The purpose of this announcement is to increase small business awareness of a pending United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) acquisition that offers potential subcontracting opportunities for small business participation. The solicitation will be issued no sooner than May 2011. USCIS intends to use the GSA's USA Contact suite of nine contracts for this acquisition. Information on USA Contact can be found at http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/105215. Within USCIS, the Customer Service Directorate (CSD) operates the National Customer Service Center (NCSC). The NCSC was created to provide nationwide assistance to customers who contact USCIS by telephone with questions about immigration services and benefits, and with issues related to case processing. Depending on the complexity of the customer's issues, answers are provided by an Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Tier 1 contractors using scripts, or USCIS employees at Tier 2. This acquisition is for Tier 1 contact center services. When a customer calls the NCSC's general service number, the call is first routed to a network based Interactive Voice Response (IVR). During normal business hours, if the IVR is unable to meet the customer's need, the call is automatically routed via the Verizon Business Networx network-based intelligent call routing to the next available customer service representative (CSR) at a Contractor-operated and staffed Call Center, or to the appropriate USCIS direct routing point where appropriate. Tier 1 service is provided in both English and Spanish. CSRs use Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), scripts, and operational guidelines developed by USCIS to assist customers. More than 85% of callers requesting live assistance currently receive answers to their questions at Tier 1. If the questions go beyond the scripted responses, then the CSRs can transfer the calls to the next level (Tier 2) which consists of USCIS Immigration Service Officers who can provide technical and detailed answers. The services needed require the contractor to provide CSR staffing, management support, implementation of contact center standard operating procedures, establishment of a contact center facility (ies), and requisite information technology infrastructure to support system and communication needs. The contractor operations shall be supported by business continuity of operations and contingency plans to ensure minimal disruption of service. The underlying technology used will capitalize on evolving; leading edge solutions while maintaining sufficient flexibility in design to adjust to fluctuations in call volumes to accommodate necessary expansion. This acquisition is to provide contact center services to support the NCSC, which operates under US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The objective of the solicitation is to award two Task Orders against the GSA's USA Contact suite of IDIQ contracts to support the NCSC in providing information related to immigrant and non-immigrant benefits by employing a customer contact center approach. This notice is published to provide Small Businesses information on potential subcontracting opportunities. No further FedBizOpps notices will be published. Points of Contact for USCIS are Ned Ross, Contracting Officer, at
[email protected] or 802-872-4646, and Stephen K. Hill, Contract Specialist, at
[email protected], or 802-872-4197, ext. 4421.