The purpose of this notice is market research to identify companies that are interested in participating in a solicitation to perform the services outlined below in the section titled SCOPE. The Bureau of Public Debt (BPD) will consider all affirmative responses received by 4:00 pm et on Wednesday, May 20, 2009. Responses must be sent to
[email protected] to the attention of Alan Dotson. An affirmative response consists of the following: 1. Company Name 2. Point of Contact (name, phone number, and email) 3. Address of local company office (must be within 20 miles of BPD address listed above) 4. DUNS Number (if any) 5. Business Size (based on NAICS 523120 size standard of $7.0 million avg. annual receipts) 6. Other applicable small business programs (SDVOSB, HUBZone, 8(a),etc.) 7. Capabilities Narrative (narrative must explain the company qualifications, line of business, and an explanation of recent similar work performed to include the dates of service) 8. Any other information that details the qualifications of the company to perform the required services Responses that do not contain the applicable information listed above may not be considered. A request for further information is not considered an affirmative response. No further information concerning this acquisition will be provided at this time. The responses received in response to this notice will be used for market research purposes only and will aid, but not limit, in the formulation of an ultimate acquisition strategy. BPD reserves the right to request further information from any company submitting an affirmative response to this notice. SCOPE The mission of the Bureau of the Public Debt (BPD) is to borrow the money needed to operate the federal government, account for the resulting debt, and provide reimbursable support services to federal agencies. When obligations are acquired by the Secretary of the Treasury for the Federal Government or delivered by an executive agency, it is the responsibility of the Secretary to liquidate those items pursuant to 31 U.S.C. § 324. Obligations are usually the result of debt or liability collection efforts. Once executive agencies acquire these obligations, they are forwarded to BPD, Office of Public Debt Accounting (OPDA), Division of Accounting Operations for processing and transaction. For example, many obligations are seized and forfeited by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in collection efforts under 26 CFR Part 403. First, IRS will attempt to liquidate the obligations in an administrative sale. However, if an acceptable minimum bid is not received, the obligations are forwarded to OPDA for transaction. Once OPDA receives the obligations, a qualified broker-dealer may be asked to sell or liquidate the obligations. Upon receipt of the confirmation of sale, the broker-dealer will electronically deposit the proceeds using the Fedwire Deposit System. Proceeds from pending sales are to be held in a non-interest bearing account in the name of OPDA until the transaction is completed on the books of the broker-dealer. OPDA will notify the agency of the date and amount of the sale and insure that the proper financial reporting has taken place. The purpose of this acquisition is to obtain the services of a broker-dealer to take control of, safe-keep, and liquidate stocks, bonds, and other securities for BPD/OPDA on behalf of other agencies and bureaus. The broker-dealer shall establish a non-interest-bearing customer account in the name of the OPDA. This customer account will facilitate the deposit and transfer of funds and securities, and provide safekeeping services for obligations received. Upon receipt of a security, the broker-dealer will liquidate the security, deduct any applicable SEC fees and/or commissions, and wire the proceeds according to the Instructions to sell sent from OPDA for each transaction. The following requirements must be met so that obligations assumed by OPDA can be liquidated and the appropriate financial reporting occurs. The broker-dealer must warrant the fulfillment of each of the following conditions at all times during the period of the contract and must notify the government immediately if he/she may become or has become non-compliant. a. Be in compliance with all applicable federal and state securities laws and regulations b. Be registered with each of the following: (i) the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (ii) be a member of a self-regulatory organization (iii) be registered with the applicable State Securities Commission(s) c. Be in good standing with its Self-Regulatory Organization (SRO) (i.e., not the subject of any enforcement action for violations of federal or state securities laws or regulations) d. Certify that all securities professionals associated with the broker-dealer (including branch managers and salespersons) are properly registered with the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), applicable SRO, and applicable State Securities Commission(s) e. Be located within twenty (20) miles of the BPD in Parkersburg, West Virginia and arrange for a courier service to pick up securities within 24 hours so that physical obligations can be delivered expeditiously for safekeeping f. Have the regulatory authority under both federal and state securities laws to conduct transactions and safe keep a wide range of instruments, including but not limited to, government securities, equities, warrants, corporate bonds, municipal securities, and Rule 144a securities g. Maintain sufficient capital to be in compliance with applicable federal securities regulations pertaining to financial responsibility h. Be member of the NYSE, Inc. Medallion Signature Program. The contractor's medallion guarantee limit should be sufficient to handle projects with values up to $100 million i. Submit the following documentation upon request: (i) most recent Financial and Operational Combined Uniform Single (FOCUS) report (ii) most recent audited annual report (iii) copies of all commission schedules, mark-up policy, and schedule listing all other fees (i.e., account maintenance fees, safekeeping fees, transfer fees, and any other fees related to the transaction services) Interested offerors may register at http://www.fedbizopps.gov to receive notification when the solicitation and any amendments are issued and available for downloading. Please note that the General Services Administration provides the notification service as a convenience and does not guarantee that notifications will be received by all persons on the mailing list. Therefore, we recommend that you monitor the FedBizOpps site for all information relevant to desired acquisitions. If the Internet option is not available to you, you may receive a hard copy of the solicitation and any amendments (via U.S. Mail) by faxing your request to (304) 480-7204 or e-mailing your request to
[email protected].