1. DESCRIPTION U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Trade (OT) is seeking information from interested contractors to establish an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for economic impact analysis services. See the attached draft Statement of Work (SOW) for a general scope of the requirements of the planned contract. At the task order level, in response to a requirement-specific Statement of Objectives (SOO), the contractor will provide a detailed performance work statements (PWS) and price proposal. As a result of this process, a task order (“order”) will then be awarded. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION/SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT. It is for informational purposes only. A solicitation is NOT being issued at this time. Responses to this announcement from industry will allow the Government to identify interested sources capable of meeting all requirements. The information sought will be used for planning purposes only. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. The Government will not award a contract based on this RFI, nor will the Government pay for any information submitted by respondents. All proprietary or sensitive corporate information must be clearly marked. This announcement in no way obligates or commits the Government to acquire any product or service. There shall be no basis for claims against the Government, as a result of information submitted in response to this RFI. 2. BACKGROUND The Office of Trade (OT), an organization within CBP, consolidates trade policy and compliance measurement functions and promotes trade facilitation for the agency. OT aims to streamline the flow of legitimate shipments and foster corporate self-governance as a means of achieving compliance with trade laws and regulations. The services required under the proposed IDIQ constitute professional and management services within the definition provided by FAR 37.201. The Contractor will provide all personnel, equipment, materials, supervision and other items and services necessary to perform regulatory services to conduct the economic analysis, documentation, and assessments required for the promulgation of regulations in accordance with the standards set forth in the attached draft SOW. Services will support the preparation of either Regulatory Assessments (RA), Retrospective Analyses, or Program Assessments that meet the requirements of Executive Orders (EO) 12866 and 13563for a Regulatory Impact Analysis (for proposed and final rules); the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) for an Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) and Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (FRFA) (where applicable); and the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) for an unfunded mandates analysis (where applicable). Coordination and assessment may be required for portions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) analysis and documentation. Economic analysis will be needed for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations as well as trade and border security policies. As envisioned in this announcement and the attached draft SOW, the Contractor will be responsible to research and produce these types of reports which include but are not limited to: Regulatory Assessments (RA), Retrospective Analyses, or Program Assessments Regulatory Impact Analysis (for proposed and final rules) that satisfy the requirements of Executive Order (EO) 12866 and EO 13563 and are written in accordance to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-4. This includes preamble inserts discussing the regulatory assessment for both the proposed and final rules and (for final rules) assistance with responses to public comments on the analysis. Litigation support on the reports in the event CBP is sued because of the regulation. Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) and Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (FRFA) where required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act. UMRA for an unfunded mandates analysis (where applicable). Economic analysis for trade security and immigration policies. Coordination and assessment with the Project Manager (PM) for portions of the PRA analysis and documentation. The Contractor may also be required to coordinate with the Contracting Officer Representative (COR). The preparation of reports on industry best practices for cost benefit analysis, retrospective analysis, and/or deregulatory analysis. 3. REQUESTED INFORMATION CBP seeks information from interested contractors that can provide commercially available capabilities and services that satisfy the attached draft work statement requirements. Citing two examples, please describe your firm’s capabilities and experience meeting requirements similar in scope and complexity to the requirements of the work statement. In addition to a description of capabilities and experience, CBP seeks responses to the following questions: What requirements should CBP consider modifying to more closely align with prevalent industry practices to achieve greater competition in contracting for this requirement? (e.g., economic analysis practices, etc.) What prevalent business practices, contracting requirements, cost and pricing information, and other factors should CBP consider as it evaluates its potential requirements? Are there any obstacles for potential contractors that CBP should consider when deciding on the type of task order to issue under this IDIQ contract (e.g. firm fixed price, labor hour, time and materials, etc.). 4. RESPONSE FORMAT AND LIMITS Interested parties should submit a written response, maximum of 10 pages in length single sided; no less than font size 10 that: Demonstrates the respondent’s ability to meet or exceed the capability requirements; Addresses each of the questions above; Provides the company name and address, point of contact with phone number and e-mail, business size, DUNS number, and available contracting vehicles; Identification of potential cost drivers, tradeoffs, and/or savings; and, Any other pertinent information such as assumptions made relating to the ability to satisfy specific requirements or questions regarding ambiguous or poorly defined requirements. All responses shall be submitted electronically (Adobe PDF format). Responding to this announcement is not a prerequisite to bid on a subsequent solicitation, if one is issued. Responses may include links to available product demonstration websites or videos. Responses are due no later than November 23rd, 2022, at 4:00 pm ET. Responses must be submitted via e-mail, if possible, to the contract officer:
[email protected] 5. SUMMARY THIS IS ONLY A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI). The information derived from this RFI will assist CBP in identifying sources that can satisfy the requirements of the Statement of Work. The information and specifications provided in the RFI are subject to change and are not binding on the Government. CBP has not made a commitment to procure any of the items presented, and release of this RFI should not be construed as a commitment or authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.