SPECIAL NOTICE COMBINED JUSTIFICATION FOR AN EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY SOLE SOURCE AND SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES Sources Sought – THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) IS RELEASED PURSUANT TO FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (FAR) PART 10, MARKET RESEARCH. The Department of Treasury, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Wage and Investments, CARE, Media and Pub, Correspondence Production Services (CPS) Branch, seeks a Firm-Fixed Price Purchase (FFP) delivery order for brand name Ricoh supplies and services. Ricoh VC4000 Mono Dye Ink Printer Ricoh VC400000 Printer System Support HPE DL580 Server HPE DL580 Server HW Maintenance HPE DL580 Server SW Maintenance HPE Alletra 6030 HPE Alletra HW Maintenance HPE Alletra Start Up Service SAN Switches and Rack 60 MOS WSU 24x7 4hr Support FC Cables NDS Software License Ricoh SP8400DN B&W Laser Printer Ricoh SP8400DN Printer System Support The IRS’s taxpayer correspondence volumes have increased tremendously in the past several years. The expectation is this level of taxpayer outreach will continue. Correspondence Service Branch (CPS) currently processes 98% of the IRS’s taxpayer correspondence in Detroit, MI and Ogden, UT The large volumes have caused late mailings, increases in overtime and additional contractor support to process the mail. After executive assessments, it was recommended that an identical 3rd print site be stood up. Facilities Management and Support Services (FMSS) recommended that the National Distribution Center (NDC), in Bloomington, IL, be reconfigured to meet this need. This action requests a firm fixed price, new award to procure 2 high volume printers, 2 desktop printers, 1 server, storage, San switches, Notice Delivery System’s software licenses and the associated installation/maintenance services to equip the proposed 3rd site. Period of Performance: one (1) year from date of award. To include delivery, setup and 90day testing period. According to market research conducted, FAR 16.505(a)(4) – The requirement is for an item peculiar to one manufacturer. The proposed contractor’s unique qualifications and the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited as follows: The proposed contractor’s unique qualifications for proprietary software, firmware, hardware, electronic and system design/expertise developed by Ricoh is not available from other contractors. Ricoh is the owner of the proprietary software for the site’s infrastructure of printers, servers, and Notice Delivery System. Part of the 3rd CPS site’s infrastructure consists of printers, servers, and the Notice Delivery System’s application, which is the property of the Ricoh Corporation. The application has been repeatedly customized over several years to meet the IRS needs for work process control, reporting, mail tracking and data interfacing to other IRS systems. The existing sites use the same application. CPS’s technical support staff are trained to provide administrative round the clock on-call and on-premises support. Replacement of this IRS standard application in the proposed new site would cause the need for new coding for the NDS system. New coding requires approval of additional funding. The proposed contractor developed and owns the propriety and patented hardware, software and algorithms that are used in these products and support the services specifically required for this acquisition; thereby the proposed source has the sole unique technical and other resources required for this acquisition. The Government currently uses the proposed contractor’s brand name product at its Correspondence Service Branch (CPS) facilities in Detroit, MI and Ogden, UT. This brand name product supports the Government need for continuity of operations in support of The IRS’s taxpayer’s correspondence. If this requirement is not met, the IRS will continue to pay for third party printing rather than bringing the work in-house. The third-party printing will cost us more in 27 months that if we build out the new print shop. SOLE SOURCE AND SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE This requirement will be a HUBZone sole source award via NASA SEWP V Groups B to Blue Tech INC. This is not a solicitation for proposals or an invitation for bids. The Government does not anticipate receiving responses to this notice of a non-competitive action. If parties choose to respond, any cost associated with preparation ad submission data or any other cost incurred in response to this announcement are the sole responsibility of the respondent and will not be reimbursed by the Government. The point of contact for this purchase is listed below. Any other interested organization must submit a written statement of their capabilities and qualifications to fulfill this requirement to the identified point of contact as soon as possible, but no later than August 25, 2023, 12:00pm. E-mailed statements are acceptable, but the senders bear full responsibility to ensure complete transmission and timely receipt. All inquiries and concerns must be addressed in writing to
[email protected] . Responses shall include, at a minimum, the following information: 1. The name of your company; 2. Company’s UEI No.; 3. POC name and contact information; 4. The specific product(s) that your company offers that fulfills the same function as the items to be included on this order; and, 5. A description of that product(s) and its overall capabilities. 6. Hubzone certifications It is your responsibility to demonstrate how your ability to provide Forum Gateway hardware appliances, software, and maintenance support. The Government will not seek additional information from your company if you fail to provide sufficient evidence of having a product capable of meeting the Government's needs. Contracting Office Address: 5000 Ellin Road Lanham, MD 20706
[email protected]