance procurement efficiency and consistency across the Department, DHS has initiated an enterprise-wide acquisition for a standardized reverse auction tool and associated services. This initiative aims to establish a cohesive approach to reverse auctions, ensuring all components can uniformly benefit from its advantages. By implementing a Department-wide reverse auction tool, DHS aspires to achieve significant cost savings, improve procurement timelines, and enhance vendor engagement.
DHS requires access to a full-service, web-based reverse auctioning solution that assists DHS buyers in soliciting, evaluating, and awarding multiple contract types for supplies and select services from established networks of vendors. The solution shall be based on an established commercial product, requiring little or no customization to meet DHS requirements. The solution shall be compliant with Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP), Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) and any additional higher DHS security requirements.
The solution must provide for real-time and multiple rounds of bidding for continued price reductions within the timeframe and conditions established in the solicitation. DHS desires a white-label solution having a DHS-branded front-end for both DHS buyers and bidding vendors that includes the Department's logo and user information.
APFS Record: F2024065858
Estimated Solicitation Release Date: 08/15/2025
Estimated Award Date: Q2 FY2026
Estimated Period of Performance (POP): 03/10/2026 03/09/2031
Place of Performance:
The reverse auctioning system shall be hosted and operated at the Contractor's facilities. All performance, data storage and processing must occur in the Continental U.S. or its territories. The Contractor may be required to perform training and related support services on-site at DHS facilities as specified in the agreement or order but will not be provided with permanent workspaces.
INFORMATION SOUGHT:
USCIS requests the following:
- Does the Cloud Service Offering (CSO) have a FedRAMP authorization?
- If not FedRAMP authorized, has the CSO been evaluated by a government or commercial cybersecurity auditor?
- How does your Reverse Auction Tool authenticate users?
- Do you offer a Reverse Auction Tool as a commercial product to the public (i.e., catalogue)? Or under a General Services Administration procurement vehicle (i.e., Multiple Award Schedule (MAS)?
RESPONSE FORMAT AND GUIDELINES:
Responses shall be in Microsoft Word and are due no later than January 31, 2025, by 4:00 pm ET. Responses shall be limited to one (1) page. All responses shall be submitted via email to Kristyn.Holsopple@uscis.dhs.gov AND Angela.D.Hodges@uscis.dhs.gov.
Responses to this RFI provided via facsimile, hard (paper) copies, and telephone calls will NOT be accepted.
Responses shall not include any proprietary information or pricing information.
CONCLUSION:
This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Respondents are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. The information in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. This RFI does not constitute a commitment to procure any of the items/services discussed, nor is it a commitment or authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought.
Background
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is responsible for the planning, negotiation, award, and administration of contracts to support its program offices.
To enhance operational excellence and fiscal responsibility, DHS aims to streamline its acquisition process through innovative eProcurement technologies. This initiative seeks to leverage limited resources, reduce administrative tasks, lower labor costs, ensure regulatory compliance, maintain competition, obtain fair prices, and meet socio-economic Small Business goals.
The DHS is pursuing an enterprise-wide acquisition for a standardized reverse auction tool to improve procurement efficiency and vendor engagement across the department.
Work Details
DHS requires a full-service, web-based reverse auctioning solution that assists buyers in soliciting, evaluating, and awarding contracts for supplies and services from established vendor networks.
The solution must be based on a commercial product with minimal customization needed. Key requirements include:
1. Core Functions: Enable real-time competitive bidding for commodity supplies and services.
2. Support Services: Provide helpdesk support, online tutorials/training, and vendor outreach programs.
3. Tool Features: Include vendor registration, questions and answers functionality, payment of fees by awarded vendors only, target price setting capabilities, awardee selection criteria beyond price (e.g., quality), auction timeframe settings, iterative bidding options, document uploads for solicitations, buyer auction controls for independent management of auctions.
4. Transaction Capacity: Support approximately 271 simultaneous transactions per month with the ability to surge to 400.
5. Security Compliance: Ensure compliance with FedRAMP and FISMA standards.
6. Reporting Capabilities: Provide detailed reports on auction activities including vendor participation rates and savings achieved.
Period of Performance
The estimated period of performance is from March 10, 2026 to March 9, 2031.
Place of Performance
The reverse auctioning system will be hosted at the Contractor's facilities within the Continental U.S. or its territories.
